I have a priest cousin who works in a parish near the Army headquarters. He told me that he had just recently been asked to bless, in the absence of the military chaplain at that headquarters, the newly acquired assault rifles and guns in the headquarters’ armory and the soldiers who will be using them. While my priest cousin was amused by it, I was not. The question was simple: Why would the Church bless guns, tools that can kill?
In statements to the Fides news agency, Catholic Father Silas Bogati speaks of his experience in the recent unrest that rocked Kathmandu, the Nepalese capital. Apostolic Administrator of the Vicariate of Nepal since January 2025, Silas Bogati found himself in the middle of the protests because, as soon as he landed at Kathmandu airport after a pastoral trip, due to a lack of transportation, he had to walk to his residence, crossing a city teeming with protesters demanding the removal of Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli, who would eventually resign. In the process, due to police action, 19 people died and more than 300 were injured. The government imposed a curfew, but given the persistent mobilization, the police resorted to repressive measures, and violence erupted. The protesters then set fire to vehicles in the streets and the homes of prominent politicians.
This Sunday, the Gospel presents us with the parable of the unfaithful manager, a story that invites us to reflect on the management of the assets that God has entrusted to us. We can imagine the scene as that of a businessman who discovers that his dishonest manager has been cheating. Faced with the imminent dismissal and the lack of preparation to face the challenges of hard work, the manager seeks out his boss’s creditors, collecting debts for lower amounts, thus making friends for his future. Jesus, in His wisdom, praises the prudence of this manager, stating that the children of this world are more shrewd than the children of light.
To facilitate new mainland students’ understanding and integration into campus life at the University of Saint Joseph (USJ), the university held the New Mainland Students 2025/2026 on 16 September 2025.
As a theology student, I began to acquire the habit of writing down sayings that I considered relevant for my life as a pilgrim with a thousand destinations plus One: human hopes on earth and Christian hope in heaven, respectively. Hereafter, I wish to share some salient sayings that have helped me on the journey of my life. These sayings – many of them you know, perhaps, are like signposts on the path of the life of pilgrims of hope. They point out the smooth road ahead, the bumpy road, the dangerous curves, the lightened part and the darkened kilometres. My dear co-pilgrims of hope:
None of Pakistan’s provinces has been spared by the heavy rains and flooding of recent months. It’s safe to say that today, with the entire country flooded, there are approximately four million displaced people in extremely precarious situations. Furthermore, the damage to families and the country’s economy is severe: for example, the floods devastated the province of Punjab, Pakistan’s agricultural heartland, destroying more than 60% of its rice, sugarcane, and cotton crops. More than 900 people lost their lives, thousands are in emergency shelters, and many others have permanently lost their homes and are in urgent need of some form of support, however basic. As always, in situations like this, the elderly, children, and the sick are the most vulnerable. The suffering is daily and widespread. Entire families have been living underwater for several weeks, “now facing the risk of disease and epidemics”.
Pope Leo declared 15-year-old Carlo Acutis a saint on Sunday, Sept. 7, the first such ceremony of his tenure, canonizing the first Catholic saint of the millennial generation, elevating him to the same level as Mother Teresa and Francis of Assisi.
On the 17th and 18th of this month, Kazakhstan will once again host the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions. The event, now in its eighth year and bringing together representatives of all faiths, will once again be held in Astana, with the Apostolic Nunciature organizing the event.
The readings for this Sunday invite us into a profound meditation on the nature of wisdom, freedom, and the cost of discipleship. They challenge us to reorient our lives around the Gospel, to see with spiritual clarity, and to walk with courage as pilgrims of hope.
It’s back to the classroom for students at the Catholic schools across the Catholic Diocese of Macau, where the new academic year holds the hope for the continuous fulfillment of its mission: a distinctive holistic approach that involves the education of the whole person by integrating faith, culture and life. “We are excited to see our students’ joyful faces and renewed energy fill our classrooms and hallways once again,” said Fr Leonard Dollentas, vice principal of the English section at Colégio Diocesano de São José 2, in his traditional opening speech in the school. “We begin this school year with a renewed sense of hope,” he said. “The last years brought many challenges for families and for schools. I am looking forward to seeing our school communities prosper in their mission for the church.”
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