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U.S. bishops urge Catholic voters: Start with your faith, discern your vote #Catholic Ahead of the contentious 2026 U.S. midterm elections, the U.S. bishops are urging Catholic voters to form their consciences in light of their faith and discern their vote informed by the teachings of the Church. In a video released by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Portland, Oregon, Archbishop Alexander Sample suggested Catholics should think of themselves as “disciples of Jesus first, Americans second … and, if you’re going to belong to a political party, that is third.” “Start with your relationship with Jesus. Start with your faith,” the archbishop said. “And then see how that shapes your view on social and political issues.” The archbishop’s video comes just days before the 2026 U.S. midterms, which could serve as a sharp referendum on U.S. President Donald Trump’s second term, particularly his administration’s launching of a war with Iran, which brought with it major increases in fuel costs and other prices. Multiple U.S. bishops have urged the faithful to pray ahead of the elections, including regarding major ballot initiatives involving abortion and other issues.In his Oct. 26 video, Sample — who serves as the chairman of the U.S. bishops’ religious liberty committee — noted that “none of the political parties” in the U.S. “embody all the Catholic social teaching.” “We don’t start with our party’s political platform,” he said. “We start with Catholic social teaching — the Catholic social doctrine of the Church, and all of those principles of Catholic social teaching.” Conscience ‘tells us to pursue the good’In a related video also released on Oct. 26, Baltimore Archbishop William Lori — who previously served as vice president of the USCCB — said the “importance of a properly formed conscience cannot be overstated.”The archbishop described conscience as “that part of us that tells us to pursue the good and to avoid evil,” a place where “God speaks to us and his word echoes in our hearts.” “It is vital that in this time when there is so much back-and-forth politically, when the news cycles never cease, when life is moving along rapidly — that in the exercise of our citizenship, we would slow down and engage in discernment.” The prelate pointed to St. Paul’s admonishment to “cling to what is good.” He described faithful citizenship as “an invitation to know what the Church teaches and then, when you’re faced with ballot issues or the question of for whom to vote, you’re equipped to engage in prayerful discernment.” He noted that the U.S. bishops issue messages about voting periodically. “[We] have a lot of faith in our people,” he said. The question of faithful citizenship was “never meant to be simply a list of dos and don’ts, or ‘vote this way or vote that way,’” Lori said. “It’s not a voter guide.” Rather, the principle “strives to present a beautiful vision of the United States as the best version of itself.” Archbishop Shelton Fabre of Louisville, Kentucky, meanwhile, in a separate video urged Catholics to keep the “desire to be the best disciple of Jesus Christ” at the center of all their decisions. “We participate in public life and in political life to advance the common good, and to also remind everyone in public life and in politics that the common good and the human dignity of each and every person are paramount,” he said.Some analysts are predicting a major Democratic victory in the 2026 midterms, particularly amid low approval ratings for Trump halfway through his second term.As of Oct. 29 the forecast and election-tracking outlet Decision Desk HQ was predicting likely Democratic victories in both the U.S. House and Senate, including an 80% probability of victory in the House.

U.S. bishops urge Catholic voters: Start with your faith, discern your vote #Catholic Ahead of the contentious 2026 U.S. midterm elections, the U.S. bishops are urging Catholic voters to form their consciences in light of their faith and discern their vote informed by the teachings of the Church. In a video released by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Portland, Oregon, Archbishop Alexander Sample suggested Catholics should think of themselves as “disciples of Jesus first, Americans second … and, if you’re going to belong to a political party, that is third.” “Start with your relationship with Jesus. Start with your faith,” the archbishop said. “And then see how that shapes your view on social and political issues.” The archbishop’s video comes just days before the 2026 U.S. midterms, which could serve as a sharp referendum on U.S. President Donald Trump’s second term, particularly his administration’s launching of a war with Iran, which brought with it major increases in fuel costs and other prices. Multiple U.S. bishops have urged the faithful to pray ahead of the elections, including regarding major ballot initiatives involving abortion and other issues.In his Oct. 26 video, Sample — who serves as the chairman of the U.S. bishops’ religious liberty committee — noted that “none of the political parties” in the U.S. “embody all the Catholic social teaching.” “We don’t start with our party’s political platform,” he said. “We start with Catholic social teaching — the Catholic social doctrine of the Church, and all of those principles of Catholic social teaching.” Conscience ‘tells us to pursue the good’In a related video also released on Oct. 26, Baltimore Archbishop William Lori — who previously served as vice president of the USCCB — said the “importance of a properly formed conscience cannot be overstated.”The archbishop described conscience as “that part of us that tells us to pursue the good and to avoid evil,” a place where “God speaks to us and his word echoes in our hearts.” “It is vital that in this time when there is so much back-and-forth politically, when the news cycles never cease, when life is moving along rapidly — that in the exercise of our citizenship, we would slow down and engage in discernment.” The prelate pointed to St. Paul’s admonishment to “cling to what is good.” He described faithful citizenship as “an invitation to know what the Church teaches and then, when you’re faced with ballot issues or the question of for whom to vote, you’re equipped to engage in prayerful discernment.” He noted that the U.S. bishops issue messages about voting periodically. “[We] have a lot of faith in our people,” he said. The question of faithful citizenship was “never meant to be simply a list of dos and don’ts, or ‘vote this way or vote that way,’” Lori said. “It’s not a voter guide.” Rather, the principle “strives to present a beautiful vision of the United States as the best version of itself.” Archbishop Shelton Fabre of Louisville, Kentucky, meanwhile, in a separate video urged Catholics to keep the “desire to be the best disciple of Jesus Christ” at the center of all their decisions. “We participate in public life and in political life to advance the common good, and to also remind everyone in public life and in politics that the common good and the human dignity of each and every person are paramount,” he said.Some analysts are predicting a major Democratic victory in the 2026 midterms, particularly amid low approval ratings for Trump halfway through his second term.As of Oct. 29 the forecast and election-tracking outlet Decision Desk HQ was predicting likely Democratic victories in both the U.S. House and Senate, including an 80% probability of victory in the House.

The videos come just days before the 2026 U.S. midterms, which could serve as a referendum on U.S. President Donald Trump’s second term.

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What the Catholic Church in Egypt is doing to keep youths attached to their faith #Catholic CAIRO — The Catholic Church in Egypt faces the challenge of keeping its young population attached to the faith, a bishop in the country said, noting that many youths abandon the Catholic faith at marriage.Speaking to Aid to the Church in Need, Bishop Emmanuel Bishay of Egypt’s Coptic Catholic Eparchy of Luxor clarified that relations between the Catholic and Orthodox churches are good.However, he pointed out the challenge of keeping youths in the Church, noting that to deepen the Catholic faith, the Church runs formation programs alongside initiatives that make it easier for young Catholics to meet and forge relationships.“At the official level, relations between the Catholic and Orthodox churches are good. There is affection, and people exchange greetings on religious occasions,” Bishay said in an Oct. 19 ACN report.“Unfortunately, if a young Catholic man or woman marries an Orthodox person, they may be required to become Orthodox and to follow the Orthodox Church’s requirements,” he said. “This is a major challenge for us as a Church: How can we help our young people deepen their Catholic faith and remain attached to their Church?”“I believe that the formation we provide, especially through catechesis, is an important service. We also create many opportunities for young Catholics to meet one another,” he said.In Egypt, Catholics are described as “a minority within a minority” in the ACN report. The charity organization says that the largest Christian denomination in Egypt is the historic Coptic Orthodox Church.“Though there are no official numbers, estimates point to between 10 and 15 million Copts in the country, making it the biggest Christian community in the Middle East, by a large margin. Muslims make up the vast majority of the rest of Egypt’s 120 million people,” the ACN report said.The Catholic Coptic Church, on the other hand, has only around 300,000 faithful living in Egypt, but according to Bishay, they are playing an important part in forging good relations between different religious communities and also for their contributions to health, education, and culture.“As one travels farther into Upper Egypt, people can be somewhat more rigid in their attitudes. We make every effort to build relationships with the Orthodox community and with Muslims, who are the majority, even if we encounter some difficulties, especially in villages and small settlements,” Bishay was quoted as explaining.Regarding relations with the Muslim community, the Catholic bishop admitted that there have been difficult periods but said the situation has improved.“The hard-line voices that used to be heard are no longer as prominent, while another voice, the moderate one, is growing. The change is slow but noticeable: People are listening to those with moderate views, and the government is giving them room to act. The process is moving in this direction. I believe that if Egypt continues along this path, things will keep getting better,” the Church leader said.Bishay further said that the Catholic Church plays an outsized role in the services it provides in Egypt, especially in the poorer regions, but its faithful continue to face difficult challenges as a minority within a large country.“The Catholic Church is small in numbers but strong in services. Some of the best schools in Egypt are Catholic schools, and the fact that state officials regularly turn to Catholic schools is evidence of this. We also work in healthcare. Our diocese alone has 14 clinics, most of which are staffed by religious sisters who devote much of their time to this work. Another contribution is through cultural centers and libraries,” Bishay explained.He added: “The Catholic Church has not only provided these services; it has also shown Egyptian society how to provide them. The Coptic Orthodox Church learned to provide them from us and, more recently, mosques have also begun providing services of this kind, following our example. The Catholic Church has been a pioneer in this field.”The bishop went on to say that the services are particularly important in the Eparchy of Luxor.“Upper Egypt receives less attention than the Delta and the north of the country, which means that services are less adequate, particularly in healthcare. Hospitals do not always meet the required standard, and there are also shortcomings in education and childcare. This requires a great deal of effort from us as the Catholic Church.”He added: “The figures indicate that we are among the poorest governorates in Egypt. This affects people’s abilities and talents, whether intellectual or otherwise. It saddens me to see talented people whose abilities are not given their due, or whose surroundings do not give them the opportunity to develop and fulfill their potential,” the bishop said.He expressed gratitude to ACN, which he said continues to support the Catholic Church in Egypt in many different fields. “ACN is a very important support for us. What is especially valuable is that the foundation looks at our priorities, rather than imposing its own agenda. That is very important!”This story was first published by ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, and has been adapted by EWTN News.

What the Catholic Church in Egypt is doing to keep youths attached to their faith #Catholic CAIRO — The Catholic Church in Egypt faces the challenge of keeping its young population attached to the faith, a bishop in the country said, noting that many youths abandon the Catholic faith at marriage.Speaking to Aid to the Church in Need, Bishop Emmanuel Bishay of Egypt’s Coptic Catholic Eparchy of Luxor clarified that relations between the Catholic and Orthodox churches are good.However, he pointed out the challenge of keeping youths in the Church, noting that to deepen the Catholic faith, the Church runs formation programs alongside initiatives that make it easier for young Catholics to meet and forge relationships.“At the official level, relations between the Catholic and Orthodox churches are good. There is affection, and people exchange greetings on religious occasions,” Bishay said in an Oct. 19 ACN report.“Unfortunately, if a young Catholic man or woman marries an Orthodox person, they may be required to become Orthodox and to follow the Orthodox Church’s requirements,” he said. “This is a major challenge for us as a Church: How can we help our young people deepen their Catholic faith and remain attached to their Church?”“I believe that the formation we provide, especially through catechesis, is an important service. We also create many opportunities for young Catholics to meet one another,” he said.In Egypt, Catholics are described as “a minority within a minority” in the ACN report. The charity organization says that the largest Christian denomination in Egypt is the historic Coptic Orthodox Church.“Though there are no official numbers, estimates point to between 10 and 15 million Copts in the country, making it the biggest Christian community in the Middle East, by a large margin. Muslims make up the vast majority of the rest of Egypt’s 120 million people,” the ACN report said.The Catholic Coptic Church, on the other hand, has only around 300,000 faithful living in Egypt, but according to Bishay, they are playing an important part in forging good relations between different religious communities and also for their contributions to health, education, and culture.“As one travels farther into Upper Egypt, people can be somewhat more rigid in their attitudes. We make every effort to build relationships with the Orthodox community and with Muslims, who are the majority, even if we encounter some difficulties, especially in villages and small settlements,” Bishay was quoted as explaining.Regarding relations with the Muslim community, the Catholic bishop admitted that there have been difficult periods but said the situation has improved.“The hard-line voices that used to be heard are no longer as prominent, while another voice, the moderate one, is growing. The change is slow but noticeable: People are listening to those with moderate views, and the government is giving them room to act. The process is moving in this direction. I believe that if Egypt continues along this path, things will keep getting better,” the Church leader said.Bishay further said that the Catholic Church plays an outsized role in the services it provides in Egypt, especially in the poorer regions, but its faithful continue to face difficult challenges as a minority within a large country.“The Catholic Church is small in numbers but strong in services. Some of the best schools in Egypt are Catholic schools, and the fact that state officials regularly turn to Catholic schools is evidence of this. We also work in healthcare. Our diocese alone has 14 clinics, most of which are staffed by religious sisters who devote much of their time to this work. Another contribution is through cultural centers and libraries,” Bishay explained.He added: “The Catholic Church has not only provided these services; it has also shown Egyptian society how to provide them. The Coptic Orthodox Church learned to provide them from us and, more recently, mosques have also begun providing services of this kind, following our example. The Catholic Church has been a pioneer in this field.”The bishop went on to say that the services are particularly important in the Eparchy of Luxor.“Upper Egypt receives less attention than the Delta and the north of the country, which means that services are less adequate, particularly in healthcare. Hospitals do not always meet the required standard, and there are also shortcomings in education and childcare. This requires a great deal of effort from us as the Catholic Church.”He added: “The figures indicate that we are among the poorest governorates in Egypt. This affects people’s abilities and talents, whether intellectual or otherwise. It saddens me to see talented people whose abilities are not given their due, or whose surroundings do not give them the opportunity to develop and fulfill their potential,” the bishop said.He expressed gratitude to ACN, which he said continues to support the Catholic Church in Egypt in many different fields. “ACN is a very important support for us. What is especially valuable is that the foundation looks at our priorities, rather than imposing its own agenda. That is very important!”This story was first published by ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, and has been adapted by EWTN News.

Speaking to Aid to the Church in Need, Bishop Emmanuel Bishay of Egypt’s Coptic Catholic Eparchy of Luxor said that relations between the Catholic and Orthodox churches are good.

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Virgin of Guadalupe takes center stage at U.S. Hispanic ministry meeting #Catholic The role of Our Lady of Guadalupe took center stage at the 2026 annual conference of the National Catholic Association of Diocesan Directors for Hispanic Ministry, which took place Oct. 20–23 in Anaheim, California.The conference brought together dozens of diocesan directors and leaders of Hispanic and Latino ministry from various parts of the United States. Conference speakers included Bishop Óscar Cantú of San José, California; Bishop Mario Alberto Avilés, CO, of Corpus Christi, Texas; and Bishop Eusebio Elizondo, MSpS, auxiliary bishop of Seattle.Monsignor Eduardo Chávez of the Archdiocese of Mexico City, considered the foremost expert on the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe, spoke to the gathering on “The Truth of Guadalupe,” which is also the title of his book on the subject.“It has been a moment of such joy and spirituality, of such devotion and emotion, to go on discovering who Holy Mary of Guadalupe and her humble messenger, St. Juan Diego, are during this encounter,” Chávez told EWTN News Español, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News.“The Virgin of Guadalupe, through St. Juan Diego, helps us open our hearts to the presence of Christ the King, the love of God, which our people need so much,” emphasized Chávez, who also served as the postulator for the canonization cause of St. Juan Diego, the visionary of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The meeting with the leaders of U.S. Hispanic pastoral ministry, he noted, “has been the best way to prepare ourselves for the 500th anniversary of the apparitions of Holy Mary of Guadalupe, which help us prepare for the Jubilee of the Redemption in 2033.”“There are not enough words to thank God and His Most Holy Mother, our Mother, Holy Mary of Guadalupe,” he said.Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared to the Indigenous man St. Juan Diego at the foot of Tepeyac Hill, north of Mexico City, Dec. 9–12, 1531. There she asked him to intercede with the then-bishop of Mexico, Friar Juan de Zumárraga, so that a “sacred little house” might be built in her honor.As proof of the authenticity of the apparitions, the Virgin asked Juan Diego to gather some roses that had bloomed on Tepeyac and place them in his tilma (a type of cloak or cape). When he unfolded the cloth before the bishop, the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe was found to be miraculously imprinted upon it.To this day, nearly 500 years later, the tilma of St. Juan Diego is preserved in the Guadalupe Basilica at the foot of Tepeyac.Our Lady of Guadalupe ‘leads us to Jesus’Chávez emphasized that the Virgin “leads us to Jesus” and that, as one examines the event of Guadalupe, “there are no longer any walls or divisions — not only physical ones, but also those related to language, culture, or traditions — because she makes us brothers and sisters to one another, something that all our peoples need so much.”Our Lady of Guadalupe, he recalled, “is the mother of humanity. She said as much to Juan Diego: ‘I am your mother, the mother of all those who dwell in this land, and of all the various ancestries and nations; the mother of those who love me, who seek me, who cry out to me, and who place their trust in me.’”Chávez was recently appointed by Cardinal Carlos Aguiar Retes as the representative of the Primatial Archdiocese of Mexico for the preparation and celebrations of the fifth centenary of the apparitions of the Virgin of Guadalupe.This story was first published by EWTN News Español, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

Virgin of Guadalupe takes center stage at U.S. Hispanic ministry meeting #Catholic The role of Our Lady of Guadalupe took center stage at the 2026 annual conference of the National Catholic Association of Diocesan Directors for Hispanic Ministry, which took place Oct. 20–23 in Anaheim, California.The conference brought together dozens of diocesan directors and leaders of Hispanic and Latino ministry from various parts of the United States. Conference speakers included Bishop Óscar Cantú of San José, California; Bishop Mario Alberto Avilés, CO, of Corpus Christi, Texas; and Bishop Eusebio Elizondo, MSpS, auxiliary bishop of Seattle.Monsignor Eduardo Chávez of the Archdiocese of Mexico City, considered the foremost expert on the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe, spoke to the gathering on “The Truth of Guadalupe,” which is also the title of his book on the subject.“It has been a moment of such joy and spirituality, of such devotion and emotion, to go on discovering who Holy Mary of Guadalupe and her humble messenger, St. Juan Diego, are during this encounter,” Chávez told EWTN News Español, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News.“The Virgin of Guadalupe, through St. Juan Diego, helps us open our hearts to the presence of Christ the King, the love of God, which our people need so much,” emphasized Chávez, who also served as the postulator for the canonization cause of St. Juan Diego, the visionary of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The meeting with the leaders of U.S. Hispanic pastoral ministry, he noted, “has been the best way to prepare ourselves for the 500th anniversary of the apparitions of Holy Mary of Guadalupe, which help us prepare for the Jubilee of the Redemption in 2033.”“There are not enough words to thank God and His Most Holy Mother, our Mother, Holy Mary of Guadalupe,” he said.Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared to the Indigenous man St. Juan Diego at the foot of Tepeyac Hill, north of Mexico City, Dec. 9–12, 1531. There she asked him to intercede with the then-bishop of Mexico, Friar Juan de Zumárraga, so that a “sacred little house” might be built in her honor.As proof of the authenticity of the apparitions, the Virgin asked Juan Diego to gather some roses that had bloomed on Tepeyac and place them in his tilma (a type of cloak or cape). When he unfolded the cloth before the bishop, the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe was found to be miraculously imprinted upon it.To this day, nearly 500 years later, the tilma of St. Juan Diego is preserved in the Guadalupe Basilica at the foot of Tepeyac.Our Lady of Guadalupe ‘leads us to Jesus’Chávez emphasized that the Virgin “leads us to Jesus” and that, as one examines the event of Guadalupe, “there are no longer any walls or divisions — not only physical ones, but also those related to language, culture, or traditions — because she makes us brothers and sisters to one another, something that all our peoples need so much.”Our Lady of Guadalupe, he recalled, “is the mother of humanity. She said as much to Juan Diego: ‘I am your mother, the mother of all those who dwell in this land, and of all the various ancestries and nations; the mother of those who love me, who seek me, who cry out to me, and who place their trust in me.’”Chávez was recently appointed by Cardinal Carlos Aguiar Retes as the representative of the Primatial Archdiocese of Mexico for the preparation and celebrations of the fifth centenary of the apparitions of the Virgin of Guadalupe.This story was first published by EWTN News Español, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

A conference brought together dozens of diocesan directors and leaders of Hispanic and Latino ministry from various parts of the United States.

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‘He died doing what he loved’: Memories of the Ecuadorian priest who died at the altar #Catholic “He died doing what he loved, the Eucharist” is how Father Pedro Calle remembered his fellow Redemptorist, Father Patricio Sánchez Molinari, who died Oct. 17 after a large crucifix broke loose from the sanctuary wall and fell on him during Mass.“It’s not so easy to process or come to terms with this situation, given the way it happened,” Calle shared in an interview with EWTN News Español, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. “I could break down at any moment because of the pain I feel inside.”Calle lives in Quito, Ecuador, and manages the administrative needs of the Redemptorist congregation in the Andean-Caribbean Province, which comprises Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador. He is currently in Guayaquil serving also as the legal representative to handle matters related to Sánchez’s death. He is also taking part in the Oct. 19–27 novena for the repose of his soul.
 
 Father Patricio Sánchez Molinari with some of the faithful at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Father Pedro Calle
 
 “He died embracing the cross. The crucifix was not damaged, save for the part of the leg [of the corpus]. It is striking how he celebrated the Lord’s passover, and the Lord celebrated his passover with him… And Patricio died doing what he loved: the Eucharist,” the priest emphasized.He loved the Eucharist and the Blessed Virgin MaryCalle described Sánchez as a man “with a pure heart and a ready smile, a smile that created a sense of closeness. People were drawn to him because of his purity of heart, in which there was no trace of ill intent. He was always so very calm, patient, and tolerant.”“He very much loved the Blessed Sacrament. Wherever he went to any parish he would always emphasize this devotion. And he was always the first one there; he wouldn’t just expose the Blessed Sacrament for a while and then leave, he would stay to pray,” the priest recounted.Sánchez served in Loja, in southern Ecuador, and later in a mission area called Vinces. He also spent nine years at a parish in Manta, and finally about four years in Guayaquil, at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church. He served as the pastor there, and it was in that church that he died.
 
 Father Patricio Sánchez Molinari with some of the faithful. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Father Pedro Calle
 
 “He also loved the Most Holy Virgin Mary. We can describe Patricio as someone who throughout his ministry everyone felt his closeness to them, absolutely everyone,” the Redemptorist priest highlighted.“He was always a very dedicated man, always spiritual and pastoral. He would say ‘yes’ to everyone. We could say, then, that he was a hardworking man, very self-sacrificing, very devoted,” he remarked.Calle further noted that “Patricio was a very simple person, very approachable and full of human warmth. That’s why his homilies were so simple.”“My enduring memory of Patricio,” he added, “is that he was a very welcoming person, always concerned with making sure one had something to eat or drink. He enjoyed going to the cinema and was an athletic person; he liked going for a walk and swimming.”‘A sign of grace’The priest shared that he never had a conversation with Sánchez about how he would have liked to be remembered, but he highlighted one aspect he has been reflecting on in recent days following the tragic death of his fellow priest.“Patricio’s death will become, or is already becoming, a sign of grace for Catholics and for humanity, given the fact that he was in the midst of broadcasting [the Mass] and that the tragedy unfolded in precisely this way, rather than any other. That was a message for everyone,” Calle remarked.
 
 Father Patricio Sánchez Molinari with a group of the faithful. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Father Pedro Calle
 
 The priest remarked, in closing, that he does not know where the story of this priest will ultimately lead but that it certainly will not leave anyone indifferent.“I don’t know if his mission is beginning now. I cannot offer any certainty or assurance; it is simply a personal perception, based on the context and the way he died.”‘One day, all of us here will also die’Sánchez was born on Nov. 6, 1973, in Cuenca, Ecuador. He made his profession in the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorists) on Aug. 15, 2000, the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He was ordained a priest on Oct. 15, 2005.He was pastor at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in south Guayaquil. He served as the superior of his religious community, where he lived alongside a fellow religious brother who had taken his perpetual vows.In his final homily, on the day of his death, he spoke about the importance of making time for God. “He must come first,” he said, adding: “Dear brothers and sisters, one day, all of us here will also die. Sometimes, the time we have spent on material things does not hold as much meaning as the time we dedicate to God, that quality time we give to God, to our brothers and sisters, to our wife, our husband, to our children, and to our families. That is time spent in the best possible way.”This story was first published by EWTN News Español, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

‘He died doing what he loved’: Memories of the Ecuadorian priest who died at the altar #Catholic “He died doing what he loved, the Eucharist” is how Father Pedro Calle remembered his fellow Redemptorist, Father Patricio Sánchez Molinari, who died Oct. 17 after a large crucifix broke loose from the sanctuary wall and fell on him during Mass.“It’s not so easy to process or come to terms with this situation, given the way it happened,” Calle shared in an interview with EWTN News Español, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. “I could break down at any moment because of the pain I feel inside.”Calle lives in Quito, Ecuador, and manages the administrative needs of the Redemptorist congregation in the Andean-Caribbean Province, which comprises Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador. He is currently in Guayaquil serving also as the legal representative to handle matters related to Sánchez’s death. He is also taking part in the Oct. 19–27 novena for the repose of his soul. Father Patricio Sánchez Molinari with some of the faithful at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Father Pedro Calle “He died embracing the cross. The crucifix was not damaged, save for the part of the leg [of the corpus]. It is striking how he celebrated the Lord’s passover, and the Lord celebrated his passover with him… And Patricio died doing what he loved: the Eucharist,” the priest emphasized.He loved the Eucharist and the Blessed Virgin MaryCalle described Sánchez as a man “with a pure heart and a ready smile, a smile that created a sense of closeness. People were drawn to him because of his purity of heart, in which there was no trace of ill intent. He was always so very calm, patient, and tolerant.”“He very much loved the Blessed Sacrament. Wherever he went to any parish he would always emphasize this devotion. And he was always the first one there; he wouldn’t just expose the Blessed Sacrament for a while and then leave, he would stay to pray,” the priest recounted.Sánchez served in Loja, in southern Ecuador, and later in a mission area called Vinces. He also spent nine years at a parish in Manta, and finally about four years in Guayaquil, at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church. He served as the pastor there, and it was in that church that he died. Father Patricio Sánchez Molinari with some of the faithful. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Father Pedro Calle “He also loved the Most Holy Virgin Mary. We can describe Patricio as someone who throughout his ministry everyone felt his closeness to them, absolutely everyone,” the Redemptorist priest highlighted.“He was always a very dedicated man, always spiritual and pastoral. He would say ‘yes’ to everyone. We could say, then, that he was a hardworking man, very self-sacrificing, very devoted,” he remarked.Calle further noted that “Patricio was a very simple person, very approachable and full of human warmth. That’s why his homilies were so simple.”“My enduring memory of Patricio,” he added, “is that he was a very welcoming person, always concerned with making sure one had something to eat or drink. He enjoyed going to the cinema and was an athletic person; he liked going for a walk and swimming.”‘A sign of grace’The priest shared that he never had a conversation with Sánchez about how he would have liked to be remembered, but he highlighted one aspect he has been reflecting on in recent days following the tragic death of his fellow priest.“Patricio’s death will become, or is already becoming, a sign of grace for Catholics and for humanity, given the fact that he was in the midst of broadcasting [the Mass] and that the tragedy unfolded in precisely this way, rather than any other. That was a message for everyone,” Calle remarked. Father Patricio Sánchez Molinari with a group of the faithful. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Father Pedro Calle The priest remarked, in closing, that he does not know where the story of this priest will ultimately lead but that it certainly will not leave anyone indifferent.“I don’t know if his mission is beginning now. I cannot offer any certainty or assurance; it is simply a personal perception, based on the context and the way he died.”‘One day, all of us here will also die’Sánchez was born on Nov. 6, 1973, in Cuenca, Ecuador. He made his profession in the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorists) on Aug. 15, 2000, the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He was ordained a priest on Oct. 15, 2005.He was pastor at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in south Guayaquil. He served as the superior of his religious community, where he lived alongside a fellow religious brother who had taken his perpetual vows.In his final homily, on the day of his death, he spoke about the importance of making time for God. “He must come first,” he said, adding: “Dear brothers and sisters, one day, all of us here will also die. Sometimes, the time we have spent on material things does not hold as much meaning as the time we dedicate to God, that quality time we give to God, to our brothers and sisters, to our wife, our husband, to our children, and to our families. That is time spent in the best possible way.”This story was first published by EWTN News Español, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

The late Father Patricio Sánchez Molinari was described as a man “with a pure heart and a ready smile … he was always so very calm, patient, and tolerant.” asFather Patricio Sánchez

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5 ways St. John Paul II changed the Catholic Church forever #Catholic You may know that St. John Paul II was the second-longest-serving pope in modern history with 27 years of pontificate, and he was the first non-Italian pontiff since the Dutch Pope Adrian VI in 1523.But did you know that he also changed the Catholic Church forever during those 27 years? Here are five ways he did that:1. He helped bring about the 1989 fall of communism in Eastern Europe.The pope’s official biographer, George Weigel, who for decades chronicled the pope’s engagement with civic leaders, noted that the way Pope John Paul II influenced the political landscape was enormous. His political influence is seen best in the way his engagement with world leaders assisted the downfall of the U.S.S.R.Just days before President Ronald Reagan called on Mikhail Gorbachev to “tear down” the Berlin Wall, he met with the pope. According to historian and author Paul Kengor, Reagan went so far as to call Pope John Paul II his “best friend,” opining that no one knew his soul better than the Polish pontiff who had also suffered an assassination attempt and carried the burden of world leadership.In the course of 38 official visits and 738 audiences and meetings held with heads of state, John Paul II influenced civic leaders around the world in this epic battle with a regime that would ultimately be responsible for the deaths of more than 30 million people.“He thought of himself as the universal pastor of the Catholic Church, dealing with sovereign political actors who were as subject to the universal moral law as anybody else,” Weigel said.“He was willing to be a risk-taker, but he also appreciated that prudence is the greatest of political virtues. And I think he was quite respected by world political leaders because of his transparent integrity. His essential attitude toward these men and women was: How can I help you? What can I do to help?”More than anything, John Paul II understood his role primarily as a spiritual leader.According to Weigel, the pope’s primary impact on the world of affairs was his central role in creating the revolution of conscience that began in Poland and swept across Eastern Europe. This revolution of conscience inspired the nonviolent revolution of 1989 and the collapse of communism in Central and Eastern Europe, an astounding political achievement.2. He beatified and canonized more saints than any predecessor, making holiness more accessible to ordinary people.One of John Paul II’s most enduring legacies is the huge number of saints he recognized. He celebrated 147 beatification ceremonies, during which he proclaimed 1,338 blesseds, and celebrated 51 canonizations for a total of 482 saints. That is more than the combined tally of his predecessors over the five centuries before.Mother Teresa of Calcutta is perhaps the best-known contemporary of John Paul II who is now officially a saint, but the first saint of the new millennium and one especially dear to John Paul II was St. Faustina Kowalska, the fellow Polish native who received the message of divine mercy.“Sister Faustina’s canonization has a particular eloquence: By this act I intend today to pass this message on to the new millennium,” he said in the homily of her canonization. “I pass it on to all people, so that they will learn to know ever better the true face of God and the true face of their brethren.”St. Pier Giorgio Frassati, whom Pope John Paul II beatified in 1990 and nicknamed the “Man of the Beatitudes,” is another popular saint elevated by the Polish pope who loved to recognize the holiness of simple persons living the call to holiness with extraordinary fidelity. At the time of his death, the 24-year-old Italian was simply a student with no extraordinary accomplishments. But his love for Christ in the Eucharist and in the poor was elevated by John Paul II as heroic and worthy of imitation. Frassati was canonized Sept. 7, 2025, by Pope Leo XIV.It bears noting that Pope Francis would later surpass John Paul II when he proclaimed 800 Italian martyrs as saints in a single day.3. He transformed the papal travel schedule.John Paul II visited some 129 countries during his pontificate — more countries than any other pope had visited up to that point.He also created World Youth Days in 1985 and presided over 19 of them as pope.Weigel said John Paul II understood that the pope must be present to the people of the Church, wherever they are.“He chose to do it by these extensive travels, which he insisted were not travels, they were pilgrimages,” Weigel said.“This was the successor of Peter, on pilgrimage to various parts of the world, of the Church. And that’s why these pilgrimages were always built around liturgical events, prayer, adoration of the holy Eucharist, ecumenical and interreligious gatherings — all of this was part of a pilgrimage experience.”In the latter half of the 20th century — a time of enormous social change and upheaval — John Paul II’s extensive travels and proclamation of the Gospel to the ends of the earth were just what the world needed, Weigel said.4. He made extraordinary contributions to Church teaching.John Paul II was a scholar who promulgated the Catechism of the Catholic Church in 1992, reformed the Eastern and Western Codes of Canon Law during his pontificate, and authored 14 encyclicals, 15 apostolic exhortations, 11 apostolic constitutions, and 45 apostolic letters.This is why Weigel said the Church has only begun to unpack what he calls the “magisterium” of John Paul II, in the form of his writings and his intellectual influence.For example, John Paul’s theology of the body remains enormously influential in the United States and throughout the world, though Weigel said even this has yet to be unpacked.5. He gave new life to the Catholic Church in Africa.John Paul II’s legendary evangelical fervor took fire in Africa.He had a particular friendship with Beninese Cardinal Bernardin Gantin and visited Africa many times. His visits would inspire a generation of JPII Catholics in Africa as well as other parts of the globe.“John Paul II was fascinated by Africa; he saw African Christianity as living, a kind of New Testament experience of the freshness of the Gospel, and he was very eager to support that, and lift it up,” Gantin said.“It was very interesting that during the two synods on marriage and the family in 2014 and 2015, some of the strongest defenses of the Church’s classic understanding of marriage and family came from African bishops. Some of whom are first-, second-generation Christians, deeply formed in the image of John Paul II, whom they regard as a model bishop,” Gantin said.“I think wherever you look around the world Church, the living parts of the Church are those that have accepted the magisterium … as the authentic interpretation of Vatican II. And the dying parts of the Church, the moribund parts of the Church are those parts that have ignored that magisterium.”John Paul II’s influence in Africa and around the globe transformed the world. It also forever transformed the Church.This story was first published on Oct. 22, 2021, and was updated Oct. 22, 2024, and again on Oct. 22, 2026.

5 ways St. John Paul II changed the Catholic Church forever #Catholic You may know that St. John Paul II was the second-longest-serving pope in modern history with 27 years of pontificate, and he was the first non-Italian pontiff since the Dutch Pope Adrian VI in 1523.But did you know that he also changed the Catholic Church forever during those 27 years? Here are five ways he did that:1. He helped bring about the 1989 fall of communism in Eastern Europe.The pope’s official biographer, George Weigel, who for decades chronicled the pope’s engagement with civic leaders, noted that the way Pope John Paul II influenced the political landscape was enormous. His political influence is seen best in the way his engagement with world leaders assisted the downfall of the U.S.S.R.Just days before President Ronald Reagan called on Mikhail Gorbachev to “tear down” the Berlin Wall, he met with the pope. According to historian and author Paul Kengor, Reagan went so far as to call Pope John Paul II his “best friend,” opining that no one knew his soul better than the Polish pontiff who had also suffered an assassination attempt and carried the burden of world leadership.In the course of 38 official visits and 738 audiences and meetings held with heads of state, John Paul II influenced civic leaders around the world in this epic battle with a regime that would ultimately be responsible for the deaths of more than 30 million people.“He thought of himself as the universal pastor of the Catholic Church, dealing with sovereign political actors who were as subject to the universal moral law as anybody else,” Weigel said.“He was willing to be a risk-taker, but he also appreciated that prudence is the greatest of political virtues. And I think he was quite respected by world political leaders because of his transparent integrity. His essential attitude toward these men and women was: How can I help you? What can I do to help?”More than anything, John Paul II understood his role primarily as a spiritual leader.According to Weigel, the pope’s primary impact on the world of affairs was his central role in creating the revolution of conscience that began in Poland and swept across Eastern Europe. This revolution of conscience inspired the nonviolent revolution of 1989 and the collapse of communism in Central and Eastern Europe, an astounding political achievement.2. He beatified and canonized more saints than any predecessor, making holiness more accessible to ordinary people.One of John Paul II’s most enduring legacies is the huge number of saints he recognized. He celebrated 147 beatification ceremonies, during which he proclaimed 1,338 blesseds, and celebrated 51 canonizations for a total of 482 saints. That is more than the combined tally of his predecessors over the five centuries before.Mother Teresa of Calcutta is perhaps the best-known contemporary of John Paul II who is now officially a saint, but the first saint of the new millennium and one especially dear to John Paul II was St. Faustina Kowalska, the fellow Polish native who received the message of divine mercy.“Sister Faustina’s canonization has a particular eloquence: By this act I intend today to pass this message on to the new millennium,” he said in the homily of her canonization. “I pass it on to all people, so that they will learn to know ever better the true face of God and the true face of their brethren.”St. Pier Giorgio Frassati, whom Pope John Paul II beatified in 1990 and nicknamed the “Man of the Beatitudes,” is another popular saint elevated by the Polish pope who loved to recognize the holiness of simple persons living the call to holiness with extraordinary fidelity. At the time of his death, the 24-year-old Italian was simply a student with no extraordinary accomplishments. But his love for Christ in the Eucharist and in the poor was elevated by John Paul II as heroic and worthy of imitation. Frassati was canonized Sept. 7, 2025, by Pope Leo XIV.It bears noting that Pope Francis would later surpass John Paul II when he proclaimed 800 Italian martyrs as saints in a single day.3. He transformed the papal travel schedule.John Paul II visited some 129 countries during his pontificate — more countries than any other pope had visited up to that point.He also created World Youth Days in 1985 and presided over 19 of them as pope.Weigel said John Paul II understood that the pope must be present to the people of the Church, wherever they are.“He chose to do it by these extensive travels, which he insisted were not travels, they were pilgrimages,” Weigel said.“This was the successor of Peter, on pilgrimage to various parts of the world, of the Church. And that’s why these pilgrimages were always built around liturgical events, prayer, adoration of the holy Eucharist, ecumenical and interreligious gatherings — all of this was part of a pilgrimage experience.”In the latter half of the 20th century — a time of enormous social change and upheaval — John Paul II’s extensive travels and proclamation of the Gospel to the ends of the earth were just what the world needed, Weigel said.4. He made extraordinary contributions to Church teaching.John Paul II was a scholar who promulgated the Catechism of the Catholic Church in 1992, reformed the Eastern and Western Codes of Canon Law during his pontificate, and authored 14 encyclicals, 15 apostolic exhortations, 11 apostolic constitutions, and 45 apostolic letters.This is why Weigel said the Church has only begun to unpack what he calls the “magisterium” of John Paul II, in the form of his writings and his intellectual influence.For example, John Paul’s theology of the body remains enormously influential in the United States and throughout the world, though Weigel said even this has yet to be unpacked.5. He gave new life to the Catholic Church in Africa.John Paul II’s legendary evangelical fervor took fire in Africa.He had a particular friendship with Beninese Cardinal Bernardin Gantin and visited Africa many times. His visits would inspire a generation of JPII Catholics in Africa as well as other parts of the globe.“John Paul II was fascinated by Africa; he saw African Christianity as living, a kind of New Testament experience of the freshness of the Gospel, and he was very eager to support that, and lift it up,” Gantin said.“It was very interesting that during the two synods on marriage and the family in 2014 and 2015, some of the strongest defenses of the Church’s classic understanding of marriage and family came from African bishops. Some of whom are first-, second-generation Christians, deeply formed in the image of John Paul II, whom they regard as a model bishop,” Gantin said.“I think wherever you look around the world Church, the living parts of the Church are those that have accepted the magisterium … as the authentic interpretation of Vatican II. And the dying parts of the Church, the moribund parts of the Church are those parts that have ignored that magisterium.”John Paul II’s influence in Africa and around the globe transformed the world. It also forever transformed the Church.This story was first published on Oct. 22, 2021, and was updated Oct. 22, 2024, and again on Oct. 22, 2026.

St. John Paul II was the second-longest-serving pope in modern history with 27 years of pontificate and the first non-Italian pontiff to be elected since Pope Adrian VI in 1523.

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German bishops join initiative for ‘child-friendly’ artificial intelligence #Catholic The German Bishops' Conference has joined an initiative that aims to make artificial intelligence safe and suitable for children, citing Pope Leo XIVʼs call to defend human dignity in the age of AI.The initiative, called “KI kindgerecht!” (“Child-friendly AI!”), also involves Germanyʼs biggest Protestant body and an association of childrenʼs websites.“AI is already embedded in many digital applications,” said Bishop Georg Bätzing of Limburg, who chairs the bishops' media commission, in a statement Oct. 14."With the encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, Pope Leo XIV gives the Church a clear mandate: In the age of artificial intelligence, we must defend human dignity — especially where children are easily exposed to danger."The initiative “combines protection, participation, and responsibility, and makes clear that digital spaces must serve the good of the child,” he said.Responsibility must not be “shifted onto parents alone,” Bätzing added. “Precisely because we know how vulnerable children are, we see it as our duty to act as advocates for this group in need of protection — in the digital space as well. Technology must serve the human person, not purely economic interests.”The Church in Germany is working with academics, educators, and interested providers on a code of conduct for child-friendly interactive AI, built on five principles: safety by design, respect for childrenʼs rights, age-appropriate spaces for participation, data protection, and human review.The bishops also said providers “must be obliged to comply with child-friendly standards” and called for lasting investment in media education so children, parents, and teachers can learn to use AI confidently.Vatican sharpens focusThe German initiative comes as the Church globally wrestles with AI and the Vatican sharpens its own focus on minors online.At its Sept. 28–Oct. 2 plenary assembly in Rome, the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors examined how digital technologies, AI, and websites are used in the pastoral care of children and backed wider collaboration with international partners and Curia offices so that “the dignity, safety, and wellbeing of children remain at the heart of technological development and governance,” Vatican News reported.In March, Pope Leo XIV warned: “We must not allow children to end up believing they can find in artificial intelligence chatbots their best friends or the oracle of all knowledge, dulling their intelligence and their capacity for relationships, and numbing their creativity and thinking.”
 
 Pope Leo XIV warns children should not look to chatbots for friendship
 
 Receiving participants of a Rome conference on “The Dignity of Children and Adolescents in the Age of Artificial Intelligence” on Nov. 13, 2025, Leo also warned that “children and adolescents are particularly vulnerable to manipulation through AI algorithms that can influence their decisions and preferences.”In Magnifica Humanitas, the encyclical on artificial intelligence published May 25, the pope wrote that “online phenomena such as grooming, blackmail, and the sexual exploitation of minors are not uncommon, and are made more insidious by the use of fake profiles, algorithms that facilitate dangerous contact, and AI tools capable of manipulating images and videos.”This story was first published by CNA Deutsch, the German-language sister service of EWTN News, and has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

German bishops join initiative for ‘child-friendly’ artificial intelligence #Catholic The German Bishops' Conference has joined an initiative that aims to make artificial intelligence safe and suitable for children, citing Pope Leo XIVʼs call to defend human dignity in the age of AI.The initiative, called “KI kindgerecht!” (“Child-friendly AI!”), also involves Germanyʼs biggest Protestant body and an association of childrenʼs websites.“AI is already embedded in many digital applications,” said Bishop Georg Bätzing of Limburg, who chairs the bishops' media commission, in a statement Oct. 14."With the encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, Pope Leo XIV gives the Church a clear mandate: In the age of artificial intelligence, we must defend human dignity — especially where children are easily exposed to danger."The initiative “combines protection, participation, and responsibility, and makes clear that digital spaces must serve the good of the child,” he said.Responsibility must not be “shifted onto parents alone,” Bätzing added. “Precisely because we know how vulnerable children are, we see it as our duty to act as advocates for this group in need of protection — in the digital space as well. Technology must serve the human person, not purely economic interests.”The Church in Germany is working with academics, educators, and interested providers on a code of conduct for child-friendly interactive AI, built on five principles: safety by design, respect for childrenʼs rights, age-appropriate spaces for participation, data protection, and human review.The bishops also said providers “must be obliged to comply with child-friendly standards” and called for lasting investment in media education so children, parents, and teachers can learn to use AI confidently.Vatican sharpens focusThe German initiative comes as the Church globally wrestles with AI and the Vatican sharpens its own focus on minors online.At its Sept. 28–Oct. 2 plenary assembly in Rome, the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors examined how digital technologies, AI, and websites are used in the pastoral care of children and backed wider collaboration with international partners and Curia offices so that “the dignity, safety, and wellbeing of children remain at the heart of technological development and governance,” Vatican News reported.In March, Pope Leo XIV warned: “We must not allow children to end up believing they can find in artificial intelligence chatbots their best friends or the oracle of all knowledge, dulling their intelligence and their capacity for relationships, and numbing their creativity and thinking.” Pope Leo XIV warns children should not look to chatbots for friendship Receiving participants of a Rome conference on “The Dignity of Children and Adolescents in the Age of Artificial Intelligence” on Nov. 13, 2025, Leo also warned that “children and adolescents are particularly vulnerable to manipulation through AI algorithms that can influence their decisions and preferences.”In Magnifica Humanitas, the encyclical on artificial intelligence published May 25, the pope wrote that “online phenomena such as grooming, blackmail, and the sexual exploitation of minors are not uncommon, and are made more insidious by the use of fake profiles, algorithms that facilitate dangerous contact, and AI tools capable of manipulating images and videos.”This story was first published by CNA Deutsch, the German-language sister service of EWTN News, and has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

Citing Pope Leo XIV’s call to defend human dignity in the age of AI, the German Bishops’ Conference has joined an initiative to make artificial intelligence safe for children.

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Catholic lung cancer specialists weigh in on Pope Leo XIV’s diagnosis #Catholic Representatives of the American Lung Association and the Catholic Medical Association (CMA) discussed possible underlying causes of Pope Leo XIVʼs lung cancer and potential treatment options.Dr. Jeff McGovern, a pulmonologist, and Dr. Juanita Mora, spokesperson for the American Lung Association, appeared on “EWTN News Nightly” on Oct. 14 to discuss the Holy Father’s health following surgery. The Oct. 13 surgery involved the removal of the lower lobe of his right lung and confirmed a diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma.“It is the most common cause of lung cancer in smokers and nonsmokers,” said McGovern, a CMA member. He said “treatments can be varying depending on the size,” and can involve chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or radiation in addition to the surgical removal of the lower part of the lung.The type of ongoing treatment the pope receives will depend on the results of a pathology test, which will reveal the stage of the cancer and whether it is contained or has spread to other areas, McGovern said.The pathology test “usually takes a couple of days,” or sometimes even longer, he said, but noted that because the patient is the Holy Father, “I would expect the pathology would be available a lot sooner than usual.”“In the best of all possible worlds, if it is contained, then going forward, as far as treatment, itʼs a CT scan every six months and then after about two or three years, a year thereafter. And that would be the treatment, and that would be the ideal setting for the Holy Father,” he said.Mora, a Catholic who is also from Chicago, Pope Leo’s hometown, said if the Holy Father’s pathology report reveals that the cancer has not spread, the survival rate is 80% to 90%. A spread would determine “whether he will get chemotherapy, radiotherapy or whether he will need actual immunotherapy thatʼs geared exactly to the biomarkers of the tumor that turn positive.” Mora said the Holy Father is “someone who is active,” playing tennis and staying in shape. “He’s a 71-year-old healthy, strong man. This is what Pope Leo has going for him,” she said. “We know that heʼs going to be at higher risk for some viral respiratory infections,” she said. “So, it is important for him to get his Covid-19 vaccine, his flu vaccine, and his RSV vaccine for those that are eligible.”In terms of travel, Mora said his doctors may determine he needs anticoagulation, or blood thinners, “so that heʼs at less risk of developing any clots, especially with the long flight that he has, [as well as] all the respiratory virus infections.”By the numbers: Impact of lung cancer“One person is diagnosed with lung cancer every 2.5 minutes,” Mora said. “In the United States, we lose 238,000 people a year due to lung cancer. And itʼs the No. 1 cause of mortality from cancer in both men and women in the United States.”In addition to smoking, Mora highlighted several other causes of lung cancer, including radon gas, “a colorless, odorless gas that can seep in through cracks in our ground, in our home, or through cracks in walls,” ozone pollution, and particle contamination.

Catholic lung cancer specialists weigh in on Pope Leo XIV’s diagnosis #Catholic Representatives of the American Lung Association and the Catholic Medical Association (CMA) discussed possible underlying causes of Pope Leo XIVʼs lung cancer and potential treatment options.Dr. Jeff McGovern, a pulmonologist, and Dr. Juanita Mora, spokesperson for the American Lung Association, appeared on “EWTN News Nightly” on Oct. 14 to discuss the Holy Father’s health following surgery. The Oct. 13 surgery involved the removal of the lower lobe of his right lung and confirmed a diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma.“It is the most common cause of lung cancer in smokers and nonsmokers,” said McGovern, a CMA member. He said “treatments can be varying depending on the size,” and can involve chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or radiation in addition to the surgical removal of the lower part of the lung.The type of ongoing treatment the pope receives will depend on the results of a pathology test, which will reveal the stage of the cancer and whether it is contained or has spread to other areas, McGovern said.The pathology test “usually takes a couple of days,” or sometimes even longer, he said, but noted that because the patient is the Holy Father, “I would expect the pathology would be available a lot sooner than usual.”“In the best of all possible worlds, if it is contained, then going forward, as far as treatment, itʼs a CT scan every six months and then after about two or three years, a year thereafter. And that would be the treatment, and that would be the ideal setting for the Holy Father,” he said.Mora, a Catholic who is also from Chicago, Pope Leo’s hometown, said if the Holy Father’s pathology report reveals that the cancer has not spread, the survival rate is 80% to 90%. A spread would determine “whether he will get chemotherapy, radiotherapy or whether he will need actual immunotherapy thatʼs geared exactly to the biomarkers of the tumor that turn positive.” Mora said the Holy Father is “someone who is active,” playing tennis and staying in shape. “He’s a 71-year-old healthy, strong man. This is what Pope Leo has going for him,” she said. “We know that heʼs going to be at higher risk for some viral respiratory infections,” she said. “So, it is important for him to get his Covid-19 vaccine, his flu vaccine, and his RSV vaccine for those that are eligible.”In terms of travel, Mora said his doctors may determine he needs anticoagulation, or blood thinners, “so that heʼs at less risk of developing any clots, especially with the long flight that he has, [as well as] all the respiratory virus infections.”By the numbers: Impact of lung cancer“One person is diagnosed with lung cancer every 2.5 minutes,” Mora said. “In the United States, we lose 238,000 people a year due to lung cancer. And itʼs the No. 1 cause of mortality from cancer in both men and women in the United States.”In addition to smoking, Mora highlighted several other causes of lung cancer, including radon gas, “a colorless, odorless gas that can seep in through cracks in our ground, in our home, or through cracks in walls,” ozone pollution, and particle contamination.

“It is the most common cause of lung cancer in smokers and nonsmokers,” said Jeff McGovern, a pulmonologist, about Pope Leo’s diagnosis.

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ACI Prensa becomes EWTN News Español #Catholic There are dates that could not be better selected, even with the liturgical calendar in hand. On Monday, Oct. 12, ACI Prensa became EWTN News Español and launched its new platform at EWTNNews.com/es. This is a day when so many celebrations converge that it is impossible not to see the hand of God behind it.I would be lying if I said this was the date we had in mind from the moment we began this project, as if we had experienced a supernatural vision. That was not the case. But when you work in the service of God and the Church, you learn to view coincidences through different eyes. They are “God-incidences.”This relaunch goes far beyond simply changing a websiteʼs name. Since 1980, ACI Prensa has accompanied generations of Spanish-speaking Catholics, and since 2014 it has been part of the EWTN family. Today, that journey enters a new phase: the same mission, but with the strength and reach of a global brand like EWTN News.I confess that, while I am incredibly excited to launch EWTN News Español, I also feel a touch of nostalgia at saying goodbye to ACI Prensa — a brand I have followed and admired for decades. Yet, “we know that all things work together for good for those who love God” (Rom 8:28). St. Augustine spoke of God as a beauty “ever ancient, ever new.” The Gospel does not change; what changes are the ways we transmit and communicate it, or the technologies that help us spread it throughout history.3 feasts, 3 patronsThis Oct. 12 marks 20 years since the death of St. Carlo Acutis at the age of 15. Canonized by Pope Leo XIV in September 2025, Acutis is the first millennial saint, and his defining characteristic was his use of new technologies to share the faith.We ask him to guide us in the apostolic use of communication technologies (including the internet, social media, and artificial intelligence) and to help us bring God closer to the many young souls who live their lives online today. It cannot be a coincidence that a new platform is being born under the gaze of a teenager who turned the internet into a path to heaven.It is also the feast of Our Lady of the Pillar, patroness of the Hispanic world — a title recognized by St. John Paul II in 1984 — and the date on which Spain celebrates its National Day.There could hardly be a better day to launch EWTN News Español: a language that connects hundreds of millions of people — from the historic Catholic communities of Latin America and Spain to the ever-growing Catholic population of the United States, which now has a home of its own within the global EWTN family.On this same day of Oct. 12, Brazil celebrates its patroness, Our Lady of Aparecida, a title proclaimed by Pius XI in 1930. Since the mission of EWTN News extends beyond a single language — and with ACI Digital delivering our news in Portuguese — we place our work under her protection as well, honoring her as a patroness of our efforts across the Americas, alongside our beloved Virgin of Guadalupe. Yet today, the focus is on Spanish, and to that we now return.A platform built for usA shared brand does not imply an identical experience for everyone. Our goal is not merely to translate the English-language EWTN News site into Spanish but to build a platform tailored to the Spanish-speaking audience — reflecting their customs, their culture, and the ways they stay informed today. That is why EWTN News Español combines the technology and editorial resources of EWTN News with the expertise and capabilities of a team that deeply understands the people it serves and the evolving nature of news consumption habits.We used to expect users to come looking for us. Now, it’s the other way around: We go where the people are. The latest Reuters Institute report on journalism makes this clear: Today, most people get their news from social media and video rather than from media websites.That is why EWTN News Español is designed for mobile, where you and I spend our day. We offer content that keeps you informed wherever you are (whether via a newsletter sent to your email or your WhatsApp) while also enriching your faith with devotional material, such as the daily Mass readings or the lives of the saints. The good news alongside the dayʼs headlines.And if you prefer watching to reading, we now have “Watch” — a new tab on the EWTN News Español site where we gather all our video content, featuring the best reports, interviews, broadcasts, and viral social media clips.Plus, if something major happens in the Church or the world, we cover it with you in real time through updates on our live blog.And speaking of staying connected, your EWTN News Español account goes wherever you go. Not only can you save articles, comment on them, and follow your favorite writers and topics, but you can also personalize your experience across EWTN.com, EWTNNews.com, Roku, and EWTN+ using the same login.As always, access is free, sustained by the generous donations of so many people who believe in and support our mission, a mission that began when Mother Angelica had the “crazy” idea to launch a Catholic television channel on Aug. 15, 1981 (talk about providential dates!).Behind this platform lies an incredible team that is deeply dedicated to the mission and has decades of experience covering conclaves, World Youth Days, synods, jubilees, and International Eucharistic Congresses, as well as the daily lives of Catholic communities throughout the Spanish-speaking world. The new platform makes this work easier to discover, whether for those who live out their faith every day or for those who are just beginning to explore it.What does not changeThe name (from ACI Prensa to EWTN News Español), along with the design and the site’s tools and features, are changing.What does not change is our commitment to the truth, to our audiences, and to journalistic excellence — a path ACI Prensa charted four decades ago, bringing hundreds of thousands of people closer to God through quality content and a faithful commitment to the Church’s magisterium. That will not change, with God’s help and the guidance of Mother Angelica.St. Carlo Acutis used to say that the Eucharist was his “highway to heaven.” We simply aspire to build, by God’s grace, a few digital lanes leading to it. Our hope is that EWTN News — in all its languages — becomes the place where every Catholic turns for information and that we prove ourselves worthy, day by day, of the trust that aspiration represents. Welcome to EWTN News Español!This story was first published by EWTN News Español, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

ACI Prensa becomes EWTN News Español #Catholic There are dates that could not be better selected, even with the liturgical calendar in hand. On Monday, Oct. 12, ACI Prensa became EWTN News Español and launched its new platform at EWTNNews.com/es. This is a day when so many celebrations converge that it is impossible not to see the hand of God behind it.I would be lying if I said this was the date we had in mind from the moment we began this project, as if we had experienced a supernatural vision. That was not the case. But when you work in the service of God and the Church, you learn to view coincidences through different eyes. They are “God-incidences.”This relaunch goes far beyond simply changing a websiteʼs name. Since 1980, ACI Prensa has accompanied generations of Spanish-speaking Catholics, and since 2014 it has been part of the EWTN family. Today, that journey enters a new phase: the same mission, but with the strength and reach of a global brand like EWTN News.I confess that, while I am incredibly excited to launch EWTN News Español, I also feel a touch of nostalgia at saying goodbye to ACI Prensa — a brand I have followed and admired for decades. Yet, “we know that all things work together for good for those who love God” (Rom 8:28). St. Augustine spoke of God as a beauty “ever ancient, ever new.” The Gospel does not change; what changes are the ways we transmit and communicate it, or the technologies that help us spread it throughout history.3 feasts, 3 patronsThis Oct. 12 marks 20 years since the death of St. Carlo Acutis at the age of 15. Canonized by Pope Leo XIV in September 2025, Acutis is the first millennial saint, and his defining characteristic was his use of new technologies to share the faith.We ask him to guide us in the apostolic use of communication technologies (including the internet, social media, and artificial intelligence) and to help us bring God closer to the many young souls who live their lives online today. It cannot be a coincidence that a new platform is being born under the gaze of a teenager who turned the internet into a path to heaven.It is also the feast of Our Lady of the Pillar, patroness of the Hispanic world — a title recognized by St. John Paul II in 1984 — and the date on which Spain celebrates its National Day.There could hardly be a better day to launch EWTN News Español: a language that connects hundreds of millions of people — from the historic Catholic communities of Latin America and Spain to the ever-growing Catholic population of the United States, which now has a home of its own within the global EWTN family.On this same day of Oct. 12, Brazil celebrates its patroness, Our Lady of Aparecida, a title proclaimed by Pius XI in 1930. Since the mission of EWTN News extends beyond a single language — and with ACI Digital delivering our news in Portuguese — we place our work under her protection as well, honoring her as a patroness of our efforts across the Americas, alongside our beloved Virgin of Guadalupe. Yet today, the focus is on Spanish, and to that we now return.A platform built for usA shared brand does not imply an identical experience for everyone. Our goal is not merely to translate the English-language EWTN News site into Spanish but to build a platform tailored to the Spanish-speaking audience — reflecting their customs, their culture, and the ways they stay informed today. That is why EWTN News Español combines the technology and editorial resources of EWTN News with the expertise and capabilities of a team that deeply understands the people it serves and the evolving nature of news consumption habits.We used to expect users to come looking for us. Now, it’s the other way around: We go where the people are. The latest Reuters Institute report on journalism makes this clear: Today, most people get their news from social media and video rather than from media websites.That is why EWTN News Español is designed for mobile, where you and I spend our day. We offer content that keeps you informed wherever you are (whether via a newsletter sent to your email or your WhatsApp) while also enriching your faith with devotional material, such as the daily Mass readings or the lives of the saints. The good news alongside the dayʼs headlines.And if you prefer watching to reading, we now have “Watch” — a new tab on the EWTN News Español site where we gather all our video content, featuring the best reports, interviews, broadcasts, and viral social media clips.Plus, if something major happens in the Church or the world, we cover it with you in real time through updates on our live blog.And speaking of staying connected, your EWTN News Español account goes wherever you go. Not only can you save articles, comment on them, and follow your favorite writers and topics, but you can also personalize your experience across EWTN.com, EWTNNews.com, Roku, and EWTN+ using the same login.As always, access is free, sustained by the generous donations of so many people who believe in and support our mission, a mission that began when Mother Angelica had the “crazy” idea to launch a Catholic television channel on Aug. 15, 1981 (talk about providential dates!).Behind this platform lies an incredible team that is deeply dedicated to the mission and has decades of experience covering conclaves, World Youth Days, synods, jubilees, and International Eucharistic Congresses, as well as the daily lives of Catholic communities throughout the Spanish-speaking world. The new platform makes this work easier to discover, whether for those who live out their faith every day or for those who are just beginning to explore it.What does not changeThe name (from ACI Prensa to EWTN News Español), along with the design and the site’s tools and features, are changing.What does not change is our commitment to the truth, to our audiences, and to journalistic excellence — a path ACI Prensa charted four decades ago, bringing hundreds of thousands of people closer to God through quality content and a faithful commitment to the Church’s magisterium. That will not change, with God’s help and the guidance of Mother Angelica.St. Carlo Acutis used to say that the Eucharist was his “highway to heaven.” We simply aspire to build, by God’s grace, a few digital lanes leading to it. Our hope is that EWTN News — in all its languages — becomes the place where every Catholic turns for information and that we prove ourselves worthy, day by day, of the trust that aspiration represents. Welcome to EWTN News Español!This story was first published by EWTN News Español, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

The platform and name are new, but the mission is the same: report the truth and bring the faith to the Spanish-speaking world.

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New film depicts the transformative power of Eucharistic adoration #Catholic A new movie is bringing the transformative power of Eucharistic adoration to the big screen. “Adore Him: He Is Here” uses firsthand accounts of real encounters and transformation and depictions of salvation history to portray the powerful love of God that is found in the Blessed Sacrament.The docudrama features several prominent Catholic figures including Archbishop Paul Coakley of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City; Archbishop José Gómez of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles; Father Chris Alar of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception; Curtis Martin, the founder of FOCUS; evangelist Chris Stefanick; and many more.The film will be in theaters across the United States Oct. 4–8.The inspiration for the film came as a response to the docudrama “Jesus Thirsts: The Miracle of the Eucharist,” which was released in theaters in 2024. Created by the same filmmakers as “Adore Him,” “Jesus Thirsts” was made in response to a poll that showed that roughly 70% of Catholics don’t believe in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.“We wanted to demonstrate that Jesus is real in the Eucharist,” Deacon Steve Greco, the filmmaker behind both films, told EWTN News in an interview. “So the people who saw that movie, many of them were inspired to say, ‘OK, now that Jesus is real, I have to do something different. My life has to be different.’ And in changing your life and your world, it really comes down to ‘I need to really be connected with him.’”He added: “So “Adore Him: He Is Here” is really meant to be a continuation, almost like a sequel, to the very first movie in which in order to activate Jesus, to activate the Holy Spirit in our hearts, we need to understand how to worship him. And Eucharistic adoration changes our entire life.”Greco also believes this film is necessary for today because “the Church is really being led back to Eucharist in a way like never before.”
 
 Deacon Steve Greco in the new film “Adore Him: He Is Here.” | Credit: Spirit Filled Hearts
 
 “We have this great activation going on in which people are really desiring the Blessed Sacrament and the Eucharist and going before the Blessed Sacrament in a way like never before,” he said. “We see more and more churches going to 24/7 adoration. Theyʼre expanding their hours of adoration. More and more people are going before the Blessed Sacrament to really be energized and to receive graces.”For those who are feeling called to go to Eucharistic adoration, potentially for the first time, Greco would advise them to “start with 10 minutes and just talk to the Lord. Just have a conversation like with your best friend and just be quiet.”Then those 10 minutes can turn into 20, then half an hour, and finally a full hour. But, the most important thing you need to do, he said, is to “open up your heart to his love.”“You will find that when you go before the Blessed Sacrament, if you open your heart and youʼre silent before the Lord and youʼre listening before the Lord, … God will come to you in a powerful way and show you that you are his beloved,” Greco added.With this in mind, he said he hopes viewers of the film will take away “that first of all, Jesus is real; the Blessed Sacrament, the Eucharist is real. The Blessed Sacrament is there for us to allow us to get to really experience his love in a way like never before. We hope that people go to the Blessed Sacrament, to the chapel.”“When they see this movie [we hope] they just start going and believing and get into the habit of going a few times a week if not every day and just let God love you and that will transform their life. That will give them hope and joy.”

New film depicts the transformative power of Eucharistic adoration #Catholic A new movie is bringing the transformative power of Eucharistic adoration to the big screen. “Adore Him: He Is Here” uses firsthand accounts of real encounters and transformation and depictions of salvation history to portray the powerful love of God that is found in the Blessed Sacrament.The docudrama features several prominent Catholic figures including Archbishop Paul Coakley of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City; Archbishop José Gómez of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles; Father Chris Alar of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception; Curtis Martin, the founder of FOCUS; evangelist Chris Stefanick; and many more.The film will be in theaters across the United States Oct. 4–8.The inspiration for the film came as a response to the docudrama “Jesus Thirsts: The Miracle of the Eucharist,” which was released in theaters in 2024. Created by the same filmmakers as “Adore Him,” “Jesus Thirsts” was made in response to a poll that showed that roughly 70% of Catholics don’t believe in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.“We wanted to demonstrate that Jesus is real in the Eucharist,” Deacon Steve Greco, the filmmaker behind both films, told EWTN News in an interview. “So the people who saw that movie, many of them were inspired to say, ‘OK, now that Jesus is real, I have to do something different. My life has to be different.’ And in changing your life and your world, it really comes down to ‘I need to really be connected with him.’”He added: “So “Adore Him: He Is Here” is really meant to be a continuation, almost like a sequel, to the very first movie in which in order to activate Jesus, to activate the Holy Spirit in our hearts, we need to understand how to worship him. And Eucharistic adoration changes our entire life.”Greco also believes this film is necessary for today because “the Church is really being led back to Eucharist in a way like never before.” Deacon Steve Greco in the new film “Adore Him: He Is Here.” | Credit: Spirit Filled Hearts “We have this great activation going on in which people are really desiring the Blessed Sacrament and the Eucharist and going before the Blessed Sacrament in a way like never before,” he said. “We see more and more churches going to 24/7 adoration. Theyʼre expanding their hours of adoration. More and more people are going before the Blessed Sacrament to really be energized and to receive graces.”For those who are feeling called to go to Eucharistic adoration, potentially for the first time, Greco would advise them to “start with 10 minutes and just talk to the Lord. Just have a conversation like with your best friend and just be quiet.”Then those 10 minutes can turn into 20, then half an hour, and finally a full hour. But, the most important thing you need to do, he said, is to “open up your heart to his love.”“You will find that when you go before the Blessed Sacrament, if you open your heart and youʼre silent before the Lord and youʼre listening before the Lord, … God will come to you in a powerful way and show you that you are his beloved,” Greco added.With this in mind, he said he hopes viewers of the film will take away “that first of all, Jesus is real; the Blessed Sacrament, the Eucharist is real. The Blessed Sacrament is there for us to allow us to get to really experience his love in a way like never before. We hope that people go to the Blessed Sacrament, to the chapel.”“When they see this movie [we hope] they just start going and believing and get into the habit of going a few times a week if not every day and just let God love you and that will transform their life. That will give them hope and joy.”

“Adore Him: He Is Here” will be in theaters Oct. 4–8.

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Massachusetts report reveals ‘nearly 1,000 children’ abused by hundreds of priests across 3 dioceses #Catholic Nearly 1,000 children were abused by hundreds of priests across three dioceses in Massachusetts for decades, a report by the state’s attorney general said.The report, published on Sept. 30, found evidence that “more than 270 Catholic clerics abused nearly 1,000 children over the course of a century in the Dioceses of Fall River, Springfield, and Worcester,” state Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell said. Leaders of the three dioceses failed to respond to allegations of abuse over the years, the attorney general said; diocesan leadership often transferred accused priests to other parishes and “failed to consistently report allegations to law enforcement,” according to the report. Among the contributing factors to the abuse epidemic, according to the report, was a “culture of reverence and indulgence” toward priests. Around mid-century, priests “were viewed as holy, and their attention or attachment to a particular family was encouraged,” the report says. These social dynamics “allowed offending priests easy access to victims.” The investigation was launched in 2019 and involved more than 300,000 pages of documentation as well as interviews with more than 100 people, including victims of child sex abuse. The inquiry is similar to those that have been undertaken in other states, including in Michigan, where the state’s attorney general has periodically released reports on the seven dioceses there. The Massachusetts report covers every diocese in the state except the Archdiocese of Boston. That archdiocese has been subject to lengthy scrutiny after having been among the earliest subjects of abuse inquiries starting in 2002. The attorney general’s report said the three dioceses “often intentionally did not document child sexual abuse allegations or used coded and euphemistic language to conceal them.” The office said it “worked diligently to create as complete a record as possible” of abuse in the dioceses. As with similar reports in other states, the Massachusetts investigation mostly concerned abuse that was decades old. The “majority of known abuse” occurred “before 2002,” prior to major public awareness of the clergy abuse scandal, the report said. The report expressed hope that the investigation would “result in a stronger commitment to a safer environment within these dioceses.” It thanked the child abuse victims who came forward to contribute to the inquiry. It was not immediately clear how many of the instances of abuse in the report had already been identified and/or reported by the three dioceses. A query to the state attorney general’s office was not immediately returned.Dioceses apologizeBoth the Worcester Diocese and the Fall River Diocese had issued responses to the report by the afternoon of Sept. 30 in which they apologized to victims of sexual abuse. A statement from the Diocese of Worcester said it would study the report to “identify any additional improvements” it could make to its child safety policies. The diocese noted that the report found the “vast majority of cases” occurred decades ago and that it had significantly updated its screening procedures in the years since. Fall River Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, SDV, meanwhile, said in a statement that he was “filled with sorrow” over the details of the report. The diocese has developed a “culture of protection” to ensure children are not abused, including reporting abuse allegations to law enforcement and enhancing safety protocols, the bishop said. Da Cunha said that during his time as bishop he has “learned much about the best practices for protecting children and vulnerable adults in our care.”

Massachusetts report reveals ‘nearly 1,000 children’ abused by hundreds of priests across 3 dioceses #Catholic Nearly 1,000 children were abused by hundreds of priests across three dioceses in Massachusetts for decades, a report by the state’s attorney general said.The report, published on Sept. 30, found evidence that “more than 270 Catholic clerics abused nearly 1,000 children over the course of a century in the Dioceses of Fall River, Springfield, and Worcester,” state Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell said. Leaders of the three dioceses failed to respond to allegations of abuse over the years, the attorney general said; diocesan leadership often transferred accused priests to other parishes and “failed to consistently report allegations to law enforcement,” according to the report. Among the contributing factors to the abuse epidemic, according to the report, was a “culture of reverence and indulgence” toward priests. Around mid-century, priests “were viewed as holy, and their attention or attachment to a particular family was encouraged,” the report says. These social dynamics “allowed offending priests easy access to victims.” The investigation was launched in 2019 and involved more than 300,000 pages of documentation as well as interviews with more than 100 people, including victims of child sex abuse. The inquiry is similar to those that have been undertaken in other states, including in Michigan, where the state’s attorney general has periodically released reports on the seven dioceses there. The Massachusetts report covers every diocese in the state except the Archdiocese of Boston. That archdiocese has been subject to lengthy scrutiny after having been among the earliest subjects of abuse inquiries starting in 2002. The attorney general’s report said the three dioceses “often intentionally did not document child sexual abuse allegations or used coded and euphemistic language to conceal them.” The office said it “worked diligently to create as complete a record as possible” of abuse in the dioceses. As with similar reports in other states, the Massachusetts investigation mostly concerned abuse that was decades old. The “majority of known abuse” occurred “before 2002,” prior to major public awareness of the clergy abuse scandal, the report said. The report expressed hope that the investigation would “result in a stronger commitment to a safer environment within these dioceses.” It thanked the child abuse victims who came forward to contribute to the inquiry. It was not immediately clear how many of the instances of abuse in the report had already been identified and/or reported by the three dioceses. A query to the state attorney general’s office was not immediately returned.Dioceses apologizeBoth the Worcester Diocese and the Fall River Diocese had issued responses to the report by the afternoon of Sept. 30 in which they apologized to victims of sexual abuse. A statement from the Diocese of Worcester said it would study the report to “identify any additional improvements” it could make to its child safety policies. The diocese noted that the report found the “vast majority of cases” occurred decades ago and that it had significantly updated its screening procedures in the years since. Fall River Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, SDV, meanwhile, said in a statement that he was “filled with sorrow” over the details of the report. The diocese has developed a “culture of protection” to ensure children are not abused, including reporting abuse allegations to law enforcement and enhancing safety protocols, the bishop said. Da Cunha said that during his time as bishop he has “learned much about the best practices for protecting children and vulnerable adults in our care.”

A “culture of reverence” in decades past helped priests avoid scrutiny for abuse, the lengthy report found.

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Picture of the day





Common cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis), Arrábida National Park, Portugal. The common cuttlefish is one of the largest and best-known cuttlefish species. They are a migratory species that spend the summer and spring inshore for spawning and then move to depths of 100 to 200m during autumn and winter. They only have a lifespan of 1–2 years and have many predators including sharks, dolphins, seals, fish, and cephalopods which includes other cuttlefish. During the day, most cuttlefish can be found buried below the substrate and fairly inactive. At night however, they are actively searching for prey and can ambush them from under the substrate. Cuttlefish are carnivorous and eat a variety of organisms including crustaceans (crabs and shrimp), small fish, molluscs (clams and snails), and sometimes other cuttlefish.
 #ImageOfTheDay
Picture of the day
Common cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis), Arrábida National Park, Portugal. The common cuttlefish is one of the largest and best-known cuttlefish species. They are a migratory species that spend the summer and spring inshore for spawning and then move to depths of 100 to 200m during autumn and winter. They only have a lifespan of 1–2 years and have many predators including sharks, dolphins, seals, fish, and cephalopods which includes other cuttlefish. During the day, most cuttlefish can be found buried below the substrate and fairly inactive. At night however, they are actively searching for prey and can ambush them from under the substrate. Cuttlefish are carnivorous and eat a variety of organisms including crustaceans (crabs and shrimp), small fish, molluscs (clams and snails), and sometimes other cuttlefish.
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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.

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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