Thursday, July 10, 2025

Statement by Archbishop John McDowell on Moygashel Bonfire Effigy

“The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as one of your citizens; you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt” (Leviticus 19:34).

These are the words from the Law of God to his people. He is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  

If we compare them with the effigy of a boat of migrants which sits, to our humiliation and lasting shame, on top of a bonfire in Moygashel, it exposes that effigy for what it is – racist, threatening and offensive.  

It certainly has nothing whatsoever to do with Christianity or with Protestant culture and is in fact inhuman and deeply sub–Christian.

I hope that the many people from other countries, who live in that area, and who contribute so much to the economy and to the diversity of Dungannon, can be reassured that it does not in any way represent the feeling of the vast majority of their neighbours.

Bishop of major Catholic diocese exempts parishioners from Mass over fears of ICE raids

A Catholic bishop in California has issued a rare decree allowing parishioners to miss Mass due to fears of raids by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Bishop Alberto Rojas of the Diocese of San Bernardino wrote that "such fear constitutes a grave inconvenience that may impede the spiritual good of the faithful."

Catholic bishops have occasionally granted Mass exemptions during natural disasters, war or societal events such as the Covid-19 pandemic. 

But this appears to be the first time a bishop has invoked such a decree over immigration enforcement.

"All members of the faithful in the Diocese of San Bernardino who, due to genuine fear of immigration enforcement actions, are unable to attend Sunday Mass or Masses on holy days of obligation are dispensed from this obligation, as provided for in Canon 1247, until such time as this decree is revoked or amended," Rojas wrote in the decree released Tuesday.

The exemption is a remarkable step for Rojas to take because observant Catholics are required to attend Sunday Mass and certain holy days of obligation, such as All Saints' Day on Nov. 1 and Christmas on Dec. 25.

Failure to attend Mass "unless excused for a serious reason (for example, illness, the care of infants) or dispensed by their own pastor" is a mortal sin, according to the Roman Catholic Catechism.

Approximately 20% of U.S. adults, or around 53 million people, identify as Catholic, according to the Pew Research Center.

The Diocese of Sen Bernardino is among the largest in the United States, and serves approximately 1.6 million Catholics in San Bernardino and Riverside counties in Southern California.

"In issuing this decree, I am guided by the Church's mission to care for the spiritual welfare of all entrusted to my care, particular those who face fear or hardship," Rojas wrote.

Rojas encouraged members of the diocese to find alternative ways to "maintain their spiritual communion with Christ," including through virtual Masses when offered.

For decades, American presidents have traditionally limited the authority of federal agencies to conduct civil immigration enforcement actions in sensitive locations like churches, hospitals and schools.

President Donald Trump revoked these restrictions on his first day in office. Since then, federal immigration officials have detained people suspected of being undocumented in schools and on church grounds.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom pointed to the decree to highlight the Trump administration's aggressive immigration enforcement actions, which have included ICE raids at stores and courthouses.

"Freedom of religion? Not in Donald Trump's America," Newsom wrote on X. "People now have to choose between their faith and their freedom."

Alleged apparitions in Slovakia: What’s the Vatican saying?

The Vatican’s doctrinal office gave the green light Wednesday to devotion associated with alleged apparitions of the Virgin Mary in Slovakia.

The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith published July 9 a letter from its prefect, Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, approving a declaration of nihil obstat (“nothing stands in the way”) for the Marian devotion connected with Mount Zvir, located in northern Slovakia, close to the Polish border.

The letter marked the doctrine office’s first ruling on an alleged apparition since Pope Leo XIV’s election.

What’s the story behind the devotion? And why has the ruling come now?

What happened on Mount Zvir?

On Aug. 5, 1990, as the Communist Bloc crumbled across Central and Eastern Europe, three children went to pick blueberries on Mount Zvir, near Litmanová, a Slovak village with a Byzantine Catholic tradition.

The children — Iveta (Ivetka) Korčáková, 11, Katarína (Katka) Češelková, 12, and Katka’s nine-year-old brother, Miťko — were startled by a cracking noise. Scared, they took refuge in a log cabin, which stood in a meadow surrounded by forest.

Inside the cabin, they heard banging sounds that appeared to be getting closer and closer. They prayed for Mary’s protection, promising each other that they would, in the future, be more devoted to their Catholic faith. Amid their prayers, Ivetka and Katka reputedly saw a figure bathed in light who they recognized as the Virgin Mary.

As night was falling, the children left for the village, with the apparition following protectively behind them. When they reached a wayside cross, the figure knelt and crossed herself. The children described her as wearing a white dress, a blue cloak and veil, and a crown. She also had a rosary.

The children told their parents everything they had seen, but they did not believe the story. They also told their priest, who urged them not to spread news of the incident.

Ivetka and Katka later returned to the site of the apparition, where the Virgin Mary reputedly appeared to them again and began to impart messages. She called for people to come from all over the country to pray the rosary on Mount Zvir (Hora Zvir in Slovak).

Pilgrims flocked to the site, where there were also reports of a supernatural solar event similar to the 1917 Miracle of the Sun at Fatima. Pilgrims began taking water from a nearby spring, believing it had healing properties.

For five years, Ivetka and Katka recorded short alleged Marian messages at regular intervals, until Aug. 6, 1995, when the figure announced there would be no further apparitions, though she would remain present at Mount Zvir.

When the apparitions began, the girls had been living in Czechoslovakia. Following the peaceful break-up of the country in 1992, they were now residing in Slovakia, the Czech Republic’s poorer, more Catholic neighbour. 

Many of Litmanová’s younger residents left to work abroad in the uncertain post-communist climate.

Following the apparitions, Ivetka joined a religious community in Stará Halič, central Slovakia, taking the name Maria Goretti. She left nine years later, returning to Litmanová, where she lived with her parents and battled despondency as she searched for a job. She found work caring for the elderly and disabled, later married, and then moved to the U.K.

Katka reportedly married, had two daughters, and emigrated to the U.S.

Mount Zvir fell under the jurisdiction of the Archeparchy of Prešov, part of the Slovak Greek Catholic Church, one of the 23 Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the pope. 

Local Bishop Ján Hirka established a commission to investigate the alleged apparitions. His successor, Archbishop Ján Babjak, continued the investigation, reportedly submitting the commission’s conclusions, contained in a 2011 report, to the Vatican’s doctrinal office.

In 2004, Babjak issued a decree formally establishing Mount Zvir as a place of prayer and dedicating a chapel established there to the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In 2008, he named Mount Zvir a pilgrimage site.

Hundreds of thousands of people visited the site annually, notably on Aug. 5, the anniversary of the first alleged apparition, but also on Sundays after the First Friday of the month, when the later apparitions occurred.

From 2009 onward, the liturgy was celebrated daily at the site, along with the hearing of confessions.

Why now?

In May 2024, Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith unveiled a new streamlined process for evaluating alleged apparitions, replacing norms dating to 1978.

The DDF proposed a new system in which the discernment process following an alleged supernatural event no longer ended simply with a declaration of either constat de supernaturalitate (“confirmed to be of supernatural origin”) or non constat de supernaturalitate (“not confirmed to be of supernatural origin”).

Instead, a “doctrinal-pastoral evaluation” might conclude with a “nihil obstat” — a declaration that “nothing hinders” a bishop from seeking to “draw pastoral benefit from the spiritual phenomenon.”

The declaration of “nihil obstat” could be reached “after assessing the various spiritual and pastoral fruits of the event and finding no substantial negative elements in it.”

The new norms enabled the DDF to tackle a sizable backlog of reputed apparitions. A stream of rulings followed on everything from Our Lady of All Nations to Medjugorje.

In February 2025, Archbishop Jonáš Maxim, the current Archbishop of Prešov, wrote to the DDF, expressing gratitude for the “many spiritual fruits obtained by the pilgrims who continue to visit [Mount Zvir], even though the ‘apparitions’ ended 30 years ago.”

In a follow-up letter in May this year, Maxim proposed a declaration of nihil obstat, “to accompany the phenomenon in question in a pastoral manner.”

In a letter to Maxim released July 9, Cardinal Fernández highlighted positive aspects of the reputed Marian messages. He also noted “some ambiguities and unclear aspects.”

In particular, he cited a 1990 message saying “the cause of all sickness is sin” and a 1991 locution, recorded in the aftermath of the Gulf War, suggesting that “nearly all people in one part of the world [the Persian Gulf] are condemned.”

Fernández wrote that “such messages cannot be considered acceptable and, therefore, are not appropriate for publication.” But he argued that these “confused expressions of an internal experience” could be properly interpreted in light of other messages, which stressed that “finding Christ’s love brings us happiness” and “closing ourselves off from his love destroys our lives, renders them a failure, and becomes a source of suffering.”

The cardinal said that, provided these words of caution were kept in mind, Archbishop Maxim could proceed with a declaration of nihil obstat.

“Although this declaration does not imply recognition of the supernatural authenticity of the alleged apparitions, it nevertheless permits the approval of public devotion and informs the faithful that they can safely approach this spiritual offering, if they so wish, and that the basic contents of the alleged messages can help us live the Gospel of Christ,” Fernández explained.

In addition to making the nihil obstat declaration, Maxim will publish a compilation of messages recorded on Mount Zvir, excluding those highlighted by the Vatican’s doctrinal office.

Fugitive priest wanted on child sex charges is arrested in the Isle of Man

A ‘fugitive’ former priest wanted in connection with a string of historic alleged sex offences against young girls has been arrested and faces extradition after he was found in the Isle of Man.

Father Arseniuk Slawomir, 55, is accused by the Polish authorities of 25 sexual assaults against five girls aged under 16 while he was teaching them music lessons.

The offences are alleged to have been committed between 2006 and 2015.

He was arrested by the National Crime Agency (NCA) on a European Arrest Warrant (EAW) from Poland and brought before Westminster Magistrates' Court.

It is understood that he was arrested while working at a restaurant in Douglas and he had been living in the Isle of Man for some time.

The NCA’s extradition unit is responsible for carrying out arrests of people wanted on European and international arrest warrants.

The former priest did not consent to be extradited and was remanded in custody ahead of the next full hearing on July 15.

An NCA spokesperson said: ‘He was arrested on the Isle of Man on 16 June 2025 and appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court the following day and remanded until the next appearance.’

According to Polish media reports Father Arseniuk allegedly abused music students at the Parish of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the city of Siedlce, near Warsaw.

He has been wanted on an EAW and an INTERPOL (International Criminal Police Organisation) Red Notice since the District Prosecutor's Office in Siedlce began investigating the priest in February 2022, according to local reports.

A Red Notice is a request issued by INTERPOL to law enforcement agencies in its 195 member countries, asking them to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action.

He is understood to have left Poland after being summoned by the prosecutor's office and has been wanted since 2023.

It is not clear when or how he entered the UK and then the Isle of Man, but the Polish authorities allege that he is a ‘fugitive from justice.’

A spokesperson for the Isle of Man Constabulary said: ‘We can confirm that a warrant was executed in the Isle of Man on June 16 for a Polish national in conjunction with the Metropolitan Police extradition unit.

‘This was as a result of information received from Interpol that this person was wanted in Poland.

‘The Isle of Man Constabulary supports the work of our partner forces in the UK to ensure any wanted persons are repatriated, once formal Court Warrants are issued and then backed locally, to allow the judicial process to be completed in their home country.’

Immigration checks in the UK are carried out by the UK Home Office through Border Force, which is responsible for monitoring and securing the country’s borders.

The Isle of Man has its own immigration system which is aligned to that of the UK.

The Isle of Man is part of the Common Travel Area (CTA), a long-standing arrangement between the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man that allows free movement of people. 

This means there are no routine immigration checks for British and Irish citizens travelling between these areas.

A spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Liverpool confirmed that it had no connection with Father Arseniuk and that he has not performed any roles at any of the catholic churches on the Isle of Man.

On September 25 2015, just two weeks after the most recent offence was said to have occurred, he led a prayer vigil at the Holy Trinity Church in Janów Podlaski, to mark World Youth Day, according to local reports.

The priest was a regular in the Polish press in connection with his involvement with youth choirs in the church.

A translated report in the Super Express dated May 17 2024, said: ‘Father Sławomir Arseniuk, from the parish of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Siedlce, has been wanted by the prosecutor's office in Lublin since last year on charges of molesting minors during music classes.

‘He led them at the Siedlce cathedral church. In recent days, the so-called Interpol red notice, the highest category for pursuing criminals worldwide, was added to the wanted list.

‘The former priest is wanted for sexual offences with minors under the age of 15 or committing another sexual act against such a person or causing them to submit to such acts or to perform them, but also causing another person by force, unlawful threat or deceit to submit to another sexual act or to perform such an act.’

According to the EAW he is wanted for eight alleged sexual touching offences against one girl between September 1 2006 and November 16 2007.

There is one alleged offence against another girl between July 1 and September 19 2008 and nine alleged offences against a third girl from July 1 2008 to October 25 2010.

There is one alleged offence against a fourth girl between January 1 and December 31 2012 and a further six alleged offences against a fifth victim between January 1 2012 and September 11 2015.

At a second hearing at the court on Tuesday, June 24, the case was adjourned until next month. 

A full extradition hearing is likely to be a number of months away.

In the Netherlands: Little diocese, big appointment

An episcopal appointment Monday to a small Dutch diocese might have an outsized influence in the future of the Netherlands’ episcopal map.

Pope Leo XIV appointed on July 7 Msgr. Ronald Cornelissen, a priest of the Archdiocese of Utrecht, as the new Bishop of Groningen-Leeuwarden.

Cornelissen, a close collaborator of Cardinal Wim Eijk of Utrecht, will now take the helm of the smallest diocese in the Netherlands — a diocese that has for years faced the prospect of merger or even suppression.

But the Gronningen diocese is also widely considered an episcopal launching pad, with all three of Cornelissen’s immediate predecessors in Groningen moving to larger dioceses, including Eijk himself.

Moreover, the move could also shape Eijk’s own succession in the Dutch primatial see, as the cardinal is set to tender his resignation to the pope in four years.

With Cornelissen becoming the youngest bishop in the Netherlands and widely regarded as one of Eijk’s most trusted collaborators, his episcopal consecration in Groningen is seen by some Church-watchers as a stepping stone toward the Archdiocese of Utrecht.

Cornelissen was in 1996 ordained a priest in the Archdiocese of Utrecht, by Cardinal Adrianus Simonis, a leading critic of the Dutch Church’s progressive post-conciliar experiments.

Since 2009, Cornelissen has been regional vicar for the city of Deventer. For 15 years, he also served as episcopal vicar for marriage and family ministry, which oversees family activities and marriage preparation programs that are widely praised in the Netherlands for their doctrinal clarity — not always a certainty in the Dutch church.

During his time in Utrecht, Cornelissen has earned a reputation as a doctrinally orthodox, non-ideological, hard working priest.

“Within the archdiocese, Cornelissen was a great inspirer and supporter for ideas and activities in marriage and family pastoral activities. He saw the need of couples and families and was always able to connect the right people within the parishes and the diocese. If you needed anything, big or small, he would get it done,” one official in the Archdiocese of Utrecht told The Pillar Monday.

“He is an enthusiastic, optimistic priest who works hard. He is not a theologian, but more of a pastoral type of bishop,” a Dutch bishops’ conference official told The Pillar.

But Cornelissen raised some eyebrows Monday, in the press conference following his appointment, when he said he was not planning to change diocesan policy permitting widespread use of communion services led by deacons or laypeople — an approach contrary Eijk’s own policy on the matter, and the opinion of many other Dutch bishops.

In many parts of the Netherlands, such communion services are charged with theological or ideological symbolism — of an anti-clerical bent — of carrying the idea that women and married men should be eligible for priesthood.

But observers say that in Groningen-Leeuwarden, the bishop’s approach is likely more missionary, and pragmatic, than ideological.

The Diocese of Groningen-Leeuwarden, though the second-largest in the country by territory, has the fewest Catholics, parishes, and priests of any Dutch diocese. 

Covering the traditionally Protestant provinces of Groningen, Friesland, Drenthe, and part of Flevoland, the diocese has only 26 priests — fewer than half the number in any other Dutch see.

With a ratio of one priest for every 3,700 Catholics, and following a 2017 parish reorganization that reduced the number of parishes from 81 to just 21, ending lay-led services would prove difficult.

“He said he wanted to continue with communion services guided by lay pastoral workers because there are not many priests and the distances are big,” the same bishops’ conference official told The Pillar.

“It’s both a political and practical matter, I think he doesn’t want to come to Groningen and rock the boat too quickly. But if there’s a diocese in the Netherlands in which these services are justified, it’s Groningen, because you have [only about] 20 priests for the whole north of the country,” an Utrecht priest added.

In fact, Cornelissen himself said in the press conference that “there are relatively few churches and few priests in the North. It is important and very Catholic that people can receive communion regularly. The practice of pastoral workers and workers leading celebrations will therefore remain as far as I am concerned.”

In that sense, Cornelissen’s appointment fits the Vatican’s recent trend in the Netherlands — continued even under Pope Francis — of naming bishops with a conservative theological outlook and a missionary disposition, especially after the Dutch Church endured some of the worst excesses of the post-conciliar period.

While Cornelissen hasn’t made many public statements, his longstanding work in the marriage and family apostolate with Cardinal Eijk has earned him a reputation of theological orthodoxy and a Christocentric outlook.

In a 2021 interview, advised young priests to “Hold on… to Christ as a beacon. Nourish yourself with Christ in the Eucharist. Your prayer life is so important. The Church has existed for 2,000 years and has known many difficult moments and dark pages. The environment changes, but the core of our faith remains the same. And above all: remain optimistic, despite all the changes.”

But he arrives in a diocese with two defining realities: Groningen-Leeuwarden is both an episcopal training ground and long shadowed by talk of merger.

All three of Cornelissen’s immediate predecessors have gone on to move to three major episcopal posts in the Netherlands.

Cardinal Wim Eijk served as Bishop of Groningen-Leeuwarden until 2008, when he was made Archbishop of Utrecht, the country’s primatial see. 

Then, his successor Bishop Gerard de Korte was made Bishop of Den Bosch, the diocese with the largest number of Catholics in the country in 2016. 

Lastly, Bishop Cornelis van den Hout was appointed as bishop of Roermond, the diocese with the largest seminary in the country, last year.

Therefore, it wouldn’t be strange for Cornelissen to eventually leave the Netherlands’ cold white north.

And with bluntness typical of Dutch people, the topic came up at Cornelissen’s press conference.

But the bishop-elect downplayed the issue there, saying that his predecessors “were a lot younger when they took office here. I think the intention is for me to stay here until I retire. I hope for the diocese that I can offer some stability and continuity.'

Still, the Dutch Church’s situation suggests otherwise. Eijk, De Korte, and Bishop Jan Hendriks of Haarlem-Amsterdam are over 70, and all three serve in dioceses rarely filled by non-bishops.

Moreover, Cornelissen is one of the three Dutch bishops under 61 years old, alongside van den Hout and Rotterdam’s bishop and president of the bishops’ conference, Ron van den Hende. 

However, van den Hout just arrived in Roermond, an already major post needing stability after his predecessor, Harrie Smeets, died of brain cancer at just 63 years old.

That makes Cornelissen well-suited for a move sooner rather than later. And, if Pope Leo continues his preference of appointing bishops who come from their own diocesan clergy, that means Cornelissen might return home sooner rather than later.

Still — as is often the case with small dioceses worldwide — an episcopal revolving door can hinder long-term outlook in a diocese.

But as speculation about a merger has grown in the last couple of decades, many seem keen to believe that perhaps the solution would be to merge Groningen with Utrecht, as it was before the 1950s, or to unite both dioceses in persona episcopi, a trend that grew significantly under Francis’ pontificate throughout Europe.

For his part, Cornelissen also downplayed talk of a merger at the press conference saying that “'I was not asked in any way to work on a merger or anything like that. The diocese can just function, otherwise they would not have appointed me. A diocese does not have to be mega-large… We can’t end up in a situation of vulnerability, but I am an optimist: I trust in the work of the Holy Spirit.”

“He’s a skilled bestuurder (administrator),” a priest close to the situation told The Pillar, speculating that Cornelissen may be tasked to try to fix the complex situation facing the diocese, which may take time — and exclude the possibility of a short-term promotion for Cornelissen.

But many local watchers ask themselves how long can Groningen continue existing in its current form with just 26 priests, fewer than half of the number in any other Dutch diocese, and with a parish restructuring that could further decrease the number of parishes beyond the current 22.

That suggests a possible ecclesiastical double play: That the diocese might eventually be merged with the Archdiocese of Utrecht and see Cornelissen return home.

This might, as the Dutch say, “twee vliegen in één klap slaan" — hit two flies with one blow.

Twelve new accusers say French priest Abbé Pierre sexually abused them

A year after the first claims of sexual abuse by the French priest and charity founder Abbé Pierre, 12 more people say they were assaulted. 

Seven of them say they were minors at the time. 

The Catholic Church and Emmaüs, the charity organisation founded by Abbé Pierre, have put in place a compensation fund.

Henri Grouès, known as Abbé Pierre, died in 2007. 

He has now been accused of 45 acts of sexual violence. 

Twelve new testimonies have been collected since January by Égaé, the helpline for victims.

“Seven of these testimonies concern people who were minors" as young as 10 years old at the time of the events, said the expert firm commissioned by Emmaus to shed light on the matter in a report posted on the Emmaus France website.

Among them are two sisters, one of whom “recounted Abbé Pierre masturbating her" when she was 11 years old in the mid-1970s. 

Her sister said she had been forced to perform oral sex on him when she was 15, which is considered rape.

Another victim said she was 17 when the priest touched her under her skirt on a train in 1953. 

She said the nuns who met her told her she had imagined everything.

Financial reparations

Emmaus and the French Bishops' Conference (CEF) said they will set up a joint financial reparation scheme in September to “mark material recognition of the violence and consequences suffered".

Archbishop defends chancellor appointment for convicted priest

An archbishop defended Thursday his decision to appoint a priest convicted of rape as archdiocesan chancellor, amid an outcry from French Catholics.

Archbishop Guy de Kerimel argued July 10 that the nomination of Fr. Dominique Spina as chancellor of the Archdiocese of Toulouse was an expression of mercy and did not amount to a promotion.

Spina, originally a priest of the Diocese of Bayonne, was convicted in 2006 of the rape of a teenage boy in the 1990s, whom he met while serving as a school chaplain. 

He was sentenced to five years in prison, with one year suspended. After his release, he transferred to the Toulouse archdiocese, then led by Archbishop Robert Le Gall.

De Kerimel, who has led the Toulouse archdiocese since 2022, said: “Rape is a crime, and there is no question of relativizing a crime. It is our absolute duty to do everything possible to ensure that the victim is recognized and supported in their life journey; they must move forward to rebuild by discovering that they are not primarily or solely a victim, even though these wounds cause lifelong pain.”

The archbishop said the Church, including the Toulouse archdiocese, had “put in place the necessary means to prevent the abuse of minors,” including listening points for victims, training for priests and laity, and the use of canonical procedures.

He noted that he personally received “many victims, and I weep with them.”

“We have reported cases to the courts and sent files to Rome. All this was also done for Fr. Spina, in his time. Rome did not dismiss him from the clerical state, i.e., the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith judged that he could still carry out a ministry,” he wrote.

The archbishop noted that Spina had served in recent years as an archdiocesan archivist and as vice-chancellor, overseeing matters such as baptism and marriage notifications.

“After the resignation of the current chancellor, I decided to maintain continuity of mission and appoint Fr. Spina as chancellor, while keeping his work in the archives,” de Kerimel explained.

“As chancellor, and as before, he will continue to work in his office at the archdiocese; he therefore has no contact with young people, and lives very discreetly. The chancellor is a man of the shadows in a diocese, he has no leading role, and this can in no way be understood or presented as a promotion, as certain press organs have sought to do. It’s a continuation and extension of a service he was already performing to a large extent.”

The archbishop noted that media coverage of the appointment, announced June 2 and effective Sept. 1, cited a provision from canon law that chancellors must be “of unimpaired reputation and above all suspicion.”

“I think we can say that of Fr. Spina today, if we believe, as Christian faith and simple humanity invite us to do, that a person’s conversion is possible,” de Kerimel wrote.

“This, of course, presupposes being able to rely on clear signs of conversion and life change.”

He went on: “Is it possible to show mercy to a priest who sinned gravely 30 years ago, and who has since demonstrated self-sacrifice and integrity in his service and his relationship with his superiors and fellow priests?”

“Pope Francis said that God is Mercy, that’s his Name. And we Christians are witnesses to God’s mercy.”

De Kerimel argued that Spina’s victim had been recognized and given justice, noting that Spina had served four years in prison.

“Both society and the Church must desire and ensure the safe reintegration of those convicted,” the archbishop said.

“Mercy is not opposed to justice, but it goes further. If there is no mercy, we are the most unfortunate, for there is no salvation possible for any of us. Not to show mercy is to lock the abuser into a social death; it is to re-establish a form of death penalty.”

The Catholic Church in France has struggled in recent years to get to grips with a burgeoning abuse crisis.

The Independent Commission on Sexual Abuse in the Church (CIASE) estimated in 2021 that as many as 330,000 children were abused from 1950 to 2020 in the French Catholic Church.

In response, the French bishops promised to undertake “a vast program of renewal” of their governance practices.

In 2022, French Cardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard admitted to abusing a 14-year-old girl in the 1980s.

Prominent figures within French Catholicism have faced posthumous accusations of sexual misconduct, including Abbé Pierre, founder of the Emmaus charity, Fr. Georges Finet, co-founder of the Foyers de Charité, Fr. Marie-Dominique Philippe, founder of the Community of St. John, and Jean Vanier, a Canadian who founded the L’Arche community in France.

Following his ordination as a priest of the Diocese of Bayonne, Spina was a high school chaplain and parish priest in the town of Pau. He was also diocesan vocations director before facing criminal charges.

Multiple rapes occurred between 1993 and 1994 when the victim was 16 years old and a student at Notre-Dame de Bétharram, a Catholic school engulfed in a series of sexual abuse scandals that took place from the 1970s to the late 1990s. 

French Prime Minister François Bayrou has been accused of failing to act to prevent abuse at the school when serving as education minister in the 1990s — an accusation he denies.

The victim later entered diocesan seminary, and allegations were investigated after the victim told the seminary’s rector what had happened.

Spina was removed from his role in 2000 when an investigation was opened, and arrested in 2002. In 2006, he was convicted of rape and began serving his prison sentence.

Archbishop de Kerimel concluded his July 10 statement by calling for reflection on Ezekiel 33:12, which says that “the justice of the just will not save them on the day they sin; the wickedness of the wicked will not bring about their downfall on the day they turn from their wickedness.”

De Kerimel said the prophet Ezekiel “calls us to mercy, which is our only hope.”

Cologne archdiocese not liable for priest’s abuse, court rules

A German court has rejected a claim for more than €800,000 (approximately $865,000) in damages from a woman who was abused by a Catholic priest who also served as her foster father.

The priest, identified as Fr. U., abused Melanie F. over several years and forced her to have an abortion. 

However, the court ruled that because the foster care arrangement was made through the state, the abuse occurred in a private capacity—not as part of his clerical duties.

The court also determined that the Archdiocese of Cologne could not be held liable, as there was no evidence that church officials were aware of the abuse.

The archdiocese said it welcomed the court’s decision, while acknowledging that “there are no winners when it comes to abuse.”

Survivors’ group Eckiger Tisch called the ruling “a shame for a state based on the rule of law” and said it reflected “profound ignorance of the institution of the Catholic Church and its teaching.”

“A priest promises to be celibate and to dedicate his entire life to the proclamation of the gospel,” a representative said, arguing that the foster arrangement was only possible because of the priest’s status.

Canon law expert Professor Thomas Schüller, who testified in the case, also criticized the decision. He told the news outlet Kölnische Rundschau, “Now we’re learning from lawyers for the archdiocese that priests have a private space where they can do whatever they want.”

He called for a landmark constitutional court ruling to clarify the liability of churches in such cases.

Melanie F. is expected to appeal.

Drogheda’s ‘religious tourism potential’ a throwback to Pope John Paul II visit

It has been almost fifty years since the iconic visit of Pope John Paul II to Drogheda, but calls for the rebirth of “religious tourism” in the Louth town were sounded again this week.

Drogheda made headlines across the world when it hosted the late Pope John Paul during the first papal visit to Ireland in September 1979, an event which attracted hundreds of thousands of people, putting the town on the map as an international tourist destination.

Now, five decades on, it was another religious event – the 400th anniversary of the birth of St. Oliver Plunkett - which has led to renewed calls for Drogheda to tap into the tourism potential of divine devotion.

The monthly meeting of Drogheda Borough District saw a series of councillors highlight the success of the Oliver Plunkett commemorations in the area throughout last weekend.

Cllr. Pio Smith spoke of the “real tourism potential” which emerged from the success of the events around the commemoration.

He added that visitors were “very impressed” saying “whether you are religious or not” the shrine was a tourist attraction, and the potential for Drogheda to build on that was clear.

He called for the “Welcome to Drogheda” signs to feature information on the town as “home of the shrine to St. Oliver Plunkett” and asked for these signs to be approved for use by Louth County Council.

Cllr. Kevin Callan said: “Nobody can be in any doubt, looking at the success of the events, the tremendous potential of religious tourism for Drogheda.”

He welcomed the council’s involvement in the Oliver Plunkett exhibition held at the civic buildings.

"But anything we can do between now and the end of the year is important, because these events are going to continue to run, these people will continue to come to Drogheda, they are international visitors as well as Irish, so what they see now will encourage them to come back again.”

Cathaoirleach, Cllr. Michelle Hall praised all of the work which had been carried out around the Oliver Plunkett commemorations, including the exhibition at the Civic buildings in Drogheda, which she said had created a “vibrant and positive space”.

She added that the success of the events held to mark the anniversary had shown “the continued interest in religious tourism.”

Cllr. Hall acknowledged the challenges the church had faced, adding that she hoped that people could celebrate “their own faith systems in a more positive manner,” adding “It is great for Drogheda to be associated with it.”

Chief Executive of Louth County Council, David Conway, agreed the commemorations had been a real indication of just how popular religious events could be.

"It was a proud day for Drogheda, it was absolutely fantastic, what it showed is the ability for Drogheda to develop it’s religious tourism potential. People came from, you could say, the four corners of the world, to pay their respects to what was happening.”

He added that were a number of ways in which this could be leveraged for tourism, saying that it would be “foremost in our thoughts as we look at our Tourism Strategy which is coming up.”

He said it was hoped that the temporary exhibition on display in the civic buildings could be captured in a more permanent way.

Wednesday, July 09, 2025

Taoiseach vows to pursue legal options to force religious orders on compensation

The Taoiseach has vowed to pursue a “detailed examination” of how the state will make religious orders and institutions contribute towards compensating victims of historical sex abuse.

Micheál Martin said the Office of the Attorney General, the Department of Education and other state bodies are exploring legal options that could force religious orders to pay for any redress.

On Tuesday, the Government approved the establishment of a commission of investigation into allegations of historical sex abuse in schools across the country.

Mr Justice Michael McGrath will chair the commission.

Mr Martin said changes could be made to the statute of limitations on civil claims, as well as changes to the status of unincorporated associations.

Labour leader Ivana Bacik told the Dáil on Wednesday that as of September 2024, religious orders have paid 16 per cent of institutional redress costs that were owed.

She also said that religious orders involved in historic sex abuse sold more than 75 properties worth a total of more than €90 million since 2016.

Successive governments have been unable to hold religious orders responsible for paying redress to victims of sex abuse over the years.

The Fianna Fáil leader told the Dáil that it was clear from the scoping inquiry that many survivors view financial redress as an “important measure” of accountability for those who ran schools where sexual abuse happened.

“Government is pursuing now in a very detailed way, very detailed examination is taking place in terms of ensuring that those responsible, including religious orders, are held accountable and to ensure that they make redress,” he added.

“The Office of the Attorney General is examining this with the Department of Education and other relevant bodies on legal options that may be available to the state.

“We are looking and examining changes to the statute of limitations on civil claims and changes to the status of unincorporated associations as well as looking at the assets that religious orders have, and an examination of how to ensure compensation from religious orders will run in parallel with the commission of investigation.

“It is complex work. It will require detailed consideration and may take some time to complete, and we will be open to engaging with you and constructive proposals that you have on this.”

Ms Bacik welcomed the commission, but said it must avoid the mistakes of the past.

“I welcome the fact that you’ve spoken of an inclusive and survivor-led approach that’s vitally important,” she added.

“But we do also need to ensure that religious orders that were complicit in the sexual abuse of children should be required to provide appropriate redress to survivors.

“We must also ensure access on a timely basis to redress for survivors.

“We’re conscious the commission is going to run for at least five years, and we don’t believe survivors should be forced to wait a further five years for the outcome of the process.

“Survivors need assurance that organisations, religious bodies, religious orders in the church that were accountable and responsible for abuse that they should be made to pay.

“Church and state, but also religious order,s played a shameful role, as we know, and in particular, within religious orders, clerics were allowed, in some cases, to perpetrate appalling crimes against children with impunity.

“We need to go further than condemnation. We need to remove legal obstacles to pursuing religious orders.

“Religious orders, as we know, Taoiseach, for years, they’ve been carrying out a perfectly legal practice of transferring their assets and their properties to associated lay-run trusts.

“I’ve described this as the developer’s wife syndrome, that puts assets often out of reach in or in some cases, out of reach of state authorities.

“It’s not acceptable.”

The scoping inquiry found some 2,395 allegations of sexual abuse in day and boarding schools run by religious orders, involving 884 alleged abusers in 308 schools across the country, between 1927 and 2013.

Most of the allegations were reported from the records of some 42 religious orders.

The commission will examine the handling of allegations, suspicions and concerns of sex abuse in schools, failure to treat concerns, causes and responsibility for such failure, failure to prevent harm, and the concealment of child sex abuse.

Synod to vote on final approval of Church’s redress scheme for survivors

FINAL approval for the Church of England’s redress scheme for survivors of abuse will be voted on by the General Synod this weekend, after a delay to allow the steering group to consider the eligibility criteria “in light of the Makin report”.

A report from the steering committee, published on 26 June, sets out a proposed amendment to the draft Abuse Redress Measure which would provide an entitlement to redress “based on a case where a Church officer had had an opportunity to take action which might have prevented a perpetrator from carrying out the abuse to which the application relates but failed to take that action”.

A further amendment, if carried, would allow the Archbishops’ Council to pause the scheme, or vary the method by which awards are determined, if it considers that not doing so puts at risk its continuation as a “going concern”.

Provision to this effect was already part of the draft legislation, but the new clause “requires the exercise of such a power to be more transparent, and subject to greater scrutiny”, the steering committee’s report says.

Under the new wording, the Council would be required to submit its decision to scrutiny by the Synod “as soon as reasonably practicable”, and to give “due regard” to the Synod’s judgement.

In its annual report, also published on 26 June, the Archbishops’ Council Audit and Risk Committee noted these concerns, and said that an audit of the redress scheme “identified the financial feasibility of the scheme as a high risk due to the difficulty in estimating potential demand”.

In February last year, it was confirmed that Ecclesiastical Insurance, one of the main insurers for Church of England bodies, would not participate in the scheme, citing “legal and commercial reasons”.

Pope Leo blesses and signs ‘Popplio’ Pokémon card for pilgrims in Rome

Pope Leo has delighted Pokémon fans by blessing and signing a Pokémon card during a Danish youth group’s visit to the Vatican on 5 July.

He was presented with two Popplio Pokémon cards due to the similarity in the names. The Holy Father blessed a Reverse Holo version and signed a regular version with a ballpoint pen.

Tri Nguyen, whose Pokémon card was signed by the Pope, described how the Pope’s “joyous face and speech touched my heart” and said it was “a great culmination of our pilgrimage”.

Nguyen, 28, who was born and raised in Denmark and lives in Aarhus, is of Vietnamese origin. A cradle Catholic, he is a board member of the Danish youth association Danmarks Unge Katolikker and chairman of its local chapter in Aarhus. He is also a member of his parish council.

He was visiting the Vatican as part of a pilgrimage organised by Danmarks Unge Katolikker for a group of around 50 young people, during which they visited the holy sites of Assisi and Rome. As part of their six-day stay in Rome, the group were fortunate enough to meet the Holy Father.

Nguyen told the Herald: “Being in the papal audience hall was surreal. We didn’t really feel ready to meet the Pope. Every time someone new entered I kept turning my head towards them to see if it was His Holiness. At some point he entered, and it nearly didn’t register with me. He just arrived nonchalantly, down to earth, without much bravado.

“His presence wasn’t intimidating or oppressive. He felt calming to be around. His joyous face and speech touched my heart in ways I haven’t experienced before. It was quite the encounter, and quite the privilege to be there.

“It was a great culmination of our pilgrimage – from days in Assisi to days in Rome, and finally an audience with the Supreme Pontiff.

“One thing that stuck with me was how happy he was. When I got to greet him personally, his smile and laughter were warming. His interest in what I was saying felt genuine.”

Asked about the Popplio connection, Nguyen said: “I am just a huge Pokémon fan who thought that having Pope Leo sign a Popplio card would be really fun because of the similarity in the names.”

He intends to keep the signed card as a “personal artefact” and has placed it in a protective sleeve.

Popplio is a Generation VII Pokémon who evolves into Brionne and then Primarina. Released in 2016, while Pope Leo was Bishop of Chiclayo in Peru, Popplio is one of three starter Pokémon in Pokémon Sun and Moon, alongside Rowlet and Litten. The game is set in the Alola region of the Pokémon world.

The Vatican and the Pokémon franchise have enjoyed a cordial relationship over the years. In 2000, the Vatican satellite channel Sat2000 (now TV2000) described the game as “full of inventive imagination”, said it had “no harmful moral side effects”, and noted that it was based on “ties of intense friendship”.

Nuncio celebrates historic Mass in Canterbury Cathedral in honour of St Thomas Becket

In a historic moment for the Catholic Church in the United Kingdom, on Monday, 7 July, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass was celebrated at Canterbury Cathedral by the Papal Nuncio to Great Britain, Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendía.

The Mass marked the Feast of the Translation of St Thomas Becket, which commemorates the ceremonial transfer of Becket’s remains in 1220 from his original tomb in the crypt of Canterbury Cathedral to a grand shrine behind the high altar. 

This event occurred fifty years after his martyrdom and was attended by the teenage King Henry III, a host of European church leaders, and thousands of pilgrims.

While Catholic Masses have taken place in Canterbury Cathedral since the Reformation—and every year on 7 July, the Dean and Chapter of Canterbury allow the Catholic parish of St Thomas of Canterbury to celebrate Mass in honour of St Thomas Becket—this was the first occasion in modern history that a papal nuncio presided over a Mass in the historic Anglican cathedral.

Hundreds attended the Mass, including pilgrims from across the United Kingdom, priests, and even the Vatican’s cricket team. The liturgy began at 7:30pm and included the veneration and blessing of St Thomas Becket’s relics, brought from the local Catholic parish. Music for the Mass was provided by Tenebrae, a London-based professional vocal ensemble founded in 2001 and directed by Nigel Short.

The Herald’s own Gavin Ashenden was in attendance. Reflecting on the day, he said: “Whilst Holy Mass has been celebrated in Canterbury Cathedral by local priests and even cardinals, the papal nuncio brings a special political recognition of the Catholic Church in Great Britain. He read out greetings from His Holiness Pope Leo XIV and at the very end, he took the relics of St Thomas—his vestments and finger bone—to bless the congregation.”

As Mr Ashenden was, as a boy, a choral scholar of the cathedral, he was asked to give a tour to the Vatican cricket team. 

Recalling one amusing and enriching moment, he said: “At 11am, as is custom in Anglican cathedrals to do so on the hour, the cathedral paused for prayer. Rather unusually, it included a prayer for the dead. The Thirty-Nine Articles, a foundational document of the Church of England, reject the Catholic doctrine of purgatory, and I explained this oddity to the seminarians and priests who formed the cricket team. I asked if they would like to enhance the prayers of the cathedral by singing the Our Father in Latin. So we filled the great cathedral with the Pater Noster, perhaps to the surprise of the cathedral staff and clergy.”

Vatican officials present new Mass formulary: Mass for the Care of Creation

Two Vatican officials presented a new Mass formulary, the Missa pro custodia creationis (Mass for the Care of Creation), at a July 3 press conference. 

The press conference followed a decree (Latin, English) of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.

Cardinal Michael Czerny, SJ, the prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, noted that the current edition of the Roman Missal includes 49 Masses and Prayers for Various Needs and Occasions. 

The Mass for the Care of Creation will join the 17 other Mass formularies for civil needs.

Archbishop Vittorio Francesco Viola, OFM, the secretary of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, discussed creation in the liturgy and the Mass formulary itself (Italian remarks, English summary).

Signaling end of Syro-Malabar liturgical dispute, Leo XIV concludes pontifical delegate’s mandate

The Dicastery for the Eastern Churches announced on July 7 that Pope Leo XIV has ended the mandate of Archbishop Cyril Vasil’, SJ, as pontifical delegate in liturgical matters for the Syro-Malabar Archeparchy of Ernakulam-Angamaly, India.

In doing so, the Pontiff expressed his “deep gratitude to the prelate for the work carried out” and signaled the end of the at-times violent dispute over the sacred liturgy that has roiled the archeparchy (archdiocese) over the past four years. 

The archeparchy’s head is the Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, an Eastern Catholic church in full communion with the Holy See.

Led by the Major Archbishop, the Syro-Malabar Church’s hierarchy sought to implement a uniform method of celebrating the sacred liturgy. 

The uniform method envisions the celebrant turning towards the faithful in the initial rites but then turning towards the altar (ad orientem) during the Eucharistic sacrifice. 

In some eparchies, however, including the Archeparchy of Ernakulam–Angamaly, the entire liturgy has been offered facing the people in recent decades.

With near unanimity, the archeparchy’s priests protested the decision of the Major Archbishop and other bishops, and the priests continued to celebrate the sacred liturgy facing the people. 

Pope Francis exhorted the faithful to obey the hierarchy’s decision, entrusted day-to-day governance of the archeparchy to a series of apostolic administrators (2022-2025), and appointed Archbishop Vasil’ in 2023 as his pontifical delegate in liturgical matters. 

Archbishop Vasil’, like the administrators, insisted on obedience to the Syro-Malabar hierarchy’s decision on the uniform method.

Under the terms of the new agreement, priests will be permitted to celebrate a Sunday liturgy facing the people as long as they also offer a Sunday liturgy ad orientem. 

 In addition, newly ordained priests will be permitted to offer the liturgy facing the people; recently, they have been required to pledge, as a condition for ordination. not to offer the liturgy facing the people. 

Finally, several officials of the archeparchy will be replaced.

Miracle-working saint’s story comes to life in beautiful new book

The people of Lebanon have long loved St. Sharbel Makhlouf (often spelled St. Charbel), but the “Miracle Monk of Lebanon” isn’t as well known in the rest of the world. 

That’s a shame, given his incredible story and the abundance of healing miracles God has worked through his intercession.  

The great news is that now we can all get to know him better, thanks to a beautiful new graphic novel, St. Sharbel of Lebanon, Saint of Wonders, which will bring his story of hope to countless more people around the world.

The “Miracle Monk of Lebanon”

On the surface, St. Sharbel Makhlouf’s life seemed like that of many other monks. Born in 1828, he lived for 19 years at the Monastery of St. Maron, then 23 years at a nearby hermitage. He was devoted to prayer, manual labor, and contemplative silence. 

But his quiet life set the scene for a profound union with God. His miracle working was such that when he died his superior wrote:

“What God will perform after his death will be sufficient proof of his exemplary behavior in the observance of his vows, to a degree such that we can say that his obedience was angelic, not human.”

The miracles

God worked wonders through this humble saint. Since 1950, when the monastery began to formally record the miraculous healings, they have archived more than 29,000 miracles. 

Both Muslims and Christians in Lebanon love and honor him. His healing power extends to all who seek God’s aid.

A labor of love brings his story to life

The Family of St. Sharbel USA has created something truly special with their new graphic novel. 

The “Miracle Monk” belongs not only to Lebanon but also to the whole world. 

The Family of St. Sharbel is a lay movement dedicated to spreading the Gospel through the spirituality of St. Sharbel.

Global family

Founded in 1994 after a mystical experience by Raymond Nader, it is active globally. Their activities include prayer events, both online and in person; divine liturgies; retreats; charitable works; sacramentals distribution; and catechizing through digital media, including YouTube, podcasts, social media and a newsletter (you can sign up here!). 

Their team worked three years to produce this book that will introduce him to many more people. Currently, it is available in Arabic, French, and English, with Spanish and Portuguese translations in progress.

The book doesn't just tell his story but reveals his Maronite spirituality and Lebanese culture. 

Maronite Catholics are members of an Eastern Catholic Church in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church. 

As Pope St. John Paul II said, "The Church must breathe with her two lungs!" 

This book offers Western Catholics a beautiful introduction to their Eastern Catholic brothers and sisters.

An invitation to encounter God 

In our age of digital distraction and spiritual seeking, St. Sharbel offers something countercultural. He found God in silence, solitude, and prayer. His Eastern Catholic spirituality provides wisdom that enriches the entire Church.

This new book offers a beautiful entry point into the life of this beloved modern saint. The Family of Saint Sharbel USA invites you to discover St. Sharbel's story, join their prayer community, or simply begin a conversation with this gentle saint who continues to bring God's healing to our world. 

In a time when we all need hope, St. Sharbel reminds us that God's love is always available to those who seek it with sincere hearts.

Pope Leo XIV Given Two Electric, Eco-friendly "popemobiles" for International Travels

Pope Leo XIV has been given two electric vehicles that can be transported by air and will accompany him on his international travels.

According to a statement from the Governorate of Vatican City State, the delivery took place during a July 3 private meeting held at the Pontifical Villas of Castel Gandolfo, with the participation of a delegation from the Exelentia company and the Club Car Group, responsible for the vehicle design project.

The two vehicles are the result of collaboration between the Italian company Exelentia — founded by Domenico and Giovanni Zappia and specializing in the design, customization, and distribution of electric commuter vehicles for individuals, businesses, and public entities — and the Vatican Gendarmerie, which supervised and validated every stage of development.

The cars, based on electric models from the Garia company (part of the Club Car Group), have been completely customized by hand with high-precision technical and artisanal craftsmanship.

Designed with total sustainability criteria, the vehicles produce no environmental emissions or noise pollution. One of their main advantages is the ability to be transported by plane without having to be disassembled, which represents a logistical benefit for the pope’s travels.

According to the Vatican Governorate, the Italian airline ITA Airways also actively collaborated on the project, providing technical data on the vehicles’ dimensions and the means to secure them in place required for transport on intercontinental flights. 

With a compact design and great maneuverability, the two vehicles are designed to move agilely in tight spaces or with high pedestrian density, such as squares, shrines, or urban centers. Furthermore, according to the Vatican, elements such as a front handlebar and side supports under the armrests have been incorporated, ensuring greater comfort and stability for the pope inside the vehicle.

The project responds to the need to provide the Holy Father with sustainable, practical, and safe means of transportation that adapt to the demands of his pastoral trips. Its use will extend to both private trips and the public appearances that Leo XIV will make in various cities around the world.

Pope Leo and Zelenskyy agree that Vatican could host Ukraine-Russia peace talks

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday and thanked him for the Vatican’s efforts to help return children taken by Russia.

Both he and Leo suggested the Vatican could host peace talks to end the war.

Mr Zelenskyy called on Leo at the papal summer retreat in Castel Gandolfo, in the Alban hills south of Rome.

Mr Zelenskyy is in Rome to attend the fourth Ukraine recovery conference, which is taking place on Thursday and Friday.

The Vatican said Leo and Mr Zelenskyy discussed the conflict “and the urgent need for a just and lasting peace.”

“The Holy Father expressed his sorrow for the victims and renewed his prayers and closeness to the Ukrainian people, encouraging every effort aimed at the release of prisoners and the search for shared solutions,” a Vatican statement said.

“The Holy Father reiterated the willingness to welcome representatives of Russia and Ukraine to the Vatican for negotiations.”

The United States had indicated the Vatican could host possible peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, but Moscow has not accepted it.

Speaking to reporters as he left the pope’s villa, Zelenskyy said he thanked the American pope for the Vatican’s efforts to help reunite children taken by Russia after Moscow’s 2022 invasion.

He asked for continued help and prayers “to get back our children stolen by Russia during this war”.

Pope Francis had named an envoy, Italian Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, to try to facilitate the return of children and find “paths to peace” between the two sides.

The Russian government has faced international condemnation over unlawful deportations of Ukrainian families, including children, to Russia following Putin’s order for Russian troops to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24 2022.

In unusual move, Pope transfers Kenyan bishop to far smaller diocese

In an unusual move, Pope Leo XIV has transferred a Kenyan auxiliary bishop to a diocese that is nearly ten times smaller than his former diocese.

In February 2024, Pope Francis named Father Simon Peter Kamomoe, a priest of the Archdiocese of Nairobi—Kenya’s capital and largest city—as a Nairobi auxiliary bishop. The archdiocese has nearly 3.7 million Catholics.

On July 5, Pope Leo appointed Bishop Kamomoe as the auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Wote, which has fewer than 400,000 Catholics.

Pope Francis created the Diocese of Wote in 2023 and named Bishop Paul Kariuki Njiru, then 60, as its first bishop. 

After the bishop suffered a stroke, Pope Francis appointed Bishop Norman King’oo Wambua of Machakos as apostolic administrator; Bishop Njiru has remained the diocese’s bishop.

The Diocese of Wote, then, has a bishop, an apostolic administrator who is also bishop of another diocese, and a new auxiliary bishop.

The transfer of Auxiliary Bishop Kamomoe leaves the Archdiocese of Nairobi with only one auxiliary bishop. 

In contrast, the Archdiocese of Chicago, which has far fewer Catholics (under 2.1 million), has seven active auxiliary bishops.

Pope Leo interrupts holiday to issue warning: ‘We live in a world that is burning’

Pope Leo XIV has issued a stark warning about a “burning” world as he interrupted his two-week holiday to urge Catholics to address the climate crisis.

This marks the Vatican's second significant appeal on global warming within a week.

Speaking from Castel Gandolfo, an Italian hill town near Rome where he is on holiday, the pontiff declared during a small outdoor ceremony: "Today … we live in a world that is burning, both because of global warming and armed conflicts."

Leo, who was elected on 8 May to succeed Pope Francis, said: "We have to pray for the conversion of many people … who still do not see the urgency of caring for our common home."

While refraining from naming specific climate-induced disasters, he characterised the global situation as an "ecological crisis".

Leo said the 1.4-billion-member Catholic Church was committed to speaking about the issue, "even when it requires the courage to oppose the destructive power of the princes of this world".

The Mass included a prayer for victims of the flash flooding in Texas, where at least 111 people have died and 173 are still missing.

Leo celebrated Wednesday's Mass according to a new Catholic rite that exhorts people to care for creation, first published by the Vatican on 3 July in its latest push to address climate issues.

Cardinal Michael Czerny, a senior Vatican official who helped to organise the Mass, said that Leo's decision to interrupt his holiday was a sign of the importance the new pope will place on environmental matters.

"By offering this Mass … at the beginning of his holiday, Pope Leo is giving a beautiful example of thanking for God's great gift and praying that the human family learns to care for our common home," said Cardinal Czerny.

Garden mass

Francis, who died on 21 April, was also a firm proponent of care for creation. He was the first pope to embrace the scientific consensus about climate change and urged nations to reduce their carbon emissions in line with the 2015 Paris climate accord.

Leo is reviving a centuries-old tradition of popes taking holidays in Castel Gandolfo with a July 6-20 vacation in the sleepy hill town of about 8,900 residents on the shores of Lake Albano.

Residents earlier said they hope Leo's visit will help boost tourism, with visitors coming to take part in public religious celebrations with the pope on 13 and 20 July.

Wednesday's Mass was held in the 55-hectare gardens of the papal villa, which Francis opened to visitors and turned into an ecological institute.

The ceremony included several senior cardinals and about 50 staff members of the villa, gathered in front of a statue of Mary among tightly trimmed hedges in the garden.

Bishop to bless new mural of Our Lady of Waterford at city cathedral

The Diocese of Waterford and Lismore is inviting the public to join Bishop Alphonsus Cullinan for a blessing of a new mural at the Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity in Waterford City.

The blessing will take place on Saturday, July 12, at 12:30pm after midday mass.

The diocese said in a post on social media that the recently completed mural of Our Lady of Waterford represents a rich history.

"The image of Our Lady of Waterford has a remarkable and storied history, dating back to the Dominican Abbey founded in 1226. Even through the darkness of persecution, the people of Waterford held fast to their devotion to the Blessed Virgin.

"In 1541, as the Abbey of St Saviour’s was surrendered to Henry VIII, a miraculous image of Mary in the Lady Chapel was specially noted. 

"Despite religious suppression, Waterford’s faithful continued to honour her — to such a degree that the Anglican bishop complained in 1580 about people praying the Rosary and placing decorated images of Our Lady in their doorways.

"Though hidden and repainted over the centuries to protect her from destruction, the statue survived — restored, re-crowned, and finally returned to Waterford in 1876, where she continues to be venerated today in St. Saviour’s Church.

"The new mural at the Cathedral, commissioned by Bishop Alphonsus Cullinan and painted by artist Marie-Jeanne Jacob, stands as a testament to centuries of enduring devotion — a reminder that Our Lady of Waterford continues to watch over her people. 

"The mural has been painted on the side of the former PTSB bank building, which is next door to the Cathedral," said the diocese in its post.

Notre Dame prepares to reopen towers’ tour with return of famed statues of saints to rooftop

Symbolic lifting of the statues surrounding the spire of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris marked the beginning of one of the last phases of the roof reconstruction before the towers of the Parisian icon will reopen to the public on Sept. 20.

Notre Dame is breaking all-time records of visitors, with the rector of the cathedral confirming to OSV News that “The number of visitors is increasing day by day.”

Notre Dame — Must See in Paris

Father Olivier Ribadeau Dumas said, “Currently, we are welcoming 32,500 to 33,000 per day, and we have well exceeded five million people since the beginning of the year. And every month we see that there are 1,000 more visitors per day.”

At the beginning of September, e-ticketing will start for the visit of the towers, memorable not only for breathtaking views of the City of Lights, but also for the close-up look to the gargoyles, or chimeras, and statues of 16 saints that will soon be back in their original locations.

On June 23, Archbishop Laurent Ulrich of Paris censed them during a moment of prayer before the first statue, that of St. Paul, was lifted by crane.

Iconic Statues Back

The statues were designed in the mid-19th century by French architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, who was responsible for the renovation of Notre Dame at the time. 

The 16 statues were installed in 1861. Standing 11 feet high and weighing nearly 330 pounds each, they represent the apostles, and the symbols of the four evangelists: the lion (Mark), the bull (Luke), the angel (Matthew) and the eagle (John). Since February 2023, they have been on display at the Cité de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine in Paris, on the famed Trocadéro square.

Their restoration had been decided and planned well before the fire on April 15, 2019. Their brown color had turned green over time due to oxidation, and repairs were needed in various places. They were taken down from the spire on April 11, 2019, four days before the inferno, to be taken to a workshop — a move that saved them from destruction when the roof collapsed. Made of a metal frame covered with copper sheets, they would not have withstood the heat.

The restoration work lasted from April 2019 to June 2021 in the Dordogne region of southern France, near Bordeaux. Costing $1.64 million, 85% of the restoration costs were funded by the Fondation Notre Dame, chaired by the archbishop of Paris. The remaining sum was provided by the American foundation Friends of Notre-Dame de Paris, the same organization through which Americans subsequently showed great generosity in restoring the cathedral damaged by the fire.

Today, the statues have regained their original brown color and are in impeccable condition.

St. Thomas, Patron Saint of Architects

Among them, that of St. Thomas, patron saint of architects, is of particular interest. It bears the features of Viollet-le-Duc himself, and its gaze is turned toward the spire, unlike the others, which are turned toward Paris. He can be seen holding a large mason’s ruler on which his name is written, with his hand on his forehead as if to watch over his work.

By the end of July, all the statues will have been returned to their original positions and the spire will be completely free of scaffolding and tarps. 

“The replacement of the spire statues is a new highlight of this exceptional collective adventure that allows Notre Dame de Paris to present an ever more beautiful face to the world,” said Philippe Jost, president of Rebâtir Notre Dame de Paris, a public institution responsible for reconstruction efforts.

“The spire will soon be completely stripped of its scaffolding,” he said in a June 24 statement. “We are also completing the work in the western massif and our efforts will then focus on the apse of the cathedral, before other stages … with all the care it deserves and needs, a cathedral that has shown the attachment the entire world has for it.”

“This work had already been planned before the fire and should have been undertaken in 2019,” Father Ribadeau Dumas, rector of the cathedral, told OSV News. He added that it will last until 2028.

Stained-Glass Windows Controversy

Another project will involve replacing the discreet, non-figurative stained-glass windows that Viollet-le-Duc installed in six side chapels on the south side of the cathedral — with contemporary figurative stained-glass windows on the theme of Pentecost, a project expected to be completed by December 2026. Claire Tabouret, a 43-year-old internationally renowned French painter who has lived in Los Angeles for 10 years, was chosen for the work in a public competition.

The project remains controversial as the existing stained-glass windows, to which Parisians have been very much attached, were not damaged by the fire. 

Father Ribadeau Dumas believes however that the work now plays a secondary role in the life of Notre Dame. “The most important thing is what is happening inside the cathedral every day,” he said. 

For the rector, “this is not a passing fad but a much deeper movement. …  It is part of a spiritual awakening that we are seeing in France, but not only here,” he said. 

“Many people are having a spiritual experience at Notre Dame,” Father Ribadeau Dumas said. 

He said that one day in June he “saw a man who, as he was leaving the cathedral, turned around and decided to go to confession, something he had not done in 49 years. It was his visit to the cathedral that prompted him to do so.”

“In the morning, when we open the doors, there are two lines of people entering, one of visitors and one of the faithful who come for the first Mass,” the rector added. “We begin with the Angelus prayer around the baptistery at the entrance. I can assure you that the two lines converge at that moment, just as they do in the evening when we close the doors after a final prayer.”

He emphasized that “visiting the cathedral has important spiritual benefits.”

He referred to the famous Christian poet Paul Claudel, who wrote about how he was suddenly overwhelmed by the certainty of faith at Notre Dame, on Christmas Day 1886. 

“I see many people experiencing the same thing,” Father Ribadeau Dumas said. “Visitors are struck by the life of faith that is lived at Notre Dame. We can find God through beauty, but also through the witness of faith lived by others. This is what impresses me most every day.”