- Pope Leo emphasizes importance of Confession (Dicastery for Communication)
Pope Leo XIV emphasized the importance of the Sacrament of Reconciliation and mourned the infrequency with which many Christians approach it.“The fact that the Sacrament can be received repeatedly is not always matched by a willingness on the part of the baptized to make use of it: it is as though the infinite treasure of the Church’s mercy remained ‘unused,’ due to a widespread distraction among Christians who, not infrequently, remain in a state of sin for a long time, rather than approaching the confessional with simplicity of faith and heart to receive the gift of the Risen Lord,” the Pope said on March 13 to participants in an annual course on the internal forum offered by the Apostolic Penitentiary.Pope Leo also spoke of the sacrament as a “workshop of unity,” explaining: It restores unity with God through the forgiveness of sins and the infusion of sanctifying grace. This fosters the inner unity of the individual and unity with the Church; consequently, it also promotes peace and unity within the human family. One might well ask: do those Christians who bear grave responsibility in armed conflicts have the humility and courage to make a serious examination of conscience and to go to confession?“This dynamism of unity with God, with the Church and within ourselves is a prerequisite for peace among people and nations: only a reconciled person is capable of living in an unarmed and disarming way,” the Pope added. “Those who lay down the weapons of pride and allow themselves to be continually renewed by God’s forgiveness become agents of reconciliation in everyday life. In him or her are fulfilled the words attributed to Saint Francis of Assisi: ‘Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.’” - Nuncio brings food to villages in southern Lebanon; 3 Christians killed in drone attack (CWN)
Archbishop Paolo Borgia, the apostolic nuncio to Lebanon, brought food to Christian villages in southern Lebanon that have been affected by the current war between Israel and Hezbollah. - Pope praises Catholic cooperatives, other associations inspired by Rerum Novarum (Dicastery for Communication)
Pope Leo XIV paid tribute to the Catholic cooperatives, banks, mutual aid societies, and other associations formed in Italy in the wake of Pope Leo XIII’s 1891 social encyclical Rerum Novarum.Pope Leo XIV, in a March 13 audience, expressed his “gratitude to the Fondazione Cattolica and the Società Cattolica di Assicurazione (Catholic Insurance Society) for their constant commitment to fostering an active Catholic presence in Italian society.”The Pope said that the Catholic Insurance Society was founded in 1896 with “broad popular participation” and “subsequently developed alongside the country, helping communities to overcome the traumas of the two world wars.”“Twenty years ago, in a very different context but building on those same foundations, the Fondazione Cattolica was established, recognizing the fundamental role of the third sector in supporting communities, individuals and families living in conditions of greater vulnerability and social marginalization,” the Pope added. - Amid Iran war, Masses suspended in Qatar, continue in Bahrain, Kuwait (Fides)
Amid the Iran war, Masses have been suspended in Qatar, and all pastoral activities except for Masses have been suspended in Bahrain and Kuwait.“There is also concern about Holy Week,” Bishop Aldo Berardi, O.SS.T., the vicar apostolic of Northern Arabia, told Agenzia Fides, the news agency of the Pontifical Mission Societies. “We have not yet received any instructions [from civil authorities] as to whether celebrations can be held or whether access will have to be restricted.” - The Iran war has disrupted the education of 52 million children, Vatican newspaper warns (CWN)
The Vatican newspaper warned that the Iran war has disrupted the education of 52 million children. - Pope, on International Day of Mathematics, encourages AI research with moral dimension (Dicastery for Communication)
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, sent a message in Pope Leo XIV’s name to participants in a webinar for the International Day of Mathematics.“His Holiness encourages the participants to consider how mathematicians can be hopeful signs to the wider world,” Cardinal Parolin wrote in his March 13 message. “In this regard, an especially fruitful area of research is the use of algorithms, particularly in the field of artificial intelligence.”“Such a task requires not just intellectual effort and ingenuity but an integral growth of the whole person, in order to encompass the moral dimension of these emerging technologies,” Cardinal Parolin added, as he recalled the Pontiff’s “own time as a teacher of mathematics and physics.” - Pope thanks FADICA Catholic philanthropy network (Dicastery for Communication)
Pope Leo expressed his gratitude to members of the FADICA Catholic philanthropy network as the organization celebrated its 50th anniversary.“Jesus taught us that in discerning how to help our neighbor, we must imitate the example of the Good Samaritan, who selflessly gave of his time and resources to someone whom he had never previously met,” Pope Leo wrote in his message, dated February 27 and released by the Vatican on March 13.“In this regard, your contributions to supporting programs that promote social justice, strengthen Catholic education, defend human dignity and care for the most vulnerable are truly a manifestation of divine charity,” the Pope added. “It is my hope that your work will likewise inspire others to a renewed encounter with Christ through service to the least of his brothers and sisters, and to an ever more conscious participation in the Church’s mission.” - Papal preacher devotes second Lenten sermon to brotherhood (CWN)
Father Roberto Pasolini, the Preacher of the Papal Household, devoted his second weekly Lenten sermon to “Fraternity: The grace and responsibility of fraternal communion” (full text). - Polish priests leave Belarus in 'very painful' forced departure (Forum 18)
Two Polish priests who have ministered in Belarus for over a decade have left the country after the government refused to permit their continued ministry in the nation.Bishop Antoni Dziemianko of Pinsk described the “forced departure” of Fathers Paweł Kruczek and Adam Straczyński as “very painful.”Belarus, an Eastern European nation of 9.5 million (map), is 82% Christian (63% Orthodox, 17% Catholic). An autocratic president, Alexander Lukashenko, has led the nation since 1994. - Vatican newspaper decries Iran war's child casualties, effects of Israeli bombardment of Lebanon (CWN)
The Vatican newspaper lamented the Iran war’s child casualties and decried the humanitarian effects of the Israeli bombardment of Lebanon. - Focolare Movement reelects leader (CWN)
The Focolare Movement‘s general assembly reelected Margaret Karram, its leader since 2021, to a second five-year term as president. - Omaha man arrested in connection with murder of his father, a permanent deacon (WOWT-TV)
Police in Omaha, Nebraska, arrested a 36-year-old man in connection with the murder of his father, a permanent deacon.Deacon John Zak’s death “is a great shock to his family and to our parish,” said Father John Broheimer of St. Peter’s Parish, as he paid tribute to the deacon’s 25 years of ministry there. - Leading exorcists meet with Pontiff, discuss their ministry (Associazione Internazionale Esorcisti;)
Pope Leo XIV received Msgr. Karel Orlita and Father Francesco Bamonte, I.C.M.S., the president and vice president of the International Association of Exorcists, in a half-hour audience on March 13.The exorcists, according to a statement issued by the association, discussed “the painful and increasingly widespread situation of people seriously disturbed by the extraordinary action of the devil as a result of frequenting occult sects,” as well as “the great suffering that the extraordinary action of the devil entails for those who suffer it and the Church’s commitment to eliminate or at least to alleviate, in the name of Christ, this suffering, through the sacramental of exorcism.”They also spoke about the importance of educating seminarians, “in the light of the Gospel and the ecclesiastical Magisterium, on the real existence and nature of the demonic world and on the way in which the Church faces extraordinary diabolical action”; “the need for one or more exorcist priests to be present in every diocese in the world”; and “the modalities of collaboration between exorcists and doctors/ psychiatrists/ psychologists.”The exorcists added that they “learned with joy that the Holy Father in the past knew and esteemed Father Gabriele Amorth,” the association’s founder. - Vatican archbishop laments Lebanon's plight (Vatican News (Italian))
The secretary of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches lamented the plight of his native Lebanon.Archbishop Michel Jalakh, O.A.M., issued an appeal “not to close our eyes to the suffering” of Lebanon and “not to think that it is far removed from us: we must always continue, at the very least, to speak about it.”The prelate lamented a recent Israeli attack on Beirut: an “attack against peaceful people who were more than just displaced: they had gone to sleep on the beach, and there they were killed.”Archbishop Jalakh described conditions in Lebanon as “terrible” and the nation as paralyzed, as “monasteries, universities, and other centers” are filled with people displaced in the war there. - Pope Leo: Look to the Holy Family as model of presence, care (Dicastery for Communication)
Addressing participants in a conference on “generative accompaniment,” Pope Leo XIV said that presence and care “help to illuminate the Christian meaning of welcome.”The conference was organized by Fraterna Domus, an association of Christian volunteers. Pope Leo said: Being present in the lives of others means sharing time, experiences and meanings, offering stable points of reference in which others can recognize themselves and grow. Looking to the Holy Family of Nazareth—whose model inspires Fraterna Domus—every welcoming community can rediscover its calling and learn to orient itself on the path of service.The Pontiff also upheld St. Joseph’s guardianship of those entrusted to him as a model of care. “Guardianship means being attentive to others, respecting their choices and caring for them,” he said. “Joseph shows us that presence and guardianship are inseparable dimensions: it is not possible to guard without being present, and one is not present without assuming responsibility for the other.” - Augustinian prelate named prefect of Dicastery for the Service of Charity (Vatican Press Office)
Pope Leo XIV named a fellow member of the Order of Saint Augustine as the new Almoner of His Holiness and prefect of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity, one of the 16 dicasteries of the Roman Curia.Bishop Luis Marín de San Martín, O.S.A., was appointed an undersecretary of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops in 2021. In appointing Bishop San Martín a curial prefect, Pope Leo also raised him to the dignity of an archbishop.Bishop San Martín succeeds Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, Almoner of His Holiness since 2013 and prefect of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity since its inception in 2022. Pope Leo named Cardinal Krajewski the new archbishop of Łódź, Poland; Cardinal Krajewski was born in Łódź in 1963 and ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Łódź in 1988. - Trappists may abandon La Trappe Abbey (EWTN News)
The monks of La Trappe Abbey announced that they may abandon their abbey because of declining vocations.The Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance, also known as the Trappists, was founded at La Trappe in 1664 by Abbot Armand Jean le Bouthillier de Rancé. - Worldwide Marriage Encounter gains Vatican recognition (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
The Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life recognized Worldwide Marriage Encounter as an international association of the faithful, in a ceremony at the dicastery’s headquarters. Pope Leo also received members of the organization in a March 12 audience.The organization “took its first steps in Spain in the 1950s but was officially founded in 1968 and is today present in nearly 100 countries worldwide,” the Vatican newspaper reported. - Cuba releases 51 prisoners as goodwill gesture to Vatican (Miami Herald)
The Cuban government announced last night that it is releasing 51 prisoners as a goodwill gesture to the Vatican.“In the spirit of good will and the close and fluid relations between the Cuban State and the Vatican, with which communication has historically been maintained regarding the review and release of prisoners, the Cuban Government has decided to release 51 people sentenced to imprisonment in the coming days,” according to the announcement.Pope Leo received Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, the nation’s minister of foreign affairs, on February 28. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, said on March 9 that the Holy See has worked for a “dialogue-based solution to the problems that exist” there. - Pope, in audience on Vatican II, reflects on the Church as the People of God (CWN)
Continuing his series of Wednesday general audiences on the Second Vatican Council and its documents, Pope Leo XIV devoted his March 11 audience to the Church as the People of God—a people that everyone is called to enter.