Religious quotes and news – March 22, 2026
Snippets of religious statements and highlights of events from around the world
Service to the common good
Christian entrepreneurs’ responsibility was the theme of Pope Leo’s message to the French Movement of Christian Entrepreneurs and Leaders:
“The vocation of the Christian leader should be understood as a service to the common good and the integral development of the person. Economic activity cannot be limited to the mere management of resources or the simple pursuit of profit. Businesses and the economy, when faithful to their truest vocation, cannot be seen merely as instruments of production or accumulation.
“Christian leaders are thus called to promote an economy that combines efficiency with humanity, offering young people not only jobs but also paths for growth, training, and responsible participation, capable of generating authentically human development.”
Surrogacy is exploitative
Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, now apostolic nuncio to the US, spoke of surrogacy’s exploitative nature at a UN event:
“Stories of the rich and famous commissioning surrogates are common, whereas stories of wealthy women serving as surrogates are rare.
“By transforming gestation into a negotiable service, [surrogacy] violates the dignity both of the child, who is reduced to a ‘product’, and of the mother, exploiting her body and the generative process, and distorting the original relational calling of the family.”
Human and divine justice
Pope Leo and Cardinal Pietro Parolin spoke during the inauguration of the judicial year of the Tribunal of the Vatican.
The pope said “justice in the Church is not merely a technical application of the law, but a ministry in the service of the People of God. It requires not only legal expertise, but also wisdom, balance and a constant search for truth in charity.”
Parolin said “God’s justice becomes care, love, salvation, and forgiveness for the repentant sinner – a grace from which, conversely, the one who arrogantly deems himself in no need of any correction remains excluded.”
(Compiled by Fr Joe Borg)