Survivors of mother and baby institution must determine site’s future – minister

Survivors of the mother and baby institution in Bessborough, Co Cork, should be “front and centre in the determination of the future of that site”, a Government minister has said.

On Thursday, Sinn Féin’s Eoin Ó Broin told Leader’s Questions the decision of An Coimisiún Pleanála to grant permission to a private developer to build apartments on the site was “appalling, utterly, utterly disgraceful”.

He said it was “met with real anger, disgust, and hurt” by survivors, families, and the public, “not least because 829 children who died in Bessborough are unaccounted for to this very day”.

“We still do not know where they are buried or what happened to them and there has been no proper investigation of the land.”

The party’s housing spokesperson called on the Government to buy the site, facilitate an investigation of the land and preserve it as “a site of national conscience”.

Peter Burke, Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, said the Government could not have intervened while An Coimisiún Pleanála or planning authorities were making their decisions.

“We know those are independent processes, and they had to run their course,” he said.

Addressing calls for the State to acquire the site, he said he could not “respond with exact precision” on what would happen.

“But while I say it should be victim-centred, and I really believe this; those who have been affected by that trauma, those families who still carry this grief to this very day, need to be front and centre in the determination of the future of that site.”

He was then asked by Ó Broin when the Government would engage with victims and survivors to discuss the issues.

Burke said he had not spoken to the Taoiseach or Tánaiste since An Coimisiún Pleanála’s decision was announced earlier on Thursday.

“Government is aware of the processes that were ongoing, and obviously, it’s very difficult to engage when a legal process by independent institutions is being determined upon, but now we have the opportunity, and absolutely we will engage proactively with victims and survivors,” he said.

Chief Rabbi leads calls to block Church of England discussion of Palestinian Christian genocide report

Leading Zionist groups and figures in the UK have come out in force to suppress discussion within the Church of England over a report by Palestinian Christian groups about genocide in Gaza.

Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis, who has a son serving in the Israeli army, has warned the Church of England’s General Synod that it risks damaging Christian-Jewish relations if it proceeds with a motion encouraging engagement with A Moment of Truth: Faith in a Time of Genocide, a document published by Kairos Palestine, also known as Kairos II.

The General Synod, the Church’s legislative body, is due to consider the motion at its annual gathering in York. The motion does not ask the Church to endorse the document, but to receive and engage with it as part of its understanding of Palestinian Christian experience amid Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

Kairos II was issued by Kairos Palestine – The Palestinian Christian Initiative on 14 November, 2025. The document says Palestinian Christians gathered “after prayer and reflection on the suffering of our people under occupation” and now declare: “We live now in a time of genocide, ethnic cleansing and forced displacement unfolding before the eyes of the world.”  

According to a report in the Telegraph, Mirvis described Kairos II as “deeply concerning” and said he hoped the synod “will see it for what it is,” implying that the Palestinian Christian initiative misrepresented the suffering of Palestinians by framing it in a way that, he argued, “can only harm the cause of peace”. He suggested that the document reduced what he called a complex political and historical reality to a “one-sided account”, downplayed Jewish historical experience and presented “political activism dressed up as theology”.

The document describes Israel as a “colonial, settler, and exclusionary entity” and says Palestinians are “the indigenous people of this land”. It calls on churches “to distinguish between dialogue with Jews and dialogue with Zionism”. It also says “The genocidal war on Gaza is the continuation of the Zionist project to seize all of Palestine, emptied of its Palestinian people.”  

Kairos II also addresses the 7 October, 2023 attacks. While it says that “Mentioning the context does not justify the killing or capture of civilians, the violations of international law and norms, or war crimes,” it adds that the Hamas attack was “born out of decades of injustice, oppression and displacement since the Nakba of 1948, and more than sixteen years of an immoral, suffocating blockade on Gaza.”  

The document rejects Israel’s claim of self-defence in Gaza, asking: “How can a colonizer defend itself against those it has colonized and expelled from their land?”  

Rabbi Dr Jonathan Romain, convenor of the Rabbinic Court of Great Britain, also urged the Church to withdraw the document. According to the Telegraph, he said: “Its use of highly questionable descriptions (such as Israel being colonial, when Jewish sovereignty dates back to biblical times) invalidates its authenticity.”

“By all means let synod debate the tragic events in the area, but using a much more balanced and realistic document. In the meantime this one should be withdrawn,” Romain added.

Rabbi Charley Baginsky, co-leader of the Movement for Progressive Judaism and a president of the Council of Christians and Jews, said the Church of England “has absolute prerogative to discuss the suffering of Palestinian Christians”, but questioned whether Kairos II provided “the right tools by which to have that discussion”.

The Campaign Against Antisemitism also attacked the document. A spokesman said: “This document is appalling, and it is shocking that the synod is even entertaining it.”

The Board of Deputies of British Jews said: “Any Church that wants a credible role in tackling prejudice here or advocating for peace in the Middle East should reject Kairos II.”

The Board described the document as “replete with historical distortions and false allegations that implicate Jews everywhere”, adding: “The document erases and distorts Jewish identity and Jewish historical experience, and risks real harm to Jews in the UK through its dissemination.”

The backlash comes after the Methodist Church formally accepted the Kairos II text and said study materials based on its contents should be prepared for the community.

The proposal before the Church of England came from a local diocese through the Church’s democratic process. The Venerable Stewart Fyfe, the Archdeacon of West Cumberland, who tabled the motion, said: “We’ve very carefully not used the words ‘genocide’ or ‘apartheid’, we’ve not made a judgment [on] that. We’re saying: ‘Let’s at least read these documents, let’s hear why they are saying this, and let’s seek an understanding”.

Fyfe went on to say that the motion asks the synod to “receive” the documents as “heartfelt expressions of the lived experience of the Palestinian church” and explained that it “obviously includes concern for the Jewish as well as Palestinian population”.

“It’s a very difficult and heartbreaking situation. We care about all the peoples of this land,”Fyfe added.

Kairos II says its appeal is directed not only to Palestinian Christians, but also to churches worldwide. It calls for “costly solidarity” and says: “Either we live together — or we perish together. Today it is Palestine. Tomorrow it will be other marginalized and oppressed peoples.”  

The document also says: “We honor the growing number of Jewish voices that oppose the war and confront Zionism from moral, faith-based and human conviction.” It calls on churches to “stand with and amplify prophetic Jewish voices that call for justice and truth.”

The campaign against Kairos II comes amid growing concern over Israeli violence against Palestinian Christians and their holy sites.

Archbishop Atallah Hanna, the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Sebastia, has warned of “escalating and systematic Israeli attacks against Christians in Jerusalem and across Palestine”. Separate figures from the Religious Freedom Data Centre have documented dozens of attacks on Christians, most of them in occupied Jerusalem.

The attempt by pro-Israel figures to silence debate in the church also follows earlier warnings from Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and Anglican Archbishop of Jerusalem Hossam Naoum about the shrinking Christian presence in Palestine. They warned that Palestinian Christians in Jerusalem often say: “In 15 years’ time, there’ll be none of us left.”

Court sets Preliminary Enquiry date for former Inishowen parish priest on sex charges

Derry Magistrate's Court heard on Thursday morning how a Preliminary Enquiry in the case of a former Inishowen parish priest charged with child sex offences has been set for next week.

Fr Edward Gallagher (59), of Orchard Park in Lifford, had been charged with one count of attempted sexual communication with a child on dates between April 2 and April 17 2025, and 7 further offences, including inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and causing a child to watch sexual activity on April 17 last year, as well as charges of possessing indecent images of children.

At the latest court hearing on Thursday, July 9, Derwin Harvey, defence solicitor for Fr Gallagher, told the court that while a date had been fixed for next Thursday, July 16, he had yet to receive any papers in the case.

A prosecutor told the court that the papers had been collected by the PSNI, and so there was no reason why a Preliminary Enquiry could not go ahead on July 16.

Mr Harvey told the court that he could accept service of the papers, and the committal proceedings have now been fixed for next Thursday.

Fr Gallagher has remained in custody at Maghaberry Prison for the past fifteen months, and appeared at the court hearing by videolink.

A former parish priest in Moville from 2022 until 2024, Fr Gallagher remains suspended from ministry. Most recently, he served as a curate at the Clonleigh, Camus and Leckpatrick parishes.

Decision to allow apartments be built on Bessborough site condemned as 'shameful'

PLANNING PERMISSION HAS been granted for the building of apartments on the site of the Bessborough mother and baby home, a decision condemned in the Dáil today as “shameful”.

The developer, Estuary View Enterprises, was originally granted permission by Cork City Council to build apartments at the site, but survivors, families with connections to the site and Labour councillor Peter Horgan lodged appeals with An Coimisiún Pleanála.

More than 850 children disappeared on the site and it is believed some of them may be buried there.

Today, the planning commission upheld the decision to allow apartments to be built, although one part of the development was not given the go-ahead. 

Today’s decision allows for the building of 106 apartments, rather than the original 140.

The Special Advocate for Survivors of Institutional Abuse, Patricia Carey, said today she was “shocked” by the commission’s decision, calling it “abhorrent”. 

“It is critical that the government intervene immediately and directly to stop this development proceeding and to work with survivor groups to agree a plan to identify the locations of all disappeared children’s remains and provide for dignified burial and memorialisation,” she said. 

The concerns and demands of survivors and families were put to the government in the Dáil today by Sinn Féin TD Eoin Ó Broin, who said the commission had made “a shameful decision”. 

Ó Broin said survivors want the development of apartments to be stopped and to see the site turned into “a site of national conscience”.

He asked when the government would meet with the families and survivors.

Enterprise minister Peter Burke, who took Leaders Questions today, said he hoped the government would engage with them “compassionately” but that he had not spoken to Taoiseach Micheál Martin since the appeals were rejected. 

But he said that now the decision has been made, “we have the opportunity” to meet with them.

Survivors and families have also long called for the site to be excavated.

“Of the 923 children who died in Bessborough, the burial records of only 64 of these children have been identified and located – this is an absolute disgrace,” Patricia Carey said. 

In late June, over 250 people attended a vigil in Bessborough, where survivors said they were prepared to chain themselves to construction machinery on the site to stop the development going ahead.  

Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns said today that the commission’s decision was “shocking”.

Cairns noted that the decision states that “from the information available, there is no evidence that there are unrecorded burials in the area proposed for the subject development”.

Cairns said that the available information “is wholly inadequate”.

“There has never been a comprehensive survey of the site to try to find out if children were buried there,” she said. 

Planning permission upheld for apartments on Bessborough mother and baby home site

Planning permission granted by Cork City Council for the building of apartments on the site of Ireland’s last mother and baby institution has been substantially upheld by An Coimisúin Pleanála.

Permission had been granted in February by the council to Estuary View Enterprises for the building of 140 apartments on the site of the former Bessborough mother and baby institution, and the commission upheld permission for 106 apartments.

The commission’s decision upholds 75% of the planning permission granted by the council, but omits Block C, which had been proposed to consist of nine one-bedroom apartments and 25 two-bed apartments over three storeys.

The decision comes despite strong concerns from survivors that the remaining 60 undeveloped acres of the former 200-acre Bessborough site may contain the remains of some of the hundreds of babies who died at the institution or upon discharge.

Bessborough was run as a mother and baby institution by the Sisters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary between 1922 and 1998, and in 2021, the Mother and Baby Homes Commission reported 923 child deaths relating to Bessborough.

With burial records existing for only 64 of those children, the commission found that it was “highly likely” some of the missing 859 children were buried on the institution’s grounds.

Abuse survivors disappointed by Taoiseach's remarks on letter

Child sexual abuse survivors from the Christian Brother school in Creagh Lane, Limerick, have expressed disappointment at remarks by the Taoiseach in the Dáil.

Micheál Martin described a letter of confession written in 1970 by the then Christian Brother Seán Drummond as "new information".

John Boland, representing survivors of Creagh Lane school, who were present in the Dáil gallery for the proceedings, said the Taoiseach should have been aware of the letter, which was revealed in an RTÉ Investigates documentary last year, featuring the survivors.

He said he was at a loss to know how Mr Martin was not aware.

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald raised the plight of the men during Leader's Questions.

She pointed out that the men had been locked out of the limited State redress schemes for day schools because of the absence of evidence of a prior complaint against Drummond.

Ms McDonald said the confession letter itself constituted evidence of a prior complaint. It was concealed and never given to the survivors, she said.

The Taoiseach said: "I was not aware of the confession letter of Seán Drummond, which the Deputy outlined."

"I would like to get more background on that and to see what is the best way to take it from here in respect of the specific issue of an independent investigation into why that letter did not appear before now," he added.

The letter was highlighted by the survivors in the RTÉ Investigates 2025 documentary. A dozen Creagh Lane survivors spoke to the programme.

Drummond sexually abused all of them when he taught there in the late 1960s. They are now aged in their late 60s.

Survivors of the Creagh Lane abuse who spoke to RTÉ Investigates described lifelong effects of the abuse of them as children.

When some of their parents told the Christian Brothers of Drummond’s abuse in the 1960s, he was moved to CBS Sexton Street and Monastery nearby. He was later found guilty of abuse there too.

In 2004, one of his victims, ex-pupil David Phayer, went to gardaí and made a complaint, but there was no investigation.

He went back in 2007, and at that time, gardaí commenced a criminal investigation into abuse by Drummond.

In 2009, on the day his trial was due to begin in Limerick Circuit Court, Drummond, by then an ex-Christian Brother, pleaded guilty to indecent assault on 19 boys between the ages of seven and nine at Creagh Lane/Gerald Griffin Memorial Primary School, Bridge Street, Limerick between 1967 and 1968.

He was sentenced to two years in prison.

In 2013, Drummond again entered a late plea of guilty to two counts of indecently assaulting a pupil aged ten between August 1968 and August 1969 at CBS Sexton Street, Limerick.

He was sentenced to two years, but the sentence was suspended.

The Creagh Lane survivors took civil cases against the Christian Brothers.

Despite Drummond’s conviction, the abuse was denied. A decade of delay followed.

Drummond died in May 2021.

The congregation eventually settled with some of the men, but other cases remained in the courts.

But the letter, from 1970, cast new light on decades of denial and, victims argue, means the state cannot rely on a claim that there was no prior complaint of the abuse.

The letter shows that Drummond’s Christian Brother superiors, in Ireland and in Rome, knew of his abuse as far back as 1970 at least.

It is accompanied by two further letters, one from the leader of the Irish Christian Brothers, and a third from the Vicar General of the congregation in Rome.

Drummond’s superiors had transferred him out of Limerick to the Christian Brothers in James’s Street, Dublin after one incident.

In a two-page handwritten letter, written from the James's Street address on 24 February 1970, Drummond wrote to Superior General Br Arthur Loftus in Rome asking for a dispensation from his vows and admitting he sexually abused pupils.

He wrote: "I have interfered sexually with some of my pupils".

"Please accept my sincerest apologies for the harm I have done to the Congregation and pray for me that I may make up in some way the harm I have done to these boys," he said.

"I will always be thankful for all the good this congregation has done for me."

In a letter on 26 February 1970, which referenced orders for hand-crafted wooden Stations of the Cross and two statues ordered from Rome for Christian Brother monasteries in Ireland, the then Irish Christian Brother leader Br Timothy Gall Moynihan wrote to the Vicar General in Rome that Drummond "has been in trouble with boys and now would rather be allowed to leave than wait until summer".

He wrote that the Irish council leadership had unanimously decided that Drummond "… should be dispensed and let go …".

Within a week, Vicar General Br Michael Columba Normoyle granted the dispensation and Drummond was gone, freed from his vows.

Having left the Christian Brothers in March 1970, he subsequently married and had children, all now adults.

Survivors of the Creagh Lane abuse who spoke to RTÉ Investigates described a loss of education and opportunity and trauma to themselves and their families.

A number said they had suffered mental health issues, addiction and suicide ideation and one described several suicide attempts.

When they took civil cases in the courts, they said the legal tactics adopted by the congregation were hostile and designed to delay.

Speaking outside the Dáil session, John Boland said it was long past time for the Christian Brothers congregation to "stop mistreating people in the courts".

"They should release the papers they hold and relieve the pressure on people," he said.

He added that he believes that every Christian Brother who asks to leave the congregation has to apply for dispensation from their vows.

"There must be a roomful of such letters in the Christian Brothers' records.

"These were never produced in court and a lot of people passed away before any of this was revealed" he said.

"But the knowledge was there."

Enoch Burke has launched yet another court challenge, this time against the decision to sack him

ENOCH BURKE HAS opened up a new front in his ongoing legal battle with Wilson’s Hospital School following confirmation of his dismissal earlier this summer.

The former teacher filed papers in the High Court on Tuesday to seek a judicial review of a decision by the school’s board of management in May this year to uphold his sacking.

That decision came after a Disciplinary Appeals Panel (DAP) met and recommended that his sacking in January 2023 should be upheld.

The papers filed in the High Court yesterday show that Burke has named the three members of the DAP, Claire Callanan, John Irwin, and Seamus Lahart, the Minister for Education and the Board of Management of Wilson’s Hospital School as co-defendants.

Burke was sacked after a dispute with the school’s management arising from his behaviour at a church service in the summer of 2022.

The school alleged that at the event, Burke said that his then-principal should withdraw a request for teachers to address a transitioning student by their preferred pronouns.

Burke is alleged to have approached the then-principal of the school, and to have questioned her loudly, prompting other people to stand between the two of them.

However, he has repeatedly argued that the direction to address the pupil by their preferred pronouns was unconstitutional and that it went against his religious beliefs.

Burke was initially suspended pending the disciplinary process, before being jailed after repeatedly turning up at the school in violation of a court order to refrain from trespassing on its grounds.

He spent more than 700 days in prison over five separate stints for violating the court’s order, and is also estimated to owe at least €260,000 in fines to the State for the same reason.

Three DAPs were formed to handle the case and review his dismissal before the most recent iteration agreed to uphold the decision by Wilson’s Hospital School in 2023.

Last week, Burke was released from prison for the fifth time by a High Court judge because the school is on holidays and a judge deemed that he could not cause disruption by trespassing there.

The former teacher has never purged his contempt of court, or given any undertaking that he would stay away from the school grounds.

Judge Brian Cregan said last week that the school’s board of management has made it clear they have no desire to see Burke reside in prison, but that they are wary that he may show up again on the school grounds when the new term begins. 

He said that if this were to be the case, the school could make a fresh application for his committal for being in breach of a court order. 

Augustinian Order to withdraw from Cork City as St Augustine’s Church closes

Sunday, July 12 will mark the last Mass at St Augustine’s Church in Cork and the withdrawal of the Augustian Order from the city.

The decision to withdraw comes as the order sees declining vocations, with a lack of ordinations to fill the ministry needs of the order amid the aging profile of the current friars.

According to Cork newspaper The Echo, the Augustinian order in Ireland has only 10 friars under the age of 70 in 2026, with more than half of the friars over the age of 80.

Speaking shortly after the announcement of the closure in March, vicar provincial of the Augustinian Order Fr Paddy O’Reilly said the decision to withdraw from Cork was made with “great pain and sadness”, but acknowledged that the city is “well served by Franciscans, Capuchins, Dominicans, and by an abundance of diocesan churches.”

Speaking about the decision, Bishop Fintan Gavin expressed hope that the faith “nurtured for generations within the walls of St Augustine’s” will continue in Cork City.

Dáil hears how Christian Brother’s letter confessing to abuse was ‘concealed’

A letter of confession by a Christian Brother who abused boys at a Limerick school was concealed for decades, Mary Lou McDonald has told the Dáil.

The Sinn Féin leader said six men who “suffered horrific daily abuse” by Sean Drummond at Creagh Lane National School during the 1960s were in the public gallery during Leaders’ Questions on Wednesday.

“These men were failed catastrophically as children and treated appallingly as survivors, and for years they had to fight the state for recognition, justice and full compensation,” she said.

Ms McDonald said they “endured a lengthy Garda investigation” and the state claims agency “persisted in challenging the survivors”.

She continued: “Later it emerged that Drummond wrote a confession letter dated as far back as February 1970 in which he admitted abusing pupils in Creagh Lane School.

“Correspondence shows that the Christian Brothers in Dublin and in Rome were fully aware of the abuse committed by Drummond, but the confession letter was concealed.

“It was never given to the survivors so the investigation, the criminal case and the survivors’ civil cases were conducted without this key piece of evidence.

“Sean Drummond received a sentence of two years and he served five months. These men – and not just them, their families, their entire families – serve a life sentence on account of this abuse.”

She called on the Taoiseach to establish an independent investigation into the concealment of the letter and whether state agencies knew of its existence, and for all compensation owed to the survivors to be paid.

Micheál Martin said he “wasn’t aware” of the letter of confession, calling it “new information”.

He said he would take the matter further and discuss it with the Minister of Education, Hildegarde Naughton.

The Christian Brothers have been contacted for comment.

Pope appoints Christian Würtz as new Bishop of Eichstätt

Pope Leo XIV has appointed the former auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Friburgo (Germany), Christian Würtz, as the new bishop of the Diocese of Eichstätt (Bavaria, Germany). At 55 years of age, he succeeds Bishop Gregor Maria Hanke and becomes the youngest diocesan bishop in Germany.

The appointment, announced this Tuesday by the Holy See, ends the period of vacant see that began after Hanke’s early resignation at Pentecost 2025. 

The official proclamation took place in Eichstätt Cathedral during the feast of Saint Willibald, founder of the diocese.

In his first words after learning of the Pope’s decision, Würtz expressed his gratitude for the trust placed in him. “I am pleased with my new task. I hope to put my experience and abilities at the service of building the Kingdom of God and to walk together with the people of this diocese,” he said.

A canonist with two doctorates

Born in Karlsruhe (Germany) in 1971, Christian Würtz began his university studies in Law before entering the seminary. He holds a doctorate iuris utriusque —in both civil and canon law— and also a doctorate in Theology.

He was ordained a priest in 2006 for the Archdiocese of Friburgo and subsequently held various pastoral, academic, and judicial responsibilities. 

Among these, he served as a judge of the ecclesiastical tribunal of Friburgo, parish priest, dean of the city, and rector of the archdiocesan seminary, a position from which he directed the formation of future priests.

In 2019, Pope Francis appointed him auxiliary bishop of Friburgo. At 48, he was then the youngest bishop in Germany.

His participation in the Synodal Way

In September 2022, he voted in favor of the document proposing a doctrinal reassessment of homosexuality, which stated that homosexual orientation is not a personal choice and called for greater welcome and integration of homosexual persons in ecclesial life.

In the same assembly, he also supported the text on so-called “gender diversity,” which urged dioceses to review various pastoral and administrative aspects to facilitate the inclusion of transgender and intersex persons.

Months later, in March 2023, he again voted in favor of the document proposing the introduction of blessing ceremonies for same-sex couples and for divorced and remarried persons, one of the most controversial initiatives of the Synodal Way.

Dialogue with the Maria 2.0 movement

Shortly after his episcopal ordination in 2019, Christian Würtz held a meeting with members of the Maria 2.0 movement, which emerged in Germany to demand various reforms in the Church, including women’s access to the priesthood.

After speaking with the protesters, he gave them a personal letter and a ball of red thread as a symbol of dialogue, a gesture that was positively received by the movement’s representatives.

Women’s requests to enter the seminary

More recently, in May 2025, as rector of the Friburgo seminary, he received the symbolic admission applications submitted by nine theology students protesting the reservation of the ministerial priesthood to men.

Würtz described the initiative as “a good sign of the commitment and seriousness with which these women approach their vocation and their path in the Church,” although he noted that he could not admit them due to the Church’s current regulations. He later held a meeting with the students, which both sides described as respectful and constructive.

A historic Bavarian diocese

Today Würtz assumes the Diocese of Eichstätt, a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Bamberg, founded in the mid-8th century and whose patron is Saint Willibald. 

It currently has 334,517 Catholics, distributed across 253 parishes, organized into 74 pastoral units and eight deaneries.

Vatican presents the encyclical Magnifica Humanitas at the UN summit on artificial intelligence

Pope Leo XIV has sent a message to the participants of the AI for Good Global Summit 2026, the international gathering on artificial intelligence organized in Geneva by the International Telecommunication Union, in collaboration with various United Nations agencies and the Swiss Government. 

The text, signed by the Cardinal Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin, presents the encyclical Magnifica Humanitas as the Holy See’s main contribution to the international debate on the development of artificial intelligence.

In his message, the Pontiff states that the Holy See wishes to take an active part in the dialogue on a technology that raises “some of the most important questions of our time regarding the future of humanity.” 

In this context, he reaffirms the Church’s readiness to collaborate with the international community at a moment he describes as an “epochal change.”

Magnifica Humanitas, a point of reference

The message positions the encyclical published by Leo XIV last May as the framework through which the Church addresses the ethical challenges of artificial intelligence. 

The document, dedicated to the protection of the human person in the age of AI, expresses the Pope’s desire to engage in dialogue with “all men and women of our time” in order to identify new paths oriented toward the common good and the promotion of a dignified life for all.

The text recalls that Magnifica Humanitas was born after listening to scientists, engineers, policymakers, educators, and families concerned about the impact of these technologies, but also as a response to warnings about the potential misuse of algorithms and the progressive loss of human decision-making capacity in fundamental areas.

The Holy See’s presence in the AI debate

Through this message, Leo XIV confirms the Holy See’s determination to remain present in the main international forums dedicated to artificial intelligence. 

Since the beginning of his pontificate, the Pope has insisted on the need for technological development to be guided by ethical principles that place the person at the center and prevent innovation from becoming detached from moral responsibility.

The message concludes with the wish that participants maintain a “constructive and enriching” dialogue and with the Holy Father’s commitment to accompany the summit’s work with his prayers, so that its efforts may truly serve humanity.

Pelayo, backed by the episcopal leadership awaiting his trial

Little has been reported in Catholic and ecclesial media about the criminal proceedings that the priest and veteran Vatican correspondent Antonio Pelayo is facing in Rome since El Mundo published, on January 26, that the Italian justice system had ordered the opening of an oral trial against him for alleged rape. 

The case returned to the news on May 15, when El Norte de Castilla reported the postponement of the hearing, initially scheduled for that same month, until January 21, 2027, due to technical issues at the Court of Rome.

However, beyond the delay in the proceedings, information has emerged about the explicit support Antonio Pelayo has received from the last two presidents of the Spanish Episcopal Conference. 

According to El Mundo, both the current president of the CEE, Bishop Luis Argüello, and his predecessor, Cardinal Ricardo Blázquez, sent letters that have been submitted by the defense as part of the judicial proceedings.

The letters do not contain an assessment of the substance of the charges brought by the Italian Prosecutor’s Office; rather, they offer testimony regarding the priestly career and personal reputation of the journalist and priest from Valladolid.

In the letter signed on February 20, 2026, Cardinal Ricardo Blázquez explains that for years he maintained a frequent relationship with Pelayo when the latter traveled to Valladolid. “I was always able to appreciate his cordial belonging to the presbyterate of his diocese as well as a deep-rooted sense of Church,” writes the archbishop emeritus. 

He then adds that he has been “deeply surprised by the information about some inappropriate behavior,” since, in his view, it contrasts with the opinion he had formed of the priest during their long relationship.

In similar terms, Bishop Luis Argüello expresses himself. The current archbishop of Valladolid states that in the archdiocese “there is no record of any negative news or comment regarding possible inappropriate behavior by Don Antonio.” 

He further adds that there are “positive references” from people who have coincided with him in Rome and concludes by noting that he signs this testimony “in case it may serve for a better assessment of the person and attitudes of Antonio Pelayo Bombín.”

A pending judicial process

The trial against Antonio Pelayo was to begin on May 14 through the abbreviated procedure provided for under Italian law. However, the hearing was suspended due to technical issues and postponed until January 21, 2027.

According to El Norte de Castilla, Pelayo personally conveyed to Luis Argüello his concern over the prolongation of the process and his desire for the matter to be clarified as soon as possible. 

The priest, who has declined to make public statements on the advice of his lawyer, continues to maintain his innocence.

The case began after a complaint filed in Rome by a young television producer, who accused Pelayo of having performed “sexual acts” without his consent during a meeting held in May 2025. 

Following the investigation carried out by the Carabinieri, the Rome Prosecutor’s Office requested the opening of a trial, considering that there was sufficient evidence to support the charges—a request that was accepted by the competent court.

A singular show of support

The presumption of innocence fully protects Antonio Pelayo, and it will be the Court of Rome that determines, after the trial, whether the reported facts have been proven or not.

Nevertheless, the public support of the last two presidents of the Spanish Episcopal Conference constitutes an uncommon circumstance in a criminal proceeding against a priest. 

The letters sent by Argüello and Blázquez do not question the actions of the Italian justice system nor do they seek to undermine the Prosecutor’s investigation. Their purpose is to vouch for the personal and priestly trajectory of the accused.

Precisely for this reason, it is noteworthy that the highest representation of the Spanish episcopate has chosen to become so directly involved in these proceedings. 

In other criminal cases involving Spanish priests in recent years, the institutional response has typically consisted of recalling the presumption of innocence, expressing respect for judicial decisions, or remaining silent until the conclusion of the investigations.

This difference in treatment does not prejudge the outcome of the case nor does it undermine Antonio Pelayo’s right to receive support from those who have known him for decades. 

However, it does introduce an element of reflection on the criteria by which the ecclesiastical hierarchy decides to intervene publicly in favor of certain priests, while others facing similar proceedings do so without comparable institutional backing.

It will ultimately be the Italian justice system that determines the guilt or innocence of Antonio Pelayo. Until then, the presumption of innocence must be fully respected, just as institutional prudence remains one of the main guarantees for preserving the Church’s credibility in matters of this nature.

Pope Leo XIV will have lunch with 200 poor people in Castel Gandolfo

About 200 poor people from the diocese of Rome will take part next Saturday, July 11, in the initiative «A pranzo con il Papa», which will be held at the Borgo Laudato si’ in the Pontifical Gardens of Castel Gandolfo. 

The day will include a Eucharistic celebration, a visit to the grounds, and lunch with Leo XIV.

The initiative is organized by the Centro de Alta Formación Laudato si’, in collaboration with the Dicastery for the Service of Charity and the diocese of Rome. It will be the second time Leo XIV shares a meal with poor people since the beginning of his pontificate. 

Following that experience, the organizers decided to turn the gathering into an annual event, inviting a different diocese each year.

A day of encounter with the Pope

The program will begin with the celebration of the Eucharist using the Liturgy for the Care of Creation. Afterward, participants will tour the Borgo Laudato si’ on a guided visit and conclude the day by sharing lunch with the Holy Father.

The organizers anticipate that, starting this year, each edition will feature a different diocese, inviting poor people, refugees, migrants, and other individuals in need to take part in a day of fellowship and encounter with the Pope.

Participants from the diocese of Rome

In this first edition, people regularly accompanied by parishes, Caritas, and other ecclesial and associative entities of the diocese of Rome will attend.

Cardinal Baldassare Reina, the Pope’s vicar general for the diocese of Rome, noted that the protagonists of the day will be people accompanied daily by the parishes, Caritas, and other ecclesial realities of the diocese, with the aim of placing them at the center of this initiative.

The Borgo Laudato si’ project

Cardinal Fabio Baggio, director general of the Centro de Alta Formación Laudato si’, explained that the Borgo Laudato si’ project seeks to show that care for creation and attention to the poor are part of the same mission of the Church. 

In that context, he framed this day as a new stage in the initiatives promoted by Leo XIV directed toward social peripheries.

For his part, Monsignor Luis Marín de San Martín, prefect of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity, stated that this type of encounter expresses the dimension of closeness, encounter, and service proper to the Church’s charitable mission through direct contact with poor people accompanied by the various ecclesial realities.

Attacks against Christians in Israel double: spitting, assaults, and threats increase in Jerusalem

Attacks against Christians in Israel continue to rise. 

During the second quarter of 2026, the recorded assaults nearly doubled compared to the first three months of the year, according to a report by the Religious Freedom Data Center, which warns of an increase in hate incidents, especially in Jerusalem.

According to the KNA news agency, 83 anti-Christian incidents were documented between April and June, compared to 44 recorded in the first quarter. Of these, ten involved threats or physical assaults. Most of the cases occurred in Jerusalem, particularly in the Old City.

Spitting and assaults in public spaces

The report notes that more than half of the reported incidents consisted of spitting directed at Christians, a practice that for years has especially affected priests, religious, and pilgrims walking the streets of Jerusalem.

In total, 68 of the 83 incidents took place in Jerusalem and 46 occurred in the Old City, where numerous Christian holy sites are concentrated.

The authors of the report warn that attacks are increasingly occurring with greater ease and in broad daylight. “Harassment and assaults are taking place more and more openly in public spaces, and the perpetrators show little restraint,” the document states.

Among the most serious cases is the assault suffered by a French nun near the Old City, who was injured in the head after a violent attack.

Holidays concentrate more incidents

The study highlights that certain events lead to an increase in assaults.

During the celebration of Jerusalem Day, a holiday in which Jewish nationalist groups commemorate the occupation of East Jerusalem after the 1967 Six-Day War with a flag march, eight attacks against Christians were recorded in a single day.

Likewise, during the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, seven other incidents were counted in a single day.

Misinformation fuels hostility

The Religious Freedom Data Center attributes part of the rise in violence to the proliferation of hate messages and disinformation campaigns on the internet against the Christian community.

The organization also denounces that the limited institutional visibility of Christianity in Jerusalem contributes to fostering a climate of hostility. In this regard, it calls on the City Council to give Christianity a public recognition similar to that received by Jewish tradition’s holidays and symbols through signs, institutional messages, and other urban elements.

According to the report, “the continued exclusion of the Christian presence from the public representation of Jerusalem directly contributes to manifestations of hostility by some Jews toward Christians.”

Proposals to curb the assaults

The organization has offered to collaborate with the Israel Defense Forces in training their personnel to prevent this type of behavior. It is also preparing informational material aimed at tour guides who accompany groups of soldiers through Jerusalem.

The report does not include attacks committed by Israeli citizens outside the country. Among them, it mentions the destruction of a statue of Jesus Christ and the desecration of an image of the Virgin Mary in southern Lebanon by Israeli soldiers.

Throughout 2025, the Religious Freedom Data Center documented 181 attacks against Christians in Israel, of which 150 occurred in Jerusalem, a trend that, according to data from the first half of 2026, continues to worsen.

Madrid will dedicate two parks to Benedict XVI and Pope Francis

The Madrid City Council will name two parks in the capital after Benedict XVI and Pope Francis, an initiative announced by the mayor, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, during the Debate on the State of the City. 

The decision, according to the mayor, follows Madrid’s tradition of paying tribute to pontiffs and comes just weeks after the visit of Pope Leo XIV to the Spanish capital.

Martínez-Almeida stated that the city wants to keep a permanent memory of both pontiffs, following the example of other public spaces already dedicated to previous popes.

Two new spaces named after pontiffs

The mayor announced that a park located in the Latina district will be named after Benedict XVI, while another green space, situated in San Blas-Canillejas, will be dedicated to Pope Francis.

“Just like their predecessors in the Catholic Church, they will have a permanent place in the city’s memory,” he affirmed during his address to the municipal plenary session.

Vatican October Meeting to Focus on Divorce, Other Family Issues

A Vatican meeting of bishops in October will focus on divorce and separation, among other family-related issues, according to the preparatory document published Monday.

The gathering of presidents of the world’s bishops’ conferences will be a forum to discuss the application today of Amoris Laetitia, Pope Francis’ controversial 2016 apostolic exhortation on marriage and the family.

The Vatican announced July 6 that the Oct. 7–14 meeting will center on five themes, including accompanying and supporting families “in the difficulties of life.”

The gathering will include a discussion about “walking with families in complex situations,” such as “abandonment, separation, and divorce,” so that they can feel listened to and involved in the Church, according to a press release from the Secretariat General of the Synod and the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family, and Life.

It will also discuss cohabiting couples, openness to welcoming children, the decline in marriage among young people, and the transmission of the faith to new generations.

Pope Leo announced at the end of his second consistory of cardinals on June 27 that several families will also take part in the meeting with the Roman and Eastern Catholic bishops.

The presence of families “is essential,” he said. “At the same time, I hope that all those who come will prepare by listening closely to, and bringing with them, the experience of the families in their own Churches.” 

The pope also explained that the purpose of the event will be “to assess the progress made since Amoris Laetitia.”

In  Amoris Laetitia, Leo’s predecessor Pope Francis sparked controversy when he wrote that even people in an “objective state of sin” could be eligible to receive the “help of the sacraments.” He later authorized an  interpretation of that language that made it possible for some people in irregular unions to receive Communion after a process of discernment with a priest.

Previous popes had said divorced and civilly remarried Catholics could not receive Communion unless they lived as brother and sister.

According to a July 6 press release, the October gathering, while not a synodal assembly, will be carried out in a synodal style “because it shares the spirit of the Synod’s implementation process, marked by listening, prayer, and discernment.”

While organizers of the meeting did not specify, by a “synodal style” they likely meant a methodology used at the Vatican during the Synod on Synodality, and at the pope’s two consistories of cardinals this year, of breaking participants into small groups for highly moderated discussions at round tables.

Released the same day, the meeting’s “thematic framework” is intended to prepare and guide the discussions at the Vatican in October.

“The aim is to discern the direction in which the Holy Spirit is leading us today, so as to recognize, support, and foster what He is already accomplishing within families and to appreciate their contribution to the mission of the Church,” the framework document states.

The rapid changes of our era, the document continues, call “for attentive listening to the concrete lives of families and to the experience of those who accompany them, recognizing together both the beauty of love as it takes shape in daily life and the fragilities that often affect it, including precarious employment and housing, illness, the challenges of raising children, emotional loneliness, and the care of family members with disabilities, the elderly, or those who are not self-sufficient.”

“Failure, fragility, the gap between the ideal and reality, and the complexity of life situations also become places in which the work of God’s grace may be recognized and where persons can be accompanied with respect, patience, and hope,” the preparatory document says.

The full titles of the five themes of the meeting, as found in the text, are:

1. Families today: reality, beauty, and challenges — Discerning the signs of the times through the experience of families and the Church’s pastoral commitment today

2. Young people and the discovery of the vocation to marriage — Listening to young people and accompanying them in discovering the value of marriage

3. Married life. The first years of marriage: a decisive time — Listening to and accompanying couples in the early years of married life and at every stage of life

4. In the difficulties of life: accompanying and supporting — Walking with families in complex situations

5. Christian families as subjects of the Church’s mission — Embracing conjugal and family love as an impetus for mission

Archbishop Farrell calls for compassion on migration

Archbishop Dermot Farrell of the Archdiocese of Dublin has called for greater compassion towards migrants and asylum seekers, urging Ireland to ensure its immigration policies are rooted in respect for human dignity while acknowledging the legitimate challenges posed by population growth and housing pressures.

Preaching during the Vigil Mass at Saint Mary’s Pro-Cathedral in Dublin, Archbishop Farrell reflected on the Gospel’s invitation to find rest in Christ and said Christians are called to show solidarity with those burdened by hardship.  

He argued that every person possesses inherent dignity as a gift from God, regardless of nationality, race or social status.

Drawing parallels with the United States’ 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the Archbishop noted the historic document’s recognition of equality and inalienable rights while acknowledging its contradictions, including the exclusion of enslaved people and Indigenous communities.  

He said the ongoing struggle to uphold human rights remains as relevant today as ever.

Turning to contemporary issues, Archbishop Farrell expressed concern over growing hostility towards migrants and refugees, warning that fear and division are increasingly being exploited to undermine social cohesion.  

He said Ireland’s own history of emigration should inspire greater empathy for those seeking safety or opportunity here.

“Our health and social services, high-tech industries, food production and hospitality sectors all depend significantly on people who have made Ireland their home,” he said, adding that migrants should not be treated as problems to be managed but as people deserving dignity and respect.

While recognising public concerns over housing shortages, pressure on services and the need to protect the integrity of the asylum system, Archbishop Farrell said just immigration policies must always place the human person at their centre.  

He warned against creating discriminatory conditions that leave migrant workers and families living as “second-class citizens”.

Concluding his homily, Archbishop Farrell urged Irish society to reject hatred and exclusion, calling instead for a spirit of welcome inspired by the Gospel. Quoting Pope Leo XIV, he encouraged people to become “weavers of hope” by sharing their gifts and building communities marked by hospitality, inclusion and mutual respect.

Women Accuse Rabat Archbishop of Sexual Violence, Vatican Opens Inquiry

At least five women have accused Cristobal Lopez Romero, the Archbishop of Rabat, of sexual violence, prompting the Vatican to open a formal investigation into one of the Catholic Church’s most prominent cardinals.

The 74-year-old Spanish clergyman announced on Tuesday that he would step back from all public duties while the inquiry proceeds. But he denied the allegations.

The accusations came to light through an investigation by Agence France-Presse. AFP interviewed a retired woman active within the church who reported repeated sexual assaults but did not authorize the agency to disclose the details of her testimony at this stage.

AFP also reviewed the written testimony of another woman, addressed to the apostolic nunciature – the Vatican’s embassy in the Moroccan capital.

She accused the cardinal of “physical gestures” she “perceived as inappropriate,” including “particularly forceful and prolonged embraces” and an attempted physical advance she described as an effort to kiss her, which she reported escaping “with great difficulty.”

A source within the diocese also informed AFP that at least three other women had reported “similar incidents.” Some of those accounts were shared during confession.

Contacted about the allegations, the archbishop told AFP he had “responded to his ecclesiastical superiors.” He pledged to “fully cooperate with them in the investigation” and affirmed he had “committed neither aggression, nor violence, nor sexual harassment.”

In a separate communiqué addressed to the faithful of his diocese, the cardinal elaborated on his decision to step aside. “During this period of investigation, so as not to hinder it, I will step back, presiding over no public celebration and engaging in no pastoral activity,” he wrote.

The statement marked a dramatic turn for a clergyman who had long ranked among the church’s most visible figures. During the May 2025 conclave, multiple media outlets identified Lopez Romero among the most influential cardinals and described him as “papabile” – a term reserved for those considered the strongest contenders for the papacy.

According to sources within the Rabat diocese cited by La Croix, the archbishop reportedly acknowledged to his collaborators having maintained inappropriate affective relationships with several women. The same internal source indicated the Vatican had been investigating the matter since Easter and had requested that he withdraw from his duties.

The Holy See did not respond to AFP’s requests for comment.

From papal contender to accused

Lopez Romero has led the Archdiocese of Rabat since 2017, overseeing a diocese where Christians represent roughly one percent of the population. He hails from Andalusia in southern Spain and previously served as a missionary in Paraguay. Pope Francis elevated him to cardinal in 2019.

Cardinals, chosen by the pope, form the innermost circle of church leadership and assist in its governance. Those under 80 also vote in the conclave to elect a new pontiff.

No complaint has been filed with Moroccan authorities, the French news agency confirmed.

Nadia Debbache, a Moroccan lawyer specializing in sexual violence cases, noted that the acts the cardinal stands accused of could constitute “aggravated sexual harassment and aggravated sexual assault.” She identified the aggravating factor as “the abuse of authority by their alleged perpetrator.”

A member of the Salesians of Don Bosco – a Catholic religious order and congregation – Lopez Romero was ordained a priest in 1979 and holds degrees in philosophy and theology, along with a journalism diploma. He served as president of the Conference of Bishops of North Africa from 2022 to 2025 and joined the Vatican department for interreligious dialogue in 2020.

The allegations also recall another abuse case Lopez Romero handled within his jurisdiction. In 2024, the archbishop managed the case of Antoine Exelmans, a French priest stationed at Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes in Casablanca.

Exelmans was suspected of committing sexual violence against several minor migrants between 2021 and 2024. The archbishop opened a canonical inquiry at the time, transmitted its conclusions to the Vatican, and addressed a letter to the faithful informing them of the priest’s conduct.

Scottish bishops sell the Pontifical Scottish College in Rome

The Bishops of Scotland have confirmed the completion of the sale of the former Pontifical Scots College building on the Via Cassia in Rome, marking the end of an important chapter in the history of the college. 

Since 1964, the Via Cassia building has been home to generations of Scottish seminarians during their formation for priestly ministry. 

 Commenting on the building sale, Bishop John Keenan, President of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland, said: «Today we give thanks for the generations of priests who were formed at the College on the Via Cassia and who have faithfully served the people of Scotland. As one chapter closes, another begins. With confidence in the Lord’s providence, we look to the future and to the continuing mission of the College in forming priests who will proclaim the Gospel with faith, generosity and hope.»  

The rector of the Pontifical Scots College, Fr Mark Cassidy, said: «The sale of the Via Cassia building brings to an end a significant chapter in the life of the Church in Scotland. We now look forward to the next chapter in our 425-year history and to finding a new home for the seminary, where we can continue to form men ready for the Church’s mission.» 

The bishops expressed their sincere gratitude to the rector of the College, Father Mark, and to the teams in Rome and Scotland who worked so diligently with him to bring the sale to a successful conclusion.