Catholic News

• Syriac Orthodox Church 'ready to unite' with Latin Church, Catholic bishop says (CWN)
  In the most prominent front-page article in L’Osservatore Romano’s June 10 daily Italian edition, a retired Latin-rite bishop in Turkey is quoted as saying that “the Syriac Orthodox Church is ready to unite with the Latin” Church.
• Archbishop Gomez appeals for calm, restraint in Los Angeles (LA Catholic)
  Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles issued a plea for “restraint and calm” as rioting broke out around the city. The archbishop questioned the wisdom of federal efforts to enforce immigration law, saying: We all agree that we don’t want undocumented immigrants who are known terrorists or violent criminals in our communities. But there is no need for the government to carry out enforcement actions in a way that provokes fear and anxiety among ordinary, hardworking immigrants and their families.
• 'Be the eyes of Peter,' Pope asks papal representatives (Vatican News)
  “Always be the eyes of Peter!” Pope Leo XIV urged papal representatives, in a June 10 address. In his talk to Vatican diplomatic personnel, the Pope reflected on the meeting between St. Peter and the crippled man outside the Temple. By saying, “Look at us,” St. Peter opens a personal relationship with that man, the Pope observed. In the same way, papal representatives in different countries open a relationship between those people and the Holy See, so that “the Pope is able to participate in the very life of his sons and, in a surer and more rapid way, their needs and at the same time their aspirations.” Pope Leo voiced his appreciation for the work of his representatives, saying that “no other country in the world has a diplomatic Corps as united as you are: because your, our, communion is not merely functional, nor an idea; we are united in Christ and we are united in the Church.” The Pope presented each papal envoy with a ring inscripted sub umbra Petri: a traditional gift for papal diplomats at their first meeting with a Pontiff.
• USCCB issues new abuse report: 902 allegations, 26 of them current, made in 2023-24 (CWN)
  The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection has released its 2024 annual report on the implementation of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, the document that has governed the bishops’ response to the abuse crisis since 2002.
• The Spirit opens borders in our hearts, Pope Leo preaches on Pentecost Sunday (CWN)
  Citing a Pentecost homily by Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Leo emphasized in his own Pentecost Sunday homily on June 8 that the Holy Spirit “opens borders, first of all, in our hearts.”
• Cardinal Parolin says nuncios should be humble sowers of peace, zealous for the Gospel (Vatican News)
  Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, discussed the work of pontifical representatives in an interview. Asked what qualities he considered essential in a nuncio, Cardinal Parolin listed three: humility, evangelical zeal, and being a “man of reconciliation.” “We must respond to the Holy Father’s call to be sowers of peace, recognizing that in diplomacy, the other is not primarily an adversary, but a fellow human being with whom we are called to engage,” Cardinal Parolin added.
• Papal tribute to Hans Urs von Balthasar (Vatican Press Office)
  In his June 9 homily at Mass for participants in the Jubilee of the Holy See (CWN coverage), Pope Leo XIV described Father Hans Urs von Balthasar (1905-1988) as a “great contemporary theologian.” Citing Balthasar’s The Moment of Christian Witness, the Pontiff preached: The fruitfulness of the Church is the same fruitfulness as Mary’s; it is realized in the lives of her members to the extent that they relive, “in miniature,” what the Mother lived, namely, they love according to the love of Jesus. All the fruitfulness of the Church and of the Holy See depends on the Cross of Christ. Otherwise, it is only appearance, if not worse. A great contemporary theologian wrote: “If the Church is the tree that grew from the tiny mustard seed of the cross, this tree is destined to produce mustard seeds in turn, and therefore fruits that repeat the shape of the cross, because it is precisely to the cross that they owe their existence.” Later in his homily, Pope Leo referred to the Marian and Peter principles of the Church, a concept developed by Balthasar and later cited by St. Paul VI, St. John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, and Pope Francis.
• Nigerian bishop defends decision to build mosque for displaced Muslims (ACI Africa)
  Bishop Stephen Dami Mamza of Yola, Nigeria, defended his decision to build a mosque several years ago for Muslims displaced by the Islamist Boko Haram insurgency. “I did it from the bottom of my heart, with pure intentions,” he said in a June 6 interview. “The people who benefited from the gesture, the displaced, the victims of insurgency, were happy.” He added: I was persecuted. Some Christians were upset that I had built a mosque, saying it was inappropriate. But what shocked me more was that some Muslims said a Christian should not build a mosque. That hurt more than the criticism from Christians.
• 'Eternity is before us,' nun says in meditation for Jubilee of Holy See (CNA)
  Sister Maria Gloria Riva of the Nuns of Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament delivered a meditation in the presence of the Pope and other participants in the June 9 Jubilee of the Holy See (Italian text). The five sections of her meditation, delivered in Paul VI Audience Hall, were entitled “The thread of hope,” “Do not lose your roots, do not distrust the future,” “To hope is to live for eternity,” “The Eucharist, Sacrament of our hope,” and “The sign of sure hope.” The Jubilee of the Holy See (videos) was among the events in the 2025 jubilee year, whose theme is “Pilgrims of Hope.”
• Bishops express 'profound disappointment' over Texas Dream Act reversal (CNA)
  A federal judge has overturned the Texas Dream Act, a 2001 law that allowed some illegal immigrants who are residents of the state to receive in-state tuition discounts. The court decision “propels our society further away from just and reasonable immigration reform that would foster human flourishing based in the tranquility of order and human dignity,” the state’s bishops said in a statement. “These eligible students were youth who were brought into the United States by their parents as young children and through no fault of their own.”
• Vatican publishes messages, testimonies from ecclesial movements (Jubilee 2025)
  The Vatican published messages from ecclesial movement leaders and testimonies from members in the 57-page program for the Jubilee of Ecclesial Movements, Associations and New Communities. The messages, part of the program for the Pentecost vigil (video), came from leaders of the Association of Salesian Cooperators, Italian Catholic Action, the Neocatechumenal Way, the Fraternity of Communion and Liberation, the Shalom Catholic Community, the Community of Sant’Egidio, International Forum of Catholic Action, Gioventù Ardente Mariana (Ardent Marian Youth), the Focolare Movement, Nuovi Orizzonti (New Horizons), and Renewal in the Holy Spirit.
• Franciscans celebrate Pentecost in Cenacle (Custody of the Holy Land)
  The Franciscan friars of the Custody of the Holy Land celebrated Pentecost Mass in the Cenacle (Upper Room) on Mount Zion, the site of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit nearly 2,000 years ago. Father Francesco Patton, OFM, the Custos of the Holy Land, preached, “We are called to keep our heart obstinately free of feelings of anger, rancor, hatred and thirst for vendetta, so that at least one corner of our heart remains open to compassion, reconciliation and forgiveness, i.e., love that heals and brings back to life.” Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, OFM, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, preached his Pentecost homily at the nearby Abbey of the Dormition.
• Vatican produces documentary on Cardinal Prevost in Peru (Vatican News)
  The Vatican has produced León de Perú, a documentary on the future Pontiff’s ministry in Peru. The Vatican has released the trailer; the documentary itself will “air soon on the official channels of Vatican Media,” according to Vatican News.
• Pope, in phone call, urges Putin to make peace (Vatican News)
  Pope Leo XIV spoke by telephone with Vladimir Putin on June 4, urging the Russian leader to “make a gesture that would favor peace” in Ukraine, the Vatican has disclosed. The Pope discussed the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine with Putin, emphasizing the need to allow aid to afflicted communities. He stressed “the importance of dialogue to create positive contacts between the parties and seek solutions to the conflict.” The Pontiff and Putin also talked about the mission of Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, who was appointed by Pope Francis to facilitate the exchange of war prisoners.
• Ecumenical group launches TV initiative in Middle East (Fides)
  The Middle East Council of Churches (MEEC) has launched a television channel, MEEC-TV, which began broadcasting on June 10. The news channel is intended to help the Christian minority in the region persevere “amidst dangers and surprises,” maintaining an active Christian witness. The sponsoring group, the MEEC, includes Catholic, Orthodox, Eastern Orthodox, and Evangelical clerics.
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