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Pope to meet with Italian priests (Conferenza Episcopale Italiana)

The Italian Episcopal Conference announced that Pope Leo XIV will address Italian priests during a prayer vigil on December 11 and then meet with them again on December 12.

The meeting will commemorate the first anniversary of the Pope’s apostolic letter on fidelity and the priesthood, A Fidelity that Generates the Future.

Vatican prefect discusses prayer life, fidelity to Scripture and Tradition (The Catholic Leader)

The new prefect of the Dicastery for Legislative Texts said in an interview that his dicastery’s work “must always remain faithful to Sacred Scripture and the living Tradition of the Church.”

“Because the law of the Church touches the faith and daily lives of all the faithful, the responsibility entrusted to us is a significant one,” said Archbishop Anthony Randazzo. “My hope is that everything we place before Pope Leo for his consideration will be faithful to the Gospel, just in its application and always marked by compassion.”

In response to a question, the prelate also discussed his life of prayer:

For me, that begins each day with time spent reading and praying with the Word of God. It is sustained through the daily celebration of the Holy Mass, regular reception of the Sacrament of Penance, and a rich devotional life in the company of Our Lady and the saints.

Personally, I find great strength and consolation in praying the Rosary, meditating on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ through the intercession of Mary. Those moments of prayer continually remind me that everything I do must begin and end with Christ.

I also firmly believe that I cannot devote myself to canon law unless I have first been nourished by the Gospel, because the law of the Church is never an end in itself; it is always at the service of the Gospel and the salvation of souls.

Priests, religious demand international investigation into Sri Lanka mass graves (Tamil Guardian)

Priests and religious in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, took part in a peaceful demonstration on July 30 to demand an international investigation into the Chemmani mass graves.

The graves date to 1995-96, when the army retook control of an area held by rebels during the Sri Lankan Civil War (1983-2009).

Report: Indonesian soldiers enter church during Mass, cause panic (Human Rights Monitor)

Indonesian soldiers entered a church in Intan Jaya Regency during Sunday Mass on July 26, causing “fear and panic,” according to a report from the organization Human Rights Monitor.

“The reported incident occurred amid an intensified military operation and repeated armed violence affecting Catholic communities in Intan Jaya Regency,” according to the report. “On 29 June 2026, a vehicle carrying a priest, nuns, parishioners and workers reportedly came under fire.”

Vatican newspaper highlights religious sisters' work against human trafficking (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))

On July 30, the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, L’Osservatore Romano devoted five articles to human trafficking. Four of the articles highlighted the work of religious sisters against human trafficking.

“This grave human rights violation currently affects over 50 million people worldwide,” the newspaper reported in an unsigned introductory article. “Data released by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reveal a criminal enterprise linked to exploitation that is worth $236 billion annually.”

Cardinal Roche: 'Pope Leo is not going to change Traditionis Custodes' (CWN)

The prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments said in an interview that Pope Leo is “not going to change” Traditionis Custodes, Pope Francis’s 2021 apostolic letter restricting the celebration of the extraordinary form of the Mass, nor restore the provisions of Pope Benedict’s 2007 apostolic letter Summorum Pontificum.

Schedule announced for papal visit to Assisi (Vatican Press Office)

The Prefecture of the Papal Household announced the schedule of Pope Leo XIV’s brief visit to Assisi on August 6, in the midst of the Year of Saint Francis.

During his visit of under four hours, Pope Leo will meet with young people taking part in the GO! Franciscan Youth Meeting and with representatives of the Franciscan order. The Pontiff will then celebrate Mass in the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels, which encloses the Portiuncula, where St. Francis heard the call to rebuild the Church.

Pope to celebrate 4 public Masses in August (Vatican Press Office)

Archbishop Diego Ravelli, the Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations, announced that Pope Leo XIV will celebrate four public Masses in August.

The Pontiff will celebrate Mass in Assisi on August 6, in Rimini on August 22, and at different churches in Castel Gandolfo on August 15 and 29.

The Society of Jesus: a numerical overview (CWN)

Today is the memorial of St. Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556), the founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). According to the online edition of the Annuario Pontificio, the institute had 13,768 members, 9,987 of them priests, in 2024.

Police detain Polish suspect in Medjugorje vandalism (OSV News)

Police in Bosnia and Herzegovina detained a Polish suspect following vandalism at the Marian pilgrimage site of Medjugorje.

A vandal, or vandals, defaced a statute of the Blessed Virgin Mary and set fire to an outdoor altar there.

In 2024, Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith granted cautious approval to Medjugorje devotions in its Note About the Spiritual Experience Connected with Medjugorje.