HOW PONTIFF LEO SAYS RELIGOUS ARE CALLED WITNESS AND PROPHECY HOPE, TANZANIA CATHOLIC YOUTH CONGRESS, .... (433 hits)
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For Immediate Release From Vatican News!
Pontiff: Religious Are Called To Be Witnesses And Prophecy Of Hope
Pontiff Leo XIV urges consecrated women to be signs of hope and prophecy, renewing their service to families and transmitting the virtues of the Holy Family. By Vatican News
Pontiff Leo XIV on Saturday met with participants in the General Chapters of four female religious Institutes: the Missionary Daughters of the Holy Family of Nazareth, the Daughters of Nazareth Institute, the Apostles of the Holy Family Institute, and the Sisters of Charity of Saint Mary, also known as “of Good Counsel.”
Witnesses of Hope
Addressing the groups, in Rome to celebrate the Jubilee of Hope, the Holy Father underlined the grace of these moments of assembly, calling them “a gift for the Church as well as for your Congregations.” Greeting the Superiors General - both outgoing and incoming - and all the participants, he pointed to the richness they bring to the Church.
“You bring the charismatic gift that the Paraclete once bestowed upon your Foundresses and Founders, a gift that continues to be renewed. You bring the faithful and providential presence of the Lord in the histories of your Institutes. You bring the virtue with which those who came before you - often enduring severe trials - responded to God’s gifts. All this makes you, in a special way, witnesses of hope, especially of that hope which constantly urges us toward the good things yet to come, and of which, as religious, you are called to be a sign and a prophecy.”
Charism of the Holy Family
The Pontiff then went on to recall the diverse origins of the four Institutes, highlighting the courage of their Founders and Foundresses - Josep Manyanet, María Encarnación Colomina, Maria Luigia Angelica Clarac, Giuseppe Guarino, Carmela Auteri, Teresa Ferrara, and Agostino di Montefeltro. He noted the inspiration of the Franciscans and Salesians, and pointed to a common thread: “the desire to live and to transmit to others the values of the Holy Family of Nazareth, the hearth of prayer, forge of love and model of holiness.”
Reflecting on the centrality of the family, he recalled the words of Saint Paul VI during his 1964 pilgrimage to the Holy Land. “By looking to Jesus, Mary and Joseph, we might come to understand ever more deeply the importance of the family: its communion of love, its simple and austere beauty, its sacred and inviolable character, its gentle pedagogy and its natural and irreplaceable role in society.”
Renewed Commitment To Families
“Still today, there is great need for all of this,” Pontiff Leo affirmed. “More than ever, the family needs to be supported, promoted and encouraged, through prayer, example and attentive social action. In this way, we will be ready to respond to its needs. In this regard, your charismatic witness and your work as consecrated women can accomplish much.”
He invited the sisters to reflect on what their Institutes have already offered to countless families over the years, and to renew their service: “so that, as the liturgy describes, the same virtues and charity that characterize the Holy Family may flourish in our homes.”
“Continue the works entrusted to you by ‘being family’ and by remaining close to those you serve - with prayer, listening, counsel, and assistance - so as to cultivate and spread, in the various contexts where you work, the spirit of the home of Nazareth.”
Concluding his address, Pontiff Leo XIV thanked the Sisters for their witness “in so many parts of the world" before entrusting each of them to the intercession of the Mother of God and of Saint Joseph.
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Pontiff Leo XIV: No people Should Be Forced Into Exile
Speaking to a delegation of the Chagos Refugees Group, the Pope praises their resilience and dedication to fighting for their homeland and encourages them to “resolutely look toward the future.” By Kielce Gussie
In a meeting with members of the Chagos Refugees Group, Pontiff Leo XIV expressed his “wholehearted” encouragement for the group’s actions – following in the footsteps of his predecessor, Pope Francis.
Two years after the group met with the Argentine pontiff, Pope Leo congratulated the group on the success of their work, “as the return of the Chagos Archipelago to the Republic of Mauritius has recently been secured through the signing of a treaty.”
He acknowledged that this treaty signifies an important step in their journey home, expressing his gratitude to everyone who made it possible.
Fighting For Their Homeland
Continuing, the Pontiff explained how pleased he is that Pope Francis’ wish for dialogue and respect for international law has “finally helped rectify this grave injustice” – that of the suffering of the Chagossian people. Pope Leo commended “the determination of the Chagossian people, particularly that of the women, in their peaceful struggle for their rights.”
Poontiff: Choose Love Of God And Neighbour For True Human Flourishing
Pontiff Leo meets Catholic legislators and urges them to build a world rooted in justice, conscience, and love of God. By Vatican News
Pontiff Leo XIV on Saturday addressed participants in the Sixteenth Annual Meeting of the International Catholic Legislators Network (ICLN), gathered in Rome during the Jubilee of Hope.
Welcoming lawmakers and political leaders from across the world, the Pope thanked them for their presence and reflected on the meeting’s chosen theme: “The New World Order: Major Power Politics, Corporate Dominions and the Future of Human Flourishing.”
“In these words,” he said, “I sense both a concern and a longing. We are concerned about the direction our world is taking, and yet, we long for authentic human flourishing, a world where every person can live in peace, freedom and fulfilment according to God’s plan.”
Two Cities
Turning to the wisdom of Saint Augustine of Hippo, the Pope recalled how the great Church Father, writing amidst the upheavals of the late Roman Empire, envisioned history as the unfolding of two “cities.”
“This Church Father taught that within human history, two ‘cities’ are intertwined: the City of Man and the City of God. These signify spiritual realities – two orientations of the human heart and, therefore, of human civilisation. The City of Man, built on pride and love of oneself, is marked by the pursuit of power, prestige and pleasure; the City of God, built on love of God unto selflessness, is characterized by justice, charity and humility.”
Authentic Human Flourishing
Pontiff Leo emphasised that the vision of a flourishing life is often distorted in today’s world. “Today, a flourishing life is often confused with a materially wealthy life or a life of unrestricted individual autonomy. The so-called ideal future presented to us is often one of technological convenience and consumer satisfaction. Yet we know this is not enough. We see this in affluent societies where many people are struggling with loneliness, despair and a sense of meaninglessness.”
Tanzania Catholic Youth Congress Attracts Over 4,200 Participants In Mbeya
Thousands of young Catholics from across Tanzania gather in Mbeya to share their faith and examine their role in building the future of the country. By Sarah Pelaji, Tanzania
The 6th National Congress of Catholic Young Workers (VIWAWA), organized by the Youth National Office of the Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC), is taking place at the Catholic University of Mbeya (CUoM) on August 19-23.
The event is hosted by the Catholic Archdiocese of Mbeya, and has brought together over 4,200 young people from 37 Catholic dioceses across the country.
During the opening Holy Mass, Archbishop Gervas Nyaisonga, Metropolitan of the Archdiocese of Mbeya, delivered the homily and urged young people to reject all forms of violence and immorality.
He condemned murder, abduction, torture, and other social injustices, and emphasized that these crimes are often committed by young people who are influenced or directed by others.
The Archbishop warned against blindly following illegal orders, and reminded young Catholics of their duty to uphold moral integrity, no matter the external pressures.
“Do not be part of murder or abductions. No one has the right to take another person’s life,” Archbishop Nyaisonga said. “It is disheartening to see innocent people being killed. Most of these acts are not committed by the elderly, but by the youth. Even if you are told to do so, you are still responsible for the crime. That is blind obedience, and it is not wise.”
Pontiffe Leo XIV: Reject The Logic Of Retaliation; Free Hearts From Hatred
In a post on his @Pontifex account, Pope Leo XIV reiterated the call for today’s day of prayer and fasting for peace: “May the overall vision inspired by the common good prevail.” Episcopates and ecclesial communities have broadly joined the papal appeal. In addition to the well-known wars in the Middle East and Europe, there are over 56 more or less “forgotten” conflicts that generate grief and suffering among peoples. Valerio Palombaro
The world is “wounded by continuous wars,” with the independent portal ACLED (Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project) counting at least 56, from the most heated conflicts, such as Gaza, Ukraine, and Sudan, to lesser-known ones that often involve non-state actors, to the “frozen” wars that remain unresolved but always risk rekindling, as recently occurred with the border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia or the dispute between Pakistan and India over Kashmir.
It is against this backdrop, repeatedly recalled in his appeals, that last Wednesday, at the end of his General Audience, Pope Leo XIV decided to dedicate Friday, August 22—the day in which the Church celebrates the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary—to prayer and fasting for peace.
Specifically, in a post published late this morning on his @Pontifex account on X, the Pope expressed his hope that “hearts may be freed from hatred,” that “we may abandon the logic of division and retaliation, and that a comprehensive vision inspired by the common good may prevail.”
The Urgency of Peace
Internationally, virtually all Episcopal Conferences and individual dioceses have responded to Pope Leo’s invitation. Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, the president of the Italian Bishops’ Conference, called for intense prayer for “an unarmed and disarming peace.”
“Don’t kill in my name”: Victim’s appeal to save her father on death row With less than one week until the scheduled execution of death row inmate Curtis Windom, Deacon George Kain highlights injustices in the US justice system that led to his sentencing, as well as the inhumane practice of capital punishment. By Francesca Merlo
The death penalty is justified as serving justice for the victims. Its advocates say it brings victims closure. But so often, the very people capital punishment is supposed to serve say the opposite. Victims’ families come out of execution chambers not feeling healed but empty. “I was told it would make me feel better. Why, instead, do I feel so much worse?” they ask.
What seems to be happening, according to Deacon George Kain, is that the states carrying out executions are using victims as scapegoats to justify a bloody, legalised murder – one that, just as every other murder, does no good to anyone.
On the 28th of August 2025, in just a few days, Florida is scheduled to execute Curtis Windom, a Black man who has spent 33 years on death row. He grew up in poverty, lives with intellectual disabilities, and has long shown signs of brain damage. His legal defence was riddled with failures. The Florida Supreme Court itself acknowledged that his lawyer chose not to present evidence of his mental illness or brain damage, for fear it might complicate the case. As a result, jurors never heard crucial mitigating evidence. And the jury that sentenced him to death did so by an 8 - 4 majority, a verdict that would not stand in most other states, or in the eyes of the US Supreme Court, which has said capital sentences should be unanimous.
The victims speak What makes Windom’s case especially striking is that the victims for whom the state claims to act are asking for clemency. Windom’s daughter – whose mother was killed in the crime – was an infant at the time. Now an adult, she has built a relationship with her father and wants him spared.
“If we say that we’re doing this for the victims,” Kain reflects, “and the victims are now saying they don’t want this done, then what are we really doing? Are we really saying it’s for the victims, or are we just carrying out our bloodthirsty desire for vengeance and revenge?”
Far from offering peace, executions often re-traumatise families. Kain recalls his years as a probation officer and a researcher: “From the very first day, victims are promised closure – that they’ll feel better once the killer is executed. But I’ve met family members who watched executions, and they walked out saying: I don’t feel better. I feel worse. Don’t kill for me, because all this does is prolong my agony.”
In Windom’s case, this re-traumatisation is happening in real time. His daughter, now grown, pleads for his life, but the state insists on executing him in her name. “The system claims to act for victims,” Kain says, “but in reality, it ignores them when they ask for mercy.”
A contradiction Florida has carried out more executions this year than any other state. Its governor, Ron DeSantis, identifies as a pro-life Catholic.
“There was a time in history when the Church tolerated capital punishment,” explains Deacon Kain, “not as revenge, but as protection of society from a dangerous aggressor. But that time has passed. Today we can secure people in prison for life. We no longer need executions. Our last three popes have said so clearly. Pope Francis even changed the Catechism to declare the death penalty inadmissible.”
For Kain, the Catholic position is rooted in one principle: dignity. “We are all more than the worst thing we’ve ever done. Every person has a God-given dignity that cannot be taken away.” To him, the persistence of the death penalty alongside a pro-life ethic represents a contradiction that is impossible to reconcile.
A broken system Windom’s story is one among many marked by failures: inadequate defence, racial bias, and non-unanimous verdicts. Florida’s new law lowering the threshold for a death sentence from unanimous jury verdicts to an 8–4 majority is, Kain argues, “a red flag for justice itself.”
His appeals raised other troubling facts: that a key prosecution witness had a pending felony charge the jury never knew about; that Florida did not require capital defence lawyers at the time to meet the standards now in place; that the families of victims themselves asked for mercy at a 2013 clemency hearing. Each of these was dismissed by the courts as “untimely” or “procedurally barred.” In the end, judges declared they were “confident in the outcome” and refused to entertain even a petition for rehearing.
The injustice is compounded by haste. Windom’s lawyers were given just five days after the Governor signed his death warrant to file motions, despite restrictions on prison visits and difficulties securing expert testimony. The courts insisted this was not a violation of due process. For Kain, this expendience is deliberate – designed to prevent society from pausing long enough to see the flaws.
It also places the United States in sharp contrast with other Western democracies, almost all of which have abolished the death penalty. “It undermines America’s credibility when it speaks about human rights abroad,” he says.
