Pope Leo XIV this week released his message for the 11th World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation on Sept. 1. He tied the theme of environmental stewardship to the consequences of wars that extend much human suffering beyond the battlefield. He noted that the apparent disruption to the harmonious balance of creation is accelerating.
“These phenomena,” he said, “are not unrelated; they are a single plea for healing and peace arising from a wounded world.”
As Earth experienced its hottest July on record – tied only with July 2024 – Europe experienced widespread destructive wildfires and deadly heatwaves, which are expected to intensify without action to mitigate climate change.
Catholic School Growth in Ohio; Abortion Pill Rise in U.S.
In the United States, Catholic schools in the Diocese of Columbus (Ohio) are nearing student enrollment capacity. The first new Catholic elementary school in 30 years is opening, and a new Catholic high school is planned. Bishop Earl K. Fernandes praised the “phenomenal growth” in Catholic education in the diocese.
The Catholic bishops of the U.S. called the faithful to pray and act to stop the spread of abortion pills. Archbishop Paul Coakley, USCCB president, and Bishop Daniel Thomas, chairman of the Conference’s Pro-Life committee, said the federal Food and Drug Administration has “enabled a nationwide mail-order abortion industry” by allowing easy access to abortion pills.
The practice “leaves women vulnerable to suffering an abortion alone at home, without any medical supervision,” they said.
Poles on the Road of Faith
In Poland, Catholics renewed traditions including a popular pilgrimage to Jasna Góra and a pilgrimage by generations of women to the Shrine of Our Lady of Piekary marking the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Aug. 15.
Poles also looked with pride on their history via the first priest martyred during the communist era, and to the future in the work of a religious sister whose Marian spirituality inspired her journey of faith and life of service.
Vietnamese Catholics Journey to Marian Shrine
Some 200,000 faithful participated in a pilgrimage to the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Vang in the Archdiocese of Hue, Vietnam. “La Vang is like the shrine of Lourdes in Vietnam,” said one priest, referring to the impressive pilgrimages that mark the solemnity of the Assumption.
Pope Leo reflected on the solemnity in an Angelus address in which he invited the faithful to contemplate their ultimate destiny: the fullness of eternal life in God.
Asia, South America Experience Earthquakes
Earthquakes produced devastation in Colombia and Indonesia this week. Caritas Indonesia mobilized its humanitarian response and Pope Leo expressed his spiritual closeness with residents of the affected areas, including some 8,000 students who cannot attend school.
The earthquake has also struck communities already struggling with drought linked to the El Niño phenomenon and volcanic risks associated with Mount Lewotobi, compounding its impact on children’s health, education and psychosocial well-being.
In Colombia, aid organizations are helping the more than 200,000 people affected by the Aug. 10 earthquake. Families migrating internally because of the quake risk separation from their children, who observers fear will be taken into human trafficking.
Church Reiterates Push for Peace in West Bank, Lebanon
Pope Leo renewed his appeal for an end to the violence against Palestinians in the West Bank region of Israel.
The pope also emphasized the Holy See’s longstanding support for a two-state solution in the Middle East as the only path to a “just and lasting” peace for Israel and Palestine.
Pope Leo met with the president of Lebanon to discuss the prospects for a just and lasting peace in that country. In subsequent talks the Holy See expressed concern over the difficulties in implementing an agreement signed by the United States, Israel, and Lebanon, and assured its support for efforts to that end.
Pass Laws Ensuring AI Protects Human Rights, Pope Tells Legislators
In a time when artificial intelligence systems are on the rise, Pope Leo said “a subtle form of domination” results when “algorithms decide who is seen, and who remains invisible, when digital platforms shape public discourse without accountability, and when the dignity of workers is subordinated to the optimization of systems.”
He called for legislation that protects human rights and human dignity, and that “encourage(s) scientific and technological creativity while safeguarding fundamental human rights and freedoms.
Such laws should “protect users from exploitation, preserve personal privacy, ensure transparency in the use of emerging technologies and guarantee that they strengthen democratic institutions,” he told a group of Catholic legislators.
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