Changing the definition of marriage as provided in the Constitution: it’s the purpose of a constitutional referendum that will take place in Romania on October 6-7 on an initiative of the Coalition for Families, an umbrella organization representing 30 NGOs in Romania, including Catholic organizations such as Catholic Action and the Family Association in Romania. The Catholic bishops of Romania have also expressed their full support to the initiative with an Exhortation to priests and Catholic faithful, which is also addressed to all people of good will, with an invitation to back the referendum…

“Volunteer work involves millions of Christians in Europe and is a remarkable and pervasive activity, that can reach many poor and marginalized people living in our opulent societies, with a peculiar dynamism of love. […] We wish to express our closeness, encouraging support and gratitude to the Christians who engage in volunteer work, whether it is organized or spontaneous, structured or occasional.”

It is with this feeling of gratitude for the army of volunteers who daily bear witness to Christian love, which was included in the Plenary Assembly’s Final Message, that the Presidents of European Catholic Bishops’ Conferences wrapped up their annual gathering…

Pope Francis celebrated Mass on Saturday during his pastoral visit in the Italian city of Palermo, saying Christians must choose either love or selfishness, victory or defeat.

“You cannot believe in God and be a member of the mafia,” the Pope declared. “Those belonging to the mafia are not living as Christians, because with their life they blaspheme the name of God who is love.”

Don Puglisi: victory in defeat

Pope Francis’ visit to the Sicilian city coincided with the liturgical memorial of Blessed Pino Puglisi, a local priest killed by the mafia 25 years ago…

Fr Martin Michalíček is the new Secretary General of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences (CCEE). Friday morning the Presidents of Europe’s Bishops’ Conferences, gathered Poznań for their annual Plenary Assembly (13-16 September), elected him for a five-year term (with immediate effect).

Fr Martin Michalíček succeeds Duarte da Cunha, who concluded a second five-year term. The CCEE President, Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, Archbishop of Genoa, along with the Vice-presidents, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, his Grace Mgr Stanisław Gądecki, Archbishop of Poznań, and the Presidents of Europe’s Bishops’ Conferences, thanked Fr Duarte da Cunha for his dedication to leading the CCEE Secretariat and Fr Martin Michalíček for his readiness to serve the Church in Europe…

The British Home Secretary has rejected proposals for buffer zones around abortion clinics throughout England and Wales as disproportionate, after finding that most abortion protests are peaceful and passive.

Home Secretary Sajid Javid said in his Sept. 13 decision that after reviewing the evidence, which included “upsetting examples of harassment … what is clear from the evidence we gathered is that these activities are not the norm, and predominantly, anti-abortion activities are more passive in nature.”

The typical activities of those protesting outside of abortion clinics “include praying, displaying banners and handing out leaflets,” Javid noted…

Following a private audience with Pope Francis on Thursday morning in Vatican City, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston and President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops issued the following statement regarding the recent moral crisis in the American Catholic Church.

“We are grateful to the Holy Father for receiving us in an audience. We shared with Pope Francis our situation in the United States – how the Body of Christ is lacerated by the evil of sexual abuse…