Vatican Watch: A day-by-day chronicle of Vatican events in August-September, 2024

By Matthew Trojacek with CNA Reports – Grzegorz Galazka and CNA photos

August

Friday 9

Pope Francis conveys “message of hope” to Chinese Catholics, desire to visit China

Pope Francis conveyed a “message of hope” to Chinese Catholics and expressed his desire to one day visit the Basilica of Holy Mary, the Help of Christians, in Shanghai, China, during an interview conducted May 24 but released on August 9.

In an interview at the Vatican with Father Pedro Chia, the director of the press office of the Chinese Province of the Society of Jesus, the Pope said he would “really want to” conduct an apostolic visit to China to visit the shrine and meet with bishops and Catholics in the country.

“Show the way to God through the spiritual exercises and discernment,” Pope Francis said in his message to Chinese Jesuits. “Walk with the poor [and with] those whose dignity has been violated in a mission of reconciliation and justice and… accompany young people in the creation of a hope-filled future and… take care of our common home.”

At the end of the interview, the Pope bestowed a blessing on the Chinese people and prayed for the intercession of Our Lady of Sheshan. (CNA)

Thursday 22

Vatican approves devotion to 1945 apparition of Our Lady of Sorrows in Spain

An image of the Our Lady of Sorrows in the Catholic Shrine of Chandavila, Spain

The Vatican has accepted the decree of an archbishop approving the spiritual activities of the Catholic Shrine of Chandavila in the town of La Codosera in Badajoz, Spain, where Our Lady of Sorrows is alleged to have appeared to two young girls at the end of World War II.

An August 22 letter from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) called Our Lady of Sorrows of Chandavila a “beautiful devotion” with “many positive aspects,” including conversions, healing, and other visible signs of the action of the Holy Spirit in the pilgrims who visit the shrine.

The letter, signed by DDF prefect Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández and approved by Pope Francis in an audience on the same day, said the shrine “may continue to offer to the faithful who wish to approach it a place of interior peace, consolation, and conversion.” (CNA)

Monday 26

Pope Francis meets with families of 2020 Beirut blast victims

Pope Francis met with 30 relatives of victims of the Port of Beirut explosion in a private audience at the Vatican on August 26, expressing his sorrow and closeness with families suffering due to the ongoing political turmoil in Lebanon.

“I continue to keep you and your loved ones in my prayers, and I join my tears to your own,” the Holy Father shared. “Together with you, I think of all those whose lives were taken by that enormous explosion.”

Four years since the deadly blast that killed more than 220 people and injured some 6,500 people in the country’s capital, investigations into the actual cause of the explosion remain stalled due to political wrangling. (CNA)

Tuesday 27

Why China’s recognition of a 95-year-old bishop could be a very big deal

“The Holy See has learned with satisfaction that today, August 27, 2024, Bishop Melchior Shi Hongzhen has been officially recognized under civil law as bishop of Tianjin,” according to a Vatican press office statement.

Bishop Shi Hongzhen, 95, has led the Diocese of Tianjin since 2019 — having previously been coadjutor of the diocese since 1982. He is believed to be the first Catholic bishop government authorities have recognized who has not formally joined the state-sponsored Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association.

With the Vatican’s agreement with Beijing on episcopal appointments set for renewal in the fall, Shi’s recognition by the state has been hailed by some China-watchers as a sign of real progress for the Holy See.

In fact, Shi’s acceptance as a bishop by state authorities — and crucially his acceptance of a formula for accepting state recognition — could provide a template for resolving an impasse which has plagued Vatican-China relations since 2018, and kept dozens of bishops underground and subject to state harassment. (ThePillar)

Wednesday 28

Pope Francis condemns systematic pushback of migrants as a “grave sin”

Pope Francis announced that he was “postponing the usual catechesis,” given every Wednesday, to renew his plea in favor of welcoming migrants, “who — even at this moment — are crossing seas and deserts to reach a land where they can live in peace and safety,” he said.

This new appeal, made August 28 in St. Peter’s Square, comes the day after the Italian Ministry of the Interior released statistics showing a 65% decrease in the number of illegal migrants entering the country compared to 2023 (40,138, down from 113,469 last year).

While the Pope made no direct reference to these figures or the restrictive immigration policy pursued by Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, he strongly condemned “those who work systematically and with every means possible to repel migrants.”

“This, when done with awareness and responsibility, is a grave sin,” said Francis, quoting a verse from the Book of Exodus (22:20): “You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him.” (LaCroix)

September

Tuesday 17

Pope Francis tells young people to prioritize the Eucharist like Carlo Acutis

Pope Francis in his youth message released on September 17 encouraged young people to imitate Blessed Carlo Acutis in prioritizing “the great gift of the Eucharist.”

“As Blessed Carlo Acutis said, the Eucharist is the highway to heaven,” the Pope wrote in his message for diocesan World Youth Days.

Pope Francis pointed to how Blessed Carlo made praying before the Eucharist “his most important daily appointment,” which gave him the strength to persevere in his journey of faith. “I encourage all of you to rediscover the great gift of the Eucharist!” the Pope said.

Francis approved the second miracle attributed to Acutis’ intercession this past spring, paving the way for his canonization during the Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year. (CNA)

Thursday 19

Vatican approves devotion at Medjugorje while not pronouncing on authenticity of “alleged messages”

In a highly anticipated report on the alleged decades-long apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Medjugorje, the Vatican’s doctrinal office endorsed prudent devotion to Mary at the popular pilgrimage site in Bosnia-Herzegovina yet withheld any declaration on whether the alleged visions are supernatural in origin.

The September 19 note from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF), signed by prefect Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández and approved by Pope Francis in an August 28 audience, grants a “nihil obstat” to the spiritual experience at Medjugorje. The authoritative judgment means that pilgrims may continue to visit and pray at the site, as some 40 million people from around the world have done since the apparitions allegedly first began 43 years ago. While it offers no definitive judgment on the supernatural authenticity of the alleged apparitions, the Vatican’s report highlights the abundant good fruits that have come from Medjugorje. (CNA)

Monday 23

Pope Francis names consultants to Vatican Doctrine Office, including controversial theologian

The entrance of the Pontifical John Paul II Theological Institute for Marriage and the Family (Photo G. Galazka). In the circle, Father Maurizio Chiodi.

Pope Francis has named 28 new consultors to the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, including moral theologian Father Maurizio Chiodi, who has expressed opinions contrary to Church teaching. Chiodi, a moral theologian, has come under media scrutiny in recent years for suggesting contraception use in marriage could be morally permissible in some circumstances.

In a 2017 lecture in Rome, the priest also said that homosexual relationships “under certain conditions” could be “the most fruitful way” for those with same-sex attraction “to enjoy good relations.” Chiodi was made a theology professor at the Pontifical John Paul II Theological Institute for Marriage and the Family Sciences in 2019 following its refounding by Pope Francis. He has also been a member of the Pontifical Academy for Life since 2017. (CNA)

Sunday 29

Catholic Institute for Nonviolence launches in Rome

A statue of Blessed Carlo Acutis next to that of St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta in a religious goods shop in Rome (Photo Paolo Fucili)

Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, Archbishop of Yangon, Myanmar, and Cardinal Robert McElroy, Bishop of San Diego, California, took part on September 29 in the inauguration of the new Catholic Institute for Nonviolence, founded by Pax Christi International, a movement that promotes peace and consists of 120 organizations from all around the world. The Rome-based Institute will be dedicated to promoting non-violence as a central teaching of the Catholic Church, embarking on the mission of making research, resources, and experiences in nonviolence more accessible for Church leaders and global institutions. The event was held at the “Istituto Maria Santissima Bambina” in Rome. Sister Teresia Wachira, from the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and renowned author and researcher Dr. Maria Stephan, moderated the event and conversation. (VaticanNews)