St. Mary's of the Lake Roman Catholic Church

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Hours after the United States bombed the sites of three nuclear-enrichment facilities in Iran, Pope Leo XIV called the situation in the Middle East "alarming" and said diplomacy was the only responsible way forward.

"Every member of the international community has a moral responsibility: Stop the tragedy of war before it becomes an irreparable abyss," the pope said June 22 after reciting the Angelus prayer with thousands of people in St. Peter's Square.

In Washington late June 21, President Donald Trump announced that "the U.S. military carried out massive precision strikes on the three key nuclear facilities in the Iranian regime: Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan."

"Our objective," Trump said, "was the destruction of Iran's nuclear enrichment capacity and a stop to the nuclear threat posed by the world's number one state sponsor of terror."

"Tonight I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success," Trump said, adding that the facilities had been "completely and totally obliterated." The U.S. president also threatened that if Iran did not "make peace" then "future attacks would be far greater and a lot easier."

The U.S. bombings came 10 days after Israel began carrying out attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities and its military infrastructure, leading Iran to retaliate by firing missiles at Israel. Officials have reported that the strikes have killed at least 400 people in Iran and 24 people in Israel. 

Addressing the crowds in St. Peter's Square, Pope Leo said people all over the world were praying and crying for peace.

"It is a cry that calls for responsibility and reason and must not be drowned out by the din of weapons," Pope Leo said. "There is no faraway conflict when human dignity is at stake."

In addition, the pope said, with the "dramatic scenario" of the bombing of Iran, "the daily suffering of people, especially in Gaza and other territories, risks falling into oblivion" as the attention of the world turns elsewhere.

"War does not solve problems, but rather it amplifies them and produces deep wounds in the history of people that take generations to heal," he said. "No armed victory can compensate for the pain of mothers, the fear of children, the stolen future."

"Let diplomacy silence the weapons," Pope Leo said. "Let nations chart their future with works of peace, not with violence and bloody conflicts!"
 

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Holy Year 2025 can have a lasting impact on the world's poorest countries if governments and international institutions embrace a key element of the biblical concept of jubilee by forgiving, restructuring or pausing foreign debt repayments, said a report commissioned by Pope Francis.

At the late pope's request, the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences and the Initiative for Policy Dialogue at Columbia University in New York brought together 30 global experts in debt, development and the global financial system to address the current debt crisis, prevent future crises and promote sustainable development.

The "Jubilee Commission," which began meeting in February, released "A Blueprint for Tackling the Debt and Development Crises and Securing a Sustainable People-Centered Global Economy" June 20 at the Vatican.

"Today, 3.3 billion people live in countries that spend more on interest payments than on health, and 2.1 billion live in countries that spend more on interest payments than on education," the report said. "Interest payments on public debt are therefore crowding out critical investments in health, education, infrastructure and climate resilience."

The indebted governments -- "fearful of the political and economic costs of initiating debt restructurings -- prioritize timely debt payments over essential development spending," the report said. "This is not a path to sustainable development. Rather, it is a roadblock to development and leads to increasing inequality and discontent." 

Eric LeCompte, executive director of Jubilee USA Network, an interfaith group promoting debt relief and development, was not a member of the commission, but supported its work and was at the Vatican for the launch of the report.

Changing the way loans to developing nations are made, structured and restructured when a crisis occurs is essential because economic crises "are the main causes for war, for human rights violations, for migrations, for many of the environmental challenges that we are having," he told Catholic News Service June 19.

Many people will say, "A debt that is owed is a debt that should be paid," LeCompte said, "but I think it's more complicated than that."

Especially since the pontificate of St. John Paul II and his push for foreign debt relief, he said, the Catholic Church's position has been that "a lot of lending has been used not to help people, but to hurt people," and "historically, lending that has been promised to build bridges has built palaces. Lending that has been promised to build roads has been turned into military dictatorship funding."

The Jubilee Commission report said, "Debt contracts are voluntary arrangements between creditors and debtors, and as such, they are equally responsible when matters go badly and there are problems in repayment."

"Indeed," it continued, "in some ways, creditors, who typically have more expertise in risk assessment and management, might even have greater responsibility" than the debtor nation.

The experts on the commission said, "Development inherently involves risk -- whether from long-term investments, exposure to commodity price fluctuations, or vulnerability to external shocks -- and that sustainable development requires these risks to be distributed globally in an efficient and equitable manner."

"The burden should be borne by those most capable of absorbing it, which is not what the current system delivers," the report said. 

And, the experts said, there must be a fair way of responding to situations where a debtor nation simply cannot afford to service its debt while feeding its people.

"At the heart of the problem lies a hole in the international economic architecture: the absence of a sovereign debt crisis resolution mechanism," the report said. "While mechanisms exist for corporate bankruptcy within countries, there is no equivalent framework for sovereign debtors."

Without such a process in place, the experts said, "in each crisis, debt restructurings must be negotiated. These negotiations are governed not by fairness or efficiency, but by power, with the result that the outcomes are typically neither fair nor efficient."

Exacerbating the problem, they said, "prevailing legal systems -- notably those of England and the United States, the major jurisdictions for the issuance of government international bonds -- permit specialized financial speculators, known as vulture funds, to purchase defaulted debt on secondary markets and sue for full repayment."

"This financial play turns a society's suffering into a source of profit," the report said. "Under current rules, a handful of speculators can effectively hold tens of millions of people hostage."

The experts urged support for the creation of a "Jubilee Fund," proposed by Spain, that would help countries buy back their debt at reduced rates rather than having the debt be sold at a discount to the vulture funds.

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See also: The Letter to President Trump on Global Debt Relief During Jubilee Year, April 8, 2025, from Bishop A. Elias Zaidan, Chairman, Committee on International Justice and Peace of the USCCB, and from Eric LeCompte of the Jubilee USA Network.
 

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Access to vast amounts of data and information is not the same thing as having intelligence, which is uniquely human and requires being open to truth, goodness and the real meaning of life, Pope Leo XIV told AI experts and executives.

"Authentic wisdom has more to do with recognizing the true meaning of life than with the availability of data," he said in a written message released by the Vatican June 20.

"Acknowledging and respecting what is uniquely characteristic of the human person is essential to the discussion of any adequate ethical framework for the governance of AI," he wrote.

The message, written in English, was addressed to people attending the second annual Rome conference on AI, Ethics and the Future of Corporate Governance being held in Rome and at the Vatican June 19-20.

The conference "brings together executives from leading AI companies as well as large enterprises using AI with policymakers, scholars, ethicists and lawyers to consider in a holistic way the challenges facing the ethics and governance of AI, both for companies developing this revolutionary technology as well as the enterprises incorporating AI into their businesses," according to the event's website. 

Speakers included representatives from top AI-tech firms such as Google, IBM, Anthropic, Palantir Technologies, Cohere and AI21 Labs. Speakers from the Vatican included: Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, the substitute for general affairs in the Vatican Secretariat of State; Archbishop Carlo Maria Polvani, secretary of the Dicastery for Culture and Education; Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, retired president of the Pontifical Academy for Life; and Franciscan Father Paolo Benanti, a member of the U.N. AI committee and a professor of moral theology at Rome's Pontifical Gregorian University.

In his message, Pope Leo said their presence "attests to the urgent need for serious reflection and ongoing discussion on the inherently ethical dimension of AI, as well as its responsible governance."

"Together with its extraordinary potential to benefit the human family, the rapid development of AI also raises deeper questions concerning the proper use of such technology in generating a more authentically just and human global society," he wrote.

He reiterated Pope Francis' definition of AI platforms as "tools," which, he said, reflect "the human intelligence that crafted them and draw much of their ethical force from the intentions of the individuals that wield them."

While "in some cases, AI has been used in positive and indeed noble ways to promote greater equality," he wrote, "there is likewise the possibility of its misuse for selfish gain at the expense of others, or worse, to foment conflict and aggression."

The Catholic Church wishes to contribute to "these pressing questions by stressing above all the need to weigh the ramifications of AI in light of the 'integral development of the human person and society,'" he wrote. That means the material, intellectual and spiritual well-being of the human person must be considered, human dignity must be safeguarded, and the cultural and spiritual riches and diversity of the world’s peoples must be respected.

"Ultimately, the benefits or risks of AI must be evaluated precisely according to this superior ethical criterion," he wrote. 

"AI, especially Generative AI, has opened new horizons on many different levels, including enhancing research in healthcare and scientific discovery, but also raises troubling questions on its possible repercussions on humanity's openness to truth and beauty, on our distinctive ability to grasp and process reality," Pope Leo wrote. 

He underlined concerns about the possible consequences of AI use on the intellectual and neurological development of children and young people. "Our youth must be helped, and not hindered, in their journey towards maturity and true responsibility," he wrote.

Never before have people had "such quick access to the amount of information now available through AI," he wrote.

"But again, access to data -- however extensive -- must not be confused with intelligence, which necessarily 'involves the person’s openness to the ultimate questions of life and reflects an orientation toward the True and the Good,'" he wrote, citing the Vatican document titled "Antiqua et Nova (ancient and new): Note on the Relationship Between Artificial Intelligence and Human Intelligence," approved by Pope Francis in January.

Pope Leo told participants he hoped the conference would also consider how AI fits in with helping young people connect with older generations and "integrate truth into their moral and spiritual life, thus informing their mature decisions and opening the path towards a world of greater solidarity and unity."

"The task set before you is not easy, but it is one of vital importance," he wrote, thanking them for their efforts.

WASHINGTON – “Solidarity with refugees and migrants is not optional; it’s a living testimony of the Gospel,” said Bishop Mark J. Seitz. On World Refugee Day (June 20), the Catholic Church stands in prayerful solidarity with refugees around the globe to recognize and honor the courage, resilience, and dignity of those forced to flee their homes.

As chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Migration, Bishop Seitz reaffirmed the commitment of the Catholic faithful to walk with refugees in compassion and hope: 

“In their journey, refugees embody the hope we are called to share as Christians. As we welcome them, we reflect on our own pilgrimage toward the eternal home promised to us. Their resilience and faith challenge us to serve others more deeply and to build a world where every person is treated with dignity and can live in peace and freedom. Together with people of faith and goodwill, we recognize the profound witness of individuals and communities who open their hearts and homes to those seeking safety—welcoming the stranger, healing wounds, and restoring hope.

“We bishops of the United States remain resolute in our call for the consistent protection of refugees amid their disparate treatment by our government. The Church recognizes the right of each country to control its borders, while also affirming the right to seek refuge when life-threatening circumstances deny people the foremost right to remain in their homeland. As our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, has affirmed, the temptation to turn inward, to isolate ourselves from the needs of our brothers and sisters around the world, is incompatible with a Christian vision for the common good. We must remember Christ’s exhortation in Luke’s Gospel: to whom much is given, much is required.”

In his Pentecost homily, Pope Leo XIV reiterated that Christian love transcends borders, as he declared, “Where there is love, there is no room for prejudice, for ‘security’ zones separating us from our neighbors, for the exclusionary mindset that, tragically, we now see emerging also in political nationalisms.”

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ROME (CNS) -- Almost a year after Pope Francis set up a commission to develop a large solar-panel array on Vatican property outside of Rome, Pope Leo XIV visited the site and the Vatican Radio employees working there.

The 1,060-acre site about 11 miles northwest of Rome is home to Vatican Radio's shortwave transmitters and transmission center.

The Vatican press office said the pope visited the property at Santa Maria di Galeria June 19 along with officials from the Dicastery for Communication and the Vatican City State governor's office. 

Meeting the center's staff, Pope Leo asked about "the operation of the antennas, transmissions and the digital disaster recovery system," the statement said.

The day was the 43rd anniversary of his priestly ordination, which he and the staff celebrated "with light refreshments," the press office added.

"Pope Leo emphasized how during his missionary work in Latin America and Africa, it was valuable to be able to receive Vatican Radio's shortwave transmissions, which reach places where few broadcasters can reach, and he reaffirmed the missionary value of communication," it said.

"In blessing all those present, he thanked them for the work they carry out with fidelity and continuity, even on a feast day like today," which in the Vatican is the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ. However, in Italy the feast is transferred to June 22, the day Pope Leo will celebrate Mass at Rome's Basilica of St. John Lateran and lead the Corpus Christi procession to the Basilica of St. Mary Major. 

After meeting with the staff, the press office said, the pope also toured the property where "a project for an agrivoltaic plant is being studied to ensure not only the power supply of the radio station but also the complete energy sustenance of Vatican City State."

In a letter titled "Brother Sun" and dated June 21, 2024, Pope Francis wrote, "There is a need to make a transition to a model of sustainable development that reduces greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere, establishing the goal of climate neutrality."

"Humanity has the technological means needed to tackle this environmental transformation and its pernicious ethical, social, economic and political consequences, and among these, solar energy plays a key role," he wrote.

Pope Francis appointed two special commissioners to prepare the agrivoltaic system, which is a composed of a series of solar panels that coexist with crops, livestock or both.
 

WASHINGTON - The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) commemorates  Religious Freedom Week from June 22–29. This year’s theme, “Witnesses to Hope,” builds on the annual report released earlier this year by the Conference’s Committee for Religious Liberty that highlights the impact of political polarization on religious freedom. In addition to issues such as mandates for in vitro fertilization, and threats to Catholic ministries serving migrants, Religious Freedom Week also highlights crucial policy positions such as parental choice in education during a time when the faithful are urged to contact their Senators to express support for educational choice in the Senate’s budget reconciliation bill.

The USCCB’s Committee for Religious Liberty, in collaboration with the Secretariat of Catholic Education and Our Sunday Visitor Institute, hosted a religious liberty essay contest. The top essays from the competition will be published during Religious Freedom Week.

Through prayer, education, and public action during Religious Freedom Week, the faithful can promote the essential right of religious freedom for Catholics and those of all faiths. For the latest information from the USCCB’s Committee for Religious Liberty, please visit the Religious Liberty webpage and sign up for the First Freedom News monthly newsletter.

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The world must resist the allure of modern weapons which threaten to give conflicts a ferocity surpassing that of previous wars, Pope Leo XIV said.

"The heart of the church is torn apart from the cries that arise from places of war," he said at the conclusion of his general audience in St. Peter's Square June 18. "In particular from Ukraine, from Iran, from Israel, from Gaza."

"We must not become accustomed to war," the pope said. "Rather, we must push against the allure of powerful and sophisticated weapons as a temptation."

Quoting the Second Vatican Council's Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World ("Gaudium et Spes"), Pope Leo said that in modern-day warfare "scientific weapons of all kinds are used," and consequently "its atrocity threatens to lead the combatants to a barbarity far greater than that of past times."

"Therefore, in the name of human dignity and international law, I repeat to those responsible that which Pope Francis used to say: 'War is always a defeat,'" the pope said. And, quoting another of his predecessors, Pope Pius XII, he added: "Nothing is lost with peace. All can be lost with war."

Pope Leo's message came a few days after he expressed deep concern over the "seriously deteriorating" situation in the Middle East shortly after Israeli airstrikes were carried out on nuclear sites in Iran and retaliatory drone attacks on Israel were launched June 13.

"No one should ever threaten the existence of another," the pope had said during an audience with pilgrims in Rome for the Holy Year 2025 June 14. While it is right to hope for a world "free from the nuclear threat," he said, "it is the duty of all nations to support the cause of peace, taking paths of reconciliation and promoting solutions that ensure security and dignity for all."

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, told the Italian news agency ANSA June 17 that the Holy See is advocating for nuclear disarmament and has prepared a document on the immorality of not only the use but the possession of nuclear arms -- a notion previously expressed by the late Pope Francis.

Pope Leo: We can't get used to war!

Pope Leo XIV spoke of the ongoing conflicts around the world during his general audience June 18.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Leo XIV will spend two weeks of July at the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, bringing back a centuries-old tradition that had been suspended by Pope Francis.

Pope Leo also will celebrate the feast of the Assumption of Mary for the whole town and visitors Aug. 15 as per tradition, according to the Prefecture of the Papal Household.

Matteo Bruni, director of the Vatican press office, confirmed Pope Leo would be staying in the Villa Barberini, the former summer residence of the Vatican secretaries of state; Pope Francis turned the former papal palace on the town's main square into a museum, which opened in 2016.

All private audiences with the pope will be suspended during July, including the Wednesday general audiences, which will resume July 30, the prefecture said in a communique June 17. 

"On the afternoon of Sunday, July 6, the Holy Father Leo XIV will move to the pontifical villas of Castel Gandolfo for a period of rest" until the afternoon of July 20, it said.

While he is at the hilltop town south of Rome, Pope Leo will celebrate Sunday morning Mass July 13 in the parish Church of St. Thomas of Villanova in Castel Gandolfo's main square, followed by the recitation of the Angelus prayer at noon in the square in front of the apostolic palace.

He will celebrate Sunday morning Mass July 20 in the cathedral of the nearby city of Albano Laziale. He will return to Castel Gandolfo to recite the Angelus at noon in the square and then return to the Vatican in the afternoon, the prefecture said.

Pope Leo will return to the papal summer villa for the three-day holiday weekend of Aug. 15-17. He will celebrate Mass Aug. 15 at the parish of St. Thomas, followed by the Angelus prayer in the square in front of the apostolic palace.

He will also recite the Sunday Angelus at noon Aug. 17 in the square before returning to the Vatican that afternoon, it added. 

Castel Gandolfo was the summer residence of popes from 1626 until the election of Pope Francis, who chose to stay at the Vatican and not escape Rome's summer heat at the cooler hilltop papal villa.

The town of close to 9,000 people about 15 miles southeast of Rome had relied on the massive influx of tourists and visitors during the period when popes would vacation there and greet the public at the Sunday Angelus. The highlight was always the feast of the Assumption of Mary Aug. 15 when the pope would celebrate Mass for the whole town and thousands of visitors.

To attract visitors back to the town year-round and not just in the summer, Pope Francis turned the palace into a museum and opened the villa's gardens to tours. 

Pope Leo spent several hours May 29 visiting the Borgo Laudato Si' ecology project set up by Pope Francis in 2023 at the papal villa and farm in Castel Gandolfo, as well as the former papal summer residence there.

The papal property at Castel Gandolfo extends over 135 acres -- surpassing the 108.7 acres of Vatican City. It includes 74 acres of gardens -- 17 of which are formal gardens -- 62 acres of farmland, three residences and a farm with chickens, hens, rabbits, assorted fowl, cows and a small dairy operation. There are also fruit and olive orchards, vineyards, hayfields, vegetable patches, aromatic herbs, flowerbeds and plants that often are used to decorate the papal apartments and meeting rooms at the Vatican.
 

WASHINGTON – “As your shepherds, your fear echoes in our hearts and we make your pain our own. Count on the commitment of all of us to stand with you in this challenging hour,” said Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), addressing the surge in immigration enforcement actions. He offered a reflection on behalf of the bishops of the United States and acknowledged that while law enforcement actions to preserve order and ensure community security are necessary for the common good, we cannot turn a deaf ear to the anxiety and fear in communities. 

Archbishop Broglio’s reflection follows:

Just before the opening of the special assembly of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, it seems appropriate to give voice to a profound concern in the hearts of the Shepherds of the Church in our Country.

When he spoke to the young people of Chicago this past weekend, Pope Leo XIV reminded us that at the heart of the Christian faith is an invitation to share in the communion of life and love of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, the first community and based completely on love. The Holy Father also challenged us to be a sign of hope by making the world a better place.

Considering Pope Leo’s message, no one can turn a deaf ear to the palpable cries of anxiety and fear heard in communities throughout the country in the wake of a surge in immigration enforcement actions. 

Law enforcement actions aimed at preserving order and ensuring community security are necessary for the common good. However, the current efforts go well beyond those with criminal histories. In the context of a gravely deficient immigration system, the mass arrest and removal of our neighbors, friends and family members on the basis of immigration status alone, particularly in ways that are arbitrary or without due process, represent a profound social crisis before which no person of good will can remain silent. The situation is far from the communion of life and love to which this nation of immigrants should strive. 

The many actions of protest throughout the country reflect the moral sentiments of many Americans that enforcement alone cannot be the solution to addressing our nation’s immigration challenges. While protest and dissent can be a legitimate expression of democratic participation, violence is never acceptable. At the same time, it is good to remember Pope Francis’ admonition that ‘without equal opportunities the different forms of aggression and conflict will find a fertile terrain for growth and eventually explode’ (Evangelii gaudium, 59). 

The chronic lack of opportunities for legal status for our immigrant brothers and sisters, together with the growing denial of due process to them, is injurious to human dignity and is a considerable factor in the breakdown of the rule of law. Likewise, unfounded accusations against Catholic service providers, who every day endeavor to provide critical support and care to the most vulnerable, contribute to societal tensions and a growing climate of fear. 

On behalf of my brother bishops, I want to assure all of those affected by actions which tear at the fabric of our communities of the solidarity of your pastors. As your shepherds, your fear echoes in our hearts and we make your pain our own. Count on the commitment of all of us to stand with you in this challenging hour. 

I acknowledge those in our Catholic service and community organizations working to promote the common good by binding up the wounds of the afflicted. Let those motivated by the urgency of the current moment to work for just and humane solutions to these immigration challenges know of the cooperation and goodwill of the Catholic Bishops of our country.

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WASHINGTON- “I urge all Catholics to engage their elected officials on all issues that threaten the gift of human life, in particular the threat of abortion,” said Bishop Daniel Thomas of Toledo, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities. On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States issued its ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which overturned the Roe v. Wade decision that had legalized abortion in all 50 states. In advance of the anniversary of the Court’s landmark decision, Bishop Thomas encouraged the faithful to advocate for greater protections for preborn children:

“The Dobbs decision not only gave states the freedom to protect preborn children but also paved the way for pro-life victories nationally. The federal government is now closer than ever to defunding Planned Parenthood and other organizations whose abortion profiteering harms women and babies,” Bishop Thomas said.

“At the same time, we know that several states have enacted extreme pro-abortion policies, overriding existing pro-life safeguards, with some states leaving children vulnerable to abortion even up to birth,” Bishop Thomas explained. “Despite the good that Dobbs decision accomplished, the battle for life is far from over.”

Read Bishop Thomas’s full statement here.  

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