Leo XIV rejected assisted dying at Lourdes, warning against “false compassion” and declaring that “what is legal is not necessarily moral.” Pope Leo XIV on Sunday strongly rejected euthanasia while addressing sick and disabled people and healthcare workers at the Sanctuary of Lourdes, France. Speaking at the Accueil Notre-Dame, Leo XIV said the human person is “worthy” simply by virtue of existing and that human dignity “cannot be measured or debated.” “No human law should ever make you lose the certainty of your dignity,” he said. He continued: “We must reject the temptation to cause death under the guise of false compassion.” Leo XIV added: “It is impossible to regard causing death as something normal. What is legal is not necessarily moral.” Turning directly to healthcare workers, he said their vocation is “to care for a suffering person, not to eliminate that person.” The Pope also repeated a warning he made in June that medicine must never become “the servant of programmed death,”…Mer
Germany - Visiting Perlach Tower in Augsburg geobeats The 70-metre-tall Perlachturm is a belltower in front of the church of St. Peter am Perlach in the central district of Augsburg, Germany. It originated as a watchtower in the 10th century. The existing Renaissance structure was built in the 1610s by Elias Holl, who also designed the neighbouring Town Hall. ng Perlach Tower in Augsburg. Perlachturm - Wikipedia
Perlachturm In der damaligen Bischofsstadt Augsburg entstand im Jahr 989 anstelle mehrerer abgebrannter Häuser ein etwa 30 Meter hoher Wachturm zur Ausschau nach Feuer und Eindringlingen. Im Jahr 1348 installierte man eine 76 Zentner schwere Feuerglocke im Turm, mit der man die Bürger vor Gefahren warnen konnte. Nur der Stadtvogt hatte das Recht, die Glocke zu läuten – eine Bestimmung, die noch bis ins Jahr 1805 Gültigkeit hatte. Über fünfhundert Jahre lang blieb der Perlachturm nahezu unverändert in seinem ursprünglichen Zustand erhalten. Zwischenzeitlich als Glockenturm der benachbarten Kirche Sankt Peter am Perlach genutzt, ging er im 15. Jahrhundert in städtischen Besitz über. Im Erdgeschoss des Perlachturms befinden sich heute noch die südliche und die mittlere Kapelle des Westjoches von St. Peter.
“Encounter” (Encontro) is a white-marble sculpture by Portuguese architect and artist Álvaro Siza Vieira, unveiled in the Vatican Gardens on September 24. The anthropomorphic work depicts a slender, stylized figure positioned near an olive tree and facing the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica. It was previously displayed as part of the Holy See Pavilion at the 2023 Venice Biennale. At the unveiling, Vatican Governor Sister Raffaella Petrini described it as an encounter between art, the Pope’s gardens, and the community. Open to individual interpretation, the sculpture is intended to evoke care for our “Common Home,” fraternity, peace, and a “culture of encounter.”
New sculpture installed in Vatican gardens: My first associations are a giant outdoor Wi-Fi router, a solar-powered parking meter, a minimalist surveillance camera, a patio table growing out of a bollard, or an unfinished Starlink terminal for the Vatican.
Our Lady Undoer of Knots | Give Mary the Knots You Cannot Untangle | September 28 Is there something in your life that feels completely tangled? A relationship you cannot repair. A family conflict that keeps returning. A decision with no clear answer. Resentment you cannot release. Financial problems. Fear about the future. Or perhaps a problem you've tried repeatedly to solve—and somehow the knot only becomes tighter. The devotion to Our Lady Undoer of Knots gives us a beautiful image of bringing these complicated situations to God through Mary's intercession. WHAT ARE THE KNOTS? The knots aren't magical objects. They represent the difficulties that become tangled in our lives: Misunderstandings. Arguments. Broken relationships. Sin. Fear. Pride. Unforgiveness. Anxiety. Problems we cannot solve by ourselves. Sometimes we pull harder at these knots and only make them tighter. This devotion invites us to stop trying to control everything and instead pray: “Mary, help me place this …Mer
Unsere Liebe Frau, die Knotenlöserin | Übergib Maria die Knoten, die du nicht lösen kannst | 28. September Gibt es etwas in Ihrem Leben, das sich völlig verstrickt anfühlt? Eine Beziehung, die Sie nicht retten können. Ein Familienkonflikt, der immer wiederkehrt. Eine Entscheidung, für die es keine klare Lösung gibt. Groll, den Sie nicht loslassen können. Finanzielle Probleme. Zukunftsängste. Oder vielleicht ein Problem, das Sie schon oft versucht haben zu lösen – und irgendwie wird der Knoten nur noch fester. Die Verehrung der Muttergottes, der Knotenlöserin, vermittelt uns ein wunderschönes Bild davon, wie wir diese komplizierten Situationen durch Marias Fürsprache zu Gott bringen können. WAS SIND DIESE KNOTEN? Die Knoten sind keine magischen Objekte. Sie stehen für die Schwierigkeiten, die sich in unserem Leben verstricken: Missverständnisse. Streitigkeiten. Zerbrochene Beziehungen. Sünde. Angst. Stolz. Unversöhnlichkeit. Sorgen. Probleme, die wir nicht allein lösen können. Manchmal …Mer
Can a New Museum Persuade Austria to Finally Love ‘The Sound of Music’? For decades, Salzburg residents dismissed the hit musical as kitsch. Now, a dedicated space aims to reconcile movie myth and local history. nytimes.com/…9/arts/sound-of-music-museum-salzbur…
The Sound of Music – Salzburger Marionettentheater Seit 60 Jahren hat Julie Andrews mit ihrem Kinoerfolg „The Sound of Music“ die Geschichte der Salzburger Familie von Trapp Milliarden von Menschen nähergebracht. Mit ihrer vitalen Bühnenversion des originalen Broadway-Musicals und den unsterblichen Melodien begeistern die Salzburger Marionetten ein Publikum von Jung bis Alt. Das Salzburger Marionettentheater zeigt 2025 zwischen Mai und August 25 Vorstellungen. Weitere Informationen und Tickets unter: The Sound of Music
By Catherine Hickley Reporting from Salzburg, Austria Sept. 19, 2026 Although “The Sound of Music” draws thousands of tourists every year to Salzburg, the movie has never been one of the city’s favorite things. For decades, many residents didn’t even know about the blockbuster musical that put their city on the map for global audiences. Those who did often dismissed it as kitsch. A new museum, founded by the city government and opening Sunday, aims to bridge the gap between the musical and the true story of the von Trapps, a Salzburg family who became a successful singing group and fled Austria after it was annexed by Nazi Germany in 1938. “We want to attract a local public as well as tourists,” said Matthias Bergsmann, the curator of the Sound of Music Museum. “The local population might find the real story more interesting, while many fans of the musical are not even aware that there was a real family. We have to appeal to both groups.” The museum is housed in the former coach-house …Mer
The Carmel of Lourdes is at the top of the hill opposite the cathedral. From a distance, many people were waving to the Pope (and this is the “behind the scenes”).
Pope Leo at Lourdes: ‘The Church Must Have the Courage to Begin With Herself’ | SG News Pope Leo XIV has delivered one of the strongest calls for repentance of his Apostolic Journey to France, telling the Catholic Church that true conversion must begin within herself. Speaking before an estimated 150,000 pilgrims at Lourdes on September 27, the Pope reflected on penance, conversion and the wounds caused by sin. His message came only hours before a scheduled private meeting with survivors of sexual abuse in the French Church. Pope Leo told the enormous congregation: “This call to conversion also concerns the Church herself as she makes her earthly journey. She must have the courage to begin with herself.” He continued: “In order to heal the deep wounds, infidelities and painful errors that have occurred within her, we must humbly place ourselves under the Lord’s purifying gaze.” The Holy Father did not explicitly mention the French abuse crisis during this section of the homily. But the …Mer
During Pope Leo XIV's visit to Paris, a young man with a disability was lifted above the crowd to allow him to greet the Holy Father. His joy is uncontainable. Pope Leo approaches, extends his hand to him, and bestows his blessing upon him. A simple and beautiful encounter, all captured in that smile.
800,000 people gathered in Paris today for a Eucharist with Pope Leo XIV, filling Place de la Concorde and the Champs-Élysées toward the Arc de Triomphe. The overall event stretched along an axis of roughly 3 kilometres. “Leo! Leo!” and “Long live the Pope!” could be heard from the crowd. or Communion, priests and religious distributed the Eucharist at around 2,500 distribution points. In total: 1.2 tonnes of hosts. Some numbers from the Mass: around 2,400 priests and deacons, some 100 bishops, and 14,500 police officers, gendarmes, military personnel and firefighters mobilized.
Mass of Pope Leo XIV on the Champs-Élysées, with nearly a million people
"At the End of the Santa Fe Trail" - the great old book which made Sister Blandina Segale's journal available to everyone, and which could be found in almost all public libraries, has inspired a film about her amazing encounters with Billy the Kid. See this Facebook post for more information facebook.com/groups/1903712809765519/posts/398867…
Faithful in Paris asked Leo XIV to grant full faculties to the Priestly Society of Saint Pius X (FSSPX). As Pope Leo XIV travelled through Paris in the popemobile on September 25, faithful held up a large English sign reading: “Holy Father, grant full faculties to the SSPX.” The scene on Boulevard Saint-Michel occurred during the Pope’s procession through central Paris toward Notre-Dame. #newsFbemwqzkhr
« Saint Father, grant all faculties to the FSSPX. » This message, carried by the faithful on a banner along Boulevard Saint-Michel, was seen by Pope Leo XIV during his passage through the streets of Paris, on this September 26.
WHAT ARE THE KNOTS? The knots aren't magical objects. They represent the difficulties that become tangled in our lives: Misunderstandings. Arguments. Broken relationships. Sin. Fear. Pride. Unforgiveness. Anxiety. Problems we cannot solve by ourselves. Sometimes we pull harder at these knots and only make them tighter. This devotion invites us to stop trying to control everything and instead pray: “Mary, help me place this …Mer
Morning Minute Retreat (September 27, 2026)