A proposal seen by Reuters and bearing the name of a disputed U.S.-backed aid group describes a plan to build large-scale camps called “Humanitarian Transit Areas” inside - and possibly outside – Gaza.
July 11, 2025
On 10 July 2025, in Orlu Diocese, Nigeria, a grand banquet was held to honour the poorest of the poor—referred to as God's Special VIPs—as part of the Jubilee of Hope celebrations. The event was organized by Gratia Vobis Ministries Inc. (GVM), founded by Fr. Maurice Nkem Emelu, a priest of Orlu Diocese and a Professor of Digital Media and Communication at John Carroll University, USA.
Portrait of St. Benedict (1926) by Herman Nieg (1849–1928); Heiligenkreuz Abbey, Austria; “Exorcism of St. Benedict,” by Spinello Aretino, late 14th century. / Credit: Public domain
National Catholic Register, Jul 11, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).
Temptations in a fallen city, memories of a beautiful woman, a poisoned chalice, the attacks of an envious priest, curses from a pagan priest, a rock that won’t budge and another that falls on a young monk, a kitchen in flames, a dragon that lurks to devour a fleeing monk, threats from Gothic warlords, and the prospect of a destroyed monastery.
These are some of the attacks that St. Benedict, whose feast the Catholic Church celebrates on July 11, endured throughout his life.
Benedict even had to use force to manifest his authority as abbot over his monks oppressed by the enemy, as related in Father Robert Nixon’s newly compiled and translated book “The Cross and Medal of Saint Benedict: A Mystical Sign of Divine Power” (TAN, 2024):
“Benedict found this monk outside wandering around aimlessly when he should have been in the oratory in prayer. With a certain degree of paternal severity and charitable discipline, he reprimanded him for his lack of wisdom and discernment and struck him with his staff. At this, the monk fell down, motionless. And after that, the devil ... never troubled him again. It was as if the staff of Benedict had not struck the hapless monk but had rather driven away the wicked tempter himself!” (p. 14).
St. Benedict has come to be recognized for the power of his actions against the enemy, alongside St. Michael the Archangel, as a major protector against evil — particularly through the medal that bears his image.
Nixon’s book offers an overview of how the medal rose to prominence as a Catholic devotion and received papal approval, couching it within the story of St. Benedict’s life and the rise of his order of monks.
The St. Benedict medal
If you’ve seen the back of a St. Benedict medal, you may have noticed a series of letters. The first set is arranged in and around the shape of the cross: C S P B C S S M L N D S M D. The next set is arranged in a circle around the cross: V R S N S M V S M Q L I V B.
This arrangement first came to serious attention in the year 1647 in relation to the Benedictine Abbey of Metten in Bavaria when it was believed to have prevented a series of diabolic attacks.
Although some of the laity already had medals with these letters engraved, no one at the time understood their meaning. It was only in researching the library’s manuscripts that a 15th-century illustration of St. Benedict pointed to the full prayer they abbreviated:
“Cross of our Holy Father Benedict. May the cross be light to me. May the dragon not be a leader to me. Get behind me, Satan: Never persuade me to vain things. What you like is evil; may you yourself drink your venom!”
Due to a widespread story of the medal preventing the effect of curses and bringing about exorcisms and healings, which Nixon details in his book, its use spread across Europe, with Pope Benedict XIV approving an official blessing for it and granting it indulgences in 1741.
The great father of modern Benedictine monasticism, Dom Prosper Guéranger, speculated why God would grant so many favors to those who invoke his help through St. Benedict’s medal. In an age when “rationalism is so rife,” God has deigned to offer help to those “who put their confidence in the sacred signs marked on the medal” with “strong and simple” faith (Guéranger, “The Medal or Cross of St. Benedict,” author’s preface). It’s as if to laugh at the devil and his plans to pull people away from God through the alleged sophistication of the modern world, overcoming them with simple signs pointing us to the cross and the protection of a holy monk.
Of course, the medal should not be used in a superstitious way. It expresses our faith and confidence in God, which conquers the power of the enemy through the blood of Christ. Within God’s plan of salvation, there are certain key defenders of God’s people. St. Benedict proved himself as one over his own monks in spiritual combat. Through the efficacy of his medal, he has manifested himself as a fatherly defender of all who invoke his help.
Throughout history, the monastic life has served as a constant beacon calling us to greater conversion of life and prayer. Turning to St. Benedict can lead us to embrace some of his spiritual principles, such as humility, obedience, stability, hospitality, the prayerful reading of Scripture in “lectio divina,” and viewing our work as a means of honoring God.
While St. Benedict faced trials in his life as a monk, we all face trials and attacks from the enemy in the Christian life. Sacramentals can help us in our journey of faith, including our efforts to keep evil far away.
St. Benedict medals and rosaries with the medal affixed can be purchased at religious gift stores and can be blessed after purchase. Medals are also available at EWTNRC.com.
This story was first published by the National Catholic Register, CNA's sister news partner, and has been adapted by CNA.
The International Criminal Court warns of ongoing atrocities in Sudan’s Darfur region, where civilians face famine, violence, and forced displacement.
St. Benedict. / Credit: Pietro Perugino via Wikimedia (Public domain)
ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 11, 2025 / 05:00 am (CNA).
Archbishop Enrique Benavent Vidal of Valencia in Spain encouraged the faithful to take advantage of summer vacation to read and delve deeper into the Rule of St. Benedict, as it contains “insights that are useful” for the daily life of all Christians.
In his July 5 weekly letter, the prelate observed that on Friday, July 11, the Catholic Church will celebrate the feast of St. Benedict, the patron saint of Europe who lived between the fifth and sixth centuries.
“The goal that completely guided his life,” Benavent explained, “is reflected in the prologue to the rule he wrote for the monasteries he founded: ‘Who is the man who desires life and wishes to see happy days?’”
St. Benedict “always lived with the desire to achieve an authentic life, ‘true and perpetual life,’ which can only be achieved in the tent of God on his holy mountain. His entire gaze is fixed on this goal. He lives and teaches monks to live this life with their gaze fixed on true life, on God,” he said.
However, the Spanish archbishop pointed out that while St. Benedict originally wrote this rule “to serve as a spiritual path for monks and to organize the life of monasteries, we find insights that are useful for all Christians.”
In his letter, Benavent uses as an example the rule that calls for “not putting anything before the love of Christ.”
“Nothing should come between the Lord and the disciple. The authentic Christian,” the prelate explained, “is one who, in everyday life, values friendship with the Lord above all else and lives all aspects of his life (work, possessions, family life) in such a way that nothing and no one can cause him to lose that friendship.”
He then quoted part of the rule’s prologue, which states that “(they will rest on your holy mountain) those who, fearing the Lord, are not proud of the uprightness of their conduct.”
The archbishop of Valencia noted that “with this advice, St. Benedict enters the depths of the heart and warns us against a temptation that is very common in those who consider themselves ‘good’: Those who strive to live holy lives easily come to attribute good works to their own strength and to praise themselves, forgetting that ‘by the grace of God I am what I am’ and that ‘let he who glories, glory in the Lord.’”
Finally, he mentioned St. Benedict’s exhortation “not to desire to be called a saint before being one, but first to be one.”
Benavent pointed out that this is “a warning to those who live thinking more about appearances than about the reality of their lives,” because “those who live by appearances are more concerned with what others might think or say about them than with the actual reality of their lives. Christians seek above all to live in the truth.”
The archbishop of Valencia ended his letter by stating that “these counsels are not only for those who have embraced monastic life but are criteria that, if we make them a rule of life, correctly guide the spiritual life of every Christian.”
“This rule that St. Benedict wrote for his monks could be good reading for meditation during the summer,” he noted.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
The world came together to mark World Kiswahili Language Day, celebrating Kiswahili’s role as a unifying force, a cultural emblem, and a global tool for development.
The Sisters of the Good Shepherd of Divine Providence support detained women both spiritually and concretely, in cooperation with the Krzywaniec Prison Institute in Poland, seeking to offer hope, according to Sr. Krzysztofa Kujawska.
Josef Blotz, Grand Hospitaller of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta since February 2025, speaks to Vatican News about the Order’s priorities to help people in areas of conflict like Ukraine and Gaza, while combining spiritual mission with providing humanitarian aid.
- Readings for the Memorial of Saint Benedict, Abbot
Reading 1 Genesis 46:1-7, 28-30
Israel set out with all that was his.
When he arrived at Beer-sheba,
he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.
There God, speaking to Israel in a vision by night, called,
"Jacob! Jacob!"
He answered, "Here I am."
Then he said: "I am God, the God of your father.
Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt,
for there I will make you a great nation.
Not only will I go down to Egypt with you;
I will also bring you back here, after Joseph has closed your eyes."
So Jacob departed from Beer-sheba,
and the sons of Israel
put their father and their wives and children
on the wagons that Pharaoh had sent for his transport.
They took with them their livestock
and the possessions they had acquired in the land of Canaan.
Thus Jacob and all his descendants migrated to Egypt.
His sons and his grandsons, his daughters and his granddaughters—
all his descendants—he took with him to Egypt.
Israel had sent Judah ahead to Joseph,
so that he might meet him in Goshen.
On his arrival in the region of Goshen,
Joseph hitched the horses to his chariot
and rode to meet his father Israel in Goshen.
As soon as Joseph saw him, he flung himself on his neck
and wept a long time in his arms.
And Israel said to Joseph, "At last I can die,
now that I have seen for myself that Joseph is still alive."
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 37:3-4, 18-19, 27-28, 39-40
R. (39a) The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
Trust in the LORD and do good,
that you may dwell in the land and be fed in security.
Take delight in the LORD,
and he will grant you your heart's requests.
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
The LORD watches over the lives of the wholehearted;
their inheritance lasts forever.
They are not put to shame in an evil time;
in days of famine they have plenty.
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
Turn from evil and do good,
that you may abide forever;
For the LORD loves what is right,
and forsakes not his faithful ones.
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
The salvation of the just is from the LORD;
he is their refuge in time of distress.
And the LORD helps them and delivers them;
he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
Alleluia John 16:13a, 14:26d
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
When the Spirit of truth comes,
he will guide you to all truth
and remind you of all I told you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Matthew 10:16-23
Jesus said to his Apostles:
"Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves;
so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves.
But beware of men,
for they will hand you over to courts
and scourge you in their synagogues,
and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake
as a witness before them and the pagans.
When they hand you over,
do not worry about how you are to speak
or what you are to say.
You will be given at that moment what you are to say.
For it will not be you who speak
but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
Brother will hand over brother to death,
and the father his child;
children will rise up against parents and have them put to death.
You will be hated by all because of my name,
but whoever endures to the end will be saved.
When they persecute you in one town, flee to another.
Amen, I say to you, you will not finish the towns of Israel
before the Son of Man comes."
Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
The Apostolic Constitution ‘Praedicate Evangelium: On the Roman Curia and Its Service to the Church in the World’, promulgated by Pope Francis in 2022, outlines the mission and the duties of each Dicastery.
July 10, 2025
By Roberto Cetera, Vatican News, OSV News
(OSV News) — In the West Bank, Christian leaders in Taybeh — the region’s only entirely Christian Palestinian village — are sounding the alarm over escalating settler violence.
On July 8, the Latin, Greek Orthodox and Melkite parish priests denounced attacks on Christian residents, farmland and historic sites, urging international and church missions to document the damage.
“These assaults threaten the security and stability of our town and aim at undermining the dignity of its residents and the sanctity of its sacred land,” the priests said.
Known as the ancient town of Ephraim — the location mentioned in the Gospel of John where Jesus took refuge after the resurrection of Lazarus — Taybeh is where the Christian community has extremely ancient roots.
The village is home to three churches, Latin, Greek Orthodox and Melkite, whose pastors, Fathers Bashar Fawadleh, Jack Nobel Abed and Daoud Khoury, issued an appeal July 8, calling on Israeli authorities to prevent further settler violence, which so far has largely occurred all under the watch of Israeli soldiers, the priests said.
On July 7 a group of Jewish settlers set fires near the Byzantine Christian cemetery and at the Church of Al-Khader (St George), dating back to the fifth century — one of the oldest and most venerated places of worship for Christians in Palestine. Arson attacks followed a series of violent acts against the town’s Christian residents, which have been escalating in recent weeks. The settlers have also damaged olive groves — Taybeh’s primary source of income — and are preventing farmers from accessing and working their land.
“In a scene that has become provocatively routine, settlers continue to graze their cattle in Taybeh’s agricultural lands, including family-owned fields and areas near residential homes, without deterrence or intervention from the authorities. These violations go beyond provocation; they cause direct harm to olive trees — a vital source of livelihood for the people of Taybeh — and prevent farmers from accessing and cultivating their land,” the church leaders’ 9 July statement said.
The eastern part of the town, the three priests lamented, “has effectively become an open target for illegal settlement outposts that expand quietly under military protection. These outposts serve as a base for further assaults on the land and its people.” The priests are calling on the international and church communities to send missions to the area to document the damage and the progressive deterioration of the situation.
In recent weeks, settler terrorism has targeted not only Taybeh but also several other Palestinian villages near illegal settlements, such as Ein Samia and Kafr Malik, where settlers have set fire to homes, vehicles and crops.
On June 26, the rampage resulted in the deaths of three people from Kafr Malik, the Palestinian health ministry said. In Ein Samia, located along the Jordan Valley, settlers attacked and destroyed the local aqueduct — the spring that, through a Roman-era canal system, still provides water to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, all the way to Ramallah.
Taybeh is located in the central Ramallah highlands at almost 2,800 feet above sea level, where both the lights of Jerusalem and Jordan’s Al-Salt mountains are visible at night. The Christian residents of Taybeh live peacefully alongside Muslims from neighbouring villages.
Their troubles began in 1977 when the Israeli government confiscated dozens of acres of nearby land and illegally established a settlement called Rimonim. Large agricultural areas were taken from Taybeh’s farmers to build roads connecting various Jewish settlements. In the days leading up to the July 7 attacks on Christian sites, settlers had already targeted the village outskirts, setting fire to a house and several cars. Hundreds more acres of Palestinian land are at risk of confiscation to further expand settlements.
The greatest concern of Taybeh-Ephraim’s Christian residents today is that — with global attention focused on the immense tragedy in Gaza — the increasingly serious threats to the survival of the world’s oldest Christian community may not be fully grasped by the international community.
The advocacy website reliefweb reported July 9 that “Palestinian communities are being displaced and dispersed across the occupied West Bank as settler violence, backed by Israeli authorities, forces families from their land. One community has just been emptied. Others may soon follow.”
The website reported that the Norwegian Refugee Council warned that “the recent uprooting of families from Muarrajat East could soon be repeated in Ras Ein al-Auja, where sustained settler attacks and mounting restrictions on water and grazing access are making it nearly impossible for families to remain.”
“These are not isolated acts” but a part of “broader strategy of coercion,” the group said, which is “marked by settler violence, the spread of illegal outposts, and state complicity — that is rendering life unviable for Palestinians. The resulting displacements amount to forcible transfer, a grave breach of international humanitarian law.”
The post Church leaders appeal to international community as Jewish settlers attack Taybeh residents appeared first on The Catholic Weekly.
Our Lady of the Rosary Cathedral in San Bernardino, Calif. / Farragutful via Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 10, 2025 / 17:55 pm (CNA).
Bishop Alberto Rojas of the diocese of San Bernardino, California has granted a dispensation from the obligation to attend Sunday Mass for those within the diocese who fear deportation.
The bishop said all of the faithful within the diocese who possess “genuine fear” of arrest while attending Mass are dispensed from the obligation until further notice, and are "encouraged to maintain their spiritual communion with Christ and His Church through acts of personal prayer.”
In a July 8 statement, Rojas said the decision to grant the dispensation came after he recognized that “fear of immigration enforcement raids by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) may deter some members of our diocese from fulfilling the obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation.”
According to John Andrews, the director of communications for the diocese, attendance for Spanish language Masses across the diocese has been “down about 50 percent,” since around the time raids began in Southern California last month.
Andrews told CNA the diocese is aware of two recent instances of ICE enforcement actions on church properties, with both taking place on June 20.
One of the instances, he said, occurred at St. Adelaide Church in Highland and “involved several men who had been working in the neighborhood where the church is located.” The men were chased into the church parking lot and detained, according to Andrews, who said “we do not know whether these men were actually arrested.”
The second instance occurred at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Montclair, and "involved the apprehension and arrest of one man who was on parish property to do landscaping work,” Andrews told CNA, adding: “He and his family are longtime parishioners there and we know that he was arrested and ultimately sent to a detention facility in Texas.”
“There is real fear gripping many in our parish communities,” said Rojas in a separate statement to CNA. “I want our immigrant communities to know that their Church stands with them and walks with them through this trying time.”
A bishop is enabled under the Code of Canon Law to provide dispensations for the faithful under his care “whenever he judges that it contributes to their spiritual good.”
“I know that they would be in church if not for this threat to their safety and their family unity,” the bishop added. “With all the worry and anxiety that they are feeling, I wanted to take away, for a time, the burden they may be feeling from not being able to fulfill this commitment to which our Catholic faithful are called.”
In the July 8 announcement, which was also signed by Vicar General Msgr. Gerard López, Rojas stipulated that priests within the diocese must seek ways to provide support to those affected, and that parishes must also "explore alternative means of catechesis and sacramental preparation for those unable to attend regularly.”
“In issuing this decree, I am guided by the Church’s mission to care for the spiritual welfare of all entrusted to my care, particularly those who face fear or hardship,” the bishop declared.
This past May, the Diocese of Nashville also granted a Sunday Mass dispensation to “those in our diocese [who] are concerned about the possibility of being confronted or detained while attending Mass or other parish events.”
ICE: agency 'does not indiscriminately take enforcement actions’ at churches
An ICE spokesperson told CNA, “While ICE is not subject to previous restrictions on immigration operations at sensitive locations, to include schools, churches and courthouses, ICE does not indiscriminately take enforcement actions at these locations.”
“U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests aliens who commit crimes and other individuals who have violated our nation’s immigration laws,” the spokesperson noted, adding: “All aliens in violation of U.S. immigration law may be subject to arrest, detention and, if found removable by final order, removed from the United States.”
In January 2025, the Department of Homeland Security removed places of worship from its sensitive locations list, allowing ICE agents to carry out immigration enforcement procedures.
Following a lawsuit from a group of 27 religious organizations, ICE was temporarily blocked in March from carrying out deportations in places of worship. However, a federal judge in April found the organizations did not have legal standing, thereby allowing operations to continue.
In an interview with CNA last week, Andrew Arthur, a former immigration judge and current fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies, expressed doubt that ICE would carry out extensive raids in Catholic churches.
He noted that while it’s possible a dangerous criminal could be targeted for enforcement at a church, “it’s not like they’re going to sweep through Sunday Mass looking for people.”
Pope Leo XIV (pictured at St. Peter's on June 1, 2025) issued a message of hope on July 10 in anticipation of the upcoming World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA
Rome Newsroom, Jul 10, 2025 / 17:29 pm (CNA).
For the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly established by Pope Francis and celebrated this year on July 27, Pope Leo XIV has issued a message of hope to the elderly.
At the beginning of his message, the Holy Father evoked the Jubilee Year to remind the faithful that "hope is a constant source of joy, whatever our age."
He cited some elderly biblical figures, such as Abraham and Sarah, Moses, and Zechariah, whom the Lord surprised in "an act of saving power": "God repeatedly demonstrates his providential care by turning to people in their later years," he explained.
The pontiff noted that by making these choices, "God thus teaches us that, in his eyes, old age is a time of blessing and grace, and that the elderly are, for him, the first witnesses of hope."
Life is more than the present moment
He then emphasized that the increasing number of elderly people "is a sign of the times that we are called to discern, in order to properly interpret this moment of history."
The Holy Father noted that "embracing the elderly helps us to understand that life is more than just the present moment, and should not be wasted in superficial encounters and fleeting relationships. Instead, life is constantly pointing us toward the future."
He also emphasized that "if it is true that the weakness of the elderly needs the strength of the young, it is equally true that the inexperience of the young needs the witness of the elderly in order to build the future with wisdom.”
“How often our grandparents have been for us examples of faith and devotion, civic virtue and social commitment, memory and perseverance amid trials! The precious legacy that they have handed down to us with hope and love will always be a source of gratitude and a summons to perseverance,” he said.
In the context of the Jubilee Year, he invited the faithful to “to break through the barriers of indifference …” and to give of themselves to prevent feelings of loneliness and abandonment among the elderly.
“Our societies, everywhere in the world, are growing all too accustomed to letting this significant and enriching part of their life be marginalized and forgotten,” he lamented.
Protagonists of the “revolution” of gratitude and care
The pope emphasized that every parish, association, or church group is called to be “protagonists in a ‘revolution’ of gratitude and care,” and that this must be done “by regular visits to the elderly, the creation of networks of support and prayer for them and with them, and the forging of relationships that can restore hope and dignity to those who feel forgotten.”
“Christian hope always urges us to be more daring, to think big, to be dissatisfied with things the way they are … [and] to work for a change that can restore esteem and affection,” he explained.
The Holy Father recalled that Pope Francis wanted the faithful, and especially young people, to reach out to those who are alone. He noted that those who cannot make the pilgrimage to Rome this year will be able to obtain the Jubilee indulgence if they visit the elderly alone for an appropriate amount of time.
The freedom to love and to pray
Addressing grandparents and the elderly, Pope Leo XIV encouraged them not to lose hope, even in those moments when they are tempted “to look not to the future but to the past.”
"We possess a freedom that no difficulty can rob us of: it is the freedom to love and to pray. Everyone, always, can love and pray," he emphasized
The pope also recalled Pope Francis's words during his last hospitalization: "our bodies are weak, but even so, nothing can prevent us from loving, praying, giving ourselves, being there for one another, in faith, as shining signs of hope."
Pope Leo XIV also indicated that "affection for our loved ones – for the wife or husband with whom we have spent so much of our lives, for our children, for our grandchildren who brighten our days – does not fade when our strength wanes."
“Indeed, their own affection often revives our energy and brings us hope and comfort,” he added.
Therefore, the pontiff continued, “especially as we grow older, let us press forward with confidence in the Lord. May we be renewed each day by our encounter with him in prayer and in Holy Mass.”
“Let us lovingly pass on the faith we have lived for so many years, in our families and in our daily encounter with others. May we always praise God for his goodness, cultivate unity with our loved ones, open our hearts to those who are far away and, in particular, to all those in need. In this way, we will be signs of hope, whatever our age,” the pope concluded.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
null / Syda Productions via www.shutterstock.com.
CNA Newsroom, Jul 10, 2025 / 17:10 pm (CNA).
Here is a roundup of recent pro-life and abortion-related news.
Studies debunk pro-abortion maternal health, 'OB-GYNs exodus' claims
Recently released peer-reviewed research is disputing what pro-life researchers call “fear-mongering narratives” about maternal health and OB-GYNs.
A peer reviewed study published last week found that the maternal morbidity — health problems following pregnancy or giving birth — remained unchanged in states with pro-life protections for unborn children.
But in pro-abortion states, maternal morbidity rates increased significantly, according to the study published by BMC Public Health. Additionally, the infant mortality rate remained the same in states with pro-life protections.
The so-called “OB-GYN exodus,” the claim that OB-GYNs were fleeing pro-life states, is also untrue, according to a recent JAMA article. The article found that OB-GYNs aren’t fleeing states with pro-life protections.
About 94% of OB-GYNs stayed in the same practice location when their state implemented pro-life protections, which is nearly the same as the 95.8% in pro-abortion states, according to a Charlotte Lozier Institute spokeswoman.
Ingrid Skop, the vice president and director of medical affairs at the Lozier Institute and a board-certified OB-GYN, said that following the Dobbs decision, abortion activists “tried to convince the public that legal protections for the unborn would force OB-GYNs to leave pro-life states, and that pregnancy-related complications for women and infant mortality would increase.”
But this recent data, Skop said, “shows the fearmongering didn’t match the facts.”
"It turns out that providing better quality, life-affirming medical care protects the lives of both mothers and babies,” Skop told CNA. “The fearmongering narratives alleging otherwise have been disproven.”
Nearly three in 10 unborn babies aborted in England and Wales
Nearly three in 10 pregnancies ended in abortion in 2022 in England and Wales, according to government statistics.
Abortions are at the highest levels since recording began in England and Wales, according to recent data from the Office for National Statistics.
Abortions are up from about two in 10 a decade earlier. The percent of pregnancies ending in abortions went from 20.8% in 2012 to 26.5% in 2021, and has now reached 29.7% in 2022.
The numbers came out soon after the British Parliament voted to decriminalize illegal abortions in June.
Abortions drop in South Carolina by 63%
Two years after South Carolina’s six-week heartbeat protection law went into effect in May of 2023, the state health department is reporting that legal abortions have plummeted.
From 2023 to 2024, the state saw a 63% drop in abortion, per the annual abortion report. This was the first full year that the Fetal Heartbeat and Protection from Abortion Act was in effect. In 2023, there were a reported 8,187 abortions, but the number dropped by more than half a year later, to 3,025 abortions statewide in 2024.
Lisa Van Riper, the president of South Carolina Citizens for Life, said the state pro-life organization “rejoices in these numbers,” citing the “the preservation of the precious little lives,” according to a statement by the National Right to Life.
The National Right to Life group also condemned the disproportionate amount of abortions of black babies. While 26% of South Carolina is black, 41% of aborted babies were black children, the group noted.
Father Salvador Aguado Miguel. / Credit: Courtesy of Father Salvador Aguado Miguel
Vatican City, Jul 10, 2025 / 16:30 pm (CNA).
“I was on the edge of a precipice, dead inside, at the very bottom of a dark pit.”
With these stark words, Spanish priest Salvador Aguado Miguel shared his testimony following the suicide last week of young Father Matteo Balzano, an event that has shaken the Catholic Church, especially in Italy.
In the wake of this tragedy, Aguado shared on social media something he had not said publicly until now: “Five years ago, I was in the same place, on the edge of that precipice, at the bottom of that dark pit. Thank goodness Manuel, my psychologist, came into my life; he was like an angel who rescued me, sent by God.
"It's very, very hard to be in that situation,” the priest wrote on Instagram.
The pastor of Holy Faith parish in Valencia, Spain, revealed that he went through an extremely difficult period of anxiety, during which he felt “dead inside.” He confessed that the pressure was so intense that he even considered “getting out of the way.”
The importance of mental health
Speaking with ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, Aguado said he “really identified” with Balzano, because often “we are not aware of those demands we make on ourselves or all the pressures we subject ourselves to.”
“We’re not superheroes…we also go through emotional lows,” the priest explained, emphasizing that seeking professional help, especially a psychologist, “is not a bad thing, but quite the opposite.”
For Aguado, it is urgent to raise greater awareness about mental health and the importance of psychological help “at all levels.”
The ‘idealization’ of the priesthood
The priest lamented the criticism or stigmatization of those who have experienced depression or publicly shared their suffering, and expressed his sorrow for the judgment passed on Balzano following his suicide.
“We have to put ourselves in the shoes of these people. Recognizing something like that is not easy; I know this from experience. In those moments, no matter how much faith or commitment you may have, managing such profound suffering is extremely difficult,” he pointed out.
Aguado added that one of the reasons that leads to the demands and pressure on priests is the “idealization” of the priesthood: “We forget that human side, that fragile side.”
The self-imposed need to always give his best and the false belief that he must be available 24/7 pushed the priest to the limit, to the point of even considering leaving the priesthood. “We too need our space: going to the movies, taking a walk, having coffee with another priest or a parishioner,” he explained.
A deeply Catholic psychologist
Regarding his experience with the psychologist, whom he described as “an angel” and a true gift from the Lord, he emphasized the great difference it made that he was a “deeply Catholic” person.
“During the sessions, we also worked with the Bible. He often encouraged me to read what Jesus did in this or that passage,” reflecting on the “more psychological” side of Jesus, the priest recounted.
Addressing priests who may be going through a similar situation, Aguado encouraged them to “allow themselves to be touched by the fragility of the Lord and understand that, in the end, we are not made of iron, but rather flesh and blood.”
He advised them to remove the “mask” that “everything is fine” and learn to “combine human and priestly reality at the same time.” Above all, he recommended “allowing themselves to be accompanied by professionals” and to draw from resources within the parish or pastoral ministry, “which is always very helpful.”
In addition to self-imposed demands, he noted that criticism, from both clergy and laity, also caused him a lot of pain. “I learned to deal with all those critical and angry attacks with the Bible,” he explained.
The Lord always draws a lesson from evil
The Spanish priest, who last winter experienced firsthand the tragedy of the catastrophic flooding in Valencia, which caused more than 200 deaths and extensive property damage, emphasized that “the Lord always draws a lesson from every evil.”
In his case, he says, he found his passion for digital evangelization, something that has helped him "discover that unique gift that the Lord has placed in my life." Now, he enthusiastically evangelizes through social media, where he has more than 50,000 followers.
Improving formation in seminaries
To anticipate these situations, Aguado suggested more mental health formation in seminaries: "We receive a lot of formation in spirituality and theology, but we don't have any formation in mental health," he said.
According to the priest, they also lack a place to turn when they are in a bad way such as a team of psychologists in the diocese who can help them through the most difficult moments. "I believe it is essential, in addition to the seminary, which is the place of formation par excellence, to have follow-up support."
Aguado concluded with hope, emphasizing that the important thing is to recognize the problem, "realize that there is something to change in your life," and take the steps to get help.
Help is available
If you or someone you know is experiencing an emotional crisis or having suicidal thoughts, remember that the Catholic Church offers spiritual guidance, prayer, and listening spaces, and encourages seeking professional help. You can contact helplines, such as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline for your country, or go to your parish, where you will find pastoral support and resources. The Catholic Church teaches that life is a gift from God and compassionately accompanies those who suffer, without judging, and offers hope, prayer, and comfort to affected families.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
null / Credit: Brian A Jackson / Shutterstock
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 10, 2025 / 16:05 pm (CNA).
A circuit court blocked a West Virginia agency from awarding a $5 million grant to St. Joseph the Worker, an Ohio-based Catholic trade college that planned to expand into the state.
In a bench ruling, Judge Richard Lindsay found that the planned grant would violate Article III of the West Virginia Constitution, which forbids the government from using tax funds “for the erection or repair of any house for public worship or for the support of any church or ministry.”
The grant had been approved by the West Virginia Water Development Authority for the purpose of economic development. The American Humanist Association filed a lawsuit against the agency for awarding the grant and had legal representation from the West Virginia American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
“We’re proud to have taken a stand on behalf of our members and are encouraged that the court held the line on this unconstitutional appropriation of funds,” American Humanist Association Legal Director Amitai Heller said in a statement.
“The separation of church and state is a non-negotiable, and the [water authority] had no business granting public infrastructure dollars to fund religious education and advocacy,” Heller said.
“Our members saw this blatant violation of church-state separation happening in their community and in concert with the ACLU of West Virginia, we acted,” he said.
The ruling was announced in a news release from the humanist group. Because the judge delivered an oral ruling from the bench, a written order was not available as of Thursday afternoon. A spokesman for the group told CNA a written order is expected within the next 30 days.
According to the humanist organization, the court gave the water authority 30 days to submit a filing to the court that shows compliance with the order.
St. Joseph the Worker, which is based in Steubenville, Ohio, teaches construction-related trades such as carpentry, HVAC, electrical, and plumbing. It also offers a bachelor’s degree in Catholic studies along with the trade lessons.
The grant money would have supported job training and education programs based in West Virginia. It would have also supported the creation of a non-profit construction company that would have employed students to work on community revitalization projects that would not be profitable enough to receive private investment.
A spokesperson for St. Joseph the Worker was not available to provide a comment by press time.
When reached for comment, West Virginia Water Development Authority Executive Director Marie Prezioso declined to comment on the ruling directly.
“[A]ny comments … will be made in public court filings or other public disclosures,” Prezioso said. She did not respond to a followup email asking whether the water authority plans to appeal the ruling.
The decision to block the grant comes about two weeks after the court rejected the authority’s request for the lawsuit to be dismissed.
A monk from the mountains of Lebanon continues to inspire big faith in the heart of Revesby.
St Luke’s Parish will celebrate the feast of St Charbel on Sunday, 20 July, beginning with a 10am Mass led by Bishop Daniel Meagher, followed by a vibrant celebration in the parish grounds.
There will be food stalls, entertainment, music and plenty of opportunities for the community to come together in joy and thanksgiving. All are invited.
The parish’s devotion to St Charbel – a Maronite monk and hermit known for his miracles, healing and deep spiritual life – has grown over the years, drawing people from all backgrounds.
“When I first came to our parish, I noticed a strong devotion to St Charbel,” said parish priest Fr Dariusz Basiaga. “His legacy continues to inspire countless believers around the world.”
In 2023, a first-class relic of St Charbel was brought from Lebanon to the parish through the efforts of parishioners and with the support of Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP.
Then in July 2024, Archbishop Fisher celebrated the feast day Mass, enshrined the relic inside the church and blessed newly commissioned statues of both St Charbel and St Luke.
“This marked the first time a relic of a Maronite saint was installed in a Roman Catholic church,” Fr Dariusz said.
“Having St Charbel’s relic and statue brings deep spiritual nourishment to our community. He is a symbol of prayer, sacrifice and unity.”
Parishioner Rita Nokodyan is a member of its St Charbel prayer group and credits St Charbel with healing her from stomach cancer.
She said the parish is “so proud, so blessed” to house the relic of the popular saint.
“I prayed with all my heart for a healing,” she recounted in a social media post.
“His face was full of light. He was so gracious, so beautiful. He put his hand on my stomach and said my child you are healed.”
The post Revesby plans St Charbel celebrations appeared first on The Catholic Weekly.
null / Credit: LookerStudio/Shutterstock
Vatican City, Jul 10, 2025 / 15:15 pm (CNA).
Pope Leo XIV on Thursday said developers and users of artificial intelligence (AI) are jointly responsible for ensuring innovations uphold human dignity and the common good in his message to participants of the 2025 AI for Good Summit taking place in Geneva, Switzerland.
"Although responsibility for the ethical use of AI systems begins with those who develop, manage and oversee them, those who use them also share in this responsibility,” the Holy Father said in a message to participants at the July 8-11 global meeting.
The letter, signed by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, expressed the pope’s call for “regulatory frameworks centered on the human person” and “proper ethical management” of AI technologies on local and global levels.
“Humanity is at a crossroads, facing the immense potential generated by the digital revolution driven by artificial intelligence,” the pope said. “The impact of this revolution is far-reaching, transforming areas such as education, work, art, healthcare, governance, the military, and communication.”
In spite of these global advancements, Leo commented that approximately 2.6 billion persons living in rural and low-income areas do not even have access to basic communication technologies.
“This epochal transformation requires responsibility and discernment to ensure that AI is developed and utilized for the common good, building bridges of dialogue and fostering fraternity, and ensuring it serves the interests of humanity as a whole,” he said.
While AI can perform specific tasks, “simulate” human reasoning, or technically enhance global cooperation with speed and efficiency, Leo said it “cannot replicate moral discernment or the ability to form genuine relationships.
“Ultimately, we must never lose sight of the common goal of contributing to that ‘tranquillitas ordinis — the tranquility of order,’ as St. Augustine called it,” he said, “and fostering a more humane order of social relations, and peaceful and just societies in the service of integral human development and the good of the human family.”
Just days into his pontificate, at his first meeting with the College of Cardinals on May 10, Pope Leo identified AI as “another industrial revolution” that can “pose new challenges for the defence of human dignity, justice and labor.”
Built in 1578, Mar Hormizd Cathedral is the Syro-Malabar cathedral church in Angamaly, India. / Credit: St. Hormizd's Cathedral, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Vatican City, Jul 10, 2025 / 14:30 pm (CNA).
The specter of schism has hovered in recent years over the Metropolitan Archeparchy of Ernakulam-Angamaly of the Syro-Malabar Church in India—one of the 24 Eastern Churches in full communion with the Catholic Church.
Part of the clergy and faithful of Ernakulam-Angamaly, the largest Indian episcopal see in terms of the number of priests as well as the see presided over by the bishop in charge of the entire Syro-Malabar Church, did not accept the 1999 reform of the liturgical rite, which was later confirmed at the 2021 Synod of the Syro-Malabar Church.
Pope Leo XIV appears to have resolved the controversy by terminating the 2023 appointment of Archbishop Cyril Vasil' as papal delegate to the Syro-Malabar Church to mediate the dispute.
According to Vatican News, the official Vatican website, this decision by the pope "concludes the Holy See's mediation work among the Syro-Malabars."
Martin Bräuer, an expert at the Ecumenical Research Institute in Bensheim, Germany, told ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, that "Rome now considers the conflict over and therefore no longer needs a papal representative. Secondly, the agreement reached within the [Syro-Malabar] Church without the direct mediation of Archbishop Vasil' is recognized."
Indeed, the news comes after new measures to implement the liturgical reform approved by the 2021 Synod came into effect on July 3, the feast of St. Thomas the Apostle—patron saint of the Syro-Malabar Church.
The compromise now reached allows the parishes of Ernakulam-Angamaly to celebrate the liturgy with the priest facing the faithful (versus populum), adhering to the practice of the Roman Rite, provided that at least one Sunday or feast day Mass is celebrated according to the traditional form, that is, with the priest facing the altar (ad orientem) during the consecration.
According to the 2021 reform of the rite, during Mass the priest was required to address the people during the first part of the celebration, but the liturgy of the Eucharist was celebrated facing the altar.
Prior to the reform that sparked the dispute, all solemnities had to be celebrated in line with the directives issued by the Syro-Malabar Synod four years ago. Now, however, the Syro-Malabar Church accepts as sufficient that all churches celebrate just one of their Masses on Sundays and feast days according to those directives.
“This rule also applies to parishes with ongoing civil proceedings, provided they do not contravene the decisions of state courts,” the academic explained.
Furthermore, he said, it is made explicit that the synod will only address future liturgical changes “if they are discussed in a spirit of synodality with the canonical bodies of the archeparchy.”
Other points include “the use of the sanctuary in accordance with liturgical norms, the possibility of outside bishops celebrating the unified form in all churches, and that any internal conflicts be resolved in an atmosphere of respect and friendship,” Bräuer emphasized.
What was the liturgical dispute about?
While the 2021 synod promoted a return to the liturgy facing the altar as the traditional form of the Syro-Oriental rite, many priests and faithful in Ernakulam-Angamaly defended the practice of facing the people that had become widespread after the Second Vatican Council.
The Vatican then asked the 35 dioceses of the Syro-Malabar Church to eliminate elements of the Roman rite and return to their original traditions, in this case the pure Chaldean rite, present today especially in Iraq.
For Bräuer, what is remarkable is that "this agreement was reached by means of synodality, that is, through dialogue and mutual listening," which gives legitimacy and hope to its practical application.
This case has been, according to the expert, an acid test of the delicate balance between papal authority and the autonomy of the Eastern Churches. It was St. John Paul II who, in 1998, gave the Syro-Malabar bishops authority to resolve liturgical conflicts.
According to Bräuer, “the Syro-Malabar Church first attempted to resolve the conflict internally. When that failed, Rome intervened, but that too was unsuccessful.”
The papal delegate, Archbishop Vasil’, who belongs to the Byzantine rite and had worked in the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches, was widely criticized for his authoritarian style. “He didn’t know how to find the right tone with the parties in conflict,” Bräuer commented.
However, it was not an easy task. When Archbishop Vasil' traveled to India on Aug. 4, 2023, at the beginning of his mission, some priests publicly burned photos of him and he was greeted with a shower of eggs.
In this regard, it was the metropolitan vicar, Archbishop Joseph Pamplany, successor to the apostolic administrator Bishop Bosco Puthur, who managed to move toward a solution thanks to a strategy of open communication and active listening.
Finally, the consensus—which relaxed the norms that the communities of this rite in the Metropolitan Archeparchy of Ernakulam-Angamaly were required to adopt a year ago, following an ultimatum from Pope Francis—was forged in a meeting between Archbishop Pamplany and the Major Archbishop and Metropolitan of the Archdiocese, Raphael Thattil.
Another new rule that has softened positions is that deacons may be ordained without having to commit in writing not to celebrate according to the previous form of the rite.
Is the ghost of schism laid to rest forever?
Although the threat of schism has been dispelled for now, there is still work to be done. According to Bräuer, even priests who opposed the unified liturgy have accepted the agreement, although not without reservations.
Their spokesman, Father Kuriakose Mundadan, expressed in a letter his willingness to support the agreement, although he harshly criticized both the way in which the liturgical reform was adopted and the repressive attitude of some of those previously in authority.
“In addition to criticizing the way the synod imposed the liturgical reform, he also criticized the treatment of those opposed to the reform. He also felt that the papal delegate exacerbated the situation,” Bräuer noted.
“Pope Francis constantly called for unity, but ultimately did not succeed in resolving the conflict. It became clear that the problem could not be resolved solely by means of authority and discipline. Now a synodal solution has been found, which we hope will be lasting,” the expert added.
Bräuer emphasized that how the agreement is implemented in the coming months will be decisive: “Only then will we see if the agreement is stable and lasting.”
For priests currently facing disciplinary proceedings, amicable solutions will be sought, and the Metropolitan Archeparchy of Ernakulam-Angamaly will also undertake to resolve disputes in civil courts.
Those who prefer the Roman Rite practice of facing the people to the traditional one are a minority: they represent only about 450,000 people, or 10% of Syro-Malabar believers, who total about five million. However, they are quite vocal. Videos of attacks on bishops and clashes between groups of Catholics circulate online.
The special tribunal created to resolve these types of liturgical disputes will not be dissolved, at least for now.
Lessons for the entire Catholic Church
Asked about the value of this experience for other liturgical conflicts in the Church, Bräuer said that the liturgy is “prayed dogma,” that is, an “expression of the Church’s faith” that can take many forms, as seen in the Catholic Church: for example, “in the West, with the ancient Mozarabic rite, and also with inculturated forms of the Mass in the Congo, Australia, or Mexico.”
“Liturgical diversity enriches the Church, but fidelity to tradition does not mean stubbornly clinging to the past, but rather accepting change with discernment,” he stated.
This story was first publishedby ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
Father Thomas Hennen, vicar general of the Diocese of Davenport, Iowa, has been appointed by Pope Leo XIV to be the next bishop of Baker, a mission diocese in eastern Oregon. / Courtesy of Diocese of Davenport
Rome Newsroom, Jul 10, 2025 / 12:30 pm (CNA).
Pope Leo XIV has tapped Father Thomas Hennen, vicar general of the Diocese of Davenport, Iowa, to be the next bishop of Baker, a mission diocese in eastern Oregon.
The bishop-elect, who celebrates 21 years as a priest on July 10, is a former vocations director. He has also been rector of Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport since 2021.
A moral theologian, Hennen has over 10 years of experience in pastoral outreach to people with same-sex attraction, as diocesan coordinator and chaplain for the local chapter of the Catholic organization Courage International, which offers support to men and women who experience same-sex attraction and have chosen to live a chaste life.
The 47-year-old priest, who goes by “Fr. Thom,” also has experience as a parochial vicar, university and high school chaplain, campus minister, and theology teacher.
For the last almost four years, he has also been the Davenport diocese’s leader for the Synod on Synodality, which he described in a 2021 homily as “about how we go about listening to each other, how we go about our mission as the Church, the Body of Christ, in our present age, to better communicate and better embody the Kingdom of God on earth.”
Born on July 4, 1978, in Ottumwa, a town in southeast Iowa, Hennen’s hobbies include strategy board games, reading, and playing the tin whistle and the violin, according to a 2009 interview. He has also said he first felt a call to the priesthood in the fourth grade.
He completed his studies for the priesthood at Saint Ambrose University in Davenport and the Pontifical North American College in Rome, earning a bachelor’s in sacred theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. A year after his 2004 ordination to the priesthood, he also earned a licentiate in sacred theology from the Pontifical Alphonsian Academy in Rome.
The bishop-elect speaks Spanish and Italian in addition to his native English.
The Diocese of Baker covers 66,800 square miles in eastern Oregon. Considered a mission territory, the diocese’s landscape includes mountains, hills, valleys, rivers, lakes, and plains, and has a population of approximately 12,500 Catholic households across 57 parishes and missions.
In 1987, the Baker diocesan offices were moved to Bend, in central Oregon, while the Cathedral Church of St. Francis de Sales is over 200 miles east in Baker City.
Hennen succeeds Bishop Liam Cary, who has led the Baker diocese since 2012. Cary will turn 78 in August, making him nearly three years past the usual age of retirement for Catholic bishops.
As the war in Ukraine stretches out into its third year, a UNICEF report reveals that 70% or 3.5 million of Ukrainian children are deprived of accessing basic goods and services.
Helda Ayyad, a young woman displaced by nearly two years of war in Gaza, writes from within a parish-turned-shelter to share her story. Once a top-performing student with dreams of university and a future built through learning, she now finds herself cut off from the classrooms and community that once gave her purpose.
Closing the 130th Plenary Assembly of the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of the Philippines, the bishops release a letter urging the government and Church institutions to bring awareness to the ongoing issue of decreasing minimum wage in the country and the harsh labor conditions.
“Religious Dimensions of Peacemaking” is the title of an international conference taking place in the Vatican to provide a focus on the role of the Catholic Church as well as other faiths and institutions engaged in peacemaking.
In a message signed by the Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, to the United Nations’ AI for Good Summit happening in Geneva, Pope Leo XIV encourages nations to create frameworks and regulations to work for the common good.
Bishops Rudolf Voderholzer and Stefan Oster / Credit: Diocese of Regensburg / Diocese of Passau
CNA Newsroom, Jul 10, 2025 / 09:30 am (CNA).
Amid a heated debate over appointments to Germany’s constitutional court, two Bavarian bishops have issued an urgent call to uphold human life and dignity, warning “there must never again be second-class people” in Germany as the country faces a contentious parliamentary vote.
Bishop Stefan Oster of Passau and Bishop Rudolf Voderholzer of Regensburg declared that anyone who relativizes human dignity protections should be disqualified from Germany’s highest judicial body, according to CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner.
The bishops’ intervention comes as the German parliament prepares to vote Friday on three candidates for the court that serves as the nation’s supreme judicial authority and final arbiter on fundamental rights questions.
The debate over nominations has focused on views publicly expressed by Social Democratic Party nominee Frauke Brosius-Gersdorf. The constitutional law professor served as deputy coordinator of the government commission on abortion law reform. She argued that legalizing abortion within the first twelve weeks of pregnancy would be constitutionally permissible.
Most contentious was her widely criticized assertion that “whether the embryo and later fetus is entitled to the protection of the Basic Law’s guarantee of human dignity is indeed very controversial in constitutional law scholarship. In my view, there are good reasons why the guarantee of human dignity only applies from birth.”
Without naming names, the two bishops characterized such constitutional interpretation this week as fundamentally disqualifying, emphasizing the state’s duty to guarantee human dignity protections without exception.
The Bavarian bishops — who have also risen to prominence for their resistance to the controversial Synodal Way — are not the only ones raising concerns.
Some Christian Democratic Union (CDU) parliamentarians took to social media to call Brosius-Gersdorf “unelectable.”
The bishops’ statement establishes what they describe as non-negotiable criteria for constitutional judges as the country grapples with fundamental questions about the protection of human life, particularly regarding abortion law.
Bishops establish disqualification criteria
The bishops’ statement, titled “Our Basic Law is maximally inclusive,” asserts that every human being is granted human dignity and the right to life regardless of their life situation.
Oster and Voderholzer pointed to Germany’s Basic Law (Grundgesetz), the country’s constitution established in 1949, which enshrines the inviolability of human dignity in Article 1 as the foundation of all constitutional rights.
The Bavarian bishops warned that “anyone who holds the view that the embryo or fetus in the womb does not yet have dignity and only has a lesser right to life than the human being after the birth is carrying out a radical attack on the foundations of our constitution.
“He or she must not be entrusted with the binding interpretation of the Basic Law,” they said.
Oster and Voderholzer added that there “must never again be second-class people in Germany.”
Catholic chancellor causes outrage
The bishops’ principled position comes as Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz — a Catholic and leader of the CDU — appeared to defend Brosius-Gersdorf despite her controversial constitutional views.
In a dramatic moment during Wednesday’s Bundestag debate, when asked by Alternative for Germany parliamentarian Beatrix von Storch whether he could reconcile with his conscience voting for a candidate “for whom human dignity does not apply if [the person] is not yet born,” Merz responded: “My straightforward answer to your question is: Yes!”
The chancellor’s words created significant tension within his own parliamentary faction, according to media reports.
The CDU's pro-life organization, Christian Democrats for Life, urged party leadership to reject the nominee based on her stance on the right to life.
Pro-life organizations have announced a demonstration outside the Reichstag building on Friday morning, CNA Deutsch reported.
Germany records more than 100,000 abortions annually, with approximately 1.8 million procedures performed between 1996 and 2023.
Currently, women in Germany can obtain an abortion from a doctor during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, following a compulsory counseling session.
As the Catholic Church journeys through the Synod on Synodality and the Jubilee Year, the Auxiliary Bishop of Pretoria Archdiocese has urged priests to embrace pastoral renewal.
As part of the Humanitarian Corridors initiative, a group of 119 Afghan refugees have arrived in Rome from Pakistan.
In his Message for the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly—celebrated each year on the Sunday nearest the feast of Jesus’ grandparents, Sts Anne and Joachim—Pope Leo reflects on hope and old age.
The Apostolic Nuncio to Ukraine comments on the current situation in the capital, where dozens upon dozens of Russian missiles have struck - some even in the district where the Holy See’s diplomatic mission is located.
Blessed Anacleto González Flores, martyr of the religious persecution that Mexico experienced in the 1920s. / Credit: Mexican Bishops’ Conference
Puebla, Mexico, Jul 10, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).
The Archdiocese of San Antonio, Texas, will hold a celebration in Spanish and English on Sunday, July 13, commemorating the 137th anniversary of the birth of Blessed Anacleto González Flores, a martyr of the religious persecution Mexico experienced in the 1920s and patron saint of the Mexican laity.
González was born in Tepatitlán, Jalisco state, Mexico, on July 13, 1888. He was a prominent layman, lawyer, and catechist, recognized for his profound faith and leadership during the religious persecution in Mexico in the 1920s. He founded associations for Christian formation and defended the rights of the Church, promoting peaceful resistance to the government’s anti-clerical laws.
For his commitment to faith and justice, he was arrested, tortured, and ultimately executed on April 1, 1927. Pope Benedict XVI approved his beatification on Nov. 15, 2005. In 2019, he was named patron saint of the Mexican laity.
The Archdiocese of San Antonio’s celebration will begin at noon CT on Sunday, July 13, with Mass at St. Andrew’s Church in Pleasanton, Texas.
At 1:15 p.m. there will be a talk in English about the Archdiocese of San Antonio’s support, often including providing refuge, for persecuted Mexican Catholics. This will be followed by a bilingual presentation of the Spanish-language book “Anacleto González Flores: From the Word to Social Transformation.”
The celebration will conclude with the veneration of the first-class relics of Blessed Anacleto starting at 2:15 p.m.
Archdiocese of San Antonio provided aid to persecuted Church in Mexico
During the years of religious persecution in Mexico, various dioceses and Catholic institutions in the United States provided assistance to Mexican bishops, priests, and laypeople, including the Archdiocese of San Antonio.
Father Rafael Becerra, the priest organizing the celebration, shared with ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, that there are records that show that “some of the homes of the Josephite Sisters became a place for refugee priests.”
Also in the town of Castroville, just west of San Antonio, “a seminary was built and founded for seminarians from Mexico during the time of religious persecution.”
“It is known that seminarians from 13 different dioceses in Mexico came to study at that seminary” and that 59 priests were ordained after receiving their formation at that seminary, he noted.
Among other institutions, Becerra mentioned the important support of the Knights of Columbus, the largest Catholic fraternal service organization in the world. Six members of the Knights were martyred during the 1926–1929 Cristero War.
“We also know that several priests were here in San Antonio. There are about 40 refugees, some Claretians, other priests, and some bishops like [the archbishop of Mexico City] José Mora,” he commented.
Among other Mexican prelates who also passed through the Archdiocese of San Antonio during the years of persecution were St. Rafael Guízar y Valencia — today the patron saint of the bishops of Mexico — and his brother, Antonio, who was archbishop of Chihuahua.
These and other historical materials will be presented this Sunday, July 13, as part of the celebration of the Archdiocese of San Antonio.
For more information on how to participate in the celebration, click here.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
The Diocese of Grand Rapids, Michigan, announced on June 29, 2025, a restructuring plan that will merge parishes in the face of a priest shortage. / Credit: Snehit Photo/Shutterstock
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 10, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).
The Diocese of Grand Rapids, Michigan, has announced a restructuring process as it faces a shortage of priests.
The announcement of the “Rooted in Christ Pastoral Planning Process” comes a year after Bishop David John Walkowiak issued an urgent diocesan-wide appeal to pray for an increase in vocations in the diocese, which has had just one ordination to the priesthood in the last two years.
“In 2024, we had one priestly ordination. In 2025, seven pastors were either granted senior priest status or reassigned outside the Diocese of Grand Rapids, and there were no priestly ordinations,” the diocese said in a June 29 statement. “Given this reality, the Presbyteral Council and priests of the diocese urged Bishop Walkowiak to take a hard look at what is required for the well-being of our parish communities and priests.”
The priest shortage has forced many priests to take on the responsibility of shepherding two to three parishes at a time, according to the diocese.
In a video message, Walkowiak said that while he is “grateful to our pastors who have generously taken on the responsibility,” the situation is ultimately not sustainable.
It has been more than a decade since the diocese — which spans 11 counties, 79 parishes, and 31 Catholic schools — last underwent a pastoral planning process.
According to the restructuring plan, 13 parishes across the diocese will merge, forming new parishes, while 8 parishes will form clusters in which two or more parishes will be made to collaborate to varying degrees on ministries, resources, and personnel. Parishes in clusters retain their buildings and finances, unlike in cases where parishes merge.
While he noted the change can be “difficult and often painful,” the bishop expressed faith that the changes would ultimately be beneficial to parish communities.
“We risk stagnation and decline if we fail to adapt,” he said, adding: “We need to remember that a parish is a communion of persons, one that extends beyond the confines of parish buildings. Sometimes in order for that communion of persons to remain healthy and continue to grow, the administrative and physical structures that support it must be reassessed.”
Six of the mergers were kicked off with the promulgation of the plan on June 29, while other mergers and clusters are set to take place in accordance with the end of pastors’ terms and priestly assignments.
Walkowiak has appointed Vicar General Father Colin J. Mulhall to oversee the implementation of the pastoral plan.
In addition to the merging of parishes and formation of parish clusters, the diocese also announced that land for a new parish in the West Deanery would be purchased between the cities of Zeeland and Hudsonville due to projected population growth. A new parish will also be established on land already owned by the diocese in the townships of Robinson and West Olive, also due to projected population growth.
“We must adjust administrative duties so that pastors can encourage their parish communities to become centers of evangelization, where all are invited into a relationship with Christ through worship, participation, and outreach to those in need,” the bishop said.
The Little Children of Our Blessed Lady (LCBL) Sisters are gearing up for a significant milestone, their 11th General Chapter, set to take place in August 2025 in Harare.
The Catholic University in Erbil, in the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq, was founded to provide an education to minority groups fleeing ISIS. Now, it aims to promote peace by teaching about Mesopotamia’s religious history.
Two First Nations students in Rome as winners of the 2025 Francis Xavier Conaci Scholarship, speak with Vatican News about their experience and share their stories at an event at the Australian Embassy to the Holy See.
In Christ's Passion, we see what we ought to suffer for the truth, and in His resurrection, what we ought to hope for in eternity.—St. Thomas Aquinas At Golgotha in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, one can go to the exact site where Jesus Christ was crucified. Under a Greek altar, one [...]
WASHINGTON – Pope Leo XIV has accepted the resignation of Bishop Liam Cary, 77, from the pastoral governance of the Diocese of Baker, and has appointed Reverend Thomas Hennen, as Bishop-elect of Baker. Father Hennen is a priest of the Diocese of Davenport and currently serves as the diocese’s vicar general and rector of Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport, Iowa. The resignation and appointment were publicized in Washington, D.C. on July 10, 2025, by Cardinal Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.
The following biographical information for Bishop-elect Hennen was drawn from preliminary materials provided to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops:
Father Hennen was born July 4, 1978, in Ottumwa, Iowa. Bishop-elect Hennen pursued studies at Saint Ambrose University in Davenport. He also studied at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, and the Pontifical Gregorian University, earning a bachelor’s in sacred theology (2003). He received a licentiate of sacred theology (2005) from the Pontifical Alphonsian Academy in Rome. Father Hennen was ordained to the priesthood on July 10, 2004.
Bishop-elect Hennen’s assignments after ordination include: parochial vicar, Prince of Peace parish in Clinton (2005-2010); campus minister and parochial vicar, Newman Center and Saint Mary in Iowa City (2010-2011); chaplain and theology teacher at Assumption High School in Davenport (2014-2017). He also served at Sacred Heart parish in Oxford Junction, Saint James parish in Toronto, Sacred Heart parish in Lost Nation and Saints Philip and James parish in Ground Mound (2015); chaplain and director of campus ministry at Saint Ambrose University in Davenport (2017-2021); parochial vicar at Saint Anthony parish in Davenport (2017-2018). Since 2021, he has served as priest moderator of Saint Andrew parish in Blue Grass and rector of Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport.
Bishop-elect Hennen’s additional responsibilities for the Diocese of Davenport have included: director of vocations (2011-2018); associate director of vocations (2018-2021); consultor and vicar general (2020-present). Bishop-elect Hennen speaks English, Spanish, and Italian.
The Diocese of Baker is comprised of 66,826 square miles in the State of Oregon and has a total population of 532,734 of which 33,356 are Catholic.
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Leo XIV called on every parish and church group or association to become part of a "revolution" of care and gratitude by regularly visiting older people.
"Christian hope always urges us to be more daring, to think big, to be dissatisfied with things the way they are," the pope wrote in his message for World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly, a church celebration that will take place July 27.
"In this case, it urges us to work for a change that can restore the esteem and affection to which the elderly are entitled," he wrote in the message released July 10.
The pope's message expanded on the theme chosen for this year's world day, which was taken from the Book of Sirach: "Blessed are those who have not lost hope."
The 2025 celebration marks the fifth edition of World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly and Pope Leo's first message for the day. Pope Francis instituted the world day in 2021; it is observed each year on the fourth Sunday of July, close to the liturgical memorial of Sts. Joachim and Anne, the grandparents of Jesus.
In his message for this year's celebration, Pope Leo said the Jubilee Year, which is a time of liberation from injustice and inequality, is an appropriate time for all the faithful to help older people "experience liberation, especially from loneliness and abandonment."
To help everyone participate in the Holy Year, especially those who are physically unable to make a pilgrimage to Rome, the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life created a pastoral kit with suggestions for holding a Jubilee celebration in places where the elderly live.
"The grace of the Jubilee is always for everyone!" the dicastery wrote, indicating that the kit and other resources are available at www.laityfamilylife.va.
"Our societies, everywhere in the world, are growing all too accustomed to letting this significant and enriching part of their life be marginalized and forgotten," Pope Leo wrote, speaking of the elderly.
"Given this situation, a change of pace is needed that would be readily seen in an assumption of responsibility on the part of the whole church," he wrote.
"Every parish, association and ecclesial group is called to become a protagonist in a 'revolution' of gratitude and care, to be brought about by regular visits to the elderly, the creation of networks of support and prayer for them and with them, and the forging of relationships that can restore hope and dignity to those who feel forgotten," he wrote.
"That is why Pope Francis wanted the World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly to be celebrated primarily through an effort to seek out elderly persons who are living alone," Pope Leo wrote. "For this reason, those who are unable to come to Rome on pilgrimage during this Holy Year may obtain the Jubilee indulgence if they visit, for an appropriate amount of time, the elderly who are alone... making, in a sense, a pilgrimage to Christ present in them."
The church describes an indulgence as a remission of the temporal punishment a person is due for their sins. Pilgrims are able to receive a special indulgence during the Holy Year by visiting one of four papal basilicas in Rome or other designated sites and taking part in prayer, a liturgical celebration or the sacrament of confession.
Pope Leo wrote that "visiting an elderly person is a way of encountering Jesus, who frees us from indifference and loneliness."
"Embracing the elderly helps us to understand that life is more than just the present moment, and should not be wasted in superficial encounters and fleeting relationships," he said in his message.
"If it is true that the weakness of the elderly needs the strength of the young, it is equally true that the inexperience of the young needs the witness of the elderly in order to build the future with wisdom," his message said.
Grandparents offer examples of "faith and devotion, civic virtue and social commitment, memory and perseverance amid trials," he wrote. "The precious legacy that they have handed down to us with hope and love will always be a source of gratitude and a summons to perseverance."
Speaking as an older person, Pope Leo, who will turn 70 in September, wrote, "We possess a freedom that no difficulty can rob us of: it is the freedom to love and to pray," and to be there for one another in faith as "shining signs of hope."
"Let us lovingly pass on the faith we have lived for so many years, in our families and in our daily encounter with others," he wrote. "May we always praise God for his goodness, cultivate unity with our loved ones, open our hearts to those who are far away and, in particular, to all those in need."
"In this way, we will be signs of hope, whatever our age," he wrote.
Reading 1 Genesis 44:18-21, 23b-29; 45:1-5
Judah approached Joseph and said: "I beg you, my lord,
let your servant speak earnestly to my lord,
and do not become angry with your servant,
for you are the equal of Pharaoh.
My lord asked your servants, 'Have you a father, or another brother?'
So we said to my lord, 'We have an aged father,
and a young brother, the child of his old age.
This one's full brother is dead,
and since he is the only one by that mother who is left,
his father dotes on him.'
Then you told your servants,
'Bring him down to me that my eyes may look on him.
Unless your youngest brother comes back with you,
you shall not come into my presence again.'
When we returned to your servant our father,
we reported to him the words of my lord.
"Later, our father told us to come back and buy some food for the family.
So we reminded him, 'We cannot go down there;
only if our youngest brother is with us can we go,
for we may not see the man if our youngest brother is not with us.'
Then your servant our father said to us,
'As you know, my wife bore me two sons.
One of them, however, disappeared, and I had to conclude
that he must have been torn to pieces by wild beasts;
I have not seen him since.
If you now take this one away from me, too,
and some disaster befalls him,
you will send my white head down to the nether world in grief.'"
Joseph could no longer control himself
in the presence of all his attendants,
so he cried out, "Have everyone withdraw from me!"
Thus no one else was about when he made himself known to his brothers.
But his sobs were so loud that the Egyptians heard him,
and so the news reached Pharaoh's palace.
"I am Joseph," he said to his brothers.
"Is my father still in good health?"
But his brothers could give him no answer,
so dumbfounded were they at him.
"Come closer to me," he told his brothers.
When they had done so, he said:
"I am your brother Joseph, whom you once sold into Egypt.
But now do not be distressed,
and do not reproach yourselves for having sold me here.
It was really for the sake of saving lives
that God sent me here ahead of you."
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 105:16-17, 18-19, 20-21
R. (5a) Remember the marvels the Lord has done.
or:
R. Alleluia.
When the LORD called down a famine on the land
and ruined the crop that sustained them,
He sent a man before them,
Joseph, sold as a slave.
R. Remember the marvels the Lord has done.
or:
R. Alleluia.
They had weighed him down with fetters,
and he was bound with chains,
Till his prediction came to pass
and the word of the LORD proved him true.
R. Remember the marvels the Lord has done.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The king sent and released him,
the ruler of the peoples set him free.
He made him lord of his house
and ruler of all his possessions.
R. Remember the marvels the Lord has done.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Alleluia Mark 1:15
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Kingdom of God is at hand:
repent and believe in the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Matthew 10:7-15
Jesus said to his Apostles:
"As you go, make this proclamation:
'The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.'
Cure the sick, raise the dead,
cleanse the lepers, drive out demons.
Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.
Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts;
no sack for the journey, or a second tunic,
or sandals, or walking stick.
The laborer deserves his keep.
Whatever town or village you enter, look for a worthy person in it,
and stay there until you leave.
As you enter a house, wish it peace.
If the house is worthy,
let your peace come upon it;
if not, let your peace return to you.
Whoever will not receive you or listen to your words—
go outside that house or town and shake the dust from your feet.
Amen, I say to you, it will be more tolerable
for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment
than for that town."
Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
Red Bend Catholic College, Forbes, has issued a statement about teacher Joanne Cabban, who lost her arm after being bitten by a lion in Darling Downs Zoo on 6 July.
“Jo Cabban is a much-loved member not only of our Red Bend College community but also our broader Forbes and Parkes communities,” the statement read.
“Our prayers and thoughts are with her and her family.
“They have asked for complete privacy, and we ask all to respect that request.”
The statement ended by saying the college in Forbes, a co-educational day and boarding school for students in Years 7 to 12 would make no further comment on the incident.
Cabban was at her family’s zoo in Toowoomba, Queensland when she was mauled by the lion.
She is now receiving care at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane and has undergone surgery for her injuries.
Her brother-in-law Steve Robinson said Cabban was attacked at approximately 8.30am in a staff-only section of the zoo.
Cabban had been a regular visitor at the zoo for the past 20 years.
In an interview with The Guardian, Robinson said Cabban was “very much on a rollercoaster emotionally as she comes to grips with the enormity of what has happened.”
He said the lion was not being aggressive when it bit Cabban and urged people not to blame the animal—which was born and raised in captivity—for the incident.
“There’s no aggression, and there’s no nastiness, anything like that at all,” he said.
“The best we can come up with at this stage is the lion was just playing.”
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland is investigating the incident.
The post Red Bend Catholic College shows support for teacher injured by lion appeared first on The Catholic Weekly.
Fr David Catterall, founding priest of St Mary MacKillop parish, Oran Park, in southwest Sydney has been remembered as having a “heart on fire for Jesus” following his death from cancer at Bulli Hospital on 8 July.
“He was ordained to the priesthood on 25 March 2000, just weeks after being diagnosed with breast cancer—a challenge that, like others in his life, he faced with unwavering courage and trust in God. This battle with cancer has been a constant presence throughout his priestly life,” said Wollongong Bishop Brian Mascord in a statement.
Fr Catterall served at St Francis Xavier Cathedral Wollongong, and the parishes of Nowra, Camden, Campbelltown, Rosemeadow, and Albion Park, before being appointed the founding parish priest at Oran Park in 2015.
In August 2024, The Catholic Weekly reported the priest’s efforts in raising more than $22,000 for cancer research with a 30km walk, completed piecemeal while suffering the effects of secondary prostate cancer in his lungs.
While devoted to the care of his parish, Fr Catterall said his priestly ministry had also been lived out in “beautiful moments” in oncology waiting rooms and during therapy sessions.
He was later diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia and retired from parish ministry in October.
“In his ministry, Fr David lived what Pope Francis called the vision of a parish: ‘a community of communities … and a centre of constant missionary outreach,” said Bishop Mascord.
“His leadership, wisdom, and pastoral heart were felt not only in the parish setting, but also across the wider diocese, through his work in clergy life and ministry support, liturgy, vocations, and serving as chaplain on numerous pilgrimages.
“Fr David’s life and priesthood bore witness to the words of his beloved St Mary of the Cross MacKillop: ‘We are but travellers here.’ He lived and ministered as one who trusted fully in God’s providence, and who believed, as Servant of God Eileen O’Connor wrote, that ‘no other means save love’ could guide our journey.”
Oran Park administrator Fr Feleki Tautunu said it was “devastating news but a triumph for the priest who fought this battle half of his life.”
“The pain and suffering he endured never prohibited him from giving his 200 percent commitment to serve the Lord in the ministerial priesthood,” he said.
The post Wollongong priest Fr David Catterall remembered for his commitment following his death aged 52 appeared first on The Catholic Weekly.
Diogo Jota of the Liverpool soccer team. / Credit: Spanish-language edition of EWTN News
ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 9, 2025 / 20:19 pm (CNA).
In an atmosphere of deep recollection and sadness, but also of hope, the funeral of Portuguese soccer players Diogo Jota of the Liverpool Football Club and his brother André Silva, who died last Thursday in a traffic accident in Zamora, Spain, was held on July 5. Jota’s marriage to Rute Cardoso had been solemnized in the Church just 11 days prior. They have three children.
At the funeral, which took place in the town of Gondomar’s main church on the outskirts of Porto, Portugal, the coffins were brought in as the church bells rang. The funeral was attended by several of Jota’s teammates, including Liverpool soccer club captain Virgil van Dijk, Andy Robertson, Argentine Alexis MacAllister, Uruguayan Darwin Nuñez, and coach Arne Slot.
Father Alípio Germano Barbosa, who was the pastor of the church in Gondomar for more than 18 years and who gave Diogo and André their first Communion, fondly recalled the time the brothers were part of his parish community.
“I lived here for 18 and a half years, and closely followed the human and Christian growth of these two young men, with great affection for them and their family,” the priest who attended the funeral told AP.
“They were very well behaved, humble, and courageous boys. In fact, following in the steps of their parents and grandparents, they were deeply connected to the local community and, naturally, participated in community life, the sacraments, Christian fellowship, and communion,” Germano added.
Roberto Martínez, coach of the Portuguese national football team, told the press at the funeral: “These are very sad days, as you can imagine, but today we have shown that we are a large and united family.”
“We are Portugal, and it was essential for us to be together and the world will be united, and his spirit will be with us forever. Thank you so much for your messages, for your support, and for everything we have received from all over the world. It means a lot, and today we are all a football family,” he emphasized.
The bishop of Porto’s homily at the brothers’ funeral
The funeral Mass was celebrated by the bishop of Porto, Manuel Linda, who first addressed the children of the late Liverpool player who did not attend the funeral:
“Right now you’re suffering immensely. Or maybe you’re not, because you don’t even realize the tragedy that has befallen your family. You will become aware of it later. And it will be terrible. But I will pray to Jesus for you.”
“The one who suffers deeply,” the prelate continued, “is your mother, Rute. She is heartbroken! Likewise, your grandparents, Isabel and Joaquim, and the rest of your family. Seeing before you a coffin containing the remains of a son must be the ultimate torment. But when it’s not just one coffin, but two, belonging to two brothers... there are no words.”
“We are here to say that we too suffer greatly,” the bishop continued. “We are here with you emotionally … Yes, tears! It’s human! It would be a shame for us if we didn’t.”
Linda encouraged having “faith and hope in the Resurrection.”
“This communion of life is achieved through baptism and good works … Your father, Diogo, was married in the Church 11 days before he died.”
After highlighting the importance of sports, the bishop of Porto said that “while it’s sad to see an adult cry, it’s even more painful when it’s a child… I send a special greeting to your mother, your grandparents, and other family members. I am with you. Jesus is also with you.”
Liverpool soccer club’s tribute to Diogo Jota
In addition to retiring Jota’s No. 20 jersey, the Liverpool soccer club chartered a plane to accommodate those members who wished to travel to the funeral in Portugal.
This was confirmed by the Portuguese newspaper Record. Liverpool will keep Jota’s contract in force and will pay his salary and all bonuses to his family.
The club decided to pay out the remaining two years of Jota’s contract, meaning his widow and his three young children will receive the corresponding sum of more than 17 million euros ($19.9 million).
English journalist Tom Harrington also said on X that Liverpool will establish a fund for the children of Jota and Cardoso, specifically for their education.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
July 09, 2025
Canterbury Anglican Cathedral. / Credit: Antony McCallum WyrdLight.com/Wikimedia, CC BY SA 4.0
London, England, Jul 9, 2025 / 18:55 pm (CNA).
For the first time in modern history, the apostolic nuncio to the United Kingdom has celebrated Mass in England’s most celebrated Anglican cathedral.
On Monday, July 7, which marked the feast of the Translation of St. Thomas Becket, Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendía celebrated the holy sacrifice of the Mass at Canterbury Cathedral with hundreds in attendance, including the Vatican’s cricket team.
During his homily, Maury Buendía said: “This Mass of pilgrimage takes place within the context of the jubilee year. It highlights the Christian life as a spiritual journey, moving through life’s trials and joys with hope anchored in Christ. Having traveled as pilgrims today, we do more than just honor a figure from history.”
He continued: “The stained-glass windows all around us illustrate the many miracles attributed to St. Thomas in the medieval period. This should be a living story, too. Our world, today as then, is in need of hope. We come in this jubilee year as ‘pilgrims of hope’ to be inspired by St. Thomas’ holiness and his courageous witness to Christ and his Church.”
Those in attendance on Monday also received a plenary indulgence because of the jubilee year and its customs.
While it is traditional for the Catholic Parish of St. Thomas of Canterbury to celebrate Mass at the cathedral every year on July 7, this is the first time the apostolic nuncio has presided.
St. Thomas Becket served as archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until he was murdered in 1170 by supporters of King Henry II, who clashed with Thomas over his defense of the Church and its rights.
Thomas was canonized soon after his death by Pope Alexander III and in 1220 his body was translated, or moved, from the cathedral’s crypt to the shrine behind the altar. It is believed that a papal legate was present at the time.
The crypt was destroyed by Henry VIII in 1538 in an attempt to suppress allegiance to St. Thomas Becket.
In correspondence with CNA on Wednesday, July 9, Father David Palmer, a member of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham (and a former Anglican priest), reflected on the significance of the event.
“Canterbury Cathedral is often referred to as the home of Anglicanism, the mother Church of the Anglican Communion. This obscures the fact that it is also (and originally) the mother Church of Catholicism in England. The seat of St. Augustine of Canterbury, the first archbishop of Canterbury, sent by Pope Gregory to bring the (Roman) Catholic faith to the ‘Angles,’” he said.
“For those of us who have made the journey from Anglicanism back to Rome this is an event of special significance and joy.”
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops headquarters in Washington, D.C. / Credit: Farragutful, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 9, 2025 / 18:25 pm (CNA).
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has confirmed that the Catholic Church will not endorse political candidates for public office in any elections, despite a tax code change that has opened the door for houses of worship to make such endorsements.
On July 7, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) signed a court agreement to allow churches and other houses of worship to endorse candidates without risking their tax-exempt status. This reversed a 70-year ban that was in place based on the IRS’ interpretation of the “Johnson Amendment,” which prohibits nonprofits in the tax bracket from engaging in political campaigns.
USCCB Director of Public Affairs Chieko Noguchi, however, released a statement this week to announce that the Catholic Church will not be endorsing political candidates, even if the tax code allows it.
“The IRS was addressing a specific case, and it doesn’t change how the Catholic Church engages in public debate,” Noguchi said.
“The Church seeks to help Catholics form their conscience in the Gospel so they might discern which candidates and policies would advance the common good,” she added. “The Catholic Church maintains its stance of not endorsing or opposing political candidates.”
Noguchi told CNA that if an individual member of the clergy were to endorse a candidate, “this is a matter that is best handled by the local bishop.”
Christopher Check, the president of Catholic Answers, told CNA that the USCCB’s decision to avoid endorsements is “a wise one for our time and place.”
“The Church is not one of several political organizations or NGOs [nongovernmental organizations] competing for public opinion on the cultural and civic playing fields,” Check added. “She is the primary and divine institution through which all that public activity must be understood.”
Check pointed out that avoiding endorsements is consistent with the 1983 Code of Canon Law, which he explained “[prohibits] clergy from engaging in active participation in political parties except in cases where the rights of the Church are threatened or the ‘promotion of the common good requires it,’ and then only in the judgment of ‘competent ecclesiastical authority.’”
There have been situations historically in which clergy rightly engaged in political campaigns, such as when Marxist parties in some countries sought to “eradicate the Church,” according to Check. Yet he also cautioned that there have been times in which members of the clergy have “misled the faithful” by involving themselves in campaigns.
“Today in the United States, neither political party offers a platform that would serve as a foundation for a true home for faithful Catholics,” Check said. “As such, the obligation for the clergy and the episcopacy to form the consciences of the faithful rightly is especially critical. It is in this realm that the Church, who very much in a sense is above partisan politics, is called to operate.”
Susan Hanssen, a history professor at the University of Dallas (a Catholic institution), told CNA she believes the IRS policy to not penalize churches for political endorsements is “wise” but said the USCCB commitment to not endorse candidates “is also prudent.”
“The IRS policy is wise to leave broad leeway to religious leaders to offer guidance, even on political matters that could shape the moral and cultural atmosphere within which religious life takes place,” Hanssen said.
Hanssen added that the Church hierarchy and the clergy can still be vocal on political issues that implicate Church teaching, noting that they “should give clear principles of action” but that “it is the moral responsibility of the laity to potentially apply those principles.”
She added that clergy should also help correct Catholic politicians whose policies do not conform to “the principles of natural law, for example, with regard to abortion, parental rights over their children’s education and medical care, euthanasia, and same-sex marriage.”
“Thus their action would be appropriately pastoral, rather than political — a concern for souls,” Hanssen said.
Ryan Tucker, senior counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom, told CNA that the IRS decision could still have an impact on churches that do not endorse candidates, saying those entities have a “constitutional right to speak freely” and the IRS change ensures “they can do so more boldly” now.
“The government shouldn’t be able to threaten a church with financial penalties based on a requirement that the church self-censor and surrender its constitutionally protected freedom,” he said. “Pastors and clergy members have been engaged in matters of the day that affect the members of their church body since our founding.”
The Vatican recognizes the pastoral value of the alleged apparitions of the Virgin Mary on Mount Zvir near the village of Litmanová in northwestern Slovakia from 1990 to 1995 and authorizes public worship, without commenting on the supernatural authenticity of the apparitions. / Credit: Courtesy of Michal Petriľak, Zvir Shrine
Vatican City, Jul 9, 2025 / 17:21 pm (CNA).
The Vatican Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith granted a “nihil obstat” — that is, nothing stands in the way — of Marian devotion surrounding the alleged apparitions of the Virgin Mary on Mount Zvir near the village of Litmanová in northwestern Slovakia from 1990 to 1995 — without recognizing their supernatural character.
The letter, signed by the dicastery’s prefect, Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, and addressed to Archbishop Jonáš Jozef Maxim, hierarch of the Archeparchy of Prešov for Byzantine-rite Catholics, recognizes the pastoral value of the phenomenon and authorizes public worship without commenting on the supernatural authenticity of the apparitions.
The cardinal stated in the letter, published by the Vatican dicastery, that the discernment has taken into account “the many spiritual fruits” borne from this phenomenon.
The decision responds to the formal request by Maxim, who in letters sent to the Vatican in February and May highlighted “the countless sincere and heartfelt confessions and conversions experienced by pilgrims, which continue to take place at the shrine, despite the alleged apparitions ending three decades ago. The Slovak prelate also highlighted the constant flow of pilgrims who have continued to come to the site, manifesting an ongoing experience of faith.
Fernández noted several messages attributed to the Virgin that offer invitations to conversion, joy, and inner freedom. One of the most cited texts exhorts: “Let Jesus set you free. Let Jesus set you free. And do not allow your enemy to limit your freedom, for which Jesus shed so much blood. A soul that is free is the soul of a child” (Dec. 5, 1993).
On several occasions, the Marian figure presents herself as “happy” and repeats expressions of unconditional love: “I love you, just as you are. I love you. I love you! I want you to be happy, but this world will never make you happy” (Aug. 7, 1994). The faithful are also invited to live a simple and profound spirituality: “Begin to live simply, to think simply, and to act simply. Seek out silence so that the Spirit of Christ may be born anew within you” (June 5, 1994).
Some ambiguities
However, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith recognized that “some messages contain ambiguities or unclear formulations,” such as one that suggests that that nearly all people in one part of the world are condemned or one that states that “the cause of all illness is sin.”
These messages have not been deemed acceptable by the Vatican for publication. However, the Argentine cardinal recalled in the letter that, as early as 2011, a doctrinal commission dedicated to investigating these apparitions explained that the alleged visionaries did not hear messages in human language but rather had inner experiences that they then attempted to translate, which explains certain inaccuracies or personal interpretations.
For this reason, the cardinal of the Roman Curia asked the archbishop of Prešov to publish a compilation of these messages, excluding any statements that could lead to confusion or disturb the faith of ordinary people.
The Vatican made it clear that the “nihil obstat” does not equate to the recognition of supernatural intervention, but it does permit public worship and that the faithful can “safely approach this spiritual offering,” whose contents can help them live the Gospel of Christ more deeply.
A living shrine
Mount Zvir, less than two miles from the village of Litmanová, has been a place of pilgrimage for years, especially for those of the Byzantine rite. Three children were present at the alleged apparitions, which began on Aug. 5, 1990: Ivetka Korcáková, Katka Ceselková, and Mitko Ceselka.
This step by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith is possible thanks to the new norms on supernatural phenomena, published in May 2024, which provide for varying degrees of discernment, from “nihil obstat” to negative judgments, allowing for a more flexible assessment of the spiritual experiences of communities.
Since they came into force just over a year ago, it is the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and not the local bishop that pronounces on these events, and the Catholic Church’s discernment process no longer ends “with a declaration of ‘supernaturalitate’ [supernaturalness]” of the events.
The objective of the reform of the regulations, approved by Pope Francis, was to prevent fraud and scams that take advantage of the goodwill of the faithful.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
Canadian Chris Elston – better known online as ‘Billboard Chris’ – has won a landmark legal case against Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, who had ordered Elon Musk’s X platform to “take down” one of his posts critical of a transgender activist.
Billboard Chris, with the support of Alliance Defending Freedom International and the Human Rights Law Alliance appealed the violation of his right to share his convictions publicly in an online forum at a five-day hearing in April.
X also appealed the e-Safety Commissioner’s decision to block Elston’s post.HRLA Principal Lawyer John Steenhof said the case was an important win for freedom of speech in Australia.
“It is part of a global fight against government censorship,” he said.
“In Western societies, there should be vigorous public debate about contentious ideas and political movements, particularly the dangers to children and to women’s rights presented by transgender ideology.
“This decision will safeguard every Australian’s right to speak truth in the public square even on issues that are in opposition to the political diktats of those in power.
“We’re proud to stand with Billboard Chris.”
A father-of-two, ‘Billboard Chris’ posts on social media have gone viral, showing him wearing a sandwich board reading “children cannot consent to puberty blockers” and engaging passersby in conversations about transgender ideology.
In a post on X in February 2024, he shared a Daily Mail article and criticised the suitability of Sydney transgender activist Teddy Cook to be appointed to a World Health Organisation’s “panel of experts”, which advises on global transgender policy.
Cook complained about the post to Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, who requested that X remove the content. The social media platform initially refused, but geo-blocked the content in Australia when the Commission issued a formal order.
In its decision of July 1, the Australian Review Tribunal found that Elston’s post did not meet the test for “cyber-abuse of an Australian Adult” under the Online Safety Act and that the e-Safety Commissioner should not have issued a take down notice.
Led by Melbourne senior barrister Stephen Moloney, Elston argued that his post is an important political discussion of the important public issue of whether transgender activists should be setting clinical guidelines for medical treatments.
Elston argued that free speech should be afforded high levels of protection and that it is protected by the rights of freedom of political communication under the Australian Constitution.
In a statement, Elston later said that as a father he has “grave concerns about the impact of harmful gender ideology on our children’s wellbeing.”
“No child has ever been born in the wrong body,” he said.
“This is a serious issue with real world implications for families across the globe and we need to be able to discuss it.
“Ultimately, the message I wanted to communicate with this post is that children struggling with gender dysphoria deserve better than ‘guidelines’ written by activists who only want to push them in one direction.”
The post ‘Billboard Chris’ wins case against Australian government removal of social media posts appeared first on The Catholic Weekly.
Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP has officially opened and blessed St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, Rosebery.
Despite welcoming its first cohort in 2023 this was the school’s grand opening, presided by principal Bernard Ryan and attended by the school’s 150 students, parents, teachers, clergy, education and civic leaders.
Sydney Mayor Clover Moore, NSW Minister for Local Government and member for Heffron Ron Hoenig MP, Sydney City South parish priest Fr Paul Smithers, Master of Ceremonies at St Mary’s Cathedral Fr Benjamin Saliba, and Sydney Catholic Schools Executive Director Danielle Cronin were also in attendance.
In his homily, Archbishop Fisher addressed the students, telling them the significance of attending a school named after St Joseph.
“As guardian of the Holy Family, he and his wife were the first teachers of the child Jesus,” he said.
“Ask St Joseph to intercede for you in your new school and you will be in safe hands.”
During the ceremony, the archbishop was presented with a gift of the school’s cross by Fr Smithers.
Ryan detailed the history of St Joseph’s Rosebery from its original opening in 1888 and closure in 1992, before it was rebuilt and reopened in 2023.
“We now have this remarkable building, a space where we can challenge the norms of our time, dare to do things different, and carry out our mission as Catholic educators with and for the church,” he said.
Currently accommodating students from Kindergarten to Year 2, Ryan said the school will continue to grow and reach its full capacity of 500 students by the end of the decade.
“The plan is to continue to enrol a new kindergarten cohort every year,” he told The Catholic Weekly.
“By 2029, that’s when we’ll have the full school, kindergarten to year six.”
Ryan said the years already enrolled in the school were full, as was the kindergarten class for 2026, even though there are multiple primary schools in the surrounding suburbs and the new Green Square Public School currently under construction.
The post St Joseph’s Rosebery’s grand opening appeared first on The Catholic Weekly.
Sacred Heart Primary School in Cabramatta commemorated its 90th anniversary on 27 June, coinciding with the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Students, parents, parish members, school alumni, and dignitaries celebrated the day with a special Mass held by Bishop Tony Percy.
Also in attendance were the Sisters of Charity, who contributed the school’s founding charism, former school principals, and Mass concelebrants Fr Remy Bui, Sacred Heart’s parish priest, and assistant priest Fr John Pham.
Principal Julie Straub said the celebration was a “wonderful” event.
“It was just really nice hearing the joy of those former Sisters, former teachers, and former principals to be back at Sacred Heart,” she told The Catholic Weekly.
After the Mass, a morning tea was held where the anniversary cake was cut, with special guests Federal MP Dai Le, Fairfield Mayor Frank Carbone, and Sydney Catholic Schools Executive Director Danielle Cronin.
Festivities included a slide show documenting the years the school had been in operation, showing the difference between the facilities throughout the years.
After the morning tea was a walk through the school, which completed a large internal renovation of the classrooms and other learning spaces in 2016.
Although the 90th anniversary comes some years after the remodelling, Straub said this was the first time many were seeing the remodel.
Straub said the previous teachers marvelled at the difference to the space, reminiscing about the way it used to be before it was transformed into what she called a “contemporary learning space.”
“It’s just so vibrant and happy and really meeting the needs of a contemporary curriculum,” she said.
The post Sacred Heart Cabramatta school celebrates 90 years appeared first on The Catholic Weekly.
Thousands of young people at the opening Mass for JEMJ 2025 on July 4, 2025, at the shrine in Covadonga located in the Asturias province of Spain. / Credit: Courtesy of Marian Eucharistic Youth Day/JEMJ
Madrid, Spain, Jul 9, 2025 / 15:45 pm (CNA).
At the foot of the shrine in Covadonga located in the Asturias province of Spain — where the Reconquista began centuries ago — more than 1,700 young Catholics from 28 countries gathered recently for the second consecutive year for the Marian Eucharistic Youth Day (JEMJ, by its Spanish acronym), with the firm resolve to undertake a new “reconquest”: that of hearts.
The “Reconquista” (reconquest) refers to a series of battles over the course of centuries that in 1492 eventually ended the eighth-century Moorish conquest of Spain. The Battle of Covadonga (about 720) is considered the start of the Reconquista when Christian forces in Asturias defeated the Muslim invaders.
On the afternoon of July 4, an atmosphere of joy, singing, hugs, and reunions enveloped the surroundings of the Holy Cave and the majestic basilica, nestled in the imposing mountain landscape of the Picos de Europa. With backpacks, banners, and rosaries in hand, the first pilgrims began to arrive, ready for three days of an intense faith-filled experience.
Under the motto “I will give you a new heart,” young people participated in Masses, Eucharistic adoration, talks, Eucharistic workshops, catechesis, and even a festival in a deeply spiritual yet festive atmosphere, where the hope of a generation that has not renounced living its faith was felt.
At the heart of this youth gathering — which is becoming a key event during Catholic summer activities in Spain — are the Virgin Mary and the Eucharist. Sister Beatriz Liaño of the Servant Sisters of the Home of the Mother religious order and media liaison for JEMJ, shared a revealing anecdote with ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner.
“There were so many young people who wanted to spend the evening adoring the Blessed Sacrament at the shrine that the priests decided to also expose the sacrament on the esplanade so everyone could participate.”
The En Marcha (on the move) JEMJ association, promoter of the initiative, made the event possible with the indispensable help of the Servant Sisters of the Home of the Mother, who quietly serve, and more than 200 volunteers.
For Liaño, the JEMJ is not just a youth event: “It’s something precious, a gift from the Virgin Mary to her son, Jesus. I believe that the heart of the Mother has called all these young people together to offer them, with total respect for their freedom, a personal encounter with the living Christ in the Eucharist, capable of transforming their lives.”
Bishop Juan Carlos Elizalde of Vitoria, Spain, celebrated the opening Mass on Friday evening. More than 30 priests concelebrated.
“There is a promise of happiness in the depths of your heart, and you are on pilgrimage because you refuse to resign yourself to vegetating. You leave your home in search of happiness: a new heart, a full life,” the prelate told the young people during his homily.
Elizalde also invited the young people to reflect on what the Lord is “shouting out” to them: “We are all called; there is no one without a vocation. The Lord calls us all by name. It’s not a question of consecrated life or priesthood, it is a question of happiness, it is a question of a new heart.”
‘Reconquering what is worthwhile’
Archbishop Jesús Sanz Montes of Oviedo was also present at the event. Speaking with ACI Prensa, he recalled the words of Pope Benedict XVI during the 2005 World Youth Day in Cologne: “Looking at these youths so healthy, so hopeful, the Church is alive and the Church is young.”
For the prelate, going to Covadonga is “going up to a particularly blessed place, because here a people is born, a Christian people, and here in Mary we find a reason for hope.” He also emphasized that “we must beat with the heart of Jesus Christ.”
In his homily during the closing Mass on Sunday, July 6, Sanz invited the young people to “reconquer what is worthwhile, that which gives glory to God as Father and allows us to recognize ourselves as brothers and sisters in Jesus, his son, to proclaim the Christian good news with the power of the Holy Spirit.”
He also warned about pornography, a “deception” that “kills the soul and perverts the gaze, stealing the outlook of purity and hope.”
Presence of relic of Blessed Carlo Acutis
During the three days of the event, participants had the opportunity to pray before the relic of the heart of Carlo Acutis, the soon-to-be “millennial saint” who continues to guide the new generation of young people and show them that holiness is a goal that is possible.
Minutes before the start of JEMJ, a video message from Antonia Salzano, Carlo Acutis’ mother, was shown to the young participants. In the video, she confided to them what her son’s secret to attain holiness was: “Carlo’s secret to being a saint was: Carlo went to Mass every day, did Eucharistic adoration every day, read sacred Scripture every day, and, above all, he prayed the rosary every day, which Carlo said are exorcisms we perform for ourselves.”
Carlos Leret, international delegate of the Friends of Carlo Acutis Association, explained to ACI Prensa outside the basilica that Acutis “is an ordinary saint who challenges [people] to holiness” and emphasized that young people “love to be challenged.”
Also present at the opening of the event was Friar Marco Gaballo, rector of the Shrine of the Dispossession in Assisi, Italy, and custodian of the relic of Carlo Acutis’ heart. Speaking to ACI Prensa, he described Covadonga as “a place of faith” and expressed his gratitude for the warm reception of the relic: “It has been received with such enthusiasm and such affection… it’s been very beautiful.”
For the Franciscan, testimonies like those of Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati — who will both be canonized Sept. 7 in Rome — “are sources of inspiration” for today’s youth.
In addition, the “protector saints” of JEMJ 2025 were the 11 “Martyrs of Damascus,” eight Franciscan friars and three lay brothers murdered on the night of July 9-10, 1860. These martyrs sought the strength to go through their martyrdom in the Eucharist.
‘Make the most of your youth’
Nuria Leal, a young woman from Valencia, Spain, was in charge of presenting the JEMJ events with her brother, Nacho. “It’s a very great responsibility, but also a very great grace,” she shared with ACI Prensa.
The young laywoman, a member of the Home of the Mother, said with conviction that she is already seeing the spiritual fruits of the gathering in her own life: “It’s a weekend in which everything is designed so that the Lord constantly touches your heart. Every talk, every prayer, every workshop… the Lord uses it to enter your heart.”
“For me, it’s a rekindling of my faith, it’s a waking up and making good use of the youth that the Lord has given us, which is such a wonderful gift,” she added. “It’s discovering it in the Eucharist and bringing it to other young people who may never have heard this great message: that Jesus is alive in the Eucharist, that the Virgin Mary awaits us, she is our mother, and we are so fortunate.”
The musical ‘A Famous Nun’
On the evening of July 4, the musical “A Famous Nun” premiered on the shrine’s esplanade, based on the life of Sister Clare Crockett, a nun who died in an earthquake in Ecuador in 2016.
Crockett, originally from Ireland, died at the age of 34 as a missionary for the Servant Sisters of the Home of the Mother. Her life changed on Good Friday in 2000, at the age of 17, when she discovered the Lord’s call for her life, despite having dreamed of being recognized for her acting talent since childhood: “My God, I have a vocation! But I want to be famous... So I told myself: I’ll be a famous nun.”
The play was presented by Catholic Stuff, a YouTube project for youth evangelization, “characterized by a mix of humor, profound ideas, and sound doctrine.”
A few hours before the performance began, the star of the performance, Ana, excitedly shared the details of the show. “It will be successful thanks to the Lord’s help,” she assured.
For this young Spanish woman, Crockett taught that “you have to ask God what he wants from you. The Lord is merciful, and no matter what your past life may be, he will always welcome you in his mercy.”
Regarding last year’s JEMJ, in which she participated as a member of the choir, she highlighted drawing close to the Eucharist and her desire to continue her apostolate, especially “seeing the faith of so many young people and so many changed lives.”
As for herself, Leal said Crockett is very present in her life: “She has always been an example of dedication, of giving 110%. She had migraines, she was tired, but it never showed, and she never said no. She always said ‘everything for souls,’ so we can also say that here in Covadonga: everything for souls.”
The Virgin Mary’s care
Mateo Gratacós, 18, is one of the more than 200 volunteers who made the event possible for the second consecutive year. “You spend a weekend here and have a great time, because there’s a great atmosphere. I came back because I wanted to relive last year’s experience. Volunteering is worth it, even when the going gets tough,” he told ACI Prensa.
“It’s true that some people say young people have less faith, or that we’re constantly on social media, and that gets a lot of attention. But here we have thousands of young people who believe in God and the Virgin Mary, who have traveled from all over to come to Covadonga, and that demonstrates that it’s not true,” he said.
Finally, he turned his gaze to the Holy Cave to remind people that “the Virgin is our mother; you feel her presence here; the way she takes care of you is very powerful. There are things that are like direct messages from her, and that’s amazing. For me, that’s what Our Lady of Covadonga is, a mother.”
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
Pope Leo XIV greets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Castel Gandolfo on July 9, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media
ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 9, 2025 / 15:07 pm (CNA).
On Wednesday Pope Leo XIV took time out from his summer vacation in Castel Gandolfo to receive the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
It was the second time the two have met after exchanging greetings at the Vatican on May 18 in the context of the Mass inaugurating Pope Leo’s pontificate.
According to an official statement from the Holy See, the two leaders discussed the ongoing conflict and “the urgency of pursuing just and lasting paths of peace.”
Pope Leo XIV took time out from his summer vacation in Castel Gandolfo to receive the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
— EWTN Vatican (@EWTNVatican) July 9, 2025
It was the second time the two have met after exchanging greetings at the Vatican on May 18 in the context of the Mass inaugurating Pope Leo’s… pic.twitter.com/E2NaTM9Neg
During the meeting, held behind closed doors, the importance of dialogue was reiterated “as the best avenue for ending hostilities.”
The pope expressed his profound sorrow for the victims of the Russia-Ukraine war and renewed his spiritual closeness to the Ukrainian people, encouraging all efforts aimed at the release of prisoners and the search for shared solutions.
Leo XIV also reaffirmed the Holy See’s willingness to receive representatives of Russia and Ukraine at the Vatican with a view to possible peace negotiations. The audience lasted approximately 30 minutes.
Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude on X for the meeting and for “a very substantive conversation” with the Holy Father. “We value all the support and every prayer for peace in Ukraine,” he added.
Regarding the proposal for meetings between leaders from both sides of the conflict to be held at the Vatican, he confirmed that “it remains open and entirely possible, with the goal of stopping Russian aggression and achieving a stable, lasting, and genuine peace.”
However, he lamented that, currently, “only Moscow continues to reject this proposal, as it has turned down all other peace initiatives.”
“We will continue to strengthen global solidarity so that diplomacy can still succeed,” he added.
He also noted that he especially thanked Pope Leo for his support for Ukrainian children, “particularly those returned from Russian captivity.”
“Ukrainian children now have the opportunity for rehabilitation and rest in Italy, and such hospitality and sincerity are extremely important. Today, we also discussed the Vatican’s continued efforts to help return Ukrainian children abducted by Russia,” he noted.
He also explained that he spoke with the pontiff about the “the deep respect that Ukrainian society holds for Andrey Sheptytskyy — his actions, including the rescue of Jews during the Second World War and his defense of the Christian faith.”
Archbishop Andrey Sheptysky was a leader of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church from 1900 to 1944, who, at the risk of his own life, saved hundreds of Jews during the Nazi occupation and worked for Christian unity.
“We hope that Metropolitan Sheptytsky’s contribution and merits will receive the recognition they deserve,” the president said.
International Meeting on the Reconstruction of Ukraine
Zelenskyy’s visit to Rome is part of the Fourth International Meeting on the Reconstruction of Ukraine to be held in the Italian capital July 10–11.
This is a series of international conferences aimed at mobilizing diplomatic, financial, strategic, and political support for the country’s recovery following the Russian invasion that began in February 2022.
The meeting will be opened tomorrow by Zelenskyy and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The event brings together heads of state and government from 77 countries and a total of 1,800 attendees, including representatives of 500 companies.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass for the Care of Creation at Castel Gandolfo on Wednesday, July 9, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media
Vatican City, Jul 9, 2025 / 14:03 pm (CNA).
It was a mix of liturgical old and new in the gardens of Castel Gandolfo on Wednesday as Pope Leo XIV inaugurated a special Mass for the Care of Creation — with key portions in the ancient language of Latin.
Against a backdrop of green foliage and a large sculpture of Mary at the pope’s traditional summer residence, the pontiff prayed July 9 for more people to be converted from “the excesses of the human being, with his style of life,” which he said was a major cause of the many natural disasters taking place around the world.
“We should pray for the conversion of many people, in and outside of the Church, who still do not recognize the urgency of caring for creation, for our common home,” he said, adding that the world is burning both because of global warming and armed conflicts.
The pope also emphasized “the indestructible alliance between Creator and creatures,” which he said “mobilizes our intelligence and our efforts, so that evil may be turned into good, injustice into justice, greed into communion.”
The open-air celebration was likely the first use of the prayers and scriptural readings specified for the new Mass formulary. Inspired by Pope Francis’ environmental encyclical Laudato Si’, the “Mass for the Care of Creation” was presented at the Vatican on July 3.
Pope Leo XIV celebrated the first Mass for the Care of Creation, a new formulary of the Roman Missal, at the Laudato Si’ Village in Castel Gandolfo. pic.twitter.com/Gd19HCz0DP
— EWTN Vatican (@EWTNVatican) July 9, 2025
The Mass, attended by around 50 people involved in the Castel Gandolfo-based environmental center Borgo Laudato Si’, was celebrated in Italian but with Leo reciting certain prayers, including the collect and prayer over the offerings, in Latin.
The Borgo Laudato Si’ is an initiative to put into practice the principles for integral development outlined in Pope Francis’ environmental encyclical Laudato Si’.
Archbishop Vittorio Francesco Viola, secretary of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, told CNA by phone after the Mass that Pope Leo recited the prayers in Latin because that is how they appear in the “typical edition,” meaning the approved original, while official translations have not yet been created.
“Pope Leo is absolutely familiar with Latin; it’s certainly not a problem,” the No. 2 at the Vatican’s liturgy office added.
Pope Leo gave some insight into his personal experience with the Latin language during a meeting with hundreds of children on July 3, when he explained that he was exposed to the universal language of the Church as an altar server from around age 6, when he would serve at 6:30 a.m. Mass every day before school.
“Then it was in Latin; we still had to learn Latin for Mass, and then it changed to English,” he said. “But it wasn’t so much the language [the Mass] was celebrated in, but rather having that experience of meeting other young people who served Mass together, the friendship always, and then this closeness to Jesus in the Church.”
The pope celebrated the Mass of Care for Creation July 9 during a planned two-week stay at the pontifical estate, located in the lakeside town of Castel Gandolfo, 18 miles southeast of Rome. The period of limited private and public engagements, which comes just two months into his pontificate, will end July 20.
Pope Leo has revived the 400-year tradition of papal vacationing at Castel Gandolfo, a practice eschewed by Pope Francis.
Starting his homily for the July 9 Mass on the estate’s gardens with a few improvised comments, the pontiff invited “everyone, beginning with myself, to experience that which we are celebrating in the beauty of what you could say is a ‘natural’ cathedral, with the plants and many elements of creation which they have brought here for us to celebrate the Eucharist, which means, render thanks to the Lord.”
He pointed to a reflection pool in front of the altar and recalled a practice in the first centuries of Christianity of having the faithful enter a church by passing through a baptismal font.
Leo joked that he would not want to be baptized in that specific water, which featured waterlilies and appeared to be green with algae, but he said the “symbol of passing through the water to all be washed of our sins, of our weaknesses, and so be able to enter into the great mystery of the Church is something that we experience even today.”
Viola, who was present at Leo’s Mass, noted the significance of the location, immersed in the beautiful gardens at a site of prayer for some of Leo’s predecessors.
“The place where [the Mass] was celebrated was not chosen by chance, because it is the place where several pontiffs stopped to pray during their periods of rest in Castel Gandolfo, before that image of the Virgin Mary,” he explained.
Viola called it “a place that has always preserved a dimension of prayer and the prayer of the popes. And so gathering in that place was significant, as if to preserve the heart of [Borgo Laudato Si’] that is being built on the indications of Laudato Si’, which is a heart of spirituality.”
Pope Leo, reflecting on the Gospel passage read at Mass — Jesus’ calming of the storm at sea — said the Lord’s disciples, “at the mercy of the storm, gripped by fear,” could not yet profess knowledge of Jesus as heard in the first reading, from St. Paul’s Letter to the Colossians, that “he is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth.”
“We today,” the pontiff added, “in the faith that has been passed on to us, can instead continue: ‘He is also the head of the body, the Church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that in all things he might have preeminence.’”
“These are words that commit us throughout history, that make us a living body, the body of which Christ is the head. Our mission to protect creation, to bring it peace and reconciliation, is his own mission: the mission that the Lord has entrusted to us,” he said.
Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke during the solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul in St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, June 29, 2019. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA
Vatican City, Jul 9, 2025 / 13:33 pm (CNA).
Pope Leo XIV has written a warm and detailed letter to Cardinal Raymond Burke, thanking the American cardinal for 50 years of priestly ministry, in a gesture that marks a shift in tone following years of tension between Burke and Pope Francis.
The cardinal was one of the most prominent critics in the hierarchy of the late pope, under whom he fell conspicuously out of favor.
Leo’s letter, written in Latin and signed by the pope on June 17, was posted Tuesday by Burke on his official X account. In it, the pope praised Burke “for the prompt service he has zealously carried out and the earnest care he has demonstrated most especially for the law, which has also been of good service to the dicasteries of the Apostolic See.”
The pope went on to commend Burke’s pastoral witness, writing: “He has preached the precepts of the Gospel according to the heart of Christ and has recounted His treasures, diligently offering his devoted service to the Church universal.”
Praised be Jesus Christ! I am very humbled to have received this letter from His Holiness, Pope Leo XIV, for the celebration of the Golden Jubilee of my ordination to the Holy Priesthood. Please join me in thanking Our Lord for the election of Pope Leo XIV, Successor of Saint… pic.twitter.com/BBLX5VQxdS
— Cardinal Burke (@cardinalrlburke) July 8, 2025
In his post accompanying the papal letter, Burke wrote that he was “very humbled” by it and appealed to his followers to pray for the pope. “May God bless Pope Leo and grant him many years. Viva il Papa!” Burke wrote.
The exchange represents a striking departure from the contentious relationship between Burke and Pope Francis, under whose pontificate Burke was increasingly sidelined.
Francis removed Burke in 2013 from the Vatican Congregation for Bishops — the curial body that recommends episcopal candidates — and reassigned him the following year from the Church’s supreme court to a largely ceremonial position with the Order of Malta, later taking away many of those responsibilities and eventually removing him altogether.
A vocal critic of Pope Francis’ approach to pastoral theology, Burke twice joined other cardinals in submitting “dubia” — formal requests for clarification — regarding the pope’s teachings on Communion for divorced-and-remarried Catholics and blessings for same-sex couples.
He has also been a staunch proponent of the Traditional Latin Mass, which Francis severely restricted in 2021 through his motu proprio Traditionis Custodes. Last month, Burke made an open appeal to Pope Leo to lift the restrictions on the Latin Mass.
Late in his pontificate, Pope Francis told a meeting of Vatican officials in late 2023 that he was taking away Burke’s stipend and rent-free apartment in Rome. In response to an inquiry from CNA on Wednesday about his current situation in regard to the stipend and the apartment, Burke declined through his secretary to comment.
Burke, 77, was ordained to the priesthood by Pope Paul VI on June 29, 1975, at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome while studying at the Pontifical North American College.
He celebrated his golden jubilee with a Novus Ordo Mass of thanksgiving on Saturday at his titular church in Rome, Sant’Agata dei Goti. Among the concelebrants were Cardinals Dominique Mamberti and James Harvey, the latter of whom delivered the homily.
The cardinal’s decades-long service includes posts as bishop of La Crosse, Wisconsin (1995–2004), archbishop of St. Louis (2004–2008), and prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura (2008–2014). He was created a cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010 and served as patron of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta from 2014 to 2023.
Burke participated in the May conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly listed Cardinal Burke's age. It is 77, not 76. Also, this story was updated at 3:08 p.m. ET with the cardinal’s response to CNA’s request for comment. (Published July 9, 2025)
Rows of bunk beds line the interior of the so-called “Alligator Alcatraz” detention facility in the Florida Everglades, a repurposed training center now designated for holding immigrants. President Donald Trump appears in the background during a July 1, 2025, visit to the site, which has drawn criticism from Bishop Frank Dewane and other Catholic leaders. / Credit: The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
National Catholic Register, Jul 9, 2025 / 12:06 pm (CNA).
A Florida bishop is criticizing recent statements from public officials supporting a new detention facility for illegal immigrants in the Everglades as “obviously intentionally provocative” and degrading to the dignity of people who will be held there.
“Decency requires that we remember individuals being detained are fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters of distressed relatives,” Venice, Florida, Bishop Frank Dewane said in a written statement last week.
The Diocese of Venice in southwestern Florida includes the cities of Fort Myers and Sarasota. It also includes an underused training facility and airport that state and federal officials are turning into a detention facility for up to 1,000 people in the country illegally, dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz.”
Without naming him, Dewane criticized Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, a Republican who served as chief of staff to Gov. Ron DeSantis until DeSantis appointed him attorney general in February to fill a vacancy.
Uthmeier posted a video to social media last month touting the virtues of using the training facility, which is in the middle of the Everglades, to house immigrants here illegally.
“You don’t need to invest that much in the perimeter. People get out, there’s not much waiting for ‘em other than pythons and alligators. Nowhere to go, nowhere to hide,” Uthmeier said in the video, posted June 19.
Dewane expressed concern about the potential living conditions at the site and about the ability of Catholic clerics to provide spiritual services to inmates and staff there.
He also chided Uthmeier for what he suggested was disrespect to people who may be held there.
“It is unbecoming of public officials and corrosive of the common good to speak of the deterrence value of ‘alligators and pythons’ at the Collier-Dade facility,” Dewane said in the statement, released July 3. “I do not speak so glibly in regard to convicted felons in Florida Department of Corrections facilities.”
He also criticized the way President Donald Trump’s administration has gone about removing illegal immigrants from the United States, describing it as overreach.
“It is alarming to see enforcement strategies, which treat all unauthorized immigrants as dangerous criminals. Masked, heavily armed agents who fail to identify themselves in enforcement activities are surprising. So is an apparent lack of due process in deportation proceedings in recent months,” Dewane said.
The bishop did endorse one major goal of Trump concerning immigration enforcement.
“In describing immigration enforcement initiatives, the Trump administration has stated its focus is on removing criminal aliens who endanger public safety. This concern is widely shared. There is no argument with this,” Dewane said.
“However,” he added, “the need for just immigration enforcement and the government’s obligation to carry it out must be undertaken in a way that is targeted, humane, and proportional.”
Dewane noted that Trump has said in recent weeks that his administration plans to offer passes to foreign farmworkers who don’t have legal residency in the United States. American farmers have said they are suffering from a work shortage and that recent immigration raids have further decreased their supply of labor.
“We’re going to sort of put the farmers in charge,” Trump said during a July 3 rally.
“We don’t want to do it where we take all of the workers off the farms. We want the farms to do great like they’re doing right now,” the president said.
Dewane said the president’s recent remarks on farmworkers reflect what the bishop called “a growing recognition that many, indeed most immigrants, even those who are not lawfully present, are not dangerous but peaceful, law-abiding, and hardworking contributors to our communities and to our economy.”
The prelate called for “serious reforms” of the country’s immigration system that “preserve safety and the integrity of our borders, as well as to accommodate needs for labor, family stability, and the ability of those at risk of grave harm to migrate with due process,” without mentioning specific policies.
Dewane’s statement includes a link to a January statement on immigration from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops that says, in part, that “enforcement measures should focus on those who present genuine risks and dangers to society, particularly efforts to reduce gang activity, stem the flow of drugs, and end human trafficking.”
The bishops’ conference’s statement also calls for providing “legal processes for longtime residents and other undocumented immigrants to regularize their status.”
This story was first published by the National Catholic Register, CNA’s sister news partner, and has been adapted by CNA.
As South Sudan marks the 14th anniversary of its independence, the Bishop of Bentiu calls on the people to live out peace not merely as an abstract idea, but through concrete, everyday actions rooted in Gospel values.
Oslo Coadjutor Bishop Fredrik Hansen speaks to “EWTN News Nightly” on Tuesday, July 8, 2025. / Credit: “EWTN News Nightly”
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 9, 2025 / 11:07 am (CNA).
In celebration of the Catholic Church’s jubilee year, hundreds of pilgrims have traveled by boat to the Norwegian island of Selja to honor the feast day of St. Sunniva, Norway’s only recognized female saint.
On July 8, the feast day of St. Sunniva, Catholics from multiple countries arrived at Selja, an island just off the west coast of Norway. The faithful gathered to recognize the ninth-century Irish princess whose martyrdom inspired Norway’s first Benedictine monastery and eventually its first diocese.
Oslo Coadjutor Bishop Fredrik Hansen told “EWTN News Nightly” that the island was “where the cross of Christ first arrived in our nation and in our country. So to be here is to celebrate our history, the development of Christianity, the coming of Catholicism to our country.”
“We use it now as part of our buildup to the anniversary in 2030, 1,000 years of evangelization,” Hansen said.
The island was home to the Selja Abbey before it was abandoned in 1537 amid the Protestant Reformation. The island is now a shrine to St. Sunniva that attracts pilgrims from across the globe.
Selja is one of many Catholic pilgrimage sites welcoming the faithful during the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope.
“It felt logical, I think, for all the Catholic bishops in Norway to designate this as a site of pilgrimage, a jubilee site for people to come and to refresh their faith,” Hansen said.
The celebration on the island began with prayer as the pilgrims walked the trail from the harbor to the ruins of the monastery, where they celebrated Mass. The faithful also learned more about St. Sunniva’s life and legacy.
According to legend, Sunniva was born in Ireland but left after her father’s death. She had rejected a pagan suitor who in turn threatened to destroy her land and oppress her people. The future saint left with a number of other refugees and traveled on a boat that had no sail; the legend claims that they let the current and wind take them where God intended, eventually making it to Selja.
Newly ordained Oslo priest Father Mathias Ledum, a frequent pilgrim to Selja, told “EWTN News Nightly” how Sunniva’s story was an inspiration to him when he was discerning his vocation.
“I came here on the pilgrimage, and I just felt the intercession of Sunniva very strongly for my vocation, and given her story, going from Ireland and setting out in a boat without any oars, without any sails, and just letting God take control,” Ledum said.
Once Sunniva arrived on the island, she and the others took shelter in a cave to escape abuse from enemies they encountered. Ledum said the refugees “prayed to God to be spared from this. And then the cave fell down on top of them. So they died.”
Many years later, according to tradition, a light was witnessed in the same cave Sunnivia once hid and died in. It is said to have spread over the whole island. Many said the cave and the relics within it had an inexplicable but pleasant fragrance.
“There were signs that … these were holy people,” Ledum said. “And then this place became the seat of the first diocese in Norway. Her relics were here. The seed was planted, and you could see … the living faith of Norwegians today.”
“It’s such a great pleasure to be here and to seek their intercession … and to continue to pray for the conversion of Norway,” the priest said.
The mission of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith is “to help the Roman Pontiff and the Bishops to proclaim the Gospel throughout the world by promoting and safeguarding the integrity of Catholic teaching on faith and morals” by drawing on the deposit of faith.
In a letter published in Italian magazine Piazza San Pietro, a young mother appeals to the Pope for her children’s future, and Pope Leo replies with a message of hope.
The three parish priests of the Latin, Greek Orthodox, and Melkite churches denounce repeated violence against Christian residents and their property in the West Bank. The priests call on the international and ecclesial community to send field missions to document the damage and the worsening situation.
The Catholic Cathedral of Limburg in Hesse, Germany. / Credit: Mylius via Wikimedia (GFDL 1.2)
CNA Newsroom, Jul 9, 2025 / 09:50 am (CNA).
The Catholic Church in Germany is facing a cascading financial crisis as declining revenues force dioceses nationwide to implement drastic spending cuts, with one diocese projecting a staggering deficit of over 100 million euros (about $117 million) by 2035.
The Diocese of Limburg — led by the chairman of the German Bishops’ Conference, Bishop Georg Bätzing — recorded its first annual deficit of 810,000 euros (about $937,000) in 2024.
The deficit signals the beginning of what some describe as an inevitable financial reckoning, reported CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner.
The diocese attributes the shortfall to “rising personnel and pension costs, a continuing decline in church tax revenues, and the financial consequences of societal megatrends such as demographic change, declining church affiliation, and increasing secularization.”
The financial pressures extend beyond individual dioceses to the national level, reports CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner.
The Association of German Dioceses, which serves as a legal entity for the German Bishops’ Conference, has announced “ambitious austerity measures” that require cuts of approximately 8 million euros ($9.4 million) from its 129-million-euro ($151.2 million) budget. The association’s full assembly mandated that a balanced budget be presented for fiscal year 2027.
Only recently, however, the German Church was awash with cash. Church tax revenue peaked at 6.76 billion euros (about $7.92 billion) in 2019, up by more than 100 million euros on the previous year, despite a record exodus of 272,771 Catholics that same year.
The windfall reflected Germany’s robust pre-pandemic economy, which temporarily masked structural weaknesses now coming sharply into view.
The financial crisis increasingly reflects the reality in the pews, namely, a precipitous decline in German Catholic membership and practice.
For the first time, the number of Catholics in Germany has dropped below 20 million, with a total of 19,769,237 recorded in 2024 — a decrease of more than 576,000 from the previous year. Catholics now represent less than a quarter of Germany’s population of 83.6 million.
Even more striking is the collapse in active faith practice. Only 6.6% of German Catholics — just over 1.3 million people — regularly attend Sunday Mass, meaning less than 2% of the entire German population participates in weekly Catholic worship.
The Church in Germany recorded more than 321,000 formal resignations in 2024, compared with approximately 6,600 new members and readmissions.
Vicar General Father Wolfgang Pax emphasized that Limburg’s approach would avoid indiscriminate cuts. The prelate said: “Our goal is not to cut with a lawnmower. We want to align budgetary policy decisions with our ecclesiastical mission and strategic goals — with a clear compass in stormy times.”
The financial constraints come as questions persist about the Church’s spending on Germany’s controversial Synodal Way, a multiyear initiative that has drawn worldwide criticism and warnings of potential schism.
Reports raised the question of whether the organizers spent more than 5.7 million euros (about $6.7 million) on the project between 2019 and 2022, although Church officials have declined to confirm such calculations.
The spending has proven particularly contentious, given that the Catholic Church in Germany is funded by both state payments and a mandatory church tax — 8% to 9% of income tax for registered Catholics — making it one of the world’s richest Catholic institutions.
Beate Gilles, general secretary of the German Bishops’ Conference, acknowledged the severity of the situation: “The austerity process, which is already running parallel in many dioceses, is unavoidable. There will be hard cuts that are inevitable.”
She warned that the Church would be forced to withdraw support from important projects due to resource limitations.
Pope Leo offers encouragement to Latin American catechists gathering in Asuncion, Paraguay, for study days focused on the synodal path.
