The Bolivian Bishops’ Conference (CEB, by its Spanish acronym) expressed hope after Bolivia’s recent general election, which marked a change in the country’s political direction. Rodrigo Paz Pereira, the centrist Christian Democratic Party candidate for president who won the Aug. 17 election, will now face former president Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga in a runoff. The unexpected result is viewed as a setback for the far-left Movement Toward Socialism, the party that governed the country for two decades.

Amid food shortages, historic inflation, political confrontations, and a climate of violence in the country, Bolivians voted for change.  In an Aug. 18 statement, the bishops celebrated voter turnout on Election Day. “This demonstration of democratic commitment, hope, and responsibility on the part of the Bolivian people — who experienced a great historic occasion, marked by respect and the will to decide the country’s course — should characterize the path ahead,” they said.

They also praised the work of the institutions responsible for ensuring the integrity of the electoral process, “so that Election Day would be held within a framework of trust and respect for the will of the Bolivian people.” “We welcome with hope the election results that open a new chapter in the country’s political history,” the bishops stated, saying the election gave “a voice to all Bolivians who strive and yearn for significant change.”

The CEB congratulated the candidates who qualified for the runoff, scheduled for Oct. 19. The bishops urged the public to “continue to responsibly inform themselves about each candidate’s proposals in this new electoral phase.”

“We are appalled by what is happening in Gaza, despite the condemnation of the whole world,” Cardinal Parolin said, noting that “there is a unanimity in condemning what is taking place.” Speaking on the sidelines of the inauguration of the Liturgical Week in Naples on 25 August, the Cardinal referred to the Israeli strike on the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, which killed 20 people, including five journalists. “It makes no sense,” he said, adding that “there seem to be no openings for a solution” and that the situation is becoming “increasingly complicated and, from a humanitarian perspective, increasingly precarious, with all the consequences we are seeing day by day.”

On the war in Ukraine, the Cardinal stressed the need for “a lot of politics, because in theory there are many possible solutions and many paths that could lead to peace. But they must be put into practice, and this also requires dispositions of the spirit.”

“There is a need for hope for the whole world,” Cardinal Parolin continued, recalling that the Jubilee announced by Pope Francis, dedicated precisely to this theme, aims to be “a moment of regaining hope.” It is, he explained, “a hope against all hope,” at a time when “there are not many reasons to hope, especially at the international level.” Recent days, he said, show once again “the difficulty of setting in motion paths of peace in situations of conflict.” Yet, he insisted, “we must not give in to resignation” but rather “continue to work for peace and reconciliation.”

The Latin and Greek Orthodox Patriarchs of Jerusalem released a joint appeal for peace in Gaza on August 26, saying there is no reason to justify “the deliberate and forcible mass displacement of civilians.”

On August 27, Pope Leo XIV joined his voice to theirs, and recalled the Day of Prayer and Fasting for Peace, which took place on August 22. “Today I renew a strong appeal both to the parties involved and to the international community, that an end be put to the conflict in the Holy Land, which has caused so much terror, destruction, and death,” said the Pope.

He also called for the safe entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza and the protection of civilians. “I appeal for all hostages to be freed, a permanent ceasefire to be reached, the safe entry of humanitarian aid to be facilitated, and humanitarian law to be fully respected—especially the obligation to protect civilians and the prohibitions against collective punishment, the indiscriminate use of force, and the forced displacement of populations,” he added.

The Pope concluded his appeal by invoking the Blessed Virgin Mary to pray for peace.

“Let us implore Mary, Queen of Peace, source of consolation and of hope,” said Pope Leo. “May her intercession obtain reconciliation and peace in that land so dear to us all.”

In their appeal, the Patriarchs of Jerusalem said the cycle of violence must end and the common good must be prioritized. “There has been enough devastation, in the territories and in people’s lives,” they said. “There is no reason to justify keeping civilians as prisoners and hostages in dramatic conditions. It is now time for the healing of the long-suffering families on all sides.” The Patriarchs prayed that hearts may be converted, “so that we may walk in the paths of justice and life, for Gaza and the whole Holy Land.”

The Diocese of Syracuse, New York, announced on Aug. 9 that Bishop Douglas J. Lucia has taken on the additional job of parish priest at three churches in Baldwinsville, New York. 

The diocese announced a number of changes to pastoral assignments that went into effect on Aug. 1, including Lucia serving as pastor at St. Augustine Church, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church, and St. Mary of the Assumption Church. The three churches are part of the same parish and share various initiatives and resources.

“Certainly, a crucial component in our parishes is the priest. Without the priest, there is no Mass; and without the Mass there is no Eucharist, no food for the journey,” Lucia wrote in a recent letter to the churches’ parishioners.

After announcing that the previous pastor, Father Joe O’Connor, received seminary work as a new assignment, Lucia wrote to parishioners: “I know you have been wondering what is next for the Baldwinsville parishes.”

“I am able to share the news that I will be your new pastor,” Lucia said. “Although I was called to be the bishop of the Diocese of Syracuse six years ago, it has always been with the hope of continuing to be a parish priest and I guess God has taken me at my word.”

The quiet Sunday rhythms of the village parish of Blessed Anuarite were shattered on July 27 when militants stormed the church during worship. Armed with machetes and fire, they left behind not just burned walls and desecrated pews, but the bodies of more than 43 worshippers—nine of them children. Others were abducted, homes and shops in the area reduced to ash. The attackers were members of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an Islamist militia aligned with the so-called Islamic State. For residents of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s eastern provinces, this is not an isolated nightmare. It is part of a relentless cycle of massacres, abductions, and displacement that has continued despite the region’s prolonged “state of siege.”

In the days following the attack, the country’s Catholic bishops issued a statement that was both grief-stricken and accusatory. The National Episcopal Conference of Congo (CENCO) demanded answers—not only about the attack itself, but about the absence of protection for the population. “Security forces were nearby,” said Bishop Dieudonné Uringi of Bunia, “but they did not act in time. They should have intervened more quickly to protect the people.” CENCO’s communiqué was even more pointed: “This massacre is one of many in a province under military control for years. Killings and kidnappings happen repeatedly, and no credible explanation has been offered to reassure the people. Who are these serial killers serving? Who benefits from these crimes against peaceful citizens?” The aftermath is visible not only in the charred remains of the church but in the swelling numbers of displaced people. Many survivors fled to Bunia, where the diocese is struggling to house and feed them. “We welcome them, but we have no means to sustain them,” Bishop Uringi said, appealing for continued aid from international partners like the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need.

What does it mean to be a Church that is authentically “of the Pacific”? That was the question on the agenda when bishops from around the region gathered in early August for a week of prayer and reflection in Pago Pago, American Samoa.

The meeting, which ran from the 5th to the 11th August, was held under the auspices of CEPAC, the Episcopal Conference of the Pacific—which is, by area, the largest episcopal conference in the world.

As well as time for prayer and discussion, the gathering featured a traditional Samoan welcome ceremony, ‘conversations in the Spirit’ using synodal methodology, and an address from Archbishop Gábor Pintér, the Apostolic Nuncio to CEPAC.

In his speech, Archbishop Gábor Pintér described the Pacific as “region of breathtaking natural beauty, imbued with a profound sense of spirituality, and shaped by deep-rooted, resilient cultures.” It also, the nuncio admitted, faces “significant challenges”: climate change, economic disparities, social injustice, and youth disempowerment. These realities are “not distant concerns”, Archbishop Pintér said, but rather “woven into the very fabric of our daily lives”.

At the “very core” of CEPAC’s vision, the apostolic nuncio said, is a “deep desire to be a Church that is authentically ‘of the Pacific’ … a Church that courageously recognizes, respects, and seamlessly integrates the rich cultural heritage, ancestral wisdom, and communal values of our island nations into its very life.”
With this in mind, he suggested a number of areas for the Church in the region to focus on: care for the oceans, synodality, formation for mission, social activism, and empowerment of women and young people.

Archbishop Pintér brought his address to a close by outlining a vision of the Church in the Pacific as  “Christ-centred”, passionately committed to justice, peace, and environmental care, and “deeply rooted and flourishing within the rich cultural tapestries of our islands”.

Pope Leo XIV approved the decision to declare St. John Henry Newman the 38th doctor of the universal Church. The decision to confer the title upon the 19th-century English saint — a former Anglican priest who converted to Catholicism — was confirmed during the pope’s morning meeting with Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints. 

According to the Holy See Press Office, the Holy Father accepted the “affirmative opinion” of dicastery members and the plenary session of cardinals and bishops regarding the founder of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri in England.  In the Church’s 2,000-year history, only 37 other saints, including four women, have been given the title of doctor. The title is granted in recognition of an already canonized saint’s significant contribution to advancing the Church’s knowledge of doctrine, theology, or spirituality. The Vatican has not yet confirmed the date of Newman’s formal proclamation as a doctor of the Church.

Born in London and baptized into the Church of England in 1801, Newman was a popular and respected Anglican priest, theologian, and writer among his peers prior to his conversion to Catholicism. In 1845, Newman asked his friend Blessed Dominic Barberi, an Italian Passionist priest living in England, to receive him into the Catholic Church.

He was ordained a Catholic priest in 1847 and later made a cardinal by Pope Leo XIII in 1879. He chose the motto “Cor ad cor loquitur” (“Heart speaks to heart”) as an expression of his conversion in his own heart, through the heart of God. As a Catholic, Newman deepened and contributed to the Church’s teaching, thanks to his broad knowledge of theology and his keen insight into modern times, grounded in the Gospel. His body of work includes 40 books and more than 20,000 letters. Newman died in Edgbaston, England, in 1890. He was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI on Sept. 19, 2010, and canonized by Pope Francis on Oct. 13, 2019.

The Vatican has unveiled a sweeping update to its public procurement regulations, introducing a streamlined framework designed to safeguard integrity while accelerating decision-making in the Holy See’s contracting processes. The reform, enacted through a General Executive Decree from the Secretariat for the Economy on August 9, implements key provisions of «Para una mejor armonización» (“For a Better Harmonization”), the motu proprio issued in January 2024. This decree builds upon the Vatican’s 2020 apostolic letter on transparency, oversight, and competition in awarding public contracts—originally promulgated by Pope Francis and later refined to better align with the evolving needs of the Church’s administration

Signed on August 5 and comprised of eight sections and 52 articles, the new regulation represents the work of multiple Vatican departments. Officials say the goal is to preserve the principles of transparency, fair competition, and equal treatment of bidders while cutting through bureaucratic bottlenecks that can delay projects.

The updated code is not only an exercise in administrative housekeeping; it reflects the Vatican’s ongoing commitment to the values embedded in Catholic social teaching. These include fairness in economic dealings, responsible stewardship of resources, and the promotion of efficiency and value for money without compromising ethical standards.

The balance between rigorous oversight and procedural simplicity has been a recurring theme in Vatican governance reforms since the apostolic constitution «Praedicate Evangelium» came into force in 2022. The new framework draws on lessons from recent years, aiming to ensure that procurement decisions are both transparent and practically executable, avoiding excessive delays or red tape. The decree took immediate effect on August 10, a day after its publication on the website of L’Osservatore Romano.

Delegates of the third Pan-African Catholic Congress on Theology, Society, and Pastoral Life who gathered in Ivory Coast’s city of Abidjan from Aug. 5–10 have called for the support of African missionaries who are experiencing hardships in their missions, especially those set back by immigration challenges. In a statement at the end of the congress, the delegates said divisions such as ethnicity and racism must not stand in the way of missionary discipleship in Africa and even outside the continent.

Noting that self-reliance is an imperative for the Church in Africa, “not as isolation from other local churches but as mature participation in the universal communion of faith,” the delegates said: “This means … supporting African missionaries in the challenging mission in some parts of the world where some African missionaries experience racism and immigration restrictions.”

The delegates acknowledged that the African Church has transitioned to becoming a “Church of the Sheaves,” sharing personnel within the continent, even outside Africa. “We recognize with gratitude how far the African Church has journeyed: transiting from a mission Church receiving the Gospel to a Church of the Sheaves, sharing gifts and sending missionaries to other parts of the world,” they said, adding: “We commit ourselves to deepening this transformation as missionary disciples of the Lord to Africa and the world.”

]They said that synodality, as explored in the Synod on Synodality, is the pathway of the mission of evangelization and called for “overcoming divisions based on ethnicity, status, or ideology.” The call by the congress delegates comes amid mounting frustrations of foreign Catholic priests who have been forced out of South Africa on alleged expiry of their visas.