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

HOMILY OF THE HOLY FATHER LEON XIV

Esplanade of the School of Military Aviation (Córdoba)  

Tuesday, 10 November 2026

______________________________

Dear Brothers and Sisters:

The confession of Peter, who throughout history resounds in his successors, reveals to us the mystery of God revealed in Christ for our salvation. A message of salvation that remains current and that rests on the intercession of so many of our brothers in the faith, who now accompany us from heaven. Not in vain, the land that now welcomes us has been rich in the fruits of holiness; the example of those who have preceded us on this path continues to challenge us to live as they lived and to give life, as Christ has done for us and they knew how to imitate with perfection.

The city of Córdoba, the natural heir to the first episcopal see erected in Argentina, has been a land of saints. Through its convents and churches, through its streets and hospitals, men and women who, in love with Jesus, gave their lives for the Gospel. In Argentina, men and women lived, such as the Brochero Cura and Mama Antula, to name just two examples, who were called by the Lord and sent to the mission, without them even being aware of the extraordinary thing that their evangelizing work would become; for all Christians are mere servants, we must do nothing but fulfill our duty (cf. Lk 17.10).

It is therefore joyful to fulfill the mission entrusted to each of us by the Lord. Yes, dear brothers and sisters. We are all called to holiness; that is our work on earth, to attain perfect union with God. A call that, moreover, is always missionary: we have to make known to others the beauty that we have known in Christ (contemplata aliis tradere). As Christians, we must “teach all that is according to sound doctrine” (Tt 2:1). In this sense, I now make my own this exhortation of St. Leo the Great, whose liturgical memory we celebrate today and to whose protection I entrust myself: “Recognize, O Christian, your dignity, for you participate in the divine nature, and do not want to return to the old vileza with a depraved life. Remember which head and body you are a member of. Keep in mind that having been torn from the power of darkness you have been transported to the light and the kingdom of God” (Sermon I in the Nativity of the Lord, PL 54, 192-193).

There is no better way of teaching than by setting an example with one’s life, for “the world expects from us a commitment to life and a testimony of prayer” (S. John Paul II, Homily, “Vélez Sarsfield” Stadium in Buenos Aires, 10 April 1987). This requires total adherence to Jesus Christ, without fissure. This is the witness of the saints and it is something that makes us live with hope, even in the midst of difficulty.

Today, from Córdoba, the geographical center of the country, we want to thank God for the various fruits of holiness of people sent by the Lord to this Argentine land, who were born in it or who lived much of their life here. Just as the Cordoban mountain ranges are distinguished by the beauty and harmonious variety of their shapes and shades, also the saints and blesseds are characterized by having received different charisms and missions. They are a polyphonic display of the universal vocation of every baptized person to holiness, that is, to conformation with Christ. In the face of the saints with Argentine accent stands out the unity between passion for the Gospel and commitment in the construction of a fraternal and supportive homeland. All of them knew how to take on the challenges of their own historical time and transformed it into an opportunity to announce the Good News, not in the abstract but by shaping their life to be a credible and effective witness to the love of Christ.

Let us make grateful memory, first of all, of St. José Gabriel del Rosario Brochero. This priest was a true lover of the Lord, who knew how to find in prayer the strength of his life. The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola changed their existence forever and shaped it with Christ, making reality what we have prayed with the responsorial psalm: “Trust the Lord and practice good” (Ps 36:3). Only those who have known friendship with Jesus Christ are able to undertake this apostolic task; only those who know each other are loved by the Lord is able to extend his kingdom of charity and justice, spending his own forces on the proclamation of the Gospel, with no weapons other than the crucifix and the holy rosary.

Also captivated by the Ignatian spirituality, María Antonia de Paz and Figueroa knew how to combine contemplation with the help of others. She recognized that the best exercise of charity toward the other is to bring him closer to God. As Francis reminded us, my venerable Predecessor, the poor need God and people to express with their lives the force of Christian love (cf. Message for the Third World Day of the Poor, 13 June 2019, 8). Questioned by the same inspiration, Mama Antula tirelessly traveled the floor of this homeland to show so many people the way to heaven. In fact, his maxim was to walk to where God is not known, to make it known.

Two saints, two examples, two ways of identifying with Christ, which He Himself brought about in this region, from which we worship Him today.

Together with them, we thank God also for the martyrs, who confessed their faith until giving their own life, such as St. Héctor Valdivielso Sáez and the Blessed martyred in the Spanish Civil War and in the Argentine provinces of La Rioja and Salta.

We thank the Lord for the gift he has given to the Church by giving pastors according to his heart, such as Blesseds Fray Mamerto Esquiú and Cardinal Eduardo Pironio.

A special note of gratitude is dedicated to the consecrated life, with founders of congregations, such as Saint Nazaria Ignacia and the Blessed María del Transito Cabanillas and Catalina de María Rodríguez; and many other religious dedicated with ardent charity to the education of children and to the care of the sick, such as the Blessed María Ludovica de Angelis and Crescencia Pérez.

In addition, the faithful People of God rejoice in the lay people who, having received the proclamation of the Gospel, lived the baptismal vocation in fullness, loving God and the brothers in the simplicity of the everyday, such as St. Artémides Zatti and the Blesseds Ceferino Namuncurá and Laura Vicuña.

Dear brothers and sisters, all these saints and blesseds have already fulfilled their mission on earth. Today it is up to us to follow the luminous wake of holiness that we have been left. We celebrate this Holy Mass for the sanctification of the Argentine people, for the sanctification of all of you. Open your hearts and, with the grace of God, go and be holy! (cf. 1 Ts 4.3): in the school and in the square, in the family and with friends, in the countryside and in the city, in the tambo and in the office. Go and evangelize!

In this celebration we are presided over by the image of the poor Christ, which Cura Brochero himself ordered to carve from the bed of pain and in whose face the features of this people have been artistically captured. Let us be challenged by his gaze and, in the shadow of his cross, we will find salvation and life, the way for our own sanctification. I ask God, through the intercession of St. Leo the Great, to continue to bless us and to give us the grace to always confess: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Mt 16:16).

VIDEO MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE LEO XIV TO THE PARTICIPANTS IN THE PLENARY MEETING OF THE COUNCIL OF THE INTERNATIONAL CATHOLIC MIGRATION COMMISSION

________________

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

I warmly greet all of you who are taking part in the plenary meeting of the Council of the International Catholic Migration Commission, which happily coincides with the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Commission’s founding by my predecessor, Pope Pius XII. 

As representatives of Episcopal Conferences and Church institutions from around the world, accompanied by the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, you will have the opportunity in these days to share perspectives on the Church’s pastoral care of migrants and refugees. Together, you will discern the challenges and opportunities that human mobility presents to our societies and to the Church’s mission.

In this regard, I would recall the words of my Apostolic Exhortation Dilexi Te: “In every rejected migrant it is Christ himself who knocks at the door” (no. 75). I invite you, therefore, to deepen your reflection on the Gospel’s call to recognize the face of our Savior in every person, especially in each migrant, refugee, displaced person or survivor of human trafficking.

Your meeting takes place at a difficult time. Wars, violence, injustices, natural disasters and widening social and economic inequalities are forcing millions of people to flee their homes and nations. This creates humanitarian and social challenges for communities in countries of origin, transit and destination alike. Moreover, such circumstances are compounded by a marked decline in funding for international protection and assistance.  This makes it all the more important to foster the values of understanding, dialogue and solidarity.

Faced with these challenges, I urge you to persevere in your noble and important mission of strengthening the Church’s services to welcome, protect, promote and integrate migrants, refugees and returnees. I likewise encourage you to advocate courageously for the recognition and respect of their God-given dignity, in cooperation with other faith-based organizations and civil society in general.

In particular, I pray that your efforts will help find new ways to care for displaced children.  Indeed, since their number tragically continues to grow, it is necessary to work with their countries of origin in order to remove the causes that compel them to flee, while also offering them protection and welcome in the countries of transit and destination (cf. Message for the 112^th World Day of Migrants and Refugees, 27 September 2026).

In conclusion, dear friends, I entrust your deliberations to the maternal intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Solace of Migrants, and I willingly impart my Apostolic Blessing to each of you, your families and the worldwide ICMC family.

May Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Judgment in default entered against 130 Christian Brothers in sex abuse damages case

The High Court has granted judgment against 130 Christian Brothers in a case brought by a man who was sexually abused by a member of the congregation as a child.

The congregation’s decision not to provide a nominee for the purposes of the litigation necessitated the 130 members being joined to the case brought by survivor Thomas O’Callaghan, his lawyers told the court on Monday.

In 2021, former Christian Brother Jack Manning (90) pleaded guilty to indecently assaulting O’Callaghan and three other primary school pupils while he was a teacher at CBS Westland Row, Dublin 2.

Manning, formerly of Donnybrook, Dublin 4, was jailed for three years.

In his court documents, O’Callaghan described Manning’s abuse, which dated back to the early 1970s, as “consistent and regular”.

O’Callaghan, of Ratoath, Co Meath, sued Manning over the abuse, seeking damages. He also brought his action against the Minister for Education and Edmund Garvey, a Christian Brothers provincial leader.

O’Callaghan’s solicitors had called on Garvey to act in a representative capacity on behalf of the congregation in the proceedings. He declined to do so, the court heard.

The Christian Brothers, like most religious congregations, is an unincorporated association, meaning there is no legal entity that can be directly sued by people taking it to court.

Most religious congregations put forward a nominee for the purposes of litigation, but for the past number of years the Christian Brothers have been opting not to do so for the purposes of claims of historical child sex abuse.

To progress their cases, litigants must serve a summons on all members of the congregation who were members at the time of the alleged assaults.

In 2023, the High Court made orders compelling Garvey to provide details of all living Christian Brothers who were in the congregation during 1972 and 1973, the time of the abuse. 

Some 130 members were subsequently joined to and served with the proceedings.

At Monday’s hearing, Conor Duff, barrister for O’Callaghan, told Judge Conor Dignam those members had not entered appearances in the proceedings.

In High Court actions, a defendant must file an appearance within a set time period if they intend to defend the action.

In the circumstances, Duff said he was seeking an order for judgment against the 130 members in default of appearance.

Dignam said he was satisfied to grant judgment against the members as sought. 

He directed that damages due to O’Callaghan arising from the judgments entered against the 130 members be assessed by the judge dealing with the substantive case.

A group of young people shows Pope Leo XIV in Buenos Aires a sign: "Young people want the Traditional Mass"

A group of young people unfurled a banner on Monday, November 9, in Buenos Aires bearing the slogan “Young people want the traditional Mass” as León XIV passed by in the popemobile. 

The white cloth banner with clearly visible black lettering was stretched among the crowd gathered behind the barriers, and images of the moment have been circulating on social media since the afternoon. 

In them, the Pope can be seen standing at the rear of the vehicle, waving to the faithful as he passes the spot where the young people were standing.

The gesture took place on the day the Pontiff celebrated his first Mass in Argentina in front of the Monument to the Spaniards, in the Palermo neighborhood of Buenos Aires, during his trip that also takes him to Uruguay and Peru. 

According to figures released by the Vatican based on data from the organizers, the celebration and the procession drew around two and a half million people. 

In his homily, León XIV focused on the family, as InfoVaticana reported in its account of the Mass.

A request made during the visit

The appearance of the banner coincides with the debate on the traditional liturgy in Argentina in recent days. 

Archbishop Héctor Aguer, who led the Archdiocese of La Plata from 2000 to 2018, called in an interview given to AdVaticanum, coinciding with the Pope’s visit, for “the repeal of Traditionis custodes”, the 2021 motu proprio that restricted the celebration of Mass in the extraordinary form of the Roman rite.

The request from the young people of Buenos Aires thus joins other voices within the Church that, in recent weeks, have raised the question of the place the traditional Mass should have. 

This is the case of Cardinal Oswald Gracias, who told AdVaticanum that he would not be in favor of prohibiting its spread as long as it does not imply rejecting the Second Vatican Council.

A meeting with young people on Tuesday

On Tuesday, November 10, at 8:15 p.m., León XIV will hold his meeting with young people at the same Monument to the Spaniards, to which people between the ages of 15 and 35 are invited. 

It will be the occasion for the Pope to meet again with thousands of faithful from that age group, among whom, as Monday’s banner showed, there are those who publicly request the traditional liturgy.

After the "Eucharistic Revival," only 29% of U.S. Catholics believe in the real presence

Only 29% of Catholics in the United States believe that the bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ, according to a study by sociologists Brad Vermurlen, Mark Regnerus and Anne Morse published in the academic journal Sociological Inquiry (no. 96, 2026) under the title “Belief in the Real Presence Among American Catholics: Prevalence and Patterns”. 

Regnerus, professor of Sociology at the University of Texas at Austin, presented the results on November 3 on his blog “What We Need Now”. 

The figure is barely distinguishable from the one obtained by Pew in 2019, which was 31%, and the authors note that the difference is not statistically significant.

The data comes after the National Eucharistic Revival that the U.S. bishops launched to rekindle faith in the real presence, between 2022 and 2025, and which culminated in the Eucharistic Congress of Indianapolis in July 2024, attended by some 50,000 Catholics. 

It was the first held in the country in 83 years. 

The study does not directly evaluate that campaign, but it does measure belief once it had concluded.

More than a thousand Catholics and three response options

The authors worked with a random sample of just over a thousand self-identified Catholics, drawn from a representative survey of 5,400 U.S. adults conducted in September 2025 with Ipsos’s KnowledgePanel. 

They modified the question from previous polls and added the option “I am not sure,” so respondents could choose among three answers: that the bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ, that they are symbols, or that they did not know. 

According to Regnerus, for every person who said they were not sure, nearly six chose “symbols.”

Belief increases with religious practice. Among those who attend Mass every week, around 60% claim to believe in the real presence, and the most assiduous reach about 70%. 

In the strictest group—those who attend Mass weekly, consider faith the most important thing in their life, and attended the previous weekend — the proportion reaches 88%. 

By contrast, factors such as income, sex, age, race, region or political ideology had little influence, and religiosity indicators explain only a quarter of the variation.

Regnerus adds that in 1992 a Gallup poll recorded 30% agreement with a similar statement. In his view, the low level of belief stems more from general disengagement than from a deliberate rejection of doctrine, and he proposes as a remedy “evangelization, clarity and explanation,” with priests who teach without ambiguity what the Church holds.

Against the bishops’ optimistic assessment

The reading contrasts with the assessment that the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) released on January 15, based on a Vinea Research study with about 2,500 lay Catholics, clergy and church personnel. 

That report indicated that belief in the real presence exceeded 90% in the three groups analyzed, although the responses were self-reported and the sample consisted mostly of committed Catholics. 

The campaign’s own leaders acknowledged the difficulty of reaching young people and those who have drifted away.

Kwasniewski: “the elephant in the room”

Theologian and liturgist Peter Kwasniewski, a defender of the traditional liturgy, highlighted the study on X as “new sociological evidence” that the Eucharistic Revival, which cost millions of dollars, “was a failure.” 

He stressed that the article does not come from a traditionalist outlet and maintained that traditionalists had foreseen it for one reason: the signs that most clearly pointed to the real presence and elicited a response of humble adoration “remain minimized or absent in the new liturgy.” 

Until that “elephant in the room” is addressed, he concluded, “no catechesis” will make a substantial difference.

This is Kwasniewski’s own interpretation: Regnerus’s study does not attribute the results to the form of the liturgy. 

InfoVaticana reported in 2021 on the launch of the U.S. bishops’ eucharistic revival plan.

Pope Leo XIV meets with abuse victims in Argentina

In Argentina, Pope Leo XIV met with five survivors of abuse by members of the clergy and ecclesiastical institutions in the country for over an hour on Monday afternoon, November 9, according to the Holy See Press Office.

“The Pope spoke individually with each of them, listened to their words and to the painful stories of their experiences, as well as to their proposals for strengthening paths towards healing within the Church,” the statement explained.

“To them, and through them to the other victims whom it was not possible to meet, the Pope expressed his closeness and his desire to strengthen pathways of protection, goodness, welcome, and accompaniment within the Church," it said.

The abuse survivors were introduced to the Pope by the local Church, and he met with them before going to the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina in Buenos Aires to attend a meeting with representatives of social movements and the world of work.

At the end of the meeting, the Pope also greeted them together and imparted his Apostolic Blessing, expressing his gratitude for this moment and for their witness of faith.

Pope Leo XIV will preside on November 18 at St. Peter's over the Mass for the 4th centenary of the dedication of the basilica

Pope Leo XIV will preside on Wednesday, November 18, at St. Peter’s Basilica, the Mass that will conclude the events of the fourth centenary of the dedication of the Vatican temple. 

The celebration will take place four centuries after Urban VIII solemnly consecrated the Renaissance basilica on November 18, 1626. 

The Pope will celebrate it the day after returning from his apostolic journey to Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru, which concludes on November 17.

The closing Mass was already included in the program that Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, archpriest of the basilica, presented on February 16 at the Holy See Press Office. 

At that time, he explained that the centenary year was an opportunity to revitalize “the profession of faith of the first Pope,” as Vatican News detailed. 

The celebrations have been organized around spiritual, cultural, and technological proposals.

A program of spirituality, culture, and technology

Among the centenary initiatives are a new Way of the Cross by Swiss artist Manuel Dürr, inaugurated in February inside the basilica; spiritual elevations with polyphonic singing on Saturdays at the Altar of the Chair; and meditations by Friar Roberto Pasolini, preacher of the Pontifical Household, on the figure of Peter on Tuesdays, October 28, November 4 and 11. 

An exhibition on the design and construction of the temple has also been organized, from Bramante’s sketches to the completion of the work by Maderno.

Added to this are new features for pilgrims: a digital access reservation system and an app that will translate liturgies, chants, and readings in real time into 60 languages. 

In addition, the Gregorian and Clementine domes and the complete terrace of the three apses have been opened to the public. 

InfoVaticana reported that the basilica will have a permanent structural monitoring system and the restoration of the mosaics of the Clementine Chapel.

Elizabeth Lev: from the tomb of Peter to the current basilica

On the occasion of the anniversary, OSV News interviewed art historian and author Elizabeth Lev, a guide in Rome for more than 25 years and professor at the Angelicum. 

Lev recalled that around the year 190 the site was a brick wall painted red with marble altars on a hillside, and that Constantine enclosed the tomb in a basilica in the fourth century. 

After about a thousand years, that building was leaning and had to be propped up with wood, until Julius II ordered it to be demolished and commissioned Bramante to build a new church over the apostle’s tomb.

The work, Lev explained, required about 120 years, twelve architects, and twenty popes. 

Michelangelo, who designed the dome and worked on it during the last 19 years of his life, dedicated himself, according to the historian, to “the glory of God, the honor of Saint Peter, and the salvation of my own soul.” 

Regarding the reaction of visitors, Lev stated that the basilica conveys awe and joy, and summarized its message as “no matter how dark things get, hope saves.” 

She also maintained that the restoration work financed by the Knights of Columbus recalls “the true purpose” of the temple: the veneration of the tomb of Saint Peter.

Archbishop Aguer calls for the repeal of Traditionis custodes during Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Argentina

Archbishop Héctor Aguer, who led the Archdiocese of La Plata from 2000 to 2018, has granted an interview to the portal AdVaticanum coinciding with the visit of Leo XIV to Argentina, the first by a Pope to the country since the trips of Saint John Paul II in 1982 and 1987. 

At 83 years old and in very delicate health, the prelate offers an uncompromising assessment of the state of the Argentine Church.

For Aguer, the purpose of the visit is above all to confirm the faithful in the faith. 

He recalls the call that John Paul II addressed to the Argentine Church in 1987, “Arise and shine,” and considers it still a pending task. According to the data he cites, in 1960 90% of Argentines declared themselves Catholic, compared to 57% today. 

He also rejects attempts to politicize the trip in the context of tensions between part of the hierarchy and the government of Javier Milei: the Pope, he maintains, “is not coming to take sides with any leader.”

A harsh assessment of the pontificate of Francis

The emeritus archbishop attributes to Jorge Mario Bergoglio’s formation in the “theology of the people,” which he describes as the Argentine version of liberation theology, a decisive influence on the country’s episcopate. 

He believes that the appointments of those twelve years, including those of very young auxiliary bishops, will shape the coming decades.

“We have empty seminaries, empty convents, and a dramatic shortage of priests,” he states. He cites the closure of the seminaries of San Rafael and San Luis, which according to him were recognized for the quality of their formation, and claims that there are dioceses “with more bishops than seminarians.” 

He sees, however, a sign of hope in the growing interest of young laypeople, religious, and priests in orthodoxy and tradition.

Regarding Francis’s absence from Argentina throughout his pontificate, Aguer, who knew him for more than four decades, dismisses the explanation of fear of political instrumentalization. 

His interpretation is different: the Pope would not have wanted to come “for fear of not being well received” and of not drawing the crowds that John Paul II gathered.

Traditional Mass and synodality

On liturgical matters, Aguer asserts that the traditional Mass in Argentina suffers “all kinds of disdain and restrictions” and that authorizations are scarce. 

He proposes as a solution returning to Benedict XVI’s motu proprio Summorum Pontificum and “repealing Traditionis custodes,” which he refers to, along with other measures of the previous pontificate, as “draconian” measures.

On synodality, he maintains that the Church has always defined itself as “communion” and that the Synod of Bishops exists to serve it, not to “democratize” hierarchical decisions. 

He links the recent process with the “Church in a state of assembly” promoted in Buenos Aires during Bergoglio’s archiepiscopate, and believes that Leo XIV must bring, along with liturgical peace, limits to “so many deviations.”

An archbishop who will not be able to see the Pope

Aguer confirms that his state of health will prevent him from meeting the Pontiff. He highlights as his greatest work in La Plata the ordination of 49 priests, many of whom now serve in working-class neighborhoods. 

He says he offers his sufferings for the Church and recalls that Leo XIV is a son of Saint Augustine, whom he has admired all his life: “May the Lord strengthen the Pope so that he may calm the waters in the Church.”

Mangaluru: Second case registered against church priest over alleged sexual harassment of minor boy

The accused was arrested and produced before the court on October 18 and remained in judicial custody until October 30 and was subsequently released on bail.

One more case has been registered against church priest over allegations of sexually harassing a minor boy. 

Commissioner of Police Sudheer Kumar Reddy CH said that the latest complaint related to an alleged incident on May 13, 2026, involving a 13-year-old boy who regularly attended Sunday prayers at a church in Permannur. 

Based on the complaint, a complaint has been registered at Women's Police Station under Section 75 (2) of BNS and sections 8, 12 of POCSO Act.

Earlier, on October 15, first case was registered against priest Fr Cyprian Pinto at Mangaluru South Police Station following a complaint alleging sexual harassment of a 14-year-old boy. 

The accused was arrested and produced before the court on October 18 and remained in judicial custody until October 30 and was subsequently released on bail.

The investigation into the latest case registered at the Women's Police Station has been entrusted to the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Central Sub-Division, Mangaluru, said Commissioner of Police. 

Mullahoran priest responds to Mary McAleese baptism comments

A Co Cavan priest has responded to comments made by former president Mary McAleese over the sacrament of baptism.

Mary McAleese has recently challenged the catholic church’s viewpoint on baptism.

She believes baptising infants soon after birth is a breach of their human rights because they can’t give their consent.

The former president claimed christenings are carried out without an infant’s permission, forcing them to join a faith before they understood the implications of doing so.

Speaking on today’s Joe Finnegan Show, Fr Joe McGrath from Mullahoran said Mary McAleese is doing us a favour by helping us think about these things.

However, he does not agree that baptism is a breach of human rights.

He said parents make the choice, but as you get older the choice becomes your own.

St. Tammany Parish priest arrested after allegedly stealing $21,000 in church funds

A St. Tammany Parish priest was arrested following an investigation into the alleged theft of funds from a church parish.

According to the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office, 44-year-old Rev. Daniel Okafor was arrested on Friday morning at his Abita Springs residence.

Detectives with the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Financial Crimes Unit originally launched an investigation after personnel with the Archdiocese of New Orleans contacted the sheriff's office in August to report discrepancies regarding finances at St. Jane de Chantal Parish in Abita Springs. 

An audit of the parish's finances later revealed that Okafor allegedly deposited more than 30 checks made to the church into his personal bank account before using the funds for personal expenses. 

Okafor allegedly stole $21,000 in church funds over the course of two and a half years, according to the sheriff's office. 

Okafor was charged with theft, computer fraud and monetary instrument abuse.

The investigation remains ongoing.

Commission seeks information on historical sexual abuse in schools

The Commission of Investigation examining the handling of historical child sexual abuse in schools has called on members of the public here and abroad to come forward with any information that could help its work.

A survey launched by the commission last month has received hundreds of responses, but the team is keen to hear from others before it closes on 7 December.

New information has emerged in relation to schools that were not previously examined, which is why the commission is appealing for more people to take the survey.

The Commission of Investigation's remit relates to the handling of concerns relating to child sexual abuse in all schools between 1927 and 2013.

It was established after a Scoping Inquiry into day and boarding schools run by religious orders revealed widespread historical abuse.

The commission's work is much wider than the Scoping Inquiry. As a statutory body, it holds far more power, enabling it, for example, to compel witnesses and documentation.

Its formal investigative hearings are also legally mandated to be conducted in private to protect sensitive information.

The examination it is conducting relates to all schools - not just those run by religious orders - including primary, secondary, community, comprehensive schools and special schools.

It is open to survivors, family members and anyone with experiences or knowledge of abuse, including those who were in professional roles or connected to schools like teachers, social workers, healthcare professionals, or classmates.

The survey, which can be completed online or via hard copy, was launched in the first week of October and has received more responses than the Scoping Inquiry from people in every county as well as from abroad.

Independent, confidential, survivor-centered support is being provided by the One in Four group for those who may need it.

The organisation, which supports adult survivors of child sexual abuse has received calls daily since the survey launched and some team members have travelled to meet people who have needed help and advice.

CEO Deirdre Kenny said there are cases where people are not ready to fill in the questionnaire and "that's ok, there is no pressure".

Already the survey has brought new information to light; however, in some instances, there is only a single response about how a particular concern or complaint was handled.

The commission believes in instances where one person has raised concerns; there may be others with similar experiences regarding the same school, but who have not yet completed the survey.

Although the survey closes on 7 December, latecomers will not be turned away, but the commission needed a deadline to move on to the next phase of work which will begin in the new year.

It will involve two distinct but equally important workstreams: a formal investigation and a Survivor Engagement Programme.

The investigation strand will examine the handling of cases and the mishandling of cases using a sampling approach, based in part, on information from the survey.

The engagement phase will involve survivors explaining the impact the abuse had on them and what they would like to see next in relation to future policy development around child protection.

'They want to know why it happened and how it was allowed to happen'

Kieran McGrath is an independent safeguarding consultant on child protection and welfare matters. He led the trauma-informed survivor engagement process for the Scoping Inquiry and is one of four commissioners involved in the latest Commission of Investigation.

Mr McGrath has spoken publicly to encourage others to come forward and to point out that survivors are at the heart of their work.

"Survivors told us what happened, but they want to know why it happened and how it was allowed to happen and why things were done that shouldn't have been done."

The work of the commission spans an 87-year period, and while there is arguably a perception it relates to older generations who experienced child sexual abuse in schools, it is not the case.

According to Ms Kenny, CSO figures and the work of One in Four, show that younger people have experienced abuse in schools.

"This commission is for you too," she said.

"We'd encourage people to reach out for support, to get the information they need either from the commission's website or talk to our colleagues in One in Four to see if it's something they would be open to.

"It's an opportunity to tell the story of the generations obviously from the 80s, 70s and 60s, but also the 90s, and I've no doubt that there are experiences where stories haven't been told and I think it's really important that we address that in this commission."

The commission has five years to complete its work, and it has four years left.

It is "determined" to stick to that timeframe, according to Mr McGrath.

"The five years was because we were unsure as to how many people would come forward, there are other commissions that have lasted a lot longer than that, but we are determined that will not happen, we want to stick to our time scale," he said.

He added that there's a very "good attitude" in the Commission and a lot of "determination to get it right".

"The way to get it right is to make survivors feel we are on track with them and we communicate with them.

"After the closing date of the survey, we will start analysing the data, we'll begin in earnest in the new year and we'll communicate with survivors what's happening all along the way."

The survey is available on the Commission of Investigation's website.

House for Pilgrims inaugurated in Nicaea, Turkey

Archbishop Rino Fisichella, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, presided over the ceremony and also consecrated the chapel to which Pope Leo donated a chalice. 

A marble plaque was installed in the building blessed in November 2025 by Pope Leo XIV during his apostolic journey marking the 1,700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council.

The house for pilgrims offers a facility providing accommodation for those wishing to visit the ruins of ancient Nicaea on the shores of Lake Ascania where the modern-day Turkish city of İznik can be found. 

The “Pilgrim’s House” was inaugurated by Archbishop Rino Fisichella, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, who was invited by the Apostolic Vicar of Istanbul, Archbishop Massimiliano Palinuro. 

A marble plaque was installed in the building, which had been blessed in November 2025 by Pope Leo XIV during his visit to Nicaea to commemorate the 1,700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council.

Archbishop Fisichella also consecrated the altar in the chapel of the Pilgrim’s House, where visitors will be able to gather for prayer and celebrate the Eucharist. The inauguration brought together all the Bishops of the Turkish Episcopal Conference, as well as representatives of the Christian communities in Turkey. Pope Leo XIV sent a special chalice to mark the dedication of the chapel. 

The President of the Episcopal Conference and Archbishop of Izmir, Archbishop Martin Kmetec, highlighted that the new building represents a sign of hospitality for the many pilgrims who visit each year the city where the Church’s First Ecumenical Council took place.

In his homily, before consecrating the altar, Archbishop Fisichella emphasized the importance of such a tangible sign. He reminded the faithful of the value of being a small community whose way of life bears witness to hope and, above all, to the unity of faith, a unity that makes believers throughout the world one Church of Christ. 

Deputy Governor Arif Karaman and the Mayor of Nicaea, Kağan Mehmet Usta, also offered greetings and expressed their gratitude for the Pope’s visit. 

Cardinal Semeraro: Blessed Santander martyrs show our vocation to holiness

Holiness is the “common vocation of every baptized person” and is a virtue for every age and for people in every “state of life in the Church.”

This message was the heart of the homily delivered in Spanish on November 7 by Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.

Representing Pope Leo XIV, he presided at the Beatification Mass of the Servants of God Francisco González de Córdova and 79 companions in the Cathedral of the Assumption of Our Lady in Santander, Spain.

A growing multitude

The Cardinal recalled Pope Leo’s General Audience on Wednesday, November 4, when the Pope spoke of the “vast multitude of the Lord’s friends.”

Cardinal Semeraro said that holiness continues to spread and cannot be “confined to an age, a place, or a particular state of life.”

Every beatification “adds a piece to a mosaic that is still unfinished,” noting that the 80 martyrs of Santander included priests, seminarians, and laypeople.

Their “state of life in the Church,” he said, does not determine holiness, which is neither “the privilege of a few” nor “tied to a particular form of consecration.”

They faced persecution in “different circumstances,” yet all bore witness that they “belonged to Christ,” he noted.

Among the 80 new Blesseds, who were martyred during the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s, some were thrown into the sea with their hands and feet bound and a stone tied to their bodies.

Others disappeared aboard the prison ship Alfonso Pérez. Still others were killed and burned. Some died in a kind of concentration camp.

The group included 67 priests, three Carmelite religious, three seminarians, and seven laypeople.

Called to join the company of the saints

For Cardinal Semeraro, a beatification does more than “recall a painful chapter in the Church’s history.” It opens a window onto “that very history,” allowing us to glimpse “grace at work.” It is a witness that calls us to respond.

The newly beatified, therefore, “do not belong to the past,” he said. Rather, they point us here and now to the “path of fidelity.”

The “vast multitude” of Saints and Blesseds is more than a sight to contemplate but a “multitude to which we are called to belong.”

Their witness calls us to move beyond being “spectators of their greatness” and to “live with the same fidelity to Christ in the circumstances of our own lives.”

Mercy in the face of injustice

The reading from the Gospel of Luke captures the moment when Christ, on the Cross, prayed for those putting him to death. “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

Jesus, the Cardinal explained, suffered an injustice that “did not lead him to hatred.” In doing so, he showed that “evil has no power to extinguish God’s mercy, because his love is stronger.”

“This is where the word of the Gospel meets the witness of the martyrs,” Cardinal Semeraro continued, “the witness of all the martyrs and, today, of the 80 brothers whom the Church has declared blessed. We look to them.”

The “witness of the martyr” must be understood in the light of Christ’s own witness, for He “prayed on the Cross for his persecutors.”

As the second reading, from the Book of Revelation, made clear, Christians do not possess this strength on their own. They receive it by washing their robes and “making them white in the blood of the Lamb.”

Franciscan martyr Augusto Ramírez Monasterio beatified in Guatemala

Franciscan Fr. Augusto Rafael Ramírez Monasterio was beatified in Antigua, Guatemala, on Saturday, November 7, 43 years to the day after he was killed in hatred of the faith during the country’s civil war.

Cardinal Francisco Robles Ortega, Archbishop of Guadalajara, presided at the Mass on behalf of Pope Leo XIV.

In his homily, the Cardinal prayed that the new Blessed would sustain priests throughout the world in their daily fidelity to the promises they made at ordination.

He noted that Friar Augusto had proclaimed the same Gospel passage heard at the Mass on the day of his ordination. Its words, “Do not be afraid,” would come to sum up his life.

Defending the seal of confession

In June 1983, Fr. Augusto heard the confession of a farmworker who had joined the armed guerrillas and was seeking government amnesty. The friar accompanied him to the police.

Both men were taken to the military base in Chimaltenango, where they were questioned and beaten. The priest was singled out in an effort to make him reveal what he had heard in confession.

The Cardinal pointed to Fr. Augusto’s official portrait, in which his hands are tucked into the sleeves of his habit. Days before the photograph was taken, the friar had been tortured and suspended by iron handcuffs that left his hands bruised and burned.

For Fr. Augusto, the Cardinal said, defending the sacramental seal meant “defending the dignity of every person and ensuring that sinners could always find a safe refuge in which to rebuild their lives.”

Standing with those who suffer

Cardinal Robles Ortega described Guatemala as “a beautiful and sorrowful land of martyrs.” He recalled that Fr. Augusto returned to his homeland after ministering in Spain and devoted himself to pastoral work and to defending the poorest.

The Cardinal urged priests to follow his example and be shepherds with “the smell of the sheep,” able to stand alongside those who are persecuted or marginalized and those who seek the comfort of faith.

He concluded with words from a homily Fr. Augusto delivered around 1982, in which the friar described the Eucharist as “the sacramental banquet in which God draws near to us and we share in his life.”

FSSP stays silent on Jackson laicization

The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter has declined to disclose details about the laicization process for a priest convicted in 2023 of downloading and storing thousands of files containing child sexual abuse material.

James Jackson is serving a six-year federal prison term, and was laicized in January 2025, according to a March report from the Rhode Island attorney general’s office. 

The laicization has not yet been widely reported.

Ohio cathedral to offer funeral Mass for man in homosexual marriage (Contribution)

The Catholic Cathedral of Toledo, Ohio, is set to offer a Catholic funeral for a man who lived in a homosexual “marriage.” The funeral will be in direct violation of ecclesiastical law regarding the refusal of Christian burial for manifest sinners.

A visitation for John Arthur Park will take place Monday, November 9, 2026, beginning at 9:30 a.m., at Our Lady, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Cathedral, in Toledo, until the time of the funeral memorial Mass at 10:30 a.m.

However, John Park had lived with a homosexual “partner,” Harry Tennery, since 1983, and formally “married” Tennery in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in 2014, before a justice of the peace.

According to Park’s obituary, “In the summer of 1978, he met the man who was destined to be the love of his life, Harry Tennery. They began living together in May of 1983. On October 28, 2014, they eloped to Fort Wayne, IN, where they were married at the courthouse. Jack is survived by his beloved husband, Harry…”

Entering into a homosexual “marriage” is a public act of manifest grave sin and a public scandal, according to Catholic teaching. 

Furthermore, ecclesiastical law forbids the granting of a Catholic funeral to manifest sinners on account of the scandal this would offer, unless they gave some sign of repentance for their sin before death.

According to the Church’s Code of Canon Law, deceased members of the Christian faithful normally have a right to ecclesiastical funerals (Canon 1176).

The exceptions, however, are delineated in Canon 1184, which states:

§1. Unless they gave some signs of repentance before death, the following must be deprived of ecclesiastical funerals:

1° notorious apostates, heretics, and schismatics;

2° those who chose the cremation of their bodies for reasons contrary to Christian faith;

3° other manifest sinners who cannot be granted ecclesiastical funerals without public scandal of the faithful.

§2. If any doubt occurs, the local ordinary is to be consulted, and his judgment must be followed.

The Lepanto Institute reached out by email to the Cathedral of Our Lady, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, and formally requested that, in accord with ecclesiastical law, the Church deny Christian burial to John Arthur Park because of the grave scandal that this would cause to the Catholic faithful on account of his public entry into a homosexual “marriage” without any sign of public repentance or renunciation of the act.

In response, the office manager for the cathedral, Alicia Weinandy, made the following statement by email: “I have conferred with the priest who will celebrate the funeral Mass. He has indicated, in conscience, that he is able to celebrate the Mass. You may not know all the pastoral details in this situation, and it would be inappropriate for us to comment further.”

Lepanto further asked the cathedral if Mr. Park had renounced his public homosexual “marriage” before his death, pointing out that if not, a Christian burial would be a clear violation of canon law, meriting public attention to that fact.

The cathedral did not response prior to the time of publication.

In view of the public scandal afforded by a Catholic funeral in the cathedral church of a diocese for a man living in a homosexual “marriage,” and the implicit approbation of the grave sin of sodomy, the Lepanto Institute is publicly calling upon the Diocese of Toledo to withdraw the privilege of Christian burial for John Park, in accord with the dictates of canon law.

The Lepanto Institute also asks the Catholic faithful of the Diocese of Toledo to voice their complaints to the Cathedral of Our Lady, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, for the blatant disregard for the Church’s laws regarding the deprivation of an ecclesiastical funeral for unrepentant manifest sinners.

Medieval pope bull discovered at Corvey World Heritage Site

A papal lead seal of at least 800 years old has been discovered in the former monastery settlement "Civitas Corvey" near Höxter. 

City archaeologist Ralf Mahytka found the so-called bull in a tailings hill in the Höxter Archaeology Park, where visitors can dig on days of action, a spokeswoman for the Huxarium Garden Park said on Monday.

"You don't find something like this too often, because the seal of lead was mostly melted down and recycled when the respective contract had expired or become invalid," Mahytka explained. 

He manages the excavations in the Huxarium Garden Park on the site of the medieval town desert Corvey ("Civitas Corvey") on the Weserbogen. 

The remains of the 1265 destroyed settlement and the Carolingian western work of the former monastery of Corvey have been part of the Unesco World Heritage since 2014.

Mahytka suspects that the metal seal found belonged to a papal deed addressed either to the monastery or a resident of the lost city of Corvey. 

The name Gregory is therefore easy to read on it, but it is unclear whether it is Pope Gregory VIII (1187) or Gregory IX (1227–1241). 

Protest posters against prefects of faith – removal demanded

During Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Argentina, protest posters against the prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery of Faith, Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, have appeared in the capital Buenos Aires. 

As posts on social media show, a wall on the central Avenida de Mayo was covered with posters against the Argentine Curia Cardinal known by the nickname "Tucho." 

This calls for his removal "for the good of the Church". A printed QR code is intended to lead to a sermon from the cardinal, which is classified as heretical by the authors. Who is behind the campaign is not yet known.

Pope Francis (2013–2025) had appointed Fernández as Prefect of the Faith in 2023. 

The close confidant and former ghostwriter of Francis repeatedly came under criticism from conservative church circles. His books on kissing and the connection between sexuality and spirituality, which he wrote during his time as a chaplain in Argentina in the 1990s, caused a stir. 

The "Fiducia supplicans" (2023) declaration, published under his direction, which, under certain conditions, allows for the blessing of same-sex couples also sparked internal church controversies.

Pope Leo XIV had travelled from Uruguay to the Argentine capital Buenos Aires on Sunday and was received there by President Javier Milei. 

It is the first pope visit to Argentina since 1987 and at the same time a journey to the home of Leo’s predecessor Francis. 

Hildesheim delegation hands over bishop candidate list to nuncio

A delegation from the diocese of Hildesheim has handed over a list of candidates for the episcopate to the Apostolic Nuncio in Germany, Archbishop Hubertus van Megen. 

"The nuncio was impressed by our spiritual path of setting up a terna, perceived it with interest and has explicitly praised and acknowledged the synodal attitude of the way, which is noticeable to him," said the cathedral dechant and emeritus auxiliary bishop Heinz-Günter Bongartz, according to a message on Monday. 

The conversation took place "in a great friendly, in a palpable goodwill and in warm hospitality."

Bongartz was accompanied at the meeting last Wednesday by Cathedral Capitular Thomas Berkefeld as well as Christian Heimann and Barbara Walter from the former diocesan pastoral council. 

During the talks, the delegation informed the Pope’s ambassador about how the search for a new bishop had been designed as a spiritual path. 

"We have explained to the Apostolic Nuncio that in a synodal attitude we included the people of God in the search for a new bishop," Bongartz said, according to the bishopric's message. Care was taken to ensure that the conditions of papal secrecy for the cathedral chapter provided for in the Concordat had been complied with. "That is why in the last part of the conversation only Provost Berkefeld and I discussed the Terna stipulated by the cathedral chapter with the nuncio."

More than 100 entries

Since the change of Bishop Heiner Wilmer to Münster in June, the diocese of Hildesheim has been vacant. Since then, Auxiliary Bishop Martin Marahrens has been leading the diocese as diocesan administrator. 

The basis for the appointment of a new bishop is the Prussian Concordat of 1929. This provides that the cathedral chapter can pass on a list of proposals to Rome. 

Other bishops in the field of the Prussian Concordat and the nuncio can also propose candidates. 

In the end, the cathedral chapter receives a list of three names, from which it elects the new Hildesheim bishop in a secret vote, which the Pope then appoints.

The candidate search in the diocese of Hildesheim was preceded by a participation process in which the cathedral chapter and former members of the diocesan pastoral council – this body does not exist in the time of the sedisvacancy – have spoken to believers in eight places about what characteristics and abilities the future bishop should bring with him. 

According to the diocese, 630 people took part in this. The faithful could also propose concrete names to the cathedral chapter. According to the diocese, 100 entries were received. 

The aim of the procedure is to implement a central reform concern of the Synodal Way of the Church in Germany.

PRIEST ADMITTED TO 109 CHILD SEX OFFENCES BROUGHT BELIZEAN BOY TO IRELAND

Edward “Eddie” Gallagher, 59, a Catholic priest who pleaded guilty to 109 child sex offences, reportedly brought a boy under 18 from a mission in Belize to Ireland to live with him, according to The Irish News.

The Diocese of Derry says it has no knowledge or record of the arrangement.

 

It remains unclear when the boy left Belize, which mission he came from, or where he is today. 

 

No offences involving the Belizean teenager have been reported.

 

Gallagher pleaded guilty in October to offences involving sexual communication with minors, indecent images of children, and attempting to encourage sexual activity with a child.

 

He remains in custody and is scheduled for sentencing on December 9. 

 

The Bishop of Derry has requested his removal from the priesthood.

Pope Leo XIV Accepts Resignation of 62-Year-Old Bishop in Guinea-Bissau

Pope Leo XIV has accepted the resignation of Bishop José Lampra Cá, who has been at the helm of Guinea-Bissau’s Catholic Diocese of Bissau since December 2021.

The resignation of the 62-year-old Catholic Church leader was made public by the Holy See Press Office on November 7, and also read at a press conference at the Our Lady of Candelaria Cathedral of Bissau Diocese.

The Holy Father also appointed the Local Ordinary of Bafatá Diocese, Bishop Víctor Luís Quematcha, as the Bishop of the Bissau-Guinean Episcopal See.

Catholic Bishops are expected to present their resignation upon reaching the age of 75, although they may also do so earlier for other compelling reasons, including “ill-health or other grave problems.”

According to the November 7 communique from the Apostolic Nunciature based in Dakar, Senegal, read to journalists by the Vicar General of Bissau Diocese, recent health challenges have led Bishop Lampra Cá to submit his resignation to allow another pastor to lead the Diocese.

“The Apostolic Nunciature expresses its profound gratitude to Bishop José Lampra Cá for his dedication, his pastoral zeal and his generous service to the Church throughout his ministry at the head of the Diocese of Bissau,” Archbishop Waldemar Stanisław Sommertag, Apostolic Nuncio in Senegal, said.

He assured Bishop Lampra Cá of his “fraternal closeness and accompanies him with his prayers.”

Archbishop Sommertag also invites Priests, Religious men and women, Consecrated Persons, and all the faithful of the Diocese of Bissau to welcome their new Bishop in “faith and hope, accompanying him with their prayers in the pastoral mission entrusted to him.”

“May the Lord grant him the grace of being a pastor after His own heart, an artisan of communion, a servant in humility and a faithful witness to the Gospel,” he implored.

Born in January 1964, Bishop Lampra Cà was ordained a Priest for the Diocese of Bissau in December 1997. He was appointed Bishop of Bissau Diocese in December 2021, succeeding Bishop José Câmnate na Bissign, the first native Bishop in the two-Diocese nation of Guinea-Bissau. 

The Mass of canonical possession of the new Bishop of Bissau is scheduled for November 15 at the Our Lady of Candelária Cathedral of Bissau Diocese.

Until a new pastor is appointed for the Diocese of Bafatá and takes canonical possession, Bishop Quematcha will continue to ensure the pastoral governance of that Diocese as Apostolic Administrator.

The member of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (OFM Cap) was born in April 1967 in Cúmura in the Catholic Diocese of Bissau. He was ordained a Priest in  May 1998 in Nhoma, Guinea-Bissau.

As a Priest, Bishop Quematcha served as deputy master of novices in Dapaong, Togo, and Rector of the St. Kizito Minor Seminary in Guinea-Bissau. 

The holder of a licentiate in Moral Theology from the Pontifical Alphonsian Academy in Rome went on to serve as professor of moral theology in the Bishop Settimo Arturo Ferrazetta Interdiocesan Major Seminary in Bissau, master of temporary professed in Brá, and custodian of the Custody of Saint Francis of Assisi for Guinea-Bissau.

He also served as Parish Priest of the Our Lady of Candelaria Cathedral of Bissau Diocese, and director of the Mal-de-Hansen Hospital in Cúmura.

In March 2025, he was appointed Local Ordinary of Bafatá Diocese.

In another message, Archbishop Sommertag said the appointment of Bishop Quematcha “is a reason for joy and thanksgiving for the whole Church in Bissau.”

“This appointment opens a new stage in the pastoral life of your Diocese,” he said.

The Nuncio added, “We invite you to welcome your new Bishop in a spirit of faith, communion and trust. May each one, according to his or her vocation and mission in the Church, contribute to building a Church that is ever more united, fraternal and missionary.”

“We ask the Priests, the religious, the Consecrated Persons and the lay faithful to accompany Bishop Victor Luís Quematcha with their prayers and fraternal collaboration, so that he may exercise his ministry in the service of communion, unity and the proclamation of the Gospel,” he said.

Archbishop Sommertag continued, “We entrust this new stage in the life of your Diocese to the maternal protection of the Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church. May she accompany your new Bishop in his mission and sustain all the People of God on their path of faith, hope and charity.” 

“May the Lord bless your Diocese and make the seeds of the Gospel bear fruit,” he implored.

Once he is installed,  Bishop Quematcha will serve as the third Local Ordinary of the Diocese that was erected in September 1940. 

The 11,495-square-kilometer Bissau-Guinean Diocese has a population of 172,575 Catholics according to 2018 statistics.

Vatican expands its ecological agenda with AI and proposes "carbon fasting" as a Lenten practice

Rome has closed this week the events marking the fifth anniversary of the Laudato Si’ Action Platform, an initiative promoted by the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development that goes far beyond merely raising awareness among the faithful. 

Its stated goal for the next five years is to make the so-called “ecological conversion” a stable management criterion within Catholic institutions, influencing their investments, properties, and governance decisions.

This was made clear during the presentation of the program’s fifth annual report, which featured contributions from Sr. Alessandra Smerilli, prefect of the dicastery; Bishop Allwyn D’Silva, auxiliary bishop emeritus of Bombay; Lorna Gold, executive director of the Laudato Si’ Movement; and Alonso de Llanes, director of the platform. 

According to the data presented, the initiative now brings together more than 13,000 participants, including over 6,200 institutions. After five years of voluntary commitments, its promoters aim to move toward a more systematic implementation of environmental objectives.

From voluntary commitment to the management of ecclesiastical assets

The most revealing intervention came from Lorna Gold. The head of the Laudato Si’ Movement, which serves as the platform’s operational partner in training, communication, and mobilization, called for the next phase to accelerate institutional changes and move beyond occasional initiatives. 

In her view, ecological conversion must influence decisions regarding investments, energy, education, properties, procurement, and governance of institutions. In other words, the environmental agenda seeks to fully enter the administration of the assets of dioceses, religious congregations, schools, and universities.

Gold also described a rather telling division of roles. Ecclesial structures would provide resources and continuity, while grassroots movements would maintain pressure to ensure that commitments translate into effective changes. 

In other words, an activist movement exerting pressure, with Vatican backing, on the Church’s own institutions. The director also called for greater weight of communities from the so-called Global South in setting priorities and making decisions in environmental programs.

It should be noted that none of this was presented as a canonical obligation for dioceses, but rather as a working horizon. Yet the horizon is unequivocal: integral ecology should cease to be an occasional activity and become a permanent guiding principle in Catholic institutional life.

An atlas to map the ecological plans of dioceses and parishes

Among the new initiatives announced, the Laudato Si’ Digital Atlas stands out. According to Alonso de Llanes, the tool will allow users to select countries or dioceses, locate participating institutions, and consult their ecological plans, provided the institutions have authorized their publication. 

This information will be cross-referenced with data on deforestation, emissions, and exposure to extreme events such as hurricanes, with the stated purpose of helping institutions identify risks and learn what other communities are doing.

The project represents, in practice, a new system for collecting and monitoring data on the environmental activity of Catholic entities worldwide. It will be complemented by a learning center for sharing experiences and printed materials for communities without easy internet access.

Artificial intelligence and “digital missionaries”

The platform is also considering incorporating artificial intelligence tools to recommend resources and actions based on the characteristics of each institution and its context. 

De Llanes argued that these technologies can help evaluate results and share knowledge, though he acknowledged that they cannot replace the judgment of communities or make decisions for them.

More striking is the expansion of a global network of so-called “digital missionaries”: communicators trained to spread experiences of integral ecology, connect communities, and promote the platform’s activities in digital media. 

Following an initial training experience this year, the intention is to extend it over the next five years to different countries, languages, and ecclesial contexts.

The choice of the term is not innocent. The word “missionary” has always referred to those who proclaim the Gospel, and here it is applied to specialists in spreading an environmental program. 

The new phase, therefore, is not limited to planning: it seeks to form agents who will disseminate and consolidate its objectives within Catholic communities themselves.

More participants, but no data on results

In contrast to the ambition of the announcements, the program’s director himself acknowledged that the platform’s growth says little about its effectiveness. 

Signing up is only a first step, De Llanes explained; drafting a plan does not guarantee its implementation, and declaring an activity completed does not prove it has produced lasting effects. As an example, he cited the case of a Nigerian diocese that refused to join a tree-planting campaign until it had a plan to ensure their maintenance.

This admission is significant. The figures on participants and registered institutions reflect the project’s organizational reach, not its environmental impact. Five years on, the platform knows how many have signed up, but it cannot say how much has been achieved. 

It is paradoxical that, without being able to demonstrate results, the next proposed step is to expand its influence over the management of institutions. Improving evaluation and monitoring is, however, among the objectives of the new phase.

Smerilli and continuity under Leo XIV

Sr. Alessandra Smerilli defended the continuity of a program born during the pontificate of Francis and recalled that the encyclical Laudato si’ was not conceived as a mere text for reflection, but as a call to transform personal and communal life. 

The prefect argued that care for creation is not a secondary matter in Christian life and linked it to humanity’s relationship with God, with others, and with the world.

Smerilli also recalled that Leo XIV has called for moving from environmentalist speeches to an ecological conversion that changes lifestyles, and presented as proof of continuity the Mass for the Care of Creation, incorporated into the Roman Missal during this pontificate. 

The Pope used the new formulary for the first time in July 2025 in Castel Gandolfo and again in September, on the occasion of the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, when he linked care for creation with conversion of the heart and the need to direct resources toward life, peace, and the most needy.

The prefect also cited Leo XIV’s first encyclical, Magnifica humanitas, dedicated to human dignity in the face of the challenges of artificial intelligence, to argue that care for humanity and care for creation form a single responsibility. The reference is significant because it places the environmental question within a Christian anthropology, and not the other way around.

The “carbon fast” as a Lenten practice

Bishop D’Silva, for his part, presented the carbon fast or “carbon fast” promoted in the Archdiocese of Bombay: using Lent to review habits such as electricity and water consumption or the use of plastics. 

The prelate presented it as a way to unite Lenten penance with environmental responsibility, and encouraged his brother bishops to integrate care for creation in a lasting way into ordinary pastoral planning.

D’Silva did not propose replacing the fasting and abstinence prescribed by the Church. But transferring penitential language to a program of consumption reduction raises a fundamental question. 

Lenten penance is ordered toward the conversion of the sinner, prayer, and preparation for Easter. Sobriety in consumption can accompany that path, but it does not exhaust or replace the religious meaning of Christian fasting.

A permanent structure and an open question

Created in 2021 to put into practice the 2015 encyclical, the Laudato Si’ Action Platform has become a stable structure that has survived the pontificate that gave it birth and continues to grow under Leo XIV. 

The anniversary events, with training sessions, environmental planning, and new technologies, as well as a celebration of the Mass for the Care of Creation, confirm this consolidation.

What was once an invitation to environmental awareness now aspires to intervene in the planning, administration, formation, and communication of Catholic institutions. And this forces us to ask what place these programs should occupy in the Church’s mission. 

Responsible care for creation is part of humanity’s moral duties, but the essential mission of the Church remains to proclaim Jesus Christ, administer the sacraments, and lead souls to salvation. 

The coming years will show whether the environmental agenda is subordinated to that mission or whether it ends up competing with it for resources, structures, and priorities.