2025

Historic parish in Toronto Archdiocese to finally break ground on new church #Catholic After well over a decade of prayer, planning, and perseverance, a historic parish in the Archdiocese of Toronto, St. Patrick’s Parish in Brampton, Ontario,  Canada, will officially break ground on its new church May 24.For many, the project’s next — and most important — step marks a joyous continuation of a dream long held by generations of parishioners and clergy alike.Celebrations will take place on Pentecost Sunday with Mass at the current St. Patrick’s Church, followed by a procession to the new site located at 150 Martin Byrne Dr. for the formal blessing and groundbreaking ceremony. There, Toronto Auxiliary Bishop Ivan Camilleri will preside, joined by parishioners, major donors, local mayors, and councillors. The day will conclude with a festive barbecue, live music, games, and family activities back at St. Patrick’s.Monsignor Owen Keenan, pastor of St. Patrick’s, the archdiocese’s second-oldest parish, said the long-awaited moment is deeply meaningful for all. He spoke to Canadaʼs The Catholic Register about the parish communityʼs vision for a larger church, dating back to the 1980s, with planning truly intensifying in 2015 under the late Father Vito Marziliano. Unfortunately, misfortune befell the project even in its earliest stages.“ First, our architect Renzo Pianon died at 47, and then COVID hit us hard with the drop in attendance and various fundraising challenges before Father Vito left us far too young,” Keenan said. “There were moments of asking what is next? How much more can the community endure?”Still, the community persisted through Marziliano’s Loaves and Fishes Campaign — a project solely dedicated to St. Patrick’s mission of building a new, larger church property to serve a growing local population. A rendering of the front of the new St. Patrick’s Parish in Brampton, Ontario, Canada. Construction on the new church is scheduled to begin May 24, 2026. | Credit: Screenshot from St. Patrick promo video Speaking to The Catholic Register in October 2025, Keenan revealed that the City of Brampton, Region of Peel, and the City of Caledon anticipated an increase of between 50,000 to 60,000 people within the confines of the parish in the next 15 to 20 years. He also shared the growing interest from parishioners — and pledges of million to be paid upon the start of construction and an additional million in bequests from an anonymous parishioner and an area business, respectively.While the community has continued to rally behind the cause — including a promising showing and fundraising efforts at last year’s gala in October —Keenan concedes that a sense of restlessness has been creeping in.“ Weʼve managed to maintain and reestablish a good level of fundraising after COVID, but weʼve run out of runway — people are only going to throw money at a question mark for so long. Thus far, we have around 0,000 worth of new donations already, with more expected as we go and as we break ground,” he said.In total, the project has amassed several million dollars for the project.Despite the impressive figures, Keenan reiterated that rising prices have played a role in the project’s delay. Even as the market shows itʼs a good time to build, a 32,000-square-foot project in 2018 was estimated to cost .9 million, but by 2024, a reduced 28,000-square-foot building was estimated to cost as much as .5 million, leading the parish to scale its operation back from wants to needs.Still, the new church itself is set to be Marziliano’s swan song and become something truly unique as his original vision promised.“He was quite an artist, and so the design for the new church will be based on a 19th-century reconstruction of a sixth-century church in the Holy Land, specifically the Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fish in Tabgha, Israel,” Keenan said.The extensive project involves building a bigger version that remains faithful to the original design, complete with a traditional Romanesque style, rounded apse, cruciform shape, and pillars up the aisles.Now, the project that required a true test of the communityʼs resiliency, patience, and faith will reach its most defining moment with May 24’s first dig.Looking back on the multigenerational effort, Keenan is grateful for the patience and steadfast support of parishioners who have sacrificed for this new church over a decade.“ We are all very excited, and I canʼt say enough about the good people of this parish who have been wanting this for so long. There are lots of good people for whom weʼre enormously grateful,” he said.“We want a place for families who are stressed to be able to come together to appeal to the Lord. Letʼs find our identity in Christ, as St. Paul says, and letʼs truly rejoice together.”This story was first published in Canadaʼs The Catholic Register and has been adapted by EWTN News. It is reprinted here with permission.
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Historic parish in Toronto Archdiocese to finally break ground on new church #Catholic After well over a decade of prayer, planning, and perseverance, a historic parish in the Archdiocese of Toronto, St. Patrick’s Parish in Brampton, Ontario,  Canada, will officially break ground on its new church May 24.For many, the project’s next — and most important — step marks a joyous continuation of a dream long held by generations of parishioners and clergy alike.Celebrations will take place on Pentecost Sunday with Mass at the current St. Patrick’s Church, followed by a procession to the new site located at 150 Martin Byrne Dr. for the formal blessing and groundbreaking ceremony. There, Toronto Auxiliary Bishop Ivan Camilleri will preside, joined by parishioners, major donors, local mayors, and councillors. The day will conclude with a festive barbecue, live music, games, and family activities back at St. Patrick’s.Monsignor Owen Keenan, pastor of St. Patrick’s, the archdiocese’s second-oldest parish, said the long-awaited moment is deeply meaningful for all. He spoke to Canadaʼs The Catholic Register about the parish communityʼs vision for a larger church, dating back to the 1980s, with planning truly intensifying in 2015 under the late Father Vito Marziliano. Unfortunately, misfortune befell the project even in its earliest stages.“ First, our architect Renzo Pianon died at 47, and then COVID hit us hard with the drop in attendance and various fundraising challenges before Father Vito left us far too young,” Keenan said. “There were moments of asking what is next? How much more can the community endure?”Still, the community persisted through Marziliano’s Loaves and Fishes Campaign — a project solely dedicated to St. Patrick’s mission of building a new, larger church property to serve a growing local population. A rendering of the front of the new St. Patrick’s Parish in Brampton, Ontario, Canada. Construction on the new church is scheduled to begin May 24, 2026. | Credit: Screenshot from St. Patrick promo video Speaking to The Catholic Register in October 2025, Keenan revealed that the City of Brampton, Region of Peel, and the City of Caledon anticipated an increase of between 50,000 to 60,000 people within the confines of the parish in the next 15 to 20 years. He also shared the growing interest from parishioners — and pledges of $1 million to be paid upon the start of construction and an additional $1 million in bequests from an anonymous parishioner and an area business, respectively.While the community has continued to rally behind the cause — including a promising showing and fundraising efforts at last year’s gala in October —Keenan concedes that a sense of restlessness has been creeping in.“ Weʼve managed to maintain and reestablish a good level of fundraising after COVID, but weʼve run out of runway — people are only going to throw money at a question mark for so long. Thus far, we have around $350,000 worth of new donations already, with more expected as we go and as we break ground,” he said.In total, the project has amassed several million dollars for the project.Despite the impressive figures, Keenan reiterated that rising prices have played a role in the project’s delay. Even as the market shows itʼs a good time to build, a 32,000-square-foot project in 2018 was estimated to cost $12.9 million, but by 2024, a reduced 28,000-square-foot building was estimated to cost as much as $26.5 million, leading the parish to scale its operation back from wants to needs.Still, the new church itself is set to be Marziliano’s swan song and become something truly unique as his original vision promised.“He was quite an artist, and so the design for the new church will be based on a 19th-century reconstruction of a sixth-century church in the Holy Land, specifically the Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fish in Tabgha, Israel,” Keenan said.The extensive project involves building a bigger version that remains faithful to the original design, complete with a traditional Romanesque style, rounded apse, cruciform shape, and pillars up the aisles.Now, the project that required a true test of the communityʼs resiliency, patience, and faith will reach its most defining moment with May 24’s first dig.Looking back on the multigenerational effort, Keenan is grateful for the patience and steadfast support of parishioners who have sacrificed for this new church over a decade.“ We are all very excited, and I canʼt say enough about the good people of this parish who have been wanting this for so long. There are lots of good people for whom weʼre enormously grateful,” he said.“We want a place for families who are stressed to be able to come together to appeal to the Lord. Letʼs find our identity in Christ, as St. Paul says, and letʼs truly rejoice together.”This story was first published in Canadaʼs The Catholic Register and has been adapted by EWTN News. It is reprinted here with permission.

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St. Patrick’s Parish in Brampton, Ontario, is bursting at the seams. Now, on May 24, it will break ground on its long-awaited new church.

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Catholics weigh in as Supreme Court faces deadline on telemedicine abortion ruling #Catholic The U.S. Supreme Court’s stay on the 5th Circuit’s ruling restricting access to telemedicine abortions is set to expire May 11, a deadline that could bring an extension, allow the restrictions to take effect, or prompt the justices to take up the case in full.Michael New, assistant professor of social research at The Catholic University of America’s Busch School of Business, told “EWTN News Nightly” on May 8: “The Supreme Court may extend the stay if they need more time to deliberate; they may simply uphold the 5th Circuit Courtʼs decision that bans tele-abortion, and the ban will go into effect; or they may want to do a full hearing [and] conduct oral arguments.”The Supreme Court on May 4 temporarily blocked a lower court order requiring in‑person dispensing of mifepristone after two manufacturers asked the justices to intervene, prompting Justice Samuel Alito to issue an administrative stay that restores mail‑order access until May 11 at 5 p.m. ET while the court weighs the request.Although Alito instructed the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the state of Louisiana to respond by 5 p.m. ET on May 7, the Justice Department failed to do so.New described the development as “odd,” saying the failure by the Justice Department, which represents the FDA, to meet the filing deadline could be that “they don’t want to defend the FDA’s position any longer” or that it may signal a policy change.“Sometimes when people think theyʼre going to lose a case, they change public policy because theyʼd rather change policy than, you know, lose a court case,” New said. “Itʼs really hard to say at this point.”Ultimately, New said the Supreme Court should “absolutely” reinstate in-person requirements to obtain abortion pills, saying: “Thereʼs some real serious public health issues at play here.”Judicial Crisis Network President Carrie Severino gave context for the latest developments in a May 7 interview on EWTN’s “The World Over with Raymond Arroyo,” noting that the FDAʼs ongoing approval of nationwide mail-order abortion effectively circumvents Louisiana law protecting unborn human life. “The court should decide hopefully by the 11th, because thatʼs when the stay expires,” she said. “If they donʼt make any decision, then the 5th Circuit ruling goes back into effect and the FDA will have to disallow mailing of these pills, at least during the pendency of litigation,” said Severino, who is also a former Supreme Court clerk.U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ordered the FDA to carry out a review of the abortion drug in May 2025, which is still ongoing.Ultimately, Severino said, the Supreme Court will not be ruling on “what the FDA needs to do at the end of the day” but on whether abortion drugs will be allowed to be mailed into Louisiana or not.“Eventually, you know, then itʼs going to go back and the district court and the 5th Circuit are going to have to reconsider it,” she said. “It could well return to the Supreme Court ultimately, but thatʼs going to be a ways down the litigation.”The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has spoken out against the dangers of mail-order abortion drugs for women and urged the FDA to restore in-person visits to screen for life-threatening conditions such as ectopic pregnancies as well as abuse and human trafficking.
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Catholics weigh in as Supreme Court faces deadline on telemedicine abortion ruling #Catholic The U.S. Supreme Court’s stay on the 5th Circuit’s ruling restricting access to telemedicine abortions is set to expire May 11, a deadline that could bring an extension, allow the restrictions to take effect, or prompt the justices to take up the case in full.Michael New, assistant professor of social research at The Catholic University of America’s Busch School of Business, told “EWTN News Nightly” on May 8: “The Supreme Court may extend the stay if they need more time to deliberate; they may simply uphold the 5th Circuit Courtʼs decision that bans tele-abortion, and the ban will go into effect; or they may want to do a full hearing [and] conduct oral arguments.”The Supreme Court on May 4 temporarily blocked a lower court order requiring in‑person dispensing of mifepristone after two manufacturers asked the justices to intervene, prompting Justice Samuel Alito to issue an administrative stay that restores mail‑order access until May 11 at 5 p.m. ET while the court weighs the request.Although Alito instructed the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the state of Louisiana to respond by 5 p.m. ET on May 7, the Justice Department failed to do so.New described the development as “odd,” saying the failure by the Justice Department, which represents the FDA, to meet the filing deadline could be that “they don’t want to defend the FDA’s position any longer” or that it may signal a policy change.“Sometimes when people think theyʼre going to lose a case, they change public policy because theyʼd rather change policy than, you know, lose a court case,” New said. “Itʼs really hard to say at this point.”Ultimately, New said the Supreme Court should “absolutely” reinstate in-person requirements to obtain abortion pills, saying: “Thereʼs some real serious public health issues at play here.”Judicial Crisis Network President Carrie Severino gave context for the latest developments in a May 7 interview on EWTN’s “The World Over with Raymond Arroyo,” noting that the FDAʼs ongoing approval of nationwide mail-order abortion effectively circumvents Louisiana law protecting unborn human life. “The court should decide hopefully by the 11th, because thatʼs when the stay expires,” she said. “If they donʼt make any decision, then the 5th Circuit ruling goes back into effect and the FDA will have to disallow mailing of these pills, at least during the pendency of litigation,” said Severino, who is also a former Supreme Court clerk.U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ordered the FDA to carry out a review of the abortion drug in May 2025, which is still ongoing.Ultimately, Severino said, the Supreme Court will not be ruling on “what the FDA needs to do at the end of the day” but on whether abortion drugs will be allowed to be mailed into Louisiana or not.“Eventually, you know, then itʼs going to go back and the district court and the 5th Circuit are going to have to reconsider it,” she said. “It could well return to the Supreme Court ultimately, but thatʼs going to be a ways down the litigation.”The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has spoken out against the dangers of mail-order abortion drugs for women and urged the FDA to restore in-person visits to screen for life-threatening conditions such as ectopic pregnancies as well as abuse and human trafficking.

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U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ordered a review of the abortion drug mifipristone in May 2025, which is ongoing.

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U.S. lawmakers urge Trump to press China’s president on Jimmy Lai case #Catholic More than 100 U.S. lawmakers sent President Donald Trump a letter asking him to address Jimmy Lai’s case when he meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on May 14–15.Lai, founder and publisher of the pro-democracy tabloid Apple Daily, was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Feb. 9 over what Chinese officials claim were national security violations. The sentencing followed Lai’s conviction, which ended what Lai’s defenders described as a politically motivated show trial.In October 2025, Trump spoke with Xi Jinping about Lai. In the letter sent to the White House on May 8, lawmakers urged Trump to advocate for Lai again by asking for his humanitarian release.Catholic Rep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, co-chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, and Sen. Rick Scott, R-Florida, both longtime advocates of Laiʼs, circulated the bipartisan letter that was signed by 105 other members of Congress.“We know the president wants to do this,” Smith said in a May 8 interview with “EWTN News Nightly." “We want him to know — President Trump — that weʼre solidly behind him about what he might be able to accomplish.”“And he could use that, frankly, more effectively, with Xi Jinping, and say, ‘Look, donʼt just do it for the executive branch. The legislative branch is asking you, as well, from a humanitarian point of view,’” Smith said.The president has “an ability to persuade” like “no other president Iʼve ever known,” Smith said. “And I hope he can persuade Xi Jinping to let this great man go.”The letter notes that Trump’s “direct engagement is critical to securing Mr. Laiʼs immediate release on humanitarian parole” and the case for his freedom “is urgent and undeniable.”“He is a devout Catholic and successful entrepreneur who has already spent five years in detention, much of it in solitary confinement,” lawmakers wrote.“His family, his friends, and supporters have indicated that if he is released, he will leave Hong Kong and withdraw from public life,” they wrote. “It is a clear, practical path forward that reunites a family and prevents this case from becoming an irreversible tragedy — and an enduring symbol of repression that will echo far beyond Hong Kong.”Lai’s ‘deteriorating health’The group is calling for a humanitarian release due to Lai’s “deteriorating health condition.” They wrote: “His health has declined in custody, and prolonged isolation and inadequate prison conditions only increase the risk of permanent harm.”“From a humanitarian point of view, weʼre hoping the president will look Xi Jinping in the eyes and say, ‘Let this guy go. Do it now. Itʼs a good gesture. It means a lot to us as Americans,’” Smith said.“Jimmy Lai spoke truth to power. He did it with grace, eloquence,” Smith said. “His newspaper … was just a beacon of hope and [truth], and for that, heʼs got a life sentence — 20 years. Heʼs 78. Itʼs probably a life sentence, and heʼs very sick.”“Iʼm very concerned,” Smith said. “Weʼve known for decades that when somebody is a political prisoner, and thatʼs what Jimmy Lai is, or religious prisoner, and you get sick, they let you die. They do not attend to your needs.”Lai “has a number of very serious ailments,” Smith said. “Type 2 diabetes is just one of them. Heʼs got a lot of other problems, and they all are compounding, cascading. He needs good medical attention, and he needs it now.”“Otherwise itʼll be a blight on the Chinese Communist Party added to the other blights that theyʼve accumulated over the years. But break that mold of letting people just die in prison through neglect,” Smith said.“No one can do it better than Trump, and I think he will,” Smith said. “And if it does fail, it wonʼt be on Trumpʼs back. Itʼll be, sadly, that Xi Jinping again has decided to stay with being cruel.”
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U.S. lawmakers urge Trump to press China’s president on Jimmy Lai case #Catholic More than 100 U.S. lawmakers sent President Donald Trump a letter asking him to address Jimmy Lai’s case when he meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on May 14–15.Lai, founder and publisher of the pro-democracy tabloid Apple Daily, was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Feb. 9 over what Chinese officials claim were national security violations. The sentencing followed Lai’s conviction, which ended what Lai’s defenders described as a politically motivated show trial.In October 2025, Trump spoke with Xi Jinping about Lai. In the letter sent to the White House on May 8, lawmakers urged Trump to advocate for Lai again by asking for his humanitarian release.Catholic Rep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, co-chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, and Sen. Rick Scott, R-Florida, both longtime advocates of Laiʼs, circulated the bipartisan letter that was signed by 105 other members of Congress.“We know the president wants to do this,” Smith said in a May 8 interview with “EWTN News Nightly." “We want him to know — President Trump — that weʼre solidly behind him about what he might be able to accomplish.”“And he could use that, frankly, more effectively, with Xi Jinping, and say, ‘Look, donʼt just do it for the executive branch. The legislative branch is asking you, as well, from a humanitarian point of view,’” Smith said.The president has “an ability to persuade” like “no other president Iʼve ever known,” Smith said. “And I hope he can persuade Xi Jinping to let this great man go.”The letter notes that Trump’s “direct engagement is critical to securing Mr. Laiʼs immediate release on humanitarian parole” and the case for his freedom “is urgent and undeniable.”“He is a devout Catholic and successful entrepreneur who has already spent five years in detention, much of it in solitary confinement,” lawmakers wrote.“His family, his friends, and supporters have indicated that if he is released, he will leave Hong Kong and withdraw from public life,” they wrote. “It is a clear, practical path forward that reunites a family and prevents this case from becoming an irreversible tragedy — and an enduring symbol of repression that will echo far beyond Hong Kong.”Lai’s ‘deteriorating health’The group is calling for a humanitarian release due to Lai’s “deteriorating health condition.” They wrote: “His health has declined in custody, and prolonged isolation and inadequate prison conditions only increase the risk of permanent harm.”“From a humanitarian point of view, weʼre hoping the president will look Xi Jinping in the eyes and say, ‘Let this guy go. Do it now. Itʼs a good gesture. It means a lot to us as Americans,’” Smith said.“Jimmy Lai spoke truth to power. He did it with grace, eloquence,” Smith said. “His newspaper … was just a beacon of hope and [truth], and for that, heʼs got a life sentence — 20 years. Heʼs 78. Itʼs probably a life sentence, and heʼs very sick.”“Iʼm very concerned,” Smith said. “Weʼve known for decades that when somebody is a political prisoner, and thatʼs what Jimmy Lai is, or religious prisoner, and you get sick, they let you die. They do not attend to your needs.”Lai “has a number of very serious ailments,” Smith said. “Type 2 diabetes is just one of them. Heʼs got a lot of other problems, and they all are compounding, cascading. He needs good medical attention, and he needs it now.”“Otherwise itʼll be a blight on the Chinese Communist Party added to the other blights that theyʼve accumulated over the years. But break that mold of letting people just die in prison through neglect,” Smith said.“No one can do it better than Trump, and I think he will,” Smith said. “And if it does fail, it wonʼt be on Trumpʼs back. Itʼll be, sadly, that Xi Jinping again has decided to stay with being cruel.”

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Chinese officials sentenced Lai, founder and publisher of the pro-democracy tabloid Apple Daily, to 20 years in prison on Feb. 9.

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Leo XIV makes Marian pilgrimage on 1-year anniversary as pope #Catholic POMPEI, Italy — Pope Leo XIV placed his pontificate under the protection of Mary during a visit to two cities in southern Italy on Friday — the first anniversary of his election to the papacy on May 8, 2025.Leo celebrated Mass for an estimated 20,000 people outside the Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompei, whose feast day is May 8, during the day trip to Pompei and Naples.“Exactly one year ago,” the pope said in his homily, amid thunderous applause from the assembled faithful, “when the ministry of successor of Peter was entrusted to me, it was precisely the day of the Supplication to the Virgin, this beautiful day of the Supplication to the Virgin of the Holy Rosary of Pompei! I therefore had to come here, to place my service under the protection of the Holy Virgin.”“Having then chosen the name Leo places me in the footsteps of Leo XIII, who, among his many merits, also developed a rich magisterium on the holy rosary. Added to all of this is the recent canonization of St. Bartolo Longo, apostle of the rosary,” Leo added.Before Mass, the pope — who flew about 150 miles from Rome to Pompei by helicopter early on May 8 — visited the Shrine of Our Lady of Pompei. Despite forecasts of rain, thousands of people filled Bartolo Longo Square from the first light of dawn.At the shrine, the Holy Father met the “Temple of Charity,” an organization that welcomes and assists people coming from situations of hardship. Pope Leo XIV meets the “Temple of Charity,” an organization that welcomes and assists people coming from situations of hardship, during a pastoral visit to Pompei, Italy, on May 8, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media “Good morning, Pompei! Our Mother Mary — our mom — is always with us,” the pope said, informally greeting the faithful who were waiting for Mass. Before the Eucharistic celebration, Leo also greeted the sick and people with disabilities inside the shrine.The pope’s homily at the outdoor Mass focused on the power of the rosary.“The Hail Mary repeated in the holy rosary is an act of love,” he said. “Generations of believers have been shaped and safeguarded by this prayer — simple and popular, yet at the same time capable of mystical heights and a treasure chest of the most essential Christian theology.”He also called the Hail Mary prayer “an invitation to joy.”“It tells Mary, and in her all of us, that upon the ruins of our humanity, tried by sin and therefore always inclined to abuses, oppression, and war, the caress of God has come — the caress of mercy, which in Jesus takes on a human face. Mary thus becomes the mother of mercy.”“When St. John Paul II proclaimed the Year of the Rosary [2002–2003], he wished to place it in a special way under the gaze of the Virgin of Pompei,” Leo XIV continued. “Times have not improved since then. The wars still being fought in so many regions of the world call for renewed commitment, not only economic and political, but also spiritual and religious.”“Peace is born within the heart,” he added. “We cannot resign ourselves to the images of death that the news presents to us every day. St. Bartolo Longo, reflecting on Mary’s faith, called her ‘omnipotent by grace.’ Through her intercession, may an abundant outpouring of mercy come from the God of peace — touching hearts, calming resentments and fratricidal hatred, and enlightening those who bear special responsibilities of governance. No earthly power will save the world, but only the divine power of love.”At the conclusion of Mass, Pope Leo prayed together with the faithful the traditional Supplication to Our Lady of Pompei.The Supplication to the Queen of the Holy Rosary of Pompei was written in 1883 by St. Bartolo Longo. It is solemnly recited twice a year, at noon on May 8 and on the first Sunday of October. The supplication was composed in response to the invitation that Pope Leo XIII addressed to Catholics in his first encyclical on the rosary, Supremi Apostolatus Officio, calling for a spiritual commitment to confront the evils of society. Pope Leo XIV prays at the Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary in Naples, Italy, on Friday, May 8, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media Visit to NaplesAfter lunch in private, Pope Leo took a helicopter about 16 miles northwest to Naples, the capital city of the Campania region of Italy, where he met with priests and religious brothers and sisters in the Naples cathedral.During his visit to the cathedral, Leo stopped in the Chapel of the Treasure of St. Januarius, where the miracle of the liquefaction of the blood of St. Januarius had taken place on May 3. The pope kissed the relic and with it blessed those in the packed cathedral.After some time in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, the pope addressed the Catholic community: “What I therefore ask of you is this: Listen to one another, walk together, create a symphony of charisms and ministries, and in this way find ways to move from a pastoral ministry of maintenance to a missionary pastoral ministry, capable of engaging with the concrete lives of people.”“In a city marked by inequality, youth unemployment, school dropout rates, and fragile family situations, the proclamation of the Gospel cannot be separated from a concrete and supportive presence that involves everyone — priests, religious, and laypeople alike,” he added.Pope Leo XIV then arrived in the popemobile to Piazza del Plebiscito, the main square of Naples, where authorities estimate about 50,000 people were present.The pope’s address focused on peace and justice: a peace that “begins in the human heart, passes through relationships, takes root in neighborhoods and on the outskirts, and expands to embrace the entire city and the world.” A peace that needs justice “to be authentic” and that “can never be separated from charity.”Leo also spoke about the “Neapolitan paradox:” on the one hand, the significant increase in tourism, which however struggles to correspond to “economic dynamism capable of truly involving the entire social community.” He described a city “marked by a social divide that no longer separates the center from the outskirts but is even evident within every area, with existential peripheries nested even in the heart of the historic center.” Faced with these disparities, Pope Leo XIV recalled the presence of the state as “more necessary than ever, to provide security and confidence to citizens and to take space away from organized crime.”He then encouraged moving forward with the projects of hope taking shape in the city: “Gather your strength, work together, walk united — institutions, Church, and civil society — to connect the city, protect your children from the snares of hardship and evil, and restore to Naples its vocation to be a capital of humanity and hope.”This story was first published in multiple parts by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
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Leo XIV makes Marian pilgrimage on 1-year anniversary as pope #Catholic POMPEI, Italy — Pope Leo XIV placed his pontificate under the protection of Mary during a visit to two cities in southern Italy on Friday — the first anniversary of his election to the papacy on May 8, 2025.Leo celebrated Mass for an estimated 20,000 people outside the Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompei, whose feast day is May 8, during the day trip to Pompei and Naples.“Exactly one year ago,” the pope said in his homily, amid thunderous applause from the assembled faithful, “when the ministry of successor of Peter was entrusted to me, it was precisely the day of the Supplication to the Virgin, this beautiful day of the Supplication to the Virgin of the Holy Rosary of Pompei! I therefore had to come here, to place my service under the protection of the Holy Virgin.”“Having then chosen the name Leo places me in the footsteps of Leo XIII, who, among his many merits, also developed a rich magisterium on the holy rosary. Added to all of this is the recent canonization of St. Bartolo Longo, apostle of the rosary,” Leo added.Before Mass, the pope — who flew about 150 miles from Rome to Pompei by helicopter early on May 8 — visited the Shrine of Our Lady of Pompei. Despite forecasts of rain, thousands of people filled Bartolo Longo Square from the first light of dawn.At the shrine, the Holy Father met the “Temple of Charity,” an organization that welcomes and assists people coming from situations of hardship. Pope Leo XIV meets the “Temple of Charity,” an organization that welcomes and assists people coming from situations of hardship, during a pastoral visit to Pompei, Italy, on May 8, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media “Good morning, Pompei! Our Mother Mary — our mom — is always with us,” the pope said, informally greeting the faithful who were waiting for Mass. Before the Eucharistic celebration, Leo also greeted the sick and people with disabilities inside the shrine.The pope’s homily at the outdoor Mass focused on the power of the rosary.“The Hail Mary repeated in the holy rosary is an act of love,” he said. “Generations of believers have been shaped and safeguarded by this prayer — simple and popular, yet at the same time capable of mystical heights and a treasure chest of the most essential Christian theology.”He also called the Hail Mary prayer “an invitation to joy.”“It tells Mary, and in her all of us, that upon the ruins of our humanity, tried by sin and therefore always inclined to abuses, oppression, and war, the caress of God has come — the caress of mercy, which in Jesus takes on a human face. Mary thus becomes the mother of mercy.”“When St. John Paul II proclaimed the Year of the Rosary [2002–2003], he wished to place it in a special way under the gaze of the Virgin of Pompei,” Leo XIV continued. “Times have not improved since then. The wars still being fought in so many regions of the world call for renewed commitment, not only economic and political, but also spiritual and religious.”“Peace is born within the heart,” he added. “We cannot resign ourselves to the images of death that the news presents to us every day. St. Bartolo Longo, reflecting on Mary’s faith, called her ‘omnipotent by grace.’ Through her intercession, may an abundant outpouring of mercy come from the God of peace — touching hearts, calming resentments and fratricidal hatred, and enlightening those who bear special responsibilities of governance. No earthly power will save the world, but only the divine power of love.”At the conclusion of Mass, Pope Leo prayed together with the faithful the traditional Supplication to Our Lady of Pompei.The Supplication to the Queen of the Holy Rosary of Pompei was written in 1883 by St. Bartolo Longo. It is solemnly recited twice a year, at noon on May 8 and on the first Sunday of October. The supplication was composed in response to the invitation that Pope Leo XIII addressed to Catholics in his first encyclical on the rosary, Supremi Apostolatus Officio, calling for a spiritual commitment to confront the evils of society. Pope Leo XIV prays at the Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary in Naples, Italy, on Friday, May 8, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media Visit to NaplesAfter lunch in private, Pope Leo took a helicopter about 16 miles northwest to Naples, the capital city of the Campania region of Italy, where he met with priests and religious brothers and sisters in the Naples cathedral.During his visit to the cathedral, Leo stopped in the Chapel of the Treasure of St. Januarius, where the miracle of the liquefaction of the blood of St. Januarius had taken place on May 3. The pope kissed the relic and with it blessed those in the packed cathedral.After some time in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, the pope addressed the Catholic community: “What I therefore ask of you is this: Listen to one another, walk together, create a symphony of charisms and ministries, and in this way find ways to move from a pastoral ministry of maintenance to a missionary pastoral ministry, capable of engaging with the concrete lives of people.”“In a city marked by inequality, youth unemployment, school dropout rates, and fragile family situations, the proclamation of the Gospel cannot be separated from a concrete and supportive presence that involves everyone — priests, religious, and laypeople alike,” he added.Pope Leo XIV then arrived in the popemobile to Piazza del Plebiscito, the main square of Naples, where authorities estimate about 50,000 people were present.The pope’s address focused on peace and justice: a peace that “begins in the human heart, passes through relationships, takes root in neighborhoods and on the outskirts, and expands to embrace the entire city and the world.” A peace that needs justice “to be authentic” and that “can never be separated from charity.”Leo also spoke about the “Neapolitan paradox:” on the one hand, the significant increase in tourism, which however struggles to correspond to “economic dynamism capable of truly involving the entire social community.” He described a city “marked by a social divide that no longer separates the center from the outskirts but is even evident within every area, with existential peripheries nested even in the heart of the historic center.” Faced with these disparities, Pope Leo XIV recalled the presence of the state as “more necessary than ever, to provide security and confidence to citizens and to take space away from organized crime.”He then encouraged moving forward with the projects of hope taking shape in the city: “Gather your strength, work together, walk united — institutions, Church, and civil society — to connect the city, protect your children from the snares of hardship and evil, and restore to Naples its vocation to be a capital of humanity and hope.”This story was first published in multiple parts by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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Pope Leo XIV traveled around 150 miles south of Rome to the Italian cities of Pompei and Naples on the first anniversary of his election.

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Researchers name moth species after Pope Leo XIV #Catholic Researchers have named a moth species “Pyralis papaleonei,” or “Pope Leo moth," in honor of the Holy Father.“The new species is dedicated to the head of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV,” authors Peter Huemer, Lauri Kaila, and Andreas H. Segerer wrote in a research article on the species. “The pontiff is a strong advocate of climate and environmental protection, and we hope that his voice may serve as an example for humanity.”In the journal, Nota Lepidopterologica, the entomologists said the species was discovered on the Mediterranean island of Crete. It is a medium-sized species with a 2-centimeter wingspan, gold spots, and prominent white bands.“Furthermore, due to its distinctive coloration and overall appearance, the new species belongs to a group of Pyralidae whose species names refer to high secular or ecclesiastical offices including Pyralis regalis, Pyralis imperialis, Pyralis princeps, and Pyralis cardinalis,” they wrote.Butterflies are often named after external characteristics, geographical locations, or in honor of distinguished individuals, according to a press release from Tiroler Landesmuseum Ferdinandeum, or the Tyrolean State Museum, located in Innsbruck, Austria. Pyralis papaleonei species. | Credit: Photo courtesy of the Tyrolean State Museum Within the Pyralis genus, a different tradition has emerged. As early as 1775, Austrian naturalists and Jesuits Michael Denis and Ignaz Schiffermüller described the first species of the group as Pyralis regalis, or "royal,” due to its coloration.This prompted similar names including Pyralis princeps and Pyralis cardinalis, which belong to the superfamily Pyraloidea comprised of 16,000 described species worldwide.In the Old Testament (Genesis 2), Adam is instructed to name all animals. According to the museum, this led to the action of taxonomy — the science of classifying, naming, and categorizing organisms — to often be considered, “in the biblical sense, the oldest task of humankind.” According to Huemer, head of studies at the Tyrolean State Museum, the naming process is more than a scientific act but a symbolic gesture. For the Pope Leo moth, it is an appeal to the head of the Catholic Church and to draw attention to humanityʼs central responsibility for the preservation of creation.“We are facing a global biodiversity crisis, yet only a fraction of the world’s species has been scientifically documented,” Huemer said in a statement. “Effective conservation of biodiversity requires that species are first recognized, described, and named.”Huemer’s call echoes the pope’s "call for conversion” at a 2025 international conference on climate justice, celebrating the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis' encyclical Laudato Si’.“It is only by returning to the heart that a true ecological conversion can take place,” the Holy Father said. “We must shift from collecting data to caring, and from environmental discourse to an ecological conversion that transforms both personal and communal lifestyles."
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Researchers name moth species after Pope Leo XIV #Catholic Researchers have named a moth species “Pyralis papaleonei,” or “Pope Leo moth," in honor of the Holy Father.“The new species is dedicated to the head of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV,” authors Peter Huemer, Lauri Kaila, and Andreas H. Segerer wrote in a research article on the species. “The pontiff is a strong advocate of climate and environmental protection, and we hope that his voice may serve as an example for humanity.”In the journal, Nota Lepidopterologica, the entomologists said the species was discovered on the Mediterranean island of Crete. It is a medium-sized species with a 2-centimeter wingspan, gold spots, and prominent white bands.“Furthermore, due to its distinctive coloration and overall appearance, the new species belongs to a group of Pyralidae whose species names refer to high secular or ecclesiastical offices including Pyralis regalis, Pyralis imperialis, Pyralis princeps, and Pyralis cardinalis,” they wrote.Butterflies are often named after external characteristics, geographical locations, or in honor of distinguished individuals, according to a press release from Tiroler Landesmuseum Ferdinandeum, or the Tyrolean State Museum, located in Innsbruck, Austria. Pyralis papaleonei species. | Credit: Photo courtesy of the Tyrolean State Museum Within the Pyralis genus, a different tradition has emerged. As early as 1775, Austrian naturalists and Jesuits Michael Denis and Ignaz Schiffermüller described the first species of the group as Pyralis regalis, or "royal,” due to its coloration.This prompted similar names including Pyralis princeps and Pyralis cardinalis, which belong to the superfamily Pyraloidea comprised of 16,000 described species worldwide.In the Old Testament (Genesis 2), Adam is instructed to name all animals. According to the museum, this led to the action of taxonomy — the science of classifying, naming, and categorizing organisms — to often be considered, “in the biblical sense, the oldest task of humankind.” According to Huemer, head of studies at the Tyrolean State Museum, the naming process is more than a scientific act but a symbolic gesture. For the Pope Leo moth, it is an appeal to the head of the Catholic Church and to draw attention to humanityʼs central responsibility for the preservation of creation.“We are facing a global biodiversity crisis, yet only a fraction of the world’s species has been scientifically documented,” Huemer said in a statement. “Effective conservation of biodiversity requires that species are first recognized, described, and named.”Huemer’s call echoes the pope’s "call for conversion” at a 2025 international conference on climate justice, celebrating the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis' encyclical Laudato Si’.“It is only by returning to the heart that a true ecological conversion can take place,” the Holy Father said. “We must shift from collecting data to caring, and from environmental discourse to an ecological conversion that transforms both personal and communal lifestyles."

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“The pontiff is a strong advocate of climate and environmental protection, and we hope that his voice may serve as an example for humanity,” researchers wrote.

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Outrage grows over alleged bulldozing of Catholic monastery and school in Lebanon #Catholic In southern Lebanon, the village of Yaroun has drawn widespread attention after images and video circulated showing the demolition, allegedly by Israeli forces, of a monastery and Catholic school belonging to the Salvatorian Sisters.Yarounʼs mayor, Adib Ajaka, rejected claims by the Israeli army that it did not know the buildings were religious places, and the Council of Melkite Greek Catholic Bishops in Lebanon urged the Lebanese government and the United Nations “to protect the property of civilians and religious institutions, citing in particular the village of Yaroun,” according to the Associated Press.Speaking to ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News, Ajaka clarified that some media outlets have been recirculating images of a destroyed church as if they were from the latest incident, but the church itself had already been targeted multiple times since 2024. He stressed that the most recent incident concerns the demolition of the monastery and the school.Responding to the Israeli army’s claim that “there were no indications that it was a religious building,” Ajaqa rejected the statement as unconvincing, noting that the site was clearly identifiable, bearing a cross and a statue of the Virgin Mary. He also pointed out that the church had been targeted previously and that footage from 2024 showed the deliberate destruction of a statue of St. George. Adib Ajaka, mayor of the village of Yaroun, is pictured with the apostolic nuncio to Lebanon, Archbishop Paolo Borgia. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Adib Ajaka Ajaka said images published by Israel showing the diocese and a nearby clinic were used to suggest that the monastery had not been destroyed, but in reality they referred to a separate building housing a clinic run by the Order of Malta. He suggested that the presence of the organization’s flag may have contributed to it being spared so far. According to Ajaka, the bulldozing operations took place after the ceasefire came into effect. At first, residents did not grasp the scale of what was happening, as they remained in contact with nearby towns such as Rmeish and Ain Ebel, where no strikes or shelling had been reported from Yaroun. This created the impression that the village had not been directly targeted. It later became clear, however, that what had taken place was not bombardment but the widespread bulldozing of homes.Yaroun is home to about 60 Melkite Catholic families — all of whom fled at the outbreak of the war in 2024. Seventeen families returned during the initial ceasefire period, but many others were unable to do so due to the destruction of their homes. Today, residents remain unable to return, scattered between rented accommodations, monasteries, and relatives’ homes, while some have relocated to nearby Christian villages in the south.Ajaka noted that assistance to residents has so far been limited, emphasizing that the most urgent need is direct financial support to help cover rent. At the same time, he expressed gratitude for the support provided by the Vatican and for the continued efforts of the apostolic nuncio through regular visits and follow-up on the situation of displaced families. The historic stone presented to Pope Leo XIV during his visit to Lebanon in December 2025. | Credit: Rumi Al-Haber/ACI MENA He also recalled that during the pope’s visit to Lebanon in December 2025, a historic stone from the village church dating back to 1872, engraved with an image of St. George, was presented to him in the hope of drawing attention to Yaroun and its people.Today, the fate of this stone remains unknown, as the church has been destroyed and residents are unable to return to see what remains. Ajaka stressed that the destroyed homes of the Catholic families there are over a century old and are purely civilian properties.Church vandalism across LebanonThe alleged demolitions in Yaroun come amid recent and varied incidents of church vandalism in Lebanon, with multiple places of worship targeted and their contents deliberately damaged. Among them, the Church of Mar Shalita in Qobeiyat was stormed and vandalized. And in Ajaltoun, the Church of Our Lady was targeted, with intruders stealing items, destroying furniture, and leaving bullets scattered on the floor.Taken together, these incidents reflect a broader climate in which Lebanese Christians increasingly feel under pressure, facing different forms of intimidation and attack from multiple actors.This story was first published by ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News, and has been adapted by EWTN News English.
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Outrage grows over alleged bulldozing of Catholic monastery and school in Lebanon #Catholic In southern Lebanon, the village of Yaroun has drawn widespread attention after images and video circulated showing the demolition, allegedly by Israeli forces, of a monastery and Catholic school belonging to the Salvatorian Sisters.Yarounʼs mayor, Adib Ajaka, rejected claims by the Israeli army that it did not know the buildings were religious places, and the Council of Melkite Greek Catholic Bishops in Lebanon urged the Lebanese government and the United Nations “to protect the property of civilians and religious institutions, citing in particular the village of Yaroun,” according to the Associated Press.Speaking to ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News, Ajaka clarified that some media outlets have been recirculating images of a destroyed church as if they were from the latest incident, but the church itself had already been targeted multiple times since 2024. He stressed that the most recent incident concerns the demolition of the monastery and the school.Responding to the Israeli army’s claim that “there were no indications that it was a religious building,” Ajaqa rejected the statement as unconvincing, noting that the site was clearly identifiable, bearing a cross and a statue of the Virgin Mary. He also pointed out that the church had been targeted previously and that footage from 2024 showed the deliberate destruction of a statue of St. George. Adib Ajaka, mayor of the village of Yaroun, is pictured with the apostolic nuncio to Lebanon, Archbishop Paolo Borgia. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Adib Ajaka Ajaka said images published by Israel showing the diocese and a nearby clinic were used to suggest that the monastery had not been destroyed, but in reality they referred to a separate building housing a clinic run by the Order of Malta. He suggested that the presence of the organization’s flag may have contributed to it being spared so far. According to Ajaka, the bulldozing operations took place after the ceasefire came into effect. At first, residents did not grasp the scale of what was happening, as they remained in contact with nearby towns such as Rmeish and Ain Ebel, where no strikes or shelling had been reported from Yaroun. This created the impression that the village had not been directly targeted. It later became clear, however, that what had taken place was not bombardment but the widespread bulldozing of homes.Yaroun is home to about 60 Melkite Catholic families — all of whom fled at the outbreak of the war in 2024. Seventeen families returned during the initial ceasefire period, but many others were unable to do so due to the destruction of their homes. Today, residents remain unable to return, scattered between rented accommodations, monasteries, and relatives’ homes, while some have relocated to nearby Christian villages in the south.Ajaka noted that assistance to residents has so far been limited, emphasizing that the most urgent need is direct financial support to help cover rent. At the same time, he expressed gratitude for the support provided by the Vatican and for the continued efforts of the apostolic nuncio through regular visits and follow-up on the situation of displaced families. The historic stone presented to Pope Leo XIV during his visit to Lebanon in December 2025. | Credit: Rumi Al-Haber/ACI MENA He also recalled that during the pope’s visit to Lebanon in December 2025, a historic stone from the village church dating back to 1872, engraved with an image of St. George, was presented to him in the hope of drawing attention to Yaroun and its people.Today, the fate of this stone remains unknown, as the church has been destroyed and residents are unable to return to see what remains. Ajaka stressed that the destroyed homes of the Catholic families there are over a century old and are purely civilian properties.Church vandalism across LebanonThe alleged demolitions in Yaroun come amid recent and varied incidents of church vandalism in Lebanon, with multiple places of worship targeted and their contents deliberately damaged. Among them, the Church of Mar Shalita in Qobeiyat was stormed and vandalized. And in Ajaltoun, the Church of Our Lady was targeted, with intruders stealing items, destroying furniture, and leaving bullets scattered on the floor.Taken together, these incidents reflect a broader climate in which Lebanese Christians increasingly feel under pressure, facing different forms of intimidation and attack from multiple actors.This story was first published by ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News, and has been adapted by EWTN News English.

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The mayor of Yaroun, a village in southern Lebanon, and the Melkite Greek Catholic bishops have reacted to the alleged demolition of a monastery and school by Israeli forces.

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Catholic community in shock after terrorists torch historic church in Mozambique #Catholic MAPUTO, Mozambique — The bishop of Mozambique’s Catholic Diocese of Pemba has expressed sorrow following a terrorist attack that destroyed the historic St. Louis de Montfort Parish in Cabo Delgado province, saying the local community “remains in shock” after the assault.In a message sent to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) International, a Catholic charity foundation that supports the suffering Church all over the world, on May 1, Bishop António Juliasse Ferreira Sandramo said the parish in Meza, northern Mozambique, was completely burned down during an attack carried out by insurgents on April 30.“The terrorists arrived around 4 p.m. and entered the parish of St. Louis of Montfort, a symbol, since 1946, of the Catholic presence in the region,” the bishop said.He added: “The parish was attacked and completely burned down by the insurgents. The scene was one of terror: Houses and infrastructure destroyed, the historic parish reduced to rubble.”According to Sandramo, civilians were captured during the attack and forced to listen to hate speeches delivered by the assailants.The Cameroonian missionaries serving the parish were not present at the time of the attack and are safe.“The missionaries are safe, but the community remains in shock,” the bishop said.The Catholic Church leader appealed for international solidarity with the victims of violence in Cabo Delgado, where Islamist insurgency has persisted for nearly nine years.“We ask for attention and solidarity with the victims of Meza. For almost nine years now, chapels and churches have been burned in the Diocese of Pemba,” the bishop said.Despite the destruction, he expressed hope and resilience among the Christian faithful.“But the faith of this people of God will never be burned; it is rebuilt daily!” he emphasized.According to ACN, the church building, which dates back to colonial times, was vandalized and reduced to ashes. The attack is the latest in a series of assaults attributed to militants linked to the Islamic State in Mozambique.During a December 2025 visit to Mozambique by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Sandramo shared the extent of the devastation caused by the insurgency in Cabo Delgado.“More than 300 Catholics were killed, most by decapitation,” the bishop said at the time, referring to catechists, parish animators, and ordinary faithful.He also reported that since the insurgency began in October 2017, at least 117 churches and chapels had been destroyed in the Pemba Diocese, including 23 in 2025 alone. The destruction of St. Louis de Montfort Parish adds to that toll.Parolin visited Cabo Delgado during his Dec. 5–10 trip to Mozambique, where he met victims and heard testimonies from communities affected by the violence.This story was first published by ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, and has been adapted by EWTN News.
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Catholic community in shock after terrorists torch historic church in Mozambique #Catholic MAPUTO, Mozambique — The bishop of Mozambique’s Catholic Diocese of Pemba has expressed sorrow following a terrorist attack that destroyed the historic St. Louis de Montfort Parish in Cabo Delgado province, saying the local community “remains in shock” after the assault.In a message sent to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) International, a Catholic charity foundation that supports the suffering Church all over the world, on May 1, Bishop António Juliasse Ferreira Sandramo said the parish in Meza, northern Mozambique, was completely burned down during an attack carried out by insurgents on April 30.“The terrorists arrived around 4 p.m. and entered the parish of St. Louis of Montfort, a symbol, since 1946, of the Catholic presence in the region,” the bishop said.He added: “The parish was attacked and completely burned down by the insurgents. The scene was one of terror: Houses and infrastructure destroyed, the historic parish reduced to rubble.”According to Sandramo, civilians were captured during the attack and forced to listen to hate speeches delivered by the assailants.The Cameroonian missionaries serving the parish were not present at the time of the attack and are safe.“The missionaries are safe, but the community remains in shock,” the bishop said.The Catholic Church leader appealed for international solidarity with the victims of violence in Cabo Delgado, where Islamist insurgency has persisted for nearly nine years.“We ask for attention and solidarity with the victims of Meza. For almost nine years now, chapels and churches have been burned in the Diocese of Pemba,” the bishop said.Despite the destruction, he expressed hope and resilience among the Christian faithful.“But the faith of this people of God will never be burned; it is rebuilt daily!” he emphasized.According to ACN, the church building, which dates back to colonial times, was vandalized and reduced to ashes. The attack is the latest in a series of assaults attributed to militants linked to the Islamic State in Mozambique.During a December 2025 visit to Mozambique by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Sandramo shared the extent of the devastation caused by the insurgency in Cabo Delgado.“More than 300 Catholics were killed, most by decapitation,” the bishop said at the time, referring to catechists, parish animators, and ordinary faithful.He also reported that since the insurgency began in October 2017, at least 117 churches and chapels had been destroyed in the Pemba Diocese, including 23 in 2025 alone. The destruction of St. Louis de Montfort Parish adds to that toll.Parolin visited Cabo Delgado during his Dec. 5–10 trip to Mozambique, where he met victims and heard testimonies from communities affected by the violence.This story was first published by ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, and has been adapted by EWTN News.

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The bishop of the Pemba Diocese in northern Mozambique has expressed sadness and solidarity with victims of violence in a region where Islamist insurgency has persisted for nearly nine years.

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Canadian priest offered euthanasia twice while recovering from hip fracture #Catholic A priest from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, recovering from a hip fracture at Vancouver General Hospital (VGH) said he was twice offered assisted death by healthcare staff who knew he was a priest and opposed to euthanasia — a practice critics say is growing as medical professionals are increasingly encouraged to initiate such conversations.“There are some things you just don’t talk about to some people,” said Father Larry Holland, who has completed studies in healthcare chaplaincy in addition to serving at numerous parishes in the Archdiocese of Vancouver.He described his reaction when a doctor brought up the option of medical aid in dying (MAID) should his condition deteriorate. “I think I was very shocked,” he said. “It is such a sensitive subject.”Holland, 79, is currently convalescing at VGH after suffering a hip fracture from a fall in his bathroom on Christmas Day. He spoke to The B.C. Catholic about the offers of MAID from two healthcare professionals, despite their knowing he was a Catholic priest.Holland said he wasn’t dying then or now and that the doctor’s mention of MAID left him “kind of silent” for a moment. The doctor then raised the subject again, saying it’s “something they have to discuss with someone who’s been given a terminal diagnosis.”Holland recalled telling the doctor he was morally opposed to euthanasia. The doctor explained that “he just wanted to make sure that, if a [terminal] diagnosis came up or not … I knew of the different services I had access to.”Weeks later, a second offer of MAID came from a nurse who the priest said seemed uncomfortable raising the topic and was likely doing so out of compassion because of the pain he was enduring.“It’s a false compassion, really,” he said.A spokesman for Vancouver Coastal Health, which operates VGH, told The B.C. Catholic in an email that “staff may consider bringing up MAID based on their clinical judgment, provided they possess the necessary knowledge and skills to do so.”Staff are also “responsible for answering questions when patients bring up the topic of MAID,” the spokesman said.The two incidents arise as Canada approaches 100,000 assisted dying deaths.Father Larry Lynn, the archdiocese’s pro-life chaplain, said he was shocked to hear about Holland’s case.“This must surely be among the most appalling examples of Canada’s coercive and insensitive euthanasia regime,” Lynn said in an interview.He said it’s disturbing that a healthcare provider suggests euthanasia with any patient, and particularly when the patient is a consecrated religious known to be morally opposed. “It places the medical practitioner into the role of the devil, tempting a vulnerable person into mortal sin.”He’s equally troubled that Canadian euthanasia providers aren’t ruling out initiating discussions with Roman Catholics about MAID. In a document titled “Bringing up Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) as a Clinical Care Option,” the Canadian Association of MAID Assessors and Providers recommends against assuming patients oppose MAID because of their faith.The document says: “Healthcare professionals may draw incorrect assumptions about a person’s views on MAID; e.g., they may assume that a patient objects to MAID because she is a Roman Catholic nun, and yet Roman Catholic nuns and others dedicated to a faith-based way of life have requested MAID.” The booklet does not provide a source for the information.An updated version published in March removes the Catholic reference but gives the same advice regarding people of a “faith community” and even those of “strong faith.”Lynn called it “diabolical” to use a nun as an example for overcoming a patient’s moral objections.The booklet reflects a recent trend of encouraging healthcare personnel to initiate MAID discussions with patients. In November 2025, The B.C. Catholic reported on a little-known 2023 Health Canada document urging health authorities and professional bodies to adopt “practice standards” requiring doctors and nurse practitioners to raise MAID with certain patients.The MAID assessors and providers document similarly says physicians and nurse practitioners involved in care planning and consent processes “have a professional obligation to initiate a discussion about MAID if a patient might be eligible for MAID.” However, Health Canada does not have the authority to require provinces or health authorities to adopt such guidelines and The B.C. Catholic found no evidence of any public agency or professional body in British Columbia doing so.Amanda Achtman, creator of the anti-euthanasia project Dying to Meet You and ethics director of Canadian Physicians for Life, said initiating MAID discussions in a medical setting is a form of coercion that attacks patients’ deepest convictions when they’re vulnerable. To “torment” someone who has deeply held beliefs with an offer of MAID is “an attack on their identity,” Achtman said.Holland admitted he was in so much pain that he could “feel the temptation” to accept MAID. “It’s a human reaction. We always look for the easy way out.”Conservative member of Parliament Garnett Genuis has introduced Bill C-260, An Act to Prevent Coercion of Persons Not Seeking Medical Assistance in Dying, which would prohibit federal employees from proactively offering or recommending MAID. The bill resulted from incidents of bureaucrats such as veterans counselors trying to steer vulnerable people toward assisted dying.The Alberta government introduced legislation in March that would restrict regulated health professionals from providing information about MAID to their patients unless the patient brings it up. The Safeguards for Last Resort Termination of Life Act would also restrict the public display of MAID information, such as posters, within healthcare facilities.The bill is worth supporting, said Achtman, who lives in Calgary. “Simply being offered euthanasia already kills the person, because it defeats and deflates their sense of self-worth and value.”The unwanted initiation of MAID discussions in Canada made international headlines in March after Achtman shared the story of an 84-year-old woman, Miriam Lancaster, who went to VGH last year for severe back pain. She said the first doctor she spoke with in the emergency room raised MAID before any diagnostic work had been done. Lancaster’s daughter was present and confirmed the incident, adding her mother eventually responded to rehabilitation and rest.The Catholic chaplain at VGH, Father Ronald Sequeira, said it’s a constant struggle to help suffering patients not lose hope. He said he tries to offer them “some kind of encouragement and comfort,” but many give up.“The moment you lose hope, the devil comes in, in different personalities, and says, ‘Do you want MAID? I don’t want people to suffer.’”Patients often don’t realize that suffering is redemptive, he said. “God makes us more pure, more strong, through the suffering when we offer it up,” Sequeira said. “So we give hope — help them not to lose hope.”Holland said turning down an offer of death opens one to new experiences. Even enduring pain “can encourage growth,” he said. “It can motivate you, it can open up new worlds, new vistas, new opportunities,” including enriched relationships.He said he is sharing his story in the hope it will help others. “I went through it; you can go through it, too.”This story was first published in The B.C. Catholic and is reprinted here with permission and adaptations.
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Canadian priest offered euthanasia twice while recovering from hip fracture #Catholic A priest from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, recovering from a hip fracture at Vancouver General Hospital (VGH) said he was twice offered assisted death by healthcare staff who knew he was a priest and opposed to euthanasia — a practice critics say is growing as medical professionals are increasingly encouraged to initiate such conversations.“There are some things you just don’t talk about to some people,” said Father Larry Holland, who has completed studies in healthcare chaplaincy in addition to serving at numerous parishes in the Archdiocese of Vancouver.He described his reaction when a doctor brought up the option of medical aid in dying (MAID) should his condition deteriorate. “I think I was very shocked,” he said. “It is such a sensitive subject.”Holland, 79, is currently convalescing at VGH after suffering a hip fracture from a fall in his bathroom on Christmas Day. He spoke to The B.C. Catholic about the offers of MAID from two healthcare professionals, despite their knowing he was a Catholic priest.Holland said he wasn’t dying then or now and that the doctor’s mention of MAID left him “kind of silent” for a moment. The doctor then raised the subject again, saying it’s “something they have to discuss with someone who’s been given a terminal diagnosis.”Holland recalled telling the doctor he was morally opposed to euthanasia. The doctor explained that “he just wanted to make sure that, if a [terminal] diagnosis came up or not … I knew of the different services I had access to.”Weeks later, a second offer of MAID came from a nurse who the priest said seemed uncomfortable raising the topic and was likely doing so out of compassion because of the pain he was enduring.“It’s a false compassion, really,” he said.A spokesman for Vancouver Coastal Health, which operates VGH, told The B.C. Catholic in an email that “staff may consider bringing up MAID based on their clinical judgment, provided they possess the necessary knowledge and skills to do so.”Staff are also “responsible for answering questions when patients bring up the topic of MAID,” the spokesman said.The two incidents arise as Canada approaches 100,000 assisted dying deaths.Father Larry Lynn, the archdiocese’s pro-life chaplain, said he was shocked to hear about Holland’s case.“This must surely be among the most appalling examples of Canada’s coercive and insensitive euthanasia regime,” Lynn said in an interview.He said it’s disturbing that a healthcare provider suggests euthanasia with any patient, and particularly when the patient is a consecrated religious known to be morally opposed. “It places the medical practitioner into the role of the devil, tempting a vulnerable person into mortal sin.”He’s equally troubled that Canadian euthanasia providers aren’t ruling out initiating discussions with Roman Catholics about MAID. In a document titled “Bringing up Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) as a Clinical Care Option,” the Canadian Association of MAID Assessors and Providers recommends against assuming patients oppose MAID because of their faith.The document says: “Healthcare professionals may draw incorrect assumptions about a person’s views on MAID; e.g., they may assume that a patient objects to MAID because she is a Roman Catholic nun, and yet Roman Catholic nuns and others dedicated to a faith-based way of life have requested MAID.” The booklet does not provide a source for the information.An updated version published in March removes the Catholic reference but gives the same advice regarding people of a “faith community” and even those of “strong faith.”Lynn called it “diabolical” to use a nun as an example for overcoming a patient’s moral objections.The booklet reflects a recent trend of encouraging healthcare personnel to initiate MAID discussions with patients. In November 2025, The B.C. Catholic reported on a little-known 2023 Health Canada document urging health authorities and professional bodies to adopt “practice standards” requiring doctors and nurse practitioners to raise MAID with certain patients.The MAID assessors and providers document similarly says physicians and nurse practitioners involved in care planning and consent processes “have a professional obligation to initiate a discussion about MAID if a patient might be eligible for MAID.” However, Health Canada does not have the authority to require provinces or health authorities to adopt such guidelines and The B.C. Catholic found no evidence of any public agency or professional body in British Columbia doing so.Amanda Achtman, creator of the anti-euthanasia project Dying to Meet You and ethics director of Canadian Physicians for Life, said initiating MAID discussions in a medical setting is a form of coercion that attacks patients’ deepest convictions when they’re vulnerable. To “torment” someone who has deeply held beliefs with an offer of MAID is “an attack on their identity,” Achtman said.Holland admitted he was in so much pain that he could “feel the temptation” to accept MAID. “It’s a human reaction. We always look for the easy way out.”Conservative member of Parliament Garnett Genuis has introduced Bill C-260, An Act to Prevent Coercion of Persons Not Seeking Medical Assistance in Dying, which would prohibit federal employees from proactively offering or recommending MAID. The bill resulted from incidents of bureaucrats such as veterans counselors trying to steer vulnerable people toward assisted dying.The Alberta government introduced legislation in March that would restrict regulated health professionals from providing information about MAID to their patients unless the patient brings it up. The Safeguards for Last Resort Termination of Life Act would also restrict the public display of MAID information, such as posters, within healthcare facilities.The bill is worth supporting, said Achtman, who lives in Calgary. “Simply being offered euthanasia already kills the person, because it defeats and deflates their sense of self-worth and value.”The unwanted initiation of MAID discussions in Canada made international headlines in March after Achtman shared the story of an 84-year-old woman, Miriam Lancaster, who went to VGH last year for severe back pain. She said the first doctor she spoke with in the emergency room raised MAID before any diagnostic work had been done. Lancaster’s daughter was present and confirmed the incident, adding her mother eventually responded to rehabilitation and rest.The Catholic chaplain at VGH, Father Ronald Sequeira, said it’s a constant struggle to help suffering patients not lose hope. He said he tries to offer them “some kind of encouragement and comfort,” but many give up.“The moment you lose hope, the devil comes in, in different personalities, and says, ‘Do you want MAID? I don’t want people to suffer.’”Patients often don’t realize that suffering is redemptive, he said. “God makes us more pure, more strong, through the suffering when we offer it up,” Sequeira said. “So we give hope — help them not to lose hope.”Holland said turning down an offer of death opens one to new experiences. Even enduring pain “can encourage growth,” he said. “It can motivate you, it can open up new worlds, new vistas, new opportunities,” including enriched relationships.He said he is sharing his story in the hope it will help others. “I went through it; you can go through it, too.”This story was first published in The B.C. Catholic and is reprinted here with permission and adaptations.

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A Vancouver priest says he was twice offered assisted death by hospital medical staff who knew he was a priest and opposed to euthanasia — a practice critics say is growing.

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The life and legacy of St. Athanasius, champion of the Nicene Creed #Catholic The Catholic Church on May 2 honors St. Athanasius of Alexandria, a fourth-century bishop known as “the father of orthodoxy” for his dedication to the doctrine of Christ’s divinity. Athanasius played a key role at the First Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325 and defended the Nicene Creed throughout his life.Last year marked the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, which was convened during the pontificate of Pope Sylvester I in 325.St. Athanasius was born to Christian parents living in the Egyptian city of Alexandria in 296. His parents took great care to have their son educated, and his talents came to the attention of a local priest who was later canonized — St. Alexander of Alexandria. The priest and future saint tutored Athanasius in theology and eventually appointed him as an assistant.Around the age of 19, Athanasius spent a formative period in the Egyptian desert as a disciple of St. Anthony in his monastic community. Returning to Alexandria, he was ordained a deacon in 319 and resumed his assistance to Alexander, who had become a bishop. The Catholic Church, newly recognized by the Roman Empire, was already encountering a new series of dangers from within.The most serious threat to the fourth-century Church came from a priest named Arius, who taught that Jesus could not have existed eternally as God prior to his historical incarnation as a man. According to Arius, Jesus was the highest of created beings and could be considered “divine” only by analogy. Arians professed a belief in Jesus’ “divinity” but meant only that he was Godʼs greatest creature.Opponents of Arianism brought forth numerous Scriptures that taught Christ’s eternal preexistence and his identity as God. Nonetheless, many Greek-speaking Christians found it intellectually easier to believe in Jesus as a created demigod than to accept the mystery of a Father-Son relationship within the Godhead. By 325, the controversy was dividing the Church and unsettling the Roman Empire.NicaeaIn that year, Athanasius attended the First Ecumenical Council, held at Nicaea to examine and judge Arius’ doctrine in light of apostolic tradition. It reaffirmed the Church’s perennial teaching on Christ’s full deity and established the Nicene Creed as an authoritative statement of faith. The remainder of Athanasius’ life was a constant struggle to uphold the council’s teaching about Christ.Near the end of St. Alexander’s life, he insisted that Athanasius succeed him as the bishop of Alexandria. Athanasius took on the position just as Emperor Constantine, despite having convoked the Council of Nicaea, decided to relax its condemnation of Arius and his supporters. Athanasius continually refused to admit Arius to Communion, however, despite the urgings of the emperor.A number of Arians spent the next several decades attempting to manipulate bishops, emperors, and popes to move against Athanasius — particularly through the use of false accusations. Athanasius was accused of theft, murder, assault, and even of causing a famine by interfering with food shipments.Arius became ill and died in 336, but his heresy continued to live. Under the rule of the three emperors that followed Constantine, and particularly under the rule of the strongly Arian Constantius, Athanasius was driven into exile at least five times for insisting on the Nicene Creed as the Church’s authoritative rule of faith.Athanasius received the support of several popes and spent a portion of his exile in Rome. However, the Emperor Constantius did succeed in coercing one pope, Liberius, into condemning Athanasius by having him kidnapped, threatened with death, and sent away from Rome for two years. The pope eventually managed to return to Rome, where he again proclaimed Athanasius’ orthodoxy.Constantius went so far as to send troops to attack his clergy and congregations. Neither these measures nor direct attempts to assassinate the bishop succeeded in silencing him. However, they frequently made it difficult for him to remain in his diocese. He enjoyed some respite after Constantius’ death in 361 but was later persecuted by Emperor Julian the Apostate, who sought to revive paganism.In 369, Athanasius managed to convene an assembly of 90 bishops in Alexandria for the sake of warning the Church in Africa against the continuing threat of Arianism. He died in 373 and was vindicated by a more comprehensive rejection of Arianism at the Second Ecumenical Council, held in 381 at Constantinople.St. Gregory Nazianzen, who presided over part of that council, described St. Athanasius as “the true pillar of the Church” whose “life and conduct were the rule of bishops and his doctrine the rule of the orthodox faith.”This story was last published on May 2, 2025, and has been updated.
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The life and legacy of St. Athanasius, champion of the Nicene Creed #Catholic The Catholic Church on May 2 honors St. Athanasius of Alexandria, a fourth-century bishop known as “the father of orthodoxy” for his dedication to the doctrine of Christ’s divinity. Athanasius played a key role at the First Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325 and defended the Nicene Creed throughout his life.Last year marked the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, which was convened during the pontificate of Pope Sylvester I in 325.St. Athanasius was born to Christian parents living in the Egyptian city of Alexandria in 296. His parents took great care to have their son educated, and his talents came to the attention of a local priest who was later canonized — St. Alexander of Alexandria. The priest and future saint tutored Athanasius in theology and eventually appointed him as an assistant.Around the age of 19, Athanasius spent a formative period in the Egyptian desert as a disciple of St. Anthony in his monastic community. Returning to Alexandria, he was ordained a deacon in 319 and resumed his assistance to Alexander, who had become a bishop. The Catholic Church, newly recognized by the Roman Empire, was already encountering a new series of dangers from within.The most serious threat to the fourth-century Church came from a priest named Arius, who taught that Jesus could not have existed eternally as God prior to his historical incarnation as a man. According to Arius, Jesus was the highest of created beings and could be considered “divine” only by analogy. Arians professed a belief in Jesus’ “divinity” but meant only that he was Godʼs greatest creature.Opponents of Arianism brought forth numerous Scriptures that taught Christ’s eternal preexistence and his identity as God. Nonetheless, many Greek-speaking Christians found it intellectually easier to believe in Jesus as a created demigod than to accept the mystery of a Father-Son relationship within the Godhead. By 325, the controversy was dividing the Church and unsettling the Roman Empire.NicaeaIn that year, Athanasius attended the First Ecumenical Council, held at Nicaea to examine and judge Arius’ doctrine in light of apostolic tradition. It reaffirmed the Church’s perennial teaching on Christ’s full deity and established the Nicene Creed as an authoritative statement of faith. The remainder of Athanasius’ life was a constant struggle to uphold the council’s teaching about Christ.Near the end of St. Alexander’s life, he insisted that Athanasius succeed him as the bishop of Alexandria. Athanasius took on the position just as Emperor Constantine, despite having convoked the Council of Nicaea, decided to relax its condemnation of Arius and his supporters. Athanasius continually refused to admit Arius to Communion, however, despite the urgings of the emperor.A number of Arians spent the next several decades attempting to manipulate bishops, emperors, and popes to move against Athanasius — particularly through the use of false accusations. Athanasius was accused of theft, murder, assault, and even of causing a famine by interfering with food shipments.Arius became ill and died in 336, but his heresy continued to live. Under the rule of the three emperors that followed Constantine, and particularly under the rule of the strongly Arian Constantius, Athanasius was driven into exile at least five times for insisting on the Nicene Creed as the Church’s authoritative rule of faith.Athanasius received the support of several popes and spent a portion of his exile in Rome. However, the Emperor Constantius did succeed in coercing one pope, Liberius, into condemning Athanasius by having him kidnapped, threatened with death, and sent away from Rome for two years. The pope eventually managed to return to Rome, where he again proclaimed Athanasius’ orthodoxy.Constantius went so far as to send troops to attack his clergy and congregations. Neither these measures nor direct attempts to assassinate the bishop succeeded in silencing him. However, they frequently made it difficult for him to remain in his diocese. He enjoyed some respite after Constantius’ death in 361 but was later persecuted by Emperor Julian the Apostate, who sought to revive paganism.In 369, Athanasius managed to convene an assembly of 90 bishops in Alexandria for the sake of warning the Church in Africa against the continuing threat of Arianism. He died in 373 and was vindicated by a more comprehensive rejection of Arianism at the Second Ecumenical Council, held in 381 at Constantinople.St. Gregory Nazianzen, who presided over part of that council, described St. Athanasius as “the true pillar of the Church” whose “life and conduct were the rule of bishops and his doctrine the rule of the orthodox faith.”This story was last published on May 2, 2025, and has been updated.

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St. Athanasius, celebrated on May 2, was a fourth-century bishop who is known as “the father of orthodoxy” for his dedication to the doctrine of Christ’s divinity.

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Pope Leo XIV: Vatican diplomats must be bridges and channels of peace #Catholic Pope Leo XIV on Monday outlined the qualities needed in priests who serve as Vatican diplomats, describing their work as a unique ministry that serves not only Catholics but also the entire human family in individual nations and international organizations.The pope made the remarks April 27 during a visit to the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, the Holy See’s school for training diplomats, on the occasion of the 325th anniversary of its founding.Leo recalled that a few years earlier, while serving as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, he had visited the academy and reflected on “the essential mission carried out by the alma mater of the pontifical diplomats.”“Today, almost a year after the start of my Petrine ministry, accompanied by the diligent commitment of the Secretariat of State and the pontifical representations,” he said, “I therefore look with deep gratitude upon the history of dedication and service that this joyful anniversary celebrates.”That history, the pope said, rooted in the very Catholicity of the Church, has included an unbroken chain of priests from various parts of the world who have contributed “with their humble efforts to the building of that unity in Christ which, amid the diversity of origins, makes communion a fundamental characteristic of the diplomatic service of the Holy See.”Referring to reforms made to the academy by Pope Francis in March 2025, Leo said the most important reform required of those entering the community is “a constant exercise in conversion, aimed at cultivating ‘closeness, attentive listening, witness, a fraternal approach, and dialogue … combined with humility and meekness.’”The pope said the gathering was an opportunity to outline some characteristics of the pontifical diplomatic priest, who participates in the ministry of the successor of Peter and serves peace, truth, and justice.The Vatican diplomat, he said, “must be, first of all, a messenger of the paschal proclamation ‘Peace be with you!’”“Even when the hopes for dialogue and reconciliation seem to vanish and peace ‘as the world gives it’ is trampled upon and put to the test,” Leo said, “you are called to continue to bring the word of the risen Christ to all. ‘Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.’”Before trying to build peace “with our own meager strength,” the pope said, the mission of pontifical diplomats calls them to be bridges and channels for it, “so that the grace that comes from heaven may find its way through the vicissitudes of history.”Leo also said the papal diplomat, working in different cultural settings and international organizations, “is specifically assigned to bear witness to the truth that is Christ.”Such a diplomat, he said, must bring Christ’s message to the forum of nations and become “a sign of his love for that portion of humanity entrusted to his mission as a shepherd, even before that of a diplomat.”The pope also stressed the importance of clear language in diplomacy, citing his January address to the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See in which he said it is urgently necessary that “words once again … express distinct and clear realities unequivocally,” because “only in this way can authentic dialogue resume without misunderstandings.”“For this reason, too,” he told the students, “it is important that you bring to the world the Word of Life, who revealed himself not through the affirmation of abstract principles and ideas but by becoming flesh.”Leo reminded the academy’s students that they are preparing for a ministry “which is not limited to safeguarding the good of the Catholic community but extends to the entire human family living in a particular nation or participating in the work of various international organizations.”This, he said, requires them “to be promoters of all forms of justice that help to recognize, rebuild, and protect the image of God imprinted in every person.”“In the defense of human rights — among which the rights to religious freedom and to life are prominent — I therefore urge you to continue to show the way, not toward confrontation and demands but toward the protection of human dignity, the development of peoples and communities, and the promotion of international cooperation,” he said. “These are the only means that allow us to embark on authentic paths of peace.”The pope acknowledged that in a world marked by tensions, where conflict can appear to be the only way to address needs and demands, efforts at dialogue, listening, and reconciliation may seem insufficient, at times even futile.“This must not discourage us!” he said. “Let us continue to invoke with confidence the gift of Christ’s peace, without fear.”He assured the superiors and students that their ministry, at any time and in any place, will be “an instrument for promoting and safeguarding the dignity of every man and woman, created in the image and likeness of God, and for advancing the common good.”This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
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Pope Leo XIV: Vatican diplomats must be bridges and channels of peace #Catholic Pope Leo XIV on Monday outlined the qualities needed in priests who serve as Vatican diplomats, describing their work as a unique ministry that serves not only Catholics but also the entire human family in individual nations and international organizations.The pope made the remarks April 27 during a visit to the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, the Holy See’s school for training diplomats, on the occasion of the 325th anniversary of its founding.Leo recalled that a few years earlier, while serving as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, he had visited the academy and reflected on “the essential mission carried out by the alma mater of the pontifical diplomats.”“Today, almost a year after the start of my Petrine ministry, accompanied by the diligent commitment of the Secretariat of State and the pontifical representations,” he said, “I therefore look with deep gratitude upon the history of dedication and service that this joyful anniversary celebrates.”That history, the pope said, rooted in the very Catholicity of the Church, has included an unbroken chain of priests from various parts of the world who have contributed “with their humble efforts to the building of that unity in Christ which, amid the diversity of origins, makes communion a fundamental characteristic of the diplomatic service of the Holy See.”Referring to reforms made to the academy by Pope Francis in March 2025, Leo said the most important reform required of those entering the community is “a constant exercise in conversion, aimed at cultivating ‘closeness, attentive listening, witness, a fraternal approach, and dialogue … combined with humility and meekness.’”The pope said the gathering was an opportunity to outline some characteristics of the pontifical diplomatic priest, who participates in the ministry of the successor of Peter and serves peace, truth, and justice.The Vatican diplomat, he said, “must be, first of all, a messenger of the paschal proclamation ‘Peace be with you!’”“Even when the hopes for dialogue and reconciliation seem to vanish and peace ‘as the world gives it’ is trampled upon and put to the test,” Leo said, “you are called to continue to bring the word of the risen Christ to all. ‘Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.’”Before trying to build peace “with our own meager strength,” the pope said, the mission of pontifical diplomats calls them to be bridges and channels for it, “so that the grace that comes from heaven may find its way through the vicissitudes of history.”Leo also said the papal diplomat, working in different cultural settings and international organizations, “is specifically assigned to bear witness to the truth that is Christ.”Such a diplomat, he said, must bring Christ’s message to the forum of nations and become “a sign of his love for that portion of humanity entrusted to his mission as a shepherd, even before that of a diplomat.”The pope also stressed the importance of clear language in diplomacy, citing his January address to the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See in which he said it is urgently necessary that “words once again … express distinct and clear realities unequivocally,” because “only in this way can authentic dialogue resume without misunderstandings.”“For this reason, too,” he told the students, “it is important that you bring to the world the Word of Life, who revealed himself not through the affirmation of abstract principles and ideas but by becoming flesh.”Leo reminded the academy’s students that they are preparing for a ministry “which is not limited to safeguarding the good of the Catholic community but extends to the entire human family living in a particular nation or participating in the work of various international organizations.”This, he said, requires them “to be promoters of all forms of justice that help to recognize, rebuild, and protect the image of God imprinted in every person.”“In the defense of human rights — among which the rights to religious freedom and to life are prominent — I therefore urge you to continue to show the way, not toward confrontation and demands but toward the protection of human dignity, the development of peoples and communities, and the promotion of international cooperation,” he said. “These are the only means that allow us to embark on authentic paths of peace.”The pope acknowledged that in a world marked by tensions, where conflict can appear to be the only way to address needs and demands, efforts at dialogue, listening, and reconciliation may seem insufficient, at times even futile.“This must not discourage us!” he said. “Let us continue to invoke with confidence the gift of Christ’s peace, without fear.”He assured the superiors and students that their ministry, at any time and in any place, will be “an instrument for promoting and safeguarding the dignity of every man and woman, created in the image and likeness of God, and for advancing the common good.”This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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The pontiff said the Holy See’s diplomatic service is a unique ministry rooted in peace, truth, and justice and directed not only to Catholics but also to the entire human family.

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U.S. bishops say violence ‘never the answer’ after shooting at White House press dinner #Catholic U.S. bishops said violence is never the answer after a shooter breached the hotel hosting the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington, D.C. and injured a Secret Service agent on April 25.Archbishop Paul Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said in a statement, “We are grateful the lives of the President, those who protect him, and everyone in attendance last night were spared from serious harm. Let us all pray for our elected leaders and public officials that they may receive God’s blessings. Because human life is a precious gift, there is no room for violence of any kind in our society.”Attendees heard gunshots shortly after the White House Correspondents' Dinner began at the Washington Hilton hotel. President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance and several cabinet members were evacuated by federal agents.  Trump said in a press conference at the White House following the shooting that a lone suspect was taken into police custody and one federal agent was hospitalized after being hit in his bulletproof vest.Bishop David Bonnar of Youngstown, Ohio said the issue of gun violence requires attention.Bonnar said in a statement, “The United States is built on freedom and respect for all. There is no room for violence that endangers the life of any human being. Moreover, the issue of gun violence must be addressed. Violence is never the answer. We all must look deeper into the human heart to build each other up rather than tear each other down. We pray for peace in moments of disagreement and discord. As we celebrate our 250th birthday may we live as a nation under God with liberty and justice for all.”Bonnar also offered a prayer of protection. We all must look deeper into the human heart to build each other up rather than tear each other down. Bishop David BonnarDiocese of Youngstown, Ohio Since 2025, the United States has seen a marked escalation in political violence, including assassination attempts and lethal attacks linked to ideological extremism, threats against elected officials, and armed incidents surrounding political events. High‑profile political actor Charlie Kirk, a conservative commentator, was assassinated in Utah in September 2025. In Minnesota, Rep. Melissa Hortman, the top Democratic leader of the state House of Representatives, was assassinated in her home in June 2025, and her husband was killed in the same attack. Hortman, who had served as Minnesota House speaker, was a Roman Catholic catechist.Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, posted on X on April 26, “Iʼm grateful that the President and his entourage are unhurt after this latest attack. May I raise my voice against the viciousness and tribalism that are so prevalent on the internet and that contribute mightily to the violence we see in our political culture. Can we please remember that it is possible to disagree with a politicianʼs ideas without demonizing and de-humanizing him? Jesus commanded us to love our enemies, and that includes our ideological opponents.”
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U.S. bishops say violence ‘never the answer’ after shooting at White House press dinner #Catholic U.S. bishops said violence is never the answer after a shooter breached the hotel hosting the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington, D.C. and injured a Secret Service agent on April 25.Archbishop Paul Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said in a statement, “We are grateful the lives of the President, those who protect him, and everyone in attendance last night were spared from serious harm. Let us all pray for our elected leaders and public officials that they may receive God’s blessings. Because human life is a precious gift, there is no room for violence of any kind in our society.”Attendees heard gunshots shortly after the White House Correspondents' Dinner began at the Washington Hilton hotel. President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance and several cabinet members were evacuated by federal agents.  Trump said in a press conference at the White House following the shooting that a lone suspect was taken into police custody and one federal agent was hospitalized after being hit in his bulletproof vest.Bishop David Bonnar of Youngstown, Ohio said the issue of gun violence requires attention.Bonnar said in a statement, “The United States is built on freedom and respect for all. There is no room for violence that endangers the life of any human being. Moreover, the issue of gun violence must be addressed. Violence is never the answer. We all must look deeper into the human heart to build each other up rather than tear each other down. We pray for peace in moments of disagreement and discord. As we celebrate our 250th birthday may we live as a nation under God with liberty and justice for all.”Bonnar also offered a prayer of protection. We all must look deeper into the human heart to build each other up rather than tear each other down. Bishop David BonnarDiocese of Youngstown, Ohio Since 2025, the United States has seen a marked escalation in political violence, including assassination attempts and lethal attacks linked to ideological extremism, threats against elected officials, and armed incidents surrounding political events. High‑profile political actor Charlie Kirk, a conservative commentator, was assassinated in Utah in September 2025. In Minnesota, Rep. Melissa Hortman, the top Democratic leader of the state House of Representatives, was assassinated in her home in June 2025, and her husband was killed in the same attack. Hortman, who had served as Minnesota House speaker, was a Roman Catholic catechist.Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, posted on X on April 26, “Iʼm grateful that the President and his entourage are unhurt after this latest attack. May I raise my voice against the viciousness and tribalism that are so prevalent on the internet and that contribute mightily to the violence we see in our political culture. Can we please remember that it is possible to disagree with a politicianʼs ideas without demonizing and de-humanizing him? Jesus commanded us to love our enemies, and that includes our ideological opponents.”

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Archbishop Paul Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, condemned violence, and Bishop David Bonnar of Youngstown, Ohio said the issue of gun violence must be addressed.

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Cardinals in Rome remember Pope Francis as missionary to all 1 year after death #Catholic Rome remembered Pope Francis' legacy one year after his death with a Mass on Tuesday at the Basilica of St. Mary Major, where the late pontiff is buried.The same day, while en route to Equatorial Guinea to wrap up his trip to Africa, Pope Leo XIV remembered Pope Francis on the first anniversary of his death, highlighting his predecessorʼs “solidarity with the poorest, the most vulnerable, the sick, children, and the elderly.” Cardinal Rolandas Makrickas, archpriest of the Basilica of St. Mary Major, sprinkles holy water on the tomb of Pope Francis at the aforementioned basilica in Rome on April 21, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibanez/EWTN News Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, celebrated the Mass with other cardinals and clergy resident in Rome. He read Leoʼs message at the Mass, in which the pope recalled Francis' missionary zeal.“He was also a missionary, proclaiming the Gospel of mercy ‘to everyone, everyone, everyone,’” Leo wrote. “In harmony with his predecessors, he took up the legacy of the Second Vatican Council and urged the Church to be open to mission, a guardian of the world’s hope, passionate about proclaiming that Gospel which is capable of giving every life fulfillment and happiness.” Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, preaches at Mass for the first anniversary of the death of Pope Francis at the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome on April 21, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibanez/EWTN News Re described Leoʼs message as an invitation to preserve the legacy of Pope Francis, rooted in his “exhortation to build bridges and not walls.”“The heart of this message seems to me a vibrant invitation to preserve the spiritual legacy of the late Pope Francis. A legacy summarized, as we have heard, through several of his key phrases: ‘the joy of the Gospel,’ ‘the mercy of God,’ ‘the smell of the sheep,’” Re said. A special plaque commemorating the visits of Pope Francis to the Marian icon “Salus Populi Romani” is displayed at the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome on April 21, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibanez/EWTN News Before the Mass, a special plaque was blessed and unveiled to commemorate Francis' many visits to the Basilica of St. Mary Major. During his life, Francis frequently visited the basilica to venerate the Marian icon “Salus Populi Romani” and expressed his wish to be buried in the church near the icon.The Mass was also attended by several ambassadors accredited to the Holy See, including Irish Ambassador Frances Collins and U.S. Ambassador Brian Burch.After the Mass, all the cardinals processed to Francis' tomb for the final prayer, delivered by Cardinal Rolandas Makrickas, archpriest of the basilica. Commending the late pontiff to the mercy of God, Makrickas recalled that “hope does not disappoint,” a tribute to the papal bull with which Francis inaugurated the Jubilee Year 2025, which drew over 20 million people to St. Mary Major and his tomb.
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Cardinals in Rome remember Pope Francis as missionary to all 1 year after death #Catholic Rome remembered Pope Francis' legacy one year after his death with a Mass on Tuesday at the Basilica of St. Mary Major, where the late pontiff is buried.The same day, while en route to Equatorial Guinea to wrap up his trip to Africa, Pope Leo XIV remembered Pope Francis on the first anniversary of his death, highlighting his predecessorʼs “solidarity with the poorest, the most vulnerable, the sick, children, and the elderly.” Cardinal Rolandas Makrickas, archpriest of the Basilica of St. Mary Major, sprinkles holy water on the tomb of Pope Francis at the aforementioned basilica in Rome on April 21, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibanez/EWTN News Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, celebrated the Mass with other cardinals and clergy resident in Rome. He read Leoʼs message at the Mass, in which the pope recalled Francis' missionary zeal.“He was also a missionary, proclaiming the Gospel of mercy ‘to everyone, everyone, everyone,’” Leo wrote. “In harmony with his predecessors, he took up the legacy of the Second Vatican Council and urged the Church to be open to mission, a guardian of the world’s hope, passionate about proclaiming that Gospel which is capable of giving every life fulfillment and happiness.” Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, preaches at Mass for the first anniversary of the death of Pope Francis at the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome on April 21, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibanez/EWTN News Re described Leoʼs message as an invitation to preserve the legacy of Pope Francis, rooted in his “exhortation to build bridges and not walls.”“The heart of this message seems to me a vibrant invitation to preserve the spiritual legacy of the late Pope Francis. A legacy summarized, as we have heard, through several of his key phrases: ‘the joy of the Gospel,’ ‘the mercy of God,’ ‘the smell of the sheep,’” Re said. A special plaque commemorating the visits of Pope Francis to the Marian icon “Salus Populi Romani” is displayed at the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome on April 21, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibanez/EWTN News Before the Mass, a special plaque was blessed and unveiled to commemorate Francis' many visits to the Basilica of St. Mary Major. During his life, Francis frequently visited the basilica to venerate the Marian icon “Salus Populi Romani” and expressed his wish to be buried in the church near the icon.The Mass was also attended by several ambassadors accredited to the Holy See, including Irish Ambassador Frances Collins and U.S. Ambassador Brian Burch.After the Mass, all the cardinals processed to Francis' tomb for the final prayer, delivered by Cardinal Rolandas Makrickas, archpriest of the basilica. Commending the late pontiff to the mercy of God, Makrickas recalled that “hope does not disappoint,” a tribute to the papal bull with which Francis inaugurated the Jubilee Year 2025, which drew over 20 million people to St. Mary Major and his tomb.

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Pope Leo XIV, who is traveling in Africa, sent a message to be read at the Mass commemorating the first anniversary of Pope Francis’ death.

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March for Life in Warsaw commemorates 1,060 years of Christianity in Poland #Catholic Thousands of people gathered in Poland’s capital on April 19 for the National March for Life, a large public demonstration organized under the slogan “Faith and Fidelity 1966–2026,” commemorating the 1,060th anniversary of the Christianization of Poland. The event combined religious observance, civic participation, and pro-life advocacy, drawing families, clergy, activists, and public figures to central Warsaw. The day began with Mass celebrated in two of the cityʼs major churches. Mass is celebrated at the Archcathedral Basilica of the Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist in Warsaw, Poland, on April 19, 2026. | Credit: Tomasz Daniluk/Ordo Iuris In the Archcathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist, Bishop Piotr Jarecki presided over the liturgy, while Bishop Tomasz Sztajerwald celebrated Mass at the Cathedral of St. Michael the Archangel and St. Florian in Warsaw-Praga.Participants later gathered at Castle Square, where the march officially began. Organizers described the event as a public expression of support for life and family, rooted in Poland’s Christian tradition. Metropolitan Archbishop Adrian Galbas of Warsaw encouraged participation ahead of the event, framing it as a testimony to human dignity. “We want to testify that we are lovers of life. Bring your family along! Life triumphs over every death,” he declared. Church leaders join Poland’s President Karol Nawrocki and other dignitaries at the March for Life in Warsaw on April 19, 2026. | Credit: Tomasz Daniluk/Ordo lures March through Warsaw highlights pro-life messageThe procession moved through central Warsaw streets under the historic slogan marking Poland’s Christian heritage. As participants approached the Presidential Palace, Polish President Karol Nawrocki spoke, linking the march to broader social concerns.“I support initiatives that serve Poland, and this initiative certainly serves Poland,” he said. “It is also a response to the deep demographic crisis. Today, the answer to many Polish problems lies precisely in Polish families, in our identity, in remembering where we come from and where we are going.”Organizers said the march was intended not only as a demonstration of pro-life conviction but also as a broader reflection on national identity and social cohesion.A prominent symbol carried during the march was a copy of the icon of Our Lady of Częstochowa, which has been traveling internationally for 14 years as part of the From Ocean to Ocean pilgrimage in defense of life. The icon has traveled more than 220,000 kilometers (almost 137,000 miles) and visited 32 countries across five continents. Participants carry an icon of Our Lady of Częstochowa. | Credit: Tomasz Daniluk/Ordo Iuris Shifting abortion attitudes among younger PolesThe National March for Life is organized by the St. Benedict Foundation alongside dozens of pro-life groups from across Poland and takes place under the honorary patronage of the Polish Episcopal Conference.Patrycja Michońska-Dynek, director of the Press Center of the Archdiocese of Warsaw, told EWTN News that there are shifting public attitudes toward abortion in Poland, including growing societal acceptance and increased calls for liberalization, attributing these changes to secularization, cultural pressures, and differing interpretations of freedom.Michońska-Dynek also observed that while pro-life values remain important in Polish society, younger generations often approach the issue with more nuanced perspectives, particularly in complex or exceptional situations. Fostering a “culture of life” must include practical support for families, such as assistance for single mothers and couples in crisis, Michońska-Dynek said. Lidia, a participant at the National March for Life. | Credit: Tomasz Daniluk/Ordo Iuris Not a single-issue agendaLidia Sankowska-Grabczuk, one of the organizers of the National March for Life, told EWTN News that the pro-life movement in Poland extends beyond a single-issue focus on abortion.“In a nutshell, the pro-life movement is [often] the anti-abortion movement. In our view… it’s a bit different. We don’t reduce it to a single-issue agenda,” she said, warning that such a narrow framing “strips it of its true meaning.” While protecting unborn life remains central, she described it as part of a broader vision rooted in what she called “the public voice of Polish Christianity.”She outlined three core pillars underpinning the movement. The first is “respect for life,” encompassing not only the unborn but also solidarity with the elderly, families, and those in need. The second is the family as society’s foundation, grounded in the traditional understanding of marriage and its role in Poland’s social stability. The third pillar is “a state serving the common good,” reflecting a view of politics as service and a call for greater social solidarity. March for Life in Warsaw commemorates 1,060 years of Christianity in Poland. | Credit: Tomasz Daniluk/Ordo Iuris Sankowska-Grabczuk also discussed the importance of Poland’s historical and Christian identity in shaping the movement. She noted that recent marches have intentionally marked major national milestones, including the 1,000th anniversary of Poland’s first royal coronation in 2025.These commemorations, she said, highlight how the movement sees its mission as inseparable from Poland’s historical development, where Christianity has long informed both national identity and social values.Pro-life voices and public participationAmong international participants was Tonio Borg, president of the European Federation One of Us. He urged participants to remain steadfast in their convictions despite criticism or public pressure. “Do not be afraid of being slandered and ridiculed because you seek to protect life from the moment of conception,” he said, encouraging continued public engagement and advocacy. He also called on supporters to make their voices heard in the public sphere, stressing the importance of influencing lawmakers and demonstrating that “the unborn child is one of us.” Paula, a participant at the National March for Life in Poland. | Credit: Tomasz Daniluk/Ordo Iuris Marcin Perłowski, director of the Centre for Life and Family, said participants gathered at the march out of a shared conviction that “human life begins at conception” and must be defended. He stated that the National March for Life serves as a public demonstration of that belief, describing it as a stand “against all those who raise a hand against unborn children.”Pro-life activist Emilia Mędrzecka told EWTN News that her position is grounded in a belief in universal human dignity. “Children in the womb are as human as we are… they are more dependent and need time to grow,” she said while adding that the march reflected a strong presence of families, young people, and older generations united in support of life. Polish president Karol Nawrocki walks among participants at the National March for Life in Poland. | Credit: Tomasz Daniluk/Ordo Iuris While official attendance figures have not been released, estimates provided to EWTN News suggested more than 10,000 people participated, with organizers placing peak attendance between 25,000 and 30,000.
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March for Life in Warsaw commemorates 1,060 years of Christianity in Poland #Catholic Thousands of people gathered in Poland’s capital on April 19 for the National March for Life, a large public demonstration organized under the slogan “Faith and Fidelity 1966–2026,” commemorating the 1,060th anniversary of the Christianization of Poland. The event combined religious observance, civic participation, and pro-life advocacy, drawing families, clergy, activists, and public figures to central Warsaw. The day began with Mass celebrated in two of the cityʼs major churches. Mass is celebrated at the Archcathedral Basilica of the Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist in Warsaw, Poland, on April 19, 2026. | Credit: Tomasz Daniluk/Ordo Iuris In the Archcathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist, Bishop Piotr Jarecki presided over the liturgy, while Bishop Tomasz Sztajerwald celebrated Mass at the Cathedral of St. Michael the Archangel and St. Florian in Warsaw-Praga.Participants later gathered at Castle Square, where the march officially began. Organizers described the event as a public expression of support for life and family, rooted in Poland’s Christian tradition. Metropolitan Archbishop Adrian Galbas of Warsaw encouraged participation ahead of the event, framing it as a testimony to human dignity. “We want to testify that we are lovers of life. Bring your family along! Life triumphs over every death,” he declared. Church leaders join Poland’s President Karol Nawrocki and other dignitaries at the March for Life in Warsaw on April 19, 2026. | Credit: Tomasz Daniluk/Ordo lures March through Warsaw highlights pro-life messageThe procession moved through central Warsaw streets under the historic slogan marking Poland’s Christian heritage. As participants approached the Presidential Palace, Polish President Karol Nawrocki spoke, linking the march to broader social concerns.“I support initiatives that serve Poland, and this initiative certainly serves Poland,” he said. “It is also a response to the deep demographic crisis. Today, the answer to many Polish problems lies precisely in Polish families, in our identity, in remembering where we come from and where we are going.”Organizers said the march was intended not only as a demonstration of pro-life conviction but also as a broader reflection on national identity and social cohesion.A prominent symbol carried during the march was a copy of the icon of Our Lady of Częstochowa, which has been traveling internationally for 14 years as part of the From Ocean to Ocean pilgrimage in defense of life. The icon has traveled more than 220,000 kilometers (almost 137,000 miles) and visited 32 countries across five continents. Participants carry an icon of Our Lady of Częstochowa. | Credit: Tomasz Daniluk/Ordo Iuris Shifting abortion attitudes among younger PolesThe National March for Life is organized by the St. Benedict Foundation alongside dozens of pro-life groups from across Poland and takes place under the honorary patronage of the Polish Episcopal Conference.Patrycja Michońska-Dynek, director of the Press Center of the Archdiocese of Warsaw, told EWTN News that there are shifting public attitudes toward abortion in Poland, including growing societal acceptance and increased calls for liberalization, attributing these changes to secularization, cultural pressures, and differing interpretations of freedom.Michońska-Dynek also observed that while pro-life values remain important in Polish society, younger generations often approach the issue with more nuanced perspectives, particularly in complex or exceptional situations. Fostering a “culture of life” must include practical support for families, such as assistance for single mothers and couples in crisis, Michońska-Dynek said. Lidia, a participant at the National March for Life. | Credit: Tomasz Daniluk/Ordo Iuris Not a single-issue agendaLidia Sankowska-Grabczuk, one of the organizers of the National March for Life, told EWTN News that the pro-life movement in Poland extends beyond a single-issue focus on abortion.“In a nutshell, the pro-life movement is [often] the anti-abortion movement. In our view… it’s a bit different. We don’t reduce it to a single-issue agenda,” she said, warning that such a narrow framing “strips it of its true meaning.” While protecting unborn life remains central, she described it as part of a broader vision rooted in what she called “the public voice of Polish Christianity.”She outlined three core pillars underpinning the movement. The first is “respect for life,” encompassing not only the unborn but also solidarity with the elderly, families, and those in need. The second is the family as society’s foundation, grounded in the traditional understanding of marriage and its role in Poland’s social stability. The third pillar is “a state serving the common good,” reflecting a view of politics as service and a call for greater social solidarity. March for Life in Warsaw commemorates 1,060 years of Christianity in Poland. | Credit: Tomasz Daniluk/Ordo Iuris Sankowska-Grabczuk also discussed the importance of Poland’s historical and Christian identity in shaping the movement. She noted that recent marches have intentionally marked major national milestones, including the 1,000th anniversary of Poland’s first royal coronation in 2025.These commemorations, she said, highlight how the movement sees its mission as inseparable from Poland’s historical development, where Christianity has long informed both national identity and social values.Pro-life voices and public participationAmong international participants was Tonio Borg, president of the European Federation One of Us. He urged participants to remain steadfast in their convictions despite criticism or public pressure. “Do not be afraid of being slandered and ridiculed because you seek to protect life from the moment of conception,” he said, encouraging continued public engagement and advocacy. He also called on supporters to make their voices heard in the public sphere, stressing the importance of influencing lawmakers and demonstrating that “the unborn child is one of us.” Paula, a participant at the National March for Life in Poland. | Credit: Tomasz Daniluk/Ordo Iuris Marcin Perłowski, director of the Centre for Life and Family, said participants gathered at the march out of a shared conviction that “human life begins at conception” and must be defended. He stated that the National March for Life serves as a public demonstration of that belief, describing it as a stand “against all those who raise a hand against unborn children.”Pro-life activist Emilia Mędrzecka told EWTN News that her position is grounded in a belief in universal human dignity. “Children in the womb are as human as we are… they are more dependent and need time to grow,” she said while adding that the march reflected a strong presence of families, young people, and older generations united in support of life. Polish president Karol Nawrocki walks among participants at the National March for Life in Poland. | Credit: Tomasz Daniluk/Ordo Iuris While official attendance figures have not been released, estimates provided to EWTN News suggested more than 10,000 people participated, with organizers placing peak attendance between 25,000 and 30,000.

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Recent marches in Poland have intentionally marked major national milestones, including the 1,000th anniversary of Poland’s first royal coronation in 2025.

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U.S. Embassy to the Vatican: Nigerian Christians are being targeted #Catholic ROME — It is “intolerable” that Christians are being targeted for persecution in Nigeria, said U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Brian Burch during an event in Rome on Friday.The group Solidarity with the Persecuted Church (SPC) and the Embassy of the United States to the Holy See organized the April 17 conference at the embassy on threats to religious freedom in Nigeria.Burch spoke to EWTN News on the sidelines about the stance of the U.S. on religious violence in Nigeria. He described the current situation as a “conflict between radical Islamic groups and Christians because of their faith.”“The United States is the greatest friend of religious liberty,” Burch said. “The purpose of this event is to call attention to the plight of Christians who are being targeted and killed in Nigeria. Unfortunately, there are extremist Islamic groups that have been targeting Christians specifically in their churches and their homes, and the scale and size of the persecution of Christians there is intolerable.”Asked about the denial by some Nigerian government officials that Christians specifically are being targeted, Burch insisted that the current violence against Christians is alarming, citing U.S. President Donald Trump, who designated Nigeria as a country of particular concern in 2025.“The president has said that Christians face an existential crisis in Nigeria, and thanks to his leadership, he is now acting to bring an end to this. We have called on the Nigerian government to take necessary steps to protect Christians, and the United States government is now working in partnership with the Nigerian government to assist them in doing just that,” he said.Steven Wagner, president of SPC, underscored the importance of Nigeria for Christianity in Africa and the need for the Holy See to be involved in raising awareness.“As Nigeria goes, so goes Africa. More Christians are martyred for their faith in Nigeria than in any other country on earth. There is a huge crisis of internally displaced persons. We are calling on the Vatican to increase public awareness of the problem and to continue to encourage the government of Nigeria to make progress in protecting its people,” Wagner said.Burch responds to Trump’s comments on the popeIn his opening remarks at the conference, Burch commented for the first time on the recent tensions between Trump and Pope Leo XIV. He emphasized their difference in approach to armed conflicts and their shared goal of eliminating evil.“In recent days, President Trump and Pope Leo have exchanged, shall we say, sharp words. We must not pretend there is no disagreement. But both men are driven by an unshakable belief in protecting the innocent. One leads with the sword and shield of American power, the other with the cross of sacrificial love. But both are saying in their own languages, ‘Evil must not triumph and innocence must not be abandoned,’” Burch said.Papal trip in AfricaThe pontiff is currently on his first apostolic journey to Africa — visiting Algeria, Cameroon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea.Archbishop Fortunatus Nwachukwu, secretary of the Dicastery for Evangelization and a presenter at the conference, described the trip as a moment of profound unity for all Africans.“This is Africa, and much of the divisions, according to countries in Africa, are artificial divisions that were imposed on the continent,” Nwachukwu told EWTN News. “Africans quite often feel united even beyond the boundaries. So the popeʼs message to these churches and these populations will also be a message to the population in Nigeria and to the Church in Nigeria.”Many of the issues the pope is addressing on his trip “are shared in common in Nigeria,” Burch added. The Holy See and the United States “certainly share this deep, fundamental commitment to religious liberty.”
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U.S. Embassy to the Vatican: Nigerian Christians are being targeted #Catholic ROME — It is “intolerable” that Christians are being targeted for persecution in Nigeria, said U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Brian Burch during an event in Rome on Friday.The group Solidarity with the Persecuted Church (SPC) and the Embassy of the United States to the Holy See organized the April 17 conference at the embassy on threats to religious freedom in Nigeria.Burch spoke to EWTN News on the sidelines about the stance of the U.S. on religious violence in Nigeria. He described the current situation as a “conflict between radical Islamic groups and Christians because of their faith.”“The United States is the greatest friend of religious liberty,” Burch said. “The purpose of this event is to call attention to the plight of Christians who are being targeted and killed in Nigeria. Unfortunately, there are extremist Islamic groups that have been targeting Christians specifically in their churches and their homes, and the scale and size of the persecution of Christians there is intolerable.”Asked about the denial by some Nigerian government officials that Christians specifically are being targeted, Burch insisted that the current violence against Christians is alarming, citing U.S. President Donald Trump, who designated Nigeria as a country of particular concern in 2025.“The president has said that Christians face an existential crisis in Nigeria, and thanks to his leadership, he is now acting to bring an end to this. We have called on the Nigerian government to take necessary steps to protect Christians, and the United States government is now working in partnership with the Nigerian government to assist them in doing just that,” he said.Steven Wagner, president of SPC, underscored the importance of Nigeria for Christianity in Africa and the need for the Holy See to be involved in raising awareness.“As Nigeria goes, so goes Africa. More Christians are martyred for their faith in Nigeria than in any other country on earth. There is a huge crisis of internally displaced persons. We are calling on the Vatican to increase public awareness of the problem and to continue to encourage the government of Nigeria to make progress in protecting its people,” Wagner said.Burch responds to Trump’s comments on the popeIn his opening remarks at the conference, Burch commented for the first time on the recent tensions between Trump and Pope Leo XIV. He emphasized their difference in approach to armed conflicts and their shared goal of eliminating evil.“In recent days, President Trump and Pope Leo have exchanged, shall we say, sharp words. We must not pretend there is no disagreement. But both men are driven by an unshakable belief in protecting the innocent. One leads with the sword and shield of American power, the other with the cross of sacrificial love. But both are saying in their own languages, ‘Evil must not triumph and innocence must not be abandoned,’” Burch said.Papal trip in AfricaThe pontiff is currently on his first apostolic journey to Africa — visiting Algeria, Cameroon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea.Archbishop Fortunatus Nwachukwu, secretary of the Dicastery for Evangelization and a presenter at the conference, described the trip as a moment of profound unity for all Africans.“This is Africa, and much of the divisions, according to countries in Africa, are artificial divisions that were imposed on the continent,” Nwachukwu told EWTN News. “Africans quite often feel united even beyond the boundaries. So the popeʼs message to these churches and these populations will also be a message to the population in Nigeria and to the Church in Nigeria.”Many of the issues the pope is addressing on his trip “are shared in common in Nigeria,” Burch added. The Holy See and the United States “certainly share this deep, fundamental commitment to religious liberty.”

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Ambassador Brian Burch described the situation in Nigeria as a “conflict between radical Islamic groups and Christians because of their faith.”

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EWTN News explains: Why does the pope visit mosques on papal trips? #Catholic For more than a quarter-century, popes have periodically visited Islamic mosques as part of official voyages and papal visits. The tradition began with Pope John Paul II, who in 2001 became the first pope in history known to have entered a mosque when he visited the Great Mosque of Damascus in the capital of Syria. The subsequent Popes Benedict XVI, Francis, and Leo XIV have all paid visits to mosques to hold ecumenical dialogues and host diplomatic meetings. Yet the practice is not without some controversy. Indeed, Leo XIVʼs visit to the Great Mosque of Algiers on April 13 drew some backlash on social media by critics incredulous over the leader of the Catholic Church visiting a major Islamic holy site. (This was Leoʼs second visit to a mosque; he also visited the famed “Blue Mosque” in Istanbul in late 2025.) Pope Leo XIV stands with Rector Mohamed Mamoun Al Qasimi at the Great Mosque in Algiers, Monday, April 13, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media So why do popes make visits to mosques, courting controversy and criticism for making a point to go to holy sites of another religion? ‘We can live together in peace’Pope Leo XIV himself addressed criticism directed toward him on April 15 on board the papal plane after leaving Algiers bound for Cameroon. “I think the visit to the mosque was significant [and showed] that although we have different beliefs, we have different ways of worshipping, we have different ways of living, we can [still] live together in peace,” the Holy Father said.  “I think that to promote that kind of image is something which the world needs to hear today,” he said, arguing that such visits show that “together we can continue to offer in our witness as we continue on this apostolic voyage.”Gabriel Said Reynolds, a theology professor at the University of Notre Dame who has written multiple works on the Quran and its relationship to Christianity, told EWTN News that interpreting papal visits to mosques should include an understanding of “the Churchʼs vision of God in the world.” “What is God’s relationship to the world? That’s been important to all of the recent popes,” he said.Reynolds pointed out that an Islamic mosque is “fundamentally different from a church.” “A Catholic church is a sort of temple in which God is present in the tabernacle — body, blood, soul, and divinity,” he said. “It’s a sacred space in the deepest sense of the word.”“What Muslims would say of a mosque is fundamentally different,” he said. “A mosque is for communal prayer, but the communal prayer that takes place in a mosque is no different than the ritual prayer that’s more often done at home.” He likened a mosque to a “gathering place” with just a few features that set it apart as a distinct site — such as a pulpit for occasional sermons and an alcove that denotes the direction of Mecca to which Muslims orient themselves during prayer. Reynolds said popes visit mosques in no small part as a “pastoral concern” for Christians living in majority-Muslim countries, such as Algeria. “Algerian society is thoroughly Islamic,” he said. “It’s not generally marked by notions of rights and responsibilities and citizenship in the same way the U.S. is. Cultivating positive relationships with Muslim leaders is absolutely essential for Christians.”Reynolds said the Churchʼs view about human dignity has “fundamental implications with its relationship toward non-Christians.” He pointed out, for instance, that the pope “could show up at an atheist convention and meet the people there and have dialogue with them.”“John 3:16 says God loves the world,” he said. “It’s not that God loves believers and doesn’t love the unbelievers. All people are children of God, according to Catholic teaching.”The declaration Nostra Aetate, meanwhile — issued by the Second Vatican Council in 1965 to address Catholicismʼs relationship with non-Christians — affirmed that the Church “regards [Muslims] with esteem.”The document points out that although Muslims “do not acknowledge Jesus as God,” they still “adore the one God” and “revere [Jesus] as a prophet” while giving honor to the Virgin Mother as well. The Second Vatican Council acknowledged that “in the course of centuries not a few quarrels and hostilities have arisen” between Christians and Muslims, but the document “urge[d] all to forget the past and to work sincerely for mutual understanding.”It further called on religious adherents to “preserve as well as to promote together for the benefit of all mankind social justice and moral welfare, as well as peace and freedom.”
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EWTN News explains: Why does the pope visit mosques on papal trips? #Catholic For more than a quarter-century, popes have periodically visited Islamic mosques as part of official voyages and papal visits. The tradition began with Pope John Paul II, who in 2001 became the first pope in history known to have entered a mosque when he visited the Great Mosque of Damascus in the capital of Syria. The subsequent Popes Benedict XVI, Francis, and Leo XIV have all paid visits to mosques to hold ecumenical dialogues and host diplomatic meetings. Yet the practice is not without some controversy. Indeed, Leo XIVʼs visit to the Great Mosque of Algiers on April 13 drew some backlash on social media by critics incredulous over the leader of the Catholic Church visiting a major Islamic holy site. (This was Leoʼs second visit to a mosque; he also visited the famed “Blue Mosque” in Istanbul in late 2025.) Pope Leo XIV stands with Rector Mohamed Mamoun Al Qasimi at the Great Mosque in Algiers, Monday, April 13, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media So why do popes make visits to mosques, courting controversy and criticism for making a point to go to holy sites of another religion? ‘We can live together in peace’Pope Leo XIV himself addressed criticism directed toward him on April 15 on board the papal plane after leaving Algiers bound for Cameroon. “I think the visit to the mosque was significant [and showed] that although we have different beliefs, we have different ways of worshipping, we have different ways of living, we can [still] live together in peace,” the Holy Father said.  “I think that to promote that kind of image is something which the world needs to hear today,” he said, arguing that such visits show that “together we can continue to offer in our witness as we continue on this apostolic voyage.”Gabriel Said Reynolds, a theology professor at the University of Notre Dame who has written multiple works on the Quran and its relationship to Christianity, told EWTN News that interpreting papal visits to mosques should include an understanding of “the Churchʼs vision of God in the world.” “What is God’s relationship to the world? That’s been important to all of the recent popes,” he said.Reynolds pointed out that an Islamic mosque is “fundamentally different from a church.” “A Catholic church is a sort of temple in which God is present in the tabernacle — body, blood, soul, and divinity,” he said. “It’s a sacred space in the deepest sense of the word.”“What Muslims would say of a mosque is fundamentally different,” he said. “A mosque is for communal prayer, but the communal prayer that takes place in a mosque is no different than the ritual prayer that’s more often done at home.” He likened a mosque to a “gathering place” with just a few features that set it apart as a distinct site — such as a pulpit for occasional sermons and an alcove that denotes the direction of Mecca to which Muslims orient themselves during prayer. Reynolds said popes visit mosques in no small part as a “pastoral concern” for Christians living in majority-Muslim countries, such as Algeria. “Algerian society is thoroughly Islamic,” he said. “It’s not generally marked by notions of rights and responsibilities and citizenship in the same way the U.S. is. Cultivating positive relationships with Muslim leaders is absolutely essential for Christians.”Reynolds said the Churchʼs view about human dignity has “fundamental implications with its relationship toward non-Christians.” He pointed out, for instance, that the pope “could show up at an atheist convention and meet the people there and have dialogue with them.”“John 3:16 says God loves the world,” he said. “It’s not that God loves believers and doesn’t love the unbelievers. All people are children of God, according to Catholic teaching.”The declaration Nostra Aetate, meanwhile — issued by the Second Vatican Council in 1965 to address Catholicismʼs relationship with non-Christians — affirmed that the Church “regards [Muslims] with esteem.”The document points out that although Muslims “do not acknowledge Jesus as God,” they still “adore the one God” and “revere [Jesus] as a prophet” while giving honor to the Virgin Mother as well. The Second Vatican Council acknowledged that “in the course of centuries not a few quarrels and hostilities have arisen” between Christians and Muslims, but the document “urge[d] all to forget the past and to work sincerely for mutual understanding.”It further called on religious adherents to “preserve as well as to promote together for the benefit of all mankind social justice and moral welfare, as well as peace and freedom.”

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Why do popes make visits to Islamic mosques, courting controversy and criticism by taking part in events at holy sites of another religion?

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Punk legend Patti Smith, Mexican architect Tatiana Bilbao to represent Vatican at Venice Biennale #Catholic For the fourth consecutive year, the Holy See will have its own pavilion at the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia in Italy.The Dicastery for Culture and Education announced the participation of several influential figures in contemporary art and culture — including American singer Patti Smith and Mexican architect Tatiana Bilbao — in the Holy See Pavilion at the 61st International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale, which will be held May 9 through Nov. 22.This edition of the Italian cultural event, titled “In Minor Keys,” is a sensory and meditative experience that seeks to reconnect participants with the emotional and affective roles of art in society.In a press release, the Dicastery for Culture and Education announced the 24 artists who will form part of the Holy See’s selection this year, reflecting the eventʼs concept for 2026, which invites visitors to slow down the pace of life and open up spaces for reflection and silence.This edition is marked by the unexpected death in May 2025 in Basel, Switzerland, of its curator, Koyo Kouoh, a Cameroonian-Swiss artist globally recognized as one of the most powerful voices in the promotion of contemporary African art.Patti Smith is popularly known as the “Godmother of Punk.” Her 1975 debut album “Horses” marked a turning point in New York punk by fusing rock and poetry.The prestigious Mexican architect Tatiana Bilbao, internationally renowned for her humanist and social approach to architecture, will also participate in the project. She designed the pavilion for the 2025 Venice Biennale, a project titled “Opera Aperta” (“Open Work”), which received a special mention from the jury.Inspired by a medieval saintInspired by the life and spiritual legacy of St. Hildegard of Bingen, the Holy See’s pavilion as explained by the Vatican is conceived as a space for contemplation and deep listening. Titled “L’orecchio è l’occhio dell’anima” (“The Ear Is the Eye of the Soul”), the pavilion will be hosted across two historic venues in the city: Cannaregio and Castello. St. Hildegard of Bingen. | Credit: Haffitt (CC BY-SA 4.0) It has been curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist and Ben Vickers in collaboration with the Soundwalk Collective and draws upon the life and spiritual legacy of St. Hildegard, a 12th-century Benedictine nun, mystic, composer, and thinker who was proclaimed a saint and doctor of the Church in 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI.The works commissioned from the participating artists are conceived as a “sonic prayer”: an art form that unites music, spoken word, film, and silence, and invites the visitor to an experience of contemplative listening.As explained by the Vatican, the proposal reflects a curatorial vision that conceives of sound as a path to inner knowledge and spiritual experience, reviving a central insight of the thought of Hildegard of Bingen.The project is curated by Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça, prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education.This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
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Punk legend Patti Smith, Mexican architect Tatiana Bilbao to represent Vatican at Venice Biennale #Catholic For the fourth consecutive year, the Holy See will have its own pavilion at the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia in Italy.The Dicastery for Culture and Education announced the participation of several influential figures in contemporary art and culture — including American singer Patti Smith and Mexican architect Tatiana Bilbao — in the Holy See Pavilion at the 61st International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale, which will be held May 9 through Nov. 22.This edition of the Italian cultural event, titled “In Minor Keys,” is a sensory and meditative experience that seeks to reconnect participants with the emotional and affective roles of art in society.In a press release, the Dicastery for Culture and Education announced the 24 artists who will form part of the Holy See’s selection this year, reflecting the eventʼs concept for 2026, which invites visitors to slow down the pace of life and open up spaces for reflection and silence.This edition is marked by the unexpected death in May 2025 in Basel, Switzerland, of its curator, Koyo Kouoh, a Cameroonian-Swiss artist globally recognized as one of the most powerful voices in the promotion of contemporary African art.Patti Smith is popularly known as the “Godmother of Punk.” Her 1975 debut album “Horses” marked a turning point in New York punk by fusing rock and poetry.The prestigious Mexican architect Tatiana Bilbao, internationally renowned for her humanist and social approach to architecture, will also participate in the project. She designed the pavilion for the 2025 Venice Biennale, a project titled “Opera Aperta” (“Open Work”), which received a special mention from the jury.Inspired by a medieval saintInspired by the life and spiritual legacy of St. Hildegard of Bingen, the Holy See’s pavilion as explained by the Vatican is conceived as a space for contemplation and deep listening. Titled “L’orecchio è l’occhio dell’anima” (“The Ear Is the Eye of the Soul”), the pavilion will be hosted across two historic venues in the city: Cannaregio and Castello. St. Hildegard of Bingen. | Credit: Haffitt (CC BY-SA 4.0) It has been curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist and Ben Vickers in collaboration with the Soundwalk Collective and draws upon the life and spiritual legacy of St. Hildegard, a 12th-century Benedictine nun, mystic, composer, and thinker who was proclaimed a saint and doctor of the Church in 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI.The works commissioned from the participating artists are conceived as a “sonic prayer”: an art form that unites music, spoken word, film, and silence, and invites the visitor to an experience of contemplative listening.As explained by the Vatican, the proposal reflects a curatorial vision that conceives of sound as a path to inner knowledge and spiritual experience, reviving a central insight of the thought of Hildegard of Bingen.The project is curated by Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça, prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education.This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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The exhibition by the Dicastery for Culture and Education features the work of contemporary artists in various fields, inspired by the life and spiritual legacy of St. Hildegard of Bingen.

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Knights of Columbus affirms ‘solidarity’ with Pope Leo XIV as Trump escalates criticism #Catholic The Knights of Columbus issued a statement that affirms the Catholic fraternal organization’s solidarity with Pope Leo XIV as President Donald Trump criticized the Holy Father a second time on Truth Social.“The Knights of Columbus has always stood in solidarity with the Holy Father, recognizing in him a spiritual father who calls the world not to division but to unity, not to conflict but to peace,” Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly said in the statement.“In this moment, we reaffirm that commitment with clarity and conviction,” he said.Trump escalated his criticism of the Holy Father late Tuesday evening in a second post on Truth Social, which criticized the pontiff’s staunch opposition to war.Whether one agrees or disagrees with Leo’s policy views, Kelly said, “the Holy Father’s prophetic voice deserves to be heard with respect and engaged seriously.”“Pope Leo XIV has consistently called for peace, dialogue, and restraint in a world marked by war and suffering,” he said. “The Holy Father’s words are not political talking points — they are reflections of the Gospel itself.”Kelly noted that many Catholics and others “have been deeply disappointed by the disparaging comments directed at Pope Leo XIV” by Trump, and that Leo “is not a politician — he is the vicar of Christ, entrusted with proclaiming the Gospel and shepherding souls.”In his statement, Kelly acknowledged that faithful Catholics can hold differing views on foreign policy and that Catholics should engage in the public square. He said nations can safeguard security “in accordance with the demands of justice and the pursuit of peace.”“The Church does not ask Catholics to withdraw from civic life but to engage with and elevate it — bringing to our civic dialogue the light of truth, respect for the dignity of every human person, and a steadfast concern for the common good," he said.Kelly also encouraged prayers for the pope, the president, and other politicians.“As Knights, we are called to be men of unity, as followers of Christ and patriotic citizens,” he said. “I encourage all Knights of Columbus to pray for the Holy Father, to pray for civic leaders, and to pray for peace and those working to achieve it.”“And let us recommit ourselves to charity in our public discourse,” he added. “May we be known not for echoing the divisions of our time, but for healing them. In a moment of tension, the path forward is not louder conflict but deeper fidelity — to truth, to charity, and to the Gospel.”Trump goes after Leo againTrumpʼs social media post said: “Will someone please tell Pope Leo that Iran has killed at least 42,000 innocent, completely unarmed, protesters in the last two months, and that for Iran to have a nuclear bomb is absolutely unacceptable."During the protests, Leo did call for peace, saying in January that “ongoing tensions [in Iran and Syria] continue to claim many lives.”“I hope and pray that dialogue and peace may be patiently nurtured in pursuit of the common good of the whole of society,” he said at the time.Leo has also strongly opposed nuclear weapons, saying in June 2025: “The further proliferation of nuclear weapons in the Middle East, as well as this escalation of violence, imperils the fragile stability remaining in the region.”While Trump cited numbers exceeding 40,000 people, estimates about the number of people killed in anti-regime protests and unrest in Iran varies a lot, ranging from several thousand to more than 30,000. Most protesters were unarmed, but Iran’s government claims some were armed and killed about 500 security personnel. Trump said the United States tried to arm the protesters, but those guns did not get to the right people.Vance, bishops offer more commentsCatholic bishops and leaders have responded to Trump’s attack on Pope Leo, and elected officials also have made statements.Archbishop Alexander Sample of Portland, Oregon, said he is deeply concerned and troubled by Trump’s social media rhetoric, especially during Holy Week and Easter, which he says falls short of the moral standard expected of both the presidency and a professed Christian. The archbishop criticized Trump’s attacks on Pope Leo, saying the pope’s calls for peace and dialogue arise from his pastoral mission, not political ideology.Sample said the Church’s role is to proclaim peace, human dignity, and the Gospel, citing Jesus’ teaching: “Blessed are the peacemakers.”The Ancient Order of Hibernians condemned attacks and mockery directed at Pope Leo XIV and the papacy, affirming that respect for the Holy Father is essential to Catholic faith.Vice President JD Vance, a convert to Catholicism, said at a Turning Point USA event that Pope Leo XIV should “be careful when he talks about matters of theology.”“One of the issues here is that if youʼre going to opine on matters of theology, youʼve got to be careful,” he said. “Youʼve got to make sure itʼs anchored in the truth.”Republican U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana said: “Any religious leader can say anything they want, but obviously, if you wade into political waters, I think you should expect some political response.”Pope Leo XIV has responded to Trump’s public criticism by saying he has “no fear of the Trump administration” and will continue to speak out boldly with the message of the Gospel.
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Knights of Columbus affirms ‘solidarity’ with Pope Leo XIV as Trump escalates criticism #Catholic The Knights of Columbus issued a statement that affirms the Catholic fraternal organization’s solidarity with Pope Leo XIV as President Donald Trump criticized the Holy Father a second time on Truth Social.“The Knights of Columbus has always stood in solidarity with the Holy Father, recognizing in him a spiritual father who calls the world not to division but to unity, not to conflict but to peace,” Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly said in the statement.“In this moment, we reaffirm that commitment with clarity and conviction,” he said.Trump escalated his criticism of the Holy Father late Tuesday evening in a second post on Truth Social, which criticized the pontiff’s staunch opposition to war.Whether one agrees or disagrees with Leo’s policy views, Kelly said, “the Holy Father’s prophetic voice deserves to be heard with respect and engaged seriously.”“Pope Leo XIV has consistently called for peace, dialogue, and restraint in a world marked by war and suffering,” he said. “The Holy Father’s words are not political talking points — they are reflections of the Gospel itself.”Kelly noted that many Catholics and others “have been deeply disappointed by the disparaging comments directed at Pope Leo XIV” by Trump, and that Leo “is not a politician — he is the vicar of Christ, entrusted with proclaiming the Gospel and shepherding souls.”In his statement, Kelly acknowledged that faithful Catholics can hold differing views on foreign policy and that Catholics should engage in the public square. He said nations can safeguard security “in accordance with the demands of justice and the pursuit of peace.”“The Church does not ask Catholics to withdraw from civic life but to engage with and elevate it — bringing to our civic dialogue the light of truth, respect for the dignity of every human person, and a steadfast concern for the common good," he said.Kelly also encouraged prayers for the pope, the president, and other politicians.“As Knights, we are called to be men of unity, as followers of Christ and patriotic citizens,” he said. “I encourage all Knights of Columbus to pray for the Holy Father, to pray for civic leaders, and to pray for peace and those working to achieve it.”“And let us recommit ourselves to charity in our public discourse,” he added. “May we be known not for echoing the divisions of our time, but for healing them. In a moment of tension, the path forward is not louder conflict but deeper fidelity — to truth, to charity, and to the Gospel.”Trump goes after Leo againTrumpʼs social media post said: “Will someone please tell Pope Leo that Iran has killed at least 42,000 innocent, completely unarmed, protesters in the last two months, and that for Iran to have a nuclear bomb is absolutely unacceptable."During the protests, Leo did call for peace, saying in January that “ongoing tensions [in Iran and Syria] continue to claim many lives.”“I hope and pray that dialogue and peace may be patiently nurtured in pursuit of the common good of the whole of society,” he said at the time.Leo has also strongly opposed nuclear weapons, saying in June 2025: “The further proliferation of nuclear weapons in the Middle East, as well as this escalation of violence, imperils the fragile stability remaining in the region.”While Trump cited numbers exceeding 40,000 people, estimates about the number of people killed in anti-regime protests and unrest in Iran varies a lot, ranging from several thousand to more than 30,000. Most protesters were unarmed, but Iran’s government claims some were armed and killed about 500 security personnel. Trump said the United States tried to arm the protesters, but those guns did not get to the right people.Vance, bishops offer more commentsCatholic bishops and leaders have responded to Trump’s attack on Pope Leo, and elected officials also have made statements.Archbishop Alexander Sample of Portland, Oregon, said he is deeply concerned and troubled by Trump’s social media rhetoric, especially during Holy Week and Easter, which he says falls short of the moral standard expected of both the presidency and a professed Christian. The archbishop criticized Trump’s attacks on Pope Leo, saying the pope’s calls for peace and dialogue arise from his pastoral mission, not political ideology.Sample said the Church’s role is to proclaim peace, human dignity, and the Gospel, citing Jesus’ teaching: “Blessed are the peacemakers.”The Ancient Order of Hibernians condemned attacks and mockery directed at Pope Leo XIV and the papacy, affirming that respect for the Holy Father is essential to Catholic faith.Vice President JD Vance, a convert to Catholicism, said at a Turning Point USA event that Pope Leo XIV should “be careful when he talks about matters of theology.”“One of the issues here is that if youʼre going to opine on matters of theology, youʼve got to be careful,” he said. “Youʼve got to make sure itʼs anchored in the truth.”Republican U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana said: “Any religious leader can say anything they want, but obviously, if you wade into political waters, I think you should expect some political response.”Pope Leo XIV has responded to Trump’s public criticism by saying he has “no fear of the Trump administration” and will continue to speak out boldly with the message of the Gospel.

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Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly is asking Catholics to pray for the pope and the president, as President Trump again criticized Leo’s comments about the Iran war.

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Federal judge pauses Louisiana telehealth abortion suit pending FDA review #Catholic After the Trump administration appealed, a federal judge put on pause a lawsuit filed by the state of Louisiana that challenges the federal policy of allowing mail-order abortion pills.U.S. District Judge David Joseph in Lafayette, Louisiana, ruled that the challenge be paused pending the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s review of the safety of the drug but noted that the state could continue the challenge after the review was completed.Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill filed a lawsuit in late 2025 to challenge the 2023 deregulation of mifepristone, which is used in chemical abortions. The 2023 rule changes, initiated during former president Joe Biden’s administration, allowed the drugs to be delivered through the mail and prescribed without any visits to a doctor.In January of this year, President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a motion with a federal district court to pause the suit, pending a review by the FDA of the chemical abortion drug.Louisiana had filed the lawsuit after residents — including Rosalie Markezich, who is named in the lawsuit — said they were coerced into taking abortion pills that were obtained through the mail. In Markezich’s case, she said her boyfriend forced her to take it.Study: Maternal mortality decreased in states that protect unborn lifeA recent study published by JAMA Network Open found a decrease in maternal mortality in states that protect unborn children from abortions as well as in states with permissive abortion laws.The study considered 22 million births and more than 12,000 pregnancy-related deaths from 2018 to 2023, with 14 states with abortion bans and 37 control jurisdictions.“This cohort study found that abortion bans were not associated with statistically significant overall or state-specific increases in pregnancy-associated mortality,” the study read.In states with strong pro-life laws, on average, maternal mortality rates declined slightly faster than pro-abortion states.Illinois pregnancy centers continue to appeal for conscience rightsA court heard arguments on Friday from Illinois pregnancy centers that are appealing an Illinois district court decision that affirmed a law requiring pregnancy centers to refer women for abortions.The National Institute of Family and Life Advocates and three Illinois pregnancy centers appealed after an April 2025 court ruling found that requiring pregnancy centers to refer pregnant women for an abortion was not a violation of speech and conscience rights.“No one should be forced to express a message that violates their convictions, and compelling people to refer others for abortions does that,” said Alliance Defending Freedom Counsel Erin Hawley. “The U.S. Supreme Court held in NIFLA v. Becerra that forcing people to promote abortion is unconstitutional.”Maryland bill to force hospitals to offer abortions goes to governor’s deskA Maryland bill that would force hospitals to offer abortions, even against their conscience, in some circumstances, heads to the stateʼs governor after the state Legislature passed it this week.The bill would require “a hospital to allow the termination of a pregnancy in certain circumstances” under the federal 1986 Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), which ensures that emergency care is offered regardless of a patient’s ability to pay.The bill would also require a hospital to screen patients for “emergency pregnancy-related medical condition[s]” and to provide “transfer of a patient who has an emergency pregnancy-related medical condition.”“This bill will result in a new government-created loss of valuable highly trained and experienced emergency department physicians, nurses, providers, and staff,” said Dr. James Kelly, representing the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons. “The legislation will increase the already existing severe shortages of qualified medical staff and will decrease access to emergency medical care, and endanger the health and safety of patients seeking emergency medical care.”
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Federal judge pauses Louisiana telehealth abortion suit pending FDA review #Catholic After the Trump administration appealed, a federal judge put on pause a lawsuit filed by the state of Louisiana that challenges the federal policy of allowing mail-order abortion pills.U.S. District Judge David Joseph in Lafayette, Louisiana, ruled that the challenge be paused pending the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s review of the safety of the drug but noted that the state could continue the challenge after the review was completed.Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill filed a lawsuit in late 2025 to challenge the 2023 deregulation of mifepristone, which is used in chemical abortions. The 2023 rule changes, initiated during former president Joe Biden’s administration, allowed the drugs to be delivered through the mail and prescribed without any visits to a doctor.In January of this year, President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a motion with a federal district court to pause the suit, pending a review by the FDA of the chemical abortion drug.Louisiana had filed the lawsuit after residents — including Rosalie Markezich, who is named in the lawsuit — said they were coerced into taking abortion pills that were obtained through the mail. In Markezich’s case, she said her boyfriend forced her to take it.Study: Maternal mortality decreased in states that protect unborn lifeA recent study published by JAMA Network Open found a decrease in maternal mortality in states that protect unborn children from abortions as well as in states with permissive abortion laws.The study considered 22 million births and more than 12,000 pregnancy-related deaths from 2018 to 2023, with 14 states with abortion bans and 37 control jurisdictions.“This cohort study found that abortion bans were not associated with statistically significant overall or state-specific increases in pregnancy-associated mortality,” the study read.In states with strong pro-life laws, on average, maternal mortality rates declined slightly faster than pro-abortion states.Illinois pregnancy centers continue to appeal for conscience rightsA court heard arguments on Friday from Illinois pregnancy centers that are appealing an Illinois district court decision that affirmed a law requiring pregnancy centers to refer women for abortions.The National Institute of Family and Life Advocates and three Illinois pregnancy centers appealed after an April 2025 court ruling found that requiring pregnancy centers to refer pregnant women for an abortion was not a violation of speech and conscience rights.“No one should be forced to express a message that violates their convictions, and compelling people to refer others for abortions does that,” said Alliance Defending Freedom Counsel Erin Hawley. “The U.S. Supreme Court held in NIFLA v. Becerra that forcing people to promote abortion is unconstitutional.”Maryland bill to force hospitals to offer abortions goes to governor’s deskA Maryland bill that would force hospitals to offer abortions, even against their conscience, in some circumstances, heads to the stateʼs governor after the state Legislature passed it this week.The bill would require “a hospital to allow the termination of a pregnancy in certain circumstances” under the federal 1986 Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), which ensures that emergency care is offered regardless of a patient’s ability to pay.The bill would also require a hospital to screen patients for “emergency pregnancy-related medical condition[s]” and to provide “transfer of a patient who has an emergency pregnancy-related medical condition.”“This bill will result in a new government-created loss of valuable highly trained and experienced emergency department physicians, nurses, providers, and staff,” said Dr. James Kelly, representing the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons. “The legislation will increase the already existing severe shortages of qualified medical staff and will decrease access to emergency medical care, and endanger the health and safety of patients seeking emergency medical care.”

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A roundup of recent pro-life and abortion-related news.

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Pope Leo names Father Andrea Ciucci chancellor of Pontifical Academy for Life #Catholic Pope Leo XIV on Friday appointed Father Andrea Ciucci chancellor of the Pontifical Academy for Life. The Italian priest has served as the academyʼs secretariat coordinator since 2016.Originally from Milan, the 59-year-old Ciucci has a doctorate in the philosophy of religion from the Pontifical University of Sant’Anselmo in Rome. After serving as a parish vicar in Milan, he worked at the former Pontifical Council for the Family from 2012–2016.He is also the general secretary of the RenAIssance Foundation, a Vatican institution that promotes an ethical perspective on artificial intelligence.Ciucci is a professor at the Pontifical Theological Institute John Paul II in Rome and he is a public speaker and writer on the topic of new technologies and their influence on young people and families.Last month, the president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, Renzo Pegoraro, received the title of “bishop” from Pope Leo for his role.Pegoraro was chancellor of the academy from 2011 until his appointment as president in May 2025.According to the academyʼs statutes, the chancellor “may represent the Pontifical Academy for Life on behalf of the president and collaborates with him in the direction and administration of the academy’s activities.”The Pontifical Academy for Life was founded in February 1994 by St. John Paul II. It is one of several academic and cultural institutions at the Vatican that bring together experts in their fields to discuss issues of relevance to the Church and the world.
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Pope Leo names Father Andrea Ciucci chancellor of Pontifical Academy for Life #Catholic Pope Leo XIV on Friday appointed Father Andrea Ciucci chancellor of the Pontifical Academy for Life. The Italian priest has served as the academyʼs secretariat coordinator since 2016.Originally from Milan, the 59-year-old Ciucci has a doctorate in the philosophy of religion from the Pontifical University of Sant’Anselmo in Rome. After serving as a parish vicar in Milan, he worked at the former Pontifical Council for the Family from 2012–2016.He is also the general secretary of the RenAIssance Foundation, a Vatican institution that promotes an ethical perspective on artificial intelligence.Ciucci is a professor at the Pontifical Theological Institute John Paul II in Rome and he is a public speaker and writer on the topic of new technologies and their influence on young people and families.Last month, the president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, Renzo Pegoraro, received the title of “bishop” from Pope Leo for his role.Pegoraro was chancellor of the academy from 2011 until his appointment as president in May 2025.According to the academyʼs statutes, the chancellor “may represent the Pontifical Academy for Life on behalf of the president and collaborates with him in the direction and administration of the academy’s activities.”The Pontifical Academy for Life was founded in February 1994 by St. John Paul II. It is one of several academic and cultural institutions at the Vatican that bring together experts in their fields to discuss issues of relevance to the Church and the world.

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The Italian priest has served as the academy’s secretariat coordinator since 2016.

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Why Pakistan’s bishops doubt government will act on minor’s forced marriage #Catholic LAHORE, Pakistan — The head of the Catholic Church in Pakistan has expressed a guarded response to government committees formed to review a recent ruling by the country’s top constitutional court that upheld the marriage and conversion of a Christian minor.Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar announced on Easter Sunday, April 5, that the government had constituted a committee to examine the March 25 judgment of the Federal Constitutional Court validating the marriage of 13-year-old Maria Shahbaz to 30-year-old Shaheryar Ahmad. A protest for Maria Shahbaz outside Hyderabad Press Club, organized by the Catholic Bishops’ National Commission for Justice and Peace, on April 4, 2026, in Pakistan. | Credit: Bishop Samson Shukardin Bishop Samson Shukardin of Hyderabad, president of the Pakistan Catholic Bishops’ Conference (PCBC), voiced skepticism about the initiative.“These issues often subside by the time such committees make their reports public. The process is deliberately delayed so that people forget,” he told EWTN News.“This is fundamentally a religious freedom issue. Consent is often coerced from minors. We await a genuine response from the government. Many Muslim clerics support us but have avoided joining public protests,” he added.A father’s accountAccording to Maria’s father, Shehbaz Masih, his daughter was abducted, forcibly converted to Islam, and married without consent.A certificate issued by the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) submitted by the family states that Maria was 13 at the time of the marriage — below the legal minimum age of 18. The family has since taken refuge in a shelter and was unavailable for comment.The case dates back to July 2025, when Masih, a resident of Lahore, reported that his daughter had been abducted by a Muslim man after stepping out to a nearby shop.Dismissing a petition filed by the father seeking custody, the court ruled that the marriage was valid under “Muhammadan law” and that the husband held lawful guardianship.Protests and backlashThe judgment triggered widespread reaction on social media, along with protests, press conferences, and conventions across the country. At least three Catholic bishops, along with the PCBC, issued statements urging authorities to review the ruling.The backlash prompted government engagement with the concerns of the country’s Christian minority, estimated at 1.37% (3.28 million people).Addressing an interfaith Easter gathering in Lahore, Tarar assured Christian leaders of his support, saying the committee’s recommendations would be submitted to the Ministry of Law and Justice within a week. Archbishop Azad Marshall, moderator/president bishop of the Church of Pakistan, a united Protestant denomination, meets with ecumenical leaders and Christian politicians following an April 6, 2026, consultation on the Maria Shahbaz case at Waris Road, Lahore. | Credit: Church of Pakistan Legal dimensionsMeanwhile, Punjab Minister for Minorities Affairs Ramesh Singh Arora said his department was forming a parallel committee to examine the legal dimensions of the case.Mary James Gill, a Christian lawyer, former lawmaker, and executive director of the Center for Law and Justice who serves on the committee, welcomed the move as a “genuine concern to find a way forward.”“It is highly encouraging that a state representative personally took up the issue. However, we are still in a consultative process,” she told EWTN News, noting shortcomings in both the lower courts and within the affected community.“The petition was filed under Section 491 of the Criminal Procedure Code, which pertains to habeas corpus, and not to determining the exact age of the girl — a question that remains disputed,” Gill said.“Regrettably, no such verification was carried out in the lower courts. In cases where documentation is ambiguous, magistrates and sessions judges tend to rely on in-person statements, consent, and their own observations.”She noted that the Christian Marriage Act of 1872 governs the solemnization of marriages involving one or more Christians.“Similarly, the personal laws of both Christianity and Islam in Pakistan remain silent on the age of conversion. Church leaders need to revisit and update these frameworks. At the same time, parents must place greater emphasis on the ideological and moral formation of their children,” she added.In an April 6 letter to the law ministry, Anthony Naveed, deputy speaker of the Sindh Assembly, urged the federal government to address “serious legal gaps” exposed by the ruling and called for uniform amendments aligning provincial laws with Balochistan’s legislation, which explicitly invalidates child marriages.A pattern of abuseFor decades, rights advocates have called for stronger legal and administrative measures to prevent the abduction and forced religious conversion of girls from minority communities.At least 515 cases of abduction and forced conversion of minority girls and women were reported between 2021 and 2025, according to the Center for Social Justice. Hindu girls accounted for 69% (353 cases), followed by Christian girls at 31% (160 cases). Most victims were under 18, with cases concentrated in Sindh and Punjab.Shukardin said courts in the Muslim-majority country are not consistently applying laws prohibiting marriage under 18.“The Church is not in favor of marriages involving conversion under such circumstances. We demand safety for our daughters and will continue to raise our voice for underage brides of any religion,” he said.
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Why Pakistan’s bishops doubt government will act on minor’s forced marriage #Catholic LAHORE, Pakistan — The head of the Catholic Church in Pakistan has expressed a guarded response to government committees formed to review a recent ruling by the country’s top constitutional court that upheld the marriage and conversion of a Christian minor.Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar announced on Easter Sunday, April 5, that the government had constituted a committee to examine the March 25 judgment of the Federal Constitutional Court validating the marriage of 13-year-old Maria Shahbaz to 30-year-old Shaheryar Ahmad. A protest for Maria Shahbaz outside Hyderabad Press Club, organized by the Catholic Bishops’ National Commission for Justice and Peace, on April 4, 2026, in Pakistan. | Credit: Bishop Samson Shukardin Bishop Samson Shukardin of Hyderabad, president of the Pakistan Catholic Bishops’ Conference (PCBC), voiced skepticism about the initiative.“These issues often subside by the time such committees make their reports public. The process is deliberately delayed so that people forget,” he told EWTN News.“This is fundamentally a religious freedom issue. Consent is often coerced from minors. We await a genuine response from the government. Many Muslim clerics support us but have avoided joining public protests,” he added.A father’s accountAccording to Maria’s father, Shehbaz Masih, his daughter was abducted, forcibly converted to Islam, and married without consent.A certificate issued by the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) submitted by the family states that Maria was 13 at the time of the marriage — below the legal minimum age of 18. The family has since taken refuge in a shelter and was unavailable for comment.The case dates back to July 2025, when Masih, a resident of Lahore, reported that his daughter had been abducted by a Muslim man after stepping out to a nearby shop.Dismissing a petition filed by the father seeking custody, the court ruled that the marriage was valid under “Muhammadan law” and that the husband held lawful guardianship.Protests and backlashThe judgment triggered widespread reaction on social media, along with protests, press conferences, and conventions across the country. At least three Catholic bishops, along with the PCBC, issued statements urging authorities to review the ruling.The backlash prompted government engagement with the concerns of the country’s Christian minority, estimated at 1.37% (3.28 million people).Addressing an interfaith Easter gathering in Lahore, Tarar assured Christian leaders of his support, saying the committee’s recommendations would be submitted to the Ministry of Law and Justice within a week. Archbishop Azad Marshall, moderator/president bishop of the Church of Pakistan, a united Protestant denomination, meets with ecumenical leaders and Christian politicians following an April 6, 2026, consultation on the Maria Shahbaz case at Waris Road, Lahore. | Credit: Church of Pakistan Legal dimensionsMeanwhile, Punjab Minister for Minorities Affairs Ramesh Singh Arora said his department was forming a parallel committee to examine the legal dimensions of the case.Mary James Gill, a Christian lawyer, former lawmaker, and executive director of the Center for Law and Justice who serves on the committee, welcomed the move as a “genuine concern to find a way forward.”“It is highly encouraging that a state representative personally took up the issue. However, we are still in a consultative process,” she told EWTN News, noting shortcomings in both the lower courts and within the affected community.“The petition was filed under Section 491 of the Criminal Procedure Code, which pertains to habeas corpus, and not to determining the exact age of the girl — a question that remains disputed,” Gill said.“Regrettably, no such verification was carried out in the lower courts. In cases where documentation is ambiguous, magistrates and sessions judges tend to rely on in-person statements, consent, and their own observations.”She noted that the Christian Marriage Act of 1872 governs the solemnization of marriages involving one or more Christians.“Similarly, the personal laws of both Christianity and Islam in Pakistan remain silent on the age of conversion. Church leaders need to revisit and update these frameworks. At the same time, parents must place greater emphasis on the ideological and moral formation of their children,” she added.In an April 6 letter to the law ministry, Anthony Naveed, deputy speaker of the Sindh Assembly, urged the federal government to address “serious legal gaps” exposed by the ruling and called for uniform amendments aligning provincial laws with Balochistan’s legislation, which explicitly invalidates child marriages.A pattern of abuseFor decades, rights advocates have called for stronger legal and administrative measures to prevent the abduction and forced religious conversion of girls from minority communities.At least 515 cases of abduction and forced conversion of minority girls and women were reported between 2021 and 2025, according to the Center for Social Justice. Hindu girls accounted for 69% (353 cases), followed by Christian girls at 31% (160 cases). Most victims were under 18, with cases concentrated in Sindh and Punjab.Shukardin said courts in the Muslim-majority country are not consistently applying laws prohibiting marriage under 18.“The Church is not in favor of marriages involving conversion under such circumstances. We demand safety for our daughters and will continue to raise our voice for underage brides of any religion,” he said.

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Bishop Samson Shukardin said government committees are often delayed so people forget, as protests continue over the marriage of 13-year-old Maria Shahbaz.

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New record in France: More than 20,000 adults and teens baptized at Easter #Catholic This Easter, France recorded more than 20,000 adult and adolescent baptisms, a 20% increase compared with the previous year. A new report published by the French Bishops’ Conference presents the latest statistical data from Easter 2026, during which approximately 8,200 adolescents and 13,200 adults embraced the Catholic faith.The report indicates that the majority of converts are young adults between the ages of 18 and 25, closely followed by the 26-to-40 age group. Women constitute the largest segment, accounting for approximately 62% of the total.In general, the new catechumens have no prior religious tradition, driven primarily by difficult life experiences, a profound search for meaning, or spiritual encounters that left a lasting mark on their lives, according to the report.The ecclesiastical provinces with the highest number of baptisms were Paris, with 3,184, followed by Marseille with 1,437 and Lyon with 1,200. The report highlights a notable increase in the military diocese, headquartered in the French capital, particularly during the military pilgrimage to Lourdes.The ‘magnitude of the thirst for God’Olivier de Germay, archbishop of Lyon and the official responsible for the catechumenate in the country, reflected on this new reality, one that “never ceases to surprise and challenge us.”Although society has long been aware of the world’s failure to provide answers to “the deep aspirations of the human being,” the French prelate expressed his surprise at the “rapidity and magnitude of the thirst for God manifesting itself today.”This phenomenon opens up a new horizon and presents a “major challenge” for the Church, he said, which must offer appropriate guidance for initiation into the Christian life.For De Germay, the situation also calls upon the “seasoned veterans of the Christian life,” who are invited “to once again become aware of how God can break into [a person’s life] and transform it.”Among some new initiatives to address the increasing numbers, the regional council launched by the eight dioceses of the Île-de-France region stands out. Titled “Catechumens and Neophytes: New Perspectives for the Life of Our Church in Our Dioceses,” the council will run until May 2027. After gathering feedback from Catholics, including the newly baptized, the council aims to develop an appropriate response to the growing number of converts and to establish common guidelines at the provincial level.The provincial council is encouraging the other dioceses outside the Île-de-France region to launch other initiatives focused on specific proposals to increase the participation of the newly baptized in the liturgy.This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
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New record in France: More than 20,000 adults and teens baptized at Easter #Catholic This Easter, France recorded more than 20,000 adult and adolescent baptisms, a 20% increase compared with the previous year. A new report published by the French Bishops’ Conference presents the latest statistical data from Easter 2026, during which approximately 8,200 adolescents and 13,200 adults embraced the Catholic faith.The report indicates that the majority of converts are young adults between the ages of 18 and 25, closely followed by the 26-to-40 age group. Women constitute the largest segment, accounting for approximately 62% of the total.In general, the new catechumens have no prior religious tradition, driven primarily by difficult life experiences, a profound search for meaning, or spiritual encounters that left a lasting mark on their lives, according to the report.The ecclesiastical provinces with the highest number of baptisms were Paris, with 3,184, followed by Marseille with 1,437 and Lyon with 1,200. The report highlights a notable increase in the military diocese, headquartered in the French capital, particularly during the military pilgrimage to Lourdes.The ‘magnitude of the thirst for God’Olivier de Germay, archbishop of Lyon and the official responsible for the catechumenate in the country, reflected on this new reality, one that “never ceases to surprise and challenge us.”Although society has long been aware of the world’s failure to provide answers to “the deep aspirations of the human being,” the French prelate expressed his surprise at the “rapidity and magnitude of the thirst for God manifesting itself today.”This phenomenon opens up a new horizon and presents a “major challenge” for the Church, he said, which must offer appropriate guidance for initiation into the Christian life.For De Germay, the situation also calls upon the “seasoned veterans of the Christian life,” who are invited “to once again become aware of how God can break into [a person’s life] and transform it.”Among some new initiatives to address the increasing numbers, the regional council launched by the eight dioceses of the Île-de-France region stands out. Titled “Catechumens and Neophytes: New Perspectives for the Life of Our Church in Our Dioceses,” the council will run until May 2027. After gathering feedback from Catholics, including the newly baptized, the council aims to develop an appropriate response to the growing number of converts and to establish common guidelines at the provincial level.The provincial council is encouraging the other dioceses outside the Île-de-France region to launch other initiatives focused on specific proposals to increase the participation of the newly baptized in the liturgy.This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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The surge in baptisms of young persons continues in France in 2026, a 20% increase over the already previous record-high number in 2025. The influx represents a major challenge for the French Church.

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Archbishop Broglio: War should always be ‘a last resort’ #Catholic Archbishop for the Military Services, USA Timothy Broglio said this week that the ongoing U.S.-Iran war doesnʼt seem to be legitimate under a just war theory, with the prelate admitting that while military intelligence may have additional information unknown to the public, it was nevertheless “hard” to see how the war could be justified. The archbishop, who also served as the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops from 2022 to 2025, made the remarks during an interview with Ed OʼKeefe on CBS Newsʼs “Face the Nation,” set to air on April 5. OʼKeefe during the interview highlighted Saint Augustineʼs theory of “just war” in which the ancient theologian pointed out that “the causes for which men undertake wars” must be grounded in both peace and necessity. The journalist asked if the Iran war could be justified under that doctrine. “I would think under the just war theory, it is not,” the archbishop said. “Because while there was a threat with nuclear arms, [the war is] compensating for a threat before [the threat itself] is actually realized.”“I would line myself up with Pope Leo, who has been urging for negotiation,” Broglio continued. “I realize also that you could say, well, with whom are you going to negotiate? And that is a problem.” “But in the meantime, lives are being lost, both there and also among troops,” he said. “So it is a concern.”On March 31 Pope Leo XIV appealed for world peace amid multiple conflicts throughout the Middle East, urging the faithful to pray “for the victims of war … that there may truly be a new, renewed peace, which can give new life to all.”Earlier, on Palm Sunday, the Holy Father spoke out more strongly against global conflict, arguing that God “does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war."In his interview on CBS, Broglio pointed to remarks in October of 1965 by then-Pope Paul VI, who in addressing the United Nations decried the “blood of millions” resulting from numerous global conflicts, telling the international body: “Never again war, never again war!” “Now, so many years later, weʼre still in this situation,” Broglio said. “So I think Pope Leo would definitely support saying that, you know, we have to find a situation where men and women can sit down and find avenues of peace.”“I think war is always a last resort,” the archbishop said during the interview. In January, amid overtures by the U.S. to potentially invade Greenland, Broglio in an interview with the BBC expressed concern that soldiers might be “put in a situation where they’re being ordered to do something that is morally questionable.”Speaking to CBS, the prelate acknowledged that a soldier in the military “has to obey [an order] unless itʼs clearly immoral.”“And then he would probably have to speak to his chaplain, to his chain of command,” the archbishop said. “The question might be, would generals or admirals have space to perhaps say, can we look at this a different way?” “But having spoken to some of them too, theyʼre also in the same dilemma,” he said. “So I guess my counsel would be to do as little harm as you can, and to try and preserve innocent lives.”
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Archbishop Broglio: War should always be ‘a last resort’ #Catholic Archbishop for the Military Services, USA Timothy Broglio said this week that the ongoing U.S.-Iran war doesnʼt seem to be legitimate under a just war theory, with the prelate admitting that while military intelligence may have additional information unknown to the public, it was nevertheless “hard” to see how the war could be justified. The archbishop, who also served as the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops from 2022 to 2025, made the remarks during an interview with Ed OʼKeefe on CBS Newsʼs “Face the Nation,” set to air on April 5. OʼKeefe during the interview highlighted Saint Augustineʼs theory of “just war” in which the ancient theologian pointed out that “the causes for which men undertake wars” must be grounded in both peace and necessity. The journalist asked if the Iran war could be justified under that doctrine. “I would think under the just war theory, it is not,” the archbishop said. “Because while there was a threat with nuclear arms, [the war is] compensating for a threat before [the threat itself] is actually realized.”“I would line myself up with Pope Leo, who has been urging for negotiation,” Broglio continued. “I realize also that you could say, well, with whom are you going to negotiate? And that is a problem.” “But in the meantime, lives are being lost, both there and also among troops,” he said. “So it is a concern.”On March 31 Pope Leo XIV appealed for world peace amid multiple conflicts throughout the Middle East, urging the faithful to pray “for the victims of war … that there may truly be a new, renewed peace, which can give new life to all.”Earlier, on Palm Sunday, the Holy Father spoke out more strongly against global conflict, arguing that God “does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war."In his interview on CBS, Broglio pointed to remarks in October of 1965 by then-Pope Paul VI, who in addressing the United Nations decried the “blood of millions” resulting from numerous global conflicts, telling the international body: “Never again war, never again war!” “Now, so many years later, weʼre still in this situation,” Broglio said. “So I think Pope Leo would definitely support saying that, you know, we have to find a situation where men and women can sit down and find avenues of peace.”“I think war is always a last resort,” the archbishop said during the interview. In January, amid overtures by the U.S. to potentially invade Greenland, Broglio in an interview with the BBC expressed concern that soldiers might be “put in a situation where they’re being ordered to do something that is morally questionable.”Speaking to CBS, the prelate acknowledged that a soldier in the military “has to obey [an order] unless itʼs clearly immoral.”“And then he would probably have to speak to his chaplain, to his chain of command,” the archbishop said. “The question might be, would generals or admirals have space to perhaps say, can we look at this a different way?” “But having spoken to some of them too, theyʼre also in the same dilemma,” he said. “So I guess my counsel would be to do as little harm as you can, and to try and preserve innocent lives.”

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The archbishop for the Military Services, USA said it was “hard” to see how the ongoing war with Iran could be justified.

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Hundreds of adults to be baptized in Paris at Easter as part of national surge #Catholic The Catholic revival that Paris has been experiencing over the past five years continues unabated, even amid the city’s long-running status as a symbol of European secularization.On the night of the Easter Vigil, April 4, more than 700 adults across the French capital will be received into the Catholic Church as part of a sudden nationwide surge.Across France, more than 13,000 adults will be baptized this Easter, according to data released by the French Bishops’ Conference — an increase of 28% compared with 2025.The “boom” in adult baptisms in France is a relatively recent phenomenon. It has intensified over the past decade, with a marked acceleration following the COVID-19 pandemic, reaching record levels since 2024.Within this national picture, Paris stands out as a beating heart of such renewal. According to figures provided by the archdiocese, 788 adult catechumens will be baptized in the city during the Easter Vigil, a 17% increase from the previous year.These baptisms will take place across 94 parishes and several communities, mobilizing more than 1,000 accompanying members, mostly laypeople. The age distribution is characterized by a predominance of younger people, with nearly one-third under the age of 25, about half between the ages of 26 and 40, and 1 in 5 over the age of 40, with candidates ranging in age from 18 to 73.Women remain the majority among catechumens, accounting for 58% in Paris, a proportion consistent with national patterns.The list of Parisian parishes with particularly high numbers of catechumens reveals a landscape that cuts across ecclesial sensibilities and social geographies. Parishes where the Traditional Latin Mass is regularly celebrated such as Saint-Roch in the 1st arrondissement or Saint-Eugène Sainte-Cécile (9th) stand alongside parishes in more working-class or mixed neighborhoods, including Notre-Dame de Clignancourt (18th), Notre-Dame de la Gare (13th), or Saint-Ambroise (11th). Many of these communities, often led by young and dynamic clergy, have become vibrant centers of parish life.Robin, a 30-year-old catechumen preparing to be baptized at Saint-Ambroise this Saturday, embodies this trend. Raised in a nonbelieving family with no religious background, he began his spiritual journey through a gradual process of questioning the purpose of life. “In a world where everything moves so fast, where we lose sight of what matters, the Church has done me a world of good,” he told EWTN News. “It has helped me put the ‘why’ back at the center of everything.”His path has been shaped by a growing desire for silence and contemplation as well as a yearning for beauty. “I would go to churches to find a moment of calm, where time would stop,” he explained. “I was looking for a place where you can listen to yourself and reflect on what you want to do with your life.” “What moves me deeply,” he added, “is the beauty that surrounds my church — its architecture, its music… that’s where I feel something powerful.”Like many catechumens, Robin described an experience of welcome that proved decisive. At an early stage in his journey, he met a young parish priest who, despite a busy schedule, took the time to speak with him. “We talked for an hour. It was incredibly reassuring,” he recalled. He was then introduced to a group of parishioners who accompanied him throughout his catechumenate, forming what he describes as a “deep bond of humanity.”This communal dimension appears to be a key factor in the current surge. While the French model of catechumenate has traditionally been more individual, the growing number of candidates is prompting parishes to rethink their approach, often favoring group dynamics that foster a sense of belonging from the outset.Many catechumens come from families with little or no Christian background, reflecting a broader shift from cultural Catholicism toward a more deliberate, conviction-based faith. On a national level, the number of catechumens identifying as having no religious tradition now represent a proportion comparable with those from Christian backgrounds.The scale of the phenomenon is now prompting serious reflection among French Church leaders. In response to the steady increase in adult baptisms, the eight dioceses of the Île-de-France region, together with the Diocese for the Armed Forces, have convened a provincial council set to open on May 31 at Notre-Dame Cathedral.Under the theme “Catechumens and Neophytes: New Perspectives for the Life of Our Church,” the council will seek to discern how local structures and pastoral practices should adapt to this unexpected growth.
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Hundreds of adults to be baptized in Paris at Easter as part of national surge #Catholic The Catholic revival that Paris has been experiencing over the past five years continues unabated, even amid the city’s long-running status as a symbol of European secularization.On the night of the Easter Vigil, April 4, more than 700 adults across the French capital will be received into the Catholic Church as part of a sudden nationwide surge.Across France, more than 13,000 adults will be baptized this Easter, according to data released by the French Bishops’ Conference — an increase of 28% compared with 2025.The “boom” in adult baptisms in France is a relatively recent phenomenon. It has intensified over the past decade, with a marked acceleration following the COVID-19 pandemic, reaching record levels since 2024.Within this national picture, Paris stands out as a beating heart of such renewal. According to figures provided by the archdiocese, 788 adult catechumens will be baptized in the city during the Easter Vigil, a 17% increase from the previous year.These baptisms will take place across 94 parishes and several communities, mobilizing more than 1,000 accompanying members, mostly laypeople. The age distribution is characterized by a predominance of younger people, with nearly one-third under the age of 25, about half between the ages of 26 and 40, and 1 in 5 over the age of 40, with candidates ranging in age from 18 to 73.Women remain the majority among catechumens, accounting for 58% in Paris, a proportion consistent with national patterns.The list of Parisian parishes with particularly high numbers of catechumens reveals a landscape that cuts across ecclesial sensibilities and social geographies. Parishes where the Traditional Latin Mass is regularly celebrated such as Saint-Roch in the 1st arrondissement or Saint-Eugène Sainte-Cécile (9th) stand alongside parishes in more working-class or mixed neighborhoods, including Notre-Dame de Clignancourt (18th), Notre-Dame de la Gare (13th), or Saint-Ambroise (11th). Many of these communities, often led by young and dynamic clergy, have become vibrant centers of parish life.Robin, a 30-year-old catechumen preparing to be baptized at Saint-Ambroise this Saturday, embodies this trend. Raised in a nonbelieving family with no religious background, he began his spiritual journey through a gradual process of questioning the purpose of life. “In a world where everything moves so fast, where we lose sight of what matters, the Church has done me a world of good,” he told EWTN News. “It has helped me put the ‘why’ back at the center of everything.”His path has been shaped by a growing desire for silence and contemplation as well as a yearning for beauty. “I would go to churches to find a moment of calm, where time would stop,” he explained. “I was looking for a place where you can listen to yourself and reflect on what you want to do with your life.” “What moves me deeply,” he added, “is the beauty that surrounds my church — its architecture, its music… that’s where I feel something powerful.”Like many catechumens, Robin described an experience of welcome that proved decisive. At an early stage in his journey, he met a young parish priest who, despite a busy schedule, took the time to speak with him. “We talked for an hour. It was incredibly reassuring,” he recalled. He was then introduced to a group of parishioners who accompanied him throughout his catechumenate, forming what he describes as a “deep bond of humanity.”This communal dimension appears to be a key factor in the current surge. While the French model of catechumenate has traditionally been more individual, the growing number of candidates is prompting parishes to rethink their approach, often favoring group dynamics that foster a sense of belonging from the outset.Many catechumens come from families with little or no Christian background, reflecting a broader shift from cultural Catholicism toward a more deliberate, conviction-based faith. On a national level, the number of catechumens identifying as having no religious tradition now represent a proportion comparable with those from Christian backgrounds.The scale of the phenomenon is now prompting serious reflection among French Church leaders. In response to the steady increase in adult baptisms, the eight dioceses of the Île-de-France region, together with the Diocese for the Armed Forces, have convened a provincial council set to open on May 31 at Notre-Dame Cathedral.Under the theme “Catechumens and Neophytes: New Perspectives for the Life of Our Church,” the council will seek to discern how local structures and pastoral practices should adapt to this unexpected growth.

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Across France, more than 13,000 adults will be baptized this Easter, according to data released by the French Bishops’ Conference — an increase of 28% compared with 2025. 

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Release date for Season 6 of ‘The Chosen’ announced #Catholic Prime Video and 5&2 Studios announced April 3 that the sixth season of “The Chosen” will be released in the U.S. and internationally exclusively on Prime Video on Nov. 15.Season 6 of “The Chosen” will include six episodes, the first three of which will debut on Nov. 15, followed by the release of a weekly episode through Dec. 6.The season finale will be a stand-alone theatrical release in spring 2027.The highly anticipated sixth season will portray the 24 hours of Good Friday — culminating in Christ’s crucifixion.“Everyone knows the basics of this part of the story, but not everyone knows the ‘why’ of the crucifixion and the extraordinary events of these 24 hours,” Dallas Jenkins, creator, writer, and director of “The Chosen,” said in a press release. “We realized this not only deserved a season of television but a stand-alone full-length theatrical event as well. We wrote and filmed all of it with this in mind.”The show’s star, actor Jonathan Roumie, has spoken about his experience portraying Jesus’ passion and crucifixion.“For the first few months afterwards going to Mass — and even thinking about it now — I just get weepy. I get emotional. It’s hard. It’s left an indelible impression on me — mentally and emotionally sharing even just a percentage, a micron of a percentage, of the Lord’s passion; playing it and reenacting it has left me absolutely humbled and moved,” he told EWTN News at ChosenCon on Feb. 20.The show’s cast spent three weeks filming the crucifixion in Matera, Italy, in June 2025. In a press conference held at the Vatican at the end of that time, Jenkins called the three weeks “the most challenging and difficult we had in filming,” requiring him to surrender everything to Christ.Abe Bueno-Jallad, the actor who portrays Big James, or James the Great, told EWTN News that during filming, he had “never seen the cast so focused.”He added that the actors were “all there for each other … Everybody is carrying such a heavy burden this season as an actor.”“There’s just been incredible stuff happening on set. I’ve come back to set on days that I don’t work just to watch and I’ve seen stuff that gives me goosebumps,” he shared.In 2025, Amazon MGM Studios and 5&2 Studios signed a deal that made Prime Video the exclusive U.S. streaming partner for “The Chosen.” The deal also provides streaming rights to 5&2 Studios’ future projects including “The Chosen in the Wild with Bear Grylls,” “The Chosen Adventures,” and “Joseph of Egypt.”
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Release date for Season 6 of ‘The Chosen’ announced #Catholic Prime Video and 5&2 Studios announced April 3 that the sixth season of “The Chosen” will be released in the U.S. and internationally exclusively on Prime Video on Nov. 15.Season 6 of “The Chosen” will include six episodes, the first three of which will debut on Nov. 15, followed by the release of a weekly episode through Dec. 6.The season finale will be a stand-alone theatrical release in spring 2027.The highly anticipated sixth season will portray the 24 hours of Good Friday — culminating in Christ’s crucifixion.“Everyone knows the basics of this part of the story, but not everyone knows the ‘why’ of the crucifixion and the extraordinary events of these 24 hours,” Dallas Jenkins, creator, writer, and director of “The Chosen,” said in a press release. “We realized this not only deserved a season of television but a stand-alone full-length theatrical event as well. We wrote and filmed all of it with this in mind.”The show’s star, actor Jonathan Roumie, has spoken about his experience portraying Jesus’ passion and crucifixion.“For the first few months afterwards going to Mass — and even thinking about it now — I just get weepy. I get emotional. It’s hard. It’s left an indelible impression on me — mentally and emotionally sharing even just a percentage, a micron of a percentage, of the Lord’s passion; playing it and reenacting it has left me absolutely humbled and moved,” he told EWTN News at ChosenCon on Feb. 20.The show’s cast spent three weeks filming the crucifixion in Matera, Italy, in June 2025. In a press conference held at the Vatican at the end of that time, Jenkins called the three weeks “the most challenging and difficult we had in filming,” requiring him to surrender everything to Christ.Abe Bueno-Jallad, the actor who portrays Big James, or James the Great, told EWTN News that during filming, he had “never seen the cast so focused.”He added that the actors were “all there for each other … Everybody is carrying such a heavy burden this season as an actor.”“There’s just been incredible stuff happening on set. I’ve come back to set on days that I don’t work just to watch and I’ve seen stuff that gives me goosebumps,” he shared.In 2025, Amazon MGM Studios and 5&2 Studios signed a deal that made Prime Video the exclusive U.S. streaming partner for “The Chosen.” The deal also provides streaming rights to 5&2 Studios’ future projects including “The Chosen in the Wild with Bear Grylls,” “The Chosen Adventures,” and “Joseph of Egypt.”

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The highly anticipated sixth season will portray the 24 hours of Good Friday — culminating in Christ’s crucifixion.

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Adult conversions soar in dioceses across U.S. #Catholic Many U.S. dioceses are expecting heavy increases in people joining the Catholic Church at Easter 2026, including some with record highs, a survey by the National Catholic Register, the sister partner of EWTN News, found.“Something’s happening,” said John Helsey, director of communications for the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, which is expecting a 57% increase in unbaptized people becoming Catholics at Easter — from 635 in 2025 to nearly 1,000 in 2026.In most places, this year’s increases aren’t a one-off but follow significant increases in recent years.One example is the Archdiocese of Newark, New Jersey, which had record highs attending liturgies several weeks ago that were meant to welcome would-be converts who have been preparing to enter the Church in recent months and to formalize their status.Newark is expecting a 30% jump in converts in 2026 (at 1,701) over 2025 (at 1,305). The 2026 figure is 60% higher than the 1,064 converts in 2019, the year before the COVID-19 pandemic.In the Archdiocese of Mobile, Alabama, the number of converts in 2025 (447) was the highest since at least 2014, and the number in 2026 (603) is 35% higher than in 2025.The Register recently contacted all 175 Latin-rite territorial dioceses in the United States, seeking numbers of people planning to join the Catholic Church at Easter 2026.Seventy-one, or 40% of U.S. dioceses, responded. In some cases, the Register used published sources to supplement the data it used in its analysis. In all cases, the Register attempted to make apples-to-apples comparisons, with the caveat that 2026 numbers aren’t set yet.Just five of the 71 dioceses expected a drop in converts this year, most of them slight. The remaining 66 are expecting increases — in many cases, significant ones.This year’s expected increases in converts in the United States include regions where the Church has been growing rapidly in recent decades, such as Florida, where the Diocese of St. Petersburg is expecting an 84% jump, and Texas, where the Diocese of Austin is expecting a 53% jump.But it also includes highly secularized New England, where the Archdiocese of Boston has 55% more catechumens (unbaptized) this year than last year. The Diocese of Manchester, New Hampshire, reported a 54% increase (including already-baptized and unbaptized); the Diocese of Providence has 76% more converts; and the Diocese of Norwich, Connecticut, is recording a 112% spike.In Pennsylvania, the dioceses of Harrisburg (77%) and Altoona-Johnstown (84%) are seeing big increases. Across the country, the Diocese of Pueblo, Colorado, is expecting a 105% increase.In the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, which is expecting a 60% increase in converts in 2026 over last year, a priest who oversees conversion programs said people seeking to join the Catholic Church tend to come to Mass and have an active prayer life before they ever attend formal sessions with catechists and that they tend to accept Church teachings earlier in the process than their predecessors did.“I have noticed over the last several years that there is a greater commitment to conversion, a greater commitment to the Church, when they arrive,” said Father Dennis Gill, director of the Office for Divine Worship for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and rector of the Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul.Other factorsAs for why it’s happening, diocesan officials offered various theories.Immigration, particularly from the surge during the Biden administration, is a factor in some places. Some suggest the election in May 2025 of Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope, who describes Church teachings with a native accent unfiltered by translation, might also be a draw for some non-Catholics. Some diocesan officials shared a new emphasis on outreach to non-Catholics.Bishop Frank Dewane, who leads the Diocese of Venice, Florida, which is expecting a 94% increase in converts, noted that some places outside the United States are also seeing big increases this year, including England and France.He told the Register the Church is enjoying what he called “a golden age of Catholic resources,” including podcasts and other online sources that get information about the Church to people who would ordinarily never set foot in it and yet come to find Catholicism unexpectedly attractive.“Our modern culture has not borne good fruits, and I think people see that. They recognize that. They know that,” Dewane said.But ultimately, he and other Church officials the Register spoke with attributed the bountiful harvest to God.“It’s the Holy Spirit,” Dewane emphasized. “Yes, we follow promptings, also. But I think it’s the work of the Holy Spirit right now in society and in the Church.”This story was first published by the National Catholic Register, the sister partner of EWTN News, and has been adapted by EWTN News.
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Adult conversions soar in dioceses across U.S. #Catholic Many U.S. dioceses are expecting heavy increases in people joining the Catholic Church at Easter 2026, including some with record highs, a survey by the National Catholic Register, the sister partner of EWTN News, found.“Something’s happening,” said John Helsey, director of communications for the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, which is expecting a 57% increase in unbaptized people becoming Catholics at Easter — from 635 in 2025 to nearly 1,000 in 2026.In most places, this year’s increases aren’t a one-off but follow significant increases in recent years.One example is the Archdiocese of Newark, New Jersey, which had record highs attending liturgies several weeks ago that were meant to welcome would-be converts who have been preparing to enter the Church in recent months and to formalize their status.Newark is expecting a 30% jump in converts in 2026 (at 1,701) over 2025 (at 1,305). The 2026 figure is 60% higher than the 1,064 converts in 2019, the year before the COVID-19 pandemic.In the Archdiocese of Mobile, Alabama, the number of converts in 2025 (447) was the highest since at least 2014, and the number in 2026 (603) is 35% higher than in 2025.The Register recently contacted all 175 Latin-rite territorial dioceses in the United States, seeking numbers of people planning to join the Catholic Church at Easter 2026.Seventy-one, or 40% of U.S. dioceses, responded. In some cases, the Register used published sources to supplement the data it used in its analysis. In all cases, the Register attempted to make apples-to-apples comparisons, with the caveat that 2026 numbers aren’t set yet.Just five of the 71 dioceses expected a drop in converts this year, most of them slight. The remaining 66 are expecting increases — in many cases, significant ones.This year’s expected increases in converts in the United States include regions where the Church has been growing rapidly in recent decades, such as Florida, where the Diocese of St. Petersburg is expecting an 84% jump, and Texas, where the Diocese of Austin is expecting a 53% jump.But it also includes highly secularized New England, where the Archdiocese of Boston has 55% more catechumens (unbaptized) this year than last year. The Diocese of Manchester, New Hampshire, reported a 54% increase (including already-baptized and unbaptized); the Diocese of Providence has 76% more converts; and the Diocese of Norwich, Connecticut, is recording a 112% spike.In Pennsylvania, the dioceses of Harrisburg (77%) and Altoona-Johnstown (84%) are seeing big increases. Across the country, the Diocese of Pueblo, Colorado, is expecting a 105% increase.In the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, which is expecting a 60% increase in converts in 2026 over last year, a priest who oversees conversion programs said people seeking to join the Catholic Church tend to come to Mass and have an active prayer life before they ever attend formal sessions with catechists and that they tend to accept Church teachings earlier in the process than their predecessors did.“I have noticed over the last several years that there is a greater commitment to conversion, a greater commitment to the Church, when they arrive,” said Father Dennis Gill, director of the Office for Divine Worship for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and rector of the Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul.Other factorsAs for why it’s happening, diocesan officials offered various theories.Immigration, particularly from the surge during the Biden administration, is a factor in some places. Some suggest the election in May 2025 of Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope, who describes Church teachings with a native accent unfiltered by translation, might also be a draw for some non-Catholics. Some diocesan officials shared a new emphasis on outreach to non-Catholics.Bishop Frank Dewane, who leads the Diocese of Venice, Florida, which is expecting a 94% increase in converts, noted that some places outside the United States are also seeing big increases this year, including England and France.He told the Register the Church is enjoying what he called “a golden age of Catholic resources,” including podcasts and other online sources that get information about the Church to people who would ordinarily never set foot in it and yet come to find Catholicism unexpectedly attractive.“Our modern culture has not borne good fruits, and I think people see that. They recognize that. They know that,” Dewane said.But ultimately, he and other Church officials the Register spoke with attributed the bountiful harvest to God.“It’s the Holy Spirit,” Dewane emphasized. “Yes, we follow promptings, also. But I think it’s the work of the Holy Spirit right now in society and in the Church.”This story was first published by the National Catholic Register, the sister partner of EWTN News, and has been adapted by EWTN News.

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The National Catholic Register contacted all 175 Latin-rite territorial dioceses in the United States, seeking numbers of people planning to join the Catholic Church at Easter 2026.

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Bishops’ commission considers social, cultural, and pastoral factors behind polygamy in Africa #Catholic NAIROBI, Kenya — In addition to theological reflections on marriage and the sacraments, the final report addressing the pastoral challenge of polygamy in Africa, which members of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) issued on March 24, draws attention to a wide range of social, cultural, and pastoral realities shaping the practice across the continent.While reaffirming the Christian ideal of monogamous marriage, the 25-page report compiled by the SECAM commission — made up of selected theologians and professionals from relevant ecclesiastical disciplines — emphasizes that understanding the persistence of polygamy requires careful analysis of social change, legal frameworks, gender relations, and pastoral strategies within African societies. SECAM president Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo. | Credit: ACI Africa The report is a direct response to the mandate that the multiyear XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops — known as the Synod on Synodality — gave Catholic bishops in Africa: “to promote theological and pastoral discernment on the issue of polygamy.”Polygamy in a changing African social landscapeIn the report, the SECAM commission members note that polygamy cannot be understood solely through the lens of traditional culture. African societies have undergone profound transformation in recent decades.“The traditional environment has crumbled,” they said, leading to a climate in which many long-standing institutions and values are increasingly questioned. This transformation has also affected the dynamics of marriage and family life. Sociological studies cited in the report identify infertility as one of the principal motivations behind contemporary polygamy, though the report emphasizes that the reasons are complex.Despite modernization and evangelization, it notes that the practice of polygamy has not disappeared. Instead, “it remains alive and well” and, in some contexts, has even regained popularity.One notable development the SECAM commission members highlight in the report is the changing role of women in African societies. They observe that women increasingly occupy key economic roles, particularly within the informal sector.Legal frameworks across AfricaIn the report, commission members also highlight the legal status of polygamy across the continent.They note that roughly 30 African countries have legal frameworks that permit polygamy — either through civil law, customary law, or religious legislation. The list includes countries such as Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Morocco, and South Africa.However, the report points out that legal recognition of polygamy does not necessarily indicate broad societal consensus. In many countries, women’s movements have increasingly challenged these laws.“More and more women are speaking out against legislation in favor of polygamy, which is considered unfair and disrespectful of gender equality,” the report says. Members of the Symposium of Episcopal Conference of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) meet at the 20th Plenary Assembly held in Kigali, Rwanda, from July 30 to Aug. 4, 2025, under the theme “Christ, Source of Hope, Reconciliation, and Peace.” | Credit: ACI Africa This tension between cultural tradition, legal frameworks, and evolving social values forms a significant part of the pastoral context in which the Catholic bishops in Africa must address the issue of polygamy, the SECAM commission says in the report.The question of women’s dignityA central theme in the report is the dignity of women within both cultural and ecclesial contexts.Pastoral responses to polygamy must explicitly seek “to enhance the dignity of women,” the report says. The report acknowledges that women sometimes choose polygamous arrangements for practical or cultural reasons — however, it raises theological questions about whether such choices correspond to God’s plan for human relationships.From a biblical perspective, polygamy “does not promote the development of women as intended by God,” according to the report. Therefore, pastoral strategies that help Christian communities reflect critically on cultural assumptions about gender roles and marriage are important.Economic vulnerability and the practice of polygamyThe report also links polygamy to economic vulnerability, particularly among widows.One example the SECAM commission members highlight is the traditional practice of levirate marriage, in which a widow marries a relative of her deceased husband in order to secure protection and support for herself and her children.While acknowledging the social security function of this practice, the report questions whether it can also lead to forms of exploitation and whether such arrangements risk reducing women to objects of exchange within family structures.For this reason, the commission members highlight the importance of pastoral care directed specifically toward widows. Ensuring their “material and moral security” can help prevent situations in which women feel compelled to enter polygamous relationships for survival, the report states.Hidden or ‘veiled’ forms of polygamyAnother issue raised in the report is what the SECAM commission members call “veiled polygamy.”This term refers to situations in which individuals maintain multiple sexual relationships outside formal marriage, resulting in families in which children are born to parents who are not married to one another.Although such situations do not present the same doctrinal challenges as formal polygamy, the commission members say they consider this harmful both to society and to the Church.One difficulty, they note, is that social stigma often falls disproportionately on women raising children outside marriage. The absence of fathers also raises concerns about the well-being of children.In response, the report calls for stronger pastoral formation within Christian communities so that believers can accompany families facing these realities with maturity and responsibility. Members of the SECAM in 2025 | Credit: ACI Africa Preparing couples for Christian marriageThe commission members in the report repeatedly emphasize that prevention is as important as pastoral accompaniment.Many cases of polygamy among baptized Christians arise from cultural expectations about fertility. In many African contexts, the inability to bear children can place intense pressure on a marriage, the report notes.Therefore, the report calls for rigorous marriage preparation programs that help couples understand the Christian meaning of marriage. While the desire for children is recognized as a legitimate cultural value, the reports stresses that biological fertility is not essential to the sacramental reality of marriage.Christian marriage, the SECAM commission members state, must be understood primarily as a covenant of love and fidelity rather than simply a means of producing offspring.A broader question of inculturationThroughout the report, commission members frame the issue of polygamy as part of a broader challenge of inculturation — the process of expressing Christian faith within diverse cultural contexts.They acknowledge that the Church’s engagement with African cultures has evolved significantly since the missionary era.While earlier pastoral approaches often treated polygamy primarily as a moral problem to be eliminated, today the Church must combine fidelity to the Gospel with attentive listening to cultural realities.In their concluding reflections, SECAM commission members call for continued dialogue among Catholic bishops in Africa, theologians, and pastoral workers to evaluate existing pastoral models and, where necessary, “propose other paths, with the aim of offering to all the possibility of an encounter with Christ and his Gospel.”In this way, the issue of polygamy is not simply a disciplinary question but part of the broader task of shaping an authentically African expression of Christian family life.This story was first published by ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, and has been adapted by EWTN News.
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Bishops’ commission considers social, cultural, and pastoral factors behind polygamy in Africa #Catholic NAIROBI, Kenya — In addition to theological reflections on marriage and the sacraments, the final report addressing the pastoral challenge of polygamy in Africa, which members of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) issued on March 24, draws attention to a wide range of social, cultural, and pastoral realities shaping the practice across the continent.While reaffirming the Christian ideal of monogamous marriage, the 25-page report compiled by the SECAM commission — made up of selected theologians and professionals from relevant ecclesiastical disciplines — emphasizes that understanding the persistence of polygamy requires careful analysis of social change, legal frameworks, gender relations, and pastoral strategies within African societies. SECAM president Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo. | Credit: ACI Africa The report is a direct response to the mandate that the multiyear XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops — known as the Synod on Synodality — gave Catholic bishops in Africa: “to promote theological and pastoral discernment on the issue of polygamy.”Polygamy in a changing African social landscapeIn the report, the SECAM commission members note that polygamy cannot be understood solely through the lens of traditional culture. African societies have undergone profound transformation in recent decades.“The traditional environment has crumbled,” they said, leading to a climate in which many long-standing institutions and values are increasingly questioned. This transformation has also affected the dynamics of marriage and family life. Sociological studies cited in the report identify infertility as one of the principal motivations behind contemporary polygamy, though the report emphasizes that the reasons are complex.Despite modernization and evangelization, it notes that the practice of polygamy has not disappeared. Instead, “it remains alive and well” and, in some contexts, has even regained popularity.One notable development the SECAM commission members highlight in the report is the changing role of women in African societies. They observe that women increasingly occupy key economic roles, particularly within the informal sector.Legal frameworks across AfricaIn the report, commission members also highlight the legal status of polygamy across the continent.They note that roughly 30 African countries have legal frameworks that permit polygamy — either through civil law, customary law, or religious legislation. The list includes countries such as Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Morocco, and South Africa.However, the report points out that legal recognition of polygamy does not necessarily indicate broad societal consensus. In many countries, women’s movements have increasingly challenged these laws.“More and more women are speaking out against legislation in favor of polygamy, which is considered unfair and disrespectful of gender equality,” the report says. Members of the Symposium of Episcopal Conference of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) meet at the 20th Plenary Assembly held in Kigali, Rwanda, from July 30 to Aug. 4, 2025, under the theme “Christ, Source of Hope, Reconciliation, and Peace.” | Credit: ACI Africa This tension between cultural tradition, legal frameworks, and evolving social values forms a significant part of the pastoral context in which the Catholic bishops in Africa must address the issue of polygamy, the SECAM commission says in the report.The question of women’s dignityA central theme in the report is the dignity of women within both cultural and ecclesial contexts.Pastoral responses to polygamy must explicitly seek “to enhance the dignity of women,” the report says. The report acknowledges that women sometimes choose polygamous arrangements for practical or cultural reasons — however, it raises theological questions about whether such choices correspond to God’s plan for human relationships.From a biblical perspective, polygamy “does not promote the development of women as intended by God,” according to the report. Therefore, pastoral strategies that help Christian communities reflect critically on cultural assumptions about gender roles and marriage are important.Economic vulnerability and the practice of polygamyThe report also links polygamy to economic vulnerability, particularly among widows.One example the SECAM commission members highlight is the traditional practice of levirate marriage, in which a widow marries a relative of her deceased husband in order to secure protection and support for herself and her children.While acknowledging the social security function of this practice, the report questions whether it can also lead to forms of exploitation and whether such arrangements risk reducing women to objects of exchange within family structures.For this reason, the commission members highlight the importance of pastoral care directed specifically toward widows. Ensuring their “material and moral security” can help prevent situations in which women feel compelled to enter polygamous relationships for survival, the report states.Hidden or ‘veiled’ forms of polygamyAnother issue raised in the report is what the SECAM commission members call “veiled polygamy.”This term refers to situations in which individuals maintain multiple sexual relationships outside formal marriage, resulting in families in which children are born to parents who are not married to one another.Although such situations do not present the same doctrinal challenges as formal polygamy, the commission members say they consider this harmful both to society and to the Church.One difficulty, they note, is that social stigma often falls disproportionately on women raising children outside marriage. The absence of fathers also raises concerns about the well-being of children.In response, the report calls for stronger pastoral formation within Christian communities so that believers can accompany families facing these realities with maturity and responsibility. Members of the SECAM in 2025 | Credit: ACI Africa Preparing couples for Christian marriageThe commission members in the report repeatedly emphasize that prevention is as important as pastoral accompaniment.Many cases of polygamy among baptized Christians arise from cultural expectations about fertility. In many African contexts, the inability to bear children can place intense pressure on a marriage, the report notes.Therefore, the report calls for rigorous marriage preparation programs that help couples understand the Christian meaning of marriage. While the desire for children is recognized as a legitimate cultural value, the reports stresses that biological fertility is not essential to the sacramental reality of marriage.Christian marriage, the SECAM commission members state, must be understood primarily as a covenant of love and fidelity rather than simply a means of producing offspring.A broader question of inculturationThroughout the report, commission members frame the issue of polygamy as part of a broader challenge of inculturation — the process of expressing Christian faith within diverse cultural contexts.They acknowledge that the Church’s engagement with African cultures has evolved significantly since the missionary era.While earlier pastoral approaches often treated polygamy primarily as a moral problem to be eliminated, today the Church must combine fidelity to the Gospel with attentive listening to cultural realities.In their concluding reflections, SECAM commission members call for continued dialogue among Catholic bishops in Africa, theologians, and pastoral workers to evaluate existing pastoral models and, where necessary, “propose other paths, with the aim of offering to all the possibility of an encounter with Christ and his Gospel.”In this way, the issue of polygamy is not simply a disciplinary question but part of the broader task of shaping an authentically African expression of Christian family life.This story was first published by ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, and has been adapted by EWTN News.

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The final report addressing the pastoral challenge of polygamy in Africa draws attention to a wide range of social, cultural, and pastoral realities shaping the practice across the continent.

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Webb Maps Uranus’ Upper Atmosphere – For the first time, an international team of astronomers have mapped the vertical structure of Uranus’s upper atmosphere, uncovering how temperature and charged particles vary with height across the planet.
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Webb Maps Uranus’ Upper Atmosphere – For the first time, an international team of astronomers have mapped the vertical structure of Uranus’s upper atmosphere, uncovering how temperature and charged particles vary with height across the planet.

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For the first time, an international team of astronomers have mapped the vertical structure of Uranus’s upper atmosphere, uncovering how temperature and charged particles vary with height across the planet.

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Goldstone’s DSS-15 Antenna and the Milky Way – Deep Space Station 15 (DSS-15), one of the 112-foot (34-meter) antennas at the Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex near Barstow, California, looks skyward, with the stars of the Milky Way overhead, in September 2025.
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Goldstone’s DSS-15 Antenna and the Milky Way – Deep Space Station 15 (DSS-15), one of the 112-foot (34-meter) antennas at the Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex near Barstow, California, looks skyward, with the stars of the Milky Way overhead, in September 2025.

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Deep Space Station 15 (DSS-15), one of the 112-foot (34-meter) antennas at the Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex near Barstow, California, looks skyward, with the stars of the Milky Way overhead, in September 2025.

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New York–Newark–Jersey City Metropolitan Area – The New York–Newark–Jersey City Metropolitan Statistical Area, which spans 23 counties across New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut and has a population of about 19.9 million, is pictured at approximately 3:29 a.m. local time Dec. 20, 2025, from the International Space Station as it orbited 262 miles above the Atlantic coast.
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New York–Newark–Jersey City Metropolitan Area – The New York–Newark–Jersey City Metropolitan Statistical Area, which spans 23 counties across New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut and has a population of about 19.9 million, is pictured at approximately 3:29 a.m. local time Dec. 20, 2025, from the International Space Station as it orbited 262 miles above the Atlantic coast.

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The New York–Newark–Jersey City Metropolitan Statistical Area, which spans 23 counties across New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut and has a population of about 19.9 million, is pictured at approximately 3:29 a.m. local time Dec. 20, 2025, from the International Space Station as it orbited 262 miles above the Atlantic coast.

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Best of 2025: Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) Projected on Washington Monument – Images depicting NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket are projected onto the Washington Monument as part of an event to kick off the nation’s 250th birthday year, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025, in Washington.
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Best of 2025: Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) Projected on Washington Monument – Images depicting NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket are projected onto the Washington Monument as part of an event to kick off the nation’s 250th birthday year, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025, in Washington.

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Images depicting NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket are projected onto the Washington Monument as part of an event to kick off the nation’s 250th birthday year, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025, in Washington.

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Best of 2025: Artemis II Countdown Demonstration Test – Artemis II crewmembers (left to right) NASA astronauts Christina Koch, mission specialist; and Victor Glover, pilot; CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist; and NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, commander are led to the crew access arm as they prepare to board their Orion spacecraft atop NASA’s Space Launch System rocket during the Artemis II countdown demonstration test on Dec. 20, 2025.
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Best of 2025: Artemis II Countdown Demonstration Test – Artemis II crewmembers (left to right) NASA astronauts Christina Koch, mission specialist; and Victor Glover, pilot; CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist; and NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, commander are led to the crew access arm as they prepare to board their Orion spacecraft atop NASA’s Space Launch System rocket during the Artemis II countdown demonstration test on Dec. 20, 2025.

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Artemis II crewmembers (left to right) NASA astronauts Christina Koch, mission specialist; and Victor Glover, pilot; CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist; and NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, commander are led to the crew access arm as they prepare to board their Orion spacecraft atop NASA’s Space Launch System rocket during the Artemis II countdown demonstration test on Dec. 20, 2025.

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First Sky Map from NASA’s SPHEREx Observatory – NASA’s SPHEREx Observatory has mapped the entire sky in 102 infrared colors, as seen here in this image released on Dec. 18, 2025. This image features a selection of colors emitted primarily by stars (blue, green, and white), hot hydrogen gas (blue), and cosmic dust (red).
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First Sky Map from NASA’s SPHEREx Observatory – NASA’s SPHEREx Observatory has mapped the entire sky in 102 infrared colors, as seen here in this image released on Dec. 18, 2025. This image features a selection of colors emitted primarily by stars (blue, green, and white), hot hydrogen gas (blue), and cosmic dust (red).

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NASA’s SPHEREx Observatory has mapped the entire sky in 102 infrared colors, as seen here in this image released on Dec. 18, 2025. This image features a selection of colors emitted primarily by stars (blue, green, and white), hot hydrogen gas (blue), and cosmic dust (red).

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Curiosity Sends Holiday Postcard from Mars – NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover used its black-and-white navigation cameras to capture panoramas at two times of day on Nov. 18, 2025, spanning periods that occurred on both the 4,722nd and 4,723rd Martian days, or sols, of the mission. The panoramas were captured at 4:15 p.m. on Sol 4,722 and 8:20 a.m. on Sol 4,723 (both at local Mars time), then merged together. Color was later added for an artistic interpretation of the scene with blue representing the morning panorama and yellow representing the afternoon one.
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Curiosity Sends Holiday Postcard from Mars – NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover used its black-and-white navigation cameras to capture panoramas at two times of day on Nov. 18, 2025, spanning periods that occurred on both the 4,722nd and 4,723rd Martian days, or sols, of the mission. The panoramas were captured at 4:15 p.m. on Sol 4,722 and 8:20 a.m. on Sol 4,723 (both at local Mars time), then merged together. Color was later added for an artistic interpretation of the scene with blue representing the morning panorama and yellow representing the afternoon one.

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NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover used its black-and-white navigation cameras to capture panoramas at two times of day on Nov. 18, 2025, spanning periods that occurred on both the 4,722nd and 4,723rd Martian days, or sols, of the mission. The panoramas were captured at 4:15 p.m. on Sol 4,722 and 8:20 a.m. on Sol 4,723 (both at local Mars time), then merged together. Color was later added for an artistic interpretation of the scene with blue representing the morning panorama and yellow representing the afternoon one.

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Santa Visits Artemis II Rocket – NASA engineer Guy Naylor poses for a photograph wearing a custom Santa Claus suit on the 19th level of High Bay 4 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building with NASA’s integrated Moon rocket behind him at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025.
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Santa Visits Artemis II Rocket – NASA engineer Guy Naylor poses for a photograph wearing a custom Santa Claus suit on the 19th level of High Bay 4 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building with NASA’s integrated Moon rocket behind him at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025.

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NASA engineer Guy Naylor poses for a photograph wearing a custom Santa Claus suit on the 19th level of High Bay 4 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building with NASA’s integrated Moon rocket behind him at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025.

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Artemis II Crew Launch Day Rehearsal – From left to right, CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen and NASA astronauts Christina Koch, Victor Glover, and Reid Wiseman are seen as they depart the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building to board their Orion spacecraft atop NASA’s Space Launch System rocket inside the Vehicle Assembly Building as part of the Artemis II countdown demonstration test, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
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Artemis II Crew Launch Day Rehearsal – From left to right, CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen and NASA astronauts Christina Koch, Victor Glover, and Reid Wiseman are seen as they depart the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building to board their Orion spacecraft atop NASA’s Space Launch System rocket inside the Vehicle Assembly Building as part of the Artemis II countdown demonstration test, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

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From left to right, CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen and NASA astronauts Christina Koch, Victor Glover, and Reid Wiseman are seen as they depart the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building to board their Orion spacecraft atop NASA’s Space Launch System rocket inside the Vehicle Assembly Building as part of the Artemis II countdown demonstration test, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

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NASA Lab Completes Engine Checks on New Aircraft – Justin Hall, left, controls a subscale aircraft as Justin Link holds the aircraft in place during preliminary engine tests on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, at NASA’s Armstong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. Hall is chief pilot at the center’s Dale Reed Subscale Flight Research Laboratory and Link is a pilot for small uncrewed aircraft systems.
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NASA Lab Completes Engine Checks on New Aircraft – Justin Hall, left, controls a subscale aircraft as Justin Link holds the aircraft in place during preliminary engine tests on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, at NASA’s Armstong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. Hall is chief pilot at the center’s Dale Reed Subscale Flight Research Laboratory and Link is a pilot for small uncrewed aircraft systems.

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Justin Hall, left, controls a subscale aircraft as Justin Link holds the aircraft in place during preliminary engine tests on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, at NASA’s Armstong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. Hall is chief pilot at the center’s Dale Reed Subscale Flight Research Laboratory and Link is a pilot for small uncrewed aircraft systems.

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Peekaboo! – Clockwise from left, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui and NASA astronauts Jonny Kim, Zena Cardman, and Mike Fincke pose for a playful portrait through a circular opening in a hatch thermal cover aboard the International Space Station on Sept. 18, 2025.
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Peekaboo! – Clockwise from left, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui and NASA astronauts Jonny Kim, Zena Cardman, and Mike Fincke pose for a playful portrait through a circular opening in a hatch thermal cover aboard the International Space Station on Sept. 18, 2025.

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Clockwise from left, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui and NASA astronauts Jonny Kim, Zena Cardman, and Mike Fincke pose for a playful portrait through a circular opening in a hatch thermal cover aboard the International Space Station on Sept. 18, 2025.

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NASA Astronaut Jonny Kim Returns to Earth – The Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft is seen as it lands in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan with Expedition 73 NASA astronaut Jonny Kim, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky aboard, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025.
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NASA Astronaut Jonny Kim Returns to Earth – The Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft is seen as it lands in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan with Expedition 73 NASA astronaut Jonny Kim, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky aboard, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025.

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The Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft is seen as it lands in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan with Expedition 73 NASA astronaut Jonny Kim, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky aboard, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025.

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Sprites Over Château de Beynac – A flash of lightning, and then—something else. High above a storm, a crimson figure blinks in and out of existence. If you see it, you are a lucky witness of a sprite, one of the least-understood electrical phenomena in Earth’s upper atmosphere.
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Sprites Over Château de Beynac – A flash of lightning, and then—something else. High above a storm, a crimson figure blinks in and out of existence. If you see it, you are a lucky witness of a sprite, one of the least-understood electrical phenomena in Earth’s upper atmosphere.

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A flash of lightning, and then—something else. High above a storm, a crimson figure blinks in and out of existence. If you see it, you are a lucky witness of a sprite, one of the least-understood electrical phenomena in Earth’s upper atmosphere.

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Testing Drones for Mars in the Mojave Desert – Researchers from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California monitor a research drone in the Dumont Dunes area of the Mojave Desert in September 2025 as part of a test campaign to develop navigation software to guide future rotorcraft on Mars.
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Testing Drones for Mars in the Mojave Desert – Researchers from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California monitor a research drone in the Dumont Dunes area of the Mojave Desert in September 2025 as part of a test campaign to develop navigation software to guide future rotorcraft on Mars.

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Researchers from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California monitor a research drone in the Dumont Dunes area of the Mojave Desert in September 2025 as part of a test campaign to develop navigation software to guide future rotorcraft on Mars.

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Artemis II Orion Spacecraft Stacked – NASA’s Artemis II Orion spacecraft with its launch abort system is stacked atop the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket in High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday, Oct. 20, 2025. The spacecraft will carry NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen on a 10-day mission around the Moon and back in early 2026.
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Artemis II Orion Spacecraft Stacked – NASA’s Artemis II Orion spacecraft with its launch abort system is stacked atop the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket in High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday, Oct. 20, 2025. The spacecraft will carry NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen on a 10-day mission around the Moon and back in early 2026.

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NASA’s Artemis II Orion spacecraft with its launch abort system is stacked atop the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket in High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday, Oct. 20, 2025. The spacecraft will carry NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen on a 10-day mission around the Moon and back in early 2026.

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NASA’s Quesst Mission Marks X-59’s Historic First Flight – NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft lifts off for its first flight Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025, from U.S. Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California. The aircraft’s first flight marks the start of flight testing for NASA’s Quesst mission, the result of years of design, integration, and ground testing and begins a new chapter in NASA’s aeronautics research legacy.
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NASA’s Quesst Mission Marks X-59’s Historic First Flight – NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft lifts off for its first flight Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025, from U.S. Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California. The aircraft’s first flight marks the start of flight testing for NASA’s Quesst mission, the result of years of design, integration, and ground testing and begins a new chapter in NASA’s aeronautics research legacy.

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NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft lifts off for its first flight Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025, from U.S. Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California. The aircraft’s first flight marks the start of flight testing for NASA’s Quesst mission, the result of years of design, integration, and ground testing and begins a new chapter in NASA’s aeronautics research legacy.

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Suited Up for Science: NASA ER-2 Pilot Prepares for GEMx Flight – NASA ER-2 pilot Kirt Stallings waits inside the transport vehicle at Edwards, California, on Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025, moments before boarding NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center’s ER-2 aircraft for a high-altitude mission supporting the Geological Earth Mapping Experiment (GEMx). Through the vehicle window, the aircraft can be seen being readied for flight.
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Suited Up for Science: NASA ER-2 Pilot Prepares for GEMx Flight – NASA ER-2 pilot Kirt Stallings waits inside the transport vehicle at Edwards, California, on Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025, moments before boarding NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center’s ER-2 aircraft for a high-altitude mission supporting the Geological Earth Mapping Experiment (GEMx). Through the vehicle window, the aircraft can be seen being readied for flight.

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NASA ER-2 pilot Kirt Stallings waits inside the transport vehicle at Edwards, California, on Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025, moments before boarding NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center’s ER-2 aircraft for a high-altitude mission supporting the Geological Earth Mapping Experiment (GEMx). Through the vehicle window, the aircraft can be seen being readied for flight.

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3-in-1 Launch
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3-in-1 Launch

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A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying NASA’s IMAP (Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe), the agency’s Carruthers Geocorona Observatory, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Space Weather Follow On–Lagrange 1 (SWFO-L1) spacecraft lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 7:30 a.m. EDT Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. The missions will each focus on different effects of the solar wind — the continuous stream of particles emitted by the Sun — and space weather — the changing conditions in space driven by the Sun — from their origins at the Sun to their farthest reaches billions of miles away at the edge of our solar system.

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Airplane Aerobatics
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Airplane Aerobatics

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NASA astronaut Nick Hague watches as Robert Schmidle Pitts Aerobatics perform, Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, during the Joint Base Andrews Air Show at Joint Base Andrews in Prince George’s County, Maryland. Hague spent 171 days aboard the International Space Station as part of Expedition 72.

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