Catholic News

• AI is not true intelligence, Pope notes (Vatican News)
  In a message to the Second Annual Rome Conference on Artificial Intelligence, Pope Leo XIV said that “access to data, however extensive, must not be confused with intelligence.” Intelligence, he explained, “involves the person’s openness to the ultimate question of life and reflects an orientation toward the True and the Good.” While advances in AI represent “an exceptional product of human genius,” the Pope said, it is important to bear in mind that AI is “above all else, a tool.” It can be used for the common good, but there remains “the possibility of its misuse for selfish gain at the expense of others, or worse, to foment conflict and aggression.” The Pontiff said that all responsible leaders “are concerned for children and young people, and the possible consequences of the use of AI on their intellectual and neurological development.” He added: “Society’s well-being upon their being given the ability to develop their God-given gifts and capabilities.”
• Parliament votes to allow assisted suicide (Reuters)
  A vote in the British Parliament has cleared the way to legalize assisted suicide. Following up on an earlier vote to decriminalize abortion in all cases, the House of Commons voted 314-291 in favor of the “Terminally Ill Adults” bill, which would give patients with less than six months to live the choice of suicide with medical help. The legislation now goes to the House of Lords, where it is likely to be discussed at length, but the upper chamber rarely blocks a bill approved by Commons. With the government of Prime Minister Keir Starmer remaining neutral, the vote in the House of Commons was tightly contested. Last November the same chamber had approved the measure by 330-275, so sixteen votes had swung into opposition of the assisted-suicide plan.
• Vatican diplomat laments disregard for humanitarian law in war (Holy See Mission- Geneva)
  Addressing a UN panel on international humanitarian law (IHL) in armed conflict, a Vatican diplomat lamented the atrocities that “are often committed under the guise of so-called military necessity or political demands.” Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, apostolic nuncio and Permanent Observer to the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva, Switzerland, said on June 19 that “it is extremely alarming that, despite existing legal obligations, including the distinction between military and civilian targets, all conflicts end up indiscriminately affecting the civilian population.” The prelate added: It is clear that there is not only a crisis of compliance with the rules of war, but also a crisis of conscience. Therefore, International Humanitarian Law should not be regarded solely as a legal framework, but as an ethical charter, rooted in the values that inspire it. Furthermore, the temptation to perceive the “other” as nothing but an enemy to be destroyed must be rejected. Moreover, in the current troubling context, the need for an educational process that disseminates IHL and its ethical foundation is more urgent than ever. Archbishop Balestrero concluded his statement with a call for “full respect for IHL, concrete humanitarian gestures of good will such as the exchange of prisoners, the dignified return of the dead, and the protection and respect of hospitals and places of worship during armed conflicts.”
• Pope visits Vatican Radio transmission center, affirms 'missionary value of communication' (USCCB)
  Pope Leo XIV visited Vatican Radio’s shortwave radio transmission center, located on Vatican property eleven miles from Rome. According to a Vatican statement, the Pontiff, during his June 19 visit, “emphasized how during his missionary work in Latin America and Africa, it was valuable to be able to receive Vatican Radio’s shortwave transmissions, which reach places where few broadcasters can reach, and he reaffirmed the missionary value of communication.” Pope Leo also thanked employees “for the work they carry out with fidelity and continuity, even on a feast day like today.” The feast of Corpus Christi was celebrated this year on June 19 on the General Roman Calendar, but is transferred to the following Sunday in much of the world.
• Religious liberty commission examines Washington Confession law (Religion Clause)
  The US Department of Justice’s new Religious Liberty Commission held its first hearing on June 16. Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York and Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, are among the members of the commission, which is chaired by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick of Texas. Among the topics examined by commission members was a new Washington law that violates the sanctity of the Sacrament of Penance by requiring priests to report the sexual abuse of minors when they learn about it in the confessional. “To my, look, nonlegal mind, this is the most outrageous violation of the free exercise clause that I can think of, or the state involving itself illegitimately in the interior workings of a church,” said Bishop Barron.
• Pray for those who are persecuted, Pope encourages religious (Vatican News)
  Pope Leo XIV met on June 20 with members of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual and of the Order of the Most Holy Trinity—popularly known as Conventual Franciscans and Trinitarians, respectively—who were in Rome for their general chapters. The Pope praised the Trinitarians for their commitment to prayer for those who suffer persecution. He asked both groups to “never cease remembering in your prayers and in your daily efforts those who are persecuted for their faith.”
• Nigerian bishop publishes 'cry of anguish' (ACI Africa)
  Following the massacre of over 200 Christians by machete-wielding Islamist militants, a Nigerian bishop issued a statemgent entitled “A Cry of Anguish from the Benue Valley.” “For about 20 years, Benue State has witnessed serial killings, maiming, and ejection of thousands of indigenous people from their ancestral homelands, with their means of livelihood completely destroyed in the process,” said Bishop William Amove Avenya of Gboko. “We have cried many times before, and we will continue to cry,” he continued. “Even if in the end nothing is done, at least it will be on record that we cried out for help, but the relevant authorities were negligent of our groaning.” Nigeria, a nation of 237 million, is the most populous country in Africa and sixth most populous in the world. The nation is 47% Christian (11% Catholic), 46% Muslim, and 7% ethnic religionist.
• Pope urges Vatican diplomats to maintain missionary sensibility (Vatican News)
  Pope Leo XIV met on June 20 with priests from the Pontifical Ecclesial Academy who were completing a year of missionary service, and encouraged them to bring their missionary sense into their future work in the Vatican diplomatic corps. The Pontifical Ecclesial Academy, the training ground for Vatican diplomats, recently added a year of mission work to its program of formation. The Pope said this work should be the “crowning experience” of their training. He asked them to be mindful of their priestly calling, in whatever countries they are asked to serve.
• British and French Catholics struggle to turn the tide on assisted suicide (National Catholic Reporter)
  Pro-life advocates spoke about the challenges they face in halting the advance of assisted suicide in Europe. “Given today’s intergenerational imbalance, and the growing costs of the welfare state, people are asking why we should bother caring for the sick and elderly—whether it isn’t easier and cheaper just to help them to die, rather than trying to build a community around them,” said Vincenzo Bassi, president of the Federation of Catholic Family Associations in Europe. “We need to offer positive models, lobby professionally and invest human and material resources in pro-life causes, as well as cooperating more effectively in proposing the solutions offered by Catholic social teaching,” he added.
• Arson attack on 12th-century English church (BBC)
  A 12th-century church in Market Drayton, England, was the target of a recent arson attack. BBC reported that the fire left St. Mary’s Church, an Anglican church since the Reformation, “heavily smoke-logged inside,” with the door “badly damaged.”
• Myanmar prelate thanks Pope for drawing attention to suffering of civilians there (Fides)
  In an interview with the Fides news agency, the vicar general of the Archdiocese of Mandalay, Myanmar thanked Pope Leo XIV for drawing attention to the suffering of the nation’s civilian population amid civil war. “Many villages have been abandoned or reduced to rubble due to the constant bombing,” said Father Peter Sein Hlaing Oo. “The helpless people do not know where to find refuge.” “There are Catholic churches and parishes in this area, and all of them are in serious difficulty,” he continued. “We have Catholic believers in both the regime-controlled areas and those controlled by the resistance. And there are believers who are caught in the crossfire. The people are helpless and defenseless.”
• Lebanese cardinal: 'Our churches are full of youth' (CNEWA)
  The Patriarch of the Maronite Catholic Church said in an interview that amid Lebanon’s economic misery, “our people are a people of prayer, a God-fearing people.” “Our churches are full of youth, of people who pray, and thanks to this prayer, Lebanon can rise again,” Cardinal Bechara Raï told Aid to the Church in Need. He noted that “the Christians are poor, and that affects issues such as access to food, medication, and hospital care.” The prelate also discussed how the presence of Christians in Lebanon and elsewhere in the Middle East leads to a more moderate Islam.
• USCCB publishes chants for Order of Religious Profession (USCCB)
  The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Divine Worship has published English chant settings for the temporary profession and perpetual profession of religious men and women. The bishops’ conference has made these chant settings freely available to “parishes, dioceses, schools, and religious communities” under certain conditions.
• Supreme Court transgender decision seen as 'partial victory for common sense' (First Things)
  Two fellows at the Ethics and Public Policy Center have analyzed the 6-3 Supreme Court decision that upheld the right of Tennessee to ban surgical and chemical interventions on minors who describe themselves as transgender. Theresa Farnan and Mary Rice Hasson described United States v. Skrmetti as a “partial victory for common sense.” “The appalling brutality of pediatric medical ‘transition’ is laid bare for all to see,” they said. “Justice Thomas’s concurrence includes four pages detailing the nature of those interventions and their attendant risks, particularly the ‘irreversible’ consequences of genital surgery, such as permanent infertility.” However, the Court’s majority opinion “fails to tackle the underlying anthropological issue presented by ‘transgender’ claims, and it capitulates to gender ideology in its use of language.”
• Ugandan prelate calls for 'respect' for religious freedom, rather than 'tolerance' (ACI Africa)
  Speaking at an international religious freedom summit in Kenya, a Ugandan prelate encouraged religious-liberty advocates to call for “respect” for religious freedom, rather than “tolerance.” “I feel more at ease living with somebody who respects me than one who tolerates me,” said Archbishop Raphael p’Mony Wokorach, MCCI, of Gulu. “This language, tolerance, should be left out. Educate people to respect. Out of respect, friendship or love can develop.”
• Pope Leo XIV lauds polyphony, pays tribute to Palestrina (CWN)
  Addressing participants in an event marking the 500th anniversary of the birth of Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, Pope Leo XIV paid tribute to the Italian composer and lauded polyphony.
• Tehran cardinal discusses Israeli bombing (Vatican News)
  Cardinal Dominique Joseph Mathieu, OFM Conv, of Tehran discussed conditions in the Iranian capital under Israeli bombing. “Today I find myself in the presence of collateral victims: displaced persons, the wounded, the dead,” he said. “In both nations there are many civilian victims, both intentional and unintentional.” War “is not the solution,” he added. “Perhaps it would be better for the parties to return to the negotiating table. For this reason, we are committed to praying intensely.”
• Pope Leo, at general audience, emphasizes Corpus Christi, affirms Real Presence (CWN)
  At the conclusion of his June 18 general audience in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Leo XIV repeatedly drew attention to the feast of Corpus Christi, celebrated this year on June 19 on the General Roman Calendar but transferred to June 22 in many nations of the world.
• Vatican plugs Peter's Pence donations to help Leo XIV in his mission (CNA)
  The Vatican has released a new video to promote donations to Peter’s Pence. Parish collections for Peter’s Pence typically take place around June 29, the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul. “With your donation to Peter’s Pence, you offer tangible support as the Holy Father takes his first steps as Pope,” the Vatican stated. “Help him proclaim the Gospel to the world and extend a hand to our brothers and sisters in need.”
• Legal euthanasia could lead to close of Catholic nursing homes: Cardinal Nichols (Catholic Herald)
  Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster has warned that Catholic nursing homes and hospices could be forced to close if legislation allowing euthanasia becomes law. In a joint statement with Archbishop John Sherrington of Liverpool, the pro-life spokesman for the episcopal conference, the cardinal said that “a right to assisted suicide...is highly likely to become a duty on care homes and hospices to facilitate it.” Parliament rejected an amendment to the euthanasia bill that would have allowed institutions to refrain from cooperation with assisted suicide. Catholic facilities for the elderly would be required to “withdraw from care” if the legislation requires cooperation with suicide, the prelates said.
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