Press

Christian persecution worsened in 55% of countries assessed, report finds #Catholic LONDON — Oppression of Christians has worsened in 55% of countries assessed according to the latest report from Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) UK, without any country showing an improvement.“Persecuted and Forgotten?” outlines how Christians are being forced from their homes through conflict, extremism, and religiously motivated violence in 18 countries across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America between August 2024 and June 2026. “Persecuted and Forgotten?” is Aid to the Church in Need UK’s latest report outlining the persecution of Christians in 18 selected countries, Oct. 27, 2026. | Credit: Elliot Hartley According to research by ACN, 220 million Christians are directly exposed to persecution worldwide. The latest data from Pew Research Center indicates that anti-Christian harassment, ranging from verbal abuse to killings, occurred in 165 countries in 2023, up from 160 in 2021.At the launch of the report in Portcullis House, London, John Pontifex, head of press for ACN UK, told EWTN News: “By virtue of our shared faith, we identify, inevitably, particularly strongly, with those of our brothers and sisters who suffer for their faith, and we recognize that itʼs an accident of birth that sees them in that situation of persecution and us in a situation of much greater liberty.”He added: “There are Christians that suffer persecution in more countries than is the case with any other faith group. Up to 165 countries are those where Christians suffer from discrimination, oppression, or persecution. Thatʼs far more than any other religious group, so we need to share their story, and to tell people, our friends, our family, our parish, our [politicians].”The report outlines how the persecution of Christians by authoritarian regimes has grown to unprecedented levels in countries where there is an anti-West sentiment. Chinese authorities have intensified their oppression of Christians, as they aim to align religious doctrine more closely with communist principles. This has led to mass detentions, clergy being jailed on legal technicalities, churches closing, and online religious content being controlled.The report tells of the persecution in Nicaragua, where the regime increased its crackdown on Christians, arresting and exiling clergy, preventing ordinations, seizing Church institutions, and preventing people entering the country with Bibles. The report also outlines how the arrests of Christians doubled within 12 months in Iran, as crackdowns have intensified.“Weʼre calling on all countries around the world and the U.N. to fully implement Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which enshrines religious freedom,” Pontifex said. “Weʼre not calling for special treatment but simply calling for people to band together, to stop acts of oppression — be it people being kidnapped for their faith, be it people being forced from their jobs for reasons to do with their faith …  And indeed, for those who are unfairly tried and sentenced to life imprisonment, for crimes theyʼve not committed,” he said. “Like blasphemy laws, which are arbitrarily enforced. And then recognizing there are people who are often asked to pay the ultimate price. This should stop.”Sub-Saharan Africa was one particular area of focus, listing Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger as territories with the worst extremist attacks since the height of the Daesh (ISIS) violence in the Middle East.The report outlines how jihadist violence in the Sahel region has led to militant groups now controlling 40% of the country. “They often coerce villagers to follow Islamic customs, making women veil their faces in public and men grow beards. Those who refuse are expelled or even publicly executed. Where insurgents allow Christians to practice their faith, this is restricted to inside churches, and it cannot be taught to children,” Pontifex explained. Attendees at the launch of the Aid to the Church UK’s report “Persecuted and Forgotten?” in Portcullis House, London, Oct. 27, 2026.| Credit: Elliot Hartley Speaking to the conference about the Christians suffering from this oppression, Caroline Hull, national director of ACN UK, said: “These are people just like you and me. If someone said, ‘Will you give up your faith or I will take your children?’
what would you do? If someone said, ‘Iʼll let you get out of prison if you turn your back on Jesus Christ’? These are fair questions to ask ourselves, and we need to remember that these are people just like us.”In October 2025, receiving an ACN delegation, Pope Leo XIV declared that religious freedom is “a cornerstone of any just society for it safeguards the moral space in which conscience may be informed and exercised… Religious freedom, therefore, is not merely a legal right or a privilege to us granted by governments; it is a foundational condition that makes reconciliation possible.”ACN is a Catholic charity founded to help Christians in need where they are persecuted, oppressed, or in pastoral need through support, charitable work, and generating awareness.On Nov. 18, ACN will celebrate the 10th anniversary of its #RedWednesday campaign, which raises awareness about the persecution of Christians worldwide.The full report is available to read here.
Read More

Christian persecution worsened in 55% of countries assessed, report finds #Catholic LONDON — Oppression of Christians has worsened in 55% of countries assessed according to the latest report from Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) UK, without any country showing an improvement.“Persecuted and Forgotten?” outlines how Christians are being forced from their homes through conflict, extremism, and religiously motivated violence in 18 countries across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America between August 2024 and June 2026. “Persecuted and Forgotten?” is Aid to the Church in Need UK’s latest report outlining the persecution of Christians in 18 selected countries, Oct. 27, 2026. | Credit: Elliot Hartley According to research by ACN, 220 million Christians are directly exposed to persecution worldwide. The latest data from Pew Research Center indicates that anti-Christian harassment, ranging from verbal abuse to killings, occurred in 165 countries in 2023, up from 160 in 2021.At the launch of the report in Portcullis House, London, John Pontifex, head of press for ACN UK, told EWTN News: “By virtue of our shared faith, we identify, inevitably, particularly strongly, with those of our brothers and sisters who suffer for their faith, and we recognize that itʼs an accident of birth that sees them in that situation of persecution and us in a situation of much greater liberty.”He added: “There are Christians that suffer persecution in more countries than is the case with any other faith group. Up to 165 countries are those where Christians suffer from discrimination, oppression, or persecution. Thatʼs far more than any other religious group, so we need to share their story, and to tell people, our friends, our family, our parish, our [politicians].”The report outlines how the persecution of Christians by authoritarian regimes has grown to unprecedented levels in countries where there is an anti-West sentiment. Chinese authorities have intensified their oppression of Christians, as they aim to align religious doctrine more closely with communist principles. This has led to mass detentions, clergy being jailed on legal technicalities, churches closing, and online religious content being controlled.The report tells of the persecution in Nicaragua, where the regime increased its crackdown on Christians, arresting and exiling clergy, preventing ordinations, seizing Church institutions, and preventing people entering the country with Bibles. The report also outlines how the arrests of Christians doubled within 12 months in Iran, as crackdowns have intensified.“Weʼre calling on all countries around the world and the U.N. to fully implement Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which enshrines religious freedom,” Pontifex said. “Weʼre not calling for special treatment but simply calling for people to band together, to stop acts of oppression — be it people being kidnapped for their faith, be it people being forced from their jobs for reasons to do with their faith …  And indeed, for those who are unfairly tried and sentenced to life imprisonment, for crimes theyʼve not committed,” he said. “Like blasphemy laws, which are arbitrarily enforced. And then recognizing there are people who are often asked to pay the ultimate price. This should stop.”Sub-Saharan Africa was one particular area of focus, listing Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger as territories with the worst extremist attacks since the height of the Daesh (ISIS) violence in the Middle East.The report outlines how jihadist violence in the Sahel region has led to militant groups now controlling 40% of the country. “They often coerce villagers to follow Islamic customs, making women veil their faces in public and men grow beards. Those who refuse are expelled or even publicly executed. Where insurgents allow Christians to practice their faith, this is restricted to inside churches, and it cannot be taught to children,” Pontifex explained. Attendees at the launch of the Aid to the Church UK’s report “Persecuted and Forgotten?” in Portcullis House, London, Oct. 27, 2026.| Credit: Elliot Hartley Speaking to the conference about the Christians suffering from this oppression, Caroline Hull, national director of ACN UK, said: “These are people just like you and me. If someone said, ‘Will you give up your faith or I will take your children?’
what would you do? If someone said, ‘Iʼll let you get out of prison if you turn your back on Jesus Christ’? These are fair questions to ask ourselves, and we need to remember that these are people just like us.”In October 2025, receiving an ACN delegation, Pope Leo XIV declared that religious freedom is “a cornerstone of any just society for it safeguards the moral space in which conscience may be informed and exercised… Religious freedom, therefore, is not merely a legal right or a privilege to us granted by governments; it is a foundational condition that makes reconciliation possible.”ACN is a Catholic charity founded to help Christians in need where they are persecuted, oppressed, or in pastoral need through support, charitable work, and generating awareness.On Nov. 18, ACN will celebrate the 10th anniversary of its #RedWednesday campaign, which raises awareness about the persecution of Christians worldwide.The full report is available to read here.

unitedyam

Aid to the Church in Need’s new report ““Persecuted and Forgotten?” outlines how Christians were persecuted in 18 countries across the globe between August 2024 and June 2026.

Read More
‘It fills me with joy’: Pope Leo XIV confirms his trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru #Catholic “It fills me with joy to return to the continent where I have lived through so many moments of my life,” Pope Leo XIV wrote on his X account on Oct. 26, confirming his upcoming trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, which will take place in November.“May this journey be an opportunity to open our hearts to one another, strengthen our communion as brothers and sisters, and renew our commitment to proclaiming the Gospel with joy,” the Holy Father wrote, nearly two weeks after undergoing lung surgery on Oct. 13.TweetIn addition, an Oct. 26 Vatican statement indicated that “Based on his current clinical status, as well as the results of the diagnostic tests and laboratory analyses performed, there are no contraindications that would prevent him from undertaking his upcoming apostolic journey to Latin America as planned.” “The Pope is following medical recommendations with great care and diligence, and with a deep determination to continue serving the Church,” it added.“In this respect, the Holy See Press Office confirms that the Apostolic Journey of Pope Leo XIV to Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru, scheduled for November 6-17, 2026, will proceed according to the program previously published,” the Vatican statement said.“The Holy Father remains deeply grateful for the prayers and affection he has received from throughout the world and for the dedicated care of the medical professionals who have accompanied him during his recovery,” the statement said.“Dr. Luigi Carbone confirms that the Holy Father’s recovery after the surgery continues, and the latest medical examinations attest to his good health,” the Vatican added.“As previously reported, the surgical procedure was successful and without complications. Subsequent medical examinations confirmed that the condition was localized and that no further oncological treatment is necessary,” the Vatican stated.
Read More

‘It fills me with joy’: Pope Leo XIV confirms his trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru #Catholic “It fills me with joy to return to the continent where I have lived through so many moments of my life,” Pope Leo XIV wrote on his X account on Oct. 26, confirming his upcoming trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, which will take place in November.“May this journey be an opportunity to open our hearts to one another, strengthen our communion as brothers and sisters, and renew our commitment to proclaiming the Gospel with joy,” the Holy Father wrote, nearly two weeks after undergoing lung surgery on Oct. 13.TweetIn addition, an Oct. 26 Vatican statement indicated that “Based on his current clinical status, as well as the results of the diagnostic tests and laboratory analyses performed, there are no contraindications that would prevent him from undertaking his upcoming apostolic journey to Latin America as planned.” “The Pope is following medical recommendations with great care and diligence, and with a deep determination to continue serving the Church,” it added.“In this respect, the Holy See Press Office confirms that the Apostolic Journey of Pope Leo XIV to Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru, scheduled for November 6-17, 2026, will proceed according to the program previously published,” the Vatican statement said.“The Holy Father remains deeply grateful for the prayers and affection he has received from throughout the world and for the dedicated care of the medical professionals who have accompanied him during his recovery,” the statement said.“Dr. Luigi Carbone confirms that the Holy Father’s recovery after the surgery continues, and the latest medical examinations attest to his good health,” the Vatican added.“As previously reported, the surgical procedure was successful and without complications. Subsequent medical examinations confirmed that the condition was localized and that no further oncological treatment is necessary,” the Vatican stated.

unitedyam

The Holy See Press Office confirmed that the Nov. 6-17, 2026 apostolic journey will proceed according to the previously published program.

Read More
‘It’s what I’m called to do’: Montse Alvarado on her new Vatican role #Catholic Montse Alvarado came to EWTN in 2021 as the founding host of the global Catholic network’s weekly news magazine show “EWTN News In Depth.” Just a few years later, in 2023, she was promoted to president and chief operating officer of EWTN News. Now she is preparing to begin, on Nov. 1, another challenging new role, one that is taking her to the Eternal City as prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication.In an “EWTN News In Depth” interview with Colm Flynn, Alvarado reflected on where her life has taken her so far, her vocation, and what’s ahead.Since 2023, Alvarado has led EWTN News’ global and multilingual news operations across television, radio, print, digital, and social media platforms. Before joining EWTN, she spent 14 years at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, where she also rose to a position of leadership and worked extensively on issues related to religious freedom and human dignity.Born in Mexico City, Alvarado came to the United States as a young girl. She studied at Florida International University and The George Washington University, served her church, and even discerned religious life.She shared that she’s “done none of this alone” and that as she has walked into each new chapter, “thereʼs an incredible team there to work with, mentors that are more generous than I could ever deserve.”After ending her time at Becket, she recalled “thinking about the importance of religious freedom and the Constitution and the American Dream and I said, ‘Well, whatʼs it all for if not for heaven?’”“I looked at EWTN and Mother Angelica and she spoke to my heart. That desperate desire for people to go to heaven … and so coming in here and having an environment where I was only talking about Jesus every day and only trying to communicate him to the world was a great honor for me and my spiritual life, but also seemed like a very logical thing to do when I thought about it from a calling and spiritual perspective,” she explained.Alvarado credited Mother Angelica and EWTN for playing a major role in the lead-up to her appointment to her new position. Pope Leo XIV with Maria Montserrat Alvarado at the Vatican on May 12, 2025. | Credit: Vatican Media She explained that due to EWTN’s role in collaborating with the Holy See for several large events — including Pope Leo XIV’s first-ever live dialogue with young people in Indianapolis in November 2025 and EWTN’s collaboration with the dicastery to create a video reflection ahead of the release of the Holy Father’s first encyclical Magnifica Humanitas — she was able to meet with the pope and “get to know the inner workings.”Alvarado will be making history as she takes on this new responsibility — becoming the first laywoman appointed prefect of a dicastery of the Holy See. She said she believes she was chosen for the position because “we are in a moment where digital communications and traditional communications are coming together,” and the Holy Father “was looking for a next-generation professional, thatʼs clear, and God willing, Iʼll be able to fill those shoes.”When asked if her response to the Holy Father’s reaching out to her about the appointment prompted an immediate yes, Alvarado admitted that it “took a little more prayer than I would care to admit.”“My entire life has been a surrender to Jesus Christ and his Church in the hopes that others would have a relationship with him. But Iʼm human, Colm, and moving to a new country, learning a new language, all of those pieces, leaving everything behind, theyʼre big to overcome,” she said. “And so I think it took a little more prayer than I would care to admit. Iʼm a little more human than I would care to admit in my willingness to say yes.”As prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication, Alvarado will oversee all of the Holy See’s media and communication outlets, which include Vatican News, Vatican Media, Vatican Radio, L’Osservatore Romano, the Holy See Press Office, the Vatican publishing house, the Vatican internet service, the Vatican printing press, and the Vatican’s photography service.“Itʼs enormous,” Alvarado said.“Communicating Christ to the world is the mandate of the communications dicastery, and it will be done in concert with the Holy Father … Weʼre getting to know what this is, what it should be, what the desire of his heart is, and what the Holy Spirit has really given him as the mandate for his pontificate,” she added. “And my job is to serve him and the Church and to serve the dicasteries and serve the Curia. In no way am I imposing a vision. Iʼm very much receiving one and executing it.”She shared that while people have been telling her that by going into the Vatican she has to be careful “because I might lose my faith seeing the humanity of the Church,” that excites her and she prefers to “turn that on its head and say Iʼm going to see the humanity of the Church, which for me has always been an affirmation that Jesus Christ is real and his Church is the true Church. Because in seeing the way things work, I actually find that itʼs miraculous.”“I feel like seeing the inner workings and the reality, even overcoming my own imperfections and sinfulness, as a child of God, the fact that God could use me as an instrument for something so great is incredibly humbling.”
Read More

‘It’s what I’m called to do’: Montse Alvarado on her new Vatican role #Catholic Montse Alvarado came to EWTN in 2021 as the founding host of the global Catholic network’s weekly news magazine show “EWTN News In Depth.” Just a few years later, in 2023, she was promoted to president and chief operating officer of EWTN News. Now she is preparing to begin, on Nov. 1, another challenging new role, one that is taking her to the Eternal City as prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication.In an “EWTN News In Depth” interview with Colm Flynn, Alvarado reflected on where her life has taken her so far, her vocation, and what’s ahead.Since 2023, Alvarado has led EWTN News’ global and multilingual news operations across television, radio, print, digital, and social media platforms. Before joining EWTN, she spent 14 years at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, where she also rose to a position of leadership and worked extensively on issues related to religious freedom and human dignity.Born in Mexico City, Alvarado came to the United States as a young girl. She studied at Florida International University and The George Washington University, served her church, and even discerned religious life.She shared that she’s “done none of this alone” and that as she has walked into each new chapter, “thereʼs an incredible team there to work with, mentors that are more generous than I could ever deserve.”After ending her time at Becket, she recalled “thinking about the importance of religious freedom and the Constitution and the American Dream and I said, ‘Well, whatʼs it all for if not for heaven?’”“I looked at EWTN and Mother Angelica and she spoke to my heart. That desperate desire for people to go to heaven … and so coming in here and having an environment where I was only talking about Jesus every day and only trying to communicate him to the world was a great honor for me and my spiritual life, but also seemed like a very logical thing to do when I thought about it from a calling and spiritual perspective,” she explained.Alvarado credited Mother Angelica and EWTN for playing a major role in the lead-up to her appointment to her new position. Pope Leo XIV with Maria Montserrat Alvarado at the Vatican on May 12, 2025. | Credit: Vatican Media She explained that due to EWTN’s role in collaborating with the Holy See for several large events — including Pope Leo XIV’s first-ever live dialogue with young people in Indianapolis in November 2025 and EWTN’s collaboration with the dicastery to create a video reflection ahead of the release of the Holy Father’s first encyclical Magnifica Humanitas — she was able to meet with the pope and “get to know the inner workings.”Alvarado will be making history as she takes on this new responsibility — becoming the first laywoman appointed prefect of a dicastery of the Holy See. She said she believes she was chosen for the position because “we are in a moment where digital communications and traditional communications are coming together,” and the Holy Father “was looking for a next-generation professional, thatʼs clear, and God willing, Iʼll be able to fill those shoes.”When asked if her response to the Holy Father’s reaching out to her about the appointment prompted an immediate yes, Alvarado admitted that it “took a little more prayer than I would care to admit.”“My entire life has been a surrender to Jesus Christ and his Church in the hopes that others would have a relationship with him. But Iʼm human, Colm, and moving to a new country, learning a new language, all of those pieces, leaving everything behind, theyʼre big to overcome,” she said. “And so I think it took a little more prayer than I would care to admit. Iʼm a little more human than I would care to admit in my willingness to say yes.”As prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication, Alvarado will oversee all of the Holy See’s media and communication outlets, which include Vatican News, Vatican Media, Vatican Radio, L’Osservatore Romano, the Holy See Press Office, the Vatican publishing house, the Vatican internet service, the Vatican printing press, and the Vatican’s photography service.“Itʼs enormous,” Alvarado said.“Communicating Christ to the world is the mandate of the communications dicastery, and it will be done in concert with the Holy Father … Weʼre getting to know what this is, what it should be, what the desire of his heart is, and what the Holy Spirit has really given him as the mandate for his pontificate,” she added. “And my job is to serve him and the Church and to serve the dicasteries and serve the Curia. In no way am I imposing a vision. Iʼm very much receiving one and executing it.”She shared that while people have been telling her that by going into the Vatican she has to be careful “because I might lose my faith seeing the humanity of the Church,” that excites her and she prefers to “turn that on its head and say Iʼm going to see the humanity of the Church, which for me has always been an affirmation that Jesus Christ is real and his Church is the true Church. Because in seeing the way things work, I actually find that itʼs miraculous.”“I feel like seeing the inner workings and the reality, even overcoming my own imperfections and sinfulness, as a child of God, the fact that God could use me as an instrument for something so great is incredibly humbling.”

unitedyam

Montse Alvarado will make history Nov. 1 as the first laywoman to serve as prefect of a dicastery of the Holy See.

Read More
Catholic campus ministries eligible for Lilly grant of up to .5 million #Catholic Catholic campus ministries such as Newman Ministry and FOCUS are eligible to participate in the Lilly Endowment’s "National Initiative to Strengthen Christian Campus Ministries at Colleges and Universities,” the charitable organization confirmed.The Lilly Endowment told EWTN News that archdioceses and church-related networks that minister to students on multiple college and university campuses are eligible to apply for grants through the initiative.According to the grant page, the Lilly Endowment “intends to award grants of up to .5 million each to approximately 20 national and regional charitable organizations.”Matt Zerrusen, Newman Ministry co-founder and chief innovative discipleship officer, told EWTN News that Newman Ministry is in the process of applying for the grant now.“We’re grateful for the opportunity,” Zerrusen said. “There’s not many times where something like this opens up in campus ministry just because it’s been an overlooked part of ministry in the Church.”Zerrusen expressed hope that other Catholic campus ministries like FOCUS, St. Paul’s Outreach, and the Catholic Campus Ministry Association would apply for the program as well, calling for ministry organizations to unify their efforts.“There’s so much competition in the Catholic world that itʼs like, ‘Well, hang on here. What are we doing?’” he said. “Weʼre both trying to solve the same problem.”Pope Leo XIV appoints Catholic University of America professor to pontifical academyPope Leo XIV has appointed Gregory Doolan, the Monsignor John F. Wippel chair in Thomistic metaphysics at The Catholic University of America (CUA), to serve on the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas.“It is a great honor to have been named to the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas,” Doolan said in a CUA press release on Oct. 16. “The Academy brings together philosophers and theologians from around the world in conversation about Aquinas, and I am grateful for the opportunity both to learn from its members and to contribute my own work in Thomistic metaphysics, showing its enduring relevance in the 21st century.”“My appointment by Pope Leo XIV has a fitting connection to The Catholic University of America, since another Leo, Leo XIII, founded the Academy in 1879 and also granted Catholic University its pontifical charter just a decade later,” he said.St. Carlos Acutis’ mother gifts Franciscan University with first-class relic of her sonThe mother of St. Carlo Acutis, Antonia Salzano, has given the president of Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio, a first-class relic of her son.“Weʼre deeply grateful to Antonia for this extraordinary gift and for sharing her sonʼs witness with the Franciscan University community,” the university said in an Oct. 15 social media post announcing the gift to Father Dave Pivonka, TOR. The university said Salzano shared a message with the university: “Holiness is for everyone.”Tweet“Carlo became a saint not because he lived an extraordinary life by the worldʼs standards, but because he made Jesus the center of his ordinary life,” the university said. “His secret? The Eucharist. His motherʼs advice? Start small. Make time for prayer. Receive Jesus in the Eucharist. Love the people around you. And remember that you, too, are called to become a saint.”Archbishop Sample urges ‘significant renewal of Catholic education’ in Portland, OregonArchbishop Alexander Sample of Portland, Oregon, is calling for the revitalization of “mission passionate Catholic education” in his archdiocese.“Would we call a Spanish-language immersion school successful if its graduates could barely understand Spanish?” Sample wrote in an Oct. 15 social media post. “We should take the mission of our Catholic schools just as seriously. Academic excellence matters. So does forming students who know Jesus Christ and can understand, articulate and live the faith.”Tweet“Therefore, I am calling for a significant and genuine renewal of Catholic education in the Archdiocese of Portland, beginning in our Catholic elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools and eventually extending to the religious education and faith formation programs in our parishes,” he said.Sample’s message comes as part of a wider mission renewal initiative in the archdiocese announced on Oct. 1.
Read More

Catholic campus ministries eligible for Lilly grant of up to $7.5 million #Catholic Catholic campus ministries such as Newman Ministry and FOCUS are eligible to participate in the Lilly Endowment’s "National Initiative to Strengthen Christian Campus Ministries at Colleges and Universities,” the charitable organization confirmed.The Lilly Endowment told EWTN News that archdioceses and church-related networks that minister to students on multiple college and university campuses are eligible to apply for grants through the initiative.According to the grant page, the Lilly Endowment “intends to award grants of up to $7.5 million each to approximately 20 national and regional charitable organizations.”Matt Zerrusen, Newman Ministry co-founder and chief innovative discipleship officer, told EWTN News that Newman Ministry is in the process of applying for the grant now.“We’re grateful for the opportunity,” Zerrusen said. “There’s not many times where something like this opens up in campus ministry just because it’s been an overlooked part of ministry in the Church.”Zerrusen expressed hope that other Catholic campus ministries like FOCUS, St. Paul’s Outreach, and the Catholic Campus Ministry Association would apply for the program as well, calling for ministry organizations to unify their efforts.“There’s so much competition in the Catholic world that itʼs like, ‘Well, hang on here. What are we doing?’” he said. “Weʼre both trying to solve the same problem.”Pope Leo XIV appoints Catholic University of America professor to pontifical academyPope Leo XIV has appointed Gregory Doolan, the Monsignor John F. Wippel chair in Thomistic metaphysics at The Catholic University of America (CUA), to serve on the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas.“It is a great honor to have been named to the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas,” Doolan said in a CUA press release on Oct. 16. “The Academy brings together philosophers and theologians from around the world in conversation about Aquinas, and I am grateful for the opportunity both to learn from its members and to contribute my own work in Thomistic metaphysics, showing its enduring relevance in the 21st century.”“My appointment by Pope Leo XIV has a fitting connection to The Catholic University of America, since another Leo, Leo XIII, founded the Academy in 1879 and also granted Catholic University its pontifical charter just a decade later,” he said.St. Carlos Acutis’ mother gifts Franciscan University with first-class relic of her sonThe mother of St. Carlo Acutis, Antonia Salzano, has given the president of Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio, a first-class relic of her son.“Weʼre deeply grateful to Antonia for this extraordinary gift and for sharing her sonʼs witness with the Franciscan University community,” the university said in an Oct. 15 social media post announcing the gift to Father Dave Pivonka, TOR. The university said Salzano shared a message with the university: “Holiness is for everyone.”Tweet“Carlo became a saint not because he lived an extraordinary life by the worldʼs standards, but because he made Jesus the center of his ordinary life,” the university said. “His secret? The Eucharist. His motherʼs advice? Start small. Make time for prayer. Receive Jesus in the Eucharist. Love the people around you. And remember that you, too, are called to become a saint.”Archbishop Sample urges ‘significant renewal of Catholic education’ in Portland, OregonArchbishop Alexander Sample of Portland, Oregon, is calling for the revitalization of “mission passionate Catholic education” in his archdiocese.“Would we call a Spanish-language immersion school successful if its graduates could barely understand Spanish?” Sample wrote in an Oct. 15 social media post. “We should take the mission of our Catholic schools just as seriously. Academic excellence matters. So does forming students who know Jesus Christ and can understand, articulate and live the faith.”Tweet“Therefore, I am calling for a significant and genuine renewal of Catholic education in the Archdiocese of Portland, beginning in our Catholic elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools and eventually extending to the religious education and faith formation programs in our parishes,” he said.Sample’s message comes as part of a wider mission renewal initiative in the archdiocese announced on Oct. 1.

unitedyam

A Lilly Endowment grant is open to Catholic campus ministries, St. Carlo Acutis’ mother gifts Franciscan University with a relic of her son, and more in this week’s Catholic education new roundup.

Read More
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.
Read More

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.

unitedyam

Doctors say the pope is recovering exceptionally well from lung surgery but have advised against helicopter travel as a precaution.

Read More
‘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.
Read More

‘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.

unitedyam

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

Read More
New White House press secretary describes ‘miracle’ when her mother chose adoption over abortion #Catholic Newly appointed White House press secretary and pro-life advocate Katie Zacharia, whose appointment President Donald Trump announced Oct. 9, has shared that her biological mother chose life over abortion in the final moments before a scheduled procedure, calling it a “miracle.”Last year Zacharia, now herself a mother of four and an attorney, described in an interview with “We The People with Gates Garcia” how the precise circumstances of her birth became the foundation of her pro-life convictions.She told Garcia that she was “approximately 20, 30 minutes away from being aborted” when her mother, Ruth, changed her mind.Ruth, whom Zacharia described as having a “tough background of sexual abuse,” was about to head to her abortion appointment when the biological father called, pushing the abortion. Ruth was about to walk out the door to head to the clinic when the phone rang again. Ruth walked back to the phone to answer it, and the Christian counselor who’d called urged her to “consider an open adoption rather than an abortion, so you have an opportunity to know who this child could be and give this child an opportunity to live.”The counselor told her she did not understand “how painful” abortion would be for her, because along with “the loss of [her] baby,” there would be “ensuing psychological, physical … trauma.”Zacharia said her mother decided not to go through with the abortion “to the anger and dismay of her family,” which allowed Zacharia to be adopted as a newborn. She later met her biological mother at age 18, who told her the story. She said that “seconds of a phone call … saved my life,” calling her story “a miracle” that explains why the issue is “so near and dear” to her.Zacharia, who while in law school at Pepperdine University served as president of the university’s Christian Legal Society chapter, has also served on the board of advisers for the White Rose Resistance, a group founded by Seth Gruber that advocates for legal protection for the unborn.Zacharia has been a frequent commentator on Fox News, Newsmax, and other outlets. She also previously worked as general counsel for Fix California, a conservative nonprofit.In February, she became deputy assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security under then-Secretary Kristi Noem. She resigned after roughly a month, citing the strain on her family of commuting between California, her home, and Washington, D.C. In June, she joined Trump Media & Technology Group/Truth Social as a senior communications adviser.Zacharia succeeds Karoline Leavitt, who in an interview with Sean Hannity last month explained that she left the position to spend more time with her growing family. Trump said Zacharia would begin her new role on Oct. 12 and hold an introductory news conference on Wednesday, Oct. 14, at 9:30 a.m. ET in the White House press briefing room.
Read More

New White House press secretary describes ‘miracle’ when her mother chose adoption over abortion #Catholic Newly appointed White House press secretary and pro-life advocate Katie Zacharia, whose appointment President Donald Trump announced Oct. 9, has shared that her biological mother chose life over abortion in the final moments before a scheduled procedure, calling it a “miracle.”Last year Zacharia, now herself a mother of four and an attorney, described in an interview with “We The People with Gates Garcia” how the precise circumstances of her birth became the foundation of her pro-life convictions.She told Garcia that she was “approximately 20, 30 minutes away from being aborted” when her mother, Ruth, changed her mind.Ruth, whom Zacharia described as having a “tough background of sexual abuse,” was about to head to her abortion appointment when the biological father called, pushing the abortion. Ruth was about to walk out the door to head to the clinic when the phone rang again. Ruth walked back to the phone to answer it, and the Christian counselor who’d called urged her to “consider an open adoption rather than an abortion, so you have an opportunity to know who this child could be and give this child an opportunity to live.”The counselor told her she did not understand “how painful” abortion would be for her, because along with “the loss of [her] baby,” there would be “ensuing psychological, physical … trauma.”Zacharia said her mother decided not to go through with the abortion “to the anger and dismay of her family,” which allowed Zacharia to be adopted as a newborn. She later met her biological mother at age 18, who told her the story. She said that “seconds of a phone call … saved my life,” calling her story “a miracle” that explains why the issue is “so near and dear” to her.Zacharia, who while in law school at Pepperdine University served as president of the university’s Christian Legal Society chapter, has also served on the board of advisers for the White Rose Resistance, a group founded by Seth Gruber that advocates for legal protection for the unborn.Zacharia has been a frequent commentator on Fox News, Newsmax, and other outlets. She also previously worked as general counsel for Fix California, a conservative nonprofit.In February, she became deputy assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security under then-Secretary Kristi Noem. She resigned after roughly a month, citing the strain on her family of commuting between California, her home, and Washington, D.C. In June, she joined Trump Media & Technology Group/Truth Social as a senior communications adviser.Zacharia succeeds Karoline Leavitt, who in an interview with Sean Hannity last month explained that she left the position to spend more time with her growing family. Trump said Zacharia would begin her new role on Oct. 12 and hold an introductory news conference on Wednesday, Oct. 14, at 9:30 a.m. ET in the White House press briefing room.

unitedyam

She said that she was “approximately 20, 30 minutes away from being aborted” when her mother changed her mind.

Read More
NFL legend Mike Ditka was a Catholic coach #Catholic Former professional football coach Mike Ditka, a practicing Catholic who occasionally served as lector at the 7 a.m. team Mass on game-day Sundays during his decade leading the Chicago Bears, died Friday. He was 86.“Iron Mike,” as Ditka was known, had a famously explosive temper, which often boiled over on the sidelines and in postgame press conferences. Ditka, who led the Bears to a Super Bowl XX victory in 1986, once broke his right hand after punching a hard object over frustration with the play of a rookie offensive lineman — then, before the next game, told his team to “win this one for Lefty.”Less well known was Ditka’s commitment to his Catholic faith, for which he credited his convert mother and the nuns of his parochial school in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, where he was raised.“Growing up, the most important thing was the sacraments with my family,” Ditka told an interviewer with the Catholic website “One Peter Five” in August 2018. “We loved everything about the faith. Going to Catholic school and learning the faith, I wouldn’t trade that for anything.”“I don’t care how many times I got hit by a nun,” Ditka said, “it was good for me.”Football successBorn Michael Dyczko in 1939, Ditka was the son of a non-churchgoing Ukrainian and Polish steelworker father and an Irish and German mother who converted to Catholicism.He played tight end for the University of Pittsburgh and then in the NFL for the Chicago Bears, Philadelphia Eagles, and Dallas Cowboys. In 1988 Ditka was honored as the first tight end ever to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.After retiring from playing, Ditka served as an assistant coach before getting his unlikely chance as the head coach of the Bears in 1982.His 1985 Bears went 15-1 during the regular season and stomped their way through the playoffs to a Super Bowl victory. So confident were the players of that dominant team that they recorded a rap song called “The Super Bowl Shuffle” during the regular season. (Ditka later said he didn’t know about it, but he didn’t criticize the players for doing it.)Ditka’s success, toughness, temper, and sense of humor made him a cultural phenomenon, inspiring a recurring skit (and guest appearances) on “Saturday Night Live” and launching a career as a motivational speaker.When the team’s fortunes plummeted, he was fired in 1992. He later coached the New Orleans Saints but was fired after three years.Off-field philanthropyDitka made millions as a pitchman for dozens of products after he left football, and he used some of that wealth to help others.“Ditka was very supportive of Misericordia and other charities that supported children with special needs and disabilities,” Mary FioRito, an attorney, lifelong Chicagoan, and Cardinal Francis George Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, told the National Catholic Register, the sister partner of EWTN News.And not just with checks.“He spoke at fundraisers, and surprised observers could catch him privately visiting with residents he knew by name,” reported the suburban Chicago Daily Herald.Ditka was also a member of the Knights of Columbus and participated in the organization’s charitable activities.‘Constant turmoil’In his 1986 autobiography “Ditka,” published at the peak of his success, Ditka admitted to having had “no spiritual life at all” during the 1970s, before two other coaches got him involved in a Bible study that reintroduced him to God.“I always had faith, but I never had understanding,” Ditka said. “I always knew what was going on in life. I was raised right. I did all the things you were supposed to do. But I never understood why I was supposed to do them, because I never had a total understanding of what was going on.”He also acknowledged what he called “constant turmoil inside,” and he compared himself unfavorably to longtime Dallas Cowboys coach Tom Landry (1924–2000), whom he admired for always keeping his cool on the sidelines and for his involvement in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.“My priorities can get mixed up. I don’t think he ever gets his priorities mixed up,” Ditka said in the book.Ditka said he discovered that following his faith was hard work.“Sometimes you take for granted that your faith will always be there and everything will be fine. But without making the effort, that’s just not a fact. You have to make a real effort to live your faith daily,” Ditka said in the book.“Nobody is going to do it every day. Nobody is going to do it perfectly,” he continued. “But unless you make the effort you’ve got no chance at all.”Ditka married in 1961, got divorced in 1973, and then remarried in 1977. Both wives survive him, as do his four children, according to an obituary in the Daily Herald.“I’m far from perfect now, and I’m never going to be perfect,” Ditka said in his autobiography. “When I die, I’m going to be still trying to get better than I am.”This story was first published by the National Catholic Register, the sister partner of EWTN News, and has been adapted by EWTN News.
Read More

NFL legend Mike Ditka was a Catholic coach #Catholic Former professional football coach Mike Ditka, a practicing Catholic who occasionally served as lector at the 7 a.m. team Mass on game-day Sundays during his decade leading the Chicago Bears, died Friday. He was 86.“Iron Mike,” as Ditka was known, had a famously explosive temper, which often boiled over on the sidelines and in postgame press conferences. Ditka, who led the Bears to a Super Bowl XX victory in 1986, once broke his right hand after punching a hard object over frustration with the play of a rookie offensive lineman — then, before the next game, told his team to “win this one for Lefty.”Less well known was Ditka’s commitment to his Catholic faith, for which he credited his convert mother and the nuns of his parochial school in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, where he was raised.“Growing up, the most important thing was the sacraments with my family,” Ditka told an interviewer with the Catholic website “One Peter Five” in August 2018. “We loved everything about the faith. Going to Catholic school and learning the faith, I wouldn’t trade that for anything.”“I don’t care how many times I got hit by a nun,” Ditka said, “it was good for me.”Football successBorn Michael Dyczko in 1939, Ditka was the son of a non-churchgoing Ukrainian and Polish steelworker father and an Irish and German mother who converted to Catholicism.He played tight end for the University of Pittsburgh and then in the NFL for the Chicago Bears, Philadelphia Eagles, and Dallas Cowboys. In 1988 Ditka was honored as the first tight end ever to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.After retiring from playing, Ditka served as an assistant coach before getting his unlikely chance as the head coach of the Bears in 1982.His 1985 Bears went 15-1 during the regular season and stomped their way through the playoffs to a Super Bowl victory. So confident were the players of that dominant team that they recorded a rap song called “The Super Bowl Shuffle” during the regular season. (Ditka later said he didn’t know about it, but he didn’t criticize the players for doing it.)Ditka’s success, toughness, temper, and sense of humor made him a cultural phenomenon, inspiring a recurring skit (and guest appearances) on “Saturday Night Live” and launching a career as a motivational speaker.When the team’s fortunes plummeted, he was fired in 1992. He later coached the New Orleans Saints but was fired after three years.Off-field philanthropyDitka made millions as a pitchman for dozens of products after he left football, and he used some of that wealth to help others.“Ditka was very supportive of Misericordia and other charities that supported children with special needs and disabilities,” Mary FioRito, an attorney, lifelong Chicagoan, and Cardinal Francis George Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, told the National Catholic Register, the sister partner of EWTN News.And not just with checks.“He spoke at fundraisers, and surprised observers could catch him privately visiting with residents he knew by name,” reported the suburban Chicago Daily Herald.Ditka was also a member of the Knights of Columbus and participated in the organization’s charitable activities.‘Constant turmoil’In his 1986 autobiography “Ditka,” published at the peak of his success, Ditka admitted to having had “no spiritual life at all” during the 1970s, before two other coaches got him involved in a Bible study that reintroduced him to God.“I always had faith, but I never had understanding,” Ditka said. “I always knew what was going on in life. I was raised right. I did all the things you were supposed to do. But I never understood why I was supposed to do them, because I never had a total understanding of what was going on.”He also acknowledged what he called “constant turmoil inside,” and he compared himself unfavorably to longtime Dallas Cowboys coach Tom Landry (1924–2000), whom he admired for always keeping his cool on the sidelines and for his involvement in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.“My priorities can get mixed up. I don’t think he ever gets his priorities mixed up,” Ditka said in the book.Ditka said he discovered that following his faith was hard work.“Sometimes you take for granted that your faith will always be there and everything will be fine. But without making the effort, that’s just not a fact. You have to make a real effort to live your faith daily,” Ditka said in the book.“Nobody is going to do it every day. Nobody is going to do it perfectly,” he continued. “But unless you make the effort you’ve got no chance at all.”Ditka married in 1961, got divorced in 1973, and then remarried in 1977. Both wives survive him, as do his four children, according to an obituary in the Daily Herald.“I’m far from perfect now, and I’m never going to be perfect,” Ditka said in his autobiography. “When I die, I’m going to be still trying to get better than I am.”This story was first published by the National Catholic Register, the sister partner of EWTN News, and has been adapted by EWTN News.

unitedyam

The Chicago Bears icon, who died on Friday, gave to charities, lectored at Mass, and belonged to the Knights of Columbus.

Read More
Transnational online scam operations on the rise, U.S. State Department says #Catholic The State Department released its 2026 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report on Oct. 8, showing criminal organizations and repressive governments are using trafficking for profit in new ways.The report, released more than three months after the June 30 deadline, said the spread of industrial-scale online scam operations “pose a direct threat to US national security.”Transnational crime organizations, mostly run by Chinese nationals and long based in Southeast Asia, have moved into Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and Latin America, destabilizing local communities and cheating people out of billions of dollars each year, according to the report. Fraudulent online romance, gambling, and cryptocurrency schemes have defrauded people in more than 125 countries, with Americans, the primary targets, losing at least .2 billion in 2025 to compounds operating out of Southeast Asia, according to the report.The organizations recruited people from at least 80 countries over the past few years through fraudulent schemes, often pushing them into forced labor and holding them in guarded compounds and manipulating them through violence, sexual exploitation, intimidation, and other acts. They are often coerced into committing crimes, the report found.The report, an annual assessment required by the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000, covers April 1, 2025, through March 31.The State Department said it relied on information from embassy reporting, government officials, nongovernmental and international organizations, published reports, news articles, and other sources.The State Department said that governments that fail to punish traffickers and protect victims should be held accountable.12 governments citedTwelve governments are cited in the report for a “policy or pattern” of state-sponsored human trafficking: Afghanistan, Belarus, Burma, Cambodia, China, Cuba, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Russia, South Sudan, and Sudan. This designation covers “trafficking in government-funded programs, forced labor in government-affiliated medical services or other sectors, sexual slavery in government camps, or the employment or recruitment of child soldiers.”Under the Child Soldiers Prevention Act, the department listed 14 countries whose forces or state-backed militias recruited or used children in any capacity during hostilities, including as sex slaves: Afghanistan, Burma, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Iran, Nigeria, Russia, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Venezuela, and Yemen.Among country rankings reported so far, Israel returned to Tier 1, the highest category, for the first time since 2021, after five years on Tier 2. The Republic of Congo was downgraded to Tier 3, the lowest, for failing to meet minimum standards and not making significant efforts. A Tier 3 listing can restrict certain U.S. assistance, including security assistance, the report said.A Tier 1 ranking does not mean that a country has no human trafficking. Instead, according to the report, “a Tier 1 ranking indicates that a government has made efforts to address the problem … and met the TVPA’s minimum standards.”Rep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, author of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, said in a statement on Oct. 8 that the report’s findings are “a stark reminder that modern-day slavery remains a global scourge — and that governments must be held accountable when they fail to protect vulnerable people.”“Human trafficking is an assault on human dignity and freedom,” the congressman wrote. “The United States must continue to use every tool at its disposal — including the TIP Report — to expose human trafficking whenever it rears its ugly head, protect survivors, and press foreign governments to end this blight upon humanity.”“China remains on Tier 3 — the lowest ranking,” Smith continued, “reflecting its continued failure to meet the minimum standards for eliminating trafficking. The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) use and enabling of forced labor — including the systematic exploitation of Uyghurs and other persecuted minorities — is deeply troubling and deserves the greatest level of scrutiny.”“Moreover, the horrific, ongoing consequences of China’s one-child per couple policy can still be seen and felt today, as the Report notes that a gross disparity — tens of millions more boys than girls — has driven the demand for commercial sex trafficking and coercive marriages in the country,” Smith wrote.“Governments on Tier 3 — including China, North Korea, Iran, Russia, Burma, Belarus, Cambodia, Cuba, Laos, Nicaragua, Sudan, South Sudan, and Venezuela — can and must do more. Tier 3 must never become a permanent designation; it should serve as a dire warning and a call to action,” Smith wrote.
Read More

Transnational online scam operations on the rise, U.S. State Department says #Catholic The State Department released its 2026 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report on Oct. 8, showing criminal organizations and repressive governments are using trafficking for profit in new ways.The report, released more than three months after the June 30 deadline, said the spread of industrial-scale online scam operations “pose a direct threat to US national security.”Transnational crime organizations, mostly run by Chinese nationals and long based in Southeast Asia, have moved into Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and Latin America, destabilizing local communities and cheating people out of billions of dollars each year, according to the report. Fraudulent online romance, gambling, and cryptocurrency schemes have defrauded people in more than 125 countries, with Americans, the primary targets, losing at least $18.2 billion in 2025 to compounds operating out of Southeast Asia, according to the report.The organizations recruited people from at least 80 countries over the past few years through fraudulent schemes, often pushing them into forced labor and holding them in guarded compounds and manipulating them through violence, sexual exploitation, intimidation, and other acts. They are often coerced into committing crimes, the report found.The report, an annual assessment required by the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000, covers April 1, 2025, through March 31.The State Department said it relied on information from embassy reporting, government officials, nongovernmental and international organizations, published reports, news articles, and other sources.The State Department said that governments that fail to punish traffickers and protect victims should be held accountable.12 governments citedTwelve governments are cited in the report for a “policy or pattern” of state-sponsored human trafficking: Afghanistan, Belarus, Burma, Cambodia, China, Cuba, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Russia, South Sudan, and Sudan. This designation covers “trafficking in government-funded programs, forced labor in government-affiliated medical services or other sectors, sexual slavery in government camps, or the employment or recruitment of child soldiers.”Under the Child Soldiers Prevention Act, the department listed 14 countries whose forces or state-backed militias recruited or used children in any capacity during hostilities, including as sex slaves: Afghanistan, Burma, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Iran, Nigeria, Russia, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Venezuela, and Yemen.Among country rankings reported so far, Israel returned to Tier 1, the highest category, for the first time since 2021, after five years on Tier 2. The Republic of Congo was downgraded to Tier 3, the lowest, for failing to meet minimum standards and not making significant efforts. A Tier 3 listing can restrict certain U.S. assistance, including security assistance, the report said.A Tier 1 ranking does not mean that a country has no human trafficking. Instead, according to the report, “a Tier 1 ranking indicates that a government has made efforts to address the problem … and met the TVPA’s minimum standards.”Rep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, author of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, said in a statement on Oct. 8 that the report’s findings are “a stark reminder that modern-day slavery remains a global scourge — and that governments must be held accountable when they fail to protect vulnerable people.”“Human trafficking is an assault on human dignity and freedom,” the congressman wrote. “The United States must continue to use every tool at its disposal — including the TIP Report — to expose human trafficking whenever it rears its ugly head, protect survivors, and press foreign governments to end this blight upon humanity.”“China remains on Tier 3 — the lowest ranking,” Smith continued, “reflecting its continued failure to meet the minimum standards for eliminating trafficking. The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) use and enabling of forced labor — including the systematic exploitation of Uyghurs and other persecuted minorities — is deeply troubling and deserves the greatest level of scrutiny.”“Moreover, the horrific, ongoing consequences of China’s one-child per couple policy can still be seen and felt today, as the Report notes that a gross disparity — tens of millions more boys than girls — has driven the demand for commercial sex trafficking and coercive marriages in the country,” Smith wrote.“Governments on Tier 3 — including China, North Korea, Iran, Russia, Burma, Belarus, Cambodia, Cuba, Laos, Nicaragua, Sudan, South Sudan, and Venezuela — can and must do more. Tier 3 must never become a permanent designation; it should serve as a dire warning and a call to action,” Smith wrote.

unitedyam

Fraudulent online romance, gambling, and cryptocurrency schemes have defrauded people in more than 125 countries, with Americans losing at least $18.2 billion in 2025, according to a new report.

Read More
March for Life reveals 2027 theme, with truth as the focus #Catholic The March for Life announced the theme for next year’s rally in Washington, D.C.: “The Truth Is Pro-Life.”In a Sept. 29 teleconference, the group also revealed that recently retired Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw will give the keynote address at the march, taking place on Jan. 22, 2027.“The truth cannot be denied and that’s why we have kept our message so simple and bold this year,” said Hayden Sledge, chief of staff for the March for Life.“Truth doesn’t shout. It’s just there, waiting to be seen,” she said. “Truth has a way of bringing people together. That’s why for more than 50 years we’ve kept showing up to defend that truth. Some things remain true no matter the culture, politics, or the year. The truth is pro-life.” Retired Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw is set to give the keynote address at the Jan. 22, 2027, March for Life.| Credit: Photo Works/Shutterstock The national march occurs every year near the anniversary of the legalization of abortion nationwide in the 1973 Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade. The event continues despite Roe’s reversal by the court in 2022 as abortion remains legal in dozens of U.S. states. In all, some 63 million babies have been aborted since the Roe decision, according to pro-life groups.During the press conference, the committee shared the details of the expected program and the intentional decision behind the chosen theme.Last year’s theme was “Life Is a Gift.”“Last year, our theme spoke to the heart,” Sledge said. “This year, we are speaking to the head and making a clear statement about the truth at the heart of our mission, because truth does not change with an election or due to politics, or current trends. It’s unchanging. That’s why our theme is ‘The Truth Is Pro-Life.’”Kershaw, a three-time Cy Young Award winner and the 2014 National League MVP, operates the nonprofit group Kershaw’s Challenge, which partners with other charities to improve the lives of children in need living in Los Angeles, Dallas, Zambia, and the Dominican Republic.“Iʼm excited to get to be the speaker for the 2027 March for Life,” said Kershaw, while holding his 9-month-old daughter, Chloe, the youngest of his five children. “She’s excited for us to be there, too, and we can’t wait.”In keeping with this year’s theme, the March for Life organizing committee is inviting individuals to ask “the hard questions” about human life when they interact with those outside the pro-life community.“Today, itʼs hard to figure out what the truth is. Not because it isnʼt there, but because of the distractions. But sometimes all you have to do is look closer, get rid of the noise, the chaos, the confusion, and see whatʼs really there,” Sledge said.
Read More

March for Life reveals 2027 theme, with truth as the focus #Catholic The March for Life announced the theme for next year’s rally in Washington, D.C.: “The Truth Is Pro-Life.”In a Sept. 29 teleconference, the group also revealed that recently retired Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw will give the keynote address at the march, taking place on Jan. 22, 2027.“The truth cannot be denied and that’s why we have kept our message so simple and bold this year,” said Hayden Sledge, chief of staff for the March for Life.“Truth doesn’t shout. It’s just there, waiting to be seen,” she said. “Truth has a way of bringing people together. That’s why for more than 50 years we’ve kept showing up to defend that truth. Some things remain true no matter the culture, politics, or the year. The truth is pro-life.” Retired Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw is set to give the keynote address at the Jan. 22, 2027, March for Life.| Credit: Photo Works/Shutterstock The national march occurs every year near the anniversary of the legalization of abortion nationwide in the 1973 Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade. The event continues despite Roe’s reversal by the court in 2022 as abortion remains legal in dozens of U.S. states. In all, some 63 million babies have been aborted since the Roe decision, according to pro-life groups.During the press conference, the committee shared the details of the expected program and the intentional decision behind the chosen theme.Last year’s theme was “Life Is a Gift.”“Last year, our theme spoke to the heart,” Sledge said. “This year, we are speaking to the head and making a clear statement about the truth at the heart of our mission, because truth does not change with an election or due to politics, or current trends. It’s unchanging. That’s why our theme is ‘The Truth Is Pro-Life.’”Kershaw, a three-time Cy Young Award winner and the 2014 National League MVP, operates the nonprofit group Kershaw’s Challenge, which partners with other charities to improve the lives of children in need living in Los Angeles, Dallas, Zambia, and the Dominican Republic.“Iʼm excited to get to be the speaker for the 2027 March for Life,” said Kershaw, while holding his 9-month-old daughter, Chloe, the youngest of his five children. “She’s excited for us to be there, too, and we can’t wait.”In keeping with this year’s theme, the March for Life organizing committee is inviting individuals to ask “the hard questions” about human life when they interact with those outside the pro-life community.“Today, itʼs hard to figure out what the truth is. Not because it isnʼt there, but because of the distractions. But sometimes all you have to do is look closer, get rid of the noise, the chaos, the confusion, and see whatʼs really there,” Sledge said.

unitedyam

Retired Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw is set to give the keynote address at the Jan. 22, 2027, rally.

Read More
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.”
Read More

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.”

unitedyam

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.

Read More
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.
Read More

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.

unitedyam

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.

Read More
As beatification nears, new book explains why Fulton Sheen was ‘America’s Apostle’ #Catholic With the beatification of Archbishop Fulton Sheen approaching, a new book on the life and legacy of the evangelist and television and radio show host explains why he was “America’s Apostle.”Allan Smith, founder and director of the Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Mission Society of Canada, published the book “America’s Apostle” on Sept. 15, just ahead of the archbishop’s beatification on Sept. 24.“I think … the title is a perfect one — ‘Americaʼs Apostle,’ because he really was an apostle to the American people in the great tradition of apostles,” Vice President and Editorial Director of EWTN News Matthew Bunson told “EWTN News Nightly” anchor Veronica Dudo on Sept. 22.The book was published through EWTN Publishing and Sophia Institute Press.“[Sheen] was a brilliant communicator; he had immense gifts on television, radio, as a writer, as a poet,” Bunson said. “But all of that was geared toward proclaiming Jesus Christ in exactly the same way that a good apostle should.”Sheen began his media career as a priest, hosting an hourlong radio show called “The Catholic Hour” in 1930 until he was consecrated an auxiliary bishop in New York in 1951 and transitioned to television, hosting “Life Is Worth Living.” At its peak, Sheen’s radio show was reaching about 4 million people weekly, and his television show was reaching about 30 million people.“Like a good apostle, he used all the means of communications at his disposal,” Bunson said. “I just mentioned television, radio, you name it. He wanted to use it. So itʼs perfectly appropriate, I think, for him to be called ‘Americaʼs Apostle.’”Sheen also reserved one hour every day for prayer in front of the Blessed Sacrament, beginning this when he was ordained in 1919 until he died in 1979. He was found dead at the age of 84 in his chapel in front of the Blessed Sacrament.Bunson explained that Sheen “made a promise on the day of his ordination” that he would do a Holy Hour in front of the Blessed Sacrament. He also noted Sheen wrote in his autobiography, “Treasure in Clay,” that he prepared for his homilies, his books, and his speeches in front of the Eucharist. The book cover for “America’s Apostle: Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Blessed Fulton J. Sheen” features a portrait of Sheen. It was released days before Sheen’s beatification set for Sept. 24, 2026. | Credit: EWTN “He made the Blessed Sacrament his way of not just preparing, but making himself holy and worthy of the people he was talking to,” Bunson said. “Because thatʼs how seriously he took what he was saying.”“So as a communicator, it wasnʼt just communicating about himself,” he said. “He was always proclaiming a person, and that was Jesus Christ. And he did that by developing and fostering his love for the Eucharist. And he did it in the Holy Hour.”“Fulton Sheen, pray for us,” Bunson concluded.
Read More

As beatification nears, new book explains why Fulton Sheen was ‘America’s Apostle’ #Catholic With the beatification of Archbishop Fulton Sheen approaching, a new book on the life and legacy of the evangelist and television and radio show host explains why he was “America’s Apostle.”Allan Smith, founder and director of the Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Mission Society of Canada, published the book “America’s Apostle” on Sept. 15, just ahead of the archbishop’s beatification on Sept. 24.“I think … the title is a perfect one — ‘Americaʼs Apostle,’ because he really was an apostle to the American people in the great tradition of apostles,” Vice President and Editorial Director of EWTN News Matthew Bunson told “EWTN News Nightly” anchor Veronica Dudo on Sept. 22.The book was published through EWTN Publishing and Sophia Institute Press.“[Sheen] was a brilliant communicator; he had immense gifts on television, radio, as a writer, as a poet,” Bunson said. “But all of that was geared toward proclaiming Jesus Christ in exactly the same way that a good apostle should.”Sheen began his media career as a priest, hosting an hourlong radio show called “The Catholic Hour” in 1930 until he was consecrated an auxiliary bishop in New York in 1951 and transitioned to television, hosting “Life Is Worth Living.” At its peak, Sheen’s radio show was reaching about 4 million people weekly, and his television show was reaching about 30 million people.“Like a good apostle, he used all the means of communications at his disposal,” Bunson said. “I just mentioned television, radio, you name it. He wanted to use it. So itʼs perfectly appropriate, I think, for him to be called ‘Americaʼs Apostle.’”Sheen also reserved one hour every day for prayer in front of the Blessed Sacrament, beginning this when he was ordained in 1919 until he died in 1979. He was found dead at the age of 84 in his chapel in front of the Blessed Sacrament.Bunson explained that Sheen “made a promise on the day of his ordination” that he would do a Holy Hour in front of the Blessed Sacrament. He also noted Sheen wrote in his autobiography, “Treasure in Clay,” that he prepared for his homilies, his books, and his speeches in front of the Eucharist. The book cover for “America’s Apostle: Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Blessed Fulton J. Sheen” features a portrait of Sheen. It was released days before Sheen’s beatification set for Sept. 24, 2026. | Credit: EWTN “He made the Blessed Sacrament his way of not just preparing, but making himself holy and worthy of the people he was talking to,” Bunson said. “Because thatʼs how seriously he took what he was saying.”“So as a communicator, it wasnʼt just communicating about himself,” he said. “He was always proclaiming a person, and that was Jesus Christ. And he did that by developing and fostering his love for the Eucharist. And he did it in the Holy Hour.”“Fulton Sheen, pray for us,” Bunson concluded.

unitedyam

The book by Allan Smith was published on Sept. 15, about one week before the beatification. EWTN’s Matthew Bunson discusses the book and Sheen’s legacy on “EWTN News Nightly.”

Read More
White Dwarf Star (Artist’s Concept) – This artist’s concept depicts a smaller white dwarf star pulling material from a larger star, right, into an accretion disk. Scientists used NASA’s IXPE (Imaging X-ray Polarization Explorer) to study a white dwarf star and its X-ray polarization.
Read More

White Dwarf Star (Artist’s Concept) – This artist’s concept depicts a smaller white dwarf star pulling material from a larger star, right, into an accretion disk. Scientists used NASA’s IXPE (Imaging X-ray Polarization Explorer) to study a white dwarf star and its X-ray polarization.

unitedyam

This artist’s concept depicts a smaller white dwarf star pulling material from a larger star, right, into an accretion disk. Scientists used NASA’s IXPE (Imaging X-ray Polarization Explorer) to study a white dwarf star and its X-ray polarization.

Read More