CatholicCulture.org - Catholic World News

Pope issues message for World Day of the Poor: 'The Lord is the refuge of the poor' (Dicastery for Communication)

Mon, 15 Jun 2026 07:06:18 GMT

Pope Leo XIV issued “The Lord is the refuge of the poor” (cf. Ps 14:6), a message for the upcoming 10th World Day of the Poor.

“The words of the Psalmist point the way forward as we prepare for the 10th World Day of the Poor,” Pope Leo began. “Once again, we must return to the Word of God to reaffirm the importance of the poor in the life of the Church. The words of the Psalm serve as a standard for Christian living because they reveal the face of God and acknowledge human poverty.”

The papal message for the day is customarily released on June 13, the memorial of St. Anthony of Padua, patron saint of the poor. The World Day of the Poor is commemorated in November (this year November 15), on the Sunday before the Solemnity of Christ the King.

Jesus looks upon us with compassion, Pope tells pilgrims (CWN)

Mon, 15 Jun 2026 06:06:37 GMT

During his June 14 Angelus address (video), Pope Leo XIV emphasized that Jesus looks upon the world with compassion.

Pope expresses gratitude for visit to Spain, closeness to Philippine earthquake victims (CWN)

Mon, 15 Jun 2026 07:06:58 GMT

At the conclusion of his June 14 Angelus address, Pope Leo XIV expressed gratitude for his apostolic journey to Spain and closeness to victims of the Mindanao earthquake.

New statutes clarify relation between DDF, Pontifical Commission for Protection of Minors (CWN)

Mon, 15 Jun 2026 05:06:21 GMT

Pope Leo XIV approved new statutes that will provide direction to the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors for a three-year trial period.

9 Polish Salesians who died at Auschwitz beatified as martyrs (Agenzia Info Salesiana)

Mon, 15 Jun 2026 06:06:06 GMT

Father Jan Świerc and his eight companions, all of them Salesian priests who died at Auschwitz, were beatified at the Shrine of St. John Paul II the Great in Kraków, Poland.

One of the martyrs, Father Karol Golda, S.D.B., was killed because he heard the confessions of German soldiers.

Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, was the principal celebrant at the beatification Mass, which took place on June 6.

Italian missionary priest beatified as martyr in Brazil ( Cancão Nova Cuiabá)

Mon, 15 Jun 2026 07:06:30 GMT

Father Nazareno Lanciotti (1940-2001), an Italian missionary who was national director of the Marian Movement of Priests in Brazil, was beatified as a martyr on June 13.

Cardinal João Braz de Aviz, prefect emeritus of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, presided at the Mass of beatification, which took place at the Parish of Our Lady of the Pillar in Jauru, the small town where Father Lanciotti ministered for three decades.

“He was Marian and Eucharistic, loved hearing confessions, and practiced great penance,” said Otávio Piva, lay representative of the Marian Movement of Priests in Brazil. “Our spirituality of littleness, spiritual childhood, consecration to the Heart of Mary, and total trustful abandonment to God—these were all characteristics he embodied.”

Vatican News reported that Father Lanciotti combatted drug trafficking and prostitution. He was shot by two men who opposed his work and forgave his attackers before he died.

Holy See renews call for peace in Lebanon, Iran (Holy See Mission)

Mon, 15 Jun 2026 07:06:58 GMT

Addressing a UN Security Council discussion of peace in the Middle East, a Vatican diplomat renewed the Holy See’s call for peace in the region.

“It is vital to resolve all ongoing conflicts in the Middle East,” Msgr. Robert Murphy, chargé d’affaires of the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations, said on June 11. “In this regard, the Holy See urges an immediate end to the ongoing military escalation in Lebanon, and calls for concerted efforts, patience and diligence in pursuing a comprehensive and lasting peace, including addressing the situation concerning Iran.”

“Furthermore, it is imperative that any aggression stops, that the dramatic humanitarian situation in Gaza is addressed and that a path towards a two-State solution is paved,” Msgr. Murphy added.

South Korean president thanks Holy See for supporting peace process (Fides)

Mon, 15 Jun 2026 08:06:56 GMT

South Korean President Lee Jae-Myung thanked the Holy See for its “unconditional support and constant attention” to the peace process on the Korean Peninsula.

President Lee made his remarks at the Papal Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls in Rome on June 14, at the conclusion of a Mass celebrated by Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik, the Korean prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy.

The president, a Protestant, also praised the Catholic Church in Korea. He said that the Church there “has always firmly supported the Korean people, respecting human dignity and promoting peace and solidarity in all the trials our society has faced.”

French lawmakers pass abuse bill after threat to seal of Confession removed (Ad Vaticanum)

Mon, 15 Jun 2026 08:06:22 GMT

Members of France’s National Assembly unanimously passed anti-abuse legislation after a provision targeting the seal of Confession was removed.

The legislation originally stated that “ministers of religion are subject to the obligation to report acts of violence against minors, even if they became aware of them in the course of their duties: no ‘seal of confession’ can prevent them from doing so.”

While supporting the intention of combating violence in schools, the Conference of Bishops of France expressed “great concern” that the bill, as originally written, would “call into question several fundamental freedoms, such as freedom of conscience, professional secrecy, freedom of education or freedom of religion.”

Power shortages force Cuban priests to ration Communion (AFP)

Mon, 15 Jun 2026 09:06:54 GMT

Worsening power shortages in Cuba have led to lower production of unconsecrated hosts. As a result, some priests are rationing Holy Communion.

Referring to nuns who make the hosts, Father George Payano, O.P., said that “they told the priests and bishops, you have to ration them a bit so that there are enough for all.”

Leading Philippine prelate urges Catholic families to move beyond 'closed circles,' embrace mission role (CBCP News)

Mon, 15 Jun 2026 09:06:59 GMT

The president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines said that “the Church today needs families that are not only inward-looking, but outward-going.”

“This is the identity of a people blessed by God—not stagnant, but growing; not closed in, but bearing fruit for others,” Archbishop Gilbert Garcera of Lipa preached on June 13, at a Mass attended by 10,000 members of the Missionary Families of Christ.

“Let your families become schools of mission,” Archbishop Garcera added. “Let your communities become spaces of encounter. Let your homes become starting points of evangelization.”

Detroit archbishop lauds opening of new mosque (The Arab American News)

Mon, 15 Jun 2026 09:06:36 GMT

Archbishop Edward Weisenburger of Detroit lauded the opening of a $20-million mosque in Dearborn Heights, Michigan.

“There is no place where I feel more respect, fraternity, and kindness,” Archbishop Weisenburger said at the mosque’s opening ceremony on June 12, according to The Arab American News. “From the moment I entered this beautiful site, I felt a profound divine presence.”

Plaintiffs in New York archdiocese abuse case weigh $800M offer (New York Times)

Mon, 15 Jun 2026 08:06:46 GMT

1,300 plaintiffs who allege they were abused as minors by priests or lay staff of the Archdiocese of New York are weighing an $800-million settlement offer.

Under the offer, each plaintiff “can choose a one-time lump sum of $250,000 or go before an arbitrator to seek a higher payment,” The New York Times reported. “For any of them to get the deal, all must agree to take it ... If the settlement falls through and the archdiocese files for bankruptcy, it could set off years of uncertainty.”

Australian cabinet minister, ambassador who became a priest dies at 80 (The Catholic Weekly (Australia))

Mon, 15 Jun 2026 08:06:24 GMT

Father Michael Tate, an Australian senator who became the nation’s justice minister and ambassador to the Netherlands and the Holy See, died on June 5 at the age of 80.

Tate left behind his political and diplomatic career to become a seminarian and was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Hobart in 2000.

“For the next 26 years he served as a parish priest in Tasmania, far from Canberra, far from the headlines, a life very different from the high office he had once held,” The Catholic Weekly reported.

Pope emphasizes importance of integrating migrants, calls on human traffickers to repent (CWN)

Sat, 13 Jun 2026 09:06:48 GMT

In a meeting with members of organizations that minister to migrants on the Canary Islands, Pope Leo XIV reflected on the importance of integrating migrants into their new societies and called on human traffickers to repent (video).

Pope, in message, calls on the world's priests to be holy (CWN)

Sat, 13 Jun 2026 09:06:01 GMT

In a message for the Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests, which takes place each year on the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Pope Leo XIV addressed the world’s priests with the “words that God spoke to the people of Israel: ‘Be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy’“ (Lev 19:2; cf. 1 Pt 1:16).

'It is in giving of ourselves that we truly live,' Pope preaches at final Mass in Spain (CWN)

Sat, 13 Jun 2026 09:06:03 GMT

Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass at the Port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife on the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and preached that “it is in giving of ourselves that we truly live” (video).

Reaffirm commitment to multilateralism and international law, leading G7 bishops urge (Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops)

Sat, 13 Jun 2026 10:06:37 GMT

Ahead of the 52nd G7 summit, the presidents of the bishops’ conferences of the G7 nations issued a joint appeal, “Building Bridges for Peace, Justice and Human Dignity.”

The appeal calls for “reaffirming multilateralism and the primacy of international law,” “placing the human person at the heart of development and international solidarity,” “protecting children and young people in the digital age,” and “assuming a shared responsibility towards creation and displaced peoples.”

The G7 nations are Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

'God's love knows no borders,' Pope tell migrants in Canary Islands (CWN)

Sat, 13 Jun 2026 08:06:30 GMT

On June 12, the final day of his apostolic journey to Spain, Pope Leo XIV departed from Gran Canaria (video) and arrived in Tenerife (video), the largest of the Canary Islands. There, he met with migrants at a migrant reception center in San Cristóbal de La Laguna (video).

Pope Leo appoints new head of Ethiopian Catholic Church (CWN)

Sat, 13 Jun 2026 10:06:16 GMT

Pope Leo XIV accepted the resignation of Cardinal Berhaneyesus Demerew Souraphiel, C.M., 77, as metropolitan archbishop of the Archeparchy of Addis Ababa and appointed Bishop Abune Tesfaye (Tesfasilasie) Tadesse Gebresilasie, M.C.C.J., as his successor.