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As the sun set behind the hills of Huancavelica in the heart of the Peruvian Andes, the final match ended in a draw. The outcome was decided by a penalty shootout. Cusco took the first kick, and everything came down to the fifth attempt. The Huancavelica goalkeeper managed to block Cuscoʼs final penalty kick, leaving the outcome in the hands — or rather, at the feet — of Father Santiago Salazar of the Huancavelica home team.

The priest took his run-up, waited for the whistle, and placed the ball right next to the goalpost. With that match-winning goal, the crowd broke out in euphoria: Dozens of seminarians rushed onto the field as priests from seven dioceses in southern Peru celebrated Huancavelica’s title win in the 2026 Clergy Champions playoffs.

On July 2, more than 150 priests from the dioceses of Puno, Cusco, Abancay, Ayacucho, Huancavelica, Huancayo, and Tarma participated in the soccer tournament. For a decade, the event has strengthened priestly fraternity, promoted vocations, and served as a reminder that sports can be a means of evangelization.

In an interview with ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, Father José Raúl Ayuque Tornero, a priest of the Diocese of Huancavelica and one of the eventʼs organizers, explained that the initiative grew out of the friendship among priests who attended the major seminary in Abancay.

Its origins are deeply rooted in “fraternity and friendship among the priests,” Ayuque said. “At first, it was simply a get-together of friends.”

The event has since become a tradition for the dioceses in the southern part of the country.

A cliff-hanger final decided by penalty kicks

Ayuque excitedly recalled the final match, which was attended by families, priests, and seminarians.

“The atmosphere was extraordinary. Our minor seminarians kept spirits high throughout the day. We had marching bands performing from St. John Vianney Minor Seminary and the Teresa de la Cruz educational institution run by the Canoness Sisters,” he told ACI Prensa.

The bands provided musical accompaniment and cheered equally for both Huancavelica and Cusco as the teams faced off in the final match, which began around 5 p.m.

In Huancavelica, the sun sets early due to the areaʼs geography, making the match even more exciting. Fans followed each play closely, waiting for a goal.

The end of the match could not have been more suspenseful: Cusco failed to get a penalty kick past the Huancavelica goalie, and all eyes were then on Salazar, who skillfully placed his shot out of reach of the Cusco goalkeeper and won the championship.

A celebration immediately began on the field. The priests sang the St. John Mary Vianney hymn composed by the late bishop emeritus of Huancavelica, William Molloy.

“In Huancavelica, we have a very young clergy, with an average age close to 35, and that is also reflected in the enthusiasm with which we experience these gatherings,” Ayuque said.

The awards ceremony followed. Abancay took fourth place, Ayacucho third, and Cusco second, while Huancavelica received the cup.

The Archdiocese of Huancayo was announced as the venue for the next championship matches.

“Beyond the competition, I saw joy in everyone — the joy of sharing the mission God gives us as priests,” Ayuque commented.

For his part, referee Daniel Jorge Cruz Olarte remarked that the most gratifying aspect of being part of this tournament was “seeing how they respect one another.”

“They are wholesome people; they respect the referee, they respect their teammates and opponents, and they experience the sport with a spirit of fraternity.”

A championship born of friendship

Although it now brings together priests from seven jurisdictions and even the regionʼs bishops, the Clergy Champions League began quite simply.

“It started about 10 years ago. At first, only Abancay, Ayacucho, and Huancavelica — the closest ones — participated. Gradually, it took shape and we can now say that this gathering has become an established tradition in the Peruvian Andes,” Ayuque explained.

He said in the future, the league would also like to include the dioceses of Ica, Arequipa, and Tacna “so that it truly represents all of southern Peru.”

Much more than soccer

For the priest, the Clergy Champions was never just a sports tournament.

“These gatherings strengthen our own sanctification as priests. We meet older, younger, and newly ordained priests from different backgrounds, and we see how the Lord continues to call each one amid varying circumstances,” he said.

Ayuque said the sport can become an authentic tool to awaken vocations. “It helps us learn to live as a team, to understand that life must be built seeking communion, knowing how to share, show solidarity, and always feel the presence of our brother,” he said.

Father Doroteo Borda López, one of the participants, highlighted to ACI Prensa that the league is an experience of communion.

“It’s a way for us to participate as priests of a local Church and to come together. Getting together with nearly 150 priests and seeing that sport unites, heals, and is also part of spirituality is something very valuable,” he said.

For Borda, the Clergy Champions shows young people that the Church remains alive and “that we are just as normal people as anyone else.”

“On the field, we get angry, we play, we run, and we have our differences, but afterward, we continue sharing our lives.”

Ayuque said he believes the league’s greatest lesson for young people is “to show them that the priest’s mission is not limited solely to piety or prayer.”

“All the realities of life can and must be offered to God. The priest is called to bring God’s grace to all people and to all human endeavors. That’s why more laborers are needed for the harvest, more young people who will dedicate their lives,” he stated.

‘Sport is absolutely essential’

The priest also advocated for sports as a necessary part of holistic formation. “In our seminaries, we strive to dedicate at least one hour a day to sports, since the human person is both body and soul,” he said.

“Sport disciplines the body, makes it more agile, and helps eliminate the bodyʼs toxins. When our physical condition is well cared for, it also becomes easier to engage attentively in prayer and the encounter with God,” he said.

“A neglected body ends up influencing one’s spiritual life as well … Pope Francis frequently spoke of acedia, that kind of spiritual sloth that often stems from a body that is overly comfortable,” he added.

“Sport prepares our nature for a personal encounter with the Lord and helps us view the world with greater joy and optimism,” 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.

The French National Assembly gave final approval on July 15 to a bill legalizing euthanasia and assisted suicide, making France one of the few European countries to legalize the practice along with Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Spain.

The 291-241 vote came three years after President Emmanuel Macron, who had made it one of his key campaign promises, first opened the question to national debate.

The vote ended an unusual parliamentary stalemate between the National Assembly and the Senate. Members of the National Assembly passed the bill three times over the course of 14 months — most recently on June 30 by a vote of 295 to 232 — and senators rejected it just as many times.

On July 7, the Senate passed, by a narrow majority of 169 to 164, with 11 abstentions, a preliminary motion to outright reject the bill rather than debate it, and this motion itself called on the government to end the legislative process. Rather than heeding this call, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu invoked Article 45 of the Constitution, which allows the government to give the National Assembly the final say when repeated readings fail to produce an agreement between the two chambers. He then referred the bill back to the National Assembly for a fourth and final vote instead of a fourth reading in the Senate.

The July 15 vote, however, did not close the matter. On July 14, Lecornu announced he would refer part of the text to the Constitutional Council, a step Senate President Gérard Larcher had also urged, citing in particular how the billʼs conscience clause would interact with health and social care facilities built around end-of-life accompaniment that exclude assisted dying. The council must rule within a month, or eight days if the government asks for an expedited review, meaning the law cannot be promulgated until that review is complete even though the Assembly has now adopted it.

The end-of-life law covers both euthanasia, administered by a doctor or nurse, and assisted suicide, in which the patient self-administers a lethal substance, under five cumulative conditions: A person must be an adult, a stable resident of France, diagnosed with a serious and incurable condition, in an advanced or terminal phase of that condition, and suffering in a way current treatment cannot relieve, while remaining able to express a free and informed decision. Self-administration is supposed to be the default rule, with the law providing for intervention by a healthcare professional only when the patient is physically unable to act.

A supporting measure aimed at expanding access to palliative care was adopted with much broader support, passing its first reading in the Senate by a vote of 307 to 17. To date, more than 20% of French departments still lack a palliative care unit, according to figures cited repeatedly by the Bishops’ Conference of France during the debate.

The push to legalize assisted dying traces back to September 2022, when the National Consultative Ethics Committee reversed its earlier opposition to assisted dying and endorsed an “ethical” application of the practice. A citizens’ panel Macron had convened spent the following winter weighing the question and backed legalization.

The French president unveiled the outline of a bill in March 2024, but the initiative stalled when he dissolved the Assembly in June the same year. Deputy Olivier Falorni, who had filed an earlier and unsuccessful end-of-life bill, revived it in 2025.

Critics argue the newly adopted framework is among the most permissive of its kind in the world. Grégor Puppinck, a Catholic lawyer and director general of the European Centre for Law and Justice, has published a point-by-point analysis contending that the entire process rests on the judgment of a single physician, who may meet the patient for the first time on the day of the request and need not be the one already treating them.

The two additional professionals that physician must consult are chosen by the same person, are not required to examine the patient in person, and may be consulted by videoconference.

Puppinck noted the statute sets no minimum interval between the decision and the act itself beyond a two-day reflection window, relatives have no guaranteed right to be informed beforehand, and they cannot challenge the outcome in court.

Doctors who object in conscience must still refer patients to a colleague willing to proceed, and private and religious institutions, including nursing homes, must accommodate mobile euthanasia teams under threat of administrative penalties. Oversight, in Puppinck’s account, comes only after death, based on a report filed by the same clinician who carried it out.

The founders of the ethics collective Democracy, Ethics, and Solidarity, Laurent Frémont and Emmanuel Hirsch, wrote in Le Journal du Dimanche that the law’s eligibility criteria — primarily a “serious and incurable condition” causing “unbearable suffering,” are defined vaguely enough that a strict medical interpretation could make more than 1 million people eligible, including patients with chronic illnesses, psychiatric disorders, or advanced age, without requiring a prior written request, a peer review by medical colleagues, or a psychiatric evaluation.

A 2025 study by the Fondation pour l’innovation politique estimated the measure could save the state around 1.4 billion euros ($1.6 billion) a year in health, eldercare, and pension spending, a projection critics have cited as evidence of the pressures vulnerable and elderly patients could face once the law takes effect.

The French bishops’ conference called the text a threat to “the most fragile” among French citizens in a statement issued in May 2025 ahead of the Assembly’s first vote on the bill. The archbishop of Paris, Laurent Ulrich, has repeatedly urged lawmakers to reconsider their position, asserting that true solidarity is built through caring for others rather than through death. “More than assistance in dying, our society needs assistance in living,” he has repeatedly stated.

In a video appeal to lawmakers released before the vote, Archbishop Vincent Jordy of Tours invoked François Rabelais’ centuries-old warning that “science without conscience is but the ruin of the soul.” What is underway, he said, is “an anthropological shift,” a new way of viewing life and its end that will gradually reshape the country, touching caregivers, families, people with disabilities, and the relationship between generations.

He pointed to the Netherlands, where regulators had layered on safeguards for two decades and where health officials confirmed in June that a child under 12 had been euthanized for the first time, under a 2024 expansion of the law to children between the ages of 1 and 12.

Making a law, Jordy said, is also opening doors toward things “one had perhaps not imagined” when it was written.

A man who arrived in Germany as a refugee after fleeing the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina has been ordained a Catholic priest, an exceptional case in that he was born into a Muslim family and embraced Christianity as an adult.

According to the Catholic Churchʼs news site in Germany, 41-year-old Senad Mrkaljevic was ordained a priest a few weeks ago by the archbishop of Berlin, Heiner Koch, at St. Hedwigʼs Cathedral.

“Many people fear that faith will take something away from them. My experience is exactly the opposite: God gives me much more. That is what I want to convey to others,” the new priest stated.

Born in 1984 in Brčko in the former Yugoslavia, Mrkaljevic grew up in a Muslim family where religion did not play a central role.

“Catholics, Orthodox Christians, and Muslims lived peacefully alongside one another back then,” he recalled. However, the outbreak of the war in Bosnia in 1992 forced his family to seek refuge, first in Austria and later in Germany.

“As a child, it was hard to grasp what fleeing meant, and I quickly felt like an outsider in Germany,” he recounted.

Compounding these difficulties, Mrkaljevic has a congenital visual impairment, which made integrating into school life more challenging.

His journey toward the Catholic faith began around the age of 23, when he started reading the Bible and secretly visiting the church every Sunday morning. He felt afraid the first time he entered a church. “Going in there was quite a challenge for me. I kept asking myself, ‘Is what you’re doing right?’” he recalled.

Over time, he realized he no longer wanted to hide. “I didn’t want to lead a double life,” he explained. In 2009, he was baptized during the Easter Vigil, a decision his family initially found difficult.

“It was a problem for my mother; she tried to make me change my mind,” he recounted. Even so, he decided to move forward.

After completing his theology studies at the Lantershofen seminary for adult vocations in 2023, he was assigned first as a deacon and later as a chaplain to St. Edith Stein Parish in Berlin’s Neukölln district, an area with a significant Muslim population.

Mrkaljevic said he believes that, given his background, he can become a bridge-builder between Christians and Muslims.

He also noted that, over time, his decision was met with respect by his loved ones. “My conversion and my decision to become a priest were acknowledged by my Muslim family in Bosnia as well as by my siblings,” he said. His mother even attended his priestly ordination.

Looking ahead to his new ministry, Mrkaljevic expressed his desire to provide spiritual accompaniment to people and “to proclaim the good news.”

“It is never in vain, however few we may be. I myself have experienced how much it has enriched me, and that is what I want to share with others,” he said.

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

A sworn deposition, filed as part of abuse lawsuits in the Diocese of Burlington, Vermont’s federal bankruptcy proceedings, alleges that the former bishop of the diocese asked a job applicant if she would be willing to help shield diocesan finances from a potential abuse settlement.

The prelate himself, meanwhile, told EWTN News that there was “nothing nefarious” in such a proposal, which he said was meant to protect Church assets from additional lawsuits while the diocese was already paying out settlements to abuse victims.

Celeste Heinonen claims in a July 9 court statement that she interviewed for the position of chief financial officer at the Diocese of Burlington in 2020. During that interview she said she spoke to then-Burlington Bishop Christopher Coyne, who she said brought up the topic of sex abuse lawsuits against the diocese.

The state had recently eliminated the statute of limitations of childhood sex abuse lawsuits, and Heinonen claimed in her deposition that Coyne stressed the “financial strain” under which the lawsuits could place the diocese.

The deposition alleges that Coyne claimed the diocese was seeking to “transfer its assets” in order to shield them from the abuse lawsuits. Heinonen said Coyne asked her if she “would be willing to help the diocese prepare the necessary paperwork to ensure that if the diocese lost its lawsuits, there would not be assets left to satisfy the potential judgments.”

In the deposition Heinonen said she was “shocked and felt sick to my stomach” over the request and that she was “noncommittal in my response.”

Heinonen said she later met with then-Chancellor Monsignor John McDermott, who she claims “asked how I felt about Bishop Coyne’s proposal.”

The priest “explained to me that it was important for the diocese to protect its current parishioners and not let the past ‘sins of its fathers’ harm the current parishioners or the diocese.”

Heinonen said she was informed later that same day that she had not received the job, with the position reportedly being offered to another candidate from Florida. Heinonen said in the deposition that she was “extremely upset and confused” by the questions regarding diocesan assets.

Coyne began serving as archbishop of Hartford, Connecticut, starting in 2024; that same year, McDermott was installed as bishop of Burlington.

‘We always tried to make amends’

Speaking to EWTN News from Hartford, Coyne said he did not remember the exact specifics of the conversations he held with the candidates during the interview process. He confirmed that the CFO position was ultimately offered to a candidate from Florida whose professional background in Catholic nonprofit work made him more suitable for the role.

The archbishop said there was “nothing nefarious” in his proposal that Church financial assets be moved around in advance of potential litigation.

“We weren’t violating any court orders,” he said. “The funds we had were free to be moved in any direction.”

He referred to such proposals as “good business.”

“It’s what anyone would do,” he said. “At that point we weren’t being sued. But the state was rattling the saber about the statute of limitations. I wanted to protect the assets of the Church that the faithful had given in good faith.”

“There was nothing untoward, illegal, or nefarious about saying, ‘Let’s protect our assets just in case we get sued again,’” he told EWTN News.

“You can spin anything you want and make it look bad,” he said. “But any person in charge of an organization would certainly do what they can to protect the assets of the organization for the good of the organization.”

Coyne said that during his time as bishop the Burlington Diocese was actively settling lawsuits with abuse victims even as the statute of limitations debate was occurring in the Vermont Legislature.

“These people were obviously victims,” he told EWTN News. “And we would settle with them at a comparable amount to global settlements we’d had in the past. We settled with some people for $350,000 to $400,000.”

“We always tried to make amends,” the archbishop said.

It was not immediately clear why Heinonen had filed the deposition in bankruptcy court, though court records suggest the statement was part of a series of motions by the plaintiffs of the abuse lawsuits playing out as part of diocesan bankruptcy proceedings. Heinonen could not be reached for comment regarding the allegations.

The Diocese of Burlington filed for bankruptcy in October 2024 while facing 31 lawsuits from abuse victims. McDermott said at the time that under the Chapter 11 filing, “funds will be allocated among all those who have claims against the diocese while hopefully allowing the diocese to maintain its essential mission and ministries.”

Coyne himself, meanwhile, oversaw a $35 million abuse settlement in the Diocese of Norwich, Connecticut, in February 2025. Coyne had been serving as the apostolic administrator of that diocese ahead of the installation of now-Bishop Richard Reidy.

On 11 July, the Laudato Si’ Green Festival took place at the Holy Cross Lake View Senior Secondary School, Wanyange, Jinja -a city located on the shore of Lake Victoria. Fr. Peter Caxton Mayanja, the East Africa Provincial of the religious Congregation of Holy Cross missionaries, celebrated the Laudato Si’ Green Festival Mass.

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WASHINGTON — Catholic sisters, survivor advocates, and lawmakers gathered on Capitol Hill Tuesday to urge Congress to quickly pass bipartisan legislation they say would strengthen protections for victims of human trafficking and help prevent future exploitation.

Hosted by the Alliance to End Human Trafficking and the National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, the July 14 congressional briefing focused on the need to reauthorize federal anti‑trafficking programs through fiscal 2029 and pass legislation to impose requirements on social media platforms to reduce harms to minors.

Sponsor Rep. Chris Smith, R‑New Jersey, titled his human trafficking bill the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2025 (H.R. 1144), and the measure is next up for House consideration. A separate bill, named the Kids Online Safety Act (S. 1748) by sponsor Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R‑Tennessee, has not yet seen action in the Senate Commerce Committee.

Smith’s legislation would reauthorize federal anti-trafficking programs while expanding prevention initiatives, survivor services, and law enforcement training.

Catholic advocates emphasize prevention

Advocates at the briefing argued that prevention must become the centerpiece of the nationʼs anti-trafficking strategy.

Sister Ann Scholz, SSND, a founding member of the Alliance to End Human Trafficking, said the time has come for Congress to move beyond simply raising awareness about trafficking.

“We believe this Congress has the opportunity to enact two pieces of bipartisan legislation that will move us closer to ending the scourge of human trafficking,” Scholz said, describing both bills as measures that emphasize prevention and protect vulnerable populations.

Fran Eskin-Royer, executive director for National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, said Congress has allowed the legislation to languish despite bipartisan backing. She said reauthorization would strengthen prevention efforts while updating federal responses to evolving forms of exploitation.

“Both bills are not new. Theyʼve been around, and they are not moving … We need everyone to contact their members of Congress and urge that this bill pass,” Eskin-Royer told “EWTN News Nightly” host Veronica Dudo.

The briefing featured survivor leaders, legal experts, clinicians, and service providers who argued that preventing trafficking requires greater investment in education, technology safeguards, and long-term support for survivors.

Gina Cavallo, president of the New Jersey Coalition Against Human Trafficking and a survivor of trafficking, told attendees that legislation such as H.R. 1144 could have dramatically changed the course of her life.

“Had these bills been put in place, this would not have happened to me,” she said. “My life could have been dramatically different.”

Cavallo recounted being failed by multiple institutions during her childhood, including family, schools, and law enforcement, leaving her vulnerable to exploitation. Rather than being recognized as a victim, she said, she was criminalized.

“I had my childhood taken, my dignity, my dreams — everything,” she said, urging lawmakers to continue treating human trafficking as a bipartisan issue centered on protecting human dignity.

Katie Boller Gosewisch, executive director of the Alliance to End Human Trafficking, told “EWTN News Nightly” that the crime remains vastly underreported worldwide.

“According to the Global Slavery Index, on any given day, about 50 million people are caught in human trafficking,” she said, noting that the figure includes forced marriage, organ trafficking, sex trafficking, and forced labor.

Smith calls for House vote

Smith told attendees the bill’s consideration has been delayed despite broad bipartisan support.

“It was supposed to be up yesterday,” Smith said, explaining that House leadership had postponed floor consideration. “Delay is denial. We need to get this bill on the floor.”

Smith, who authored the original Trafficking Victims Protection Act in 2000, said the legislation has led to thousands of prosecutions over the past two decades but argued that reauthorization is needed to strengthen prevention efforts, expand survivor services, and address emerging forms of exploitation.

Catholic leaders warn delay leaves greater risk

Advocates called on Congress to approve the legislation without further delay, arguing that every day of inaction leaves vulnerable people at greater risk.

“The reauthorization of this essential law has been delayed for too long,” the Alliance to End Human Trafficking said in a statement. “Every day it’s delayed is another day we fall short of our commitment to those affected by one of the most egregious violations of human dignity.”

Speaking at the Global Nobel Laureates Assembly in Castel Gandolfo, ICAN Executive Director Melissa Parke warns that artificial intelligence is increasing the risks posed by nuclear weapons and calls for a renewed commitment to dialogue, disarmament, and international law.

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The IOR announces the appointment of Giovanni Boscia as its next Director General, with the new leader set to take office in October as Gian Franco Mammì concludes his mandate.

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On the third day of his mission to war-torn Ukraine, the President of the Italian Bishops' Conference, Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi, joined celebrations in Kyiv for Ukrainian Statehood Day, which coincides with the commemoration of the Baptism of Kyivan Rus'.

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The Apostolic Nuncio to Syria, Archbishop Luigi Roberto Cona, visits three historic Christian villages in the country's Idlib province, offering encouragement to communities marked by years of war, displacement and earthquake damage.

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Monsignor Daniel Víctor Villalobos Ortiz has been appointed the new rector of the Our Lady of Guadalupe Basilica in Mexico City by the primatial archbishop of Mexico, Cardinal Carlos Aguiar Retes.

A canon of the basilica and episcopal vicar for the clergy since August 2024, he was named exorcist for the Marian shrine in February of this year.

In a July 12 statement, Aguiar announced the appointment “after hearing the proposals presented by the Venerable Chapter of Guadalupe and the Permanent Council of the Mexican Bishops’ Conference.”

The cardinal commissioned the rector to lead a “new phase of institutional and pastoral renewal, with the collaboration of all the priests, deacons, consecrated persons, and lay faithful who serve at this beloved shrine.”

The cardinal also expressed his “gratitude for the service rendered” by the outgoing rector, Monsignor Efraín Hernández Díaz, whose resignation he accepted.

According to the Archdiocese of Mexico, the shrine receives around 35 million pilgrims each year. During the Guadalupe celebrations in December 2025 alone, some 13 million visitors came to the shrine, according to figures from the Mexico City Government Secretariat.

Who is the new rector of the basilica?

Born in Mexico City on Aug. 10, 1968, Villalobos was ordained a priest on July 12, 1998, at the basilica itself by the then-prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy, Colombian Cardinal Darío Castrillón Hoyos.

From 1997 to 2008, he served as an assistant to the then-archbishop emeritus of Mexico, Cardinal Ernesto Corripio Ahumada.

Throughout his ministry, he has held various pastoral assignments in parishes in the Mexico City boroughs of Xochimilco, Tlalpan, Coyoacán, and Álvaro Obregón.

In August 2024, he was appointed a canon of the basilica and episcopal vicar for the clergy of the Archdiocese of Mexico.

Since February 2026, he has served as an exorcist at the basilica.

The start of ‘a phase to update and improve’

The basilica, Aguiar noted in his statement, “holds a privileged place in the life of our local Church and in the hearts of millions of pilgrims”; therefore, “any decision regarding this sacred site must always have as its aim to strengthen its evangelizing mission and the service it offers to the people of God.”

“We have begun a phase of updating and improving administrative, operational, and pastoral processes at the Basilica of Guadalupe,” the cardinal added, taking “as a reference the updates promoted by Pope Francis for the papal basilicas of St. Mary Major in Rome and St. Peter in the Vatican.”

In the case of the Marian shrine, which houses the tilma bearing the image of the Virgin Mary on which it miraculously appeared nearly 500 years ago, the renewal now underway “will help distinguish the pastoral mission from administrative operations,” thereby consolidating an institution that is “more efficient and organized.”

Aguiar also stated that, since last year, “various administrative and operational reviews” have been conducted at the basilica and that the Mexican Bishops’ Conference, the apostolic nunciature, and the Holy See were all informed of them.

“These reviews, routine in the life of any institution, have made it possible to identify opportunities to strengthen evangelization efforts, internal organization, and the services provided daily to millions of pilgrims,” continued the primatial archbishop of Mexico.

“Let us allow the words that have sustained our people’s hope for nearly five centuries to resonate once more in our hearts: ‘Am I not here, I who am your mother?’” he encouraged.

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.

Save the Children decries that June 2026 has seen the greatest number of child casualties since the first months of the full-scale war, and observes that increasingly powerful missiles are easily destroying entire sections of apartment buildings.

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LOS ANGELES — One of the largest Norbertine communities in the world, St. Michaelʼs Abbey in Orange County, California, has elected Father John Caronan as its third abbot since its founding in 1961, succeeding Abbot Eugene Hayes, who led the community for 31 years.

Caronan will serve for a 12-year term, overseeing both the pastoral care and the governance of the community.

“I was certainly surprised that my confreres chose me to fill this important fatherly role,” Caronan said. “I know that Godʼs grace will sustain me every step of the way, and I pray that he will help me to be the kind of father that our community desires me to be. Already in the first few weeks since my election, I can see just how much his grace is helping me to undertake this task.”

Born Edgar Caronan in Manila, Philippines, in 1964, he immigrated to the United States with his family in 1975 and arrived at St. Michael’s Abbey a decade later, making his solemn profession in 1992. He was ordained a priest in 1994.

Caronan is a canon lawyer and spent much of his career working in the marriage tribunals of the Diocese of Orange, in which the abbey is located, and the neighboring Archdiocese of Los Angeles. He has served as the judicial vicar of both the Diocese of Orange and the Maronite Tribunal of the Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon. He has also been the regular celebrant of the Tridentine Mass at St. John the Baptist Parish in Costa Mesa, which is staffed by the Norbertine Fathers.

900 years

The Norbertine order was founded 900 years ago by St. Norbert, archbishop of Magdeburg, Germany, and vice chancellor for the Holy Roman Empire. The community’s charism, according to St. Michael Abbey’s first abbot, Ladislas Parker (1915–2010) in a Diocese of Orange newspaper from 1995 on the occasion of his retirement, is “to combine the contemplative life of a monk with the active life of a parish priest, and to tie this work to community in an abbey.”

The Norbertines are easily recognized by their traditional white cassock — which, according to pious belief, was given to St. Norbert by the Blessed Virgin Mary as a sign of her protection and favor — and their motto, “Prepared for every good work.” The essence or “heartbeat” of the order is fervent devotion to the Eucharist, which is central to Norbertine spirituality, Parker said.

The original members of the community were seven Norbertine priests who fled an oppressive communist government in Hungary in 1950. They made their way to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in 1957 (the Diocese of Orange would be established in 1976), when Cardinal James McIntyre invited them to teach at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana.

By 1960, Parker and his fellow Norbertines had collectively earned $46,000 and purchased a remote strip of cattle-grazing land at the base of the Saddleback Mountains. They established St. Michael’s Priory, named for the abbey in Csorna, Hungary, and in 1984, Pope John Paul II approved the conferral of abbey status on St. Michael’s.

In contrast to many religious communities, St. Michael’s Abbey has enjoyed an abundance of vocations, with 68 priests and 32 men currently in formation. The growth necessitated the moving of the community from the former cow pasture to a 320-acre site nine miles away in 2021 with ample space for the community, its apostolates, and future growth.

Today, the community staffs two parishes, St. John’s and Sts. Peter and Paul in Wilmington, California; administers a high school in San Pedro, California; operates a local summer camp; staffs the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse, Wisconsin; and staffs Corpus Christi Priory in Springfield, Illinois. Additionally, each Sunday, individual Norbertines assist at more than 30 parishes throughout Southern California.

The order also operates a digital apostolate, The Abbot’s Circle, which offers online resources to help viewers grow in their faith as well as provide news about the community.

The election for the new abbot began with a vote on the length of term the abbot would serve; Hayes was elected for life with a mandatory retirement age of 75. This time, the community opted for a 12-year term. Caronan’s election followed via secret ballot; he is the first Filipino-born abbot in the history of the community.

“God has blessed our community so wonderfully in the past several decades,” Caronan said. “I hope during my tenure as abbot to build upon this solid foundation in such a way that our Norbertine canonical life will flourish spiritually, that our apostolic work in the wider Church will grow, and that through the life and ministry of St. Michaelʼs Abbey, Christ will draw many souls closer to himself.”

‘Patris Corde’

Caronan selected as his abbatial motto “Patris corde” (“With a father’s heart”), reflecting the “fatherly governance and fatherly care” with which he hopes to lead the community, Father Ambrose Criste, director of The Abbot’s Circle, shared with EWTN News. “It’s representative of the type of man he is.”

On Sept. 28, Caronan will receive an abbatial blessing at the abbey during a public ceremony expected to draw many prominent churchmen as well as civic officials.

Like bishops, abbots are prelates with authority over their communities, but unlike bishops they are “blessed” rather than “ordained”; hence they cannot ordain priests.

At the ceremony, Caronan will receive the traditional pontifical insignia of an abbot, including a ring, pectoral cross, miter, and crozier.

St. Michael’s Abbey welcomes members of the public to join them daily for prayer as well as for special events, including the abbatial blessing and their celebration of the feast of St. Michael every Sept. 29.

Colombia is facing one of the world's most severe yet overlooked displacement crises, with entire rural communities trapped by armed groups and deprived of freedom of movement and access to food, healthcare and education.

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Every Wednesday, Sr Anne Martin knocks on the door of 96-year-old Maltese born Connie Agius and brings her Holy Communion.  

“She says to me, ‘I love it when you come,’” Sr Anne recalled.  

“And I say, ‘Why, Connie? Why?’ And she says, ‘Because you bring Jesus into my heart.’ What more gratitude could I get? It’s such a privilege.” 

Connie can no longer make it to Mass. But through Sr Anne, a Josephite sister, and the community of All Saints Parish, Liverpool, the church comes to her, one of dozens of elderly and housebound parishioners the parish reaches every week through nursing home Masses, live-streamed liturgies, home Communion visits and a hospital ministry that never switches off. 

It is exactly the kind of quiet devotion the church will celebrate on Sunday 26 July, the Sixth World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly,  the first with a theme chosen by Pope Leo XIV, and one that falls fittingly on the feast of Saints Joachim and Anne, the grandparents of Jesus. 

The theme, drawn from the prophet Isaiah, is a promise: “I will never forget you” (Is 49:15). 

“It’s one of my favourite quotes from the Bible,” said Sr Anne, who at 77 leads pastoral care for the elderly, the housebound and the sick at All Saints.  

“It’s so consoling that this is what our God says to us: I’ll never let you down. I’ll never leave you alone. I’m there for you.” 

Standing in the gap

For Sr Anne, the day is not only about honouring the elderly but recognising the burden many of them quietly carry: the ache of children and grandchildren who have drifted from the faith. 

“They say to me, ‘But I took them to Mass all the time. I taught them about God. I sent them to Catholic school. They don’t go anymore,’” she said. “I think it’s quite stressful for grandparents today.” 

Yet in her decades of parish work she has seen that it is grandparents who keep the door to faith ajar. They are often the ones ringing the parish office about a grandchild’s baptism. Just recently, a widower approached her at his wife’s funeral: his granddaughter wasn’t baptised,  would she do something about it? 

“Grandparents definitely have a really important role in keeping the faith alive,” she said. 

“There’s a gap somewhere between the generations and I think life has got so busy that other things have become more important than God and faith. And grandparents are trying to fill that gap.” 

A Parish that remembers

At All Saints, the World Day will be marked at every Mass on the weekend of 26 July, with the parish’s grandparents and elderly the particular focus, followed by a morning tea celebration in the parish hall after the 9.30am and 11am Masses.  

The children from ‘Zacchaeus Treehouse’ are making cards for the grandparents and elderly and they are learning songs to entertain those who gather for the morning tea.  

“This is a wonderful opportunity to connect our parishioners including our children with our elderly parishioners. It’s just about honouring  them,” she said.  

“I think a lot of families and parishes just take them for granted. It’s really important that we acknowledge who they are.” 

A pope with his feet on the ground

Sr Anne sees in Pope Leo’s chosen theme a continuation of Pope Francis’ tender insistence that the elderly are never disposable. 

“I believe he’s bringing forward a lot of Francis’ teaching and Francis’ way of being as a Catholic community,” she said.  

“Pope’s Francis and Leo are people who have their feet on the ground and are in touch with the reality of people’s lives.” 

Asked what one practical thing families could do on 26 July, her answer was simple: notice. 

“I go to the hospital and there are elderly people no one visits. I can’t get my head around it,” she said.  

“I’d like to see families make a conscious decision to be aware of the elderly in their community and just make them feel welcome. 

“Let’s make a difference for our elderly people. Because our churches are full of them, they’ve been holding the fort for a long time. It’s so important that we don’t forget about these people.” 

God, it seems, never has. “I will never forget you,” he promises through Isaiah, a promise Connie Agius hears made flesh every Wednesday, when there is a knock at the door. 

The post The religious sister who brings Jesus to Connie’s door appeared first on The Catholic Weekly.

After a successful beginning to season one, Sydney-based evangelisation video series The Hot Seat project, welcomed a live audience for the first time at Canterbury Leagues Club on 6 July.  

The event, hosted by founder Helena Roumanus with Parousia Media brought together more than 300 people for an evening of honest conversation about the Catholic church, faith and doubt. 

A panel of priests and a religious sister from the Schoenstatt Sisters in Mulgoa, responded to questions submitted by the audience. 

Opening the night, Roumanus shared the story behind The Hot Seat and the inspiration that led to its creation. The project began after Christopher West challenged her to sit on the “hot seat” at a five-day immersion course on Theology of the Body held in Sydney. 

“He [Christopher West] said the hot seat is this place where we face difficulty and discomfort and typically humans don’t want to sit on the hot seat,” she said. 

“Why? Because it’s hot it burns. Then he said something that changed my life, he said ‘I want you to stay in the hot seat this week, not alone, never alone, but I want you to stay in the hot seat with Jesus.’ 

“He said ‘We think that that burn we feel in the hot seat is the fire of judgement and condemnation but if you remain in the ache you’ll come to see it’s the fire of his eternal mercy’.” 

Roumanus said the project was not only for those already deeply involved in their faith but for anyone who is searching and needed accompaniment.  

“It’s a safe space for people to ask the questions they may feel are too silly, uncomfortable or even strange to bring up elsewhere,” she said. 

Questions were sourced from the audience and the panel then responded to questions about suffering and doubt; Heaven and Hell; marriage, cohabitation and divorce; and forgiveness and reconciliation.  

The post The Hot Seat invites hard-hitting questions about faith appeared first on The Catholic Weekly.

More than 130 volunteers from a western Sydney parish are preparing to stage their biggest-ever musical production, bringing the Gospel to life in a four-night run at Parramatta’s Riverside Theatres this September. 

Mary Queen of the Family Parish in Blacktown will present Be The Witness from 10-13 September, a large-scale adaptation of The Witness, the 1978 musical by Grammy Award-nominated Christian songwriting duo Carol and Jimmy Owens. 

Told through the eyes of the Apostle Peter, the production traces the life, teaching and evangelising mission of Jesus Christ in what organisers describe as an “immersive experience of hope, love and faith.” 

Parish priest Fr Wim Hoekstra EV serves as the production’s spiritual guide. 

“We spend a little bit of time in prayer, reflecting on the role of Jesus, and sometimes even reflecting on each of the characters presented in the musical,” she told The Catholic Weekly. 

Fr Hoekstra said he hoped the production would lead audiences into a deeper encounter with Christ. 

“They’ll be asking questions and they’ll recognise the role, the importance of Jesus in their lives, which ultimately is quite significant,” he said. 

“Hoping that, through this, they’ll commit themselves more to the church, to ministry and to following Jesus.” 

Bass singer and Mary Queen of the Family parishioner Kiran Saldanha said he has been connected to the musical since childhood and jumped at the opportunity to take part in the latest production. 

“I did not hesitate. I came forward, auditioned and became part of the bass lineup,” he said. 

“What I thought might simply be a chance to sing has become something far greater – it has become a life-changing moment in my faith journey.” 

Saldanha said Thursday night rehearsals have been marked by a palpable sense of purpose. 

“There is something deeply moving about being in a room full of people who have all said yes. People who have auditioned, committed, and chosen to give their time to something that is not about personal recognition, but about mission,” he said. 

“Sometimes people may look at theatre and the arts and wonder whether this is really evangelisation. I would simply say: come and see.” 

The production is the largest theatrical undertaking in the parish’s history. It also comes at a time when several major commercial musicals, including Waitress and Beetlejuice, have cut short or bypassed Sydney seasons, highlighting the challenges of attracting theatre audiences. 

Production designer Minette Mindens acknowledged the challenge but said the production team was confident the Christian community would rally behind the project. Two performances have already been booked by NSW Catholic Schools and the Diocese of Parramatta. 

“We’ve only got 3,000 tickets to sell over a limited run, so we need all the help we can get,” she said. 

“Of course it’s going to be entertaining, but it’s powerful beyond entertaining,” she added. 

“Faith is a really big part of the project,” she said. 

Parramatta Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv has thrown his support behind the production, praising both its evangelising vision and community impact. 

“This project reflects the creative missionary impulse that our diocese seeks to encourage – where faith finds expression in ways that uplift the wider community and invite others to encounter hope,” he said. 

Blacktown MP Stephen Bali has also endorsed the production. 

The post The parish staging a musical at Parramatta’s Riverside Theatre appeared first on The Catholic Weekly.

It has been pointed out to me once or twice in my life that I have a strong personality. I’ll admit it. In terms of character building, my interior landscape looks like the Manhattan skyline. 

This has helped me bounce back from many challenges. But it’s also why I struggle with virtues like meekness, humility, and docility. These are all robust Christian virtues. It takes a huge amount of strength to practise them properly. But for whatever reason (and I suspect our adversary’s PR people are busy here), we associate them with being a wimp.  

Recently I wrote in praise of St Peter’s docility to the Holy Spirit over the course of his life and papacy. So what is docility in the spiritual sense? And is it strictly for wimps? The word “docility” comes from the Latin docilis, meaning “responsive” and “teachable”. So being docile means that you are responsive to God, and that he can get a word in edgewise with you so that you can learn from him. 

Every teacher has met a few students who are unteachable. I certainly have. Jesus certainly had as well. And it’s not because they’re stupid. It’s because they think they already know everything.  

So docility means “being able to learn” about matters of faith. But your learning shouldn’t end in high school or your RCIA class. You should have a lifelong willingness to keep being responsive and keep being taught – and corrected – about faith and love and God.  

This can come from other competent people, or it can come directly from the Holy Spirit in prayer. It can come when you have life experiences that stretch or challenge your faith. 

It can also come when you have interior promptings to do or say certain things or undertake certain actions. Of course, docility goes hand in hand with other virtues like prudence and justice and fortitude. So if, for example, your interior prompting is to hurt the pope, that’s neither prudent, just, nor brave. 

The whole church is a lifelong learner, because she is also docile to the Holy Spirit. This takes time and discernment. This is why she thinks in centuries and tries not to do things in a rush. Everything has to be tested carefully. 

Sometimes it has to be adjusted later when we’ve drifted a bit or forgotten some important things we learned long ago. This process of gentle, continuous reform is always going on in the universal church, and it always has gone on. 

Teaching people involves correction, because human beings make mistakes. But some people can’t handle being corrected at all. These can be young people who’ve always been told that they’re right. Or they can be older people who have gotten used to being right about everything. 

When students are afraid of making mistakes, it paralyses them in class because they won’t even have a go at solving a problem. This kind of paralysis isn’t what God wants of us in our spiritual life. He has broad enough shoulders to tolerate many, many mistakes on our part. And he’d also like to teach us how to stop making mistakes all the time. So docility involves us learning to take correction from him. 

Again, this can come through other people, or directly in prayer. But you have to be listening in order to hear it. You also have to be willing to receive it, because everyone hates being corrected. So is docility for wimps? Clearly not. And there are other advantages. 

Being willing to learn more about your faith can make you a happier Catholic, especially if you have suffered from strange ideas about God up till now. 

Many problems in the church today come from poor catechesis. People don’t really know their faith, and it’s never occurred to them that they might be wrong about certain aspects about it. Or they choose private revelations and spiritual junk food on YouTube to keep them excited and angry instead.  

Docility is the answer to both problems. St Peter needed a lot of it, because he had to learn his faith from the ground up, and also lead the church. He had to keep learning how to respond appropriately as the new church threw things at him all the time.  

So are you as teachable as St Peter? And am I? You be the judge. I look forward to your emails.  

The post Dr Philippa Martyr: Is docility strictly for wimps? appeared first on The Catholic Weekly.

Two Sydney parishes welcomed new parish priests in June, with installation Masses celebrated by Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP at St John the Baptist Parish, Bonnyrigg Heights, and St Michael’s Parish, Lane Cove. 

On 14 June, Fr Christopher Sharah FSF was installed at Bonnyrigg Heights, marking the beginning of the Franciscans’ ministry in the parish.  

A week later, on 21 June, Fr Mark Anderson was installed at St Michael’s, where Archbishop Fisher reflected on his own childhood connection to the parish. 

The installations marked new chapters for both parish communities.  

The Friars of St Francis are a reform community of Franciscans that began in 1993 with Fr Christopher FSF and has since grown into a community of six friars.  

The arrival of the friars, who also include the parish’s new assistant priests Fr Ruben Martello FSF and Fr Benedict Mackenzie FSF, means St John the Baptist is now a designated parish where the faithful may receive a plenary indulgence during this jubilee year of St Francis — proclaimed by Pope Leo in honour of the 800th anniversary of the death of the saint. 

“I ask you to pray to the Lord of the harvest that these friars may be faithful and fruitful labourers in his vineyard of Bonnyrigg, and to keep supporting them, as they pray for and serve you,” said Archbishop Fisher at the Mass. 

Fr Anderson told The Catholic Weekly that St Michael’s was “packed” for the installation Mass. Concelebrating Mass alongside the archbishop were retired Bishop Bernard O’Grady OP, retired priest Fr Gary Rawson, assistant priest to the parish Fr Jorge Mairena, and Fr Anderson.  

“What made the event particularly interesting was [that] the archbishop spent many years of his childhood at St Michael’s and even completed his sacraments here,” Fr Anderson said. 

During the homily, the archbishop reflected on his long connection with St Michael’s where he received his First Holy Communion and later returned to celebrate his first Mass as a newly ordained Dominican priest.  

Following the liturgy, parishioners gathered for a barbecue and morning tea while children enjoyed a jumping castle. Fr Anderson praised the efforts of parishioners who had worked hard and prepared the church and garden for his installation.  

“Volunteers arranged flowers, polished brass, removed candle wax from the floors, and even arranged parts of the exterior to be painted,” he said. 

Many parishioners also remarked that they had never seen the installation of a parish priest before, with one describing it as “the most beautiful Mass she had ever been to.” 

“I do believe that in Fr Mark you have a priest who will lead this community with wisdom, zeal and a shepherd’s heart,” said the archbishop.

The post New beginnings for Bonnyrigg Heights and Lane Cove Parishes appeared first on The Catholic Weekly.

An international partnership behind Guatemala Brillando has opened the fourth of eight planned eye hospitals in Guatemala, marking another step toward its goal of eliminating treatable blindness for the country’s 17 million people by 2032.

The initiative grew from a realization that short-term mission trips, while valuable, could not meet the nation’s overwhelming need for eye care. After volunteering on several medical missions in Latin America, Dr Doug Villella, an optometrist from Erie, Pennsylvania, sought a lasting solution.

Villella joined forces with Vincent Pescatore, founder of an orphanage in Guatemala’s Petén region, and the result was the building of an eye hospital. Villella also enlisted leaders from the Pennsylvania chapter of Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity.

A turning point came when Villella met Dr Mariano Yee, then a young ophthalmology resident in Guatemala City. Today, guided by their Catholic faith, Yee and his brothers lead Visualiza, an eye care network.

One brother is an eye surgeon, another oversees the organisation as an architect and MBA, and a fourth manages operations at the newly opened hospital in the Quiché region.

Visualiza now employs 410 people and aims to become a model for expanding eye care in other low- and middle-income countries.

The post Faith leads effort to end preventable blindness in Guatemala and beyond appeared first on The Catholic Weekly.

As African bishops continue to back Pope Leo XIV over the excommunication of the Society of St Pius X, known as SSPX, the traditionalist group in Kenya rejected the schismatic tag as it moved to assure followers of its Roman Catholic identity.

Father Pierre Champroux, the priest in charge of the SSPX’s Holy Cross Parish in Nairobi, claimed in a 12 July release the main mission of the society was to provide the people with “sound doctrine” and “all the sacraments received from Our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The society, also known as Lefebvrists after their founder, French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, operates in Kenya running an international school, a congregation of women religious and has some local priests operating out of Nairobi.

On 2 July, the Vatican declared SSPX to be “in schism” after the traditionalist group consecrated four bishops without the papal mandate, marking the most serious rupture in the church since Archbishop Lefebvre’s unauthorized episcopal consecrations in 1988. In a bombshell move, the Vatican also declared sacraments of penance and marriage invalid if they proceeded within the society.

“We are not a parallel church. We remain fully Catholic and attached to the See of Peter and to his successor, Pope Leo XIV,” Father Champroux said in his statement.

“The society of Saint Pius X is a Catholic priestly society … for the preservation and transmission of the traditional Faith, the Catholic priesthood and the immemorial Roman Rite of the Holy Mass,” he said.

The priest was responding to the 9 July pastoral letter of Archbishop Philip Anyolo of Nairobi, which urged Kenyan Catholics to remain in communion with the pope and shun the SSPX and its activities. The archbishop also banned priests from celebrating Mass with SSPX clergy or inviting them to minister in the archdiocese’s parishes and institutions.

Why the SSPX dispute was never really about the Latin Mass

“It must be clearly stated, however, that the love for the sacred liturgy, reverence for tradition or attachment to the Latin Mass is not in itself schismatic,” said Archbishop Anyolo, terming the SSPX subject an important matter touching on the unity of the church, the integrity of  Catholic communion and the spiritual welfare of the faithful.

“The grave problem arises where there is refusal of full communion with the Roman Pontiff and the bishops in communion with him, rejection in practice of the authority of the pope, and the establishment of a parallel ecclesial life outside the canonical communion of the Catholic Church,” said the archbishop.

The SSPX has an established presence in Nairobi’s Lovington area and is publicly known as Holy Cross Catholic Church or Holy Cross Church and Priory.

“The faithful must therefore be properly informed so that they are not misled by the use of the name Catholic or by external forms of  Catholic worship,” said Archbishop Anyolo.

SSPX adheres to the pre-Vatican II traditions, including the exclusive celebration of Latin Mass. The 1962-1965 council introduced changes in liturgy, including the use of vernacular languages instead of Latin and allowed priests to face the congregation. It also allowed ecumenism and interfaith dialogue, which the group opposes.

On 1 July, 1988, Archbishop Lefebvre was excommunicated after he consecrated bishops without the Vatican’s authority. In 2026, 38 years later, in what was seen as history repeating itself, the society consecrated four new bishops without the papal mandate, including one from the United States, despite appeals from Pope Leo XIV to keep communion with the pope and Catholic Church.

On 2 July, the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, in a decree announced the excommunication of the bishops directly involved in the consecrations. The decree further stated that the ministers of the society were in schism and were subject to excommunication. Lay Catholics who would continue to adhere to the society will be considered excommunicated.

“The canonical consequences are grave. Excommunication wounds communion with the Church and excludes the person from full participation in the sacramental and ecclesial life of the church until reconciliation is obtained according to the norms of the church,” said Archbishop Anyolo.

Archbishop Fisher: Church’s doors remain open after SSPX schism

At the same time, he urged priests who may want to change from SSPX to report to the archbishop for re-integration and Christians to report to their parish priests if they want to re-integrate with the Catholic Church.

But Father Champroux said the society held and maintained that “these penalties were objectively unjust and invalid.”

“They do not correspond to the true state of necessity in which the church finds herself today, nor do they invalidate the sacraments we administer according to the traditional rites,” said the priest, adding the consecrations of 1 July were performed out of “grave duty” for the “continuation of the traditional priesthood amid the ongoing crisis.”

“We do not accept the label of schism. We do not have any spirit of bitterness or rebellion,” the SSPX priest said, adding the society desired to “remain faithful to Our Lord Jesus Christ and his only church, to His Blessed Mother, to the perennial Magisterium and to the Faith of all time.”

“We have not separated ourselves from the Roman Catholic Church,” claimed Father Champroux.

The archbishop of Nairobi asked priests, catechists and leaders of church movements “to help the faithful understand this matter calmly and accurately.”

The post After Vatican’s excommunication, SSPX in Kenya insists on Catholic identity, fighting archdiocese appeared first on The Catholic Weekly.

Almost nine years after the earthquakes that shook central and southwestern Mexico in September 2017, St. John of God Church and Holy True Cross Church, both located in Mexico City, have reopened their doors for worship.

On July 8, a Mass was celebrated at Holy Cross Church, marking the communityʼs return to their church and concluding a lengthy restoration process.

The earthquakes of Sept. 7 and 19, 2017, resulted in 468 deaths and caused damage to thousands of buildings.

In Mexico City alone, around 160 Catholic churches suffered structural damage of varying severity such as these two churches located just a short distance apart.

5 centuries of history

Holy True Cross Church is considered one of the oldest churches in the country.

According to tradition, the explorer and conquistador Hernán Cortés ordered the construction of a small chapel to commemorate the landing of the Spanish expedition at the port of what is now known as the state of Veracruz. Over time, that chapel gave rise to the parish as it is known today.

The church also houses important works of sacred art, such as the Christ of the Seven Veils, which is said to have been a gift from Pope Paul III to King Carlos V of Spain. Additionally, a relic of the true cross is preserved there, considered by Christian tradition to be a fragment of the cross on which Jesus Christ died.

In an interview with ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, Father Juan Carlos Guerrero Ugalde, the pastor of Holy True Cross and St. John of God, stated that restoring the churches was a priority of “not only ecclesiastical but also civic interest.”

“This church [Holy True Cross] was the third parish established in the city and, therefore, holds a tradition of faith dating back to the 16th century,” he explained.

9 years to return

Guerrero described the restoration process as “meticulous and slow” due to the complexity of the damage.

Among other measures, the bell towers, which were at risk of collapse, were reinforced, cracks were repaired, the hydraulic piles supporting both structures were serviced, the roofs were waterproofed, and work was carried out to correct the effects of the ground settling.

The work was overseen by the National Institute of Anthropology and History, as both buildings are part of the nationʼs historical heritage.

In Mexico, religious buildings constructed prior to the 1992 constitutional reforms are state property, although they remain places of worship and are used by religious associations.

The restoration of the Holy True Cross church faced an additional challenge: a fire in August 2020 caused by individuals living on the street. Reports indicate that a campfire spiraled out of control, damaging the choir loft, the dome, and sacred art.

Today, those walking through the historic central part of Mexico City can once again enter the church. Marcela Eduardo, who works in the area and took a moment of free time to stop in and pray, did just that.

“It brought me great joy to see it open and to see that repairs are underway,” she noted in an interview with ACI Prensa. She said that when she saw the parish church open, her first thought was to go in to see Christ and “greet him, make the sign of the cross, and ask him for something: that he give me more energy.”

Much more than a church

These churches are surrounded by some of Mexico’s most important cultural landmarks, such as the Franz Mayer Museum, the Palace of Fine Arts, and the Alameda Central, a large city park.

Although Holy True Cross and St. John of God churches might go unnoticed by some tourists amid so many other buildings, Guerrero noted that their value has been “significant for both the faith and the city.”

He explained that, following the 1985 earthquake, the area welcomed numerous families from various places, necessitating the construction of a new community identity. Pastoral work at the time “consisted of gradually integrating the way of life of longtime residents and that of those who were newly arriving.”

Over the years, he added, violence, drug trafficking, and social breakdown affected life in the neighborhood, making the Church’s presence even more necessary.

For Betsabé Jara, who visited the church after touring the Franz Mayer Museum, the reopening represents an opportunity to regain a place for encountering God.

“It brings peace of mind that the church is open, that one can enter and pray. Especially for people who couldnʼt go elsewhere because there wasnʼt a church nearby,” she said in an interview with ACI Prensa.

Building the community

The priest noted that reactivating community life will be the next challenge. He explained that a “call has already gone out to neighborhood residents to come for formation as pastoral workers.”

He also noted that they aim to develop social programs such as job training for individuals who did not complete their formal education as well as cultural initiatives in collaboration with nearby museums.

“We want the spaces we have in both churches to be truly utilized and filled with formation programs,” Guerrero said.

As the community gradually restores life to these churches, Masses are currently held regularly on Sundays, whereas weekday Masses take place only upon the request of the faithful.

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 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will provide up to $235 million through Catholic Relief Services (CRS) for emergency food and nutrition assistance in Sudan and Ethiopia amid widespread hunger.

“More than 110,000 metric tons of U.S.-grown agricultural commodities” will be delivered to the two East African countries under an agreement in principle between CRS and the USDA, according to a July 14 USDA announcement.

“American farmers feed, fuel, and clothe the world, and under President Trump’s leadership, we’re utilizing that bounty to serve those in need while ensuring that the benefits of U.S. food aid flow back to America’s hardworking farmers, ranchers, and producers that make this assistance possible,” Michelle Bekkering, USDA’s deputy undersecretary for trade and foreign agricultural affairs, said in a statement. “We’re also enforcing strict accountability so that aid goes to those who actually need it, safeguarding hard-earned taxpayer dollars, and delivering aid that builds self-reliance instead of long-term dependence.” 

“Authorized under Title II of the Food for Peace Act,” the announcement said, “the agreement leverages Catholic Relief Services’ operational footprints in East Africa, including the Sudan Emergency Project and the Joint Emergency Operation in Ethiopia.”

CRS has faced a sharp drop in federal support after the Trump administration collapsed global‑health and humanitarian functions of the U.S. Agency for International Development into the State Department in 2025. USAID earlier supplied roughly half of the agency’s $1.5 billion budget.

CRS President and CEO Sean Callahan said in a July 14 press release that the agreement came “at a critical moment for struggling families in Sudan and Ethiopia.”

“For decades, our partnership with USDA has connected the generosity and productivity of American farmers with some of the world’s most vulnerable communities,” Callahan said. “We are committed to ensuring these resources are managed responsibly and translated into meaningful support for families working to overcome crisis.”

“We are hopeful fellow trusted organizations carrying out lifesaving work across the world are supported in their efforts to meet these critical needs for extremely vulnerable families and communities,” he said.

Callahan told EWTN News that CRS tracks the delivery of food commodities “to the last mile and employs robust monitoring, verification, and financial oversight to help ensure assistance reaches the people it is intended to serve.”

“We continually assess security conditions, adjust operations as needed, and work closely with local partners to help ensure assistance reaches the people it is intended to serve,” he said.

Maura O’Brien, a former USAID official who led its Sudan and South Sudan office and serves as coordinator for the Michael B. Kim Institute for Ethical Inquiry and Leadership at Haverford College, said CRS has been a trusted partner but USAID’s absence will be felt.

“Not having any U.S. presence in the field makes any assistance more vulnerable to fraud, waste, and abuse — especially in a conflict environment. Oversight and coordination are essential to effectively delivering desperately needed relief to communities in East Africa," O’Brien said.

USDA did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and other Catholic organizations submitted public comments urging the Labor Department to reject a proposed regulation that would expand insurance coverage opportunities for in vitro fertilization (IVF).

Regulators will consider a rule change that would create a category of limited excepted benefits that covers IVF and other fertility-related treatments. It does not impose mandates but rather creates more opportunities for employers to offer the coverage.

In a 17-page letter submitted by the USCCB’s legal counsel, the bishops expressed support for expanding fertility-related coverage that respects unborn embryonic human life and the natural procreation process — but strongly discouraged any inclusion of IVF.

“IVF, especially as practiced in the U.S., kills or freezes at least as many preborn children as abortion — at a magnitude of hundreds of thousands or perhaps over a million per year,” the bishops’ comment noted.

When a person receives an IVF treatment, “multiple fertilized eggs or zygotes — human beings — are produced” for every cycle, at which stage most die, according to the bishops’ comment. For embryos that survive, some are implanted but “others [are] destroyed or put in inhumane cryopreservation.”

The process for selecting which embryos are implanted and which ones are destroyed includes genetic screening, which the bishops’ comment called a “dystopian form of modern eugenics that kills those children deemed genetically inferior.” At times, when more than one embryo is implanted but the parents only want one child, the others are aborted through a process called “selective reduction,” they explained.

“Promoting IVF,” the statement said, “... stands in glaring contrast to this administration’s other pro-life statements and actions.”

The bishops said indefinitely freezing surviving embryos “is also a profound and terrible violation of their dignity and rights,” adding: “Hundreds of thousands of our smallest brothers and sisters in the U.S. are experiencing this fate right now.”

Additionally, the bishops warned IVF “commodifies our fellow human beings and treats them like products and property.” They warned the technology violates “the exclusivity of the marriage bond in its most unique context and unnaturally [separates] the procreative aspect from the unitive aspect (that is, regarding the unity of the spouses) of the marital act.”

The comment also cited practical concerns for the Labor Department, warning the inclusion of IVF could put the entire rule at risk because it may exceed the department’s statutory authority and that it is arbitrary and capricious, which could be a problem in court.

If IVF is ultimately included, the bishops requested guardrails. This includes rules that prevent the destruction of embryos, prohibit genetic screening, and clearly communicate alternatives, such as restorative reproductive medicine (RRM).

Regardless of whether IVF is included, the bishops encouraged flexibility to ensure coverage of RRM is clearly included so employers “can make meaningful use of that flexibility by affording them the opportunity to know of the full range of possible fertility care that can identify and heal a patient’s underlying conditions while safeguarding human life and dignity.”

RRM healthcare focuses on addressing the underlying conditions that cause infertility and works toward helping the couple achieve conception naturally through the marital act.

More Catholics chime in

The bishops’ concerns were echoed by other Catholic organizations, including the Catholic Medical Association (CMA), the National Catholic Bioethics Center (NCBC), and the National Association of Catholic Nurses, USA (NACN-USA).

“In the IVF process more babies die than are ever born,” the CMA comment said. “The babies that are eventually terminated, after lengthy periods of cold storage, do not voluntarily sacrifice their freedom, their potential, or their lives.”

The statement promoted RRM, which CMA called “more holistic, gentler, more respectful of human life, more compassionate, more empathetic, and more generous.” It stated RRM is “devoid of violence or neglect or disdain toward viable beings denied access to being ‘in utero.’”

CMA also joined NCBC and NACN-USA in a joint comment, which called the initiative to expand infertility care “a valuable opportunity to advance real solutions to infertility that respects the God-given dignity of parents and of children, born and preborn.”

Yet they jointly encouraged the department “to refocus the rule on therapeutic, restorative treatments and to abandon its inclusion of IVF, which is profoundly flawed both legally, therapeutically, and morally, and does nothing to address the underlying pathology.”

“If IVF is included in the final rule, regulations must limit the number of embryos being engendered by the number of embryos that can safely be implanted and gestated unto birth,” the statement added.

“Engendering embryos with the intent to provide ‘spares’ for eugenic or research purposes is an [affront] to humanity and should be prohibited; and current practices of selective reduction, especially after there has been a deliberate engendering of more embryos than can safely be gestated is an egregious [affront] to human life and should be prohibited,” it stated.

David Willey, a BBC correspondent whose career in Rome spanned more than 50 years and five papacies, died July 11 in Italy at the age of 93.

From being a student taking in the pomp of Pope Pius XII carried in a ceremonial throne to traveling the world with St. John Paul II to writing about the changes brought by Pope Francis, Willey saw “a complete revolution so that people saw the pope much more as a personality rather than in a hierarchical sense,” the journalist told EWTN News at his home in February.

Catholic background

David Douglas Willey was born in High Wycombe, in the county of Buckinghamshire, northwest of London, in December 1932. He grew up Catholic in nearby Marlow.

Willey’s first experience of Rome was a visit as a student, when he witnessed Pope Pius XII being carried through crowds in a gestatorial chair. “For me, the Vatican, St. Peter’s in Rome, was a spectacle, it was almost operatic,” he noted.

After studying law and modern languages at Cambridge, he moved to Rome as a trainee for Reuters.

He then left for stints in Algeria as a freelancer and subsequently East Africa as a correspondent for BBC. He also reported from Asia, including Saigon and Beijing, and then spent some time in London as the BBC’s assistant diplomatic correspondent.

He returned to Italy as BBC’s Rome correspondent in 1972 — and he never left.

“I never imagined I would be covering the Vatican [as a] correspondent when I was an altar boy at St. Peter’s Church in Marlow,” he said.

Willey explained that he no longer practiced the Catholic faith of his childhood but that he had “the greatest respect for the Catholic religion.”

His reporting on the Vatican was through this lens. “I always treated reporting for the Vatican as a secular matter rather than a religious one,” he said, adding that he still found “inspiration and pleasure in covering Vatican affairs” because he thought the pope and the Church had an important message in a world “torn by war and discord.”

Lengthy Rome career

During his more than five decades covering Rome and the Vatican, Willey witnessed dramatic technological changes both to journalism and to the Vatican’s own operations and communication.

Two episodes from his early days in Rome illustrate this, including a call to the Vatican switchboard asking to be connected to a cardinal.

He was immediately put through to Cardinal Agostino Casaroli, who would later become the pope’s No. 2 as the Vatican secretary of state.

“An important cardinal in the Vatican because he dealt with what was called the Ostpolitik, the Vaticanʼs policy towards Eastern Europe, communist Eastern Europe, during the years of the Cold War,” Willey said, noting that he asked to speak and the cardinal invited him that very afternoon to his “palatial” apartment for what would become a three-and-a-half-hour conversation.

Willey recalled how, while a Reuters apprentice in the 1950s, international news agencies would pay a Vatican official for information. Once, on Easter Sunday, he was sent to wait at a bar close to the Vatican to pick up a text of the pope’s “urbi et orbi” blessing.

“That was how the system worked. The changes wrought by Vatican II were extraordinary in the sense that a whole department was set up in the Vatican dealing with relations with the media,” he noted.

During the pontificate of St. John Paul II, Willey joined the Polish pope on at least 40 of his international trips, nearly half of the jet-setting pope’s total apostolic journeys.

“We went all over the world,” Willey noted. “It added to my knowledge of the world immeasurably, but it also enabled me to see the Catholic Church as an international, worldwide body of believers, which you donʼt always understand when you live here in Europe or in Rome in particular.”

Veering from the prevailing idea that the faithful should come to see the pope in Rome, John Paul II went out “to meet his flock in person. And he did this with great panache,” the British journalist said.

“And by allowing journalists like me to join him on the papal plane; one day, for example, I found him sitting next to me at breakfast on the plane,” Willey recalled. “He used to get bored during his very long journeys across the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans and he mingled with the journalists and sat down and actually talked to them.”

“I remember talking to him once about the usefulness of the United Nations, for example. He had some quite interesting things to say.”

Willey said he also had a memorable encounter with another living saint — Mother Teresa of Calcutta.

One day he rang up the Sisters of Charity in Rome to ask if he could interview Mother Teresa and was told they could arrange a meeting at the airport, in between her landing in Rome from India and before she would immediately depart again for Canada.

“We sat down together, and she was, I must say, great fun,” Willey recalled. “We had a very lively conversation in which she confided all sorts of little secrets to me, such as I said, ‘What do you do when you normally arrive in a new country?’ ‘Oh,’ she said, ‘I go to the local phone box and call up the head of state and ask him to send a car to meet me. I ring up the pope and he sends me a car.’”

“She was this combination of extreme saintliness and piety — and of course her work among the poor in India was completely a subject of which she was prepared to talk endlessly — but what I found was her sense of fun and her sense that the world was completely open to her,” the journalist said.

In 2003, Willey was appointed an officer of the Order of the British Empire for services to broadcast journalism.

He wrote several books, including “God’s Politician,” a 1992 biography of John Paul II’s global impact. He also wrote about the start of Pope Francis’ pontificate in “The Promise of Francis: The Man, the Pope, and the Challenge of Change” in 2015.

Willey continued to be active into his 90s — including writing a final reflection on the Vatican following Pope Francis’ death in April 2025. Willey spent his final years in the quiet lakeside town of Trevignano Romano, about 30 miles north of Rome. He died on July 11 from heart failure, the BBC reported.

Religious leaders, local authorities and community networks helped prevent mob violence in Karachi following unproven allegations of Quran desecration, though Christians remain deeply vulnerable.

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Catholic members of France’s National Assembly who vote for the country’s euthanasia and assisted-suicide bill will no longer be able to receive holy Communion, Bishop Marc Aillet of Bayonne, Lescar, and Oloron in southern France has warned ahead of the bill’s decisive final vote on July 15.

“A Catholic engaged in public life cannot ignore” the Church’s constant teaching against euthanasia, Aillet told France Catholique in a July 7 interview. He highlighted that the Christian faith engages a person’s whole existence and that every lawmaker must examine in conscience whether the acts they take align with the faith they profess.

A public vote for a law gravely contrary to the Church’s moral teaching, he said, creates “a real problem of ecclesial coherence,” and Catholic lawmakers who support the bill need to weigh the consequences of that choice. If they are aware of the inconsistency, he said, “they will no longer be able to receive Communion,” adding that the Church has the authority to remind them of this, just as some bishops have already done in the United States.

Aillet said he wanted to invite lawmakers to a sincere examination of conscience and raised the question of whether society has the right to make the deliberate ending of a human life its answer to suffering.

The National Assembly, the lower house of the French Parliament, is scheduled to hold the decisive vote on the bill Wednesday, July 15. Barring a last-minute reversal, the measure is expected to pass by a wide margin, as it has in each of its three previous readings in the lower chamber, most recently by 295 votes to 232 on June 30.

The bill has been rejected three times by the Senate, most recently on July 7 by a narrow vote of 169 to 164, with 11 abstentions.

Under Article 45 of the French Constitution, the government can give the Assembly the final word once the two chambers remain deadlocked after repeated readings, and Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu is expected to invoke that procedure Wednesday.

The bill, titled a “right to aid in dying,” legalizes both euthanasia, administered by a doctor or nurse, and assisted suicide, in which the patient self-administers a lethal substance. Access is restricted to adults who are stable residents of France, suffer from a serious and incurable condition in an advanced or terminal phase, experience suffering that cannot be relieved by treatment, and remain able to express their will freely and with full understanding throughout the process.

Aillet also grounded his warning in the Vatican’s 2020 letter Samaritanus Bonus, which he said had reaffirmed that euthanasia is intrinsically evil regardless of circumstance. He distinguished true compassion from what St. John Paul II called a “false mercy,” arguing that a genuinely fraternal society answers suffering with palliative care and accompaniment rather than the elimination of the person who suffers.

The bishop also called for a fully guaranteed conscience clause for health workers and defended the right of Catholic-run care institutions to refuse to participate, warning that without it, some might be forced to close or relocate abroad.

The French bishops’ conference has opposed the bill since its earliest stages, issuing formal statements opposing the bill after the Assembly’s first vote in May 2025, again after the second reading in February, and a third time on Ascension Day in May, when it warned of “moral imprudence” and “democratic disrespect” given the absence of political and social consensus.

On the eve of the June 30 vote, the Church released a video appeal to lawmakers, with Archbishop Vincent Jordy of Tours saying the testimony of caregivers, jurists, and associations involved in end-of-life care had been “painfully ignored” during the debates.

The Christian social network Hozana has separately called on believers to join a prayer chain addressed to French lawmakers ahead of Wednesdayʼs vote, an appeal that has drawn more than 58,000 participants.

The bill’s critics are not confined to religious circles. The Société française d’accompagnement et de soins palliatifs and other caregiver federations have opposed the text, arguing that palliative care should be made a real, accessible alternative before any shift toward assisted death and that the bill’s clinical framework and oversight remain unclear.

Asked about the pending visit of Pope Leo XIV to France, whose chosen motto for the trip is “So that the world may have life,” Aillet said he hoped the pope would reaffirm the inalienable dignity of every human life regardless of how the vote turns out.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Falih al Zaidi has called on Iraqi Christians living abroad to return to their homeland.

During a meeting with Chaldean Patriarch Paul III Nona, the prime minister said the return of Christians who were forced to leave Iraq has become a national priority for his government.

He said the government is ready to provide the support needed to encourage Christian families to return, including making them eligible for the countryʼs 1 million residential land plot initiative.

Al Zaidi said Iraqʼs strength lies in its ethnic, religious, and cultural diversity and in the unity of its people. He described Christians as “an active and essential component of Iraqi society and a key partner in building the state and shaping Iraqʼs history and future.”

An invitation to invest

The prime minister also encouraged Iraqi Christian business leaders and investors living abroad to return and take part in rebuilding the country by investing in the opportunities available across several sectors, particularly healthcare and education.

He said the government remains committed to strengthening stability and providing the support needed to help their projects succeed, contribute to economic development, and create new jobs.

Nona expressed appreciation for the prime ministerʼs initiatives and his commitment to supporting Iraqʼs Christian community.

He said the governmentʼs position sends an important message encouraging Iraqi Christians in the diaspora to return home, strengthens their confidence in the countryʼs future, and supports the willingness of Christian business leaders and investors to contribute to Iraqʼs reconstruction and development.

The Churchʼs response

Commenting on the initiative, Syriac Orthodox Archbishop Nicodemus Matti Sharaf of the Archdiocese of Mosul, Kirkuk, and Kurdistan welcomed the prime ministerʼs call for Christians to return.

He described it as “an official recognition of the Christian communityʼs rightful place in the land of its fathers and ancestors.”

At the same time, he stressed that addressing the reasons Christians left Iraq in the first place is even more important. Without doing so, he said, the invitation is unlikely to achieve its intended results.

Speaking to an Arabic television channel, Sharaf pointed to several challenges that have contributed to Christian emigration and continue to discourage many from returning.

Among them, he said, are ongoing marginalization and the lack of genuine political representation, noting that Christians still do not have a dedicated electoral register that would allow them to elect their own representatives to Parliament.

He also cited widespread corruption, inadequate infrastructure, limited access to quality healthcare and education, and a shortage of employment opportunities.

These conditions, he said, force many Iraqi Christians abroad to compare what they have found overseas with what remains unavailable at home.

Sharaf expressed hope that the governmentʼs campaign against corruption would continue with genuine determination and produce tangible results that restore citizens' confidence.

He described Iraq as “a country floating on a lake of corruption,” adding that this alone is “enough to drive any citizen, Christian or otherwise, to leave.”

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

Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, President of the Italian Bishops’ Conference (CEI), has begun a four-day visit to Ukraine with a stop at the Zakhid-1 detention center in the Lviv region, where prisoners captured while fighting for the Russian army are held. Bringing gifts and a message from Pope Leo XIV, he told them: “The Pope is praying for you” and expressed the hope that they would “soon return home.”

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Christians in Pakistan have welcomed the conviction of a Muslim man for his role in the 2023 anti-Christian riots in Jaranwala, Punjab, calling it a rare instance of accountability in cases of mob violence against religious minorities.

An anti-terrorism court in Faisalabad on July 13 sentenced Irfan Yousaf, a crane driver, to 10 years in prison for attacking the town’s Christian neighborhood after allegations of Quran desecration. He was among thousands of Muslims accused of participating in the riots that left 26 churches and more than 80 Christian homes vandalized.

News of the verdict was greeted with applause during a July 13 consultation jointly organized by the National Council of Churches in Pakistan (NCCP), the country’s main ecumenical body representing Protestant churches, and the nongovernmental Implementation Minority Rights Forum (IMRF).

Samuel Pyara, chairman of IMRF, who has filed petitions in the Supreme Court and regularly meets federal officials to press for speedy trials and compensation for victims, said the conviction was secured through digital forensic evidence.

“It followed forensic analysis of a video recorded by Wahida Mukhtar, a local Christian woman, showing Yousaf demolishing a church and an adjacent house with a crane. Government-certified experts authenticated the footage and testified before the court,” Pyara, the lead petitioner in the Supreme Courtʼs “suo motu” proceedings, told EWTN News.

Pyara said Christian witnesses faced sustained intimidation during the trial.

“One complainant, a brick kiln worker, was suddenly pressured by his employer to repay outstanding loans. A farmer’s ready-to-harvest radish crop was poisoned. Others were denied agricultural land by Muslim landlords, young Christians lost their jobs, and an internet cable provider saw his business collapse,” he said.

Participants at the consultation also gave a standing ovation to Mukhtar, 30, whose cellphone footage became crucial evidence.

Mukhtar said she fractured a bone in her left foot after being struck by a brick thrown by a rioter while filming the attacks with her family. The following month, her contract as an assistant subdistrict sports officer was not renewed, and she was forced to sell the equipment from her gym after Muslim members stopped using the facility.

“Christian witnesses who identified members of the mob, helped secure their arrests, and testified in court were pressured to sign compromise agreements. Fear could not deter us. This conviction is the result of our sacrifice,” she said.

A church official, speaking on condition of anonymity, described the verdict as deeply symbolic.

“The crane was the election symbol of the now-banned Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan TLP, whose supporters were widely accused of leading the violence. Convicting the crane driver carries symbolic significance for many Christians,” he said.

TLP, a hard-line Islamist party, has built much of its support around defending Pakistan’s blasphemy laws and organizing mass protests over alleged blasphemy.

Human rights groups and Christian leaders have repeatedly accused the party’s supporters of fueling hostility toward religious minorities through inflammatory rhetoric, although the party has denied involvement in acts of mob violence.

Despite welcoming the conviction, Christian leaders said it should not obscure the broader failure to secure justice.

In a July 14 statement, the National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP) said that, since 2009, those accused of carrying out major mob attacks on Christians and Christian settlements have ultimately been acquitted.

The statement was issued jointly by Bishop Samson Shukardin of Hyderabad, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Pakistan and NCJP chairman; NCJP National Director Father Bernard Emmanuel; and NCJP Executive Director Naeem Yousaf Gill.

Sharon Shamir, a Lahore-based human rights advocate, cautioned against viewing the conviction as full justice.

“Calling this ‘justice served’ is premature. One conviction in a tragedy as massive as Jaranwala barely scratches the surface,” she said.

“Dozens of lives were shattered, homes and churches were destroyed, and an entire community was traumatized. Where are the rest of the perpetrators? Who is being held accountable for the systemic failures that allowed such violence to unfold? Selective accountability risks turning justice into symbolism rather than substance.”

She added that justice “is not a headline or a moment but a process. Until that process is complete, calling it ‘served’ is misleading.”

Catholic sisters in legal practice across Africa will gather in Nairobi, Kenya, on 30 – 31 July 2026 for the first African Conference of Catholic Sisters in the Legal Profession (CASILEP) Kenya. Seeking to strengthen collaboration, learning, and professional support among sisters while serving religious congregations through legal ministry. They will address key challenges in consecrated life while advancing justice, human dignity and the common good.

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Iranian media reports explosions in several parts of the country.

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The first day of the Global Nobel Laureates Assembly on Artificial Intelligence and Nuclear War kicks off in Borgo Laudato Si’ in Castel Gandolfo on July 14, prompting Nobel winners, experts, university representatives and more to reflect on the biggest challenges affecting our world.

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The Vatican this week is hosting over 200 top academics, innovators, and Nobel laureates for a global summit on AI security risks, inspired by Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas.

The event, the Global Nobel Laureates Assembly on Artificial Intelligence and Nuclear War, is taking place July 14–16 at Borgo Laudato Si’, part of the Pontifical Gardens at Castel Gandolfo, where the pope is staying until July 27.

The summit is inspired by the pontiff’s recent encyclical on AI, “dedicated to the protection of the human person in the age of artificial intelligence,” according to a July 6 press release.

The event also includes discussions on nuclear disarmament and AI governance, and will culminate in the drafting of a declaration for “an unarmed and disarming peace in the age of artificial intelligence, nuclear and autonomous weapons, new digital protocols, and emerging models of digital development” at the Palazzo Senatorio, Rome’s city hall.

Some of the world’s leading universities, including Catholic universities such as the University of Notre Dame and The Catholic University of America, have also sponsored the three-day gathering.

AI governance and the threat of nuclear war

In his recent encyclical and several public addresses, Pope Leo XIV has warned about the threats posed by nuclear weapons and the misuse of artificial intelligence.

Alessio Pecorario, an organizer of the summit and founder of the Domus Communis Foundation, described the event as a response to the pope’s call for disarmament.

“Disarmament in the Church’s social doctrine is not only the disarmament of weapons, obviously, but also the disarmament of spirits; it is the disarmament of the economy,” Pecorario told EWTN News.

The conference “is about the governance of artificial intelligence,” he said. “This governance should be understood not as bureaucracy but as a collective of business, religious, and academic leaders, to help ensure that human beings remain in positive control of the challenges of our time.”

Javier Romero, Vatican correspondent for “EWTN Noticias,” contributed to this story.

Bishop Antonio Gómez Cantero reflects on the tragedy of the wildfires in Bédar and Los Gallardos, highlighting the solidarity shown by local residents and the response of the local Church. Amid pain and loss, he calls for hope, care for creation, and a lived faith rooted in community and mercy.

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Liberia has strengthened enforcement against illegal mining and improved oversight of the country's mineral resources. The move reflects growing concern across Africa over the economic, environmental, and security consequences of unregulated mining.

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After more than 40 years as a research institution, the Vatican-owned children’s hospital, Bambino Gesù, continues to be at the front lines of pediatric medical research as it strives to bring the best possible care to young patients from around the world.

In one of its latest advancements, “the pope’s hospital” unveiled a new Gene Therapy Laboratory in October 2025 to develop new treatments for genetic diseases.

“We must always remain at the forefront of research, not to boast about our achievements, but because we must find the newest treatments that save lives and help children have a future. This is what matters most to us,” hospital president Tiziano Onesti told EWTN News.

“Children must be treated with … the most innovative treatments, and these must be accessible to everyone,” he said. “This is what sets Bambino Gesù apart — the fact that we are truly open to everyone.”

The Bambino Gesù Pediatric Hospital — the largest pediatric hospital and research center in Europe — is made up of six facilities located across Rome and the Italian region of Lazio; it employs around 4,000 personnel — approximately 2,000 of whom are engaged in research.

It’s a private hospital owned by the Holy See that cooperates with the Italian National Health Service to provide medical care to patients cost-free.

“The Bambino Gesù is one of a kind,” Onesti said. “It is precisely this historical combination … that makes it truly unique, because it involves the Holy See, the pope, and the national health service.”

Over 150 years of caring for sick children

The children’s hospital was founded in Rome in 1869 by the Duchess Arabella Fitz James Salviati, inspired by the Hopital des Enfantes Malades in Paris. Religious sisters from the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul were the hospital’s first staff.

In 1887, the hospital moved from its initial location to the Janiculum Hill, now considered the “historic hospital” and “the beating heart of the Bambino Gesù,” according to its president.

The hospital opened a second facility, still operating today, in the seaside town of Santa Marinella west of Rome in 1922, and in 1924, the Salviati family donated the entire hospital complex to Pope Pius XI and the Holy See.

In 1985, another important milestone was reached when the hospital was recognized as a research institution.

More than 40 years later, Bambino Gesù continues to lead the way in pediatric healthcare research, technology, and care for the most difficult cases.

The hospital’s pediatric palliative care center — the largest in Italy for the number of beds — was inaugurated in 2022.

Thanks to its Robotics and Motion Analysis Laboratory, opened in 2000, and a decade later, the Clinical Trial Center, the hospital developed the world’s first CAR-T cell therapies for pediatric autoimmune diseases in 2024.

At the 7,500-square-foot Gene Therapy Laboratory, inaugurated on Oct. 28, 2025, the most advanced technologies are used for the research and development of genetically modified cell therapies, which are then produced in the adjacent Bambino Gesù Pharmaceutical Workshop, part of the research laboratories inaugurated in 2014 at the hospital’s San Paolo campus.

“That’s where very, very advanced therapies are also being applied” and where “important experiments are being conducted,” Onesti explained.

He also noted that research and innovation are fundamental to their model: “This includes the use of innovative tools such as artificial intelligence, which — objectively speaking — plays a significant role in diagnostics, especially in medical imaging and the interpretation of various test results.”

On July 9, the hospital announced that Bambino Gesù was one of three hospitals involved in the identification of a new rare genetic neurodevelopmental disease.

“The future of Bambino Gesù certainly lies in patient care but also in research that leads to better care,” the president said.

‘A great willingness to listen’

Onesti explained that the Bambino Gesù Hospital has always had the care and protection of vulnerable children as its central mission.

“Unfortunately, the child is helpless, but we try — even in the worst moments — to be there for people,” he said.

A common trait among staff members at all levels, he added, is “a great willingness to listen.”

“Knowing how to listen — or, let’s say, to truly understand the problem the child and, above all, the family are currently facing — is what allows us to make a difference. That’s what sets us apart … In the face of anguish, anxiety, and the loneliness of suffering, we all spring into action.”

By Anthony Micallef

Recruitment in a faith-based organisation can be more difficult than it first appears.

The challenge is not simply finding someone with the right skills and experience. It is finding someone who understands the kind of organisation they are joining, why it exists, and how its faith shapes its purpose, culture, decisions, and way of working.

That does not mean every employee must share the same faith or agree with every belief. Nor should it. Faith-based organisations are often enriched by people who bring different experiences, perspectives, and convictions.

There is often a rhetoric that faith-based organisations do not value diversity. We do. In fact, we depend on people from different backgrounds, professions, cultures, and beliefs.

Those different perspectives strengthen our work, challenge our assumptions, deepen our understanding, and help us serve our communities more effectively.

Former PM John Howard stands up for religious freedom

But valuing diversity does not mean that an organisation’s identity, mission, and values are irrelevant.

People can understandably believe they will be able to set aside areas of personal disagreement and simply focus on the work. Sometimes they can. But when an organisation’s values shape real decisions, public positions, policies, or services, those differences can become much harder to contain.

What began as a professional compromise can become a genuine crisis of conscience. An employee may feel they are being asked to support something they cannot accept. The organisation may feel that someone appointed to advance its mission is increasingly unable to do so.

That is difficult for everyone.

The distinction is not between people who agree and people who disagree. Healthy organisations need thoughtful challenge, honesty, and different points of view.

The real distinction is between someone who can respectfully contribute within the organisation’s mission and someone who is fundamentally opposed to what the organisation is.

For applicants, the question is therefore not only, “Can I do this job?” It is also, “Can I genuinely support this organisation’s purpose and work within its values, even where they differ from my own?”

That question deserves careful and honest consideration. Not because faith-based organisations are seeking sameness, but because no one should enter a role that will eventually require them to choose between their own integrity and the mission of the institution they have joined.

The strongest appointments are not necessarily people who believe exactly the same things. They are people who understand the organisation, respect what it stands for, and can contribute to its mission in good faith.

Anthony Micallef is the Director of People & Culture at the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney.

The post Why it can be harder to hire in faith-based organisations appeared first on The Catholic Weekly.

p/c Statesman Journal. My answer is "No" to the death penalty for those who have committed abortion, but the abolitionists make a logical argument. Before I get to my answer, let me say I am no softie on abortion. I still try to pray and counsel at the abortion center every other week. I have [...]

I rarely go to the cinema these days, but I made an exception for Obsession as its reception has been nothing short of sensational among audiences and critics. From its title, I expected a serious drama or psychological thriller. Instead, Obsession, written and directed by Curry Barker, is a supernatural horror film – a genuinely frightening one – making it suitable only for mature audiences. 

Without giving away too much, the story follows Bear, a young man whose wish for the love of his friend Nikki unleashes a terrifying curse that quickly spirals beyond his control. I believe what has resonated so strongly with audiences has less to do with its cleverly-wrought conventions of the genre, and more to do with its haunting insights into the fallen reality of romance after the Fall. 

The film first explores obsession through Bear’s relationship with Nikki. They are friends and coworkers, but the sheer intensity of the feelings and thoughts Bear entertains about Nikki convinces him that he loves her more than anything else in the world. In other words, he idolises her. 

After foolishly missing the perfect opportunity to be more transparent with her, he turns to what is known in the story as the ‘One Wish Willow’ and makes a radical wish: that Nikki too would “love” him more than anything else in the world. This allows the horrifying logic of obsessive love to play itself out. 

Among other things, two strange developments follow. The first is that Nikki begins to behave in an inauthentic manner, as though overcome by a spirit at odds with her true self. The second is that Bear remains oblivious to the manipulative power he now holds over her. 

One of the film’s most compelling scenes takes place in a restaurant. Bear discovers that Nikki has been willing to lie in order to manufacture mutual dependency. But when he confronts her, Nikki erupts into hysteria, expressing abhorrence and repugnance towards the truth while demanding to know why truth matters when they can still enjoy a “nice date.” Bear immediately backs down for two reasons. 

First, he is genuinely terrified of what obsessive love, once turned to wrath, might unleash. Secondly, deep down, he cannot help but agree with her. After all, why should truth matter if he too has been lying to himself about the very foundation of their romance? 

The rest of the movie depicts the downward spiral of a relationship built on falsehood and obsession – two sides of the same coin. Falsehood fuels obsession in order to hide from truth, while obsession makes detection of falsehood and reconciliation with truth difficult. Bear’s wish proves to be a short-term gain but a long-term (extreme) pain. He thought he could control Nikki, but now finds himself controlled by every jolting movement of her chaotic soul. He cannot even maintain healthy relationships with others, let alone with Nikki. 

When he finally begins to acknowledge the deadly seriousness of the situation, he remains too afraid and too selfish to accept responsibility or truly seek Nikki’s good. In doing so, he betrays the fact that what he once imagined to be love was, in reality, something much closer to lust. As St Pope John Paul II observed, the opposite of love is not hatred but use. What is obsession with another human being but a desperate desire to be loved supremely, to be idolised, to use another person in an attempt to satisfy one’s own insatiable need for love? 

Too many people, especially the young, have yet to encounter this profound insight of St Pope John Paul II. Yet the consequences of rejecting it – knowingly or unknowingly – are felt almost universally, particularly by those searching impatiently for what is commonly called romance. 

To give another person the adoration that belongs to God alone is to play with fire. It consumes the ground beneath our feet and eventually suffocates us with contempt and resentment, all the while failing to deliver what it promised. Jesus Christ’s words shed light on the heart of the problem: “Anyone who prefers father or mother to me is not worthy of me. Anyone who prefers son or daughter to me is not worthy of me.” (Matthew 10:37) 

In the fictional world of Obsession, the only way to end the curse of Nikki’s obsession with Bear is through a death. In the real world too, the ultimate solution to the toxicity of human relationships is death – above all, the saving death of Christ, whose preference for love over use was absolute.  

As St Paul wrote: “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:3-4) 

Humbly admitting the inadequacy of our own love and surrendering wholeheartedly to the primacy of God’s infinite love – that is, the Holy Spirit – is how we come to be plunged into the baptismal dynamic of dying to the old self and rising to the new, including in the way we love one another. 

Looking for love without first allowing Christ to renew our hearts is a recipe for obsession and self-deception. By contrast, taking the risk of letting go of everything to make room for the Heavenly Bridegroom sets us free for the adventure of a new romance – one in which love is true and self-giving, and freedom remains sacrosanct. 

The post Obsession and the search for true love appeared first on The Catholic Weekly.

Every road safety law exists for one reason, to save lives. For decades, governments of all political persuasions have strengthened drink-driving laws, introduced roadside drug testing, increased enforcement and invested in public education because every serious decision has been guided by one principle, if a measure saves lives, we should support it. 

That is why the Minns Labor Government’s proposal to amend the state’s drug driving laws and allow medicinal cannabis users to drive is so deeply concerning.  

The issue currently before Parliament is not whether medicinal cannabis should be legal – it already is. The issue is whether the Government has established a scientifically robust and evidence-based framework that ensures the safety of all road users. On that test, the proposal falls short and would actually weaken road safety.  

For Catholics, this debate is about more than legislation or public policy. Every person who uses our roads is someone’s son or daughter, mother or father, husband or wife. We have a duty to ensure our roads remain as safe as possible for every family. 

The proposed reforms would allow registered medicinal cannabis users to avoid prosecution after testing positive to THC below a newly-created threshold, with a “three strikes” system before penalties apply in many circumstances. Supporters argue this is a balanced approach that recognises lawful patients while maintaining road safety. 

However, balance cannot be achieved by weakening safeguards in the absence of settled science. Between 2019 and 2023, 372 people died on our road with drugs in their system, of those fatalities, 69 per cent had THC in their system, dwarfing all other illicit drugs.  

Drug driving is now the second leading contributing factor in road fatalities, ahead of fatigue, drink driving and failing to wear a seatbelt.  

Twenty of the state’s leading health and trauma experts have warned that the proposed THC threshold is not supported by any recognised Australian or international clinical body and lacks a credible scientific basis. 

The NSW Roads Minister Jenny Aitchison cannot name a single doctor, road trauma specialist, scientist or medical expert which backs the government’s position.  

The NRMA has also called this move a misstep as NSW continues to record its highest numbers of road deaths in years. When the doctors and road safety experts who see the aftermath of catastrophic crashes every day are telling the Government its proposal is unsafe, Labor should listen. 

According to Transport for NSW, 45 per cent of medicinal cannabis users admitted to driving within six hours of using cannabis despite being advised not to because impairment can last between three and eight hours.  

Fifty-four per cent admitted they were not using their prescribed medicinal cannabis as directed, instead taking higher doses, using it more frequently or for recreational purposes. Those findings alone should have caused Labor to pause. Instead, they continue to press ahead with this dangerous drug-driving policy and would have us believe these reforms represent best practice. They do not. 

In fact, another Australian jurisdiction has recently undertaken one of the most comprehensive reviews of medicinal cannabis and drug driving laws in the country, and reached the exact opposite conclusion. 

The Queensland Government commissioned an independent review into medicinal cannabis and driving, examining the latest medical evidence, roadside testing technology, prescribing practices and overseas models. Its review concluded what we already know, unlike alcohol, cannabis has no predictable relationship between the amount of THC in a person’s system and their level of impairment.   

The review also found that saliva testing can detect recent cannabis use, but cannot reliably determine whether a driver is actually impaired. Blood testing was dismissed as impractical and inequitable, particularly for regional communities, while a medical defence for prescribed cannabis users was found to be unworkable because police cannot verify compliance with prescriptions or accurately assess impairment during a roadside stop. 

After considering all of the available evidence, Queensland reached a simple conclusion: the science is not there yet. That is the critical difference. Queensland looked at the evidence first and decided not to change the law. The NSW Labor Government has decided to change the law first and hope the evidence will justify it later. 

We know that road crashes do not discriminate. The victims of a fatal crashes do not get three chances, so why should a driver? Their families expect the government to put safety first. 

When governments cannot say with confidence where the line between safe and unsafe driving sits, they should not be moving the line at all. They should be investing in the research, technology and evidence needed to get it right before changing the law. 

To legislate first and then promise to keep reviewing the evidence later, is the wrong way to look at this problem. Road safety policy should never be based on hope. It should be based on proof.  

History shows that the reforms which have saved the most lives, from compulsory seatbelts to random breath testing and mobile phone enforcement, were introduced because the evidence overwhelmingly demonstrated they would reduce road trauma.  

Road safety isn’t the place for political experiments. If Labor is wrong, the consequences won’t be measured in headlines or political embarrassment. They will be measured in serious crashes, lifelong injuries and lives that cannot be replaced.  

The millions of people who use NSW roads each day deserve to know that their government has done everything possible to keep them safe, and has not accepted unnecessary risk. Road safety laws consistently save lives when they are built on strong evidence. 

Because when it comes to road safety, there are no second chances.

The post Road safety should never be an experiment appeared first on The Catholic Weekly.

Just three and a half months after his appointment to the Dicastery for Legislative Texts, Archbishop Anthony Randazzo is already positively influencing future canonists on a global scale. 

Last month, the Faculty of Canonical Law of St Paul University in Ottawa visited Rome as part of a study tour. Included in the cohort were seven Australians who are currently undertaking studies in canon law through a partnership between St Pauls University and the Broken Bay Institute.  

The study tour offered those students and staff an opportunity to visit the various Dicasteries of the Roman Curia and to engage directly with their prefects and officials, including the former bishop of Broken Bay. 

For Fr Baiju Thomas, a priest of the Missionaries of God’s Love serving at Our Lady of Fatima Peakhurst, the trip was a unique opportunity to see how the universal church functions and how canon law is applied in practice at the highest level.  

“The experience was deeply enriching, both academically and spiritually,” said Fr Thomas, who is pursuing a licentiate in canon law.  

“Visiting the dicasteries brought our classroom studies to life and gave us a greater appreciation for the service they provide to the universal church.   

“It was also a privilege to spend time with Archbishop Anthony Randazzo, whose warmth, pastoral wisdom, and encouragement made the experience even more memorable.  

“His insights into the life of the church and his support for those studying canon law were greatly appreciated.” 

During the meeting, the archbishop told the group that the “law isn’t static but alive” and encouraged them to always see the person behind every canon and procedure. He reinforced the idea that canon law was much more than a set of rules, but the “church’s practical wisdom that safeguards the rights of the faithful, promotes justice, and supports the church’s mission of salvation.” 

As many canonists are now of retirement age, the archbishop said it was important for the laity, men and women, to consider studying canon law. Canon law is an essential part of the church’s life because it provides the structure that enables the church to carry out her mission faithfully and effectively, he said. 

“It protects the dignity and rights of every member of the faithful while ensuring that justice and charity work together,” said Fr Baiju. 

“Although not everyone is called to become a canon lawyer, a greater understanding of canon law can help Catholics appreciate how the church functions and why her laws exist – not as burdens, but as instruments that serve communion, order, and ultimately the salvation of souls, which is the supreme law of the church. 

“I hope that, through these studies, I will be better equipped to assist with canonical matters of our religious institute and beyond, while serving the church with both charity and justice.” 

The post Archbishop Randazzo brings canon law to life for Aussie students in Rome appeared first on The Catholic Weekly.

The Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) has filed an appeal with the Vatican against the decree that declared the traditionalist group in schism with the Catholic Church for consecrating four bishops without papal authorization.

According to a statement from the society — whose members are known as Lefebvrists — the appeal was submitted to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith on July 11, nine days after the group was declared to be in schism.

Invoking Canon 1353

The SSPX statement, published July 13, says that “through this appeal, the society wishes to exercise the right that the Church recognizes for any person who considers himself harmed by an administrative act to request its rectification, in a spirit of respect toward ecclesiastical authority and of faithful adherence to justice, truth, and the good of the Church.”

It adds that the appeal is "the prior requirement before the eventual filing of a hierarchical recourse" and "has the effect of suspending the execution of the decree, in accordance with Canon 1353 of the Code of Canon Law."

Canon 1353 states that an appeal or recourse against a judicial sentence or against a decree that imposes or declares any penalty has a suspensive effect.

“The Society of St. Pius X places this request in the hands of the competent authorities and entrusts this procedure to the prayers of all the faithful,” the statement concludes.

The appeal follows a letter the Lefebvrists addressed to Pope Leo XIV, published July 3, in which they reject the excommunications decreed by the Vatican after the illicit consecration of the four new bishops — measures they called “objectively unjust and invalid.”

Origins of the Lefebvrists

The group, founded by French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre in 1970, holds as its purpose the preservation of the traditional liturgy that predates the reforms introduced after the Second Vatican Council, while maintaining its opposition to aspects of conciliar teaching on ecumenism, religious freedom, and collegiality.

Lefebvre was excommunicated in 1988 after consecrating four bishops without the permission of St. John Paul II. That sanction was lifted by Benedict XVI in 2009.

Two of the bishops Lefebvre consecrated — Alfonso de Galarreta and Bernard Fellay — took part in the recent illicit consecration, which led to their being excommunicated once again.

The SSPX disregarded the Catholic Churchʼs warnings not to ordain new bishops, including an appeal from Leo XIV himself, who wrote to the society June 30: “With this spirit, and filled with Christian affection, I plead with you and ask you with all my heart: Please turn back! I ask you with all my heart: Please turn back!”

The superior general of the SSPX is the Italian priest Father Davide Pagliarani. According to the societyʼs statistics as of Dec. 1, 2025, it comprises 733 priests of 50 nationalities — not counting the six bishops it now has — with an average age of 47.

What is schism under canon law?

Canon 751 of the Code of Canon Law states that schism is “the refusal of submission to the Supreme Pontiff or of communion with the members of the Church subject to him.” The penalty for this canonical offense is usually excommunication, as has happened with the SSPX.

Several bishops — including those of Panama and San Antonio, Texas — have warned the faithful not to take part in Masses or seek the sacraments from priests of the schismatic group.

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

For a number of years, the First Saturday Rosary has been an important devotion for Catholic men across Australia. Hundreds of men have gathered each month on the steps of St Mary’s Cathedral to publicly witness their faith and to pray for their families and wider community.  

Fruits of this devotion have spread throughout the archdiocese, and a number of parish-based men’s groups have decided to bring the Rosary Crusade to Sydney’s south-west. 

In the early hours of 4 July, men of all ages gathered at the newly established statue of Our Lady at Liverpool’s Bigge Park to pray publicly, not only for themselves, but for the sick at the nearby Liverpool Hospital. 

“It’s a time for men across our community to come together and pray to Our Lady,” said a participant, Joe, in a video interview for Catholic YouTube channel, Gym Lifestyle Daily. 

“A lot of times we don’t get an opportunity to show our faith in a public setting and to do this, at this new beautiful statue that is overlooking the hospital, it just shows that we always need Our Lady’s protection. 

“People are looking for that community, looking for that bond, because they want to know that there are like-minded men out there that are seeking that same journey.  

“They can feel lost or they think they are alone, so to have men who can support them and to be there for that camaraderie is so important. 

St Joseph Moorebank and St Christopher’s Holsworthy assistant priest Fr Paul Antony CRS echoed the importance of uniting as one family under the maternal care of the Blessed Mother.  

“Usually we do this devotion on the first Saturday of the month individually and in different parishes,” said Fr Antony. 

“But today we have gathered today around the surrounding parishes to show our love and devotion to our blessed mother.  

“This brings us together and it shows our fellowship and the faith we have in our hearts.” 

As a great supporter of men’s ministries, Michael Jaksic, who heads the Maximus Men’s Ministry Network within the Life, Marriage and Family Office of the Archdiocese of Sydney, was inspired to see men’s groups across the south-west coming together to pray for the needs of their own communities.  

“This is a powerful example of how men can transform culture, taking spiritual leadership seriously,” said Jaksic. 

“I believe that the recent installation of Our Lady’s statue in Bigge Park itself is a fruit of this men’s movement.  

“I hope that the archdiocesan Men’s Camino of St Joseph this 21-22 August will give these men a spiritual boost as well.” 

Unveiled in mid-April as part of Liverpool’s Council Public Art program, the statue of Our Lady was commissioned to be a source of comfort, particularly those seeking respite and those caring for patients and loved ones at the hospital. 

According to the minutes from a Council meeting in late-February, a formal dedication of the statue is planned for 15 August, to coincide with the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 

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Much has been done to mitigate rates of HIV and AIDS, but more work remains as children are still vulnerable to the virus and the disease it causes, said the Holy See’s diplomatic representative to the United Nations in a 10 July address.

“The number of new HIV infections has declined in most regions since 2010, with the greatest decreases in sub-Saharan Africa,” said Msgr. Marco Formica, the interim chargé d’affaires of the Vatican’s permanent observer mission at the UN Archbishop Gabriele G. Caccia served as the Vatican’s UN permanent observer from 2019 until his March appointment as papal nuncio to the US.

Msgr. Formica shared his thoughts during the UN’s 2026 high-level meeting on HIV/AIDS, which had as its theme, “United to End AIDS.”

Since 2001, the meeting has taken place every five years at the UN Secretariat, the multinational body’s main administration, in New York.

According to its website, UNAIDS – the UN agency tasked with eradicating that disease and its underlying virus – serves “as the primary political mechanism for accountability and commitment in the global HIV response.”

This year’s high-level meeting was held 22-23 June, with additional speakers scheduled on 10 July, when Msgr. Formica spoke, the Holy See UN Mission confirmed to OSV News.

In his address, Msgr. Formica said that the Holy See “acknowledges the progress that has been accomplished in preventing and treating HIV and AIDS in the past five years,” while also commending the “great strides made overall” since the inaugural high-level meeting in 2001.

Since 1995 – when an average of 3.5 million annually contracted the immunodeficiency virus – new HIV infections have been slashed by 65 per cent, according to UNAIDS.

“Having access and adherence to antiretroviral treatment, people with HIV can live longer and lead healthier lives,” said Msgr. Formica.

However, as of 2025, there were close to 41 million living with HIV, with more than half (51per cent) women and girls, and 1.3 million of that total number children ages 14 and under, the agency states on its website.

Msgr. Formica described children as “particularly vulnerable to HIV,” noting “gaps in both diagnosis and treatment.”

Citing the UN Secretary-General’s report to the conference, Msgr. Formica said such gaps “mean that the 3 per cent of HIV patients that are children account for 12 per cent of deaths due to HIV.”

The report itself stressed that “AIDS is not over,” and that “the global HIV response is at a critical juncture” due to funding declines, debt burdens in affected nations, increasing humanitarian crises and “a regression in human rights.”

Msgr. Formica specifically noted a lack of testing and treatment for at-risk and HIV positive mothers, while urging “quality” care for women before, during and after pregnancy.

“It is vital to ensure early testing and consistent access to treatment for children with HIV in child-friendly formulations,” he said.

“Multisectoral partnerships” have made care more available and affordable, yet “many are still excluded” from HIV and AIDS treatment, “mostly in the developing world,” he lamented.

Msgr. Formica called for enhancing healthcare systems and research in developing nations, quoting Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas: “We cannot conceive of a society that races ahead at full speed clinging to the false myths of wellbeing, while at the same time ignoring so many situations of poverty and vulnerability.”

Catholic healthcare institutions, which “provide approximately a quarter of all HIV-related care worldwide,” will continue working to “ensure that all people living with HIV receive treatment and care in line with their inherent human dignity,” said Msgr. Formica.

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The murder of a famous Catholic politician who was bludgeoned to death in the kitchen of her home is now being investigated by Counter Terrorism Police in what looks like a shift from previous cautious statements of investigators.

The body of Ann Widdecombe, a former Conservative Party government minister, was discovered in her secluded country house in Haytor, in southwestern England’s Devon region, on the afternoon of 9 July, some 24 hours after she was attacked.

The murder of the 78-year-old politician, author and celebrity comes nearly five years after her close friend David Amess, a Conservative Member of Parliament, was stabbed to death by Ali Harbi Ali because of his support for air strikes against Islamic terrorists in Syria.

Police believe Widdecombe was murdered at about 12.30pm on 8 July. Her body was discovered after she failed to appear on a Channel 5 television program via Zoom and her agent was alerted by producers.

Devon and Cornwall Police announced 12 July that officers had arrested a 28-year-old British white man the previous day in Rotherham, Yorkshire, some 300 miles and a four-hour drive from Widdecombe’s home.

Under British law, crime suspects must be charged within 24 hours of arrest, though in serious cases, such as murder, police can apply for extensions of up to 96 hours. When terrorism is suspected, a suspect may be held for up to two weeks without being charged.

Widdecombe, who never married, was elected as the Conservative Member of Parliament for Maidstone, Kent, in 1987 and from the beginning of her political career supported several attempts to restrict access to late abortions.

In 1992, she left the Church of England for the Roman Catholic Church over her opposition to the ordination of women as priests. She was received into the Catholic faith at Westminster Cathedral in London by Cardinal Basil Hume.

In 1995, Widdecombe was appointed Home Office minister for prisons and immigration in the government of Prime Minister John Major. She served as shadow home secretary after the Labour Party of Tony Blair came to power in 1997.

Writing on X 10 July, her friend Lord Alton of Liverpool, a Catholic, said Widdecombe was motivated principally by her “faith and her intensely patriotic love of country.”

She served in a ceremonial leadership role of the Catholic Writers’ Guild in the 1990s and in 2013 was appointed a papal dame.

Catholic Bishop Nicholas Hudson of Plymouth, the diocese in which Widdecombe lived, issued a 10 July statement saying: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Ann Widdecombe at this distressing time.”

The following day he offered a Mass for the repose of her soul at Buckfast Abbey, a Benedictine monastery close to her home in Devon. A Mass was also offered for Widdecombe at Westminster Cathedral by Archbishop Richard Moth of Westminster.

“We pray for her family and friends at this time,” said Archbishop Moth in a statement posted on the website of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales. “May she rest in peace.”

Widdecombe stood down from Parliament in 2010 when she also refused the offer from Prime Minister David Cameron to serve as the British ambassador to the Holy See.

Instead, she became a household name by appearing regularly on television shows including “Strictly Come Dancing,” “Celebrity Big Brother,” “Celebrity Fit Club” and “Have I Got News For You.”

She was a weekly columnist for the Daily Express newspaper and wrote four novels, and she acted in pantomimes. Widdecombe returned to politics when she abandoned the Conservative Party for the Brexit Party in 2019 in protest at the failure of Prime Minister Theresa May to leave the European Union following the referendum on membership three years earlier. In 2019 she was elected as a member of the European Parliament for South West England.

In 2023, she joined Reform UK, the right-wing party led by Nigel Farage, which is opposed to mass migration, and served as spokesperson for immigration and justice policies. In a 10 July statement posted on the Reform UK website and on X, Farage described Widdecombe as “an extraordinary woman,” saying she was “without doubt, the best-known and most outstanding female politician in Britain since Margaret Thatcher.”

Farage said: “She was a devout Christian and somebody with strong socially conservative views – perhaps not popular in the top circles of modern Britain, but Ann stood up for what she believed, regardless of fashion.

“Ann could stand on a stage and give a speech to any crowd. She didn’t need prompts or notes. She knew in her heart and her mind what she believed was right. And people responded.”

He continued: “I watched her interacting with drivers, waiters and waitresses. She was kind to everybody. This was somebody who gave her life to public service and to fighting for the things that she believed in. She herself would not have harmed a fly.”

“I’m deeply shocked and upset by the nature of her death,” he added. “It was a truly dreadful way to die and a terrible reflection on modern Britain.”

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WASHINGTON — National pro-life organizations are remembering the late Sen. Lindsey Graham as one of the movement’s most steadfast advocates, praising his decades-long legislative efforts to protect unborn children and pledging to continue the work he championed.

Following news of Graham’s death, leaders from Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, National Right to Life, and other pro-life groups reflected on the South Carolina Republican’s legacy, highlighting his willingness to pursue federal protections for unborn children even when such efforts faced political opposition.

Graham’s sister, Darline Graham Nordone, has been named to hold his Senate seat temporarily to fulfill the remainder of his term.

Among those paying tribute was Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, which worked closely with Graham on federal abortion legislation.

“Lindsey Graham was an unwavering pro-life champion and a friend,” SBA Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser said in a statement. “A man of vision and tenacity, he gave wise counsel and advocacy in countless difficult moments fighting for the rights of the unborn child.”

“Sen. Graham never retreated from the fight for the unborn,” Kelsey Pritchard, communications director for Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, told Veronica Dudo in an interview with “EWTN News Nightly.” “He always would run into battle, even when no one else would.”

Pritchard pointed to Graham’s role in efforts to defund Planned Parenthood, his advocacy on abortion pill regulations, and his repeated calls for national protections for unborn children.

Legacy of federal pro-life advocacy

Following the Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, Graham became one of the leading congressional voices arguing that the federal government still had a responsibility to protect unborn children, introducing legislation to establish nationwide abortion limits.

Pritchard said one of the movement’s top priorities remains ending the policy permitting abortion drugs to be prescribed through telehealth and mailed without an in-person physician visit.

She noted that Graham was instrumental in organizing a letter signed by 51 senators urging the administration to rescind the policy.

“Lindsey Graham was so influential on that front,” Pritchard said. “We’ll be continuing that work in the days ahead.”

In a statement issued following Graham’s death, National Right to Life also honored Graham’s decades of advocacy, calling him “one of the most influential and steadfast champions of unborn children ever to serve in the United States Congress.”

“The pro-life movement has lost one of its greatest champions,” National Right to Life President Carol Tobias said. “Throughout his career, Lindsey Graham never wavered in his conviction that every innocent human life has inherent dignity and deserves the protection of the law.”

Graham’s office noted his role in passing a law enacted in 2004 that recognizes an unborn child as a separate victim in certain federal crimes. It also pointed to his years of introducing legislation to protect pain-capable unborn children from abortion and his advocacy for federal protections following the 2022 Dobbs decision.

South Carolina Citizens for Life Executive Director Holly Gatling called Graham “a great defender” of the right to life, saying “the unborn, their mothers, and the medically vulnerable members of our human family had a great defender in Sen. Graham.”

Carrying forward Graham’s legacy

For Pritchard, Graham’s lasting legacy extends beyond legislation.

“We hope that they remember that he was such a cheerful warrior, someone with a great sense of humor and someone who never backed down,” she told “EWTN News Nightly.” “He said we should never apologize for standing up for the unborn.”

“There will be no replacements for Lindsey Graham, that’s for sure,” she added. “But we hope and pray there will be many people who follow his example and continue the fight for babies and moms.”

Father Michael Pfleger, a Catholic priest in Chicago known for his social justice work, has been removed from ministry pending the archdiocese’s review of accusations against him of sexual abuse.

Cardinal Blase Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, announced the investigation in a July 11 letter, saying that Pfleger will be removed from ministry while the archdiocese investigates the allegations.

Pfleger has pastored the predominantly Black parish St. Sabina, located on the South Side of Chicago, since 1981.

Cupich noted that Pfleger “strongly denied the allegation” of abuse alleged to have occurred more than 30 years ago at St. Sabina.

“We do not presume the truth or falsity of an allegation until the process is complete and our Independent Review Board has made a recommendation that I accept,” Cupich said. “Only by conducting a thorough and impartial review can we ensure fairness to all concerned.”

Cupich said the archdiocese has reported the allegation to law enforcement and that the archdiocese takes allegations seriously.

“I want to stress that the welfare of the children entrusted to our care is our paramount concern,” Cupich said. “The Archdiocese of Chicago takes all allegations of sexual misconduct seriously.”

Cupich referred to the archdiocesan website for “complete information about reporting sexual abuse.”

“We appreciate the courage it takes to step forward and encourage anyone who believes they have experienced abuse or inappropriate behavior by a member of the clergy, religious, or lay employee of the archdiocese to report it to the Office for the Protection of Children and Youth,” Cupich wrote. “They will be received with compassion and respect.”

Pfleger called the accusation an “absolute lie” in a statement on Facebook on July 11.

“I have no memory of this girl nor do countless others who have been at St. Sabina for those years,” Pfleger wrote.

Pfleger had previously been cleared by the archdiocese of accusations of sexual abuse by three men in 2021 and one man in 2022.

“For the 51 years of my ministry, I have been threatened, slandered, and attacked,” Pfleger said.

Pfleger criticized the archdiocese’s current policy, calling it “wrong and unfair to the accused priest.”

“The presumption of innocence does not exist for priests,” Pfleger said.

Pfleger said he has been targeted because of his social justice work.

“I get weekly hate calls and emails because of what I fight for and believe,” Pfleger said. “Just this past week I received numerous hate calls due to an action I took last Sunday washing the feet and apologizing to representatives of Indigenous people, Hispanics, African Americans, the LGBTQ+ community, Iranians, Venezuelans, women, and young African American males for the persecution they have suffered in America.”

He continued: “I have been under constant attack by the present administration, which I have vocally condemned as unlawful, racist, and wicked. For this I will not apologize.”

Pfleger has a colorful history in Chicago, leading fierce activism against drugs and guns along with outreach to prostitutes and drug dealers.

Some of the priest’s words and actions have put him at the center of controversy. The late Cardinal Francis George of Chicago suspended Pfleger in 2011 after the priest threatened to leave the priesthood if George reassigned him. The cardinal later accepted Pfleger’s apology and reinstated him as St. Sabina’s pastor. In 2019, Cupich publicly denounced Pfleger’s decision to invite Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan to speak at St. Sabina.

“I believe this is another attempt and another attack by those who have sought to destroy me for years and another attempt by someone to get money from the archdiocese and to silence me,” Pfleger said.

“I will not stand by and allow my name, my ministry, and the church I pastor to be slandered or defamed,” he said in his statement.

Pfleger did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.

In his letter, Cupich encouraged the parish of St. Sabina, which will be pastored by Father Thulani Magwaza while Pfleger is under investigation.

“As your parish has been through this before, I can well understand your distress in learning of this development,” Cupich wrote. “I appreciate your patience and ask you to recall that our process of investigation and making a determination has proven effective in protecting the rights of all.”

More than 4.2 million pilgrims participated this year in the traditional pilgrimage of the Divine Eternal Father in the city of Trindade, in the Brazilian state of Goiás, once again making this one of Brazilʼs greatest expressions of faith.

Over the course of 10 days from June 26 to July 5, the faithful from across the country traveled to the Basilica Shrine of the Divine Eternal Father to give thanks for answered prayers and present their intentions.

Unlike other pilgrimages dedicated to a saint or the Virgin Mary under one of her titles, this devotion focuses on God the Father.

“I come out of an awareness of the Father’s fatherhood, of the Father’s love for us and for all the people here, without distinction. We are all loved equally by this Father, simply because he created us, and not because of what we do. That is the meaning. That is what I feel in my heart today,” one of the pilgrims told “EWTN Noticias,” the Spanish-language broadcast edition of EWTN News.

The pilgrimage has 186 years of history, with its origins dating back to the 1840s when a peasant couple found a small medallion with the image of the Holy Trinity crowning the Virgin Mary. Over the years, the devotion spread throughout Brazil until the city of Trindade became a national pilgrimage destination.

One of the most moving moments of the pilgrimage was the traditional candlelight procession. Thousands of people walked the streets with lit candles while the image of the Divine Eternal Father was borne on a cart decorated with red flowers. For many participants, each candle represented a grace received, a conversion, or a new beginning.

Among the testimonies, one stood out: that of a pilgrim who returned to the procession after overcoming a health problem.

“Today I am experiencing a great victory. After six years, I am walking again in the festival of the Divine Eternal Father. I had a problem with my leg, with my ankle, and couldnʼt take part in the procession. Today, I am fulfilling that dream. Long live the Divine Eternal Father!” she exclaimed.

The pilgrimage, which also has the characteristics of a festival, also maintains a strong bond with the rural identity of Brazilʼs central region. The theme of this year’s edition was “We Cry Out: Abba, Father!”

At the closing Mass, the archbishop of Goiânia, João Justino, reminded everyone that we are all God’s “beloved children.”

“We are not beloved children because we have been good; we are called to be good because we are beloved children. Seeking goodness and living uprightly must be the response to the God who loves us,” he said in his homily.

Once the celebrations concluded, millions of pilgrims began their journey home, committed to living out that experience of faith in their families and communities.

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.

CARACAS, Venezuela — Of the more than 100 churches in the Archdiocese of Caracas, at least 25 sustained damage of varying types and severity following the devastating earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24.

The data was provided by Father Neptalí Balza, vicar general of the Archdiocese of Caracas, in an interview with Unión Radio. In addition to extensive material damage, the earthquakes have left to date a devastating toll of over 4,000 dead and tens of thousands injured or otherwise affected.

“Of those 25, the majority are — let’s put it this way — not holding Mass inside the churches; instead, they are being held outdoors for safety reasons, because here the most important thing — aside from the church building itself, of course — is the parishioners. We must not needlessly put peopleʼs lives at risk,” the priest explained.

Balza also noted that the oldest religious structures were the most affected, citing San José de Ñaraulí Church in Cotiza, Caracas, as an example; it suffered the total collapse of its left transept. Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Pagüita and the adjacent parish school also have “serious structural issues.”

Similarly, Our Lady of Mercy Church and the Caracas Cathedral have sustained “more or less serious” damage.

The vicar general noted that, of the 25 affected churches, the majority have already been assessed by qualified personnel, and reports indicate that at least half (between eight and 10 buildings) show significant damage.

The priest noted that the archdiocese is already considering restoration projects for these buildings and urged that it be kept in mind that several of them are “national monuments and historical heritage sites”; therefore, “it is advisable, even if they have sustained significant damage, to try to carry out projects to save the heritage and structures of those 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.

CHICAGO — While most Christians can’t trace their faith lineage to a specific saint, Syro-Malabar Catholics know exactly who brought their ancestors the faith. They proudly call themselves “St. Thomas Christians” — descendants of the first Christians to whom St. Thomas the Apostle brought the Gospel in Kerala, India, in A.D. 52.

The Syro-Malabar community came together July 9–12 in Chicago for “Syro26,” a jubilee convention not only to honor its 25th year as an official eparchy in the U.S. but also to reaffirm and celebrate its unity as a church after liturgical disputes in India nearly led to a schism last year.

Counting some 5 million members worldwide, the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church is the largest of the 22 Eastern Catholic churches in communion with Rome. Originally found mostly in India, the church has experienced explosive growth in the U.S. during the 21st century.

Just 25 years ago, St. John Paul II established the St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy to serve the growing immigrant community. Headquartered in Chicago, the eparchy — what Western Churches call a “diocese” — has jurisdiction over the entire U.S., a region that includes some 87,000 souls who attend 53 parishes and 32 missions, served by 86 devoted priests.

More than 3,500 people flooded Chicago’s McCormick Place for the four-day-long festival that featured luminous cultural and dramatic performances, engaging talks from well-known Catholic speakers, a congratulatory visit from local archbishop Cardinal Blase Cupich, and a dizzying array of events designed for everyone in attendance.

In some ways, Syro26 was like other Catholic conferences — plenty of clergy and religious in attendance, daily prayer and Holy Qurbana (the Syro-Malabar liturgy), Catholic speakers, ongoing Eucharistic adoration, and confession. But in other ways, it was its own distinct cultural experience, with attendees in vivid sarees and other traditional clothing; as many conversations in Malayalam as in English; and events that included Bollywood dance and traditional music.

Unity as a church and with Rome

Cupich, head of the Chicago Archdiocese, attended the inauguration and warmly affirmed the local Roman Catholic Church’s unity and friendship with the eparchy.

Addressing those gathered, he said of the eparchy: “Today, this very thriving community is a sign of hope, with its robust youth ministry, catechetical programs, and outreach to immigrant families navigating the cultural differences of life in the United States, while always continuing the Indian traditions.”

“We give thanks this evening for the many blessings — among them, the spiritual sustenance and the formation that this eparchy brings to the Syro-Malabar Catholics, the witness it offers to all Catholics in spiritual renewal, and the example that you give to all Americans,” he continued.

The “witness to all Catholics” may include in part the church’s recent hard-fought efforts for unity over division. After decades of dispute, the Syro-Malabar Church reached a historic agreement in July 2025 to keep the church united rather than enter into schism.

“There will always be issues that come down the line about which we have to be diligent and well-versed, and our leadership has set a good path for us as to how to manage any disagreements,” said Sony Thevalakara, a father of seven who is highly involved in the Chicago eparchy and gave a talk about parenting at Syro26.

Events for young and old

With attendees ranging from newborn babies to the elderly, Syro26 included a vast array of events.

Theatrical productions brought to life the Gospel story and how St. Thomas brought the Catholic faith to India, and many attendees mentioned especially enjoying the formal gala and the Chicago River cruise.

Catholic speakers like bestselling author Edward Sri, astrophysicist priest Father John Kartje, college chaplain Father Tim Anastos, and others addressed theological and lifestyle topics, while special gatherings brought together groups of catechists, seniors, choir members, nurses, sacristans and altar servers, artists, filmmakers, schoolteachers, youth ministers, and those of other interests.

Breakout sessions included topics like college admissions, financial literacy, faith and mental health, skin care, professional networking with a “Syro Shark Tank” business startup summit, a Pietra Fitness workout class, a Bollywood dance workshop, and a saree draping and styling class.

Younger participants mentioned enjoying the dodgeball tournament and World Cup Soccer watch party — and especially the 21+ rooftop social and the singles mixer. “I feel like thatʼs kind of half the purpose of the convention,” one young woman joked.

Sister Dr. Jocelyn Edathil of the Bethany Sisters, who spoke on a “Catholic Ask Me Anything” panel, told EWTN News: “Coming here and being able to have a shared lived experience is really a blessing. Thereʼs a lot of love in this room.”

Brian Kuncheria, logistics director for Syro26, said he hopes the event will make the Syro-Malabar Church better known, as he sometimes runs into misconceptions about being Eastern Catholic.

“Often when I explain our church to someone, they’re not very familiar and they think the Roman Catholic Church is the only Catholic church. Itʼs very cool to explain to them the history of St. Thomas coming to India, spreading the faith to our people in India, and how our church is a direct result of that,” he said. “This convention is a unique opportunity to showcase and explain how our church maintains our heritage and traditions while being fully in communion with Rome.”

Several speakers and organizers mentioned their hope for their church to grow in evangelization efforts and a missionary spirit here in the U.S. and how they are looking forward to the next 25 years of growth.

But perhaps St. Thomas himself said it best in one of Syro26’s theatrical performances: “This mission did not end with St. Thomas. I planted its seed among your ancestors and they took it. They lived it… And in the fullness of time, from the Indian shores, that faith — in its unique expression — set sail for North America and other distant lands.”

“It followed those Indian sons and daughters who ventured from their homes to settle in those places, and where they settled, the faith took root… And even still, the story continues.”

Catholic and other Christian groups have expressed concern after the High Court of Chhattisgarh — a central Indian state governed by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) — declined to set aside a state government order making Hindu prayers mandatory in government schools, dismissing a challenge to it as “premature.”

“The government order of June 12 [mandating Hindu prayers in schools at assemblies, meal breaks, and at closing] came as a shock to us,” Archbishop Victor Henry Thakur of Raipur, the state capital, told EWTN News on July 13.

“We were looking forward to the judiciary to uphold the fundamental rights of the religious minorities enshrined under the constitution. But the July 2 verdict of the High Court belies our hope, as it has dismissed the plea against the government order as ‘premature,’” Thakur said.

What the circular requires

The ruling came on a petition filed by former Chhattisgarh Waqf Board chairman Abdul Salam Rizvi and two others challenging the June 12 order. According to The Hindu, which cited a government official, the morning assembly would include the national anthem, national song, Deep Mantra, Saraswati Vandana, Guru Mantra, and excerpts from the biographies of great personalities.

During the midday meal, students would recite a food prayer, the Bhojan Mantra, while the closing session at the end of the school day would include the state song, the Gayatri Mantra, and the Shanti Mantra. The order also threatened punitive action “to ensure strict implementation of the order,” with officials inspecting schools to check for violations of the prescribed guidelines.

The court’s ruling

While dismissing the petition against the June 12 order as “premature,” the High Court said the plea was “based on mere apprehension rather than any actual grievance.”

The judge, Justice Amitendra Kishore Prasad, said the petitioners could approach the court “afresh by way of an appropriate petition, supported by cogent and relevant material, if any exigency arises in the future.”

However, Thakur said: “In a secular democratic country, young children or their families should not be forced to wage legal battle against the system to uphold their fundamental rights.”

“We urge all concerned to ensure that the schools — temples of learning and harmony — are not reduced to communal battlefields of division and religious dominance,” reiterated Thakur, who heads the Catholic Church in Chhattisgarh, where Christians number less than 2% of the state’s 25 million people and the Catholic Church runs over 250 schools.

Article 30 of the Indian Constitution empowers all religious and linguistic minorities to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice.

Protests and ‘deep disappointment’

The notification of the order drew protests from Christian and civil rights groups and opposition political parties, which dubbed it a Hindu nationalist “majoritarian show.”

Sushil Anand Shukla, spokesperson for the opposition Congress party, said: “Students of all faiths, castes, and communities study in government schools and making the recitation of specific religious mantras compulsory could hurt the sentiments of people belonging to other faiths.”

The Progressive Christian Alliance (PCA), in a statement on July 10, expressed “deep disappointment” with the High Court order: “The judgment fails to adequately protect the fundamental rights of students of religious minorities and other faith streams ... who now face daily pressure to participate in religious practices that are not their own.”

“The dismissal overlooks the real and immediate coercive atmosphere created by a government circular that uses the ... school setting where children have little agency to opt out without fear of stigma or exclusion,” said the Rev. Akhilesh Edgar, general secretary of the Evangelical Churches in India, in the statement issued on behalf of its educational wing, the Progressive Christian Alliance.

“We organized protests in several places including Raipur against this move to enforce Hindutva [Hindu nationalist] agenda,” said Pastor Simon Digbal Tandi, coordinator of the PCA.

“This court order has come even as we were preparing to move the court,” said Tandi, who heads the PCA’s Chhattisgarh chapter.

Tandi also said “the government is hypocritical and playing double talk.” While the government had told the court the order drew no objections, he said, it had already begun allotting 25,000 rupees (about $260) per village school to install sound systems to carry out the prayers.

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The pope’s representative in Great Britain is hopeful that Pope Leo XIV will visit England and “awaken the conscience of the West.”

A papal visit to England is “likely, desirable, and I would even say unavoidable,” Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendía, apostolic nuncio to Great Britain since 2023, told ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News.

A visit to Great Britain is “likely, because King Charles III paid a state visit to the Vatican last year, and it is logical that the United Kingdom would now invite Pope Leo XIV to return the visit,” he added.

The last pope to make an official visit to the United Kingdom was Pope Benedict XVI in 2010.

Maury said that, as the first English-speaking pope in more than eight centuries, the welcome for Pope Leo would be “extraordinary and his message amplified throughout the English-speaking world.”

“The bishops of England and Scotland also hope that a papal visit will reinvigorate the proclamation of the faith in one of Europe’s most secularized societies — one which, I would say, is currently experiencing a time of grace,” the papal representative said.

“The spiritual vacuum of recent decades is giving way to a quiet Christian revival among younger generations,” the archbishop continued. “Religious practice is increasing among Catholics, thanks in part to the thousands of immigrants and children of immigrants who are revitalizing parish life and contributing to the growth of Catholic communities.”

“Everything suggests that the pontificate of Leo XIV is called to awaken the conscience of the West just as that of St. John Paul II once stirred the conscience of the East, so that the Church may once again breathe fully with both of its lungs,” he said.

Born in 1955 in Spain, Maury was ordained a priest in 1980. He never imagined he would become an apostolic nuncio. Nevertheless, in obedience to one of his superiors, he entered the Holy See’s diplomatic service in 1987, beginning a career that would lead him to represent the pope in various countries around the world for more than 39 years.

The book “Faith, Life, Diplomacy,” published in Spanish and Italian, reflects on Maury’s nearly four decades of diplomatic service in countries such as Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Romania, and Moldova.

The following is an edited version of the nuncio’s full interview with ACI Prensa:

ACI Prensa: You have published “Faith, Life, Diplomacy,” a book about your service in countries such as Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, where Catholics are a minority. What did you learn there, and what left a lasting mark on you?

Maury: I discovered the great humanity of those peoples and the devastating effects on their souls of 70 years of communist and atheist rule. The Muslim majority and millions of Russian Orthodox believers abandoned their faith, while the Catholic minority preserved it — despite being deprived of priests for at least 20 years — thanks to the daily family rosary.

Another thing that impressed me positively was the desire of the younger generations to learn and to serve society, now free from the terror under which their parents lived. This contrasts sharply with the apathy and selfishness present among much of Western youth.

When Pope Benedict XVI sent me as his representative to those countries, I asked him for advice. “Go,” he told me, “to the remote places where none of your predecessors has gone, and bring them the pope’s blessing.”

I did so, just as I have continued to do in the countries to which Pope Francis later sent me.

Beyond the joy such — sometimes uncomfortable and risky — journeys bring to people, they provide an unfiltered view of realities on the ground, free from assumptions and prejudices, that can help enlighten officials in the Roman Curia.

You began your diplomatic service in Rwanda. You arrived at a difficult time, amid the massacres in Burundi, and remained there when the genocide erupted. What do you remember most? Were you afraid of dying?

I began my diplomatic service in Kigali at age 31, and I truly feared that a stray bullet might hit me. In fact, I still have one that came through my bedroom in the middle of the night.

Certainly, no one intended to kill us, but the combatants’ lack of training was evident. As far as I know, apart from a few Europeans who had married Tutsi women and were specifically sought out during the genocide, only one elderly French religious sister and an Italian volunteer fell victim to stray bullets.

We should not forget that most of the victims on both sides were killed with machetes. In other words, people knew exactly whom they were eliminating.

Civil wars are the most horrific because they are driven by hatred, even though they are often provoked and fueled by outside interests.

A nuncio’s mission is not the same as that of a typical ambassador. What are the methods and goals of the pope’s diplomacy?

I never tire of repeating that the Holy See has no oranges to sell and no oil to buy.

The very purpose of Vatican City State is different from that of other states, whose primary responsibility is to ensure the well-being of their citizens. The Vatican exists to guarantee the pope’s independence. He is the only global religious leader who is not subject to any political authority and is therefore free to proclaim the Gospel.

The Holy See’s diplomacy gives priority to the spiritual dimension of the human person, raising awareness among the various actors in the international community of the need and benefit of respecting and promoting human rights at both the individual and social level.

Every country’s embassies and consulates seek to protect the rights of their citizens abroad. The Holy See’s situation is different because Catholics living in different countries are generally citizens of those same states, so there is, at least in theory, a convergence of interests.

The pope has just traveled to Spain. I believe you worked on preparations for Pope Francis’ visit to Romania. How are these visits prepared so that the pope’s message has a lasting impact?

I followed the trip on Spanish television and saw that the enthusiasm of the Spanish people for the pope remains undiminished despite social changes.

I had the honor of helping prepare five apostolic journeys of St. John Paul II — to Rwanda, Uganda, Nicaragua, Egypt, and Slovenia — and I did indeed welcome Pope Francis to Romania.

When preparing papal trips, one must distinguish among different levels: program, logistics, message, and so on.

Lately, excessive emphasis on security concerns has unfortunately had the effect of distancing the pontiff from the faithful.

As for the lasting impact of his message, much depends on whether it responds to the expectations and historical circumstances of the countries he visits. Normally, it is the local Church that proposes the motto and themes of the trip, although the pope naturally has the final word.

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 least 20 people have reportedly died in the series of landslides that swept through refugee camps and communities in southeastern Bangladesh after heavy monsoon rains last week.

A Catholic charity is one of the organizations helping survivors.

Caritas Bangladesh mobilized local staff and community volunteers, who went door to door sharing early warning messages and helping families in high-risk areas move to safety before the worst of the rains arrived.

“Our Emergency Response Program team in the Rohingya camps in Coxʼs Bazar is working in close coordination with the Camp-in-Charge offices to provide emergency shelter assistance, WASH support, and dignity kits to affected households, enabling them to meet their immediate needs,” said Apurbo Mrong, director of programs at Caritas Bangladesh.

The team is also maintaining close communication with government authorities and United Nations sector partners to assess emerging needs and identify gaps in services, Mrong said.

“Together with the support of Caritas Internationalis network members and other partners, we remain committed to standing alongside flood-affected people in both the Rohingya camps, the host communities, and other areas of Chattogram Division, ensuring timely and appropriate assistance reaches those who need it most,” he said.

How Caritas helps those in need

Caritas Bangladesh has worked in the camps for years, providing shelter, water and sanitation, child protection, and education. Between 2017 and 2024, its shelter and settlement program reached an average of 38,335 households a year through shelter assistance, repairs, tarpaulin distribution, and monsoon support, the charity said. It runs 12 learning centers and two youth and adolescent centers in the camps, teaching children under the Myanmar curriculum.

Rohingya have fled Myanmar for Bangladesh since the 1970s. In the 1990s, more than 250,000 sheltered in Coxʼs Bazar, though all but 20,000 were repatriated after a campaign that began in the early 2000s.

The influx resumed in 2015, and by 2017 an estimated 300,000 Rohingya were in Bangladesh. About 537,000 more fled across the border to Coxʼs Bazar in August 2017 as violence intensified in Myanmarʼs Rakhine state.

The United Nations called the 2017 campaign “a textbook example of ethnic cleansing,” a characterization Myanmar rejects and has contested at the International Court of Justice, where it faces a genocide case.

By December 2023, almost 1 million Rohingya were living in 33 camps in the Coxʼs Bazar district. Pope Francis met a group of them during his apostolic visit to Bangladesh in 2017.

The land the Bangladesh government provided to the migrants was once forested and hilly. Trees were cleared and settlements were built on the hills and foothills, and landslides now occur when heavy rains bring flooding.

“If we had stayed in our country [Myanmar], it wouldnʼt have been so difficult,” said Mohammad Kalam, a father of five. He said families are living in inhumane conditions unfit for human beings, and that while they receive food, the cramped living space is not habitable.

“We donʼt want to stay in this situation; we want to return to our own country with dignity,” he said.

Thirty Nobel laureates, representatives from 30 countries, former heads of state and government, 20 leading artificial intelligence experts — including OpenAI, Google DeepMind, AARU and Anthropic — and 30 of the world’s most prominent universities and research institutions, will meet this week in Borgo Laudato si' in Castel Gandolfo, and later at the Capitoline Hill, where they are expected to adopt a Rome Declaration for a Disarmed and Disarming Peace.

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Pope Leo XIV will launch a contemporary art exhibit focused on water at the Vatican Apostolic Library on Sept. 14.

The exhibit “AQVA Catastrophe and Wonder” will include artwork highlighting a “reflection on water as both a threat and a resource,” according to a July 12 press release from the library.

Notably, the pope will inaugurate the exhibition on his 71st birthday, which is Sept. 14.

“AQVA Catastrophe and Wonder” will include the works of French artist JR, American typographer Bill Moran, and Italian chef Fulvio Pierangelini.

According to Archbishop Giovanni Cesare Pagazzi, the Holy See’s librarian and archivist, the exhibit will reflect the pontiff’s desire to bridge the past and the present.

“These exhibitions are intended to foster dialogue between contemporary art and the library’s centuries-old heritage,” Pagazzi said in the press release. “On several occasions, the pope has emphasized fidelity to the past and fidelity to the future. The present — including the present of this exhibition — can become a home where past and future meet as friends.”

The Vatican Apostolic Library is both the national library of Vatican City State and the library of the Holy See. It was established in 1475 by Pope Sixtus IV, making it one of the oldest in continuous existence. Beyond its extensive collection of important texts and manuscripts, it hosts an elaborate art collection, featuring frescoes and sculptures from the High Renaissance.

The display “AQVA Catastrophe and Wonder” will be open to visitors from Sept. 25, 2026, to May 14, 2027.

The Vatican’s recent emphasis on contemporary art

The Vatican Library’s latest exhibit reflects a recent focus by the Vatican on promoting contemporary art.

In 2025, the library held the “En Route” exhibition from Feb. 15 to Dec. 20, connecting historical journeys to modern pilgrimages through a collection of rare 19th-century travel documents and contemporary artistic interpretations. It marked the sixth installment in the library’s ongoing dialogue between its historical patrimony and contemporary art, which began in 2021.

During the 2025 Jubilee Year, the Dicastery for Culture and Education introduced Conciliazione 5, a one-room gallery space with a large window onto the main thoroughfare leading to St. Peter’s Basilica, Via della Conciliazione. Beyond the jubilee, the space continues to feature the works of different contemporary artists, making them visible to the tourists and pilgrims who pass the window every day on their way to the Vatican.

The Holy See has also participated in the Venice Biennale — an international artistic and cultural festival held annually in the northern Italian city — since 2013.

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