Pope Leo XIV affirms celibacy for priests, demands ‘firm' action on sex abuse
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Arab News
a day ago
- Arab News
Pope Leo XIV resumes the tradition of taking a summer vacation. But he's got plenty of homework
VATICAN CITY: In his very first sermon as pontiff, Pope Leo XIV told the cardinals who elected him that anyone who exercises authority in the Catholic Church must 'make oneself small,' so that only Christ remains. In word and deed since, Leo has seemed intent on almost disappearing into the role. The shy 69-year-old Augustinian missionary has eschewed the headline-grabbing protagonism of past pontiffs in favor of a quieter, less showy and more reserved way of being pope. Leo will disappear further this weekend when he begins a six-week vacation in his first break since his historic election May 8. Leo is resuming the papal tradition of escaping the Roman heat for the relatively cooler climes of Castel Gandolfo, the papal summer retreat on Lake Alban, south of Rome. People who know and work with Leo expect he will use these weeks away from the public eye and the daily grind of Vatican audiences to get his head around the most pressing problems facing the church. He's a methodical, hard-working and well-prepared manager, they say, who wants to read entire reports, not just the executive summaries, before making decisions. Here is a look at Leo's summer homework, the outstanding dossiers he may be studying from now until Aug. 17 in between dips in the pool, walks in the gardens and occasional Masses, prayers and visits in town. Big nominations After his election, Leo reappointed all Vatican prefects until further notice, so the Holy See machinery is still working with the old guard in place. But a few major appointments await, most importantly to fill Leo's old job as prefect of the office that vets bishop nominations. Leo also has to decide who will be his No. 2. The Vatican secretary of state, the equivalent of a prime minister, is still Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Pope Francis' pick who was himself an unsuccessful contender in the conclave that elected Leo pope. Even before he gets his people in place, Leo has to get a handle on one of the most pressing problems facing the Holy See: Its troubled finances. The Vatican is running a structural deficit of around 50 million to 60 million euros ($59-71 million) and has a 1 billion euro ($1.18 billion) shortfall in its pension fund. The Rupnik problem There are plenty of high-profile clergy sex cases that festered during Francis' pontificate that are now are on Leo's desk. History's first American pope will be watched closely to see how he handles them, since he cannot claim ignorance about abuse or its dynamics, given the devastation the scandals have wrought in the United States. On the eve of his vacation, he made an important appointment, naming French Bishop Thibault Verny head of the Vatican's child protection advisory board, replacing the retiring American Cardinal Sean O'Malley. Leo has already said it's 'urgent' to create a culture of prevention in the church that shows no tolerance for any form of abuse, be it abuse of authority or spiritual or sexual abuse. On that score, there is no case more pressing than that of the Rev. Marko Rupnik, a famous mosaic artist who was belatedly thrown out of the Jesuits after its superiors determined he sexually, psychologically and spiritually abused two dozen adult women and nuns. Even though the case didn't involve minors, it became a toxic problem for Francis because of suggestions Rupnik received favorable treatment at the Vatican under the Jesuit pope. Nearly two years after Francis caved into pressure to reopen the Rupnik file, the Vatican has finally found external canon lawyers to hear the case, the head of the Vatican's doctrine office, Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, told reporters last week. As recently as March, Fernandez had said he was having trouble finding any willing candidates. Now that Francis is dead, the case may be less politically delicate, even as the priest's supporters maintain his innocence. Leo has already sent a signal, with Vatican News removing Rupnik's artwork from its website. The Becciu case Another legal headache facing Leo is what to do about Cardinal Angelo Becciu and the Vatican's 'trial of the century,' which is heading into the appeals phase in September. The city-state's criminal tribunal in 2023 convicted Becciu and eight other people of a variety of financial crimes stemming from the Holy See's bungled 350 million euro ($412 million) investment in a London property. But the trial was itself problematic, with defense claims that basic defense rights weren't respected since Francis intervened on several occasions in favor of prosecutors. In the months since the verdicts were handed down, there have been new revelations that Vatican gendarmes and prosecutors were apparently in regular touch with a woman who was coaching the star witness into testifying against Becciu. The once-powerful cardinal has denounced the contacts as evidence that his conviction was orchestrated from the start, from the top. Leo, a canon lawyer, may want to steer clear of the whole thing to try to give the tribunal the impression of being independent. But Leo will ultimately have to decide what to do with Becciu, who recused himself from the conclave but remains a cardinal with a very unclear status. The Latin Mass issue Leo has said his priority as pope is unity and reconciliation in the church. Many conservatives and traditionalists hope that means he will work to heal the liturgical divisions that spread during Francis' 12-year papacy, especially in the US, over the old Latin Mass. Francis in 2021 restricted access for ordinary Catholics to the ancient liturgy, arguing that its spread was creating divisions in the church. In doing so, Francis reversed his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, who in 2007 had relaxed restrictions on its celebration. Cardinal Raymond Burke, a figurehead of the conservative and traditionalist camp, told a recent conference on the Latin Mass that he had spoken to Leo about the need to 'put an end to the present persecution of the faithful' who want to worship according to the old rite. 'It is my hope that he will as soon as it is possible take up the study of this question and try to restore the situation as it was' under Benedict's reform, Burke said. AI and travel priorities Leo has also identified artificial intelligence as a pressing issue facing humanity, suggesting a document of some sort might be in the works. Also under study is when he will start traveling, and where. Leo has a standing invitation to undertake Francis' last, unfulfilled foreign commitment: Marking the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicea, Christianity's first ecumenical council, with a visit to Turkiye. Leo has already said a visit is in the works, possibly in late November. Beyond that, Leo has received plenty of invitations: Vice President JD Vance extended a Trump invitation to visit the US, but Leo demurred and offered a noncommittal 'at some point.' Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky invited him to visit Kyiv, but the Vatican under Francis had refused a papal visit there unless one could also be arranged to Moscow. Leo's old diocese of Chiclayo, Peru, meanwhile, is waiting for their bishop to come home, and then there's Argentina, which never got a papal visit from the first-ever Argentine pope. A town awaits The residents of Castel Gandolfo, meanwhile, are aching for a pope to return. Francis had decided not to use the retreat and instead spent his 12 papal summers at home, in the Vatican. The town has recovered from the economic hit of pope-free summers, after Francis instead opened the papal palace and gardens to the public as a museum year-round. But townsfolks cannot wait for Leo to take up residence and enjoy the town's gorgeous lake views and quiet starry nights. It's the perfect place for a pope to rest, read, write and think in private, they say. 'Remember, many encyclicals were written here,' noted the Rev. Tadeusz Rozmus, the town's parish priest.
Al Arabiya
a day ago
- Al Arabiya
BlackRock halted Ukraine fund talks after Trump's election win: Report
BlackRock Inc. halted its search for investors to back a multibillion-dollar Ukraine recovery fund earlier this year after Donald Trump's election victory saw the US sour on the eastern European country, people familiar with the discussions said. The fund, meant to be unveiled at next week's Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome, was close to securing initial support from entities backed by the governments of Germany, Italy and Poland, the people said, declining to be identified discussing private information. However, in January, BlackRock decided to pause talks with institutional investors due to a lack of interest amid increased uncertainty over Ukraine's future. Donald Trump ran his reelection campaign on a promise to immediately end the war in Ukraine and bring the country's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin together for peace talks. Since his inauguration at the start of the year, the US president has clashed with both men and issued inconsistent proposals for a path forward, while indicating an end to US military support for Ukraine. The US government was a notable absence from the fund's backers in December. Reconstruction funding The Ukraine Development Fund was on track to secure at least $500 million from countries, development banks and other grant providers, along with $2 billion from private investors, Philipp Hildebrand, vice chairman of BlackRock who was among the financiers leading the discussions, said last year. At the time, Hildebrand said that could bring together a consortium of equity and debt investors who could finance at least $15 billion of reconstruction work in Ukraine. The total bill to rebuild Ukraine following Russia's invasion was estimated at more than $500 billion by the World Bank and others in February. A BlackRock spokesperson said the firm completed its pro-bono advisory work on the Ukraine Development Fund in 2024 and is currently not engaged in 'any active mandate' with the Ukrainian government. 'The only conversations that drive our decision-making are those with our clients,' the spokesperson added. BlackRock was set to unveil the fund in Italy, some of the people said, during the Ukraine Recovery Conference on July 10-11 that Italy's Giorgia Meloni and Ukraine's Zelenskyy are set to attend, though the timeline was never made public. Spokespeople for Prime Minister Meloni and the foreign ministry didn't respond to a request for comment. France has been working on a fund proposal to replace the canceled BlackRock initiative but it's not clear how effective the new plan will be without US backing, the people said.
Saudi Gazette
2 days ago
- Saudi Gazette
‘Morally repugnant': US Cardinal hits out at Trump's immigration policy
ROME — A prominent Catholic Church leader and ally of Pope Leo XIV has strongly criticized the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, describing the rounding up and deportation of immigrants as 'inhumane' and 'morally repugnant.' In a wide-ranging interview with CNN, Cardinal Robert McElroy, the Archbishop of Washington, DC, also voiced strong opposition to Trump's major tax and spending bill, warned of the risks of US and Israeli strikes on Iran, and discussed his view of the role of women in the church. 'It's right to be able to control our borders. However, what's going on now is something far beyond that,' the cardinal told CNN on Tuesday. 'It is a mass, indiscriminate deportation of men and women and children and families which literally rips families apart and is intended to do so.' McElroy was appointed to lead the archdiocese in the US capital by Pope Francis in January, the month of Donald Trump's presidential inauguration. He was among the more than 100 cardinals who took part in the conclave that elected the first American pope in May. McElroy, who spoke to CNN in Rome on the same day that Trump visited a migrant detention center in Florida known as 'Alligator Alcatraz,' said the 'mechanism' being used was the 'creation of fear' among 10 million undocumented people in the US – 'the great majority' of whom had worked hard and contributed to society. 'This is simply not only incompatible with Catholic teaching, it's inhumane and is morally repugnant,' he added. 'The scenes that occurred in Los Angeles where you saw mass agents of the government descending on car washers and Costco parking lots to round up whoever they can round up is not a sign of going after those who have criminal convictions.' Trump has said his tough immigration policies are necessary to keep criminals off US streets and to ease the burden on US institutions. He has embraced the sinister image of a migrant detention facility surrounded by swampland and reptiles. 'It's known as 'Alligator Alcatraz,' which is very appropriate, because I look outside and it's not a place I want to go,' Trump said Tuesday. McElroy argued that the government had a right to deport people convicted of 'serious crimes,' adding that the problems with immigration were rooted in an American political system that had failed to address immigration law and reform over the last 15 years. But McElroy said people were now 'afraid even to go to church' after the Trump administration removed the policy that prohibited immigration agents from making arrests in sensitive areas, like churches. 'What is behind this?' he asked, referencing the stricter immigration policies and enforcement tactics. 'I fear that one of the main things behind it, in the minds of many who are pushing it, is the sense that the people who are coming to our country now are of a different kind. 'And that's been a great theme in American culture and history all through our country's immigration, when the Irish came, when the Italians came, when the Poles came, the refrain has been the same, 'these are inferior people,' and that's what's going on now... it's an outrage.' The cardinal, a former Bishop of San Diego, is one of several Catholic bishops who have spoken out against Trump's migration policies. But Vice President JD Vance, a devout Catholic who converted in 2019, earlier this year suggested the bishops' criticisms of the Trump administration's policies were motivated by financial interests because the church receives federal funding to resettle immigrants. McElroy hit back in the interview, saying the government funding was far from sufficient to cover the programs and the church had to pick up the shortfall. 'Those who say that haven't done the math on what the church has been contributing over and above what the government has contributed to these programs,' he added. Since his election, Pope Leo has urged respect for migrants, describing himself as 'the descendant of immigrants, who in turn chose to emigrate.' McElroy said that while Leo XIV spoke about immigration in a 'universal' context, 'when you look at what he's saying, it has clear implications for us.' During the interview, Cardinal McElroy also criticized Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' – a sweeping piece of legislation that would extend tax cuts and increase funding for national security, partly paid for by the biggest cut to the federal social safety net in decades. He's recently signed a letter with other bishops and faith leaders opposing the bill. He said it appeared that millions would 'ultimately lose their health care because of this bill so that billionaires can receive greater tax cuts,' adding: 'There's something radically wrong with a society that takes from the poorest to give to the wealthiest. It's just wrong.' In a statement, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson rejected the criticism – particularly that leveled at the Trump agenda bill. 'The American people elected President Trump, not a DC Archbishop, to serve as their President,' Jackson said. 'President Trump is fulfilling the mandate the American people gave him in November to turn his campaign promises – like no tax on tips, social security, and overtime – into law. The One, Big, Beautiful Bill will be one of the most successful pieces of legislation ever passed and will supercharge our economy to benefit all Americans.' When it came to church reforms and priorities for Pope Leo, McElroy talked about the importance of addressing the role of women. He said this topic had been an 'immensely powerful current' during recent Vatican assemblies, the synod, which looked at questions of church renewal and looked at how to include more women in decision making roles. 'The major thrust has to be look at where women 'aren't' and then ask why?' McElroy supports ordaining women as deacons, who carry out functions like a priest but without saying Mass or hearing confessions, which he says is consistent with the church's theology. 'It's a controversial question within the church,' he admits, 'but I think it would be important to move in that direction.' Cardinal McElroy's candidacy for Washington DC was bolstered by his doctorate in political science from Stanford University, which he was awarded for a thesis on moral norms in foreign policy. He told CNN that the recent US attacks on Iran's nuclear sites could encourage other countries to develop nuclear weapons to defend themselves. He said it was 'critically important' to maintain 'non-proliferation' of nuclear weapons. 'My great fear is that the lessons that nations will take away from this intervention against Iran is that if they have nuclear weapons then they won't be subject to this sort of attack,' he said. 'I think that's an open question. Will this encourage more proliferation because the incentives are stronger now or clearer now, and that's very ominous.' Finally, the cardinal said he believes that Chicago-born Pope Leo would make a visit home – although he did not know when. 'I think when he does come to the United States it will be a great moment for our country.' — CNN
