CatholicCulture.org - Catholic World News

Pope offers prayers, condolences for Indonesian earthquake victims (Vatican Press Office)

Tue, 18 Aug 2026 06:08:09 GMT

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, sent a telegram in the Holy Father’s name to the archbishop of Ende, on the Indonesian island of Flores, following a severe earthquake there.

Pope Leo offered “spiritual solidarity and closeness to those suffering the continuing effects of this disaster,” encouragement to authorities offering humanitarian assistance, and prayers for emergency personnel, before commending the dead to God’s mercy.

Cardinal Pizzaballa visits beleaguered Palestinian Christian village (Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem)

Tue, 18 Aug 2026 07:08:42 GMT

The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem visited the West Bank Palestinian Christian village of Taybeh on August 15, amid increasing harassment from Israeli settlers.

“We will continue to do everything within our power to preserve the ecclesial presence here, at every level throughout the Holy Land,” Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, O.F.M., preached during the Mass of the Assumption.

Cardinal Pizzaballa added:

We must also learn from the Virgin Mary how to guard our hearts, because this situation can contaminate our hearts. And if our hearts become contaminated, the ‘dragon’ has won.

But we want to remain a community that gives birth to life, without giving up or abandoning our rights, our right to life. So be courageous. Do not be afraid.

Parish vandalized in Tel Aviv (Times of Israel)

Tue, 18 Aug 2026 08:08:11 GMT

A vandal smashed statues a broke crucifixes at St. Anthony of Padua Church in Jaffa, a neighborhood of Tel Aviv.

Israeli police arrested a man in his 20s in connection with the attack.

Leading English prelate laments international religious freedom violations (CBCEW)

Tue, 18 Aug 2026 08:08:51 GMT

The president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales lamented international violations of the right to religious freedom and called for support for Aid to the Church in Need’s petition on behalf of the right.

“Men and women are imprisoned, others are driven from their homes, or even killed, simply because of their peacefully held beliefs,” Archbishop Richard Moth of Westminster said in a statement released today. “In some countries women and girls are kidnapped, forced to renounce their faith and marry their abductors, children are denied the right to learn about their faith.”

“We need to stand up for our brothers and sisters in Christ and stand in support of all those who suffer for their beliefs, recognizing religious freedom as a universal human right,” Archbishop Moth added.

Cardinal Parolin pays tribute to St. Agatha (Vatican News)

Tue, 18 Aug 2026 07:08:37 GMT

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, pay tribute to St. Agatha during an August 16 prayer vigil marking the 900th anniversary of the return of her relics to Catania.

“After so many centuries, Agatha’s witness continues to speak to the Church,” Cardinal Parolin preached. “For those who put down their roots in the Lord can pass through even the most difficult trials without losing hope and can continue to bear fruit.”

“Faith does not eliminate trials, but it gives us a new presence and a new strength with which to face them,” the prelate added. “The Lord knows the path of His children, accompanies their steps and transforms even their wounds into places of grace.”

Vatican News emphasizes longstanding papal support for 2-state solution (Vatican News)

Tue, 18 Aug 2026 06:08:16 GMT

Vatican News, the news agency of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication, published an article emphasizing longstanding papal support, dating back to Venerable Pius XII, for a two-state solution in the Holy Land.

The article follows Pope Leo’s appeal in his August 16 Angelus address: “I urgently call on the international community to work toward advancing the two-state solution, for a just and lasting peace.”

“The ‘two-State’ solution is, and remains, the only possible path to peace between Israel and Palestine,” Salvatore Cernuzio began, adding:

Popes have changed, as has the situation in the Middle East, where violence and division have intensified dramatically since 7 October 2023. Yet for almost eighty years, the Holy See’s diplomatic position has remained unshakeable: “two States” as the only prospect capable of guaranteeing justice and a just and lasting peace. Pope Leo XIV is the latest to forcefully reaffirm this historic position, which has endured through the decades despite the Israeli government’s firm rejection of it.

Florida bishops push back against AG over vaccine mandates (Tallahassee Democrat)

Tue, 18 Aug 2026 10:08:44 GMT

The Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops responded to Attorney General James Uthmeier’s warning that a refusal by Catholic schools to grant religious exemptions to vaccine mandates is “troubling and may disqualify them from state scholarships and vouchers.”

In a letter dated August 7 and released yesterday, the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops’ executive director wrote that “where we differ is on your interpretation and application of Catholic teaching, an interpretation (and right) exclusively vested, by United States and Florida constitutional law, in the bishops of Florida’s dioceses.”

“Respectfully, any insinuation that a government official can dictate to the Catholic Church (or any religion) how to apply her tenets and dogma, violates well-established constitutional religious freedom rights,” executive director Michael Sheedy added. “It is beyond cavil that the bishops, not the state, decide how to interpret and apply Catholic principles and theology.”

Sydney archbishop complains to ombudsman over media coverage of assisted suicide (The Catholic Weekly)

Tue, 18 Aug 2026 08:08:59 GMT

Archbishop Anthony Fisher, O.P., of Sydney filed a complaint with the ombudsman of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation over its coverage of assisted suicide.

“Over a period of nine days the ABC repeatedly provided the founder of an organization established to advocate for euthanasia and assisted suicide law reform, with opportunities across television, radio, online and social media to make the case for amending a federal prohibition on the use of telehealth for euthanasia and assisted suicide,” wrote Archbishop Fisher.

“Given the significance of the issue, the imminence of the political decisions to which the coverage related, and the ABC’s particular obligation to maintain public confidence in its impartiality, I ask that these matters be carefully investigated and addressed,” he added.

Ukrainian Catholic priest charged with over $740K in thefts in Pennsylvania (Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General)

Tue, 18 Aug 2026 09:08:02 GMT

The attorney general of Pennsylvania announced that Father Gregory Madeya, a Ukrainian Catholic priest suspended by his bishop in 2024, has been charged with “theft and financial exploitation regarding more than $740,000 stolen from three churches, church affiliates, and the priest’s own mother.”

According to investigators, Father Madeya, now 69, sold a gold chalice to a jeweler, purchased a Ford Mustang, and gave it to the man who was living with him.

“In addition to the church-related thefts, investigators found that Madeya’s mother was evicted from multiple nursing home facilities because of a lack of payment,” according to the attorney general. “Investigators found that Madeya abused his position as his mother’s power of attorney to steal funds meant for her care.”

Los Angeles archbishop leads Eucharistic procession through Skid Row (Angelus News)

Tue, 18 Aug 2026 08:08:34 GMT

Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles led a Eucharistic procession through Skid Row, a downtown area with thousands of homeless people.

“Organized in collaboration with the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, that Eucharistic Procession was the penultimate act of a several days-long mission of the Sisters Poor of Jesus Christ,” according to an archdiocesan news report. “Each night of the mission, these remarkable young, brown-habited nuns were on the streets of Skid Row.”

Catholic schools shouldn't mimic secular schools, Columbus bishop says (The Catholic Times)

Tue, 18 Aug 2026 09:08:40 GMT

The bishop of Columbus, Ohio, said that Catholic schools should be centers of evangelization and catechesis, rather than “cheap imitations” of secular schools.

“So if all we’re doing is imitating our secular peers, we’re only ever going to be a cheap imitation because they’re going to have greater sources of funding than we will,” Bishop Earl Fernandes said in an interview released today about his forthcoming pastoral letter on Catholic education. “And is that what we’re called to be, or are we called to be something more, something greater?”

“And so, this is what I propose, is that we make saints and we capture the best of our tradition and propose it for new generations as a way of confronting the challenges of the modern era,” he added. “I want to form disciples who are convicted in the faith and who are willing to witness to the joy of the Gospel.”

Russian missile strike damages Ukrainian Catholic cathedral (Ukrinform)

Mon, 17 Aug 2026 09:08:51 GMT

Ukraine’s national news agency reported that a Russian missile strike damaged the Cathedral of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Kharkiv.

“Shrapnel damaged the church’s windows, as well as the surrounding area and premises,” the Ukrainian Greek Catholic cathedral stated in a social media post.

Zambia's bishops decry suspension of vote counting in presidential election (AllAfrica.com)

Mon, 17 Aug 2026 08:08:35 GMT

The bishops of Zambia decried the suspension of vote counting following the August 13 general election.

“While we acknowledge that the Commission has since indicated that counting has resumed under heightened security, the very fact that such a suspension was made a day after Zambians went to the polls is a matter that should trouble every citizen of goodwill,” the bishops said in an August 16 statement. “Every day of unexplained delay erodes public confidence and gives room to those who would seek to manipulate or discredit the outcome.”

The prelates concluded:

We remind all, the Electoral Commission, security agencies, political parties and citizens alike, that the will of the Zambian people, freely expressed at the ballot box, must be respected and protected. Zambia’s peace has been hard-won and long treasured; it must not be sacrificed on the altar of political ambition, on any side.

May God bless Zambia and grant her a just, transparent and peaceful conclusion to this electoral process, through the intercession of the Archangels, Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Patron Saints of our Country.

Located in southern Africa, the nation of 21.4 million (map) is 87% Christian (44% Catholic), 10% ethnic religionist, and 2% Baháʼí.

Dutch bishop, in open letter to Pope, argues against synodality (Paarse Pepers)

Mon, 17 Aug 2026 08:08:42 GMT

In an open letter to Pope Leo, a Dutch bishop argued that synodality has produced little fruit.

In an August 13 blog post, Auxiliary Bishop Robertus Mutsaertsof of ’s-Hertogenbosch said that “ultimately, the Catholic Church has no need for a permanent synod about itself. It needs saints.”

The 68-year-old prelate added:

The Church of the Martyrs did not change the Roman world by organizing listening meetings on the question of how Romans could experience the Christian community more inclusively. She proclaimed Christ.

Peter proclaimed Christ. Paul proclaimed Christ. Francis proclaimed Christ. Dominic proclaimed Christ. Francis Xavier proclaimed Christ. John Mary Vianney proclaimed Christ. Mother Teresa proclaimed Christ. John Paul II proclaimed Christ.

They undoubtedly listened to people. But listening was never the endpoint. The endpoint was conversion to Christ.

San Antonio priest found guilty of schism, excommunicated, laicized (Archdiocese of San Antonio)

Mon, 17 Aug 2026 09:08:27 GMT

The Archdiocese of San Antonio announced the excommunication and laicization of Father John Mary Foster, a priest ordained in 1987 and incardinated into the archdiocese in 2009.

Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller, M.Sp.S., announced on August 14 that Foster was found guilty of the canonical crime of schism (Canon 751), which entails automatic excommunication (Canon 1364). Archbishop García-Siller wrote:

Mr. Foster has chosen to reject the Magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church by his words and actions. He has publicly referred to Pope Francis and Pope Leo XIV as “usurpers”. ln publishing messages allegedly received from God, Jesus, and the Blessed Mother by a member of the Mission of Divine Mercy, for which John Mary Foster serves as the de facto leader, he has repeatedly and consistently claimed that Pope Leo XIV “is also a usurper and not a true pope“.

Despite being offered countless opportunities to repent and to cease his schismatic actions and teachings, Mr. Foster has chosen the path of disobedience. I have prohibited him from publicly celebrating Mass, yet he continues to do so. When he does, he intentionally omits the name of Pope Leo XIV, as he did with Pope Francis, from the Eucharistic Prayer. In doing so, he publicly manifests his separation with the Church and the successor of Saint Peter.

Germany sees increase in adult baptisms amid overall baptism decline (Pillar)

Mon, 17 Aug 2026 10:08:00 GMT

The number of adult baptisms in Germany rose to 2,650 in 2025, up 28% from the previous year.

The total number of baptisms, however, decreased from 116,274 in 2024 to 109,002 in 2025. 307,117 Catholics formally left the Church in Germany in 2025.

The nation of 84.0 million is 59% Christian (31% Catholic) and 8% Muslim.

Ukrainian Catholic leader hails 20th-century nationalist leader as remains repatriated (UkrinForm)

Mon, 17 Aug 2026 07:08:19 GMT

The head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church paid tribute to Ukrainian nationalist leader Yevhen Konovalets (1891-1938), who was assassinated in the Netherlands by a Soviet agent.

Konovalets “was someone who never lost hope, even when historical circumstances—particularly in the 1920s and 1930s—seemed to have put an end to the Ukrainians’ struggle for an independent, free, and united Ukrainian state,” Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk preached yesterday at the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ in Kyiv, upon the repatriation of Konovalets’s remains to Ukraine.

“And today, as we pray for his eternal rest, asking the Lord God for forgiveness of his sins and transgressions and for God’s boundless mercy, we are called, together with you, to once again heed the voice of history as a teacher of life,” he added.

160,000 Vietnamese faithful take part in Marian pilgrimage (Fides)

Mon, 17 Aug 2026 09:08:32 GMT

An estimated 160,000 faithful took part in the triennial pilgrimage congress at the Marian shrine of La Vang in central Vietnam.

“On the pilgrimage to La Vang, we do not carry bulky luggage, yet the spiritual baggage we bear is immense which comprises the joys and sorrows of life,” Archbishop Joseph Nguyễn Năng of Hồ Chí Minh City (Saigon) said on August 13, the first day of the three-day pilgrimage. “We come to Our Lady so that she may lead us to Jesus.”

Europe's tallest statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary is blessed in Poland (Vatican News)

Mon, 17 Aug 2026 06:08:30 GMT

Bishop Krzysztof Wętkowski of Włocławek, Poland, blessed Europe’s tallest statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary on August 15 in Konotopie, a small rural village.

“Our Lady of Mercy is meant to remind us of God,” Bishop Wętkowski said at the blessing of the statue, which is over 180 feet tall. “In this image, Mary welcomes us all, bending toward us and opening her arms, inviting us to raise our eyes upward, toward God and toward heaven.”

The world’s tallest Marian statue is Mother of All Asia – Tower of Peace in Batangas City, Philippines; that statue is 322 feet tall.

Severe earthquake strikes Flores, the 'promised land for vocations' (Vatican News)

Mon, 17 Aug 2026 06:08:13 GMT

A severe earthquake struck north-central Flores on August 15. A 2024 article in L’Osservatore Romano described the Indonesian island as the “promised land for vocations.”

Twenty-seven seminarians of the Society of the Divine Word made their perpetual vows outdoors after their seminary chapel was damaged in the earthquake.