St. Joseph Catholic Church

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu telephoned Pope Leo XIV, who urged Israel's leader to revive negotiations and enact a ceasefire.

The morning call to the pope's summer residence at Castel Gandolfo July 18 came the day after the Israeli army struck the Holy Family Church compound, the only Catholic Church in the Gaza Strip. At least three people were killed and 10 more were injured from the shelling and falling debris, including the parish priest, Father Gabriel Romanelli.

"During the conversation, the Holy Father renewed his call for renewed momentum for negotiation efforts and for a ceasefire and an end to the war," the Vatican press office said in a communique.

"He again expressed his concern for the tragic humanitarian situation of the people in Gaza, a heartbreaking price being paid especially by children, the elderly and the sick," it said. 

"Finally, the Holy Father reiterated the urgency of protecting places of worship and especially the faithful and all people in Palestine and Israel," the communique said.

The pope had called for an immediate ceasefire, dialogue and peace in the region in a telegram July 16.

About 600 men, women and children had been sheltering at the church, including about 50 people with disabilities and ill children cared for by the Missionaries of Charity, when the early morning raid hit the church.

Pope Leo also telephoned Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, July 18, telling him, "It is time to stop this slaughter," Vatican News reported.

Cardinal Pizzaballa and Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem were leading a delegation into Gaza to bring hundreds of tons of humanitarian aid into the enclave.

As they were crossing the border, Pope Leo telephoned the cardinal to "express his closeness, love, prayer, support and desire to do everything possible for there to be not only a ceasefire but also an end to this tragedy," the cardinal told Vatican News.

"Pope Leo said repeatedly that it is time to stop this slaughter, and that what has happened is unjustifiable, and that we must ensure there are no more victims," he said. 

The Vatican press office said the pope also told the cardinal that he intends to do "everything possible to stop the needless slaughter of innocents."

"With the patriarch (Cardinal Pizzaballa), the pope turned his thoughts to all the innocent victims, those of yesterday's attack and all those of this time of sorrow in the Holy Land and throughout the Middle East," the press office said in a brief statement.

The pope also asked the cardinal about those who had been injured in the attack and their condition, it said.

Pope Leo then telephoned Father Carlos Ferrero, the provincial superior of the Institute of the Incarnate Word -- the religious order Father Romanelli belongs to -- to express "his closeness to those in the community -- faithful and religious -- who were with him."

The pope "assures everyone of his prayers and unceasing commitment to peace, the only way that protects humanity on all sides," it said.

Everyone in Gaza "will not be forgotten, nor will they be abandoned," the patriarchate said in a written statement July 18. 

"In the aftermath of the grievous strike on the Holy Family Church compound in Gaza," Cardinal Pizzaballa and Beatitude Theophilos entered Gaza as part of a church delegation, "expressing the shared pastoral solicitude of the churches of the Holy Land and their concern for the community of Gaza," it said.

"At the request of the Latin patriarchate, and in coordination with humanitarian partners, access was secured for the delivery of essential assistance not only to the Christian community but also to as many families as possible," it said.

"This includes hundreds of tons of food supplies as well as first aid kits and urgently needed medical equipment. In addition, the patriarchate ensured the evacuation of individuals injured in the attack to medical institutions outside Gaza where they will receive care," it added.

"During their stay, the delegation will meet with members of the local Christian community, offer condolences and solidarity, and stand alongside those affected by the recent events," the statement said. The cardinal "will personally assess the humanitarian and pastoral needs of the community, to help guide the church's continued presence and response."

"We thank His Holiness Pope Leo XIV who called Cardinal Pizzaballa and Patriarch Theophilos upon entrance to Gaza to offer his support, closeness and prayers," the patriarchate said.

"We pray for the safety of the delegation and the suspension of military activities during the visit," it added.

"The Latin Patriarchate remains steadfast in its commitment to the Christian community and the entire population of Gaza. They will not be forgotten, nor will they be abandoned."
 

WASHINGTON – Reacting to the military strike of Holy Family Church in Gaza this morning, Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops joined the prayers of Pope Leo XIV for those killed and to those injured and emphasized the need for immediate ceasefire and dialogue for peace.

“With the Holy Father, the Catholic bishops of the United States are deeply saddened to learn about the deaths and injuries at Holy Family Church in Gaza caused by a military strike. Our first concern, naturally, goes out to Father Gabriele Romanelli and all his parishioners, most especially to the families of those killed. Our prayers are for them during these tragic times. With the Holy Father, we also continue to pray and advocate for dialogue and an immediate ceasefire. Yesterday was the memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, through her intercession, may there be peace in Gaza.”

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- After an early morning attack on the Holy Family Church in Gaza, Pope Leo XIV called for an immediate ceasefire, dialogue and peace in the region.

With Israeli tanks shelling multiple targets in Gaza, witnesses claimed the strike July 17 came from Israeli artillery shells. The Israeli military said in a statement it was aware of the reports of damage and casualties at the church, and that "the circumstances of the incident are under review."

More than 500 men, women and children had been sheltering at the church, including about 50 people with disabilities and ill children cared for by the Missionaries of Charity. It is the only Catholic church in the Gaza Strip.

The early morning raid on the church left three people dead and nine injured, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem told ANSA, the Italian news agency.

Among the wounded were those who were seriously injured, those in stable condition and some with light injuries, the patriarchate said.

Among those hurt was the parish priest, Father Gabriel Romanelli, an Argentine of Italian descent whom Pope Francis would call regularly. News photos show the priest sitting with a white bandage wrapped around his right calf at the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City.

A telegram sent by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, on behalf of the pope, stated, "His Holiness Pope Leo XIV was deeply saddened to learn of the loss of life and injury caused by the military attack on the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza, and he assures the parish priest, Father Gabriele Romanelli, and the whole parish community of his spiritual closeness."

"In commending the souls of the deceased to the loving mercy of Almighty God, the Holy Father prays for the consolation of those who grieve and for the recovery of the injured," the cardinal wrote.

"His Holiness renews his call for an immediate ceasefire, and he expresses his profound hope for dialogue, reconciliation and enduring peace in the region," he wrote. 

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, told Vatican News, "We still have partial information, because communication with Gaza is not very easy, especially today."

He confirmed that several were wounded, some seriously. "They say it was a mistake by an Israeli tank, but we don't know. It hit the church, directly at the church," he said.

Speaking to Vatican News July 12, Father Romanelli said almost everyone in the area beyond the church compound had left. "All around us, there is only death and destruction."

"Day and night, we are accompanied by the sound of bombs falling even a few hundred meters from the parish. It is absurd, but now, after 21 months, these horrendous sounds of explosions have become an ordinary part of daily life," he had said.

The Israeli Defense Forces' offensive in the Gaza Strip came after the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks by Hamas and other jihadist groups operating from the territory.

Speaking to Aid to the Church in Need in mid-July, Father Romanelli underlined that the situation in Gaza was "very, very serious."

"Another day of war -- another hour of war -- continues to complicate the lives of tens and hundreds of thousands of people," he said, urging the world's faithful to pray and support those affected.

"We ask you to continue helping us -- to pray a lot, and to encourage others to pray," he said. "To seek peace and justice by all means, and also to lend a hand to these poor people."

Father Romanelli told Vatican News July 12 that there had been a little more than 1,000 Christians in Gaza before the Oct. 7 attack. About 300 managed to get out of the strip when the Rafah crossing with Egypt was still open, he said.

At least 16 Christians were killed in a raid that hit the Orthodox Patriarchate's St. Porphyry Church in October 2023, Aid to the Church in Need said. An elderly Christian was killed in November 2023, and a month later, a mother and daughter were killed just outside the church when an IDF sniper fired on the grounds of the Holy Family Church.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Politics can unite instead of divide as long as it refuses to settle for propaganda that feeds on creating enemies, Pope Leo XIV said.

Politics can unite, he said, if it "engages in the difficult and necessary art of an exchange of views, which seeks the common good."

"It is still possible, it is always possible, to come together, even at a time of division, bombs and wars," he said in a video message that aired before the start of a charity soccer match.

He urged people to have the "strength to believe and ask for a truce to come." It is time to stop "the race of hatred. Our humanity is at stake." 

Italy's annual Match of the Heart ("Partita del Cuore") is organized by the national federation of Italian singers to raise money for a different cause each year.

The televised soccer match pits Italian singers against a team made up of "adversaries," which changes each year. For example, the match in 2000 saw singers face off against a mixed team of Israelis, Palestinians and well-known sports stars like Formula One racing driver, Michael Schumacher. The late Yasser Arafat, who was president of the Palestinian National Authority at the time, and the late Israeli statesman, Shimon Peres, sat together in the Rome stadium stands.

The 2025 match held July 15 in L'Aquila brought Italian singers to the field against top government ministers and Italian politicians, including the former prime minister of Italy, Matteo Renzi. They were raising money for a project established by the Vatican-owned Bambino Gesù Pediatric Hospital in Rome and Italy's Caritas to support the families of patients who have a lengthy hospitalization and live far from Rome. 

In his video message recorded from the papal summer villa in Castel Gandolfo, Pope Leo said it was "significant that two teams, one of politicians and one of singers, are playing today."

"It tells us that politics can unite instead of divide, if it is not content with propaganda that feeds on building enemies," but engages in dialogue aimed at the common good, he said. 

"And it also reminds us how music enriches our words and memories with meaning," he said.

He recalled Paul McCartney's song, "Pipes of Peace," and the film "Joyeux Noël," which were both inspired by the 1914 Christmas truce between a group of British and German soldiers who left their trenches to meet in "no man's land" to exchange gifts, take photographs and play soccer.

"It is still possible, it is always possible, to come together," he said. All that is needed is to create the opportunities to do so.

That means, he said, creating opportunities to: "confront divisions and recognize that the greatest challenge is encountering the other; contribute together to a good cause; repair broken hearts, our own and those of others; and recognize that we are one in God's heart, and that the heart is the place of encounter with God and with others."

Pope Leo praised the charity event for mixing sports and television, and for raising funds "for life, for healing, not for destruction and death."

When practiced well by athletes and fans, sports are great for turning "confrontation into encounter, division into inclusion, solitude into community," he said. When television is not just about being "tuned in" but becomes a "communion of gazes, it can make us rediscover how to look at one another -- with love instead of hate."

He invited all those who came together for the event and who support the charity project to "look into the eyes of children and learn from them," to find the courage to be welcoming and to be "men and women of encounter."

ROME (CNS) -- The Catholic News Service team in Rome won nine awards from the Catholic Media Association, which were announced during the 2025 Catholic Media Conference in Phoenix, Arizona. Incorporated in 1911, the Catholic Media Association is an organization of publishers and media professionals for a total of about 355 member organizations, which include 890 media professionals.

Catholic News Service has been providing complete, in-depth coverage of the popes and the Vatican for more than 70 years. Its six-person team is made up of three full-time reporters, one photographer, one multimedia journalist and one administrative assistant.

CNS took home two first-place awards with the following comments from the judges:

-- Best Coverage: Papal Trips with "Papal Trip to Venice" by Carol Glatz, Lola Gomez, and Robert Duncan.

"This package beautifully paints the pope's visit to Venice with its descriptive reporting and focus on setting the visual scene. The video and photographs that accompanied the writing brought the reader in to more fully experience the visit. The reporting offered clear coverage of the people's message to the people of Venice, and comprehensive reporting regarding the details of the one-day event."

Click through to see the stories, photos and video in this winning series:

Like Venice, people are beautiful, fragile, pope says in city built on water

Pope praises artists, encourages prisoners to never lose hope

Vatican releases list of papal liturgies, trip for April and May

-- First place for Best Reporting on the Celebration of a Sacrament for "The diaconate is ‘surrender’ to Jesus, U.S. archbishop says at ordination Mass" by Justin McLellan.

"The descriptive language in this piece is exceptional -- it captures the reader's attention, holds it and leaves them wanting more. The story is full of heart and creates a strong emotional connection with the reader."

 

Click below to see the story and photos:

Diaconate is 'surrender' to Jesus, U.S. archbishop says at ordination Mass

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CNS took home four second-place awards with the following comments from the judges:

-- Second place for Best Photograph, Scenic, Still-life or Weather for "A Swiss Guard at Easter Mass" by Lola Gomez 

 

"The subject bursts into view in the photo's technicolor brilliance, which even gives the shallow depth-of-field background dynamic prominence."

 

-- Second place for Best News writing on a Local or Regional Event -- Wire Service for "Vatican sees spiritual value of Medjugorje, doesn't judge it supernatural" by Cindy Wooden:

"A quality article explaining the church's stance on visions."
 

 

-- Second place for Best Story and Photo Package by Two Individuals or More for "From on high: A rare glimpse from the top of St. Peter's Baldachin" by Justin McLellan and Lola Gomez: 

"Representative of several strong submissions from this organization, this entry stands out for the unique details it presents regarding the historic preservation project it chronicles. It finds the right details to tease out to clarify both the historical significance of the project and the personal lives intertwined with it."

 

-- Second place for Best News Video -- Diocesan and National News Organizations for "In-depth with U.S. Vatican ambassador" by Robert Duncan and Carol Glatz.

"The set up was beautiful for an important interview. The good use of sound and visuals to bring a skilled journalist's one-on-one interview with the U.S. Vatican ambassador to the world, holding the viewer's interest in this podcast style approach."

 

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CNS took home three third-place awards.

-- Best Feature Writing -- National Newspaper or Wire Service for "Angels or aliens? Some researchers say Vatican Archives hold UFO secrets" by Robert Duncan. 

"This is an interesting story that would probably attract a wide variety of newspaper readers -- the headline is definitely an attention-getter. It is well-written and accessible. I found it interesting to think about what the possibilities might be for unearthing archived records regarding UFOs -- the article thus encourages ongoing thought about the topic. Great work!"

 

 

-- Third place for Best Coverage -- Papal Trips with "Papal trip to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste and Singapore" by Cindy Wooden, Lola Gomez and Robert Duncan.

 

"What a great collection of stories! These are all very informative and even educational. I very much appreciated the effort and skill in bringing more obscure or unfamiliar stories to the forefront. The explanations within the articles are clear, and the writing is highly accessible. I really like the way the articles provide diverse perspectives and present differences evenhandedly. Bravo!"

 

Click through to see the stories and more photos in this winning series on the pope's visit to Asia and Oceania:

Pope in remote Pacific town: Match creation's beauty with beauty of love

Traditional respect for clergy in Timor-Leste must not be exploited, pope says

Both US presidential candidates espouse anti-life views, pope says

 

 

-- Third place for Best Video -- Catechesis, Diocesan and National News Organizations for "U.S. seminarians in Rome reflect on the Litany of Humility" by Robert Duncan.

 

"This engaging and informative video on the Litany of Humility takes the viewer on a journey to St. Peter's Basilica where seminarians who are being formed in Christ educate and inspire us. The use of music, historical images and highly professional videography draw us in. This short but impactful video is very well done."

 

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Reporting by CNS Rome is made possible by the Catholic Communication Campaign. Give to the CCC special collection in your diocese or any time at: https://bit.ly/CCC-give

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- To believe in and follow a loving and compassionate Christ is to allow him to enter one's heart and take on his same feelings, Pope Leo XIV said.

"It means learning to have a heart that is moved, eyes that see and do not look away, hands that help others and soothe their wounds, shoulders that bear the burden of those in need," he said in his homily, celebrating a morning Mass July 13.

The pope celebrated the Mass in the small Church of St. Thomas of Villanova, just across the main square from the papal villa in Castel Gandolfo. The pope arrived in the hilltop town south of Rome July 6 for a brief vacation until July 20.

In his Mass homily, the pope focused on the day's Gospel reading of the parable of the Good Samaritan. 

"That parable constantly challenges us to think about our own lives," Pope Leo said. "It troubles our dormant or distracted consciences, and warns us about the risk of a complacent faith that is satisfied with the outward observance of the law but incapable of feeling and acting with the same merciful compassion as God."

"The parable is really about compassion," he said. It teaches that "how we look at others is what counts, because it shows what is in our hearts. We can look and walk by, or we can look and be moved with compassion."

"The parable speaks to us first about God's way of seeing us, so that we, in turn, can learn how to see situations and people with his eyes, so full of love and compassion," the pope said. In fact, the Good Samaritan is really a figure of Jesus, the son of God, who "regarded humanity with compassion and did not walk by."

This parable is so challenging for every Christian, he said, because "if Christ shows us the face of a compassionate God, then to believe in him and to be his disciples means allowing ourselves to be changed and to take on his same feelings."

"Once we are healed and loved by Christ, we too can become witnesses of his love and compassion in our world," which needs "this revolution of love," he said.

The Good Samaritan encountered the wounded man who had been walking down the road from Jerusalem to Jericho, Pope Leo said.

Today, that road is "traveled by all those who descend into sin, suffering and poverty," he said. It is traveled by "all those weighed down by troubles or hurt by life," those who "lose their bearings and hit rock bottom."

The road today is "traveled by all those people that are stripped, robbed and pillaged, victims of tyrannical political systems, of an economy that forces them into poverty, and of wars that kill their dreams and their very lives," he said. 

"What do we do? Do we look and walk by, or do we open our hearts to others, like the Samaritan? Are we content at times merely to do our duty, or to regard as our neighbor only those who are part of our group, who think like us, who share our same nationality or religion?" he asked.

"Jesus overturns this way of thinking by presenting us with a Samaritan, a foreigner or heretic, who acts as a neighbor to that wounded man. And he asks us to do the same," Pope Leo said.

"Looking without walking by, halting the frantic pace of our lives, allowing the lives of others, whoever they may be, with their needs and troubles, to touch our heart," he said, is "what makes us neighbors to one another, what generates true fraternity and breaks down walls and barriers."

"In the end, love prevails and proves more powerful than evil and death," the pope said.

After the Mass, Pope Leo greeted many of the parishioners, priests and religious inside the church. He then walked the short distance from the parish to the papal villa along a route cordoned off by metal barricades, waving and greeting the thousands gathered in the square.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Leo XIV called on every parish and church group or association to become part of a "revolution" of care and gratitude by regularly visiting older people.

"Christian hope always urges us to be more daring, to think big, to be dissatisfied with things the way they are," the pope wrote in his message for World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly, a church celebration that will take place July 27.

"In this case, it urges us to work for a change that can restore the esteem and affection to which the elderly are entitled," he wrote in the message released July 10.

The pope's message expanded on the theme chosen for this year's world day, which was taken from the Book of Sirach: "Blessed are those who have not lost hope." 

The 2025 celebration marks the fifth edition of World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly and Pope Leo's first message for the day. Pope Francis instituted the world day in 2021; it is observed each year on the fourth Sunday of July, close to the liturgical memorial of Sts. Joachim and Anne, the grandparents of Jesus.

In his message for this year's celebration, Pope Leo said the Jubilee Year, which is a time of liberation from injustice and inequality, is an appropriate time for all the faithful to help older people "experience liberation, especially from loneliness and abandonment."

To help everyone participate in the Holy Year, especially those who are physically unable to make a pilgrimage to Rome, the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life created a pastoral kit with suggestions for holding a Jubilee celebration in places where the elderly live.

"The grace of the Jubilee is always for everyone!" the dicastery wrote, indicating that the kit and other resources are available at www.laityfamilylife.va.

"Our societies, everywhere in the world, are growing all too accustomed to letting this significant and enriching part of their life be marginalized and forgotten," Pope Leo wrote, speaking of the elderly.

"Given this situation, a change of pace is needed that would be readily seen in an assumption of responsibility on the part of the whole church," he wrote. 

"Every parish, association and ecclesial group is called to become a protagonist in a 'revolution' of gratitude and care, to be brought about by regular visits to the elderly, the creation of networks of support and prayer for them and with them, and the forging of relationships that can restore hope and dignity to those who feel forgotten," he wrote. 

"That is why Pope Francis wanted the World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly to be celebrated primarily through an effort to seek out elderly persons who are living alone," Pope Leo wrote. "For this reason, those who are unable to come to Rome on pilgrimage during this Holy Year may obtain the Jubilee indulgence if they visit, for an appropriate amount of time, the elderly who are alone... making, in a sense, a pilgrimage to Christ present in them."

The church describes an indulgence as a remission of the temporal punishment a person is due for their sins. Pilgrims are able to receive a special indulgence during the Holy Year by visiting one of four papal basilicas in Rome or other designated sites and taking part in prayer, a liturgical celebration or the sacrament of confession.

Pope Leo wrote that "visiting an elderly person is a way of encountering Jesus, who frees us from indifference and loneliness."

"Embracing the elderly helps us to understand that life is more than just the present moment, and should not be wasted in superficial encounters and fleeting relationships," he said in his message.

"If it is true that the weakness of the elderly needs the strength of the young, it is equally true that the inexperience of the young needs the witness of the elderly in order to build the future with wisdom," his message said. 

Grandparents offer examples of "faith and devotion, civic virtue and social commitment, memory and perseverance amid trials," he wrote. "The precious legacy that they have handed down to us with hope and love will always be a source of gratitude and a summons to perseverance."

Speaking as an older person, Pope Leo, who will turn 70 in September, wrote, "We possess a freedom that no difficulty can rob us of: it is the freedom to love and to pray," and to be there for one another in faith as "shining signs of hope."

"Let us lovingly pass on the faith we have lived for so many years, in our families and in our daily encounter with others," he wrote. "May we always praise God for his goodness, cultivate unity with our loved ones, open our hearts to those who are far away and, in particular, to all those in need."

"In this way, we will be signs of hope, whatever our age," he wrote.

WASHINGTON – Pope Leo XIV has accepted the resignation of Bishop Liam Cary, 77, from the pastoral governance of the Diocese of Baker, and has appointed Reverend Thomas Hennen, as Bishop-elect of Baker. Father Hennen is a priest of the Diocese of Davenport and currently serves as the diocese’s vicar general and rector of Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport, Iowa. The resignation and appointment were publicized in Washington, D.C. on July 10, 2025, by Cardinal Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.

The following biographical information for Bishop-elect Hennen was drawn from preliminary materials provided to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops:

Father Hennen was born July 4, 1978, in Ottumwa, Iowa. Bishop-elect Hennen pursued studies at Saint Ambrose University in Davenport. He also studied at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, and the Pontifical Gregorian University, earning a bachelor’s in sacred theology (2003). He received a licentiate of sacred theology (2005) from the Pontifical Alphonsian Academy in Rome. Father Hennen was ordained to the priesthood on July 10, 2004.

Bishop-elect Hennen’s assignments after ordination include: parochial vicar, Prince of Peace parish in Clinton (2005-2010); campus minister and parochial vicar, Newman Center and Saint Mary in Iowa City (2010-2011); chaplain and theology teacher at Assumption High School in Davenport (2014-2017). He also served at Sacred Heart parish in Oxford Junction, Saint James parish in Toronto, Sacred Heart parish in Lost Nation and Saints Philip and James parish in Ground Mound (2015); chaplain and director of campus ministry at Saint Ambrose University in Davenport (2017-2021); parochial vicar at Saint Anthony parish in Davenport (2017-2018). Since 2021, he has served as priest moderator of Saint Andrew parish in Blue Grass and rector of Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport.

Bishop-elect Hennen’s additional responsibilities for the Diocese of Davenport have included: director of vocations (2011-2018); associate director of vocations (2018-2021); consultor and vicar general (2020-present). Bishop-elect Hennen speaks English, Spanish, and Italian. 

The Diocese of Baker is comprised of 66,826 square miles in the State of Oregon and has a total population of 532,734 of which 33,356 are Catholic.

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ROME (CNS) -- "We must pray for the conversion of many people, inside and outside of the church, who still do not recognize the urgency of caring for our common home," Pope Leo XIV said while celebrating a new formulary of the Mass "for the care of creation."

Far from the pounding organ of St. Peter's Basilica or the throngs of faithful sprawled across St. Peter's Square, the pope celebrated Mass July 9 to the accompaniment of chirping birds in the gardens of the papal villa in Castel Gandolfo, the traditional summer residence of the popes some 15 miles southeast of Rome.

The Mass was attended by the staff of the Borgo Laudato Si' ecology project -- a space for education and training in integral ecology hosted in the gardens -- as well as Vatican officials and Holy Cross Father Daniel Groody, an expert on migration and associate provost for undergraduate education at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana.

Although Pope Leo was scheduled to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later in the day, he was not present at the Mass.

Lamenting the natural disasters around the world that "are in part caused by the excesses of human beings, with their lifestyle," the pope urged the intimate gathering in his homily "to ask ourselves if we ourselves are living this conversion or not: how greatly it is needed!"

The formulary of the Mass "for the care of creation" was added to the Roman Missal -- the liturgical book that contains the texts for celebrating Mass in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church -- by the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments June 8.

The formulary, included among 17 other "civil needs" for which a priest can offer Mass, selects prayers and readings for the celebration of Mass that affirm the place of God's creation in worship.

While the pope's Mass was celebrated in Italian, parts of the Mass pertaining to the new formulary were read in Latin.

"In a burning world, be it because of global warming or armed conflicts," people today find themselves filled with fear, just as the disciples were in the face of a storm that was calmed by Christ, Pope Leo said in his homily. But, he added, "there is hope! We have found it in Jesus."

"The mission of safeguarding creation, of bringing peace and reconciliation" is "the mission which the Lord has entrusted to us," Pope Leo said. "We listen to the cry of the earth, we listen to the cry of the poor, because this cry has reached the heart of God. Our indignation is his indignation; our work is his work."

The church, he added, must speak prophetically before the climate crisis "even when it requires the boldness to oppose the destructive power of the 'princes' of this world."

"The indestructible covenant between creator and creatures mobilizes our intellect and efforts, so that evil may be turned to good, injustice to justice, greed to communion."

Quoting at length from Pope Francis' 2015 encyclical "Laudato Si', on Care for Our Common Home," Pope Leo recalled the harmony with creation that St. Francis of Assisi achieved in his lifetime to the point of calling created things "brother, sister, mother."

"Just one contemplative gaze can change our relationship with created things and bring us out of the ecological crisis that has, as its cause, the breakdown of relationships with God, neighbor, and the earth because of sin," he said.

Pope Leo was scheduled to spend two weeks in July at the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, reviving a custom skirted by Pope Francis. The pope moved there July 6 following his noontime recitation of the Angelus in St. Peter's Square.

WASHINGTON - In response to the recent interpretation of the Johnson Amendment publicized by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) offered a statement from its spokesperson, Chieko Noguchi, executive director of public affairs. The Johnson Amendment defines guidelines for the tax-exempt status of a church or other nonprofit regarding political activities and endorsing or opposing candidates for public office.

“The IRS was addressing a specific case, and it doesn’t change how the Catholic Church engages in public debate. The Church seeks to help Catholics form their conscience in the Gospel so they might discern which candidates and policies would advance the common good. The Catholic Church maintains its stance of not endorsing or opposing political candidates.”

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