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Hamilton Spectator
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Ukraine's Zelenskyy meets with Pope Leo XIV. Both propose the Vatican as site for peace talks
CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy (AP) — Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday and thanked him for the Vatican's efforts to help return children taken by Russia. Both he and Leo suggested the Vatican could host peace talks to end the war. Zelenskyy called on Leo at the papal summer retreat in Castel Gandolfo, in the Alban hills south of Rome. Zelenskyy is in Rome to attend the fourth Ukraine Recovery Conference, which is taking place Thursday and Friday. The Vatican said Leo and Zelenskyy discussed the conflict 'and the urgent need for a just and lasting peace.' 'The Holy Father expressed his sorrow for the victims and renewed his prayers and closeness to the Ukrainian people, encouraging every effort aimed at the release of prisoners and the search for shared solutions,' a Vatican statement said. 'The Holy Father reiterated the willingness to welcome representatives of Russia and Ukraine to the Vatican for negotiations.' The United States had indicated the Vatican could host possible peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, but Moscow hasn't accepted it. Speaking to reporters as he left the pope's villa, Zelenskyy said he thanked the American pope for the Vatican's efforts to help reunite children taken by Russia after Moscow's 2022 invasion. He asked for continued help and prayers 'to get back our children stolen by Russia during this war.' Pope Francis had named an envoy, Italian Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, to try to facilitate the return of children and find 'paths to peace' between the two sides. After an initial burst of shuttle diplomacy and visits to Kyiv, Moscow, Washington and Beijing, Zuppi's efforts appear to have slowed, at least in the public sphere. The Russian government has faced international condemnation over unlawful deportations of Ukrainian families, including children, to Russia following Putin's order for Russian troops to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. U.N.-backed experts have estimated that about 20,000 Ukrainian children have been forcibly deported or transferred from occupied areas of Ukraine to Russia, though it was difficult to determine exact numbers. The Vatican has not disclosed details about its efforts on helping the return of the Ukrainian children or how many children have been returned. Leo has been a strong supporter of Ukraine and denounced the 'senseless war,' meeting recently with the Ukrainian Greek Catholic bishops and pilgrims. He was so taken by their hauntingly beautiful Ukrainian version of the 'Our Father' hymn that he asked for an encore when he met with them a second time. 'It is not easy to find words of consolation for the families who have lost loved ones in this senseless war,' he told the bishops who visited last week. 'I imagine it is also for you, who are in daily contact with people wounded in heart and flesh.' ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Hamilton Spectator
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Pope celebrates first ‘green' Mass using new rite in sign of strong ecological focus
ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV celebrated what has been dubbed as the first 'green' papal Mass, using a new set of prayers imploring care for God's creation in a sign he intends to emphasize environmental stewardship and climate justice for the world's most vulnerable people. The Mass, in the gardens of the Vatican's new ecological educational center at the papal summer estate in Castel Gandolfo, indicated a strong line of ecological continuity with Pope Francis , who made environmental protection a hallmark of his pontificate. The private Mass on Wednesday was celebrated for the Laudato Si center, named for Francis' 2015 environmental encyclical in which the first pope from the Global South blasted the way wealthy countries and multinational corporations had exploited the Earth and its most vulnerable people for profit. Leo approved the new Mass formula 'for the care of creation,' directing it to be added into the list of 49 Masses that have been developed over centuries for a specific need or occasion. Officials said it was crafted in response to requests stemming from Francis' encyclical, which has inspired a whole church movement and foundation to educate, advocate and sensitize the world to the biblically mandated call to care for nature. Leo, history's first American pope, has indicated he intends to further Francis' ecological legacy. A longtime missionary in Peru, Leo experienced firsthand the effects of climate change on vulnerable communities and has already spoken out about the need for climate justice for Indigenous peoples, in particular. In a message for the church's annual day of prayer for creation, Leo blasted the 'injustice, violations of international law and the rights of peoples, grave inequalities and the greed that fuels them are spawning deforestation, pollution and the loss of biodiversity.' He made no equivocations about what or who was to blame, identifying 'climate changes provoked by human activity.' 'As yet, we seem incapable of recognizing that the destruction of nature does not affect everyone in the same way. When justice and peace are trampled underfoot, those who are most hurt are the poor, the marginalized and the excluded,' he wrote in the message, released last week. Leo celebrated the Mass during the first days of his vacation at Castel Gandolfo, a hilltop town overlooking Lake Alban in the cool hills south of Rome. Leo arrived on Sunday and will spend an initial two weeks there before returning to the Vatican and then heading back in August. ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Winnipeg Free Press
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Pope celebrates first ‘green' Mass using new rite in sign of strong ecological focus
ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV celebrated what has been dubbed as the first 'green' papal Mass, using a new set of prayers imploring care for God's creation in a sign he intends to emphasize environmental stewardship and climate justice for the world's most vulnerable people. The Mass, in the gardens of the Vatican's new ecological educational center at the papal summer estate in Castel Gandolfo, indicated a strong line of ecological continuity with Pope Francis, who made environmental protection a hallmark of his pontificate. The private Mass on Wednesday was celebrated for the Laudato Si center, named for Francis' 2015 environmental encyclical in which the first pope from the Global South blasted the way wealthy countries and multinational corporations had exploited the Earth and its most vulnerable people for profit. Leo approved the new Mass formula 'for the care of creation,' directing it to be added into the list of 49 Masses that have been developed over centuries for a specific need or occasion. Officials said it was crafted in response to requests stemming from Francis' encyclical, which has inspired a whole church movement and foundation to educate, advocate and sensitize the world to the biblically mandated call to care for nature. Leo, history's first American pope, has indicated he intends to further Francis' ecological legacy. A longtime missionary in Peru, Leo experienced firsthand the effects of climate change on vulnerable communities and has already spoken out about the need for climate justice for Indigenous peoples, in particular. In a message for the church's annual day of prayer for creation, Leo blasted the 'injustice, violations of international law and the rights of peoples, grave inequalities and the greed that fuels them are spawning deforestation, pollution and the loss of biodiversity.' He made no equivocations about what or who was to blame, identifying 'climate changes provoked by human activity.' 'As yet, we seem incapable of recognizing that the destruction of nature does not affect everyone in the same way. When justice and peace are trampled underfoot, those who are most hurt are the poor, the marginalized and the excluded,' he wrote in the message, released last week. Leo celebrated the Mass during the first days of his vacation at Castel Gandolfo, a hilltop town overlooking Lake Alban in the cool hills south of Rome. Leo arrived on Sunday and will spend an initial two weeks there before returning to the Vatican and then heading back in August. ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
New Indian Express
29-06-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
How Zohran Mamdani's win in New York City mayoral primary could ripple across the US
Lincoln Mitchell, Columbia University Top Republicans and Democrats alike are talking about the sudden rise of 33-year-old Zohran Mamdani, a state representative who won the Democratic mayoral primary in New York on June 24, 2025, in a surprising victory over more established politicians. While President Donald Trump quickly came out swinging with personal attacks against Mamdani, some establishment Democratic politicians say they are concerned about how the democratic socialist's progressive politics could harm the broader Democratic Party and cause it to lose more centrist voters. New York is a unique American city, with a diverse population and historically liberal politics. So, does a primary mayoral election in New York serve as any kind of harbinger of what could come in the rest of the country? Amy Lieberman, a politics and society editor at The Conversation US, spoke with Lincoln Mitchell, a political strategy and campaign specialist who lectures at Columbia University, to understand what Mamdani's primary win might indicate about the direction of national politics. Does Mamdani's primary win offer any indication of how the Democratic Party might be transforming on a national level? Mamdani's win is clearly a rebuke of the more corporate wing of the Democratic Party. I know there are people who say that New York is different from the rest of the country. But from a political perspective, Democrats in New York are less different from Democrats in the rest of country than they used to be. That's because the rest of America is so much more diverse than it used to be. But if you look at progressive politicians now in the House of Representatives and state legislatures, they are being elected from all over – not just in big cities like New York anymore.
Hamilton Spectator
24-06-2025
- General
- Hamilton Spectator
Pope Leo XIV offers an uplifting message urging seminarians to be joyful and honest
ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV kicked off a weeklong celebration of Catholic clergy Tuesday by encouraging seminarians to be joyful and honest, offering an uplifting message after Pope Francis frequently castigated priests and decried what he called the sin of 'clericalism.' History's first American pope presided over a rollicking encounter with thousands of young men who were in Rome for a special Jubilee week celebrating seminarians, priests and bishops. Tuesday's encounter turned St. Peter's Basilica into something resembling a concert venue, with seminarians waving their national flags, interrupting Leo frequently with applause and shouts of 'Papa Leone' and straining against barricades to kiss his ring as he passed. In his remarks, Leo thanked the seminarians for agreeing to devote their lives to the church and said that with their energy 'you fuel the flame of hope in the life of the church.' He urged them to be brave, joyful, truthful and not hide behind masks or live hypocritical lives. 'You also have to learn to give a name and voice to sadness, fear, anxiety and indignation, bringing everything before God,' the Augustinian pope told them. 'Crises, limitations, fragilities aren't to be hidden, but are rather occasions for grace.' Francis also frequently met with seminarians, priests and bishops. But he often had a message of tough love, railing against what he called clericalism , or the tendency to put priests and clergy on a pedestal. For Francis, clericalism was the root of many of the church's problems, especially the clergy sex abuse and cover-up scandal, given how he said it can contribute to abuses of power and authority. While offering a more positive message, Leo cited many of Francis' concerns in urging seminarians to accompany the poor and lamenting today's 'throwaway culture.' The seminarians interrupted him with applause when he cited Francis by name. The message of encouragement may also have been aimed at addressing the Catholic Church's chronic hemorrhaging of the number of clergy. According to the latest Vatican statistics, the number of seminarians worldwide continued to drop even as the Catholic population grew. There were 108,481 seminarians at the end of 2022, compared to 109,895 the previous year. Only Africa and Oceania registered increases and the church registered steep declines in the traditionally Catholic Americas and Europe, and a more modest decline in Asia. Over the coming days, Leo is expected to hold similar encounters with priests and bishops before presiding over a Jubilee Mass this weekend. This week marks something of the halfway mark of the Vatican's 2025 Holy Year, a celebration of Catholicism held once every quarter-century that has brought millions of pilgrims to Rome . ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
