It was a particularly significant moment for the pope at the arena where the team he loves — though, as pontiff, he’s for everyone — has achieved its greatest sporting feats. No match was being played, but the faithful of the Archdiocese of Madrid, together with the suffragan dioceses of Alcalá de Henares and Getafe, welcomed Leo with a euphoria comparable to that of a decisive goal in a World Cup final.

“For a soccer player, scoring a goal in this stadium is a moment that leaves a bit of a mark on your life. Today, the Church in Madrid has scored a spectacular goal for all time," the pope said before beginning his address.

The event brought together representatives from parishes, movements, and consecrated life, as well as priests and pastoral workers, with a special presence from parish pastoral councils. Young people performed a short play for the pope modeled after a soccer match, and David Bustamante, a famous Spanish singer, also performed. There were also deeply moving personal testimonies, such as that of a 33-year-old man who shared with the gathering that he had been baptized last year and is now preparing to get married.

When he addressed the priests, consecrated persons, and bishops of Madrid, the pope told them: “Your joy will be contagious if, moving from being just a fleeting emotion, it becomes a stable way of being, a deep sentiment that renews individuals, groups, and the diocesan community.”

“Baptism truly changes one’s life ... thereʼs no need to fear the fact that it never produces uniformity,” the pontiff stated during his second to last gathering in the Spainʼs capital city, prior to beginning the second leg of his journey, which will take him to Barcelona on Tuesday, June 9.

To illustrate this idea, he referenced the New Testament as an antidote to uniformity, thanks to the “testimony of the variety of its voices.” He also drew attention to the episode of the Tower of Babel, where, according to the biblical account, people in a "totalitarian and merely human project ended up unable to understand their neighbor.”

In contrast to this, and in line with the proposals in his recent encyclical Magnifica humanitas, he presented the figure of Nehemiah who involved the entire community in rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem.

The pope used this gathering with some of the faithful of the diocesan community in the Madrid region to outline the keys to effective evangelization in the twenty-first century. He emphasized the importance of “not scattering or shutting ourselves away in the group or environment where we already feel secure among people who always sing the same tune.”

“To reach the heart of the city, we must cultivate the awareness that truth is symphonic and always transcends us, and cultivate the desire to encounter the Risen One, who always goes ahead of us, preceding us and perhaps already present where we have not yet sought him,” he noted.

Therefore, he continued, “seeking and following him is the condition for proclaiming him; otherwise, there is no evangelization, and today we can understand this better than in the past.”

Quoting St. Teresa of Avila, he said, “‘Let nothing trouble you, let nothing frighten you!’ Together, as a diocesan Church, you can offer the Gospel witness that unleashes the best strengths of a humanity bombarded by images and words, yet hungry for justice and thirsty for truth,” he added.

He also highlighted the special relationship between the Church and the city, which, as he explained, takes shape “among flesh-and-blood people, in workplaces and close relationships, but also within the different communities, associations, and neighborhood organizations,” and which gains even greater significance “amidst the change of epochs we are currently experiencing.”

“When we reduce ecclesial life to a routine where everyone remains locked within their own habits and roles, what we lack is the Spirit,” he stated.

His words seemed to resonate in the testimony of Sister María San José of the Congregation of the Daughters of Holy Mary of the Heart of Jesus. She is an educated, independent woman with two careers and two masterʼs degrees who left a comfortable life at Santander Bank to consecrate herself to religious life, demonstrating how God’s call reaches into every walk of life.

“I realized that there was something more that fulfilled me — beyond everything I had and everything I had built — and that was this consecrated life, this total dedication to the Lord,” she explained to EWTN News while on her way to the gathering.

“God knows the hearts of his people individually. He knows them as only he can — that is, in love and, therefore, in freedom,” the pope said, underscoring that God is “infinite mercy and wants everyone to be saved.” “He desires this to the point of becoming flesh and taking upon himself all the sin, evil, and negativity of the world,” he emphasized.

Among those present at Bernabéu stadium was Father Antonio Sánchez, a priest of the Diocese of Getafe ordained last October. He shared with ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, the deep emotion he felt participating along with the pope in the Corpus Christi procession following the Mass celebrated in the Plaza de Cibeles on Sunday, June 7.

It was, in his words, “a privilege to be selected without any merit; all they said was that the priests of the ecclesiastical province should be at the procession,” he explained.

“With an attitude of adoration, seeing the pope who was a great witness, because being close to the procession during such a unique moment was truly special. We were on the same [ground] level as the pope, and seeing him in the procession, adoring and focused on Christ ... it was a moment of realization: amidst all the commotion, we were focused on Christ, to whom we have consecrated our lives,” he told ACI Prensa shortly before the pontiff entered the stadium where he was welcomed with tremendous enthusiasm.

Prior to this gathering, the pope visited Santa María la Real de la Almudena Cathedral, which became the setting for one of his most touching moments in Madrid.

The Holy Father placed the Golden Rose at the feet of the image of the Virgin of Almudena as a symbol of his filial love, a gesture reflecting the pope’s deep Marian devotion. This marks the fourth Spanish image of the Virgin to receive this gift; the other three are the Virgin of Hope Macarena, the Virgin of La Cabeza and the Virgin of Montserrat.

This pontifical distinction is a recognition of the popular piety and Marian devotion of Madrid. It has ancient roots and symbolizes the papal blessing.

The tradition dates back to Pope Leo IX, who established it in 1049. Over the centuries, it has been bestowed upon monasteries, shrines, sovereigns, and prominent figures in recognition of their commitment to the faith and the common good. In the past, the Golden Rose was also awarded to queens, including Isabella the Catholic Monarch, who was the first queen to receive it in 1493, granted by Innocent VIII.

In the solemn act, Pope Leo climbed the steps leading to the base of the image to lay the floral offering and pray.

His most notable previous visit to the Almudena Cathedral took place on the occasion of the 2002 canonization of Alonso de Orozco, an Augustinian who died in Madrid, in the convent that occupied the site of the current Senate building. The saint’s remains now rest in the chapel of the Contemplative Augustinian Nuns’ convent on La Granja street.

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

“Today the Trump administration took decisive steps to impose additional visa restrictions on more than 100 dictatorship officials and their family members,” Rubio said in a June 8 statement.

“With this new set of restrictions, the U.S. government has now taken steps to impose visa restrictions on over 2,350 Nicaraguan officials and their family members for their complicit role in Rosario Murillo and Daniel Ortega’s dictatorship,” Rubio said.

Since 2007, Ortega and Murillo, his wife and co-president, have established an authoritarian regime in the country, repressing opposition through arrests, exile, and violence, suppressing civil rights, canceling elections, and persecuting the Church.

The move comes in response to the dictatorship’s "responsibility for the horrific death of political prisoner Brooklyn Rivera,” according to the statement.

Rivera, an Indigenous leader and political prisoner, died at 73 after being held incommunicado by the Murillo-Ortega regime for more than 970 days.

“Despite the enormous and intense medical efforts undertaken to restore the health of our Brother Brooklyn, whose physical and neurological deterioration was the result of a bacterial infection triggered by the COVID-19 virus, we regret to confirm that unfortunately he has departed this plane of existence,” asserted a communiqué dated May 31 from Nicaragua’s Ministry of Health.

Rubio alleged the direct involvement of U.S.-sanctioned Lumberto Ignacio Campbell Hooker, a loyal member of the oppressive regime, in denying medical care to Rivera and with preventing Rivera’s family from burying his remains.

The visa restrictions place increased pressure on the dictatorship, which has carried out systematic persecution of the Catholic Church in Nicaragua for years.

Religious persecution at the hands of the dictatorship has included restrictions on the sacraments and the celebration of the Mass; heightened surveillance; forced disappearances and detentions; exile for bishops, priests, and religious; and the forced closure of Catholic institutions. The regime has also banned the ordination of priests and deacons in dioceses with exiled bishops.

In a social media post, Rubio further described the Murillo-Ortega regime as “an enemy of humanity,” noting that “the Trump administration will not ignore their crimes and brutality.”

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At least six of Riveraʼs relatives remain in detention, according to the U.S. Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs.

Peytonʼs tomb was moved from the Holy Cross Community Cemetery in North Easton, Massachusetts, to the chapel at the Father Peyton Center, also in North Easton.

Now on the path to sainthood, Peyton (1909–1992) was hospitalized with tuberculosis in 1939 and on the brink of death when he felt like he was losing his faith. His priest friend encouraged him to seek out the Virgin Mary’s intercession.

Inspired by memories of growing up praying the rosary with his family, Peyton asked all of his friends and family members to ask for Maryʼs intercession for him. He promised that if he was healed, he would dedicate his life to encouraging devotion to Mary through the family rosary.

After a miraculous recovery, Peyton followed through on his promise. Two years after his recovery, he was ordained a Holy Cross priest and went on to lead a widespread campaign to encourage families to pray the rosary through billboards, radio shows, television, and rosary rallies that drew millions worldwide.

Peyton has since taken an important step in the canonization process. In December 2017, Pope Francis declared him venerable, recognizing him for his heroic virtue.

President of Holy Cross Family Ministries Father Fred Jenga said at a press conference of Peyton’s devotion to Mary through the family rosary: “We need it at this time more than even in the past. Family life has been going through some kind of crisis. There [are] a lot of divisions and hurts.”

At the reopening of the center, five families took turns leading decades of the rosary as part of the opening ceremony at the center’s grotto. The grotto is a replica of the grotto at Lourdes, France, which was one of Peyton’s favorite religious sites.

In addition to Peyton’s tomb, the revamped pilgrimage site now has an immersive rosary exhibit, a rosary walk, and a museum of Peyton’s life. The priests of the Holy Cross congregation, Peyton’s order, run the center.

“When we pray together as a family regularly, we invite God to become the center of our lives,” Jenga said. "As we know, God is love, God is patience, God is kindness, God is generosity — those are the kinds of blessings that we pray upon our families when we give ourselves that opportunity to pray together.”

Father David Marcham, a priest of the Archdiocese of Boston who serves as vice postulator and guild director of the canonization cause, encouraged people to pray for Peyton’s sainthood cause.

“Weʼre at the point now where weʼre asking people to pray through his intercession for a miracle in their lives,” Marcham said. “And if one were to be declared a medical miracle by the Vatican, then he would reach the next level, which would be blessed.”

“There’s this great synergy between the life of a holy person and their ongoing effect even after theyʼve gone home to God,” Marcham said. “So we want to invite people to join us, and hopefully through that, in Godʼs grace, itʼll strengthen their families.”

The Father Peyton Center currently draws about 2,500 visitors per year, but organizers anticipate a growth to 7,500.

“When we have role models that lead us to grow in virtue and holiness ourselves and bring that to our families, then we start to pray more intentionally for our needs and pray together,” Marcham said.

Father Charles McCoy, vice president of Holy Cross Family Ministries, said having Peyton’s remains at the center transforms it into a place of pilgrimage.

“To have his own physical presence with us here now with the transfer of his body to our center, itʼs just an opportunity for us to really see this as a place, not just of education or prayer, but even pilgrimage in support of the legacy of prayer that he gave on to us in Holy Cross and in the Church,” McCoy said.

The grant to Catholic Relief Services (CRS) marks “the first of a series of global State Department awards to trusted and vetted implementing organizations,” according to a June 5 press release. The $240 million awarded to Catholic Relief Services comes from U.S. State Department humanitarian assistance funds appropriated by Congress and administered through the department’s disaster‑response bureau.

“These awards will focus on the rapid deployment of time-bound, lifesaving assistance in response to crises around the world, with implementers able to respond within 24 hours,” the State Department said, noting that its staff is “working closely” with CRS and other aid implementers to ensure the aid is delivered in a timely manner “while reducing administrative overhead and duplicative efforts.”

CRS will use the aid to provide assistance in countries “with significant levels of humanitarian need,” the State Department said, citing Ethiopia, Haiti, Nigeria, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, where CRS is working to stop the latest Ebola outbreak.

State Department Bureau of Disaster and Humanitarian Response Senior Bureau Official Ryan Shrum announced the grant in Rome alongside U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Brian Burch, CRS Vice President for Humanitarian Response Jennifer Poidatz, Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations Agencies in Rome Lynda Blanchard, and Caritas Internationalis Secretary-General Alistair Dutton.

The U.S. Embassy to the Holy See posted several images of the event on social media, writing: “This grant will allow CRS to address urgent humanitarian needs arising from disasters and complex emergencies around the world. CRS’ expertise, its deep roots in disaster response, and its network of local partners will help us deliver a fast, flexible, and efficient model of global humanitarian assistance.”

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“CRS is grateful for the opportunity to reach more people affected by crisis at a time when humanitarian needs far exceed available resources,” Poidatz said in a June 5 statement following the announcement. “We appreciate the leadership of the United States and of national governments committed to responding to new and enduring crises."

News of the foreign aid grant comes more than a year after the Trump administration effectively shuttered the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in 2025 following an executive order by President Donald Trump during the first month of his administration. USAID, formerly the government’s lead foreign‑aid and development agency, focused on long‑term development such as health systems, agriculture, education, and economic growth.

Catholic Relief Services did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

At Columbia University, researchers have now edited the DNA of human embryos with “unprecedented accuracy,” according to a recent report by the New York Times.

Dieter Egli, a professor of developmental cell biology in the Department of Pediatrics at Columbia, led the research, using a technique called base editing to replace individual genetic letters in sequences of DNA, according to the report.

Egli’s work did not cause the damage that the gene editing technique “CRISPR,” or Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats, usually causes. Potential side effects are still unknown, according to the researcher, and the technique is not ready to be implemented clinically.

The developing technology comes with its own ethical implications, as it could be used to help cure disease-causing mutations in the early stages of life, but it could also be used in a eugenic way to select traits of unborn children.

Father Tadeusz Pacholczyk, a neuroscientist and senior ethicist at the National Catholic Bioethics Center, drew attention to ethical concerns with these experiments.

“Trying to make genetic modifications in a more efficient manner than had been previously achieved is precisely the kind of experiment that should have been carried out in animal embryos, not human embryos,” he told EWTN News.

“The same basic biological information reported in these studies could readily have been obtained that way,” Pacholczyk said.

Ethical concerns with embryo experimentation

In addition to the unethical nature of the experiments themselves, Pacholczyk considered the way researchers obtained the unborn children to be unethical as well.

“Parents were asked to hand over their extremely young ‘leftover children’ in fertility clinics to allow scientists to carry out experiments on them, while other subjects of experimentation were created via IVF to be used as ‘research fodder,’” Pacholczyk said.

Scientists either got the embryos from parents who had “leftover children” or created the human embryos for experimentation — both of which Pacholczyk said the Church calls unethical.

“Researchers sought out eggs from women for the purpose of fertilizing those eggs to create embryonic humans in glassware, so they could then serve as raw materials for research and experimentation,” Pacholczyk said. “From the get-go, these experiments at Columbia University were unethical.”

“Also of note, the human embryos produced in these experiments were oftentimes intentionally sacrificed to obtain their embryonic stem cells, which were used for additional research,” Pacholczyk continued.

“Creating humans for the purpose of destroying them is invariably unethical and should be illegal,” he continued.

Some embryos were obtained from parents who created children through in vitro fertilization (IVF), which Pacholczyk said neglects the consent of the unborn human being.

Parents could not give consent for their unborn children to be experimented on, he said, because “ethical consent by definition focuses on the improvement of health and excludes any approval of directly causing their death or otherwise using subjects as mere means to an end.”

“Informed consent is particularly important when dealing with very vulnerable research subjects, and human embryos are among the most vulnerable of God’s creatures,” Pacholczyk said. “Human embryos are a special class of individuals deserving of special protections.”

Looking to the future: Ethical concerns of gene editing

Pacholczyk noted that the Catholic Church would support gene editing as medical therapy but not at the risk of the unborn child.

“It is important to note that the Church would allow for gene editing to fix genetic abnormalities, as long as the risks were very low for the embryonic patient, and heritable changes to the DNA of our species were not made,” Pacholczyk said. “Such repair is simply a form of direct medical therapy for the individual.”

He noted, however, that at this point, gene editing still poses huge risks to the unborn.

“The complex science of genetic modification at this point in time still involves enormous risks to the embryo,” he said.

Pacholczyk also raised concerns about Catholics' acceptance of genetic enhancement, warning that their widespread acceptance of IVF is a harbinger of things to come.

“Catholics need to be concerned about the prospects of genetically modifying future generations,” Pacholczyk said.

“In the past, Catholics seem to have largely missed the boat when it came to recognizing and articulating the moral unacceptability of creating children in test tubes and glassware via IVF, and now Catholics participate in such technologies at rates that probably donʼt differ much from the general population,” he continued.

“Similarly, when genetic enhancement of children takes place in the future, considering the widespread lack of understanding and serious reflection on the moral and ethical issues involved, Catholics are likely to end up being swayed by the technological temptation and may end up, once again, ‘going along to get along,’” he said.

The study, “Passing the Torch: How Faith Moves Across Generations,” released in June by the Institute for Family Studies and Communio, examined data from four national studies involving tens of thousands of Americans raised in Christian households.

Researchers sought to identify which behaviors most strongly influence whether children retain their faith into adulthood. The study found that the family home is the single-most critical factor in determining whether faith is successfully passed on from one generation to the next.

The power of parental example

According to the report, children whose parents regularly attended church, prayed consistently in front of them, spoke openly about their faith, and fostered strong family relationships were significantly more likely to remain active Christians as adults. The results showed that adults whose parents attended church weekly were more than twice as likely to attend church regularly themselves decades later (26% versus 12%). The effect was even stronger when both parents participated in religious life together.

The study also highlighted the importance of simple spiritual practices within family life. Saying grace before meals, evening or morning prayers together, and having frequent conversations about faith all corresponded with higher levels of religious belief and practice in adulthood. Children raised in homes where religion was discussed several times a week were substantially more likely to identify as Christian, pray daily, and consider faith an important part of their lives as they went through adulthood.

The domestic church

For Catholics, the findings reflect what the Church has always taught regarding the role of parents as the primary educators of their children in the faith. The Church has often referred to the family as the “domestic church,” emphasizing that parents are called not only to teach religious truths but also to model a life of discipleship through daily prayer, sacramental participation, and Christian witness.

The study further found that the quality of family relationships had a tremendous impact on children as well. Adults who reported having strong and loving relationships with both parents were more likely to remain religious than those who experienced distant or conflict-ridden family environments. About 41%of children who attend church weekly with both parents go on to attend church weekly as an adult, the study said. This percentage drops to 29% if children attend with only one parent. In particular, researchers noted the significant role fathers play in shaping the spiritual lives of their children.

Marriage stability also emerged as an important factor. Children raised in homes characterized by strong and happy marriages showed higher rates of adult religious practice. When their lived experience corresponds with what they learned in Sunday school and the Bible, they are more likely to accept those truths in adulthood. Also, compared with non-married individuals, married individuals have significantly more faith conversations with their children, suggesting more frequent and intentional engagement within the home.

While cultural forces may be difficult to control, many of the factors most closely associated with transmitting faith remain within the reach of families themselves, the study showed.

“In a culture where religion is no longer reinforced by broader society,” the study’s authors, Jesse Smith and Jane Lankes Smith, wrote, “parents cannot assume faith will simply rub off on their children.” Instead, faith is most effectively passed on when it is lived openly, discussed regularly, and woven into the ordinary rhythms of family life.

“Parents cannot assume their children will carry on the faith they were raised with. Passing on faith requires intentional effort from both mothers and fathers. Parents serve as their childrenʼs most influential teachers, role models, and guides in matters of faith. What they do will make a difference long after their children grow up and leave home,” Jesse Smith said in an email.

“For churches, that means youth programming alone is not enough. Congregations should invest not only in children but also in parents, equipping them to fulfill their central role in shaping the next generationʼs religious lives,” Smith said.

The study draws on four longitudinal datasets: the Global Flourishing Study (GFS), Communio’s 2024-25 congregational survey, Add Health, and the National Study of Youth and Religion (NSYR), using descriptive statistics and logistic regression with demographic controls. Analyses using GFS, Add Health, and NSYR are weighted. Everything reported in the study is a statistically significant finding based on 95% confidence intervals, Smith said.

“This golden anniversary is a blessed occasion to offer gratitude for the abundant graces God has bestowed upon you throughout the past 50 years,” Bishop Elias Zaidan, bishop of the Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles, wrote in a letter to Pacwa.

Pacwa is celebrating decades as a Jesuit priest following his ordination on June 12, 1976, in Chicago and entrance into the Society of Jesus on Aug. 21, 1968.

Pacwa has also had a successful media career after he began his work with EWTN under its foundress, Mother Angelica, in 1984.

After working in numerous cities, Pacwa relocated to Birmingham, Alabama, in 2001 to work full time with EWTN, where he has hosted several radio and television shows, series, and documentaries that teach and discuss the Catholic faith.

To honor his work, the Alabama Legislature enacted a resolution in April that recognizes his decades of service, theological contributions, and media work.

The priest has a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and theology, a master of divinity and a sacred theology baccalaureate, and a master’s and doctorate in Old Testament studies from Vanderbilt University.

Pacwa has taught high school, college, and seminary courses. He is the author of more than 20 books, the founder of Ignatius Productions, a publishing company, and is a senior fellow at the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology.

Pacwa engages in prison ministry by evangelizing and serving the spiritual needs of prisoners. He has also led thousands of pilgrims to the Holy Land and other Christian sites in Europe and the Middle East.

Republican Rep. Chris Pringle introduced Alabamaʼs resolution, which honors Pacwaʼs “vocation” and “career that has touched the lives of innumerable people, many of them residents of Alabama, but also worldwide through his efforts in theological education, service to others, and ministry,” according to the measure.

The legislation acknowledges Pacwaʼs “tremendous contributions … to Alabamians and those that he has trained throughout the country, and through his worldwide impact through Alabama-based EWTN, with hopes that he may continue his exceptional ministry and continue to serve others in a way that reflects well on this state and nation, and on his Church.”

50 years of priestly ministry

In addition to his publications and media presence, Pacwa also serves his community through celebrating the Maronite Catholic Mass at St. Elias Maronite Church, an Eastern Catholic church in Birmingham.

During a June 7 Mass at the church, a letter from Zaidan was read to Pacwa.

“This is a wonderful milestone in your ministry and life,” Zaidan said. “We give sincere thanks to Almighty God for calling you and for your disposition to follow him in the religious and priestly life.”

The anniversary is “an opportunity for us to express our heartfelt appreciation for your steadfast dedication and faithful service to the people of God,” Zaidan said.

“As you reflect upon 50 years of priestly ministry, you can look back with gratitude on the countless lives you have touched, how you captivated so many people through your programs on EWTN, as well as providing care and guidance through the mission retreats you held over the years,” he said.

“May God continue to bless you abundantly and grant you many more years of faithful and fruitful ministry. I hope and pray you will have many more years filled with Godʼs grace,” the bishop said.

Of the championship, San Antonio Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller said in a video posted on social media on June 3 that “when the Spurs win," New Yorkʼs Archbishop Ronald Hicks will send him a box of bagels, cream cheese, and lox.

San Antonioʼs chief pastor continued: "If by some slight possibility, hard to think, the Spurs arenʼt victorious, I will send him Texas gift boxes with items from HEB,” a favorite Texas grocery store based in San Antonio.

“I am really looking forward to enjoying those bagels,” García-Siller teased.

The San Antonio archbishop said that he and “thousands” of Salesian sisters, some of whom have attended games for years and have been seeing cheering on the Spurs during the playoffs, are also praying for the Spurs’ victory.

He also said both he and Hicks are “united in prayer for the safety of the players.”

According to the Archdiocese of San Antonio, García-Siller will be watching Game 3 on Monday, June 8. Asked for additional thoughts by EWTN News, the archbishop replied only: “Go Spurs go!”

For his part, Hicks said in a video on social media that he has “caught Knicks fever.”

He mentioned Knicks players Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, and Josh Hart, who all attended Villanova University, “the alma mater of our Holy Father, who reminds us that he praises the Lord for the gift of sport, for those who glorify God through the exercise of their bodies, for the friendship born on the field, and for the joy of playing as a team."

Hicks said he is “looking forward to this friendly wager with my friend, Archbishop Gustavo,” confirming he will send bagels if the Knicks lose, and said he looks “forward to whatever he’s going to … send my way from San Antonio."

“I’ve lit my candles, I’ve said my prayers … Go Knicks!” New York’s archbishop concluded.

The Spurs and Knicks are the last two teams standing in the 2026 NBA season. The Knicks defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 4-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals, while the Spurs beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 4-3 in the Western Conference Finals.

They are now in a best-of-seven series for the Larry O’Brien Trophy, with the Knicks currently leading 2-0 after winning both Games 1 and 2 in San Antonio.

Entering Game 3 of the Finals on Monday night, the Knicks have won 13 consecutive playoff games — the second-longest single-postseason winning streak ever, trailing only the 15-game run by the Golden State Warriors in 2017.

After sweeping the 76ers and Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference playoffs and winning the first two games of the Finals in San Antonio, New York has outscored opponents by 273 points, the best 13-game margin in playoff history.

It has been 53 years since the Knicks' last championship, the longest drought for any NBA franchise.

The last time the Knicks were in the NBA Finals was 1999, when they faced the Spurs.

A Knicks victory in Game 3 would put them on the brink at 3-0, while a Spurs win could spark a comeback and extend the series.

As a longtime Knicks fan, President Donald Trump, who was invited by team owner James Dolan, will attend Game 3. This will mark the first time a sitting president attends an NBA Finals game.

In Game 1 on Wednesday, June 3, the Knicks rallied from a double-digit deficit to defeat the Spurs 105-95, with Brunson leading the way with 30 points.

Game 2 on Friday, June 5, proved even tighter: New York built a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter only for San Antonio to storm back, but the Knicks held on for a thrilling 105-104 victory after Victor Wembanyama, age 22, the tallest player in the NBA at 7 feet 4 inches and a record-setting rookie, missed a potential game-winning jumper at the buzzer following a late turnover.

“Wemby,” as he is called, made NBA history in his 2023-24 rookie season with the Spurs, becoming the first player ever to record at least 1,500 points, 700 rebounds, 250 assists, 250 blocks, and 100 three-pointers in a single season. He was the unanimous NBA Rookie of the Year and All-Rookie First Team selection in 2024.

In 2025-26, he captured NBA Defensive Player of the Year, making him the youngest and first unanimous winner ever.

The series now shifts to Madison Square Garden for Game 3 on Monday, June 8, at 8:30 p.m. ET, with Game 4 scheduled for Wednesday, June 10, at the same time and venue. Subsequent games, if necessary, return to San Antonio for Game 5 on June 13, followed by Game 6 in New York on June 16 and a potential Game 7 back in San Antonio on June 19.

The winner earns their franchise’s next title. If they win, the Knicks will earn their first since 1973, while the title will be the Spurs’ first since 2014.

The Holy See Press Office confirmed the meeting, noting that it took place in the afternoon at the apostolic nunciature in Madrid.

The victims, the Vatican stated, were “accompanied by Church personnel engaged in supporting and accompanying victims.”

The meeting lasted nearly an hour, during which the victims shared their “painful personal experiences” with the Holy Father, and each person presented him with “proposals to make the Church’s response to such tragic cases more effective.”

The pope, the Holy See Press Office noted, “listened with affection and attention and assured them of his closeness” as well as that of “the entire ecclesial community.”

In addition, he pledged his commitment to ensuring that the proposals offered by the victims “serve as a foundation for future efforts, so that the Church may truly be a safe and spiritually healthy place where [those wounded] can find comfort and healing.”

A call to address the ‘scourge’ of abuse

Shortly before meeting with victims, during his encounter with the Spanish bishops, the Holy Father urged them to respond to the “scourge” of abuse in the Church “with listening, truth, justice, reparation, and an ever-more-determined commitment to prevention and a culture of care.”

“Every wounded person must be able to find sincere listening, welcome, protection, and real paths to healing,” Pope Leo said.

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

The procession is an established Cork tradition, and it made its way through the city from the North Cathedral to the Grand Parade, the vibrant heart of the city, even if — in the words of Cork Bishop Fintan Gavin — “the weather couldn’t have been much worse.”

Speaking just before the procession set off, Gavin told EWTN News: “Today we have the unique opportunity to participate in the 100th anniversary of the first Eucharistic procession here in our city. Of course, it really is unique to Cork.”

“Thereʼll be people of all ages, from parishes all over the diocese, from our new Irish — someone described them recently as the ‘new Corconians’ — from all over the world, from the different communities, will join us as we walk with Jesus and the Blessed Sacrament down to Grand Parade.”

Organizers estimated the 2026 procession attracted approximately 5,000 people as the Eucharist was carried along the route by Gavin followed by a throng of faithful under a canopy of umbrellas as they braved the unseasonable wind and heavy rain.

In his words to the large gathering, the bishop said of the procession: “It was born in a time when people longed for unity after division, for peace after conflict, and for healing after wounds that were still very raw. The people of Cork wanted Jesus in the Eucharist to be brought through the streets of the city. They wanted to say, in faith, ‘Lord, walk with us. Bless our homes. Heal our divisions. Stay with us.’”

He added: “One hundred years later, that prayer has lost none of its urgency. Today our city streets become an aisle. The concrete beneath our feet is blessed by the One who once walked the roads of Galilee and who now walks the streets of Cork.”

The bishop said the procession is "the fruit of much prayer, preparation, and mission across our diocese in these past two weeks. Today the procession ends here, but the mission does not. May we go from here with hearts burning too, not simply proud of a tradition we have inherited but with a love for Christ who is with us now and ready to hand on a living faith; not only carrying Christ through Cork today but allowing Christ to carry Cork into tomorrow.”

Sheila Kelleher, coordinator of youth ministry in the Cork and Ross Diocese, told EWTN News the event is "a great opportunity for us to come together and show our faith in a very public way, walking through the streets of our city with the Eucharist and bringing Jesus to the people of the city.”

“I think to give hope to people and to be able to continue that tradition even today, showing that the Catholic faith is very much still alive, and people of all ages are willing to get involved, from young and old, no matter what your background, whether youʼre Irish or you are new Irish and all the different faith communities coming together.”

In the weeks leading up to the anniversary procession, a series of faith events took place across the Diocese of Cork and Ross to mark the occasion — including the presentation of the relics of the first millennial saint, St. Carlo Acutis.

There were 100 hours of adoration for the 100th anniversary and a two-week diocesan mission led by young people from the Diocese of Cork and Ross as well as a mission from Canadaʼs Catholic Christian Outreach.

The celebration also included special blessings for individuals competing in the Cork City Marathon and for students taking their state exams this summer.

The Eucharistic procession is now one of the longest-running traditions in Cork.

On the evening of Saturday, June 6, at the 53rd annual Old West End Festival, 12 people were wounded in an apparent dispute between two shooters who have yet to be identified, according to local police.

Police said all 12 injured were in "stable condition” as of Sunday afternoon. Organizers canceled the festival, which was to continue through Sunday.

The shooting took place just a few blocks from Our Lady, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Cathedral during the vigil Mass on the solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.

Thomas issued a statement on June 7, saying: “For those of us who live in the Old West End, this tragedy is literally close to home.”

Despite the “eerie quiet” in the neighborhood Sunday morning following the festival’s cancellation, Thomas said the faithful gathered and “carried Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament through the streets of the Old West End in the annual Eucharistic procession.”

“The Lord of Life was borne through the very neighborhood that had witnessed violence only hours before,” he said. “In that sacred procession, we proclaimed a message radically opposed to hatred and violence: a message of peace, unity, love, and respect for every person.”

The bishop said he remembers in prayer “the hundreds of innocent festival attendees whose sense of security was violated.”

“While these tragic acts have shaken our neighborhood, they have not shaken our faith in humanity, nor have they shaken our faith in the Lord of Life,” he said. “We remain committed to building a culture in which every person is valued, protected, and treated with dignity: a culture not of death but of life.”

Thomas also referenced Pope Leo XIV’s recent encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, in which the pontiff states that “human rights are inviolable, since they are ‘inherent in the human person and in human dignity.’"

Thomas said: “Every act of violence is a failure to recognize the God-given dignity of the human person.”

“Together with the people of the Old West End and our 19-county diocese, I lament and decry the indiscriminate violence that has so deeply affected this neighborhood,” the bishop wrote, saying: “Gun violence has taken center stage in our community, leaving suffering and fear in its wake.”

Investigative Lt. Dan Gerken said at a news conference Saturday that local police, who have not identified the shooters or made any arrests, are reviewing video footage and interviewing witnesses and victims.

"Iʼm feeling good about where we are right now, but weʼll need the communityʼs help. Weʼll take all the information we can,” he said.

“As far as violence, this is over the top,” Gerken said. “Twelve people is a lot. This is way over the top.”

When asked — while in the northern city of Chiclayo — about the date of the Holy Fatherʼs arrival in Peru, the president replied that the trip “is scheduled to begin on Nov. 10,” according to RPP.

However, the Vatican has not yet made an official announcement regarding the apostolic visit, which could also include Uruguay and Argentina.

In April, Cardinal Daniel Sturla, archbishop of Montevideo, Uruguay, stated that the Holy Father might visit Uruguay between "late November and early December."

Pope Leo XIV in Peru

Then-Father Robert Prevost arrived as a missionary in Chulucanas, in the Piura department of northern Peru, in 1985. He remained there until 1986.

He returned to the country in 1988 — specifically to Trujillo, also in northern Peru — where he remained until 1999. He served as a formator and superior for the Augustinians as well as director of studies and rector of the San Carlos y San Marcelo Seminary.

After serving two terms as superior general of the Augustinians in Rome, Pope Francis appointed him apostolic administrator of Chiclayo in November 2014; he became the bishop of that diocese in September 2015. That same year, he acquired Peruvian citizenship.

In April 2020, he was appointed apostolic administrator of Callao and served in that role for one year. Prevost remained in Peru until January 2023, when he was called to work at the Vatican to head the Dicastery for Bishops.

Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected successor of St. Peter on May 8, 2025. In his first words to the world, he included a special greeting to his “beloved Diocese of Chiclayo in Peru.”

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

Converts to Catholicism account for 1.5% of U.S. adults. Converts make up 8% of the nation’s Catholics, and the remaining 92% of Catholics are “cradle Catholics,” who were raised in the faith and still identify with it today.

Pew detailed “key facts about converts to and from Catholicism” in the U.S. drawn from the center’s 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study (RLS) and previous pew reports.

The RLS is a study intended to provide estimates of the U.S. population’s religious composition, beliefs, and practices. It was conducted from July 17, 2023, to March 4, 2024, with a nationally representative sample of 36,908 respondents.

The survey’s margin of error for results for the full sample is plus or minus 0.8 percentage points and had a 20% response rate.

While Catholic converts account for a small share of the country’s adult population, the number of converts to Catholicism is on par with, or larger, than the number of Americans who identify with some Protestant groups, including Presbyterians, Episcopalians, and Reformed Christians.

The research found that the most common reason converts joined the faith was due to a Catholic spouse or a desire to get married in the Church. In the U.S., 1 in 4 married Catholics are married to a non-Catholic, including 1% who are married to someone from a non-Christian religious background.

The RLS found that about two-thirds of Catholic converts were of a different Christian tradition before converting.

More than half (59%) of converts told Pew that they were raised Protestant, and 9% were raised in another Christian tradition, such as Orthodox Christianity or the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

About 1 in 5 Catholic converts (22%) did not have any religious affiliation as a child.

Characteristics and practices of cradle Catholics versus converts

Pew noted differences between converts and cradle Catholics, including that converts are more likely than those raised in the faith to be Republican.

Among Catholic registered voters, 60% of converts identified as Republican or leaned toward the Republican Party as of Pew’s 2023-24 study. Of lifelong Catholics, 52% said they identify the same.

Of cradle Catholics, 43% identified as Democratic or Democratic leaning, compared with 35% of Catholic converts who reported the same.

Most Catholic converts who responded are white (67%), compared with 20% who are Hispanic, 3% who are Black, and 4% who are Asian.

In contrast, 53% of cradle Catholics are white and 37% are Hispanic.

The research also found that 79% of converts were born in the U.S. and 18% were born outside of the country, compared with 67% of cradle catholics who were born in the U.S. and 30% who were born outside the nation.

Pew also found that Catholic converts attend Mass more regularly than cradle Catholics.

Of adults, 38% of converts attend Mass at least weekly and 58% receive Communion every time they go to Mass, compared with 28% of cradle Catholics who attend at least weekly and 34% who receive Communion every time.

Converts also go to confession slightly more, with 29% reporting they go at least once a year compared with 23% of cradle Catholics.

The offshore earthquake severely impacting General Santos City on Mindanao, the Philippines' main southern island. The tremor caused casualties and structural damage and triggered tsunami warnings.

As of this writing, at least 32 people have been killed, 12 are missing, and 200 others have been injured due to building damage and a 1-meter (3-foot) tsunami hitting nearby coasts.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos suspended school classes in affected areas of Mindanao and urged people in coastal areas to evacuate immediately. He also assured citizens that the government will provide necessary aid to people in need.

Bishops call for immediate assistance

Expressing his solidarity with victims and all those impacted, Cardinal Jose Advincula of Manila said: “With deep sorrow, I join our brothers and sisters in General Santos City and the surrounding communities who have been affected by the recent earthquake.”

He appealed for help for survivors. "In these difficult moments, may we draw strength from our faith and from the solidarity of one another,” he said. “I also encourage all people of goodwill to extend whatever assistance they can to those in need.”

In addition, Bishop Leo Dalmao of the Prelature of Isabela de Basilan issued a pastoral letter calling for a second collection during Masses on Sunday, June 14. The collection will be sent to Caritas Philippines for relief assistance.

“The prelature joins the nation in prayer for the victims, the injured citizens, displaced families, and those people on the front line,” the prelate said.

Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the international humanitarian agency of the Catholic Church in the United States, is coordinating with its partners to assess humanitarian aid in Mindanao.

Churches damaged

At least three parishes in the Diocese of Marbel, which comprises the civil provinces of South Cotabato, Sarangani, and parts of Sultan Kudarat, reported damage following the earthquake.

An outdoor statue of Jesus at the Divine Mercy Shrine in Lake Sebu, South Cotabato, was also partially damaged. The pilgrimage site was temporarily closed due to the earthquake and subsequent aftershocks, shrine authorities said.

At Holy Cross Parish in Calumpang, General Santos City, parts of the church ceiling fell during the tremor, said Brother Jerson Nunez, a member of the Congregation of the Passion of Jesus Christ.

Damage was also reported in some parts of the exterior structure and ceiling of Santa Teresita del Niño Jesus Parish in Tupi, South Cotabato, in Davao Occidental.

Civil authorities are still assessing the impact of the earthquake that was felt in several provinces in Mindanao.

Meanwhile, officials of the Church and local authorities have yet to give a full assessment of the damage in the areas affected.

Calls for prayer

In a separate social media post, Archbishop Alberto S. Uy of Cebu said: “An earthquake reminds us how small, fragile, and vulnerable we truly are.”

“Our lives can be taken away in an instant. That is why there is no reason for us to be proud, arrogant, or abusive towards others,” he added.

The Archdiocese of Cebu also issued a prayer petition for all to recite in families and churches since June 8. Prayers were also included for authorities, rescuers, and volunteers that they may be guided and given strength, safety, and understanding to help those in need.

“In the aftermath of an earthquake, we all are called to remain strong in faith and express solidarity, support, and compassion to every family affected in Mindanao,” Michael Vildal, a Catholic from the Diocese of Marbel, told EWTN News.

“We all unite in prayer for those who have lost loved ones, homes, and livelihoods in compassion, offering comfort and hope to those who are suffering,” he added. “It is time to unite in generosity, sharing our blessings with those who have lost so much.”

Meanwhile, in a social media post, the Dominican Province of Philippines, the Order of the Preachers, said: “We stand helpless against earthquakes, and we call upon the mighty name of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit to save us. Please protect our families, our homes, the cities and towns we live in, as well as all the infrastructure within them.”

The Conference of Major Superiors in the Philippines also made an appeal.

“In this difficult time, let us come together in prayer for the safety, protection, and healing of all those affected,” a statement released on June 8 said. “May the Lord strengthen rescue workers, comfort displaced families, and grant wisdom to leaders and responders as they provide aid and assistance. Let us stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Mindanao — not only through our prayers but also through acts of compassion and support,” the press note added.

The beatification Mass of two priests killed by the communist regime in Czechoslovakia was not “the Church moralizing” but “an offer of forgiveness and hope,” as the martyrs showed that “conscience is not luxury.”

That is what Cardinal Michael Czerny said in a homily on June 6 in his hometown of Brno, where, as papal legate for Pope Leo XIV, he declared Jan Bula and Václav Drbola the first beatified of the diocese and the first martyrs of the past totalitarian regimes on the territory of todayʼs Czech Republic. The two will be commemorated annually on June 17 in the Churchʼs liturgical calendar.

“Blessed Jan and Václav call us not to sell truth for comfort or to avoid conflict, not to exchange faith for the approval of others, not to choose silence where witness should be given, not to sacrifice conscience for comfort, career, or conformism,” the cardinal stressed.

“These all look like good sense,” the prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development admitted, yet they “are really foolish betrayals of human dignity, freedom, and integrity.”

The priests Jan Bula (1920–1952) and Václav Drbola (1912–1951) were popular with their parishioners, active in community life, and loyal to the bishops. They were imprisoned without cause and accused of complicity in the killing of three communists, although they were already in prison at the time. They were executed after a staged trial in the early 1950s.

“Their guilt, in the eyes of the regime, did not consist in violence but in the fact that they refused to betray their priestly conscience. They did not wish to become instruments of ideology and repression,” the cardinal clarified.

“Each of us is invited to identify with them, with their time and place,” he suggested, adding that “when they were martyred, I was a 5-year-old boy with my family who had fled [communist Czechoslovakia] in 1948 and taken refuge in Montreal, Canada.”

Czerny was born in Brno 80 years ago and was naturalized in Canada. As he told EWTN News, celebrating Mass for the occasion in his hometown was “very moving.”

He even practiced Czech in recent months to read the homily in the Slavic language. The Mass drew 13,000 people and was widely covered by national media in one of the most secular countries in Europe.

Asked by a local outlet whether other Czech priests killed by communists might be beatified, the cardinal responded that “you can assume that it will happen, but we cannot comment,” referring to the strict criteria for beatification, which fall to the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.

Yago de la Cierva, who is overseeing the organization of the pope’s trip to Spain, said Leo broke the ice before blessing the meal with a comment that drew laughter from those present.

“He said that before leaving for the trip, he had contacted artificial intelligence to ask: What should the pope say to the Spanish bishops? And artificial intelligence told him: Pope Francis would say ... So he stopped it and said: ‘I think there is another pope.’ And then artificial intelligence said: ‘Ah, that’s right, now it’s Pope Leo,’” de la Cierva recounted with a smile.

Leo XIV was elected the successor of Peter on May 8, 2025, though artificial intelligence has at times appeared slow to register the change. National Catholic Register journalist Jonah McKeown saw this firsthand when, like many users, he asked ChatGPT, OpenAI’s widely used artificial intelligence tool, about Pope Leo XIV.

“There seems to be some confusion with the name, since there has never been a Pope Leo XIV. However, there have been several popes named Leo throughout history,” the chatbot responded in one test.

After the joke, the pope — who is no technophobe and has repeatedly encouraged the proper use of artificial intelligence, including in his May 25 encyclical Magnifica Humanitas on the human person in the age of AI — turned to a technological image to deliver a deeper message to the bishops.

“Then he told the bishops that we have another algorithm, and that other algorithm leads us to love people, to accompany them, and to become servants of the word,” de la Cierva said.

Shortly after addressing Spain’s Parliament in the Congress of Deputies, Pope Leo XIV met with the country’s bishops at the headquarters of the Spanish Bishops’ Conference, where he called on the Church, “in this time of increasingly drastic polarizations and oppositions,” to offer “a witness to unity in diversity.”

That communion, the pope said, comes from the awareness that the Church walks with the Lord, “as members of one body.” He added that such communion also has “missionary vitality.”

“A Church that is interiorly at peace can speak more freely to brothers and sisters of other Christian denominations and other religions, to those who do not believe, to civil authorities, and to all people of goodwill who work for the common good,” Leo said.

The pope told the Spanish bishops that their ministry carries a particular responsibility in this work of communion.

“We are called to be a visible sign of communion,” he said, first with Christ, then with “the successor of Peter and with the universal Church,” as well as with priests, diocesan communities, consecrated life, movements, associations, and every authentic charism given by the Holy Spirit for the common good.

“Your mission calls you to safeguard unity, foster dialogue, heal divisions, and accompany the journey of the people entrusted to your care,” he said.

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

The June 8 address, given before about 700 guests amid tight security, drew a standing ovation that lasted nearly seven minutes, with shouts of “Long live the pope!” echoing through the chamber.

In his speech, Pope Leo warned lawmakers not to subordinate human dignity to “shifting social consensus or the whims of the majority at any given moment,” insisting that “every truly just society is built upon the recognition of the inviolable dignity of the human person.”

“In this sense, if life ceases to be recognized as a fundamental value, what future can our societies have?” the pope asked. “Can a community that casts into the shadows the unborn child, the elderly, the sick, those who suffer in silence, or those who depend entirely on the care of others be called fully just?”

“The defense of human life is neither a partisan issue nor a confessional interest: it is a goal of civilization,” he said.

The pope’s remarks came as Spain’s socialist-led government has been advancing efforts to enshrine abortion protections in the country’s Constitution. Such a reform would require broad parliamentary consensus, including support from the center-right People’s Party.

“Every human life must be recognized and safeguarded from conception to its natural end, in every circumstance of its existence,” Pope Leo said. “When this certainty is obscured, the most vulnerable are the first victims, and the law loses its deepest meaning: to serve and protect every person.”

“For this reason,” he added, “the moral greatness of a nation is manifested, above all, in its capacity to accompany, protect and love those lives that are most fragile.”

The pope also defended the family as “the primary human reality and the natural foundation of the community,” saying that “where the family is upheld, the spiritual and social stability of nations is also strengthened.”

“The family will always be the first school of humanity, where one learns, before anywhere else, the basic grammar of living together: welcoming life, caring for others, forgiving, serving and belonging,” he said.

Pope Leo drew on Spain’s intellectual and Catholic heritage, citing Cervantes, St. Teresa of Ávila, Miguel de Unamuno and the School of Salamanca, especially the 16th-century Dominican friar Francisco de Vitoria.

From that tradition, he said, Spain helped shape “a legal and moral consciousness capable of remembering that authority always entails responsibility and that every human being must be recognized as a subject of rights and duties.”

The pope said that legacy remains alive whenever lawmakers ask “how to ensure that what is possible is just, that what is legal is truly humane, and that the will of the majority safeguards those goods that belong to all and respects that which no majority can legitimately violate.”

He also cited his recent encyclical “Magnifica Humanitas,” published May 25, saying that in an age of artificial intelligence, biotechnology and rapid technological change, political discernment must focus on “the place of the human person in our decision making.”

The pope devoted part of his address to migrants and refugees, a major theme of his trip to Spain, which will conclude with visits to Tenerife and Las Palmas in the Canary Islands, a key entry point to Europe for migrants.

“The situation of migrants and refugees calls for a response that focuses on people, addresses the root causes that force them to leave, and goes beyond the mere management of migration flows,” he said.

He called for “safe and legal pathways, a respectful welcome and real opportunities for integration,” while also promoting “the right to remain in one’s own land,” so that no one is forced to leave home because of war, insecurity, poverty or the effects of the climate crisis.

Pope Leo also warned that many migrants remain “prey to traffickers and smugglers who take advantage of their desperation,” calling for stronger prevention, rescue and assistance efforts.

“No nation can face a challenge of this magnitude on its own,” he said.

Turning to global conflict, Pope Leo said the world is undergoing “a profound spiritual and cultural crisis” marked by violence, polarization and mistrust.

“Every war constitutes, ultimately, a painful defeat of the capacity to negotiate and also of that common human consciousness that recognizes bonds of justice among nations,” he said.

“Weapons may impose a temporary silence; but they can never build a genuine and lasting peace,” the pope said, warning that “in various parts of the world — and in Europe as well — rearmament is once again being presented as an almost inevitable response to the fragility of the international situation.”

The pope also warned against the use of artificial intelligence in warfare, saying new technologies in the military sphere require “rigorous ethical oversight, so that decisions regarding life and death are never left to automated systems nor removed from the moral responsibility of the human person.”

Addressing Spain’s polarized political climate, the pope urged lawmakers to resist contempt for political opponents.

“Political pluralism should not degenerate into the constant disparagement of one’s adversary,” he said. “In a mature society, even conflict can become a path to peace, when differences are softened by listening and directed toward recognizing the needs, aspirations and capabilities of all.”

“Firmness does not require contempt; disagreement does not entail humiliation,” he added.

Only two left-wing parties, Podemos and the BNG, which together account for six lawmakers out of more than 600 parliamentarians, chose not to attend the pope’s address.

Pope Leo also made a strong appeal for religious freedom, calling freedom of thought, conscience and religion “a fundamental right that protects the most intimate sphere of the person.”

“The freedom upon which the contemporary state is built, if it is authentic, recognizes the religious dimension of the human person, respects it and protects it legally,” he said. Authentic freedom, the pope added, “ensures that faith is not a reason for which a person has to forfeit his or her contribution to society.”

“Faith does not seek to impose itself through privileges or coercion; yet neither can it be silenced as if it were irrelevant to public life,” he said.

The pope also defended the sacramental seal of confession, saying it “holds special importance for the Catholic Church” and forms part of the broader sphere of religious freedom.

“To protect it legally, as is done in a similar way in some professions, means preserving a sacred space of inner freedom, where the believer can open his or her soul to God without fear of external pressures,” Pope Leo said.

The remarks came shortly after French bishops criticized a June 1 proposal in France’s National Assembly that they said could have endangered the seal of confession. The proposal was later withdrawn.

Near the end of his address, the pope invited Spanish lawmakers to “lift your gaze to the world around you,” not to escape reality, but to remember that every public decision “affects real people, especially those who have less power to make their voices heard.”

“A law does not attain its true greatness merely by having been formally enacted,” he said. “It attains it when, in addition to being valid in form, it can stand before the dignity of the person and pass that test without shame.”

The pope concluded with a blessing for Spain, praying that the nation “never lose sight of its roots nor the courage to look to the future.”

“May Spain continue to be a land of encounter, of culture, of solidarity and of hope,” he said. “And may its public life always know how to unite the firmness of convictions with the nobility of dialogue and the greatness of service.”

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

Gen Z generally refers to people born between 1997 and 2012.

Drawing on cohort-level data from the Human Fertility Database (HFD), as well as using demographic modeling, the instituteʼs "Choice or Circumstance? Rising Childlessness in Ireland" report, released in May, charts a huge increase in the number of Irish women who are childless.

Among those born in the late 1950s, only 30.9% were childless by age 30, rising to 63.6% for those born in the early 1990s. This trend suggests 25% of women born in the late 1990s will be childless when they reach age 45.

Breda OʼBrien of the Iona Institute told EWTN News that “a huge question is whether this will be by choice or circumstance."

"Much will be unplanned and forced by circumstance, such as the cost of living," she said. "It’s worrying and weʼre sliding into it without too much discussion. Before the 1930s, we had similar rates of childlessness in Ireland, but that was because of extreme poverty, late marriage, and low marriage rates. Weʼre supposed to be in an era where women have every possible choice.”

She continued: “The choice to have children, which is fundamental, is being taken away from young women. Itʼs being painted as a kind of freedom. I donʼt think young women themselves consider it to be a type of freedom, and I think a lot of them are worried about it."

According to Central Statistics Office data, the average man’s age at marriage is now nearing 38 and the average womanʼs age is almost 36.

A 2022 Amarach Research poll for Iona showed that 85% of people want to have at least two children and only 2% expressed a wish for no children.

Births in Ireland have fallen by almost 18% in the last decade, according to Central Statistics Office.

With clear indications that the longer a person delays having children, the less likely he or she will have any, O’Brien said “itʼs part of the whole growth of individualism and this idea for kids, from the time theyʼre tiny, [that] you get your education, you travel, you have your career in order, you have fun, you donʼt tie yourself down, and then sometimes in your 30s, you think about settling down. But a lot of women in their mid-30s realize that it is increasingly difficult to conceive.”

She added: “The fertility industry is booming, which does show us that people are willing to go to extraordinary lengths to have children, but the life script theyʼve been presented with is actually working against their best interests. Nature has no knowledge of this life script that young people are being presented with.”

“The longer you leave it, the more chances there are of miscarriage, of complications in labor, and of medical intervention during birth, if you get that far. So itʼs not consequence-free,” she said.

O’Brien told EWTN News that there needs to be debate about why this is happening as a society. "It is a phenomenon we should discuss far more widely if our aim is to help people achieve their eventual life goals. I think among people of faith, they are still prioritizing children and family, and marriage. The Catholic Church needs to support those young families in every way possible.”

She pointed out that having fewer children “has very significant social and economic consequences because of the effects of an aging population and growing loneliness.”

The report highlights a series of demographic issues related to childlessness and to Ireland’s already-aging population. Lower fertility rates, combined with rising childlessness, mean that the ratio of working-age adults to elderly dependents is set to worsen. Fewer births today mean fewer workers in 20 to 30 years.

O’Brien said: “In Ireland, thereʼs still a degree of respect for older people, but one of the awful possible consequences is that younger people will start to resent older people.”

The Iona report highlights the situation where a smaller working-age population will be asked to support a larger elderly population, putting pension sustainability, healthcare, and long-term care provision under growing financial pressure.

The instituteʼs findings also highlight the effect on housing and household-formation patterns. A rise in the proportion of adults who never have children increases demand for smaller dwellings and single-person households.

Additionally, in recent decades, inward migration to Ireland has been an effective and economically rational response in periods of strong demand. However, it is not a response to childlessness.

O’Brien pointed to other countries and the demographic shifts they are facing with an increasing aging population.

“Other countries are further along the road than we are. South Korea, or even Japan, where theyʼre repurposing childcare facilities for eldercare facilities, moving from baby formula to fortified drinks from the elderly, and from producing diapers for children, to producing incontinence products for the elderly — this is not a good road that weʼre on,” she said.

“Today we are going to bring Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament to the streets of Washington, D.C.,” Father Charles Trullols, director of the Catholic Information Center, said in a homily during the June 6 morning Mass before the procession began.

The procession offers “public witness to our faith,” Trullols said, displaying “the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, body, blood, soul, and divinity” to each person the procession passes by. Dozens of onlookers stopped to watch the procession, with many taking photos and videos.

The route began outside the Catholic Information Centerʼs K Street headquarters and walked past Lafayette Square, which faces the White House. It also passed Farragut Square, McPherson Square, and the Veterans Affairs building.

Children who had recently received their First Holy Communion laid flower petals on the ground and the procession was led by cross and candle bearers, followed by religious sisters, the Blessed Sacrament in a monstrance, the priests, the choir, and the rest of the pilgrims.

“I think it’s just a great opportunity to be a witness for Christ to a city that is so lost and while we were out there I was praying that someone who was out there would see it and come back to the Lord and find peace in the Lord and Christ,” Katie, from Jacksonville, Florida, told EWTN News.

“It’s just a beautiful witness out here today and Iʼm so grateful this was available especially to those who need it,” she said.

John, from Maryland, highlighted the significance of processing with the Eucharist in the nation’s capital less than one month before the country celebrates the Fourth of July.

“I think it’s very cool that this being the 250th anniversary of America we can do something like this,” he said. “It shows the freedom of religion in this country, and that it’s a great country to be in.”

The procession was one stop in the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, a project of the National Eucharistic Congress that is bringing processions to dioceses across the country. This year’s route focuses mostly on visiting the original 13 colonies of the United States to honor the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

Trullols noted in his homily that the pilgrimage theme is “one nation under God,” which he said is “not merely a patriotic slogan,” but an invitation to place our lives, our families, and communities under Christ.

A nation under God “does not sustain itself automatically,” Trullols said. Rather, it can only be sustained “if its people choose to place God first.”

The Catholic Information Center has held a Eucharistic procession in downtown Washington for four straight years, initially independent of the broader pilgrimage. Trullos told EWTN News that the pilgrimage reached out to the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., which then reached out to the center to partner this year on the procession.

“This procession is an expression in our capital for the love of our country and the desire to pray for our people and our nation,” Trullos said.

He estimated the attendance was around 1,300 people, noting it’s growing “much bigger” every year they host it.

There are nine perpetual pilgrims traveling with the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage for the entire journey, which began in St. Augustine, Florida, less than two weeks ago and will conclude in Philadelphia on the Fourth of July weekend.

Mary Carmen Zakrajsek, a perpetual pilgrim originally from Carmel, Indiana, said in a news conference after the procession that bringing the Eucharist into the streets has captivated people who encounter it: “Jesus walked this earth and he’s walking it again. He has not abandoned us.”

Zakrajsek called the pilgrimage a “unifying moment” and echoed the language in the Declaration of Independence that rights are endowed by our creator.

“Our moral authority does not come from the State,” she said. “It comes from God.”

The gathering brought together leading figures from Spanish culture with an international profile, including actor Antonio Banderas. Sports were represented by legendary badminton player Carolina Marín, a three-time world champion, while academia was represented by José María Coello de Portugal, vice rector for planning, coordination, and institutional relations at the Complutense University of Madrid.

Representatives of labor unions and employers’ organizations also presented the pope with their concerns and challenges, with the aim of working together to build a society oriented toward the common good and capable of overcoming fragmentation and polarization.

Their presence was itself a sign that encounter remains possible even in a divided society.

The historic meeting reflected the theme of the first papal trip to Spain in 15 years — “Lift up your gaze” — and Pope Leo XIV’s call to weave networks among different social actors, showing that beyond legitimate differences there is a firm desire to build strong, cross-sector alliances to face the challenges of the future.

One of the highlights of the event was Banderas’ address, in which he recited a text on the bond between faith and culture.

“I confess that I am a victim of God’s spell,” the actor said, looking directly at the pope.

Banderas, who the previous day had directed the cast of the musical “Godspell” in a special performance during a prayer vigil with young people in Madrid’s Plaza de Lima, also evoked the popular piety of his native Málaga and the Holy Week processions that marked his childhood.

In his remarks, Banderas stressed art’s ability to raise deep questions.

“In a world that at times is overly simplified, art helps us recover the depth and the soul that is trying to be stolen by artificial intelligence,” he said.

Earlier, Cardinal José Cobo, archbishop of Madrid, presented Pope Leo XIV as a reference point in the fight against extremism. Along those lines, the pope made clear that the Church has stood, from its earliest days, on the side of culture and art, fostering the encounter of different sensibilities in a shared search for transcendence.

The Church’s “longing” to remain in dialogue with the contemporary world

“The Church, conscious both of her successes and her failures throughout history, longs to remain in dialogue with the contemporary world,” Pope Leo said.

In his address, the pope invited the world today not to dismiss the Church’s “centuries-old experience,” which he said has always “proposed paths for a dignified life and the common good.” In that context, he recalled St. Paul VI, who before the United Nations noted that, whatever one’s opinion of the Roman Pontiff, his mission is well known.

Pope Leo also cited his encyclical “Magnifica humanitas,” published May 25, 2025, to return to a central question: “What does it mean to be truly human?”

To that question, he offered a clear answer: “The Church shares with humility, but also with firmness, what she has discovered through the experience of faith: that Jesus Christ responds to the great questions about human life and its fullness, already in this world and unto its fulfillment in eternity.”

To face these questions, the pope proposed a form of social dialogue that he compared to the art of weaving networks, based on “encounter, listening, dialogue, and respect.” The approach is not new to his visit to Spain. It was already present in his episcopal coat of arms and has been confirmed since his election as Roman Pontiff — a word meaning “bridge builder” — as one who builds a bridge first with God and then with people, societies, and cultures.

In concrete terms, he explained that “weaving networks” means that “the university does not live with its back turned to the world of work or renounce the truth; that business activity does not see the employee as just another factor in the equation of its interests; that art does not have only the elites as its goal; that sport is not reduced to spectacle or turned into mere business; that technological progress takes into account the elderly, the poor, and those who have no voice.”

In that context, the pope — a mathematician by training — recalled with admiration the great classics of Spanish literature, citing Lope de Vega, St. Teresa of Ávila, St. John of the Cross, and Calderón de la Barca. He also recalled the serenity of the prose of St. Thomas Aquinas, from whom the Church has inherited the beautiful hymns of Corpus Christi, the solemnity celebrated Sunday.

For the pope, weaving networks also means “serving in a disinterested way,” as men and women moved by faith have done throughout the centuries by founding hospitals, schools, and charitable initiatives. He therefore invited participants to ask honestly whether Europe could have forged its identity “without the spiritual imprint that has marked its history.”

“This is not a provocation, but an invitation to consider whether eternity, which broke into time and space through the incarnation of Jesus Christ, can once again be reconciled with everyday life,” he said. “Is it really possible to believe that Europe — which we love so much — would be itself without the imprint of faith? Why fear that eternity might permeate daily life?”

Finally, the pope said Christ restores the common good to its central place as an arbiter that “calms the greed of some and nourishes the hope of others, while desiring to save them all.”

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

The pope made the appeal while presiding over Mass, a procession, and Eucharistic blessing for the solemnity of Corpus Christi in Madrid’s Plaza de Cibeles, one of the Spanish capital’s most emblematic sites.

“As I begin my visit to Spain, it is with a heart filled with joy that I preside over this celebration on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi,” the pope said in his homily.

Corpus Christi has deep roots in Spain and throughout the Catholic world. The feast originated after the efforts of St. Juliana of Cornillon, a Belgian religious sister who promoted a liturgical celebration dedicated to the Blessed Sacrament. Pope Urban IV confirmed the feast for the universal Church in 1264, and within decades it had reached the Iberian Peninsula. King Alfonso X, known as “the Wise,” took part in a Corpus Christi celebration in Toledo in 1280.

Over the centuries, the tradition became firmly established in Spain, making the country one of the great centers of Eucharistic devotion. During the period of the Council of Trent, when the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist was contested in parts of Europe, Spanish popular piety continued to exalt it through processions, music, art, and public expressions of faith.

In Madrid, Pope Leo said Corpus Christi is “more than just another celebration on the liturgical calendar.”

“It is a way of returning to the heart of the faith to renew our love and fidelity to God,” he said.

“The solemn processions held on this day have for centuries shaped the piety, art, music, architecture and life of the Spanish people,” the pope continued. “Even today, they still express and manifest the spiritual sentiments of this country through the beauty and elegance of the floral carpets, the altars erected in the streets, the carefully crafted monstrances and stands, the hymns and the liturgical vestments.”

The setting itself added a striking backdrop to the celebration. Plaza de Cibeles, crowned by the statue of the Roman goddess in a chariot drawn by lions, is known internationally as the place where Real Madrid celebrates its titles. On Sunday, however, the square’s focus was Christ in the Eucharist.

One participant joked that with Pope Leo XIV in Madrid, the Spanish capital had three lions.

The pope said the Corpus Christi procession is not “an exhibition, a remnant of folklore or a simple display of beauty.”

“It is a profession of faith in the presence of the risen Lord, who is alive and continues to walk among us, who becomes bread to satiate our hunger for life, and visits the recesses of our hearts and history, even those shrouded in darkness,” he said.

The procession route, about 600 meters along Calle de Alcalá, one of Madrid’s central thoroughfares, was adorned with 16 floral carpets — eight on each side — made with more than 30,000 carnations. Numerous faithful joined the pope, including many boys and girls who had recently received their first Communion.

Pope Leo said the procession reveals that Christ “is not confined to the church, but comes out to meet us.”

“Jesus travels the streets, crosses the squares and visits our neighborhoods, dwelling in the settings of our daily lives,” he said. “He is a God who is close to us, who walks with his people, the Lord of history.”

The pope also connected Corpus Christi with charity, noting that the Church in Spain has long associated the solemnity with the Day for Charity.

“The Christ who processes through the streets in the monstrance is the same one who identifies with the poor, the downtrodden, those who are alone and forsaken,” he said.

“It is not merely a matter of bringing out the monstrance,” Pope Leo emphasized, “but of allowing ourselves to be brought out of our selfishness and indifference, of a comfortable, private faith, so as to respond to his invitation to conversion, to change our perspective, and to welcome his presence which transforms us and makes us builders of a new world.”

Among the faithful who took part in the celebration was Sister Maribel, a member of the Monastic Family of Bethlehem, whose community is opening a convent in Huelva.

Speaking with emotion, she summed up her experience to ACI Prensa: “I loved everything. It was extraordinary. I need to read and reread and pray with the Holy Father’s homily. It was very intense. Above all, I leave with the motto ‘Lift up your gaze.’ I don’t know — it is a phrase that encompasses life and every detail.”

The pope said the historical memory of Spain’s Corpus Christi processions “is not confined to wistful nostalgia.”

“Instead, it stands as an invitation in the present moment, in our daily lives, in our relationships, in society, and in the building of the future,” he said.

That, he added, is the task facing Spain today and tomorrow: “to ensure that the religiosity which has shaped and defined this country for centuries is not a museum of the past to be visited, but a school of faith from which to draw even today.”

The pope described that school of faith as one that “teaches us to kneel before God and before our neighbor, because no one can kneel before the Lord and despise their brother.”

It is also, he said, “a school that teaches us of the gratitude of love that becomes a gift, so that it may flow among us and break the chains of all selfishness.”

From the Eucharist, he continued, Catholics learn “that God is a real presence and that we too are called to be present in the realities and challenges of society, not shying away, but personally committing ourselves to the building of the common good.”

Pope Leo also recalled St. Manuel González García, the Spanish bishop known as “the bishop of the abandoned tabernacle.”

“His life reminds us that the Eucharist should be honored not only during great celebrations or on special occasions, but also through the silent fidelity of those who accompany the Lord with a humble and quiet friendship that is nourished day by day,” the pope said.

The pope also cited St. John of the Cross, recalling that while imprisoned in harsh conditions in Toledo around the time of Corpus Christi in 1578, the Spanish mystic recognized the hidden presence of the Lord even in darkness.

“The Eucharistic Jesus is ‘that eternal spring that is hidden’ — a spring that flows and quenches thirst, yet without blinding, without imposing itself through outward power, without presenting itself in a spectacular way,” the pope said.

Pope Leo closed by urging the faithful to return to Christ in the Eucharist with “sincere love.”

“Let us open ourselves to the encounter with him, let us allow him to quench the thirst of our hearts, so that we may then go forth into the paths of life and history, bringing to the people this stream of fresh water, a stream of love, peace, justice and joy,” he said.

“Let us drink anew from this Eucharistic spring, which does not enclose us in private devotion, but sends us out to refresh our brothers and sisters, our families, the poor, the suffering, and those who have lost hope,” the pope said. “Eucharistic grace transforms us and makes us protagonists of the transformation of history, a sign of hope for those we meet.”

“May the Lord Jesus, present in the Eucharist, transform you into bread that is broken, given, and offered,” he concluded, “so that a life of fullness may spring forth for you, for your families, and for your country.”

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

Directed and produced by Steven and Sabrina Gunnell of KREA Film-Makers, “Sacred Heart” was released in Europe in October 2025 and became a box office success selling nearly 1 million tickets.

The docudrama retells Christ’s apparitions to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque — the 17th-century French nun who received the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Through testimonies, accounts of Eucharistic miracles, historical analysis, and reenactments, the film explores the moment when Christ revealed his heart to the world and its burning love for humanity.

The film will be in U.S. theaters June 9–11 and June 14.

The Gunnells spoke to EWTN News and shared that the inspiration for the film came from personal testimonies they heard from two Missionaries of the Sacred Heart while at Notre-Dame du Laus (Our Lady of Laus), a Marian sanctuary located in the Hautes-Alpes region of France. That same evening, the married couple, along with their extended families, discovered the consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus for the first time and consecrated themselves to the Sacred Heart.

The French filmmakers began to think about the possibility of making a documentary about the Sacred Heart. They began seeing the image of the Sacred Heart appear everywhere around them in their daily lives, which they took as a sign from God to make the film.

“In the moment where we said yes [to Jesus], in an instant, we had the story of the movie. We knew exactly what we would make for the movie,” Steven said.

Steven, 51, had his own powerful conversion story — thanks in part to the Sacred Heart of Jesus — when he was in his 20s.

Born in Annecy in southern France, he was raised solely by his mother — his father was in a rock band that toured most of the year. Despite the fact that his mother had been baptized a Catholic, she fell away from the faith and became part of a demonic sect, which she was a part of for roughly 25 years. This caused Steven to have a strained relationship with his mom, and at the age of 21, he left his home and moved to Paris in hopes of becoming an actor.

When he arrived in Paris he started to audition for roles, and during one he was asked if he could sing. It was this audition that landed Steven in the popular French boy band Alliage for three years. He soon became wealthy and famous with many fans. But eventually a shift in musical trends left boy bands as an outdated fad and life as he knew it came to an end — no more concerts, no more albums, and he was out of a job.

Steven went to London to escape his problems but became depressed, began to drink excessively, and started thinking about suicide.

One day, after years of not speaking, he called his mother from a phone booth. He told her he was going to do something bad because he couldn’t handle life anymore. Much to his surprise, his mother told him to go into a church and just take a moment before he did anything else. So he did. He went into the first church he saw, sat down, and ended up falling asleep. About four hours later, he woke up and was no longer suicidal.

Looking back on it now, he said he knows this was thanks to “resting in the Holy Spirit.” He recalled waking up and feeling “light, restored, and peaceful.”

Steven went back to this church every day for weeks. He ended up finding a job, and after about five months he called his mother again and asked her if could move back home.

“My mom said, ‘Your bedroom is waiting for you,’” he shared.

Once he arrived home, his mom took him to a small chapel dedicated to St. Rita, the patron saint of impossible causes. He was shocked to see his mother join about 400 other people in praying a rosary held in the chapel. Steven began to walk around the chapel and came face to face with a statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

“I’m kneeling at this moment, and I begin to cry with all my soul, all my blood, all my everything,” he said. “I met Jesus that day.”

Moments later a priest walked up to him from behind, put his hand on his shoulder, and asked him if he was Steven Gunnell.

“I said, ‘Yes. How do you know me, Father?’”

The priest responded: “Your mother has come here for one year now, every single day, because she has been praying for you … She prayed the rosary for you every day at 4 o’clock. And now you’re here — first miracle. Second miracle, you are here in the Chapel of St. Rita, the saint of impossible causes — welcome to the club.”

The priest went on to remind Steven of the sacraments he received as a child.

“‘You may have forgotten everything, but you are Catholic and God didnʼt forget you,’” the priest told him.

At that moment, Steven made his confession with the priest and after the rosary ended, he attended the Mass. The reading for that day? The story of the prodigal son.

“This story happened 26 years ago now and itʼs changed my life,” he said.

From there, Steven went on to meet his wife and together they began to create films “for the kingdom,” he said.

Now, he said he hopes this movie on the Sacred Heart will inspire others to realize how short their lives are and the importance of returning to Christ.

“Today we are here; tomorrow weʼre gone. Itʼs ridiculous when you think about it. You have no time to lose ... Go to church and just take a moment to give a few minutes in front of the tabernacle, the presence of the holy Eucharist, and take a few moments with him to say to him you love him and just hear in the silence, inside, the love he has for you.”

Sabrina added that she hopes viewers will leave knowing “that the love of God is more powerful than every evil thing in the world.”

“We have this heart, this God, who came as a human being and he has a heart of a human being and he can understand all our moods, all our difficulties, and we are so loved. You are so loved,” she said. “Everyone is so loved by God and we just want the people who come out of the cinema to feel full of love, burn about this love, and go out into the world to spread that.”

The Holy Father met with the countryʼs King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia before paying a visit to a social services project in Madrid and then finishing the day with a massive gathering of hundreds of thousands of young Spanish citizens in the cityʼs Plaza de Lima.

See photos of Pope Leo XIVʼs first day in Spain below.

The event brought together more than 600,000 young people, according to the authorities.

The pope was especially comfortable in Spanish, a language in which he spoke on several occasions. At one point he told the crowd of hundreds of thousands of youth: “You can change history, do it with love.”

At another time, he unambiguously encouraged young people not to fear vocational commitment: “Never be afraid of having a vocation for priestly life or religious life.”

And he added: “You donʼt have to be afraid to get married and start a family.”

Addressing questions from young people, the pope said at one point: “The disciples of Jesus are always contemporaries, but never prisoners of the passing time. We are free in Christ!"

The pontiff stressed that Christ frees “with his love,” a love that leaves the person “always free in the face of all coercion and deception.”

“We are free from fashions, because we are disciples of the truth; we are open to the future, because we know that death does not await us,” he said.

Likewise, he entrusted young people with a great “mission,” namely: “Be human! Men and women of flesh and blood. Not appearances, but reliable faces. People who seek justice because they are hungry for it, as for the daily bread.”

“You are human as Christ is, the perfect man, the Risen One who shares history with us at all times. Cultivating this commitment, look at the Apostles, the first Christians, inhabitants of a pagan world,” he added.

Before his speech, the Pope heard several testimonies. Among them was that of Niurka, a young 33-year-old Cuban lawyer who arrived in Spain a little over a year ago, pushed by the serious economic and political crisis of her country. “I was very scared. But the Church welcomed me,” he said.

Khadry also spoke of his experience coming from Senegal. He arrived in Spain in 2020 after surviving the dangerous Atlantic route to the Canary Islands. In a gesture full of symbolism, he gave the pope his residence card, reflecting the importance of regularization in starting a new life.

In his remarks, Leo XIV also issued a warning to Christians against the risk of being dragged by currents outside the Gospel.

He pointed out that, frequently, Christians “allow themselves to be infected by attitudes marked by worldly ideologies or by political and economic positions that lead to unfair generalizations and misleading conclusions.”

“The fact that the exercise of charity is despised or ridiculed, as if it were the fixation of some and not the incandescent core of the ecclesial mission, makes me think that it is always necessary to read the Gospel again, so as not to run the risk of replacing it with the worldly mentality,” he concluded.

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

Despite the heat and humidity, many parents and grandparents packed their little ones into strollers or baby carriers and brought them out to view the Eucharistic pilgrimage as it made its way through D.C. The local procession was a partnership between the Catholic Information Center and the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage. 

“I really like taking my kids to the Eucharistic processions for Corpus Christi,” Theresa Cambell said while pushing Augustine, three years old, and Rowena, nine months, in a stroller in the procession. “I think practical things really help them understand the significance of what is going on.” 

Campbell, who lives in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, took her children to the Catholic Information Center procession last year. Though she wasn’t raised going to processions or adoration regularly with her family, Campbell said the tradition was important to her as she raises her own children so that they can better come to understand the Church. 

A big part of this, she said, was her own active participation.

“Children have a very natural orientation towards liturgy, and I think that the reverence that everyone has in the tradition actually does most of the teaching,” Cambell said. “And then, you know, we do explain that it is the body and blood of Christ and that the procession is for Corpus Christi, and we try to tie that into the liturgical year.”

Maria and Pedro Estrada of Reston, Virginia, practice similar worship habits with their four children. The couple moved to the United States from Argentina six years ago and grew up attending similar events with their families.

Estrada said she and her husband take their children to adoration regularly and practice family prayer to get them interested in Jesus and the Church.

“At home, we pray a lot,” Estrada explained. “We pray the rosary in front of our kids, and they see us and they try to imitate us. They’re very interested in Jesus and His love for us, and we explain that all the things we have, and the way we are, is because of Jesus, and because He loves us. And it’s nice to Him that we, you know, give Him some of the love He gave us.”

Julie Enzler of Alexandria, Virginia, helped take her 15-month-old granddaughter through the procession while her daughter volunteered with the Catholic Information Center.

“What I appreciate about the procession through the city is the witness that we can give to the whole world of our Eucharistic Lord present in the midst of us, and to bring the power of his love to the streets,” Enzler said. “It’s something we try to do in person every day, hopefully, but just to make Him present in the lives of people who wouldn’t necessarily find Him.”

Enzler said that all her grandchildren are being raised in the Catholic Church and attending Corpus Christi processions, even though she herself did not growing up. This, she hopes, will help them to orient their lives toward God.

Enzler said she knows how valuable it is to bring Christ with you wherever you go, whether that be spiritually or in actuality.

“Because the Church is the body of Christ, we all need each other,” Enzler explained. “We all need the witness of new life in the body. And the children need the witness of adults doing things that might be uncomfortable.” 

“For old people, it’s uncomfortable on your knees,” she continued. “And for other ages, maybe it’s uncomfortable to be seen practicing your faith or witnessing to your faith in the Eucharist, which is something that’s not obvious without faith.”

Enzler said that she feels the United States is poised to accept Christ at this moment, and that showing the next generation of Catholics what faithful adoration looks like can help spread this.

“I’m really grateful to the [Catholic Information Center] for offering this opportunity and for the word of hope that this event brings to the streets of Washington, D.C. at a time where the country seems particularly open to the practice of faith and the witness of faith,” she said. 

“I know there’s a lot of prayers begging more and more graces, so I’m grateful,” she said. “There’s always the grace that we can count on, but we can’t see or quantify.”

Government officials earlier in the day said Afonso was killed by gunshot when assailants invade his home. The prelate, who was appointed to lead the diocese in July 2025, had warned repeatedly of violence in the region prior to his death.

A press release from the Holy See said Pope Leo XIV had “learned with sorrow of the grave act of violence” that took Afonsoʼs life. The bishop led the Quelimane Diocese and also served as apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of Beira.

The pope “joins in prayer with the people of the Dioceses and of Mozambique in this hour of bewilderment, so that the Lord may give them consolation, so that he may guard in his love every man and woman and stop the hand of violence,” the statement said.

Earlier in the day Episcopal Conference of Mozambique President Archbishop Inácio Saúre said in a statement that he “appeal[ed] for serenity in faith and fraternal solidarity, in the hope that we will be able, in due course, to provide accurate and detailed information regarding this sad event.”

‘Dark clouds’ over southern African nation

The papal charity Aid to the Church in Need also mourned Afonsoʼs passing on June 6. The charity said the murder “adds yet another dark cloud over the Church in Mozambique.”

The Church there “is already grappling with terrorist violence in the north of the country, particularly in Cabo Delgado Province,” the organization said. Afonso had warned several times prior to his murder of the threat of violence in that province.

Mozambique “remains a priority country for ACN, which has supported the local Church at many levels, not only through humanitarian aid, but also by promoting psychosocial support and the reconstruction of infrastructure,” the charity said.

A Mass was planned for the repose of Afonsoʼs soul on June 6, with funeral arrangements to be announced later.

The choice of these holy men and women is related to the venues of the pontifical visit and devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, given that the Holy Father will celebrate the solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi) on Sunday, June 7, in Madrid.

The project presents 10 people who “searched for God in the world” and “found the extraordinary in the ordinary.”

Representing Madrid, St. Isidore the Laborer (or Farmer) and St. Mary of the Head have been selected as “examples of holiness in marriage, at work, and in ordinary life,” as well as St. Soledad Torres Acosta, founder of the Congregation of the Servants of Mary Ministers of the Sick.

Representing Barcelona are Venerable Antonio Gaudí, architect of Sagrada Família Basilica, and St. Eulalia, a martyr and co-patroness of the city.

The saints selected from the Canary Islands are St. Peter of St. Joseph Betancourt, the first native of the islands to be canonized, and St. Joseph of Anchieta, a Jesuit missionary born in Tenerife who is known as the “Apostle of Brazil.”

Three other saints are highlighted for their Eucharistic devotion: St. Teresa of Ávila, reformer of the Carmelite order; St. Paschal Baylon, patron of Eucharistic congresses; and St. Manuel González, bishop of Palencia and founder of the Eucharistic Reparation Union, an apostolate that includes both lay and consecrated persons.

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

“On behalf of the Women in the Vatican Association (DIVA), I would like to extend our warmest wishes to you on your new appointment as prefect of the Dicastery for Communication, entrusted to you by the Holy Father,” wrote association President Margarita Romanelli, who recently retired after working for 31 years at the Vatican in the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.

Pope Leo XIV named Alvarado, the president and chief operating officer of EWTN News since 2023, as prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication on June 2. The appointment will take effect Nov. 1. She is the first laywoman who is neither consecrated nor a religious sister to hold such a post.

“Our association is composed, as the name suggests, of lay, religious, and consecrated women who work or have worked in the Holy See, the Roman Curia, and its affiliated institutions,” Romanelli’s statement said.

“Our purpose is to create an increasingly constructive and fruitful network of knowledge, friendship, and solidarity among all members, to promote their professional, human, and spiritual growth.”

“To respond to our vocation as women, our model is Mary, Mother of the Church, who urges us to make the most of all that femininity encompasses and signifies, striving to be witnesses of sisterhood as daughters of the one Father, and looking to the future as women of authentic Christian hope,” the statement continued.

“With renewed wishes for fruitful service, we earnestly invoke the Lord’s blessing upon your ecclesial mission, entrusting you [Alvarado] to the protection and intercession of the Most Holy Virgin.”

There are many women working in the Vatican who collaborate with the association, including many from the communication dicastery.

Alvarado will be 40 when she takes up her post in November. Like the pope, she has connections both to Latin America and the United States: She was born in Mexico City and educated in the U.S.

This story was first published by ACI Stampa, an Italian language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

The Holy Father landed at Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport after which he moved directly to the royal residence. There he was received with honors by King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia and their daughters Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía.

The pope warned that his message of reconciliation “resonates for some as naive and for others as provocative,” but he said it is “welcomed in those who do not close themselves in prefabricated ideologies, but who open up to the truth.”

“The truth is always greater than us and that is why it surprises us and attracts us to paths of purification and reconciliation, in which dialogue with others — and with the Other with capital letters — becomes fundamental,” he added.

In his speech, the pope cited two great Spanish mystics of the sixteenth century, Saint John of the Cross and Saint Teresa of Jesus, both of whom he said are united by their “passion for the divine Mystery.”

He presented them as examples of “mystics with open eyes,” that is, “not alien to history, but, on the contrary, [getting at] the root of the questions, to the heart of reality.”

The pontiff also alluded to contemporary fears caused by “the darkness of reason and the violence of emotions,” and proposed as an antidote the need for men and women capable of “intuiting, in the darkness, the light.”

To illustrate this idea, he evoked the image of the “inner castle” developed by Saint Teresa of Jesus.

Far from proposing an evasive spirituality, the pope stressed that it is not “an intimate flight, but a radical opening” to the totus Alius et semper Novus, a theological expression that refers to the transcendence of God and that “is carried out when we return to ourselves.”

Protecting religious freedom and conscience

“This dimension of the human being is the reason why religious freedom and conscience must be protected,” he said.

He also quoted St. Ignatius of Loyola, who “preferred peace to weapons and saints to the powerful,” and he recalled the work of the School of Translators of Alfonso X the Wise, where specialists from the three religions collaborated in the transmission of classical and medieval knowledge.

He mentioned thinkers such as Averroes (1126-1198) and Maimonides (1138-1204) as examples of the possibility of cooperation between religious traditions for the common good.

“Our era, which apparently is shaken by terrible imbalances and conflicts, cries out in the deepest for peace, for a new knowledge of the human person and his inviolable dignity, for the civilization of love,” he said, alluding to his encyclical Magnifica humanitas, published on May 25.

The pope did not avoid addressing one of the most accentuated features of the current political context in Spain: polarization.

“Today, the temptation to gain popularity by fanning the fire of polarization seems to grow, instead of decreasing; human dignity does not stop being violated,” he lamented.

Aware of the social and political tension, the pontiff urged leaders to “abandon the divisive and polarizing narratives of your social reality and its history, to move from sterile simplifications to the fruitful appreciation of complexity.”

A visit with international implications

Although Leo XIV has already made other trips, this is his first major visit to a major European country. The pope briefly visited the city-state of Monaco in March.

The Holy Fatherʼs visit to Spain — the ninth that a pope has made to the country — transcends the national scope, by constituting a significant step in the pontiffʼs dialogue with the contemporary Western world in which the Catholic Church has a fundamental role.

This was also pointed out by Felipe VI, who took the floor before the pope and underlined his voice as a universal moral beacon, not only for Catholics: “[His voice] is today a source of inspiration for more than 1.4 billion faithful; but it resonates, by its ethical content, far beyond, in all consciences.”

“The Catholic Church is at the service of this thirst of the human heart. Not in an imposing way, but with the evangelical testimony backed by a multitude of martyrs and saints, and today she is willing to put herself at the service of the future of a people who seek reconciliation and peace,” he said.

“Catholic faith is rooted in our country and without it — you well know — our history and our culture would not be understood.”

The pope also had words of recognition towards Spain for its international role: he highlighted “fidelity to international law and multilateralism,” as well as its commitment to peace and solidarity. At the same time, he urged leaders to strengthen internal dialogue, attend to the most vulnerable and “harmonize the demands for autonomy and unity.”

This has not been the first meeting between the Spanish royal family and the pope.

On March 20, Felipe VI and Letizia traveled to Rome, where the monarch was invested in the proto-canon of the Basilica of Santa María la Mayor in a ceremony that highlighted the historical links between the Spanish monarchy and this temple.

Likewise, both the king and queen attended the opening Mass of the pontificate on May 18 of last year.

The National Criminal Investigation Service in Mozambique’s Zambézia Province has confirmed that the fourth bishop of the Quelimane Diocese succumbed to gunshot wounds at his official residence.

According to spokesperson Maximino Amílcar, an undetermined number of assailants gained entrance to the bishop’s residence and opened fire, striking Afonso in the chest.

“The Service has already initiated investigative procedures to clarify the case and identify the perpetrators,” the spokesperson said.

President of the Episcopal Conference of Mozambique Archbishop Inácio Saúre reported that Afonso “was found dead under unusual circumstances that are still to be clarified.”

“At this very troubled moment, I appeal for serenity in faith and fraternal solidarity, in the hope that we will be able, in due course, to provide accurate and detailed information regarding this sad event,” Saúre said in a June 6 statement.

Members of the college of consultors of the Quelimane Diocese announced that the first Holy Mass for the repose of the soul of Afonso would be held on June 6 at the Parish of Our Lady of Deliverance Cathedral of Quelimane.

The consultors said that additional information regarding funeral arrangements and memorial celebrations of the late bishop — who started his episcopal ministry in January 2024 — would be communicated at a later date.

Afonso was ordained a priest in November 2002 after completing his theological studies at St. Eugene Mazenod Theological Seminary in the Archdiocese of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

As a priest he served in various capacities, including parish vicar and bursar of St. Hilaire Parish in Kinshasa Archdiocese, formator and bursar of the Theological Seminary of Kinshasa, and collaborator at the apostolic nunciature in the Democratic Republic of Congo, among other priestly services.

In 2017 Afonso was appointed as an official at the Dicastery for Evangelization in the section for the first evangelization and new particular churches.

In September 2023 he was appointed auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Maputo and was consecrated a bishop by Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle on January 28, 2024.

He was appointed the bishop of the Quelimane Diocese in July 2025.

Since April 10, he has been serving as the apostolic administrator of the Catholic Archdiocese of Beira following the resignation of Archbishop Claudio Dalla Zuanna.

Reacting to the passing of Afonso, Mozambican President Daniel Chapo said that the death constitutes an “irreparable loss for Mozambican society in general, and for the Christian community in particular, considering that the deceased distinguished himself, in life, by his devotion to humility, pastoral dedication, and preaching of the values ​​of peace and reconciliation.”

Afonso had recently been vocal about violence in Mozambique’s Northern Cabo Delgado Province.

On May 12 he raised alarm over escalating violence in Cabo Delgado, where renewed Islamist insurgent attacks continue to kill civilians, destroy communities, and displace thousands of people.

Speaking to Agenzia Fides, Afonso described a worsening situation marked by repeated attacks and growing fear among local populations.

“The situation seems out of control. The attacks continue, always in the same areas, and the population is terrified,” Afonso said in the May 12 Agenzia Fides report.

Days later, on May 23, Afonso called for urgent action to end the violence in Cabo Delgado Province, warning that innocent people, including Christians, continue to suffer and die amid ongoing insurgent attacks in northern Mozambique.

“It is necessary to stop the violence so that our brothers do not continue dying like chickens. We do not want this,” the bishop said during a pastoral visit to Our Lady of Fatima Parish of the Quelimane Diocese.

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

In a statement, Qlayaa’s municipality said the road linking the southern villages to Lebanon’s capital and educational centers has become a place of danger for civilians. The killing has intensified anger among students and families who say safer arrangements are needed for exams in border areas.

On the same day, an Israeli warning concerning the Christian quarter of Tyre added to the anxiety, leaving civilians feeling caught between Hezbollah’s presence and Israeli military action.

French lawmakers remove bill provision requiring priests to break seal of confession

Lawmakers in France voted to removed a controversial provision in a bill that would have required clergy to report information learned while administering the sacrament of confession. According to Zenit, the proposal, which engendered heated debate in French Parliament, was drafted in the aftermath of a sexual abuse scandal involving hundreds of allegations linked to a Catholic school.

Canon law dictates that priests may never reveal the contents of a penitentʼs confession under pain of the Church’s most severe penalties.

9 Salesians to be beatified in Poland on June 6

Nine Salesians who were killed during World War II by the German Nazis will be beatified on June 6 at the Shrine of St. John Paul II in Kraków, Poland, according to Vatican News.

“Despite hunger, humiliation, and torture, they continued to support their fellow prisoners, pray, and bear witness to their faith,” the report said. 

Karol Wojtyła, before he became Pope John Paul II, witnessed the arrest of six of the nine men in Krakow. Cardinal Grzegorz Ryś, archbishop of Kraków, said of the connection between the former saint-pope and the soon-to-be new blesseds: "I firmly believe that the priestly vocation of St. John Paul II was also born from their martyrdom.”

Kenyan bioethicist-priest issues warning about Ebola facility

A priest and bioethics scholar in Kenya has raised suspicions over a controversial proposal for a U.S.-linked Ebola quarantine and treatment facility in Kenya, arguing that “the initiative raises profound ethical questions that require broader scrutiny beyond political and diplomatic considerations.”

According to ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, Father Pascal Mwakio is concerned that the 50-bed Ebola quarantine and treatment center at the Laikipia Air Base in central Kenya may involve "ethical dumping," a term used when developed nations "unethically conduct research in low-setting resource countries or third-world countries.” 

Patriarch Hoyek remembered as ‘pastor who helped shape modern Lebanon’

The announcement of the beatification of Maronite Patriarch Elias Hoyek has renewed attention to one of the defining Church figures in Lebanon’s modern history, according to ACI MENA. Hoyek’s legacy is closely tied to the emergence of Greater Lebanon, especially through his advocacy at the Paris Peace Conference after World War I, where he defended the right of his people to a homeland rooted in dignity, freedom, and pluralism.

More than a political figure, Hoyek is remembered as a pastor who saw faith as a force for building both the human person and the nation. His life joined ecclesial service with national responsibility, leaving a witness that still speaks to Lebanon’s search for hope amid crisis.

First Chaldean synod under new patriarch looks to renewal

Patriarch Paul III Nona presided over the first synod of Chaldean bishops since his installation, gathering 14 bishops at the patriarchal residence in Baghdad while travel difficulties prevented the participation of bishops from the United States, ACI MENA reported.

Opening the meeting with a reflection on his patriarchal motto, “Do not be afraid; only believe,” Nona called the Chaldean Church to face present challenges with hope, unity, and confidence in God’s care. The bishops discussed pastoral, administrative, and institutional priorities for the coming stage, including clergy formation, the role of the patriarchal seminary, synodal structures, the selection of bishops, and the relationship between the Church in Iraq and its diaspora communities.

The synod also announced that Rome will host its next gathering following the Mass of ecclesial communion presided over by Pope Leo on Oct. 14.

5 bishops forced to leave dioceses in Myanmar due to violence

A civil war has been raging in Myanmar, previously called Burma, since 2021 and five bishops from the countryʼs 17 dioceses have now had to leave their dioceses to take up residences in safer areas away from the violence.

According to Fides news agency, the bishops are from the dioceses of
Pekhon, Loikaw, Banmaw, Mindat, and Lashio.

Bishop Felice Ba Htoo of Pekhon, in Shan state, told Fides that pastors there have endured hardship as clashes between the army and rebel groups continue to wreak havoc in the country.

“We bishops have not been immune to this reality either," Ba Htoo told Fides. "Many of our parishes have been closed because they have been damaged, attacked, or because they have lost their faithful."

Syrian Christian villages celebrate return after 14 years

The people of Hallouz and Qastal al-Burj in Syria’s Idlib countryside marked a long-awaited return after 14 years of war and displacement, gathering with Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Athanasius Fahd of Latakia for a recent celebration that carried deep symbolic weight.

Amid damaged homes and ruined churches, residents sang, danced, prayed, and raised crosses, icons, and the Syrian flag, expressing hope that permanent return will become possible once reconstruction support is available, according to ACI MENA.

In his remarks, Fahd said the villages are not merely places of residence but part of a centuries-old history rooted in the land, comparing the people’s attachment to their villages to the olive and oak trees planted by generations before them.

The decree was issued by the Dicastery for Evangelization on May 25, coinciding with the 139th anniversary of the birth of St. Pio of Pietrelcina (also known as Padre Pio), the Capuchin saint whose spirituality continues to attract millions of devotees worldwide.

The recognition places the shrine among a select group of Catholic pilgrimage sites acknowledged by the universal Church for their exceptional spiritual significance and their capacity to welcome pilgrims from around the world.

Archbishop Gilbert Garcera of Lipa, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), announced the news in a video message posted on the shrineʼs official social media page.

The archbishop said he personally received the official communication from Archbishop Charles John Brown, apostolic nuncio to the Philippines.

“This recognition marks a historic milestone not only for the shrine and the Archdiocese of Lipa but also for the Church in the Philippines, as it becomes a place of pilgrimage and devotion with international significance,” Garcera said in a separate statement.

The elevation follows the unanimous approval by the CBCP during its plenary assembly in July 2024, when the bishops endorsed the shrineʼs application and recommended it to the Holy See for international recognition.

For Father Oscar L. Andal, rector and parish priest of the shrine, the designation represents both an honor and a mission.

“This distinguished recognition is both a blessing and a responsibility,” Andal told EWTN News. “As an international shrine, we are called to welcome pilgrims from every corner of the world and continue sharing Padre Pioʼs message of prayer, trust in God, and love for humanity. We receive this honor with gratitude and humility, recognizing that it strengthens our commitment to serve the faithful and bring them closer to Christ,” he said.

The priest also noted that the recognition deepens the spiritual bond between the Batangas shrine and the Sanctuary of St. Pio of Pietrelcina in San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy, where the saint spent much of his priestly ministry.

A historic moment for the Philippine Church

Father Reynante Tolentino, president of the Association of Catholic Shrines and Pilgrimages of the Philippines, described the declaration as a historic milestone not only for the Church in the Philippines but also for the entire nation.

“The declaration of the National Shrine of St. Padre Pio in Batangas as an international shrine is a historic and tremendous blessing,” Tolentino said.

He noted that the shrine becomes the second international shrine in the Philippines and Southeast Asia after the International Shrine of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage in Antipolo. Tolentino was the rector of the Cathedral and National Shrine of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage in Antipolo, Rizal province, when it became the first national shrine in the Philippines and Southeast Asia to be elevated to international shrine status.

For Tolentino, the Holy Seeʼs decision affirms the enduring devotion of Filipinos to the saint known for bearing the stigmata and for his ministry of spiritual and physical healing.

“This is a clear affirmation and validation of the strong devotion of Batangueños and Filipinos in general to Padre Pio,” he said.

“People continue to come because everyone seeks healing — not only physical healing but spiritual healing as well.”

He emphasized that while the shrineʼs administrators and devotees supported the initiative from the beginning, the formal recommendation to Rome came through the collective discernment and approval of the CBCP.

Tolentino also expressed hope that all shrines in the country — whether diocesan, national, or international — would continue to serve as centers of evangelization and places of refuge for those in need.

From local devotion to international pilgrimage destination

The history of the shrine is closely linked to the rapid growth of devotion to Padre Pio following his canonization by St. John Paul II in 2002.

What began as a small chapel in Santo Tomas in 2003 gradually developed into a major pilgrimage center. It was declared an archdiocesan shrine in 2008 and elevated to national shrine status in 2015.

Today, the shrine welcomes hundreds of thousands of pilgrims annually who seek healing, spiritual renewal, and a deeper encounter with Christ through the intercession of Padre Pio.

The shrine houses first-class relics of the saint and has become known for its vibrant sacramental life, particularly the celebration of the Eucharist, the sacrament of reconciliation, healing Masses, and devotional activities.

Every 23rd day of the month, commemorating the saintʼs death on Sept. 23, thousands gather for healing Masses and pastoral activities.

The shrineʼs ministry has also extended beyond Philippine shores through pilgrimages and devotional missions in Thailand, Hong Kong, and Malaysia.

According to Andal, the growth of the shrine has been made possible through the dedication of clergy, religious communities, benefactors, volunteers, and countless devotees whose support has enabled the expansion of its ministries while remaining faithful to its spiritual mission.

Occupying more than 17 hectares (about 42 acres), the shrine continues to implement a long-term development plan aimed at creating a more prayerful and pilgrim-centered environment.

A recognition of universal significance

The title of international shrine is reserved for a church or other sacred place that possesses particular importance for the life of the universal Church.

The designation recognizes the Batangas shrine not only as a center of local devotion but also as a destination capable of serving pilgrims from across Asia and the wider world.

Church leaders say the recognition highlights the universal appeal of Padre Pioʼs spirituality — a spirituality rooted in prayer, repentance, trust in divine providence, and devotion to Godʼs mercy.

As an international shrine, the sanctuary is expected to strengthen its pilgrim programs, expand opportunities for spiritual formation, and foster greater collaboration with Catholic communities in promoting the life and teachings of the Capuchin saint.

“As we celebrate this momentous recognition,” Andal said, “we entrust ourselves to the intercession of St. Padre Pio and renew our commitment to being a beacon of faith, hope, and charity.”

“May all who visit this sacred space encounter Godʼs mercy, experience spiritual renewal, and find inspiration in the example of Padre Pioʼs holy life.”

The formal declaration and presentation of the Holy Seeʼs decree will take place on Sept. 23, the liturgical memorial of St. Padre Pio, marking a new chapter in the history of one of the Philippines' most beloved pilgrimage destinations.

Multiple media outlets reported on the firings on June 5, citing sources within the federal agency. The FBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment from EWTN News on the reports.

The memo, which leaked in February 2023, detailed the FBIʼs Virginia-based investigations into alleged extremists among the faithful at “traditional Catholic houses of worship.” The bureau indicated that it had planned “trip wire or source development” among Catholic communities as part of its investigation.

The policy, which was withdrawn after it was leaked to the press, drew rebuke from local Catholic leaders and members of Congress. Lawmakers have repeatedly grilled FBI leadership over the memo and the FBIʼs handling of it both before and after it leaked.

FBI Director Kash Patel said in September 2025 that there had been “terminations” and “resignations” related to the memo. Patel said at the time that the FBI was conducting an investigation into the memo itself.

In February 2024 multiple U.S. senators grilled then-FBI Director Christopher Wray over the alleged deletion of files related to the memo. The lawmakers claimed that the bureau allegedly “deleted the records as soon as the incident became public.”

Although the FBI removed the document from its systems and asserted the issue was isolated to one product from one field office, a 2025 report found that multiple field offices were involved in producing the memo and that it was distributed to more than 1,000 FBI employees throughout the country.

In December 2025 Virginiaʼs then Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger tapped Stanley Meador — the special agent who oversaw the Richmond FBI office that drafted the memo — to lead the stateʼs public safety and homeland security department.

As Pope Leo XIV laid out in Magnifica Humanitas, AI must be used in a way that furthers human development, especially in the formational years of education.

Educators are using AI tools to help them grade papers and offer extensive research capabilities, but they are simultaneously noting the need for community and connections that no technology can provide.

Fernanda Psihas, a professor at Franciscan University of Steubenville, said the technology tools have not replaced human instructors and human connection is still the key to success in the classroom.

Concerned about the ethical use of AI, Psihas said it is necessary to preserve the “human element” to enhance the future of education.

“We obviously need to prepare the students for a world with AI,” she told EWTN News. “That means learning tools, but that also means practicing proper discernment.”

The data science and physics professor said it would be “dangerous” for teachers to keep teaching as if nothing had changed.

“If instructors are not AI-literate, then classrooms are going to run the risk of drifting into having students faking competence and avoiding the actual learning,” she said.

Taking a “values-first approach” to AI, Psihas said she tries to keep herself and her students accountable when it comes to its use.

“Use it to increase efficiency so you can focus on the learning, but if you do any more than that, youʼre actually destroying the learning process,” she said.

Protecting academic integrity

Aware that “cognitive offloading” to AI tools could disrupt the learning process of students, Psihas said certain AI tools can be useful to protect academic integrity.

“I even use AI to AI-proof my own assignments,” she said. “Iʼll run my assignments through AI to see an example of an AI response … if something in my classroom is AI-generated, my students know about it, and I kind of expect the same for my students.”

While AI helps Psihas accurately grade multiple-choice tests and produce datasets, she said it cannot replace her ability to engage with students through mentorship.

“Education is a lot more than just skills and information-transfer, but itʼs actually the formation of the whole person,” she said. “There’s guidance. You guide and nurture the students’ curiosity and their skills.”

It “is about turning knowledge into wisdom and turning skills into virtue and character,” she said.

Similarly, Notre Dame Law School professor and Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences member Paolo Carozza said we must ensure technology “is orienting us towards the fundamental understanding of reality, including the reality of ourselves and what weʼre made for or not,” Carozza told EWTN News.

Pope Leo makes this clear in Magnifica Humanitas, that at the root it is “an integrated problem of cooperating with one another to rebuild our city that we want to live in, in the future together.”

Education “plays a central role in this cooperative enterprise because weʼre forming the individuals that are then going to be putting the bricks together in the future,” he said.

Advantages and disadvantages are ‘well mapped’

AI’s “advantages and disadvantages are pretty well mapped,” Carozza said. AI can “positively enhance the reach of peopleʼs research and the knowledge that they can draw.”

In contrast, “every educator, at every level, is seeing the really potentially drastic negative consequences of cognitive offloading and de-skilling of students' basic capacities to write and to think critically.”

The “deeper challenge” for educators is “providing our students with a fundamental human formation that allows them to really think about what their personal relationship to technology is in their lives and how it affects it.”

The positive and negative impacts of AI in education also differ based on age and must be addressed accordingly, said An Chih Cheng, professor at DePaul Universityʼs College of Education.

“The pope warned about the danger of early exposure to digital technology,” Cheng told EWTN News.

Children spending time watching screens “is not particularly conducive” for their “mental and cognitive development.”

A lot of screen time for children “is passive learning” and is “devoid of social aspects that are critical for communal development,” he said.

“Communality is a critical part of the pope’s idea that we are not by ourselves” and “we are all interconnected as one,” he said.

Going “to the screen and being isolated” is “harmful for your own internality, your own individual growth, and also bad for communal development.”

There are also risks of “digital harm” for teenagers, especially with social media use, which has “caused harm to individual teenagers in particular, even suicide,” Cheng said.

Then in higher education, new technologies are often being used with “little guidance.”

“For example, California [State University] signed a $13 million contract with Open AI to allow students and teachers to use ChatGPT,” he said. “But … if you just have the chatbot open there, it is absolutely not helpful for meaningful learning.”

The universities are “kind of just buying these tools, convinced or led by the tech industry, thinking that they could deliver some kind of learning.”

“But learning, as the pope has always said, is an inquiry, a truth-seeking endeavor that requires patience. You cannot just have an immediate answer like the prompt that gives an immediate answer,” he said.

“You need to put in all the effort to seek out the truth. Thatʼs how we mentally develop — acquiring the truth.”

Reimagining education in the age of AI

To help students understand both the risks and benefits of AI, Carozza and Cheng are incorporating AI into their students' studies.

In his seminar on law and technology, Carozza had his students take a new approach when studying their weekly scholarly works.

“In addition to reading it directly and engaging in their own critical analysis of it, I actually required them to upload those papers into an AI tool and use the tool to analyze it,” he said.

Then “they had to write … an essay comparing their analysis to the AI analysis, reflecting on what the use of AI was doing to their own cognitive abilities and processes.”

This allowed the students “to reflect every week” and ask: “Is this displacing my ability to think? Is it helping it? How can I make it more the latter than the former?”

“It was great because by the end of the semester they really had thought very deeply, in a continuous way, about their relationship to technology, what the appropriate limits were for themselves, and what to be cautious about,” he said.

“That sort of reflection on who we are as knowing subjects, as free people — thatʼs exactly what the encyclical is asking us to do,” Carozza said.

Cheng is also incorporating the technology into studies in his research method class where “AI can be used to help brainstorm some research questions,” he said.

“More importantly,” AI “can help make things more accessible, because some of the statistical software is very expensive to purchase,” he aid. “I incorporate … statistical analysis that they can do at home. These tools are much [more] affordable than the super-expensive commercial software."

Cheng also utilizes visual AI simulations so students “can see these virtually enriched environments,” which is “beneficial for preservice teachers [student teachers] to understand child development."

The pope’s call is correct, that it is “not about using AI to replace teachers or professors but rather to incorporate AI in a way that can further human development and in a way that delivers … spiritual attainment,” Cheng said.

Spirit Juice Kids is best known for its YouTube Channel, Juice Box, where it creates faith-based content for children, specifically targeting 3- to 6-year-olds.

With the mission to “make kids fall in love with Jesus,” the team at Spirit Juice was inspired to create a simple program that could be implemented into a family’s daily routine and foster intentional time spent with God.

The free version of the summer program includes a daily reflection, a simple prayer, a family activity, and a Juice Box video.

The theme for the program is focused on the domestic life of Jesus — which include topics such as holiness in ordinary days, trusting God in uncertainty, obedience, and hiddenness, and building a domestic church.

If families want to dive deeper, they can sign up for the paid version where they will receive daily reflection videos with Father Tim Anastos, the chaplain at the University of Illinois-Chicago and spiritual director for Spirit Juice Studios, and Julia Jacks, director at Spirit Juice Studios, as well as activity sheets — in addition to the items included in the free version.

“We wanted to create something really simple that could be implemented into every day because the work that parents do at home, the work that we do here in the cleaning and the taking care of kids is holy, sacred work,” Jacks told EWTN News in an interview. “And itʼs not that we have to go out and find Jesus somewhere else or we need to go somewhere to have God with us. He is right here in this moment. We just have to be more intentional about it.”

Jacks explained that the theme was chosen because those hidden years can be seen as the time that “forms Jesus' life — he was holy from the beginning but he continued being formed in that domestic holy life, the type of life that weʼre all leading at home, too.”

She added that the activities in the challenge are “little, simple activities that you can do as youʼre putting the dishes away from breakfast or as youʼre folding up a basket of laundry, and itʼs supposed to fit naturally into your day — whether it may be bedtime or bath time.”

“So itʼs not meant to do more. Itʼs not meant to add more to your plate. Itʼs meant to naturally integrate into your everyday life and just find God where you are and in what youʼre doing,” Jacks said.

While the 30-day challenge officially launches June 8, participants can begin anytime. It can also be completed at their own pace.

“Weʼre trying to help parents not necessarily be perfect but strive for consistency and participation,” Jacks said.

The mother of three shared that there’s great importance behind parents taking part in these faith-based activities with their children.

“Our kids really look to us for their faith formation. It could be hard for them to maybe conceptualize exactly who God is, who Jesus is, and they look to us to guide them,” she explained.

“I can tell you my boys, they repeat everything I do and say to a fault sometimes. So what a great opportunity for us to have them mimic our faith habits, our prayers, reading our Scripture, being grateful, things like that, and they’ll learn that through mimicking us, through learning from us,” Jacks added.

She said she hopes families who participate in the summer challenge will “build small, meaningful rhythms of faith during a season — particularly with the summer faith challenge — that could otherwise be a little bit challenging.”

"Weʼre just hoping to inspire parents and families to participate in these daily rhythms that hopefully they could take on into the school year, into the fall and winter and spring months,” she said. “So, itʼs not meant just to be 30 days and done; itʼs supposed to help put you on a track of thinking and participating in your faith every single day in small meaningful ways.”

Anthropic co-founder Jack Clark and Anthropic Institute head Marina Favaro published a blog on June 4 warning about a risk of “humans losing control over AI systems” as its own system Claude is reaching the potential to autonomously design its own successor without any human contributions.

“This is called recursive self-improvement,” they wrote. “We are not there yet, and recursive self-improvement is not inevitable. But it could come sooner than most institutions are prepared for.”

The blog post did not mention the encyclical, but a separate Anthropic co-founder, Chris Olah, met with Leo and sat alongside the pope when the encyclical Magnifica Humanitas was revealed on May 25. Anthropic has engaged in outreach to the Vatican and other religious leaders to help address ethical questions related to AI development.

In the blog post, Anthropic leaders explained that its AI system is taking over a large portion of writing code that designs AI — with its workload growing eightfold every quarter. AI will “become much more capable in coming years,” they wrote, and “these trends have huge implications.”

“If systems are capable of fully building their own successors, the ways we secure them, monitor them, and shape their behavior all grow much more important,” they wrote.

Although Clark and Favaro acknowledged AI has not reached this level yet and they cannot say for certain it will, they wrote: “We do not have good intuitions for what this world would look like” if this occurs, and AI capabilities “eclipse those of humans.”

Anthropic’s leaders wrote that AI companies should come together to either pause or slow down development “to give ourselves more time to deal with its immense implications.” However, this would require global international cooperation among countries and AI companies because “if a slowdown simply lets the least cautious actors catch up technologically, it could leave everyone less safe,” they wrote.

“We believe it would be good for the world to have the option to slow or temporarily pause frontier AI development to enable societal structures and alignment research to keep up with the advance of the technology,” they added.

Anthropic intends to engage with policymakers, researchers, and other members of the public to discuss these concerns. The company will publish a document based on what comes out of the conversations.

‘Disarming’ AI

Charles Camosy, a moral theologian at The Catholic University of America who has worked with Anthropic on ethical questions, told EWTN News that Anthropic’s statements appear in line with Leo’s desire to “disarm” AI, which the pontiff explained as not halting innovation but “preventing it from dominating humanity.”

He said Anthropic recognizes the speed of development as “such a problem we all need to slow down here.” Such a pause would allow society to “think about what AI should or should not do in the culture,” he said.

Camosy pointed to concerns about “outsourcing” teaching, tutoring, parenting, care for the sick, and other human interactions to AI, possibly “undermining the things that … make our humanity magnificent.”

He recognized that fierce AI competition among nations and companies “creates a significant roadblock” to global cooperation for slowing everything down, but said: “I’ve been astonished by how many different kinds of people are interested in this encyclical.”

“Many people were kind of waiting for someone to fill the moral space,” Camosy said and suggested the Church help lead a global movement that demands ethical AI, and he encouraged the Holy Father to consider a trip to Silicon Valley.

“To many people that sounds hopefully naive,” he said. “But I don’t see another choice here.”

The official claimed that a study has been ongoing for months, as first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

“The FDA has been actively working on a science-based safety review of the mifepristone REMS [Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy] for months, as the agency has stated publicly and in court filings,” an FDA official said, according to a Department of Health and Human Services statement shared with EWTN News.

“Any reporting suggesting otherwise, including that a study is just being started, is either false or based on a fundamental misunderstanding of how complex scientific safety studies work,” the official said.

The study is expected to take a total of six months, according to the Wall Street Journal report. It could be released in July, according to a CBS report.

Throughout Donald Trump’s presidency, pro-life advocates have been calling for regulation of the abortion pill mifepristone and for a reinstation of in-person dispensation amid abortion pill poisonings and safety concerns for women.

A 2025 study found that 1 in 10 women experience serious adverse events after taking the abortion pill mifepristone. Studies often have difficulty estimating the exact number of adverse effects due to loose reporting requirements and chemical abortions supplied by companies outside the U.S. healthcare system.

“In 2016, the FDA, under the Obama administration, told abortion providers, hospitals, and emergency rooms that, even if there are complications, they no longer needed to report these ‘adverse’ events to the FDA, only deaths,” Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life, told EWTN News. “That action allows abortion proponents to make the outrageous claim that ‘mifepristone is safe because no complications have been reported.’”

Tobias celebrated the current move by the FDA.

“We are happy that the FDA is looking into the so-called safety of abortion pills,” Tobias said.

But another pro-life group urged the current administration to do more to protect women and children.

When asked about the development, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America urged the administration to settle a case related to the abortion pill, Louisiana v. FDA, “to end mail-order abortion drugs.”

“The FDA admits abortion drugs are more dangerous to women than many of them know,” the group said in a statement shared with EWTN News. “As many as 1 in 11 women experience serious side effects such as hemorrhage, infection, and sepsis.”

“Every month the DOJ waits to settle in Louisiana v. FDA, 15,000 more unborn children die in states with pro-life laws, women experience life-threatening side effects from mifepristone, and abusers obtain abortion drugs to poison women,” the statement continued.

The House Judiciary Committee approved the bill, H.R. 175, on June 3, which sponsor Rep. Tom McClintock, R-California, named the Deport Alien Gang Members Act. House consideration is the next step.

In a letter to Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and ranking member Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Maryland, Bishop Brendan J. Cahill of Victoria, Texas, said: “This bill is unjustifiably broad and risks implicating the victims of criminal gangs, as well as Catholics and other people of faith serving immigrants in accordance with our sincerely held religious beliefs.”

Cahill’s letter expressed concern that the bill’s low evidentiary threshold would expand deportation authorities in ways that could sweep too broadly.

“In effect, foreign-born religious workers, such as priests and religious sisters, while being compelled as a primary purpose of their vocations to assist with others’ basic needs, could be subjected to the designation under section 2(a) of the bill and its corresponding consequences for individuals,” said Cahill, chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Migration.

U.S. bishops said while governments have a legitimate responsibility to protect the public from criminal activity, immigration policies must also safeguard human dignity, family unity, and fundamental humanitarian protections.

The bishops’ opposition to H.R. 175 is consistent with their long-standing approach to immigration policy. While affirming the government’s responsibility to protect public safety and secure the nation’s borders, the USCCB has repeatedly objected to policies it believes threaten due process or family unity.

U.S. bishops issued a special message in November 2025 warning against “indiscriminate mass deportation,” saying such broad actions would harm families, violate human dignity, and ignore the Church’s call to protect the vulnerable.

McClintock’s legislation would make noncitizens who are believed to be members of a criminal gang deportable and ineligible for certain forms of immigration relief. Supporters of the bill argue that it would strengthen public safety by giving federal authorities additional tools to remove dangerous individuals associated with transnational criminal organizations.

McClintock said: “The bill fills that glaring gap in our nation’s defenses. It creates clear grounds of inadmissibility and deportability for aliens who are members of criminal gangs or who have promoted, aided, conspired with, or participated in gang activities.”

Raskin, meanwhile, said the administration already has ample authority under existing immigration laws to deny entry to or remove criminal gang members. Current law contains provisions ensuring that convicted criminal gang members are deportable and inadmissible. The Immigration and Nationality Act allows the administration to exclude anyone who seeks to enter the U.S. and intends to engage in any unlawful activity, and it renders deportable any noncitizen who is engaged in criminal activity endangering public safety.

Would this administration use the powers granted to them by the bill to declare Pope Leo as the leader of a criminal gang? Donald Trump has already called the pope weak on crime. Is this the next step?”

Jamie Raskin

Ranking member, House Judiciary Committee

“The Catholic Church has come out forcefully against this government’s abuse and mistreatment of migrants,” Raskin said at the markup. “Would this administration use the powers granted to them by the bill to declare Pope Leo as the leader of a criminal gang? Donald Trump has already called the pope weak on crime. Is this the next step?”

While U.S. Catholic bishops have repeatedly affirmed the government’s responsibility to protect communities from crime and maintain secure borders, they said H.R. 175 lacks sufficient safeguards to ensure that immigration enforcement is carried out justly.

The bishops warned that gang affiliation can be difficult to establish accurately and that individuals may be labeled as gang members based on limited or unreliable evidence. They argued that the legislation could expose immigrants to severe penalties without providing adequate opportunities to challenge accusations made against them.

The conference also raised concerns that the bill would contribute to an enforcement-focused approach to immigration policy rather than advancing comprehensive reforms.

“Given these significant defects, we ask you to reject this bill and to instead work toward meaningful and bipartisan reforms of our immigration system that uphold protections for the vulnerable and ensure religious and humanitarian services can be provided in good faith to all in need,” Cahill wrote.

This year, the event featured the pilgrim image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of Latin America, brought from Mexico, accompanied by a reproduction of St. Juan Diego’s tilma, upon which the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe miraculously appeared in 1531.

During the event, there were moments of prayer, praise, preaching, artistic performances by Catholic singers, and Mass, celebrated by Archbishop João Justino de Medeiros Silva of Goiânia.

According to its organizers, Totus Tuus is the largest free Marian event in Brazilʼs central-west region. Held annually since 2015, it is organized by Our Lady of the Assumption Parish with the support of the Archdiocese of Goiânia. It always takes place on the last Saturday of May at the Serra Dourada Stadium.

The reproduction of the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which was prominently displayed during the celebration, suddenly fell from a height of more than 16 feet in front of the faithful.

The image is an authorized and certified copy of the tilma housed at the Marian shrine in Mexico City. According to the event organizers, it was created to the same standards of fidelity to the original image and is used for international pilgrimages.

The image of the Virgin, encased in a wooden frame, was mounted on an acrylic stand set up for the celebration when it came loose and fell. Despite the horror at seeing the image fall, it remained intact and suffered no damage.

According to the organizers, the incident “had a strong emotional impact on the participants.” Videos of the scene went viral on social media, garnering thousands of views and accompanied by stories of faith, testimonies, and messages of devotion.

Father Marcos Rogério de Oliveira, founder of Totus Tuus and pastor of Our Lady of the Assumption, said that at the moment the image of the tilma fell, they were “praying the rosary and were on the fourth mystery” when he felt “that something was about to happen.”

“I spoke with Sister Zélia, who was beside me, and she told me the enemy was furious. That was when it all happened. But in that moment, we were left with a much deeper message: How many times do we fall in life? How many times does our heart ache? And the Virgin seems to tell us: ‘Here I am. Rise up.’ The tilma fell, yet it remained intact. The same happens to us when we trust in Mary’s intercession. We fall, but she helps us stay on our feet. It was a grace that deeply moved the hearts of everyone present,” the priest said.

Instagram post

Oliveira said the incident resounded with the faithful as an invitation to trust, persevere, and have certainty in the maternal protection of the Virgin Mary.

“In that moment, we felt in a tangible way that the Mother [of God] was leaving a message for each of us. In every fall in life, ask for her intercession. When your heart aches, cry out to her. The message was given: She crushes the head of the serpent and destroys all enemies. Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us,” Oliveira noted.

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

During this trip, Pope Leo will take part in 20 official events, with some of the most anticipated moments being a large vigil with young people, an open-air Mass celebrating Corpus Christi, and a procession through the streets of Madrid.

Here are 10 things to know about the Church in Spain, with a special focus on areas the Holy Father will be visiting.

1. Spain is the country that sends out the most missionaries.

Spain currently leads the world in sending Catholic missionaries to other countries and is also one of the top financial supporters of the Pontifical Mission Societies. According to the 2024 report of the mission group, Spain has nearly 10,000 missionaries, about 5,000 of whom are active; more than half are women and most serve in the Americas.

2. Pope John Paul II called Spain “Tierra de María” (“Mary’s land”).

St. John Paul II when he was pope repeatedly referred to Spain as “Mary’s land,” especially during his 1982 and 2003 visits, pointing to the country’s dense network of Marian shrines and devotions. Spain is literally dotted with Marian sanctuaries — from major basilicas to tiny hilltop hermitages — so that almost every region has its own beloved Marian title, feast, and pilgrimage.

3. Itʼs a place of Christian witnesses and martyrs.

The Spanish Civil War left one of the largest “footprints of martyrdom,” according to Spanish historian Monsignor Vicente Carcel Orti, in modern Church history, and it has profoundly shaped Spain’s map of saints and blesseds. During the war and the wider period of persecution, around 6,832 bishops, priests, religious, and nuns were killed for their faith, along with thousands of lay Catholics who risked their lives to protect clergy and religious.

Out of this mass persecution, the Church has gradually recognized a very large number of martyrs: In 2007, the October beatification of 498 martyrs under Benedict XVI was the single-largest beatification ceremony ever held. By the late 2000s, nearly 1,000 martyrs of the Spanish Civil War had been beatified or canonized.

4. Madridʼs cathedral was consecrated by a pope.

One of Madridʼs most important Catholic landmarks is the Cathedral of Our Lady of Almudena, which was consecrated by Pope John Paul II in 1993. Such papal consecrations are relatively rare outside Rome, giving the cathedral special significance in Spanish Catholic life. The building remains a focal point for major religious celebrations in the Spanish capital.

Construction of Almudena Cathedral began in 1883 and was not completed until 1993. The century-long project reflects both the enduring importance of Catholicism in Spain and the architectural evolution of the modern era. Today, the cathedral stands across from the Royal Palace of Madrid, symbolizing the historic relationship between church and crown.

5. Madrid’s Marian patroness was “hidden in the walls.”

Madridʼs patron saint is the Virgin of Almudena, whose image is linked to a centuries-old tradition dating back to Spainʼs medieval period. According to tradition, as Moorish forces invaded the region in A.D. 712, the citizens of Madrid secretly hid their beloved statue of the Virgin Mary inside the thick stone walls of the cityʼs fortress, leaving two lit candles beside it. In 1085, after King Alfonso VI reconquered Madrid, the Christians searched for the statue. While processing around the city walls, a section of the wall miraculously crumbled, revealing the statue perfectly preserved with the candles still burning after centuries.

That same venerable image will be processed through the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium during the Holy Father’s meeting with the diocesan community of Madrid on June 8.

6. Spainʼs royal family has strong ties to the Church.

Spainʼs royal family maintains strong ties to the Catholic Church, and one of the most visible examples came in 2004 when then-Prince Felipe married Letizia Ortiz in Madridʼs Almudena Cathedral. The ceremony highlighted the continued role of Catholic traditions in important national events.

7. Barcelonaʼs most famous church is a catechesis in stone.

The Basilica of the Sagrada Família is more than just an architectural masterpiece — it was built to be a tool of evangelization. Its founders envisioned a church that would communicate the Christian faith through art, symbolism, and architecture, making it one of the worldʼs most distinctive expressions of the Catholic faith.

Visitors to the Sagrada Família encounter a visual retelling of Christianityʼs central story. The basilicaʼs major façades depict the Nativity, the Passion, and the glory of Christ — which is dedicated to the glory, ascension, and eternal life of God.

The Sagrada Família has become the tallest church building in the world at 566 feet. Despite its immense scale, the basilica was designed to direct attention toward God rather than human achievement.

The famous basilica was originally designed by Francisco de Paula del Villar in 1882. However, Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí took over the project in 1883 and completely transformed the design into a blend of Gothic and Art Nouveau styles, overseeing its construction until his death in 1926. After his passing, several other architects have continued his work with the goal of fulfilling his original vision.

Gaudí deliberately planned the Sagrada Família so that it would remain slightly shorter than Barcelonaʼs nearby Montjuïc hill, because he believed no human work should surpass Godʼs creation.

8. The architect of Sagrada Família may one day be a saint.

Antoni Gaudí was known for his intense personal faith and devotion to the building of the Sagrada Família. The Vatican announced April 14, 2025, that Pope Francis had formally recognized Gaudí’s “heroic virtue,” a key step in the canonization process. Two miracles attributed to Gaudí’s intercession are now required for his canonization.

9. Tenerifeʼs great Marian shrine is the Canary Islands' most important pilgrimage site.

The Basilica of Our Lady of Candelaria in Tenerife is the most important Catholic pilgrimage site in the Canary Islands. For generations, it has served as the spiritual heart of the archipelago and remains a major destination for pilgrims and visitors, drawing roughly 2 million visitors a year.

The basilica is dedicated to the patron saint of the Canary Islands — the Virgin of Candelaria. Tradition holds that the image of the Virgin of Candelaria was venerated by the Indigenous Guanche people before Spain completed its conquest of Tenerife. The Virgin of Candelaria is often associated with the tradition of Black Madonnas — dark-skinned images of Mary that are venerated in various parts of the world.

10. The Canary Islands were an early Catholic outpost.

The Canary Islands are divided into two Catholic dioceses: one centered in Las Palmas and the other in San Cristóbal de La Laguna on Tenerife. These were established in the early 15th century, decades before the evangelization of much of the Americas. This made the islands an important frontier of Catholic expansion during a pivotal period in world history.

Because of their strategic location in the Atlantic, the Canary Islands became a key stopping point for explorers, missionaries, and settlers traveling between Europe and the Americas. As a result, the islands played a notable role in the spread of Catholicism across the New World.

On that day, the men entered the church during Pentecost Sunday Mass, opening fire on Catholic worshippers and detonating explosive devices. Several children were among the fatalities, and another 100 people were injured.

The parish remained closed for months for repairs and for survivors to receive treatment. It reopened its doors in April 2023.

Church reaction to the verdict

As the fifth anniversary of the tragedy was observed on Friday, the local bishop, Jude Arogundade, expressed his sorrow over the pain left in the wake of the massacre and reacted to the court ruling, stating that “people will say at least justice was done, some level of justice was done.”

“But at the same time, it doesn’t bring back the lives of 41 people that were brutally murdered on that day. So my reaction is, well, we have a law in this country. The law may have taken its course, but we are left to continue to nurse the wounds of those who are scarred by that attack,” he told the Nigerian newspaper The Guardian.

“But after that, the law of the land still take its course. And that, we don’t have anything to say apart from we are a country, and the country is guided by its constitutions and laws, and it has to be upheld,” the bishop noted.

In 2018, Pope Francis authorized a modification to No. 2267 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church regarding the death penalty, declaring the application of this punishment to be “inadmissible” in any case and calling for its abolition worldwide.

Furthermore, Pope Leo reaffirmed this teaching in April, noting that “only when a society safeguards the sanctity of human life can it flourish and prosper.”

Further details on the verdict

Those convicted are Idris Abdul Malik Omeiza, 25; Al Qasim Idris, 20; Jamiu Abdul Malik, 26; and Abdul Haleem Idris, 25. Additionally, Momoh Otuho Abubakar, the fifth defendant, was acquitted due to a lack of evidence against him.

According to the Spanish news agency EFE, these individuals were also sentenced to death for their membership in the terrorist group Al-Shabaab and on charges including conspiracy to commit a terrorist act, kidnapping, hostage-taking, and homicide.

Judge Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja, the countryʼs capital, stated that “the prosecution has successfully proven, beyond reasonable doubt, the nine charges against the first, second, third, and fourth defendants.”

In practice, executions are rare in Nigeria because they require the approval of state governors, many of whom prefer to withhold it. The last execution took place in 2016. By 2023, the number of prisoners on death row in the country exceeded 3,000.

Lucky Aiyedatiwa, the governor of Ondo state where the town of Owo is located, stated that “the court has done the right thing” and described the ruling as “a victory for our state and justice for the victims and their families.”

The defense lawyer for the convicted men stated that they would appeal the courtʼs verdict. Throughout the trial as reported by the BBC, the men claimed to have been subjected to mistreatment by the authorities.

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

The abortion pill can be shipped across state lines via telehealth medicine; in some cases, the abortionist doesnʼt even have a video call with the person ordering the abortion drug, making it easy to impersonate a pregnant woman.

The abortion pill has been left largely unregulated by Trump’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in spite of documented danger to women as well as unborn babies.

Heartbeat International has documented 17 reported incidents going back to 2007. Two abortion pill poisonings have already been documented this year — and these are just the incidents that are reported.

Andrea Trudden, spokesperson for Heartbeat International, said the actual number is probably much higher.

“Publicly reported cases likely represent only a fraction of what is actually occurring," Trudden said in a statement shared with EWTN News.

“Many women never report what happened to them, particularly when the person responsible is someone they know and trust,” Trudden continued. “By creating this tracker, we hope to provide a factual resource that helps illuminate patterns that might otherwise go unnoticed.”

The tracker includes a case in Texas where a pregnant woman lost her child in the fourth month of pregnancy after a man allegedly secretly drugged her with abortion pills.

“We are hearing from more women who feel pressured into abortions they do not want, many coerced or forced abortions, and we are increasingly hearing from women who believe they are being poisoned with abortion drugs," Christa Brown, senior director of Medical Impact for Heartbeat International who oversees the Abortion Pill Rescue Network, said in a statement. "Many of these women are frightened, confused, and unsure where to turn. They often are afraid that no one will believe them.”

In another case in Texas in 2025, Justin Anthony Banta was charged with capital murder after he spiked his girlfriend’s drink with crushed abortion pills, killing her unborn child.

“Every woman deserves to make decisions about her pregnancy free from coercion, threats, manipulation, violence, or deception,“ Brown said. ”When abortion drugs become increasingly accessible outside traditional medical settings, opportunities for misuse also increase.”

In another case in Ohio in 2024, Ohio physician Hassan Abbas allegedly forced crushed abortion drugs into his pregnant girlfriend’s mouth, leading to the death of her unborn child.

Rosalie Markezich’s boyfriend allegedly pressured her into taking abortion drugs. Fearing for her safety, she took the pills and lost her unborn baby. Later, she took legal action, becoming involved in an abortion pill lawsuit against the FDA.

“The stories we hear every week remind us that these drugs can be used not only for abortion but, in some cases, as tools of control and abuse,” Brown said.

What is being done about forced abortions?

Advocates for women and children pointed to concrete political action as well as the accessibility of pregnancy centers for women in need.

Kristi Hamrick, a spokeswoman for Students for Life Action, called on the Trump administration to take action.

“The chemical abortion pill policies left in place by the Trump administration empower abusers and pill pushers and abandon women and children,” Hamrick told EWTN News. “That must change.”

“There is so much that must be done, as chemical abortion pills are the abuserʼs dream drug, and the way that the Biden administration set things up, they can still get their hands on the deadly drugs,” Hamrick said.

She called on the administration to “to enforce the Comstock Act,” which prevents the shipping of any materials used for abortive purposes and to stop shield laws that “shield criminals” who ship abortion pills into states where they are illegal.

Hamrick urged local leaders to “let women know that coercion is a crime and to encourage them to seek help if they feel unsafe.”

Live Action Spokesman Noah Brandt said that these cases of coercion show “the brutal reality of the abortion pill.”

“These tragedies are the predictable result of turning abortion into a no-oversight, mail-order business,” he told EWTN News.

Brandt drew attention to the loss of life from chemical abortion.

“Sixty-five percent of abortions in America are chemical abortions, which have already ended the lives of an estimated 7.5 million preborn children,” Brandt said.

He urged the administration to “act with urgency and pull the abortion pill from the market completely.”

“Mifepristone should not be safeguarded or repackaged,” he said. “A civilized society does not mail poison to mothers or their abusers so their children can die alone at home.”

But aside from political action, the 3,000 pregnancy centers across the United States support women in crisis situations.

Trudden said that “pregnancy help organizations are uniquely equipped to support women who are facing pressure to have an abortion or who fear they may have been given abortion drugs without their consent.”

“Trained staff can help assess whether a woman feels safe in her home or relationship and connect her with resources if she is experiencing coercion, abuse, or threats to her safety,” Trudden said.

Pregnancy centers can even help women, in some cases, to reverse the effects of the first abortion pill, mifepristone, with the hormone progesterone, which supports pregnancy.

“If a woman believes she has taken abortion drugs and wishes to continue her pregnancy, pregnancy help organizations can connect her with the Abortion Pill Rescue Network, which will connect her with a healthcare provider experienced in abortion pill reversal protocols to try and save the pregnancy,” Trudden continued.

“The abortion pill regime does not empower women. It endangers them and equips predators,” Brandt said.

A team of priests carried the Blessed Sacrament in a monstrance through the campus of the College of William & Mary, the nationʼs second oldest university, before finishing in front of the 17th-century Wren Building, the oldest academic building in continuous use in the United States.

Young Catholics carried amplifiers on their backs through which hymns were projected as the procession made its way through the historic area. The faithful sang along with the hymns as they walked.

The Williamsburg event was the latest public display of faith in the national procession, which launched on Pentecost in the Diocese of St. Augustine, Florida, before making its way through Georgia and the Carolinas.

After its route through Virginia — which included stops in Roanoke and Richmond and which will also include a stop in the Diocese of Arlington — the pilgrimage will travel to the Archdiocese of Washington and then further north, stopping in Baltimore; Camden, New Jersey; Portland, Maine; and numerous other dioceses and archdioceses.

‘Something thatʼs been going on for centuries’

The procession featured a broad mix of the faithful, including young adults, elderly Catholics, religious sisters, and families large and small.

Tony and Crystal Rivera-Silva came up with five of their children from nearby Newport News. Tony told EWTN News that the family joined their home-schooling group to be a part of the procession.

“I just love it for our children, in particular for them to have this experience that will hopefully draw them to stay in the faith and draw them to love the Lord,” Crystal said.

The family has participated in smaller processions in the past, they said, but this was the largest one in which theyʼve ever taken part.

“I was telling the kids as we were processing, ‘People have been doing this since the Middle Ages’,” Crystal said. “It’s just so cool to be a part of something that’s been going on for centuries.”

Among the clergy present in Williamsburg was Father Michael Herlihey, OFM Cap, who announced as the procession began that he would be hearing confessions at the back of the crowd as it wound its way through the campus.

“I was a chaplain last year on the pilgrimage, and it occurred to me, we’re not just bringing one sacrament, we’re bringing two,” he told EWTN News.

Searching for “creative ways” to bring confession to the faithful, he said he decided to simply begin hearing them during the processions themselves.

“Every procession, I just go to the back of the line and hear confessions,” he said.

“I was in Illinois and heard them for three hours, in the middle of a cornfield, in front of a tractor,” he said with a laugh.

Andrew Waring, director of the Diocese of Richmondʼs evangelization office, told EWTN News that the response to the pilgrimage has been “fantastic.”

The evangelization office and multiple other diocesan departments have been planning for the event since October 2025, he said.

“They told us in the beginning that the number of registrants would not accurately reflect the number of people that would show up,” Waring said. “We’re routinely seeing two to three times as many people show up for the events as registered. We filled the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart [in Richmond] yesterday with nearly 600 people. We had 400 people in the procession in downtown Richmond.”

Both of the processions in Roanoke and Newport News saw around 500 Catholics turn out, he added.

At a Mass at nearby St. Bede Catholic Church after the procession at which Richmond Bishop Barry Knestout was the principal celebrant, Father Eric Ayers, noted the rich historic significance of the region, which includes not just Williamsburg but Jamestown and Yorktown, all three of which have been pivotal locations in American history.

Ayers, a former Baptist, also recounted the pioneering witness of a Spanish Jesuit missionary group to the area in the late 16th century. “They must have felt great anxiety and vulnerability being far from home, in a new land and culture, so different from their own, isolated, with no one to protect them,” the priest said.

“All they had was their faith — and I am sure the tangibility of Christ with them in the Eucharist must have been a great comfort.”

“The Eucharist has always been a source of strength and unity in times of challenge and transition,” he said.

A Eucharist pilgrimage, meanwhile, “reminds that God is first in our life and in our nation and must be the lens through which we see everything else,” he said.

The procession has been greeted by thousands of Catholics along the route, while a group of young adult perpetual pilgrims has accompanied the Blessed Sacrament throughout its entire journey up the coast.

Spearheaded by the National Eucharistic Congress, the excursion is the third major Eucharistic procession to take place in the U.S. in recent years after multiple pilgrimage routes in 2024 ahead of that yearʼs National Eucharistic Congress and an additional procession in 2025 from Indianapolis to Los Angeles.

This yearʼs route coincides with the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States; the 2026 procession has taken the theme “One Nation Under God,” a nod to the 75th anniversary of that having been officially added to the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance.

The pilgrimage will finish in Philadelphia during the Fourth of July weekend. A few weeks prior, at their spring plenary meeting, the U.S. bishops will consecrate the United States to the Sacred Heart of Jesus on June 11.

Ahead of the anticipated event, Catholics should “take a moment to reflect on the title ‘Sacred Heart of Jesus’" and what it "truly mean[s]," Archbishop Shelton Fabre of Louisville said in a video message.

“Love and forgiveness are freely given from Jesus' Sacred Heart, encouraging us all to grow into the best disciples we can be across our country,” Fabre said.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) released a link for the faithful to watch the consecration Mass online, which will take place June 11 in Orlando, Florida, during the bishops' spring meeting.

The consecration coincides with America’s 250th anniversary following the bishops' decision at their fall meeting to consecrate the U.S.

Prior to the consecration Mass and the act of consecration, the bishops will hear numerous reflections on the Sacred Heart from brother bishops.

The relics of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, the French sister who experienced visions of Jesus revealing his Sacred Heart, will also be present at the Mass.

As the bishops prepare for the event, Fabre prayed that “Jesus' heart will continue to become the gentle and peaceful center of our lives, embracing our homes, parishes, neighborhoods, and nation, drawing each person into his comforting warmth — especially now when many of us are feeling tired, divided, or lonely.”

The “cherished image” of the Sacred Heart of Jesus “reflects Jesus' humanity, love, and devotion to the Father,” he said.

“Even more importantly, it reminds us that when we pray, weʼre not just speaking into the air. Weʼre talking to someone whose heart burns with love for us,” he said.

“Every person, including Jesus, has a heart," Fabre said. "Jesus' heart shows us love most tenderly, warmly inviting us to experience it."

"As our country is consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we are all entrusted to his grace. We are also reminded that Jesus is one of us. He has won the victory over sin and death, and he longs for us to come to him,” he said.

“Jesus Christ patiently offers us his Sacred Heart in the wounds and challenges of our marriages, families, and friendships amid financial worries or illness, and in our battles with addiction or loneliness,” he said.

“Jesus longs for the heartbeat of his love to resound in our world, in our country, and in our lives. Sacred Heart of Jesus, I trust in thee,” he said.

In his address in the Paul VI Audience Hall, the Holy Father also highlighted the principles guiding the associations — of which Pope Benedict XVI was also a member — religion, scholarship, friendship, and homeland.

The Catholic faith has never been a label

In his speech, the pope stressed that “in the face of the despotism and ideologies of the past, the Catholic faith has never been merely a veneer or a label but rather a way of life to be shared in university and in work settings.”

He added that the association’s communal dimension benefits not only Germany but also all of Europe. For this reason, Leo XIV encouraged students to devote particular attention to study and to promote “our common humanity,” especially in light of the challenges posed by the technological revolution.

He underscored that the human person is “always relational and limited, and therefore called to become a task for oneself and a gift to the other.”

“Just like the exercise of reason, so too does the light of faith illumine the promises and deceptions of the present time, calling on each person to do their best to help build a just and peaceful society,” he continued.

Addressing the associations' members, he reminded them that by following Christ they represent “Catholic values in society not as those who carry partisan flags but as representatives of the common good of humanity.”

In this way, he reiterated that “the same Catholic faith strengthens our cooperation, without compromising with the trends of the moment, without placing individualistic preferences ahead of the common tradition of the Church.”

He also encouraged them to promote the evangelization of culture, recalling that “the search for truth is a good worth desiring and passing on.”

‘Truth sets us free’

The pope also praised self-discipline and conversion, noting that “by doing our very best, we become responsible stewards in society without being seduced by careers focused on money.”

“Let us rather recognize that culture is the good of humanity: truth sets us free, while falsehood distorts names and things,” he warned.

The Holy Father urged the German students to be “witnesses to Christian humanism” and reiterated that “the world is full of meaning and not an inert entity to be shaped arbitrarily or by the thirst for power.”

“We, in fact, are not random aggregates of particles but bodies open to transcendence: by directing our thirst for life and justice, for wisdom and love, we discover together the truth in knowing, doing, and believing,” he explained.

In conclusion, Pope Leo XIV recalled that the cultural mission of Christians “is to direct society and history toward this pinnacle of a God-centered life.”

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

In a May 30 editorial, the newspaper’s editorial board wrote that the claim that 215 childrenʼs remains had been found was “an extraordinary assertion” that “requires proof.”

The editorial said the "starting point for the media” in 2021 should have been searching for evidence when the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation issued a press release announcing “confirmation of the remains of 215 children of the Kamloops Indian Residential School” through the use of ground-penetrating radar that identified subterranean anomalies.“

"The media, including The Globe and Mail, did not initially scrutinize, much less challenge, that assertion,” the editorial said.

The newspaper said the fact of historical crimes committed against Indigenous children at residential schools “does not automatically validate the claims of missing remains being found” or the reference to “mass graves.”

The editorial noted that media changed their wording gradually to refer to “possible or probable graves,” but said the lesson learned was that “assertions about residential schools should be listened to carefully, and then, just as carefully, held up to scrutiny.”

The Globe and Mail also pointed at politicians who made unverified comments, saying then-British Columbia Premier John Horgan called Kamloops “a tragedy of unimaginable proportions,” something he “had no way of knowing whether that was true.”

Former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “made much more dramatic pronouncements that were also not founded in fact” and ordered the Canadian flag to be flown at half staff at all federal buildings. The flag remained lowered for more than five months.

Although Horgan died in 2024, Trudeau “still has the opportunity to set the record straight,” the editorial said. “He has not; neither has the current Liberal [Party] government.”

The editorial also said Ottawa has yet to account for hundreds of millions of dollars sent to First Nations to establish whether the soil anomalies are human remains.

In the days leading up to the editorial, The Globe and Mail and the National Post both carried reports about the five-year anniversary of the Kamloops press release. “Since the announcement in 2021, the story of the Tk’emlúps 215 has moved from certainty to ambiguity,” one Globe story said.

The National Post’s Terry Glavin, who came under fire for his first-anniversary investigative feature “The Year of the Graves: How the Worldʼs Media Got It Wrong on Mass Graves,” wrote last week that the reconciliation process has been tainted and genuine residential school survivors have suffered most.

Glavin noted that the flawed coverage gave rise to an expanding definition of “residential schools denialism,” which he described as a “wholly unique construct” that compares skepticism of residential stories to Holocaust denial.

The Globe’s admission was reported by other media — not all of which were supportive of the Globe’s editorial. While The New York Post said the “mass-graves scam reveals the cost of media bias,” journalist Rachel Gilmore wrote in her Substack column that the editorial had “just fueled residential school denialism.”

In 2022, the federal government appointed Kimberly Murray as special interlocutor for missing children and unmarked graves. In an interim report in June 2023, Murray called on lawmakers to consider criminalizing the denial or minimization of the abuses Indigenous children suffered at residential schools.

On June 1, the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights reviewing Bill C-9, the Combatting Hate Act, voted to amend the bill by adding criminalization of residential school denialism. However, on June 3, the Senate voted down the amendment, according to Juno News.

Cardinal Pablo Virgilio S. David, former president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines and bishop of Kalookan, serves as adviser to the Philippine Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which was launched on May 27.

The commission is chaired by Raul Pangalangan, a former International Criminal Court (ICC) judge. Other members are Dr. Raquel Fortun, a forensic pathologist; Al Fuertes, an expert in trauma and psychosocial support; Father Daniel Franklin E. Pilario, a Vincentian priest and theologian; and Carlos Conde, an independent human rights researcher.

“The truth must be protected for the families who have carried these stories for years, not just as a record,” said David, a fierce critic of the Duterte drug war. “The Truth Commission exists so these stories can be heard, verified, preserved, and acted upon.”

The commission does not intend to replace courts or determine criminal liability against persons linked to anti-drug operations and related abuses.

“The court looks for criminal liability; the Truth Commission seeks a deeper truth,” David said.

“The commission recognizes that the violence did not start in 2016, but the scale, persistence, and targeted killings in the last few years have left thousands of families still seeking truth, justice, and healing,” the commission said in a statement.

The commissionʼs framework safeguards its integrity, independence, and mission — especially regarding truth-seeking, due process, survivor protection, confidentiality, public trust, and institutional independence.

The team is to ensure that the testimonies of victims, survivors, and families are heard, validated, and kept.

“This commission is not about supplanting courts or apportioning guilt. It is about creating a credible truth record that can inform accountability, healing, reform, and the prevention of future violence,” said Pangalangan, a respected Philippine lawyer.

More than accountability

Conde, a human rights activist, said the commission is not just about accountability but also the healing of drug war victims, as the civilian and civil society-led Philippine Truth Commission is tasked to establish a credible public record of the brutal drug war in the Philippines.

When asked how the commissionʼs findings would affect Duterteʼs case in the ICC, he told EWTN News that the commissionʼs work is different from the ICCʼs and should not affect Duterteʼs trial.

“However, if the ICC determines that our findings are helpful for their purposes, we wonʼt object to them using them,” he said. “On another level, we hope that the commissionʼs work will bolster the ICC investigationʼs credibility, particularly among Filipinos who still continue to argue that the ICC does not have the authority to investigate the drug war.”

Meanwhile, Amnesty International Philippines said it commends the launch of the Truth Commission, saying the initiative would uncover the truth behind the thousands of killings.

“We also recognize and trust the integrity, credibility, and expertise of the individuals leading and guiding this initiative. Their lifelong work on human rights, accountability, forensic investigation, psychosocial support, democratic governance, and public service gives hope that this process will genuinely center victims and survivors,” Amnesty International Philippines said.

The case at The Hague

Human rights groups estimate that the drug war under Duterte, 81, killed some 30,000 drug suspects and suspected addicts and traffickers, largely poor people.

Duterte was arrested and sent to The Hague in March 2025 and is being held in the ICCʼs detention center.

The ICC has charged him with three counts of crimes against humanity, particularly the killing of at least 76 people and the attempted murder of two others during his 22 years as mayor of Davao City and then as president (2016–2022).

His trial is set to begin Nov. 30.

The Truth Commission offers a much-needed ray of hope for truth-telling, accountability, and justice-seeking, Charlito Manlupig, chairperson of Kusog Mindanaw, a civil society organization, told EWTN News.

Bishop Xabier Gómez of Sant Feliu de Llobregat, which lies west of Barcelona, has been in his own words “blessed” to be designated to accompany the Holy Father during his visit to the inmates of Brians 1 prison and the Virgin of Montserrat Shrine, both located within the diocese he has led since 2024.

Speaking with ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, the prelate highlighted the pontiff’s “clarity, authenticity, and ability to communicate,” and underscored the importance of paying attention to both his words and his gestures during this apostolic visit, trusting that “they will serve as an impetus and invite us to deepen our conversion into being missionaries, because our priority as a Church is to proclaim Jesus Christ.”

‘The Church’s path is mercy’

One of the most anticipated moments of the Holy Father’s visit to Barcelona is his stop at the correctional facility in the Diocese of Sant Feliu, which houses the largest prison population in Catalonia.

“It’s a highly anticipated visit,” he noted, “one that has brought great joy to the hearts of the parishioners and believers within the prison who make up, as I put it, a parish within the correctional facilities.”

Since the pontiffʼs visit was confirmed, the diocese has worked tirelessly and “with great enthusiasm” with the prison pastoral care team. Their efforts have encompassed the spiritual preparation of the inmates, the welcoming song for the pope, and the testimonies to be shared by several women regarding “how faith is being for them a powerful light and hope amid the hardships and environment of the prison.”

“The fact that he would want to come and meet the inmates already says a lot. It signals that the Church’s path is mercy, that the Church’s name is mercy,” Gómez noted.

The family as a pastoral priority

Regarding the long-awaited visit to the Basilica of the Sagrada Família (Holy Family) where the pope will bless the Tower of Jesus that crowns the basilica, Gómez noted that the cross atop the tower will rise “like a beacon,” illuminating not only Catalonia but also the Mediterranean.

For the prelate, Sagrada Família calls to mind not only the Holy Family of Nazareth to whom the church is dedicated but also the need to accompany and care for families. He further emphasized that the Church “seeks to be a family within the human family, a sacrament and sign of salvation.”

In this regard, he reminds us that the family as a domestic Church also constitutes a pastoral priority and a subject of special attention for the pilgrim Church in Spain and throughout the world.

A missionary impetus for Spain

The bishop said the pope “is keenly aware of the social and ecclesial reality in Spain; he is very well informed, he knows it and knows us very well, he loves and appreciates us, and he comes to confirm us in faith and in hope.” Above all, he emphasized that his visit will confirm the “missionary impetus that the Church in Spain wants to take center stage.”

Regarding the “religious awakening in Spain,” he noted there is also an awakening within other religions and that this phenomenon should be approached with prudence as a reality that “sociology will gradually be able to confirm.”

“This is not solely a Catholic phenomenon. There is a generation of young people who have or are demonstrating an interest; they are asking questions, an interest in religious and spiritual matters and many of them, thank God, find a welcome and a response within the Catholic Church,” he said. He said he hopes these young people will find, within the Catholic Church, the experience of friendship with Jesus Christ.

‘The Church is mercy and communion'

The bishop of Sant Feliu emphasized that “the Church is mercy and communion,” two dimensions to which Pope Leo XIV constantly alludes.

“I believe that the fact that the Church deepens its identity as communion in diversity, that the Church delves deeper into catholicity, and is also capable of broadening this concept of catholicity to embrace universality and difference within harmony, and is capable of maintaining harmony amid diversity, is a message that is sorely needed for civil, cultural, and political society in Spain,” he added.

The bishop pointed out that the message of the Gospel is a message of peace, reconciliation, and fraternity. “In the Gospel, we do not find that others are adversaries or enemies.”

“Others are brothers, they are our brothers. We pray to a Father who is the Father of all. The kingdom of God [is] that kingdom of fraternity, justice, and love, the kingdom we serve in the Church, and of which Pope Leo XIV will surely speak to us,” Gómez said.

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

The first of his trips to Spain dates back to July 1982. Robert Prevost was 26 years old at the time and had been a priest for just over a month and a half. Together with several companions from St. Monica International College run by the Augustinians in Rome, he embarked on a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in a van, a journey not without its adventures. They ended up sleeping in tents and enjoying the Spanish landscape and cuisine.

“It was a holy year, and he traveled as a pilgrim to Santiago de Compostela with four other Augustinians in a van. They spent a month and a half traveling, taking the opportunity to visit Ávila and see the sites associated with St. Teresa. In Galicia, after gaining the jubilee indulgence, they traveled on to Pontevedra, Vigo, Ourense, and Lugo. And then they headed south to Madrid,” Boo told ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News.

That very same year — months later, in October — Spain would receive a visit from St. John Paul II. Since then, Father Robert Prevost has cultivated his relationship with Spain, to the point of having visited at least 34 cities.

“His knowledge of Spain is quite extensive and not merely because of what he has witnessed firsthand, but because during his time as a missionary in Peru, first in Chulucanas and later in Trujillo, and subsequently as a bishop in Chiclayo, he saw directly what the Spanish had built in terms of culture and evangelization,” explained the veteran correspondent, who just published the book “Leo XIV: The Pope of the New Era” (Espasa Publishing, currently available only in Spanish).

Boo described the pope’s personality, which entirely shapes his style of governance, through what he terms “the triads”: the convergence of three cultures, three educational backgrounds, and three dimensions related to his life experiences.

“He has the best of three cultures: the American culture of Chicago and the Midwest, the most humane, serene, and European in the United States; the Latin American culture of Peru, which expands the heart especially if you’re serving people with problems, as was the case for Father Robert there in the different stages of service during 22 years; and the best of Roman culture, because he came to the Italian capital as a student in canon law at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas and lived at the Augustinian General House near the Vatican.

Added to those cultural roots are three distinct educational backgrounds: a degree in mathematics from Villanova University, a background in theology from the Chicago Theological Union, and legal training, specifically a doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome, the Angelicum.

The third triad is his life journey: a strong missionary spirit, extensive experience as an international traveler, and a profound understanding of the inner workings of the Holy See. “For 12 years, as prior general of the Augustinians, he resided directly across from the Vatican and was a firsthand witness to its inner life. Subsequently, Pope Francis progressively appointed him to various bodies of the Curia, until he eventually served in as many as nine dicasteries including the Commission for Vatican City State, a level of involvement rarely seen in the career of a single prelate,” Boo noted.

Visits to Spain during his time as prior of the Augustinians

From 2001 to 2013, during his time as prior general, Prevost traveled across Spain from north to south. Visits taking place from 2002 to 2011, in addition to later trips, are documented. These journeys took him from Navarre to Andalusia (north to south), with stops in cities such as Barcelona, ​​Valencia, Madrid, and Valladolid.

“My impression is that he knows Spain much better than the vast majority of Spaniards, because he has visited more than 30 cities, whereas many Spaniards havenʼt even visited half that number,” Boo explained.

Many of these journeys were undertaken for pastoral, educational, and community visits for the Order of St. Augustine. In 2002, he visited Oropesa in Toledo province for the canonization of Alonso de Orozco, as well as the city of Talavera de la Reina and León, the city where the centenary of the Augustinian school was being celebrated. From then on, Valladolid became one of his bases of operations; he stayed at the Royal Seminary of the Philippine Augustinians and traveled from there to monasteries such as the one in Madrigal de las Altas Torres in Ávila province.

In 2003 he traveled to Tenerife in the Canary Islands, where he stayed in the Augustinian community in the town of Puerto de la Cruz. That same year he also visited the Sant Roc neighborhood in the town of Badalona, ​​one of the most disadvantaged areas of metro Barcelona, to which he would later return. In 2011 he also made a private visit to the Montserrat monastery.

In 2004 he traveled to Most Holy Trinity Monastery in Aldaz in Navarra province, and the Augustinian school in Calahorra in La Rioja province. Years later, in 2015, he returned to Pamplona as bishop of Chiclayo.

His visits continued in 2005 with stays in Zaragoza and Valencia, where he visited the Basilica of the Virgin of the Forsaken and the cathedral. Two years later, in 2007, he toured the Balearic Islands and several Andalusian cities: Seville, Huelva, Cádiz, and Málaga, maintaining a particularly strong presence within the educational and community spheres of his order.

Finally, in 2010, he returned to Madrid for the 50th anniversary of St. Augustine School, an institution with which he maintained a close relationship, and in 2011, he returned to the capital for World Youth Day.

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