Browsing News Entries
‘Like They Were in Heaven’: New Book Explores Sacred Music’s Lost Theological Reality
Posted on 11/19/2025 03:50 AM (The Daily Register)
Pope calls for liturgical, biblical formation (Dicastery for Communication)
Posted on 11/19/2025 03:11 AM (CatholicCulture.org - Catholic World News)
“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.”
Islamist rebels kill patients, set fire to Catholic health clinic in DR Congo (Vatican News)
Posted on 11/19/2025 03:11 AM (CatholicCulture.org - Catholic World News)
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 Coakley praises governor for commuting death sentence (Our Sunday Visitor)
Posted on 11/19/2025 02:11 AM (CatholicCulture.org - Catholic World News)
“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.
Ukrainian Catholic leader deplores corruption (Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church)
Posted on 11/19/2025 02:11 AM (CatholicCulture.org - Catholic World News)
“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.
Papal tribute to Father Casamassa, 20th-century Augustinian scholar (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
Posted on 11/19/2025 01:11 AM (CatholicCulture.org - Catholic World News)
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.”
Bishops of Sudan, South Sudan lament ongoing conflicts (Holy See Mission)
Posted on 11/19/2025 01:11 AM (CatholicCulture.org - Catholic World News)
“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.
Nov. 19 Wednesday of the Thirty-Third Week in Ordinary Time, Weekday
Posted on 11/19/2025 00:00 AM (Catholic Culture Liturgical Year)
Archbishop Coakley reflects on role as USCCB president (Our Sunday Visitor)
Posted on 11/18/2025 23:11 PM (CatholicCulture.org - Catholic World News)
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 backs US bishops on immigration (Vatican News)
Posted on 11/18/2025 23:11 PM (CatholicCulture.org - Catholic World News)
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.)