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French priest Henri Caffarel, founder of Teams of Our Lady, declared venerable by Pope Leo XIV #Catholic Father Henri Caffarel, a French priest whose apostolate centered on accompanying and guiding married couples on the path to holiness, is one step closer to being canonized.On March 23, Pope Leo XIV recognized the heroic virtues of the newly declared venerable, who maintained that couples are made for happiness and that marriage is a path toward it.With this deep conviction, and conscious of the challenges faced by couples, Caffarel, who was born in Lyon, France, in 1903, founded the movement for marital spirituality known as “Teams of Our Lady” in Paris in 1939.The beginning of a living legacySpaniards Alberto Pérez Bueno and Mercedes Gómez-Ferrer Lozano, the couple in charge of the Teams of Our Lady internationally, have been married for 35 years and have three children. In an interview with ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, they said the ministry started “with four couples who approached Father Caffarel to ask him how they could live out their faith as a couple.”“He didn’t have an answer at that moment, so he proposed that they embark on a journey of discovery together rooted in the sacrament of holy orders and the sacrament of matrimony. And that‘s how it all began,” Alberto explained.Following World War II, the movement, which is primarily lay-led, grew rapidly; today, it is present in 92 countries and is comprised of more than 15,000 teams. Father Henri Caffarel. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Alberto Pérez Bueno Marital communication and prayerMercedes emphasized that from the very beginning, Caffarel saw the need to foster the essentials of marital communication and prayer, convinced that by sharing their problems with one another, many couples could avoid estrangement that sometimes occurs in marriage.The priest, Alberto recalled, said that “the sacrament of matrimony is an image of God” and “probably the most perfect one there is.” The priest said married couples are called to holiness through a life of “work, personal growth, love, patience, and building a life together.”“It‘s not an overnight process but rather a journey undertaken over the course of a lifetime. Father Caffarel invited couples to embark on this path and to attain holiness through their work and their life together,” Alberto emphasized.Mercedes said the priest thought of marriage as a sign “that reflects the love of God” because the relationship of communion that exists between spouses is analogous to the relationship existing among the three Divine Persons: Christ, the Father, and the Holy Spirit.In the priest’s view, the image of marriage allowed for a clearer expression of the idea of ​​a God who is love “and who communicates and expands within his own nature.” From this perspective, “holiness ceases to be understood as a matter of individual effort or moral perfection and is situated instead within the dynamic of love that transforms and animates life,” Mercedes explained.A continuous path of spiritual growthThe organization of the Teams of Our Lady is based on a specific methodology “that goes beyond monthly meetings,” encompassing prayer, dialogue, and personal commitment. Each team consists of five or six married couples, fostering “listening to the word, personal prayer, prayer as a couple and family prayer, and a profound dialogue in the presence of the Lord that we also have every month,” Mercedes explained.Ultimately, it is a matter of “having a rule of life, a set of elements through which you strive to improve your Christian life,” she said. There is also a yearly retreat and a specific study theme each month.Alberto emphasized that the Teams of Our Lady are, in a sense, “precursors of the synodality” promoted by Pope Francis. “It’s a movement that is very nonclerical — though, it must be said, the accompaniment of married couples by priests is essential.”He also noted that “married couples place their time, their skills, their charisms, and their gifts at the service of others in order to build community.” Mercedes, who had the opportunity to meet the now-venerable, recalled that in 1973 he stepped aside after founding the teams, convinced that “if it was a work of the Holy Spirit and possessed a charism for the Church, there was no need for him to stay on.”Leaving the ministry in the laity’s hands, he retired to a house of prayer on the outskirts of Paris, where he began his other “great work”: teaching people how to pray. Mercedes noted that “one of the things he desired most was to teach people how to draw closer to Christ and to serve as an intermediary so that every person could have a personal encounter with God.” Alberto Pérez Bueno and Mercedes Gómez-Ferrer Lozano, international organizers of Teams of Our Lady. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Alberto Pérez Bueno The challenges facing married couples todayAlberto and Mercedes explained how married couples today confront new challenges stemming from the pace of life, particularly the “massive entry of women into the workforce,” which has brought different challenges, such as “finding time to be together and talk.”They highlighted Caffarel’s enduring counsel: “Seek out these moments; don’t let them slip away,” for life “sweeps us along like a fast-moving river.They also highlighted the movement’s impact in countries such as Lithuania, with a past marked by communist repression, or in African nations where the teams foster equality, participation, and changes such as abandoning polygamy. This is also true in Europe, where the Teams of Our Lady help strengthen families within increasingly secularized societies.Both highlight the universal impact of the movement: Couples from diverse cultures agree on the benefits received, particularly the “opportunity to pray together” and the realization of “how difficult it would have been without the presence of Christ in their married life.” Ultimately, this is a way of life that responds to a profound desire: Even as sacramental marriages decline, “there is no diminishing of people’s desire to live as a couple.”Mercedes also warned of a growing way of dealing with problems: “At the slightest setback, people are right off tempted to give up,” and the couple is not taught how to “persevere and forgive.” Added to this is “a great fear of commitment” and a tendency to avoid lasting bonds or communities despite the fact that, deep down, people “want to be happy and want to stay together.”For this reason, she emphasized the importance of mutual support and community life: “It‘s fundamental to allow oneself to be helped,” since in her view navigating married life in isolation “is extremely complex.”The teams offer precisely the necessary tools and support: a setting where married couples share their problems and solutions. Drawing upon their own experiences, they particularly encourage young couples to embark on this path of holiness.Both expressed their joy that Caffarel has been declared venerable, a long-awaited recognition following nearly 20 years of going through the beatification process, which continues, awaiting a miracle wrought through his intercession.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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French priest Henri Caffarel, founder of Teams of Our Lady, declared venerable by Pope Leo XIV #Catholic Father Henri Caffarel, a French priest whose apostolate centered on accompanying and guiding married couples on the path to holiness, is one step closer to being canonized.On March 23, Pope Leo XIV recognized the heroic virtues of the newly declared venerable, who maintained that couples are made for happiness and that marriage is a path toward it.With this deep conviction, and conscious of the challenges faced by couples, Caffarel, who was born in Lyon, France, in 1903, founded the movement for marital spirituality known as “Teams of Our Lady” in Paris in 1939.The beginning of a living legacySpaniards Alberto Pérez Bueno and Mercedes Gómez-Ferrer Lozano, the couple in charge of the Teams of Our Lady internationally, have been married for 35 years and have three children. In an interview with ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, they said the ministry started “with four couples who approached Father Caffarel to ask him how they could live out their faith as a couple.”“He didn’t have an answer at that moment, so he proposed that they embark on a journey of discovery together rooted in the sacrament of holy orders and the sacrament of matrimony. And that‘s how it all began,” Alberto explained.Following World War II, the movement, which is primarily lay-led, grew rapidly; today, it is present in 92 countries and is comprised of more than 15,000 teams. Father Henri Caffarel. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Alberto Pérez Bueno Marital communication and prayerMercedes emphasized that from the very beginning, Caffarel saw the need to foster the essentials of marital communication and prayer, convinced that by sharing their problems with one another, many couples could avoid estrangement that sometimes occurs in marriage.The priest, Alberto recalled, said that “the sacrament of matrimony is an image of God” and “probably the most perfect one there is.” The priest said married couples are called to holiness through a life of “work, personal growth, love, patience, and building a life together.”“It‘s not an overnight process but rather a journey undertaken over the course of a lifetime. Father Caffarel invited couples to embark on this path and to attain holiness through their work and their life together,” Alberto emphasized.Mercedes said the priest thought of marriage as a sign “that reflects the love of God” because the relationship of communion that exists between spouses is analogous to the relationship existing among the three Divine Persons: Christ, the Father, and the Holy Spirit.In the priest’s view, the image of marriage allowed for a clearer expression of the idea of ​​a God who is love “and who communicates and expands within his own nature.” From this perspective, “holiness ceases to be understood as a matter of individual effort or moral perfection and is situated instead within the dynamic of love that transforms and animates life,” Mercedes explained.A continuous path of spiritual growthThe organization of the Teams of Our Lady is based on a specific methodology “that goes beyond monthly meetings,” encompassing prayer, dialogue, and personal commitment. Each team consists of five or six married couples, fostering “listening to the word, personal prayer, prayer as a couple and family prayer, and a profound dialogue in the presence of the Lord that we also have every month,” Mercedes explained.Ultimately, it is a matter of “having a rule of life, a set of elements through which you strive to improve your Christian life,” she said. There is also a yearly retreat and a specific study theme each month.Alberto emphasized that the Teams of Our Lady are, in a sense, “precursors of the synodality” promoted by Pope Francis. “It’s a movement that is very nonclerical — though, it must be said, the accompaniment of married couples by priests is essential.”He also noted that “married couples place their time, their skills, their charisms, and their gifts at the service of others in order to build community.” Mercedes, who had the opportunity to meet the now-venerable, recalled that in 1973 he stepped aside after founding the teams, convinced that “if it was a work of the Holy Spirit and possessed a charism for the Church, there was no need for him to stay on.”Leaving the ministry in the laity’s hands, he retired to a house of prayer on the outskirts of Paris, where he began his other “great work”: teaching people how to pray. Mercedes noted that “one of the things he desired most was to teach people how to draw closer to Christ and to serve as an intermediary so that every person could have a personal encounter with God.” Alberto Pérez Bueno and Mercedes Gómez-Ferrer Lozano, international organizers of Teams of Our Lady. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Alberto Pérez Bueno The challenges facing married couples todayAlberto and Mercedes explained how married couples today confront new challenges stemming from the pace of life, particularly the “massive entry of women into the workforce,” which has brought different challenges, such as “finding time to be together and talk.”They highlighted Caffarel’s enduring counsel: “Seek out these moments; don’t let them slip away,” for life “sweeps us along like a fast-moving river.They also highlighted the movement’s impact in countries such as Lithuania, with a past marked by communist repression, or in African nations where the teams foster equality, participation, and changes such as abandoning polygamy. This is also true in Europe, where the Teams of Our Lady help strengthen families within increasingly secularized societies.Both highlight the universal impact of the movement: Couples from diverse cultures agree on the benefits received, particularly the “opportunity to pray together” and the realization of “how difficult it would have been without the presence of Christ in their married life.” Ultimately, this is a way of life that responds to a profound desire: Even as sacramental marriages decline, “there is no diminishing of people’s desire to live as a couple.”Mercedes also warned of a growing way of dealing with problems: “At the slightest setback, people are right off tempted to give up,” and the couple is not taught how to “persevere and forgive.” Added to this is “a great fear of commitment” and a tendency to avoid lasting bonds or communities despite the fact that, deep down, people “want to be happy and want to stay together.”For this reason, she emphasized the importance of mutual support and community life: “It‘s fundamental to allow oneself to be helped,” since in her view navigating married life in isolation “is extremely complex.”The teams offer precisely the necessary tools and support: a setting where married couples share their problems and solutions. Drawing upon their own experiences, they particularly encourage young couples to embark on this path of holiness.Both expressed their joy that Caffarel has been declared venerable, a long-awaited recognition following nearly 20 years of going through the beatification process, which continues, awaiting a miracle wrought through his intercession.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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A married couple that leads the Teams of Our Lady, founded by newly-declared Venerable Father Henri Caffarel, explains how this lay apostolate helps couples grow together in holiness.

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Pope Leo XIV: ‘Kneel down as brothers and sisters alongside the oppressed’ #Catholic Pope Leo XIV on Holy Thursday returned the Mass of the Lord’s Supper to the Basilica of St. John Lateran, reviving a papal practice last observed there in 2012 under Benedict XVI.Departing from Pope Francis’ custom of celebrating the liturgy in prisons or migrant centers, Leo celebrated the rite in the cathedral of Rome and washed the feet of 12 priests of the Diocese of Rome.In his homily, the pope framed the liturgy as the solemn entrance into the Easter Triduum and said Christ’s love, shown in both the Eucharist and the washing of the feet, reveals the justice of God in a world wounded by evil.“This evening’s solemn liturgy marks our entry into the holy Triduum of the Lord’s passion, death, and resurrection,” Leo said. “We cross this threshold not as mere spectators, nor out of habit, but as those personally invited by Jesus himself as guests at the Supper in which bread and wine become for us the sacrament of salvation.”“His love becomes both gesture and nourishment for all, revealing the justice of God,” the pope said. “In this world, and particularly in those places where evil abounds, Jesus loves definitively — forever, and with his whole being.”Reflecting on the washing of the feet, Leo said the gesture is not simply a moral lesson but a revelation of God’s own way of loving.“What the Lord shows us — taking the water, the basin, and the towel — is far more than a moral example,” he said. “He entrusts to us his very way of life. The washing of the feet is a gesture that encapsulates the revelation of God.”The pope also cited Benedict XVI, recalling that Christians must repeatedly learn that God’s greatness is unlike worldly greatness. “We too must ‘learn repeatedly that God’s greatness is different from our idea of greatness… because we systematically desire a God of success and not of the Passion,’” Leo said.He warned that human beings are tempted to seek a God who grants success, victory, or usefulness like wealth and power rather than recognizing the divine power revealed in humble service.“Yet we fail to perceive that God does indeed serve us through the gratuitous and humble gesture of washing feet,” Leo said. “This is the true omnipotence of God.”The pope said Jesus’ action purifies both humanity’s false image of God and its false image of man.“For we tend to consider ourselves powerful when we dominate, victorious when we destroy our equals, great when we are feared,” he said. “In contrast, as true God and true man, Christ offers us the example of self-giving, service, and love.”Leo stressed that Christ gave this example not in a moment of acclaim but “on the night he was betrayed, in the darkness of incomprehension and violence.”“In this way, it becomes clear that the Lord’s love precedes our own goodness or purity; he loves us first, and in that love, he forgives and restores us,” the pope said.Quoting St. John’s Gospel, Leo urged Christians to live out mutual service in imitation of Christ: “He does not ask us to repay him but to share his gift among ourselves: ‘You also ought to wash one another’s feet.’”The pope also referred to Pope Francis’ 2013 Holy Thursday homily, noting that Christian service cannot be reduced to abstraction or empty obligation but must spring from charity.Allowing oneself to be served by the Lord, Leo said, is a precondition for serving others. “By washing our bodies, Jesus purifies our souls,” he said. “In him, God has given us an example — not of how to dominate, but of how to liberate; not of how to destroy life, but of how to give it.”In one of the homily’s strongest appeals, the pope turned to the suffering of those crushed by violence and oppression.“As humanity is brought to its knees by so many acts of brutality, let us too kneel down as brothers and sisters alongside the oppressed,” he said.Leo said the liturgy of Holy Thursday draws together the institution of the Eucharist and holy orders, revealing “the perfect self-gift of Jesus, the High Priest and living, eternal Eucharist.”Addressing priests directly, he said: “Beloved brothers in the priesthood, we are called to serve the people of God with our whole lives.”He concluded by inviting Catholics to spend time in Eucharistic adoration and to ask for the grace to imitate Christ’s love.“Holy Thursday is therefore a day of fervent gratitude and authentic fraternity,” the pope said. “May this evening’s Eucharistic adoration, in every parish and community, be a time to contemplate Jesus’ gesture, kneeling as he did, and to ask for the strength to imitate his service with the same love.”This story was first published by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
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Pope Leo XIV: ‘Kneel down as brothers and sisters alongside the oppressed’ #Catholic Pope Leo XIV on Holy Thursday returned the Mass of the Lord’s Supper to the Basilica of St. John Lateran, reviving a papal practice last observed there in 2012 under Benedict XVI.Departing from Pope Francis’ custom of celebrating the liturgy in prisons or migrant centers, Leo celebrated the rite in the cathedral of Rome and washed the feet of 12 priests of the Diocese of Rome.In his homily, the pope framed the liturgy as the solemn entrance into the Easter Triduum and said Christ’s love, shown in both the Eucharist and the washing of the feet, reveals the justice of God in a world wounded by evil.“This evening’s solemn liturgy marks our entry into the holy Triduum of the Lord’s passion, death, and resurrection,” Leo said. “We cross this threshold not as mere spectators, nor out of habit, but as those personally invited by Jesus himself as guests at the Supper in which bread and wine become for us the sacrament of salvation.”“His love becomes both gesture and nourishment for all, revealing the justice of God,” the pope said. “In this world, and particularly in those places where evil abounds, Jesus loves definitively — forever, and with his whole being.”Reflecting on the washing of the feet, Leo said the gesture is not simply a moral lesson but a revelation of God’s own way of loving.“What the Lord shows us — taking the water, the basin, and the towel — is far more than a moral example,” he said. “He entrusts to us his very way of life. The washing of the feet is a gesture that encapsulates the revelation of God.”The pope also cited Benedict XVI, recalling that Christians must repeatedly learn that God’s greatness is unlike worldly greatness. “We too must ‘learn repeatedly that God’s greatness is different from our idea of greatness… because we systematically desire a God of success and not of the Passion,’” Leo said.He warned that human beings are tempted to seek a God who grants success, victory, or usefulness like wealth and power rather than recognizing the divine power revealed in humble service.“Yet we fail to perceive that God does indeed serve us through the gratuitous and humble gesture of washing feet,” Leo said. “This is the true omnipotence of God.”The pope said Jesus’ action purifies both humanity’s false image of God and its false image of man.“For we tend to consider ourselves powerful when we dominate, victorious when we destroy our equals, great when we are feared,” he said. “In contrast, as true God and true man, Christ offers us the example of self-giving, service, and love.”Leo stressed that Christ gave this example not in a moment of acclaim but “on the night he was betrayed, in the darkness of incomprehension and violence.”“In this way, it becomes clear that the Lord’s love precedes our own goodness or purity; he loves us first, and in that love, he forgives and restores us,” the pope said.Quoting St. John’s Gospel, Leo urged Christians to live out mutual service in imitation of Christ: “He does not ask us to repay him but to share his gift among ourselves: ‘You also ought to wash one another’s feet.’”The pope also referred to Pope Francis’ 2013 Holy Thursday homily, noting that Christian service cannot be reduced to abstraction or empty obligation but must spring from charity.Allowing oneself to be served by the Lord, Leo said, is a precondition for serving others. “By washing our bodies, Jesus purifies our souls,” he said. “In him, God has given us an example — not of how to dominate, but of how to liberate; not of how to destroy life, but of how to give it.”In one of the homily’s strongest appeals, the pope turned to the suffering of those crushed by violence and oppression.“As humanity is brought to its knees by so many acts of brutality, let us too kneel down as brothers and sisters alongside the oppressed,” he said.Leo said the liturgy of Holy Thursday draws together the institution of the Eucharist and holy orders, revealing “the perfect self-gift of Jesus, the High Priest and living, eternal Eucharist.”Addressing priests directly, he said: “Beloved brothers in the priesthood, we are called to serve the people of God with our whole lives.”He concluded by inviting Catholics to spend time in Eucharistic adoration and to ask for the grace to imitate Christ’s love.“Holy Thursday is therefore a day of fervent gratitude and authentic fraternity,” the pope said. “May this evening’s Eucharistic adoration, in every parish and community, be a time to contemplate Jesus’ gesture, kneeling as he did, and to ask for the strength to imitate his service with the same love.”This story was first published by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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On Holy Thursday, the pontiff urged Catholics to imitate Christ’s service in a world marked by brutality.

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King Felipe VI of Spain installed as protocanon of the Basilica of St. Mary Major #Catholic VATICAN CITY — King Felipe VI of Spain on Friday was installed as protocanon of the Basilica of St. Mary Major in a solemn ceremony that underscores the historic link of the Spanish monarchy with the oldest Marian church in the West.“Protocanon” is an honorary title reserved exclusively for the Spanish head of state, recognizing the monarch as a collaborator of the pope without bestowing executive functions or decision-making power. The investiture March 20 renewed a relationship that dates back centuries and that last took place with Juan Carlos I of Spain in 1977.The king arrived at the Marian basilica, one of four papal basilicas in Rome, after a 50-minute audience with Pope Leo XIV at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican. The meeting served as a prelude to the pontiff’s upcoming apostolic journey to Spain, scheduled for June 6–12.Upon their arrival at the basilica, the king and his wife, Queen Letizia, were received at the Bronze Gate by the Spanish canon of the chapter, Monsignor José Jaime Brosel, and the archpriest of the basilica, Cardinal Rolandas Makrickas.The king and queen viewed a statue of Philip IV of Spain, ancestor of the current monarch, a work designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and one of the pieces of evidence that show the centuries-old historical and spiritual relationship between Spain and the oldest Marian temple in the West.During the ceremony, Makrickas stressed that “authentic tradition is not stagnation but the living transmission of a gift that transcends time” and recalled that the basilica is entrusted with prayer for Spain and its head of state.Parts of the bull Hispaniarum Fidelitas were also read at the ceremony. Pope Pius XII signed the important document, which renewed and confirmed the historic ties of devotion and protection between the Spanish nation and the Basilica of St. Mary Major, in Rome on Aug. 5, 1953.In a short speech, King Felipe VI reaffirmed his commitment to the historic Roman basilica and appealed for “clarity of deed and word, of heart and conscience” in the current context. He also invited people to overcome selfishness and indifference in order to become “a small beacon of concord, generosity, and dedication to the common good.”Spain’s connection to the Basilica of St. Mary MajorFew know that the Basilica of St. Mary Major has close ties to the Spanish crown. Proof of this lies in the statue of Philip IV — an ancestor of the current king — which stands in the atrium.The work was inaugurated in 1692 during the tenure of the Spanish ambassador, the Duke of Medinaceli.The duke “was one of the main benefactors of St. Mary Major,” Brosel, a canon of the basilica and rector of the Spanish National Church of Santiago and Monserrat in Rome, told EWTN News ahead of the March 20 event.“In fact, it was in 1647 that Pope Innocent X formally established the Spanish Charitable Foundation in this basilica. Furthermore, the pope established an annual income in exchange for certain privileges for the Spanish monarchy,” Brosel explained.From that moment onward, the kings of Spain have held the title of “honorary protocanon.” This was a gesture of support for the pope during the Counter-Reformation but also a guarantee to safeguard the influence of the Spanish monarchy within the Holy See.The last time a Spanish head of state took possession as protocanon of the basilica was the father of the current king, Juan Carlos I, on Feb. 10, 1977.Brosel emphasized that Spain’s bond with the basilica “is born from the heart of Spain and its deep Marian devotion, where Spaniards feel St. Mary Major is their home.” King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain meet Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on March 20, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media Papal audienceThe investiture ceremony for the king took place following a visit to the Vatican and private audience with Pope Leo XIV.Leo’s upcoming trip to Spain — which is expected to include stops in Madrid, Barcelona, and the Canary Islands — will be the first papal journey to Spain in 15 years.Benedict XVI was the last pope to visit the country, traveling to Madrid for World Youth Day in 2011. At that time, Felipe VI was still a prince and the king was his father, Juan Carlos I.Queen Letizia at Friday’s papal audience wore white, a privilege reserved for Catholic queens, although without a mantilla or hair comb.The private conversation and exchange of gifts with Pope Leo was followed by talks with Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Archbishop Paul Gallagher in the Secretariat of State.This story was first published as three articles by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister agency of EWTN News. It was translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
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King Felipe VI of Spain installed as protocanon of the Basilica of St. Mary Major #Catholic VATICAN CITY — King Felipe VI of Spain on Friday was installed as protocanon of the Basilica of St. Mary Major in a solemn ceremony that underscores the historic link of the Spanish monarchy with the oldest Marian church in the West.“Protocanon” is an honorary title reserved exclusively for the Spanish head of state, recognizing the monarch as a collaborator of the pope without bestowing executive functions or decision-making power. The investiture March 20 renewed a relationship that dates back centuries and that last took place with Juan Carlos I of Spain in 1977.The king arrived at the Marian basilica, one of four papal basilicas in Rome, after a 50-minute audience with Pope Leo XIV at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican. The meeting served as a prelude to the pontiff’s upcoming apostolic journey to Spain, scheduled for June 6–12.Upon their arrival at the basilica, the king and his wife, Queen Letizia, were received at the Bronze Gate by the Spanish canon of the chapter, Monsignor José Jaime Brosel, and the archpriest of the basilica, Cardinal Rolandas Makrickas.The king and queen viewed a statue of Philip IV of Spain, ancestor of the current monarch, a work designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and one of the pieces of evidence that show the centuries-old historical and spiritual relationship between Spain and the oldest Marian temple in the West.During the ceremony, Makrickas stressed that “authentic tradition is not stagnation but the living transmission of a gift that transcends time” and recalled that the basilica is entrusted with prayer for Spain and its head of state.Parts of the bull Hispaniarum Fidelitas were also read at the ceremony. Pope Pius XII signed the important document, which renewed and confirmed the historic ties of devotion and protection between the Spanish nation and the Basilica of St. Mary Major, in Rome on Aug. 5, 1953.In a short speech, King Felipe VI reaffirmed his commitment to the historic Roman basilica and appealed for “clarity of deed and word, of heart and conscience” in the current context. He also invited people to overcome selfishness and indifference in order to become “a small beacon of concord, generosity, and dedication to the common good.”Spain’s connection to the Basilica of St. Mary MajorFew know that the Basilica of St. Mary Major has close ties to the Spanish crown. Proof of this lies in the statue of Philip IV — an ancestor of the current king — which stands in the atrium.The work was inaugurated in 1692 during the tenure of the Spanish ambassador, the Duke of Medinaceli.The duke “was one of the main benefactors of St. Mary Major,” Brosel, a canon of the basilica and rector of the Spanish National Church of Santiago and Monserrat in Rome, told EWTN News ahead of the March 20 event.“In fact, it was in 1647 that Pope Innocent X formally established the Spanish Charitable Foundation in this basilica. Furthermore, the pope established an annual income in exchange for certain privileges for the Spanish monarchy,” Brosel explained.From that moment onward, the kings of Spain have held the title of “honorary protocanon.” This was a gesture of support for the pope during the Counter-Reformation but also a guarantee to safeguard the influence of the Spanish monarchy within the Holy See.The last time a Spanish head of state took possession as protocanon of the basilica was the father of the current king, Juan Carlos I, on Feb. 10, 1977.Brosel emphasized that Spain’s bond with the basilica “is born from the heart of Spain and its deep Marian devotion, where Spaniards feel St. Mary Major is their home.” King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain meet Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on March 20, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media Papal audienceThe investiture ceremony for the king took place following a visit to the Vatican and private audience with Pope Leo XIV.Leo’s upcoming trip to Spain — which is expected to include stops in Madrid, Barcelona, and the Canary Islands — will be the first papal journey to Spain in 15 years.Benedict XVI was the last pope to visit the country, traveling to Madrid for World Youth Day in 2011. At that time, Felipe VI was still a prince and the king was his father, Juan Carlos I.Queen Letizia at Friday’s papal audience wore white, a privilege reserved for Catholic queens, although without a mantilla or hair comb.The private conversation and exchange of gifts with Pope Leo was followed by talks with Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Archbishop Paul Gallagher in the Secretariat of State.This story was first published as three articles by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister agency of EWTN News. It was translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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“Protocanon” is an honorary title reserved exclusively for the Spanish head of state, recognizing the monarch as a collaborator of the pope.

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Collection for the Holy Land: Christians need concrete hope, not just consoling words #Catholic Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches, called upon the faithful worldwide to participate in the Good Friday collection aimed at assisting Christian communities in the Holy Land.The Good Friday collection is one of the primary sources of support for the Custody of the Holy Land — the Franciscan institution that for centuries has safeguarded the sites connected to the life of Jesus Christ and accompanied the Christian communities living in the region.The prefect called upon the faithful around the world to respond with a concrete gesture of solidarity. “I wish to propose a small gesture to you: to offer a little of our money to help our brothers and sisters who find themselves in extreme peril to live one more day, to find hope, and to find the possibility of starting anew.”“How many times have I personally visited those Christian minorities who wake up every morning facing the danger of no longer having a place to exist!” Gugerotti wrote in the March 18 letter, which was also signed by the dicastery’s secretary, Archbishop Michel Jalakh.“Help us to offer them concrete hope, not merely words of consolation — for we who visit them will leave, while they remain with their fears, even with the terror that, precisely because they are Christians, they may be eliminated,” the cardinal stated. The cardinal explained that the Good Friday donations hold a twofold significance: on the one hand, providing material aid to those living amid war and poverty, and on the other, challenging the conscience of the faithful.“It is also vital for us, because without sacrifice, without a real change in our way of living, we risk remaining inert before a world in flames — and thus complicit in its destruction,” he said. Gugerotti noted that many Christians in the Holy Land have lost their means of livelihood, especially those who depended on religious tourism, which historically sustained a large portion of the local economy. The conflict that began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel, triggered a sharp decline in religious tourism.“A great many Christians in the Holy Land have lost everything, even the work that came from serving pilgrims,” he pointed out.In early 2025, Israel’s Ministry of Tourism characterized the year as a turning point, with 1.3 million international arrivals. However, 2026 has once again proven to be a highly problematic year for pilgrimages primarily due to the military escalation by the United States and Israel against Iran, which has thrown the entire region into crisis.The drastic reduction in pilgrimages and the current climate of insecurity have  exacerbated the situation. “Now, out of fear, almost everyone tends to avoid venturing into those lands,” he said.What is done with the money collected?In 2023 — the most recent year for which official data are available — the Holy Land collection raised 6,571,893 euros (.5 million). The Custody of the Holy Land typically receives 65% of the proceeds, while the remaining 35% goes to the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches, which uses it for the formation of priests and for subsidies to the various dioceses and eparchies in Palestine, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, and Iraq.Of the money it receives, the Custody of the Holy Land normally invests 20% in the upkeep of the sites where Jesus Christ walked, while the remainder goes to Christian families, who, in 1948, constituted 20% of the local population but now make up less than 1.4%.In the Gaza Strip, it collaborates with the Latin parish and the Atfa-Luna association to provide psycho-social support “to some 1,000 children and 300 adults,” as well as to distribute emergency kits and aid to families of people with disabilities.In Lebanon, the Church responded to the 2024 crisis (the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah) by providing “hot meals for some 500 beneficiaries every day” and ensuring “drinking water for about 250 people daily.” The Custody of the Holy Land also manages hundreds of housing units at nominal rents to prevent emigration.“It has been said that peace has been achieved; however, even though the media speak of it much less today than before, the shooting continues, people continue to die, lands remain disputed, and Christians continue to emigrate to save their lives,” the cardinal noted.According to the 2023 data released by the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches, 2,376,167 euros (.7 million) was donated to seminaries, houses of religious formation, and cultural institutions. The Franciscan Custody allocated more than 2 million euros (.3 million) to the education of young people in the Holy Land in 2023, funding scholarships at various universities in the region. Nearly 1 million euros (.15 million) were allocated to the Pontifical Oriental Institute, which now encompasses, at Pope Francis’ direction, the Pontifical Gregorian University.A portion was also invested in Bethlehem University, one of the prestigious foundations that underwrites the academic studies of 3,300 young people, both Muslim and Christian, with the aim of educating them to build a future of peace in the Holy Land.A concrete gesture: Giving is a ‘strong sign of faith’In his message, the cardinal invited bishops and pastoral leaders to raise awareness among the faithful regarding the importance of sustaining the Christian presence in the places where Christianity was born.“Let us ensure that our people approach the collection with the awareness that giving is a strong sign of faith,” he wrote. “A Holy Land without believers is a lost land, for the living memory of salvation is lost,” he added.“Pope Leo XIV never ceases to bring to our minds and hearts this commitment to be one, so that there may be peace — not a provisional truce, not perpetual hatred, not an immense expenditure on armaments, but a contribution to our common rebirth,” the cardinal wrote.The prelate concluded his letter by acknowledging that the collection would be merely “a drop in the ocean” but that “the ocean, as a result of losing its drops, is turning into a desert.”In addition to supporting the Franciscan mission in the Holy Land to safeguard the holy places, sustain local Christian communities, and foster peace in the region where Jesus lived, the cardinal said Christians can actively contribute by offering prayers to support this work and inspire new vocations, or by undertaking a pilgrimage to discover the roots of Christianity.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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Collection for the Holy Land: Christians need concrete hope, not just consoling words #Catholic Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches, called upon the faithful worldwide to participate in the Good Friday collection aimed at assisting Christian communities in the Holy Land.The Good Friday collection is one of the primary sources of support for the Custody of the Holy Land — the Franciscan institution that for centuries has safeguarded the sites connected to the life of Jesus Christ and accompanied the Christian communities living in the region.The prefect called upon the faithful around the world to respond with a concrete gesture of solidarity. “I wish to propose a small gesture to you: to offer a little of our money to help our brothers and sisters who find themselves in extreme peril to live one more day, to find hope, and to find the possibility of starting anew.”“How many times have I personally visited those Christian minorities who wake up every morning facing the danger of no longer having a place to exist!” Gugerotti wrote in the March 18 letter, which was also signed by the dicastery’s secretary, Archbishop Michel Jalakh.“Help us to offer them concrete hope, not merely words of consolation — for we who visit them will leave, while they remain with their fears, even with the terror that, precisely because they are Christians, they may be eliminated,” the cardinal stated. The cardinal explained that the Good Friday donations hold a twofold significance: on the one hand, providing material aid to those living amid war and poverty, and on the other, challenging the conscience of the faithful.“It is also vital for us, because without sacrifice, without a real change in our way of living, we risk remaining inert before a world in flames — and thus complicit in its destruction,” he said. Gugerotti noted that many Christians in the Holy Land have lost their means of livelihood, especially those who depended on religious tourism, which historically sustained a large portion of the local economy. The conflict that began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel, triggered a sharp decline in religious tourism.“A great many Christians in the Holy Land have lost everything, even the work that came from serving pilgrims,” he pointed out.In early 2025, Israel’s Ministry of Tourism characterized the year as a turning point, with 1.3 million international arrivals. However, 2026 has once again proven to be a highly problematic year for pilgrimages primarily due to the military escalation by the United States and Israel against Iran, which has thrown the entire region into crisis.The drastic reduction in pilgrimages and the current climate of insecurity have  exacerbated the situation. “Now, out of fear, almost everyone tends to avoid venturing into those lands,” he said.What is done with the money collected?In 2023 — the most recent year for which official data are available — the Holy Land collection raised 6,571,893 euros ($7.5 million). The Custody of the Holy Land typically receives 65% of the proceeds, while the remaining 35% goes to the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches, which uses it for the formation of priests and for subsidies to the various dioceses and eparchies in Palestine, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, and Iraq.Of the money it receives, the Custody of the Holy Land normally invests 20% in the upkeep of the sites where Jesus Christ walked, while the remainder goes to Christian families, who, in 1948, constituted 20% of the local population but now make up less than 1.4%.In the Gaza Strip, it collaborates with the Latin parish and the Atfa-Luna association to provide psycho-social support “to some 1,000 children and 300 adults,” as well as to distribute emergency kits and aid to families of people with disabilities.In Lebanon, the Church responded to the 2024 crisis (the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah) by providing “hot meals for some 500 beneficiaries every day” and ensuring “drinking water for about 250 people daily.” The Custody of the Holy Land also manages hundreds of housing units at nominal rents to prevent emigration.“It has been said that peace has been achieved; however, even though the media speak of it much less today than before, the shooting continues, people continue to die, lands remain disputed, and Christians continue to emigrate to save their lives,” the cardinal noted.According to the 2023 data released by the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches, 2,376,167 euros ($2.7 million) was donated to seminaries, houses of religious formation, and cultural institutions. The Franciscan Custody allocated more than 2 million euros ($2.3 million) to the education of young people in the Holy Land in 2023, funding scholarships at various universities in the region. Nearly 1 million euros ($1.15 million) were allocated to the Pontifical Oriental Institute, which now encompasses, at Pope Francis’ direction, the Pontifical Gregorian University.A portion was also invested in Bethlehem University, one of the prestigious foundations that underwrites the academic studies of 3,300 young people, both Muslim and Christian, with the aim of educating them to build a future of peace in the Holy Land.A concrete gesture: Giving is a ‘strong sign of faith’In his message, the cardinal invited bishops and pastoral leaders to raise awareness among the faithful regarding the importance of sustaining the Christian presence in the places where Christianity was born.“Let us ensure that our people approach the collection with the awareness that giving is a strong sign of faith,” he wrote. “A Holy Land without believers is a lost land, for the living memory of salvation is lost,” he added.“Pope Leo XIV never ceases to bring to our minds and hearts this commitment to be one, so that there may be peace — not a provisional truce, not perpetual hatred, not an immense expenditure on armaments, but a contribution to our common rebirth,” the cardinal wrote.The prelate concluded his letter by acknowledging that the collection would be merely “a drop in the ocean” but that “the ocean, as a result of losing its drops, is turning into a desert.”In addition to supporting the Franciscan mission in the Holy Land to safeguard the holy places, sustain local Christian communities, and foster peace in the region where Jesus lived, the cardinal said Christians can actively contribute by offering prayers to support this work and inspire new vocations, or by undertaking a pilgrimage to discover the roots of Christianity.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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Now more than ever, the Christian minority in the Holy Land needs the support it receives through the annual Good Friday collection as ongoing violence in the Middle East has curtailed pilgrimages.

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Mathematicians can become ‘signs of hope for the world,’ Pope Leo XIV says #Catholic In a message conveyed through Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Pope Leo XIV on Friday said that mathematicians can become “signs of hope for the world,” particularly in a context marked by rapid technological advancements and challenges facing humanity.The pope’s message was addressed to the Turkish mathematician and university professor Betül Tanbay, chair of the International Day of Mathematics, which was observed March 13. Tanbay had informed the pontiff of a webinar dedicated to the theme “Mathematics and Hope.” In response, the pope sent a letter extending his cordial greetings and best wishes to all participants in the initiative.In the text, Leo XIV invited reflection on the role that mathematics can play in the face of “the multiple challenges confronting the human family,” citing rapid technological development, with all its potential “for both good and evil.”The pontiff encouraged participants to consider how mathematicians can offer a positive witness to society. “A particularly fruitful area of ​​research is the use of algorithms, especially in the field of artificial intelligence,” he noted.However, the pope emphasized that work in these fields demands something more than technical competence. As he pointed out, this task requires “not only intellectual effort and ingenuity but also the integral growth of the whole person,” capable of taking into account the moral dimension of emerging technologies.Recalling his own experience as a mathematics and physics teacher, Leo XIV quoted words he addressed to students during the Jubilee of the World of Education, held on Oct. 30, 2025: “Possessing vast knowledge is not enough if we don’t know who we are or what the meaning of life is.”Along these lines, the pontiff expressed his hope that participants would be attentive “to the profound spiritual needs of the human heart” and seek ways to humanize the digital realm so that it may become an opportunity for fraternity and creativity.Likewise, he encouraged mathematicians to be “prophets of hope, truth, and goodness in the world.”The message concluded with a prayer from the pope for all participants in the International Day of Mathematics, upon whom he invoked “abundant divine blessings of wisdom, joy, and peace.”Pope Leo XIV’s mathematical backgroundRobert Francis Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, graduated in 1977 from Villanova University in Pennsylvania, earning a bachelor of arts degree in mathematics alongside studies in philosophy. This preceded the beginning of his theological studies upon his formal entry into the Augustinian novitiate that same year.During his time at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, Prevost combined his religious formation with teaching: He taught mathematics part time at Mendel Catholic High School in Chicago and worked occasionally as a substitute physics teacher at St. Rita of Cascia High School.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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Mathematicians can become ‘signs of hope for the world,’ Pope Leo XIV says #Catholic In a message conveyed through Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Pope Leo XIV on Friday said that mathematicians can become “signs of hope for the world,” particularly in a context marked by rapid technological advancements and challenges facing humanity.The pope’s message was addressed to the Turkish mathematician and university professor Betül Tanbay, chair of the International Day of Mathematics, which was observed March 13. Tanbay had informed the pontiff of a webinar dedicated to the theme “Mathematics and Hope.” In response, the pope sent a letter extending his cordial greetings and best wishes to all participants in the initiative.In the text, Leo XIV invited reflection on the role that mathematics can play in the face of “the multiple challenges confronting the human family,” citing rapid technological development, with all its potential “for both good and evil.”The pontiff encouraged participants to consider how mathematicians can offer a positive witness to society. “A particularly fruitful area of ​​research is the use of algorithms, especially in the field of artificial intelligence,” he noted.However, the pope emphasized that work in these fields demands something more than technical competence. As he pointed out, this task requires “not only intellectual effort and ingenuity but also the integral growth of the whole person,” capable of taking into account the moral dimension of emerging technologies.Recalling his own experience as a mathematics and physics teacher, Leo XIV quoted words he addressed to students during the Jubilee of the World of Education, held on Oct. 30, 2025: “Possessing vast knowledge is not enough if we don’t know who we are or what the meaning of life is.”Along these lines, the pontiff expressed his hope that participants would be attentive “to the profound spiritual needs of the human heart” and seek ways to humanize the digital realm so that it may become an opportunity for fraternity and creativity.Likewise, he encouraged mathematicians to be “prophets of hope, truth, and goodness in the world.”The message concluded with a prayer from the pope for all participants in the International Day of Mathematics, upon whom he invoked “abundant divine blessings of wisdom, joy, and peace.”Pope Leo XIV’s mathematical backgroundRobert Francis Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, graduated in 1977 from Villanova University in Pennsylvania, earning a bachelor of arts degree in mathematics alongside studies in philosophy. This preceded the beginning of his theological studies upon his formal entry into the Augustinian novitiate that same year.During his time at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, Prevost combined his religious formation with teaching: He taught mathematics part time at Mendel Catholic High School in Chicago and worked occasionally as a substitute physics teacher at St. Rita of Cascia High School.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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On the International Day of Mathematics, Pope Leo XIV sent a message inviting reflection on the role good mathematics can play in today’s world.

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Pakistani Christians join Muslims for Ramadan meals amid Iran war fallout #Catholic LAHORE, Pakistan — White bedsheets for Muslim worshippers were laid on the grassy lawn outside the Dominican Peace Center in Punjab an hour before the annual interfaith iftar — the fast-breaking meal during Ramadan.The aroma of crispy pakoras (fritters), dried dates, rose-flavored Rooh Afza, and dahi bhallay (lentil dumplings in yogurt) drew guests to the dining tables after they finished reciting their iftar prayers in Lahore, the provincial capital.Dominican Father James Channan, director of the center, has hosted such interfaith gatherings for 25 years in a country where religious tensions have periodically turned violent. Dominican Father James Channan speaks at a combined International Women’s Day and interfaith iftar program at the Dominican Peace Center in Lahore, Pakistan, on March 8, 2026. | Credit: Kamran Chaudhry “Table friendships are very important in our context. People attending such forums highlight them on social media, reaching millions,” he told EWTN News at the sidelines of the program, timed with International Women’s Day on March 8.“The combined meals and prayer services have helped curb trends of church attacks that followed U.S. wars in Muslim countries.”Pakistani Christians have faced multiple terrorist attacks since October 2001, after the United States — seen by many Pakistani Muslims as a Christian nation — launched its military campaign in Afghanistan.“It’s a bitter past. Churches and Christian settlements were considered soft targets. The ongoing conflicts are not crusades; they are wars of interest,” Channan said.Interfaith meals continue despite unrestInterfaith gatherings continued this year even as protests against U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran left 26 dead in Pakistan.Church leaders joined clerics in prayers for peace and shared meals at mosques, church premises, and hotels across six dioceses and one apostolic vicariate, as Middle East air travel disruption and rising fuel prices added regional tension.Many Pakistanis view the United States and Western Europe as Christian nations, and some militant groups target local Christians as linked to these “Christian countries.”Communal tensions have also erupted locally. In May 2024, a mob attacked 74-year-old Christian Nazir Masih over alleged blasphemy in Sargodha. He later died of his injuries. In August 2023, violence in Jaranwala destroyed 26 churches and 80 Christian homes following allegations of Quran desecration.In a Feb. 17 message, Archbishop Joseph Arshad of Rawalpindi-Islamabad invited Christians and Muslims to offer special prayers for peace as Lent and Ramadan coincided this year. He encouraged people of both faiths “to visit one another, exchange greetings with respect, and unite in serving vulnerable segments of society.”Joint events across PakistanIn Multan, over 82 participants attended a Feb. 28 iftar jointly organized by the Catholic Commission for Inter-Religious Dialogue and Ecumenism; Saiban-e-Pakistan, a state peace initiative; and the Centre of Excellence on Countering Violent Extremism.A day earlier in Lahore, Channan and four Catholic priests attended the fast-breaking event at the Badshahi Mosque, the country’s second-largest mosque. He presented a framed photo of Abdul Khabeer Azad, the mosque’s “khateeb” (prayer leader), who met Pope Leo XIV in October 2025 at the “Christian-Muslim Dialogue and Daring Peace” conference in Rome organized by the Community of Sant’Egidio. Guests share the interfaith iftar meal at the Dominican Peace Center in Lahore on March 8, 2026. | Credit: Kamran Chaudhry Among 120 guests at the Dominican iftar was Muslim speaker Shehzad Qaiser. The event, held in collaboration with groups including the Seventh-day Adventist Church, highlighted ongoing social challenges.The head of external affairs at Sundas Foundation, which supports patients with blood disorders, agreed that Christians face discrimination in some offices and some Muslims refuse the food prepared by Christians.“It is very important to share our common practices, joys, and sorrows. Religious leaders have the duty to raise awareness. Sadly some mistake local Christians as ‘kafir’ (infidels),” Qaiser said.“During Ramadan, people distribute free meals to everyone without asking their religion. Blood donors don’t discriminate either. This is the real spirit of Ramadan and Lent.”
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Pakistani Christians join Muslims for Ramadan meals amid Iran war fallout #Catholic LAHORE, Pakistan — White bedsheets for Muslim worshippers were laid on the grassy lawn outside the Dominican Peace Center in Punjab an hour before the annual interfaith iftar — the fast-breaking meal during Ramadan.The aroma of crispy pakoras (fritters), dried dates, rose-flavored Rooh Afza, and dahi bhallay (lentil dumplings in yogurt) drew guests to the dining tables after they finished reciting their iftar prayers in Lahore, the provincial capital.Dominican Father James Channan, director of the center, has hosted such interfaith gatherings for 25 years in a country where religious tensions have periodically turned violent. Dominican Father James Channan speaks at a combined International Women’s Day and interfaith iftar program at the Dominican Peace Center in Lahore, Pakistan, on March 8, 2026. | Credit: Kamran Chaudhry “Table friendships are very important in our context. People attending such forums highlight them on social media, reaching millions,” he told EWTN News at the sidelines of the program, timed with International Women’s Day on March 8.“The combined meals and prayer services have helped curb trends of church attacks that followed U.S. wars in Muslim countries.”Pakistani Christians have faced multiple terrorist attacks since October 2001, after the United States — seen by many Pakistani Muslims as a Christian nation — launched its military campaign in Afghanistan.“It’s a bitter past. Churches and Christian settlements were considered soft targets. The ongoing conflicts are not crusades; they are wars of interest,” Channan said.Interfaith meals continue despite unrestInterfaith gatherings continued this year even as protests against U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran left 26 dead in Pakistan.Church leaders joined clerics in prayers for peace and shared meals at mosques, church premises, and hotels across six dioceses and one apostolic vicariate, as Middle East air travel disruption and rising fuel prices added regional tension.Many Pakistanis view the United States and Western Europe as Christian nations, and some militant groups target local Christians as linked to these “Christian countries.”Communal tensions have also erupted locally. In May 2024, a mob attacked 74-year-old Christian Nazir Masih over alleged blasphemy in Sargodha. He later died of his injuries. In August 2023, violence in Jaranwala destroyed 26 churches and 80 Christian homes following allegations of Quran desecration.In a Feb. 17 message, Archbishop Joseph Arshad of Rawalpindi-Islamabad invited Christians and Muslims to offer special prayers for peace as Lent and Ramadan coincided this year. He encouraged people of both faiths “to visit one another, exchange greetings with respect, and unite in serving vulnerable segments of society.”Joint events across PakistanIn Multan, over 82 participants attended a Feb. 28 iftar jointly organized by the Catholic Commission for Inter-Religious Dialogue and Ecumenism; Saiban-e-Pakistan, a state peace initiative; and the Centre of Excellence on Countering Violent Extremism.A day earlier in Lahore, Channan and four Catholic priests attended the fast-breaking event at the Badshahi Mosque, the country’s second-largest mosque. He presented a framed photo of Abdul Khabeer Azad, the mosque’s “khateeb” (prayer leader), who met Pope Leo XIV in October 2025 at the “Christian-Muslim Dialogue and Daring Peace” conference in Rome organized by the Community of Sant’Egidio. Guests share the interfaith iftar meal at the Dominican Peace Center in Lahore on March 8, 2026. | Credit: Kamran Chaudhry Among 120 guests at the Dominican iftar was Muslim speaker Shehzad Qaiser. The event, held in collaboration with groups including the Seventh-day Adventist Church, highlighted ongoing social challenges.The head of external affairs at Sundas Foundation, which supports patients with blood disorders, agreed that Christians face discrimination in some offices and some Muslims refuse the food prepared by Christians.“It is very important to share our common practices, joys, and sorrows. Religious leaders have the duty to raise awareness. Sadly some mistake local Christians as ‘kafir’ (infidels),” Qaiser said.“During Ramadan, people distribute free meals to everyone without asking their religion. Blood donors don’t discriminate either. This is the real spirit of Ramadan and Lent.”

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Church leaders and Muslim clerics shared Ramadan fast-breaking meals across six Pakistani dioceses this year as the overlap of Lent and Ramadan inspired joint prayers for peace.

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Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman’s voice needed ‘more than ever’ #Catholic African American Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman’s ability to bridge divides shines as a witness needed today, according to those who knew her, and her cause for canonization may create a pathway for other African Americans on their ways to sainthood.More than three decades after her death, Bowman should be remembered for “her charism, gifts, prophetic voice, charismatic personality, and real strong commitment to the Church — truly being Catholic,” Bishop Joseph Kopacz of the Diocese of Jackson, Mississippi, told EWTN News.Bowman, the granddaughter of a slave, challenged the Church in the 20th century to confront its history of racial exclusion and to embrace Black Catholics through her work as a scholar, teacher, and speaker.The Diocese of Jackson officially closed its proceedings regarding her potential sainthood on Feb. 9 after Kopacz opened her cause in November 2018. The records are now being sent to the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints at the Vatican.“People around the world will be very excited and will celebrate what we hope will be the occasion of her canonization. And that’s because people, Catholic and non-Catholics alike, are drawn to her story,” Veryl Miles, law professor and leader of the Sister Thea Bowman Committee at The Catholic University of America, told EWTN News.Sister Thea’s life and legacyBowman was born Dec. 29, 1937, in Yazoo City, Mississippi, and was given the name Bertha Elizabeth Bowman. While her family was Methodist, Bowman was called to the Catholic faith at a young age.“At 9 years old, she told her parents she wanted to be Catholic. The sisters who were teaching at the school, the parish where she was, had such an impact on her. Then six years later, she joined their religious community,” Kopacz said.She joined the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration at age 15 and enrolled in Viterbo University, which was run by the Franciscan sisters. Three years into formation, she took the religious name Thea, which means “of God” and is a version of her father’s name, Theon.“She was so focused on serving the Lord as a religious, and in this community, because they loved her as a young child,” Kopaz said. Bowman knew: “This is who I know. This is who I love. This is where I want to be.”She was the first and only African American woman in her religious community, often facing racism both within and beyond the Church, leading her to become an advocate for the dignity of Black people, their culture, and Black Catholic spirituality.Bowman went on to study at The Catholic University of America, earning a doctorate in English in 1972. Bowman helped found the National Black Sisters’ Conference and taught the university’s first Black literature course.Bowman, who taught for many years, was “a master teacher,” Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration Charlene Smith, a close friend of Bowman’s and co-author of her biography “Thea’s Song,” told EWTN News.Smith and Bowman met in 1954 in La Crosse, Wisconsin, at St. Rose Convent. “She was just like me. We both wanted to be Franciscans, we both wanted to teach, and we both wanted to major in English in college, and we did all three of those things,” Smith said.After having moved away for graduate school, Bowman returned to La Crosse to teach in the English Department at Viterbo University. Smith also returned to serve as the school’s dean of students.“When I got back to La Crosse, they told me that I should beware of Sister Thea Bowman because she was ‘the most powerful woman on campus.’ They didn’t know that we were really good friends,” Smith said.“Being the dean, I was able to go to any classroom. I would go to Thea’s classrooms, and she would always come bounding in with a song, and she would get everybody into a really good mood,” Smith said.Bowman would also teach at parishes about Black liturgy and music. Eventually she starting to speak at a national level, becoming the first African American woman to address the U.S. bishops’ conference.She often used music to help evangelize and bridge interracial divides, and became a major contributor to the development of “Lead Me, Guide Me,” the Black Catholic hymnal published in 1987.Smith reflected on Bowman’s “marvelous” and “magnetic” personality. “We were invited to a dinner at a hotel, and she was going to give a speech. We got there early, so we went to sit down in the lobby … a pianist from Argentina was playing songs from ‘Porgy and Bess,’ and Thea got up and started singing ‘Summertime.’”“She got a standing ovation and an encore,” Smith said. “I think one of the greatest gifts, graces, in my life was my friendship with her. She was very kind to me, and she was very kind to all the people that she met.”At age 54, on March 30, 1990, Bowman died of breast cancer. She was buried at Elmwood Cemetery in Memphis, Tennessee, alongside her parents.Impact of Bowman’s causeBowman’s journey toward sainthood could have an especially effective impact today with the present division in the nation, as she would preach how we are “all human beings, and we should love everybody,” Smith said.“She was not interested in the melting pot at all,” Smith said. “She was more interested in a salad bowl because she said: ‘In a salad, people keep their identity, whereas in a melting pot, they’re all mushed together.’”Bowman “welcomed all in the universal body of Christ” Kopacz said. “She said the Church needs to truly be actively universal, and embrace different cultures and all the gifts that people bring.”“So today, more than ever, that voice is needed in our society as we can get more divisive,” Kopacz said. “I just think it’s perfect for our time and our Church.”“Her message is so universal,” Miles said. Especially “understanding the relationship between faith and identity among its members.”“She really understood and articulated so beautifully that we are people of faith and we are people of identities. The Church is a global church. There’s so many different people who are part of this Church  — people of different races, different ethnicities, and nationalities.”‘An impetus’ for other African Americans on their way to sainthoodCurrently, there are no canonized African American saints, but the Church honors Black saints from other nations, including St. Josephine Bakhita, St. Martin de Porres, St. Monica of Hippo, and St. Augustine of Hippo, among others.Bowman is among seven African American Catholics with active canonization causes — dubbed the “Saintly Seven.” The group also includes Venerable Pierre Toussaint, Venerable Mother Mary Lange, Venerable Mother Henriette Delille, Venerable Father Augustus Tolton, Servant of God Julia Greeley, and Servant of God Friar Martin de Porres Maria Ward.Even before her potential canonization, Bowman will “draw attention” to the group, Kopacz said. If she becomes venerable, which the bishop expects she will, he believes Bowman “will be an impetus” for the causes of other African Americans to move forward. “She’s going to be an important part, and she’ll move the other causes along,” he said.Since people “can relate” to Bowman’s story as it “is so contemporary and so special,” Miles said she also hopes the other stories of the seven Catholics “will become highlighted” by her cause.“People will be more interested in finding out about the other African Americans who are in the process of canonization, because their stories are very special and very unique, too,” Miles said.
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Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman’s voice needed ‘more than ever’ #Catholic African American Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman’s ability to bridge divides shines as a witness needed today, according to those who knew her, and her cause for canonization may create a pathway for other African Americans on their ways to sainthood.More than three decades after her death, Bowman should be remembered for “her charism, gifts, prophetic voice, charismatic personality, and real strong commitment to the Church — truly being Catholic,” Bishop Joseph Kopacz of the Diocese of Jackson, Mississippi, told EWTN News.Bowman, the granddaughter of a slave, challenged the Church in the 20th century to confront its history of racial exclusion and to embrace Black Catholics through her work as a scholar, teacher, and speaker.The Diocese of Jackson officially closed its proceedings regarding her potential sainthood on Feb. 9 after Kopacz opened her cause in November 2018. The records are now being sent to the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints at the Vatican.“People around the world will be very excited and will celebrate what we hope will be the occasion of her canonization. And that’s because people, Catholic and non-Catholics alike, are drawn to her story,” Veryl Miles, law professor and leader of the Sister Thea Bowman Committee at The Catholic University of America, told EWTN News.Sister Thea’s life and legacyBowman was born Dec. 29, 1937, in Yazoo City, Mississippi, and was given the name Bertha Elizabeth Bowman. While her family was Methodist, Bowman was called to the Catholic faith at a young age.“At 9 years old, she told her parents she wanted to be Catholic. The sisters who were teaching at the school, the parish where she was, had such an impact on her. Then six years later, she joined their religious community,” Kopacz said.She joined the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration at age 15 and enrolled in Viterbo University, which was run by the Franciscan sisters. Three years into formation, she took the religious name Thea, which means “of God” and is a version of her father’s name, Theon.“She was so focused on serving the Lord as a religious, and in this community, because they loved her as a young child,” Kopaz said. Bowman knew: “This is who I know. This is who I love. This is where I want to be.”She was the first and only African American woman in her religious community, often facing racism both within and beyond the Church, leading her to become an advocate for the dignity of Black people, their culture, and Black Catholic spirituality.Bowman went on to study at The Catholic University of America, earning a doctorate in English in 1972. Bowman helped found the National Black Sisters’ Conference and taught the university’s first Black literature course.Bowman, who taught for many years, was “a master teacher,” Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration Charlene Smith, a close friend of Bowman’s and co-author of her biography “Thea’s Song,” told EWTN News.Smith and Bowman met in 1954 in La Crosse, Wisconsin, at St. Rose Convent. “She was just like me. We both wanted to be Franciscans, we both wanted to teach, and we both wanted to major in English in college, and we did all three of those things,” Smith said.After having moved away for graduate school, Bowman returned to La Crosse to teach in the English Department at Viterbo University. Smith also returned to serve as the school’s dean of students.“When I got back to La Crosse, they told me that I should beware of Sister Thea Bowman because she was ‘the most powerful woman on campus.’ They didn’t know that we were really good friends,” Smith said.“Being the dean, I was able to go to any classroom. I would go to Thea’s classrooms, and she would always come bounding in with a song, and she would get everybody into a really good mood,” Smith said.Bowman would also teach at parishes about Black liturgy and music. Eventually she starting to speak at a national level, becoming the first African American woman to address the U.S. bishops’ conference.She often used music to help evangelize and bridge interracial divides, and became a major contributor to the development of “Lead Me, Guide Me,” the Black Catholic hymnal published in 1987.Smith reflected on Bowman’s “marvelous” and “magnetic” personality. “We were invited to a dinner at a hotel, and she was going to give a speech. We got there early, so we went to sit down in the lobby … a pianist from Argentina was playing songs from ‘Porgy and Bess,’ and Thea got up and started singing ‘Summertime.’”“She got a standing ovation and an encore,” Smith said. “I think one of the greatest gifts, graces, in my life was my friendship with her. She was very kind to me, and she was very kind to all the people that she met.”At age 54, on March 30, 1990, Bowman died of breast cancer. She was buried at Elmwood Cemetery in Memphis, Tennessee, alongside her parents.Impact of Bowman’s causeBowman’s journey toward sainthood could have an especially effective impact today with the present division in the nation, as she would preach how we are “all human beings, and we should love everybody,” Smith said.“She was not interested in the melting pot at all,” Smith said. “She was more interested in a salad bowl because she said: ‘In a salad, people keep their identity, whereas in a melting pot, they’re all mushed together.’”Bowman “welcomed all in the universal body of Christ” Kopacz said. “She said the Church needs to truly be actively universal, and embrace different cultures and all the gifts that people bring.”“So today, more than ever, that voice is needed in our society as we can get more divisive,” Kopacz said. “I just think it’s perfect for our time and our Church.”“Her message is so universal,” Miles said. Especially “understanding the relationship between faith and identity among its members.”“She really understood and articulated so beautifully that we are people of faith and we are people of identities. The Church is a global church. There’s so many different people who are part of this Church  — people of different races, different ethnicities, and nationalities.”‘An impetus’ for other African Americans on their way to sainthoodCurrently, there are no canonized African American saints, but the Church honors Black saints from other nations, including St. Josephine Bakhita, St. Martin de Porres, St. Monica of Hippo, and St. Augustine of Hippo, among others.Bowman is among seven African American Catholics with active canonization causes — dubbed the “Saintly Seven.” The group also includes Venerable Pierre Toussaint, Venerable Mother Mary Lange, Venerable Mother Henriette Delille, Venerable Father Augustus Tolton, Servant of God Julia Greeley, and Servant of God Friar Martin de Porres Maria Ward.Even before her potential canonization, Bowman will “draw attention” to the group, Kopacz said. If she becomes venerable, which the bishop expects she will, he believes Bowman “will be an impetus” for the causes of other African Americans to move forward. “She’s going to be an important part, and she’ll move the other causes along,” he said.Since people “can relate” to Bowman’s story as it “is so contemporary and so special,” Miles said she also hopes the other stories of the seven Catholics “will become highlighted” by her cause.“People will be more interested in finding out about the other African Americans who are in the process of canonization, because their stories are very special and very unique, too,” Miles said.

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Bowman’s ability to see the dignity of each individual, and embrace all gifts and cultures, is an essential message for Catholics and non-Catholics alike.

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After skipping installation, New York mayor meets Archbishop Hicks #Catholic Mayor Zohran Mamdani broke a long-standing New York tradition when he missed the Feb. 6 installation Mass for Archbishop Ronald Hicks at St. Patrick’s Cathedral and met with the archbishop four days later.Joseph Zwilling, director of communications for the Archdiocese of New York, told EWTN News that “the mayor and the archbishop were together at a [New York Police Department] event” Feb. 10 and “then spoke by phone later in the day.”The archdiocese confirmed that Mamdani was invited to the installation Mass. Prior to Hicks’ installation, a sitting mayor was present for at least the past five archbishop installations, which were in 2009, 2000, 1984, 1968, and 1939. Hicks replaced Cardinal Timothy Dolan following his retirement.In Mamdani’s absence, Helen Arteaga, deputy mayor for Health and Human Services, attended the Feb. 6 installation Mass. Prior to the meeting and phone call, Mamdani congratulated Hicks on social media. “Congratulations to Archbishop Ronald Hicks on today’s installment and welcome to New York City,” Mamdani said in a post on X. “I know that Archbishop Hicks and I share a deep and abiding commitment to the dignity of every human being and look forward to working together to create a more just and compassionate city where every New Yorker can thrive.”TweetThe mayor’s press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Mamdani became the first Muslim and first democratic-socialist mayor of the city on Jan. 1.Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League, a Catholic advocacy group, criticized Mamdani for missing the Mass, saying in a statement that Mamdani “ghosted the event.”“He could easily have been there,” Donohue said. “Instead, he attended to business as usual.”“One in 3 New Yorkers are Catholic, making them the largest faith community in the city,” he added. “Mamdani’s professed interest in diversity and inclusion obviously hits a brick wall when it comes to Catholics. He wants nothing to do with them.”Donohue also criticized some of Mamdani’s policy positions, which he said includes “rabid support for abortion, gay marriage, and transgenderism (including the child abuse inherent in sex-reassignment surgery for minors).”During his campaign, Mamdani vowed to increase public funding for abortion, hormone therapy drugs, and surgeries designed to make a person appear like the opposite sex.Mamdani defeated two candidates with nearly 51% of the vote in the November 2025 election. His plans include free buses, city-owned grocery stores, no-cost child care, raising the minimum wage to $30 per hour, and freezing the rent for people in rent-stabilized apartments.“Mamdani has been in office for just over a month, and already he is signaling to Catholics that they are not welcome,” Donohue said.
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After skipping installation, New York mayor meets Archbishop Hicks #Catholic Mayor Zohran Mamdani broke a long-standing New York tradition when he missed the Feb. 6 installation Mass for Archbishop Ronald Hicks at St. Patrick’s Cathedral and met with the archbishop four days later.Joseph Zwilling, director of communications for the Archdiocese of New York, told EWTN News that “the mayor and the archbishop were together at a [New York Police Department] event” Feb. 10 and “then spoke by phone later in the day.”The archdiocese confirmed that Mamdani was invited to the installation Mass. Prior to Hicks’ installation, a sitting mayor was present for at least the past five archbishop installations, which were in 2009, 2000, 1984, 1968, and 1939. Hicks replaced Cardinal Timothy Dolan following his retirement.In Mamdani’s absence, Helen Arteaga, deputy mayor for Health and Human Services, attended the Feb. 6 installation Mass. Prior to the meeting and phone call, Mamdani congratulated Hicks on social media. “Congratulations to Archbishop Ronald Hicks on today’s installment and welcome to New York City,” Mamdani said in a post on X. “I know that Archbishop Hicks and I share a deep and abiding commitment to the dignity of every human being and look forward to working together to create a more just and compassionate city where every New Yorker can thrive.”TweetThe mayor’s press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Mamdani became the first Muslim and first democratic-socialist mayor of the city on Jan. 1.Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League, a Catholic advocacy group, criticized Mamdani for missing the Mass, saying in a statement that Mamdani “ghosted the event.”“He could easily have been there,” Donohue said. “Instead, he attended to business as usual.”“One in 3 New Yorkers are Catholic, making them the largest faith community in the city,” he added. “Mamdani’s professed interest in diversity and inclusion obviously hits a brick wall when it comes to Catholics. He wants nothing to do with them.”Donohue also criticized some of Mamdani’s policy positions, which he said includes “rabid support for abortion, gay marriage, and transgenderism (including the child abuse inherent in sex-reassignment surgery for minors).”During his campaign, Mamdani vowed to increase public funding for abortion, hormone therapy drugs, and surgeries designed to make a person appear like the opposite sex.Mamdani defeated two candidates with nearly 51% of the vote in the November 2025 election. His plans include free buses, city-owned grocery stores, no-cost child care, raising the minimum wage to $30 per hour, and freezing the rent for people in rent-stabilized apartments.“Mamdani has been in office for just over a month, and already he is signaling to Catholics that they are not welcome,” Donohue said.

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A sitting mayor attended the past five archbishop installations in New York dating back to 1939.

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Archbishop Lori issues pastoral letter on political life in honor of 250th anniversary of the U.S. #Catholic Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore urged Catholics to foster a political culture grounded in Christ by prioritizing human dignity and genuine encounter amid partisan divisions.“In Charity and Truth: Toward a Renewed Political Culture,” released in anticipation of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, is among the nine pastoral letters and reflections Lori has written as archbishop of Baltimore. The Feb. 9 letter explored how the anniversary can be “a moment of grace” and one of “responsibility.”The U.S. can both take pride in its achievements and “the vibrancy of our Catholic faith” while also recognizing “the fractures, wounds, and crises that mark both our national life and, sadly, even at times our ecclesial life,” Lori wrote.“As our nation approaches the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, we find ourselves invited into a moment of profound reflection and renewal,” Lori said. “Anniversaries are not merely occasions for nostalgia or celebration. Authentic remembrance always orients us toward renewal; it calls us to consider not only who we have been and who we are becoming — but, by God’s grace, who we are called to be.”The letter draws on teachings from the popes, the Second Vatican Council, the Constitution, and the lives of the saints.Addressing political discourse from a Catholic viewThe letter highlighted the U.S. political atmosphere, noting that “political discourse has become more vitriolic than usual.” Lori called for synodal listening, civic virtue, and patriotic charity — as exemplified by Blessed Michael McGivney — to renew public life with truth, responsibility, and hope.McGivney, founder of the Knights of Columbus, served immigrant families and addressed their economic insecurity and exclusion. Lori said genuine charity, unity, fraternity, and patriotic love should guide how Catholics engage with migrants and support their dignity and inclusion. Father Michael McGivney. | Credit: John Tierney/Father McGivney Guild Lori said ideological and cultural polarization “has produced an epidemic of loneliness and isolation — an aching sense of being unmoored, misunderstood, or unheard.”Lori wrote: “Synodality is, at its heart, a commitment to listening with humility, speaking with honesty, and discerning with the Holy Spirit — all while walking together, not apart.”“Such unity does not mean uniformity, nor does it eliminate disagreement,” Lori said. “Rather, it reflects a deeper truth. Our communion in Christ precedes our differences.”Synodality “does not dissolve disagreement. It expects it, because diverse people will inevitably see the world from different angles,” Lori said. The letter detailed what “synodality in politics looks like,” including a renewed willingness to listen, a refusal to demonize, a commitment to discernment, and a shared journey.Our world also needs “a new kind of politics — one that begins not with power but with the truth of the human person revealed in Jesus Christ,” Lori said. “Christ, in his incarnation, affirms the goodness of the human body and the meaning of human history.”According to Lori, this new type of politics includes resisting the idolatry of ideology. It must also honor the inherent dignity of every human life from conception to natural death, protect the vulnerable and the marginalized, engage in dialogue rather than accusation, and place the common good above partisan loyalty.A “mature Catholic political presence will” always defend human life in all its stages, advocate for the poor and the vulnerable, insist on racial and social justice, promote peace and reject violence, and uphold religious freedom for all, Lori said.In order to build a better political culture, “we must learn once more how to encounter, by stepping outside our ideological comfort zones, seeking out conversations with those on the margins or those with differing points of view, healing the wounds that divide us, committing ourselves to forgiveness,” Lori said.Virtue in public lifeLori called on U.S. citizens to employ the cardinal virtues in public life to create a “healthy political engagement.”People can use prudence by “evaluating policies not by slogans or emotional appeal but by their actual impact on human dignity,” Lori said. The virtue “helps us to see clearly, to judge wisely, and to act firmly.”Justice “is foundational to political life,” Lori said. “It is the virtue that moves us to honor the dignity of every human person and to recognize that each person has rights that must be protected and responsibilities that must be fulfilled.”Fortitude “strengthens us to pursue what is right despite fear, intimidation, or difficulty,” Lori said. “It empowers each of us to resist the pressure to conform to divisive rhetoric, to endure criticism when standing for truth, and to advocate for the vulnerable even when it is politically inconvenient.”Lastly, temperance “moderates our impulses and helps us resist the allure of excess,” Lori said. “In political culture, temperance is perhaps the virtue most needed today. Temperance invites us to slow down, to choose words carefully, to avoid rash judgments, and to discipline the desire to ‘win’ at the expense of relationship, truth, or the common good.”RenewalLori called for renewal ahead of the 250th anniversary of the U.S. He invited all Catholics and all people of goodwill to commit themselves to a renewed political culture and to answer the call of hope.The letter concluded by detailing “a path forward” on how to renew political culture, including: renewing prayer for the nation, practicing civil dialogue, rejecting hatred and violence, serving the common good, forming consciences, and encountering those different from oneself.“In the midst of political upheaval, the Church does not withdraw from public life, nor does she align herself with any partisan identity,” Lori said. “She remains what she has always been: a sacrament of unity, a beacon of hope, and a teacher of truth.”“Her mission is not to win elections but to form saints. Not to secure power but to proclaim the Gospel. Not to mirror the divisions of society but to heal them,” Lori said.“Our nation needs Catholics who embody this mission — women and men whose lives witness to the dignity of every human person, whose love bridges divides, whose courage resists hatred, and whose faith insists that despair does not have the final word. The civic landscape may look dark at times, but the Church has lived through darker times and emerged stronger, purified, and more faithful. So, too, can our nation,” he said.
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Archbishop Lori issues pastoral letter on political life in honor of 250th anniversary of the U.S. #Catholic Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore urged Catholics to foster a political culture grounded in Christ by prioritizing human dignity and genuine encounter amid partisan divisions.“In Charity and Truth: Toward a Renewed Political Culture,” released in anticipation of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, is among the nine pastoral letters and reflections Lori has written as archbishop of Baltimore. The Feb. 9 letter explored how the anniversary can be “a moment of grace” and one of “responsibility.”The U.S. can both take pride in its achievements and “the vibrancy of our Catholic faith” while also recognizing “the fractures, wounds, and crises that mark both our national life and, sadly, even at times our ecclesial life,” Lori wrote.“As our nation approaches the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, we find ourselves invited into a moment of profound reflection and renewal,” Lori said. “Anniversaries are not merely occasions for nostalgia or celebration. Authentic remembrance always orients us toward renewal; it calls us to consider not only who we have been and who we are becoming — but, by God’s grace, who we are called to be.”The letter draws on teachings from the popes, the Second Vatican Council, the Constitution, and the lives of the saints.Addressing political discourse from a Catholic viewThe letter highlighted the U.S. political atmosphere, noting that “political discourse has become more vitriolic than usual.” Lori called for synodal listening, civic virtue, and patriotic charity — as exemplified by Blessed Michael McGivney — to renew public life with truth, responsibility, and hope.McGivney, founder of the Knights of Columbus, served immigrant families and addressed their economic insecurity and exclusion. Lori said genuine charity, unity, fraternity, and patriotic love should guide how Catholics engage with migrants and support their dignity and inclusion. Father Michael McGivney. | Credit: John Tierney/Father McGivney Guild Lori said ideological and cultural polarization “has produced an epidemic of loneliness and isolation — an aching sense of being unmoored, misunderstood, or unheard.”Lori wrote: “Synodality is, at its heart, a commitment to listening with humility, speaking with honesty, and discerning with the Holy Spirit — all while walking together, not apart.”“Such unity does not mean uniformity, nor does it eliminate disagreement,” Lori said. “Rather, it reflects a deeper truth. Our communion in Christ precedes our differences.”Synodality “does not dissolve disagreement. It expects it, because diverse people will inevitably see the world from different angles,” Lori said. The letter detailed what “synodality in politics looks like,” including a renewed willingness to listen, a refusal to demonize, a commitment to discernment, and a shared journey.Our world also needs “a new kind of politics — one that begins not with power but with the truth of the human person revealed in Jesus Christ,” Lori said. “Christ, in his incarnation, affirms the goodness of the human body and the meaning of human history.”According to Lori, this new type of politics includes resisting the idolatry of ideology. It must also honor the inherent dignity of every human life from conception to natural death, protect the vulnerable and the marginalized, engage in dialogue rather than accusation, and place the common good above partisan loyalty.A “mature Catholic political presence will” always defend human life in all its stages, advocate for the poor and the vulnerable, insist on racial and social justice, promote peace and reject violence, and uphold religious freedom for all, Lori said.In order to build a better political culture, “we must learn once more how to encounter, by stepping outside our ideological comfort zones, seeking out conversations with those on the margins or those with differing points of view, healing the wounds that divide us, committing ourselves to forgiveness,” Lori said.Virtue in public lifeLori called on U.S. citizens to employ the cardinal virtues in public life to create a “healthy political engagement.”People can use prudence by “evaluating policies not by slogans or emotional appeal but by their actual impact on human dignity,” Lori said. The virtue “helps us to see clearly, to judge wisely, and to act firmly.”Justice “is foundational to political life,” Lori said. “It is the virtue that moves us to honor the dignity of every human person and to recognize that each person has rights that must be protected and responsibilities that must be fulfilled.”Fortitude “strengthens us to pursue what is right despite fear, intimidation, or difficulty,” Lori said. “It empowers each of us to resist the pressure to conform to divisive rhetoric, to endure criticism when standing for truth, and to advocate for the vulnerable even when it is politically inconvenient.”Lastly, temperance “moderates our impulses and helps us resist the allure of excess,” Lori said. “In political culture, temperance is perhaps the virtue most needed today. Temperance invites us to slow down, to choose words carefully, to avoid rash judgments, and to discipline the desire to ‘win’ at the expense of relationship, truth, or the common good.”RenewalLori called for renewal ahead of the 250th anniversary of the U.S. He invited all Catholics and all people of goodwill to commit themselves to a renewed political culture and to answer the call of hope.The letter concluded by detailing “a path forward” on how to renew political culture, including: renewing prayer for the nation, practicing civil dialogue, rejecting hatred and violence, serving the common good, forming consciences, and encountering those different from oneself.“In the midst of political upheaval, the Church does not withdraw from public life, nor does she align herself with any partisan identity,” Lori said. “She remains what she has always been: a sacrament of unity, a beacon of hope, and a teacher of truth.”“Her mission is not to win elections but to form saints. Not to secure power but to proclaim the Gospel. Not to mirror the divisions of society but to heal them,” Lori said.“Our nation needs Catholics who embody this mission — women and men whose lives witness to the dignity of every human person, whose love bridges divides, whose courage resists hatred, and whose faith insists that despair does not have the final word. The civic landscape may look dark at times, but the Church has lived through darker times and emerged stronger, purified, and more faithful. So, too, can our nation,” he said.

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Archbishop William Lori urged Catholics to approach public life with synodal listening and civic virtue, drawing on Blessed Michael McGivney’s example of serving immigrant families.

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