Catholic News

• Papal message calls for local and global governance of AI (Holy See Mission)
  Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, has written a message on behalf of Pope Leo XIV to participants in the AI for Good Summit, which is taking place in Geneva, Switzerland. “Humanity is at a crossroads, facing the immense potential generated by the digital revolution driven by Artificial Intelligence,” Cardinal Parolin wrote in his July 10 message, adding: On behalf of Pope Leo XIV, I would like to take this opportunity to encourage you to seek ethical clarity and to establish a coordinated local and global governance of AI, based on the shared recognition of the inherent dignity and fundamental freedoms of the human person.
• Attack on seminary in Nigeria (ACN)
  Gunmen stormed a seminary in Nigeria on July 10, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) reports. A security guard was killed and three seminarians were kidnapped. The attack on Immaculate Conception Seminary, in the Auchi diocese, took place Thursday evening. The students who escaped the kidnappers were taken to another location. Bishop Gabriel Duna of Auchi asked all priests of the diocese to celebrate Mass and lead the Rosary for the abducted seminarians and for the security of the Church.
• Nigerian bishop: 'It is genocide' (SIR)
  “It is genocide,” Bishop Wilfred Anagbe of Makurdi says about jihadist violence against Christians in Nigeria. “The want to Islamize the country.” “Attacks against Christian communities have become a recurring, almost daily fact,” the bishop continues, in an interview with the SIR new agency. “The government of Nigeria seems not to understand, or lives in a state of denial.”
• Jewish settlers attack Palestinian Christian village (CWN)
  Jewish settlers in the West Bank attacked the Palestinian Christian village of Taybeh (Taibeh) and set fires near the cemetery and a fifth-century church. The priests of the village’s three churches—Latin-rite Catholic, Melkite Catholic, and Greek Orthodox—appealed to the international community for an “immediate and transparent investigation.”
• Myanmar bishops encourage faithful to persevere despite war, disasters (Fides)
  Three bishops of central Myanmar have joined in a pastoral letter to their people, encouraging them to put their faith in God at a time when their land is ravaged by both a bloody civil war and a devastating earthquake. “No matter how difficult our situation may be, if we pray to God every day with faith and love, we will be able to endure all difficulties and become bearers of the Cross with Jesus Christ, receiving his grace of consolation and encouragement,” the bishops write. The pastoral letter is signed by Bishops Mung-ngawn La Sam of Myitkyina, Raymond Sumlut Gam of Banmaw, and. Lucas Dau Ze Jeimphaung of Lashio. All three of the bishops—like thousands of their people—have been forced to leave their homes because of bombing in the region.
• US commission assesses religious freedom in post-Assad Syria (USCIRF)
  In an updated assessment of religious freedom in Syria, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom stated that “loyalists to the transitional authorities have targeted civilians in the west and south through mass sectarian attacks, while Turkish military strikes and support for Islamist militias in the north have continued to pose threats.” The July report offers overviews of “the end of the Assad regime and its religious freedom abuses,” as well as “post-Assad religious freedom violations, including attacks on religious minorities.”
• Philippine bishops' conference calls for fair wages, political accountability (Vatican News)
  At the conclusion of its summer meeting, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines issued a letter lamenting “the difficult situation of workers in our country: the wages they receive are far below the minimum wage that allows them to provide for their needs and support their families.” “The Church must set a good example by guaranteeing workers in Church institutions fair wages, benefits, and humane treatment,” the bishops added. The prelates also expressed concerns about the Senate’s delay in continuing impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte. “An impeachment process, when conducted with truth and justice, is a legitimate democratic mechanism for transparency and accountability in governance,” the bishops said.
• Vatican newspaper warns of 'blood and chaos' in Kenya (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
  In a prominent front-page article in its July 10 edition, L’Osservatore Romano drew attention to protests in the East African nation of Kenya. “Over 30 dead in the protests of recent days against bad governance, taxes, corruption, injustice, and poverty,” the Vatican newspaper reported in the article, entitled “Sangue e caos” [Blood and chaos]. “Young people’s demands have gone unheard.” Father Kizito Sesana, 82, a Comboni missionary, told the newspaper that “the youth protests will not disappear anytime soon. There is now a new consciousness in this generation, and the entire political class is totally disconnected. Their banner is change: they want an end to corruption.” The nation of 58.2 million (map) is 80% Christian (22% Catholic), 11% Muslim, and 8% ethnic religionist.
• New Missouri law forbids public colleges from discriminating against religious groups (Religion Clause)
  The State of Missouri has enacted legislation forbidding public colleges from taking “any adverse action against a belief-based student association ... on the basis of such association’s viewpoint,” or “based on such association’s requirement that the association’s leaders be committed to furthering the association’s mission.” The new law will prevent Missouri public universities from following in the footsteps of colleges that have taken action against Catholic and other Christian organizations on the basis of alleged discrimination. Missouri also enacted legislation permitting public schools to have volunteer chaplains.
• Pope receives 220 pounds of mail every day (Vatican News (Italian))
  Pope Leo XIV receives about 100 kilograms (220 pounds) of mail each day, the Italian postal service said in a statement. “Currently, it is impossible to determine which country writes the most to the Pope,” said Antonello Chidichimo, director of the postal service.
• 12 new accusations lodged against Abbé Pierre (Radio France Internationale)
  This year, a dozen new abuse allegations have been lodged against the famed French priest Abbé Pierre (1912-2007)—bringing the total number of allegations to 45. Ordained to the priesthood in 1938, Abbé Pierre took part in the French resistance against the Nazis during World War II and was a member of the French parliament from 1945 to 1951. Known for his ministry to the poor and homeless, he became a beloved figure in France; he was also a critic of Catholic teaching on sexual morality. The Paris prosecutor’s office, citing the statute of limitations, has declined to investigate allegations against him.
• USCCB summarizes migration provisions of new federal budget legislation (USCCB)
  The Office of Policy and Advocacy of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Migration and Refugee Services has published a summary of migration-related provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The seven-page document, dated July 9, notes that “the legislation covers a broad range of issues, including several provisions that will directly impact the US immigration system, noncitizens, and mixed status families.”
• For 1st time in his pontificate, Pope Leo establishes new diocese (Vatican Press Office)
  Pope Leo XIV established the Diocese of Kapsabet, Kenya, on July 10, carving it from the territory of the Diocese of Eldoret. The new diocese has 314,000 Catholics, 36 parishes, and 52 priests; the Eldoret diocese, following the loss of territory to the new diocese, now has 581,000 Catholics, 65 parishes, and 112 priests. It is the first such action taken by Pope Leo XIV. In 2024, Pope Francis established eight new dioceses; he also merged two Welsh dioceses into one. Earlier in 2025, Pope Francis established four dioceses from larger dioceses.
• Pope celebrates 'Mass for the Care of Creation,' cites urgency (Vatican News)
  Pope Leo XIV celebrated the “Mass for the Care of Creation” at the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, using the new “formulary”—a collection of special prayers—approved for the Roman Missal. In his homily the Pontiff underlined the urgency of addressing climate change, and asked for prayers “for the conversion of many people, both inside and outside the Church, who still do not recognize the urgency of caring for our common home.” He said that natural disasters are “often caused, at least in part, by human excess and our way of life.”
• California bishop offers dispensation from Sunday obligation for fear of immigration raids (Our Sunday Visitor)
  Bishop Alberto Rojas of San Bernardino, California, has issued a dispensation for those “who, due to genuine fear of immigration enforcement actions, are unable to attend Sunday Mass or Masses on holy days of obligation.” Bishop Rojas has been critical of the Trump administration’s decision to include churches and church properties among the locations that could be subject to immigration-enforcement actions.
• Vatican approves public devotion to alleged 1990s Slovak Marian apparitions (CWN)
  The prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith has authorized the head of an Eastern Catholic church to grant a nihil obstat to alleged Marian apparitions in Litmanová, Slovakia, between 1990 and 1995.
• Pope encourages Latin American catechists to evangelize (Vatican Press Office)
  Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, has sent a telegram in the Holy Father’s name to the president of the Sociedad de Catequetas Latinoamericanos (Society of Latin American Catechists) on the occasion of a conference in Paraguay. Citing the Catechism of the Catholic Church (426-429), the Pontiff encouraged the catechists “to renew, from this loving knowledge of Christ, the wish to proclaim Him, to ‘evangelize,’ and to bring to others the ‘yes’ of faith in him, [and] to manifest his living presence.”
• Pope sees elderly as 'first witnesses of hope' (Vatican News)
  Pope Leo XIV refers to the elderly as “the first witnesses of hope” in his message for the World Day for Grandparents. The World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly will be observed this year on July 27. The Pope’s message for the occasion was released by the Vatican on July 10. In it the Pope points to the key role played in the Scriptures by elderly people, including Abraham and Sarah, Zechariah and Elizabeth, and Moses.
• 'Children have the right to an authentic, just, and lasting peace,' Pope writes in letter (CWN)
  Responding to a letter from a mother expressing anguish at the lack of peace, Pope Leo XIV called for prayer and dialogue and said that “children have the right to an authentic, just, and lasting peace.”
• Vatican diplomat raises concern about AI's threat to intellectual property rights (Holy See Mission)
  Addressing a meeting of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), a Vatican diplomat on July 9 praised the “remarkable reliability, usefulness, and resilience” of the organization’s “registries for trademarks, industrial designs, and patents.” Citing a recent papal address, Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, apostolic nuncio and Permanent Observer to the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva, Switzerland, then sounded a cautionary note about AI: AI poses complex challenges to IP [intellectual property] systems, pushing the boundaries of traditional IP frameworks and raising questions about authorship, inventorship, and the protection of human creativity. In this regard, the Holy See reiterates that “AI must function as a tool for the good of human beings, not to diminish them, not to replace them.” As AI reshapes the very landscape of innovation, safeguarding the God-given human dignity becomes increasingly vital.
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