Leo XIV’s Prayer Intention Is … for the Care of Water: In September 2026, Leo XIV invites Catholics around the world to pray for the care of water. In his monthly prayer intention, he reminds Christians that access to clean water should be a right. “We beg forgiveness that it has been turned into a commodity, forgetting that it is a universal gift, a right without borders.” He encourages Christians to reject waste and pollution and to use natural resources responsibly. Caring for water, he says, is both an expression of love for creation and an act of solidarity with the poor.
The Pope’s Prayer intention for the month of September is to pray for care of water: “Lord of Life, you have given us the gift of water, source of fruitfulness, freshness, and hope. It quenches thirst, nourishes the earth, and heals wounds. We thank you because it is also a symbol of your grace and love that renews us through baptism. Today, we ask you to teach us to safeguard it with gratitude, justice, and responsibility. Forgive us for turning it into a commodity, forgetting that it is a universal gift, a right without borders, meant for all your children. We see with pain, so many brothers and sisters, who lack clean water, who walk for miles to find it, who become ill due to its scarcity. May your Spirit make us pilgrims of the essential, able to live with simplicity, denouncing waste and pollution, defending the right of every brother and sister to drink without fear and without inequality. May our care for water, be a sign of love for the Creator, and a commitment to the lives of …níos mó
Pierre Damas Bel, a 20-year-old Haitian immigrant, stepped into traffic in Springfield, Ohio, Monday and was killed. His family believes it was a suicide after he lost his Temporary Protected Status. The Keith Boykin Channel Ohio State Highway Patrol officials reported that Bel had pulled his car over on the right shoulder of I-70 Monday morning and then walked directly into oncoming traffic. He was struck by a large tractor-trailer and died from his injuries at the scene. Bel had reportedly been distraught after he, like dozens of Haitians in Springfield, was called to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement office to be fitted with an ankle monitor following the end of Temporary Protected Status for Haitians. Springfield is home to a Haitian community of about 15,000, and a June Supreme Court decision permitted the Trump administration to cancel their TPS protections, despite the ongoing violence and insecurity in Haiti. Without TPS, Haitian residents have been ordered to wear ankle …níos mó
Bishop Ángel Javier Pérez Pueyo of Barbastro-Monzón, Spain, has said he would offer his resignation rather than sign a settlement under which the statue of Our Lady of the Angels of Torreciudad remains permanently at the Opus Dei sanctuary. The bishop drew his red line in a public letter on 31 August, ahead of the image’s return to its ancient hermitage on 5 September for the 47th Pilgrimage of the Virgins of Ribagorza and Sobrarbe. That return is temporary. It has been authorized by Archbishop Alejandro Arellano Cedillo, the pontifical commissioner for Torreciudad. After the pilgrimage, the image is due to return to the sanctuary. Bishop Pérez Pueyo’s threat concerns the final settlement: he refuses to accept an arrangement under which the statue remains there permanently and returns to the hermitage only on special occasions. He would "never sign such an unlikely act of plundering your dignity," he wrote, adding he would instead offer his resignation. The dispute has effectively been …níos mó
Pakistan Honors Christian Nurse Who Saved Baby From Hospital Fire: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has announced that Christian nurse Razia Noreen will receive the Sitara-i-Khidmat, a national civil honor, for her bravery during a deadly hospital fire in Islamabad on August 26. CCTV footage shows Noreen running into the burning nursery at PIMS and coming out just eight seconds later with a newborn in her arms. The baby was the only newborn to survive. Tragically, 14 others died. Noreen wanted to go back for the other babies, but the flames and thick smoke made it impossible. “I can’t sleep. Those babies keep me awake,” she later said.
Extraordinary courage caught on CCTV at PIMS hospital in Islamabad. Nurse Razia Noreen runs into a burning nursery and emerges carrying a newborn—the only baby to survive the devastating fire. According to the official inquiry, just eight seconds passed between her entering the smoke-filled ward and coming back out with the child in her arms. A remarkable act of bravery in the face of tragedy.
Madonna of Tears of Syracuse The Basilica of the Madonna delle Lacrime (Sanctuary of the Virgin of Tears), also called Madonnina delle Lacrime is a 20th-century Roman CatholicMarian shrine church in Syracuse in Sicily, Italy. The modern building, derided by some as an inverted ice-cream cone, dominates the skyline of the approach to Ortigia. Madonna delle Lacrime, Siracusa - Wikipedia Santuario Madonna delle Lacrime Siracusa
Leo XIV personally intervened to stop VaticanNews.va from using the artwork of Father Marko Rupnik, according to Bishop Jean-Marc Micas of Tarbes and Lourdes. Rupnik has been accused by numerous women of fornication and sexual, spiritual and psychological abuse. In an interview with Paris Match (August 31), Bishop Micas described a private audience with Leo XIV in June 2025. The pope asked him how Lourdes was dealing with Rupnik’s asymmetrical mosaics and the big black eyes. Leo XIV supported the bishop’s approach to cover the mosaics. Then, Leo XIV mentioned that he had instructed the Holy See’s communications office to stop using Rupnik’s mosaics to illustrate articles. “He is truly very determined on this issue,” Bishop Micas said. Rupnik’s work quietly disappeared from VaticanNews.va in June 2025, shortly after Leo XIV’s election. However, the canonical case against the Slovenian priest remains ongoing and is clearly delayed, even years after the allegations against him became public …níos mó
Saint Verena | The Egyptian Saint Who Cared for Switzerland's Sick & Poor | September 1 Today, September 1, we remember Saint Verena, an early Christian woman traditionally believed to have travelled from Egypt to what is now Switzerland, where she became known for prayer, charity and caring for the sick. Her story is unusual. She wasn't remembered for ruling a kingdom or preaching to enormous crowds. Instead, Verena served people through something wonderfully practical: She cared for their bodies as well as their souls. FROM EGYPT TO EUROPE According to tradition, Verena was born in Egypt during the 3rd century and was associated with Christians connected to the famous Theban Legion. She eventually travelled into Roman Europe and settled in the region of present-day Switzerland. Traditions particularly associate her with Solothurn and later Zurzach. A LIFE OF PRAYER AND SERVICE Verena is remembered as a consecrated virgin who lived simply and devoted herself to God. But her …níos mó
Bishop Wilhelm Krautwaschl of Graz-Seckau, Austria, has prohibited the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X (FSSPX) from holding its annual public Rosary prayer on October 4 inside the Basilica of Mariazell. It is one of the most important Marian shrines in Austria. The annual ceremony in the basilica included Rosary, Litany of Loreto, Marian hymns and a blessing - but no sacraments. Fsspx.at announced the decision on August 27, adding that a pilgrimage will take place with a modified program. The FSSPX’s rosary prayer in Mariazell has existed for half a century. On September 8, 1975, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre led approximately 600 faithful to the Austrian shrine. Muslims and Homosexuals: "All-Are-Welcome"-Bishop Krautwaschl Bishop Krautwaschl has governed Graz-Seckau since 2015. Against the prohibition of the FSSPX’s Rosary, consider what has been welcomed or promoted during his tenure. Ten examples: 2018: Krautwaschl sent a greeting to the Christopher Street Day activities and called …níos mó
The FSSPX’s rosary prayer in Mariazell has existed for half a century. On September 8, 1975, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre led approximately 600 faithful to the Austrian shrine.
Robbie Mouton - This is a painting by the Spanish painter Sergi Cadenas. It ages from... This is a painting by the Spanish painter Sergi Cadenas. It ages from the angle you look at it. Cardenas uses ridges on the canvas ans paints two different images on each side. It merges or changes based on the angles. Amazingly, Cardenas is a self-taught artist.
On August 27, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria called on the government and security agencies to step up efforts to combat killings and kidnappings following recent attacks in Benue and Niger states. In a statement titled “Stop the Slaughter in Borgu and Ukum, Stop the Killings in Nigeria,” the bishops said the country was experiencing an “unabated trail of blood and terror” that had reached an “intolerable crest.” The statement was signed by CBCN President Archbishop Matthew Man-Oso Ndagoso of Kaduna. The bishops cited the recent killing of 47 people in Ukum, Benue State, where another 17 people were critically wounded. They also condemned the abduction of more than 60 Muslim worshippers in Borgu, Niger State. They called for intelligence-led security operations. The aim is disrupting armed groups before they can carry out attacks. They also demanded the prosecution of the perpetrators and their sponsors, saying that “impunity fuels repetition.” Furthermore, the bishops …níos mó
LILLEY: Where was the outrage as Canadians renamed our own history? We've spent years tearing down names, statues and history. Now we're furious because Trump is doing it to us.
Enzo Bianchi, founder of the Monastic Community of Bose, died at the Molinette Hospital in Turin at the age of 83 after kidney failure led to a metabolic coma. Bianchi was a monk but never became a priest. A prolific author, he wrote extensively on Scripture, spirituality and contemporary Christianity. He addressed Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox audiences and became a regular interlocutor of secular intellectuals and non-believers. Bose: From Farmhouse to a Center of Ecumenism Bianchi was born on March 3, 1943, in Castel Boglione, Piedmont. His mother died when he was eight, and he grew up with his atheist and communist father. After studying accounting and beginning economics studies, he chose a different path. In 1965, he settled in a farmhouse at Bose, near Magnano in the province of Biella, arriving on December 8, the final day of the Second Vatican Council. Three years later, others joined him. The community included men and women, Catholics and Protestants. Initially viewed with …níos mó
Leo XIV Reviews Finances of Padre Pio’s Hospital: Today, Leo XIV met the Steering and Supervisory Commission of the Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza Foundation, which oversees Padre Pio’s hospital. The meeting took place at the Apostolic Palace in Castel Gandolfo. The Commission reported on its work, particularly the Foundation’s economic and financial situation. Press reports estimate its financial shortfall at €250–300 million.
Mel Gibson - Only 6 weeks, this tiny baby is already growing and developing in rem... Only 6 weeks, this tiny baby is already growing and developing in remarkable ways. The heart is beginning to beat, and the foundations of the brain, spinal cord, and vital organs are forming. So small, yet the beginning of something extraordinary. A precious gift from God. Mel Gibson (@MelGibson_1th) on X
France Requires Life Insurers to Cover Assisted Deaths: France’s new assisted-dying law requires life insurers to pay benefits when a policyholder dies through euthanasia. This applies even when the policy normally excludes suicide during its first year. It also applies to contracts signed before the law took effect. After repeated Senate opposition, the National Assembly approved the euthanasia law on July 15. The Constitutional Council upheld the contested provisions on August 14. The law was promulgated on August 18.
Ufff thanks be to God He doesn’t do this, because if He would, then no one would be saved, His Divine Mercy is such a strange, huge and delightful calmness for us who can't stop letting Him down.
Catholic baptisms in Ireland fall 30% in a decade: According to an Iona Institute report published on 18 August, Catholic baptisms in Ireland fell by 30% between 2015 and 2025. The study is based on figures from almost every diocese on the island. Falling birth rates account for around 60% of the decline, with growing secularisation accounting for the rest. The number of births fell by 18.8% across Ireland, including by 17.9% in the Republic and by 21.3% in Northern Ireland. Dublin recorded a 39.9% decrease in baptisms, falling from 15,759 to 9,465.