Catholic News
- Reverse climate change, Pope demands (Vatican News)
Pope Francis demanded action to “invert the global warming curve” in a May 16 address to participants in a Vatican-sponsored conference on climate change. In a highly detailed talk, the Pope said that the problem of climate change is becoming steadily more acute, and told an international group of political leaders that “we are working for a culture of life or for a culture of death.” The Pope said that climate change is attributable not only to human activity— a theory that remains controversial— but to human greed. He said: “The wealthier nations, around 1 billion people, produce more than half the heat trapping pollutants,” said the Pope. “On the contrary, the 3 billion poorer people contribute less than 10%, yet they suffer 75% of the resulting damage.” The damage to the world’s climate caused by human activity is “an offense against God,” the Pope insisted. “We find ourselves faced with systemic challenges that are distinct yet interconnected: climate change, the loss of biodiversity, environmental decay, global disparities, lack of food security and threats to the dignity of the peoples affected by them.” Pope Francis said that pollution causes millions of deaths every year, and demanded efforts to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Vatican News reported: “He mentioned especially the Amazon Basin and the Congo, peat bogs, mangroves, oceans, coral reefs, farmlands, and glacial icecaps.” - 'De-ideologize' end-of-life issues and accompany the dying, Archbishop Paglia urges (Vatican News)
Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, the president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, emphasized the importance of personal accompaniment of the dying. The prelate made his remarks as he prepares to take part in a Canadian symposium on palliative care. “We should urge the churches to rediscover the importance of accompaniment for an effective ‘good death,’ which for us believers is the passage to life with Jesus,” he said. “We should also help all other religions or men of good will, because at that final moment, each of us needs to physically feel closeness.” “Here, in this sense, it seems important to me that the reflection is not just ‘euthanasia yes [or] euthanasia no’: it is too dry, too frigid,” he continued. “The problem is how to accompany, how to make this transition as painless as possible and, at the same time, less desperate.” “The Church’s task is to try to ‘de-ideologize’ these topics, which are often contaminated precisely by ideologies and not by actual accompaniment,” he added. “It would only take a little reason to understand that each death is different from the other and should therefore be accompanied in a personal manner.” - Progressive Judaism leaders meet with Pope Francis, ask for prayer for release of hostages (Jerusalem Post)
Pope Francis received a delegation from the World Union for Progressive Judaism in a May 15 audience. Rabbi Sergio Bergman, the World Union’s president, “commenced the audience with heartfelt personal greetings to his dear friend of more than 25 years, Pope Francis,” the organization stated. Rabbi Bergman discussed his organization’s work and “also shared his thoughts with the Pontiff on the current situation in Israel, expressing the World Union’s hope for collaborative efforts toward the immediate release of all hostages, and his reflections on the War in Ukraine.” “The Pope talked about how important it is to meet with groups of all faiths in the name of brotherhood,” the organization’s statement continued. “He added how grateful he is to meet an old friend here in Rome and his hope for better days as we work together for unity and peace. Pope Francis personally greeted every delegation member.” - Vatican hosts climate summit for political leaders, scientists (Pontifical Academy of Sciences)
The Pontifical Academy of Sciences and Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences are hosting From Climate Crisis to Climate Resilience: A Vatican 3-day Summit for bending the curve and bouncing forward to climate resilience. “The Climate Crisis is upon us,” the Pontifical Academy of Sciences (PAS) warned. “It will get lot worse over the next few decades as planetary heating shoots past 1.5C by early 2030s.” “The warming curve is likely to bend around the latter half of this century in response to global scale actions to mitigate emissions of the heat trapping pollutants,” PAS continued. “We no longer have the luxury of relying just on mitigation of emissions. We need to embark on building climate resilience so that people can bend the emissions curve and bounce back from the climate crisis safer, healthier, wealthier to a sustainable world.” Speakers include scholars and political figures, including the governors of California, Massachusetts, and New York; the mayors of Rome, Sao Paolo, Paris, London, and Boston; and the White House’s deputy for Clean Energy Innovation and Implementation. - Pope lauds ecumencial ties with Greek Orthodox (Vatican News)
Pope Francis met on May 16 with a delegation from the Greek Orthodox Church, and expressed his hope that young Catholics and Orthodox would recognize each other “as brothers and sisters, united in diversity and capable of bearing witness to the love of Christ, especially in a world so divided and riven by conflict.” - Filipino bIshops oppose Chinese naval blockade (AsiaNews)
The Catholic bishops’ conference of the Philippines has supported Filipino claims to free use of the South China Sea, applauding a civilian mission that defied a Chinese blockade to bring supplies to Filipino fishermen. “We must reject imperialist bullying and geopolitical warmongering,” said Bishop Pablo Virgilio David of Kalookan, the president of the bishops’ conference, describing the Chinese blockade as illegal. Tensions between China and the Philippines have escalated as China seeks to impose control over sea traffic in the heavily traveled region. Bishop David also expressed satisfaction that the blockade had been challenged by a civilian group, avoiding a military confrontation. ““A stubborn civilian presence instead of a joint military show-of-force is indeed a peaceful, nonviolent approach to this conflict,” he said. - Nuncio pays tribute to vibrancy of Catholic minorities in Arab nations (Fides)
In a wide-ranging reflection, Archbishop Eugene Nugent, the apostolic nuncio to Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar, paid tribute to the vibrancy of the Catholic faith in Arab nations. “Perhaps in Europe we do not have the perception of how alive the Catholic Church really is in these predominantly Muslim countries, or even think that it barely exists,” the Irish-born prelate said. “But when you are there, you discover that it is alive and very lively. Seeing thousands and thousands of people attending these small churches impresses me, encourages me, and strengthens my faith.” - Vatican announces ways to obtain special 2025 Jubilee Indulgence (Vatican Press Office)
The Apostolic Penitentiary has published a decree listing the conditions for obtaining a special plenary indulgence during the 2025 jubilee year. The Jubilee Indulgence may be obtained, under the conditions described in the decree, by pilgrimages to jubilee sites in Rome, the Holy Land, or elsewhere (such as cathedrals); by pious visits to sacred places in Rome or elsewhere (such cathedrals, minor basilicas, and Marian shrines); and by works of mercy and penance. As is the case with obtaining any plenary indulgence, the decree discusses the concomitant conditions for obtaining the Jubilee Indulgence: “all the faithful, who are truly repentant and free from any affection for sin, who are moved by a spirit of charity and who, during the Holy Year, purified through the Sacrament of Penance and refreshed by Holy Communion, pray for the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff, will be able to obtain from the treasury of the Church a plenary indulgence, with remission and forgiveness of all their sins, which can be applied in suffrage to the souls in Purgatory.” Typically, a plenary indulgence may be obtained only once a day. During the jubilee year, however, “the faithful who have carried out an act of charity on behalf of the souls in Purgatory, if they receive Holy Communion a second time that day, can obtain the plenary indulgence twice on the same day, applicable only to the deceased (this must take place within a Eucharistic celebration).” - Ecumenical Patriarch, Mecca imam speak at dialogue conference (Vatican News)
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, the imam of the Grand Mosque of Mecca, and the chief rabbi of Poland were among the keynote speakers at the KAICIID Global Dialogue Forum in Lisbon, where religious and political leaders have gathered to discuss peacebuilding, inclusive cities, and sacred ecology. Father Laurent Basanese, SJ, an official of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, is also among the speakers at the May 14-16 event. The KAICIID Dialogue Centre, or King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue, is an intergovernmental organization founded in 2012 by Austria, Saudi Arabia, and Spain. - Pope blesses 'voice of the unborn' bell (Vatican News)
Pope Francis offered praise for a pro-life initiative, the “voice of the unborn” bell, and blessed it on May 15 in preparation for its use in Kazakhstan. The bell will “serve as a reminder of the importance of protecting human life from conception to natural death,” the Pope said. “One could see the enormous joy of the Holy Father,” said Archbishop Thomas Peta of Astana, Kazakhstan. “The Pope, together with the children, was the first to ring the bell. It was a momentous event, as the question of defending life from conception to natural death is a worldwide concern.” - USCCB announces $7.5M in home mission grants (USCCB)
The US bishops’ Subcommittee on Catholic Home Missions has announced $7,474,000 in grants to the nation’s home mission dioceses. The grants list breaks down the grants by category, but not by recipient. For example, $1,070,000 was allotted to “evangelization”—but the bishops’ conference did not list the dioceses and programs that received the evangelization grants. - Papal prayer for peace, appeal for aid to flood-stricken Afghanistan (AsiaNews)
At the conclusion of his May 15 general audience, Pope Francis appealed for international aid to flood-stricken Afghanistan and renewed his call for prayers for peace. “I turn my thoughts to the dear people of Afghanistan, hard hit by the tragic floods which have caused numerous losses of human life, including children, and continue to cause destruction of many homes,” the Pope said. “I pray for the victims, especially for children and their families, and I appeal to the international community to immediately provide the aid and support necessary to protect the most vulnerable.” “And let us pray for peace: let us not forget the tormented Ukraine; let us not forget Palestine, Israel, Myanmar,” he continued, after recalling the approaching feast of Pentecost. “Let us pray for peace, let us pray for all the people who suffer from war. All together, with a big heart, let us pray for definitive peace, and no wars—not any. Because war is always a defeat: always!” The Pontiff’s appeal for Afghanistan and call for prayers for peace were omitted from the Vatican’s official English translation of the Pope’s remarks. - Latvian president meets with Pontiff (Vatican Press Office)
Pope Francis met on May 16 with President Edgars Rinkevics of Latvia. In addition to Church-state relations, the conversation included discussion of the war in Ukraine and the future use of artificial intelligence. - Report: Burkina Faso's military executed Christians in 2 villages (Fides)
On May 6, members of Burkina Faso’s military, along with paramilitary volunteers, took part in the execution of 21 people in Moualoungou and 130 people in Tambi Bounima, according to Fides, the news agency of the Pontifical Mission Societies. “Pregnant women, men, children and passers-by, were executed without cause by the military convoy that set off,” Fides reported. “They are poor, farmers, almost all of them Christians.” “The farmers, held hostage by the demand for a per-person ‘tax,’ conversion to jihadist armed groups or the exodus, without anything, are hiding in the bush or seeking refuge and safety across the border,” the report continued. Burkina Faso, a West African nation of 22.5 million (map), is 57% Muslim, 23% Christian (15% Catholic), and 19% ethnic religionist. A jihadist insurgency began there in 2015, and the military assumed power in a 2022 coup. - Pope Francis, at general audience, reflects on virtue of charity (CWN)
At his May 15 general audience, held in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis reflected on the theological virtue of charity, in the latest talk in a series of Wednesday general audiences devoted to the virtues and vices. - Leading Polish prelate accused of negligence in addressing abuse (Notes from Poland)
The editor-in-chief of Więź, a Polish Catholic journal cofounded in 1958 by a future prime minister, has published an article accusing Archbishop Tadeusz Wojda of Gdańsk of negligence in addressing abuse. The prelate became president of the episcopal conference in March. “Wojda is accused of failing to properly respond to reports made in 2021 by two women who said they had been sexually abused as teenagers by a priest working in the Gdańsk archdiocese,” Notes from Poland reported. In one case, Wodja reportedly stated that the incident did not involve sexual abuse because “it was just groping.” An archdiocesan spokesman said that the journalist has only a “fragmentary knowledge about the case” and “distorts the image of the entire canonical process and harms all its participants, including the injured parties. It should be emphasized that the canonical process is still ongoing,” - Everyone can build peace, Pope writes in new book (Vatican News)
In a preface he has contributed to another new book, Pope Francis writes that the task of promoting peace is not just the business of powerful world leaders “with their choices and their international treaties,” but everyone can make a contribution. Real peace, the Pope writes, is “not so much the absence of war but the fullness of life and prosperity.” We all can contribute, he says, with their choices and their international treaties,” we too can build peace, “in our homes, in the family, among neighbours, in our workplaces, in the neighbourhoods where we live.” - Elderly priests meet with Pope at Roman parish (Vatican News)
On May 14, Pope Francis held a private discussion with 70 Roman priests at the Basilica of St. Joseph on the Triumphal Way (San Giuseppe al Trionfale). All of the priests were ordained at least 40 years ago. Last September, the Pontiff began a round of visits with priests in various parts of the diocese. The May 14 meeting was the second of three meetings scheduled for this month; on May 29, he will meet with priests ordained in 2014 and 2024. (Remarkably, Pope Francis did not take part in the 2024 priestly ordinations.) - Burundi's bishops lament extrajudicial abductions, killings (Aid to the Church in Need)
In a recent statement, the bishops of Burundi denounced extrajudicial abductions and killings. “The realization that there are people in our country who are cruelly murdered or abducted and disappear for political reasons or other macabre interests makes one shudder,” the bishops said. “If a person is arrested by the competent authorities, justice must be administered in accordance with the law; the person must be held in a place that is known and accessible to family members.” In 2022, Human Rights Watch stated that “Burundi’s national intelligence services, police, and ruling party youth members have killed, arbitrarily detained, tortured and harassed people suspected of belonging to opposition parties.” The nation’s president, Évariste Ndayishimiye, has been in office since 2020. The African Great Lakes nation of 13.2 million (map) is 94% Christian (65% Catholic), 3% ethnic religionist, and 2% Muslim. - Pro-life activist sentenced to almost five years in jail (AP)
Pro-life activist Lauren Handy has been sentenced to almost five years in jail for her key role in the October 2020 blockade of an abortion clinic in Washington, DC. Handy was sentenced to 57 months in prison, to be followed by three years of court-ordered supervision. Her lawyers will appeal the sentence. Nine other people who were convicted of obstructing access to the clinic in the same blockade face lesser sentences. Handy’s nine co-defendants were Jonathan Darnel, of Virginia; Jay Smith, John Hinshaw and William Goodman, all of New York; Joan Bell, of New Jersey; Paulette Harlow and Jean Marshall, both of Massachusetts; Heather Idoni, of Michigan; and Herb Geraghty, of Pennsylvania. Goodman and Hinshaw were sentenced on Tuesday to prison terms of 27 months and 21 months, respectively, according to prosecutors. - More...