Church leaders in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu call the election of actor-turned-politician Joseph Vijay a source of pride in a country where Christians face growing persecution.
The Ortega regime’s repression of the Catholic Church could not silence God’s call to Cristhian Mendieta. Having fled Nicaragua as a seminarian, the young man was ordained to the priesthood in Miami.
The new embassy of Haiti to the Holy See, inaugurated Sunday near the Vatican walls, marks a deepening of diplomatic ties amid ongoing political crisis in the Caribbean nation.
St. Patrick’s Parish in Brampton, Ontario, is bursting at the seams. Now, on May 24, it will break ground on its long-awaited new church.
![After stillbirth loss, mother of 7 returns to school to help others heal #Catholic After experiencing an unimaginable loss, Kelly Helsel felt called to begin a new chapter. Following 17 years as a stay-at-home mother, she returned to school to pursue her dream of becoming a counselor — hoping to offer others the same compassionate support and Catholic guidance that helped bring healing to her own life.In 2023 Helsel’s daughter, Mary Catherine, was stillborn. The experience and grief was ultimately “a huge catalyst to me going back to school,” Helsel told EWTN News.“I think death has an interesting way of snapping your priorities in line,” she said. “And through the death of our daughter, I understood that tomorrow was not promised. And I had been holding this dream very closely for 17 years, just trusting,” she said.“Much of my healing process after the stillbirth of our daughter was helped along by solid Catholic counseling,” she said. “So I just felt a whisper at first, and then I felt like, ‘I can turn around and be this for someone else in need.’ And so I did.”Path back to schoolA native of Arizona, Helsel met her now-husband, Doug, in high school. She then attended Northern Arizona University to receive a bachelorʼs degree in psychology with the hopes of becoming a counselor, but motherhood ultimately became her first priority.“My firstborn … was born during finals week of my bachelorʼs degree,” Helsel said. “I actually had a positive pregnancy test the day before I was scheduled to take the GRE [Graduate Record Examination].”“I just knew that motherhood was the priority and that Godʼs timing would take care of things. So I stayed at home,” she said.Helsel decided to put her plans of working as a counselor on the side and focus on her growing family. She and her husband had seven children over the next 17 years, but after the loss of their sixth child she felt called to switch her plans and return to school. “We just started taking one step in front of the other,” she said. Helsel started by applying to the University of Mary’s master’s program for counseling about six months after her daughter’s passing but was thrown an unexpected “curveball” during the process.“On the feast of the Annunciation, I got in. But then I also had a positive pregnancy test with my daughter, Isabel, on the very same day.”“I remember standing in the bathroom with my husband with my phone in one hand with an acceptance letter, and on the counter was a positive pregnancy test with our seventh baby.”Motherhood provided ‘the skills to be a fantastic student’Despite navigating grief, welcoming a new baby, and continuing to care for the rest of her family, Helsel not only decided to return to school but also opted for a five-semester accelerated program.She graduated on April 25 with a 4.0 GPA and her whole family by her side. It was all possible not in spite of her 17 years as a stay-at-home mom but because of the experience.
Kelly Helsel, her husband Doug Helsel, and their children at her graduation a the University of Mary on April 25, 2026. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Kelly Helsel
“I actually think that motherhood, 17 years of motherhood, gave me the skills to be a fantastic student,” she said. “I learned time management. I learned prioritization. I learned how to ask for help. I learned all kinds of things in the trenches of motherhood that gave me the opportunity to really thrive at UMary.” “I guess the loss of my daughter really showed me that like all things are ‘figure-out-able,’” she said. “When youʼve gone through something like that, it makes you unafraid to do really big things.”“I knew that I could just cannonball into the deep end and we could do this. And my husband was an amazing support throughout the program. But, Isabel was the curveball of all curveballs,” she said.“She was born during Christmas break and I just jumped back in in January. I didnʼt take any time off,” she said. "I would be in a rocking chair breastfeeding her, and my laptop is sitting next to me and Iʼm listening to a lecture.”“I became a pro at using the dictation tool on Microsoft Word” so “I could hold my baby and dictate a paper,” she said. “It was just a really wild time. I learned to be extremely flexible and gentle with myself ... But I just knew God was like, ‘go, go right now.’”“It was super bumpy at some points,“ she said. ”But I chose the University of Mary because I feel like [University of Mary president] Monsignor [James] Shea and the university really put their money where their mouth is in terms of supporting nontraditional students — especially mothers.”“All of my professors were extremely accommodating with extensions if I needed one. A few professors gave me early finals because Isabel was born right at the end of that first semester,” she said. “So the University of Mary was really crucial to my success because everyone was behind me.” Helsel noted that her professors, especially counseling professor Olivia Wedel, and other facility members and students were champions in cheering her “all the way to the finish line.”Waddell “would always remind me that ‘Iʼm surrounded by support,’” Helsel said. “When youʼre super tired and youʼre on your fourth Crock-Pot meal of the week and you donʼt have anymore bandwidth left, I just thought, ‘I am surrounded by support.’”“Jesus is real and his promises are too,” Helsel said. “I just remember really having to trust the Lord in a new way and also having to be very open to my dream not looking exactly like I wanted.”“So yes, I went back to school and I got a masterʼs degree, but it looked absolutely nothing like I thought it was going to, but it was also better, just like he had promised me.”“Your dreams matter to him,“ she said. ”Trust him, and especially Our Lady, with your dreams. Because he wants both. He wants your motherhood and your dreams.”Catholic counseling offers ‘the keys to real human flourishing’Officially a licensed counselor, Helsel is ready to jump in headfirst to help others in need by utilizing the guidance offered by the Catholic Church.“I believe very deeply that the Catholic Church has the keys to real human flourishing,” she said. “So I knew I wanted to become a mental health professional with those guardrails in place, because I benefited so much from Catholic counseling.”“I want to turn back around and help the next woman or couple or … anyone in line that needs to hear the good news, coupled with solid mental health formation. Like St. Thomas Aquinas says, ‘faith and reason.’ We need both.”With her “perinatal mental health training,” Helsel hopes to primarily work in the womenʼs health category “to support other women, pregnant women, postpartum women,” she said. “And obviously I have a love for people who may have lost a child in a particular way.”Helsel is interested in helping those discerning vocations, as her oldest son plans to apply to the priesthood. She is also hoping to support the vocation of marriage as it is “under a particular attack at this time.”To accomplish all of this, Helsel has already started her own private practice called Concordia Counseling.“I chose Concordia because Mary Catherine had a congenital heart condition,” she said. “Concordia means heart to heart or to bring two hearts into harmony. I wanted to honor my baby in heaven and Our Lord with my work. And so I started Concordia Counseling.”“Iʼm just getting it started. I have a caseload of about 10 clients, but Iʼm hoping to accept more,“ Helsel said. ”I know that the work I want to do most of all involves not just mental health but the teachings of the Catholic Church.”“I just think the framework needs to be formed properly, and that is the Catholic understanding of the whole person. And from there we can jump off anywhere,” she said.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/after-stillbirth-loss-mother-of-7-returns-to-school-to-help-others-heal-catholic-after-experiencing-an-unimaginable-loss-kelly-helsel-felt-called-to-begin-a-new-chapter-following-17-years-as-a-sta-scaled.jpg)
After navigating loss and grief, Kelly Helsel is officially now a licensed counselor thanks to the guidance given to her by the Catholic Church and her desire to use her experience to help others.
![Catholics weigh in as Supreme Court faces deadline on telemedicine abortion ruling #Catholic The U.S. Supreme Court’s stay on the 5th Circuit’s ruling restricting access to telemedicine abortions is set to expire May 11, a deadline that could bring an extension, allow the restrictions to take effect, or prompt the justices to take up the case in full.Michael New, assistant professor of social research at The Catholic University of America’s Busch School of Business, told “EWTN News Nightly” on May 8: “The Supreme Court may extend the stay if they need more time to deliberate; they may simply uphold the 5th Circuit Courtʼs decision that bans tele-abortion, and the ban will go into effect; or they may want to do a full hearing [and] conduct oral arguments.”The Supreme Court on May 4 temporarily blocked a lower court order requiring in‑person dispensing of mifepristone after two manufacturers asked the justices to intervene, prompting Justice Samuel Alito to issue an administrative stay that restores mail‑order access until May 11 at 5 p.m. ET while the court weighs the request.Although Alito instructed the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the state of Louisiana to respond by 5 p.m. ET on May 7, the Justice Department failed to do so.New described the development as “odd,” saying the failure by the Justice Department, which represents the FDA, to meet the filing deadline could be that “they don’t want to defend the FDA’s position any longer” or that it may signal a policy change.“Sometimes when people think theyʼre going to lose a case, they change public policy because theyʼd rather change policy than, you know, lose a court case,” New said. “Itʼs really hard to say at this point.”Ultimately, New said the Supreme Court should “absolutely” reinstate in-person requirements to obtain abortion pills, saying: “Thereʼs some real serious public health issues at play here.”Judicial Crisis Network President Carrie Severino gave context for the latest developments in a May 7 interview on EWTN’s “The World Over with Raymond Arroyo,” noting that the FDAʼs ongoing approval of nationwide mail-order abortion effectively circumvents Louisiana law protecting unborn human life. “The court should decide hopefully by the 11th, because thatʼs when the stay expires,” she said. “If they donʼt make any decision, then the 5th Circuit ruling goes back into effect and the FDA will have to disallow mailing of these pills, at least during the pendency of litigation,” said Severino, who is also a former Supreme Court clerk.U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ordered the FDA to carry out a review of the abortion drug in May 2025, which is still ongoing.Ultimately, Severino said, the Supreme Court will not be ruling on “what the FDA needs to do at the end of the day” but on whether abortion drugs will be allowed to be mailed into Louisiana or not.“Eventually, you know, then itʼs going to go back and the district court and the 5th Circuit are going to have to reconsider it,” she said. “It could well return to the Supreme Court ultimately, but thatʼs going to be a ways down the litigation.”The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has spoken out against the dangers of mail-order abortion drugs for women and urged the FDA to restore in-person visits to screen for life-threatening conditions such as ectopic pregnancies as well as abuse and human trafficking.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/catholics-weigh-in-as-supreme-court-faces-deadline-on-telemedicine-abortion-ruling-catholic-the-u-s-supreme-courts-stay-on-the-5th-circuits-ruling-restricting-access-to-telemedicin-scaled.jpg "Catholics weigh in as Supreme Court faces deadline on telemedicine abortion ruling #Catholic The U.S. Supreme Court’s stay on the 5th Circuit’s ruling restricting access to telemedicine abortions is set to expire May 11, a deadline that could bring an extension, allow the restrictions to take effect, or prompt the justices to take up the case in full.Michael New, assistant professor of social research at The Catholic University of America’s Busch School of Business, told “EWTN News Nightly” on May 8: “The Supreme Court may extend the stay if they need more time to deliberate; they may simply uphold the 5th Circuit Courtʼs decision that bans tele-abortion, and the ban will go into effect; or they may want to do a full hearing [and] conduct oral arguments.”The Supreme Court on May 4 temporarily blocked a lower court order requiring in‑person dispensing of mifepristone after two manufacturers asked the justices to intervene, prompting Justice Samuel Alito to issue an administrative stay that restores mail‑order access until May 11 at 5 p.m. ET while the court weighs the request.Although Alito instructed the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the state of Louisiana to respond by 5 p.m. ET on May 7, the Justice Department failed to do so.New described the development as “odd,” saying the failure by the Justice Department, which represents the FDA, to meet the filing deadline could be that “they don’t want to defend the FDA’s position any longer” or that it may signal a policy change.“Sometimes when people think theyʼre going to lose a case, they change public policy because theyʼd rather change policy than, you know, lose a court case,” New said. “Itʼs really hard to say at this point.”Ultimately, New said the Supreme Court should “absolutely” reinstate in-person requirements to obtain abortion pills, saying: “Thereʼs some real serious public health issues at play here.”Judicial Crisis Network President Carrie Severino gave context for the latest developments in a May 7 interview on EWTN’s “The World Over with Raymond Arroyo,” noting that the FDAʼs ongoing approval of nationwide mail-order abortion effectively circumvents Louisiana law protecting unborn human life. “The court should decide hopefully by the 11th, because thatʼs when the stay expires,” she said. “If they donʼt make any decision, then the 5th Circuit ruling goes back into effect and the FDA will have to disallow mailing of these pills, at least during the pendency of litigation,” said Severino, who is also a former Supreme Court clerk.U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ordered the FDA to carry out a review of the abortion drug in May 2025, which is still ongoing.Ultimately, Severino said, the Supreme Court will not be ruling on “what the FDA needs to do at the end of the day” but on whether abortion drugs will be allowed to be mailed into Louisiana or not.“Eventually, you know, then itʼs going to go back and the district court and the 5th Circuit are going to have to reconsider it,” she said. “It could well return to the Supreme Court ultimately, but thatʼs going to be a ways down the litigation.”The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has spoken out against the dangers of mail-order abortion drugs for women and urged the FDA to restore in-person visits to screen for life-threatening conditions such as ectopic pregnancies as well as abuse and human trafficking.")
U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ordered a review of the abortion drug mifipristone in May 2025, which is ongoing.
![Leo XIV makes Marian pilgrimage on 1-year anniversary as pope #Catholic POMPEI, Italy — Pope Leo XIV placed his pontificate under the protection of Mary during a visit to two cities in southern Italy on Friday — the first anniversary of his election to the papacy on May 8, 2025.Leo celebrated Mass for an estimated 20,000 people outside the Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompei, whose feast day is May 8, during the day trip to Pompei and Naples.“Exactly one year ago,” the pope said in his homily, amid thunderous applause from the assembled faithful, “when the ministry of successor of Peter was entrusted to me, it was precisely the day of the Supplication to the Virgin, this beautiful day of the Supplication to the Virgin of the Holy Rosary of Pompei! I therefore had to come here, to place my service under the protection of the Holy Virgin.”“Having then chosen the name Leo places me in the footsteps of Leo XIII, who, among his many merits, also developed a rich magisterium on the holy rosary. Added to all of this is the recent canonization of St. Bartolo Longo, apostle of the rosary,” Leo added.Before Mass, the pope — who flew about 150 miles from Rome to Pompei by helicopter early on May 8 — visited the Shrine of Our Lady of Pompei. Despite forecasts of rain, thousands of people filled Bartolo Longo Square from the first light of dawn.At the shrine, the Holy Father met the “Temple of Charity,” an organization that welcomes and assists people coming from situations of hardship.
Pope Leo XIV meets the “Temple of Charity,” an organization that welcomes and assists people coming from situations of hardship, during a pastoral visit to Pompei, Italy, on May 8, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media
“Good morning, Pompei! Our Mother Mary — our mom — is always with us,” the pope said, informally greeting the faithful who were waiting for Mass. Before the Eucharistic celebration, Leo also greeted the sick and people with disabilities inside the shrine.The pope’s homily at the outdoor Mass focused on the power of the rosary.“The Hail Mary repeated in the holy rosary is an act of love,” he said. “Generations of believers have been shaped and safeguarded by this prayer — simple and popular, yet at the same time capable of mystical heights and a treasure chest of the most essential Christian theology.”He also called the Hail Mary prayer “an invitation to joy.”“It tells Mary, and in her all of us, that upon the ruins of our humanity, tried by sin and therefore always inclined to abuses, oppression, and war, the caress of God has come — the caress of mercy, which in Jesus takes on a human face. Mary thus becomes the mother of mercy.”“When St. John Paul II proclaimed the Year of the Rosary [2002–2003], he wished to place it in a special way under the gaze of the Virgin of Pompei,” Leo XIV continued. “Times have not improved since then. The wars still being fought in so many regions of the world call for renewed commitment, not only economic and political, but also spiritual and religious.”“Peace is born within the heart,” he added. “We cannot resign ourselves to the images of death that the news presents to us every day. St. Bartolo Longo, reflecting on Mary’s faith, called her ‘omnipotent by grace.’ Through her intercession, may an abundant outpouring of mercy come from the God of peace — touching hearts, calming resentments and fratricidal hatred, and enlightening those who bear special responsibilities of governance. No earthly power will save the world, but only the divine power of love.”At the conclusion of Mass, Pope Leo prayed together with the faithful the traditional Supplication to Our Lady of Pompei.The Supplication to the Queen of the Holy Rosary of Pompei was written in 1883 by St. Bartolo Longo. It is solemnly recited twice a year, at noon on May 8 and on the first Sunday of October. The supplication was composed in response to the invitation that Pope Leo XIII addressed to Catholics in his first encyclical on the rosary, Supremi Apostolatus Officio, calling for a spiritual commitment to confront the evils of society.
Pope Leo XIV prays at the Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary in Naples, Italy, on Friday, May 8, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media
Visit to NaplesAfter lunch in private, Pope Leo took a helicopter about 16 miles northwest to Naples, the capital city of the Campania region of Italy, where he met with priests and religious brothers and sisters in the Naples cathedral.During his visit to the cathedral, Leo stopped in the Chapel of the Treasure of St. Januarius, where the miracle of the liquefaction of the blood of St. Januarius had taken place on May 3. The pope kissed the relic and with it blessed those in the packed cathedral.After some time in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, the pope addressed the Catholic community: “What I therefore ask of you is this: Listen to one another, walk together, create a symphony of charisms and ministries, and in this way find ways to move from a pastoral ministry of maintenance to a missionary pastoral ministry, capable of engaging with the concrete lives of people.”“In a city marked by inequality, youth unemployment, school dropout rates, and fragile family situations, the proclamation of the Gospel cannot be separated from a concrete and supportive presence that involves everyone — priests, religious, and laypeople alike,” he added.Pope Leo XIV then arrived in the popemobile to Piazza del Plebiscito, the main square of Naples, where authorities estimate about 50,000 people were present.The pope’s address focused on peace and justice: a peace that “begins in the human heart, passes through relationships, takes root in neighborhoods and on the outskirts, and expands to embrace the entire city and the world.” A peace that needs justice “to be authentic” and that “can never be separated from charity.”Leo also spoke about the “Neapolitan paradox:” on the one hand, the significant increase in tourism, which however struggles to correspond to “economic dynamism capable of truly involving the entire social community.” He described a city “marked by a social divide that no longer separates the center from the outskirts but is even evident within every area, with existential peripheries nested even in the heart of the historic center.” Faced with these disparities, Pope Leo XIV recalled the presence of the state as “more necessary than ever, to provide security and confidence to citizens and to take space away from organized crime.”He then encouraged moving forward with the projects of hope taking shape in the city: “Gather your strength, work together, walk united — institutions, Church, and civil society — to connect the city, protect your children from the snares of hardship and evil, and restore to Naples its vocation to be a capital of humanity and hope.”This story was first published in multiple parts by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/leo-xiv-makes-marian-pilgrimage-on-1-year-anniversary-as-pope-catholic-pompei-italy-pope-leo-xiv-placed-his-pontificate-under-the-protection-of-mary-during-a-visit-to-two-cities-in-souther-scaled.jpg)
Pope Leo XIV traveled around 150 miles south of Rome to the Italian cities of Pompei and Naples on the first anniversary of his election.
![India’s state elections deliver split verdict for Christian community #Catholic The results of staggered elections in four key Indian states held in April have drawn diverse reactions from the Christian community following the May 4 counting of the votes.While the poll outcomes from the two southern states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu have been soothing for Christians, the results from West Bengal and Assam in eastern and northeastern India have come as frustrating for Christian communities.Kerala: A ‘clear verdict’ against propagandaIn the southern Christian heartland of Kerala, the ruling communist alliance was decimated to 35 seats while the opposition Congress-led alliance won 102 seats in the 140-member assembly of Kerala, a state of 35 million people, 18% of whom are Christian.“The result has shown that the people cannot be misled by propaganda and they have given a clear verdict against it,” Father Thomas Tharayil, deputy secretary of the Kerala Catholic Bishops' Council, told EWTN News on May 6.The remark came against the backdrop of anti-Christian propaganda by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with prominent Christians in the BJP even attacking Church leaders for the Churchʼs protest against the draconian amendment to the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act.Christians in Kerala were relieved after four prominent Christians who had allied with the BJP lost the polls despite making much noise against church leadership: P.C. George, a seven-time Kerala legislator; his son Shone George; federal Minister of State for Minority Affairs George Kurian; and Anoop Antony, son of veteran Congress party leader and former Kerala chief minister A.K. Antony.Half a dozen other Christian candidates the BJP fielded in Christian pockets under its lotus symbol also lost, while the party won just three seats with its Hindu candidates.Tamil Nadu: A ‘genuinely historic’ TVK upsetIn neighboring Tamil Nadu, with a population of 77 million, the new political party TVK (Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam — Victory Party of Tamil Nadu), founded by Catholic actor Joseph Vijay, stunned the Dravidian parties that had held power for nearly six decades between them.Under Vijayʼs leadership, the TVK he founded in 2024 won 108 of the 234 seats in the state legislature, with the ruling DMK reduced to 73 and the opposition AIADMK left with 53 seats.Describing the TVK victory that stunned even poll forecasts as “genuinely historic,” Father Charles Antony, editor of the Catholic fortnightly New Leader based in Chennai, told EWTN News: “Vijayʼs victory is real, consequential, and disruptive [of the] bipolar politics” in the state, which has more than 5 million Christians.“He visited churches, temples, and mosques alike during the campaign, successfully projecting himself as a leader for all communities. This secular messaging helped his party distance itself from identity-based polarization,” he added.While Vijay is “Catholic,” Antony emphasized that “his Christian identity is incidental to his politics. Attacks from the BJP [on his Christian identity] with ‘minority’ tag against him, paradoxically, may have helped consolidate minority votes.”West Bengal: ‘A terrible result many had feared’The likely outcome in West Bengal — the state bordering Bangladesh — had been the subject of much conjecture even before voting, due to the controversial, hurried action of the Election Commission of India that disenfranchised more than 9 million, or 12%, of its 76 million voters under a Special Intensive Revision of the voter list.The Trinamool Congress, which had ruled the state since 2011 across three consecutive terms, lost the election badly — as many had feared — winning a mere 80 seats while the BJP captured power in the state for the first time, with 205 seats in the 294-seat state assembly.“This is a terrible result many had feared,” Sunil Lucas, former president of Signis India, told EWTN News, while prominent Church leaders declined to comment on the results that bring the Hindu nationalist BJP to power in West Bengal — with Kolkata as its capital — for the first time.“Decoding BJPʼs Bengal sweep: 77 seats won in 2021 retained, 129 wrested from TMC,” Indian Express summed up the results, which were flayed by the ruling party and the opposition parties other than the BJP.On May 5, the national news channel NDTV carried a similar report with graphic details on how the ruling Trinamool Congress party “performed in seats with high voter deletions.” In constituencies where more than 25,000 voters had been disenfranchised, the BJP had won 95 of 147 seats, the report pointed out.Assam: ‘Democracy becomes a failure’In Assam state in the northeast, the BJP improved its tally with allies to 102 of the stateʼs 126 seats, securing a third consecutive term.“When the ruling party with over two-thirds majority has no member of the minorities in the legislature, democracy becomes a failure,” Allen Brooks, a Catholic and spokesperson for the ecumenical Assam Christian Forum, told EWTN News.While none of the 82 BJP winners are from the Muslim community, which accounts for 34% of Assamʼs population, Brooks also lamented that “there is not a single Christian in the Assam Assembly now, though Christians account for 3.7%” of the stateʼs 31 million people.Commenting on the election results, Cardinal Anthony Poola, president of the Catholic Bishops' conference of India, in a May 6 statement said: “The true measure of a vibrant democracy lies not just in the successful conduct of elections but in the steadfast commitment of elected leaders to serve the most vulnerable. We urge the new governments to work hand-in-hand with all institutions to build a more just, inclusive, and equitable India.”This story was updated at 12:29 p.m. ET on May 6, 2026, to include Cardinal Anthony Poolaʼs statement.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/indias-state-elections-deliver-split-verdict-for-christian-community-catholic-the-results-of-staggered-elections-in-four-key-indian-states-held-in-april-have-drawn-diverse-reactions-from-the.jpg "India’s state elections deliver split verdict for Christian community #Catholic The results of staggered elections in four key Indian states held in April have drawn diverse reactions from the Christian community following the May 4 counting of the votes.While the poll outcomes from the two southern states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu have been soothing for Christians, the results from West Bengal and Assam in eastern and northeastern India have come as frustrating for Christian communities.Kerala: A ‘clear verdict’ against propagandaIn the southern Christian heartland of Kerala, the ruling communist alliance was decimated to 35 seats while the opposition Congress-led alliance won 102 seats in the 140-member assembly of Kerala, a state of 35 million people, 18% of whom are Christian.“The result has shown that the people cannot be misled by propaganda and they have given a clear verdict against it,” Father Thomas Tharayil, deputy secretary of the Kerala Catholic Bishops' Council, told EWTN News on May 6.The remark came against the backdrop of anti-Christian propaganda by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with prominent Christians in the BJP even attacking Church leaders for the Churchʼs protest against the draconian amendment to the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act.Christians in Kerala were relieved after four prominent Christians who had allied with the BJP lost the polls despite making much noise against church leadership: P.C. George, a seven-time Kerala legislator; his son Shone George; federal Minister of State for Minority Affairs George Kurian; and Anoop Antony, son of veteran Congress party leader and former Kerala chief minister A.K. Antony.Half a dozen other Christian candidates the BJP fielded in Christian pockets under its lotus symbol also lost, while the party won just three seats with its Hindu candidates.Tamil Nadu: A ‘genuinely historic’ TVK upsetIn neighboring Tamil Nadu, with a population of 77 million, the new political party TVK (Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam — Victory Party of Tamil Nadu), founded by Catholic actor Joseph Vijay, stunned the Dravidian parties that had held power for nearly six decades between them.Under Vijayʼs leadership, the TVK he founded in 2024 won 108 of the 234 seats in the state legislature, with the ruling DMK reduced to 73 and the opposition AIADMK left with 53 seats.Describing the TVK victory that stunned even poll forecasts as “genuinely historic,” Father Charles Antony, editor of the Catholic fortnightly New Leader based in Chennai, told EWTN News: “Vijayʼs victory is real, consequential, and disruptive [of the] bipolar politics” in the state, which has more than 5 million Christians.“He visited churches, temples, and mosques alike during the campaign, successfully projecting himself as a leader for all communities. This secular messaging helped his party distance itself from identity-based polarization,” he added.While Vijay is “Catholic,” Antony emphasized that “his Christian identity is incidental to his politics. Attacks from the BJP [on his Christian identity] with ‘minority’ tag against him, paradoxically, may have helped consolidate minority votes.”West Bengal: ‘A terrible result many had feared’The likely outcome in West Bengal — the state bordering Bangladesh — had been the subject of much conjecture even before voting, due to the controversial, hurried action of the Election Commission of India that disenfranchised more than 9 million, or 12%, of its 76 million voters under a Special Intensive Revision of the voter list.The Trinamool Congress, which had ruled the state since 2011 across three consecutive terms, lost the election badly — as many had feared — winning a mere 80 seats while the BJP captured power in the state for the first time, with 205 seats in the 294-seat state assembly.“This is a terrible result many had feared,” Sunil Lucas, former president of Signis India, told EWTN News, while prominent Church leaders declined to comment on the results that bring the Hindu nationalist BJP to power in West Bengal — with Kolkata as its capital — for the first time.“Decoding BJPʼs Bengal sweep: 77 seats won in 2021 retained, 129 wrested from TMC,” Indian Express summed up the results, which were flayed by the ruling party and the opposition parties other than the BJP.On May 5, the national news channel NDTV carried a similar report with graphic details on how the ruling Trinamool Congress party “performed in seats with high voter deletions.” In constituencies where more than 25,000 voters had been disenfranchised, the BJP had won 95 of 147 seats, the report pointed out.Assam: ‘Democracy becomes a failure’In Assam state in the northeast, the BJP improved its tally with allies to 102 of the stateʼs 126 seats, securing a third consecutive term.“When the ruling party with over two-thirds majority has no member of the minorities in the legislature, democracy becomes a failure,” Allen Brooks, a Catholic and spokesperson for the ecumenical Assam Christian Forum, told EWTN News.While none of the 82 BJP winners are from the Muslim community, which accounts for 34% of Assamʼs population, Brooks also lamented that “there is not a single Christian in the Assam Assembly now, though Christians account for 3.7%” of the stateʼs 31 million people.Commenting on the election results, Cardinal Anthony Poola, president of the Catholic Bishops' conference of India, in a May 6 statement said: “The true measure of a vibrant democracy lies not just in the successful conduct of elections but in the steadfast commitment of elected leaders to serve the most vulnerable. We urge the new governments to work hand-in-hand with all institutions to build a more just, inclusive, and equitable India.”This story was updated at 12:29 p.m. ET on May 6, 2026, to include Cardinal Anthony Poolaʼs statement.")
Christian leaders welcomed the Kerala and Tamil Nadu outcomes but voiced alarm at the BJP’s historic sweep of West Bengal and a third-term win in Assam.
The mayor of Yaroun, a village in southern Lebanon, and the Melkite Greek Catholic bishops have reacted to the alleged demolition of a monastery and school by Israeli forces.
The bishop of the Pemba Diocese in northern Mozambique has expressed sadness and solidarity with victims of violence in a region where Islamist insurgency has persisted for nearly nine years.
![Pope Leo XIV responds to letter from victims of Minab girls’ school strike in Iran #Catholic Pope Leo XIV echoed his calls for dialogue and peace between the United States and Iran while expressing grief over the deaths of innocent children killed in a military attack that struck a girls’ elementary school in Minab, Iran.The Holy Father offered these comments April 23 after he received a letter from parents of girls who died in the strike. More than 150 people were killed in the Feb. 28 strike, which the Defense Department says it is investigating.“I have just seen a letter from families of children who were killed on the first day of the attack,” Leo said while speaking to journalists on a flight back to Rome after visiting four countries in Africa, according to the Vatican-run Vatican News.“They speak about how they have lost their children, who died in that event,” he said. “The issue is not whether there is regime change or not; the issue is how to promote the values we believe in without the death of so many innocent people.”Leo called the situation in Iran “complex” amid the ongoing ceasefire, stating that “one day Iran says yes and the United States says no, and vice versa.” The pope warned: “We do not know where things are heading.”“This chaotic, critical situation for the global economy has been created, but there is also an entire population in Iran of innocent people suffering because of this war,” he said. “So, on regime change, yes or no: It is not even clear what regime currently exists after the first days of attacks by Israel and the United States on Iran.”“Rather, I would encourage the continuation of dialogue for peace, that all sides make every effort to promote peace, remove the threat of war, and respect international law,” he said. “It is very important that innocent people are protected, as has not happened in several places.”The letter from the parents of the victims was published in full by a reporter for Press TV, which is operated by the Iranian government. The letter is written in Farsi.According to a partial English translation on Press TV, the parents said the pontiff’s consistent advocacy for peace “offered a healing touch to our broken hearts.”“Today, instead of feeling the warmth of our children’s embrace, we are left to hold onto their charred bags and bloody journals,” the letter said, according to the translation.“Our children will never return home to build a brighter future, but it is the prayer of us grieving parents that your message to ‘lay down the weapons’ be heard, at a time when the United States and the Israeli regime fuel the flames of these atrocities with their excessive demands,” it added.When asked for comment, the Defense Department pointed EWTN News to comments made by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on April 24 when asked about the pope’s comment on Iran.“We know what our mission is,” he said. “We know what authority we have. Weʼre very clear about that. We follow the orders of the president.”“Weʼve got lawyers all over the place, looking at what weʼre doing and why weʼre doing it, and giving us every authority necessary under the Constitution and under our laws to execute it,” he added. “So we feel very confident across the spectrum about what weʼre doing and why weʼre doing it, and the legal justification that weʼre following in order to do it.”A Defense Department official told EWTN News that the strike on the school in Minab “is currently under investigation” and “more details will be provided [when] they become available.” The Pentagon has not claimed responsibility for the strike.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/pope-leo-xiv-responds-to-letter-from-victims-of-minab-girls-school-strike-in-iran-catholic-pope-leo-xiv-echoed-his-calls-for-dialogue-and-peace-between-the-united-states-and-iran-while-expre.jpg "Pope Leo XIV responds to letter from victims of Minab girls’ school strike in Iran #Catholic Pope Leo XIV echoed his calls for dialogue and peace between the United States and Iran while expressing grief over the deaths of innocent children killed in a military attack that struck a girls’ elementary school in Minab, Iran.The Holy Father offered these comments April 23 after he received a letter from parents of girls who died in the strike. More than 150 people were killed in the Feb. 28 strike, which the Defense Department says it is investigating.“I have just seen a letter from families of children who were killed on the first day of the attack,” Leo said while speaking to journalists on a flight back to Rome after visiting four countries in Africa, according to the Vatican-run Vatican News.“They speak about how they have lost their children, who died in that event,” he said. “The issue is not whether there is regime change or not; the issue is how to promote the values we believe in without the death of so many innocent people.”Leo called the situation in Iran “complex” amid the ongoing ceasefire, stating that “one day Iran says yes and the United States says no, and vice versa.” The pope warned: “We do not know where things are heading.”“This chaotic, critical situation for the global economy has been created, but there is also an entire population in Iran of innocent people suffering because of this war,” he said. “So, on regime change, yes or no: It is not even clear what regime currently exists after the first days of attacks by Israel and the United States on Iran.”“Rather, I would encourage the continuation of dialogue for peace, that all sides make every effort to promote peace, remove the threat of war, and respect international law,” he said. “It is very important that innocent people are protected, as has not happened in several places.”The letter from the parents of the victims was published in full by a reporter for Press TV, which is operated by the Iranian government. The letter is written in Farsi.According to a partial English translation on Press TV, the parents said the pontiff’s consistent advocacy for peace “offered a healing touch to our broken hearts.”“Today, instead of feeling the warmth of our children’s embrace, we are left to hold onto their charred bags and bloody journals,” the letter said, according to the translation.“Our children will never return home to build a brighter future, but it is the prayer of us grieving parents that your message to ‘lay down the weapons’ be heard, at a time when the United States and the Israeli regime fuel the flames of these atrocities with their excessive demands,” it added.When asked for comment, the Defense Department pointed EWTN News to comments made by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on April 24 when asked about the pope’s comment on Iran.“We know what our mission is,” he said. “We know what authority we have. Weʼre very clear about that. We follow the orders of the president.”“Weʼve got lawyers all over the place, looking at what weʼre doing and why weʼre doing it, and giving us every authority necessary under the Constitution and under our laws to execute it,” he added. “So we feel very confident across the spectrum about what weʼre doing and why weʼre doing it, and the legal justification that weʼre following in order to do it.”A Defense Department official told EWTN News that the strike on the school in Minab “is currently under investigation” and “more details will be provided [when] they become available.” The Pentagon has not claimed responsibility for the strike.")
“The issue is not whether there is regime change or not; the issue is how to promote the values we believe in without the death of so many innocent people,” Pope Leo XIV said.
Bishop Pavel Konzbul of Brno, Czech Republic, is backing the late-May gathering despite a public backlash led by former Czech presidents Václav Klaus and Miloš Zeman.
The October meeting in Rome will bring together presidents of bishops’ conferences from around the world to seek a response to what the pope considers a crucial issue for the Church and society.
The pontiff said the Holy See’s diplomatic service is a unique ministry rooted in peace, truth, and justice and directed not only to Catholics but also to the entire human family.
The pope ordained 10 men to the priesthood on Good Shepherd Sunday and later warned at the Regina Caeli against the “thieves” that rob people of freedom, dignity, and peace.
This image that NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope captured of the Crab Nebula, paired with its past observations and those of other telescopes, allows astronomers to study how the supernova remnant is expanding and evolving over time.
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Israel and Poland’s foreign ministers argue on X, a mosaic of Jesus by a survivor of Nazism will be saved, South Korea’s Catholic population grows, and more in this week’s world news roundup.
NASA celebrates Hubble’s 36th anniversary with a new image of the Trifid Nebula, a star-forming region it first captured in 1997. The telescope leveraged almost its full operational lifetime to show us changes in the nebula on human time scales with an improved camera.
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Seminarians shared their personal stories of hearing and responding to God’s call to the priesthood.
During National Infertility Awareness Week, author Leigh Fitzpatrick Snead shared encouragement and advice for Catholic couples navigating infertility.
![March for Life in Warsaw commemorates 1,060 years of Christianity in Poland #Catholic Thousands of people gathered in Poland’s capital on April 19 for the National March for Life, a large public demonstration organized under the slogan “Faith and Fidelity 1966–2026,” commemorating the 1,060th anniversary of the Christianization of Poland. The event combined religious observance, civic participation, and pro-life advocacy, drawing families, clergy, activists, and public figures to central Warsaw. The day began with Mass celebrated in two of the cityʼs major churches.
Mass is celebrated at the Archcathedral Basilica of the Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist in Warsaw, Poland, on April 19, 2026. | Credit: Tomasz Daniluk/Ordo Iuris
In the Archcathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist, Bishop Piotr Jarecki presided over the liturgy, while Bishop Tomasz Sztajerwald celebrated Mass at the Cathedral of St. Michael the Archangel and St. Florian in Warsaw-Praga.Participants later gathered at Castle Square, where the march officially began. Organizers described the event as a public expression of support for life and family, rooted in Poland’s Christian tradition. Metropolitan Archbishop Adrian Galbas of Warsaw encouraged participation ahead of the event, framing it as a testimony to human dignity. “We want to testify that we are lovers of life. Bring your family along! Life triumphs over every death,” he declared.
Church leaders join Poland’s President Karol Nawrocki and other dignitaries at the March for Life in Warsaw on April 19, 2026. | Credit: Tomasz Daniluk/Ordo lures
March through Warsaw highlights pro-life messageThe procession moved through central Warsaw streets under the historic slogan marking Poland’s Christian heritage. As participants approached the Presidential Palace, Polish President Karol Nawrocki spoke, linking the march to broader social concerns.“I support initiatives that serve Poland, and this initiative certainly serves Poland,” he said. “It is also a response to the deep demographic crisis. Today, the answer to many Polish problems lies precisely in Polish families, in our identity, in remembering where we come from and where we are going.”Organizers said the march was intended not only as a demonstration of pro-life conviction but also as a broader reflection on national identity and social cohesion.A prominent symbol carried during the march was a copy of the icon of Our Lady of Częstochowa, which has been traveling internationally for 14 years as part of the From Ocean to Ocean pilgrimage in defense of life. The icon has traveled more than 220,000 kilometers (almost 137,000 miles) and visited 32 countries across five continents.
Participants carry an icon of Our Lady of Częstochowa. | Credit: Tomasz Daniluk/Ordo Iuris
Shifting abortion attitudes among younger PolesThe National March for Life is organized by the St. Benedict Foundation alongside dozens of pro-life groups from across Poland and takes place under the honorary patronage of the Polish Episcopal Conference.Patrycja Michońska-Dynek, director of the Press Center of the Archdiocese of Warsaw, told EWTN News that there are shifting public attitudes toward abortion in Poland, including growing societal acceptance and increased calls for liberalization, attributing these changes to secularization, cultural pressures, and differing interpretations of freedom.Michońska-Dynek also observed that while pro-life values remain important in Polish society, younger generations often approach the issue with more nuanced perspectives, particularly in complex or exceptional situations. Fostering a “culture of life” must include practical support for families, such as assistance for single mothers and couples in crisis, Michońska-Dynek said.
Lidia, a participant at the National March for Life. | Credit: Tomasz Daniluk/Ordo Iuris
Not a single-issue agendaLidia Sankowska-Grabczuk, one of the organizers of the National March for Life, told EWTN News that the pro-life movement in Poland extends beyond a single-issue focus on abortion.“In a nutshell, the pro-life movement is [often] the anti-abortion movement. In our view… it’s a bit different. We don’t reduce it to a single-issue agenda,” she said, warning that such a narrow framing “strips it of its true meaning.” While protecting unborn life remains central, she described it as part of a broader vision rooted in what she called “the public voice of Polish Christianity.”She outlined three core pillars underpinning the movement. The first is “respect for life,” encompassing not only the unborn but also solidarity with the elderly, families, and those in need. The second is the family as society’s foundation, grounded in the traditional understanding of marriage and its role in Poland’s social stability. The third pillar is “a state serving the common good,” reflecting a view of politics as service and a call for greater social solidarity.
March for Life in Warsaw commemorates 1,060 years of Christianity in Poland. | Credit: Tomasz Daniluk/Ordo Iuris
Sankowska-Grabczuk also discussed the importance of Poland’s historical and Christian identity in shaping the movement. She noted that recent marches have intentionally marked major national milestones, including the 1,000th anniversary of Poland’s first royal coronation in 2025.These commemorations, she said, highlight how the movement sees its mission as inseparable from Poland’s historical development, where Christianity has long informed both national identity and social values.Pro-life voices and public participationAmong international participants was Tonio Borg, president of the European Federation One of Us. He urged participants to remain steadfast in their convictions despite criticism or public pressure. “Do not be afraid of being slandered and ridiculed because you seek to protect life from the moment of conception,” he said, encouraging continued public engagement and advocacy. He also called on supporters to make their voices heard in the public sphere, stressing the importance of influencing lawmakers and demonstrating that “the unborn child is one of us.”
Paula, a participant at the National March for Life in Poland. | Credit: Tomasz Daniluk/Ordo Iuris
Marcin Perłowski, director of the Centre for Life and Family, said participants gathered at the march out of a shared conviction that “human life begins at conception” and must be defended. He stated that the National March for Life serves as a public demonstration of that belief, describing it as a stand “against all those who raise a hand against unborn children.”Pro-life activist Emilia Mędrzecka told EWTN News that her position is grounded in a belief in universal human dignity. “Children in the womb are as human as we are… they are more dependent and need time to grow,” she said while adding that the march reflected a strong presence of families, young people, and older generations united in support of life.
Polish president Karol Nawrocki walks among participants at the National March for Life in Poland. | Credit: Tomasz Daniluk/Ordo Iuris
While official attendance figures have not been released, estimates provided to EWTN News suggested more than 10,000 people participated, with organizers placing peak attendance between 25,000 and 30,000.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/march-for-life-in-warsaw-commemorates-1060-years-of-christianity-in-poland-catholic-thousands-of-people-gathered-in-polands-capital-on-april-19-for-the-national-march-for-life-a-large-publ-scaled.jpg)
Recent marches in Poland have intentionally marked major national milestones, including the 1,000th anniversary of Poland’s first royal coronation in 2025.
![Christ is not ‘a guru or a good luck charm,’ pope says at Mass in Angola #Catholic SAURIMO, Angola — Pope Leo XIV warned at Mass in Saurimo, Angola, on Monday of making God into an idol that is sought only when advantageous — “when genuine faith is replaced with superstitious practices.”“There are erroneous motives for seeking Christ, particularly when he is considered to be a guru or a good luck charm,” the pope said on April 20, referring to how the crowds in the Gospel reading reacted after Jesus performed the miracle of the loaves and the fishes.“They were not seeking a teacher whom they love but a leader to applaud for their own advantage,” he said.Joyful faith in Saurimo
Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass in Saurimo, Angola, on April 20, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media
From the start of his arrival in Sub-Saharan Africa — first in Cameroon and then in Angola — Pope Leo has been welcomed by the warmth of the faithful. In Saurimo, a city in northeastern Angola, the atmosphere greeting the pope on Monday was marked by joyful faith. Everyone welcomed the successor of Peter with songs, dances, and applause.Despite the intense heat, upon reaching the esplanade before Mass, Leo XIV greeted the roughly 60,000 faithful of all ages — who had come from across the region and neighboring dioceses — by making a circuit in the popemobile.“This is the first time a pope has gone beyond Angola’s coastal belt and come — using Pope Francis’ language — to the peripheries,“ the director of the communications office of the Archdiocese of Saurimo said. ”This is a region rich in diamonds, but there is also great poverty, and he comes here to show our reality. For us, having the Holy Father in our region is a great joy.”“This is a unique and unforgettable moment in my life and in the lives of the many pilgrims here today,” Filomena Vunda, who works in the pastoral secretariat of the Archdiocese of Malanje, told ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, at the Mass.Vunda encouraged non-Catholics in Angola to “keep in mind our African word ‘Ubuntu’: The happiness of others depends on me; my happiness depends solely on the happiness of others.”Ubuntu is an African philosophy about human interconnectedness. It can be translated as “I am because we are.”‘Disciples of Christ’In his homily at Mass, concelebrated by Angolan bishops, Pope Leo said: “In every part of the world, the Church lives as a people who walk as disciples of Christ, our brother and redeemer.”"He, the Risen One, illumines for us the path to the Father and with the strength of the Spirit he sanctifies us so that we may transform our way of life in conformity with his love," the pope said. "This is the good news, the Gospel that courses through our veins like blood, sustaining us on the journey. A journey that has brought me here with you today!”
Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass in Saurimo, Angola, on April 20, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media
Commenting on the Gospel of the day, Leo reflected: “Indeed, when the Son of God became man, he performed striking miracles in order to manifest the will of the Father: He made light shine in the darkness by giving sight to the blind, he gave a voice to the oppressed by loosening the tongues of the mute, he slaked our thirst for justice by multiplying bread for the poor and weak. Anyone who heard about these works set out in search of Jesus. At the same time, the Lord looks into our heart and asks us whether we seek him out of gratitude or for our own self-interest, with calculation or with love.”“The Lord himself says,” the pope continued, “‘you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves’ (Jn 6:26). His words reveal the designs of those who do not want to encounter a person but want to consume things. The crowd sees Jesus as means to an end, a provider of services. If he had not given them something to eat, his actions and teachings would not have interested them.”“This happens,” Leo XIV explained, “when genuine faith is replaced with superstitious practices, in which God becomes an idol that is sought only when it is advantageous to us and only for as long as it is. Even the most beautiful gifts of the Lord, which are always for the care of his people, become a pretext, a prize or a bargaining chip, and are misinterpreted by those who receive them.”“How different is Jesus’ attitude toward us,” the pontiff continued. “Yet, he does not reject this insincere search, but encourages its conversion ... Christ calls us to freedom: He does not want servants or clients, rather he seeks brothers and sisters to whom he can totally dedicate himself.”“Therefore,” Leo XIV said, “the admonition that the Lord directs to the crowd is transformed into an invitation: ‘Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life’ (Jn 6:27)."“His gift sheds light on our current situation,” the pope went on. “We can see today how the hope of many people is frustrated by violence, exploited by the powerful, and defrauded by the rich. Consequently, when injustice corrupts hearts, the bread of all becomes the possession of a few."“In the face of these evils, Christ hears the cry of the people and renews our history by lifting us up from every fall, comforting us in every suffering, and encouraging us in our mission," he said.
Crowds of people brave the heat and sun to attend Mass with Pope Leo XIV in Saurimo, Angola, on April 20, 2026. | Credit: Raúl Kangombe Sapiti/ACI Africa
“All this,” the pope exhorted, “means that, in light of our discipleship, the ecclesial journey is a ‘synod of resurrection and hope,’ as St. John Paul II affirmed in his apostolic exhortation Ecclesia in Africa. Let us proceed in this wise direction! Christ himself guides and strengthens our journey, a journey that we want to learn to live more and more as it should be, that is, in a synodal manner.”The pope concluded by recalling the importance of the martyrs and saints, whose witness “encourages us and pushes us onto a path of hope, reconciliation, and peace, along which the gift of God becomes the responsibility of the head of the household, in the Christian community, in civil society.”"The vitality of the vocations that you experience [in Angola]," he said, "is a sign that you are responding to the Lord’s gift, which is always abundant for those who welcome it with pure hearts.”ACI Africa reporter Raúl Kangombe Sapiti contributed to this report.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.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/christ-is-not-a-guru-or-a-good-luck-charm-pope-says-at-mass-in-angola-catholic-saurimo-angola-pope-leo-xiv-warned-at-mass-in-saurimo-angola-on-monday-of-making-god-int-scaled.jpg)
After praying at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption in Saurimo, Pope Leo XIV proceeded to the site of the Mass, attended by an estimated 60,000 people.
![Beloved Catholic kids book series ‘Chime Travelers’ becomes animated TV show #Catholic The beloved children’s book series “Chime Travelers” has now made an exciting leap from page to screen with its development into an animated TV series, bringing its imaginative world to life in a whole new way. Known for its blend of adventure, time travel, and meaningful life lessons, the Catholic series has captivated young readers with its charming characters and heartfelt storytelling for over 10 years.“Chime Travelers,” written by Catholic author Lisa Hendey, follows twins Patrick and Katie as they travel to different places and time periods — all thanks to some magical church bells — to learn valuable life lessons from the saints.Developed by Family Theater Productions and Herald Entertainment, the new animated series depicts the same stories from the book series and includes episodes on St. Patrick, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Clare of Assisi, St. Kateri Tekakwitha, and the Holy Family.In an interview with EWTN News, Hendey said she’s “absolutely thrilled with the outcome” of the animated series.She shared that she had been in conversations with Family Theater Productions — a Catholic production studio in Hollywood — since 2017 about adapting the books for television.“They really saw at an early point the potential for the books to become a very dynamic [series], something even bigger than what they were as books, and itʼs been a long path enough to get to where we are now,” Hendey said.
Katie meets St. Kateri Tekakwitha in an episode of “Chime Travelers.” | Credit: Family Theater Productions
Father David Guffey, executive producer of “Chime Travelers” and the national director of Family Theater Productions, told EWTN News that he believed this series needed to be made because there aren’t many options in terms of Catholic media for children.“If you look at all the media thatʼs out there, thereʼs not much for Catholic children,” he said. “Thereʼs a lot for Catholic teens. Thereʼs a lot for Catholic adults. Thereʼs not a lot of Catholic childrenʼs programming. And we decided just to take a risk on this animated series so that thereʼd be another option for parents that wanted something solid to show their children.”While the book series only included five stories, the animated series will have more saint stories made into episodes for future seasons. For these additional stories, Hendey is serving as a consultant.“Iʼm so delighted that they continue to involve my voice and to give me the chance to say, ‘Well, I donʼt think my character would say that, or have we tried this, or have we thought about this?’ But the new stories are — theyʼre so exciting because theyʼre brand-new. I didnʼt write books about them,” she said. “And now the question will be, do we adapt books from those or what happens next?”Guffey, who is also a biblical consultant on the hit series “The Chosen," said he believes the rise in popularity in faith-based movies and shows being created has “been a long time in coming.”“For a long time, executives in Hollywood didnʼt believe that Christians were an audience,” he explained. “They didnʼt believe there was a faith-based audience and so they were very reluctant to fund or distribute projects. Weʼve had some big signs that there is an audience. Christians have proved themselves.”He highlighted “The Passion of the Christ” as the faith-based movie that opened the doors for other faith-based films to be created and “The Chosen” for doing the same for faith-based television series.“Christians and Catholics are showing they will seek out the kind of content that suits their families and their faith. And thatʼs going to change Hollywood — the business side of Hollywood especially,” Guffey added.The Catholic priest also emphasized the importance of creating faith-based media specifically for children.“With an adult show, adults will watch it once and theyʼre done. But with childrenʼs shows, if theyʼre of any quality at all, children will watch them over and over and over again. So, these shows and these stories really form young people in a really significant way,” he said.Hendey added that she’s grateful “we have now programming thatʼs not only faithful — because we always wanted to be faithful and we always wanted to really speak to the truth and the beauty and the goodness of our Church — but also thatʼs fun, thatʼs compelling, that kids want to watch over and over again.”As for her hopes for the series, Hendey said: “I hope that the kids who watch this, in particular, understand the agency that they have in their own lives to learn valuable lessons from the community of saints and to be a force for good in our world. We need them. We need their hearts and their purity and the love that they have, and so I hope they feel emboldened to realize that they really can make change in their world and in our world.”Guffey added: “When youʼre a kid, you think the problem youʼre going through, youʼre the only one that ever had it and you think you can be a very lonely place. I hope the series shows that first of all, Katie and Patrick go through some of the things they go through at school or at home, but also that the saints and the people whoʼve gone before us have gone through the same thing. And we can draw on the wisdom and the experience of others to gracefully move through the problems, the troubles that we encounter in our lives today.”“The lives of the saints are the lives of the Gospel in action. And I think itʼs important that children see how faith is put into practice,” Guffey shared. “And when we tell the stories of the saints, we are really telling the story of people who put their faith into practice in the good times and in the more difficult times.”“Chime Travelers” can be watched on Formed and on Hallow.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/beloved-catholic-kids-book-series-chime-travelers-becomes-animated-tv-show-catholic-the-beloved-childrens-book-series-chime-travelers-has-now-made-an-exci-scaled.jpg)
The new animated series depicts the same stories from the books, including episodes on St. Patrick, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Clare of Assisi, St. Kateri Tekakwitha, and the Holy Family.
Ambassador Brian Burch described the situation in Nigeria as a “conflict between radical Islamic groups and Christians because of their faith.”
![Police reveal bomb threat at Chicago-area home of Pope Leo XIV’s brother #Catholic The brother of Pope Leo XIV was reportedly the victim of a hoax bomb threat in a suburb outside of Chicago, according to police and media reports. The New Lenox, Illinois, Police Department said in a Facebook post on April 15 that it had responded to a “reported bomb threat at a private residence” in the Chicago suburb about 40 miles outside of the city center. The statement did not identify the home as belonging to Leoʼs brother John Prevost, but local media reports said the target of the threat was Prevostʼs home. Public records indicate that Prevost lives on the street to which police responded. Police evacuated nearby homes during their investigation and called in explosive-detection K9 units. “After careful examination, investigators determined that the threat was unsubstantiated and that no explosive devices or hazardous materials were present,” New Lenox police said. The police noted that no injuries were reported but that the false bomb threat was “a serious offense and may result in criminal charges.”New Lenox Police Chief Micah Nuesse told EWTN News via email on April 16 that the matter was an “active and ongoing investigation” and that the police department had “no new updates to share” about the crime or any suspects. The hoax threat came just several days after President Donald Trump praised Pope Leo XIVʼs other brother, Louis, in a rambling Truth Social post in which he derided Pope Leo XIV as “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy” after Leo repeatedly criticized the ongoing U.S.-led war in Iran. “I like [Leoʼs] brother Louis much better than I like him, because Louis is all MAGA. He gets it, and Leo doesn’t!” Trump said. Louis Prevost currently lives in Florida. On April 11 at a Vatican peace vigil, the pope criticized the “madness of war” and urged world leaders: “Stop! Itʼs time for peace!” On March 29, meanwhile, he said that God “does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war.”In Trumpʼs Truth Social post, he suggested that Leo — the first American-born pontiff — was only elected to the papacy as part of a diplomatic strategy to “deal with” Trump himself, due to Leoʼs U.S. background. “If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican,” Trump claimed in the post. Responding to a question about Trumpʼs post on April 13, Leo told media that “people who read it will be able to draw their own conclusions.” "I am not a politician, and I have no intention of entering into a debate with him,” the pope said, adding that he had "no fear neither of the Trump administration nor of speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel."](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/police-reveal-bomb-threat-at-chicago-area-home-of-pope-leo-xivs-brother-catholic-the-brother-of-pope-leo-xiv-was-reportedly-the-victim-of-a-hoax-bomb-threat-in-a-suburb-outside-of-chicago-a.jpg "Police reveal bomb threat at Chicago-area home of Pope Leo XIV’s brother #Catholic The brother of Pope Leo XIV was reportedly the victim of a hoax bomb threat in a suburb outside of Chicago, according to police and media reports. The New Lenox, Illinois, Police Department said in a Facebook post on April 15 that it had responded to a “reported bomb threat at a private residence” in the Chicago suburb about 40 miles outside of the city center. The statement did not identify the home as belonging to Leoʼs brother John Prevost, but local media reports said the target of the threat was Prevostʼs home. Public records indicate that Prevost lives on the street to which police responded. Police evacuated nearby homes during their investigation and called in explosive-detection K9 units. “After careful examination, investigators determined that the threat was unsubstantiated and that no explosive devices or hazardous materials were present,” New Lenox police said. The police noted that no injuries were reported but that the false bomb threat was “a serious offense and may result in criminal charges.”New Lenox Police Chief Micah Nuesse told EWTN News via email on April 16 that the matter was an “active and ongoing investigation” and that the police department had “no new updates to share” about the crime or any suspects. The hoax threat came just several days after President Donald Trump praised Pope Leo XIVʼs other brother, Louis, in a rambling Truth Social post in which he derided Pope Leo XIV as “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy” after Leo repeatedly criticized the ongoing U.S.-led war in Iran. “I like [Leoʼs] brother Louis much better than I like him, because Louis is all MAGA. He gets it, and Leo doesn’t!” Trump said. Louis Prevost currently lives in Florida. On April 11 at a Vatican peace vigil, the pope criticized the “madness of war” and urged world leaders: “Stop! Itʼs time for peace!” On March 29, meanwhile, he said that God “does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war.”In Trumpʼs Truth Social post, he suggested that Leo — the first American-born pontiff — was only elected to the papacy as part of a diplomatic strategy to “deal with” Trump himself, due to Leoʼs U.S. background. “If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican,” Trump claimed in the post. Responding to a question about Trumpʼs post on April 13, Leo told media that “people who read it will be able to draw their own conclusions.” \"I am not a politician, and I have no intention of entering into a debate with him,” the pope said, adding that he had \"no fear neither of the Trump administration nor of speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel.\"")
![Knights of Columbus affirms ‘solidarity’ with Pope Leo XIV as Trump escalates criticism #Catholic The Knights of Columbus issued a statement that affirms the Catholic fraternal organization’s solidarity with Pope Leo XIV as President Donald Trump criticized the Holy Father a second time on Truth Social.“The Knights of Columbus has always stood in solidarity with the Holy Father, recognizing in him a spiritual father who calls the world not to division but to unity, not to conflict but to peace,” Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly said in the statement.“In this moment, we reaffirm that commitment with clarity and conviction,” he said.Trump escalated his criticism of the Holy Father late Tuesday evening in a second post on Truth Social, which criticized the pontiff’s staunch opposition to war.Whether one agrees or disagrees with Leo’s policy views, Kelly said, “the Holy Father’s prophetic voice deserves to be heard with respect and engaged seriously.”“Pope Leo XIV has consistently called for peace, dialogue, and restraint in a world marked by war and suffering,” he said. “The Holy Father’s words are not political talking points — they are reflections of the Gospel itself.”Kelly noted that many Catholics and others “have been deeply disappointed by the disparaging comments directed at Pope Leo XIV” by Trump, and that Leo “is not a politician — he is the vicar of Christ, entrusted with proclaiming the Gospel and shepherding souls.”In his statement, Kelly acknowledged that faithful Catholics can hold differing views on foreign policy and that Catholics should engage in the public square. He said nations can safeguard security “in accordance with the demands of justice and the pursuit of peace.”“The Church does not ask Catholics to withdraw from civic life but to engage with and elevate it — bringing to our civic dialogue the light of truth, respect for the dignity of every human person, and a steadfast concern for the common good," he said.Kelly also encouraged prayers for the pope, the president, and other politicians.“As Knights, we are called to be men of unity, as followers of Christ and patriotic citizens,” he said. “I encourage all Knights of Columbus to pray for the Holy Father, to pray for civic leaders, and to pray for peace and those working to achieve it.”“And let us recommit ourselves to charity in our public discourse,” he added. “May we be known not for echoing the divisions of our time, but for healing them. In a moment of tension, the path forward is not louder conflict but deeper fidelity — to truth, to charity, and to the Gospel.”Trump goes after Leo againTrumpʼs social media post said: “Will someone please tell Pope Leo that Iran has killed at least 42,000 innocent, completely unarmed, protesters in the last two months, and that for Iran to have a nuclear bomb is absolutely unacceptable."During the protests, Leo did call for peace, saying in January that “ongoing tensions [in Iran and Syria] continue to claim many lives.”“I hope and pray that dialogue and peace may be patiently nurtured in pursuit of the common good of the whole of society,” he said at the time.Leo has also strongly opposed nuclear weapons, saying in June 2025: “The further proliferation of nuclear weapons in the Middle East, as well as this escalation of violence, imperils the fragile stability remaining in the region.”While Trump cited numbers exceeding 40,000 people, estimates about the number of people killed in anti-regime protests and unrest in Iran varies a lot, ranging from several thousand to more than 30,000. Most protesters were unarmed, but Iran’s government claims some were armed and killed about 500 security personnel. Trump said the United States tried to arm the protesters, but those guns did not get to the right people.Vance, bishops offer more commentsCatholic bishops and leaders have responded to Trump’s attack on Pope Leo, and elected officials also have made statements.Archbishop Alexander Sample of Portland, Oregon, said he is deeply concerned and troubled by Trump’s social media rhetoric, especially during Holy Week and Easter, which he says falls short of the moral standard expected of both the presidency and a professed Christian. The archbishop criticized Trump’s attacks on Pope Leo, saying the pope’s calls for peace and dialogue arise from his pastoral mission, not political ideology.Sample said the Church’s role is to proclaim peace, human dignity, and the Gospel, citing Jesus’ teaching: “Blessed are the peacemakers.”The Ancient Order of Hibernians condemned attacks and mockery directed at Pope Leo XIV and the papacy, affirming that respect for the Holy Father is essential to Catholic faith.Vice President JD Vance, a convert to Catholicism, said at a Turning Point USA event that Pope Leo XIV should “be careful when he talks about matters of theology.”“One of the issues here is that if youʼre going to opine on matters of theology, youʼve got to be careful,” he said. “Youʼve got to make sure itʼs anchored in the truth.”Republican U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana said: “Any religious leader can say anything they want, but obviously, if you wade into political waters, I think you should expect some political response.”Pope Leo XIV has responded to Trump’s public criticism by saying he has “no fear of the Trump administration” and will continue to speak out boldly with the message of the Gospel.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/knights-of-columbus-affirms-solidarity-with-pope-leo-xiv-as-trump-escalates-criticism-catholic-the-knights-of-columbus-issued-a-statement-that-affirms-the-catholic-fraternal-organiz.jpg "Knights of Columbus affirms ‘solidarity’ with Pope Leo XIV as Trump escalates criticism #Catholic The Knights of Columbus issued a statement that affirms the Catholic fraternal organization’s solidarity with Pope Leo XIV as President Donald Trump criticized the Holy Father a second time on Truth Social.“The Knights of Columbus has always stood in solidarity with the Holy Father, recognizing in him a spiritual father who calls the world not to division but to unity, not to conflict but to peace,” Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly said in the statement.“In this moment, we reaffirm that commitment with clarity and conviction,” he said.Trump escalated his criticism of the Holy Father late Tuesday evening in a second post on Truth Social, which criticized the pontiff’s staunch opposition to war.Whether one agrees or disagrees with Leo’s policy views, Kelly said, “the Holy Father’s prophetic voice deserves to be heard with respect and engaged seriously.”“Pope Leo XIV has consistently called for peace, dialogue, and restraint in a world marked by war and suffering,” he said. “The Holy Father’s words are not political talking points — they are reflections of the Gospel itself.”Kelly noted that many Catholics and others “have been deeply disappointed by the disparaging comments directed at Pope Leo XIV” by Trump, and that Leo “is not a politician — he is the vicar of Christ, entrusted with proclaiming the Gospel and shepherding souls.”In his statement, Kelly acknowledged that faithful Catholics can hold differing views on foreign policy and that Catholics should engage in the public square. He said nations can safeguard security “in accordance with the demands of justice and the pursuit of peace.”“The Church does not ask Catholics to withdraw from civic life but to engage with and elevate it — bringing to our civic dialogue the light of truth, respect for the dignity of every human person, and a steadfast concern for the common good,\" he said.Kelly also encouraged prayers for the pope, the president, and other politicians.“As Knights, we are called to be men of unity, as followers of Christ and patriotic citizens,” he said. “I encourage all Knights of Columbus to pray for the Holy Father, to pray for civic leaders, and to pray for peace and those working to achieve it.”“And let us recommit ourselves to charity in our public discourse,” he added. “May we be known not for echoing the divisions of our time, but for healing them. In a moment of tension, the path forward is not louder conflict but deeper fidelity — to truth, to charity, and to the Gospel.”Trump goes after Leo againTrumpʼs social media post said: “Will someone please tell Pope Leo that Iran has killed at least 42,000 innocent, completely unarmed, protesters in the last two months, and that for Iran to have a nuclear bomb is absolutely unacceptable.\"During the protests, Leo did call for peace, saying in January that “ongoing tensions [in Iran and Syria] continue to claim many lives.”“I hope and pray that dialogue and peace may be patiently nurtured in pursuit of the common good of the whole of society,” he said at the time.Leo has also strongly opposed nuclear weapons, saying in June 2025: “The further proliferation of nuclear weapons in the Middle East, as well as this escalation of violence, imperils the fragile stability remaining in the region.”While Trump cited numbers exceeding 40,000 people, estimates about the number of people killed in anti-regime protests and unrest in Iran varies a lot, ranging from several thousand to more than 30,000. Most protesters were unarmed, but Iran’s government claims some were armed and killed about 500 security personnel. Trump said the United States tried to arm the protesters, but those guns did not get to the right people.Vance, bishops offer more commentsCatholic bishops and leaders have responded to Trump’s attack on Pope Leo, and elected officials also have made statements.Archbishop Alexander Sample of Portland, Oregon, said he is deeply concerned and troubled by Trump’s social media rhetoric, especially during Holy Week and Easter, which he says falls short of the moral standard expected of both the presidency and a professed Christian. The archbishop criticized Trump’s attacks on Pope Leo, saying the pope’s calls for peace and dialogue arise from his pastoral mission, not political ideology.Sample said the Church’s role is to proclaim peace, human dignity, and the Gospel, citing Jesus’ teaching: “Blessed are the peacemakers.”The Ancient Order of Hibernians condemned attacks and mockery directed at Pope Leo XIV and the papacy, affirming that respect for the Holy Father is essential to Catholic faith.Vice President JD Vance, a convert to Catholicism, said at a Turning Point USA event that Pope Leo XIV should “be careful when he talks about matters of theology.”“One of the issues here is that if youʼre going to opine on matters of theology, youʼve got to be careful,” he said. “Youʼve got to make sure itʼs anchored in the truth.”Republican U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana said: “Any religious leader can say anything they want, but obviously, if you wade into political waters, I think you should expect some political response.”Pope Leo XIV has responded to Trump’s public criticism by saying he has “no fear of the Trump administration” and will continue to speak out boldly with the message of the Gospel.")
Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly is asking Catholics to pray for the pope and the president, as President Trump again criticized Leo’s comments about the Iran war.
At the Basilica of St. Augustine, the pontiff urged Christians to bear witness through “simple gestures, genuine relationships and a dialogue lived out day by day.”
The pontiff called for a world order that does not exclude the vulnerable and urged leaders to serve the common good.
A stunning snapshot in time. The Artemis II crew captured this breathtaking photo of our galaxy, the Milky Way.
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His appointment comes following the resignation of Cardinal Raphael Sako, who submitted his resignation to Pope Leo XIV on March 9 amid a legal and financial scandal surrounding a former bishop.
Bishop Samson Shukardin said government committees are often delayed so people forget, as protests continue over the marriage of 13-year-old Maria Shahbaz.
A married couple that leads the Teams of Our Lady, founded by newly-declared Venerable Father Henri Caffarel, explains how this lay apostolate helps couples grow together in holiness.
Upon the recitation of the Regina Caeli, the pope also remembered Pope Francis, who died a year ago on Easter Monday.
A seminary was established in Mexico in 1999 to serve the growing Hispanic community in North America, forming future priests who learn Spanish as well as ecclesial and cultural traditions.
Across France, more than 13,000 adults will be baptized this Easter, according to data released by the French Bishops’ Conference — an increase of 28% compared with 2025.
The highly anticipated sixth season will portray the 24 hours of Good Friday — culminating in Christ’s crucifixion.
On Holy Thursday, the pontiff urged Catholics to imitate Christ’s service in a world marked by brutality.
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A previously unpublished illustration intended for the Saturday Evening Post’s 1943 New Year’s edition. It was never used due to publisher demands that the illustrator, J.C. Leyendecker, create a more optimistic and patriotic cover that was sensitive to the families of American soldiers. It was publicly shown for the first time in 2020 as part of an auction.
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“I’m glad I found my way back to the Church. I learned much along the way. But if you believe as I do, you know I’ve been fortunate and touched by God’s grace,” Vance said.
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Tower Clock manufacturer in Morez, France – Louis-Delphin Odobey Cadet. Daylight saving time begins today in much of the Western Hemisphere.
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For the first time, a much younger version of the Sun has been caught red-handed blowing bubbles in the galaxy, by astronomers using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory.
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Off the coast of California, NASA’s Artemis Landing and Recovery team and the Department of War that will work together to retrieve the Artemis II crew and Orion spacecraft following their return to Earth and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean are performing a final simulation of their activities, called a just-in-time training, at sea on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026. During the training, teams use the Crew Module Test Article, a full-scale mockup of the Orion spacecraft, to simulate as close as possible the conditions they can expect to encounter during splashdown of the Artemis II mission.
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For the first time, an international team of astronomers have mapped the vertical structure of Uranus’s upper atmosphere, uncovering how temperature and charged particles vary with height across the planet.
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Sh2-113 is a faint emission nebula located in the constellation of Cygnus. Known also as Flying Dragon Nebula. The amateur image shown here required a total exposure time of 17.5 hours.
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The Varda Space Industries W-5 capsule returned to Earth in Koonibba in South Australia on Jan. 29, 2026, with the protection of a heat shield made of C-PICA, a cutting-edge material licensed from NASA and manufactured by Varda. The capsule’s successful return marks the first time a capsule protected entirely by Varda-made C-PICA has come back to Earth.
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A green and red aurora streams across Earth’s horizon above the city lights of Europe in this Jan. 19, 2026, photograph, which looks north across Italy toward Germany. The International Space Station was orbiting 262 miles above the Mediterranean Sea at approximately 10:02 p.m. local time when the image was captured.
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The New York–Newark–Jersey City Metropolitan Statistical Area, which spans 23 counties across New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut and has a population of about 19.9 million, is pictured at approximately 3:29 a.m. local time Dec. 20, 2025, from the International Space Station as it orbited 262 miles above the Atlantic coast.
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