Government

Quebec secularism law is ‘anti-religious ideology,’ bishops tell Canada Supreme Court #Catholic Canada’s bishops told the Supreme Court of Canada that Quebec’s secularism legislation Bill 21 “denies the divine” going well beyond provincial jurisdiction by imposing an anti-religious ideology on the province.The bishops were among more than 50 intervenors presenting arguments at a landmark Supreme Court of Canada hearing into the constitutionality of Quebec’s 2019 secularism law. The hearing, one of the longest in the court’s history, ran from March 23–26. The court reserved its decision, with a ruling expected later this year.The secularism law, which lower courts have twice upheld, prohibits certain public employees — such as teachers and police officers — from wearing religious symbols while at work.Toronto lawyer Phil Horgan, president and general counsel of the Catholic Civil Rights League (CCRL), argued on behalf of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), summarizing a factum that argued the “purpose and effect” of Quebec’s legislation is to “amend Canada’s federal constitution by imposing an anti-religious, non-neutral ideology, which goes beyond Québec’s jurisdiction.”Such a “drastic” change can only be made by the federal government using its authority over criminal law or its constitutional “peace, order, and good government” powers, according to the bishops’ argument.Quebec preemptively invoked the notwithstanding clause of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms when it drafted Bill 21 to shield it from judicial review.Federal and provincial governments can invoke the notwithstanding clause of the Constitution to temporarily prevent courts from invalidating legislation as unconstitutional.The timing and impact of the use of Charter Section 33 became a significant issue during the four days of hearings and will likely be central in the court’s analysis, Horgan told The Catholic Register.The appellants challenging Bill 21 include individual teachers directly affected by it as well as advocacy groups including the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA), and the Legal Committee of the Coalition Inclusion Québec. They argue Bill 21 is “ultra vires,” beyond the powers of provincial jurisdiction.In a five-minute oral argument, Horgan told the seven justices that “Canada’s existing federal constitution is pluralist and pro-religion.” Although “the doctrine of state neutrality is well established, Canada has never adopted laicity or an absolutist separation of church and state,” he said.Justice Malcolm Rowe questioned Horgan on the point, asking: “Other than the reference to the supremacy of God in the preamble to the Charter, would you direct me to the provision in the Constitution which is pro-religion?”Horgan cited Section 93 of the Constitution Act, 1867, which protects denominational school rights and privileges, and noted federal charity law recognizes religion as a public good.Horgan said he wasn’t concerned by the pushback, noting judges often ask questions “not so much to get the answers from counsel but to help … persuade other members of the bench on some of the merits of the argument.”In its factum, the CCCB said Bill 21 “turns the expression of religious belief, through the wearing of symbols, into something to be punished because such expression now conflicts with the dominant philosophical posture of laïcité.”Just as religious symbols are an illustration of underlying personal faith, “the prohibition of religious symbols manifests an outlook from the provincial government that denies the divine,” the bishops said.Quebec has argued the notwithstanding clause disqualifies courts from weighing in on matters deemed political debates. Isabelle Brunet, a lawyer for the Quebec government, told the justices: “It is not up to a court to answer a question that doesn’t concern the courts.”Quebec received support from the attorneys general of Alberta, Ontario, and Saskatchewan, who maintain the courts should not interfere once the notwithstanding clause is invoked.Alberta and Ontario take a contrary position, arguing there is nothing in the notwithstanding clause that precludes judicial scrutiny of legislation.Guy J. Pratte, a lawyer for the attorney general of Canada, said Section 33 gives legislatures the power to override Charter rights but does not nullify the rights altogether or prevent judges from issuing an opinion if freedoms are violated.‘Imposing an anti-religious, non-neutral ideology’The following excerpts are from the factum submitted to the Supreme Court of Canada by the Canadian bishops:“The purpose and effect of the act is unilaterally to amend Canada’s federal constitution by imposing an anti-religious, non-neutral ideology, which goes beyond Québec’s jurisdiction.”“When a province makes itself laïc, it is adopting a non-neutral stance on religion. The provinces do not have that power.”“Québec is attempting to impose an atheistic posture on religious believers.”“Our constitution is founded on a political theory that sees fundamental rights and freedoms as God-given. To adopt an expressly anti-religious viewpoint, as the act purports to do, is an amendment of our existing federal constitution.”“In the place of a genuinely neutral, pluralist, and pro-religious approach, the act substitutes an anti-religious constitutional settlement where symbols of religion worn by individuals are not permitted.”“Just as religious symbols manifest an underlying personal faith, the prohibition of religious symbols manifests an outlook … that denies the divine.”This story was first published by The B.C. Catholic and is reprinted here with permission.
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Quebec secularism law is ‘anti-religious ideology,’ bishops tell Canada Supreme Court #Catholic Canada’s bishops told the Supreme Court of Canada that Quebec’s secularism legislation Bill 21 “denies the divine” going well beyond provincial jurisdiction by imposing an anti-religious ideology on the province.The bishops were among more than 50 intervenors presenting arguments at a landmark Supreme Court of Canada hearing into the constitutionality of Quebec’s 2019 secularism law. The hearing, one of the longest in the court’s history, ran from March 23–26. The court reserved its decision, with a ruling expected later this year.The secularism law, which lower courts have twice upheld, prohibits certain public employees — such as teachers and police officers — from wearing religious symbols while at work.Toronto lawyer Phil Horgan, president and general counsel of the Catholic Civil Rights League (CCRL), argued on behalf of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), summarizing a factum that argued the “purpose and effect” of Quebec’s legislation is to “amend Canada’s federal constitution by imposing an anti-religious, non-neutral ideology, which goes beyond Québec’s jurisdiction.”Such a “drastic” change can only be made by the federal government using its authority over criminal law or its constitutional “peace, order, and good government” powers, according to the bishops’ argument.Quebec preemptively invoked the notwithstanding clause of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms when it drafted Bill 21 to shield it from judicial review.Federal and provincial governments can invoke the notwithstanding clause of the Constitution to temporarily prevent courts from invalidating legislation as unconstitutional.The timing and impact of the use of Charter Section 33 became a significant issue during the four days of hearings and will likely be central in the court’s analysis, Horgan told The Catholic Register.The appellants challenging Bill 21 include individual teachers directly affected by it as well as advocacy groups including the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA), and the Legal Committee of the Coalition Inclusion Québec. They argue Bill 21 is “ultra vires,” beyond the powers of provincial jurisdiction.In a five-minute oral argument, Horgan told the seven justices that “Canada’s existing federal constitution is pluralist and pro-religion.” Although “the doctrine of state neutrality is well established, Canada has never adopted laicity or an absolutist separation of church and state,” he said.Justice Malcolm Rowe questioned Horgan on the point, asking: “Other than the reference to the supremacy of God in the preamble to the Charter, would you direct me to the provision in the Constitution which is pro-religion?”Horgan cited Section 93 of the Constitution Act, 1867, which protects denominational school rights and privileges, and noted federal charity law recognizes religion as a public good.Horgan said he wasn’t concerned by the pushback, noting judges often ask questions “not so much to get the answers from counsel but to help … persuade other members of the bench on some of the merits of the argument.”In its factum, the CCCB said Bill 21 “turns the expression of religious belief, through the wearing of symbols, into something to be punished because such expression now conflicts with the dominant philosophical posture of laïcité.”Just as religious symbols are an illustration of underlying personal faith, “the prohibition of religious symbols manifests an outlook from the provincial government that denies the divine,” the bishops said.Quebec has argued the notwithstanding clause disqualifies courts from weighing in on matters deemed political debates. Isabelle Brunet, a lawyer for the Quebec government, told the justices: “It is not up to a court to answer a question that doesn’t concern the courts.”Quebec received support from the attorneys general of Alberta, Ontario, and Saskatchewan, who maintain the courts should not interfere once the notwithstanding clause is invoked.Alberta and Ontario take a contrary position, arguing there is nothing in the notwithstanding clause that precludes judicial scrutiny of legislation.Guy J. Pratte, a lawyer for the attorney general of Canada, said Section 33 gives legislatures the power to override Charter rights but does not nullify the rights altogether or prevent judges from issuing an opinion if freedoms are violated.‘Imposing an anti-religious, non-neutral ideology’The following excerpts are from the factum submitted to the Supreme Court of Canada by the Canadian bishops:“The purpose and effect of the act is unilaterally to amend Canada’s federal constitution by imposing an anti-religious, non-neutral ideology, which goes beyond Québec’s jurisdiction.”“When a province makes itself laïc, it is adopting a non-neutral stance on religion. The provinces do not have that power.”“Québec is attempting to impose an atheistic posture on religious believers.”“Our constitution is founded on a political theory that sees fundamental rights and freedoms as God-given. To adopt an expressly anti-religious viewpoint, as the act purports to do, is an amendment of our existing federal constitution.”“In the place of a genuinely neutral, pluralist, and pro-religious approach, the act substitutes an anti-religious constitutional settlement where symbols of religion worn by individuals are not permitted.”“Just as religious symbols manifest an underlying personal faith, the prohibition of religious symbols manifests an outlook … that denies the divine.”This story was first published by The B.C. Catholic and is reprinted here with permission.

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The Catholic bishops were among more than 50 intervenors presenting arguments at a landmark Supreme Court of Canada hearing into the constitutionality of Quebec’s 2019 secularism law.

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Bangladesh Christians form human chain demanding Easter public holiday #Catholic DHAKA, Bangladesh — Christians in Bangladesh formed a human chain and rally in the capital March 31 demanding that the government declare Easter Sunday a public holiday.The Bangladesh Christian Association organized the demonstration in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka, calling on Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to add Easter to the government’s official holiday calendar.Easter Sunday falls on April 5 this year. Bangladesh’s roughly 600,000 Christians — less than 1% of the country’s approximately 170 million people — currently receive only one public holiday for a Christian feast: Christmas Day.Catholic bishops support the demandThe Catholic Church in Bangladesh has also voiced support for the campaign.Archbishop Bejoy N. D’Cruze, OMI, of Dhaka, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Bangladesh, expressed his solidarity with the demand for a holiday on Easter in an interview with EWTN News on March 30.“Since we do not have a government holiday on Easter Sunday, we cannot all celebrate this day together. Many cannot go to the villages, and we cannot all observe the religious customs that are in place before Easter,” D’Cruze told EWTN News.“I also demand from the government to declare a public holiday on Easter so that we Christians can celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ together in family, social, and religious ways,” the archbishop added.‘A heavy heart’Bangladesh Christian Association President Nirmal Rozario said the demand for the holiday is long-standing.“We have come here with a heavy heart and are standing in front of the Press Club. Easter Sunday is very important to us after Christmas. Jesus is the only person in the history of the world who has risen after death. We are demanding a public holiday on this important and significant day, Easter Sunday,” Rozario said.He added that the Christian community “has made considerable contributions to the formation of Bangladesh” in the areas of education, health services, and development, and questioned why the government has not granted the holiday.Rozario called on Rahman to add Easter Sunday to the government holiday calendar beginning next year and to grant a holiday for this year through an executive order.Unequal holiday allocationsMuslims, who make up roughly 91% of the population according to the 2022 census, receive multiple public holidays for their major religious celebrations, including several days for Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. Hindus, who constitute about 8% of the population, have two days off for their main religious festival, Durga Puja.Christians, however, have only one public holiday — Christmas Day.Manju Maria Palma, secretary of The Christian Cooperative Credit Union Ltd. in Dhaka, a 48,000-member organization, was present at the human chain.“Christ was resurrected on this day. This day is very important. If this public holiday is given, not only the Christian community will benefit but also our brothers and sisters of other religions will understand the significance of this day,” Palma said.Lawmaker expresses hopeEWTN News contacted at least three members of Parliament, including Abdul Aziz, a member of Parliament from the Natore-4 constituency, which includes a historic Christian settlement.Aziz told EWTN News: “Since we respect all religious ceremonies, including Christian activities, and since Christians have expressed their demands, our government will definitely consider the matter.”He also expressed hope that the government will soon discuss the issue of a holiday on Easter Sunday.
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Bangladesh Christians form human chain demanding Easter public holiday #Catholic DHAKA, Bangladesh — Christians in Bangladesh formed a human chain and rally in the capital March 31 demanding that the government declare Easter Sunday a public holiday.The Bangladesh Christian Association organized the demonstration in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka, calling on Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to add Easter to the government’s official holiday calendar.Easter Sunday falls on April 5 this year. Bangladesh’s roughly 600,000 Christians — less than 1% of the country’s approximately 170 million people — currently receive only one public holiday for a Christian feast: Christmas Day.Catholic bishops support the demandThe Catholic Church in Bangladesh has also voiced support for the campaign.Archbishop Bejoy N. D’Cruze, OMI, of Dhaka, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Bangladesh, expressed his solidarity with the demand for a holiday on Easter in an interview with EWTN News on March 30.“Since we do not have a government holiday on Easter Sunday, we cannot all celebrate this day together. Many cannot go to the villages, and we cannot all observe the religious customs that are in place before Easter,” D’Cruze told EWTN News.“I also demand from the government to declare a public holiday on Easter so that we Christians can celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ together in family, social, and religious ways,” the archbishop added.‘A heavy heart’Bangladesh Christian Association President Nirmal Rozario said the demand for the holiday is long-standing.“We have come here with a heavy heart and are standing in front of the Press Club. Easter Sunday is very important to us after Christmas. Jesus is the only person in the history of the world who has risen after death. We are demanding a public holiday on this important and significant day, Easter Sunday,” Rozario said.He added that the Christian community “has made considerable contributions to the formation of Bangladesh” in the areas of education, health services, and development, and questioned why the government has not granted the holiday.Rozario called on Rahman to add Easter Sunday to the government holiday calendar beginning next year and to grant a holiday for this year through an executive order.Unequal holiday allocationsMuslims, who make up roughly 91% of the population according to the 2022 census, receive multiple public holidays for their major religious celebrations, including several days for Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. Hindus, who constitute about 8% of the population, have two days off for their main religious festival, Durga Puja.Christians, however, have only one public holiday — Christmas Day.Manju Maria Palma, secretary of The Christian Cooperative Credit Union Ltd. in Dhaka, a 48,000-member organization, was present at the human chain.“Christ was resurrected on this day. This day is very important. If this public holiday is given, not only the Christian community will benefit but also our brothers and sisters of other religions will understand the significance of this day,” Palma said.Lawmaker expresses hopeEWTN News contacted at least three members of Parliament, including Abdul Aziz, a member of Parliament from the Natore-4 constituency, which includes a historic Christian settlement.Aziz told EWTN News: “Since we respect all religious ceremonies, including Christian activities, and since Christians have expressed their demands, our government will definitely consider the matter.”He also expressed hope that the government will soon discuss the issue of a holiday on Easter Sunday.

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Christian leaders and Catholic clergy in the Muslim-majority South Asian nation are urging Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to add Easter Sunday to the government holiday calendar.

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Nigerian archbishop to Trump: Give our nation intel and weapons to combat violence #Catholic Archbishop Ignatius Ayau Kaigama of Abuja, Nigeria, has requested intelligence assets and weaponry from U.S. President Donald Trump to combat violence in the country.The Nigerian prelate made his remarks during an informational briefing in Madrid, where the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) presented the campaign “May Persecution Not Have the Last Word: Heal Nigeria,” which aims to strengthen faith, heal the trauma caused by violence, and protect the persecuted. Ignatius Ayau Kaigama, archbishop of Abuja, Nigeria, at Aid to the Church in Need headquarters in Spain. | Credit: Nicolás de Cárdenas/ACI Prensa Kaigama noted that the U.S. president was “the first head of state to declare as a global leader, clearly and unequivocally, that Christians in Nigeria are being persecuted.”“We thank him,” noted the archbishop, who lamented that for years, only organizations like ACN had spoken out against the situation amid the silence of Western nations.“I was glad when I heard Donald Trump say, ‘We are going to go to Nigeria; we are going to put an end to Boko Haram’ … at Christmas, we received a gift — a bomb that fell on Nigerian soil — and, truth be told, I could not say whether it did any good,” the prelate commented.He explained that, initially, they welcomed Trump’s condemnation of the violence but in the long run it has proven counterproductive: “We thought he would come to strike at the root of the problem, utilizing intelligence, equipment, everything necessary to eradicate Boko Haram and allow us to live in peace. But a single bomb hasn’t accomplished much.” “On the contrary, these people are now more emboldened; they attack with regular frequency and are making things worse,” he said. “That incident, coupled with Donald Trump’s words, has greatly inflamed the passions of the Islamists in that territory. The number of attacks, the number of kidnappings carried out by Boko Haram and other groups, has been rising ever since.” The Catholic Church in Nigeria is under constant threat and attack from Islamic groups and other gangs. | Credit: ACN Spain “So we say to Donald Trump: Give us intelligence reports, give us weapons, collaborate with our government, and then find a way to eradicate all these military groups,” stated the prelate, who also sent a message to the leaders of other Western nations: “Stop ignoring what is happening in Africa, especially in Nigeria.”Deliberate Islamist effort to reduce Christian presence“Nigeria is bleeding,” Kaigama continued. “Nigeria is wounded. Nigeria is being destroyed by multiple factors. And we must ask God to help us heal Nigeria.”“There is a deliberate program by Islamists to reduce the Christian presence in this country,” he continued. “They are instilling fear into the laity who gather to celebrate Mass — bombarding them, shooting at them, threatening them, and preventing them from assembling.” He charged that “there is a deliberate strategy to thwart the growth of the Church, as well as the expansion of evangelization in Nigeria.”The archbishop warned that “if this continues, we will be in danger of losing our faith and also of being unable to remain strong enough to promote the faith and identity of our Church.”“If we are left alone, we will become sickened in mind and spirit. We are suffering,” he lamented.Heal NigeriaDuring the campaign launch, José María Garrido, the director of ACN Spain, described the dire situation facing Nigeria, where Boko Haram’s terrorism in the north is compounded by the criminal actions of extremist Fulani herdsmen groups and kidnapping gangs.From 2015 to 2025 alone, more than 200 priests were kidnapped across 70% of the country’s dioceses. Of these, 183 were released, 12 were murdered, and three others died as a result of the conditions of their captivity. From 2015 to 2025, more than 200 priests were kidnapped in Nigeria. | Credit: ACN Spain More than 80 communities have been attacked, and there are over 3 million internally displaced persons in the country due to the violence.To strengthen the faith of persecuted Christians, ACN Spain is fundraising for the construction of centers for psychological and spiritual assistance in the dioceses of Makurdi and Abuja.Furthermore, aid has been planned for the seminary in Kaduna — one of the dioceses hardest hit by kidnappings — to ensure that one of the universal Church’s greatest sources of vocations can carry on despite the prevailing fear and hardships.ACN Spain also seeks to provide support through various security projects, including the installation of alarm systems in parish centers and the provision of vehicles, enabling priests to minister to rural communities without the risk of being kidnapped.ACN Spain supports the persecuted Church in Nigeria through contributions that have steadily increased in recent years — exceeding 3 million euros (.48 million) in 2025 — and which the organization aims to sustain through its “Heal Nigeria” campaign.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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Nigerian archbishop to Trump: Give our nation intel and weapons to combat violence #Catholic Archbishop Ignatius Ayau Kaigama of Abuja, Nigeria, has requested intelligence assets and weaponry from U.S. President Donald Trump to combat violence in the country.The Nigerian prelate made his remarks during an informational briefing in Madrid, where the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) presented the campaign “May Persecution Not Have the Last Word: Heal Nigeria,” which aims to strengthen faith, heal the trauma caused by violence, and protect the persecuted. Ignatius Ayau Kaigama, archbishop of Abuja, Nigeria, at Aid to the Church in Need headquarters in Spain. | Credit: Nicolás de Cárdenas/ACI Prensa Kaigama noted that the U.S. president was “the first head of state to declare as a global leader, clearly and unequivocally, that Christians in Nigeria are being persecuted.”“We thank him,” noted the archbishop, who lamented that for years, only organizations like ACN had spoken out against the situation amid the silence of Western nations.“I was glad when I heard Donald Trump say, ‘We are going to go to Nigeria; we are going to put an end to Boko Haram’ … at Christmas, we received a gift — a bomb that fell on Nigerian soil — and, truth be told, I could not say whether it did any good,” the prelate commented.He explained that, initially, they welcomed Trump’s condemnation of the violence but in the long run it has proven counterproductive: “We thought he would come to strike at the root of the problem, utilizing intelligence, equipment, everything necessary to eradicate Boko Haram and allow us to live in peace. But a single bomb hasn’t accomplished much.” “On the contrary, these people are now more emboldened; they attack with regular frequency and are making things worse,” he said. “That incident, coupled with Donald Trump’s words, has greatly inflamed the passions of the Islamists in that territory. The number of attacks, the number of kidnappings carried out by Boko Haram and other groups, has been rising ever since.” The Catholic Church in Nigeria is under constant threat and attack from Islamic groups and other gangs. | Credit: ACN Spain “So we say to Donald Trump: Give us intelligence reports, give us weapons, collaborate with our government, and then find a way to eradicate all these military groups,” stated the prelate, who also sent a message to the leaders of other Western nations: “Stop ignoring what is happening in Africa, especially in Nigeria.”Deliberate Islamist effort to reduce Christian presence“Nigeria is bleeding,” Kaigama continued. “Nigeria is wounded. Nigeria is being destroyed by multiple factors. And we must ask God to help us heal Nigeria.”“There is a deliberate program by Islamists to reduce the Christian presence in this country,” he continued. “They are instilling fear into the laity who gather to celebrate Mass — bombarding them, shooting at them, threatening them, and preventing them from assembling.” He charged that “there is a deliberate strategy to thwart the growth of the Church, as well as the expansion of evangelization in Nigeria.”The archbishop warned that “if this continues, we will be in danger of losing our faith and also of being unable to remain strong enough to promote the faith and identity of our Church.”“If we are left alone, we will become sickened in mind and spirit. We are suffering,” he lamented.Heal NigeriaDuring the campaign launch, José María Garrido, the director of ACN Spain, described the dire situation facing Nigeria, where Boko Haram’s terrorism in the north is compounded by the criminal actions of extremist Fulani herdsmen groups and kidnapping gangs.From 2015 to 2025 alone, more than 200 priests were kidnapped across 70% of the country’s dioceses. Of these, 183 were released, 12 were murdered, and three others died as a result of the conditions of their captivity. From 2015 to 2025, more than 200 priests were kidnapped in Nigeria. | Credit: ACN Spain More than 80 communities have been attacked, and there are over 3 million internally displaced persons in the country due to the violence.To strengthen the faith of persecuted Christians, ACN Spain is fundraising for the construction of centers for psychological and spiritual assistance in the dioceses of Makurdi and Abuja.Furthermore, aid has been planned for the seminary in Kaduna — one of the dioceses hardest hit by kidnappings — to ensure that one of the universal Church’s greatest sources of vocations can carry on despite the prevailing fear and hardships.ACN Spain also seeks to provide support through various security projects, including the installation of alarm systems in parish centers and the provision of vehicles, enabling priests to minister to rural communities without the risk of being kidnapped.ACN Spain supports the persecuted Church in Nigeria through contributions that have steadily increased in recent years — exceeding 3 million euros ($3.48 million) in 2025 — and which the organization aims to sustain through its “Heal Nigeria” campaign.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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Archbishop Ignatius Ayau Kaigama appealed for U.S. assistance in combatting Islamic terrorism.

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At a time of conflict, Pope Leo sends a bridge-builder to the United States #Catholic Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, the recently appointed apostolic nuncio to the United States, takes up his new role at a time of heightened tension between the Vatican and the White House over issues including immigration to the U.S. and war in the Middle East.Former collaborators say Caccia’s personal qualities and wide diplomatic experience — including in Lebanon and the Philippines — make him well suited for this crucial assignment.The 68-year-old diplomat recently served as the permanent observer of the Holy See Mission to the United Nations in New York after Pope Francis appointed him there in 2019. His new job is important as a liaison between the Vatican and the U.S., where recent federal policies have faced growing resistance from Church leaders.Pope Leo’s new man on a high-stakes missionA veteran diplomat, Caccia will serve as Pope Leo XIV’s chief representative to the Trump administration. Like his predecessor, Cardinal Christophe Pierre, he assumes office amid ongoing tension between the administration and the Church, especially on immigration enforcement and foreign policy.In a public statement in November 2025, U.S. bishops strongly opposed the administration’s treatment of migrants during mass deportations. Pope Leo expressed support for the statement and denounced the treatment of migrants as “extremely disrespectful, and with instances of violence.”The U.S. bishops have also voiced concern over recent foreign policy moves, including interventions in the Middle East. In January of this year, three U.S. cardinals — Blase Cupich, Joseph Tobin, and Robert McElroy — jointly condemned the administration’s foreign policy in a public statement. In recent addresses, Pope Leo has also called for a ceasefire in the Middle East, deploring on March 15 a “widespread climate of hatred and fear.”Monsignor Roger Landry, who served at the Holy See Mission from 2015 to 2022 and now heads the Pontifical Mission Societies, expressed confidence in the nuncio’s ability to communicate the Holy See’s concerns effectively to the U.S. government while supporting the bishops.“He will represent Pope Leo very well to the U.S. government and the U.S. Church, be a great listener and effective relayer of what’s happening in the United States to Pope Leo, and be a steady source of counsel and support to U.S. bishops,” he told EWTN News.Dálida Morales, who interned at the mission and now works at the Ministry of Industry and Commerce in the Dominican Republic, conveyed hope for the archbishop’s potential to build international dialogue.“He is genuinely a bridge-builder for peace. At a time when dialogue, moral clarity, and principled leadership are urgently needed in the United States, his appointment there is both timely and hopeful,” she said.A diplomat forged in complex geopoliticsHaving worked in the diplomatic service of the Holy See since 1991, Caccia previously served in challenging posts before his appointment to the U.N. He served as apostolic nuncio to Lebanon and the Philippines, two countries with sensitive political climates.His service in Lebanon occurred during the outbreak of the Syrian Civil War in 2011. There, he helped coordinate the Church’s humanitarian response to support over 1.5 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon. His service also included helping maintain peace in a country constitutionally divided among Maronite Christians, Muslims, and Druze.He served in the Philippines at the height of President Rodrigo Duterte’s highly aggressive and controversial anti-narcotics campaign, which resulted in thousands of extrajudicial killings. As the nuncio, he helped to support the bishops, who were vocal critics against the government, while maintaining the country’s diplomatic relations with the Holy See.During his time at the U.N., he promoted the Vatican’s diplomatic stance. Father Mark Knestout, who served with Caccia as a former attaché for the Holy See Mission, noted the importance of his diplomatic experience in his new role.“He was in Lebanon for eight years, which is a complex situation because you have multiple denominations of Catholics there, alongside the situation with Muslims,” he told EWTN News. “So I see him being personable and striving to get to know everyone in the United States as best he can.”An inclusive leader and sports loverFormer staff of Caccia also shared with EWTN News some personal anecdotes from their time serving with him in New York. Vitória Volpato, a former intern at the mission who serves at the Prefecture of São Paulo in Brazil, noted with gratitude the archbishop’s insights on leadership.“He said something that stayed with me: ‘I do not choose the people I work with, but I work with the people I have.’ That made me reflect on what a good leader must be, something the archbishop clearly is,” she said.Ashley Campbell, who interned at the mission and now works at the Religious Freedom Institute, reflected on his love of sports. “I remember once walking with him back to the Holy See Mission building from the U.N., and we talked about how we both grew up playing sports and how amazing it would be if Vatican City could send athletes to the Olympics.”Fidelity to the Holy FatherOne trait consistently praised by those who have worked with the archbishop is his fidelity to the Holy Father. Knestout described the archbishop as a “true Churchman who wants to represent the desires and the intentions of the Holy Father.”Morales added: “Every Wednesday, he would ask us about the Holy Father’s general audience. In this way, he reminded us that one of the most meaningful ways to remain united to the Church is by listening to the voice of the pope. It is a habit I continue to keep today thanks to him.”
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At a time of conflict, Pope Leo sends a bridge-builder to the United States #Catholic Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, the recently appointed apostolic nuncio to the United States, takes up his new role at a time of heightened tension between the Vatican and the White House over issues including immigration to the U.S. and war in the Middle East.Former collaborators say Caccia’s personal qualities and wide diplomatic experience — including in Lebanon and the Philippines — make him well suited for this crucial assignment.The 68-year-old diplomat recently served as the permanent observer of the Holy See Mission to the United Nations in New York after Pope Francis appointed him there in 2019. His new job is important as a liaison between the Vatican and the U.S., where recent federal policies have faced growing resistance from Church leaders.Pope Leo’s new man on a high-stakes missionA veteran diplomat, Caccia will serve as Pope Leo XIV’s chief representative to the Trump administration. Like his predecessor, Cardinal Christophe Pierre, he assumes office amid ongoing tension between the administration and the Church, especially on immigration enforcement and foreign policy.In a public statement in November 2025, U.S. bishops strongly opposed the administration’s treatment of migrants during mass deportations. Pope Leo expressed support for the statement and denounced the treatment of migrants as “extremely disrespectful, and with instances of violence.”The U.S. bishops have also voiced concern over recent foreign policy moves, including interventions in the Middle East. In January of this year, three U.S. cardinals — Blase Cupich, Joseph Tobin, and Robert McElroy — jointly condemned the administration’s foreign policy in a public statement. In recent addresses, Pope Leo has also called for a ceasefire in the Middle East, deploring on March 15 a “widespread climate of hatred and fear.”Monsignor Roger Landry, who served at the Holy See Mission from 2015 to 2022 and now heads the Pontifical Mission Societies, expressed confidence in the nuncio’s ability to communicate the Holy See’s concerns effectively to the U.S. government while supporting the bishops.“He will represent Pope Leo very well to the U.S. government and the U.S. Church, be a great listener and effective relayer of what’s happening in the United States to Pope Leo, and be a steady source of counsel and support to U.S. bishops,” he told EWTN News.Dálida Morales, who interned at the mission and now works at the Ministry of Industry and Commerce in the Dominican Republic, conveyed hope for the archbishop’s potential to build international dialogue.“He is genuinely a bridge-builder for peace. At a time when dialogue, moral clarity, and principled leadership are urgently needed in the United States, his appointment there is both timely and hopeful,” she said.A diplomat forged in complex geopoliticsHaving worked in the diplomatic service of the Holy See since 1991, Caccia previously served in challenging posts before his appointment to the U.N. He served as apostolic nuncio to Lebanon and the Philippines, two countries with sensitive political climates.His service in Lebanon occurred during the outbreak of the Syrian Civil War in 2011. There, he helped coordinate the Church’s humanitarian response to support over 1.5 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon. His service also included helping maintain peace in a country constitutionally divided among Maronite Christians, Muslims, and Druze.He served in the Philippines at the height of President Rodrigo Duterte’s highly aggressive and controversial anti-narcotics campaign, which resulted in thousands of extrajudicial killings. As the nuncio, he helped to support the bishops, who were vocal critics against the government, while maintaining the country’s diplomatic relations with the Holy See.During his time at the U.N., he promoted the Vatican’s diplomatic stance. Father Mark Knestout, who served with Caccia as a former attaché for the Holy See Mission, noted the importance of his diplomatic experience in his new role.“He was in Lebanon for eight years, which is a complex situation because you have multiple denominations of Catholics there, alongside the situation with Muslims,” he told EWTN News. “So I see him being personable and striving to get to know everyone in the United States as best he can.”An inclusive leader and sports loverFormer staff of Caccia also shared with EWTN News some personal anecdotes from their time serving with him in New York. Vitória Volpato, a former intern at the mission who serves at the Prefecture of São Paulo in Brazil, noted with gratitude the archbishop’s insights on leadership.“He said something that stayed with me: ‘I do not choose the people I work with, but I work with the people I have.’ That made me reflect on what a good leader must be, something the archbishop clearly is,” she said.Ashley Campbell, who interned at the mission and now works at the Religious Freedom Institute, reflected on his love of sports. “I remember once walking with him back to the Holy See Mission building from the U.N., and we talked about how we both grew up playing sports and how amazing it would be if Vatican City could send athletes to the Olympics.”Fidelity to the Holy FatherOne trait consistently praised by those who have worked with the archbishop is his fidelity to the Holy Father. Knestout described the archbishop as a “true Churchman who wants to represent the desires and the intentions of the Holy Father.”Morales added: “Every Wednesday, he would ask us about the Holy Father’s general audience. In this way, he reminded us that one of the most meaningful ways to remain united to the Church is by listening to the voice of the pope. It is a habit I continue to keep today thanks to him.”

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Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, the new papal envoy to Washington, has been shaped by a diplomatic career in geopolitical hot spots.

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‘They want to evict us’: Why Indigenous Catholics fight forest project in Bangladesh #Catholic MADHUPUR, Bangladesh — Indigenous Catholic and tribal leaders in central Bangladesh are warning the government that a stronger protest movement will follow if it does not withdraw a contested forest development project before the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan this week.The Garo and Koch Indigenous peoples say a government plan to dig an artificial lake and build an eco-park in the Madhupur forest — about 94 miles north of the capital, Dhaka — is a pretext for evicting them from ancestral lands they have occupied for generations.“What the government is doing in the name of development is not development. It is a clear plan to evict the Garo and Koch Indigenous from this forest area,” said Toni Chiran, a Catholic from Corpus Christi Church in Jalchatra and president of the Bangladesh Indigenous Youth Forum. A speaker addresses Indigenous Garo people at a protest rally in Madhupur, Bangladesh, on March 6, 2026. | Credit: Stephan Uttom Rozario Chiran spoke at a protest rally on March 6 in Madhupur’s Tangail district, where hundreds of Indigenous students and community members gathered to oppose the project. He said that if the artificial lake and eco-park are built, Indigenous people will lose their agricultural land and the natural forest will be destroyed, leaving the Garo and other Indigenous peoples with no means to sustain their way of life.Bangladesh is home to approximately 400,000 Catholics in a population of nearly 178 million, and more than half of the country’s Catholics come from Indigenous communities.Church voices supportFather Simon Hacha, the vicar general of the Diocese of Mymensingh, which covers the area, said the Church cannot support the government’s plans.“If this project is implemented, the Indigenous people’s cropland will be destroyed and they will face eviction. We think that is what the government wants,” Hacha told EWTN News.“We want to tell the government to back off from such shameful steps. The Catholic Church has always been for justice and has been giving moral support to the Indigenous movement,” he added.Decades-long disputeThe Bangladesh government first proposed an artificial lake and eco-park in the Madhupur forest in 2000. In 2004, at least one Garo man was killed by police gunfire during a protest, and many others were injured. The government subsequently halted the project.In 2026, authorities revived the plan and have already begun excavating the designated area. Indigenous leaders say the project amounts to a long-term strategy to force tribal communities from the region.Janoki Chisim, secretary of the Garo Indigenous Student Union, told EWTN News that the project would be an injustice not only to the forest but also to the people who depend on it.“Let the forest survive in its original form and glory. The Garo and Koch Indigenous people have lived in this forest since time immemorial,” Chisim said. An excavator digs inside the Madhupur forest in Bangladesh on March 6, 2026, as part of a government project to expand an artificial lake that Indigenous communities say threatens their ancestral land. | Credit: Stephan Uttom Rozario According to tribal elders, tigers, bears, deer, wild boars, and wild cats once roamed freely in the forest, and hundreds of bird species thrived alongside them. Forest dwellers traditionally collected wild potatoes and medicinal plants from the forest vines. That way of life, residents say, is slowly disappearing.After the Tenancy Act of 1950, the Forest Department encroached on tribal forestland. Successive government projects have steadily eroded the forest’s biodiversity. Remaining forest is being cleared for lakes, entertainment centers, hotels, and resorts, and the local Garo and Koch Indigenous people are being displaced, community leaders say.“If the customary land rights of the tribals are not ensured, a strong movement will be launched in the coming days,” Chisim told EWTN News.Forest officials respondForest officials say the lake is being expanded to 1,165 feet. An existing 665-foot-long lake, dug five decades ago, has silted up, causing a severe water shortage in the forest during the dry season.When rivers and canals dry up, monkeys, hanuman langurs, deer, and other wildlife venture into populated areas in search of water and are sometimes attacked, officials said.“Deer, peacocks, and tortoises in the breeding center also face water shortage. The expansion of this lake is necessary to protect the life of wildlife,” Mosharraf Hossain, a forest official, told EWTN News.Hossain added that no one has customary land rights in the reserved forest and that lakes are not being dug on Garo land. Forest department officials say some youths are spreading unnecessary confusion at the behest of a vested interest group.
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‘They want to evict us’: Why Indigenous Catholics fight forest project in Bangladesh #Catholic MADHUPUR, Bangladesh — Indigenous Catholic and tribal leaders in central Bangladesh are warning the government that a stronger protest movement will follow if it does not withdraw a contested forest development project before the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan this week.The Garo and Koch Indigenous peoples say a government plan to dig an artificial lake and build an eco-park in the Madhupur forest — about 94 miles north of the capital, Dhaka — is a pretext for evicting them from ancestral lands they have occupied for generations.“What the government is doing in the name of development is not development. It is a clear plan to evict the Garo and Koch Indigenous from this forest area,” said Toni Chiran, a Catholic from Corpus Christi Church in Jalchatra and president of the Bangladesh Indigenous Youth Forum. A speaker addresses Indigenous Garo people at a protest rally in Madhupur, Bangladesh, on March 6, 2026. | Credit: Stephan Uttom Rozario Chiran spoke at a protest rally on March 6 in Madhupur’s Tangail district, where hundreds of Indigenous students and community members gathered to oppose the project. He said that if the artificial lake and eco-park are built, Indigenous people will lose their agricultural land and the natural forest will be destroyed, leaving the Garo and other Indigenous peoples with no means to sustain their way of life.Bangladesh is home to approximately 400,000 Catholics in a population of nearly 178 million, and more than half of the country’s Catholics come from Indigenous communities.Church voices supportFather Simon Hacha, the vicar general of the Diocese of Mymensingh, which covers the area, said the Church cannot support the government’s plans.“If this project is implemented, the Indigenous people’s cropland will be destroyed and they will face eviction. We think that is what the government wants,” Hacha told EWTN News.“We want to tell the government to back off from such shameful steps. The Catholic Church has always been for justice and has been giving moral support to the Indigenous movement,” he added.Decades-long disputeThe Bangladesh government first proposed an artificial lake and eco-park in the Madhupur forest in 2000. In 2004, at least one Garo man was killed by police gunfire during a protest, and many others were injured. The government subsequently halted the project.In 2026, authorities revived the plan and have already begun excavating the designated area. Indigenous leaders say the project amounts to a long-term strategy to force tribal communities from the region.Janoki Chisim, secretary of the Garo Indigenous Student Union, told EWTN News that the project would be an injustice not only to the forest but also to the people who depend on it.“Let the forest survive in its original form and glory. The Garo and Koch Indigenous people have lived in this forest since time immemorial,” Chisim said. An excavator digs inside the Madhupur forest in Bangladesh on March 6, 2026, as part of a government project to expand an artificial lake that Indigenous communities say threatens their ancestral land. | Credit: Stephan Uttom Rozario According to tribal elders, tigers, bears, deer, wild boars, and wild cats once roamed freely in the forest, and hundreds of bird species thrived alongside them. Forest dwellers traditionally collected wild potatoes and medicinal plants from the forest vines. That way of life, residents say, is slowly disappearing.After the Tenancy Act of 1950, the Forest Department encroached on tribal forestland. Successive government projects have steadily eroded the forest’s biodiversity. Remaining forest is being cleared for lakes, entertainment centers, hotels, and resorts, and the local Garo and Koch Indigenous people are being displaced, community leaders say.“If the customary land rights of the tribals are not ensured, a strong movement will be launched in the coming days,” Chisim told EWTN News.Forest officials respondForest officials say the lake is being expanded to 1,165 feet. An existing 665-foot-long lake, dug five decades ago, has silted up, causing a severe water shortage in the forest during the dry season.When rivers and canals dry up, monkeys, hanuman langurs, deer, and other wildlife venture into populated areas in search of water and are sometimes attacked, officials said.“Deer, peacocks, and tortoises in the breeding center also face water shortage. The expansion of this lake is necessary to protect the life of wildlife,” Mosharraf Hossain, a forest official, told EWTN News.Hossain added that no one has customary land rights in the reserved forest and that lakes are not being dug on Garo land. Forest department officials say some youths are spreading unnecessary confusion at the behest of a vested interest group.

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Catholic Indigenous leaders in Bangladesh say they will escalate protests if the government does not halt a forest development project they call a pretext for eviction.

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Rohingya refugees learn about Lent as Caritas Bangladesh bridges faiths in camps #Catholic COX’S BAZAR, Bangladesh — As more than 1 million Rohingya Muslim refugees in Bangladesh observe the final days of Ramadan, the Catholic charity Caritas Bangladesh is building bridges between the two faiths by sharing the meaning of Lent with refugees and host communities in the sprawling camps of Cox’s Bazar.“We at Caritas Bangladesh are building a bridge between the two religions by highlighting the significance of Lent for our Christians with the Rohingya refugees and the host community so that they can understand the meaning of Lent,” said Liton Luis Gomes, project director of Caritas Bangladesh’s Emergency Response Program.“We have been sharing with the Rohingya refugees the significance of our fasting, which is to eat less and distribute it to the poor, to listen to people, or to serve those who really deserve it,” Gomes told EWTN News.Caritas is sharing the theme of its 2026 Lenten campaign — “Prayer, Listening, and Fasting: A Holy Call of Inner Transformation” — with the Rohingya and host communities, Gomes said.The pope and the RohingyaPope Francis met a group of Rohingya refugees during his apostolic visit to Bangladesh on Dec. 1, 2017. The refugees traveled to Dhaka from Cox’s Bazar to meet the pope during an interreligious gathering at the archbishop’s residence.“The presence of God today is also called Rohingya,” Francis told the gathering in remarks that marked the first time during his visit to Myanmar and Bangladesh that he publicly used the word “Rohingya” to describe the persecuted Muslim minority. Pope urges ‘full rights’ be given to persecuted Rohingya minority Most of the Rohingya in the Cox’s Bazar camps arrived from Myanmar since August 2017, when the military began conducting clearance operations after a series of rebel attacks in Myanmar’s Rakhine state. The Rohingya are Muslims who have long faced discrimination in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, including being denied citizenship since 1982. The military coup in Myanmar, formerly Burma, in February 2021 further heightened their vulnerability.The population density of the camps is staggering — roughly 103,600 people per square mile, more than 40 times the average population density of Bangladesh as a whole. Refugees live in side-by-side plastic and bamboo shelters, each just a little larger than 100 square feet, some holding a dozen residents.‘We are not in a festive mood’Eid al-Fitr, one of Islam’s most important religious celebrations, is expected to begin later this week, but refugees say they are not able to celebrate.Abdur Rahim, 55, a Rohingya father of five, told EWTN News that food in the camps is not sufficient but that refugees are “still surviving, thanks to the Bangladesh government and the Almighty.”“We have no money to buy new clothes for my child and grandchild for this festival. Eid is joyful to Muslims, but we are not in a festive mood, because if we can go to our motherland Myanmar, we will be happy,” Rahim said.Rahim said the Caritas initiative had given him a new understanding of the season of fasting.“I didn’t know that Ramadan is not just about not eating. Now, through Caritas, I’ve learned that Ramadan is about helping people and reducing your expenses,” Rahim said.Between 2017 and 2023, Caritas provided million in emergency efforts for Rohingya and host community members in Cox’s Bazar, according to Caritas Internationalis. During that period the charity assisted nearly 1.7 million individuals with shelter support, protection, disaster risk reduction, education, and water, sanitation, and hygiene services.Caritas Bangladesh is the social action arm of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Bangladesh.
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Rohingya refugees learn about Lent as Caritas Bangladesh bridges faiths in camps #Catholic COX’S BAZAR, Bangladesh — As more than 1 million Rohingya Muslim refugees in Bangladesh observe the final days of Ramadan, the Catholic charity Caritas Bangladesh is building bridges between the two faiths by sharing the meaning of Lent with refugees and host communities in the sprawling camps of Cox’s Bazar.“We at Caritas Bangladesh are building a bridge between the two religions by highlighting the significance of Lent for our Christians with the Rohingya refugees and the host community so that they can understand the meaning of Lent,” said Liton Luis Gomes, project director of Caritas Bangladesh’s Emergency Response Program.“We have been sharing with the Rohingya refugees the significance of our fasting, which is to eat less and distribute it to the poor, to listen to people, or to serve those who really deserve it,” Gomes told EWTN News.Caritas is sharing the theme of its 2026 Lenten campaign — “Prayer, Listening, and Fasting: A Holy Call of Inner Transformation” — with the Rohingya and host communities, Gomes said.The pope and the RohingyaPope Francis met a group of Rohingya refugees during his apostolic visit to Bangladesh on Dec. 1, 2017. The refugees traveled to Dhaka from Cox’s Bazar to meet the pope during an interreligious gathering at the archbishop’s residence.“The presence of God today is also called Rohingya,” Francis told the gathering in remarks that marked the first time during his visit to Myanmar and Bangladesh that he publicly used the word “Rohingya” to describe the persecuted Muslim minority. Pope urges ‘full rights’ be given to persecuted Rohingya minority Most of the Rohingya in the Cox’s Bazar camps arrived from Myanmar since August 2017, when the military began conducting clearance operations after a series of rebel attacks in Myanmar’s Rakhine state. The Rohingya are Muslims who have long faced discrimination in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, including being denied citizenship since 1982. The military coup in Myanmar, formerly Burma, in February 2021 further heightened their vulnerability.The population density of the camps is staggering — roughly 103,600 people per square mile, more than 40 times the average population density of Bangladesh as a whole. Refugees live in side-by-side plastic and bamboo shelters, each just a little larger than 100 square feet, some holding a dozen residents.‘We are not in a festive mood’Eid al-Fitr, one of Islam’s most important religious celebrations, is expected to begin later this week, but refugees say they are not able to celebrate.Abdur Rahim, 55, a Rohingya father of five, told EWTN News that food in the camps is not sufficient but that refugees are “still surviving, thanks to the Bangladesh government and the Almighty.”“We have no money to buy new clothes for my child and grandchild for this festival. Eid is joyful to Muslims, but we are not in a festive mood, because if we can go to our motherland Myanmar, we will be happy,” Rahim said.Rahim said the Caritas initiative had given him a new understanding of the season of fasting.“I didn’t know that Ramadan is not just about not eating. Now, through Caritas, I’ve learned that Ramadan is about helping people and reducing your expenses,” Rahim said.Between 2017 and 2023, Caritas provided $45 million in emergency efforts for Rohingya and host community members in Cox’s Bazar, according to Caritas Internationalis. During that period the charity assisted nearly 1.7 million individuals with shelter support, protection, disaster risk reduction, education, and water, sanitation, and hygiene services.Caritas Bangladesh is the social action arm of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Bangladesh.

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As Ramadan draws to a close in the camps of Cox’s Bazar, Caritas Bangladesh is sharing the meaning of Lent with more than 1 million Rohingya Muslim refugees.

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Cuban government to release 51 prisoners following Vatican talks #Catholic The Cuban government announced that it will release 51 people from prison because of its “smooth” relations with the Vatican — a move that coincides with the upcoming observance of Holy Week.“In the spirit of goodwill, and of the close and smooth relations between the Cuban state and the Vatican — with which communication regarding processes for the review and release of persons deprived of liberty has historically been maintained — the government of Cuba has decided to release, in the coming days, 51 individuals sentenced to deprivation of liberty [prison],” the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported in a March 12 statement.The director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, confirmed to ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, on March 13 that “conversations regarding the release of prisoners have recently taken place.”The statement from the Cuban ministry notes that all these individuals “have served a significant portion of their sentences and have maintained good conduct in prison”; however, it does not indicate whether the group includes political prisoners.The communist regime states that since 2010, it “has granted pardons to 9,905 inmates, while — over the last three years, as part of Cuban practice and pursuant to the provisions of our legislation — another 10,000 individuals sentenced to deprivation of liberty were released based on certain conditions.”This announcement comes amid renewed tensions between Cuba and the United States, which began in January, and the recent meetings that representatives from both countries have held with Vatican officials.On Feb. 20, the U.S. chief of mission in Cuba, Mike Hammer, held a meeting at the Vatican with Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Holy See’s secretary for relations with states.Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin stated on March 9 that the Holy See has taken “the necessary steps” regarding the situation in Cuba, “always with a view to a solution to the existing problems through dialogue.”In January 2025, the Cuban regime also announced the release of 553 prisoners following mediation by Pope Francis and “in the spirit of the Ordinary Jubilee of 2025.”Victoria Cardiel, EWTN News correspondent in Rome, contributed to this report.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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Cuban government to release 51 prisoners following Vatican talks #Catholic The Cuban government announced that it will release 51 people from prison because of its “smooth” relations with the Vatican — a move that coincides with the upcoming observance of Holy Week.“In the spirit of goodwill, and of the close and smooth relations between the Cuban state and the Vatican — with which communication regarding processes for the review and release of persons deprived of liberty has historically been maintained — the government of Cuba has decided to release, in the coming days, 51 individuals sentenced to deprivation of liberty [prison],” the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported in a March 12 statement.The director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, confirmed to ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, on March 13 that “conversations regarding the release of prisoners have recently taken place.”The statement from the Cuban ministry notes that all these individuals “have served a significant portion of their sentences and have maintained good conduct in prison”; however, it does not indicate whether the group includes political prisoners.The communist regime states that since 2010, it “has granted pardons to 9,905 inmates, while — over the last three years, as part of Cuban practice and pursuant to the provisions of our legislation — another 10,000 individuals sentenced to deprivation of liberty were released based on certain conditions.”This announcement comes amid renewed tensions between Cuba and the United States, which began in January, and the recent meetings that representatives from both countries have held with Vatican officials.On Feb. 20, the U.S. chief of mission in Cuba, Mike Hammer, held a meeting at the Vatican with Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Holy See’s secretary for relations with states.Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin stated on March 9 that the Holy See has taken “the necessary steps” regarding the situation in Cuba, “always with a view to a solution to the existing problems through dialogue.”In January 2025, the Cuban regime also announced the release of 553 prisoners following mediation by Pope Francis and “in the spirit of the Ordinary Jubilee of 2025.”Victoria Cardiel, EWTN News correspondent in Rome, contributed to this report.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 regime stated the decision was made in a “spirit of goodwill” and because of its good relations with the Holy See, but did not indicate if any of those to be released are political prisoners.

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Georgia appeals court blocks abuse suit against Atlanta Archdiocese, cites statute of limitations #Catholic A dozen alleged abuse victims suffered a defeat at a Georgia appeals court this week when their lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Atlanta was dismissed on the grounds that the alleged abuse did not fall under an extended statute of limitations. The case turned on whether or not the archdiocese had covered up the alleged clergy sexual abuse, which if true could have “tolled” the time limit for filing abuse claims. “Tolling” occurs when a statute of limitations is extended beyond a normal window, allowing alleged victims to file abuse claims years after they normally would have been barred from doing so. In the Atlanta case, a dozen alleged victims had filed numerous suits against the Archdiocese of Atlanta and numerous churches, claiming that Fathers John Edwards and Jorge Cristancho had abused them over multiple decades from the 1960s to the early 2000s. A lower court had dismissed the cases. The Georgia Court of Appeals on March 9 upheld the dismissal, arguing that the statute of limitations for the filings had expired and that the archdiocese had not committed any malfeasance that could have extended the filing window. The plaintiffs “failed to point to any evidence that the [the archdioceseʼs] actions concealed the Plaintiffs’ claims and prevented or hindered them from filing their lawsuits,” the ruling held. The alleged victims failed to prove that they “ever requested information from the [archdiocese] about their knowledge and involvement in the abuse, or that the [archdiocese] refused” to provide it. The three-judge panel acknowledged that it was “certainly mindful of the grievous circumstances involving heinous conduct which led to the filing of these cases.”Edwards and Cristancho are both listed by the archdiocese as “credibly accused” of sexual abuse. Edwards died in 1997; Cristancho was laicized in 2003. Statutes of limitations have been a key component of disputes in the U.S. Church for years, with lawmakers in recent years advocating and often passing bills retroactively extending the window for filing abuse claims. In 2023 Maryland passed the state Child Victims Act, which abolished a 20-year statute of limitations for civil child abuse suits. The Maryland Supreme Court ruled in 2025 that the law did not violate the state constitution.Numerous states such as New York, North Carolina, New Jersey, Colorado and others have enacted similar laws allowing for abuse victims to seek restitution for alleged incidents that occurred in decades past. Such legal arrangements are not limited to the United States. In January the Spanish Bishops’ Conference and the national government agreed to a compensation plan for abuse victims that will allow victims to file for restitution even if the alleged abuse falls outside of the standard statute of limitations.
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Georgia appeals court blocks abuse suit against Atlanta Archdiocese, cites statute of limitations #Catholic A dozen alleged abuse victims suffered a defeat at a Georgia appeals court this week when their lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Atlanta was dismissed on the grounds that the alleged abuse did not fall under an extended statute of limitations. The case turned on whether or not the archdiocese had covered up the alleged clergy sexual abuse, which if true could have “tolled” the time limit for filing abuse claims. “Tolling” occurs when a statute of limitations is extended beyond a normal window, allowing alleged victims to file abuse claims years after they normally would have been barred from doing so. In the Atlanta case, a dozen alleged victims had filed numerous suits against the Archdiocese of Atlanta and numerous churches, claiming that Fathers John Edwards and Jorge Cristancho had abused them over multiple decades from the 1960s to the early 2000s. A lower court had dismissed the cases. The Georgia Court of Appeals on March 9 upheld the dismissal, arguing that the statute of limitations for the filings had expired and that the archdiocese had not committed any malfeasance that could have extended the filing window. The plaintiffs “failed to point to any evidence that the [the archdioceseʼs] actions concealed the Plaintiffs’ claims and prevented or hindered them from filing their lawsuits,” the ruling held. The alleged victims failed to prove that they “ever requested information from the [archdiocese] about their knowledge and involvement in the abuse, or that the [archdiocese] refused” to provide it. The three-judge panel acknowledged that it was “certainly mindful of the grievous circumstances involving heinous conduct which led to the filing of these cases.”Edwards and Cristancho are both listed by the archdiocese as “credibly accused” of sexual abuse. Edwards died in 1997; Cristancho was laicized in 2003. Statutes of limitations have been a key component of disputes in the U.S. Church for years, with lawmakers in recent years advocating and often passing bills retroactively extending the window for filing abuse claims. In 2023 Maryland passed the state Child Victims Act, which abolished a 20-year statute of limitations for civil child abuse suits. The Maryland Supreme Court ruled in 2025 that the law did not violate the state constitution.Numerous states such as New York, North Carolina, New Jersey, Colorado and others have enacted similar laws allowing for abuse victims to seek restitution for alleged incidents that occurred in decades past. Such legal arrangements are not limited to the United States. In January the Spanish Bishops’ Conference and the national government agreed to a compensation plan for abuse victims that will allow victims to file for restitution even if the alleged abuse falls outside of the standard statute of limitations.

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The statute of limitations could not be extended due to a lack of evidence of fraud by the archdiocese, the court said.

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Maryland high school seniors arrive home safely after being stuck in Middle East during hostilities #Catholic A group of high schoolers from a Maryland boys' school found themselves in the crosshairs of international conflict in the Middle East this week, turning what was meant to be a brief layover in Abu Dhabi into a multi-day ordeal amid escalating hostilities between Iran, Israel, and the United States.The group — 18 seniors and two faculty members from the Heights School in Potomac, Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C. — had departed on the afternoon of Feb. 27 for a cultural exchange trip to Thailand.The voyage was part of the school’s yearly Crescite Trips, where students in grades 9-12 participate during the first week of March in local seminars as well as domestic and international trips intended for the students’ growth.The group was scheduled for a two-hour layover in the United Arab Emirates after their 12-hour flight when regional airspace slammed shut following U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran and Iranʼs retaliatory missile barrages.Initially, all flights were cancelled, but soon the airport was closed and had to be evacuated. According to Aidan Korn, a student on the trip, the group was seated at the gate for their next flight when they learned it had been suspended because “the war had begun.”“It was scary at first. We were sitting by a giant window at the gate and all of our phones started going off at the same time. I saw texts from friends in the U.S. asking if I was alive,” he said. “We saw military men running with guns through the airport.”Korn said the two faculty chaperones, Justin Myers and Dan Sushinsky, told them to get away from the windows and seek shelter in the airport bathroom. They learned later that a drone was intercepted above the airport, and the debris killed one person and injured several others.Myers and Sushinksy, both seasoned teachers as well as college counselors at the Heights, immediately called headmaster Alvaro de Vicente, who told EWTN News he called “everyone I know to help” the boys.De Vicente said the teachers and boys registered through the state department website for U.S. citizens stuck in the Middle East.The teachers “did an incredible job keeping the boys calm, safe, and engaged,” said de Vicente. He described the men as “real pros in handling a situation no teacher can prepare for.”“This is not what we do. We donʼt prepare for this!” he said.Bryson Begg, another senior on the trip, agreed, telling EWTN News that the teachers were "incredible. Their number-one priority was our safety. They cared for us so much.”Begg described a “confidence” that Myers and Sushinksy emanated that they would all get home safely. “We had this sense that they’ve got it.”The teachers instructed the boys to be cautious and not to post anything on social media that could compromise their security, Korn said.Myers told EWTN News the situation felt chaotic at first, as thousands of people with canceled flights tried to find hotels using airline-provided vouchers. Initially, the group was split up and assigned to different hotels, which they deemed unacceptable, so he and Sushinsky decided to stay the night in the airport, hoping a flight would open up while they waited.The airport was then closed and everyone was ordered to evacuate. After several hours, with the help of several airport employees, Myers said they were able to find a hotel for all 20 of them. When they boarded the bus, again amidst the chaos of thousands of evacuating travelers, the driver asked Myers where the hotel was, and they figured out the directions there together.Myers said either he or Sushinsky was on the phone almost constantly with the State Department, parents, de Vicente, Heights alumni who lived in the area, and  the U.S. embassy. Myers, who has taught at the Heights for over 30 years and has led many trips, told EWTN News it was “an unusually good group” of boys. "All of our top students were on this trip. They were very brave.”“They were probably not as scared as they should have been! And now that they’re home safe, they’re saying it was the best trip ever!” he laughed.Once at the hotel, he and Sushinsky held group meetings at set times each day, where they ate together, played games, prayed the rosary, and told funny stories. The leaders also made themselves available at set times each day to talk with any boys who wanted to.Begg said the teachers made sure the boys kept their bags packed and ready to go at all times in case they had to rush to the airport to catch an available flight out.Korn told EWTN News the hotel’s doors were initially zip tied shut, but as the days went on, they were occasionally allowed to venture outside briefly. On one of these occasions, Begg said he was praying the rosary when warning sirens went off, and the hotel staff urgently called him back inside.“Most of the time it felt perfectly safe,” Myers said. “We saw some drones a couple of times; saw them intercepted, mostly at night. We’d watch the news and they’d make it worse than it is. They kept showing the same building being hit.”“It was not like what was being shown on TV. People in the city were going about their daily lives.”Nevertheless, the boys spent most of their time indoors eating (“The hotel had really nice food,” said Korn), working out at the gym, watching movies in the presidential suite, where two of the students were staying, and even playing hide and seek throughout the hotel.Thanks to a Heights alumnus who lives there, the group (with all the parents’ permission) was able to go to the beach one day, and on a desert excursion to an oasis, where they rode camels, according to Begg.‘An overwhelming feeling of comfort’By 4:30 a.m. on Feb. 28, Karen Korn, Aidan’s mother, told EWTN News she was awakened by the dozens of notifications on her phone from the boys as well as other parents.“I’m so humbled by and grateful to the amount of people that reached out to us, who were praying,” she said. “I truly believe that was what got us through. It’s unbelievable how many people were praying.”“We had people praying 24 hours a day; priests at every church around us that had holy hours and said Masses for them … even outside of this area.”She described “an overwhelming feeling of comfort” knowing how many prayers were being said for the young men. While praying on Sunday, she said she saw an image of Jesus wrapping his arms around the boys, keeping them safe.‘Men fully alive’Begg, who has attended the Heights since 3rd grade, credited de Vicente for working “tirelessly to help us.”“He is the pinnacle of what a Heights man is. ‘Men fully alive’ is our motto, and he’s the epitome of that. He’s strong in his beliefs, and cared for us so much. He waited in the airport for hours before we arrived. It was incredibly heartwarming to see that.”“He was right at the front of the group of parents at the airport with a big smile on his face, welcoming us home. We all shook his hand.”De Vicente said he was “thankful to the United Arab Emirates government” for hosting the boys, providing them the hotel and transportation. He also said he was "thankful to our government for being able to get them out.”The boys left on a charter flight — one arranged by the U.S. State Department filled with other American families — and returned safely to Dulles Airport on the afternoon of Thursday, March 5. Aidan Korn hugs his parents, Karen and Jason Korn, at Dulles Airport in Virginia upon his safe return, Thursday, March 5, 2026 | Credit: Courtesy of the Korn family The Heights School, an independent day school for grades 3-12, teaches boys “with a Christian spirit and in accord with the teachings of the Catholic Church” and the Personal Prelature of Opus Dei “provides chaplains for the school and oversees its program of classes in Catholic doctrine,” according to its website.Over the years, the school has drawn politically conservative families, including the sons of prominent politicians such as former senator and presidential candidate Rick Santorum as well as Maggie Gallagher, president of the National Organization for Marriage, among others.
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Maryland high school seniors arrive home safely after being stuck in Middle East during hostilities #Catholic A group of high schoolers from a Maryland boys' school found themselves in the crosshairs of international conflict in the Middle East this week, turning what was meant to be a brief layover in Abu Dhabi into a multi-day ordeal amid escalating hostilities between Iran, Israel, and the United States.The group — 18 seniors and two faculty members from the Heights School in Potomac, Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C. — had departed on the afternoon of Feb. 27 for a cultural exchange trip to Thailand.The voyage was part of the school’s yearly Crescite Trips, where students in grades 9-12 participate during the first week of March in local seminars as well as domestic and international trips intended for the students’ growth.The group was scheduled for a two-hour layover in the United Arab Emirates after their 12-hour flight when regional airspace slammed shut following U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran and Iranʼs retaliatory missile barrages.Initially, all flights were cancelled, but soon the airport was closed and had to be evacuated. According to Aidan Korn, a student on the trip, the group was seated at the gate for their next flight when they learned it had been suspended because “the war had begun.”“It was scary at first. We were sitting by a giant window at the gate and all of our phones started going off at the same time. I saw texts from friends in the U.S. asking if I was alive,” he said. “We saw military men running with guns through the airport.”Korn said the two faculty chaperones, Justin Myers and Dan Sushinsky, told them to get away from the windows and seek shelter in the airport bathroom. They learned later that a drone was intercepted above the airport, and the debris killed one person and injured several others.Myers and Sushinksy, both seasoned teachers as well as college counselors at the Heights, immediately called headmaster Alvaro de Vicente, who told EWTN News he called “everyone I know to help” the boys.De Vicente said the teachers and boys registered through the state department website for U.S. citizens stuck in the Middle East.The teachers “did an incredible job keeping the boys calm, safe, and engaged,” said de Vicente. He described the men as “real pros in handling a situation no teacher can prepare for.”“This is not what we do. We donʼt prepare for this!” he said.Bryson Begg, another senior on the trip, agreed, telling EWTN News that the teachers were "incredible. Their number-one priority was our safety. They cared for us so much.”Begg described a “confidence” that Myers and Sushinksy emanated that they would all get home safely. “We had this sense that they’ve got it.”The teachers instructed the boys to be cautious and not to post anything on social media that could compromise their security, Korn said.Myers told EWTN News the situation felt chaotic at first, as thousands of people with canceled flights tried to find hotels using airline-provided vouchers. Initially, the group was split up and assigned to different hotels, which they deemed unacceptable, so he and Sushinsky decided to stay the night in the airport, hoping a flight would open up while they waited.The airport was then closed and everyone was ordered to evacuate. After several hours, with the help of several airport employees, Myers said they were able to find a hotel for all 20 of them. When they boarded the bus, again amidst the chaos of thousands of evacuating travelers, the driver asked Myers where the hotel was, and they figured out the directions there together.Myers said either he or Sushinsky was on the phone almost constantly with the State Department, parents, de Vicente, Heights alumni who lived in the area, and  the U.S. embassy. Myers, who has taught at the Heights for over 30 years and has led many trips, told EWTN News it was “an unusually good group” of boys. "All of our top students were on this trip. They were very brave.”“They were probably not as scared as they should have been! And now that they’re home safe, they’re saying it was the best trip ever!” he laughed.Once at the hotel, he and Sushinsky held group meetings at set times each day, where they ate together, played games, prayed the rosary, and told funny stories. The leaders also made themselves available at set times each day to talk with any boys who wanted to.Begg said the teachers made sure the boys kept their bags packed and ready to go at all times in case they had to rush to the airport to catch an available flight out.Korn told EWTN News the hotel’s doors were initially zip tied shut, but as the days went on, they were occasionally allowed to venture outside briefly. On one of these occasions, Begg said he was praying the rosary when warning sirens went off, and the hotel staff urgently called him back inside.“Most of the time it felt perfectly safe,” Myers said. “We saw some drones a couple of times; saw them intercepted, mostly at night. We’d watch the news and they’d make it worse than it is. They kept showing the same building being hit.”“It was not like what was being shown on TV. People in the city were going about their daily lives.”Nevertheless, the boys spent most of their time indoors eating (“The hotel had really nice food,” said Korn), working out at the gym, watching movies in the presidential suite, where two of the students were staying, and even playing hide and seek throughout the hotel.Thanks to a Heights alumnus who lives there, the group (with all the parents’ permission) was able to go to the beach one day, and on a desert excursion to an oasis, where they rode camels, according to Begg.‘An overwhelming feeling of comfort’By 4:30 a.m. on Feb. 28, Karen Korn, Aidan’s mother, told EWTN News she was awakened by the dozens of notifications on her phone from the boys as well as other parents.“I’m so humbled by and grateful to the amount of people that reached out to us, who were praying,” she said. “I truly believe that was what got us through. It’s unbelievable how many people were praying.”“We had people praying 24 hours a day; priests at every church around us that had holy hours and said Masses for them … even outside of this area.”She described “an overwhelming feeling of comfort” knowing how many prayers were being said for the young men. While praying on Sunday, she said she saw an image of Jesus wrapping his arms around the boys, keeping them safe.‘Men fully alive’Begg, who has attended the Heights since 3rd grade, credited de Vicente for working “tirelessly to help us.”“He is the pinnacle of what a Heights man is. ‘Men fully alive’ is our motto, and he’s the epitome of that. He’s strong in his beliefs, and cared for us so much. He waited in the airport for hours before we arrived. It was incredibly heartwarming to see that.”“He was right at the front of the group of parents at the airport with a big smile on his face, welcoming us home. We all shook his hand.”De Vicente said he was “thankful to the United Arab Emirates government” for hosting the boys, providing them the hotel and transportation. He also said he was "thankful to our government for being able to get them out.”The boys left on a charter flight — one arranged by the U.S. State Department filled with other American families — and returned safely to Dulles Airport on the afternoon of Thursday, March 5. Aidan Korn hugs his parents, Karen and Jason Korn, at Dulles Airport in Virginia upon his safe return, Thursday, March 5, 2026 | Credit: Courtesy of the Korn family The Heights School, an independent day school for grades 3-12, teaches boys “with a Christian spirit and in accord with the teachings of the Catholic Church” and the Personal Prelature of Opus Dei “provides chaplains for the school and oversees its program of classes in Catholic doctrine,” according to its website.Over the years, the school has drawn politically conservative families, including the sons of prominent politicians such as former senator and presidential candidate Rick Santorum as well as Maggie Gallagher, president of the National Organization for Marriage, among others.

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A group of high school seniors and their teacher chaperones spoke with EWTN News about being stuck in the Middle East during the beginning of hostilities there last week.

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University of Dallas panel explores American exceptionalism through a Catholic lens #Catholic In a standing-room-only event, college students lined the walls of a large room at the University of Dallas to hear three Catholic academics and an apologist  reflect on what makes America exceptional in a celebration marking the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.Liam Ritter, a junior and the founder of the university’s Young Americans for Freedom chapter, which hosted the discussion, told EWTN News that the March 4 panel of speakers served as the capstone of three days of celebrations at the university.The panel was comprised of University President Jonathan Sanford; Trent Horn, staff apologist with Catholic Answers; Burt Folsom, distinguished fellow at Hillsdale College and economic historian; and Susan Hanssen, associate professor of history at the University of Dallas.‘We have a population of people who know what is at stake’In response to Ritter’s question, “Why [is it] that our political regime has been so stable for so long,” Hanssen recalled America’s first immigrants. “I think the first thing that makes America exceptional, and its political regime exceptional, is the fact that America was first populated by people who fled the rise of the modern nation state and totalitarianism … and so we have a population of people who know what is at stake in political liberty," she said.“Theyʼve seen what happened to their ancestors,” she continued. “They remember the stories. And America has been blessed in its political constitution with the regime of liberty, which has made possible the flourishing of subsidiary communities and societies.”Hanssen said we should not take for granted today that we still “have a free people." “We need to listen to our latest immigrants … those who have fled Venezuela, those who have fled Iran, like my uncle, a Persian Jew, who refuses to call himself Iranian because he associates modern Iran with the regime of the Ayatollah.”‘Get married, have children, raise them well’Sanford said that though we are a nation of immigrants, “there won’t be enough to pull in to make up for” the continuing demographic decline.“Get married, have children, raise them well,” he said to chuckles from a receptive audience, which was mostly composed of college students.He encouraged the students not to focus on “one big step,” but rather, to take smaller steps: “Get up early. Pray. Exercise. Go through the day in an ordered fashion, give Caesar what is Caesarʼs, and God what is God’s.”“Do the little things thousands and thousands of times,” he said.“In order to exercise liberty properly,” he continued, one has to ask, "How should I live my life?” and then rely on the institutions that “help you do that.”He called the family the “foundational institution” of America. “Recover the family,” he said.In addition, “we need to see those institutions that mediate the virtues — schools, universities — that embrace fully the idea of what [the virtues] are.”Horn also encouraged students to focus on family relationships, telling them “get off the phones and the internet. They’re killing all of us. They’re rewiring our brains.” Trent Horn (left), an apologist at Catholic Answers, and University of Dallas President Jonathan Sanford participate in a panel on American exceptionalism at the University of Dallas on March 4, 2026. | Credit: Courtesy of University of Dallas Young Americans for Freedom Chapter Of people currently in their 20s in America, "one in three will never have children,” he lamented, implying too much technology use is partly to blame.The Catholic Answers apologist pointed out, however, that though the Second Industrial Revolution “broke the family” by encouraging workers to move away from their homes and families to pursue careers, the internet “post-Covid,” in the age of “Zoom and telecommuting … might be good” because many people no longer have to choose between a job and staying near their extended families.“Maybe tech can help build up family networks,” he said.‘The greatest outpouring of economic development’ in historyRitter told EWTN news that he chose speakers who could address “the wonderful things the U.S. has contributed” to the world because “a lot of young people don’t have appropriate gratitude for the country.”Ritter asked Folsom, a historian who focuses on economics and industrial affairs, about what the professor believes the U.S. has contributed to world economics and world innovations.Folsom said that the generation after the Civil War, from 1865 to 1905, was responsible for “the greatest outpouring of economic development … in world history” and “gave us the rise of an America that became a world power” by World War I.He listed inventions that facilitated the rapid development of industry and infrastructure in the country during the Second Industrial Revolution, including the typewriter, the telephone, adding machines, the light bulb, electricity, factory-produced cars, and recording devices for music and movies, among other innovations.Through the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, “the founders gave us the freedom” to develop these technologies, he said. “We had amazing infrastructure that allowed people to produce, and not have government get in their way.”The professor said the post-Civil War period could be eclipsed in the present day “because with artificial intelligence, this generation may yet be able to come up with more.”‘A responsibility for this political regime of freedom’At the conclusion of the panel discussion, Hanssen called the feeling in the room “electric, it’s teeming with patriotism. This isn’t a normal college campus.”Referring to Sanford’s earlier admonition to ”get married and have kids,” she said: “I agree, be fruitful and multiply … Preach the Gospel, and baptize in the name of Jesus, but also, go into politics!” she exclaimed.She encouraged the students to develop “the ability to love something so much that you would die for it: God, family, country.”“Recognize what is at stake. We have a responsibility for this political regime of freedom, to the immigrants who come here … to our children… to preserve the rule of law.”She concluded to loud applause: “So family; yes! Faith; yes, but to the barricades, ladies and gentlemen!"
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University of Dallas panel explores American exceptionalism through a Catholic lens #Catholic In a standing-room-only event, college students lined the walls of a large room at the University of Dallas to hear three Catholic academics and an apologist  reflect on what makes America exceptional in a celebration marking the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.Liam Ritter, a junior and the founder of the university’s Young Americans for Freedom chapter, which hosted the discussion, told EWTN News that the March 4 panel of speakers served as the capstone of three days of celebrations at the university.The panel was comprised of University President Jonathan Sanford; Trent Horn, staff apologist with Catholic Answers; Burt Folsom, distinguished fellow at Hillsdale College and economic historian; and Susan Hanssen, associate professor of history at the University of Dallas.‘We have a population of people who know what is at stake’In response to Ritter’s question, “Why [is it] that our political regime has been so stable for so long,” Hanssen recalled America’s first immigrants. “I think the first thing that makes America exceptional, and its political regime exceptional, is the fact that America was first populated by people who fled the rise of the modern nation state and totalitarianism … and so we have a population of people who know what is at stake in political liberty," she said.“Theyʼve seen what happened to their ancestors,” she continued. “They remember the stories. And America has been blessed in its political constitution with the regime of liberty, which has made possible the flourishing of subsidiary communities and societies.”Hanssen said we should not take for granted today that we still “have a free people." “We need to listen to our latest immigrants … those who have fled Venezuela, those who have fled Iran, like my uncle, a Persian Jew, who refuses to call himself Iranian because he associates modern Iran with the regime of the Ayatollah.”‘Get married, have children, raise them well’Sanford said that though we are a nation of immigrants, “there won’t be enough to pull in to make up for” the continuing demographic decline.“Get married, have children, raise them well,” he said to chuckles from a receptive audience, which was mostly composed of college students.He encouraged the students not to focus on “one big step,” but rather, to take smaller steps: “Get up early. Pray. Exercise. Go through the day in an ordered fashion, give Caesar what is Caesarʼs, and God what is God’s.”“Do the little things thousands and thousands of times,” he said.“In order to exercise liberty properly,” he continued, one has to ask, "How should I live my life?” and then rely on the institutions that “help you do that.”He called the family the “foundational institution” of America. “Recover the family,” he said.In addition, “we need to see those institutions that mediate the virtues — schools, universities — that embrace fully the idea of what [the virtues] are.”Horn also encouraged students to focus on family relationships, telling them “get off the phones and the internet. They’re killing all of us. They’re rewiring our brains.” Trent Horn (left), an apologist at Catholic Answers, and University of Dallas President Jonathan Sanford participate in a panel on American exceptionalism at the University of Dallas on March 4, 2026. | Credit: Courtesy of University of Dallas Young Americans for Freedom Chapter Of people currently in their 20s in America, "one in three will never have children,” he lamented, implying too much technology use is partly to blame.The Catholic Answers apologist pointed out, however, that though the Second Industrial Revolution “broke the family” by encouraging workers to move away from their homes and families to pursue careers, the internet “post-Covid,” in the age of “Zoom and telecommuting … might be good” because many people no longer have to choose between a job and staying near their extended families.“Maybe tech can help build up family networks,” he said.‘The greatest outpouring of economic development’ in historyRitter told EWTN news that he chose speakers who could address “the wonderful things the U.S. has contributed” to the world because “a lot of young people don’t have appropriate gratitude for the country.”Ritter asked Folsom, a historian who focuses on economics and industrial affairs, about what the professor believes the U.S. has contributed to world economics and world innovations.Folsom said that the generation after the Civil War, from 1865 to 1905, was responsible for “the greatest outpouring of economic development … in world history” and “gave us the rise of an America that became a world power” by World War I.He listed inventions that facilitated the rapid development of industry and infrastructure in the country during the Second Industrial Revolution, including the typewriter, the telephone, adding machines, the light bulb, electricity, factory-produced cars, and recording devices for music and movies, among other innovations.Through the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, “the founders gave us the freedom” to develop these technologies, he said. “We had amazing infrastructure that allowed people to produce, and not have government get in their way.”The professor said the post-Civil War period could be eclipsed in the present day “because with artificial intelligence, this generation may yet be able to come up with more.”‘A responsibility for this political regime of freedom’At the conclusion of the panel discussion, Hanssen called the feeling in the room “electric, it’s teeming with patriotism. This isn’t a normal college campus.”Referring to Sanford’s earlier admonition to ”get married and have kids,” she said: “I agree, be fruitful and multiply … Preach the Gospel, and baptize in the name of Jesus, but also, go into politics!” she exclaimed.She encouraged the students to develop “the ability to love something so much that you would die for it: God, family, country.”“Recognize what is at stake. We have a responsibility for this political regime of freedom, to the immigrants who come here … to our children… to preserve the rule of law.”She concluded to loud applause: “So family; yes! Faith; yes, but to the barricades, ladies and gentlemen!"

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The speakers encouraged the college students to get married, have children, stay off the internet (unless it enables them to telework and stay near their extended families), and be political.

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43 Catholic Democrats pledge migrant solidarity, invoke Leo XIV, Francis #Catholic More than 40 Catholic Democrats in the House of Representatives signed onto a statement of principles regarding immigration, which urged “solidarity” with migrants and cited Catholic social teaching and the visions of Pope Francis and Pope Leo XIV to back up their positions.The statement comes as the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) continues to speak out against indiscriminate mass deportations. Lawmakers are also negotiating an end to a partial government shutdown, which was spurred by debates about funding and potential reforms for immigration enforcement.“We feel called in solidarity to stand with immigrants — especially those who are poor, marginalized, or fleeing hardship — and to ensure they are treated with dignity, justice, and compassion,” the statement said.“As Catholics and elected officials, we believe that addressing long-standing inequities and expanding meaningful opportunities for immigrants is an essential part of our responsibility to community and to those most in need,” the lawmakers said.The statement was led by Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-Connecticut, and signed by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, and 41 other Catholic Democrats. No Republicans signed onto the statement.The Catholic Democrats said their position is rooted in three principles of Catholic social teaching on immigration: that people have a right to migrate to sustain their lives and the lives of their families, that nations have a right to regulate borders, and that all enforcement must be consistent with justice and mercy.In their statement, they said Jesus Christ “identifies with the migrant” when he says in Matthew 25:35: “I was … a stranger and you welcomed me.” They also cited Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical Dilexi Te, commenting on migration, in which he said the Church knows that “in every rejected migrant, it is Christ himself who knocks at the door of the community.”They quoted Pope Francis’ 2019 message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees, in which the former pontiff said the Church’s response to immigration can be summed up in four verbs: “welcome, protect, promote, and integrate.”The statement recognizes that regulations on immigration are legitimate, citing the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which teaches that “political authorities, for the sake of the common good for which they are responsible, may make the exercise of the right to immigrate subject to various juridical conditions.”“Catholic social teaching approaches migration with realism: It affirms the right of persons to seek safety and opportunity while recognizing the legitimate authority of nations to regulate their borders,” they said. “Sound immigration policy is ordered, humane, and sustainable, balancing solidarity with prudence in service of human dignity and the common good.”The Catholic Democrats said, however, that border enforcement “is never a license for cruelty, indifference, or dehumanization” but instead “must be governed by justice and mercy.” They accused Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) of having “failed this moral standard.”“Their actions have separated families, removed law-abiding individuals from our communities, and, tragically, contributed to the deaths of detained migrants and citizens like Renee Good and Alex Pretti,” the statement read.The Catholic Democrats, in their statement, said their position on immigration is “guided by a living Catholic tradition that affirms the dignity of every human life.” Despite the USCCB having called “the threat of abortion” its “preeminent priority” in the 2024 election, the Democratic Party supports abortion access, identifying abortion as an essential component of health care.Negotiating ICE, CBP reformsThe signatories called on Congress to “bear the Church’s teachings in mind” when considering reforms to ICE and CBP, which are being negotiated.On Feb. 14, the government entered into a partial shutdown when Congress did not reach an agreement on funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which operates both ICE and CBP.Many Democrats are proposing reforms that would restrict immigration enforcement as a condition of approving funds. Some have gone further, calling for the abolition of ICE altogether.Catholic administration officials have rejected the Democrats’ characterization that immigration enforcement has violated the human dignity of migrants.In December 2025, border czar Tom Homan told EWTN News that “we treat everybody with dignity.” He said “the most humane thing you can do is enforce the law, secure the border, because it saves lives” and asserted that the administration targets criminals and cited its work to combat fentanyl and sex trafficking.Nathaniel Madden, principal deputy assistant secretary for communications at DHS, told EWTN News in November 2025 that detainees “are going to be treated like a person, and your dignity is going to be respected.” He said dignity and immigration enforcement are compatible and “we have to take into account that laws were broken.”In January, U.S. citizens Pretti and Good were both shot and killed by federal immigration officers in separate incidents in Minneapolis.In November 2025, the USCCB issued a special message that opposed “the indiscriminate mass deportation of people” and called for an end to “dehumanizing rhetoric and violence, whether directed at immigrants or at law enforcement.” The message was approved by a vote of 216-5.
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43 Catholic Democrats pledge migrant solidarity, invoke Leo XIV, Francis #Catholic More than 40 Catholic Democrats in the House of Representatives signed onto a statement of principles regarding immigration, which urged “solidarity” with migrants and cited Catholic social teaching and the visions of Pope Francis and Pope Leo XIV to back up their positions.The statement comes as the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) continues to speak out against indiscriminate mass deportations. Lawmakers are also negotiating an end to a partial government shutdown, which was spurred by debates about funding and potential reforms for immigration enforcement.“We feel called in solidarity to stand with immigrants — especially those who are poor, marginalized, or fleeing hardship — and to ensure they are treated with dignity, justice, and compassion,” the statement said.“As Catholics and elected officials, we believe that addressing long-standing inequities and expanding meaningful opportunities for immigrants is an essential part of our responsibility to community and to those most in need,” the lawmakers said.The statement was led by Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-Connecticut, and signed by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, and 41 other Catholic Democrats. No Republicans signed onto the statement.The Catholic Democrats said their position is rooted in three principles of Catholic social teaching on immigration: that people have a right to migrate to sustain their lives and the lives of their families, that nations have a right to regulate borders, and that all enforcement must be consistent with justice and mercy.In their statement, they said Jesus Christ “identifies with the migrant” when he says in Matthew 25:35: “I was … a stranger and you welcomed me.” They also cited Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical Dilexi Te, commenting on migration, in which he said the Church knows that “in every rejected migrant, it is Christ himself who knocks at the door of the community.”They quoted Pope Francis’ 2019 message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees, in which the former pontiff said the Church’s response to immigration can be summed up in four verbs: “welcome, protect, promote, and integrate.”The statement recognizes that regulations on immigration are legitimate, citing the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which teaches that “political authorities, for the sake of the common good for which they are responsible, may make the exercise of the right to immigrate subject to various juridical conditions.”“Catholic social teaching approaches migration with realism: It affirms the right of persons to seek safety and opportunity while recognizing the legitimate authority of nations to regulate their borders,” they said. “Sound immigration policy is ordered, humane, and sustainable, balancing solidarity with prudence in service of human dignity and the common good.”The Catholic Democrats said, however, that border enforcement “is never a license for cruelty, indifference, or dehumanization” but instead “must be governed by justice and mercy.” They accused Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) of having “failed this moral standard.”“Their actions have separated families, removed law-abiding individuals from our communities, and, tragically, contributed to the deaths of detained migrants and citizens like Renee Good and Alex Pretti,” the statement read.The Catholic Democrats, in their statement, said their position on immigration is “guided by a living Catholic tradition that affirms the dignity of every human life.” Despite the USCCB having called “the threat of abortion” its “preeminent priority” in the 2024 election, the Democratic Party supports abortion access, identifying abortion as an essential component of health care.Negotiating ICE, CBP reformsThe signatories called on Congress to “bear the Church’s teachings in mind” when considering reforms to ICE and CBP, which are being negotiated.On Feb. 14, the government entered into a partial shutdown when Congress did not reach an agreement on funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which operates both ICE and CBP.Many Democrats are proposing reforms that would restrict immigration enforcement as a condition of approving funds. Some have gone further, calling for the abolition of ICE altogether.Catholic administration officials have rejected the Democrats’ characterization that immigration enforcement has violated the human dignity of migrants.In December 2025, border czar Tom Homan told EWTN News that “we treat everybody with dignity.” He said “the most humane thing you can do is enforce the law, secure the border, because it saves lives” and asserted that the administration targets criminals and cited its work to combat fentanyl and sex trafficking.Nathaniel Madden, principal deputy assistant secretary for communications at DHS, told EWTN News in November 2025 that detainees “are going to be treated like a person, and your dignity is going to be respected.” He said dignity and immigration enforcement are compatible and “we have to take into account that laws were broken.”In January, U.S. citizens Pretti and Good were both shot and killed by federal immigration officers in separate incidents in Minneapolis.In November 2025, the USCCB issued a special message that opposed “the indiscriminate mass deportation of people” and called for an end to “dehumanizing rhetoric and violence, whether directed at immigrants or at law enforcement.” The message was approved by a vote of 216-5.

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Catholic U.S. House Democrats cited Church teaching in defense of the dignity of migrants as Trump administration officials defend immigration enforcement.

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ICE must allow Communion, distribution of ashes at Illinois processing facility, judge says #Catholic The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Broadview, Illinois, must accommodate Catholic clergy who wish to provide detainees with ashes and Communion on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 18, according to a federal court ruling.Judge Robert W. Gettleman issued the Feb. 12 order in favor of the Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership (CSPL), a nonprofit that helps facilitate Catholic services at ICE facilities among other initiatives. Its mission is rooted in liberation theology and focused on economic, environmental, racial, and social justice.The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which operates ICE, denied repeated requests to administer the sacraments at the Broadview facility, including when clergy sought to bring Communion and pastoral care to immigration detainees on Christmas.“The whole world has seen the injustices of our federal immigration system,” Father Leandro Fossá, CS, a member of the CSPL Clergy Council, said in a statement.“We are eager to see how the federal government responds to the injunction and restores the fundamental religious rights of people in detention to receive pastoral visits, rights that had been honored previously,” he said.The order states that the government has substantially burdened the religious exercise of the clergy and that there is no compelling government interest to justify that burden. The judge cited the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.“Allowing plaintiffs to provide pastoral care to migrants and detainees will improve the condition of those detained at Broadview,” the judge’s order states. The judge ordered the government to permit ashes and Communion for Ash Wednesday and to coordinate with CSPL to establish an appropriate safety and security protocol. The order directs them to also meet and confer about future religious ministry at the facility.Father Dan Hartnett, SJ, a member of the CSPL Clergy Council, expressed hope that this ruling will set a trend.“The collective voices and faithful witness of Catholics and Christians in Chicago and across the country are making an impact,” he said. “As Lent begins, we pray this ruling restores religious freedom for those detained and moves our country closer to justice in honoring the dignity of all migrants.”Pope Leo XIV said in November 2025 the spiritual rights of migrants in detention must be considered.According to an CSPL statement, the nonprofit is awaiting a response from ICE about coordinating the Ash Wednesday services. Both priests and religious sisters are expected to visit the Broadview facility.Neither ICE nor DHS immediately responded to a request for comment. Auxiliary Bishop Jose María García-Maldonado attempts to visit detainees at the Broadview, Illinois, immigration facility and was not admitted Nov. 1, 2025. | Credit: Bryan Sebastian, courtesy of Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership The Broadview facility is an ICE field office used to process detainees before being transferred to a detention center. Although detainees are only meant to be held there for a few hours, with the maximum being 72 hours, some alleged last year that they were held there for several days and even up to one week.A large outdoor Mass with Scalabrinian Missionaries is set for Ash Wednesday at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church in Melrose Park, led by Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of the Archdiocese of Chicago. It will be followed by a procession through the Melrose Park community as participants say the rosary and sing as a sign of the Church’s presence and solidarity with immigrant families.
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ICE must allow Communion, distribution of ashes at Illinois processing facility, judge says #Catholic The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Broadview, Illinois, must accommodate Catholic clergy who wish to provide detainees with ashes and Communion on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 18, according to a federal court ruling.Judge Robert W. Gettleman issued the Feb. 12 order in favor of the Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership (CSPL), a nonprofit that helps facilitate Catholic services at ICE facilities among other initiatives. Its mission is rooted in liberation theology and focused on economic, environmental, racial, and social justice.The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which operates ICE, denied repeated requests to administer the sacraments at the Broadview facility, including when clergy sought to bring Communion and pastoral care to immigration detainees on Christmas.“The whole world has seen the injustices of our federal immigration system,” Father Leandro Fossá, CS, a member of the CSPL Clergy Council, said in a statement.“We are eager to see how the federal government responds to the injunction and restores the fundamental religious rights of people in detention to receive pastoral visits, rights that had been honored previously,” he said.The order states that the government has substantially burdened the religious exercise of the clergy and that there is no compelling government interest to justify that burden. The judge cited the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.“Allowing plaintiffs to provide pastoral care to migrants and detainees will improve the condition of those detained at Broadview,” the judge’s order states. The judge ordered the government to permit ashes and Communion for Ash Wednesday and to coordinate with CSPL to establish an appropriate safety and security protocol. The order directs them to also meet and confer about future religious ministry at the facility.Father Dan Hartnett, SJ, a member of the CSPL Clergy Council, expressed hope that this ruling will set a trend.“The collective voices and faithful witness of Catholics and Christians in Chicago and across the country are making an impact,” he said. “As Lent begins, we pray this ruling restores religious freedom for those detained and moves our country closer to justice in honoring the dignity of all migrants.”Pope Leo XIV said in November 2025 the spiritual rights of migrants in detention must be considered.According to an CSPL statement, the nonprofit is awaiting a response from ICE about coordinating the Ash Wednesday services. Both priests and religious sisters are expected to visit the Broadview facility.Neither ICE nor DHS immediately responded to a request for comment. Auxiliary Bishop Jose María García-Maldonado attempts to visit detainees at the Broadview, Illinois, immigration facility and was not admitted Nov. 1, 2025. | Credit: Bryan Sebastian, courtesy of Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership The Broadview facility is an ICE field office used to process detainees before being transferred to a detention center. Although detainees are only meant to be held there for a few hours, with the maximum being 72 hours, some alleged last year that they were held there for several days and even up to one week.A large outdoor Mass with Scalabrinian Missionaries is set for Ash Wednesday at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church in Melrose Park, led by Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of the Archdiocese of Chicago. It will be followed by a procession through the Melrose Park community as participants say the rosary and sing as a sign of the Church’s presence and solidarity with immigrant families.

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Clergy had argued they “have lost their own religious freedom, by blanket denial of any opportunity to provide spiritual consolation.”

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Democratic lawmaker asks ICE director if he’s ‘going to hell’ in fiery hearing #Catholic A Democratic lawmaker asked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Todd Lyons whether he believes he is “going to hell” in a contentious hearing with the House Homeland Security Committee on Tuesday, Feb. 10.Lyons — along with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow and Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott — testified before the committee as Congress negotiates potential reforms and funding for the agencies.On Feb. 3, Congress voted to extend funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which operates the three agencies, until Feb. 13 to end a four-day partial government shutdown. A deal has not yet been reached to extend funding further.At the hearing, Democratic lawmakers accused ICE of terrorizing the streets, using excessive force, and lacking accountability. Republicans defended ICE and rebuked Democratic officials in certain states for refusing to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.One of the fiercest exchanges came from Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-New Jersey, who praised protesters for “peacefully rejecting your cruel agenda in the streets.” She said ICE believes it is “the highest power who decides which people deserve dignity, protection, and due process” and said “you are wrong [and] we are here for answers.”“How do you think judgment day will work for you, with so much blood on your hands?” McIver asked Lyons, to which he responded that he would not entertain the question.“Do you think you’re going to hell?” she followed up, before being chastised by Committee Chair Andrew Garbarino, R-New York, who told her to avoid personal attacks on witnesses and maintain decorum.McIver said “you guys are always talking about religion here, and the Bible.” She changed the subject slightly and asked Lyons whether he could name agencies that “routinely kill American citizens and still get funding,” which he also said was a question he was “not going to entertain.”“Once again, questions that you cannot answer and that is exactly why … we should not be funding this agency,” McIver said. “The people are watching you; they are watching you. And this is why we need to abolish ICE.”Lawmakers debate ICE operations, future of agencyThe killings of two American citizens at ICE protests — Renée Good and Alex Pretti — were a focal point of the hearing, and two examples that Democrats used to accuse ICE of excessive force and lacking accountability.Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-California, referenced both killings and criticized DHS Secretary Kristi Noem for referring to those who died as “domestic terrorists.” He asked Lyons whether he would apologize to the families or reject that characterization.Lyons said he would not comment on an ongoing investigation but would welcome a private conversation with the families.Democrats are split on whether to reform ICE or abolish it altogether.Rep. Seth Magaziner, D-Rhode Island, brought up instances in which he believes ICE used excessive force and suggested reforms are necessary before Congress awards funding.“It’s not just the actions of the agents in the field,” he said. “It is the lack of accountability from the top that has caused public trust to erode, and there needs to be major reforms before we vote to give any of you any more funding.”Alternatively, Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Illinois, called for abolishing ICE and the entire DHS, which Congress formed to address terrorism threats after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Ramirez said DHS was created to “violate our rights under the pretense of securing our safety.”“I’m going to say it loud and clear and I’m proud to stand by what I say,” she said. “DHS cannot be reformed. It must be dismantled and something new must take its place.”Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, commented during the hearing that Democratic lawmakers “have called to abolish ICE [and] now they’re trying to shut it down” amid the negotiations and discussion during the hearing.He criticized the lack of coordination from Democratic-led “sanctuary” states and cities, which do not cooperate with ICE, saying the policies in Minneapolis “created a perfect storm for our officers being thrown into this situation.”Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, similarly expressed concern about ICE funding moving forward, based on the debates between the two parties.“It seems like one side of the aisle is in favor of open borders and wants to abolish ICE … and the other side of the aisle wants to enforce laws that are on the books,” he said.During the question and answer, Lyons expressed worry about the rhetoric from Democrats and noted that threats and assaults against ICE agents are on the rise. He said agents are trying to “keep America safe, restore order to our communities, [and] return the rule of law to this country.”“Those who illegally enter our country must be held accountable,” he said.Scott also showed concerns about the ongoing debate and expressed hope that DHS could receive support from both Republicans and Democrats.“I believe consistency and seeing support from the leadership on both sides of this building and the president is very important for our security,” he said. “I think the rhetoric and the … politicizing of law enforcement in general detracts from the general morale of our personnel.”Andrew Arthur, a resident fellow in law and policy at the Center for Immigration Studies, told “EWTN News Nightly” that he sees “much of [the Democratic threats to halt funding] as political theater,” noting that ICE will continue to operate regardless of whether Congress passes the funding bill.He said Democrats hope to take away an issue that made Trump popular during the 2024 election “and turn it into a bad issue for Republicans” in the midterms.Arthur said there may be some shifts in ICE’s approach in Minneapolis now that Border Czar Tom Homan is involved in seeking the “cooperation of state and city governments” that have been “reluctant, if not hostile” to immigration enforcement over the past year.The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) in November 2025 approved a special message with a 216-5 vote that declared opposition to “the indiscriminate mass deportation of people.”Late last month, about 300 Catholic leaders — including 15 bishops — asked Congress to reject ICE funding if the legislation fails to include reforms that have protections for migrants.
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Democratic lawmaker asks ICE director if he’s ‘going to hell’ in fiery hearing #Catholic A Democratic lawmaker asked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Todd Lyons whether he believes he is “going to hell” in a contentious hearing with the House Homeland Security Committee on Tuesday, Feb. 10.Lyons — along with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow and Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott — testified before the committee as Congress negotiates potential reforms and funding for the agencies.On Feb. 3, Congress voted to extend funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which operates the three agencies, until Feb. 13 to end a four-day partial government shutdown. A deal has not yet been reached to extend funding further.At the hearing, Democratic lawmakers accused ICE of terrorizing the streets, using excessive force, and lacking accountability. Republicans defended ICE and rebuked Democratic officials in certain states for refusing to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.One of the fiercest exchanges came from Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-New Jersey, who praised protesters for “peacefully rejecting your cruel agenda in the streets.” She said ICE believes it is “the highest power who decides which people deserve dignity, protection, and due process” and said “you are wrong [and] we are here for answers.”“How do you think judgment day will work for you, with so much blood on your hands?” McIver asked Lyons, to which he responded that he would not entertain the question.“Do you think you’re going to hell?” she followed up, before being chastised by Committee Chair Andrew Garbarino, R-New York, who told her to avoid personal attacks on witnesses and maintain decorum.McIver said “you guys are always talking about religion here, and the Bible.” She changed the subject slightly and asked Lyons whether he could name agencies that “routinely kill American citizens and still get funding,” which he also said was a question he was “not going to entertain.”“Once again, questions that you cannot answer and that is exactly why … we should not be funding this agency,” McIver said. “The people are watching you; they are watching you. And this is why we need to abolish ICE.”Lawmakers debate ICE operations, future of agencyThe killings of two American citizens at ICE protests — Renée Good and Alex Pretti — were a focal point of the hearing, and two examples that Democrats used to accuse ICE of excessive force and lacking accountability.Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-California, referenced both killings and criticized DHS Secretary Kristi Noem for referring to those who died as “domestic terrorists.” He asked Lyons whether he would apologize to the families or reject that characterization.Lyons said he would not comment on an ongoing investigation but would welcome a private conversation with the families.Democrats are split on whether to reform ICE or abolish it altogether.Rep. Seth Magaziner, D-Rhode Island, brought up instances in which he believes ICE used excessive force and suggested reforms are necessary before Congress awards funding.“It’s not just the actions of the agents in the field,” he said. “It is the lack of accountability from the top that has caused public trust to erode, and there needs to be major reforms before we vote to give any of you any more funding.”Alternatively, Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Illinois, called for abolishing ICE and the entire DHS, which Congress formed to address terrorism threats after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Ramirez said DHS was created to “violate our rights under the pretense of securing our safety.”“I’m going to say it loud and clear and I’m proud to stand by what I say,” she said. “DHS cannot be reformed. It must be dismantled and something new must take its place.”Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, commented during the hearing that Democratic lawmakers “have called to abolish ICE [and] now they’re trying to shut it down” amid the negotiations and discussion during the hearing.He criticized the lack of coordination from Democratic-led “sanctuary” states and cities, which do not cooperate with ICE, saying the policies in Minneapolis “created a perfect storm for our officers being thrown into this situation.”Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, similarly expressed concern about ICE funding moving forward, based on the debates between the two parties.“It seems like one side of the aisle is in favor of open borders and wants to abolish ICE … and the other side of the aisle wants to enforce laws that are on the books,” he said.During the question and answer, Lyons expressed worry about the rhetoric from Democrats and noted that threats and assaults against ICE agents are on the rise. He said agents are trying to “keep America safe, restore order to our communities, [and] return the rule of law to this country.”“Those who illegally enter our country must be held accountable,” he said.Scott also showed concerns about the ongoing debate and expressed hope that DHS could receive support from both Republicans and Democrats.“I believe consistency and seeing support from the leadership on both sides of this building and the president is very important for our security,” he said. “I think the rhetoric and the … politicizing of law enforcement in general detracts from the general morale of our personnel.”Andrew Arthur, a resident fellow in law and policy at the Center for Immigration Studies, told “EWTN News Nightly” that he sees “much of [the Democratic threats to halt funding] as political theater,” noting that ICE will continue to operate regardless of whether Congress passes the funding bill.He said Democrats hope to take away an issue that made Trump popular during the 2024 election “and turn it into a bad issue for Republicans” in the midterms.Arthur said there may be some shifts in ICE’s approach in Minneapolis now that Border Czar Tom Homan is involved in seeking the “cooperation of state and city governments” that have been “reluctant, if not hostile” to immigration enforcement over the past year.The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) in November 2025 approved a special message with a 216-5 vote that declared opposition to “the indiscriminate mass deportation of people.”Late last month, about 300 Catholic leaders — including 15 bishops — asked Congress to reject ICE funding if the legislation fails to include reforms that have protections for migrants.

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Top U.S. immigration officials defended their policies during a contentious hearing as lawmakers continue to negotiate potential ICE funding and reforms.

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Catholic digital assets company about to mint its first stablecoin #Catholic On March 15, a Catholic digital assets company known as Crescite Innovation Corporation will mint its first stablecoin, called Catholic USD.Stablecoins such as Catholic USD are a type of digital asset that is backed by and will have a 1-to-1 value equivalence with the U.S. dollar (and are not to be confused with cryptocurrencies like bitcoin).Catholic USDs can be used to make purchases from or donations to Catholic organizations the same way they would with any other payment method stored in smartphone wallets.Donations and other financial transactions can take place all over the world and will be nearly instantaneous, fee-free, and secure, thanks to blockchain technology, Eddie Cullen, co-founder of Crescite, told EWTN News.With blockchain technology, which has enabled the development of unregulated cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin and regulated digital assets such as stablecoins, traditional banks are no longer required to transfer or store money because all transactions are transparent and verifiable through the blockchain, which securely links together “blocks” of digital records.“Traditional banks are like Blockbuster video, and digital assets are like the streaming services we all use today,” Cullen said.“People will no longer need traditional banks, thanks to this new technology,” he continued.Cullen and his co-founder, Karl Kilb III, started Crescite “because we love the Church,” Cullen said. “We want Catholics to be at the forefront of this new technology, and we’re using it to enable greater access to resources for people and to do good.”“The only difference between us and banks is that they take your money and leverage it to make a profit,” Cullen said. “What we’re doing is we’re taking that leverage, and we’re giving it away to Catholic institutions and causes.”“We created Crescite to be at the intersection of faith and technology, using innovation to help those in need, and society as a whole,” Kilb said. “The Catholic community is global, with numerous organizations, projects, and causes that need sustainable, transparent funding, and we are leveraging blockchain technology to build such an ecosystem.”When a person buys Catholic USD, Crescite will invest that money in vehicles including U.S. Treasury bonds and will put 100% of that yield into a charity fund known as the Catholic Global Mercy Trust.The trust will fund Catholic poverty relief efforts, hospitals, schools, and other causes all over the world.“When we look at our work, it’s really a Catholic digital asset ecosystem,” Cullen said. “We have our stablecoin, and we are going to build upon that.”The money Crescite takes in through the sale of Catholic USD will be custodied, or held, in a digital wallet by a financial technology company known as BitGo, which in January completed its initial public offering (IPO) and began trading on the New York Stock Exchange. It is also chartered under U.S. law and authorized by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. BitGo is “the platform that’s issuing the stablecoin,” Cullen said. It and Crescite will have no intermingled investments.The funds Crescite holds are also insured.“Crescite” means to increase or grow in Latin. Cullen said he and Kilb, who co-own the company and founded it together in 2021, chose the name after reflecting on the effects of God’s touch on man-made things, as portrayed in the image of God’s hand touching Adam’s in Michaelangelo’s famous painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.Cullen said the name also refers to Genesis 1:28, when God tells Adam to “Be fruitful (increase) and multiply.”Bitcoin, the first cryptocurrencyThe first cryptocurrency, which is very different from the stablecoin Crescite is issuing, was bitcoin, which came out in 2009 and whose inventor or inventors, known as Satoshi Nakamoto, is/are still unknown.Bitcoin emerged as “pushback” to the 2008 financial crisis, according to The Catholic University of America Busch School of Business Professor Kevin May, who told EWTN News that consumers wanted something more “sound and reliable” than our current financial system after the crisis.Bitcoin is decentralized and is the only true “open source” cryptocurrency, according to May.Bitcoin’s inventors no longer had “trust in the current financial system,” where “the banks and bankers took bets; when they were right they privatized all the gains, and when they were wrong, they got bailed out and rebought their own shares,” May said. “Hardly any of them got in trouble” while the financial markets and consumers paid for their actions.The value of bitcoin has gone from several pennies at its initial launch to a high of 6,000 in October 2025. Currently, one bitcoin is valued at about ,000.Exchanges now exist where people can buy and sell bitcoin. There are even bitcoin-linked credit cards.Bitcoin, however, is a true cryptocurrency in that it is not insured or backed by any currency, and it is not regulated by the federal government, meaning it could collapse at any moment and investors could lose their money.A benefit of a cryptocurrency like bitcoin, according to May, is that it can “bank the unbanked, especially in societies where you cannot trust the leadership.”He used the example of a coffee farmer in Uganda who could trade in bitcoin and essentially have “his own bank on his cellphone,” without having to deal with a corrupt or inefficient system.The difference between ‘cryptocurrency’ and ‘digital assets’Digital assets like Catholic USD and cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin are alternatives to traditional financial institutions and government-backed currency made possible by blockchain technology.However, the terms “digital assets” and “cryptocurrency” mean different things: Digital assets refer to stablecoins as well as tokenized securities, commodities, and other digital representations of real-world assets that do not imply the unregulated, speculative trading or volatility inherent with bitcoin.Cullen explained that this is a major difference between bitcoin and stablecoins such as Catholic USD, which is actually backed by the U.S. dollar and will be regulated by the recently passed GENIUS Act, which is expected to increase the growth of and trust in stablecoins through clear regulatory rules.Other existing stablecoins include USD1, which, like Catholic USD, is also a U.S. dollar-pegged stablecoin (designed to maintain a 1-to-1 value with the U.S. dollar).USD1 was launched in March 2025 by World Liberty Financial, a decentralized finance (DeFi) platform and cryptocurrency venture closely associated with President Donald Trump and his family, though disclaimers emphasize that the Trump family are not officers or directors and that the cryptocurrency is not politically affiliated or endorsed.A company called Tether Unlimited issued a stablecoin, USDT, which is the longest-running and largest U.S. dollar-pegged stablecoin, launched in 2014 and with a market cap around 4 billion (as of early 2026). It holds roughly 60%-70% of the total stablecoin market share with 534 million users as of early this year.The GENIUS ActPassed with bipartisan support and signed into law by Trump in July 2025, the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act establishes a clear, regulatory framework that legitimizes payment stablecoins and digital asset infrastructure.It aims to preserve U.S. dollar leadership globally while allowing responsible private-sector innovation under defined guardrails.Under the act, qualified nonbank entities may issue payment stablecoins under federal or state supervision, while banks and affiliates may also participate. This dual pathway is intended to foster competition, reduce concentration risk, and avoid stifling innovation.Critics note the GENIUS Act does not fully address illicit finance risks in decentralized systems such as bitcoin, however.
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Catholic digital assets company about to mint its first stablecoin #Catholic On March 15, a Catholic digital assets company known as Crescite Innovation Corporation will mint its first stablecoin, called Catholic USD.Stablecoins such as Catholic USD are a type of digital asset that is backed by and will have a 1-to-1 value equivalence with the U.S. dollar (and are not to be confused with cryptocurrencies like bitcoin).Catholic USDs can be used to make purchases from or donations to Catholic organizations the same way they would with any other payment method stored in smartphone wallets.Donations and other financial transactions can take place all over the world and will be nearly instantaneous, fee-free, and secure, thanks to blockchain technology, Eddie Cullen, co-founder of Crescite, told EWTN News.With blockchain technology, which has enabled the development of unregulated cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin and regulated digital assets such as stablecoins, traditional banks are no longer required to transfer or store money because all transactions are transparent and verifiable through the blockchain, which securely links together “blocks” of digital records.“Traditional banks are like Blockbuster video, and digital assets are like the streaming services we all use today,” Cullen said.“People will no longer need traditional banks, thanks to this new technology,” he continued.Cullen and his co-founder, Karl Kilb III, started Crescite “because we love the Church,” Cullen said. “We want Catholics to be at the forefront of this new technology, and we’re using it to enable greater access to resources for people and to do good.”“The only difference between us and banks is that they take your money and leverage it to make a profit,” Cullen said. “What we’re doing is we’re taking that leverage, and we’re giving it away to Catholic institutions and causes.”“We created Crescite to be at the intersection of faith and technology, using innovation to help those in need, and society as a whole,” Kilb said. “The Catholic community is global, with numerous organizations, projects, and causes that need sustainable, transparent funding, and we are leveraging blockchain technology to build such an ecosystem.”When a person buys Catholic USD, Crescite will invest that money in vehicles including U.S. Treasury bonds and will put 100% of that yield into a charity fund known as the Catholic Global Mercy Trust.The trust will fund Catholic poverty relief efforts, hospitals, schools, and other causes all over the world.“When we look at our work, it’s really a Catholic digital asset ecosystem,” Cullen said. “We have our stablecoin, and we are going to build upon that.”The money Crescite takes in through the sale of Catholic USD will be custodied, or held, in a digital wallet by a financial technology company known as BitGo, which in January completed its initial public offering (IPO) and began trading on the New York Stock Exchange. It is also chartered under U.S. law and authorized by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. BitGo is “the platform that’s issuing the stablecoin,” Cullen said. It and Crescite will have no intermingled investments.The funds Crescite holds are also insured.“Crescite” means to increase or grow in Latin. Cullen said he and Kilb, who co-own the company and founded it together in 2021, chose the name after reflecting on the effects of God’s touch on man-made things, as portrayed in the image of God’s hand touching Adam’s in Michaelangelo’s famous painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.Cullen said the name also refers to Genesis 1:28, when God tells Adam to “Be fruitful (increase) and multiply.”Bitcoin, the first cryptocurrencyThe first cryptocurrency, which is very different from the stablecoin Crescite is issuing, was bitcoin, which came out in 2009 and whose inventor or inventors, known as Satoshi Nakamoto, is/are still unknown.Bitcoin emerged as “pushback” to the 2008 financial crisis, according to The Catholic University of America Busch School of Business Professor Kevin May, who told EWTN News that consumers wanted something more “sound and reliable” than our current financial system after the crisis.Bitcoin is decentralized and is the only true “open source” cryptocurrency, according to May.Bitcoin’s inventors no longer had “trust in the current financial system,” where “the banks and bankers took bets; when they were right they privatized all the gains, and when they were wrong, they got bailed out and rebought their own shares,” May said. “Hardly any of them got in trouble” while the financial markets and consumers paid for their actions.The value of bitcoin has gone from several pennies at its initial launch to a high of $126,000 in October 2025. Currently, one bitcoin is valued at about $70,000.Exchanges now exist where people can buy and sell bitcoin. There are even bitcoin-linked credit cards.Bitcoin, however, is a true cryptocurrency in that it is not insured or backed by any currency, and it is not regulated by the federal government, meaning it could collapse at any moment and investors could lose their money.A benefit of a cryptocurrency like bitcoin, according to May, is that it can “bank the unbanked, especially in societies where you cannot trust the leadership.”He used the example of a coffee farmer in Uganda who could trade in bitcoin and essentially have “his own bank on his cellphone,” without having to deal with a corrupt or inefficient system.The difference between ‘cryptocurrency’ and ‘digital assets’Digital assets like Catholic USD and cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin are alternatives to traditional financial institutions and government-backed currency made possible by blockchain technology.However, the terms “digital assets” and “cryptocurrency” mean different things: Digital assets refer to stablecoins as well as tokenized securities, commodities, and other digital representations of real-world assets that do not imply the unregulated, speculative trading or volatility inherent with bitcoin.Cullen explained that this is a major difference between bitcoin and stablecoins such as Catholic USD, which is actually backed by the U.S. dollar and will be regulated by the recently passed GENIUS Act, which is expected to increase the growth of and trust in stablecoins through clear regulatory rules.Other existing stablecoins include USD1, which, like Catholic USD, is also a U.S. dollar-pegged stablecoin (designed to maintain a 1-to-1 value with the U.S. dollar).USD1 was launched in March 2025 by World Liberty Financial, a decentralized finance (DeFi) platform and cryptocurrency venture closely associated with President Donald Trump and his family, though disclaimers emphasize that the Trump family are not officers or directors and that the cryptocurrency is not politically affiliated or endorsed.A company called Tether Unlimited issued a stablecoin, USDT, which is the longest-running and largest U.S. dollar-pegged stablecoin, launched in 2014 and with a market cap around $184 billion (as of early 2026). It holds roughly 60%-70% of the total stablecoin market share with 534 million users as of early this year.The GENIUS ActPassed with bipartisan support and signed into law by Trump in July 2025, the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act establishes a clear, regulatory framework that legitimizes payment stablecoins and digital asset infrastructure.It aims to preserve U.S. dollar leadership globally while allowing responsible private-sector innovation under defined guardrails.Under the act, qualified nonbank entities may issue payment stablecoins under federal or state supervision, while banks and affiliates may also participate. This dual pathway is intended to foster competition, reduce concentration risk, and avoid stifling innovation.Critics note the GENIUS Act does not fully address illicit finance risks in decentralized systems such as bitcoin, however.

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Catholic entrepreneurs Eddie Cullen and Karl Kilb want to use new financial technologies to benefit the Catholic Church and its charitable work.

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Picture of the day Tenzin Gyatso, the fourteenth and current Dalai Lama, is the highest spiritual leader and head of Tibetan Buddhism. In 1959, he escaped from Tibet to India following the Tibetan uprising against Chinese occupation of Tibet, and established the Tibetan government-in-exile, which continues to function in Dharamsala, India, where he resides. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989. Today is his 90th birthday. #ImageOfTheDay
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Picture of the day Tenzin Gyatso, the fourteenth and current Dalai Lama, is the highest spiritual leader and head of Tibetan Buddhism. In 1959, he escaped from Tibet to India following the Tibetan uprising against Chinese occupation of Tibet, and established the Tibetan government-in-exile, which continues to function in Dharamsala, India, where he resides. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989. Today is his 90th birthday. #ImageOfTheDay

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Picture of the day
Tenzin Gyatso, the fourteenth and current Dalai Lama, is the highest spiritual leader and head of Tibetan Buddhism. In 1959, he escaped from Tibet to India following the Tibetan uprising against Chinese occupation of Tibet, and established the Tibetan government-in-exile, which continues to function in Dharamsala, India, where he resides. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989. Today is his 90th birthday.
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Picture of the day Redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus) male ringed, Għadira Nature Reserve, Malta. Bird ringing is a vital activity that helps protect birds. In Malta, birds are humanely caught in mist nets which are checked every ten minutes. Each bird is ringed and weighed before being released. About 10% are retraps (i.e. they have been ringed before). The programme is carried on by BirdLife Malta.Ringing has shown that birds from at least 48 countries use Malta during migration. Unfortunately, Malta has the densest population of bird hunters in the European Union. The high numbers of wild birds illegally shot in Malta has led to the European Commission taking legal infringement proceedings against the Maltese Government over Article 5 of the Birds Directive. #ImageOfTheDay
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Picture of the day Redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus) male ringed, Għadira Nature Reserve, Malta. Bird ringing is a vital activity that helps protect birds. In Malta, birds are humanely caught in mist nets which are checked every ten minutes. Each bird is ringed and weighed before being released. About 10% are retraps (i.e. they have been ringed before). The programme is carried on by BirdLife Malta.Ringing has shown that birds from at least 48 countries use Malta during migration. Unfortunately, Malta has the densest population of bird hunters in the European Union. The high numbers of wild birds illegally shot in Malta has led to the European Commission taking legal infringement proceedings against the Maltese Government over Article 5 of the Birds Directive. #ImageOfTheDay

unitedyam
Picture of the day
Redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus) male ringed, Għadira Nature Reserve, Malta. Bird ringing is a vital activity that helps protect birds. In Malta, birds are humanely caught in mist nets which are checked every ten minutes. Each bird is ringed and weighed before being released. About 10% are retraps (i.e. they have been ringed before). The programme is carried on by BirdLife Malta.
Ringing has shown that birds from at least 48 countries use Malta during migration. Unfortunately, Malta has the densest population of bird hunters in the European Union. The high numbers of wild birds illegally shot in Malta has led to the European Commission taking legal infringement proceedings against the Maltese Government over Article 5 of the Birds Directive.
Read More
Picture of the day Mauritius kestrel (Falco punctatus), Ebony Forest Reserve Chamarel, Mauritius. In 1974, this Mauritius endemic was the rarest bird in the World. Due to ground-breaking conservation work the population rose to 800, but has now slumped to possibly 400 birds. In 2023, the Government of Mauritius declared the Mauritius Kestrel as its national bird. #ImageOfTheDay
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Picture of the day Mauritius kestrel (Falco punctatus), Ebony Forest Reserve Chamarel, Mauritius. In 1974, this Mauritius endemic was the rarest bird in the World. Due to ground-breaking conservation work the population rose to 800, but has now slumped to possibly 400 birds. In 2023, the Government of Mauritius declared the Mauritius Kestrel as its national bird. #ImageOfTheDay

unitedyam
Picture of the day
Mauritius kestrel (Falco punctatus), Ebony Forest Reserve Chamarel, Mauritius. In 1974, this Mauritius endemic was the rarest bird in the World. Due to ground-breaking conservation work the population rose to 800, but has now slumped to possibly 400 birds. In 2023, the Government of Mauritius declared the Mauritius Kestrel as its national bird.
Read More