Saint Joseph Catholic Church

interview

In an address to diocesan liturgical pastoral workers, Pope Leo XIV called upon dioceses and parishes to “initiate biblical and liturgical courses” where they are not present.

“Ensure that instituted lectors and those who regularly read the Scriptures at celebrations are thoroughly prepared,” said the Pope. “Basic biblical knowledge, clear diction, the ability to sing the responsorial psalm, as well as to compose prayers of the faithful for the community are important aspects that implement liturgical reform and help the People of God grow on their path.”

Liturgical formation, the Pope added, should “foster the fruitful participation of the People of God, as well as a dignified liturgy that is attentive to different sensibilities and sober in its solemnity.”

Members of the Allied Democratic Forces, an Islamist rebel group, attacked a diocesan health clinic in North Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The Islamists “massacred patients, and then set the entire facility ablaze, killing several women in the maternity ward,” according to Vatican News, the news agency of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication.

Father Giovanni Piumatti, an Italian missionary, said that “15 people were killed in the clinic and another five in the surrounding area. They set fire to the entire facility and 27 nearby homes. Before destroying everything, they looted all the medical supplies ... They killed mothers as they were breastfeeding their babies.”

Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City, the newly elected president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, praised Gov. Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma for commuting a death sentence to life in prison without possibility of parole.

“The governor’s commitment to balancing justice with mercy and maintaining an opportunity for redemption is laudable,” said Archbishop Coakley. “In view of the particularly troubling details of [Tremane] Wood’s case, erring on the side of life should always be our first instinct.”

“We must also pray for the victims of violent crimes and their families, in this case Ronnie Wipf and those who mourn his death,” the prelate added.

In his most recent weekly message, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, deplored corruption.

“Our law enforcement agencies have uncovered a criminal corruption scheme that was destroying Ukraine’s energy system,” he said. “We share the pain of our society and, fulfilling the prophetic role of the Church, we consistently denounce and condemn the phenomenon we call corruption.”

Ukrainian officials face accusations of embezzling $100 million from the nation’s state-owned energy companies.

In a message for a conference marking the 70th anniversary of the death of Father Antonio Casamassa, Pope Leo XIV hailed the scholar as “among the most learned patrologists and historians of the Church of the 20th century.”

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, wrote in the message that Pope Leo “hopes that the remembrance of this esteemed spiritual son of Saint Augustine will inspire renewed commitment to the study of the Fathers and knowledge of the past, necessary to reinvigorate the Church’s awareness of herself and her mission.”

At a recent meeting, the bishops of Sudan and South Sudan said they were “deeply disturbed by the ongoing devastating conflicts and the dishonored peace agreements in both nations.”

“Selfish interests have unleashed violence, aggravating humanitarian crises, community-based hatred, widespread displacement, the misappropriation of public funds, hunger, and the looming threat of famine,” the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Sudan and South Sudan said in its statement. “We are witnessing unprecedented ethnic and tribal divisions in the name of politics.”

South Sudan, a nation of 12.7 million (map), is 61% Christian (39% Catholic), 32% ethnic religionist, and 6% Muslim. In 2011, it gained independence from Sudan (map); the nation of 50.5 million is 92% Muslim and 4% Christian, with 3% adhering to ethnic religions.

The Roman Martyrology commemorates St. Mechtilde (1241-1298), who was born to a noble family in Heifta, Saxony, and was placed in a Benedictine convent at age seven. Mechtilde was a mystic, and aided St. Gertrude with her Book of Special Graces or The Revelation of St. Mechtilde.

In an interview with OSV News, Archbishop Paul Coakley spoke about his task as president of the US bishops’ conference.

The American bishops, Archbishop Coakley said, “are far more unified pastorally, fraternally than is often portrayed in a lot of the media and a lot of people’s imaginations. The narrative is out there that the American bishops are divided, we’re polarized, and that’s not been my experience.”

During an interview in which he offered a balanced view on immigration, the archbishop also responded to criticism he has received for supporting Archbishop Vigano in the demand for a thorough investigation of the McCarrick scandal.

Pope Leo XIV urged American Catholics to heed the US bishops’ statement on immigration, in remarks to reporters at Castel Gandolfo on November 18.

While acknowledging a country’s right to control its own borders, the Pope said: “If someone is in the United States illegally, there are ways to address this. There are courts. There is a judicial system.” But he criticized the “extremely disrespectful” treatment of illegal immigrants, especially those who have been leading a “good life” in the US for years.

The Pope made his remarks during an informal exchange in which he also answered questions about conflicts in Ukraine and Nigeria, his future travel plans, and his regular use of the papal summer residence at Castel Gandolfo. (See today’s separate CWN headline.)