Vatican Watch: February, March and April, 2025

February

Tuesday 11

Holy See calls for digital responsibility to curb anti-Semitism in Europe

Father Domenico Vitolo, Secretary of the Apostolic Nunciature to the Nordic Countries, delivered the statement at the annual conference on addressing anti-Semitism in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) region on February 11.

He expressed the Holy See’s conviction that there can be no effective commitment against antisemitism unless a careful assessment of the problem and a sense of respect for Jewish communities are developed through education.

“Ignorance, prejudice and stereotypes contribute to anti-Semitism in our societies,” he said, adding that “education can build a bulwark against them by making our society and in especially children and young people aware of the common responsibility to protect the human dignity of all persons.” (VaticanNews)

Thursday 20

Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue and WCC recommit

The Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue (DID) and the Office of Interreligious Dialogue and Cooperation (IRDC) of the World Council of Churches (WCC) concluded their annual meeting in Rome, held from 17 to 20 February 2025. The gathering, which took place at the Dicastery’s office, provided an opportunity to assess past initiatives, review ongoing interreligious activities, and explore future collaborations. A key focus was preparing for the 50th anniversary of cooperation between the two institutions, which will be marked in 2027.

Since 1977, the DID and WCC have worked together to promote interreligious dialogue within an ecumenical framework. Their collaboration has produced significant documents, including Interreligious Prayer (1994), Reflection on Interreligious Marriage (1997), Christian Witness in a Multi-Religious World: Recommendations for Conduct (2011), Education for Peace in a Multi-Religious World: A Christian Perspective (2019), and Serving a Wounded World in Interreligious Solidarity: A Christian Call to Reflection and Action During COVID-19 (2020).

In their discussions, both delegations reaffirmed their dedication to strengthening interreligious dialogue. They acknowledged religious diversity as an ever-present reality in the contemporary world and emphasized the importance of fostering understanding and cooperation among faith traditions.

“In a world fractured by conflict, dialogue remains essential,” the participants stated, underlining the need for religious communities to serve as instruments of peace. “When guided by authentic dialogue, religions can contribute to healing divisions, fostering fraternity, and cultivating reconciliation.” (VaticanNews)

March

Monday 3

Vatican Secretary of State meets with Lithuanian President

President of the Republic of Lithuania, Gitanis Nausèda, left, sits across the table from Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin in a March 3 meeting

Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin received the President of the Republic of Lithuania, Gitanas Nausėda, in the Vatican on March 3.

The Vatican’s Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, was also present at the meeting with the Lithuanian President, who was in Rome to participate in the national Jubilee pilgrimage.

According to a statement from the Holy See Press Office, during the cordial discussions at the Secretariat of State, “satisfaction was expressed for the good and fruitful bilateral relations, highlighting the positive contribution of the Christian faith to Lithuanian society.”

“The parties,” it concluded, “focused on questions of a regional and international nature, with particular reference to the prospects for peace in Ukraine.” (VaticanNews)

Wednesday 5

Vatican modifies position on “gender affirming” surgery

The Vatican appears to have modified its previous position against “gender-affirming” surgery and “gender theory” raising the possibility of “exceptional situations.”

In early March, the Vatican published a speech by doctrine chief Cardinal Victor Fernández where he said, “there are cases outside the norm, such as strong dysphorias that can lead to an unbearable existence or even suicide. These exceptional situations must be evaluated with great care.”

The Argentinian prelate explained at a German theological conference: “We don’t want to be cruel and say that we don’t understand people’s conditioning and the deep suffering that exists in some cases of ‘dysphoria’ that manifests itself even from childhood.”

While the Vatican publication acknowledges “gender dysphoria,” it still makes clear that the Church opposes the idea “that bodily-sexual identity can be the object of radical change, always subject to one’s own desires…” (CNN)

Friday 7

Vatican’s Ramadan message: “walk side by side”

Indian Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad, elevated to the cardinalate by Pope Francis in 2024.

As it does every year during the month of fasting, the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue released its message for Ramadan on March 7.

This year’s message, signed by the Dicastery’s new prefect, Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad, is centered on the theme: “Christians and Muslims: What We Hope to Become Together.”

“This time of fasting, prayer and sharing,” the message reads, “is a privileged opportunity to draw closer to God and be renewed in the fundamental values of religion, compassion and solidarity. This year, Ramadan largely coincides with Lent, which for Christians is a period of fasting, supplication and conversion to Christ.”

This rare alignment in the religious calendar, Cardinal Koovakad writes, “offers a unique opportunity to walk side-by-side, Christians and Muslims, in a common process of purification, prayer and charity.”

“More than simply a month of fasting, Ramadan appears to us Catholics as a school of inner transformation,” the message continues. In Christian tradition, Lent is a similar time, a period when “through fasting, prayer and almsgiving we seek to purify our hearts and refocus on the One who guides and directs our lives.” (VaticanNews)

Friday 14

New lights illuminate St. Peter’s dome

Newly installed, state-of-the-art lights illuminate St. Peter’s Basilica dome

Maintenance and enhancement work on the lighting systems of Saint Peter’s Basilica has been underway since early March.

The technical operations, which take place during nighttime hours, seek to highlight the grandeur of Renaissance architecture.

The new, state-of-the-art lighting fixtures will provide a more intense, calibrated, and well-distributed light, which will further enhance the dome and create a striking atmosphere.

This project is part of a series of periodic interventions carried out by the Fabric of Saint Peter to preserve and enhance the Basilica and its artistic structures. (VaticanNews)

Pope’s call to disarm words, disarm the Earth

“We must disarm words, to disarm minds and disarm the Earth. There is a great need for reflection, for calmness, for a sense of complexity” said Pope Francis in a letter published in Italy’s newspaper of record, Corriere della Sera.

“While war only devastates communities and the environment, without offering solutions to conflicts, diplomacy and international organisations need new life and credibility,” he wrote while still hospitalized for pneumonia.

Thanking Corriere’s director Luciano Fontana, to whom the letter was addressed, Francis noted that “in this moment of illness… war appears even more absurd.” (Vatican News)

April

Wednesday 2

Crowds mark 20th anniversary of John Paul II’s death

Residents of Rome and representatives of the Polish community abroad gathered in great numbers at St. Peter’s Square for a prayer vigil marking the 20th anniversary of the death of Pope John Paul II.

The meditations during the Rosary included quotations from the teachings of Saint John Paul II.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, presided at Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica.

Thirty cardinals and as many bishops concelebrated, L’Osservatore Romano reported. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was in attendance, as were a government delegation from Poland and numerous ambassadors to the Holy See.

In his homily, Cardinal Parolin recalled the highlights of the John Paul’s pontificate, from his first homily in 1978 (“Do not be afraid! Open, indeed throw open the doors to Christ!”) to his funeral Mass in 2005, at which “the certainty of the people concerning the sanctity of the deceased Pope” was evident.

The “Gaudium Poloniae” choir led music from the Church of St. Stanislaus BM in Rome. (Vatican News)

Friday 4

Holy See to UN: middle-income nations need debt-free investment

Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, the Holy See’s Permanent Observer to the United Nations, told a high-level meeting  that “structural barriers” developing nations face, despite playing a crucial role in the global economy, must be addressed.

Though they account for around one-third of global Gross Domestic Product (GDP), middle income countries are home to 62 percent of the world’s poor.

According to the World Bank, middle income countries include those with a Gross National Income (GNI) per person between roughly $1,100 and $14,000.

Caccia noted that, beside significant challenges like conflicts, economic instability, and intense weather events, another burden is the debt which they have been forced to take on to promote economic development.

“The Holy See,” Caccia said, “calls for an increase in accessible, debt-free development financial assistance without fear of being trapped in repayment cycles.”(Vatican News)