Petition to Pope Leo XIV to remove German cardinal gains over 60K signatures

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jun 6, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

Here’s a roundup of Catholic world news from the past week that you might have missed:

Petition to Pope Leo XIV to remove German cardinal gains over 60K signatures 

A petition launched by a Munich priest to Pope Leo XIV calling for the dismissal of Cologne, Germany, archbishop Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki has gained 60,130 signatures, CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner, reported on Wednesday. 

The German-language petition accuses Woelki of moral corruption and argues that he has lost all credibility in the public sphere and the Church at large after investigations of the cardinal were discontinued after the payment of a 26,000-euro (about $29,700) fine. The petition cites the cardinal’s alleged failure to deal with sexual abuse by Church officials as legal basis for dismissal under canon law. 

Attempted suicide bombers killed outside Ugandan Martyrs’ Day memorial event

Ugandan Bishop Christopher Kakooza of the Lugazi Diocese urged pilgrims participating in Martyrs’ Day celebrations on Tuesday to carry on the legacy of the Ugandan martyrs as local authorities intercepted and killed two alleged terrorists, including a female suicide bomber, outside the event.

During his homily at the event, the bishop encouraged the congregation to “endure just like the martyrs who suffered with hope for what was to come.” 

A local news outlet reported that a counterterrorism unit “intercepted and neutralized” a man and a female suicide bomber on a motorbike headed toward the commemorative event after an explosive detonated about midway to the church. 

Kenyan bishop appeals for unity among warring communities after priest’s murder

Bishop Dominic Kimengich of the Kenyan Diocese of Eldoret is urging warring factions in the bandit-infested Kerio Valley to end violence and division following the murder of a local priest, Father Allois Cheruiyot Bett, reported ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa, on Tuesday. 

In a heartfelt plea on the sidelines of the requiem Mass for the priest on Monday, June 2, the bishop appealed for an end to the long decades of violence and division in the territiry. “We speak the same language … So, what are these? Where is the problem?” he said, adding: “Can we not sit down and be serious once and for all?”

Cheruiyot Bett was fatally shot by assailants while returning from Mass at his parish on May 22. 

Patriarch Younan meets Pope Leo XIV, calls for support of Middle East Christians

In their first official meeting, Syriac Catholic Patriarch Ignatius Joseph III Younan met Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican to discuss the plight of Christians in the Middle East, ACI MENA, CNA’s Arabic-language news partner, reported.

Younan shared concerns over emigration, the loss of youth, and the need for continued spiritual and humanitarian support. He highlighted his church’s efforts in pastoral care both in the East and in diaspora communities while calling for deeper ecumenical cooperation, especially with the Syriac Orthodox Church. 

Monastic order appeals for return of seized lands in Mosul

The Antonine Hermizdian Chaldean Order is appealing to Iraqi authorities to return more than 1,400 dunams (346 acres) of land that it claims were unjustly confiscated during Saddam Hussein’s regime, ACI MENA reported. The call comes after a recent government initiative reallocated part of that land for a housing project for Christian returnees — without acknowledging its original monastic ownership. 

The order, led by Abbot Samer Sourisho, says it is willing to donate hundreds of plots of land to Christian families if the full land is restored. Despite multiple legal attempts since 2003 — including a rejected lawsuit in 2012 — the monastic order says the Iraqi state continues to ignore historical land claims. 

Sourisho criticized the local government for “generously giving away what it does not own” and described the situation as emblematic of how past injustices are being entrenched instead of corrected. 

The monks called on the state to recognize their rightful ownership and support the return of displaced Christians by empowering religious institutions, not sidelining them.

Over 10,000 Vietnamese Catholics participate in Marian jubilee pilgrimage 

Over 10,000 Vietnamese Catholics from across the Da Nang Diocese took part in a jubilee pilgrimage to the Marian Shrine of Our Lady of Tra Kieu, according to Agenzia Fides. 

The pilgrimage took place on the solemnity of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, May 31. Archbishop Joseph Dang Duc presided over Mass, which was concelebrated by hundreds of priests. The archbishop described the event as one “of love, faith, commitment, and service, an opportunity to profess one’s faith in the face of the challenges of the present time.”

Source: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/264571/petition-to-pope-leo-xiv-to-remove-german-cardinal-gains-over-60k-signatures