Author: Eric Deabill

(OSV News) – Catholics involved in interfaith efforts have offered their condolences to the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on the death of their president, Russell M. Nelson, Sept. 27 at age 101.

Nelson’s death came the same weekend as a Latter-day Saints church in Michigan was attacked by a gunman who also lit the building on fire in which five people were killed and eight people injured.

“The Catholic community in the U.S. joins members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in mourning the passing of President Russell M. Nelson, and as a Church, we offer our deep sympathy and prayers at the loss of life and the destruction of the LDS church in Michigan on Sunday,” said Bishop Joseph C. Bambera of Scranton, Pennsylvania, chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Ecumenism and Interreligious Affairs.

While the USCCB does not maintain an official theological dialogue with the Latter-day Saints, Bishop Bambera said, “we have worked with the church on some shared policy concerns and are grateful for the church’s support of local Catholic initiatives that have benefitted people in need.”

When Nelson met Pope Francis in 2019, he became the first head of his Salt Lake City-based church to meet with a sitting pope. Nelson’s tenure as the church’s president marked an increase in interfaith relations, including with the Catholic Church.

“As a man of faith in God and conviction to his calling from God he is beloved by people the world over. There are many accolades attributed to President Nelson’s leadership, but one in particular that stands out is his friendship and care for those who are suffering and in need,” said Father John Evans, vicar general for the Diocese of Salt Lake City in a statement.

“The Catholic Church in Utah and, through his leadership, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have long worked together to care for the poor and vulnerable here in Utah and beyond,” the priest said. “President Nelson has been an inspiration for many and a steady leader to truly minister for the good and to see the dignity in others.”

As president, Nelson was viewed by Latter-day Saints as their prophet. He was the 17th man to lead the 17.5-million-member church.

During the historic meeting between Nelson and Pope Francis March 9, 2019, in Rome, the two world faith leaders discussed where their churches had common ground, such as their concern for suffering people, religious liberty, the importance of the family, increasing secularization in the world and the need for people to have faith in Jesus Christ.

“We had a most cordial, unforgettable experience with His Holiness. He was most gracious and warm and welcoming,” Nelson said at the time. “What a sweet, wonderful man he is, and how fortunate the Catholic people are to have such a gracious, concerned, loving, and capable leader.”

Although both churches proclaim faith in Jesus Christ, baptism in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is not recognized by the Catholic Church because of different understandings of the Trinity.

“There is not in fact a fundamental doctrinal agreement. There is not a true invocation of the Trinity because the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, according to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, are not the three persons in which subsists the one Godhead, but three gods who form one divinity,” reads a document from the Congregation, now Dicastery, for the Doctrine of the Faith on the subject. “One is different from the other, even though they exist in perfect harmony.”

Nelson presented Pope Francis with a miniature replica of the Christus statue sculpted by Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldson, which has become a symbol associated with the Latter-day Saints. Pope Francis presented Nelson with a copy of “Amoris Laetitia” (“The Joy of Love”), his 2016 post-synodal apostolic exhortation following the 2014-2015 Synods on the Family.

“The differences in doctrine are real,” Nelson said at the time. “They are important. But they are not nearly as important as things we have in common.”

Nelson was born Sept. 9, 1924, in Salt Lake City. Before his ecclesiastical career, Nelson was an accomplished cardiothoracic surgeon, helping develop the heart-lung bypass machine used in the first open heart surgery on a person. In 1955, he performed the first such procedure in Utah, the first west of the Mississippi River.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints relies on volunteers for local leadership. During his medical career, Nelson served in several local leadership positions before being ordained as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles — similar to the College of Cardinals — in 1984.

In 2016, while still a member of the quorum, Catholic Community Services of Utah honored Nelson during its annual Humanitarian Awards Dinner.

“It is especially meaningful to me because it comes from valued friends who are themselves such stalwart examples of dedication to people in need,” Nelson said upon accepting the award. “I spent my entire professional career endeavoring to save lives — physical lives — as a heart surgeon. I feel right at home among you, as you are also saving lives — saving lives from deprivation, despondency and despair.”

Father Christopher Gray, rector of the Cathedral of the Madeleine in Salt Lake City, noted that locally, Latter-day Saints service missionaries assist Catholic Community Service’s efforts to serve those in need, particularly with refugee services.

“Under President Nelson’s leadership, the relationship between the Catholic Church and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been very much fortified by the commitment of the LDS Church to work together with the Catholics for the sake of the poor and vulnerable in the world,” Father Gray said.

St. Lawrence Catholic Church in Heber City, Utah, had a Mass for the repose of Nelson’s soul Oct. 2. The liturgy drew 250 people to the small church, according to Deseret News.

As the longest-serving member of the quorum, he ascended to the presidency of the church Jan. 14, 2018, following the death of his predecessor, Thomas S. Monson. He immediately began discouraging the use of “Mormon,” a popular nickname long applied to the church and its members. He emphasized the use of the church’s full name.

During the papal transition earlier this year, Nelson and the other members of the church’s First Presidency, the Latter-day Saints’ highest governing body, offered their condolences on the death of Pope Francis and gave a message of support for Pope Leo XIV.

“As the world pauses to remember his example of forgiveness and service, we feel deep gratitude for the goodness of a life well lived and rejoice in the hope of a glorious resurrection made possible through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ,” Nelson said when Pope Francis died.

On Pope Leo’s election, he wrote that “we deeply appreciate our longstanding relationship with the Catholic Church and the many ways we have worked together to relieve suffering around the globe. We look forward to continuing our work towards a world where peace, human life and dignity and religious freedom are cherished and protected. We share your commitment to follow the example of Jesus Christ and welcome further opportunities to collaborate in caring for those in need.”

During Nelson’s tenure, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has encouraged interfaith partnerships in serving those in need, locally and globally. Sean Callahan, president and CEO of Catholic Relief Services, offered his condolences, adding that he is grateful for the organization’s longstanding partnership with the church.

“We are honored to have stood alongside President Nelson and the Church in serving those most in need,” Callahan said. “At this time of loss, we extend our deepest condolences to the Latter-day Saints community and to all those who mourn his passing.”

Collaborative efforts between CRS and the LDS Church date to the 1980s in helping with food distribution during the Ethiopian famine. Recent projects include a joint effort to provide safe and reliable running water to more than 2,000 people in a Liberian community.

“His vision and unwavering commitment to humanitarian service inspired and strengthened our shared mission, expanding access to clean water, improving health and nutrition and enabling urgent emergency response around the world,” Callahan added.

Following succession procedures for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Elder Dallin H. Oaks — as the longest-serving member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles — will take over as the global leader of the church. Following the Oct. 1 broadcast of a tribute to Nelson, funeral services for him were to be held Oct. 7.

(OSV News) – At the end of his Sept. 24 audience, Pope Leo XIV issued an invitation to Catholics worldwide – and he hopes they’ll accept it.

“I invite everyone to pray the rosary every day during the coming month — for peace — personally, with your families, and in your communities,” the pontiff said.

On the Catholic Church’s Roman calendar, October is designated as the Month of the Holy Rosary, with the liturgical Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary falling on Oct. 7 – and indeed, it’s a traditional practice to pray the rosary all 31 days.

But according to a 2025 Pew Research Center survey, only 22% of white Catholics and 37% of Hispanic Catholics pray it “at least monthly.”

So is it wishful thinking to expect the faithful will offer a calendar full of rosaries during October? And why should the rosary be a regular – or even daily – part of a believer’s prayer life?

OSV News spoke with both experts and devotees, and the answer is basically this: Because it’s a time-tested way to grow closer to Jesus Christ and his mother Mary, who points men and women of every age to follow her son as his disciples.

“I think we are having a revival with the rosary,” said Father Andrew Hofer, a Dominican priest, professor, and recent Mass homilist for the Dominican Rosary Pilgrimage held Sept. 27 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington.

Thousands gathered to hear teaching, adore Jesus truly present in the Blessed Sacrament, enroll in the Confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary, witness a rosary procession and hear a concert by the chart-topping Hillbilly Thomists.

“The church has consistently promoted the rosary, but many people have not heard the call,” Father Hofer reflected. “And so we’re grateful that the Dominican Rosary Pilgrimage is one way where we can show forth the power of the rosary; that rosaries are a chain of hope. We need hope in this world, where there’s so much violence. And,” he added, “we want to show forth the goodness, the holiness, the beauty of the rosary.”

It’s perhaps easy to imagine that once St. Dominic, the founder of the Order of Preachers — received the mission to spread the rosary in a 1214 vision of the Blessed Mother, it was ever-after perfectly and devoutly prayed by all the saints.

But modern Catholics might be encouraged to know that at least one well-known holy woman struggled with her beads: St. Thérèse of Lisieux.

“I force myself in vain to meditate on the mysteries of the rosary; I don’t succeed in fixing my mind on them,” she admitted in her autobiography “The Story of a Soul.” St. Thérèse was frustrated — even “desolate,” she said — but she didn’t give up, concluding that her efforts would be accepted in the spirit they were offered.

St. Thérèse’s optimistic outlook is shared by Shannon Wendt, author of “The Way of the Rosary: A Journey with Mary Through Scripture, Liturgy, and Life.”

As a Catholic mom, writer, and “Chews Life” business owner, Wendt told OSV News she wants people to encounter the rosary as a devotion so deep it becomes a way of life; a companion that accompanies everyone through the ups and downs of everyday existence.

“We know as good Catholics that we should pray the rosary,” she said. “And it becomes something we tend to kind of put up on a shelf — for when we’re in the right mood, or when we have time; whatever it is — we kind of put it off and put it off, thinking this is something that needs to be perfect.”

But it doesn’t have to be, Wendt said.

“Instead of trying to sit down for 20 perfect, quiet minutes to meditate on the rosary, instead use the quiet moments — and pray your rosary little by little throughout the day,” she said.

“That way, you can — no matter how busy you are, no matter how many things in your to-do list, or work, or kids, or whatever your life looks like — find quiet pockets of time; just a minute, or even a few seconds to pray one Hail Mary. And that way everything that you do — every task, every errand, every conversation and relationship that you have — is surrounded by the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.”

By integrating the rosary into the events of even the most hectic day, Wendt advised, the faithful will be able to approach it from a different and fresh perspective.

“When we can really walk the way of the rosary, we begin to understand the rosary as a lifestyle,” she said, “instead of something that we put on our to-do list, or something we put a time frame on.”

Children are notoriously squirmy during the recitation of the rosary, but Aid to the Church in Need — which has helped meet the pastoral needs of the suffering and persecuted church around the world since 1947 — nonetheless realizes the power of young prayer.

So on Oct. 7, the organization is inviting 1 million children to pray the rosary for unity and peace during its annual rosary campaign.

“This global initiative,” the Aid to the Church in Need U.S. website noted, “inspires young hearts to pray with Our Blessed Mother and to discover the profound beauty and strength found in prayer.”

Aid to the Church in Need’s campaign is not, however, the only global rosary effort.

The Pontifical Mission Societies USA, said national director Msgr. Robert Landry, has a lengthy history of promoting rosary recitation during October — which is also World Mission Month, encompassing World Mission Sunday on Oct. 19.

“When Archbishop Sheen — my predecessor — was the national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies USA, throughout the month of October he used to always get all the staff together in the chapel to pray the rosary at 3 p.m.,” said Msgr. Landry.

Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen — who has been declared “venerable,” and is on the path to sainthood — directed the U.S. branch of TMPS from 1950-1966. He also created the World Mission Rosary, whose colorful green, blue, white, red, and yellow beads represent the different continents of the world.

“So that’s where our initiative merges two things,” he said. “Praying for the missions — which is one of the major objectives of the month of October — and growing in love of Our Lady under the title Our Lady of the Rosary, through praying the rosary together.”

Echoing both Father Hofer and Shannon Wendt, Msgr. Landry also proclaimed the power of prayer and the rosary.

“Prayer is not just the most important thing we as Catholics do,” he said. “It’s the most powerful thing we do. And those who pray grasp that power.”

It’s also, Msgr. Landry said, an antidote to a turbulent era.

“We’re living in a time now — as we saw after the terrible shooting in Minneapolis — when several public figures have said prayer is basically useless; what we need now is action,” he observed.

“No — prayer is the most important action we need,” Msgr. Landry said. “We can be a witness during this month to the power of prayer — its peace, and its connection to the harvest Jesus himself asked us to pray for.”

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – The joint celebration of the Jubilee of Migrants and the Jubilee of the Missions is an opportunity to remind all Catholics that the duty to welcome and assist migrants is also part of each person’s obligation to share God’s love, Pope Leo XIV said.

“Brothers and sisters, today a new missionary age opens up in the history of the church,” the pope said Oct. 5 during a Jubilee Mass in St. Peter’s Square with tens of thousands of migrants and of missionaries from around the world.

For centuries Catholics have thought of missionaries as people who leave their homelands and set off for distant lands to minister with people who live in poverty and do not know Jesus, said the U.S.-born pope who served for decades as a missionary in Peru.

“Today the frontiers of the missions are no longer geographical, because poverty, suffering and the desire for a greater hope have made their way to us,” Pope Leo said.

“The story of so many of our migrant brothers and sisters bears witness to this: the tragedy of their flight from violence, the suffering which accompanies it, the fear of not succeeding, the perilous risk of traveling along the coastline, their cry of sorrow and desperation,” he said. “Those boats which hope to catch sight of a safe port, and those eyes filled with anguish and hope seeking to reach the shore, cannot and must not find the coldness of indifference or the stigma of discrimination!”

A few days earlier, speaking to reporters, Pope Leo appeared to criticize Catholic supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump’s immigration raids. “Someone who says that I am against abortion, but I am in agreement with the inhuman treatment of immigrants who are in the United States, I don’t know if that’s pro-life,” he said.

Leading the recitation of the Angelus after Mass, Pope Leo said that “no one should be forced to flee, nor exploited or mistreated because of their situation as foreigners or people in need! Human dignity must always come first.”

Today, the pope had said in his homily, “mission is not so much about ‘departing,’ but instead ‘remaining’ in order to proclaim Christ through hospitality and welcome, compassion and solidarity.”

Being missionaries at home, he said, means not hiding in the comforts of one’s own life and turning a blind eye to “those who arrive from lands that are distant and violent,” but rather opening “our arms and hearts to them, welcoming them as brothers and sisters, and being for them a presence of consolation and hope.”

Pope Leo praised the “many missionary men and women, but also believers and people of good will, who work in the service of migrants, and promote a new culture of fraternity on the theme of migration, beyond stereotypes and prejudices.”

However, he said, Catholics cannot leave the work to others. “This precious service involves each one of us, within the limits of our own means.”

In its efforts to fulfill Jesus’ mandate to share the Gospel with all people, the Catholic Church has relied on “missionary cooperation” with people in traditionally Christian lands supporting the foreign missions with prayer, donations and personnel.

Pope Leo called for a new form of missionary cooperation that taps into lively faith of many migrants and refugees.

“In the communities of ancient Christian tradition, such as those of the West,” he said, “the presence of many brothers and sisters from the world’s South should be welcomed as an opportunity, through an exchange that renews the face of the church and sustains a Christianity that is more open, more alive and more dynamic.”

He also asked missionaries called to depart for foreign lands “to live with respect within the culture they encounter, directing to the good all that is found true and worthy, and bringing there the prophetic message of the Gospel.”

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Getting old is part of the wonder of creation and is a sign of hope, Pope Leo XIV said.

“Instead of being ashamed of human weakness, we will, in fact, be led to ask for help from our brothers and sisters and from God, who watches over all his creatures as a Father,” he said during an audience at the Vatican Oct. 3 with people taking part in an international conference on the pastoral care of the elderly.

Organized by the Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life, the Oct. 2-4 conference brought together about 150 delegates from 65 countries, representing 55 bishops’ conferences as well as members of associations and religious congregations engaged in the pastoral care of the elderly.

Building on the first meeting held in 2020, the 2025 gathering focused on developing pastoral responses to the challenges of aging in today’s world.

“In our time, unfortunately, relationships between generations are often marked by divisions and conflicts that pit them against each other,” Pope Leo said. “Older people, for example, are accused of not leaving room for young people in the workforce, or of consuming too many economic and social resources to the detriment of other generations, as if longevity were a fault.”

“The elderly are a gift, a blessing to be welcomed, and a longer life is something positive; indeed, it is one of the signs of hope in our time,” he said.

Of course, he added, “it is also a challenge, because the growing number of elderly people is an unprecedented historical phenomenon that calls us to discern and understand the reality in new ways.”

“Today’s prevailing mentality tends to value existence if it produces wealth or success, if it exercises power or authority, forgetting that the human being is always a limited creature with needs,” he said.

The “darkness of loneliness,” he said, is “the great enemy of the lives of the elderly. May no one be abandoned! May no one feel useless!”

“Where elderly people are alone and discarded, this will mean bringing them the good news of the Lord’s tenderness,” he said.

Older people are a “beneficial reminder of the universal dynamic of life,” he said. Their fragility “reminds us of this common truth,” which is often hidden or ignored “by those who cultivate worldly illusions, so as not to have before their eyes the image of what we will inevitably become.”

“It is healthy to realize that aging is part of the marvel of creation,” he said, and “the elderly teach us that salvation is not found in autonomy, but in humbly recognizing one’s own need and in being able to express it freely, so that the measure of our humanity is not given by what we can achieve, but by our ability to let ourselves be loved and, when necessary, even helped.”

However, he said, people seem increasingly unprepared for growing old.

The Catholic Church, he said, should “offer times and tools for understanding old age, so that we can live it in a Christian way, without pretending to remain forever young and without letting ourselves be overcome by discouragement.”

Pope Leo, who recently celebrated his 70th birthday, suggested using the catechesis Pope Francis dedicated to the theme in 2022 for developing “a true spirituality of the elderly” and setting up “useful pastoral work.”

Opportunities for older people who are already active in parish life should be created, he added, to “respond together with them, and not in their place, to the questions that life and the Gospel pose to us.” And young people could also “become witnesses of closeness and mutual listening to those who are further along in their lives.”

“Let us always remember that proclaiming the Gospel is the primary task of our pastoral ministry: by involving older people in this missionary dynamic, they too will be witnesses of hope, especially through their wisdom, devotion and experience,” the pope said.

SCRANTON, PA — Two faith-based organizations dedicated to serving individuals and families in need have officially merged, combining their missions, resources, and staff under one unified entity: Friends of the Poor and Catherine McAuley Center (FOTP/CMC).

The merger brings together the complementary strengths of both organizations, sponsored by The Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and The Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, respectively.

“Our sponsoring organizations recognized that we share deep similarities in our Catholic missions, values, and service approaches,” said Sister Mary Ellen Fuhrman, RSM, Chair of the Corporate Members. “By combining our efforts, we can significantly expand our reach to the most vulnerable members of our community.”

After more than a year of collaborative operations at the Catherine McAuley Center’s administrative offices at 430 Pittston Avenue in Scranton, both organizations determined that a formal merger would best serve their shared mission.

“While working side by side, we discovered we were stronger together,” said Lee Termini, Board Chair. “We were already delivering a unified effort for our funders, partners, and the people we serve – formalizing that relationship was the natural next step.”

Expanded Capacity, Unified Impact

Under the merged organization, programs including emergency shelter, clothing assistance, food distribution, furniture provision, and other family-sustaining services now operate under one umbrella, streamlining access for those in need.

“This consolidation allows us to expand our outreach and alleviate the impacts of poverty while fostering human dignity and self-sufficiency for more of our neighbors,” said Meghan Loftus, President & CEO.

Immediate Impact: Enhanced Thanksgiving Community Program

The organization is already demonstrating its increased capacity through expanded partnerships for this year’s 49th Annual Thanksgiving Community Program. Through new collaborations with Meals on Wheels NEPA, Lackawanna County Area Agency on Aging, and the United Way of Lackawanna, Wayne & Pike Counties, FOTP/CMC will distribute 5,500 meals—an increase of 1,500 from previous years.

The week-long 49th Annual Thanksgiving Community Program includes three signature events:

Interfaith Prayer Service In collaboration with the Scranton Area Ministerium
Friday, November 21 | 6:00 PM Potluck, 7:00 PM Service Temple Hesed, 1 Knox Road, Scranton.

Thanksgiving Community Dinner for Adults and Elderly
Tuesday, November 25 | 2:30 PM–5:30 PM (or until supplies last)
Scranton Cultural Center, 420 N. Washington Avenue at Vine Street
Drive-through or walk-up service available
*Home delivery for homebound individuals coordinated through Lackawanna County Area Agency on Aging, registration details forthcoming

Family to Family Thanksgiving Food Basket Distribution
Wednesday, November 26 | 8:00 AM–4:00 PM (or until supplies last)
Scranton Cultural Center, 420 N. Washington Avenue at Vine Street
*Limit of four dinners per vehicle
*Social service agencies may arrange larger pickups by contacting Linda Robeson at
lindarobeson@comcast.net

“For 39 years, our Food Basket Program has reached thousands of families during the holidays,” said Linda Robeson, Family to Family Food Basket Program Director. “Last Thanksgiving, we served more than 4,000 local families, and with the community’s continued generosity, we hope to meet that goal again this year. From our families to yours—thank you.”

SCRANTON – Now in its 46th year, the well-known annual Candlelight Rosary Novena that has been offered in Lackawanna County to faithful celebrating the Marian month of October will be hosted once again this fall at Divine Mercy Parish in the Minooka section of Scranton.

The 2025 edition of the inspirational and moving devotion, which celebrates the month of the Holy Rosary and the annual Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary in October, will open on Saturday, Oct. 5, at the parish’s Saint Joseph Church, 312 Davis Street, Scranton.

Serving as host pastor for the popular Rosary Novena will be Saint Joseph Oblate Father Paul McDonnell, who also serves as rector of the Oblates of Saint Joseph community and chapel on Highway 315 in Laflin. He is assisted by the permanent deacon of Divine Mercy Parish, Deacon Martin Castaldi.

According to the Novena’s longtime director, Deacon Carmine Mendicino, evening services for the nine-day Candlelight Rosary devotion begin at 6:30 p.m. from Oct. 4 through Sunday, Oct. 12.

This year’s Rosary Novena theme is “Peace be with you.”

WILKES-BARRE – The 10th annual ‘Be a Catholic Man’ Conference will be held on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., at Holy Redeemer High School, 159 S. Pennsylvania Ave., Wilkes-Barre.

This year’s conference theme, “Christ is King,” recalls 100 years ago when Pope Pius XI instituted the Feast of Christ the King in response to growing secularism and atheism.

The Conference will feature nationally known speakers, including Mike Aquilina, David Bereit, and Father Charles Connor.

Aquilina, who is originally from Kingston, Pa., is a Catholic author of more than 70 books and has hosted 11 television series on EWTN. He is also co-founder of the Saint Paul Center for Biblical Theology in Steubenville, Ohio.

Father Connor, a priest of the Diocese of Scranton who serves as the Diocesan historian, has also hosted several television series on EWTN, and authored several books, including Defenders of the Faith in Word and Deed and Classic Catholic Converts.

David Bereit is an internationally acclaimed pro-life leader, strategic advisor, coalition builder and dynamic communicator. He currently serves director of the Life Leadership Conference, a national coalition that seeks to maximize the impact of the pro-life movement.

The ‘Be A Catholic Man’ Conference will conclude with Mass offered by the Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton.

Tickets are $40 and include morning coffee and a box lunch.

Student tickets cost $15. Priests, Deacons, and Seminarians are free.

To order tickets, mail a check to ‘Be A Catholic Man,’ P.O. Box 669, Wyalusing, PA 18853.

Write “Men’s Conference” on the memo line and include contact information and parish.

You can also register online at BeACatholicMan.com. For more information call (570) 721-0872.

CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy (CNS) – People of faith cannot love God while despising his creatures, and people cannot call themselves Christians without caring for everything fragile and wounded, including the earth, Pope Leo XIV told climate activists and political and religious leaders.

“There is no room for indifference or resignation,” he said, inaugurating an international conference celebrating the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis’ encyclical “Laudato Si’, on Care for Our Common Home.”

Seated behind a slowly melting chunk of ice from a glacier in Greenland, the pope said, “God will ask us if we have cultivated and cared for the world that he created, for the benefit of all and for future generations, and if we have taken care of our brothers and sisters.”

“What will be our answer?” he asked.

Pope Leo spoke Oct. 1 during the opening session of a three-day conference titled, “Raising Hope for Climate Justice.” Organized by the Laudato Si’ Movement and with the support of the Vatican dicasteries for Promoting Integral Human Development and Communication, the event was held at the Focolare Movement’s Mariapoli Center near the papal summer villa in Castel Gandolfo.

The conference brought together some 500 delegates representing global leaders, faith-based organizations, governments and NGOs active in climate justice in order to celebrate what has been achieved since Pope Francis’ landmark encyclical was published in 2015 and to hammer out new strategies for expanded partnerships and concrete action.

“We are one family, with one Father,” Pope Leo said, and “we inhabit the same planet and must care for it together.”

“I, therefore, renew my strong appeal for unity around integral ecology and for peace!” he said.

Pope Leo noted, as Pope Francis did in his follow-up exhortation “Laudate Deum,” that “some have chosen to deride the increasingly evident signs of climate change, to ridicule those who speak of global warming and even to blame the poor for the very thing that affects them the most.”

“What must be done now to ensure that caring for our common home and listening to the cry of the earth and the poor do not appear as mere passing trends or, worse still, are seen and felt as divisive issues?” he asked.

“Everyone in society, through nongovernmental organizations and advocacy groups, must put pressure on governments to develop and implement more rigorous regulations, procedures and controls,” the pope said.

“Citizens need to take an active role in political decision-making at national, regional and local levels,” he said. “Only then will it be possible to mitigate the damage done to the environment.”

Pope Leo asked the audience to “give thanks to our Father in heaven for this gift we have inherited from Pope Francis!” which was followed by enthusiastic applause.

“The challenges identified in Laudato Si’ are in fact even more relevant today than they were 10 years ago,” he said, and these challenges, which are social, political and spiritual, “call for conversion.”

“It is only by returning to the heart that a true ecological conversion can take place,” Pope Leo said, saying, “We must shift from collecting data to caring; and from environmental discourse to an ecological conversion that transforms both personal and communal lifestyles.”

For believers, he said, “we cannot love God, whom we cannot see, while despising his creatures. Nor can we call ourselves disciples of Jesus Christ without participating in his outlook on creation and his care for all that is fragile and wounded.”

Integral ecology thrives on four relationships: with God, with others, with nature and with ourselves, he said. “Through our commitment to them, we can grow in hope by living out the interdisciplinary approach of Laudato Si’ and the call to unity and collaboration that flows from it.”

Pope Leo also expressed his hope that a number of upcoming U.N. summits, including the 2025 Climate Change Conference being held in Brazil in November, “will listen to the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor, families, Indigenous peoples, involuntary migrants and believers throughout the world.”

“I encourage everyone, especially young people, parents and those who work in local and national administrations and institutions, to play their part in finding solutions for today’s cultural, spiritual and educational challenges, always striving tenaciously for the common good,” he added.

Among the participants who spoke during the opening session in the presence of the pope was Brazil’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Marina Silva, and the former governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has long been involved in initiatives for the protection of creation.

Indicating Pope Leo, Schwarzenegger said he was in the presence of a true “action hero” because of his election as pope and leader of a city-state whose goal is to become the first carbon-neutral state in the world.

Pope Leo later quipped in his opening remarks that “if there is indeed an action hero with us this afternoon, it is all of you who are working together to make a difference.”

Schwarzenegger outlined how he continued to help take aggressive action on fighting climate change while he was governor of the state of California from 2003 to 2011, reducing greenhouse gases by 25% and promoting other green initiatives.

Warnings that environmental legislation would ruin the state’s economy were “a bunch of nonsense,” he said. “Today, California has the strictest environmental laws in the United States, and we are number one economically” in the U.S. and “the fourth largest economy in the world” with a $4 trillion GDP.

Instead of people “whining” and wondering what to do, he said, everyone should “get to work” because “everyone has the power” to do something, he said.

(OSV News) – Five years after the release of Pope Francis’ encyclical on fraternal love, and amid a rise in political violence, the leader of the U.S. Catholic bishops is pleading for a rediscovery of – and respect for – a common humanity.

“I ask every American to reflect on the value of every human life. I beg you to see Christ in every person, even those whose politics you oppose,” said Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The archbishop, who also leads the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services, shared his thoughts in an Oct. 1 pastoral invitation for reflection ahead of the fifth anniversary of “Fratelli Tutti.” Pope Francis penned the encyclical and released it Oct. 3, 2020, as an exploration and exhortation on the issues of human fraternity and social friendship.

The late pope noted that his encyclical — which focused on a topic about which he had frequently spoken — was partly inspired by his own fraternal encounters with leaders of other faith traditions: Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I and Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, one of the pre-eminent Sunni Muslim scholars in the world.

Quoting the late pope, Archbishop Broglio said the encyclical “prophetically” observed that the world must rebuild its sense of communion, and that the erosion of social communion leads to humans being manipulated by the powerful. He referenced the late pope’s warning in the encyclical on how great words — the pontiff gave “democracy, freedom, justice or unity” as examples — have been emptied of their meaning, bent and shaped “to serve as tools for domination, as meaningless tags that can be used to justify any action.”

“We have seen the manifestation of this notion in the perverse idea that one can serve the common good by becoming an instrument of violence,” he said. “This happens when we refuse to see the face of Christ in the other person and only see an enemy that must be dominated or destroyed.”

He said, “Tragically, decent people of every political persuasion continue to fall victim to this deadly trend.”

Archbishop Broglio pointed to his experience ministering to military members and their families, saying, “I have known the pain that the violence of war inflicts on men and women and those closest to them.”

Now, he said, “grievous acts of violence have intruded into the daily lives of too many Americans — an experience that, tragically, many civilians around the world have long endured.

“Places once regarded as safe harbors to grow and learn — our schools, universities, and churches — have become sites of heartbreaking tragedy and bloodshed,” said Archbishop Broglio.

While he did not name any specific incidents, the archbishop’s reflection was released just days after several high-profile killings, including deadly targeted attacks on a Latter-day Saints church in Michigan and a Catholic church in Minnesota, and the assassination of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk at a Utah university campus.

Princeton University’s Bridging Divides Initiative, a research and policy development effort to mitigate political violence, predicted that 2025 would be “a bellwether year for political violence” in the U.S., with rising threats against local officials and communities, and a deepening “climate of hostility in American politics.”

International online research firm YouGov, which since 2022 has polled on how extensive a problem respondents perceive political violence to be in the U.S., has found that levels of concern depend “to some degree” on “whether someone from their side or from the other side is the most recent to be attacked.”

Archbishop Broglio, quoting from “Fratelli Tutti,” said that “authentic reconciliation does not flee from conflict, but is achieved in conflict, resolving it through dialogue and open, honest and patient negotiation.”

As Pope Francis wrote in the encyclical, said the archbishop, “the path to social unity always entails acknowledging the possibility that others have, at least in part, a legitimate point of view, something worthwhile to contribute, even if they were in error or acted badly.”

The late pope stressed that peace “requires us to place at the center of all political, social, and economic activity the human person from conception to natural death, who enjoys the highest dignity, and respect for the common good.”

“Each of us should examine our hearts, our thoughts, and our actions and ask ourselves how we contribute to the polarization and animosity plaguing our nation,” Archbishop Broglio said.

That self-reflection should be accompanied by concrete actions to mend a wounded society, he said.

“We should also put into practice those behaviors that can help us begin to heal the rifts between us,” said Archbishop Broglio, recommending in particular the corporal works of mercy, which along with their spiritual counterparts are described in Catholic teaching as “charitable actions by which we come to the aid of our neighbor in his spiritual and bodily necessities.”

The corporal works of mercy listed by Archbishop Broglio in his reflection included “feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, sheltering the homeless, visiting the sick and imprisoned, and burying the dead.”

Along with such outreach, said the archbishop, “Consider fasting from social media for one day a week or in the evening.”

In addition, he said, “Pray for your enemies,” referencing a command given by Jesus Christ to his followers during both the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:38-48) and the Sermon on the Plain (Lk. 6:27-35).

“Listen and talk with those with whom you disagree — especially within your own family,” said Archbishop Broglio. “Disagree, debate civilly, stand for your rights, but always remember in your heart that we are all children of God and deserve dignity and life.”

The archbishop concluded his reflection with a call to pray “that we may discover anew that all are important and all are necessary, different faces of the one humanity that God so loves. Amen.”

The USCCB is also providing Catholics with a variety of resources to help implement the vision of “Fratelli Tutti” on its fifth anniversary. These include information on its CivilizeIt initiative, the “Fratelli Tutti Study Guide,” resources on Catholic social teaching and the corporal works of mercy, all of which can be found on its website, usccb.org.

WASHINGTON (OSV News) – Congressional lawmakers failed to pass legislation to fund the federal government, resulting in a federal government shutdown at the end of September. Catholic groups that serve the poor urged lawmakers to end gridlock.

A government shutdown occurs when Congress fails to pass a budget or if that budget is not signed into law by the president. Some types of essential government services are exempt, including Social Security payments to older adults. But many other functions of government are suspended during shutdowns, such as paychecks for government workers, including members of the armed services. Hundreds of thousands of federal workers are subject to furloughs, meaning they must stop working and will not be paid until the federal government reopens.

Both Republican and Democratic proposals that would have funded the government failed in the Senate in the hours before their 11:59 p.m. Sept. 30 deadline, resulting in a shutdown beginning at midnight Oct. 1.

Republicans and Democrats were at a stalemate over enhanced subsidies under the Affordable Care Act, former President Barack Obama’s health care law also known as “Obamacare.” The subsidies, or tax credits, are used by lower-to-middle-income households to reduce their out-of-pocket costs for enrolling in the program. It is set to expire soon, and Democrats are seeking an extension.

Health policy researcher KFF published an analysis Sept. 30 showing ACA marketplace premiums are expected to spike an average 114% in 2026 for those relying on subsidies unless they are extended. A family of four with a household income of $40,000 is expected to pay $840 more annually, while a family of four with a household income of $110,000 is expected to pay more than $3,200. Approximately 24 million Americans access healthcare through the ACA marketplace.

But President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance have sought to tie the issue to immigration, alleging Democrats are seeking to fund health care for those present in the U.S. without legal status. However, immigrants without legal status are not eligible for the subsidies, although the Democrats’ proposal would have given some federally-funded health care eligibility back to “lawfully present” authorized migrants.

The U.S. bishops and Catholic entities that advocate for, or work with, people who are poor and vulnerable in the U.S. have generally cautioned against government shutdowns.

The U.S. bishops have also emphasized that the Catholic Church, the largest single non-governmental provider of health care in the world, teaches that universal access to health care is a right that is rooted in the inherent dignity of every human person. In a letter to lawmakers in February, Ukrainian Catholic Metropolitan Archbishop Borys Gudziak of Philadelphia, chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ domestic justice committee, said every human being has the right to “right to those necessities needed to live, found a family and flourish.”

“It is in this reality that we recognize that the right to health care is a fundamental necessity for the preservation of life and human flourishing,” he said, referencing Pope Francis’ reminder that “health is not a luxury, it is for all.”

Chieko Noguchi, a spokesperson for the USCCB, told OSV News in a written statement, “A government shutdown harms families and individuals who rely on federal services.”

“We hope lawmakers will work earnestly to come to a bipartisan agreement that ends the government shutdown as quickly as possible,” she said.

Kerry Alys Robinson, president and CEO of Catholic Charities USA, said in a statement, “The reverberations from this latest episode of crippling partisanship will be felt far beyond the halls of Washington.”

“Government shutdowns take a particular toll on the most vulnerable among us, from hungry children and parents living paycheck to paycheck to seniors struggling to afford medications and groceries,” she said. “Vital government programs that rely on administrative processing could experience cascading delays during the shutdown, disrupting critical services such as food assistance and housing for people in need.”

She said Catholic Charities agencies will continue to carry out their mission, filling in the gaps where possible, in obedience to the Gospel. But she warned, “If leaders from both parties do not put an end to this unnecessary shutdown as soon as possible, even more Americans will fall into poverty, and the recovery from this setback could take months or even years.”

Sister Mary Haddad, a member of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas and president and CEO of Catholic Health Association of the United States, also urged Congress to act in a statement.

“A government shutdown jeopardizes the health and stability of millions of families — especially those living paycheck to paycheck and communities that depend on essential services. The ripple effects of inaction extend across the economy, deepening hardship for those already most vulnerable,” she said.

Sister Haddad explained in her statement that “critical health programs” were at stake, among them access to essential health services via telemedicine, hospitals endangered by Medicaid cuts and burdened by disproportionate payments while caring for underserved communities, and the ACA tax credits relied upon by millions of families to afford their health care premiums.

“When partisan gridlock leads to a shutdown, those who are poor, sick, and marginalized suffer most — precisely those we are called to protect,” she said. “Failure to act — whether by not funding the government or by allowing critical health programs to lapse — will result in higher health care costs, the loss of coverage for millions, and damaging disruption to the delivery of care in underserved American communities.”

Laurie Carafone, executive director of Network, a Catholic social justice advocacy group, called for a bipartisan funding bill to protect health care for those at risk of losing it. She said it was “irresponsible” for House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to cancel the House’s work instead of dealing with the crisis.

“Health care is a human right, and Members of Congress chose to shut down the federal government rather than protect affordable health care,” she said in a statement Oct. 1, adding, “With Affordable Care Act enrollment beginning in less than a month, there is no time to waste.”

The White House Office of Management and Budget cast blame for the shutdown on Democrats in its Sept. 30 guidance to federal agencies, directing them to begin their shutdown procedures.

“It is unclear how long Democrats will maintain their untenable posture, making the duration of the shutdown difficult to predict,” the memo said. “Regardless, employees should report to work for their next regularly scheduled tour of duty to undertake orderly shutdown activities. We will issue another memorandum indicating that government functions should resume once the President has signed a bill providing for appropriations.”

In a joint Oct. 1 statement, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, both New York Democrats, pointed to Republicans as responsible.

“After months of making life harder and more expensive, Donald Trump and Republicans have now shut down the federal government because they do not want to protect the healthcare of the American people,” the statement said. “Democrats remain ready to find a bipartisan path forward to reopen the government in a way that lowers costs and addresses the Republican healthcare crisis. But we need a credible partner.”

“The country is in desperate need of an intervention to get out of another Trump shutdown,” it added.

The previous most recent government shutdown took place during Trump’s first term, which started on Dec. 22, 2018, and lasted until Jan. 25, 2019, resulting in a 35-day shutdown. At the time, it was the longest government shutdown in more than four decades.