Vatican City, Jun 16, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

The Vatican Museums inaugurated June 12 the exhibition “Paul VI and Jacques Maritain: The Renewal of Sacred Art Between France and Italy (1945–1973),” a tribute to the friendship between the celebrated French philosopher and the pope who succeeded John XXIII and concluded the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965).

The project focuses on Maritain (1882–1973), a neo-Thomist thinker and key figure in the dialogue between faith, culture, and art in the 20th century. 

Appointed ambassador to the Holy See by French President Charles de Gaulle after the Second World War, Maritain lived in Rome from 1945 to 1948. During that time, his friendship with Giovanni Battista Montini (the future Pope Paul VI), whom he had met in Paris in 1924, was strengthened. 

Maritain’s thinking influenced the fundamental concepts underlying the Second Vatican Council, particularly his idea of ​​an “integral humanism” in which Christian faith, human dignity, and artistic expression converge.

Along with his wife, Raïssa Oumansoff, with whom he converted to Catholicism in 1906, Maritain was at the center of an international intellectual elite that included poets, philosophers, artists, and mystics such as Charles Péguy, Léon Bloy, Paul Claudel, Jean Cocteau, and Georges Rouault, the latter considered by Maritain to be one of his closest artistic interpreters.

The exhibition, which is part of the 2025 Jubilee and will be open throughout the summer, commemorates several significant events: the 80th anniversary of Jacques Maritain’s appointment as French ambassador to the Holy See in 1945 and the almost simultaneous founding of the French Institute-St. Louis Center in Rome by Maritain; the 60th anniversary of the closing of the Second Vatican Council in December 1965; and the inauguration of the Modern Religious Art Collection, promoted by Paul VI in June 1973.

For the director of the Vatican Museums, Barbara Jatta, these anniversaries “make clear the wealth of historical inspiration that this project offers to the public from the papal museums.”

The exhibition — through photographs, documents, and paintings that create a dialogue between spirituality, Christian thought, and avant-garde art — traces the spiritual and intellectual bond between the French philosopher and then-Monsignor Giovanni Battista Montini.

“The relationship with the pontiff lasted well beyond the diplomatic experience and was quite intense during the Second Vatican Council, to whose development Maritain’s neo-Thomist thought contributed,” Jatta noted.

The museum director also noted that Maritain and his wife, Raïssa, of Russian origin, formed a highly influential international cultural circle throughout the 20th century, bringing together artists, thinkers, and religious figures. In fact, the couple also gathered together a significant collection of works of art, many of which became part of the initial holdings of the Vatican Museums’ Collection of Modern Religious Art.

“They spent significant time together in the early days of the Vatican Collection, because in addition to reaffirming the uninterrupted and mutual esteem between Montini and Maritain, it underscores how the latter immediately understood the scope of Paul VI’s project, of which the philosopher himself was one of the theoretical driving forces,” Jatta explained.

This project took on a public and official form with the famous address to artists delivered by Paul VI in the Sistine Chapel on May 7, 1964, in which he called for healing the “divorce between the Church and contemporary art.”

Indeed, this request culminated with the opening of the collection on June 23, 1973, “in the historic heart of the Vatican Museums, between the Borgia Apartments with its various rooms leading to the Sistine Chapel.”

The exhibition brings together paintings, drawings, prints, photographs, period volumes, and material objects that document an intense network of friendship and collaboration between thinkers and artists committed to the spiritual renewal of art.

Prominent artists include Maurice Denis, Émile Bernard, Gino Severini (with works for Swiss churches promoted by Cardinal Charles Journet), Georges Rouault (perhaps the artist closest to Maritain), and Marc Chagall, a close friend of Raïssa, whose visual narratives reveal a unique sensibility inspired by Jewish folklore. 

The exhibit also includes works by Henri Matisse, with his famous Vence Chapel, and the American William Congdon, an artist of strong mystical inspiration, known to Maritain in the years leading up to the council.

Also featured is the Dominican priest Marie-Alain Couturier, another great innovator of sacred art in France. His perspective, more progressive and different from Maritain’s, is integrated into the exhibition as a sign of Paul VI’s openness to multiple currents within contemporary Catholic thought.

Curated by Micol Forti, head of the Vatican Museums’ modern and contemporary art collection, the display is located at the heart of the exhibition dedicated to present-day art, between the Raphael Rooms and the Sistine Chapel.

The exhibition is the result of a collaboration between the Vatican Museums and various cultural institutions, including the French Embassy to the Holy See, the French Institute-St. Louis Center, and the Strasbourg National and University Library.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Vatican City, Jun 16, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

The Vatican Museums inaugurated June 12 the exhibition “Paul VI and Jacques Maritain: The Renewal of Sacred Art Between France and Italy (1945–1973),” a tribute to the friendship between the celebrated French philosopher and the pope who succeeded John XXIII and concluded the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965).

The project focuses on Maritain (1882–1973), a neo-Thomist thinker and key figure in the dialogue between faith, culture, and art in the 20th century. 

Appointed ambassador to the Holy See by French President Charles de Gaulle after the Second World War, Maritain lived in Rome from 1945 to 1948. During that time, his friendship with Giovanni Battista Montini (the future Pope Paul VI), whom he had met in Paris in 1924, was strengthened. 

Maritain’s thinking influenced the fundamental concepts underlying the Second Vatican Council, particularly his idea of ​​an “integral humanism” in which Christian faith, human dignity, and artistic expression converge.

Along with his wife, Raïssa Oumansoff, with whom he converted to Catholicism in 1906, Maritain was at the center of an international intellectual elite that included poets, philosophers, artists, and mystics such as Charles Péguy, Léon Bloy, Paul Claudel, Jean Cocteau, and Georges Rouault, the latter considered by Maritain to be one of his closest artistic interpreters.

The exhibition, which is part of the 2025 Jubilee and will be open throughout the summer, commemorates several significant events: the 80th anniversary of Jacques Maritain’s appointment as French ambassador to the Holy See in 1945 and the almost simultaneous founding of the French Institute-St. Louis Center in Rome by Maritain; the 60th anniversary of the closing of the Second Vatican Council in December 1965; and the inauguration of the Modern Religious Art Collection, promoted by Paul VI in June 1973.

For the director of the Vatican Museums, Barbara Jatta, these anniversaries “make clear the wealth of historical inspiration that this project offers to the public from the papal museums.”

The exhibition — through photographs, documents, and paintings that create a dialogue between spirituality, Christian thought, and avant-garde art — traces the spiritual and intellectual bond between the French philosopher and then-Monsignor Giovanni Battista Montini.

“The relationship with the pontiff lasted well beyond the diplomatic experience and was quite intense during the Second Vatican Council, to whose development Maritain’s neo-Thomist thought contributed,” Jatta noted.

The museum director also noted that Maritain and his wife, Raïssa, of Russian origin, formed a highly influential international cultural circle throughout the 20th century, bringing together artists, thinkers, and religious figures. In fact, the couple also gathered together a significant collection of works of art, many of which became part of the initial holdings of the Vatican Museums’ Collection of Modern Religious Art.

“They spent significant time together in the early days of the Vatican Collection, because in addition to reaffirming the uninterrupted and mutual esteem between Montini and Maritain, it underscores how the latter immediately understood the scope of Paul VI’s project, of which the philosopher himself was one of the theoretical driving forces,” Jatta explained.

This project took on a public and official form with the famous address to artists delivered by Paul VI in the Sistine Chapel on May 7, 1964, in which he called for healing the “divorce between the Church and contemporary art.”

Indeed, this request culminated with the opening of the collection on June 23, 1973, “in the historic heart of the Vatican Museums, between the Borgia Apartments with its various rooms leading to the Sistine Chapel.”

The exhibition brings together paintings, drawings, prints, photographs, period volumes, and material objects that document an intense network of friendship and collaboration between thinkers and artists committed to the spiritual renewal of art.

Prominent artists include Maurice Denis, Émile Bernard, Gino Severini (with works for Swiss churches promoted by Cardinal Charles Journet), Georges Rouault (perhaps the artist closest to Maritain), and Marc Chagall, a close friend of Raïssa, whose visual narratives reveal a unique sensibility inspired by Jewish folklore. 

The exhibit also includes works by Henri Matisse, with his famous Vence Chapel, and the American William Congdon, an artist of strong mystical inspiration, known to Maritain in the years leading up to the council.

Also featured is the Dominican priest Marie-Alain Couturier, another great innovator of sacred art in France. His perspective, more progressive and different from Maritain’s, is integrated into the exhibition as a sign of Paul VI’s openness to multiple currents within contemporary Catholic thought.

Curated by Micol Forti, head of the Vatican Museums’ modern and contemporary art collection, the display is located at the heart of the exhibition dedicated to present-day art, between the Raphael Rooms and the Sistine Chapel.

The exhibition is the result of a collaboration between the Vatican Museums and various cultural institutions, including the French Embassy to the Holy See, the French Institute-St. Louis Center, and the Strasbourg National and University Library.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

WASHINGTON – “As your shepherds, your fear echoes in our hearts and we make your pain our own. Count on the commitment of all of us to stand with you in this challenging hour,” said Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), addressing the surge in immigration enforcement actions. He offered a reflection on behalf of the bishops of the United States and acknowledged that while law enforcement actions to preserve order and ensure community security are necessary for the common good, we cannot turn a deaf ear to the anxiety and fear in communities. 

Archbishop Broglio’s reflection follows:

Just before the opening of the special assembly of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, it seems appropriate to give voice to a profound concern in the hearts of the Shepherds of the Church in our Country.

When he spoke to the young people of Chicago this past weekend, Pope Leo XIV reminded us that at the heart of the Christian faith is an invitation to share in the communion of life and love of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, the first community and based completely on love. The Holy Father also challenged us to be a sign of hope by making the world a better place.

Considering Pope Leo’s message, no one can turn a deaf ear to the palpable cries of anxiety and fear heard in communities throughout the country in the wake of a surge in immigration enforcement actions. 

Law enforcement actions aimed at preserving order and ensuring community security are necessary for the common good. However, the current efforts go well beyond those with criminal histories. In the context of a gravely deficient immigration system, the mass arrest and removal of our neighbors, friends and family members on the basis of immigration status alone, particularly in ways that are arbitrary or without due process, represent a profound social crisis before which no person of good will can remain silent. The situation is far from the communion of life and love to which this nation of immigrants should strive. 

The many actions of protest throughout the country reflect the moral sentiments of many Americans that enforcement alone cannot be the solution to addressing our nation’s immigration challenges. While protest and dissent can be a legitimate expression of democratic participation, violence is never acceptable. At the same time, it is good to remember Pope Francis’ admonition that ‘without equal opportunities the different forms of aggression and conflict will find a fertile terrain for growth and eventually explode’ (Evangelii gaudium, 59). 

The chronic lack of opportunities for legal status for our immigrant brothers and sisters, together with the growing denial of due process to them, is injurious to human dignity and is a considerable factor in the breakdown of the rule of law. Likewise, unfounded accusations against Catholic service providers, who every day endeavor to provide critical support and care to the most vulnerable, contribute to societal tensions and a growing climate of fear. 

On behalf of my brother bishops, I want to assure all of those affected by actions which tear at the fabric of our communities of the solidarity of your pastors. As your shepherds, your fear echoes in our hearts and we make your pain our own. Count on the commitment of all of us to stand with you in this challenging hour. 

I acknowledge those in our Catholic service and community organizations working to promote the common good by binding up the wounds of the afflicted. Let those motivated by the urgency of the current moment to work for just and humane solutions to these immigration challenges know of the cooperation and goodwill of the Catholic Bishops of our country.

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Scientific discovery and knowledge are meant to benefit all of humanity, Pope Leo XIV told young astronomers.

"Be generous in sharing what you learn and what you experience, as best you can and however you can," he told them during an audience at the Vatican June 16.

The pope spoke to dozens of young astronomy students and scholars who were taking part in a monthlong summer school sponsored by the Vatican Observatory and held at the observatory's headquarters in Castel Gandolfo, outside of Rome.

The summer program in astronomy and astrophysics, held every two years, accepts a small group of promising university and graduate students, mostly from developing nations, who are specializing in astronomical sciences. 

This year's program was focusing on exploring the universe with data from the James Webb Space Telescope, and the telescope's contributions to the study of the birth of stars, the formation and evolution of galaxies, and the origin of life in planetary systems. 

Speaking to the international group in English, Pope Leo told them to "not hesitate to share the joy and the amazement born of your contemplation of the 'seeds' that, in the words of St. Augustine, God has sown in the harmony of the universe."

"The more joy you share, the more joy you create, and in this way, through your pursuit of knowledge, each of you can contribute to building a more peaceful and just world," he said.

The James Webb telescope is a "truly remarkable instrument," he said. "For the first time, we are able to peer deeply into the atmosphere of exoplanets where life may be developing and study the nebulae where planetary systems themselves are forming" as well as trace "the ancient light of distant galaxies, which speaks of the very beginning of our universe."

"The authors of sacred Scripture, writing so many centuries ago, did not have the benefit of this privilege," the pope said. "Yet their poetic and religious imagination pondered what the moment of creation must have been like," speaking of the newly created stars rejoicing, honoring their creator.

"In our own day, do not the James Webb images also fill us with wonder, and indeed a mysterious joy, as we contemplate their sublime beauty?" he asked the students.

The pope highlighted the generosity of making the space telescope's images available to the general public.

He reminded the students they, too, have been given "the knowledge and training that can enable you to use this amazing instrument in order to expand our knowledge of the cosmos of which we are a tiny but meaningful part." 

"Each of you is part of a much greater community," which includes those who spent the past 30 years working to build the telescope and "develop the scientific ideas that it was designed to test," he said.

"Along with the contribution of your fellow scientists, engineers and mathematicians, it was also with the support of your families and so many of your friends that you have been able to appreciate and take part in this wonderful enterprise, which has enabled us to see the world around us in a new way," he said.

"Never forget, then, that what you are doing is meant to benefit all of us," he added.

WASHINGTON – “We urge the United States and the broader international community to exert every effort to renew a multilateral diplomatic engagement for the attainment of a durable peace between Israel and Iran,” said Bishop A. Elias Zaidan, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace.  

As tension and hostilities between Israel and Iran increase, he urged the U.S government to continue exerting its influence in favor of restraint and dialogue, saying: 

“We urge the United States and the broader international community to exert every effort to renew a multilateral diplomatic engagement for the attainment of a durable peace between Israel and Iran. The further proliferation of nuclear weapons in the Middle East, as well as this escalation of violence, imperils the fragile stability remaining in the region. 

“In the midst of this escalation, Pope Leo XIV has reminded us that ‘It is the duty of all countries to support the cause of peace by initiating paths of reconciliation and promoting solutions that guarantee security and dignity for all.’ I join with Cardinal Dominique Joseph Mathieu, Archbishop of Tehran-Ispahan of the Latins, in his recent exhortation when he said, ‘We pray that peace through dialogue based on a consensus will prevail. May the Holy Spirit guide this process.’ In that same spirit, I call on Catholics and all men and women of goodwill in the United States and around the world to ardently pray for an end to hostilities in the Middle East. May the Prince of Peace move the hearts and illumine the minds of all for the attainment of peace in the region.”  

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WASHINGTON- “I urge all Catholics to engage their elected officials on all issues that threaten the gift of human life, in particular the threat of abortion,” said Bishop Daniel Thomas of Toledo, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities. On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States issued its ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which overturned the Roe v. Wade decision that had legalized abortion in all 50 states. In advance of the anniversary of the Court’s landmark decision, Bishop Thomas encouraged the faithful to advocate for greater protections for preborn children:

“The Dobbs decision not only gave states the freedom to protect preborn children but also paved the way for pro-life victories nationally. The federal government is now closer than ever to defunding Planned Parenthood and other organizations whose abortion profiteering harms women and babies,” Bishop Thomas said.

“At the same time, we know that several states have enacted extreme pro-abortion policies, overriding existing pro-life safeguards, with some states leaving children vulnerable to abortion even up to birth,” Bishop Thomas explained. “Despite the good that Dobbs decision accomplished, the battle for life is far from over.”

Read Bishop Thomas’s full statement here.  

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