Saint Joseph Catholic Church

“I am obviously worried, because they [Catholic troops] could be put in a situation where they’re being ordered to do something which is morally questionable,” said Archbishop Timothy Broglio. “And it would be very difficult for a soldier or a Marine or a sailor by himself to disobey an order such as that.”

“But strictly speaking, he or she, within the realm of their own conscience, it would be morally acceptable to disobey that order,” Archbishop Broglio added. “But that’s perhaps putting that individual in an untenable situation, and that’s my concern.”

Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, commented on the “untenable” situation in the state.

Pope Leo XIV has accepted an invitation to visit the Czech Republic, the nation’s president said after a papal audience yesterday.

“You have kindled the fire of the Gospel where it seemed to be extinguished, and you have accompanied many Christian individuals and communities, awakening them to the joy of faith, helping them to rediscover the beauty of knowing Jesus and fostering their spiritual growth and their commitment to witness,” the Pope said during yesterday’s audience.

At the same time, the Pope warned the leaders that “no ministry must become a reason to feel better than one’s brothers and sisters and to exclude those who think differently ... The good you do is great, but its purpose is to allow people to know Christ, always respecting the path of life and the conscience of each one.”

“The proclamation of the Gospel, catechesis and the various forms of pastoral action must always be free from forms of constraint, rigidity and moralism,” and should avoid evoking “feelings of guilt and fear instead of interior liberation,” the Pope added.

Kiko Argüello, who was present at the audience, founded the Neocatechumenal Way in 1964. The Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life describes it as “an itinerary of Catholic instruction at the service of the bishop as one of the diocesan ways of implementing Christian initiation and ongoing education in the faith.”

“At a time when people are often tempted by a sense of hopelessness, we have the essential mission, as Christian messengers of hope, to bring the Lord’s light into the darkest corners of our world,” Pope Leo said during the January 19 audience.

“Thus, encouraged and strengthened by the grace of Jesus Christ, who is the very incarnation of hope for all, we are called and sent out to bear witness to this saving truth with edifying words and charitable deeds,” the Pope added.

Finland, a Nordic nation of 5.6 million (map), is 75% Christian (73% Protestant) and 5% Muslim.