St. Paul Catholic Church, Richmond, VA

WASHINGTON - In response to the recent interpretation of the Johnson Amendment publicized by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) offered a statement from its spokesperson, Chieko Noguchi, executive director of public affairs. The Johnson Amendment defines guidelines for the tax-exempt status of a church or other nonprofit regarding political activities and endorsing or opposing candidates for public office.

“The IRS was addressing a specific case, and it doesn’t change how the Catholic Church engages in public debate. The Church seeks to help Catholics form their conscience in the Gospel so they might discern which candidates and policies would advance the common good. The Catholic Church maintains its stance of not endorsing or opposing political candidates.”

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Local churches and bishops worldwide will be instrumental in helping implement the proposals and foster the spirit of the 2024 final document of the Synod of Bishops on synodality, the Vatican synod office said.

To more effectively carry out the mission of evangelization, the implementation phase of the synod "aims to examine new practices and structures that will make the life of the church more synodal," the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops said in a new set of guidelines released July 7.

"Concretely, the priority is to offer the people of God new opportunities to walk together and reflect on these experiences in order to reap their fruits for the mission and share them," the text said. 

The 24-page text, titled "Pathways for the Implementation Phase of the Synod," is a guide for bishops and synodal teams, and an invitation to them to share their initiatives as they apply the synod on synodality's final proposals locally. It also seeks to answer some key questions the office received recently. The text was released in multiple languages at synod.va.

Divided into four chapters, the document offers responses to: What is the implementation phase and what are its objectives?; Who will participate in the implementation phase and what are their tasks and responsibilities?; How to engage with the 2024 synod assembly's final document during the implementation phase?; And what method and tools can help shape the implementation phase?

The guidelines underline how the local churches must play an active role in this phase, including by reaching out to diverse communities such as the marginalized, young people and those resistant to the synodal process, because, "in order to truly walk together, we cannot lose the contribution of their point of view."

Engagement should extend beyond the parish to include schools, hospitals, prisons and digital platforms, it said, and relations with religious communities, movements and associations should be strengthened to further exchange the variety of gifts toward mission.

Synodality "cannot be a path limited to a core group of 'supporters,'" it said.

"On the contrary, it is important that this new process contribute concretely 'to expand possibilities for participation and for the exercise of differentiated co-responsibility by all the baptized, men and women' in a spirit of reciprocity," it said. "Moreover, it is crucial that it aims to involve those who have so far remained on the margins of the ecclesial renewal process established by the synod." 

The diocesan or eparchial bishop is the first person responsible for the implementation phase, the guidelines said. "It is his responsibility to initiate it, officially indicate its duration, methods and objectives, accompany its progress and conclude it, validating its results."

This phase "will be an appropriate opportunity to exercise authority in a synodal way," it said, reminding bishops they are not alone and should encourage all members of the church to share the journey together.

Synodal teams and participatory bodies "will be essential in the implementation phase as well," the guidelines said, so "existing teams should be valued and, where necessary, renewed; those that have been suspended should be reactivated and appropriately integrated; and new teams should be formed where they have not been established previously."

Every diocese or eparchy also needs to register its synodal team with the synod office by requesting a link to its database at synodus@synod.va to aid communication and effective coordination, it said.

The implementation phase of the synod was opened by Pope Francis in November 2024 when he called upon local churches, bishops' conferences and others to implement "the authoritative proposals contained in the document through the processes of discernment and decision-making provided for by law and by the document itself," the late pope wrote.

The three-year period of implementation and evaluation on the local, national, regional and international levels will culminate in a "celebration of the ecclesial assembly" in October 2028 at the Vatican "to share the fruits of the implementation phase and to have a kind of evaluation," Xavière Missionary Sister Nathalie Becquart, undersecretary of the Synod of Bishops, said. 

"The best way to start the implementation phase is really to read the final document of the synod. That is the reference for this implementation phase," she said in an interview with Vatican News July 7.

The new guidelines then "are a kind of tool to help to dive into the final document of the synod and to take it up in a discerning way, to see how to implement it at the local level, also with this creativity that is coming from the Holy Spirit, because you can’t have just one way for everybody all over the world," she added.

The synod's final document "is the point of reference for the implementation phase," the guidelines said.

The mission of proclaiming the Kingdom of God "constitutes the backbone" and final goal of the synod's final document, the text said. "Reflections on the tools to be adopted or the reforms to be implemented should always be placed within the perspective of the mission."

The final document "firmly promotes a church that is increasingly courageous in its outreach," it said, and "it embraces the conciliar vision of a church in the world, in dialogue with everyone, with other religious traditions and with the entire community."

"Growing as a synodal church capable of dialogue has a prophetic value that includes a commitment to social justice and integral ecology. These dimensions cannot be neglected in the implementation phase, leading to the creation of opportunities for dialogue based on the concrete needs of the territories and societies in which we live," the text said.

Sister Becquart said the guidelines and the implementation phase are a prime opportunity for the "exchange of gifts" between the local churches, which is "a core notion of the final document, a core notion of a synodal church."

"We all have something to give and something to receive," she said. "This document is also really to highlight that you can't just do your synodal conversion alone, but it's very important to work together as different local churches."

CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy (CNS) -- After more than a decade without its most famous vacationer, the quiet town of Castel Gandolfo once again counts the pope among its summer residents.

Pope Leo XIV became the 16th pope to reside in the papal summer residence when he moved there July 6, following the recitation of the Angelus in St. Peter's Square.

"This afternoon, I will travel to Castel Gandolfo, where I intend to have a short period of rest," the pope told pilgrims gathered in the square. "I hope that everyone will be able to enjoy some vacation time in order to restore both body and spirit."

The tradition of popes escaping the summer heat of Rome for the cooler Alban Hills began with Pope Urban VIII in 1626. While Pope Benedict XVI spent nearly three months in the papal villa during the summer of 2012, his successor, Pope Francis, chose not to stay there, opting instead for his Vatican residence at the Domus Sanctae Marthae.

In 2016, Pope Francis converted the papal property into a museum, opening the villa and gardens to the public.

That decision transformed the character of tourism in the town, said Marina Rossi, a local resident who has operated a mosaic workshop along the town's main drag for more than 30 years.

"During the week there wasn't this flow of people," she told Catholic News Service July 1, since the popes only presented themselves publicly to pray the Angelus on Sundays. "Instead, by opening the palace and the pontifical villas, the type of tourism has changed," shifting from frugal pilgrims to paying visitors. As a result, "the last 12 years were good for us."

Still, she said, the return of a pope is "fantastic."

"It's an important showcase" for the town, Rossi said. "We're happy, yes."

Rossi, an artist, said she and others had considered creating a portrait of the pope, adding, "Yes, it's an idea we've had; right now, we are doing stuff a bit different, more simple, because making a portrait is not the most 'sell-able' right away."

Assunta Ferrini, who manages Sor Capanna, a restaurant right off the square at the foot of the papal palace, said the town has not lacked tourists in the pope's absence.

"The tourists came, many of them," she told CNS. "But to have a pope return is always an honor for the town, that he comes here to meet us."

At a local coffee shop, barista Stefano Carosi echoed that sentiment. "To have the pope here among us after so long is a beautiful thing," he said. "We've waited for it for so long."

Without the steady presence of Pope Francis, he added, the town was "without that spark, that light, but now it seems like these 12 years have flown by and we hope that everything may return as before."

The pope returns to Castel Gandolfo

After praying the Angelus in St. Peter's Square, Pope Leo XIV departed the Vatican July 6 and made his way to Castel Gandolfo -- a small hilltop town about an hour southeast of Rome.

    
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Just as "The Chosen" wrapped up the release of Season 5 in the U.S., the hit series about Jesus and those who knew him was set to stream internationally in select countries, including Italy, starting in July.

The Vatican hosted a news conference and a premiere of one of the new season's episodes in its film theater June 23 before select cast and crew members hit the red carpet at a Rome theater for a special screening of the episode, "The Last Supper," with members of the public, including numerous seminarians, priests and nuns living in the Italian capital.

The goal of the series is "for people to get a deeper connection to Christ and to have a more intimate relationship with him," Jonathan Roumie, who portrays Christ in the series, told Catholic News Service at the red-carpet event.

"I think that is the goal for all of us, for people to go directly to the source and to understand what it is that Jesus actually said, what he meant, what his example was, and how we can incorporate that into our own lives and be better people to each other and better servants of the Lord," said Roumie.

Elizabeth Tabish, who portrays Mary Magdalene in the series, told CNS that the historical drama resonates with its audience because "we start this entire series with all of these saints before they're saints. And they're really messy. They have their own vices and challenges."

"When we meet Mary Magdalene, she is struggling with demon possession and oppression and PTSD from an assault and suicidal thoughts and an addiction. This is meeting someone in their own personal hell," she said, but "it's been so beautiful to witness her story of redemption."

Mary Magdalene's faith journey is depicted as a "continued story of constant redemption and of constant growth, where she is learning to stop thinking about her past and really let go of her past and her shame and her anxieties," to focus on Jesus and "to see how that transforms her," Tabish said.

In Season 5, her character is "so focused on trying to help Jesus and protect him, and it's just such a beautiful place to see her in," she said. "She becomes quite gutsy and outspoken and determined, and I love that, to see a female character go from a real victim to someone so empowered."

"The Chosen" debuted at the end of 2017 as an online series, which has since expanded to theatrical releases, grossing nearly $140 million globally at the box office.

With more than 900 million episode views and a global audience exceeding 280 million, the series' creator and director, Dallas Jenkins, said its "secret sauce" is portraying Jesus and those who knew him in a way that is less formal or stiff.

When meeting fans, he said at the news conference, they typically say that what they love about the series is "it just feels so real. It feels so human."

"Those human moments do not detract from the divinity (of Christ) and do not detract from the spirituality" of the events and teachings they depict, he said.

"In many ways, they make them even more beautiful that the God of the universe came to Earth, Emmanuel, God with us, and laughed with his friends at a wedding," he said. Seeing the young mother, Mary, wash her child's hair or tend to him are "the moments that people have responded to so significantly."

Many of the theological disagreements about Mary and Jesus, said Jenkins, who is an evangelical Christian, "took place after he was here. They take place after the Gospels."

"I think that by focusing on the humanity of these people while not ignoring the divinity and not ignoring the supernatural, but focusing on the humanity -- that has seemed to be what has connected people of multiple faiths, that we can all appreciate that and identify with it and then be drawn closer to Jesus because of that," he said.

Dominican Father Patrick Briscoe, editor of Our Sunday Visitor, who moderated the press conference, told CNS the series is a "great gift" for Catholics because it offers an opportunity for engagement and genuine conversation.

"As a priest in ministry, what's been so beautiful is that people have come to me with questions, very specific questions about Scripture that maybe they would have never had before because they've realized that a decision was made in the way that a scene was portrayed in the show and they wanted clarity about it," he said.

"It's actually raised important questions about how to interpret the Scriptures, about the meaning of particular biblical scenes, and those conversations wouldn't have happened otherwise. So I found it a great source of engagement and light," he said.

According to the series' producers, about 30% of viewers belong to no faith tradition at all.

Jenkins said the "endgame" of the show is not popularity or profit, but "to remind people that these events were real" and that biblical figures are more than literary characters or subjects depicted in art.

"The show is to point you towards the real person of Jesus and to point people towards people like yourself. To get disciples and to worship and to pray," he said.

Rome’s red carpet welcome for "The Chosen"

Catholic News Service interviewed several cast members and the series' creator while they were in Rome June 23.

WASHINGTON – Reacting to the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act by the U.S. Congress, Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, lamented the great harm the bill will cause to many of the most vulnerable in society, making steeper cuts to Medicaid and clean energy tax credits, and adding more to the deficit. While the bishops had commended the positive aspects of an earlier version of the bill, the restriction on federal funds to abortion providers such as Planned Parenthood was reduced to one year, the parental choice in education provision was greatly weakened, and the restriction on federally funding “gender transition” procedures was removed. 

Archbishop Broglio said: 

“My brother bishops and I have repeatedly and consistently urged lawmakers to use the budget reconciliation process to help families in need and to change course on aspects of the bill that fail the poor and vulnerable. The final version of the bill includes unconscionable cuts to healthcare and food assistance, tax cuts that increase inequality, immigration provisions that harm families and children, and cuts to programs that protect God’s creation. The bill, as passed, will cause the greatest harm to those who are especially vulnerable in our society. As its provisions go into effect, people will lose access to healthcare and struggle to buy groceries, family members will be separated, and vulnerable communities will be less prepared to cope with environmental impacts of pollution and extreme weather. More must be done to prevent these devastating effects. 

“The Catholic Church’s teaching to uphold human dignity and the common good compels us to redouble our efforts and offer concrete help to those who will be in greater need and continue to advocate for legislative efforts that will provide better possibilities in the future for those in need.”

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Catholic priests will now be able to celebrate Mass "for the care of creation" after the Vatican announced that a new formulary of prayers and biblical readings for the Mass will be added to the Roman Missal -- the liturgical book that contains the texts for celebrating Mass in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church.

The new formulary, or specific set of texts and prayers for Mass, will be added among the "civil needs" section of the "Masses and Prayers for Various Needs and Occasions" listed in the Roman Missal. The current missal, approved by St. John Paul II in 2000, lists 17 "civil needs" to offer Masses and prayers for, including "for the nation or state," "after the harvest," "for refugees and exiles" and "in time of earthquake." The missal lists another 20 particular needs for the church and 12 for other circumstances.

Pope Leo XIV will use the new formulary for a private Mass July 9 with the staff of Borgo Laudato Si' ecology project -- a space for education and training in integral ecology hosted in the gardens of the papal villa at Castel Gandolfo, the traditional summer residence for the popes.

The formulary for the Mass began development during Pope Francis' pontificate in response to "requests for a liturgical way of celebrating the meaning and the message of 'Laudato si','" said Cardinal Michael Czerny, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, who presented the new formulary at a news conference July 3.

"The true authors of this text are Scripture, the (church) fathers and 'Laudato si','" said Archbishop Vittorio Francesco Viola, secretary of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.

The new formulary, Archbishop Viola said, "receives some of the principal themes contained in Laudato Si' and expresses them in the form of prayer within the theological framework that the encyclical revives."

He described the set of prayers as "a good antidote against a certain reading of 'Laudato si'' that risks reducing the depth of its content to a 'superficial or ostensible ecology'" that is "far from that integral ecology widely described and explained in the encyclical."

The Mass formulary begins with the entrance antiphon from Psalm 19: "The heavens declare the glory of God; the firmament proclaims works of his hands." The Collect prayer, which gathers the prayer intentions of the faithful to close the introductory rites of the Mass, asks God "that docile to the life-giving breath of your Spirit, we may lovingly care for the work of your hands."

The prayer after Communion asks for increased communion with God "so that, as we await the new heavens and the new earth, we may learn to live in harmony with all creatures."

The proposed biblical readings include Wisdom 13:1-9, Colossians 1:15-20, and selections from the Gospel of Matthew that recount Jesus calming the storm and calling people to trust in divine providence through the lilies of the field and the birds of the air.

In the decree dated June 8 issuing the new formulary, Cardinal Arthur Roche, prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, wrote, "At this time it is evident that the work of creation is seriously threatened because of the irresponsible use and abuse of the goods God has endowed to our care."

"This is why it is considered appropriate to add a Mass formulary" on the care of creation, he wrote.

However, "this Mass is a reason for joy," said Cardinal Czerny during the July 3 news conference. "It increases our gratitude, strengthens our faith and invites us to respond with care and love in an ever-growing sense of wonder, reverence and responsibility."

The new formulary "calls us to be faithful stewards of what God has entrusted to us, not only in daily choices and public policies, but also in our prayer, our worship and our way of living in the world," he added.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Almost four years after Pope Francis opened the Catholic Church's path toward synodality -- a term many in the church had never heard before -- his successor has thrown his support behind the last leg of the church's' synodal journey.

The Synod of Bishops, which admitted women, lay and other non-bishop voting members among its ranks during its two universal assemblies in October 2023 and 2024, "naturally retains its institutional profile and at the same time is enriched by the mature fruits of this season," Pope Leo XIV told the ordinary council of the synod June 26. "You are the body appointed to reap these fruits and make a prospective reflection."

Over two days, the council convened to approve a document for the synod's final implementation stage intended to improve dialogue between local churches and the Vatican synod office, the General Secretariat for the Synod of Bishops said in a statement June 30. The document will be released July 7 at www.synod.va.

The council also discussed the work of study groups instituted by Pope Francis to deal with hot-button topics -- such as women's ordination and changes to priestly formation.

The study groups were scheduled to present interim reports on their findings in June 2025, but the synod office noted that "due to the death of Pope Francis and the election of Pope Leo XIV, there have been delays." In agreement with Pope Leo, the deadline to submit the final reports was extended to Dec. 31, 2025, and the interim reports will be published on the synod office's website as they are received, it said.

According to the apostolic constitution "Universi Dominici Gregis," which governs procedures when the papacy is vacant, a council or Synod of Bishops is immediately suspended when a pope dies or resigns. All meetings, decisions and promulgations must cease until a new pope explicitly orders their continuation, or they are considered null.

The late pope launched the diocesan phase of the worldwide synodal process in October 2021, and it was originally scheduled to culminate with an in-person assembly in Rome in October 2023. Another assembly was held after a year of listening in October 2024, and in March, Pope Francis launched a three-year implementation phase of the synod that will culminate in an ecclesial assembly at the Vatican in October 2028.

Pope Leo told the synod's ordinary council June 26, "I encourage you in this work, I pray that it may be fruitful and as of now I am grateful."

The General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops said that the expected document, titled "Pathways for the Implementation Phase of the Synod," is a practical and theological guide for diocesan bishops and synodal teams as they apply the synod's final proposals locally.

The synod office noted that this phase of the synodal process "belongs above all to the local Churches," which are tasked with translating the synod assembly's "authoritative proposals" into concrete pastoral practices within their respective contexts. At the same time, the synod office said the guidelines were developed to respond to questions raised by bishops and diocesan leaders in recent months and are intended to support, not replace, local discernment.

Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary-general of the Synod of Bishops, acknowledged in his opening remarks of the council's meeting that "difficulties and resistance" to the synodal process remain. He said that while some dioceses have already begun the implementation phase with enthusiasm, others are awaiting the forthcoming guidelines "with trepidation."

"These contrary positions must not be overlooked," he said. "Rather, I would say they must challenge us deeply."

Cardinal Grech proposed establishing a permanent forum, which he called a "Table of Synodality," to foster ongoing theological and canonical reflection on synodality and encouraged greater investment in formation programs. He also said that new partnerships with academic institutions and the continued support of young theologians would help cultivate a synodal "mentality" across the church.

WASHINGTON – Pope Leo XIV has appointed Most Reverend Daniel E. Garcia, currently Bishop of Monterey, as the Bishop of Austin.

The appointment was publicized in Washington, D.C. on July 2, 2025, by Cardinal Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.

Bishop Garcia’s biography may be found here.

The Diocese of Austin is comprised of 21,066 square miles in the State of Texas, and has a total population of 3,769,697 of which 678,545 are Catholic. 

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WASHINGTON – Pope Leo XIV has accepted the resignation of Most Reverend Thomas J. Rodi, 76, from the pastoral governance of the Archdiocese of Mobile, and has appointed Most Reverend Mark S. Rivituso, currently auxiliary bishop of Saint Louis, as his successor. 

The resignation and appointment were publicized in Washington, D.C. on July 1, 2025, by Cardinal Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.

The Archdiocese of Mobile is comprised of 22,969 square miles in the State of Alabama and has a total population of 1,859,393 of which 107,870 are Catholic.

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ROME (CNS) -- When Pope Leo XIV gave newly appointed metropolitan archbishops their pallium on the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, he told them it symbolizes their responsibility to care for their people and to promote unity.

"Dear brothers, this sign of the pastoral responsibility entrusted to you also expresses your communion with the Bishop of Rome, so that in the unity of the Catholic faith, each of you may build up that communion in your local churches," he said in his homily during Mass in St. Peter's Basilica June 29.

He urged them to "learn to experience communion in this way -- as unity within diversity -- so that the various gifts, united in the one confession of faith, may advance the preaching of the Gospel."

Eight of the 54 archbishops receiving the pallium -- a woolen band worn around the shoulders over Mass vestments -- were from the United States.

Speaking with Catholic News Service in Rome, many of them reflected on their role in helping foster peace and unity. 

Archbishop W. Shawn McKnight of Kansas City, Kansas, said that ever since Pope Leo was elected and spoke about peace and unity, he has taken that message "to heart" and has been thinking, "What does that mean for us back home?"

"How do we tend to the unity of the church, such that we can be an oasis of peace in our own communities, in a climate sometimes that is very chaotic, adversarial, polarized," he said. "I think we have to consider the ways in which the church can be a better sanctuary of mercy in that context." 

Archbishop Joe S. Vásquez of Galveston-Houston said it comes down to taking the time to listen to and engage with one another in a way that is respectful and civil. 

All dialogue and discussion about things of great importance can be done without "having to be so critical of one another as to demean one another, disrespect one another or not appreciate the other as a person," he said. 

Archbishop Edward J. Weisenburger of Detroit noted there are Catholics in his archdiocese that "hop from parish to parish looking for the message they want to hear, the style of liturgy they want to experience."

But, he said, "historically, parishes were places where you bond together as a people in a community, and you know each other, and you support each other, and you help each other, and when my faith is weak, I lean on you. When your faith is weak, you lean on me."

"That sense of unity on the local level, I think, is suffering, and so I really think one of the ways we Americans, and especially we in the Archdiocese of Detroit, I begin with myself at home, we need to really look at how we're building those local communities and that creates unity," he said. 

Archbishop Michael G. McGovern of Omaha, Nebraska, said, "I'm everybody's bishop. I'm not just the bishop for some people."

What that looks like, he said, is "one Sunday I'm going to go to the traditional Latin Mass community and I'll wear my choir robes and I'll sit on the side. I don't say the Latin Mass, but I just, I'm there to be present to the people because they're part of the church."

Another day, he said, he will go to the Vietnamese community in Omaha, where they recently celebrated a confirmation in a church that had been built by Polish immigrants.

"We're Catholics together. We're Christians together," he said. "I have to buy into your world before you buy into my world," which really speaks to people.

"I'm in a unique position to put a new face on the church as a bishop if I'm willing to get to know what's interesting to people, what are they concerned about, and when I'm able to do that, I think then I'm able to build unity," Archbishop McGovern said. 

Archbishop Richard G. Henning of Boston said "that sense of oneness or communion is critical in the Scriptures. It's one of the things Jesus prays for that they may all be one."

"We should have our own opinions and even different opinions, but there should also be a sense in which we are a single family, that there is a unity between us, that there is a peace between us, a charity between us," he said. 

Archbishop Jeffrey S. Grob of Milwaukee said, "We have to be unified. We have to work for peace and solidarity. We have to care for the marginalized."

"That's nothing new. You can walk it right back to the Gospels and Jesus Christ, but maybe we need to put a new face on it, we need to speak to this moment," he said.

Archbishop Robert G. Casey of Cincinnati said that, "as a bishop, I'm entrusted with a flock. I don't choose that flock. It's handed over to me and it's a very diverse flock." 

"How can I tend the sheep of my flock? All of them, not some of them, but all of them. And so I think the pope, in being a representative of Christ who calls us to peace and unity, really invites us as church to seek out that care and concern of all God's children, of all those that make up this flock we shepherd," he said.

The church has to adapt to an ever-changing world, he said. "That can be challenging because we hold fast to our truths. We are a Catholic Church that has its practices, its customs, but we're also a church that has to learn to live in the present age, as we've done throughout all of history."