Browsing News Entries
Program announced for international meeting of parish priests at Vatican (Synod of Bishops)
Posted on 04/18/2024 05:04 AM (CatholicCulture.org - Catholic World News)
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.
Pope Francis pays tribute to St. Pius X (Vatican News (Italian))
Posted on 04/18/2024 05:04 AM (CatholicCulture.org - Catholic World News)
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!”
Indian cardinal calls voting a 'sacred duty,' urges faithful to put it before pilgrimage (AsiaNews)
Posted on 04/18/2024 04:04 AM (CatholicCulture.org - Catholic World News)
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.”
Congo nears chaos, cardinal warns (Fides)
Posted on 04/18/2024 04:04 AM (CatholicCulture.org - Catholic World News)
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.
Torture is inhuman, Pope says (Rome Reports)
Posted on 04/18/2024 04:04 AM (CatholicCulture.org - Catholic World News)
“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.”
Vatican diplomat calls for immediate action, aid to address Ethiopia's humanitarian crisis (Vatican News)
Posted on 04/18/2024 04:04 AM (CatholicCulture.org - Catholic World News)
“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.
Kentucky bishop sees confusion in papal teaching (Crux)
Posted on 04/18/2024 03:04 AM (CatholicCulture.org - Catholic World News)
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.”
Quebec's bishops see mounting crisis of hunger (Vatican News)
Posted on 04/18/2024 03:04 AM (CatholicCulture.org - Catholic World News)
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.
Pope urges renewal for Discalced Carmelites (Vatican Press Office)
Posted on 04/18/2024 03:04 AM (CatholicCulture.org - Catholic World News)
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.”
Apr. 18 Thursday of the Third Week of Easter, Weekday
Posted on 04/18/2024 00:00 AM (Catholic Culture Liturgical Year)