The council also approves the annual budget and the consolidated financial statements of the Holy See and submits them to the pope.

Members are appointed by the pope for a five-year term and, according to the constitution of the Roman Curia, are always divided between eight cardinals or bishops and seven expert laypeople chosen from diverse nationalities.

The new cardinals appointed to the council Aug. 11 are Grzegorz Ryś, archbishop of Krakow, Poland; Ladislav Nemet, SVD, archbishop of Belgrade, Serbia; Jean-Paul Vesco, OP, archbishop of Algiers, Algeria; and Roberto Repole, archbishop of Turin, Italy.

Among the laypeople, Pope Leo appointed H.S.H. Gisela Bergmann, princess of Liechtenstein and the daughter of H.S.H. Prince Michael of Liechtenstein. The 36-year-old holds a degree in engineering and has worked in various positions in investment banking and engineering in England, Canada, Singapore and Switzerland.

Since 2022, Bergmann has been CEO of Industrie-Und Finanzkontor, a financial company founded by the Princely Family of Liechtenstein.

Leo also appointed French businessman and philanthropist Denis Duverne, who has been chair of the board of directors of the French multinational insurance corporation AXA since 2016. He has a background in regulatory affairs in France and abroad.

The pope also appointed two Italians to the council. Elena Principato-Wettstein, an Italian currently based in Switzerland, is executive director and head of sales management WM Europe International at UBS, the Swiss multinational investment bank and financial services firm.

Paolo Nusiner, meanwhile, has had a long career managing Catholic institutions in Italy, including holding the top positions at the Catholic newspaper Avvenire and the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan.

He has been director for general affairs at the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication since 2015, and president of the Isola Tiberina-Gemelli Isola Hospital in Rome since 2022.

Leo confirmed the following people, originally appointed by Pope Francis, for additional five-year terms: Cardinal Odilo Pedro Scherer, archbishop of São Paulo, Brazil; Cardinal Gérald Cyprien Lacroix, ISPX, archbishop of Québec, Canada, and primate of Canada; Cardinal Joseph William Tobin, CSSR., archbishop of Newark, New Jersey; Leslie Jane Ferrar, trustee of the Archdiocese of Westminster, Great Britain; Alberto Minali, chief executive officer of REVO Insurance; and Father Brian Edwin Ferme, a canon lawyer and secretary of the council.

Cardinal Reinhard Marx, who has led the council since it was established by Pope Francis in 2014, will also continue in his position, as will the council’s vice coordinator, the German legal scholar Charlotte Kreuter-Kirchhof.

According to the constitution of the Roman Curia, Praedicate Evangelium, the council “carries out its functions in the light of the social doctrine of the Church, following the best practices recognized internationally in the field of public administration and striving for an administrative and financial management that is both ethical and efficient.”

Here are seven things to know about the woman whose witness continues to inspire Catholics more than 800 years later:

1. She came from a wealthy noble family — but left everything behind.

Clare was born in Assisi, Italy, on July 16, 1194, into one of the cityʼs most prominent noble families. As a young woman, she enjoyed a privileged upbringing and was expected to marry into another wealthy household.

Instead, after hearing Francis — who is now known as St. Francis of Assisi — preach about living the Gospel with radical simplicity, Clare felt called to dedicate her life entirely to Christ. At age 18, she secretly left her family home on Palm Sunday night in 1212 to begin a new life of poverty.

Her family attempted to bring her home by force, but Clare firmly refused and cut off her hair as a sign that she belonged to God alone.

2. She founded the Poor Clares.

With Francis' guidance, Clare established a community of women at the Church of San Damiano outside Assisi that would become known as the Poor Clares. She eventually became abbess and led the monastery for more than 40 years.

Despite their similarities, Franciscans and Poor Clares have distinctive differences.

The Franciscans, founded by St. Francis of Assisi in 1209, include men who are called to live the Gospel through poverty, fraternity, and service, often ministering in parishes, schools, missions, and charitable works around the world. The Poor Clares, founded by St. Clare of Assisi in 1212 with the guidance of St. Francis, are a contemplative order of women who live a cloistered life centered on prayer, the Eucharist, and community life.

While both embrace the Franciscan ideals of simplicity and poverty, the Franciscans are primarily active in apostolic ministry, whereas the Poor Clares dedicate their lives to supporting the Church through prayer and contemplation.

3. She was the first woman to write a rule for a religious order that received papal approval.

One of St. Clareʼs most significant contributions to the Church was authoring the Rule for the Poor Clares. While many womenʼs religious communities of the time followed rules adapted from existing monastic traditions, Clare aimed to preserve the distinctive charism she had embraced alongside St. Francis.

For decades, Clare resisted pressure from Church authorities to modify her communityʼs way of life by accepting property or financial endowments. Instead, she carefully composed a rule that reflected the Franciscan ideal while providing practical guidance for the sisters' communal life, prayer, governance, and observance of enclosure.

On Aug. 9, 1253, just two days before Clareʼs death, Pope Innocent IV formally approved her rule, making her the first woman in the history of the Church to write a rule for a religious order that received papal approval.

The rule remains the foundation of Poor Clare communities throughout the world and stands as a lasting testament to Clareʼs spiritual leadership and unwavering commitment to the Franciscan vision.

4. She had an extraordinary devotion to the Eucharist.

Perhaps no aspect of Clareʼs spirituality stands out more than her love for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. She spent countless hours in prayer before the Eucharist and encouraged her sisters to center their lives on Christʼs real presence.

This Eucharistic devotion became especially evident during one of the most famous events of her life.

One of the best-known stories about Clare occurred when invading Saracen mercenaries threatened the convent of San Damiano. Although seriously ill, Clare asked that the Blessed Sacrament be brought to her. Holding the monstrance before the attackers, she prayed for Godʼs protection, and the invaders fled.

5. She is the patron saint of television.

Near the end of Clare’s life, illness prevented her from attending Mass. According to tradition, she was miraculously able to see and hear the Christmas midnight Mass in 1252 being celebrated on the wall of her room in the convent. Because of this extraordinary supernatural event, Pope Pius XII declared her the patron saint of television in 1958.

6. She and St. Francis shared one of the Churchʼs most remarkable friendships.

The friendship between St. Clare and St. Francis of Assisi is one of the most enduring examples of holy companionship in Church history. Although Francis played a pivotal role in Clareʼs discernment and inspired her embrace of a life of poverty, their relationship was marked by mutual respect and a shared desire to follow Christ above all else. Francis entrusted Clare with establishing and leading the community at San Damiano, while Clare remained a steadfast guardian of the Franciscan charism, especially after Francis' death in 1226.

Despite living separate vocations, the two maintained a deep spiritual bond rooted in prayer, humility, and service to the Gospel. More than eight centuries later, their example continues to inspire men and women to support one another in faithfully responding to Godʼs call.

7. Her influence continues more than 800 years later.

On Aug. 11, 1253, Clare died at the age of 59. She was canonized by Pope Alexander IV on Sept. 26, 1255.

More than 800 years after she left her family home to follow Christ, St. Clareʼs witness continues to resonate with Catholics across the globe. Her unwavering trust in Godʼs providence, profound love for the Eucharist, and commitment to a life of simplicity remain as relevant today as they were in the 13th century.

Through the monasteries of the Poor Clares, her spirit of contemplative prayer and poverty lives on, with thousands of religious sisters dedicating their lives to praying for the needs of the Church and the world.

Today, there are approximately 20,000 Poor Clare nuns worldwide. They live in more than 500 monasteries in over 70 countries.

The shrine’s recent newsletters have highlighted the preparations and appealed for support to help carry out the necessary work to welcome the Holy Father and the thousands of pilgrims expected for the occasion.

For the Sunday, Sept. 27, Mass, organizers plan to install a platform capable of accommodating 400 people, an audio system suitable for the sanctuary’s meadow, 10 giant screens, and enhanced signage.

In addition, measures are being taken “to ensure the safety of pedestrian routes and facilitate the movement of sick, elderly, and disabled persons,” a priority that is already central to the shrine’s mission but one that organizers hope to improve further.

Most of these upgrades will remain at the shrine for the long-term benefit of pilgrims, so any donations are viewed as an investment in Lourdes’ future.

In total, organizers expect to install more than 6.2 miles of security barriers, mobilize approximately 600 volunteers, welcome nearly 3,000 priests, provide 1,000 temporary public restrooms, and implement an enhanced cleaning and waste-management system.

Registration opens for Mass and rosary procession

Beyond the technical challenges, shrine officials emphasize that the essential priority during the pope’s visit is to maintain the shrine’s normal activities, “accompanying the sick with the same tenderness” and ensuring that “the spiritual heart of Lourdes continues to beat uninterrupted alongside the day’s events.”

Organizers also announced that registration forms are now available for those wishing to attend, either individually or as part of a group. While registration is not mandatory, it is strongly recommended.

Two registration forms have been created: one for individuals, families, or groups of fewer than 10 people, and another for larger groups.

Upon registering, pilgrims will receive practical information by email, including transportation options, recommended travel routes, and instructions for access and seating arrangements in the Meadow or the Rosary Esplanade.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

The report, published July 27, alleged “a retreat of Western nations from human rights” like religious freedom, which has “contributed to widespread religious persecution affecting Christians and other faith communities worldwide.”

According to the authors, the U.S. and many European nations are prioritizing “hard interests,” which they called a shift “reverting to the historical norms of foreign affairs.” The report notes some specific changes seen in President Donald Trump’s second administration, which began in January 2025.

In what the authors called “the U.S. retreat,” they cited elements of the administration’s foreign policy. This included reductions to “funding and staffing” for agencies and nongovernmental organizations that support international religious freedom, the lack of an ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom, and “weak congressional and executive prioritization.”

According to the report, this coincided with a foreign policy centered on “military force, economic power, and territorial security” and de-emphasizing “alliances, values, and soft-power tools.”

Specifically, they note Trump’s cuts to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which included international religious freedom initiatives, and the suspension of the refugee resettlement program, to which victims of religious persecution previously had access.

It states that USAID’s functions and its staff have been reduced “to the minimum level required by statute” and the Department of State’s human rights initiatives were shifted to its regional bureaus, “which lacked relevant expertise and typically prioritized relationship-maintenance over rights concerns.” It states the International Religious Freedom Office was “demoted” and incorporated into the State Department’s broader human rights bureau and faced staffing cuts.

The report notes the administration has not disclosed how many international religious freedom programs were cut. However, it cited the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom’s (USCIRF) 2026 annual report that concluded “a significant portion” had been terminated.

According to the Dallas Baptist University report, cuts included programs that “counter restrictive laws, support early warning systems for religious violence, promote interfaith dialogue, document violations, provide emergency assistance to religious freedom activists, and provide humanitarian aid to persecuted communities.”

“As the largest financial supporter of international religious freedom efforts, the U.S. government’s abrupt halt and subsequent cuts to its IRF-related assistance harmed the programs’ beneficiaries and implementers, and undercut the IRF advocacy community,” it adds.

The report notes European states followed the U.S. lead by cutting its own foreign assistance, which included initiatives that promote international religious freedom.

It also expresses concern that the position for U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom has remained vacant throughout Trump’s second term after his nominee did not secure a Senate confirmation. The State Department also has not released its annual International Religious Freedom report in 2025, it notes, which is required by law.

Alternatively, the report gives the Trump administration credit for designating Nigeria a country of particular concern (CPC) for religious freedom violations, which prompted its government to engage with the U.S. to address problems. It also cited a visa policy that bans individuals who have directed, authorized, supported, or participated in violations of religious freedom.

State Department disputes characterization

In a statement provided to EWTN News, a State Department spokesperson said the U.S., under Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, is focused on international religious freedom and has “re-established the United States as a global leader” in defending the right domestically and abroad.

“Under this Administration, the Department of State has made unprecedented advances in accountability by revoking visas from violators of religious freedom and pushing action to defend people of faith around the world,” the spokesperson said. “From our global visa actions, to our public defense of Christians targeted for silent prayer in the United Kingdom, to our designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, we are once again standing up for people of faith in no uncertain terms.”

“The Department unapologetically affirms religious freedom as our nation’s first freedom,” the spokesperson added. “We are also committed to direct advocacy at all levels on behalf of prisoners of conscience.”

Alberto Fernández, an EWTN contributor and former diplomat, told EWTN News that he thinks the U.S. focus on international religious freedom is “far more nuanced” than the report suggests, arguing that religious freedom advocacy always took a back seat in U.S. diplomacy.

Fernández said religious freedom concerns have always been “an add-on” to U.S. diplomatic negotiations, as opposed to a top priority, saying it has always “struggled to get attention.” He said U.S. diplomats may “raise a religious freedom issue,” but “it will be one of a dozen issues that is raised with a specific country.”

He also disputed USAID’s focus on international religious freedom, saying when he was serving in government for more than two dozen years until 2015, the agency “had to be dragged kicking and screaming to do [anything about religious freedom],” adding: “It’s not something they wanted to do; it was something they had to be forced to do.”

Under Trump, he noted that the administration has prioritized religious freedom with the new government in Syria, has made religious freedom in Nigeria a priority, and has advocated on behalf of Orthodox Christians in Turkey, encouraging the reopening of the Greek Orthodox Halki Seminary, which the Turkish government shut down in 1971.

“It’s always going to be an issue that’s going to fight for attention at the table,” Fernández said, adding that “people need to keep pushing it … in their interactions with administrations.”

In a letter addressed to the priests, religious, and faithful of Ceuta, where the recent arrival of thousands of illegal migrants led to an overwhelming breach of the city’s maritime border, Valdivia invited the faithful to pray on the eve of the solemnity of the Assumption of Mary, celebrated on Aug. 15, following a suggestion made by Pope Leo XIV.

“As a proposal for ecclesial action in response to this humanitarian and confidence crisis, I believe it is necessary to turn our gaze toward God,” Valdivia wrote, expressing his desire that this prayer take place “with the intention not only of seeking protection for the city of Ceuta but also so that we may become aware of the importance of maturing in the faith we have received and ask for the necessary light so that, united, we may experience these moments as a new cultural beginning and not simply as a crisis, which one hopes will prove temporary.”

“These events seem to me to reveal the depth of the cultural change that is taking place. For this reason, now more than ever, we need to lift our eyes and pray together the Our Father, saying: ‘Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven!’” he insisted.

In the letter, Valdivia, who is also the auxiliary bishop of Seville, acknowledged that he needed time “to reflect on and understand the scope of what we have suffered and, at the same time, to try to understand, with the light available to me, the repercussions that go beyond what the media have been showing.”

The bishop pointed to “the humanitarian disaster generated by ambition and corruption” in which “young people without a future threw themselves into the unknown, driven only by political slogans or ill-intentioned promises” while adults “took advantage of the lack of government control to flee the criminal responsibilities of their own country, perhaps aided by a premeditated pardon arranged for this occasion.”

He also wrote of minors who, “abandoned by their families, become easy prey for predators” and, referring to the residents of Ceuta, “people who have felt their own space violated.”

‘Our Lady of Africa has been our stronghold’

In his reflection, Valdivia shared that what arose in his heart was “gratitude born of faith,” emphasizing that “from the very first moment, Our Lady of Africa has been the stronghold in which we can find refuge.”

“I have been able to perceive how the mother and patroness of Ceuta has once again, throughout history, become the lighthouse guiding us as we navigate stormy seas,” he added.

The auxiliary bishop of Seville also highlighted the way Catholics have faced the challenge of the arrival of a group nearly as large as Ceuta’s own population: “It is only right that we all send a message of gratitude to this small Christian community, so that they may receive strong encouragement from the rest of the diocese and continue to keep alive the witness of faith.”

“I want to believe that both the floral offering and the celebration and procession with the image of Our Lady of Africa were not merely a passing sigh but rather a catalyst for breaking the inertia generated by fear, the spark that awakens awareness of what faith contributes to the rebuilding of the city, the greatest challenge facing society and the Church in this time that the Lord has given us,” Valdivia said.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

The legislation signed Aug. 10 removes all of the state’s restrictions on abortion after 24 weeks. An elective late-term abortion may be done based upon “the professional judgment of the physician” performing it, under the law.

“It should shock the conscience that tens of thousands of unborn Americans are barbarically dismembered limb by limb and torn apart every single year. Sadly, that number will only increase with Gov. Healey’s approval of the Abortion Up Until Birth Bill,” Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of SBA Pro-Life America, said in a statement.

The state Senate sent the legislation to Healey’s desk on July 31 for her signature.

Under the previous statute, state law allowed abortion during the first 24 weeks of pregnancy if a physician says it is necessary to preserve the life, physical or mental health of the woman, because of a lethal fetal anomaly or diagnosis, or because the fetus wouldn’t likely survive outside the uterus.

“Today, mothers and fathers and families who experience these devastating diagnoses — and they are devastating, heartbreaking — now theyʼll be able to make their own choices,” Healey said at a press conference on Aug. 10.

Healey and supporters of the measure said the change in the law was needed because Massachusetts hospitals were increasingly refusing to provide abortions for women who already qualified for post‑24‑week abortions under existing law and that doctors needed clearer authority to reaffirm that medical judgment governs late‑term abortion decisions.

Healey, who is an outspoken supporter of abortion access, has served as the state’s governor since 2023.

Responding to the enacted legislation, Dannenfelser urged that the GOP “must abandon the ‘leave it to the states’ position — a stance that permits egregious late-term abortion laws like this one — and advance national protections for unborn children.”

SBA Pro-Life America highlighted that abortions done during the second and third trimesters are generally done by dismemberment of the baby or labor, noting that inducing labor may result in a live birth.

“Without a minimum national standard, the United States remains 1 of only 8 countries worldwide that allows abortion at any point in pregnancy,” Dannenfelser said.

According to a 2024 study from the Charlotte Lozier Institute, 46 of 50 countries in Europe limit abortion after 15 weeks –– a point by which the baby feels pain. The institute also found that over 60,000 abortions occur after 15 weeks each year.

“We must do all we can to turn the page on America’s ugly chapter of late-term abortion,” Dannenfelser said.

The earthquake occurred at 7:34 a.m. local time, and its epicenter was the municipality of San José del Palmar in the department of Chocó, located on the Pacific coast.

On its social media, the Archdiocese of Manizales shared a video showing cracks in the facade and the partial collapse of one of the side towers of the 390-foot-high neo-Gothic church, the tallest cathedral in Colombia and the tallest neo-Gothic church in the Americas.

Instagram post

The death toll remains unknown as local and national authorities continue to gather information in order to get a complete picture of the number of victims and the structural damage caused by the earthquake, considered the strongest in the last decade.

Colombia’s newly elected president, Abelardo De La Espriella, said on social media he has “personally taken charge of the emergency response in San José del Palmar” and has ordered the “establishment of a Unified Command Post to coordinate the response to the damage and assist those affected.”

“You are not alone,” wrote De La Espriella, who is Catholic. “The state is present and acting.”

The Archdiocese of Manizales called on the population to pray “for all the people and families who may have been affected, for those who today feel fear and uncertainty, and, especially, for those who need help.”

“May God protect Manizales and Colombia, strengthen our hearts, and grant us serenity, solidarity, and hope. Lord, we place Colombia in your hands,” the archdiocese said in its post.

The governor of Chocó, Nubia Córdoba, stated on her social media account that “in the capital, Quibdó, there are injuries and serious damage to buildings.”

In its first report, the Civil Aeronautics Authority of Colombia reported that the earthquake affected the facilities of “the airports of Pereira, Manizales, Quibdó, Armenia, Cartago, and Buenaventura.”

“For safety reasons, air operations at these terminals remain suspended until structural damage to the infrastructure is assessed,” the group stated.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

So what do these multiple roles mean in the context of a pope’s day-to-day work as the visible leader of the world’s Catholics?

Andreas Widmer, a former Pontifical Swiss Guard who served St. John Paul II and who now teaches at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., told EWTN News that the papal states once formed a substantial territorial kingdom in central Italy with the pope as its temporal ruler.

Following Italian unification in the 19th century and the loss of most of those lands in 1870, the Church further developed the concept of the Holy See as an enduring international presence independent of extensive territory.

The 1929 Lateran Treaty formalized the creation of Vatican City State — a tiny sovereign territory of approximately 109 acres centered on Vatican Hill — providing the pope with just enough independence to exercise his universal ministry free from external coercion.

“From then on, the pope filled two distinct roles,” Widmer said. “He’s the spiritual head of the Catholic Church, and he’s the head of state of Vatican City — the only absolute sovereign in Europe.”

In principle, the Church could lose the territory of Vatican City and still retain its international juridical personality and diplomatic relations through the Holy See — much as a sovereign could continue to exist and maintain diplomatic relations even without a fixed territorial capital.

“The Church could give up the Vatican and still have the ambassadors, because it’s the Holy See,” Widmer noted. “Anywhere the pope is, there the Holy See is.” This arrangement ensures the “libertas Ecclesiae” — the freedom of the Church.

In addition, the pope’s status as a recognized foreign head of state confers immunities under international law that place him outside ordinary civil obligations of his country of origin, such as the obligation to vote or the payment of taxes.

The pope may still retain citizenship of his home country, in addition to the Vatican citizenship he automatically acquires upon his election as pope.

Andrea Gagliarducci, a Vatican expert and EWTN News contributor, said that this unique position also explains why attempts to treat the pope as a corporate executive in civil lawsuits ultimately fail: As both a sovereign head of state and the institutional embodiment of the Holy See, all relevant immunities apply to him.

The personal immunity of foreign heads of state is a customary principle of international law that guarantees full exemption from criminal, civil, and administrative jurisdiction in another state and covers both official and private acts.

The small territory of Vatican City, in the words of Pope Pius XI, provides “just enough body to keep the soul united,” allowing the successor of Peter the freedom necessary to shepherd the universal Church without being bound by any single nation’s interests.

In practice, the Holy Father focuses primarily on his pastoral and moral leadership. When he addresses questions of war, peace, or human dignity, he does so first and foremost as vicar of Christ.

As Andrea Tornielli of the Vatican Dicastery for Communication has pointed out, the pope in his leadership of the Church invites the world to higher principles of justice and fraternity, while the practical diplomatic machinery of the Holy See operates in service of that mission.

“I continue to follow with concern the tragic situation in Sudan, especially in the city of el-Obeid,” Leo said in English after praying the Angelus. “In expressing my spiritual closeness to all the people of the nation, I renew my appeal to those in authority to guarantee humanitarian corridors for the civilian population.”

His remarks follow the worsening situation in Sudan, marked by drone warfare, sexual violence, and starvation, as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) continue fighting the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), who control the city of el-Obeid.

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Continued appeals for peace between Ukraine and Russia

The pope also addressed the war between Ukraine and Russia, lamenting the escalation of violence as casualties continue to rise.

“These incidents are occurring one after another; indeed, they are multiplying, resulting in ever-increasing numbers of civilian victims, including children,” he said.

In light of the rise in attacks, Leo renewed his call for respect for international humanitarian law.

“In the face of so much anguish, I renew my heartfelt appeal for humanitarian law to be respected and for both sides to cease attacks on civilian targets,” Leo said.

“War only begets more war and causes immense suffering,” he said.

Jesus never abandons us

In his preaching during his Angelus address, Leo encouraged the faithful to welcome God humbly into their hearts through prayer and the sacraments.

The pope also discussed the Gospel, which recounts Jesus walking on the water toward his disciples. He explained that the disciples were transformed by Christ’s presence and that miracles like this can teach the faithful not to despair in difficult times.

“Whatever the circumstances,” Leo said, “Jesus does not abandon us, and if we humbly welcome him into the boat of our lives — through prayer, the sacraments, and listening to his word — in him, we will find peace, light, and strength for our journey.”

This story was first published in two parts by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated, combined, and adapted by EWTN News English.

Speaking to ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, at the Aug. 3–8 SIGNIS World Congress in Kigali, Rwanda, Bishop Gerald Mamman Musa said the diocese, erected in October 2023, has chosen to focus on its mission instead of dwelling on the challenges Christians in northwestern Nigeria are facing.

“Even though Katsina has a small population of Christians or Catholics, we want to be a creative minority,” Musa said, explaining that Catholics should resist defining themselves by their numerical weakness or the hardships they face.

“Sometimes we can be lamenting about the fact that we are very few. We can be lamenting about the fact that we are oppressed, persecuted, or discriminated against. We must not focus on all those negatives,” he said.

Instead, he urged Catholics to ask, “What can we do in this society? How can we, few as we are, change society positively?” adding that the concept of a creative minority is rooted in investing in people through education and formation so they can become agents of transformation.

Illustrating that vision, Musa, who serves as the president of the Commission for Social Communications of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), cited a Sudanese proverb on the role of parents.

“The role of parents is to give children two things: to give them roots and to give them wings. Roots to know where they are coming from, to know their faith, to know their values, and then wings to empower them to be role models within the society,” the bishop said.

Musa, who was consecrated a bishop in December 2023, said that laying a solid foundation has been the dioceseʼs immediate priority since its creation. He recalled that the diocese adopted a 10-year strategic plan during its first general assembly to guide its pastoral mission.

“Our main task is to set the foundation. Setting the foundation, what I consider paramount and probably the greatest need of the diocese, is concentrating on children and youth,” the bishop told ACI Africa.

Education, he added, remains central to that vision, particularly for children who cannot afford schooling.

“We have a responsibility to send more children to school, especially those who are not able to afford education. My biggest pastoral need now is to set up a secondary school for girls, where they can get a very good faith formation,” Musa said.

He also underscored the role of communication in presenting a fuller picture of life in Katsina, where public attention is often dominated by reports of insecurity.

“Our communication department has been in touch with ACI Africa. We send news from time to time. But something very interesting about the news we send is that the communication department is focusing on constructive news, if you may call it positive news, good news that is coming from that side,” he said.

While acknowledging the reality of banditry, killings, kidnappings, and displacement in Katsina state, Musa said these challenges should not eclipse the signs of hope emerging in the diocese.

“We acknowledge all these things are happening, and we are in a very difficult time in Katsina. But on the other side, we want to emphasize that in the midst of all this darkness, God is at work in Katsina Diocese,” he said, citing baptisms, confirmations, the Church’s educational initiatives, and other expressions of the diocese’s pastoral mission.

As part of its pastoral strategy, the diocese is also strengthening relationships across religious communities.

“We are making an effort to develop interreligious dialogue between Christians and Muslims and between Catholics and other Christians within the diocese,” the bishop said.

He also expressed optimism about the growth of priestly vocations in the young diocese.

While the Katsina Diocese continues to rely on support from neighboring dioceses because of a shortage of clergy, the number of seminarians has nearly doubled since its establishment.

“The good news is that while we inherited 21 seminarians, today we have close to 40 seminarians,” he said. “This is impressive, and that tells us that our Church has great potential. We are looking forward to a Church that is not only self-sufficient but also a Church that will be willing to give out priests to help others.”

Musa went on to encourage the people of God entrusted to his pastoral care to remain hopeful despite their limited numbers and resources.

“The message of hope that I have for my people in the Diocese of Katsina is that we are few in number. We have very few resources, but we must always remember that little is much when God is in it,” he told ACI Africa at the congress.

Held under the theme, “Digital Communication for Cultural Harmony and Environmental Well-Being,” the six-day SIGNIS World Congress concluded on Saturday. Organized every four years, it “provides a platform for participants to engage in substantive discussions, exchange ideas, and contemplate the future trajectory of media and communication,” according to a SIGNIS report.

This story was first published by ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, and has been adapted by EWTN News.

The postulator of her cause, Father Lucián Bogucki of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual, handed the “positio super miro” to the archbishop of Bratislava, Stanislav Zvolenský, last month. The document, whose Latin title refers to a purported miracle, describes an alleged healing said to have occurred through her intercession in Denver.

“The very fact that the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints is dealing with the extraordinary healing through the intercession of Blessed Zdenka Schelingová is a gift from God and a great encouragement,” Zvolenský told EWTN News.

The date for the meeting of the commission of cardinals that will discuss the document and the reported miracle is not yet known but may come within a few months. The final decision on canonization rests with the pope.

The cause is an opportunity to enter “spiritual communion with those whom the Church presents to us as saints and blessed, so that we can also turn to them with a request for their intercession,” the archbishop said.

Zvolenský encouraged the faithful to “admire God’s goodness as he always gives us extraordinary signs of his love.”

A martyr under communism

Born Cecília Schelingová on Christmas Eve 110 years ago in the village of Krivá, in modern-day Slovakia, the future sister joined the Sisters of Mercy of the Holy Cross and worked as a nurse and later in a hospital laboratory. She helped a Catholic priest escape from a hospital and attempted to do so again; the second time it was a trap, and she was arrested. She was tortured, accused of treason by the recently established communist regime, and imprisoned in various jails across then-Czechoslovakia.

Sister Zdenka was released in April 1955 and died on July 31, 1955, from the effects of torture and her ruined health. She was exonerated of all charges against her in 1970 and was beatified in 2003 by Pope John Paul II.

Respect and admiration for Sister Zdenka “is growing,” as “we have seen this now during various events on her liturgical feast,” which falls on July 30, said Sister Mária Terézia Dobrovičová, provincial superior of the Slovak province of the Sisters of Mercy of the Holy Cross. The congregation was founded 170 years ago in Switzerland, and soon afterward the sisters were invited to what is now Slovakia, she explained.

Bishop Tomáš Galis of the Diocese of Žilina celebrated Mass on the feast day, quoting Sister Zdenka: “Forgiveness is the greatest thing in life.” The Confederation of Political Prisoners of Slovakia also organized a conference on the religious sisters who lived in secret under the communist regime in Czechoslovakia.

Pilgrims are visiting sites associated with her, including her native village of Krivá; Podunajské Biskupice, where her remains rest; and Trnava, the seat of the congregation in Slovakia.

Sister Mária Terézia said the sisters “receive various requests from people to pray for the intercession” of Sister Zdenka, “but we also have various testimonies about how prayers for her intercession have been heard.” This is encouraging, “and we are happy about it,” she stressed.

The official website dedicated to Sister Zdenka’s memory, zdenka.sk, shares several testimonies from people whose prayers were answered after they prayed to her. It does not, however, include the case contained in the “positio super miro.”

The Denver healing

A man in Denver was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and sent home. His wife knew someone who was a distant relative of Sister Zdenka and, together with her colleagues, reportedly began to pray for him.

The man had his tubes removed and was ready to die, yet his appetite returned and he regained his strength. He later suffered an embolism and died, according to one Slovak daily, which, however, did not cite a source. An autopsy confirmed that he had been cured of cancer, with no trace of the disease, and died three years after his recovery, though from a different diagnosis.

EWTN News contacted Bogucki for details about the case and the alleged healing. Instead, the priest — who is of Polish origin, lived in Slovakia for many years, and served as a confessor at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome — asked for prayers for the final phase before Sister Zdenka’s possible canonization.

The research published in March explored if there were links between what societies value — such as independence and community — and anxiety disorder rates among children and adolescents over three decades.

The study by Leonard Konstantin Kulisch, Ana Lorena Domínguez Rojas, Silvia Schneider, and Babett Voigt analyzed preexisting records and data during the years 1989 to 2022 from the World Value Survey, Global Burden of Disease study, Human Development Report, and Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study.

The research found an emphasis on independence was linked to higher anxiety rates in “WEIRD” (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic) nations, while a greater emphasis on religious faith and interdependence correlated with less anxiety disorders globally.

It also found that the importance of religious faith in socialization, and its link to interdependence, was associated with fewer anxiety disorders across 70 of the countries examined.

The study did not compare religious versus nonreligious people or compare specific countries.

While the effect sizes were small, it did find that “in countries where emphasis on religious faith in childrearing declined, youth anxiety rose,” Brandon Vaidyanathan, professor of sociology at The Catholic University of America, told EWTN News.

Country-based disparities

In WEIRD nations, the societies that have norms that are oriented toward independence were associated with more anxiety disorders, but the analyses found no significant association among the non-WEIRD countries.

In “developing societies [a] shift toward independence accompanies gains in growth and quality of life that may offset its psychological costs, but in already developed societies, it may only intensify competition and achievement-pressure,” Vaidyanathan explained.

“The difference between WEIRD and non-WEIRD societies on the independence finding is quite interesting, and the authors suggest that it is stage-dependent,” Vaidyanathan said.

“But religion is universal in providing goods that do not depend on development stage” including “belonging, order, meaning, purpose, routine.”

Family versus society predictors

The study reports that religious socialization may serve as “a protective factor” against anxiety issues in children and adolescents, which “is at the communal level much more than the individual level,” Vaidyanathan said.

So much so that the U.S. data suggested the societyʼs religious norms predicted childrenʼs anxiety better than the motherʼs own beliefs.

“The religiosity of the surrounding social environment was a stronger predictor of childrenʼs anxiety level than the familyʼs own faith, suggesting the protection comes from the society more than family,” Vaidyanathan said.

The global protective factor was not communal values in general but religious faith specifically, which Vaidyanathan called “textbook sociology” of religion.

“Since Durkheim, sociologists have shown that integration into [a] shared moral community buffers individuals from anomie” or “normlessness,” he said.

“Where the community has clear norms, attachments, obligations, limits … the individual doesnʼt have to shoulder the burden of ordering life themselves —which is where anxiety comes in.”

“Thatʼs why the protection is at the group level more than individual or family level, and that is what gets eroded in a secularized society,” he said.

Vaidyanathan also pointed to Peter Berger, a sociologist and Protestant theologian who coined the term “plausibility structures,” which are the social, cultural, and institutional environments that make certain values or religious beliefs seem believable and normal to a group of people.

Bergerʼs “famous concept of ‘plausibility structures’ helps us understand that a religious framework reduces anxiety, only while the surrounding society keeps it plausible — when the surrounding community keeps talking and living as if it were true.”

“When that fails, religion becomes one option among many and even a devout householdʼs commitment to their faith is not enough to shield a child in that society. So this is why community norms [or] religiosity matters much more than family belief,” Vaidyanathan said.

The music group’s latest project, “Strange Land,” was released as a surprise drop just a couple of days into their summer tour, offering listeners a blend of deep theological reflection and traditional Americana music.

The surprise drop decision was driven largely by their demanding schedules. After writing and recording the tracks a year prior, the postproduction process had to fit around their primary duties as “hounds of the Lord.”

“The postproduction process just takes a while because we are all full-time preachers and teachers and chaplains and pastors,” said Dominican Father Justin Bolger, who spoke with the National Catholic Register, the sister news partner of EWTN News, along with his band brothers while on the road.

“After this kind of two-week stint that we do in the summer, the music takes a backseat to that ... So it kind of came out when it came out.”

Musically, “Strange Land” ranges from spiritual anthems like “In-A-My Soul” and “Gloria” to playfully titled tracks like “Garrigou” and “Good Old Elvis.”

Dominican Father Thomas Joseph White, one of the founding members of the band who also serves as rector at the Angelicum in Rome, noted that the variety reflects the band’s distinct personalities while remaining grounded in shared themes.

“There are some themes that show up, like pilgrimage and hope and struggle, that are in all the songs,” he explained. “It’s very consistent with what we’ve done on other albums, and it just comes out organically or naturally from our songwriting.”

The record marks a step forward in technical execution for the ensemble.

White described the album as representing a “slightly higher echelon of musical sophistication,” aided by tighter harmonies and complex arrangements. Unlike previous albums where the friars handled all engineering themselves in retreat houses, they hired a professional recording engineer for “Strange Land.”

“It frees up more of the band to just focus on the music and to collaborate and just have that be the focus,” Bolger added.

That spirit of collaboration is rooted deeply in their shared Dominican vocation. “We’ve known each other for years, and we’re all united in the Dominican order, so it just makes for a real atmosphere of ease,” said Dominican Father Jonah Teller, describing the mutual trust involved when bringing personal songs to the group.

As the band’s popularity grows, so does a devoted grassroots fan base. White observed a natural overlap between people interested in Catholic intellectual life — such as participants in the Thomistic Institute — and fans of their bluegrass music.

That enthusiasm has even spilled over into unofficial merchandise crafted by fans. At recent shows, custom fan art has begun to emerge, including T-shirts designed by a college student featuring torch-bearing dogs alongside the caption “I’m a dog for my Lord,” as well as custom “Good Tree” hats.

“You do see some kind of fan art emerge at these shows, which is charming,” Bolger noted.

White deadpanned that the order was engaged in a “very serious lawsuit” to confiscate the student’s assets and protect its intellectual property, prompting laughter from the rest of the band.

The group’s reach has extended all the way to the Vatican.

Recalling a past meeting with Pope Leo XIV, White shared that while most gifts were set aside, the pontiff asked to keep The Hillbilly Thomists’ CDs close by.

“So I don’t know if he listens to them, but I do know he made the point of keeping them,” White joked, adding: “It’s unclear at this point in time whether any of our lyrics will be quoted in forthcoming encyclicals, but there’s some speculation.”

When asked about playing traditional American folk and bluegrass music, especially as the nation celebrates 250 years of independence, singer and mandolin player Dominican Father Austin Litke pointed out the unique place the band occupies within the genre.

“The Christian part of American culture has not always been predominantly Catholic,” Litke noted.

“To be able to take up that form of music and infuse it with Catholic doctrine, Catholic culture, and certainly Thomistic culture ... we hope is part of the genius of the creativity that’s come out of our fraternal work.”

The 11-show tour concludes on Saturday, Aug. 8, fittingly on the feast of St. Dominic, with a performance alongside the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia at the Dominican Campus in Nashville, Tennessee.

As for how fans can support the new release, Bolger kept his message simple: “Let all the old people and the young people know that they can find it on Spotify.”

This story was first published by the National Catholic Register, the sister partner of EWTN News, and has been adapted by EWTN News.

Tomis, an American missionary priest who was born and raised in Bridgeport, Connecticut, dedicated more than two decades of his life to northern Peru and has been cited by Pope Leo XIV on various occasions as a major inspiration for his own missionary vocation.

The announcement was made on Aug. 4 during Farfán’s homily for the feast of St. John Vianney, the patron saint of parish priests. At the Mass, Farfán highlighted the witness of the man who founded Chiclayo’s St. John Vianney Parish and asked the faithful to entrust the upcoming process to God.

“Everyone in our diocesan Church of Chiclayo knew Father Juan Tomis. I want to ask that we learn from him. If all goes well and the Lord accompanies and blesses us, the process for his beatification and canonization will begin before long,” the prelate stated.

The bishop also highlighted that Tomis left his home country to dedicate his life to the most needy in Peru.

“How beautiful that he was born in those lands. He came from the United States to serve these communities in Santa Cruz — in the highlands — and later in our beloved Chiclayo, which holds him so dear. I pray, through the intercession of St. John Vianney, that we may begin this process with joy, gratitude, and hope,” Farfán added.

The news comes just days after the presentation of the Spanish edition of the book “Bridgeport to Peru,” originally written in English in 1989 by Monsignor Stephen M. DiGiovanni under the title “Bridgeportʼs Peru.”

During the book’s presentation, organized by the Friends of Father Juan Tomis group, journalist and researcher Larcery Díaz explained that the translation “was born as a tribute of gratitude to mark the centennial of the birth of the man who was the guide and spiritual father to all the inhabitants of this area: Monsignor Juan Tomis Stack,” he stated.

Díaz recalled that it all began in 1963, when Bridgeport Bishop Walter Curtis, inspired by the Second Vatican Council, decided to send missionary priests to Latin America.

“The book tells us a story that began with a courageous ‘yes,’” Díaz noted. Among those first volunteers was “a young, enthusiastic priest of Slovak descent, filled with faith: Father Juan Tomis.”

The researcher recounted that the priestʼs early years were marked by enormous challenges in the province of Santa Cruz, Cajamarca.

The missionaries encountered a population lacking electricity and potable water, nearly impassable roads, high rates of childhood malnutrition, and strong resistance to any pastoral or social change.

In the face of these challenges, Tomis spearheaded road construction, fostered priestly vocations, helped build a clinic to care for the poorest, and worked to recover Church property that had been illegally occupied.

“Upon arriving during a cold winter, the missionaries faced a reality very different from what they had envisioned. Yet, it was their perseverance that allowed the seed of the Gospel to bear fruit on Peruvian soil,” Díaz noted.

In 1967, the mission relocated to Chiclayo, where Tomis founded St. John Vianney Parish, a community that, as Díaz recalled, he never wanted to turn into merely an institution.

“He did not want just an institution, but a ‘parish family.’ His tools were active charity and human kindness,” he explained.

From there, he spearheaded initiatives that remain etched in the memories of thousands of Chiclayo residents: the Useful Vacations program for children, the establishment of Scout troops, medical clinics, libraries, religious song festivals, and fondly remembered televised Masses.

“Father Juanʼs work transformed Chiclayo. That is undeniable,” the journalist affirmed.

His dedication was also recognized by the Holy See: In 1979, Pope John Paul II bestowed upon him the title of monsignor.

Tomis passed away on June 29, 1986. His funeral drew a crowd of some 20,000 people who accompanied the procession through the streets of Chiclayo, one of the largest outpourings of affection the city has ever seen.

“The outpouring of people from the entire community was spontaneous,” Díaz recalled, reading from an article he wrote 10 years after the priestʼs death.

“I can still see the thousands upon thousands of white handkerchiefs fluttering in the wind, bidding him a final farewell, Díaz recalled. “He was a priest who came to fulfill his duty, always bringing a delicate touch of tenderness, a warm spirit of love for his neighbor, and an unwavering devotion to the needy and the downtrodden,” he continued.

The journalist noted that Tomis “sowed love because he loved love, the hallmark of Christianity” and affirmed that his legacy lives on through the pastoral, social, and educational initiatives he spearheaded in Chiclayo.

At the conclusion of the book’s presentation, Díaz summarized the priestʼs impact in a sentence that takes on special significance today, following the announcement of his future cause for beatification.

“Today, as we open these pages, we do not merely read a historical chronicle; we reconnect with the friend, the teacher, and the guide. This book stands as a testament to how the love of God, when translated into service, can change the history of a community.”

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

“What we’ve come to understand is that mental illness has really come to the forefront as a very big factor in those who are experiencing homelessness,” , told “EWTN News Nightly” on Aug. 7.

“Over the years itʼs been addiction, both alcohol and narcotic kind, and then just traumatic family events, death of a loved one, things like that,” he said. “But the largest number in recent years is really dealing with mental health.”

The Atlantic City Rescue Mission is one of the nationʼs oldest homeless outreach centers, providing shelter, meals, addiction recovery, job training, mental health services, and long-term support for individuals experiencing homelessness.

“Weʼre the largest shelter in southern new Jersey,” Brown said. “An interesting note, during COVID, we were the only shelter that actually remained open during the whole time of COVID. So we really have seen it all.”

The Vatican released a message July 30 urging the United Nations to include the homeless in efforts to create sustainable cities, stating that the “persistence of homelessness should trouble the conscience of the international community.”

According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)’s annual Point-In-Time (PIT) report, 745,652 people were homeless in the U.S. in 2025, including 266,320 people living on the street on a single night in January 2025. While the total number of homeless people in the U.S. has increased by 27% since 2013, the number decreased by 3% from 2024 to 2025.

Ultimately, when addressing the underlying causes of homelessness, Brown emphasized the need to provide hope to those who arrive at the mission.

“When someone steps through the doorway into the mission, itʼs their worst day,” he said. “Our job is to serve them as weʼve been called to be servants to the poor and servants to the homeless, which is to really provide them with hope.”

“If we just feed and house and donʼt share the Gospel, weʼve really done an injustice to that individual. So thatʼs paramount,” Brown said.

“In Australia, the strain on social cohesion has been made painfully visible by a disturbing rise in antisemitism,” the statement said, citing the Bondi Beach shooting attack and other forms of targeting that have “left many to feel unsafe in places that should be secure, such as schools, synagogues, streets, and public events.”

“Such hatred is an affront to God,” the bishops said, calling on Catholics to live the Gospel by remaining close to Christ through prayer and the sacraments, encountering other cultures with openness, and “exercising restraint in what we say — especially online — rejecting gossip, slander, dehumanizing labels, and sharing unverified claims.” 

Canadian military bishop says prayer restrictions came after insufficient consultation

Bishop Scott McCaig of the Roman Catholic Military Ordinariate of Canada said members of the Interfaith Committee on Canadian Military Chaplaincy were not included in the drafting of new policies that restrict prayer at official ceremonies.

McCaig said the Department of National Defence drafted the policy without consulting members and that they were asked to assist only with “word-crafting” and “final touches,” according to a report from the Catholic Register on Aug. 6.

“There are a number of us who are very concerned about the lack of consultation,” the bishop said. Under the new policy, faith leaders are not allowed to include faith-specific language in spiritual reflections at public events, the report said.

Syrian authorities release Kurdish evangelical pastor

Syrian authorities have released the Rev. Nihad Hassan, pastor of the Kurdish Evangelical Church in Beirut, following two weeks in detention.

His attorney said Hassan’s vehicle and personal belongings were also returned, ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News, reported.

The pastor had traveled through official crossings to his hometown in the Afrin region before security personnel detained him the following day. A criminal investigation reportedly accused him of publishing online material offensive to a religion or its sacred rites and of provoking sectarian tensions. The Kurdish Lawyers Union welcomed his release while calling for the protection of civil liberties, due process, and the rule of law.

Franciscan youth in Egypt make a ‘Passage to Life’

Egypt’s 33rd Franciscan youth journey marked the 800th anniversary of St. Francis of Assisi’s death with 10 days of retreat, prayer, and service held July 25 through Aug. 3.

For the first time, participants began their spiritual exercises in the Siwa Oasis, where silence and reflection offered space to consider their vocations and relationship with God, ACI MENA reported Aug. 6. Returning to Cairo, they visited Melkite, Maronite, and Chaldean Catholic churches; learned about the Dominican mission of Christian-Muslim dialogue; and served in shelters, elder-care homes, and medical institutions.

Father Mokhles Masri, who leads the initiative, said the theme “Passage to Life” presented St. Francis’ death as an entry into eternal life, while the accompanying motto, “Enlighten the darkness of my heart,” invited participants to encounter God’s light amid struggles with faith, hope, and love.

Swiss defense minister apologizes for draft law change affecting clergy

Swiss Defense Minister Martin Pfister has issued an apology for removing exemptions from military service for clergy members without consulting church leaders.

Pfister said in a July 21 letter that the Federal Council’s decision to end exemptions for clergy was “an oversight” and that church leaders should “unquestionably” have been consulted prior to the change going into effect on June 1.

“We ask your forgiveness,” he wrote. The Federal Council had defended the reform by arguing that the exemption had become obsolete. It said the provision was originally intended to ensure civilians would continue receiving spiritual care during wars and national emergencies.

In its reasoning, the government stated that “the increasing secularization of society means that fewer and fewer people feel connected to the Church’s offerings,” concluding that pastoral ministry can no longer be regarded as “an activity essential to maintaining social life.”

Saidnaya churches in Syria cancel feast celebrations

Christian parish committees in Saidnaya, Syria, have canceled public celebrations for several upcoming feasts in protest of the continued detention of local residents, ACI MENA reported.

Representatives of the Melkite Greek Catholic, Greek Orthodox, and Syriac Orthodox communities said churches would hold prayers indoors but suspend festivities for the Transfiguration, Our Lady, the Cross, and Hagia Sophia until detainees are released, abducted residents return, and security concerns are addressed. Their joint statement also cited prolonged scrutiny of Saidnaya residents at the Jdeidet Yabous border crossing, online threats, and a rise in thefts and kidnappings.

The decision follows the cancellation of the Christian village of Marmarita’s annual carnival for a second consecutive year amid concerns about public safety.

Indonesian Catholics mourn last foreign missionary priest

Catholics on the eastern Indonesian island of Lembata bid farewell to their last foreign missionary priest, Father Nicholas Strawn, an American, who died on Aug. 4, according to UCA News. 

“We remember him as a priest who was very close to the people, willing to visit remote areas and greet us warmly, while reminding us to study well,” Anselmus Deri, a Catholic and journalist from Lembata, said in the report.

Strawn, 92, had served parishes in the Diocese of Larantuka since 1963, helping to foster vocations to the priesthood and religious life, according to the report, which noted the diocese has about 50 priests and dozens of nuns.

Historical society to record interiors of more than 3,000 Irish churches

The Catholic Historical Society of Ireland is launching an initiative to digitally record the interiors of Catholic churches across Ireland.

The project will be carried out by Maynooth University and the Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies at the University of Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs, according to a report from the Catholic Herald on Aug. 4. The team of researchers will compile an online database of photos and other historical records that will be freely accessible for research purposes, the report said.

British historian to walk ‘In the Footsteps of the Martyrs’ for charity

The walk “In the Footsteps of the Martyrs” will take place in London on Sept. 13 in support of Aid to the Church in Need, the charitable organization announced on Aug. 6.

Historian and journalist Joanna Bogle will lead the walk along the Thames River retracing the path of Catholic martyrs in the Reformation era in solidarity with those suffering persecution today.

“Our Catholic story is richer than just the Catholic martyrs of the Reformation era, but we’re focusing on that to link with the millions of people globally who are being persecuted today,” Bogle said. “On the way we will pray and unite ourselves with people who suffered in the past and we are praying for people who are suffering for their faith today.”

Surprisingly, though, the Dominicans don’t usually do much to celebrate the saint’s Aug. 8 feast day.

While the August feast “is for us certainly always a feast,” Dominican Father Angelo Giuseppe Urru told EWTN News in 2018, it’s not the primary one.

Instead, the order celebrates “more solemnly” May 24, which is the solemnity of the Translation of St. Dominic.

This unusual feast day commemorates the day St. Dominic’s remains were moved, or “translated,” from their original burial spot behind an altar of the church of San Nicolo della Vigne in Bologna, Italy, to a more prominent place in the church in 1233.

For many Dominican provinces, this day is the big celebration, Urru said.

The move of St. Dominic’s body was carried out at the request of Pope Gregory IX about one year before the saint’s canonization on July 13, 1234, only 13 years after his death.

As recorded in a letter by Blessed Jordan of Saxony, one of the first leaders of the Dominicans, the brothers were very anxious before the move of the body, because they were worried that when the wooden coffin was un-interred from the stone sepulcher, the body would give off a foul odor, since it had been buried in a poorly constructed tomb, exposed to water and heat.

But they received a great surprise, because when the tomb was opened, a wonderful and sweet perfume emanated from the coffin instead.

“Its sweetness astonished those present, and they were filled with wonder at this strange occurrence. Everyone shed tears of joy, and fear and hope rose in all hearts,” Blessed Jordan wrote.

He reported that the odor remained and if anyone touched a hand or some object to the body, the odor immediately attached itself and lingered for a long time.

“The body was carried to the marble sepulcher where it would rest — it and the perfume that it poured forth. This marvelous aroma which the holy body emitted was evidence to all how much the saint had truly been the good odor of Christ,” he wrote.

By 1240, the church containing St. Dominic’s remains had been expanded into a basilica and renamed for the saint.

Now, every year Dominican friars, sisters, and laity all over the world celebrate St. Dominic on May 24.

Mass is celebrated at the Basilica of Santa Sabina, the mother church of the Dominicans in Rome, for this feast.

The tradition is for a priest of the Order of Friars Minor, commonly called the Franciscans, to say the Mass and preach. After Mass, the procession of friars stops at the first side chapel, where the Blessed Sacrament is kept, to sing the “O Lumen,” the Dominican antiphon to St. Dominic.

Besides the tomb with the saint’s body, which is in the basilica in Bologna, there are few relics of St. Dominic in existence.

One relic, a piece of his skull, can be found in Rome. It is at the church of Santa Maria del Rosario, part of a Dominican monastery located on Monte Mario, the tallest hill of Rome.

Urru said he was not sure how it came to be kept in the monastery but that it originated when some students in Bologna stole it to have in their chapel.

“There is also the breviary of St. Dominic, a small breviary,” he said.

In 2016, the Dominicans celebrated the 800th anniversary of their founding with a jubilee year, culminating in an International Congress for the Mission of the Order, which took place Jan. 17–21 in Rome.

Urru voiced gratitude for the blessing of vocations, which allow the order’s work to continue.

Thankfully, though there are some provinces that are very small, many are growing and are very strong, he noted, such as those in Vietnam and Africa. The United States as well has seen a good number of new vocations, he said.

Around the world, “there are many initiatives of the order,” and they are working hard still, just as they have the last 800 years.

Ultimately, though, he said, the future of the order is “in the hands of God.”

This story was first published on Aug. 8, 2017, and has been updated.

The executive orders issued Aug. 6 direct the government to stop allowing foreign visitors to enter the United States on short‑term visas for the purpose of giving birth and impose a narrower limit on birthright citizenship after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a broader attempt to end citizenship for children born to people in the country temporarily or unlawfully.

One executive order would end automatic birthright citizenship for the children of parents who are not U.S. citizens and engage in a commercial transaction or fraudulent activity to ensure the mother is inside U.S. territory to give birth. It also would end birthright citizenship for a child born of a parent considered an “alien enemy,” including members of terrorist organizations.

A second executive order titled “Ending Birth Tourism” authorizes federal departments to implement rules that prevent the entry of pregnant foreign women seeking to give birth in the United States and allow removal if they enter the country. The order refers to noncitizens entering the U.S. for the purpose of giving birth on American soil and efforts from a foreign national to coordinate such entries.

Under existing State Department guidance, consular officers can deny a B‑1/B‑2 visitor visa if they believe the applicant’s primary purpose is to give birth in the U.S. to obtain citizenship for the child.

Anna Gallagher, executive director of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC), criticized the birthright citizenship executive order in a statement to EWTN News.

“The Supreme Court has already spoken: birthright citizenship is guaranteed by the Constitution,” Gallagher said.

“This latest attempt by the Trump administration to circumvent settled law only creates needless fear and uncertainty for immigrant families,” she added. “Catholic social teaching calls us to uphold the dignity of every person and welcome the stranger — not seek new ways to exclude them.”

The USCCB has not taken a clear position on the executive orders yet, but it is monitoring how they are enforced and potential judicial proceedings.

“The USCCB supports the application of constitutional principles and the rule of law in a manner consistent with the God-given dignity of every human person,” USCCB spokesperson Chieko Noguchi told EWTN News.

“We’re reviewing the executive orders and will continue to monitor for administrative actions taken and possible judicial proceedings concerning their implementation,” she said.

In June, the Supreme Court ruled the 14th Amendment of the Constitution protects automatic birthright citizenship with few exceptions. The protection extends to children who are born to people who are in the country unlawfully.

Although the majority opinion did not directly address “birth tourism,” it did clearly say birthright citizenship applies to the children of parents who are “unlawfully or temporarily present” in the country.

The “birth tourism” concern appeared in the dissents authored by both Justice Samuel Alito and Justice Clarence Thomas.

Alito, in his dissent, wrote that he believed the majority’s opinion protects birthright citizenship to “the children of ‘birth tourists,’” though saying he does not not agree with the ruling.

Thomas wrote in his dissent that people have taken advantage of birthright citizenship through “birth tourism” and said there are companies that “collect large fees from wealthy foreigners to facilitate their trips to give birth in the United States.”

However, in the majority opinion, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that words like “temporary” and “lawful” do not appear in the citizenship clause of the 14th Amendment: “For a simple reason: they did not matter.”

Ashley Feasley, a legal expert for the Immigration Law and Policy Initiative at The Catholic University of America, told EWTN News she believes the executive orders are “an attempt to undermine” the Supreme Court.

“Although they will almost certainly face legal challenge, in the interim they will place a profound burden on some of the most vulnerable migrants, pregnant women, and on the officers who work diligently to defend our borders,” she said.

“Requiring Department of Homeland Security officials to interrogate women, many of whom have legal visas, about their pregnancies, even turning them away from ports of entry without clearly defined criteria for doing so, risks harming both woman and unborn child and diverts DHS officers' attention from the vital missions of border security and trade facilitation,” Feasley said.

Legal challenges have not yet been filed.

Under the terms of the settlement agreement, first announced by Paxton’s office in May, Texas Children’s, the largest children’s hospital in the United States, said it would no longer provide “gender-transition” interventions, including puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones, to minors, per Texas law.

“This historic settlement is a resounding defeat for the radical gender ideology that has preyed on Texas children under the guise of ‘care,’” Paxton said in a press release Aug. 5.

Per the executed agreement, Texas Children’s “will pay a total of $10 million to resolve these claims,” with $8,576,000 going to the state of Texas. It will also fund, for five years, a detransition clinic offering free restorative medical care to patients who previously underwent such procedures. The clinic must open by the end of October.

“Texas Children’s has agreed to pay millions back to Texas,” Paxton said. “The detransition clinic, which is the first of its kind, must open within months. Activist doctors who harmed children have been fired.”

The agreement also required the permanent termination and revocation of privileges for five physicians who performed these interventions.

The hospital is permanently barred from rehiring or credentialing the doctors and must implement new compliance measures, including bylaw changes that will automatically revoke privileges for any physician who violates Texas law prohibiting such procedures on children.

“This settlement sends an unmistakable message,” Paxton said. “If you put radical ideology over childrenʼs health, my office will go after you. We will continue to lead the way in stopping the far-left’s radical gender agenda.”

The settlement agreement resolves a yearslong investigation of the hospital by the DOJ and the state of Texas that began after whistleblower allegations surfaced claiming the hospital had continued performing sex-change procedures on minors in secret even after state lawmakers made such procedures illegal.

The Justice Department said in May that the Houston-based hospital had agreed to pay millions in civil penalties and damages for allegedly falsely billing Medicaid and other insurers for “pediatric sex-rejecting procedures.”

The federal government had alleged that the hospital violated the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, the False Claims Act, and federal fraud and conspiracy laws.

Following the publication of a directive by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott that transgender procedures on minors that could be considered “child abuse” under existing state law, Texas Children’s announced in 2022 that it would cease “sex-change” therapies and procedures, citing concerns that these practices were potentially illegal.

In 2023 Texas passed a law that explicitly banned puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and gender-transition surgeries for minors under 18.

Nevertheless, at least three doctors associated with Texas Children’s — Richard Roberts, David Paul, and Kristy Rialon — continued to perform “sex-rejecting” procedures on children throughout 2022 and 2023, according to whistleblower evidence published by Christopher Rufo, a fellow at the Manhattan Institute.

Rufo claimed that Rialon had been performing surgeries on minors ranging in age from 15 to as young as 1.

Calling the settlement “historic,” Paxton said in May that it “will ensure that the deranged child mutilators who hurt our kids are fired and held accountable.”

According to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, the DOJ “will use every weapon at its disposal to end the destructive and discredited practice of so-called ‘gender-affirming care’ for children.”

The Department of Justice noted that Texas Children’s cooperated with the investigation and took proactive steps that contributed to the resolution. The claims resolved in the settlement remain allegations, with no determination of liability.

“I am grateful that Texas Children’s wants to be part of the solution and no longer the problem,” said Brett Shumate, assistant attorney general for the Civil Division.

Hicks returned to St. Patrickʼs Cathedral to serve as the principal celebrant at the profession of vows of the Sisters of Life on Aug. 6, the feast of the Transfiguration. The day also marked the six-month anniversary of his installation as archbishop of New York.

After only being able to celebrate Mass privately following surgery, “it was a great joy to be back at the main altar and to share that beautiful occasion with the Sisters of Life, their families, and friends,” Hicks wrote in a statement.

After returning from a pilgrimage to Rome in the beginning of July, Hicks was diagnosed with a detached retina in his left eye. He underwent surgery involving “a vitrectomy, two sutures to reattach the retina, and the insertion of a gas bubble,” to aid the healing process.

The surgery was successful, but the archbishop has been in a quiet recovery period since, he said.

“Thanks be to God, my eye and vision continue to heal from the surgery. I am deeply grateful for the excellent medical care I have received,” Hicks said. “Following doctors' orders, I have been taking things slowly during my recovery. As many of you know, that is not always easy for me.”

While the gas bubble is in his eye, Hicks shared he is unable to travel by airplane but will “gradually and carefully” add public Masses and other responsibilities to his schedule.

“I look forward to being with you more frequently in the weeks ahead,” he said.

“This period of recovery has also been a gift. It has provided more time than usual to sit quietly before the Lord in prayer. In the stillness, I have been reminded once again how much we all depend on Godʼs grace each day,” he wrote.

“During these weeks, I have also been praying for you and your intentions, and will continue to do so,” he said. “Please, also, continue to pray for me. Your prayers are the greatest gift you can offer me at this time, and I am deeply grateful for each one.”

“May the Lord Jesus, who healed the sick, restored sight to the blind, and brought hope to those in need, bless you with light, peace, and love,” he concluded.

Blanche, who is currently the acting attorney general nominated to replace former Attorney General Pam Bondi, made the commitment during a July 30 phone call with pro-life leaders, which was leaked online.

The nominee specifically said he intends to protect pro-life states from outside organizations that mail chemical abortion drugs into pro-life states where the drugs are illegal. Some states, such as New York and California, have enacted policies or laws to prevent prosecutions of abortionists who engage in that practice.

“If states have said we are … going to protect the unborn and we’re going to protect every life from the moment of conception, we’re putting practices and policies in place so that other states and other organizations can’t attack that and they can’t do things like they’re doing with mailing in mail-order drugs and things like that,” Blanche said on the call.

“It’s a process that takes a lot of time, and that’s why it’s been 19 months and we don’t have complete victory yet, but we will have victory and victory will be soon and it will be permanent and that’s the important thing [for] everybody [to] remember,” he said.

Blanche said this will be part of the administration’s efforts “to get permanent solutions so that the Dobbs decision becomes permanent in every single state.” The Dobbs decision reversed Roe v. Wade and allowed states to restrict abortion.

He said he is also working with agencies and the White House to reverse “the pro-abortion work” of former President Joe Biden’s administration.

To be elevated to the position officially, Blanche needs to be confirmed by a simple majority in the Senate.

Kansas voters reject referendum

Voters in Kansas overwhelmingly rejected a referendum that had support from pro-life leaders in the state, with 61.4% opposed and only 38.6% in support of it.

The referendum itself was not about abortion. Rather, it would have made the state’s Supreme Court justices democratically elected. In 2019, the Kansas Supreme Court ruled that the state constitution guarantees a right to abortion, and pro-life advocates saw the proposed change as an opportunity to combat that interpretation.

Kansans for Life Executive Director Peter Northcott told “EWTN Pro-Life Weekly” on July 30 that the Kansas Supreme Court “is one of the reasons why abortions have tripled over the last five years” and the amendment would have allowed “the opportunity to have a fair day in court.”

3 Planned Parenthood locations in Michigan shut down

Planned Parenthood of Michigan announced it will close three locations, citing a loss in federal funding as the cause. The locations closing are in Lansing, Livonia, and Warren.

“We have to reshape how we deliver care so Planned Parenthood of Michigan can continue serving patients for generations to come,” Paula Thornton Greear, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Michigan, said in a statement.

“That means concentrating our resources at regional access points and procedural sites and continuing to expand virtual care across Michigan,” she said.

Chemical abortions in Missouri

A Planned Parenthood affiliate in Springfield, Missouri, has begun to offer chemical abortions at its location.

Sam Lee, the executive director of Campaign Life Missouri and a Catholic deacon, called the development “very distressing news” in a statement.

“Because of the passage of the amendment in 2024 and the ruling by Judge [Jerri] Zhang last month, it’s clear that Planned Parenthood is greatly expanding their abortion activity, and it wouldn’t surprise me if they start doing abortions at even more clinics in Missouri,” he said.

Lee said this news shows that it is “essential” that the people of Missouri pass Amendment 3, which would repeal the 2024 referendum that established a state-level constitutional right to abortion.

The original monument, the work of architect Carlos Maura and sculptor Aniceto Marinas, was built on the Cerro de los Ángeles, the geographical center of Spain, and was funded through public subscription, although the statue itself was donated by the count of Guaqui, Juan Marino de Goyeneche.

The monumental complex, standing 92 feet tall, consisted not only of the central figure of Jesus Christ but also of two sculptural groups representing, respectively, sanctified humanity and humanity journeying toward holiness.

The first group featured St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, St. Augustine, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Teresa of Jesus, Blessed Bernardo de Hoyos, and St. John the Evangelist, among others. The second group comprised figures representing the path of charity, virtue, and the love essential for conversion and sanctification.

Its inauguration, originally scheduled for 1918, was postponed due to the Spanish flu pandemic until May 30, 1919. It was then that, in the presence of the government, the apostolic nuncio, Archbishop Francesco Ragonesi, and a large group of bishops and cardinals, Alfonso XIII pronounced the formula for the consecration of Spain to the Sacred Heart: “Spain, the people of your heritage and predilection, bows reverently today before that throne of goodness raised for you in the heart of the peninsula. Reign in the hearts of men, in the bosom of our homes, in the minds of the wise, in the halls of science and letters, and in our laws and national institutions.”

Tried, shot by firing squad, and blown up with dynamite

The Spanish Civil War broke out on July 18, 1936. Just five days later, five young men who had remained near the monument to defend it against potential desecration were killed.

On Aug. 7, the first Friday of the month, Popular Front militiamen staged a mock summary trial of Jesus; after passing sentence, they fired upon the monument while shouting, “Aim with hatred! Fire with rage!”

They subsequently attempted to topple and demolish the monument using various tools, including cables and sledgehammers, but failed. They then decided to blow it up with dynamite. They subsequently dragged the head of the Christ figure behind a horse to further humiliate the image.

The site, renamed Cerro Rojo (Red Hill), was retaken by Nationalist forces on Nov. 6, 1936, which was another first Friday of the month. Troops under the command of Gen. José Enrique Varela attended a Mass of reparation officiated by a military chaplain.

New monument

Following the end of the Civil War in 1939, reconstruction of the site began in 1944. This coincided with the 25th anniversary of the consecration of Spain, an occasion for which the Holy See had granted a jubilee year.

The sculptor of the original work was engaged for the 38-foot-tall statue of the Sacred Heart, which stands atop an 85-foot pedestal.

Four sculptural groups by Fernando Cruz were placed around the base. The first group, representing “Missionary Spain,” features Isabella the Catholic, Christopher Columbus, Hernán Cortés, and St. Junípero Serra.

The second group, representing “Spain: Defender of the Faith,” includes Bishop Osio of Córdoba, Don Pelayo, Diego Laínez, John of Austria, and Blessed Anselmo Polanco, a bishop martyred during the war.

The third group, dedicated to the Church militant, consists of figures representing charity, virtue, and love. The final sculptural ensemble, representing the Church triumphant, reproduces the saints from the original monument.

The new monument, inaugurated in 1965, is located on the site of the original, the ruins of which are preserved on the other side of the complexʼs large esplanade. Ten years later, a sanctuary was inaugurated featuring a temple carved into the rock.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

The Harford County Sheriff’s Office said Deacon Kenneth Goedeke was arrested after arranging a meeting with what he believed was a 15-year-old boy.

Harford County Sheriff Jeff Gahler said in an official statement on Aug. 6 that the 45-year-old Goedeke had been communicating with an undercover detective rather than an underage boy. He was charged with two counts of soliciting a minor.

Gahler in the statement said he was “angry” and “disgusted” but added that he was “deeply thankful” to detectives for “intervening before a child was harmed.”

In a separate statement on Aug. 6, the Archdiocese of Baltimore confirmed Goedeke’s arrest and said it had “removed Goedeke’s faculties to function as a deacon and suspended him from ministry and employment” pending the results of the investigation.

The archdiocese said the charges were “not related to anyone at the parishes or schools” where Goedeke served. He was ordained as a deacon in 2023, the archdiocese said, and he passed a “thorough employment screening” including background checks and a fingerprint criminal history check.

In his statement, Gahler expressed “anger and resolve, and an unwavering commitment to the safety of our children.”

He urged parents to talk to their children not only about Goedeke’s arrest but “about the broader dangers posed by trusted adults who misuse their positions and by online predators who target our youth.”

Under Maryland law, Goedeke faces up to 30 years in prison and fines of up to $75,000.

Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski met with Archbishop Tadeusz Wojda of Gdańsk, president of the Polish Bishops’ Conference, to begin coordinating preparations for what would be Leo’s first pilgrimage to Poland as pope.

The papal visit would be organized jointly by the Polish government and the Catholic Church.

Formal invitations have already been extended to Pope Leo XIV by both the Polish state and the Church, Vatican News reported. On behalf of the Republic of Poland, invitations have come from Presidents Andrzej Duda and Karol Nawrocki as well as Prime Minister Donald Tusk. The presidium of the Polish Bishops’ Conference has also invited the pope.

Because of the international nature of the visit, Poland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs will coordinate preparations on the government’s side.

A date for the pilgrimage has not yet been determined. Once it is established, a working group composed of representatives of the relevant Church and state authorities will be created to organize the visit.

Three popes have visited Poland a total of 11 times.

St. John Paul II, a native of Poland, made nine papal visits to the country. Benedict XVI visited in 2006, while Pope Francis traveled to Poland in 2016 for World Youth Day in Kraków.

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

Parolin visited Mexico from Aug. 4–6, a trip that, according to a statement from the country’s bishops, “rekindles” the hope of “counting on the presence and direct blessing of His Holiness Leo XIV in our Mexican homeland.”

As part of his activities, the Vatican secretary of state met with the president on Aug. 5 at the National Palace, the seat of the Mexican government. After the meeting, Sheinbaum reported on social media that among the topics discussed was Magnifica Humanitas, the pope’s first encyclical.

“The pope’s calls for peace, fraternity, and closeness to the most vulnerable represent a humanitarian vision that is indispensable at a time when the world needs to strengthen dialogue, solidarity, and cooperation among nations,” she stated.

Peru, Argentina, and Uruguay: The pope’s priorities

Speaking about her meeting with Parolin during her morning press conference on Aug. 6, the president said that one of the topics addressed was the possibility of the Holy Father visiting Mexico.

According to Sheinbaum, Parolin told her that Pope Leo first wants to visit Peru, Argentina, and Uruguay, as these are countries “that Pope Francis did not visit.” She also indicated that the Holy Father has a “special relationship” with Peru “because he lived there for many years.”

The Holy See confirmed that Leo XIV will make an apostolic journey to Peru, Uruguay, and Argentina from Nov. 6–17.

A visit possible after 2027 elections

Sheinbaum said the pontiff “obviously could not come to Mexico during the electoral period,” so his visit would have to wait until after the midterm elections of 2027.

Mexico will hold federal and state elections on June 6, 2027. At the federal level, the 500 seats in the Chamber of Deputies are up for grabs, while in 17 states a total of 19,609 positions will be renewed, including 17 governorships and 1,098 local legislative seats.

“We continue to extend the invitation to him,” Sheinbaum said. “They told us ‘yes,’ that ‘he really wants to come to Mexico,’ … but there is still no established date.”

Sheinbaum indicated that during the meeting she and Parolin also discussed some initiatives developed jointly by the Mexican government and the Catholic Church, among them the program “Yes to Disarmament, Yes to Peace,” which promotes the exchange of firearms for economic incentives. They also talked about the restoration of historic churches.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

Taybeh is the modern name of the biblical town of Ephraim, which the Lord Jesus visited shortly before his passion (see John 11:54). In addition to being the only remaining entirely Christian village in the region, it is also globally renowned for its beer.

“The situation in Taybeh has deteriorated drastically in recent months,” Fawadleh said in a statement sent to ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. “We are facing settler attacks almost daily, repeated incursions onto private property, the destruction of agricultural land, restrictions on movement due to road closures, military barriers, checkpoints, and growing fear among the population,” the parish priest indicated.

Fawadleh explained that this week, settlers broke into a Christian family’s property, a situation he described as “very alarming.” The home, which had recently been prepared for the family to move into, has become a target of repeated attacks by settlers.

“Settlers have entered the property several times, cut the fence, and even brought their sheep inside the house and onto the surrounding grounds. This is not an isolated incident. It is part of a pattern of intimidation intended to make Palestinian families feel unsafe and to force them to abandon their homes and land,” he stated.

The parish priest reported that the affected family is out of danger, as they were not in the home at the time of the attacks. However, he lamented the immense psychological suffering they have endured.

“Imagine preparing your home for your future, only to find strangers repeatedly entering it without fear or accountability,” he said.

“In addition, several new settler outposts have been established around the village, increasing pressure on our community and putting the future of the Christian presence in this land at risk,” Fawadleh added.

A message to Christians around the world

“We ask you not to forget us,” the priest said. While highlighting the miraculous power of prayer, he noted that Taybeh needs more from Christians worldwide. “We ask you to raise your voices, speak the truth, visit us, and stand with the Christian community of the Holy Land,” he emphasized.

He pointed out that the solidarity of Christians across the globe “gives us hope” and “reminds us that we are all one body in Christ.”

“Together, we can help protect these Christians — living witnesses and ‘living stones’ in the land where our faith was born and where the first generation of Christianity was raised up. May God bless you all and keep you safe. Keep praying, and continue the work and the struggles you are engaged in. We are praying for you, too,” Fawadleh concluded.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

The Vatican also announced that, as he did during his recent journey to Spain, he will meet with victims of clerical sexual abuse during his France trip. The victims themselves will help organize the meeting, with further details to be announced later.

The motto for Leo’s trip, “Pour que le monde ait la vie" (“That the World May Have Life”), is drawn from the Gospel of John 6:51. According to the official Vatican News outlet, the motto “resonates with” the debate over the assisted-dying legislation recently approved by Franceʼs National Assembly.

As announced by the Holy See Press Office, the pontiff will begin his journey by departing Rome on Sept. 25 at 7:50 a.m. and arriving at Paris Orly International Airport at 10 a.m.

Paris

At 11 a.m., Leo will pay a courtesy visit to French President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace, followed by meetings with authorities, where he will deliver his first address. Then, at 3 p.m., he will visit the headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

That evening, at 5:15 p.m., the pope will celebrate vespers with clergy and religious at the Notre Dame Cathedral. It will be the first time a pope has visited the cathedral since the 2019 fire. A prayer vigil with young people will follow at the Stade de France at 9 p.m.

The next day, Sept. 26, Leo will visit the Maison Bakhita Center for Social Support and Integration and meet with members of the provincial synod assembly at the Institut Catholique de Paris.

At 3 p.m., Leo will celebrate his first Mass of the trip at Place de la Concorde before traveling to Lourdes at 5:45 p.m.

Lourdes

The pontiff is scheduled to arrive in Lourdes at 7:05 p.m. From there, he will visit the renowned grotto at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes for a prayer service.

The next day, Sept. 27, he will meet with the French bishops at the shrine at 9 a.m. before celebrating there the second Mass of his trip at 11 a.m.

Leo is scheduled that afternoon to meet at the shrine with the staff and sick community of the Accueil Notre Dame. He will then privately meet with Carmelite nuns at their monastery in Lourdes.

At 9 p.m., Leo will lead a rosary and a candlelit procession at the Lourdes grotto.

Metz

For the final day of his trip on Sept. 28, Leo will depart Lourdes at 7:40 a.m. and arrive in Metz at 9:20 a.m., becoming the first pope to visit the city since St. John Paul II in 1988.

There, at 10 a.m., he will join an interreligious meeting at the Robert Schuman Conference Center and then attend another meeting, “To the Roots of Europe for Peace and Unity.”

The pope will then celebrate the third and final Mass of his trip at the Cathedral of St. Stephen in Metz. He will then depart Metz at 7 p.m. to arrive in Rome at 8:50 p.m.

In an interview with ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, Bishop Henry Mchamungu, the episcopal delegate in Nyerereʼs cause, said the diocesan inquiry is currently gathering testimony about the late presidentʼs life, faith, and virtues.

"We are in the process of interrogating witnesses,” Mchamungu said. “This is a very important stage because we have to ask people many questions to obtain sufficient information about the life, virtues, and faith of Mwalimu Nyerere.”

The bishop, who spoke to ACI Africa on the sidelines of the 21st AMECEA Plenary Assembly of the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA) July 19–26 in Nairobi, Kenya, explained that the tribunal conducts detailed interviews with each witness.

“Each witness is asked many questions — sometimes one person can be asked 30 or even 40 questions. We have to listen to many witnesses because we need to gather enough evidence concerning his life and his virtues,” Mchamungu said.

Nyerereʼs cause was initiated in 2005 after the late Bishop Justin Samba of the Diocese of Musoma, together with the Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC), petitioned the Holy See to open the canonization process.

Pope Benedict XVI declared the former president a servant of God on May 13, 2005.

Mchamungu explained that the cause was later transferred from the Diocese of Musoma to the Archdiocese of Dar es Salaam.

"The president of the Tanzania Episcopal Conference informed the archbishop of Dar-es-Salaam, who at that time was Cardinal Polycarp Pengo, that the cause should be transferred from Musoma to Dar-es-Salaam," he explained.

On May 2, 2014, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints issued a rescript authorizing the transfer of the competent forum for the diocesan inquiry from Musoma to Dar es Salaam.

According to Mchamungu, progress slowed after the transfer because Pengo experienced prolonged health challenges.

The process was revived in 2023 when the president of TEC appointed a new postulator to oversee the cause.

"In 2023, it became necessary to revive the cause again,” Mchamungu told ACI Africa. “The president of the Tanzania Episcopal Conference appointed a postulator, who is the person responsible for guiding the cause.”

He noted that the process required further reorganization after the first postulator stepped down for personal reasons.

“We had to look for another person. After some time, we found another postulator who accepted the responsibility. Although he does not live in Tanzania, he agreed to help us continue with the cause,” Mchamungu said, referring to Nairobi-based Brother Reginald D. Cruz.

He acknowledged that the work of the diocesan tribunal remains demanding because its members also carry pastoral responsibilities.

“Everyone has other pastoral duties. Therefore, finding time to meet and conduct the sessions is not easy. However, the cause is continuing after having remained inactive for a long time,” he said.

Mchamungu appealed to Catholics to pray for the progress of the cause, expressing hope that Nyerere may one day be declared blessed.

“We continue asking God that the cause may continue,” he said. “The day will come, God willing, when he will be declared blessed.”

Mchamungu encouraged those who believe they have received extraordinary graces through Nyerereʼs intercession to report them to the tribunal.

“If someone receives a grace through his intercession, that person should inform the tribunal so that it can be investigated and recorded. Later, it can help in the process of declaring him blessed and, God willing, later a saint,” the bishop said.

Reflecting on Nyerereʼs early life, the Tanzanian bishop recalled his close relationship with the Catholic Church before entering politics.

“Before becoming involved in politics, he was a teacher. He taught at St. Francis Secondary School in Pugu, a school that was run by the Holy Ghost Fathers,” he said.

Mchamungu added that the future presidentʼs experience within the Church helped shape his character and approach to public service.

“He was close to the Church and to the priests who managed that school. They knew him and saw that he was a special person, a young man with good values and commitment,” he told ACI Africa.

The Catholic Church leader continued: “Nyerere received many good values from the Church. Those values helped him become a leader who put people before his own interests. That is why many people continue to remember him as an example of leadership with integrity and service to society.”

This story was first published by ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, and has been adapted by EWTN News.

The period of Inca rule in Peru spanned from 1200 to 1532, while Spanish rule began in 1532 and ended in 1821, the year of the country’s declaration of independence.

In an interview with “EWTN Noticias,” the network’s Spanish-language television news program, the author of the new book “The Catholic Incas” contended that the conversion of many members of the Inca nobility was a far more complex process, marked by dialogue and the discovery of common ground between their beliefs and Christianity.

“I believe the biggest mistake, even among us Catholics, is thinking that our faith was imposed upon us,” Aíta affirmed.

“The numbers donʼt add up, because a small handful of Spaniards cannot convince thousands or hundreds of thousands of people,” Aíta indicated. “What we find in this historic process is a series of convergences that are far removed from imposition and much closer to negotiation,” he explained.

According to Aíta, who is also known on social media as Capitán Perú (Captain Peru), the encounter with Christianity sparked interest among the panacas (the family clans of the Inca nobility), who found similarities between certain aspects of their worldview and the Christian message.

“The first to convert were Incas. I am not speaking only of Atahualpa, whom many would say was baptized to avoid being burned to death. After him, there were other Incas who voluntarily requested baptism,” he stated.

The historian also highlighted a little-known episode in Peruvian history: the founding of the first parish in Cusco.

“The San Cristóbal parish was founded by an Inca, the son of Huayna Capac. It was not founded by a Spaniard, nor even by a priest. An Inca founded the first chapel that later became the first parish in Cusco,” Aíta pointed out.

He recounted that his interest in reexamining Peruʼs history began during his first visit to Machu Picchu. “That was when I realized there was much more to it than what I had been taught in class,” he recalled.

Upon returning to Cusco, Aíta began reading historians such as María Rostworowski, José Antonio del Busto, and Donato Amado.

“I discovered an entire history that, unfortunately, is not taught. If what they wrote reached the schools, it would not only change the history of Peru; it would change the way we see our country,” Aíta asserted.

Corpus Christi and the Catholic Incas

A prime example Aíta presents in “The Catholic Incas” is the set of traditional Corpus Christi paintings housed in the Archbishopʼs Palace in Cusco.

Aíta explained that one of these paintings depicts the Incaʼs royal standard-bearer walking behind the monstrance carrying the Eucharist. Instead of wearing the traditional imperial tassel on his head, a servant carries it ahead of him on a cushion.

“He is placing the Incaʼs crown at the feet of Jesus Christ, who is the Eucharistic Sun,” he explained.

“The Incas worshipped the sun, but through the Gospel, they discovered that the true Sun is Jesus Christ. For them, the feast of Corpus Christi brought the ancient festival of the Sun to its fulfillment, because the Sun was now present among them,” he added.

Consequently, he noted that the solemnity of Corpus Christi became one of Cuscoʼs most important religious celebrations and continues to draw massive public participation to this day.

The historian noted that his book includes documents, paintings, and other historical evidence that demonstrates the presence of Inca nobility who fully embraced the Catholic faith.

Among these, he cited the portrait of Marcos Inca, a member of royal Lloque Yupanqui lineage, who is depicted bearing the symbols of Inca nobility alongside the inscription “Inca, Catholic knight by the grace of God.”

As Aíta sees it, this evidence helps explain why Catholicism remains deeply rooted in Peru.

“Faith remains so important in Peru to this day because it is part of our roots, not something imposed. Had it been imposed, we would have changed once the Spaniards left. Yet the Spaniards departed, and we carried on, perhaps even more Catholic than they were,” he concluded.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

Oklahoma established a charter school system in 1999, which provides public funds for privately run K–12 schools to which parents can send their children instead of a public school operated by a school district. The law only allows “nonsectarian” applicants, which prevents any participation from schools that have a religious identity.

In 2023, the Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board (SCSB) approved an application from a proposed Catholic charter school — St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School — which led to a legal challenge from Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, who opposed religious charter schools.

The Oklahoma Supreme Court sided against the school, finding that charter schools are public schools and that public schools must be secular. St. Isidore appealed this to the U.S. Supreme Court, but that resulted in a 4-4 deadlock with no majority opinion because Justice Amy Coney Barrett had a conflict of interest and recused herself.

Amid no clear guidance from the federal courts, a Jewish organization — National Ben Gamla Jewish Charter School Foundation — filed an application to set up a charter school, which was denied. The group, represented by lawyers at the Becket Fund, filed a new lawsuit and asked a federal district court to require the SCSB to consider religious applicants.

“Oklahoma makes room in its charter program for schools of all shapes and sizes, from those focused on science and fine arts to language immersion and classical education,” Daniel Chen, a Becket attorney representing the Jewish foundation, said in a statement.

“The one it refuses to make room for is a faith-based school,” Chen added. “That is religious discrimination, plain and simple, and the state deserves a failing grade for it.”

Chen told EWTN News that Becket is asking the federal court to immediately allow National Ben Gamla Jewish Charter School Foundation to set up a charter school, citing U.S. Supreme Court precedent that requires government programs to allow religious institutions the same access as secular institutions.

“They’re private actors,” he said. “And because they’re private actors, they cannot be excluded from participating in a public benefits program.”

Chen said the federal district court is not bound by the precedent of the Oklahoma Supreme Court because that is a state court, so it could rule in favor of the school. He also said if the case goes to the U.S. Supreme Court, he hopes Barrett can weigh in to break the 4-4 deadlock.

“We’re hoping that [for] our case, there wouldn’t have to be any recusals,” he said.

School board’s hands are tied

Although the charter school board denied the application from the National Ben Gamla Jewish Charter School Foundation, one of its lawyers at First Liberty Institute explained to EWTN News that its hands are tied by the statute and the Oklahoma Supreme Court’s decision.

“They’re following that order,” said Hiram Sasser, executive general counsel for First Liberty and the lawyer representing SCSB. “But [they] would be happy if the federal court didn’t [require the school board] to engage in that kind of discrimination.”

Sasser said the SCSB does not want to exclude an applicant “simply because it’s religious” and would rather evaluate applicants “just based on the merits.” But he said the order “makes them exclude religious schools just because they’re religious.”

“They want to maximize all of the various choices and opportunities for parents,” he added.

Sasser said he hopes the question goes to the U.S. Supreme Court again so “we’ll get an answer — a real answer.” He said it would provide more clarity for the school board, which “needs an answer.”

John Meiser, director of the Lindsay and Matt Moroun Religious Liberty Clinic at the University of Notre Dame and the lawyer who represented St. Isidore at the Supreme Court, told EWTN News that the question ultimately comes down to whether charter schools are private or public institutions.

In Oklahoma, he said charter schools “are called public schools” and that label “introduces a confusion that I don’t think would be present if they chose any other word.”

He said Supreme Court precedent is clear that religious institutions must have equal access to government programs available to private institutions, but if a charter school is a “government school,” that “doesn’t apply” because the government “doesn’t and can’t run religious schools.”

In spite of the label, Meiser said charter schools in Oklahoma are “formed and designed and run by private groups” and people who work there “are private employees.” He said the structure “looks just like a government contract” and funding from the government “doesn’t turn all those private contractors into the government itself.”

“The dispute is really just about, ‘Well is a charter school in some way different?’” he said.

Although Meiser said he is not aware of any ongoing Catholic efforts to recreate a charter school, he said that a Supreme Court ruling in favor of the National Ben Gamla Jewish Charter School Foundation’s constitutional arguments for equal access “would presumably apply to all religious operators of schools, and so it would open the door to a Catholic charter school or other religiously based charter school.”

Attorney general stands firm

Drummond, who remains Oklahoma’s attorney general, is standing firm in opposing the creation of religious charter schools and is fighting against National Ben Gamla Jewish Charter School Foundation’s efforts.

"This matter was resolved when the state Supreme Courtʼs ruling to prevent taxpayer funded religious charter schools was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court last year,” Leslie Berger, press secretary for the attorney general’s office, told EWTN News.

Drummond has also criticized the charter school board in public statements surrounding this legal battle in March, accusing the SCSB of “playing politics with the taxpayers' money” and alleged it “manipulated the record [about why National Ben Gamla Jewish Charter School Foundation’s application was rejected] to make that lawsuit easier to lose — not win.”

"A state agency that deliberately hobbles its own legal position is not doing its job — it is betraying Oklahoma taxpayers,” he said. “I will not allow that.”

Drummond has garnered support from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) for opposing the creation of religious charter schools.

Attorneys for FFRF are representing seven Oklahomans who oppose their tax money being used to support religious charter schools.

“The federal court should rule according to constitutional principles,” FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor said in a statement. “A religious public charter school has no place in our secular public education system.”

It’s unclear when the federal court will issue its ruling, but National Ben Gamla Jewish Charter School Foundation has asked the judge to issue a preliminary injunction against the state so it can begin operating a school while the litigation plays out.

Speaking with “EWTN News Nightly” in an Aug. 5 interview with anchor Veronica Dudo, Colleen De Vos recounted the final months of her father’s life. He died through Canadaʼs medical assistance in dying (MAID) program in 2023 at age 85 after being diagnosed with terminal chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

“My father wasnʼt very forthcoming with his intentions, unfortunately,” De Vos said. “We did see some very fragile moments during the course of his illness.”

As his condition worsened, De Vos said her family worked to arrange hospice or in-home palliative care, believing those services would provide the compassionate support he needed.

“We were advocating very strongly for hospice care or at-home palliative program,” she said. “He seemed to agree with that.”

But the familyʼs efforts were unsuccessful.

“He was turned down on two occasions, deeming that his diagnosis wasnʼt enough to warrant hospice care,” De Vos said. “That was a surprise to us because we could see he was deteriorating very quickly.”

Instead, she said, a nurse practitioner overseeing his care at home spoke privately with her father about pursuing MAID as his symptoms worsened.

De Vos said the contrast between accessing hospice and obtaining assisted suicide was striking.

“The irony of the availability of MAID that could be arranged very quickly ...  sidelined us very much,” she said.

She recalled receiving “literally the cardboard box in the mail” containing the drugs and supplies needed for the procedure.

“Obtaining [hospice care] was very difficult,” she said. “And this was very simple.”

On the day her father was scheduled to die, De Vos said the family finally learned that a hospice bed had become available.

She called it “very heartbreaking” that he declined the hospice bed.

“I think he proceeded because of his loss of hope,” she said. “We absolutely were prepared to provide him with round-the-clock care.”

Religious freedom challenge in New York

De Vos' story comes as Catholic ministries in New York are challenging the stateʼs new assisted suicide law in federal court.

Speaking on Aug. 5 with “EWTN News Nightly,” Adele Keim, senior counsel at Becket Fund, said New Yorkʼs law differs significantly from those in states such as Oregon and Washington.

“New York has created an opt-out law,” Keim said. “The presumption is youʼre in unless you opt out.”

While some providers may decline to prescribe or administer the lethal drugs, Keim argued that Catholic ministries are still required to participate in other aspects of the process.

“You canʼt opt out of your obligations to counsel patients about assisted suicide and the ‘benefits’ it would provide,” she said. Nor can Catholic providers refuse to refer patients elsewhere if they object to assisted suicide on religious grounds, she said.

Keim said those requirements prompted the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne and other Catholic ministries to seek relief in federal court.

Hope, dignity, and the court’s decision

She also spoke with hope in a federal judgeʼs decision to temporarily block New York from enforcing the law against the Catholic plaintiffs while the case proceeds.

“The right to assisted suicide is not a fundamental right,” Keim said, noting that both the U.S. Supreme Court and New Yorkʼs highest court have ruled there is no constitutional right to assisted suicide. “But... there is a fundamental right to religious freedom.”

According to Keim, the injunction ensures the state cannot enforce the law against the Catholic ministries while their constitutional claims are considered.

The Catholic Church teaches that assisted suicide and euthanasia are gravely contrary to the dignity of the human person while encouraging compassionate palliative and hospice care that accompanies patients through natural death.

De Vos said she hopes lawmakers instead “think about the sacred gift of life that we are given by God,” adding: “I donʼt believe that itʼs up to the lawmakers... to give someone the autonomy to end their life.”

The closure occurred in the context of growing political debates around the challenges posed by the expansion of Islam in the country.

The order targeted the “Chanteloup” mosque in Aulnay-sous-Bois, a suburb northeast of the capital in the Seine-Saint-Denis department. It was announced by the local prefecture, the regional arm of the French state administration.

The closure was ordered under a provision enacted in October 2017 that allows prefects to shut down places of worship where preaching is found to “incite violence or hatred, promote terrorism, or provoke acts of terrorism.”

A communique by the local prefect claimed that both the mosque’s regular imams and the guest speakers it hosted spread a “radical Islamist ideology” that “echoes the rhetoric of terrorist organizations, legitimizes jihad, and glorifies death as a martyr.” The administration added that the closure was warranted given the gravity and repetition of statements it judged “capable of inciting terrorist acts.”

The French news agency AFP reported that a video circulating on the social platform X earlier in the year showed an imam who had lectured at least once at the mosque urged Muslims to strike their children aged 11 and older if they failed to pray.

The mosque’s management has contested the order. Its attorney, Rafik Chekkat, announced on social media that the association had filed an emergency appeal with the Montreuil administrative court, arguing the case rested on insufficient, imprecise, and unsubstantiated evidence involving faulty interpretations of Quranic verses.

“The prefect of Seine-Saint-Denis faults an imam for having cited the Surah Al-Baqara at the Chanteloup mosque in Aulnay-sous-Bois, in order to justify its administrative closure,” Chekkat said in a tweet. “If the order is upheld by the courts, the Quran itself becomes grounds for closure.”

He said the mosque had already removed the two imams responsible for what he described as roughly 90% of the complaints against it and that mosque leaders had asked to meet with the prefect beforehand but were refused.

Regional outlet Ici Paris Île-de-France reported the association is also contesting a freeze on its bank accounts and a separate move to dissolve the managing association itself.

A hearing before the Montreuil court was held on Aug. 4; the mosque remained open pending the ruling that should be made public in the coming days.

This is the second time the mosque has faced a shutdown. In 2019, the prefecture ordered its closure after an inspection found the premises did not meet public safety requirements.

Another mosque in the department, in Pantin, closed for six months in 2020 for publicly criticizing history teacher Samuel Paty, who was beheaded that year after showing pupils caricatures of Mohammed, the central figure of the Islamic faith.

Since 2017, the French Senate has ordered seven houses of worship closed under the same provision in its first two years alone, following 19 mosque and prayer-hall closures carried out under France’s 2015–2017 state of emergency after the Paris terrorist attacks in 2015. A further wave followed France’s 2021 law against Islamist “separatism.”

The closure lands amid an ongoing, and polarizing, public conversation in France about the growth of Islam. Government figures put the number of Muslim places of worship nationwide — mosques and smaller prayer rooms combined — at roughly 2,600 in 2024, up from about eight mosques in 1975.

Estimates of France’s Muslim population vary by methodology; INSEE-linked survey data suggest Muslims make up roughly 10% of the metropolitan population, or 6 to 7 million people. A widely covered November 2025 survey by the polling institute IFOP put the adult Muslim share at 7% in 2025, up from 0.5% in 1985.

The closure of the Chanteloup mosque came just one day after the 10th anniversary of the murder of 85-year-old parish priest Jacques Hamel by two Islamic State-inspired attackers inside his own church during Mass on July 26, 2016.

It was the first time in France a terrorist attack had targeted worshippers during a religious service. The local Diocese of Rouen and the town of Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray — where Hamel was slaughtered — held two days of commemorations July 25 and 26.

A Mass was celebrated by the president of the French bishops’ conference, Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline, with the homily delivered by Rouen’s Archbishop Dominique Lebrun, built explicitly around interreligious dialogue rather than security concerns.

Saturday’s program featured a roundtable titled “Muslims and Catholics: Educating Young People to Encounter One Another.” Organizers highlighted the public friendship between Roseline Hamel, the slain priest’s sister, and Nassera Kermiche, the mother of one of his killers, as the defining symbol of the decade since the attack.

Eight Florida bishops, representing all six dioceses in the state, signed the Aug. 5 letter. They “urgently” asked Sen. Rick Scott, R-Florida, and Sen. Ashley Moody, R-Florida, “to bring about the passage of S. 4814.”

The legislation will “offer certainty to our Haitian brothers and sisters in the short-term, while also working toward broader legislative reforms that include opportunities for long-time residents of our communities to regularize their status,” they wrote.

The U.S. House of Representatives advanced the bill that would extend TPS for Haiti through 2029 in April, and the measure has stalled in the Senate.

The bishops further expressed “deep pastoral concern in response to the current state of our immigration system and the human realities involved.”

“The situation is especially daunting for hundreds of thousands of Haitians, Venezuelans, and others who have been relying on temporary protected status (TPS) to live and work lawfully in the United States,” they said.

“So many of these families are left without any legal status or a way to support themselves, all while returning to their country of origin remains unsafe, impractical, and unreasonable because of the ongoing conditions there.”

The letter follows Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski’s previous call for “compassionate” immigration protections for Haitians with TPS upon expiration of their automatic work‑permit extension on July 27.

Following the expiration, Wenski traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with lawmakers and advocated on behalf of the estimated 353,000 Haitian nationals who hold TPS status in the U.S.

Additional call for broader immigration reform

The bishops also called for broader immigration reform, citing Pope Leo XIV’s message on the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding.

The Holy Father said “those who have arrived seeking freedom, opportunity, and a place to belong have helped to shape the nation’s character.” He added: “To receive them into the nation with compassion and generosity is not only an act of charity but also a recognition of the dignity that belongs to every human person.”

“We do not ask you to commit yourselves to immigration reform as a rejection of the national interest but as a means of promoting it,” the bishops said.

“Beyond even the positive economic and social contributions made by immigrants, including those in our own state of Florida, the considerations warranting meaningful improvements to our immigration system are profoundly moral in nature,” they wrote.

“The Catholic Church remains committed to working with you and your colleagues in Congress to bring about bipartisan reforms of our immigration system. Please be assured of our prayers for you and your service to our nation in this 250th year of its independence,” they concluded.

"We are aware of the historic mission that Ceuta represents for our entire nation; we are a bastion of faith that loudly proclaims the value of the faith in the building of a country,” Valdivia said.

“That is why we wish to lift our gaze and see the Lord on our horizon — walking upon the waters of the Strait, approaching our boat, and saying to us: ‘Do not be afraid; it is I,’" he added in remarks released by the diocese in response to the numerous interview requests received in recent days.

Referring to the Ceuta’s patron saint festivities, Valdivia remarked that “centered around St. Mary of Africa, one can understand the faith of a people who have endured centuries of hardship” and that, following events like those of last week, “while it is true there is anger, fear, and at times even a desire to give up, we do not want to do so.”

“The presence of the Virgin Mary offers comfort, peace, and security in God and fosters compassion while simultaneously expressing faith in the God who, having become man, has conquered death. Offering this response entails responding with Godʼs love,” he added.

The Church has demonstrated its maturity amid an unprecedented crisis.”

Bishop Ramón Valdivia

apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Cádiz and Ceuta in Spain

The prelate further indicated that “the Church has demonstrated its maturity amid an unprecedented crisis,” even as it continues to “view with concern these events that disturb our peace,” bearing in mind that “this is the second time [such an event has occurred] since the mass influx of May 2021.”

“We feel vulnerable and, in a sense, in need of protection,” added the bishop, who, drawing inspiration from St. Paulʼs Second Letter to the Corinthians, observed: “We are troubled, but not in despair. We trust in God above all.”

Valdivia further noted that the task for the near future involves “rebuilding trust, encouraging those who have suffered fear and anxiety, and working toward a dignified solution for those who entered illegally,” bearing in mind that “feelings very difficult to root out have taken hold in peopleʼs hearts, stemming from the need to care for others while simultaneously protecting the shared space.”

Gratitude to Pope Leo XIV

Meanwhile, the prelate welcomed the words of Pope Leo XIV regarding the crisis — spoken during the Angelus on Sunday, Aug. 2 — as “a balm of comfort, knowing that we are close to the popeʼs heart.”

Leo XIV expressed that he was following “the alarming situation in Ceuta” with concern and asked, through the intercession of Our Lady of Africa, that “solutions of peace, stability, and justice might be found.” These words, the prelate stated, “have helped guide our public mission amid this difficulty, fostering peace, stability, and justice.”

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

The destructive episode at St. Rita Roman Catholic Church in the neighborhood of Long Island City in Queens occurred on Aug. 1 when a man jumped a fence around the courtyard of the parish and smashed a statue of the Virgin Mother with a hammer.

Photos of the attack showed the statue of Mary knocked off its pedestal and in pieces.

The Brooklyn Diocese said in a news release that the New York Police Department is investigating the incident as a hate crime. A diocesan spokesman told EWTN News that no arrests had yet been made in the case as of the morning of Aug. 6.

The diocese said the attack was the fourth of a series of incidents of vandalism at the parish since 2024. In previous attacks vandals smashed a stained-glass window and defaced statues of both St. Francis of Assisi and St. Jude.

Numerous other New York-area parishes have also been vandalized in recent years. Among them was an October 2024 incident at St. Thérèse of Lisieux Church in Brooklyn in which a man vandalized two statues, one of the Blessed Mother and one of St. Thérèse of Lisieux.

Similar incidents occurred at other churches in 2023, including at two parishes also located in Brooklyn. A February 2024 report by the Family Research Council found an uptick in hostility and vandalism against churches in the U.S., particularly Catholic parishes. 

In January, New York State Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton called for increased security for churches after multiple crimes at Catholic parishes on Staten Island.

Church, the state senator said at the time, “is a place of peace and reflection; nobody should feel unsafe where they pray.”

Recent data from the Vienna-based Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe, meanwhile, showed that church arson attacks across Europe nearly doubled in 2024.

The fire attacks were part of a broader surge in anti-Christian hate crimes that included 274 personal assaults against Christians and the killing of a 76-year-old Spanish monk, according to the report.

Of this event, Benedict XVI noted: “According to the senses, the light of the sun is the most intense ever known in nature.” Despite this fact, Benedict said, “according to the spirit, the disciples saw for a short time a brightness more intense: that of the divine glory of Jesus, which illuminates the whole history of salvation.”

Peter, James, and John experienced an intense beauty, the beauty of an experience of God, a small glimpse of the beatific vision.

The preface for Mass on the Transfiguration explains the significance of the event: “For he revealed his glory in the presence of chosen witnesses ... that the scandal of the cross might be removed from the hearts of his disciples.”

Benedict reflected this sentiment at an Angelus address on March 20, 2011, saying: “We recall the Transfiguration of the Lord and how it prepared the apostles for the coming scandal of the cross.”

The apostles’ experience at the Transfiguration gave them courage and hope in the Resurrection. As the Mass preface ends: “that he might show how in the body of the whole Church is to be fulfilled what so wonderfully shone forth first in its head.”

Christ revealed himself in a new way at the Transfiguration.

“Strengthened by our faith in Jesus, true God and true man, may we be inspired, not scandalized, by the cross given to our Savior and to our fellow Christians who suffer with him throughout the world,” Benedict added. Christ’s transfiguration inspired more faith in the apostles, giving them the strength to face the cross.

Ultimately, faith in Christ and his own transfiguration leads the Christian’s life to be transfigured.

“He is the only voice to listen to, the only one to follow,” Benedict said in a February 2010 Angelus address. “He that, going up towards Jerusalem, will give his life and one day ‘will transfigure our lowly body to conform with his glorified body.’”

As Pope Francis said at an Angelus address on March 1, 2015, speaking about the Transfiguration: “The way of Jesus always leads us to happiness; do not forget it!”

On this year’s feast of the Transfiguration, Pope Leo XIV was in Assisi, Italy, with thousands of young people from across Europe who gathered for GO!, the 2026 Franciscan Youth Meeting.

In his homily at Mass in the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels on Aug. 6, Leo said Jesus was “transfigured precisely in conversation with the Father, with those who preceded him — Moses and Elijah — and with his contemporaries, the disciples.” He went on to say that the Church exists “to draw us into this dynamic of listening and deciding, helping us understand for whom to live and how to live.”

This story was first published on Aug. 6, 2021, and has been updated.

According to a diocesan press release, the pontiff will visit Chiclayo Cathedral, the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Peace, Santo Toribio de Mogrovejo Catholic University, the districts of Santa Cruz and Zaña, and the open grounds of the Reque Industrial Park, where the main gatherings and celebrations of his visit to the region will take place.

The diocese noted that the return of Leo XIV will represent a moment of great significance for the people, “who will welcome the successor of Peter with faith, hope, and a spirit of unity.” The visit to Chiclayo will be part of his overall apostolic journey to Peru, which will also include the cities of Lima, Cusco, and Pucallpa.

The Peruvian Episcopal Conference (CEP, by its Spanish acronym) has expressed its “immense joy” at the official confirmation of the apostolic visit and is inviting the faithful to prepare themselves spiritually for it.

“His presence among us will be a true gift for our people and an opportunity to renew our faith, strengthen hope, and walk united as a Church in the service of the Gospel,” conference president Bishop Carlos García Camader stated.

The country’s bishops specifically called upon all the faithful and people of goodwill to join in prayer as a form of preparation.

In an interview with Vatican News, Cardinal Carlos Castillo, archbishop of Lima and primate of Peru, said the pontiff’s upcoming trip is generating “enormous anticipation” among Peruvians.

“We receive this news not only with great pleasure but also with a vital surge of encouragement that prepares us to commit ourselves generously to our faith, so that we may welcome him and better invigorate our Christian and Catholic experience,” Castillo remarked.

The president of Peru, Keiko Fujimori, wrote on her X account that she received “the confirmation with profound joy,” adding that it is “news that fills millions of Peruvians with excitement.”

Fujimori added that the pontiff’s arrival “will be a moment of encounter for our faith and a message of hope for our country.”

“Holy Father, we await you with open hearts to welcome you back to your home, Peru,” she said.

Castillo also noted that the papal visit is taking place during a time marked by challenges such as insecurity, violence, and social difficulties, and that the Holy Fatherʼs presence could foster a necessary reflection.

“May the Holy Father disarm us and make it possible for a peace that is both unarmed and disarming to unfold with full clarity,” Castillo concluded.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

At a special meeting on Aug. 5, the formal U.S. representation at the OAS presented the draft resolution, titled “Convocation of a Meeting of Consultation of Ministers of Foreign Affairs to Consider the Situation in Nicaragua.” The Permanent Mission of the United States’ resolution was cosponsored by the Permanent Missions of Argentina, Panama, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

The Permanent Mission of the United States called for the meeting to take place before Sept. 1, when the Ortega regime is set to codify its latest policy reforms. 

The move would invoke one of the OAS’ highest‑level diplomatic tools, signaling that member states view Nicaragua’s political rupture as a regional concern with direct human rights implications. Ortega’s announcement, paired with constitutional changes aimed at blocking opposition figures from power, prompted the United States and Paraguay to request the extraordinary meeting.

Commissioner Rosa María Payá, rapporteur for Nicaragua at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, expressed concern at the OAS Permanent Council meeting over ongoing human rights abuses against Nicaraguans, including arbitrary detentions and forced disappearances.

She noted that about 838,363 Nicaraguans have fled the country since 2018 and that many face transnational repression. Representatives for several member states said during the meeting that the forced migration of Nicaraguans constitutes a migration crisis and a threat to national security.

Payá, a Catholic of Cuban descent, also highlighted persecution of the Catholic Church in Nicaragua, citing the disappearance of Bishop Emeritus Juan Abelardo Mata Guevara of Estelí, Nicaragua. Mata was detained by police on two occasions in late June after praying for the persecuted Church in Nicaragua during a Mass he celebrated on Sunday, June 28.

“We are very concerned about the situation of the persecution of the Catholic Church in Nicaragua and the persecution of the faith in general, and the practice and the exercise of the faith,” Payá told EWTN News. “We have been very vocal about our concerns and alarm about the disappearance of Monsignor Abelardo Mata Guevara.”

In October 2023, the Permanent Council unanimously approved the resolution “Rejection of the Repressive Measures of the Government of Nicaragua Against Educational Institutions and the Catholic Church in Nicaragua.” Nicaragua withdrew from the OAS in November 2023.

“When we talk about the Nicaraguan regime, we actually see a systematic continued behavior in the direction of violating freedom of religion, from the situation that took place with Monsignor [Rolando] Alvarez years ago — heʼs now forced to live in exile — to the situation of Monsignor Mata and many other priests and members of the Catholic communities that are afraid to practice their faith,” she said.

Payá said the Ortega regime’s suspension of elections has prompted a “collapse of democracy,” which she said “creates an environment of fear that impacts people of faith.”

“Iʼm Catholic myself and I also come from a society that has suffered the violation of human rights,” she said. “So I deeply understand what it is to to be afraid to speak your mind, what it is to be afraid of practicing and voicing your faith, which is a very primary human exercise.”

Payá is the daughter of Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas, a Catholic dissident who founded the Christian Liberation Movement (CLM), a peaceful democratic movement inspired by Catholic social teaching in 1988. He was killed during the Cuban Spring in 2012.

“All of my solidarity is with the Nicaraguan people,” Payá said. “And I believe that also all the solidarity of the commission is too, and we will keep following the issue and we will keep engaging in the political dialogue with the member states.”

As announced by the Vatican City State Governorate on July 30, these coins are part of a new Vatican euro collector coin set honoring the new pontificate. This also marks the first time since 2014 that the papal image has appeared on the coins, following Pope Francis’ personal request that his face not be used.

Except for the 5-euro coin, the Vatican coins can be used to buy things in the 21 European Union member states that have adopted the euro as their common currency.

A unique design in the history of Vatican coin-making

Although these new coins with Leo are not the first to feature the pope’s face, they are part of an entirely unique design.

Leo’s coat of arms appears on the 1-cent, 2-cent, and 5-cent euro coins, while his face appears on the larger denominations.

The pope’s image has appeared on minted coins since the Middle Ages, when pontiffs held temporal power over the Papal States. Shortly after the establishment of Vatican City in 1929, the sovereign state issued lira coins (the Italian currency before the euro) bearing the papal image. The Vatican stopped making lira coins after it adopted the euro in 2001.

According to the European Central Bank, the first Vatican coins for the euro were issued in 2002 with the face of St. John Paul II. From 2006–2013, another set of coins was issued with the face of Pope Benedict XVI.

The coins featuring Francis in 2014 were the last until Leo to feature the pope’s face.

Francis’ refusal to be depicted on Vatican coins

For the 2017 issue of Vatican coins, Francis personally requested that his face not be used. Instead, they featured his coat of arms.

In a 2017 interview for Radio Vaticana, Mauro Olivieri, the then-director of the Philatelic and Numismatic Office for Vatican City State, explained the difficulties in accommodating his request.

“[Francis] asked that he no longer appear on coins, medals in general — and especially on those issued by his state — and we did everything we could to accommodate him,” Olivieri said. “We succeeded, despite some difficulties with the EU authorities, which were later resolved, and so the 2017 coinage features the popeʼs coat of arms.”

The newest Vatican coins can be purchased for 59 euros through the Vatican’s Philatelic and Numismatic Office, responsible for its coins and stamps.

The new Fundamental Law of Vatican City State, promulgated by Pope Leo and already in effect, represents considerably more than an update to the legal framework approved by Pope Francis in 2023.

Unlike the previous law, the new text makes a significant change to the way the foundation of the pontiff’s authority over the Vatican city-state is understood.

The constitution promulgated by Pope Francis stated that the pope exercised sovereign powers over Vatican City “by virtue of the Petrine office,” an expression referring to his sacred mission as the successor of St. Peter to guide, safeguard, and maintain the unity of the Church.

In practice, the formulation linked the pope’s temporal authority to his status as the successor of the apostle to whom Christ entrusted the keys of the Church.

“Francis introduced an anomaly that asserted that his powers as head of state derived from being the successor of Peter,” historian of Christianity Giovanni Maria Vian told ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News.

Vian, a former editor of the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano and a professor of patristic philology at Rome’s Sapienza University, said the formulation represented a completely unprecedented innovation.

“It made his authority over Vatican City State derive directly from his status as Peter’s successor,” he said. “It was a theocratic arrangement without precedent in the very long history of the Apostolic See.”

Vian said Pope Leo, who is trained in both civil and canon law, appears to have decided to correct that innovation and return to the approach followed by the two previous Vatican constitutions, promulgated in 1929 and 2000.

“That assertion was neither adequate, correct, nor precise from a theological and historical point of view. That is why it was removed,” said Father Roberto Regoli, an expert in ecclesiastical history and diplomacy from the 19th to the 21st centuries and president of the Joseph Ratzinger-Benedict XVI Vatican Foundation.

“This omission is very important because the concept was unnecessary and, moreover, inappropriate,” he said.

4 constitutions for Vatican City State

The new law, dated July 31, completely replaces the constitution promulgated by Pope Francis on May 13, 2023. It is the fourth Fundamental Law in the history of Vatican City State.

The first was promulgated by Pope Pius XI on June 7, 1929, a few months after the signing of the Lateran Pacts and the creation of the new state. The law was drafted by Jewish jurist Federico Cammeo.

The second was the reform approved by St. John Paul II in 2000. The third was promulgated by Pope Francis in 2023.

Now, just three years later, Pope Leo has approved the Vatican’s fourth constitution.

The most significant change is found in the preamble. The new text recalls that Vatican City State was created through the Lateran Treaty to guarantee the Holy See absolute and visible independence and to ensure its sovereignty in the international sphere.

According to Vian, the difference between the two constitutions is substantial.

“One cannot maintain that Peter possessed temporal power or that his successors received it directly from him,” he said.

The historian noted that the temporal power of the popes emerged centuries after the apostolic era.

“That did not occur until the beginning of the Middle Ages,” he said. “The Papal States began to take shape around the middle of the eighth century.”

From that perspective, Vian said the formulation introduced by Pope Francis was historically difficult to sustain.

“It was probably the result of a mentality connected to his Jesuit background, obedience to the pope, and also the legal advice he received,” he said. “But from a historical and ecclesiological point of view, it was an anomaly.”

Regoli likewise said Pope Leo has restored the traditional formulation.

“Temporal power is at the service of spiritual power, nothing more,” he said. “Temporal power cannot be divinized or placed on the same level as spiritual ministry.”

A more traditional understanding of the Petrine ministry

Both experts said Pope Leo’s decision reflects a more traditional understanding of the Petrine ministry.

“He understands it in continuity with the tradition of his predecessors,” Vian said.

The Italian historian noted that the popes’ temporal power developed between the eighth and 19th centuries, over the course of more than a millennium, without deriving directly from the apostolic primacy of St. Peter.

Vian also said it was necessary to place the creation of Vatican City State in its historical context.

Following the French Revolution, the Papal States were abolished on several occasions: in 1798, with the establishment of the French-backed First Roman Republic; in 1809, during the Napoleonic occupation; in 1849, with the Second Roman Republic; and finally in 1870, when Italian troops took Rome and brought the temporal power of the popes to an end.

The events opened what became known as the “Roman Question.” For nearly 60 years, the pontiffs refused to recognize the new situation created by the Italian state. As a gesture of protest, they ceased appearing at the central loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica to impart public blessings.

The crisis was resolved in 1929 with the signing of the Lateran Pacts between the Holy See and the Kingdom of Italy. The agreements included an international treaty, a financial convention, and a concordat.

The treaty created Vatican City State as a sovereign territory intended to guarantee the independence of the Holy See.

The new constitution preserves the traditional principle that the pope possesses the fullness of power within Vatican City State.

Article 1 states: “The Supreme Pontiff, sovereign of Vatican City State, possesses the fullness of governing authority, which includes legislative, executive, and judicial power.”

The wording is nearly identical to that used by Pope Pius XI in 1929.

A new legal framework

Another significant change introduced by Pope Leo provides a legal basis for a situation that arose during Pope Francis’ pontificate.

The new Fundamental Law incorporates a November 2025 motu proprio allowing the presidency of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State to be held by someone other than a cardinal.

The reform addresses the case of Sister Raffaella Petrini, whom Pope Francis appointed to lead the Governorate of Vatican City State even though the legislation then in force stipulated that the position was to be held by a cardinal.

The appointment prompted criticism because of the discrepancy between the law and the institutional reality.

According to Regoli, the new constitution formalizes a correction Pope Leo had already introduced in 2025.

“The previous constitution established that the president had to be a cardinal; however, the president was Sister Petrini,” he said. “There was therefore an inconsistency between the law and reality. The pope intervened in 2025, and now, with the new 2026 constitution, that change has been fully incorporated into the legislation.”

The legal change means that “in addition to Sister Petrini, any other woman or man, including a layperson, may hold that office,” Regoli said.

“This is because Vatican City State, since it is not directly connected to theological or sacramental matters, does not necessarily require its governor to be a cardinal, bishop, or cleric,” he explained.

Membership in the College of Cardinals is therefore not an indispensable requirement, he said, because the position is not connected to the sacrament of holy orders.

The new Fundamental Law not only returns the Vatican constitution to the legal tradition of 1929 and 2000 but also regularizes several institutional reforms introduced in recent years.

Both experts agreed, however, that the most important change remains the redefinition of the origin of the pope’s temporal authority, an issue they consider essential to understanding the nature of the world’s smallest state.

“Pope Leo XIV has repaired an unprecedented break and returned to the original spirit in which Vatican City State was created,” Vian concluded.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

The event involves a prayer relay linking Hiroshima to Nagasaki, Rome, and New York.

The Diocese of Hiroshima offered a Mass for the victims of the bomb and all war dead at 8 a.m. Thursday local time at the World Peace Memorial Cathedral in the cityʼs Noboricho district, the hour the diocese gathers each year, minutes after the 1945 blast.

The vigil, organized with the Community of SantʼEgidio — the Rome-based lay movement known for its peace diplomacy — runs until exactly 11:02 a.m. on Sunday, the very minute the second atomic bomb struck Nagasaki, according to the diocese.

The Focolare Movement, parishioners, and volunteers are taking part. SantʼEgidio has kept the vigil annually since 2022.

The day, Aug. 6, is also the feast of the Transfiguration.

The Japanese prelate and the SantʼEgidio president, Marco Impagliazzo, issued a joint message to link the commemoration with the call for the common good as set out in Pope Leoʼs first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas.

In the message, Shirahama and Impagliazzo reflected on the American pontiffʼs words, calling the vigil a way to receive the peace of the risen Christ, “a disarming, humble, and persevering peace” — the phrase Leo used from the loggia of St. Peterʼs Basilica minutes after his election in May 2025.

Three chapels are open to the public for this event: the crypt of the cathedral in Hiroshima, the Chapel of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary in New York, and the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere in Rome.

The prayer is livestreamed, and organizers are reading aloud intentions sent in from around the world.

An observance dating back to St. John Paul II

Thursday also marks the beginning of the annual “Ten Days for Peace” for Japanese Catholics, an event of prayer and penance running from the day of the Hiroshima bombing to the date of Japanʼs surrender on Aug. 15.

The bishops began the observance after Pope John Paul II came to Hiroshima in 1981 and issued his Appeal for Peace, telling the world that to remember the city is to repudiate nuclear war.

Pope Benedict XVI, in his 2006 World Day of Peace message, called reliance on nuclear arms “not only baneful but also completely fallacious,” warning that in a nuclear war there would be “no victors, only victims.”

Pope Leo, in a foreword published in July, called for the elimination of nuclear weapons outright.

As announced by the Holy See on Aug. 6, the pontiff also accepted the resignation of Archbishop Roberto Octavio González Nieves, OFM, who has led the archdiocese since 1999.

González concludes nearly 30 years of service

González concludes his service in Puerto Rico having led the archdiocese through challenging times, including Hurricane María in 2017 and the COVID-19 pandemic.

He was ordained a Franciscan priest in 1977 and served as auxiliary bishop of Boston before becoming bishop of Corpus Christi, Texas. Notably, he replaced Bishop René Gracida at Corpus Christi, who signed his name to a “filial correction” criticizing Pope Francis’ 2016 encyclical Amoris Laetitia.

Assigned to Puerto Rico by St. John Paul II, in 2023 González was honored with the Spirit of Francis Award by the Catholic Extension Society in recognition of his service in helping Puerto Rico recover from Hurricane María.

Bishop Ramos: A theologian with pastoral work

Ramos was born in Maunabo, Puerto Rico, on Dec. 15, 1952. After completing studies in biology and theology in Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Rome, he was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Caguas in Puerto Rico in 1983.

After more than 20 years as a parish priest and professor, he was named bishop of Fajardo-Humacao in 2008. He was transferred to Caguas in 2017 and was subsequently nominated as president of the Puerto Rican Episcopal Conference.

Langa died on Monday, Aug. 3, at Maputo Central Hospital, the Episcopal Conference of Mozambique (CEM) announced in a statement.

“As he completes his earthly pilgrimage, CEM gives thanks to God for the life and ministry of Cardinal Langa, who dedicated himself faithfully to the service of the Catholic Church in Mozambique, particularly in the Diocese of Xai-Xai,” CEM members said in the statement.

They urged the people of God to “unite in prayer for the eternal repose of his soul.”

“Further information concerning the funeral rites and celebrations will be communicated by the CEM in due course,” the Catholic bishops added.

Born in Mangunze, Gaza Province, in October 1927, Langa was ordained a priest in June 1957.

In 1976, Pope Paul VI appointed him the first bishop of the newly established Diocese of Xai-Xai, where he served for more than two decades amid war, social upheaval, and the difficult task of pastoral reconstruction.

During those years, he promoted the pastoral life of the diocese and paid special attention to communities affected by the conflict as well as by epidemics and natural disasters.

In addition to his pastoral work, the late cardinal stood out for his knowledge of local languages. He participated in the edition of the translation of the texts of the Second Vatican Council into the main languages of Mozambique, contributing to their dissemination among the country’s Catholic communities.

After his retirement in July 2004, he remained closely connected to the diocese and continued to be regarded as a respected figure known for his simplicity, pastoral presence, and fidelity to the Gospel.

Langa’s elevation to the College of Cardinals by the late Pope Francis in February 2015 marked a historic moment for Mozambique, making him the second Mozambican cardinal.

With his passing, the College of Cardinals now consists of 240 cardinals, of whom 116 are electors and 124 are non-electors.

This story was first published by ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, and has been adapted by EWTN News.

The Aug. 4 video message was presented by the president of the Mexican Episcopal Conference (CEM, by its Spanish acronym), Bishop Ramón Castro Castro, and the CEM’s secretary-general, Bishop Héctor Mario Pérez Villarreal.

“A hundred years ago in Mexico, the bells of the churches were silenced,” the prelates recalled, but “their blood spoke instead.”

“For two years, the churches were closed, and the religious conflict pitted Mexicans against one another,” they stated.

The bishops lamented that “what happened in Mexico a century ago bears that tragic face. It was not a nation invaded by outsiders but a people divided against itself.”

“On both sides of the trenches and the battalions were children of the same land — baptized in the same parishes, heirs to the same culture, and sharing the same mother in their hearts: the Virgin of Guadalupe,” they added.

“Today, a hundred years later, we, the bishops of Mexico, wish to address everyone, not to reopen wounds but to heal them; not to judge the dead but to serve the living,” the prelates stated.

“A people that does not remember is at the mercy of those who write history for them,” they warned, going on to emphasize that “Christian memory is not nostalgia for the past; it is strength for the present.”

The bishops further stated: “We are not commemorating a war, we are not celebrating a victory.” They continued: “We do not exalt arms, nor do we idealize violence. We do not call for revenge, and we do not fuel resentment.”

Rather, they said, “we commemorate the fidelity of a believing people who kept the faith alive when the churches fell silent. We commemorate our martyrs, who did not kill for Christ but died for him. And we remember a lesson learned at a very high price,” the bishops pointed out.

In this regard, Mexico’s bishops emphasized that “religious freedom is not a privilege of the clergy but the right of every human person.”

The prelates underscored that “the martyrs remind us that there are truths worth living for and, if necessary, dying for — because whoever lays down their life out of love does not lose it; they sow.”

“Today, we defend religious freedom as a right for all — believers and nonbelievers alike — because no conscience should be coerced, manipulated, or silenced,” they emphasized.

This “time of grace,” the country’s bishops noted, represents “a call to build a Church that listens before speaking, that journeys together, and that awakens in every baptized person the awareness of living out their faith within the family, at work, and in public life.”

“May this time find us reconciled — capable of speaking the truth without hatred, of forgiving without forgetting, and of building together a nation where no conscience is coerced and no life is deemed disposable,” the bishops affirmed.

“May Christ reign in our hearts, and may St. Mary of Guadalupe protect our homeland,” they concluded.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

The pope celebrated Mass on Thursday at the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels before the Portiuncula, the small chapel closely associated with the life and vocation of St. Francis.

Addressing approximately 2,500 participants in the GO! Franciscan Youth Meeting on the feast of the Transfiguration, Pope Leo said Assisi has long drawn pilgrims because “everything whispers that our lives can take on a new form, radiate light, and heal the world.”

“It was here that the transformation of Francis, Clare, and then thousands of other young people began,” he said. “They embraced the Gospel ‘sine glossa’ — we could say, in its simplicity — then the life of Jesus began anew within them.”

Reflecting on the Gospel account of the Transfiguration, the pope said the young pilgrims had come to Assisi in search of direction and meaning.

“We have come here to understand where history is heading and where we ourselves are going,” he said. “In the Gospel, we see that meaning can indeed be found, that a path can be glimpsed. Like Peter, James, and John, we too have been brought a little aside, and Jesus is with us. What matters is his presence.”

“Now, in Jesus’ transfiguration, God himself reveals his glory, which takes the form of a cloud that protects and envelops. He points to his Son and invites us to listen to him. The path of life is discovered by following him together.”

Pope Leo told the young people that their days of prayer, meetings, and conversation in Assisi offered evidence that they were not alone.

“We are not alone! In recent days you have experienced this, since you have met and listened to one another, moving beyond the clamor of overlapping and conflicting voices to the art of conversation,” he said.

“Today, we contemplate Jesus, who is transfigured precisely in conversation with the Father, with those who preceded him — Moses and Elijah — and with his contemporaries, the disciples.”

The Church, the pope continued, exists to draw people into “this dynamic of listening and decision-making,” helping them understand “for whom we are to live and how we are to live.”

He highlighted the Franciscan tradition’s emphasis on restoring relationships damaged by sin, division, and exploitation.

“Franciscan spirituality, in which you have been formed, is among the most attentive to restoring fundamental relationships with God and with all his creatures,” he said. “Today, more than ever, this is a harmony that needs to be safeguarded and cultivated.”

Pope Leo said St. Francis continues to attract people eight centuries after his death because of the profound humanity that led him to abandon familiar paths and follow Christ in a new and radical way.

“Dear friends, the reason why St. Francis still draws us to himself, even 800 years after his death, lies in the grandeur of humanity that led him to abandon familiar ways in order to find a new path that is more consistent with that of Jesus,” he said.

“Even in a town that had been Christian for centuries, such as Assisi, this seemed revolutionary.”

The pope then issued a direct appeal to the young people gathered before the Portiuncula.

“Well then, dear young people, today Europe and the whole world are looking to you to be new saints,” he said. “Dare to believe in the word of the Gospel; become fully human with the freedom of Jesus Christ; embrace Sister Poverty!”

The name of the youth gathering, he said, was itself a missionary command.

“The title of your gathering, GO!, is a mission, a sending forth onto paths for which we have no maps, because they are opened by listening to the heart, obeying the Holy Spirit, and following the Risen One wherever he has chosen to go before us,” Pope Leo said.

“Go! Go! Better yet: Let us go! Let’s go to the margins, where the injustice and arrogance of a few deny the dignity and dreams of many, of far too many sons and daughters of God.”

Following Christ may bring misunderstanding, including from one’s own family or community, the pope cautioned. He insisted, however, that opposing injustice and division does not mean betraying one’s roots.

“We may not be understood, even by those closest to us, as happened to St. Francis,” he said.

“Yet, breaking free from the culture of power, and tearing down the walls that separate human beings from one another, is never a betrayal of our families, towns, or traditions. Instead, it means freeing them from their ghosts, from enemies invented out of fear or ignorance and from the violence with which people seek to impose their own limited order on a reality that surpasses us on every side.”

“To trust in God is to rediscover, like Francis and Clare, a world of brothers and sisters to cherish and serve, not to exploit and dominate,” he continued. “Not a world to defend, but to embrace.”

Concluding his homily, Pope Leo encouraged the young participants to place every aspect of their lives at the service of what he called the “civilization of love.”

“Unite the best energies of your magnificent humanity: your studies, skills, work, friendships, love, and prayer, so that you can bring St. Francis’ vision to life in many different ways,” he said.

The pope then recited the prayer commonly attributed to St. Francis, beginning: “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.”

At the conclusion of the Mass, Francesco Varone addressed Pope Leo on behalf of the young participants.

“During these days, we have prayed, listened to testimonies, formed friendships, and allowed ourselves to be challenged by the Gospel and by the witness of St. Francis, who right here at the Portiuncula learned to make his life a total response to God’s love,” Varone said.

“Today, all of this has found fulfillment in your presence. Holy Father, we young people need authentic witnesses, men capable of pointing us to Christ with their lives, not only with words.”

“Your voice encourages us not to be afraid to choose the good and to believe that the Gospel can still change the human heart,” he continued. “Thank you, Holy Father, because today you make us feel that we are Church. Thank you for being here in Assisi, in Mary’s house; thank you for being among your young people.”

Following the celebration, Pope Leo entered the Portiuncula for a period of silent prayer, greeted the faithful, and then departed for the Vatican.

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.

Verret and her husband, Ryan, have for years run the marriage ministry Witness to Love; in 2024 Pope Francis named them as consultants to the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family, and Life.

Since 2012 the Verrets have used that ministry to reach both engaged and married couples in a variety of formats. And their work has occurred amid an encouraging shift in U.S. marriage culture: declining divorce rates for new marriages.

Data compiled by the Institute for Family Studies shows that couples who married in the 2010s have markedly lower divorce rates than couples who married in earlier decades.

That trend has been part of an overall decline in divorce since roughly the 1980s onward: While 30% of first marriages in the 1970s ended in divorce after 10 years, just 18% of first marriages from 2010–2012 did so, with the divorce rate for the rest of the latter decade remaining roughly similar so far.

Mary Rose Verret told EWTN News there’s “not a lot of data” to indicate reasons why that rate is trending downward. Yet some of the explanations, she said, could be that people “are taking marriage a little more seriously” and are entering into the institution more prepared.

She said that half of the work of their ministry involves engaged or recently married couples, while the other half is with couples who have been married longer and who serve as mentors of younger husbands and wives.

When looking to keep divorce rates low, Verret said, ministering to those who have been married for years is just as critical a component as preparing couples for marriage.

“The more we can do to strengthen existing marriages, that’s what going to lower the divorce rate and increase the number of happily married couples that are really being witnesses,” she said.

The beginning point, meanwhile, is close to home, she said: “Start with your own marriage. Start with investing in your church community. Invest in your diocese.”

“There’s nothing more important than preparing the next generation of couples and families,” she said.

The 50% divorce myth

A pop culture talking point for years has been the contention that half of all marriages will end in divorce. Yet the Institute for Family Studies argues that that statistic is outdated, having been popularized “during the heyday of hippies through the MTV era” amid massive shifts in the institution of marriage.

Decades of data, on the other hand, indicate that only first marriages that began in the 1970s had a more-than-50% likelihood of ending in divorce by their 50th anniversary. In the 1950s the rate hovered around 30%; in the 1960s it was slightly over 40%.

Other decades thus far have trended higher or lower, though none have topped 50%.

Grant Bailey, the deputy director of the Get Married Initiative at the Institute for Family Studies, told EWTN News that the decline of divorce rates from their peak in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s can be explained in part by “later marriages.”

“The divorce revolution of the 1960s and 1970s saw rising divorce rates across the board, with the highest divorce rates among couples who married in their early 20s,” he said. “Adults began marrying later, bringing lower divorce risks, and as a result we saw the aggregate divorce rate fall from the 1980s onward.”

Yet more recent data show divorce rates trending downward “regardless of what age couples marry.” Later marriages, he said, “no longer explain why divorce rates are falling.”

Peter and Sheila Oprysko, the North America secretariat ecclesial team of Worldwide Marriage Encounter, said declining divorce numbers are in part due to a greater “intentionality” about marriage among younger people.

“We know that people are getting married later in life,” Peter told EWTN News. “So when they make a decision, they’ve spent the time living with it, thinking it out, and coming out in the end with it. So there’s a more permanent decision there.”

Sheila said many young Catholic couples getting married today are “coming back to the Church” with a greater awareness of its implications.

“They’re understanding what our faith is, and they’re beginning to understand marriage is a sacrament,” she said.

Marriage Encounter advertises itself as a “marriage enrichment program.” Peter said the program itself is “not a crisis hotline” for marriages but one that helps husbands and wives develop a “lifelong communication framework” that actually prevents crises from arising in the first place.

He said that the statistics of successful marriage “don’t happen by accident.”

“They happen when couples invest in their relationship and learn the skills to communicate deeply,” he said. Marriage advocates in recent years are “seeing a greater intentionality in nourishing that commitment,” he said.

Sheila said the program teaches not just communication but prayer as a couple. “They also have a community (of married couples) afterward, too, so they realize they have even more support.”

Though divorce numbers are promising, overall marriage rates remain anemic in recent decades. A Heritage Foundation report in May found that over the past 50 years, marriage rates have declined from more than 90% of Americans having married by ages 30-35 in 1962 to 55% as of 2025.

In October, the Vatican will host a meeting of bishops focused on marriage and childbearing, among other issues. The Dicastery for the Laity, the Family, and Life said discussions will include “walking with families in complex situations” such as “abandonment, separation, and divorce.”

Worldwide Marriage Encounter was recognized by the Vatican this year as an official international association of the faithful, Peter Oprysko told EWTN News. Peter and Sheila attended the reading of the decree in Rome and afterward had an audience with Pope Leo XIV.

At the event, both Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell and Pope Leo XIV “talked about the importance of marriage, for the family and for the Church,” Sheila said.

Though the decline in divorce is a welcome development for marriage advocates, Bailey said the “at least some of the decline in divorce rates is due to a more select population,” which he called “the admittedly dark side to an otherwise positive finding.”

“Fewer adults are getting married today, but couples who do marry appear to be more committed than those from recent decades,” he said. He said the public should be taught that “a successful marriage is not a coin toss and that it is possible to form a stable and happy family life in the present day.”

Ryan Verret argued that in his extensive writings on the topic, Pope John Paul II positioned marriage and family as a counterrevolution to destructive modernist tendencies.

“Maybe in some ways we’re in the counterrevolution now,” he said. “There definitely seems to be a substantial movement of young people coming back to faith and things that are transcendent.”

Sheila Oprysko said that married couples should treat their marriage like anything else that needs regular upkeep to stay healthy.

“You bring your car in for maintenance,” she said. “Priests go on for retreat once a year. You do something for yourself spiritually. You’ve got to do something for your marriage as well.”

Peter Oprysko argued that marriage advocates “can’t be complacent” even as divorce trends look promising. “We have to keep reaching out,” he said. “We’re trying to change the narrative.”

Mary Rose Verret, meanwhile, stressed that husbands and wives in happy, thriving unions need to serve as vital witnesses to a culture in need of healthy marriage.

“If you don’t see happy married couples around, you’re not going to want to get married,” she said.

“If we get it right, the marriage rate will go up and the divorce rate will go down,” she said.

The pope spoke Aug. 6 at the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels during the GO! Franciscan Youth Meeting 2026, a gathering of young people ages 18 to 33 from throughout Europe and from countries including the United States, Vietnam, and South Sudan.

The event formed part of celebrations marking the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi.

In 1221, St. Francis gathered approximately 5,000 friars from across Europe near the Portiuncula for what became known as the Chapter of Mats. With nowhere else to stay, the friars slept on simple mats — an image Pope Leo XIV invoked in his remarks to the young participants, many of whom had spent the gathering sleeping in bags.

The pope arrived by helicopter at approximately 8:28 a.m. near St. Mary of the Angels. He was welcomed by Bishop Felice Accrocca of Assisi and local civil authorities before traveling to the basilica, where he was received by the ministers general of the principal Franciscan orders.

According to Father Alfio Vespoli, Pope Leo XIV personally chose the youth gathering from among the many events planned for the Franciscan centenary year.

Father Marco Vianelli, provincial minister of the Friars Minor of Umbria and Sardinia, welcomed the pope and recalled the importance of the Portiuncula in Franciscan history.

“Your Holiness, here at the Portiuncula St. Francis understood his vocation; here he welcomed his first brothers; here St. Clare consecrated her life to the Lord; here the indulgence of the Pardon of Assisi blossomed, a sign of God’s boundless mercy,” Vianelli said.

“Here, on Oct. 3, 1226, naked on the bare earth, he welcomed Sister Death in song,” the friar continued. “We thank you for accepting our invitation and for wanting to meet these young people.”

Becoming artisans of peace

The first question came from Karolina, a young woman from Zagreb, Croatia, who described the challenge of witnessing to the faith in a rapidly changing society.

“Today, however, we live in a rapidly changing world, where many young people struggle to find points of reference, to build authentic relationships and open their hearts to God,” she said. “We too want to be credible witnesses to the Gospel wherever we live, study, and work, and to bring the light of Christ with the simplicity and fraternal spirit of St. Francis.”

She asked the pope what advice he would give young people formed in the Franciscan spiritual tradition so that they could remain faithful disciples of Christ and bring hope to their peers without losing the joy and simplicity of the Gospel.

Pope Leo XIV noted that Karolina came from a part of Europe that was marked by war only three decades ago and praised the Franciscans’ history of promoting dialogue and peaceful coexistence among Catholics, Orthodox Christians, and Muslims.

“Increasingly, Christians will be called to become artisans of peace within societies that are tempted to place religion at the service of competing identities,” the pope said.

“Being witnesses to Christ, therefore, is both captivating and demanding. It enlarges our minds and hearts, freeing us from artificial boundaries, from the fears created by misinformation, and from walls built by prejudice,” he continued. “Rejecting the culture of power and building a civilization of love are choices that are not immediately understood or accepted.”

The pope encouraged the young people to learn from St. Francis a radical commitment to the Gospel that should never be confused with fundamentalism.

“St. Francis, however, teaches that radicalism of the Gospel is the very opposite of fundamentalism,” he said. “It does not make us blind or violent; instead, it makes us aware, attentive, and always eager to follow Jesus, and therefore humble and welcoming toward everyone. It is not an easy path, but it brings much joy.”

Pope Leo XIV then asked the participants to imagine the site eight centuries earlier, when young friars from across Europe gathered around St. Francis.

Citing “The Little Flowers of St. Francis of Assisi,” the pope described the friars gathered “company by company, here 40, there a hundred, and there 80 together, all employed in speaking of God, in prayers, in tears, and in exercises of charity, behaving themselves with so great silence and with such sobriety that no clamor was heard there.”

“That silence stands in stark contrast to war, with its violence, clamor, and cruelty,” he said. “The simple mats on which those friars slept speak to us of peace — just like your sleeping bags today. This is the Church: an assembly of brothers and sisters to which everyone is invited.”

The pope also encouraged the young people to bear witness through personal encounters at a time when technology is making face-to-face relationships less common.

“More than words, it is this joy that evangelizes, and it cannot be hidden,” he said.

The courage to choose forever

Giovanni, a 27-year-old from Bologna, Italy, asked about discerning and remaining faithful to a vocation in a culture dominated by temporary commitments.

“How can we say a full and courageous ‘yes’ to him, without ‘putting our hand to the plough and looking back,’ by dwelling too much on the hardships and sacrifices that the journey may entail?” he asked. “What helped you most on your own vocational journey?”

Pope Leo XIV said contemporary misunderstandings of freedom can lead people to believe that no decision is truly permanent because both individuals and the world around them are constantly changing.

“In such a context, the courage to make a definitive choice may well be the most revolutionary act of all,” he said.

A permanent choice, the pope continued, “does not imprison us within a cage; rather, it opens us to a greater dynamism.”

“To love is an exodus,” he said. “It is a path to be discovered, a journey that God himself walks with us. This is the meaning of every vocation.”

Faith, trust, and faithfulness are inseparably connected, the pope said, warning that people cannot solve their problems simply by fleeing commitments or moving continually from one experience to another.

“We may multiply our experiences, our acquaintances, and our possessions yet remain in exactly the same place,” he said. “The human cost is immense, and the inner emptiness that follows is profound.”

Reflecting on his own vocation, Pope Leo XIV said God had always accompanied him through the people placed beside him.

“Looking back on my own life, I can say that the Lord has never left me alone,” he said. “He has always accompanied me, often by placing people beside me with whom I could share the journey.”

The pope said the light that guided him as a priest, an Augustinian, and a missionary remained with him when he was called to accept the unique vocation of serving as pope.

Rebuilding a wounded Church

The final question was posed by Luigi, a 22-year-old from Paternò, Sicily, who spoke on behalf of the Franciscan Youth of Sicily.

Luigi recalled that St. Francis remained obedient to the pope and the Roman Church despite the contradictions and difficulties of his time. Rather than attacking or judging the Church, Francis responded through compassion, obedience, and reparative love, he said.

“Today many young people say that they ‘believe, but not in the Church,’” Luigi said. “Even within our own communities we sometimes see a Church marked by contradictions and internal crises.”

“How can we remain faithful to this reparative love?” he asked. “Why is it so difficult today to see the Church as a mother who, despite her wounds, is always ready to welcome us and to love us?”

Pope Leo XIV acknowledged that many people throughout history have struggled to experience the Church as Christ desires her to be.

“This causes deep suffering; it leaves wounds and disappointments, and for some it even becomes an obstacle to faith,” he said.

Yet the Church continues to bring together men and women who otherwise might never have met, the pope said. Whenever people overcome discrimination and inequality by recognizing one another as brothers and sisters, the miracle desired by Christ is renewed.

“The word of God, the sacraments, and the practice of fraternal love are the means by which the image of Christ is formed within us,” Pope Leo XIV said.

“Francis walked this path: not to dominate, but to serve; not to grasp, but to receive; not to withhold, but to give back,” he continued. “This is the very life of God, which continually renews the Church and makes her a free people, a place of refreshment and salvation.”

Each Christian has a role in the continuing work of rebuilding the Church, the pope said, through different vocations and responsibilities undertaken together.

“Then we shall speak of the Church with the affection one has for a mother, because we shall know that we belong to her,” he said.

After the public exchange, the pope greeted representatives of the Franciscan orders, bishops attending the gathering, and members of the national committee responsible for the eighth centenary of St. Francis’ death. He later celebrated Mass in the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels.

Father Luca De Pasquale, one of the organizers, told ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News, that the gathering was not intended to create a temporary spiritual high in which the young people merely enjoyed spending several days together.

Its central objective, he said, was to prepare a “missionary charter” offering concrete guidance to help participants return home and place the Gospel and fraternity at the center of their daily lives.

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.

“The Voting Rights Act of 1965 emerged from the sacrifices and perseverance of countless individuals who worked to secure the fundamental right to vote, particularly for communities of color that had long faced discrimination and exclusion,” said Bishop Daniel E. Garcia, chair of the USCCB Subcommittee for the Promotion of Racial Justice and Reconciliation.

The USCCB issued the statement on Aug. 5, one day before the anniversary. The Voting Rights Act was enacted to combat Jim Crow laws that were designed to disenfranchise Black Americans.

“For decades, the U.S. bishops have advocated for the right of eligible citizens to participate fully in public life, including the protection of voting rights,” said Garcia, bishop of Austin, Texas. “We encourage all citizens to exercise their right to vote and urge policymakers to safeguard voting rights and promote fair representation for all.”

“Today is also an occasion to remember the hard-won history of voting rights in our country, and to recommit to the work which remains,” he added.

Garcia also said in his statement that “today, many communities of color worry about how recent developments will impact their fair representation and future participation in the democratic process.”

Recent developments could affect fair district maps, equal representation, and long‑term participation in elections. One development includes a 2013 Supreme Court decision, which ruled unconstitutional a provision of the Voting Rights Act that required certain states to obtain federal approval to change voting laws if that state had a history of disenfranchising voters.

Another development included a 2020 ruling that upheld Arizona election laws that required voters to cast ballots in their assigned precincts and banned people from submitting another person’s ballot (unless that person is a family or household member).

Rulings in 2023 and 2026 addressed racial gerrymandering, which is illegal under the Voting Rights Act. The 2023 ruling found a 2023 Alabama congressional district map to be illegal for not having any Black-majority districts and the 2026 ruling struck down Louisiana maps for relying too much on race in crafting districts.

Although racial gerrymandering is illegal, federal law does not prohibit partisan gerrymandering.

Garcia quoted Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, saying the bishops “affirm the value of democracy ‘insofar as it guarantees the effective participation of citizens’ as a reflection of their dignity.”

“May we continue to work together for the common good and for a society in which all citizens are able to participate fully and faithfully in our democracy,” Garcia said.

The pope’s message was delivered by the apostolic nuncio in Rwanda, Archbishop Arnaldo Sánchez Catalán, during the opening ceremony of the first-ever SIGNIS World Congress to be held in Africa, taking place in Kigali under the theme “Digital Communication for Cultural Harmony and Environmental Well-Being.”

In the message, sent through Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Pope Leo XIV expressed his spiritual closeness to participants and said he hoped their deliberations would provide “a new impetus” for ensuring that communication platforms serve the common good of the human family.

The pope warned against a communication culture increasingly shaped by algorithms rather than genuine human encounter.

He noted that the digital age has transformed everyday life, emphasizing that online communication goes beyond the transmission of information.

In his encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, Pope Leo XIV observes that digital communication contributes to the creation of culture because it shapes how people perceive the world and consequently influences the collective conscience.

Against this background, the Holy Father encouraged participants to explore communication strategies and tools inspired by the pursuit of truth and respect for human dignity. He said such efforts should contribute to a culture rooted in Gospel values, particularly communion, peace, and environmental stewardship.

Addressing participants through a recorded message, Paolo Ruffini, prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for Communication, warned that technological advances, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), must not come at the expense of human relationships and responsibility.

Ruffini acknowledged the transformative potential of AI but said the central question confronting society is not technological but human: what kind of people humanity chooses to become while using these technologies.

AI, he said, can calculate, organize information, and emulate language, but it cannot replace wisdom born from freedom, personal experience, responsibility, and love.

“We must never allow algorithms to write our story,” Ruffini cautioned, stressing that human beings must remain in control of the technologies they create.

He called on communicators to safeguard human voices and faces in an increasingly digital environment, emphasizing that doing so requires cultivating critical thinking, preserving spaces for dialogue, and ensuring that technology remains at the service of the human person.

Ruffini also challenged SIGNIS to strengthen its role as a global network connecting professionals working in journalism, cinema, and communication.

He described communication as a public good that needs to be protected, urging the organization to build alliances with professionals, entrepreneurs, and information engineers committed to creating a better digital communication ecosystem.

According to the prefect, SIGNIS should remain a network of people united by faith rather than becoming merely an ecclesiastical bureaucracy.

He envisioned the organization as a space where relationships of trust can flourish, reliable information can be shared, and projects can be developed to promote a different model of communication.

Such a network, he said, should create room for dialogue amid diversity and disagreement while ensuring that differences do not destroy fraternity.

Ruffini further challenged Catholic communicators to resist a communication model driven primarily by profit or the pursuit of consensus, insisting that the ultimate purpose of communication must remain at the service of truth.

“The future of communication will not ultimately depend on the power of our technologies. It will depend on the strength of our commitment and on the nature of our relationship,” he said.

He urged participants to use their faith-based network to build bridges and create meaningful encounters in a world increasingly mediated by digital platforms.

Ruffini called for greater space for human voices and faces in digital communication, encouraging SIGNIS members to help shape a communication ecosystem that places human dignity and relationships at its center.

“The greatest innovation we can still offer our society is not as much a machine but a more human way of communicating,” he said.

Participants in the Aug. 3–8 congress are exploring a wide range of topics, including digital communication for communion, religious and cultural praxis in the digital age, artificial intelligence in contemporary media, media literacy, youth engagement, environmental communication, and the role of Catholic communicators in promoting reconciliation and cultural harmony.

Among the African countries represented at the congress are Rwanda (the host country), Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Nigeria, Togo, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Zambia, Ghana, Senegal, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Sudan, Burkina Faso, Benin, South Africa, and Mozambique.

This story was first published by ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, and has been adapted by EWTN News.

In the address, Coakley drew a clear distinction between authentic patriotism and distorted nationalism, emphasizing that true love of country must be rooted in virtue. “Patriotism is not first and foremost a political virtue; itʼs a religious one,” he said at the Aug. 4 dinner, which opened the 144th Knights’ convention at the Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center.

The archbishop of Oklahoma City, a fourth-degree member of the Knights of Columbus, said patriotism naturally “flows from the Fourth Commandment,” which commands honor toward one’s mother and one’s father. He said “it can rightly be understood as a form of familial love extended outward.”

Coakley cited St. Thomas Aquinas’ writings on piety from the “Summa Theologica,” in which the theologian explained the duties that one has for his or her nation, comparing them to the duties owed to one’s parents.

"The principles of our being and government are our parents and our country that have given us birth and nourishment,” Coakley quoted from the “Summa.” “Consequently, man is chiefly debtor to his parents and his country, after God. … Just as it belongs to religion to worship God, … so it belongs to piety in the second place to give honor to our parents and to our country.”

The archbishop explained that a person owes unique debts to family that he or she would not owe to a stranger “not because our family is objectively more valuable than other people, but because of the unique relationship we have with them.”

“So too, patriotism is a recognition of a similar debt of gratitude owed to our country — a debt of gratitude,” he said. “It is not a claim that our nation is superior to every other nation on earth. It is a claim that this nation, with all its imperfections, is the one through which God chose to give us life, language, liberty, and the countless ordinary gifts that make everything in our lives possible.”

This virtue, Coakley said, applies to “all people of every nation” and cited the Catechism of the Catholic Church: “The love and service of oneʼs country follow from the duty of gratitude and belong to the order of charity.”

Catholic patriotism

The archbishop said a proper Catholic understanding of patriotism is not “blind allegiance” or “some sort of tribal pride” but rather “gratitude,” which is “the same virtue that should animate a son toward the mother who raised him.”

“The Church has never asked us to love our country instead of loving God or to love it more than we love the truth,” Coakley added. “She has simply recognized that what most people already know: that we owe something real to the place that gave us life and that ignoring this debt is a form of ingratitude.”

He said most people “do not choose our country,” just as they do not choose their parents, but “our country has shaped so much of who we are” for better or for worse, and that “none of this is accidental” but instead “divine providence.”

“Our Heavenly Father positioned each of us at this moment in these circumstances and in this place where we find ourselves for a reason,” Coakley said. “Our love of country and our desire for it to be more just and more perfect is not merely sentiment. Itʼs a participation in Godʼs providential plan for our lives and the lives of those who will come after us.”

Patriotism vs. nationalism

“A love of country can go wrong and go wrong badly,” Coakley said. Patriotism “is not the same as nationalism,” Coakley said.

“Patriotism, as the Knights of Columbus have always understood it, is not a matter of uncritically affirming everything our country has done in its history, excusing its injustices, or treating its power or prestige as ends in themselves. Nationalism, by contrast, tends to elevate the nation to the status of an idol, something owed a total and unconditional loyalty that properly belongs only to God. It resents correction. It rejects the suggestion that the nation could ever be wrong.”

“Patriotism, by contrast, is more like the love of a good son for his mother,” Coakley said. “He honors her. He defends her. He is grateful to her. And precisely because he loves her, he also tells her the truth when she has strayed and he works to help her become the woman God intended her to be.”

He said a patriot can “grieve his countryʼs sins without ceasing to love his country,” which is “often the clearest sign that love is real.” He said patriotism and Christian conscience “were never meant to be enemies.”

“Love of country should impel us toward peace, toward justice for the poor and the vulnerable, and toward the kind of civic friendship that has always been harder to sustain than either indifference or tribalism, which today often takes the form of an extreme partisanship,” he said.

In practice, Coakley said this means voting with a properly formed conscience, being engaged civilly, and being there for one’s neighbors. For some, he said, it has meant “risking your lives in the uniform of your country.”

The archbishop warned that patriotism is sometimes neglected or treated with suspicion and encouraged Catholics to instill properly ordered patriotism into their children and grandchildren.

“We are called to love our country,” he said. “Honor your country as you honor your parents with gratitude, with loyalty, and with honesty that never mistakes flattery for love. Put God first and let your patriotism flow from that priority rather than compete with it.”

Patriotism is one of the four pillars of the Knights of Columbus, with the other three being charity, unity, and fraternity.