Day: September 3, 2026

Maine high court says father can prevent daughter from attending mother’s church – #Catholic – A Maine father will be allowed to prevent his daughter from attending a local Christian church with her mother, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court said in a ruling this week. The decision from the high court upheld a lower court ruling in favor of Matthew Bradeen that found it was “psychologically unsafe” for Emily Bickford to take their daughter to Calvary Chapel in the Portland region. The young girl reportedly suffered from panic attacks and psychological distress after attending the church; she reportedly became fixated on the rapture (an end-times belief held by some Christians) as well.The Maine high court said in its ruling that at one point the church’s pastor openly prayed about the dispute between Bickford and Bradeen, including referencing both the parents and the child “by name almost 30 times.” The court dismissed Bickford’s constitutional claims in the dispute. The father “is better suited to determine whether certain religious activities are in the child’s best interest,” it held. In a press release, the legal group Liberty Counsel, which represented Bickford in the dispute, said it would appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court to consider the case. Mat Staver, the group’s chair, said the ruling “rejects the First Amendment right” of Bickford and goes against U.S. court precedent. “Depriving one parent their right to instill their religious views into their child and granting sole authority to the other parent fails to give proper protection to parental rights and religious freedom under the First Amendment,” Staver argued. He claimed that the ruling “pose[s] a serious threat to religious freedom” in the U.S.
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Maine high court says father can prevent daughter from attending mother’s church – #Catholic – A Maine father will be allowed to prevent his daughter from attending a local Christian church with her mother, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court said in a ruling this week. The decision from the high court upheld a lower court ruling in favor of Matthew Bradeen that found it was “psychologically unsafe” for Emily Bickford to take their daughter to Calvary Chapel in the Portland region. The young girl reportedly suffered from panic attacks and psychological distress after attending the church; she reportedly became fixated on the rapture (an end-times belief held by some Christians) as well.The Maine high court said in its ruling that at one point the church’s pastor openly prayed about the dispute between Bickford and Bradeen, including referencing both the parents and the child “by name almost 30 times.” The court dismissed Bickford’s constitutional claims in the dispute. The father “is better suited to determine whether certain religious activities are in the child’s best interest,” it held. In a press release, the legal group Liberty Counsel, which represented Bickford in the dispute, said it would appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court to consider the case. Mat Staver, the group’s chair, said the ruling “rejects the First Amendment right” of Bickford and goes against U.S. court precedent. “Depriving one parent their right to instill their religious views into their child and granting sole authority to the other parent fails to give proper protection to parental rights and religious freedom under the First Amendment,” Staver argued. He claimed that the ruling “pose[s] a serious threat to religious freedom” in the U.S.

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The mother will appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court over the ruling from the state court, attorneys said.

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Cardinal Cupich, Catholic religious sisters sue Illinois to halt assisted suicide law – #Catholic – A coalition of religious sisters has joined Chicago’s Cardinal Blase Cupich in suing the state of Illinois to prevent enforcement of its assisted suicide law.The law, which was signed by Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker in December 2025, allows doctors in the state to prescribe lethal doses of medication to patients in order to help them end their own lives. Among other rules, patients must have a terminal illness in order to qualify for receiving help to kill themselves. The rule has received strong criticism from Catholic bishops in the state. On Sept. 3, meanwhile, the religious liberty law firm Becket announced that Cupich and two orders of religious sisters had filed a lawsuit against the state seeking to halt enforcement of the law against the Catholic plaintiffs. The suit, filed in U.S. district court, argues that the sisters — who belong to the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm and the Little Sisters of the Poor — will be forced to either “abandon their religious beliefs regarding the sanctity of life or face significant fines and penalties” if they refuse to participate in the suicide regime. The suit notes that by Sept. 12, healthcare providers in Illinois, including the sisters through their care homes, will have to proactively discuss the “option” to commit suicide with those in their care. Caregivers will also “have to allow patients to commit suicide in their facilities,” the suit says. The suit argues that the First Amendment prohibits the state from requiring the Catholic caregivers to violate their faith by participating in the suicide regime. In a statement announcing the filing, Cupich said the Catholic Church “oppose[s] efforts to undermine human dignity by pushing our brothers and sisters toward suicide.” “We pray that the courts will protect our freedom to continue advocating and caring for the sick and dying as our faith demands,” he said. Mother Mary Rose Heery, O. Carm., prioress general of the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm, said patients in their care “come to us at one of the most vulnerable moments of their lives” and that the sisters have a vocation “to give witness to them, through everything we do, that their lives remain precious and that they will never be abandoned.” “Illinois cannot ask us to replace that promise with help ending their lives,” she said. Becket President Mark Rienzi described the suicide law’s provisions as “awful.” “The state should stop trying to make Catholic nuns help patients kill themselves,” he said, arguing that sick patients “deserve the freedom to seek healing, hope, and accompaniment without the government forcing suicide into the conversation.” This is not the first lawsuit filed against a state assisted suicide measure, nor the first in Illinois. In August, Springfield Bishop Thomas Paprocki joined a Lutheran nursing home and a group of doctors to sue the state over the assisted suicide law, with the coalition arguing that the state’s suicide regime abandons “nearly two millennia of medical practice” while requiring objectors to participate in it. The state agreed to a temporary block of the law later in the month, though the block only applied to the plaintiffs in that suit. In July, meanwhile, Rockville Centre Bishop John Barres joined several communities of New York religious sisters in suing the state over its own assisted suicide law. Those plaintiffs also won a temporary block of the state’s suicide law.Separately, groups of disability advocates have filed lawsuits against the suicide laws in New York and Illinois, as well as in Colorado and Delaware, alleging that those laws discriminate against people with disabilities.
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Cardinal Cupich, Catholic religious sisters sue Illinois to halt assisted suicide law – #Catholic – A coalition of religious sisters has joined Chicago’s Cardinal Blase Cupich in suing the state of Illinois to prevent enforcement of its assisted suicide law.The law, which was signed by Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker in December 2025, allows doctors in the state to prescribe lethal doses of medication to patients in order to help them end their own lives. Among other rules, patients must have a terminal illness in order to qualify for receiving help to kill themselves. The rule has received strong criticism from Catholic bishops in the state. On Sept. 3, meanwhile, the religious liberty law firm Becket announced that Cupich and two orders of religious sisters had filed a lawsuit against the state seeking to halt enforcement of the law against the Catholic plaintiffs. The suit, filed in U.S. district court, argues that the sisters — who belong to the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm and the Little Sisters of the Poor — will be forced to either “abandon their religious beliefs regarding the sanctity of life or face significant fines and penalties” if they refuse to participate in the suicide regime. The suit notes that by Sept. 12, healthcare providers in Illinois, including the sisters through their care homes, will have to proactively discuss the “option” to commit suicide with those in their care. Caregivers will also “have to allow patients to commit suicide in their facilities,” the suit says. The suit argues that the First Amendment prohibits the state from requiring the Catholic caregivers to violate their faith by participating in the suicide regime. In a statement announcing the filing, Cupich said the Catholic Church “oppose[s] efforts to undermine human dignity by pushing our brothers and sisters toward suicide.” “We pray that the courts will protect our freedom to continue advocating and caring for the sick and dying as our faith demands,” he said. Mother Mary Rose Heery, O. Carm., prioress general of the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm, said patients in their care “come to us at one of the most vulnerable moments of their lives” and that the sisters have a vocation “to give witness to them, through everything we do, that their lives remain precious and that they will never be abandoned.” “Illinois cannot ask us to replace that promise with help ending their lives,” she said. Becket President Mark Rienzi described the suicide law’s provisions as “awful.” “The state should stop trying to make Catholic nuns help patients kill themselves,” he said, arguing that sick patients “deserve the freedom to seek healing, hope, and accompaniment without the government forcing suicide into the conversation.” This is not the first lawsuit filed against a state assisted suicide measure, nor the first in Illinois. In August, Springfield Bishop Thomas Paprocki joined a Lutheran nursing home and a group of doctors to sue the state over the assisted suicide law, with the coalition arguing that the state’s suicide regime abandons “nearly two millennia of medical practice” while requiring objectors to participate in it. The state agreed to a temporary block of the law later in the month, though the block only applied to the plaintiffs in that suit. In July, meanwhile, Rockville Centre Bishop John Barres joined several communities of New York religious sisters in suing the state over its own assisted suicide law. Those plaintiffs also won a temporary block of the state’s suicide law.Separately, groups of disability advocates have filed lawsuits against the suicide laws in New York and Illinois, as well as in Colorado and Delaware, alleging that those laws discriminate against people with disabilities.

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The state recently began allowing doctors to help patients kill themselves by prescribing lethal doses of medication.

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Hong Kong judges uphold Cardinal Zen’s conviction over fund to help protesters – #Catholic – A panel of three appellate judges in Hong Kong this week upheld convictions for retired Cardinal Joseph Zen and four other pro-democracy advocates who operated a legal defense and medical fund that supported people engaged in widespread protests in 2019 and 2020.In a Sept. 3 decision, the judges dismissed the appeals filed by Zen, Margaret Ng Ngoi-yee, Hui Po-keung, Cyd Ho Sau-lan, and Denise Ho Wan-see. They were found guilty of failing to legally register the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund as a “society” under the Societies Ordinance, which carries monetary fines. It’s unclear whether they will face additional charges.Zen and his co-defendants created the fund to support Hong Kong protesters who opposed the 2019 extradition bill, which would have streamlined the process of extraditing people from Hong Kong to mainland China for prosecution. Protesters opposed subjecting people to prosecutions under the Chinese Communist Party.Lawmakers ultimately withdrew the bill, but more than 10,000 protesters were arrested and nearly 3,000 people faced charges.Zen and the co-defendants argued they did not believe the fund qualified as a “society” when they established it to help the protesters, and that they did not believe they had to register it under the Societies Ordinance. This ordinance provides civil authorities broad discretion to control, monitor, or dismantle private associations.In its decision, the court ruled that a “society” under the ordinance has “an expansive definition” and cited the text, which includes “any club, company, partnership or association of 10 or more persons, whatever its nature or object.” It notes some exemptions, such as charities, religious organizations, and social clubs, but that organizers must apply for an exemption.The judges rejected objections to the registration scheme on a constitutional basis, asserting the law maintains a “reasonable balance” between freedom of association and public safety, public order, and national security.“Self-evidently, the societal benefits arising from the aim are enormous,” they ruled. “Nothing in the evidence suggests that any individual including the appellants would be subject to an unacceptably harsh burden by the restrictions imposed by the registration scheme on their exercise of the right to freedom of association.”“We are satisfied that the prosecution has proved the charge against each of the appellants beyond reasonable doubt,” the judges decided unanimously.Penalty and legal fightsThe convictions under the Societies Ordinance carries fines for each person equivalent to about 0. However, Zen and the other defendants were initially arrested on suspicion of violating a 2020 national security law, which could have carried penalties of up to life in prison.Although all five defendants were arrested on that suspicion, none faced charges. Those initial arrests were based on the allegation they colluded with foreign forces when they set up a fund to help the protesters.Officials defended the 2020 law on the basis of national security, but critics allege it is primarily used to punish political dissidents, such as Jimmy Lai — a Catholic pro-democracy activist who was sentenced to 20 years in prison at the age of 78 on claims he colluded with foreign forces.Lai operated the newspaper Apple Daily, where he openly criticized the Chinese Communist Party. Hong Kong shut down the organization based on authority under the national security law. The government also used the national security law to justify its investigation of the fund operated by Zen and the other pro-democracy advocates.
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Hong Kong judges uphold Cardinal Zen’s conviction over fund to help protesters – #Catholic – A panel of three appellate judges in Hong Kong this week upheld convictions for retired Cardinal Joseph Zen and four other pro-democracy advocates who operated a legal defense and medical fund that supported people engaged in widespread protests in 2019 and 2020.In a Sept. 3 decision, the judges dismissed the appeals filed by Zen, Margaret Ng Ngoi-yee, Hui Po-keung, Cyd Ho Sau-lan, and Denise Ho Wan-see. They were found guilty of failing to legally register the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund as a “society” under the Societies Ordinance, which carries monetary fines. It’s unclear whether they will face additional charges.Zen and his co-defendants created the fund to support Hong Kong protesters who opposed the 2019 extradition bill, which would have streamlined the process of extraditing people from Hong Kong to mainland China for prosecution. Protesters opposed subjecting people to prosecutions under the Chinese Communist Party.Lawmakers ultimately withdrew the bill, but more than 10,000 protesters were arrested and nearly 3,000 people faced charges.Zen and the co-defendants argued they did not believe the fund qualified as a “society” when they established it to help the protesters, and that they did not believe they had to register it under the Societies Ordinance. This ordinance provides civil authorities broad discretion to control, monitor, or dismantle private associations.In its decision, the court ruled that a “society” under the ordinance has “an expansive definition” and cited the text, which includes “any club, company, partnership or association of 10 or more persons, whatever its nature or object.” It notes some exemptions, such as charities, religious organizations, and social clubs, but that organizers must apply for an exemption.The judges rejected objections to the registration scheme on a constitutional basis, asserting the law maintains a “reasonable balance” between freedom of association and public safety, public order, and national security.“Self-evidently, the societal benefits arising from the aim are enormous,” they ruled. “Nothing in the evidence suggests that any individual including the appellants would be subject to an unacceptably harsh burden by the restrictions imposed by the registration scheme on their exercise of the right to freedom of association.”“We are satisfied that the prosecution has proved the charge against each of the appellants beyond reasonable doubt,” the judges decided unanimously.Penalty and legal fightsThe convictions under the Societies Ordinance carries fines for each person equivalent to about $500. However, Zen and the other defendants were initially arrested on suspicion of violating a 2020 national security law, which could have carried penalties of up to life in prison.Although all five defendants were arrested on that suspicion, none faced charges. Those initial arrests were based on the allegation they colluded with foreign forces when they set up a fund to help the protesters.Officials defended the 2020 law on the basis of national security, but critics allege it is primarily used to punish political dissidents, such as Jimmy Lai — a Catholic pro-democracy activist who was sentenced to 20 years in prison at the age of 78 on claims he colluded with foreign forces.Lai operated the newspaper Apple Daily, where he openly criticized the Chinese Communist Party. Hong Kong shut down the organization based on authority under the national security law. The government also used the national security law to justify its investigation of the fund operated by Zen and the other pro-democracy advocates.

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Zen and four others face monetary fines, but it’s unclear whether they will face further prosecution.

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Catholics cannot be ‘unengaged spectators’ amid current events, pope says #Catholic – VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The faithful are called to leave behind “all passivity and indifference” toward current events and the lives of others, especially amid the “rapid and profound changes we are experiencing today,” Pope Leo XIV said at his weekly general audience. “We cannot remain as unengaged spectators; rather, we must listen with our hearts, allow ourselves to be challenged, and become involved,” the pope said Sept. 2 in St. Peter’s Square. “With Christ and sustained by the power of His Spirit, believers are called to take on the burdens of their brothers and sisters, especially those who are crushed by injustice, discrimination and violence,” he said. Pope Leo began a new series of reflections on the Second Vatican Council’s pastoral constitution “Gaudium et Spes,” which examines the relationship between the Church and the modern world. Recalling St. John XXIII’s warning against the “prophets of doom,” who regarded their own times as worse than the past, Pope Leo said Christians are instead called to share in the life of humanity as Christ did. Such closeness to humanity, the pope said, also opens the way to a deeper understanding of events and of Revelation itself. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. “This is not, in fact, merely a moral imperative,” he said. Addressing English-speaking pilgrims, Pope Leo said it is the Church’s pastoral responsibility to engage with the contemporary world, share in its joys and sorrows and advocate for the poor and marginalized. The Church, he said, also must remain “attentive to the signs of the times,” confronting “pressing issues such as the technological progress that benefits only some and the persistence of widespread poverty.” His remarks came months after the publication of his first encyclical, “Magnifica Humanitas,” which detailed his account of the global implications of artificial intelligence and warned against allowing technological development to proceed without prioritizing human dignity. “In our own day, marked by profound change and much injustice, each of us, then, is called to play our part in welcoming and listening to the deepest questions and longings of the human heart, making present to all the merciful love of Christ our Savior,” the pope told English speakers. During a period of profound change that is producing “worrying imbalances,” Pope Leo said the Church is called to serve the human person by listening to “the deepest questions of their heart and the longings that dwell within them.” The Church must point people toward Christ, he said, as “the key, the focal point and the goal of all human history.”  
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Catholics cannot be ‘unengaged spectators’ amid current events, pope says #Catholic – VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The faithful are called to leave behind “all passivity and indifference” toward current events and the lives of others, especially amid the “rapid and profound changes we are experiencing today,” Pope Leo XIV said at his weekly general audience. “We cannot remain as unengaged spectators; rather, we must listen with our hearts, allow ourselves to be challenged, and become involved,” the pope said Sept. 2 in St. Peter’s Square. “With Christ and sustained by the power of His Spirit, believers are called to take on the burdens of their brothers and sisters, especially those who are crushed by injustice, discrimination and violence,” he said. Pope Leo began a new series of reflections on the Second Vatican Council’s pastoral constitution “Gaudium et Spes,” which examines the relationship between the Church and the modern world. Recalling St. John XXIII’s warning against the “prophets of doom,” who regarded their own times as worse than the past, Pope Leo said Christians are instead called to share in the life of humanity as Christ did. Such closeness to humanity, the pope said, also opens the way to a deeper understanding of events and of Revelation itself. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. “This is not, in fact, merely a moral imperative,” he said. Addressing English-speaking pilgrims, Pope Leo said it is the Church’s pastoral responsibility to engage with the contemporary world, share in its joys and sorrows and advocate for the poor and marginalized. The Church, he said, also must remain “attentive to the signs of the times,” confronting “pressing issues such as the technological progress that benefits only some and the persistence of widespread poverty.” His remarks came months after the publication of his first encyclical, “Magnifica Humanitas,” which detailed his account of the global implications of artificial intelligence and warned against allowing technological development to proceed without prioritizing human dignity. “In our own day, marked by profound change and much injustice, each of us, then, is called to play our part in welcoming and listening to the deepest questions and longings of the human heart, making present to all the merciful love of Christ our Savior,” the pope told English speakers. During a period of profound change that is producing “worrying imbalances,” Pope Leo said the Church is called to serve the human person by listening to “the deepest questions of their heart and the longings that dwell within them.” The Church must point people toward Christ, he said, as “the key, the focal point and the goal of all human history.”  

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Catholics cannot be ‘unengaged spectators’ amid current events, pope says #Catholic –

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The faithful are called to leave behind “all passivity and indifference” toward current events and the lives of others, especially amid the “rapid and profound changes we are experiencing today,” Pope Leo XIV said at his weekly general audience.

“We cannot remain as unengaged spectators; rather, we must listen with our hearts, allow ourselves to be challenged, and become involved,” the pope said Sept. 2 in St. Peter’s Square.

“With Christ and sustained by the power of His Spirit, believers are called to take on the burdens of their brothers and sisters, especially those who are crushed by injustice, discrimination and violence,” he said.

Pope Leo began a new series of reflections on the Second Vatican Council’s pastoral constitution “Gaudium et Spes,” which examines the relationship between the Church and the modern world.

Recalling St. John XXIII’s warning against the “prophets of doom,” who regarded their own times as worse than the past, Pope Leo said Christians are instead called to share in the life of humanity as Christ did.

Such closeness to humanity, the pope said, also opens the way to a deeper understanding of events and of Revelation itself.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

“This is not, in fact, merely a moral imperative,” he said.

Addressing English-speaking pilgrims, Pope Leo said it is the Church’s pastoral responsibility to engage with the contemporary world, share in its joys and sorrows and advocate for the poor and marginalized.

The Church, he said, also must remain “attentive to the signs of the times,” confronting “pressing issues such as the technological progress that benefits only some and the persistence of widespread poverty.”

His remarks came months after the publication of his first encyclical, “Magnifica Humanitas,” which detailed his account of the global implications of artificial intelligence and warned against allowing technological development to proceed without prioritizing human dignity.

“In our own day, marked by profound change and much injustice, each of us, then, is called to play our part in welcoming and listening to the deepest questions and longings of the human heart, making present to all the merciful love of Christ our Savior,” the pope told English speakers.

During a period of profound change that is producing “worrying imbalances,” Pope Leo said the Church is called to serve the human person by listening to “the deepest questions of their heart and the longings that dwell within them.”

The Church must point people toward Christ, he said, as “the key, the focal point and the goal of all human history.”

 

– VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The faithful are called to leave behind “all passivity and indifference” toward current events and the lives of others, especially amid the “rapid and profound changes we are experiencing today,” Pope Leo XIV said at his weekly general audience. “We cannot remain as unengaged spectators; rather, we must listen with our hearts, allow ourselves to be challenged, and become involved,” the pope said Sept. 2 in St. Peter’s Square. “With Christ and sustained by the power of His Spirit, believers are called to take on the burdens of their brothers and sisters, especially those who are

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Pope Leo says, ‘It is not yet too late’ to care for creation #Catholic – VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Leo XIV began the five-week Season of Creation by calling on the faithful to step away from the frenzy of daily life to “hear the melodious voice of creation,” stressing that “it is not yet too late” to repair humanity’s relationship with the environment. Celebrating Mass on the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation in the gardens of the papal villa and the Borgo Laudato Si’ ecology project in Castel Gandolfo, Sept. 1, the pope said contemplating creation and its Creator should lead people to recognize their responsibility for protecting it. “Thus, as we become conscious of our shortcomings and failures, we can renew our commitment to restoring the relationships among all creatures according to the will of their Creator,” he said. The theme chosen for the 2026 World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation echoes the biblical call to “beat swords into plowshares” and connects armed conflict with environmental destruction. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. In a June 2 statement, the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development said that “the now widespread awareness of the impact of war on natural resources has not led to the creation of adequate institutions or to responsible decisions aimed at preventing conflicts and resolving disputes peacefully.” In his homily during the Mass, Pope Leo said the call to transform weapons into instruments that sustain life remains urgent. “What has been used for destruction can be redirected toward life, toward the care of the poor, the nourishment of the hungry, and the safeguarding of creation,” he said, quoting his message for the day. Militaries account for about 5.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to water pollution, soil contamination and waste generation, according to a joint study by the UK-based Scientists for Global Responsibility and the Conflict and Environment Observatory. The World Wide Fund for Nature estimated that the first three years of the Russia-Ukraine war alone generated the equivalent of about 230 million metric tons of carbon dioxide — a greenhouse gas that traps heat from sunlight, warming the planet. Pope Leo also focused on access to clean water in his September prayer intention, released Sept. 1 by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network. Thanking God for the gift of water, the pope prayed for the “right of every brother and sister to drink without fear and without inequality.” “Forgive us for turning it into a commodity, forgetting that it is a universal gift, a right without borders, meant for all your children,” he prayed. “We see with pain so many brothers and sisters who lack clean water, who walk for miles to find it, who become ill due to its scarcity.” During the Mass, Pope Leo said passages from the Book of Wisdom and Psalm 18 encourage Christians to recognize God through the “beauty and power of creation.” “All creation speaks to us of the greatness of its Creator, if only our eyes and hearts remain open to such a great mystery,” he said. By looking with wonder at the birds of the air and the flowers of the field, the pope said, Christians can better understand the greatness of God’s love for humanity. “If the Lord does not fail to bestow such splendid beauty upon plants and animals and provide for all their needs, how much more attentive will he be to the needs of his beloved sons and daughters,” he said. The Season of Creation runs from Sept. 1 through Oct. 4, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi. The Catholic Church’s observance of the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation was established by Pope Francis in response to an initiative of Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople. The Orthodox Church has observed Sept. 1 as a day of prayer for creation since 1989. The 2026 season will conclude as the Church marks the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi, who is the patron saint of ecology. Pope Leo closed his homily by reciting portions of St. Francis’ Canticle of the Creatures: “Praised be you, my Lord, with all your creatures, especially Sir Brother Sun… Praised be you, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars… Praised be you, my Lord, through Brother Wind… Praised be you, my Lord, through Sister Water… Praised be you, my Lord, through Brother Fire… Praised be you, my Lord, through our Sister Mother Earth, who sustains and governs us.”  
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Pope Leo says, ‘It is not yet too late’ to care for creation #Catholic – VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Leo XIV began the five-week Season of Creation by calling on the faithful to step away from the frenzy of daily life to “hear the melodious voice of creation,” stressing that “it is not yet too late” to repair humanity’s relationship with the environment. Celebrating Mass on the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation in the gardens of the papal villa and the Borgo Laudato Si’ ecology project in Castel Gandolfo, Sept. 1, the pope said contemplating creation and its Creator should lead people to recognize their responsibility for protecting it. “Thus, as we become conscious of our shortcomings and failures, we can renew our commitment to restoring the relationships among all creatures according to the will of their Creator,” he said. The theme chosen for the 2026 World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation echoes the biblical call to “beat swords into plowshares” and connects armed conflict with environmental destruction. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. In a June 2 statement, the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development said that “the now widespread awareness of the impact of war on natural resources has not led to the creation of adequate institutions or to responsible decisions aimed at preventing conflicts and resolving disputes peacefully.” In his homily during the Mass, Pope Leo said the call to transform weapons into instruments that sustain life remains urgent. “What has been used for destruction can be redirected toward life, toward the care of the poor, the nourishment of the hungry, and the safeguarding of creation,” he said, quoting his message for the day. Militaries account for about 5.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to water pollution, soil contamination and waste generation, according to a joint study by the UK-based Scientists for Global Responsibility and the Conflict and Environment Observatory. The World Wide Fund for Nature estimated that the first three years of the Russia-Ukraine war alone generated the equivalent of about 230 million metric tons of carbon dioxide — a greenhouse gas that traps heat from sunlight, warming the planet. Pope Leo also focused on access to clean water in his September prayer intention, released Sept. 1 by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network. Thanking God for the gift of water, the pope prayed for the “right of every brother and sister to drink without fear and without inequality.” “Forgive us for turning it into a commodity, forgetting that it is a universal gift, a right without borders, meant for all your children,” he prayed. “We see with pain so many brothers and sisters who lack clean water, who walk for miles to find it, who become ill due to its scarcity.” During the Mass, Pope Leo said passages from the Book of Wisdom and Psalm 18 encourage Christians to recognize God through the “beauty and power of creation.” “All creation speaks to us of the greatness of its Creator, if only our eyes and hearts remain open to such a great mystery,” he said. By looking with wonder at the birds of the air and the flowers of the field, the pope said, Christians can better understand the greatness of God’s love for humanity. “If the Lord does not fail to bestow such splendid beauty upon plants and animals and provide for all their needs, how much more attentive will he be to the needs of his beloved sons and daughters,” he said. The Season of Creation runs from Sept. 1 through Oct. 4, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi. The Catholic Church’s observance of the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation was established by Pope Francis in response to an initiative of Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople. The Orthodox Church has observed Sept. 1 as a day of prayer for creation since 1989. The 2026 season will conclude as the Church marks the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi, who is the patron saint of ecology. Pope Leo closed his homily by reciting portions of St. Francis’ Canticle of the Creatures: “Praised be you, my Lord, with all your creatures, especially Sir Brother Sun… Praised be you, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars… Praised be you, my Lord, through Brother Wind… Praised be you, my Lord, through Sister Water… Praised be you, my Lord, through Brother Fire… Praised be you, my Lord, through our Sister Mother Earth, who sustains and governs us.”  

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Pope Leo says, ‘It is not yet too late’ to care for creation #Catholic –

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Leo XIV began the five-week Season of Creation by calling on the faithful to step away from the frenzy of daily life to “hear the melodious voice of creation,” stressing that “it is not yet too late” to repair humanity’s relationship with the environment.

Celebrating Mass on the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation in the gardens of the papal villa and the Borgo Laudato Si’ ecology project in Castel Gandolfo, Sept. 1, the pope said contemplating creation and its Creator should lead people to recognize their responsibility for protecting it.

“Thus, as we become conscious of our shortcomings and failures, we can renew our commitment to restoring the relationships among all creatures according to the will of their Creator,” he said.

The theme chosen for the 2026 World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation echoes the biblical call to “beat swords into plowshares” and connects armed conflict with environmental destruction.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

In a June 2 statement, the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development said that “the now widespread awareness of the impact of war on natural resources has not led to the creation of adequate institutions or to responsible decisions aimed at preventing conflicts and resolving disputes peacefully.”

In his homily during the Mass, Pope Leo said the call to transform weapons into instruments that sustain life remains urgent.

“What has been used for destruction can be redirected toward life, toward the care of the poor, the nourishment of the hungry, and the safeguarding of creation,” he said, quoting his message for the day.

Militaries account for about 5.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to water pollution, soil contamination and waste generation, according to a joint study by the UK-based Scientists for Global Responsibility and the Conflict and Environment Observatory. The World Wide Fund for Nature estimated that the first three years of the Russia-Ukraine war alone generated the equivalent of about 230 million metric tons of carbon dioxide — a greenhouse gas that traps heat from sunlight, warming the planet.

Pope Leo also focused on access to clean water in his September prayer intention, released Sept. 1 by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network.

Thanking God for the gift of water, the pope prayed for the “right of every brother and sister to drink without fear and without inequality.”

“Forgive us for turning it into a commodity, forgetting that it is a universal gift, a right without borders, meant for all your children,” he prayed. “We see with pain so many brothers and sisters who lack clean water, who walk for miles to find it, who become ill due to its scarcity.”

During the Mass, Pope Leo said passages from the Book of Wisdom and Psalm 18 encourage Christians to recognize God through the “beauty and power of creation.”

“All creation speaks to us of the greatness of its Creator, if only our eyes and hearts remain open to such a great mystery,” he said.

By looking with wonder at the birds of the air and the flowers of the field, the pope said, Christians can better understand the greatness of God’s love for humanity.

“If the Lord does not fail to bestow such splendid beauty upon plants and animals and provide for all their needs, how much more attentive will he be to the needs of his beloved sons and daughters,” he said.

The Season of Creation runs from Sept. 1 through Oct. 4, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi. The Catholic Church’s observance of the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation was established by Pope Francis in response to an initiative of Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople. The Orthodox Church has observed Sept. 1 as a day of prayer for creation since 1989.

The 2026 season will conclude as the Church marks the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi, who is the patron saint of ecology.

Pope Leo closed his homily by reciting portions of St. Francis’ Canticle of the Creatures:

“Praised be you, my Lord, with all your creatures, especially Sir Brother Sun… Praised be you, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars… Praised be you, my Lord, through Brother Wind… Praised be you, my Lord, through Sister Water… Praised be you, my Lord, through Brother Fire… Praised be you, my Lord, through our Sister Mother Earth, who sustains and governs us.”

 

– VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Leo XIV began the five-week Season of Creation by calling on the faithful to step away from the frenzy of daily life to “hear the melodious voice of creation,” stressing that “it is not yet too late” to repair humanity’s relationship with the environment. Celebrating Mass on the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation in the gardens of the papal villa and the Borgo Laudato Si’ ecology project in Castel Gandolfo, Sept. 1, the pope said contemplating creation and its Creator should lead people to recognize their responsibility for protecting it. “Thus,

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Sept. 3, 1976: Viking 2 reaches Mars

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Only a little over a month after Viking 1 landed on Mars, Viking 2 followed suit. Though the two Viking landers touched down in different locations, they used identical spacecraft and had the same mission: to create global maps of Mars, observe weather patterns, investigate the surface, measure temperatures, and search for life. Viking 2Continue reading “Sept. 3, 1976: Viking 2 reaches Mars”

The post Sept. 3, 1976: Viking 2 reaches Mars appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

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August Lunar Eclipse Rises Over Louisiana – A lunar eclipse is visible over southern Louisiana. The lunar eclipse was visible throughout much of North and South America and part of Europe and Africa between Aug. 27-28. The Full Moon slipped through Earth’s shadow on Aug. 27, continuing into Aug. 28 for some parts of the world, resulting in the lunar eclipse. At maximum eclipse, the Moon takes on a dramatic dark, ruddy or coppery tint along the covered edge. New Orleans is home to NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility, where stages for NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and structures for Orion spacecraft are produced for the Artemis missions.

unitedyam

A lunar eclipse is visible over southern Louisiana. The lunar eclipse was visible throughout much of North and South America and part of Europe and Africa between Aug. 27-28. The Full Moon slipped through Earth’s shadow on Aug. 27, continuing into Aug. 28 for some parts of the world, resulting in the lunar eclipse. At maximum eclipse, the Moon takes on a dramatic dark, ruddy or coppery tint along the covered edge. New Orleans is home to NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility, where stages for NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and structures for Orion spacecraft are produced for the Artemis missions.

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