No further canonical action will be undertaken.

Cardinal Lacroix, the Primate of Canada and a member of the Pope’s nine-member Council of Cardinals, was accused of abuse in January as part of a class-action lawsuit. The lawsuit alleged that Lacroix assaulted an unnamed 17-year-old girl in the late 1980s.

“The Holy Father extends his profound thanks to Judge André Denis for having completed, within the prescribed time, the mandate entrusted to him and which he carried out with impartiality in the context of the class action lawsuit brought against the Archdiocese of Quebec,” the Vatican announcement concluded.

“I greet first of all Chiara, who has been chosen by the Lord to carry forward this movement, this breath of the Spirit that has awakened so many consciences,” the Pope said.

“Whenever a movement develops, there is a danger that the charism may become diluted and lose the strength it had at the beginning,” the Pope added, as he advised “prayer ? one cannot go forward without prayer ? and courage ? do not lose that boldness, that courage to carry it forward.”

Noting that members “expressly reach out to people who are in situations of hardship, marginalization and material and moral poverty,” the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life offers an overview of the community in its Directory of Associations. The Vatican recognized the New Horizons Community as an international private association of the faithful in 2010.

“’Fraternity to heal the world’ was the theme chosen by Pope Francis for this Eucharistic Congress,” said Archbishop Alfredo Espinoza Mateus, SDB, of Quito. “We know that there are many wounds in the world, we cannot deny them. ... Do we know how to heal these wounds? Are we ready to be ‘Eucharistic missionaries’ of fraternity?”

Archbishop Espinoza was joined by Father Juan Carlos Garzón, secretary general of the 2024 Congress, and Fr. Corrado Maggioni, SMM, president of the Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses.

On the same day, Pope Francis appointed Cardinal Kevin Farrell, prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life, as the pontifical legate to the Congress.

The Pontiff wrote that he was “entrusting the souls of the deceased to the mercy of the Almighty, and with prayers for those who mourn their loss, especially their families, I send the assurance of spiritual closeness to the nation at this difficult time.”

Matson, according to Religion News Service, “transitioned” in 2006, converted to Catholicism in 2010, was declined admission to the Jesuits and other religious communities, and was accepted as a vowed diocesan hermit by Bishop John Stowe.

“My willingness to be open to him is because it’s a sincere person seeking a way to serve the Church,” said Bishop Stowe. “Hermits are a rarely used form of religious life ? but they can be either male or female. Because there’s no pursuit of priesthood or engagement in sacramental ministry, and because the hermit is a relatively quiet and secluded type of vocation, I didn’t see any harm in letting him live this vocation.”

Matson, a critic of Vatican and US bishops’ documents on transgenderism, is “known in the town where he lives primarily through his work with the local theater,” according to the report.

The share of “nones” rose from 21% to 30% between 2008 and 2013, but has plateaued around 35% in recent years, writes Burge.

“The share of Catholics doesn’t really change that much from one generation to another,” he added. “It just hovers around 20%, whether it’s Boomers or Gen Z. It’s the Protestant share that takes a beating.”

The health of the country is of particular concern,” he said. “It is increasingly difficult to get out of the abyss of destitution.”

“Furthermore, the generation gap is widening,” he added. “Young people are increasingly exposed to economic hardship and the gap created by those who tend to drift away from political participation and voluntary work is increasing.”

Cardinal Arthur Roche, prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, was the principal celebrant.

“The Spirit’s work in us is powerful, as symbolized by the signs of wind and fire, which are often associated with God’s power in the Bible,” the Pope preached. “At the same time, the Paraclete’s working in us is also gentle ... The wind and the fire do not destroy or reduce to ashes whatever they touch: the one fills the house where the disciples are, and the other rests gently, in the form of flames, on the head of each.”

“Like the Apostles, we too are being sent forth, particularly at the present time, to proclaim the Gospel to all,” the Pope continued. “Thanks to the Spirit, we can and must do this with his own power and gentleness.”

The “words that the Father and the Son say to each other” are “precisely the transformative words of love, which the Holy Spirit repeats in us, and which it is good for us to listen to, because these words engender and make grow the same sentiments and the same intentions in our heart: they are fruitful words,” the Pope said, as he reflected on John 16:13.

“This is why it is important that we nourish ourselves every day with the words of God, the words of Jesus, inspired by the Spirit,” he continued. “The Word of God silences our superficial chatter and makes us say serious words, beautiful words, joyful words.”

“Dear sisters and brothers, reading and meditating on the Gospel, praying in silence, saying good words: they are not difficult things, no, we can all do them,” he added. “May Mary, present at Pentecost with the Apostles, make us docile to the voice of the Holy Spirit.”

Patriarch Bartholomew discussed plans for the celebration at a May 16 press conference, saying that the Pope has indicated he will travel to Constantinople and accompany the Orthodox leader to Nicea for the ceremonies.

The Vatican has not confirmed plans for the papal trip. Patriarch Bartholomew indicated that the Vatican “will contact the Turkish government, to formalize his visit and his involvement in these coming celebrations.”

Upon his arrival, the Pope met with priests and religious in the Basilica of San Zeno. During the meeting, the Pope spoke about the Lord’s “call, the call received and always to be accepted,” as well as “the mission, to be carried out with boldness.”

The Pope then met with young people and chaired a peace meeting, during which an Israeli and a Palestinian spoke together. The Israeli’s parents were killed by Hamas on October 7; the Palestinian’s brother was killed by Israeli soldiers. The Pope embraced the two of them.

In the afternoon, Pope Francis spoke at a prison and presided at Mass in a stadium. In his extemporaneous homily, the Pope said that “the Holy Spirit gives us the courage to live the Christian life ... Listen to the Spirit, pray to the Spirit, and if it is He changing your life, trust the Spirit.”

”Closing the border and leaving them there is madness,” the Pope said. “Maybe they need to be sent back? I don’t know? but each case must be considered humanely.”

The papal interview had received considerable publicity even before it aired, because of previews in which the Pope dismissed conservative opposition, saying that conservative ideology is suicidal.

In the full interview, conducted by Norah O’Donnell, the Pontiff spoke urgently about the need for peace in Ukraine and Gaza. He also said that while the Church welcomes everyone, Catholicism cannot accommodate same-sex marriage.

Questioned about surrogate motherhood, the Pope lamented that the practice “has become a business, and this is very bad.” When O’Donnell said that it might be the only choice for some women who want babies, the Pope seemed to concur, but they suggested the alternative of adoption.

While in Belgium, the Pope will visit Brussels (the nation’s capital), Leuven, and Louvain-la-Neuve.

Luxembourg, a nation of 680,000 (map), is 74% Christian (71% Catholic), 4% Muslim, and 21% agnostic. Belgium, a nation of 11.9 million (map), is 61% Christian (58% Catholic), 26% agnostic, 9% Muslim, and 2% atheist.

Meetings of the Pope with all the leaders of the Roman Curia are infrequent but not extraordinary.

A document released on May 17 by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) gives that Vatican office the role of issuing a final pronouncement on reported apparitions, after an investigation by the bishop of the diocese in which the phenomena are reported.

The DDF document states that no such pronouncements will affirm with certainty that the phenomena are of supernatural origin and merit the belief of the faithful. The DDF explains that no private revelations command that belief. Instead a positive judgment will state that the phenomena appear to be of supernatural origin.

In a statement released along with the new document, Cardinal Victor Fernandez, the prefect of the DDF, explains that new norms were necessary for several reasons:

• because under existing norms, investigations often took years or decades, allowing lingering uncertainty over the authenticity of reports;
• because when diocesan bishops judged the phenomena to be of supernatural origin, that determination placed an undue burden on faithful Catholics who were not persuaded of their authenticity;
• because some phenomena that appeared to be supernatural are accompanied by special beliefs or devotions that may be injurious to the Catholic faith, and therefore deserve cautious treatment.

Cardinal Fernandez, in his introductory statement, explained that reported apparitions frequently involved “serious critical issues that are detrimental to the faithful.” He mentioned the possibility that people might exploit such reports for “profit, power, fame, social recognition, or other personal interest.”

Regarding the judgments that have until now been made by diocesan bishops, the cardinal remarked that “some bishops have wanted to make statements such as, “I confirm the absolute truth of the facts” and “the faithful must undoubtedly consider as true?”. These expressions effectively oriented the faithful to think they had to believe in these phenomena, which sometimes were valued more than the Gospel itself.”

The necessity for new norms is greater, the DDF observed, because of the rapidity with which reports are spread through modern means of communication. The document states that “the pastors of the Church are responsible for handling these phenomena with care by recognizing their fruits, purifying them of negative elements, or warning the faithful about potential dangers arising from them.”

”At the same time,” the DDF cautions, “it should also be acknowledged that some phenomena, which could have a supernatural origin, at times appear connected to confused human experiences, theologically inaccurate expressions, or interests that are not entirely legitimate.”

The new norms issued by the DDF allow for a range of judgments, including various degrees of caution, rather than simply declaring that the phenomena are or are not of supernatural origin.

In a reversal of the decentralization that Pope Francis has touted as a model for Church governance, the DDF document takes a responsibility that had been left to diocesan bishops, and gives it to the Vatican?with a provision that the Roman Pontiff might intervene personally in a decision. The document reports that in practice, diocesan bishops have often consulted with the DDF before rendering their judgments?although those consultations have been informal, and therefore not officially recorded.

In an interview that will be broadcast on the CBS show on May 19, the Pope responded to a question about his critics by saying that a conservative “clings to something and does not want to see beyond that.” He added that “one thing is to take tradition into account, to consider situations from the past, but quite another is to be closed up inside a dogmatic box.”

“The example of Guy de Montpellier, an absolutely unique man in his humble spiritual life, obedience and service to the poor, has always attracted and inspired,” the Pontiff wrote. “We believe, therefore, that the moment has come in which he should be presented in a special way to the Church of God, to whom he continues to speak through his faith and works of mercy.”

The Pontiff said he was responding to “numerous requests constantly forwarded by Cardinals, Bishops, Religious, and above all by Orders, Congregations and Institutes inspired by Guy’s Rule and life, as well as by lay people who have approached the Holy See.”

Fide Incensus is the 72nd motu proprio of the current pontificate, according to the list on the Vatican website. Pope St. John Paul II issued 31 during his 27 years as Pontiff; Pope Benedict XVI issued 13.

“While reaffirming the freedom of the Church to carry out its mission for the good of the whole of society, [participants] noted that the Catholic community in Vietnam will continue to be inspired by the Magisterium of the Church regarding the practice of ‘living the Gospel in the world’ and being, at the same time, good Christians and good citizens,” according to a statement issued after the meeting.

“The two sides had a broad and thorough exchange of views,” the statement added. “The meeting was characterized by an atmosphere of cordiality, frankness and mutual respect.”

Internal messages obtained via a Freedom of Access to Information Act request by the American Accountability Foundation highlight complaints about the Journey of Hope facility, run under a government contract and led by Sister Linda Yankoski.

Metropolitan Seraphim of Zimbabwe ordained a female deacon on May 2. But the Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria, to which he is subject, has released a statement saying that although a Synod meeting in 2016 decided to “revive and activate the institution of deaconesses,” that decision was “referred for further study” before implementation, and the “the examination of the matter by the Synod has not been completed for a final decision.”