Pope Francis confirmed plans to publish a “second Laudato Si’,” which is expected to update and expand on his 2015 encyclical on the environment.
International News
Mongolia’s Cardinal Says Papal Visit Shows Love of the Peripheries
In a video series published ahead of Pope Francis’ Aug. 31-Sept. 4 visit to Mongolia, Cardinal Giorgio Marengo said the papal trip showcases the pope’s love of the peripheries and allows the voice of one of the Church’s smallest flocks to be heard.
After Russia Remarks Stir Outrage, Vatican Says Pope Never Intended to ‘Glorify Imperialist Logic’
Russian clergy and lay Catholics were “caught by surprise” by the pope’s remarks in a video call Aug. 25 to a youth gathering in St. Petersburg praising the country’s past empire and urging young people to “never give up this heritage.”
Pope, Urging Young Russians to Be Proud of Their Heritage, Stirs Controversy
The head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church said Ukrainians were shocked when Pope Francis told Russian Catholic youths to be proud of their heritage and cited two historic Russian leaders that, the archbishop said, are “the worst example of imperialism and extreme Russian nationalism.”
In WWII Poland, Caring Catholics Protected Jewish People
There are numerous stories of Catholics from Nazi-occupied countries who put themselves at risk to save the lives of Jewish people, said Jolanta Zamecka, vice chair of the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County.
Pope Warns That for Some U.S. Catholics, Ideology Has Replaced Faith
In a wide-ranging conversation with Jesuits in Portugal during his visit to Lisbon for World Youth Day earlier this month, Pope Francis touched on several hot-button topics, including criticism of his papacy among U.S. Catholics, outreach to the LGBTQ+ community, and problems of chastity among clergy.
Mercenary leader’s death stirs Catholic reflections in Russia and Ukraine
A Ukrainian Catholic bishop has urged Russians to learn lessons from the fate of mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, and choose “true democracy” rather than “an unstable dictatorship.”
Jesuits Decry ‘Crimes Against Humanity’ After Expulsion From Nicaragua
A week after Nicaragua’s government confiscated a prestigious Jesuit-run university, it has officially expelled the Society of Jesus from the country entirely and ruled that all of the order’s property and assets be seized.
Russian Occupiers Seize Roman Catholic Church in Skadovsk in Eastern Ukraine
Russian occupiers launched an attack Aug. 22 on St. Teresa of the Child of Jesus Roman Catholic Church in the town of Skadovsk, located in the Kherson region in eastern Ukraine, Bishop Stanislav Szyrokoradiuk of Odessa-Simferopol confirmed on Facebook.
Catholic Bishops, Faith Leaders Appeal for Debt Relief to Help African Countries
Ahead of major meetings of world leaders in September, such as the Africa Climate Summit, the G20 New Delhi Summit and the 78th session of the U.N. General Assembly, Catholic bishops and faith leaders in Africa are calling for debt relief for the continent to give Africa a “life line” to escape the multiple crises plaguing its population.