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Father Dario Escobar, the Colombian-born Maronite hermit reported to have spent 14 hours a day in prayer in Lebanon’s Qadisha Valley, has died aged 92 Father Dario Escobar, priest and hermit, has died aged 92. He was born in Medellín, Colombia, in 1934, a city which Pablo Escobar also called home, though the two were unrelated. He came from an affluent family and excelled academically, becoming a polyglot and later lecturing in theology and Biblical Greek, according to the Beiruter . It was in the United States, where Father Escobar was living in the 1990s, that he first heard of the Qadisha Valley, “Qadisha” meaning “holy” in Aramaic, the language traditionally associated with Jesus. He had already transferred to the Maronite rite when a Lebanese priest visiting Miami told him of the place, where Christians have sought solitude for the past fifteen hundred years. He left the United States for Lebanon, where he tried various forms of religious life before joining the Lebanese Maronite Order and settling at the Hermitage of Our Lady of Hawqa in the Qadisha Valley in 2000. Renowned for his asceticism, it was reported that the priest spent 14 hours a day in prayer, three working, two reading spiritual texts, and five asleep. He used a stone as a pillow and adhered to a vegetarian diet, with food provided by his garden and donations from visitors. He also made a point of adopting the Lebanese culture in which he found himself, learning Arabic and making a full transition to the Maronite rite. He embraced the Maronite rite completely. He prayed in the tradition of the Lebanese Church. He learned Arabic. He cared deeply about Lebanese politics, following events through the accounts of visitors. He prayed daily for the country and never left it again. His life naturally brings to mind Saint Charbel Makhlouf, also a Maronite, also a hermit and of the same monastic order. Beatified by Pope Paul VI in 1965 and canonised in 1977 in the final canonisation of his pontificate, Saint Charbel lived a life of asceticism and Eucharistic devotion in 19th-century Lebanon. Today he remains the most recognisable Maronite saint and the first Maronite monk to be formally canonised in the modern era. In the later years of his life, a sort of cult following developed around visiting Father Escobar in the hills of the Qadisha Valley. He was reportedly happy to converse with visitors, living a less secluded life than some of the other hermits who inhabited the area. In the final years of his life he was moved to the Monastery of Saint Boula in Hawqa, as climbing the hills to his hermitage had become too difficult. He will be buried at Monastery of Saint Anthony of Qozhaya, famous for the Grotto of Saint Anthony the Great, another renowned hermit. Image credit: X@SacerdosMariae

Cardinal Mario Grech has addressed the Synodal Path and the Vatican’s Synod on Synodality during a discussion at the Katholikentag in Germany Cardinal Mario Grech has said that Germany’s Synodal Path and the Vatican’s Synod on Synodality are guided by “the same protagonist: the Holy Spirit”. Speaking at the Katholikentag on May 17, the Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops rejected the idea that synodality was rooted in parliamentary manoeuvring or majority rule, insisting instead that it was a process of discernment guided by the Holy Spirit. “The Holy Spirit does not create a sum of opinions, but harmony, a symphony,” Cardinal Grech said, according to Katholisch.de. His Eminence said synodality should be understood as a “symphony of communion” and stressed the relationship between local Churches and the universal Church. “There is neither a universal Church without local Churches nor a local Church without the universal Church,” His Eminence said. According to Katholisch.de, the remarks came during a public discussion in which theology student Finja Miriam Weber, a member of the German Synodal Assembly, questioned Cardinal Grech’s comparison of the Church to a symphony orchestra. Weber asked who decides “who is allowed to play which instrument”, adding that women are barred from certain positions in the Church “simply because she is female”. Cardinal Grech replied: “Jesus composes the symphony and the Holy Spirit conducts.” According to reports from the event, the exchange was cut short when the moderator ended the discussion before it could continue further. Katholisch.de later reported that Cardinal Grech approached Weber afterwards and told her: “We need people like you.” The intervention is likely to attract attention because Cardinal Grech became one of the leading figures behind the late Pope Francis’s push for synodality. The Maltese prelate was appointed Pro-Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops by Pope Francis in October 2019, succeeding Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri the following year. During that period, Cardinal Grech participated in the Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon region and served on the commission responsible for drafting the synod’s final document. In one of his first interviews after his appointment, Cardinal Grech spoke of a Church developing “a greater feminine face that would also mirror Mary’s face”. During the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, the cardinal also drew controversy after criticising what he described as an overreliance on sacramental life among Catholics unable to attend Mass during lockdown restrictions. “It is of concern that someone feels lost outside of the Eucharistic or worship context, for it shows an ignorance of other ways of engaging with the mystery,” Cardinal Grech said at the time. Pope Francis created Cardinal Grech a cardinal in November 2020, assigning him the Roman deaconry of Santi Cosma e Damiano. He has since been appointed to a number of Vatican bodies, including the Dicastery for Bishops and the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura. In recent years Cardinal Grech has repeatedly defended synodality as a model for the future life of the Church. In a 2024 interview, His Eminence said synodality could help the Church move from “uniformity of thought” towards “unity in difference”.

The Archdiocese of San José in Costa Rica has ordered that kneelers are no longer to be installed for the distribution of Holy Communion The Archbishop of San José in Costa Rica has ordered that kneelers are no longer to be placed in churches for the distribution of Holy Communion. The measure was set out in a circular dated May 13 and signed by Fr Francisco Morales González, the episcopal delegate for liturgy, acting on the instruction of Archbishop José Rafael Quirós Quirós. The document was issued following questions raised in recent weeks about the installation of kneelers in some churches for communicants wishing to receive Holy Communion on the knee. “From now on, kneelers are not to be installed in churches for the distribution of Communion,” the circular letter stated. The archdiocese said the decision had been taken because the presence of kneelers could lead some members of the faithful to conclude that kneeling was “the only form established by the Church” for receiving Holy Communion. The circular also argued that kneelers could impede access for elderly worshippers and those with mobility difficulties who are accustomed to receiving Communion standing. While the decree effectively prohibits the installation of kneelers during Communion, the archdiocese stressed that Catholics still retain the right to receive the Eucharist while kneeling. The document cited Redemptionis Sacramentum , the 2004 Vatican instruction on certain matters concerning the Eucharist, together with Benedict XVI’s apostolic exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis , both of which reaffirm that communicants may not be refused Holy Communion for choosing to receive kneeling. “No minister can impose a single way of receiving Communion,” the letter said, reiterating that the faithful remain free to receive either standing or kneeling, and either on the tongue or in the hand, in accordance with the norms permitted by the Church. The move has nevertheless been interpreted by some Catholics as a discouragement of the increasingly visible practice of kneeling for Communion, particularly among younger worshippers and those drawn to more traditional forms of Catholic piety. Although the universal law of the Church permits communicants to receive kneeling, episcopal conferences in many countries obtained permission for standing to become the normative posture. In 2002 the Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship stated that communicants who chose to kneel could not be denied the sacrament on those grounds. The ruling was later reinforced in Redemptionis Sacramentum , which declared: “It is not licit to deny Holy Communion to any of Christ’s faithful solely on the grounds, for example, that the person wishes to receive the Eucharist kneeling or standing.” Archbishop Quirós, who has led the Archdiocese of San José since 2013, has not publicly commented beyond the contents of the letter.

A new app designed to help Catholics navigate the Traditional Latin Mass has been downloaded thousands of times within days of launch. Built by convert Holden Cole, Introíbo includes the full 1962 Missal, Divine Office, rosary, traditional calendar and more, all completely free and available offline In recent years there has been a sustained and growing interest in the Traditional Latin Mass. Cradle Catholics and converts alike have found a depth and beauty in the older form of the liturgy that stands in contrast to the perhaps well-intentioned, if misguided, reforms erroneously inspired by the Second Vatican Council which have, in some places, turned liturgy into entertainment. This transformation of the liturgy into entertainment is an attempt to be “relevant” in the modern world. However, relevance, meaning to be closely connected or associated with modernity, is precisely what many people crossing the threshold of a church seek to avoid. There is little attraction in getting up on a Sunday morning to hear more of the contemporary culture that is corrosive to the human heart. If schools, media and workplaces already provide a steady diet of “progressiveness”, why would people want to go to church for more of the same? For many, the Latin Mass is the antithesis of this progressiveness. However, those who begin attending the Latin Mass often find themselves plunged into something radically different. The ancient, yet new, liturgy can be difficult to follow, conducted in another language and according to a different calendar. While the mystery and subtlety entice the would-be Mass attender, the sound catechesis that once helped the faithful enter into these mysteries has been lost through generational neglect. Fortunately, the new generation of converts to the ancient liturgy has brought with it a healthy dose of convert’s zeal, inspiring new ways of introducing the Traditional Latin Mass to the next generation. One such example is the app Introíbo , which offers users the complete 1962 Missal, the Divine Office, the rosary in Latin, the Stations of the Cross and the traditional calendar all in one place. Designed for practical use, the app automatically opens each day to the liturgical feast and its rank, the season, the properly observed traditional calendar, the day’s penitential observance and a psalm verse in both Latin and English. From there, users can access the Mass, including the full Ordinary of the 1962 Roman Missal with the proper texts for every day of the liturgical year, alongside the Roman Canon in parallel Latin and English text. The app also includes an examination of conscience and a library of traditional prayers. There is even a small school for learning ecclesiastical Latin through the prayers themselves, as well as spiritual practices drawn from the saints. Holden Cole, the app’s creator, is himself a convert, having recently celebrated three years since his reception into the Church. Initially attending a Novus Ordo Mass, he was first introduced to the older form of the liturgy by the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter in Florida. “I completely fell in love with the Latin Mass,” Cole explains. “Since then I’ve gone every Sunday, sometimes several times a week if I can. It is the thing that has most deepened my Catholic faith.” His motivation for building the app was born primarily out of necessity. “I was looking for something useful, something that had the Mass prayers on a phone and could help me appreciate the Latin more deeply.” Despite having no publicity team behind him, Cole’s app has been an immediate success, having been downloaded 3,500 times in its first week. He remains ambitious about its future and is keen to continue devoting his time to the project. “It doesn’t feel like work when I’m doing it. It’s more a labour of love.” There is still more he hopes to add, explaining: “The app is still a work in progress. I still have a roadmap I’m working through with ideas for future features.” Perhaps most remarkably, Cole has kept the app free, with no adverts or tracking, and has made it fully available offline. His hope is simply that others might have their faith enriched by the ancient liturgy that has so enriched his own. Readers who wish to find out more or download the app themselves should visit: introiboapp.com

More than 70,000 people attended the 104th German Katholikentag in Würzburg as controversy over liturgical practices and the future direction of the Church in Germany again overshadowed the country’s flagship Catholic lay assembly. Footage circulated online during the event appeared to show a woman holding a chalice and reciting the words of consecration while a […] More than 70,000 people attended the 104th German Katholikentag in Würzburg as controversy over liturgical practices and the future direction of the Church in Germany again overshadowed the country’s flagship Catholic lay assembly. Footage circulated online during the event appeared to show a woman holding a chalice and reciting the words of consecration while a priest stood behind her. If the footage is as alleged, it would constitute a grave liturgical abuse and could not effect the consecration of the Eucharist. The Church has always taught that only a validly ordained priest acts in persona Christi during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The Council of Trent and Tradition affirm that the minister of the Eucharist must be a priest: “No one can perform this sacrament except the priest duly ordained.” Canon 900 §1 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law states clearly: “The minister of the Eucharistic celebration is a validly ordained priest alone.” A laywoman, even one reciting the proper words with apparent intention, lacks the sacerdotal character imprinted by Holy Orders. Attempts by women or lay people to “co-consecrate” have been consistently condemned as invalid and sacrilegious, regardless of the presence of a priest. The priest’s passive stance does not supply what is lacking in the woman’s orders; rather, it implicates him in the abuse. It profanes the Most Holy Sacrament and wounds the faithful. This alleged incident is symptomatic of the ongoing crisis of liturgical experimentation and rejection of apostolic Tradition in parts of Germany. The Church’s doctrine on the male-only priesthood is de fide , rooted in the example of Christ, who chose only men as Apostles, the constant practice of the Apostles and their successors, and infallible teaching. A woman cannot validly consecrate the host under any circumstances; any “host” she handled remained mere bread and wine. The faithful present were not receiving the Body and Blood of Christ from her actions. The four-day gathering, organised by the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK), was held under the theme “Courage, Let Us Rise!”, and combined liturgical celebrations, political discussions, cultural events and debates about the future of the Church. Irme Stetter-Karp, president of the ZdK, said in her closing remarks that the Katholikentag had been marked by “commitment and solidarity, which instilled courage”. Marc Frings, general secretary of the ZdK, described the gathering as “a broadly based Catholic Congress” and defended the inclusion of groups and speakers from outside the Church’s traditional structures. “We gave secular partners with shared values a platform and space along the Church Mile,” he said. “We also offered participation to those with whom we might have little overlap within the Church. This doesn’t make us arbitrary, but rather open to dialogue.” Frings said the event’s motto had shaped discussions throughout the week “on our panels, in the workshops, in conversations along the Church Mile, and in the many spiritual offerings”. He also highlighted several cultural events connected to the gathering, including Susanne Wagner’s installation Schmerzpunkt , dealing with abuse and cover-ups in the Church, a performance on the Middle East conflict involving Emanuella Amichai, Mohammad Kundos and Bernhard Stengele, and a large mural by the Berlin art collective innerfields titled Our Big Picture of the Future . Bishop Heiner Wilmer, president of the German Bishops’ Conference, said the gathering had demonstrated unity within the German Church despite differing views. “Würzburg has shown that we are on a shared journey, each and every one of us contributing our own charism,” he said. “The bridges over the Main River are symbolic of our ecclesial path. We must build bridges to reach others.” “That is why it is good that this Catholic Congress made strong political statements and an unequivocal commitment to democracy,” he added. “We as a Church will continue to protect the freedom and democracy we have won on a foundation of Christian values, against all slogans that promise us otherwise.” The Bishop of Würzburg, Bishop Franz Jung, said the atmosphere throughout the event had encouraged dialogue between Church representatives and political leaders. “In the events with representatives of political life, I consistently sensed mutual respect and, above all, a genuine interest in engaging in dialogue,” he said. “Given the constant calls today to strengthen democracy, I am convinced that this Catholic Congress provided a very valuable platform for bringing people together for constructive dialogue on this topic.” Jung also welcomed the participation of Dr Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, during one of the major liturgical celebrations. “I am very grateful to Dr Josef Schuster and all those involved that we were able to send such strong signals of interreligious unity during these days,” he said. Organisers said about 34,000 visitors bought tickets for the Katholikentag , while around 40,000 others attended open events and visited the “Church Mile” exhibitions across the city. Roland Vilsmaier, the managing director of the event, said nearly 700 local hosts had provided around 2,500 overnight stays for pilgrims and visitors. The Katholikentag traces its origins to 1848, when the first gathering, then called the General Assembly of the Catholic Associations of Germany, took place in Mainz amid political unrest across Europe. It was organised by the Pius Society for Religious Freedom and later came under the direction of the ZdK. The assemblies continued during Otto von Bismarck’s Kulturkampf in the nineteenth century, though they ceased during the First World War and under the Nazi regime. In the decades after the Second Vatican Council, the Katholikentag became increasingly associated with progressive movements within German Catholicism. In 1968, members linked to the movement were among those who publicly dissented from Humanae Vitae , Pope Paul VI’s encyclical reaffirming the Church’s opposition to artificial contraception.

A man previously accused of falsely presenting himself as a Catholic priest has sought forgiveness and asked to return to full communion with the Church The Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro in the Philippines has confirmed that a man previously accused of falsely presenting himself as a Catholic priest has sought forgiveness and asked to be received once more into full communion with the Church. In a statement issued on May 12, the archdiocese said that Ruel Ucat had met Archbishop Jose Cabantan and expressed “sincere repentance” for his past actions after days of public controversy surrounding his alleged activities in the southern Philippines. The announcement followed an earlier warning from the archdiocese, published on May 7, in which Church authorities cautioned the faithful against Ucat, identified at the time as Roel Roy Banggo Ucat, saying he had no authority to function as a Roman Catholic priest. The original statement said investigations had established that he was “neither ordained nor incardinated in this Archdiocese nor in any recognised Catholic jurisdiction” and therefore possessed no faculty to administer the sacraments or exercise ministry in the name of the Church. The archdiocese also warned Catholics about a group associated with him known as the “Servants of Mary, Mother of the Poor Congregation”, saying it was not recognised as a legitimate religious institute within the Catholic Church. “The faithful are hereby strongly warned to exercise prudence and vigilance,” the statement said. “Participation in sacraments administered by unauthorized individuals may lead to confusion and, in certain cases, may render the sacraments invalid.” Church officials urged Catholics to verify the canonical status of clergy, particularly in unfamiliar chapels and communities, and encouraged parishioners to report suspicious religious activity directly to diocesan authorities. But less than a week later, the tone of the archdiocese’s public response shifted markedly after Ucat reportedly approached Archbishop Cabantan personally to ask forgiveness and discuss returning to the Church. In its second statement, the archdiocese said: “Mr Ruel Ucat has earnestly sought forgiveness for his past actions and expressed sincere repentance. He recently met with Archbishop Jose Cabantan to discuss his intentions.” It added that Ucat had “formally resigned from his previous denomination” and now desired “to return to the full communion of the Roman Catholic Church as a layperson”. “In doing so, he seeks to renew his faith and reaffirm his commitment to the Church and its teachings,” the statement said. No further details were given concerning the denomination to which Ucat had belonged or the extent of his previous activities while allegedly presenting himself as a priest.