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Cardinal Grech renews Synod’s call for greater participation of women in Church leadership (CWN)
In a September 4 address to a Mariological conference, Cardinal Mario Grech, appointed secretary general of the Synod of Bishops in 2020, renewed the synod on synodality’s call for greater participation of women in the leadership of the Church.
Cardinal Grech asked, “What can we...
Pontiff, IAEA head discuss nuclear non-proliferation (@rafaelmgrossi)
Editor's Note: Pope Leo XIV received Rafael Mariano Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, in a September 5 audience.
Grossi said that he discussed the agency’s efforts toward “global [nuclear] non-proliferation, including Iran and nuclear safety in Ukraine.” Grossi added that he was “inspired” by the Pope’s “message of a peace that is unarmed and disarming, humble and persevering.”
Church in Iceland is ‘most dynamic in Europe,’ bishop says (Aid to the Church in Need)
Editor's Note: The bishop of Iceland’s sole diocese described the Church there as the “most dynamic in Europe.”
“In 2023, we had 150 baptisms, 200 confirmations, and only 14 funerals,” said Bishop David Tencer, OFM Cap, a Slovak missionary. “None of this is our merit, God sends these people to us.”
Since 1968, the nation’s Catholic population has grown from 1,000 to 15,500, in part because of immigration—“though the bishop believes the real community could be closer to 50,000,” according to Aid to the Church in Need.
Leading German bishop, Pope Leo discuss ‘many topics’ (Deutsche Bischofskonferenz)
Editor's Note: Pope Leo XIV received the president of the German Bishops’ Conference on September 4.
“I am grateful for today’s meeting with Pope Leo XIV and the good and meaningful conversation we were able to have,” said Bishop Georg Bätzing of Limburg. “Before he was elected Pope, I had the privilege of meeting the Holy Father several times ... And now, too, I experienced him as an attentive listener and interested pastor.”
“We discussed many topics, about which I will inform the Plenary Assembly of the German Bishops’ Conference in Fulda in a few weeks,” the prelate continued. “I am very happy that Pope Leo XIV is accompanying the Church in Germany with confidence.”
Polish president meets with Pontiff (Vatican Press Office)
Editor's Note: Pope Leo XIV met on September 5 with Poland’s President Karol Tadeusz Nawrocki.
A brief Vatican announcement, released after the meeting, indicated that the conversation had centered on “the socio-political situation of the country was discussed, with particular reference to the values on which Polish society is founded and the need to build consensus in the light of the challenges it has to address”—an apparent reference to lively debates in Poland on immigration.
The Vatican statement added that the talks had touched on international affairs, “with special attention to the conflict in Ukraine and European security.”
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Syrian Catholic cleric robbed at gunpoint (AsiaNews)
Editor's Note: Archpriest Michel Naaman, the vicar general of the Syriac Catholic Archdiocese of Homs, was robbed a gunpoint on September 3 by two masked men who identified themselves as members of a local militia group.
The archpriest, who was accosted outside his home, was shaken by not seriously injured by the assault. His attackers took money and personal possessions, including a golden cross.
The incident heightened fears among the Christian minority in Syria, where militant Islamic groups have become more active.
Statue beheaded in Germany’s oldest cathedral (OIDAC Europe)
Editor's Note: Unknown perpetrators beheaded a Renaissance-era statue in Trier Cathedral, Germany’s oldest cathedral, and then stole the head.
“The stolen head, roughly the size of a fist, was part of a centuries-old ensemble depicting apostles listening to Jesus, and is considered historically and artistically irreplaceable,” stated the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe.
USCCB: Observe September 9 as National Day of Prayer for Peace in Our Communities (USCCB)
Editor's Note: The US bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism drew attention to a 2016 recommendation from the bishops’ conference to observe September 9, the memorial of St. Peter Claver, as a National Day of Prayer for Peace in Our Communities.
“We Christians believe that prayer accomplishes wonderful things for our families and communities,” Bishop Joseph Perry, retired auxiliary bishop of Chicago and the committee’s chairman, said in a document published on September 4. “Prayer is the miracle salve for the ills of individuals as well as communities.”
Pontifical academy president sees ‘great thirst’ to understand the Blessed Virgin Mary (Vatican News (Italian))
Editor's Note: The president of the Pontifical International Marian Academy sees a “great thirst in the world to better understand the Virgin Mary,” Vatican News reported, as the academy hosted the 26th International Mariological Marian Congress.
The “key” that opens the path of the new evangelization “is precisely the figure of Mary,” said Father Stefano Cecchin, OFM. “ She is the glorious Mother of God, exalted Queen of heaven and earth. But to achieve that reality, she was a true woman and therefore a model for humanity.”
“We must rediscover a Mary who is a friend, a Mary who is a companion, a Mary who truly and fully lived her human life,” he added. “Mary, a friend who walks with you because she desires—we have a fabulous example at the wedding at Cana—that you have good wine, an image of love, an image of the fulfillment of your life.”
Duchess of Kent, Catholic convert, dead at 92 (Independent)
Editor's Note: The Duchess of Kent, the first member of Britain’s royal family to convert to Catholicism in over 300 years, died on September 4 at the age of 92.
Born Katharine Worsley, the Duchess had lived quietly for years, teaching music to local schoolchildren. She had rarely acted in a royal capacity, except to award trophies at the annual Wimbledon tennis championships.
Texas attorney general encourages students to read Bible, pray the Lord’s Prayer (Attorney General of Texas)
Editor's Note: The attorney general of Texas, the nation’s second most populous state, encouraged all Texas public schools to establish a dedicated time of prayer and Scripture reading, in accord with a new law permits school boards to do so.
“In Texas classrooms, we want the Word of God opened, the Ten Commandments displayed, and prayers lifted up,” said Attorney General Ken Paxton. His office stated that “for Texas students considering how to best utilize this time, Attorney General Paxton encourages children to begin with the Lord’s Prayer, as taught by Jesus Christ.”
Catholic university leaders in Indonesia criticize government corruption (Fides)
Editor's Note: In a joint statement issued amid youth protests, the leaders of Indonesia’s Catholic universities criticized government corruption.
“Instead of showing empathy and visionary leadership alongside the people, the political elites of the executive and legislative branches have displayed arrogance and indifference, far removed from empathy and compassion,” said the university leaders. “National development programs, which were supposed to be instruments for achieving social justice and public welfare, have instead become projects that favor the interests of oligarchs and elites.”
The Southeast Asian nation of 282 million (map), the world’s fourth most populous, is the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation. The nation is 78% Muslim, 13% Christian (3% Catholic), and 2% ethnic religionist.
Holy Land custos expresses deep concern for Gaza’s Christians, other residents (Custody of the Holy Land)
Editor's Note: “The recent news of the forced evacuations from Gaza City and the progressive military occupation of the city, with dramatic consequences in terms of innocent victims and humanitarian crisis, has stirred in our hearts even deeper sorrow and closeness towards the Christians and the entire population of Gaza, who for almost two years have been enduring an unprecedented conflict,” the custos (Franciscan provincial) of the Holy Land said in a statement.
Father Francesco Ielpo, OFM, added, “We express our deep concern for the fate of the population of Gaza City and, at the same time, our gratitude for the courageous witness of faith of those who, following in the footsteps of the Good Shepherd, have chosen not to abandon their flock.”
Vatican newspaper laments international ‘education emergency’ (CWN)
The Vatican newspaper decried the international decline in the number of children attending school, linking the decrease to cuts in international aid.
In “Emergenza istruzione“ [Education emergency], the most prominent front-page article in its September 4 edition, the newspaper...
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