Pope Leo XIV prays for parents who have suffered the loss of a baby
Pope Leo XIV assured his prayers “for all parents who suffer the loss of a child, especially a baby,” on the occasion of the upcoming Day for Life, which will be celebrated in England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland this coming Sunday, June 21.
In a message signed by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the pope said he is praying that these parents “find consolation and peace in the knowledge of God’s love for them” and for the child they have lost.
“This divine love gives meaning to the life of every person and, far from ending with death, invites us to a new fullness in eternity,” the pontiff affirmed.
According to a statement from the Irish Bishops’ Conference, Pope Leo XIV also sent his best wishes and prayers to all those participating in this day of prayer, which is centered on “wonder at the full humanity of the child in the mother’s womb” as well as the efforts made to support mothers and fathers who have suffered the loss of a baby.
He also urged parents to find the support they need in the Church community, “especially in a life nourished by prayer and the sacraments.”
‘Wonder at the child in the mother’s womb’
Organized under the title “Wonder at the Child in the Mother’s Womb,” the Day for Life, which always falls on Father’s Day, recalls that every human being is endowed with infinite dignity from the very moment of conception, “simply by existing, by having been wanted, created, and loved by God,” as the pope recalled in his recent encyclical Magnifica Humanitas.
The Bishops’ Conferences of England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland recalled in their statement that fatherhood “is a vocation full of joys and hopes, but also of sorrows and concerns.”
The bishops wished to specially acknowledge the pain of parents who have lost a child before birth or during infancy and to offer them a message of hope and consolation: that of fullness in eternity.
The Church wants to be especially close to these parents, according to the bishops, who emphasized the need for spiritual and pastoral accompaniment as parents face physical and psychological consequences, as well as the feeling of powerlessness in not knowing how to support their family or how to express their own grief.
The bishops also recalled that “God has created, wanted, and deeply loved from all eternity every child, including those who lose their lives before birth or shortly afterward.”
The prelates emphasized that the word of God “reveals the sacred humanity of the unborn child” and that parents therefore understand how precious and unique the child they have lost is: “They know that no other child will ever be able to replace him,” they affirmed.
From this perspective, the bishops denounced the inconsistency of describing life in the mother’s womb as a mere cluster of cells. “How can that life be someone so loved and valuable to their parents and, at the same time, be considered something worthless and disposable?” they asked.
The prelates insisted that science is clear in stating that life begins at the moment of fertilization. “The more we learn from science, the more we understand the Church’s teaching on the unique value of the unborn child,” they highlighted.
They further recalled that every human being is not only a body “but also an immortal soul, with a unique and eternal relationship with God, our Creator,” which is why the unborn child “deserves full protection under the law.”
They emphasized that the Church “has always rejected voluntary abortion” and committed themselves to “work and pray so that our society values the life of every child,” especially in the earliest stages of human existence.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
Chaldean archbishop urges patriarch to defend Iraqi Christian town’s identity
Archbishop Bashar Matti Warda of the Chaldean Catholic Archeparchy of Erbil in Iraq appealed to Chaldean Patriarch Paul III Nona to stand with Ankawa — a district of Erbil in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and home to the largest Christian community in the country — and to be the voice of the people there before decision-makers so that its residents may regain their right to have a say in the future of their city and land.
Chaldean Patriarch Paul III Nona (formerly Archbishop Amel Shamon Nona) was elected in April and formally installed at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Baghdad in late May.
Speaking during a welcoming ceremony for the Chaldean patriarch at St. Joseph Cathedral in Ankawa, Warda said that choosing Ankawa as the first stop in Nona’s visits outside his patriarchal eparchy carried a clear message to its people: “You are in my heart.”
A Christian identity despite challenges
Warda recalled the deep Christian roots of the historic region of Adiabene — today’s Erbil and its surrounding areas — and its Church, known for its leaders, martyrs, and perseverance amid persecution.
He particularly remembered the 1310 massacre at the Erbil Citadel, which forced Christians to flee to Mosul and to the towns and villages of the Nineveh Plain.
“Yet the faith was not extinguished,” he said.
Ankawa’s distinct place
The archbishop praised Ankawa for preserving its Christian identity across the centuries and remaining a living witness of perseverance despite persecution and hardship. By the 16th century, he said, Ankawa had become the only remaining village in the area with a large Christian population.
“In every trial our Church endured, Ankawa was a refuge whose doors were never closed,” Warda said, especially during the forced displacement of 2014.
What happened in 2014?
The occupation of Mosul and the towns and villages of the Nineveh Plain by the terrorist organization ISIS caused the forced displacement of Christians, many of whom fled to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Ankawa and the towns and villages of the Chaldean Archeparchy of Erbil became among their most important places of refuge.
In his latest pastoral letter, Warda noted that within weeks in the summer of 2014, Ankawa received more than 13,200 displaced families. They were housed in churches, schools, parish halls, and homes of charity. The Joint Episcopal Relief Committee and the Chaldean Mercy Association helped organize the first response, providing temporary shelter, food, water, mattresses, and other basic needs in more than 26 small, medium, and large camps.
The people of Ankawa opened their hearts to welcome their persecuted brothers and sisters, and the town became home to the largest gathering of Christians in Iraq and a safe haven for them.
For years, Ankawa has faced several challenges related to political representation and public services. Many residents believe that the use of agricultural land for residential investment projects is contributing to demographic change and reducing green and cultivated areas. These concerns have grown with the spread of nightlife and entertainment venues in residential neighborhoods.
A deliberate exclusion
The Church believes it is unfair for Ankawa’s young people to direct their frustration toward the Church over these issues. Warda stressed that since 2011 the Chaldean Church has been excluded from having the final word on matters concerning Ankawa and its future, despite being, as he put it, “the owner of the land, the history, and the people.”
He pointed to several issues that concern public opinion in Ankawa, including the failure to appoint a permanent district mayor for nearly a year and a half “for unknown reasons.”
Warda said the truth, which is hidden from those who blame the Church for Ankawa’s situation and falsely accuse it of indifference or complicity, is that “our exclusion as a Church was deliberate, serving the narrow interests of beneficiaries at the expense of the good of the city and the future of its people.”
“This is my testimony for history,” he added. “I place it before God and before you.”
He urged the Church’s young people, whom he called “its hope and its tomorrow,” to remain attached to their land, to work patiently, and to persevere in their demands, saying that their legitimate anger alone cannot build a future.
“Our father the patriarch is with us,” Warda said, adding that “the truth will reach the attention of the Kurdistan Regional Government, which sincerely desires the survival and flourishing of Christians.”
Warda also emphasized that the Church has not remained idle but has worked to serve its people in practical and effective ways through “achievements accomplished despite the circumstances, not because of them.”
“Let actions speak for us, not words,” he said.
He highlighted the archeparchy’s catechetical programs for all ages, its active youth pastoral initiatives that help young people remain rooted in their faith and land, the construction of four new churches, three of them in Ankawa, as well as four schools, a university, a hospital, and Radio Maryam. Together, he said, these institutions provide more than 800 job opportunities for qualified residents of Ankawa, in addition to relief services and assistance to the poor and needy.
Ankawa includes about 75,000 Christians from the apostolic churches — Catholic and Orthodox — as well as evangelical communities. Today, Ankawa faces the challenge of preserving its religious character and safeguarding its historic identity.
This story was first published by ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
‘Casting out demons’ also means denouncing cruelty of dictatorships, exiled Nicaraguan bishop says
In a homily over the weekend, Auxiliary Bishop Silvio Báez of Managua, Nicaragua, compared “casting out demons” to denouncing the cruelty and irrationality of dictatorships that violate human dignity.
“Casting out demons means committing ourselves to processes of personal and social liberation, and helping those trapped by idols, fear, or hopelessness to regain their freedom,” the bishop noted during a Mass he celebrated at St. Agatha Parish in Miami on June 14.
“It also means denouncing the irrationality and cruelty of regimes that violate human dignity and multiply peopleʼs misery, often even invoking the name of God,” he emphasized.
Báez, who was forced to leave Nicaragua in 2019, now lives in exile and serves at the Miami parish where his compatriots gather. Like many others, Báez was a victim of persecution by the Nicaraguan dictatorship, which intensified its ruthless campaign against the Catholic Church in 2018, a campaign that continues to this day.
The Nicaraguan prelate reflected on a passage from the Gospel of Matthew, stating that Jesus saw the crowd and “had compassion for them, because they were weary and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd.”
This image, he noted, “has lost none of its relevance. Today, too, there are many people living like sheep without a shepherd: individuals who are sad, lonely, disoriented, and disillusioned by deceptive idols; families torn apart by poverty, forced migration, or violence; entire peoples deprived of freedom and a future due to war or dominated by dictatorial regimes that impose themselves through fear and repression.”
In this situation, the bishop explained, “prayer is the first and most urgent response,” not because it “replaces action but because it is the root and foundation of action, making it fruitful and strong.”
Through prayer, one can be in tune with the Lord and move toward effective action, he noted. “From this compassion and this prayer came forth the choice of the Twelve [Apostles],” the prelate emphasized.
“The power Jesus grants is a power at the service of life and human dignity. It is exactly the opposite of the power that seduces the world — the power that crushes, controls, intimidates, and subjugates. This power, received to serve rather than to subjugate, did not end with the Twelve; it continues today through us,” he said.
In addition to casting out demons, he said every member of the Church is called to perform various actions, such as “healing the sick, raising the dead, and cleansing lepers.”
The bishop explained that resurrecting the dead “is restoring hope to those who no longer expect anything, helping them discover glimmers of Godʼs light in the middle of the nights of life. It’s announcing, without tiring, the God of life.”
“And it is also to oppose the oppressive powers that subjugate people, with the conviction that God accompanies and blesses the efforts made for the freedom and dignity of people,” he noted.
The Nicaraguan prelate also emphasized that “cleansing the lepers means striving to restore dignity to those marginalized by society or religion, through gestures of inclusion, solidarity, and respectful dialogue.”
He remarked that “the laborers remain few. The Lord continues to seek those today who are willing to extend his compassionate gaze into the world. May that gaze be ours.”
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
America at 250: U.S. bishop calls on Catholics to lead renewal
As the United States prepares to celebrate the 250th anniversary of its founding, Bishop Mark Brennan is calling Catholics to reflect on the nation’s blessings and shortcomings while recommitting themselves to building a “culture of life” and a “civilization of love.”
In a pastoral letter released ahead of the nation’s semiquincentennial, Brennan, apostolic administrator of Wheeling-Charleston, West Virginia, reflected on America’s history, praised the contributions of Catholics to the common good, and warned that the nation risks moral decline if it abandons God’s law.
The letter, which Brennan noted would likely be his final pastoral letter as bishop, comes 50 years after his priestly ordination during the country’s bicentennial celebrations in 1976. Bishop Evelio Menjivar-Ayala is succeeding Brennan, and a Mass of installation will be celebrated on July 2 at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Wheeling.
“Catholics of West Virginia, be truly Catholic and truly patriotic,” Brennan wrote. “Work for the genuine good of your country and trust that God will bless your efforts.”
Progress and persistent challenges
Brennan acknowledged significant advances in American society since the nation’s founding, including the abolition of slavery, the end of legal racial segregation, and expanded opportunities for women.
At the same time, he pointed to ongoing problems including racial disparities, domestic violence, human trafficking, abortion, and hostility toward immigrants.
The bishop highlighted the contributions immigrants have made throughout American history, noting that Catholicism itself grew from roughly 1% of the population in 1776 to about 20% today, largely because of immigration.
While praising the stability of the nation’s constitutional system, religious liberty protections, and tradition of public service, Brennan warned that Americans should not take God’s blessings for granted.
Quoting both Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln, Brennan argued that nations will face divine judgment when they ignore moral truths and permit injustice.
Defense of human life
A central theme of the letter was the dignity of human life from conception to natural death.
Brennan condemned abortion, assisted suicide, and the death penalty while also calling for greater care for immigrants, the elderly, and the vulnerable.
“The God who gave us life does not want us to take it,” he wrote, referring to unborn children and the sick.
The bishop praised the work of the pro-life movement, highlighting the role Catholics have played in organizing marches, supporting pregnancy resource centers, and providing housing and assistance for mothers in need.
He specifically pointed to the legacy of Nellie Gray, the Catholic lawyer who founded the annual March for Life, and commended the efforts of countless Catholics who have worked to defend unborn children.
Catholic contributions to American society
Brennan also emphasized the Church’s historic contributions to social reform in the United States.
Among his examples was Cardinal James Gibbons, whose advocacy for workers influenced Pope Leo XIII’s landmark 1891 encyclical Rerum Novarum and helped strengthen support for labor rights.
He also cited the efforts of Archbishop Patrick O’Boyle, who desegregated Catholic schools in Washington, D.C., in 1948, years before the Supreme Court’s ruling in Brown v. Board of Education.
According to Brennan, these examples demonstrate how Catholic teaching has advanced both human dignity and the common good.
‘Culture of life’ and ‘civilization of love’
The bishop devoted a substantial portion of the letter to outlining what he called a “culture of life,” rooted in respect for every human person.
Such a culture, he said, includes opposition to abortion, support for marriage and family life, care for the sick and elderly, and welcoming immigrants while respecting the dignity of every person.
Brennan also drew on the teachings of St. John Paul II, who promoted the concept of a “civilization of love.”
He pointed to hospice programs, soup kitchens, food pantries, charitable organizations, youth mentorship programs, and service groups such as the Knights of Columbus as examples of that vision in action.
Warning against secularism
Brennan warned that secularism, relativism, and excessive individualism pose significant challenges to American society.
Echoing concerns raised by Pope Benedict XVI, he argued that excluding religion from public life weakens the moral foundations necessary for self-government.
The bishop also criticized cultural trends that prioritize personal autonomy over the common good and cautioned against what he described as distractions that prevent Americans from addressing deeper social and moral concerns.
Looking ahead
As the nation approaches its 250th birthday, Brennan expressed hope that reform and renewal remain possible.
Drawing on biblical examples and the Church’s own history of reform, he urged Catholics to engage actively in public life while remaining faithful to Catholic teaching.
“The very soul of our country” is at stake, Brennan wrote, calling on Catholics to educate future generations, defend human dignity, and help shape a society grounded in faith, virtue, and concern for the common good.
“As we joyfully celebrate our nation’s 250th anniversary of independence,” he concluded, “we are the Americans who must keep it [America].”
Colombia’s bishops call for national day of prayer ahead of elections
Colombia’s bishops have invited the faithful to pray for the country on June 19 ahead of the presidential runoff election on Sunday, June 21.
The bishops’ conference explained that the initiative includes a prayer vigil for Colombia in cathedrals, parishes, and other ecclesial communities as well as an invitation “for families to gather in their homes to light a candle or taper and offer a prayer for Colombia as an expression of trust in God and commitment to the nation’s future.”
To conduct the vigil, the bishops’ conference prepared a resource with opening remarks that emphasize that “Colombia is going through a decisive moment” and that, before exercising the right to vote that will determine the country’s future, “it is necessary to listen to the voice of God.”
“We are brought together by love for Colombia and the certainty that, without God, we will not be able to build the civilization of love we all long for, nor sustain our common home,” the bishops note.
However, they also recall that during the election campaign, “too many words have been heard that wound, divide, and point fingers.”
“Pope Leo XIV, during his recent visit to Spain, reminded us that the temptation to gain popularity by stoking the fires of polarization seems to be growing rather than diminishing,” they say. “He invited us to choose a different path: ‘It is not the culture of confrontation but that of encounter that creates stability and prosperity.’”
The June 21 presidential runoff election pits Abelardo de la Espriella, who is on the more conservative side of the political spectrum, against Iván Cepeda, a member of current president Gustavo Petro’s leftist party.
The ombudsman’s office noted that the final days of the campaign are characterized by “an electoral climate marked by high levels of confrontational rhetoric, stigmatization, the spread of false or misleading information, and challenges to democratic institutions.”
“In the current high-tension context — where there are signs that escalating verbal violence could lead to physical violence, the ombudsman’s office reiterates its call for candidates to focus their actions on protecting lives and de-escalating confrontation in public debate,” an ombudsman’s office document stated.
The ombudsman’s office also called on both candidates to act with the moral rectitude proper to those aspiring to become the head of state and with the strengthened responsibility that such an aspiration entails toward society and democratic coexistence.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
Pope warns SSPX bishop ordinations risk deepening schism
CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy — Pope Leo XIV cautioned that the planned ordination of Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) bishops could push the group toward schism, urging them again to stop and remain in communion with the Church.
“We have invited them, and I am still considering making another appeal, to say: ‘Do not do this. Let us try to live communion in the Church.’ But it is their choice. They must understand what it means for them and for the Church,” the pope said, responding to journalists’ questions outside Villa Barberini in Castel Gandolfo on June 16.
The Society of St. Pius X said it plans to consecrate four priests as bishops on July 1 without the permission of Pope Leo XIV. The Vatican warned on May 13 that doing so without a papal mandate would constitute “a schismatic act” and carry the penalty of excommunication. The consecrations are set to take place at its seminary in Écône, Switzerland.
“Certainly, division among Christians is always a painful matter,” the pope said. “But they refuse to accept certain fundamental elements of the Church, beginning with various points of the Second Vatican Council. And if they make those choices, I am sorry. But we must move forward.”
The SSPX exclusively celebrates the Traditional Latin Mass and has rejected certain teachings and reforms of the Second Vatican Council, particularly regarding religious freedom and the Church’s approach to other faiths.
The pope also answered questions about G7 diplomacy, his future travel to France and Peru, and about the Christian response to migration that calls for recognizing reasons why people have to leave their countries such as violence and war.
Appeals court rules Seton Hall University does not have to disclose entirety of sex abuse report
Seton Hall University will not have to fully disclose a report detailing its handling of sex abuse allegations connected to disgraced and deceased former cardinal Theodore McCarrick, a New Jersey appeals court ruled this week.
The school has been battling efforts to force disclosure of the so-called “Latham report,” an investigation commissioned by Seton Hall itself amid fallout surrounding the McCarrick scandal.
New Jersey Judge Avion Benjamin had ordered the school in November 2025 to turn over the Latham report to lawyers representing victims of clergy abuse. The school had previously argued that the report was protected by attorney-client privilege.
In a June 15 ruling, the Superior Court of New Jersey’s appellate division ruled mostly in favor of the school, holding that the relationship between the school and the law firm Latham & Watkins LLP enjoyed a measure of attorney-client protection.
Attorney Gabriel Magee, who represents multiple Church abuse victims as part of consolidated litigation that included suits against Seton Hall, told EWTN News in May that the Latham report was “created for self-critical analysis by Seton Hall” and thus fell outside of the protection of attorney-client privilege or “work-product privilege.”
Yet the appeals court on June 15 held that work-privilege considerations have to be adjudicated on a “case-by-case, fact-specific analysis.” Attorney-client protections, meanwhile, apply to “notes, communications, and other documents” prepared “at the behest of and for” legal counsel.
The school did not respond to a request for comment on June 16 regarding the decision.
The appellate court said one section of the report regarding the university’s sexual harassment policies is “clearly a self-critical analysis” that was “not prepared in anticipation of litigation” and thus could be disclosed as part of legal proceedings.
The judges said that “some materials” in that section could be subject to redactions depending on the subject material.
Magee told EWTN News on June 16 that while plaintiff attorneys “appreciate the appellate division’s ruling that some portions of the Latham report must be produced, we are still digesting the opinion and considering our appeal options with respect to the rest of the decision.”
The Latham report, which has never been made public, is expected to examine whether Monsignor Joseph Reilly, then-rector of Seton Hall’s Immaculate Conception Seminary (and now university president), knew about abuse claims and failed to report them. Reilly was appointed president in 2024.
Meanwhile, Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark, New Jersey, in February 2025 ordered an independent review into the controversy.
The prelate said at the time that the review would examine “how the findings of [the earlier reports] relate to Monsignor Joseph Reilly, including whether they were communicated to any and all appropriate personnel at the archdiocese and Seton Hall University and Monsignor Reilly, and if so, by what means and by whom.”
The review is still ongoing, the archdiocese said in May.
Ohio Gov. DeWine urges state to abolish death penalty, says there is no ‘moral justification’ for it
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said this week that the state should end the death penalty, with the governor arguing that he no longer believes it is a “deterrent” to murder.
“I believe Ohio should abolish the death penalty,” the Catholic Republican governor said at a June 16 press conference. “The Legislature can take this action, and I believe they should take this action.”
“But if the Legislature does not want to make that decision, they can leave it up to a vote of the people of the state of Ohio,” he said.
After DeWine was elected to the state Senate in 1980, he co-sponsored a bill that sought to reinstate the death penalty in Ohio.
DeWine supported the policy at the time believing it would lessen violent crime, he said at the press conference, but, he argued, “the moral justification I had for voting for the death penalty simply no longer exists.”
Each decade that the death penalty has been in effect, “the chances of a murderer getting executed get more and more remote,” DeWine said. Therefore, “it is today impossible to make the case that the death penalty is a deterrent.”
“For the state to take a human life, there … must be evidence that in doing so, it will help protect the public [and] that the threat of that action will deter someone from committing murder,” he said.
“I do not believe that argument today can be successfully made, nor do I believe that thereʼs any chance [of successfully making it] in the future,” he said.
The term-limited governor, whose second term will end in 2027, has repeatedly postponed scheduled executions in the state since taking office in early 2019.
He has cited issues involving “the willingness of pharmaceutical suppliers to provide drugs to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, pursuant to DRC protocol, without endangering other Ohioans.”
“We also cannot talk about capital punishment without talking about those we task with carrying it out,” DeWine said.
“While it is true they are ‘volunteers,’ we still must be mindful of the impact preparations for and the carrying out of executions have on them. They are the forgotten people — but they are real people. They are our fellow Ohioans.”
DeWine used the example of Gary Mohr, who served as the director of the state Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections from 2011 until 2018.
“During that time, he supervised 15 executions,” DeWine said, and he “summarize[d] the toll on the staff in this one sentence: ‘The heaviness felt by the execution team and by the support staff is indescribable.’”
“Our money and our energies are much better spent focusing on keeping these repeat violent offenders out of society than focusing on the death penalty,” DeWine said.
“Throughout my career, Iʼve always stated that the most important way to protect the public is to lock up violent criminals and to keep them out of society. Keep them locked up. That is a proven way of saving lives and protecting our citizens.”
DeWine said that any “decision to officially end the death penalty in Ohio could not change the horror and the anger that we all feel in regard to these murderers, nor the deep sorrow we feel for the victims and for their families.”
“These murderers ended the life of a precious human being. These murderers have changed the lives of the surviving family members forever. Their lives will never be the same.”
During a question-and-answer session at the press conference, DeWine declined to comment when asked if he would begin commuting death sentences in the state.
Praise from Catholic anti-death penalty group
DeWine’s “call for the abolishment of capital punishment in Ohio is an encouraging sign and reflects growing recognition that the state can move toward a more just and life-affirming approach,” Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy, the executive director of the anti-death penalty Catholic Mobilizing Network, told EWTN News.
“Gov. DeWine is a Catholic whose faith has always inspired his public service,” Vaillancourt said.
“As fellow Catholics who advocate for the dignity of every human life, we urge him to go further and grant clemency to those on Ohio’s death row. The time to act is now,” she said.
Speaking truth to power: When the pope addresses governments
During his apostolic journey to Spain from June 6–12, Pope Leo XIV became the first pontiff in history to address the Spanish Parliament, using the occasion to urge the country’s political class to defend human dignity and protect life “from conception to its natural end.”
The pontiff also joined the list of other pontiffs since St. Paul VI who have been invited to speak to government assemblies during their journeys.
While it is expected that the pope will address civil leaders during an apostolic journey, invitations to address a country’s legislature or national assembly are rare and considered a high honor, even for a pope. These addresses have often been opportunities for the pope to challenge civil leaders on critical issues, including human rights, war, and the treatment of migrants.
But what do these speeches reveal about the pope’s priorities regarding global issues?
St. Paul VI: A call for an end to war
As the first pope in centuries to undertake extensive international travel, Paul VI was known for his forceful calls to denounce war and promote peace.
He became the first pontiff to address the United Nations (U.N.) General Assembly during his historic one-day visit to the United States on Oct. 4, 1965. He addressed the assembly in the wake of the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Vietnam War, and the Indo-Pakistani War, which had occurred mere weeks before his visit.
Amid these and other conflicts, Paul VI made a passionate appeal for peace, famously declaring: “Never again war, never again war! It is peace, peace, that has to guide the destiny of the nations of all mankind!”
With this speech and similar ones, including a little-known one delivered to the Ugandan Parliament in 1969, the pope would forever alter the Holy See’s role in international affairs, establishing it as an important actor in international diplomacy. He also helped establish the Church’s anti-war stance early in the modern period, a stance adopted by every pope since.
St. John Paul II: Papal presence in the public sphere
Whereas Paul VI would pioneer the pope’s presence in the public sphere, St. John Paul II would make it the norm.
The Polish pontiff delivered at least five addresses to secular parliaments, including those of the European Union, Poland, and Italy.
He also addressed the U.N. General Assembly twice during his papacy. The first, in 1979, challenged the U.N. to denounce the arms trade, ensure religious freedom, and protect religious minorities in the Middle East.
Though noted for his stance on life issues, including opposition to abortion, he did not address abortion in any of his addresses to parliaments, instead focusing more broadly on human rights.
Benedict XVI: Religion cannot be set aside in the West
Pope Benedict XVI became the first pontiff to address both houses of the British Parliament during his visit to the United Kingdom in September 2010.
Referring to St. Thomas More and the country’s Christian heritage, Benedict denounced the tendency toward the marginalization of religion in the West, particularly Catholicism.
“I cannot but voice my concern at the increasing marginalization of religion, particularly of Christianity, that is taking place in some quarters, even in nations which place a great emphasis on tolerance,” Benedict said. “These are worrying signs of a failure to appreciate not only the rights of believers to freedom of conscience and freedom of religion, but also the legitimate role of religion in the public square.”
Such sentiments would be reflected in his address to the Federal Parliament of Germany during his 2011 visit. Already famous for his advocacy of the relationship between faith and reason, Benedict gave a speech highlighting the role of natural law and the limits of democracy.
“For most of the matters that need to be regulated by law, the support of the majority can serve as a sufficient criterion. Yet it is evident that for the fundamental issues of law, in which the dignity of man and of humanity is at stake, the majority principle is not enough.”
Francis: Environmental justice, migrant care, and the abolition of the death penalty
When Pope Francis became the first pope to address a joint session of the United States Congress in 2015 during his visit to the country, he offered a candid assessment of issues in the national debate, especially immigration.
Referring to the 2015 refugee crisis, in which Syrians fled the civil war in Syria for the U.S., Francis advocated greater care for those coming to the U.S. to find a better life.
“Our world is facing a refugee crisis of a magnitude not seen since the Second World War. This presents us with great challenges and many hard decisions,” Francis said. “We must not be taken aback by their numbers, but rather view them as persons, seeing their faces and listening to their stories, trying to respond as best we can to their situation.”
He would also, like several of his predecessors, oppose the death penalty. Unlike them, however, he would call for its abolition, support the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ initiative for abolition that year, and criticize the resumption of executions by lethal injection.
“This conviction has led me, from the beginning of my ministry, to advocate at different levels for the global abolition of the death penalty. I am convinced that this way is the best, since every life is sacred, every human person is endowed with an inalienable dignity, and society can only benefit from the rehabilitation of those convicted of crimes.”
He would use these ideas presented to Congress to finally amend the Catechism of the Catholic Church in 2018, declaring that the death penalty is “inadmissible.”
Pope Leo XIV says care for creation is a requirement of faith
VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV said those who believe God created the world are called to take on a greater responsibility for caring for creation, describing it as a requirement of faith.
In a video message to participants in the 10th Austrian World Summit — an annual international event on climate, sustainability, and the environment taking place Tuesday at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna — the Holy Father recalled that “the Church has always been aware that the ecological question has a moral dimension.”
Reflecting on climate change and environmental protection in light of the theological virtues, the pope said the religious dimension “is in fact essential to address these issues adequately.”
“Those who believe that our world was created by God and is inherently good are compelled to assume an even greater responsibility to care for creation, since this is the requirement of their faith,” Pope Leo XIV said.
He also quoted Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical Laudato Si’, saying: “Living our vocation to be protectors of God’s handiwork is essential to a life of virtue; it is not an optional or a secondary aspect of our Christian experience.”
The pope stressed that “religious faith reinforces the overall desire to protect life and care for nature.” He said the climate crisis is “one manifestation — and a critical one — of the wider socioeconomic crisis,” adding that special attention must be given to “the poorest and those most vulnerable to environmental degradation.”
Pope Leo XIV acknowledged widespread concern over the challenges caused by “a lack of respect for creation, the plundering of natural resources, and a progressive decline in the quality of life due to climate change.”
“These challenges require international cooperation, together with cohesive and forward-looking multilateralism in order to find effective solutions,” he said.
At the same time, the pope sought to offer a message of hope, urging participants to overcome fear and work together toward appropriate solutions.
“Despite the naysayers or cynics, hope can be a powerful driving force,” he said.
The Holy Father also emphasized the contribution religious leaders and communities can make to ambitious social and environmental efforts, noting that the Bible offers many examples of how fear can be overcome by hope, “which ultimately is a gift from God himself.”
Pope Leo XIV called on wealthier countries to “meet their obligations to support poorer countries financially.” He also said the world needs “the development of a new person-centered international financial framework” so that all countries, “especially the poorest and those most vulnerable to climate disasters, can reach their full potential, with the dignity of their citizens respected.”
Turning to the virtue of love, the pope invited participants to cultivate “a genuine culture of care for our environment,” including what Pope Francis described as “civic and political love.”
“Such love is the key to authentic development,” Pope Leo XIV said, adding that “social love moves us to devise larger strategies to halt environmental degradation and to encourage a ‘culture of care’ which permeates all of society.”
The pope concluded by expressing his hope that the summit’s deliberations would promote this culture of care and “thus contribute to the civilization of love.”
He also prayed that the summit would help promote “the much-needed dialogue for seeking effective solutions to protect the wonderful gift of creation.”
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.