Friday October 9th 2026 Established 1905 27 Brickdam, Stabroek, Georgetown, Guyana Year 121, No. 39
Pope opens Vatican bishops’
Pope Leo XIV talks at a table with prelates and laypeople Oct. 7, 2026, after he opened the weeklong Vatican meeting of presidents of bishops’ conferences marking the 10th anniversary of “Amoris Laetitia” (“The Joy of Love”). In his opening remarks, the pope spoke about the pastoral responsibility of the Church to find renewed ways of proclaiming the Gospel, offering sacramental graces and accompanying families today. (OSV News photo/Simone Risoluti, Vatican Media)
VATICAN CITY (OSV News) — Pope Leo XIV opened a Vatican meeting of the world’s bishops’ conference presidents and the heads of Eastern Catholic churches marking the 10th anniversary of “Amoris Laetitia” Oct. 7, saying “the beauty and fragility of families” today will be at the heart of the week’s discussions. “During these days dedicated to prayer and reflection, we intend to place the beauty and fragility of families at the heart of our journey,” Pope Leo prayed as he opened the meeting in the Paul VI Audience Hall. “Together, we seek to discern the direction in which the Holy Spirit is guiding us, so as to recognize, support, and promote the work He is already accomplishing within them and to value their precious contribution to the mission of the Church.” (please turn to page 10)
In Assisi, cardinals and friars celebrate the 800th anniversary of St. Francis’ death - p2 US bishops’ president condemns ‘barbaric’ Pentagon plan to livestream execution - p3 Diocese welcomes Fr. Henry Lakra SJ - p3 A Christian Perspective on Social Issues - p4 Sunday Scripture - p5 The Word in the World - p6 Karasabai celebrates Feast Day - p7 Church leaders in Ethiopia amplify papal call for peace, as new war breaks out in Tigray - p8 Children’s Page - p9 Faith in Practice Week 35 - p11 Letters to the Editor- p12 ME Guyana celebrates World Priest Day - p14 Saint of the Week - p14
Bishop’s Engagements Sunday, October 11th 7:30hrs – Mass at St. Angela Merici, Parfaite Harmonie 10:00hrs – Mass at Our Lady of the Assumption, Hague Tuesday, October 13th 8:00hrs – ERC Consultation Sunday, October 18th 7:00hrs – Mass and Sacrament of Confirmation at St. John the Baptist, Plaisance
Bishop Francis Alleyne OSB and the priests of the Diocese of Georgetown met from Monday October 5th to Friday October 9th 2026 for the Annual Clergy Conference. ❖ (photo: Catholic Media Guyana)
Francis Alleyne OSB
CATHOLIC STANDARD Friday, October 9th 2026
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On Oct. 4, 2026, in Assisi, Italy, Archbishop Felice Accrocca of Assisi celebrates a vespers in the lower Basilica of St. Francis in celebration of the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis. (OSV News photo/courtesy Sala Stampa Sacro Convento Assisi)
Year of St. Francis Jubilee Prayer Saint Francis, our brother, you who eight hundred years ago went to meet Sister Death as a man at peace, intercede for us before the Lord. You recognized true peace in the Crucifix of San Damiano, teach us to seek in Him the source of all reconciliation that breaks down every wall. You who, unarmed, crossed the lines of war and misunderstanding, give us the courage to build bridges where the world raises up boundaries.
In this time afflicted by conflict and division, intercede for us so that we may become peacemakers: unarmed and disarming witnesses of the peace that comes from Christ. Amen - Pope Leo XIV
ROME (OSV News) — At the stroke of midnight Oct. 4, church bells tolled across the Italian hilltown of Assisi to mark the 800th anniversary of St. Francis’ death. The Oct. 4 feast of the “the Little Poor Man of Assisi” was the pinnacle event amid a yearlong jubilee celebration, which began with the historic exposition of his relics for public veneration. The feast day celebrations began on Oct. 3 with a night procession and a solemn commemoration of the “Transitus” (“passage”), the traditional Franciscan prayer service in the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels marking St. Francis’ transition into eternal life. The basilica houses the chapel where St. Francis died on the night of Oct. 3, 1226. About 3,000 people took part in the procession on the eve of the beloved saint’s feast day, singing hymns and voicing prayers as they retraced the route made by St. Francis’ coffin in 1226, walking about 2 miles uphill though the Assisi from the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels to the Basilica of St. Francis where he is currently buried. The walk ended with a midnight Mass celebrated by Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime, the pontifical legate for the papal basilicas of Assisi. Reflecting on the meaning of St. Francis’ transitus, Cardinal Artime
told the congregation, “To live well means learning, day after day, to die to ourselves so that we may belong ever more fully to Christ.” “The things we owned, our achievements, the image we projected of ourselves” will not matter in the end, the cardinal said. “Love will remain. Christ will remain. Francis dies poor, but he dies rich in the only wealth that never dies: the Lord.” The following morning, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, the president of the Italian bishops’ conference, presided over a packed Mass in the basilica attended by Italy’s President Sergio Mattarella. Assisi’s Bishop Felice Accrocca and Cardinal Artime were among the Mass’ concelebrants. In his homily, Cardinal Zuppi, who just returned from a diplomatic visit to Moscow, said that St. Francis continues to teach us to be peacemakers, bringing the gift of peace “wherever there is violence, hatred and misunderstanding.” The way forward when “we are tempted and seduced by a vulgar, overbearing and deceptive culture of power,” the archbishop of Bologna added, is to disarm “our hands and our hearts.” Following the Mass, Italy’s president addressed the crowd gathered in front of the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi.
“In these times marked by senseless and cruel wars, by so much violence, manipulation and arrogance, as Leo XIV said a few days ago, our hope is that Francis’ sun may illuminate the world, convert minds hardened by hatred, and point the way towards peace, hope and a serene, fraternal life together,” Mattarella said. Brother Marco Moroni, the custos of the Sacred Convent, announced that, together with local authorities a proposal has been made to establish a children’s hospice in the region as “a lasting, tangible sign of the centenary.” The celebrations concluded on the evening of Oct. 4 with solemn vespers and a procession led by Bishop Accrocca, who imparted a blessing of Italy and the world from the small dome of the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi using the Chartula relic of St. Francis. The Chartula is a small, fragile piece of parchment written on directly by St. Francis of Assisi in September 1224, two years before his death. The parchment contains the “The Praises of God” on one side and “The Blessing for Brother Leo” on the reverse. The Jubilee Year proclaimed by Pope Leo XIV celebrating the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi will continue until Jan. 10, 2027.❖
CATHOLIC STANDARD Friday, October 9th 2026
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US bishops’ president condemns ‘barbaric’ appeals and other legal processes could delay Hasan’s execution beyond Dec. 3. The last public execution in the U.S. took place in Missouri in 1937, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.
In his statement, Archbishop Coakley added, “I pray for the intercession of Our Lady of Good Counsel that we as a nation may always choose life even in the most trying times and circumstances.”❖
Diocese welcomes Fr. Henry Lakra SJ
Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, gestures during a news briefing during a June 10, 2026, session of the annual spring meeting of the USCCB in Orlando, Fla. After Pentagon officials said they planned to livestream the execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan by firing squad in December, the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops denounced the plan as "barbaric” in an Oct. 9 statement. (OSV News photo/Bob Roller) WASHINGTON (OSV News) — After Pentagon officials said they planned to livestream the execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan by firing squad in December, the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops denounced the plan as “barbaric.” President Donald Trump recently approved the execution by firing squad of Hasan, the former U.S. Army psychiatrist convicted of killing 13 people and injuring 32 others in a mass shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, in 2009. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said Oct. 8 in an interview with the pro -Trump TV outlet Real America’s Voice News that the execution would take place at Fort Hood on Dec. 3, and that it would be made public. “We’ll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it’s public,” said Hegseth, who uses the moniker “secretary of war” since Trump signed an executive order last year adding the “Department of War” as a secondary, ceremonial title for the Department of Defense. Hegseth later confirmed his comments on X.
‘Shock and great sorrow’ Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, president of the USCCB, said in an Oct. 9 statement that he learned of the plans “with shock and great sorrow.” “Our God is the God of life,” Archbishop Coakley said. “In no way can Hassan’s actions be condoned but this decision is a barbaric promotion of a culture of death and must be reconsidered. The word of God exhorts us:
‘do not repay anyone evil for evil’ (Romans 12:17). The public execution even of one who has done grave harm will only further undermine the moral fabric of our nation and be a blight on the conscience of its people.” The Catholic Church’s official magisterium opposes the use of capital punishment as a violation of the inherent sanctity of human life, and advocates for the abolition of the practice worldwide.
Catholic teaching against the death penalty The late Pope Francis revised the Catechism of the Catholic Church in 2018 to clarify the church’s teaching that capital punishment is morally “inadmissible” in the modern world “because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person.” In his 2020 encyclical, “Fratelli Tutti,” Pope Francis cited the teaching of St. John Paul II, writing that his predecessor “stated clearly and firmly that the death penalty is inadequate from a moral standpoint and no longer necessary from that of penal justice.” Earlier this year, Pope Leo XIV delivered a video message to Catholic death penalty abolitionists marking 15 years since the abolition of the death penalty in his home state of Illinois.
Execution over livestream a first for the US If carried out, Hasan’s execution would mark the first time U.S. officials livestreamed an execution to the public. Some legal analysts noted that
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Georgetown extends a warm and heartfelt welcome to Fr. Henry Lakra, SJ, a member of the Society of Jesus from Madhya Pradesh Province, India. Fr. Henry entered the Society of Jesus June 20,1991 and was ordained to the priesthood on May 18,2005. Fr. Henry will be assigned to the Berbice Community, succeeding Fr.
John Lang, SJ, who has been appointed to serve the communities of the North Pakaraimas. As Fr. Henry begins this new chapter of his priestly ministry, we warmly welcome him and pray that the Lord will guide and strengthen him in his service to God’s people.❖ (Catholic Media Guyana)
CATHOLIC STANDARD Friday, October 9th 2026
A Christian Perspective on Social Issues
Jim Crow America back in By GHK Lall business Try this brainteaser as an exercise. Takeaway the hats. Takeaway the garb. Takeaway the masks and the strident nocturnal voices and the burning crosses. And what is presently naked in the street and dancing in the middle of it? Whoever said the Ku Klux Klan reclothed and rearmed and ready for 21st century business just got a ticket as a contestant to the next free Jeopardy slot. Whoever said the return of Jim Crow America, starting from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and as empowered by six-robed figures in the US Supreme Court won for themselves a prize. With so many Guyanese living in the U.S. there is concern. With many family members, there is growing anxiety over this old America now renewed. Bull Connor must have a moment to smile in whatever circle of sheriff’s hell Dante Alighieri reserved for him. So, also rabid racists like Cotton Ed Smith of Mississippi, the well-named Pitchfork Ben Tillman of South Carolina, who boasted of killing Black Americans, and Governors George Wallace of Alabama and Orville Faubus of Arkansas, among others of that notorious hanging gang. Chief Justice Roger Taney held the line, and gifted the demagogues what they desired with the specious, a palpably vacuous legalistic holding. Then the Warren and Burger Courts went in the other direction, and gave minorities, especially Black Americans, a sense of being, of hard-fought dignity, only for that tide to reverse course in 2026. MLK is gone, along with many of that rare breed of courageous, luminous, stalwarts. The memory of Bloody Sunday on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, now faded, must now be reincarnat-
ed and reburnished for another era of grueling fighting for a respected place in American society. Imagine the irony: a shaky, dodgy, crabby New Yorker is the architect, the driving force, behind the John Roberts revolution that is only now gathering strength, showing its true colors. Sparring with clever words that still reveal more than they conceal. Social justice teachings and doctrines, plus the magisterium of the law, all set aside as a matter of political expediency. Coming out to hang out are those roiling, despicable, signs, with one prominent the others understood: Don’t Apply. Don’t show face. Don’t get uppity. And don’t forget place. From Jim Crow America, welcome to Stephen Miller Time in America. Pull over. Up against the wall. It’s the Aryan Complex unvarnished and not in the least selfconscious, or embarrassed. What’s next, Miranda? This isn’t the dismantling of America. It is setting the stage for the remaking of America, now well underway. The present reversing steps to reconnect with the past, and swap old war stories of good time and good ole boys now high in the saddle, and back with whip in hand, and a sneer on the lips. From White Citizens’ Council to the Heritage Foundation. From the departed Roger Taney and Antonin Scalia to the very much alive John Roberts and Brett Kavanaugh. The new man said that race is a spent factor, a passion of the past. He must be wiser than the rest of a watching world put
together. Thus, men live in a fool’s paradise, and influence the gullible to join them, of which there are millions. Minorities have the fight of their life on their hands. Neither a Martin nor a Marshall to lead the charge. New fighters for freedom and heroes are needed. The season of the deranged, the deformed, and the demagogue is in full swing. Its sunset shouldn’t be long in coming. I foresee the pendulum swinging back, new champions and battlers springing up from the always fertile American ground. Extremists, fundamentalists, and fanatics in Congress’ ranks and Church pews have their day, and are best advised to use it pray. Perhaps, I should say: God bless America. For there is a battle brewing and great sacrifices will have to be made again, to confront these ill winds blowing across America. May God will it, may it go soon.❖
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Prayer for our Priests
Gracious and loving God, we thank your for the gift of our priests. Through them, we experience your presence in the sacraments. Help our priests to be strong in their vocation. Set their souls on fire with love for your people. Grant them the wisdom, understanding, and strength they need to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Inspire them with the vision of your Kingdom. Give them the words they need to spread the Gospel. Allow them to experience joy in their ministry. Help them to become instruments of your divine grace. We ask this through Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns as our Eternal Priest. Amen
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2. He guides me along the right path; he is true to his name. If I should walk in the valley of darkness no evil would I fear. You are there with your crook and your staff; with these you give me comfort. Response 3. You have prepared a banquet for me in the sight of my foes. My head you have anointed with oil; my cup is overflowing. Response 4. Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me all the days of my life. In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell for ever and ever. Response FIRST READING Isaiah 25: 6-10 The Lord will prepare a banquet, and will wipe away tears from every cheek. On this mountain, the Lord of hosts will prepare for all peoples a banquet of rich food, a banquet of fine wines, of food rich and juicy, of fine strained wines. On this mountain he will remove the mourning veil covering all peoples, and the shroud enwrapping all nations, he will destroy Death for ever. The Lord will wipe away the tears from every cheek; he will take away his people’s shame every where on earth, for the Lord has said so. That day, it will be said: See, this is our God in whom we hoped for salvation; the Lord is the one in whom we hoped. We exult and we rejoice that he has saved us; for the hand of the Lord rests on this mountain. RESPONSORIAL PSALM Psalm 22 Response: In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell for ever and ever. 1. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. Fresh and green are the pastures where he gives me repose. Near restful waters he leads me, to revive my drooping spirit. Response
SECOND READING Philippians 4: 12-14, 19-20 There is nothing I cannot master with the help of the One who gives me strength. I know how to be poor and I know how to be rich too. I have been through my initiation and now I am ready for anything anywhere: full stomach or empty stomach, poverty or plenty. There is nothing I cannot master with the help of the One who give me strength. All the same, it was good of you to share with me in my hardships. In return my God will fulfil all your needs, in Christ Jesus, as lavishly as only God can. Glory to God, our Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
GOSPEL Matthew 22: 1-14 Invite everyone you can find to the wedding. Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a feast for his son’s wedding. He sent his servants to call those who had been invited, but they would not come. Next he sent some more servants. ‘Tell those who have been invited,’ he said, ‘that I have my banquet all prepared, my oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, everything is ready. Come to the wedding.’ But they were not interested: one went off to his farm, another to his business, and the rest seized his servants, maltreated them and killed them. The king was furious. He despatched his troops, destroyed those murderers and burnt their
How easy it is, especially in these times, to be consumed by the cares and distractions of the “here and now,” forgetting about what matters most — living for the Kingdom of Heaven. The stewardship way of life, with its emphasis on the virtuous use of our Time, Talent, and Treasure, allows us to embrace daily life and all its demands — with eternity in mind.
town. Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready; but as those who were invited proved to be unworthy, go to the crossroads in the town and invite everyone you can find to the wedding.’ So these servants went out on to the roads and collected together everyone they could find, bad and good alike; and the wedding hall was filled with guests. “When the king came in to look at the guests he noticed one man who was not wearing a wedding garment, and said to him, ‘How did you get in here, my friend, without a wedding garment?’ And the man was silent. Then the king said to the attendant, ‘Bind him hand and foot and throw him out into the dark, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.” ❖
How do we keep focused on the Kingdom of Heaven? St. Paul shares his secret for an eternity-driven life. In our Second Reading from his Letter to the Philippians, Paul says, “I know how to live in humble circumstances; I know also how to live with abundance. In every circumstance and in all things I have learned the secret of being well fed and going hungry, of living in abundance and of being in need.” In other words, Paul has
learned to live the stewardship way of life. What is the secret? It is this: “I can do all things in him who strengthens me.” How? Through this: “My God will fully supply whatever you need, in accord with his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” It is so simple! But it is not easy. It takes both courage and humility to live this way. God will supply these to us if we ask.❖ [www.catholicsteward.com/blog/ ]
CATHOLIC STANDARD Friday, October 9th 2026
Gospel Reflection
The Word in the World The Wedding Garment
By Mike James
Life without feasts and celebrations will be meaningless and boring. Feasts are joyful celebrations. They are like fresh water running over dry and barren lands. The image of the feast to describe God’s kingdom is frequently used in the Bible and Jesus makes use of it on a few occasions. But we know that food and drink are not enough for a feast. There must also be unity, peace and love. Disunity, quarrels and tears spoil and destroy a feast. It becomes just an exercise in eating and drinking. God invites us all to the feast prepared for us. As the prophet Isaiah tells us, it will be a marvellous celebration in which there will be friendship, harmony and happiness. The question is whether we ignore that invitation or accept and be prepared for it.
We have all been invited and we must be prepared to be dressed in the right clothes for the occasion. We are expected to dress ourselves in the garment of justice, charity and compassion. But like the guests in the parable, our responses also change at different times in our lives, sometimes from day to day. There are times when we want to respond generously but at other times we don’t want to be loving or forgiving because it seems to hard to do. But what is clear is that God really wants our active response and so we are invited over and over again. Our positive response is on ongoing, lifelong process. And the garment we are to wear is a way of life that we continue to try on over and over again until we, hopefully, get it right. ❖ [From: Journeying with the Word of God, The Religious Education
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In the Gospel reading for this coming Sunday 11 October, Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Matthew recounts the Parable of the Wedding Feast in which one guest did not appear with appropriate Wedding Outfit, and was excluded from the celebration. Anyone who accepts an invitation to a wedding obviously makes sure they are properly attired for the occasion. So why would Jesus make an example of such strange behaviour? These days Artificial Intelligence is ready in a flash to offer a response to almost any question we ask Here’s its answer to the above question on Google: “In ancient Middle Eastern royal and high-status traditions, a host or ruler frequently provided specialized ceremonial garments—such as a robe of honor—for guests to wear upon entering a banquet or royal presence. Refusing or neglecting to wear the provided garment by any invitee, rich or poor was a direct and severe insult to the king.” Pope Francis in his Angelus message on the reading , on 15 October 2023, went much deeper into the heart of the issue. He told the attentive thousands gathered in St Peter’s Square: “Today’s Gospel passage tells us about a king who prepares a wedding banquet for his son He is a powerful man, but he is above all a generous father, who invites others to share in his joy. In particular, he reveals the goodness of his heart in the fact that he does not compel anyone, but invites everyone, even though this way exposes him to the possibility of rejection. We notice that he prepares a banquet, freely offering an opportunity for encounter, an opportunity for a feast. This is what God prepares for us: a banquet, to be in communion with him and among ourselves. And we, all of us, are therefore God’s invited guests. But a wedding banquet requires time and commitment on our part: it requires a “yes”: to go, to go to the Lord’s invitation. He invites, but he leaves us free.
This is the type of relationship that the Father offers us: he calls us to stay with him, leaving us the possibility to accept or not accept the invitation. He does not propose to us a relationship of subjection, but rather of fatherhood and childhood, which is necessarily conditioned by our free assent. God is very respectful regarding freedom; very respectful. Saint Augustine uses a very beautiful expression in this regard, saying: “He who created us without our help will not save us without our consent” (Sermon clxix, 13). And certainly not because he does
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not have the capacity to do so — ). ... — God , being love, respects our freedom fully. God proposes: God does not impose. Never.” (See link to full commentary: https:// www.vaticannews.va/en/word-of-theday/2026/10/11.html The Parable also suggests this. The Wedding Garment, any possession we call our own, physical or intellectual or spiritual, is in fact only a gift we have received following on our own unmerited creation. After all, who among us deserves to have been created?❖
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Karasabai celebrates Feast Day Journeying with
the Word of God
MAKING THE WORD OF GOD YOUR OWN Step 1: Look at today’s Readings prayerfully. 1st Reading: : The prophet Isaiah presents a vision of hope, of a time of joyful celebration for all God’s children, when every tear will be wiped away. 2nd Reading: Paul writes that he can face the ups and downs of life with total confidence because he knows he has God’s help. Gospel: Jesus tells the parable of the invited guests who refused to turn up for the wedding, resulting in their places being given to others. No matter what our race, background or religion, God invites us.
Step 2: Applying the values of the Readings to your daily life.
On Sunday, October 4th 2026, St. Therese Church, Karasabai, South Pakaraima Mountains, Region 9, Essequibo, Guyana, celebrated its Feast Day together with Indigenous Heritage celebrations.
During the Holy Mass, ten children were baptised, and nine children received their First Holy Communion. Holy Mass was presided over by Fr. Cristóvão Primo, SJ.❖
1. In what way does the passage from the prophet Isaiah offer comfort and encouragement in moments of distress? 2. In the Gospel passage, the servants went out and invited everyone they could find, good and bad alike, to the wedding. It shows that we are all are invited to God’s kingdom. What do we have to do to make sure we stay there? 3. Paul feels certain that there is nothing he cannot overcome with the help of Jesus who sent him to preach. He has great faith. What do we have to do if we are to have faith like Paul’s? 4. The Gospel passage ends with the words: “Many are called, but few are chosen.” Why is this so?
Step 3: Accepting the message of God’s
Word in your life of faith.
It is not only when the path is full of difficulties that we fail to reach our goal. Rather it is when life is easy and full of attractions that we are tempted to be sidetracked and so forget our destination. There are so many distractions in modern life that we occasionally fail to respond to God’s invitation to enter into relationship. However, God never stops extending the invitation to us.
Step 4: Something to think & pray about 1.Think about the times you were invited to share in the lives of your friends, family, neighbours or community. Are you always willing to be involved? Do you normally turn your back on such invitations? 2.When one responds to the call of the Gospel, there must be changes in one’s life. Reflect on the changes you think you may have to make in your life so that your response to God’s call can be more meaningful.❖ [From: Journeying with the Word of God, The Religious Education Department, Diocese of Georgetown, Guyana ]
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Church leaders in Ethiopia amplify papal call conditions that have resulted in dozens of injuries and deaths. This war will only exacerbate the situation,” Father Zerai added. The priest called on the African Union to intervene urgently to extinguish “raging fire before it consumes the entire region.” “I call upon all religious leaders to make their voices heard and join the Holy Father’s appeal, urging those in power to silence the weapons and create the conditions for peace,” Father Zerai urged.
Humanitarian aid attacked
Damage to the headquarters of Tigray TV, the Tigray Regional Government broadcaster, is seen Sept. 27, 2026, after a drone strike in Mekelle, the Ethiopian region of Tigray, amid growing tensions after rebel forces launched a major offensive against the federal government in multiple locations. Catholic bishops in Ethiopia joined the papal appeal for peace as they expressed profound grief at the fighting ripping through Tigray and other regions of the Horn of Africa country. (OSV News photo/Reuters) (OSV News) — Catholic bishops in Ethiopia are joining Pope Leo XIV’s appeal for peace as renewed fighting in Tigray and neighboring regions raises fears of another humanitarian catastrophe. In an Oct. 1 statement, the bishops lamented the war’s human toll, saying it is deepening divisions, destroying communities and multiplying suffering. “The greatest suffering falls upon the most vulnerable,” the bishops said, pointing to children, women, the elderly and the sick. Ethiopian bishops said it is their “heartfelt prayer that all disputes may be settled through genuine dialogue and that all forms of conflict may cease.”
Pope Leo pleads for peace The appeal followed Pope Leo’s Sept. 30 plea for negotiations. “I extend my heartfelt plea to all parties to choose the path of dialogue,” the pope said during his Wednesday general audience. “Armed conflict never solves problems but only worsens them, leaving in its wake a trail of death, destruction, and resentment. Only honest engagement can lay the foundations for lasting peace.” Ethiopian Church leaders affirmed that a peace rooted in truth, justice, forgiveness and reconciliation can
bring healing to the nation and “serve the welfare of all our peoples.” “Such a peace reflects the values of the Gospel, advances the common good, upholds the sacred dignity of the human person, and corresponds to the will of God for His people,” said the bishops, urging all parties in the conflict to open their hearts to forgiveness and reconciliation.
Full-scale war begins The Ethiopian national army and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front launched a full-scale war on Sept. 23, after exchanging drone attacks weeks earlier in August. The new war has drawn in more armed groups, with Tigrayan forces joining another six armed groups to form the Ethiopian Peoples’ Forces Coalition for Survival. The alliance’s stated agenda is to remove Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government. The development drew immediate concerns across the world amid appeals for civilians’ safety and fear of another humanitarian crisis. In the northeastern African country, the Eastern Catholic Church is a minority accounting for roughly 0.9% of the population, or 930,000 people. But with support from the universal Church, it delivers critical educational, health and social services — including humanitarian aid in the country of over 139 million people. Nearly 50 million in Ethiopia are Orthodox
Christians.
Fear of broader war According to analysts, a full-scale war in Ethiopia may drag other regional actors — including Sudan, South Sudan and Somalia — into broader war. Father Mussie Zerai Yosief, a priest of Asmara, Eritrea, and a human rights activist, said the war in Ethiopia was “another fratricidal conflict that will lead to nothing but disaster and the loss of thousands of human lives.” “One could analyze the causes and counter-causes at length, but war is not the solution to any of the problems on the ground,” he told OSV News. “We must cry out to the world about the urgent need for peace and stop this war before it escalates into a regional conflict.” “Many regional actors are already directly or indirectly involved; this is dangerous given the already precarious situation in the Horn of Africa,” the priest added.
No safe place to go Father Zerai said war inevitably created refugees fleeing the violence, yet every escape route for these populations has been fraught with suffering and brutality. “For months, we have been denouncing the inhumane treatment of thousands of Eritreans and Ethiopians in Libyan prisons —
On Sept. 20, an aerial drone strike on a humanitarian convoy in north Tigray destroyed food aid belonging to the Catholic Eparchy of Adigrat. The heavy commercial truck contracted by the Adigrat Diocesan Catholic Secretariat as part of the Joint Emergency Operation Program — was moving about 45,200 tons of food aid destined for an internally displaced camp in north Tigray where over 56,000 people live on humanitarian relief. The Catholic Relief Services — the official overseas humanitarian and development agency of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops — supported the relief consignment. “This food allocation was urgently destined for the … IDP camp in Sheraro town, where 56,273 vulnerable displaced persons almost entirely rely on these scarce humanitarian provisions for their daily survival,” Bishop Tesfasellassie Medhin of the Catholic Eparchy of Adigrat said in a statement on Sept. 20. “The total destruction or loss of this single shipment deprives thousands of innocent families, women, children, and the elderly of vital sustenance in a time of extreme distress,” the bishop underlined.
Bishop says life must be respected The prelate called for the protection of scarce humanitarian commodities and lifesaving assets, unhindered humanitarian access for relief agencies, and de-escalation and preservation of human life. “The sanctity of human life and human dignity must remain the nonnegotiable priority above all conflict and tensions,” Bishop Medhin said. The new war has arrived in the region as it was moving towards full recovery from an earlier war — fought between 2020 and 2022 — that left an estimated 300,000 to 600,000 people dead and millions of others displaced. Many people died from starvation and lack of medical services, with others killed in combat. ❖
CATHOLIC STANDARD Friday, October 9th 2026
Dear Boys and Girls, Jesus once told a parable about a king who threw a party, but none of the people he invited showed up for his party. In Jesus' story, the king was going to have a party for his Son who was getting married. Since he was a king, and this was his only son, you can imagine that it was going to be quite a celebration and it was a tremendous honour to be invited! All of the plans had been made, the food was prepared, the invitations had been sent. The day of the celebration came, but no one showed up! The king sent his servants to see where the people were and why they had not come to his celebration. The people all began to make excuses about how busy they were. The king was very upset, so he told his servants to go out into the streets and invite everyone they saw to come to his son's wedding celebration. They did exactly what the king told them to do and the Bible tells us that the wedding hall was filled with guests. In this story, the King is God and, of course, Jesus is His Son. God is going to have a great celebration for His Son in Heaven and we have all been invited. We can't imagine why, but some people will turn down God's invitation. You've been invited -- we hope you will accept God's invitation.
You are invited to the wedding banquet! Can you find your way to the wedding cake?
Dear Father, thank you for inviting us to join you in your heavenly celebration. If there are any here today who have not accepted your invitation, we pray that today will be the day. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.❖
[ NFC - Sources: sdc.me.uk , catholickidsbulletin.com, sermons4kids.com , salfordliturgy.org.uk, young-catholics.com, thewordthisweek.net & thekidsbulletin.com ]
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CATHOLIC STANDARD Friday, October 9th 2026
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Pope opens Vatican bishops’ meeting calling attention to the ‘fragility of families’ (From Page 1) The Oct. 7-14 closed-door meeting of bishops, convened by Pope Leo, is focused on marriage and family and marks the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation “Amoris Laetitia,” or “The Joy of Love.”
Face questions raised by families’ lived experience today Speaking in English from one of the many round tables in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall around which more than 150 bishops were seated, the pope encouraged the bishops to face the questions raised by the lived experience of families today, paying special attention to fragile situations. Pope Leo pointed to the growing distance in many contexts “between the ways in which sex and intimacy are lived and the Christian vision of marriage.” “Young people continue to long for love, fidelity and belonging, yet many find it difficult to embrace how such a vision of love can take shape in their own lives or to believe that a lifelong commitment is the condition for reaching what they desire,” he added. The pope said that faith can enlighten all families, including situations marked by difficulties, loneliness and at times even apparent failure, noting that the gap between the good we desire and what we are able to live is a reminder of the need for “grace, forgiveness and new beginnings to accomplish God’s will.” “The experience of fragility raises the question of whether we are able to remain close to one another when life no longer corresponds to what had been hoped for, and whether we can recognize the work of grace even in situations marked by limits, wounds and apparent failure,” the pope said Pope Leo asked the bishops from across the world to reflect on what kind of Church people encounter precisely when they are most fragile.
‘Holy Spirit speaks through very situations that challenge us’ “The Holy Spirit often speaks through the very situations that challenge us, and enlightens us that we may discover how God’s mercy and the salvific grace of Christ can reach our families today, particularly in their weakness and resilience, in their hopes and disappointments, in their longing for communion and their search for meaning,” the pope said. “Our task, therefore, is not only to interpret these realities but to let them question us and motivate our pastoral responsibility, so that the Church may find renewed ways of proclaiming the Gospel, offering sacramental graces, accompanying families, and making visible the tenderness with which Christ continues to walk among his people.”
The bishops’ family summit is divided into five daily themes for discussion, ranging from discerning the vocation to marriage to accompanying and supporting the difficulties of life. Families from five continents will also share their testimonies with the bishops. In his opening speech, Pope Leo reminded bishops not to speak to the press, asking them to “preserve the discretion and confidentiality that this time of listening and discernment requires.”
Except for opening session, meeting taking place behind closed doors While the meeting is taking place behind closed doors, the Oct. 7 opening session was broadcast via livestream by Vatican Media and the final day of the meeting on Oct. 14 will include a closing Mass in St. Peter’s Square and the publication of a final synthesis document of the week’s discussions. The afternoon opening session on Oct. 7 featured a meditation by Dominican Sister Helen Alford, the president of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, who reflected on how the Gospel account of the Samaritan woman at the well is a biblical example of someone living in “a fragile and irregular family situation.” Alford said that this woman’s encounter with Jesus, which never would have taken place if it were not for her irregular family situation, ends with the unnamed woman becoming “not only the first public evangelist, but also, despite her disrepute, and perhaps precisely because of it, a very effective evangelist.” “A story that is more connected with proclaiming the Gospel to and through a person in a fragile family situation, with all the beauty that this story holds, could hardly be imagined,” she said. The sister urged the bishops to search for ways to “encourage young people to take up the great challenge of marriage and family life, embracing it in the full knowledge that they will experience great fragility as part of the process of realizing its beauty, and that in that fragility, they will find new and unexpected sources of God’s grace and experience a desire for holiness that is their very own.”
“Proclaiming the Gospel to others’ Secretariat for the Synod. Cardinal promptings of the Holy Spirit can “Let us join Jesus in calling them to rise to the challenge, like Jesus called the Samaritan woman, of proclaiming the Gospel to others, precisely in the recognition of their fragility, so as to call others to join them in trusting in God’s grace and in experiencing the Christian desire for holiness,” she said. The bishops’ meeting is jointly organized by the Vatican Dicastery for Laity, Family, and Life and the General
Kevin Farrell, the prefect of the family dicastery, and Cardinal Mario Grech, the secretary general of the Synod of Bishops, sat at Pope Leo’s right and left respectively as the pope delivered his opening remarks. Pope Leo encouraged all the bishops participating in the meeting to listen to one another, adding that “remaining attentive to the
awaken the pastoral creativity we need in the face of new questions.” “May the Lord give us the freedom to listen to one another, the wisdom to recognize his work among his people, and the courage to follow where he leads us, so that, each day, the Gospel may become ever more fully good news for families throughout the world,” he said.❖
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Faith in Practice: Living and Knowing our Faith The Seven Deadly Sins and Healing Virtues | Part 7
Sloth and Diligence: Are We Scrolling Our Lives Away?
Fr. Joel Thompson SJ “Let us not grow weary in doing what is right.” (Galatians 6:9) Why is it so easy to spend hours scrolling through social media, yet so difficult to spend a few minutes in prayer? We say we have no time for Church on Sundays, prayer or outreach, but somehow find time for another video. This week we examine sloth, the last of the seven deadly sins in our series.
What Is Sloth? Have you ever seen a sloth? It’s a furry animal that moves slowly and hangs upside down from branches. However, we are not speaking of the animal today, but of “slowness” in the spiritual life. Spiritual sloth means neglecting the good we ought to do when we are able. Feeling reluctant is not necessarily sinful. The issue is when we knowingly neglect our responsibilities. Spiritual sloth, called acedia, makes us see loving and serving God as a burden and turns us away from the joy he offers us (CCC 2094). We believe in God yet continually postpone responding to him. We avoid prayer, neglect those who need us, or stop making the effort to resist sin. A person can be busy all day and still be spiritually slothful. Tiredness, illness and depression should not be mistaken for sloth. We need rest and care. Feeling dry or distracted in prayer does not automatically mean we are failing God. We can pray even when we “feel” nothing.
Why Do We Avoid the Good? Part of the attraction of scrolling is that it offers something new and surprising with little effort. Neuroscience explains how social media is designed to tap into the brain’s reward systems and encourage repeated use. Some studies suggest that prayer and meditation also involve reward-related brain activity, although the research is limited. Prayer asks us to slow down, pay attention and remain present. It brings us face to face with deep questions we would rather avoid such as: How am I living? What needs to change? Whom have I neglected? Sloth grows through habits of procrastination, attachment to comfort and
Let us not grow weary in doing what is right (Galatians 6:9)
discouragement. We begin to think that prayer makes no difference or that changing is too difficult. It grows when we choose distraction repeatedly, until avoiding the good becomes a habit. The Catechism connects acedia with decreasing vigilance and carelessness of heart (CCC 2733). Do I have no time for God, or have I given that time to everything else?
The Virtue of Diligence The virtue opposing sloth is diligence. Expressed spiritually as zeal, it is a steady willingness to love God and do the good entrusted to us. It means bringing care and effort to prayer, work, study, family life and service. We persevere because God and our neighbour matter, even when our
efforts are difficult or slow to bear fruit. In practice, we must guard against both negligence and being “busybodies”. Negligence leaves our duties incomplete while excessive activity leaves no time for relationships and prayer. Being too busy makes us not have time for listening to God.
One Day at a Time I believe we grow one step and one day at a time. We do not need to begin with an ambitious programme that we abandon after three days. Pope Francis recommended small, achievable commitments and perseverance, leaning on Jesus, when facing sloth. If a whole rosary seems too much, begin with one Hail Mary. Then work towards a decade and, gradually, the full rosary. If an hour of adoration feels difficult, begin with five minutes, then ten. Read a short Gospel passage or a page of a spiritual book. Choose a regular time and stick to it. Prepare for Church on Sundays by making room for it in your plans. Put the phone away during prayer. Do one act of charity like visiting someone. As St Teresa of Calcutta reminds us, we can do small things with great love.
Stay With the Emptiness The next time you’re alone in silence, resist immediately reaching for your phone. Try to become aware of God’s presence and speak with him about what you are feeling. Spend a few moments each day talking to him and listening. Prayer is a relationship that needs our presence, including on days when we don’t feel like it. We also need to examine our consciences. Have we become careless about sin? Do we keep excusing our bad behaviour? What good have we left undone? Jesus calls his disciples to watch and pray (Matthew 26:41). A brief reflection each evening can help us to change our lives. Let us not become the scrolling generation that scrolled our lives away. Our time and energies are gifts. Let us use them with purpose, diligence and excellence in serving God and our neighbour. ❖
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GHRA: Call for international enquiry into policing in Guyana remains valid and urgent Dear Editor, The response by the Minister of Home Affairs to sexual assault allegations levelled against Deputy Commissioner of Police Fazil Karimbaksh are worthy of Alice in Wonderland story-telling. The Deputy Commissioner cannot be sent on leave because he is not charged with anything. He cannot be relieved of his duties because the Police Service Commission (PSC) has not been appointed. Who is responsible for appointing the PSC? The President of Guyana. Is the Minister calling on the President to appoint the Commission? No, she is going to consult the Commissioner of Police - whose continued occupancy in this post can be terminated at any time because he is beyond retirement age. GHRA archives are replete with similar examples prompted by the lack of principled rather than partisan political approaches with respect to
policing. Ten days after the allegations were made no official statement has been made over the investigative process to be adopted, exactly the length of time it took the Deputy Director of Prosecutions (DPP) to recommend death sentences for three men held responsible for the 73 deaths aboard the MV Barima. The Karimbaksh case also prompts a reminder of the public outrage in November 2021when a teen-aged girl committed suicide two hours after her claims of rape were investigated by officers at Cove & John Police station. The suicide was then used to justify closing any further official investigation into her rape claims The culture of the current ruling party embraces similar bizarre directives to protect ‘their own’ in too many instances of sexual assault The most scandalous example of police mishandling of an investigation occurred over the death of the child Adrianna Younge in 2025 which triggered countrywide protest, but never resulted in
any charges being laid. That event prompted presentation of an official Petition to Parliament signed by 195 individuals with 8,000 social media calling for “An immediate, independent and thorough investigation into the operations, conduct and leadership of the Guyana Police Force, to be conducted by a credible and impartial international organization”.
among senior police officers including allegations of money laundering of millions of Guyana dollars, bribery, illicit acquisition of assets, disappearance of seized narcotics exposing systemic weaknesses in the Force’s internal controls. the arguments for an independent investigation of the Guyana Police Force remain valid and urgent.
The broader purpose of the petition was to ‘address the misconduct, repeated scandals, money laundering, illegal asset acquisition, corrupt procurement practices, politicallydriven promotions, narcotics disappearance and failures of internal controls’. ‘Sexual assaults on policewomen and female recruits’ can now be added to this list.
While the GHRA welcomes the statement of the Women & Gender Rights Commission calling for a genuine investigation of the Karimbaksh issue the Association remains hopeful that it will prompt similar calls from the female MPs of the ruling party, particularly the Minister of Human Services who is primarily responsible for promoting the sexual safety of women.
The Parliamentary Petition referred to earlier was dismissed out-of-hand by the Speaker and never placed before Parliament. Moreover, given the alleged levels of corruption and financial misconduct
Executive Committee Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) October 6 2026
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CATHOLIC STANDARD Friday, October 9th 2026
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Marriage Encounter Guyana Saint of the Week celebrates World Priest Day
October 14th
Saint Carlo Acutis (May 3, 1991 – October 12, 2006)
On the 4th Sunday of September each year, Worldwide Marriage Encounter celebrates World Priest Day - a day on which our Priests are celebrated. In celebration of World Priest Day 2026, observed on Sunday September 27th, Worldwide Marriage Encounter (Guyana) invited parishes to do a Blessing of Priest’s hands, where a married couple held their Priest’s hands as a special blessing was read, followed by a prayer. This humble act of love and appreciation for our Priests took them by surprise, was well received and indeed a special moment for them. On Sunday evening the priests were invited to dine with several M.E. couples; this too was a special moment with them. We thank God for our Priests and the wonderful opportunity to have celebrated them. Thanks Be to God! Love, M.E Guyana.❖
Born in London and raised in Milan, Italy, Saint Carlo’s wealthy parents were not particularly religious. Upon receiving his first communion at age seven, Carlo became a frequent communicant, making a point of praying before the tabernacle before or after every Mass. In addition to Francis of Assisi, Carlo took several of the younger saints as his models, including Bernadette Soubirous, Jacinta and Francisco Marto, and Dominic Savio. At school Carlo Acutis tried to comfort friends whose parents were undergoing divorce, as well as stepping in to defend disabled students from bullies. After school hours he volunteered his time with the city’s homeless and destitute. Considered a computer geek by some, Carlo spent four years creating a website dedicated to cataloguing every reported Eucharistic miracle around the world. He also enjoyed films, comics, soccer, and playing popular video games. Diagnosed with leukemia, Carlo offered his sufferings to God for the intentions of the sitting pope—Benedict XVI—and the entire Church. His longtime desire to visit as many sites of Eucharistic miracles as possible was cut short by his illness. Carlo died in 2006 and was beatified in 2020. As he had wished, Carlo was buried in Assisi at St. Mary Major’s “Chapel of the Stripping,” where Francis had returned his clothes to his father and began a more radical following of the Gospel. Among the thousands present for Carlo’s beatification at Assisi’s Basilica of St. Francis were many of his childhood friends. Presiding at the beatification service, Cardinal Agostino Vallini praised Carlo as an example of how young people can use technology to spread the Gospel “to reach as many people as possible and help them know the beauty of friendship with the Lord.” Saint Carlo is invoked as a patron saint of the Internet, computer programmers, and youth. ❖ [franciscanmedia.org ]