Bulletins, Newsletters, and Flocknotes

Resignation and appointment of bishop of Rockhampton, Australia

Appointment of director of the Holy See Directorate for Human Resources of the Secretariat for the Economy

 

Resignation and appointment of bishop of Rockhampton, Australia

The Holy Father has accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Rockhampton, Australia, presented by Bishop Michael F. McCarthy.

The Holy Father has appointed Bishop Daniel J. Meagher, until now titular of Pocofelto and auxiliary of Sydney, as bishop of the diocese of Rockhampton, Australia.

Curriculum vitae

Bishop Daniel J. Meagher was born on 10 November 1961 in Sydney. After his studies at Saint Ignatius College in Riverview, he was awarded a bachelor’s degree in economics and civil law from Sydney University. Before entering the Good Shepherd Seminary of the metropolitan archdiocese of Sydney, he worked as a lawyer. He then obtained a degree in theology from Saint Patrick’s College and a licentiate in fundamental theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University of Rome.

He was ordained a priest on 22 July 1995 for the metropolitan archdiocese of Sydney.

He was appointed titular bishop of Pocofelto and auxiliary of the metropolitan archdiocese of Sydney on 18 November 2021, receiving episcopal ordination on the following 8 December.

 

Appointment of director of the Holy See Directorate for Human Resources of the Secretariat for the Economy

The Holy Father has appointed Dr. Paola Fanelli as director of the Directorate for Human Resources of the Secretariat for the Economy.

Curriculum vitae

Dr. Fanelli holds a degree in operational research from Bocconi University in Milan. At Accenture , she worked on organizational change and the redesign of human resources processes across various industrial sectors. At Mediocredito Centrale , she managed, as programme manager, the merger between Banco di Sicilia and Sicilcassa . In 1999, she became deputy general manager of Cassa di Risparmio di Pescara (Pescara Savings Bank), leading innovation in processes, resources and information systems. Subsequently, within the BNL BNP Paribas Group, she held key roles in people and change management, communications and corporate social responsibility. She has combined her managerial career with extensive academic and public engagement experience.

This morning, the Holy Father received in audience:

- Archbishop Filippo Iannone, O.Carm., prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops;

- Her Excellency Ms. Johanna Gerarda Maria Ruigrok, ambassador of the Netherlands, on his farewell visit.

The following is the text of the Pope’s video with the prayer intention for the month of April, disseminated via the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, on the theme: For priests in crisis:

 

Video of the Holy Father

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

Lord Jesus,

Good Shepherd and companion on the journey,

today we place in your hands all priests,

especially those going through moments of crisis,

when loneliness weighs heavily,

when doubt clouds their hearts,

and when exhaustion seems stronger than hope.

You who know their struggles and wounds,

renew in them the certainty of your unconditional love.

Let them feel they are not mere functionaries or lonely heroes,

but beloved sons, humble and cherished disciples,

and pastors sustained by the prayer of their people.

Good Father,

teach us as a community to care for our priests:

to listen without judging,

to give thanks without demanding perfection,

to share with them the baptismal mission

of proclaiming the Kingdom in word and deed,

and to accompany them with closeness and sincere prayer.

May we support those who so often support us.

Holy Spirit,

Rekindle in our priests the joy of the Gospel.

Grant them healthy friendships, networks of fraternal support,

a sense of humor when things don’t go as expected,

and the grace to always rediscover the beauty of their vocation.

May they never lose trust in You,

nor the joy of serving your Church with a humble and generous heart.

Amen.

This morning, in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father Leo XIV received in audience a delegation from the “Illinois Municipal League”, to whom he addressed the following greeting:

 

Greeting of the Holy Father

Good morning everyone, and welcome! Let us begin, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Peace be with you!

Dear brothers and sisters, welcome to the Vatican and to Rome.

I am pleased to meet all of you who represent the Illinois Municipal League. You are visiting the Vatican during  Holy Week , when Catholics throughout the world, along with many other Christians, commemorate the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus, whose loving obedience to the Father even unto death has obtained the gift of redemption for all humanity (cf.  Phil  2:8).  Through the Paschal Mystery, the Lord shows us that even the most difficult and challenging circumstances can be transformed from within by the power of love. Perhaps suffering cannot always be avoided or removed, but redemptive meaning can be found that not only restores lost dignity, but opens the door to new life.  Indeed, Jesus’ resurrection is the ultimate source of hope for all who believe in Christ and await the promise of eternal life. 

The victory of the Risen Lord over death also reveals that the heart of authentic authority is service, for Jesus came “not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” ( Mt  20:28). His service and obedience to the will of the Father have led to sure hope and lasting peace for all humanity. In this way, the victory born of Christ’s gift-of-self stands as both a beacon and a challenge for all of us today. As men and women charged with the role of governance, you too are called to discover and to exemplify the gift of service.  In a particular way, you are called to be attentive to the needs of the weakest and the most vulnerable in order to assist them towards an integral human development. As Venerable Giorgio La Pira, who was a former mayor of the Italian city of Florence, once noted, mayors are called to reduce and alleviate suffering and difficulties among their citizens in every way possible, “with all of the measures that love suggests and the law provides” ( Writings , VI, p. 83). 

In order to do this, you must first strive to know people’s aspirations as well as their challenges. The dignity of each individual must be recognized and upheld, for your municipalities are not anonymous places, but rather have faces and histories that are to be cherished as precious treasures (cf.  Address to Members of the National Association of Italian Municipalities , 29 December 2025). While there are many tasks that vie for your attention each day, I would encourage you to continue listening to the poor, to immigrants, to the least among you, seeking to accompany them in your work to promote the common good to the benefit of all. In this way, each of your municipalities may be places for genuine encounter among all citizens, providing opportunities for every individual to flourish.

Dear friends, I assure you of my prayers and express gratitude for the devoted service that you offer on a daily basis to those you govern.  May you continue this important work each day with joy, with love, and with zeal, always remembering that those in authority are also God’s servants (cf.  Rom  13:6).  In this sense, imitating Christ’s docility to the will of the Father will further open to you the true dynamism of service and allow you to bring the peace bestowed upon us by the Risen Christ to your constituents.

I entrust you and your loved ones to the intercession of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, who ministered to the most vulnerable with great love and devotion for many years in Chicago, and I gladly bless each one of you and all your loved ones from the heart.

Thank you very much.

This morning, in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father Leo XIV received in audience three Benedictine Monastic Communities: the Monastic Community of the Abbey of Santa Scolastica of Subiaco. the Monastic Community of the Abbey of Santa Maria del Monte of Cesena, and the Benedictine Nuns of the Abbey of Santa Scolastica of Bari.

The following is the address delivered by the Pope to those present:

 

Address of the Holy Father

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

Peace be with you!

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome!

I am glad of this meeting, which also gives us the opportunity to reflect together on the value of the Benedictine charism in your lives, in the life of the Church and in the world.

In identifying “the instruments of good works”, Saint Benedict, in Chapter IV of the Rule , urges us to “keep guard over one’s every act” (48). You, contemplative Benedictine nuns, Benedictine monks, know well how much prayer and prayerful reading of the Word of God, especially in the Lectio divina , assist in this vigilance, enabling those who practise them to understand the truth about themselves, in the recognition of their own weaknesses and sins and in the celebration of the Lord’s graces and blessings. This is how the desire to belong to Him is renewed within us and the vow of our consecration is confirmed. Scripture, therefore, should always be “nourishment of our life and of your contemplation and daily life, so that you can then share this transforming experience” (FRANCIS, Apostolic Constitution Vultum Dei quaerere , 19).

The path of sanctification of a consecrated person, of a nun, however, no matter how rich in fervour and inspiration, cannot be reduced to a merely personal journey. It has a necessary community dimension, in which the proclamation of Paschal liberation takes tangible form in fraternal service, a reflection of Christ’s universal love for the Church and for humanity.

In this regard, synodality, promoted by Pope Francis as fundamental for the life of the Church, is translated in the monastery into the daily practice of “walking together”, reciprocal listening, community discernment under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and communion with the local Church and with the Benedictine family. This is manifested in the fraternal assembly, in common prayer and in shared decisions, where authority and obedience come together in dialogue, to seek God’s will together. Monastic life cannot be understood simply as withdrawal from the outside world. It is a means by which a love similar to that of the Master may grow in the hearts of the disciples, ready to share and to help, even amongst monasteries. Monastic life will thus increasingly become, in a world often marked by self-absorption and individualism, a model for the whole of God’s People, reminding us that being missionaries, before doing things, requires a way of being and of conducting relationships.

Here we might mention a particular aspect specific to cloistered missionary life: that of intercession, in which the Word made prayer unites us to Christ the Mediator, who intercedes for us (cf. Heb 7:25). Intercession is the prerogative of hearts that beat in harmony with God’s mercy (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church , 2635), ready to gather up and present to the Lord the joys and sorrows, the hopes and anxieties of people today and of every age (cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et spes , 1), and this is a primary and fundamental aspect of the work entrusted to you.

A model of this is the prophetess Anna, who “did not depart from the temple, worshipping with fasting and prayer night and day” ( Lk 2:37). Having been widowed and now advanced in years, she had made the house of God her home. Prayer and asceticism led her to recognize the Messiah in the poor and anonymous child presented by Mary and Joseph: they enabled her to discern, within the fabric of history, God’s intervention and to make of it a prophetic proclamation of joy and hope for the entire people of Israel.

Prophecy and discernment lead us to a final theme I would like to speak to you about: ongoing formation, particularly necessary in an age like ours. It consists first and foremost in “knowing the love of Christ which goes beyond all knowledge” (Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life, Instruction Cor Orans , 223) and is fundamental so that consecrated life “may carry out [its] service to the monastery, to the Church and to the world in an ever more appropriate manner” ( ibid . 236). The entire community is the active agent in this, through prayer, the Word, moments of celebration and decision-making, of discussion and renewal, lived and shared in the primacy of charity. This implies a commitment, for all of you, with wisdom and prudence, to encourage every good intention and to direct every effort towards common growth in the capacity for giving, so that every monastery may become, as Saint Benedict desired, ever more a “school of the Lord’s service” (cf. Prologue to the Rule , 45).

Dear brothers and sisters, thank you for the immense and hidden good you do for the Church, through your offering, your unceasing prayer, your service, and the witness of your life. Continue this work, which is “the work of God” (cf. Saint Benedict, Rule, 43, 3). I entrust you to Mary Most Holy, Mother of Silence, Woman of Listening, to Saint Benedict, to Saint Scholastica, and to the many Benedictine saints, and I bless you from my heart.