A reading from the First Letter of St. Paul to Corinthians
3:18-23
Brothers and sisters:
Let no one deceive himself.
If anyone among you considers himself wise in this age,
let him become a fool, so as to become wise.
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the eyes of God,
for it is written:
God catches the wise in their own ruses,
and again:
The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.
So let no one boast about human beings, for everything belongs to you,
Paul or Apollos or Cephas,
or the world or life or death,
or the present or the future:
all belong to you, and you to Christ, and Christ to God.
From the Gospel according to Luke
5:1-11
While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God,
he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret.
He saw two boats there alongside the lake;
the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets.
Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon,
he asked him to put out a short distance from the shore.
Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.
After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon,
"Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch."
Simon said in reply,
"Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing,
but at your command I will lower the nets."
When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish
and their nets were tearing.
They signaled to their partners in the other boat
to come to help them.
They came and filled both boats
so that the boats were in danger of sinking.
When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said,
"Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man."
For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him
and all those with him,
and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee,
who were partners of Simon.
Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid;
from now on you will be catching men."
When they brought their boats to the shore,
they left everything and followed him.
The evangelist shows how the first disciples followed Jesus, trusting him, relying on his Word, all the while accompanied by miraculous signs. We note that, before this sign, Simon addresses Jesus, calling him ?Master? (v. 5), while afterwards he addresses him as ?Lord? (v. 7). This is the pedagogy of God?s call, which does not consider the quality of those who are chosen so much as their faith, like that of Simon that says: ?At your word, I will let down the nets? (?). The experience of Peter, certainly unique, is nonetheless representative of the call of every apostle of the Gospel, who must never be discouraged in proclaiming Christ to all men, even to the ends of the world. However, today?s text is a reflection on the vocation to the priesthood and the consecrated life. It is the work of God. The human person is not the author of his own vocation but responds to the divine call. Human weakness should not be afraid if God calls. It is necessary to have confidence in his strength, which acts in our poverty; we must rely more and more on the power of his mercy, which transforms and renews. Dear brothers and sisters, may this Word of God revive in us and in our Christian communities courage, confidence and enthusiasm in proclaiming and witnessing to the Gospel. Do not let failures and difficulties lead to discouragement: it is our task to cast our nets in faith ? the Lord will do the rest. (Pope Benedict XVI, Angelus, 10 February 2013)
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![Paterson parish remembers ministry of beloved late pastor #Catholic – On the evening of Aug. 27, faithful from St. Stephen Parish in Paterson, N.J., and beyond remembered the life and ministry of Father Rafael A. Ciro, beloved former pastor of St. Stephen’s, on the first anniversary of his death, during a Memorial Mass celebrated by Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney.
On Aug. 27, 2025, Father Ciro died by suicide, leaving his family, friends, and faithful around the Paterson Diocese, N.J., and beyond shocked and heartbroken, especially in the Hispanic community he served. He was 45.
Father Diego F. Monsalve, administrator of St. Stephen’s, joined many priests, including some of Father Ciro’s friends, in concelebrating the Mass with Bishop Sweeney.
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
The Colombian-born Father Ciro was ordained to the diocesan priesthood on May 25, 2013, at St. Philip the Apostle Parish in Clifton, N.J., by Bishop Emeritus Arthur J. Serratelli.
Following his ordination, Father Ciro served the parish communities of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson, N.J., St. Mary’s Assumption Parish in Passaic, N.J., St. Nicholas Parish, also in Passaic, and Sacred Heart and Holy Rosary Parish in Dover, N.J., before being appointed pastor of St. Stephen in Paterson, where he served at the time of his passing.
Father Ciro was born on Oct. 29, 1979, in Colombia to the late Rafael Angel Ciro-Rios and Aura Elena Guarín. He completed philosophy studies for the priesthood in Colombia. He continued his theological studies at Universidad Intercontinental in Mexico City (2007–2009), the former Holy Apostles College and Seminary in Cromwell, Conn. (2011–2012), and Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md. (2012–2013).
Before joining the Paterson Diocese as a seminarian in January 2011, Father Ciro dedicated nearly three years to missionary work in Medellín and another three years in Mexico City, serving in some of the most impoverished communities. He also ministered to Hispanic migrants in Alabama and New Jersey.
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/paterson-parish-remembers-ministry-of-beloved-late-pastor-catholic-on-the-evening-of-aug-27-faithful-from-st-stephen-parish-in-paterson-n-j-and-beyond-remembered-the-life-and-ministry-of-fath.jpg "Paterson parish remembers ministry of beloved late pastor #Catholic – On the evening of Aug. 27, faithful from St. Stephen Parish in Paterson, N.J., and beyond remembered the life and ministry of Father Rafael A. Ciro, beloved former pastor of St. Stephen’s, on the first anniversary of his death, during a Memorial Mass celebrated by Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney.
On Aug. 27, 2025, Father Ciro died by suicide, leaving his family, friends, and faithful around the Paterson Diocese, N.J., and beyond shocked and heartbroken, especially in the Hispanic community he served. He was 45.
Father Diego F. Monsalve, administrator of St. Stephen’s, joined many priests, including some of Father Ciro’s friends, in concelebrating the Mass with Bishop Sweeney.
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
The Colombian-born Father Ciro was ordained to the diocesan priesthood on May 25, 2013, at St. Philip the Apostle Parish in Clifton, N.J., by Bishop Emeritus Arthur J. Serratelli.
Following his ordination, Father Ciro served the parish communities of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson, N.J., St. Mary’s Assumption Parish in Passaic, N.J., St. Nicholas Parish, also in Passaic, and Sacred Heart and Holy Rosary Parish in Dover, N.J., before being appointed pastor of St. Stephen in Paterson, where he served at the time of his passing.
Father Ciro was born on Oct. 29, 1979, in Colombia to the late Rafael Angel Ciro-Rios and Aura Elena Guarín. He completed philosophy studies for the priesthood in Colombia. He continued his theological studies at Universidad Intercontinental in Mexico City (2007–2009), the former Holy Apostles College and Seminary in Cromwell, Conn. (2011–2012), and Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md. (2012–2013).
Before joining the Paterson Diocese as a seminarian in January 2011, Father Ciro dedicated nearly three years to missionary work in Medellín and another three years in Mexico City, serving in some of the most impoverished communities. He also ministered to Hispanic migrants in Alabama and New Jersey.
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]")
![Hanover priests rejoice bringing Christ to others on mission #Catholic – This summer, the missionary heart of Notre Dame Mount Carmel Parish, located in the Cedar Knolls neighborhood of Hanover Township, N.J., came alive in two very different places.
On July 26, a team of nearly 50 Notre Dame parishioners and friends traveled to Preston County, W.V., for Operation Appalachia, serving families in need by repairing and restoring their homes. Father Emerson Francisco, the parish’s parochial vicar, accompanied them, experiencing the mission trip for the first time.
A few weeks later, on Aug. 7, Notre Dame’s Guatemala Outreach Ministry traveled to Guatemala, where 15 parishioners and friends divided into three teams to build three homes for three families in need. Father Vidal Gonzales, Jr., Notre Dame’s pastor, accompanied the group, sharing in the hard work, fellowship, and encounters that made the journey meaningful.
Though the missions were thousands of miles apart and the work was different, both journeys shared the same heart: to go where the Lord was calling, to serve his people, and to discover that in giving ourselves, we often receive far more than we could ever give.
For Father Francisco, the Operation Appalachia mission began each morning before the work even started. He would walk to the cemetery beside the camp, pray the rosary, reflect on the Gospel, and meditate in silence.
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
Then, at 7 a.m., team members gathered for Mass. Their altar was a simple tree stump with the morning sun rising through the trees behind it. As he celebrated the Eucharist, Father Francisco thought: “Before we repaired a single porch, painted a single wall, or drove a single nail, Christ was already repairing us.”
The work that followed was demanding. Teams rebuilt porches, replaced floors, built ramps, reinforced roofs, and made repairs that homeowners had been unable to undertake themselves.
But something else happened along the way. When some teams completed their projects early, they didn’t stop. They loaded their tools and went to help the teams that still had work to do. They asked, “Where can we help next?” For Father Francisco, that was the Gospel in action.
“We weren’t just several work crews. We were one family,” Father Francisco said.
That same spirit was evident in Guatemala. Over five days, three teams worked alongside From Houses to Homes workers to construct simple but sturdy homes of cinderblock, concrete flooring, metal roofing, a window, and a door. The work was physically demanding, but Father Gonzalez witnessed how the families themselves became a source of renewed energy and purpose.
“Seeing the families whose houses we were building gave us renewed energy and a deeper sense of purpose,” Father Gonzalez said.
While the physical work was important, both priests recognized that the deeper mission was about people.
Father Francisco said the homeowners in Appalachia reminded the team that they were never repairing wood or concrete.
“We were entering people’s lives,” Father Francisco said.
Father Gonzalez expressed that same truth from Guatemala.
“Outreach is not measured only by what we accomplish, but by the relationships we build along the way,” Father Francisco said.
In both places, homes became a doorway to encounter — to listen to people’s stories, share meals, laugh together, and recognize the dignity and worth of every person.
During Operation Appalachia, Father Francisco didn’t just talk about what the Church is, but experienced the Church.
“As a priest, I often tell people that the Church is not simply a building. During Operation Appalachia, I didn’t just preach those words — I lived them,” Father Francisco said.
In Guatemala, the Church crossed borders and cultures, bringing together people who might otherwise never have met.
“When people from different communities, cultures, and backgrounds come together with open hearts and willing hands, borders become smaller, and humanity becomes bigger,” Father Gonzalez said.
The most profound commonality between these two missions is that the blessings didn’t flow in only one direction. The families received homes. They received repairs. They received help and the reassurance that they were seen and valued.
But those who served received something as well. Father Gonzalez and the team returned to Notre Dame with “tired bodies but grateful hearts,” carrying memories of the families they encountered. They also gained a deeper understanding that “service is not only about what we give but also about what we receive.” The priest also saw in the families lessons in “courage, resilience, generosity, hope, and faith.”
Father Francisco experienced the same transformation. What he expected to be a week of service became, unexpectedly, a week that “renewed my own priesthood.”
Perhaps that is one of the great revelations of missionary work: we go believing that we are bringing Christ to others, only to discover Christ waiting for us there.
This summer reminded the Notre Dame participants that mission takes many forms. It may mean rebuilding a porch in West Virginia, laying a cinderblock in Guatemala, preparing a meal, offering a skill, giving financially, or simply saying yes when the Lord places an opportunity before us.
“There is always a way to contribute.” Some give financially. Others offer their time, skills, supplies, prayers, encouragement, or presence,” Father Gonzalez said. “Each of these seemingly individual acts becomes part of something much greater. Together, these individual acts of generosity become a powerful witness to what can happen when people come together with a common purpose and willing hearts,” he said.
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/hanover-priests-rejoice-bringing-christ-to-others-on-mission-catholic-this-summer-the-missionary-heart-of-notre-dame-mount-carmel-parish-located-in-the-cedar-knolls-neighborhood-of-hanover-townsh.jpg "Hanover priests rejoice bringing Christ to others on mission #Catholic – This summer, the missionary heart of Notre Dame Mount Carmel Parish, located in the Cedar Knolls neighborhood of Hanover Township, N.J., came alive in two very different places.
On July 26, a team of nearly 50 Notre Dame parishioners and friends traveled to Preston County, W.V., for Operation Appalachia, serving families in need by repairing and restoring their homes. Father Emerson Francisco, the parish’s parochial vicar, accompanied them, experiencing the mission trip for the first time.
A few weeks later, on Aug. 7, Notre Dame’s Guatemala Outreach Ministry traveled to Guatemala, where 15 parishioners and friends divided into three teams to build three homes for three families in need. Father Vidal Gonzales, Jr., Notre Dame’s pastor, accompanied the group, sharing in the hard work, fellowship, and encounters that made the journey meaningful.
Though the missions were thousands of miles apart and the work was different, both journeys shared the same heart: to go where the Lord was calling, to serve his people, and to discover that in giving ourselves, we often receive far more than we could ever give.
For Father Francisco, the Operation Appalachia mission began each morning before the work even started. He would walk to the cemetery beside the camp, pray the rosary, reflect on the Gospel, and meditate in silence.
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
Then, at 7 a.m., team members gathered for Mass. Their altar was a simple tree stump with the morning sun rising through the trees behind it. As he celebrated the Eucharist, Father Francisco thought: “Before we repaired a single porch, painted a single wall, or drove a single nail, Christ was already repairing us.”
The work that followed was demanding. Teams rebuilt porches, replaced floors, built ramps, reinforced roofs, and made repairs that homeowners had been unable to undertake themselves.
But something else happened along the way. When some teams completed their projects early, they didn’t stop. They loaded their tools and went to help the teams that still had work to do. They asked, “Where can we help next?” For Father Francisco, that was the Gospel in action.
“We weren’t just several work crews. We were one family,” Father Francisco said.
That same spirit was evident in Guatemala. Over five days, three teams worked alongside From Houses to Homes workers to construct simple but sturdy homes of cinderblock, concrete flooring, metal roofing, a window, and a door. The work was physically demanding, but Father Gonzalez witnessed how the families themselves became a source of renewed energy and purpose.
“Seeing the families whose houses we were building gave us renewed energy and a deeper sense of purpose,” Father Gonzalez said.
While the physical work was important, both priests recognized that the deeper mission was about people.
Father Francisco said the homeowners in Appalachia reminded the team that they were never repairing wood or concrete.
“We were entering people’s lives,” Father Francisco said.
Father Gonzalez expressed that same truth from Guatemala.
“Outreach is not measured only by what we accomplish, but by the relationships we build along the way,” Father Francisco said.
In both places, homes became a doorway to encounter — to listen to people’s stories, share meals, laugh together, and recognize the dignity and worth of every person.
During Operation Appalachia, Father Francisco didn’t just talk about what the Church is, but experienced the Church.
“As a priest, I often tell people that the Church is not simply a building. During Operation Appalachia, I didn’t just preach those words — I lived them,” Father Francisco said.
In Guatemala, the Church crossed borders and cultures, bringing together people who might otherwise never have met.
“When people from different communities, cultures, and backgrounds come together with open hearts and willing hands, borders become smaller, and humanity becomes bigger,” Father Gonzalez said.
The most profound commonality between these two missions is that the blessings didn’t flow in only one direction. The families received homes. They received repairs. They received help and the reassurance that they were seen and valued.
But those who served received something as well. Father Gonzalez and the team returned to Notre Dame with “tired bodies but grateful hearts,” carrying memories of the families they encountered. They also gained a deeper understanding that “service is not only about what we give but also about what we receive.” The priest also saw in the families lessons in “courage, resilience, generosity, hope, and faith.”
Father Francisco experienced the same transformation. What he expected to be a week of service became, unexpectedly, a week that “renewed my own priesthood.”
Perhaps that is one of the great revelations of missionary work: we go believing that we are bringing Christ to others, only to discover Christ waiting for us there.
This summer reminded the Notre Dame participants that mission takes many forms. It may mean rebuilding a porch in West Virginia, laying a cinderblock in Guatemala, preparing a meal, offering a skill, giving financially, or simply saying yes when the Lord places an opportunity before us.
“There is always a way to contribute.” Some give financially. Others offer their time, skills, supplies, prayers, encouragement, or presence,” Father Gonzalez said. “Each of these seemingly individual acts becomes part of something much greater. Together, these individual acts of generosity become a powerful witness to what can happen when people come together with a common purpose and willing hearts,” he said.
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]")
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/TAL-garden-of-the-gods-shawnee-national-forest-SHAWNEEFOREST0326-373216ee231b4bd8bd8b04ff19be6e70.jpg)
![Vatican diplomat says Moscow mission focused on peace despite no concrete breakthrough – #Catholic – Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher said diplomacy remains a possible path toward ending the war in Ukraine after high-level talks in Moscow produced no concrete breakthrough.Gallagher, the Vatican’s secretary for relations with states and international organizations, met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and other officials during an Aug. 24–28 visit to Russia.“We went to Moscow to speak of peace, to encourage souls troubled by war, and to say ‘Have courage, embrace the path of peace, have the hope of believing in a better day,” Gallagher said in an interview with Vatican News published Sunday. “And I believe that essentially this was our message.”Gallagher met with Lavrov during the first day of his visit, although he was not received by Russian President Vladimir Putin. After more than an hour of talks, the two appeared before reporters, with the Vatican diplomat reiterating Pope Leo XIV’s appeal for an end to the war in Ukraine.“The Holy See does not enter into the details of the negotiations, nor does it propose technical solutions, because this is the direct responsibility of the belligerent parties,” Gallagher said in the subsequent Vatican News interview.“The Holy See, instead, recalls this responsibility and invites them to show goodwill in order to seriously begin a dialogue,” he continued. “And it does so by addressing both the Russian Federation and Ukraine, as well as other countries, asking that no effort be spared to create spaces for dialogue.”A ‘difficult’ dialogueGallagher acknowledged that discussing peace in Russia means engaging in “a difficult dialogue.”“The longer the war continues, the more difficult it will be to restore relations: There are many victims, many open wounds,” he said. “But we know very well that, historically, all conflicts, all wars end with a negotiation, with an agreement, and then one begins to restore relations between the former belligerents.”“In this sense, diplomacy offers and promises a possible solution,” Gallagher said. “This is also what we, as a Church, have the responsibility and the duty to proclaim.”Gallagher and Lavrov also discussed possible humanitarian initiatives and the situation of children affected by the war. The Holy See expressed its willingness to continue offering spiritual, diplomatic, and humanitarian assistance.“This dimension is fundamental and, in this area, the Holy See is already offering its contribution, a commitment that so far has been greatly appreciated,” Gallagher said.“The Holy Father himself, before I left, told me: We must insist on the humanitarian dimension. And that is what we did,” he added.“We hope that Cardinal [Matteo] Zuppi’s peace mission will continue and that he will be able to return promptly to Moscow, also in order to be a witness to what the local Church and the Catholic communities are doing.”Zuppi traveled to Moscow in 2023 and 2024 as Pope Francis’ special envoy for peace. His mission included humanitarian efforts concerning Ukrainian children taken to Russia during the war.Outreach to the Russian Orthodox ChurchGallagher also visited Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Savior, one of the city’s most prominent Orthodox landmarks.There he was received by Igor Yakimchuk, deputy chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations. Gallagher also met with Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, who heads the department.The talks covered issues of common concern and were intended to keep channels of communication open between the Holy See and the Russian Orthodox Church at a particularly sensitive moment for the region.Relations between the two churches have been severely strained since Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill publicly supported Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.Meeting Russia’s Catholic minorityGallagher devoted the final day of his visit to Russia’s small Catholic community.Catholics make up a tiny minority in the country, with roughly 800,000 faithful among a population of more than 146 million — about 0.5%. The Church is organized into four dioceses centered on the Archdiocese of the Mother of God at Moscow.During his stay, Gallagher celebrated Mass at Moscow’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and met with priests, religious men and women, and the country’s Catholic bishops.This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/vatican-diplomat-says-moscow-mission-focused-on-peace-despite-no-concrete-breakthrough-catholic-archbishop-paul-richard-gallagher-said-diplomacy-remains-a-possible-path-toward-ending-the-war-in-u.jpg "Vatican diplomat says Moscow mission focused on peace despite no concrete breakthrough – #Catholic – Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher said diplomacy remains a possible path toward ending the war in Ukraine after high-level talks in Moscow produced no concrete breakthrough.Gallagher, the Vatican’s secretary for relations with states and international organizations, met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and other officials during an Aug. 24–28 visit to Russia.“We went to Moscow to speak of peace, to encourage souls troubled by war, and to say ‘Have courage, embrace the path of peace, have the hope of believing in a better day,” Gallagher said in an interview with Vatican News published Sunday. “And I believe that essentially this was our message.”Gallagher met with Lavrov during the first day of his visit, although he was not received by Russian President Vladimir Putin. After more than an hour of talks, the two appeared before reporters, with the Vatican diplomat reiterating Pope Leo XIV’s appeal for an end to the war in Ukraine.“The Holy See does not enter into the details of the negotiations, nor does it propose technical solutions, because this is the direct responsibility of the belligerent parties,” Gallagher said in the subsequent Vatican News interview.“The Holy See, instead, recalls this responsibility and invites them to show goodwill in order to seriously begin a dialogue,” he continued. “And it does so by addressing both the Russian Federation and Ukraine, as well as other countries, asking that no effort be spared to create spaces for dialogue.”A ‘difficult’ dialogueGallagher acknowledged that discussing peace in Russia means engaging in “a difficult dialogue.”“The longer the war continues, the more difficult it will be to restore relations: There are many victims, many open wounds,” he said. “But we know very well that, historically, all conflicts, all wars end with a negotiation, with an agreement, and then one begins to restore relations between the former belligerents.”“In this sense, diplomacy offers and promises a possible solution,” Gallagher said. “This is also what we, as a Church, have the responsibility and the duty to proclaim.”Gallagher and Lavrov also discussed possible humanitarian initiatives and the situation of children affected by the war. The Holy See expressed its willingness to continue offering spiritual, diplomatic, and humanitarian assistance.“This dimension is fundamental and, in this area, the Holy See is already offering its contribution, a commitment that so far has been greatly appreciated,” Gallagher said.“The Holy Father himself, before I left, told me: We must insist on the humanitarian dimension. And that is what we did,” he added.“We hope that Cardinal [Matteo] Zuppi’s peace mission will continue and that he will be able to return promptly to Moscow, also in order to be a witness to what the local Church and the Catholic communities are doing.”Zuppi traveled to Moscow in 2023 and 2024 as Pope Francis’ special envoy for peace. His mission included humanitarian efforts concerning Ukrainian children taken to Russia during the war.Outreach to the Russian Orthodox ChurchGallagher also visited Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Savior, one of the city’s most prominent Orthodox landmarks.There he was received by Igor Yakimchuk, deputy chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations. Gallagher also met with Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, who heads the department.The talks covered issues of common concern and were intended to keep channels of communication open between the Holy See and the Russian Orthodox Church at a particularly sensitive moment for the region.Relations between the two churches have been severely strained since Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill publicly supported Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.Meeting Russia’s Catholic minorityGallagher devoted the final day of his visit to Russia’s small Catholic community.Catholics make up a tiny minority in the country, with roughly 800,000 faithful among a population of more than 146 million — about 0.5%. The Church is organized into four dioceses centered on the Archdiocese of the Mother of God at Moscow.During his stay, Gallagher celebrated Mass at Moscow’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and met with priests, religious men and women, and the country’s Catholic bishops.This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.")
![Wendell Berry, agrarian writer who envisioned a world ‘redeemed only by love,’ dies at 92 – #Catholic – Wendell Berry, the prolific American author whose work spanned decades and who spent his career urging Americans to pursue a simpler, more virtuous life, died on Aug. 31, his family said. His daughter Mary confirmed his passing via the New York Times. His cause of death was not immediately known; the Kentucky-born writer was 92 years old. A writer of fiction, poetry, and essays, Berry was known for his advocacy of rural life, for urging readers to develop a close connection to farming and food, and for calling for the care of the environment. His work united a broad cross-section of the American public from liberal environmentalists to Christian homesteaders to local food advocates to conservative conservationists. Born in Louisville on Aug. 5, 1934, Berry studied English at the University of Kentucky and writing at Stanford University. He taught English at the University of Kentucky for several years and also taught at New York University. From 1965 until his death he lived and worked at his farm, Lane’s Landing, in Henry County, Kentucky. His politics were broad and diverse. He was famously critical of big business and corporations and was a fierce detractor of coal companies. He was opposed to the death penalty, at one point urging his home state to abolish it entirely. Amid the racial and cultural disputes of 2020, he sued the University of Kentucky in order to prevent the removal of a purportedly racially offensive mural there — though he said he was pained by the knowledge that his ancestors “established themselves here by killing or driving out the original possessors” and that “people were once bought and sold here by my people.” Berry was awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Barack Obama in 2012. Throughout his career he remained devoted to both the natural world and to the small farm — a philosophy, he said in 2002, that meant he had “spent [his] life on two losing sides.” He urged advocates to reconcile both the need to preserve the natural world and the need to support the human beings that are an indelible part of the world. “The question we must deal with is not whether the domestic and the wild are separate or can be separated; it is how, in the human economy, their indissoluble and necessary connection can be properly maintained,” he wrote.Baptized a Baptist, Berry remained distant from organized religion, calling himself at one point a “forest Christian.” Yet his work and his advocacy attracted large numbers of Christians, including Catholics. Writing in America Magazine in 2017, the Catholic writer Anna Keating said that his unique philosophy “can prove helpful to Catholics, serving as an antidote to the many ills of our time.”He also briefly partnered with the Catholic St. Catharine College in Springfield, Kentucky, to launch the Berry Farming Program, though the college closed in 2016. He wrote that he “[took] literally the statement in the Gospel of John that God loves the world.” “I believe that the world was created and approved by love, that it subsists, coheres, and endures by love, and that, insofar as it is redeemable, it can be redeemed only by love,” he said. Though well traveled and revered as a national American sage, Berry was a strong proponent of localism. He consistently called on Americans to turn to community and mutual help to address societal problems and conflicts. He lamented the destruction of much of the rural way of life that he had seen take place over his lifetime, though he expressed optimism for its revitalization. Reflecting in 1988 on the potential “renewal of the rural communities” around the country, he wrote that such a renewal “would have to be a revival accomplished mainly by the community itself.”“It would have to be done not from the outside by the instruction of visiting experts,” he wrote, “but from the inside by the ancient rule of neighborliness, by the love of precious things, and by the wish to be at home.”](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/wendell-berry-agrarian-writer-who-envisioned-a-world-redeemed-only-by-love-dies-at-92-catholic-wendell-berry-the-prolific-american-author-whose-work-spanned-decades-and-who-s-scaled.jpg "Wendell Berry, agrarian writer who envisioned a world ‘redeemed only by love,’ dies at 92 – #Catholic – Wendell Berry, the prolific American author whose work spanned decades and who spent his career urging Americans to pursue a simpler, more virtuous life, died on Aug. 31, his family said. His daughter Mary confirmed his passing via the New York Times. His cause of death was not immediately known; the Kentucky-born writer was 92 years old. A writer of fiction, poetry, and essays, Berry was known for his advocacy of rural life, for urging readers to develop a close connection to farming and food, and for calling for the care of the environment. His work united a broad cross-section of the American public from liberal environmentalists to Christian homesteaders to local food advocates to conservative conservationists. Born in Louisville on Aug. 5, 1934, Berry studied English at the University of Kentucky and writing at Stanford University. He taught English at the University of Kentucky for several years and also taught at New York University. From 1965 until his death he lived and worked at his farm, Lane’s Landing, in Henry County, Kentucky. His politics were broad and diverse. He was famously critical of big business and corporations and was a fierce detractor of coal companies. He was opposed to the death penalty, at one point urging his home state to abolish it entirely. Amid the racial and cultural disputes of 2020, he sued the University of Kentucky in order to prevent the removal of a purportedly racially offensive mural there — though he said he was pained by the knowledge that his ancestors “established themselves here by killing or driving out the original possessors” and that “people were once bought and sold here by my people.” Berry was awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Barack Obama in 2012. Throughout his career he remained devoted to both the natural world and to the small farm — a philosophy, he said in 2002, that meant he had “spent [his] life on two losing sides.” He urged advocates to reconcile both the need to preserve the natural world and the need to support the human beings that are an indelible part of the world. “The question we must deal with is not whether the domestic and the wild are separate or can be separated; it is how, in the human economy, their indissoluble and necessary connection can be properly maintained,” he wrote.Baptized a Baptist, Berry remained distant from organized religion, calling himself at one point a “forest Christian.” Yet his work and his advocacy attracted large numbers of Christians, including Catholics. Writing in America Magazine in 2017, the Catholic writer Anna Keating said that his unique philosophy “can prove helpful to Catholics, serving as an antidote to the many ills of our time.”He also briefly partnered with the Catholic St. Catharine College in Springfield, Kentucky, to launch the Berry Farming Program, though the college closed in 2016. He wrote that he “[took] literally the statement in the Gospel of John that God loves the world.” “I believe that the world was created and approved by love, that it subsists, coheres, and endures by love, and that, insofar as it is redeemable, it can be redeemed only by love,” he said. Though well traveled and revered as a national American sage, Berry was a strong proponent of localism. He consistently called on Americans to turn to community and mutual help to address societal problems and conflicts. He lamented the destruction of much of the rural way of life that he had seen take place over his lifetime, though he expressed optimism for its revitalization. Reflecting in 1988 on the potential “renewal of the rural communities” around the country, he wrote that such a renewal “would have to be a revival accomplished mainly by the community itself.”“It would have to be done not from the outside by the instruction of visiting experts,” he wrote, “but from the inside by the ancient rule of neighborliness, by the love of precious things, and by the wish to be at home.”")
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![Hope for broken marriages: One couple’s story #Catholic On April 7, 2009, Mariela Villanueva landed in Venezuela convinced that she was going to end her marriage. Five years had passed since her husband, Harold Figueras, had left his family in Peru and rebuilt his life in another country. She carried with her the pain of a long separation and the resolve to sign the divorce papers. He had with him a written list of all the grievances he intended to unleash the moment he saw her.Nothing happened the way either of them had imagined.They arranged to meet on a Wednesday at 3 p.m., the Hour of Mercy, at the very spot where they had courted years before. When Mariela appeared, Harold frantically searched for the sheet of paper containing his complaints. It had vanished.“I was expecting a war. She opened her arms to embrace me, and I realized that I was the only one who wanted to fight,” Harold recalled in an interview with ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. Mariela said she made that gesture because she had already begun a process of conversion and was holding onto one last hope.That embrace did not immediately restore the marriage, however. It would still be nearly a month before he ended the other relationship he was in and decided to return to his family. But on that day, they both attest, Jesus won the first great battle.
Harold and Mariela in front of Lima Cathedral. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Harold Figueras and Mariela Villanueva
A marriage marked by woundednessHarold and Mariela met in 1998 at the Venezuelan College of Engineers. He worked in systems; she was a young lawyer running a legal consultation firm with dozens of professionals under her supervision.While Mariela had grown up in a Catholic family and frequently prayed the rosary, Harold was completely indifferent to the faith.“I used to make fun of priests. For me, getting married in the Church was simply a matter of fulfilling a social formality,” he admitted.They were married in a civil ceremony and on Sept. 2, 2000, received the sacrament at marriage at St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Barranco, Peru. However, they acknowledged that they came to the altar without truly understanding the meaning of the vocation of marriage.“We began our life together without God at the center. That was the first major mistake,” Harold explained.Over the years, deep-seated wounds began to surface: abandonment, loneliness, pride, an inability to communicate, and unrealistic expectations about love. Venezuela’s economic crisis further aggravated the situation. Harold traveled constantly between the two countries until, one day, he simply stopped coming back.Mariela was left alone in Lima with her young daughter.
Recent photo of Harold and Mariela with their three daughters in Lima, Peru. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Harold Figueras and Mariela Villanueva
‘Mom, teach me to pray’Paradoxically, the restoration did not begin when Harold changed. It began when Mariela got down on her knees.Estranged from the Church and filled with resentment, the young mother had abandoned the practice of her faith after being hurt by a bad experience at a parish. Everything changed thanks to an unexpected request from her 7-year-old daughter: “Mom, grandma says you know how to pray. Teach me the rosary.”Mariela agreed, more out of a sense of obligation than anything else. Shortly after that, her daughter insisted on making her first Communion and said something that pierced her mother’s heart: “You know what it’s like to have Jesus in your heart… so why don’t you [go to Communion]?”Those words led Mariela back to the confessional.From then on, she began a routine that would change her life: daily Mass before work, Eucharistic adoration at midday, and the rosary every night with her daughter.“I was looking for God to change my husband. The Lord ended up changing me,” she related.
Harold and Mariela with members of the Peruvian Catholic movement “Jesus and Mary Are Restoring My Family.” | Credit: Photo courtesy of Harold Figueras and Mariela Villanueva
‘Look at me’During Eucharistic adoration, an experience occurred that would, years later, give its name to the retreat the couple now leads as part of the Peruvian Catholic movement “Jesus and Mary Are Restoring My Family.”Mariela was praying, seeing herself as the victim in her story: “Lord, look at me. Look at how good I am. Look at what he did to me.”Then, she raised her eyes toward the monstrance.“I no longer saw the monstrance. I saw Jesus, wounded and bloodied. And he said to me only: ‘Look at me.’”In that moment, she experienced a personal encounter with Jesus. She began to recall her own sins from childhood and realized that, for years, she had been unable to recognize her own wounds.“I realized that God wasn’t going to ask me about Harold’s sins. He was going to ask me how much I loved my husband within the sacrament.”Her prayer changed completely, and she no longer asked for Harold to return. She only prayed: “Lord, bring him back to you.”
Mariela Villanueva. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Mariela Villanueva
The hell of the occultWhile Mariela was deepening her prayer life, Harold was heading down a completely opposite path.Seeking better financial prospects, he began consulting tarot cards. Next came syncretist Santería practices, and finally Palería, a witchcraft practice involving human remains and animal sacrifices.“I entered a dark room containing skeletal remains. I felt an indescribable fear, yet I kept looking for answers where they weren’t to be found,” Harold recalled.Amid that emptiness, he began to notice something strange. Mariela kept calling him, but no longer to get him back. One afternoon, in a mocking tone, he asked her: “What’s wrong? Don’t you need me anymore?”Her answer baffled him.“No. Whatʼs going on is that I have someone here who loves me.”Harold thought she had another romantic partner, but today he knows his wife was speaking of Christ himself.
Harold Figueras. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Harold Figueras
Welcomed back with loveAfter that encounter with his wife in Venezuela, Harold eventually returned to Peru.He admitted he was terrified of facing Mariela’s family and above all, their daughter. He imagined reproaches, humiliation, and rejection. Yet, he found exactly the opposite.“They all hugged me as if I had just stepped out to buy bread,” he recounted.A few days later, he accompanied Mariela to the Oblate Fathers’ church in the Barranco neighborhood of Lima. He had no thought of even going inside. He was standing near the doorway when, as he tells it, he felt an inner impulse that led him straight to the confessional.“I told the priest: ‘Father, I’ve been separated from my wife for five years, and I don’t know why I’ve come back.’”The priest invited him to attend a spiritual retreat. It was there that Harold experienced his own conversion.Before the Blessed Sacrament, after resisting for hours, Harold looked up: “I no longer saw the monstrance. I saw two honey-colored eyes that pierced my heart. I began to weep as I never had in my life.”From that moment on, he abandoned the occult and began a journey of faith that continues to this day.An ongoing miracleMore than 15 years have passed since that reconciliation.Harold and Mariela maintain that the true miracle was not simply living together again but discovering that marriage is a daily path to holiness.“Restoring the marriage takes your whole life. It doesn’t stop when the husband returns. It begins there,” Mariela said.
Harold and Mariela today. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Harold Figueras and Mariela Villanueva
That experience gave rise to the “Jesus and Mary Are Restoring My Family” movement, an initiative that supports spouses who are separated or on the verge of divorce. The path they propose begins with oneʼs own conversion rather than an attempt to change oneʼs spouse.Those who come to the mission begin with what’s called “Mary’s Workshop,” a preparation for consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary that focuses on the sacrament of marriage. There, the aim is for each person to acknowledge his or her own wounds and receive the tools to discern how to handle their issues as a family.However, Harold and Mariela noted that not all journeys end the same way. Some married couples manage to reunite, while others go their separate ways, including through the process of a declaration of nullity. What remains, they maintain, is the call to conversion and to seek God’s will.“The Lord wants us to be holy,” Mariela explained. She said that even when a person goes through a process different from what she or he hoped for, suffering can become an opportunity to draw closer to Christ and offer that pain for the holiness of the Church.Today, when they look back, the couple no longer see themselves as the same people who had separated. Mariela describes Harold as a man more committed to knowing Godʼs love and capable of giving of himself to his family.For his part, he acknowledged that the woman he reunited with after five years was no longer the same one he had left behind.
The Figueras Villanueva family today. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Harold Figueras and Mariela Villanueva
For this reason, their testimony does not aim to offer a formula for restoring a lost marriage. It is, above all, the story of two people who discovered that, before asking God to change the other person, they had to allow themselves to be transformed by him.“Many people come saying, ‘I want my husband to come back.’ We tell them: First, let Jesus return to the center of your heart,” Harold explained.Their message to couples in crisis stems from that experience: Don’t hide your wounds, don’t let shame defeat you, and don’t confuse restoration with a simple return to the life you had before.For as they discovered that Wednesday afternoon in 2009, some marital battles are not won by defeating the other person but by allowing oneself to be conquered by God’s merciful love.This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/hope-for-broken-marriages-one-couples-story-catholic-on-april-7-2009-mariela-villanueva-landed-in-venezuela-convinced-that-she-was-going-to-end-her-marriage-five-years-had-passed-since-h.jpg "Hope for broken marriages: One couple’s story #Catholic On April 7, 2009, Mariela Villanueva landed in Venezuela convinced that she was going to end her marriage. Five years had passed since her husband, Harold Figueras, had left his family in Peru and rebuilt his life in another country. She carried with her the pain of a long separation and the resolve to sign the divorce papers. He had with him a written list of all the grievances he intended to unleash the moment he saw her.Nothing happened the way either of them had imagined.They arranged to meet on a Wednesday at 3 p.m., the Hour of Mercy, at the very spot where they had courted years before. When Mariela appeared, Harold frantically searched for the sheet of paper containing his complaints. It had vanished.“I was expecting a war. She opened her arms to embrace me, and I realized that I was the only one who wanted to fight,” Harold recalled in an interview with ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. Mariela said she made that gesture because she had already begun a process of conversion and was holding onto one last hope.That embrace did not immediately restore the marriage, however. It would still be nearly a month before he ended the other relationship he was in and decided to return to his family. But on that day, they both attest, Jesus won the first great battle.
Harold and Mariela in front of Lima Cathedral. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Harold Figueras and Mariela Villanueva
A marriage marked by woundednessHarold and Mariela met in 1998 at the Venezuelan College of Engineers. He worked in systems; she was a young lawyer running a legal consultation firm with dozens of professionals under her supervision.While Mariela had grown up in a Catholic family and frequently prayed the rosary, Harold was completely indifferent to the faith.“I used to make fun of priests. For me, getting married in the Church was simply a matter of fulfilling a social formality,” he admitted.They were married in a civil ceremony and on Sept. 2, 2000, received the sacrament at marriage at St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Barranco, Peru. However, they acknowledged that they came to the altar without truly understanding the meaning of the vocation of marriage.“We began our life together without God at the center. That was the first major mistake,” Harold explained.Over the years, deep-seated wounds began to surface: abandonment, loneliness, pride, an inability to communicate, and unrealistic expectations about love. Venezuela’s economic crisis further aggravated the situation. Harold traveled constantly between the two countries until, one day, he simply stopped coming back.Mariela was left alone in Lima with her young daughter.
Recent photo of Harold and Mariela with their three daughters in Lima, Peru. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Harold Figueras and Mariela Villanueva
‘Mom, teach me to pray’Paradoxically, the restoration did not begin when Harold changed. It began when Mariela got down on her knees.Estranged from the Church and filled with resentment, the young mother had abandoned the practice of her faith after being hurt by a bad experience at a parish. Everything changed thanks to an unexpected request from her 7-year-old daughter: “Mom, grandma says you know how to pray. Teach me the rosary.”Mariela agreed, more out of a sense of obligation than anything else. Shortly after that, her daughter insisted on making her first Communion and said something that pierced her mother’s heart: “You know what it’s like to have Jesus in your heart… so why don’t you [go to Communion]?”Those words led Mariela back to the confessional.From then on, she began a routine that would change her life: daily Mass before work, Eucharistic adoration at midday, and the rosary every night with her daughter.“I was looking for God to change my husband. The Lord ended up changing me,” she related.
Harold and Mariela with members of the Peruvian Catholic movement “Jesus and Mary Are Restoring My Family.” | Credit: Photo courtesy of Harold Figueras and Mariela Villanueva
‘Look at me’During Eucharistic adoration, an experience occurred that would, years later, give its name to the retreat the couple now leads as part of the Peruvian Catholic movement “Jesus and Mary Are Restoring My Family.”Mariela was praying, seeing herself as the victim in her story: “Lord, look at me. Look at how good I am. Look at what he did to me.”Then, she raised her eyes toward the monstrance.“I no longer saw the monstrance. I saw Jesus, wounded and bloodied. And he said to me only: ‘Look at me.’”In that moment, she experienced a personal encounter with Jesus. She began to recall her own sins from childhood and realized that, for years, she had been unable to recognize her own wounds.“I realized that God wasn’t going to ask me about Harold’s sins. He was going to ask me how much I loved my husband within the sacrament.”Her prayer changed completely, and she no longer asked for Harold to return. She only prayed: “Lord, bring him back to you.”
Mariela Villanueva. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Mariela Villanueva
The hell of the occultWhile Mariela was deepening her prayer life, Harold was heading down a completely opposite path.Seeking better financial prospects, he began consulting tarot cards. Next came syncretist Santería practices, and finally Palería, a witchcraft practice involving human remains and animal sacrifices.“I entered a dark room containing skeletal remains. I felt an indescribable fear, yet I kept looking for answers where they weren’t to be found,” Harold recalled.Amid that emptiness, he began to notice something strange. Mariela kept calling him, but no longer to get him back. One afternoon, in a mocking tone, he asked her: “What’s wrong? Don’t you need me anymore?”Her answer baffled him.“No. Whatʼs going on is that I have someone here who loves me.”Harold thought she had another romantic partner, but today he knows his wife was speaking of Christ himself.
Harold Figueras. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Harold Figueras
Welcomed back with loveAfter that encounter with his wife in Venezuela, Harold eventually returned to Peru.He admitted he was terrified of facing Mariela’s family and above all, their daughter. He imagined reproaches, humiliation, and rejection. Yet, he found exactly the opposite.“They all hugged me as if I had just stepped out to buy bread,” he recounted.A few days later, he accompanied Mariela to the Oblate Fathers’ church in the Barranco neighborhood of Lima. He had no thought of even going inside. He was standing near the doorway when, as he tells it, he felt an inner impulse that led him straight to the confessional.“I told the priest: ‘Father, I’ve been separated from my wife for five years, and I don’t know why I’ve come back.’”The priest invited him to attend a spiritual retreat. It was there that Harold experienced his own conversion.Before the Blessed Sacrament, after resisting for hours, Harold looked up: “I no longer saw the monstrance. I saw two honey-colored eyes that pierced my heart. I began to weep as I never had in my life.”From that moment on, he abandoned the occult and began a journey of faith that continues to this day.An ongoing miracleMore than 15 years have passed since that reconciliation.Harold and Mariela maintain that the true miracle was not simply living together again but discovering that marriage is a daily path to holiness.“Restoring the marriage takes your whole life. It doesn’t stop when the husband returns. It begins there,” Mariela said.
Harold and Mariela today. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Harold Figueras and Mariela Villanueva
That experience gave rise to the “Jesus and Mary Are Restoring My Family” movement, an initiative that supports spouses who are separated or on the verge of divorce. The path they propose begins with oneʼs own conversion rather than an attempt to change oneʼs spouse.Those who come to the mission begin with what’s called “Mary’s Workshop,” a preparation for consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary that focuses on the sacrament of marriage. There, the aim is for each person to acknowledge his or her own wounds and receive the tools to discern how to handle their issues as a family.However, Harold and Mariela noted that not all journeys end the same way. Some married couples manage to reunite, while others go their separate ways, including through the process of a declaration of nullity. What remains, they maintain, is the call to conversion and to seek God’s will.“The Lord wants us to be holy,” Mariela explained. She said that even when a person goes through a process different from what she or he hoped for, suffering can become an opportunity to draw closer to Christ and offer that pain for the holiness of the Church.Today, when they look back, the couple no longer see themselves as the same people who had separated. Mariela describes Harold as a man more committed to knowing Godʼs love and capable of giving of himself to his family.For his part, he acknowledged that the woman he reunited with after five years was no longer the same one he had left behind.
The Figueras Villanueva family today. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Harold Figueras and Mariela Villanueva
For this reason, their testimony does not aim to offer a formula for restoring a lost marriage. It is, above all, the story of two people who discovered that, before asking God to change the other person, they had to allow themselves to be transformed by him.“Many people come saying, ‘I want my husband to come back.’ We tell them: First, let Jesus return to the center of your heart,” Harold explained.Their message to couples in crisis stems from that experience: Don’t hide your wounds, don’t let shame defeat you, and don’t confuse restoration with a simple return to the life you had before.For as they discovered that Wednesday afternoon in 2009, some marital battles are not won by defeating the other person but by allowing oneself to be conquered by God’s merciful love.This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.")
![Pope Leo XIV says Eastern synods can remove patriarchs for serious reasons – #Catholic – Pope Leo XIV on Aug. 29 said bishops of the Eastern Catholic Churches can remove their patriarchs when assembled in synod, though the Holy Father said the pope must still give his assent to the proposal. The pope made the declaration in an apostolic letter issued motu proprio titled Mutua Concordia. The letter modified canons 106 and 126 of the Codex Canonum Ecclesiarum Orientalium. The pope in the letter said the “mutual concord” between the head of an Eastern Church and the church’s bishops “is the soul of communion of the Eastern ecclesiastical hierarchy.” If the “sacred bond” between the two “were to be irreparably compromised, this would constitute a grave wound requiring a remedy,” the pope said. In such situations, the bishops in question “must be able to exercise canonical authority” to remedy the crisis.Synods will thus have the power to “[remove] their own Patriarch from office for a grave cause,” the pope said. Such a procedure would still guarantee the patriarch in question “a full defense before the synod,” the pope noted.The pope, however, will retain “the sole concession of consent to the synodal decision,” Leo wrote. That provision will ensure “that the full freedom of the Fathers in expressing their choice is guaranteed, sheltered from any possible internal or external undue pressure.”The order comes into effect “immediately,” Leo wrote in the letter. In June Leo emphasized the “great gift” the Eastern Catholic Churches offer to the Universal Church, which he said is “often unaware of the diverse ecclesial traditions within its ranks.”“The Christian East can only be preserved if it is understood: to lose that understanding is to impoverish the Church,” the pope told the Reunion of Aid Agencies for the Oriental Churches at the time.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/pope-leo-xiv-says-eastern-synods-can-remove-patriarchs-for-serious-reasons-catholic-pope-leo-xiv-on-aug-29-said-bishops-of-the-eastern-catholic-churches-can-remove-their-patriarchs-when-assemble-scaled.jpg "Pope Leo XIV says Eastern synods can remove patriarchs for serious reasons – #Catholic – Pope Leo XIV on Aug. 29 said bishops of the Eastern Catholic Churches can remove their patriarchs when assembled in synod, though the Holy Father said the pope must still give his assent to the proposal. The pope made the declaration in an apostolic letter issued motu proprio titled Mutua Concordia. The letter modified canons 106 and 126 of the Codex Canonum Ecclesiarum Orientalium. The pope in the letter said the “mutual concord” between the head of an Eastern Church and the church’s bishops “is the soul of communion of the Eastern ecclesiastical hierarchy.” If the “sacred bond” between the two “were to be irreparably compromised, this would constitute a grave wound requiring a remedy,” the pope said. In such situations, the bishops in question “must be able to exercise canonical authority” to remedy the crisis.Synods will thus have the power to “[remove] their own Patriarch from office for a grave cause,” the pope said. Such a procedure would still guarantee the patriarch in question “a full defense before the synod,” the pope noted.The pope, however, will retain “the sole concession of consent to the synodal decision,” Leo wrote. That provision will ensure “that the full freedom of the Fathers in expressing their choice is guaranteed, sheltered from any possible internal or external undue pressure.”The order comes into effect “immediately,” Leo wrote in the letter. In June Leo emphasized the “great gift” the Eastern Catholic Churches offer to the Universal Church, which he said is “often unaware of the diverse ecclesial traditions within its ranks.”“The Christian East can only be preserved if it is understood: to lose that understanding is to impoverish the Church,” the pope told the Reunion of Aid Agencies for the Oriental Churches at the time.")
