Vatican rejects US war plans
The Vatican’s foreign minister, Archbishop Jean-Louis Tauran, has called on the international community to avert a war on Iraq, saying that the United States has no right to attack the country outside the authority of the United Nations. Such an attack, he warned, “could provoke a type of anti-Christian, anti-Western crusade” in the Islamic world.
Mother Teresa to be beatified
Mother Teresa will be beatified on October 19, only six years after her death. Pope John Paul II had waived the usual five-year waiting period before a sainthood cause may be opened.
‘Black Madonna’ painter dies
Larry Scully, the South African artist who created the Black Madonna in Regina Mundi church in Soweto and other works of art in Catholic institutions, has died at the age of 80 in a car accident in Gordon’s Bay, Western Cape.
Editorial: No case for war
In his editorial on the threat of the US launching a war in Iraq, Günther Simmermacher notes that “the Bush administration has not convincingly outlined what precisely such a proposed war would prevent. In the absence of an explicit validation of the threat posed by Saddam Hussein, one may speculate whether interests other than defence inform the United States’ urgency to act against Iraq.”
Previous “From The Vaults” articles at www.scross.co.za/vaults
- At the heart of Jesus’ teachings lies the mystery of the Kingdom of God, which today’s Gospel likens to treasure and a pearl (cf. Mt 13:44–52). The parables convey the surprise of those who find something far beyond what they could have hoped for, so much so that selling or leaving everything behind no longer seems a sacrifice, but a gain. - July 26, 2026
- R to @Pontifex: Let us #PrayTogether for all those peoples throughout the world who are suffering because of war. May the Lord touch the hearts and enlighten the minds of those in power, so that reconciliation and #peace may soon prevail. - July 26, 2026
- R to @Pontifex: I likewise renew my plea regarding the situation throughout the #MiddleEast, where the intensification of military operations has again wreaked violence and destruction, endangering the lives of countless civilians and further aggravating the shortages of drinking water and electricity. From the depths of my heart, I exhort all parties involved to suspend the attacks and urgently reopen paths of dialogue and diplomacy, so that the longed-for peace for the entire region may be achieved without delay. - July 26, 2026
