Former

Catholic film star becomes first Christian chief minister of major Indian state #Catholic CHENNAI, India — The Catholic Church in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu is celebrating after Joseph Vijay, an actor-turned-politician raised in the Catholic faith, was sworn in as the stateʼs chief minister on May 10.“This is a historic development. We hope it will lead to positive changes as the chief minister has already promised,” Archbishop George Antonysamy of Madras and Mylapore told EWTN News on May 13.Vijayʼs new political party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), which translates to Victory Party of Tamil Nadu, was founded in 2024. In its electoral debut, the party stunned the Dravidian parties that had held power for nearly six decades between them, winning 107 seats in the 234-member state assembly.Acknowledging the mandate, five smaller parties withdrew their support from the ousted DMK and opposition AIADMK coalitions to back TVK, pushing it past the 118-seat majority mark and prompting the state governor to invite Vijay to form the government on May 9.The Vijay government won a crucial vote of confidence on May 13 with 144 votes, with a section of the AIADMK also voting in his favor.‘I wonʼt touch public money’“I wonʼt touch public money,” Vijay declared soon after his swearing-in on May 10, promising a “corruption-free” administration. Within hours, the new chief minister signed three orders subsidizing electricity for the poor, establishing a task force for womenʼs safety, and setting up anti-narcotics units to curb the drug menace.Welcoming “the steps the CM has promised,” Antonysamy said, “We cannot judge a person in a few days. Everything will depend on the performance. Vijay himself is new to government administration, and his legislators too, as most of them hail from his fan base.”Catholic identity in the spotlight“We are really rejoicing that we have a Catholic chief minister,” Father Vincent Chinnadurai, spokesperson of the Tamil Nadu Catholic Bishops' Council, told EWTN News.“Vijay is known as a popular actor. But his Catholic background came into public attention after the Hindu nationalists tried to polarize the voters, saying that Vijay is a Christian with the first name Joseph,” explained Chinnadurai, who is also the rector of the Santhome Basilica in Chennai, adjacent to the archbishopʼs residence.The Santhome Basilica is built over the traditional site of the tomb of St. Thomas the Apostle, who according to tradition was martyred at Mylapore in present-day Chennai in A.D. 72. It is one of three basilicas in the world built over tombs traditionally associated with apostles, along with St. Peterʼs Basilica at the Vatican and the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Spain.“The people here are very happy, as we are privileged to be the first big state in India to have a Catholic chief minister, and at a time when Christians are facing troubles in different parts of the country,” Chinnadurai added. He is a former chairman of the Minorities Commission of Tamil Nadu.With approximately 77 million people, Tamil Nadu is the seventh most populous of Indiaʼs 28 states.The archbishop also acknowledged that “Vijay is not known much as a Catholic. But during the election time, it came out in a big way.”Hindu nationalists and the ‘Joseph’ factorThe name “Joseph” stood out prominently on the large stage at the Nehru Indoor Stadium during the swearing-in ceremony, which was broadcast live by major national television channels.When Hindu nationalists tried to brand Vijay as a Christian in the run-up to the election held on April 19, Chinnadurai pointed out that “he did not back off.”Instead, Vijay publicized a Christmas program in which he made a speech linking himself to the Old Testament figure of Joseph, who looked after his brothers even after they had thrown him into a well, while he was the ruler of Egypt. In the speech, Vijay also asserted that “Tamil Nadu is a mother; all children are equal,” promising to care for all, including those who opposed him.In the state, where popular film actors have massive fan followings with organized clubs, The Hindu, a national daily based in Chennai, noted in its May 10 edition that although Vijay set up TVK only two years ago, the party was built on more than 80,000 fan clubs established from 2009 across the state, carrying out social work and social campaigns.Faithful throng Marian shrineThousands of Vijayʼs fans thronged the Marian shrine of Vailankanni, known as the Lourdes of the East, about 200 miles south of Chennai, from the night of May 1, expecting him to visit the shrine on the morning of May 2 in thanksgiving after voting.The fans waited through the night and loudly chanted “TVK, TVK” inside the church premises before church authorities asked them to calm down. Vijay canceled the visit after hearing about the commotion at the shrine.“Vijay is an alumnus of our college, and his mother used to come to our college for Mass regularly,” Professor Gladstone Xavier of Chennaiʼs Loyola College told EWTN News.With Vijayʼs Catholic identity now public, Xavier hopes that “Vijayʼs performance as the chief minister should make the community proud.”
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Catholic film star becomes first Christian chief minister of major Indian state #Catholic CHENNAI, India — The Catholic Church in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu is celebrating after Joseph Vijay, an actor-turned-politician raised in the Catholic faith, was sworn in as the stateʼs chief minister on May 10.“This is a historic development. We hope it will lead to positive changes as the chief minister has already promised,” Archbishop George Antonysamy of Madras and Mylapore told EWTN News on May 13.Vijayʼs new political party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), which translates to Victory Party of Tamil Nadu, was founded in 2024. In its electoral debut, the party stunned the Dravidian parties that had held power for nearly six decades between them, winning 107 seats in the 234-member state assembly.Acknowledging the mandate, five smaller parties withdrew their support from the ousted DMK and opposition AIADMK coalitions to back TVK, pushing it past the 118-seat majority mark and prompting the state governor to invite Vijay to form the government on May 9.The Vijay government won a crucial vote of confidence on May 13 with 144 votes, with a section of the AIADMK also voting in his favor.‘I wonʼt touch public money’“I wonʼt touch public money,” Vijay declared soon after his swearing-in on May 10, promising a “corruption-free” administration. Within hours, the new chief minister signed three orders subsidizing electricity for the poor, establishing a task force for womenʼs safety, and setting up anti-narcotics units to curb the drug menace.Welcoming “the steps the CM has promised,” Antonysamy said, “We cannot judge a person in a few days. Everything will depend on the performance. Vijay himself is new to government administration, and his legislators too, as most of them hail from his fan base.”Catholic identity in the spotlight“We are really rejoicing that we have a Catholic chief minister,” Father Vincent Chinnadurai, spokesperson of the Tamil Nadu Catholic Bishops' Council, told EWTN News.“Vijay is known as a popular actor. But his Catholic background came into public attention after the Hindu nationalists tried to polarize the voters, saying that Vijay is a Christian with the first name Joseph,” explained Chinnadurai, who is also the rector of the Santhome Basilica in Chennai, adjacent to the archbishopʼs residence.The Santhome Basilica is built over the traditional site of the tomb of St. Thomas the Apostle, who according to tradition was martyred at Mylapore in present-day Chennai in A.D. 72. It is one of three basilicas in the world built over tombs traditionally associated with apostles, along with St. Peterʼs Basilica at the Vatican and the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Spain.“The people here are very happy, as we are privileged to be the first big state in India to have a Catholic chief minister, and at a time when Christians are facing troubles in different parts of the country,” Chinnadurai added. He is a former chairman of the Minorities Commission of Tamil Nadu.With approximately 77 million people, Tamil Nadu is the seventh most populous of Indiaʼs 28 states.The archbishop also acknowledged that “Vijay is not known much as a Catholic. But during the election time, it came out in a big way.”Hindu nationalists and the ‘Joseph’ factorThe name “Joseph” stood out prominently on the large stage at the Nehru Indoor Stadium during the swearing-in ceremony, which was broadcast live by major national television channels.When Hindu nationalists tried to brand Vijay as a Christian in the run-up to the election held on April 19, Chinnadurai pointed out that “he did not back off.”Instead, Vijay publicized a Christmas program in which he made a speech linking himself to the Old Testament figure of Joseph, who looked after his brothers even after they had thrown him into a well, while he was the ruler of Egypt. In the speech, Vijay also asserted that “Tamil Nadu is a mother; all children are equal,” promising to care for all, including those who opposed him.In the state, where popular film actors have massive fan followings with organized clubs, The Hindu, a national daily based in Chennai, noted in its May 10 edition that although Vijay set up TVK only two years ago, the party was built on more than 80,000 fan clubs established from 2009 across the state, carrying out social work and social campaigns.Faithful throng Marian shrineThousands of Vijayʼs fans thronged the Marian shrine of Vailankanni, known as the Lourdes of the East, about 200 miles south of Chennai, from the night of May 1, expecting him to visit the shrine on the morning of May 2 in thanksgiving after voting.The fans waited through the night and loudly chanted “TVK, TVK” inside the church premises before church authorities asked them to calm down. Vijay canceled the visit after hearing about the commotion at the shrine.“Vijay is an alumnus of our college, and his mother used to come to our college for Mass regularly,” Professor Gladstone Xavier of Chennaiʼs Loyola College told EWTN News.With Vijayʼs Catholic identity now public, Xavier hopes that “Vijayʼs performance as the chief minister should make the community proud.”

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Church leaders in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu call the election of actor-turned-politician Joseph Vijay a source of pride in a country where Christians face growing persecution.

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Pope Leo XIV appoints Capuchin priest and former missionary to lead Florida diocese #Catholic Pope Leo XIV appointed Father Emilio Biosca Agüero, OFM Cap, as the third bishop of Venice, Florida, on May 13. The Capuchin Franciscan priest has been pastor of the Shrine of the Sacred Heart in Washington, D.C., since 2018 and served for more than 20 years as a missionary in Papua New Guinea and Cuba.The pope also accepted the resignation of Bishop Frank J. Dewane, 76, who has reached the usual age of retirement after leading the diocese since 2007, after having first served for nine months as its coadjutor bishop.Agüero, who was born in Fairfax, Virginia, on Dec. 15, 1964, entered the Order of the Friars Minor Capuchin in 1987. He was ordained a priest on May 21, 1994.With his consecration and installation, the bishop-designate will become the second active Capuchin Franciscan bishop currently leading a U.S. diocese, the other being Bishop Marc V. Trudeau, auxiliary bishop of Los Angeles.Agüero begins his new role in Florida after having served as a missionary for more than two decades. He served as a missionary in Papua New Guinea from 1994–2006 and in Cuba from 2007–2019.According to a press release from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Agüero speaks Spanish and Tok Pisin (a Creole language spoken throughout Papua New Guinea) in addition to English.The bishop-designate also holds several academic degrees, including a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Borromeo College earned in 1987; masterʼs degrees in theology and divinity from Oblate College earned in 1992; and a licentiate in sacred theology from the John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family in Washington, D.C., earned in 2007.His most recent assignment has been pastor of the Shrine of the Sacred Heart in Washington, D.C. He belongs to the Capuchin Franciscan Province of St. Augustine in Pittsburgh.
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Pope Leo XIV appoints Capuchin priest and former missionary to lead Florida diocese #Catholic Pope Leo XIV appointed Father Emilio Biosca Agüero, OFM Cap, as the third bishop of Venice, Florida, on May 13. The Capuchin Franciscan priest has been pastor of the Shrine of the Sacred Heart in Washington, D.C., since 2018 and served for more than 20 years as a missionary in Papua New Guinea and Cuba.The pope also accepted the resignation of Bishop Frank J. Dewane, 76, who has reached the usual age of retirement after leading the diocese since 2007, after having first served for nine months as its coadjutor bishop.Agüero, who was born in Fairfax, Virginia, on Dec. 15, 1964, entered the Order of the Friars Minor Capuchin in 1987. He was ordained a priest on May 21, 1994.With his consecration and installation, the bishop-designate will become the second active Capuchin Franciscan bishop currently leading a U.S. diocese, the other being Bishop Marc V. Trudeau, auxiliary bishop of Los Angeles.Agüero begins his new role in Florida after having served as a missionary for more than two decades. He served as a missionary in Papua New Guinea from 1994–2006 and in Cuba from 2007–2019.According to a press release from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Agüero speaks Spanish and Tok Pisin (a Creole language spoken throughout Papua New Guinea) in addition to English.The bishop-designate also holds several academic degrees, including a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Borromeo College earned in 1987; masterʼs degrees in theology and divinity from Oblate College earned in 1992; and a licentiate in sacred theology from the John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family in Washington, D.C., earned in 2007.His most recent assignment has been pastor of the Shrine of the Sacred Heart in Washington, D.C. He belongs to the Capuchin Franciscan Province of St. Augustine in Pittsburgh.

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The pope also accepted Wednesday the resignation of Bishop Frank J. Dewane, 76, who led the Diocese of Venice, Florida, since 2007.

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

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

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India’s state elections deliver split verdict for Christian community #Catholic The results of staggered elections in four key Indian states held in April have drawn diverse reactions from the Christian community following the May 4 counting of the votes.While the poll outcomes from the two southern states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu have been soothing for Christians, the results from West Bengal and Assam in eastern and northeastern India have come as frustrating for Christian communities.Kerala: A ‘clear verdict’ against propagandaIn the southern Christian heartland of Kerala, the ruling communist alliance was decimated to 35 seats while the opposition Congress-led alliance won 102 seats in the 140-member assembly of Kerala, a state of 35 million people, 18% of whom are Christian.“The result has shown that the people cannot be misled by propaganda and they have given a clear verdict against it,” Father Thomas Tharayil, deputy secretary of the Kerala Catholic Bishops' Council, told EWTN News on May 6.The remark came against the backdrop of anti-Christian propaganda by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with prominent Christians in the BJP even attacking Church leaders for the Churchʼs protest against the draconian amendment to the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act.Christians in Kerala were relieved after four prominent Christians who had allied with the BJP lost the polls despite making much noise against church leadership: P.C. George, a seven-time Kerala legislator; his son Shone George; federal Minister of State for Minority Affairs George Kurian; and Anoop Antony, son of veteran Congress party leader and former Kerala chief minister A.K. Antony.Half a dozen other Christian candidates the BJP fielded in Christian pockets under its lotus symbol also lost, while the party won just three seats with its Hindu candidates.Tamil Nadu: A ‘genuinely historic’ TVK upsetIn neighboring Tamil Nadu, with a population of 77 million, the new political party TVK (Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam — Victory Party of Tamil Nadu), founded by Catholic actor Joseph Vijay, stunned the Dravidian parties that had held power for nearly six decades between them.Under Vijayʼs leadership, the TVK he founded in 2024 won 108 of the 234 seats in the state legislature, with the ruling DMK reduced to 73 and the opposition AIADMK left with 53 seats.Describing the TVK victory that stunned even poll forecasts as “genuinely historic,” Father Charles Antony, editor of the Catholic fortnightly New Leader based in Chennai, told EWTN News: “Vijayʼs victory is real, consequential, and disruptive [of the] bipolar politics” in the state, which has more than 5 million Christians.“He visited churches, temples, and mosques alike during the campaign, successfully projecting himself as a leader for all communities. This secular messaging helped his party distance itself from identity-based polarization,” he added.While Vijay is “Catholic,” Antony emphasized that “his Christian identity is incidental to his politics. Attacks from the BJP [on his Christian identity] with ‘minority’ tag against him, paradoxically, may have helped consolidate minority votes.”West Bengal: ‘A terrible result many had feared’The likely outcome in West Bengal — the state bordering Bangladesh — had been the subject of much conjecture even before voting, due to the controversial, hurried action of the Election Commission of India that disenfranchised more than 9 million, or 12%, of its 76 million voters under a Special Intensive Revision of the voter list.The Trinamool Congress, which had ruled the state since 2011 across three consecutive terms, lost the election badly — as many had feared — winning a mere 80 seats while the BJP captured power in the state for the first time, with 205 seats in the 294-seat state assembly.“This is a terrible result many had feared,” Sunil Lucas, former president of Signis India, told EWTN News, while prominent Church leaders declined to comment on the results that bring the Hindu nationalist BJP to power in West Bengal — with Kolkata as its capital — for the first time.“Decoding BJPʼs Bengal sweep: 77 seats won in 2021 retained, 129 wrested from TMC,” Indian Express summed up the results, which were flayed by the ruling party and the opposition parties other than the BJP.On May 5, the national news channel NDTV carried a similar report with graphic details on how the ruling Trinamool Congress party “performed in seats with high voter deletions.” In constituencies where more than 25,000 voters had been disenfranchised, the BJP had won 95 of 147 seats, the report pointed out.Assam: ‘Democracy becomes a failure’In Assam state in the northeast, the BJP improved its tally with allies to 102 of the stateʼs 126 seats, securing a third consecutive term.“When the ruling party with over two-thirds majority has no member of the minorities in the legislature, democracy becomes a failure,” Allen Brooks, a Catholic and spokesperson for the ecumenical Assam Christian Forum, told EWTN News.While none of the 82 BJP winners are from the Muslim community, which accounts for 34% of Assamʼs population, Brooks also lamented that “there is not a single Christian in the Assam Assembly now, though Christians account for 3.7%” of the stateʼs 31 million people.Commenting on the election results, Cardinal Anthony Poola, president of the Catholic Bishops' conference of India, in a May 6 statement said: “The true measure of a vibrant democracy lies not just in the successful conduct of elections but in the steadfast commitment of elected leaders to serve the most vulnerable. We urge the new governments to work hand-in-hand with all institutions to build a more just, inclusive, and equitable India.”This story was updated at 12:29 p.m. ET on May 6, 2026, to include Cardinal Anthony Poolaʼs statement.
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India’s state elections deliver split verdict for Christian community #Catholic The results of staggered elections in four key Indian states held in April have drawn diverse reactions from the Christian community following the May 4 counting of the votes.While the poll outcomes from the two southern states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu have been soothing for Christians, the results from West Bengal and Assam in eastern and northeastern India have come as frustrating for Christian communities.Kerala: A ‘clear verdict’ against propagandaIn the southern Christian heartland of Kerala, the ruling communist alliance was decimated to 35 seats while the opposition Congress-led alliance won 102 seats in the 140-member assembly of Kerala, a state of 35 million people, 18% of whom are Christian.“The result has shown that the people cannot be misled by propaganda and they have given a clear verdict against it,” Father Thomas Tharayil, deputy secretary of the Kerala Catholic Bishops' Council, told EWTN News on May 6.The remark came against the backdrop of anti-Christian propaganda by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with prominent Christians in the BJP even attacking Church leaders for the Churchʼs protest against the draconian amendment to the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act.Christians in Kerala were relieved after four prominent Christians who had allied with the BJP lost the polls despite making much noise against church leadership: P.C. George, a seven-time Kerala legislator; his son Shone George; federal Minister of State for Minority Affairs George Kurian; and Anoop Antony, son of veteran Congress party leader and former Kerala chief minister A.K. Antony.Half a dozen other Christian candidates the BJP fielded in Christian pockets under its lotus symbol also lost, while the party won just three seats with its Hindu candidates.Tamil Nadu: A ‘genuinely historic’ TVK upsetIn neighboring Tamil Nadu, with a population of 77 million, the new political party TVK (Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam — Victory Party of Tamil Nadu), founded by Catholic actor Joseph Vijay, stunned the Dravidian parties that had held power for nearly six decades between them.Under Vijayʼs leadership, the TVK he founded in 2024 won 108 of the 234 seats in the state legislature, with the ruling DMK reduced to 73 and the opposition AIADMK left with 53 seats.Describing the TVK victory that stunned even poll forecasts as “genuinely historic,” Father Charles Antony, editor of the Catholic fortnightly New Leader based in Chennai, told EWTN News: “Vijayʼs victory is real, consequential, and disruptive [of the] bipolar politics” in the state, which has more than 5 million Christians.“He visited churches, temples, and mosques alike during the campaign, successfully projecting himself as a leader for all communities. This secular messaging helped his party distance itself from identity-based polarization,” he added.While Vijay is “Catholic,” Antony emphasized that “his Christian identity is incidental to his politics. Attacks from the BJP [on his Christian identity] with ‘minority’ tag against him, paradoxically, may have helped consolidate minority votes.”West Bengal: ‘A terrible result many had feared’The likely outcome in West Bengal — the state bordering Bangladesh — had been the subject of much conjecture even before voting, due to the controversial, hurried action of the Election Commission of India that disenfranchised more than 9 million, or 12%, of its 76 million voters under a Special Intensive Revision of the voter list.The Trinamool Congress, which had ruled the state since 2011 across three consecutive terms, lost the election badly — as many had feared — winning a mere 80 seats while the BJP captured power in the state for the first time, with 205 seats in the 294-seat state assembly.“This is a terrible result many had feared,” Sunil Lucas, former president of Signis India, told EWTN News, while prominent Church leaders declined to comment on the results that bring the Hindu nationalist BJP to power in West Bengal — with Kolkata as its capital — for the first time.“Decoding BJPʼs Bengal sweep: 77 seats won in 2021 retained, 129 wrested from TMC,” Indian Express summed up the results, which were flayed by the ruling party and the opposition parties other than the BJP.On May 5, the national news channel NDTV carried a similar report with graphic details on how the ruling Trinamool Congress party “performed in seats with high voter deletions.” In constituencies where more than 25,000 voters had been disenfranchised, the BJP had won 95 of 147 seats, the report pointed out.Assam: ‘Democracy becomes a failure’In Assam state in the northeast, the BJP improved its tally with allies to 102 of the stateʼs 126 seats, securing a third consecutive term.“When the ruling party with over two-thirds majority has no member of the minorities in the legislature, democracy becomes a failure,” Allen Brooks, a Catholic and spokesperson for the ecumenical Assam Christian Forum, told EWTN News.While none of the 82 BJP winners are from the Muslim community, which accounts for 34% of Assamʼs population, Brooks also lamented that “there is not a single Christian in the Assam Assembly now, though Christians account for 3.7%” of the stateʼs 31 million people.Commenting on the election results, Cardinal Anthony Poola, president of the Catholic Bishops' conference of India, in a May 6 statement said: “The true measure of a vibrant democracy lies not just in the successful conduct of elections but in the steadfast commitment of elected leaders to serve the most vulnerable. We urge the new governments to work hand-in-hand with all institutions to build a more just, inclusive, and equitable India.”This story was updated at 12:29 p.m. ET on May 6, 2026, to include Cardinal Anthony Poolaʼs statement.

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Christian leaders welcomed the Kerala and Tamil Nadu outcomes but voiced alarm at the BJP’s historic sweep of West Bengal and a third-term win in Assam.

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‘Truthful, respectful’: Czech bishop backs Sudeten German gathering in Brno #Catholic For the first time, the Sudeten German Association, uniting descendants of those expelled from Czechoslovakia after World War II, will gather in Brno, the second-largest city in modern-day Czech Republic. They were invited by the cultural festival Meeting Brno for part of its multiday program in late May. Both entities will discuss reconciliation and commemorate the victims of the Shoah.German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt is expected to come, too. The gathering is titled “All Life Is Meeting.”A reconciliation Mass will be celebrated at the Brno Exhibition Centre as part of the gathering.Ulrike Scharf, Bavarian state minister for family, labor, and social affairs, told EWTN News that the event “shows that we are reconciled, that we have become friends.”Scharf, whose agenda includes Sudeten Germans in Bavaria, stressed that reconciliation is “the essence of Europe.” In this “wonderful” European community, “it is crucial that we meet in friendship,” the politician explained. Pope Leo names reconciliation champion as new archbishop of Prague Yet the decision created a polemic in Czechia, with public figures weighing in and a series of protests, one of which was attended by the speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Tomio Okamura. Rather than reconciliation, they see the gathering as a provocation and relativization of history.The critique came also from Miloš Zeman and Václav Klaus, who served as presidents as well as prime ministers of Czechia. “We have nothing to reconcile with the Germans,” Klaus said, clarifying that he does “not feel not reconciled” with them.“We did not trigger two world wars” and “are not the cause of tens of millions of victims” of World War II, Klaus explained, arguing that as prime minister in 1997, he signed, together with German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, the Czech-German Declaration on Mutual Relations and Their Future Development.Wounds that remainHowever, the bishop of Brno, Pavel Konzbul, welcomed “every initiative that leads to the meeting of people, to dialogue, and to overcoming historical injustices,” he underscored for EWTN News."Reconciliation between nations and individuals," the prelate continued, "does not happen by denying or simplifying the past but by "talking about it truthfully and with respect."Thus, he sees “the presence of the descendants of the Sudeten Germans” in his diocese “primarily as an opportunity for such a meeting,” provided “it takes place in a spirit of respect, without mutual accusations or spreading false slander, and with openness to the other.”The local bishop appealed to participants, residents, and critics to act with “calm, respect, and to a willingness to look for what can unite us.”Only “such attitudes are the basis of true and lasting peace,” the bishop underlined.When the new archbishop of Prague, Stanislav Přibyl, was the bishop of Litoměřice a few months ago, he proclaimed 2026 a Year of Reconciliation to address wounds that remain from World War II and its aftermath.Nazi Germany annexed the Sudetenland, the majority-German region in Czechoslovakia, in 1938 and later established the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia in the country. Following Germanyʼs defeat, Czechoslovakia expelled approximately 3 million ethnic Germans.
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‘Truthful, respectful’: Czech bishop backs Sudeten German gathering in Brno #Catholic For the first time, the Sudeten German Association, uniting descendants of those expelled from Czechoslovakia after World War II, will gather in Brno, the second-largest city in modern-day Czech Republic. They were invited by the cultural festival Meeting Brno for part of its multiday program in late May. Both entities will discuss reconciliation and commemorate the victims of the Shoah.German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt is expected to come, too. The gathering is titled “All Life Is Meeting.”A reconciliation Mass will be celebrated at the Brno Exhibition Centre as part of the gathering.Ulrike Scharf, Bavarian state minister for family, labor, and social affairs, told EWTN News that the event “shows that we are reconciled, that we have become friends.”Scharf, whose agenda includes Sudeten Germans in Bavaria, stressed that reconciliation is “the essence of Europe.” In this “wonderful” European community, “it is crucial that we meet in friendship,” the politician explained. Pope Leo names reconciliation champion as new archbishop of Prague Yet the decision created a polemic in Czechia, with public figures weighing in and a series of protests, one of which was attended by the speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Tomio Okamura. Rather than reconciliation, they see the gathering as a provocation and relativization of history.The critique came also from Miloš Zeman and Václav Klaus, who served as presidents as well as prime ministers of Czechia. “We have nothing to reconcile with the Germans,” Klaus said, clarifying that he does “not feel not reconciled” with them.“We did not trigger two world wars” and “are not the cause of tens of millions of victims” of World War II, Klaus explained, arguing that as prime minister in 1997, he signed, together with German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, the Czech-German Declaration on Mutual Relations and Their Future Development.Wounds that remainHowever, the bishop of Brno, Pavel Konzbul, welcomed “every initiative that leads to the meeting of people, to dialogue, and to overcoming historical injustices,” he underscored for EWTN News."Reconciliation between nations and individuals," the prelate continued, "does not happen by denying or simplifying the past but by "talking about it truthfully and with respect."Thus, he sees “the presence of the descendants of the Sudeten Germans” in his diocese “primarily as an opportunity for such a meeting,” provided “it takes place in a spirit of respect, without mutual accusations or spreading false slander, and with openness to the other.”The local bishop appealed to participants, residents, and critics to act with “calm, respect, and to a willingness to look for what can unite us.”Only “such attitudes are the basis of true and lasting peace,” the bishop underlined.When the new archbishop of Prague, Stanislav Přibyl, was the bishop of Litoměřice a few months ago, he proclaimed 2026 a Year of Reconciliation to address wounds that remain from World War II and its aftermath.Nazi Germany annexed the Sudetenland, the majority-German region in Czechoslovakia, in 1938 and later established the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia in the country. Following Germanyʼs defeat, Czechoslovakia expelled approximately 3 million ethnic Germans.

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Bishop Pavel Konzbul of Brno, Czech Republic, is backing the late-May gathering despite a public backlash led by former Czech presidents Václav Klaus and Miloš Zeman.

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Here are the patron saints of World Youth Day Seoul 2027 #Catholic The Local Organizing Committee for World Youth Day Seoul 2027 has officially announced the patron saints who will spiritually accompany the next major international gathering of young Catholics, which will take place in the South Korean capital Aug. 3–8, 2027.According to a statement from organizers, the five patron saints of WYD Seoul 2027 are St. John Paul II, founder of World Youth Day; St. Andrew Kim Taegon and his companion martyrs; St. Frances Xavier Cabrini; St. Josephine Bakhita; and St. Carlo Acutis.St. John Paul II (1920–2005) is remembered for centering much of his pastoral teaching on young people, the family, and the defense of the dignity of human life. St. Andrew Kim Taegon (1821–1846), the first Korean Catholic priest, together with his companion martyrs, represents a powerful witness of faith and courage, sealed by martyrdom at a young age.St. Frances Xavier Cabrini (1850–1917) was a tireless missionary, known especially for her work on behalf of migrants and the poor. St. Josephine Bakhita (1869–1947), a former slave who became a religious sister, is a witness of hope, freedom, and faith transformed through suffering. St. Carlo Acutis (1991–2006), meanwhile, embodies the witness of holiness in the digital age and remains a model of evangelization for young people today.As is customary for each World Youth Day, the patron saints are presented as models and guides of faith for young people through the witness of their lives and spirituality. For WYD Seoul 2027, the choices were made in light of the event’s major spiritual themes: truth, love, and peace.The selection process began at the end of 2024 and included a nationwide survey of young people, youth ministry leaders, and formators. Following that consultation, the Local Organizing Committee reviewed the candidates and made the final selection.After the announcement, a group of young volunteers spent two months studying the lives and spirituality of the five patron saints. Through prayer, dialogue, and shared reflection, they prepared a special prayer and a representative symbol for each saint to express the particular witness they offer to new generations.Cardinal Kevin Farrell, prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family, and Life, emphasized the importance of the selection, saying the patron saints “play a fundamental role in the preparation of each World Youth Day.” He said these models of holiness invite young people to reflect on God’s call and encourage them to respond with generosity and courage in following Christ.“May the witness of these patron saints inspire young people throughout the world, especially in contexts marked by difficulty and persecution,” Farrell said.Archbishop Peter Soon-taick Chung of Seoul, president of the Local Organizing Committee, noted that the chosen saints represent different continents and generations.“Each one of them offers a concrete path for living the faith amid the realities that young people face today,” Chung said, expressing his hope that participants will form a deep spiritual bond with the saints during the journey of preparation for WYD.The Local Organizing Committee will continue presenting the lives and spirituality of the patron saints through the official WYD Seoul 2027 website and social media channels, while also developing new content and formation programs.Along with the announcement, the committee also launched an interactive section titled “Meet Your Patron Saint!” Inspired by personality tests and digital quizzes, the feature asks young people a series of questions to help them discover which of the five saints most closely resembles their own personality. The goal is to help young people encounter the saints not only as historical figures but also as companions who can illuminate the questions and hopes of today.This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
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Here are the patron saints of World Youth Day Seoul 2027 #Catholic The Local Organizing Committee for World Youth Day Seoul 2027 has officially announced the patron saints who will spiritually accompany the next major international gathering of young Catholics, which will take place in the South Korean capital Aug. 3–8, 2027.According to a statement from organizers, the five patron saints of WYD Seoul 2027 are St. John Paul II, founder of World Youth Day; St. Andrew Kim Taegon and his companion martyrs; St. Frances Xavier Cabrini; St. Josephine Bakhita; and St. Carlo Acutis.St. John Paul II (1920–2005) is remembered for centering much of his pastoral teaching on young people, the family, and the defense of the dignity of human life. St. Andrew Kim Taegon (1821–1846), the first Korean Catholic priest, together with his companion martyrs, represents a powerful witness of faith and courage, sealed by martyrdom at a young age.St. Frances Xavier Cabrini (1850–1917) was a tireless missionary, known especially for her work on behalf of migrants and the poor. St. Josephine Bakhita (1869–1947), a former slave who became a religious sister, is a witness of hope, freedom, and faith transformed through suffering. St. Carlo Acutis (1991–2006), meanwhile, embodies the witness of holiness in the digital age and remains a model of evangelization for young people today.As is customary for each World Youth Day, the patron saints are presented as models and guides of faith for young people through the witness of their lives and spirituality. For WYD Seoul 2027, the choices were made in light of the event’s major spiritual themes: truth, love, and peace.The selection process began at the end of 2024 and included a nationwide survey of young people, youth ministry leaders, and formators. Following that consultation, the Local Organizing Committee reviewed the candidates and made the final selection.After the announcement, a group of young volunteers spent two months studying the lives and spirituality of the five patron saints. Through prayer, dialogue, and shared reflection, they prepared a special prayer and a representative symbol for each saint to express the particular witness they offer to new generations.Cardinal Kevin Farrell, prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family, and Life, emphasized the importance of the selection, saying the patron saints “play a fundamental role in the preparation of each World Youth Day.” He said these models of holiness invite young people to reflect on God’s call and encourage them to respond with generosity and courage in following Christ.“May the witness of these patron saints inspire young people throughout the world, especially in contexts marked by difficulty and persecution,” Farrell said.Archbishop Peter Soon-taick Chung of Seoul, president of the Local Organizing Committee, noted that the chosen saints represent different continents and generations.“Each one of them offers a concrete path for living the faith amid the realities that young people face today,” Chung said, expressing his hope that participants will form a deep spiritual bond with the saints during the journey of preparation for WYD.The Local Organizing Committee will continue presenting the lives and spirituality of the patron saints through the official WYD Seoul 2027 website and social media channels, while also developing new content and formation programs.Along with the announcement, the committee also launched an interactive section titled “Meet Your Patron Saint!” Inspired by personality tests and digital quizzes, the feature asks young people a series of questions to help them discover which of the five saints most closely resembles their own personality. The goal is to help young people encounter the saints not only as historical figures but also as companions who can illuminate the questions and hopes of today.This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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The five saints chosen for the international youth gathering reflect the event’s spiritual themes of truth, love, and peace.

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More adults quit Catholic Church than enter it in most countries Pew surveyed #Catholic A Pew Research Center study found that more adults leave the Catholic Church than enter it in most countries, but Catholics still make up the majority of the population in a number of countries analyzed.The research released April 23 found that Christianity has experienced some of the largest losses of followers due to religious switching, when people identify with a different religion in adulthood than they were raised in as a child, compared with other faith groups around the world.The U.S. data in the report, “Catholicism Has Lost People to Religious Switching in Many Countries, While Protestantism Has Gained in Some,” comes from the Center’s 2023-24 U.S. Religious Landscape Study (RLS). The international data comes from surveys conducted by Pew in spring 2024. Percent of adults in each country survey who reported they were raised Catholic. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Pew Research Center The global data that analyzed 24 countries was from Pew’s international surveys conducted via telephone or face-to-face interviews. Pew has conducted more than 800,000 interviews in over 110 countries. The margin of sampling error is based on individual countries’ research.Religious switching impact on CatholicismReligious switching has affected Catholicism and Protestantism, two of the largest Christian subgroups, in differing ways. Catholicism has lost more people than it has gained in almost all the countries surveyed, whereas Protestantism has seen a net gain from religious switching.Despite losses from religious switching, Catholics still make up the majority of the population in eight of the 24 nations Pew surveyed, including Poland (92%), the Philippines (80%), Italy (69%), Mexico (67%), Peru (67%), Hungary (63%), Colombia (60%), and Argentina (58%).In 12 of the 24 surveyed countries, most of the population was raised Catholic and many adults still identify with the faith today. For example, 96% of Polish adults were raised Catholics. Of the group, 92% still identify with the religion, with 4% reporting they have left Catholicism.Hungary also experienced a slight loss with 57% of the population identifying as lifelong Catholics and only 2% reporting that they left the Church.But overall, more people left Catholicism than joined it in 21 of the countries. People who leave Catholicism tend to join Protestantism or disaffiliate from religion altogether, the report said.Disaffiliation was found to be especially common in parts of Europe and Latin America, including Chile, where 19% of all adults who are former Catholics identify as atheist, agnostic, or “nothing in particular.”In comparison, in Kenya, Brazil, Ghana, Nigeria, and the Philippines, former Catholics are more likely to have joined Protestantism than to have become religious “nones,” the report said.Other adults have left the Church, with former Catholics making up 10% or more of the total population in 15 countries.In Italy, 22% of adults said they were raised Catholic but no longer identify as such, and an additional 1% were not raised Catholic but entered the Church. The nationʼs Catholic population experienced a net loss of 21% due to religious switching.In the United States, 30% of adults surveyed reported they were raised Catholic and only 17% remain Catholic. An additional 2% who were not raised Catholic reported they entered the Church, for a total of 19% of U.S. adults who are Catholic.Impact on other religionsSimilar to Catholics, former Protestants also make up a large share of the population in many countries. In nine of the 24 countries analyzed, the group was found to make up 10% or more of the population.In several countries, more people have joined Protestantism than have left it, with the religion having a net gain from switching in almost as many places as it has seen a net loss. Adults who leave Protestantism tend to become religiously unaffiliated, the report said.Most of the countries where Protestantism has had net gains are in Latin America, including in Brazil where 15% have joined Protestantism and 6% have left. Most Brazilians who reported switching into Protestantism were former Catholics.
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More adults quit Catholic Church than enter it in most countries Pew surveyed #Catholic A Pew Research Center study found that more adults leave the Catholic Church than enter it in most countries, but Catholics still make up the majority of the population in a number of countries analyzed.The research released April 23 found that Christianity has experienced some of the largest losses of followers due to religious switching, when people identify with a different religion in adulthood than they were raised in as a child, compared with other faith groups around the world.The U.S. data in the report, “Catholicism Has Lost People to Religious Switching in Many Countries, While Protestantism Has Gained in Some,” comes from the Center’s 2023-24 U.S. Religious Landscape Study (RLS). The international data comes from surveys conducted by Pew in spring 2024. Percent of adults in each country survey who reported they were raised Catholic. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Pew Research Center The global data that analyzed 24 countries was from Pew’s international surveys conducted via telephone or face-to-face interviews. Pew has conducted more than 800,000 interviews in over 110 countries. The margin of sampling error is based on individual countries’ research.Religious switching impact on CatholicismReligious switching has affected Catholicism and Protestantism, two of the largest Christian subgroups, in differing ways. Catholicism has lost more people than it has gained in almost all the countries surveyed, whereas Protestantism has seen a net gain from religious switching.Despite losses from religious switching, Catholics still make up the majority of the population in eight of the 24 nations Pew surveyed, including Poland (92%), the Philippines (80%), Italy (69%), Mexico (67%), Peru (67%), Hungary (63%), Colombia (60%), and Argentina (58%).In 12 of the 24 surveyed countries, most of the population was raised Catholic and many adults still identify with the faith today. For example, 96% of Polish adults were raised Catholics. Of the group, 92% still identify with the religion, with 4% reporting they have left Catholicism.Hungary also experienced a slight loss with 57% of the population identifying as lifelong Catholics and only 2% reporting that they left the Church.But overall, more people left Catholicism than joined it in 21 of the countries. People who leave Catholicism tend to join Protestantism or disaffiliate from religion altogether, the report said.Disaffiliation was found to be especially common in parts of Europe and Latin America, including Chile, where 19% of all adults who are former Catholics identify as atheist, agnostic, or “nothing in particular.”In comparison, in Kenya, Brazil, Ghana, Nigeria, and the Philippines, former Catholics are more likely to have joined Protestantism than to have become religious “nones,” the report said.Other adults have left the Church, with former Catholics making up 10% or more of the total population in 15 countries.In Italy, 22% of adults said they were raised Catholic but no longer identify as such, and an additional 1% were not raised Catholic but entered the Church. The nationʼs Catholic population experienced a net loss of 21% due to religious switching.In the United States, 30% of adults surveyed reported they were raised Catholic and only 17% remain Catholic. An additional 2% who were not raised Catholic reported they entered the Church, for a total of 19% of U.S. adults who are Catholic.Impact on other religionsSimilar to Catholics, former Protestants also make up a large share of the population in many countries. In nine of the 24 countries analyzed, the group was found to make up 10% or more of the population.In several countries, more people have joined Protestantism than have left it, with the religion having a net gain from switching in almost as many places as it has seen a net loss. Adults who leave Protestantism tend to become religiously unaffiliated, the report said.Most of the countries where Protestantism has had net gains are in Latin America, including in Brazil where 15% have joined Protestantism and 6% have left. Most Brazilians who reported switching into Protestantism were former Catholics.

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Despite losses from religious switching, Catholics still make up the majority of the population in a number of countries Pew Research Center analyzed across the globe.

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California man awarded million in Diocese of Oakland clergy abuse suit #Catholic A California man has been awarded a massive million payout in a civil suit regarding allegations against a former priest from the Diocese of Oakland. A jury in Alameda County Superior Court on April 22 awarded the eight-figure settlement to an unidentified John Doe amid ongoing bankruptcy proceedings brought by the Oakland Diocese. The law firm Jeff Anderson and Associations said in a press release that the settlement was “the first case to reach a jury verdict under the California Child Victims Act.” The law, passed in 2019, opened a three-year window for alleged abuse victims to file claims outside of the standard statute of limitations. The allegations brought by the John Doe in Oakland concerned Father Stephen Kiesle, a priest who has faced multiple abuse allegations dating from the 1970s. The victim said Kiesle abused him during that decade.Kiesle pleaded no contest in 1978 to lewd conduct involving two boys, for which he received probation, while in the early 2000s he was sentenced to six years in prison after pleading no contest on charges of molesting a girl near Sacramento. Kiesle was charged in 2022 with vehicular manslaughter and drunk driving after a crash that killed a man in Rossmoor, California. He pleaded no contest to those charges in 2023 and was sentenced to more than six years in state prison. The Diocese of Oakland says on its list of credibly accused priests that Kiesle was removed from ministry in 1978 and laicized in 1987. In November 2024 the Oakland Diocese said it would pay up to 0 million as part of a major abuse settlement. The diocese filed for bankruptcy in May 2023. The bankruptcy filing put nearly all abuse lawsuits against the diocese on hold, though several were allowed to proceed to trial, including the John Doe suit settled on April 22.
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California man awarded $16 million in Diocese of Oakland clergy abuse suit #Catholic A California man has been awarded a massive $16 million payout in a civil suit regarding allegations against a former priest from the Diocese of Oakland. A jury in Alameda County Superior Court on April 22 awarded the eight-figure settlement to an unidentified John Doe amid ongoing bankruptcy proceedings brought by the Oakland Diocese. The law firm Jeff Anderson and Associations said in a press release that the settlement was “the first case to reach a jury verdict under the California Child Victims Act.” The law, passed in 2019, opened a three-year window for alleged abuse victims to file claims outside of the standard statute of limitations. The allegations brought by the John Doe in Oakland concerned Father Stephen Kiesle, a priest who has faced multiple abuse allegations dating from the 1970s. The victim said Kiesle abused him during that decade.Kiesle pleaded no contest in 1978 to lewd conduct involving two boys, for which he received probation, while in the early 2000s he was sentenced to six years in prison after pleading no contest on charges of molesting a girl near Sacramento. Kiesle was charged in 2022 with vehicular manslaughter and drunk driving after a crash that killed a man in Rossmoor, California. He pleaded no contest to those charges in 2023 and was sentenced to more than six years in state prison. The Diocese of Oakland says on its list of credibly accused priests that Kiesle was removed from ministry in 1978 and laicized in 1987. In November 2024 the Oakland Diocese said it would pay up to $200 million as part of a major abuse settlement. The diocese filed for bankruptcy in May 2023. The bankruptcy filing put nearly all abuse lawsuits against the diocese on hold, though several were allowed to proceed to trial, including the John Doe suit settled on April 22.

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The suit concerned allegations against former priest Stephen Kiesle, who has faced dozens of lawsuits regarding alleged child abuse.

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Trump’s comments on Pope Leo called ‘disrespectful’ as Americans react #Catholic Catholic bishops and U.S. elected officials have publicly criticized the president’s statements about Pope Leo XIV.President Donald Trump called Leo “weak on crime and terrible for foreign policy” in a lengthy social media post April 12 that drew response from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and elected officials.Bishop Robert Barron of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, called Trump’s attack on Pope Leo XIV “disrespectful." Barron, who serves on Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission, said in a post on X that Trump’s comments “were entirely inappropriate and disrespectful” and “I think the president owes the pope an apology.”“[Trump’s comments] don’t contribute at all to a constructive conversation,” he said. “It is the pope’s prerogative to articulate Catholic doctrine and the principles that govern the moral life. In regard to the concrete application of those principles, people of goodwill can and do disagree.”Barron encouraged Catholic Trump officials to arrange a meeting with Vatican officials “so that a real dialogue can take place,” saying “this is far preferable to the statements on social media.”Bishop Michael Burbidge of Arlington, Virginia, said in a social media post: “Along with Archbishop [Paul] Coakley, president of the USCCB, and my brother bishops, I was disheartened by recent comments from President Trump concerning Pope Leo XIV and the Church. I pray that civility and respect are fully restored as together, with God’s grace, we work for peace and harmony among all people. May we also be united in our prayer for the end of war and violence so that Christ’s peace reigns throughout the world and in our hearts.”Palm Beach, Florida, Bishop Manuel de Jesús Rodríguez posted on X: “The @DiocesePB stands firm with our Holy Father, @Pontifex, and strongly rejects the disrespectful and violent attacks that Donald J. Trump has directed against the Holy Father.”Buffalo, New York, Bishop Michael Fisher posted on X: “This is not about politics but the very cause of humanity.”The Catholic Association's Ashley McGuire said in a statement: “The Catholic Church does not in any way fit into American political boxes. It will always prioritize the protection of innocent life in all its stages as well as the cause of the poor and marginalized. Insulting the pope, and all Catholics by extension, with the hope of making the Church bend to American political agendas, is discouraging and counterproductive.” McGuire added: “We pray that President Trump apologizes to Pope Leo.”U.S. officials' reaction beginsRepublican Vice President JD Vance, who is Catholic, has not yet commented on the matter, nor has Secretary of State Marco Rubio, also a Catholic.Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Arizona, who is Catholic, posted on X that “I find it abhorrent that the president of the United States would publicly attack the successor of St. Peter.”U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said on X that Trump “shamefully attacked” the pope. Few Republican elected officials have spoken out.TweetDemocratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom posted on X: “Hey @GOP, you good with your guy directly attacking the pope now?”Rep. Lukas Schubert, a Republican Montana state lawmaker, disputed the presidentʼs statement that the pope is a “liberal person.”“Pope Leo is significantly further to the right than President Trump on abortion, gay marriage, and family values. Also he is more America First on the Iran War,” Schubert said.AI imageTrump also posted an AI-created image on Truth Social that appeared to portray himself as Jesus Christ, healing the sick, which led several Catholics to accuse the president of blasphemy.Edward Feser, a Catholic philosopher and professor at Pasadena City College, posted on X that Trump’s comments illustrate “how utter enslavement to the sin of pride makes a man unsuitable for the presidency.”“For all their faults, previous presidents had the visceral understanding of proper boundaries not to attack the vicar of Christ even when they disagreed with him,” he said.Feser quoted Daniel 11:36-37 in response to Trump’s AI image of himself as Christ, which reads: “And the king shall do according to his will; he shall exalt himself and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak astonishing things against the God of gods … He shall not give heed to any other god, for he shall magnify himself above all.”In reaction to the AI photo, Matt Fradd, the host of “Pints With Aquinas,“ urged Catholics to “offer a rosary today for Donald Trump and all blasphemers. … Seriously. Do it. I will too.”TweetRep. Shontel Brown, D-Ohio, did not directly reference Trumpʼs remarks about the pope but criticized the AI-created image on X: “There aren’t enough words to denounce how wrong this is.”The comments came after Leo criticized the Iran war and Trump’s rhetoric about targeting the entire civilization of Iran. Leo said in response to the post: “I have no fear neither of the Trump administration nor of speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel.”Marjorie Taylor Greene, a former Republican congresswoman who was a strong ally of Trump before splitting with him on the Iran war and his handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, posted on X that Trump “attacked the pope because the pope is rightly against Trump’s war in Iran and then he posted this picture of himself as if he is replacing Jesus.”“This comes after last week’s post of his evil tirade on Easter and then threatening to kill an entire civilization,” she said. “I completely denounce this and I’m praying against it!!!”‘Fuels division’Father Robert Sirico, the founder of the Acton Institute, said in a statement that Leo “has both the right and the duty to speak prophetically on matters of war and peace, the dignity of the human person, and the moral limits of force — even when his words discomfort political leaders.”He said Trump’s post does not “strengthen America’s moral standing but “merely fuels division.”Sirico also added that Catholics can disagree with popes on prudential judgments, such as foreign policy or crime, which he said are not infallible: “The Church herself teaches that such applications of principle admit of legitimate debate.”This story was updated at 11:50 a.m. ET on April 13, 2026, with comments from Buffalo, New York, Bishop Michael Fisher and The Catholic Associationʼs Ashley McGuire.
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Trump’s comments on Pope Leo called ‘disrespectful’ as Americans react #Catholic Catholic bishops and U.S. elected officials have publicly criticized the president’s statements about Pope Leo XIV.President Donald Trump called Leo “weak on crime and terrible for foreign policy” in a lengthy social media post April 12 that drew response from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and elected officials.Bishop Robert Barron of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, called Trump’s attack on Pope Leo XIV “disrespectful." Barron, who serves on Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission, said in a post on X that Trump’s comments “were entirely inappropriate and disrespectful” and “I think the president owes the pope an apology.”“[Trump’s comments] don’t contribute at all to a constructive conversation,” he said. “It is the pope’s prerogative to articulate Catholic doctrine and the principles that govern the moral life. In regard to the concrete application of those principles, people of goodwill can and do disagree.”Barron encouraged Catholic Trump officials to arrange a meeting with Vatican officials “so that a real dialogue can take place,” saying “this is far preferable to the statements on social media.”Bishop Michael Burbidge of Arlington, Virginia, said in a social media post: “Along with Archbishop [Paul] Coakley, president of the USCCB, and my brother bishops, I was disheartened by recent comments from President Trump concerning Pope Leo XIV and the Church. I pray that civility and respect are fully restored as together, with God’s grace, we work for peace and harmony among all people. May we also be united in our prayer for the end of war and violence so that Christ’s peace reigns throughout the world and in our hearts.”Palm Beach, Florida, Bishop Manuel de Jesús Rodríguez posted on X: “The @DiocesePB stands firm with our Holy Father, @Pontifex, and strongly rejects the disrespectful and violent attacks that Donald J. Trump has directed against the Holy Father.”Buffalo, New York, Bishop Michael Fisher posted on X: “This is not about politics but the very cause of humanity.”The Catholic Association's Ashley McGuire said in a statement: “The Catholic Church does not in any way fit into American political boxes. It will always prioritize the protection of innocent life in all its stages as well as the cause of the poor and marginalized. Insulting the pope, and all Catholics by extension, with the hope of making the Church bend to American political agendas, is discouraging and counterproductive.” McGuire added: “We pray that President Trump apologizes to Pope Leo.”U.S. officials' reaction beginsRepublican Vice President JD Vance, who is Catholic, has not yet commented on the matter, nor has Secretary of State Marco Rubio, also a Catholic.Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Arizona, who is Catholic, posted on X that “I find it abhorrent that the president of the United States would publicly attack the successor of St. Peter.”U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said on X that Trump “shamefully attacked” the pope. Few Republican elected officials have spoken out.TweetDemocratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom posted on X: “Hey @GOP, you good with your guy directly attacking the pope now?”Rep. Lukas Schubert, a Republican Montana state lawmaker, disputed the presidentʼs statement that the pope is a “liberal person.”“Pope Leo is significantly further to the right than President Trump on abortion, gay marriage, and family values. Also he is more America First on the Iran War,” Schubert said.AI imageTrump also posted an AI-created image on Truth Social that appeared to portray himself as Jesus Christ, healing the sick, which led several Catholics to accuse the president of blasphemy.Edward Feser, a Catholic philosopher and professor at Pasadena City College, posted on X that Trump’s comments illustrate “how utter enslavement to the sin of pride makes a man unsuitable for the presidency.”“For all their faults, previous presidents had the visceral understanding of proper boundaries not to attack the vicar of Christ even when they disagreed with him,” he said.Feser quoted Daniel 11:36-37 in response to Trump’s AI image of himself as Christ, which reads: “And the king shall do according to his will; he shall exalt himself and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak astonishing things against the God of gods … He shall not give heed to any other god, for he shall magnify himself above all.”In reaction to the AI photo, Matt Fradd, the host of “Pints With Aquinas,“ urged Catholics to “offer a rosary today for Donald Trump and all blasphemers. … Seriously. Do it. I will too.”TweetRep. Shontel Brown, D-Ohio, did not directly reference Trumpʼs remarks about the pope but criticized the AI-created image on X: “There aren’t enough words to denounce how wrong this is.”The comments came after Leo criticized the Iran war and Trump’s rhetoric about targeting the entire civilization of Iran. Leo said in response to the post: “I have no fear neither of the Trump administration nor of speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel.”Marjorie Taylor Greene, a former Republican congresswoman who was a strong ally of Trump before splitting with him on the Iran war and his handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, posted on X that Trump “attacked the pope because the pope is rightly against Trump’s war in Iran and then he posted this picture of himself as if he is replacing Jesus.”“This comes after last week’s post of his evil tirade on Easter and then threatening to kill an entire civilization,” she said. “I completely denounce this and I’m praying against it!!!”‘Fuels division’Father Robert Sirico, the founder of the Acton Institute, said in a statement that Leo “has both the right and the duty to speak prophetically on matters of war and peace, the dignity of the human person, and the moral limits of force — even when his words discomfort political leaders.”He said Trump’s post does not “strengthen America’s moral standing but “merely fuels division.”Sirico also added that Catholics can disagree with popes on prudential judgments, such as foreign policy or crime, which he said are not infallible: “The Church herself teaches that such applications of principle admit of legitimate debate.”This story was updated at 11:50 a.m. ET on April 13, 2026, with comments from Buffalo, New York, Bishop Michael Fisher and The Catholic Associationʼs Ashley McGuire.

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President Donald Trump called Leo “weak on crime and terrible for foreign policy” in a lengthy social media post April 12 that drew response from U.S. bishops and elected officials.

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Pope Leo XIV in Algeria: ‘I am here among you as a pilgrim of peace’ #Catholic ALGIERS, Algeria — Pope Leo XIV on Monday presented himself to Algeria’s diplomatic corps and civil society as “a pilgrim of peace,” urging a more just international order, warning against exclusion and inequality, and praising those who refuse to be “blinded by power or wealth.”Peace remained the central theme of the pope’s first day in Algeria, following his earlier stop at the Martyrs’ Memorial, where he delivered an appeal for peace and reconciliation.Speaking in French at the Djamaa el Djazair Conference Center, Leo recalled his previous visits to Algeria in 2001 and 2013 to Annaba, the ancient see of St. Augustine, whose spiritual legacy has long shaped the Augustinian order to which the pope belongs.“I am here among you as a pilgrim of peace, eager to meet the noble Algerian people,” the pope said. “We are brothers and sisters, for we have the same Father in heaven.”Leo said the “profound religious sense of the Algerian people” fosters “a culture of encounter and reconciliation,” adding that his visit also seeks to be a sign of that spirit.“In a world full of conflicts and misunderstandings, let us meet and strive for mutual understanding, recognizing that we are one family!” he said. “Today, the simplicity of this awareness is the key to opening many doors that are closed.”Addressing an audience of about 1,400 people from civil society and the diplomatic corps, the pope praised the resilience of the Algerian people, saying they had never been defeated by their trials because of their spirit of solidarity, hospitality, and community.“They are the truly strong ones, to whom the future belongs: those who do not allow themselves to be blinded by power or wealth, and those who refuse to sacrifice the dignity of their fellow citizens for the sake of personal or collective gain,” he said.Leo also highlighted the Algerian understanding of hospitality and almsgiving, reflected in the word “sadaka,” which he noted can also mean justice.“The one who accumulates wealth and remains indifferent to others is unjust,” the pope said, calling this vision of justice both “simple and radical” because it recognizes the image of God in others. “Indeed, a religion without mercy and a society without solidarity are a scandal in God’s eyes.”At the same time, he warned that many societies that consider themselves advanced are falling ever deeper into inequality and exclusion, while “people and organizations that dominate others destroy the world.” He said Africa knows this reality well and suggested that Algeria’s historical experience gives it a critical perspective on global power balances.“If you are able to engage in dialogue regarding the concerns of all and show solidarity with the sufferings of so many countries near and far, then you will be able to contribute to both envisioning and bringing about greater justice among peoples,” Leo said.He added that this task is especially urgent “in the face of continuous violations of international law and neocolonial tendencies.”Drawing on the teaching of Benedict XVI and Pope Francis, Leo called on Algeria’s authorities not to fear a broader social participation by those on the margins.“I therefore urge those of you who hold positions of authority in this country not to fear this outlook but to promote a vibrant, dynamic, and free civil society, in which young people in particular are recognized as capable of helping to broaden the horizon of hope for all,” he said.“The true strength of a nation lies in the cooperation of everyone in pursuing the common good,” he continued. “Authorities are called not to dominate but to serve the people and foster their development.”The pope also pointed to Algeria’s unique role as “a bridge between North and South, and between East and West,” describing the Mediterranean and the Sahara as geographical and spiritual crossroads rich with human and cultural meaning.“Woe to us if we turn them into graveyards where hope also dies!” he said. “Let us multiply oases of peace; let us denounce and remove the causes of despair; and let us oppose those who profit from the misfortune of others!”“For illicit are the gains of those who exploit human life, whose dignity is inviolable,” he added.Leo then broadened his reflection to the place of religion in modern society, noting that Algeria, like much of the world, experiences tensions between religious sensibility and modern life. He warned against both fundamentalism and secularization when they distort the true sense of God and human dignity.“Religious symbols and words can become, on the one hand, blasphemous languages of violence and oppression, or on the other, empty signs in the immense marketplace of consumption that does not satisfy us,” he said.Still, the pope insisted that such polarization should not lead to despair.“We must educate people in critical thinking and freedom, in listening and dialogue, and in the trust that leads us to recognize in those who are different fellow travelers and not threats,” he said. “We must work toward the healing of memory and reconciliation among former adversaries.”In his introduction, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune called Leo’s presence the first visit of a pope to Algeria and said it gave the occasion “a unique resonance.” He invoked both St. Augustine and Emir Abdelkader as enduring models at a time of accelerating change and weakening moral values.Tebboune also praised the pope’s moral authority and his support for social justice while reaffirming Algeria’s commitment to working with the Holy Father to promote dialogue, coexistence, and cooperation over division and conflict.This story was first published by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
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Pope Leo XIV in Algeria: ‘I am here among you as a pilgrim of peace’ #Catholic ALGIERS, Algeria — Pope Leo XIV on Monday presented himself to Algeria’s diplomatic corps and civil society as “a pilgrim of peace,” urging a more just international order, warning against exclusion and inequality, and praising those who refuse to be “blinded by power or wealth.”Peace remained the central theme of the pope’s first day in Algeria, following his earlier stop at the Martyrs’ Memorial, where he delivered an appeal for peace and reconciliation.Speaking in French at the Djamaa el Djazair Conference Center, Leo recalled his previous visits to Algeria in 2001 and 2013 to Annaba, the ancient see of St. Augustine, whose spiritual legacy has long shaped the Augustinian order to which the pope belongs.“I am here among you as a pilgrim of peace, eager to meet the noble Algerian people,” the pope said. “We are brothers and sisters, for we have the same Father in heaven.”Leo said the “profound religious sense of the Algerian people” fosters “a culture of encounter and reconciliation,” adding that his visit also seeks to be a sign of that spirit.“In a world full of conflicts and misunderstandings, let us meet and strive for mutual understanding, recognizing that we are one family!” he said. “Today, the simplicity of this awareness is the key to opening many doors that are closed.”Addressing an audience of about 1,400 people from civil society and the diplomatic corps, the pope praised the resilience of the Algerian people, saying they had never been defeated by their trials because of their spirit of solidarity, hospitality, and community.“They are the truly strong ones, to whom the future belongs: those who do not allow themselves to be blinded by power or wealth, and those who refuse to sacrifice the dignity of their fellow citizens for the sake of personal or collective gain,” he said.Leo also highlighted the Algerian understanding of hospitality and almsgiving, reflected in the word “sadaka,” which he noted can also mean justice.“The one who accumulates wealth and remains indifferent to others is unjust,” the pope said, calling this vision of justice both “simple and radical” because it recognizes the image of God in others. “Indeed, a religion without mercy and a society without solidarity are a scandal in God’s eyes.”At the same time, he warned that many societies that consider themselves advanced are falling ever deeper into inequality and exclusion, while “people and organizations that dominate others destroy the world.” He said Africa knows this reality well and suggested that Algeria’s historical experience gives it a critical perspective on global power balances.“If you are able to engage in dialogue regarding the concerns of all and show solidarity with the sufferings of so many countries near and far, then you will be able to contribute to both envisioning and bringing about greater justice among peoples,” Leo said.He added that this task is especially urgent “in the face of continuous violations of international law and neocolonial tendencies.”Drawing on the teaching of Benedict XVI and Pope Francis, Leo called on Algeria’s authorities not to fear a broader social participation by those on the margins.“I therefore urge those of you who hold positions of authority in this country not to fear this outlook but to promote a vibrant, dynamic, and free civil society, in which young people in particular are recognized as capable of helping to broaden the horizon of hope for all,” he said.“The true strength of a nation lies in the cooperation of everyone in pursuing the common good,” he continued. “Authorities are called not to dominate but to serve the people and foster their development.”The pope also pointed to Algeria’s unique role as “a bridge between North and South, and between East and West,” describing the Mediterranean and the Sahara as geographical and spiritual crossroads rich with human and cultural meaning.“Woe to us if we turn them into graveyards where hope also dies!” he said. “Let us multiply oases of peace; let us denounce and remove the causes of despair; and let us oppose those who profit from the misfortune of others!”“For illicit are the gains of those who exploit human life, whose dignity is inviolable,” he added.Leo then broadened his reflection to the place of religion in modern society, noting that Algeria, like much of the world, experiences tensions between religious sensibility and modern life. He warned against both fundamentalism and secularization when they distort the true sense of God and human dignity.“Religious symbols and words can become, on the one hand, blasphemous languages of violence and oppression, or on the other, empty signs in the immense marketplace of consumption that does not satisfy us,” he said.Still, the pope insisted that such polarization should not lead to despair.“We must educate people in critical thinking and freedom, in listening and dialogue, and in the trust that leads us to recognize in those who are different fellow travelers and not threats,” he said. “We must work toward the healing of memory and reconciliation among former adversaries.”In his introduction, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune called Leo’s presence the first visit of a pope to Algeria and said it gave the occasion “a unique resonance.” He invoked both St. Augustine and Emir Abdelkader as enduring models at a time of accelerating change and weakening moral values.Tebboune also praised the pope’s moral authority and his support for social justice while reaffirming Algeria’s commitment to working with the Holy Father to promote dialogue, coexistence, and cooperation over division and conflict.This story was first published by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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The pontiff called for a world order that does not exclude the vulnerable and urged leaders to serve the common good.

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Chaldean Church chooses Archbishop Amel Nona as patriarch, succeeding Cardinal Sako #Catholic The Chaldean Synod has elected Archbishop Amel Shamon Nona as the new Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church, succeeding Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, who submitted his resignation to Pope Leo XIV on March 9 amid a financial and legal scandal concerning a former Chaldean bishop in San Diego.The election took place during the synod’s meetings held in Rome since April 9.This election comes at a critical time for both the Chaldean Church and the wider region, amid ongoing political challenges in Iraq and the Middle East, as well as internal ecclesial issues related to unity and the organization of Church life both locally and in the diaspora.Following the election, the Chaldean bishops issued a statement saying:“After deep spiritual and fraternal deliberations, conducted in a spirit of prayer and ecclesial discernment, and mindful of the apostolic responsibility entrusted to them, the Fathers of the Synod elected the Patriarch of the Chaldean Church according to the established canonical procedures. After completing the required ballots, and in accordance with the will expressed by the Synod, His Excellency Archbishop Amel Shamon Nona was elected Patriarch of the Chaldean Church and chose for himself the name His Beatitude Patriarch Mar Paul III Nona.”The statement continued: “His Beatitude accepted the election in accordance with canonical norms, expressing his reliance on God’s grace and his commitment to exercise his patriarchal ministry with fidelity and responsibility, in full communion with the Fathers of the Synod, in service of the unity of the Chaldean Church and its mission in the homeland and the diaspora.”“The Fathers of the Synod raise their prayers to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, asking that He grant the elected Patriarch wisdom and strength,“ the statement continued. ”They affirm their confidence that this ministry will contribute to strengthening the faithful in their faith, enhancing their unity, and revitalizing the Church’s mission in bearing witness to the Gospel.”The Synod also called on all members of the Chaldean Church — clergy and faithful alike — to unite around the new Patriarch and support him through prayer and shared responsibility for the good of the Church and the growth of its mission.Archbishop Nona was born in Alqosh in northern Iraq in 1967. He was ordained a priest in 1991 after completing his studies at the Patriarchal Seminary in Baghdad. He later pursued higher studies in Rome, earning a doctorate in theological anthropology from the Pontifical Lateran University.He served in the parishes of Alqosh before being appointed Archbishop of Mosul in 2009, during a period marked by escalating violence against Christians in Iraq.During the events of 2014, he left Mosul along with his faithful following the takeover of the city by the terrorist group ISIS, marking a pivotal moment in the modern history of the Chaldean Church.In 2015, the Holy See appointed him head of the Chaldean Eparchy of St. Thomas the Apostle in Australia and New Zealand, where he continued his pastoral ministry among the Chaldean diaspora.His appointment comes following the resignation of Cardinal Raphael Sako, who announced that he submitted his resignation to Pope Leo XIV of his own free will on the morning of March 9 so he could “dedicate himself quietly to prayer, writing, and simple service.”The timing sparked controversy within the Chaldean community. Pope Leo XIV on March 10 accepted the resignation of Bishop Emanuel Shaleta, a Chaldean Catholic bishop arrested in San Diego in March on charges of embezzling Church funds.Sako had allegedly attempted to support or transfer the embattled bishop to a higher position, leading many to question whether the financial scandal played a role in the patriarch’s decision.This story was first published by ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
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Chaldean Church chooses Archbishop Amel Nona as patriarch, succeeding Cardinal Sako #Catholic The Chaldean Synod has elected Archbishop Amel Shamon Nona as the new Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church, succeeding Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, who submitted his resignation to Pope Leo XIV on March 9 amid a financial and legal scandal concerning a former Chaldean bishop in San Diego.The election took place during the synod’s meetings held in Rome since April 9.This election comes at a critical time for both the Chaldean Church and the wider region, amid ongoing political challenges in Iraq and the Middle East, as well as internal ecclesial issues related to unity and the organization of Church life both locally and in the diaspora.Following the election, the Chaldean bishops issued a statement saying:“After deep spiritual and fraternal deliberations, conducted in a spirit of prayer and ecclesial discernment, and mindful of the apostolic responsibility entrusted to them, the Fathers of the Synod elected the Patriarch of the Chaldean Church according to the established canonical procedures. After completing the required ballots, and in accordance with the will expressed by the Synod, His Excellency Archbishop Amel Shamon Nona was elected Patriarch of the Chaldean Church and chose for himself the name His Beatitude Patriarch Mar Paul III Nona.”The statement continued: “His Beatitude accepted the election in accordance with canonical norms, expressing his reliance on God’s grace and his commitment to exercise his patriarchal ministry with fidelity and responsibility, in full communion with the Fathers of the Synod, in service of the unity of the Chaldean Church and its mission in the homeland and the diaspora.”“The Fathers of the Synod raise their prayers to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, asking that He grant the elected Patriarch wisdom and strength,“ the statement continued. ”They affirm their confidence that this ministry will contribute to strengthening the faithful in their faith, enhancing their unity, and revitalizing the Church’s mission in bearing witness to the Gospel.”The Synod also called on all members of the Chaldean Church — clergy and faithful alike — to unite around the new Patriarch and support him through prayer and shared responsibility for the good of the Church and the growth of its mission.Archbishop Nona was born in Alqosh in northern Iraq in 1967. He was ordained a priest in 1991 after completing his studies at the Patriarchal Seminary in Baghdad. He later pursued higher studies in Rome, earning a doctorate in theological anthropology from the Pontifical Lateran University.He served in the parishes of Alqosh before being appointed Archbishop of Mosul in 2009, during a period marked by escalating violence against Christians in Iraq.During the events of 2014, he left Mosul along with his faithful following the takeover of the city by the terrorist group ISIS, marking a pivotal moment in the modern history of the Chaldean Church.In 2015, the Holy See appointed him head of the Chaldean Eparchy of St. Thomas the Apostle in Australia and New Zealand, where he continued his pastoral ministry among the Chaldean diaspora.His appointment comes following the resignation of Cardinal Raphael Sako, who announced that he submitted his resignation to Pope Leo XIV of his own free will on the morning of March 9 so he could “dedicate himself quietly to prayer, writing, and simple service.”The timing sparked controversy within the Chaldean community. Pope Leo XIV on March 10 accepted the resignation of Bishop Emanuel Shaleta, a Chaldean Catholic bishop arrested in San Diego in March on charges of embezzling Church funds.Sako had allegedly attempted to support or transfer the embattled bishop to a higher position, leading many to question whether the financial scandal played a role in the patriarch’s decision.This story was first published by ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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His appointment comes following the resignation of Cardinal Raphael Sako, who submitted his resignation to Pope Leo XIV on March 9 amid a legal and financial scandal surrounding a former bishop.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Picture of the day The former “Kaispeicher B”, one of the oldest preserved warehouse structures in the Port of Hamburg, is now home to the International Maritime Museum Hamburg. The museum opened 17 years ago today, on June 25, 2008. #ImageOfTheDay
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Picture of the day The former “Kaispeicher B”, one of the oldest preserved warehouse structures in the Port of Hamburg, is now home to the International Maritime Museum Hamburg. The museum opened 17 years ago today, on June 25, 2008. #ImageOfTheDay

unitedyam
Picture of the day
The former “Kaispeicher B”, one of the oldest preserved warehouse structures in the Port of Hamburg, is now home to the International Maritime Museum Hamburg. The museum opened 17 years ago today, on June 25, 2008.
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