Bulletins, Newsletters, and Flocknotes

Appointment of bishop of Jefferson City, U.S.A.

The Holy Father has appointed the Reverend Ralph B. O’Donnell, of the clergy of the archdiocese of Omaha, Nebraska, until now parish priest of Saint Margaret Mary in Omaha, as bishop of Jefferson City, United States of America.

Curriculum vitae

Msgr. Ralph Bernard O’Donnell was born on 31 August 1969 in Omaha, in the archdiocese of the same name. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in religious studies from the Conception Seminary College. He carried out his studies in theology at the University of Saint Mary of the Lake / Mundelein Seminary, obtaining a Master of Divinity, and was subsequently awarded a master’s degree in spirituality from Creighton University.

He was ordained a priest on 7 June 1997 for the archdiocese of Omaha.

He has held the following offices: parish vicar of Saint Mary Our Queen (1997-2001) and Saint Vincent de Paul , Omaha (2001-2003), vocational director (2003-2008), parish priest of Saint Bridget and Saint Rose , Omaha (2008-2011), vice rector of the Conception Seminary College (2011-2015), director of the Secretariat for Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations of the Episcopal Conference (2015-2019), and since 2019, parish priest of Saint Margaret Mary , Omaha.

The following is the Holy Father Leo XIV’s greeting at lunch with the poor assisted by the Diocese of Albano and with the Diocesan Caritas workers, at Borgo Laudato si’, in the Gardens of the Pontifical Villas of Castel Gandolfo:

 

Greeting of the Holy Father

Perhaps just a couple of words.

Many of you have already heard me this morning at Holy Mass, but it has come to my mind, I would like to share before this gesture which is so meaningful for us all of breaking bread , breaking bread together, the gesture with which Jesus Christ is recognized among his people; it is the Holy Mass, but it is also being all together around the table, sharing the gifts the Lord has given us.

I thank everyone from Diocesan Caritas, Your Excellency, for this welcome, this possibility to share, also in such a beautiful place that reminds us of the beauty of nature, of creation, but which also makes us think that the most beautiful creature is the one created in the image and semblance of God, which is all of us. And each one of us represents, in this regard, that image of God, and how important it is always to remember that we find precisely this presence of God in every person. And, therefore, being gathered here this afternoon, in this lunch, is also living together with God, in this communion, in this fraternity.

Many thanks to all of you who are present here. And let us now ask for the Lord’s blessing on the gifts we are about to receive, on all those who have worked to bring this lunch to us, the gifts that we share – Borgo Laudato si’ and so many others – that make this beautiful feast possible.

In the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Bless us, Lord, and these gifts we receive from Your Providence. Help us to live always united in your love, you who live and reign forever and ever. Amen.

Enjoy your meal, everyone!

At midday today, 20th Sunday of Ordinary Time, the Holy Father Leo XIV appeared in Piazza della Libertà in Castel Gandolfo to pray the Angelus with the faithful and pilgrims gathered in front of the Apostolic Palace of the Pontifical Villas.

The following are the Pope’s words of introduction to the Marian Prayer:

 

Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday!

Today’s Gospel presents us with a demanding text (cf.  Lk  12:49-53), in which Jesus uses strong images and great frankness to teach his disciples that his mission, and even that of his followers, is not a “bed of roses”, but a “sign of contradiction” (cf.  Lk  2:34).

In this way, the Lord anticipates what he will have to face in Jerusalem when he will be opposed, arrested, insulted, beaten, crucified; when his message of love and justice will be rejected; when the leaders of the people will react with viciousness at his preaching. Moreover, many of the communities to which the evangelist Luke was writing were also experiencing the same thing. As the Acts of the Apostles tells us, they were peaceful communities that, despite their own limitations, sought to live the best they could the Master’s message of love (cf.  Acts  4:32-33). Yet they were suffering persecutions.

All of this reminds us that being or doing good does not always receive a positive response. On the contrary, because its beauty at times annoys those who do not welcome it, one can end up encountering harsh opposition, even insolence and oppression. Acting in truth has its cost, because there are those in the world who choose lies, and the devil, who takes advantage of the situation, often seeks to block the actions of good people.

Jesus, however, invites us with his help not to give in and conform ourselves to this mentality, but to continue to act for our good and the good of all, even those who make us suffer. He invites us not to respond to insolence with vengeance, but to remain faithful to the truth in love. The martyrs witnessed to this by shedding their blood for their faith. We, too, can imitate their example even in different circumstances and ways.

Let us think, for example, of the price that good parents must pay if they want to educate their children according to sound principles. Eventually they will have to say “no” and correct their children; this will cause them pain. The same is true for a teacher who desires to form students properly, or for a professional, religious, or politician, who desires to carry out their mission honestly. It is true for anyone who strives to exercise his or her responsibilities consistently according to the teachings of the Gospel.

In this regard, Saint Ignatius of Antioch, while travelling toward Rome to undergo martyrdom, wrote to the Christians of that city: “I do not want you to please men, but to please God” ( Letter to the Romans  2:1). He added, “It is better for me to die in Jesus Christ than reign over the ends of the earth” (ibid., 6:1).

Brothers and sisters, let us together ask Mary, Queen of Martyrs, to help us be faithful and courageous witnesses of her Son in every circumstance, and to sustain our brothers and sisters who suffer for the faith today.

_____________________________

After the Angelus

Dear brothers and sisters,

I am close to the peoples of Pakistan, India, and Nepal who have been struck by violent floods. I pray for the victims, for their families, and for all those who suffer because of this calamity.

Let us pray that efforts to bring wars to an end and to promote peace may bear fruit, and that in negotiations the common good of peoples may always be placed first.

In this summer season, I have received news of many different initiatives of cultural outreach and evangelization, often organized in holiday destinations. It is beautiful to see how zeal for the Gospel inspires the creativity and commitment of groups and associations of all ages. For example, I think of the youth mission that took place recently in Riccione. I thank the organizers and everyone who in various ways participated in such events.

I greet with affection all of you present here today in Castel Gandolfo.

In particular, I am pleased to welcome the AIDO group of Coccaglio, celebrating fifty years of commitment to life; the AVIS blood donors who came by bicycle from Gavardo (Brescia); the young people of Casarano; and the Franciscan Sisters of Saint Anthony.

I also bless the great pilgrimage to the Marian Shrine of Piekary in Poland.

I wish you all a blessed Sunday!

This afternoon, the Holy Father Leo XIV will transfer by car to the Castel Gandolfo summer residence for a period of rest.

This morning’s General Audience took place at 10.00 in the Paul VI Hall, where the Holy Father Leo XIV met with groups of pilgrims and faithful from Italy and all over the world.

In his address in Italian, the Pope resumed the cycle of catechesis that will continue throughout the entire Jubilee Year, “ Jesus Christ our hope ”, focusing on the theme: The betrayal: “Surely it is not I?” (Bible reading: Mk 14:19).

After summarizing his catechesis in various languages, the Holy Father addressed special greetings to the faithful present.

The General Audience concluded with the recitation of the Pater Noster and the Apostolic Blessing.

The Pope then greeted the pilgrims gathered outside the Paul VI Hall, in the Petrine Courtyard, and then proceeded to the Vatican Basilica to greet those who did not find a place in the Hall and followed the audience on the maxiscreens.

 

Cycle of Catechesis – Jubilee 2025. Jesus Christ our Hope. III. The Passover of Jesus.  2. The betrayal. “Surely it is not I?” (Mk 14,19)

Dear brothers and sisters,

Let us continue our journey in the school of the Gospel, following Jesus’ steps in the final days of his life. Today we will pause at an intimate, dramatic, yet also profoundly true scene: the moment at which, during the Passover supper, Jesus reveals that one of the Twelve is about to betray him: “Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me” ( Mk  14:18).

Strong words. Jesus does not utter them to condemn, but to show how love, when it is true, cannot do without the truth. The room on the upper floor, where shortly beforehand everything was carefully prepared, suddenly fills with a painful silence, made up of questions, suspicions, vulnerability. It is a pain we too know well, when the shadow of betrayal is cast over the closest relationships.

And yet, the way in which Jesus speaks about what is about to happen is surprising. He does not raise his voice, nor point his finger, nor utter the name of Judas. He speaks in such a way that each one can ask himself the question. And this is exactly what happens. Saint Mark tells us: “They began to be distressed and to say to him, one by one, ‘Surely it is not I?’” ( Mk  14:19).

Dear friends, this question – “Surely it is not I?” – is perhaps among the sincerest that we can ask ourselves. It is not the question of the innocent, but of the disciple who discovers himself to be fragile. It is not the cry of the guilty, but the whisper of him who, while wanting to love, is aware of being able to do harm. It is in this awareness that the journey of salvation begins.

Jesus does not denounce in order to humiliate. He tells the truth because he wants to save. And in order to be saved, it is necessary to feel: to feel that one is involved, to feel that one is beloved despite everything, to feel that evil is real but that it does not have the last word. Only those who have known the truth of a deep love can also accept the wound of betrayal.

The disciples’ reaction is not anger, but sadness. They are not indignant, they are sorrowful. It is a pain that arises from the real possibility of being involved. And precisely this sorrow, if welcomed with sincerity, becomes a place for conversion. The Gospel does not teach us to deny evil, but to recognize it as a painful opportunity for rebirth.

Jesus then adds a phrase that troubles us and makes us think. “But woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It would be better for that man if he had never been born” ( Mk  14:21). They are harsh words, certainly, but they must be understood well: it is not a curse, but rather a cry of pain. In Greek, that “woe” sounds like a lamentation, an “alas”, an exclamation of sincere and deep compassion.

We are used to judging. Instead, God accepts suffering. When he sees evil, he does not avenge it, but grieves. And that “better if he had never been born” is not a condemnation imposed  a priori , but a truth that any of us can recognize: if we deny the love that has generated us, if by betraying we become unfaithful to ourselves, then we truly lose the meaning of our coming into the world, and we exclude ourselves from salvation.

And yet, precisely there, at the darkest point, the light is not extinguished. On the contrary, it starts to shine. Because if we recognize our limit, if we let ourselves be touched by the pain of Christ, then we can finally be born again. Faith does not spare us from the possibility of sin, but if always offers us a way out of it: that of mercy.

Jesus is not scandalized by our fragility. He knows well that no friendship is immune from the risk of betrayal. But Jesus continues to trust. He continues to sit at the table with his followers. He does not give up breaking bread, even for those who will betray him. This is the silent power of God: he never abandons the table of love, even when he knows he will be left alone.

Dear brothers and sisters, we too can ask ourselves today, with sincerity: “Surely it is not I?”. Not to feel accused, but to open a space for truth in our hearts. Salvation begins here: with the awareness that we may be the ones who break our trust in God, but that we can also be the ones who gather it, protect it and renew it.

Ultimately, this is hope: knowing that even if we fail, God will never fail us. Even if we betray him, he never stops loving us. And if we allow ourselves to be touched by this love – humble, wounded, but always faithful – then we can truly be reborn. And we can begin to live no longer as traitors, but as children who are always loved.

 

Greeting in English

I greet all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, particularly the groups from England, Hungary, Malta, Kenya, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Jerusalem, the Philippines, Vietnam, Barbados and the United States of America. As we prepare to celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary into heaven on August 15 th , I entrust you and your families to the tender care of Our Lady. Through her intercession may you be strengthened in your weakness, comforted in your trials and given the joy and peace of Jesus Christ, her Son. God bless you.