peace

Catholic sisters’ visit to Buddhist temple stirs controversy in Vietnam #Catholic Vietnamese Catholics are debating the limits of interreligious dialogue following a visit of some 100 Catholic sisters to a Buddhist temple in Ho Chi Minh City.The sisters of the Theological Institute of the Inter-Congregations of Lovers of the Holy Cross learned basic principles of Buddhist prayers and “practiced seated meditations” at the visit to Minh Dang Quang Buddhist Monastery on Oct. 26, according to a UCA News report. Controversy followed after photos circulated online of the visit, the report said. Redemptorist Father Peter Nguyen Van Khai said the visit, which included offering incense and praying in front of a Buddhist statue, was inconsistent with Catholic teaching. “Good subjective intentions are not sufficient to justify an action that is objectively incompatible with the faith,” he said.Number of bishops in Ireland to drop by a third following mergerThe number of Catholic bishops in Ireland could decrease from 26 to 17 after a merger that was decided by Vatican consultations in which Pope Leo XIV participated prior to his election as pope.The merger was planned during a meeting in February 2025 with Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh, Archbishop Dermot Farrell of Dublin, Archbishop Kieran O’Reilly of Cashel and Emly, and Archbishop Francis Duffy of Tuam, according to an Oct. 27 report from the Irish Times. “Since the meeting in Rome held in February 2025, between the four archbishops of Ireland with Cardinal Robert Prevost … the subject of reconfiguration of dioceses within the province of Munster has been on the agenda of the regular meetings of the seven Munster bishops,” a spokesperson for the bishops said in the report, noting a consultative process is underway that could take “a number of years.”At UN, Holy See calls for ‘peaceful uses of outer space’ The apostolic nuncio to the United Nations, Archbishop Christophe El-Kassis, spoke out against the expansion of space activity at the expense of environmental damage at the 81st session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York City.“Outer space is a common good entrusted to the responsibility of the entire human family. Its exploration and use hold extraordinary promise for scientific advancement and integral human development,” El-Kassis said in his Oct. 28 statement. “However, it is essential that such progress benefits all peoples, without creating new inequalities or exclusions.” The nuncio further called for “greater international cooperation,” especially so that developing countries may benefit from any possible advances. “The Holy See therefore encourages States to pursue their common efforts to preserve outer space as a realm of peace, stability, and cooperation, for the benefit of present and future generations,” he said.Displaced Christians in southern Lebanon appeal for protection, return homeFamilies from Qouzah, a Christian village in southern Lebanon, are appealing to the Vatican and the United States for help returning to their homes after months of displacement.Residents have called for their village to be protected from further conflict, while Father Antonios Hanna, the parish priest, reported extensive damage to homes and the 120-year-old St. Joseph Church, ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News, reported on Oct. 27. Before the latest displacement, approximately 54 families lived in the village. Many now face unemployment, rent payments, and difficulties meeting basic needs. Hanna emphasized that residents want neither conflict nor confrontation but lasting peace that will allow them to return to their homes, churches, and farmland.Syrian curriculum changes spark controversy over religion, womenChanges to Syrian school textbooks have sparked criticism over the removal or alteration of material concerning women, the arts, civic education, and national history.According to documented comparisons of older and revised textbooks, images of women and girls were removed or digitally altered to include Islamic coverings, ACI MENA reported Oct. 26. References to traditional dances, famous artworks, and historical figures were also deleted. Some lessons on citizenship, democracy, and respect for the law were replaced or removed, while changes to historical and geographical references raised further concerns. Critics argue that the revisions promote a narrower religious and cultural perspective at the expense of Syriaʼs diverse heritage. The controversy has renewed debate over the role of education in preserving historical accuracy, encouraging critical thinking, and respecting the countryʼs social and religious diversity.African Church leaders urge quality formation as priestly vocations growCatholic leaders and formation personnel in Africa are calling for careful discernment of candidates, qualified formators, and continuing formation for clergy and laypeople as the continent records growth in priestly vocations.In responses shared with ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, they said the increase in major seminarians calls for attention to candidates’ motivations, human and spiritual maturity, pastoral preparation, and safeguarding. “Rigorous discernment at the entry level should be the norm,” Archbishop Ignatius Ayau Kaigama of Abuja, Nigeria, said. “Careful vetting matters more than recruitment drives.” The archbishop further urged psychological and human screening, and for willingness to turn away candidates who are deemed unfit for the priesthood.Bishop reflects on 20 years of faith and service in Arabian PeninsulaAfter nearly two decades of service in the Arabian Peninsula, Swiss Capuchin Bishop Paul Hinder is preparing to return home, carrying with him memories of a diverse and deeply faithful Church.Appointed apostolic vicar of Arabia in 2005 and of Southern Arabia in 2011, he served communities across six countries, visiting Christians in Yemen and witnessing the devotion of migrant Catholics in Saudi Arabia, ACI MENA reported Oct. 23. Hinder helped build more than seven churches, supported the growth of the clergy, and encouraged lay participation, vocations, and Catholic education. He said his most lasting contribution was helping form people, whom he called the “living stones” of the Church. As he departs, he urged the faithful to remain united, resist hatred, and become peacemakers.
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Catholic sisters’ visit to Buddhist temple stirs controversy in Vietnam #Catholic Vietnamese Catholics are debating the limits of interreligious dialogue following a visit of some 100 Catholic sisters to a Buddhist temple in Ho Chi Minh City.The sisters of the Theological Institute of the Inter-Congregations of Lovers of the Holy Cross learned basic principles of Buddhist prayers and “practiced seated meditations” at the visit to Minh Dang Quang Buddhist Monastery on Oct. 26, according to a UCA News report. Controversy followed after photos circulated online of the visit, the report said. Redemptorist Father Peter Nguyen Van Khai said the visit, which included offering incense and praying in front of a Buddhist statue, was inconsistent with Catholic teaching. “Good subjective intentions are not sufficient to justify an action that is objectively incompatible with the faith,” he said.Number of bishops in Ireland to drop by a third following mergerThe number of Catholic bishops in Ireland could decrease from 26 to 17 after a merger that was decided by Vatican consultations in which Pope Leo XIV participated prior to his election as pope.The merger was planned during a meeting in February 2025 with Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh, Archbishop Dermot Farrell of Dublin, Archbishop Kieran O’Reilly of Cashel and Emly, and Archbishop Francis Duffy of Tuam, according to an Oct. 27 report from the Irish Times. “Since the meeting in Rome held in February 2025, between the four archbishops of Ireland with Cardinal Robert Prevost … the subject of reconfiguration of dioceses within the province of Munster has been on the agenda of the regular meetings of the seven Munster bishops,” a spokesperson for the bishops said in the report, noting a consultative process is underway that could take “a number of years.”At UN, Holy See calls for ‘peaceful uses of outer space’ The apostolic nuncio to the United Nations, Archbishop Christophe El-Kassis, spoke out against the expansion of space activity at the expense of environmental damage at the 81st session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York City.“Outer space is a common good entrusted to the responsibility of the entire human family. Its exploration and use hold extraordinary promise for scientific advancement and integral human development,” El-Kassis said in his Oct. 28 statement. “However, it is essential that such progress benefits all peoples, without creating new inequalities or exclusions.” The nuncio further called for “greater international cooperation,” especially so that developing countries may benefit from any possible advances. “The Holy See therefore encourages States to pursue their common efforts to preserve outer space as a realm of peace, stability, and cooperation, for the benefit of present and future generations,” he said.Displaced Christians in southern Lebanon appeal for protection, return homeFamilies from Qouzah, a Christian village in southern Lebanon, are appealing to the Vatican and the United States for help returning to their homes after months of displacement.Residents have called for their village to be protected from further conflict, while Father Antonios Hanna, the parish priest, reported extensive damage to homes and the 120-year-old St. Joseph Church, ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News, reported on Oct. 27. Before the latest displacement, approximately 54 families lived in the village. Many now face unemployment, rent payments, and difficulties meeting basic needs. Hanna emphasized that residents want neither conflict nor confrontation but lasting peace that will allow them to return to their homes, churches, and farmland.Syrian curriculum changes spark controversy over religion, womenChanges to Syrian school textbooks have sparked criticism over the removal or alteration of material concerning women, the arts, civic education, and national history.According to documented comparisons of older and revised textbooks, images of women and girls were removed or digitally altered to include Islamic coverings, ACI MENA reported Oct. 26. References to traditional dances, famous artworks, and historical figures were also deleted. Some lessons on citizenship, democracy, and respect for the law were replaced or removed, while changes to historical and geographical references raised further concerns. Critics argue that the revisions promote a narrower religious and cultural perspective at the expense of Syriaʼs diverse heritage. The controversy has renewed debate over the role of education in preserving historical accuracy, encouraging critical thinking, and respecting the countryʼs social and religious diversity.African Church leaders urge quality formation as priestly vocations growCatholic leaders and formation personnel in Africa are calling for careful discernment of candidates, qualified formators, and continuing formation for clergy and laypeople as the continent records growth in priestly vocations.In responses shared with ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, they said the increase in major seminarians calls for attention to candidates’ motivations, human and spiritual maturity, pastoral preparation, and safeguarding. “Rigorous discernment at the entry level should be the norm,” Archbishop Ignatius Ayau Kaigama of Abuja, Nigeria, said. “Careful vetting matters more than recruitment drives.” The archbishop further urged psychological and human screening, and for willingness to turn away candidates who are deemed unfit for the priesthood.Bishop reflects on 20 years of faith and service in Arabian PeninsulaAfter nearly two decades of service in the Arabian Peninsula, Swiss Capuchin Bishop Paul Hinder is preparing to return home, carrying with him memories of a diverse and deeply faithful Church.Appointed apostolic vicar of Arabia in 2005 and of Southern Arabia in 2011, he served communities across six countries, visiting Christians in Yemen and witnessing the devotion of migrant Catholics in Saudi Arabia, ACI MENA reported Oct. 23. Hinder helped build more than seven churches, supported the growth of the clergy, and encouraged lay participation, vocations, and Catholic education. He said his most lasting contribution was helping form people, whom he called the “living stones” of the Church. As he departs, he urged the faithful to remain united, resist hatred, and become peacemakers.

unitedyam

Catholic sisters visit Buddhist shrine, number of bishops in Ireland to drop by a third, Holy See at U.N. meeting calls for “peaceful uses of outer space,” and more in this week’s world news roundup.

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How to face tragedy and still affirm God is your friend? The answer of a Venezuelan mother #Catholic On June 24, 2026, María Elena Rocha was in Caracas. That Wednesday, a public holiday in Venezuela, she decided to set out on a pilgrimage with two friends to visit sites associated with Venezuela’s first saints: St. Carmen Rendiles and St. José Gregorio Hernández.Her devotion made the circuitous, hour-long  journey from her home in La Guaira to the capital city feel shorter. María Elena lived in La Guaira’s Caribbean Golf I building with her family: her husband, Wilson, and their sons, 25-year-old Ricardo and 22-year-old Enrique, all three of whom chose to stay home that day.In Caracas, the day unfolded normally. María Elena and her friends visited the Colegio Belén, where the remains of Mother Carmen rest. Afterward, they went to the José Gregorio Hernández House Museum and concluded their pilgrimage with a Mass at Our Lady of La Candelaria Parish, where the remains of the “doctor of the poor” also rest.Earthquakes and uncertaintyAt 6:04 p.m., María Elena and her friends were in line to buy ice cream. Dark gray clouds over Caracas signaled an approaching storm, but the roar would not come from the sky but from the earth. At that moment, the ground shook with extreme violence, and panic reigned. The three of them managed to get out of the shopping mall where they had been.Soon, the power grid failed and both the internet and telephone lines went down. Two hours later, the group was finally able to retrieve their car from where it was parked and began the journey back home, a trip that, this time, seemed to last forever. Wilson, Ricardo, and Enrique on vacation | Credit: Courtesy of María Elena Rocha María Elena told EWTN News Español, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, that what she encountered in La Guaira looked like something out of a horror movie. Late into the night, only fires broke the darkness. Entire buildings had collapsed. People were searching desperately through the rubble, while others were stealing and looting. There were shrieks, wailing, and weeping.The journey home was difficult, not only because of the damaged state of the road, but also because of the shock evoked by the scene. Every meter covered, every sight of pain and destruction, dealt a blow to the hope María Elena still clung to: the hope of reuniting with her loved ones. She could only reach her home on foot.María Elena faces unimaginable painIt was nearly midnight when María Elena saw that where the Caribbean Golf I building had once stood there was now only a massive pile of rubble. The 49-year-old woman said that paradoxically she felt a great sense of inner peace despite the tragedy. Amidst the confusion, she was told that one of her children was alive but trapped in the rubble. With great effort, María Elena made her way to the spot.It was Enrique, her youngest son. He was severely injured but was able to communicate with his mother. The first few hours following the earthquakes were chaotic in La Guaira; rescue efforts had to be carried out by hand because the necessary equipment for a swift response was not available. It was a very long night during which Enrique asked María Elena not to abandon him. “Don’t worry, son, I will never leave you alone,” she told him. María Elena with Enrique | Credit: Courtesy of María Elena Rocha And so, morning came, followed by the afternoon. Trapped and in pain, Enrique could hold on no longer. María Elena, always close by, said she heard his final breath: “He waited for me to take his last breath.” Enrique died right there, alongside his father and his older brother. It was days later that rescuers managed to recover their bodies, which María Elena was then able to give a Christian burial.“My faith grew stronger,” María Elena said. Her journey, however, has not been easy. It has been filled with pain, reproaches, and at times even anger toward God. María Elena was left on her own, and many times she sought answers.“I fought with God. I was filled with rage. ‘Why did you leave me here? Am I so bad that I have to stay here?’ Yet, I surrendered all my suffering to God for the sanctification of their souls,” she shared.Her greatest refuge has always been faith. Now she regularly attends a prayer group at a parish in Caracas, which she says has been very beneficial. She seeks indulgences for her husband and children and says she always tries to be cheerful and “let others see God in me.”“Despite the great loss I’ve experienced, I’ve held onto my sense of humor. That‘s one of the things I asked of God when my son Enrique passed away. I accepted his death with deep pain and entrusted him to God, but I prayed that he wouldn’t take away my joy because I had always been the source of joy in our home. That’s what my children and my husband used to say,” she remarked.“I want my husband and my children to feel proud of their wife and mother. I know that if I am happy, they will be happy, too. Happiness is a decision, and I decided to entrust my happiness to God because he wants all of us to be happy,” she added.Oct. 24 marks four months since that terrible day. More than 6,000 Venezuelans lost their lives in a matter of seconds; thousands were left injured, and many others remain missing. “Despite everything, I thank God for the fact that I was able to speak with my youngest son at that moment. I am grateful to God for life,” María Elena says, though she adds with that sense of humor she hasn’t lost: “Although I do ask him to take me soon.”“I ask that I might fulfill my mission quickly so that I can go to Heaven, because that’s what I long for most these days. Even before, I had no fear of death, because that is our destiny: to die in order to live and I want to live with God,” she said.María Elena says she doesn’t yet know what will become of her life, but affirms that she has “surrendered herself” to whatever Providence may decide.A message on the value of sufferingThe Church teaches us that God does not desire suffering for its own sake, nor is he its direct cause. The explanation of how God can permit evil without being its author is profound, yet it does not fully resolve the pain of any given loss. Through faith, we believe that God can bring good even out of evil; however, this does not make the death of innocent people a good thing, nor does it justify tragedies.Such suffering can take on meaning when experienced in union with Christ. As has been evidenced in the case in Venezuela following the earthquakes, pain can awaken solidarity and mutual responsibility; it can even prompt a society to reflect on how it might improve. This is María Elena’s conviction.“We have been suffering for years. Just try it, you’ll see: when you entrust that suffering to Christ, all the little things we go through, those moments of anger and indignation, offering them to Jesus for the sake of someone else, you will see how the blessings follow,” she said. María Elena after recovering intact from the rubble a statue of Our Lady of Fatima which belonged to the Luso-Venezuelan Center of Vargas | Credit: Courtesy of María Elena Rocha “And another thing: thank God for everything. It’s incredible, when you thank God for both the bad things and the good, blessings will follow. I’m not saying that problems won’t continue to arise; I still have plenty of things to deal with myself, but when we are with God, our burdens are lighter,” María Elena reflected.“I am not alone, because I have God; I have the Most Holy Virgin Mary, who has always been with me and I have felt her presence. And who better than she who knows what this pain is like?” she said.This story was first published by EWTN News Español, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
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How to face tragedy and still affirm God is your friend? The answer of a Venezuelan mother #Catholic On June 24, 2026, María Elena Rocha was in Caracas. That Wednesday, a public holiday in Venezuela, she decided to set out on a pilgrimage with two friends to visit sites associated with Venezuela’s first saints: St. Carmen Rendiles and St. José Gregorio Hernández.Her devotion made the circuitous, hour-long  journey from her home in La Guaira to the capital city feel shorter. María Elena lived in La Guaira’s Caribbean Golf I building with her family: her husband, Wilson, and their sons, 25-year-old Ricardo and 22-year-old Enrique, all three of whom chose to stay home that day.In Caracas, the day unfolded normally. María Elena and her friends visited the Colegio Belén, where the remains of Mother Carmen rest. Afterward, they went to the José Gregorio Hernández House Museum and concluded their pilgrimage with a Mass at Our Lady of La Candelaria Parish, where the remains of the “doctor of the poor” also rest.Earthquakes and uncertaintyAt 6:04 p.m., María Elena and her friends were in line to buy ice cream. Dark gray clouds over Caracas signaled an approaching storm, but the roar would not come from the sky but from the earth. At that moment, the ground shook with extreme violence, and panic reigned. The three of them managed to get out of the shopping mall where they had been.Soon, the power grid failed and both the internet and telephone lines went down. Two hours later, the group was finally able to retrieve their car from where it was parked and began the journey back home, a trip that, this time, seemed to last forever. Wilson, Ricardo, and Enrique on vacation | Credit: Courtesy of María Elena Rocha María Elena told EWTN News Español, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, that what she encountered in La Guaira looked like something out of a horror movie. Late into the night, only fires broke the darkness. Entire buildings had collapsed. People were searching desperately through the rubble, while others were stealing and looting. There were shrieks, wailing, and weeping.The journey home was difficult, not only because of the damaged state of the road, but also because of the shock evoked by the scene. Every meter covered, every sight of pain and destruction, dealt a blow to the hope María Elena still clung to: the hope of reuniting with her loved ones. She could only reach her home on foot.María Elena faces unimaginable painIt was nearly midnight when María Elena saw that where the Caribbean Golf I building had once stood there was now only a massive pile of rubble. The 49-year-old woman said that paradoxically she felt a great sense of inner peace despite the tragedy. Amidst the confusion, she was told that one of her children was alive but trapped in the rubble. With great effort, María Elena made her way to the spot.It was Enrique, her youngest son. He was severely injured but was able to communicate with his mother. The first few hours following the earthquakes were chaotic in La Guaira; rescue efforts had to be carried out by hand because the necessary equipment for a swift response was not available. It was a very long night during which Enrique asked María Elena not to abandon him. “Don’t worry, son, I will never leave you alone,” she told him. María Elena with Enrique | Credit: Courtesy of María Elena Rocha And so, morning came, followed by the afternoon. Trapped and in pain, Enrique could hold on no longer. María Elena, always close by, said she heard his final breath: “He waited for me to take his last breath.” Enrique died right there, alongside his father and his older brother. It was days later that rescuers managed to recover their bodies, which María Elena was then able to give a Christian burial.“My faith grew stronger,” María Elena said. Her journey, however, has not been easy. It has been filled with pain, reproaches, and at times even anger toward God. María Elena was left on her own, and many times she sought answers.“I fought with God. I was filled with rage. ‘Why did you leave me here? Am I so bad that I have to stay here?’ Yet, I surrendered all my suffering to God for the sanctification of their souls,” she shared.Her greatest refuge has always been faith. Now she regularly attends a prayer group at a parish in Caracas, which she says has been very beneficial. She seeks indulgences for her husband and children and says she always tries to be cheerful and “let others see God in me.”“Despite the great loss I’ve experienced, I’ve held onto my sense of humor. That‘s one of the things I asked of God when my son Enrique passed away. I accepted his death with deep pain and entrusted him to God, but I prayed that he wouldn’t take away my joy because I had always been the source of joy in our home. That’s what my children and my husband used to say,” she remarked.“I want my husband and my children to feel proud of their wife and mother. I know that if I am happy, they will be happy, too. Happiness is a decision, and I decided to entrust my happiness to God because he wants all of us to be happy,” she added.Oct. 24 marks four months since that terrible day. More than 6,000 Venezuelans lost their lives in a matter of seconds; thousands were left injured, and many others remain missing. “Despite everything, I thank God for the fact that I was able to speak with my youngest son at that moment. I am grateful to God for life,” María Elena says, though she adds with that sense of humor she hasn’t lost: “Although I do ask him to take me soon.”“I ask that I might fulfill my mission quickly so that I can go to Heaven, because that’s what I long for most these days. Even before, I had no fear of death, because that is our destiny: to die in order to live and I want to live with God,” she said.María Elena says she doesn’t yet know what will become of her life, but affirms that she has “surrendered herself” to whatever Providence may decide.A message on the value of sufferingThe Church teaches us that God does not desire suffering for its own sake, nor is he its direct cause. The explanation of how God can permit evil without being its author is profound, yet it does not fully resolve the pain of any given loss. Through faith, we believe that God can bring good even out of evil; however, this does not make the death of innocent people a good thing, nor does it justify tragedies.Such suffering can take on meaning when experienced in union with Christ. As has been evidenced in the case in Venezuela following the earthquakes, pain can awaken solidarity and mutual responsibility; it can even prompt a society to reflect on how it might improve. This is María Elena’s conviction.“We have been suffering for years. Just try it, you’ll see: when you entrust that suffering to Christ, all the little things we go through, those moments of anger and indignation, offering them to Jesus for the sake of someone else, you will see how the blessings follow,” she said. María Elena after recovering intact from the rubble a statue of Our Lady of Fatima which belonged to the Luso-Venezuelan Center of Vargas | Credit: Courtesy of María Elena Rocha “And another thing: thank God for everything. It’s incredible, when you thank God for both the bad things and the good, blessings will follow. I’m not saying that problems won’t continue to arise; I still have plenty of things to deal with myself, but when we are with God, our burdens are lighter,” María Elena reflected.“I am not alone, because I have God; I have the Most Holy Virgin Mary, who has always been with me and I have felt her presence. And who better than she who knows what this pain is like?” she said.This story was first published by EWTN News Español, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

unitedyam

Maria Elena Rocha recounts how despite the tragedy of losing her husband and two sons in last summer’s earthquake in Venezuela, her faith and trust in God still sustains her.

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Pope Leo XIV cancels Assisi visit on doctors’ advice #Catholic Pope Leo XIV will not travel to Assisi on Oct. 27 for a gathering marking the 40th anniversary of the World Day of Prayer for Peace convened by St. John Paul II, the Vatican announced Friday.The decision follows medical advice as the pope continues to recover from thoracic surgery performed last week.“To facilitate his recovery following the thoracic surgery performed on Tuesday of last week, and following the advice of his doctors, Pope Leo XIV will not be able to attend the ‘Unarmed and Disarming Peace’ gathering in Assisi on Oct. 27, as previously planned, on the 40th anniversary of the World Day of Prayer for Peace convened by St. John Paul II,” the Holy See Press Office said in a statement.The Vatican added that the pope will send a message expressing his closeness to the organizers, leaders and representatives of Christian denominations and other religions, as well as the guests attending the event.The statement emphasized the popeʼs conviction that the “spirit of Assisi,” dialogue, and the search for words and gestures of peace are valuable resources in an era marked by conflict.Earlier Friday, the Holy See Press Office released a medical bulletin signed by Dr. Luigi Carbone and Professor Stefano Margaritora.“As scheduled, the Holy Father underwent a follow-up chest X-ray. The examination confirmed that his postoperative recovery is progressing exceptionally well,” the doctors said.“However, given the short time that has elapsed since the operation, the attending physicians considered it advisable, as a precautionary measure, to recommend against the planned helicopter trip on Oct. 27.”The decision does not indicate any abnormality in the popeʼs recovery but reflects medical caution ahead of his planned trip to Latin America in November.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 cancels Assisi visit on doctors’ advice #Catholic Pope Leo XIV will not travel to Assisi on Oct. 27 for a gathering marking the 40th anniversary of the World Day of Prayer for Peace convened by St. John Paul II, the Vatican announced Friday.The decision follows medical advice as the pope continues to recover from thoracic surgery performed last week.“To facilitate his recovery following the thoracic surgery performed on Tuesday of last week, and following the advice of his doctors, Pope Leo XIV will not be able to attend the ‘Unarmed and Disarming Peace’ gathering in Assisi on Oct. 27, as previously planned, on the 40th anniversary of the World Day of Prayer for Peace convened by St. John Paul II,” the Holy See Press Office said in a statement.The Vatican added that the pope will send a message expressing his closeness to the organizers, leaders and representatives of Christian denominations and other religions, as well as the guests attending the event.The statement emphasized the popeʼs conviction that the “spirit of Assisi,” dialogue, and the search for words and gestures of peace are valuable resources in an era marked by conflict.Earlier Friday, the Holy See Press Office released a medical bulletin signed by Dr. Luigi Carbone and Professor Stefano Margaritora.“As scheduled, the Holy Father underwent a follow-up chest X-ray. The examination confirmed that his postoperative recovery is progressing exceptionally well,” the doctors said.“However, given the short time that has elapsed since the operation, the attending physicians considered it advisable, as a precautionary measure, to recommend against the planned helicopter trip on Oct. 27.”The decision does not indicate any abnormality in the popeʼs recovery but reflects medical caution ahead of his planned trip to Latin America in November.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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Doctors say the pope is recovering exceptionally well from lung surgery but have advised against helicopter travel as a precaution.

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‘The Chosen’ releases official trailer for Season 6 #Catholic “The Chosen” released its official trailer for Season 6 on Oct. 15. The upcoming season of the hit series focuses on the 24 hours of Good Friday — culminating in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.Season 6 of “The Chosen” will include six episodes — the first three of which will debut on Nov. 15 on Prime Video, followed by the release of a weekly episode through Dec. 6.The season finale will be a stand-alone theatrical release on March 12, 2027.“It was painful to shoot, and it’s painful to contemplate,” Dallas Jenkins, creator of the show, wrote on the show’s Instagram account.He added: “But if there’s one thing I want you to take away from this season, it’s that Jesus chose this path. He even tells the apostles he could be rescued from it if he wanted. He chose surrender and humility and sacrifice. Knowing that should make this story a little less painful.”“Season 5 was the powder keg. In Season Six, it explodes,” he concluded.The trailer depicts the moments leading up to Jesus’ scourging and crucifixion. The episodes will depict the events from the perspective of those who were close to Jesus and those who took part in his condemnation — the Pharisees speak of justice, the Romans of peace, and Jesus’ followers see it as a murder.In a press release earlier this year, Jenkins said: “Everyone knows the basics of this part of the story, but not everyone knows the ‘why’ of the crucifixion and the extraordinary events of these 24 hours. We realized this not only deserved a season of television but a standalone full-length theatrical event as well. We wrote and filmed all of it with this in mind.”The show’s star, actor Jonathan Roumie, has spoken about his experience portraying Jesus’ passion and crucifixion.In an interview with EWTN News at ChosenCon on Feb. 20 he said: “For the first few months afterwards going to Mass — and even thinking about it now — I just get weepy. I get emotional. It’s hard. It’s left an indelible impression on me — mentally and emotionally sharing even just a percentage, a micron of a percentage, of the Lord’s passion; playing it and reenacting it has left me absolutely humbled and moved.”The new trailer already has over 1 million views on YouTube in the 24 hours since its release.
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‘The Chosen’ releases official trailer for Season 6 #Catholic “The Chosen” released its official trailer for Season 6 on Oct. 15. The upcoming season of the hit series focuses on the 24 hours of Good Friday — culminating in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.Season 6 of “The Chosen” will include six episodes — the first three of which will debut on Nov. 15 on Prime Video, followed by the release of a weekly episode through Dec. 6.The season finale will be a stand-alone theatrical release on March 12, 2027.“It was painful to shoot, and it’s painful to contemplate,” Dallas Jenkins, creator of the show, wrote on the show’s Instagram account.He added: “But if there’s one thing I want you to take away from this season, it’s that Jesus chose this path. He even tells the apostles he could be rescued from it if he wanted. He chose surrender and humility and sacrifice. Knowing that should make this story a little less painful.”“Season 5 was the powder keg. In Season Six, it explodes,” he concluded.The trailer depicts the moments leading up to Jesus’ scourging and crucifixion. The episodes will depict the events from the perspective of those who were close to Jesus and those who took part in his condemnation — the Pharisees speak of justice, the Romans of peace, and Jesus’ followers see it as a murder.In a press release earlier this year, Jenkins said: “Everyone knows the basics of this part of the story, but not everyone knows the ‘why’ of the crucifixion and the extraordinary events of these 24 hours. We realized this not only deserved a season of television but a standalone full-length theatrical event as well. We wrote and filmed all of it with this in mind.”The show’s star, actor Jonathan Roumie, has spoken about his experience portraying Jesus’ passion and crucifixion.In an interview with EWTN News at ChosenCon on Feb. 20 he said: “For the first few months afterwards going to Mass — and even thinking about it now — I just get weepy. I get emotional. It’s hard. It’s left an indelible impression on me — mentally and emotionally sharing even just a percentage, a micron of a percentage, of the Lord’s passion; playing it and reenacting it has left me absolutely humbled and moved.”The new trailer already has over 1 million views on YouTube in the 24 hours since its release.

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The new trailer already has over 1 million views on YouTube in the 24 hours since its release.

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Who is St. Peregrine, the ‘cancer saint’ Catholics are invoking for Pope Leo XIV? #Catholic As Pope Leo XIV recovers at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital from surgery that confirmed lung cancer, Catholics around the world are praying for him, and many are turning to a 14th-century Servite priest long known as “the cancer saint”: St. Peregrine Laziosi. LIVE UPDATES: Pope Leo XIV diagnosed with lung cancer From punch to penanceAccording to an account by Father Lawrence G. Lovasik, SVD, published in EWTN’s library, Peregrine was born in 1260 in Forlì, Italy. He was the only son of a wealthy family, and as a young man he sided with the city’s anti-papal faction.When St. Philip Benizi of the Servants of Mary (the Servites) came to Forlì to preach peace on behalf of Pope Martin IV, he was met with insults, rocks, and clubs. Peregrine struck him in the face. Philip answered by offering the other cheek and praying for the young man.Moved, Peregrine ran after the departing friar. He begged forgiveness on his knees and promised to change his life. According to the traditional account, the Virgin Mary later appeared to him in Forlì’s cathedral and told him: “Go to Siena. There you will find the devout men who call themselves my servants. Join them.”Peregrine received the Servite habit in 1292. It was said that for 30 years he never sat down. In 1322, his superiors sent him to found a Servite house in his hometown of Forlì, where he became known as a preacher and a readily available confessor.The night before the amputationLater in life, Peregrine developed a painful cancerous wound on his foot. Lovasik writes that its “gangrenous stench” was so foul that others kept away. Surgeons decided to amputate.Peregrine spent the night before the operation in prayer before an image of the crucified Christ and fell asleep there. In a dream, Christ seemed to reach down from the cross and touch his diseased foot. When he awoke, he was healed. The account says the doctors could no longer find any trace of the disease.Peregrine died in 1345 at about 80 years of age. He was beatified in 1609, and Pope Benedict XIII canonized him in 1726. His feast is celebrated May 1. His body rests in the Basilica of San Pellegrino Laziosi in Forlì. Devotion to him has spread far beyond Italy, including to the National Shrine of St. Peregrine at Our Lady of Sorrows Basilica in Chicago, the city where Leo was born.Lovasik’s booklet includes several prayers, and EWTN offers a novena to St. Peregrine.
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Who is St. Peregrine, the ‘cancer saint’ Catholics are invoking for Pope Leo XIV? #Catholic As Pope Leo XIV recovers at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital from surgery that confirmed lung cancer, Catholics around the world are praying for him, and many are turning to a 14th-century Servite priest long known as “the cancer saint”: St. Peregrine Laziosi. LIVE UPDATES: Pope Leo XIV diagnosed with lung cancer From punch to penanceAccording to an account by Father Lawrence G. Lovasik, SVD, published in EWTN’s library, Peregrine was born in 1260 in Forlì, Italy. He was the only son of a wealthy family, and as a young man he sided with the city’s anti-papal faction.When St. Philip Benizi of the Servants of Mary (the Servites) came to Forlì to preach peace on behalf of Pope Martin IV, he was met with insults, rocks, and clubs. Peregrine struck him in the face. Philip answered by offering the other cheek and praying for the young man.Moved, Peregrine ran after the departing friar. He begged forgiveness on his knees and promised to change his life. According to the traditional account, the Virgin Mary later appeared to him in Forlì’s cathedral and told him: “Go to Siena. There you will find the devout men who call themselves my servants. Join them.”Peregrine received the Servite habit in 1292. It was said that for 30 years he never sat down. In 1322, his superiors sent him to found a Servite house in his hometown of Forlì, where he became known as a preacher and a readily available confessor.The night before the amputationLater in life, Peregrine developed a painful cancerous wound on his foot. Lovasik writes that its “gangrenous stench” was so foul that others kept away. Surgeons decided to amputate.Peregrine spent the night before the operation in prayer before an image of the crucified Christ and fell asleep there. In a dream, Christ seemed to reach down from the cross and touch his diseased foot. When he awoke, he was healed. The account says the doctors could no longer find any trace of the disease.Peregrine died in 1345 at about 80 years of age. He was beatified in 1609, and Pope Benedict XIII canonized him in 1726. His feast is celebrated May 1. His body rests in the Basilica of San Pellegrino Laziosi in Forlì. Devotion to him has spread far beyond Italy, including to the National Shrine of St. Peregrine at Our Lady of Sorrows Basilica in Chicago, the city where Leo was born.Lovasik’s booklet includes several prayers, and EWTN offers a novena to St. Peregrine.

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As Pope Leo XIV recovers from lung cancer surgery, meet St. Peregrine Laziosi, the Servite priest healed the night before his amputation and now patron of cancer patients.

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Bishops around the world ask for prayers for Pope Leo XIV’s health #Catholic Bishops from around the world asked for prayers for Pope Leo XIV after he announced on Sunday, Oct. 11, that he will undergo surgery to remove a nodule on one of his lungs in the coming days.In the United States, Archbishop Paul Coakley, president of the U.S. bishops’ conference, said the prelates would join “the faithful and all people of good will in praying for his good health.” He also prayed for those who will perform the operation: “May the hand of Pope Leo’s surgeons be guided by the divine physician, Jesus Christ.”Archbishop Ronald Hicks of New York joined the prayers as he finished a week-long pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago in Spain. “I join with the bishops, priests, faithful, and all people of good will of the Archdiocese of New York in praying for our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, as he prepares for his surgery later this week,” he wrote. He also asked Jesus, “the divine physician,” to care for the pope and guide “the hands of his surgeons, nurses, and other health professionals.”Prayers from Uruguay, Argentina, and PeruCardinal Daniel Sturla, archbishop of Montevideo, also wrote about the news. Uruguay is one of the countries expecting Pope Leo XIV on his upcoming visit to Latin America. “Let us pray for his speedy recovery and continue with greater spirit the preparation for his visit to our land,” he wrote.In Peru, which also expects the pope later this year, the Archdiocese of Lima entrusted his health to the Lord of Miracles, a devotion that draws millions of Peruvians each year. “We ask the Lord of Miracles for his speedy recovery,” the archdiocese said on social media.The Peruvian bishops’ conference issued a message titled “United in prayer for the health of the Holy Father Leo XIV.” It noted the :serenity and humility” with which the pope shared the news and asked that his health be entrusted to the Lord of Miracles.“Lifting to God, Lord of life and source of all health, our supplications that he strengthen him and grant him the health that the fulfillment of his mission requires,” the Peruvian bishops said. They also urged communities, families, and the faithful to place the Holy Father under the maternal protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary, so that in the fullness of his strength he may continue his mission in service of the Church and all humanity, as a messenger of peace and hope and a witness of unity, fraternity, and encounter among all peoples.The Argentinian bishops said in a statement: “We ask the Lord to grant him strength and peace at this time, that the operation may go well, and that he may make a swift and full recovery.” Prayers from Spain The Spanish bishops’ conference also invited prayer for the pope. Its president, Archbishop Luis Argüello, asked “the whole Spanish Church — dioceses, institutes of consecrated life, communities and lay associations, all members of the People of God, and our fellow citizens — to pray for the health of our beloved Pope Leo XIV.”The conference’s secretary general, Bishop Francisco César García Magán, recalled the welcome Leo XIV received on his recent visit to Spain and said the faithful can now show him their closeness in another way: “Now we show it by uniting in prayer.”Instagram postThe conference’s secretary general, Bishop Francisco César García Magán, recalled the welcome Leo XIV received on his recent visit to Spain and said the faithful can now show him their closeness in another way: “Now we show it by uniting in prayer.”Prayers from Poland, Great Britain, MaltaArchbishop Tadeusz Wojda, the president of the Polish Bishops’ Conference, issued an appeal to the Polish people, asking them to “pray for the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, asking God for a successful operation and a speedy recovery.”Bishop John Keenan, on behalf of the Scottish bishops’ conference, said: “We invite Catholics across Scotland, and all people of goodwill, to join us in praying for Pope Leo, for the medical team caring for him, and for a successful operation and a full and speedy recovery.”Archbishop Richard Moth of Westminster and the president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, assured Leo of the prayers of the faithful.“We pray that following the procedure and a period of recovery, he will soon be restored to health,” Moth wrote.Archbishop Charles Scicluna, Archbishop of Malta and Adjunct Secretary of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, wrote on X: “The Church in Malta is united in prayer for the Holy Father, wishing him well for the surgery he will be undergoing.” Leo XIV asks for prayerThe pope announced the operation after Sunday’s Angelus. Doctors found a nodule on one of his lungs and recommended removing it. In sharing the news, Leo asked the faithful to accompany him spiritually in the coming days: “I entrust myself to your prayer.”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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Bishops around the world ask for prayers for Pope Leo XIV’s health #Catholic Bishops from around the world asked for prayers for Pope Leo XIV after he announced on Sunday, Oct. 11, that he will undergo surgery to remove a nodule on one of his lungs in the coming days.In the United States, Archbishop Paul Coakley, president of the U.S. bishops’ conference, said the prelates would join “the faithful and all people of good will in praying for his good health.” He also prayed for those who will perform the operation: “May the hand of Pope Leo’s surgeons be guided by the divine physician, Jesus Christ.”Archbishop Ronald Hicks of New York joined the prayers as he finished a week-long pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago in Spain. “I join with the bishops, priests, faithful, and all people of good will of the Archdiocese of New York in praying for our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, as he prepares for his surgery later this week,” he wrote. He also asked Jesus, “the divine physician,” to care for the pope and guide “the hands of his surgeons, nurses, and other health professionals.”Prayers from Uruguay, Argentina, and PeruCardinal Daniel Sturla, archbishop of Montevideo, also wrote about the news. Uruguay is one of the countries expecting Pope Leo XIV on his upcoming visit to Latin America. “Let us pray for his speedy recovery and continue with greater spirit the preparation for his visit to our land,” he wrote.In Peru, which also expects the pope later this year, the Archdiocese of Lima entrusted his health to the Lord of Miracles, a devotion that draws millions of Peruvians each year. “We ask the Lord of Miracles for his speedy recovery,” the archdiocese said on social media.The Peruvian bishops’ conference issued a message titled “United in prayer for the health of the Holy Father Leo XIV.” It noted the :serenity and humility” with which the pope shared the news and asked that his health be entrusted to the Lord of Miracles.“Lifting to God, Lord of life and source of all health, our supplications that he strengthen him and grant him the health that the fulfillment of his mission requires,” the Peruvian bishops said. They also urged communities, families, and the faithful to place the Holy Father under the maternal protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary, so that in the fullness of his strength he may continue his mission in service of the Church and all humanity, as a messenger of peace and hope and a witness of unity, fraternity, and encounter among all peoples.The Argentinian bishops said in a statement: “We ask the Lord to grant him strength and peace at this time, that the operation may go well, and that he may make a swift and full recovery.” Prayers from Spain The Spanish bishops’ conference also invited prayer for the pope. Its president, Archbishop Luis Argüello, asked “the whole Spanish Church — dioceses, institutes of consecrated life, communities and lay associations, all members of the People of God, and our fellow citizens — to pray for the health of our beloved Pope Leo XIV.”The conference’s secretary general, Bishop Francisco César García Magán, recalled the welcome Leo XIV received on his recent visit to Spain and said the faithful can now show him their closeness in another way: “Now we show it by uniting in prayer.”Instagram postThe conference’s secretary general, Bishop Francisco César García Magán, recalled the welcome Leo XIV received on his recent visit to Spain and said the faithful can now show him their closeness in another way: “Now we show it by uniting in prayer.”Prayers from Poland, Great Britain, MaltaArchbishop Tadeusz Wojda, the president of the Polish Bishops’ Conference, issued an appeal to the Polish people, asking them to “pray for the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, asking God for a successful operation and a speedy recovery.”Bishop John Keenan, on behalf of the Scottish bishops’ conference, said: “We invite Catholics across Scotland, and all people of goodwill, to join us in praying for Pope Leo, for the medical team caring for him, and for a successful operation and a full and speedy recovery.”Archbishop Richard Moth of Westminster and the president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, assured Leo of the prayers of the faithful.“We pray that following the procedure and a period of recovery, he will soon be restored to health,” Moth wrote.Archbishop Charles Scicluna, Archbishop of Malta and Adjunct Secretary of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, wrote on X: “The Church in Malta is united in prayer for the Holy Father, wishing him well for the surgery he will be undergoing.” Leo XIV asks for prayerThe pope announced the operation after Sunday’s Angelus. Doctors found a nodule on one of his lungs and recommended removing it. In sharing the news, Leo asked the faithful to accompany him spiritually in the coming days: “I entrust myself to your prayer.”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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Prayers for the pope’s health have been pouring in from all over the world.

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7 common myths and facts about the rosary #Catholic October is designated by the Catholic Church as the month of the rosary, and Oct. 7 is the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.Here are seven common myths and facts about this popular devotion and  prayer:1. Only Catholics can pray the rosary.False. While rosaries are typically associated with Catholics, non-Catholics can certainly pray the rosary — and in fact, many credit it to their conversion. Even some Protestants recognize the rosary as a valid form of prayer.2. Praying the rosary is idolatry.False. Some have objections to the rosary, claiming it idolizes Mary and is overly repetitive.Just like any practice, the rosary can be abused — just as someone might idolize a particular pastor or priest, a form of worship, or fasting. But the rosary itself is not a form of idolatry.The rosary is not a prayer to Mary — it is a meditation on the life of Christ revealed in five mysteries “with the purposes of drawing the person praying deeper into reflecting on Christ’s joys, sacrifices, sufferings, and the glorious miracles of his life.”When we pray the Hail Mary, we are not adoring Mary; we are asking for her intercession — just as we might ask a friend or family member to pray for us.Second, any prayer can lose its meaning if we do not intentionally meditate on it. Focusing on the mysteries with purpose and intention is key to the rosary’s transforming power. As one author encourages: “The rosary itself stays the same, but we do not.”3. You can wear a rosary as a necklace.It depends. It is typically considered disrespectful and irreverent to wear a rosary around one’s neck as jewelry, even though the Church does not have an explicit declaration against doing so.However, Canon 1171 of the Code of Canon Law says that “sacred objects, set aside for divine worship by dedication or blessing, are to be treated with reverence. They are not to be made over to secular or inappropriate use, even though they may belong to private persons.”It is important to treat the rosary with respect and intention. If you intend to wear the rosary as a piece of jewelry, this would not be respectful and should be avoided. It goes without saying that wearing the rosary as a mockery or gang symbol would be a sin.But if it is your intention to use the rosary and be mindful of prayer, then it could be permissible. It is not uncommon in some cultures, like in Honduras and El Salvador, to see the rosary respectfully worn around the neck as a sign of devotion.Rosary rings or bracelets might be a better option if you want to keep your rosary close at hand as a reminder to pray, as they are kept more out of sight and would not be as easily misconstrued to be a piece of jewelry.4. The rosary is an extremist symbol.False. Back in 2022, a widely-shared Atlantic article went viral for accusing the rosary of being an “extremist symbol.”“Just as the AR-15 rifle has become a sacred object for Christian nationalists in general, the rosary has acquired a militaristic meaning for radical-traditional (or ‘rad trad’) Catholics,” the article read.The author also cited the Church’s stance on traditional marriage and the sanctity of life as evidence of “extremism” and claimed that Catholics’ tendency to call the rosary a “weapon in the fight against evil” as dangerous.As EWTN News reported in 2022, popes have urged Catholics to pray the rosary since 1571 — often referring to the rosary as a prayer “weapon” and most powerful spiritual tool.5. The rosary is not biblical.Untrue! Most of its words come directly from Scripture.First, the Our Father is prayed. The words of the Our Father are those Christ taught his disciples to pray in Matthew 6:9–13.The Hail Mary also comes straight from the Bible. The first part, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee,” comes from Luke 1:28, and the second, “Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb,” is found in Luke 1:42.Finally, each of the decades prayed on the rosary symbolizes an event in the lives of Jesus and his mother. The decades are divided into four sets of mysteries: joyful, luminous, sorrowful, and glorious, the majority of which are found in Scripture.6. A rosary bead, or pea, can kill you.Somewhat true. A rosary pea, or abrus seed, is a vine plant native to India and parts of Asia. The seeds of the vine, which are red with black spots, are often used to make beaded jewelry — including rosaries. Rosary pea seeds contain a toxic substance called “abrin,” which is a naturally-occurring poison that can be fatal if ingested. However, it’s unlikely for someone to get abrin poisoning just from holding a rosary made from abrus seeds, as one would have to swallow them.Today, most rosaries are made from other nontoxic materials, such as olive wood or glass — eliminating this concern.7. The rosary can help protect you.True. Praying the rosary has proven to be a miraculous force for protecting those of faith and bestowing upon them extra graces, such as the victory of the Christian forces at the Battle of Lepanto after St. Pius V implored Western Christians to pray the rosary.Many great saints across history, including Pope John Paul II, Padre Pio, and Lucia of Fátima, have also recognized the rosary as the most powerful weapon in fighting the real spiritual battles we face in the world.We know that spiritual warfare is a real and present danger: “For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens” (Eph 6:11–12).“The rosary is a powerful weapon to put the demons to flight and to keep oneself from sin … If you desire peace in your hearts, in your homes, and in your country, assemble each evening to recite the rosary. Let not even one day pass without saying it, no matter how burdened you may be with many cares and labors,” Pope Pius XI said.This story was first published on Oct. 1, 2022, and has been updated.
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7 common myths and facts about the rosary #Catholic October is designated by the Catholic Church as the month of the rosary, and Oct. 7 is the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.Here are seven common myths and facts about this popular devotion and  prayer:1. Only Catholics can pray the rosary.False. While rosaries are typically associated with Catholics, non-Catholics can certainly pray the rosary — and in fact, many credit it to their conversion. Even some Protestants recognize the rosary as a valid form of prayer.2. Praying the rosary is idolatry.False. Some have objections to the rosary, claiming it idolizes Mary and is overly repetitive.Just like any practice, the rosary can be abused — just as someone might idolize a particular pastor or priest, a form of worship, or fasting. But the rosary itself is not a form of idolatry.The rosary is not a prayer to Mary — it is a meditation on the life of Christ revealed in five mysteries “with the purposes of drawing the person praying deeper into reflecting on Christ’s joys, sacrifices, sufferings, and the glorious miracles of his life.”When we pray the Hail Mary, we are not adoring Mary; we are asking for her intercession — just as we might ask a friend or family member to pray for us.Second, any prayer can lose its meaning if we do not intentionally meditate on it. Focusing on the mysteries with purpose and intention is key to the rosary’s transforming power. As one author encourages: “The rosary itself stays the same, but we do not.”3. You can wear a rosary as a necklace.It depends. It is typically considered disrespectful and irreverent to wear a rosary around one’s neck as jewelry, even though the Church does not have an explicit declaration against doing so.However, Canon 1171 of the Code of Canon Law says that “sacred objects, set aside for divine worship by dedication or blessing, are to be treated with reverence. They are not to be made over to secular or inappropriate use, even though they may belong to private persons.”It is important to treat the rosary with respect and intention. If you intend to wear the rosary as a piece of jewelry, this would not be respectful and should be avoided. It goes without saying that wearing the rosary as a mockery or gang symbol would be a sin.But if it is your intention to use the rosary and be mindful of prayer, then it could be permissible. It is not uncommon in some cultures, like in Honduras and El Salvador, to see the rosary respectfully worn around the neck as a sign of devotion.Rosary rings or bracelets might be a better option if you want to keep your rosary close at hand as a reminder to pray, as they are kept more out of sight and would not be as easily misconstrued to be a piece of jewelry.4. The rosary is an extremist symbol.False. Back in 2022, a widely-shared Atlantic article went viral for accusing the rosary of being an “extremist symbol.”“Just as the AR-15 rifle has become a sacred object for Christian nationalists in general, the rosary has acquired a militaristic meaning for radical-traditional (or ‘rad trad’) Catholics,” the article read.The author also cited the Church’s stance on traditional marriage and the sanctity of life as evidence of “extremism” and claimed that Catholics’ tendency to call the rosary a “weapon in the fight against evil” as dangerous.As EWTN News reported in 2022, popes have urged Catholics to pray the rosary since 1571 — often referring to the rosary as a prayer “weapon” and most powerful spiritual tool.5. The rosary is not biblical.Untrue! Most of its words come directly from Scripture.First, the Our Father is prayed. The words of the Our Father are those Christ taught his disciples to pray in Matthew 6:9–13.The Hail Mary also comes straight from the Bible. The first part, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee,” comes from Luke 1:28, and the second, “Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb,” is found in Luke 1:42.Finally, each of the decades prayed on the rosary symbolizes an event in the lives of Jesus and his mother. The decades are divided into four sets of mysteries: joyful, luminous, sorrowful, and glorious, the majority of which are found in Scripture.6. A rosary bead, or pea, can kill you.Somewhat true. A rosary pea, or abrus seed, is a vine plant native to India and parts of Asia. The seeds of the vine, which are red with black spots, are often used to make beaded jewelry — including rosaries. Rosary pea seeds contain a toxic substance called “abrin,” which is a naturally-occurring poison that can be fatal if ingested. However, it’s unlikely for someone to get abrin poisoning just from holding a rosary made from abrus seeds, as one would have to swallow them.Today, most rosaries are made from other nontoxic materials, such as olive wood or glass — eliminating this concern.7. The rosary can help protect you.True. Praying the rosary has proven to be a miraculous force for protecting those of faith and bestowing upon them extra graces, such as the victory of the Christian forces at the Battle of Lepanto after St. Pius V implored Western Christians to pray the rosary.Many great saints across history, including Pope John Paul II, Padre Pio, and Lucia of Fátima, have also recognized the rosary as the most powerful weapon in fighting the real spiritual battles we face in the world.We know that spiritual warfare is a real and present danger: “For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens” (Eph 6:11–12).“The rosary is a powerful weapon to put the demons to flight and to keep oneself from sin … If you desire peace in your hearts, in your homes, and in your country, assemble each evening to recite the rosary. Let not even one day pass without saying it, no matter how burdened you may be with many cares and labors,” Pope Pius XI said.This story was first published on Oct. 1, 2022, and has been updated.

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A look at this popular devotion and prayer on the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.

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Red Mass marks opening of Supreme Court term in Washington #Catholic WASHINGTON — Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, underscored the importance of using the Holy Spirit’s guidance in public affairs at the annual Red Mass marking the opening of the Supreme Court term.Seeking the Holy Spirit’s wisdom will help people reach their full potential in their work and responsibilities, Broglio said in the homily Oct. 4 at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington, D.C.“We also pray that our understanding of Godʼs presence and his commandments will inspire integrity, devotion to meaning, and the promotion of harmony,” he said.Hosted by The John Carroll Society, the Red Mass drew more than 1,000 people, including Supreme Court justices, public officials, and Vice President JD Vance, to mark the opening of the judiciary term and pray for judges, attorneys, diplomats, and government leaders.The name derives from the red color of the archbishops’, cardinals’, and priests’ vestments. All Church officials who participated wore red to represent the tongues of fire symbolizing the presence of the Holy Spirit.This year marked the 74th anniversary of the Red Mass in Washington, one of several such celebrations held worldwide, such as in Rome, Paris, and London, to invoke blessings on justice administrators.In response to last year’s Red Mass, when a New Jersey man threatened Catholics and Supreme Court justices, security measures were increased. Amid the increased security, attendees included law students and faculty from area schools such as Georgetown University and The Catholic University of America. Red Mass attendees sit in the pews at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle on Oct. 4, 2026, in Washington, D.C. | Credit: Emma R.C. Lyons/EWTN News Mark Cummings, a member of the John Carroll Society, an adjunct professor at George Mason University, and a partner at Sher, Cummings, and Ellis, said attendance at the Mass would help students.“Itʼs inspiring for them, and I think itʼs a very healthy thing to be able to mix with the Supreme Court justices, superior court judges and courts of appeals, as well as Vice President Vance,” Cummings said. “I donʼt know where else theyʼd have an opportunity to see so many people who have made it in the profession and are serving as Supreme Court justices.”Broglio “talked about the importance of the Constitution, the importance of our laws, and that everybody, even the meekest and lowest of citizens, should have access to justice and how we should. Itʼs set up that way with our Constitution and Bill of Rights,” Cummings said.Cummings said Broglio’s message was a call for those in the legal profession and public service to help ensure that everyone has equal access to justice.Broglio also advised officials on how charity should guide all legal professions.“Your service to order and the virtue of justice is deeply appreciated even by this canon lawyer,” said Broglio, who holds a doctorate in canon law.Broglio said immigrants, past and present, have helped build the United States, and he urged legal professionals to be “architects of hope” to ensure that charity and fraternity shape the pursuit of justice.“In his first encyclical, Pope Leo wrote that the way a society treats migrants, refugees, and those forced to move reveals whether its sense of justice is driven by fear or by the spirit of fraternity,” Broglio said.“Perhaps if more of us directed our thoughts in the ways of peace, we would discover and develop a more civil society and and learn to live in harmony with our neighbors,” Broglio said.
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Red Mass marks opening of Supreme Court term in Washington #Catholic WASHINGTON — Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, underscored the importance of using the Holy Spirit’s guidance in public affairs at the annual Red Mass marking the opening of the Supreme Court term.Seeking the Holy Spirit’s wisdom will help people reach their full potential in their work and responsibilities, Broglio said in the homily Oct. 4 at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington, D.C.“We also pray that our understanding of Godʼs presence and his commandments will inspire integrity, devotion to meaning, and the promotion of harmony,” he said.Hosted by The John Carroll Society, the Red Mass drew more than 1,000 people, including Supreme Court justices, public officials, and Vice President JD Vance, to mark the opening of the judiciary term and pray for judges, attorneys, diplomats, and government leaders.The name derives from the red color of the archbishops’, cardinals’, and priests’ vestments. All Church officials who participated wore red to represent the tongues of fire symbolizing the presence of the Holy Spirit.This year marked the 74th anniversary of the Red Mass in Washington, one of several such celebrations held worldwide, such as in Rome, Paris, and London, to invoke blessings on justice administrators.In response to last year’s Red Mass, when a New Jersey man threatened Catholics and Supreme Court justices, security measures were increased. Amid the increased security, attendees included law students and faculty from area schools such as Georgetown University and The Catholic University of America. Red Mass attendees sit in the pews at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle on Oct. 4, 2026, in Washington, D.C. | Credit: Emma R.C. Lyons/EWTN News Mark Cummings, a member of the John Carroll Society, an adjunct professor at George Mason University, and a partner at Sher, Cummings, and Ellis, said attendance at the Mass would help students.“Itʼs inspiring for them, and I think itʼs a very healthy thing to be able to mix with the Supreme Court justices, superior court judges and courts of appeals, as well as Vice President Vance,” Cummings said. “I donʼt know where else theyʼd have an opportunity to see so many people who have made it in the profession and are serving as Supreme Court justices.”Broglio “talked about the importance of the Constitution, the importance of our laws, and that everybody, even the meekest and lowest of citizens, should have access to justice and how we should. Itʼs set up that way with our Constitution and Bill of Rights,” Cummings said.Cummings said Broglio’s message was a call for those in the legal profession and public service to help ensure that everyone has equal access to justice.Broglio also advised officials on how charity should guide all legal professions.“Your service to order and the virtue of justice is deeply appreciated even by this canon lawyer,” said Broglio, who holds a doctorate in canon law.Broglio said immigrants, past and present, have helped build the United States, and he urged legal professionals to be “architects of hope” to ensure that charity and fraternity shape the pursuit of justice.“In his first encyclical, Pope Leo wrote that the way a society treats migrants, refugees, and those forced to move reveals whether its sense of justice is driven by fear or by the spirit of fraternity,” Broglio said.“Perhaps if more of us directed our thoughts in the ways of peace, we would discover and develop a more civil society and and learn to live in harmony with our neighbors,” Broglio said.

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Washington Cardinal Robert McElroy was the principal celebrant of the Mass, and Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, offered the homily.

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Pope Leo urges Vatican police to guard their hearts as they protect others #Catholic Pope Leo XIV urged members of the Vatican Gendarmerie on Oct. 3 to nurture their faith as they protect others, telling them that their service requires hearts guarded by the Lord.The pope celebrated Mass at the Lourdes Grotto in the Vatican Gardens in honor of the force’s patron, St. Michael the Archangel.He described the gendarmes’ work as “a way of being laborers in the Lord’s vineyard,” stressing that their responsibilities extend beyond safeguarding buildings, grounds, and entrances to caring for people.“One quality that stands out when we meet you is precisely this care: It is beautiful to see how you regard others not as problems to be solved but as people to be respected and protected,” he said.Reflecting on the parable of the wicked tenants in Matthew 21:33-43, the pope said the gendarmes should understand that “what we receive is a responsibility to be safeguarded with humility and dedication, to be carried out with discretion and a sense of duty.”“You know well that authority, in the light of the Gospel, is expressed above all in the ability to protect, listen, and accompany, with balance, firmness, and respect,” he added.Just as the vineyard owner’s son stands at the center of the parable, Leo urged the gendarmes to place Jesus at the center of their lives.“Before being gendarmes, you are men called to follow him. From him we learn strength that knows how to become gentleness, vigilance born of trust, authority that walks alongside humility, and the courage to intervene with a merciful heart,” he said.The pope also reflected on the second reading, from St. Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, which urges believers to bring their needs to God in prayer rather than give in to anxiety.The gendarmes’ work, he said, would bring “quiet days and difficult days,” moments requiring quick decisions, and situations that cause fatigue and worry.But prayer offers a way to bear those burdens.“A gendarme does not carry everything alone: He prays, knows how to entrust himself to God, and knows how to find again in God the peace that allows him to act with clarity and a serene heart,” Leo said.Those who protect others need hearts and minds “formed in goodness,” he said, because they “must first safeguard within themselves truth, justice, goodness, and respect. Protecting others requires a heart guarded by the Lord.”“Your work certainly requires you to be vigilant, but today’s word invites you to something even deeper: to watch carefully over yourselves as well,” the pope added.He urged the gendarmes to guard their hearts against becoming hardened, keeping them “always docile to God and attentive to others.”He also called on them to safeguard their consciences and their bonds of fraternity. A group becomes a community, he said, when “its members care for one another and learn to walk together, supporting one another with simplicity and love.”Leo concluded by thanking the gendarmes’ families for the sacrifices that make their service possible.“This year, too, I conclude with a thought of affection and gratitude for your families. To parents, wives, children, and fiancées: Thank you! You know the sacrifices, the absences, the schedules, the worries, and also the burden of a service that is not always seen,” he said.This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
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Pope Leo urges Vatican police to guard their hearts as they protect others #Catholic Pope Leo XIV urged members of the Vatican Gendarmerie on Oct. 3 to nurture their faith as they protect others, telling them that their service requires hearts guarded by the Lord.The pope celebrated Mass at the Lourdes Grotto in the Vatican Gardens in honor of the force’s patron, St. Michael the Archangel.He described the gendarmes’ work as “a way of being laborers in the Lord’s vineyard,” stressing that their responsibilities extend beyond safeguarding buildings, grounds, and entrances to caring for people.“One quality that stands out when we meet you is precisely this care: It is beautiful to see how you regard others not as problems to be solved but as people to be respected and protected,” he said.Reflecting on the parable of the wicked tenants in Matthew 21:33-43, the pope said the gendarmes should understand that “what we receive is a responsibility to be safeguarded with humility and dedication, to be carried out with discretion and a sense of duty.”“You know well that authority, in the light of the Gospel, is expressed above all in the ability to protect, listen, and accompany, with balance, firmness, and respect,” he added.Just as the vineyard owner’s son stands at the center of the parable, Leo urged the gendarmes to place Jesus at the center of their lives.“Before being gendarmes, you are men called to follow him. From him we learn strength that knows how to become gentleness, vigilance born of trust, authority that walks alongside humility, and the courage to intervene with a merciful heart,” he said.The pope also reflected on the second reading, from St. Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, which urges believers to bring their needs to God in prayer rather than give in to anxiety.The gendarmes’ work, he said, would bring “quiet days and difficult days,” moments requiring quick decisions, and situations that cause fatigue and worry.But prayer offers a way to bear those burdens.“A gendarme does not carry everything alone: He prays, knows how to entrust himself to God, and knows how to find again in God the peace that allows him to act with clarity and a serene heart,” Leo said.Those who protect others need hearts and minds “formed in goodness,” he said, because they “must first safeguard within themselves truth, justice, goodness, and respect. Protecting others requires a heart guarded by the Lord.”“Your work certainly requires you to be vigilant, but today’s word invites you to something even deeper: to watch carefully over yourselves as well,” the pope added.He urged the gendarmes to guard their hearts against becoming hardened, keeping them “always docile to God and attentive to others.”He also called on them to safeguard their consciences and their bonds of fraternity. A group becomes a community, he said, when “its members care for one another and learn to walk together, supporting one another with simplicity and love.”Leo concluded by thanking the gendarmes’ families for the sacrifices that make their service possible.“This year, too, I conclude with a thought of affection and gratitude for your families. To parents, wives, children, and fiancées: Thank you! You know the sacrifices, the absences, the schedules, the worries, and also the burden of a service that is not always seen,” he said.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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At a Mass honoring their patron, St. Michael the Archangel, the pontiff called on gendarmes to exercise authority with humility and compassion.

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Disabled child’s papal blessing in Lourdes gives family ‘strength and hope’ #Catholic LOURDES, France — One of the most moving moments of Pope Leo XIV’s visit to France was his meeting Sept. 27 with 5,000 sick people and their caregivers at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes.There, after defending the inalienable dignity of those who are suffering from illness or infirmity, he strongly criticized a trend toward the legalization of euthanasia and assisted suicide under the guise of “false compassion.”“It is impossible to regard causing death as something normal. What is legal is not necessarily moral,” he said to loud applause from those listening.Immediately following his speech, Leo broke from his schedule to go into the crowd and greet the sick and disabled, many of whom had waited hours in the hot sun to take part in the meeting.TweetHe also took time to bless a few people as he approached the Accueil Notre-Dame (Notre-Dame Home), a residential accommodation classified as a healthcare facility that hosts sick, disabled, and frail pilgrims to Lourdes.Olivia Hamelin, a girl with the rare genetic neurological condition CDKL5 deficiency disorder, was among those Leo blessed.“Seeing the pope bless Olivia was truly a moment of grace,” Olivia’s father, Alexandre Hamelin, told EWTN News afterward.After Leo blessed Olivia, her father embraced her with a look of pure joy and happiness.“The fact that he blessed Olivia, in a special way gives us so much strength and hope for her future. This pope radiates kindness and grace. I am certain he will leave a lasting mark on the history of the Church,” Hamelin said. The Hamelin family. From left to right, Alexandre, 3-year-old Olivia, 5-year-old Alba, Bérénice, and 6-month-old Raphaël. | Credit: Photo courtesy of the Hamelin family It was 3-year-old Olivia’s first time in Lourdes, alongside her parents, Alexandre and Bérénice, and her siblings, 5-year-old Alba and 6-month-old Raphaël.Raphaël was also blessed by Pope Leo in Lourdes.The family traveled almost four hours by car from their home in Périgueux, a town in southwestern France, to Lourdes for Leo’s visit.“For us, it was important to come to Lourdes to see the pope and hear his message of peace. It is a true sign of hope for our children,” Hamelin said.CDKL5 deficiency disorder affects brain development and causes severe epilepsy. Those with this condition can have difficulty with movement and speech, alongside other challenges.Hamelin said when they learned Olivia’s condition is not degenerative, it brought him and his family “enormous relief.”“Since then, our sole goal has been for Olivia to have the most beautiful and happiest life possible. Of course, we live with her disability, but we try not to let it limit us, especially in everything we do as a family,” he said.While his family had faith before the trial of Olivia’s illness, now, he said, it has “an even more important place in our lives.”“It helps us keep moving forward, maintain trust, and not lose hope, even in the more difficult moments,” he said. “Above all, we are convinced that Olivia is a blessing in our lives. We believe that the Lord entrusted her to us and that, through her, he also brings us an abundance of beautiful gifts.”The father noted how Olivia is teaching many people around her, even beyond their family.For their oldest daughter, Alba, growing up with Olivia teaches her consideration for others, patience, kindness, and acceptance of differences, he said.“These are beautiful values that Olivia passes on to her simply through her presence,” Hamelin noted.“Olivia profoundly touches the people around her. She creates deep connections and brings a very special joy wherever she goes,” he said. “In the end, where some might see only the difficulties associated with her disability, we also see all the beauty she brings into our lives and into the lives of others. That, too, is what nourishes our hope and our faith.”
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Disabled child’s papal blessing in Lourdes gives family ‘strength and hope’ #Catholic LOURDES, France — One of the most moving moments of Pope Leo XIV’s visit to France was his meeting Sept. 27 with 5,000 sick people and their caregivers at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes.There, after defending the inalienable dignity of those who are suffering from illness or infirmity, he strongly criticized a trend toward the legalization of euthanasia and assisted suicide under the guise of “false compassion.”“It is impossible to regard causing death as something normal. What is legal is not necessarily moral,” he said to loud applause from those listening.Immediately following his speech, Leo broke from his schedule to go into the crowd and greet the sick and disabled, many of whom had waited hours in the hot sun to take part in the meeting.TweetHe also took time to bless a few people as he approached the Accueil Notre-Dame (Notre-Dame Home), a residential accommodation classified as a healthcare facility that hosts sick, disabled, and frail pilgrims to Lourdes.Olivia Hamelin, a girl with the rare genetic neurological condition CDKL5 deficiency disorder, was among those Leo blessed.“Seeing the pope bless Olivia was truly a moment of grace,” Olivia’s father, Alexandre Hamelin, told EWTN News afterward.After Leo blessed Olivia, her father embraced her with a look of pure joy and happiness.“The fact that he blessed Olivia, in a special way gives us so much strength and hope for her future. This pope radiates kindness and grace. I am certain he will leave a lasting mark on the history of the Church,” Hamelin said. The Hamelin family. From left to right, Alexandre, 3-year-old Olivia, 5-year-old Alba, Bérénice, and 6-month-old Raphaël. | Credit: Photo courtesy of the Hamelin family It was 3-year-old Olivia’s first time in Lourdes, alongside her parents, Alexandre and Bérénice, and her siblings, 5-year-old Alba and 6-month-old Raphaël.Raphaël was also blessed by Pope Leo in Lourdes.The family traveled almost four hours by car from their home in Périgueux, a town in southwestern France, to Lourdes for Leo’s visit.“For us, it was important to come to Lourdes to see the pope and hear his message of peace. It is a true sign of hope for our children,” Hamelin said.CDKL5 deficiency disorder affects brain development and causes severe epilepsy. Those with this condition can have difficulty with movement and speech, alongside other challenges.Hamelin said when they learned Olivia’s condition is not degenerative, it brought him and his family “enormous relief.”“Since then, our sole goal has been for Olivia to have the most beautiful and happiest life possible. Of course, we live with her disability, but we try not to let it limit us, especially in everything we do as a family,” he said.While his family had faith before the trial of Olivia’s illness, now, he said, it has “an even more important place in our lives.”“It helps us keep moving forward, maintain trust, and not lose hope, even in the more difficult moments,” he said. “Above all, we are convinced that Olivia is a blessing in our lives. We believe that the Lord entrusted her to us and that, through her, he also brings us an abundance of beautiful gifts.”The father noted how Olivia is teaching many people around her, even beyond their family.For their oldest daughter, Alba, growing up with Olivia teaches her consideration for others, patience, kindness, and acceptance of differences, he said.“These are beautiful values that Olivia passes on to her simply through her presence,” Hamelin noted.“Olivia profoundly touches the people around her. She creates deep connections and brings a very special joy wherever she goes,” he said. “In the end, where some might see only the difficulties associated with her disability, we also see all the beauty she brings into our lives and into the lives of others. That, too, is what nourishes our hope and our faith.”

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Pope Leo XIV blessed Olivia Hamelin, a 3-year-old with a rare genetic condition, during his visit to Lourdes, France.

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Pope prays the rosary with children: ‘50 million Hail Marys rising to heaven’ #Catholic VATICAN CITY — More than 700 children from schools and parishes in Rome joined Pope Leo XIV in the Vatican Gardens on Thursday to pray the rosary for peace in the world.The Oct. 1 event marked the beginning of a week of prayer for the initiative “One Million Children Praying the Rosary,” promoted by the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need.The Holy Father greeted the children at the beginning. He thanked them and encouraged them to be good at home, in their families, at school, in catechism classes, and in sports, because peace also grows in this way.“I am truly happy to be with you! And you, children, tell me: Are you happy to have come? Good, that makes me happy too. Above all, because this evening we have gathered together to be with the two people who love us more than anyone else. Who are they? The Lord Jesus and his mother, Mary, who never leave us alone and who are always close to us,” Pope Leo said in his address before the rosary. An estimated more than 700 children join in praying the rosary for peace with Pope Leo XIV on Oct. 1, 2026, in the Vatican Gardens. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News/Vatican Pool “We love them too, don’t we?” he added. “Shall we tell them? Let’s try. Let us repeat together: ‘I love you, Jesus. I love you, Mary.’ Yes, we love you, Jesus and Mary, and this evening we ask you for a special gift: peace for all the children of the world, especially those who live where there is war, in so many countries across the earth.”“We do this through the prayer of the holy rosary, which is a simple prayer that everyone can pray,” the pope affectionately emphasized to the children.He noted that “in a little while we will light candles, and we will reflect on Jesus in some important moments of his life … These are moments in which he gave us wonderful gifts that we must never forget, and for this we want to thank him.Calling on the children to repeat with him, he said: “Let us do that together as well, once again. Let us all say: ‘Thank you, Jesus!’ And let us ask him with confidence, all united: ‘Give us peace!’”For the pope, the children’s rosary initiative represents “50 million Hail Marys rising to heaven from every corner of the world and in every language on earth, asking for peace, and joining together like one immense rosary garland, embracing and drawing together all the continents, races, and nations of the planet.” Pope Leo XIV brings flowers to Mary at a replica of the grotto of the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes during a rosary prayed with children in the Vatican Gardens on Oct. 1, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News/Vatican Pool Upon his arrival for the rosary, the pope also presented a small bouquet of flowers to Our Lady. It was a simple gesture carried out together with a child at the replica grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes in the Vatican Gardens.For the first time this year, the prayer campaign will take place over the course of an entire week, from Oct. 1–7, allowing dioceses, parishes, schools, communities, and families across different continents to participate in the prayer for peace and unity.Similar initiatives are already being prepared in other countries, such as Bolivia, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, and many other places marked by war, poverty, or instability.The 2026 campaign is inspired by the message of Fátima: “In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph.”The rosary was led by the children through readings, songs, and brief reflections on countries affected by war. The Hail Mary was also recited in several languages.In this year’s invitation to participants, Cardinal Kurt Koch, international president of Aid to the Church in Need and prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, recalled that Mary’s Immaculate Heart represents a life completely open to the Holy Spirit and presents Mary as a model of faith, love, and prayer.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 prays the rosary with children: ‘50 million Hail Marys rising to heaven’ #Catholic VATICAN CITY — More than 700 children from schools and parishes in Rome joined Pope Leo XIV in the Vatican Gardens on Thursday to pray the rosary for peace in the world.The Oct. 1 event marked the beginning of a week of prayer for the initiative “One Million Children Praying the Rosary,” promoted by the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need.The Holy Father greeted the children at the beginning. He thanked them and encouraged them to be good at home, in their families, at school, in catechism classes, and in sports, because peace also grows in this way.“I am truly happy to be with you! And you, children, tell me: Are you happy to have come? Good, that makes me happy too. Above all, because this evening we have gathered together to be with the two people who love us more than anyone else. Who are they? The Lord Jesus and his mother, Mary, who never leave us alone and who are always close to us,” Pope Leo said in his address before the rosary. An estimated more than 700 children join in praying the rosary for peace with Pope Leo XIV on Oct. 1, 2026, in the Vatican Gardens. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News/Vatican Pool “We love them too, don’t we?” he added. “Shall we tell them? Let’s try. Let us repeat together: ‘I love you, Jesus. I love you, Mary.’ Yes, we love you, Jesus and Mary, and this evening we ask you for a special gift: peace for all the children of the world, especially those who live where there is war, in so many countries across the earth.”“We do this through the prayer of the holy rosary, which is a simple prayer that everyone can pray,” the pope affectionately emphasized to the children.He noted that “in a little while we will light candles, and we will reflect on Jesus in some important moments of his life … These are moments in which he gave us wonderful gifts that we must never forget, and for this we want to thank him.Calling on the children to repeat with him, he said: “Let us do that together as well, once again. Let us all say: ‘Thank you, Jesus!’ And let us ask him with confidence, all united: ‘Give us peace!’”For the pope, the children’s rosary initiative represents “50 million Hail Marys rising to heaven from every corner of the world and in every language on earth, asking for peace, and joining together like one immense rosary garland, embracing and drawing together all the continents, races, and nations of the planet.” Pope Leo XIV brings flowers to Mary at a replica of the grotto of the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes during a rosary prayed with children in the Vatican Gardens on Oct. 1, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News/Vatican Pool Upon his arrival for the rosary, the pope also presented a small bouquet of flowers to Our Lady. It was a simple gesture carried out together with a child at the replica grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes in the Vatican Gardens.For the first time this year, the prayer campaign will take place over the course of an entire week, from Oct. 1–7, allowing dioceses, parishes, schools, communities, and families across different continents to participate in the prayer for peace and unity.Similar initiatives are already being prepared in other countries, such as Bolivia, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, and many other places marked by war, poverty, or instability.The 2026 campaign is inspired by the message of Fátima: “In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph.”The rosary was led by the children through readings, songs, and brief reflections on countries affected by war. The Hail Mary was also recited in several languages.In this year’s invitation to participants, Cardinal Kurt Koch, international president of Aid to the Church in Need and prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, recalled that Mary’s Immaculate Heart represents a life completely open to the Holy Spirit and presents Mary as a model of faith, love, and prayer.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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“Let us repeat together: ‘I love you, Jesus. I love you, Mary,’” the pontiff said in his remarks before the rosary in the Vatican Gardens.

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PHOTOS: Pope Leo XIV’s final day in France #Catholic Pope Leo XIV addressed European leaders at the Robert Schuman Conference Center in Metz on the final day of his Sept. 25–28 visit to France. The title of the event was “To the Roots of Europe for Peace and Unity.”From there he traveled to the Metz Cathedral — a towering Gothic structure dedicated to St. Stephen and nicknamed “the Good Lord’s lantern” for its large expanse of stained glass — where he celebrated Mass before 35,000 people both inside and outside the cathedral, according to the Vatican. He returned to Rome in the evening.Here is a look at his day in photos: Pope Leo XIV greets the cabin crew on the Air France A321 as he departs Lourdes for Metz on Sept. 28, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media Pope Leo XIV embraces a child after landing in Metz, France, on Sept. 28, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media Pope Leo XIV stands with religious leaders at an interreligious meeting at the Robert Schuman Conference Center in Metz, France, on Sept. 28, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News A participant takes a video recording of Pope Leo XIV’s participation at the meeting “To the Roots of Europe for Peace and Unity” at the Robert Schuman Conference Center in Metz, France, on Sept. 28, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV sits with French President Emmanuel Macron at the meeting “To the Roots of Europe for Peace and Unity” at the Robert Schuman Conference Center in Metz, France, on Sept. 28, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV meets with religious leaders at an interreligious meeting at the Robert Schuman Conference Center in Metz, France, on Sept. 28, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media Young people wait for Pope Leo XIV to arrive outside the Cathedral of St. Stephen in Metz, France, on Sept. 28, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV stops to bless a baby as he makes his way to the Cathedral of St. Stephen on Sept. 28, 2026, in Metz, France. | Credit: Vatican Media Pope Leo XIV signs the guest book upon entering the Cathedral of St. Stephen on Sept. 28, 2026, in Metz, France. | Credit: Vatican Media Pope Leo XIV prays at the Cathedral of St. Stephen on Sept. 28, 2026, in Metz, France. | Credit: Vatican Media Pope Leo XIV delivers his homily during Mass on Sept. 28, 2026, in the Cathedral of St. Stephen in Metz, France. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass on Sept. 28, 2026, in the Cathedral of St. Stephen in Metz, France. | Credit: Vatican Media French President Emmanuel Macro and Pope Leo XIV meet one last time before the pope boards a plane back to Rome on Sept. 28, 2028. | Credit: Vatican Media Pope Leo XIV speaks to reporters on his flight from Metz, France, to Rome on Sept. 28, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News
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PHOTOS: Pope Leo XIV’s final day in France #Catholic Pope Leo XIV addressed European leaders at the Robert Schuman Conference Center in Metz on the final day of his Sept. 25–28 visit to France. The title of the event was “To the Roots of Europe for Peace and Unity.”From there he traveled to the Metz Cathedral — a towering Gothic structure dedicated to St. Stephen and nicknamed “the Good Lord’s lantern” for its large expanse of stained glass — where he celebrated Mass before 35,000 people both inside and outside the cathedral, according to the Vatican. He returned to Rome in the evening.Here is a look at his day in photos: Pope Leo XIV greets the cabin crew on the Air France A321 as he departs Lourdes for Metz on Sept. 28, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media Pope Leo XIV embraces a child after landing in Metz, France, on Sept. 28, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media Pope Leo XIV stands with religious leaders at an interreligious meeting at the Robert Schuman Conference Center in Metz, France, on Sept. 28, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News A participant takes a video recording of Pope Leo XIV’s participation at the meeting “To the Roots of Europe for Peace and Unity” at the Robert Schuman Conference Center in Metz, France, on Sept. 28, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV sits with French President Emmanuel Macron at the meeting “To the Roots of Europe for Peace and Unity” at the Robert Schuman Conference Center in Metz, France, on Sept. 28, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV meets with religious leaders at an interreligious meeting at the Robert Schuman Conference Center in Metz, France, on Sept. 28, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media Young people wait for Pope Leo XIV to arrive outside the Cathedral of St. Stephen in Metz, France, on Sept. 28, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV stops to bless a baby as he makes his way to the Cathedral of St. Stephen on Sept. 28, 2026, in Metz, France. | Credit: Vatican Media Pope Leo XIV signs the guest book upon entering the Cathedral of St. Stephen on Sept. 28, 2026, in Metz, France. | Credit: Vatican Media Pope Leo XIV prays at the Cathedral of St. Stephen on Sept. 28, 2026, in Metz, France. | Credit: Vatican Media Pope Leo XIV delivers his homily during Mass on Sept. 28, 2026, in the Cathedral of St. Stephen in Metz, France. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass on Sept. 28, 2026, in the Cathedral of St. Stephen in Metz, France. | Credit: Vatican Media French President Emmanuel Macro and Pope Leo XIV meet one last time before the pope boards a plane back to Rome on Sept. 28, 2028. | Credit: Vatican Media Pope Leo XIV speaks to reporters on his flight from Metz, France, to Rome on Sept. 28, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

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On the fourth and final day of his apostolic journey to France, the pope addressed European leaders at the Robert Schuman Conference Center and celebrated Mass at the Cathedral of St. Stephen in Metz.

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Pope Leo meets French abuse victims in Lourdes #Catholic LOURDES, France — Pope Leo XIV met seven French victims of clerical sexual abuse on Sunday, making a gesture of solidarity and reconciliation at a shrine world-famous for its healing waters.The nearly two-hour encounter took place at the residence of the local bishop, where Leo is staying for his two nights at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes.Speaking to journalists after the meeting, one of the victims, Jérôme Guillement, said, “There was something sincere about [Pope Leo]. With him, every word was carefully chosen; every word had meaning. … There were a lot of emotions.”According to the Holy See Press Office, Leo spent an hour and a half speaking to the four men and three women individually, before addressing them as a group for about 20 minutes and “thanking them for their painful testimony and reaffirming his commitment to ensuring that the harm they experienced is not repeated for others.”He “expressed his solidarity with them and, through them, with all those who have suffered and continue to suffer from the wounds of abuse,” the statement said.Leo also prayed with some of the victims.“I sensed that he was a man of commitment and also a man of resolve,” Olivier Mardi, one of the participants, said after the meeting. “He’s not fooled and knows that these events will continue and that we must remain vigilant… There was an emotional side to it, and at the same time something very powerful when he speaks.”Five of the seven involved in the meeting revealed their identities ahead of the pope’s trip. Among them was Bertrand Virieux, a victim of ex-priest Bernard Preynat, who in 2020 was sentenced to five years in prison for assaults on young scouts in the Archdiocese of Lyon. Preynat died in 2024.The Church in France has been grappling with the repercussions of abuse in the wake of an independent commission’s report that hundreds of thousands of children had been abused by clergy and religious over the past 70 years.The Independent Commission on Sexual Abuse in the Church (CIASE) published a nearly 2,500-page final report in October 2021, estimating that 216,000 children were abused by priests, deacons, monks, or nuns in France from 1950 to 2020.It added that when abuse by lay Church workers was also taken into account, “the estimated number of child victims rises to 330,000 for the whole of the period.”The victims were accompanied by Bishop Gérard Le Stang of Amiens, president of the Council for the Prevention and Combating of Pedophilia within the French bishops’ conference.Guillement said Leo “felt that the Church in France still had a great deal of work to do” to prevent abuse.“We talked about prevention as part of a cultural shift at all levels … There are different opinions, but from his perspective, there’s still a systemic dimension at play,” the man added.According to Mardi, the pontiff “responded well to our very concrete proposals; he knows he has to work with us… He said we need to rekindle hope, and it takes serious commitment to make that happen.”Pope Leo spoke about the clerical sexual abuse of minors in his address to the French bishops on the morning of Sept. 27.“In recent years, you have faced with determination the painful scourge of abuse committed against minors by members of the clergy or in an ecclesial context,” he said.The pontiff praised them for their courageous measures to listen, search for truth, justice, forgiveness, and making amends, as well as “a firm commitment to a culture of prevention and protection against these crimes.”“You must continue along the path you have begun, maintaining the greatest vigilance,” he said.Before addressing the bishops, Leo stopped in front of a memorial for victims of child sexual abuse, featuring the brief reflection of an anonymous victim.“[The victim] will come to understand that it was the entire culture of a system that sought to protect itself rather than protect him,” an inscription on the memorial reads. “And his turmoil continues to deepen around this question: Why can’t justice be done for him? It is so vital to him that he may finally find peace and that the tears of his childhood may cease to flow.”At an open-air Mass later on Sunday morning, the pope seemed to allude to the clerical abuse crisis, saying in his homily that “In order to heal the deep wounds, infidelities and painful errors that have occurred within [the Church], we must humbly place ourselves under the Lord’s purifying gaze. Recognizing our own faults is essential to our spiritual growth.”The pope’s plans for a private conversation with victims ignited controversy among several abuse support groups in France who criticized the format of the meeting and the exclusion of victims’ organizations.Asked about the criticism, Bishop Pierre-Antoine Bozo, the spokesman of the French bishops’ conference, told journalists that “there are many survivor groups … If all of them had been included or brought together, it would have been a very large format, and it would not have had the same impact.”“What helps us most in accompanying victims is listening to them. And to do that, you cannot have 50 people sitting in front of you. That is really what the pope wanted,” Bozo said.The Lourdes shrine was an evocative backdrop for the meeting with abuse victims, since it is among the first shrines to cover artwork by the accused sexual abuser Father Marko Rupnik, currently on trial at the Vatican.Mosaics by Rupnik on the façade of the Basilica of the Rosary were covered ahead of Leo’s visit and will remain indefinitely hidden.“It had come to carry such a symbolic burden for victims that, even though many of the people who come to Lourdes are not abuse victims, for those who are, something had to be done,” Bishop Bozo said.“If it becomes so difficult for people to come to Lourdes, people who should have a privileged place there because they are suffering, then the situation is no longer acceptable,” the spokesman added. “So I think covering the mosaics is a first step. Afterward, something new will have to be proposed, perhaps a new work of art.”
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Pope Leo meets French abuse victims in Lourdes #Catholic LOURDES, France — Pope Leo XIV met seven French victims of clerical sexual abuse on Sunday, making a gesture of solidarity and reconciliation at a shrine world-famous for its healing waters.The nearly two-hour encounter took place at the residence of the local bishop, where Leo is staying for his two nights at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes.Speaking to journalists after the meeting, one of the victims, Jérôme Guillement, said, “There was something sincere about [Pope Leo]. With him, every word was carefully chosen; every word had meaning. … There were a lot of emotions.”According to the Holy See Press Office, Leo spent an hour and a half speaking to the four men and three women individually, before addressing them as a group for about 20 minutes and “thanking them for their painful testimony and reaffirming his commitment to ensuring that the harm they experienced is not repeated for others.”He “expressed his solidarity with them and, through them, with all those who have suffered and continue to suffer from the wounds of abuse,” the statement said.Leo also prayed with some of the victims.“I sensed that he was a man of commitment and also a man of resolve,” Olivier Mardi, one of the participants, said after the meeting. “He’s not fooled and knows that these events will continue and that we must remain vigilant… There was an emotional side to it, and at the same time something very powerful when he speaks.”Five of the seven involved in the meeting revealed their identities ahead of the pope’s trip. Among them was Bertrand Virieux, a victim of ex-priest Bernard Preynat, who in 2020 was sentenced to five years in prison for assaults on young scouts in the Archdiocese of Lyon. Preynat died in 2024.The Church in France has been grappling with the repercussions of abuse in the wake of an independent commission’s report that hundreds of thousands of children had been abused by clergy and religious over the past 70 years.The Independent Commission on Sexual Abuse in the Church (CIASE) published a nearly 2,500-page final report in October 2021, estimating that 216,000 children were abused by priests, deacons, monks, or nuns in France from 1950 to 2020.It added that when abuse by lay Church workers was also taken into account, “the estimated number of child victims rises to 330,000 for the whole of the period.”The victims were accompanied by Bishop Gérard Le Stang of Amiens, president of the Council for the Prevention and Combating of Pedophilia within the French bishops’ conference.Guillement said Leo “felt that the Church in France still had a great deal of work to do” to prevent abuse.“We talked about prevention as part of a cultural shift at all levels … There are different opinions, but from his perspective, there’s still a systemic dimension at play,” the man added.According to Mardi, the pontiff “responded well to our very concrete proposals; he knows he has to work with us… He said we need to rekindle hope, and it takes serious commitment to make that happen.”Pope Leo spoke about the clerical sexual abuse of minors in his address to the French bishops on the morning of Sept. 27.“In recent years, you have faced with determination the painful scourge of abuse committed against minors by members of the clergy or in an ecclesial context,” he said.The pontiff praised them for their courageous measures to listen, search for truth, justice, forgiveness, and making amends, as well as “a firm commitment to a culture of prevention and protection against these crimes.”“You must continue along the path you have begun, maintaining the greatest vigilance,” he said.Before addressing the bishops, Leo stopped in front of a memorial for victims of child sexual abuse, featuring the brief reflection of an anonymous victim.“[The victim] will come to understand that it was the entire culture of a system that sought to protect itself rather than protect him,” an inscription on the memorial reads. “And his turmoil continues to deepen around this question: Why can’t justice be done for him? It is so vital to him that he may finally find peace and that the tears of his childhood may cease to flow.”At an open-air Mass later on Sunday morning, the pope seemed to allude to the clerical abuse crisis, saying in his homily that “In order to heal the deep wounds, infidelities and painful errors that have occurred within [the Church], we must humbly place ourselves under the Lord’s purifying gaze. Recognizing our own faults is essential to our spiritual growth.”The pope’s plans for a private conversation with victims ignited controversy among several abuse support groups in France who criticized the format of the meeting and the exclusion of victims’ organizations.Asked about the criticism, Bishop Pierre-Antoine Bozo, the spokesman of the French bishops’ conference, told journalists that “there are many survivor groups … If all of them had been included or brought together, it would have been a very large format, and it would not have had the same impact.”“What helps us most in accompanying victims is listening to them. And to do that, you cannot have 50 people sitting in front of you. That is really what the pope wanted,” Bozo said.The Lourdes shrine was an evocative backdrop for the meeting with abuse victims, since it is among the first shrines to cover artwork by the accused sexual abuser Father Marko Rupnik, currently on trial at the Vatican.Mosaics by Rupnik on the façade of the Basilica of the Rosary were covered ahead of Leo’s visit and will remain indefinitely hidden.“It had come to carry such a symbolic burden for victims that, even though many of the people who come to Lourdes are not abuse victims, for those who are, something had to be done,” Bishop Bozo said.“If it becomes so difficult for people to come to Lourdes, people who should have a privileged place there because they are suffering, then the situation is no longer acceptable,” the spokesman added. “So I think covering the mosaics is a first step. Afterward, something new will have to be proposed, perhaps a new work of art.”

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The pontiff “expressed his solidarity with them and, through them, with all those who have suffered and continue to suffer from the wounds of abuse,” the Vatican said.

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Pope Leo in Lourdes: The Church must heal her ‘wounds, infidelities, and painful errors’ #Catholic LOURDES, France — Pope Leo XIV issued a firm call to conversion from sin and error in the Church, and invited all to repent and do penance, at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes on Sunday.Mary’s call to conversion in her message to St. Bernadette “also concerns the Church herself as she makes her earthly journey. She must have the courage to begin with herself,” he said at Mass on Sept. 27.“In order to heal the deep wounds, infidelities and painful errors that have occurred within her, we must humbly place ourselves under the Lord’s purifying gaze. Recognizing our own faults is essential to our spiritual growth,” the pontiff said.In 2021, the Independent Commission on Sexual Abuse in the Church (CIASE) published a nearly 2,500-page final report, estimating that 216,000 children were abused by priests, deacons, monks, or nuns in France from 1950 to 2020.TweetLeo is scheduled to meet later on Sunday with seven victims of clerical sexual abuse in France.Lourdes is an evocative backdrop to the private meeting, since it is among the first shrines to cover artwork by the accused sexual abuser Father Marko Rupnik, currently on trial at the Vatican.Rupnik’s mosaics decorating the front of the Basilica of the Rosary were covered ahead of Leo’s visit and will remain covered indefinitely, according to the local bishop.The pope celebrated Mass on a prairie across the river Gave de Pau from the grotto of the apparitions on the third day of his Sept. 25-28 visit to France.Pilgrims from France and around the world gathered on the grassy hill and along the streets of the shrine. Some waved flags or held banners of sacred images. A number of pilgrims arrived in wheelchairs. Around 150,000 people attended the Mass, according to the Vatican.Claire Banks, a nurse from the UK, said she has traveled over 100 times to Lourdes.“It was too good of an opportunity to miss coming here and seeing the pope. I think he’s wonderful,” she told EWTN News. She described an “electric atmosphere” at the shrine since Leo’s arrival.Libby Frank, another Mass attendee, is also from the UK, but has lived in Lourdes for 40 years. She recently retired after working for a charity that brings sick people to the shrine.“I worked for three papal visits and now I’ve come to one papal visit to enjoy it with my family and friends and just be part of the community,” she said, referencing two visits by St. Pope John Paul II in 1983 and 2004, and one by Pope Benedict in 2008.“There’s been a phenomenal amount of excitement locally waiting for Leo to come visit. The town [of Lourdes] has really gotten behind everything that’s happening,” she said.TweetThe Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes is among the most popular Catholic shrines in the world, built on the site of Mary’s apparitions to St. Bernadette in 1858. It is particularly visited by the sick, who come to bathe in or drink its healing spring water.In his homily, Pope Leo noted that a “call to conversion, both tender and urgent,” was a central part of the message the Virgin Mary entrusted to Bernadette, and that “it is today, not tomorrow, that we must repent.”He said Jesus is quite direct about the call to repentance: “As St. Luke tells us, ‘Unless you repent, you will all perish.’ But he also extends our horizon beyond this earthly life to the horizon of eternal life.”“Did not the Virgin Mary say to St. Bernadette, ‘I do not promise to make you happy in this world but in the next’?” Leo said.The pope noted that we can often forget this in an age and society focused on progress and material wellbeing.Eternal life is already won for us by Jesus’ sacrifice, he continued, but “the obstacle to grace and eternal life — the only obstacle to this love — is sin.”The Holy Father called everyone to do penance, an act of love for God and for our brothers and sisters, “who do not heed this call to conversion, and whose sins lead them towards death.”“We want to make amends for the wounds our sins have dealt to [God’s] heart,” he said.Addressing the many sick, elderly, and disabled people present at the Mass, Leo said their suffering, if lived in a “spirit of offering,” can take part “in the redemptive work that the world so greatly needs.”“In this way, you are truly at the heart of the Church, and your role is irreplaceable,” he said.“In the face of current trends that seek to redefine the value of human life in illness, suffering and old age, the grotto of Massabielle stands as a place of Christian hope,” he said. “Here, no one is turned away due to their frailty.”Earlier in the morning, Leo met with France’s bishops at the shrine, where he praised their courage in opposing the recent legalization of euthanasia and assisted suicide in the country.“I encourage you to persevere, together with all people of good will who uphold the same values,” he told the bishops’ conference.At the end of Mass, before praying the Angelus, the pope invited those present to pray the rosary for peace, and to offer concrete acts of penance and mercy.“It was here that the Immaculate Virgin appeared to St. Bernadette with the rosary and, as it were, guided her in prayer,” he said. “For this reason, today I invite all the faithful and all Christian communities to pray the holy rosary throughout the coming month of October, with the particular intention that wars may cease and that peace may be established among peoples in conflict.”Elliot Hartley contributed to this report.This story was updated at 7:14 a.m. ET with more information about the Mass and the pope’s meeting with bishops.
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Pope Leo in Lourdes: The Church must heal her ‘wounds, infidelities, and painful errors’ #Catholic LOURDES, France — Pope Leo XIV issued a firm call to conversion from sin and error in the Church, and invited all to repent and do penance, at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes on Sunday.Mary’s call to conversion in her message to St. Bernadette “also concerns the Church herself as she makes her earthly journey. She must have the courage to begin with herself,” he said at Mass on Sept. 27.“In order to heal the deep wounds, infidelities and painful errors that have occurred within her, we must humbly place ourselves under the Lord’s purifying gaze. Recognizing our own faults is essential to our spiritual growth,” the pontiff said.In 2021, the Independent Commission on Sexual Abuse in the Church (CIASE) published a nearly 2,500-page final report, estimating that 216,000 children were abused by priests, deacons, monks, or nuns in France from 1950 to 2020.TweetLeo is scheduled to meet later on Sunday with seven victims of clerical sexual abuse in France.Lourdes is an evocative backdrop to the private meeting, since it is among the first shrines to cover artwork by the accused sexual abuser Father Marko Rupnik, currently on trial at the Vatican.Rupnik’s mosaics decorating the front of the Basilica of the Rosary were covered ahead of Leo’s visit and will remain covered indefinitely, according to the local bishop.The pope celebrated Mass on a prairie across the river Gave de Pau from the grotto of the apparitions on the third day of his Sept. 25-28 visit to France.Pilgrims from France and around the world gathered on the grassy hill and along the streets of the shrine. Some waved flags or held banners of sacred images. A number of pilgrims arrived in wheelchairs. Around 150,000 people attended the Mass, according to the Vatican.Claire Banks, a nurse from the UK, said she has traveled over 100 times to Lourdes.“It was too good of an opportunity to miss coming here and seeing the pope. I think he’s wonderful,” she told EWTN News. She described an “electric atmosphere” at the shrine since Leo’s arrival.Libby Frank, another Mass attendee, is also from the UK, but has lived in Lourdes for 40 years. She recently retired after working for a charity that brings sick people to the shrine.“I worked for three papal visits and now I’ve come to one papal visit to enjoy it with my family and friends and just be part of the community,” she said, referencing two visits by St. Pope John Paul II in 1983 and 2004, and one by Pope Benedict in 2008.“There’s been a phenomenal amount of excitement locally waiting for Leo to come visit. The town [of Lourdes] has really gotten behind everything that’s happening,” she said.TweetThe Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes is among the most popular Catholic shrines in the world, built on the site of Mary’s apparitions to St. Bernadette in 1858. It is particularly visited by the sick, who come to bathe in or drink its healing spring water.In his homily, Pope Leo noted that a “call to conversion, both tender and urgent,” was a central part of the message the Virgin Mary entrusted to Bernadette, and that “it is today, not tomorrow, that we must repent.”He said Jesus is quite direct about the call to repentance: “As St. Luke tells us, ‘Unless you repent, you will all perish.’ But he also extends our horizon beyond this earthly life to the horizon of eternal life.”“Did not the Virgin Mary say to St. Bernadette, ‘I do not promise to make you happy in this world but in the next’?” Leo said.The pope noted that we can often forget this in an age and society focused on progress and material wellbeing.Eternal life is already won for us by Jesus’ sacrifice, he continued, but “the obstacle to grace and eternal life — the only obstacle to this love — is sin.”The Holy Father called everyone to do penance, an act of love for God and for our brothers and sisters, “who do not heed this call to conversion, and whose sins lead them towards death.”“We want to make amends for the wounds our sins have dealt to [God’s] heart,” he said.Addressing the many sick, elderly, and disabled people present at the Mass, Leo said their suffering, if lived in a “spirit of offering,” can take part “in the redemptive work that the world so greatly needs.”“In this way, you are truly at the heart of the Church, and your role is irreplaceable,” he said.“In the face of current trends that seek to redefine the value of human life in illness, suffering and old age, the grotto of Massabielle stands as a place of Christian hope,” he said. “Here, no one is turned away due to their frailty.”Earlier in the morning, Leo met with France’s bishops at the shrine, where he praised their courage in opposing the recent legalization of euthanasia and assisted suicide in the country.“I encourage you to persevere, together with all people of good will who uphold the same values,” he told the bishops’ conference.At the end of Mass, before praying the Angelus, the pope invited those present to pray the rosary for peace, and to offer concrete acts of penance and mercy.“It was here that the Immaculate Virgin appeared to St. Bernadette with the rosary and, as it were, guided her in prayer,” he said. “For this reason, today I invite all the faithful and all Christian communities to pray the holy rosary throughout the coming month of October, with the particular intention that wars may cease and that peace may be established among peoples in conflict.”Elliot Hartley contributed to this report.This story was updated at 7:14 a.m. ET with more information about the Mass and the pope’s meeting with bishops.

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The pontiff spoke about the urgency of repentance and conversion at a Mass on the third day of his visit to France.

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Thousands of young French Catholics converge on soccer stadium for prayer with Pope Leo #Catholic SAINT-DENIS, France — At least 80,000 young Catholics flocked to France’s national soccer stadium north of Paris on Friday night to pray with Pope Leo XIV and to hear his message for the Church.Whether they were lifting their arms in praise-and-worship or silently venerating the relics of saints and the Holy Tunic of Christ, the entire Stade de France was united in prayer before Leo’s arrival and throughout an hour and a half-long program.People from working-class suburbs stood alongside families from the more traditional Catholic milieu associated with the city of Versailles. In the lines outside the stadium, Breton and Vendéan flags — from regions with strong Catholic histories — stood alongside groups with a more popular, charismatic style.One young woman, 29-year-old Romance Bono, wiped tears from her eyes as the pope entered the stadium to deafening cheers.“It brought tears to my eyes because it’s such an emotional moment,” she told EWTN News. “Seeing all these young people cheering for the pope like a rock star, that is the strength of the Church, and it is the future of the Church here. It was very moving.” Young people greet Pope Leo XIV at a prayer vigil at Stade de France on Sept. 25, 2026 in Saint-Denis, France. | Credit: Vatican Media Soon after Pope Leoʼs arrival at the stadium, hundreds of young French Catholics staged an artistic performance depicting French saints and the history of the Church in France, including the use of live horses, and culminating in fireworks launched above the stadium.One 28-year-old volunteer, Jacques-Henri de Livron, told EWTN News that as soon as he heard the pope was coming to France, he decided to take a day off work to see him. He was so afraid of missing the events that he volunteered to make sure he could be in attendance. De Livron grew up in a Catholic environment, but returned to the faith in his twenties after painful deaths among his siblings and close friends. Those experiences, he said, made him recognize its value anew.“Christianity is really the religion of the human person,” he said. “In this age of narcissism, it helps us get out of ourselves, turn toward others and care about them instead of thinking only about ourselves. People often call it a religion of the book, or a religion of revelation. But it’s much more than that. It’s the religion of the human person.”De Livron also made a point of sharing his surname, which is unusual in France, where anticlerical culture is widespread and religious people usually ask to be identified in press reports only by their first names in order to avoid trouble at work. “I want to be part of a generation that stops being afraid to testify, that gives its name, and isn’t afraid of anything,” he said.Pierre-Alain Belaube, 34, described the effort to arrive hours early after a long day at work, and to fight the crowds to enter into the packed stadium, as “200% worth it. It’s a privilege to be here.”Belaube described himself as a formerly lukewarm Catholic, whose life was transformed when he read the autobiography of St. Ignatius of Loyola.“I have the hope that many more young people will open their hearts to God and let him change their life,” he said. “I think that such an event can be, for many, the first milestone of a life-changing experience. I hope we will inspire many more young people to get to know Jesus.”Thibault, a religious brother who preferred not to give his last name because he did not have permission from his superiors to speak with reporters, accompanied 400 members from the youth movement of his religious community, the Missionaries of Divine Mercy, to the event.He told EWTN News that it is very moving to be surrounded by young people “wanting to say, ‘Here I am, I’m Catholic and I’m proud to show it.’”The young religious, who is also studying for the priesthood, said he hopes Leo’s visit to France “will contribute to the missionary awakening that needs to happen in France.”While the primarily secular country is seeing a surprising surge in baptisms, he said he thinks “Catholics still find it difficult to go out and meet people, to be missionaries in their daily lives.”“I think this could become a significant moment in the life of the Church in France.”In his message during the prayer, which included religious hymns and a Litany of Saints, Leo invited young people to shun evil and strive for good.“God is the Lord of history, and no matter what happens, he guides its course toward salvation. In Christ, every evil comes to an end, precisely because that end becomes the beginning of a new and eternal life,” he said.“The work well done, the work that is good, is the redemption that Jesus accomplishes for us,” Leo said. “Through his struggle against sin and death, Christ’s victory sets us free. He saves us from all evil and invites us to all that is good.”The pontiff also answered the questions of two young French people as part of the evening’s program.Chloé, 25, talked about her involvement in her parish and in a group of young Catholics “eager to live out and share their faith with others.” But she lamented that society “is founded on different principles” and sometimes has “no regard for the question of God.”Pope Leo responded that, “It is true, as you say, that the society in which we live seems indifferent to God. But the Lord is not indifferent to us! This is what matters, and what always gives us hope.”Chloé, who is from Saint-Denis, described the vitality of Catholic life there. Saint-Denis is often described as a quartier sensible (“a vulnerable neighborhood”). Her testimony echoed what EWTN News heard from local Catholics in the crowd, including people from immigrant backgrounds, about the life of the Church in their neighborhoods that have a strong Muslim presence.A young man from Burgundy, named François, also addressed the pope and asked him how young people can discern how the Lord is calling them to serve.Leo’s advice to young people was to keep their hearts open to the suffering of their peers, to follow Jesus, and to draw inspiration from the examples of the saints.“Even in the face of persecution, these brothers and sisters of ours opened paths of peace. Look to those priests who were passionate about Christ, such as St. Eugene de Mazenod and St. John Mary Vianney. Look to the mystical beauty of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus; the fervor in charity and mission of Blessed Pauline Jaricot; and the courage of the 50 martyrs of the apostolate who served their brothers and sisters even to the point of sacrificing their own lives during the Second World War,” he said.“These saints changed the course of history by leading many people from hardship to hope, since they first changed their own hearts, transforming them in the light of faith.”The youth vigil was the pope’s last event on a packed first day in France. The Sept. 25-28 journey will also take him to Lourdes and Metz.
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Thousands of young French Catholics converge on soccer stadium for prayer with Pope Leo #Catholic SAINT-DENIS, France — At least 80,000 young Catholics flocked to France’s national soccer stadium north of Paris on Friday night to pray with Pope Leo XIV and to hear his message for the Church.Whether they were lifting their arms in praise-and-worship or silently venerating the relics of saints and the Holy Tunic of Christ, the entire Stade de France was united in prayer before Leo’s arrival and throughout an hour and a half-long program.People from working-class suburbs stood alongside families from the more traditional Catholic milieu associated with the city of Versailles. In the lines outside the stadium, Breton and Vendéan flags — from regions with strong Catholic histories — stood alongside groups with a more popular, charismatic style.One young woman, 29-year-old Romance Bono, wiped tears from her eyes as the pope entered the stadium to deafening cheers.“It brought tears to my eyes because it’s such an emotional moment,” she told EWTN News. “Seeing all these young people cheering for the pope like a rock star, that is the strength of the Church, and it is the future of the Church here. It was very moving.” Young people greet Pope Leo XIV at a prayer vigil at Stade de France on Sept. 25, 2026 in Saint-Denis, France. | Credit: Vatican Media Soon after Pope Leoʼs arrival at the stadium, hundreds of young French Catholics staged an artistic performance depicting French saints and the history of the Church in France, including the use of live horses, and culminating in fireworks launched above the stadium.One 28-year-old volunteer, Jacques-Henri de Livron, told EWTN News that as soon as he heard the pope was coming to France, he decided to take a day off work to see him. He was so afraid of missing the events that he volunteered to make sure he could be in attendance. De Livron grew up in a Catholic environment, but returned to the faith in his twenties after painful deaths among his siblings and close friends. Those experiences, he said, made him recognize its value anew.“Christianity is really the religion of the human person,” he said. “In this age of narcissism, it helps us get out of ourselves, turn toward others and care about them instead of thinking only about ourselves. People often call it a religion of the book, or a religion of revelation. But it’s much more than that. It’s the religion of the human person.”De Livron also made a point of sharing his surname, which is unusual in France, where anticlerical culture is widespread and religious people usually ask to be identified in press reports only by their first names in order to avoid trouble at work. “I want to be part of a generation that stops being afraid to testify, that gives its name, and isn’t afraid of anything,” he said.Pierre-Alain Belaube, 34, described the effort to arrive hours early after a long day at work, and to fight the crowds to enter into the packed stadium, as “200% worth it. It’s a privilege to be here.”Belaube described himself as a formerly lukewarm Catholic, whose life was transformed when he read the autobiography of St. Ignatius of Loyola.“I have the hope that many more young people will open their hearts to God and let him change their life,” he said. “I think that such an event can be, for many, the first milestone of a life-changing experience. I hope we will inspire many more young people to get to know Jesus.”Thibault, a religious brother who preferred not to give his last name because he did not have permission from his superiors to speak with reporters, accompanied 400 members from the youth movement of his religious community, the Missionaries of Divine Mercy, to the event.He told EWTN News that it is very moving to be surrounded by young people “wanting to say, ‘Here I am, I’m Catholic and I’m proud to show it.’”The young religious, who is also studying for the priesthood, said he hopes Leo’s visit to France “will contribute to the missionary awakening that needs to happen in France.”While the primarily secular country is seeing a surprising surge in baptisms, he said he thinks “Catholics still find it difficult to go out and meet people, to be missionaries in their daily lives.”“I think this could become a significant moment in the life of the Church in France.”In his message during the prayer, which included religious hymns and a Litany of Saints, Leo invited young people to shun evil and strive for good.“God is the Lord of history, and no matter what happens, he guides its course toward salvation. In Christ, every evil comes to an end, precisely because that end becomes the beginning of a new and eternal life,” he said.“The work well done, the work that is good, is the redemption that Jesus accomplishes for us,” Leo said. “Through his struggle against sin and death, Christ’s victory sets us free. He saves us from all evil and invites us to all that is good.”The pontiff also answered the questions of two young French people as part of the evening’s program.Chloé, 25, talked about her involvement in her parish and in a group of young Catholics “eager to live out and share their faith with others.” But she lamented that society “is founded on different principles” and sometimes has “no regard for the question of God.”Pope Leo responded that, “It is true, as you say, that the society in which we live seems indifferent to God. But the Lord is not indifferent to us! This is what matters, and what always gives us hope.”Chloé, who is from Saint-Denis, described the vitality of Catholic life there. Saint-Denis is often described as a quartier sensible (“a vulnerable neighborhood”). Her testimony echoed what EWTN News heard from local Catholics in the crowd, including people from immigrant backgrounds, about the life of the Church in their neighborhoods that have a strong Muslim presence.A young man from Burgundy, named François, also addressed the pope and asked him how young people can discern how the Lord is calling them to serve.Leo’s advice to young people was to keep their hearts open to the suffering of their peers, to follow Jesus, and to draw inspiration from the examples of the saints.“Even in the face of persecution, these brothers and sisters of ours opened paths of peace. Look to those priests who were passionate about Christ, such as St. Eugene de Mazenod and St. John Mary Vianney. Look to the mystical beauty of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus; the fervor in charity and mission of Blessed Pauline Jaricot; and the courage of the 50 martyrs of the apostolate who served their brothers and sisters even to the point of sacrificing their own lives during the Second World War,” he said.“These saints changed the course of history by leading many people from hardship to hope, since they first changed their own hearts, transforming them in the light of faith.”The youth vigil was the pope’s last event on a packed first day in France. The Sept. 25-28 journey will also take him to Lourdes and Metz.

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France’s Catholic culture and the energy of the country’s young people stole the show at a prayer vigil at the national stadium in Saint-Denis, France.

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Pope Leo XIV arrives in Paris at start of 4-day visit to France #Catholic PARIS — Pope Leo XIV arrived in France on Friday for a four-day visit to the country that begins with a packed first day, with stops at UNESCO headquarters, Notre-Dame Cathedral, and the national stadium for a prayer vigil with 80,000 young people. Leo is the first pope to visit Paris since Pope Benedict XVI in 2008.Leo was welcomed at Paris Orly Airport by President Emmanuel Macron. Two local children presented flowers as the pontiff was given military honors — a formal ceremonial tribute — before entering a room of the airport with the French president for a private conversation.During the flight from Rome, the pope told reporters that he would address “a number of very important topics” during his visit. “I above all am traveling to France, as anywhere else in the world, as a follower of Jesus Christ who wants to bring peace of Christ throughout the world,” he said.The pope’s first stop in the French capital will be the Élysée Palace, the official residence of the French president, an 18th-century mansion surrounded by elaborate landscaped gardens.There, Leo will again have time to speak with Macron, before delivering the first official speech of the trip, addressed to political authorities and members of civil society, the business world, and the diplomatic corps.Among the most sensitive issues that the pope is expected to address are end-of-life questions. France legalized assisted suicide and euthanasia this summer, becoming the fifth European country to do so after Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Spain. After a break for lunch, the Holy Father will visit the headquarters of UNESCO — the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization — a specialized UN agency that preserves cultural heritage sites and promotes peace, sustainable development, and human rights.
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Pope Leo XIV arrives in Paris at start of 4-day visit to France #Catholic PARIS — Pope Leo XIV arrived in France on Friday for a four-day visit to the country that begins with a packed first day, with stops at UNESCO headquarters, Notre-Dame Cathedral, and the national stadium for a prayer vigil with 80,000 young people. Leo is the first pope to visit Paris since Pope Benedict XVI in 2008.Leo was welcomed at Paris Orly Airport by President Emmanuel Macron. Two local children presented flowers as the pontiff was given military honors — a formal ceremonial tribute — before entering a room of the airport with the French president for a private conversation.During the flight from Rome, the pope told reporters that he would address “a number of very important topics” during his visit. “I above all am traveling to France, as anywhere else in the world, as a follower of Jesus Christ who wants to bring peace of Christ throughout the world,” he said.The pope’s first stop in the French capital will be the Élysée Palace, the official residence of the French president, an 18th-century mansion surrounded by elaborate landscaped gardens.There, Leo will again have time to speak with Macron, before delivering the first official speech of the trip, addressed to political authorities and members of civil society, the business world, and the diplomatic corps.Among the most sensitive issues that the pope is expected to address are end-of-life questions. France legalized assisted suicide and euthanasia this summer, becoming the fifth European country to do so after Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Spain. After a break for lunch, the Holy Father will visit the headquarters of UNESCO — the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization — a specialized UN agency that preserves cultural heritage sites and promotes peace, sustainable development, and human rights.

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The pontiff is expected to proclaim Catholic social teaching to a secular country showing signs of Christian revival.

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Priest’s murder in Mexico may be warning to sow fear, priest says #Catholic The recent murder of Father Román de la Cruz Hernández in the Mexican state of Hidalgo has once again drawn attention to the violence plaguing the country and has renewed concerns over how organized crime acts with impunity. De la Cruz, 48, the parish priest of Santa Cruz in Huejutla, Hidalgo, was found dead on a road in the Lolotla district on Sept. 15. On Sept. 17, Francisco Ángel Fernández Hasbun, chief of staff for the Hidalgo state attorney generalʼs office, stated in a video that the agency is “conducting the appropriate investigations.”According to local media, the priestʼs body was found with gunshot wounds near a pickup truck, accompanied by a placard bearing a message whose content has not been disclosed by the authorities. The Mexican Bishops’ Conference (CEM) has demanded a “thorough investigation” of the case, while Bishop José Hiraís Acosta Beltrán of the Diocese of Huejutla lamented “the alarming situation of violence being experienced in our country.”Around 600 people marched for peace in Huejutla on Sunday, Sept. 20, and attended a Mass for De la Cruz. During the homily, Acosta called for “a culture of peace and reconciliation,” asking for the crime to be solved and urging that "neither this event nor the other crimes that have wounded our Mexican nation be allowed to go unpunished.”On the afternoon of Sept. 21, Acosta and Fernández met and delivered a brief joint statement.Fernández said important information regarding the case was provided during the meeting and said the two believe the case will resolve quickly, noting the Church’s collaboration with the authorities during the inquiries.‘The telltale signs of organized crime’According to the Catholic Multimedia Center, a group that documents violence against Church members in Mexico, four priests have been murdered so far during President Claudia Sheinbaum’s term in office. The total number of priests murdered since 1990 exceeds 60.The center’s director, priest and journalist Father Omar Sotelo, told ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, that the murder “bears the telltale signs of organized crime.”Sotelo noted that “extortion and threats against priests in the country are an ongoing reality.” He noted that, among those recorded and analyzed by the group, “more than 80% of cases remain unsolved,” including the 1993 murder of Cardinal Juan Jesús Posadas Ocampo, archbishop of Guadalajara, a case that stands as “a monument to impunity.”In a 2016 Facebook video, Cardinal Juan Sandoval Íñiguez, then-archbishop emeritus of Guadalajara and Posadas’ successor, declared the murder “a crime by the state, perpetrated by the Federal Judicial Police.” He even named Rodolfo León Aragón, then-director of the police, as the one behind the murder, who Sandoval said probably got his orders from then-Attorney General Jorge Carpizo, whose death in 2012 ended the investigation. ‘This could happen to us, too’Julieta Appendini, director of the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) in Mexico, told ACI Prensa “it is important not to view these murders merely as isolated criminal acts.”The impact of a crime against a priest “goes far beyond the loss of an individual,” she said, noting that “the priest often has a very close presence in the life of the community: He knows the families, ministers to the sick, listens to people’s problems, celebrates the sacraments, and can also serve as a figure of trust and mediation.”“When he is murdered, the community loses someone who fulfilled many of those roles, and an even greater sense of fear and helplessness can take hold.”She warned that the murder could serve as a warning to other priests: ‘This could happen to us, too.’” The faithful attend the Mass celebrated on Sept. 20, 2026, in Santa Cruz, Huejutla, in memory of Father Román de la Cruz Hernández. | Credit: Father Domingo Porfirio Cruz/Diocese of Huejutla ‘The goal is to sow fear’“The goal is to sow fear,” Sotelo said. The community of Huejutla “is afraid; they have already told us so.”Despite this, he affirmed that, “the clergy of Huejutla will continue working and carrying out their pastoral mission just as they are doing now.”According to Sotelo, this type of murder demonstrates “the ruthless power” of organized crime in the country, “where, regrettably, the authorities have been ineffective in managing the situation and ensuring the safety of the Mexican people.”Appendini pointed out that “a priest working in a community affected by violence does not merely celebrate the sacraments. Often, he is one of the individuals who remains when others have had to leave; he ministers to the families, listens to the victims, defends the vulnerable, and can become a voice denouncing these acts of violence.”“That can place him in a vulnerable position vis-à-vis those seeking to control territory or impose silence,” she said.Appendini noted that ACN’s 2025 Religious Freedom Report “points to threats, extortion, murders, assaults, and pressure to remain silent directed at priests and other religious leaders in Mexico.”However, she clarified that “not every attack on a priest is necessarily motivated by an intent to attack religion. In Mexico, violence can be linked to territorial control, drug trafficking, extortion, or land disputes.”Religious freedom “comes into play when a person is put at risk precisely for carrying out their mission and ministering to their community,” she said.‘We must not normalize these situations’“Fear also has consequences for religious freedom,” Appendini warned, noting that “a person may legally have the right to practice their faith, but if doing so publicly, serving their community, or speaking out against violence puts him in danger, then that right is not being fully exercised.”“That is why, at ACN, we believe we must not normalize these situations or reduce them merely to statistics. When a priest who serves his community is threatened or murdered, we must also ask ourselves what is happening to that community and to the freedom of the people living there,” she noted.Sotelo acknowledged that, in both his priestly ministry and his work as a journalist, “we sometimes feel fear; we know that at any moment we could even lose our lives for speaking about these kinds of circumstances.”However, he affirmed that “God is with us, the Master Jesus is with us, and in the face of that, we have no choice but to continue carrying out our pastoral work as a priest, a journalist, as a reporter.”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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Priest’s murder in Mexico may be warning to sow fear, priest says #Catholic The recent murder of Father Román de la Cruz Hernández in the Mexican state of Hidalgo has once again drawn attention to the violence plaguing the country and has renewed concerns over how organized crime acts with impunity. De la Cruz, 48, the parish priest of Santa Cruz in Huejutla, Hidalgo, was found dead on a road in the Lolotla district on Sept. 15. On Sept. 17, Francisco Ángel Fernández Hasbun, chief of staff for the Hidalgo state attorney generalʼs office, stated in a video that the agency is “conducting the appropriate investigations.”According to local media, the priestʼs body was found with gunshot wounds near a pickup truck, accompanied by a placard bearing a message whose content has not been disclosed by the authorities. The Mexican Bishops’ Conference (CEM) has demanded a “thorough investigation” of the case, while Bishop José Hiraís Acosta Beltrán of the Diocese of Huejutla lamented “the alarming situation of violence being experienced in our country.”Around 600 people marched for peace in Huejutla on Sunday, Sept. 20, and attended a Mass for De la Cruz. During the homily, Acosta called for “a culture of peace and reconciliation,” asking for the crime to be solved and urging that "neither this event nor the other crimes that have wounded our Mexican nation be allowed to go unpunished.”On the afternoon of Sept. 21, Acosta and Fernández met and delivered a brief joint statement.Fernández said important information regarding the case was provided during the meeting and said the two believe the case will resolve quickly, noting the Church’s collaboration with the authorities during the inquiries.‘The telltale signs of organized crime’According to the Catholic Multimedia Center, a group that documents violence against Church members in Mexico, four priests have been murdered so far during President Claudia Sheinbaum’s term in office. The total number of priests murdered since 1990 exceeds 60.The center’s director, priest and journalist Father Omar Sotelo, told ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, that the murder “bears the telltale signs of organized crime.”Sotelo noted that “extortion and threats against priests in the country are an ongoing reality.” He noted that, among those recorded and analyzed by the group, “more than 80% of cases remain unsolved,” including the 1993 murder of Cardinal Juan Jesús Posadas Ocampo, archbishop of Guadalajara, a case that stands as “a monument to impunity.”In a 2016 Facebook video, Cardinal Juan Sandoval Íñiguez, then-archbishop emeritus of Guadalajara and Posadas’ successor, declared the murder “a crime by the state, perpetrated by the Federal Judicial Police.” He even named Rodolfo León Aragón, then-director of the police, as the one behind the murder, who Sandoval said probably got his orders from then-Attorney General Jorge Carpizo, whose death in 2012 ended the investigation. ‘This could happen to us, too’Julieta Appendini, director of the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) in Mexico, told ACI Prensa “it is important not to view these murders merely as isolated criminal acts.”The impact of a crime against a priest “goes far beyond the loss of an individual,” she said, noting that “the priest often has a very close presence in the life of the community: He knows the families, ministers to the sick, listens to people’s problems, celebrates the sacraments, and can also serve as a figure of trust and mediation.”“When he is murdered, the community loses someone who fulfilled many of those roles, and an even greater sense of fear and helplessness can take hold.”She warned that the murder could serve as a warning to other priests: ‘This could happen to us, too.’” The faithful attend the Mass celebrated on Sept. 20, 2026, in Santa Cruz, Huejutla, in memory of Father Román de la Cruz Hernández. | Credit: Father Domingo Porfirio Cruz/Diocese of Huejutla ‘The goal is to sow fear’“The goal is to sow fear,” Sotelo said. The community of Huejutla “is afraid; they have already told us so.”Despite this, he affirmed that, “the clergy of Huejutla will continue working and carrying out their pastoral mission just as they are doing now.”According to Sotelo, this type of murder demonstrates “the ruthless power” of organized crime in the country, “where, regrettably, the authorities have been ineffective in managing the situation and ensuring the safety of the Mexican people.”Appendini pointed out that “a priest working in a community affected by violence does not merely celebrate the sacraments. Often, he is one of the individuals who remains when others have had to leave; he ministers to the families, listens to the victims, defends the vulnerable, and can become a voice denouncing these acts of violence.”“That can place him in a vulnerable position vis-à-vis those seeking to control territory or impose silence,” she said.Appendini noted that ACN’s 2025 Religious Freedom Report “points to threats, extortion, murders, assaults, and pressure to remain silent directed at priests and other religious leaders in Mexico.”However, she clarified that “not every attack on a priest is necessarily motivated by an intent to attack religion. In Mexico, violence can be linked to territorial control, drug trafficking, extortion, or land disputes.”Religious freedom “comes into play when a person is put at risk precisely for carrying out their mission and ministering to their community,” she said.‘We must not normalize these situations’“Fear also has consequences for religious freedom,” Appendini warned, noting that “a person may legally have the right to practice their faith, but if doing so publicly, serving their community, or speaking out against violence puts him in danger, then that right is not being fully exercised.”“That is why, at ACN, we believe we must not normalize these situations or reduce them merely to statistics. When a priest who serves his community is threatened or murdered, we must also ask ourselves what is happening to that community and to the freedom of the people living there,” she noted.Sotelo acknowledged that, in both his priestly ministry and his work as a journalist, “we sometimes feel fear; we know that at any moment we could even lose our lives for speaking about these kinds of circumstances.”However, he affirmed that “God is with us, the Master Jesus is with us, and in the face of that, we have no choice but to continue carrying out our pastoral work as a priest, a journalist, as a reporter.”This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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The Sept. 15 murder of Father Román de la Cruz Hernández was likely perpetrated by organized crime and is not an isolated incident but forms part of a pattern of fear and intimidation.

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Mexican bishops demand ‘thorough investigation’ of priest’s murder #Catholic Mexico’s bishops are demanding that authorities conduct “a thorough investigation” to clarify the circumstances surrounding the murder of Father Román de la Cruz Hernández, pastor of Santa Cruz in Huejutla, Hidalgo state.In a Sept. 16 statement, the Mexican Bishops’ Conference (CEM, by its Spanish acronym) expressed its indignation and sadness over the crime as well as its solidarity with the Diocese of Huejutla, Hidalgo, to which De la Cruz belongedAccording to the bishops' conference, the priest’s murder took place on Sept. 15. The newspaper El Universal reported that the body of De la Cruz was found with gunshot wounds along a stretch of the Tolago-Tetlapaya highway in the Lolotla district of Hidalgo.“We stand in fraternal solidarity with José Hiraís Acosta Beltrán, bishop of Huejutla, his priests, consecrated religious, and the entire people of God of this local Church,” the CEM stated while “calling upon the relevant authorities to conduct a thorough investigation to clarify the facts and ensure that justice is served swiftly.”The Mexican bishops also prayed “for the eternal rest of Father Román,” asking God “to grant strength and comfort to his family, friends, parishioners, and all those who shared in his ministry and his life.”The CEM statement joins that of Acosta, who urged against speculating about the crime “to allow the relevant authorities to conduct the investigation and report on the tragedy.”At the same time, the bishop of Huejutla denounced “the alarming situation of violence going on in our country.”The prelate asked the faithful to work to build “a culture of peace and reconciliation, seeking the eradication of violence, and not to lose respect for the life of any person.”“Let us allow God, in his infinite goodness, to help us root out from the human heart every destructive sentiment of resentment, vengeance, and hatred that threatens the most precious gift he has bestowed upon us: life,” he emphasized.According to the Catholic Multimedia Center, 28 incidents of violence against Church members, including the murders of four priests, have been recorded during Claudia Sheinbaum’s term as president of Mexico so far.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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Mexican bishops demand ‘thorough investigation’ of priest’s murder #Catholic Mexico’s bishops are demanding that authorities conduct “a thorough investigation” to clarify the circumstances surrounding the murder of Father Román de la Cruz Hernández, pastor of Santa Cruz in Huejutla, Hidalgo state.In a Sept. 16 statement, the Mexican Bishops’ Conference (CEM, by its Spanish acronym) expressed its indignation and sadness over the crime as well as its solidarity with the Diocese of Huejutla, Hidalgo, to which De la Cruz belongedAccording to the bishops' conference, the priest’s murder took place on Sept. 15. The newspaper El Universal reported that the body of De la Cruz was found with gunshot wounds along a stretch of the Tolago-Tetlapaya highway in the Lolotla district of Hidalgo.“We stand in fraternal solidarity with José Hiraís Acosta Beltrán, bishop of Huejutla, his priests, consecrated religious, and the entire people of God of this local Church,” the CEM stated while “calling upon the relevant authorities to conduct a thorough investigation to clarify the facts and ensure that justice is served swiftly.”The Mexican bishops also prayed “for the eternal rest of Father Román,” asking God “to grant strength and comfort to his family, friends, parishioners, and all those who shared in his ministry and his life.”The CEM statement joins that of Acosta, who urged against speculating about the crime “to allow the relevant authorities to conduct the investigation and report on the tragedy.”At the same time, the bishop of Huejutla denounced “the alarming situation of violence going on in our country.”The prelate asked the faithful to work to build “a culture of peace and reconciliation, seeking the eradication of violence, and not to lose respect for the life of any person.”“Let us allow God, in his infinite goodness, to help us root out from the human heart every destructive sentiment of resentment, vengeance, and hatred that threatens the most precious gift he has bestowed upon us: life,” he emphasized.According to the Catholic Multimedia Center, 28 incidents of violence against Church members, including the murders of four priests, have been recorded during Claudia Sheinbaum’s term as president of Mexico so far.This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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The priest was found dead with gunshot wounds along a stretch of highway. The local bishop urged people not to speculate about the crime and denounced the ongoing violence in the country.

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Venezuela: Talks with opposition, oil deal, Delcy Rodríguez in New York, and the Church’s stance #Catholic Sept. 15 marked the start of the second round of negotiations between a Venezuelan opposition delegation and the country’s ruling socialist regime, a process promoted and driven by the U.S. government with an eye toward potential presidential elections in the South American nation.Dinorah Figuera, who leads the opposition delegation, arrived in Venezuela on Sept. 13 and before national and international media explained that once this weekʼs discussions conclude, the country could expect an announcement regarding the agreements reached.Meanwhile, Jorge Millán, who is also part of the opposition delegation, stated that they would continue “pursuing a Supreme Court of Justice with honorable, independent, and impartial judges capable of providing Venezuela with an upstanding judicial system after so many years. At the end of the cycle [of talks], we will present clear and verifiable objectives.”He also stated that this round of negotiations would also address the status of political parties, political guarantees, and “the dismantling of the repressive apparatus” established by Chavismo (the socialist government established by President Hugo Chávez and continued by President Nicolás Maduro) for over two decades. The state of freedom of expression in Venezuela will also be one of the items on the agenda.“The foundation for achieving a full democracy requires creating the conditions for elections to be held in Venezuela as soon as possible, as quickly as possible. We are laying the groundwork to reach those important areas that will enable all Venezuelans to elect our leaders very soon, with the speed we desire but also allowing for the time this will take,” Millán added.Concerns and proposals from the Catholic ChurchLast week, Cardinals Baltazar Porras and Diego Padrón, together with Bishop Emeritus Ramón Ovidio Pérez Morales, once again spoke out regarding the political and social situation in Venezuela. The prelates had previously raised their voices at the start of negotiations, offering to serve as guarantors of the process.On this occasion, they addressed the state of “indeterminacy, confusion, and uncertainty” prevailing in the country, offering “certain opinions, judgments, and proposals” that seek to “open the way” to help overcome the current crisis and achieve solid institutional stability and the national common good.Following the capture and extradition of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, by U.S. forces on Jan. 3, the prelates noted that “changes have occurred, yet neither the desired and expected change nor a shift toward the structuring and functioning of the country in line with the preamble and fundamental principles of the 1999 Constitution is perceptible.”The cardinals and the bishop cite as examples of this lack of change that there are still political prisoners and a climate of repression as well as a state monopoly on the media and the continued centralization of power. Although these issues have been placed on the negotiating tableʼs agenda, the prelates maintain that these talks “operate within a framework of limited scope and authority.”In this regard, they pointed out that the state is operating on “shaky and legally undefined ground,” while the executive branch is “illegitimate regarding both its origins and its exercise of power.” Consequently, they emphasized the urgent need to call for elections soon.Oil deals with few detailsA few weeks ago, the Trump administration and the Chavista regime signed a massive energy deal granting the United States effective control over approximately one-third of Venezuelan oil, some 65 billion barrels of proven reserves.Beyond the economic aspects, the agreement has sparked particular controversy by including Venezuelan businessman Alejandro Betancourt López as an intermediary. He has been the subject of several investigations regarding alleged corruption, inflated prices in electricity contracts, and money laundering linked to the oil sector.Within Venezuela, Betancourt is singled out as one of the key figures responsible for the serious deterioration of the electrical grid, which has led to daily, hourslong blackouts across the country for years, severely impacting the populationʼs daily lives and even resulting in loss of life due to various causes.While acknowledging they are not experts in the field, Porras, Padrón, and Pérez Morales call for greater transparency in the negotiations and recommend “prudence and a gradual approach regarding commitments.” This, they state, reflects the prevailing sentiment among the Venezuelan people, who are concerned about the fate and use of the “vast sums of money” the state is set to receive.Greater emphasis on the need to call electionsIn light of the foregoing, the cardinals and the bishop underscored the priority of allowing the sovereign people of Venezuela to have a “a defined and clear mandate” regarding the nation’s future, a step that would also offer a sure path toward “encounter, social reconciliation, and peace.”“God has given us this country as a setting in which to build a ‘new society,’ the ideal of the civilization of love. We Venezuelans, through our own efforts and by invoking divine assistance, must keep hope alive and continue working on this compelling task, striving to reap its fruits of peace, freedom, justice, and fraternity,” the prelates stated.Delcy Rodríguez in New York?According to a Sept. 14 Bloomberg report, Venezuelaʼs interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, is considering a trip to New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly, which takes place next week.If the trip goes ahead, Rodríguez would be in the same city where Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores are in U.S. custody. When asked about a possible meeting with the Chavista leader, President Donald Trump simply replied: “Maybe, maybe.”Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated that an in-person meeting “probably will happen” if the presence of the interim regimeʼs president is confirmed.Rodríguezʼs presence on U.S. soil would mark a milestone in relations between Washington and Caracas, following more than two decades of tension and discord. Within Venezuela, the growing rapprochement between the U.S. government and the remnants of Chavismo is fueling concern and uncertainty regarding the possibility of real political change.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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Venezuela: Talks with opposition, oil deal, Delcy Rodríguez in New York, and the Church’s stance #Catholic Sept. 15 marked the start of the second round of negotiations between a Venezuelan opposition delegation and the country’s ruling socialist regime, a process promoted and driven by the U.S. government with an eye toward potential presidential elections in the South American nation.Dinorah Figuera, who leads the opposition delegation, arrived in Venezuela on Sept. 13 and before national and international media explained that once this weekʼs discussions conclude, the country could expect an announcement regarding the agreements reached.Meanwhile, Jorge Millán, who is also part of the opposition delegation, stated that they would continue “pursuing a Supreme Court of Justice with honorable, independent, and impartial judges capable of providing Venezuela with an upstanding judicial system after so many years. At the end of the cycle [of talks], we will present clear and verifiable objectives.”He also stated that this round of negotiations would also address the status of political parties, political guarantees, and “the dismantling of the repressive apparatus” established by Chavismo (the socialist government established by President Hugo Chávez and continued by President Nicolás Maduro) for over two decades. The state of freedom of expression in Venezuela will also be one of the items on the agenda.“The foundation for achieving a full democracy requires creating the conditions for elections to be held in Venezuela as soon as possible, as quickly as possible. We are laying the groundwork to reach those important areas that will enable all Venezuelans to elect our leaders very soon, with the speed we desire but also allowing for the time this will take,” Millán added.Concerns and proposals from the Catholic ChurchLast week, Cardinals Baltazar Porras and Diego Padrón, together with Bishop Emeritus Ramón Ovidio Pérez Morales, once again spoke out regarding the political and social situation in Venezuela. The prelates had previously raised their voices at the start of negotiations, offering to serve as guarantors of the process.On this occasion, they addressed the state of “indeterminacy, confusion, and uncertainty” prevailing in the country, offering “certain opinions, judgments, and proposals” that seek to “open the way” to help overcome the current crisis and achieve solid institutional stability and the national common good.Following the capture and extradition of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, by U.S. forces on Jan. 3, the prelates noted that “changes have occurred, yet neither the desired and expected change nor a shift toward the structuring and functioning of the country in line with the preamble and fundamental principles of the 1999 Constitution is perceptible.”The cardinals and the bishop cite as examples of this lack of change that there are still political prisoners and a climate of repression as well as a state monopoly on the media and the continued centralization of power. Although these issues have been placed on the negotiating tableʼs agenda, the prelates maintain that these talks “operate within a framework of limited scope and authority.”In this regard, they pointed out that the state is operating on “shaky and legally undefined ground,” while the executive branch is “illegitimate regarding both its origins and its exercise of power.” Consequently, they emphasized the urgent need to call for elections soon.Oil deals with few detailsA few weeks ago, the Trump administration and the Chavista regime signed a massive energy deal granting the United States effective control over approximately one-third of Venezuelan oil, some 65 billion barrels of proven reserves.Beyond the economic aspects, the agreement has sparked particular controversy by including Venezuelan businessman Alejandro Betancourt López as an intermediary. He has been the subject of several investigations regarding alleged corruption, inflated prices in electricity contracts, and money laundering linked to the oil sector.Within Venezuela, Betancourt is singled out as one of the key figures responsible for the serious deterioration of the electrical grid, which has led to daily, hourslong blackouts across the country for years, severely impacting the populationʼs daily lives and even resulting in loss of life due to various causes.While acknowledging they are not experts in the field, Porras, Padrón, and Pérez Morales call for greater transparency in the negotiations and recommend “prudence and a gradual approach regarding commitments.” This, they state, reflects the prevailing sentiment among the Venezuelan people, who are concerned about the fate and use of the “vast sums of money” the state is set to receive.Greater emphasis on the need to call electionsIn light of the foregoing, the cardinals and the bishop underscored the priority of allowing the sovereign people of Venezuela to have a “a defined and clear mandate” regarding the nation’s future, a step that would also offer a sure path toward “encounter, social reconciliation, and peace.”“God has given us this country as a setting in which to build a ‘new society,’ the ideal of the civilization of love. We Venezuelans, through our own efforts and by invoking divine assistance, must keep hope alive and continue working on this compelling task, striving to reap its fruits of peace, freedom, justice, and fraternity,” the prelates stated.Delcy Rodríguez in New York?According to a Sept. 14 Bloomberg report, Venezuelaʼs interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, is considering a trip to New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly, which takes place next week.If the trip goes ahead, Rodríguez would be in the same city where Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores are in U.S. custody. When asked about a possible meeting with the Chavista leader, President Donald Trump simply replied: “Maybe, maybe.”Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated that an in-person meeting “probably will happen” if the presence of the interim regimeʼs president is confirmed.Rodríguezʼs presence on U.S. soil would mark a milestone in relations between Washington and Caracas, following more than two decades of tension and discord. Within Venezuela, the growing rapprochement between the U.S. government and the remnants of Chavismo is fueling concern and uncertainty regarding the possibility of real political change.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.

unitedyam

Ongoing talks between the socialist regime and the opposition in Venezuela are making some progress while the Church is trying to contribute to the transition to democracy and freedom.

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Peace is what I leave with You; it is My own Peace that I give you. I do not give it as the world does. Do not be worried and upset; do not be afraid.
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Peace is what I leave with You; it is My own Peace that I give you. I do not give it as the world does. Do not be worried and upset; do not be afraid.

unitedyam

Peace is what I leave with You; it is My own Peace that I give you. I do not give it as the world does. Do not be worried and upset; do not be afraid.

But the Paraclete, the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring all things to your mind, whatsoever I shall have said to you. Peace I leave with you: my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, do I give unto you. Let not your heart be troubled: nor let it be afraid. You have heard that I said to you: I go away, and I come unto you. If you loved me you would indeed be glad, because I go to the Father: for the Father is greater than I.…

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