Day: February 10, 2026

9 Leading Candidates For Next Year’s Super Bowl Halftime Show #BabylonBee – Bad Bunny broke down barriers at this year’s Super Bowl by putting on a show that only 15% of the viewing audience could understand, which has people wondering how the NFL will follow it up.
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9 Leading Candidates For Next Year’s Super Bowl Halftime Show #BabylonBee – Bad Bunny broke down barriers at this year’s Super Bowl by putting on a show that only 15% of the viewing audience could understand, which has people wondering how the NFL will follow it up.

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Bad Bunny broke down barriers at this year’s Super Bowl by putting on a show that only 15% of the viewing audience could understand, which has people wondering how the NFL will follow it up.

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Peter Trying To Explain To John The Baptist He Doesn’t Have To Eat Bugs Anymore #BabylonBee – HEAVEN — Old habits from life on Earth seemed to be challenging to break, as reports from Heaven indicated that Saint Peter was seen trying to explain to John the Baptist that he didn’t have to eat bugs anymore.
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Peter Trying To Explain To John The Baptist He Doesn’t Have To Eat Bugs Anymore #BabylonBee – HEAVEN — Old habits from life on Earth seemed to be challenging to break, as reports from Heaven indicated that Saint Peter was seen trying to explain to John the Baptist that he didn’t have to eat bugs anymore.

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HEAVEN — Old habits from life on Earth seemed to be challenging to break, as reports from Heaven indicated that Saint Peter was seen trying to explain to John the Baptist that he didn’t have to eat bugs anymore.

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Picture of the day The main altar of Santa Maria della Pace church in Brescia features the altarpiece Presentation at Temple by Pompeo Batoni. The tympanum sculptures are by Antonio Calegari. Celebrated as Candlemas in some places, this event in the life of Jesus is observed today in much of Eastern and Western Christianity. #ImageOfTheDay
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Picture of the day The main altar of Santa Maria della Pace church in Brescia features the altarpiece Presentation at Temple by Pompeo Batoni. The tympanum sculptures are by Antonio Calegari. Celebrated as Candlemas in some places, this event in the life of Jesus is observed today in much of Eastern and Western Christianity. #ImageOfTheDay

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Picture of the day
The main altar of Santa Maria della Pace church in Brescia features the altarpiece Presentation at Temple by Pompeo Batoni. The tympanum sculptures are by Antonio Calegari. Celebrated as Candlemas in some places, this event in the life of Jesus is observed today in much of Eastern and Western Christianity.
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Prayer for Faith: Prayer of the Day for Wednesday, February 11, 2026 – #Prayer – Lord, I believe: I wish to believe in Thee. Lord, let my faith be full and unreserved, and let it penetrate my thought, my way of judging Divine things and human things. Lord, let my faith be joyful and give peace and gladness to my spirit, and dispose it for prayer with God and conversation with men, so that the inner bliss of its fortunate possession may shine forth in sacred and secular conversation. Lord, let my faith be humble and not presume to be based on the …

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Lord, I believe:
I wish to believe in Thee.
Lord, let my faith be full and unreserved,
and let it penetrate my thought,
my way of judging Divine things and human things.
Lord, let my faith be joyful
and give peace and gladness to my spirit,
and dispose it for prayer with God
and conversation with men,
so that the inner bliss of its fortunate possession
may shine forth in sacred and secular conversation.
Lord, let my faith be humble and not presume
to be based on the …

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Anti‑Zionism claim by Catholic panelist prompts sharp exchange at Religious Liberty Commission – #Catholic – Former Miss California Carrie Prejean Boller, a member of President Donald Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission, said she doesn’t embrace Zionism because of her Catholic faith, despite Catholic teaching that does not oppose Israel as a nation or the Jewish people.“I am a Catholic, and Catholics don’t embrace Zionism,” Boller said at the fifth hearing of the Trump-appointed Religious Liberty Commission focusing on the topic of antisemitism in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 9.Catholic teaching does not explicitly oppose Zionism, the movement supporting Jewish self‑determination in a homeland in Israel. Israel is seen as God’s chosen people through whom God revealed himself and prepared the way for the coming of Jesus Christ. The Catholic Church universally condemns antisemitism. The Church recognizes Israel’s fundamental right to exist.Boller issued several social media posts after the hearing. She wrote: “Forcing people to affirm Zionism on a ‘Religious Liberty’ Commission is the opposite of religious freedom. I will not resign, and I will not be bullied for following my Catholic conscience.”The commission and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.Yeshiva University President Rabbi Ari Berman said at the hearing that while one does not have to support the policies of the Israeli government, “by denying the rights of Jews to have their own state while not saying the same for any other people, that is a double standard hypocrisy and antisemitism.”Both Berman and Yitzchok Frankel, a law student and former defendant in a case against Regents of the University of California over anti-Jewish protests that took place in wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, said “anti-Zionism is antisemitism.”Boller, author of “Still Standing: The Untold Truth of My Fight Against Gossip, Hate, and Political Attacks,” countered that “as a Catholic,” she disagrees with the notion that “the new modern state of Israel has any biblical prophecy meaning at all.” She repeatedly pressed the Jewish panelists on whether her views made her an antisemite before the commission’s chair, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, halted the exchange.Boller told EWTN News that members of the commission asked her to resign a few months ago but that she refused. She also said several members asked to meet with her before the hearing to discourage her from making her planned remarks. “They were seeing what I was going to say in the hearing, trying to silence me,” she said. “I told them I won’t be silenced.”Response from other Catholic membersLater in the hearing, panelist Ryan Anderson, president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, joined the dialogue on Catholic teaching regarding the Jewish people and read passages from both Nostra Aetate and the writings of Pope Benedict XVI.Anderson cited the following passage, which states that while “the Jewish authorities and those who followed their lead pressed for the death of Christ,” it is the case that “what happened in his passion cannot be charged against all the Jews, without distinction, then alive, nor against the Jews of today.” The paragraph further states that the Jewish people should not be regarded as rejected by God “as if this followed from the Holy Scriptures.”Anderson called on Father Thomas Ferguson of Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Alexandria, Virginia, who sits on the panel’s advisory board of religious leaders, to provide further analysis on the Catholic Church’s position on Jewish-Catholic relations.“About the responsibility for the death of Jesus,” Ferguson said, “he’s not dead. He’s alive, he is risen.”The pastor emphasized the Church’s view that Jesus gave up his life freely and sacrificially. He also noted that, in alignment with the passage cited by Anderson from Nostra Aetate, Jesus “made an atonement as an offering for the forgiveness of the sins of every person, every time and place.”“That’s how Catholics understand who is responsible for the death of Jesus on the cross: It’s all of us,” Ferguson said.Ferguson said: “If you are seeking to know God through the Scriptures of the Old Testament and the New Testament,” it is not possible to be Christian and antisemitic, “because we have the same father and faith.” The more Catholics embrace their responsibility to know God through the Scriptures, he said, “the more we will know our common patrimony.”Catholic reaction“Carrie Prejean Boller does not speak for the Catholic Church,” Simone Rizkallah, director of the Coalition of Catholics Against Antisemitism and host of the “Beyond Rome” podcast, which seeks to reconnect Catholics to their roots in the Near East, told EWTN. “Her claim that Catholics do not embrace Zionism is not merely mistaken — it is reckless, historically uninformed, and deeply misleading to both Catholics and the wider public.”Rizkallah pointed out that the recognition of Israel’s right to exist fundamentally amounts to “precisely what Zionism means,” though Catholics themselves may not always be accustomed to using the word formally.“Catholics who affirm Israel’s right to exist and to self-determination — whether or not they personally use the label — are, in essence, affirming that same principle,” she said. “The Church is therefore neither anti-Zionist nor, certainly, antisemitic; she explicitly condemns antisemitism and calls the faithful to reject it in all its forms.”At the same time, Rizkallah emphasized that the Catholic Church does not define Zionism using the same “theological frameworks found in some strands of Protestant Christian Zionism.” Namely, she said, “Catholic theology does not teach that the modern state of Israel represents the direct fulfillment of biblical prophecy or a predetermined eschatological event.” Rizkallah described the Church’s position as “both clear and nuanced,” recognizing the modern state of Israel’s political legitimacy, but not grounding it in prophetic claims.Ultimately, she concluded, “precision matters. When public figures speak carelessly about the Church’s teaching, they do not merely express a personal opinion — they create confusion, distort Catholic doctrine, and undermine serious efforts at Catholic-Jewish understanding. Catholics deserve better than slogans masquerading as theology.”The Religious Liberty Commission has had four previous hearings on protecting religious freedom in the U.S., religious freedom in education, and religious freedom in the military.
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Anti‑Zionism claim by Catholic panelist prompts sharp exchange at Religious Liberty Commission – #Catholic – Former Miss California Carrie Prejean Boller, a member of President Donald Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission, said she doesn’t embrace Zionism because of her Catholic faith, despite Catholic teaching that does not oppose Israel as a nation or the Jewish people.“I am a Catholic, and Catholics don’t embrace Zionism,” Boller said at the fifth hearing of the Trump-appointed Religious Liberty Commission focusing on the topic of antisemitism in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 9.Catholic teaching does not explicitly oppose Zionism, the movement supporting Jewish self‑determination in a homeland in Israel. Israel is seen as God’s chosen people through whom God revealed himself and prepared the way for the coming of Jesus Christ. The Catholic Church universally condemns antisemitism. The Church recognizes Israel’s fundamental right to exist.Boller issued several social media posts after the hearing. She wrote: “Forcing people to affirm Zionism on a ‘Religious Liberty’ Commission is the opposite of religious freedom. I will not resign, and I will not be bullied for following my Catholic conscience.”The commission and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.Yeshiva University President Rabbi Ari Berman said at the hearing that while one does not have to support the policies of the Israeli government, “by denying the rights of Jews to have their own state while not saying the same for any other people, that is a double standard hypocrisy and antisemitism.”Both Berman and Yitzchok Frankel, a law student and former defendant in a case against Regents of the University of California over anti-Jewish protests that took place in wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, said “anti-Zionism is antisemitism.”Boller, author of “Still Standing: The Untold Truth of My Fight Against Gossip, Hate, and Political Attacks,” countered that “as a Catholic,” she disagrees with the notion that “the new modern state of Israel has any biblical prophecy meaning at all.” She repeatedly pressed the Jewish panelists on whether her views made her an antisemite before the commission’s chair, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, halted the exchange.Boller told EWTN News that members of the commission asked her to resign a few months ago but that she refused. She also said several members asked to meet with her before the hearing to discourage her from making her planned remarks. “They were seeing what I was going to say in the hearing, trying to silence me,” she said. “I told them I won’t be silenced.”Response from other Catholic membersLater in the hearing, panelist Ryan Anderson, president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, joined the dialogue on Catholic teaching regarding the Jewish people and read passages from both Nostra Aetate and the writings of Pope Benedict XVI.Anderson cited the following passage, which states that while “the Jewish authorities and those who followed their lead pressed for the death of Christ,” it is the case that “what happened in his passion cannot be charged against all the Jews, without distinction, then alive, nor against the Jews of today.” The paragraph further states that the Jewish people should not be regarded as rejected by God “as if this followed from the Holy Scriptures.”Anderson called on Father Thomas Ferguson of Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Alexandria, Virginia, who sits on the panel’s advisory board of religious leaders, to provide further analysis on the Catholic Church’s position on Jewish-Catholic relations.“About the responsibility for the death of Jesus,” Ferguson said, “he’s not dead. He’s alive, he is risen.”The pastor emphasized the Church’s view that Jesus gave up his life freely and sacrificially. He also noted that, in alignment with the passage cited by Anderson from Nostra Aetate, Jesus “made an atonement as an offering for the forgiveness of the sins of every person, every time and place.”“That’s how Catholics understand who is responsible for the death of Jesus on the cross: It’s all of us,” Ferguson said.Ferguson said: “If you are seeking to know God through the Scriptures of the Old Testament and the New Testament,” it is not possible to be Christian and antisemitic, “because we have the same father and faith.” The more Catholics embrace their responsibility to know God through the Scriptures, he said, “the more we will know our common patrimony.”Catholic reaction“Carrie Prejean Boller does not speak for the Catholic Church,” Simone Rizkallah, director of the Coalition of Catholics Against Antisemitism and host of the “Beyond Rome” podcast, which seeks to reconnect Catholics to their roots in the Near East, told EWTN. “Her claim that Catholics do not embrace Zionism is not merely mistaken — it is reckless, historically uninformed, and deeply misleading to both Catholics and the wider public.”Rizkallah pointed out that the recognition of Israel’s right to exist fundamentally amounts to “precisely what Zionism means,” though Catholics themselves may not always be accustomed to using the word formally.“Catholics who affirm Israel’s right to exist and to self-determination — whether or not they personally use the label — are, in essence, affirming that same principle,” she said. “The Church is therefore neither anti-Zionist nor, certainly, antisemitic; she explicitly condemns antisemitism and calls the faithful to reject it in all its forms.”At the same time, Rizkallah emphasized that the Catholic Church does not define Zionism using the same “theological frameworks found in some strands of Protestant Christian Zionism.” Namely, she said, “Catholic theology does not teach that the modern state of Israel represents the direct fulfillment of biblical prophecy or a predetermined eschatological event.” Rizkallah described the Church’s position as “both clear and nuanced,” recognizing the modern state of Israel’s political legitimacy, but not grounding it in prophetic claims.Ultimately, she concluded, “precision matters. When public figures speak carelessly about the Church’s teaching, they do not merely express a personal opinion — they create confusion, distort Catholic doctrine, and undermine serious efforts at Catholic-Jewish understanding. Catholics deserve better than slogans masquerading as theology.”The Religious Liberty Commission has had four previous hearings on protecting religious freedom in the U.S., religious freedom in education, and religious freedom in the military.

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Catholic teaching does not explicitly oppose Zionism, the movement supporting Jewish self‑determination in a homeland in Israel.

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Gospel and Word of the Day – 11 February 2026 – A reading from the First Book of Kings 1 Kings 10:1-10 The queen of Sheba, having heard of Solomon’s fame, came to test him with subtle questions. She arrived in Jerusalem with a very numerous retinue, and with camels bearing spices, a large amount of gold, and precious stones. She came to Solomon and questioned him on every subject in which she was interested. King Solomon explained everything she asked about, and there remained nothing hidden from him that he could not explain to her. When the queen of Sheba witnessed Solomon’s great wisdom, the palace he had built, the food at his table, the seating of his ministers, the attendance and garb of his waiters, his banquet service, and the burnt offerings he offered in the temple of the LORD, she was breathless. "The report I heard in my country about your deeds and your wisdom is true," she told the king. "Though I did not believe the report until I came and saw with my own eyes, I have discovered that they were not telling me the half. Your wisdom and prosperity surpass the report I heard. Blessed are your men, blessed these servants of yours, who stand before you always and listen to your wisdom. Blessed be the LORD, your God, whom it has pleased to place you on the throne of Israel. In his enduring love for Israel, the LORD has made you king to carry out judgment and justice." Then she gave the king one hundred and twenty gold talents, a very large quantity of spices, and precious stones. Never again did anyone bring such an abundance of spices as the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.From the Gospel according to Mark 7:14-23 Jesus summoned the crowd again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand. Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile.” When he got home away from the crowd his disciples questioned him about the parable. He said to them, “Are even you likewise without understanding? Do you not realize that everything that goes into a person from outside cannot defile, since it enters not the heart but the stomach and passes out into the latrine?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) “But what comes out of the man, that is what defiles him. From within the man, from his heart, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these evils come from within and they defile.”It is not the external things that make us holy or unholy, but the heart which expresses our intentions, our choices and the will to do all for the love of God. External behaviour is the result of what we decide in the heart, and not the contrary: with a change in external behaviour, but not a change of heart, we are not true Christians. The boundary between good and evil does not pass outside of us, but rather within us. We could ask ourselves: where is my heart? Jesus said: “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also”. What is my treasure? Is it Jesus, is it his teaching? If so, then the heart is good. Or is my treasure something else? Thus it is a heart which needs purification and conversion. Without a purified heart, one cannot have truly clean hands and lips which speak sincere words of love (…), of mercy, of forgiveness: only a sincere and purified heart can do this. (Pope Francis, Angelus, 30 August 2015)

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A reading from the First Book of Kings
1 Kings 10:1-10

The queen of Sheba, having heard of Solomon’s fame,
came to test him with subtle questions.
She arrived in Jerusalem with a very numerous retinue,
and with camels bearing spices,
a large amount of gold, and precious stones.
She came to Solomon and questioned him on every subject
in which she was interested.
King Solomon explained everything she asked about,
and there remained nothing hidden from him
that he could not explain to her.

When the queen of Sheba witnessed Solomon’s great wisdom,
the palace he had built, the food at his table,
the seating of his ministers, the attendance and garb of his waiters,
his banquet service,
and the burnt offerings he offered in the temple of the LORD,
she was breathless.
"The report I heard in my country
about your deeds and your wisdom is true," she told the king.
"Though I did not believe the report until I came and saw with my own eyes,
I have discovered that they were not telling me the half.
Your wisdom and prosperity surpass the report I heard.
Blessed are your men, blessed these servants of yours,
who stand before you always and listen to your wisdom.
Blessed be the LORD, your God,
whom it has pleased to place you on the throne of Israel.
In his enduring love for Israel,
the LORD has made you king to carry out judgment and justice."
Then she gave the king one hundred and twenty gold talents,
a very large quantity of spices, and precious stones.
Never again did anyone bring such an abundance of spices
as the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

From the Gospel according to Mark
7:14-23

Jesus summoned the crowd again and said to them,
“Hear me, all of you, and understand.
Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person;
but the things that come out from within are what defile.”

When he got home away from the crowd
his disciples questioned him about the parable.
He said to them,
“Are even you likewise without understanding?
Do you not realize that everything
that goes into a person from outside cannot defile,
since it enters not the heart but the stomach
and passes out into the latrine?”
(Thus he declared all foods clean.)
“But what comes out of the man, that is what defiles him.
From within the man, from his heart,
come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder,
adultery, greed, malice, deceit,
licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly.
All these evils come from within and they defile.”

It is not the external things that make us holy or unholy, but the heart which expresses our intentions, our choices and the will to do all for the love of God. External behaviour is the result of what we decide in the heart, and not the contrary: with a change in external behaviour, but not a change of heart, we are not true Christians. The boundary between good and evil does not pass outside of us, but rather within us. We could ask ourselves: where is my heart? Jesus said: “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also”. What is my treasure? Is it Jesus, is it his teaching? If so, then the heart is good. Or is my treasure something else? Thus it is a heart which needs purification and conversion. Without a purified heart, one cannot have truly clean hands and lips which speak sincere words of love (…), of mercy, of forgiveness: only a sincere and purified heart can do this. (Pope Francis, Angelus, 30 August 2015)

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Catholics’ support for Trump’s agenda has not changed, Pew report says – #Catholic – A Pew Research Center report found that Catholics’ support for President Donald Trump’s agenda has not changed significantly over the past year.The analysis examined how U.S. religious groups view Trump, including his plans and policies and his ethics. It focused on Protestants, Catholics, and religiously unaffiliated adults.The report, “White Evangelicals Remain Among Trump’s Strongest Supporters, but They’re Less Supportive Than a Year Ago,” includes information from a survey of 8,512 U.S. adults who are part of the center’s American Trends Panel (ATP).The survey was conducted Jan. 20–26 and has an overall margin of error of plus or minus 1.4 percentage points.The report found only a slight change from February 2025 to January 2026 in the number of Catholic participants who said they support all or most of Trump’s plans and policies. The percentage of Catholics who are extremely or very confident that President Donald Trump acts ethically in office decreased over the past year, a Feb. 9, 2026, Pew Research Center report finds. | Credit: Courtesy of Pew Research Center In 2025, 51% of white Catholics reported supporting all or most of Trump’s plans and policies, compared with 46% in 2026. The decrease was less among Hispanic Catholics, which was 20% in 2025 and 18% in 2026. Overall, there was an 8-percentage-point decrease in all U.S. adults surveyed, dropping from 35% to 27%.The survey also found that confidence in Trump’s ethics has declined in several religious groups, including among Catholics. In 2025, 39% of white Catholics reported they were extremely or very confident that Trump acts ethically in office. In January 2026, this number dropped to 34%. Hispanic Catholics also experienced a slight decrease from 22% to 14%.According to the report, Trump approval is down among most religious groups compared with a year ago. Among white Catholics, there was a decrease from 59% to 52% who reported they approve of the way Trump is handling his job as president. The number of Hispanic Catholics who approved decreased from 31% to 23%.Other findingsOne year into Trump’s second term, white evangelical Protestants remain among the president’s strongest supporters. They are the only large religious group that was found to have a clear majority approve Trump’s job performance (69%). Roughly half of white Catholics (52%) and white Protestants who are not evangelical (46%) also approve of the way Trump is handling his job. The percentage of Catholics who reported they support all or most of President Donald Trump’s plans and policies decreased over the past year, a Feb. 9, 2026, Pew Research Center report finds. | Credit: Courtesy of Pew Research Center White evangelicals’ views of Trump were found to be less positive than they were in the early days of his second term. There has been an 8-percentage-point decrease since 2025 in the number of white evangelicals who support all or most of Trump’s plans and policies. There has also been a 15-point drop in the share who are confident Trump acts ethically in office.Trump’s approval rating among white evangelicals is also down compared with early 2025. It was 78% in 2025 and fell to 69% in 2026.
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Catholics’ support for Trump’s agenda has not changed, Pew report says – #Catholic – A Pew Research Center report found that Catholics’ support for President Donald Trump’s agenda has not changed significantly over the past year.The analysis examined how U.S. religious groups view Trump, including his plans and policies and his ethics. It focused on Protestants, Catholics, and religiously unaffiliated adults.The report, “White Evangelicals Remain Among Trump’s Strongest Supporters, but They’re Less Supportive Than a Year Ago,” includes information from a survey of 8,512 U.S. adults who are part of the center’s American Trends Panel (ATP).The survey was conducted Jan. 20–26 and has an overall margin of error of plus or minus 1.4 percentage points.The report found only a slight change from February 2025 to January 2026 in the number of Catholic participants who said they support all or most of Trump’s plans and policies. The percentage of Catholics who are extremely or very confident that President Donald Trump acts ethically in office decreased over the past year, a Feb. 9, 2026, Pew Research Center report finds. | Credit: Courtesy of Pew Research Center In 2025, 51% of white Catholics reported supporting all or most of Trump’s plans and policies, compared with 46% in 2026. The decrease was less among Hispanic Catholics, which was 20% in 2025 and 18% in 2026. Overall, there was an 8-percentage-point decrease in all U.S. adults surveyed, dropping from 35% to 27%.The survey also found that confidence in Trump’s ethics has declined in several religious groups, including among Catholics. In 2025, 39% of white Catholics reported they were extremely or very confident that Trump acts ethically in office. In January 2026, this number dropped to 34%. Hispanic Catholics also experienced a slight decrease from 22% to 14%.According to the report, Trump approval is down among most religious groups compared with a year ago. Among white Catholics, there was a decrease from 59% to 52% who reported they approve of the way Trump is handling his job as president. The number of Hispanic Catholics who approved decreased from 31% to 23%.Other findingsOne year into Trump’s second term, white evangelical Protestants remain among the president’s strongest supporters. They are the only large religious group that was found to have a clear majority approve Trump’s job performance (69%). Roughly half of white Catholics (52%) and white Protestants who are not evangelical (46%) also approve of the way Trump is handling his job. The percentage of Catholics who reported they support all or most of President Donald Trump’s plans and policies decreased over the past year, a Feb. 9, 2026, Pew Research Center report finds. | Credit: Courtesy of Pew Research Center White evangelicals’ views of Trump were found to be less positive than they were in the early days of his second term. There has been an 8-percentage-point decrease since 2025 in the number of white evangelicals who support all or most of Trump’s plans and policies. There has also been a 15-point drop in the share who are confident Trump acts ethically in office.Trump’s approval rating among white evangelicals is also down compared with early 2025. It was 78% in 2025 and fell to 69% in 2026.

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A Pew Research Center report examined how U.S. religious groups view President Donald Trump, including his plans and policies and his ethics.

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‘I will not forget you’: Pope Leo’s theme for sixth World Day of Grandparents and Elderly – #Catholic – “I will not forget you” (Isaiah 49:15) is the theme chosen by Pope Leo XIV for the sixth World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly, which this year will take place on Sunday, July 26.According to a Feb. 10 statement from the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family, and Life, the verse chosen by the Holy Father “is meant to emphasize how God’s love for every person never fails, not even in the frailty of old age.”Taken from the book of the prophet Isaiah, the theme also aims to be “a message of comfort and hope for all grandparents and the elderly,” especially those who live alone or feel forgotten.The Vatican dicastery emphasized that it is also an invitation to families and ecclesial communities not to forget the elderly and to recognize in them “a precious presence and a blessing.”World Grandparents’ Day was instituted by Pope Francis in 2021 and is celebrated every fourth Sunday of July. It is an opportunity to show the elderly the closeness of the Church and to value their contribution to families and communities.This year, the date coincides with the feast of Sts. Joachim and Anne, the maternal grandparents of Jesus Christ, on Sunday, July 26, and the Holy Father invited everyone to celebrate the day with a Eucharistic liturgy in the cathedral church of their diocese.The Dicastery for the Laity, the Family, and Life also urged particular Churches and ecclesial communities throughout the world to find ways to celebrate the day in their own local contexts.Pope Leo XIV celebrated his first World Day of Grandparents in July 2025, an occasion on which he encouraged the faithful to participate in the “revolution” of care for the elderly.This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
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‘I will not forget you’: Pope Leo’s theme for sixth World Day of Grandparents and Elderly – #Catholic – “I will not forget you” (Isaiah 49:15) is the theme chosen by Pope Leo XIV for the sixth World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly, which this year will take place on Sunday, July 26.According to a Feb. 10 statement from the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family, and Life, the verse chosen by the Holy Father “is meant to emphasize how God’s love for every person never fails, not even in the frailty of old age.”Taken from the book of the prophet Isaiah, the theme also aims to be “a message of comfort and hope for all grandparents and the elderly,” especially those who live alone or feel forgotten.The Vatican dicastery emphasized that it is also an invitation to families and ecclesial communities not to forget the elderly and to recognize in them “a precious presence and a blessing.”World Grandparents’ Day was instituted by Pope Francis in 2021 and is celebrated every fourth Sunday of July. It is an opportunity to show the elderly the closeness of the Church and to value their contribution to families and communities.This year, the date coincides with the feast of Sts. Joachim and Anne, the maternal grandparents of Jesus Christ, on Sunday, July 26, and the Holy Father invited everyone to celebrate the day with a Eucharistic liturgy in the cathedral church of their diocese.The Dicastery for the Laity, the Family, and Life also urged particular Churches and ecclesial communities throughout the world to find ways to celebrate the day in their own local contexts.Pope Leo XIV celebrated his first World Day of Grandparents in July 2025, an occasion on which he encouraged the faithful to participate in the “revolution” of care for the elderly.This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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“I will not forget you” (Isaiah 49:15) is the theme chosen by Pope Leo XIV for the sixth World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly, which this year will take place on Sunday, July 26.

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Indicted Dem Rep LaMonica McIver Accuses Acting ICE Director of Having Blood on His Hands, Asks Him If He’s Going to Hell (VIDEO) – Indicted Democrat Rep. The post Indicted Dem Rep LaMonica McIver Accuses Acting ICE Director of Having Blood on His Hands, Asks Him If He’s Going to Hell (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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Indicted Dem Rep LaMonica McIver Accuses Acting ICE Director of Having Blood on His Hands, Asks Him If He’s Going to Hell (VIDEO) – Indicted Democrat Rep. The post Indicted Dem Rep LaMonica McIver Accuses Acting ICE Director of Having Blood on His Hands, Asks Him If He’s Going to Hell (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Diverse group of lawmakers engaged in a discussion during a legislative session, with one member presenting documents at the table.

Diverse group of lawmakers engaged in a discussion during a legislative session, with one member presenting documents at the table.

Indicted Democrat Rep.

The post Indicted Dem Rep LaMonica McIver Accuses Acting ICE Director of Having Blood on His Hands, Asks Him If He’s Going to Hell (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Mississippi diocese advances canonization cause of Sister Thea Bowman #Catholic The Diocese of Jackson, Mississippi, this week officially closed its proceedings regarding the potential sainthood of Servant of God Sister Mary Thea Bowman, a Catholic convert whose work during the 20th century helped the U.S. Catholic Church refine its ministry toward Black American Catholics. Jackson Bishop Joseph Kopacz celebrated a Mass on Feb. 9 as part of the closing ceremony of the diocesan phase of Bowman’s cause for canonization. The diocese, which opened Bowman’s cause in 2018, officially sealed the documents and other materials it gathered over the course of that phase; the records will be sent to the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints at the Vatican. “This moment marks an important milestone in the Church’s careful and prayerful discernment of Sister Thea Bowman’s witness to the Gospel,”  Kopacz said prior to the ceremony. “Her life continues to inspire faith, hope, and joy, not only within our diocese but throughout the Church in the United States and beyond,” he said. Born Dec. 29, 1937, in Yazoo City, Mississippi, Bowman — whose grandfather had been born into slavery — converted from Methodism to the Catholic Church when she was 9 years old. She joined the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration at age 15, enrolling at the same time in Viterbo University, which was run by the Franciscan sisters. The school retains its Catholic identity in the present day. While studying at The Catholic University of America — from which she earned a doctorate in English in 1972 — Bowman helped found the National Black Sisters’ Conference. She would go on to teach for years in La Crosse, Wisconsin.She was a major contributor to the development of “Lead Me, Guide Me,” the Black Catholic hymnal first published in 1987. She would eventually become known for her wide-ranging evangelization efforts; theology professor Christopher Pramuk wrote in 2014 that she “awakened a sense of fellowship in people both within and well beyond the Catholic world,” in part because of her “willingness to speak the truth about racial injustice” both in the Church and in society. Addressing the U.S. bishops’ conference in 1989 and reflecting on “what it means to be Black in the Church and in society,” Bowman famously sang several lines from the Negro spiritual “Motherless Child” while declaring: “Jesus told me that the Church is my home.” Regularly invoking laughter and applause from the bishops, Bowman during her talk reflected that the Church “teaches us that the Church is a family of families” and “the family got to stay together.”Bowman died on March 30, 1990, from breast cancer. She was buried at Elmwood Cemetery in Memphis, Tennessee, alongside her parents.
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Mississippi diocese advances canonization cause of Sister Thea Bowman #Catholic The Diocese of Jackson, Mississippi, this week officially closed its proceedings regarding the potential sainthood of Servant of God Sister Mary Thea Bowman, a Catholic convert whose work during the 20th century helped the U.S. Catholic Church refine its ministry toward Black American Catholics. Jackson Bishop Joseph Kopacz celebrated a Mass on Feb. 9 as part of the closing ceremony of the diocesan phase of Bowman’s cause for canonization. The diocese, which opened Bowman’s cause in 2018, officially sealed the documents and other materials it gathered over the course of that phase; the records will be sent to the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints at the Vatican. “This moment marks an important milestone in the Church’s careful and prayerful discernment of Sister Thea Bowman’s witness to the Gospel,”  Kopacz said prior to the ceremony. “Her life continues to inspire faith, hope, and joy, not only within our diocese but throughout the Church in the United States and beyond,” he said. Born Dec. 29, 1937, in Yazoo City, Mississippi, Bowman — whose grandfather had been born into slavery — converted from Methodism to the Catholic Church when she was 9 years old. She joined the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration at age 15, enrolling at the same time in Viterbo University, which was run by the Franciscan sisters. The school retains its Catholic identity in the present day. While studying at The Catholic University of America — from which she earned a doctorate in English in 1972 — Bowman helped found the National Black Sisters’ Conference. She would go on to teach for years in La Crosse, Wisconsin.She was a major contributor to the development of “Lead Me, Guide Me,” the Black Catholic hymnal first published in 1987. She would eventually become known for her wide-ranging evangelization efforts; theology professor Christopher Pramuk wrote in 2014 that she “awakened a sense of fellowship in people both within and well beyond the Catholic world,” in part because of her “willingness to speak the truth about racial injustice” both in the Church and in society. Addressing the U.S. bishops’ conference in 1989 and reflecting on “what it means to be Black in the Church and in society,” Bowman famously sang several lines from the Negro spiritual “Motherless Child” while declaring: “Jesus told me that the Church is my home.” Regularly invoking laughter and applause from the bishops, Bowman during her talk reflected that the Church “teaches us that the Church is a family of families” and “the family got to stay together.”Bowman died on March 30, 1990, from breast cancer. She was buried at Elmwood Cemetery in Memphis, Tennessee, alongside her parents.

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The religious sister worked to advance the U.S. Church’s ministry toward Black Americans.

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Archbishop Lori issues pastoral letter on political life in honor of 250th anniversary of the U.S. #Catholic Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore urged Catholics to foster a political culture grounded in Christ by prioritizing human dignity and genuine encounter amid partisan divisions.“In Charity and Truth: Toward a Renewed Political Culture,” released in anticipation of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, is among the nine pastoral letters and reflections Lori has written as archbishop of Baltimore. The Feb. 9 letter explored how the anniversary can be “a moment of grace” and one of “responsibility.”The U.S. can both take pride in its achievements and “the vibrancy of our Catholic faith” while also recognizing “the fractures, wounds, and crises that mark both our national life and, sadly, even at times our ecclesial life,” Lori wrote.“As our nation approaches the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, we find ourselves invited into a moment of profound reflection and renewal,” Lori said. “Anniversaries are not merely occasions for nostalgia or celebration. Authentic remembrance always orients us toward renewal; it calls us to consider not only who we have been and who we are becoming — but, by God’s grace, who we are called to be.”The letter draws on teachings from the popes, the Second Vatican Council, the Constitution, and the lives of the saints.Addressing political discourse from a Catholic viewThe letter highlighted the U.S. political atmosphere, noting that “political discourse has become more vitriolic than usual.” Lori called for synodal listening, civic virtue, and patriotic charity — as exemplified by Blessed Michael McGivney — to renew public life with truth, responsibility, and hope.McGivney, founder of the Knights of Columbus, served immigrant families and addressed their economic insecurity and exclusion. Lori said genuine charity, unity, fraternity, and patriotic love should guide how Catholics engage with migrants and support their dignity and inclusion. Father Michael McGivney. | Credit: John Tierney/Father McGivney Guild Lori said ideological and cultural polarization “has produced an epidemic of loneliness and isolation — an aching sense of being unmoored, misunderstood, or unheard.”Lori wrote: “Synodality is, at its heart, a commitment to listening with humility, speaking with honesty, and discerning with the Holy Spirit — all while walking together, not apart.”“Such unity does not mean uniformity, nor does it eliminate disagreement,” Lori said. “Rather, it reflects a deeper truth. Our communion in Christ precedes our differences.”Synodality “does not dissolve disagreement. It expects it, because diverse people will inevitably see the world from different angles,” Lori said. The letter detailed what “synodality in politics looks like,” including a renewed willingness to listen, a refusal to demonize, a commitment to discernment, and a shared journey.Our world also needs “a new kind of politics — one that begins not with power but with the truth of the human person revealed in Jesus Christ,” Lori said. “Christ, in his incarnation, affirms the goodness of the human body and the meaning of human history.”According to Lori, this new type of politics includes resisting the idolatry of ideology. It must also honor the inherent dignity of every human life from conception to natural death, protect the vulnerable and the marginalized, engage in dialogue rather than accusation, and place the common good above partisan loyalty.A “mature Catholic political presence will” always defend human life in all its stages, advocate for the poor and the vulnerable, insist on racial and social justice, promote peace and reject violence, and uphold religious freedom for all, Lori said.In order to build a better political culture, “we must learn once more how to encounter, by stepping outside our ideological comfort zones, seeking out conversations with those on the margins or those with differing points of view, healing the wounds that divide us, committing ourselves to forgiveness,” Lori said.Virtue in public lifeLori called on U.S. citizens to employ the cardinal virtues in public life to create a “healthy political engagement.”People can use prudence by “evaluating policies not by slogans or emotional appeal but by their actual impact on human dignity,” Lori said. The virtue “helps us to see clearly, to judge wisely, and to act firmly.”Justice “is foundational to political life,” Lori said. “It is the virtue that moves us to honor the dignity of every human person and to recognize that each person has rights that must be protected and responsibilities that must be fulfilled.”Fortitude “strengthens us to pursue what is right despite fear, intimidation, or difficulty,” Lori said. “It empowers each of us to resist the pressure to conform to divisive rhetoric, to endure criticism when standing for truth, and to advocate for the vulnerable even when it is politically inconvenient.”Lastly, temperance “moderates our impulses and helps us resist the allure of excess,” Lori said. “In political culture, temperance is perhaps the virtue most needed today. Temperance invites us to slow down, to choose words carefully, to avoid rash judgments, and to discipline the desire to ‘win’ at the expense of relationship, truth, or the common good.”RenewalLori called for renewal ahead of the 250th anniversary of the U.S. He invited all Catholics and all people of goodwill to commit themselves to a renewed political culture and to answer the call of hope.The letter concluded by detailing “a path forward” on how to renew political culture, including: renewing prayer for the nation, practicing civil dialogue, rejecting hatred and violence, serving the common good, forming consciences, and encountering those different from oneself.“In the midst of political upheaval, the Church does not withdraw from public life, nor does she align herself with any partisan identity,” Lori said. “She remains what she has always been: a sacrament of unity, a beacon of hope, and a teacher of truth.”“Her mission is not to win elections but to form saints. Not to secure power but to proclaim the Gospel. Not to mirror the divisions of society but to heal them,” Lori said.“Our nation needs Catholics who embody this mission — women and men whose lives witness to the dignity of every human person, whose love bridges divides, whose courage resists hatred, and whose faith insists that despair does not have the final word. The civic landscape may look dark at times, but the Church has lived through darker times and emerged stronger, purified, and more faithful. So, too, can our nation,” he said.
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Archbishop Lori issues pastoral letter on political life in honor of 250th anniversary of the U.S. #Catholic Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore urged Catholics to foster a political culture grounded in Christ by prioritizing human dignity and genuine encounter amid partisan divisions.“In Charity and Truth: Toward a Renewed Political Culture,” released in anticipation of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, is among the nine pastoral letters and reflections Lori has written as archbishop of Baltimore. The Feb. 9 letter explored how the anniversary can be “a moment of grace” and one of “responsibility.”The U.S. can both take pride in its achievements and “the vibrancy of our Catholic faith” while also recognizing “the fractures, wounds, and crises that mark both our national life and, sadly, even at times our ecclesial life,” Lori wrote.“As our nation approaches the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, we find ourselves invited into a moment of profound reflection and renewal,” Lori said. “Anniversaries are not merely occasions for nostalgia or celebration. Authentic remembrance always orients us toward renewal; it calls us to consider not only who we have been and who we are becoming — but, by God’s grace, who we are called to be.”The letter draws on teachings from the popes, the Second Vatican Council, the Constitution, and the lives of the saints.Addressing political discourse from a Catholic viewThe letter highlighted the U.S. political atmosphere, noting that “political discourse has become more vitriolic than usual.” Lori called for synodal listening, civic virtue, and patriotic charity — as exemplified by Blessed Michael McGivney — to renew public life with truth, responsibility, and hope.McGivney, founder of the Knights of Columbus, served immigrant families and addressed their economic insecurity and exclusion. Lori said genuine charity, unity, fraternity, and patriotic love should guide how Catholics engage with migrants and support their dignity and inclusion. Father Michael McGivney. | Credit: John Tierney/Father McGivney Guild Lori said ideological and cultural polarization “has produced an epidemic of loneliness and isolation — an aching sense of being unmoored, misunderstood, or unheard.”Lori wrote: “Synodality is, at its heart, a commitment to listening with humility, speaking with honesty, and discerning with the Holy Spirit — all while walking together, not apart.”“Such unity does not mean uniformity, nor does it eliminate disagreement,” Lori said. “Rather, it reflects a deeper truth. Our communion in Christ precedes our differences.”Synodality “does not dissolve disagreement. It expects it, because diverse people will inevitably see the world from different angles,” Lori said. The letter detailed what “synodality in politics looks like,” including a renewed willingness to listen, a refusal to demonize, a commitment to discernment, and a shared journey.Our world also needs “a new kind of politics — one that begins not with power but with the truth of the human person revealed in Jesus Christ,” Lori said. “Christ, in his incarnation, affirms the goodness of the human body and the meaning of human history.”According to Lori, this new type of politics includes resisting the idolatry of ideology. It must also honor the inherent dignity of every human life from conception to natural death, protect the vulnerable and the marginalized, engage in dialogue rather than accusation, and place the common good above partisan loyalty.A “mature Catholic political presence will” always defend human life in all its stages, advocate for the poor and the vulnerable, insist on racial and social justice, promote peace and reject violence, and uphold religious freedom for all, Lori said.In order to build a better political culture, “we must learn once more how to encounter, by stepping outside our ideological comfort zones, seeking out conversations with those on the margins or those with differing points of view, healing the wounds that divide us, committing ourselves to forgiveness,” Lori said.Virtue in public lifeLori called on U.S. citizens to employ the cardinal virtues in public life to create a “healthy political engagement.”People can use prudence by “evaluating policies not by slogans or emotional appeal but by their actual impact on human dignity,” Lori said. The virtue “helps us to see clearly, to judge wisely, and to act firmly.”Justice “is foundational to political life,” Lori said. “It is the virtue that moves us to honor the dignity of every human person and to recognize that each person has rights that must be protected and responsibilities that must be fulfilled.”Fortitude “strengthens us to pursue what is right despite fear, intimidation, or difficulty,” Lori said. “It empowers each of us to resist the pressure to conform to divisive rhetoric, to endure criticism when standing for truth, and to advocate for the vulnerable even when it is politically inconvenient.”Lastly, temperance “moderates our impulses and helps us resist the allure of excess,” Lori said. “In political culture, temperance is perhaps the virtue most needed today. Temperance invites us to slow down, to choose words carefully, to avoid rash judgments, and to discipline the desire to ‘win’ at the expense of relationship, truth, or the common good.”RenewalLori called for renewal ahead of the 250th anniversary of the U.S. He invited all Catholics and all people of goodwill to commit themselves to a renewed political culture and to answer the call of hope.The letter concluded by detailing “a path forward” on how to renew political culture, including: renewing prayer for the nation, practicing civil dialogue, rejecting hatred and violence, serving the common good, forming consciences, and encountering those different from oneself.“In the midst of political upheaval, the Church does not withdraw from public life, nor does she align herself with any partisan identity,” Lori said. “She remains what she has always been: a sacrament of unity, a beacon of hope, and a teacher of truth.”“Her mission is not to win elections but to form saints. Not to secure power but to proclaim the Gospel. Not to mirror the divisions of society but to heal them,” Lori said.“Our nation needs Catholics who embody this mission — women and men whose lives witness to the dignity of every human person, whose love bridges divides, whose courage resists hatred, and whose faith insists that despair does not have the final word. The civic landscape may look dark at times, but the Church has lived through darker times and emerged stronger, purified, and more faithful. So, too, can our nation,” he said.

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Archbishop William Lori urged Catholics to approach public life with synodal listening and civic virtue, drawing on Blessed Michael McGivney’s example of serving immigrant families.

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Documents Show Epstein Bought 330 GALLONS of Sulfuric Acid in 2018, ON THE SAME DAY the FBI Launched Sex Trafficking Probe on Him – Not a ‘conspiracy theory’ anymore. The post Documents Show Epstein Bought 330 GALLONS of Sulfuric Acid in 2018, ON THE SAME DAY the FBI Launched Sex Trafficking Probe on Him appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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Documents Show Epstein Bought 330 GALLONS of Sulfuric Acid in 2018, ON THE SAME DAY the FBI Launched Sex Trafficking Probe on Him – Not a ‘conspiracy theory’ anymore. The post Documents Show Epstein Bought 330 GALLONS of Sulfuric Acid in 2018, ON THE SAME DAY the FBI Launched Sex Trafficking Probe on Him appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Image of two individuals in a fitness setting, one sitting with a stability ball, while the other leans close, both in athletic attire.

Image of two individuals in a fitness setting, one sitting with a stability ball, while the other leans close, both in athletic attire.

Not a ‘conspiracy theory’ anymore.

The post Documents Show Epstein Bought 330 GALLONS of Sulfuric Acid in 2018, ON THE SAME DAY the FBI Launched Sex Trafficking Probe on Him appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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EWTN+ docuseries ‘Seeking Beauty’ aims to point viewers to the divine through beauty #Catholic EWTN+ recently launched “Seeking Beauty,” a first-of-its-kind adventure documentary series that explores culture, architecture, food, art, and music, and aims to point viewers to the beautiful — and ultimately to the divine.The show’s host, David Henrie, who is best known for his role as Justin Russo on Disney’s “Wizards of Waverly Place,” believes a show like this is needed right now as more and more people are searching for authentic, human experiences.“We live in such a fast-paced society. Things are moving at 24, 30 frames a second. And then AI is on the horizon. We’re just getting inundated with so much,” Henrie told EWTN News on the red carpet at the premiere of the series on Jan. 16. “I think there’s this deep craving for the human, for the real, for the natural.”The Catholic actor explained he believes that in order to provide authentic experiences, “you should go back and revisit cultures who have done beauty in a magnificent way — and there’s always a theological component to it.”He added: “Beauty to me is the language of the divine. It’s a fingerprint of God. And I think it’ll continue to be more and more attractive the more society gets sucked into our devices. I think you’re seeing a big rejection of that, so I think the timing is perfect for a show on beauty.” “Seeking Beauty” is screened during its premiere in Los Angeles on Jan. 16, 2026. | Credit: Grant Whitty Peter Gagnon, president of EWTN Studios, and EWTN CEO Michael Warsaw highlighted EWTN’s desire to offer content portraying beauty through the faith and God’s creation.“EWTN has always wanted to present beauty. God is beautiful. His creation is beautiful, and there are many areas that you can see the divine in beauty,” Gagnon shared. “So this series, when the concept was brought to us, fit in exactly with our new content strategy because it leads the viewer in that journey along with David. It’s not David telling you. You’re journeying with David to find beauty.”Warsaw added: “For us, with all we do at EWTN, it’s really about introducing people to the beauty, the truth, the goodness of our faith as Catholics. So clearly this series about beauty that engages people with understanding, and being exposed to beauty in various forms — through the arts, through music, through culture — all of these things that really the Church has always been a patron of though the centuries and to bring that into this current moment so that people can really develop a deeper relationship with Our Lord, a deeper connection to the faith, a deeper connection to the Church.”Henrie said he hopes viewers will be left “curious about beauty and invite it into your life more.”“I think that even if you have a strong faith, especially growing up in America, beauty is not a part of the conversation. It’s something superfluous, it’s a cost that can be cut, but God never cut beauty,” he said. “Learning about the old world and how they saw beauty will hopefully inspire you to bring it into your soul most importantly.”Gagnon echoed Henrie’s sentiments in that he said he hopes viewers will be led to reflect on what they see in the show and to “not just see the beauty that they’re watching on the screen but to then go back home and to see the beauty around them in their lives, a beauty they may not have seen or not realized it was there, and through seeing that and being inspired by that, be led to the divine.”“Seeking Beauty” is available to watch exclusively on EWTN+, a free digital streaming platform that offers faith-based content. EWTN+ is available on RokuTV, GoogleTV, AppleTV, AmazonFireTV, and on EWTN.com.
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EWTN+ docuseries ‘Seeking Beauty’ aims to point viewers to the divine through beauty #Catholic EWTN+ recently launched “Seeking Beauty,” a first-of-its-kind adventure documentary series that explores culture, architecture, food, art, and music, and aims to point viewers to the beautiful — and ultimately to the divine.The show’s host, David Henrie, who is best known for his role as Justin Russo on Disney’s “Wizards of Waverly Place,” believes a show like this is needed right now as more and more people are searching for authentic, human experiences.“We live in such a fast-paced society. Things are moving at 24, 30 frames a second. And then AI is on the horizon. We’re just getting inundated with so much,” Henrie told EWTN News on the red carpet at the premiere of the series on Jan. 16. “I think there’s this deep craving for the human, for the real, for the natural.”The Catholic actor explained he believes that in order to provide authentic experiences, “you should go back and revisit cultures who have done beauty in a magnificent way — and there’s always a theological component to it.”He added: “Beauty to me is the language of the divine. It’s a fingerprint of God. And I think it’ll continue to be more and more attractive the more society gets sucked into our devices. I think you’re seeing a big rejection of that, so I think the timing is perfect for a show on beauty.” “Seeking Beauty” is screened during its premiere in Los Angeles on Jan. 16, 2026. | Credit: Grant Whitty Peter Gagnon, president of EWTN Studios, and EWTN CEO Michael Warsaw highlighted EWTN’s desire to offer content portraying beauty through the faith and God’s creation.“EWTN has always wanted to present beauty. God is beautiful. His creation is beautiful, and there are many areas that you can see the divine in beauty,” Gagnon shared. “So this series, when the concept was brought to us, fit in exactly with our new content strategy because it leads the viewer in that journey along with David. It’s not David telling you. You’re journeying with David to find beauty.”Warsaw added: “For us, with all we do at EWTN, it’s really about introducing people to the beauty, the truth, the goodness of our faith as Catholics. So clearly this series about beauty that engages people with understanding, and being exposed to beauty in various forms — through the arts, through music, through culture — all of these things that really the Church has always been a patron of though the centuries and to bring that into this current moment so that people can really develop a deeper relationship with Our Lord, a deeper connection to the faith, a deeper connection to the Church.”Henrie said he hopes viewers will be left “curious about beauty and invite it into your life more.”“I think that even if you have a strong faith, especially growing up in America, beauty is not a part of the conversation. It’s something superfluous, it’s a cost that can be cut, but God never cut beauty,” he said. “Learning about the old world and how they saw beauty will hopefully inspire you to bring it into your soul most importantly.”Gagnon echoed Henrie’s sentiments in that he said he hopes viewers will be led to reflect on what they see in the show and to “not just see the beauty that they’re watching on the screen but to then go back home and to see the beauty around them in their lives, a beauty they may not have seen or not realized it was there, and through seeing that and being inspired by that, be led to the divine.”“Seeking Beauty” is available to watch exclusively on EWTN+, a free digital streaming platform that offers faith-based content. EWTN+ is available on RokuTV, GoogleTV, AppleTV, AmazonFireTV, and on EWTN.com.

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The first season of “Seeking Beauty” takes viewers to cities in Italy including Milan, Rome, Florence, Venice, and Vatican City.

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Paterson shares in joy of New York archbishop’s installation #Catholic - Even from a TV studio a block away, Father Cesar Jaramillo could feel the excitement bursting from inside St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City on Feb. 6. That afternoon, Archbishop Ronald A. Hicks was making history during a special Mass in St. Patrick’s, being installed as the 11th archbishop of New York. From a studio in nearby Rockefeller Center, Father Jaramillo, pastor of Holy Spirit Parish in Pequannock, N.J., was filled with emotion as he sat under bright lights providing on-air commentary of the Mass in Spanish for Telemundo 47 TV. Along with the hosts, the priest helped guide viewers through the religious significance of what they were hearing and seeing on the telecast of the bilingual liturgy. Meanwhile, a few faithful representing the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey, including Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney, were feeling the excitement firsthand as Mass participants that Friday afternoon inside St. Patrick’s. Bishop Sweeney helped concelebrate the liturgy. Luisa Fernanda Torres, a St. Patrick’s cantor, led the congregation in singing Spanish and English hymns as lead cantor. Father Jaramillo and Torres became friends years ago in youth ministry at St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Passaic, N.J. “It was a beautiful day. Archbishop Hicks will use his talents and gifts to build on the great work of Cardinal Timothy Dolan [his predecessor] and those before him,” Father Jaramillo told BeaconNJ.org. after the installation Mass. “Archbishop Hicks not only speaks Spanish, but he also relates to the immigrant community in a radical and new way as its new shepherd.” Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Bishop Sweeney, who was originally a priest from the Brooklyn Diocese in New York, was among about 90 cardinals and bishops who processed into St. Patrick’s, also known as “America’s parish church.” A capacity crowd of 2,400 churchgoers, including many non-Catholics and leaders from other faith traditions, filled the cathedral for the installation Mass, which was also broadcast on XPIX 11 TV. “It was a blessing to be able to concelebrate the Installation Mass for Archbishop Hicks. In his beautiful homily, in English and Spanish, he expressed gratitude and also spoke of the need to be a Missionary Church and for each of us to be Missionary Disciples. He also asked everyone to keep him in our prayers,” Bishop Sweeney shared on social media. Also among the participants was Bishop Kurt Burnette of the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic. A year ago, after his 75th birthday, Cardinal Dolan submitted his resignation to the pope as required by canon law. On Dec. 18, Pope Leo accepted his resignation and named Archbishop Hicks, then bishop of Joliet, Illinois, as his successor, according to Our Sunday Visitor (OSV). For two hours on air, Father Jaramillo sought to capture the joy and importance of this blessed moment in the New York Archdiocese. He gave “shout-outs” to Torres during the broadcast. The priest also noted that the inclusion of Spanish hymns, such as “Alma Misionera” (Missionary Soul), shows Archbishop Hicks’ Latin American heart, like our bishop, Bishop Sweeney.” “We all made the Paterson Diocese proud. I was proud of Bishop Sweeney and Luisa, who is one of the best bilingual cantors of sacred music in the area,” said Father Jaramillo, who thinks Telemundo 47 asked him to provide on-air commentary for the Mass because of his canon-law background. He holds a licentiate in canon law from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. Among Father Jaramillo’s favorite moments of the Mass was when Cardinal Dolan and Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the apostolic nuncio to the U.S., escorted Archbishop Hicks to the cathedra, the archbishop’s chair that represents his authority. During the Mass, Cardinal Pierre, with the choir, sang a brief version of “Happy Birthday” to Cardinal Dolan, who turned 76, according to OSV. Father Jaramillo was also moved when the new archbishop reminded New York’s 2.5 million faithful, “I love Jesus. I love the Church.” “As priests, we don’t say that we love Jesus enough. Archbishop Hicks reminded us that we should be more vocal about our intimate friendship with the Lord,” Father Jaramillo said. On social media before the start of the Mass on  Feb. 6, Torres posted that she was “excited and honored” to be singing for the installation. Also before the Mass, Lori DiGaetano, youth ministry coordinator of St. Anthony’s in Passaic, posted on social media, “Way to go, Luisa Fernanda Torres & Fr. Cesar Dario Jaramillo! So proud of you! Thank you & blessings to Cardinal Timothy Dolan for his years of service & love. Blessings upon Archbishop Ronald Hicks as he begins this new ministry to God’s people.” Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney was among those from the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey who participated in the installation Mass of Archbishop Ronald A. Hicks as the 11th archbishop of New York on Feb. 6 in St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Bishop Sweeney captured the following photos with his cell phone during the historic Mass, which were also posted to his social media. [See image gallery at beaconnj.org]
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Paterson shares in joy of New York archbishop’s installation #Catholic – Even from a TV studio a block away, Father Cesar Jaramillo could feel the excitement bursting from inside St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City on Feb. 6. That afternoon, Archbishop Ronald A. Hicks was making history during a special Mass in St. Patrick’s, being installed as the 11th archbishop of New York. From a studio in nearby Rockefeller Center, Father Jaramillo, pastor of Holy Spirit Parish in Pequannock, N.J., was filled with emotion as he sat under bright lights providing on-air commentary of the Mass in Spanish for Telemundo 47 TV. Along with the hosts, the priest helped guide viewers through the religious significance of what they were hearing and seeing on the telecast of the bilingual liturgy. Meanwhile, a few faithful representing the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey, including Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney, were feeling the excitement firsthand as Mass participants that Friday afternoon inside St. Patrick’s. Bishop Sweeney helped concelebrate the liturgy. Luisa Fernanda Torres, a St. Patrick’s cantor, led the congregation in singing Spanish and English hymns as lead cantor. Father Jaramillo and Torres became friends years ago in youth ministry at St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Passaic, N.J. “It was a beautiful day. Archbishop Hicks will use his talents and gifts to build on the great work of Cardinal Timothy Dolan [his predecessor] and those before him,” Father Jaramillo told BeaconNJ.org. after the installation Mass. “Archbishop Hicks not only speaks Spanish, but he also relates to the immigrant community in a radical and new way as its new shepherd.” Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Bishop Sweeney, who was originally a priest from the Brooklyn Diocese in New York, was among about 90 cardinals and bishops who processed into St. Patrick’s, also known as “America’s parish church.” A capacity crowd of 2,400 churchgoers, including many non-Catholics and leaders from other faith traditions, filled the cathedral for the installation Mass, which was also broadcast on XPIX 11 TV. “It was a blessing to be able to concelebrate the Installation Mass for Archbishop Hicks. In his beautiful homily, in English and Spanish, he expressed gratitude and also spoke of the need to be a Missionary Church and for each of us to be Missionary Disciples. He also asked everyone to keep him in our prayers,” Bishop Sweeney shared on social media. Also among the participants was Bishop Kurt Burnette of the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic. A year ago, after his 75th birthday, Cardinal Dolan submitted his resignation to the pope as required by canon law. On Dec. 18, Pope Leo accepted his resignation and named Archbishop Hicks, then bishop of Joliet, Illinois, as his successor, according to Our Sunday Visitor (OSV). For two hours on air, Father Jaramillo sought to capture the joy and importance of this blessed moment in the New York Archdiocese. He gave “shout-outs” to Torres during the broadcast. The priest also noted that the inclusion of Spanish hymns, such as “Alma Misionera” (Missionary Soul), shows Archbishop Hicks’ Latin American heart, like our bishop, Bishop Sweeney.” “We all made the Paterson Diocese proud. I was proud of Bishop Sweeney and Luisa, who is one of the best bilingual cantors of sacred music in the area,” said Father Jaramillo, who thinks Telemundo 47 asked him to provide on-air commentary for the Mass because of his canon-law background. He holds a licentiate in canon law from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. Among Father Jaramillo’s favorite moments of the Mass was when Cardinal Dolan and Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the apostolic nuncio to the U.S., escorted Archbishop Hicks to the cathedra, the archbishop’s chair that represents his authority. During the Mass, Cardinal Pierre, with the choir, sang a brief version of “Happy Birthday” to Cardinal Dolan, who turned 76, according to OSV. Father Jaramillo was also moved when the new archbishop reminded New York’s 2.5 million faithful, “I love Jesus. I love the Church.” “As priests, we don’t say that we love Jesus enough. Archbishop Hicks reminded us that we should be more vocal about our intimate friendship with the Lord,” Father Jaramillo said. On social media before the start of the Mass on  Feb. 6, Torres posted that she was “excited and honored” to be singing for the installation. Also before the Mass, Lori DiGaetano, youth ministry coordinator of St. Anthony’s in Passaic, posted on social media, “Way to go, Luisa Fernanda Torres & Fr. Cesar Dario Jaramillo! So proud of you! Thank you & blessings to Cardinal Timothy Dolan for his years of service & love. Blessings upon Archbishop Ronald Hicks as he begins this new ministry to God’s people.” Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney was among those from the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey who participated in the installation Mass of Archbishop Ronald A. Hicks as the 11th archbishop of New York on Feb. 6 in St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Bishop Sweeney captured the following photos with his cell phone during the historic Mass, which were also posted to his social media. [See image gallery at beaconnj.org]

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Paterson shares in joy of New York archbishop’s installation #Catholic –

Even from a TV studio a block away, Father Cesar Jaramillo could feel the excitement bursting from inside St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City on Feb. 6. That afternoon, Archbishop Ronald A. Hicks was making history during a special Mass in St. Patrick’s, being installed as the 11th archbishop of New York.

From a studio in nearby Rockefeller Center, Father Jaramillo, pastor of Holy Spirit Parish in Pequannock, N.J., was filled with emotion as he sat under bright lights providing on-air commentary of the Mass in Spanish for Telemundo 47 TV. Along with the hosts, the priest helped guide viewers through the religious significance of what they were hearing and seeing on the telecast of the bilingual liturgy.

Meanwhile, a few faithful representing the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey, including Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney, were feeling the excitement firsthand as Mass participants that Friday afternoon inside St. Patrick’s. Bishop Sweeney helped concelebrate the liturgy. Luisa Fernanda Torres, a St. Patrick’s cantor, led the congregation in singing Spanish and English hymns as lead cantor. Father Jaramillo and Torres became friends years ago in youth ministry at St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Passaic, N.J.

“It was a beautiful day. Archbishop Hicks will use his talents and gifts to build on the great work of Cardinal Timothy Dolan [his predecessor] and those before him,” Father Jaramillo told BeaconNJ.org. after the installation Mass. “Archbishop Hicks not only speaks Spanish, but he also relates to the immigrant community in a radical and new way as its new shepherd.”

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

Bishop Sweeney, who was originally a priest from the Brooklyn Diocese in New York, was among about 90 cardinals and bishops who processed into St. Patrick’s, also known as “America’s parish church.” A capacity crowd of 2,400 churchgoers, including many non-Catholics and leaders from other faith traditions, filled the cathedral for the installation Mass, which was also broadcast on XPIX 11 TV.

“It was a blessing to be able to concelebrate the Installation Mass for Archbishop Hicks. In his beautiful homily, in English and Spanish, he expressed gratitude and also spoke of the need to be a Missionary Church and for each of us to be Missionary Disciples. He also asked everyone to keep him in our prayers,” Bishop Sweeney shared on social media.

Also among the participants was Bishop Kurt Burnette of the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic.

A year ago, after his 75th birthday, Cardinal Dolan submitted his resignation to the pope as required by canon law. On Dec. 18, Pope Leo accepted his resignation and named Archbishop Hicks, then bishop of Joliet, Illinois, as his successor, according to Our Sunday Visitor (OSV).

For two hours on air, Father Jaramillo sought to capture the joy and importance of this blessed moment in the New York Archdiocese. He gave “shout-outs” to Torres during the broadcast. The priest also noted that the inclusion of Spanish hymns, such as “Alma Misionera” (Missionary Soul), shows Archbishop Hicks’ Latin American heart, like our bishop, Bishop Sweeney.”

“We all made the Paterson Diocese proud. I was proud of Bishop Sweeney and Luisa, who is one of the best bilingual cantors of sacred music in the area,” said Father Jaramillo, who thinks Telemundo 47 asked him to provide on-air commentary for the Mass because of his canon-law background. He holds a licentiate in canon law from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.

Among Father Jaramillo’s favorite moments of the Mass was when Cardinal Dolan and Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the apostolic nuncio to the U.S., escorted Archbishop Hicks to the cathedra, the archbishop’s chair that represents his authority. During the Mass, Cardinal Pierre, with the choir, sang a brief version of “Happy Birthday” to Cardinal Dolan, who turned 76, according to OSV.

Father Jaramillo was also moved when the new archbishop reminded New York’s 2.5 million faithful, “I love Jesus. I love the Church.”

“As priests, we don’t say that we love Jesus enough. Archbishop Hicks reminded us that we should be more vocal about our intimate friendship with the Lord,” Father Jaramillo said.

On social media before the start of the Mass on  Feb. 6, Torres posted that she was “excited and honored” to be singing for the installation.

Also before the Mass, Lori DiGaetano, youth ministry coordinator of St. Anthony’s in Passaic, posted on social media, “Way to go, Luisa Fernanda Torres & Fr. Cesar Dario Jaramillo! So proud of you! Thank you & blessings to Cardinal Timothy Dolan for his years of service & love. Blessings upon Archbishop Ronald Hicks as he begins this new ministry to God’s people.”

Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney was among those from the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey who participated in the installation Mass of Archbishop Ronald A. Hicks as the 11th archbishop of New York on Feb. 6 in St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Bishop Sweeney captured the following photos with his cell phone during the historic Mass, which were also posted to his social media.

[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]

– Even from a TV studio a block away, Father Cesar Jaramillo could feel the excitement bursting from inside St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City on Feb. 6. That afternoon, Archbishop Ronald A. Hicks was making history during a special Mass in St. Patrick’s, being installed as the 11th archbishop of New York. From a studio in nearby Rockefeller Center, Father Jaramillo, pastor of Holy Spirit Parish in Pequannock, N.J., was filled with emotion as he sat under bright lights providing on-air commentary of the Mass in Spanish for Telemundo 47 TV. Along with the hosts, the priest helped guide

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Blue Origin pauses New Shepard, shoots for the Moon

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Blue Origin announced on Jan. 30, 2026, that it will pause New Shepard flights for at least two years. The company, owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, is instead redirecting resources to lunar spaceflight. New Shepard is a reusable spaceflight system designed for vertical landings. It has completed 38 flights and carried 98 people aboveContinue reading “Blue Origin pauses New Shepard, shoots for the Moon”

The post Blue Origin pauses New Shepard, shoots for the Moon appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

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California Franciscans announce million abuse settlement #Catholic The Franciscan Friars of California have announced a million settlement with alleged abuse victims, with the eight-figure payout coming after the group filed for bankruptcy several years ago. The friars announced in 2024 that they had filed a Chapter 11 petition “to address 94 child sexual abuse claims.” The order said at the time that the dozens of claims came about due to California state laws that “allowed abuse survivors to file decades-old complaints that were otherwise time-barred or expired under the state’s statute of limitations.”In a Feb. 4 filing, the friars said they had agreed to deposit million into a trust for alleged victims of abuse. In a press release, the law firm of Lowenstein Sandler — which has represented the abuse victims in the case — said the settlement is “the culmination of over 13 months of mediation among roughly 15 parties.”The California friars are “the first California-based religious entity to have filed for bankruptcy after the California statute of limitations was revived … to announce a settlement between the debtor and survivors of sexual abuse,” the law firm said. Most accused friars deceased; abuse occurred decades agoThe friars when announcing the bankruptcy said that all of the alleged abuse at issue in the settlement “occurred at least 27 years ago,” with some dating back to the 1940s. “Almost all of” the claims were filed in California, and “most of the friars named in the claims” are deceased.“Of the six living friars, all have been long-removed permanently from all public ministry and ministerial environments and are living under strict third-party supervision,” the friars said at the time. The Chapter 11 filing was “the only viable path to ensuring just, equitable, and compassionate compensation for all abuse survivors,” Father David Gaa, OFM, said in 2024. “A process supervised by the bankruptcy court can resolve a multitude of claims efficiently, in a timely manner, and with equity,” the priest added.The Feb. 4 filing says that the friars will retain ownership of multiple real estate holdings, including the Gibson Mine, a historic copper ore site the Franciscans received as a donation in 1969. The friars engaged in an extensive environmental remediation effort at the mine in the early 2000s.
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California Franciscans announce $20 million abuse settlement #Catholic The Franciscan Friars of California have announced a $20 million settlement with alleged abuse victims, with the eight-figure payout coming after the group filed for bankruptcy several years ago. The friars announced in 2024 that they had filed a Chapter 11 petition “to address 94 child sexual abuse claims.” The order said at the time that the dozens of claims came about due to California state laws that “allowed abuse survivors to file decades-old complaints that were otherwise time-barred or expired under the state’s statute of limitations.”In a Feb. 4 filing, the friars said they had agreed to deposit $20 million into a trust for alleged victims of abuse. In a press release, the law firm of Lowenstein Sandler — which has represented the abuse victims in the case — said the settlement is “the culmination of over 13 months of mediation among roughly 15 parties.”The California friars are “the first California-based religious entity to have filed for bankruptcy after the California statute of limitations was revived … to announce a settlement between the debtor and survivors of sexual abuse,” the law firm said. Most accused friars deceased; abuse occurred decades agoThe friars when announcing the bankruptcy said that all of the alleged abuse at issue in the settlement “occurred at least 27 years ago,” with some dating back to the 1940s. “Almost all of” the claims were filed in California, and “most of the friars named in the claims” are deceased.“Of the six living friars, all have been long-removed permanently from all public ministry and ministerial environments and are living under strict third-party supervision,” the friars said at the time. The Chapter 11 filing was “the only viable path to ensuring just, equitable, and compassionate compensation for all abuse survivors,” Father David Gaa, OFM, said in 2024. “A process supervised by the bankruptcy court can resolve a multitude of claims efficiently, in a timely manner, and with equity,” the priest added.The Feb. 4 filing says that the friars will retain ownership of multiple real estate holdings, including the Gibson Mine, a historic copper ore site the Franciscans received as a donation in 1969. The friars engaged in an extensive environmental remediation effort at the mine in the early 2000s.

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The Franciscan Friars of California announced a bankruptcy filing in 2024 “to address 94 child sexual abuse claims.”

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U.S., Hungarian thought leaders share ethical concerns over mass migration #Catholic “The Crisis of Migration for Families and Nations” was the subject of a Feb. 4 symposium that brought together American and Hungarian thought leaders who share concerns about the phenomenon of mass migration and its impact on the common good of their respective nations. The event coincided with the release of a new paper titled “Migration and Ethics: The Axioms of a Christian Migration Policy” by the Budapest-based Axioma Center, a Christian think tank. The Catholic University of America’s Chad Pecknold (left) endorses the Hungarian think tank’s approach to Christian migration policy. | Credit: Ken Oliver-Méndez/EWTN News The paper, which was endorsed by Chad Pecknold, associate professor of systematic theology at The Catholic University of America, notes that “the Christian perspective on immigration has historically emphasized compassion and solidarity with refugees, along with a welcoming attitude towards foreigners.”However, the paper continues, the Christian perspective on immigration “also calls for a prudent balance between these values and the legitimate responsibility of rulers to protect their people.” In this context, the paper explains, “national security, cultural and moral traditions, the rule of law, public order, and social cohesion are all essential components of what constitutes the common good.” In the face of illegal immigration, the authors assert that “mass deportations may be a legitimate response to mass migration.”At the event, Samuel Samson, a senior adviser at the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, said he does not see large-scale migration as a “moral necessity” but rather the opposite.“It is actually fundamentally disordered and impacts the well-being and the common good of society,” he said. Samson said the Trump administration has sought to “shift the general narrative” about migration to bring this awareness to the fore.In the United States, more than 14% of the population was born outside the country. In the European Union (EU), nearly 10% of the population was born in a country that is not an EU member. The panel was moderated by the America First Policy Institute’s Kristen Ziccarelli (left) and included the participation of Center for Immigration Studies Executive Director Mark Krikorian (right). | Credit: Ken Oliver-Méndez/EWTN News For his part, Heritage Foundation Vice President for Economic and Domestic Policy Roger Severino contended that the United States is not essentially a “nation of immigrants” but “a country of pioneers who took on immigrants who bought into the ethos of the United States.”Addressing the issue of the assimilation of immigrants, Severino, who is Catholic and the son of Colombian immigrants, lamented that the “salad bowl” (as opposed to “melting pot”) concept of immigration encourages “separate independent cultures that, in practice, don’t even end up talking to each other.”Severino also faulted the largesse and abuses of the modern welfare state for not serving the interests of either the nation or immigrants.In his remarks, Pecknold reflected on the corrosion of the understanding of the family and the understanding of the nation. “A nation comes from a commonwealth of families that bring life,” he said.Pecknold said the wealth of nations is not simply the GDP but rather, in Christian terms, has been “providentially given” by God and said the erosion of borders, heritage, language, customs, and religion is an “attempt to deconstruct the very belief of God as the providential provider” of families and nations.Pecknold also contended that mass migration has negative impacts on family for both the immigrants and the native-born population.For migrants, he said “it almost inevitably breaks up the family,” with some leaving their home country and others staying behind or sometimes trying to enter illegally. He said it also hurts the American family by filling the workforce with cheap labor, saying: “You actually are taking jobs away from … young Americans who deserve those jobs.”Pecknold encouraged Christians to take into account the faith’s long tradition on the subject of immigration, citing St. Thomas Aquinas as a prime example. In the Summa Theologiae, Aquinas speaks about the need for assimilation and that danger could otherwise arise if someone who does “not yet having the common good firmly at heart” is given full citizenship.“Christians have to take some of these principles and think outside of the bounds of liberalism,” he said.USCCB approachThe United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has recently raised concerns on immigration that markedly differ from those presented at the Hungarian embassy symposium, particularly when it comes to the Trump administration’s mass deportation program.In November 2025, the bishops voted 216-5 to issue a special message rejecting “the indiscriminate mass deportation of people.” It noted that Scripture commands Christians to care for vulnerable people, including “the stranger,” and said Catholic teaching instructs nations “to recognize the fundamental dignity of all persons, including immigrants.”The Catechism of the Catholic Church instructs prosperous nations “to the extent they are able, to welcome the foreigner.” It also instructs immigrants “to respect with gratitude the material and spiritual heritage of the country that receives them, to obey its laws and to assist in carrying civic burdens.”According to the catechism, political authorities can regulate immigration “for the sake of the common good for which they are responsible.”
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U.S., Hungarian thought leaders share ethical concerns over mass migration #Catholic “The Crisis of Migration for Families and Nations” was the subject of a Feb. 4 symposium that brought together American and Hungarian thought leaders who share concerns about the phenomenon of mass migration and its impact on the common good of their respective nations. The event coincided with the release of a new paper titled “Migration and Ethics: The Axioms of a Christian Migration Policy” by the Budapest-based Axioma Center, a Christian think tank. The Catholic University of America’s Chad Pecknold (left) endorses the Hungarian think tank’s approach to Christian migration policy. | Credit: Ken Oliver-Méndez/EWTN News The paper, which was endorsed by Chad Pecknold, associate professor of systematic theology at The Catholic University of America, notes that “the Christian perspective on immigration has historically emphasized compassion and solidarity with refugees, along with a welcoming attitude towards foreigners.”However, the paper continues, the Christian perspective on immigration “also calls for a prudent balance between these values and the legitimate responsibility of rulers to protect their people.” In this context, the paper explains, “national security, cultural and moral traditions, the rule of law, public order, and social cohesion are all essential components of what constitutes the common good.” In the face of illegal immigration, the authors assert that “mass deportations may be a legitimate response to mass migration.”At the event, Samuel Samson, a senior adviser at the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, said he does not see large-scale migration as a “moral necessity” but rather the opposite.“It is actually fundamentally disordered and impacts the well-being and the common good of society,” he said. Samson said the Trump administration has sought to “shift the general narrative” about migration to bring this awareness to the fore.In the United States, more than 14% of the population was born outside the country. In the European Union (EU), nearly 10% of the population was born in a country that is not an EU member. The panel was moderated by the America First Policy Institute’s Kristen Ziccarelli (left) and included the participation of Center for Immigration Studies Executive Director Mark Krikorian (right). | Credit: Ken Oliver-Méndez/EWTN News For his part, Heritage Foundation Vice President for Economic and Domestic Policy Roger Severino contended that the United States is not essentially a “nation of immigrants” but “a country of pioneers who took on immigrants who bought into the ethos of the United States.”Addressing the issue of the assimilation of immigrants, Severino, who is Catholic and the son of Colombian immigrants, lamented that the “salad bowl” (as opposed to “melting pot”) concept of immigration encourages “separate independent cultures that, in practice, don’t even end up talking to each other.”Severino also faulted the largesse and abuses of the modern welfare state for not serving the interests of either the nation or immigrants.In his remarks, Pecknold reflected on the corrosion of the understanding of the family and the understanding of the nation. “A nation comes from a commonwealth of families that bring life,” he said.Pecknold said the wealth of nations is not simply the GDP but rather, in Christian terms, has been “providentially given” by God and said the erosion of borders, heritage, language, customs, and religion is an “attempt to deconstruct the very belief of God as the providential provider” of families and nations.Pecknold also contended that mass migration has negative impacts on family for both the immigrants and the native-born population.For migrants, he said “it almost inevitably breaks up the family,” with some leaving their home country and others staying behind or sometimes trying to enter illegally. He said it also hurts the American family by filling the workforce with cheap labor, saying: “You actually are taking jobs away from … young Americans who deserve those jobs.”Pecknold encouraged Christians to take into account the faith’s long tradition on the subject of immigration, citing St. Thomas Aquinas as a prime example. In the Summa Theologiae, Aquinas speaks about the need for assimilation and that danger could otherwise arise if someone who does “not yet having the common good firmly at heart” is given full citizenship.“Christians have to take some of these principles and think outside of the bounds of liberalism,” he said.USCCB approachThe United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has recently raised concerns on immigration that markedly differ from those presented at the Hungarian embassy symposium, particularly when it comes to the Trump administration’s mass deportation program.In November 2025, the bishops voted 216-5 to issue a special message rejecting “the indiscriminate mass deportation of people.” It noted that Scripture commands Christians to care for vulnerable people, including “the stranger,” and said Catholic teaching instructs nations “to recognize the fundamental dignity of all persons, including immigrants.”The Catechism of the Catholic Church instructs prosperous nations “to the extent they are able, to welcome the foreigner.” It also instructs immigrants “to respect with gratitude the material and spiritual heritage of the country that receives them, to obey its laws and to assist in carrying civic burdens.”According to the catechism, political authorities can regulate immigration “for the sake of the common good for which they are responsible.”

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A Hungarian think tank’s new paper “Migration and Ethics: The Axioms of a Christian Migration Policy” prompts a meeting of the minds.

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