Travel – United Yam

High-ranking Vatican official to meet with Putin’s adviser in Russia #Catholic The Vatican’s secretary for relations with states and international organizations, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, will travel to Russia this week to hold meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin adviser Yuri Ushakov and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as well as visit the country’s Catholic community.The announcement was made by the Vatican Secretariat of State on its X account and was described by Vatican News as “a mission of dialogue and peace.”According to the schedule, the first meeting will take place Aug. 25 with Lavrov. Subsequently, Gallagher will meet with Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, head of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate.On Wednesday, Aug. 26, Gallagher will meet with Ushakov, the foreign policy adviser to Putin. Vatican News noted that “the schedule confirms the Holy See’s determination to continue along the path of dialogue, even at one of the most difficult moments in international relations at the global level.”The Vatican representative will visit the Catholic community on Aug. 27. Gallagher will first meet with clergy and religious and then celebrate Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Holy Virgin Mary in Moscow. Finally, he will meet with the bishops.Gallagher is scheduled to return to the Holy See on Aug. 28. His previous visit to Russia took place in November 2021, when he met with Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Lavrov, and the then-head of the Moscow Patriarchateʼs Department for External Church Relations, Metropolitan Hilarion.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.

‘You are home’: Pope Leo XIV meets with sick, disabled residents at Rimini #Catholic Pope Leo XIV met with sick and disabled residents of the city of Rimini, Italy on Aug. 22, urging them to “follow the Lord by taking an active part in the life of the Church.” The meeting came at the end of a whirlwind day of travel for the pope, who visited the tiny landlocked country of San Marino before making an appearance at the 47th Meeting for Friendship Among the Peoples in Rimini. Pope Leo XIV is handed flowers by a woman in a wheelchair at Rimini Cathedral, Aug. 22, 2026, during a meeting with people suffering from illnesses and disabilities. | Credit: Vatican Media In his meeting with those suffering from illness and disabilities, which took place at Rimini Cathedral, the pope said the ancient church signified to the sick and poor: “You are home.”Jesus, the Holy Father said, worked to “heal [sick people] and restore to them a life worthy of their dignity.” Pope Leo XIV speaks at Rimini Cathedral, Aug. 22, 2026, during a meeting with people suffering from illnesses and disabilities. | Credit: Vatican Media He urged the assembly to take part in Church life “in the parish, in associations, and in places of welcome and service.”The pope subsequently said Mass at the Port of Rimini, where in his homily he told the faithful that “everything we are and have is a gift from God.”He said every baptized Christian is oriented toward “embracing, gathering, welcoming, liberating, forgiving [and] emancipating anyone who is a prisoner of sin and its consequence.”Referring to St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans, the pope said: “God is simple, because he is pure charity, and calls us also to love with a heart similar to his, conforming our ways to his ways and our thoughts to his thoughts.”

Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in France seeks donations as it prepares for Pope Leo’s visit #Catholic The Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes is preparing to welcome Pope Leo XIV as part of his pastoral visit to France in September, a development that represents “an unprecedented logistical and spiritual challenge” for the site where the Immaculate Conception first appeared to St. Bernadette Soubirous in 1858.The shrine’s recent newsletters have highlighted the preparations and appealed for support to help carry out the necessary work to welcome the Holy Father and the thousands of pilgrims expected for the occasion.For the Sunday, Sept. 27, Mass, organizers plan to install a platform capable of accommodating 400 people, an audio system suitable for the sanctuary’s meadow, 10 giant screens, and enhanced signage.In addition, measures are being taken “to ensure the safety of pedestrian routes and facilitate the movement of sick, elderly, and disabled persons,” a priority that is already central to the shrine’s mission but one that organizers hope to improve further.Most of these upgrades will remain at the shrine for the long-term benefit of pilgrims, so any donations are viewed as an investment in Lourdes’ future.In total, organizers expect to install more than 6.2 miles of security barriers, mobilize approximately 600 volunteers, welcome nearly 3,000 priests, provide 1,000 temporary public restrooms, and implement an enhanced cleaning and waste-management system.Registration opens for Mass and rosary processionBeyond the technical challenges, shrine officials emphasize that the essential priority during the pope’s visit is to maintain the shrine’s normal activities, “accompanying the sick with the same tenderness” and ensuring that “the spiritual heart of Lourdes continues to beat uninterrupted alongside the day’s events.”Organizers also announced that registration forms are now available for those wishing to attend, either individually or as part of a group. While registration is not mandatory, it is strongly recommended.Two registration forms have been created: one for individuals, families, or groups of fewer than 10 people, and another for larger groups.Upon registering, pilgrims will receive practical information by email, including transportation options, recommended travel routes, and instructions for access and seating arrangements in the Meadow or the Rosary Esplanade.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.

Archbishop Hicks resumes public ministry after eye surgery #Catholic Archbishop Ronald Hicks of New York celebrated his first public Mass since undergoing eye surgery in July.Hicks returned to St. Patrickʼs Cathedral to serve as the principal celebrant at the profession of vows of the Sisters of Life on Aug. 6, the feast of the Transfiguration. The day also marked the six-month anniversary of his installation as archbishop of New York.After only being able to celebrate Mass privately following surgery, “it was a great joy to be back at the main altar and to share that beautiful occasion with the Sisters of Life, their families, and friends,” Hicks wrote in a statement.After returning from a pilgrimage to Rome in the beginning of July, Hicks was diagnosed with a detached retina in his left eye. He underwent surgery involving “a vitrectomy, two sutures to reattach the retina, and the insertion of a gas bubble,” to aid the healing process.The surgery was successful, but the archbishop has been in a quiet recovery period since, he said. “Thanks be to God, my eye and vision continue to heal from the surgery. I am deeply grateful for the excellent medical care I have received,” Hicks said. “Following doctors' orders, I have been taking things slowly during my recovery. As many of you know, that is not always easy for me.” While the gas bubble is in his eye, Hicks shared he is unable to travel by airplane but will “gradually and carefully” add public Masses and other responsibilities to his schedule.“I look forward to being with you more frequently in the weeks ahead,” he said.“This period of recovery has also been a gift. It has provided more time than usual to sit quietly before the Lord in prayer. In the stillness, I have been reminded once again how much we all depend on Godʼs grace each day,” he wrote.“During these weeks, I have also been praying for you and your intentions, and will continue to do so,” he said. “Please, also, continue to pray for me. Your prayers are the greatest gift you can offer me at this time, and I am deeply grateful for each one.”“May the Lord Jesus, who healed the sick, restored sight to the blind, and brought hope to those in need, bless you with light, peace, and love,” he concluded.

Israeli strike damages Christian-run hospital in Gaza, Catholic aid group says #Catholic Israeli airstrikes on an apartment building adjacent to the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City damaged the hospital on the evening of July 29, blowing out windows and doors, and frightening patients and medical staff, according to a report by the Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA).“The repeated explosions create confusion among medical staff and place additional psychological pressure on patients,” Mousa Ayad, manager at Al-Ahli Arab Hospital, told CNEWA’s Diaa Ostaz.Ayad told CNEWA he could not rule out another airstrike: “This is war, and no one knows where the next danger will be. But given the hospital’s humanitarian and medical role, we do not believe that the hospital is the intended target.”According to CNEWA, Mahmoud Basal, spokesman for Gaza’s Civil Defense, said emergency response crews were not able to immediately reach the struck building, which is beside the hospital and a shelter for displaced people, because responders feared a second strike.“The fire burned for more than 15 minutes before our crews could move in,” he said, according to CNEWA. “We continue to work with severe shortages of firefighting vehicles, water tankers and fuel, making every emergency response more difficult.”CNEWA reported that, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, nearly 1,200 Palestinians have been killed and another 3,900 injured since the ceasefire took effect in October 2025.Ayad told CNEWA that despite the ceasefire, Gaza’s health sector is still in dire circumstances.“The situation has not improved significantly. Hospitals continue to face shortages of medical supplies, equipment and essential consumables,” he said. “Thousands of patients remain on waiting lists for surgery, while many others still need to travel outside Gaza for specialized treatment.”Last year, he told CNEWA that the hospital was operating at 350% capacity and a total evacuation would be “a major humanitarian challenge.”This is not the first time the hospital has been struck.On Oct. 17, 2023, an airstrike on the hospital killed 500 people and injured many others. More than 5,000 people were sheltering at the hospital at the time, reported Joseph Hazboun, regional director for CNEWA’s Jerusalem office.Then, in June 2025 airstrikes, six people, including four journalists, were killed and 30 others were injured.Three months later, Israel Defense Forces killed one person and injured several others after it launched a missile that landed in the hospital’s courtyard, according to CNEWA.The Catholic aid group has long supported Al-Ahli Arab Hospital, and since January 2025, it has partnered with the hospital to provide urgent medical services.Pope Pius XI founded CNEWA in 1926 as “an instrument of love and a sign of hope for those in need scattered throughout the historic but unstable lands of the ancient Eastern churches — the Middle East, Northeast Africa, India and Eastern Europe,” according to the group’s website.

unitedyam July 30, 2026July 31, 2026

The Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA) reported emergency response crews were not able to immediately reach the struck building because responders feared a second strike.

Picture of the day A vintage travel gear seller at Marché Dauphine, Saint-Ouen, Paris #ImageOfTheDay

Picture of the day

A vintage travel gear seller at Marché Dauphine, Saint-Ouen, Paris