Former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem terminated the temporary protected status (TPS) designation for migrants from Syria, Haiti, and other countries. If the court rules that her actions are lawful, the administration could order the removal of more than 350,000 Haitians and 6,000 Syrians.

The Trump administration argued April 29 that the executive branch has broad discretion to terminate TPS for any country. The challengers, representing the migrants, argued Noem failed to follow the proper procedure and accused officials of unlawfully using racist beliefs about migrants to make their determinations.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has urged the administration to extend TPS status for both countries.

Migrants’ lawyers challenge Trump

Ahilan Arulanantham, who argued on behalf of the Syrians, recognized that the administration has “broad” discretion in determining TPS status but argued that Noem failed to follow proper procedure in her decision-making.

Even though he said Noem can make the final decision to terminate TPS, he noted that the law requires Noem to consult with relevant agencies before deciding. He argued that Noem did not adequately consult with agencies prior to making the decision.

“We cannot challenge on the ground that she’s wrong,” Arulanantham acknowledged, ”… [but] what is reviewable is whether she actually asks anything and gets any information about country conditions.”

He said that one basis for Syria’s TPS designation was armed conflict, “but the secretary never consulted the State Department about the armed conflict.” Rather, he argued, “she terminated based on the national interest.”

“We don’t argue about the levels; we don’t argue about the amount,” Arulanantham said. “All we say is [there] has to be deliberation about a subject. They have to talk about country conditions.”

Justices questioned those arguments, with Justice Amy Coney Barrett pressing Arulanantham, asking him whether Noem could have consulted with the State Department on those subjects, and terminated the status, even if there was strong evidence in favor of extending it.

Arulanantham said she could have, which led Barrett to assert the procedure appears to simply be a “box-checking exercise.”

Justice Samuel Alito argued that if the administration has broad discretion in the “determination” of whether TPS status is extended: “If we apply the ordinary meaning of that term here, I really don’t understand how you can prevail.”

Justice Elena Kagan appeared sympathetic to the claim that the court could review whether the administration followed procedures but that scrutinizing whether Noem consulted with agencies about proper or improper subjects “seems harder to me than the procedural argument.”

Geoffrey Pipoly, who represented the Haitians, argued Noem’s review of the termination for his clients “was a sham,” saying the decision was “a preordained result driven by the president’s resolve to end TPS for Haiti no matter what.”

He accused the president of “racial animus toward non-white immigrants and bare dislike of Haitians in particular,” citing Trump’s remark that Haiti is an “[expletive]-hole country” and his assertion that migrants were “eating the dogs and eating the cats.”

Kagan questioned the argument, noting the Trump administration broadly scaled immigration back, stating: “I don’t quite see how that operates when all of these programs went.”

Alito pressed Pipoly on what constitutes “white” and “non-white,” and said: “You have a really broad definition of who’s white and who’s not white. As I said, I don’t like dividing people of the world into these groups.”

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson defended the argument, noting that only predominantly non-white countries have TPS status.

‘Broad discretion’

U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer argued that the law does not permit judicial review of Noem’s decision to terminate TPS, arguing that Noem had “broad discretion” over how she considered whether to extend the status for those countries.

“Any determination — with respect to designation, extension, or termination — is not subject to judicial review,” Sauer told the justices.

Sauer said the secretary can determine which agencies are appropriate to consult and could even determine there are no proper agencies to consult. He accused the other side of simply claiming her consultation “wasn’t quite enough.”

“Seeking input is consultation, seeking advice from someone knowledgeable is a form of consultation,” he said, arguing the secretary has broad discretion to decide what constitutes consultation.

Sauer said these decisions are “traditionally entrusted to the political branches” and accused the district courts that halted TPS terminations of “appointing themselves junior varsity secretaries of state.”

He also rejected the allegations of racism, saying “not a single one of [Trump’s comments] mentions race or relates to race.” He said they always refer to “crime, poverty, welfare dependency, drugs, [and] drug importation,” among other issues.

Kagan challenged the suggestion there could be no judicial review at all, noting that Congress enacted a statute that requires consultation and “it set forth procedural steps that have to be followed.”

“The Constitution … [says] due process applies to any alien who lives in the United States,” she said. “It applies to all people living here. … They’re entitled to due process. Now Congress has given them a process. It may not be a court process, but that’s OK. It’s a process and you’re saying … it’s unreviewable whether the president has followed that process.”

Andrew Arthur, a resident fellow in law and policy at the Center for Immigration Studies and a former immigration judge, told “EWTN News Nightly” that terminating the status would not remove every person who entered through TPS if the administration succeeds in court because some people have other forms of lawful status, such as a student visa.

“If they are here and they are not in lawful status and they donʼt have removal orders, [the Department of Homeland Security] is then going to have to take them all and put them into removal proceedings, get a removal order, and then remove them from the United States,” he said.

Among the new board members are R.R. “Rusty” Reno, editor of First Things; Adam Laxalt, the former attorney general of Nevada; and Mary Eberstadt, writer and senior research fellow at the Faith and Reason Institute in Washington, D.C.

Reno told EWTN News he would like to see the school become a leader on the American Catholic academic scene.

“It’s a Thomistic institute,” said Reno, a former theology professor, “and there’s a unique opportunity to put forward the Thomistic tradition in the context of American Catholic higher education in an intellectually strong and robust way.”

The new members join the university board as the school “is poised to take its place among the leading Catholic institutions in our country,” school President Sinda Vanderpool said in a press release April 28.

“The university’s governance now draws upon voices who have shaped national conversations in faith, culture, law, and public life,” said board chairman Craig Jarchow in the press release.

“We live in a time when the academic culture, which is secular and progressive, exerts tremendous influence over the formation of young people,” Reno said. “A Catholic university requires a very clear and explicit mission to avoid drifting and becoming like any other university with a chapel. You don’t want that.”

Eberstadt told EWTN News “the fact that UST has this enthusiastic, unapologetically Catholic leadership“ is ”what drew me to the school.”

“Against the backdrop of secularization, and all the things that we know are wrong in the West,” the writer said she is seeing what she calls “the next American awakening.”

Seeing “new forms of fellowship and outreach, Catholic and Protestant alike, including on campuses where there had never been such things before,” is exciting, she said.

“It is clear that something is stirring, and so when I saw this in action at UST, I wanted to be a part of it and not just to keep telling people this was out there, but to participate in building it.”

The school is now “the Catholic ‘room where it happens,’” Eberstadt said.

Laxalt, a former naval officer and Iraq veteran, agreed, telling EWTN News that there is "an orthodox Catholic revival going on in the U.S. and our youth are seeking more depth and formation in their education.”

“One of the things I have most cherished, both in and out of public service, is mentoring young people,” he said. “I am honored to support UST in grounding students in the Catholic intellectual tradition.”

Eberstadt said she hopes that as a board member, she can help “enhance the social lives of the students because I know from my research, and we all know after COVID, thereʼs been a real collapse of socializing, in Gen Z especially.”

She said she hopes this will build “community that will be part of their battle armor that they will take into their lives after they leave the university, so they will be grounded in a spiritual network and a network of fellowship.”

Practically, she said she would like to see the university add square dances to its cultural repertoire.

“It’s very small ‘d’ democratic,” she laughed. “You have to dance with everybody, you don’t have to have a partner, and it has the spiritual dimension of bringing students together who would otherwise be looking at their phones.”

“And the fact that it’s an American pastime … It’s an American thing, perfect for the 250th anniversary of our country,” she said.

Other new board members include philanthropist Charlene Brandau, attorney and UST alumnus Habeeb “Hobbs” Gnaim, energy executive David Preng, and retired Southwestern Energy Company CEO Bill Way.

The University of St. Thomas is a comprehensive Catholic university offering programs in the traditional liberal arts, professional, and skilled-based disciplines.

It ranks as the second-largest institution by enrollment among colleges and universities listed in the Newman Guide, published by the Cardinal Newman Society, which recognizes institutions committed to the Church’s principles of education.

The bill, proposed by a bipartisan group of U.S. congresswomen and announced on April 29, would move to “address misuse of the bankruptcy system by organizations facing lawsuits for child sex abuse,” according to a press release from Rep. Deborah Ross, D-North Carolina.

Ross noted that bankruptcy filings, including those by U.S. dioceses facing voluminous child abuse allegations, trigger stays in civil litigation that block plaintiffs from further discovery while the Chapter 11 process plays out.

Ross said U.S. bankruptcy law contains “unacceptable loopholes” that allow organizations to “avoid the consequences of their negligence and abuse.”

The proposed bill would allow abuse victims to continue the discovery process even amid bankruptcy filings. It would also allow victims to submit impact statements within the Chapter 11 proceedings themselves.

The bill would also “require forensic accountants to assess the debtor’s estate and nondebtor holdings in child sex abuse cases.”

The measure, titled the “Closing Bankruptcy Loopholes for Child Predators Act,” was previously introduced in 2024, though it stalled in the House of Representatives.

Bankruptcy generally offers more payouts for victims

Numerous U.S. dioceses have filed for bankruptcy in recent years, particularly amid the passage of state-level laws that have expanded or removed the statute of limitations for filing child abuse claims.

Marie Reilly, a professor of law at Penn State University and an expert in bankruptcy litigation, told EWTN News in 2025 that bankruptcy filings are generally advantageous not just for a diocese but for those seeking compensation from it.

The alternative, she said, is for a plaintiff to “prove their case on a trial of evidence against the diocese,” which requires considerably more effort with less chance of payment.

Committees of survivors usually agree that bankruptcy is the better option, she said, insofar as it ensures that everyone gets some form of compensation instead of just a few big payouts being limited to the quickest litigants.

“Outside of bankruptcy, we call it ‘the race of the diligent,’ where the speediest get the spoils,” she told EWTN News.

Still, the U.S. representatives sponsoring the latest bankruptcy reform bill argue that such procedures should not limit victims from being able to seek evidence in their suits against organizations including Catholic dioceses.

Rep. Emilia Sykes, D-Ohio, said in the press release that abuse victims “deserve justice, accountability, and transparency at every step of the process.”

"No one should be able to use bankruptcy proceedings as a shield to avoid responsibility," she said, arguing that the bill "closes those loopholes so survivors can continue their pursuit of justice and bad actors are held fully accountable.”

CUA Executive Vice President and Provost Aaron Dominguez was serving as vice chairman of the National Science Board (NSB) while CUA Vice Provost Victor McCrary was serving as NSB chair before the Trump administration fired all 22 board members on April 24.

“On behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position as a member of the National Science Board is terminated, effective immediately. Thank you for your service,” NSB members were informed in an April 24 email from the White House, a spokesperson for the National Science Foundation confirmed to EWTN News.

“The Supreme Court’s reasoning in U.S. v. Arthrex in 2021 raised constitutional questions about whether non-Senate confirmed appointees can exercise the authorities that Congress gave the National Science Board,” a White House official told EWTN News in a statement. “We look forward to working with the Hill to update the statute and ensure the NSB can perform its duties as Congress intended. The National Science Foundation’s work continues uninterrupted.”

The NSB oversees the National Science Foundation, advises the president and Congress on science and engineering policy, approves NSF funding awards, and publishes key reports on the state of U.S. science. Members serve staggered six-year terms.

The case cited by the administration, U.S. v. Arthrex, says federal boards whose members wield unreviewable executive power must be structured so that a properly appointed principal officer, one appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate, can review or overrule their decisions.

The NSBʼs actions are advisory, policy‑setting, and subject to oversight by a Senate‑confirmed agency head. While not holding final executive authority, board members oversee a federal agency and approve billions in grants.

The board issued policy‑shaping publications such as Science and Engineering Indicators, Vision 2030, and its Skilled Technical Workforce reports, which influenced federal science priorities and congressional decision‑making. The board also issues merit‑review analyses that guide how the National Science Foundation allocates billions in research funding.

The Catholic University of America declined to comment on the firings. Dominguez and McCrary did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

“HHS not renewing funding to Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami will result in 85 staff members being laid off as of May 31, 2026,” Peter Routsis-Arroyo, the organization’s CEO, said in a statement to EWTN News.

He said another 20 employees will be let go on June 30.

For decades, CCADM partnered with the federal government to serve vulnerable children and families. The termination of the contract ended a more than 65-year relationship that began with Operation Pedro Pan, which resettled about 14,000 Cuban children who were fleeing the Castro regime in the U.S.

The layoffs follow the announcement that CCADM "had to make the difficult decision to close the Msgr. Bryan Walsh Children’s Village,” Devika Austin, chief administrative officer of CCADM, wrote in an April 24 letter.

The Msgr. Bryan O. Walsh Children’s Village, formerly known as Boys Town, is a CCADM program sheltering unaccompanied, undocumented immigrant children with the ability to house up to 81 children.

It is baffling that the U.S. government would shut down a program that would be hard-pressed to replicate at the level of competence and excellence that Catholic Charities has achieved, if and when future waves of unaccompanied minors reach our shores.”

Archbishop Thomas Wenski

Archdiocese of Miami

“This week all affected employees received notice," she wrote. "We are working with our employees to assist them during this difficult transition."

Due to the unforeseen circumstances, CCADM reported in the letter it was “unable to provide 60 days’ notice” to employees and noted that the “layoffs are permanent.”

More than half of the staff laid off was made up of youth care workers in the program, along with numerous others including clinicians, case managers, and medical coordinators.

During a press conference on April 15 following the funding cuts, Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami urged the government to reinstate the funds noting that services for unaccompanied minors would “be forced to shut down within three months.”

“It is baffling that the U.S. government would shut down a program that would be hard-pressed to replicate at the level of competence and excellence that Catholic Charities has achieved, if and when future waves of unaccompanied minors reach our shores,” he said.

The court in a unanimous ruling April 29 decided the case could proceed in federal court, reversing a lower court decision that had deemed the lawsuit premature.

The pregnancy center had raised First Amendment concerns about whether it could immediately assert its right to challenge a state subpoena demanding donor information — including names, addresses, and places of employment — in federal court, or whether it must first proceed through the state court system.

The ruling was a victory for First Choice Women’s Resource Centers. Diverse groups including the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, members of Congress, the Trump administration, and the ACLU had agreed that First Choice should be able to challenge the subpoena in federal court without first litigating the issue in New Jersey state court.

The case, First Choice Women’s Resource Centers, Inc. v. Davenport, involves a 2023 subpoena issued by New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin seeking donor information from First Choice. In 2022, Platkin had begun investigating crisis pregnancy centers like First Choice, saying they are organizations that may provide “false or misleading information about the safety and legality of abortion.”

First Choice described itself in a Supreme Court brief as a faith-based nonprofit serving New Jersey women by offering material support and medical services such as ultrasounds and pregnancy tests. The organization said it does not provide or refer for abortions.

Bishop Daniel E. Thomas, chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee (USCCB) on Pro-Life Activities, said in a statement, “We are very grateful to see the unanimous Court decision protecting the freedom of pregnancy help centers to serve mothers and children in need without harmful and unconstitutional government intrusion.”

The USCCB told the court in an amicus brief: “Compelling disclosure of a religious organization’s financial support violates the constitutional guarantee of freedom of religion.”

It contended that compelling disclosure would undermine the group’s religious mission and chill the free‑exercise rights of donors who give anonymously in keeping with their beliefs.

This story was updated at 4:40 p.m. ET on April 29, 2026, to include comments from Bishop Daniel E. Thomas, chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee (USCCB) on Pro-Life Activities.

“Things are peaceful now and the Church has made its stand clear with our earlier (April 20) statement,” Father Barry Cardozo, Goa archdiocesan social communications director, told EWTN News on April 28.

Gautam Khattar, a viral Hindu YouTuber and founder of the Hindu group Sanatan Mahasangh, made the controversial remarks about St. Francis Xavier on April 18 at an event organized by a Hindu group, Sanatan Dharma Raksha Samiti (Eternal Religion Protection Committee), at Vasco in south Goa in the presence of a state minister and legislator.

“We unequivocally reject and condemn these pernicious statements,” the Catholic Church of Goa articulated its concern in a powerful statement on April 20 as news of the controversial comments spread.

The statement expressed “deep pain and anguish over the hateful and malicious remarks made recently at a public function in Vasco city against St. Francis Xavier, … affectionately known as the Gõycho Saib, a saint loved and revered not only in Goa but by millions of people across the globe.”

In Konkani, the language of Goa, Gõycho Saib — commonly rendered “Goencho Saib” in English-language press — means “Protector of Goa.”

Born in Spain in 1506, the Jesuit co-founder Francis Xavier reached Goa in 1542 while the region was a Portuguese colony. Baptizing thousands in Goa and along the southern coast of India, missionary Xavier left for east Asia in 1549 and returned to India in 1551.

During his trip to China in 1552, he fell sick and died at the age of 46. After his buried body was found incorrupt a year later, it was brought to Goa and has been preserved in a glass casket on top of the side altar of the Basilica of Bom Jesus.

The incorrupt body is taken out for solemn exposition every 10 years and kept for public viewing for weeks at the nearby Se Cathedral during the decennial exposition, with millions thronging Goa.

“Such divisive rhetoric, laced with falsehoods and venom, deeply hurts the sentiments of lakhs [hundreds of thousands] of Goans — irrespective of the religion they profess — who hold St. Francis Xavier in the highest esteem. These statements have caused serious hurt to the religious sentiments of Catholics and risk disturbing the communal harmony we have long cherished,” the Catholic Church pointed out.

It called upon “authorities to take immediate, strong, and exemplary action against those responsible for this hate speech, in accordance with the laws of the land.”

At the same time, the Church appealed to “all to remain calm and exercise restraint. Let us uphold the peace and unity that have defined us for so long,” it said, calling for the saintʼs “spirit of love and fraternity [to] continue to guide us all towards ever greater unity and peace in these troubled times.”

Apology to Christian community

Amid infuriated protesters marching to police stations and holding huge protest rallies in all major centers in Goa, Khattar went underground while the Hindu group that organized the meeting held a news conference the next day to apologize to the Christian community.

“We are tendering an apology to all our Christian brothers with whom we have been living like brothers. We never expected Khattar to make such a statement, and we had tried to stop him,” the organizers said in a statement.

The self-described “spiritual beat journalist” Khattar has been booked by the Goa Police under criminal sections for allegedly making “derogatory remarks” against St. Francis Xavier and “hurting religious sentiments.”

“This was an attempt by the Hindu fringe elements to polarize the Goans on religious lines,” Cyril Fernandes, president of the Catholic Association of Goa, which filed the criminal complaint against Khattar, told EWTN News on April 29.

“The people of Goa stand united and it was manifest in the protests with people all faiths joining the protests. Hindus were never persecuted under the Portuguese as these fringe groups claim,” Fernandes reiterated.

Christians, most of them Catholic, account for a quarter of Goaʼs 1.5 million people, with the overwhelming majority being Hindus.

Joan Rebello, a retired Catholic professor who joined the protest in Murgao, told EWTN News: “The protest was spontaneous and widespread. Even many Hindus joined the protests as they were also hurt by the remarks against the saint revered as Goaʼs patron.”

Meanwhile, news reports quoting the police said Khattar was hospitalized on April 28 after he complained of “uneasiness and hypertension.”

“Iʼm here in the prime ministerʼs office with an extraordinary group of young men and women. These are Christian soldiers, men and women, in the Israel Defense Forces,” Netanyahu said in a video as he sat at his desk, flanked by the soldiers. “They fill all the important positions in our incredible military, and they do incredible work.”

Up to 1,000 of the roughly 185,000 Christians with Israeli citizenship serve in the IDF. While some have been drafted, the majority serve as volunteers. 

The meeting was scheduled at a time when Israel faces mounting criticism over the country’s treatment of Christians in both Israel and south Lebanon, where Israeli forces are fighting the Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah. On April 19, an IDF soldier destroyed a statue of Jesus in the village of Debel in southern Lebanon. The same week, a video showed an IDF vehicle destroying a large solar energy panel near the same Lebanese Christian village. 

There were also 180 reported anti-Christian incidents — from spitting at Christian clergy to defacing church property — in Israel in 2025, according to the Religious Freedom Data Center, an Israeli nongovernmental organization that tracks these incidents. 

In contrast to other Middle Eastern countries, Israeli law grants full rights to its small Christian community. But Christian emigration from both Israel and Palestine has increased in recent years, fueled by wars, financial instability, and anti-Christian acts by both Jews and Muslims. 

Appointment of special envoy

Reflecting the growing crisis between Israel and Christians around the world, on April 23 the government appointed diplomat George Deek, an Orthodox Christian, to serve as special envoy to the Christian world. Deek previously served as Israel’s ambassador to Azerbaijan.

In a statement announcing Deek’s appointment, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said Israel “attaches great importance to its relations with the Christian world and with its Christian friends around the world. I am confident that George, a respected and experienced diplomat, will greatly contribute to the friendship and strengthening of the ties between the state of Israel and the Christian world.”

During Sunday’s meeting with soldiers, Netanyahu said that “Israel fights for the rights of Christians around the Middle East” and noted that “Israel has Christian soldiers who fight for the defense of Israel and for our Christian brethren throughout the area, throughout the region, and beyond."

Netanyahu said he was “impressed” by the soldiers’ personal stories, “their commitment, their sacrifice, their achievements.”

Juergen Buehler, head of the evangelical International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, said it was gratifying to be invited to the meeting, where 17 evangelical Christian soldiers and about 20 Arab Christian soldiers spoke at length with the prime minister.

“It was an extraordinary meeting, which lasted for at least one-and-a-half hours. At first, the prime minister went around and greeted each soldier personally. It was a very open discussion,” Buehler said.

Given the opportunity to share some of the challenges of being a Christian IDF soldier, “an Arab Christian soldier told Netanyahu that he doesn’t face any challenges in the IDF for being Christian, but when we go home, it’s a different reality,” Buehler related.

Buehler said the gathering was particularly important after the back-to-back incidents in southern Lebanon.

“One purpose of the meeting was to signal from the government that Christian soldiers are appreciated. Christians here are a minority within a minority within a minority, so it provided a unique window for the government to see why we serve. We are Zionists, but there are issues when you are a minority.”

Buehler said the soldiers told Netanyahu that the government must work harder to raise the profile of Israel’s small Christian population. 

“Israel needs to make sure that the next generation of Israelis are taught that Christians are part of the state of Israel and that there are many Christians around the world who stand with Israel,” Buehler said. 

Shadi Khalloul, a Maronite Christian from northern Israel, agreed.

“Israel needs to normalize that Christians have a place here in this country, and it must stop Jewish and Muslim extremists. These extremists like the ones we saw in southern Lebanon do not represent the Israelis, the IDF, or the Jewish spirit,” said Khalloul, an IDF veteran.

Meeting in Nicosia from April 22–24 under the Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the EU, delegates of the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) endorsed a declaration that echoed Pope Leo XIVʼs recent appeal: “Let those who have weapons lay them down.”

In his opening address, Maronite Archbishop Selim Sfeir called Cyprus a “natural bridge” between Europe and the Middle East and named greed as the root of wars “that are regional only in name.”

The Church, he told the assembly, citing Paul VI, is “an expert in humanity.”

Support for Christians

On April 23, the feast of St. George, the bishops celebrated Mass in the Maronite rite in Kormakitis, Cyprus.

In his homily, Sfeir said the once-flourishing Cypriot Maronite community had been reduced to four villages and that the unresolved Cyprus question continued to deprive the faithful of access to their properties, including — according to Sfeir — two parishes and the historic Monastery of the Prophet Elijah.

The bishops past occupied homes and churches under restricted access; they pledged to advocate within EU institutions for the rights and heritage of Cyprus' Christians.

Cypriot Deputy Minister of Culture Vasiliki Kassianidou used her address to the assembly to set out Nicosiaʼs EU agenda, citing more than 550 religious monuments under occupation, over 20,000 stolen icons, and looted cemeteries since 1974. Combating the illicit trafficking of cultural property, she said, is a Cypriot presidency priority.

The plenary also heard from Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, who joined by video link and described the daily reality of Christians in the Holy Land since October 2023.

He urged the European bishops to invest in interreligious dialogue at home as a model for the region.

EU Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Šuica briefed the assembly on the new EU Pact for the Mediterranean, with its 21 initiatives focused on youth, investment, and migration, and on Europeʼs “demographic winter.” A separate meeting with His Beatitude Georgios III, Greek Orthodox archbishop of Nova Justiniana and All Cyprus, completed the ecumenical program.

COMECEʼs autumn plenary convenes in Brussels from Oct. 14–16.

The initiative was spearheaded by the Latin American and Caribbean Confederation of Men and Women Religious (CLAR, by its Spanish acronym) in the context of the World Day of Prayer for Vocations held on April 26, just a few days after the first anniversary of the death of the Argentine pontiff, who passed away on April 21, 2025, at the age of 88.

In the introduction, Father Israel Arévalo Muñoz, deputy secretary of CLAR, explains that the volume brings together diverse perspectives on “the pastoral, political, spiritual, and ecological imprint that Pope Francis has left on the Church and on society.”

The content is divided into four sections: “Spirituality and New Humanism,” “Theological-Pastoral Horizons,” “Francis’ Challenges to Religious Life,” and “Francis and the World’s Socio-Environmental and Political Challenges.”

Twenty-one authors from diverse ecclesial and academic backgrounds collaborated on the work, including laypeople, women religious, and priests from congregations and institutes such as the Missionaries of the Holy Spirit, the Society of Jesus, and the Order of Preachers, among others. The prologue was written by Cardinal Ángel Rossi, SJ, archbishop of Córdoba, Argentina, who is considered a “spiritual son” of Francis.

Arévalo notes that one of the central themes of the text is to demonstrate that Pope Francis’ leadership was grounded “in prayer, listening to the Spirit, and the conviction that the Gospel must once again become the center of ecclesial life.”

He also notes that the Holy Father championed a “profound ecclesial reform, grounded in transparency, co-responsibility, and pastoral conversion.”

Regarding his style of evangelization, the priest highlights that it was distinguished by “closeness, service, simplicity, and a commitment to the poor and marginalized” as well as by promoting a Church that is “Samaritan, missionary, and present in the geographical, social, and existential peripheries.”

In this regard, the deputy secretary of CLAR expressed his hope that the book would inspire civil society, the Church, and religious life to “embody a coherent, prophetic, and compassionate leadership” and motivate Catholics to work toward “a culture of encounter, interreligious dialogue, respect for diversity, and the pursuit of unity amid differences.”

The book can be downloaded free of charge here.

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 House of Lords, the upper chamber of the U.K. Parliament, halted consideration of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill on April 24. More than 1,300 amendments were tabled during the committee stage, a record for any parliamentary bill. The debate lasted over 75 hours, consuming the available parliamentary timetable and preventing the bill from advancing.

There is a “big pushback happening” against assisted suicide, Alex Schadenberg, executive director for the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, said in an April 28 interview with “EWTN News Nightly.”

The House of Lords “actually did what theyʼre supposed to do,” Schadenberg said. “They debated the bill and the government actually expected them to just have a short debate, have it go to committee, and then have it pass through. And in fact, they did have a thorough debate of the bill.”

The bill was introduced by Kim Leadbeater, a British Labour Party politician, and it passed in the House of Commons in June 2025. It would have allowed terminally ill adults with six months or less to live to request medical help to end their own lives.

While proponents said they expect to resurrect the proposal, it is “definitely at this moment losing momentum,” Schadenberg said. “I think it has a lot to do with the fact that it was recently defeated also in Scotland.”

The Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill "was originally passed by 70 to 56, then it went into committee, then they had the final vote on it and it was defeated,” he said. “The vote flipped around; it was 69 to 57. It was defeated. This is the same group of people who first passed it and then defeated it.”

“We also have the effect of Slovenia, who had a referendum and they overturned their assisted suicide law,” Schadenberg said.

Also in Canada, “thereʼs been a lot of pushback now on euthanasia … So weʼre seeing this big pushback happening, which had not been happening before, partially because our government is very pro-euthanasia,” he said.

‘Language’ of euthanasia matters

In the U.K., and other nations, the language of euthanasia is not always clear, but it is “when a doctor, or in my country of Canada, a nurse practitioner, intentionally kills you,” Schadenberg said.

“This is not about giving you lethal poison and you take it yourself, which is what happens in the U.S. with assisted suicide. This is them actually killing you,” he said.

When "debate actually happens and people get a chance to actually discuss it openly, you realize pretty quickly that the support for it just starts disappearing because the euthanasia movement bases their big push on emotions,” Schadenberg said.

“They want us to fear. They tell us stories of people who were going through difficult health conditions, and the answer for them was killing them," he said. "So I see that when you get this proper debate, things start turning around."

In Canada there is “a committee looking at euthanasia for mental illness alone,” he said. “This whole committee is starting to reverse in direction because weʼre actually discussing, ‘What does this actually mean?’”

The committee is “willing to discuss this openly, and the euthanasia lobby is getting very nervous because people are starting to back off from their support,” he said.

While in the U.S., “there are now 13 states … that have legalized assisted suicide,” we “have to be willing to talk about what it is, always compassionately though,” Schadenberg said.

“Iʼm not opposed to euthanasia or assisted suicide just because of how bad this is. Iʼm opposed to killing people,” he said.

If “you allow the language of the other side to rule the debate, you end up losing the debate because people start thinking of it in a fuzzy way rather than for what it actually is,” Schadenberg said.

Servant of God Joseph Dutton was a Civil War veteran who dedicated the later part of his life to serving people with leprosy alongside Father Damien De Veuster (St. Damien of Molokai) — who called him “Brother Joseph” — in Kalaupapa on the island of Molokai, Hawaii.

“Brother Joseph Dutton’s life is a powerful reminder of what it means to serve others with humility and compassion,” Green said in a press release. “By establishing this day of recognition, Hawaii ensures that his legacy continues to inspire future generations to act with kindness and selflessness.”

“As state senator representing Molokai, this recognition is deeply meaningful to our community,” Sen. Lynn DeCoite said. “Brother Joseph Dutton stood alongside the people of Kalaupapa during one of the most difficult chapters in our history, bringing care, dignity, and hope to those who needed it most. Establishing April 27 as Brother Joseph Dutton Day ensures that his legacy and the strength and resilience of Kalaupapa will continue to be honored for generations to come.”

“For 44 years Joseph Dutton was an important member of the Kalaupapa community, embracing aloha and compassion in giving of his life of service to the patients living during challenging times,” said Dr. Maria Devera, board president of the Joseph Dutton Guild. “It is fitting that we take time to recall and honor that life of service and take a moment and reflect on our call to service.”

Dutton was born Ira Dutton to Protestant parents in Stowe, Vermont, on April 27, 1843. In 1883 he became Catholic and took Joseph as his baptismal name.

The next year he entered a Trappist monastery in Kentucky, where he stayed for almost two years but discerned that a better way for him to offer penance would be through an active spiritual life.

In July 1886, Dutton arrived at Kalaupapa after discovering the work St. Damien was doing on the island. He quickly became an expert in caring for the sick, specifically those with Hansen’s disease, or leprosy, and continued his work after Damien died in 1889 from leprosy. He served the sick in Kalaupapa for 44 years.

Dutton died in 1931 at the age of 87 at St. Francis Hospital in Honolulu.

His cause for canonization opened on May 10, 2022, at the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace in Honolulu. On Jan. 21, 2024, the local phase of his cause concluded and was sent to the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints in Rome for review.

The document, titled “They Returned to Jerusalem with Great Joy,” addressed the impact of the Hamas terrorist attacks of Oct. 7, 2023, and proposed a spiritual, pastoral, and communal path for Christians living in the region.

Jerusalem, ‘heart of the world’

In one of the most forceful passages of the letter, the cardinal stated that “the heart of the world is in Jerusalem.” He noted that millions of pilgrims arrive in the holy city every year and that their recent absence due to the war underscores its universal significance.

“Jerusalem belongs to no one exclusively; it belongs to everyone,” he wrote, warning that events in the city affect “billions of believers" and pointing out that the international community has a duty to safeguard “Jerusalem’s universal mission.”

Pizzaballa denounced the “dehumanization of the other” and growing social fragmentation in which entire communities retreat into themselves.

He also warned of the loss of meaning of concepts such as “dialogue,” “justice,” or “human rights,” which today seem hollow in the face of violence.

The mission of Jerusalem: ‘To heal the nations’

In light of this landscape, the patriarch proposed a vision inspired by the Bible, specifically the Book of Revelation, in which Jerusalem appears as an open city, called to welcome and reconcile.

Within this framework, he said the vocation of the holy city is “therapeutic,” to heal the world.

The cardinal insisted that Christians living there are not a neutral party to the conflict but rather living members of their societies, whether Arab, Israeli, Jordanian, or foreign, called to be “salt, light, and leaven” from within.

Rejecting violence and choosing life

The cardinal also said that living according to the Gospel entails a concrete choice: to reject the logic of violence, falsehood, and exclusion.

However, he clarified that this rejection is not a condemnation of individuals but rather of the systems of sin that deny human dignity. “The city with open doors does not expel but clearly defines what is incompatible with its very existence,” he noted.

Concrete proposals for pastoral life

In the final section of the letter, the patriarch offered practical guidelines for Christian communities, highlighting the centrality of prayer and liturgy, the role of families as “domestic churches,” and the importance of schools as a place for coexistence and formation.

“Prayer is not a means. It is a moment of love and encounter with God,” he affirmed, emphasizing that it is “the heart, the breath. It is what keeps our community alive.”

The prelate also highlighted the key role of education: Schools must be “true workshops of a new humanity,” where people learn to coexist and engage in dialogue.

Likewise, the patriarch underscored the value of social works — hospitals, Caritas centers — as places where the encounter between people of different religions is already being lived out and highlighted the role of young people, families, priests, and religious men and women as protagonists of hope.

He also emphasized the urgency of ecumenical and interreligious dialogue, not only at the institutional level but also in daily life, and the need to educate for peace and respect.

A call to hope

The patriarch urged against succumbing to skepticism or despair despite ongoing violence. “The question is not how to escape the conflict but how to live within it as believers,” he pointed out.

Finally, evoking the Gospel of St. Luke, he invited the faithful to “return to Jerusalem with joy” — not a naive joy but a paschal one, founded on the certainty that “light conquers darkness and love disarms hatred.”

The cardinal concluded by entrusting this journey to the intercession of the Virgin Mary and reminding the faithful that, even amid war, the Church is called to be a living sign of hope.

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 recent days, one of the countryʼs most prominent bishops in the public arena, Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, contended that itʼs not even the role of the Churchʼs leaders to make a final determination about whether a particular war is just or not.

“The role of the Church,” Barron wrote in an X post on April 20, “is to call for peace and to urge that any conflict be strictly circumscribed by the moral constraints of the just war criteria,” which is outlined in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (No. 2309).

However, he continued, “it is not the role of the Church to evaluate whether a particular war is just or unjust.” To buttress his argument, Barron cited the catechism’s explicit “just war” doctrine teaching (No. 2309) that “the evaluation of these conditions for moral legitimacy belongs to the prudential judgment of those who have responsibility for the common good.”

“So, is the war in question truly the last resort?” Barron asked, referencing just war criteria. “Is there really a balance between the good to be attained and the destruction caused by the war? Are combatants and noncombatants being properly distinguished in the waging of the conflict? Do the belligerents have right intention? Is there a reasonable hope of success? The posing of those questions — indeed the insistence upon their moral relevance — belongs rightly to the Church, but the answering of them belongs to the civil authorities,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, other clergy with significant public influence, such as Archdiocese of New York priest Father Gerald Murray, a former U.S. Navy chaplain, hold outright that the U.S. military action against Iran does qualify as a just war.

In an extensive appraisal of the situation in the light of just war teaching, Murray wrote in The Free Press that “the justice of the United States attack on Iran is confirmed by the Iranian regime’s admissions.”

Murray cited U.S. negotiator Steve Witkoff, who revealed that in the days just prior to the outbreak of the war “both Iranian negotiators said to us [Witkoff and fellow U.S. negotiator Jared Kushner] directly with, you know, no shame, that they controlled 460 kilograms of 60% [enriched uranium] and they’re aware that that could make 11 nuclear bombs, and that was the beginning of their negotiating stance.” The Iranian negotiators told their U.S. counterparts, Witkoff continued, that “they had the inalienable right to enrich all their nuclear fuel that they possessed.”

“A nuclear-armed Iran with ballistic missiles is an imminent threat to the United States, Israel, and many other countries,” Murray said.

“The advanced state of uranium enrichment meant that the United States and Israel faced an imminent threat. The clear intent of the Iranian regime to build nuclear weapons has not changed. Given that, it was just for the United States and Israel to attack Iran in order to eliminate the nuclear threat,” Murray affirmed, calling the joint military action “an act of protection, rather than aggression, under just war theory.”

Murray also pointed out that the negotiations that preceded the attack on Iran “show the length to which the United States was willing to go to avoid war — evidence that the strike was a last resort.”

Furthermore, he noted that when Witkoff and Kushner told the Iranian negotiators that the United States would provide non-weapons-grade uranium to Iran for 10 years if it stopped pursuing nuclear weapons, they were rebuffed by the Iranians.

“They rejected that, which told us at that very moment that they had no notion of doing anything other than retaining enrichment for the purpose of weaponizing,” Witkoff recounted.

“I do believe this is a just war precisely because of the nature of the threat that a nuclear-armed Iran poses to the United States, Israel, and its allies,” Murray said in a separate interview. “The just war criteria, in my opinion, does not require that we first absorb a nuclear attack before we can actually then respond to try to destroy their nuclear weapons.”

The U.S. and Israel attacked Iran in late February but have been in a ceasefire since April 8, which President Donald Trump extended indefinitely amid negotiations. No side has agreed to long-term peace.

Pope Leo XIV criticized the war and urged peace while Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin said the attack “does not seem to meet the conditions” of just war. 

On April 23, Leo doubled down on his opposition to war, saying he encourages “the continuation of dialogue for peace” amid the ceasefire negotiations. 

“As a pastor, I cannot be in favor of war, and I would like to encourage everyone to make every effort to seek responses that come from a culture of peace and not of hatred,” the Holy Father said.

Tyler Arnold contributed to this report.

As part of its investigation into alleged abuse in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, the state attorney generalʼs office had sought to make public the details of a grand jury report, including the identities of individuals who have not been charged with a crime but who allegedly failed to stop abuse from occurring.

A lower court granted the attorney generalʼs request to publish the information, with an appellate court partly upholding that decision. Yet in its April 27 ruling, the Maryland Supreme Court reversed those decisions, holding that the attorney generalʼs office did not “meet [the] burden” of justifying the release of the identities.

“Many grand jury investigations obtain damaging information and allegations about uncharged individuals that the public might benefit from learning,” the high court acknowledged.

But “one of the primary purposes of grand jury secrecy is to protect uncharged persons from public disgrace in the absence of a criminal charge and a forum in which to seek vindication,” it said.

“A court may not order disclosure of secret grand jury material, over the objection of an uncharged individual, for the purpose of holding that person accountable in the court of public opinion,” the justices said.

The court noted that the attorney generalʼs office had argued that the “intensity of public interest” in the case could justify revealing the identities.

Yet “the interests promoted by grand jury secrecy do not increase or decrease based on how much the public wants to learn the information contained in grand jury materials,” the court said.

The decision comes amid ongoing court proceedings in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, which filed for bankruptcy in September 2023 ahead of a wave of sex abuse claims filed against it under the Maryland Child Victims Act.

Earlier this month, the archdiocesan insurer Hartford Insurance Group proposed contributing $100 million to a settlement for abuse victims. The archdiocese in 2024 sued multiple insurers over what it claimed was a failure to pay abuse claims for which the insurers were contractually obligated.

In 2024 Archbishop William Lori attended two court-ordered “listening sessions” with alleged victims of sexual abuse, with the prelate describing himself as "deeply moved by their very powerful testimony.”

She died on April 14, according to Our Lady of Peace Hospital, which announced her passing the following day.

In the 1970s, Sister Eva performed surgery on an Indigenous woman using a bamboo table and coconut water to keep the patient alive in Lake Sebu, southern Philippines. The urgent action was necessary because reaching the nearest hospital required hours on foot and crossing multiple rivers.

Her life of service and sacrifice made a deep impact on people, particularly the poor who most availed themselves of the nunʼs medical and pastoral care.

“I remember her vividly during my years as an intern and resident at Manila Doctors Hospital, attending to her patients,” said Dr. Anthony Leachon, a physician.

“Her quiet strength, her devotion to the sick and the poor, and her example of servant leadership shaped not only the lives of those she treated but also the young physicians who learned under her guidance,” he added.

Sister Eva was born on Sept. 17, 1940, in Liloan, Southern Leyte. She studied at the Velez College of Medicine in Cebu, central Philippines, and practiced at her familyʼs clinic in Liloan for a while.

Later, she entered the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres to be a nun and missionary in 1974, serving as a physician in Lake Sebu and later in other parts of the country.

Health as a right

One of her steadfast beliefs was that health is a right for all, not a privilege for a few.

Being a surgeon, she did not limit herself to an operating room. She visited public hospitals, communities, and places with very limited access to health care.

Sister Evaʼs role went beyond that of a physician who is meant to treat illnesses; she made sure to work for peopleʼs dignity — interacting with patients where they lived, seeing their existential realities.

“In this way, she showed the human face of healing and care while witnessing Godʼs mercy,” Maria Martineze, a volunteer, told EWTN News.

The nunʼs quiet and consistent commitment tried to abridge the existing gap — need and access to health but also working for inclusion and peopleʼs right to access health, Martineze explained.

‘Barefoot doctors’

She trained “barefoot doctors” — men and women skilled to treat common illnesses and provide basic care in remote and rural areas where accessing health care has always remained a challenge.

According to Sister Eva, the “barefoot doctors” are not physicians, but they are skilled at treating common diseases.

Sister Eva trained 17 barefoot doctors in Lake Sebu in 1974. Over the years, she expanded the initiative across the country, training 274 barefoot doctors from 110 Indigenous communities.

Care for Indigenous peoples

Sister Eva had a distinctive character — going to the peripheries — as a missionary and a doctor. In her heart, she had special love for Indigenous peoples and geographically and socially isolated communities in the country, including the Tʼboli, Aeta, and Manobo.

She trained them in basic medical skills like CPR, physical exams, and minor surgery, empowering them to become health providers for their tribes.

One of the Indigenous peoples, the Aeta, displaced by the Mount Pinatubo eruption in 1991, was cared for by the nun.

The nun worked with them for years, capacitating the leaders and community, strengthening their dignity, resilience, and physical well-being.

With her efforts, as many as 146 families with 500 persons were able to resettle. Some eventually converted to Catholicism.

“She spent her life in healing and service with compassion and love for Indigenous people,” Lourdes Balinta, an Aeta teacher, told EWTN News.

Hospital for affordable health care

The Foundation of Our Lady of Peace Mission was established in 1984 by Sister Eva and American Jesuit Father James Reuter to address the needs of the poor.

Additionally, in 1992, Our Lady of Peace Hospital, Parañaque, Metro Manila, was built to provide the poor with affordable access to quality health care, including feeding and livelihood programs for the poor in Metro Manila and other areas.

“Through her foundation and hospital, she brought healing, dignity, and hope to countless marginalized communities across the Philippines, offering free medical care, shelter, and livelihood opportunities,” a message from Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation said.

“Small in stature but immense in spirit, Sister Evaʼs life stands as a powerful witness to Gospel compassion lived out in action,” it added.

Sister Evaʼs life was marked by extraordinary compassion and service to the poor, embodying the Christian spirit of selfless love and dedication, Bishop Precioso D. Cantillas of Maasin said.

Her tireless work as a healer and advocate for the marginalized was a profound witness to her faith in Christ and love for humanity, he added. The remarkable legacy she leaves behind — her ministry and compassion — touched countless lives.

“May her example keep motivating us to live lives of service and faithfulness to Godʼs mission,” the prelate said.

Accolades

In 1997, Sister Eva received the Ramon Magsaysay Award, often considered Asiaʼs Nobel Prize, for her dedicated service to the poor communities through medicine.

In 1992, she received the Mother Teresa Award of the Philippines. In 2006, the nun was recognized as a Lasallian Star of Faith awardee, recognizing her decades of dedicated service as a nun and surgeon whose life epitomized faith in service.

True spirit of service

Though Sister Eva has passed, her legacy remains in the hearts of people.

“She was a hardworking, humble, and caring woman of God — a physician-leader whose hands healed and whose heart uplifted countless lives,” Leachon said. “Multi-awarded yet always grounded, she embodied the true spirit of service.”

“Her life reminds us that medicine is not only science but also love in action,” he added. “May her memory continue to inspire generations of healers and advocates. Her light endures in the lives she touched.”

The dioceseʼs "Trinity Village," located just a few blocks from Pensacola Bay on the Florida Panhandle, will offer the "tiny homes" at "affordable rents to individuals experiencing housing insecurity."

The “target population” for the small parcel of homes is senior citizens, the diocese says, pointing out that the senior demographic is “one of the more vulnerable segments of the population” regarding housing costs.

Groundbreaking for the project took place in September 2024. The site of the village was previously a vacant lot; the parcel is located directly behind the diocesan pastoral center.

Construction of the homes took place throughout 2025. The roughly 300-square-foot houses include a sleeping area, kitchen, living room, dining room and a bathroom, as well as on-site laundry.

Deacon Ray Aguado, the executive director of the Trinity House project, told EWTN News that the Pensacola population has increased “significantly” in recent years, while housing stock has not kept pace.

“Rents in the area have increased and, in some cases, have more than doubled in the past 12-24 months,” he said. “Many citizens, especially seniors, make sacrifices in order to cover their higher cost of housing.”

“These sacrifices include foregoing health care, cutting back on buying healthy foods, or missing meals altogether,” he noted.

“Trinity Village will offer these tiny homes at affordable rents to these seniors,” he said. “Trinity Village will also offer case management and mentoring services to support residents in their personal growth and ensure they maintain sound physical and financial health.”

Rent is expected to run $500 for the homes, with that price including utilities.

At the outset of the project, Pensacola-Tallahassee Bishop William Wack described the project as a “wonderful way for this community to come together” and support a vulnerable population.

“This is what we do as a Church. We donʼt just come together to pray, though that is an important part of what we do,” he said. “We come together [also] to build up the kingdom, to serve our brothers and sisters.”

“I am filled with deep gratitude and great joy as we announce the schedule of events surrounding the long-awaited Mass of beatification of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen," Bishop Louis Tylka of the Diocese of Peoria said in a press release. "This is a momentous occasion not only for our diocese but for the Church in the United States and throughout the world.”

Events kick off on Sept. 20 with an anniversary Mass of Sheen’s ordination at the Cathedral of St. Mary in Peoria.

From Sept. 23–24, events will be taking place in St. Louis. Vespers at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis will take place on Sept. 23 followed by the beatification Mass at The Dome at America’s Center on Sept. 24. Before the beatification Mass, the faithful will be able to take part in adoration and confession. After the Mass, a relic of Sheen will be available for veneration.

The website for the Archbishop Fulton Sheen Foundation states that the choice for holding the beatification in St. Louis “was driven by the desire to include the largest number of people possible.”

While the largest venue in Peoria would only hold 15,000 people, The Dome at America’s Center — which hosted a papal visit from Pope John Paul II in 1999 — has a capacity of 100,000. St. Louis is also within a reasonable driving distance from Peoria, taking roughly two and a half hours.

Events will then head back to Peoria with Masses of thanksgiving, parish talks, and an award gala taking place on Sept. 25. The celebration concludes with a Byzantine-rite Mass of thanksgiving at the Cathedral of St. Mary on Sept. 26.

The faithful are also encouraged to take part in a nine-day novena beginning on Sept. 15.

Tylka explained that all of the events have been “thoughtfully planned as part of a pilgrimage to help us enter more deeply into the spiritual richness of this occasion and to encounter the Lord in a meaningful way.”

He added: “The beatification Mass itself will be the central moment of this sacred time, but it is surrounded by opportunities for formation, fellowship, and prayer that we hope will touch hearts and inspire renewed faith. The events that follow the beatification Mass in Peoria, including Masses of Thanksgiving and presentations, will allow us to continue reflecting on the gift of Archbishop Sheen and how his witness calls us forward as missionary disciples.”

“I am truly grateful for the many individuals and teams who have worked tirelessly to prepare for this moment, and I look forward with great anticipation to welcoming pilgrims from near and far,” Tylka said. “My hope is that through this beatification, many will come to know more deeply the love of Jesus Christ, be renewed in their faith, and be inspired to live as joyful witnesses of the Gospel in their own lives.”

The event took place the day after the anniversary of the law passed on April 24, 2007, when the capital cityʼs government legalized abortion on demand for up to 12 weeks of pregnancy.

According to the Mexico City Secretariat of Public Health, nearly 300,000 abortions were performed in the countryʼs capital between 2007 and 2025.

The 2007 decision paved the way for similar laws in other states, such that 24 out of 31 states across the country currently have loosened restrictions on abortion.

To demonstrate against these regulations, groups of friends, families, young people mobilized by parishes, and other participants began gathering early at the Monument to the Revolution. From there, the contingent set off toward the Mexico City Legislature in a march that, according to organizers, drew a crowd of more than 2,000 people.

Throughout the route, young people set the pace with drums, chants, and slogans. Many wore blue handkerchiefs and T-shirts bearing pro-life messages and held signs in defense of motherhood and the unborn.

Among those in attendance was 22-year-old Macarena Muñoz, who told ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, that she came to demonstrate that there are still “pro-life young people here in Mexico and in all the states who want to see these laws changed, and who do not want abortion to be decriminalized.”

She said it is important to show society that there are young people who understand that “to defend any other right such as women’s rights, one must first defend the intrinsic value: the value of life.”

Other states begin to permit abortion

Although the first decriminalization of abortion in Mexico took place in 2007 in the capital, the most significant gain for laws allowing abortion occurred during the six-year term of former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, which began in 2018, when the political party MORENA secured a majority in various state legislatures and pushed for laws allowing abortion in 12 states.

Subsequently, with the administration of Claudia Sheinbaum, also a MORENA party member, on Oct. 1, 2024, and backed by support from her party in the state legislatures, new laws permitting abortion were passed in Jalisco, Michoacán, San Luis Potosí, Zacatecas, Mexico, Chiapas, Nayarit, Chihuahua, Campeche, Yucatán, and Tabasco states.

The march brought together people from various regions of the country. According to the organizers, participants came from at least 20 cities.

One of them was Regina Hinojosa, 24, who traveled from Puebla. Speaking with ACI Prensa, she lamented that during the time abortion has been legal in Mexico City and other states, “there hasn’t been anything that could be positive for women.”

She maintained that above any other agenda, Mexican women “deserve more laws in favor of their well-being and that of their babies.”

Juan Pablo Perea, 21, a native of Michoacán, also participated. In an interview with ACI Prensa, he stated that he had traveled with the intention of reminding others that “it falls to us young people to fight for this because we are no longer merely the future of the country but its present; and if we do nothing at this time, no one else will.”

Although he acknowledged that this is a “struggle that, regrettably, currently seems to be losing ground,” he encouraged other young people to get involved, pointing out that “without life, there is no future.”

Young people don’t want these deadly laws

Some pro-life legislators also participated in the march, such as Juliana Rosario Hernández Quintanar of the National Action Party, a Querétaro state representative who has championed legislative initiatives such as declaring March 25 the “Day of Life.”

Hernández told ACI Prensa that more laws are needed to protect vulnerable persons including the unborn and therefore called upon her colleagues not to give up, for “there is no better cause than fighting for life, because life is the future, life is hope, and today in Mexico, we have a great demand for life [to be protected].”

Furthermore, she expressed the view that Mexico bears a “great debt” in this regard, assuring that as politicians, “we are here to defend these causes, the ones that truly matter and the ones that will allow us to make a lasting difference.”

Youth at the forefront

Another attendee was Rodrigo Baños, 20, who issued a call to other young people to participate with “attitude and determination” in the defense of human rights, particularly those of women and the unborn.

The young man also told ACI Prensa that, following the example of previous generations, “now it is our turn, this is our moment to go out and fight” for the right to life. He encouraged his contemporaries, reminding them: “We are young; we have nothing to lose. We must give it our all.”

At the close of the event , a manifesto was read from the stage ending on the same note, with a message addressed to Mexican youth and to “those who sought to convince us to give up.”

“We refuse; we are a generation that does not grow accustomed, that does not sell out, that does not remain silent, that does not surrender. We will not give up. We will not tire of defending the truth. We will not stop loving Mexico.”

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.

Abbott has spent more than 15 years and nearly 5,000 hours answering the Relief & Hope emergency services hotline and accompanying callers, many of whom are at their lowest and most vulnerable points.

The Catholic Charities Maine hotline provides immediate support for individuals and families experiencing crises. Abbott helps with a number of challenges related to finances, mental health, job loss, car repairs, housing, hunger, or any other situation callers may find themselves in.

“When my years of home schooling my children ended, I searched for places where I could feel useful and talk freely about Jesus,” Abbot said in a press release. “I often came home feeling depressed about the need around me and how little I was able to help.”

“Callers thank me for just being willing to listen and empathize. I really feel good after those calls. And I appreciate working with people who put their faith into action every day at work," she said.

"Catholic Charities is such a nice, friendly, godly place to work. I don’t feel I do enough to have earned this award. I am flabbergasted to have received it,” she said.

The award also acknowledges Abbott’s work in developing a large database of resources covering Maine’s 16 counties. Due to its success, the state’s 2-1-1 operators, who provide residents with local health and human services information, have even been known to call her for guidance on how to refer their own callers to the appropriate services.

“Julie Abbott’s service to Catholic Charities Maine shows that sometimes, the quietest contributions can make the greatest impact,” said Kerry Alys Robinson, CCUSA president and CEO.

“Julie’s gift of presence and attention allow struggling neighbors to retain their dignity even in their most distressing and vulnerable moments. She is truly a good and faithful servant to those in need,” Robinson said.

The award has been given annually since 1998 and is bestowed on an individual “who embodies the mission of CCUSA to provide critical services to those in need, advocate for justice in social structures, and call the entire Church and other people of goodwill to do the same,” according to CCUSA.

More than 200,000 people volunteer at Catholic Charities agencies around the country each year, and agencies nominate their most deserving volunteers for the honor. Abbott was also a 2021 Volunteer of the Year finalist for her work.

Abbott will receive the award at CCUSA’s 2026 annual gathering in Richmond, Virginia, later this year.

In the document, by the conference’s National Coordination of Catechesis, catechesis is viewed not merely as a process of formation but as an experience that “transforms hearts and lives, leading to renewed commitment to the Gospel.”

The document is addressed specifically to bishops, priests, catechists, and pastoral workers, and seeks to serve as a “source of inspiration and encouragement” to foster in them a greater appreciation of catechesis as a driving force for evangelization.

The publication notes that catechesis "is not merely intellectual knowledge but an experience of grace that transforms the heart and one’s entire existence, making the believer a participant in Trinitarian life.”

It also emphasizes the need to move beyond the prevailing view of catechesis as simply preparation for the sacraments, proposing a paradigm shift wherein it becomes a communal, missionary, and experiential undertaking. Within this framework, the document emphasizes that Christian initiation functions by “integrating the catechized person into the community,” thereby fostering commitment to the family, society, and the Church.

The participation of families is important in catechesis; parents, godparents, and entire communities should become actively involved.

Among the documentʼs most valuable contributions are the testimonies of young people, families, and catechists, who bear witness to the spiritual growth they experienced.

“My whole life changed and my family’s as well. Now I feel fulfilled doing so much for others,” said a participant who through this process found a new opportunity for life and service.

Formation should lead to the practice of the works of mercy. Accompanying suffering families means “touching the suffering body of Christ, integrating the social and spiritual dimensions into the catechetical process,” the text points out.

Christian initiation, according to the document, “is a response to the cultural shifts and relativism affecting young people and families,” promoting integration and fostering a faith that is both lived and shared.

Finally, the document proposes Christian initiation as a journey of pastoral renewal that fosters an “ecclesial renewal ... aimed at a new vocational impetus and a new missionary awakening of parish communities.”

“Stories of Light” is thus presented as a pastoral tool that seeks to offer a model of a “Church that goes out,” one centered on encounter with Christ, on the transformative dimension of catechesis, and on living out the faith in community.

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

Archbishop Paul Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said in a statement: “We are grateful the lives of the president, those who protect him, and everyone in attendance last night were spared from serious harm. Let us all pray for our elected leaders and public officials that they may receive God’s blessings. Because human life is a precious gift, there is no room for violence of any kind in our society.”

Attendees heard gunshots shortly after the White House Correspondents' Dinner began at the Washington Hilton hotel. President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and several Cabinet members were evacuated by federal agents. Trump said in a press conference at the White House following the shooting that a lone suspect was taken into police custody and one federal agent was hospitalized after being hit in his bulletproof vest.

Bishop David Bonnar of Youngstown, Ohio, said the issue of gun violence requires attention.

Bonnar said in a statement: “The United States is built on freedom and respect for all. There is no room for violence that endangers the life of any human being. Moreover, the issue of gun violence must be addressed. Violence is never the answer. We all must look deeper into the human heart to build each other up rather than tear each other down. We pray for peace in moments of disagreement and discord. As we celebrate our 250th birthday may we live as a nation under God with liberty and justice for all.”

Bonnar also offered a prayer for healing.

We all must look deeper into the human heart to build each other up rather than tear each other down.”

Bishop David Bonnar

Diocese of Youngstown, Ohio

Since 2025, the United States has seen a marked escalation in political violence, including assassination attempts and lethal attacks linked to ideological extremism, threats against elected officials, and armed incidents surrounding political events.

High‑profile political actor Charlie Kirk, a conservative commentator, was assassinated in Utah in September 2025. In Minnesota, Rep. Melissa Hortman, the top Democratic leader of the state House of Representatives, was assassinated in her home in June 2025, and her husband was killed in the same attack. Hortman, who had served as Minnesota House speaker, was a Roman Catholic catechist.

Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, posted on X on April 26: “Iʼm grateful that the president and his entourage are unhurt after this latest attack. May I raise my voice against the viciousness and tribalism that are so prevalent on the internet and that contribute mightily to the violence we see in our political culture. Can we please remember that it is possible to disagree with a politicianʼs ideas without demonizing and dehumanizing him? Jesus commanded us to love our enemies, and that includes our ideological opponents.”

The project was announced April 21 during a press conference given by Bolivia’s deputy minister for the Promotion of Sustainable Tourism, Andrés Aramayo; the bishop of Oruro, Cristobal Bialasik; architect Josefina Matas, who will direct the restoration; and Debra Hevia, chief of mission at the U.S. embassy.

The U.S. will make an investment of $66,240 toward the restoration of the historic church, which dates back to the early 17th century.

Hevia said the funding comes from the U.S. Department of State’s Cultural Preservation Fund, which has a history spanning more than 26 years of protecting Bolivian cultural heritage.

“This church is beautiful. Its architectural style and murals tell the story of Bolivia, and we want to protect them to share with the world,” she said, highlighting the importance of preserving Bolivia’s history and combating the illicit trafficking of cultural heritage objects.

“As the Ministry of Sustainable Tourism, Cultures, Folklore, and Gastronomy, we view culture as a catalyst for our national pride, of our essence, but also for the social cohesion and peace we so urgently need to truly understand where we come from and where we wish to go,” Aramayo said at the press conference.

The project, which entails the repair and waterproofing of the thatched roof as well as the reconstruction of the buttresses that support the building, will respect the churchʼs architectural style and unique construction materials, the deputy minister explained. In addition, the exterior walls and façades, which have deteriorated with age, will be restored.

The building, constructed between 1587 and 1608, is located in the Andean province of Sajama at an elevation of 12,788 feet above sea level.

It is a large structure built of stone and adobe, featuring stone buttresses and a gated entrance to the church compound composed of two pilasters and a semicircular arch executed in a Renaissance style.

Inside the church, the walls and ceilings feature paintings depicting biblical scenes, which were completed in 1777 according to period documents belonging to the town of Curahuara de Carangas.

In 1960, the church was declared a national monument. With this restoration, the town hopes to become a hub for economic and social development through tourism, as part of a national religious tourism strategy.

At the press conference, the local bishop expressed his gratitude to the United States, as well as to Germany, which funded previous restoration work on the church.

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.

Chisim, 65, received the papal honor “Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice” in 2025 in recognition of her lifelong service to the Church. The award highlighted a vocation lived not in vows or ordination but in persistent support of Catholics discerning consecrated life.

Mariamnagar Parish, founded in 1937 by American Holy Cross missionaries, has produced at least eight priests and seven religious sisters over the years. According to clergy and religious from the parish, Chisim has played a role — both direct or indirect — in nearly all of those vocations.

A member of the parish, Chisim teaches at the local Catholic school and serves as a catechist. Known for her fidelity to Church teaching and firm moral guidance, she has long accompanied young people considering the priesthood or religious life, often stepping into roles usually filled by parents or formal formation staff.

Though never officially assigned to a seminary or formation house, Chisim has acted quietly and become what local clergy call a “caregiver of vocations,” introducing boys and girls to seminaries and religious congregations, helping them navigate formation, and supporting them materially when poverty threatened to derail their calling.

Chisim, the mother of one child, personally financed the seminary education of her younger brother — now Father Joseph Chisim. Beyond her family, she has continued to follow the progress of seminarians and candidates, remaining in contact with them through letters, visits, and phone calls, particularly during moments of doubt or crisis.

Father Sanchaya Ignatius Chisim (no relation to Lobdine Chisim), rector of St. Paul’s Minor Seminary in Jalchatra, Tangail, credits the influence of the laywoman as decisive in his own discernment. Speaking to EWTN News, he said she first inspired him while teaching catechism classes during his school years.

“She encouraged me to enter the seminary and continued to guide me after I joined,” he said. “She gave me advice and counseling, and many times helped me financially while I was a seminarian.”

During vacations home from the seminary, Father Chisim recalled, she would regularly check on him. “She protected me like a mother and warned me against temptation. She played an important role in my becoming a priest, and I am grateful to her.”

Religious sisters from Mariamnagar Parish offer similar testimony.

Sister Mary Hima of the Associates of Mary, Queen of Apostles, now headmistress of St. Lawrence School in Dhaka, said she first encountered Chisim as a child in catechism classes.

“She inspired us to become sisters even then,” Hima told EWTN News. “When I later entered the formation house, she was very happy and continued to motivate me, saying that as a sister I would be able to serve very well.”

Hima said Chisim’s support did not end after first profession. During a difficult period in her early religious life, when she felt unable to confide in her community or family, she turned to Chisim for guidance.

“She gave me honest advice and counseling, which helped me continue my religious life with strength,” Hima said, adding that she remains deeply grateful.

Beyond individual discernment, Chisim has become a respected figure throughout her village. She regularly leads evening prayers and is known for encouraging priests, sisters, and laypeople to live faithfully and ethically.

Speaking to EWTN News, Chisim said her motivation comes from a simple conviction about the life of the Church.

“Priests and sisters provide wonderful service. They keep the Church alive,” she said. “That is why we need many of them.”

She explained that she offers financial assistance only to those pursuing religious vocations, not for marriage. “Many families live below the poverty line,” she said. “Some boys and girls lose enthusiasm because they cannot afford books, exam fees, or school costs. I help them as much as I can.”

Although she does not consider herself wealthy, Chisim said she finds peace in supporting vocations. “I spend less on the world so that I can help them,” she said.

Her role has even extended to assisting diocesan leadership. She recalled being asked by Bishop Ponen Paul Kubi, CSC, of Mymensingh to counsel seminarians struggling with hesitation shortly before ordination.

“I talk to them and encourage them to return to the seminary,” she said. “Many have continued and are now serving the Church beautifully.”

For those who know her, Chisim’s life stands as a testimony to the often-unseen power of lay witness — a vocation of fidelity that, quietly and persistently, has helped sustain the Church in Bangladesh.

Melkite Greek Catholic priest Father Marios Khairallah told ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News, that he returned to the Lebanese town of Tbenine on April 17 following the ceasefire that had come into effect. Entering the church, surrounded by shattered glass, he found the consecrated bread exactly where he had left it weeks earlier — unchanged despite the absence of people for 47 days. He described the discovery as a confirmation of God’s enduring presence amid suffering.

“After 47 days, there is no scientific explanation for why the bread did not spoil,” Khairallah said. “But for us, this is not strange, because we believe this is the body of Christ. This is our faith, it is neither new nor unfamiliar. We believe in God’s presence in the Eucharist.”

He said the story was a “message of hope for the parish,” adding: “It is true that there is destruction in Tbenine. But there is also an encounter with Jesus… Jesus waited for us for 47 days, without human presence.”

Khairallah also noted that a statue of the Virgin Mary remained standing amid the devastation, describing her as “the mother who awaits her children.”

Khairallah also spoke about the situation of residents, noting that the town is home to around 55 Melkite Catholic families who were forced to leave due to the war. After the ceasefire, some returned temporarily to retrieve clothes and belongings, while most are now staying with relatives, in rented apartments, schools, monasteries, or with friends.

The priest pointed out that aid remains almost nonexistent so far, except for assistance that arrived through a papal mission, while some individuals have helped provide medication.

He also praised the role of the apostolic nuncio to Lebanon, Archbishop Paolo Borgia, describing him as “a true shepherd and father who cares for everyone” and noting that “he does what no one else does, visiting us even under shelling.”

As for the town itself, he said it suffers from an almost complete lack of basic necessities: no water, no electricity, and no internet, along with harsh cold that worsens the already difficult conditions. He explained that most of Tbenine’s residents are of limited means: retirees, teachers, soldiers, and farmers with no affluent class able to absorb the impact of the crisis.

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

The online confrontation began after Sikorski responded to Sa’ar’s post apologizing for the destruction of the statue, which he called “grave and disgraceful.” Sikorski wrote that the IDF soldier “should be punished” and that “IDF soldiers themselves admit to war crimes. They killed not only civilian Palestinians but even their own hostages.”

Sa’ar condemned the response, describing the IDF as “a professional and ethical army” adding: “One should be cautious about making irresponsible statements that can ultimately lead to dangerous consequences.”

Catholic Church in South Korea surpasses major population milestone

South Korea’s Catholic population has surpassed 6 million people for the first time, according to statistics released by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea.

The numbers released on Tuesday indicated that while the total population of Catholics in the country did not change from the previous year at 11.4%, the total number of Catholics rose by 9,178 from the year prior to 6,006,832, according to a Seoul Economic Daily Report Thursday.

Jesus mosaic created by refugee fleeing Nazis to be preserved

A mosaic of Jesus created by a refugee of Nazi persecution will be preserved, along with the historic Catholic church it is housed in, according to The Tablet.

The mural depicting Jesus on the cross created by Jewish Hungarian emigre artist George Mayer-Marton in 1955 will remain at Holy Rosary Church in Manchester, England, after the Oldham Mural & Cultural Heritage Trust launched a plan to turn the church into an arts and culture center.

Report alleges violations during Syria cost-of-living protest

A report on the April 17 protest in Damascus, Syria, says a peaceful civic demonstration calling for better living conditions, anti-corruption measures, justice, and accountability was met by intimidation, incitement, and multiple violations, ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News, reported Sunday.

The “Justice for All” report said five people were injured, journalists were targeted in attacks, and a car attempted to drive into the protest, where between 900 and 1,200 Syrians staged a sit-in in Yusuf al-Azma Square.

The report also noted verbal threats against the protesters, who remained peaceful and carried only the Syrian flag, while some opponents used inflammatory slogans, filmed demonstrators, and challenged them over their political history. It urged independent investigations, prosecution of those responsible for incitement and abuse, stronger protections for journalists, and better safeguards for the right to peaceful assembly.

Beloved Italian missionary in Indonesia dies after five decades of ministry

Father Natalino Belingheri, the last surviving member of the first group of Italian missionaries assigned to Indonesia’s North Kalimantan province, has died.

“Thousands” of Indigenous Dayak in North Kalimantan attended Belingheri’s funeral, according to a Licas News report on Monday.

Belingheri, who was known locally by his Dayak name, “Wan Abung,” died April 10. He had been serving in remote areas across the northern province of Indonesia since 1977 and played a significant part in the establishment of the Diocese of Tanjung Selor in 2001, according to the report.

Catholic Nobel laureate urges Church not to ignore political prisoners in Belarus

Ales Bialiatski, a Catholic and Nobel laureate, is calling on Church leaders to intervene on behalf of political prisoners in Belarus in the wake of recent crackdowns on religious freedom.

“Western Church leaders and Vatican diplomats should be helping more against current restrictions,” Bialiatski told OSV News Thursday.

Bialiatski’s remarks come after the March 16 arrest of Father Anatoly Parakhnevich, a Catholic priest in the Archdiocese of Minsk-Mohilev, by KGB agents and the closure of his church.

Bialiatski has been detained multiple times, including in 2021 amid government crackdowns on nationwide protests following President Alexander Lukashenko’s contested election. “I know from my own experience how good it is to be free, with time to recover and rebuild oneself — and if I get to meet the pope, Iʼll inform him of our Churchʼs needs,” Bialiatski said.

Thailand Catholics mourn seminarians killed in car accident

A funeral for four teenaged boys, including two seminarians, in Thailand drew hundreds of attendees, according to a report from Licas News on Monday.

“With their character and faith, they were the hope of their families and of the Thabom community, who longed to see them become priests,” said Father Nicholas Sarawut Sahaikaen, rector of the Prince of Peace Seminary in Udon Thani, in his eulogy for the two seminarians. He noted that one of the boys had also applied to seminary but was unable to attend due to family circumstances.

At the packed event at the stadium on April 23, the Holy Father formally concluded his visit with Mass, closing a four-nation pastoral visit that took him to 11 cities in northern, central, and southern Africa.

“The time has come for me to say farewell to Equatorial Guinea and also to Africa,” Pope Leo XIV said at the end of the Mass, situating his departure within what he termed a grace-filled journey “that God has allowed me to make.”

He reflected on the significance of his April 13–23 encounters in Algeria, Cameroon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea, stating: “I carry from Africa an invaluable treasure of faith, hope, and charity.”

Those who spoke to ACI Africa at the concluding Mass expressed a comparable assessment, also characterizing Pope Leo XIV’s presence on the continent as a treasure.

‘A profound experience of faith’

For Father Jose Fernando Liso, 44, the defining takeaway lay less in the logistical success than in its spiritual benefits.

“I believe it has been a profound experience of faith,” he told ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa.

Situating the events of the papal visit within the collective effort of the clergy, women and men religious, and the lay faithful, the parish priest of St. Anthony Abad Parish of the Archdiocese of Malabo said the experience “has involved fatigue, hard work, ups and downs.”

Yet for Liso its real significance will be measured in its aftermath, he said,  emphasizing the virtue of responsibility.

“The responsibility, the growth of our nation as a Church and of our nation as a whole, depends on the responsible decisions that each of us … make,” he said, referencing a key theme he attributed to the Holy Father’s broader reflections during his maiden trip to Africa as pope.

Also at Malabo Stadium for the closing Mass was Maria Lourdes Ndong Esono, 57, who framed her experience through a recollection that links two papacies across decades.

“We were thrilled with the pope’s visit; it couldn’t have come at a better time,” she said.

Esono recalled “walking from Malabo to the airport to see Pope John Paul II” alongside her pregnant mother in February 1982 and expressing gratitude, adding: “Today I got to see Leo XIV.”

Encouragement amid loss and uncertainty

For Sister Gertrude Ehizokhale of the Sisters of Jesus and Mary, Pope Leo XIV’s impact was both affective and pastoral.

Having served in Equatorial Guinea for nearly two years, the native of Nigeria interpreted the papal visit through the lens of missionary presence and local context.

“I’m so happy because the pope came all the way from Rome to visit us,” she said.

Her reaction to the Holy Father’s homily focused on its motivational dimension: “His words … really gave me that more encouragement.”

More specifically, she pointed to the pope’s reference to the death, in controversial circumstances, of Father Fortunato Nsue Esono, vicar general of the Archdiocese of Malabo, just days before the arrival of the Holy Father in Equatorial Guinea.

For Ehizokhale, the pope’s words of consolation and call for truth and justice at the beginning of his homily functioned as a stabilizing intervention. “That encouraged us … [who] were a bit discouraged,” she said.

From the papal homily, she highlighted a call to generosity, “not to be attached to only to ourselves but to others also, learn to give” as well as a preferential concern for the poor, which she interpreted as a source of consolation and the assurance “that we have God on our side.”

Peace, joy, and national framing

Narciso Pedro Nsue, the president of Radio Maria Equatorial Guinea, situated the papal visit within a broader communicative and national context.

“The pope brings peace, joy, and hope to the entire country,” Narciso told ACI Africa.

He emphasized that Equatorial Guinea as “the only Spanish-speaking country in Africa,” suggesting that the presence of Pope Leo XIV in his native country carries representational significance beyond strictly ecclesial boundaries.

For 19-year-old Ricardo Bibang Bonsundi, a representative of the Bixió tribe who was at the stadium adorned in traditional attire, he attended “to extend greetings and welcome to the people and to Pope Leo XIV.”

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

The ministryʼs initial sale of the pro-life pillow raised roughly $40,000 shortly after they began, Schaefer told EWTN News. “With the sale of the pillow, we were featured in an article, and that’s how the first invitations to schools started to emerge in 2015.”

“So, itʼs been 11 years since weʼve been in schools,” Schaefer said. “Since that first presentation, all kinds of things have come forth: We have presented in eight different states, we are all over the state of Nebraska, we have developed a K-4 Celebration of Life program, a fifth through sixth program, a middle school, and a high school and beyond program.”

Founded in Omaha, Nebraska, Heart of a Child Ministries is growing into a multistate presence, with two new fetal certified educators in Illinois, one in Springfield and another set to be trained in Mokena in October. The organization also now has certified educators in Alabama and Idaho. 

Fetal development education for every level

Heart of a Child’s fetal development education brings live ultrasounds to classrooms in a way that is specially tailored to suit each grade level. Its K–4 program centers on “fun fetal facts for kids” and includes “all kinds of hands-on things,” such as a team of musicians who play songs, according to Schaefer. “The kids absolutely love it,” she said. “We’re just putting the joy of life in front of them.”

Having the foundation of a K–4 program is crucial, according to Schaefer. “It really solidifies the deal — it puts the truth in their hearts from the very beginning so that when the lies start coming in middle school through social media, through their friends, they’ve already seen an ultrasound; they’ve already learned all these amazing facts about what’s happening.”

Through middle school, the curriculum progresses with more detailed fetal development facts, adoption stories, and begins addressing the abortion issue. In high school, the live ultrasound and fetal development education is supplemented with more detailed information about abortion, a testimonial speaker, and a panel discussion.

The ministry’s first college event on March 30, sponsored by Turning Point USA, utilized this format. The event took place at Northeast Community College in Norfolk, Nebraska, and included a panel of two OB-GYN doctors, a representative for the abortion pill reversal (APR), Teresa Kenney, host of the Hormone Genius podcast, and other pro-life experts.

“We feel confident that when kids walk away from that, their hearts are changed, their hearts are moved, and we have the statistics to prove that,” Schaefer said, noting their events have had “a 56% conversion rate on average” among students regarding the topic of abortion.

Schaefer emphasized that the root of the program’s success is its holistic approach, acknowledging that each child processes information differently depending on age, personality, and maturity.

“Every piece that we do is extremely important because it hits kids at different levels,” she said. “Some kids are more logical, right? They want the facts. Some kids are more heart. They want to hear a testimonial for some from someone who had an abortion, and it affected them. That’s what’s going to touch their hearts.”

9 months of pregnancy for 9 months of school

Apart from its latest multistate expansion, Heart of a Child has also debuted a fetal development curriculum for teachers to implement in their classrooms year-round.

Titled “The Journey Within,” the teacher-led curriculum takes students through nine months of pregnancy during nine months of the school year, with posters, fetal development PowerPoints, ultrasound videos, studies, and images of babies in the womb.

A version of the curriculum is available for both public and Catholic schools and has been vetted by a medical panel for accuracy, Schaefer noted.

“For Catholic schools, we have a spiritual component where each month the teachers go through Scripture readings or a Church teaching, and the kids reflect on that, write about that, and go deeper,” she said. The faith-based curriculum operates under a “4S model” that incorporates Scripture, science, stories, and service. Each faith-based school that Heart of a Child presents to completes a service project, such as raising money to buy diapers for pro-life pregnancy centers.

Schaefer emphasized the importance of fetal development curriculum today, noting that “right now the buzz in pro-life education and the pro-life movement in general is that different states have passed a law requiring fetal development education.”

States that have laws requiring fetal development education in public schools include Tennessee, Idaho, North Dakota, Indiana, West Virginia, Iowa, and Ohio. Lobbying efforts in Nebraska to pass similar legislation have yet to be successful, Schaefer said, citing difficulty in finding a senator to prioritize a bill with precise language.

“We’ve been meeting with senators, and unfortunately the bill they came up with [had] the potential for a Planned Parenthood to get in there and do fetal development education because it was too loose,” she said. “So weʼve recommended the senators to go back and redo the language, and it might be where certain fetal development programs are required in the state of Nebraska.”

Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen has signaled his support of efforts to pass legislation requiring education on fetal development in Nebraska public schools, telling EWTN News in an interview earlier this year: “I am 100% behind it and am supportive of it.”

In a recent advocacy appeal, the organization called on Americans to contact their representatives in support of global food aid programs, emphasizing that such efforts reflect a commitment to human dignity, solidarity, and the common good. The House is expected to take up the farm bill (H.R. 7567) during the week of April 27.

“Hunger is a daily reality for families around the world — and the decisions Congress makes right now will shape the future of our global family,” the statement reads. “With the House vote approaching, a narrow window offers a critical opportunity to speak up.”

In an emailed statement to EWTN News, CRS emphasized that U.S. international food assistance — particularly Food for Peace — must remain strong and flexible as “around the world, needs are rising, and these programs are often the difference between families getting through a crisis or not.”

The organization said it is “particularly concerned about anything that would limit flexibility or reduce resources at a time when global hunger is already at historic levels.”

“Programs like Food for Peace have a long track record of saving lives,” it continued, “and it’s critical they remain well funded and able to adapt to complex emergencies.”

It added that in “fast-moving crises, delays or limitations can mean families go without food when they need it most” and framed the issue more broadly: “At its core, this is about human dignity. Hunger isn’t just a policy issue — it’s a moral one.”

“CRS is encouraging both Catholics and policymakers to keep the needs of the most vulnerable at the center of these decisions,” the organization said.

The push comes as lawmakers will decide whether to vote on more than 300 amendments to the legislation, revealing sharp disagreement over whether the bill should focus primarily on domestic nutrition programs or maintain a significant role in global humanitarian food assistance.

Much of the debate has centered on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the nation’s largest anti-hunger initiative. Some proposed changes would tighten eligibility requirements, alter benefit structures, or restrict the types of foods eligible for purchase, including sugar-sweetened beverages and ultra-processed foods. Other proposals would expand access through measures such as universal school meals, increased nutrition incentives, and additional support for food-insecure communities.

Together, the competing proposals highlight differing visions for federal food policy — whether it should be narrowly focused on alleviating hunger or also used to influence dietary outcomes and public health.

Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-Pennsylvania, chair of the House Agriculture Committee, has led Republican negotiations on the bill, while Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minnesota, the committee’s ranking Democrat, has served as the lead Democratic negotiator.

In a statement shared with EWTN News, a House Agriculture Committee aide for Thompson said the “Food for Peace program has a long history of helping both American farmers and hungry communities around the world.”

“The House Committee on Agriculture was proud to include a provision in the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 that designates the United States Department of Agriculture as this program’s permanent home,” the statement continued. “Chairman Thompson continues to advocate for this program in the halls of Congress as debate on the farm bill advances.”

Craigʼs office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Catholic teaching frames hunger as global responsibility

Catholic organizations have long emphasized that hunger policy extends beyond national borders, a theme reflected in recent advocacy surrounding the farm bill.

In February, a joint Catholic letter to Congress from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), CRS, Catholic Charities USA, Catholic Rural Life, and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul urged lawmakers to strengthen both domestic and international food assistance programs.

The letter highlighted initiatives such as Food for Peace, which provides U.S. food aid abroad; McGovern-Dole Food for Education, which supports reducing hunger and improving literacy and primary education in low-income countries; and Food for Progress, which helps developing nations strengthen agricultural systems.

The letter’s emphasis on global responsibility reflects broader Catholic teaching on hunger, echoed in recent remarks by Pope Leo XIV.

Speaking at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Rome for World Food Day in October 2025, the pope noted that “whoever suffers from hunger is not a stranger. He is my brother, and I must help him without delay.”

He expanded on that theme more recently while speaking to reporters aboard the papal flight returning from Africa on April 23, reflecting on the responsibility of wealthier nations to address conditions in poorer regions of the world.

“I ask myself: What are we doing in richer countries to change the situation in poorer countries?” he said. “Why can we not try, both through state aid and through the investments of large wealthy companies and multinationals, to change the situation in countries like those we visited on this visit?”

I ask myself: What are we doing in richer countries to change the situation in poorer countries?”

Pope Leo XIV

Faith-based organizations, including CRS, have pointed to such statements in urging policymakers to maintain international food assistance as part of U.S. humanitarian leadership.

Amendments reflect long-standing debates

Several amendments reflect long-standing debates — often highlighted in Catholic advocacy — over how U.S. policy should balance domestic nutrition programs with international hunger relief.

An amendment by Rep. Jim Costa, D-California, would increase funding for the administration of Food for Peace, a program that provides U.S. food aid abroad, often using uses American agricultural commodities.

Introduced by Reps. Gregory Meeks, D-New York, and Pramila Jayapal, D-Washington, another amendment would extend Food for Peace through 2031 and expand its scope to address child wasting, a severe form of malnutrition, through the use of specialized therapeutic foods.

Other amendments focus on domestic programs such as one introduced by Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tennessee, that would expand allowable SNAP purchases to include sliced meats and cheeses from delis.

Reps. Kim Schrier, D-Washington, and Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, proposed creating a grant program under the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) to support purchases from small and undeserved agricultural producers for distribution through emergency feeding organizations.

The House Rules Committee is set to decide April 27 whether to allow floor votes on any of the amendments.

Expert highlights food system links

Speaking more broadly about the farm bill debate, Stephanie Scott, a senior policy analyst at the Georgetown Center on Poverty and Inequality, said domestic nutrition programs and international food assistance are more closely linked than they are often treated in policy discussions.

“I think when it comes to the food priorities for both domestic and international, they’re kind of the same in what we as a nation would like,” she told EWTN News, noting that programs such as SNAP and international food aid both function as core tools for addressing hunger.

Scott said international food assistance programs also respond to crises driven by conflict, climate shocks, and economic instability, and raised concerns about whether funding levels are sufficient to meet rising need both domestically and abroad.

“Prioritizing international food security,” she added, “is not only a human right and a basic need but a strategic one.”

Wendy Duffy told the New York Post she paid $13,500 to the Swiss assisted-dying nonprofit the Pegasos clinic.

Duffy’s son, Marcus, died at age 23 four years ago after choking on a tomato lodged in his windpipe while sleeping. Nine months later, unable to cope with her grief, she attempted suicide by overdose and was placed on a ventilator for two weeks.

She told the Daily Mail suicide is the only way her “spirit can be free.” She also said no amount of medication or therapy can make her whole again, and she “can’t wait” to die. She added: “I could step off a motorway bridge or a tower block but that would leave anyone finding me dealing with that for the rest of their lives.”

She said she has chosen her deathbed outfit and requested that Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ “Die With A Smile” play as she dies. Her belongings will be donated afterward.

Duffy said she plans to call her four sisters and two brothers from Switzerland to say goodbye. “It will be a hard call where I’ll say goodbye and thank them,” she said. “But they will get it. They know. Honestly, 100%, they know that I’m not happy, that I don’t want to be here.”

Assisted suicide is legal in Switzerland, even for physically healthy people. On its website, Pegasos says it “believes that it is the human right of every rational adult of sound mind, regardless of state of health, to choose the manner and timing of their death."

Duffy’s case follows the recent death by euthanasia of 25-year-old Noelia Castillo in Spain. On March 26, the young woman was euthanized over her father’s objections. The case sparked national debate in Spain, where euthanasia has been legal since 2021.

The Church in Spain called Castillo’s death “a societal defeat.”

In a statement, members of the Spanish Bishops’ Conference’s Subcommittee for the Family and Defense of Life said Castillo’s “story reflects an accumulation of personal suffering and institutional failings that challenge the whole of society.”

Timeʼs up for right-to-die bill in UK

Meanwhile, a right-to-die bill has stalled in the U.K. Parliament. The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill ran out of parliamentary time and therefore failed in the House of Lords on April 24.

The archbishop of Liverpool, John Sherrington, said he was grateful to “all those Parliamentarians who have worked tirelessly to preserve the dignity of every human life and ensure that end-of life care remains rooted in compassion and respect until the natural end of life.”

The Catholic Church teaches that suicide and euthanasia are gravely immoral.

In a 2024 message to a palliative care symposium, Pope Francis called euthanasia “a failure of love.” He recalled when he said previously that assisted suicide and euthanasia constitute a “false compassion.”

“‘[C]ompassion,’ a word that means ‘suffering with,’ does not involve the intentional ending of a life but rather the willingness to share the burdens of those facing the end stages of our earthly pilgrimage,” he said.

In St. John Paul II’s 1999 address to the Pontifical Academy for Life, “Love and Solidarity for the Dying,” he said: “No one can arbitrarily choose whether to live or die; the absolute master of such a decision is the Creator alone.”

In his 1995 encyclical Evangelium Vitae, he said: “suicide ... involves the rejection of love of self and the renunciation of the obligation of justice and charity towards one’s neighbor … In its deepest reality, suicide represents a rejection of God’s absolute sovereignty over life and death.” Euthanasia is likewise condemned as “a grave violation of the law of God.”

He also calls euthanasia “a false mercy, and indeed a disturbing ‘perversion’ of mercy. True ‘compassion’ leads to sharing anotherʼs pain; it does not kill the person whose suffering we cannot bear.”

He continued: “Moreover, the act of euthanasia appears all the more perverse if it is carried out by those, like relatives, who are supposed to treat a family member with patience and love, or by those, such as doctors, who by virtue of their specific profession are supposed to care for the sick person even in the most painful terminal stages.”

While the Church says euthanasia and assisted suicide are never permissible, it supports palliative care. According to Dian Backoff, former executive director of Catholic Hospice for Catholic Health Services, palliative care is meant to address “what the whole patient wants during the treatment of an illness,” whether or not the patient is terminally ill or dealing with a long-term affliction.

“Palliative care, then, is a genuine form of compassion, for it responds to suffering, whether physical, emotional, psychological, or spiritual, by affirming the fundamental and inviolable dignity of every person, especially the dying, and helping them to accept the inevitable moment of passage from this life to eternal life,” Pope Francis said in 2024.

The U.S. Department of Justice said on April 24 that it was moving to once again “seek, obtain, and implement lawful capital sentences,” restarting the federal death penalty process that had been indefinitely stalled under the Biden administration.

Among the measures that the Justice Department said it will take include “expanding the protocol to include additional manners of execution such as the firing squad” as well as “streamlining” administrative processes to hasten executions by the federal government.

The government said it would also seek to restart carrying out lethal injections by pentobarbital, a barbiturate that prisoner advocates have said can cause extreme pain and suffering when used in executions.

In an accompanying report released on April 24, the Justice Department called pentobarbital “the gold standard of lethal injection drugs.” It described the drug as “more humane” than other modes of execution and pointed out that it has been used in assisted suicide procedures in the U.S. for those suffering from terminal illnesses.

Pope Leo XIV urges abolition of death penalty

The governmentʼs announcement came roughly at the same time on April 24 that Pope Leo XIV addressed, via video message, a gathering of activists at DePaul University celebrating the 15th anniversary of the abolition of the death penalty in Illinois.

The pope in his message noted that the Catholic Church teaches that “the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person."

The Holy See updated the Catechism of the Catholic Church in 2018 to explicitly call for the abolition of capital punishment worldwide. Leo likewise told the pro-life advocates in his hometown of Chicago that the Church “affirm[s] that the dignity of the person is not lost even after very serious crimes are committed.”

The Holy Father said he joined the advocates in celebrating the stateʼs 2011 abolition of the death penalty; he wrote that he offered his “support to those who advocate for the abolition of the death penalty in the United States of America and around the world.”

“I pray that your efforts will lead to a greater acknowledgement of the dignity of every person and will inspire others to work for the same just cause,” the pope wrote.

Leoʼs message comes one day after he spoke out forcefully against executions aboard the papal plane returning from his apostolic visit to Africa.

Asked about Iranʼs reported large-scale executions, the pope said: “I condemn the taking of people’s lives. I condemn capital punishment. I believe that human life is to be respected and that all people — from conception to natural [death] — their lives should be respected and protected.”

Barr, a Catholic, said because Iranʼs potential use of nuclear weapons posed a legitimate threat to the U.S., Europe, and the Middle East, the war doesnʼt violate just war doctrine.

Barr said the Iran war doesnʼt clearly violate just war doctrine during an April 23 panel discussion hosted by the Napa Institute.

“The traditional position of the Church was to exhort leaders to take into account all the factors, but not to say, ‘thatʼs wrong’ unless it clearly violated the just war doctrine, which this obviously doesn’t,” Barr said.

‘If we allow this window to go by’

Barr, a former board member at the Catholic Information Center,  said the U.S. faces “difficult questions dealing with nuclear weapons” and argued that allowing the window of opportunity to dismantle Iranʼs nuclear capabilities to pass by would result in grave consequences.

“If somethingʼs obviously out of bounds, you can say the Nazis, you know, should not have invaded this, or, you know, Saddam Hussein should not have invaded Kuwait. But thatʼs not the situation we face,” he said.

“We face these very difficult questions dealing with nuclear weapons,” Barr said. "We’ve tried for a long time to deal with it, and if we allow this window to go by, the costs in the future are much higher, and the likelihood will be that the people won’t be willing to pay that, and nuclear weapons will be deployed by Iran.”

“Youʼre basically weighing these imponderables and risks,” he said. “If the cost of dealing with it later and allowing them more time to reach a certain level of conventional force will make it almost impossible to deal with it without massive losses, including in Europe, certainly in the Middle East and certainly among Americans, then those future costs have to be taken into account and say thereʼs a window now.”

“When youʼre faced with some of these difficult issues, itʼs very easy to stand back and say, turn the other cheek, or take an absolutist position [that] ‘you shouldnʼt be violent,’” Barr said. “But that begs the question, that doesnʼt really solve the problem, and deal with the real issue at stake that other people have to deal with.”

Barr also said he believed “the primary temptation of religious people is self-righteousness,” which he said Pope Francis “was very good to call attention to.” He said he has seen Catholics on both ends of the political spectrum fall into “virtue signaling,” which he said, “is not coming to grips with the real moral choices and the real practical reality.”

Reflecting on his upbringing, Barr said his father got him interested in St. Augustine, the fourth- to fifth-century theologian who developed criteria morally limiting when war may be justified.

“My parents always said, ‘Think things through, donʼt just take your belief like itʼs a suit off a rack in a store and say, ”OK, Iʼm putting this coat on, this is what I believe.“ Understand why you believe it,’” he said.

Barr’s remarks come as Leo calls for peace and Church officials question the justification of the war on the basis of just war doctrine. Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., Cardinal Robert McElroy have said they do not believe the war fits just war criteria.

Leo has said the Iran war fails to align with just war theory, citing failure to exhaust all diplomatic resources, disproportionate civilian harm, and lack of clear moral objectives. The U.S. bishops have publicly backed Leo, stating that just war teachings do not morally authorize unchecked military violence.

Popes seldom issue blanket rulings but Pope Benedict XV made clear World War I lacked moral legitimacy given its scale, civilian toll, and lack of proportionate ends. Pope John Paul II warned the Gulf War did not meet just war criteria. And the Vatican also formally stated in 2003 the Iraq invasion failed just‑war standards.

Pope Leo XIV urges peace

The Holy Father has said “God does not bless any conflict” and said that “anyone who is a disciple of Christ, the Prince of Peace, is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs.”

On Palm Sunday, Leo stated that Jesus “does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them, saying: ‘Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen: Your hands are full of blood.’”

The Trump administration defunded Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers for one year; this letter asks the Senate to continue this defunding for 10 years.

Signed by Live Action Founder Lila Rose, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser, March for Life Action President Jennie Bradley Lichter, and more than 30 others, the letter urges the Senate to ban abortion funding in the 2026 budget reconciliation package.

“Without further congressional action, federal funding for the abortion industry will resume after July 4, 2026, and taxpayer dollars will once again flow to organizations whose core business model relies on abortion,” the letter read.

“The financial stakes are significant,” the letter continued. “Planned Parenthood alone receives over $830 million annually in taxpayer funding, primarily through federal health programs. Ending this funding would represent one of the most meaningful pro-taxpayer reforms Congress can enact.”

Pennsylvania court rules state Medicaid program must cover abortion

A Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court ruled that the state constitution guarantees a right to abortion and that state Medicaid funds must cover abortion.

The April 20 decision struck down a decades-old law that protected taxpayer money from being used to cover abortion through Medicaid.

The case could still be appealed to Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court.

In addition to Pennsylvania, 21 states in the U.S. use Medicaid funds to cover abortion, and an additional seven states sometimes do in certain circumstances.

Pennsylvania joins 12 other states that have enshrined a right to abortion in their state constitutions.

In Pennsylvania, abortion is legal through 23 weeks of pregnancy.

U.S. senator urges Federal Trade Commission to investigate ‘misleading’ claims by abortion drug groups

Sen. Jim Banks, R-Indiana, urged the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate abortion drug manufacturers’ claims that the drugs are “safer than Tylenol.”

In an April 20 letter to FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson, Banks asked the commission to investigate “misleading” claims made by those selling abortion drugs, as the trade commission can intervene in “deceptive trade practices.”

“Many online clinics — including online clinics that ship to women in Indiana — explicitly state on their websites that abortion drugs are safer than Tylenol,” Banks said. “Others claim that abortion drugs almost never cause serious complications.”

“At best, these statements are misleading,” Banks continued.

“Emerging evidence indicates that abortion drugs are more dangerous than manufacturers and dispensers claim and cause serious medical complications in a concerning number of cases,” Banks said.

Banks urged the commission to “act swiftly and without delay,” noting that “companies that profit from abortion drugs should be honest about their risk.”

Thousands gather for Virginia March for Life

Thousands of Virginians gathered for a March for Life on Wednesday in Richmond, Virginia.

Speakers included national March for Life President Jennie Bradley Lichter, leaders from the American Association of Pro-Life OB-GYNs, and the Catholic dioceses of Richmond and Arlington, among others.

On the day of, The Family Foundation Action, which partnered with other organizations to host the March for Life, also held a training session for pro-lifers designed to equip them to talk about abortion.

“We had about 1,000 people attend the training, which is remarkable,” Victoria Cobb, president of The Family Foundation of Virginia, told EWTN News. “We had four different trainings: one for ministry leaders, students, medical professionals, and pro-life activists. Attendees were thrilled to be equipped to be more than just a voter but an influencer.”

Richmond Bishop Barry Knestout led the closing prayer of the rally before the march.

“Father, we ask you for grace today, for all those entrusted with the responsibility of leadership in our commonwealth, that they have the courage to turn away from the darkness of the culture of death and turn toward the light of the Gospel of life,” Knestout prayed.

The event, held April 19–22 at the Manresa Ignatian Spirituality Center, brought together participants from Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Haiti in addition to the Dominican hosts.

The meeting served as an opportunity to discuss the prevention of abuse, taking into account its pastoral, psychological, and legal dimensions, according to a statement from the Dominican episcopate.

Archbishop Héctor Rafael Rodríguez of Santiago de los Caballeros, president of the Dominican Bishops’ Conference (CED, by its Spanish acronym), emphasized that “as evangelizers, we must ensure safe environments where every person, especially the most vulnerable, is respected.”

“Written protocols are not enough unless they are embodied in concrete attitudes,” the prelate emphasized.

Furthermore, Auxiliary Bishop Lizardo Estrada Herrera of Cusco, Peru, secretary-general of the Latin American and Caribbean Bishops’ Council (CELAM, by its Spanish acronym), stated that “the prevention of abuse in the Church is neither a strategy nor an option; it is a commitment of the Gospel.”

Therefore, the bishop added, “it is fundamental that we commit ourselves to working together on prevention and on the protection of the most vulnerable.”

Auxiliary Bishop José Amable Durán Tineo of Santo Domingo, president of the Dominican bishops’ National Commission for Pastoral Ministry for the Culture of Care, encouraged continued work in the region, “applying the knowledge acquired under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.”

The Latin American and Caribbean Network for the Culture of Care is composed of bishops and delegates from the offices, commissions, and councils of bishops’ conferences as well as other Latin American ecclesial bodies, the statement from the CED noted.

It was formed during the first meeting held in Chile in 2023. Its second meeting was held in Colombia in 2024, and its third meeting took place in the Dominican Republic in 2025. The network serves as a vehicle to coordinate abuse prevention within the Church.

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 diocese announced the rollout of “Maria” this month. It describes the tool as a means of “thoughtfully exploring how new technologies can support more attentive listening, more consistent communication, and more personal engagement with those we serve.”

Bishop Frank Caggiano says on the programʼs website that the digital tool will “help us discern how technology may support deeper connection and accompaniment.”

“Maria will help us learn how digital tools can deepen our listening and foster more personal responses, while always keeping human relationships at the heart of the Church’s mission,” he said.

Ethical safeguards, ‘huge potential’

On the April 15 edition of his weekly podcast “Let Me Be Frank,” Caggiano jokingly described himself as “technologically a Neanderthal,” but he expressed excitement that the tool could be used “not just to raise money but to evangelize.”

Speaking on the podcast to diocesan chancellor Deacon Patrick Toole, who spent years as an executive with the technology giant IBM, Caggiano asked if an AI agent can “ever get to the point where it could resist human control.”

Toole acknowledged that such a scenario was “possible,” though he noted that AI companies institute “huge safeguards” to ensure that AI personalities are trained properly.

The deacon said that the diocesan chancery has been holding discussions about “how to use artificial intelligence for the good of the mission” and that diocesan fundraising “seemed like a good opportunity to try it in an area where we donʼt have the resources.”

“My primary motivation was that weʼre doing so many really exciting things and itʼs hard to get the message out,” he said.

Emily Groccia, a vice president at the tech company Givzey, which helped design Maria, said on the podcast that the program was rolled out to 1,000 donors in late March.

She said part of the toolʼs programming will be to “graduate” donors to actual human workers under some circumstances, such as when someone wants to significantly upgrade a donation, or if they raise intimate personal questions better addressed by a fellow human being.

“We are very cautious on allowing our [AI] to engage in lines of conversation that are outside of those traditional fundraising conversations,” she said.

The bishop said that AI fundraising represents “huge potential” for the nearly 200 dioceses in the United States. But he stressed the need for “guidelines” to ensure that AI agents do not take the place of human beings.

“Just off the top of my head, if someone reveals a death, I would not want the assistant to respond at all,” he said. “I want a human person to respond. ... Because again, as a Church, weʼre a unique reality.”

Diocesan spokeswoman Marie Oates shared with EWTN News several examples of Mariaʼs interactions with local Catholics. In one, a parishioner expresses interest in volunteering with immigrants, for which Maria was able to provide information on local Catholic Charities immigration services.

In another, a mother asks Maria for opportunities to get involved in diocesan programs with “other moms like me.” Maria offers to connect the mother to parish programs with mothers' groups and family ministries.

Oates said both interactions “highlight our goal for the program,” which she said focuses on “using AI [not] as a way to replace human relationships but as a tool to help us connect more personally.”

“[We want to use] AI to bridge the gaps in our ability as a Church to communicate directly with everyone, with the goal of fostering more personal and human connection and interaction, so that we as humans can better accompany each other,” she said.

On the bishopʼs podcast, meanwhile, Toole said that Catholics “have the opportunity to bear great fruit” with AI technology “as long as we align it to the One and make sure we stay true to that with Christ at the center.”

Caggiano described AI innovation as representing “an epochal shift in human life” comparable to the development of the printing press.

“Thereʼs no one on Earth alive — even these great architects of [AI] — who really know where all of this will go,” he said. “We need to answer the question, where should it go?”

NIAW runs from April 19–25, bringing attention to the high numbers of people — now 1 in 6 globally — who experience infertility at some point in their lives, according to the World Health Organization.

Snead, a fellow at The Catholic Association, tackles the topic in her book “Infertile But Fruitful: Finding Fulfillment When You Canʼt Conceive.” Through her story and the stories of other women, she wrote the book to be “the voice of a friend who has been where you are now and made it through in one piece.”

Snead said the book was “a chance for me to add to the growing conversation and awareness about infertility, especially among Catholics for whom in vitro fertilization (IVF) (the standard ‘cure’ for infertility) is not an option.”

In an interview with EWTN News, Snead shared her perspective and offered encouragement and advice for couples navigating the grief of infertility.

EWTN News: What might people not know about infertility?

Leigh Snead: For sure, how many people are suffering from it. For good reasons, this is a particularly private cross — it involves the most intimate parts of your marriage, for one. But marriage is public, and people can easily see if you do or donʼt have children, or, in most cases, whether or not youʼre expecting.

There is a lot of hard stuff experienced in silence and even shame. It might be hard to understand if you havenʼt been through it, but it can feel almost humiliating when you canʼt conceive and so you tend to slap on a smile and pretend nothing is wrong.

Itʼs too bad when we give in to this temptation to isolate ourselves from others who really only want to help. Yes, their concern can feel like even more pressure on top of what you may already be feeling internally, but you should open yourself up to their prayers.

In the same way, pray for married couples and couples you think might be carrying the cross of infertility, even before they ask you.

What do you wish you knew when you began navigating infertility, and what would you tell couples who are going through it now?

I wish I hadnʼt overlooked and underestimated the relief and comfort I could have received by being more open about my physical and emotional struggles when facing infertility. The more I kept it a secret, the more shameful it all felt, which led to isolation and even more secrecy and shame.

Privacy is one thing, but purposefully forgoing the love and prayers of those who only care for you out of shame over something you have little to no control over — nothing good can come of that.

What steps can couples who are going through infertility take?

Seek good medical care that aligns with your values. Learn and develop a good understanding of what the Church teaches, especially about the prohibition of IVF. Understand the “why” — not just the fact that itʼs “not allowed.” Communicate with each other and make time to enjoy your marriage even though youʼre struggling.

Bear this burden together. Find parish support groups or a group online. Pray together and choose a saint to accompany you. Youʼre probably going to feel and think some dark things, so frequent confession, spiritual direction, and counseling is a good idea.

What does the Catholic Church offer couples who struggle with this? What do you think the Church can do to further help them?

The teachings on marriage, sexuality, and procreation the Church gives us are such a gift, but we need to be reminded of them regularly. Iʼd like to see more priests and seminarians become fluent in the language of Catholic infertility. I think making a discussion about the possibility of infertility should be included in marriage prep courses.

The Catholic infertility ministry Springs in the Desert is a great resource not only for those carrying the cross of infertility but for those, like priests, hoping to support them.

What advice do you have for couples who are being pushed to try IVF and other methods that do not align with Church teaching?

Seek medical care from a doctor who respects or, even better, shares your views on marriage, sexuality, procreation, and human dignity. This is true for whatever type of medical care you may be seeking and is not limited to fertility care. If you feel mistreated by your physician, just walk out. There is another doctor out there who will provide you with the care you deserve.

You and your husband eventually became parents though adoption. What would you want people to know about adoption?

I think itʼs important to keep in mind that infertility and adoption are not to be lumped together, and I try to not conflate the two in my work. Thatʼs not always easy for me because I have four beautiful sons through the great gift of adoption.

Not everyone with a diagnosis of infertility will be called to adopt a child. There are so many ways to be fruitful! We shouldnʼt limit our idea of a fruitful marriage to the raising of children, and no one should feel obliged to adopt because theyʼre unable to conceive. And if they donʼt hear that call to adopt it does not mean that they didnʼt “really” want a child, or that they arenʼt suffering.

In a similar fashion, adoption fulfilled my call to motherhood but the arrival of my sons did not “cure” my infertility, nor did it take away the scars infertility can leave behind. Itʼs one of those messy parts of life where you feel all the feelings at once.

During HHS budget discussions on Wednesday, Sen. James Lankford, R-Oklahoma, pressed Kennedy about assisted suicide, noting that in several states, disability groups have filed lawsuits saying that their assisted suicide laws are discriminatory.

“Disability groups are filing against some of the assisted suicide laws because it seems to target those with disabilities and the Americans with Disabilities Act passed in 1990: That act has worked to protect those with disabilities, not incentivize them to take their own life,” Lankford said.

“We’ve now seen a rise of people with eating disorders that are given access to assisted suicide, and this is just wrong a multitude of ways,” Lankford added.

“What is HHS doing to protect those with disabilities that may be targeted by those assisted suicide laws?” Lankford asked.

“To me, I think those laws are abhorrent,” Kennedy responded. “And we just see in Canada today, I think the No. 1 cause of death is assisted suicide, and as you say, it targets people with disabilities and people who are struggling in their lives.”

Euthanasia is the fifth-leading cause of death in Canada, accounting for an estimated 1 in 20 deaths in Canada. The country is currently considering expanding medical assistance in dying (MAID) to individuals whose sole underlying condition is mental illness.

In the United States, assisted suicide is legal in 12 states and Washington, D.C. A recently-compiled database found that at least 14,000 Americans have died by assisted suicide since 1997; the actual number is likely much higher because not all states provide data.

“I don’t think we can be a moral society — we can’t be a moral society around the globe if that becomes institutionalized throughout our society,” Kennedy told Lankford. “So, I am happy to work with you in whatever way we can.”

Three ongoing lawsuits allege that their state’s assisted suicide laws are discriminatory against people with disabilities.

Most recently in December 2025, several disability and patient advocacy groups filed a lawsuit alleging that Delawareʼs new assisted suicide law discriminates against people with disabilities.

The Delaware lawsuit maintained that “people with life-threatening disabilities” are at “imminent risk” because of the new law.

“Throughout the country, a state-endorsed narrative is rapidly spreading that threatens people with disabilities: Namely, that people with life-threatening disabilities should be directed to suicide help and not suicide prevention,” the lawsuit read.

“At its core, this is discrimination plain and simple,” the lawsuit continued. “With cuts in health care spending at the federal level, persons with life-threatening disabilities are now more vulnerable than ever.”

In another recent lawsuit in July 2025, United Spinal v. Colorado, a coalition of advocacy groups claimed that Colorado’s assisted suicide law is unconstitutional because it allegedly discriminates against those who suffer from disabilities.

In 2023, a similar California lawsuit challenged California’s assisted suicide law, saying it puts people with disabilities at greater risk.

The panel was part of an April 22 event, “Shoulder to Shoulder: Strengthening Jewish-Catholic Friendship at a Moment of Crisis,” cosponsored by the college and the Coalition of Catholics Against Antisemitism.

Featured speakers on the panel included Yarden Zelivansky, an active reserve sergeant in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and a Jewish convert to Catholicism; Gideon Lazar, an American Jewish convert to Catholicism; and Aviva Lund, a Catholic of Ashkenazi Jewish descent.

The panel was moderated by Coalition of Catholics Against Antisemitism founding member Simone Rizkallah and Peter Wolfgang, president of the Family Institute of Connecticut Action.

Gen Z and Jewish-Catholic Relations

Observing an uptick in antisemitism among Catholics online, Lazar pointed to Gen Z’s reticence to accept arguments rooted in “brotherhood” or theological similarities between Catholics and Jews.

Lazar said Gen Z men are looking for answers related to theological and political differences, and that when arguments fail to address these differences, “what they’re hearing is you don’t have answers to their questions.”

“Gen Z men in many ways see a culture that has failed them, and they’re looking for answers and feel that because the older generations failed them, they don’t have those answers,” Lazar said.

“When Gen Z men don’t get those real answers,” he said, “theyʼre going to get them from random antisemites online who have quote-mined a bunch of random Church fathers to make the Church fathers and the tradition look antisemitic.”

He further condemned the weaponization of the phrase “Christ is King,” saying “one of the worst things that’s happened is this beautiful message, the kingship of Christ, has been corrupted by people who are fundamentally opposed to Christ.”

“How are we possibly supposed to tell our Jewish brothers and sisters that Jesus is their Messiah when we tell that to them, they think that means you hate us?” he said. “This should be a message of love.”

Being a Jewish Catholic convert in Israel

Zelivanksy, who co-hosts “The Voice of Jacob” podcast with Lazar, shared that his experience being a Jewish convert to Catholicism living in Israel has been “mostly surprisingly benign.”

“It seems to me that especially since Oct. 7, [2023], thereʼs been a shift in how Israelis view what kind of makes you a part of the nation of Israel,” Zelivansky said, explaining even if Israelis disagree with your theological position, he said, it is more important to them that “you do what everybody else does to be a part of the nation of Israel.”

“I canʼt say life is too complicated for me as a Christian. Generally, people seem to just not really care,” he said, noting that his IDF gear and car are marked with the Jerusalem cross.

“A lot of the problems people speak of in Israel are kind of centered in Jerusalem,” said Zelivanksy, who lives just outside Tel Aviv. “My friends who live in Jerusalem do experience some of the spitting and the cursing that you hear about, but Iʼve never experienced it anywhere else.”

Zelivansky, who attended the conference virtually after his flight was delayed due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, also offered his view as a Catholic regarding the war.

“Faith comes first. Faith informs morals. Morals inform politics," he said. “And serving in a certain countryʼs military certainly does not entail agreeing with every single policy.”

“I wouldnʼt say itʼs my place to comment on politics,” he said. “I would say that we all need to inform ourselves on current events that are relevant to us and examine them in the light of faith and not examine faith in the light of politics, which is something that tends to happen a lot, left and right, these days.”

Jewish-Catholic identity

During her remarks, Lund said embracing her Jewish roots as a cradle Catholic among her extended Jewish family has been a mostly positive experience, noting: “From my experience, Jews are not evangelical. They just care about their own people.”

“For me itʼs honestly kind of been an evolution,” she said. “The way I approach it now is basically our Jewish brethren are our brethren, theyʼre our older siblings, and so, we might as well just enjoy them as fellow human beings.”

Lund said her Jewish roots have influenced her Catholic faith, because “the more I meet Jewish brethren, the more I deepen into the mystery of Jesus, especially with evangelizing.”

Sister Francis Domenici Piscatella was born on April 20, 1913, on Long Island.

“My whole mind is [on] God. He has kept me going all these years,” she told Fox 5 News.

“God gives us a certain amount of years to live, and we try to live out that number of years,” the nun told Fox News. "I’ve given up counting my years. I never really thought I would get to be that age.”

Sister Piscatella, a member of the Sisters of St. Dominic of Amityville since 1931, has dedicated 94 years of her life to the service of the Church. “I wanted to be someone important to the sisters,” she remarked, although those who know her attest that she has had a profound influence on generations of students and religious alike.

A life marked by faith and resilience

The nun lost part of her left arm at the age of 2 in an accident, but it did not prevent her from pursuing her vocation. “I had to show them that the fact that I had only one arm didn’t in any way impede me,” she told Channel 7 Eyewitness News.

“No one ever had to help me. If anyone helped someone else, I was the one who did the helping,” she said.

“I always ran to church and prayed all the time,” she recalled, highlighting the role of faith in her life.

She was a teacher for 52 years. At Molloy College in Rockville Centre, New York, she taught geometry, drawing perfect circles on the blackboard with her one good arm.

A testimony that inspires generations

Those who know her highlight her tireless spirit. Even at the age of 110, she continued performing household chores and attending Mass daily. “I hope you saw something good about this old lady,” she said humbly.

During Sister Piscatellaʼs lifetime, there have been 10 popes, 20 U.S. presidents, two world wars, and several pandemics. According to Guinness World Records, she became the world’s oldest nun following the passing of the Brazilian religious Inah Canabarro Lucas.

During the celebration of her 113th birthday, she said: “It’s very kind of everybody who came and made this such a lovely day.” She even received a proclamation from Pope Leo, the 10th pontiff to be elected in her lifetime.

With a life that continues to bear fruit, Sister Piscatella has become a living symbol of persevering faith and quiet service, leaving an indelible mark on the Church and on those who have passed through her classrooms.

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 White House said in March that it would go ahead with the planned sale of Oak Flat to Resolution Copper, a transfer that the coalition group Apache Stronghold has been fighting for roughly half a decade.

The Native American group has attempted several times to have federal courts block the sale, which it says violates the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Those efforts peaked in October 2025 when the U.S. Supreme Court denied an appeal by the group to have its case heard.

Yet on April 22 the religious liberty law firm Becket said Apache Stronghold filed an amended lawsuit in U.S. district court, with senior attorney Luke Goodrich claiming that the federal government “rushed the Oak Flat transfer through under cover of darkness” in order to avoid “meaningful judicial review.”

"That was as illegal as it was brazen," Goodrich said, urging the court to "rescind the illegal transfer and protect the freedom of Western Apaches to continue worshipping at Oak Flat for generations to come.”

In addition to claims of violating both the First Amendment and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, the suit alleges that the transfer violates the 1852 Treaty of Santa Fe struck between the Apaches and the U.S. government.

The Indigenous coalition has garnered support from major Catholic backers in its religious liberty bid. In 2024 the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) joined an amicus brief arguing that lower court decisions allowing the sale of Oak Flat represent “a grave misunderstanding” of religious freedom law.

The Knights of Columbus similarly filed a brief in support of the Apaches, arguing that the decision to allow the property to be mined applies an “atextual constraint” to the federal religious freedom law with “no grounding in the statute itself.”

Resolution Copper was aiming to start exploratory drilling at the Oak Flat site in mid-March, according to a March 15 letter filed at the Supreme Court by an attorney for the company.

This is the first time that the top EU court found an infringement of Article 2 of The Treaty of the European Union, which contains the values on which the union is founded and are shared by all the member states, including Hungary.

Several of the amendments of the Hungary law, the CJEU said, “constitute a coordinated series of discriminatory measures” against “the rights of non-cisgender persons — including transgender persons — or nonheterosexual persons,” the judges argued. The problematic parts are also against respect for human dignity, equality, and human rights, “including the rights of persons belonging to minorities,” according to the decision.

The Hungary law contained amendments strengthening penalties against pedophilia, protecting minors, as well as limitations on promoting LGBTQ and gender-related issues and themes for minors, mainly in schools.

The law was passed by outgoing Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who has been in power since 2010 and lost recent elections held on April 12. It was the European Commission, one of the main institutions of the EU, that brought an action for “failure to fulfill obligations” before the Court of Justice.

The court also lamented “the offensive and stigmatizing nature of the amending law” as well as “discrimination based on sex or sexual orientation,” and “a preference for certain identities and sexual orientations to the detriment of others.” 

Moreover, the court underlined “a particularly serious interference with several fundamental rights” such as private and family life and found a breach of the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) as well as the right to the protection of data.

Orbán reacted to the decision saying: “Our patriotic government protected Hungarian children from aggressive LGBTQ propaganda. Brusselian empire now strikes back.” The politician promised he would “not give up the fight for the soul of Europe!”

The Hungarian Conservative media outlet noted that “Western mainstream media and politicians welcomed the ruling,” while “many right-wing activists and political commentators criticized the court’s decision.”

The case “raises great concerns about whether courts are narrowing the space” for “states to legislate on moral or child-protection grounds,” a global network of natural law scholars said in response to the ruling. 

The International Society of Natural Law Scholars also noted that the courtʼs ruling exposes a “tension between national authority over education, culture, and family policy” on one hand and “supranational enforcement of rights and nondiscrimination norms” on the other.

Some have questioned the timing of the ruling, coming shortly after the parliamentary elections in Hungary. The winning party, Tisza, is led by former government insider Péter Magyar, who is expected to succeed Orbán.

Hungarian analysts told the National Catholic Register on April 10 that Magyar was a conservative, while others suggested he may bring “dangerous trends,” leading to “worse legislation” in favor of “abortion, euthanasia, and LGBTQ issues.”

The Hungarian Conservative also noted that “the future of the child protection law remains unclear” as Magyar largely avoided speaking about the gender issues during his campaign but said after his election: “Everyone can live with whoever they love as long as they do not violate laws and are not harmful to others.’”

The research released April 23 found that Christianity has experienced some of the largest losses of followers due to religious switching, when people identify with a different religion in adulthood than they were raised in as a child, compared with other faith groups around the world.

The U.S. data in the report, “Catholicism Has Lost People to Religious Switching in Many Countries, While Protestantism Has Gained in Some,” comes from the Center’s 2023-24 U.S. Religious Landscape Study (RLS). The international data comes from surveys conducted by Pew in spring 2024.

The global data that analyzed 24 countries was from Pew’s international surveys conducted via telephone or face-to-face interviews. Pew has conducted more than 800,000 interviews in over 110 countries. The margin of sampling error is based on individual countries’ research.

Religious switching impact on Catholicism

Religious switching has affected Catholicism and Protestantism, two of the largest Christian subgroups, in differing ways. Catholicism has lost more people than it has gained in almost all the countries surveyed, whereas Protestantism has seen a net gain from religious switching.

Despite losses from religious switching, Catholics still make up the majority of the population in eight of the 24 nations Pew surveyed, including Poland (92%), the Philippines (80%), Italy (69%), Mexico (67%), Peru (67%), Hungary (63%), Colombia (60%), and Argentina (58%).

In 12 of the 24 surveyed countries, most of the population was raised Catholic and many adults still identify with the faith today. For example, 96% of Polish adults were raised Catholics. Of the group, 92% still identify with the religion, with 4% reporting they have left Catholicism.

Hungary also experienced a slight loss with 57% of the population identifying as lifelong Catholics and only 2% reporting that they left the Church.

But overall, more people left Catholicism than joined it in 21 of the countries. People who leave Catholicism tend to join Protestantism or disaffiliate from religion altogether, the report said.

Disaffiliation was found to be especially common in parts of Europe and Latin America, including Chile, where 19% of all adults who are former Catholics identify as atheist, agnostic, or “nothing in particular.”

In comparison, in Kenya, Brazil, Ghana, Nigeria, and the Philippines, former Catholics are more likely to have joined Protestantism than to have become religious “nones,” the report said.

Other adults have left the Church, with former Catholics making up 10% or more of the total population in 15 countries.

In Italy, 22% of adults said they were raised Catholic but no longer identify as such, and an additional 1% were not raised Catholic but entered the Church. The nationʼs Catholic population experienced a net loss of 21% due to religious switching.

In the United States, 30% of adults surveyed reported they were raised Catholic and only 17% remain Catholic. An additional 2% who were not raised Catholic reported they entered the Church, for a total of 19% of U.S. adults who are Catholic.

Impact on other religions

Similar to Catholics, former Protestants also make up a large share of the population in many countries. In nine of the 24 countries analyzed, the group was found to make up 10% or more of the population.

In several countries, more people have joined Protestantism than have left it, with the religion having a net gain from switching in almost as many places as it has seen a net loss. Adults who leave Protestantism tend to become religiously unaffiliated, the report said.

Most of the countries where Protestantism has had net gains are in Latin America, including in Brazil where 15% have joined Protestantism and 6% have left. Most Brazilians who reported switching into Protestantism were former Catholics.

A jury in Alameda County Superior Court on April 22 awarded the eight-figure settlement to an unidentified John Doe amid ongoing bankruptcy proceedings brought by the Oakland Diocese.

The law firm Jeff Anderson and Associations said in a press release that the settlement was “the first case to reach a jury verdict under the California Child Victims Act.” The law, passed in 2019, opened a three-year window for alleged abuse victims to file claims outside of the standard statute of limitations.

The allegations brought by the John Doe in Oakland concerned Father Stephen Kiesle, a priest who has faced multiple abuse allegations dating from the 1970s. The victim said Kiesle abused him during that decade.

Kiesle pleaded no contest in 1978 to lewd conduct involving two boys, for which he received probation, while in the early 2000s he was sentenced to six years in prison after pleading no contest on charges of molesting a girl near Sacramento.

Kiesle was charged in 2022 with vehicular manslaughter and drunk driving after a crash that killed a man in Rossmoor, California. He pleaded no contest to those charges in 2023 and was sentenced to more than six years in state prison.

The Diocese of Oakland says on its list of credibly accused priests that Kiesle was removed from ministry in 1978 and laicized in 1987.

In November 2024 the Oakland Diocese said it would pay up to $200 million as part of a major abuse settlement. The diocese filed for bankruptcy in May 2023.

The bankruptcy filing put nearly all abuse lawsuits against the diocese on hold, though several were allowed to proceed to trial, including the John Doe suit settled on April 22.

The Cristero War, also known as the “Cristiada,” was an armed conflict that erupted in 1926 after President Plutarco Elías Calles tightened the enforcement of the anticlerical articles contained in the 1917 constitution.

This was done through the so-called Calles Law, which imposed severe restrictions on religious life. In response, on July 31, 1926, the Mexican bishops suspended public worship throughout the country. Subsequently, the federal government responded with an intensified persecution of Catholics.

According to the Mexican Bishops’ Conference, there were “more than 200,000 martyrs who gave their lives defending their faith: children, young people, and the elderly; peasants, laborers, and professionals; priests, religious, and laypeople.”

‘Defend your faith by knowing it better’

During the 120th plenary assembly of the Mexican bishops, held from April 13–17, one of the topics addressed was the Cristero War.

In an interview with ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, Noriega explained that the Catholic Church is currently engaged in a “plan to recover the memory” of the war, with the aim of reflecting on “the significance” of the Cristiada “at that time, and the implications it holds for our own time.”

The bishop recalled that many who died remained “faithful even to the point of risking their lives.”

He lamented that, 100 years later, it appears that for many Catholics “the religious principles governing our lives are not as solid” and therefore emphasized the need to strengthen formation in the faith and in the events that forged the Church in the country.

In that context, he said the call that those who defended the Catholic religion at that time would make today is: “defend your faith by knowing it better.”

He said Catholics should use this knowledge to reflect on how to prevent history from repeating itself so that “it will no longer be necessary to take up any kind of arms to defend religious freedom, to defend the principles and values ​​that define us.”

Finally, the bishop called for the recognition — with admiration — of those “individuals who gave their lives, who confronted these situations that were touching and upending the very depths not only of a belief but of life itself.”

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.

Bill C-218, the Right to Recover Act, introduced last year by Conservative member of Parliament Tamara Jansen, is a private member’s bill that would prohibit the expansion of medical assistance in dying (MAID) to individuals whose sole underlying condition is mental illness.

Under current federal law, that expansion is scheduled to take effect March 17, 2027. Parliament was expected to debate the bill earlier this month, but its order of precedence in the House of Commons has been pushed back, and no new date has been set.

In the April 20 letters, Leo reminded the prime minister and parliamentarians that a society “is rightly judged” by how it cares for its most vulnerable members and said many Canadians are “increasingly troubled” by the expansion of MAID since it was legalized in 2016.

Since then, nearly 100,000 lives have been ended by medically assisted death as eligibility criteria have broadened beyond the original framework that restricted MAID largely to those facing a reasonably foreseeable death.

“Our Catholic faith opposes the taking of any life, and it is with great disappointment and anguish that we have seen our country expand MAID at a rapid and alarming rate,” Leo wrote.

Assisted suicide and euthanasia, he said, are “contrary to the dignity of the human person.”

Leo and the Archdiocese of Toronto are leading the nationwide Help Not Harm campaign, which is encouraging Canadians to write to their MPs in support of Bill C-218.

“We are encouraging parishes and the faithful to continue their efforts through the month of April and until a date for the vote is announced,” Neil MacCarthy, director of public relations and communications for the archdiocese, told The Catholic Register earlier this month.

By mid-April, about 5,000 letters had been sent through the Help Not Harm online portal.

“There is growing anxiety that the normalization and expansion of assisted suicide risks undermining a culture of compassion, weakening investments in palliative support, and diminishing the collective commitment to accompany those suffering,” Leo wrote.

He is also calling on Carney to allow Liberal MPs a free vote when C-218 comes before Parliament.

“This legislation raises profound questions of conscience that transcend partisan alignment and touch on deeply held moral, ethical, and spiritual convictions,” Leo wrote. “I ask you to choose life and not death; to help build a civilization that cares for those suffering and does not eliminate them, but instead surrounds them with dignity, compassion, and love.”

He also asked the prime minister and Justice Minister Sean Fraser to “consider measures that restrict any further expansion of assisted suicide in Canada and instead prioritize investments in palliative care, mental health support, and resources for those who are increasingly marginalized and isolated, especially seniors and Canadians living with disabilities.”

This story was first published by Canadaʼs The Catholic Register and is reprinted here with permission.

In a recently published updated end-of-life guidebook, the Catholic bishops of New York state outlined the Catholic Church’s teaching on assisted suicide as well as what care is morally obligatory or morally optional.

The updated pamphlet, “Now and at the Hour of Our Death,” is designed “to simply explain the moral principles of Catholic teaching with regard to end-of-life decision-making and to outline the options that exist in New York state for advance care planning,” according to its introduction. The pamphlet also encourages Catholics to appoint proxies who are informed on their values to make medical decisions should they be unable to make them.

“Medical advances bring with them new and complex questions with regard to medical treatments and moral decision-making,” the introduction to the guidebook reads.

The guidebook specifically addresses the moral problem of assisted suicide but also goes into detail about other important end-of-life decisions.

“Assisted suicide is the voluntary termination of one’s own life using physician-prescribed chemicals or drugs that will cause death. It is considered active euthanasia,” the guidebook reads. “Our Church warns us in no uncertain terms that this practice is objectively immoral and must be avoided, despite the false veil of compassion with which it is sold.”

What types of medical interventions are morally required for Catholics?

Basic lifesaving medical interventions, such as feeding tubes, are generally considered morally obligatory by the Catholic Church, according to the bishops’ guidebook.

The bishops distinguish between these morally required “ordinary” medical interventions and “extraordinary” or morally optional interventions. Determining which is which requires “the weighing of benefits and burdens expected for each individual.”

“This is not just a pragmatic decision of costs and benefits but a moral decision that affects our spiritual health,” the bishops say of end-of-life decisions.

The bishops note that “we must always accept (and others must provide) ordinary medical means of preserving life.”

“Ordinary means are those that offer us a reasonable hope of benefit and would not entail excessive burden on us, our family, or the community,” the bishops continue.

The pamphlet goes into the distinction between “ordinary” and “extraordinary” treatments and its connection to assisted suicide.

“The immorality of directly intending and bringing about our own death or of assisting in the death of another by intentional action is self-evident,” the bishops state. “Decisions can become much more complex, however, when we contemplate the removal or withholding of medical treatment, such as a ventilator or dialysis.”

“Withholding ordinary care with the intention of causing death is considered passive euthanasia and is always gravely contrary to God’s will,” the bishops continue. “But Catholics are not morally bound to prolong the dying process by using every medical treatment available. Allowing natural death to occur is not the same as killing.”

But the bishops note that “extraordinary treatments” are “considered morally optional.”

“For example, it would be permissible for a cancer patient to forego a particularly aggressive and expensive treatment if the patient judged the survival rate too low and the pain of the treatment too great a burden,” the bishops say.

The bishops emphasize that the distinction can be complex and encourage Catholics to seek guidance in these decisions.

“Weighing the burdens and benefits of particular medical treatments for each individual requires us to apply the virtue of prudence, using practical reason to discern the true good and choose the right path,” the bishops say. “Because such decisions are often sensitive and complex, Catholics may wish to seek guidance from a priest, chaplain, or ethicist whose counsel is informed by Church teaching.”

For instance, the bishops note that there is an obligation “in principle” to always provide patients with food and water, including when patients require medical assistance or have irreversible conditions. The bishops also note that this moral standard can have exceptions in extreme cases, such as “when death is imminent” or if the gastric tube causes severe side effects; even then, hydration and nutrition should be provided to the extent possible.

“It is never permissible to remove a feeding tube, or any other form of life-sustaining treatment, based on a belief that the patient’s life no longer holds value or with the intention to terminate the patient’s life,” the bishops state.

How should Catholics make important medical decisions?

The bishops emphasize that the guide “is by no means a substitute for prayer.”

“Determining if and when a particular treatment can morally be withheld or withdrawn should be done collaboratively with the patient or surrogate, family members, health care providers, and spiritual adviser,” the bishops say.

The bishops encourage Catholics to plan in advance and ensure that surrogate decision-makers, a legal standard in New York, will honor “your values and beliefs.”

The bishops recommend the health care proxy as “the most morally appropriate advance care planning tool in New York state.” The New York State Catholic Conference referred New York Catholics to fill out a government form that enables citizens to appoint a trusted loved one to make health care decisions and also to include instructions for their proxy.

Dennis Poust, executive director of the New York State Catholic Conference, noted that the original issue of the guidebook has been a useful tool “for more than 15 years.”

“Our hope is that many thousands more Catholics in the years to come will find ‘Now and at the Hour of Our Death’ to be a useful guide in what is by nature a very stressful time,” Poust said. “We urge Catholics to read the booklet and familiarize themselves with Catholic teaching on these issues and the options available in New York now, before they or their loved ones are facing a health crisis.”

The situation on the Canary Islands, arising from pressure caused by immigration from Africa, was behind Pope Francis’ desire to visit the islands; this wish will now be fulfilled by his successor, Pope Leo XIV, who will visit the islands June 11–12 as well as Madrid and Barcelona on June 6–10.

The bishop of Tenerife, Eloy Santiago, acknowledged that the fact that the archipelago serves as “Europeʼs southern frontier — the point of arrival for immigration coming from the African continent” — is a reality “that often overwhelms us.”

“We lack the human and economic resources to address this dramatic reality. We feel powerless in the face of this deadly Atlantic route,” Santiago explained during a meeting with the press.

Since the arrival of the first boat carrying two immigrants from Africa in 1994 and over the course of more than three decades, thousands of people — generally young men — have reached the shores of the Canary Islands in search of a future. Thousands of others have drowned in the attempt.

The Holy Father’s visit will signify “support and motivation“ and will ”draw attention to this sad drama,” the bishop of the Diocese of Tenerife added.

The bishop of Canary Islands (which include the islands of Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, and La Graciosa), José Mazuelos, also expressed his hope that “the Holy Father will shed light on the matter, to see if it is possible to put an end to the Atlantic route,” although he also noted that the popeʼs presence in the islands is pastoral in nature and encompasses other aspects of the life of the Church.

“It’s not as if the pope is coming to the Canary Islands to use the issue of migration as a stick to politically beat one side or the other,” he emphasized.

Mazuelos also suggested that for many people “you’d have to put them on a ‘cayuco’ (a large, flat-bottomed wooden boat) spending five days in the Atlantic, day and night, without food so that they can see when [the migrants] get here what it is that we’re doing,” he said in reference to those who criticize the Catholic Church’s work of welcoming migrants, protecting them, and integrating them into society.

Mazuelos noted that if the countries of origin receive development aid intended to help them eliminate the causes that lead so many to leave their homes, “we must hold them accountable, and we must crack down on the mafias.”

Furthermore, he expressed support for “seeking ways for migrants to come to work through alternative channels.” He cited as an example that during the second half of the 20th century, Spaniards legally emigrated to central European countries “with their proper work papers.”

He mused about whether this same outcome could be achieved regarding African migration, though he acknowledged that this approach is “a bit idealistic.”

Caya Suárez, secretary-general of Caritas for the Diocese of Canary Islands who was present at the meeting, said that “the pope’s visit is not only a recognition of the welcome extended but also a call to prayer for the victims who have lost their lives on the Atlantic route,” a figure she estimated is more than 19,000 people since 2020.

Awaiting details on Pope Leo XIV’s visit

Regarding Leo XIV’s visit to the Canary Islands, where so far the celebration of two large Masses has been confirmed, Mazuelos expressed his conviction that personal testimonies will be shared during at least one of the gatherings, as one of the Catholic Church’s priorities is to “put a human face” on the reality of migrants.

The island of El Hierro, part of the Diocese of Tenerife, is one of the places in the archipelago where this reality has become most palpable. Just last year, 25,000 migrants arrived to a local population of 9,000 inhabitants.

The prelate, aware that “the people of El Hierro are eagerly anticipating” the possibility of a visit from the pope, realistically pointed out that given the timing and the necessary logistics, “while not impossible,” it will be “difficult” for such a visit to take place.

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.

Priests who do not want to carry out such blessing celebrations for homosexual marriages or remarried divorced people must refer the couples to the dean or other staff.

A letter from the cardinal, which Die Tagespost reported on Monday, indicates that the handout should be “the basis of pastoral care” and beginning in June, various offices within the archdiocese are to offer further training as to the design of the blessing celebrations for all full-time officials in pastoral care.

Marx emphasized that "the blessing is not the celebration of a sacramental marriage.” However, this does not mean that the blessing of a non-sacramental union, which in many cases is already a civil marriage, moves the couple to the margins of the community and the Church.

According to Tagespost, Marx instructed that the "theological meaning" of the text be explained to all those "who still struggle with this blessing.”

The handout “Blessing Gives Strength to Love” is the result of a process that emerged from a vote at the Synodal Way. In March 2023, the fifth synodal meeting adopted the text of the handout with 92% of the votes. The Joint Conference of the German Bishops' Conference (DBK) and the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK) presented the text of the handout in spring 2025.

In the Church in Germany, the handout is highly controversial. Official recommendations were issued by the dioceses of Limburg, Osnabrück, Rottenburg-Stuttgart, and Trier. However, the Archdiocese of Cologne and the dioceses of Augsburg, Eichstätt, Passau, and Regensburg all rejected the application and referred to Fiducia Supplicans for justification.

According to Fiducia Supplicans, the Vatican declaration on the pastoral meaning of blessings issued by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (formerly the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, or CDF) in December 2023, blessings of connections in irregular situations and of homosexual couples are possible — although the CDF claimed the opposite only two years earlier.

Paragraph 31 of the document states that the form of the blessings may not be "ritually determined by the ecclesiastical authorities ... so as not to cause confusion with the blessing of the sacrament of marriage.”

According to paragraph 38, one should neither promote the blessing of couples who are in an irregular situation nor provide a ritual for it. Blessings according to No. 39 are expressly excluded “in direct connection with a civil celebration.” Also “the clothes, the gestures, and the words that are the expression for a marriage” are therefore to be refrained from.

Numerous bishops — including entire bishops' conferences — have rejected the Vatican approval of blessings for same-sex unions. Thus, there is a struggle for direction in the Church between those who adhere to the Church’s traditional teaching on homosexuality and those who consider blessings of same-sex couples to be possible in principle — whether in the form outlined by the Vatican or in the form that is largely common in Germany.

The Catholic Church in the catechism, basing its teaching in sacred Scripture and tradition, distinguishes between homosexual inclinations or tendencies and homosexual acts, calling such acts “intrinsically disordered” and contrary to natural law. “They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved,” the catechism says in No. 2357.

The Church at the same time strictly forbids discrimination against homosexuals, saying they must always be accepted with “respect, compassion, and sensitivity.” Furthermore, the Church calls persons with same-sex attraction to chastity — as all are called to according to their state in life — and to “fulfill God’s will in their lives” (No. 2358).

According to Catholic doctrine, marriage is exclusively the union of one man and one woman, and their union has a twofold end: “the good of the spouses themselves, and the transmission of life” (No. 2363). The catechism says these two values of marriage may never be separated.

This story was first published by CNA Deutsch, the German-language sister service of EWTN News, and has been translated and adapted by EWTN New English.

SPLC, an organization that reports it fights “white supremacy and various forms of injustice,” faces charges including 11 counts of wire fraud, false statements to a federally insured bank, and conspiracy to commit concealment money laundering. SPLC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

While there has been overlap with Catholic advocacy over the years on social and economic justice issues such as racial justice and advocacy concerning conditions in immigration detention centers, the SPLC has also taken positions that many Catholic institutions strongly dispute. SPLC has labeled some Catholic organizations as “hate groups.”

The U.S. attorney for the middle district of Alabama issued the April 21 indictment. The FBI and the Internal Revenue Service investigated.

“The SPLC allegedly engaged in a massive fraud operation to deceive their donors, enrich themselves, and hide their deceptive operations from the public," Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel said.

While "vowing to dismantle violent extremist groups," SPLC "actually turned around and paid the leaders of these very extremist groups,” Patel said.

According to the indictment, in the 1980s the SPLC began operating a network of individuals who were associated with, or who infiltrated, violent extremist groups at the SPLC’s direction. Donors were unaware that donations were funding the organizers of the same racist and extremist groups that the SPLC reported it was denouncing.

Prosecutors said that between 2014 and 2023, the SPLC funneled more than $3 million in donated funds to individuals associated with various extremist groups including the Ku Klux Klan, Aryan Nations, National Socialist Party of America (American Nazi Party), and United Klans of America. No Catholic groups were mentioned in the indictment.

According to the indictment, the scheme was intended to obtain money via donations through materially false representations and omissions about what the funds would be used for.

In order to pay the individuals, the SPLC allegedly opened bank accounts connected to a series of fake entities such as “Fox Photography” and “Rare Books Warehouse” that were used to send money from donors to informants. The SPLC then made a series of false statements related to the operation of the accounts, the indictment alleges.

“The SPLC is manufacturing racism to justify its existence,” said acting Attorney General Todd Blanche when announcing the indictment. “Using donor money to allegedly profit off Klansmen cannot go unchecked.”

U.S. Attorney Kevin Davidson said this "kind of deception undermines public trust and social cohesion.”

Patel added that it is an “ongoing investigation against all individuals involved.” The DOJ reported a conviction will result in the forfeiture of financial gains from the alleged illegal activities.

Labeling Catholics and Christian groups

In recent years, SPLC has been accused of unfairly labeling Christian organizations as “radical.”

In July 2025, the House Judiciary Committee found documents that revealed the FBI “put more federal law-enforcement resources into surveilling Catholics than previously known.”

The committee’s report found that several internal FBI documents used the terms “radical traditionalist catholic” or “Radical-Traditionalist Catholic” between 2009 and 2023. An FBI internal database contained at least 13 documents that used these terms that all cited the SPLC.

Also, in 2021, critics of SPLC said the organization had become extreme after it released its 2020 “census of hate groups,” which included numerous pro-life and family organizations such as the Ruth Institute.

After being classified by SPLC as a hate group, a spokesperson for the Ruth Institute said, “our credit card processing company dropped us. Businesses refused to work with us. People scattered, thinking we were radioactive.”

“What the Southern Poverty Law Center did to us was a mere inconvenience in comparison to the harm they have done to our country. The indiscriminate application of the ‘hate’ label, the ratcheting up of rhetoric — all this has contributed to the polarized and toxic atmosphere we now experience,” according to Jennifer Roback Morse, Ruth Institute president.

Along with the Ruth Institute, Christian organizations Alliance Defending Freedom, a legal advocacy organization defending religious liberty, and Family Research Council, a nonprofit promoting family values, were also both designated as “Anti-LGBTQ hate groups" by SPLC for their stances on marriage and family.

This story was updated at 5:15 p.m. ET on April 22, 2026, to include a statement from the Ruth Institute.

The prelate succeeds Bishop Peter Fabbro in leading the Diocese of London. Fabbro’s resignation was accepted upon reaching the age of 75, the mandatory retirement age for bishops.

After expressing his gratitude for the trust placed in him by the Holy Father for the new role, Miehm stated: “In this Easter season, as the Church celebrates the resurrection of Christ, we are invited to deep faith, trust in God, and hope in the promise of new life. It is in such a spirit that I embrace this new chapter in my continued service to the Church.”

“I ask your prayers for me, for all those I have served in Peterborough and for those whom I will meet and serve in my episcopal ministry in the Diocese of London,” the prelate added in a statement from the Diocese of London.

Fabbro, who served at the helm of the London Diocese for 24 years, said that Miehm “is a strong, compassionate leader with outstanding pastoral instincts and the wisdom to guide our diocese into the future. Under his episcopal leadership, the Diocese of London will be in very capable hands.”

Miehm will be installed as the new bishop of London on June 29, the solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, at St. Peter’s Cathedral Basilica in London.

Who is the new bishop of London?

Miehm was born on Aug. 27, 1960, in Kitchener, Ontario. He studied philosophy at St. Jeromeʼs University in Waterloo, Ontario, and theology at St. Augustineʼs Seminary in Toronto. He earned a licentiate in canon law from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas in Rome, according to the Vatican Press Office.

He was ordained a priest on May 6, 1989, for the Diocese of Hamilton, Ontario.

He has held the following positions, among others: vicar of the Cathedral of Christ the King; defender of the bond at the ecclesiastical tribunal of Hamilton; pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes in Hamilton (1998–2004) and of St. Ann in Ancaster (2004–2012); and pastor of St. Benedict in Milton, as well as spiritual assistant to the St. Thomas More Lawyers' Guild (2012).

He was appointed auxiliary bishop of Hamilton on Feb. 20, 2013, receiving episcopal consecration on May 7 of that year. On March 10, 2017, he was appointed bishop of Peterborough, where he served until now.

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.