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CNA Staff, Sep 8, 2025 / 12:37 pm (CNA).

One of the nation's largest sexual abuse settlements unfolded in a federal bankruptcy court in Rochester, New York, on Friday, bringing about resolution for the nearly 500 survivors of child sex abuse by clergy within the Diocese of Rochester.

After a six-year legal battle, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of New York approved a $246 million settlement, which will average approximately $500,000 per survivor.

The settlement concludes a process that began when the diocese filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2019 following the passage of the New York Child Victims Act, which allows abuse victims to file civil lawsuits until they are 55 years old. The law temporarily lifted the statute of limitations, enabling survivors to pursue claims against their abusers.

Bankruptcy attorney Ilan Scharf described the day as a "milestone for survivors in the Rochester area after being the first bankruptcy filed in New York" after the passage of the Child Victims Act.

Survivors expressed a mix of emotions, with many ready to move forward.

Gregory Stanley noted: "The healing can start now, which is more important than the money. I'm just glad it's over." Merle Sweet echoed this sentiment, saying: "Relief. It's all finally over," while John McHugh added: "I am actually, for the first time, excited for the future."

Attorney Mitchell Garabedian, representing 97 victims, emphasized the survivors' resilience, stating in a press release that the process validated their experiences and contributed to a safer world for children, setting an example of determination for others globally.

Survivor Carol Dupre shared the profound impact on her community. "This was a real wounding of a lot of people and their families. There's literally thousands upon thousands of people that have been negatively affected by what happened to us," she said.

Bishop Salvatore Matano of the Diocese of Rochester addressed the media after the settlement, offering a message of hope and regret. "I pray that this is certainly a step toward their healing," he said of the victims. "I apologize to them. I deeply regret what transpired in their lives, which, as the judge said, never should have happened."

He continued: "While this process legally concludes today, I take them in my heart every day of my life, and every time I approach the altar, they will be in my memory, asking the good Lord to give them the strength and the courage to continue on, and that they be blessed in the years ahead."

Matano issued a letter the same day in which he said the "settlement provisions can be effectuated" in the next several weeks. Of the $246 million settlement, $55 million will be paid by the diocese and affiliated entities, according to the letter, and the rest by the diocese's insurers.

The bishop concluded the letter addressing abusers, saying he entrusts "them to Jesus, the final judge, and I pray they have acknowledged their offenses and used their remaining years to seek his mercy and have prayed fervently for those they have hurt."

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National Catholic Register, Sep 8, 2025 / 13:06 pm (CNA).

King Charles III was "very engaged, very interested" and "exceedingly kind" when on Sept. 3 he toured the Oratory of St. Philip Neri in Birmingham, England, becoming the first English monarch to visit the priestly community St. John Henry Newman established there in 1848.

The provost of the Birmingham Oratory, Oratorian Father Ignatius Harrison, said it was a very brief but joyful visit that was on "His Majesty's own initiative." His first engagement after the summer holidays, King Charles was also on a visit to England's second-largest city to open a new hospital.

After welcoming the king and introducing him to the religious community, Harrison and Archbishop Bernard Longley of Birmingham accompanied him on a tour through the sacred buildings that include a church, a shrine containing relics of Newman, the sacristy housing his vestments, and the English saint's library and study. 

A former Anglican clergyman, St. John Henry Newman was a theologian, academic, and writer who was received into the Catholic Church in 1845 and elevated to cardinal in 1879. Renowned for his great intellect and, before his conversion, for being a central figure in the Oxford Movement that tried to Catholicize the Church of England, Newman was canonized in Rome in 2019, attended by then-Prince Charles.

In July, the Vatican announced that Pope Leo will proclaim Newman the 38th doctor of the Church.

Guided by the curator of the Newman Museum, Daniel Joyce, King Charles was shown various priceless artifacts, including the Polyglot Bible from 1657 with its dedication to King Charles II, as well as Newman's own room, untouched since the saint's death in 1890, containing some of his books, rosaries, clothes, and other personal belongings.

"I think probably the most interesting thing for him was Newman's private study and chapel," Harrison told the National Catholic Register, CNA's sister news partner. "The king looked at that with great interest and asked a number of questions." He was also shown the original handwritten score of the "Dream of Gerontius," Newman's poem of a dying man's soul journeying to its judgment before God and into purgatory, and Newman's viola, which dates back to 1800.

Harrison said the king's visit was "really a red-letter day" for the Birmingham Oratorian community, adding that the monarch seemed "genuinely interested and wanted to know more" about Newman and the community there.  

Postponed visit

Harrison said the king had never given up his wish to visit the oratory ever since he mentioned his intention to Harrison at Newman's canonization in Rome. But the visit had to be postponed for five years as the premises' roof was undergoing substantial repairs and some of the books had been put into storage. In the meantime, Charles was crowned king, assuming the title of supreme head of the Church of England.

The visit then suffered another setback when it had to be postponed in July due to the health of the king, who has been battling cancer. "We were terribly disappointed," Harrison said, but he added that to their "great pleasure" they were told the king wished to reschedule the visit to coincide with his opening of the hospital.

"He has been, if I may put it like this, sort of consistent in his wish to come," Harrison said. "I was really delighted because I think it shows a real, personal interest on His Majesty's behalf that he pursued the matter."

During his visit, the king, smartly dressed in a gray suit and a red patterned tie, unveiled a small plaque the Oratorian Fathers had prepared to mark the occasion. They also presented him with an original photograph of Newman taken in the 1860s.

Asked by the Register what interested the king about Newman in particular, Harrison said primarily the fact that he is an English saint and that his virtues were discernible both as an Anglican and then as a Catholic. Also, he was interested in the effective influence Newman exhibited both as an Anglican and as a Catholic.

"We think of his life as one whole life of sanctity," Harrison said. "He became a Catholic, of course, in 1845, but, for example, his care for the poor and the unemployed was a notable feature of his Anglican ministry and his Catholic ministry here in Birmingham as well."

"It's not a lot talked about because everybody concentrates on his very brilliant academic writings, but he took great pains when he was a Catholic priest in Birmingham to assist the unemployed to find work, and, also, he was very generous in almsgiving."

Harrison said that, on occasion, Newman would give a small box to a deserving person that contained a 5-pound note, which was a significant sum in those days. "One of his purposes was not just to relieve the distress of the moment but to help the person pay off their debts and get their business back on track," Harrison said. "I told the king that, and, of course, he was very interested."

He also said King Charles was interested in Newman being made a doctor of the Church and wondered if there would be an "ecumenical dimension" to it. "He seemed very interested in those sorts of things; he recalled that he had met Pope Francis and that he was hoping it would not be too long before he met Pope Leo." 

As for the Birmingham Oratory today, the monarch took a keen interest in the large number of faithful who attend the liturgies there and their diversity of backgrounds, as well as that most of them are attracted to the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM). "Over a thousand people come to Mass here at the weekend," Harrison said. "The best attended is the Traditional Latin Mass, and what is most interesting is that it's the most diverse Mass, ethnically speaking, during the whole weekend."

He said that many of the worshippers are Asians and Africans and that a significant number of them are students from Birmingham's three universities. Charles was interested in that, he said, and the fact that an increasing number of Chinese Catholics, particularly from Hong Kong, are attending the TLM at the Oratory. "It's a pleasure for me and the fathers to be able to say we have a very diversified congregation, really diversified, and many of them come for the Traditional Latin Mass," Harrison said. 

Newman's Catholicity

Writing in the Vatican's semiofficial newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, on Newman's canonization, the then-Prince of Wales praised Newman for his catholicity. 

"His faith was truly catholic in that it embraced all aspects of life," Charles wrote. "Whatever our own beliefs, and no matter what our own tradition may be, we can only be grateful to Newman for the gifts, rooted in his Catholic faith, which he shared with wider society."

This story was first published by the National Catholic Register, CNA's sister news partner, and has been adapted by CNA.

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ACI Prensa Staff, Sep 8, 2025 / 14:13 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Sept. 6 participated in the Vatican's Festival of Families, where he highlighted the importance of the witness of families in today's world.

The event took place in the plaza of the Governorate of Vatican City, a beautiful esplanade located behind St. Peter's Basilica.

Although originally scheduled for May, the festival had to be postponed due to the death of Pope Francis.

In a brief impromptu address, reported by Vatican News, the Holy Father asked for applause for all the families and their children, expressing his joy at being able to gather with them in a festive atmosphere.

He also invited those present to live "this beautiful moment" with an open heart, to celebrate "the joy of being a family, the joy of being all united, of becoming friends with one another, of celebrating the gifts, especially the gift of life, the gift of family that the Lord has given us."

"This witness of families is so important in our world today!" the Holy Father then emphasized.

Finally, he thanked the Vatican employees for their witness, their presence, and "for all they do, sometimes at great sacrifice, to live united as a family, transmitting this message, thus sharing in the spirit that Jesus Christ left us."

He then prayed a Hail Mary and imparted his blessing to those present. The event was also attended by Sister Rafaella Petrini, president of the Governorate of Vatican City State.

Also present were the two secretaries-general, Archbishop Emilio Nappa and Giuseppe Puglisi-Alibrandi, along with the two emeritus presidents, Cardinal Fernando Vergéz Alzaga and Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello.

Pope Leo XIV had the opportunity to personally greet all the families and spend some time with them. The Italian pizzeria O' Zi Aniello even presented him with a pizza bearing his name.

The festival continued into the evening, with an outdoor dinner for Vatican employees, who were also able to enjoy various entertainment.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

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CNA Staff, Sep 8, 2025 / 04:00 am (CNA).

The Catholic Church celebrates the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary on its traditional fixed date of Sept. 8, nine months after the Dec. 8 celebration of her immaculate conception as the child of Sts. Joachim and Anne.

The circumstances of the Virgin Mary's infancy and early life are not directly recorded in the Bible, but other documents and traditions describing the circumstances of her birth are cited by some of the earliest Christian writers from the first centuries of the Church.

These accounts, although not considered authoritative in the same manner as the Bible, outline some of the Church's traditional beliefs about the birth of Mary.

The "Protoevangelium of James," which was probably put into its final written form in the early second century, describes Mary's father, Joachim, as a wealthy member of one of the 12 tribes of Israel. Joachim was deeply grieved, along with his wife, Anne, by their childlessness. "He called to mind Abraham," the early Christian writing says, "that in the last day God gave him a son, Isaac."

Joachim and Anne began to devote themselves extensively and rigorously to prayer and fasting, initially wondering whether their inability to conceive a child might signify God's displeasure with them.

As it turned out, however, the couple was to be blessed even more abundantly than Abraham and Sarah, as an angel revealed to Anne when he appeared to her and prophesied that all generations would honor their future child: "The Lord has heard your prayer, and you shall conceive, and shall bring forth; and your seed shall be spoken of in all the world."

After Mary's birth, according to the "Protoevangelium of James," Anne "made a sanctuary" in the infant girl's room and "allowed nothing common or unclean" on account of the special holiness of the child. The same writing records that when she was 1 year old, her father "made a great feast and invited the priests, and the scribes, and the elders, and all the people of Israel."

"And Joachim brought the child to the priests," the account continues, "and they blessed her, saying: 'O God of our fathers, bless this child, and give her an everlasting name to be named in all generations' ... And he brought her to the chief priests; and they blessed her, saying: 'O God most high, look upon this child, and bless her with the utmost blessing, which shall be for ever.'"

The protoevangelium goes on to describe how Mary's parents, along with the Temple priests, subsequently decided that she would be offered to God as a consecrated virgin for the rest of her life and enter a chaste marriage with the carpenter Joseph.

St. Augustine described the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary as an event of cosmic and historic significance and an appropriate prelude to the birth of Jesus Christ. "She is the flower of the field from whom bloomed the precious lily of the valley," he said.

The fourth-century bishop, whose theology profoundly shaped the Western Church's understanding of sin and human nature, affirmed that "through her birth, the nature inherited from our first parents is changed."

This story was first published on Sept. 5, 2010, and has been updated.

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CNA Staff, Sep 7, 2025 / 14:56 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV announced a historic partnership between the Vatican and two famous Chicago restaurateurs, Art Smith and Phil Stefani, to open a restaurant at , a 135-acre "zero environmental impact" complex in Castel Gandolfo, Italy. 

Pope Leo XIV inaugurated the project during a live-streamed ceremony on Sept. 5, viewed at a Chicago watch party attended by Stefani, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, and other prominent figures.

The new restaurant will be located within the historic Papal Villas, a 17th-century summer residence for popes. The site promotes Pope Francis' teachings on environmental stewardship.

At the inauguration of Borgo Laudato Si' village on Friday, the pope said it "is one of the Church's initiatives aimed at realizing the 'vocation to be custodians of God's handiwork.'"

Earlier this year, a committee led by the late Pope Francis selected Smith and Stefani to oversee the unprecedented project, which will debut in spring 2026 as the estate's sole restaurant and caterer, serving breakfast and lunch, and will include a small market.

The restaurant will serve Italian fare made from fresh, locally-sourced food with international influences, blending Chicago and Peruvian flavors in honor of Pope Leo XIV. 

Ingredients will come from a solar-powered greenhouse within Borgo Laudato Si', which is modeled after St. Peter's Square's colonnade, and other local sources. The complex, which includes gardens, farmland, vineyards, and training programs in organic farming, pesticide-free winemaking and olive harvesting, will also offer retreats for business leaders and ecology education programs.

The ecological complex also includes state-of-the-art insulation, photovoltaic, and circular water management systems.

Smith, a James Beard Award winner and former personal chef to Oprah Winfrey, is celebrated for his work with Common Threads, a non-profit, and currently runs Reunion and Blue Door Kitchen & Garden in Chicago. 

Stefani, whose Italian restaurant empire began in 1980 with Stefani's, operates the Stefani Restaurant Group, running Tavern on Rush, Stefani Prime, Tuscany, Castaways Beach Club, Stefani's Bottega Italiana, and Broken English Taco Pub. 

"As a Catholic and Italian, this project is a dream for my family and me," Stefani said. "To be part of a culinary experience on Vatican property is deeply meaningful to us. But we also share this honor with the city of Chicago. We have the unique opportunity to bring a taste of home, some of that unique Chicago spirit, to a global audience." 

Mayor Johnson called Smith and Stefani "true Chicago legends" and the partnership a "striking and serendipitous win" for the city.

Another Chicago tie is Rev. Manuel Dorantes, appointed administrative-management director of the Laudato Si' Center for Higher Education in October. Previously pastor of St. Mary of the Lake-Our Lady of Lourdes Parish on Chicago's North Side, Dorantes joined Pope Leo XIV at Friday's ceremony.

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ACI MENA, Sep 7, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Lebanon must seize available regional and international opportunities to restore full sovereignty over its territory and unite around constitutional institutions, the Maronite bishops stressed in a recent statement. They emphasized that full sovereignty is essential for achieving the state's reform agenda and for leading Lebanon out of its ongoing crisis.

The bishops' statement came during their monthly gathering on Sept. 3, held at the patriarchal summer residence in Dimane, a mountainous village in the North Governorate of Lebanon, under the leadership of Patriarch Cardinal Bechara Boutros al-Rahi and with the participation of the superiors general of the Maronite religious orders.

The bishops welcomed the international consensus to extend the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon in the south for one more year. They expressed hope that the mission would receive the support it needs so that this extension can mark the final phase of its mandate, in coordination with the Lebanese Army and security forces, in service of Lebanon's stability.

They also praised the ongoing efforts of the Lebanese military to fulfill its government-assigned mission of collecting illegal weapons across the country.

The bishops further expressed their hope for careful preparation of communication and dialogue between Beirut and Damascus — whether regarding border demarcation and security, the case of Syrian prisoners in Lebanon and missing Lebanese in Syria, or bilateral relations in general. The bishops said they view the convergence of the two capitals on common interests as an important step toward resolving the conflict with Israel and restoring vitality to southern Lebanon.

The bishops also commended the dedication of educators in both public and private sectors, who are striving to ensure that Lebanon's youth can continue their studies despite difficult security and economic conditions. They encouraged leaders of Catholic schools to act with transparency and responsibility in financial management, always under the law, to ensure fair distribution of educational burdens and to safeguard the best interests of students.

On the occasion of the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on Sept. 14, the bishops called on the faithful to mark the day with prayer and works of charity, lifting their petitions to Christ the Redeemer so that love and peace may dwell in their hearts and in their homeland.

This story was first published by ACI MENA, CNA's Arabic-language news partner, and has been translated for and adapted by CNA.

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Vatican City, Sep 7, 2025 / 06:49 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV proclaimed the Italians Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis as saints of the Church on Sunday.

Follow here for live updates and continuing coverage:

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Vatican City, Sep 7, 2025 / 04:25 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV proclaimed the Italians Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis as saints of the Church on Sunday, decreeing their veneration among the Catholic faithful.

The canonizations of the new saints, promulgated before a crowd of thousands in St. Peter's Square, were the first of Leo's pontificate.

This story is developing.

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ACI Prensa Staff, Sep 6, 2025 / 10:00 am (CNA).

There are five indicators to keep in mind to know whether you're evangelizing or falling into proselytism, a behavior far from authentic apostolic zeal, Bishop José Ignacio Munilla explained during an event in Colombia.

The bishop of Orihuela-Alicante in Spain is currently in Santa Marta, Colombia, participating in Evangelization Week, organized by the local diocese to mark the city's 500th anniversary.

"What are the nuances of the negative meaning of the term proselytism? What indicators, what clues could we observe to determine what proselytism is in order to distinguish it from apostolic zeal?" the prelate asked.

The Spanish bishop asked these questions noting that Pope Francis had said that being a missionary is not the same as being a proselytizer and that Pope Benedict XVI taught that the Church grows through witness, not through proselytism.

Below are the five indicators Munilla pointed out:

1. Evangelizing respects where the person whom one is talking to is at. The bishop explained that "we must not overwhelm a person" but rather wait for the time of grace that the Lord has for him or her, because "there is a time of grace that God has for us, for our conversion."

Munilla said that by not taking this into account, the proselytizer lacks the ability to accompany the other person, to listen to his or her concerns, and lead the person to an encounter with Jesus.

2. Proselytism often doesn't place any importance on witnessing. Munilla explained that the proselytizer focuses more on his or her presentation than on bearing witness that the encounter with God changed his or her life. "I, at the same time that I'm telling you this, am a witness that what I am telling you has become my life experience," he advised.

3. Proselytism believes more in the efficacy of one's own reasoning than in the action of the Holy Spirit. Munilla explained that while the experience of evangelization teaches that it's important to prepare, the proselytizer "isn't quite convinced that it is the Spirit who moves hearts" and "that the fruit of evangelization is a gift from the Holy Spirit."

"Therefore, you must be praying at the same time you're evangelizing. Proselytism forgets this," he noted.

4. Proselytism does not sufficiently respect freedom. The proselytizer "seeks to impose rather than propose," despite the fact that Jesus "is infinitely respectful: 'Behold, I knock at the door. If you hear my voice, if you open the door, I will come in, and we will dine together.'"

5. Proselytism will only help the person who is part of his or her flock. The prelate explained that sometimes proselytizers tend to condition their offer to help a person out on adherence to the message of faith, when "true evangelization, true witness, is to love freely," without asking: "Do you belong to our group or not?"

The Spanish prelate invited Catholics to reflect on whether any of these attitudes are contaminating the apostolate because, as the declaration Dignitatis Humanae points out, "the Church severely forbids anyone to be forced, induced, or enticed by indiscreet means to embrace the faith. She also vigorously vindicates the right to have no one turned away from it by unjust harassment."

Munilla shares a conversion story

Addressing the second point, Munilla shared an anecdote that happened to him a few months ago in Alicante and that illustrates the importance of the witness of one's life.

He recounted that on one occasion he was invited to participate in a debate with an atheist philosopher about the existence of God. "And as you can imagine, I said yes [God exists], and the other person said no he doesn't. And we used our apologetic arguments. And I tried to reason and spoke about the order of the universe, about conscience; and the man answered… Well, we did what we could."

The bishop said then a conversation ensued, but as it was about to end, a man in the back raised his hand and said: "I have listened attentively to your arguments. You have developed them very well. You have said this and that and so on and so on. But I have an argument, and I am going to say it."

The man then recounted that throughout his life he had suffered from a severe addiction that had kept him enslaved for many years.

He struggled with this addiction several times and even turned to psychologists and therapists, but he experienced powerlessness, "and I had thrown in the towel."

"Then," the bishop recounted, "he said that one year Holy Week came around and he was invited to attend the Easter Vigil. That famous liturgy, the mother of all liturgies, the Easter Vigil, in which we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And he said that he attended."

"And, well, it wasn't that it was a particularly devout celebration that he got emotional about. No, no, nothing like that. He attended, it was over, and he left."

But after leaving, "that addiction never came back. He never experienced it. It's as if it had never existed in his life."

The man then concluded by telling the audience: "I only know that I was once an addict, and after that celebration of the resurrection of Christ, I am free. I have no more arguments, you see? I have no more questions, gentlemen."

Munilla explained that with this man, the story of the man born blind was repeated. When people began to ask him, "Who opened your eyes?" he only responded: "I only know that I once was blind, and now I see."

In that sense, he said the man's story "was a testimony to what God had done in him. And that is very powerful."

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

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Vatican City, Sep 6, 2025 / 10:45 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Saturday resumed special jubilee audiences, begun by Pope Francis after the opening of the Church's Year of Hope, telling Christians that the cross of Christ is a great treasure and source of hope.

Before delivering his morning catechesis on Chapter 4 of St. Mark's Gospel, the Holy Father greeted hundreds of pilgrims in St. Peter's Square from his popemobile, blessing several babies and accepting various gifts from people from different countries.

In his Gospel reflection, the pope said hope and happiness is rekindled when people "break through the crust of reality" and "go beneath the surface," like the man in the parable who sold all his possessions to buy the field with a hidden treasure.

Leo described the holy cross of Jesus as the "greatest discovery of life" and expressed his high esteem for Helena, the mother of the first Christian Roman Emperor Constantine, who found the treasure of the wooden cross in Jerusalem and brought it to Rome.

"Helena always remained a woman searching," he said in his Sept. 6 catechesis. "She had decided to become a Christian. She always practiced charity, never forgetting the humble people from whom she herself had come."

"Such dignity and faithfulness to conscience, dear brothers and sisters, still change the world today," he continued. "They bring us closer to the treasure."

Encouraging Christians to cultivate their own heart through humility, Leo said one is able to draw closer to the Lord "who stripped himself to become like us."

"His cross lies beneath the crust of our earth. We can walk proudly, heedlessly, trampling upon the treasure that is beneath our feet," he said.

"But, instead, if we become like children, we will come to know another kingdom, another strength," he continued. 

"God is always beneath us in order to raise us up on high," he said at the end of the catechesis.

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