A family of six is killed in an Israeli airstrike on Tuesday in the latest of continuing deadly attacks on the Strip since a U.S.-backed ceasefire was agreed more than nine months ago.

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WASHINGTON – Following Pope Leo XIV’s historic, 10-day apostolic journey to Africa in April and his call for peace, reconciliation and interreligious dialogue, Catholics in the United States have an opportunity to support those efforts through the Solidarity Fund for the Church in Africa.

The fund was created nearly two decades ago by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to support the Catholic Church on a continent where the faith is growing rapidly, but where the Church has limited capacity to support its pastoral needs and faces severe hardships.

“The gifts of Catholics in the United States to the Solidarity Fund for the Church in Africa underwrite projects that build foundations for peace, as well as projects directed toward evangelization, vocations, environmental stewardship, leadership formation, and other facets of our faith,” said Archbishop Thomas Zinkula, chairman of the USCCB’s Subcommittee on the Church in Africa.

In 2025, the Solidarity Fund awarded 97 grants totaling over $3 million.

“My prayer is that those gifts will increase in response to our Holy Father’s call for peace and reconciliation in Africa,” Archbishop Zinkula said. “I have seen the impact of your gifts and can attest that whatever you contribute will be used wisely and well.” Many dioceses will take up the collection in their parishes this summer. #iGiveCatholic also accepts online gifts for the Solidarity Fund for the Church in Africa at www.igivecatholic.org/story/USCCB-CA .

Examples of the 2025 grants included the following:

• In Mali, where many children grow up believing war and terrorism are a normal part of life, a grant supported an intensive Bible camp for more than 200 young adults from across the nation. There, they learned gospel values of peace, justice and mercy, as well as the Second Vatican Council’s teachings on religious freedom and interreligious dialogue.
• As Sudan endures the world’s largest humanitarian crisis caused by war, a grant supported 223 lay catechists in the Nuba Mountains and Abyei region by providing transportation, food, lodging, and training materials for a three-month course on evangelization, pastoral care and sacramental preparation. They are now better equipped to minister to a population that includes thousands of people displaced by the violence in a region served by very few priests.
• Wars and conflict across the Horn of Africa have attracted human traffickers who prey on vulnerable people in Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, and neighboring countries, luring them into modern-day slavery. A grant from the Solidarity Fund for the Church in Africa supported workshops for church leaders throughout the region to raise awareness of human trafficking, design prevention strategies, and train pastoral ministers to assist victims. 
• In Burkina Faso, the Catholic bishops have set a goal of making their dioceses self-supporting despite widespread violence and poverty. A grant from the Solidarity Fund provided training for staff from all 15 dioceses and the national bishops’ conference to develop sustainable plans for managing and supporting the Church’s ministry.
• In the Central African Republic, where poor roads leave many communities isolated, a grant enabled the Marianist Sisters to train “Gospel volunteers” and equip them with bicycles to distribute bibles and rosaries. The bicycles greatly enhance their ministry, allowing them to reach thousands of families.

“Pope Leo has called us to solidarity with our sisters and brothers in Africa, and that is precisely what the Solidarity Fund for the Church in Africa makes possible. Please take this opportunity to respond to his call by supporting our African brothers and sisters with a generous gift,” Archbishop Zinkula said.

For more information see: https://www.usccb.org/committees/church-africa 

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Marking the 47th anniversary of the 1979 Sandinista Revolution, President of Nicaragua Daniel Ortega announces that there will be no more elections that would allow his opponents to try to win control of the government.

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Caesare de Rossi was born at Brandisi, kingdom of Naples, on July 22nd. He was educated by the conventual Franciscans there and by his uncle at St. Mark's in Venice. When sixteen, he joined the Capuchins at Verona, taking the name Lawrence. He pursued his higher studies in theology, philosophy, the bible, Greek, Hebrew, and several other languages at the University of Padua. He was ordained and began to preach with great effect in Northern Italy. He became definitor general of his Order in Rome ...

Alessandro Banfi, curator of Pope Leo XIV’s new book, “Disarmed and Disarming: Peace Is a Gift,” speaks to Vatican News about the importance of collecting the Pope’s words on this topic and how the power of his message lies in the Gospel.

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Recently, the Archdiocese of Bulawayo’s Pastoral Centre conducted its monthly online Synodal School under the theme, "Family: The Heart of the Church Where Synodality Begins." The presentation, reflection, and discussion led participants towards the urgent pastoral need of welcoming and integrating Zimbabweans repatriated from South Africa due to Xenophobic attacks.

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In light of several recent immigration enforcement encounters resulting in the loss of life, US Bishops Daniel E. Garcia and Brendan J. Cahill issue a pastoral reflection calling for immigration enforcement that always respects the God-given dignity of every person and rejecting the dehumanization of immigrants.

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The Vatican Publishing House releases a new book by Pope Leo XIV entitled Disarmed and Disarming: Peace Is a Gift. Edited by Alessandro Banfi, the volume brings together Pope Leo's addresses and reflections on peace since his election on 8 May 2025. The collection, which hits the bookshelves in Italian but will soon be available in English, opens with a previously unpublished text by the Pope.

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In the lead-up to the 21st AMECEA Plenary Assembly in Nairobi, the “Laudato Sì Movement Africa”, in collaboration with the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa, engaged in a “Strategic Convening/Workshop on Ethical Investment for Catholics” which yielded a declaration urging ethical investment, care for creation, and greater involvement of young people.

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WASHINGTON - In light of several recent immigration enforcement encounters resulting in the loss of life, Bishop Daniel E. Garcia, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Subcommittee for the Promotion of Racial Justice and Reconciliation, and Bishop Brendan J. Cahill, chairman of the Committee on Migration, issued the following pastoral reflection:  

“As Catholics, we believe that all persons are created in the image and likeness of God and, therefore, grieve all situations where human life is brought to an unnatural end. This is a core teaching of our faith and one we can never grow weary of proclaiming as disciples of Our Lord Jesus Christ. 

“As the bishops of the United States affirmed last November, ‘We are disturbed when we see among our people a climate of fear and anxiety around questions of profiling and immigration enforcement.’ Racial profiling in particular not only violates God-given dignity* but also inflicts profound harm on individuals, families, and communities by fostering fear, eroding trust, and increasing the risk of unjust and even tragic outcomes. Our pastoral concerns are distinct from what the civil law itself may permit. 

“Acts that diminish or disregard the dignity of any person or group of people should never be normalized in our society. The dehumanization of immigrants, regardless of their legal status, is one such example of this; the vilification of law enforcement officers is yet another.

“We continue to affirm the legitimate role of civil authorities to implement the law in a humane manner and with respect for fundamental human rights, including the rights to life and due process. The power of the state must always be exercised within the limits of the moral law. To that end, we call for accountability, transparency, and justice, which require that meaningful reforms be made to our immigration system. 

“We join in praying for the souls of those killed and for their families, for our nation, and for all those entrusted with the duties of public service. We pray for an end to dehumanizing rhetoric, racial prejudice, and violence and for a renewed commitment to recognizing the inherent dignity of every person as a child of God. We plead for the intercession of Mary, Our Mother, who is the model of perfect faith in times of grief, hardship, and uncertainty.”

*Open Wide Our Hearts, p. 4

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