NewzIntel.com

Category: Vatican City

  • MIL-OSI Europe: ASIA/SOUTH KOREA – “One life is more precious than the whole world”. The Korean work of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd for women in need

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    by Pascale Rizk
    [embedded content]
    Chunchon (Agenzia Fides) – For more than 50 years, the Sisters of Our Lady of the Good Shepherd in Chuncheon, Seoul, and Jeju, South Korea, have prayed and worked for women and girls in difficulty: single mothers, immigrants, pregnant women, and girls abused within the family. In recent months, they inaugurated a new facility for women in need at their provincial house of the International Congregation of Religious in Chuncheon.Founded in 1995 with the help of donations, the sisters’ house in Chuncheon continues to grow today with the support of old and new benefactors who value the sisters’ work on behalf of women and girls from all over the country.At the inauguration ceremony last April, Bishop Simon Kim Ju-young of Chuncheon addressed the benefactors, saying: “You must be the happiest of all. You should know that while we priests sometimes neglect prayer, the nuns, on the contrary, always pray diligently.” It was he himself who, a year earlier, had invited the parishes of the diocese to support the fundraising campaign launched by the sisters. “Since 1993,” reports Sister Marie Jean Bae, who served as Provincial Superior from 2014 to 2019, “the sisters of Chuncheon had used the land on which the new building stands free of charge. Then, in 2022, the owner put the land up for sale. If it had been sold and another building had been built on the site, the nuns would have had to abandon their project.” “We and the sisters of the contemplative branch prayed together out of desperation. The merciful God heard our prayers, and just two days after we intensified our prayers, the owner of the land changed his mind and decided to donate it to the convent, apologizing for not having done so sooner,” the nun continued. “What is even more surprising is that he also thanked us for accepting the donation,” summarizes Sister Marie Jean, who has since become the South Korean coordinator of “Talita khum,” the international network of consecrated women against human trafficking.This year, the Congregation celebrates the bicentenary of its contemplative branch, whose history dates back to the works and spiritual insights of Saint John Eudes (1601-1680) in the 17th century, when prostitution was a social scourge punishable by imprisonment. Faced with the misery and injustice that prevailed during a time of spiritual and moral decline, Eudes was urged by the young Madeleine Lamy in Caen, Normandy, to found the first house of refuge, a true “hospital for these souls.” From papal approval until the revolution of 1789, 150 years passed, during which the religious were dispersed and their houses closed. It was not until 1825 that the houses were reopened thanks to the courage of a young superior, Maria Eufrasia, the foundress of the Sisters of St. Magdalene, now the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd.Religious Sisters at the Side of Women in needBetween the 1960s and 1970s—immediately after the Second Vatican Council—changes in the lives of the sisters in Korea also began to emerge. In 1966, at the invitation of Bishop Peter Han Kong-ryel of the Diocese of Gwangju, four American nuns came to Korea to establish the spirituality of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd. Han was shocked by the sexual exploitation of young girls and women by the US military in his diocese and, in the charism of their foundress, Saint Mary Eufrasia, asked the sisters to help these victims of oppression. Thus, in 1968, the sisters established a dormitory and vocational school near the US Air Force base in Gunsan. This facility remained in operation until 1976. Inspired by the motto “One life is more precious than the whole world,” their commitment to supporting single pregnant women clearly demonstrated how important it was for the Catholic Church to create appropriate facilities for these women. Thus, at the invitation of Bishop Park Thomas Stewart, the sisters began with a small house in Seoul and opened “Mary’s Home” for single mothers in Chuncheon Province in 1979, before moving to the current provincial house complex and the counseling and support centers for women in 1985. With the entry into force in South Korea of the law against prostitution in 2004 and the significant increase in international marriages – mainly due to the establishment of diplomatic relations with China in 1992 – forms of support for women in distress have been strengthened to meet the urgent need for counselling for women who are victims of domestic violence and to improve communication between spouses of different nationalities, which is often hampered by language and cultural barriers.Healing wounds of body and soulIncreased awareness of justice and the denunciation of abuse against women led to the adoption of the “Basic Law for the Development of Women” (여성발전기본법) in South Korea in 1995. In centers for pregnant women such as “Mary’s Home,” women are prepared for a safe birth and can then decide whether to keep their child or place it in foster care. The work of the sisters is crucial in this area, as they advocate for anti-abortion policies in favor of the dignity of life. By welcoming women into these homes, they also aim to protect them from social prejudice. Mothers who have been victims of various forms of violence can also come from outside to seek refuge in the facilities run by the sisters, for example, at the “House of Friends” in Seoul or at another women’s shelter in Jeju. Support can be short-term (six months) – renewable – or long-term (two years). To facilitate their return to normalcy, programs are developed to help them heal their emotional and physical wounds. The women are guided through their personal and professional development and receive support in the form of free room and lodging, medical care, vocational training to achieve economic independence, and preparation for the GED, an exam equivalent to a high school diploma. The center in Chuncheon, which is operated in cooperation with Caritas, offers special legal support and advice, for example, in filing lawsuits against the perpetrator or drafting a statement in civil proceedings. The sisters also run homes for girls who have been victims of domestic violence and family problems. In these facilities, such as the “House of the Good Shepherd”, they receive support from their families. At organizations such as the “Good Shepherd House” in Seoul, efforts are being made to give young girls back the warmth of family, the feeling of love and acceptance in a safe and comfortable place, where they are given a sense of normality. “There is no greater pain than being abused at home by one’s parents. It is a long road to achieve healthy independence and psycho-emotional recovery, but they do it,” says Mariana Inea Young, a ‘Sand Play’ therapist and social worker. “So many come back to share their stories of recovery,” adds Sister Damiana Ham.A hotline for women in needEvery Thursday, Sister Rufina Hwa Jung Shim—66 years old and now retired after seven years as head of the “hotline” in Jeju—went to the neighborhoods to help women on the streets. Her zeal, the fourth vow of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, allows her to transcend the boundaries of space and time to continue her mission. “We begin every morning with a Bible reading, and even though the staff includes women from all Korean denominations, the Gospel remains the heart of the mission.”At the “1366 Center,” the sisters are commissioned by the diocese to manage the “Catholic Women’s Line” telephone counseling service, established in 1998 by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Depending on the case, women are supported locally or placed in women’s shelters and connected with the police, hospitals, or other facilities established for their protection. In recent years, increased awareness of women’s issues in South Korea has led to a substantial change in government-sponsored social welfare services. Social service agencies working in the field are consulted by the government before defining the most appropriate policies. Appropriate professional qualifications are also required.Meanwhile, on July 1, the Ministry of Equal Opportunities and Family Affairs passed a law implementing the “Advance Family Allowance System.” The system provides for the advance payment of family allowances and contributions even if one parent (usually the father) evades their child support obligations. The unpaid contributions of the insolvent parent remain with the parent as a debt to public institutions, which must be settled by paying contributions to the social security institutions. The law provides for monthly maintenance of 200,000 KRW (equivalent to 125 euros) for each child until they reach adulthood. This is a form of support that also alleviates the economic difficulties of single mothers and women abandoned by their spouses. (Agenzia Fides, 3/7/2025)Share:

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: ASIA/SOUTH KOREA – “One life is more precious than the whole world”. The Korean work of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd for women in need

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    by Pascale Rizk
    [embedded content]
    Chunchon (Agenzia Fides) – For more than 50 years, the Sisters of Our Lady of the Good Shepherd in Chuncheon, Seoul, and Jeju, South Korea, have prayed and worked for women and girls in difficulty: single mothers, immigrants, pregnant women, and girls abused within the family. In recent months, they inaugurated a new facility for women in need at their provincial house of the International Congregation of Religious in Chuncheon.Founded in 1995 with the help of donations, the sisters’ house in Chuncheon continues to grow today with the support of old and new benefactors who value the sisters’ work on behalf of women and girls from all over the country.At the inauguration ceremony last April, Bishop Simon Kim Ju-young of Chuncheon addressed the benefactors, saying: “You must be the happiest of all. You should know that while we priests sometimes neglect prayer, the nuns, on the contrary, always pray diligently.” It was he himself who, a year earlier, had invited the parishes of the diocese to support the fundraising campaign launched by the sisters. “Since 1993,” reports Sister Marie Jean Bae, who served as Provincial Superior from 2014 to 2019, “the sisters of Chuncheon had used the land on which the new building stands free of charge. Then, in 2022, the owner put the land up for sale. If it had been sold and another building had been built on the site, the nuns would have had to abandon their project.” “We and the sisters of the contemplative branch prayed together out of desperation. The merciful God heard our prayers, and just two days after we intensified our prayers, the owner of the land changed his mind and decided to donate it to the convent, apologizing for not having done so sooner,” the nun continued. “What is even more surprising is that he also thanked us for accepting the donation,” summarizes Sister Marie Jean, who has since become the South Korean coordinator of “Talita khum,” the international network of consecrated women against human trafficking.This year, the Congregation celebrates the bicentenary of its contemplative branch, whose history dates back to the works and spiritual insights of Saint John Eudes (1601-1680) in the 17th century, when prostitution was a social scourge punishable by imprisonment. Faced with the misery and injustice that prevailed during a time of spiritual and moral decline, Eudes was urged by the young Madeleine Lamy in Caen, Normandy, to found the first house of refuge, a true “hospital for these souls.” From papal approval until the revolution of 1789, 150 years passed, during which the religious were dispersed and their houses closed. It was not until 1825 that the houses were reopened thanks to the courage of a young superior, Maria Eufrasia, the foundress of the Sisters of St. Magdalene, now the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd.Religious Sisters at the Side of Women in needBetween the 1960s and 1970s—immediately after the Second Vatican Council—changes in the lives of the sisters in Korea also began to emerge. In 1966, at the invitation of Bishop Peter Han Kong-ryel of the Diocese of Gwangju, four American nuns came to Korea to establish the spirituality of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd. Han was shocked by the sexual exploitation of young girls and women by the US military in his diocese and, in the charism of their foundress, Saint Mary Eufrasia, asked the sisters to help these victims of oppression. Thus, in 1968, the sisters established a dormitory and vocational school near the US Air Force base in Gunsan. This facility remained in operation until 1976. Inspired by the motto “One life is more precious than the whole world,” their commitment to supporting single pregnant women clearly demonstrated how important it was for the Catholic Church to create appropriate facilities for these women. Thus, at the invitation of Bishop Park Thomas Stewart, the sisters began with a small house in Seoul and opened “Mary’s Home” for single mothers in Chuncheon Province in 1979, before moving to the current provincial house complex and the counseling and support centers for women in 1985. With the entry into force in South Korea of the law against prostitution in 2004 and the significant increase in international marriages – mainly due to the establishment of diplomatic relations with China in 1992 – forms of support for women in distress have been strengthened to meet the urgent need for counselling for women who are victims of domestic violence and to improve communication between spouses of different nationalities, which is often hampered by language and cultural barriers.Healing wounds of body and soulIncreased awareness of justice and the denunciation of abuse against women led to the adoption of the “Basic Law for the Development of Women” (여성발전기본법) in South Korea in 1995. In centers for pregnant women such as “Mary’s Home,” women are prepared for a safe birth and can then decide whether to keep their child or place it in foster care. The work of the sisters is crucial in this area, as they advocate for anti-abortion policies in favor of the dignity of life. By welcoming women into these homes, they also aim to protect them from social prejudice. Mothers who have been victims of various forms of violence can also come from outside to seek refuge in the facilities run by the sisters, for example, at the “House of Friends” in Seoul or at another women’s shelter in Jeju. Support can be short-term (six months) – renewable – or long-term (two years). To facilitate their return to normalcy, programs are developed to help them heal their emotional and physical wounds. The women are guided through their personal and professional development and receive support in the form of free room and lodging, medical care, vocational training to achieve economic independence, and preparation for the GED, an exam equivalent to a high school diploma. The center in Chuncheon, which is operated in cooperation with Caritas, offers special legal support and advice, for example, in filing lawsuits against the perpetrator or drafting a statement in civil proceedings. The sisters also run homes for girls who have been victims of domestic violence and family problems. In these facilities, such as the “House of the Good Shepherd”, they receive support from their families. At organizations such as the “Good Shepherd House” in Seoul, efforts are being made to give young girls back the warmth of family, the feeling of love and acceptance in a safe and comfortable place, where they are given a sense of normality. “There is no greater pain than being abused at home by one’s parents. It is a long road to achieve healthy independence and psycho-emotional recovery, but they do it,” says Mariana Inea Young, a ‘Sand Play’ therapist and social worker. “So many come back to share their stories of recovery,” adds Sister Damiana Ham.A hotline for women in needEvery Thursday, Sister Rufina Hwa Jung Shim—66 years old and now retired after seven years as head of the “hotline” in Jeju—went to the neighborhoods to help women on the streets. Her zeal, the fourth vow of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, allows her to transcend the boundaries of space and time to continue her mission. “We begin every morning with a Bible reading, and even though the staff includes women from all Korean denominations, the Gospel remains the heart of the mission.”At the “1366 Center,” the sisters are commissioned by the diocese to manage the “Catholic Women’s Line” telephone counseling service, established in 1998 by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Depending on the case, women are supported locally or placed in women’s shelters and connected with the police, hospitals, or other facilities established for their protection. In recent years, increased awareness of women’s issues in South Korea has led to a substantial change in government-sponsored social welfare services. Social service agencies working in the field are consulted by the government before defining the most appropriate policies. Appropriate professional qualifications are also required.Meanwhile, on July 1, the Ministry of Equal Opportunities and Family Affairs passed a law implementing the “Advance Family Allowance System.” The system provides for the advance payment of family allowances and contributions even if one parent (usually the father) evades their child support obligations. The unpaid contributions of the insolvent parent remain with the parent as a debt to public institutions, which must be settled by paying contributions to the social security institutions. The law provides for monthly maintenance of 200,000 KRW (equivalent to 125 euros) for each child until they reach adulthood. This is a form of support that also alleviates the economic difficulties of single mothers and women abandoned by their spouses. (Agenzia Fides, 3/7/2025)Share:

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: ASIA/SOUTH KOREA – “One life is more precious than the whole world”. The Korean work of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd for women in need

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    by Pascale Rizk
    [embedded content]
    Chunchon (Agenzia Fides) – For more than 50 years, the Sisters of Our Lady of the Good Shepherd in Chuncheon, Seoul, and Jeju, South Korea, have prayed and worked for women and girls in difficulty: single mothers, immigrants, pregnant women, and girls abused within the family. In recent months, they inaugurated a new facility for women in need at their provincial house of the International Congregation of Religious in Chuncheon.Founded in 1995 with the help of donations, the sisters’ house in Chuncheon continues to grow today with the support of old and new benefactors who value the sisters’ work on behalf of women and girls from all over the country.At the inauguration ceremony last April, Bishop Simon Kim Ju-young of Chuncheon addressed the benefactors, saying: “You must be the happiest of all. You should know that while we priests sometimes neglect prayer, the nuns, on the contrary, always pray diligently.” It was he himself who, a year earlier, had invited the parishes of the diocese to support the fundraising campaign launched by the sisters. “Since 1993,” reports Sister Marie Jean Bae, who served as Provincial Superior from 2014 to 2019, “the sisters of Chuncheon had used the land on which the new building stands free of charge. Then, in 2022, the owner put the land up for sale. If it had been sold and another building had been built on the site, the nuns would have had to abandon their project.” “We and the sisters of the contemplative branch prayed together out of desperation. The merciful God heard our prayers, and just two days after we intensified our prayers, the owner of the land changed his mind and decided to donate it to the convent, apologizing for not having done so sooner,” the nun continued. “What is even more surprising is that he also thanked us for accepting the donation,” summarizes Sister Marie Jean, who has since become the South Korean coordinator of “Talita khum,” the international network of consecrated women against human trafficking.This year, the Congregation celebrates the bicentenary of its contemplative branch, whose history dates back to the works and spiritual insights of Saint John Eudes (1601-1680) in the 17th century, when prostitution was a social scourge punishable by imprisonment. Faced with the misery and injustice that prevailed during a time of spiritual and moral decline, Eudes was urged by the young Madeleine Lamy in Caen, Normandy, to found the first house of refuge, a true “hospital for these souls.” From papal approval until the revolution of 1789, 150 years passed, during which the religious were dispersed and their houses closed. It was not until 1825 that the houses were reopened thanks to the courage of a young superior, Maria Eufrasia, the foundress of the Sisters of St. Magdalene, now the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd.Religious Sisters at the Side of Women in needBetween the 1960s and 1970s—immediately after the Second Vatican Council—changes in the lives of the sisters in Korea also began to emerge. In 1966, at the invitation of Bishop Peter Han Kong-ryel of the Diocese of Gwangju, four American nuns came to Korea to establish the spirituality of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd. Han was shocked by the sexual exploitation of young girls and women by the US military in his diocese and, in the charism of their foundress, Saint Mary Eufrasia, asked the sisters to help these victims of oppression. Thus, in 1968, the sisters established a dormitory and vocational school near the US Air Force base in Gunsan. This facility remained in operation until 1976. Inspired by the motto “One life is more precious than the whole world,” their commitment to supporting single pregnant women clearly demonstrated how important it was for the Catholic Church to create appropriate facilities for these women. Thus, at the invitation of Bishop Park Thomas Stewart, the sisters began with a small house in Seoul and opened “Mary’s Home” for single mothers in Chuncheon Province in 1979, before moving to the current provincial house complex and the counseling and support centers for women in 1985. With the entry into force in South Korea of the law against prostitution in 2004 and the significant increase in international marriages – mainly due to the establishment of diplomatic relations with China in 1992 – forms of support for women in distress have been strengthened to meet the urgent need for counselling for women who are victims of domestic violence and to improve communication between spouses of different nationalities, which is often hampered by language and cultural barriers.Healing wounds of body and soulIncreased awareness of justice and the denunciation of abuse against women led to the adoption of the “Basic Law for the Development of Women” (여성발전기본법) in South Korea in 1995. In centers for pregnant women such as “Mary’s Home,” women are prepared for a safe birth and can then decide whether to keep their child or place it in foster care. The work of the sisters is crucial in this area, as they advocate for anti-abortion policies in favor of the dignity of life. By welcoming women into these homes, they also aim to protect them from social prejudice. Mothers who have been victims of various forms of violence can also come from outside to seek refuge in the facilities run by the sisters, for example, at the “House of Friends” in Seoul or at another women’s shelter in Jeju. Support can be short-term (six months) – renewable – or long-term (two years). To facilitate their return to normalcy, programs are developed to help them heal their emotional and physical wounds. The women are guided through their personal and professional development and receive support in the form of free room and lodging, medical care, vocational training to achieve economic independence, and preparation for the GED, an exam equivalent to a high school diploma. The center in Chuncheon, which is operated in cooperation with Caritas, offers special legal support and advice, for example, in filing lawsuits against the perpetrator or drafting a statement in civil proceedings. The sisters also run homes for girls who have been victims of domestic violence and family problems. In these facilities, such as the “House of the Good Shepherd”, they receive support from their families. At organizations such as the “Good Shepherd House” in Seoul, efforts are being made to give young girls back the warmth of family, the feeling of love and acceptance in a safe and comfortable place, where they are given a sense of normality. “There is no greater pain than being abused at home by one’s parents. It is a long road to achieve healthy independence and psycho-emotional recovery, but they do it,” says Mariana Inea Young, a ‘Sand Play’ therapist and social worker. “So many come back to share their stories of recovery,” adds Sister Damiana Ham.A hotline for women in needEvery Thursday, Sister Rufina Hwa Jung Shim—66 years old and now retired after seven years as head of the “hotline” in Jeju—went to the neighborhoods to help women on the streets. Her zeal, the fourth vow of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, allows her to transcend the boundaries of space and time to continue her mission. “We begin every morning with a Bible reading, and even though the staff includes women from all Korean denominations, the Gospel remains the heart of the mission.”At the “1366 Center,” the sisters are commissioned by the diocese to manage the “Catholic Women’s Line” telephone counseling service, established in 1998 by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Depending on the case, women are supported locally or placed in women’s shelters and connected with the police, hospitals, or other facilities established for their protection. In recent years, increased awareness of women’s issues in South Korea has led to a substantial change in government-sponsored social welfare services. Social service agencies working in the field are consulted by the government before defining the most appropriate policies. Appropriate professional qualifications are also required.Meanwhile, on July 1, the Ministry of Equal Opportunities and Family Affairs passed a law implementing the “Advance Family Allowance System.” The system provides for the advance payment of family allowances and contributions even if one parent (usually the father) evades their child support obligations. The unpaid contributions of the insolvent parent remain with the parent as a debt to public institutions, which must be settled by paying contributions to the social security institutions. The law provides for monthly maintenance of 200,000 KRW (equivalent to 125 euros) for each child until they reach adulthood. This is a form of support that also alleviates the economic difficulties of single mothers and women abandoned by their spouses. (Agenzia Fides, 3/7/2025)Share:

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: First Lady Erdoğan meets with Pope Leo XIV

    Source: President of Turkiye

    First Lady Emine Erdoğan met with the Spiritual Leader of the Catholic World and Head of the Vatican City State, Pope Leo XIV, during her visit to the Vatican for the “Fraternal Economy Session on Ethical Multilateralism” programme hosted by the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences.

    The meeting, held at the Vatican Apostolic Palace, addressed the ongoing humanitarian tragedy in Gaza, efforts to combat climate change, the fight against Islamophobia and racism, and the importance place of family within the society.

    Congratulating Pope Leo XIV on his election to the office a short while ago, Mrs. Erdoğan hoped this would be auspicious for the Christian world.

    During the meeting, which focused on the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza under Israel’s aggression and blockade, First Lady Erdoğan called on the Pope to make sure the Christian world engages in the Gaza issue more strongly with a view to reaching permanent ceasefire and securing the delivery of humanitarian aid.

    First Lady Erdoğan underlined that a two-state solution must be implemented as soon as possible and the number of countries recognizing the State of Palestine must increase in order to establish lasting and sustainable peace in Palestine.

    First Lady Erdoğan also stated that Christians living in the region, whose churches and communities are under constant threat, need to regain their peace, too.

    Also touching on the fight against climate change, First Lady Erdoğan informed Pope Leo XIV about the “Zero Waste” movement, launched in Türkiye and then institutionalized at the United Nations, and added that there is a great potential for cooperation between Türkiye and the Vatican in addressing climate change.

    Drawing attention to the alarming levels Islamophobia, racism and intolerance have reached recently, First Lady Erdoğan stressed the need for gathering the efforts undertaken on these issues around a collective will.

    Different cultures and faiths co-exist in Türkiye peacefully for centuries, First Lady Erdoğan said, adding that Christian communities constitute an inseparable part of Türkiye’s rich mosaic. 

    In a social media post following the meeting, First Lady Erdoğan stated: “During my visit to the Vatican for the ‘Fraternal Economy Session on Ethical Multilateralism’ programme hosted by the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, I had the honour of meeting His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, the Spiritual Leader of the Catholic World and Head of the Vatican City State.

    During our meeting, we focused on the current humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

    We discussed the crucial need for the Christian community to adopt a more assertive position in order to secure a lasting ceasefire and guarantee the full provision of humanitarian aid.

    I conveyed our appreciation for the Vatican’s endorsement of the two-state solution, which serves as the basis for a fair and lasting peace in Palestine.

    His Holiness Pope Leo XIV and I also engaged in a conversation regarding the Zero Waste approach, which is a fundamental tenet of our global environmental movement.

    We are in agreement that the climate crisis is a shared concern for all of humanity, irrespective of their faith or region.

    In this context, I have observed that there is significant potential for collaboration between Türkiye and the Vatican in addressing climate change. We assessed our shared areas of collaboration.

    I express my sincere appreciation to His Holiness Pope Leo XIV for his generous hospitality and hope that the significant responsibility he has embraced will yield positive outcomes for the Catholic community and all of humanity.”

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Audience with members of the Synod of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church

    Source: The Holy See

    Audience with members of the Synod of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church, 02.07.2025
    This morning, in the Consistory Hall of the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father Leo XIV received in audience the members of the Synod of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church, to whom he delivered the following address:

    Address of the Holy Father
    In the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
    Peace be with you!
    Beatitude, Your Eminence,
    dear brothers in the episcopate,
    After greeting the many pilgrims of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church gathered in Saint Peter’s Basilica last Saturday, today I have the joy of meeting you, celebrating your synodal assembly.
    This important moment for you is taking place in the context of the Jubilee year, which invites all the People of God to be renewed in hope. As Pope Francis liked to repeat, hope does not disappoint, because it is based on the love of God in Christ Jesus, our Lord.
    Of course, in the current historical context it is not easy to talk about hope to you and to the people entrusted to your pastoral care. It is not easy to find words of consolation for the families who have lost their loved ones in this senseless war. I imagine that it is the same for you too, who are in contact every day with people wounded in their heart and in their flesh.
    Despire this, I receive many witnesses of faith and hope on the part of men and women of your people. This is a sign of God’s strength, which manifests itself in the midst of the rubble of destruction.
    I am aware that you have many needs to meet, in both the ecclesial and humanitarian spheres. You are called to serve Christ in every wounded and distressed person who turns to your communities asking for concrete help.
    I am close to you, and through you I am close to all the faithful of your Church. Let us remain united in the one faith and the one hope. Our communion is a great mystery: it is also a real communion with all our brothers and sisters whose lives have been taken from this earth but are accepted in God. In Him everything lives and finds fullness of meaning.
    Dear friends, we are always comforted by the certainty that the Holy Mother of God is with us, aids us, and guides us towards her Son, who is our peace. By her maternal intercession, I pray that peace may return to your homeland as soon as possible.
    I thank you, and bless you from my heart.
    The other day we liked the recitation of the Lord’s Prayer in Ukrainian. If you would like to sing for us, we can sing the Lord’s Prayer.
    [Singing of the Lord’s Prayer in Ukrainian]
    Blessing of the Holy Father

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: VATICAN – 14 priests ordained by Pope Leo from the Pontifical Urban College “de Propaganda Fide”

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Tuesday, 1 July 2025

    Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – On the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and on the occasion of the XXIX World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests, instituted by John Paul II in 1995, Pope Leo XIV ordained 32 new priests in the Vatican Basilica, 14 of whom come from the Pontifical Urban College “de Propaganda Fide.” Among them Andige Channindu (Colombo, Sri Lanka), Gbatar Emmanuel (Makurdi, Nigeria), Ham Francesco (Seoul, South Korea), Joseph Abishek (Sultanpet, India), Lakew Deribe (Harar, Ethiopia), Lee Angelo (Seoul, South Korea), Llamango Ndouloukoli Eusèbe Marius (Bossangoa, Central African Republic), Maria James Ajith (Kottar, India), Menounga Ngonoi Claude (Batouri, Cameroon), Mombai De-Kpilima Christ Friedrich (Bangui, Central African Republic), Ngalo Felicien (Mbaiki, Central African Republic), Ngo Giovanni Battista (Vinh, Vietnam), Santos Daniel (Mbanza Kongo, Angola) and Tika Gilbert (Damongo, Ghana).”The priests recently ordained by Pope Leo XIV come from ten different countries in Africa and Asia,” Armando Nugnes, rector of the Pontifical Urban College “de Propaganda Fide,” explained to Fides. “They have experienced this opportunity with profound gratitude toward God and the Church, feeling the responsibility to bear witness to the richness of Catholicism in their countries through the generosity of the service that will be asked of them.”This year, the Pontifical Urban College welcomed 168 students, including seminarians and deacons, along with nearly 300 priests from the Colleges of Saints Peter and Paul, as well as about 100 nuns from the Mater Ecclesiae College in Castel Gandolfo. “This gift has been great,” emphasizes Rector Nugnes, “not only for the candidates who received the grace of the ministerial priesthood from the Holy Father in the context of the Jubilee Year, but also for the entire community that was able to accompany these brothers, exceptionally, until the day of their ordination, with prayer and sharing in the joy. Normally, the Urban College’s formative plan provides that deacons, after completing their licentiate studies, return to their dioceses of origin to receive priestly ordination and begin their missionary ministry.” (EG) (Agenzia Fides, 1/7/2025)
    Share:

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: ASIA/SOUTH KOREA – On the 100th anniversary of the beatification of the Korean martyrs, a report on the persecutions of Gihae and Byeong-o

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Tuesday, 1 July 2025

    Seoul (Agenzia Fides) – A report to learn about the data of the persecutions that struck Catholics on the Korean peninsula in the 19th century. The centenary of the Eucharistic liturgy celebrated on July 5, 1925, in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, during which the first Korean martyrs were proclaimed blesseds, will also be commemorated, through the publication of documents and official records useful for reconstructing this period of witness and martyrdom.These were 79 Catholics who were killed “in odium fidei” for their faith during the persecutions of Gihae (1839) and Byeong-o (1846). In the 19th century (religious freedom was not granted to Catholics in Korea until 1895), the Korean Church estimates that approximately 16,000 Catholics were killed.To commemorate this event, the Committee for Honoring the Martyrs of the Archdiocese of Seoul has organized a series of events, beginning with a Eucharistic celebration on July 5. At 3 p.m., Archbishop Jeong Sun-taek will preside over Mass at the Shrine of the Martyrs of Seosomun, the church built on the site where executions were carried out during the Joseon Dynasty. A total of 41 of the 79 martyrs beatified in the Vatican on July 5, 1925, died at this site, which is considered “the greatest place of martyrdom in the Korean Church.”At the end of the mass, the “Data on the persecution of Gihae and Byeong-o” will be presented. This report contains official data and documents on the persecution of Gihae and Byeong-o. These are official documents from the “Annals of the Joseon Dynasty,” the “Diary of the Royal Secretariat,” and the “Declaration of the Office of Military Affairs.”The entire report was compiled based on communications and reports exchanged between the Ministry of Justice and the Police Office, which differentiates it from existing historical materials, as it focuses almost exclusively on the testimonies of those who lived through that time. Furthermore, in addition to the original texts, the study also includes translations into contemporary Korean, making the collection easy to consult for researchers.To conclude the initiatives, an exhibition entitled “Anima Mundi” will open on the evening of July 5. “Anima Mundi” is also the name of the section of the Vatican Museums that collects the legacy of the World Missionary Expo that Pope Pius XI wanted to create in the Vatican Gardens on the occasion of the Jubilee of 1925 (see Fides 28/3/2025). The Korean Church also participated in this event and presented itself to the world for the first time. The exhibition, modeled on the pavilion erected in the Vatican Gardens one hundred years ago, traces the situation of the Korean Church at that time. (F.B.) (Agenzia Fides, 1/7/2025)
    Share:

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Pope Francis and Laudato Si’: an ecological turning point for the Catholic Church

    Source: The Conversation – France – By Bernard Laurent, Professeur, EM Lyon Business School

    In Laudato Si’, Pope Francis called for a radical break with consumerist lifestyles. Ricardo Perna/Shutterstock

    On May 24, 2015, Pope Francis signed his encyclical Laudato Si’ – “Praise be to you” in medieval Italian. This letter to Roman Catholic bishops was no half measure: it took many Catholics by surprise with its uncompromising conclusions and call for an in-depth transformation of our lifestyles. In France, it managed to bring together both conservative currents – such as the Courant pour une écologie humaine (Movement for a Human Ecology), created in 2013 – and more open-minded Catholic intellectuals such as Gaël Giraud, a Jesuit and author of Produire plus, polluer moins : l’impossible découplage ? (Produce more, Pollute Less: the Impossible Decoupling?).

    The Pope was taking a cue from his predecessors. Benedict XVI, John Paul II and Paul VI had also expressed concern about the dramatic effects of an abusive exploitation of nature on humanity:

    “Man is suddenly becoming aware that by an ill-considered exploitation of nature he risks destroying it and becoming in his turn the victim of this degradation.”

    What does Pope Francis’s encyclical teach us? And how does it reflect the Catholic Church’s vision, and his own?


    A weekly e-mail in English featuring expertise from scholars and researchers. It provides an introduction to the diversity of research coming out of the continent and considers some of the key issues facing European countries. Get the newsletter!

    The “green” pope

    In the text, Pope Francis describes a situation in which the environment is deteriorating rapidly:

    “There is […] pollution that affects everyone, caused by transport, industrial fumes, substances which contribute to the acidification of soil and water, fertilizers, insecticides, fungicides, herbicides and agrotoxins in general.” (§-20)

    Laudato Si’ was published by the Vatican on June 18, 2015, a few months prior to the Paris climate conference. For the “green” pope, the aim was to raise public awareness around the challenges of global warming by creating a relational approach that included God, human beings and the Earth. It was the first time an encyclical had been devoted wholly to ecology.

    In it, the Pope voiced his concern about the effects of global warming:

    “Warming has effects on the carbon cycle. It creates a vicious circle which aggravates the situation even more, affecting the availability of essential resources like drinking water, energy and agricultural production in warmer regions, and leading to the extinction of part of the planet’s biodiversity.” (§-24)

    Criticizing a “technocratic paradigm”

    Since Pope Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum, the various social encyclicals have consistently rejected the liberal idea of a society solely regulated by the smooth functioning of the market. The French sociologist of religion Émile Poulat summed up the Church’s position perfectly in 1977 in his book Église contre bourgeoisie. Introduction au devenir du catholicisme actuel, in which he writes that the Church “never agreed to abandon the running of the world to the blind laws of economics.”

    In 2015, Pope Francis rejected technical solutions that would not truly be useful, as well as the belief in the redeeming virtues of a self-regulating market. He accused “the technocratic paradigm” of dominating humankind by subordinating the economic and political spheres to its logic (§-101). His comments are reminiscent of the unjustly forgotten French Protestant philosopher Jacques Ellul and his idea of a limitless “self-propulsion” of technology, which has become the alpha and omega of our societies.

    For Jacques Ellul, technology is anything but neutral since it represents genuine power driven by its own movement.
    Wikimedia, CC BY-SA

    The pope’s charge against the supposed virtues of the market was spectacular. Among others, he criticized the following:

    • overconsumption in developed countries:

    “Since the market tends to promote extreme consumerism in an effort to sell its products, people can easily get caught up in a whirlwind of needless buying and spending.” (§-203);

    • the glorification of profit and a self-regulating market:

    “Some circles maintain that current economics and technology will solve all environmental problems.” (§-109);

    • the hypertrophy of speculative finance:

    “Politics must not be subject to the economy, nor should the economy be subject to the dictates of an efficiency-driven paradigm of technocracy.” (§-189);

    • the unequal distribution of wealth in the world:

    “In fact, the deterioration of the environment and of society affects the most vulnerable people on the planet: […] the gravest effects of all attacks on the environment are suffered by the poorest.” (§-48);

    • the unequal levels of development between countries, leading Francis to speak of an “ecological debt” owed by rich countries to the least developed ones (§-51).

    Social justice and shrinking growth

    In Francis’s words, the goals of saving the planet and social justice go hand in hand. His approach is in keeping with the work of the [economist Louis-Joseph Lebret, a Dominican, who in 1941 founded the association Économie et humanisme. Father Lebret wanted to put the economy back at the service of humankind, and work with the least economically advanced countries by championing an approach based on the virtues of local communities and regional planning.

    Pope Francis, for his part, is calling for a radical break with the consumerist lifestyles of rich countries, while focusing on the development of the poorest nations (§-93). In Laudato Si’, he also wrote that developed countries’ responses seemed insufficient because of the economic interests at stake (§-54).

    This brings us back to the principle of the universal destination of goods – the organizing principle of property defended by the Catholic Church’s social doctrine, which demands that goods be distributed in such a way as to enable every human being to live in dignity.

    In addition to encouraging the necessary technical adjustments and sober individual practices, Pope Francis is urging citizens in developed countries not to be content with half measures deemed largely insufficient. Instead, he is calling for people to make lifestyle changes in line with the logic of slowing growth. The aim is to enable developing countries to emerge from poverty, while sparing the environment.

    “Given the insatiable and irresponsible growth produced over many decades, we need also to think of containing growth by setting some reasonable limits and even retracing our steps before it is too late. […] That is why the time has come to accept decreased growth in some parts of the world, in order to provide resources for other places to experience healthy growth.” (§ -193).

    Nearly 10 years on, Laudato Si’ resonates fully with our concerns. In the United States, Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who both identify as Catholic, would be well advised to read it anew.

    Bernard Laurent is a member of the CFTC and of the IRES Scientific Council

    – ref. Pope Francis and Laudato Si’: an ecological turning point for the Catholic Church – https://theconversation.com/pope-francis-and-laudato-si-an-ecological-turning-point-for-the-catholic-church-253977

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Pope Francis and Laudato Si’: an ecological turning point for the Catholic Church

    Source: The Conversation – France – By Bernard Laurent, Professeur, EM Lyon Business School

    In Laudato Si’, Pope Francis called for a radical break with consumerist lifestyles. Ricardo Perna/Shutterstock

    On May 24, 2015, Pope Francis signed his encyclical Laudato Si’ – “Praise be to you” in medieval Italian. This letter to Roman Catholic bishops was no half measure: it took many Catholics by surprise with its uncompromising conclusions and call for an in-depth transformation of our lifestyles. In France, it managed to bring together both conservative currents – such as the Courant pour une écologie humaine (Movement for a Human Ecology), created in 2013 – and more open-minded Catholic intellectuals such as Gaël Giraud, a Jesuit and author of Produire plus, polluer moins : l’impossible découplage ? (Produce more, Pollute Less: the Impossible Decoupling?).

    The Pope was taking a cue from his predecessors. Benedict XVI, John Paul II and Paul VI had also expressed concern about the dramatic effects of an abusive exploitation of nature on humanity:

    “Man is suddenly becoming aware that by an ill-considered exploitation of nature he risks destroying it and becoming in his turn the victim of this degradation.”

    What does Pope Francis’s encyclical teach us? And how does it reflect the Catholic Church’s vision, and his own?


    A weekly e-mail in English featuring expertise from scholars and researchers. It provides an introduction to the diversity of research coming out of the continent and considers some of the key issues facing European countries. Get the newsletter!

    The “green” pope

    In the text, Pope Francis describes a situation in which the environment is deteriorating rapidly:

    “There is […] pollution that affects everyone, caused by transport, industrial fumes, substances which contribute to the acidification of soil and water, fertilizers, insecticides, fungicides, herbicides and agrotoxins in general.” (§-20)

    Laudato Si’ was published by the Vatican on June 18, 2015, a few months prior to the Paris climate conference. For the “green” pope, the aim was to raise public awareness around the challenges of global warming by creating a relational approach that included God, human beings and the Earth. It was the first time an encyclical had been devoted wholly to ecology.

    In it, the Pope voiced his concern about the effects of global warming:

    “Warming has effects on the carbon cycle. It creates a vicious circle which aggravates the situation even more, affecting the availability of essential resources like drinking water, energy and agricultural production in warmer regions, and leading to the extinction of part of the planet’s biodiversity.” (§-24)

    Criticizing a “technocratic paradigm”

    Since Pope Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum, the various social encyclicals have consistently rejected the liberal idea of a society solely regulated by the smooth functioning of the market. The French sociologist of religion Émile Poulat summed up the Church’s position perfectly in 1977 in his book Église contre bourgeoisie. Introduction au devenir du catholicisme actuel, in which he writes that the Church “never agreed to abandon the running of the world to the blind laws of economics.”

    In 2015, Pope Francis rejected technical solutions that would not truly be useful, as well as the belief in the redeeming virtues of a self-regulating market. He accused “the technocratic paradigm” of dominating humankind by subordinating the economic and political spheres to its logic (§-101). His comments are reminiscent of the unjustly forgotten French Protestant philosopher Jacques Ellul and his idea of a limitless “self-propulsion” of technology, which has become the alpha and omega of our societies.

    For Jacques Ellul, technology is anything but neutral since it represents genuine power driven by its own movement.
    Wikimedia, CC BY-SA

    The pope’s charge against the supposed virtues of the market was spectacular. Among others, he criticized the following:

    • overconsumption in developed countries:

    “Since the market tends to promote extreme consumerism in an effort to sell its products, people can easily get caught up in a whirlwind of needless buying and spending.” (§-203);

    • the glorification of profit and a self-regulating market:

    “Some circles maintain that current economics and technology will solve all environmental problems.” (§-109);

    • the hypertrophy of speculative finance:

    “Politics must not be subject to the economy, nor should the economy be subject to the dictates of an efficiency-driven paradigm of technocracy.” (§-189);

    • the unequal distribution of wealth in the world:

    “In fact, the deterioration of the environment and of society affects the most vulnerable people on the planet: […] the gravest effects of all attacks on the environment are suffered by the poorest.” (§-48);

    • the unequal levels of development between countries, leading Francis to speak of an “ecological debt” owed by rich countries to the least developed ones (§-51).

    Social justice and shrinking growth

    In Francis’s words, the goals of saving the planet and social justice go hand in hand. His approach is in keeping with the work of the [economist Louis-Joseph Lebret, a Dominican, who in 1941 founded the association Économie et humanisme. Father Lebret wanted to put the economy back at the service of humankind, and work with the least economically advanced countries by championing an approach based on the virtues of local communities and regional planning.

    Pope Francis, for his part, is calling for a radical break with the consumerist lifestyles of rich countries, while focusing on the development of the poorest nations (§-93). In Laudato Si’, he also wrote that developed countries’ responses seemed insufficient because of the economic interests at stake (§-54).

    This brings us back to the principle of the universal destination of goods – the organizing principle of property defended by the Catholic Church’s social doctrine, which demands that goods be distributed in such a way as to enable every human being to live in dignity.

    In addition to encouraging the necessary technical adjustments and sober individual practices, Pope Francis is urging citizens in developed countries not to be content with half measures deemed largely insufficient. Instead, he is calling for people to make lifestyle changes in line with the logic of slowing growth. The aim is to enable developing countries to emerge from poverty, while sparing the environment.

    “Given the insatiable and irresponsible growth produced over many decades, we need also to think of containing growth by setting some reasonable limits and even retracing our steps before it is too late. […] That is why the time has come to accept decreased growth in some parts of the world, in order to provide resources for other places to experience healthy growth.” (§ -193).

    Nearly 10 years on, Laudato Si’ resonates fully with our concerns. In the United States, Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who both identify as Catholic, would be well advised to read it anew.

    Bernard Laurent is a member of the CFTC and of the IRES Scientific Council

    – ref. Pope Francis and Laudato Si’: an ecological turning point for the Catholic Church – https://theconversation.com/pope-francis-and-laudato-si-an-ecological-turning-point-for-the-catholic-church-253977

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: What Peru’s Virgen de la Puerta represents about unity and inclusion

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Caitlin Cipolla-McCulloch, Researcher in Marianist Studies, University of Dayton

    La Virgen de la Puerta behind a glass window at the pinnacle of the church. Caitlin Cipolla-McCulloch

    Leo XIV, the first pope born in the United States, is also claimed by the Peruvian people whom he served for over two decades as one of their own.

    Then known as Robert Francis Prevost, he lived and worked in the cities of Trujillo and Chiclayo in northern Peru. In Chiclayo he served as bishop from 2015-2023. Trujillo is a few hours south of Chiclayo, where the pope lived for a decade.

    His ministry there is particularly exciting to me because I also lived in northern Peru, during a service year with the Marianist Family between my undergraduate experience at the University of Dayton and my first year of full-time ministry. The Marianist Family was founded in response to specific needs in postrevolutionary French society. Composed of lay people and vowed religious sisters, brothers and priests, it emphasizes devotion to Mary and a communal lifestyle as a distinctive way of living out one’s Roman Catholicism.

    About a two-hour bus ride away from Trujillo lies the mountainous town of Otuzco, where I lived with other members of the Marianist Family – a place that would later become a significant focus of my research as a lay Marianist and Mariologist. An image of Mary – La Virgen de la Puerta – now housed in a shrine church, has been venerated and revered in the community for over 300 years.

    The shrine church of La Virgen de la Puerta.

    The majority of those who maintain a devotional relationship with this image, both local or from the surrounding villages, are part of the Catholic religious majority in Peru. But some other Peruvians – including non- Catholics, some members of the LGBTQ+ community, and others who are marginalized, such as former prisoners and migrants – also revere her. Many of the devotees do not live near Otuzco but maintain a spiritual relationship with La Virgen de la Puerta.

    The founding of Otuzco

    The Augustinians – the religious congregation of brothers and priests that Leo XIV is a member of – settled in Otuzco in 1560.

    As part of the founding of the town, the Augustinian Fathers placed the town under the protection of Mary, the mother of Jesus. They acquired a Spanish image, a statue of Mary made mostly of wood, and selected Dec. 15 to celebrate her locally. This tradition has continued since 1664, about 100 years after the Augustinian Fathers settled in Otuzco.

    Frequently riddled by threats of pirates and other dangers, the people of Otuzco prayed fervently to this image of Mary for protection.

    A Virgen de la Puerta procession in the evening in the streets of Otuzco.
    Caitlin Cipolla-McCulloch

    During one particular threat to their safety, around 1670, they took this image into the streets in procession to protect their town. They placed this image of Mary above the door of the church in the center of town and called the image “Nuestra Señora de la Puerta” – transliterated into English: “Our Lady of the Door.”

    Contemporary pilgrimage in Otuzco

    In modern times, the fiesta of La Virgen de la Puerta is lavishly celebrated in the town of Otuzco, where thousands of faithful descend upon the mountain community for the multiday fiesta patronal, a festive celebration that honors the patron saint to whom a site is dedicated or entrusted.

    The fiesta patronal of La Virgen de la Puerta begins annually on Dec. 14, with the principal day observed on Dec. 15, and concludes on Dec. 16.

    During the days of the fiesta, the road between Trujillo and Otuzco is transformed into a pilgrimage route. The purpose of the journey can vary from pilgrim to pilgrim, yet it often reflects a deeply personal act of devotion.

    Some pilgrims arrive from Otuzco, Trujillo and neighboring villages, while others travel long distances – in Peru or from abroad – to honor La Virgen de la Puerta. Some pilgrims journey the roughly 50 miles (over 80 kilometers) between Trujillo and Otuzco on foot.

    I personally made this journey with a group of fellow pilgrims, the very people I was living among and ministering with during my service year in Peru. My pilgrimage involved a backpack with basic medical supplies for the group. After an overnight walk to Otuzco in camping pants, a T-shirt, hat and sneakers, I arrived before the image of Mary with quarter-size blisters on my feet.

    La Virgen de la Puerta procession through the streets of Otuzco.
    Caitlin Cipolla-McCulloch

    Some pilgrims, unlike me, mark the final kilometers of their journey by advancing to the shrine through the streets on their knees.

    Devotion outside Otuzco

    In addition to the thousands who descend on the town of Otuzco each year for the celebration, there are those who are deeply devoted to La Virgen de la Puerta but do not or cannot make the journey to the shrine. Their celebrations take place at times at a great distance from Otuzco.

    Among them are members of the LGBTQ+ community, who to this day remain marginalized in broader Peruvian and Catholic culture. Although members of the LGBTQ+ community reside throughout Peru, the neighborhood of Cerro El Pino in Lima has historically been the site of a festive celebration in honor of La Virgen de la Puerta, which many community members observe.

    Differing communities come with differing needs to La Virgen de la Puerta. The LGBTQ+ community in this particular neighborhood believes she has protected them throughout their history. During the early years of the AIDS epidemic in the 1990s, when over 10% of the male population in Lima was infected by HIV, members of this community sought the protection of La Virgen de la Puerta for their physical health. Although some people died from AIDS, others continued to participate in the rituals of the fiesta to honor her protection over time, even amid their suffering. They wore special costumes, sang and performed the dances that have been part of the fiesta patronal for over 300 years.

    Francisco Rodríguez Torres is a Peruvian photographer who lives in the capital city, Lima, but has roots in the northern region where the image of La Virgen de la Puerta is located. He is one of those who has documented the activities of the fiesta patronal both in Otuzco and in Lima in his text La Mamita de Otuzco.

    He writes both about the local faithful as well as those who venerate the image from a distance. In his Spanish language text, he has documented that La Virgen de la Puerta is considered a mother by groups who find themselves on the margins of society. These groups include those who are part of the LGBTQ+ community, the poor, former prisoners and migrants. They “hope to find in her gaze a consolation,” he explains.

    Devotees bring their special petitions before La Virgen de la Puerta: They ask for her support in making decisions and for their everyday needs. Some even pray for miraculous healing.

    Echoing this sentiment of finding hope in La Virgen de la Puerta, Pope Francis, during his apostolic journey to Peru, crowned La Virgen de la Puerta and gave her the title of Mother of Mercy and Hope. In his address during a special prayer service in Trujillo on Jan. 20, 2018, Francis recounted that La Virgen de la Puerta has defended and protected all of her children throughout history.

    Leo, following the example of Francis, has focused on the importance of dialogue and peace. In his first message from the balcony upon being announced pope he said that members of the Catholic Church must build “bridges, dialogue, always open to receive like this square with its open arms, all, all who need our charity, our presence, dialogue and love.”

    I believe that La Virgen de la Puerta – a source of mercy and hope for all her devotees, regardless of whether they have been historically marginalized or excluded – offers an example to the world community of the greater unity with one another that Leo XIV is seeking to prioritize.

    Caitlin Cipolla-McCulloch does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. What Peru’s Virgen de la Puerta represents about unity and inclusion – https://theconversation.com/what-perus-virgen-de-la-puerta-represents-about-unity-and-inclusion-256766

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Holy See Press Office Press Release: Audience with the President of the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe

    Source: The Holy See

    Holy See Press Office Press Release: Audience with the President of the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, 30.06.2025

    Today, 30 June 2025, the Holy Father Leo XIV received in audience, in the Apostolic Palace, the President of the Democratic Republic of São Tome and Príncipe, His Excellency Mr. Carlos Manuel Vila Nova, who subsequently met with His Excellency Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations.
    During the cordial talks held at the Secretariat of State, the good relations between the Holy See and São Tome and Príncipe were evoked, and several aspects of the country’s political and socio-economic situation were discussed, especially the collaboration with the local Church in the fields of healthcare and education, with particular attention to the formation of young people in the archipelago.
    The conversation continued with an exchange of opinions on matters of a regional and international nature, highlighting the importance of promoting dialogue and cooperation between nations.
    From the Vatican, 30 June 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Eucharistic Celebration on the Solemnity of the Saints Apostles Peter and Paul with the Blessing and Imposition of the Pallia

    Source: The Holy See

    Eucharistic Celebration on the Solemnity of the Saints Apostles Peter and Paul with the Blessing and Imposition of the Pallia, 29.06.2025
    On the Solemnity of the Saints Apostles Peter and Paul, at 9.30 in the Vatican Basilica, the Holy Father Leo XIV imposed the Sacred Pallia, taken from the Confessio of the Apostle Peter and destined for the metropolitan archbishops appointed during the course of the year.
    The Pope will preside over the Eucharistic Celebration with the cardinals, the metropolitan archbishops and the bishops.
    During the Eucharistic Celebration, after the Gospel reading, the Holy Father delivered the following homily:

    Homily of the Holy Father
    Dear brothers and sisters,
    Today we celebrate two brothers in faith, Peter and Paul, whom we honour as pillars of the Church and venerate as patrons of the diocese and city of Rome.
    The story of these two Apostles has much to say to us, the community of the Lord’s disciples, as we make our pilgrim way in today’s world. Upon reflection, I would like to emphasize two specific aspects of their faith: ecclesial communion and the vitality of faith.
    First, ecclesial communion. Today’s liturgy reminds us how Peter and Paul were called to share a single fate, that of martyrdom, which united them definitively to Christ. In the first reading, we see Peter in prison awaiting judgment (cf. Acts 12:1-11). In the second reading, the Apostle Paul, also in chains, tells us, in a kind of last will and testament, that his blood is about to be poured out and offered to God (cf. 2 Tim 4:6-8, 17-18). Peter and Paul were both ready to lay down their lives for the sake of the Gospel.
    Yet this communion of the two Apostles in the one confession of faith was the conclusion of a long journey on which each embraced the faith and lived out his apostolate in his own particular way. Their brotherhood in the Spirit did not erase their different backgrounds. Simon was a fisherman from Galilee, while Saul was highly educated and a member of the party of the Pharisees. Peter immediately left everything to follow the Lord, while Paul persecuted Christians before his life-changing encounter with the risen Christ. Peter preached mainly to the Jews, whereas Paul was driven to bring the Good News to the gentiles.
    As we know, the two were at odds over the proper way to deal with gentile converts, so much so that Paul tells us that, “when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood self-condemned” (Gal 2:11). At the Council of Jerusalem, the two Apostles would once more debate the issue.
    Dear friends, the history of Peter and Paul shows us that the communion to which the Lord calls us is a unison of voices and personalities that does not eliminate anyone’s freedom. Our patron saints followed different paths, had different ideas and at times argued with one another with evangelical frankness. Yet this did not prevent them from living the concordia apostolorum, that is, a living communion in the Spirit, a fruitful harmony in diversity. As Saint Augustine remarks, “the feast of the two Apostles is celebrated on one day. They too were one. For although they were martyred on different days, they were one” (Serm. 295, 7.7).
    All this invites us to reflect on the nature of ecclesial communion. Awakened by the inspiration of the Spirit, it unites differences and builds bridges of unity thanks to the rich variety of charisms, gifts and ministries. It is important that we learn to experience communion in this way — as unity within diversity — so that the various gifts, united in the one confession of faith, may advance the preaching of the Gospel. We are called to persevere along this path, following the example of Peter and Paul, since all of us need that kind of fraternity. The whole Church needs fraternity, which must be present in all of our relationships, whether between lay people and priests, priests and bishops, bishops and the Pope. Fraternity is also needed in pastoral care, ecumenical dialogue and the friendly relations that the Church desires to maintain with the world. Let us make an effort, then, to turn our differences into a workshop of unity and communion, of fraternity and reconciliation, so that everyone in the Church, each with his or her personal history, may learn to walk side by side.
    Saints Peter and Paul also challenge us to think about the vitality of our faith. In our life as disciples, we can always risk falling into a rut, a routine, a tendency to follow the same old pastoral plans without experiencing interior renewal and a willingness to respond to new challenges. The two Apostles, however, can inspire us by the example of their openness to change, to new events, encounters and concrete situations in the life of their communities, and by their readiness to consider new approaches to evangelization in response to the problems and difficulties raised by our brothers and sisters in the faith.
    At the heart of today’s Gospel lies the question that Jesus asked his disciples. Today he asks us that same question, challenging us to examine whether our faith life retains its energy and vitality, and whether the flame of our relationship with the Lord still burns bright: “Who do you say that I am?” (Mt 16:15).
    Every day, at every moment in history, we must always take this question to heart. If we want to keep our identity as Christians from being reduced to a relic of the past, as Pope Francis often reminded us, it is important to move beyond a tired and stagnant faith. We need to ask ourselves: Who is Jesus Christ for us today? What place does he occupy in our lives and in the life of the Church? How can we bear witness to this hope in our daily lives and proclaim it to those whom we meet?
    Brothers and sisters, the exercise of a discernment born of these questions can enable our faith and the faith of the Church to be constantly renewed and to find new paths and new approaches to preaching the Gospel. This, together with communion, must be our greatest desire. Today I would like to speak to the Church in Rome in particular, because it, above all, is called to be a sign of unity and communion, a Church on fire with vibrant faith, a community of disciples who testify to the joy and consolation of the Gospel wherever people find themselves.
    In the joy of the communion that the lives of Saints Peter and Paul invite us to cultivate, I greet my brother Archbishops who today receive the Pallium. Dear brothers, this sign of the pastoral responsibility entrusted to you also expresses your communion with the Bishop of Rome, so that in the unity of the Catholic faith, each of you may build up that communion in your local Churches.
    I would also like to greet the members of the Synod of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. I you thank for your presence here and for your pastoral zeal. May the Lord grant peace to your people!
    And with deep gratitude, I greet the Delegation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, sent here by my dear brother, His Holiness Bartholomew.
    Dear brothers and sisters, strengthened by the witness of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, let us walk together in faith and communion and invoke their intercession upon ourselves, the city of Rome, the Church, and the whole world.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: EUROPE/ITALY – Father Luigi Buccarello, Superior General of the Trinitarians, confirms: “Where there is dialogue, there is no violence”

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Saturday, 28 June 2025

    by Antonella PrennaRome (Agenzia Fides) – “We work in problematic, difficult, and complex contexts where persecution exists. Where violence and persecution prevail, there is no dialogue, there is no respect for others. Precisely for this reason, in support of our specific mission of helping persecuted Christians, we also focus on interreligious dialogue, on religious freedom as a topic for deepening and raising awareness not only on a social but also on a theological level.”This is what Father Luigi Buccarello said in an interview with Fides at the end of the General Chapter of the Order of the Most Holy Trinity and the Captives O.SS.T. (see Fides, 7/11/2023), where he was confirmed for a further term as Superior General. Also present was Father Antonio Aurelio Fernández Serrano, president of the organization Trinitarian International Solidarity (SIT), which coordinates activities to support persecuted Christians.In the wake of Dignitatis Humanae”Following the guidelines of the Vatican II document on religious freedom, Dignitatis Humanae, and the subsequent magisterium of the Pontiffs,” Father Buccarello continues, “we have been collaborating for two years with the Center for Interreligious Studies of the Pontifical Gregorian University, with whom we organized a six-month course entitled ‘Religious Freedom: Problems, Challenges, and Perspectives,’ which was offered for the first time this year. In addition to the course, which is aimed at theology students and those interested in the subject, we have established a two-year theological research group involving 15 specialists from various research fields. The topic of religious freedom requires an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approach; geopolitics, history, sociology, theology, canon law, civil law, and religious studies are all involved. A publication will be published at the end of this two-year research period.””The lack of religious freedom,” the priest continued, “is a challenge for every religion. Every day we hear about attacks in Nigeria, Yemen, and Syria. Syria had exuberantly celebrated the regime change, but we see that we are back to square one.” “Together with Father Antonio, we are always in contact with these countries, and since we touch these realities firsthand, we recognize that religious freedom is the only guarantee of peace and coexistence. Our service is not charitable; rather, we want to address the problem at its root and combat the causes underlying religious intolerance.””The General Chapter,” the Superior General continues, “placed great emphasis on the specific training of our students in these topics. Working in the field of interreligious dialogue means paving a path to peace. Religious freedom is the path to peace. One of the important themes of the post-conciliar Magisterium is the consideration of religious freedom as a prerequisite for peace, because where freedom is respected, there is obviously peace, acceptance of others, and appreciation of religious diversity. Fundamentalists resort to violence because they do not tolerate religious diversity. They want uniformity, even within their own religious tradition; they view religion as a monolithic bloc and consider themselves the sole bearers of the authentic religious message. If this acceptance of diversity is lacking and differences are perceived as a threat rather than an enrichment, peace is in danger. But our faith is also in danger, for it always leads us to an encounter with others.”A long historyThe current mission of the Trinitarian religious family coincides with an update of its founding charism. “The Trinitarian Order,” explains Father Buccarello, “was founded for persecuted Christians, obviously in a different time and in a different historical context. In our motto, “Gloria tibi Trinitas et captivis libertas,” we find the word ‘slaves,’ ‘prisoners.’ Our founder, Saint John of Matha, began the “liberation missions,” initially from Spain to Morocco, with a letter from Innocent III, in which he recommended the Trinitarians to the Sultan of Morocco, saying that the work of freeing slaves was a work of charity, the most important, the most significant, and of universal benefit. In fact, the Pope had given the Trinitarians permission to free Christian slaves through exchange with Muslim slaves, thus creating a double liberation of both Christian and Muslim slaves.”Saint John of Matha was a learned theologian and had no intention to found a new religious family. During his first Mass, he had a vision: he saw Christ in the center, holding the arms of two slaves, a white Christian and a Black Muslim. After a period of reflection, it became clear to him that he had to found a religious family dedicated to this special mission: the redemption of captives “pro fide Christi.””Today,” adds Father Buccarello, “we know that this inspiration of our founder is very timely. The two ‘lungs’ of our mission are the works of mercy and persecuted Christians. And the latter is the work that most identifies and unites us. To update this charism, the Extraordinary General Chapter of 1999, on the occasion of the 800th anniversary of the adoption of the Rule of the Order and the fourth anniversary of the Order’s reform, decided to create an organization to coordinate and promote this area of assistance to persecuted Christians, which would be called ‘Trinitarian International Solidarity.’”The organization’s current president, Father Antonio Aurelio Fernández Serrano, explains that “it is an internal body of the Trinitarian religious family, whose first 25th anniversary was just celebrated. On this occasion, we made a documentary to raise awareness of the problem of persecuted Christians.” “Our projects,” he explains, “are also present in countries like Sudan and South Sudan, where we have already freed several young people.”Father Buccarello adds details of a meeting of the aid organization in Bahrain, where, at the initiative of the Apostolic Vicar of Northern Arabia, Bishop Aldo Berardi, O.SS.T., a meeting was also held with Abdullah Abdullah, director of the Global Center for Peace Coexistence (see Fides, 23/10/2024). “Abdullah came to our Chapter to share his experience,” the Superior General said. “He was also in the Italian Parliament, where, at a meeting in the Chamber of Deputies, he described the Trinitarian Order as an example of dialogue, care, charity, and respect.”The challenges of todayThe Trinitarians are active in the Roman parish of Santa Maria delle Fornaci, the titular church of Cardinal Mario Zenari, Apostolic Nuncio to Syria. “The Cardinal,” Father Buccarello explains, “spoke to us extensively about the situation in Syria, about persecution, but also about poverty, about the many Christians who have left the country in recent years. When Christians disappear from the Middle East, the balance that ensures harmonious coexistence between different cultures and faiths is lost. Peaceful coexistence is most threatened when a historical component of a region’s religious landscape disappears.”The Trinitarian Order is present in 25 countries, including Vietnam, South Korea, and India, a country where, according to Father Buccarello, cases of violence and harassment against Christians are increasing year after year, as well as in many areas of Africa where “terrorist groups and movements engaged in aggressive proselytizing” are active.The specific contribution that the Trinitarian Order can make for the future, according to the Superior General, is to “train religious who are experts in interreligious dialogue. We all need to be sensitized; even in the Western world, where we often do not know how to deal with religious diversity, there is no genuine encounter between people. Everyone has their own space; there is no true integration.” “In many schools in northern Italy,” he notes, “for example, the majority of students are non-Catholic and non-Christian. What resources do we provide to the children so that they can interact and welcome others? And are there other situations that are unknown? Our Trinitarian sisters in Valence, for example, have a school on the outskirts of Marseille. Eighty percent of the students are Muslims, who choose Catholic rather than public schools because they prefer a religious approach to a materialistic, atheistic one. In our school in northern Assam, India, only five percent of the students are Catholic; the others are Hindus and Muslims. However, they live together without problems because religious diversity is a resource that fosters respect for others and promotes the value of coexistence and peace.”The “motto” of the General Chapter was a quote from Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians: “Persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” “One of the criteria that was very well highlighted,” the Superior General emphasized, “is that religious freedom is not a theoretical question, but affects the lives and suffering of so many people, and that it must be analyzed in context. Each reality, in its complexity and problematic nature, presents different challenges to religious freedom. In Canada, for example, members of the order cannot go to the hospital wearing a religious habit. In the Western world, there is an aggressive secularism that tends to reduce religion to the private sphere, and identity-political cultural movements that instrumentalize religion. Identitarian movements aim to mark a kind of difference and opposition between “us and you” by fueling narratives that appeal to people’s fears, for example when migration is portrayed as a kind of invasion by the enemy who has come to destroy our identity. All of us, starting with religious leaders, must loudly emphasize that the name of God cannot be associated with war and violence. This must be said emphatically. Yet even these days, we hear statements from political leaders who seek to justify the war as a kind of divine mandate.” (Agenzia Fides, 28/6/2025)
    Share:

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: EUROPE/ITALY – Father Luigi Buccarello, Superior General of the Trinitarians, confirms: “Where there is dialogue, there is no violence”

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Saturday, 28 June 2025

    by Antonella PrennaRome (Agenzia Fides) – “We work in problematic, difficult, and complex contexts where persecution exists. Where violence and persecution prevail, there is no dialogue, there is no respect for others. Precisely for this reason, in support of our specific mission of helping persecuted Christians, we also focus on interreligious dialogue, on religious freedom as a topic for deepening and raising awareness not only on a social but also on a theological level.”This is what Father Luigi Buccarello said in an interview with Fides at the end of the General Chapter of the Order of the Most Holy Trinity and the Captives O.SS.T. (see Fides, 7/11/2023), where he was confirmed for a further term as Superior General. Also present was Father Antonio Aurelio Fernández Serrano, president of the organization Trinitarian International Solidarity (SIT), which coordinates activities to support persecuted Christians.In the wake of Dignitatis Humanae”Following the guidelines of the Vatican II document on religious freedom, Dignitatis Humanae, and the subsequent magisterium of the Pontiffs,” Father Buccarello continues, “we have been collaborating for two years with the Center for Interreligious Studies of the Pontifical Gregorian University, with whom we organized a six-month course entitled ‘Religious Freedom: Problems, Challenges, and Perspectives,’ which was offered for the first time this year. In addition to the course, which is aimed at theology students and those interested in the subject, we have established a two-year theological research group involving 15 specialists from various research fields. The topic of religious freedom requires an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approach; geopolitics, history, sociology, theology, canon law, civil law, and religious studies are all involved. A publication will be published at the end of this two-year research period.””The lack of religious freedom,” the priest continued, “is a challenge for every religion. Every day we hear about attacks in Nigeria, Yemen, and Syria. Syria had exuberantly celebrated the regime change, but we see that we are back to square one.” “Together with Father Antonio, we are always in contact with these countries, and since we touch these realities firsthand, we recognize that religious freedom is the only guarantee of peace and coexistence. Our service is not charitable; rather, we want to address the problem at its root and combat the causes underlying religious intolerance.””The General Chapter,” the Superior General continues, “placed great emphasis on the specific training of our students in these topics. Working in the field of interreligious dialogue means paving a path to peace. Religious freedom is the path to peace. One of the important themes of the post-conciliar Magisterium is the consideration of religious freedom as a prerequisite for peace, because where freedom is respected, there is obviously peace, acceptance of others, and appreciation of religious diversity. Fundamentalists resort to violence because they do not tolerate religious diversity. They want uniformity, even within their own religious tradition; they view religion as a monolithic bloc and consider themselves the sole bearers of the authentic religious message. If this acceptance of diversity is lacking and differences are perceived as a threat rather than an enrichment, peace is in danger. But our faith is also in danger, for it always leads us to an encounter with others.”A long historyThe current mission of the Trinitarian religious family coincides with an update of its founding charism. “The Trinitarian Order,” explains Father Buccarello, “was founded for persecuted Christians, obviously in a different time and in a different historical context. In our motto, “Gloria tibi Trinitas et captivis libertas,” we find the word ‘slaves,’ ‘prisoners.’ Our founder, Saint John of Matha, began the “liberation missions,” initially from Spain to Morocco, with a letter from Innocent III, in which he recommended the Trinitarians to the Sultan of Morocco, saying that the work of freeing slaves was a work of charity, the most important, the most significant, and of universal benefit. In fact, the Pope had given the Trinitarians permission to free Christian slaves through exchange with Muslim slaves, thus creating a double liberation of both Christian and Muslim slaves.”Saint John of Matha was a learned theologian and had no intention to found a new religious family. During his first Mass, he had a vision: he saw Christ in the center, holding the arms of two slaves, a white Christian and a Black Muslim. After a period of reflection, it became clear to him that he had to found a religious family dedicated to this special mission: the redemption of captives “pro fide Christi.””Today,” adds Father Buccarello, “we know that this inspiration of our founder is very timely. The two ‘lungs’ of our mission are the works of mercy and persecuted Christians. And the latter is the work that most identifies and unites us. To update this charism, the Extraordinary General Chapter of 1999, on the occasion of the 800th anniversary of the adoption of the Rule of the Order and the fourth anniversary of the Order’s reform, decided to create an organization to coordinate and promote this area of assistance to persecuted Christians, which would be called ‘Trinitarian International Solidarity.’”The organization’s current president, Father Antonio Aurelio Fernández Serrano, explains that “it is an internal body of the Trinitarian religious family, whose first 25th anniversary was just celebrated. On this occasion, we made a documentary to raise awareness of the problem of persecuted Christians.” “Our projects,” he explains, “are also present in countries like Sudan and South Sudan, where we have already freed several young people.”Father Buccarello adds details of a meeting of the aid organization in Bahrain, where, at the initiative of the Apostolic Vicar of Northern Arabia, Bishop Aldo Berardi, O.SS.T., a meeting was also held with Abdullah Abdullah, director of the Global Center for Peace Coexistence (see Fides, 23/10/2024). “Abdullah came to our Chapter to share his experience,” the Superior General said. “He was also in the Italian Parliament, where, at a meeting in the Chamber of Deputies, he described the Trinitarian Order as an example of dialogue, care, charity, and respect.”The challenges of todayThe Trinitarians are active in the Roman parish of Santa Maria delle Fornaci, the titular church of Cardinal Mario Zenari, Apostolic Nuncio to Syria. “The Cardinal,” Father Buccarello explains, “spoke to us extensively about the situation in Syria, about persecution, but also about poverty, about the many Christians who have left the country in recent years. When Christians disappear from the Middle East, the balance that ensures harmonious coexistence between different cultures and faiths is lost. Peaceful coexistence is most threatened when a historical component of a region’s religious landscape disappears.”The Trinitarian Order is present in 25 countries, including Vietnam, South Korea, and India, a country where, according to Father Buccarello, cases of violence and harassment against Christians are increasing year after year, as well as in many areas of Africa where “terrorist groups and movements engaged in aggressive proselytizing” are active.The specific contribution that the Trinitarian Order can make for the future, according to the Superior General, is to “train religious who are experts in interreligious dialogue. We all need to be sensitized; even in the Western world, where we often do not know how to deal with religious diversity, there is no genuine encounter between people. Everyone has their own space; there is no true integration.” “In many schools in northern Italy,” he notes, “for example, the majority of students are non-Catholic and non-Christian. What resources do we provide to the children so that they can interact and welcome others? And are there other situations that are unknown? Our Trinitarian sisters in Valence, for example, have a school on the outskirts of Marseille. Eighty percent of the students are Muslims, who choose Catholic rather than public schools because they prefer a religious approach to a materialistic, atheistic one. In our school in northern Assam, India, only five percent of the students are Catholic; the others are Hindus and Muslims. However, they live together without problems because religious diversity is a resource that fosters respect for others and promotes the value of coexistence and peace.”The “motto” of the General Chapter was a quote from Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians: “Persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” “One of the criteria that was very well highlighted,” the Superior General emphasized, “is that religious freedom is not a theoretical question, but affects the lives and suffering of so many people, and that it must be analyzed in context. Each reality, in its complexity and problematic nature, presents different challenges to religious freedom. In Canada, for example, members of the order cannot go to the hospital wearing a religious habit. In the Western world, there is an aggressive secularism that tends to reduce religion to the private sphere, and identity-political cultural movements that instrumentalize religion. Identitarian movements aim to mark a kind of difference and opposition between “us and you” by fueling narratives that appeal to people’s fears, for example when migration is portrayed as a kind of invasion by the enemy who has come to destroy our identity. All of us, starting with religious leaders, must loudly emphasize that the name of God cannot be associated with war and violence. This must be said emphatically. Yet even these days, we hear statements from political leaders who seek to justify the war as a kind of divine mandate.” (Agenzia Fides, 28/6/2025)
    Share:

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: ASIA/CAMBODIA – Appointment of coadjutor vicar apostolic of Phnom-Penh

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Saturday, 28 June 2025

    Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – The Holy Father has appointed the Reverend Pierre Suon Hangly, of the clergy of the apostolic vicariate of Phnom-Penh, Cambodia, until now prefect apostolic of Kompong-Cham, as coadjutor vicar apostolic of the same apostolic vicariate of Phnom-Penh.Msgr. Pierre Suon Hangly was born on 14 April 1972 in Phnom-Penh.He was ordained a priest on 9 December 2001 for the clergy of the apostolic vicariate of Phnom-Penh.After ordination, he first provided pastoral service in the Sector of Kampo-Kep and Takeo (2001-2007). He was awarded a licentiate in theology, specializing in spirituality, at the Institut Catholique de Paris (2015), and went on to serve as rector of the Saint Jean Marie Vianney National Major Seminary (2015-2017), parish priest of Saint Peter and Paul in Phnom-Penh (2015-2022), pro-vicar of the apostolic vicariate of Phnom-Penh (2017-2022), and prefect of the Apostolic Prefecture of Kompong-Cham (2022). (Agenzia Fides, 28/6/2025)
    Share:

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: ASIA/CAMBODIA – Appointment of coadjutor vicar apostolic of Phnom-Penh

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Saturday, 28 June 2025

    Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – The Holy Father has appointed the Reverend Pierre Suon Hangly, of the clergy of the apostolic vicariate of Phnom-Penh, Cambodia, until now prefect apostolic of Kompong-Cham, as coadjutor vicar apostolic of the same apostolic vicariate of Phnom-Penh.Msgr. Pierre Suon Hangly was born on 14 April 1972 in Phnom-Penh.He was ordained a priest on 9 December 2001 for the clergy of the apostolic vicariate of Phnom-Penh.After ordination, he first provided pastoral service in the Sector of Kampo-Kep and Takeo (2001-2007). He was awarded a licentiate in theology, specializing in spirituality, at the Institut Catholique de Paris (2015), and went on to serve as rector of the Saint Jean Marie Vianney National Major Seminary (2015-2017), parish priest of Saint Peter and Paul in Phnom-Penh (2015-2022), pro-vicar of the apostolic vicariate of Phnom-Penh (2017-2022), and prefect of the Apostolic Prefecture of Kompong-Cham (2022). (Agenzia Fides, 28/6/2025)
    Share:

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Audience with members of the Delegation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate

    Source: The Holy See

    Audience with members of the Delegation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, 28.06.2025
    This morning, the Holy Father Leo XIV received in audience the members of the Delegation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, on the occasion of the feast of Saints Peter and Paul.
    The following is the address delivered by the Holy Father to those present at the meeting:

    Address of the Holy Father
    Your Eminences,Dear Brothers in Christ,
    I am especially happy to welcome, for the first time after my election as Bishop of Rome and successor of the Apostle Peter, this Delegation representing the sister Church of Constantinople as we celebrate the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, Patrons of the Church of Rome. This traditional exchange of Delegations between the two Churches on the occasion of the respective feasts of their Patron Saints is a sign of the profound communion already existing between us, and a reflection of the fraternal bond that united the Apostles Peter and Andrew.
    After centuries of disagreements and misunderstanding, the resumption of genuine dialogue between the sister Churches of Rome and Constantinople was made possible through courageous and farsighted steps taken by Pope Paul VI and Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras. Their venerable successors to the Sees of Rome and Constantinople have pursued with conviction the same path of reconciliation, thus further strengthening our close relations. Here I would like to mention the witness of sincere closeness to the Catholic Church given by the Ecumenical Patriarch, His All Holiness Bartholomew, by his personal participation in the funeral of the late Pope Francis, and again at the Mass inaugurating my Pontificate.
    As I think back with gratitude on the progress made thus far, I assure you of my desire to persevere in the effort to restore full visible communion between our Churches. The attainment of this goal can only come about, with God’s help, through a continued commitment to respectful listening and fraternal dialogue. For this reason, I am open to any suggestions that you may offer in this regard, always in consultation with my brother Bishops of the Catholic Church who, each in his own way, share with me the responsibility for the complete and visible unity of the Church (cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium, 23).
    Your Eminences, dear brothers in Christ, I thank you most heartily for your presence in Rome on this solemn occasion. I ask you kindly to convey my cordial greetings to Patriarch Bartholomew and the members of the Holy Synod, together with my gratitude for sending a Delegation again this year. May Saints Peter and Paul, Saint Andrew and the Holy Mother of God, who live eternally in the perfect communion of the saints, accompany and sustain us in our efforts in the service of the Gospel. Thank you!

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: ASIA/TURKEY – The Archbishop of Smyrna: “We are awaiting Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Nicaea

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Opera Roma Pellegrinaggi

    Smyrna (Agenzia Fides) – “Pilgrimages to Nicaea are being organized from Smyrna, Istanbul, and other Turkish dioceses. And from abroad, representatives of parishes from all over the world are coming to what is now Iznik, which was once Nicaea. We eagerly await the official confirmation from the Holy See regarding Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Nicaea: his presence in Turkey will be a source of great joy and grace for us believers and for the entire nation,” said Martin Kmetec, President of the Turkish Bishops’ Conference and Archbishop of Smyrna, in an interview with Fides. He commemorated the 1700th anniversary of the Ecumenical Council of Nicaea, convened in 325 AD, an event that draws the attention of Christian churches around the world to the city south of Istanbul on Lake Bursa. Monsignor Kmetec explains: “The anniversary aroused great interest among the Christian community in Turkey and prompted us to explore the history of the Church in our region. Today we reflect on the treasure of faith we received from Nicaea: we are called to embrace it, preserve it, and apply it in our daily lives.”The Archbishop also recalls that the anniversary is also being celebrated by the Orthodox Church “and is therefore an opportunity for ecumenical dialogue and unity.” Referring to a recent ecumenical symposium held in Antalya, in which he personally participated, the Archbishop of Smyrna states: “I found the perspective very significant because it helped us focus on the content of the faith we proclaim and live, that is, to reflect on the Incarnation of Christ, which expresses the gift of his divine and human nature. The gift given to us is salvation: today we are called to safeguard this gift and proclaim it to the world as Christians, Catholics and Orthodox together,” he states. The then also emphasizes a second aspect: “Nicaea is not only a place for theological reflection: This Council was also the fruit of the profound witness of faith by so many people who gave their lives for the faith in the first three centuries of Christianity. This witness, in a sense, prepared the outcome of the Council. For us today, the memory of this witness of faith is the most important thing, because it inspires and strengthens us in the challenges we live in the present.” A moment of faith and witness for the small Catholic community in Turkey (in a country with a large Muslim majority, there are approximately 60,000 Catholics, representing 0.07% of the population) will also be the visit of Pope Leo XIV, scheduled for the Feast of Saint Andrew (November 30), although the official announcement has yet to be made. Bishop Kmetec notes: “We are awaiting him in Turkey; all the details and agreements between the Holy See and the Turkish government are currently being finalized. A Vatican delegation already came here in February to prepare for the visit of Pope Francis, whom we remember in prayer, with affection and gratitude. Now we hope with all our hearts that Pope Leo can come: We are confident, there are positive signs, and everything is developing for the best.” If the Pope were to come to Turkey for his first apostolic visit abroad, “it would be a privilege for us,” he notes, but “it would be a great event for the entire nation, including the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.” “We were struck by the Pope’s first greeting: Peace be with you, the Archbishop concluded. “He proclaimed and will bring us the peace that is the gift of the Risen Christ. We believe that he has an open ear to the realities of the world and will bring a word of peace to a torn world. Let us pray for him that the Holy Spirit may comfort and enlighten him as father, head, and support for us, a small community in Turkey, and for the universal Church.” (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 27/6/2025)
    Share:

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Holy Mass with Priestly Ordinations on the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

    Source: The Holy See

    Holy Mass with Priestly Ordinations on the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, 27.06.2025
    This morning, at 9.00, in the Vatican Basilica, the Holy Father Leo XIV celebrated Holy Mass with the rite of Ordination of Priests, on the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.
    The following is the homily delivered by the Holy Father during the Eucharistic Celebration:

    Homily of the Holy Father
    Today, the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests, we celebrate this Eucharist with great joy as part of the Jubilee of Priests.
    Before all else, dear brother priests, I wish to say a word to you, who have passed through the Holy Door to pray at the tomb of the Apostle Peter and to immerse your baptismal and priestly garments once more in the Heart of the Savior. For some of you, this is happening on a unique day in your lives: the day of your Ordination.
    To speak of the Heart of Christ in this context is to reflect on the entire mystery of the Lord’s incarnation, death and resurrection, which is entrusted in a special way to us, so that we can make it present in our world. In the light of the readings that we have just heard, let us reflect on how we can contribute to this work of salvation.
    In the first reading, the prophet Ezekiel describes God as a shepherd who watches over his flock, counting his sheep one by one. He seeks out the lost, binds up the wounded, and strengthens the weak and sick (cf. Ezek 34:11-16). He thus reminds us, in this age of vast and devastating conflicts, that the love of God has no limits.  We are called to let ourselves be embraced and shaped by that love, and to realize that in God’s eyes – and our own as well – there is no place for division and hatred of any kind.
    In the second reading (cf. Rom 5:5-11), Saint Paul reminds us that God reconciled us to himself “while we were still weak” (v. 6) and “sinful” (v. 8), and exhorts us to entrust ourselves, along a daily path of conversion, to the transforming power of his Spirit who dwells in our hearts. Our hope is grounded in the knowledge that the Lord never abandons us: he is always at our side. At the same time, we are called to cooperate with him, above all by putting the Eucharist at the center of our lives, inasmuch as it is “the source and summit of the Christian life” (SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium, 11). Then too, “through the fruitful reception of the sacraments, and especially by the frequent practice of sacramental penance” (Decree Presbyterorum Ordinis, 18), and finally through prayer, meditation on God’s word, and the exercise of charity, conforming our hearts ever more closely to that of “the Father of mercies” (ibid.).
    This brings us to today’s Gospel (cf. Lk 15:3-7), which speaks of the joy of God – and of every shepherd who loves in the manner of his Heart – at the return of even one of his sheep to the fold. We are called to exercise pastoral charity with a generous love, like that of the Father, and to foster in our hearts the desire that no one be lost (cf. Jn 6:39) but that everyone, also through our ministry, may come to know Christ and have eternal life in him (cf. Jn 6:40). We are called to deepen our closeness to Jesus (cf. Presbyterorum Ordinis, 14) and to be a source of harmony in the midst of our brother priests. We do so by bearing on our shoulders those who are lost, granting forgiveness to those who have erred, seeking out those who have gone astray or been left behind, and caring for those who suffer in body or spirit. And to do all this in a great exchange of love that, flowing from the pierced side of the crucified Lord, embraces all people and fills the entire world. For, in the words of Pope Francis, “the wounded side of Christ continues to pour forth that stream which is never exhausted, never passes away, but offers itself time and time again to all those who wish to love as he did. For his love alone can bring about a new humanity” (Encyclical Letter Dilexit Nos, 219).
    The priestly ministry is one of sanctification and reconciliation for the building up of the Body of Christ in unity (cf. Lumen Gentium, 7). For this reason, the Second Vatican Council exhorted priests to make every effort to “lead all to the unity of charity” (Presbyterorum Ordinis, 9), harmonizing differences so that “no one… may feel left out” (ibid.). It also encouraged priests to remain united with their bishop and within the presbyterate (ibid., 7-8). For the more we are united among ourselves, the more we will be able to lead others to the fold of the Good Shepherd, and to live as brothers and sisters in the one house of the Father.
    Saint Augustine, in a homily delivered on the anniversary of his ordination, spoke of the joyful fruit of communion that unites the faithful, priests and bishops, grounded in the recognition that all of us are redeemed and saved by the same gracious mercy of God. It was in that context that he spoke the celebrated words: “For you I am a bishop, with you I am a Christian” (Serm. 340, 1).
    In the solemn Mass inaugurating my Pontificate, I voiced before the People of God my great desire for “a united Church, a sign of unity and communion, which becomes a leaven for a reconciled world” (18 May 2025). Today, I share this desire once more with all of you. Reconciled with one another, united and transformed by the love that flows abundantly from the Heart of Christ, let us walk together humbly and resolutely in his footsteps, firm in faith and open to all in charity. Let us bring the peace of the risen Lord to our world, with the freedom born of the knowledge that we have been loved, chosen and sent by the Father.
    Now, before concluding, I would like to say a word to you, dear Ordinands, who in a few moments, by the laying on of hands of the bishop and a renewed outpouring of the Holy Spirit, will become priests. What I have to say is simple, but I consider it important for your future and for the future of the souls entrusted to your care. Love God and your brothers and sisters, and give yourselves to them generously. Be fervent in your celebration of the sacraments, in prayer, especially in adoration before the Eucharist, and in your ministry. Keep close to your flock, give freely of your time and energy to everyone, without reserve and without partiality, as the pierced side of the crucified Jesus and the example of the saints teach us to do. Remember that the Church, in the two thousand years of her history, has had – and today continues to have – wonderful examples of priestly holiness. From the earliest communities on, the Church has raised up priests who have been martyrs, tireless apostles, missionaries, and champions of charity. Cherish this treasure: learn their stories, study their lives and work, imitate their virtues, be inspired by their zeal, and invoke their intercession often and insistently! All too often, today’s world offers models of success and prestige that are dubious and short-lived. Do not let yourselves be taken in by them! Look rather to the solid example and apostolic fruitfulness, frequently hidden and unassuming, of those who, with faith and dedication, have spent their lives in service of the Lord and their brothers and sisters. Keep their memory alive by your own example of fidelity.
    Let us now entrust ourselves to the loving protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of priests and Mother of hope. May she direct and sustain our steps, so that each day we may conform our hearts more closely to that of Christ, the supreme and eternal Shepherd.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: AFRICA/MADAGASCAR – Appointment of auxiliary bishop of Antananarivo

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Thursday, 26 June 2025

    Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – The Holy Father has appointed the Reverend Mamiarisoa Modeste Randrianifahanana, until now vicar general of the metropolitan archdiocese of Antananarivo, Madagascar, as auxiliary bishop of the same archdiocese, assigning him the titular see of Iucundiana.Msgr. Mamiarisoa Modeste Randrianifahanana was born on 18 June 1967 in Fiakarana. He studied philosophy in the major seminary of Antsirabe, and theology in the major seminary of Ambatoroka, Antananarivo.He was ordained a priest on 6 September 1997.He has held the following offices: chaplain of the Youth Eucharistic Movement and head of liturgy (1997-2003), rector of the preparatory seminary of Antananarivo (1998-2003), priest fidei donum in La Réunion (2003-2017), parish priest of the missionary district of Ambatolampy (2017-2020), educator in the major seminary of Antsirabe (2020-2023), and vicar general (since 2023). (EG) (Agenzia Fides, 26/6/2025)
    Share:

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: AFRICA/MADAGASCAR – Appointment of auxiliary bishop of Antananarivo

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Thursday, 26 June 2025

    Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – The Holy Father has appointed the Reverend Mamiarisoa Modeste Randrianifahanana, until now vicar general of the metropolitan archdiocese of Antananarivo, Madagascar, as auxiliary bishop of the same archdiocese, assigning him the titular see of Iucundiana.Msgr. Mamiarisoa Modeste Randrianifahanana was born on 18 June 1967 in Fiakarana. He studied philosophy in the major seminary of Antsirabe, and theology in the major seminary of Ambatoroka, Antananarivo.He was ordained a priest on 6 September 1997.He has held the following offices: chaplain of the Youth Eucharistic Movement and head of liturgy (1997-2003), rector of the preparatory seminary of Antananarivo (1998-2003), priest fidei donum in La Réunion (2003-2017), parish priest of the missionary district of Ambatolampy (2017-2020), educator in the major seminary of Antsirabe (2020-2023), and vicar general (since 2023). (EG) (Agenzia Fides, 26/6/2025)
    Share:

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: VATICAN – Pope Leo embraces Eastern Christians, struck by violence “with a diabolical intensity previously unknown”

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Thursday, 26 June 2025

    abouna.org

    Vatican City – (Agenzia Fides) – Today, violent conflict seems to be raging in the Christian East “with a diabolical intensity previously unknown”. And precisely in those lands, now covered “by a cloud of hatred that renders the air unbreathable and toxic,” the faith, hope, and charity of so many Eastern Christians can shine more brightly – “the People of God who persevere by looking up to heaven,” who preserve a “sense of the sacred, and their spirituality, redolent of the divine mysteries,” and who can even help and enlighten the path of Christian communities in the West, where “the faith is in danger of becoming lifeless.”These were the words of Pope Leo XIV, addressed to participants in the plenary assembly of ROACO, the Reunion of Aid Agencies for the Oriental Churches, whom he received today in audience in the Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace. His message was an act of fatherly gratitude for the testimony of faith shown by Eastern Christians, who see “the seeds of the Gospel taking root in the desert” even amid atrocious violence, such as “the recent terrible attack on the Church of Saint Elias in Damascus” (see Fides, 23/6/2025).The Pope’s ‘thank you’ to ROACOROACO periodically brings together in Rome Agencies and Organizations active in various countries and engaged in financial support for Eastern rite Catholic communities (building places of worship, granting scholarships, funding educational and healthcare institutions). Pope Leo described those involved in ROACO as sowers of hope “in the lands of the Christian East, which today, as never before, are devastated by wars,” and provide “a breath of oxygen to the Eastern Churches, so worn down by the conflicts in course.” He asked them, “with all my heart, to continue to do everything possible to help these Churches, so precious and so greatly afflicted.”‘Fake news’ and the extermination of peoplesThese tribulations, the Bishop of Rome recalled, are not limited to the present. The history of the Eastern Catholic Churches “has often been marked by suffering and violence.” And “unfortunately, there have also been instances of oppression and misunderstanding within the Catholic community itself, which at times failed to acknowledge and appreciate the value of traditions other than those of the West.” Today, they, together with their brothers of other Eastern Churches, find themselves at the heart of a vortex of delirium and cruelty that is raging their ancestral lands “with a diabolical intensity previously unknown.”The Pope described with suggestive and eloquent language a historical era marked by “the principle of “might makes right” prevailing in so many situations today, all for the sake of legitimizing the pursuit of self-interest.” A time in which “the force of international law and humanitarian law seems no longer to be binding, replaced by the alleged right to coerce others.” A time in which “the desire of the world’s peoples for peace” is betrayed “with propaganda about weapons buildup, as if military supremacy will resolve problems instead of fueling even greater hatred and desire for revenge.” And all of this happens while “people are beginning to realize the amount of money that ends up in the pockets of merchants of death; money that could be used to build new hospitals and schools is instead being used to destroy those that already exist.”The Successor of Peter called on us to “examine the causes of these conflicts, to identify those that are real and to attempt to resolve them. But also to reject those that are false, the result of emotional manipulation and rhetoric, and to make every effort to bring them to light. People must not die because of fake news.”Imitating Jesus amid today’s Herods and PilatesIn the face of such scenarios, the Pope continued, Christians are not only called to express indignation and raise their voices. They can act as “peacemakers and promoters of dialogue,” and above all, they are called to ‘pray’, to “make every tragic news story, every newsreel that we see, a cry of intercession before God.” They are also called to bear witness by following Jesus, to “imitate Christ, who conquered evil by the love he showed on the cross, and to show a way of reigning quite different from that of Herod and Pilate.”“One, for fear of being deposed,” the Pope noted recalled, his words subtly alluding to present-day events—“murdered children, who even today continue to be torn apart by bombs; the other washed his hands, as we risk doing every day until we arrive at the point of no return.”Ex Oriente LuxPope Leo took the opportunity to once again express gratitude to the Eastern Churches, “especially when you remain in your lands as disciples and witnesses of Christ.” He embraced them as guardians “of liturgies that allow God to dwell in time and space, of centuries-old chants imbued with praise, glory, and mystery, which raise an incessant plea for forgiveness for humanity.” He recalled how many of them, “often nameless, join the great ranks of martyrs and saints of the Christian East. In the dark night of conflict, you are witnesses to the light of the East.”The Pope then expressed a wish full of practical developments: “I would like this light of wisdom and salvation,” he said in the concluding part of his address, “to be better known in the Catholic Church, where it is still largely unknown and where, in some places, the faith is in danger of becoming lifeless, also because the hope expressed repeatedly by Saint John Paul II has not yet been realized: ‘The Church must learn once again to breathe with both lungs, the Eastern and the Western’.”Now is the time, the Pope added, to “implement the clear bidding of the Magisterium” to become familiar with the treasures of Eastern Christianity, for example by “organizing basic courses on the Eastern Churches in Seminaries, Theological Faculties, and Catholic Universities .”After all, “Eastern Catholics today are no longer our distant cousins who celebrate unfamiliar rites, but our brothers and sisters who, due to forced migration, are our next-door neighbors.” And “their sense of the sacred, their deep faith, confirmed by suffering, and their spirituality, redolent of the divine mysteries, can benefit the thirst for God, latent yet at the same present, in the West.” (GV) (Agenzia Fides, 26/6/2025)
    Share:

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Audience of the Holy Father with Redemptorist and Scalabrinian Bishops

    Source: The Holy See

    Audience of the Holy Father with Redemptorist and Scalabrinian Bishops, 26.06.2025
    This morning, in the Consistory Hall of the Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father Leo XIV received in audience the Redemptorist and Scalabrinian bishops, to whom he delivered the following address:

    Address of the Holy Father
    In the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
    Peace be with you!
    Your Eminences, Your Excellencies,
    Reverend Superiors,
    I am happy about this meeting, and find the occasion that generates it beautiful: the choice of two Religious Congregations to meet and dialogue with those brethren whose episcopal ministry they have given to the Church. This is an exchange that certainly enriches the Bishops present, your Communities and the entire People of God, as the Second Vatican Council teaches (cf. Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium, 7; Congregation for Religious and Secular Institutes – Congregation for Bishops, Directives for the Mutual Relations Between Bishops and Religious in the Church, 2).
    The Church is grateful to your Institutes, of whom it has asked, with the appointment of bishops among its members, a not inconsiderable sacrifice in times of a shortage of religious brothers, when depriving you of confrères engaged in the service of various works entails not a few problems. Perhaps the General will say something to me, but… [laughter]. At the same time, though, it has given a great gift to your Congregations, because service to the universal Church is the most beautiful grace and joy for any religious family, as your Founders would certainly confirm.
    You in particular, Scalabrinian and Redemptorist religious, chosen and consecrated for service to the Episcopate and also to the Cardinals, bring into your ministry the legacy of two important charisms, especially in our days: service to migrants and the evangelization of the poor and the distant.
    Saint Alphonsus Maria de’ Liguori, entering into contact with the poverty of the most neglected neighbourhoods of Naples in the eighteenth century, renounced a wealthy life and a lucrative career, embracing the mission of bringing the Gospel to the last.
    Saint John Baptist Scalabrini, a century later, was able to feel and understand the hopes and sufferings of the many people who left, leaving everything behind, in search of a better future for themselves and their families in faraway lands.
    Both of them were Founders, became bishops, and knew how to respond to the challenges of social and economic systems which on the one hand opened new frontiers at various levels, but on the other left behind a great deal of unheeded misery and many problems, creating pockets of degradation that no one seemed to want to deal with.
    At a historic moment that also presents great opportunities and at the same time no shortage of difficulties and contradictions, by celebrating the Jubilee of hope we want to recall that, today as yesterday, the voice to listen to in order to understand what to do is that of “the love of God … poured out into our hearts through the holy Spirit that has been given to us” (Rm 5:5).
    Even in our world, the Lord’s work always goes before us: we are required to conform our minds and hearts to it through wise discernment, and I am convinced that the discussion you have promoted will be very useful to this end. I encourage you, therefore, to maintain and to nurture, also for the future, these relations of fraternal help, with generosity and selflessness, for the good of all Christ’s flock. I thank you for the great work you do, and I bless you heartily, together with all your communities. Thank you!
    [Prayer: Pater Noster]
    [Blessing]

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Message of the Holy Father to participants in the Second Annual Conference on Artificial Intelligence, Ethics and Corporate Governance

    Source: The Holy See

    Message of the Holy Father to participants in the Second Annual Conference on Artificial Intelligence, Ethics and Corporate Governance, 20.06.2025
    The following is the Message sent by the Holy Father Leo XIV to the participants in the Second Annual Conference on Artificial Intelligence, Ethics and Corporate Governance (Rome, 19 to 20 June 2025):

    Message
    On the occasion of this Second Annual Rome Conference on Artificial Intelligence I extend my prayerful good wishes to those taking part. Your presence attests to the urgent need for serious reflection and ongoing discussion on the inherently ethical dimension of AI, as well as its responsible governance. In this regard, I am pleased that the second day of the Conference will take place in the Apostolic Palace, a clear indication of the Church’s desire to participate in these discussions that directly affect the present and future of our human family.
    Together with its extraordinary potential to benefit the human family, the rapid development of AI also raises deeper questions concerning the proper use of such technology in generating a more authentically just and human global society. In this sense, while undoubtedly an exceptional product of human genius, AI is “above all else a tool” (POPE FRANCIS, Address at the G7 Session on Artificial Intelligence, 14 June 2024). By definition, tools point to the human intelligence that crafted them and draw much of their ethical force from the intentions of the individuals that wield them. In some cases, AI has been used in positive and indeed noble ways to promote greater equality, but there is likewise the possibility of its misuse for selfish gain at the expense of others, or worse, to foment conflict and aggression.
    For its part, the Church wishes to contribute to a serene and informed discussion of these pressing questions by stressing above all the need to weigh the ramifications of AI in light of the “integral development of the human person and society” (Note Antiqua et Nova, 6). This entails taking into account the well-being of the human person not only materially, but also intellectually and spiritually; it means safeguarding the inviolable dignity of each human person and respecting the cultural and spiritual riches and diversity of the world’s peoples. Ultimately, the benefits or risks of AI must be evaluated precisely according to this superior ethical criterion.
    Sadly, as the late Pope Francis pointed out, our societies today are experiencing a certain “loss, or at least an eclipse, of the sense of what is human,” and this in turn challenges all of us to reflect more deeply on the true nature and uniqueness of our shared human dignity (Address at the G7 Session on Artificial Intelligence, 14 June 2024). AI, especially Generative AI, has opened new horizons on many different levels, including enhancing research in healthcare and scientific discovery, but also raises troubling questions on its possible repercussions on humanity’s openness to truth and beauty, on our distinctive ability to grasp and process reality. Acknowledging and respecting what is uniquely characteristic of the human person is essential to the discussion of any adequate ethical framework for the governance of AI.
    All of us, I am sure, are concerned for children and young people, and the possible consequences of the use of AI on their intellectual and neurological development. Our youth must be helped, and not hindered, in their journey towards maturity and true responsibility. They are our hope for the future, and society’s well-being depends upon their being given the ability to develop their God-given gifts and capabilities, and to respond to the demands of the times and the needs of others with a free and generous spirit. No generation has ever had such quick access to the amount of information now available through AI. But again, access to data — however extensive — must not be confused with intelligence, which necessarily “involves the person’s openness to the ultimate questions of life and reflects an orientation toward the True and the Good” (Antiqua et Nova, No. 29). In the end, authentic wisdom has more to do with recognizing the true meaning of life, than with the availability of data.
    In this light, dear friends, I express my hope that your deliberations will also consider AI within the context of the necessary intergenerational apprenticeship that will enable young people to integrate truth into their moral and spiritual life, thus informing their mature decisions and opening the path towards a world of greater solidarity and unity (cf. ibid., 28). The task set before you is not easy, but it is one of vital importance. In thanking you for your efforts now and in the future, I cordially invoke upon you and your families the divine blessings of wisdom, joy and peace.
    From the Vatican, 17 June 2025
    LEO PP. XIV

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Pope Leo celebrates Corpus Christi: “It is wonderful to be in the presence of Jesus”

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    VaticanMedia

    Rome (Agenzia Fides) – “Dear brothers and sisters, it is wonderful to be in the presence of Jesus.” With these words, Pope Leo XIV began his homily this afternoon as he celebrated the Eucharistic Liturgy for the Solemnity of Corpus Christi in the forecourt of the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the cathedral of Rome.The Gospel reading from Luke, recounting the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes, narrated the multitudes who “spent long hours listening to him speak about the Kingdom of God and seeing him heal the sick.” On Corpus Christi, a similar crowd gathered around the Successor of Peter for Holy Mass and the subsequent procession from the Lateran Basilica to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. That Eucharistic bread, said Pope Leo in his homily, quoting St. Augustine, is “bread that restores and does not run short; bread that can be eaten but not exhausted.”In the deserted place where they had listened to Jesus’ words and wished to remain near Him – the Bishop of Rome emphasized, referring to the Gospel passage – “evening fell and there was nothing to eat. The hunger of the people and the setting of the sun speak to us of a limit that looms over the world and every creature: the day ends, as does the life of every human being. At that hour of need and of gathering shadows, Jesus remains present in our midst.”Jesus multiplies the loaves and fishes for the hungry multitude, even though the disciples had advised him to dismiss the crowds. A suggestion, the Pope noted, “which reveal their lack of faith. For where the Lord is present, we find all that we need to give strength and meaning to our lives.” Jesus responds, “to the appeal of hunger with the sign of sharing: he raises his eyes, recites the blessing, breaks the bread, and feeds all present.”Today, in place of the crowds mentioned in the Gospel – the Pope continued, referring to the present day – “entire peoples are suffering more as a result of the greed of others than from their own hunger.” And faced with the misery of so many, he added, “the amassing of wealth by a few is the sign of an arrogant indifference that produces pain and injustice. Rather than sharing, it squanders the fruits of the earth and human labour. Especially in this Jubilee Year, the Lord’s example is a yardstick that should guide our actions and our service: we are called to share our bread, to multiply hope and to proclaim the coming of God’s Kingdom.”The hunger of the crowd, satisfied by Jesus’ miracle – the Pope continued, linking the Gospel story to the mystery of the Eucharist – is a sign of the hunger for salvation present in every human heart. In saving the crowds from hunger, “Jesus proclaims that he will save everyone from death. That is the mystery of faith, which we celebrate in the sacrament of the Eucharist. For just as hunger is a sign of our radical needs in this life, so breaking bread is a sign of God’s gift of salvation.” And “our hungry nature bears the mark of a need that is satisfied by the grace of the Eucharist.”The Eucharist – the Successor of Peter added, quoting the Catechism of the Catholic Church – is “the true, real, and substantial presence of the Savior, who transforms the bread into Himself, so that He may transform us into Himself. Living and life-giving, the Corpus Christi makes us – the Church itself – the Body of the Lord.”Even the Eucharistic procession, “which we are about to undertake,” Pope Leo emphasized at the end of his homily, “is a sign of that journey. Together, as shepherds and flock, we will feed on the Blessed Sacrament, adore him and carry him through the streets. In doing so, we will present him before the eyes, the consciences and the hearts of the people. To the hearts of those who believe, so that they may believe more firmly; to the hearts of those who do not believe, so that they may reflect on the hunger present within them and the bread that alone can satisfy it.” (GV) (Agenzia Fides, 22/6/2025)
    Share:

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Statement by President Meloni on the Jubilee of Governments

    Source: Government of Italy (English)

    We will treasure the valuable lessons that Pope Leo XIV imparted to us in the Vatican this morning, on the occasion of the Jubilee of Governments.

    The Holy Father reminded us that politics should be interpreted as a mission and not as a profession, and called upon all those holding political office and positions of responsibility to never lose sight of human dignity, to always work for the good of the community, to protect the family and life, and to promote the integral education of youth.

    His reflection on natural law constituting a compass to guide legislators and political action was particularly powerful. Equally as significant were the Pope’s cautionary words regarding the huge ethical, legal and anthropological challenges triggered by artificial intelligence. Italy will continue its commitment, at both national and international level, to ensure the development of AI is human-governed and human-centred.

    We will also continue to do our part to defend religious freedom, a natural right preceding all legal formulations but which is still unfortunately suppressed in too many of the world’s nations.

    [Courtesy translation]

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Catholic school board’s regressive flag policy sets back reconciliation in a post-Papal visit Canada

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Erenna Morrison, PhD Candidate, Curriculum and Pedagogy, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto

    Following the release of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action in 2015, some Catholic school boards have made commitments to reconciliation in education. These boards include the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board (DPCDSB).

    However, the DPCDSB — located in the Greater Toronto area — has also introduced a flag policy that raises serious questions about a commitment to the wider progress being made in welcoming all students and promoting reconciliation.

    On Jan. 28, 2025 — following advocacy in different parts of Ontario and the country against the presence of the Pride flag — the board’s trustees voted in nine to one to add more restrictions to its flag policies. These restrictions stipulated that only flags representing Canada, the provinces, territories and the school board can be be displayed inside schools or other DPCDSB facilities.

    Acts of erasure

    The developments in Peel Region follow earlier policy changes to restrict the presence of the Pride flag and other flags at schools.

    Advocates from the board defending flag restrictions have said that in Catholic schools, the icon of the cross is the only symbol that should be promoted and that this represents inclusion and acceptance of all.

    However, members of the 2SLGBTQI+ community and opponents of restrictive flag policies argue that the Pride flag is needed to signal a welcoming environment. They say its removal is an act of erasure and that it calls into question how the board affirms the rights, dignity and visibility of 2SLGBTQI+ people and how it fosters their safety. The board says, and believes, its practices and policies comply with the Ontario human rights code, adding that supports are available for students who identify as 2SLGBTQI.

    The erasure of the Pride flag has the simultaneous effect of banning other important flags, such as Every Child Matters flags, Indigenous Nation flags and MMIWG2S flags (drawing attention to ending violence, disappearance and murder of First Nations women, girls and two-spirit people).

    In our analysis, this restrictive flag policy expresses colonial violence. We rely on the work of Sandra Styres, researcher of Iethi’nihsténha Ohwentsia’kékha (Land), Resurgence, Reconciliation and the Politics of Education, who examines how colonial violence is expressed in academic settings through “micro-aggressions, purposeful ignorance, structural racism, lateral violence, isolation” and also in “representations and spaces.”

    Crucial time for righting relationships

    Our concern is informed by our combined research and personal engagement focused around reconciliatory education in elementary Catholic schools (Erenna) and Anishinaabe Catholic expressions of self-determination in the Church (Noah). Erenna is a settler and Noah is a member of Michipicoten First Nation.

    We are married writing partners who travelled to Québec City in July 2022 to witness the long-awaited penitential pilgrimage of the late Pope Francis. We left with an awareness that this is a critical time for the righting of relationships that have been severely fractured by a Church complicit in genocide.

    The DPCDSB flag policy speaks to an unwillingness of many to sever emotional attachments to the white imperialism that preserves a western way of thinking, doing and being, in the name of faith.

    When a major Catholic entity like the DPCDSB introduces policies that may cause harm, concerned people, regardless of creed, must pay attention to such injustices.

    Revised flag policy

    Delegate Melanie Cormier, representing the DPCSB’s Indigenous Education Network, shared a statement relaying that the board’s restrictive flag policy fails to acknowledge the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation whose traditional and treaty territory where the board resides. She states: “Your flag policy is in violation of our jurisdiction. To say that any of our flags can not be flown in our own territories is unacceptable.”

    Brea Corbet, the only trustee with voting power who did not vote to restrict the Pride flag, told an earlier bylaw policies meeting: “When we remove rainbow flags and heritage flags, we are not protecting our Catholic identity; we are revealing institutional fragility. The Pride flag does not threaten Catholic education, policies of exclusion do.”

    Three student trustees also opposed the restrictive policy, but their votes unfortunately aren’t counted. We argue this too speaks to the suppression of student voice within the board.

    This fragility disproportionately threatens the safety of Indigenous, 2SLGBTQI+ and marginalized students and staff as they are overlooked and dismissed by the flag policy.



    Read more:
    New Brunswick’s LGBTQ+ safe schools debate makes false opponents of parents and teachers

    Nurturing all students

    Kanienʼkehá:ka (Mohawk) education professor Frank Deer speaks of educational programming “that is congruent with the identity of the local community.” This programming, he writes, must go beyond curricula to address the school environment as well. Student safety, inclusion and identity affirmation must be prioritized in all aspects of school life.

    Jennifer Brant, a Kanienʼkehà:ka interdisciplinary scholar, speaks in depth about how silence during times like these equates to complicity in accepting injustices that are taking place within “the communities in which we live, the broader society and global communities.”

    Inaction in response to this policy is negligent.

    Detrimental ramifications may also extend to reconciliation efforts in religious spaces more generally. This regressive policy poses lingering questions about the longevity of Catholic schools if they fail to protect and nurture all students.

    Impacts on reconciliation

    The primary target of the DPCDSB’s sweeping flag policy is the 2SLGBTQI+ community. In addition, the flag ban attacks Indigenous sovereignty and Anishinaabek nationhood, perpetuating attitudes tied to the Doctrine of Discovery still present in the Catholic ethos.



    Read more:
    The Vatican just renounced a 500-year-old doctrine that justified colonial land theft … Now what? — Podcast

    Flying the flags of First Nations (at their request) is not only a matter of inclusion, it is a matter of respect — respect for the land, the people and the treaties that connect us.

    In denying this step towards relationality, this governing body of a Catholic school board sets back the Church’s reconciliation efforts riding on the momentum of the papal visit.



    Read more:
    Pope Francis showed in deeds and words he wanted to face the truth in Canada

    The board’s ignorance of how this policy risks damaging relationships with students, families and staff at the board, as well as the broader public, partly reflects an indifference that Pope Francis warned Catholics about during his visit:

    “I trust and pray that Christians and civil society in this land may grow in the ability to accept and respect the identity and the experience of the Indigenous Peoples. It is my hope that concrete ways can be found to make those peoples better known and esteemed, so that all may learn to walk together.”

    Walking together in solidarity

    As we write this piece, we can see through the window a local Toronto Catholic Distric School Board elementary school, where an Every Child Matters flag is flown alongside a Pride and Canadian flag.

    Catholic education, despite its sordid history and contested perspectives about interpreting and practising Church doctrine, can be a tool to drive reconciliation.

    Catholics cannot let a narrow vision overshadow Pope Francis’s pilgrimage and the global Church movement he, the Church’s bishops and Catholic lay people have participated in — via a global synod — to respond to the call to walk together in solidarity with Indigenous, 2SLGBTQI+ and other marginalized people.

    Counter-narratives of hope and possibility

    We wish to continue to hear counter-narratives of hope and possibility for Catholic education. We wish to see active changes that move the DPCDSB, as scholar Sheila Cote-Meek of the Teme-Augama Anishinabai, writes, “to a drastically different way of being, doing and working.”

    As other Catholic boards in Ontario initiate flag debates of their own, we are left with the lingering question. What is the future of Catholic education if it’s not intended to support the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well-being of all those entrusted to its care?

    The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Catholic school board’s regressive flag policy sets back reconciliation in a post-Papal visit Canada – https://theconversation.com/catholic-school-boards-regressive-flag-policy-sets-back-reconciliation-in-a-post-papal-visit-canada-256765

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Catholic school board’s regressive flag policy sets back reconciliation in a post-Papal visit Canada

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Erenna Morrison, PhD Candidate, Curriculum and Pedagogy, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto

    Following the release of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action in 2015, some Catholic school boards have made commitments to reconciliation in education. These boards include the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board (DPCDSB).

    However, the DPCDSB — located in the Greater Toronto area — has also introduced a flag policy that raises serious questions about a commitment to the wider progress being made in welcoming all students and promoting reconciliation.

    On Jan. 28, 2025 — following advocacy in different parts of Ontario and the country against the presence of the Pride flag — the board’s trustees voted in nine to one to add more restrictions to its flag policies. These restrictions stipulated that only flags representing Canada, the provinces, territories and the school board can be be displayed inside schools or other DPCDSB facilities.

    Acts of erasure

    The developments in Peel Region follow earlier policy changes to restrict the presence of the Pride flag and other flags at schools.

    Advocates from the board defending flag restrictions have said that in Catholic schools, the icon of the cross is the only symbol that should be promoted and that this represents inclusion and acceptance of all.

    However, members of the 2SLGBTQI+ community and opponents of restrictive flag policies argue that the Pride flag is needed to signal a welcoming environment. They say its removal is an act of erasure and that it calls into question how the board affirms the rights, dignity and visibility of 2SLGBTQI+ people and how it fosters their safety. The board says, and believes, its practices and policies comply with the Ontario human rights code, adding that supports are available for students who identify as 2SLGBTQI.

    The erasure of the Pride flag has the simultaneous effect of banning other important flags, such as Every Child Matters flags, Indigenous Nation flags and MMIWG2S flags (drawing attention to ending violence, disappearance and murder of First Nations women, girls and two-spirit people).

    In our analysis, this restrictive flag policy expresses colonial violence. We rely on the work of Sandra Styres, researcher of Iethi’nihsténha Ohwentsia’kékha (Land), Resurgence, Reconciliation and the Politics of Education, who examines how colonial violence is expressed in academic settings through “micro-aggressions, purposeful ignorance, structural racism, lateral violence, isolation” and also in “representations and spaces.”

    Crucial time for righting relationships

    Our concern is informed by our combined research and personal engagement focused around reconciliatory education in elementary Catholic schools (Erenna) and Anishinaabe Catholic expressions of self-determination in the Church (Noah). Erenna is a settler and Noah is a member of Michipicoten First Nation.

    We are married writing partners who travelled to Québec City in July 2022 to witness the long-awaited penitential pilgrimage of the late Pope Francis. We left with an awareness that this is a critical time for the righting of relationships that have been severely fractured by a Church complicit in genocide.

    The DPCDSB flag policy speaks to an unwillingness of many to sever emotional attachments to the white imperialism that preserves a western way of thinking, doing and being, in the name of faith.

    When a major Catholic entity like the DPCDSB introduces policies that may cause harm, concerned people, regardless of creed, must pay attention to such injustices.

    Revised flag policy

    Delegate Melanie Cormier, representing the DPCSB’s Indigenous Education Network, shared a statement relaying that the board’s restrictive flag policy fails to acknowledge the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation whose traditional and treaty territory where the board resides. She states: “Your flag policy is in violation of our jurisdiction. To say that any of our flags can not be flown in our own territories is unacceptable.”

    Brea Corbet, the only trustee with voting power who did not vote to restrict the Pride flag, told an earlier bylaw policies meeting: “When we remove rainbow flags and heritage flags, we are not protecting our Catholic identity; we are revealing institutional fragility. The Pride flag does not threaten Catholic education, policies of exclusion do.”

    Three student trustees also opposed the restrictive policy, but their votes unfortunately aren’t counted. We argue this too speaks to the suppression of student voice within the board.

    This fragility disproportionately threatens the safety of Indigenous, 2SLGBTQI+ and marginalized students and staff as they are overlooked and dismissed by the flag policy.



    Read more:
    New Brunswick’s LGBTQ+ safe schools debate makes false opponents of parents and teachers

    Nurturing all students

    Kanienʼkehá:ka (Mohawk) education professor Frank Deer speaks of educational programming “that is congruent with the identity of the local community.” This programming, he writes, must go beyond curricula to address the school environment as well. Student safety, inclusion and identity affirmation must be prioritized in all aspects of school life.

    Jennifer Brant, a Kanienʼkehà:ka interdisciplinary scholar, speaks in depth about how silence during times like these equates to complicity in accepting injustices that are taking place within “the communities in which we live, the broader society and global communities.”

    Inaction in response to this policy is negligent.

    Detrimental ramifications may also extend to reconciliation efforts in religious spaces more generally. This regressive policy poses lingering questions about the longevity of Catholic schools if they fail to protect and nurture all students.

    Impacts on reconciliation

    The primary target of the DPCDSB’s sweeping flag policy is the 2SLGBTQI+ community. In addition, the flag ban attacks Indigenous sovereignty and Anishinaabek nationhood, perpetuating attitudes tied to the Doctrine of Discovery still present in the Catholic ethos.



    Read more:
    The Vatican just renounced a 500-year-old doctrine that justified colonial land theft … Now what? — Podcast

    Flying the flags of First Nations (at their request) is not only a matter of inclusion, it is a matter of respect — respect for the land, the people and the treaties that connect us.

    In denying this step towards relationality, this governing body of a Catholic school board sets back the Church’s reconciliation efforts riding on the momentum of the papal visit.



    Read more:
    Pope Francis showed in deeds and words he wanted to face the truth in Canada

    The board’s ignorance of how this policy risks damaging relationships with students, families and staff at the board, as well as the broader public, partly reflects an indifference that Pope Francis warned Catholics about during his visit:

    “I trust and pray that Christians and civil society in this land may grow in the ability to accept and respect the identity and the experience of the Indigenous Peoples. It is my hope that concrete ways can be found to make those peoples better known and esteemed, so that all may learn to walk together.”

    Walking together in solidarity

    As we write this piece, we can see through the window a local Toronto Catholic Distric School Board elementary school, where an Every Child Matters flag is flown alongside a Pride and Canadian flag.

    Catholic education, despite its sordid history and contested perspectives about interpreting and practising Church doctrine, can be a tool to drive reconciliation.

    Catholics cannot let a narrow vision overshadow Pope Francis’s pilgrimage and the global Church movement he, the Church’s bishops and Catholic lay people have participated in — via a global synod — to respond to the call to walk together in solidarity with Indigenous, 2SLGBTQI+ and other marginalized people.

    Counter-narratives of hope and possibility

    We wish to continue to hear counter-narratives of hope and possibility for Catholic education. We wish to see active changes that move the DPCDSB, as scholar Sheila Cote-Meek of the Teme-Augama Anishinabai, writes, “to a drastically different way of being, doing and working.”

    As other Catholic boards in Ontario initiate flag debates of their own, we are left with the lingering question. What is the future of Catholic education if it’s not intended to support the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well-being of all those entrusted to its care?

    The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Catholic school board’s regressive flag policy sets back reconciliation in a post-Papal visit Canada – https://theconversation.com/catholic-school-boards-regressive-flag-policy-sets-back-reconciliation-in-a-post-papal-visit-canada-256765

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Biggest-ever aid cut by G7 members a death sentence for millions of people, says Oxfam

    Source: Oxfam –

    • Aid cuts could cost millions of lives and leave girls, boys, women and men without access to enough food, water, education, health treatment
    • G7 countries are making deliberate and deadly choices by cutting life-saving aid, enabling atrocities, and reneging on their international commitments
    • Low and middle-income countries face reduced aid, rising debt, and trade barriers — a perfect storm that threatens development and recovery.

    The Group of Seven (G7) countries, which together account for around three-quarters of all official development assistance (ODA), are set to slash their aid spending by 28 percent for 2026 compared to 2024 levels.  

    It would be the biggest cut in aid since the G7 was established in 1975, and indeed in aid records going back to 1960, reveals a new analysis by Oxfam ahead of the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Canada.

    “The G7’s retreat from the world is unprecedented and couldn’t come at a worse time, with hunger, poverty, and climate harm intensifying. The G7 cannot claim to build bridges on one hand while tearing them down with the other. It sends a shameful message to the Global South, that G7 ideals of collaboration mean nothing,” said Oxfam International Executive Director Amitabh Behar.

    2026 will mark the third consecutive year of decline in G7 aid spending – a trend not seen since the 1990s. If these cuts go ahead, G7 aid levels in 2026 will crash by $44 billion to just $112 billion. The cuts are being driven primarily by the US (down $33 billion), Germany (down $3.5 billion), the UK (down $5 billion) and France (down $3 billion).

    “Rather than breaking from the Trump administration’s cruel dismantling of USAID and other US foreign assistance, G7 countries like the UK, Germany, and France are instead following the same path, slashing aid with brutal measures that will cost millions of lives,” said Behar.

    “These cuts will starve the hungry, deny medicine to the sick, and block education for a generation of girls and boys. This is a catastrophic betrayal of the world’s most vulnerable and crippling to the G7’s credibility,” said Behar.

    Economic projections show that aid cuts will mean 5.7 million more people across Africa will fall below extreme poverty levels in the coming year, a number expected to rocket to 19 million by 2030.  

    Cuts to aid are putting vital public services at risk in some of the world’s poorest countries. In countries like Liberia, Haiti, Malawi, and South Sudan, US aid had made up over 40 percent of health and education budgets, leaving them especially exposed. Combined with a growing debt crisis, this is undermining governments’ ability to care for their people.

    Global aid for nutrition will fall by 44 percent in 2025 compared to 2022:

    • The end of just $128 million worth of US-funded child nutrition programs for a million children will result in an extra 163,500 child deaths a year.  
    • At the same time, 2.3 million children suffering from severe acute malnutrition – the most lethal form of undernutrition – are now at risk of losing their life-saving treatments.
       

    One in five dollars of aid to poor countries’ health budgets are cut or under threat:  

    • WHO reports that in almost three-quarters of its country offices are seeing serious disruptions to health services, and in about a quarter of the countries where it operates some health facilities have already been forced to shut down completely.
    • US aid cuts could lead to up to 3 million preventable deaths every year, with 95 million people losing access to healthcare. This includes children dying from vaccine-preventable diseases, pregnant women losing access to care, and rising deaths from malaria, TB, and HIV.

    G7 countries are not just reneging on commitments to global aid and solidarity, they are fuelling conflicts by allowing grave violations of international law, like in Gaza where people are facing starvation. Whether in Ukraine, the occupied Palestinian territory, the Democratic Republic of the Congo or elsewhere, civilians must always be protected, and aid is often the first line of protection they get. G7 countries are illuminating a double standard that risks more global instability, conflict and atrocities.  

    While G7 countries cut aid, their citizen billionaires continue to see their wealth surge. Since the beginning of 2025, the G7 ultra-rich have made $126 billion, almost the same amount as the group’s 2025 aid commitment of $132 billion.  

    At this pace, it would take the world’s billionaires less than a month to generate the equivalent of the G7’s 2025 aid budget.

    By taxing the super-rich, the G7 could easily meet their financial commitments to end poverty and climate breakdown, whilst also having billions in new revenue to fight inequality in their own countries.  

    “The world is not short of money. The problem is that it is in the hands of the super-rich instead of the public. Rather than fairly taxing billionaires to feed the hungry, we see billionaires joining government to slash aid to the poorest in order to fund tax cuts for themselves,” said Behar.

    Oxfam is calling on the G7 to urgently reverse aid cuts and restore funding to address today’s global challenges. More than 50 years after the United Nations set the target of 0.7 percent for aid spending, most G7 countries remain well below this.  

    Oxfam is also urging the G7 to support global efforts led by Brazil and Spain to raise taxes on the super-rich, and to back the call from the African Union and The Vatican for a new UN body to help manage countries’ debt problems.
     

    According to OECD Data Explorer, the combined annual aid expenditure of the G7 in 2024 was $156.694 billion. Canada spent $7.323 billion, the United States $61.821 billion, Japan $17.583 billion, France $15.047 billion, Germany $31.382 billion, Italy $6.534 billion, and the United Kingdom $17.005 billion.

    Donor Tracker estimates that the decline in combined annual aid spending of the G7 countries for the period 2024 to 2026 will be -$44,488 billion.

    In 2024, aid from G7 countries declined by 8 percent, and projections for 2025 point to a sharper drop of 19 percent.

    Modelling using finds that 5.7 million more Africans would fall below the US$2.15 extreme poverty income level in the next year if Trump’s administration succeeds in its aid-reduction ambition. This assumes a 20 percent reduction of aid to Africa, considering that some US aid would be maintained as the US alone accounted for 26 percent of aid to Africa before the cuts.

    The dismantling of USAID and major aid reductions announced by Western donors threaten to undo decades of progress on malnutrition. A 44 percent drop in funding from 2022 levels could lead to widespread hardship and death.

    Up to 2.3 million children with severe acute malnutrition risk losing life-saving treatment, warns the Standing Together for Nutrition Consortium.

    There are 2,968 billionaires in the world, and 1,346 live in G7 countries (45 percent). 
     

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Audience with the Bishops of the Italian Episcopal Conference

    Source: The Holy See

    This morning, in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father Leo XIV received in audience the bishops of the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI).
    The following is the address delivered by the Pope to those present during the meeting:

    Address of the Holy Father
    Dear brothers and sisters,
    I am truly very pleased to meet you. This Hall, which is between the Basilica and the Square, is filled with the emotions that accompanied recent events. Indeed, the Pope must cross it in order to look out from the central Loggia. Beloved Pope Francis did so for his last Easter Urbi et Orbi Message, which was his extreme, intense appeal for peace for all peoples. And I too, on the evening of the election, wanted to echo the announcement of the Risen Lord: “Peace be with you!” (cf. Lk 24:3; Jn 20:19).
    I thank you for your prayer and for that of your communities: I am in great need of them! I am grateful, in particular, to Cardinal Zuppi, also for the words he addressed to me. I greet the three Vice Presidents, the Secretary General, and every one of you. The history of the Church in Italy shows the particular bond that unites you to the Pope and that – according to the Statutes of the Italian Episcopal Conference – “qualifies in a special way the communion of the Conference with the Roman Pontiff” (Art. 4 § 2). Following the example of my predecessors, I too am aware of the relevance of this “common and particular” relationship, as it was defined by Saint Paul VI, speaking at the first General Assembly of the Italian Episcopal Conference (cf. Address, 23 June 1966).
    In exercising my ministry together with you, dear brothers, I would like to be inspired by the principles of collegiality, which were elaborated by Vatican Council II; in particular, the Decree Christus Dominus, which emphasizes that the Lord Jesus constituted the Apostles in the manner of a college or stable class, of which he placed Peter, chosen from among them (cf. n. 19). It is in this way that you are called to live out your ministry: collegiality among yourselves and collegiality with the successor of Peter.
    This principle of communion is also reflected in a healthy cooperation with the civil authorities. The Italian Episcopal Conference is indeed a space for discussion and the synthesis of the bishops’ thought regarding issues most relevant for the common good. Where necessary, it guides and coordinates the relations between the individual bishops and the regional episcopal Conferences with such authorities at the local level.
    Pope Benedict XVI, in 2006, described the Church in Italy as “a lively reality … which conserves a capillary presence in the midst of people of every age and level” and where “Christian traditions often continue to be rooted and to produce fruit” (Address to participants in the Fourth National Ecclesial Convention, 19 October 2006). Nevertheless, the Christian Community in this country has been facing new challenges for some time, linked to secularism, a certain disaffection with the faith, and the demographic crisis. In this context, Pope Francis observed, “It takes boldness to avoid getting used to situations that are so deeply rooted as to seem normal or insurmountable. Prophecy”, he says, “does not exact wrenches but courageous choices, proper for a true ecclesial community: they lead us to allow ourselves to be ‘troubled’ by events and persons and to enter into human situations, animated by the healing spirit of the Beatitudes” (Address at the opening of the 70th General Assembly of the Italian Episcopal Conference, 22 May 2017).
    By virtue of the special bond between the Pope and the Italian bishops, I would like to indicate some pastoral concerns that the Lord places in our path and which require reflection, concrete action and evangelical witness.
    First of all, there is a need for renewed zeal in the proclamation and transmission of faith. It is a question of placing Jesus Christ at the centre and, following the path indicated by Evangelii gaudium, helping people to live out a personal relationship with Him, to discover the joy of the Gospel. In a time of great fragmentation, it is necessary to return to the foundation of our faith, to the kerygma. This is the first major commitment that motivates all the others: to bring Christ “into the veins” of humanity (cf. Apostolic Constitution Humanae salutis, 3), renewing and sharing the apostolic mission: “What we have seen and heard, we proclaim now to you” (1 Jn 1:3). And it is a question of discerning the ways in which the Good News can be made to reach everyone, with pastoral actions capable of intercepting those who are most distant, and with tools suitable for the renewal of catechesis and the languages of proclamation.
    The relationship with Christ calls on us to develop a pastoral focus on the theme of peace. Indeed, the Lord sends us into the world to bring his same gift: “Peace be with you!”, and to become its creators in everyday life. I am thinking of parishes, neighbourhoods, areas within the country, the urban and existential peripheries. There, where human and social relationships become difficult and conflict takes shape, perhaps subtly, a Church capable of reconciliation must make herself visible. The apostle Paul urges us, “If possible, on your part, live at peace with all” (Rm 12:18); it is an invitation that entrusts a tangible portion of responsibility to every person. I hope, then, that every diocese may promote pathways of education in non-violence, mediation initiatives in local conflicts, and welcoming projects that transform fear of the other into an opportunity for encounter. May every community become a “house of peace”, where one learns how to defuse hostility through dialogue, where justice is practiced and forgiveness is cherished. Peace is not a spiritual utopia: it is a humble path, made up of daily gestures that interweave patience and courage, listening and action, and which demands today, more than ever, our vigilant and generative presence.
    Then there are the challenges that call into question respect for the dignity of the human person. Artificial intelligence, biotechnologies, data economy and social media are profoundly transforming our perception and our experience of life. In this scenario, human dignity risks becoming diminished or forgotten, substituted by functions, automatism, simulations. But the person is not a system of algorithms: he or she is a creature, relationship, mystery. Allow me, then, to express a wish: that the journey of the Churches in Italy may include, in real symbiosis with the centrality of Jesus, the anthropological vision as an essential tool of pastoral discernment. Without lively reflection on the human being – in its corporeality, its vulnerability, its thirst for the infinite and capacity for bonding – ethics is reduced to a code and faith risks becoming disembodied.
    I particularly recommend cultivating a culture of dialogue. It is good for all ecclesial realities – parishes, associations and movements – to be spaces of intergenerational listening, of comparison with different worlds, of caring about words and relationships. Because only where there is listening can communion be born, and only where there is communion does truth become credible. I encourage you to continue on this path!
    The proclamation of the Gospel, peace, human dignity, dialogue: these are the coordinates through which you can be a Church that incarnates the Gospel and is a sign of the Kingdom of God.
    In conclusion, I would like to leave you with some exhortations for the near future. In the first place: go forward in unity, thinking especially of the synodal path. The Lord, Saint Augustine writes that the Lord, in order to keep his body well-composed and in peace, exhorts the Church, through the Apostle Paul: The eye cannot say to the hand, I do not need you, nor again the head to the feet, I do not need you. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? Stay united and do not defend yourselves against the provocations of the Spirit. Synodality becomes a mindset, in the heart, in decision-making processes and in ways of acting.
    Secondly, look to tomorrow with serenity, and do not be afraid to make courageous choices! No-one can prevent you from being close to the people, sharing life, walking with the last, serving the poor. No-one can prevent you from proclaiming the Gospel, and it is the Gospel that we are invited to bring, because it is this that everyone, ourselves first, need in order to live well and to be happy.
    Take care that the lay faithful, nourished with the Word of God and formed in the social doctrine of the Church, are agents of evangelization in the workplace, in schools, in hospitals, in social and cultural environments, in the economy, and in politics.
    Dear friends, let us walk together, with joy in our heart and song on our lips. God is greater than our mediocrity: let us allow ourselves to be drawn to Him! Let us trust in his providence. I entrust you all to the protection of Mary Most Holy: Our Lady of Loreto, of Pompeii and of the countless shrines to be found throughout Italy. And I accompany you with my blessing. Thank you.

    MIL OSI Europe News –