Toronto orthodox priest criticized for accepting medal from Putin

A Toronto priest is facing criticism for accepting a medal from Vladimir Putin last week as the Russian president is waging a war on Ukraine that has killed thousands of civilians.

At a ceremony at the Kremlin on Nov. 4, Putin presented the Order of Friendship to Father Vladimir Malchenko, head priest at Toronto’s Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church.

A video of the event obtained by Global News shows Malchenko striding onto a stage to greet Putin, who shakes the priest’s hand and pins the Russian state honour onto his frock.

Putin commended Malchenko for helping Canadian “parishioners maintain their connection with their historical homeland.” Malchenko’s acceptance speech lauded the “Fatherland.”

The awards ceremony took place on Russia’s National Unity Day. In his remarks praising Malchenko, Putin also celebrated Russian troops he said were “bravely” fighting in Ukraine.

Reached by phone this week, Malchenko said he had no regrets about being honoured by Putin, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes for the abduction of Ukrainian children.

“I don’t look at it as a political act. It’s an act of recognition of our pastoral duties here in Canada,” Malchenko told Global News after returning to Toronto from Moscow.

“And our community is very grateful that there’s been a certain amount of recognition of our work here to comfort people’s lives in Canada,” said Malchenko.

But the Ukrainian Canadian Congress said it was “disgraceful” that the Canadian priest had accepted a medal from the Russian leader as he continues to attack his neighbours.

Two days before Malchenko exchanged pleasantries with Putin, Russia bombed a school in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region that was used as a humanitarian hub, killing more than 50 people.

“This is a textbook case of moral hypocrisy unbecoming of an individual who purports to promote Christian teaching,” said Danylo Korbabicz, CEO of the Canadian Ukrainian group.

The Order of Friendship is awarded for “outstanding contributions to strengthening friendship” and “fostering peace and friendly relations among countries.”

Past recipients include pro-Russia actor Steven Seagal and former prime minister Jean Chretien, but that was before Putin sent his troops into Ukraine in 2014.

Following Russia’s 2022 assault on Kyiv, Canada placed Putin on its Russia sanctions list, citing his “grave breach of international peace and security.”

Also sanction was Kirill, the patriarch of the Russian Orthodox church and a cheerleader of Putin’s attack on Ukraine, which he has deemed a “holy war.”

In his comments to Global News, Malchenko said his Toronto church was “above politics,” did not support any wars and was “greatly” concerned about the human suffering caused by armed conflicts.

But he said he didn’t raise the war in Ukraine with Putin at the medal ceremony. “No, it really wasn’t time for a conversation,” he explained.

He characterized his award as recognition for “fulfilling our Christian duties in Canada,” and said the church was apolitical. “We never talk about the war,” he said.

However, the church’s website links to Russian online platforms that parrot the claim that Ukraine is an “imaginary country” and Ukrainians are “imaginary” people.

The links, which also claim there is “no such thing” as Ukraine, are in line with Russian propaganda that aims to justify Putin’s military campaign.

Malchenko’s church is a registered charity that receives government tax breaks. In 2012, the Conservative government awarded him the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal.

In his brief acceptance speech, Malchenko said that Russians lived “in all cities, in all countries of this world. But we have one Fatherland. Russia, Holy Rus.”

“And may the Lord God bless our beloved Fatherland. May He bless it with prosperity and well-being forever.”

Putin’s speech harkened back to past wars that he said “drove invaders” out of what he called Russia’s “native lands.”

“Today our fighters are just as bravely defending Russia’s interests and our statehood as part of the special military operation,” he said, using his term for the Ukraine war.

Malchenko’s visit to the Kremlin came at a time of some of the worst atrocities of Putin’s attempt to use his military might to turn Ukraine into a vassal of Moscow.

The night before Russia’s deadly attack on a school in Zaporizhzhia, a hospital complex was struck, injuring at least 73, while the bombing of a hospice in Dnipro forced the evacuation of dozens of terminally ill and elderly patients.

On Wednesday, Canada joined its G7 allies in condemning Putin’s attacks on “residential buildings, civilian infrastructure, and cultural heritage.”

Global Affairs Canada did not respond to requests for comment about the matter.

Shame and silence: Survivors allege arrested Mangaluru priest abused boys for decades

Stany (name changed) was in Class 9 when the church that he attended in Mangaluru got a new parish priest. His name was Cyprian Pinto. 

“He visited the houses of all the congregation members when he first arrived. He came to our house too. That was the first time he sexually assaulted me,” Stany alleged. At the time, no complaint was lodged against the priest. 

Almost three decades later, Cyprian, who had by then become the parish priest at St Vincent Ferrer Church in Valencia, Mangaluru, was arrested on October 17, 2026. He was booked by the Mangaluru South police for allegedly sexually assaulting boys.

At first, five boys from St Vincent accused him of sexual abuse. Later, one more boy from St Sebastian Church in Permannur, Mangaluru, accused Cyprian of sexual harassment, and another FIR was registered against him on November 9. 

Cyprian has served in a total of eight churches since he was ordained in 1988.  

He had arrived at St Vincent only in May. His absence was conspicuous on September 8, the day of the Monthi festival—an important event for Mangalorean Catholics. 

The celebrations were led by another priest. 

News of the alleged abuse at St Vincent began spreading among Mangaluru’s Catholics around the first week of September. 

Although the Mangalore Diocese has not officially commented on the action taken against Cyprian after the allegations emerged, people familiar with the developments say he was sent on administrative leave on August 26 and replaced. 

These developments sparked intense debate and conversation among coastal Karnataka’s small but influential Catholic community. The accused priest has his share of supporters among the public. 

But many voices are demanding accountability from the Catholic Church and are horrified at the allegations.  

While the current allegations relate to his time at St Vincent and St Sebastian, TNM spoke to others from Mangaluru who allege that Cyprian abused several boys in at least two more churches. 

This includes two men who allege they were sexually abused by Cyprian as children and one witness. They recounted how his alleged conduct was known among boys in the community, how attempts to speak up were discouraged, and how a local newspaper reported on allegations against an unnamed priest as far back as 2004. 

The current allegations have also triggered attempts to intimidate those speaking out, raising fresh questions about the Church hierarchy’s response, what it knew about Cyprian’s alleged conduct, why he was assigned prominent parishes, and whether children could have been protected had action been taken earlier. 

For their safety, we are identifying the two survivors as Stany and Denzel, and the witness as Lancy. We are withholding any facts that may give away their identity. 

Details of the alleged sexual abuse have been limited to what can be legally described under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

‘Unfit to be priest’

When I asked him how he felt when he heard that Cyprian had been arrested, Stany laughed as he said, “I was very happy.” 

“But more than wanting him arrested, I wanted him named and shamed. People used to say that he used to give such good sermons and that he was a very godly person. At the time [it happened], we weren’t financially very good. But today I’m stable. I can tell him, ‘You’re not fit to be a priest’.”

It seemed as if he felt vindicated after years of being unable to ever tell anyone—even the few trusted friends who know about it don’t know all the details.

Bethlehem Church of the Nativity priest denied visa to speak at US event

Father Issa Thaljieh, the Palestinian parish priest at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank, has been denied a US visa to speak alongside American clergy next week on the gravity of Israeli settler attacks on Palestinian villages. 

"Our government denied him a visa for 'security reasons'. A parish priest from Bethlehem, treated as a threat. That should worry all of us, because it means the people living through this are being kept from telling us about it," Laila Mokhiber, a volunteer with Orthodox Christians for Palestine (OCP), told Middle East Eye on Thursday.

Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant leaders are set to gather at the United Methodist Building near the US Capitol on Monday to demand that Congress hold accountable both settlers and the Israeli military, and also curb US weapons transfers to Israel. 

"Pressure in Congress is building. In September, 46 Democratic senators and Republican Rand Paul voted for Senator Chris Van Hollen’s measure demanding a State Department report on Israeli abuses in the West Bank, including the killings of nine Americans there since 2022," OCP, which is one of the organisers, said in a press release. 

The gathering also comes two weeks after Democrats won a landslide victory in the US midterm elections, taking both chambers of Congress and a slew of state legislatures, vowing to condition aid to Israel and stop taking campaign funds from the pro-Israel lobbying group, the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee.  

Honey Thaljieh, Father Issa's sister, is now set to speak on his behalf, given her US visa was approved, MEE was told on Thursday.

“My brother could not enter America to tell you what is happening in Bethlehem. But you cannot deny a visa to a truth. You cannot silence a people by keeping one priest outside the room," Thaljieh said in the press release.

"I will stand in Washington, DC, not only as his sister, but as a daughter of Bethlehem, carrying the voices of families determined to remain on the land where their roots run deeper than walls, checkpoints, and politics. We are not asking for pity. We are asking for justice, dignity, and the right to stay in our homes."

Monday's event will feature prominent speakers Reverend Mitri Raheb, the Palestinian Lutheran pastor and founder of Dar al-Kalima University, and Mother Agapia, the Greek Orthodox nun whose appearance on Tucker Carlson's podcast last year marked a turning point in the narrative on Palestine-Israel for the American right. 

The event will also include a reading of names from the Gaza Children's Shroud, a 120-yard cloth bearing the handwritten names of more than 20,000 children killed by Israel in Gaza in its military assault on the enclave. Over 74,500 have been killed in total. 

The shroud can be viewed at multiple venues in the greater capital region, including at the Islamic Center of Maryland on 15 November, when Janazat-ul-Ghaib, or funeral prayer for the absent, will be carried out in congregation for the more than 22,000 children killed by Israel, in what the United Nations and Holocaust scholars have deemed a genocide.

Christian Zionism

Munther Isaac, the outspoken leader of the Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem, was also denied a US visa for a Christian convention that took place in Atlanta, Georgia, last week.

The US State Department does not typically provide reasons for visa denials, nor is it obligated to do so. But Isaac had visited the US several times before, including in September 2025, some eight months into the Trump administration's tenure. 

The Church at the Crossroads conference, Isaac said in a press release from his organisation, the Bethlehem Institute for Peace and Justice (BIPJ), "is an invitation to American evangelicals to meet Palestinian Christians, and to reckon with the ways their theology harms Palestinians on the ground".

BIPJ is a Palestinian Christian-led ministry that is affiliated with Bethlehem Bible College, a leading evangelical seminary in the Arab world. 

More than 500 people attended Church at the Crossroads this year, similar to last year's inaugural event. 

“The way of empire claims that God is on our side, as if [they] alone have exclusive access and rights to God,” Isaac told the crowd then.

“Do you know what the biggest problem with Christian Zionism is? You cannot find Jesus in it.”

The Trump administration's current US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, is an avowed Christian Zionist, as are many of the backers of The Heritage Foundation - a conservative think tank whose Project 2025 and Project Esther playbooks lay out the necessity of cracking down on criticism of Israel.

They have come to define Trump's policy agenda. 

But the majority of voters in the US now see things differently, and Church at the Crossroads has sought to capitalise on the momentum.

"Mirroring the discontent demonstrated in the midterm elections, many American evangelicals are no longer satisfied with the answers provided by faith leaders whose stances only take into account a prevailing one-sided narrative," the BIPJ press release said.

"Instead, many are asking fraught questions about Israel, Palestine, and their relationship to these places as Christians, and shifting sentiment among younger believers continues to reshape the conversation."

Vatican theologians advance sainthood cause of Wisconsin missionary priest

Vatican theologians unanimously voted in favor of advancing the canonization cause of Servant of God Joseph Walijewski, a priest from the Diocese of La Crosse, Wisconsin, who served as a missionary in Latin America.

The nine members of the Theological Congress of the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Causes of Saints examined the “positio” for Walijewski, which is the formal document about his life that shows evidence of heroic virtue, a reputation for holiness, and his intercessory power.

In a unanimous vote, the theologians voted in favor of affirming the merits of his cause. The positio will be reviewed by the cardinals and bishops at the dicastery, who will determine whether to recommend his cause favorably to the pope. If they do, it would be up to Pope Leo XIV to decide whether to beatify him and grant him the title “venerable.”

“This marks a significant milestone and an important step forward in the advancement of his cause,” Diocese of La Crosse Bishop Gerard W. Battersby said in an announcement. “... While additional steps remain, the favorable vote of the Theological Congress represents a noteworthy affirmation and source of encouragement.”

Walijewski was born in 1924 to poor Polish immigrants in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and planned to eventually become a priest while he was selling newspapers as a child. He promised God he would serve in Latin America if he were ordained a priest.

According to the Father Joseph Walijewski Legacy Guild, the servant of God began missionary work in Bolivia, where he built a parish in a jungle along with a rectory and a school. The location is now part of the urban center of Santa Cruz. He later served as a missionary in Peru, where he served the poor and operated an orphanage.

Battersby said the diocese received this news on Nov. 6, on the same day they celebrated the legacy of Walijewski and the work of Casa Hogar Juan Pablo II, a home for youth in Peru. The bishop expressed gratitude for the “dedicated work of the theological experts, the dedication of those who have promoted the Cause, and the many faithful whose prayers continue to accompany this journey.”

“We give thanks to God, whose grace was evident in Father Joe’s priestly ministry and continues to bear fruit today through the lives he touched and the mission he inspired,” the bishop added. “I invite the faithful to continue praying for the successful advancement of the Cause according to God’s holy will.”

Pope Leo XIV Appoints Kenyan Augustinian Priest as Coadjutor Bishop of Kenya’s Kisii Diocese

Pope Leo XIV has appointed Fr. Joseph Onyango Oduor, a Kenyan-born member of the Order of St. Augustine (OSA/Augustinians), as Coadjutor Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Kisii, with the right to succeed Bishop Joseph Mairura Okemwa.

The appointment of the 49-year-old Priest, who has been serving as Parish Priest of St. Monica Nyamsaria Parish of Kenya’s Catholic Archdiocese of Kisumu, was officially announced by the Holy See Press Office on Friday, November 13.

The appointment follows Bishop Mairura’s request for assistance in his Episcopal Ministry, which he disclosed in a Tuesday, November 10 message inviting clergy, women and men Religious, and lay representatives to welcome the new Coadjutor Bishop at St. Charles Lwanga Cathedral.

“I asked for a helper in the Episcopate work in the Diocese of which my request has been answered,” Bishop Mairura wrote.

A Coadjutor Bishop assists the Diocesan Bishop in governing the Diocese and has the right of succession. Under Church law, he becomes the Diocesan Bishop when the see falls vacant, provided he has legitimately taken possession of his office (Canon 403 §3 and Canon 409 §1).

In his message, Bishop Mairura announced a gathering beginning with Holy Mass at 11 a.m. on November 13, with the official announcement and introduction of the coadjutor scheduled for 2 p.m. East African Time (noon Rome time).

He asked Priests to cancel burials and other activities scheduled for the day so that they could gather at the Cathedral.

“We will all assemble at the Cathedral to welcome the Coadjutor Bishop of Our Diocese,” the 72-year-old Kenyan Catholic Bishop said in his two-page circular.

The Catholic Bishop of Kisii Diocese since his Episcopal Consecration in July 1995 expressed gratitude to Pope Leo XIV, writing, “We as a Diocese are grateful to the Holy Father and we assure Him of our Prayers.”

Born on 2 May 1977, Bishop-elect Oduor entered the Order of St. Augustine in Kenya in 1998.

According to the Vatican biography, he studied philosophy at the Consolata Institute of Philosophy and theology at Tangaza University (TU) in Nairobi. His formation also included a novitiate in Jos, Nigeria.

He obtained a Licentiate in Philosophy from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) in Nairobi.

He made his Perpetual Profession on 16 October 2005 and was ordained a Priest on 4 November 2006.

Following his ordination, he served as Parochial Vicar of Sacred Heart Parish in Baba Dogo Parish of Nairobi Catholic Archdiocese, from 2006 to 2009, before becoming its Parish Priest, a responsibility he held until 2011.

From 2012 to 2019, he served as Prior and Formator at the Augustinians’ International House of Formation, known as the Theologicum, in Nairobi.

Bishop-elect Oduor has been a Councillor of the Augustinian Vicariate in Kenya since 2015 and Parish Priest of St. Monica in Nyamsaria since 2020.

He also served as Dean of Kisumu Deanery from 2021 to 2024 and has been a member of the Archdiocese of Kisumu’s College of Consultors since 2024.

Local priest says there is still anxiety around electric vehicles

Recent figures from the Society of the Irish Motor Industry show EV registrations have grown this year.

A local priest says there is still anxiety around electric vehicles. 

Recent figures from the Society of the Irish Motor Industry show EV registrations have grown this year. 

The number of registrations more than doubled in Roscommon and Longford since last year, with 437 new electric vehicles registered across the two counties between January and October.

Fr James McKiernan, a priest in Longford, is one of those with an electric vehicle. He says charging his car can still be a challenge, but he has learned to adapt.

Sentence increased for ex-priest who raped, abused his sisters

A former priest who raped and sexually assaulted his sisters while he was a seminarian has had his sentence increased by six years.

Richard Brennan was jailed for eight years in July last year after pleading guilty to raping and indecently assaulting two of his sisters when they were children and indecently assaulting a third sister.

Paula Fay said afterwards that she and her sisters Catherine Wrightstone and Yvonne Crist were extremely disappointed with the original sentence, and the DPP had appealed it on the grounds of undue leniency.

Brennan pleaded guilty to 24 counts against the three sisters during his trial after each of the women had given evidence and two of them had been cross examined.

He was aged between 16 and 24 at the time of the offences.

Ms Fay was aged between 15 and 17. Ms Wrightstone was between nine and 13 while Ms Crist was assaulted when she was 18 and Brennan was 20.

The abuse was committed in the family home in Rathfarnham in Dublin.

Brennan, who is now 65, was ordained a priest in 1989 and moved to the US. He later married and had a family.

During the trial, the court heard that he told Ms Fay, when she was 14 or 15 years old, that she would be doing him a favour by having sex with him as he would not be able to have sex with any girl when he became a priest.

Mr Justice David Keane sentenced him to nine years with the final 12 months suspended.

Giving the Appeal Court’s ruling, Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy said Brennan’s offending was of an "extremely grave nature".

She said it involved multiple aggravating factors including repeated rape, exploitation of vulnerable children, a profound breach of familial trust and devastating consequences for each victim.

She said the impact on all three sisters was "severe and long lasting".

Ms Justice Kennedy held that the discount for mitigation to the global headline sentence was "excessive in all circumstances" and the suspension of one year was "unjustified".

She said too much weight was given to mitigating factors including a very late plea of guilty, followed by a letter of remorse.

She said, overall, the sentence imposed failed to reflect the gravity of the offending.

The sentencing hearing had been told that Brennan grew up in a somewhat chaotic and violent family home.

His defence counsel John Byrne said Brennan had been naturalised into deviant sexual behaviour by his older brother Bernard.

Bernard Brennan was jailed earlier in 2025, for four and a half years for 11 counts of indecently assaulting Ms Fay and Ms Crist between 1972 and 1975 beginning when they were aged seven and 13.

In a statement outside court, Ms Fay said she welcomed the Court of Appeal's decision to substantially increase the sentence. She described it as a "profound moment of justice and vindication".

Ms Fay said historical sexual abuse left deep scars. She said the original sentence felt like a second injustice and failed to reflect the devastating lifelong impact of the abuse inflicted on her. But she said, the Court of Appeal had put that right.

Ms Fay said the court had sent an unequivocal message - that a late plea of guilty did not erase a campaign of abuse and did not diminish the trauma inflicted on victims who had to endure the gruelling process of giving evidence and cross examination.

She said she felt an overwhelming sense of relief that the gravity of the case had finally been recognised.

Her sister Catherine Wrightstone said justice had been served. Ms Wrightstone said she had spoken out aged 12 and had not been believed. And she said it meant a great deal to finally hear that acknowledged.

Ms Wrightstone paid tribute in her statement to Lavinia Kerwick, who spoke out in 1992 after the man who raped her was allowed to walk free from court and eventually received a suspended sentence. Her case led to the start of a process to allow victim impact statements to be heard in court and to a change in the law to allow the DPP to appeal the leniency of sentences.

She also paid tribute to other women who were raped and waived their anonymity to speak publicly. She said these women, including Hazel Behan, Paula Doyle, Sarah Grace, Bláthnaid Raleigh, Ciara Mangan and NGOs such as the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre had been fighting for years to reform laws for survivors. But she said little progress seemed to have occurred.

Ms Wrightstone said she had written to the Minister for Justice in April, outlining eight specific changes she would like to see happen to improve matters for survivors. But she said while her email had been acknowledged she had not received a substantive response and had not been granted a meeting.

She said she and her sisters had not waived their anonymity for sympathy but so change could occur. And she said she wished those in positions of power would actually listen to survivors and take action towards meaningful change.

She urged other survivors to reach out to organisations such as the Rape Crisis Centre as she said there were "gentle hands and open hearts who will believe you and help you heal".

APOSTOLIC JOURNEY OF HIS HOLINESS POPE LEO XIV TO URUGUAY, ARGENTINA AND PERU

GREETING OF THE HOLY FATHER LEO XIV FROM THE BALCONY OF THE APOSTOLIC NUNCIATURE

Lima Friday, 13 November 2026

__________________

Good morning, good morning, good morning.

A brief greeting before leaving for the next stop on this apostolic journey.  Sorry, I am speaking in Italian; here at home we speak Italian.

Good morning.  Well, on this beautiful day, we are now ready to travel to the next stop on this visit.  I am now heading to Chiclayo.  And we want to continue in that same spirit of joy.  I give thanks to the Lord for so many blessings — for faith, for life, and for respect for the human dignity of each person.  May we live out this unity, just as we are living it here in Lima these days.

May the Lord bless all of you; may his presence in you — in your hearts and in your families — always be alive and fill you with hope, and may we continue to work together every day.

May the Lord be with you.  May the blessing of almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, come down upon you.

Have a very good day, thank you very much.

APOSTOLIC JOURNEY OF HIS HOLINESS POPE LEO XIV TO URUGUAY, ARGENTINA AND PERU

ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS POPE LEO XI

National Stadium of Peru (Lima)

Thursday, 12 November 2026

___________________________________

Good evening, Lima! Callao! Carabayllo!  Those from Lurín and Chosica are here too!  Good evening, everyone.  Someone told me that Peru needs a sign of hope; well, here today at the National Stadium, you are that sign of hope.

It is a joy for me to be here with you. Thank you for such a warm welcome. I am grateful for the words of Cardinal Castillo and for the questions which the young people put to me, as well as for the sincerity with which Joao, Emily and Sister Luzbinda have opened their hearts to us. What they have shared gives me an opportunity to reflect with you on a scene from the Gospel of Saint John.

One day, John the Baptist was with two of his disciples when he saw Jesus passing by. Pointing him out, he said: “Behold the Lamb of God!” (Jn 1:36). When they heard this, the two began to follow him. The Lord, realizing that they were following him, looked at them and asked: “What are you looking for?” (v. 38). What a beautiful question! These are the first words spoken by Jesus in this Gospel. I would like each of you to hear that question as though Jesus were asking you today: What are you looking for? What do you hope to find? What do you hope for in life?

Do not be in a hurry to answer. Some questions accompany us for a long time. Think about what fills you with enthusiasm, about the people you love and the dreams you would be willing to fight to achieve. Think, also, about the concerns that sometimes keep you awake at night and the things you would like to change. Jesus is interested in all these matters because he is interested in you.

There is a word that can help us understand this search: passion. We use it to speak of what we love deeply, what awakens our enthusiasm and moves us to give the best of ourselves. But the word also reminds us of suffering, of experiences that seem to extinguish our desire to keep going. Some young people feel lonely, even when they are surrounded by others. Others carry the pain of a loss or uncertainty about their future. At times, we ask ourselves why God allows certain things to happen, or why he seems silent when we need him most.

Let us remember, then, how John the Baptist introduced Jesus: “Behold the Lamb of God!” At the time, those disciples could not yet understand what that name meant. Later, in the light of the Lord’s Passion, they would discover its meaning: he gave his life on the cross. Jesus, too, knew the anguish and darkness of suffering. From the cross he cried out: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mk 15:34). In the midst of that suffering, Christ continued to love. He did not desire the cross; he desired our salvation. Out of love for us, he accepted it and bore it to the end. Thus, through his self-giving, that instrument of death became the place where his passionate love was revealed, a love capable of conquering death.

Dear young people, when you suffer, turn to Jesus. Do not be afraid to speak to him honestly, even when you struggle to find words for prayer. He knows our tears and the questions to which we do not yet know the answers. Seek, too, the company of those who love you: some sorrows need time and a helping hand. Faith sustains us along this path and reminds us that suffering never has the final word. Be passionate about everything that is worthwhile, about what is true, good and beautiful! Develop your talents, discover the richness of your culture and dare to undertake magnanimous projects. Pope Francis used to remind us that this “restlessness” can spur us to take our lives into our own hands and assume responsibility for a mission (cf. Christus Vivit, 138). Do not settle for living according to what others expect of you. God has created you for the purpose of accomplishing something that no one else can do in quite the same way.

Let us return now to the two disciples. In response to Jesus’ question, they said: “Rabbi, where are you staying?” And he replied: “Come and see” (Jn 1:38-39). What a simple answer! Those men wanted to meet Jesus and share something of his life. The Lord did not explain in advance everything that lay ahead of them. To begin with, it was enough to accept his invitation. This is how a vocation begins, the second word I would like to share with you. We all ask ourselves what to do with our lives and to whom we should give the best of ourselves. There are answers we discover only when we dare to walk with Jesus. Saint Paul reminds us that God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world (cf. Eph 1:4). Before we even existed, we were already loved by him!

At times, we wonder whether following God’s will means giving up our dreams. This fear can give rise to an even more dangerous suspicion: thinking that God is depriving us of something and that, in order to enjoy life fully, we also need to experience sin (cf. Gen 3:5). Dear friends, I would like you to engrave in your hearts the words of Pope Benedict XVI: “evil is always poisonous” (Homily, 8 December 2005). Do not be deceived. How could something that harms us make us happy? God knows our deepest desires, even better than we know them ourselves. He has placed within us the desire to love and to be happy, and he wants to bring that desire to fulfillment.

As happened with the first disciples, it all begins with a simple invitation: from a friend, an experience of service or an encounter with someone whose life makes us ask what truly matters. The stories we have heard this evening began with an invitation, too. Learning to recognize the Lord’s voice is essential. So, dear young people, set aside moments of silence before the Blessed Sacrament to encounter him. Speak to him about your plans and allow his word to question you. Do not be afraid to ask him what he expects of you. He will call some to the priesthood or the consecrated life, others to marriage and to forming a family. All are called to put their abilities at the service of others.

Perhaps some of you think that you have made too many mistakes or that it is too late to begin anew. I would like to say to you: Look to Jesus. He knows your story and continues to invite you to walk with him. You do not need to have your entire future worked out before you answer him. Take the step you can take today. Trust in his love and allow him to accompany you. Often, the Lord shows us the way as we travel along it.

The Gospel continues with a beautiful detail: those disciples “remained with him that day” (Jn 1:39). Saint John even remembers the time: it was about four o’clock in the afternoon. The passing years could not erase the mark left by that encounter. They stayed with Jesus. This was how a relationship began, one that would grow as they journeyed together. So now we come to the third word I would like to entrust to you: friendship. Our vocation, too, grows when we learn to remain close to the Lord, to listen to him and to share our joys and worries with him. In time, those disciples would discover the full extent of his love. During the Last Supper, Jesus would say to them: “I have called you friends” (Jn 15:15). That same night he would speak words that would be fulfilled on the afternoon of Good Friday: “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (v. 13).

This is the Friend who calls you! Cultivate that friendship through prayer, the Eucharist and listening to his word. The more we learn to love Jesus, the more capable we become of loving as he does. Our friendship with Christ also gives rise to a more authentic friendship with others, one that sincerely seeks their good, knows how to forgive and remains faithful, especially in times of difficulty. How beautiful it is to find friends who help us grow and draw us closer to God.

The Church is born and lives from this friendship with Christ. In her we find brothers and sisters who help us keep going. We all need someone who will listen to us, encourage us when our strength fails or simply remain at our side. So do not think that you must always appear strong, especially if you lead groups or accompany others. Allow yourselves to be cared for. Remember that Jesus, too, in Gethsemane, wanted his friends close to him in the hour of anguish (cf. Mt 26:38). Do not be afraid to share your sorrows with your friends and seek the support you need.

There is one final detail from the Gospel that I would like to mention. After that encounter, Andrew went to find his brother Simon and told him: “We have found the Messiah” (Jn 1:41), and he brought him to meet Jesus. Do the same! Think especially of those who are going through difficult times. A gesture of friendship can change the course of a life. Do not be afraid to speak about Jesus and to show through your lives how good this friendship between you and him is for you.

Dear young people, listen to Jesus’ invitation and dare to follow him. Today I would like to repeat to you that the Lord “takes nothing away, and he gives you everything” (Benedict XVI, Homily, 24 April 2005). Trust in Christ! Trust him as you would a true friend, one who knows you, loves you and never abandons you. That trust will deepen your friendship with him each day. Therefore, let us ask the Lord, through the intercession of the Virgin Mary and the Saints of Peru, to increase our trust in him day by day, to help us live our vocation with passion and to remain always in his friendship. Let us say together a simple prayer that will help us trust Jesus more and more each day. I invite you to repeat after me:

Jesus, I trust in you.
Jesus, I trust in you.
Jesus, I trust in you.
Come, Lord Jesus.
Come into my heart,
come into my family,
come into my community.
Come into my life soon.
Come quickly, Lord!

Two Colombian religious figures, a gay bar, alcohol and a rape allegation filed 15 months later

Two religious figures of Colombian origin, a night out at a gay bar in Barcelona, alcohol consumption and a rape allegation filed 15 months after the alleged incident.

These are the main elements of a case that has caused considerable concern within the Diocese of Urgell and resulted in the precautionary suspension of a 54-year-old priest, accused of sexual assault by a 26-year-old former seminarian.

The complaint, filed with the Mossos d'Esquadra, Catalonia's regional police, on October 26, 2026, alleges that the sexual assault occurred during the early hours of July 17, 2025, in a private apartment in Barcelona.

According to the complainant's account, the two men had gone out for drinks before spending the night in the same apartment. 

The former seminarian alleges that the priest restrained him and penetrated him without consent, taking advantage of a vulnerable condition that he associates with alcohol consumption.

The investigation remains ongoing, and no court ruling has established that the alleged events occurred or determined any criminal responsibility.

A night in Barcelona that would lead to a rape complaint

The relationship between the two religious figures began several months before the alleged assault.

The former seminarian, a Colombian national, arrived in Spain in 2024 to continue his religious training at a seminary in Toledo.

After leaving that institution, he came into contact with the 54-year-old priest associated with the Diocese of Urgell, who offered him accommodation and assistance in finding another institution where he could continue his studies.

On July 15, 2025, the young man arrived in Catalonia. The following day, he accompanied the priest to Barcelona, where the clergyman reportedly had administrative matters to attend to.

According to details of the complaint reported by the newspaper ARA, the two decided to go out that evening and visited The Moon, a gay bar located on Carrer de Villarroel in Barcelona.

After spending some time at the establishment, they returned to the apartment where they were staying and continued drinking beer together by mutual agreement.

The complainant claims he was not accustomed to consuming that amount of alcohol and that his physical condition left him particularly vulnerable.

According to his statement, the two shared a bed because no other bed was available in the apartment. He alleges that the sexual assault took place during the early hours of the morning.

A relationship marked by dependency and allegations of pressure

Following that night, the relationship between the priest and the former seminarian reportedly continued for several months.

The complainant claims he was partially dependent on the priest for accommodation, the continuation of his religious studies and assistance with renewing his Spanish residence permit.

In this context, he accuses the priest of threats, coercion and controlling behaviour, including telephone calls and messages intended to monitor his movements.

He also alleges that the priest warned him that he had influential contacts who could cause him problems if he disclosed what had allegedly happened.

In January 2026, the then-seminarian requested a transfer to another parish, citing difficulties in their relationship and pressure from the priest.

However, he did not report the alleged sexual assault in that initial complaint. According to his account, he did not directly disclose the allegation to the Bishop of Urgell until several months later.

Sources raise the possibility of a financial motive, without supporting evidence

Separate from the allegations contained in the police complaint, sources close to the case have also raised the possibility that an attempted financial blackmail scheme may have played a role in the conflict.

However, no substantiated evidence or judicial finding has been presented to support this hypothesis.

Consequently, it cannot be established that the complainant attempted to obtain money from the priest or that any form of extortion occurred.

It will be for the competent authorities to determine whether there are grounds to investigate any additional alleged conduct beyond the facts reported to the Mossos d'Esquadra.

Fifteen months between the alleged assault and the police complaint

One of the notable aspects of the case is the period between the alleged incident and the formal filing of the police complaint.

The alleged sexual assault reportedly occurred on July 17, 2025, while the complaint was not filed with the Mossos d'Esquadra until October 26, 2026.

During that period, according to the former seminarian's account, several episodes of tension with the priest took place, alongside contacts with religious authorities.

On August 31, 2026, the complainant says he met with the Bishop of Urgell, Josep-Lluís Serrano i Pentinat, to explain his allegations.

Subsequently, on October 5, he sent a formal registered legal notice to the diocesan office responsible for receiving reports of sexual abuse.

The Diocese of Urgell maintains that on October 17, after receiving information identifying the accused priest, it opened the corresponding canonical investigation and offered support to the complainant.

Meanwhile, crime experts consulted by La Veu Lliure have suggested that the time elapsed between the alleged incident and the police complaint could be compatible with a possible unsuccessful attempt at financial blackmail.

However, this remains an unverified hypothesis, and the delay in filing a complaint does not, by itself, provide evidence of extortion.

Delayed reporting of alleged sexual assault can occur for a variety of personal, psychological or dependency-related reasons, which must be assessed in light of the specific evidence in each case.

Serrano Pentinat had been sworn in as Co-Prince just 21 days earlier

The timeline also places the alleged events within the first weeks of Josep-Lluís Serrano i Pentinat's term as Episcopal Co-Prince of Andorra.

The bishop had sworn an oath to uphold the Principality's Constitution on June 26, 2025, during a solemn ceremony at the Consell General, Andorra's parliament.

Just 21 days later, according to the complaint, the alleged rape took place in Barcelona.

However, this chronological coincidence does not imply that the Co-Prince was aware of the alleged events at the time.

According to the complainant's account, the first personal disclosure of the alleged sexual assault to the bishop did not take place until late August 2026, more than a year later.

Diocese removes priest from duties and opens investigation

On Monday, November 9, the Diocese of Urgell confirmed that it had held an in-person meeting with the former seminarian to hear his account of the alleged events.

The meeting was attended by Father David Codina, who is responsible for the canonical investigation, and provided an opportunity to formally hear the complainant's testimony.

Following the meeting, the diocese announced that the priest had been removed from his pastoral responsibilities and prohibited from publicly exercising his priestly ministry while the investigation continues.

These measures are precautionary and do not constitute a finding of guilt.

The accused priest had served for approximately fifteen years as parish priest in several towns in La Noguera, a region of Catalonia, and was well known within the diocese.

Depending on the findings and the applicable provisions of canon law, the ecclesiastical investigation could result in disciplinary measures ranging from suspension of ministry to dismissal from the clerical state.

A case involving two investigative processes and unanswered questions

The ecclesiastical investigation and any proceedings conducted by the ordinary criminal justice system are independent.

Internal Church disciplinary measures do not replace any criminal responsibility that may ultimately be established by the competent courts.

The alleged sexual assault, accusations of coercion, the timeline of communications with the Diocese of Urgell and any other hypotheses surrounding the dispute must be examined on the basis of evidence, statements and witness testimony.

At present, the confirmed procedural developments include the filing of a police complaint, the opening of a canonical investigation and the precautionary removal of the accused priest from his duties.

Neither the alleged rape nor the possibility of financial extortion has been established by a court.

The accused priest retains the presumption of innocence, and any allegation of additional criminal conduct likewise requires supporting evidence and investigation by the competent authorities.

Pope must recognise ‘systemic’ causes of abuse, says German bishop

‘We owe it to these people that we don’t sugarcoat or relativise anything and don’t obscure any uncomfortable insight,’ said Bishop Georg Bätzing. ‘This must be the measure of our church – in Germany, in Rome and everywhere in the world.’

Bishop Georg Bätzing of Limburg challenged Pope Leo to recognise the “systemic” causes of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.

Those who want to prevent abuse must not only call perpetrators to account but must change structures that have allowed crimes and cover-ups, said Bätzing, the former president of the German Bishops’ Conference (DBK).

During his flight back to Rome after his apostolic journey to France in September, the Pope told reporters that while there were specific organisations within the Church that had abused the system, “abuse [is] primarily a human problem”.

Writing on Limburg’s diocesan website last week, Bätzing called Leo’s comments – prompted by reports from his meeting with abuse survivors in Lourdes – “highly problematic”.

Abuse happens outside the Church too but what matters is to recognise the particular conditions within the Church that favour such crimes, said Bätzing, specifically “clericalism, asymmetric power structures, the sacral exaltation of priestly authority and a culture that has placed the reputation of the Church above the protection of those affected”.

He said that while Pope Leo had named the Church’s responsibility and the damage done to faith by abuse, it remained open whether Church structures as such were recognised as causes.

“We owe it to these people that we don’t sugarcoat or relativise anything and don’t obscure any uncomfortable insight,” he continued, insisting that those who want to prevent abuse effectively must be prepared to change more than the behaviour of individuals.

“This must be the measure of our Church – in Germany, in Rome and everywhere in the world,” said Bätzing, calling for transparency, accountability and control at all levels of ecclesial responsibility.

In Bonn last weekend, at the annual conference of the reform movement “We Are Church” – which this month marks 30 years since its foundation – its vice-president Claudia Lücking-Michel said that Pope Leo had played down the subject of abuse by speaking of “individual cases”.

She said reforms in the Church had ground to a halt after Rome’s silence in response to advances from Germany, particularly regarding the statutes of the synodal conference, though she suggested the dialogue about reforms may be taken forward under a different name.

Without a synodal body, this would depend on the joint conference of the DBK and the Central Committee of German Lay Catholics (ZDK), Lücking-Michel said. 

Founded in 1976, the conference of 10 bishops and 10 ZDK members held its hundredth meeting in Bonn on 5 November. Its focus is not exclusively on “intra-church matters” but on social and political issues.

“Currently I am very worried about the escalation of violence among young people. What is it that holds our society together? Where can we connect with those who feel left behind?” said the DBK president Bishop Heiner Wilmer of Münster.

Bishop Wilmer and the ZDK President Irme-Stetter-Karp also expressed hope that Rome would soon respond regarding the synodal conference.

The Joint Conference had played an important part in the development of this “long-term project”, Wilmer said: “We want a Church where we can further develop the commonality that has been practised and appreciated in recent years in a synodal conference.”

New developments in the investigation into the murder of Quelimane Bishop Osório Citora Afonso

New details have emerged in the investigation into the murder the Bishop of Quelimane Osório Citora Afonso, IMC, who was killed last June at the diocesan episcopal residence. 

The National Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC) has arrested a former member of the Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM) in Zambézia Province. 

He was dismissed from the force in 2015 and is suspected of involvement in the murder.

According to information released by the authorities, the man, who had served with the Border Guard in Massingir, in the southern province of Gaza, is believed to have fled to Zambia after the bishop’s murder. 

Investigators have also reportedly uncovered links between the suspect and one of the alleged masterminds behind the killing. 

In particular, they are said to have traced several money transfers made to the former police officer by a Catholic priest, who has also been arrested in connection with the investigation.

Following his first judicial interrogation, the suspect was remanded in custody. Other individuals suspected of involvement in the murder remain at large.

The case continues to cause dismay and deep concern throughout society and the ecclesial community. 

The investigation raises questions not only about individual responsibility, which must be established through the judicial process, but also about the protection of human life and public trust in civil and religious institutions.

The killing of a bishop inside his own episcopal residence is a wound for the local Church. 

It underscores the need to establish the full truth about the crime and bring all those responsible to justice. 

At the same time, the Church is called to renew its Gospel witness and remain a point of reference for the entire population.

French bishops defend Catholic schools amid education unrest

France’s bishops used their Nov. 3-5 plenary assembly in Lourdes to confront the country’s deepening education crisis, as strikes, school blockades and political battles over funding have pushed the issue to the forefront of public debate.

Church leaders said concerns about young people’s anxiety and uncertainty prompted a major Catholic education initiative launched in 2025 and continuing through 2028. 

“We knew that the younger generations were uncertain and anxious,” Bishop Benoît Bertrand of Pontoise, one of two vice presidents of the bishops’ conference, emphasized during a press briefing in Lourdes. “But when we launched this initiative a year ago, we did not expect this issue to become so urgent or to take on the scale we are seeing today.”

The 80 diocesan directors of Catholic education were present in Lourdes along with the bishop conference’s secretary general of Catholic education, layman Guillaume Prévost, who was appointed in 2025.

Catholic schools in France educate over 2 million students in over 7,200 schools, about 17% of the nation’s total student population.

Lawmakers fail to end government funding for teachers in Catholic schools

The assembly came days after French lawmakers debated a proposal to end government funding for teachers in Catholic schools. The measure was ultimately rejected, averting what Catholic education leaders warned could have triggered widespread school closures and added pressure to an already strained public system.

“We want relationships based on mutual respect among all those involved in education,” said Prévost, secretary general of Catholic education. “We believe that the Catholic education system is an asset for the entire country, but we try as much as possible to reach out to everyone, including those who criticize it.”

Bishop Matthieu Rougé of Nanterre, president of the bishops’ Council for Catholic Education, called for attention to the “search for meaning” expressed by the protests in high schools that rocked France in recent weeks. 

“Our country is going through turbulent times, and we are clearly dealing with a deeply wounded society,” he said. “There is a great thirst for meaning among our contemporaries, young and old alike, for whom, at times, the inability to find it leads to violent protests.” 

Standing in ‘full solidarity’ with teachers “voicing their difficulties” 

“We stand in full solidarity with the teachers who are voicing their difficulties today,” Prévost added. “We must take care of the adults who take care of the children.”

For Prévost, one of the reasons for the crisis in education is “the rise in tensions between school staff and families.” 

“In this regard, Catholic education is facing fewer difficulties than public education,” he noted. “There is a strong tradition and culture of supporting children in Catholic schools that relies on collaboration with families. That is one of their strengths.”

But Prévost also highlighted the fragility of families themselves. “It is no coincidence that schools are struggling,” he said. “The family is the institution that has been most disrupted in recent times. Inevitably, the weakening of families due to conflicts has repercussions at school. And this is not just about single-parent families, disadvantaged families, or families with an immigrant background. A majority of children today experience their parents’ separation. We cannot continue to pretend that this is not the case.”

Beyond education, the bishops addressed the upcoming presidential election, scheduled spring of 2027, which is expected to be highly tense and polarized. 

The latest polls suggested that the second round would pit Marine Le Pen’s far-right party, the Rassemblement National, against Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s far-left party, France Insoumise. 

Mélenchon clearly implied that if Marine Le Pen wins — as all polls predict for now — riots could destabilize the country.

Analysis of the outlook for presidential election

In Lourdes on Nov. 5, the bishops heard Jérôme Fourquet‘s analysis of the outlook for the presidential election. 

As director of the opinions and strategies’ department at the prestigious French Institute of Public Opinion, or IFOP, he pointed out that the violent strikes of recent weeks reflect “a culture of rioting” that has become “structural,” involving a “total disregard for the rules” in which anger is expressed impulsively and without restraint, against the backdrop of a weakening of state institutions.

In this context, the bishops hope to offer “guidance on discernment” in the coming months. 

“Our goal is to ensure that votes are not cast solely on impulse or emotion,” Archbishop Vincent Jordy of Tours, also vice president of the bishops’ conference, explained. 

“We want to contribute to the electoral debate with constructive proposals, rather than stoking the feelings of fear and anger that currently prevail,” said Bishop Bruno Valentin of Carcassonne and Narbonne and a member of the bishops’ working group on the presidential election. “It is about using words to build, not to fuel a climate of civil war.”

Kerry community raises over €12k to help repair century-old church - but more is still needed

An online fundraiser to help cover the cost of repairs to St Brendan’s in Cloghane in West Kerry has raised, at the time of writing, €12,770 of its €60k target.

The money raised will go towards covering the cost of repairs to the historic 126-year-old building building after sections of it were damaged in a roof collapse in June of this year.

The collapse was caused, the fundraising page says, due to “natural wear and tear and inclement weather conditions” and as a result, the roof of the church’s meeting room, toilets, hallway and store collapsed.

The collapse further damaged the main church’s heating system and parts of its electrical supply, affecting both the interior and exterior lighting. 

It also caused extensive damage to the adjoining sacristy, including its floor, electrics, heating system and fitted cabinetry, all of which now require replacement.

Organisers of the fundraiser added that, unfortunately, the insurance compensation does not cover the full cost of the repair works and that the Castlegregory parish are now in “dire and immediate need of voluntary contributions” to complete the required works and to restore this archaeological building to a comfortable state again.

The estimated additional cost to do this work and to have a new special needs toilet constructed is about €60k.

“The church is a unique archaeological building. It has served our community, and more, with pride over the years. Many generations of this community and visitors alike who have used our Church have happy and fond memories of St Brendan’s.

“We are seeking your assistance and generosity (wherever in the world you are) to help us achieve the above goal,” read the post on the fundraising page.

To donate to the fundraising page, click here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/st-brendans-church-cloghane-repair-fund-jmbg5

Cloyne parishioners accept 'inevitable' diocesan merger

Sunday morning Mass-goers at St Colman’s Cathedral in Cobh did not appear overly concerned at the prospect of the Cloyne diocese eventually merging with one of its neighbours.

News emerged last week that Cloyne is to be amalgamated with a neighbouring diocese under a single bishop in the coming years.

One parishioner, Ted Murphy, told The Echo that the ongoing decline in vocations to the priesthood made it “inevitable” that the Catholic Church would continue to downsize.

“With the scarcity of priests to fill the posts in the parishes, you can expect to see more of this,” he said.

Last month, a consultation document was circulated privately by the seven bishops in the Cashel Province — which corresponds with the Munster counties. 

The document presented multiple merger options for the seven dioceses, and four of those proposals related to Cloyne, variously merging it with Cork and Ross, Waterford and Lismore, Kerry, or Limerick.

Such a merger is made more likely for Cloyne as its current bishop, William Crean, will reach the Church’s mandatory retirement age of 75 in December. 

Cloyne, which covers much of the northern half of Co Cork, has a Catholic population of more than 150,000.

It is understood that many of Cloyne’s clergy would favour an amalgamation with Cork and Ross, which covers the rest of Co Cork and has a Catholic population of approximately 224,000.

Mass-goers at St Colman’s Cathedral were philosophical about the future.

Mary Foley, said she would still go to Mass, and the prospect of amalgamation “doesn’t bother me”.

Another, Peter Kenny, said he wouldn’t mind a merger with Waterford because its current bishop, Phonsie Cullinan, is “supposed to be a very good bishop”.

He spoke for many when he said of the popular Bishop Crean: “It’s sad that we’re losing our own bishop”.

Frank and Mary Morrissey both said numbers are down, and they believed the Church “has no choice” but to merge dioceses.

Sister Paschal, a Bon Secours nun, agreed that the Church had no choice with numbers down. “We’ll probably go back to what we originally were, with Cork and Ross, we were part of that years and years ago,” she said.

“I don’t think we have a choice, because numbers are so down, and I think we’ll have fewer Masses as well.”

Nein, nein, nine: Vatican pauses German diocese’s parish merger plan

The administrator of a vacant German diocese has said he will reluctantly comply with a Vatican instruction to suspend a plan to cut the number of parishes from 70 to nine until a new bishop takes office.

In a Nov. 11 letter to clergy and staff of the Speyer diocese, administrator Fr. Markus Magin said he was “disappointed” by the request, conveyed to him by Archbishop Hubertus van Megen, the new apostolic nuncio to Germany, after consultation with Vatican dicasteries.

Magin argued that the planned work was consistent with canon law and suspending the project would be harmful to the diocese. He also suggested the decision was at odds with efforts to create a more synodal Church.

Dioceses across Germany have introduced drastic reductions in parishes, prompted by a decline in priests, practicing Catholics, and financial resources. 

The Archdiocese of Freiburg, for example, cut its parishes in January 2026 from 1,048 to 36, a reduction of approximately 96.6%. 

The Archdiocese of Paderborn is preparing to merge its 603 parishes into 21 Seelsorgeräume (pastoral areas),

A draft reorganization plan for Speyer, a diocese in southwestern Germany, was unveiled in October 2025, under the leadership of Bishop Karl-Heinz Wiesemann. 

A diocesan assembly approved the plan’s core principles in June 2026 and Wiesemann formally adopted it.

But in August 2026, Wiesemann unexpectedly resigned, citing the “psychological strain” of office. 

Magin was elected diocesan administrator, believing he had a mandate to continue preparations for the reorganization.

Magin said he immediately engaged in discussions with experienced canon lawyers about how to approach the restructuring process while respecting Canon 428 of the Code of Canon Law, which prohibits “innovation” during an episcopal vacancy and prevents temporary administrators from doing “anything which could in any way prejudice the rights of the diocese or of the bishop.”

Magin explained that he had also discussed the topic with van Megen, who formally assumed the role of nuncio to Germany in July.

Magin said he received a letter Nov. 9 from van Megen explaining that following consultation with dicasteries of the Roman curia, “the further development of the reform process is to be suspended for the entire duration of the sede vacante, that is, until the new diocesan bishop has canonically taken possession of the diocese.”

Van Megen reportedly cited “canonically grounded concerns” and said that continuing preparations could “raise expectations, set changes in motion and create personal commitments which, although not yet legally binding, threaten to restrict considerably the freedom of discernment and decision-making of the future bishop.”

The nuncio noted that, according to canon law, only the diocesan bishop can establish, suppress, or alter parishes. He also observed that the diocesan priests’ council and pastoral council are suspended during an interregnum and cannot pass binding resolutions.

Van Megen said he sought only “to protect the freedom and full responsibility of the future bishop, so that he can take decisions of such great consequence by his own discernment and in the full exercise of the governing authority.”

Magin wrote: “We will respect and implement this decision communicated by the nuncio. This means that, with immediate effect and until our new bishop takes office, we will suspend the path of reforming our parish structures.”

The Vatican has previously expressed misgivings about sweeping reductions in parishes in German dioceses. 

In 2020, it objected to the Diocese of Trier’s proposal to reduce its 887 parishes to 35. 

Vatican officials voiced concern about the large size of the planned parishes, noting that some would have up to 100,000 members. 

They also noted that some Catholics in rural areas would have to travel 50 miles or more to the nearest parish church.

Also in 2020, the Vatican’s Congregation for the Clergy issued an instruction that set out guidelines for reorganizing parishes. 

Several German bishops criticized the document, which said that if a bishop entrusts a parish to a lay person because of a shortage of priests, pastoral care must still be ultimately directed by a priest appointed as a moderator.

Some clergy in Germany have expressed reservations about the effects of sweeping cuts to parish numbers. 

Fr. Fabian Schneider, who leads a newly consolidated large parish in the Freiburg archdiocese, noted in an October 2026 interview that the restructuring, which combined 40 former parishes into one serving around 36,000 Catholics, had left some local priests feeling disempowered and “demoted to the role of a vicar.”

In his letter to clergy and staff in the Speyer diocese, Magin set out why he disagreed with the Vatican’s decision.

The diocesan administrator argued that pausing the process marked “a substantial change” and did not give sufficient weight to decisions made by Wiesemann after wide consultations in the diocese.

“It does not sufficiently recognize the necessity and urgency of measures to change our parish structures, with which we must meet the marked and advancing decline in personnel and financial resources, so as not to overburden full-time and volunteer staff even further and to secure our economic resources,” he wrote.

“It thus breaks the continuity of diocesan life, and so runs counter to the actual meaning of the prohibition of change in Canon 428 § 1.”

Magin also suggested the suspension would have a negative impact on the motivation and commitment of people who have taken part in the reorganization process.

“What further effects the suspension will have on the work of the pastoral teams, the staff in the regional administrations and parish offices, the parish bodies and so on will only become clear in the coming weeks and months,” he said.

He argued that the pause would put the next Bishop of Speyer at a disadvantage as he would face pressure to make a large number of decisions soon after taking office.

“We would gladly have handed the new bishop well-prepared draft concepts for the reform process, carried by great unanimity, on the basis of which he could take his decisions in full freedom. Now, however, there is a danger that he will first have to win back lost trust, which I greatly regret,” Magin wrote.

The administrator also said the decision did not “correspond to the picture of a synodal Church” as expressed in the final document of the 2023-2024 synod on synodality in Rome.

The Speyer diocese’s next bishop will be appointed according to the provisions of the Bavarian Concordat of 1924. Although the diocese is not in Bavaria, it is linked historically to the southern German state.

Under the Bavarian Concordat, diocesan bishops and cathedral chapters submit lists of potential new bishops to the Holy See every three years, regardless of whether there is a vacancy. When a bishop resigns, the cathedral chapter sends its recommendations to the Holy See. The pope chooses from among the candidates presented through the concordat process.

Before the appointment is formally announced, the Holy See consults the Bavarian state government about whether it has any political objections to the candidate.

Concluding his letter, Magin said: “Dear full-time and volunteer colleagues, I can only guess what the nuncio’s letter triggers in you and how it will affect your commitment in our diocese. I thank you from the heart for your impressive commitment so far to a good path for our diocese into the future.”

“At the same time, I ask you to respect and support the decision to suspend the pastoral structure process. I also encourage you, despite all the disappointment you may feel, not to let up in your commitment to our diocese, our parishes and communities, associations and fellowships.”

Bishop says Gallagher housing Belize minor ‘not tolerable’

EDWARD Gallagher’s bishop has promised “it would not be tolerable” amid claims that the disgraced priest travelled to Central America and brought a teenage boy home with him.

Gallagher (59), who was a priest in Donegal, pleaded guilty last month to 109 sex offences and is now in prison for sentencing and the Vatican has been asked to defrock him.

This week, it was claimed that Gallagher took a teenager to Ireland live with him after he was a missionary in the country of Belize, which borders Mexico and Guatemala.

The Donegal News asked for a response from Bishop of Derry Michael Router and for the diocese to disclose if it was aware of the Belize claims previously.

Bishop Router said: “In response to the specific allegation now raised, the Diocese has no knowledge or record of Fr Gallagher bringing a minor from Belize to live with him in a parochial house following his return in 2003.

“An arrangement of the kind described would not be tolerable either then or now.”

He added: “Anyone with information or evidence relating to this allegation is urged to provide it to the relevant civil authorities so that it can be properly examined and investigated and to the Diocesan Designated Liaison Person.

“The Diocese remains committed to supporting those affected, maintaining the highest safeguarding standards and cooperating fully with the civil authorities.”

Gallagher was arrested after the action group Justice Reborn 2 confronted him outside a Derry restaurant on Holy Thursday, April 17, 2025.

The Donegal News was told by a man, who acted as a 14-year-old decoy for the social action group, that Gallagher contacted him – believing he was a young teenager – and used a fake name to ask for “hot pictures” and “barraged me with sexual chat”.

After Gallagher’s guilty plea last month, Bishop Router confirmed that Gallagher was questioned by the Derry diocese about separate allegations – three weeks before he was arrested to face those 109 charges.

Bishop Router, who has asked the Vatican to defrock Gallagher, told the Donegal News that an adult made a complaint against Gallagher – and the bishop has now assured parishioners that “safeguarding protocols” were in place.

In his statement to the Donegal News this week, the bishop also re-stated that the diocese had no information about Gallagher previously.

He said: “The Diocese of Derry reiterates its previous statements that, before Fr Edward Gallagher’s arrest in April 2025, it had no knowledge, suspicions, concerns or allegations about him in relation to children.”

The 109 sex offences that Gallagher pleaded guilty to included attempted sexual communication with a child under 16, possessing indecent images of a child, and attempting to encourage a child to engage in sexual activity.