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Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/catholicnewsagency/dailynews

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<title>Catholic News Agency</title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com</link>
<description>ACI Prensa's latest initiative is the Catholic News Agency (CNA), aimed at serving
the English-speaking Catholic audience. ACI Prensa (www.aciprensa.com)
is currently the largest provider of Catholic news in Spanish and Portuguese.</description>
<language>en</language>
<copyright>Copyright © 2006-2025, CNA</copyright>
<ttl>60</ttl>
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<title>CNA</title>
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<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com</link>
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<item>
<title><![CDATA[ 40 new priests ordained in Vietnam ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265145/40-new-priests-ordained-in-vietnam</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265145/40-new-priests-ordained-in-vietnam</guid>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/Sacred_Heart_Cathedral_in_the_Diocese_of_Da_Nang_Vietnam_Oct_2_2010_Credit_Andreas_Bossard_via_Flickr_CC_BY_NC_SA_20_CNA_1_26_15.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
Sacred Heart Cathedral in Da Nang, Vietnam. / Credit: Andreas Bossard via Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
</div>
ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 3, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).
The Catholic Church in Vietnam welcomed with great joy and hope the ordination of 40 new priests during June, the month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.According to the Vatican news agency <a href="https://www.fides.org/en/news/76525-ASIA_VIETNAM_Forty_new_priests_in_Vietnam_during_the_month_of_the_Sacred_Heart_of_Jesus" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Fides</a>, the Diocese of Da Nang welcomed six new priests, “consecrated to be each an ‘alter Christus’ [‘another Christ’], to become pastors of the people of God, not to live for themselves but to be all things to all people,” said Archbishop Joseph Dang Duc Ngan, archbishop of Huế and apostolic administrator of Da Nang, in his homily at the ordination Mass on June 24 in the local cathedral before numerous faithful.“A priest does not become perfect from the day of his ordination. The priesthood is a journey of daily growth in Christ and constant strengthening in the Holy Spirit to fulfill the mission of God and the Church with joy and true love,” the prelate emphasized.Bishop Peter Le Tan Loi celebrated the ordination Mass of 13 new priests on June 25 at the Soc Trang Cathedral in the Diocese of Can Tho.During the Eucharist, the prelate invited the faithful present to “unite in prayer and accompany the new priests, so that they may always lead a life faithful to their pastoral identity: humble, holy, and dedicated to the flock.”On June 27, the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the <a href="https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2025/06/27/250627e.html" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Day for the Sanctification of Priests</a>, 21 new priests were ordained for the Archdiocese of Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon).Archbishop Joseph Nguyen Nang said in his homily that “the priest is not like a robot of the modern age. In his ministry, the priest takes God’s will seriously so that, in every action — liturgical, pastoral, and charitable — he may transmit the good news.”Fides also reported that at the Shrine of Our Lady of Bai Dau in the Diocese of Ba Ria, Bishop Emmanuel Nguyen Hong Son ordained six new deacons, also on June 27.<h2>Pope Leo XIV’s meets with country’s vice president </h2>On Monday, June 30, Pope Leo XIV received the vice president of Vietnam, Vo Thi Anh Xuan, <a href="https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2025-06/pope-leo-xiv-receives-vice-president-of-vietnam.html" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">in an audience</a> at the Vatican, a gesture that confirms the positive development of relations between the southeast Asian country and the Holy See.<figure class="mx-auto" style="width:100%"><img src="https://admin.catholicnewsagency.com/images/popeleovietnamevp070225.jpg" class="img-fluid" style="null" alt="Pope Leo XIV meets with Vietnam Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan on June 30, 2025, at the Vatican. Credit: Vatican Media"><figcaption class="caption text-muted">Pope Leo XIV meets with Vietnam Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan on June 30, 2025, at the Vatican. Credit: Vatican Media</figcaption></figure>A statement from the Vatican press office reported that “great appreciation was expressed for the positive development of relations between the Holy See and Vietnam.” In particular, the implementation of the historic 2023 agreement on the pontifical representative resident in Vietnam was highlighted, which allowed the Holy See to once again have a representative in the country, something that had not happened since 1975, when the communist government expelled the apostolic delegate.Vietnam has nearly 93 million inhabitants. Of these, approximately 6.8 million, or 7.4% of the population, are Catholics, according to <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/262883/worldwide-catholic-population-hits-14-billion" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">statistics</a> published by the Holy See. This story <a href="https://www.aciprensa.com/noticias/114889/40-nuevos-sacerdotes-para-vietnam-ordenados-en-junio-mes-del-sagrado-corazon-de-jesus" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">was first published</a> by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
]]></description>
<category>Asia - Pacific</category>
<pubDate>Thu, 03 Jul 2025 06:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[ Dominican Father Ambrose Little appointed new director of Thomistic Institute ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265143/dominican-father-ambrose-little-appointed-new-director-of-thomistic-institute</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265143/dominican-father-ambrose-little-appointed-new-director-of-thomistic-institute</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ <div style="width: 100%; margin-bottom: 25px;">
<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/dominicanhouseofstudies070225.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
The Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C. / Credit: Farragutful, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
</div>
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 2, 2025 / 18:37 pm (CNA).
An organization encouraging the presence of “the Catholic intellectual tradition” in universities across the globe has a new leader. Dominican Father Ambrose Little has been appointed the new director of the <a href="https://thomisticinstitute.org/about" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Thomistic Institute</a> (TI), a position held for the past seven years by Father Dominic Legge, OP, who has now been named president of the Pontifical Faculty at the Dominican House of Studies.“The Thomistic Institute is one of the most dynamic apostolates in the Church, and we are immensely proud that it is an institute of our Pontifical Faculty,” Legge said in a <a href="https://go.thomisticinstitute.org/webmail/925793/995412276/b6e7b5dbcef758515a230da584e768ab8c79191ae7f0b696918cbee677c19f2e" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">statement</a>. “It is very dear to my heart! Serving as the TI director has been one of the greatest privileges of my life. I am therefore delighted to announce that, as my first official act as president, I have appointed Father Ambrose Little, OP, as the new director of the Thomistic Institute,” Legge said. The Thomistic Institute was founded in 2009 “to promote Catholic truth in our contemporary world by strengthening the intellectual formation of Christians at universities, in the Church, and in the wider public square,” according to the institute’s website. The institute pursues initiatives “focused on St. Thomas Aquinas’ thought, including academic lectures, student chapters, and online resources.”An academic institute of the <a href="http://www.dhs.edu/" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Pontifical Faculty of the Dominican House of Studies</a> located in Washington, D.C., students have also founded campus chapters of the institute at more than 80 universities across the globe. The academic chapters organize lectures with Catholic scholars on philosophy and theology as well as hold reading groups, debates, and conferences to “expose students to the riches of the Catholic intellectual tradition and help them explore it further.”Little is a Dominican friar of the Province of St. Joseph. He entered the Order of Preachers in 2007 after graduating from The Catholic University of America (CUA) with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy. Ordained a priest in 2013, he returned to CUA to complete a licentiate in philosophy and wrote a dissertation titled “Aristotelian Change and the Scala Naturae.” He taught for two years at Providence College in Rhode Island and was a visiting scholar at Boston College. In 2014, Little began studying for a doctorate in philosophy at the University of Virginia and graduated in 2021. Afterward, he was appointed a lecturer in philosophy at the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception.“Father Ambrose is a superb teacher and scholar, an excellent leader, and a great brother and friend,” Legge said. “For the past three years, he has served as assistant director of the TI, and I’ve been deeply impressed by what I’ve seen.”“Because the TI is an institute of our faculty … I will not be going far away,” Legge said, “I’m just down the hall.” He vowed to continue supporting the organization “as this vibrant outreach continues to grow and bear fruit.”
]]></description>
<category>US</category>
<pubDate>Wed, 02 Jul 2025 18:37:00 -0400</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[ UN delegation makes surprise visit to Catholic parish in Gaza ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265147/un-delegation-makes-surprise-visit-to-catholic-parish-in-gaza</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265147/un-delegation-makes-surprise-visit-to-catholic-parish-in-gaza</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ <div style="width: 100%; margin-bottom: 25px;">
<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/storage/image/holyfamilygaza041524.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
People gather at the Roman Catholic Church of the Holy Family on Palm Sunday in al-Zaitoun neighborhood of Gaza City on March 24, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. / Credit: AFP via Getty Images
</div>
Stockholm, Sweden, Jul 2, 2025 / 18:17 pm (CNA).
A United Nations delegation made a surprise visit on Tuesday to Holy Family Parish, the only Latin-rite Catholic Church in Gaza, which hosts hundreds of people displaced by the war. According to Servizio Informazione Religiosa (SIR), the news agency of the Italian bishops’ conference, representatives from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) visited the parish on July 1 to survey the current situation there. “It was their first visit here to the parish,” Argentine Father Gabriel Romanelli, pastor of Holy Family Parish, told <a href="https://www.agensir.it/quotidiano/2025/7/1/striscia-di-gaza-delegazione-onu-visita-la-parrocchia-latina-romanelli-parroco-al-sir-abbiamo-pregato-per-la-pace/" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">SIR</a>. “The delegation wanted to check on our conditions, greeted our displaced people, and gathered their testimonies of distress.”Romanelli noted that the delegation members greeted displaced persons and “gathered their testimonies of distress.”“Despite the critical situation, the U.N. representatives visited the parish facilities, toured the compound, and also dedicated time to the severely disabled children — all from Muslim families — who are lovingly cared for by the Missionaries of Charity,” Romanelli told SIR.“We also had a prayer for peace in the church,” he said. “When they said goodbye, they thanked us for the work of solidarity and hospitality we carry out for the Christian community and the many Muslim families in need who live here in our neighborhood.”Since the start of the war, the parish in Gaza has been aiding the local population since Israel began its war following the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas militants. Since then, thousands of Palestinians in the enclave have been killed, wounded, or displaced.In a <a href="https://www.agensir.it/mondo/2025/07/01/gaza-strip-father-romanelli-hope-is-equally-crushed-by-the-silence-of-the-international-community/" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">separate interview with SIR</a>, Romanelli said the international community’s silence to the humanitarian crisis Palestinians are facing was “as deadly as the weapons in Gaza.” The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) was criticized after soldiers allegedly fired on unarmed refugees awaiting humanitarian relief trucks. Furthermore, a recent exposé by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that soldiers were ordered to fire on unarmed civilians, prompting an inquiry into possible war crimes. Nevertheless, Romanelli said those living in Gaza don’t know what to expect, as often they are told “that a truce is imminent” only to receive evacuation orders “in anticipation of military operations” the following day. “One day, humanitarian aid is announced; the next, Israel blocks its entry. Everyone is under severe psychological strain,” the priest said. “All we know here is that the death toll is rising. People wander from one part of the [Gaza] Strip to another, dragging behind them whatever possessions they have left.”As the only Latin-rite Catholic parish in the enclave, Holy Family Parish received particular attention from the late Pope Francis, who <a href="https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2025-05/fr-romanelli-with-pope-leo-we-felt-a-new-encouragement.html" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">called Romanelli every day</a>. Pope Francis made his final call to the parish <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/263567/two-days-before-his-death-pope-francis-made-final-call-to-pastor-of-gaza-parish" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">two days</a> before his death on April 21.
]]></description>
<category>Middle East - Africa</category>
<pubDate>Wed, 02 Jul 2025 18:17:00 -0400</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[ Pope Leo XIV encourages Ukrainian bishops during meeting at the Vatican ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265139/pope-leo-encourages-ukrainian-bishops</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265139/pope-leo-encourages-ukrainian-bishops</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ <div style="width: 100%; margin-bottom: 25px;">
<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/popeleosvitoslavshevchuk070225.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
Pope Leo XIV greets Sviatoslav Shevchuk, primate of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, on July 2, 2025, at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media
</div>
ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 2, 2025 / 17:47 pm (CNA).
Following last week’s meeting <a href="https://www.aciprensa.com/noticias/114801/leon-xiv-recibe-a-los-peregrinos-y-obispos-de-la-iglesia-greco-catolica-ucraniana" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">with pilgrims</a> from the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday received <a href="https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2025/07/02/250702a.html" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">in audience</a> the bishops who are members of the Ukrainian church’s synod.Noting that the encounter is taking place in the context of the jubilee year, in the July 2 meeting Leo recalled the words of Pope Francis, who said that “hope does not disappoint, because it is founded on the love of God in Christ Jesus, Our Lord.”In the context of the bloody war in Ukraine, the Holy Father acknowledged that “it is not easy to talk about hope to you.” “It is not easy to find words of consolation for the families who have lost their loved ones in this senseless war,” he said.Addressing the Ukrainian bishops, he noted that they are “in contact every day with people wounded in their heart and in their flesh.” Despite these wounds, the pope said he has received “many testimonies of faith and hope on the part of men and women of your people.”For the pontiff, this is a sign of the power of God, “which manifests itself in the midst of the rubble of destruction.”“I am aware that you have many needs to meet, in both the ecclesial and humanitarian spheres. You are called to serve Christ in every wounded and distressed person who turns to your communities asking for concrete help,” he noted.In this context, Pope Leo expressed his closeness to the prelates of the region and to all the faithful of the Church and encouraged them to remain “united in the one faith and the one hope.”“Our communion is a great mystery: It is also a real communion with all our brothers and sisters whose lives have been taken from this earth but are accepted in God. In him everything lives and finds fullness of meaning,” he emphasized.Finally, he emphasized that “we are always comforted by the certainty that the holy Mother of God is with us, aids us, and guides us toward her Son, who is our peace.” Before concluding the audience, the pontiff invited those present to sing the Lord’s Prayer in Ukrainian.This story <a href="https://www.aciprensa.com/noticias/114913/dios-se-manifiesta-en-medio-de-los-escombros-de-la-destruccion-alienta-el-papa-a-los-ucranianos" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">was first published</a> by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
]]></description>
<category>Vatican</category>
<pubDate>Wed, 02 Jul 2025 17:47:00 -0400</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[ Pope Leo XIV’s hometown votes to purchase his childhood home ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265141/pope-leo-xivs-hometown-votes-to-purchase-his-childhood-home</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265141/pope-leo-xivs-hometown-votes-to-purchase-his-childhood-home</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ <div style="width: 100%; margin-bottom: 25px;">
<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/boyhood.home.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
The childhood home of Pope Leo XIV in Dolton, Illinois. / Credit: “EWTN News in Depth”/Screenshot
</div>
CNA Staff, Jul 2, 2025 / 17:17 pm (CNA).
In a unanimous vote at a special board meeting held on July 1, the village council of Dolton, Illinois, voted to purchase the childhood home of the first U.S.-born pope, Robert Francis Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV.Newly-elected Dolton Mayor Jason House called for the vote, which was unanimous, after hearing from the trustees and allowing for comment from members of the public, several of whom opposed the home purchase by the cash-strapped village.Amid the pushback from Dolton residents who complained about the dilapidated state of local roads and the village’s high debt, House said the purchase would eventually “pay for itself,” calling it a “historical opportunity.”In Dolton, the per capita income is $29,776 and 20% of the residents live in poverty, according to<a href="https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/doltonvillageillinois/IPE120223" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> census data</a>.Trustee Edward Steave referred to the “busloads of people” in and out of the village to see the house since the pope’s election, emphasizing the economic benefits visitors to the historic site would bring to the community.Also acknowledging residents’ concerns, Trustee Kiana Belcher asked them to “stand with us as we make this decision because we know it will help all of us as a village.”Trustee Stanley Brown said that while he is not a Catholic himself, he is a Christian who would like to “help out the Catholics.”“I just believe in this opportunity that’s been given us, and I believe in waiting on the Lord,” Brown continued. “He’s here to strengthen our town, so don’t let this opportunity get away from us!”“We have been put on the back row … and now we have the opportunity to get on the front row, and we don’t want to let this opportunity get away from us,” he said.Dolton City Attorney Burt Odelson agreed, telling CNA that a “world of opportunity” has opened for the small suburb, which is like “no other place in the world.”“Things are just going to get better and better for the people of Dolton,” he said. On the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/vodolton/" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Village of Dolton’s Facebook page</a> on July 1, the village posted photos of the house getting a new roof, paid for by a donor, according to Odelson.“The pope’s house continues to draw in people, bringing new energy and attention to our village. This increased traffic represents a new day in Dolton — full of potential, progress, and promise,” the village wrote on its Facebook page.Speaking to the press after the meeting, House said he hopes to close the deal on the house purchase within two weeks and hopes the house can be “converted into its ultimate form” within 30-60 days.House said the village will have the help of a “number of partnerships,” possibly referring to the Archdiocese of Chicago.As it considers next steps, Odelson said the village has done research on how former popes’ homes are preserved around the world. Last month, he told <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/264899/auction-for-the-sale-of-popes-childhood-home-extended" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">CNA </a>that he was speaking with someone “high up” in the archdiocese who was helping “guide” the village in its goal to preserve the historic home.The Archdiocese of Chicago did not respond to CNA’s request for comment by the time of publication.Odelson told CNA in June that once the house has been purchased, the village will set up a nonprofit charity to help fundraise for the preservation of the house and the revitalization of the neighborhood.“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to preserve what many people believe is a sacred” place, Odelson told CNA about the pope’s former home. “We need to do it right and we don’t have the funds to do it right. We have to lean on others.”People from “all over the U.S. have already offered to help preserve the house,” Odelson said, “and the charity will enable them to do so.”On the heels of the pope’s election in May, Odelson and House said at the time that the city intended to purchase the modest three-bedroom, 1,050-square-foot brick home, which had been listed for sale since January.Realtor Steve Budzik told CNA in May that as soon as the owner, house renovator Pawel Radzik, found out the house he had updated and listed for sale once belonged to the newly elected pope, he removed it from the market to “reassess” the situation.Radzik relisted it for sale by auction through Paramount Realty auction house. The auction was originally set to close on June 17 but was extended “to finalize negotiations with the village of Dolton,” Odelson told CNA in June.Odelson told CNA that he hopes to close on the property in the coming week. While he did not disclose the final sale price, he said it was much lower than the $1 million Budzik had said he thought the house might sell for at auction.
]]></description>
<category>US</category>
<pubDate>Wed, 02 Jul 2025 17:17:00 -0400</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[ Young European Catholics release manifesto: ‘The revolution has begun’ ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265137/young-european-catholics-release-manifesto-the-revolution-has-begun</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265137/young-european-catholics-release-manifesto-the-revolution-has-begun</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ <div style="width: 100%; margin-bottom: 25px;">
<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/youngchristiansvatican070225.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
Representatives of the International Committee of the “Rome 25 - Santiago 27 - Jerusalem 33” initiative present their project on July 2, 2025, at the Vatican. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA
</div>
ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 2, 2025 / 16:47 pm (CNA).
A project conceived as a true “<a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/264667/christian-youths-embark-on-a-spiritual-revolution-to-restore-europes-soul" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">spiritual revolution</a>” was presented at the Vatican on July 2, promoted by young Christians from all over Europe who, in their search for meaning, aspire to place Christ at the center of their lives and, with hope, restore the soul of the Old Continent.The initiative began to take shape two years ago when, acting on an inspiration, Bishop Mikel Garciandía — bishop of Palencia, Spain, and former rector of St. Michael Shrine in Navarre — saw the possibility of coordinating the participation of young people in a project through the Network of St. Michael Shrines in Europe.However, what initially appeared would end with the Jubilee of Hope in 2025 has taken on an international dimension and a broader horizon, with its sights now set on the Jubilee of Redemption in 2033, to be celebrated in Jerusalem. “Things are happening that seemed impossible a month ago,” Garciandía commented during the July 2 presentation.With the support of the Bishops’ Subcommission for Youth and Children of the Spanish Bishops’ Conference as well as the Archdiocese of Santiago de Compostela, the Church in Jerusalem, and, more recently, the Vatican, a new proposal has taken shape, inviting young Christians across the continent to open up a pathway to faith and hope for a new European generation.As a result, “Rome ‘25, the Way of James ‘27, Jerusalem ‘33” is underway. It’s a project created by young people for young people, including those who do not believe but who nonetheless seek meaning in their lives. Specifically, the initiative invites Christians to encounter the Lord through pilgrimage, healing, and evangelization.In June, the project’s promoters <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/264751/young-people-present-to-leo-xiv-their-spiritual-renewal-project-for-europe" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">presented the initiative</a> to Pope Leo XIV. “We are convinced that he supports the project,” Garciandía stated Wednesday, adding that this conviction is what led them to officially present it today at the Vatican.Foundational to the project has been the development of a manifesto, discerned and written by thousands of young Europeans: a “living voice” of a generation “that doesn’t give up, that believes, that dreams, and above all, that loves,” as stated in the document’s presentation.“This text didn’t originate in an office or from an institutional strategy. It is born from the wound of a generation that has suffered, that is looking for meaning, and that, even so, believes. We believe that Christ is alive, that the Church remains a home, and that Europe can rediscover its soul if it dares to listen to it,” explained Fernando Moscardó, a spokesman and one of the project’s coordinators.<h2>‘The revolution has begun’</h2>Speaking before the media gathered at the Holy See Press Office, the young Spaniard emphasized that “we’re not coming to engage in politics” but to “proclaim the Gospel, to joyfully raise a banner that is not ideological but profoundly spiritual and ecclesial.”“This manifesto is an act of faith and a call to hope. It’s the voice of young people who do not want to stay on the sidelines, who do not have to say forcefully, ‘We want more’; we want Christ at the center... The revolution has begun, the Spirit is blowing,” he said.The document will be published on the project’s <a href="https://linktr.ee/j2r2033_stampa?utm_source=linktree_profile_share&ltsid=85fa5865-cbf2-4ab9-92a2-0cbcc93747f2&fbclid=PAQ0xDSwLR5nFleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABp8XSxLn8dNDv7SxPcuFbi5XuiLl2qZnu9hFRAQdvJSNhQkhHOwSPvfHOQjHF_aem_oHiQZ4n9AZqoUgu2_IbWHQ" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">official website</a>, and all those “who feel part of it” are encouraged to sign it. In addition, all information, updates, and progress on the initiative will be shared through social media under the name J2R2033 (Journey to Redemption 2033).Also participating in the press conference was Father Antonio Ammirati, secretary-general of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences, who reiterated his support for the initiative to accompany young people in their “search for meaning.”The presentation included a video address by Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, where the project will conclude. The cardinal said that the young people of the Church in the Holy Land “also want to be part of this beautiful project.”After lamenting that due to the political situation and the war ravaging the region, many young people are unable to make the pilgrimage to Rome, he assured them of his prayers that “in 2033 the world will be different and there will be peace.”<h2>The religious dimension of pilgrimage</h2>Monsignor Graziano Borgonovo, undersecretary of the Dicastery for Evangelization, explained the meaning of the word “pilgrim” and emphasized that following Christ does not mean standing still but rather “setting out on a journey” to “proclaim the Gospel of Jesus, present and alive.”Archbishop Paolo Giulietti of Lucca, Italy, representing the Italian Bishops’ Conference, emphasized the need to restore to pilgrimage sites and routes their “religious dimension,” sometimes obscured by consumerism and tourism. “These places were established for spiritual quests and the celebration of faith,” the Italian prelate said.Also participating in the extensive briefing — via remote connection — was the archbishop of Santiago de Compostela in Spain, Francisco José Prieto Fernández, who recalled the invitation St. John Paul II extended to Europe to return to its roots: “Europe, be yourself,” the sainted pope exhorted in 1982.The prelate highlighted the path toward the “horizon of transcendence” that this initiative presents, a “beautiful metaphor for following Christ” throughout life.Finally, Monsignor Marco Gnavi, parish priest at the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere and host of the upcoming Aug. 1 event, where the manifesto will be presented in the context of the July 28 to Aug. 3 Jubilee of Youth, said he was “surprised by the enthusiasm of young people,” especially in a time of “painful changes.”“In a desperate world, full of conflict, it is important to be oriented toward the horizon,” remarked the prelate, who envisions this event as “a waystation of prayer and joy” for young people, who will return home “having received something more,” a special grace.This story <a href="https://www.aciprensa.com/noticias/114905/manifiesto-de-los-jovenes-cristianos-de-europa-llega-al-vaticano" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">was first published</a>by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
]]></description>
<category>Vatican</category>
<pubDate>Wed, 02 Jul 2025 16:47:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Prominent Catholic bioethics center in Oxford, England, shuttered amid financial strain ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265135/prominent-catholic-bioethics-center-in-oxford-shuttered-amid-financial-strain</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/storage/image/1-oxford-aerial-panorama-2016-cropped.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
An aerial view of Oxford, England, taken on Oct. 14, 2016. / Credit: Chensiyuan via Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 2, 2025 / 16:17 pm (CNA).
A prominent Catholic bioethics center in Oxford, England, has shut down after nearly 50 years due to financial constraints, according to an announcement from its director, David Albert Jones. “It is with immense sadness we announce that staff have recently been informed of ‘the closure of the Anscombe Bioethics Centre, Oxford’” Jones <a href="https://bioethics.org.uk/news-events/news-from-the-centre/the-closure-of-the-anscombe-bioethics-centre/" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">wrote in a statement </a>on Anscombe’s website.  “This decision has been made on financial grounds by the center’s corporate trustee, the Catholic Trust for England and Wales.”The center said it is no longer accepting donations and will no longer respond to queries after July 31. The Anscombe Bioethics Centre is an Oxford-based research institute dedicated to serving the Catholic Church in the United Kingdom and Ireland through its promotion of research on bioethics.Bioethicists at the center have regularly engaged in global discussion on bioethics, publishing biomedical research and academic books as well as making frequent expert commentary on <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256050/indi-gregory-dies-what-went-wrong-and-what-happens-next" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">breaking news stories</a> in the media, <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254289/uk-birth-of-three-parent-baby-came-at-a-high-moral-cost-catholic-bioethicists-warn" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">including for CNA</a>. Anscombe is the oldest national institute in bioethics in the British and Irish Isles, <a href="https://bioethics.org.uk/about-us/" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">according to its website</a>. The center takes its name from Elizabeth Anscombe, a Catholic philosopher who “taught in Oxford and Cambridge, debated with C.S. Lewis, and studied with Wittgenstein [and] was well-known for her defense of human life and for sparking the contemporary revival of virtue ethics.” Describing the announcement as being “in sorrow but with gratitude and steadfast hope,” Jones thanked Anscombe’s donors, noting that much of its funding had been provided through “the generosity of many thousands of parishioners” across the U.K. as well as the Catholic community in Ireland. “We would like to emphasize that, though the center is now being closed, these donations have not been wasted but have helped educate and support generations of conscientious health care professionals, clerics, and laypeople over almost 50 years,” Jones wrote. “This support has also helped prevent repeated attempts to legalize euthanasia or assisted suicide in Britain and Ireland from 1993 to the present.”Even in instances where laws that go against Church teaching on human dignity have passed, Jones noted that “the center has maintained a witness [to] the dignity of human life from conception to natural death.”“We give thanks to God, and to our patron St. Raphael, for all that has been done through our work,” he said. While Anscombe will soon no longer be able to provide expert witness on bioethics, Jones encouraged people to make use of its resources made available throughout the years and to continue to “engage with the Scottish Parliament and with the House of Lords as these bodies continue to debate dangerous and ill-thought-out legislation.”“The burning issues of our day, from IVF to genetic manipulation of humans, to end-of-life decision-making, demand an expert voice to be able to explain the key moral and ethical concerns that are at stake, and to do so in a way that is convincing in the midst of our turbulent and confused culture,” Father Tadeusz Pacholczyk, a senior bioethicist at the National Catholic Bioethics Center, told CNA in reaction to the news.“The Anscombe Bioethics Centre provided a much-needed voice in the midst of so many of these challenging public debates, not only in Britain but in Europe and beyond,” he continued. “We are all very grateful for the excellent work they offered. Their closing reminds us of the importance of assuring robust and ongoing support for the unique kind of ethical analysis offered by committed Catholics working together in the fields of medical ethics and bioethics.”
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<category>Europe</category>
<pubDate>Wed, 02 Jul 2025 16:17:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Vatican grants exemption from Traditional Latin Mass restrictions to Texas parish ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265133/vatican-grants-exemption-from-traditional-latin-mass-restrictions-to-texas-parish</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/storage/image/confiteorattridentinemass073024.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
An exemption to the restrictions on the Traditional Latin Mass has been granted to a parish in the Archdiocese of San Angelo, Texas. / Credit: James Bradley, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 2, 2025 / 14:51 pm (CNA).
The Vatican has granted a parish in Texas an exemption from restrictions to the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) imposed by Pope Francis’ decree Traditionis Custodes. The exemption, requested by <a href="https://sanangelodiocese.org/bishop-michael-j-sis" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Bishop Michael Sis</a> on Feb. 6, was granted to St. Margaret of Scotland Parish in the Diocese of San Angelo, Texas.No other such exemption by Pope Leo XIV has been reported since the start of his pontificate. “The Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments informed me in a decree of May 28, 2025, that my request has been granted for a further two years for a dispensation from article 3§2 of the <a href="https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/motu_proprio/documents/20210716-motu-proprio-traditionis-custodes.html" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">motu proprio</a> Traditionis Custodes, so that Mass according to the ‘Missale Romanum’ of 1962 may be celebrated in the parish church of St. Margaret of Scotland in San Angelo,” Sis, who previously served as a member of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Doctrine, said in a statement he shared with CNA. “Just as before,” he added, “the granting of this dispensation is based upon an ongoing effort to promote the full appreciation and acceptance of the liturgical books renewed by decree of the Second Vatican Council and promulgated by popes St. Paul VI and St. John Paul II.”Sis noted further that when he submitted his request for the extension to the Vatican, he did so “with a spirit of total openness to whatever is the will of God.” He continued: “I trust the judgment of our Holy Father Pope Leo and those who assist him in his ministry of unity through the various dicasteries of the Holy See.”The exemption was originally announced in a June 27 social media post by the diocese’s director of vocations, Father Ryan Rojo.<div class="twitter-wrapper"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">I’m grateful to <a href="https://twitter.com/Pontifex?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Pontifex</a> and to the Dicastery for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments for allowing the TLM to continue to exist in our parish church, extending permission for another two years. We look forward to shepherding them to heaven with love and care. <a href="https://t.co/NBKUU0TRY4">pic.twitter.com/NBKUU0TRY4</a>— Fr. Ryan Rojo 🇺🇸🇻🇦🇲🇽 (@FrRyanRojo) <a href="https://twitter.com/FrRyanRojo/status/1938652642387075441?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2025</a></blockquote><script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><div class="drag-handle" data-drag-handle="true"> </div></div>“I’m grateful to <a href="https://x.com/Pontifex" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">@Pontifex</a> and to the Dicastery for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments for allowing the TLM to continue to exist in our parish church, extending permission for another two years,” Rojo wrote in the June 27 post. St. Margaret’s pastor, Father Freddy Perez, told CNA: “Now that we have the permission, the attitude is one of relief; I saw a lot of relief this past weekend.” Although the Vatican’s approval was dated May 28, Perez said he did not receive notification of the approval from his bishop until last week. Perez revealed that the letter from the Vatican praised St. Margaret’s for the steps it took to follow the Holy Father’s motu proprio. The Vatican “commended our efforts and our ‘pastoral concern to instill a clear appreciation for the Church as unique, lex orandi,’” Perez told CNA, adding: “That’s a direct quote from the letter we were sent.” Though the pastor noted some negativity from parishioners about having to ask permission to celebrate the TLM, his approach is to explain that “this is where the Church is right now, and is where we have to be obedient.” Beyond the two-year extension, Perez said, “my hopes are just to continue to bring a positive experience of the liturgy to all of my people, to try to bring them into the Gospel, into the teachings of the Church, as we’re taught, and to try to teach them that the Mass gets us ready for heaven.” Though the parish experienced uncertainty over whether it would be allowed to continue celebrating the TLM, Perez said the advice of Auxiliary Bishop Mario Avilés helped guide him. “The advice he gave me was very simple,” the pastor recalled. “He said: ‘Just be obedient, son.” “And I think just putting my eyes on the Lord has satisfied everything that I wouldn’t be able to do through my own spirit of protest or my spirit of just being angry about not getting my way, by conforming my will to the will of Our Lord,” Perez reflected. “We’re in this world temporarily, and at the end of the day, we are asked to be faithful to Our Lord Jesus Christ and his holy mother Church.” According to Perez, St. Margaret’s has been offering the TLM for just over five years, currently on Sunday afternoons and Thursday mornings. The TLM community, he said, consists mostly of young families as well as curious people who are interested in experiencing the liturgy. The small parish consists of about 200 families, he said, noting that attendance at the TLM is usually on the larger side for the parish, with about 140 to 200 people each week.News of St. Margaret’s exemption comes <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/264805/detroit-archdiocese-announces-churches-that-will-continue-traditional-latin-mass" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">after the Archdiocese of Detroit announced</a> earlier this month that non-parish churches in the archdiocese will be allowed to continue celebrating the TLM despite an earlier statement saying that most of the TLM celebrated in the area would be suspended.The archdiocese reported that permissions given to parish church priests to carry out the TLM would expire and they could not be renewed, but Detroit Archbishop Edward Weisenburger said he would recognize at least four non-parish locations in the archdiocese where the TLM could still be celebrated.Cardinal Raymond Burke, a champion of the traditional liturgy, has said he asked Pope Leo to remove measures restricting the celebration of TLM, <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/264773/cardinal-burke-asks-pope-leo-to-lift-latin-mass-restrictions" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">stating at a conference in London recently</a>: “It is my hope that he will, as soon as is reasonably possible, take up the study of this question.”Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly referred to the decree Traditionis Custodes as an encyclical. It is a <a href="https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/motu_proprio/documents/20210716-motu-proprio-traditionis-custodes.html" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">motu proprio</a>, a type of papal decree. (Published July 3, 2025)
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<category>US</category>
<pubDate>Wed, 02 Jul 2025 14:51:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Pope Leo XIV appoints Texan bishop to shepherd the Diocese of Austin ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265131/pope-leo-xiv-appoints-texan-bishop-to-shepherd-the-diocese-of-austin</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/bishopdanielgarcia070225.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
Bishop Daniel E. Garcia. / Credit: Photo courtesy of the Diocese of Austin
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Vatican City, Jul 2, 2025 / 13:49 pm (CNA).
Pope Leo XIV has appointed Bishop Daniel Garcia of Monterey, California, as the sixth bishop of Austin, Texas.After leading the Diocese of Monterey for more than six years since 2018, Garcia, 64, has returned to his home state of Texas to serve the Austin Diocese as its leader.At a July 2 press conference held by the Diocese of Austin, Garcia gave thanks to God for the local Church, which he described as “diverse in ethnicity, race, language, and way of life.”“I was ordained a priest for this local Church in May of 1988,” he said on Wednesday. “It is filled with people of so many great gifts and talents and it is my hope to reacquaint myself with all of you whom I have known and get to know you whom I have not yet met.”During his address given in English and in Spanish, the bishop emphasized that the Church and civil society cannot forget the “poor, the weak, and those who live on the margins” in its policies and practices.The bishop, who is also a board member of Catholic Relief Services, quoted St. Vincent de Paul during his speech, saying: “It will be the poor who will be our entrance into heaven.”Garcia, who celebrated the 10th anniversary of his episcopal consecration in January, was previously made auxiliary bishop of Austin and titular bishop of Capso by Pope Francis in 2015 before heading to Monterey.Before becoming an auxiliary bishop for Austin, Garcia was parish vicar of St. Catherine of Siena there from 1988 to 1990, Cristo Rey from 1990 to 1991, St. Louis from 1991 to 1992, and St. Mary Magdalene from 1992 to 1995. Between 1995 and 2014, he was a parish priest at St. Vincent de Paul.He is currently part of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ subcommittee on divine worship in Spanish.While attending St. Mary’s Seminary in the 1980s, Garcia obtained a liberal arts degree and a master’s degree in divinity from the University of St. Thomas in Houston. He was awarded a master’s degree in liturgy from St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota, in 2007.
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<category>US</category>
<pubDate>Wed, 02 Jul 2025 13:49:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Pope Leo XIV: Environment should not be a ‘bargaining chip’ to wield power, exploit poor ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265129/pope-leo-xiv-the-environment-should-not-be-a-bargaining-chip-to-wield-power-exploit-the-poor</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/storage/image/vaticangardens11011025.jpeg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
The Vatican Gardens at Castel Gandolfo in Italy. / Credit: Courtney Mares/CNA
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Vatican City, Jul 2, 2025 / 12:35 pm (CNA).
Pope Leo XIV declared that nature should not be a “bargaining chip” in his message announcing the theme “Seeds of Peace and Hope” for the 10th World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, set for Sept. 1.Drawing inspiration from Pope Francis’ encyclical <a href="https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Laudato Si’</a>, released 10 years ago, the Holy Father said the “Bible provides no justification for us to exercise ‘tyranny over creation’” and should therefore not be exploited.“Nature itself is reduced at times to a bargaining chip, a commodity to be bartered for economic or political gain,” Leo said. “As a result, God’s creation turns into a battleground for the control of vital resources.”The pope said poor nations, marginalized societies, and Indigenous communities are destabilized and penalized as a result of conflicts over water and natural resources as well as the destruction of forests and agricultural areas.“These various wounds are the effect of sin,” he added. “This is surely not what God had in mind when he entrusted the earth to the men and women whom he created in his image.”In his <a href="https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2025/07/02/250702e.html" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">July 2 message</a>, the pope said three things are necessary for genuine environmental justice: prayer, determination, and concrete actions.Leo invited Catholics to prayerfully consider the significance of seeds as a metaphor of coming of the kingdom of God in Scripture, saying: “Jesus often used the image of the seed.”“In Christ, we too are seeds, and indeed, ‘seeds of peace and hope,’” he said. “The prophet Isaiah tells us that the Spirit of God can make an arid and parched desert into a garden, a place of rest and serenity.”Insisting that environmental justice is not an “abstract concept” or a “distant goal,” the Holy Father said “now is the time to follow words with deeds” in his message dedicated to the care of creation.“By working with love and perseverance, we can sow many seeds of justice and thus contribute to the growth of peace and the renewal of hope,” he said.  This year, Pope Leo has twice visited sites linked to the Holy See’s integral ecology projects outside of Rome. In addition to visiting the <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/261499/new-jubilee-tour-of-vatican-gardens-at-castel-gandolfo-highlights-beauty-of-creation" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Borgo Laudato Si’ project</a> at Castel Gandolfo in May, he toured the <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/264867/pope-leo-xiv-visits-vatican-radio-transmitters-proposed-solar-energy-site" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">proposed Vatican solar energy project site</a> in Santa Maria di Galeria in June.The Holy Father praised these initiatives, which serve as examples of “how people can live, work, and build community by applying the principles of the encyclical Laudato Si’.”“I pray that Almighty God will send us in abundance his ‘Spirit from on high,’ so that these seeds, and others like them, may bring forth an abundant harvest of peace and hope,” the pope said.
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<category>Vatican</category>
<pubDate>Wed, 02 Jul 2025 12:35:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Diocese of Fresno officially files for bankruptcy amid more than 150 abuse claims ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265127/diocese-of-fresno-california-officially-files-for-bankruptcy-amid-more-than-150-abuse-claims</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/storage/image/shutterstock-143336302.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
null / Credit: Minerva Studio/Shutterstock
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CNA Staff, Jul 2, 2025 / 11:17 am (CNA).
The Diocese of Fresno in California filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on July 1, seeking to address more than 150 abuse claims filed there in what Bishop Joseph Brennan said was part of a “journey of conversion through contrition.”Brennan announced the filing via a video message on Tuesday. The bishop’s message comes <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/257833/diocese-of-fresno-to-file-for-bankruptcy-amid-sex-abuse-claims-bishop-says" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">more than a year after he announced, in May 2024</a>, that the diocese would seek the bankruptcy filing.<div style="width:100%" class="mx-auto embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mU7epFQlzUo?feature=oembed" class="embed-responsive-item " frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></div>The prelate said the filing was “the only path that will allow us to handle claims of sexual abuse with compassion that is fair and equitable while simultaneously ensuring the continuation of ministry within our diocese.”As with other dioceses in California and the U.S., the Fresno Diocese is facing a large number of allegations of clergy abuse. Brennan said last year that plaintiffs had lodged 154 sex abuse complaints against the Church there.Those filings were made under a California law that temporarily relaxed the statute of limitations on sex abuse claims, allowing alleged victims a three-year window from 2019 to 2022 to file the complaints.Brennan said the Fresno bankruptcy process will include allocating diocesan assets to “satisfy the claims against the diocese.” He added that a fund will also be established to pay abuse claims.“Our Church must address the suffering that victims of clergy sexual abuse have endured,” he said.“We know the sin. It will always be before us,” he continued. “Now that we have entered a journey of conversion through contrition and acknowledgement of the victims’ suffering, we must enter a path of reconciliation, which includes resolving the victims’ claims.”The bishop urged the faithful to pray for abuse victims during the bankruptcy process.In the bankruptcy petition, <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/pdfs/us-ban-caeb-1-25bk12231-d3026094e829-chapter-11-voluntary-petition-non-individual-filed.pdf" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">filed in U.S. bankruptcy court for the eastern district of California</a>, Brennan authorized diocesan Chief Financial Officer Cynthia Martin and Vicar General Father Salvador Gonzalez to represent the diocese in the proceedings.The bishop listed the diocese’s assets as between $50 million and $100 million, with between 1,000 and 5,000 creditors.
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<category>US</category>
<pubDate>Wed, 02 Jul 2025 11:17:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Pope Leo XIV’s marriage advice? Keep calm and pray the rosary ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265125/how-a-newlywed-couple-built-their-prayer-life-thanks-to-advice-from-pope-leo-xiv</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/stevenspope1.jpeg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
Newlyweds Anna and Cole Stevens meet Pope Leo XIV at the general audience in Rome on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. / Credit: Courtesy of Anna and Cole Stevens
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Vatican City, Jul 2, 2025 / 10:00 am (CNA).
Pope Leo XIV recently offered marriage advice to a young American couple days after their wedding, sharing how he was blessed by the example of his own parents who prayed the rosary together every day.Newlyweds Cole and Anna Stevens received Pope Leo’s personal blessing for their marriage during one of the pope’s first general audiences under the hot Roman summer sun on June 11, just four days after their wedding at the Cathedral of St. Paul in Birmingham, Alabama.<figure class="mx-auto" style="width:100%"><img src="https://admin.catholicnewsagency.com/images/stevenspope2.jpeg" class="img-fluid" style="null" alt="Newlyweds Anna and Cole Stevens meet Pope Leo XIV at the general audience in Rome on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. Credit: Courtesy of Anna and Cole Stevens"><figcaption class="caption text-muted">Newlyweds Anna and Cole Stevens meet Pope Leo XIV at the general audience in Rome on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. Credit: Courtesy of Anna and Cole Stevens</figcaption></figure>The moment, captured on video, became an unexpectedly intimate exchange with the American pope, who responded warmly to their question of how best to pray together as a married couple.“First of all, it is very important to go slowly and to find the style of prayer that works for you, we’re all different, many spiritualities,” Pope Leo replied in English. “My parents prayed the rosary together their whole lives every day,” the pope said. “And I found that I was always blessed I’m sure because of it, their love for one another.” "They put their faith in God and in the intercession through Mary," he continued. "It's a wonderful thing."The Stevenses, who now live in Pensacola, Florida, approached the crowded general audience in their wedding attire unsure if they would even get the chance to meet the pope. They were one of about 65 newlywed couples in St. Peter’s Square that day to receive <a href="https://www.pnac.org/visitorsoffice/wednesday-audience/sposi-novelli/" target="_blank" class="Hyperlink SCXW69974015 BCX4" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">the pope’s “‘sposi novelli’ blessing,”</a> an opportunity that the Vatican offers each week to Catholics within six months of their wedding.“We prayed a rosary while we were waiting for the audience [to begin] because we were in the square at 8 a.m.,” Cole said. “And the question that really came to my heart while we were praying the rosary [was] how can we deepen our faith, our prayer life inside of our marriage?” <figure class="mx-auto" style="width:100%"><img src="https://admin.catholicnewsagency.com/images/stevenspope3.jpeg" class="img-fluid" style="null" alt="Anna and Cole Stevens are blessed by Pope Leo XIV at the general audience in Rome on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. Credit: Courtesy of Anna and Cole Stevens"><figcaption class="caption text-muted">Anna and Cole Stevens are blessed by Pope Leo XIV at the general audience in Rome on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. Credit: Courtesy of Anna and Cole Stevens</figcaption></figure>Anna recalled how Pope Leo responded to Cole’s question as if there was no one else in the crowd at that moment.“There was no rush in his voice. There was no looking around… He was solely focused on the question that Cole asked and then how could he answer it to the best of his abilities,” she said.After the exchange, the couple gave the pope a prayer card from their wedding. “Then we asked for his personal blessing, which he gave to us … laying hands on us and blessing us.”“He just entrusted us to the Holy Family,” Anna added, “and prayed over us that the Holy Family would watch over us, protect us, guide us, and lead us.”Unbeknownst to Pope Leo, Cole had been holding a relic of the Holy Family — cloth that had touched St. Joseph’s staff, Our Lady’s veil, and Jesus’ manger — when he blessed them.<div class="twitter-wrapper"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Newlyweds Cole and Anna Stevens received Pope Leo’s personal blessing for their marriage during one of the pope’s first general audiences under the hot Roman summer sun on June 11, just four days after their wedding at the Cathedral of St. Paul in Birmingham, Alabama. The… <a href="https://t.co/HyH2xCVk73">pic.twitter.com/HyH2xCVk73</a>— Catholic News Agency (@cnalive) <a href="https://twitter.com/cnalive/status/1940514887920480513?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 2, 2025</a></blockquote><script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><div class="drag-handle" data-drag-handle="true"> </div></div><h2>A match made in heaven</h2>Cole, 24, originally from Colorado, and Anna, 25, a schoolteacher from Birmingham, Alabama, met on a blind date when Cole was pursuing his master’s degree at the University of Alabama. “My good high school friend had met Cole and was asking Cole what kind of girl he was interested in,” Anna said. “And Cole threw out there ‘a Catholic volleyball player’ and she said, ‘Well, I have one girl for you.’ And that was me.”“I played volleyball in college and I was her one Catholic friend. And so that was how we started off.”Their relationship grew through long-distance calls and visits between cities in Alabama. “He took me to the [adoration] chapel on our third date,” Anna remembered. “And that’s where he ended up proposing two years later.”They prayed novenas together for 90 days leading up to their wedding — to St. Joseph, Our Lady of Lourdes, and the Holy Family.Their honeymoon, originally planned for the Amalfi coast, took a surprising turn when they realized the Vatican offered special blessings for newlyweds. “We were looking at Sorrento and we’re like two hours away,” Anna said. “Why would we skip out on the jubilee year and the Holy Doors? And then when we heard about the ‘sposi novelli,’ we were like, we have to go.”It was Cole’s first time out of the country. “There’s no other experience in my life that I can look back on and say it was truly life-changing and just awe-striking at the same,” he said on meeting Pope Leo.<h2>Romantic rosary walks to remember</h2>Back in Pensacola, Florida, Pope Leo’s advice has already shaped the young couple’s routine. “It’s funny,” Anna said. “At the end of the night we’re like, ‘Oh my goodness, we haven’t said the rosary. We have to say the rosary; Pope Leo told us to pray the rosary.’ And so we’ve built it in.” Their solution? Rosary walks after dinner. “Our new goal now is after dinner we go on rosary walks every night and that has been one of our favorite parts of the night,” Anna said. “It has been so peaceful. It is usually right around sunset.” “We use it as a chance to pray for individual intentions throughout the week,” Cole added. Anna, reflecting on the papal advice, said it’s important to work at “finding, like Pope Leo said, a way that works for you. So for us right now with our stage of life, it’s been rosary walks. And every couple will have a different stage and life and how they can pray the rosary together.” What struck Cole most about the pope’s advice was its applicability. “I was surprised at how real it was… It was very practical in the sense of, here’s what my parents did, and find out what works for you. … I can actually use this advice.”This article was updated on Thursday, July 3, 2025 at 7 a.m. with more remarks from Pope Leo XIV.
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<category>Vatican</category>
<pubDate>Wed, 02 Jul 2025 10:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Religious freedom report: Russia guilty of ‘severe’ violations against religious minorities ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265123/uscirf-report-russia-guilty-of-severe-rights-violations-against-religious-minorities</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/kremlin-senate-08.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
Palace of the Senate of the Russian Empire in Moscow. / Credit: Angel Miklashevsky, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 2, 2025 / 09:29 am (CNA).
Russia continues to perpetuate “particularly severe” religious liberty violations against minority groups within its own country and the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, according to a new report from the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).<a href="https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2025-06/2025%20Russia%20Country%20Update%20FINAL.pdf" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">The June 30 report</a>, which detailed religious liberty violations throughout 2024 and the beginning of 2025, found continued “intense persecution” of Ukrainian Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant Christians.Within Russia’s borders, the report also found numerous religious liberty violations against human rights activists, independent media, anti-war protesters, and others who belong to minority religious groups.“Russian authorities abuse vague and problematic laws to target religious communities that do not conform to state authority,” USCIRF Chair Vicky Hartzler told CNA in a statement.<figure class="mx-auto" style="width:100%"><img src="https://admin.catholicnewsagency.com/images/vicky.h.jpg" class="img-fluid" style="null" alt=""There is no religious freedom in Russia or [the] territories it occupies," said United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Chairwoman Vicky Hartzler. Credit: United States Congress, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons"><figcaption class="caption text-muted">"There is no religious freedom in Russia or [the] territories it occupies," said United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Chairwoman Vicky Hartzler. Credit: United States Congress, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons</figcaption></figure>“They target Catholics, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Falun Gong Practitioners, Protestants, Ukrainian Christians, Crimean [Tatar] Muslims, and many others that Moscow thinks undermine its dictatorial control,” the former six-term Missouri congresswoman added. “... There is no religious freedom in Russia or [the] territories it occupies.”About 72% of Russians are Orthodox, 7% are Muslim, 5% are atheist, and 13% do not have a religious affiliation. About 3% of Russians belong to a variety of other religious groups.<h2>Persecution against Ukrainian Christians</h2>The ongoing Russia-Ukraine war has led to the most egregious religious liberty violations by the Russian state.According to the report, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have reported the killing of at least 47 religious leaders since the February 2022 invasion. It adds that 640 houses of worship and religious sites have either been damaged or destroyed in that time frame.The report notes that “Russian de facto authorities have banned” several churches, such as the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and several Protestant groups, including Baptists, Pentecostals, and Seventh-day Adventists.According to the report, authorities have sought to pressure Orthodox Christian communities and leaders to submit to the Russian Orthodox Church under the Moscow Patriarchate.In some examples over the past year and a half, the report notes that “Russian forces allegedly abducted and tortured to death [Orthodox Church of Ukraine] priest Stepan Podolchak.” It also notes that Russian authorities are accused of demolishing the last Orthodox Church of Ukraine church in Crimea in July 2024.The report also referenced <a href="https://ukraine.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/2024-12/PR41%20Ukraine%202024-12-31.pdf" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">a United Nations human rights report</a> that detailed the “torture and ill treatment of Ukrainian Greek Catholic priests Ivan Levitsky and Bohdan Geleta” while they were detained from November 2022 through June 2024.“One of the priests had accused Russian forces of subjecting him to regular beatings, prolonged stress positions, and long-distance crawls on asphalt,” the report notes.<h2>Persecution within Russia</h2>The report notes that Russia has employed laws against “so-called illegal missionary activities” to persecute religious minorities on the basis of faith. It states that Russian courts heard 431 cases regarding these laws in 2024, which resulted in fines totaling nearly $60,000. In one case, Russia deported an 85-year-old Polish Catholic priest “who had reportedly served in Russia for almost 30 years” after he lost his documentation that permitted him to preach. The courts have also shut down churches with these laws.The report also details Russia’s persecution of “anti-war protesters and religious leaders for expressing opposition to the war in religious terms.”Some examples include Pentecostal Pastor Nikolay Romanyuk, who was “reportedly physically assaulted and arrested” by Russian police for giving a sermon against the war. Another example listed was Apostolic Orthodox Church Archbishop Grigory Mikhnov-Vaitenko receiving a fine of $369 for posting “an anti-war video in which he discussed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine using a biblical story.”In relation to the ongoing war, the report notes that Christians are frequently denied the ability to perform “alternative civilian service” when they have religious objections to military service.The report lists numerous religious freedom violations against Russian Muslims. According to the report, Muslims who belong to the Hizb ut-Tahrir (or are accused of belonging to it) have been charged with terrorism “despite no evidence or even allegations that defendants called for or committed violence.” The report notes that at least 352 people were prosecuted for alleged affiliation with Hizb ut-Tahrir, which includes Crimean Tatar Muslims. It states that out of 280 convicted, 119 were sentenced to 15 years or more and 131 were sentenced to between 10 and 14 years in prison.According to the report, Russia has also prosecuted leaders and members of the Church of Scientology, which is labeled “extremist.” They have also targeted leaders and members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, adherents of Falun Gong, and members of the Allya Ayat spiritual movement for similar reasons.
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<category>US</category>
<pubDate>Wed, 02 Jul 2025 09:29:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Canadian politician introduces bill to stop MAID expansion for mental illness ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265115/canadian-politician-introduces-bill-to-stop-maid-expansion-for-mental-illness</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/tamara.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
Canadian member of Parliament from Cloverdale-Langley City in British Columbia, Tamara Jansen, has introduced a private member’s bill to stop the expansion of medical assistance in dying (MAID) for mental illness alone. / Credit: ParlVu screen image
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Vancouver, Canada, Jul 2, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).
Canadian member of Parliament (MP) from Cloverdale-Langley City in British Columbia, Tamara Jansen, has introduced a private member’s bill to stop the expansion of medical assistance in dying (MAID) for mental illness alone.Jansen’s Bill C-218 would amend the criminal code to prevent mental disorders from being considered a “grievous and irremediable medical condition” for the purposes of MAID.The bill was read a first time in the House of Commons on June 20 and is scheduled for second reading at the next sitting of the House.<a href="https://youtu.be/d1CW5ohyRwA?si=mTKjfTgBXmUMoNny" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Speaking in the House</a>, Jansen said: “Imagine your son or daughter battling depression for some time, after losing a job or maybe a broken relationship. Imagine they feel the loss so deep that they’re convinced the world would be better off without them.”Starting March 27, 2027, such Canadians “could walk into a doctor’s office and ask them to end their life,” she said.“That’s not a future scenario, that’s the law right now waiting to take effect.”The Justin Trudeau government delayed expansion until 2024 and again until March 17, 2027, over concerns from medical and legal experts.“Clinical experts have warned that there’s no evidence-based way to determine if someone with a mental illness would get better, and most do,” Jansen said. “But still the government is moving forward.”Jansen said the proposed law sends a message to “struggling Canadians, trauma survivors, those battling depression, schizophrenia, PTSD” that “death is a solution we’re now willing to offer” in response to suffering.“That’s not health care. That’s not compassion. It’s abandonment.”She told MPs: “Mental illness is treatable. Recovery is possible, but only if we show up and help.”Jansen’s bill is similar to 2023 legislation that was narrowly defeated in Parliament but delayed implementation of the federal law.Conservative MP Ed Fast of Abbotsford, British Columbia, introduced Bill C-314, which would have stopped the expansion of Canada’s euthanasia regime. It was defeated at second reading on Oct. 18, 2023, by a 167-150 vote.Fast gathered cross-party support for his legislation, with all 24 New Democratic Party (NDP) members voting in favor of his bill and eight members of the Liberal Party breaking ranks from their colleagues. The Bloc Québécois held the balance of power on the vote, as each of its members voted against the Abbotsford, British Columbia, representative’s endeavor.During the oral question period preceding the vote, Fast condemned reports “of Canadians crying out for help and being offered assisted suicide instead.”He attacked “the sorry state of our mental health system,” saying: “Millions of Canadians oppose the government’s fascination with assisted death.”A Christian political advocacy group praised Jansen’s bill and called on MPs to support it regardless of party.“Canada can never be ready to offer MAID for mental illness,” said Daniel Zekveld, a policy analyst with the Association for Reformed Political Action Canada. “Doing so would undermine suicide prevention efforts and mental health care. Canada cannot promote suicide prevention while at the same time offering suicide assistance as a solution for mental illness.”Zekveld said: “Since Parliament’s last delay of the mental illness expansion, we’ve seen more stories of people who are suffering and unable to access necessary supports and care being offered MAID.”Offering euthanasia to people for mental illness implies “there is no hope of recovery and normalizes suicide as a solution for suffering,” Zekveld said. “But psychiatrists tell us they cannot reliably diagnose mental illness as irremediable. Canadians with mental illness need hope and support, not euthanasia or assisted suicide.”Alex Schadenberg of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition said if Bill C-218 is to pass, politicians need to hear from Canadians. He is asking people to send their mental health stories and share what would have happened had MAID been available at the time. Stories can be sent to <a href="mailto:info@epcc.ca" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">info@epcc.ca</a>.This story <a href="https://bccatholic.ca/news/catholic-van/langley-mp-introduces-bill-to-stop-maid-expansion-for-mental-illness" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">was first published</a> by The B. C. Catholic and is reprinted here with permission.
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<category>Americas</category>
<pubDate>Wed, 02 Jul 2025 06:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Priest in ‘critical condition’ after being shot in Mexico ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265121/priest-in-critical-condition-after-being-shot-in-mexico</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/fatherhectorperez070125.jpeg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
Father Héctor Alejandro Pérez. / Credit: St. Francis of Assisi Parish, South Gaviotas
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Puebla, Mexico, Jul 1, 2025 / 17:19 pm (CNA).
The Diocese of Tabasco in Mexico reported June 30 that one of its priests was wounded by gunfire while on his way to visit a sick parishioner. The attack was apparently a case of mistaken identity.The bishop of the diocese, Gerardo de Jesús Rojas López, shared a statement explaining that at approximately 5:45 a.m. local time, Father Héctor Alejandro Pérez, a parish priest at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Villahermosa, the capital of Tabasco state, was shot.The assailant apparently mistook the priest “for someone else. Father Héctor was leaving the rectory to visit a sick person at home,” Rojas stated.Following the attack, the priest underwent surgery. According to the bishop, Pérez is reported to be in critical condition, “with a guarded prognosis due to blood loss and the complexity of his internal injuries.”Rojas also made an urgent appeal to the community to donate blood for the priest, who is being treated at the Dr. Gustavo A. Rovirosa Pérez Regional Highly Specialized Hospital in Villahermosa.The bishop also expressed the Catholic Church in Tabasco’s “total repudiation” of “this barbaric act” and asked God to “move the hearts of the unjust aggressors to conversion and repentance, and that all the faithful and people of goodwill unite in the search for peace for our beloved Tabasco.”The state governor, Javier May Rodríguez, in <a href="https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?ref=watch_permalink&v=24208523192169913" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">a press conference</a> deplored what happened to the priest and expressed his solidarity with the Catholic Church, assuring them that “we are already at work; the attack will not go unpunished, and we will find those responsible.”The Mexican Bishops’ Conference condemned the attack in <a href="https://x.com/IglesiaMexico/status/1939805070930886684" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">a message posted on X</a>, expressing its solidarity “in the face of the cowardly armed attack perpetrated against Father Héctor Pérez.”The country’s bishops offered their prayers “to the Lord of Life for Father Héctor’s speedy recovery, entrusting him to the protection of the Virgin Mary.” They also pledged their support to the Diocese of Tabasco and the parish community of St. Francis of Assisi as well as his family and friends.“May Christ, prince of peace, inspire and sustain our efforts to build a society where justice, reconciliation, and respect for life prevail,” the bishops stated.Mexico has repeatedly been considered one of the most dangerous countries for priestly ministry and for preaching the faith. According to <a href="https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/51bf5868-d2d1-45a7-b5a6-964a26884784/Reporte%20Anula%202024%20OK.pdf" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">the Catholic Multimedia Center</a>, an organization that records attacks against the Catholic Church in the country, 80 priests, religious, and laypeople have been murdered since 1990. During the last six years alone, between 2018 and 2024, 10 priests and one seminarian were murdered. Additionally, according to a study by the center, during the same period six bishops and seven priests were victims of varying degrees of violence — including being stopped at a checkpoint, robbed, or shot by organized crime.This story <a href="https://www.aciprensa.com/noticias/114863/atacan-con-arma-de-fuego-a-sacerdote-en-mexico" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">was first published </a>by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
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<category>Americas</category>
<pubDate>Tue, 01 Jul 2025 17:19:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Ukrainian Greek Catholic church invites pilgrims to visit Cross of Gratitude ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265119/ukrainian-greek-catholic-church-invites-pilgrims-to-visit-cross-of-gratitude</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/86aba93f-c80e-430b-b330-766c3ca13d33.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
A 20-foot, 800-pound cross that has traveled to almost 50 European capitals, known as the “Cross of Gratitude,” has recently been welcomed by a Ukrainian Greek Catholic church in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, the first parish of the Greek Catholic rite in America. / Courtesy: St. Michael the Archangel Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church
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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 1, 2025 / 16:17 pm (CNA).
A 20-foot, 800-pound cross that has traveled to almost 50 European capitals, known as the “Cross of Gratitude,” has recently been welcomed by a Ukrainian Greek Catholic church in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, the first parish of the Greek Catholic rite in America.“It is a great honor and a blessing for the Parish of St. Michael the Archangel to host the Cross of Gratitude, a sacred symbol of Christ’s boundless love and sacrifice,” St. Michael’s parish priest Father Bohdan Vasyliv told CNA. “We warmly invite all to visit, pray, and reflect before this holy cross, giving thanks for the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ and uniting in wholehearted devotion.”Two decades ago the Cross of Gratitude was built for an evangelization mission to unite “the nations of the world.” The goal is for the cross to visit every capital city of the world by 2033 in preparation of the 2,000th anniversary of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The pilgrimage of the cross “began with a powerful call to action, inspired by the words heard by Vitaliy Sobolivskyy on the day of the resurrection of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in 2003,” Vasyliv said. Sobolivskyy, a Ukrainian architect who designed the cross, reported he was called by the words: “Take my cross and carry it to all the capitals of the world as a sign of gratitude to Almighty God for our salvation, which we receive from Jesus Christ.” <figure class="mx-auto" style="width:100%"><img src="https://admin.catholicnewsagency.com/images/982f31ed-a7d8-481b-b508-55da759d6f9e.jpg" class="img-fluid" alt="Father Bohdan Vasyliv and others welcoming the Cross of Gratitude to St. Michael the Archangel Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, to display the cross for a month at the parish. Courtesy: St. Michael the Archangel Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church"><figcaption class="caption text-muted">Father Bohdan Vasyliv and others welcoming the Cross of Gratitude to St. Michael the Archangel Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, to display the cross for a month at the parish. Courtesy: St. Michael the Archangel Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church</figcaption></figure>The 20-foot cross has already journeyed to 46 European capitals. The pilgrimage schedule plans for visits to North and South America, Asia, Africa, Indonesia, and Australia before it completes in 2033. The Cross of Gratitude has been celebrated at each place of rest during holy Mass, Eucharistic adoration, prayer vigils, the Way of the Cross, and Eucharistic processions. The cross <a href="https://aleteia.org/2021/10/30/the-cross-of-gratitude-makes-its-way-to-our-nations-capital/" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">visited the U.S. Capitol</a> in 2021 when it was displayed at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in downtown Washington, D.C.“This sacred journey seeks to remind everyone that Jesus Christ offers the gift of eternal life,” Vasyliv said.Pope John Paul II blessed the Cross of Gratitude in 2004 along with the initiators of the mission in Vatican City. The cross, sometimes also referred to as the Cross of Thanksgiving, was then blessed by Pope Benedict XVI during his pilgrimage in Krakow, Poland. In 2016, Pope Francis blessed the cross and those carrying out the evangelization campaign. Since 2003, the cross has visited Catholic, Orthodox, and Lutheran churches, and has even been present at Buddhist gatherings.The Cross of Gratitude is currently on display at St. Michael’s and will remain there through July 20. St. Michael’s will hold Akathist, a Greek Orthodox hymn and prayer service, on Mondays at 4 p.m. for those who wish to see the cross and reflect and pray while it is present. Divine Liturgies will also be celebrated on Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout the month.
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<category>US</category>
<pubDate>Tue, 01 Jul 2025 16:17:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Bishops invite Pope Leo to visit Peru: ‘His presence will renew the hope of our people’ ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265117/bishops-invite-pope-leo-xiv-to-visit-peru-his-presence-will-renew-the-hope-of-our-people</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/perubishopspopeleo070125.jpeg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
A delegation of Peruvian bishops greets Pope Leo XIV, inviting him to visit Peru, during an audience on June 30, 2025, at the Vatican. / Credit: Peruvian Episcopal Conference
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ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 1, 2025 / 15:47 pm (CNA).
The Peruvian bishops have officially invited Pope Leo XIV to visit Peru, assuring him that “his presence will renew the hope of our people.”According to a statement from the Peruvian Bishops’ Conference (CEP, by its Spanish acronym), a delegation of bishops, including the conference president, Bishop Carlos García Camader of Lurín, met with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on June 30.During the audience, “the bishops extended an official invitation to him to make a pastoral visit to Peru,” the CEP stated.Leo XIV, born in Chicago as Robert Francis Prevost in 1955, lived in Peru for nearly 20 years, serving at different times in various capacities from parochial vicar of Chulucanas in the Piura region to bishop of Chiclayo. He became a Peruvian citizen in 2015.Greeting the crowd in St. Peter’s Square after he was elected on May 8, Pope Leo XIV addressed a few words to his beloved Diocese of Chiclayo, “where a faithful people accompanied their bishop, shared their faith, and gave so, so much, to continue being the faithful Church of Jesus Christ.”His missionary work in Peru was featured in the documentary recently released by the Vatican titled “<a href="https://youtu.be/-KQ5h6Lk9-I" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">León de Perú</a>.”According to the CEP, García Camader delivered a letter to the pope on June 30, expressing “on behalf of all the bishops and the Peruvian people, our profound affection for and closeness to the Holy Father” while thanking him for holding a special place in his heart for Peru.The Peruvian delegation consisted of Bishop Luis Alberto Barrera, Bishop Antonio Santarsiero, Cardinal Pedro Barreto, Archbishop Alfredo Vizcarra, Bishop Pedro Bustamante, Bishop Marco Cortez, Bishop César Huerta, Bishop Ricardo García, Bishop Lizardo Estrada, Bishop Raúl Chau, Bishop Juan Asqui, and Father Guillermo Inca. <div class="twitter-wrapper"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Delegación: Mons. Luis Alberto Barrera, Mons. Antonio Santarsiero, Card. Pedro Barreto, Mons. Alfredo Vizcarra, Mons. Pedro Bustamante, Mons. Marco Cortez, Mons. César Huerta, Mons. Ricardo García, Mons. Lizardo Estrada, Mons. Raúl Chau, Mons. Juan Asqui, y el P. Guillermo Inca. <a href="https://t.co/QxsZCzZiuE">pic.twitter.com/QxsZCzZiuE</a>— Conferencia Episcopal Peruana (@conf_episcopal) <a href="https://twitter.com/conf_episcopal/status/1939770452924391930?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 30, 2025</a></blockquote><script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><div class="drag-handle" data-drag-handle="true"> </div></div>In an excerpt from the letter, the president of the CEP assured Leo XIV that “your presence will renew the hope of our people, strengthen the faith of our communities, and be a beautiful sign of communion with the universal Church.”This story <a href="https://www.aciprensa.com/noticias/114861/obispos-invitan-al-papa-leon-xiv-a-visitar-peru" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">was first published</a>by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
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<category>Vatican</category>
<pubDate>Tue, 01 Jul 2025 15:47:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Leo XIV reminds women religious that ‘being rooted in Christ’ makes unimaginable possible ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265113/leo-xiv-reminds-women-religious-that-being-rooted-in-christ-makes-the-unimaginable-possible</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/popeleowomenreligious1070125.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
Pope Leo XIV smiles and waves to a group of nuns during an audience with women religious on June 30, 2025, at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media
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ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 1, 2025 / 15:17 pm (CNA).
During <a href="https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/speeches/2025/june/documents/20250630-capitoli-generali-suore.html" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">an audience</a> on Monday of religious sisters belonging to several orders, Pope Leo XIV told the group that rootedness in Christ allows them to “do things they perhaps never thought they could achieve.”The Sisters of the Order of St. Basil the Great, the Daughters of Divine Charity, the Augustinian Sisters of the Shelter, and the Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Hearts came to the Vatican on June 30 for their general chapters and the Jubilee of Hope.After praising the diversity of charisms and recalling the “great historical witnesses to the spiritual life” that inspired their foundation — such as St. Augustine, St. Basil, and St. Francis — the pontiff thanked the religious sisters for their service, especially to the weakest members of society.<figure class="mx-auto" style="width:100%"><img src="https://admin.catholicnewsagency.com/images/popeleowomenreligious2070125.jpg" class="img-fluid" style="" alt="Pope Leo XIV greets a woman religious during an audience with members of the Sisters of the Order of St. Basil the Great, the Daughters of Divine Charity, the Augustinian Sisters of the Amparo, and the Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Hearts, on June 30, 2025, at the Vatican. Credit: Vatican Media"><figcaption class="caption text-muted">Pope Leo XIV greets a woman religious during an audience with members of the Sisters of the Order of St. Basil the Great, the Daughters of Divine Charity, the Augustinian Sisters of the Amparo, and the Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Hearts, on June 30, 2025, at the Vatican. Credit: Vatican Media</figcaption></figure>He also emphasized that “the challenges of the past and the vitality of your present make clear that fidelity to the ancient wisdom of the Gospel is the best way forward for those who, led by the Holy Spirit, undertake new paths of self-giving, dedicated to loving God and neighbor and listening attentively to the signs of the times.”The pope then recalled the words of St. Augustine: “God is your everything. If you are hungry, God is your bread; if you are thirsty, God is your water; if you are in darkness, God is your light that never fades; if you are naked, God is your everlasting garment.”He then addressed the following questions to the religious: “To what extent are these words true for me? How much does the Lord satisfy my thirst for life, love, or light?”<figure class="mx-auto" style="width:100%"><img src="https://admin.catholicnewsagency.com/images/popeleowomenreligious3070125.jpg" class="img-fluid" style="" alt="A group of nuns greets Pope Leo XIV at an audience of women religious in Rome for the Jubilee of Hope as well as meetings of their congregations on June 30, 2025, in Clementine Hall at the Vatican. Credit: Vatican Media"><figcaption class="caption text-muted">A group of nuns greets Pope Leo XIV at an audience of women religious in Rome for the Jubilee of Hope as well as meetings of their congregations on June 30, 2025, in Clementine Hall at the Vatican. Credit: Vatican Media</figcaption></figure>For the Holy Father, this “rootedness in Christ” is what has led those who have gone before us “to do things they perhaps never thought they could achieve. This rootedness enabled them to sow seeds of goodness that, enduring throughout the centuries and across continents, have now reached practically the entire world, as your presence here demonstrates.”The pontiff recalled the words of St. Paul to the Christians of Ephesus, praying that “Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Eph 3:17-19).This story <a href="https://www.aciprensa.com/noticias/114839/leon-xiv-aconseja-a-religiosas-enraizarse-en-cristo" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">was first published</a> by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
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<category>Vatican</category>
<pubDate>Tue, 01 Jul 2025 15:17:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Cardinal Ambongo: Opposition to same-sex blessings not an ‘African exception’ ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265109/cardinal-fridolin-ambongo-opposition-to-same-sex-blessings-not-an-african-exception</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/storage/image/cardenal-fridolin-ambongo-fiducia-supplicans-20012024.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo, president of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar. / Credit: François-Régis Salefran CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED
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Vatican City, Jul 1, 2025 / 14:47 pm (CNA).
The leader of Africa’s Catholic bishops pushed back Tuesday on the narrative that it was only Africans who objected to a 2023 Vatican declaration permitting blessings for same-sex couples.“The position taken by Africa [on the declaration] was also the position of so many bishops here in Europe. It’s not just an African exception,” Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, OFM Cap, told EWTN News on July 1.The 65-year-old cardinal added that homosexuality is fundamentally a “doctrinal, theological problem,” and Church moral teaching on the subject has not changed.Ambongo is archbishop of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo and heads the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM).After the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) published <a href="https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_ddf_doc_20231218_fiducia-supplicans_en.html" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Fiducia Supplicans</a> on Dec. 18, 2023, Ambongo flew to Rome, where he met with Pope Francis to convey the dismayed reactions of the bishops in Africa to the declaration, which permitted nonliturgical blessings of same-sex couples.<a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256608/cardinal-explains-how-african-rejection-of-fiducia-supplicans-was-handled" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">According to Ambongo</a>, he worked with the head of the DDF, Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, and with Pope Francis to produce a statement that the permission for same-sex blessings did not apply in Africa. The Jan. 11, 2024, statement from SECAM quoted the Bible’s prohibitions of homosexual acts and called same-sex unions “intrinsically corrupt.”On Jan. 4, 2024, the DDF had <a href="https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_ddf_doc_20240104_comunicato-fiducia-supplicans_en.html" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">issued a statement</a> acknowledging that pastoral contexts in different countries could require a slower reception of the declaration.Later in January 2024, Pope Francis defended the declaration and called the Church in Africa “a separate case.” In an interview with Italian newspaper La Stampa, Francis said: “For [Africans], homosexuality is something ‘ugly’ from a cultural point of view; they do not tolerate it.”Ambongo, who spoke to EWTN News after a Vatican press conference to present a document on climate justice and ecological conversion, said that Africa “experienced [Fiducia Supplicans] as something that was being imposed from outside on a people that has other priorities.”“The pastoral priority for us is not a problem of gay people, it’s not a problem of homosexuality. For us, the pastoral priority is life: How to live, how to survive,” he added. Themes such as homosexuality “are for you here in Europe, not for us in Africa.”The cardinal, who was a member of Pope Francis’ advisory Council of Cardinals — sometimes referred to as the “C9” because for most of its history it consisted of nine cardinals — said he does not know if Pope Leo XIV will form a similar group to advise the pope.Ambongo said during pre-conclave meetings, cardinals expressed a desire for the pope to value the input of the entire College of Cardinals, possibly even holding annual meetings. “But this small group that could also help the pope, that depends on him,” he said.
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<category>Vatican</category>
<pubDate>Tue, 01 Jul 2025 14:47:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Senate budget bill passes with provision to defund Planned Parenthood ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265111/senate-reconciliation-bill-passes-with-provision-to-defund-planned-parenthood</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265111/senate-reconciliation-bill-passes-with-provision-to-defund-planned-parenthood</guid>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/uscapitol052225.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
The U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. / Credit: Andrea Izzotti/Shutterstock
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CNA Staff, Jul 1, 2025 / 14:17 pm (CNA).
Senate Republicans on Tuesday passed President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” budget measure, including a provision to defund Planned Parenthood for a year, which pro-life advocates are lauding as a “major step” toward permanently defunding the abortion giant.The bill was originally set to defund Planned Parenthood for a 10-year period. Last week, Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough disqualified <a href="https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/trump-megabill-gop-senate-parliamentarian-ruling-medicaid-rcna215250" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">more than a dozen provisions</a> in the bill, including the portion defunding abortion providers, forcing Republicans to rework the language of the bill.The Senate on Tuesday passed the reworked bill after a tiebreaking vote cast by Vice President JD Vance. Three Republican lawmakers — Sens. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Susan Collins of Maine, and Rand Paul of Kentucky — <a href="https://apnews.com/live/donald-trump-news-updates-7-1-2025?utm_source=onesignal&utm_medium=push&utm_campaign=2025-07-01-Breaking+News" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">opposed the bill</a> on various grounds.The reconciliation bill, which includes several spending cuts and tax breaks, still needs to go back to the House for a final round of voting.The <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255032/will-new-federal-abortion-policies-violate-anti-abortion-hyde-amendment-experts-weigh-in" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Hyde Amendment</a> prohibits direct federal funding for abortions, though advocates have argued that the federal government has long subsidized abortion by proxy by<a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/264881/us-house-panel-investigates-planned-parenthood-s-use-of-federal-funds" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> providing hundreds of millions of dollars in annual funding </a>for <a href="https://lozierinstitute.org/fact-sheet-planned-parenthoods-2023-24-annual-report/" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Planned Parenthood</a>. The funding is nominally for non-abortion services.While the defunding period is only a 10th of what pro-life lawmakers initially planned, it would still be significant progress, pro-life advocates argued on Tuesday. Kristan Hawkins, the president of Students for Life, called the bill a “small but important victory,” noting that it “cuts an estimated $500 million from Planned Parenthood and abortion vendors,” though she acknowledged it was “for one year only.”“This proves what we’ve said all along: Congress can cut Planned Parenthood’s funding — and they just did,” Hawkins said in a Tuesday <a href="https://x.com/KristanHawkins/status/1940080764970016819" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">statement</a> on X. “The moral obligation is clear: If we can do it for one year, we must do it for good.”Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser <a href="https://sbaprolife.org/newsroom/press-releases/victory-senate-passes-bill-stopping-forced-taxpayer-funding-of-abortion-industry" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">called</a> the passage “a crucial victory in the fight against abortion, America’s leading cause of death, and an industry that endangers women and girls.” “The greatest pro-life victory since Dobbs is within reach!” <a href="https://x.com/marjoriesba/status/1940086035586732315" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">she added</a>.  Live Action President Lila Rose on Tuesday called the measure “a start but not enough.” “The House should restore the 10-year defund they already passed,” she said.
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<category>US</category>
<pubDate>Tue, 01 Jul 2025 14:17:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Pope Leo XIV appoints new archbishop to lead Archdiocese of Mobile, Alabama ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265107/pope-leo-xiv-appoints-new-archbishop-to-lead-archdiocese-of-mobile-alabama</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/bishopmarkrivituso1070125.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
Auxiliary Bishop Mark Rivituso of St. Louis blesses donations in a van used during the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage in July 2024. On July 1, 2025, Pope Leo XIV appointed Rivituso archbishop of Mobile, Alabama. / Credit: Jonah McKeown/CNA
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Vatican City, Jul 1, 2025 / 13:47 pm (CNA).
Pope Leo XIV has appointed Bishop Mark Rivituso, auxiliary of St. Louis, as metropolitan archbishop of Mobile, Alabama.Rivituso succeeds Archbishop Thomas Rodi, who led the Archdiocese of Mobile beginning in 2008. Rodi submitted his resignation letter to Pope Francis in March 2024 after turning 75.The archbishop-elect on July 1 said he is grateful to Pope Leo for his appointment and feels blessed to follow Rodi as a “good shepherd” for the archdiocese.“I rely upon the good shepherd, Jesus, to help me to truly be the bishop all of you need me to be,” Rivituso said at a Tuesday press conference. “I will labor with the shepherding love of Jesus for all of you because I want to love you as Christ loves.” “I have a big smile on my face because every time I have an opportunity to truly serve others, that’s truly a blessing,” he added. Rivituso celebrated Mass on July 1 at the Cathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Mobile in thanksgiving for his appointment.The archbishop-elect received his episcopal consecration and was made an auxiliary for the Archdiocese of St. Louis and titular of Turuzi in 2017. Ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of St. Louis in 1988 after completing his seminary training at Cardinal Glennon College and Kenrick Seminary, Rivituso served in several parishes across the city. He was parish vicar of St. Ambrose in St. Louis from 1988 to 1990, of Immaculate Conception in Dardenne Prairie from 1990 to 1993, and of St. Jerome in Bissell Hills from 1996 to 2004. Between 2008 and 2013, he was parish priest of Curé of Ars in Shrewsbury.Across the St. Louis Archdiocese, Rivituso served as a teacher at St. Dominic High School in O’Fallon from 1988 to 1993, an administrator of St. Margaret of Scotland from 1993 to 1994, a member of the metropolitan tribunal from 1993 to 1994 and 1996 to 2004, the judicial vicar of the court of second instance from 2005 to 2011, and the vicar general of the court from 2011 to 2018.
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<category>US</category>
<pubDate>Tue, 01 Jul 2025 13:47:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Confraternity of Catholic Clergy defends inviolable seal of confession ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265105/confraternity-of-catholic-clergy-defends-inviolable-seal-of-confession</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/Confessional_Credit_AS_photo_studio_Shutterstock_CNA.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
Confessional. / Credit: AS photo studio/Shutterstock
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CNA Staff, Jul 1, 2025 / 13:17 pm (CNA).
The Confraternity of Catholic Clergy, representing over 500 Roman Catholic priests and deacons from the U.S., Australia, and the United Kingdom, has issued a statement defending the inviolability of the seal of confession.The statement was released on June 27, the solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.The declaration comes in response to civil laws, the most recent one in Washington state, that seek to compel priests to disclose information regarding child abuse learned during the sacrament of reconciliation or face penalties.According to Washington’s new law, noncompliance could result in up to 364 days in jail and a $5,000 fine.The confraternity’s <a href="https://catholicclergy.net/ccc-statements/" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">statement</a> emphasized that the Catholic Church teaches the seal of confession is inviolable with “absolutely no exceptions.” Expounded in the <a href="https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_INDEX.HTM" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Catechism of the Catholic Church</a> (No. 1467) and the <a href="https://www.vatican.va/archive/cod-iuris-canonici/cic_index_en.html" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Code of Canon Law</a> (Nos. 983, 1388), this teaching binds priests to maintain absolute confidentiality regarding both the content of confessions and the identity of penitents. Violation of confidentiality incurs automatic excommunication, reversible only by the pope. The confraternity argued that laws like Washington state’s infringe on religious liberty while failing to advance justice, citing the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment, the U.K.’s Human Rights Act of 1998, and Australia’s constitution. In the statement, the group highlighted the Church’s commitment to child protection through criminal investigation and adjudication, which “can be lawfully and morally done without violating religious liberty.”Notably, the statement’s authors also pointed out the absurdity of demanding that priests identify anonymous penitents. It also emphasized the injustice of laws like Washington state’s, which exempts other professionals, such as doctors and therapists, from the mandatory disclosure requirement. After the passage of Washington’s Senate Bill 5375, signed into law by Gov. Bob Ferguson on May 3 and effective July 27, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) responded swiftly. Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general for the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, sent a <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/storage/pdf/dojletter.pdf" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">letter</a> to Ferguson, a Catholic, just days after Ferguson signed the bill, announcing an investigation into the law and describing it as a “legislative attack on the Catholic Church and its sacrament of confession, a religious practice ordained by the Catholic Church dating back to the Church’s origins.”The DOJ then <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/264953/justice-department-sues-washington-state-over-law-forcing-priests-to-break-confession-seal" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">filed a lawsuit </a>against Washington on June 23, asserting that the law violates the First Amendment’s protection of the free exercise of religion. “The seal of confidentiality is ... the lifeblood of confession,” the DOJ stated in its brief. “Without it, the free exercise of the Catholic religion ... cannot take place.” Washington’s Catholic bishops, including Seattle Archbishop Paul Etienne and Spokane Bishop Thomas Daly, <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/pdfs/complaint-etienne-v-ferguson.pdf" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">filed a federal lawsuit on May 29</a> challenging the law on First Amendment and equal protection grounds.The lawsuit highlighted the Church’s robust child protection policies, which the bishops said exceeds state requirements. “The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle and the dioceses of Yakima and Spokane have each adopted and implemented ... policies that go further in the protection of children than the current requirements of Washington law,” the lawsuit stated.Daly vowed to the Catholic faithful that clergy would face imprisonment rather than break the seal of confession. “I want to assure you that your shepherds, bishops, and priests are committed to keeping the seal of confession — even to the point of going to jail,” he said. Etienne echoed this, referencing Acts 5:29: “We must obey God rather than men.”Orthodox churches have joined the legal battle, <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/pdfs/gqzakw-us-dis-waed-2-25cv209-d70336483e1838-complaint-against-all-defendants-filing-fee-405-re.pdf" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">filing their own lawsuit on June 16</a>, asserting that their priests, like Catholic clergy, have a “strict religious duty” to maintain the confidentiality of the confessional, with violations constituting a “canonical crime and a grave sin.”The Confraternity of Catholic Clergy was founded in 1975 to foster <a href="https://www.ncregister.com/news/2025-confraternity-of-catholic-clergy-talks" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">ongoing formation for clergy</a> per Vatican II’s directives.
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<category>US</category>
<pubDate>Tue, 01 Jul 2025 13:17:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Over 1,000 celebrate 70 years of Marian devotion, Polish heritage at Pennsylvania shrine ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265101/over-1000-celebrate-70-years-of-marian-devotion-polish-heritage-at-pennsylvania-shrine</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/shrine4.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
The icon of Our Lady of Czestochowa is displayed at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, Sunday, June 29, 2025. / Credit: Courtesy of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa
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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 1, 2025 / 12:07 pm (CNA).
More than 1,000 Catholics with Polish roots gathered for a celebratory jubilee Mass and jubilee concert to honor the 70th anniversary of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa in the southeastern Pennsylvania borough of Doylestown on Sunday, June 29.The Marian shrine, located about 25 miles north of Philadelphia, was established in 1955 by a Polish priest from the Order of St. Paul the First Hermit. It was created to honor the Black Madonna — a centuries-old icon of the Blessed Mother that sits in the southern Polish city of Czestochowa and holds a strong devotion from the country’s faithful.<figure class="mx-auto" style="width:100%"><img src="https://admin.catholicnewsagency.com/images/czestochowa630.jpg" class="img-fluid" style="null" alt="Philadelphia Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez holds up the chalice during the consecration at the jubilee Mass to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, Sunday, June 29, 2025. Credit: Courtesy of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa"><figcaption class="caption text-muted">Philadelphia Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez holds up the chalice during the consecration at the jubilee Mass to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, Sunday, June 29, 2025. Credit: Courtesy of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa</figcaption></figure>Pauline Fathers from the order continue to operate the shrine. “The seeds of the shrine were sowed 70 years ago by a Pauline priest who came carrying the image of Our Lady of Czestochowa with the dream of establishing a shrine,” Archbishop Nelson Pérez of Philadelphia, the main celebrant of the Mass, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMYnfAKN-O4" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">said in his homily</a>.“And that community came here carrying Our Lady and sowed those seeds,” he said. “... And so here we are, fast-forward 70 years later, and from that little humble barn chapel … came all of this.”<figure class="mx-auto" style="width:100%"><img src="https://admin.catholicnewsagency.com/images/shrinepilgrims630.jpg" class="img-fluid" style="null" alt="Pilgrims gather for the jubilee Mass to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the The National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, Sunday, June 29, 2025. Credit: Courtesy of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa"><figcaption class="caption text-muted">Pilgrims gather for the jubilee Mass to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the The National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, Sunday, June 29, 2025. Credit: Courtesy of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa</figcaption></figure>In 1955, Father Michael Zembrzuski brought a copy of the icon that had been blessed by St. John XXIII to the United States in hopes of creating a chapel, <a href="https://czestochowa.us/about-us/history/" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">according to the shrine’s website</a>. The icon was displayed in a small wooden barn chapel at first, but the Pauline Fathers soon built a much larger complex to support the high number of Polish-American pilgrims visiting the site.Now the Black Madonna icon, which shows the Blessed Virgin holding the infant Christ with two scars down her right cheek, sits above the altar of the Church. The scars on the original icon in Poland are believed to have been caused by an attack from the Hussites.<figure class="mx-auto" style="width:100%"><img src="https://admin.catholicnewsagency.com/images/shrineicon630.jpg" class="img-fluid" style="null" alt="The icon of Our Lady of Czestochowa is displayed at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, Sunday, June 29, 2025. Credit: Courtesy of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa"><figcaption class="caption text-muted">The icon of Our Lady of Czestochowa is displayed at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, Sunday, June 29, 2025. Credit: Courtesy of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa</figcaption></figure>During his homily, Pérez spoke about the famous wounds on the icon, noting that “they tried to fix it, you know, in the original image and they could not.”“They represent the wounds that the Church has received over time, sometimes from the outside; sometimes inflicted upon itself,” he added. “Wounds that leave a mark, and those marks could not be taken away from the image — the face of Our Lady.”Pérez said the scars are also “an incredible sign of compassion and understanding with you and with me because we too bear wounds.”“They might not be as visible as those wounds,” he said. “They might be the wounds of our heart and actually you and I know right now in this moment what they are and how powerful at times they can exert energy upon us. The Blessed Mother here stands before us saying: ‘I got them too.’ … And those wounds become part of our own story of salvation.”A homily in Polish was delivered by Father Arnold Chrapkowski, the superior general of the Pauline order.A large portion of pilgrims who attended the 70th anniversary celebration were immigrants from Poland and many others were descendents of Polish immigrants.One pilgrim named Adam, who was raised in Poland and visited the original icon in his home country “many times,” told CNA that it’s important to him to be within driving distance to a shrine honoring Our Lady of Czestochowa.Adam, who now lives in New York City, said the icon serves as a reminder to “look for support from God and from Our Lady.”Another pilgrim named Gerome, who grew up in Hamtramck, Michigan (a predominantly Polish city near Detroit), told CNA that copies of the Black Madonna icon were prominently displayed at many of the neighborhood churches.Gerome, who now lives in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, said he often visits the shrine, especially during Christmas, to hear the “kolęda,” which are Polish Christmas carols. He said he has also visited the original shrine in Poland, which he described as “beautiful” and an important devotion for Polish Catholics.“People would walk from Warsaw to Our Lady of Czestochowa [for pilgrimages],” he said.Bishop Krzysztof Józef Nykiel, the regent of the Apostolic Penitentiary of the Apostolic See, also attended the anniversary to concelebrate and read a letter from Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin.In the letter, Parolin conveyed a message from Pope Leo XIV bestowing his apostolic blessing on participants in the celebration and thanked the Pauline Fathers for their mission in the United States.“He sends prayerful best wishes to all participating in the Mass commemorating this occasion,” the letter read.The 70th anniversary Mass was bilingual, in both English and Polish, to accommodate those who primarily speak Polish and the English-speaking pilgrims. During the concert and the Mass, the choir played several Polish Catholic hymns.One hymn, “Czarna Madonna,” which honors the Blessed Mother and the icon, was sung at the end of Mass. Much of the congregation joined with the choir in singing the Polish-language hymn as Perez and the nine other concelebrating bishops turned to the icon before the closing procession.“In her arms, you will find peace and shelter from evil,” the song proclaims, according to <a href="https://paulinefathers.org.au/about/black-madonna/article-archive/black-madonna-song-text-performance/" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">an English translation</a>. “For she has a tender heart for all her children. And she will take care of you, when you give your heart to her.”
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<pubDate>Tue, 01 Jul 2025 12:07:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Advocates sue Colorado over suicide law they say discriminates against disabled ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265103/advocates-sue-colorado-over-suicide-law-they-say-discriminates-against-disabled</link>
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Multiple advocacy groups filed a lawsuit against Colorado on June 30, 2025, claiming its assisted suicide law unconstitutionally discriminates against disabled people. / Credit: Patrick Thomas/Shutterstock
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CNA Staff, Jul 1, 2025 / 11:36 am (CNA).
A coalition of advocacy groups is suing the state of Colorado over its assisted suicide law, claiming the statute is unconstitutional for allegedly discriminating against those who suffer from disabilities. <a href="https://endassistedsuicide.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Dkt-001-Complaint-06-30-2025-1694-3.pdf" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Filed June 30 in U.S. district court</a> by several organizations including Not Dead Yet and the Institute for Patients’ Rights, the lawsuit describes Colorado’s assisted suicide regime as “a deadly and discriminatory system that steers people with life-threatening disabilities away from necessary lifesaving and preserving mental health care.”In the lawsuit — spearheaded by the umbrella group <a href="https://endassistedsuicide.org" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">End Assisted Suicide</a> — the plaintiffs argue that the law “does not require any evaluation, screening, or treatment by a mental health professional for serious mental illness, depression, or treatable suicidality before the lethal prescription is written.”The state <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/34897/for-assisted-suicide-foes-in-colorado-a-loss-at-the-ballot-box" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">legalized assisted suicide in 2016</a>, one of several states that year to do so. The measure permits doctors to prescribe lethal doses of drugs to terminally ill patients who wish to kill themselves.In 2024 the state expanded the law to allow a larger number of medical officials to prescribe those drugs.Prescribers are not required to possess expertise about the patient’s specific illness and are not required to be trained in recognizing mental health symptoms associated with the illness, the lawsuit argues.Providers are similarly not required to help patients access alternative treatments such as palliative care and mental health treatment, according to the suit.Colorado has created “a two-tiered medical system in which people who are suicidal receive radically different treatment responses by their providers and protections from the state” depending on a medical provider’s opinion, the lawsuit alleges, arguing that the state law violates both federal disability laws and “constitutional guarantees of due process and equal protection.”The suit asks the court to block the law under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act, as well as the Affordable Care Act and the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The Colorado law has received pushback from Catholic advocates. The state Catholic conference last year opposed the expansion of the suicide law, <a href="https://cocatholic.org/ccc-statements/ccc-opposes-sb24-068-medical-aid-in-dying/" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">calling the overall statute</a> itself “unjust,” stipulating that it “targets the most vulnerable in our society” and corrupts the practice of medicine. Elsewhere, Church leadership has similarly condemned euthanasia and assisted suicide. Pope Francis in 2022 said dying people <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250333/at-general-audience-pope-francis-says-the-dying-need-palliative-care-not-euthanasia-or-assisted-suicide" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">need palliative care</a> rather than suicide; the next year he <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255459/you-don-t-play-with-life-pope-francis-condemns-euthanasia-abortion-on-papal-plane" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">condemned euthanasia</a> as “playing with life” and “bad compassion.” Prior to his election as pontiff, meanwhile, Pope Leo XIV spoke out against assisted suicide, warning in 2016 that the practice “threatens the most vulnerable in society.”Eleven other states and the District of Columbia allow assisted suicide. Most recently the New York State Legislature in June <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/264649/new-york-bishops-lament-dark-day-as-state-legislature-passes-assisted-suicide-bill" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">passed a law legalizing it there</a>, though Gov. Kathy Hochul had not yet signed it as of July 1.
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<pubDate>Tue, 01 Jul 2025 11:36:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ EWTN News outlets win dozens of awards for Catholic journalistic excellence ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265099/ewtn-news-outlets-win-dozens-of-awards-for-catholic-journalistic-excellence</link>
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Various award-winning members of the EWTN News team are shown here in Phoenix, including National Catholic Register Editor-in-Chief Shannon Mullen, EWTN News Special Initiatives Director Jeanette DeMelo, EWTN News Director of Digital Strategy and Social Media Úrsula Murúa, Register Managing Editor Tom Wehner, CNA reporter Kate Quiñones, and CNA Editor-in-Chief Ken Oliver-Méndez. / Credit: CNA
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Phoenix, Ariz., Jul 1, 2025 / 10:35 am (CNA).
EWTN News properties received 27 awards at the recent<a href="https://www.catholicmediaassociation.org/2025-catholic-media-awards-lists" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> 2025 Catholic Media Association (CMA) awards</a> in Phoenix for journalistic excellence across Catholic News Agency, the National Catholic Register, and ChurchPop. For the<a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/amp/news/258104/ewtn-news-divisions-shine-at-2024-catholic-media-association-awards" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> second year in a row</a>, EWTN Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board Michael Warsaw led the way, winning in the “Best Regular Column — General Commentary” category for his regular column “<a href="https://www.ncregister.com/author/michael-warsaw" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">A Note From the Publisher</a>.” A CMA judge hailed Warsaw’s<a href="https://cache.91c2be992dfb7dcc6256c04eaf0f366c.r2.cloudflarestorage.com/0e9b0a84-4894-41e2-9cb8-f1f74c802538/8c2a33e6-4581-49f3-9173-03a14b0e0c5b?X-Amz-Expires=60&response-content-disposition=inline%3B%20filename%3D%22N513c-Warsaw.jpg%22&response-content-type=image%2Fjpeg&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=29f1244c1fe74d1a6196cde28231668e/20250630/auto/s3/aws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20250630T175617Z&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Signature=273f70a93523dafce7f63e15dfc5fb5c28dd5c0ed9b86b1b5c86386530bca317" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> columns</a> for their “exceptional, frank, and forthright candor.” Meanwhile, the <a href="https://www.ncregister.com/" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Register</a> won coveted top honors as best Catholic newspaper of the year. “There’s something for every reader in this fine publication,” one CMA judge said of the paper, which has received this honor multiple times in recent years.For its incisive<a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256946/what-is-the-catholic-church-s-position-on-ivf" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> coverage of in vitro fertilization,</a> CNA also took first place in the category of “Best Analysis/Background/Round-Up News Writing — National Newspaper or Wire Service.” A CMA judge commented that the articles on the topic by reporters Tyler Arnold and Peter Pinedo gave “a detailed explanation of the science behind in vitro fertilization and how it can be viewed through a Catholic lens.” CNA’s editor-in-chief, Ken Oliver-Méndez, also took first place in the category “Best News Writing One Shot — National Event” for his coverage of the 2024 Republican National Convention titled “<a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/258329/spiritual-tone-at-rnc-heightened-in-wake-of-trump-assassination-attempt" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Spiritual tone at RNC heightened in wake of Trump assassination attempt</a>.” A CMA judge heaped praise on this “standout” piece for its “good insights and smart writing.”Judges also recognized the agency’s top-notch global coverage, with CNA’s<a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/259057/staying-in-bethlehem-christian-couple-decides-to-marry-and-put-down-roots-despite-hardships" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> Marinella Bandini</a> receiving first place for what one judge described as a “gripping, firsthand account” of<a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/259595/catholic-woman-recounts-survival-of-oct-7-hamas-attack-credits-god-and-prayer" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> a Catholic woman who survived the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks</a> in the category “Best News Writing One Shot — International Event.”The Register also took first place in the “Best Coverage — Disaster or Crisis” category for articles on the Middle East by Solène Tadié, Alberto Fernández, and Michele Chabin.The Register also led in the category of “Best Coverage — Religious Liberty Issues” with its articles by Alberto Fernández, Andrea Picciotti-Bayer, and Jonathan Liedl on “<a href="https://www.ncregister.com/commentaries/christian-border-town-in-lebanon-in-crosshairs" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Religious Liberty in the Crosshairs</a>.” The coverage, one CMA judge said, provided “diverse perspectives and present differences evenhandedly.” CNA also won top honors for “Best Use of Video on Social Media — Ongoing Series — Radio, Television Stations, and Film Companies” for Francesca Pollio Fenton’s coverage of<a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C_mAmE1vztW/?igsh=b3B6YnAwNDIweXow" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> the new season of “The Chosen.”</a> Pollio Fenton’s reporting of the press junket was described as “highly engaging.”In the “Best Feature Writing — National Newspaper or Wire Service” category, the Register won first place for Matthew McDonald’s article “<a href="https://www.ncregister.com/news/catholics-in-salem-wage-a-battle-for-souls" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Surrounded by Halloween Witchery, Catholics in Salem Wage a Battle for Souls</a>,” which a judge said was “grounded in history and well-known cultural themes.”In addition, CNA, the Register, and sister EWTN News outlet<a href="https://es.churchpop.com/adoptaron-5-hijos-de-la-lista-de-los-ninos-que-nadie-quiere-y-encontraron-un-pasaje-verde-a-la-felicidad-2/" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> ChurchPop</a> amassed<a href="https://www.catholicmediaassociation.org/2024-catholic-media-awards-all-member-division" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> runner-up awards</a> in 18 additional categories for coverage of<a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/257079/vatican-seeks-to-break-new-ground-in-confucian-and-christian-dialogue" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> ecumenical and interfaith issues </a>and<a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256547/how-a-supreme-court-case-involving-herring-fishermen-affects-the-little-sisters-of-the-poor" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> religious freedom</a> as well as other events and topics ranging from 2024<a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/259045/pope-francis-visits-indonesia-how-a-catholic-minority-thrives-in-the-worlds-largest-muslim-nation" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> papal travel</a> to the <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/258330/national-eucharistic-congress-begins-in-indianapolis-we-did-this-for-you-lord" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">National Eucharistic Revival</a> to the issue of<a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/260105/privacy-in-the-confessional-is-your-smartphone-listening-to-your-sins" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> smartphones in the confessional</a>. Celebrating the bevy of awards, EWTN News President and COO Montse Alvarado commented that “it’s humbling for all of the EWTN News team to be recognized among our peers, who understand what it takes to deliver news faithful to our shared mission and unmatched in quality, journalism that informs rather than inflames.”Likewise, Register Editor-in-Chief Shannon Mullen emphasized that “it means a great deal to us to be recognized by our peers in the Catholic media.” “These honors are a testament to the hard work our journalists do every day to deliver the excellent journalism that our Church deserves and our readers have come to expect from the Register,” Mullen added.In a similar vein, CNA editor-in-chief Oliver-Méndez called the awards a “testament to both the quality and value of the agency’s coverage of important events and issues of interest to Catholics in the United States and around the world.” “Receiving such recognition serves to stimulate our entire team as we strive to achieve excellence across the entire scope of our news coverage,” he concluded.
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<pubDate>Tue, 01 Jul 2025 10:35:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ After 20 years of gay marriage in Spain, ‘not impossible’ to rescind the law, expert says ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265097/after-20-years-of-gay-marriage-in-spain-it-s-not-impossible-to-rescind-the-law-expert-says</link>
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Carmen Sánchez Maíllo is academic secretary of the CEU Institute of Family Studies. / Credit: San Pablo CEU
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Madrid, Spain, Jul 1, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA).
Analyzing the consequences of the law that equated same-sex unions with marriage in Spain 20 years ago, Carmen Sánchez Maíllo, academic secretary of the CEU (Center of University Studies, by its Spanish acronym) Institute of Family Studies, considers the statute to be difficult to overturn but “not impossible.”On July 1, 2005, Spain’s lower house passed the law that then-President José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero announced a year earlier that his government would introduce. Article 44 of the Civil Code was reworded as follows: “Marriage shall have the same requirements and effects when both parties are of the same or different sexes.”Spain thus became the third country in the world, after the Netherlands and Belgium, to equate marriage with same-sex unions, which also allowed same-sex couples to apply to adopt children in the latter two.A few days before the final vote, a huge demonstration took place in Madrid featuring the theme “The Family Does matter, for a Father and a Mother.” Numerous civic groups participated in the event, which had the explicit support of the country’s Catholic Church.As many as 20 Spanish bishops could be seen marching in the streets of Spain’s capital city, including the then-president of the Spanish Bishops’ Conference, Cardinal Antonio María Rouco Varela.On Sept. 30, 2005, the People’s Party (PP) filed an appeal with the Constitutional Court arguing that the law “denaturalizes the institution of marriage” and violates numerous constitutional articles. The court never ruled on the appeal until seven years later, in 2012, when it rejected it.Despite its initial opposition, the PP has now wholeheartedly supported the so-called LGBTI pride celebrations for years, as evidenced on <a href="https://x.com/ppopular/status/1938840284638675105" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">its social media</a>.In the six months remaining in 2005 after the law came into effect, 1,269 same-sex unions were entered into, mostly between men, a trend that continued until 2018, when those between women became more numerous.In comparison with all marriages, same-sex unions have gone from representing 1% of the total population to 4% in two decades.Speaking with ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, Sánchez said that “turning these issues around is difficult [but] not impossible” and that achieving it requires “great determination” on the part of a parliamentary majority.As precedents in the field of family law, she cited the cases of <a href="https://www.aciprensa.com/noticias/58285/eslovenia-rechaza-masivamente-matrimonio-y-adopcion-gay-en-referendum" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Slovenia</a> and <a href="https://www.aciprensa.com/noticias/85297/hungria-enmienda-constitucion-y-prohibe-a-parejas-del-mismo-sexo-adopcion-de-menores" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Hungary</a>, by referendum and legislation respectively, and with regard to the right to life, the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade that returned the issue to state legislatures.<h2>‘Gender ideology has swept through Spanish legislation’</h2>As Sánchez sees it, the law equating marriage with same-sex unions “affects the very concept of marriage, its purposes, and its social function in such a way that it is denaturalized,” but that is not its only effect.With such unions, “a breach was opened on many issues, a spearhead through which an ideology enters in and fully affects politics and legislation,” she added.“Gender ideology has swept through Spanish legislation,” Sánchez noted, with important “social, cultural, and demographic implications.”Focusing exclusively on the law equating same-sex unions with marriage, Sánchez emphasized the special impact on minors: “In this type of union, one of the two role models, paternal or maternal, is absent,” which is detrimental to minors “who need both figures” in their lives.In the case of boys, the paternal figure offers “a model of virility, of masculinity, which today are politically incorrect words,” as are “chivalry” or “nobility,” she pointed out.In the case of girls, the father figure “is extremely important for their self-esteem, identity, and security. They will compare any relationship they have with their father figure.”For her part, the mother figure “provides that tenderness, that affection, and is also necessary for sons and daughters.”For Sánchez, this type of law also carries the danger that “children can be exploited in ideological debates,” which goes against the best interests of the child.In this regard, she pointed out that what is “healthiest and most balanced” is to have both parents, male and female, and that “the best interest of the child is a marriage” with both role models.On the other hand, the natural infertility of same-sex relations has other effects. In the case of two men, these types of laws become “a lever” to resort to surrogacy, which “commodifies the female body” and which, Sánchez noted, “has been prohibited in Spain since 2006.”In the case of lesbian couples, naturally infertile sexual activity leads some to resort to assisted reproduction techniques. In the researcher’s opinion, beyond how these procedures affect the dignity of human life, “this is a huge problem, because these are children born without a known, identified father figure.” <h2>The importance of nurturing marriage</h2>Faced with this situation, Sánchez proposed highlighting the witness of “strong, stable, united marriages,” including large families, that offer “an image that society needs,” of families living life with joy.Furthermore, she said she believes it is necessary to “speak well of the fact that a strong, united marriage is possible” and for families to help each other, because “a marriage always needs support,” whether from other spouses, experts, or counselors.“There is a desire inscribed in the human heart to love and be loved, and it must be nurtured at all stages of life,” explained Sanchez, who went on to emphasize that marriage is “a very well-designed” institution. It is God’s plan for the person. It is a natural vocation.”“We are called to this communion of persons, to a very deep union between husband and wife, for the family, and children need their parents to love each other and they need those two role models who form the way they see the world,” she explained.This story <a href="https://www.aciprensa.com/noticias/114833/20-anos-del-gaymonio-el-cambio-pro-familia-es-dificil-pero-no-imposible-dice-experta" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">was first published</a> by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
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<category>Europe</category>
<pubDate>Tue, 01 Jul 2025 09:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Mexican bishop: Despite danger, it’s worth the risk to become a priest ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265093/mexican-bishop-despite-danger-it-s-worth-the-risk-to-become-a-priest</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/hilario.pope.leo.png?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
Bishop Hilario González meets Pope Leo XIV during his June 23–27, 2025, visit to Rome. / Credit: Vatican Media
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Vatican City, Jul 1, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).
Hilario González García, the bishop of Saltillo, Mexico, since 2021, recently made the pilgrimage to Rome for the Jubilee of Seminarians, Bishops, and Priests held June 23–27. The prelate shared the highlights of his visit to the Eternal CIty and in particular the reasons why, despite the risks, it’s worthwhile to be a priest in his country.During the last 30 years, at least <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/260983/report-80-priests-murdered-in-mexico-over-last-three-decades" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">80 priests have been murdered</a> in Mexico, making the nation one of the most dangerous in the world for exercising priestly ministry. Speaking with ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, González responded with hope to this painful reality.<h2>‘We must not be afraid to give our lives for Christ’</h2>“Mexico is the country where good priests are happy giving their lives for Christ and for his Church,” González said.He also emphasized that the priestly vocation, even in difficult contexts, allows a priest to offer the best of himself: “This is much more valuable than any human, economic, or sociopolitical project, because it opens horizons of fulfillment and overcomes the selfish and arrogant tendency that the world proposes today.”In this context, he encouraged those who feel called to the priesthood to respond with generosity: “I invite those who feel called to be honest and transparent in their aspirations, and, trusting in the grace and mercy of the Lord, to take the first step of their vocational journey by saying ‘yes’ to the invitation of Jesus.”“You shouldn’t be afraid of giving your life for Christ nor be afraid of offering it in priestly service,” he emphasized.<figure class="mx-auto" style="width:100%"><img src="https://admin.catholicnewsagency.com/images/hilario.vaticano.png" class="img-fluid" style="null" alt="Hilario González García, bishop of Saltillo, Mexico, in St. Peter's Basilica. Credit: Vatican Media"><figcaption class="caption text-muted">Hilario González García, bishop of Saltillo, Mexico, in St. Peter's Basilica. Credit: Vatican Media</figcaption></figure><h2>Meetings with Pope Leo XIV</h2>The prelate recounted to ACI Prensa the details of his “edifying” experience in Rome, which served to “strengthen and encourage the spiritual bond” as well as an opportunity to give thanks for the “gift of life, of the priestly vocation, and of the episcopal ministry.”Coinciding with his 60th birthday, the 30th anniversary of his priestly ordination, and the 10th anniversary of his episcopal ministry, the Mexican bishop traveled “as a pilgrim” to the Eternal City.Throughout the week, González was able to hear Pope Leo XIV on four occasions. The first was during the meeting with the seminarians, which reminded him of his service as a formator and the “great responsibility involved in accompanying candidates in their initial formation process.”He also participated in the <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/264989/pope-leo-xiv-calls-bishops-to-be-firm-and-decisive-in-dealing-with-abuse" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">audience with the bishops</a>. He was particularly moved by the Holy Father’s address, which included “the invitation to be men of theological life” and to “remain firm in the faith, convinced of God’s help so as not to lose hope and thus encourage others in times of trial,” González told ACI Prensa.Regarding the International Vocational Meeting, he emphasized the importance of the pope’s call “to be more purposeful, with the witness of a life happily given over” to the Lord. Regarding the Mass that Leo XIV celebrated on the solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on June 27, during which he<a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265049/pope-leo-xiv-ordains-32-priests-on-sacred-heart-feast" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> ordained 32 priests</a>, the bishop of Saltillo emphasized Pope Leo’s invitation to “fulfill the promises we made on the day of our ordination.”Commenting on Pope Leo’s words on celibacy, which during his address to the bishops the pontiff said is more than living a celibate life, González emphasized that it is not merely “a discipline or rule” or “a superhuman effort” but rather “a supernatural gift to pray for, accept, and cultivate, and a response that frees us to serve with the joy that springs from a heart that knows it is deeply loved.”“For me, this means that I have to ‘put more effort’ into my consecration to the Lord, be more humble and transparent in my interpersonal relationships, and continue to bind myself with ever greater dedication and joy to the heart of Jesus,” he added.<h2>Combatting abuse in the Church</h2>During the meeting with the bishops, Pope Leo XIV also encouraged them to be “firm and decisive” in addressing abuse. The Mexican prelate stated that the bishops in his country are faithfully carrying out these instructions “to protect minors and to prevent such behavior from occurring.”Each diocese in Mexico, according to the bishop of Saltillo, provides “human and institutional resources to ensure safe environments in our communities.”He also highlighted the importance of the proper formation of seminarians and priests as well as those in consecrated life and communities, “to respond honestly and seek to purify attitudes that go against the righteous living of Christian life in all areas.”<figure class="mx-auto" style="width:100%"><img src="https://admin.catholicnewsagency.com/images/concelebrate.hilario.png" class="img-fluid" style="null" alt="On Dec. 12, 2024 (the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe), Hilario González Garcia concelebrated with then-Cardinal Robert Prevost in St. Peter’s Basilica. Credit: Vatican Media"><figcaption class="caption text-muted">On Dec. 12, 2024 (the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe), Hilario González Garcia concelebrated with then-Cardinal Robert Prevost in St. Peter’s Basilica. Credit: Vatican Media</figcaption></figure><h2>Challenges facing the Church </h2>The bishop noted that, in the Diocese of Saltillo, they are “trying to respond to the challenge of selfish individualism” that prevents people’s hearts “from loving and serving generously, which withers interpersonal relationships, thus weakening the fabric of community and society.”He also emphasized that they are “in tune with the synodal experience” and are working to “recover the identity and joy of the filial experience with God.”“We see the social consequences of individualism in the disintegration of people (through abandonment, vices, addictions, loss of personal and family life), in violence and cruelty in interpersonal relationships, and in indifference and selfishness in helping those in need. We try to take up these challenges with simplicity of heart and with God’s grace to help build his kingdom in our society,” he said.This story <a href="https://www.aciprensa.com/noticias/114831/obispo-explica-por-que-merece-la-pena-ser-sacerdote-en-mexico" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">was first published </a>by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
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<category>Vatican</category>
<pubDate>Tue, 01 Jul 2025 08:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Judge rejects motion to dismiss lawsuit blocking Catholic trade school from setting up shop ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265091/judge-rejects-motion-to-dismiss-lawsuit-blocking-catholic-trade-school-from-setting-up-shop-in-west-virginia</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265091/judge-rejects-motion-to-dismiss-lawsuit-blocking-catholic-trade-school-from-setting-up-shop-in-west-virginia</guid>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/storage/image/a67c0374-1252-452e-8b64-d55b7c2f1b81.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
A student workshop at The College of St. Joseph the Worker. / Credit: College of St. Joseph the Worker
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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 1, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).
A lawsuit that seeks to block West Virginia from offering a <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256397/new-catholic-trade-schools-are-sprouting-up-across-the-country-here-are-four" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Catholic trade college</a> a $5 million grant will move forward after a judge rejected the college’s motion for a dismissal last week.The lawsuit, filed by the West Virginia American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on behalf of the American Humanist Association (AHA), is asking a Kanawha County Circuit Court judge to block the grant awarded to <a href="https://www.collegeofstjoseph.com/" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">St. Joseph the Worker College</a>.The College of St. Joseph the Worker, based in Steubenville, Ohio, teaches trades related to construction — carpentry, HVAC, electrical, and plumbing — combined with a bachelor’s degree in Catholic studies. The school <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/261301/west-virginia-awards-catholic-trade-college-5-dollars-million-grant-for-expansion" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">intends to use the grant money</a> to create a nonprofit construction company in West Virginia and expand its job training and education programs into the state.The West Virginia ACLU <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/261603/aclu-files-suit-against-west-virginia-over-5-dollars-million-grant-to-catholic-trade-college" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">contends in its lawsuit</a> that taxpayer money should not be spent to support a grant to a religiously affiliated college. The lawsuit was filed against the West Virginia Water Development Authority (WVDA), which is the government body that approved the grant for economic development purposes. The college is not a defendant in the lawsuit.“Our case challenging a $5 million grant in water development funds to a ‘radically Catholic’ school in Ohio can move forward,” the West Virginia ACLU announced in <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/acluwv.bsky.social/post/3lscehto23k2s" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">a statement posted on Bluesky</a>.“Thousands in West Virginia lack clean water,” the statement read. “Forcing them to fund this school’s religious mission with money meant for infrastructure is wholly inappropriate.”Both the nonprofit construction company and the additional training programs the college wants to establish would be located in Weirton, West Virginia, once a booming steel town. The city sits in the northern tip of the state and borders Ohio, where the college is primarily based.The proposed construction company would employ students and focus on revitalization projects for sites of historical or cultural significance that for-profit companies would likely pass on.As part of the grant funding agreement, St. Joseph the Worker would recruit students from West Virginia and develop partnerships with West Virginia-based tradesmen and contractors to help place students in jobs located in the state after graduation.A spokesperson for St. Joseph the Worker did not respond to a request for comment. In January, when the ACLU first filed its lawsuit, <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/261603/aclu-files-suit-against-west-virginia-over-5-dollars-million-grant-to-catholic-trade-college" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">a spokesperson for the WVDA told CNA</a> it “will not comment to the media” about the lawsuit but that all comments “will be made in public court filings.”
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<category>US</category>
<pubDate>Tue, 01 Jul 2025 07:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Jonathan Roumie meets the pope: ‘There was just a kindness on his face’ ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265095/jonathan-roumie-meets-the-pope-there-was-just-a-kindness-on-his-face</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/jonathanroumieitaly.png?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
Actor Jonathan Roumie, who portrays Jesus in “The Chosen.” / Credit: EWTN News/Colm Flynn/Screenshot
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CNA Staff, Jul 1, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).
When Jonathan Roumie, the actor who plays Jesus in “The Chosen,” heard the news of the election of an American-born pope, he said he wept “because I just never thought I would ever live to see the day.” Two months later, on June 25, Roumie had the opportunity to meet the new Holy Father during a papal general audience while the actor was in Italy filming the crucifixion scenes for Season 6 of the popular show. Roumie sat down with EWTN News correspondent Colm Flynn for an interview just hours after meeting Pope Leo XIV to talk about playing Jesus in “The Chosen” as well as what is was like to meet the pope for the first time.“It was fantastic,” Roumie told Flynn. “He was so kind and so gracious and generous with his time.”Despite the meeting being a bit of a “blur,” Roumie recalled telling the Holy Father that he was “humbled to be there and it was great to meet him.”Pope Leo told Roumie that while one of his brothers is a fan of the show, he himself hasn’t seen it yet, to which Roumie replied: “Well, we brought some DVDs to help remedy that.”Roumie met the late Pope Francis on two separate occasions during his pontificate. In each of those meetings, Roumie had prepared a message in Spanish to share with the pope but in this meeting, he was able to communicate in his own language. “When you know you can communicate with somebody in your own language, it makes all the difference,” he said, adding: “For instance, I mentioned — because Pope Leo is from Chicago — I said, you know it’s nice being able to throw out references like ‘Da Bulls’ and ‘Da Bears’ and him understand what I’m referencing.”“There was just a kindness on his face and just a charity about him that just moved me,” Roumie said.<div style="width:100%" class="mx-auto embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WSO8uX2gLFI?feature=oembed" class="embed-responsive-item " frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></div>Speaking about his time filming the Crucifixion scenes in the historic town of Matera in northern Italy, Roumie said: “I’ve never done anything harder than that.” He added: “The impact that it’s going to have on people — it’s going to be so huge and so life-changing for so many people … I think it’s just going to propagate the name of Jesus at a breakneck speed.” Despite the many “beautiful moments,” Roumie also said he believes it will be “extremely hard for people” to watch.“By that point we will have had five and a half seasons of knowing Jesus as our friend, as a miracle worker, as an intimate companion, a colleague, and a teacher, and a rabbi, and having spent 45 hours of story with him healthy and OK and then to see that rapidly decline in a singular season — it’s just going to be devastating.”<figure class="mx-auto" style="width:100%"><img src="https://admin.catholicnewsagency.com/images/chosenmeetspopeleo2062525.jpeg" class="img-fluid" style="null" alt="Actor Jonathan Roumie gives Pope Leo XIV a gift on behalf of the entire cast and crew of “The Chosen” after the general audience on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. Credit: Vatican Media"><figcaption class="caption text-muted">Actor Jonathan Roumie gives Pope Leo XIV a gift on behalf of the entire cast and crew of “The Chosen” after the general audience on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. Credit: Vatican Media</figcaption></figure><h2>Surrendering to Christ amid a career of instability </h2>Roumie also shared with Flynn his story of surrender to Christ amid a career of instability. The actor first began his career in New York, where he did voice-over work and commercials. He then moved to Los Angeles, where he had a plethora of jobs while trying to make into the entertainment industry, including driving ride share, food delivery, catering, and painting houses, just to be able to pay the bills. At one point, he found himself with only $20 and didn’t know where his next paycheck would be coming from. It was at this low point that he fully submitted his life and career over to God. “Once I committed my career to him and in doing so the entirety of my life, that’s when my life changed,” he shared. Three months later, he received the call from Dallas Jenkins, creator and director of “The Chosen,” asking him if he’d like to take part in a crowdfunded series about the life of Jesus and his disciples.After filming the first four episodes of Season 1, the actor recalled feeling like they were creating something that was “uniquely special” but had no idea just how much success it was going to have.Now having portrayed Jesus for more than five years, Roumie said he feels there is “always this striving to be more like him in order to be able to play him and being falteringly human — that can feel impossible at times, but I know that I’m here doing this for a reason and I’m just going to continue to give him everything that I have.”“I’m going to do the best I can and make sure I’m exercising the sacraments and going to confession and receiving the Eucharist,” he added.<figure class="mx-auto" style="width:100%"><img src="https://admin.catholicnewsagency.com/storage/image/s4thchosenstill2.jpg" class="img-fluid" style="null" alt="Left to Right: Simon Zee (Alaa Safi), Jesus (Jonathan Roumie), and Simon Peter (Shahar Isaac) in Season 4 of "The Chosen." Credit: The Chosen/Mike Kubeisy"><figcaption class="caption text-muted">Left to Right: Simon Zee (Alaa Safi), Jesus (Jonathan Roumie), and Simon Peter (Shahar Isaac) in Season 4 of "The Chosen." Credit: The Chosen/Mike Kubeisy</figcaption></figure><h2>The impact of being seen as Jesus</h2>During the interview with Flynn, Roumie also discussed the challenge of having people view him as Jesus. “So many people say to me, ‘You’re exactly what I would have pictured if I met Jesus,’” he said, “and so they impose or project that relationship that they have or those ideas or those expectations on a subconscious level, or maybe an even semiconscious level, onto me to an extent.”When fans of the show start to call Roumie “Jesus,” he explained that he makes sure to say his own name to them “to remind them that there is a line of demarcation.”He said these experiences also make him much more aware of “an implied level of accountability.”“If I’m being held to the standards of Jesus, or being seen as somebody that is at least trying to live out those standards in their life, well, that’s great because it’s just better for me spiritually to be living in that manner,” he said.However, it does make him think how fans might react to roles he takes beyond “The Chosen.” He did point out, however, that he wouldn’t do anything “that goes against my beliefs or anything like that or a character that just doesn’t sit right with me or that I don’t discern with the Lord before I commit to a project.”Speaking to what has made him the most proud of being a part of “The Chosen,” the actor highlighted the “impact of the show and the reality of what it’s doing for people — the reality of how God is using it to encounter people.”
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<category>Vatican</category>
<pubDate>Tue, 01 Jul 2025 06:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ U.S. adults hold ‘nuanced’ opinions on religion in public schools, new polling shows ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265089/us-adults-hold-nuanced-opinions-on-religion-in-public-schools-new-polling-shows</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/shutterstock-1919216054.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
null / Credit: Puwadon Sang/Shutterstock
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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jun 30, 2025 / 16:18 pm (CNA).
New polling from the Associated Press (AP) NORC Center for Public Affairs Research has found that U.S. adults hold “nuanced views about the role of religion in public schools.”While the majority of adults, about 58%, say they support religious chaplains providing services in public schools, only 40% say they believe teachers should be allowed to lead a class in prayer, <a href="https://apnorc.org/projects/the-public-holds-nuanced-views-on-the-role-of-religion-in-public-schools/?doing_wp_cron=1750967753.3101620674133300781250" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">according to data from the survey</a> conducted June 5–9.The survey contained polling of 1,158 U.S. adults in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.“More people oppose than support policies that would allow religious schools to become tax-funded public charter schools, but there is about equal support and opposition for a policy that would allow school vouchers to be used at private or religious schools,” the survey found.Results for the AP-NORC polling come after Pew Research Center <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265063/more-than-50-percent-of-us-adults-support-allowing-christian-prayer-in-public-schools" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">found</a> that 52% of U.S. adults support allowing Chrisian prayer in public schools as debates about the issue continue across the country.Though the majority supports designated religious chaplains serving in public schools, 55% of U.S. adults in the AP survey said they did not believe teachers should be allowed to lead a public school class in prayer. Sixty percent said public schools should not be allowed to hold mandatory private prayer and religious reading. The survey found that regardless of partisan alignment, “attitudes about the role of religion in school are often shared across religious groups, especially white evangelical Christians and non-white Protestants.” “White evangelical Christians, non-white Protestants, and Catholics are all more likely than those who are not affiliated with a religion to approve of religious chaplains providing support services, teachers leading prayer in class, and mandatory periods for private prayer and religious reading at public schools,” the report stated, noting that mainline Protestants responded similarly to those without religious affiliation about prayer periods and religious chaplains in public schools. Overall, the survey said that “roughly a quarter to a third of the public lack firm opinions” about additional issues regarding religion and public education, including taxpayer-funded vouchers and vaccines.While polling was less conclusive on these matters because nearly one-third of polled Americans had no opinion, of those who expressed opinions, more respondents said they oppose religious exemptions for childhood vaccines required for public schools. More respondents also said they oppose allowing religious schools to become taxpayer-funded charter schools. “People are roughly split on their support or opposition to tax-funded vouchers that help parents pay for tuition for their children to attend private or religious schools instead of public schools,” the report said, noting that Catholics are among the religious groups that were more likely to support taxpayer-funded vouchers, religious exemptions, and religious charter schools.
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<category>US</category>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Jun 2025 16:18:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ 20 bishops join interfaith letter against ICE funding boost in ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265087/20-catholic-bishops-join-interfaith-letter-against-ice-funding-boost-in-big-beautiful-bill</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/shutterstock_1055129183.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
null / Credit: anonymous/Shutterstock
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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jun 30, 2025 / 15:47 pm (CNA).
A coalition of 20 American Catholic bishops and religious leaders from other faiths has <a href="https://ignatiansolidarity.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/26.06.26_Interfaith_HR1_Letter_of_Opposition.pdf" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">signed on to a letter</a> urging lawmakers to vote against a proposed budget bill because of provisions to increase funding for immigration enforcement.“From our various faith perspectives, the moral test of a nation is how it treats those most in need of support,” the letter read. “In our view, this legislation will harm the poor and vulnerable in our nation, to the detriment of the common good.”The letter’s signatories included Cardinal Robert McElroy of the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., and Cardinal Joseph Tobin of the Archdiocese of Newark, New Jersey. Phoenix Bishop John Dolan, Seattle Archbishop Paul Etienne, St. Louis Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski, and Sacramento, California, Bishop Jaime Soto were also among those who signed.In addition to the bishops, other signatories to the letter included the leadership team of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas. Some Lutheran, Episcopalian, Presbyterian, Muslim, and Jewish faith leaders also signed the letter.“Our faith organizations have long favored the creation of legal avenues for migration and a legalization program for immigrants who have lived in the U.S. for years and contributed their hard work to our economy,” the letter stated. “We believe the adoption of these policies, instead of the implementation of a mass deportation campaign, would not only benefit immigrant workers and their families but be in the best interest of our nation.”The budget reconciliation bill, called the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” includes a funding hike for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection. The proposal includes money earmarked for deportations, hiring more ICE and border patrol agents, the construction of a border wall, and various other immigration enforcement measures.An earlier version of the bill would have penalized states for offering Medicaid benefits to immigrants who are in the country illegally, but this was removed from the current Senate version under consideration. Other proposed Medicaid changes, including work requirements for able-bodied recipients, remain in the proposal.“We believe that the changes made by the U.S. Senate to the legislation are insufficient and do not significantly mitigate its adverse effects,” the letter read.The letter criticized funding for “a mass deportation campaign,” which they said “will separate U.S. families, harm U.S.-citizen and immigrant children, and sow chaos in local communities.” It warned of “immigration raids across the nation,” which authors said would harm “hardworking immigrant families essential to our economy.”According to the letter, the funding boost could also harm faith communities. The authors noted that the government “has removed places of worship from its sensitive locations list, allowing ICE agents to enter them for enforcement purposes.”“We have already witnessed a reduction in attendance at many of our religious services in our denominations, as the threat of enforcement has deterred many families from practicing their faith,” the letter attested.Additionally, the letter expressed concerns about the proposed border wall between the United States and Mexico, which the authors wrote “will drive migrants into the most remote regions of the border and lead to an increase in migrant deaths. It also would hurt the local environment along the border and force desperate asylum-seekers seeking safety to increasingly rely on human smugglers.”The authors of the letter also criticized proposed reforms to Medicaid and food assistance programs, saying they would harm “low-income citizens and legal residents, including asylum-seekers and refugees, driving them deeper into poverty.”Andrew Arthur, a former immigration judge and current fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), criticized the interfaith letter in an interview with CNA. He said the letter supports “amnesty” for immigrants who are in the country illegally.CIS labels itself as a “low-immigration, pro-immigrant” think tank. The group is aligned with many of President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.“They don’t want any immigration enforcement because they want to legalize the status of everyone in the country illegally,” Arthur, who is Catholic, told CNA.Arthur also balked at the suggestion of immigration raids at places of worship, saying: “They never actually reference any real enforcement actions taking place in any Catholic churches.” He said it’s possible that a dangerous criminal could be targeted for enforcement at a church but that “it’s not like they’re going to sweep through Sunday Mass looking for people.”On the subject of the border wall, Arthur said a barrier would “deter people from coming into the United States illegally.” He noted the high rates of migrants who already hire smugglers, saying they “put their lives and safety in the hands of criminals” and that a border wall makes it “less likely that people are going to come” illegally with this method or any other method.Chad Pecknold, a professor of theology at The Catholic University of America, expressed dissatisfaction with the letter as well, noting that it does not mention the teaching in the catechism that a country has a right to regulate its borders.“Broad, religiously ecumenical statements which oppose the policies of a democratically elected government are curious things,” Pecknold said. “The authors are clearly aligned with one political party and not another. They make spurious claims about how the bill will separate families, and they seem to disregard entirely that nations have a right [to] defend their borders and a duty to uphold their laws.”
]]></description>
<category>US</category>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Jun 2025 15:47:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Churches in Syria resume liturgies amid heightened security and unease ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265085/churches-in-syria-resume-liturgies-amid-heightened-security-and-unease</link>
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<description><![CDATA[ <div style="width: 100%; margin-bottom: 25px;">
<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/d84a3449-1751275893.3728.jpg.webp?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
The faithful take part in the Divine Liturgy at Our Lady of the Olive Church in Damascus, Syria, on Sunday, June 29, 2025. / Credit: Mohammad Al-Rifai/ACI MENA
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ACI MENA, Jun 30, 2025 / 14:56 pm (CNA).
A week after the deadly attack on Mar Elias Church in Damascus, Syria, the churches there have not shut their doors. Divine Liturgies were celebrated on Sunday, June 30 — albeit with significantly lower attendance due to a prevailing atmosphere of fear and anxiety.Father Antonios Raafat Abu Al-Nasr, parish priest of Our Lady of Damascus for the Melkite Greek Catholics, told ACI MENA, CNA’s Arabic-language news partner, that there was a “very shy turnout” at his church.“It was expected, and the Church understands this, given that people are concerned for their safety,” he said.<figure class="mx-auto" style="width:100%"><img src="https://admin.catholicnewsagency.com/images/d84a3457-1751275956.6963.jpg.webp" class="img-fluid" style="null" alt="A week after the deadly attack on Mar Elias Church in the Douailah neighborhood of Damascus, Syria, the capital's churches continued to celebrate the Divine Liturgy on June 30, 2025. Credit: Mohammad Al-Rifai/ACI MENA"><figcaption class="caption text-muted">A week after the deadly attack on Mar Elias Church in the Douailah neighborhood of Damascus, Syria, the capital's churches continued to celebrate the Divine Liturgy on June 30, 2025. Credit: Mohammad Al-Rifai/ACI MENA</figcaption></figure>Al-Nasr confirmed that the Ministry of Interior has deployed security personnel to guard the church since the day of the attack — and that these officers remain stationed there for now. He also praised the efforts of the “Faz‘a Youth” — local Christian volunteers who are actively safeguarding their churches — calling them “devoted and vigilant.”“They are always present with us, not just during the liturgies but also throughout other events,” he said, adding: “All churches in Damascus have taken precautions, especially at their entrances.” In spite of the tragedy and ongoing anxiety, Al-Nasr had a hopeful message: “The Church lifts her prayers to God, asking him to grant his children steadfastness and deep roots in faith. In the end, only truth will prevail.”<figure class="mx-auto" style="width:100%"><img src="https://admin.catholicnewsagency.com/images/whatsapp-image-2025-06-30-at-09.34.46-1-1751277417.4654.jpeg.webp" class="img-fluid" style="null" alt="The faithful gather for the Divine Liturgy at the Mariamite Cathedral in Damascus, Syria, on June 30, 2025. Credit: Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East for Greek Orthodox"><figcaption class="caption text-muted">The faithful gather for the Divine Liturgy at the Mariamite Cathedral in Damascus, Syria, on June 30, 2025. Credit: Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East for Greek Orthodox</figcaption></figure><h2> Uneven attendance across Syria</h2>While church attendance in Damascus saw a decline, other Syrian provinces witnessed larger congregations, with no significant drop compared with pre-attack levels.In Aleppo, there was a notable security presence in front of churches before Sunday Divine Liturgies. On the street of St. Thérèse Church for Melkite Greek Catholics in the New Syriac district, over 30 security personnel were reportedly stationed to secure the area.Despite this, many Christians remain in a state of shock. Some have chosen to stay home and pray privately, while others continue to insist on attending Divine Liturgy at church.<figure class="mx-auto" style="width:100%"><img src="https://admin.catholicnewsagency.com/images/d84a3382-1751275833.7696.jpg.webp" class="img-fluid" style="null" alt="A woman lights a candle before the Divine Liturgy at Our Lady of the Olive Church in Damascus, Syria. A week after the deadly attack on Mar Elias Church in the Douailah neighborhood of Damascus, the capital's churches have contiued to celebrate Divine Liturgies. June 30, 2025. Credit: Mohammad Al-Rifai/ACI MENA"><figcaption class="caption text-muted">A woman lights a candle before the Divine Liturgy at Our Lady of the Olive Church in Damascus, Syria. A week after the deadly attack on Mar Elias Church in the Douailah neighborhood of Damascus, the capital's churches have contiued to celebrate Divine Liturgies. June 30, 2025. Credit: Mohammad Al-Rifai/ACI MENA</figcaption></figure><h2>Fear driving migration </h2>In a separate interview with Vatican News, the apostolic vicar of Aleppo and head of the Latin Church in Syria, Bishop Hanna Jallouf, described the day of the bombing as catastrophic, reigniting fear in people’s hearts.Reflecting on its impact, he noted a sharp rise in the number of Christians now considering emigration. “Before the attack, around 50% of Christians were thinking of leaving Syria,” he said. “Today, that number has jumped to 90%. Syria cannot be rebuilt by only one color or one side. It’s a major challenge for the Church to try to restore balance and hope.”This story <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.acimena.com/news/5943/knays-dmshk-tthdw-alkhof-otoasil-kdadysha-baad-altfgyr-alakhyr__;!!GfxeEQ!T0Fd5nXcoy2pEG4lnhkp6KBgfoSP1cTSADK3JQIfkqBgZn2Q-Zlr8ge8l-NBAZi39GkT3OKHxWf82Y0$" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">was first published</a> by ACI MENA, CNA’s Arabic-language news partner, and has been translated for and adapted by CNA.
]]></description>
<category>Middle East - Africa</category>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Jun 2025 14:56:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Pope Leo XIV seeks to reestablish ‘full visible communion’ with Eastern Orthodox ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265083/pope-leo-xiv-seeks-to-reestablish-full-visible-communion-with-eastern-orthodox</link>
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Pope Leo XIV meets with the delegation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople on June 28, 2025, at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican News
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ACI Prensa Staff, Jun 30, 2025 / 14:12 pm (CNA).
Pope Leo XIV received members of a delegation from the Eastern Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarchate in a June 28 audience held at the Apostolic Palace of the Vatican in the context of the June 29 celebration of the solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul.The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople is the seat of the Eastern Orthodox Church of Constantinople based in Istanbul, Turkey. The Ecumenical Patriarchate is considered “primus inter pares” (“first among equals”) among the patriarchs of the other churches of the Eastern Orthodox communion. The delegation was headed by Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon, president of the Synodal Commission of the Ecumenical Patriarchate for Relations with the Catholic Church, accompanied by the Most Reverend Fathers Aetios and Ieronymos.Bartholomew has been the current archbishop of Constantinople and ecumenical patriarch since Nov. 2, 1991. Traditionally, a delegation from the Ecumenical Patriarchate visits the Vatican on the occasion of the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul.Similarly, a Vatican delegation usually visits Istanbul, the capital of present-day Turkey, every Nov. 30 on the occasion of the celebration of the feast day of St. Andrew, the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s patron saint.<h2>Goal of full visible communion between the two Churches</h2>The Catholic Encyclopedia explains that in 1054, “the most deplorable quarrel,” known as the<a href="https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13535a.htm" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> Eastern Schism</a>, occurred, separating the vast majority of Eastern Christians from communion with the Catholic Church, thus giving rise to the Orthodox Church.Leo XIV stated that his intention is to “persevere in the effort to reestablish full visible communion between our Churches,” a goal that, he said, can only be achieved “with God’s help, through a continued commitment to respectful listening and fraternal dialogue.”“For this reason, I am open to any suggestions that you may offer in this regard, always in consultation with my brother bishops of the Catholic Church who, each in his own way, share with me the responsibility for the complete and visible unity of the Church,” the Holy Father said during the <a href="https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2025/06/28/250628a.html" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">June 28 audience</a>.He also recalled that “after centuries of disagreements and misunderstanding,” authentic dialogue between the two Churches was only possible thanks to “the courageous and farsighted steps taken by Pope Paul VI and Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras.”“Their venerable successors to the sees of Rome and Constantinople have pursued with conviction the same path of reconciliation, thus further strengthening our close relations,” the pope added.Leo XIV highlighted the “witness of sincere closeness” that Patriarch Bartholomew has always expressed to the Catholic Church, demonstrated especially by participating in the funeral of Pope Francis and later in the inaugural Mass of the new bishop of Rome.The Holy Father said the traditional exchange of delegations “is a sign of the profound communion already existing between us, and a reflection of the fraternal bond that united the Apostles Peter and Andrew.”Leo XIV expressed his profound gratitude for their presence in Rome “on this solemn occasion.” He asked them to convey his cordial greetings to Patriarch Bartholomew and the members of the Holy Synod, along with his gratitude for having sent the delegation again this year.“May Sts. Peter and Paul, St. Andrew and the holy Mother of God, who live eternally in the perfect communion of the saints, accompany and sustain us in our efforts in the service of the Gospel. Thank you!” Pope Leo said. This story <a href="https://www.aciprensa.com/noticias/114799/leon-xiv-recibe-a-delegacion-ortodoxa-por-solemnidad-de-san-pedro-y-san-pablo" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">was first published</a> by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
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<category>Vatican</category>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Jun 2025 14:12:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Pope Leo XIV denounces use of hunger as ‘weapon of war’ in message to UN conference ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265081/pope-leo-xiv-denounces-use-of-hunger-as-weapon-of-war-in-message-to-un-conference</link>
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Pope Leo prays the Angelus at the Vatican on June 30, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA
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Vatican City, Jun 30, 2025 / 12:24 pm (CNA).
Pope Leo XIV deplored the use of hunger as a “weapon of war” in his message to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which is currently holding its 44th conference session in Rome from June 28 to July 4. The Holy Father said the U.N. is far from reaching its 2030 goal of “zero hunger” in spite of “significant steps” taken by the intergovernmental organization to ensure food security, particularly for the world’s poor.“We are currently witnessing with despair the iniquitous use of hunger as a weapon of war,” Leo said in his <a href="https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/messages/pont-messages/2025/documents/20250630-messaggio-fao.html" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">message to FAO</a>. “Starving people to death is a very cheap way of waging war.”The pope criticized the actions of armed civilians who “greedily hoard” food, burn land, steal livestock, and block humanitarian aid to those suffering and in need.  “Farmers are unable to sell their produce in environments threatened by violence, and inflation soars,” he said. “This leads to huge numbers of people succumbing to the scourge of starvation and perishing.”“While civilians languish in misery, political leaders grow fat on the profits of the conflict,” he remarked.Highlighting the complex relationship between war, poverty, and hunger, the pope said the Holy See supports all initiatives aimed at bringing international leaders together to collaborate for “the common good of the family of nations.” “Without peace and stability, it will not be possible to guarantee resilient agricultural and food systems, nor to ensure a healthy, accessible, and sustainable food supply for all,” he added.Continuing his calls for peace in war-torn areas since his May election as the leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, Leo extended his call to the leadership and staff of FAO to become peacemakers in times of “huge polarization in international relations.”“To ensure peace and development, understood as the improvement of the living conditions of populations suffering from hunger, war, and poverty, concrete actions are needed, rooted in serious and far-sighted approaches,” he continued. “I pray to almighty God that your work may bear fruit and be of benefit to the underprivileged and to humanity as a whole,” he said at the conclusion of his message.In an<a href="https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/angelus/2025/documents/20250615-angelus.html" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> Angelus address</a>, Pope Leo highlighted the plight of rural Christian communities in Nigeria enduring violence and hunger. Approximately 200 displaced people were massacred at a Catholic mission there in June. Bishop Mark Nzukwein of the Diocese of Wukari, Nigeria, said more than 300,000 people are currently displaced in the northern part of the country, many of whom have lost their farms and livelihoods because of the violent attacks. “I’ve never had problems with food ever until recently,” Nzukwein told CNA in a June 27 interview. “[Men] will invade farms and kill … and make the place insecure,” he said. “This is the source of the food insecurity we’re experiencing in Nigeria.”
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<category>Vatican</category>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Jun 2025 12:24:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Croatian bishops lead historic Sacred Heart consecration, marking 125th anniversary ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265079/croatian-bishops-lead-consecration-to-the-sacred-heart-marking-125-years-since-160000-youth-pledged-devotion</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/f2063d3e-b24c-4757-a0e5-d54efcdd4ae5.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
Faithful pray before a statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus during Croatia’s consecration ceremony on June 27, 2025, as the nation dedicated itself anew to Christ’s divine love following the tradition established by their ancestors at the Church of Our Miraculous Lady of Sinj. / Credit: Petar Malbaša/Laudato TV
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CNA Newsroom, Jun 30, 2025 / 10:46 am (CNA).
Croatian bishops led their nation in a solemn consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus on Friday, marking the 125th anniversary of an extraordinary 1900 ceremony that saw 160,000 young Croatians make a similar sacred pledge.The consecration began June 27 at 7 p.m. local time across churches and chapels throughout Croatia, initiated by church bells ringing for five minutes before solemn Eucharistic celebrations commenced.Following the Prayer after Communion, clergy proclaimed the formal Act of Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.<figure class="mx-auto" style="width:100%"><img src="https://admin.catholicnewsagency.com/images/96f167d9-e305-4cb5-85cc-c11afdbe5680.jpg" class="img-fluid" alt="Thousands of Croatian Catholics bow their heads in prayer during the solemn Act of Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus at the Church of Our Miraculous Lady of Sinj on June 27, 2025, participating in the historic renewal of their nation's 1900 pledge. Credit: Petar Malbaša/Laudato TV"><figcaption class="caption text-muted">Thousands of Croatian Catholics bow their heads in prayer during the solemn Act of Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus at the Church of Our Miraculous Lady of Sinj on June 27, 2025, participating in the historic renewal of their nation's 1900 pledge. Credit: Petar Malbaša/Laudato TV</figcaption></figure>In Zagreb, the faithful gathered at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus while EWTN affiliate Laudato TV broadcast live from the Church of Our Miraculous Lady of Sinj in the small town of Sinj. The decision to renew this historic devotion was made by the Croatian Bishops’ Conference at their 69th Plenary Assembly in November 2024, coinciding with the Jubilee Year 2025 proclaimed by Pope Francis.“We, Croatian believers, trusting in your goodness, come to you to open for us once again your Most Sacred Heart,” the consecration prayer begins, addressing Christ as “Wisdom, Love, and the Word of the Father.”<figure class="mx-auto" style="width:100%"><img src="https://admin.catholicnewsagency.com/images/aa0814d5-76f0-4152-8d67-4d0e4ccd025b.jpg" class="img-fluid" alt="Mass at an outdoor altar decorated with red roses during Croatia's historic consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Zagreb on June 27, 2025, marking 125 years since 160,000 youth made a similar pledge. Credit: Laudato TV"><figcaption class="caption text-muted">Mass at an outdoor altar decorated with red roses during Croatia's historic consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Zagreb on June 27, 2025, marking 125 years since 160,000 youth made a similar pledge. Credit: Laudato TV</figcaption></figure>The Sacred Heart consecration was followed Saturday, June 28, by Croatia’s first-ever solemn consecration of youth to the Immaculate Heart of Mary at the Church of Croatian Martyrs in Udbina.Archbishop Giorgio Lingua, apostolic nuncio to Croatia, presided over the 3 p.m. ceremony, which was broadcast live by <a href="https://laudato.hr/" target="_blank" class="Hyperlink SCXW189835978 BCX4" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Laudato TV</a>. The initiative was launched by priests of the Marian Priestly Movement in Croatia.The comprehensive prayer consecrated Croatian families, clergy, religious communities, parishes, married couples, children and young people, the sick and elderly, and workers across various fields to the Sacred Heart.Ksenjia Abramovic contributed to this report.
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<category>Europe</category>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Jun 2025 10:46:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Vatican exhibits Raphael’s legacy with the reopening of the Hall of Constantine ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265067/vatican-exhibits-raphael-s-legacy-with-the-reopening-of-the-hall-of-constantine</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/vaticanmuseumsrafael1062725.jpeg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
The “Hall of Constantine” is Raphael’s masterpiece, depicting Constantine’s victory over Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge. / Credit: Vatican Media
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Vatican City, Jun 30, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).
After a decade of painstaking restoration, the imposing <a href="https://www.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani/en/collezioni/musei/stanze-di-raffaello/sala-di-costantino/stanza-di-costantino.html#:~:text=The%20Hall%2C%20that%20was%20designed,of%20the%20work%20(1520)." rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Hall of Constantine</a> in the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace, which houses Raphael’s masterpiece depicting Constantine’s victory over Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge, has been returned to its original splendor.This space, the largest of the well-known Raphael Rooms, was partially closed to the public in 2015 due to delicate conservation work that ultimately culminated in a result described as “exemplary” by Vatican Museums.“In a way, we have rewritten the history of art,” explained Barbara Jatta, director of the Vatican Museums, during a June 26 presentation to the press held at the Vatican Museums. She was joined by Fabrizio Biferali, supervisor of the art department for the 15th and 16th centuries; Fabio Piacentini and Francesca Persegati from the Painting and Wooden Materials Restoration Laboratory; and Fabio Morresi, head of the Scientific Research Office, who emphasized the scientific, technical, and symbolic value of a project that has brought to light revolutionary discoveries about the techniques and methods of the Renaissance master.The restoration, which began in March 2015 and was completed in December 2024, has not only restored the brilliance of the frescoes that Pope Leo X commissioned Raphael Sanzio (1483–1520) to paint but also revealed important technical and artistic innovations concerning one of the great workshops of the Renaissance.The process, carried out in eight phases, began with the wall of “The Vision of the Cross” and concluded with the vault decorated by Tommaso Laureti. The planning of the scaffolding followed the same sequence as the original execution of the paintings, allowing for a diachronic interpretation of the evolution of the complex.<h2>Raphael and oil painting: A revolutionary discovery</h2>One of the project’s greatest revelations has been the confirmation that two female figures — Comitas and Iustitia — were executed directly by Raphael in oil, an extremely unusual technique for murals at the time. “We knew from sources that Raphael did experiments, but we didn’t know which ones,” Jatta explained.Thanks to scientific analyses such as infrared refractography at 1,900 nanometers, false-color ultraviolet light, and chemical studies of the paint layer, a special preparation of rosin, a natural resin heated and applied to the wall, was identified. This technique would have allowed Raphael to make retouchings and achieve a visual unity not possible with traditional fresco.“This was his last major decorative undertaking and represents a true technical revolution,” said Piacentini, who was responsible for the restoration project from the outset. The presence of nails in the wall indicates that Raphael intended to paint the entire room in oils, a project interrupted by his untimely death in 1520 when he was only 37 years old.The work was continued by his disciples Giulio Romano and Giovanni Francesco Penni, who painted the remaining fresco scenes. “It was a work of years, comparable to that of a team from the Renaissance: Restorers, chemists, engineers, and heritage experts worked as if in a true workshop,” emphasized Jatta, who also praised Persegati’s coordination in the Vatican’s oldest laboratory.<h2>A 16th-century pictorial palimpsest</h2>The Hall of Constantine, designed for official receptions and named after the emperor who granted freedom of worship and thus brought Christianity out from the underground with the Edict of Milan (A.D. 313), constitutes a kind of artistic palimpsest (an ancient tablet on which writing could be erased and rewritten). It was decorated over more than 60 years under five pontificates — from Leo X to Sixtus V — with work done by different artists and workshops, making it an exceptional synthesis of 16th-century Roman painting.Its walls depict four key episodes: “The Vision of the Cross,” “The Battle of the Milvian Bridge,” “The Baptism of Constantine,” and “The Donation of Rome.” All of them symbolize the transition from pagan Rome to Christian Rome and constitute, according to Jatta, “the most politically and programmatically important room in the complex.”<h2>A vault that deceives the eye</h2>Another highlight of the project is the restoration of the vault painted with an allegorical scene of the triumph of Christianity over paganism by Tommaso Laureti during the pontificate of Sixtus V. Among the discoveries is the visual illusion of a carpet in the center of the vault, simulating a sumptuous fabric painted directly onto the ceiling’s surface.Replacing the old wooden ceiling, Laureti created an impressive marvel of illusionistic perspective with plays of light and shadow that can now be admired in all its beauty after having been cleaned.<h2>An exemplary restoration, a model for the future</h2>The project was made possible thanks to the patronage of the New York chapter of the Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums and the Carlson Foundation, along with the institutional support of the presidency of the Governorate of Vatican City State and its general secretariat.The work was fully documented through laser scans and 3D models, becoming an international reference for the restoration of large mural decorations. Furthermore, a detailed study of the plaster layers made it possible to reconstruct the exact chronology of the steps in making the frescoes.Morresi of the Vatican Museums’ Scientific Research Office summed up the spirit of the project with words that evoke both science and poetry: “The most exciting thing is how artists of the past managed to transform matter and chemistry into something so marvelous.”The reopening of the Hall of Constantine not only restores a key space in the Vatican museum but also returns to humanity a Renaissance masterpiece, a testament to Raphael’s genius.This story <a href="https://www.aciprensa.com/noticias/114765/el-vaticano-exhibe-el-legado-de-rafael-con-la-reapertura-de-la-sala-de-constantino-10-anos-despues-de-su-restauracion" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">was first published</a> by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
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<category>Vatican</category>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Jun 2025 07:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Catholic ministry helps adult children of divorce find healing and love ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265033/catholic-ministry-helps-adult-children-of-divorce-find-healing-and-love</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/meola-2024.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
Bethany and Daniel Meola, a married couple with a special heart for adult children of divorce, created the Life-Giving Wounds apostolate, currently celebrating its five-year anniversary in 2025. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Life-Giving Wounds
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Miami, Fla., Jun 30, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).
Kendra Beigel was 14 years old when her family life took a turn for the worse. In her small-town Minnesota home, she was used to her parents arguing, but her family situation further disintegrated when her mother intervened in her father’s alcohol issues and her parents went to court.“It was like the whole town decided to take a side and get involved in our family business,” recalled Beigel, who was raised Catholic. “I had to grow up quickly… Each stage of the initial separation and how it comes out of the blue, then the divorce and everything that it brings, and then the subsequent annulment; each brought its own hurts and difficulties and it never was easier.”Now an adult, Beigel remembers thinking back then, “How can you just be a kid anymore?” Navigating child custody routines, “you [the child] have to be the one to pack the suitcase and to move and uproot your life.”“I threw myself into academics and extracurriculars,” she said. “No one on the outside could tell how much I was hurting because I was excelling externally… You start to really put a lot of blame and guilt on yourself when you have no one to talk to, no one thinks to bring it up with you, and you’re really just trying to run away.”<figure class="mx-auto" style="width:100%"><img src="https://admin.catholicnewsagency.com/images/beigel-caitlin-renn-photography-58.jpg" class="img-fluid" style="null" alt="Kendra and Joe Beigel, Life-Giving Wounds alumni, smile for the camera after their wedding on Jan. 18, 2025, in Steubenville, Ohio. Credit: Photo courtesy of Caitlin Renn Photography"><figcaption class="caption text-muted">Kendra and Joe Beigel, Life-Giving Wounds alumni, smile for the camera after their wedding on Jan. 18, 2025, in Steubenville, Ohio. Credit: Photo courtesy of Caitlin Renn Photography</figcaption></figure>When ingrained fears caused her to struggle with family dynamics, friendships, and dating in college, Beigel knew the past had left its mark. In October 2022, she joined a <a href="https://www.lifegivingwounds.org/" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Life-Giving Wounds</a> retreat for adult children of divorce (ACODs) near her home in Denver.Celebrating its five-year milestone in 2025, Life-Giving Wounds — back then just a two-year-old apostolate — was already making a big impact. <h2>The beginnings </h2><a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/45804/give-voice-to-the-pain-new-catholic-ministry-seeks-to-help-adult-children-of-divorce" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">The ministry was created in 2020</a> by Daniel and Bethany Meola, a married couple with a special heart for adult children of divorce. Beginning with online retreats during the COVID-19 pandemic, Life-Giving Wounds now hosts events both online and in-person, with a presence in almost 40 dioceses throughout the United States in addition to the Archdiocese of Toronto, Canada.Himself an ACOD, Daniel Meola explained: “The more I dug into it in college and post-college, I realized there are lot of ministries for divorcees but not as much for adult children of divorce.”Since a high school retreat had turned his life around after his parents’ divorce, he recognized that “there needs to be an intentional ministry and community for others like me. Jesus’ heart desires this.”<figure class="mx-auto" style="width:100%"><img src="https://admin.catholicnewsagency.com/images/meola-20220326-161937.jpg" class="img-fluid" style="null" alt="Daniel Meola speaks during a Life-Giving Wounds retreat. Credit: Photo courtesy of Life-Giving Wounds"><figcaption class="caption text-muted">Daniel Meola speaks during a Life-Giving Wounds retreat. Credit: Photo courtesy of Life-Giving Wounds</figcaption></figure>In addition to retreats, Life-Giving Wounds offers a <a href="https://www.lifegivingwounds.org/blog" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">blog</a> with topics ranging from “Book and Media Reviews” to “Relationship Advice”; a <a href="https://www.lifegivingwounds.org/book" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">book</a> published in 2023; and even a summer <a href="https://www.lifegivingwounds.org/readinggroup" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">2025 Online Reading Group</a> and support group using Victor Hugo’s “Les Misérables” as a springboard.The retreat helped Beigel break through the bubble she had found herself in after her parents’ divorce.“Going in, you’re just thinking, none of my friends have gone through divorce. This is something that feels like such an isolating cross,” she said. “But as soon as I walked in, I saw everyone at my parish who I had no idea was in ‘the secret club that no one wants to be a part of,’ as they joked.”The retreat was transformative. “I really appreciated that they had a whole retreat manual to follow,” she noted. “It really invited you to take a leap of faith and invite the Divine Physician into these ugly areas of your heart.”Unbeknownst to her, a young man who had participated in a Maryland retreat earlier that year in August 2022 was Beigel’s future husband, Joe Beigel. The fact that they were both Life-Giving Wounds alumni would bring them together. Joe said the friend who introduced them “got my attention” by commenting that Kendra had attended Life-Giving Wounds and had been featured on the podcast <a href="https://restoredministry.com/podcast" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">“Restored.”</a>Chuckling, Kendra recounted Joe’s approach: “[He said,] ‘You can go ahead and delete that Catholic Match profile — you won’t need it now that you met me!’ And it worked!”Joe and Kendra Beigel were married on Jan. 18, 2025.To other ACODs, Joe’s message is: “You’re not doomed to repeat your parents’ mistakes and to not get married or to settle for less in a marriage, because God wants so much more for you.”Kendra agreed. “The thing that shifted with marriage, it’s not that you are done working on the wounds from your parents’ divorce, you just have someone you are working on it with, because that’s what marriage is. You’re working together first and foremost, helping each other along.”<figure class="mx-auto" style="width:100%"><img src="https://admin.catholicnewsagency.com/images/soto-engagement-paoletti-photography-r62-9818.jpg" class="img-fluid" style="null" alt="Craig Soto II and Sidney Soto, Life-Giving Wounds alumni, celebrate their engagement April 2024. Credit: Photo ourtesy of Paoletti Photography"><figcaption class="caption text-muted">Craig Soto II and Sidney Soto, Life-Giving Wounds alumni, celebrate their engagement April 2024. Credit: Photo ourtesy of Paoletti Photography</figcaption></figure>Craig Soto II and Sidney Soto, another Life-Giving Wounds alumni couple from Kansas, are preparing to welcome a baby into the world. Craig Soto said of Life-Giving Wounds’ anniversary: “Truly, what five years means to me is hope.” “When we did the full-body scan to make sure the baby was healthy, I remember the sonogram technician said everything was normal,” Soto said. The simple phrase hit him hard. “That’s a beautiful gift for me, for somebody who’s lived a very abnormal life. I got so used to it that ‘the normal’ actually became confusing and strange to me,” said Soto, a retreat leader. “To hear that our child is ‘normal’... To me, a normal life is all I’ve ever really wanted. That’s why I say that there’s hope, because I have hope for a normal life.”Those called to the vocation of marriage aren’t the only ones who have benefited from Life-Giving Wounds. In fact, retreat alumnus Father Ryan Martiré of the Diocese of Bismarck, North Dakota, helped bring Life-Giving Wounds to seminarians.Martiré participated in one of the first online retreats as a seminarian, later joining an in-person retreat while studying at <a href="https://kenrick.edu/" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Kenrick-Glennon Seminary</a> in St. Louis. The seminary’s rector “saw a tremendous need in the seminary and asked if I would introduce this ministry to more people in the seminary,” said Martiré, who was ordained on June 11, 2024. “Not only healing for themselves, but to be fathers who can provide this healing for others.”Kenrick-Glennon Seminary held its first retreat in spring 2022 and has the honor of being Life-Giving Wounds’ first seminary chapter.“The wound of divorce can be very attached to a father wound,” Martiré explained. “When a seminarian receives healing there, it can have a serious spiritual impact, that he receives confidence to be a father.”“One of the things that struck me when I was studying wounds of divorce is that so many children with parents who have divorced did not experience a word of accompaniment from their pastor or priest: ‘I’m so sorry that happened,’” he added. “A child who’s starting to self-protect and live hyper-independently because of their parents’ divorce needs a spiritual father or a spiritual mother to comfort them and to acknowledge that they’re hurting in their perfectionism, or in whatever way they’re coping.”Brady Hershberger, a young adult Life-Giving Wounds alumnus from Ohio, said: “I think Life-Giving Wounds is making the ACOD population feel seen, and like we don’t have to keep sweeping this wound under the rug as if it weren’t seriously a wound… It gives me a sense of hope that people like me will be seen and loved and heard.”Indeed, Martiré said he believes Life-Giving Wounds has a special connection to the<a href="https://www.usccb.org/jubilee2025" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> 2025</a> <a href="https://www.usccb.org/jubilee2025" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Jubilee</a>, with its theme of hope.<figure class="mx-auto" style="width:100%"><img src="https://admin.catholicnewsagency.com/images/fr-martire-dcn-joe-krupinsky-k30-7530.jpg" class="img-fluid" style="null" alt="Father Ryan Martiré (center right) of the Bismarck Diocese, a Life-Giving Wounds alumnus, processes with Father Eric Artz after their ordination on June 11, 2024. Credit: Photo courtesy of Deacon Joe Krupinsky"><figcaption class="caption text-muted">Father Ryan Martiré (center right) of the Bismarck Diocese, a Life-Giving Wounds alumnus, processes with Father Eric Artz after their ordination on June 11, 2024. Credit: Photo courtesy of Deacon Joe Krupinsky</figcaption></figure>“What struck me my first time at the retreat was seeing really stable, healed, holy people giving the presentations. People who are coming from a dark path with very divided families, and you see that they’re not living defined by their wounds,” he said. “That’s very hopeful that, as Christians, we don’t need to live in the past. We can become transformed by Christ if we let him into our suffering, our dark and imprisoned places.”Life-Giving Wounds co-founder Bethany Meola said she is excited for what’s to come. The ministry has projects focused on engaged and married couples in the works, and they also look to increase outreach to college students, Hispanic ministry, seminaries and religious, and more.“This anniversary is an opportunity to look back and see where God has taken us so far,” she said. “Obviously we have objective numbers to see how the ministry has grown from local to all around the country, from just a few retreats to more and more every year, which has been so beautiful. But more than the numbers, we’re reflecting on the people we’ve been privileged to encounter — more and more people all the time whom Life-Giving Wounds can hopefully lend some support to.”
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<category>US</category>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Jun 2025 06:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ British politician criticizes priest for refusing Communion over assisted dying vote ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265077/british-mp-chris-coghlan-criticizes-catholic-priest-father-ian-vane-for-refusing-holy-communion-over-bill</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/storage/image/britishparliamentbuilding032725.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
The British Parliament building in London. / Credit: Marinesea/Shutterstock
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CNA Newsroom, Jun 29, 2025 / 19:05 pm (CNA).
A British politician has publicly criticized his parish priest for refusing to give him holy Communion after he voted in favor of the United Kingdom’s assisted dying bill. Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament Chris Coghlan <a href="https://x.com/_Chris_Coghlan/status/1939183505205813595" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">took to social media</a> on Sunday and <a href="https://observer.co.uk/news/national/article/priest-denies-mp-holy-communion-over-his-support-for-assisted-dying-bill" target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">reportedly</a> complained to Bishop Richard Moth of Arundel and Brighton, describing his treatment as “outrageous.”Father Ian Vane, parish priest at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Dorking, Surrey, had warned Coghlan before the June 20 vote that supporting the <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/264915/catholic-archbishop-shocked-and-disappointed-by-house-of-commons-passage-of-assisted-suicide-bill" target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">controversial bill </a>would constitute “obstinately persevering” in sin. He then <a href="https://thecatholicherald.com/mp-denied-communion-after-backing-assisted-suicide-bill/" target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">reportedly</a> named Coghlan, who represents Dorking and Horley in Surrey, from the pulpit two days later.Coghlan described the priest’s actions as “completely inappropriate” and claimed it “undermines the legitimacy of religious institutions.”The politician posted on social media that the incident raised “grave public interest” about pressure that religious members of Parliament (MPs) faced during the vote, calling it “utterly disrespectful to my family, my constituents including the congregation, and the democratic process.”The MP’s public criticism sparked significant backlash on social media platforms, with many defending Vane and criticizing Coghlan’s comportment.Several commentators reminded the politician of the Vatican’s <a href="https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20021124_politica_en.html" target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">doctrinal note about participation in public life</a>, “that a well-formed Christian conscience does not permit one to vote for a political program or an individual law which contradicts the fundamental contents of faith and morals.”“Those who are directly involved in lawmaking bodies have a grave and clear obligation to oppose any law that attacks human life. For them, as for every Catholic, it is impossible to promote such laws or to vote for them,” the Doctrinal note on Some Questions Regarding the Participation of Catholics in Political Life states.The Diocese of Arundel and Brighton also <a href="https://observer.co.uk/news/national/article/priest-denies-mp-holy-communion-over-his-support-for-assisted-dying-bill" target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">reportedly</a> reminded the media of the Church’s position while acknowledging the complexity of the vote.“The Catholic Church believes in the sanctity of life and the dignity of every person,” the diocese stated, adding that Moth spoke to Coghlan “earlier this week and has offered to meet him in person to discuss the issues and concerns raised.”<h2>Church leaders warn of grave consequences</h2>The controversy comes as Catholic bishops and others have repeatedly raised serious concerns about the U.K.’s assisted dying legislation.Archbishop John Sherrington of Liverpool, the lead bishop for life issues for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, said he was “<a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/264915/catholic-archbishop-shocked-and-disappointed-by-house-of-commons-passage-of-assisted-suicide-bill" target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">shocked and disappointed</a>” by the bill’s passage. “Allowing the medical profession to help patients end their lives will change the culture of health care and cause legitimate fears amongst those with disabilities or who are especially vulnerable in other ways,” Sherrington stated.Cardinal Vincent Nichols, archbishop of Westminster, and Sherrington had previously warned that Catholic hospices and care homes may have <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/264863/archbishops-assisted-suicide-bill-will-be-death-knell-for-hospices-care-homes-in-england-and-wales" target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">no choice but to shut down</a> if the bill becomes law, since they “may be required to cooperate with assisted suicide.”To become law, the bill still needs to pass in the second chamber of Parliament, the unelected House of Lords. The Lords can amend legislation, but because the bill has the support of the Commons, it is likely to pass.
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<category>Europe</category>
<pubDate>Sun, 29 Jun 2025 19:05:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ PHOTOS: Rome celebrates its patron saints with a burst of colorful flowers ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265075/rome-celebrates-its-patron-saints-with-a-burst-of-colorful-flowers</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/madonnaflowers.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
The Via della Conciliazione, the grand avenue leading to St. Peter’s Square in Rome, was transformed on Sunday, June 29, 2025, into a vibrant tapestry of color laid over the asphalt. / Credit: Hannah Brockhaus/CNA
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Vatican City, Jun 29, 2025 / 12:50 pm (CNA).
The Via della Conciliazione, the grand avenue leading to St. Peter’s Square, was transformed on Sunday, June 29, into a vibrant tapestry of color laid over the asphalt, with dozens of floral artworks created by master artisans and volunteers from across Italy.These floral works, rich in religious symbolism, decorated the spiritual heart of Rome as part of a new edition of the Infiorata Storica (Historic Flower Festival).<figure class="mx-auto" style="width:100%"><img src="https://admin.catholicnewsagency.com/images/flowers1.jpg" class="img-fluid" style="null" alt="Murals made of flowers adorned the Via della Conciliazione, the grand avenue leading to St. Peter’s Square, which was transformed on June 29, 2025, into a vibrant tapestry of color. Credit: Hannah Brockhaus/CNA"><figcaption class="caption text-muted">Murals made of flowers adorned the Via della Conciliazione, the grand avenue leading to St. Peter’s Square, which was transformed on June 29, 2025, into a vibrant tapestry of color. Credit: Hannah Brockhaus/CNA</figcaption></figure>This year’s 12th edition centered on the theme of the Jubilee of Hope, expressed through floral arrangements, each covering more than 500 square feet. The artworks were made using dried flower petals, wood shavings, colored sand, salt, sugar, and natural pigments.<figure class="mx-auto" style="width:100%"><img src="https://admin.catholicnewsagency.com/images/flowers2.jpg" class="img-fluid" style="null" alt="This year’s 12th edition of the Infiorata Storica centered on the theme of the Jubilee of Hope, expressed through floral arrangements, each covering more than 500 square feet. Credit: Hannah Brockhaus/CNA"><figcaption class="caption text-muted">This year’s 12th edition of the Infiorata Storica centered on the theme of the Jubilee of Hope, expressed through floral arrangements, each covering more than 500 square feet. Credit: Hannah Brockhaus/CNA</figcaption></figure>Beginning on Saturday evening, June 28, teams of floral artists and volunteers worked overnight in an intense effort that concluded at 9 a.m. Sunday — just in time for thousands of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul to admire the floral carpets in their full splendor.<figure class="mx-auto" style="width:100%"><img src="https://admin.catholicnewsagency.com/images/flowers3.jpg" class="img-fluid" style="null" alt="The Via della Conciliazione, the grand avenue leading to St. Peter’s Square, was transformed on June 29, 2025, into a vibrant tapestry of color with dozens of floral artworks created by master artisans and volunteers from across Italy. Credit: Hannah Brockhaus/CNA"><figcaption class="caption text-muted">The Via della Conciliazione, the grand avenue leading to St. Peter’s Square, was transformed on June 29, 2025, into a vibrant tapestry of color with dozens of floral artworks created by master artisans and volunteers from across Italy. Credit: Hannah Brockhaus/CNA</figcaption></figure><h2>A rich tradition reborn </h2>This creative and spiritual gathering aims not only to beautify the city but also to preserve a deeply rooted tradition dating back to 1625, when Benedetto Drei, head of the papal florist’s office, first decorated the entrance to St. Peter’s Basilica with flowers.<figure class="mx-auto" style="width:100%"><img src="https://admin.catholicnewsagency.com/images/flowers4.jpg" class="img-fluid" style="null" alt="The floral works, rich in religious symbolism, decorated the spiritual heart of Rome as part of a new edition of the Infiorata Storica (Historic Flower Festival) on June 29, 2025. Credit: Hannah Brockhaus/CNA"><figcaption class="caption text-muted">The floral works, rich in religious symbolism, decorated the spiritual heart of Rome as part of a new edition of the Infiorata Storica (Historic Flower Festival) on June 29, 2025. Credit: Hannah Brockhaus/CNA</figcaption></figure>Though the custom faded in the 17th century, it was revived in 2013. Today, the Infiorata has become an iconic event that combines art, faith, and culture.Within the context of the liturgical celebrations led by Pope Leo XIV, the floral exhibition offered a symbolic path of prayer and hope, linking Rome with believers from around the world.This story <a href="https://www.aciprensa.com/noticias/114821/roma-celebra-a-sus-santos-patronos-con-un-estallido-de-flores-de-colores" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">was first published</a> by ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner, and has been translated and adapted by CNA.
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<category>Vatican</category>
<pubDate>Sun, 29 Jun 2025 12:50:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Pope Leo XIV warns new archbishops against pastoral plans that repeat without renewing ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265073/pope-leo-xiv-warns-new-archbishops-against-pastoral-plans-that-repeat-without-renewing</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/l1030103-1.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
Pope Leo XIV spoke about unity on Sunday, June 29, 2025, after bestowing the pallium on 54 new metropolitan archbishops on the solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, patrons of the city of Rome. / Credit: Vatican Media
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Vatican City, Jun 29, 2025 / 10:15 am (CNA).
Pope Leo XIV warned new archbishops on Sunday against following “the same old pastoral plans without experiencing interior renewal and a willingness to respond to new challenges.”  Speaking on the June 29 solemnity of Peter and Paul — saints recognized by the Catholic Church as pillars of the faith and venerated as patrons of the city of Rome — the pope also called for maintaining ecclesial unity while respecting diversity. “Our patron saints followed different paths, had different ideas, and at times argued with one another with evangelical frankness. Yet this did not prevent them from ... a living communion in the Spirit, a fruitful harmony in diversity,” the pope said. During Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica, where he bestowed the pallium on 54 new metropolitan archbishops, including <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265023/pope-leo-xiv-to-bestow-pallium-on-these-8-us-archbishops" target="_blank" class="Hyperlink SCXW141835233 BCX4" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">eight from the U.S.</a>, Leo urged them to “find new paths and new approaches to preaching the Gospel” rooted in the “problems and difficulties” arising from their communities of faith.“The two apostles... inspire us by the example of their openness to change, to new events, encounters, and concrete situations in the life of their communities, and by their readiness to consider new approaches to evangelization in response to the problems and difficulties raised by our brothers and sisters in the faith.”After the homily, deacons descended to the tomb of the Apostle Peter, located beneath the Altar of the Chair, to retrieve the palliums the pope had blessed.<h2>Avoiding routine and ritualism </h2>In his homily, the pope praised the example of Sts. Peter and Paul, highlighting their “ecclesial communion and the vitality of faith.” He stressed the importance of learning to live communion as “unity within diversity — so that the various gifts, united in the one confession of faith, may advance the preaching of the Gospel.”For Pope Leo, the path of ecclesial communion “is awakened by the inspiration of the Spirit, unites differences, and builds bridges of unity thanks to the rich variety of charisms, gifts, and ministries.”The pope called for fostering “fraternity” and urged his listeners to “make an effort, then, to turn our differences into a workshop of unity and communion, of fraternity and reconciliation, so that everyone in the Church, each with his or her personal history, may learn to walk side by side.”“The whole Church needs fraternity, which must be present in all of our relationships, whether between laypeople and priests, priests and bishops, bishops and the pope. Fraternity is also needed in pastoral care, ecumenical dialogue, and the friendly relations that the Church desires to maintain with the world,” the pope said.He also invited reflection on whether the journey of our faith “retains its energy and vitality, and whether the flame of our relationship with the Lord still burns bright.” “If we want to keep our identity as Christians from being reduced to a relic of the past, as Pope Francis often reminded us, it is important to move beyond a tired and stagnant faith. We need to ask ourselves: Who is Jesus Christ for us today? What place does he occupy in our lives and in the life of the Church?”<h2>New paths and practices for the Gospel </h2>Leo thus encouraged a process of discernment that arises from these questions, allowing faith and the Church “to be constantly renewed and to find new paths and new approaches to preaching the Gospel.”“This, together with communion, must be our greatest desire.”At the end of the celebration, the pontiff descended the stairs to the tomb of the Apostle Peter and prayed for a few moments before it, accompanied by Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon, head of the delegation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.The solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul is especially important for ecumenism because the two saints are honored by all apostolic traditions, and the Ecumenical Patriarchate has sent a delegation to Rome for the feast annually since the 1960s.During the celebration, Pope Leo XIV revived the ancient tradition of personally imposing the pallium on new metropolitan archbishops.This symbolic rite had been modified by Pope Francis in 2015, when he decided to present the pallium — a white wool band resembling a stole with six black silk crosses — to archbishops at the Vatican, while leaving it to the nuncio in each archbishop’s country to impose the pallium in a local ceremony.At the time, Pope Francis explained that this change was meant to give greater prominence to local churches, to make the ceremony more pastoral and participatory, and to strengthen the bond between archbishops and their people, without weakening communion with Rome.
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<category>Vatican</category>
<pubDate>Sun, 29 Jun 2025 10:15:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Pope Leo XIV says the unity of the Church ‘is nourished by forgiveness and mutual trust’ ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265071/pope-leo-xiv-says-the-unity-of-the-church-is-nourished-by-forgiveness-and-mutual-trust</link>
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Pope Leo XIV spoke about unity on Sunday, June 29, 2025, after bestowing the pallium on 54 new metropolitan archbishops on the solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, patrons of the city of Rome. / Credit: Vatican Media
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Vatican City, Jun 29, 2025 / 09:40 am (CNA).
Pope Leo XIV on Sunday said unity in the Catholic Church “is nourished by forgiveness and mutual trust” after bestowing the pallium on 54 new metropolitan archbishops on the solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, patrons of the city of Rome. “If Jesus trusts us, then we too can trust one another, in his name,” the pontiff said, extending his call to unity to all Christian denominations. Speaking before he led those gathered in St. Peter’s Square in praying the Angelus on June 29, the pope also recalled the witness of the apostles who were martyred. <figure class="mx-auto" style="width:100%"><img src="https://admin.catholicnewsagency.com/images/tom9076.jpg" class="img-fluid" style="null" alt="Speaking before he led those gathered in St. Peter’s Square in praying the Angelus on June 29, 2025, Pope Leo also recalled the witness of the apostles who were martyred. Credit: Vatican Media"><figcaption class="caption text-muted">Speaking before he led those gathered in St. Peter’s Square in praying the Angelus on June 29, 2025, Pope Leo also recalled the witness of the apostles who were martyred. Credit: Vatican Media</figcaption></figure>“Today is the great feast of the Church of Rome, born from the witness of the Apostles Peter and Paul and made fruitful by their blood and that of many other martyrs,” he said, emphasizing that even today, “throughout the world there are Christians whom the Gospel makes generous and bold, even at the cost of their lives.”In an ecumenical appeal, the pope emphasized that this shared sacrifice creates a “profound and invisible unity among Christian churches,” which he called, echoing Pope Francis, an “ecumenism of blood.”<figure class="mx-auto" style="width:100%"><img src="https://admin.catholicnewsagency.com/images/img-0195-1.jpg" class="img-fluid" style="null" alt="In his remarks at Mass on June 29, 2025, Pope Leo reaffirmed: “My episcopal service is a service to unity, and the Church of Rome is committed, by the blood of Sts. Peter and Paul, to serving communion among all Churches.” Credit: Vatican Media"><figcaption class="caption text-muted">In his remarks at Mass on June 29, 2025, Pope Leo reaffirmed: “My episcopal service is a service to unity, and the Church of Rome is committed, by the blood of Sts. Peter and Paul, to serving communion among all Churches.” Credit: Vatican Media</figcaption></figure>Present during the Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on Sunday morning was Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon, heading the delegation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate sent to Rome by Bartholomew I for the solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul — a celebration rich with ecumenical significance. In his remarks prior to the Marian prayer, the pope reaffirmed: “My episcopal service is a service to unity, and the Church of Rome is committed, by the blood of Sts. Peter and Paul, to serving communion among all Churches.”<figure class="mx-auto" style="width:100%"><img src="https://admin.catholicnewsagency.com/images/l1022034.jpg" class="img-fluid" style="null" alt="Pope Leo XIV offers Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on June 29, 2025, the solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul. Present was Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon, heading the delegation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, sent to Rome by Bartholomew I for the solemnity — a celebration rich with ecumenical significance. Credit: Vatican Media"><figcaption class="caption text-muted">Pope Leo XIV offers Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on June 29, 2025, the solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul. Present was Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon, heading the delegation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, sent to Rome by Bartholomew I for the solemnity — a celebration rich with ecumenical significance. Credit: Vatican Media</figcaption></figure>Quoting the Gospel, the pope reminded that “the stone from which Peter also receives his name is Christ. A stone rejected by men that God has made the cornerstone.” The basilicas of Sts. Peter and Paul, he pointed out, are located “outside the walls,” signifying that “what seems to us great and glorious was once rejected and cast out for being in conflict with worldly thinking.” Leo invited all to walk “the path of the Beatitudes,” where poverty of spirit, meekness, mercy, and the thirst for justice often meet with “opposition and even persecution.” Yet, he affirmed, “the glory of God shines in his friends and along the way he shapes them, from conversion to conversion.”At the tombs of the apostles, “a millennial destination for pilgrimage,” the pope encouraged everyone to discover that “we too can live from conversion to conversion.” The New Testament, he recalled, does not hide the apostles’ faults and sins, “because their greatness was shaped by forgiveness.” Jesus, he said, “never calls only once. That’s why we can always have hope, as the jubilee also reminds us.”<figure class="mx-auto" style="width:100%"><img src="https://admin.catholicnewsagency.com/images/l1030103-1.jpg" class="img-fluid" style="null" alt="Pope Leo XIV spoke about unity on Sunday, June 29, 2025, after bestowing the pallium on 54 new metropolitan archbishops on the solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, patrons of the city of Rome. Credit: Vatican Media"><figcaption class="caption text-muted">Pope Leo XIV spoke about unity on Sunday, June 29, 2025, after bestowing the pallium on 54 new metropolitan archbishops on the solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, patrons of the city of Rome. Credit: Vatican Media</figcaption></figure>After the Angelus, Pope Leo XIV expressed his closeness with Barthélémy Boganda high school in Bangui, Central African Republic, “in mourning after the tragic accident that caused many deaths and injuries among students.” Twenty-nine students died and more than 250 were injured in a stampede on Wednesday prompted by an accidental electrical explosion. The pope also expressed “a heartfelt thought for the parish priests and all the priests working in Roman parishes, with gratitude and encouragement for their service.” Leo recalled that the day’s feast marks the annual Peter’s Pence Collection, “a sign of communion with the pope and of participation in his apostolic ministry,” and thanked “those who, through their contributions, support my first steps as the successor of Peter.”
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<category>Vatican</category>
<pubDate>Sun, 29 Jun 2025 09:40:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Catholic speaker Kim Zember in new EWTN podcast highlights LGBT conversion stories ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265055/catholic-speaker-kim-zember-in-new-ewtn-podcast-highlights-lgbt-conversion-stories</link>
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Catholic speaker and author Kim Zember (left) and Zember on the set of her new podcast on EWTN, “Here I AM Stories,” with guest Angel Colon. / Credit: Photos courtesy of Kim Zember
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CNA Staff, Jun 29, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).
During her senior year of high school, Catholic speaker and author Kim Zember realized she had a sexual attraction to women. She went on to live a hidden life for years — dating men publicly but dating women secretly. Eventually, she ended up solely in relationships with women.A decade later she found herself increasingly unhappy and one day she threw up her hands and asked God to enter her life. Now, 11 years after experiencing transformation, she’s sharing her conversations with other people who have dealt with sexual identity and gender confusion in a new podcast on EWTN called “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9CQlldupc5_rv7FkJwsoI9yiTECaHKxN" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Here I AM Stories</a>.”<div style="width:100%" class="mx-auto embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eVwYDK1sLWY?feature=oembed&start=" class="embed-responsive-item " frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></div>“In the tenderness of God, I just felt like he said, ‘I want you to share other people’s stories. You’re not the only one,’” Zember told CNA.According to EWTN, the podcast “highlights raw voices, radical lives, and real stories of those who left LGBT identities for a greater eternal purpose.” It airs weekly on Mondays during the month of June and then beginning in July, two episodes will be aired every month. “These are people who have been walking it out,” Zember said. “This is not stories of perfection.”Four episodes of the podcast have already been released. One particularly powerful episode was a conversation with Jessica Rose, who identified as a male for seven years, battled depression, and attempted suicide until she gave her life to Christ. Another episode features the story of Angel Colon, who survived the 2016 Pulse Nightclub shooting where 49 lives were lost. Despite being shot multiple times, he survived and credits the miracle to God, changing his way of life.Zember’s own story follows a similar pattern as the guests she speaks with in her podcast. She grew up in what she says was a “normal” Catholic household with two older brothers and parents who were high school sweethearts. She received all her sacraments but admitted that she grew up without having a relationship with Jesus.She shared that she saw God like a “cop that kind of just kept tally of all the things I was doing, good or bad, and was kind of calculating everything. So that was kind of challenging because I heard all the time like, ‘God loves you,’ ‘God’s for you,’ but I didn’t experience that.”Despite having a decent childhood, Zember said she did not have a “good, tender father” and did not trust men. As a senior in high school, she longed for a relationship and acted upon her attraction to women.“My senior year in high school I was like, ‘You know what? I don’t feel safe with men, but I feel safe with women and I’m attracted and I don’t know what that means, but I’m going to take a step,’” she recalled. “And [in] my senior year in high school I acted on these desires towards women with one of my best friends and that changed everything for me.”From there she began dating women in private. Believing that what she was doing was wrong, she sought a Catholic counselor at age 18 and was affirmed in her homosexual identity. From there, she came out publicly and no longer hid the fact that she was dating women. It wasn’t until Oct. 17, 2014 — after a decade of living a gay lifestyle — that she “cried out to the Lord and said, ‘I can’t do this.’”She recalled telling God: “‘I’ve heard about you my whole life. I’ve read about you my whole life but I need to experience you now. And so I need you to show up.’ And it might sound horrible but I was like, ‘I need you to show up and I need you to show up now because if you don’t show up and show me that you’re good, I will go to someone or something else, like I have my entire life. So, I’m giving you your one shot, God.’” “And I’m telling you, he showed up. He showed up that evening in a way that I will never forget,” Zember shared. “Oct. 17 feels sometimes like my birthday — though I was born on Dec. 22 — that encounter I had with God marked me in a way … that I’ve never been the same.”In that moment Zember said she experienced the “tangible love of God” and “he has been faithful every day since then.”“Also in revealing his character and nature, he has shown me that he’s the one my heart has been searching for. He has shown me that he is the one, that God himself, that made man in Jesus Christ, that he is the love of my life that I’ve desired.”Zember now lives in freedom from her struggle with same-sex attraction and helps others who face similar battles to find their true identity in Christ. When asked what the Church can do to better minister to those struggling with gender and sexual identity issues, she said: “I think as a Church, we need to recognize again our own unworthiness; no matter what Jesus has already saved us from, we still need him.”“If we’d recognize our own brokenness and our own need for Jesus, I think we’d be able to receive other people in their need for him, too. We’d stop trying to fix people, and we’d actually try to walk with one another,” she added. “We’d try to walk with one another in our brokenness to Christ, the only one who can heal, deliver, make whole, and set free.”As for her hopes for the new podcast, she said she hopes it would show people “that we have a good Father” and “that people would give Jesus a try — a real one.”“My hope is that people will say, ‘Wait a minute, if Jesus was that good in their life, maybe he wants to be that good in mine too’ — in whatever it is. It doesn’t have to be homosexuality or identity confusion. It could be you holding on too tightly to something. It could be you needing a career and if you don’t get it, you don’t know who you are. It’s all the longings of our heart to be seen, known, loved, chosen, and desired, and how we try to go to the things of this world to fill those when it’s actually the very one who created us that wants to fill those.”
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<category>US</category>
<pubDate>Sun, 29 Jun 2025 07:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ The cave in Subiaco where the Rule of St. Benedict was born ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265025/the-cave-in-subiaco-where-the-rule-of-st-benedict-was-born</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/subiaco1.jpeg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
One unique feature of the monastery at Subiaco is that it was built into the mountain. In any room, at least one wall is bare rock. During construction, the connection with the mountain was always preserved. Even above the main altar of the upper church, the rock juts out and looms overhead, enveloping the worship space like a vast cloak. / Credit: D. Ermacora
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Paris, France, Jun 29, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).
Nestled among the majestic cliffs of the Simbruini mountains in Subiaco, a town about an hour from Rome in the heart of the Aniene River valley, stands the Monastery of St. Benedict, also known as the “Sacro Speco” (“Sacred Cave”). It is from this place that the famous rule of religious life was born and would spread through the centuries, still followed by thousands of monks and nuns around the world today.<figure class="mx-auto" style="width:100%"><img src="https://admin.catholicnewsagency.com/images/1-subiaco-speco-italy-june-2025-photo-credit-d.-ermacora.jpg" class="img-fluid" style="null" alt="Subiaco's Sacred Cave — the "speco" — where St. Benedict found shelter and lived as a hermit for about three years. It eventually became a pilgrimage site and source of spiritual inspiration, and over the centuries, a magnificent monastic complex was built around it. Credit: D. Ermacora"><figcaption class="caption text-muted">Subiaco's Sacred Cave — the "speco" — where St. Benedict found shelter and lived as a hermit for about three years. It eventually became a pilgrimage site and source of spiritual inspiration, and over the centuries, a magnificent monastic complex was built around it. Credit: D. Ermacora</figcaption></figure>In the sixth century, the young Benedict of Nursia withdrew into solitude, fleeing a corrupt and noisy world in search of an inner state that would bring him closer to God through reflection and the listening of silence. Among the rocks and trees, he found a cave — the “speco” — which sheltered him in hermitage for about three years. Thanks to the charity of a local monk and nearby shepherds, to whom he offered knowledge in exchange for food, he survived hunger and hardship.From that cave began a spiritual journey of prayer and asceticism that led St. Benedict to formulate the rule that countless religious follow today. He devoted great attention to contemplation and prayer, considering silence an essential condition for receiving the word of God and the inspiration for a life of prayer, work, and brotherhood — according to the motto “Ora et Labora” (“Pray and Work”). The cave later became a pilgrimage site and source of spiritual inspiration. Over the centuries, a magnificent monastic complex was built around the Sacred Cave, nestled in greenery like a jewel, welcoming faithful and visitors from all over the world. The monastery was constructed on multiple levels and adapted to the shape of the mountain. <figure class="mx-auto" style="width:100%"><img src="https://admin.catholicnewsagency.com/images/subiacochapelitaly32062625.jpeg" class="img-fluid" style="" alt="Chapel of Subiaco at the entrance, with walls covered in frescoes illustrating the life of Jesus and the life of Saint Benedict. June 2025. Credit: D. Ermacora"><figcaption class="caption text-muted">Chapel of Subiaco at the entrance, with walls covered in frescoes illustrating the life of Jesus and the life of Saint Benedict. June 2025. Credit: D. Ermacora</figcaption></figure><h2>Wrapped in the rocks of the mountain</h2>One unique feature of the place is that in any room, at least one wall is bare rock. During construction, the connection with the mountain was always preserved. Even above the main altar of the upper church, the rock juts out and looms overhead, enveloping the worship space like a vast cloak.To link the various parts — upper and lower churches, chapels, and the cave itself — an intricate network of staircases was built, making the pilgrim’s path even more fascinating. On the walls of the many chapels and corridors are frescoes painted in various artistic styles from different centuries.<h2>The holy image of St. Francis of Assisi</h2>One of the most important frescoes, found in the Chapel of St. Gregory, is the image of St. Francis of Assisi — considered the oldest portrait of the saint. It was painted by an anonymous friar, likely living in the same convent as Francis between 1220 and 1224. This date suggests that the face depicted in the fresco is one of the most faithful representations of the saint’s actual appearance — almost like a “photograph” of the time.The absence of the stigmata (which appeared in 1224) and the halo further support the belief that this fresco is an extraordinary testimony to the real face of Francis while he was still alive.<figure class="mx-auto" style="width:100%"><img src="https://admin.catholicnewsagency.com/images/6-subiaco-chapel-italy-june-2025-photo-credit-d-ermacora.jpg" class="img-fluid" style="null" alt="Another underground chapel adorned with frescoes of the four Evangelists in Subiaco, Italy, June 2025. Credit: D. Ermacora"><figcaption class="caption text-muted">Another underground chapel adorned with frescoes of the four Evangelists in Subiaco, Italy, June 2025. Credit: D. Ermacora</figcaption></figure>The frescoes that adorn the chapels and corridors were painted in different eras by various artists and mostly depict the life of St. Benedict, especially in the lower church. There, in a style with Roman and Byzantine traits from the 13th century, scenes include “The Miracle of the Poisoned Bread,” with a crow carrying away the poisoned bread meant for Benedict by enemies; “The Miracle of the Goth,” where Benedict blesses a broken jar that miraculously reforms; and “Young Benedict in Subiaco,” illustrating his hermitic life in the cave.Other frescoes in the lower church narrate Benedict’s arrival in Subiaco and his hermit life, showing his struggles against temptation and the strength with which he persevered; the first disciples and birth of the communities, the beginning of his mission; and his first miracles, bearing witness to the divine power manifesting through Benedict’s actions.To this day, Benedictine monks still live in the monastery, faithfully upholding the rule.
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<category>Europe</category>
<pubDate>Sun, 29 Jun 2025 06:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Thousands rally across the U.S. urging Congress to defund Planned Parenthood ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265069/thousands-rally-across-the-us-urging-congress-to-defund-planned-parenthood</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/guikvrnwiaaiqgv.jpeg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
Pro-life demonstrators take part in a rally calling for Planned Parenthood to be defunded in Denton, Texas, on Saturday, June 28, 2025. / Credit: Carole Novielli/Live Action
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CNA Staff, Jun 28, 2025 / 14:00 pm (CNA).
Thousands of pro-life advocates rallied at hundreds of locations across the United States on Saturday while taking part in a “single, coordinated day of demonstration” urging Congress to defund the abortion giant Planned Parenthood.The pro-life group Live Action spearheaded the nationwide “Defund Day” event. Group founder Lila Rose told CNA it was the “largest grassroots effort” yet to call for stripping federal funds from Planned Parenthood, which received approximately $800 million in taxpayer dollars during its most recent fiscal year. “We’re spearheading an effort with over 200 peaceful rallies across the country in all 48 states where there are Planned Parenthoods,” she said. “This is a national call to defund the biggest abortion chain.”Citing Planned Parenthood’s hundreds of thousands of abortions per year, as well as other extreme services such as providing cross-sex hormones to minors, Rose said: “Congress has an opportunity to defund. They need to seize it.”Photos and videos flooded social media on Saturday showing demonstrations taking place around the country, including in states such as California, Texas, Kentucky, and Georgia, with protesters displaying signs and banners calling for Planned Parenthood to be blocked from federal funds. <div class="twitter-wrapper"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">More from Marietta, Georgia demanding Congress Defund Planned Parenthood <a href="https://twitter.com/LiveAction?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LiveAction</a> <a href="https://t.co/UqdkR1G0fn">pic.twitter.com/UqdkR1G0fn</a>— Carole Novielli (@CaroleNovielli) <a href="https://twitter.com/CaroleNovielli/status/1939001444541079936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 28, 2025</a></blockquote><script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><div class="drag-handle" data-drag-handle="true"> </div></div>Rose told CNA that pro-life advocates are “closer than ever” to defunding the abortion chain. “We have the opportunity with the [Republican] majority in the House and the Senate, and with an administration that has indicated it would defund,” she said. <div class="twitter-wrapper"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Dozens in Louisville, Kentucky demand the Senate defund Planned Parenthood!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DefundPlannedParenthood?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DefundPlannedParenthood</a> <a href="https://t.co/cEAsovDvLL">pic.twitter.com/cEAsovDvLL</a>— Lila Rose (@LilaGraceRose) <a href="https://twitter.com/LilaGraceRose/status/1938992374446764168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 28, 2025</a></blockquote><script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><div class="drag-handle" data-drag-handle="true"> </div></div>Rose said there are still “significant challenges” to the defunding goal, including the possibility of a filibuster in the Senate blocking any bill to that effect, though she noted that the budget reconciliation process could be used to bypass that obstacle. If defunding is ultimately accomplished, Rose said, “we need to ensure that it sticks,” not just for one budget year but permanently. Looking forward, she said, “we have to abolish abortion.”“Defunding will weaken abortion, but the main goal is the complete legal protection for the preborn.”“We’re building a groundswell [to abolish abortion],” she added. “It’s going to take time to develop the political infrastructure. But I believe we’ll do it within a decade.”
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<category>US</category>
<pubDate>Sat, 28 Jun 2025 14:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Benedict XVI, Francis, and Leo XIV recommend this book, which warns of a world without God ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265065/benedict-xvi-francis-and-leo-xiv-recommend-this-book-which-warns-of-a-world-without-god</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/storage/image/personreadingbook080424.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
null / Credit: TippaPatt/Shutterstock
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ACI Prensa Staff, Jun 28, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA).
The last three popes — Benedict XVI, Francis, and Leo XIV — have on more than one occasion recommended reading “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Lord-World-Robert-Benson-Illustrated/dp/1533404321/ref=asc_df_1533404321?mcid=3013a13d6e3b3b6884434e942e71acf1&hvocijid=6520330044645738497-1533404321-&hvexpln=73&tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=721245378154&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6520330044645738497&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9028752&hvtargid=pla-2281435176858&psc=1" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Lord of the World</a>,” the dystopian science fiction novel written by Robert Hugh Benson in 1907.This apocalyptic novel depicts the consequences of a society that turned its back on God and presents a social critique of the customs of the West, which has succumbed to capitalism and socialism.Benson, an Anglican cleric who eventually converted to Catholicism and was ordained a priest in 1904, proposes a reality in which “the forces of secularist materialism, relativism, and state control triumph everywhere.”This work, praised by the last three popes, also describes the arrival of the Antichrist as a charismatic personality but who also promotes ideals destructive to society.Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the future Pope Benedict XVI, cited this work during a lecture he gave at the Catholic University of Milan in February 1992, stating that the work “gives much food for thought.”It was also one of Pope Francis’ favorite books. During his meeting with the academic and cultural world as part of his apostolic journey to Budapest, Hungary, in April 2023, Francis explained that this work “shows that mechanical complexity is not synonymous with true greatness and that in the most ostentatious exteriority is hidden the most subtle insidiousness.”For the Argentine pope, the book was “in a certain sense prophetic.” Although it was written more than a century ago, “it describes a future dominated by technology and in which everything, in the name of progress, is standardized; everywhere a new ‘humanism’ is preached that suppresses differences, nullifying the life of peoples and abolishing religions,” he said. <figure class="mx-auto" style="width:100%"><img src="https://admin.catholicnewsagency.com/images/lordoftheworld062725.jpg" class="img-fluid" style="null" alt="The original book cover of “Lord of the World” by Robert Hugh Benson. Credit: Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons"><figcaption class="caption text-muted">The original book cover of “Lord of the World” by Robert Hugh Benson. Credit: Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons</figcaption></figure>Specifically, he emphasized that in the society described in the book, all differences are eradicated, as opposing ideologies merge in a homogenization resulting in “ideological colonization — as humanity, in a world run by machines, is gradually diminished and life in society becomes sad and rarefied.”Francis noted that in the novel, “everyone seems listless and passive, it seems obvious that the sick should be gotten rid of and euthanasia practiced, as well as national languages and cultures be abolished in order to achieve a universal peace.”This idea of peace, however, “is transformed into an oppression based on the imposition of consensus, to the point of making one of the protagonists state that the world seems at the mercy of a perverse vitality, which corrupts and confuses everything,” Francis said in his address in the Hungarian capital.Also, while criticizing ideological colonization, Pope Francis during a press conference he <a href="https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2015/january/documents/papa-francesco_20150119_srilanka-filippine-conferenza-stampa.html" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">gave to the media</a> on his flight back to the Vatican after his Apostolic Journey to Manila, Philippines, in 2015 recommended reading the book.Cardinal Robert Prevost, before being elected Pope Leo XIV, also recommended the book in <a href="https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1028441658354639" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">an interview </a>given to the Augustinians from Rome. “It speaks about what could happen in the world if we lose faith,” Prevost explained.He emphasized that Benson’s work contains passages that give a lot of food for thought “in terms of the world we are living in,” presenting challenges about the importance of “continuing to live with faith but also to continue to live with a deep appreciation of who we are as human beings, brothers and sisters, but understanding the relationship of ourselves with God and the love of God in our lives.”Furthermore, the cardinal, who became Leo XIV on May 8, noted that his two predecessors had also cited this book on more than one occasion.This story <a href="https://www.aciprensa.com/noticias/114763/benedicto-xvi-francisco-y-leon-xiv-recomiendan-este-libro-que-advierte-sobre-un-mundo-sin-dios" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">was first published</a> by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
]]></description>
<category>Vatican</category>
<pubDate>Sat, 28 Jun 2025 09:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ How the Loretto Community became a vibrant Catholic youth movement in Europe ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265047/loretto-community-s-pentecost-festival-draws-thousands-of-catholic-youth-across-europe</link>
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<description><![CDATA[ <div style="width: 100%; margin-bottom: 25px;">
<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/03.-pfingsten-anbetung-wien.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
A monstrance with the Blessed Sacrament is displayed on the altar during Eucharistic adoration at a Loretto Community Pentecost event accompanied by live music. / Credit: Loretto Gemeinschaft
</div>
CNA Newsroom, Jun 28, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).
What began as a modest prayer meeting in a Vienna student apartment in 1987 has grown into one of Europe’s largest Catholic youth movements. The Loretto Community — named after the Marian shrine of Loreto — now draws over 12,000 participants to its annual Pentecost Festival, held simultaneously at 28 locations across four countries.The Loretto Community traces its roots to the mid-1980s, when Georg Mayr-Melnhof, a businessman and permanent deacon from Salzburg, Austria, first visited Medjugorje, the Bosnian town known for its reported <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/259393/medjugorje-what-catholics-should-know-about-the-alleged-marian-apparitions" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Marian apparitions</a>.Inspired by these spiritual experiences, Mayr-Melnhof began organizing pilgrimages for young people.After one such pilgrimage during Easter 1987, two young Viennese approached him: “Georg, after these strong experiences here in Medjugorje, let’s start something at home.” They felt called by the Virgin Mary’s message to “found prayer circles.” That October, the first Loretto prayer group met in a Vienna apartment — just three people, a rosary, and a simple meal.<h2>Charismatic foundations and mission</h2>The Loretto Community identifies with the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, emphasizing a personal relationship with Jesus and openness to the Holy Spirit’s gifts. Its spirituality is described as Marian, charismatic, and Eucharistic, reflecting devotion to Mary, a focus on spiritual gifts, and the centrality of the Mass. The community’s vision is “to see a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit and a new fire in the Catholic Church,” and its mission is to create welcoming spaces where people can encounter God and deepen their faith through prayer and worship.From its Austrian beginnings, Loretto has expanded across Europe, with over 700 members in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, and the U.K. The community operates “HOME Mission Bases” in Salzburg and Vienna in Austria; in Passau, Germany; and in London — centers for prayer, formation, hospitality, and mission work. Loretto UK was founded in London in 2019 and registered as a charity the following year.Launched in 2000 as a local youth festival at Salzburg Cathedral, the Pentecost Festival has become the movement’s flagship event. By 2018, it was attracting 10,000 young people from 28 countries with a social media reach of over 1 million. In 2022, Loretto shifted from a single large gathering to simultaneous events at multiple locations, aiming to create “Pentecostal beacons throughout the German-speaking area and beyond.”The 2025 festival drew over 12,000 participants from Austria, Germany, Switzerland, and beyond, as CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner, reported.Festival activities blend traditional Catholic elements with contemporary expressions of faith: praise music, worship services, prayer moments, and opportunities for confession and spiritual growth. A signature feature is the “Evening of Mercy,” described as a time “full of God’s gentle presence” focused on confession and healing.Loretto enjoys strong support from the Catholic hierarchy. At the 2025 Pentecost Festival, several Austrian bishops participated, including Archbishop Franz Lackner of Salzburg, who celebrated Mass and currently serves as the president of the Austrian bishops’ conference. Other bishops in attendance included Auxiliary Bishop Johannes Freitag of Graz; Bishop Hermann Glettler of Innsbruck; Bishop Alois Schwarz of Lower Austria; and “Youth Bishop” Stephan Turnovszky of Vienna. Glettler has described the festival as an “explosion of joy” and a place where “one breathes future.”<h2>International expansion: The Loretto Project in England</h2>Loretto UK marks a significant step in the movement’s international growth. The community’s London base offers worship services, prayer houses, discipleship programs, and hospitality events. In 2023 alone, Loretto UK organized over 165 hours of continuous prayer in its chapel.Originally developed in Germany and Austria, the “Follow Me” program is a key export model for Loretto’s expansion. Targeted at young Catholics aged 16–30, it combines teaching, sacraments, prayer, small-group meetings, and practical applications over eight weekends in 12-16 months. All lectures are reviewed by a theological commission, underscoring the program’s orthodox Catholic orientation.
]]></description>
<category>Europe</category>
<pubDate>Sat, 28 Jun 2025 08:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[ Catholic trainer merges faith and fitness in theology of the body-inspired program ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265041/catholic-trainer-merges-faith-and-fitness-in-theology-of-the-body-inspired-program</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/chasecrousefeatured.png?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
Chase Crouse, founder of Hypuro Fit. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Chase Crouse
</div>
CNA Staff, Jun 28, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).
In 2019, Chase Crouse was working two jobs — in ministry at the Archdiocese of New York and as a personal trainer. He quickly realized that while he loved working with people at the gym, he hated not being able to talk about Jesus with them. So he decided to combine both of his passions and create a Catholic fitness and personal training apostolate called <a href="https://www.hypurofit.org/" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Hypuro Fit</a>.Hypuro Fit’s programing is rooted in <a href="https://stmarys-waco.org/documents/2016/9/theology_of_the_body.pdf" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">St. John Paul II’s theology of the body</a>, encouraging its members to trade the mentality of needing to achieve the perfect “beach body” for the goal of living as a gift for others through self-discipline, self-mastery, and honoring the bodies God gave them.After Crouse, a graduate of John Paul the Great Catholic University in San Diego who holds a master’s degree in biblical theology, began working with people as a trainer, he began to notice that anytime he asked people why they wanted to work out, their answers would always be along the lines of wanting to look a certain way and have others find them attractive. Crouse began to reflect on this and turned to John Paul II’s theology of the body.“I read it with this question in mind and sure enough, really early on, he talks about this law of gift, from Gaudium et Spes, that man finds himself through a gift of himself, but what he adds in audience 15, which is kind of my lightbulb moment, is this idea that self-donation is impossible without self-mastery,” he explained.In addition to being the founder of Hypuro Fit, Crouse is one of 10 coaches who work with individuals who join their programs.The fitness apostolate offers two different options for users: one-on-one training or following a workout program through the app.One-on-one training is done remotely through the use of Zoom and phone calls and allows the individual to work with a coach to build a custom workout plan, nutrition goals, and helps provide accountability.The app is filled with a variety of different programs that include a library of workouts for people in every walk of life and with differing time constraints. The programs in the app also include educational content, technique tutorials, recipes, and articles for spiritual formation.Hypuro Fit also has specialty programs such as “Breaking the Chains” for those experiencing an addiction to lust as well as a postpartum program for moms.<figure class="mx-auto" style="width:100%"><img src="https://admin.catholicnewsagency.com/images/hypurofit.png" class="img-fluid" style="null" alt="Hypuro Fit roots its programing in St. John Paul II’s theology of the body and encourages its members to trade the mentality of needing to achieve the perfect "beach body" for the eternal goal of living as a gift for others through self-discipline, self-mastery, and honoring the body God gave them. Credit: Hypruo Fit"><figcaption class="caption text-muted">Hypuro Fit roots its programing in St. John Paul II’s theology of the body and encourages its members to trade the mentality of needing to achieve the perfect "beach body" for the eternal goal of living as a gift for others through self-discipline, self-mastery, and honoring the body God gave them. Credit: Hypruo Fit</figcaption></figure>“What we like to say with both approaches [we offer] is that we’re authentically Catholic but we’re technically excellent, meaning that we are going to base all of our exercise routines, our nutrition protocols, based on the latest science and studies we have at our disposal,” Crouse explained. “But at the same time, we’re also authentically Catholic, meaning that for our one-on-one clients, we’re going to pray with them and for them. But then even for our subscribers in our app, we’re bringing them back to our why, which is this idea of self-mastery for self-gift.”Crouse said the majority of the apostolate’s clients are between the ages of 30 and 60, so “they’re people in their vocation and they’re really busy.” Additionally, about one-third of clients are priests and religious, who receive access to the programming for free. Due to this, Hypuro Fit is aiming to show them that you don’t have to work out like you did in high school, you don’t even have to work out every day, you just need to show up and do something that is reasonable for your lifestyle.“Ultimately we’re doing this to better give of ourselves and find that why and put everything in light of Christ and his resurrection,” he said.Crouse added that the main goal of the ministry’s work is to help individuals “be more present and to live out their vocation to the best of their ability.”“If we can help priests to be better priests, have more energy, give better, religious to be better brothers and sisters, husbands and wives to conquer themselves in order to give themselves to be more present — that’s the goal, that’s the dream.”
]]></description>
<category>US</category>
<pubDate>Sat, 28 Jun 2025 07:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<item>
<title><![CDATA[ ‘The Chosen’ actor on Season 6: ‘I’ve never seen the cast so focused’ ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265017/the-chosen-actor-on-season-6-i-ve-never-seen-the-cast-so-focused</link>
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<description><![CDATA[ <div style="width: 100%; margin-bottom: 25px;">
<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/thechosens5still.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
Jesus and the disciples in Season 5 of “The Chosen.” / Credit: 5&2 Studios
</div>
CNA Staff, Jun 28, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).
The cast of the hit series “The Chosen” was recently in Matera, Italy, filming the crucifixion of Jesus, which will be featured in Season 6. Abe Bueno-Jallad, the actor who portrays Big James, or James the Great, shared that he has “never seen the cast so focused.”Unable to talk much about the upcoming season, he told CNA in an interview that the actors are “all there for each other right now. Everybody is carrying such a heavy burden this season as an actor.” “There’s just been incredible stuff happening on set. I’ve come back to set on days that I don’t work just to watch and I’ve seen stuff that gives me goosebumps,” he added.<div style="width:100%" class="mx-auto embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ooWkshIwOio?feature=oembed&start=" class="embed-responsive-item null" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="null" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></div>5&2 Studios, the production company behind “The Chosen,” and Amazon MGM Studios recently made several announcements regarding future seasons of the show. First, the episodes of Season 6 leading up to the finale will be released exclusively on Prime Video in 2026. An official date was not given. Additionally, in a first-of-its-kind arrangement between the two production companies, the two will work together to release the Season 6 finale of the hit series as a feature film portraying the crucifixion of Jesus in theaters on May 12, 2027. Lastly, the premiere of Season 7 will also be made into a feature film depicting Jesus’ resurrection and will be in theaters on March 31, 2028.Currently, viewers of the show can watch Season 5 exclusively on Prime Video before it is released for free on The Chosen app. Episodes 1 and 2 of Season 5 were released on the streaming platform on June 15; episodes 3, 4, and 5 were released on June 22; and episodes 6, 7, and 8 will be released on June 29. Bueno-Jallad joined the show in Season 2 after a casting change at the end of Season 1. Despite not being on the show in Season 1, he had several callbacks and kept tabs on how the production of the show was doing. He recalled in an interview with CNA that the cast and crew were not even sure if they would be able to get through the filming and production of Season 1, so “to know that we’re on Amazon now — that’s crazy. Amazon is so big!”When speaking to the feature films that are going to be made, Bueno-Jallad said: “I love being a part of a company and a project that’s not afraid to kind of shake it up, stir up the water, do things differently — ‘get used to different’ has kind of always been our motto.”<figure class="mx-auto" style="width:100%"><img src="https://admin.catholicnewsagency.com/images/thechosens5stilljames.jpg" class="img-fluid" style="null" alt="Abe Bueno-Jallad as Big James in Season 5 of "The Chosen." Credit: 5&2 Studios/Mike Kubeisy"><figcaption class="caption text-muted">Abe Bueno-Jallad as Big James in Season 5 of "The Chosen." Credit: 5&2 Studios/Mike Kubeisy</figcaption></figure>For those who were unable to watch Season 5 in the theaters and are watching it for the first time as it releases on Prime Video, Bueno-Jallad shared that “everybody is kind of at this really big boiling point.”He added: “Jesus is trying to convey to us, specifically to a few characters, that this is it — this is going to be the last time.”The actor shared that the last five years of being on the show has “undoubtedly changed” him. “The research of the character and having to research the perspective, understanding that there was no New Testament at the time so, what’s my only biblical reference at that point? Going deep into this … reading as much as I can. Getting completely submerged with the idea of who were these people,” he said.He has also come to learn several things from his character while portraying him. “It’s this idea of knowing when to listen without sacrificing the biggest and strongest parts of your personality, knowing how to be… I think as men, particularly… knowing how to be vulnerable without feeling like you’re less of a protector,” he shared. “I really tried to put that into practice in Season 5. I wanted to show the most open, grounded, vulnerable Big James who was still none the less strong and powerful,” Bueno-Jallad explained. “I think for men we kind of need that message these days — how to not lose ourselves or think that emotions are weakness. You’re still a protector no matter what.”
]]></description>
<category>Europe</category>
<pubDate>Sat, 28 Jun 2025 06:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<item>
<title><![CDATA[ More than 50% of U.S. adults support allowing Christian prayer in public schools ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265063/more-than-50-percent-of-us-adults-support-allowing-christian-prayer-in-public-schools</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/handsprayingschool062725.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
null / Credit: MIA Studio/Shutterstock
</div>
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jun 27, 2025 / 15:52 pm (CNA).
A new survey has found the majority of adults in the U.S. support allowing Christian prayer in public schools, shedding light on how Americans approach the ongoing debate surrounding religious expression in educational settings. According to <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/06/23/support-for-christian-prayer-in-us-public-schools-varies-widely-by-state/?utm_source=AdaptiveMailer&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=REL%20-%2025-06-23%20Prayer%20in%20schools%20SR%20Immediate%20Release&org=982&lvl=100&ite=16364&lea=4439228&ctr=0&par=1&trk=a0DQm000006NNOfMAO" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Pew Research Center</a>, 52% of adults support allowing public school teachers to lead their classes in prayers that refer to Jesus, with 27% saying they strongly support it and 26% saying they favor it. “Renewed debates are happening across the United States about the place of religion — especially Christianity — in public schools,” the report stated, citing the recent Supreme Court even-split ruling regarding <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/264269/oklahoma-catholic-charter-school-loses-supreme-court-bid-for-state-approval" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Oklahoma Catholic charter schools</a>, among other legal debates across the country. The June 23 report also comes <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/264949/gov-greg-abbott-signs-law-requiring-ten-commandments-in-all-texas-classrooms" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">just two days after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a law</a> requiring public schools there to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom at the start of the 2025-2026 school year. The <a href="https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/89R/billtext/pdf/SB00010F.pdf#navpanes=0" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">legislation</a> requires that a “durable poster or framed copy of the Ten Commandments” be hung in each Texas public elementary or secondary school classroom.Pew’s report is based on data from its <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2025/02/26/religious-landscape-study-religions-role-in-public-life/#religion-and-public-life" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">2023-2024 Religious Landscape Study</a>, which surveyed 36,908 U.S. adults from July 17, 2023, to March 4, 2024. Overall, 46% of American adults oppose Christian prayer in public schools, with 22% strongly opposing. While Pew’s report indicates the majority of adults support Christian prayer in public schools, it notes that support varies widely from state to state. The majority of adults in 22 states across the southern and Midwestern parts of the country including Mississippi, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Kentucky, South and North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, and Michigan said they supported the practice. The majority of adults in 12 states — California, Oregon, Washington, Vermont, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Minnesota, Colorado, and Illinois — and the District of Columbia said they opposed Christian prayer in public schools. Data in the remaining 16 states is divided, with roughly half of adults in states including Delaware, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Idaho, Arizona, and Maryland saying they favor allowing Christian prayer. “Once the survey’s margins of error are accounted for, support for teacher-led Christian prayer in these states is not significantly different from opposition,” the report states. The report also found that “a slightly larger share of Americans say they favor allowing teacher-led prayers referencing God (57%) than favor allowing teacher-led prayers specifically referencing Jesus (52%).”
]]></description>
<category>US</category>
<pubDate>Fri, 27 Jun 2025 15:52:00 -0400</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[ Supreme Court upholds Texas law mandating age verification for porn sites ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265061/supreme-court-upholds-texas-law-mandating-age-verification-for-porn-sites</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/storage/image/shutterstock-2187607727.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
null / Credit: New Africa/Shutterstock
</div>
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jun 27, 2025 / 15:22 pm (CNA).
A Texas law that requires porn sites to verify that its users are at least 18 years old can remain in effect after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Friday, June 27, that the law does not violate the Constitution.In <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/23-1122_3e04.pdf" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">a 6-3 decision</a> written by Justice Clarence Thomas, the court’s majority found that Texas is within its authority “to shield children from sexually explicit content” and that this authority “necessarily includes the power to require proof of age” to access pornographic material.“Unlike a store clerk, a website operator cannot look at its visitors and estimate their ages,” the opinion continued. “Without a requirement to submit proof of age, even clearly underage minors would be able to access sexual content undetected.”Texas is one of 24 states that has enacted age verification laws to access pornography on the internet in recent years. The ruling sets nationwide precedent for lower courts reviewing legal challenges to laws in other states.<a href="https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/88R/billtext/html/HB01181H.htm" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">According to Texas law</a>, a website must verify the ages of all users if “more than one-third of [the website’s content] is sexual material harmful to minors.” The law allows parents to sue websites if their child accesses pornographic material when the website was not complying with the age verification law. The law does not permit pornographers to retain personal information after the verification is complete.The law also imposes fines of up to $10,000 per day on websites in violation of the law and an additional $250,000 fine if a child is exposed to pornographic content because the website was not verifying the ages of its users. “This is a major victory for children, parents, and the ability of states to protect minors from the damaging effects of online pornography,” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton <a href="https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/attorney-general-ken-paxton-successfully-defends-texas-law-requiring-age-verification-pornography" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">said in a statement</a>.“Companies have no right to expose children to pornography and must institute reasonable age verification measures,” he added. “I will continue to enforce the law against any organization that refuses to take the necessary steps to protect minors from explicit materials.”Pornographers sued Texas in 2023 shortly after the state enacted the law, asserting that the age verification rule places a burden on adults who are trying to access pornographic material and violates their First Amendment right to access speech. The pornographers, through their trade association called the Free Speech Coalition, have been engaged in lawsuits against other states that require age verification.In <a href="https://x.com/FSCArmy/status/1938627302629491189" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">a statement on X</a> after the ruling, Free Speech Coalition Executive Director Alison Boden called the Supreme Court’s ruling “the canary in the coal mine of free expression.” She called the decision “disastrous for Texans and for anyone who cares about freedom of speech and privacy online.”The court was not convinced by that argument. In the opinion, Thomas wrote that the law “is simply to prevent minors” from accessing content — not adults. The ruling acknowledges that the law creates a burden on adults but calls the burden “incidental” and found that “adults have no First Amendment right to avoid age verification.”“An age-verification requirement is an ordinary and appropriate means of enforcing an age limit, as is evident both from all other contexts where the law draws lines based on age and from the long, widespread, and unchallenged practice of requiring age verification for in-person sales of material that is obscene to minors,” the opinion read.Dani Pinter, who serves as senior legal counsel for the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE), told CNA that the free speech argument “defied common sense,” noting that identity and age verification are regular parts of most people’s lives.Prior to states passing age verification laws, Pinter said very few pornographic websites had any type of age verification. She said “many don’t do anything at all” and some simply ask a user to “click a box that says you’re 18 or older.”“Virtually no pornography website restricts minors,” she said.Even in states that have adopted age verification laws, Pinter warned most websites “have not been compliant” but that some websites have “just withdrawn from the states” altogether. She said she hopes the Supreme Court’s confirmation of the constitutionality of the law will bolster compliance and lead to more states — or even the federal government — passing similar laws to protect children online.The ruling, Pinter said, is “very historic” and “spells a new era where there is now a path forward to protect kids online.”
]]></description>
<category>US</category>
<pubDate>Fri, 27 Jun 2025 15:22:00 -0400</pubDate>
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http://www.feedvalidator.org/check.cgi?url=http%3A//feeds.feedburner.com/catholicnewsagency/dailynews

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