Tropical Storm Trami (also known as Typhoon Kristine) mo-ved over the Philippines leaving more than 150 people dead and entire communities ravaged by flooding and mudslides.
Trami hit the island of Luzon, which includes the capital Mani-la, bringing two months’ worth of rain to some areas in just 24 hours. It made landfill at the Vietnamese city of Danang after crossing the South China Sea.
The Philippines’ Archdiocese of Lipa, which includes some of the areas south of Manila that have suffered serious mudslides, said in a Facebook post that Archbishop Gilbert Garcera is “calling for help and prayers for the victims of Typhoon Kristine in the province of Batangas.” “I continue to pray for our province, because after the storm hit us, many are suffering and many are in need of prayer. For now I am asking for help from you, espe-cially to our brothers and sisters who were hit by the typhoon,” Garcera said.
According to the archdiocese, based on the latest report from the Lipa Archdiocesan Social Action Commission (LASAC), the death toll in Batangas provin-ce has reached 43 while the search continues for at least 22 missing. Currently, about 13,000 families – more than 44,000 individuals – are temporarily housed in 277 evacuation centres in different parts of Batangas, the archdiocese said.
Caritas Manila, a charitable agency of the Church, is expected to send food packs and non-food items as additional help to meet the needs of families in evacua-tion centres, the archdiocese concluded. The Philippines, one of the most disaster-prone count-ries in the world, is hit by some 20 tropical storms and typhoons every year.
Indonesian Bishop Declines Cardinalship, Choosing Humility and Growth Over Honour
In a rare and humbling move, Bishop Paskalis Bruno Syukur of Bogor, Indonesia, has declined the honour of being elevated to cardinal in the upcoming Consistory on December 7, 2024. The Franciscan bishop’s decision to forego this prestigious role stems from his deep desire to continue growing in his personal priesthood and to further serve the Church and the people of God. As a result, the number of new cardinals set to receive their red hats from Pope Francis has been reduced from 21 to 20. The Vatican’s Press Office, headed by Matteo Bruni, confirmed the news in a statement: “His Excellency Paskalis Bruno Syukur, Bishop of Bogor, Indonesia, has asked the Holy Father not to be made cardinal during the upcoming Consistory. His Excellency’s request is motivated by his wish to grow further in his priestly life, in his service to the Church and the people of God.”
This decision has sparked interest and admiration within the Catholic world, not only because of its rarity but also because it reflects a profound sense of humility and dedication to spiritual growth—a testament to Bishop Syukur’s Franciscan values.
The 62-year-old Franciscan was consecrated bishop of Bogor, a diocese just south of Indonesia’s capital city of Jakarta, in February 2014. From 2001–2009, Syukur was the Franciscan provincial minister of Indonesia. In 2009, he became the general delegate for the Asia and Oceania region, which includes India, Pakistan, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and Indonesia. The bishop has also held leadership positions in the Indonesian bishops’ conference.
With Syukur’s withdrawal, as of Dec. 7, the total number of eligible cardinal electors will be 140, 110 of whom were chosen by Pope Francis. This means the current pontiff has named 79% of the men who will one day elect his successor.
Persecution of Christians has worsened around the globe, according to new study
Christians are suffering increased vio-lence, discrimination and other human rights abuses around the world, according to a report unveiled Tuesday, 22nd October. Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) launched ”Persecuted and Forgotten? A Report on Christians oppressed for their Faith 2022-24″ at an event in the UK Parlia-ment, revealing that Christian persecution has significantly worsened in most countries surveyed. “Persecuted and Forgotten?” provides global and regional analysis, exa-mining the situation for Christians in 18 countries of key concern – from Nicaragua in Latin America to Burma (Myanmar) in the Far East – between summer 2022 and summer 2024. Countries where Christian persecution and oppression has increased include world powers such as China and India, as well as Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country. For the first time in the report’s 18-year history, Nicaragua is featured in res-ponse to extreme oppressive measures targeting Chri-stians, notably the mass de-tention and expulsion of clergy. The report features first-hand testimonies from survivors of anti-Christian attacks, in addition to details of incidents based on information obtained from ACN’s local contacts. Recu-rring themes in the report include the displacement of Christian communities following attacks by extremist groups and the forced marriage and con-version of Christian women and girls, as well as the kidnapping and intimidation of priests and the publication of derogatory content about Christianity in school textbooks.
Anti-Christian persecu-tion has been perpetrated by both state and non-state actors, such as terrorist organisations, other groups of religious extremists and criminal gangs.
The report states that militant Islam was responsible for the increased persecution in all six African countries reviewed, indicating that “the epicentre of militant Islamist violence has shifted from the Middle East to Africa”. It goes on to explain: “Mass migration of Christian communities, triggered by militant Islamist attacks, has destabilised and disenfranchised them, raising questions about the long-term survival of the Church in key regions.”
Pope Francis cuts salaries of Vatican cardinals again
Pope Francis has decided to cut the salaries of the cardinals working at the Vatican again, a measure that will take effect Nov. 1. According to the Italian ANSA news agency, layman Maximino Caballero Ledo, the prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy, informed the cardinals of the Holy Father’s decision in a letter dated Oct. 18, almost a month after another letter from Pope Francis on the subject.
Specifically, the cut in salaries or stipends will be in two areas: the “secretarial bonus” and the “office compen-sation,” two methods that were part of the monthly allowances and that will no longer be paid.
Although the Vatican does not specify how much a cardinal working in the Vatican receives, ANSA indicated that it is approximately 5,500 euros a month (about $65,000 a year). With the current cut, that amount would decrease by about 500 euros ($540).
Murdered priest in Mexico remembered as ‘tireless apostle of peace’
Father Marcelo Pérez, a priest of the Diocese of San Cristóbal de las Casas in the Mexican state of Chiapas, died on Oct. 20, killed by two men who shot him after he had celebrated Mass. His diocese now remembers him as a “tireless apostle of peace.”
According to information provided by the diocese through a statement shared on Oct. 21, Pérez was born on Jan. 17, 1974, in San Andrés Larráinzar in Chiapas state. From a young age he felt the call to the priesthood and entered the Our Lady of Guadalupe seminary in 1990 in the Archdiocese of Tuxtla Gutierrez. He was ordained a priest on April 6, 2002.
During his ministry, Pérez worked in various parishes. In his last two years, he served as pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in San Cristóbal de las Casas.
According to the Diocese of San Cristóbal de las Casas: “His life was spent in search of justice and peace, especially in Simojovel, Pante-lho, and San Cristóbal de las Casas.”
The diocesan statement noted that this commitment earned him consequences. “All this service he performed led him to suffer a long period of threats, persecu-tion, harassment, slander, defa-mation, even an unfounded arrest warrant, which put his personal safety at risk, to the point of his life being taken.”
In its statement following his murder, the Diocese of San Cri-stóbal de las Casas said that “even knowing that his life was in danger, he lived a profound faith in God and a great love for the people that took him to the ultimate consequences, sealing today, with his blood, his commitment to give his life.”
Sacred Heart encyclical ‘key’ to Pope Francis’ pontificate, theologian says
A prominent Italian theolo-gian and archbishop has called Pope Francis’ new encyclical on the Sacred Heart “the key to his entire pontificate” and “the inspiring motive of [his] whole ministry and magisterium.”
Archbishop Bruno Forte of Chieti-Vasto presented Dilexit Nos (“He Loved Us”) at a press conference at the Vatican on Oct. 24. A prolific spiritual writer, Forte, who became a member of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith in June, called the encyclical “extremely timely” for its attention to “the centrality of God’s love in Jesus Christ” and to the “dramatic challenges of the present time.”
Pope Francis released Dilexit Nos on Thursday, calling for a renewed understanding of devotion to the Sacred Heart in the modern era and its many pressing challenges.
Forte said Pope Francis’ magisterium is “far from being … restricted to social issues, as it has sometimes been clumsily understood,” and his message “to the entire human family stems from a single spring, presented here in a more explicit, clear way: Christ the Lord, his love for humanity.”
Sacred Heart shows path forward in AI era, Pope Francis says in new encyclical ‘Dilexit Nos’
Pope Francis released a new encycli-cal Dilexit Nos (“He Loved Us”) on 24 October, calling for a renewed understanding of devotion to the Sacred Heart in the modern era and its many pressing challenges.
In the document, the pope argues that the spirituality of the Sacred Heart offers a vital response to what he calls a “liquid society” dominated by technology and consumerism. Pope Francis writes: “Living as we do in an age of superficiality, rushing frenetically from one thing to another without really knowing why, and ending up as insatiable consumers and slaves to the mechanisms of a market unconcerned about the deeper meaning of our lives, all of us need to rediscover the importance of the heart.”
Subtitled “Letter on the Human and Divine Love of the Heart of Jesus Christ,” the document is the first papal encyclical dedicated entirely to the Sacred Heart since Pope Pius XII’s Haurietis Aquas in 1956. Throughout the document, Francis weaves together traditional elements of Sacred Heart devotion with contemporary concerns, presenting Christ’s heart as the principle unifying reality in a fragmented world.
The approximately 30,000-word encyclical draws extensively from Scripture and tradition, featuring insights from St. Thérèse of Lisieux, St. Francis de Sales, and St. Charles de Foucauld. Released as the Synod on Synodality is concluding its monthlong deliberations in Rome, the document emphasizes both personal spirituality and communal missionary commitment.
Francis develops his vision across five chapters, beginning with a philosophical and theological exploration of “the importance of the heart” before moving through reflections on Christ’s actions and words of love, the theological meaning of Sacred Heart devotion, its spiritual dynamics and social implications.
“The Christian Image of Man,” Unpublished Text That Benedict XVI Authorized Be Published After His Death
An unpublished document of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, titled “The Christian Image of Man,” reveals a profound reflection on the moral and social problems that contemporary humanity is facing. This text, written between Christmas and Epiphany of 2019-2020, addresses with special attention the crisis of identity, the family and human love, subjects that for the Pope Emeritus are essential in the quest for a more coherent future with the dignity of the human being. The publication was carried out by the “Veritas Amoris Project,” founded in 2019, with the objective of continuing the work of the John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and the Family. Benedict XVI’s text appears in the third volume of the Italian Review of the project, a space that seeks to trace ways to the truth of love amid a world in constant transformation. One of the most salient points of the writing is the Pope Emeritus’ criticism of today’s ideological currents, such as gender ideology and the manipulation of life in laboratories.
Cardinal Fernandez proposes ‘step-by-step’ approach to women’s role in the Church
Addressing the Synod Asse-mbly on October 21, Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez, ex-plained that his absence at a meeting of Synod delegates last week on the topic of female diaconate was due to a medical procedure undergone by a co-lleague responsible for coordi-nating the group. His absence had raised questions in some of the press that suggested it showed a lack of interest in the topic. The Cardinal addressed the issue as part of a broader communica-tion and apologized for what he called a “misunderstanding.”
According to Cardinal Fer-nandez, Pope Francis has expre-ssed that “at this moment the question of the female diaconate is not ripe”. “The commission studying the topic has reached partial conclusions, which will be made public at the appropriate time he explained, adding that the commission, chaired by Card-inal Giuseppe Petrocchi, will continue its work and those who wish to submit proposals or re-flections on the topic are en-couraged to do so.
While the question of female deacons remains unresolved, Cardinal Fernandez stressed that the Pope is deeply concerned about enhancing the role of women in the Church.
The Holy Father, he said, has asked the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith to explore ways to elevate women’s leader-ship within the Church without focusing exclusively on the Sacrament of Ordination.
Cardinal Fernandez argued that focusing solely on the female diaconate would not address the broader issue affecting millions of women in the Church. He pointed out that several steps toward increasing women’s roles could already be implemented, and the Church has not fully embraced them.
Gustavo Gutiérrez, ‘father of liberation theology,’ dies at 96
Gustavo Gutiérrez Merino, the Peruvian Dominican priest considered the “father” of liberation theology, died Oct. 22 at the age of 96.
The Dominican Province of St. John the Baptist of Peru announced the death of Gutiérrez, noting he was the author of the influential 1971 book “A Theology of Liberation: History, Politics, and Salvation.”
The theology of liberation is a school of thought that explored dimensions of liberation from the standpoint of Catholic social teaching. In some of its radical expressions, in particular in Latin America, liberation theology embraced many elements of Marxist theory and advocated for social change through various forms of revolution. At times, it also cast Christ as a form of revolutionary figure. Its more orthodox expressions emphasized a closeness with the poor and the suffering and called for authentic liberation in Christ.
Born on June 8, 1928, Gutiérrez was ordained a priest in 1959 and joined the Dominican order in 2001. He studied medicine and literature at the National University of San Marcos while participating in Catholic Action. He later studied theology at the University of Louvain in Belgium and the Institut Catholique of Lyon in France. Gutiérrez served as the John Cardinal O’Hara Endowed professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. His books have been translated into multiple languages.
One of Gutiérrez’s last international appearances was in Rome in October 2019 at a congress held at the Jesuit General Curia. There, at the invitation of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America (CAL), he delivered a lecture on “The Preferential Option for the Poor.”