24-30 August 2026

Vatican News

Pope at Angelus: Even when confused like Peter, dialogue with the Lord (Photo: Vatican News)During his Angelus address on Sunday in Castel Gandolfo, Pope Leo XIV reflected on the Gospel of Matthew, where Jesus foretells his Passion, Death and Resurrection, prompting Peter to rebuke him. The Pope acknowledged the difficulty of accepting God’s ways when they differ from human expectations, noting that Peter’s impulsiveness teaches us to remain in dialogue with the Lord and humbly listen to his will. He recalled Jesus’ response to Peter and emphasized that true discipleship requires self-denial and faithfulness even unto martyrdom. The Holy Father invited the faithful to pray for the sincerity of Peter and the docility to accept Christ’s unexpected plans. Read more →

Archbishop Gallagher: The Holy See pursues a diplomacy that believes in peace (Photo: Vatican News)Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States, traveled to Moscow on May 24 for talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Adviser Yuri Ushakov, focusing on the war in Ukraine. The 12-hour journey via Istanbul highlighted the challenges of modern diplomacy, as direct EU flights to Russia have been suspended since 2022. Gallagher emphasized the Holy See’s commitment to dialogue and peace, stressing that diplomacy remains the only path to end hostilities, while acknowledging the growing difficulty of reconciliation as the conflict persists. He reaffirmed the Church’s role in encouraging peace and hope amid war’s devastation. Read more →

Regional Activities

Latin America

Baja California Among The Indigenous Communities (Photo: OMI World)On August 7, 2026, the Oblate missionary expansion in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico, marked its second anniversary, highlighting the 37th General Chapter’s focus on accompanying Indigenous communities in education. The Sacred Heart of Jesus Chaplaincy, known locally as “El Zorrillo,” serves four culturally rich communities, including Mixtec, Triqui, Zapotec, Wixárika, and P’urhépecha peoples. Fr. Ray Cook, OMI, provincial of the United States Province, and many donors provided essential support, strengthening families and church life in the region. Fr. Kapena, General Councilor for Africa-Madagascar, visited on August 18–19, 2026, to assess the mission’s work and guide future efforts of the U.S. Province. Read more →

Europe

The Pilgrimage of Preparation: Living the Book of Life (Photo: OMI World)At the Oblate General House in Rome, preparations are underway for the 200th anniversary of the approval of the Oblates’ Constitutions and Rules by Pope Leo XII on February 17. The current season is framed not only as a time of celebration but as a pilgrimage, inviting Oblates to deepen their commitment to living the “Book of Life” more fully. During the recent Inter-Chapter meeting, participants emphasized the need to make the Constitutions and Rules “the closest thing possible to the heart of an Oblate,” encouraging reflection and daily practice. Antoni Bochm, OMI Vicar General, describes this journey as a transformative opportunity to renew fidelity and become “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world.” Read more →

Canada and United States

Canada After 106 Years An Oblate Returns As Bishop (Photo: OMI World)Bishop Kenneth Thorson, O.M.I., was ordained Bishop of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, on May 28, 2026, becoming the diocese’s ninth bishop and only its second Oblate bishop after Bishop Albert Pascal, O.M.I., who served until 1920. Born to Chester and Joanne Thorson, he professed vows in Arnprior, Ontario, in 1993 and served in various missions before becoming Provincial Superior of the Lacombe Province from 2013 to 2025. His ordination at Sacred Heart Cathedral was attended by Oblates, clergy, and laity, including Oblate bishops from Canada and the Philippines, marking a homecoming for the diocese first shaped by Oblate missionaries. The celebration concluded with a call to grow in faith, hope, and love, reopening an Oblate chapter in Prince Albert after more than a century. Read more →

Catholic World and Humanitarian Action

Nigerian Bishops decry ‘trail of terror’ after latest attacks (Photo: Crux)Nigeria’s Catholic Bishops have condemned the mass kidnapping of over 60 Muslims during Friday prayers on August 21 in the Kpenya Mosque in Niger State’s Borgu Local Government Area, where gunmen also attacked nearby villages before targeting the mosque. In an August 27 statement, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) decried escalating violence, including the killing of 47 people in Ukum, Benue State, and a prior mosque attack in Sokoto State that left 32 worshippers dead. The bishops emphasized interfaith unity, demanding the release of abducted worshippers and calling attacks on places of worship an assault on humanity. Reports highlight a broader crisis, with Amnesty International documenting 1,100 abductions in early 2020 and Intersociety reporting 2,550 Christian and 1,050 moderate Muslim deaths since January, alongside widespread destruction of churches and forced conversions. Read more →

Spanish regional government spotlights sainthood cause of Queen Isabella (Photo: EWTN News)On August 27, the regional government of Castile and León, Spain, met with Archbishop Luis Argüello and Culture Minister Alberto Díaz Pico to discuss promoting the beatification cause of Queen Isabella I of Castile, known as the Catholic Monarch, alongside plans for the 2027 commemoration of Philip II’s birth. Isabella and her husband Ferdinand were titled “the Catholic Monarchs” by Pope Alexander VI in 1496 for defending the Catholic faith, and her cause for beatification, initiated in Valladolid in 1958, remains under review in Rome pending further theological assessment. Born on April 22, 1451, in Madrigal de las Altas Torres, Isabella became queen in 1474, oversaw the Reconquista, supported Columbus’ 1492 voyage, and banned the enslavement of Indigenous peoples in the Americas before dying of uterine cancer on November 26, 1504. Read more →

India’s bishops call for solidarity with neighbors as scope of Nepal-China disaster grows (Photo: Crux)India’s bishops have joined Pope Leo XIV in calling for solidarity with Nepal and China after catastrophic flash flooding along their border killed at least 734 people and left more than 3,000 missing, following a glacial collapse that triggered deadly avalanches and rising river waters on Wednesday. Cardinal Anthony Poola of Hyderabad, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, urged the international community to support relief efforts and address the growing vulnerability of Himalayan communities, emphasizing the deep historical and cultural ties between India and Nepal. Caritas Nepal has mobilized volunteers to deliver food, shelter, and medical aid despite severe access challenges, while Poola linked the disaster to climate instability, stressing that care for creation and human life are inseparable. Read more →