Outside the Walls

Pope Leo XIV has granted the Vatican’s Dicastery for Religious the power to authorise diocesan bishops to dismiss monastery superiors in serious disciplinary cases Pope Leo has granted the Vatican’s Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life new powers allowing it to authorise diocesan bishops to dismiss the superiors of monasteries under canon law in cases involving serious disciplinary matters. The new faculty was confirmed in a Rescriptum ex Audientia Sanctissimi approved by the Pope on 25 March and published on 28 May. The decree, signed by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, stated that the measure had also enjoyed the favour of Pope Francis before his death. The rescript concerns cases under canon 699 §2 of the Code of Canon Law, which governs the dismissal of professed religious from institutes of consecrated life for grave causes. Under the new arrangement, the Dicastery for Religious may now permit the competent diocesan bishop to issue a decree dismissing a professed religious who is himself the major superior of a monastery. The text stated: “The Supreme Pontiff Leo XIV… granted the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life the faculty to authorise the competent diocesan Bishop to issue the decree of dismissal referred to in canon 699 §2 of the Code of Canon Law, in the case in which the professed member to be dismissed is the Major Superior of the monastery.” The measure came into force immediately upon publication and will later appear in the official Acta Apostolicae Sedis following publication in L’Osservatore Romano . The Dicastery for Religious, headed by Sister Simona Brambilla as prefect and Sister Tiziana Merletti as secretary, oversees religious orders and institutes throughout the Catholic Church. The rescript is likely to be viewed as part of a broader Vatican effort to streamline disciplinary procedures involving religious communities, particularly in cases where governance disputes or allegations against superiors have created institutional paralysis. Canon 699 allows for the dismissal of religious who are judged guilty of “grave external violations” of ecclesiastical law or religious obligations. In ordinary cases, dismissal procedures are handled internally by the institute itself, with decrees requiring confirmation from the Holy See. Cases involving the superior of a monastery, however, have often proved more legally complex because of the superior’s authority within the community and the lack of a higher internal authority capable of executing disciplinary measures directly. The rescript also appeared to clarify procedures connected to the laicisation of religious through petition, an issue that has become increasingly prominent in recent years as the Vatican has sought clearer canonical mechanisms for handling disciplinary and governance crises within religious institutes. The publication of the decree follows several years of Vatican intervention in monasteries and religious communities across Europe and the Americas amid allegations ranging from financial mismanagement to spiritual abuse and failures of governance. Under Pope Francis, the Holy See increasingly relied on apostolic visitations, commissaries and direct intervention by Vatican dicasteries to address internal disputes within contemplative and religious communities.

Ghana has praised Pope Leo XIV’s apology for the Catholic Church’s historical role in slavery, calling it an “act of moral courage”. In Magnifica Humanitas, the Pope acknowledged that Church authorities and institutions had at times legitimised enslavement and asked forgiveness “in the name of the Church” Ghana has welcomed Pope Leo XIV’s apology for the Catholic Church’s historical role in slavery. The apology was made in the Pope’s first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas , published on 25 May, in which Leo addressed artificial intelligence, modern exploitation and the legacy of slavery. In one of the most closely watched passages of the document, the Pope admitted that Church authorities had, at times, “regulated and legitimised forms of subjugation and, in certain cases, the enslavement of ‘infidels’”. He also acknowledged that “in antiquity and the Middle Ages many individuals and even ecclesiastical institutions had slaves”. “This constitutes a wound in Christian memory,” the Pope wrote. “It is impossible not to feel deep sorrow when contemplating the immense suffering and humiliation endured by so many.” “For this, in the name of the Church, I sincerely ask for pardon.” The Ghanaian government responded by describing the apology as “an act of moral courage” and an important contribution to the pursuit of “truth, human dignity and justice”. In a statement issued by its Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday, the government said the Pope’s remarks represented “an important contribution to the ongoing global pursuit of historical truth, human dignity and justice”. “The statement represents an act of moral courage on the part of the Pope,” the ministry said. Ghana added that the apology “reinforces the growing global understanding that confronting historical injustices demands truth-telling and moral responsibility as essential foundations for justice and reconciliation”. The intervention is the clearest papal apology for the Catholic Church’s involvement in slavery. Previous pontiffs, including Pope John Paul II and Pope Francis, condemned slavery and apologised for the actions of Christians involved in the slave trade. Pope Leo, however, went further by directly acknowledging the role of Church institutions and past papal actions in legitimising forms of enslavement. Millions of Africans passed through forts along the Gold Coast before being transported to the Americas between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries. Cape Coast Castle and Elmina Castle remain among the most prominent reminders of the trade, where captives were held in dungeons before being loaded on to slave ships bound for the Caribbean and the Americas. Historians estimate that between 12 million and 15 million Africans were transported across the Atlantic during the slave trade, with millions dying during the journey or in captivity. Ghana has become one of the leading African voices calling for reparations and formal international recognition of slavery as a crime against humanity. Earlier this year, the United Nations adopted a Ghana-backed declaration recognising the enslavement of Africans as “the gravest crime against humanity”. The resolution was backed by John Mahama and the African Union and called for further international dialogue on reparative justice and the effects of slavery and colonialism. The Holy See had previously expressed reservations about aspects of the declaration. Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, the Vatican’s former representative to the United Nations, warned against what he described as “a partial narrative, which, regrettably, does not serve the cause of truth”. He pointed to earlier papal condemnations of slavery, including those of Pope Eugene IV in 1435 regarding the enslavement of indigenous peoples in the Canary Islands. Pope Leo’s encyclical addressed that historical tension directly. “In the development of her doctrine, the Church has gradually come to a deeper awareness of the gravity of these issues,” the Pope wrote. “It was only in the nineteenth century that a formal, absolute and universal condemnation of slavery was clearly articulated.” The Pope said the Church’s delayed response to slavery demonstrated the need for continual moral reflection when confronting modern forms of exploitation. Pope Leo also warned against what he described as “new forms of slavery” linked to technological and economic systems that reduce human beings to “data, productivity, or technological utility”. Presenting the document at the Vatican, the Pope said: “We must seek to build a civilisation of love rather than a culture of power.” The encyclical was released only weeks after Leo completed his first papal visit to Africa, during which he criticised the exploitation of the continent’s natural resources and warned against “new forms of colonial dependence”. The Vatican has previously been under pressure from historians and campaigners to formally repudiate fifteenth-century papal bulls, including Dum Diversas and Romanus Pontifex, which granted Christian rulers authority to conquer and subjugate non-Christian peoples. In 2023, the Vatican formally rejected the so-called “Doctrine of Discovery”, which had historically been used to justify colonial expansion and dispossession. Leo’s encyclical, however, marks the first time a pope has explicitly acknowledged the role played by Church institutions themselves in legitimising slavery and directly asked forgiveness for it.

Pope Leo XIV has placed the hospital founded by Padre Pio under direct Vatican control following years of financial turmoil and mounting debt at the Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza in southern Italy. Pope Leo XIV has moved to take direct control of the hospital founded by Padre Pio after years of financial turmoil at the Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza in San Giovanni Rotondo. In a chirograph issued on 28 May, the Pope established a new Steering and Supervisory Commission with extensive powers over the foundation governing the hospital, one of the largest Catholic medical institutions in Europe. The document grants the commission authority to act “in derogation of current legislation and without requiring any authorisation” and, where necessary, “even in place of the Foundation’s statutory bodies”. The commission will be chaired by Maximino Caballero Ledo, prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy, while Fabio Gasperini, secretary of the same dicastery, will serve as coordinator. Other members include Archbishop Paolo Rudelli, Archbishop Giordano Piccinotti and Archbishop Giorgio Ferretti. A technical committee attached to the body will include Benjamin Estévez de Cominges, currently secretary-general of the Vatican’s Secretariat for the Economy, the hospital’s current director general, Gino Gumirato, and the lawyer Alessandro Ela Oyana. The decree effectively places the Vatican directly in charge of the institution founded by St Pio of Pietrelcina in 1956. The hospital receives tens of thousands of patients every year and employs around 2,700 staff. The foundation’s finances has been under scrutiny after reports of increasing debt and internal disputes over staffing and management. The Italian television programme Far West reported earlier this year on what it described as “a story of multimillion-euro debts, €250 million in total, inflated paycheques and cronyism. A story of money disappearing from the saint’s hospital.” Gumirato later disputed the figure broadcast by the programme, saying: “Talking about a €250 million deficit is incorrect. The Foundation’s actual debts to suppliers are approximately €108 million.” He added that the debts had to be considered alongside receivables owed to the hospital by the Puglia regional government, estimated at around €32 million. The Vatican intervention comes after years of concern inside the Holy See over the management of the institution. In 2019, Domenico Crupi resigned as director general after serving in the role since 2007. He was replaced by Michele Giuliani following pressure from the Secretariat of State. According to reports, concerns had emerged that the true financial position of the foundation had not been fully represented to the Holy See. Crupi rejected accusations of financial irregularities at the time and referred to “the financial equilibrium certified by an international auditing firm”. The latest crisis intensified in late 2025 after management announced changes to employment contracts for doctors and staff as part of restructuring measures. Trade unions responded by declaring a state of unrest and planning strike action. Demonstrations were later held outside the hospital. Italian media reported that during a Christmas gathering attended by Archbishop Franco Moscone of Manfredonia-Vieste-San Giovanni Rotondo, employees confronted members of the management team and demanded resignations. Moscone subsequently acknowledged the seriousness of the situation and said: “The Holy See is aware of the situation; it is up to them to make the most important decisions. The foundation can’t do much more than that. Perhaps the Holy See itself doesn’t know what to do.” The decree also gives Caballero Ledo authority to represent the foundation before Italian public authorities, allowing the Vatican-appointed body to intervene directly in civil and administrative matters linked to the hospital’s operations. Although the existing board formally remains in place, practical authority over the institution now rests with the Vatican commission. Padre Pio conceived the hospital as a “home for the relief of suffering” and oversaw its creation in the impoverished Gargano region of southern Italy after the Second World War. The Capuchin friar personally appealed for international donations to finance the project, which became one of the most significant charitable works associated with a modern saint. In 1957, Padre Pio asked Pope Pius XII to ensure that ownership of the hospital would pass directly to the Holy See after his death. The request was accepted and, following the friar’s death in 1968, the institution came under Vatican ownership.

The Swiss Bishops’ Conference has backed plans for a nationwide ban on conversion therapy, warning that attempts to suppress or alter a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity can amount to “spiritual abuse” The Swiss Bishops’ Conference has endorsed plans for a nationwide ban on conversion therapy. In a statement released on 26 May, the bishops said they supported a federal prohibition on what they described as “conversion measures”, as the Swiss parliament continues to debate legislation aimed at outlawing the practice across the country. The conference also said practices intended to alter or suppress a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity are incompatible with Catholic pastoral care and can amount to “spiritual abuse”. “The Swiss Bishops’ Conference firmly rejects conversion measures,” the statement said. “They are incompatible with a pastoral mission based on acceptance, truthfulness, and the protection of the individual.” The bishops said such practices could involve “pressure, blame, threats, isolation, denigration, or religious fear” in an effort to induce a person “to change or suppress their sexual orientation or gender identity”. “In a religious context, such practices can constitute spiritual abuse when people are shamed, threatened, or manipulated in the name of God,” the statement added. The Swiss bishops insisted, however, that any ban should clearly distinguish between coercive practices and legitimate pastoral accompaniment. They said “open-ended, respectful conversations and support” must not be criminalised where individuals freely seek advice or spiritual guidance. “Pastoral care is legitimate when it upholds the dignity and freedom of the individual, protects personal integrity, and does not exert undue influence,” the statement said. The bishops also backed legal safeguards intended to protect “minors and vulnerable persons” and said those affected by conversion practices should have “easy access to support, counselling, and complaint procedures”. Switzerland is moving closer towards a federal ban on conversion therapy following a series of measures at cantonal level. Several Swiss cantons have already prohibited conversion therapy, with Neuchâtel becoming the first to legislate against the practice in 2023. Valais, Vaud, Bern, St Gallen and Schaffhausen have since taken similar steps. The Federal Council earlier this year adopted its first national action plan against hate crimes targeting LGBT people, while parliament has continued discussions over a uniform national framework regulating conversion therapy. The bishops rooted their position in Catholic teaching on human dignity, saying every person must be protected from “violence, coercion, and abuse”. “According to the Christian understanding of humanity, respect for personal integrity as being created in the image of God is a fundamental right,” the statement said. The conference also cited Pope Leo XIV, referring to remarks he made shortly after his inauguration last year in which he said the Church must “bring the love of God to all people” and promote a unity that “does not eliminate differences but respects the history of each individual”. The Swiss bishops sought to draw that distinction directly in their own statement, arguing that legislation must be “clearly defined” so that ordinary pastoral care and professional psychotherapy remain protected while coercive or manipulative practices are outlawed. “A ban must be designed in such a way that it does not cover open-ended, respectful counselling and pastoral care, as well as professional psychotherapeutic support,” the bishops said. “Pastoral care must never exert pressure or shame people.”

Bishop Robert Barron has warned Catholics against the “demonisation” of Donald Trump’s administration over immigration policy and said that support for border enforcement can arise from “very good moral reasons” Bishop Robert Barron has called on Catholics to resist the “demonisation” of President Donald Trump’s administration over immigration policy. The Bishop of Winona-Rochester made the remarks during an interview with Fox News Digital in which he urged greater dialogue between Catholics of differing political convictions and warned against reducing the immigration debate to partisan caricatures. Bishop Barron, perhaps the most recognisable Catholic from the United States after the Pope, said that conservatives who support tighter immigration controls should not automatically be dismissed as lacking compassion. “I don’t think it’s fair to say to a conservative, to a Republican, you’re just being difficult and anti-humanitarian,” Bishop Barron said, while arguing that the Church should instead encourage “bridges of conversation”. His Grace suggested that some Catholics on the political left had failed to extend to conservatives the same spirit of dialogue they often advocate elsewhere in public life. “At times, the Catholic left is great for calling for dialogue and bridge-building, until it comes to conservatives,” Bishop Barron said. “When it comes to conservatives, just tell them what they should be doing and saying.” The bishop continued: “No, no, let’s build bridges of conversation. That’s a role the Church can play. What I don’t want from the Church is a kind of demonisation of the Trump administration.” Bishop Barron said disagreements over immigration policy, or other contentious issues such as the recent conflict involving Iran, should be approached through serious discussion rather than ideological condemnation. “If there are points of disagreement, whether it’s immigration or it’s the [Iran] war or whatever, let’s talk about it, let’s talk,” His Grace said, while acknowledging that efforts to foster those conversations within ecclesial circles had “not always met with success”. The bishop also revealed that he had recently been moved by comments from Tom Homan, the former acting director of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and President Trump’s so-called “border czar”, during a White House call connected to the president’s Religious Liberty Commission, on which Bishop Barron serves. According to Bishop Barron, Homan spoke emotionally about the human consequences of weak border enforcement and particularly about trafficking networks exploiting children. “He said that because he’s seen the terrible destruction caused by an open border,” Bishop Barron explained. “He was talking especially about human trafficking, the human trafficking of children, the disappearance of children we’ve lost track of completely in this process.” The bishop said Homan had rejected what he described as “the simplistic view that an open border is humanitarian”. “An open border also produces enormous moral problems,” Bishop Barron said, adding that Homan’s concern appeared deeply personal and sincere. “You could tell that it was affecting him very deeply, very personally. I found that very moving.” His Grace argued that support for immigration enforcement should not simply be interpreted through a partisan lens, but could arise from genuine moral concern. “It’s not just, well, the bad guy, Republicans, who want to enforce immigration laws,” Bishop Barron said. “It’s Republicans for very good moral reasons who want to enforce immigration law.” At the same time, the bishop stressed that the immigration debate contains “values on both sides” and suggested that the Church could help facilitate a more serious exchange between political leaders and Catholic moral teaching. Bishop Barron referred to tensions between President Trump and Pope Leo XIV, saying that part of the difficulty stemmed from attempts to treat the Holy Father as though he were merely another political figure. “Popes, I think, are supposed to use the moral structure of the Church’s teaching to move prudential judgement in the right direction,” Bishop Barron said. “Now what’s a president’s responsibility? His responsibility is to make those prudential judgements.” The bishop suggested that prominent Catholics within the Trump administration, including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the US ambassador to the Holy See, Brian Burch, should engage directly with Vatican officials in order to foster more constructive discussion. “The Church provides a moral framework. Terrific,” Bishop Barron said. “Now, let’s have a real conversation with those whose job it is to make that decision, but have it conditioned by this moral framework. That would be more fruitful.” The remarks come amid continuing divisions among American Catholics over immigration policy and the proper balance between national sovereignty and humanitarian obligations towards migrants and refugees. The US bishops’ conference has frequently criticised aspects of the Trump administration’s immigration policies in recent years, particularly mass deportation proposals and restrictions on asylum claims, while conservative Catholics have increasingly argued that border enforcement and opposition to human trafficking are themselves matters of Catholic social concern. The debate has become one of the defining fault lines in American Catholic life, particularly following the rise of populist politics in the United States and Europe, with bishops and theologians often divided over how Catholic teaching on solidarity, the dignity of migrants and the responsibilities of the state should be applied in practice. Bishop Barron’s comments suggest he believes the Church’s role is not to align itself unquestioningly with either political camp, but to insist upon serious moral engagement between them.

Cardinal Péter Erdő attended Pentecost Mass in Hungary on Sunday, where he was greeted with prolonged applause after months of uncertainty over his condition Cardinal Péter Erdő has made his first public appearance in more than three months on Pentecost Sunday after suffering serious health complications, including multiple surgeries and a stroke. The Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, 73, attended the Pentecost Mass at the Basilica of the Assumption and Saint Adalbert in Esztergom, Hungary, where he was greeted with prolonged applause from the congregation. Although too weak to celebrate the liturgy himself, the cardinal’s presence at the packed basilica was received by many of the faithful as a sign of encouragement after months of uncertainty over his health. Cardinal Erdő had not appeared publicly since February 2, when he last celebrated Mass in the basilica on the feast of the Presentation of the Lord. The Pentecost Mass was celebrated by Bishop Levente Balázs Martos, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Esztergom-Budapest, during which 81 young people received the sacrament of Confirmation. At the beginning of the liturgy, parish priest Fr Csaba Török welcomed the cardinal warmly, with applause from worshippers gathered inside the cathedral. In his homily, Bishop Martos reflected on the Jewish origins of Pentecost and the covenant made between God and His people on Mount Sinai. “Pentecost was originally the feast of the giving of the law and the making of the covenant,” the auxiliary bishop said, adding that “the Jewish people made a covenant with God through Moses at Mount Sinai”. He described the covenant as taking place “under terrifying circumstances”, recalling how “the chosen people did not dare to go near the mountain, which God surrounded with fire, lightning and thunder”. The bishop contrasted this with the relationship between God and man established through Christ and the coming of the Holy Spirit. Quoting the Letter to the Hebrews, Bishop Levente said: “You have come to Mount Zion, to the festive gathering of the firstborn who are numbered in heaven.” “I could put this in freer words: it is not terror that keeps me close to God,” he added. Bishop Martos told the confirmands that the promise of the Old Testament is fulfilled through the Church because “the law is not written on stone tablets”. Instead, the words of Scripture are realised when God declares: “I will put my law into their hearts, and write it on their minds.” The bishop also spoke of how Christianity transformed the relationship between God and humanity from one founded principally on fear to one rooted in love. “Yes, the Bible says God is a jealous God, but in this it actually presents his condemning, burning, irrevocable love to us,” Bishop Levente said. “The New Testament celebrates that we can respond to this love through the law of the Holy Spirit.” Addressing those preparing to receive Confirmation, Bishop Martos emphasised the communal nature of the Church and the diversity of spiritual gifts within it. “The Church is a mysterious body in which the gifts of the Spirit can be experienced in different ways, and which lives its life precisely in the diversity of these gifts,” he said. He compared the life of the Church to a pilgrimage from Sinai to the heavenly Jerusalem. “We come from Sinai, we are heading to the heavenly Zion, to Jerusalem, but at the same time we really need this community, in which so many different gifts, so many different charisms, so many different opportunities and capacities complement each other,” the bishop said. In one of the most personal moments of the homily, Bishop Martos recalled teaching catechism to children and explaining the Christian covenant in simple terms. “Christ is counting on you,” he said he would tell them. “The answer was: ‘I am counting on you too.’” He said this reflected one of the deepest realities of Christian life. “We all experience situations in life where we feel like we need help. We need to have someone to count on,” he said. At the end of the Mass, Bishop Martos invited the congregation to renew their own faith and pray for the newly confirmed. “Let us all revive in our hearts the grace of the profession of faith. Let us all revive in our hearts the power of the Spirit, the faith placed in us,” the auxiliary bishop said. According to the Vatican journalist Diane Montagna, Cardinal Péter Erdő had been making a slow recovery from a serious health condition earlier this month. A prominent defender of traditional Catholicism, his public appearance will likely provide reassurance to the conservative wing of the Church.