The Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, perhaps the largest of the Eastern churches in full communion with the Holy See, has been badly split by a bitter dispute over liturgical changes. But the Vatican may have found a formula for peace between the factions, reports Luke Coppen for The Pillar. The proposed solution comes along with a major reorganization of the Syro-Malabar hierarchy.

Some parishes in the New Orleans archdiocese are struggling to meet insurance payments, with the archdiocese unable to help pay the bills because of its own bankruptcy proceedings.

“Every parish stands alone,” says Dirk Wild, the chief archdiocesan financial officer. Parishioners counter that their parishes have been asked to contribute toward the $180 settlement offer for abuse victims, when the archdiocese was responsible.

A new study published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research has found that women who procure abortions are twice as likely to be hospitalized for mental-health problems as women who give birth.

The study of 1.2 million Quebec women concluded that “rates of mental-health-related hospitalization were higher following induced abortions than other pregnancies.”

Gena Heraty, an Irish missionary in Haiti who was kidnapped on August 3, has been released from captivity.

Heraty, the director of Sainte-Hélène orphanage, was abducted along with seven colleagues and a child. They, too, have been released.

At the conclusion of his August 31 Sunday Angelus address, Pope Leo XIV described the World Day of Prayer for Creation (background) as “more important and urgent than ever.”

“Ten years ago, in harmony with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, Pope Francis established this Day for the Catholic Church,” Pope Leo told pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square. “This is more important and urgent than ever, and this year’s theme is ‘Seeds of Peace and Hope.’”

“Together with all Christians, we celebrate it throughout this ‘Season of Creation,’ which lasts until 4 October, the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi,” the Pope continued. “In the spirit of the Canticle of Brother Sun, which he composed 800 years ago, we praise God and renew our commitment not to ruin his gift, but to care for our common home.”

Pope Leo XIV sent a video message to the Augustinians of the Province of Saint Thomas of Villanova as they honored him with the Saint Augustine Medal.

“In one of his sermons, St. Augustine encouraged his listeners: ‘Do not have your heart in your ears, but your ears in your heart,’” Pope Leo said in his message, recorded during his summer stay in Castel Gandolfo and released by the Vatican on August 29.

The Pope asked, “What do we need to do in order to practice how to listen with the ears of our heart?” and reflected:

The world is full of noise, and our heads and hearts can be flooded with many different kinds of messages. These messages can fuel our restlessness and steal our joy.

As a community of faith, striving to build a relationship with the Lord, may we strive to filter the noise, the divisive voices in our heads and hearts, and open ourselves up to the daily invitations to get to know God and God’s love better. When we hear that loving, reassuring voice of the Lord, we can share it with the world as we strive to become one in him.

Without using the word “Russia,” Pope Leo XIV lamented recent Russian attacks in Ukraine as he renewed his call for peace.

“Sadly, the war in Ukraine continues to sow death and destruction,” Pope Leo said on August 31, at the conclusion of his Sunday Angelus address. “Even in recent days, bombings have struck several cities, including the capital Kyiv, causing numerous casualties. I renew my closeness to the Ukrainian people and to all the injured families.”

The Pope then asked everyone “not to give in to indifference, but to draw close to them through prayer and concrete gestures of charity.” He added:

I strongly reiterate my urgent appeal for an immediate ceasefire and a serious commitment to dialogue. Now is the time for those responsible to renounce the logic of weapons and take the path of negotiation and peace, with the support of the international community. The voice of weapons must be silenced, while the voice of fraternity and justice must be raised.

Reflecting on the Gospel reading of the day (Luke 14:1.7-14), Pope Leo XIV spoke during his August 31 Sunday Angelus address about the vainglorious competition for attention and Jesus’ teaching on humility.

“Dear friends, today let us pray that the Church will always be a school of humility for everyone, a home where all are welcome, a place where rivalries are set aside and where Jesus still speaks to us and teaches us to imitate his own humility and freedom,” he told pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square. “Mary is truly the Mother of that home; it is to her that we now pray.”