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Herald Malaysia
4 days ago
- Politics
- Herald Malaysia
Cardinal Parolin: Enough bombs in Gaza; we call for truce in Ukraine
In an interview with Vatican News, Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin calls international humanitarian law to be respected in Gaza, urges Hamas to release all hostages, condemns antisemitism, and says the Vatican is willing to host peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. May 28, 2025 Palestinians walk amid the destruction of Gaza (MAJDY JILDAH) By Andrea TornielliCardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State, spoke to Vatican News about several issues currently at the center of the Holy See's attention. These include the terrible images coming from Gaza, the antisemitic attack in Washington, DC, the possibility of a peace summit on Ukraine, and the early days of Pope Leo XIV's pontificate. Q: Your Eminence, in Gaza, children are dying of hunger and the population is exhausted; bombs are falling on schools and hospitals. Yet there does not seem to be any intention to stop the bombins… What is happening in Gaza is unacceptable. International humanitarian law must always apply, and apply to everyone. We call for an end to the bombardments and for the necessary aid to reach the population: I believe the international community must do everything possible to bring this tragedy to an end. At the same time, we strongly reiterate the demand that Hamas immediately release all the hostages it still holds, and return the bodies of those who were killed after the barbaric attack of 7 October 2023 against Israel. Q: How did you react to the recent attack in Washington, in which two members of the Israeli embassy staff were killed? It shook me profoundly. Just as on 7 October, there are innocent victims—and these were also committed to peace and humanitarian initiatives. We must remain vigilant and ensure that the cancer of antisemitism, never fully defeated, does not rear its head again. Q: In recent days, after the limited results of the Istanbul meeting, the possibility of new negotiations hosted by the Vatican has been mentioned—although the Russians have already said 'no.' Can you tell us what is happening on that front? Pope Leo has offered the Holy See's full availability to host any negotiations, providing a neutral, protected venue. This was not a mediation—because a mediation must be requested by the parties. In this case, there has only been a public offer of hospitality for a possible meeting. Other potential venues are now being discussed, such as Geneva. In any event, it is not important where the negotiations between Russians and Ukrainians—negotiations we all hope for—will take place. What truly matters is that these negotiations finally begin, because it is urgent to stop the war. First and foremost, a truce is needed to end the devastation, the destroyed cities, the civilians losing their lives. Then it is urgent to reach a stable, just, and lasting peace, one accepted and agreed upon by both sides. Q: The word 'peace' was on the new Pope's lips from the very first moments of his election. Yes, Pope Leo XIV continues forcefully in the footsteps of his predecessors. It struck me that in his first Regina Caeli from the central loggia of St. Peter's Basilica—exactly the spot from which Pope Francis last blessed the faithful, speaking of peace and disarmament—Pope Leo repeated Saint Paul VI's words at the UN: 'Never again war!' The Pope and the entire Holy See are committed to building peace and supporting every initiative for dialogue and negotiation. Q: Some speak of a renewed 'protagonism' of the Vatican on the world stage… I would rather refer to the profound words of Leo XIV in his homily at the Mass with the Cardinals in the Sistine Chapel and at the Mass inaugurating his pontificate: we must fade into the background because Christ is the protagonist; Christians do not feel superior to others but are called to be a 'little leaven in the dough,' bearing witness to love, unity, and peace. Rather than speak of 'protagonism,' I would place diplomatic initiatives within this context of service to peace and fraternity. Q: Addressing journalists, Pope Leo asked for a 'different kind of communication.' Is there also a 'war of words'? Journalists—and communicators in general—perform a precious task, all the more so in times of war. The Pope has asked for communication that 'is not cloaked in aggressive words' and 'never separates the search for truth from the love with which we must humbly seek it.' Words too can become instruments of war, or they can help us understand one another, to dialogue, recognizing each other as brothers and sisters. Peace begins in each of us, and we are called to build it starting with how we communicate with others. As Pope Leo explained, we must 'reject the paradigm of war' even in our communication. Q: Speaking of the search for truth: in the final days of Pope Francis's pontificate, up to the days before the conclave, there were comments about how various heads of Dicasteries in the Curia handled abuse allegations they received previously. Have these been analyzed? Regarding comments and rumors about the conduct of certain heads of Roman Curia Dicasteries in relation to abuse reports during their time as diocesan bishops, inquiries carried out by the competent bodies—through examination of objective and documentary evidence—have shown that the cases were handled ad normam iuris , that is, according to the norms in force, and were forwarded by the then-diocesan bishops to the competent Dicastery for review and evaluation of the accusations. The verifications by the authorities entrusted with the matter have definitively found no irregularities in the conduct of the diocesan bishops. Q: By choosing the name Leo, the new Pope places himself in continuity with the Pope of Rerum Novarum : at the end of the 19th century there was the Industrial Revolution; today we live in the age of the digital revolution and face the challenges posed by artificial intelligence. How should we respond to these challenges? We await the reflections that the Successor of Peter will wish to make on this. I believe the right path is neither uncritical acceptance nor demonization. The ever more sophisticated and powerful capabilities that technology offers us must remain tools used always for the good, never forgetting that we cannot delegate to a machine decisions concerning the life or death of human beings. We must remain vigilant to prevent—as unfortunately sometimes happens—the digital realm and thus artificial intelligence from being used as instruments of propaganda to influence public opinion with false messages. Recalling journalists who have been imprisoned, Leo XIV spoke of the courage 'of those who defend the dignity, justice, and right of peoples to be informed, because only informed peoples can make free choices.'--Vatican News
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pope Leo XIV Formalizes Role as Bishop of Rome
Pope Leo XIV has completed the final ceremonial steps to formalizing his role as the bishop of Rome. The pontiff formally took possession of the St. John Lateran Basilica, Rome's cathedral and the seat of the diocese, on Sunday where he later conducted an evening Mass. On his way to the Basilica, Pope Leo XIV met up with the mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri, where he discussed his pride in formalizing his title. 'We are happy that Rome is now your city,' Gualtieri told the pontiff, according to Vatican News. 'Today I can say in a special way that I am a Roman, with and for you,' the pope replied. The bishop of Rome is one of the many titles that Pope Leo XIV was bestowed when he was elected by the College of Cardinals earlier this month. However, due to the volume of responsibility that comes with leading the Catholic Church, the day-to-day administrative tasks of running the diocese of Rome are typically bestowed to a vicar, or assistant bishop. The pontiff was born Robert Prevost in Chicago in 1955. He has held dual U.S. and Peruvian citizenship for the past decade, having served as a missionary and bishop across the two countries. He notably is the first U.S.-born leader of the Catholic Church. Following his election on May 8, the pontiff's personal politics were put under national spotlight. His digital footprint revealed at the time that he was in disagreement with the Trump administration on notable policies like immigration. Pope Leo XIV is also said to have been 'respected' by the late Pope Francis who 'thought of him very highly,' according to CNN Vatican correspondent Christoper Lamp. 'Clearly Pope Francis saw in him something,' Lamb said in a report published earlier this month. Francis had appointed Leo as a cardinal in 2023 and assigned him the title Diaconate of Saint Monica. 'He saw him as a capable leader.'
Herald Malaysia
6 days ago
- General
- Herald Malaysia
Pope: Communion requires prayer, listening, conversion
Leo XIV reaffirmed Pope Francis' dedication to listening, first and foremost to the Holy Spirit May 26, 2025 The Pope greeting crowds outside the Basilica of St. Mary Major. (Photo: Vatican News) By Carol Glatz, Catholic News ServiceCelebrating his first Mass in Rome's diocesan cathedral, Pope Leo XIV said communion is built primarily "on our knees," through prayer and a constant commitment to reaffirmed Pope Francis' dedication to listening, first and foremost to the Holy Spirit, as it then leads to listening to and understanding others "as our brothers and sisters."The pope's remarks came during his homily at Mass at the Basilica of St. John Lateran, where he took possession of the cathedral as the bishop of Rome May pope arrived in the late afternoon to the cheers and applause of those who turned out to welcome the U.S.-born pontiff as he stepped out of the black Volkswagen SUV in front of the basilica. He smiled and waved to those outside before being greeted by Cardinal Baldassare Reina, papal vicar for Rome, and then he walked through the basilica's Holy the start of the liturgy, Cardinal Reina read a profession of obedience to the pope on behalf of the diocese and then the pope sat on the raised marble chair in the basilica's apse, taking formal possession of the "cathedra" (chair) of the bishop of Rome. He then received representatives of his flock, including clergy and pope dedicated his homily to the Mass readings, putting special emphasis on the importance of first reading from the Acts of the Apostles (15:1-2, 22-29) described Paul and Barnabas recognizing the authority of the Jerusalem church and going there to settle the question of whether Gentiles could embrace a form of Christianity that did not include observing every aspect of Mosaic law."This was no easy matter; it called for much patience and mutual listening," and Peter and the apostles in Jerusalem were prepared to listen, Pope Leo dialogue "led to the right decision," he said, because they listened to God's voice."In this way, they remind us that communion is built primarily 'on our knees,' through prayer and constant commitment to conversion. For only in this way can each of us hear within the voice of the Spirit crying out: 'Abba! Father!' and then, as a result, listen to and understand others as our brothers and sisters," he said."Naturally, the more we let ourselves be convinced and transformed by the Gospel -- allowing the power of the Spirit to purify our heart, to make our words straightforward, our desires honest and clear, and our actions generous -- the more capable we are of proclaiming its message," the pope fact, he said, "the Gospel assures us that we are not alone in making our decisions in life. The Spirit sustains us and shows us the way to follow, 'teaching' us and 'reminding' us of all that Jesus said.""Pope Francis frequently encouraged us to reflect on the maternal dimension of the church and her defining qualities of tenderness, self-sacrifice and the capacity to listen," he said."We hope that those qualities will be increasingly present in the people of God everywhere, including here, in our great diocesan family: in the faithful, in pastors and, first of all, in myself," Pope Leo encouraged the Diocese of Rome's "process of listening" to the world and its communities to respond to current challenges and "to propose sage and prophetic initiatives of evangelization and charity.""I would like to express my firm desire to contribute to this great ongoing process by listening to everyone as much as possible, in order to learn, understand and decide things together, as St. Augustine would say, 'as a Christian with you and a bishop for you,'" Pope Leo asked everyone to support him "in prayer and charity, mindful of the words of St. Leo the Great: 'All the good we do in the exercise of our ministry is the work of Christ and not our own, for we can do nothing without him.'"He expressed his love and affection for the faithful of Rome "and my desire to share with you, on our journey together, our joys and sorrows, our struggles and hopes. I too offer you 'the little I have and am.'"Following the Mass, the pope appeared at the balcony of the basilica, where he briefly addressed a large crowd of people, wishing them as he did the afternoon of his election May 8, "Peace be with you."The Holy Year dedicated to hope, he said, encourages the faithful to be living witnesses of Christ's hope to the world, "a world that is suffering a lot" because of war, violence and poverty."Thank you for walking together," he said, "Let us all walk together."The pope then got in an open popemobile and headed to the patriarchal Basilica of St. Mary Major where he venerated the "Salus Populi Romani," ("Salvation of the Roman People"), a Marian icon in a side the prayers and final blessing, he stood and prayed at the tomb of his predecessor, Pope Francis, upon which lay a single white Leo then spoke to the people gathered outside the basilica, thanking them "from my heart" for their presence to be with their new bishop, "united as members of the Diocese of Rome."Before going to St. John Lateran for the Mass, Pope Leo also met with Rome's mayor, Roberto Gualtieri, in a brief ceremony at the bottom of the steps below city Leo said he felt the "serious but enthusiastic responsibility of serving all members" of the Diocese of Rome, "having at heart, above all, the faith of the people of God and, therefore, the common good of society.""We are partners, each in its own institutional setting," he said. And yet, as he was about to take possession of the city's cathedral, "Today I can say for you and with you, I am Roman," which was met with great May 25, the pope led a crowd in St. Peter's Square in praying the "Regina Coeli" at noon. Speaking from the window of the Apostolic Palace, the pope said, "Let us resolve to bring (the Lord's) love everywhere, never forgetting that each of our sisters and brothers is a dwelling place of God and that his presence is manifested above all in the little ones, in the poor and the suffering, who ask us to be thoughtful and compassionate Christians."--Vatican News
GMA Network
24-05-2025
- General
- GMA Network
Cardinal Tagle named titular bishop of diocese formerly assigned to Pope Leo XIV
Pope Leo XIV and Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle are seen discussing during their private meeting at the Vatican on May 16, 2025. Vatican News Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle has been named titular bishop of Albano in Rome, the diocese previously assigned to Pope Leo XIV or then-Cardinal Robert Prevost. ''The Holy Father has assigned the Title of the Suburbicarian Church of Albano to His Eminence Cardinal Luis Antonio G. Tagle, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization in the Section for First Evangelization and the new particular Churches,'' the Vatican said in a press release on Saturday. Tagle and two other Filipino cardinals participated in the conclave earlier this month that elected Prevost as pope following the death of Pope Francis on April 21. Leo XIV was inaugurated as the 267th pope of the Catholic Church on May 18 in a Vatican ceremony where Tagle placed the Ring of the Fisherman on the pontiff's finger. The Ring of the Fisherman is a symbol of the pontiff's authority as the successor of St. Peter, a fisherman and the first head of the Church. — Jiselle Anne Casucian/VBL, GMA Integrated News
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Posts falsely claim Pope Leo XIV snubs LGBTQ flag
'Pope Leo XIV stylishly avoids an LGB-TQ flag while greeting people. Now you know what Elon and Trump were up to,' reads the caption of a Facebook video published on May 13, 2025. Robert Francis Prevost became Pope Leo XIV on May 8, 2025, after cardinals from around the globe elected him, in less than two days, to be the first US leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics (archived here). In the 17-second Facebook video, Pope Leo XIV walks down a busy corridor lined with well-wishers on both sides. He greets people on the one side, and then the other, alternating as he walks along. At one point, he walks by a colourful flag held by a person on the right-hand side while he is busy greeting people on the left. The same video was shared elsewhere on Facebook in English and on X in Portuguese here and here. However, the flag that the new pope walked by is not a pride flag. Using Google Lens to conduct reverse image searches on keyframes from the video, AFP Fact Check found a longer original YouTube video from which the 17-second Facebook clip was extracted (archived here). The original video, published by the state-owned media outlet Vatican News on May 12, 2025, is captioned 'Audience with journalists, May 12, 2025—Pope Leo XIV'. The scene in question can be seen at 40'28''. A careful look at the flag reveals letters in the centre, including the letter 'A'. In addition, its colours do not follow the same order as the LGBTQ flag, which begins with the colour red. In Portuguese posts, some social media users commented that the flag was an Italian peace flag. A search using the terms 'flag' and 'peace' on the Vatican News website led to a publication from the official portal of the Holy See that includes a photo of the flag in question and describes it as a 'flag of peace' in the caption (archived here and here). The flag bears the word 'pace', which is Italian for 'peace'. It is widely recognised in Italy and associated with anti-war and pacifist movements (archived here). The peace flag features seven horizontal stripes arranged from top to bottom: violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red, while the LGBTQ flag has six stripes: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. AFP has several archive photos of the flag, commonly used in pacifist demonstrations.
