ZENIT – English https://zenit.org/ The World Seen From Rome Sat, 08 Feb 2025 00:55:55 +0000 es hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 https://zenit.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/8049a698-cropped-dc1b6d35-favicon_1.png ZENIT – English https://zenit.org/ 32 32 Pope Francis: Three Falls, Bronchitis and His Bad Relationship with Winter https://zenit.org/2025/02/06/pope-francis-three-falls-bronchitis-and-his-bad-relationship-with-winter/ Fri, 07 Feb 2025 00:28:18 +0000 https://zenit.org/?p=218509 There is no doubt that winter is the worst time of the year for Pope Francis.

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(ZENIT News / Rome, 06.02.2025).- Late in the afternoon on Thursday, February 6, the Holy See Press Office reported that “Because of the bronchitis he is suffering these days and in order to be able to continue his activities, Pope Francis will hold the audiences on Friday the 7th and Saturday the 8th in Casa Santa Marta.”

Two events this week reflected that the Pope’s health is anything but good. During the General Audience on Wednesday, February 5,  the catechesis was not read by him but by one of his assistants. A day later, on Thursday the 6th, he held audiences with Orthodox clergy and monks, and with Italian obstetricians and gynecologists but he did not pronounce his prepared addresses, instead, he handed them in writing.

However, Pope Francis’ health, that of an 88 year-old man, cannot be appreciated solely by these last events.

Visible in early December of last year, was a hematoma on his neck, which resulted from a fall. Weeks later, on January 16, the Holy Father appeared publicly with an arm immobilized and wearing a cloth sling. The reason? A second fall. Then on Saturday, February 1, the Pope almost fell again, this time in public, as he entered the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall with a walking stick.

Since June 2023 the Pope’s health has deteriorated even more. At the time he underwent surgery of the colon. In the winter of 2023-2024 he did not read any of his addresses in public and even had to cancel events, including an international trip (to Dubai). There is no doubt that winter is the worst time of the year for Pope Francis.

 

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Nicaragua: regime expropriates convent of Poor Clare nuns, after expelling them and expropriating also a seminary https://zenit.org/2025/02/06/nicaragua-regime-expropriates-convent-of-poor-clare-nuns-after-expelling-them-and-expropriating-also-a-seminary/ Fri, 07 Feb 2025 00:24:36 +0000 https://zenit.org/?p=218506 The suppression of Catholic institutions has accelerated dramatically, with priests, religious orders, and even bishops becoming direct targets of Ortega’s government. Since his return to power, the Diocese of Matagalpa alone has lost over 60 percent of its clergy. Nationally, Nicaragua has seen a 20 percent reduction in its Catholic clergy due to arrests, expulsions, and forced exile.

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(ZENIT News / Managua, 02.06.2025).- In a new wave of repression against the Catholic Church, the Nicaraguan government has expelled approximately 30 Clarisas nuns from their convents in Managua and Chinandega, forcing them to leave with only a few belongings. This latest move under President Daniel Ortega’s regime deepens an already dire situation for the Church in Nicaragua, which has faced mounting persecution in recent years.

The expulsion of the nuns comes just days after the government seized the San Luis de Gonzaga Seminary in the Diocese of Matagalpa on January 20. Dozens of seminarians were present at the time of the confiscation, with police ordering them to leave immediately and return home. The seminary, a vital institution for training future priests, served multiple dioceses, including Matagalpa and Siuna. Its forced closure signals yet another effort to dismantle Catholic institutions in the country.

This is not an isolated incident. Just days before the seminary takeover, the government also seized the Pastoral Center La Cartuja in Matagalpa. Witnesses reported that paramilitary forces stormed the facility, forcibly removing dozens of faithful who were attending a spiritual retreat.

The suppression of Catholic institutions has accelerated dramatically, with priests, religious orders, and even bishops becoming direct targets of Ortega’s government. Since his return to power, the Diocese of Matagalpa alone has lost over 60 percent of its clergy. Nationally, Nicaragua has seen a 20 percent reduction in its Catholic clergy due to arrests, expulsions, and forced exile.

A Systematic Persecution 

Under Ortega’s rule, religious freedom has eroded, with the Catholic Church bearing the brunt of government hostility. Since 2022, the government has ramped up efforts to silence the Church through a series of restrictive measures, including banning public religious processions, shutting down Catholic charities and schools, and expelling missionaries and religious congregations. Catholic media outlets have also been heavily censored or outright closed.

Perhaps the most high-profile case of persecution was that of Bishop Rolando Álvarez of Matagalpa, who was initially sentenced to 26 years in prison for alleged treason. After serving a year behind bars, he was exiled to Rome in early 2024. His appointment as apostolic vicar, Father Frutos Valle, was also arrested, further highlighting the regime’s determination to crush any form of dissent within the Church.

Meanwhile, Pope Francis has continued to offer words of support to Nicaragua’s embattled Catholic community. In a pastoral letter dated December 2, 2024, he reminded Nicaraguan Catholics: “Do not forget the loving Providence of the Lord, who accompanies us and is our only sure guide.”

A Broader Climate of Repression 

The Ortega regime’s crackdown is not limited to religious institutions. Political dissidents, journalists, and student activists have also faced severe reprisals. In 2023, the government forcibly exiled 222 political prisoners, stripping them of their Nicaraguan citizenship and sending them to the United States. Many of them, including opposition leaders and civil society figures, now live in limbo, unable to return to their homeland.

Miguel Flores, one of the exiled political prisoners, expressed the deep sense of displacement in an interview with National Catholic Reporter: “That was the moment we became stateless, without a country, and in the end, our freedom was not real because true freedom means being able to stay in your own country.”

As Nicaragua tightens its grip on civil society and religious organizations, the fate of the remaining Catholic clergy and faithful in the country remains uncertain. The latest expulsions and property seizures suggest that Ortega’s government is determined to neutralize any institution capable of challenging its authority—no matter how deep its roots in the nation’s history and culture.

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Fourth priest ex-communicated for denying that Francis is Pope https://zenit.org/2025/02/06/fourth-priest-ex-communicated-for-denying-that-francis-is-pope/ Fri, 07 Feb 2025 00:22:26 +0000 https://zenit.org/?p=218503 His defiant stance, rooted in the claim that Pope Benedict XVI never truly abdicated, mirrors a rising undercurrent of skepticism within a faction of Catholics who have refused to recognize the authority of Francis since Benedict’s resignation in 2013. The Vatican’s swift response signals its determination to curb what it sees as a dangerous theological rebellion.

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(ZENIT News / Rome, 02.06.2025).- An new Italian priest has been excommunicated after publicly declaring that Pope Francis is an «antipope.» Father Natale Santonocito, a 61-year-old parish priest from the Diocese of Tivoli and Palestrina, southeast of Rome, has been stripped of his ministerial duties and automatically excommunicated following a series of online videos in which he questioned the validity of Francis’ papacy.

His defiant stance, rooted in the claim that Pope Benedict XVI never truly abdicated, mirrors a rising undercurrent of skepticism within a faction of Catholics who have refused to recognize the authority of Francis since Benedict’s resignation in 2013. The Vatican’s swift response signals its determination to curb what it sees as a dangerous theological rebellion.

The Case of Father Natale Santonocito 

Father Santonocito, ordained in 2023, first attracted attention in December 2024 when he posted videos on social media declaring, “The Pope is not the Pope. He never was.” In subsequent statements, he argued that Benedict XVI’s resignation on February 11, 2013, did not fulfill the canonical requirements for a valid abdication, making Francis’ election illegitimate.

“Benedict did not renounce the munus petrinum—the divine office of the papacy—only the ministerium, meaning the practical exercise of power,” Santonocito insisted. His reasoning hinges on a technical interpretation of Canon 332 §2 of the Code of Canon Law, which outlines the conditions for a valid papal resignation.

The priest doubled down on his claims in a final video statement on January 29, wearing white vestments as he told viewers, “For 11 years, we have had an antipope.”

Following these declarations, Bishop Mauro Parmeggiani of Tivoli and Palestrina launched an urgent investigation, concluding that Santonocito’s remarks were incompatible with his role as a Catholic priest. In a formal statement, the diocese announced his automatic excommunication under Canons 751 and 1364 §1, which apply to heresy and schism, warning the faithful against embracing his views.

A Growing Pattern of Rebellion 

Santonocito is not alone in his public rejection of Pope Francis. His excommunication marks the latest in a series of disciplinary actions taken against clergy who have openly questioned the legitimacy of the sitting pontiff.

One year earlier, Father Roman Guidetti of Livorno delivered a homily on the anniversary of Benedict XVI’s death, proclaiming, “Francis is not the Pope… he is a usurper.” His bishop, Simone Giusti, declared the sermon a public act of schism, resulting in his immediate excommunication.

The controversy extends beyond Italy. In November 2024, Argentine priest Fernando María Cornet faced excommunication after publishing Habemus Antipapam?, a book challenging Francis’ papacy. Cornet argued that only one man can hold the papal office at a time, leading him to the conclusion that “if Benedict remained the true pope, then Francis must be an antipope.”

That same month, Father Giorgio Maria Faré, a Carmelite priest, was expelled from his religious order after releasing a video alleging that Francis had fallen into “multiple heresies,” rendering his election invalid. Faré went further, calling on cardinals appointed before 2013 to take action by convening a conclave to elect a new pope.

The Vatican’s Firm Response 

The Vatican has remained unwavering in its rejection of these claims, emphasizing that Benedict XVI himself repeatedly affirmed the legitimacy of his resignation and recognized Francis as his successor. In official statements, the Church has dismissed conspiracy theories surrounding the 2013 conclave as baseless, reaffirming the validity of Francis’ election.

Canon law is clear: public rejection of a legitimate pope constitutes schism, a grave offense that results in automatic excommunication. The Vatican’s response to cases like Santonocito’s indicates a zero-tolerance approach to clergy who spread what it considers to be theological misinformation.

While dissent within the Church is not new, the persistence of these challenges highlights an enduring fracture among certain Catholics. The excommunications of Santonocito, Guidetti, Cornet, and Faré serve as a stark reminder that questioning the authority of the pope comes with severe consequences.

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Global Christian Persecution Reaches New Heights Amid Rising Nationalism, Conflict, and Repression https://zenit.org/2025/02/06/global-christian-persecution-reaches-new-heights-amid-rising-nationalism-conflict-and-repression/ Fri, 07 Feb 2025 00:17:59 +0000 https://zenit.org/?p=218500 The findings align with broader trends in religious repression worldwide. Data from Pew Research indicates that government-imposed restrictions on religion reached new peaks in 2022, with nearly a third of all countries exhibiting high or very high levels of control.

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(ZENIT News / Washington, 02.06.2025).- A new report from International Christian Concern (ICC) has revealed that an estimated 300 million Christians worldwide are facing persecution, with religious nationalism, authoritarian crackdowns, displacement, and extremist violence all contributing to the growing crisis. The 2025 Global Persecution Index dentifies 20 of the most dangerous countries for Christians, analyzing the deepening challenges they endure under hostile governments, terrorist groups, and societal discrimination.

The findings align with broader trends in religious repression worldwide. Data from Pew Research indicates that government-imposed restrictions on religion reached new peaks in 2022, with nearly a third of all countries exhibiting high or very high levels of control. The report highlights that where government restrictions are severe, societal hostilities against religious minorities tend to follow.

Escalating Threats in Key Regions 

Several countries saw significant deterioration in religious freedom throughout 2024. Nicaragua’s government ramped up its suppression of faith-based organizations, while India’s ruling nationalist groups continued to push for a Hindu-only identity, targeting Christian and Muslim minorities. In Africa, Nigeria and the broader Sahel region experienced surging terrorist attacks, forced conversions, and mass displacements.

Nicaragua: Religious Crackdown Deepens 

Under President Daniel Ortega’s administration, Nicaragua has systematically dismantled religious institutions. ICC reports that authorities weaponized the Ministry of Interior to shut down hundreds of churches and faith-based organizations. The U.S. State Department recorded the revocation of licenses for at least 315 religious nonprofits in 2023, including a significant number of evangelical and Catholic groups. The repression extends beyond administrative measures, with clergy and lay leaders facing imprisonment or forced exile.

India: Nationalism and Religious Intolerance 

India’s Christian minority—just 2.3% of the population—has come under increasing pressure as Hindu nationalist movements gain influence. Groups such as Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have pushed a vision of India as an exclusively Hindu nation, affecting laws and policies at the highest levels. Anti-conversion laws have led to arbitrary arrests, while accusations of blasphemy serve as tools to silence religious minorities. Muslims, the country’s largest non-Hindu group, have also been targeted by these restrictions.

Nigeria: The Deadliest Place for Christians 

For years, Nigeria has been one of the most dangerous places in the world for Christians, and 2024 was no exception. Islamic extremist groups such as Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), and Fulani militants continue to carry out mass killings, church burnings, and kidnappings. Sharia law, enforced in 12 northern states, has been used as a legal weapon against religious minorities, despite secular courts sometimes overturning harsh rulings. ICC also reports a sharp rise in identity-based violence, with Christians often caught between ethnic, political, and economic tensions.

The Sahel: War and Religious Persecution 

Africa’s Sahel region has become a battleground for extremist groups seeking dominance. Sudan’s ongoing civil war has exacerbated decades of religious persecution, with Christian communities increasingly targeted. Meanwhile, the conflict between Boko Haram and ISWAP has led to widespread massacres, particularly in Christian-majority villages. According to the UN, more than 8 million people have been displaced in Sudan alone since April 2023, with another 3.3 million forced from their homes in Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger.

The Global Landscape of Religious Repression 

Beyond the ICC report, Pew Research has tracked government restrictions on religion in over 200 countries since 2007. The latest findings show that countries such as Syria, Iraq, Pakistan, and Egypt exhibit some of the highest levels of religious persecution from both governments and society. Meanwhile, nations like India, Israel, Nigeria, and Libya also score among the highest on Pew’s Social Hostilities Index, which measures violence and discrimination against religious minorities.

Governments worldwide continue to impose regulations that favor certain religions while restricting others. Many require religious groups to register for legal recognition, a bureaucratic process often used to exclude minority faiths. Pew’s analysis suggests that in regions where governments impose severe restrictions, persecution by non-state actors often escalates.

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Pope Francis asks all Catholics to pray for vocations: here is the video https://zenit.org/2025/02/05/pope-francis-asks-all-catholics-to-pray-for-vocations-here-is-the-video/ Wed, 05 Feb 2025 23:30:45 +0000 https://zenit.org/?p=218497 The Pope invites us to pray during February “that the ecclesial community might welcome the desires and doubts of those young people who feel a call to serve Christ’s mission in the priesthood and religious life.”In the video illustrating his prayer intention, Pope Francis recalls his own vocation, as a youth. He affirms that by listening to young people, they might welcome God’s call “in ways that better serve the Church and the world today.” The Pope invites us to believe in young people, and above all, to trust in God who is the one who “calls everyone.”

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(ZENIT News / Vatican City, 02.05.2025).- “For vocations to the priesthood and religious life” is the theme of the Pope’s prayer intention for the month of February 2025. This topic leads him to speak about young people, and the need to accompany them with their dreams and concerns. At the same time, he talks about a crucial moment in his own life.

Jorge the youth, and today’s youth

“When I was 17 years old,” Pope Francis confides in his video message, produced by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network in collaboration with the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, “I was a student and was working. I had my own plans. I wasn’t thinking at all of being a priest. But one day, I went into the church…and God was there, waiting for me!” Photos from his youth – at school, in his family, at church – open The Pope Video. Scenes from the daily lives of today’s young people follow. Times change, but the ability of the Lord to speak to the hearts of those who seek him does not change.

In fact, the Pope affirms that “God still calls young people even today, sometimes in ways we can’t imagine,” and that he does “new things with them.” This is why it is important to create a listening atmosphere in which they can manifest their concerns, and feel “loved as they are, and for who they are,” an atmosphere in which they can hear and freely respond to the Lord’s call, accompanied by a welcoming community. In Pope Francis’s words, “it is necessary to walk with them, listen to them… take them to Jesus, always favouring their freedom.”

Pope Francis invites us, therefore, to listen to the Holy Spirit when he “speaks through the concerns young people feel.” That way, it will be possible to welcome God’s call “in ways that better serve the Church and the world today.” And so, he asks us to pray that the “ecclesial community might welcome the desires and doubts of those young people who feel a call to serve Christ’s mission in the priesthood and religious life.”

The challenge of trust

The challenge, then, is that of believing in young people, in their ability to contribute significantly to the Church and to the world. In fact, in the February video, Pope Francis invites us to be hopeful about young people, and to hope primarily in God, “for He calls everyone.”

“Our God is a God who takes the lives and gifts of young people seriously,” states Archbishop José H. Gómez, Archbishop of Los Angeles. “The Church’s mission,” continues the Archbishop of the largest diocese in the United States, who contributed to the production of this video with a team of digital professionals, “is to walk with young people to help them grow in their faith and to work to build this world into the Kingdom that God wants for his people.”

Father Cristóbal Fones, S.J., International Director of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, reminds us that “believing in young people is essential to encourage them to examine their own vocation in full freedom, and to respond to it courageously. This requires an approach to vocation ministry that truly values dialogue and accompaniment, while also welcoming and accepting the concrete concerns, questions and aspirations of young people as an important component in the vocational process. Furthermore, the Pope says that, through what young people say, which can at times be challenging or questioning, God could also be indicating new paths for today’s Church, thus offering us an opportunity for our own conversion.

“In the Christian life,” Father Fones continues, “we can all accompany their discernment through four basic attitudes: openness, a listening ear, proximity, and interest. First, we need to be open to the mission of encouraging vocations, and not close those paths to them which God Himself is opening. This is especially important within families. Next, it is important to create a climate in the community that is conducive to listening to God’s voice, to welcoming, to respect those who feel the desire to follow Christ in the consecrated or priestly life. We also need to be discretely and consistently close to them, supporting them through our own witness. Lastly, taking a sincere interest in each one of them helps to open their hearts. To sum up, our attitudes can play a decisive part for young people who want to respond to the Lord on this path, yet who do not know how to do it.”

Finally, to gain the indulgences granted specifically during the Jubilee of 2025, it is worth recalling that one of the conditions is to pray for the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff. The Pope Video offers everyone an occasion to do this, as well as the digital prayer platform ClickToPray.

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Mary’s Visitation to Elizabeth explained beautifully and briefly by Pope Francis https://zenit.org/2025/02/05/marys-visitation-to-elizabeth-explained-beautifully-and-briefly-by-pope-francis/ Wed, 05 Feb 2025 23:25:54 +0000 https://zenit.org/?p=218494 Pope's General Audience, February 5, 2025 on Mary's visitation to St. Elizabeth

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(ZENIT News / Vatican City, 02.05.2025).- «Jesus Christ, Our Hope» is the catechesis series that the Pope is developing during this Jubilee Year. On the morning of Wednesday, February 5, the Pope delivered his fourth catechesis in the series, this time dedicated to the theme of Mary’s visitation to Saint Elizabeth. The audience was held in the Paul VI Hall in Vatican City. Below is the English translation of the Pope’s words.

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Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!

Today we will contemplate the beauty of Jesus Christ our hope in the mystery of the Visitation. The Virgin Mary visits Saint Elizabeth; but it is above all Jesus, in His mother’s womb, who visits His people (cf. Lk 1:68), as Zechariah says in his hymn of praise.

After the astonishment and wonder at what has been announced to her by the Angel, Mary gets up and sets out on a journey, like all those who are called to in the Bible, because “the only act with which man can respond to God who is revealed to him is that of unlimited readiness” (H.U. von Balthasar, Vocation, Rome 2002, 29). This young daughter of Israel does not choose to protect herself from the world; she does not fear dangers and the judgements of others, but goes out towards other people.

When we feel loved, we experience a force that sets love in motion; as the apostle Paul says, “the love of Christ impels us” (2Cor 5:14), it drives us, it moves us. Mary feels the push of this love, and goes to help a woman who is her relative, but also an elderly woman who, after a long wait, is welcoming an unhoped-for pregnancy, difficult to deal with at her age. But the Virgin also goes to Elizabeth to share her faith in the God of the impossible and her hope in the fulfilment of His promises.

The encounter between the two women produces a surprising impact: the voice of Mary, “full of grace”, who greets Elizabeth provokes the prophecy in the child the older woman is carrying in her womb, and inspires in her a dual blessing: “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!” (Lk 1:42). And also a beatitude: “Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled” (v. 45).

Faced with the recognition of the messianic identity of her Son and her mission as mother, Mary does not speak of herself but of God, and raises a praise full of faith, hope and joy, a song that resounds every day in the Church during the prayer of Vespers: the Magnificat (Lk 1:46-55).

This praise to God the saviour, which gushed forth from the heart of his humble servant, is a solemn memorial that synthesizes and fulfils the prayer of Israel. It is interwoven with biblical resonances, a sign that Mary does not want to sing “out of the choir” but to tune in with the forefathers, exalting her compassion for the humble, those little ones whom Jesus in his preaching will declare “blessed” (cf. Mt 5:1-12).

The prominent presence of the paschal motif also makes the Magnificat a hymn of redemption, which has as its backdrop the memory of the liberation of Israel from Egypt. The verbs are all in the past, imbued with a memory of the love that lights up the present with faith and illuminates the future with hope: Mary sings of the grace of the past, but she is the woman of the present who carries the future in her womb.

The first part of this canticle praises God’s action in Mary, a microcosm of the people of God who adhere fully to the covenant (vv. 46-50); the second ranges from the work of the Father in the macrocosm of the history of His son (vv. 51-55), through three key words: memory, mercy, promise.

The Lord, who bowed down to the humble Mary to fulfil “great things” in her and make her the mother of the Lord, began to save His people starting from the exodus, remembering the universal blessing promised to Abraham (cf. Gen 12:1-3). The Lord God who is the faithful for ever, showered an uninterrupted stream of merciful love “from age to age” (v. 50) upon the people loyal to the covenant, and now manifests the fullness of salvation in His Son, sent to save the people from their sins. From Abraham to Jesus Christ and the community of believers, the Passover thus appears as the hermeneutical category for understanding every subsequent liberation, up to that realized by the Messiah in the fullness of time.

Dear brothers and sisters, let us ask the Lord today for the grace to be able to wait for the fulfilment of every one of His promises; and to help us to welcome Mary’s presence in our life. By following her example, may we all discover that every soul that believes and hopes “conceives and begets the Word of God” (Saint Ambrose, Exposition of the Gospel according to Luke 2, 26).

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Holy See approves statutes of the Regnum Christi Federation (of which the Legionaries of Christ are a part) https://zenit.org/2025/02/05/holy-see-approves-statutes-of-the-regnum-christi-federation-of-which-the-legionaries-of-christ-are-a-part/ Wed, 05 Feb 2025 23:22:08 +0000 https://zenit.org/?p=218491 The General Directive College communicated through a letter to the members that the Holy See has definitively approved the Statutes of the Regnum Christi Federation. This official recognition reaffirms the validity of the path traveled and strengthens the commitment to live our charism with confidence and courage, in communion with the Church and at the service of the mission.

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(ZENIT News / Rome, 02.05.2025).- On May 31, 2019, the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life approved the Statutes of Regnum Christi and canonically established the Regnum Christi Federation. This canonical recognition and the initial approval of the Statutes were the fruit of a process of renewal initiated in 2010 which sought to clearly express the unity of the charism shared by the Legionaries of Christ, the Consecrated Women, the Lay Consecrated Men and the lay members.

The Holy See granted the Statutes an initial approval ad experimentum, validating them and granting a period of five years to allow for the practical experience of what was established. This time has been key in implementing the structures of the Federation and maturing in the experience of the shared charism and mission while growing in unity and collaboration.

In this context, the General Convention of Regnum Christi, held in 2024, took up the resolution to request the definitive approval of the Statutes by the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. The resolution had the unanimous favorable opinion of the lay members and the qualified majority of the consecrated delegates.

The General Directive College communicated through a letter to the members that the Holy See has definitively approved the Statutes of the Regnum Christi Federation. This official recognition reaffirms the validity of the path traveled and strengthens the commitment to live our charism with confidence and courage, in communion with the Church and at the service of the mission.

The General Directive College expressed its gratitude and stressed the importance of the Statutes as “light and criterion for discernment” regarding the identity and action of all those who are part of Regnum Christi. They also underlined the call to continue growing in the knowledge, understanding, and affective and effective integration with the Statutes, since “we find the principal traits of our charism, spirituality, and apostolic mission formulated in them. ”

In the context of the Jubilee of Hope that the Church celebrates in 2025, this step invites us to move forward with confidence, knowing that, united in him, we are still called to be witnesses and apostles of Christ in the world.

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Vatican pronounces on the transfer of days of obligation for Mass in the liturgical calendar https://zenit.org/2025/02/04/vatican-pronounces-on-the-transfer-of-days-of-obligation-for-mass-in-the-liturgical-calendar/ Wed, 05 Feb 2025 00:13:37 +0000 https://zenit.org/?p=218484 This clarification addresses a recurring issue in the liturgical calendar known as "occurrentia festorum", which arises when two feast days fall on the same date. In such cases, the liturgical norms dictate that the celebration of higher precedence, according to the "Table of Liturgical Days", takes priority, while the other feast may be moved to a later date.

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(ZENIT News / Vatican City, 02.04.2025).- The Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments has issued a clarification regarding the transfer of holy days of obligation when they coincide with other significant liturgical celebrations. The documentreaffirms a longstanding principle: when a solemnity of obligation is moved due to a scheduling conflict with a higher-ranking feast, the requirement to attend Mass does not follow the new date.

This clarification addresses a recurring issue in the liturgical calendar known as «occurrentia festorum», which arises when two feast days fall on the same date. In such cases, the liturgical norms dictate that the celebration of higher precedence, according to the «Table of Liturgical Days», takes priority, while the other feast may be moved to a later date.

For example, if the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, traditionally observed on December 8, coincided with an Advent Sunday, the Sunday celebration would take precedence, and the observance of the Immaculate Conception would be moved to Monday, December 9. However, despite this adjustment, the Vatican’s new clarification emphasizes that the obligation to attend Mass on December 8 does not automatically shift to December 9. While the faithful are encouraged to honor the solemnity, attendance at Mass on the rescheduled date remains optional.

The note also distinguishes between permanent changes to the calendar, which require approval from the Holy See, and temporary adjustments due to specific liturgical conflicts. Conferences of Bishops do have the authority, under Canon 1246 §2 of the Code of Canon Law, to transfer or suppress certain holy days of obligation permanently with Vatican approval. However, this flexibility does not extend to cases where a feast is moved on a one-time basis due to a calendar conflict.

By reaffirming this principle, the dicastery aims to provide clarity and consistency in the Church’s liturgical discipline. The clarification ensures that while significant feasts may be rescheduled for pastoral and liturgical reasons, the obligation to attend Mass remains tied to its original date, except when explicitly modified by broader ecclesiastical authority.

Full text of the Note of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.

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Vatican: they get married in the Church and are fired. They are going to trial against the “Vatican bank” https://zenit.org/2025/02/04/vatican-they-get-married-in-the-church-and-are-fired-they-are-going-to-trial-against-the-vatican-bank/ Wed, 05 Feb 2025 00:11:04 +0000 https://zenit.org/?p=218481 Vatican Bank Faces Legal Battle Over Employee Marriage Policy. Former Employees Challenge Dismissal, Call for Justice and Compensation

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(ZENIT News / Roma, 02.04.2025).- A legal dispute is unfolding at the Vatican, where two former employees of the Institute for Religious Works (IOR), commonly known as the Vatican Bank, have taken their case to court. Their alleged offense? Getting married.

Domenico Fabiani and Silvia Carlucci, both long-time employees of the IOR, were dismissed on October 1, 2024, just a month after their August 31 wedding. The termination was based on a newly introduced regulation barring employees from marrying one another—an employment rule the couple claims was implemented after they had already announced their plans to wed.

Now, they are fighting back. In a legal complaint, Fabiani and Carlucci are demanding not only their reinstatement but also financial compensation for damages.

A Controversial Policy and Allegations of Retroactive Enforcement 

The dispute centers on a regulation introduced on May 2, 2024, which states that if two IOR employees marry, their contracts will be terminated within 30 days unless one of them voluntarily resigns.

The policy, aimed at preventing conflicts of interest within the Vatican Bank, is described by the institution as a common financial-sector practice. However, Fabiani and Carlucci argue that the rule was unfairly applied retroactively to their case, as they had made their wedding plans public in February, months before the regulation was enacted.

“When we informed the institute that we were getting married, we were fully compliant with the existing rules,” Fabiani told the Italian newspaper La Repubblica.

The couple claims that the IOR notified them of the new rule via email only after they had publicly shared their wedding plans—effectively forcing them into a dilemma where one of them had to resign or both would be dismissed.

Legal Battle Unfolds Amid Vatican Employment Tensions

The case was brought before the Vatican’s civil court.

Fabiani and Carlucci’s attorney, Laura Sgrò, a well-known Vatican lawyer described their treatment by the IOR as «harassment», arguing that they were suspended and faced salary reductions for reasons beyond their control, including media reports about their case that they were not even aware of.

Sgrò further claimed that the couple was penalized for discussing their situation with family members and with a representative from the Vatican’s Lay Employees Association (ADLV)—even outside of work hours.

“Their mistake, according to the IOR, was talking to their own relatives about a policy that directly impacted their wedding and their livelihoods,” Sgrò argued.

Carlucci emphasized the human and economic toll of their sudden dismissal, particularly as they support children from previous marriages that were annulled.

“The institute knew perfectly well that deciding two months before our wedding which one of us should be fired was both inhumane and economically devastating,” she said.

IOR: Policy Was Long Planned, Not Targeted at the Couple

The Vatican Bank maintains that the regulation had been in development for some time and was only enacted after the last case of a married employee couple had retired.

IOR lawyer Roberto Lipari argued that the institution had made efforts to accommodate Fabiani and Carlucci and that there had been “multiple moments” where a different resolution could have been reached.

However, Lipari firmly rejected the idea of further mediation, stating, «The IOR believes there is no longer room for reconciliation.»

He also dismissed accusations that the policy interferes with personal lives, insisting that it was introduced purely for institutional integrity.

“The IOR is not a moral judge of private lives. It intervened because the personal decisions of its employees have direct consequences on the functioning of the institution,” Lipari said.

Appeal to Pope Francis Raises Questions of Vatican Consistency 

As part of their legal appeal, Fabiani and Carlucci have requested that case documents be submitted directly to Pope Francis, citing the contradiction between his advocacy for family values and their treatment by a Vatican institution.

“The Holy Father speaks of supporting families and building a culture that values them,” Fabiani said. “Yet here we are—a family with two adults suddenly unemployed. This completely contradicts the Pope’s message.”

Lipari, however, dismissed the request as “entirely inadmissible”, arguing that Vatican Bank policies are distinct from general Church doctrine on family life.

Ironically, just last year, Pope Francis publicly congratulated two Vatican communications employees on their wedding, despite their workplace lacking a similar non-fraternization policy. However, intervention in the IOR case remains unlikely, as **the Pope himself approved the bank’s recent efforts to combat nepotism and potential conflicts of interest.

Larger Discontent Among Vatican Employees 

Beyond this individual case, the trial highlights growing discontent among Vatican employees over financial policies and labor conditions.

In recent months, the Association of Vatican Lay Employees (ADLV) has voiced frustrations over the impact of financial reforms on salaries and benefits, as well as the lack of dialogue between staff and Vatican authorities.

The contrast between the Vatican’s official pro-family stance and the harsh reality experienced by some of its employees—such as Fabiani and Carlucci—has further fueled concerns about the transparency and fairness of internal policies.

For now, the fate of the couple’s employment remains in the hands of the Vatican courts. Their case could set a precedent for future workplace disputes within the Holy See, raising pressing questions about the balance between institutional policies and the Church’s ethical commitments to justice and family life.

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Pope at summit on children’s rights: tough on abortion and child exploitation, announces exhortation on childhood https://zenit.org/2025/02/04/pope-at-summit-on-childrens-rights-tough-on-abortion-and-child-exploitation-announces-exhortation-on-childhood/ Wed, 05 Feb 2025 00:08:36 +0000 https://zenit.org/?p=218478 Pope's words on the occasion of the World Meeting on the Rights of the Child entitled “Let us love and protect them”.

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(ZENIT News / Vatican City, 02.04.2025).- In the presence of Queen Rania of Jordan and with the participation of international leaders such as Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee; Ahmed Naser Al-Raisi, President of Interpol; and Al Gore, former Vice President of the United States, Pope Francis attended the World Summit on the Rights of Children, held in Vatican City on Monday, February 3. In this context, towards the end of the Summit, the Pope announced, “To continue this commitment and promote it throughout the Church, I intend to prepare a Letter, an Exhortation, I’m not sure yet, dedicated to children.”

We now present the Pope’s speech translated into English:

***

Your Majesty,
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!

I greet the Secretary of State, the Cardinals and the distinguished participants in this World Leaders Summit on Children’s Rights, entitled “Love them and Protect them”.  I thank you for accepting the invitation and I am confident that, by pooling your experience and expertise, you can open new avenues to assist and protect the children whose rights are daily trampled upon and ignored.

Even today, too often the lives of millions of children are marked by poverty, war, lack of schooling, injustice and exploitation. Children and adolescents in poorer countries, or those torn apart by tragic conflicts, are forced to endure terrible trials. Nor is the more resource-rich world immune from injustice. Where, thank God, people do not suffer from war or hunger, there are problematic peripheries, where little ones are not infrequently vulnerable and suffer from problems that we cannot underestimate. In fact, to a much greater extent than in the past, schools and health services have to deal with children already tested by many difficulties, with anxious or depressed youngsters, and adolescents drawn to forms of aggression or self-harm. Moreover, a culture of efficiency looks upon childhood itself, like old age, as a “periphery” of existence.

Increasingly, those who have their whole life ahead of them are unable to approach it with optimism and confidence. It is precisely young people, who are the signs of hope in every society, who struggle to find hope in themselves. This is sad and troubling.  Indeed, “it is sad to see young people who are without hope, who face an uncertain and unpromising future, who lack employment or job security, or realistic prospects after finishing school. Without the hope that their dreams can come true, they will inevitably grow discouraged and listless” (Bull Spes Non Confundit, 12).

What we have tragically seen almost every day in recent times, namely children dying beneath bombs, sacrificed to the idols of power, ideology, and nationalistic interests, is unacceptable. In truth, nothing is worth the life of a child. To kill children is to deny the future. In some cases, minors themselves are forced to fight under the effect of drugs. Even in countries without war, violence between criminal gangs becomes just as deadly for children, and often leaves them orphaned and marginalized.

The pathological individualism of developed countries is also detrimental to children.  Sometimes they are mistreated or even put to death by the very people who should be protecting and nurturing them. They fall victim to quarrelling, social or mental distress and parental addictions.

Many children die as migrants at sea, in the desert or along the many routes of journeys undertaken out of desperate hope. Countless others succumb to a lack of medical care or various types of exploitation. All these situations are different, but they raise the same question: How is it possible that a child’s life should end like this?

Surely this is unacceptable, and we must guard against becoming inured to this reality. A childhood denied is a silent scream condemning the wrongness of the economic system, the criminal nature of wars, the lack of adequate medical care and schooling. The burden of these injustices weighs most heavily on the least and the most defenceless of our brothers and sisters. At the level of international organizations, this is called a “global moral crisis”.

We are here today to say that we do not want this to become the new normal. We refuse to get used to it. Certain practices in the media tend to make us insensitive, leading to a general hardening of hearts. Indeed, we risk losing what is noblest in the human heart: mercy and compassion. More than once, I have shared this concern with some of you who represent various religious communities.

Today, more than forty million children have been displaced by conflict and about a hundred million are homeless. There is also the tragedy of child slavery: some one hundred and sixty million children are victims of forced labour, trafficking, abuse and exploitation of all kinds, including compulsory marriages. There are millions of migrant children, sometimes with families but often alone. This phenomenon of unaccompanied minors is increasingly frequent and serious.

Many other minors live in “limbo” because they were not registered at birth. An estimated one hundred and fifty million “invisible” children have no legal existence.  This is an obstacle to their accessing education or health care, yet worse still, since they do not enjoy legal protection, they can easily be abused or sold as slaves. This actually happens! We can think of the young Rohingya children, who often struggle to get registered, or the “undocumented” children at the border of the United States, those first victims of that exodus of despair and hope made by the thousands of people coming from the South towards the United States of America, and many others.

Sadly, this history of oppression of children is constantly repeated. If we ask the elderly, our grandparents, about the war they experienced when they were young, the tragedy emerges from their memories: the darkness – everything is dark during the war, colours practically disappear – and the stench, the cold, the hunger, the dirt, the fear, the scavenging, the loss of parents and homes, abandonment and all kinds of violence. I grew up with the stories of the First World War told by my grandfather, and this opened my eyes and heart to the horror of war.

Seeing things through the eyes of those who have lived through war is the best way to understand the inestimable value of life. Yet also listening to those children who today live in violence, exploitation or injustice serves to strengthen our “no” to war, to the throwaway culture of waste and profit, in which everything is bought and sold without respect or care for life, especially when that life is small and defenceless. In the name of this throwaway mentality, in which the human being becomes all-powerful, unborn life is sacrificed through the murderous practice of abortion.  Abortion suppresses the life of children and cuts off the source of hope for the whole of society.

Sisters and brothers, how important it is to listen, for we need to realize that young children understand, remember and speak to us. And with their looks and their silences, too, they speak to us. So let us listen to them!

Dear friends, I thank you and encourage you, with God’s grace, to make the most of the opportunities afforded by this meeting.  I pray that your contributions will help to build a better world for children, and consequently for everyone!  For me, it is a source of hope that we are all here together, to put children, their rights, their dreams, and their demand for a future at the centre of our concern. Thanks to all of you, and God bless you!

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