Cardinal Pizzaballa Visited Taybeh, West Bank: On August 15, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa visited the Christian community of Taybeh in the West Bank, amid Israeli military restrictions on access to the area. “We will continue to do everything in our power to preserve the ecclesial presence here, at every level of the Holy Land,” he said. He also urged Christians to defend their rights without giving in to fear or despair: “We do not want to give up or abandon our rights, our right to life. So be courageous. Do not be afraid.” He also warned against allowing the conflict to shape the community internally.
Behind a “prayer gathering for peace” in the papal gardens of Castel Gandolfo on July 29 was a secret dinner with wealthy donors, primarily Americans, reports Nd.nl on August 17. The evening was organised by the Vatican foundation Borgo Laudato si’, with the Andrea Bocelli Foundation as co-organizer. Employees of the dicasteries of the Holy See, the Governorate of Vatican City State and the offices of the Roman Curia were invited. Images show that several chairs remained empty. A Vatican employee said that the invitation wasn’t put up on the notice board until the morning of the concert. The evening consisted of a concert by tenor Andrea Bocelli and an interreligious children’s choir. Leo XIV then gave interviews to the American television networks NBC and Telemundo. Journalists from other media who were present were not allowed to speak with visitors and were kept under tight control. The incoming head of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication, the divorced lawyer Montse Alvarado, …Bontsi
Thieves Steal Four Renaissance Paintings From Italian Museum in Brazen Heist The works, by Antonello da Messina, were taken as the Sicilian city of Messina held a religious celebration.
Furto shock al MuMe: rubati 4 capolavori di Antonello da Messina Clamoroso furto d'arte a Messina nella notte di Ferragosto: quattro opere attribuite ad Antonello da Messina sono state sottratte dal MuMe. Tre delle cinque tavole del celebre Polittico di San Gregorio e una preziosa tavoletta bifronte sono state portate via. Il museo è chiuso e sono in corso i rilievi della Polizia Scientifica. Seguiamo in diretta tutti gli aggiornamenti, la ricostruzione del colpo e il valore storico delle opere scomparse. Fast News Platform
By Elisabetta Povoledo Reporting from Rome Aug. 16, 2026 Four paintings by the Renaissance master Antonello da Messina were stolen from a museum in Messina, Sicily, on Saturday, Italian officials said. Taking advantage of an annual religious celebration that brings tens of thousands to Messina’s streets, thieves made off with three of five panels that constitute the Polyptych of San Gregorio as well as a small double-sided devotional painting. They are the only works by Antonello da Messina, commonly called Antonello, that remained in his native city. The celebration, the Procession of the Vara, is a religious ritual that takes places every Aug. 15. Some 100,000 people attended the celebration and the city’s law enforcement officials were focused on maintaining order there, city officials said. “Coinciding with la Vara, it was certainly a planned theft,” Mayor Federico Basile said in a telephone interview. Commissioned in the 15th century for the church of San Gregorio, which was …Bontsi
Synodality Risks Turning the Church Into a “Parliament”: The risk that synodality becomes a parliament is correct, Cardinal Angelo Scola, 84, of Milan, Italy, told Swiss broadcaster RSI on August 16. At the same time, "conservative" Cardinal Scola defended synodality itself: “It is important that the synodal element be increasingly emphasized in the Church.” Most of the interview looks back on debates of Scola’s younger years, recalling figures such as Henri de Lubac, Hans Urs von Balthasar, Joseph Ratzinger, the legacy of Vatican II, and the fading theological journal Communio.
DO NOT ASSUME THAT SOMEONE IS ALREADY IN HEAVEN St. Vincent Ferrer recounted a narrative about an archdeacon from Lyons who renounced his position to live a life of penance in the desert. He died on the same day and hour as Saint Bernard. After his death, the archdeacon appeared to his bishop and revealed, "Know, Monsignor, that at the very hour I passed away, thirty-three thousand people also died. Out of this number, St. Bernard and myself went up to heaven without delay, three went to purgatory, and all the others fell into Hell."
Bishop Athanasius Schneider has issued his first public statement since Leo XIV declared six FSSPX bishops excommunicated on July 2, published on Diane Montagna's Substack. Schneider had previously appealed for liturgical peace, meeting with Pope Leo XIV in December 2025 and Cardinal Parolin a little over a week before the July 1 episcopal consecration. Bishop Schneider's central claim: in an extraordinary Church crisis, fidelity to unambiguous doctrine and traditional liturgy can outweigh obedience to ecclesiastical law. He opens with St. Athanasius, excommunicated by Pope Liberius in 357 for refusing communion with Arian bishops the Pope himself had recognized under imperial pressure. Athanasius was later canonized as a Doctor of the Church; Liberius was never canonized. Schneider treats Écône as a modern parallel — a forced choice between canonical obedience and doctrinal integrity. Bishop Schneider blames two distortions for narrowing this question: "legalism" (treating Church law …Bontsi
A great statement on the part of Bishop Schneider, but I'm afraid he innocently believes the Conciliar leaders of the Church, including Pope Leo XIV, are interested in suppressing Modernism and re-establishing the authentic teachings of the Catholic Church. He is incredibly naive to not realize what the Conciliarists are actually promoting, as I don't believe he is duplicitous.
Catholics shouldn't be cross posting Russian propaganda. Isn't that a sin against the Faith?
The KGB’s “active measures” didn’t die with the Soviet Union—they evolved. When Russia abandoned communist ideology publicly, it freed Kremlin propagandists to become “much more ecumenical in devising propaganda and disinformation themes,” using diverse tactics and language patterns to target both left and right.
The question of Russia from the Catholic point of view is quite simple and confirmed by Our Lady of Fatima message. Russia is to be converted, not to be a role model/exemplar/true alternative for the apostasy in the West. Eastern schism (mixed with some heresies) and its tsaropapism is not the alternative for post-conciliar-synodal revolution desolating the Church in the West.
Half-naked dance in Brazilian church. Worse than Germany: A video posted on Instagram on 25 May shows members of the traditional Caiapós de São José group dancing inside St Benedict's Church in Poços de Caldas, Brazil, wearing their minimal pagan-looking attire. The group said they entered the church at the end of the festivities to thank St Benedict for his blessings.
Semi-nude members of the folkloric group Caiapós de São José are seen rehearsing inside St. Benedict Church in Poços de Caldas, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The Feast of St. Benedict is celebrated there from May 1-13. The festivities honor St. Benedict, patron saint of Black Brazilians, and recall the abolition of slavery and the traditional assistance Caiapós gave to enslaved people.
3 U.S. Dioceses Are Booming With Priests Despite a Global Decline | SG News While priestly vocations continue to face challenges across many parts of the world, three U.S. dioceses are offering a strikingly different story: Charlotte, Wichita, and Arlington. What is happening in these Catholic communities? From Eucharistic adoration and vibrant parish life to faith-filled families, strong Catholic formation, and priests who joyfully invite young men to consider their vocation, these dioceses are showing what can happen when a culture actively encourages a call to the priesthood. In this video, we explore the factors behind their growing number of priestly vocations and the lessons other Catholic communities may be able to learn. Could these dioceses offer a blueprint for a new generation of Catholic vocations? Watch and discover the story. Stay Updated with @SGNEWS-SG – Faith, Society & Global Christian Perspective
Cardinal Cobo Turns the Consecration into a Theatrical Display: On 15 August, Cardinal José Cobo of Madrid delivered a liturgically abusive, theatrical presentation of the consecration at the Eucharist for the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Parish Church of the Virgen de la Paloma in Madrid. While saying the words of consecration - “Take this, all of you, and eat of it, for this is my Body” - Cardinal Cobo looked towards the congregation and extended the bread towards them. He made a similar gesture with the chalice while saying, “Take this, all of you, and drink from it.” The Eucharist was broadcast live on Telemadrid.
¿Qué clase de consagración es esta? Las rúbricas son claras: El sacerdote, además, se inclina un poco cuando, en la consagración, pronuncia las palabras del Señor.
Pastor John Cao served every day of his seven-year prison sentence. Now he's fighting stage 4 cancer, and China still will not let him come home to his family in the US. Please join me in petitioning President Trump to personally raise Pastor Cao’s case with President Xi on Sept. 24. Add your name and help bring Pastor Cao home: Help Bring Pastor John Cao Home#BringCaoHome
While I hope the best for Mr. Cao, and agree that he needs our prayers, it would be completely inappropriate to pray for his intentions. He is a schismatic heretic, and hence his intentions would not be that people join the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church, but rather that people follow a schismatic and heretical path that will lead them not to eternal life but to perdition. . To clarify his situation, he is not a citizen of the United States, he is a citizen of China. After being duly prosecuted under Chinese law, and while in prison, his passport (Chinese, of course) expired. Because of his violation of Chinese law and subsequent conviction, his hukou was revoked, and he has been denied a passport renewal. I don't quite see how a diplomatic request by President Trump or anyone else would be perceived by the Chinese as anything other than interference in Chinese affairs.
New FSSPX Chapel in Poland: On August 1, the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X (FSSPX) blessed a new chapel in Bydgoszcz, Poland. The previous chapel had become too small for the growing congregation. The FSSPX has maintained an apostolate in Poland's Kuyavian-Pomeranian region for more than 20 years. According to PiusX.org.pl, by April 30, 2026, a fundraising campaign for the new chapel had raised 306,595.86 PLN (about €71,000). The chapel was not newly built, but created by adapting existing premises over several weeks, including the sanctuary, sacristy, altar, and liturgical furnishings.
Une nouvelle chapelle de la FSSPX a été bénie le 1er août à Bydgoszcz. Depuis l’ouverture de la précédente chapelle en 2022, le nombre de fidèles assistant aux messes dominicales n’a cessé de croître, au point de rendre les locaux trop exigus.
Visit our Blog: pagina-catolica.blogspot.com At the High Mass of the Virgin Mary (La Virgen Grande), broadcast live by Cantabria Television, the parish priest of the Assumption of Torrelavega (Spain) relativized the dogma defined by Pius XII, attributed the Marian titles to "mythology" and introduced a "contemplative dance" surrounding the altar with colored skirts —men included— between the Gospel and the homily, in addition to jotas and pericotes in the middle of the offertory. The parish priest said: "The colors signify that we are open to everyone, and dancing in circles indicates that no one is left out at the table of the Eucharist." Father Juan Carlos Rodriguez del Pozo said in his homily: "Today we celebrate Mary's ascension to heaven, body and soul. Obviously, we don't have to take it literally. No human being will ascend to heaven body and soul. Heaven is not a physical place. Heaven is a state of the soul, a state of fullness, of happiness." "God chooses Mary, a humble …Bontsi
After entering a civil ceremony in Cascais, Portugal, on August 11, Cristiano Ronaldo and his concubine Georgina Rodríguez received for their Amoris Laetitia relationship a blessing à la Fiducia Supplicans from a priest at the Shrine of Fátima. This was followed a Eucharist behind closed doors in the Chapel of Nossa Senhora das Dores. Ronaldo's management confirmed the civil marriage to Reuters. Portuguese and Spanish reports say the ceremony took place in the couple's living room. Both have publicly identified with “Catholicism”. On August 10, Ronaldo and Rodríguez signed a prenuptial agreement in Lisbon establishing separation of property. They retained their respective surnames, while the marriage record reportedly lists their residence as Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. “Their” children were present at the event in Fatima. Cristiano Ronaldo Jr., born in 2010, is Ronaldo's eldest son. His mother's identity has never been publicly disclosed, and Ronaldo has said he has custody of him. Twins …Bontsi
Rainbow Dance at the Altar Includes Men in Skirts: On August 15, at the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption in Torrelavega, Spain, parish priest Juan Carlos Rodríguez del Pozo introduced a “contemplative dance” in which men and women wearing large, rainbow colored skirts danced in a circle around “the table of the Eucharist.” Explaining its symbolism, he said: “We’re going to see many colors, which symbolize… diversity”. After the dance, he added: “We are a welcoming, diverse community, where nobody is superfluous, where we all (todos) feel at home, whoever/however we may be.” In the homily, Rodríguez del Pozo rejected a faithful understanding of Our Lady’s bodily Assumption: “No human being is going to ascend to heaven body and soul.”
l párroco anunció: «Pues ahora vamos a contemplar al grupo de danza contemplativa de la parroquia […] que nos va a hacer un guiño en este 125 aniversario. Vamos a ver muchos colores que simbolizan el rosetón […] los colores, la diversidad, la alegría […] Van a danzar en círculo. El círculo es la perfección […] Alrededor de la mesa de la Eucaristía nadie sobra […] Pues vamos, en estas claves, a disfrutar un momentito de esto».
‘The World Is Not Waiting for a Synodal Church’: In an open letter to Pope Leo XIV, Dutch Bishop Rob Mutsaerts says people in the West today need clear and confident proclamation of the Gospel rather than permanent ecclesial consultation.
In realtà si tratta solo di un espediente per fare approvare certi cambiamenti nefasti dando loro autorità papale. Infatti fin ora non cisono riusciti e allora il sinodo va avanti finchè non raggiungono il loro scopo: obbligare ad accettare eresie.
Irish Female Preacher at Eucharist: "I’d Love to See Women Priests" Worse than Germany: On 13 August, Irish TV broadcaster Mary Kennedy delivered the homily during the 'National Novena' at Knock Basilica, Ireland. Kennedy is divorced, has had subsequent relationships and said she “shouldn’t really be receiving Holy Communion” but is an “à la carte Catholic”. She added, “that’s the kind of Catholic that suits me.” Furthermore, Kennedy said that she loves “the sound of the Muslim call to prayer”. Later in the address, Kennedy criticised what she described as the “male-dominated” ministry: “I would love to see women priests. I really would.”
On 13 August 2026, Irish broadcaster Mary Kennedy delivered a roughly 15-minute guest address entitled “Faith in Full View” during the National Novena to Our Lady of Knock in Knock Basilica, Co. Mayo, following the Gospel: “I would like it if it weren’t such a male-dominated ministry. I think there is real value in having women in important positions in the Church. It’s not going to change in my lifetime, or in the lifetimes of other people present here, but I really do feel that women would have a huge contribution to make to the Church, and I would love to see women priests. I really would.”