August 9, 2026 – United Yam

Picture of the day Ceiling of Sala della Stufa, Galleria Palatina, Palazzo Pitti, Florence. The room, created between 1627 and 1641, was originally an open gallery, but it was closed off later in the 17th century and restructured as a “stove” room, a bathroom heated using the same techniques as the Roman baths and intended for private use by the Grand Duke, whose bedroom is believed to be next door. The decoration, specially the frescos and stuccos, commissioned by Grand Duke Ferdinand II de’ Medici, are a work of Michelangelo Cinganelli (1558-1635) Matteo Rosselli (1578-1650) and Ottavio Vannini (1585–1643). #ImageOfTheDay

Picture of the day

Ceiling of Sala della Stufa, Galleria Palatina, Palazzo Pitti, Florence. The room, created between 1627 and 1641, was originally an open gallery, but it was closed off later in the 17th century and restructured as a “stove” room, a bathroom heated using the same techniques as the Roman baths and intended for private use by the Grand Duke, whose bedroom is believed to be next door. The decoration, specially the frescos and stuccos, commissioned by Grand Duke Ferdinand II de’ Medici, are a work of Michelangelo Cinganelli (1558-1635) Matteo Rosselli (1578-1650) and Ottavio Vannini (1585–1643).

Aug. 9, 1976: Luna 24 blasts off

Pope Leo XIV: Stop vicious cycle of violence in Sudan and Ukraine – #Catholic – During his Sunday Angelus address on Aug. 9, Pope Leo XIV appealed for peace amid a serious humanitarian situation in Sudan, where a prolonged military siege has left more than 500,000 people without access to basic supplies.“I continue to follow with concern the tragic situation in Sudan, especially in the city of el-Obeid,” Leo said in English after praying the Angelus. “In expressing my spiritual closeness to all the people of the nation, I renew my appeal to those in authority to guarantee humanitarian corridors for the civilian population.”His remarks follow the worsening situation in Sudan, marked by drone warfare, sexual violence, and starvation, as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) continue fighting the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), who control the city of el-Obeid.TweetContinued appeals for peace between Ukraine and RussiaThe pope also addressed the war between Ukraine and Russia, lamenting the escalation of violence as casualties continue to rise.“These incidents are occurring one after another; indeed, they are multiplying, resulting in ever-increasing numbers of civilian victims, including children,” he said.In light of the rise in attacks, Leo renewed his call for respect for international humanitarian law. “In the face of so much anguish, I renew my heartfelt appeal for humanitarian law to be respected and for both sides to cease attacks on civilian targets,” Leo said.“War only begets more war and causes immense suffering,” he said.Jesus never abandons usIn his preaching during his Angelus address, Leo encouraged the faithful to welcome God humbly into their hearts through prayer and the sacraments.The pope also discussed the Gospel, which recounts Jesus walking on the water toward his disciples. He explained that the disciples were transformed by Christ’s presence and that miracles like this can teach the faithful not to despair in difficult times.“Whatever the circumstances,” Leo said, “Jesus does not abandon us, and if we humbly welcome him into the boat of our lives — through prayer, the sacraments and listening to his Word — in him, we will find peace, light, and strength for our journey.”This story was first published in two parts by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated, combined, and adapted by EWTN News English.

Nigerian bishop in Muslim-majority region says being ‘creative minority’ is key to diocese’s mission – #Catholic – KIGALI, Rwanda — The pioneer bishop of Nigeria’s Diocese of Katsina said the young diocese is building its future around the vision of becoming a “creative minority,” seeking to transform society through education, faith formation, interreligious dialogue, and witness rather than being discouraged by its small Catholic population.Speaking to ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, at the Aug. 3–8 SIGNIS World Congress in Kigali, Rwanda, Bishop Gerald Mamman Musa said the diocese, erected in October 2023, has chosen to focus on its mission instead of dwelling on the challenges Christians in northwestern Nigeria are facing.“Even though Katsina has a small population of Christians or Catholics, we want to be a creative minority,” Musa said, explaining that Catholics should resist defining themselves by their numerical weakness or the hardships they face.“Sometimes we can be lamenting about the fact that we are very few. We can be lamenting about the fact that we are oppressed, persecuted, or discriminated against. We must not focus on all those negatives,” he said.Instead, he urged Catholics to ask, “What can we do in this society? How can we, few as we are, change society positively?” adding that the concept of a creative minority is rooted in investing in people through education and formation so they can become agents of transformation.Illustrating that vision, Musa, who serves as the president of the Commission for Social Communications of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), cited a Sudanese proverb on the role of parents.“The role of parents is to give children two things: to give them roots and to give them wings. Roots to know where they are coming from, to know their faith, to know their values, and then wings to empower them to be role models within the society,” the bishop said. Musa, who was consecrated a bishop in December 2023, said that laying a solid foundation has been the dioceseʼs immediate priority since its creation. He recalled that the diocese adopted a 10-year strategic plan during its first general assembly to guide its pastoral mission.“Our main task is to set the foundation. Setting the foundation, what I consider paramount and probably the greatest need of the diocese, is concentrating on children and youth,” the bishop told ACI Africa.Education, he added, remains central to that vision, particularly for children who cannot afford schooling.“We have a responsibility to send more children to school, especially those who are not able to afford education. My biggest pastoral need now is to set up a secondary school for girls, where they can get a very good faith formation,” Musa said.He also underscored the role of communication in presenting a fuller picture of life in Katsina, where public attention is often dominated by reports of insecurity.“Our communication department has been in touch with ACI Africa. We send news from time to time. But something very interesting about the news we send is that the communication department is focusing on constructive news, if you may call it positive news, good news that is coming from that side,” he said.While acknowledging the reality of banditry, killings, kidnappings, and displacement in Katsina state, Musa said these challenges should not eclipse the signs of hope emerging in the diocese.“We acknowledge all these things are happening, and we are in a very difficult time in Katsina. But on the other side, we want to emphasize that in the midst of all this darkness, God is at work in Katsina Diocese,” he said, citing baptisms, confirmations, the Church’s educational initiatives, and other expressions of the diocese’s pastoral mission.As part of its pastoral strategy, the diocese is also strengthening relationships across religious communities.“We are making an effort to develop interreligious dialogue between Christians and Muslims and between Catholics and other Christians within the diocese,” the bishop said.He also expressed optimism about the growth of priestly vocations in the young diocese. While the Katsina Diocese continues to rely on support from neighboring dioceses because of a shortage of clergy, the number of seminarians has nearly doubled since its establishment.“The good news is that while we inherited 21 seminarians, today we have close to 40 seminarians,” he said. “This is impressive, and that tells us that our Church has great potential. We are looking forward to a Church that is not only self-sufficient but also a Church that will be willing to give out priests to help others.”Musa went on to encourage the people of God entrusted to his pastoral care to remain hopeful despite their limited numbers and resources.“The message of hope that I have for my people in the Diocese of Katsina is that we are few in number. We have very few resources, but we must always remember that little is much when God is in it,” he told ACI Africa at the congress.Held under the theme, “Digital Communication for Cultural Harmony and Environmental Well-Being,” the six-day SIGNIS World Congress concluded on Saturday. Organized every four years, it “provides a platform for participants to engage in substantive discussions, exchange ideas, and contemplate the future trajectory of media and communication,” according to a SIGNIS report.This story was first published by ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, and has been adapted by EWTN News.

unitedyam August 9, 2026August 9, 2026

At the SIGNIS World Congress, Bishop Gerald Mamman Musa said the young Katsina Diocese in northwestern Nigeria will focus on “transforming society” rather than on the challenges Christians face there.

Denver healing could move a nun jailed by communists toward sainthood – #Catholic – Blessed Zdenka Schelingová, a Slovak religious member of the Sisters of Mercy of the Holy Cross (SCSC), may be one step closer to sainthood. The postulator of her cause, Father Lucián Bogucki of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual, handed the “positio super miro” to the archbishop of Bratislava, Stanislav Zvolenský, last month. The document, whose Latin title refers to a purported miracle, describes an alleged healing said to have occurred through her intercession in Denver.“The very fact that the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints is dealing with the extraordinary healing through the intercession of Blessed Zdenka Schelingová is a gift from God and a great encouragement,” Zvolenský told EWTN News.The date for the meeting of the commission of cardinals that will discuss the document and the reported miracle is not yet known but may come within a few months. The final decision on canonization rests with the pope.The cause is an opportunity to enter “spiritual communion with those whom the Church presents to us as saints and blessed, so that we can also turn to them with a request for their intercession,” the archbishop said.Zvolenský encouraged the faithful to “admire God’s goodness as he always gives us extraordinary signs of his love.”A martyr under communismBorn Cecília Schelingová on Christmas Eve 110 years ago in the village of Krivá, in modern-day Slovakia, the future sister joined the Sisters of Mercy of the Holy Cross and worked as a nurse and later in a hospital laboratory. She helped a Catholic priest escape from a hospital and attempted to do so again; the second time it was a trap, and she was arrested. She was tortured, accused of treason by the recently established communist regime, and imprisoned in various jails across then-Czechoslovakia. Blessed Zdenka Schelingová appears in a 1952 Czechoslovak State Security photograph taken after her arrest in Bratislava. | Credit: Archive of the Sisters of Mercy of the Holy Cross (SCSC) Sister Zdenka was released in April 1955 and died on July 31, 1955, from the effects of torture and her ruined health. She was exonerated of all charges against her in 1970 and was beatified in 2003 by Pope John Paul II.Respect and admiration for Sister Zdenka “is growing,” as “we have seen this now during various events on her liturgical feast,” which falls on July 30, said Sister Mária Terézia Dobrovičová, provincial superior of the Slovak province of the Sisters of Mercy of the Holy Cross. The congregation was founded 170 years ago in Switzerland, and soon afterward the sisters were invited to what is now Slovakia, she explained.Bishop Tomáš Galis of the Diocese of Žilina celebrated Mass on the feast day, quoting Sister Zdenka: “Forgiveness is the greatest thing in life.” The Confederation of Political Prisoners of Slovakia also organized a conference on the religious sisters who lived in secret under the communist regime in Czechoslovakia.Pilgrims are visiting sites associated with her, including her native village of Krivá; Podunajské Biskupice, where her remains rest; and Trnava, the seat of the congregation in Slovakia.Sister Mária Terézia said the sisters “receive various requests from people to pray for the intercession” of Sister Zdenka, “but we also have various testimonies about how prayers for her intercession have been heard.” This is encouraging, “and we are happy about it,” she stressed. Cecília Schelingová, the future Blessed Zdenka, is pictured as a 15-year-old, around the time she entered religious life. | Credit: Archive of the Sisters of Mercy of the Holy Cross (SCSC) The official website dedicated to Sister Zdenka’s memory, zdenka.sk, shares several testimonies from people whose prayers were answered after they prayed to her. It does not, however, include the case contained in the “positio super miro.”The Denver healingA man in Denver was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and sent home. His wife knew someone who was a distant relative of Sister Zdenka and, together with her colleagues, reportedly began to pray for him.The man had his tubes removed and was ready to die, yet his appetite returned and he regained his strength. He later suffered an embolism and died, according to one Slovak daily, which, however, did not cite a source. An autopsy confirmed that he had been cured of cancer, with no trace of the disease, and died three years after his recovery, though from a different diagnosis.EWTN News contacted Bogucki for details about the case and the alleged healing. Instead, the priest — who is of Polish origin, lived in Slovakia for many years, and served as a confessor at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome — asked for prayers for the final phase before Sister Zdenka’s possible canonization.