VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Leo XIV’s devotion to St. Augustine, his life and ministry as a member of the Augustinian order and his focus on the church unity are reflected in his episcopal motto and coat of arms. When he appeared on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica shortly after his election May 8, he introduced himself as “an Augustinian, a son of St. Augustine.” And he explained that the cardinals who elected him “have chosen me to be the Successor of Peter and to walk together with you as a Church, united, ever pursuing peace and justice, ever seeking to act as men and women faithful to Jesus Christ, in order to proclaim the Gospel without fear, to be missionaries.” His episcopal motto is, “In Illo uno unum,” or literally “In the One, we are one.” Vatican News explained that the phrase is taken from St. Augustine’s “Exposition on Psalm 127,” where he explains that “although we Christians are many, in the one Christ we are one.”
Pope Leo XIV’s coat of arms with his episcopal motto, “In Illo uno unum,” literally “In the One (Christ), we are one,” is seen in an image published by the Vatican Secretariat of State May 10, 2025. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)
As a cardinal, he told Vatican News in 2023, “As can be seen from my episcopal motto, unity and communion are truly part of the charism of the Order of St. Augustine, and also of my way of acting and thinking.” “I believe it is very important to promote communion in the church, and we know well that communion, participation and mission are the three keywords of the Synod” of Bishops on synodality, he said. “So, as an Augustinian, for me promoting unity and communion is fundamental.” His shield, now topped by a miter instead of the red galero hat on the shield of cardinals, is divided diagonally into two. The upper half features a blue background with a white lily or fleur-de-lis, symbolizing the Virgin Mary, but also his French heritage. The lower half of the shield has a light background and displays an image common to the religious orders named after and inspired by St. Augustine: a closed book with a heart pierced by an arrow. Vatican News said, “This is a direct reference to the conversion experience of St. Augustine himself, who described his personal encounter with God’s word using the phrase: ‘Vulnerasti cor meum verbo tuo’ – ‘You have pierced my heart with your Word.’”
By Maria Wiering (OSV News) – As the Catholic Church welcomes its first American pope, here are 10 things to know about Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert F. Prevost.
Chicagoan. Pope Leo was born Sept. 14, 1955, and grew up in the south suburbs of Chicago. His father, Louis Marius Prevost, was an educator, and his mother, Mildred Martínez, was a librarian. He has two older brothers, was active in his childhood parish and his brother John says he is a White Sox fan. His family is reportedly of French, Italian and Spanish origin, with Creole heritage on his mother’s side. He loves the sport of tennis and plays regularly.
Cosmopolitan. While American, Pope Leo has a global perspective, having lived most of his adult life in Peru and Rome. Based on his assignments, it appears that he has spent less than five years combined living in the United States since his priesthood ordination in 1982.
Augustinian. He is a member of the Order of St. Augustine, a religious order that dates to 1244 and was founded to live the spirituality of early Christians. The order considers St. Augustine, a fifth-century theologian, philosopher and bishop of Hippo, its father. Before ordination, Pope Leo attended St. Augustine Seminary High School in Holland, Michigan, and Villanova University near Philadelphia, both Augustinian institutions. Augustinians are mendicant, meaning that they traditionally survive on begging or their own work, do not hold property and do not spend their life in a single location. Pope Leo is the first Augustinian to assume the chair of Peter, and the second member of a religious order to do so in nearly two centuries – the first being the first Jesuit pope, Pope Francis.
Canonist. Pope Leo is a canon lawyer, having received his licentiate and doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, also known as the Angelicum, in Rome. He wrote doctoral thesis on “The role of the local prior in the Order of Saint Augustine.” For nearly a decade he served the Archdiocese of Trujillo, Peru, as its judicial vicar, which oversees the diocesan tribunal. During that time he was also a professor of canon, patristic and moral law in the San Carlos e San Marcelo Major Seminary.
Leader. Pope Leo has an impressive range of leadership experience. After several pastoral and seminary formation roles in Chicago and Peru, he was elected in 1999 to oversee his order’s province in Chicago, and then two years later, he took the helm of the order worldwide. He was reelected for a second six-year term, ultimately holding the Rome-based position for 12 years. Then, in 2014, Pope Francis appointed him to oversee the Diocese of Chiclayo, Peru, a role he held for nine years and that included a year-long stint as the apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Callao, Peru, whose see city is nearly 500 miles south of Chiclayo. In 2023, Pope Francis appointed him as prefect of the Holy See’s Dicastery for Bishops, which oversees the appointments of bishops worldwide.
Baby boomer. At age 69, Pope Leo is seven years younger than Pope Francis was when he was elected in 2013, and nine years younger than Pope Benedict XVI when he was elected in 2005. He is 11 years older than St. John Paul II, who was 58 at his 1978 election.
Socially minded. His name is an apparent nod to Pope Leo XIII, who led the church from 1878 until 1903 and is especially known for his 1891 encyclical “Rerum Novarum,” or “On the Condition of the Working Classes.” That document responded to the state of the industrial society at the end of the 19th century and cemented Pope Leo XIII’s position as the modern father of Catholic social doctrine. Pope Leo XIII also composed the popular St. Michael prayer, penned an 1879 encyclical calling for the rooting of Christian philosophy in the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas, and issued an 1899 apostolic letter condemning “Americanism,” a worldview he feared was held by American prelates that bolstered American values such as pluralism and individualism to the detriment of Catholic teaching.
Peace bearer. Pope Leo’s first words to the world were “Peace be with you” on a balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica overlooking masses of people in the square. “Beloved brothers and sisters, this is the first greeting of the Risen Christ, the Good Shepherd who has given his life for the flock of God,” he continued. “I, too, would like this greeting of peace to enter your hearts, reach your families, to all people, wherever they may be, to all peoples, to all the earth. … It comes from God, God who loves us all unconditionally.”
Polyglot. Pope Leo speaks English, Spanish, Italian, French and Portuguese, and he reads Latin and German. He gave his first greeting May 8 in Italian but switched to Spanish to greet the faithful of his former Diocese of Chiclayo before giving the “urbi et orbi” blessing in Latin. On May 9, he began his first public homily with English but preached most of it in Italian.
Successor of Peter. On his first full day as pope May 9, Pope Leo preached before the College of Cardinals who elected him, speaking of an exchange between Jesus and St. Peter, the first pope. He called the church “an ark of salvation sailing through the waters of history and a beacon that illumines the dark nights of this world. And this, not so much through the magnificence of her structures or the grandeur of her buildings – like the monuments among which we find ourselves – but rather through the holiness of her members.”
By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) – With a huge and festive crowd gathered in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Leo XIV led his first Sunday recitation of the “Regina Coeli” prayer and urged all Catholics to pray for vocations, especially to the priesthood and religious life. Before the pope appeared on the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica May 11, the crowd was entertained by dozens of marching bands and folkloristic dance troupes who had marched into the square after attending an outdoor Mass for the Jubilee of Bands and Popular Entertainment. Pope Leo also noted that it was Mother’s Day in Italy, the United States and elsewhere. “I send a special greeting to all mothers with a prayer for them and for those who are already in heaven,” he said. “Happy holiday to all moms!” Italian officials estimated 100,000 people were in St. Peter’s Square or on the surrounding streets to join the new pope for the midday prayer. In his main address, Pope Leo said it was a “gift” to lead the crowd for the first time on the Sunday when the church proclaims a passage from John 10 “where Jesus reveals himself as the true Shepherd, who knows and loves his sheep and gives his life for them.” It also is the day the Catholic Church offers special prayers for vocations, especially to the priesthood and religious life.
Pope Leo XIV leads the midday recitation of the “Regina Coeli” prayer for the first time from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican May 11, 2025. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)
“It is important that young men and women on their vocational journey find acceptance, listening and encouragement in their communities, and that they can look up to credible models of generous dedication to God and to their brothers and sisters,” the pope said. Noting that Pope Francis had released a message in March in preparation for the day of prayer, Pope Leo told the crowd, “Let us take up the invitation that Pope Francis left us in his message for today: the invitation to welcome and accompany young people.” “And let us ask our heavenly Father to assist us in living in service to one another, each according to his or her state of life, shepherds after his own heart, capable of helping one another to walk in love and truth,” the new pope said. Setting aside his prepared text, he told young people in the square, “Do not be afraid! Welcome the call of the church and of Christ the Lord.” After reciting the “Regina Coeli,” he mentioned how the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe was celebrated May 8, the day of his election. While that is reason to celebrate, he said, “’the Third World War is being fought piecemeal,’ as Pope Francis often said. I, too, appeal to the leaders of the world, repeating this ever-relevant plea: Never again war!” Pope Leo prayed for the people of Ukraine, saying, “May everything possible be done to achieve as soon as possible an authentic, just and lasting peace. May all prisoners be freed, and may the children return to their families.” Ukraine says thousands of children have been forcibly taken to Russia during the war. The pope also told the crowd, “I am deeply saddened by what is happening in the Gaza Strip. Let the fighting cease immediately. Humanitarian aid must be given to the exhausted civilian population, and all hostages must be released.” He praised India and Pakistan for reaching a ceasefire agreement, but said, “But how many other conflicts are there in the world?” Pope Leo entrusted his “heartfelt appeal” for peace to Mary, “Queen of Peace, that she may present it to the Lord Jesus to obtain for us the miracle of peace.” Earlier in the day, Pope Leo had celebrated Mass at an altar near the tomb of St. Peter in the grotto of St. Peter’s Basilica. Father Alejandro Moral Anton, the prior general of the Order of St. Augustine, to which the pope belonged, was the principal celebrant. Afterward, the Vatican press office said, he stopped to pray at the tombs of popes who are buried in the grotto.
Rev. Joseph Le appointed pastor of Corinth St. James Parish and Sacramental Minister of Booneville St. Francis Parish and its mission St. Mary in Iuka, effective July 1, 2025.
Rev. Joseph Golamari appointed Administrator of St. Mary Parish in Yazoo City, All Saints Parish in Belzoni and its mission Our Mother of Mercy in Anguilla, effective July 1, 2025.
Rev. Gabriel Savarimuthu appointed Administrator of St. Francis Parish in Aberdeen and St. Helen Parish in Amory, effective July 1, 2025.
Rev. Panneer Arockiam appointed chaplain of St. Dominic Hospital in Jackson, effective July 1, 2025.
Rev. Mario Solorzano appointed Administrator Pro Tempore in residence of Sacred Heart in Canton, effective July 1, 2025.
Through the kindness of his Heralds of the Good News Provincial and the acceptance of Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz, Rev. Albeenreddy Vatti, pastor of St. Francis of Assisi parish in Madison has been incardinated into the Diocese of Jackson.
FARGO, N.D. – Margaret Mary Egan, a member of the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, died May 8, 2025, at St. Catherine’s South in Fargo. She was 94. Egan, known in religious life as Sister Pauline, was born Aug. 8, 1930, in Monagurra Townland, County Cork, Ireland, to John and Hannah O’Neill Egan.
After completing secondary school, she immigrated to the United States and entered the Sisters of the Presentation in Fargo in 1947. She attended Sacred Heart Junior College and completed x-ray technician training at St. John’s Hospital in 1952. She professed perpetual vows in 1953. She worked for 21 years in x-ray and clinical lab departments in hospitals in Park River, Langdon, Carrington and New Rockford, North Dakota, and also assisted in hospital business offices. She volunteered in alcohol-use education and led support groups for people with chemical dependency. In 1973, Egan began mission work in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), serving in hospital x-ray departments and working for seven years with the Peace Corps. After earning teaching credentials from the State University of New York at Buffalo, she returned to Africa and helped establish a radiology technician school at Kinshasa Hospital. In 1982, she moved to Swaziland, where she continued her work in health care, community organizing and religious education. She returned to the U.S. in 1988 and worked at Dakota Clinic in Fargo until 1992. She later served in Zambia, where she directed a facility for children with disabilities and helped develop a sewing factory that provided jobs for local women. In 1998, she returned to the U.S. and joined Sacred Heart Southern Missions in Mississippi, working in direct aid and advocacy programs. In 2012, Egan retired to Sacred Heart Convent in Fargo but remained active, volunteering at food pantries and thrift stores and visiting skilled care residents. She continued to pray for the people she had served throughout her life. She was preceded in death by her parents and siblings: Tommy, Philip, Patrick, Michael, Jackie, Nellie and Bridie McCarthy. Survivors include her Presentation Sisters and Associates, and many nieces and nephews. A funeral Mass was held at 10 a.m. Thursday, May 15, at St. Joseph Chapel, Riverview Place, in Fargo. Burial followed at Holy Cross Cemetery North.
The facade of the Cathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception is seen in Mobile, Ala., May 1, 2025. The Catholic landmark, a cornerstone of downtown Mobile for 175 years, has overcome several challenges throughout its history, and now termites are the latest challenge for the cathedral. (OSV News photo/Rob Herbst, The Catholic Week)
NATION MOBILE, Ala. (OSV News) – A historic Catholic landmark in downtown Mobile is facing a new challenge – this time, from termites. The Archdiocese of Mobile announced on April 25 that engineers have declared the west end of the Cathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception unsafe due to extensive termite damage. That section includes the sacristies but not the sanctuary, nave or main entrance, which remain secure. As a precaution, sacristy items have been relocated. The cathedral, a fixture of Mobile since 1850, has weathered many trials over the years – from a deadly Civil War explosion to fire and hurricane damage. Now, the archdiocese is in arbitration with Terminex over responsibility for the current infestation. Archbishop Thomas J. Rodi assured the faithful that the cathedral will be repaired and preserved: “It’s a magnificent building, and we’re doing everything possible to make sure it continues to be an asset in our city.” Mass continues to be celebrated at the cathedral.
VATICAN VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Among his first messages, Pope Leo XIV expressed his intention to strengthen the Catholic Church’s ties with the Jewish community. “Trusting in the assistance of the Almighty, I pledge to continue and strengthen the church’s dialogue and cooperation with the Jewish people in the spirit of the Second Vatican Council’s declaration ‘Nostra Aetate,’” the pope wrote in a message to Rabbi Noam Marans, director of interreligious affairs at the American Jewish Committee (AJC). Promulgated 60 years ago, “Nostra Aetate” affirmed the Catholic Church’s spiritual kinship with the Jewish people and condemned all forms of anti-Semitism. The pope’s message signed May 8 – the day of his election – was posted on the AJC’s X account May 13. Pope Leo also sent a personal message to Rabbi Riccardo Di Segni, the chief rabbi of Rome, “informing him of his election as the new pontiff,” according to a statement posted May 13 on the Facebook page of Rome’s Jewish community.
WORLD VANCOUVER, British Columbia (OSV News) – Archbishop J. Michael Miller, apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of Vancouver, British Columbia, is calling for prayer after a deadly car-ramming attack in that city amid a Filipino festival. At least 11 have been killed and more than 20 injured after a man drove an Audi SUV into crowds attending the April 26 Lapu Lapu Day Block Party in Vancouver. The street fair, a celebration of Filipino culture, honors the Philippines’ national hero Datu Lapu-Lapu. A suspect is in custody – a 30-year-old known to police and mental health professionals – and terrorism is not suspected, said Vancouver Police. Prime Minister Mark Carney and Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre both expressed condolences to Canada’s Filipino community following the attack. Archbishop Miller, who is overseeing the Vancouver Archdiocese until the installation of Archbishop Richard W. Smith in May, said in an April 27 statement, “What should have been a joyful gathering to honour Filipino heritage has been overshadowed by sorrow and shock,” he said. “I encourage all of us to come together in prayer, asking the Lord to pour out his mercy upon those affected and to grant strength to all who are carrying heavy hearts.”
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Less than 48 hours after being elected, Pope Leo XIV got in the front seat of a minivan and traveled 40 miles southeast from the Vatican to pray at a Marian shrine cared for by his Augustinian confreres.
And on his way back to the Vatican May 10, he went to Rome’s Basilica of St. Mary Major, stopping to pray at the tomb of Pope Francis and before the icon of Mary “Salus Populi Romani” (health of the Roman people).
Pope Leo XIV carries a white rose to the tomb of Pope Francis in Rome’s Basilica of St. Mary Major May 10, 2025. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)
The Vatican press office said he arrived at the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Counsel in Genazzano just after 4 p.m. local time. The shrine is famous for a small fresco of Mary holding the infant Jesus.
A description on a website of Catholic shrines says, “The Christ Child nestles close to his mother. Mary supports Jesus with her left arm. She bends her head toward him, and their cheeks touch tenderly.”
The ancient image is “dear to the order” of Augustinians and was beloved by Pope Leo XIII, whom the new pope is named after, the press office said.
Several hundred people cheered the pope’s arrival at the shrine, and he greeted many of them before going into the shrine to greet the friars. “He stopped in prayer in front of the altar and then in front of the image of the Virgin where he and those present recited the prayer of St. John Paul II to Our Lady of Good Counsel,” the Vatican said.
St. John Paul had visited the shrine in April 1993, and the prayer he wrote begins by assuring Mary that the faithful turn to her with “their hopes and sorrows, their desires and needs, their many tears shed and their yearning for a better future.”
St. John Paul’s prayer asks Mary to turn her gaze on the faithful, “accept their generous intentions, accompany them on their journey toward a future of justice, solidarity and peace.”
Pope Leo told those gathered at the shrine, “I wanted so much to come here in these first days of the new ministry that the church has given me” to seek Mary’s help “to carry out this mission as Successor of Peter.”
The new pope spoke of his “trust in the Mother of Good Counsel,” who has been a companion of “light, wisdom.”
Before leaving the town, he told the people gathered outside that the Marian image is “a great gift” that carries with it a responsibility. “Just as our Mother never abandons her children, you must remain faithful to her,” he said.
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — When Pope Francis was elected as the first Latin American pontiff, he said his brother cardinals went out of their way to pick someone from the “ends of the earth.”
He spent the rest of his pontificate going back out to those peripheries, traveling to more than 65 nations, preferring those that were poor, scarred by war, marginalized and forgotten. Then the peripheries came to him on the day of his funeral in St. Peter’s Square.
More than 160 nations sent delegations April 26, headed by kings and queens, presidents and prime ministers, government officials and ambassadors.
An estimated 200,000 people gather in St. Peter’s Square and the neighboring streets to attend funeral Mass for Pope Francis at the Vatican April 26, 2025. (CNS Photo/Stefano Spaziani, pool)
Several nations were geographically far-flung like the South Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu, New Zealand, Australia and Japan.
Many were nations on the fringes of the world’s attention, but where the pope never visited like Albania, Iceland, El Salvador, Angola, Gabon, Burundi, Sierra Leone, Togo, Zimbabwe, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, Qatar, Oman and Vietnam.
All the countries the pope visited in his 12-year pontificate were represented except Kazakhstan and South Korea, according to the list of confirmed delegations the Vatican press office released late April 25.
The nations on the peripheries the pope visited that came to Rome to return the honor included: Timor-Leste, Cuba, Madagascar, Central African Republic, Congo, South Sudan, Kenya, Mozambique, Morocco, Mongolia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Myanmar, the Philippines, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Palestine and many others.
Pallbearers carry the casket of Pope Francis past U.S. President Donald J. Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and other dignitaries in St. Peter’s Square at the end of his funeral Mass April 26, 2025. (CNS photo/Pablo Esparza)
But of course, political elites and nations at the center of power were present, too: U.S. President Donald J. Trump and his wife Melania, French President Emmanuel Macron, Argentine President Javier Milei, Italian President Sergio Mattarella, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, King Abdullah II of Jordan, Britain’s Prince William and Mary Simon, the governor-general of Canada.
Delegations also were present from Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Syria and Sudan. However, Taiwan, not mainland China, was represented by Chen Chien-jen who served as vice president and premier of Taiwan. Only a dozen countries, including Vatican City State, officially recognize Taiwan as an independent sovereign state while China maintains its claim over the island.
Vatican protocol for a papal funeral places cardinals, bishops and ecumenical delegates to the left of the casket and heads of state to the right.
Of the nearly 40 ecumenical delegates, there were Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople; Russian Orthodox Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, head of external church relations for the Moscow Patriarchate; Catholicos Karekin II, the patriarch of the Armenian Apostolic Church; as well as representatives of the Anglican, Lutheran, Methodist and Evangelical communities.
Protocol also determines the seating arrangements within the VIP section for political leaders. The large delegations from Italy and Argentina, the pope’s home country, were in the front row, followed by royalty, then international leaders in order of political hierarchy and in alphabetical order of their country’s name in French.
Pope Francis’ casket is driven past the Roman Forum on its way toward his burial place in the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome April 26, 2025. (CNS photo/Justin McLellan)
That meant U.S. President Trump was nowhere near Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Representing “États-Unis,” Trump was invited to sit near Estonia, Finland and France.
However, world leaders had a chance to pray at the pope’s closed casket in the basilica before the funeral started. Zelenskyy and Trump sat down briefly for a “very productive” talk, according to the White House. Zelenskyy said on Telegram it was a “good meeting. One-on-one, we managed to discuss a lot. We hope for a result from all the things that were said.”
The “very symbolic meeting,” he said, “has the potential to become historic if we achieve joint results. Thank you, President Donald Trump!” A photo of Zelenskyy, Trump, Macron and Starmer meeting and speaking together in the basilica was also published on social media.
Nonetheless, the complex seating arrangements for the funeral meant many traditional enemies and nations at war were not seated near each other.
For example, Zelenskyy, who is a head of state, was seated ahead of Russia’s representative, Olga Lyubimova, who is the minister of culture.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohamed Mustafa was also seated far from Israel’s ambassador to the Vatican, Yaron Sideman, who attended even though official representatives of Israel are normally prohibited from participating in formal activities on the Jewish Sabbath.
“In this case, an exception was granted because of its importance,” Sideman told Ansa, the Italian wire service, April 24. “Israel attaches great importance to expressing its condolences and joining the Catholic world in mourning the passing of the pontiff.”
Even though alphabetically close, Armenia and Azerbaijan, who are locked in an ethnic and territorial conflict over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, were seated far apart since Armenia sent its president and Azerbaijan sent the speaker of its national assembly.
Because he is not an active head of state, former U.S. President Joe Biden, a Catholic, was seated in a separate VIP section and not near Trump, who has repeatedly vilified him publicly.
In another section, numerous representatives of other religions were present such as Buddhists, Hindus, Jains, Zoroastrians, Sikhs, Muslims and Rabbi Riccardo Di Segni, the chief rabbi of Rome.
The presence of so many world leaders at Pope Francis’ funeral and their praise and accolades after his death April 21 sparked accusations of hypocrisy, especially in Italy, where the government has taken a hard line against immigration.
Achille Occhetto, an Italian politician, said, “Now that Francis is dead, all the floggers of migrants, champions against welcoming, in short, all shades of bullies and authoritarians in the world, pretend to bow to him.”
Cardinal Domenico Battaglia of Naples told the Italian daily, La Repubblica, April 26, “There is a risk of beatifying him in words, only to forget him in deeds.”
Pope Francis “spoke plainly” without mincing words as all prophets do, he said. The cardinal compared the situation to King Herod and John the Baptist. Herod “welcomed him, listened to him and then did the opposite of what John preached.”
The pope’s funeral provided a rare opportunity for enemies and friends to come together as one and be reminded of his invitation to “build bridges and not walls.” But he also warned that the world needed action and not words.
NACIÓN NASHVILLE, Tenn. (OSV News) – En medio de una ofensiva de inmigración en Nashville que ha vaciado los bancos en varias parroquias de habla hispana, la Diócesis de Nashville está recordando a los fieles que, siguiendo las enseñanzas de la propia Iglesia y el derecho canónico, no están obligados a asistir a la misa dominical si temen por su bienestar. Este mensaje, difundido en las parroquias de la diócesis de Nashville, se produce en medio de una operación conjunta entre el Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas de EE.UU. y la Patrulla de Carreteras de Tennessee que, hasta el momento, se ha saldado con 196 detenciones. Rick Musacchio, director ejecutivo de la Conferencia Católica de Tennessee, proporcionó a OSV News una copia de la declaración sobre la asistencia a misa. «En respuesta a las recientes actividades de aplicación de la ley de inmigración en el área de Nashville, muchos de los de nuestra diócesis están preocupados por la posibilidad de ser confrontados o detenidos mientras asisten a misa u otros eventos parroquiales», declaró. «Nuestras iglesias permanecen abiertas para dar la bienvenida y servir a nuestras comunidades parroquiales, pero ningún católico está obligado a asistir a misa el domingo si hacerlo pone en riesgo su seguridad». Hablando en nombre de la diócesis, Musacchio dijo a OSV News que «la asistencia a la misa dominical en nuestras dos parroquias principales, principalmente de habla hispana, se redujo alrededor del 50%» debido a la operación del ICE. Dijo que el mensaje pretende ayudar a los párrocos a «aconsejar a nuestro rebaño … que cualquier católico individual puede determinar que es demasiado peligroso ir a misa por cualquier razón, y no debe sentirse obligado a ir a misa» en tales condiciones.
La gente reacciona con júbilo durante una Misa en la Catedral de Santa María de Chiclayo en Perú 10 de mayo 2025, celebrando la elección del Papa León XIV 8 de mayo en el Vaticano. El nuevo Papa fue obispo de Chiclayo entre 2015 y 2023. (Foto OSV News /Sebastian Castaneda, Reuters)
MUNDO CHICLAYO, Perú (OSV News) – Miles de personas se reunieron fuera de la Catedral de Santa María de Chiclayo para dar gracias por su querido ex obispo – ahora Papa León XIV. Conocido localmente como Monseñor Robert Prevost, fue obispo de Chiclayo de 2015 a 2023 antes de convertirse en cardenal y ahora en Papa. Su profundo amor por el pueblo peruano, especialmente por los pobres, fue celebrado con alegres cánticos de «¡Viva el Papa León!» y «¡El papa es chiclayano!». Mons. Edinson Farfán Córdova, su sucesor, calificó la elección como un regalo del Señor Resucitado, recordando a León XIV como un hombre que caminó con el pueblo, abrazó su cultura y vivió sus luchas. Desde viajar a zonas inundadas hasta instalar plantas de oxígeno durante la pandemia, su legado pastoral dejó un profundo impacto. Aunque nació en Chicago, el Papa León se nacionalizó peruano y se le recuerda con cariño por su humildad, su cercanía a los fieles y su amor por las tradiciones locales, desde el ceviche hasta las tortitas de choclo. Su corazón misionero y sus raíces agustinianas le han convertido en un Papa de comunión y servicio. Para muchos peruanos, su elección es algo extraordinario: la prueba de que un obispo de Chiclayo puede inspirar a la Iglesia universal.
