Feast date: Jul 13

On July 13, the Catholic Church celebrates the memory of St. Henry II, a German king who led and defended Europe's Holy Roman Empire at the beginning of the first millennium.

St. Henry was born in 972 to Duke Henry of Bavaria and Princess Gisela of Burgundy. During his youth, Henry received both an education and spiritual guidance from a bishop who was himself canonized, St. Wolfgang of Regensberg. Henry was an intelligent and devout student, and for a period of time he was considered for the priesthood.

St. Wolfgang's lessons in piety and charity left a lasting mark on Henry's soul. But it was ultimately in the political realm, not the Church, that he would seek to exercise these virtues. He took on his father's position as Duke of Bavaria in 995, one year after St. Wolfgang's death. The Church supported his accession to the throne as King of Germany in 1002.

As king, Henry encouraged the German bishops to reform the practices of the Church in accordance with canon law. During the same period he is said to have brought a peaceful end to a revolt in his territory, which ended with the king mercifully pardoning the rebels. Henry also acted decisively, but not harshly, against an Italian nobleman who set himself up as a rival king.

In 1014, the German king journeyed to Rome where Pope Benedict VIII formally crowned him as head of the Holy Roman Empire. The emperor demonstrated his loyalty to the Pope by confirming Benedict VIII's authority over the city of Rome. Henry made his journey from Rome back to Germany into a pilgrimage of sorts, stopping at various monasteries along the way.

Henry became a great patron of churches and monasteries, donating so much of his wealth to them that his relatives complained that he was behaving irresponsibly. But Henry was far from irresponsible, as his leadership of the Western Empire in both war and peace demonstrated. The emperor was also a great patron of the poor, making enormous contributions for their relief.

The emperor's extraordinary generosity was made possible in part by his lack of an heir. He was married to a woman who was later canonized in her own right, St. Cunigunde of Luxembourg, but the two had no children. Some accounts say that the couple took vows of virginity and never consummated their marriage, though this explanation of their childlessness is not universally accepted.

For the last several years of his life, Henry had to deal with serious illness, and an additional ailment that crippled his left leg, along with his imperial responsibilities. He found support in prayer during these trials, and seriously considered resigning his imperial leadership in order to become a monk.

After several years of illness, St. Henry II died in July of 1024. The public mourned sincerely for the monarch who had managed to lead his earthly kingdom so responsibly without losing sight of the Kingdom of God. Pope Eugene III canonized him in 1146.

This year, a dozen new abuse allegations have been lodged against the famed French priest Abbé Pierre (1912-2007)—bringing the total number of allegations to 45.

Ordained to the priesthood in 1938, Abbé Pierre took part in the French resistance against the Nazis during World War II and was a member of the French parliament from 1945 to 1951. Known for his ministry to the poor and homeless, he became a beloved figure in France; he was also a critic of Catholic teaching on sexual morality. The Paris prosecutor’s office, citing the statute of limitations, has declined to investigate allegations against him.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, has written a message on behalf of Pope Leo XIV to participants in the AI for Good Summit, which is taking place in Geneva, Switzerland.

“Humanity is at a crossroads, facing the immense potential generated by the digital revolution driven by Artificial Intelligence,” Cardinal Parolin wrote in his July 10 message, adding:

On behalf of Pope Leo XIV, I would like to take this opportunity to encourage you to seek ethical clarity and to establish a coordinated local and global governance of AI, based on the shared recognition of the inherent dignity and fundamental freedoms of the human person.

At the conclusion of its summer meeting, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines issued a letter lamenting “the difficult situation of workers in our country: the wages they receive are far below the minimum wage that allows them to provide for their needs and support their families.”

“The Church must set a good example by guaranteeing workers in Church institutions fair wages, benefits, and humane treatment,” the bishops added.

The prelates also expressed concerns about the Senate’s delay in continuing impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte. “An impeachment process, when conducted with truth and justice, is a legitimate democratic mechanism for transparency and accountability in governance,” the bishops said.

The Office of Policy and Advocacy of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Migration and Refugee Services has published a summary of migration-related provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

The seven-page document, dated July 9, notes that “the legislation covers a broad range of issues, including several provisions that will directly impact the US immigration system, noncitizens, and mixed status families.”

The State of Missouri has enacted legislation forbidding public colleges from taking “any adverse action against a belief-based student association ... on the basis of such association’s viewpoint,” or “based on such association’s requirement that the association’s leaders be committed to furthering the association’s mission.”

The new law will prevent Missouri public universities from following in the footsteps of colleges that have taken action against Catholic and other Christian organizations on the basis of alleged discrimination.

Missouri also enacted legislation permitting public schools to have volunteer chaplains.

In an updated assessment of religious freedom in Syria, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom stated that “loyalists to the transitional authorities have targeted civilians in the west and south through mass sectarian attacks, while Turkish military strikes and support for Islamist militias in the north have continued to pose threats.”

The July report offers overviews of “the end of the Assad regime and its religious freedom abuses,” as well as “post-Assad religious freedom violations, including attacks on religious minorities.”

Pope Leo XIV established the Diocese of Kapsabet, Kenya, on July 10, carving it from the territory of the Diocese of Eldoret. The new diocese has 314,000 Catholics, 36 parishes, and 52 priests; the Eldoret diocese, following the loss of territory to the new diocese, now has 581,000 Catholics, 65 parishes, and 112 priests.

It is the first such action taken by Pope Leo XIV. In 2024, Pope Francis established eight new dioceses; he also merged two Welsh dioceses into one. Earlier in 2025, Pope Francis established four dioceses from larger dioceses.

Pope Leo XIV receives about 100 kilograms (220 pounds) of mail each day, the Italian postal service said in a statement.

“Currently, it is impossible to determine which country writes the most to the Pope,” said Antonello Chidichimo, director of the postal service.

Gunmen stormed a seminary in Nigeria on July 10, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) reports. A security guard was killed and three seminarians were kidnapped.

The attack on Immaculate Conception Seminary, in the Auchi diocese, took place Thursday evening. The students who escaped the kidnappers were taken to another location. Bishop Gabriel Duna of Auchi asked all priests of the diocese to celebrate Mass and lead the Rosary for the abducted seminarians and for the security of the Church.