Day: June 3, 2026

Gospel and Word of the Day – 04 June 2026 – A reading from the Book of Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14b-16a Moses said to the people: "Remember how for forty years now the LORD, your God, has directed all your journeying in the desert, so as to test you by affliction and find out whether or not it was your intention to keep his commandments.  He therefore let you be afflicted with hunger, and then fed you with manna, a food unknown to you and your fathers, in order to show you that not by bread alone does one live, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of the LORD. "Do not forget the LORD, your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery; who guided you through the vast and terrible desert with its saraph serpents and scorpions, its parched and waterless ground; who brought forth water for you from the flinty rock and fed you in the desert with manna, a food unknown to your fathers."   A reading from the First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians  10:16-17 Brothers and sisters: The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because the loaf of bread is one, we, though many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.  From the Gospel according to John 6:51-58 Jesus said to the Jewish crowds: "I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world." The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"  Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.  Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.  For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.  Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.  Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me.  This is the bread that came down from heaven.  Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever."Christ is God’s answer to our human hunger, because his Body is the bread of eternal life: Take this and eat of it, all of you! Jesus’ invitation reflects our daily experience: in order to remain alive, we need to nourish ourselves with life, drawing it from plants and animals. Yet eating something dead reminds us that we too, no matter how much we eat, will one day die. On the other hand, when we partake of Jesus, the living and true Bread, we live for him. By offering himself completely, the crucified and risen Lord delivers himself into our hands, and we realize that we were made to partake of God. Our hungry nature bears the mark of a need that is satisfied by the grace of the Eucharist. As Saint Augustine writes, Christ is truly bread that restores and does not run short; bread that can be eaten but not exhausted. The Eucharist, in fact, is the true, real, and substantial presence of the Saviour (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1413), who transforms bread into himself in order to transform us into himself. Living and life-giving, the Corpus Domini makes us, the Church herself, the Body of the Lord. (Pope Leo XIV, Homily, 22 June 2025)

unitedyam

A reading from the Book of Deuteronomy
8:2-3, 14b-16a

Moses said to the people:
"Remember how for forty years now the LORD, your God,
has directed all your journeying in the desert,
so as to test you by affliction
and find out whether or not it was your intention
to keep his commandments. 
He therefore let you be afflicted with hunger,
and then fed you with manna,
a food unknown to you and your fathers,
in order to show you that not by bread alone does one live,
but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of the LORD.

"Do not forget the LORD, your God,
who brought you out of the land of Egypt,
that place of slavery;
who guided you through the vast and terrible desert
with its saraph serpents and scorpions,
its parched and waterless ground;
who brought forth water for you from the flinty rock
and fed you in the desert with manna,
a food unknown to your fathers."

 

A reading from the First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians 
10:16-17

Brothers and sisters:
The cup of blessing that we bless,
is it not a participation in the blood of Christ?
The bread that we break,
is it not a participation in the body of Christ?
Because the loaf of bread is one,
we, though many, are one body,
for we all partake of the one loaf.
 

From the Gospel according to John
6:51-58

Jesus said to the Jewish crowds:
"I am the living bread that came down from heaven;
whoever eats this bread will live forever;
and the bread that I will give
is my flesh for the life of the world."

The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying,
"How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" 
Jesus said to them,
"Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood,
you do not have life within you. 
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
has eternal life,
and I will raise him on the last day. 
For my flesh is true food,
and my blood is true drink. 
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
remains in me and I in him. 
Just as the living Father sent me
and I have life because of the Father,
so also the one who feeds on me
will have life because of me. 
This is the bread that came down from heaven. 
Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died,
whoever eats this bread will live forever."

Christ is God’s answer to our human hunger, because his Body is the bread of eternal life: Take this and eat of it, all of you! Jesus’ invitation reflects our daily experience: in order to remain alive, we need to nourish ourselves with life, drawing it from plants and animals. Yet eating something dead reminds us that we too, no matter how much we eat, will one day die. On the other hand, when we partake of Jesus, the living and true Bread, we live for him. By offering himself completely, the crucified and risen Lord delivers himself into our hands, and we realize that we were made to partake of God. Our hungry nature bears the mark of a need that is satisfied by the grace of the Eucharist. As Saint Augustine writes, Christ is truly bread that restores and does not run short; bread that can be eaten but not exhausted. The Eucharist, in fact, is the true, real, and substantial presence of the Saviour (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1413), who transforms bread into himself in order to transform us into himself. Living and life-giving, the Corpus Domini makes us, the Church herself, the Body of the Lord. (Pope Leo XIV, Homily, 22 June 2025)

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Safe environment, sainthood causes and Sacred Heart on agenda for US bishops’ meeting #Catholic – (OSV News) — The nation’s Catholic bishops have a full agenda for their annual spring meeting, with topics including safe environment protocols, sainthood causes, the Synod on Synodality and the consecration of the U.S. to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops will gather June 10-12 for a spring plenary assembly in Orlando, Florida. The public sessions of the meeting, which will take place June 10 and 11, will be livestreamed through the USCCB’s website at usccb.org, according to a May 18 press release issued by the conference. Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City will open the public sessions with his first address as USCCB president, having been elected during the conference’s annual fall meeting in November 2025. Also addressing the bishops will be Archbishop Gabriele G. Caccia, who was appointed as papal nuncio to the U.S. in March, having previously served as the Holy See’s permanent observer to the United Nations. Archbishop Caccia succeeded Cardinal Christophe Pierre, who turned 80 in January and had served in the post since 2016. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. The USCCB noted in its release that the agenda for the June assembly “has not yet been finalized and is subject to change,” but stated that votes are expected on several action items. Among those items are a revision to the USCCB’s “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People,” adopted in 2002 as a number of clerical abuse scandals emerged. Commonly called the Dallas Charter, the document lays out a comprehensive set of procedures for addressing allegations of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy, and includes guidelines for reconciliation, healing, accountability and prevention of abuse. Without specifying the proposed revision, the USCCB said in its release that the agenda item regards “elements of the Charter that the bishops have determined are in need of improvement or further development.” The revision would “align with the Charter’s original intention of safeguarding minors,” while affirming the USCCB’s “continued commitment” to preventing abuse and providing mechanisms to respond to allegations, said the release. The USCCB said its Committee for the Protection of Children and Young People — which is chaired by Bishop Barry C. Knestout of Richmond, Virginia — seeks “to balance its care of and sensitivity to victim-survivors, with an awareness of due-process, the rights of the accused,” and “pertinent aspects” of canon law and other key documents on handling clergy abuse allegations. The press release cited in particular “Vox Estis Lux Mundi” (“You are the light of the world”), Pope Francis’ motu proprio outlining global legal procedures for how the church should deal with clergy sexual abuse, including incidents involving vulnerable adults and procedures for investigating bishops. In addition, the bishops will consider the potential charter revisions in light of the Vatican Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith’s June 2022 Vademecum, or guidebook for bishops, on procedures for handling clergy abuse cases. Also on the agenda are episcopal consultations for two canonization causes: that of Msgr. Joseph Francis Buh, a 19th-century Slovenian missionary priest who ministered to the Ojibwe people of northern Minnesota; and John Rick Miller, a 20th-century American businessman who founded For the Love of God Worldwide, a private association of the faithful promoting consecration to God through the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The consultations are part of the Church’s established process for sainthood evaluations. If approval of the Holy See is obtained following the consultations, the diocesan bishop can convene a diocesan tribunal to examine more fully the life of the candidate. The USCCB Committee on Divine Worship will round out the agenda’s action items, presenting portions from two texts for consideration: a new edition of the Lectionary for Mass, which provides the Scripture readings and psalm for each day’s liturgy; and the 2025 Roman Missal-Liturgy of the Hours Supplement. At the USCCB’s November meeting, Bishop Steven J. Lopes, chair of the Committee on Divine Worship, announced that the Vatican had approved a new edition of the Liturgy of the Hours, the Church’s ancient daily liturgical prayer that blends Scripture, sacred texts and hymns for worship at various hours. The spring assembly will also include updates on a number of additional issues, said the USCCB in its release. The bishops will discuss the implementation and evaluation of the Synod on Synodality, as well as feedback from their November dialogues on “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship,” the USCCB’s teaching document on the political responsibility of Catholics. In addition, they will explore the 25th anniversary of the implementation of “Ex Corde Ecclesia,” St. John Paul II’s apostolic constitution on Catholic universities. Discussions will also examine Catholic prison ministry; the USCCB’s involvement with the Intercontinental Guadalupan Novena honoring the 500th anniversary of the Marian apparitions in what is now Mexico City; and World Youth Day 2027, which will take place in Seoul, South Korea. Gina Christian is a multimedia reporter for OSV News. Follow her on X @GinaJesseReina.  
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Safe environment, sainthood causes and Sacred Heart on agenda for US bishops’ meeting #Catholic – (OSV News) — The nation’s Catholic bishops have a full agenda for their annual spring meeting, with topics including safe environment protocols, sainthood causes, the Synod on Synodality and the consecration of the U.S. to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops will gather June 10-12 for a spring plenary assembly in Orlando, Florida. The public sessions of the meeting, which will take place June 10 and 11, will be livestreamed through the USCCB’s website at usccb.org, according to a May 18 press release issued by the conference. Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City will open the public sessions with his first address as USCCB president, having been elected during the conference’s annual fall meeting in November 2025. Also addressing the bishops will be Archbishop Gabriele G. Caccia, who was appointed as papal nuncio to the U.S. in March, having previously served as the Holy See’s permanent observer to the United Nations. Archbishop Caccia succeeded Cardinal Christophe Pierre, who turned 80 in January and had served in the post since 2016. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. The USCCB noted in its release that the agenda for the June assembly “has not yet been finalized and is subject to change,” but stated that votes are expected on several action items. Among those items are a revision to the USCCB’s “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People,” adopted in 2002 as a number of clerical abuse scandals emerged. Commonly called the Dallas Charter, the document lays out a comprehensive set of procedures for addressing allegations of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy, and includes guidelines for reconciliation, healing, accountability and prevention of abuse. Without specifying the proposed revision, the USCCB said in its release that the agenda item regards “elements of the Charter that the bishops have determined are in need of improvement or further development.” The revision would “align with the Charter’s original intention of safeguarding minors,” while affirming the USCCB’s “continued commitment” to preventing abuse and providing mechanisms to respond to allegations, said the release. The USCCB said its Committee for the Protection of Children and Young People — which is chaired by Bishop Barry C. Knestout of Richmond, Virginia — seeks “to balance its care of and sensitivity to victim-survivors, with an awareness of due-process, the rights of the accused,” and “pertinent aspects” of canon law and other key documents on handling clergy abuse allegations. The press release cited in particular “Vox Estis Lux Mundi” (“You are the light of the world”), Pope Francis’ motu proprio outlining global legal procedures for how the church should deal with clergy sexual abuse, including incidents involving vulnerable adults and procedures for investigating bishops. In addition, the bishops will consider the potential charter revisions in light of the Vatican Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith’s June 2022 Vademecum, or guidebook for bishops, on procedures for handling clergy abuse cases. Also on the agenda are episcopal consultations for two canonization causes: that of Msgr. Joseph Francis Buh, a 19th-century Slovenian missionary priest who ministered to the Ojibwe people of northern Minnesota; and John Rick Miller, a 20th-century American businessman who founded For the Love of God Worldwide, a private association of the faithful promoting consecration to God through the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The consultations are part of the Church’s established process for sainthood evaluations. If approval of the Holy See is obtained following the consultations, the diocesan bishop can convene a diocesan tribunal to examine more fully the life of the candidate. The USCCB Committee on Divine Worship will round out the agenda’s action items, presenting portions from two texts for consideration: a new edition of the Lectionary for Mass, which provides the Scripture readings and psalm for each day’s liturgy; and the 2025 Roman Missal-Liturgy of the Hours Supplement. At the USCCB’s November meeting, Bishop Steven J. Lopes, chair of the Committee on Divine Worship, announced that the Vatican had approved a new edition of the Liturgy of the Hours, the Church’s ancient daily liturgical prayer that blends Scripture, sacred texts and hymns for worship at various hours. The spring assembly will also include updates on a number of additional issues, said the USCCB in its release. The bishops will discuss the implementation and evaluation of the Synod on Synodality, as well as feedback from their November dialogues on “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship,” the USCCB’s teaching document on the political responsibility of Catholics. In addition, they will explore the 25th anniversary of the implementation of “Ex Corde Ecclesia,” St. John Paul II’s apostolic constitution on Catholic universities. Discussions will also examine Catholic prison ministry; the USCCB’s involvement with the Intercontinental Guadalupan Novena honoring the 500th anniversary of the Marian apparitions in what is now Mexico City; and World Youth Day 2027, which will take place in Seoul, South Korea. Gina Christian is a multimedia reporter for OSV News. Follow her on X @GinaJesseReina.  

unitedyam

Safe environment, sainthood causes and Sacred Heart on agenda for US bishops’ meeting #Catholic –

(OSV News) — The nation’s Catholic bishops have a full agenda for their annual spring meeting, with topics including safe environment protocols, sainthood causes, the Synod on Synodality and the consecration of the U.S. to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops will gather June 10-12 for a spring plenary assembly in Orlando, Florida.

The public sessions of the meeting, which will take place June 10 and 11, will be livestreamed through the USCCB’s website at usccb.org, according to a May 18 press release issued by the conference.

Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City will open the public sessions with his first address as USCCB president, having been elected during the conference’s annual fall meeting in November 2025.

Also addressing the bishops will be Archbishop Gabriele G. Caccia, who was appointed as papal nuncio to the U.S. in March, having previously served as the Holy See’s permanent observer to the United Nations. Archbishop Caccia succeeded Cardinal Christophe Pierre, who turned 80 in January and had served in the post since 2016.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

The USCCB noted in its release that the agenda for the June assembly “has not yet been finalized and is subject to change,” but stated that votes are expected on several action items.

Among those items are a revision to the USCCB’s “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People,” adopted in 2002 as a number of clerical abuse scandals emerged. Commonly called the Dallas Charter, the document lays out a comprehensive set of procedures for addressing allegations of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy, and includes guidelines for reconciliation, healing, accountability and prevention of abuse.

Without specifying the proposed revision, the USCCB said in its release that the agenda item regards “elements of the Charter that the bishops have determined are in need of improvement or further development.”

The revision would “align with the Charter’s original intention of safeguarding minors,” while affirming the USCCB’s “continued commitment” to preventing abuse and providing mechanisms to respond to allegations, said the release.

The USCCB said its Committee for the Protection of Children and Young People — which is chaired by Bishop Barry C. Knestout of Richmond, Virginia — seeks “to balance its care of and sensitivity to victim-survivors, with an awareness of due-process, the rights of the accused,” and “pertinent aspects” of canon law and other key documents on handling clergy abuse allegations.

The press release cited in particular “Vox Estis Lux Mundi” (“You are the light of the world”), Pope Francis’ motu proprio outlining global legal procedures for how the church should deal with clergy sexual abuse, including incidents involving vulnerable adults and procedures for investigating bishops.

In addition, the bishops will consider the potential charter revisions in light of the Vatican Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith’s June 2022 Vademecum, or guidebook for bishops, on procedures for handling clergy abuse cases.

Also on the agenda are episcopal consultations for two canonization causes: that of Msgr. Joseph Francis Buh, a 19th-century Slovenian missionary priest who ministered to the Ojibwe people of northern Minnesota; and John Rick Miller, a 20th-century American businessman who founded For the Love of God Worldwide, a private association of the faithful promoting consecration to God through the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

The consultations are part of the Church’s established process for sainthood evaluations. If approval of the Holy See is obtained following the consultations, the diocesan bishop can convene a diocesan tribunal to examine more fully the life of the candidate.

The USCCB Committee on Divine Worship will round out the agenda’s action items, presenting portions from two texts for consideration: a new edition of the Lectionary for Mass, which provides the Scripture readings and psalm for each day’s liturgy; and the 2025 Roman Missal-Liturgy of the Hours Supplement.

At the USCCB’s November meeting, Bishop Steven J. Lopes, chair of the Committee on Divine Worship, announced that the Vatican had approved a new edition of the Liturgy of the Hours, the Church’s ancient daily liturgical prayer that blends Scripture, sacred texts and hymns for worship at various hours.

The spring assembly will also include updates on a number of additional issues, said the USCCB in its release.

The bishops will discuss the implementation and evaluation of the Synod on Synodality, as well as feedback from their November dialogues on “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship,” the USCCB’s teaching document on the political responsibility of Catholics.

In addition, they will explore the 25th anniversary of the implementation of “Ex Corde Ecclesia,” St. John Paul II’s apostolic constitution on Catholic universities.

Discussions will also examine Catholic prison ministry; the USCCB’s involvement with the Intercontinental Guadalupan Novena honoring the 500th anniversary of the Marian apparitions in what is now Mexico City; and World Youth Day 2027, which will take place in Seoul, South Korea.

Gina Christian is a multimedia reporter for OSV News. Follow her on X @GinaJesseReina.

 

– (OSV News) — The nation’s Catholic bishops have a full agenda for their annual spring meeting, with topics including safe environment protocols, sainthood causes, the Synod on Synodality and the consecration of the U.S. to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops will gather June 10-12 for a spring plenary assembly in Orlando, Florida. The public sessions of the meeting, which will take place June 10 and 11, will be livestreamed through the USCCB’s website at usccb.org, according to a May 18 press release issued by the conference. Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City will

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Rosary service brings ‘prayerful, peaceful presence’ to NJ immigrant detention facility #Catholic – NEWARK, N.J. (OSV News) — In response to rising tensions at the Delaney Hall immigrant detention facility in Newark, the Archdiocese of Newark held a prayer service about half a mile from its entrance. Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin attended the May 31 service, which included a bilingual rosary and testimony from a family whose loved one has been detained inside the facility for the past two months. “As we saw the violence escalate at Delaney Hall since Memorial Day, the archdiocese wanted to have a prayerful, peaceful presence there,” Father Timothy Graff, archdiocesan secretary of parish mission and vitality, told Jersey Catholic, the news site of the Archdiocese of Newark. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. He was among those participating in the service, along with Father Alex Gaitan, immigration ministry coordinator, and Father Anthony Palombo, priest secretary to the cardinal. Representatives from various parish migration teams also attended the service, along with members of Pax Christi, an organization dedicated to promoting peace and justice. Family members of detainees and protesters were also present; many of them joined in the prayer service. Cardinal Tobin addressed all those gathered “with great humility,” acknowledging those who “give such a clear witness to the dignity of our brothers and sisters and the injustices that are being done to them.” He encouraged people to “move forward in hope” and to follow the example of Christ. “The greatness of Jesus is that terrible injustice and violence were done to him, yet he refused to pass it on, saying ‘The injustice will die with me,’” the cardinal said. “That is the example I want to follow, and I hope you do, too, so that we don’t multiply the injustices in our anger and frustration, and, yes, even despair.” During the rosary, participants prayed for detainees and their families, for peace, and for those who work at the facility, that they might recognize the humanity of those held there. Delaney Hall, a privately run, 1,000-bed facility, opened in May 2025. It is the largest immigrant detention facility on the East Coast and is operated by the GEO Group under contract for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Anti-ICE protests outside the facility have taken place since May 22 over alleged mistreatment of detainees, poor conditions and bad food, while Geo Group has denied the allegations of poor conditions. A smaller group of pro-ICE demonstrators has also gathered. A local NBC affiliate reported that Newark Mayor Ras Baraka ordered a 9 p.m.-6 a.m. curfew late Saturday night, May 30, “following back-to-back nights of clashes” between anti-ICE protesters and New Jersey State Police, recently assigned to the facility by Gov. Mikie Sherrill. Multiple people were arrested over the May 30-31 weekend for breaching the curfew. While saying she wants to protect the community from a “surge” by ICE agents into the community, Sherrill in a statement issued early May 31 called out “masked individuals” outside Delaney Hall for attacking the barrier in the protected protest area and “aggressive and dangerous actions against Newark and New Jersey State Police, including throwing projectiles, utilizing the barriers as weapons, and lighting tires on fire in the street. Father Gaitan and volunteers from the Newark archdiocesan immigration ministry visit the facility regularly to administer sacraments, lead prayer services, and offer hope to those cut off from their families and the outside world. In an interview after the rosary with Radio Jornalera NJ, Cardinal Tobin encouraged detainees and their families to have hope. “Human dignity is not a concession granted by any government; it is the will of God, who created us according to his own image and nature,” he said. “And for that reason, no government can take away our dignity. Remain strong and hold your heads high, because you are daughters and sons of God, and you do not walk alone.” John Touhey is managing editor and Shania Mosquera is digital media specialist at Jersey Catholic, the news site of the Archdiocese of Newark. This story was originally published by Jersey Catholic and distributed through a partnership with OSV News.  
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Rosary service brings ‘prayerful, peaceful presence’ to NJ immigrant detention facility #Catholic – NEWARK, N.J. (OSV News) — In response to rising tensions at the Delaney Hall immigrant detention facility in Newark, the Archdiocese of Newark held a prayer service about half a mile from its entrance. Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin attended the May 31 service, which included a bilingual rosary and testimony from a family whose loved one has been detained inside the facility for the past two months. “As we saw the violence escalate at Delaney Hall since Memorial Day, the archdiocese wanted to have a prayerful, peaceful presence there,” Father Timothy Graff, archdiocesan secretary of parish mission and vitality, told Jersey Catholic, the news site of the Archdiocese of Newark. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. He was among those participating in the service, along with Father Alex Gaitan, immigration ministry coordinator, and Father Anthony Palombo, priest secretary to the cardinal. Representatives from various parish migration teams also attended the service, along with members of Pax Christi, an organization dedicated to promoting peace and justice. Family members of detainees and protesters were also present; many of them joined in the prayer service. Cardinal Tobin addressed all those gathered “with great humility,” acknowledging those who “give such a clear witness to the dignity of our brothers and sisters and the injustices that are being done to them.” He encouraged people to “move forward in hope” and to follow the example of Christ. “The greatness of Jesus is that terrible injustice and violence were done to him, yet he refused to pass it on, saying ‘The injustice will die with me,’” the cardinal said. “That is the example I want to follow, and I hope you do, too, so that we don’t multiply the injustices in our anger and frustration, and, yes, even despair.” During the rosary, participants prayed for detainees and their families, for peace, and for those who work at the facility, that they might recognize the humanity of those held there. Delaney Hall, a privately run, 1,000-bed facility, opened in May 2025. It is the largest immigrant detention facility on the East Coast and is operated by the GEO Group under contract for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Anti-ICE protests outside the facility have taken place since May 22 over alleged mistreatment of detainees, poor conditions and bad food, while Geo Group has denied the allegations of poor conditions. A smaller group of pro-ICE demonstrators has also gathered. A local NBC affiliate reported that Newark Mayor Ras Baraka ordered a 9 p.m.-6 a.m. curfew late Saturday night, May 30, “following back-to-back nights of clashes” between anti-ICE protesters and New Jersey State Police, recently assigned to the facility by Gov. Mikie Sherrill. Multiple people were arrested over the May 30-31 weekend for breaching the curfew. While saying she wants to protect the community from a “surge” by ICE agents into the community, Sherrill in a statement issued early May 31 called out “masked individuals” outside Delaney Hall for attacking the barrier in the protected protest area and “aggressive and dangerous actions against Newark and New Jersey State Police, including throwing projectiles, utilizing the barriers as weapons, and lighting tires on fire in the street. Father Gaitan and volunteers from the Newark archdiocesan immigration ministry visit the facility regularly to administer sacraments, lead prayer services, and offer hope to those cut off from their families and the outside world. In an interview after the rosary with Radio Jornalera NJ, Cardinal Tobin encouraged detainees and their families to have hope. “Human dignity is not a concession granted by any government; it is the will of God, who created us according to his own image and nature,” he said. “And for that reason, no government can take away our dignity. Remain strong and hold your heads high, because you are daughters and sons of God, and you do not walk alone.” John Touhey is managing editor and Shania Mosquera is digital media specialist at Jersey Catholic, the news site of the Archdiocese of Newark. This story was originally published by Jersey Catholic and distributed through a partnership with OSV News.  

unitedyam

Rosary service brings ‘prayerful, peaceful presence’ to NJ immigrant detention facility #Catholic –

NEWARK, N.J. (OSV News) — In response to rising tensions at the Delaney Hall immigrant detention facility in Newark, the Archdiocese of Newark held a prayer service about half a mile from its entrance.

Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin attended the May 31 service, which included a bilingual rosary and testimony from a family whose loved one has been detained inside the facility for the past two months.

“As we saw the violence escalate at Delaney Hall since Memorial Day, the archdiocese wanted to have a prayerful, peaceful presence there,” Father Timothy Graff, archdiocesan secretary of parish mission and vitality, told Jersey Catholic, the news site of the Archdiocese of Newark.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

He was among those participating in the service, along with Father Alex Gaitan, immigration ministry coordinator, and Father Anthony Palombo, priest secretary to the cardinal.

Representatives from various parish migration teams also attended the service, along with members of Pax Christi, an organization dedicated to promoting peace and justice. Family members of detainees and protesters were also present; many of them joined in the prayer service.

Cardinal Tobin addressed all those gathered “with great humility,” acknowledging those who “give such a clear witness to the dignity of our brothers and sisters and the injustices that are being done to them.”

He encouraged people to “move forward in hope” and to follow the example of Christ.

“The greatness of Jesus is that terrible injustice and violence were done to him, yet he refused to pass it on, saying ‘The injustice will die with me,’” the cardinal said. “That is the example I want to follow, and I hope you do, too, so that we don’t multiply the injustices in our anger and frustration, and, yes, even despair.”

During the rosary, participants prayed for detainees and their families, for peace, and for those who work at the facility, that they might recognize the humanity of those held there.

Delaney Hall, a privately run, 1,000-bed facility, opened in May 2025. It is the largest immigrant detention facility on the East Coast and is operated by the GEO Group under contract for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Anti-ICE protests outside the facility have taken place since May 22 over alleged mistreatment of detainees, poor conditions and bad food, while Geo Group has denied the allegations of poor conditions. A smaller group of pro-ICE demonstrators has also gathered.

A local NBC affiliate reported that Newark Mayor Ras Baraka ordered a 9 p.m.-6 a.m. curfew late Saturday night, May 30, “following back-to-back nights of clashes” between anti-ICE protesters and New Jersey State Police, recently assigned to the facility by Gov. Mikie Sherrill. Multiple people were arrested over the May 30-31 weekend for breaching the curfew.

While saying she wants to protect the community from a “surge” by ICE agents into the community, Sherrill in a statement issued early May 31 called out “masked individuals” outside Delaney Hall for attacking the barrier in the protected protest area and “aggressive and dangerous actions against Newark and New Jersey State Police, including throwing projectiles, utilizing the barriers as weapons, and lighting tires on fire in the street.

Father Gaitan and volunteers from the Newark archdiocesan immigration ministry visit the facility regularly to administer sacraments, lead prayer services, and offer hope to those cut off from their families and the outside world.

In an interview after the rosary with Radio Jornalera NJ, Cardinal Tobin encouraged detainees and their families to have hope.

“Human dignity is not a concession granted by any government; it is the will of God, who created us according to his own image and nature,” he said. “And for that reason, no government can take away our dignity. Remain strong and hold your heads high, because you are daughters and sons of God, and you do not walk alone.”

John Touhey is managing editor and Shania Mosquera is digital media specialist at Jersey Catholic, the news site of the Archdiocese of Newark. This story was originally published by Jersey Catholic and distributed through a partnership with OSV News.

 

– NEWARK, N.J. (OSV News) — In response to rising tensions at the Delaney Hall immigrant detention facility in Newark, the Archdiocese of Newark held a prayer service about half a mile from its entrance. Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin attended the May 31 service, which included a bilingual rosary and testimony from a family whose loved one has been detained inside the facility for the past two months. “As we saw the violence escalate at Delaney Hall since Memorial Day, the archdiocese wanted to have a prayerful, peaceful presence there,” Father Timothy Graff, archdiocesan secretary of parish mission and vitality, told

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8 new permanent deacons embark on ministry of service #Catholic - On May 30, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney ordained eight men of different backgrounds as permanent deacons to embrace lives of love and service to God’s people in the Paterson Diocese, N.J. The bishop urged these men to become instruments of unity in their new ministry to a Church and world in need of it, before ordaining them during a Mass at the Cathe¬dral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson, N.J. During the Mass, steeped in traditions of the Church, Bishop Sweeney ordained Deacon Stephen Deehan of St. Luke Parish in the Long Valley of Washington Township, N.J., Deacon Paul DePinto of St. Joseph Parish in Lincoln Park, N.J., Deacon Timothy P. Dunmyer of St. Jude Parish in Hopatcong, N.J., Deacon James Gillespie of St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Mountain Lakes, N.J., Deacon Tobi Ippolito of Holy Family Parish in Florham Park, N.J., Deacon Tom Kimble of St. Jude Thaddeus Parish in the Budd Lake neighborhood of Mount Olive Township, N.J., Deacon Gregory Marchesi of St. Therese Parish in the Succasunna neighborhood of Roxbury Township, N.J., Deacon Elmer Lopez Maximo of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Rockaway, N.J. In his homily, Bishop Sweeney told the new deacons, “In our union with Christ, we have the gifts and the power of the Holy Spirit to make unity a reality.” “Holy Communion can build community. Act as a bridge of unity in the Church and for the Church. When you proclaim and preach the Gospel, you are helping hearers to find their way to heaven,” Bishop Sweeney told the deacons. “We must know God’s people as best we can. Listen to them in a synodal spirit. Be concerned for their lives,” he said. A permanent deacon is an ordained minister in the Catholic Church. He belongs to the clergy but may also be married and have a secular job. Serving as a permanent member of the hierarchy — not on the way to priesthood — the deacon acts as a “servant” to the bishop and pastor. According to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, his ministry focuses on liturgy, the word, and charity. Bishop Sweeney was the main celebrant and homilist for the Mass. He presided over the Rite of Ordination, which took place in the “mother church” of the Paterson Diocese. The concelebrants included the candidates’ pastors and priests from around the diocese. At the Mass, deacons assisted, while many of the newly ordained deacons’ wives and family participated in the celebration as readers, gift bearers, and servers. Bishop Sweeney thanked the men for devoting themselves especially in the past five years to prayer, study, and spiritual growth and formation. He recognized their dedication to preparing for their new ministry. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. He then reminded them, “Today, with the gift of ordination, you will begin a profound period of formation of the heart, where the needs of God’s people intersect with your knowledge, patience, generosity of spirit, and so much more,” Bishop Sweeney told the new deacons. The deacons’ roles include proclaiming the Gospel, preparing and dispensing the Eucharist, and giving instruction in holy doctrine. Deacons also prepare for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and preside over baptisms, marriages, funerals, and public prayer. They carry out charitable acts in the name of the bishop and the pastor. During the Rite of Ordination, Bishop Sweeney laid hands on each candidate’s head, signifying the conferral of the Holy Spirit and their commission of service. He later handed the Book of the Gospels to the new deacons, instructing them, “Believe what you read, teach what you believe, and practice what you teach.” At the end of Mass, Bishop Sweeney thanked everyone who supported and formed the new deacons. He recognized their wives, families, parishes, the diocesan Office of the Permanent Diaconate, and Immaculate Conception Seminary in South Orange, N.J. He also thanked all those who made the Mass possible. Deacon Maximo called his ordination on May 30 “one of the most grace-filled and humbling days of my life. He added, “Now a deacon, I feel profoundly grateful and renewed in my desire to serve Christ and his people with humility, joy, holiness, and love.” BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI (Gallery 1 / 61 photos)   [See image gallery at beaconnj.org] Gallery 2 / 62 photos) [See image gallery at beaconnj.org]
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8 new permanent deacons embark on ministry of service #Catholic – On May 30, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney ordained eight men of different backgrounds as permanent deacons to embrace lives of love and service to God’s people in the Paterson Diocese, N.J. The bishop urged these men to become instruments of unity in their new ministry to a Church and world in need of it, before ordaining them during a Mass at the Cathe¬dral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson, N.J. During the Mass, steeped in traditions of the Church, Bishop Sweeney ordained Deacon Stephen Deehan of St. Luke Parish in the Long Valley of Washington Township, N.J., Deacon Paul DePinto of St. Joseph Parish in Lincoln Park, N.J., Deacon Timothy P. Dunmyer of St. Jude Parish in Hopatcong, N.J., Deacon James Gillespie of St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Mountain Lakes, N.J., Deacon Tobi Ippolito of Holy Family Parish in Florham Park, N.J., Deacon Tom Kimble of St. Jude Thaddeus Parish in the Budd Lake neighborhood of Mount Olive Township, N.J., Deacon Gregory Marchesi of St. Therese Parish in the Succasunna neighborhood of Roxbury Township, N.J., Deacon Elmer Lopez Maximo of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Rockaway, N.J. In his homily, Bishop Sweeney told the new deacons, “In our union with Christ, we have the gifts and the power of the Holy Spirit to make unity a reality.” “Holy Communion can build community. Act as a bridge of unity in the Church and for the Church. When you proclaim and preach the Gospel, you are helping hearers to find their way to heaven,” Bishop Sweeney told the deacons. “We must know God’s people as best we can. Listen to them in a synodal spirit. Be concerned for their lives,” he said. A permanent deacon is an ordained minister in the Catholic Church. He belongs to the clergy but may also be married and have a secular job. Serving as a permanent member of the hierarchy — not on the way to priesthood — the deacon acts as a “servant” to the bishop and pastor. According to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, his ministry focuses on liturgy, the word, and charity. Bishop Sweeney was the main celebrant and homilist for the Mass. He presided over the Rite of Ordination, which took place in the “mother church” of the Paterson Diocese. The concelebrants included the candidates’ pastors and priests from around the diocese. At the Mass, deacons assisted, while many of the newly ordained deacons’ wives and family participated in the celebration as readers, gift bearers, and servers. Bishop Sweeney thanked the men for devoting themselves especially in the past five years to prayer, study, and spiritual growth and formation. He recognized their dedication to preparing for their new ministry. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. He then reminded them, “Today, with the gift of ordination, you will begin a profound period of formation of the heart, where the needs of God’s people intersect with your knowledge, patience, generosity of spirit, and so much more,” Bishop Sweeney told the new deacons. The deacons’ roles include proclaiming the Gospel, preparing and dispensing the Eucharist, and giving instruction in holy doctrine. Deacons also prepare for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and preside over baptisms, marriages, funerals, and public prayer. They carry out charitable acts in the name of the bishop and the pastor. During the Rite of Ordination, Bishop Sweeney laid hands on each candidate’s head, signifying the conferral of the Holy Spirit and their commission of service. He later handed the Book of the Gospels to the new deacons, instructing them, “Believe what you read, teach what you believe, and practice what you teach.” At the end of Mass, Bishop Sweeney thanked everyone who supported and formed the new deacons. He recognized their wives, families, parishes, the diocesan Office of the Permanent Diaconate, and Immaculate Conception Seminary in South Orange, N.J. He also thanked all those who made the Mass possible. Deacon Maximo called his ordination on May 30 “one of the most grace-filled and humbling days of my life. He added, “Now a deacon, I feel profoundly grateful and renewed in my desire to serve Christ and his people with humility, joy, holiness, and love.” BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI (Gallery 1 / 61 photos)   [See image gallery at beaconnj.org] Gallery 2 / 62 photos) [See image gallery at beaconnj.org]

unitedyam

8 new permanent deacons embark on ministry of service #Catholic –

On May 30, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney ordained eight men of different backgrounds as permanent deacons to embrace lives of love and service to God’s people in the Paterson Diocese, N.J. The bishop urged these men to become instruments of unity in their new ministry to a Church and world in need of it, before ordaining them during a Mass at the Cathe¬dral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson, N.J.

During the Mass, steeped in traditions of the Church, Bishop Sweeney ordained Deacon Stephen Deehan of St. Luke Parish in the Long Valley of Washington Township, N.J., Deacon Paul DePinto of St. Joseph Parish in Lincoln Park, N.J., Deacon Timothy P. Dunmyer of St. Jude Parish in Hopatcong, N.J., Deacon James Gillespie of St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Mountain Lakes, N.J., Deacon Tobi Ippolito of Holy Family Parish in Florham Park, N.J., Deacon Tom Kimble of St. Jude Thaddeus Parish in the Budd Lake neighborhood of Mount Olive Township, N.J., Deacon Gregory Marchesi of St. Therese Parish in the Succasunna neighborhood of Roxbury Township, N.J., Deacon Elmer Lopez Maximo of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Rockaway, N.J.

In his homily, Bishop Sweeney told the new deacons, “In our union with Christ, we have the gifts and the power of the Holy Spirit to make unity a reality.”

“Holy Communion can build community. Act as a bridge of unity in the Church and for the Church. When you proclaim and preach the Gospel, you are helping hearers to find their way to heaven,” Bishop Sweeney told the deacons. “We must know God’s people as best we can. Listen to them in a synodal spirit. Be concerned for their lives,” he said.

A permanent deacon is an ordained minister in the Catholic Church. He belongs to the clergy but may also be married and have a secular job. Serving as a permanent member of the hierarchy — not on the way to priesthood — the deacon acts as a “servant” to the bishop and pastor. According to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, his ministry focuses on liturgy, the word, and charity.

Bishop Sweeney was the main celebrant and homilist for the Mass. He presided over the Rite of Ordination, which took place in the “mother church” of the Paterson Diocese. The concelebrants included the candidates’ pastors and priests from around the diocese.

At the Mass, deacons assisted, while many of the newly ordained deacons’ wives and family participated in the celebration as readers, gift bearers, and servers.

Bishop Sweeney thanked the men for devoting themselves especially in the past five years to prayer, study, and spiritual growth and formation. He recognized their dedication to preparing for their new ministry.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

He then reminded them, “Today, with the gift of ordination, you will begin a profound period of formation of the heart, where the needs of God’s people intersect with your knowledge, patience, generosity of spirit, and so much more,” Bishop Sweeney told the new deacons.

The deacons’ roles include proclaiming the Gospel, preparing and dispensing the Eucharist, and giving instruction in holy doctrine. Deacons also prepare for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and preside over baptisms, marriages, funerals, and public prayer. They carry out charitable acts in the name of the bishop and the pastor.

During the Rite of Ordination, Bishop Sweeney laid hands on each candidate’s head, signifying the conferral of the Holy Spirit and their commission of service. He later handed the Book of the Gospels to the new deacons, instructing them, “Believe what you read, teach what you believe, and practice what you teach.”

At the end of Mass, Bishop Sweeney thanked everyone who supported and formed the new deacons. He recognized their wives, families, parishes, the diocesan Office of the Permanent Diaconate, and Immaculate Conception Seminary in South Orange, N.J. He also thanked all those who made the Mass possible.

Deacon Maximo called his ordination on May 30 “one of the most grace-filled and humbling days of my life. He added, “Now a deacon, I feel profoundly grateful and renewed in my desire to serve Christ and his people with humility, joy, holiness, and love.”

BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
(Gallery 1 / 61 photos)
 

– On May 30, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney ordained eight men of different backgrounds as permanent deacons to embrace lives of love and service to God’s people in the Paterson Diocese, N.J. The bishop urged these men to become instruments of unity in their new ministry to a Church and world in need of it, before ordaining them during a Mass at the Cathe¬dral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson, N.J. During the Mass, steeped in traditions of the Church, Bishop Sweeney ordained Deacon Stephen Deehan of St. Luke Parish in the Long Valley of Washington Township, N.J., Deacon Paul

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Pope Leo calls Archbishop Fulton Sheen ‘a light of faith’ who touched millions with the Gospel #Catholic – VATICAN CITY (OSV News) — Pope Leo XIV praised Venerable Fulton J. Sheen on June 1 as “a light of faith, hope, and love” whose radio and television broadcasts brought the Gospel to millions of Americans — including the pope himself as a child. Speaking at a Vatican audience with members of the Pontifical Mission Societies, the pope called it providential that the beloved archbishop will be beatified during the centennial year of the Pontifical Mission Societies he once led as the national director of the U.S. Society for the Propagation of the Faith. “Archbishop Sheen was a light of faith, hope, and love that shone through the radio and television media for decades,” Pope Leo said. “I myself am a witness of his evangelization when I was growing up,” the pope added. “His broadcasts touched millions with the hope of the Gospel and his initiatives and efforts resulted in enormous spiritual and material aid to the Churches in areas of first evangelization.” Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. The beatification of Archbishop Sheen is scheduled for Sept. 24 in St. Louis. His beatification had previously been postponed by the Vatican in 2019. Archbishop Sheen was declared venerable in 2012. Beatification is the final step before canonization; Archbishop Sheen will require one more miracle attributed to his intercession to be declared a saint. “May our new Blessed be an example for all of the National and Diocesan Directors of the Pontifical Mission Societies throughout the world,” the pope said. Pope Leo, 70, has said that he watched Archbishop Sheen’s television program as a child. The American pope was elected last year on Archbishop Sheen’s birthday. Born in El Paso, Illinois, on May 8, 1895, Venerable Sheen was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Peoria on Sept. 20, 1919. He went on to become one of the most recognized Catholic voices in American history, rising to national prominence during the 1930s and 1940s as host of “The Catholic Hour” on NBC radio. Beginning in 1952, then-Bishop Sheen reached tens of millions of viewers each Tuesday evening through his television program “Life Is Worth Living.” Armed with little more than his intellect, charisma, a cape and a chalkboard, he won an Emmy Award for best television personality after his first season, famously thanking his writers: “Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.” Throughout his 60-year priesthood, Bishop Sheen sought to conform himself more closely to Christ by observing a daily Eucharistic Holy Hour, what he called “the hour that makes my day.” He also was intensely devoted to the Mother of God. For 16 years, Archbishop Sheen served as the national director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, one of the four Pontifical Mission Societies, during which he sought to form American Catholics in missionary spirituality and identity and help raise funds to spread the faith and build the Church across the globe. According to Msgr. Roger J. Landry, the current national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in the U.S., Archbishop Sheen donated more than million of his media earnings to the missions during his lifetime, raised 0 million for missionary work (the equivalent of nearly .1 billion today) and left 40% of his estate along with book royalties to the ongoing work of evangelization. “It would be almost impossible to enumerate the churches, schools, seminaries, convents and monasteries that exist today because of his work, not to mention the amount of dioceses sustained and programs underwritten because of his efforts,” Msgr. Landry said. Archbishop Sheen died Dec. 9, 1979, in New York City, in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, after nearly two years of declining health following open-heart surgery. During the audience with the Pontifical Mission Societies, Pope Leo called 2026 “a year truly rich in missionary milestones,” noting that this year also marks the 100th anniversary of World Mission Sunday, established by Pope Pius XI at the request of the Pontifical Society for the Propagation of the Faith. This year’s World Mission Sunday falls on Oct. 18, under the theme “One in Christ, united in mission.” “In a world increasingly marked by division, war and conflict among nations and peoples, the four Pontifical Mission Societies … render an invaluable service to the Church’s mission of proclaiming Christ, the Prince of Peace and the incarnate revelation of Divine Love for humanity,” Pope Leo said. “Let us therefore continue our missionary journey with joy and renewed zeal,” he said. “In all that we do for the work of evangelization, may we always place Jesus Christ at the center, embracing the beautiful Gospel principle expressed by John the Baptist: ‘He must increase, but I must decrease.’” Courtney Mares is Vatican editor for OSV News. Follow her on X @catholicourtney.  
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Pope Leo calls Archbishop Fulton Sheen ‘a light of faith’ who touched millions with the Gospel #Catholic – VATICAN CITY (OSV News) — Pope Leo XIV praised Venerable Fulton J. Sheen on June 1 as “a light of faith, hope, and love” whose radio and television broadcasts brought the Gospel to millions of Americans — including the pope himself as a child. Speaking at a Vatican audience with members of the Pontifical Mission Societies, the pope called it providential that the beloved archbishop will be beatified during the centennial year of the Pontifical Mission Societies he once led as the national director of the U.S. Society for the Propagation of the Faith. “Archbishop Sheen was a light of faith, hope, and love that shone through the radio and television media for decades,” Pope Leo said. “I myself am a witness of his evangelization when I was growing up,” the pope added. “His broadcasts touched millions with the hope of the Gospel and his initiatives and efforts resulted in enormous spiritual and material aid to the Churches in areas of first evangelization.” Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. The beatification of Archbishop Sheen is scheduled for Sept. 24 in St. Louis. His beatification had previously been postponed by the Vatican in 2019. Archbishop Sheen was declared venerable in 2012. Beatification is the final step before canonization; Archbishop Sheen will require one more miracle attributed to his intercession to be declared a saint. “May our new Blessed be an example for all of the National and Diocesan Directors of the Pontifical Mission Societies throughout the world,” the pope said. Pope Leo, 70, has said that he watched Archbishop Sheen’s television program as a child. The American pope was elected last year on Archbishop Sheen’s birthday. Born in El Paso, Illinois, on May 8, 1895, Venerable Sheen was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Peoria on Sept. 20, 1919. He went on to become one of the most recognized Catholic voices in American history, rising to national prominence during the 1930s and 1940s as host of “The Catholic Hour” on NBC radio. Beginning in 1952, then-Bishop Sheen reached tens of millions of viewers each Tuesday evening through his television program “Life Is Worth Living.” Armed with little more than his intellect, charisma, a cape and a chalkboard, he won an Emmy Award for best television personality after his first season, famously thanking his writers: “Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.” Throughout his 60-year priesthood, Bishop Sheen sought to conform himself more closely to Christ by observing a daily Eucharistic Holy Hour, what he called “the hour that makes my day.” He also was intensely devoted to the Mother of God. For 16 years, Archbishop Sheen served as the national director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, one of the four Pontifical Mission Societies, during which he sought to form American Catholics in missionary spirituality and identity and help raise funds to spread the faith and build the Church across the globe. According to Msgr. Roger J. Landry, the current national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in the U.S., Archbishop Sheen donated more than $10 million of his media earnings to the missions during his lifetime, raised $200 million for missionary work (the equivalent of nearly $2.1 billion today) and left 40% of his estate along with book royalties to the ongoing work of evangelization. “It would be almost impossible to enumerate the churches, schools, seminaries, convents and monasteries that exist today because of his work, not to mention the amount of dioceses sustained and programs underwritten because of his efforts,” Msgr. Landry said. Archbishop Sheen died Dec. 9, 1979, in New York City, in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, after nearly two years of declining health following open-heart surgery. During the audience with the Pontifical Mission Societies, Pope Leo called 2026 “a year truly rich in missionary milestones,” noting that this year also marks the 100th anniversary of World Mission Sunday, established by Pope Pius XI at the request of the Pontifical Society for the Propagation of the Faith. This year’s World Mission Sunday falls on Oct. 18, under the theme “One in Christ, united in mission.” “In a world increasingly marked by division, war and conflict among nations and peoples, the four Pontifical Mission Societies … render an invaluable service to the Church’s mission of proclaiming Christ, the Prince of Peace and the incarnate revelation of Divine Love for humanity,” Pope Leo said. “Let us therefore continue our missionary journey with joy and renewed zeal,” he said. “In all that we do for the work of evangelization, may we always place Jesus Christ at the center, embracing the beautiful Gospel principle expressed by John the Baptist: ‘He must increase, but I must decrease.’” Courtney Mares is Vatican editor for OSV News. Follow her on X @catholicourtney.  

unitedyam

Pope Leo calls Archbishop Fulton Sheen ‘a light of faith’ who touched millions with the Gospel #Catholic –

VATICAN CITY (OSV News) — Pope Leo XIV praised Venerable Fulton J. Sheen on June 1 as “a light of faith, hope, and love” whose radio and television broadcasts brought the Gospel to millions of Americans — including the pope himself as a child.

Speaking at a Vatican audience with members of the Pontifical Mission Societies, the pope called it providential that the beloved archbishop will be beatified during the centennial year of the Pontifical Mission Societies he once led as the national director of the U.S. Society for the Propagation of the Faith.

“Archbishop Sheen was a light of faith, hope, and love that shone through the radio and television media for decades,” Pope Leo said.

“I myself am a witness of his evangelization when I was growing up,” the pope added. “His broadcasts touched millions with the hope of the Gospel and his initiatives and efforts resulted in enormous spiritual and material aid to the Churches in areas of first evangelization.”

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

The beatification of Archbishop Sheen is scheduled for Sept. 24 in St. Louis. His beatification had previously been postponed by the Vatican in 2019. Archbishop Sheen was declared venerable in 2012. Beatification is the final step before canonization; Archbishop Sheen will require one more miracle attributed to his intercession to be declared a saint.

“May our new Blessed be an example for all of the National and Diocesan Directors of the Pontifical Mission Societies throughout the world,” the pope said.

Pope Leo, 70, has said that he watched Archbishop Sheen’s television program as a child. The American pope was elected last year on Archbishop Sheen’s birthday.

Born in El Paso, Illinois, on May 8, 1895, Venerable Sheen was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Peoria on Sept. 20, 1919. He went on to become one of the most recognized Catholic voices in American history, rising to national prominence during the 1930s and 1940s as host of “The Catholic Hour” on NBC radio.

Beginning in 1952, then-Bishop Sheen reached tens of millions of viewers each Tuesday evening through his television program “Life Is Worth Living.” Armed with little more than his intellect, charisma, a cape and a chalkboard, he won an Emmy Award for best television personality after his first season, famously thanking his writers: “Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.”

Throughout his 60-year priesthood, Bishop Sheen sought to conform himself more closely to Christ by observing a daily Eucharistic Holy Hour, what he called “the hour that makes my day.”

He also was intensely devoted to the Mother of God.

For 16 years, Archbishop Sheen served as the national director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, one of the four Pontifical Mission Societies, during which he sought to form American Catholics in missionary spirituality and identity and help raise funds to spread the faith and build the Church across the globe.

According to Msgr. Roger J. Landry, the current national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in the U.S., Archbishop Sheen donated more than $10 million of his media earnings to the missions during his lifetime, raised $200 million for missionary work (the equivalent of nearly $2.1 billion today) and left 40% of his estate along with book royalties to the ongoing work of evangelization.

“It would be almost impossible to enumerate the churches, schools, seminaries, convents and monasteries that exist today because of his work, not to mention the amount of dioceses sustained and programs underwritten because of his efforts,” Msgr. Landry said.

Archbishop Sheen died Dec. 9, 1979, in New York City, in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, after nearly two years of declining health following open-heart surgery.

During the audience with the Pontifical Mission Societies, Pope Leo called 2026 “a year truly rich in missionary milestones,” noting that this year also marks the 100th anniversary of World Mission Sunday, established by Pope Pius XI at the request of the Pontifical Society for the Propagation of the Faith.

This year’s World Mission Sunday falls on Oct. 18, under the theme “One in Christ, united in mission.”

“In a world increasingly marked by division, war and conflict among nations and peoples, the four Pontifical Mission Societies … render an invaluable service to the Church’s mission of proclaiming Christ, the Prince of Peace and the incarnate revelation of Divine Love for humanity,” Pope Leo said.

“Let us therefore continue our missionary journey with joy and renewed zeal,” he said. “In all that we do for the work of evangelization, may we always place Jesus Christ at the center, embracing the beautiful Gospel principle expressed by John the Baptist: ‘He must increase, but I must decrease.’”

Courtney Mares is Vatican editor for OSV News. Follow her on X @catholicourtney.

 

– VATICAN CITY (OSV News) — Pope Leo XIV praised Venerable Fulton J. Sheen on June 1 as “a light of faith, hope, and love” whose radio and television broadcasts brought the Gospel to millions of Americans — including the pope himself as a child. Speaking at a Vatican audience with members of the Pontifical Mission Societies, the pope called it providential that the beloved archbishop will be beatified during the centennial year of the Pontifical Mission Societies he once led as the national director of the U.S. Society for the Propagation of the Faith. “Archbishop Sheen was a light of

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Miami Catholic schools receive million in state security funding after ‘months of advocacy’ #Catholic Catholic schools in Miami will receive million in security funding from the state government after successful petitioning by Floridaʼs Catholic bishops, the Archdiocese of Miami has announced. The archdiocese said the eight-figure security package was part of the newly approved state budget, which was passed by legislators in Tallahassee on May 29. The funding came about after “months of advocacy and budget negotiations,” the archdiocese said. "We prioritize the safety of our students in a day and age that has seen more anti-Catholic violence and generally more violence against schools,” archdiocesan schools Superintendent Jim Rigg said in the announcement. The archdiocese said that a “broader statewide reimbursement program” for Catholic school security failed to pass the Legislature. Rigg said in the archdiocesan announcement that schools have been using money to fund security measures “that could otherwise go toward textbooks, technology, and teacher salaries.”“In some cases, schools are collecting special security fees from parents," he said. Catholic schools have increased security amid shooting fearsNumerous Catholic and other Christian schools around the country have lately adopted enhanced security measures, particularly after the August 2025 shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis. That shooting came after Catholic bishops in Minnesota had petitioned state lawmakers to provide security funding for nonpublic schools; the state government had failed to grant those requests. Some schools have opted to hire security guards, while others have considered the possibility of allowing teachers to be armed while on campus.Still others have turned to technology to increase student safety. Trinity Catholic School in Fort Smith, Arkansas, recently adopted an AI-bolstered security system that can spot school shooters and quickly alert law enforcement ahead of a potential mass shooting. A Catholic school in Ohio has also deployed that system on its own campus.After the Minneapolis shooting, Jason Adkins, the executive director of the Minnesota Catholic Conference, told “EWTN News In Depth” that school security is “a basic public safety issue that should be available to all students, irrespective of where they go to school.”“Looking at school safety programs, nonprofit security grants, all these things — we have to take an all-of-the-above approach to looking at public policy solutions that limit gun violence in our communities,” he said.
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Miami Catholic schools receive $15 million in state security funding after ‘months of advocacy’ #Catholic Catholic schools in Miami will receive $15 million in security funding from the state government after successful petitioning by Floridaʼs Catholic bishops, the Archdiocese of Miami has announced. The archdiocese said the eight-figure security package was part of the newly approved state budget, which was passed by legislators in Tallahassee on May 29. The funding came about after “months of advocacy and budget negotiations,” the archdiocese said. "We prioritize the safety of our students in a day and age that has seen more anti-Catholic violence and generally more violence against schools,” archdiocesan schools Superintendent Jim Rigg said in the announcement. The archdiocese said that a “broader statewide reimbursement program” for Catholic school security failed to pass the Legislature. Rigg said in the archdiocesan announcement that schools have been using money to fund security measures “that could otherwise go toward textbooks, technology, and teacher salaries.”“In some cases, schools are collecting special security fees from parents," he said. Catholic schools have increased security amid shooting fearsNumerous Catholic and other Christian schools around the country have lately adopted enhanced security measures, particularly after the August 2025 shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis. That shooting came after Catholic bishops in Minnesota had petitioned state lawmakers to provide security funding for nonpublic schools; the state government had failed to grant those requests. Some schools have opted to hire security guards, while others have considered the possibility of allowing teachers to be armed while on campus.Still others have turned to technology to increase student safety. Trinity Catholic School in Fort Smith, Arkansas, recently adopted an AI-bolstered security system that can spot school shooters and quickly alert law enforcement ahead of a potential mass shooting. A Catholic school in Ohio has also deployed that system on its own campus.After the Minneapolis shooting, Jason Adkins, the executive director of the Minnesota Catholic Conference, told “EWTN News In Depth” that school security is “a basic public safety issue that should be available to all students, irrespective of where they go to school.”“Looking at school safety programs, nonprofit security grants, all these things — we have to take an all-of-the-above approach to looking at public policy solutions that limit gun violence in our communities,” he said.

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The Florida bishops had petitioned the state Legislature for the funding, though a broader statewide measure failed to pass.

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Pope calls on Catholic universities to be authentic, instill ‘passion for the truth’ #Catholic Catholic universities should reflect “authenticity as true disciples of Christ” as they guide students’ desire for knowledge into a passion for the truth, Pope Leo XIV told university presidents from the United States on Wednesday.“As young men and women come to your colleges and universities looking to study a specific degree, oftentimes motivated by future job perspectives, yours is the noble task of guiding that desire for knowledge so that they may also ‘learn to seek and love the truth, to reflect on the meaning of life, and to recognize the dignity of every person,’” the pope said June 3, quoting from his encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, published in May.Instilling a love for the truth “is not an easy feat,” he continued. “As you are well aware, seeking the truth requires not only learning and mentorship but also great effort. Unless Catholic education instills in students a true passion for the truth — and not only intellectual truth, but the truth that is Christ himself (cf. John 14:6) — we can hardly expect people to be willing to put forth the effort required to recognize truth and adapt one’s life accordingly.”Leo addressed presidents, senior administrators, and faculty leaders from Catholic institutions of higher education belonging to the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities. During the Rome Seminar, June 1–5, university leaders are meeting with senior Vatican officials and others to reflect on the opportunities and challenges faced by higher education today.In his speech, the pope acknowledged the challenge of “the increasing fragmentation of knowledge.”“While it is easy to find people who are experts in a particular field of study, many of these individuals ‘struggle to find direction in their lives, partly due to an inability to connect information with deeper knowledge or maintain a sense of purpose,’” he said, quoting from Magnifica Humanitas.Specialized experts “often lack a global vision of reality that is capable of uniting not only the various fields of knowledge but also the multiple aspects of life and the inner longings of the human heart,” he said.He invited Catholic educational institutions to be a “living environment in which the Christian vision permeates every discipline and every interaction,” as Leo wrote in his 2025 apostolic letter Drawing New Maps of Hope.“Your authenticity as true disciples of Christ,” he said, “will certainly assist you in transmitting the living Gospel in such a way that those entrusted to you can truly encounter the Lord and discover in the Catholic faith the unifying vision that truth alone can provide.”On the challenges of technological advances, the pope reflected on the prolific use of artificial intelligence, making it “increasingly difficult to evaluate the work of students, requiring educators to adapt their methods creatively to ensure the integral human formation of those in their care.”“We must be willing to invest generously in the education of future generations,” he said. “It is crucial that young men and women learn to engage positively with new technologies, while at the same time truly developing their God-given skills and capacities to reason, to think critically and commit knowledge to memory, thus preparing them to shape responsibly the world to come.”
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Pope calls on Catholic universities to be authentic, instill ‘passion for the truth’ #Catholic Catholic universities should reflect “authenticity as true disciples of Christ” as they guide students’ desire for knowledge into a passion for the truth, Pope Leo XIV told university presidents from the United States on Wednesday.“As young men and women come to your colleges and universities looking to study a specific degree, oftentimes motivated by future job perspectives, yours is the noble task of guiding that desire for knowledge so that they may also ‘learn to seek and love the truth, to reflect on the meaning of life, and to recognize the dignity of every person,’” the pope said June 3, quoting from his encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, published in May.Instilling a love for the truth “is not an easy feat,” he continued. “As you are well aware, seeking the truth requires not only learning and mentorship but also great effort. Unless Catholic education instills in students a true passion for the truth — and not only intellectual truth, but the truth that is Christ himself (cf. John 14:6) — we can hardly expect people to be willing to put forth the effort required to recognize truth and adapt one’s life accordingly.”Leo addressed presidents, senior administrators, and faculty leaders from Catholic institutions of higher education belonging to the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities. During the Rome Seminar, June 1–5, university leaders are meeting with senior Vatican officials and others to reflect on the opportunities and challenges faced by higher education today.In his speech, the pope acknowledged the challenge of “the increasing fragmentation of knowledge.”“While it is easy to find people who are experts in a particular field of study, many of these individuals ‘struggle to find direction in their lives, partly due to an inability to connect information with deeper knowledge or maintain a sense of purpose,’” he said, quoting from Magnifica Humanitas.Specialized experts “often lack a global vision of reality that is capable of uniting not only the various fields of knowledge but also the multiple aspects of life and the inner longings of the human heart,” he said.He invited Catholic educational institutions to be a “living environment in which the Christian vision permeates every discipline and every interaction,” as Leo wrote in his 2025 apostolic letter Drawing New Maps of Hope.“Your authenticity as true disciples of Christ,” he said, “will certainly assist you in transmitting the living Gospel in such a way that those entrusted to you can truly encounter the Lord and discover in the Catholic faith the unifying vision that truth alone can provide.”On the challenges of technological advances, the pope reflected on the prolific use of artificial intelligence, making it “increasingly difficult to evaluate the work of students, requiring educators to adapt their methods creatively to ensure the integral human formation of those in their care.”“We must be willing to invest generously in the education of future generations,” he said. “It is crucial that young men and women learn to engage positively with new technologies, while at the same time truly developing their God-given skills and capacities to reason, to think critically and commit knowledge to memory, thus preparing them to shape responsibly the world to come.”

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Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday addressed presidents and senior administrators from Catholic institutions belonging to the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities.

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Children reminded of Jesus’ love for them in Eucharist #Catholic - On May 31, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney encouraged first communicants from the Paterson Diocese, N.J., and their families to remember Jesus’ love as they received the Eucharist during the annual Catechesis. The event at Resurrection Parish in Randolph, N.J., gathered first communicants for an afternoon of catechesis, adoration, and celebration. Dressed as they were on the day of their First Holy Communion, the participating children represented their home parishes. The goal for the day was to remind them that receiving Jesus in the Eucharist is a special gift and an essential part of their lives. Bishop Sweeney engaged the children with catechesis on the Eucharist, conducting the session in a question-and-answer format. Most were second-graders, and they responded with thoughtful questions, which generated a meaningful dialogue. During his homily, Bishop Sweeney asked, “What do you remember about your first Holy Communion?” The children answered, “receiving the body and blood of Jesus,” “being proud of myself,” “my reading,” and “pictures.” Bishop Sweeney then reminded the children that at every Mass, Jesus says, “This is my body. This is my blood. Do this in memory of me,” as at the Last Supper. He explained, “Why is it important to remember? To honor him because he died for us. He wants us to remember his love.” Bishop Sweeney incorporated the children’s earlier answers, making his message personal. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Additionally, in his homily, Bishop Sweeney urged the first communicants to say “please, thank you, and I love you” when praying to God. The event also included the recitation of the Litany of St. Carlo Acutis, the first millennial saint, as well as a Scripture reading, exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, Eucharistic procession, Benediction, Eucharistic blessing, and the Divine Praises. Many attendees experienced a deeper love for the Eucharist. The diocesan Office Catechesis and Faith Formation and the Office of Worship coordinated the Eucharistic Catechesis. Father Yojaneider Garcia Ramirez, director of the Office of Catechesis and Faith Formation and pastor of Resurrection Parish, was among the priests who participated. Diocesan seminarians also assisted. Bishop Sweeney gave each child a rosary to aid meditation on Jesus’ life and relationship with him, as well as a prayer card for each first communicant. The event ended with a reception, during which the bishop posed for pictures with each first communicant and their families. During the Eucharistic Catechesis, Bishop Sweeney took a moment to thank all those who helped prepare the children to receive their first Holy Communion, especially their parents. In his introduction, Bishop Sweeney told the children, “We give thanks for the great gift of Jesus you received in First Holy Communion. Hopefully, you will be receiving Jesus every Sunday.” BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI [See image gallery at beaconnj.org]  
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Children reminded of Jesus’ love for them in Eucharist #Catholic – On May 31, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney encouraged first communicants from the Paterson Diocese, N.J., and their families to remember Jesus’ love as they received the Eucharist during the annual Catechesis. The event at Resurrection Parish in Randolph, N.J., gathered first communicants for an afternoon of catechesis, adoration, and celebration. Dressed as they were on the day of their First Holy Communion, the participating children represented their home parishes. The goal for the day was to remind them that receiving Jesus in the Eucharist is a special gift and an essential part of their lives. Bishop Sweeney engaged the children with catechesis on the Eucharist, conducting the session in a question-and-answer format. Most were second-graders, and they responded with thoughtful questions, which generated a meaningful dialogue. During his homily, Bishop Sweeney asked, “What do you remember about your first Holy Communion?” The children answered, “receiving the body and blood of Jesus,” “being proud of myself,” “my reading,” and “pictures.” Bishop Sweeney then reminded the children that at every Mass, Jesus says, “This is my body. This is my blood. Do this in memory of me,” as at the Last Supper. He explained, “Why is it important to remember? To honor him because he died for us. He wants us to remember his love.” Bishop Sweeney incorporated the children’s earlier answers, making his message personal. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Additionally, in his homily, Bishop Sweeney urged the first communicants to say “please, thank you, and I love you” when praying to God. The event also included the recitation of the Litany of St. Carlo Acutis, the first millennial saint, as well as a Scripture reading, exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, Eucharistic procession, Benediction, Eucharistic blessing, and the Divine Praises. Many attendees experienced a deeper love for the Eucharist. The diocesan Office Catechesis and Faith Formation and the Office of Worship coordinated the Eucharistic Catechesis. Father Yojaneider Garcia Ramirez, director of the Office of Catechesis and Faith Formation and pastor of Resurrection Parish, was among the priests who participated. Diocesan seminarians also assisted. Bishop Sweeney gave each child a rosary to aid meditation on Jesus’ life and relationship with him, as well as a prayer card for each first communicant. The event ended with a reception, during which the bishop posed for pictures with each first communicant and their families. During the Eucharistic Catechesis, Bishop Sweeney took a moment to thank all those who helped prepare the children to receive their first Holy Communion, especially their parents. In his introduction, Bishop Sweeney told the children, “We give thanks for the great gift of Jesus you received in First Holy Communion. Hopefully, you will be receiving Jesus every Sunday.” BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI [See image gallery at beaconnj.org]  

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Children reminded of Jesus’ love for them in Eucharist #Catholic –

On May 31, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney encouraged first communicants from the Paterson Diocese, N.J., and their families to remember Jesus’ love as they received the Eucharist during the annual Catechesis. The event at Resurrection Parish in Randolph, N.J., gathered first communicants for an afternoon of catechesis, adoration, and celebration.

Dressed as they were on the day of their First Holy Communion, the participating children represented their home parishes. The goal for the day was to remind them that receiving Jesus in the Eucharist is a special gift and an essential part of their lives.

Bishop Sweeney engaged the children with catechesis on the Eucharist, conducting the session in a question-and-answer format. Most were second-graders, and they responded with thoughtful questions, which generated a meaningful dialogue.

During his homily, Bishop Sweeney asked, “What do you remember about your first Holy Communion?” The children answered, “receiving the body and blood of Jesus,” “being proud of myself,” “my reading,” and “pictures.”

Bishop Sweeney then reminded the children that at every Mass, Jesus says, “This is my body. This is my blood. Do this in memory of me,” as at the Last Supper.

He explained, “Why is it important to remember? To honor him because he died for us. He wants us to remember his love.” Bishop Sweeney incorporated the children’s earlier answers, making his message personal.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

Additionally, in his homily, Bishop Sweeney urged the first communicants to say “please, thank you, and I love you” when praying to God.

The event also included the recitation of the Litany of St. Carlo Acutis, the first millennial saint, as well as a Scripture reading, exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, Eucharistic procession, Benediction, Eucharistic blessing, and the Divine Praises. Many attendees experienced a deeper love for the Eucharist.

The diocesan Office Catechesis and Faith Formation and the Office of Worship coordinated the Eucharistic Catechesis. Father Yojaneider Garcia Ramirez, director of the Office of Catechesis and Faith Formation and pastor of Resurrection Parish, was among the priests who participated. Diocesan seminarians also assisted.

Bishop Sweeney gave each child a rosary to aid meditation on Jesus’ life and relationship with him, as well as a prayer card for each first communicant.

The event ended with a reception, during which the bishop posed for pictures with each first communicant and their families.

During the Eucharistic Catechesis, Bishop Sweeney took a moment to thank all those who helped prepare the children to receive their first Holy Communion, especially their parents.

In his introduction, Bishop Sweeney told the children, “We give thanks for the great gift of Jesus you received in First Holy Communion. Hopefully, you will be receiving Jesus every Sunday.”

BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI

– On May 31, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney encouraged first communicants from the Paterson Diocese, N.J., and their families to remember Jesus’ love as they received the Eucharist during the annual Catechesis. The event at Resurrection Parish in Randolph, N.J., gathered first communicants for an afternoon of catechesis, adoration, and celebration. Dressed as they were on the day of their First Holy Communion, the participating children represented their home parishes. The goal for the day was to remind them that receiving Jesus in the Eucharist is a special gift and an essential part of their lives. Bishop Sweeney engaged the children

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June 3, 1948: Hale Telescope dedicated

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The brainchild of George Ellery Hale, the 200-inch Hale Telescope was dedicated June 3, 1948, at Palomar Observatory in California. In promoting and fundraising for the project, Hale had a firm science agenda for the scope, but also wrote more fancifully of “the lure of the uncharted seas of space”; though he died in 1938,Continue reading “June 3, 1948: Hale Telescope dedicated”

The post June 3, 1948: Hale Telescope dedicated appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

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Disney Attempts To Win Star Wars Fans Back With New Jar Jar Binks Trilogy #BabylonBee – BURBANK, CA — In an effort to win back disgruntled fans, Disney executives announced a brand-new Star Wars film trilogy centered entirely around Jar Jar Binks, one of the most popular characters in the franchise.
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Disney Attempts To Win Star Wars Fans Back With New Jar Jar Binks Trilogy #BabylonBee – BURBANK, CA — In an effort to win back disgruntled fans, Disney executives announced a brand-new Star Wars film trilogy centered entirely around Jar Jar Binks, one of the most popular characters in the franchise.

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BURBANK, CA — In an effort to win back disgruntled fans, Disney executives announced a brand-new Star Wars film trilogy centered entirely around Jar Jar Binks, one of the most popular characters in the franchise.

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Archbishop Coakley: Encyclical urges keeping human dignity central in judging tech – #Catholic – Archbishop Paul Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said Pope Leoʼs first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, calls for keeping the dignity of the human person, created in God’s image, at the center of any discernment about emerging technologies.Coakley spoke at a virtual panel June 2 held by Georgetown Universityʼs Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life.The dialogue explored what the encyclical is asking, how technological changes can enhance humanity’s relationship with God, and also what aspects of human creation technologies can never replace.The group also addressed the Church’s important role in the matter and why it must use its voice to speak about the emerging technologies.Kim Daniels, director of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life, moderated the conversation with numerous panelists including Irish Bishop Paul Tighe, secretary of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Culture and Education and a leading Vatican expert on AI.The discussion also welcomed Meghan Sullivan, founding director of Notre Dame’s Institute for Ethics and the Common Good; Emilce Cuda, Argentinian theologian and secretary of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America at the Holy See; and Daniel Daly, founding executive director of the Center for Theology and Ethics in Catholic Health.“When dealing with something new and complex” as the faithful read the encyclical, Coakley reminded them to focus on “the main thing.”Magnifica Humanitas is being “proposed and discussed as an encyclical on artificial intelligence,” Coakley said. “But I think the main thing is the need to keep the human person, made of the image and likeness of God, at the center of our discernment about these new technologies.”“So itʼs, not really, fundamentally … about the technologies. I think itʼs really about anthropology — having an adequate anthropology to really address the challenges that are being proposed by these developing and emerging technologies,” he said.Why the Church’s voice on AI mattersIn the encyclical, Coakley said, "itʼs significant that prior to beginning his reflections on AI, the Holy Father first answers a foundational question, which is ‘Why does the Church have the ability to speak at all?’”“In doing so, he affirms that it is central to the Churchʼs mission to walk alongside humanity … and be responsive to the contemporary challenges that men and women in every age, and certainly today, are facing,” Coakley said. Pope Leo “connects with what all of us, whether we are believers or unbelievers alike, at our very core understand and know instinctively to be true, and that is that the human person possesses an ontological and infinite dignity and therefore must be at the center of all of our deliberations” about AI, Coakley said.“Thatʼs the center and heart of it,” Coakley said. “I think people are concerned about whatʼs happening now and what they envision or fear might happen in the future,” he said. Pope Leo is “bringing in this essential lens to the conversation, which has the ability, I think, to activate … the consciences of all — all who create, all who regulate, all who use or all who are impacted by artificial intelligence,” he said.The Churchʼs voice on the matter goes back to “Vatican II, where the Church realized we shared our destiny with other people," Tighe said. “We journeyed together on this world. We canʼt be exempt from the struggles of our fellow brothers and sisters. We live together,” he said.Since AI is “going to impact so much what it is to be human, how we live our lives” and “impact the destiny of so many of our brothers and sisters and of ourselves, we cannot but take it seriously,” Tighe said.The Church also has a voice when it comes to how AI affects jobs, as "Pope Leo has been deeply inspired by the first encyclical to ever come out in the Catholic social tradition, Rerum Novarum,” which addresses “What does it mean to think that our work is part of our human dignity?" Sullivan said. “The Church has an incredible teaching on this,” she said. The Church says “work is an essential part of our dignity, because work is nothing more and nothing less than our ability and call to serve the common good. And so we do not want to live in a society where AI has replaced work in that sense,” she said.  The Church also must help guide the conversation as technologies impact health care. “Jesus invites his followers to proclaim the kingdom by healing the sick. So Catholic healthcare has to be a sign that God loves all persons, especially those who are poor, sick, disabled, suffering, rejected,” Daly said.“So this culture of encounter and accompaniment needs to be animated by Christ and is sacrosanct in Catholic healthcare,” Daly said. Healthcare professionals “must remain the norm,” he said. “AI can augment the care that humans provide but must not replace them.”Artificial intelligences “canʼt care for patients, they canʼt do the works of mercy. They canʼt express empathy, as Leo writes. They cannot witness the healing ministry of Jesus.”Daly did note that AI may have benefits in healthcare despite its inability to replace human beings' care.AI “could allow marginalized communities to access expert-level care in areas like radiology,” he said. “AI translation services may help patients who speak languages other than the dominant language in the area to communicate and have their concerns be listened to.”
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Archbishop Coakley: Encyclical urges keeping human dignity central in judging tech – #Catholic – Archbishop Paul Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said Pope Leoʼs first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, calls for keeping the dignity of the human person, created in God’s image, at the center of any discernment about emerging technologies.Coakley spoke at a virtual panel June 2 held by Georgetown Universityʼs Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life.The dialogue explored what the encyclical is asking, how technological changes can enhance humanity’s relationship with God, and also what aspects of human creation technologies can never replace.The group also addressed the Church’s important role in the matter and why it must use its voice to speak about the emerging technologies.Kim Daniels, director of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life, moderated the conversation with numerous panelists including Irish Bishop Paul Tighe, secretary of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Culture and Education and a leading Vatican expert on AI.The discussion also welcomed Meghan Sullivan, founding director of Notre Dame’s Institute for Ethics and the Common Good; Emilce Cuda, Argentinian theologian and secretary of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America at the Holy See; and Daniel Daly, founding executive director of the Center for Theology and Ethics in Catholic Health.“When dealing with something new and complex” as the faithful read the encyclical, Coakley reminded them to focus on “the main thing.”Magnifica Humanitas is being “proposed and discussed as an encyclical on artificial intelligence,” Coakley said. “But I think the main thing is the need to keep the human person, made of the image and likeness of God, at the center of our discernment about these new technologies.”“So itʼs, not really, fundamentally … about the technologies. I think itʼs really about anthropology — having an adequate anthropology to really address the challenges that are being proposed by these developing and emerging technologies,” he said.Why the Church’s voice on AI mattersIn the encyclical, Coakley said, "itʼs significant that prior to beginning his reflections on AI, the Holy Father first answers a foundational question, which is ‘Why does the Church have the ability to speak at all?’”“In doing so, he affirms that it is central to the Churchʼs mission to walk alongside humanity … and be responsive to the contemporary challenges that men and women in every age, and certainly today, are facing,” Coakley said. Pope Leo “connects with what all of us, whether we are believers or unbelievers alike, at our very core understand and know instinctively to be true, and that is that the human person possesses an ontological and infinite dignity and therefore must be at the center of all of our deliberations” about AI, Coakley said.“Thatʼs the center and heart of it,” Coakley said. “I think people are concerned about whatʼs happening now and what they envision or fear might happen in the future,” he said. Pope Leo is “bringing in this essential lens to the conversation, which has the ability, I think, to activate … the consciences of all — all who create, all who regulate, all who use or all who are impacted by artificial intelligence,” he said.The Churchʼs voice on the matter goes back to “Vatican II, where the Church realized we shared our destiny with other people," Tighe said. “We journeyed together on this world. We canʼt be exempt from the struggles of our fellow brothers and sisters. We live together,” he said.Since AI is “going to impact so much what it is to be human, how we live our lives” and “impact the destiny of so many of our brothers and sisters and of ourselves, we cannot but take it seriously,” Tighe said.The Church also has a voice when it comes to how AI affects jobs, as "Pope Leo has been deeply inspired by the first encyclical to ever come out in the Catholic social tradition, Rerum Novarum,” which addresses “What does it mean to think that our work is part of our human dignity?" Sullivan said. “The Church has an incredible teaching on this,” she said. The Church says “work is an essential part of our dignity, because work is nothing more and nothing less than our ability and call to serve the common good. And so we do not want to live in a society where AI has replaced work in that sense,” she said.  The Church also must help guide the conversation as technologies impact health care. “Jesus invites his followers to proclaim the kingdom by healing the sick. So Catholic healthcare has to be a sign that God loves all persons, especially those who are poor, sick, disabled, suffering, rejected,” Daly said.“So this culture of encounter and accompaniment needs to be animated by Christ and is sacrosanct in Catholic healthcare,” Daly said. Healthcare professionals “must remain the norm,” he said. “AI can augment the care that humans provide but must not replace them.”Artificial intelligences “canʼt care for patients, they canʼt do the works of mercy. They canʼt express empathy, as Leo writes. They cannot witness the healing ministry of Jesus.”Daly did note that AI may have benefits in healthcare despite its inability to replace human beings' care.AI “could allow marginalized communities to access expert-level care in areas like radiology,” he said. “AI translation services may help patients who speak languages other than the dominant language in the area to communicate and have their concerns be listened to.”

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Coakley spoke at a virtual panel held by Georgetown University’s Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life that explored what the encyclical is asking.

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Pope’s AI warnings come as Americans grapple with data center expansions – #Catholic – Pope Leo XIV issued stark warnings against building “a new Tower of Babel” when developing artificial intelligence (AI) in his recently released encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, at a time when many people are growing concerned with the impact of the new technology and the rapid data center expansion that supports it.His encyclical, the title of which means "magnificent humanity,” pleads for AI development that safeguards Earth’s natural resources, preserves the dignity of work, builds up human solidarity, and does not concentrate power in the hands of a few but rather ensures all people benefit from the innovation.As American companies move fast to expand AI data centers — with over 4,000 operating and thousands more under construction — projects face local protests and critics cite environmental concerns, noise pollution, lack of long-term employment, and broader skepticism of AI’s impact on society.Although a March Gallup poll of 1,000 Americans found 71% oppose local AI data centers and only 27% support them, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum promoted data center expansion on Fox Business on May 26, citing productivity benefits across many sectors of the economy.The protests, he claimed, are “foreign-directed propaganda” campaigns from nations competing with the United States. He dismissed Leo’s guidance while laughing and said: "I didnʼt know that tech editorializing was part of the role of being pope.”Yet AI skepticism is quite prominent among the American public. A June 2025 Pew survey of 5,000 people found 50% are more concerned than excited about AI, 38% are equally excited and concerned, and just 10% are more excited than concerned. An NBC poll of 1,000 people in March found that 57% believe the risks of AI outweigh the benefits and 34% said the opposite.David Cloutier, a Notre Dame theology professor and academic director of the Business Ethics and Society Program, told EWTN News: “I think the resistance to data centers is rooted in a larger suspicion of the technology itself.”“They are a really tempting symbolic target,” he said, adding that data centers “symbolize a future that is all computer and machine and no people.”“I think people experience the arrival of this technology as something that they did not ask for and seems overwhelming to them,” Cloutier added.Dignity of work and power concentrationData centers often receive significant state and local tax incentives. At least 28 states offer tax incentives specific to data centers: Each waives certain sales tax, 14 offer energy subsidies, and 11 provide property tax reductions, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.In a small number of states with significant data center growth — such as Texas and Virginia — data centers are receiving more than $1 billion annually in tax incentives. Apart from temporary construction jobs, smaller data centers often employ fewer than 150 permanent workers, while larger ones may employ a few hundred.Father Philip Larrey, a philosophy professor at Boston College, told EWTN News “it doesn’t make sense to me” to offer those incentives because “you don’t need many people to actually run these things.”“What advantage is there for the local people to have a data center in their city?” he questioned. “Probably none.”Cloutier noted the difference between incentives given to data centers and to factories, saying “the factory can only work if workers come to the factory,” but “data centers don’t employ people like factories do.”“The question is a question about power and who controls these very important entities and whether they share the wealth that is generated by these entities,” he said, pointing to Leo’s concern about the centralization of power and dignity of work.In the encyclical, Leo contrasted the Tower of Babel with the Book of Nehemiah, which details the construction of new walls for Jerusalem. The Holy Father said AI development should mirror the priorities outlined in that text: “Safeguarding humanity and the common good.”Cloutier encouraged local government officials to question “Who’s truly being benefited by these developments?” and “Is this really benefiting my local community?” when considering projects.“Listen to the community and ask questions of the company in ways that attempt to make the project more like Nehemiah building the wall,” he said.The backlash to data centers also fuels concerns about AI replacing people in the workforce, with Cloutier noting “they’re enormous but empty of people.”As the technology improves, Larrey expressed concern about the long-term impact on the labor force, saying it will be hard to convince a company to hire a person if it can achieve “the same result from an AI that you get from a human being and they cost almost nothing.” Yet, he urged employers to consider the human impact and encouraged employees to incorporate AI into their work if it can help prevent replacement.“Just because you can replace a person with AI doesn’t mean that you should,” he said.Judith McGill, marketing and content specialist for DataBank — a data center developer — and a practicing Catholic, told EWTN News that she believes critics' objections about employment are misleading, because although the centers themselves do not employ “a lot of people,” the services benefit “all of the employees of our customers” who use AI.She said governments would not offer incentives if investments were not “a net economic benefit to those communities.” Despite incentives, she said: “We pay taxes and, in fact, contribute to schools and roads.”For example, McGill said DataBank aligns itself with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) guidelines for multinational enterprises, which prioritizes issues like labor rights and the environment.“Our focus is on those organizations which are building technical skills for students entering the workforce and for teachers,” she said.Environment and resourcesIn his encyclical, Leo warned of a “tendency to overlook the environmental impact” of AI and the “enormous amounts of energy and water” needed for data centers, which puts “heavy demands on natural resources” and influences carbon dioxide emissions.A report from the Electric Power Research Institute found 4%-5% of national energy is consumed by data centers, but that will rise to somewhere between 9% and 17% by 2030, mostly because of AI. It could exceed 20% in seven states and be somewhere between 39% and 57% in Virginia. Many data centers use water to cool machines.Cloutier said environmental concerns are “a very important point that is very easy to miss,” adding that “the amount of computer work that has to go on in order for the AI company to answer [a] question is very, very large.”“The environmental impact is downstream from the way we use that technology,” he said, noting that if AI progresses to be “completely embedded in our lives,” it will exacerbate the concerns.Larrey said water and energy are two concerns people have as data centers continue to be built: “They need huge data centers in order to run the servers that give us these large AI models that are only going to get larger and larger as time goes on.”Larrey said innovation can ease concerns and cited OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s investments in small nuclear reactors that could increase opportunities to employ clean energy. He referenced Nobel-Prize winning AlphaFold as well, developed by DeepMind, which significantly reduced the time and energy needed for AI protein structure prediction.“You need massive data centers in order to keep up with the competition,” he said. “Now the companies have to come up with a way of making these more efficient and using less electricity. … It’s becoming a real problem for the companies because people are protesting, actually in the street.”McGill, speaking for DataBank, said Leo’s environmental concerns and broader concerns are “well taken” and even though data center developers are not religious organizations, it “doesn’t absolve us from behaving responsibly.”She said DataBank is experimenting with hydrogenated vegetable oil for power. The company also designs the data centers with a closed-loop water cooling system, which means the water is continuously recycled through the system rather than consuming additional water.McGill added that “data centers pay for their power.” She acknowledged power consumption as a "legitimate concern” but criticized the narrative of the data center industry as “one big scary monster,” making them “the scapegoat” for higher consumption and rate hikes. She noted that inflation and foreign policy in the Middle East have a major effect on energy costs.“What we are doing toward responsible behavior, toward human beings, and toward the environment is absolutely in line with the pope’s encyclical,” she said.Amid growing protests and guidelines coming down from the Vatican, McGill said a parishioner at the parish she attends asked her how a Catholic could work for a data center company, but she said this incorrectly “implied there was a disconnection.”“My conscience is clear,” she said. “This is an industry that is not just avoiding doing bad things but actively seeking out ways to do the right thing.”
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Pope’s AI warnings come as Americans grapple with data center expansions – #Catholic – Pope Leo XIV issued stark warnings against building “a new Tower of Babel” when developing artificial intelligence (AI) in his recently released encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, at a time when many people are growing concerned with the impact of the new technology and the rapid data center expansion that supports it.His encyclical, the title of which means "magnificent humanity,” pleads for AI development that safeguards Earth’s natural resources, preserves the dignity of work, builds up human solidarity, and does not concentrate power in the hands of a few but rather ensures all people benefit from the innovation.As American companies move fast to expand AI data centers — with over 4,000 operating and thousands more under construction — projects face local protests and critics cite environmental concerns, noise pollution, lack of long-term employment, and broader skepticism of AI’s impact on society.Although a March Gallup poll of 1,000 Americans found 71% oppose local AI data centers and only 27% support them, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum promoted data center expansion on Fox Business on May 26, citing productivity benefits across many sectors of the economy.The protests, he claimed, are “foreign-directed propaganda” campaigns from nations competing with the United States. He dismissed Leo’s guidance while laughing and said: "I didnʼt know that tech editorializing was part of the role of being pope.”Yet AI skepticism is quite prominent among the American public. A June 2025 Pew survey of 5,000 people found 50% are more concerned than excited about AI, 38% are equally excited and concerned, and just 10% are more excited than concerned. An NBC poll of 1,000 people in March found that 57% believe the risks of AI outweigh the benefits and 34% said the opposite.David Cloutier, a Notre Dame theology professor and academic director of the Business Ethics and Society Program, told EWTN News: “I think the resistance to data centers is rooted in a larger suspicion of the technology itself.”“They are a really tempting symbolic target,” he said, adding that data centers “symbolize a future that is all computer and machine and no people.”“I think people experience the arrival of this technology as something that they did not ask for and seems overwhelming to them,” Cloutier added.Dignity of work and power concentrationData centers often receive significant state and local tax incentives. At least 28 states offer tax incentives specific to data centers: Each waives certain sales tax, 14 offer energy subsidies, and 11 provide property tax reductions, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.In a small number of states with significant data center growth — such as Texas and Virginia — data centers are receiving more than $1 billion annually in tax incentives. Apart from temporary construction jobs, smaller data centers often employ fewer than 150 permanent workers, while larger ones may employ a few hundred.Father Philip Larrey, a philosophy professor at Boston College, told EWTN News “it doesn’t make sense to me” to offer those incentives because “you don’t need many people to actually run these things.”“What advantage is there for the local people to have a data center in their city?” he questioned. “Probably none.”Cloutier noted the difference between incentives given to data centers and to factories, saying “the factory can only work if workers come to the factory,” but “data centers don’t employ people like factories do.”“The question is a question about power and who controls these very important entities and whether they share the wealth that is generated by these entities,” he said, pointing to Leo’s concern about the centralization of power and dignity of work.In the encyclical, Leo contrasted the Tower of Babel with the Book of Nehemiah, which details the construction of new walls for Jerusalem. The Holy Father said AI development should mirror the priorities outlined in that text: “Safeguarding humanity and the common good.”Cloutier encouraged local government officials to question “Who’s truly being benefited by these developments?” and “Is this really benefiting my local community?” when considering projects.“Listen to the community and ask questions of the company in ways that attempt to make the project more like Nehemiah building the wall,” he said.The backlash to data centers also fuels concerns about AI replacing people in the workforce, with Cloutier noting “they’re enormous but empty of people.”As the technology improves, Larrey expressed concern about the long-term impact on the labor force, saying it will be hard to convince a company to hire a person if it can achieve “the same result from an AI that you get from a human being and they cost almost nothing.” Yet, he urged employers to consider the human impact and encouraged employees to incorporate AI into their work if it can help prevent replacement.“Just because you can replace a person with AI doesn’t mean that you should,” he said.Judith McGill, marketing and content specialist for DataBank — a data center developer — and a practicing Catholic, told EWTN News that she believes critics' objections about employment are misleading, because although the centers themselves do not employ “a lot of people,” the services benefit “all of the employees of our customers” who use AI.She said governments would not offer incentives if investments were not “a net economic benefit to those communities.” Despite incentives, she said: “We pay taxes and, in fact, contribute to schools and roads.”For example, McGill said DataBank aligns itself with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) guidelines for multinational enterprises, which prioritizes issues like labor rights and the environment.“Our focus is on those organizations which are building technical skills for students entering the workforce and for teachers,” she said.Environment and resourcesIn his encyclical, Leo warned of a “tendency to overlook the environmental impact” of AI and the “enormous amounts of energy and water” needed for data centers, which puts “heavy demands on natural resources” and influences carbon dioxide emissions.A report from the Electric Power Research Institute found 4%-5% of national energy is consumed by data centers, but that will rise to somewhere between 9% and 17% by 2030, mostly because of AI. It could exceed 20% in seven states and be somewhere between 39% and 57% in Virginia. Many data centers use water to cool machines.Cloutier said environmental concerns are “a very important point that is very easy to miss,” adding that “the amount of computer work that has to go on in order for the AI company to answer [a] question is very, very large.”“The environmental impact is downstream from the way we use that technology,” he said, noting that if AI progresses to be “completely embedded in our lives,” it will exacerbate the concerns.Larrey said water and energy are two concerns people have as data centers continue to be built: “They need huge data centers in order to run the servers that give us these large AI models that are only going to get larger and larger as time goes on.”Larrey said innovation can ease concerns and cited OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s investments in small nuclear reactors that could increase opportunities to employ clean energy. He referenced Nobel-Prize winning AlphaFold as well, developed by DeepMind, which significantly reduced the time and energy needed for AI protein structure prediction.“You need massive data centers in order to keep up with the competition,” he said. “Now the companies have to come up with a way of making these more efficient and using less electricity. … It’s becoming a real problem for the companies because people are protesting, actually in the street.”McGill, speaking for DataBank, said Leo’s environmental concerns and broader concerns are “well taken” and even though data center developers are not religious organizations, it “doesn’t absolve us from behaving responsibly.”She said DataBank is experimenting with hydrogenated vegetable oil for power. The company also designs the data centers with a closed-loop water cooling system, which means the water is continuously recycled through the system rather than consuming additional water.McGill added that “data centers pay for their power.” She acknowledged power consumption as a "legitimate concern” but criticized the narrative of the data center industry as “one big scary monster,” making them “the scapegoat” for higher consumption and rate hikes. She noted that inflation and foreign policy in the Middle East have a major effect on energy costs.“What we are doing toward responsible behavior, toward human beings, and toward the environment is absolutely in line with the pope’s encyclical,” she said.Amid growing protests and guidelines coming down from the Vatican, McGill said a parishioner at the parish she attends asked her how a Catholic could work for a data center company, but she said this incorrectly “implied there was a disconnection.”“My conscience is clear,” she said. “This is an industry that is not just avoiding doing bad things but actively seeking out ways to do the right thing.”

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Catholic scholars echo Leo’s focus on the dignity of work, the environment, and avoiding power concentration as one data center spokesperson says her work is consistent with Leo’s vision.

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Anti-surrogacy advocates urge UN scrutiny of Greece and Ireland – #Catholic – In November, the United Nations Human Rights Council will conduct its universal periodic review of Greece and Ireland, a process that holds every U.N. member state accountable for its human rights record roughly once every four and a half years.Organizations working for the abolition of surrogacy are using this moment to challenge both countries' surrogacy frameworks. The practice was among 13 violations of human dignity condemned in the Vatican declaration Dignitas Infinita, issued in April 2024.Among the groups raising concerns is Juristes pour lʼEnfance, a French association of legal professionals dedicated to defending childrenʼs rights. The group has submitted two formal observations to the Human Rights Council, arguing that Ireland and Greece have repackaged what is fundamentally a commercial arrangement in the language of compassion and altruism, while children ultimately bear the consequences.EWTN News spoke with Matthieu Le Tourneur, a French jurist with Juristes pour lʼEnfance. He said the organizationʼs central concern is that “a child must never be the object of a contract” since that commodifies them. He added that “surrogacy, whether commercial or presented as altruistic or regulated, involves treating a human being as goods. This is unacceptable.”‘Children are not contracts,’ advocates sayOf the European Unionʼs 27 member states, 16 explicitly prohibit surrogacy and seven have no clear legal framework. Only four — Greece, Ireland, Cyprus, and Portugal — formally permit it.Greece and Ireland are viewed as having the broadest legal openings for surrogacy, while both heavily describe their systems as “altruistic,” meaning no direct payment is made to the surrogate mother for carrying and delivering the child.Juristes pour lʼEnfance disputes that characterization. Le Tourneur explained that under Irelandʼs Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Act 2024, a surrogate may receive compensation for up to 12 months of lost income as well as reimbursement for a wide range of expenses. In Greece, fixed payments of 10,000 euros — rising to 15,000 euros for multiple pregnancies — are permitted as compensation for what the law calls “suffering” or “fatigue.”“Altruistic for whom?” Le Tourneur asked. “It is never altruistic for the child, who will carry for life the invisible mark of having been sold or given away, of having been the object of a contract. The term ‘altruistic surrogacy’ concerns only adults; it does not concern the child.”Advocates for abolition frequently cite the 1989 U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, specifically Article 7, which guarantees a childʼs right to know and be raised by its parents. They argue that surrogacy deliberately severs the childʼs maternal bond at birth and constitutes a form of child sale under Article 35 and its Optional Protocol, even when the arrangement bears no overt price tag.Trafficking, vulnerability, and the limits of regulationThe limits of surrogacy regulation became starkly visible in 2023, when Greek authorities uncovered an alleged criminal network operating out of the Mediterranean Fertility Institute in Crete. Investigators found evidence of trafficked migrant women, primarily from Eastern Europe, who had been recruited as surrogates. The case involved falsified documents, fraudulent embryo transfers, and what prosecutors described as industrial-scale handling of embryos.“Legalizing a practice never eliminates trafficking outside the legal framework,” Le Tourneur said. “In some cases, the existence of a legal market even strengthens illegal trafficking.” He drew a parallel to debates around drug legalization, where legal supply has not always suppressed black markets.He further noted that legalization can act as a pull factor for vulnerable women, since they know that for roughly 12 months they will receive financial support, care, and “sometimes accommodation.”These concerns have increasingly been echoed by U.N. experts. Le Tourneur pointed to the 2018 findings of former special rapporteur Maud de Boer-Buquicchio, a 2019 report by the Committee on the Rights of the Child, and a 2025 report by Special Rapporteur Reem Alsalem — all of which raised concerns about surrogacy as a form of exploitation affecting women and children.A defining debate for EuropeThis focus on surrogacy comes at a time when Europe is increasingly split on the topic. While surrogacyʼs proponents frame it as an act of generosity between willing adults, the majority of EU member states — including France, Germany, Spain, and Poland — continue to treat it as a form of exploitation incompatible with human dignity.Italy has taken one of Europeʼs toughest stances, classifying surrogacy as a universal crime. Under a law that took effect in November 2024, Italian citizens can face prosecution for obtaining surrogacy services abroad, even in countries where the practice is legal. Convictions carry prison sentences of up to two years and fines ranging from 600,000 euros to 1 million euros.Against that backdrop, Le Tourneur said Greece and Ireland matter not only for what is happening within their borders but also for the precedent they set. If the Human Rights Council issues recommendations against their surrogacy laws, it would send a powerful signal to other governments weighing similar legislation.“We hope that, thanks to our alerts, the council will urge the countries concerned to amend their national legislation,” Le Tourneur said. “Such recommendations may also deter other countries from adopting laws that the Human Rights Council would consider to be violations of human rights.”
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Anti-surrogacy advocates urge UN scrutiny of Greece and Ireland – #Catholic – In November, the United Nations Human Rights Council will conduct its universal periodic review of Greece and Ireland, a process that holds every U.N. member state accountable for its human rights record roughly once every four and a half years.Organizations working for the abolition of surrogacy are using this moment to challenge both countries' surrogacy frameworks. The practice was among 13 violations of human dignity condemned in the Vatican declaration Dignitas Infinita, issued in April 2024.Among the groups raising concerns is Juristes pour lʼEnfance, a French association of legal professionals dedicated to defending childrenʼs rights. The group has submitted two formal observations to the Human Rights Council, arguing that Ireland and Greece have repackaged what is fundamentally a commercial arrangement in the language of compassion and altruism, while children ultimately bear the consequences.EWTN News spoke with Matthieu Le Tourneur, a French jurist with Juristes pour lʼEnfance. He said the organizationʼs central concern is that “a child must never be the object of a contract” since that commodifies them. He added that “surrogacy, whether commercial or presented as altruistic or regulated, involves treating a human being as goods. This is unacceptable.”‘Children are not contracts,’ advocates sayOf the European Unionʼs 27 member states, 16 explicitly prohibit surrogacy and seven have no clear legal framework. Only four — Greece, Ireland, Cyprus, and Portugal — formally permit it.Greece and Ireland are viewed as having the broadest legal openings for surrogacy, while both heavily describe their systems as “altruistic,” meaning no direct payment is made to the surrogate mother for carrying and delivering the child.Juristes pour lʼEnfance disputes that characterization. Le Tourneur explained that under Irelandʼs Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Act 2024, a surrogate may receive compensation for up to 12 months of lost income as well as reimbursement for a wide range of expenses. In Greece, fixed payments of 10,000 euros — rising to 15,000 euros for multiple pregnancies — are permitted as compensation for what the law calls “suffering” or “fatigue.”“Altruistic for whom?” Le Tourneur asked. “It is never altruistic for the child, who will carry for life the invisible mark of having been sold or given away, of having been the object of a contract. The term ‘altruistic surrogacy’ concerns only adults; it does not concern the child.”Advocates for abolition frequently cite the 1989 U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, specifically Article 7, which guarantees a childʼs right to know and be raised by its parents. They argue that surrogacy deliberately severs the childʼs maternal bond at birth and constitutes a form of child sale under Article 35 and its Optional Protocol, even when the arrangement bears no overt price tag.Trafficking, vulnerability, and the limits of regulationThe limits of surrogacy regulation became starkly visible in 2023, when Greek authorities uncovered an alleged criminal network operating out of the Mediterranean Fertility Institute in Crete. Investigators found evidence of trafficked migrant women, primarily from Eastern Europe, who had been recruited as surrogates. The case involved falsified documents, fraudulent embryo transfers, and what prosecutors described as industrial-scale handling of embryos.“Legalizing a practice never eliminates trafficking outside the legal framework,” Le Tourneur said. “In some cases, the existence of a legal market even strengthens illegal trafficking.” He drew a parallel to debates around drug legalization, where legal supply has not always suppressed black markets.He further noted that legalization can act as a pull factor for vulnerable women, since they know that for roughly 12 months they will receive financial support, care, and “sometimes accommodation.”These concerns have increasingly been echoed by U.N. experts. Le Tourneur pointed to the 2018 findings of former special rapporteur Maud de Boer-Buquicchio, a 2019 report by the Committee on the Rights of the Child, and a 2025 report by Special Rapporteur Reem Alsalem — all of which raised concerns about surrogacy as a form of exploitation affecting women and children.A defining debate for EuropeThis focus on surrogacy comes at a time when Europe is increasingly split on the topic. While surrogacyʼs proponents frame it as an act of generosity between willing adults, the majority of EU member states — including France, Germany, Spain, and Poland — continue to treat it as a form of exploitation incompatible with human dignity.Italy has taken one of Europeʼs toughest stances, classifying surrogacy as a universal crime. Under a law that took effect in November 2024, Italian citizens can face prosecution for obtaining surrogacy services abroad, even in countries where the practice is legal. Convictions carry prison sentences of up to two years and fines ranging from 600,000 euros to 1 million euros.Against that backdrop, Le Tourneur said Greece and Ireland matter not only for what is happening within their borders but also for the precedent they set. If the Human Rights Council issues recommendations against their surrogacy laws, it would send a powerful signal to other governments weighing similar legislation.“We hope that, thanks to our alerts, the council will urge the countries concerned to amend their national legislation,” Le Tourneur said. “Such recommendations may also deter other countries from adopting laws that the Human Rights Council would consider to be violations of human rights.”

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A French children’s rights group has filed formal observations with the U.N. Human Rights Council ahead of November reviews of Greece and Ireland.

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