Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin this week stressed the need for “more voices of peace, more voices against the madness of the rush toward rearmament” after several weeks of U.S.-led strikes against Iran have reportedly resulted in thousands of casualties and have raised the specter of a sustained global war.

The two countries agreed to a temporary ceasefire on April 7 while negotiations play out, but the agreement has been marred by subsequent Israeli strikes in Lebanon as well as disputes over Iranʼs reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global shipping route whose closure upended global markets and sent oil prices skyward.

Before the ceasefire, U.S. President Donald Trump had threatened the annihilation of the “whole civilization” of Iran if the country failed to accept U.S. terms — a vow that drew an explicit rebuke from Pope Leo XIV.

“Attacks on civilian infrastructure [are] against international law [and are] also a sign of the hatred, the division, the destruction that the human being is capable of,” the pope said after Trumpʼs threat. “We all want to work for peace. People want peace.”

“I would invite citizens of all the countries involved to contact the authorities, political leaders, congressmen, to ask them, tell them to work for peace and to reject war,” the Holy Father said.

U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops President Archbishop Paul Coakley also condemned the threat, arguing on April 7 that such rhetoric “cannot be morally justified.”

Coakley at the time "call[ed] on President Trump to step back from the precipice of war and negotiate a just settlement for the sake of peace and before more lives are lost.”

‘A victory for the United States of America’

Amid rebukes from Catholic leaders around the world, U.S. leadership has celebrated both the military action and the ceasefire that came after Trumpʼs apparent willingness to destroy Iran, a threat that critics said pointed to the potential deaths of millions of civilians.

In a release on April 8 after the ceasefire was announced, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth called the ongoing actions in Iran a “decisive military victory.”

"President Trump forged this moment," Hegseth said. "Iran begged for this ceasefire — and we all know it.”

The terms of the ceasefire are themselves in dispute, leaving open the question of whether military action will resume before the two-week window expires.

Iran has argued that the Israeli strikes in Lebanon violated the agreement. The U.S. government, meanwhile, said Iran agreed to reopen the critical Hormuz Strait amid ongoing peace negotiations, but United Arab Emirates industry minister Sultan Al Jaber said on April 9 that the strait has not been fully reopened.

Still, U.S. officials have continued to boast of the success of the mission. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine said on April 8 that coalition forces “achieved the military objectives” they set out to accomplish in Iran, including the destruction of much of Iranʼs military forces.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt similarly called the campaign “a victory for the United States of America,” one that “the president and our incredible military made happen.”

The putative victories after sharp criticism from Catholic leadership come as tensions between the U.S. and the Vatican appear to be strained.

On April 6 the Free Press reported that the government in January summoned then-Apostolic Nuncio Cardinal Christophe Pierre to the Pentagon, allegedly delivering to the diplomat a “bitter lecture” demanding that the Holy See “take [the United States'] side” in global military conflicts.

An official with the Department of Defense told EWTN News in a statement on April 9 that the Free Press report was “highly exaggerated and distorted.”

“The meeting between Pentagon and Vatican officials was a respectful and reasonable discussion,” the statement said. “We have nothing but the highest regard and welcome continued dialogue with the Holy See.”

The apostolic nunciature in the United States of America on April 9 also confirmed the meeting, saying in a statement that Pierre visited the Pentagon on Jan. 22 and that the cardinal “discussed current affairs” with U.S. officials.

“Meetings with government officials are a standard practice for the nuncio, who serves as the Holy See’s ambassador to the United States,” the nunciature said. “The apostolic nunciature is grateful for the opportunities to meet and dialogue with government officials and others in Washington to discuss areas of mutual concern.”

Vice President JD Vance, himself a Catholic, was asked about the report on April 8 while in Hungary. He told media he would “like to talk to Cardinal Christophe Pierre and, frankly, to our people, to figure out what actually happened.”

“I think itʼs always a bad idea to offer an opinion on stories that are unconfirmed and uncorroborated, so Iʼm not going to do that,” the vice president said at the time.

Pierre retired in March; Pope Leo XIV subsequently appointed Archbishop Gabriele Giordano Caccia to replace him. Caccia has thus far been silent about the Iran conflict, though in the recent past he has been an open critic of war and an outspoken proponent of peace.

Shortly after the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, he told the United Nations Security Council in October 2023 that war “is always a defeat,” and he lamented the “lasting end to the cycle of violence that has engulfed” the Holy Land.

U.S. leaders have justified the Iranian conflict by alleging that the Middle Eastern country represents a threat to the U.S. and to global peace. Ahead of the ceasefire, Secretary of State Marco Rubio argued that Iran was “violating every law known” by allegedly striking commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

He described the country as “a regime that doesnʼt believe in laws or rules or anything like that.”

Parolin, meanwhile, this week called for “more voices raised in favor of our poorest brothers and sisters” and urged the Catholic world — including Catholic universities — to seek out “new economic models inspired by justice.”

"I am struck by how much determination ... with which the military option is presented as decisive, almost inevitable,” the cardinal said.

Almost half of Planned Parenthood’s revenue came from taxpayer dollars, even as abortion services increased and other services dwindled, according to the groupʼs 2024-2025 annual report. Notably, Planned Parenthood also registered a net loss of revenue for the first time in recent years.

In response to the report, advocates for unborn children are renewing their call to permanently defund Planned Parenthood.

Abortion a priority for Planned Parenthood

The all-time high abortion count is an 8% increase from the previous year, about 32,000 more abortions than the previous year. The number does not include telehealth chemical abortions, which are a growing percentage of all abortions.

Planned Parenthood’s other services like preventative care, pap tests, and cancer screenings all decreased from the previous year, continuing a decade-long trend, according to a report by the Charlotte Lozier Institute, a research and education group that advocates for unborn children and mothers.

The recent annual report is “consistent with long-term trends,” Michael New, a Charlotte Lozier Institute scholar and Catholic University of America assistant professor, told EWTN News.

“During the past 10 years, the number of abortions performed by Planned Parenthood has increased by over 34%,” New said. “Meanwhile, cancer screenings fell by more than 42% and prenatal services declined by more than 55% during the same time period.”

“They perform nearly 40% of the abortions that take place in the United States,” New added. “Abortion is a very large revenue source for them so it is unsurprising they prioritize abortions while cutting back on some health care services.”

Tessa Cox, another senior research associate at the institute, noted that “over the past decade, abortions, government funding, and total revenue soared, even as the number of clients served has declined and total services have stagnated.”

Dr. Christina Francis, who heads the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, said that “an organization that touts death as health care and a main driver of their services can hardly be expected to be taken seriously as a health care provider.”

"With each annual report, Planned Parenthood proves itʼs more concerned with planning abortions than promoting the beauty and strength of motherhood,” Francis told EWTN News.

Advocacy goals: Defunding Planned Parenthood

In spite of the decline in other services, more taxpayer funding continues to go to Planned Parenthood.

In 2023-2024, the abortion provider received more than $830 million in government grants, contracts, and Medicaid reimbursements — about $40 million more than the previous year. This was a 50% increase from 2014, or 10% when adjusted for inflation.

New noted that “Planned Parenthood is heavily dependent on taxpayer funding.”

“It is unsurprising that after they were made ineligible for federal Medicaid money starting in fiscal 2026, approximately 50 Planned Parenthood facilities ceased operations,” New noted.

Advocates for unborn children agree: Defunding Planned Parenthood is a priority, especially in light of the report.

“Defunding Planned Parenthood remains an important policy goal for pro-lifers,” New said.

Though the movement to defund Planned Parenthood saw some success last year, President Donald Trump’s budget only defunds abortion providers for one year.

“Pro-lifers should encourage President Trump and congressional Republicans to pass a 2027 budget that prevents Planned Parenthood from receiving federal Medicaid dollars,” New continued. “That said, cutting funding to Planned Parenthood may not have a large impact on the incidence of abortion in the short term due the increasing prevalence of telehealth abortions.”

Noah Brandt, a spokesman for Live Action, a human rights group that advocates for unborn children, said that “32,000 more innocent children were killed than the year before.”

“These tragic numbers show exactly why we can’t settle for a one-year pause of the abortion giant’s federal funding, which expires on July 4, 2026,” Brandt told EWTN News.

“Congress needs to extend the defund and make it permanent to shut down the flow of public dollars to an organization that’s killing nearly half a million American children every year," he continued.

Francis noted the importance of cultural change and legal safeguards for chemical abortion pills.

“The pro-life movement has two battles: fighting the anti-motherhood narrative thatʼs infected American society and the abortion pill epidemic flooding the internet thanks to the Biden administrationʼs reckless policies and the Trump administrationʼs unwillingness to restore safeguards for abortion drugs,” Francis said.

Cox added that “women deserve better alternatives,” noting that these alternatives “outnumber Planned Parenthoods by 15 to 1 nationwide.”

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

“The fighting between Hezbollah and Israel was intense. We waited a long time three kilometers from the village while hearing gunfire and explosions, but we could not continue and had to suspend the mission,” Monsignor Hugues de Woillemont, general director of l’Oeuvre d’Orient, told ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News.

De Woillemont traveled to Lebanon as a representative of the French Catholic aid organization and of the Church in France “to celebrate Easter, to show support and friendship, and also to thank Christians for their witness.”

Although the convoy was under the protection of soldiers from the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, UNIFIL, he said “security conditions were not sufficient for us to carry out our visit or deliver the aid, which was a great disappointment for the Christians we wanted to visit.”

The aid was headed to Debel, a village just over a mile from the southern border with Israel in the Maronite Diocese of Tyre, where nearly 10,000 Christians live in about 20 parishes.

Residents there remain under an evacuation order issued by the Israeli army, but many Lebanese Christians have chosen to stay in their homes.

“That is why we wanted to bring a truck of humanitarian aid and, above all, to show our friendship and closeness to the Christians there,” De Woillemont said.

The region south of the Litani River makes up about 15% of Lebanese territory. Christian communities there are trying to remain in their villages despite the threat of Israeli annexation, and their situation reflects the long-standing vulnerability of Lebanon’s Maronite Christians, who often bear some of the conflict’s heaviest consequences.

L’Oeuvre d’Orient has distributed tons of humanitarian aid throughout Lebanon, but De Woillemont said the group, like other humanitarian and religious organizations, is reaching its limits.

“The situation is untenable,” he said.

The convoy he joined was the seventh sent to villages in southern Lebanon.

“We are determined to return as soon as conditions allow,” he said, while praising the courage and resilience of Christians in the land once walked by Christ.

On Wednesday, De Woillemont was able to visit three other villages with Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Bechara Boutros al-Rai, where they delivered 30 tons of humanitarian assistance — mainly food and hygiene kits — without incident.

“We were able to show our support and admiration for those who remain in their homes,” he said.

“For us it was a moment to measure up close the restrictions and dangers they — the living stones — experience every day,” he added after spending another night listening to the sound of detonations.

He said that in recent hours, the fall of about 100 Israeli projectiles in just 10 minutes overwhelmed hospitals and makeshift shelters.

“Recent Israeli bombings have affected more than 100 cities, causing more than 100 deaths and 800 injuries, including in Beirut. The situation is terrible and requires urgent help,” De Woillemont said, lamenting that the ceasefire with Iran does not apply to Lebanon.

Lebanon is also facing a severe humanitarian crisis, with 1.2 million internally displaced persons — about 20% of the country’s population of 5.5 million.

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.

Francis, a rich man who embraced poverty and had a heart for the poor, begged and sold items for materials to rebuild the Portiuncula.

But that’s not all of what was refurbished.

The saint asked God and Pope Honorius III for a special indulgence for those who visited the chapel. It was also there that St. Francis founded the Order of Friars Minor and later died in a small room that still exists today.

Now, as Pope Leo XIV has proclaimed 2026 as the Jubilee Year of St. Francis, Archbishop José H. Gomez has declared 15 sites in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles as pilgrimage destinations, ensuring that L.A. Catholics don’t have to travel all the way to Assisi to participate in the commemoration.

In a letter released on March 25, Gomez encouraged local Catholics to take part in the archdiocese’s official jubilee events marking the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi, including pilgrimages to area Franciscan parishes and sacred sites, prayer services, and community activities throughout the year. The archdiocese set up a special site for the observance: lacatholics.org/year-of-st-francis.

“During this time of grace, the Holy Father invites us to reflect on the witness of St. Francis and to grow in holiness through prayer, conversion, and works of charity,” Gomez wrote.

“In this way, may this year deepen our love for Jesus Christ, strengthen our care for creation, and renew our commitment to peace.”

As part of this observance, those who embark on the pilgrimages and meet certain spiritual conditions may receive a plenary indulgence, which removes the time a person might have spent in purgatory due to his or her sins, which have already been forgiven by God.

Many of the pilgrimage sites were chosen because of their ties to St. Francis or his Franciscan order. Mission San Gabriel Arcángel, the oldest California mission in the archdiocese, was founded by St. Junípero Serra, the Spanish missionary priest who was a Franciscan.

The Monastery of Poor Clares in Santa Barbara is the religious order named after Francis’ “spiritual sister,” St. Clare of Assisi, while St. Lawrence of Brindisi Church in Watts is run by the Capuchins and named after the Franciscan saint.

The altar at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles features a relic of Francis sealed into it.

In a recent Angelus column, the archbishop noted the “deep spiritual ties that connect us with St. Francis” and how he can still bring us peace in a divided world.

“St. Francis used to greet people with a little prayer: ‘May the Lord grant you peace,’” Gomez said. “As we reflect on his witness and teachings during this jubilee year, let us renew our commitment to bring the Lord’s peace into all of our relationships and to work to promote reconciliation and understanding among our neighbors.”

With a papal decree in January, Leo proclaimed a “Special Year of St. Francis” that will extend through Jan. 10, 2027. In his remarks, Leo hoped that the special jubilee year would promote a spiritual calm in a world currently tormented by war, starvation, and persecution.

“I wish to join spiritually with the entire Franciscan Family and with all those who will take part in the commemorative events, hoping that the message of peace may find a profound echo in the Church and society today,” Leo wrote.

As part of the jubilee, the remains of St. Francis were moved from his tomb and exposed for public veneration from Feb. 22 to March 22 at the basilica bearing his name in Assisi, Italy — a rarity considering the saint’s bones have seldom been publicly displayed. Hundreds of thousands signed up and waited in lengthy lines to get an up-close and personal view of the saint.

On Oct. 4, Francis’ feast day will once again be a national holiday in Italy after lawmakers reinstated the celebration, which was repealed in 1977.

“It’s an exciting year; I don’t think any of us would have anticipated that Pope Leo would have declared this,” Father Jonathan St. Andre, vice president for Franciscan Life at Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio, told OSV News. “We figured the pope would go to Assisi; there would be different events. But to make this a jubilee, and to offer an indulgence ... is just remarkable.”

Full list of archdiocese jubilee sites

Santa Barbara Region

• St. Mark’s University Church: 6550 Picasso Rd., Isla Vista
• St. Francis of Assisi Church: 1048 W. Ventura St., Fillmore
• Old Mission Santa Barbara: 2201 Laguna St., Santa Barbara
• Mission Santa Inés: 1760 Mission Dr., Solvang
• Poor Clare Monastery: 215 E. Los Olivos St., Santa Barbara

San Fernando Region

• Poverello of Assisi Retreat Center: 1519 Woodworth St., San Fernando
• Provincial House and Chapel (Glory to God): 13367 Borden Ave., Sylmar
• Mother Gertrude Balcazar Home: 11320 Laurel Canyon Blvd., San Fernando
• Poor Clare Missionary Sisters: 13026 Angeles Trail Way, Kagel Canyon

Our Lady of the Angels Region

• St. Francis of Assisi Church: 1523 Golden Gate Ave., Silver Lake
• St. Lawrence of Brindisi Church: 10122 Compton Ave., Watts
• Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels: 555 W. Temple St., Los Angeles

San Gabriel Region

• Mission San Gabriel Arcángel: 428 S. Mission Dr., San Gabriel
• San Francisco de Asís Church: 4800 E. Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles

San Pedro Region

• Our Lady of Guadalupe Church: 440 Massey St., Hermosa Beach

This story was first published by Angelus, the multimedia news platform of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. It has been reprinted here with permission.

“We Christians in Bangladesh run many educational institutions,” Archbishop Bejoy N. DʼCruze, OMI, of Dhaka said. “Along with academic subjects, we focus on morals, values, and good character. When we hear about online classes, we become worried about where this system will take our students.”

The archbishop made the remarks while exchanging Easter greetings with Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, secretary-general of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, on Easter Sunday. He said Catholic school principals and headmasters remain deeply concerned about the impact of online learning on children.

The proposal comes as Bangladesh faces energy shortages linked to global instability in the Middle East. To reduce electricity consumption and ease pressure on infrastructure, the government is considering partial online learning in selected educational institutions. However, Catholic leaders say the experience of online education during the COVID-19 pandemic revealed serious limits, especially for students' academic and moral formation.

Students and parents voice concerns

Students say online classes make it harder to understand lessons and stay focused.

“I have difficulty understanding lessons when classes are online,” said Sonnet Gomes, a student at a missionary school in Dhaka. “I want to go to school and take classes physically.”

Referring to her experience during the COVID-19 lockdowns, Gomes said online learning created both academic and health-related problems. “When we had online classes during corona, it was not good for us. Now there is no health risk. If needed, we can reduce class hours instead of moving everything online,” she said.

Parents, especially Catholic parents, also strongly oppose online classes. They worry about screen addiction, lack of supervision, and the financial burden placed on families.

“I donʼt want online classes,” said Priyanka Gomes, a Catholic mother in Dhaka. “During corona, I was forced to buy my son a smartphone. With online classes, children stay on their phones all day. They play games, use social media, and become addicted.”

Teachers: ‘Online classes are not effective’

Catholic teachers echo these concerns and say online learning often leads to poor attendance and weak engagement.

“If the government orders online classes, we will obey,” said Cornelius DʼCruze, vice principal of Heed International School in Dhaka. “But honestly, online classes are not effective. Many students skip classes. Parents go to work, and children spend most of the time on their phones.”

According to the Catholic Directory of Bangladesh, the Catholic Church in the country runs one university, 17 colleges, 60 high schools, and nearly 300 primary and technical schools. Well-known institutions such as Notre Dame College, Holy Cross College, St. Gregoryʼs High School, and St. Joseph Higher Secondary School are among the countryʼs most respected academic centers.

Government says proposal still under review

Government officials say the move toward online or blended learning is necessary under current conditions.

The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education recently organized a seminar at the International Mother Language Institute in Dhaka to discuss how to continue education during the energy crisis.

Education Minister A.N.M. Ehsanul Hoque Milon and State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Bobby Hajjaj attended the seminar. Students, teachers, and guardians from various institutions in the Dhaka metropolitan area shared their views on the proposal.

The education minister said online classes would not be introduced nationwide at once but would begin on an experimental basis in selected institutions.

“Various crises in world history have opened new possibilities,” Milon said. “Education must continue in new ways. We should not see everything as a threat. We can also see opportunities.”

The government is considering a hybrid system combining physical and online classes in selected schools and colleges, including Viqarunnisa Noon School and College and Ideal School and College in Motijheel.

“We disagree with the decision of the majority of judges at the Constitutional Court but accept it,” the Czech Bishops' Conference wrote in a press release. The episcopate finds it “positive that the court did not reject the idea of the existence of a treaty with the Holy See but only limited itself to partial passages.”

The agreement on certain legal issues was signed in 2024 by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and then-Prime Minister Petr Fiala. It was later approved by both chambers of the countryʼs Parliament and was submitted to the president of the country for ratification.

However, a group of senators filed a complaint with the Constitutional Court, which on April 1 stated that two parts of the accord are problematic.

The ruling says that the concordat would “give Catholic Church legal entities a powerful tool to prevent their documents (archive materials) from being made available.” Church archives are important sources of cultural wealth and history, but the accord would “exempt Catholic churches from the obligation to respect the Archives Act, which would, however, continue to apply to all other churches,” the court explained.

The second objection deals with the seal of confession, which would be enacted without any exceptions and would be “a clear violation of the neutrality of the state and the principle of equal treatment of different churches.”

Each side of the treaty understood it differently, the ruling observed, adding that the seal of confession would be more protected than professional secrecy.

Dissenting opinions

Three out of 15 judges of the Constitutional Court presented a different position, arguing the court did not deal with an important part of the legal file presented by senators, such as objections to “the alleged privilege of the Catholic Church in the provision of pastoral care in various types of institutions and facilities.”

However, they admitted that “the Holy See is a subject of international law, which the Czech Republic has recognized,” and so it is “undoubtedly an objective reason for the different treatment of the Catholic Church in various issues.” They further argued that the two problematic passages in the majority decision are not in conflict with the constitution.

Another two judges presented a different position each. One of them, Judge Tomáš Langášek, argued that “the dissenting opinions show that it was possible to adopt a rational interpretation of the concordat in good faith that would not in any way conflict with the constitutional order.”

He said he considers the decision “a paradigmatic change in the role and function of the constitutional judiciary.” The Constitutional Court opposed the intention of the Parliament “to take on an international legal obligation to maintain” the already existing and “legally guaranteed standard of protection of fundamental religious rights and freedoms in [the] future,” Langášek opined.

“The courtʼs concern for equal treatment among churches and religious communities is only a proxy problem,” the constitutional judge added.

‘A legal defeat for people who consider religious freedom an important value’

“It is a political victory for some, and a legal defeat for people, believers and nonbelievers, who consider religious freedom an important value,” commented Jakub Kříž, a lawyer who teaches at the Catholic Theological Faculty of Charles University in Prague.

At the same time, he said he believes “the absence of a concordat is not a tragedy” either for religious freedom or “for Catholics who, after all, always benefit the most when the state does not get along with them.”

The proposal “would have had no chance of success if” Czech President Petr Pavel “had not intervened and introduced new arguments,” for example suggesting that “the agreement contradicts the sovereignty of the state and its secular and republican character,” the scholar underscored.

The negotiated agreement was “poor in content, innocent, almost devoid of substance,” and the Czech side did not try to “negotiate anything beyond what is already in force today,” Kříž said, adding that it had “more a symbolic” value.

‘A big disappointment’

The decision was a “big disappointment” and “a very unfortunate event,” lamented Father Jiří Rajmund Tretera, a Dominican and professor of canon law at the Faculty of Law of Charles University.

On the seal of confession, there would be “no change to the current situation,” as all believers “were guaranteed that the current legal provisions” regarding “confessional secrecy could not be so easily eliminated” if a religion-averse group “came to power in our democratic state,” the priest said.

Tretera also said he believes the Constitutional Court committed “an unintentional attack against the ecumenical movement.” It argued that the proposed agreement “was not in accordance with the principle of equality of all churches,” yet “this is in conflict with the reality commonly recognized in non-Catholic churches.”

Kříž clarified that “non-Catholic churches did not” oppose the treaty, and “many even welcomed it, seeing its role as a stabilizer of guarantees of religious freedom.”

The only way to proceed is “to start negotiations from the beginning,” as this is not “a bill where a sentence can be deleted,” the lawyer warned.

Yet he said he is skeptical that the Holy See would risk another “embarrassment,” as “the Czech Republic showed to be a rather unreliable international partner.”

The prelate made his remarks during an interview with Venevisión on Sunday, April 5. Porras acknowledged that, although there is much debate surrounding the legality of Maduro’s capture and whether it violated Venezuelaʼs sovereignty — “the important thing is to look forward.”

Vengeance always “causes greater division” within a society, because “everything done through violence, war, or death invariably leaves wounds," he emphasized, noting that the Church’s primary task in Venezuela now is to help heal those wounds.

Porras urged people to seek shared solutions and to strive for that which unites. Otherwise, he said, “we’ll get nowhere.”

“We must learn to foster fraternity. We must learn to be brothers and sisters,” he said. “Learning how to coexist, learning the meaning of friendship; I believe this can subsequently lead us toward other expressions of love.”

Justice and forgiveness in a post-Maduro Venezuela

Since Maduroʼs arrest on Jan. 3, Venezuelan authorities have repeatedly characterized this as a time of forgiveness and reconciliation, the cardinal said. In February, Venezuelan lawmakers passed an amnesty law that has benefited thousands of political prisoners, according to various independent organizations.

Porras emphasized that the amnesty process “has proceeded very slowly,” however, because those who pushed for the legislation and those charged with approving the prisoner releases are often the same people “who committed, condoned, or were complicit in” the abuses by the socialist regime.

The prelate lamented that there is no separation of powers in the country. Freedom, he continued, is not a gift but rather “a matter of justice.”

He said recent events in the country have opened a window of opportunity for Venezuelans to “seek ... balance” in a society that, if it wishes to maintain hope for the future, must do so by “moving beyond a scale that tips in only one direction.”

Fundamental freedoms in the country

Porras noted that freedom of expression must be restored in Venezuela, “because we’re not slaves,” nor are people obliged to simply “do what others tell us to do.”

He said this is necessary so people can conduct their own analysis and exercise personal discernment. Today, many lack that ability simply because they don’t have enough information — or because the information they receive is manipulated by various interests, he noted.

The cardinal also pointed out that all authority “finds its raison dʼêtre in service to the people,” and its ultimate mission must be to seek the common good. “It is undoubtedly necessary to have regulations that ensure those services, which are fundamental to the development of a society … to serve precisely that common good which enables us to have a better life,” he stated.

A possible transition to democracy

When asked his thoughts about interim president Delcy Rodríguez, Porras recalled words once spoken to him by St. John Paul II: “Do not speak to those in power, for they do not listen. Speak to the people.”

The cardinal explained that the country must move toward a transition while simultaneously creating the conditions necessary to hold truly free elections.

“To move toward having elections, the first prerequisite is that citizens be able to decide for themselves, rather than simply accept what is dictated by those currently in power,” he said.

The archbishop emeritus also emphasized the urgent need to improve the country’s economy, a goal that can only be achieved through real and effective policies that guarantee legal certainty for investors.

“We are the ... ones who have gotten ourselves into this deep ditch, and together, we must figure out how to climb out of it,” he said.

The cardinal pointed out the necessity of having hope and joy in the process, emphasizing that Venezuelans will have to shed "sweat and tears" in order "to envision a better future. He prayed: "May the Lord and the Virgin bless the entire Venezuelan people."

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 Sisters of Nazareth will be aggregated into the Augustinian family, a step that requires both Vatican approval and consent of the local bishop. The union enables the Sisters of Nazareth to keep their autonomy while being a part of the Augustinians.

“This union, formalized by a decree from Rome, establishes a deep spiritual bond between the two institutes while allowing the sisters to maintain their canonical autonomy,” said Cindy Luyun, a spokesperson for the order.

Father Barnaby R. Johns, OSA, prior provincial of the Province of St. Augustine in California, told EWTN News that “this aggregation will only strengthen the present unity.”

“Together, the Sisters of Nazareth (1925) and the Augustinians (1924) share over 200 years of service to the Church and the people of God of the Diocese of San Diego,” he said. “Over those many years we have forged support and unity with each other and our ministries.”

Johns noted several preexisting ties between the two groups.

“The sisters educate young children at Nazareth School in San Diego and many of their eighth grade graduate boys continue their education and faith journey at St. Augustine’s High School run by the Augustinians,” he said.

“In our assisted living home also in San Diego, we have received the spiritual support of the Augustinians for our residents and sisters while supporting Augustinians who need assisted living,” Johns continued. “A number of Augustinian priests and brothers have spent their last days in the care of our Nazareth House.”

The ties are present around the world. The motherhouse of the Sisters of Nazareth is based in Hammersmith, London, within an Augustinian parish. According to Johns, local Augustinian Bishop Michael Campbell prompted the aggregation, and the sisters agreed.

“The hope of the Sisters of Nazareth going forward is to strengthen and continue the spiritual bond we already share, as ‘brothers and sisters in Christ,’” Johns explained.

The sisters will add the word “Augustinian” to their institution while also adopting the Augustinian liturgical calendar and other liturgical books and rituals belonging to the order, according to a March 18 press release shared with EWTN News.

“At the practical level, we remain autonomous religious congregations but share a close Augustinian bond of spiritual goods and indulgences, privileges under the patronage of our holy father, St. Augustine,” Johns said.

The sisters will be in good company, as Pope Leo XIV is an Augustinian.

“We are of one soul and one heart turning towards God, to the same purpose of his rule, to build up the body of Christ,” Johns said.

“Obviously Iʼm happy for anything that might lead us toward peace,” Broglio told anchor Veronica Dudo in an April 8 interview on “EWTN News Nightly” prerecorded at 11:30 a.m. ET.

“Iʼm happy that at least the two sides are talking to each other and perhaps looking for a solution to avoid any sort of armed conflict and perhaps pull back on the tensions in the area,” he said.

President Donald Trump announced on April 7 that he would hold off on further attacks as both countries negotiate long-term peace.

Part of the ceasefire agreement is that Iran will keep the Strait of Hormuz open. Reports from Iranian media Wednesday afternoon claimed that Iran had again closed the strait because of Israeli strikes on Lebanon. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called the reports “unacceptable,” but as of the time of publication the ceasefire continues.

The ceasefire suspended Trump’s plan to destroy Iran’s power plants and bridges just hours after he threatened that “a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again.”

Although he expressed some relief for the potential progress, Broglio said in the interview there is “genuine concern” about Lebanon’s exclusion, and it is “problematic that it isnʼt a whole vision of the entire area," as the Middle East has been “a tinderbox for a long time.”

“It would be helpful that any sort of peace dialogue involve all of the participants and all of those who might be either belligerents or victims of any sort of military action,” Broglio said.

The archbishop said the dialogue “should have taken place before any sort of military action was taking place” and noted that the United States was not directly attacked before it launched the military strikes on Iran, and he believes some elements were missing to justify the American attack, based on Catholic just war doctrine.

“Itʼs a long process because the tensions are so extreme and also the emotions in that part of the world are so strong,” he said. “But I think that certainly what Pope Leo has said … is that we really have to sit down and dialogue rather than see men and women sacrifice their lives for an armed conflict. And I think itʼs essential to enter into a process of negotiation, which of course means that everyoneʼs going to have to cede something.”

Broglio said he hopes, in these negotiations, religious figures “could bring the notion of dialogue, the notion of understanding, the attempt to listen to one another.”

“I think it would be a valuable contribution to the discourse because the three great monotheistic religions are all involved in that area,” he said. “I think we could bring something to bear.”

Broglio said the archdiocese is united with Pope Leo XIV’s calls for Catholics to pray for peace in the region. The Holy Father announced on Easter that he will lead a prayer vigil for peace on April 11 at St. Peter’s Basilica.

“Weʼll certainly encourage people to pray for peace,” Broglio said. “We are more interested than most in peace because the men and women that Iʼm privileged to serve know what warfare costs firsthand.”

Spiritual needs of the soldiers

With many American soldiers stationed throughout the Middle East as negotiations continue, Broglio said the archdiocese is working “to meet the spiritual needs with the chaplains who are actually in the Middle East right now.”

“I know that they are working very hard to answer some of the questions that men and women might have,” he said. “Theyʼre bringing the sacraments to them. And at the same time, most of the families that were in the area, such as the ones who were in Bahrain, have been brought home. So [families of the soldiers are] either in Europe or theyʼre back in the United States.”

“But obviously theyʼre separated from their loved ones. So that is another area where there has to be some ministerial assistance,” the archbishop said. “And there also has to be some, some ability to listen and to try to comfort them in this time of separation. If you think about people who have moved to a place and then are completely uprooted, itʼs a very drastic situation for them. And so they certainly need the comfort of the sacraments and also the counsel that chaplains can bring.”

The case, National Religious Broadcasters v. Bessent, was filed in August 2024 by the National Religious Broadcasters, two Texas churches, and Intercessors for America.

Plaintiffs argued the 1954 Johnson Amendment, which bars 501(c)(3) nonprofits from endorsing political candidates, violated the First Amendment and other protections.

On March 31, U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker dismissed the case for lack of subject-matter jurisdiction, citing the Tax Anti-Injunction Act and the Declaratory Judgment Act.

The forthcoming guidance “will provide clear, administrable standards for houses of worship, including how the law applies to certain communications made within the context of religious services,” according to an April 3 press release from the Treasury Department.

“Religious liberty is foundational to our Constitution ... Treasury and the IRS will provide additional clarity and guidance to houses of worship that reflect these ideals and uphold the First Amendment,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said, noting the administration’s commitment to protecting religious freedom.

In July 2025, the Trump administration had agreed to a proposed consent judgment with the plaintiffs that would have allowed certain religious communications about electoral politics from the pulpit.

That agreement was never approved by the court, however.

Last summer the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops reiterated that, despite that agreement, the Catholic Church will continue its long-standing policy of not endorsing or opposing political candidates.

The Johnson Amendment remains in effect for now, though the new guidance, which is expected later this year, could offer churches more clarity on permissible political speech during religious services.

The growth of people joining the Catholic Church is widespread, spanning across dioceses of all sizes and regions. Dioceses welcomed both catechumens (unbaptized people preparing for full initiation into the Church) and candidates (those already baptized who are entering into full communion through confirmation). The numbers are beginning to align more with pre-pandemic numbers after a decrease in conversions around the COVID-19 pandemic.

Based on a survey completed before Easter by the National Catholic Register, the sister partner of EWTN News, most dioceses and archdioceses expected to see increases in those entering the Church in 2026 compared with last year. Of the 71 U.S. dioceses in the survey, only five expected drops this year.

On average, American dioceses had 38% more people joining the Church in 2026 compared with 2025, according to an analysis of data by Hallow.

The four largest dioceses in the United States that witnessed significant increases were the Archdiocese of Los Angeles (139% increase), the Diocese of Phoenix (23%), the Archdiocese of New York (36%), and the Archdiocese of Chicago (52%).

Smaller dioceses also noted significant increases including the Diocese of Duluth, Minnesota (145%); the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee, Florida (85%); the Diocese of Rapid City, South Dakota (96%); the Diocese of Honolulu (37%); and the Diocese of Fairbanks, Alaska (40%).

Archdiocese of Detroit

This year in the Archdiocese of Detroit there were 583 catechumens and 845 candidates received into the Church on Easter. A spokesperson for the archdiocese told EWTN News that 2026 was its largest class since 2005, when it received 584 catechumens and 905 candidates.

At the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament on April 4, Archbishop Edward Weisenburger of Detroit welcomed the newest members. Along with the dozens of individuals who entered the Church at the cathedral’s Easter Vigil, at least 1,428 people were received into the Church across the archdiocese.

The archdiocese has been witnessing increases the past few years, with 793 people in 2024 and 977 in 2025.

Diocese of Boise

The Diocese of Boise, Idaho, is still compiling numbers to determine exactly how many people the city welcomed into the Church on Easter this year but said it could confirm that there was "a meaningful increase in the number of both catechumens and candidates who have been fully initiated into the Church,” a spokesperson for the diocese told EWTN News.

The demographics of people differ across dioceses, but in Boise the growth was “especially evident among young people, many of whom are drawn to the transcendent beauty, clarity, and orthodoxy of the Catholic faith,” the spokesperson said.

The “broader reality is already clear: The Holy Spirit is at work, and the Church in the Diocese of Boise is experiencing a renewed vitality through those responding to the call to discipleship,” the spokesperson said.

Los Angeles

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles reported that it welcomed more than 8,500 people into the Church this Easter, with a 139% increase from last year.

In 2023, the city welcomed a combined 3,462 catechumens and candidates, including both children and adults. The following year, there was a slight growth to 3,596 people, and then the number jumped to 5,587 in 2025.

In 2026, the archdiocese had a large surge with 2,452 catechumens and 6,146 candidates for a total of 8,598 people.

While there is no clear answer to the large increase in the city or other areas, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles reported individuals in the archdiocese said it was God himself who brought them to their conversions.

Other notable numbers

While many areas saw increases, some did report slight decreases. The Diocese of Paterson, New Jersey, and the Diocese of Little Rock, Arkansas, were among the dioceses that experienced decreases this year, according to the Registerʼs survey.

The Diocese of Shreveport, Louisiana, welcomed about 257 combined candidates and catechumens this year. This was a decrease from 329 in 2025. But, its 2026 numbers are up considerably from 2021, when it only welcomed 89 people.

In the Diocese of Helena, Montana, diocesan officials believe this year’s group of those entering the Church is the largest that the diocese has had since the Rite of Election was restored after Vatican II. It also witnessed a notable 60% increase from last Easter, Hallow reported.

Many dioceses saw record-breaking classes in 2025 but still managed to surpass the numbers this year. In 2024, the Archdiocese of Mobile, Alabama, welcomed its largest group of candidates and catechumens in a decade. Both last year and this year it surpassed that number, even witnessing a 36% increase in 2026 from 2025.

The fastest-growing diocese was found to be the Diocese of Duluth, Minnesota, which grew 145%, with 186 combined catechumens and candidates in 2026, compared with just 76 last year.

The Diocese of Pittsburgh experienced a growth of 108%. The increase is especially notable after the diocese announced the permanent closure of seven churches, which went into effective March 12.

The attack occurred overnight from April 2 to April 3 in the village of Bafwakao in the Mambasa territory.

The Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an armed group affiliated with the Islamic State, reportedly stormed the village around 8 p.m., setting fire to nearly 60% of the homes.

Bodies were reportedly found along the main road and in burned houses, some mutilated with machetes and others shot.

By Thursday afternoon, local authorities reported at least 10 bodies discovered, while civic groups counted 32 deaths. The Congolese army later confirmed a total of 43 victims.

In his homily for Easter on Sunday, April 5, Paluku called for prayers for peace and urged authorities to ensure the protection of lives and property amid ongoing insecurity.

The bishop expressed solidarity with those affected by conflict, both within the region and beyond.

“I share the pain of the brothers and sisters of parishes such as Masoy, of Christians in North Kivu, South Kivu, and Ituri, as well as of countries like Israel that are unable to celebrate Easter in proper conditions due to the lack of peace and security,” he said during the Mass on Easter.

“I therefore call on the authorities to invest in the search for peace to ensure national unity; they must protect citizens and their property,” he said.

“The passion of Christ was not his defeat; he was not overcome. It is the greatest manifestation of his boundless love,” the bishop said, encouraging believers to turn away from actions that diminish human dignity, noting that rising with Christ does not mean abandoning the world but fulfilling one’s responsibilities faithfully.

“Each person must do their duty as it should be done,” he said.

Human rights defender John Vuleveryo Musombolwa confirmed cases of kidnappings during the attack and highlighted the mass displacement of the population. Residents fled in panic to safer neighborhoods, including Afrique du Sud, Darsalam, Pays-Bas, and Hewabora.

Musombolwa praised the intervention of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) but urged authorities to strengthen security measures in the area.

“The enemy is already at the center of Mambasa. The chief town risks being emptied if the authorities do not take the situation seriously,” he warned.

The attack in Bafwakao is unprecedented, as the village had previously been spared from jihadist incursions.

It comes amid a resurgence of violence since early March 2025 in the Bandaka chiefdom, to which the village belongs.

The ADF, originally from Uganda, has been operating in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo since the 1990s, continuing to terrorize local communities despite joint military operations with the Ugandan army.

The effectiveness of the FARDC response has been questioned. While the territorial administrator said the army intervened the same night, civil society representatives denounced a delayed response that occurred the next morning without any exchange of fire. This discrepancy has fueled distrust between local communities and the military, highlighting long-standing concerns about government protection in rural areas.

In the wake of the attack, angry residents reportedly lynched a suspected ADF fighter in the Arua II neighborhood, located two kilometers (1.24 miles) from the center of Mambasa. The individual had allegedly been hiding in a residential house following the assault.

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

Born on Sept. 29, 1931, he founded the public association of the faithful, which is characterized by a Dominican spirituality, in 1981 together with “Little Sister Marie.” The community is composed of missionary brothers and sisters who live out a contemplative vocation and an evangelizing presence, particularly among the poor.

He entered the Franciscan novitiate at the age of 21 and professed his first vows on Sept. 17, the feast of the Stigmata of St. Francis.

While serving as a parish priest in the villages near the French town of Vézelay, he met a group of Dominican sisters from the Roman Congregation of St. Dominic, to whom he preached during a retreat in 1974.

That encounter was providential: Among those attending the retreat was Sister Marie, with whom he shared a conviction regarding the urgency of returning to the Gospel, a sentiment in harmony with the spirit of renewal of the Second Vatican Council.

As a result of this experience and encouraged by his Franciscan brothers, who encouraged him to attend to the spiritual needs of the sisters, the foundations were laid for what would, over the years, become the Community of the Lamb.

Living with the poor on the streets

Nevertheless, Chupin never ceased to be a Franciscan. In fact, he was known as “the little brother who wears brown,” as he continued to wear the habit of the Franciscan friars. It was not until 1994 that he assumed an official role within the Community of the Lamb.

His love for the poor played a decisive role in his life. After repeatedly requesting permission from his superiors, from 1982 to 1993 he was sent on mission to the streets alongside two Franciscan brothers.

During the 11 years he spent preaching and living alongside the poor of the streets, he never failed to attend the chapters of the Community of the Lamb in the French Pyrenees, becoming for the brothers and sisters a true spiritual father.

The community noted that his health had been in decline since last January, which allowed many brothers to accompany him, including spiritually, during this final stage of his life.

“Until the very end, in a way that edified us all, Brother Jean-Claude laid down his life, drawing on his last reserves of strength to offer each and every one of us his smile, a word of friendship, his kind gaze, and his fraternal and paternal attention,” read the statement released following his passing.

The brothers and sisters of the Community of the Lamb highlighted their deep union with Jesus and the Gospel as well as their love for St. Francis of Assisi. “Gospel, Gospel, Gospel!” the friar used to say.

They also gave thanks for his life, which was “filled with the light of the Gospel,” and for the gift “that he was and will always continue to be, for all those he accompanied with his faithful friendship: a father, a brother, a friend.”

Currently, the Community of the Lamb consists of approximately 170 sisters and 40 brothers, present in countries such as France, Spain, Italy, Austria, Poland, Argentina, Chile, and the United States. Currently, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, archbishop emeritus of Vienna, is the bishop responsible for the 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.

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar announced on Easter Sunday, April 5, that the government had constituted a committee to examine the March 25 judgment of the Federal Constitutional Court validating the marriage of 13-year-old Maria Shahbaz to 30-year-old Shaheryar Ahmad.

Bishop Samson Shukardin of Hyderabad, president of the Pakistan Catholic Bishops’ Conference (PCBC), voiced skepticism about the initiative.

“These issues often subside by the time such committees make their reports public. The process is deliberately delayed so that people forget,” he told EWTN News.

“This is fundamentally a religious freedom issue. Consent is often coerced from minors. We await a genuine response from the government. Many Muslim clerics support us but have avoided joining public protests,” he added.

A father’s account

According to Maria’s father, Shehbaz Masih, his daughter was abducted, forcibly converted to Islam, and married without consent.

A certificate issued by the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) submitted by the family states that Maria was 13 at the time of the marriage — below the legal minimum age of 18. The family has since taken refuge in a shelter and was unavailable for comment.

The case dates back to July 2025, when Masih, a resident of Lahore, reported that his daughter had been abducted by a Muslim man after stepping out to a nearby shop.

Dismissing a petition filed by the father seeking custody, the court ruled that the marriage was valid under “Muhammadan law” and that the husband held lawful guardianship.

Protests and backlash

The judgment triggered widespread reaction on social media, along with protests, press conferences, and conventions across the country. At least three Catholic bishops, along with the PCBC, issued statements urging authorities to review the ruling.

The backlash prompted government engagement with the concerns of the country’s Christian minority, estimated at 1.37% (3.28 million people).

Addressing an interfaith Easter gathering in Lahore, Tarar assured Christian leaders of his support, saying the committee’s recommendations would be submitted to the Ministry of Law and Justice within a week.

Legal dimensions

Meanwhile, Punjab Minister for Minorities Affairs Ramesh Singh Arora said his department was forming a parallel committee to examine the legal dimensions of the case.

Mary James Gill, a Christian lawyer, former lawmaker, and executive director of the Center for Law and Justice who serves on the committee, welcomed the move as a “genuine concern to find a way forward.”

“It is highly encouraging that a state representative personally took up the issue. However, we are still in a consultative process,” she told EWTN News, noting shortcomings in both the lower courts and within the affected community.

“The petition was filed under Section 491 of the Criminal Procedure Code, which pertains to habeas corpus, and not to determining the exact age of the girl — a question that remains disputed,” Gill said.

“Regrettably, no such verification was carried out in the lower courts. In cases where documentation is ambiguous, magistrates and sessions judges tend to rely on in-person statements, consent, and their own observations.”

She noted that the Christian Marriage Act of 1872 governs the solemnization of marriages involving one or more Christians.

“Similarly, the personal laws of both Christianity and Islam in Pakistan remain silent on the age of conversion. Church leaders need to revisit and update these frameworks. At the same time, parents must place greater emphasis on the ideological and moral formation of their children,” she added.

In an April 6 letter to the law ministry, Anthony Naveed, deputy speaker of the Sindh Assembly, urged the federal government to address “serious legal gaps” exposed by the ruling and called for uniform amendments aligning provincial laws with Balochistan’s legislation, which explicitly invalidates child marriages.

A pattern of abuse

For decades, rights advocates have called for stronger legal and administrative measures to prevent the abduction and forced religious conversion of girls from minority communities.

At least 515 cases of abduction and forced conversion of minority girls and women were reported between 2021 and 2025, according to the Center for Social Justice. Hindu girls accounted for 69% (353 cases), followed by Christian girls at 31% (160 cases). Most victims were under 18, with cases concentrated in Sindh and Punjab.

Shukardin said courts in the Muslim-majority country are not consistently applying laws prohibiting marriage under 18.

“The Church is not in favor of marriages involving conversion under such circumstances. We demand safety for our daughters and will continue to raise our voice for underage brides of any religion,” he said.

Now, state officials are warning the sisters and other nursing home administrators about restricting rooms and bathrooms to one sex and failing to use preferred personal pronouns for patients who identify as transgender. The state is also requiring public postings of an antidiscrimination notice.

The Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne, who operate Rosary Hill Home, a 42-bed facility, have received three letters from the state’s public health agency, including one warning about “refusing to assign a room to a resident other than in accordance with the resident’s gender identity,” “prohibiting a resident from using a restroom available to other persons of the same gender identity,” and “willfully and repeatedly failing to use a resident’s preferred name or pronouns after being clearly informed of the preferred name or pronouns.”

The letters took the sisters off guard; a state agency’s website shows zero complaints against Rosary Hill Home, located in Hawthorne, a hamlet in the Westchester County town of Mount Pleasant, about 30 miles northeast of Manhattan.

But complying with the state’s rules is not an option for them, since the directives contradict their Catholic faith, the sisters told the National Catholic Register, the sister partner of EWTN News.

The Catholic Church teaches that sex can’t be changed or separated from gender, although it also says people identifying as transgender must be treated with respect and compassion.

“I think the most important thing is that we are adamant in keeping our Catholic identity. Without that, there’s no purpose for us to do what we’re doing,” Mother Marie Edward, OP, the superior of the religious congregation, told the Register.

The sisters filed a lawsuit against the state on Monday, claiming the state is violating their rights under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in White Plains, names as defendants New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and four state administrators in the New York State Department of Health. All are sued in their official capacity.

The complaint claims that the state is violating the sisters’ freedom of speech by requiring them to state a point of view they don’t agree with and their free exercise of religion by requiring them to make statements against their Catholic faith.

The complaint also notes that the state statute appears to exempt institutions run by the Church of Christ, Scientist — it doesn’t apply to those “whose teachings include reliance on spiritual means through prayer alone for healing” — which the complaint says violates the Catholic sisters’ religious freedom by favoring one religion over another.

A spokesman for the governor did not respond to a request for comment by publication of this story.

Cadence Acquaviva, senior public information officer for the New York State Department of Health, also contacted by the Register, emailed the Register the following statement: “While the department does not comment on pending or ongoing litigation, the department is committed to following state law, which provides nursing home residents certain rights protecting against discrimination including, but not limited to, gender identity or expression.”

New York law

The letters to the sisters from the state’s public health agency stem from a statute that the New York Legislature passed in 2023 with little fanfare and almost no opposition, known as “The Long-Term Care Facility Residents’ Bill of Rights for LGBTQIA+ New Yorkers and People Living with HIV.”

The state Legislature’s website shows no public hearing for the bill that created the law. When it was introduced on the floor of the lower chamber, the New York State Assembly, in June 2023, the bill drew questions from three Republicans over the course of about 10 minutes, mostly informational and none hostile. Religious liberty did not come up.

The Assembly passed the bill 144-2. The New York Senate passed the bill 55-7. Hochul signed the bill into law on Nov. 30, 2023, the eve of World AIDS Day.

“New York’s seniors should be able to live their lives with the dignity and respect they deserve, free from discrimination of every kind,” Hochul said, according to a press release issued by her office at the time. “LGBTQIA + and HIV-positive seniors are among our most vulnerable populations, and today we are taking steps to ensure that all New Yorkers — regardless of who they are, who they love, or their HIV status — find safety and support in places where they need it the most. Hate will never have a place in New York.”

The sisters told the Register they had never heard of the bill until the letters from the state started arriving about two years ago. State officials have not taken steps against the sisters, but the sisters say they’re worried that they will.

“Over 125 years, as far as they know, they’ve never once had a patient who was wanting to make the gender journey, to transition. And that’s significant, because why are we going through this?” said L. Martin Nussbaum, the sisters’ lawyer and a partner with First & Fourteenth, a law firm with an office in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in an interview. “This law imposed on the Dominican Hawthorne Sisters is a form of gender ideology virtue signaling, to require these sisters to be trained in an ideology entirely contrary to Catholic belief.”

“Why are we doing this? We don’t even have such patients,” Nussbaum said. “It’s the state requiring these holy nuns to bend the knee to an ideology contrary to their faith.”

One letter from the state warned the sisters that their nursing home can’t “restrict a resident’s right to associate with other residents or with visitors, including the right to consensual expression of intimacy or sexual relations, unless the restriction is uniformly applied to all residents in a nondiscriminatory manner.”

Rosary Hill Home belongs to the Catholic Benefits Association, which advocates for free exercise of religion rights of members in providing employee benefits. Nussbaum, who represents the association, said the state’s gender-identity requirements are creating a problem where there was none.

“The sisters do not want to litigate. They want this resolved, and they want to focus on their ministry,” Nussbaum said.

The congregation

The Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne was founded by Mother Mary Alphonsa, who was known as Rose Hawthorne Lathrop (1851–1926) before she entered religious life. She was one of three children of the 19th-century novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne, author of “The House of the Seven Gables” and “The Scarlet Letter.”

Raised Unitarian, Rose converted to Catholicism during the 1890s. In 1896, she opened an apartment on the Lower East Side of Manhattan for patients with incurable cancer.

“I set my whole being to endeavor to bring consolation to the cancerous poor,” she later wrote, according to a biography of her on the congregation’s website.

She founded a religious congregation in 1900, which opened a nursing home in Hawthorne, New York, in June 1901.

Pope Francis in March 2024 declared her venerable, which is two steps below canonization. Her cause needs a miracle to proceed to beatification and another to qualify her to be declared a saint.

The congregation currently has 44 sisters, split between New York and another nursing facility in Atlanta called Our Lady of Perpetual Help Home.

In the New York facility, about 14 sisters tend to sick patients with the help of lay certified nursing assistants, sisters told the Register.

The home has no limit on the length of stay, and some patients stay for years, sisters told the Register, though the average stay is about two to three months. The vast majority of patients who come to the nursing home die there.

‘We’ve given our life to God’

The New York facility was the subject of an admiring photographic essay and short article in The New York Times Magazine in May 2016, spearheaded by a photographer who appreciated the care the sisters had given to her Jewish mother-in-law when she was dying of cancer.

Mother Marie Edward, who joined the congregation in 1979, told the Register that living their Catholic faith and witnessing to it to others are essential for the sisters, whose work is only partly about taking care of the sick.

“Nursing is a marvelous work in and of itself, but our sisters are, we’re all consecrated, we’ve taken vows, we’ve given our life to God, and certainly prayer is utmost, primary. That we consider a work, and the sisters live a very enclosed life of prayer first, and then it spills over into the care of the patients, so that we are to care for the patients as if they were Christ, the suffering Christ,” she said.

“And to do that, we have to be very strong in our identity as Christians, and to follow the teachings of Christ,” she added. “So to do something that goes contrary to that, it just wouldn’t work.”

The superior general cited John 14:6 as one of the reasons the sisters can’t treat males as if they were females, or vice versa.

“Christ is the center, and the Eucharist sustains us. But Christ is also, as he said, the way, the truth, and the life. And if he’s the truth, then we cannot practice what we do, incorporating something that is an untruth,” she explained.

“And it is an untruth to say that a male should go into a female patient’s room. You’re just trying to contort things, for whatever reason. So we have to stand by the truth of what has been taught to us in the natural law. It is not to be changed,” Mother Marie Edward said.

“For us, this is what sustains us,” added Sister Stella Mary, the superior of Rosary Hill Home, who joined in 2006.

“This is our strength. If our faith wasn’t there, the type of care we provide would not be the same,” she said.

“I’m not saying that other people cannot do so, but the things and the environment that permeates in this place is very different because of our faith, because Christ is here present in the Eucharist,” she continued.

“And anybody that comes in here will always say how peaceful it feels in here, the difference from any other place that they’ve been to,” she said. “So I think there is no way we could do what we do day in and day out, with the difficulties that caring for the sick means, without having our faith.”

Nussbaum, the congregation’s lawyer, told the Register that the state’s requirements on gender identity pose an existential threat to the nursing home, because both the home and the staff members who work there need to renew their licenses under state rules.

The Register asked the sisters if they are concerned that the state might force their nearly 125-year-old nursing home to shut down if they don’t comply.

“I’m not really worried, because I know the Lord is going to take care of us,” Mother Marie Edward said.

This story was first published by the National Catholic Register, the sister partner of EWTN News, and has been adapted by EWTN News.

The crash occurred in the early hours of April 5 in Mariamabad in Punjab’s Wazirabad district, where around 200 Catholics had gathered for a predawn Easter service. Irfan Bashir, a 17-year-old laborer, died of a head injury on April 6.

Officials said the suspect, identified as Muhammad Bilal, remains at large. The vehicle involved in the incident and the driver’s assistant are in police custody, and a case has been registered.

“We are conducting daily raids to arrest the driver,” said Muhammad Ahmad, the assistant sub-inspector who filed the case, attributing the incident to overspeeding.

He added that the vehicle was empty and heading to a poultry farm and claimed the procession was held without prior police notification.

At least 14 injured remain hospitalized in two hospitals in nearby Gujranwala, some in serious condition. Doctors said most victims suffered fractures and trauma caused by the impact and the ensuing panic.

The Punjab government set up a medical camp at the local Catholic church on April 6 to assist victims in Mariamabad, a village of about 100 families comprising both Christians and Muslims.

Disputed claims

Church representatives and community members have disputed police claims that authorities were not informed in advance. Organizers insist prior notice had been given, raising concerns over coordination failures.

Father Shahrukh Nathaniel, who led the sunrise service, said road processions have now been suspended following the tragedy.

“We have asked the government to install speed breakers [in some countries called speed bumps] and barriers outside the church, which is located on a main road,” he told EWTN News. “The faithful usually gather outside after Mass, which increases the risk.”

He said authorities have promised financial compensation for the victims and praised the establishment of a medical camp amid shortages in government hospitals, while urging the swift arrest of the driver.

‘It was the worst Easter’

Among the injured is the father of Mark Mathew, a ninth-grade student who was setting off fireworks at the front of the procession when the truck struck. His father, a furniture maker, suffered a fractured leg and is bedridden, while his mother sustained injuries to her knee and eye.

“I feel lucky to be alive,” Mark said. “It was the worst Easter, visiting injured relatives and friends in hospitals.”

Rights advocates say the case highlights broader concerns over the safety of minority religious gatherings in Pakistan.

Capuchin friar condemns ‘Christianophobia’

In an April 8 statement, Capuchin Father Lazar Aslam, convener of the Justice, Peace, and Ecology Commission, “vehemently condemned this irresponsible and heinous act,” describing it as a “clear Christianophobia-driven hate crime.”

“This was not a mere traffic accident; it was a targeted assault on innocent worshippers at the most sacred moment of their liturgical calendar,” he said. “The driver’s failure to stop or render aid, and his decision to flee the scene, further underscores the malicious nature of this crime.”

He added that “the persistent silence and minimization of such incidents are as painful as the violence itself,” warning that genuine interfaith dialogue cannot exist without truth and safety.

“Until the lives of Christians are treated with equal dignity and those responsible are held accountable, empty words of peace will remain insufficient to heal the wounds of the community,” he said.

Aslam called for immediate justice for the victims and urged authorities to ensure comprehensive medical treatment for impoverished families most severely affected by the tragedy.

In September 2025, a Catholic pilgrim was killed and a teenager injured when gunmen attacked a van carrying devotees to the country’s largest Marian shrine in Mariamabad. The group was traveling through the Sheikhupura district to attend the annual Sept. 8 feast of the Nativity of Mary, which draws thousands each year.

The documentary highlights Lebanon’s religious diversity and richness, especially among members of its Christian community. It examines their history, the reality of their presence today, and the sources of their resilience amid a complex political landscape and the challenges of economic crisis, war, and emigration, as well as the role of the younger generation and its efforts to build a brighter future.

Opening with a sweeping scene from atop the statue of Our Lady of Lebanon in Harissa overlooking Beirut, journalist Colm Flynn begins his journey through a people known for their cultural richness, deep faith, and steadfast endurance, searching for an answer to one pressing question: What does the future hold for Lebanon?

Charbel and Leo 

The documentary was filmed during Pope Leo XIV’s historic visit to Lebanon, his first apostolic journey there, late last year. Its producers chose to focus on one of the visit’s most prominent stops: the Monastery of St. Maron in Annaya. In the documentary, Father Louis Matar, the monastery’s caretaker, where Lebanon’s best-known saint, St. Charbel, is buried, recounts the saint’s life in its successive stages.

He points to the saint’s special place among Lebanese people and believers more broadly as well as his worldwide renown. Many visit his tomb asking for his intercession, trusting that God will answer their prayers. The number of visitors to his shrine surpassed 4.5 million in 2025 — including Pope Leo.

An ancient history

The documentary traces the history of Christianity in Lebanon back to the first century, when the first apostles and their disciples brought the good news there. It shows how Christianity took root over the centuries, with religious orders flourishing and churches thriving, especially the Maronite Church, which remained in communion with Rome and helped shape the country’s religious and cultural identity.

In this context, Bishop Michel Aoun, president of the executive committee of the Assembly of Catholic Patriarchs and Bishops in Lebanon, in the documentary highlights the connection between the apostles Paul and Mark and the Lebanese cities of Tyre and Byblos as evidence of Christianity’s presence in Lebanon from its earliest centuries. He notes that Christians made up nearly 60% of the population at the time of the country’s founding, compared with about 30% today.

Lebanon’s Christians and Muslims

Recalling the words of St. John Paul II, “Lebanon is more than a country; it is a message,” Aoun says views differ regarding Christian-Muslim coexistence in Lebanon. Some believe what unites them is greater than what divides them and attribute the fragility of coexistence to Lebanon’s being caught in conflicts larger than itself. Others warn that Christians’ political role has shrunk, leaving them to pay the price for conflicts in which they are not a party.

Ongoing suffering

The documentary also revisits painful events that have shaken Lebanon, beginning with the civil war in the mid-1970s, which divided Beirut into eastern and western sectors, followed by the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, the financial and economic collapse, the Beirut port explosion, and the war now raging and its consequences for the country, especially the towns and villages of the south.

A shared bleeding

Successive wars and crises have forced Lebanese people, both Christians and Muslims, to emigrate. Notably, Lebanon’s population is about 6 million, while nearly 15 million other Lebanese live abroad around the world. Some have returned in an attempt to build a new life in their homeland, but others, according to the documentary, do not seem to be thinking of returning.

Sharbel Bou Maroun, president of the Levant Center for Studies and Research, says the economic situation is going from bad to worse, and millions of Lebanese around the world feel there is no longer anything to return to. Mounting crises continue to push more people to leave, while others remain firmly attached to staying, saying, “This is our land, our roots are here, and we helped found this country.”

Despair and witnesses of hope

In the face of the psychological harm and discouragement caused by repeated crises, especially among young people, some have turned to alcohol or drugs as a way to escape. But many more remain attached to hope.

The documentary offers life stories that embody this perseverance. Singer Rima Turk sees her talent as a blessing from God and has dedicated it to praising and glorifying him. Through her service with the Nasroto association, she works to help people struggling with addiction recover through psychological and spiritual support, which she describes as the most effective path.

William Noun lost his brother, firefighter Joseph, in the Beirut port explosion while he and his colleagues were trying to extinguish a fire that preceded the blast. But he did not lose hope. In the documentary, he recounts his pain and the “breath of peace” he felt when the pope met them at the port and prayed in silence. William continues to raise his voice in pursuit of justice for the victims of the explosion.

The experience of Dr. Amal Chaaya is also featured in the documentary. She speaks of how her faith helped her transform the suffering of losing her sight into insight, work, and creativity, thanking the Lord who gave her strength to carry that cross.

The documentary also presents the experience of Charbel and Giovanni Latif and their efforts through the Christians of the East platform to shed light on their history, current reality, and steadfastness, especially for members of the diaspora, so that they remain connected to their homelands.

Pope Leo’s visit

Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Lebanon receives in-depth attention in the documentary. It captures the atmosphere of joy and popular enthusiasm that accompanied it, especially among young people, both Christian and Muslim, and how prominently it featured across media and social platforms. It also presents differing views regarding the visit.

Lebanon’s Christians do not deny the pain. Yet despite successive crises, wars, and their heavy consequences, their faith remains firm, their endurance steadfast, and their hope for a better tomorrow unbroken. In all of this, they offer the clearest answer to the pressing question about the future.

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

“We’ve seen this great rise the last couple of years, and it’s really intriguing. It’s really joyful,” said JonMarc Grodi, executive director of The Coming Home Network and host of EWTN’s “The Journey Home,” in an interview with “EWTN News Nightly.”

The Ohio-based organization’s mission is “to help non-Catholic Christians, clergy and laity, discover the truth and beauty of Catholicism and to make the journey home to full communion with the Catholic Church.”

The organization is seeing “a huge increase” in numbers of people joining the Church “across the board,” Grodi said.

“Here at The Coming Home Network … we’re working in particular with people who are on that journey, who are asking questions, who are looking for help,” Grodi said. “And over the past years, we saw a 50% increase in the number of Protestant pastors who reached out to us for help in becoming Catholic.”

The network reaches thousands of people seeking information and support through a number of resources, including its Clergy Convert Conference, which specifically invites former Protestant and other non-Catholic Christian pastors and ministers who have become Catholic or who are preparing to enter the Church.

Following a successful first conference in 2025, the network and the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology will host a second gathering May 1–3 in Steubenville, Ohio.

Draw to the faith

It’s a “pretty wide demographic” of those joining the Catholic Church, as it “is not just a local phenomenon,” Grodi said. “This is around the U.S. and around the world.”

“I think 20-30 years ago we were seeing a lot of relatively older, more well-educated, more doctrinally interested people. Nowadays, I think we’re seeing … a much wider demographic interest in the Catholic Church for all sorts of reasons.”

There are also “a lot of people who were brought up or who were born Catholic coming back to the Church,” he said.

“Oftentimes people who were brought up Catholic and leave, it’s hard to bring them back because they think that they already get it, they already know what Catholicism is,” Grodi said. But, “there’s a renewed visibility of Catholic identity that is drawing people who were brought up Catholic back home.”

Grodi said the reasons are “all over the place” as to why so many are converting to the Catholic faith but noted “there’s a great desire for Jesus in the holy Eucharist.”

“We have an increase in noise in the world, and people are looking for a solid foundation, a place to go where they can have a right relationship to truth, and to seek the truth. I think also there have been things that have broken down barriers to people considering the Catholic Church,” he said.

Pope Leo XIV may be helping to inspire people with “his very visible, clear witness to Catholic identity, as well as a lot of notable public conversions that I think have broken down the walls for some people to consider Catholicism,” he said.

“When it gets down to the individual person though, I think so many people are looking for the sacraments. They’re looking for these great gifts from God of his presence, where he promises to show up and be with us in the midst of all the noise,” Grodi said.

“The Church, guided by the Holy Spirit with Scripture, tradition, and the magisterial teaching authority of the Church, gives people a place to come bring their questions and to seek answers and to trust that there’s been 2,000 years of this tradition of seeking truth,” Grodi said.

The archbishop of Algiers called Leo’s upcoming trip — the first-ever by a pope to the Muslim-majority country — an effort to continue the Church’s recent outreach to Islamic lands. The pope will visit four countries in Africa on his first apostolic journey to the continent April 13–23.

30 years after Tibhirine massacre, concerns over religious freedom remain

Leo’s visit to the African nation will occur 30 years after the murder of seven Trappist monks from the Tibhirine monastery in 1996. Notably, as reported by ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, a visit to Tibhirine has not been scheduled during his trip.

“The Holy See never requested a trip to Tibhrine,” Vesco said. “This is likely because the primary focus was on St. Augustine, although the pope will visit the house of two of the martyrs of Tibhirine. Furthermore, there were time constraints. I am certain he will pay tribute to them in another way, notably during the meeting with the Christian community at Notre Dame d’Afrique.”

The shadow of the Tibhirine massacre hangs over Christians in Algeria, who continue to face obstacles to the practice of their faith. As recently reported by EWTN News, several constitutional protections for Christianity were removed from Algeria’s federal constitution in 2020, in which conversions from Islam to Christianity were criminalized.

The Catholic Church has also faced restrictions. Caritas Algeria, the Church’s humanitarian aid organization that served Algeria’s broader population regardless of religion, was closed at the request of Algerian authorities in 2022.

Relative to other parts of the Middle East, however, Vesco said Algeria has experienced relative peace since the Tibhirine massacre.

“The peace of the entire world is threatened ... by what is happening in many regions of the world, especially in Iran and Palestine. We need to seek fraternity — to become brothers,” the cardinal said.

Papal trip in line with Pope Francis, but not on interreligious dialogue

Vesco said Leo’s upcoming visit would fulfill a long-held desire of Pope Francis to visit the country. However, Vesco remarked that while Leo’s trip would align with Francis’ pastoral priorities, it would primarily focus on common human concerns in what the cardinal called a “dialogue of life.”

“Pope Leo aligns himself through this trip, and through his travels, in continuity with Pope Francis. The Holy Father will be in the midst of a Muslim people. This trip is not marked by interreligious dialogue but rather by meeting each other in our humanity,” he said.

A trip in the footsteps of St. Augustine

During his trip, Pope Leo, the former prior general of the Order of St. Augustine, will make a highly symbolic stop in Annaba, formerly known as Hippo, where St. Augustine served as bishop in the fifth century. Vesco hailed the saint as an important figure in both Algerian and Christian history.

“St. Augustine ... recalls Algeria’s deep and diverse history. He is truly a son of that land, and the Algerian people know it and are proud of it,” Vesco said. “At the same time, indeed, he is a figure of ancient Christian thought, and ultimately, the search for truth that brings us all together.”

In an April 4 statement, Bishop Julio C. Salcedo Aquino said the faithful, who were praying at Eucharistic adoration in the town of San Lucas Cuauhtelulpan, “were threatened, beaten, and stripped of their belongings.”

“We deplore this incident, above all for the lives and physical and spiritual well-being of the people who suffered this outrage,” he said, expressing his hope “that they may soon regain their peace and their physical and spiritual equilibrium.”

The bishop said that “these events wound us deeply, for among the offenses committed against the Catholic faith, the theft of the Eucharist constitutes one of the most grave,” reminding his listeners that those who commit this sin automatically incur excommunication.

Furthermore, he emphasized that “these events, perpetrated on Holy Saturday, lead us as the Church in Tlaxcala to live in close solidarity with Mary Magdalene, who heads to the tomb to honor the body of Jesus and, finding it empty, hurries to inform the apostle Peter, telling him: ‘They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they have laid him.’”

Salcedo issued a call “to pray intensely for the people who stole the holy Eucharist,” so that they may return it and be converted.

The prelate also asked all parish priests in the Diocese of Tlaxcala to organize “Days of Eucharistic Prayer” and announced that on Saturday, April 11, he will perform a rite of reparation at the Church of San Lucas Cuauhtelulpan.

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.

“Thousands of Lenten and Holy Week activities were canceled once again — such as group pilgrimages; gatherings where hundreds of the faithful assemble to organize the transport of flowers, religious images, or the cross itself to be carried to the churches in procession, accompanied by music and fireworks; or the ‘Judea’ [the reenactment of the passion of Christ] throughout the country,” the priest told ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News.

In 2022, the dictatorship of Vice President Rosario Murillo and President Daniel Ortega banned processions in the streets and public thoroughfares. “Religious celebrations have been restricted to inside the churches, courtyards, or atriums, under police surveillance,” the priest said.

Holy Week in Nicaragua “was celebrated in an atypical manner” without the religious freedom to do so fully, said Román, who serves as vicar at St. Agatha Parish in Miami. “Thank God, the churches were filled with the faithful of all ages even as they endured the presence of police and infiltrators.”  

“People attended the Easter Vigil in Nicaragua’s parishes under police surveillance. They take photos and videos of the people entering and leaving the church,” Martha Patricia Molina, author of “Nicaragua: A Persecuted Church” reported on X.

“Sandinista guards were present to harass the Procession of the Encounter [which depicts the risen Christ appearing to his mother Mary] at a parish in the Archdiocese of Managua,” she also reported on X.

Despite the restrictions, however, Román emphasized that “thousands of the faithful attended churches even with the regime’s extensive propaganda urging people to visit the country’s beaches and tourist centers, the majority of which are owned by Sandinistas — that is, individuals aligned with the dictatorship.”

On March 31, Christopher Landau, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, denounced the Nicaraguan dictatorship for banning public Holy Week processions and expressed his hope to see “the day when our Nicaraguan friends reclaim their religious freedom.”

Responding to Landau, the Nicaraguan government published a statement titled “Utterly False,” in which it “categorically refutes the perverse accusations issued by U.S. government spokespersons” regarding religious activities during Holy Week.

The regime countered that “throughout Nicaragua, thousands of religious activities — both Catholic and those of Christian and evangelical churches — are taking place.”

However, the statement did not specify that the regime banned public Holy Week activities. If any do take place in defiance of the government, they are dispersed by the police.

Molina told ACI Prensa that since 2019, the dictatorship has banned more than 28,900 public processions and acts of popular piety.

Another exiled priest consulted by ACI Prensa who preferred to remain anonymous out of fear of the dictatorship, noted the extensive coverage given to Holy Week activities by media outlets aligned with the regime.

“This year, an unusually large number of media outlets provided coverage,” he said. “I interpret this as stemming more from the government’s fear regarding the current situation and the sanctions involving Venezuela, Cuba, and Iran.”

Román noted the media presence as well, saying that “ironically, pro-government media outlets made their presence felt — going so far as to climb onto the high altar in the midst of a service — to take photographs inside the churches for their political propaganda, thereby denying the existence of any prohibitions and asserting, as they did in a recent statement, that everything is ‘normal.’”

A third exiled priest who also wished to remain anonymous noted that there was no chrism Mass in the dioceses whose bishops have been exiled, nor were there public processions. However, the faithful managed to organize them nonetheless, “with the creativity of the people of God.”

Four Nicaraguan dioceses are currently led by bishops living in exile and lack their shepherds’ physical presence in the country: Matagalpa and Estelí, headed by Bishop Rolando Álvarez (who resides in Rome); Siuna, led by Bishop Isidoro Mora; and Jinotega, led by Bishop Carlos Herrera, who is exiled in Guatemala.

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Alongside Pope Leo XIV, Álvarez, who was formerly imprisoned by the Ortega dictatorship, participated in the Rite of the Adoration of the Cross at the Vatican during Holy Week.

On Holy Thursday, at the conclusion of the chrism Mass at the Managua Cathedral, Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes told the media present inside the church that bishops throughout the country sent him images “showing the level of participation in their cathedrals, as well as in their parishes.”

He continued: “What we observe here is the tremendous work of the priests, and that the people — with complete generosity and absolute freedom — have been able to come to their churches and are living out their faith, which, I believe, is the most important thing.”

Brenes, the metropolitan archbishop of Managua, led the Good Friday Stations of the Cross at the Managua Cathedral, which lasted over four hours and drew thousands of the faithful to the surrounding grounds.

Bishop Báez’s homily on Easter Sunday

Silvio Báez, the auxiliary bishop of Managua, has lived in exile since 2019, celebrated midday Mass on Easter Sunday at St. Agatha Parish in Miami. He noted that “by raising the Crucified One from the dead, God reveals not only the triumph of his power over the destructive power of death but also the victory of his justice over the injustices of men.”

“The new hope that Jesus introduces into the world can only be proclaimed out of faith in a God who does not abandon the victims — a liberating God who does not accommodate the pretensions of the powerful, nor follow the paths laid out by the masters of the world. In the presence of the risen Lord, we must ask ourselves whose side we are on: that of those who crucify, or that of the crucified?” he asked.

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.

Operated by NASA, the crewed flight has captured global attention not only for its technical ambition but also for its human moments. Among them, a moving message sent back to Earth in celebration of Easter and honoring the late wife of a crew member offered a reminder that even amid the vast silence of space, themes of hope, renewal, and faith continue to resonate across the cosmos.

On April 4, a CBS News reporter asked mission pilot Victor Glover if he had a message to share ahead of Easter. The astronaut — who took his Bible into space — shared a powerful reflection on the beauty of creation.

“As we are so far from Earth and look back at, you know, the beauty of creation — I think for me, one of the really important personal perspectives that I have up here is I can really see Earth as one thing,” Glover said. “And when I read the Bible and I look at all of the amazing things that were done for us … you have this amazing place, this spaceship.”

He added: “You guys are talking to us because we’re in a spaceship really far from Earth, but you’re on a spaceship called Earth that was created to give us a place to live in the universe, in the cosmos. Maybe the distance we are from you makes you think what we’re doing is special, but we’re the same distance from you. And I’m trying to tell you — just trust me — you are special.”

Referencing the Earth, the astronaut said: “In all of this emptiness — this is a whole bunch of nothing, this thing we call the universe — you have this oasis, this beautiful place that we get to exist together.”

“I think, as we go into Easter Sunday, thinking about all the cultures all around the world, whether you celebrate it or not, whether you believe in God or not, this is an opportunity for us to remember where we are, who we are, and that we are the same thing, and that we’ve gotta get through this together.”

On April 6, Glover also reminded those on Earth about the greatest commandment Christ left us — to love God with all your heart and to love your neighbor.

Moments before the crew lost communication with Earth as the spacecraft went behind the moon, Glover said: “As we get close to the nearest point to the moon and farthest point from Earth, as we continue to unlock the mysteries of the cosmos, I would like to remind you of one of the most important mysteries there on Earth, and that’s love.”

“Christ said, in response to what was the greatest command, that it was to love God with all you are,” he added. “And he also, being a great teacher, said the second is equal to it. And that is to love your neighbor as yourself.”

Glover has been very open about his Christian faith. Ahead of the Artemis II launch, he shared that Jesus is the answer to the world’s problems, saying: “We need Jesus — whether here on Earth or orbiting the moon.”

In another heartfelt moment, Artemis mission specialist Jeremy Hansen shared a message proposing possible names for two unnamed craters on the moon’s surface. The first name was “Integrity” — to honor the name of their spacecraft — and the second was “Carroll” — to honor the late wife of Artemis commander Reid Wiseman.

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He called the proposal of naming a crater Carroll “especially meaningful for this crew.”

“A number of years ago we started this journey, in our close-knit astronaut family, and we lost a loved one,” he shared.

Hansen explained that at certain points in the moon’s transit around Earth it can be visible from Earth.

“It’s a bright spot on the moon and we would like to call it Carroll,” he said, choking on tears.

Carroll Taylor Wiseman died of cancer in 2020 at the age of 46.

The Artemis crew is scheduled to make their return to Earth by splashing into the Pacific ocean on April 10.

“The threat of destroying a whole civilization and the intentional targeting of civilian infrastructure cannot be morally justified,” Coakley, the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said in an April 7 statement. “I call on President Trump to step back from the precipice of war and negotiate a just settlement for the sake of peace and before more lives are lost.”

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The prelate’s statement comes in response to a post from Trump on social media earlier on April 7 in which the president claimed that “a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again” if Iranian leadership fails to strike a deal on Hormuz by the 8 p.m. ET cutoff.

“I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will,” Trump said. “We will find out tonight, one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the world.”

Trump’s latest threat follows a strongly worded post from the president on Easter Sunday in which he stated that April 7 will be “Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran,” an apparent intimation that the U.S. would strike at critical Iranian infrastructure if the strait was not reopened.

In his response to the posts, which did not quote Trump directly, Coakley noted that “after his resurrection, Jesus appeared to his disciples in Jerusalem, and his first words were ‘Peace be with you.’”

The archbishop cited Pope Leo XIV’s calls for peace and invited the faithful to join the Holy Father in his prayer vigil for peace on April 11.

“I make a special plea to my brother bishops, the priests, the laity, and all people yearning for true peace to join the Holy Father’s Vigil for Peace, whether virtually, or in parishes, chapels, or before the Lord present in the quiet of their hearts to join with our Holy Father as we pray for peace in our world,” Coakley said.

A new report published by the French Bishops’ Conference presents the latest statistical data from Easter 2026, during which approximately 8,200 adolescents and 13,200 adults embraced the Catholic faith.

The report indicates that the majority of converts are young adults between the ages of 18 and 25, closely followed by the 26-to-40 age group. Women constitute the largest segment, accounting for approximately 62% of the total.

In general, the new catechumens have no prior religious tradition, driven primarily by difficult life experiences, a profound search for meaning, or spiritual encounters that left a lasting mark on their lives, according to the report.

The ecclesiastical provinces with the highest number of baptisms were Paris, with 3,184, followed by Marseille with 1,437 and Lyon with 1,200. The report highlights a notable increase in the military diocese, headquartered in the French capital, particularly during the military pilgrimage to Lourdes.

The ‘magnitude of the thirst for God’

Olivier de Germay, archbishop of Lyon and the official responsible for the catechumenate in the country, reflected on this new reality, one that “never ceases to surprise and challenge us.”

Although society has long been aware of the world’s failure to provide answers to “the deep aspirations of the human being,” the French prelate expressed his surprise at the “rapidity and magnitude of the thirst for God manifesting itself today.”

This phenomenon opens up a new horizon and presents a “major challenge” for the Church, he said, which must offer appropriate guidance for initiation into the Christian life.

For De Germay, the situation also calls upon the “seasoned veterans of the Christian life,” who are invited “to once again become aware of how God can break into [a person’s life] and transform it.”

Among some new initiatives to address the increasing numbers, the regional council launched by the eight dioceses of the Île-de-France region stands out. Titled “Catechumens and Neophytes: New Perspectives for the Life of Our Church in Our Dioceses,” the council will run until May 2027. After gathering feedback from Catholics, including the newly baptized, the council aims to develop an appropriate response to the growing number of converts and to establish common guidelines at the provincial level.

The provincial council is encouraging the other dioceses outside the Île-de-France region to launch other initiatives focused on specific proposals to increase the participation of the newly baptized in the liturgy.

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 April 3 “2027 Notice of Funding Opportunity” for Title X, the federal family planning grant program, bans funds from being used “in programs where abortion is a method of family planning.”

The move came days after the Trump administration released the fifth and final year of grant funding to Planned Parenthood under Title X, a decision that garnered criticism throughout the pro-life movement. The White House cited legal challenges for the controversial decision to continue the funding.

“The administration has issued the fifth and final year of Title X grants that were locked in place during the Biden presidency,” the White House told EWTN News in a statement. “The administration faced significant legal challenges in stopping any of these dollars from going out.”

Previous Republican administrations, including that of Trump’s first term, also banned abortion funding via Title X. What makes this year’s criteria unique is that it encourages fertility education in place of contraception.

The notice highlighted “fertility-awareness-based methods” or “natural family planning,” a method encouraged by the Catholic Church that involves tracking a woman’s biological markers to determine when ovulation occurs.

The administration also teased a new pro-family grant that will be announced soon.

“HHS will soon be releasing a new Title X funding opportunity for the next five-year funding cycle that prioritizes life and promotes the pro-family agenda,” the White House statement read.

The notice also promoted “body literacy” on fertility-related conditions, such as “education on menstrual cycle physiology, hormonal health, male and female fertility awareness, and early indicators of reproductive disorders such as endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), thyroid dysfunction, metabolic disorders, and other conditions that often first emerge in adolescence.”

An estimated 1 in 10 women have endometriosis; 1 in 8 women develop a thyroid disorder; and roughly 1 in 10 have PCOS — all conditions that can negatively affect fertility and overall health.

“For example, endometriosis often goes undiagnosed for years because symptoms such as severe menstrual pain or irregular bleeding are frequently normalized or minimized,” the HHS notice read.

“Body literacy counseling helps patients recognize that these experiences are not ‘normal’ features” but instead “potential indicators of an underlying condition, prompting earlier discussion with providers, timely diagnosis, appropriate treatment, and improved long-term reproductive and overall health outcomes,” the notice continued.

The 2027 plan is not prioritizing contraception funding; instead the government said that contraception is part of an overreliance on “pharmaceutical and surgical treatments.”

The health department noted that fewer women than in previous years are using contraception (54% of reproductive-age women) and that “the most common reason women reported discontinuing use related to dissatisfaction was side effects.” For instance, hormonal contraception can cause depression in some patients, among other negative side effects.

“This approach has failed to adequately address the root causes of the nation’s chronic disease burden, resulting in ongoing health challenges that affect fertility, pregnancy outcomes, and long-term health outcomes,” the notice read.

HHS said it will focus instead on “underlying behavioral and lifestyle factors of health — such as nutrition, sleep, physical activity, stress management, and environmental factors.”

The White House told EWTN News that “the administration remains committed to realigning the Title X program with the president’s pro-life and pro-family agenda going forward.”

Michael New, an assistant professor of practice at the Busch School of Business at The Catholic University of America as well as a Charlotte Lozier Institute senior associate scholar, called the decrease in Planned Parenthood funding “a win for the pro-life movement,” though with a caveat.

“Cutting funding to Planned Parenthood may not have a large impact on the incidence of abortion in the short term due the increasing prevalence of telehealth abortions,” New said.

The professor also noted that “defunding contraception programs and supporting natural family planning is a win for pro-lifers.”

“Since the Title X program started in 1970, the federal government has spent hundreds of millions of dollars, if not billions of dollars, into promoting contraception,” New said. “This money has been poorly spent. Many places that distribute contraception also perform abortions, so some of this money indirectly funds abortion.”

“Many Catholics do not want their tax dollars spent on programs, such as contraception programs, they find morally objectionable,” New continued. “Even though many Americans support contraceptive use, pro-life Catholics would like the government to stay out of the issue: no funding, no mandates, no distribution. As such, defunding contraception programs has been a longtime policy goal for many pro-life Catholics.”

“​​Natural family planning, when done correctly, has a strong track record of success,” New said. “However, it has been marginalized in many secular public health circles. The fact that HHS is promoting natural family planning will give NFP more visibility and credibility.”

Court documents obtained by EWTN News show that the Hartford Insurance Group proposed the nine-figure payment in an April 3 filing in U.S. bankruptcy court.

The archdiocese originally filed for bankruptcy in September 2023 amid the threat of a wave of clerical abuse lawsuits. The filing was made ahead of the Maryland Child Victims Act taking effect in October of that year. That law ended the statute of limitations for civil lawsuits for negligence in relation to child sexual abuse.

The archdiocese did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In 2024 the archdiocese sued multiple insurers over what it claimed was a failure to pay abuse claims for which the insurers were contractually obligated.

Also in 2024, the archdiocese said it would close more than half of the parishes in its titular city, reducing 61 parishes to 23 in response to a plummeting population there.

Archbishop William Lori said the plan would allow the remaining Catholic churches to “focus on mission and ministry, as opposed to leaking roofs, crumbling walls, and failing electrical and plumbing systems.”

Insurance is often a “huge component” of clerical abuse payouts, though dioceses and archdioceses have several means by which they can fund settlements.

Dioceses will very often turn to local parishes to pay into settlement funds, usually stipulating certain percentages of cash reserves that parishes must contribute.

Property sales and contributions from affiliate organizations such as cemeteries often help to bolster a settlement fund as well.

Marie Reilly, a professor of law at Penn State University and an expert in bankruptcy litigation, including Catholic diocesan bankruptcy proceedings, told EWTN News in 2025 that starting in the 1990s, insurance companies mostly changed how they cover sexual abuse.

“Up until about the mid-’90s, a general liability policy used to include coverages for employee liability,” she said. “It would cover sex abuse claims against the diocese stemming from an employee’s abuse.”

“After 1996, insurance policies issued under new revised standards just don’t provide that coverage anymore,” she said.

“During his urbi et orbi message [on Easter], he mentioned the globalization of indifference, the indifference that we have, even good Christians and good Catholics have to violence,” Petri told anchor Veronica Dudo in an April 6 interview on “EWTN News Nightly.”

“We’ve been desensitized to it,” he said. “But if Christ has shown us anything, it is that power, the all-powerful God, wins the battle against sin and death not by violence or defeating it in some grand gesture of war against evil. Rather, he abandons himself, he gives himself in service, he dies for it, and then he rises for it without losing an ounce of his dignity, an ounce of his power.”

In his Easter message to the faithful, Leo reflected on the resurrection of Christ, saying Easter is “the victory of life over death, of light over darkness, of love over hatred.”

He said: “The power with which Christ rose is entirely nonviolent” and compared it to “a human heart, which, wounded by an offense, rejects the instinct for revenge and, filled with compassion, prays for the one who has committed the offense.”

Leo called the Resurrection “the beginning of a new humanity” and “the entrance into the true promised land, where justice, freedom, and peace reign, where all recognize one another as brothers and sisters, children of the same Father who is love, life, and light.”

“We are growing accustomed to violence, resigning ourselves to it, and becoming indifferent,” the pope said. “Indifferent to the deaths of thousands of people. Indifferent to the repercussions of hatred and division that conflicts sow. Indifferent to the economic and social consequences they produce, which we all feel.”

Petri said during the interview that the Holy Father “challenged us to live in that sort of same grace, not to be disturbed by the problems of the world, but at the same time not to be indifferent to them, that we can coexist in peace and serenity and at the same time still be troubled and upset and concerned about what we see, not only in our own sinfulness and in our own lives, but in the Church and in the world.”

Pope urges laying weapons down

Petri also discussed Leo’s direct call for peace on Easter, in which the Holy Father said: “Let those who have weapons lay them down” and “let those who have the power to unleash wars choose peace; not a peace imposed by force, but through dialogue!”

In the interview, Petri said: “It might be easy to dismiss” Leo’s call for peace, because “popes always call for peace,” but he warned against downplaying the Holy Father’s role to simply being “a moral figure” and “a great teacher.”

“He is, in fact, we believe, the vicar of Christ on Earth,” Petri said. “And the teachings of the Church, the teachings of Jesus Christ himself, in fact, argue and maintain that peace and nonviolence is ultimately the way to everlasting peace.”

“Only in the grace of Jesus Christ will we find justice, peace, and forgiveness and love all coexisting and living in one reality,” Petri said. “And so this vigil for peace is certainly important and certainly it’s significant that the pope has called for it, but it’s also a real pleading, not simply that people will lay down arms and be peaceful with each other, although it is that, but that God himself will give peace to the world that is so desperately in need of it.”

Leo’s call for peace comes as President Donald Trump said he plans to escalate the conflict in Iran. The president said in a Truth Social post on Easter that April 7 “will be Power Plant Day and Bridge Day” while using profanities to demand Iran open the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump doubled down on April 7, threatening that “a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again” in a separate Truth Social post.

Archbishop Khalid Rehmat, OFM Cap, 57, was installed as head of the Archdiocese of Lahore on March 28 in a ceremony that acknowledged a period of “particular difficulties and challenges” following the removal of Archbishop Sebastian Shaw, OFM, in August 2024 — an unprecedented development in the country’s Catholic history.

During the liturgy, Vicar General Father Asif Sardar read the Urdu translation of the papal bull, which referenced the trials faced by Pakistan’s largest Catholic diocese, home to an estimated 577,000 faithful.

“We devote all our energies to the governance of the ship of the Church, which for different reasons is sometimes assailed by waves, requiring the guidance of both ourselves and the devoted pastors appointed by us. For this reason, we have turned our attention to the metropolitan see of Lahore,” he said, quoting Pope Leo XIV.

The remarks were widely interpreted as an indirect reference to Shaw, who was appointed apostolic vicar of Quetta and installed at St. Mary’s Catholic Church on March 24. Prior to that, he had been residing at the Franciscan Friars Minor house in Karachi while on what Church authorities described as a sabbatical.

Allegations against Shaw

Shaw has faced multiple allegations in recent years, including claims of financial mismanagement and misconduct involving Church funds and properties, circulated in media reports and on social media.

In 2017, he drew criticism for allowing a political address by Maryam Nawaz, now chief minister of Punjab, at Sacred Heart Cathedral during an election campaign.

Further controversy emerged in 2021 when a Christian activist shared on social media photographs and documents alleging irregular land transactions linked to Shaw. He declined to comment on the claims when contacted by EWTN News.

In 2022, additional allegations regarding personal conduct surfaced from a suspended priest, though archdiocesan officials dismissed them as unfounded.

Several Catholics, including a former Caritas Pakistan official, had previously submitted complaints to the Vatican concerning alleged abuse of authority and financial impropriety.

‘Things seem to have settled down’

Archbishop Benny Mario Travas of Karachi, who served as apostolic administrator of Lahore during the transition, drew light laughter from the congregation when he remarked that “things seem to have settled down,” noting a decline in complaints reaching the apostolic nunciature.

Archbishop Germano Penemote, the apostolic nuncio to Pakistan, thanked Travas for his stewardship during what he described as a turbulent period.

“The Church in Lahore is invited to experience this moment as a true resurrection — to emerge from chaos into new life, stepping out from the shadows into the radiant light of the risen Lord,” he said, addressing the faithful on the eve of Palm Sunday.

Catholic lay leaders say the path forward will require structural and cultural renewal.

Shahid Rehmat, executive director of the Youth Development Foundation, emphasized the need for greater accountability and transparency within Church leadership.

“The internet has changed the world. Young people are no longer dependent on, nor can they be controlled by, Church leaders,” he told EWTN News, urging authorities to make public the findings of any inquiry into Shaw’s tenure.

“Transparency will help restore trust among the faithful and strengthen the credibility of the new leadership. Christian activists — many formed within Church institutions — have often been labeled disloyal. Recognizing their role could support the Church’s mission for justice and peace,” he added.

Rehmat, a former diocesan coordinator of Catholic Youth Ministry of the Lahore Archdiocese, also expressed cautious optimism about the new archbishop’s leadership.

“He is well known in Quetta and has the potential to make the Church more accessible and outward-looking, while strengthening its struggling commissions,” he said.

Flanagan, who was born and raised in the small village of Ballymoe, Ireland, before emigrating to the United States, was declared venerable on March 23 by Pope Leo XIV.

Fidelma and Alan Croghan of the Father Flanagan Group in Ballymoe provided insight into the Irish priest’s formative years to EWTN News. “He was the fourth-youngest of 11 children. His father was a herdsman looking after an absentee landlord’s livestock on the estate. They lived in a cottage here at Leabeg,” Fidelma said.

“From birth Father Flanagan’s life was bathed in the warm embrace of a loving family. On the night he was born, they didn’t think that he would survive because he was quite ill. He was a very sickly person all of his life in terms of bad lung health. The story goes that his grandparents also lived in the house with them. So the grandfather took the tiny newborn baby and put the baby skin to skin, against his own heart for the night, and Eddie survived.”

Fidelma shared that from the moment of his birth, Flanagan “knew love and the loving bond of a family; he had a very happy upbringing. Their home was full of music and happiness, neighbors came in and they played music and danced on the stone flagstones of the kitchen floor before a big open fire.”

She added: “He worked with his dad as a shepherd boy tending to the sheep. He was into prayer and reading from a young age, and he wrote about going out on the land with his rosary beads and reading Dickens.”

Following primary education at the nearby Drumatemple National School, Flanagan attended the Diocesan College of the Immaculate Conception, Summerhill College, Sligo, to complete his secondary education and prepare for life as a priest.

Alan Croghan said he has no doubt that the future priest’s upbringing and the family values he espoused throughout his life were formed by his origins and his upbringing in Ireland.

“Our purpose in Ireland here is to educate people and tell them about this man, going on to America to do what he did in Boys Town. He took what he learned here in Ballymoe, how a family should be run,” he said.

Bishop Kevin Doran of Achonry and of Elphin told EWTN News: “Father Flanagan’s life and virtue have much to say to us today, in a wealthy country where so many children are forced to live with homelessness, and in a world in which we still find it so easy to define people as ‘hostile aliens.’”

Boys Town families and descendants often visit Ballymoe and the Father Flanagan Visitor Centre to see the famous priest’s hometown. Fidelma Croghan said: “We had a woman come two or three years ago, and she knelt on the floor of the house, and she cried, and cried, and cried, and said, ‘Only Father Flanagan saved my father; I wouldn’t be here.’ Another visitor told me: ‘I would have been dead as a young man, or would have spent my life in jail, only for Boys Town.’”

If Flanagan’s experiences growing up in Ireland shaped his compassionate approach to the social issues he encountered in Nebraska, his experiences there dealing with troubled boys and young men subsequently influenced his reactions during a return trip to Ireland in 1946, when he visited the country’s reform schools.

He was profoundly troubled at the desperately poor conditions and treatment they encountered. Speaking about the schools in Cork, he told the audience: “You are the people who permit your children and the children of your communities to go into these institutions of punishment. You can do something about it.” He described his country’s penal institutions as “a disgrace to the nation.”

Flanagan had received letters from Ireland drawing attention to the brutal regimes in these schools and wanted to see for himself how bad conditions really were.

In response to his prophetic warnings, the Irish government minister for justice at the time, Gerald Boland, told the Dáil (Irish legislative chamber) “that he was ‘not disposed to take any notice of what Monsignor Flanagan said while he was in this country, because his statements were so exaggerated that I did not think people would attach any importance to them.’”

The schools Flanagan visited included Artane and Letterfrack, institutions that became notorious after the truth of the abuses inflicted on students there eventually emerged.

Easter lasts for a total of 50 days, from Easter Sunday until the feast of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles, Mary, and the first followers of Christ.

This year, 2026, Easter was on April 5 and runs until Pentecost Sunday, May 24.

Easter explained

Catholics observe Easter in different stages.

Easter Sunday is the greatest Sunday of the year, and it marks the start of the “Easter octave,” or the eight days that stretch from the first to the second Sunday of Easter (also now known as Divine Mercy Sunday). The Church celebrates each of these eight days as solemnities of the Lord — a direct extension of Easter Sunday.

The entire Easter season lasts 50 days and includes the solemnity of the Ascension of Christ, which falls on the 40th day of Easter, which this year is celebrated on either Thursday, May 14, or Sunday, May 17, depending on where you live, and ends with Pentecost, which is derived from the Greek word “pentecoste,” meaning “50th.”

“The 50 days from the Sunday of the Resurrection to Pentecost Sunday are celebrated in joy and exultation as one feast day, indeed as one ‘great Sunday,’” according to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. “These are the days above all others in which the ‘Alleluia’ is sung.”

The USCCB calls Easter “the most important of all liturgical times.”

“It celebrates Jesus’ victory of sin and death and salvation for mankind,” the U.S. bishops say. “It is God’s greatest act of love to redeem mankind.”

In the traditional Roman rite

In the traditional form of the Roman rite, Easter is known properly as Paschaltide, which includes three parts: the season of Easter, Ascensiontide, and the octave of Pentecost. It thus lasts one week longer than the Easter season in the calendar of the missal of St. Paul VI.

The season of Easter begins with the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday and runs through the afternoon of the vigil of the Ascension.

Ascensiontide begins the evening before the Ascension, with first vespers of the feast, and ends the afternoon of the vigil of Pentecost — marking the first novena.

The octave of Pentecost is an extension of the feast of Pentecost, beginning with the vigil Mass of Pentecost and ending the afternoon of the following Saturday, which this year falls on May 30.

This story was first published April 21, 2022, and has been updated.

“In just seven years, we mark the 2,000th anniversary of the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That milestone will be one of the most significant moments in the history of the world. We should be preparing for it,” Moore wrote in an April 6 social media thread.

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The post comes a year after Moore, alongside Sen. Eric Schmitt, introduced legislation that would make the day after Easter Sunday a federal holiday. No hearings have been held on the House and Senate measures, which have been referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and Senate Judiciary Committee respectively.

“More than 80% of Americans — Democrats and Republicans — celebrate Easter,” Moore said. “Most other Western nations already observe Easter Monday as a public holiday. The U.S. is the outlier. It’s time to fix that.”

Moore also pointed out the “practical benefits” of the bill, which he named the Easter Monday Act, saying it would give families who travel for Easter “the breathing room to be fully present — with their relatives, in their churches, and at their dinner tables” rather than having “to rush home Sunday night to make it to work Monday morning.”

“Just as Christ continued appearing to his apostles for 40 days after his resurrection, our celebration of Easter should not end at the strike of midnight,” he said. “Easter Monday is an invitation to carry the meaning of Easter into our daily lives — and into the public life of our nation, which has been gripped by a culture of death for far too long.”

U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Brian Burch responded to Moore’s post, writing: “It’s actually quite shocking Easter has never been a national holiday, owing only to the fact that it’s always on a Sunday.”

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“For all the reasons here, including the fact that our civilizational identity would be greatly enhanced, I hope this is given serious consideration,” Burch said.

Schmitt also called for passage, writing on social media: “Christ is risen. Today of all days, we should be focused on celebrating and not the work week ahead. Let’s make a federal holiday to celebrate Easter.”

Good Friday

While Good Friday is not a federal holiday, state offices in 16 states mark the day by early- or all-day closure, including Connecticut, California, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin, according to the Library of Congress.

So far, there have been no legislative efforts to make Good Friday a federal holiday in the U.S.

Good Friday is a public holiday in many countries around the world, including Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, El Salvador, Finland, Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom, according to Time and Date.

Maj. Gen. William Green Jr., who belongs to the National Baptist Convention, began serving as chief of chaplains for the Army on June 20, 2023, and was formally appointed to the position on Dec. 5, 2023. He was the third Black American to hold the position.

Green was formally removed on April 2, 2026, three days before Easter. A Defense Department official confirmed his removal with EWTN News but did not offer a reason for his removal. No reason has been publicly stated, and Green has not publicly commented on his removal.

The Rev. Razz Waff, executive director of the Military Chaplains Association, told EWTN News that Green’s removal is “unprecedented,” noting that chiefs are appointed to “four-year statutory, written-in-law terms.”

“Really, there should be a for-cause reason, and in this case there is no for-cause reason,” Waff said, adding that he believes Green “was doing an absolutely great job.”

With the conflict in Iran ongoing, Waff said “changing senior leaders is always a little risky.” He said the stable leadership provided by Green “will be missed” but that “Army senior chaplains will meet the challenge — I’m sure of that.”

The removal of Green — and Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George and Army Transformation and Training Command Commanding Gen. David M. Hodne — comes more than a month after President Donald Trump began military attacks on Iran. Over the past 14 months, Hegseth has removed more than a dozen senior military officials.

It’s unclear whether Green’s removal is related to Iran policy, whether it is related to Hegseth’s broader efforts to reform the chaplaincy, or whether the reason is entirely different.

In mid-2025, Green introduced “The Army Spiritual Fitness Guide,” which Hegseth scrapped in December. At the time, Hegseth said the guide promoted “secular humanism,” only referenced God once, and never referenced virtue.

When Hegseth halted use of the guide, he said: “Our chaplains are chaplains, not emotional support officers, and we’re going to treat them as such.”

In January, Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, spoke in favor of Hegseth removing the guide, similarly condemning efforts to “reduce the chaplaincy to either … social work or cheerleading, none of which is really the chaplain’s job.”

“[Hegseth] definitely wants to return the chaplaincy to responsibility for religious services, religious instruction, and advising the commanders,” Broglio said at the time.

The archdiocese did not respond to a request for comment about Green’s removal.

Sen. Chris Coons, D-Delaware, criticized Hegseth’s removal of Green in a post on X, noting it was done “without explanation” and called Green “a decorated leader who tended to our military’s spiritual health with honor and distinction.”

“This purge of senior military leaders should alarm every American,” Coons said. “With no clear path to ending the war in Iran, experience and trusted leadership matter more than ever. Instead, Trump and Hegseth are pushing out senior officers for seemingly no valid reason.”

Pentagon omits Catholic Good Friday service

The Pentagon, which headquarters the Department of Defense (DOD), which Hegseth has called the Department of War, held Protestant services on Good Friday but did not hold a Catholic Good Friday service.

A Pentagon official told EWTN News that the Pentagon chaplain office’s priest was not in town on Good Friday, so no service was scheduled. However, Catholic Masses are routinely offered to employees.

“Catholic Masses are held on a daily basis in the Pentagon,” the official said. “Additionally, the Pentagon Chaplain Office holds weekly services for several major religions. ... Every service is open to all department employees.”

The board of the Catholic Military Apostolate of the United States (CMA-US) said in a statement to EWTN News: “We understand that the regular Catholic chaplain assigned to the Pentagon was not present that day. If a Catholic liturgical service is normally offered there and could not be held because other arrangements were not made, that is disappointing.”

“At the same time, moments like this demonstrate precisely why the work of lay apostolates such as CMA-US is so essential,” the statement read. “When chaplains are unavailable to lead formal services, actively involved Catholic lay people living in community within the military can — and must — come together to pray, learn, and sustain the faith life of their brothers and sisters in uniform.”

In January, Broglio said the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, has been facing a priest shortage. At the time, he said the archdiocese has about 190 priests, but “we should probably have about 500 to actually meet the needs.”

Messori was the author of the books “The Ratzinger Report” (1985) — produced after interviewing then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the future Pope Benedict XVI — and “Crossing the Threshold of Hope” (1994), written after interviewing St. John Paul II. Both works became global bestsellers and were translated into a number of languages.

In a post on X, Spanish Bishop José Ignacio Munilla remembered Messori as “a journalist to whom we owe a great deal in the Catholic Church” and highlighted that “The Ratzinger Report” is a book he has “underlined and reread many times, and which has helped me enormously to understand the postconciliar crisis and to navigate through turbulent waters.”

Messori first gained international recognition in 1976, when he published his book “Hypotheses on Jesus,” a work that sought to counter skepticism using historical and rational arguments regarding Christ, thereby becoming a global touchstone for the Catholic faith.

Messori was born on April 16, 1941, in Sassuolo, Italy. He was raised in an agnostic family, with a mother who put him “on guard” against priests.

Between June and August 1964, while studying political science at the university, he decided to convert to the Catholic faith.

“I entered into what felt like a new dimension, where the truth of that Gospel, which until then I had known nothing about, became crystal clear and tangible to me. Even though I had never attended church and had never undertaken any religious studies, I discovered that my perspective — previously secularist and agnostic — had suddenly become Christian. More than that: Catholic,” Messori told ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, in a 2009 interview.

The Italian journalist made the comments in Spain, where he had gone to present his book “Why I Believe,” in which he recounted how he went from being an agnostic to becoming the most prestigious Catholic apologist of the era.

Messori also authored “They Say He Is Resurrected,” in which he delved into the facts and data that substantiate the historicity of the Gospel passages concerning the Resurrection.

He also wrote “Black Legends of the Church,” in which he responded to various historical myths concerning the Church, such as those related to the Inquisition, Galileo, the conquest of the Americas, and the Crusades, among others.

In a 2022 statement to ACI Prensa, Messori emphasized that being a convert “has been my drama, but it has also been my advantage, in the sense that I cannot be swayed by human respect when, in reality, for me, the discovery of the Church has been the discovery of a home.”

He further underscored that in his books and articles, faith in Christ has “never” been an “ideology, or something cultural or sociological. It has been a living person.”

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.

With this affirmation, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, proclaimed in the the Church of the Holy Sepulchre that Easter does not confirm human certainties but rather unsettles them to open the believer to a living faith.

From the very place where Jesus conquered death, the cardinal said: “Here, inside this sepulcher, we are not facing a symbol: We are facing a real emptiness. An emptiness that is not an absence but a proclamation.”

He explained that the Gospel account depicts Mary Magdalene confronting uncertainty, uttering the first expression of authentic faith: “We do not know where they have laid him.”

“God does not allow himself to be possessed. The Risen One is not where we expected him to be. He is not confined by the boundaries of our certainties,” he emphasized, pointing out that “it is not we who protect God; it is God who sets us free.”

In his reflection, the patriarch warned against a comfortable or routine religiosity. “We, on the other hand, would like a kind of faith that does not turn our world upside down,” he said, noting that in the Resurrection, “God does something we did not ask for: He withdraws. Not to flee, but to save us from a misunderstanding — that faith is something to be possessed.”

Reflecting on the empty tomb, the cardinal said that signs such as the folded burial cloths indicate that the Resurrection is not a magical act but a manifestation of freedom: “Death is no longer a garment that conceals but a garment that has been carefully set aside, no longer needed.”

The cardinal also linked the Easter message to the current political reality in the Holy Land, which is marked by conflict. “We know all too well that many stones remain sealed around us,” he lamented, referring to “hatred, violence, and retaliation.”

In that context, he issued a warning: “It seems that we place the Lord back in a tomb every time we believe that death has the final word over history.”

In light of this, he affirmed that Easter “is not a distant dogma but a defiance of resignation. It is the only hope that can still open, here and now, the gates of peace.”

The patriarch further emphasized the universal character of Christianity, reminding people that “God shows no partiality” and that “no life is ‘too lost’ to be sought.”

He maintained that Christianity is not reduced to contemplation but rather consists of actually following Christ: “The Risen One is not an object of worship; he is a person who calls. He is not merely to be contemplated; he is to be followed.”

Likewise, he warned of the risk of stripping Christian life of its meaning: “Even holy places can become museums if they do not become an exodus [a going forth] ... the liturgy can become routine if it does not lead to conversion.”

Finally, Pizzaballa called for living out Easter concretely in daily life, saying that “stepping out [of the empty tomb] means choosing forgiveness when it would be easier to harden our hearts; choosing truth when it would be more comfortable to conform; choosing hope when everything suggests the opposite.”

“Easter is not a phrase to be repeated; it is a door to be walked through. The stone has been rolled away. The passage is open. But we must decide whether to stay inside or go out,” he affirmed.

The patriarch concluded with the central proclamation of the Christian faith: “The Lord is risen! And precisely because he has risen, we will never find him where we left him. We will find him standing before us, calling us out.”

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 novena originates with Sister Maria Faustina Kowalska of the Blessed Sacrament, OLM, canonized a saint in April 2000, a Polish religious sister and mystic who experienced apparitions of Jesus, who gave her a novena prayer to his mercy. She was to start it on Good Friday, the day Christians mark Jesus’ crucifixion.

St. Faustina wrote in her diary that she began the novena for the conversion of the whole world that all may recognize God’s mercy and that all souls may speak of his goodness.

Jesus reportedly said to St. Faustina: “I desire the confidence of my people. Let not even the weak and very sinful fear to approach me; even if their sins be as numerous as all the sands of the earth, they will be forgiven in the fathomless pit of my mercy.”

St. Faustina received instructions on how to make the novena: “During these nine days I want you to lead souls to the fount of my mercy, in order that they may draw from it strength, refreshment, and all the graces they need in the trials of their lives, especially at the hour of death. Each day you will lead a different group of souls and immerse them in the sea of my mercy. Each day you will beseech the Father through my bitter passion for graces for these souls.”

This novena can be made at any time, but it is recommended to begin it on Good Friday in preparation for the feast of Divine Mercy, which is celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter.

Jesus told Faustina that “the souls that will go to confession, in preparation, and Communion on this day will obtain a complete remission of all sin and all punishment. .... On each day you will bring to my heart a different group of souls and you will immerse them in this ocean of my mercy, and I will bring all these souls into the house of my Father ... on each day you will beg my Father, on the strength of my bitter passion, for graces for these souls.”

How to pray the Divine Mercy Novena

The novena consists of praying a daily Chaplet of Divine Mercy and daily prayer intentions. The novena is prayed as follows:

The Lord’s Prayer

Hail Mary

Apostles’ Creed

On each of the large rosary beads say:

Eternal Father, I offer to you the body and blood, soul and divinity of your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.

On each of the small rosary beads say:

For the sake of his sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

Conclude by saying three times:

Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

First day

“Today bring to me all mankind, especially all sinners, and immerse them in the ocean of my mercy. In this way you will console me in the bitter grief into which the loss of souls plunges me.” Most merciful Jesus, whose very nature it is to have compassion on us to forgive us, do not look upon our sins but upon our trust, which we place in your infinite goodness. Receive us all into the abode of your most compassionate heart, and never let us escape from it. We beg this of you by your love, which unites you to the Father and the Holy Spirit. Eternal Father, turn your merciful gaze upon all mankind and especially upon poor sinners, all enfolded in the most compassionate heart of Jesus. For the sake of his sorrowful passion, show us your mercy, that we may praise the infinite power of your mercy, forever and forever. Amen.

Second day

“Today bring to me the souls of priests and religious and immerse them in my unfathomable mercy. It was they who gave me strength to endure my bitter passion. Through them, as though channels, my mercy flows out upon mankind.” Most merciful Jesus, from whom comes all that is good, increase your grace in men and women consecrated to your service that they perform worthy works of mercy, and that all who see them may glorify the father of mercy who is in heaven. Eternal Father, turn your merciful gaze upon the company of chosen ones in your vineyard — upon the souls of priests and religious — and endow them with the strength of your blessing. For the love of the heart of your Son in which they are enfolded, impart to them your power and light, that they may be able to guide others in the way of salvation, and with one voice sing praise to your boundless mercy for ages without end. Amen.

Third day

“Today bring to me all devout and faithful souls and immerse them in the ocean of my mercy. These souls brought me consolation on the Way of the Cross. They were that drop of consolation in the midst of an ocean of bitterness.” Most merciful Jesus, from the treasury of your mercy, you impart your graces in great abundance to each and all. Receive us into the abode of your most compassionate heart and never let us escape from it. We beg this grace of you by that most wondrous love for the heavenly Father with which your heart burns so fiercely. Eternal Father, turn your merciful gaze upon faithful souls, as upon the inheritance of your Son. For the sake of his sorrowful passion grant them your blessing and surround them with your constant protection. Thus may they never fail in love or lose the treasure of the holy faith, but rather, with all the hosts of angels and saints, may they glorify your boundless mercy for endless ages. Amen.

Fourth day

“Today bring to me those who do not believe in God and those who do not yet know me. I was thinking also of them during my bitter passion, and their future zeal comforted my heart. Immerse them in the ocean of my mercy.”

Most compassionate Jesus, you are the light of the whole world. Receive into the abode of your most compassionate heart the souls of those who as yet do not believe in you or do not know you. Let the rays of your grace enlighten them that they, too, together with us, may extol your wonderful mercy, and do not let them escape from the abode that is your compassionate heart.

Eternal Father, turn your merciful gaze upon the souls who do not believe in your Son, and of those who as yet do not know you, but who are enclosed in the most compassionate heart of Jesus. Draw them to the light of the Gospel. These souls do not know what great happiness it is to love you. Grant that they, too, may extol the generosity of your mercy for endless ages. Amen.

Fifth day

“Today bring to me the souls who have separated from my Church and immerse them in the ocean of my mercy. During my bitter passion they tore at my body and heart; that is, my Church. As they return to unity with the Church, my wounds heal, and in this way they alleviate my passion.” Most merciful Jesus, goodness itself, you do not refuse light to those who seek it of you. Receive into the abode of your most compassionate heart the souls of those who have separated from your Church. Draw them by your light into the unity of the Church, and do not let them escape from the abode of your most compassionate heart, but bring it about that they, too, come to glorify the generosity of your mercy.

Eternal Father, turn your merciful gaze upon the souls of those who are separated from your Son’s Church, especially those who have squandered your blessings and misused your graces by obstinately persisting in their errors. Do not look upon their errors but upon the love of your own Son and upon his bitter passion, which he underwent for their sake, since they, too, are enclosed in his most compassionate heart. Bring it about that they may glorify your great mercy for endless ages. Amen.

Sixth day

“Today bring to me the meek and humble souls and the souls of little children and immerse them in my mercy. These souls most closely resemble my heart. They strengthened me during my bitter agony. I saw them as earthly angels, who will keep vigil at my altars. I pour out upon them whole torrents of grace. Only the humble soul is capable of receiving my grace. I favor humble souls with my confidence.” Most merciful Jesus, you yourself have said “Learn from me for I am meek and humble of heart.” Receive into the abode of your most compassionate heart all meek and humble souls and the souls of little children. These souls send all heaven into ecstasy, and they are the heavenly Father’s favorites. They are a sweet-smelling bouquet before the throne of God; God himself takes delight in their fragrance. These souls have a permanent abode in your most compassionate heart, O Jesus, and they unceasingly sing out a hymn of love and mercy.

Eternal Father, turn your merciful gaze upon meek and humble souls and upon the souls of little children, who are enfolded in the abode which is the most compassionate heart of Jesus. These souls bear the closest resemblance to your Son. Their fragrance rises from the earth and reaches your very throne. Father of mercy and of all goodness, I beg you by the love you bear these souls and by the delight you take in them. Bless the whole world, that all souls together may sing out the praises of your mercy for endless ages. Amen.

Seventh day

“Today bring to me the souls who especially venerate and glorify my mercy and immerse them in my mercy. These souls sorrowed most over my passion and entered most deeply into my spirit. They are living images of my compassionate heart. These souls will shine with a special brightness in the next life. Not one of them will go into the fire of hell. I shall particularly defend each one of them at the hour of death.” Most merciful Jesus, whose heart is love itself, receive into the abode of your most compassionate heart the souls of those who particularly extol and venerate the greatness of your mercy. These souls are mighty with the very power of God himself. In the midst of all afflictions and adversities they go forward confident of your mercy. These souls are united to Jesus and carry all mankind on their shoulders. These souls will not be judged severely, but your mercy will embrace them as they depart from this life.

Eternal Father, turn your merciful gaze upon the souls who glorify and venerate your greatest attribute, that of your fathomless mercy, and who are enclosed in the most compassionate heart of Jesus. These souls are a living Gospel; their hands are full of deeds of mercy and their spirits, overflowing with joy, sing a canticle of mercy to you, O Most High! I beg you O God: Show them your mercy according to the hope and trust they have placed in you. Let there be accomplished in them the promise of Jesus, who said to them that during their life, but especially at the hour of death, the souls who will venerate this fathomless mercy of his, he himself, will defend as his glory. Amen.

Eighth day

“Today bring to me the souls who are detained in purgatory and immerse them in the abyss of my mercy. Let the torrents of my blood cool down their scorching flames. All these souls are really loved by me. They are making retribution to my justice. It is in your power to bring them relief. Draw all indulgences from the treasury of my Church and offer them on their behalf. Oh, if you only knew the torments they suffer, you would continually offer for them the alms of the spirit and pay off their debt for my justice.” Most merciful Jesus, you yourself have said that you desire mercy; so I bring into the abode of your most compassionate heart the souls in purgatory, souls who are very dear to you, and yet, who must make retribution to your justice. May the streams of blood and water that gushed forth from your heart put out the flames of purgatory, that there, too, the power of your mercy may be celebrated.

Eternal Father, turn your merciful gaze upon the souls suffering in purgatory, who are enfolded in the most compassionate heart of Jesus. I beg you, by the sorrowful passion of Jesus your Son, and by all the bitterness with which his most sacred soul was flooded: Manifest your mercy to the souls who are under your just scrutiny. Look upon them in no other way but only through the wounds of Jesus, your dearly beloved Son; for we firmly believe that there is no limit to your goodness and compassion. Amen.

Ninth day

“Today bring to me souls who have become lukewarm and immerse them in the abyss of my mercy. These souls wound my heart most painfully. My souls suffered the most dreadful loathing in the Garden of Olives because of lukewarm souls. They were the reason I cried out: ‘Father, take this cup away from me, if it be your will. For them the last hope of salvation is to run to my mercy.’” Most compassionate Jesus, you are compassion Itself. I bring lukewarm souls into the abode of your most compassionate heart. In this fire of your pure love let these tepid souls, who, like corpses, filled you with such deep loathing, be once again set aflame. O most compassionate Jesus, exercise the omnipotence of your mercy and draw them into the very ardor of your love; and bestow upon them the gift of holy love, for nothing is beyond your power.

Eternal Father, turn your merciful gaze upon lukewarm souls who are nonetheless enfolded in the most compassionate heart of Jesus. Father of mercy, I beg you by the bitter passion of your Son and by his three-hour agony on the cross, let them too, glorify the abyss of your mercy. Amen.

This story was based on a story from CatholicExpert.com and printed here with permission. It was first published on March 31, 2021, and has been adapted by EWTN News.

On March 23, Pope Leo XIV recognized the heroic virtues of the newly declared venerable, who maintained that couples are made for happiness and that marriage is a path toward it.

With this deep conviction, and conscious of the challenges faced by couples, Caffarel, who was born in Lyon, France, in 1903, founded the movement for marital spirituality known as “Teams of Our Lady” in Paris in 1939.

The beginning of a living legacy

Spaniards Alberto Pérez Bueno and Mercedes Gómez-Ferrer Lozano, the couple in charge of the Teams of Our Lady internationally, have been married for 35 years and have three children. In an interview with ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, they said the ministry started “with four couples who approached Father Caffarel to ask him how they could live out their faith as a couple.”

“He didn’t have an answer at that moment, so he proposed that they embark on a journey of discovery together rooted in the sacrament of holy orders and the sacrament of matrimony. And that‘s how it all began,” Alberto explained.

Following World War II, the movement, which is primarily lay-led, grew rapidly; today, it is present in 92 countries and is comprised of more than 15,000 teams.

Marital communication and prayer

Mercedes emphasized that from the very beginning, Caffarel saw the need to foster the essentials of marital communication and prayer, convinced that by sharing their problems with one another, many couples could avoid estrangement that sometimes occurs in marriage.

The priest, Alberto recalled, said that “the sacrament of matrimony is an image of God” and “probably the most perfect one there is.” The priest said married couples are called to holiness through a life of “work, personal growth, love, patience, and building a life together.”

“It‘s not an overnight process but rather a journey undertaken over the course of a lifetime. Father Caffarel invited couples to embark on this path and to attain holiness through their work and their life together,” Alberto emphasized.

Mercedes said the priest thought of marriage as a sign “that reflects the love of God” because the relationship of communion that exists between spouses is analogous to the relationship existing among the three Divine Persons: Christ, the Father, and the Holy Spirit.

In the priest’s view, the image of marriage allowed for a clearer expression of the idea of ​​a God who is love “and who communicates and expands within his own nature.” From this perspective, “holiness ceases to be understood as a matter of individual effort or moral perfection and is situated instead within the dynamic of love that transforms and animates life,” Mercedes explained.

A continuous path of spiritual growth

The organization of the Teams of Our Lady is based on a specific methodology “that goes beyond monthly meetings,” encompassing prayer, dialogue, and personal commitment. Each team consists of five or six married couples, fostering “listening to the word, personal prayer, prayer as a couple and family prayer, and a profound dialogue in the presence of the Lord that we also have every month,” Mercedes explained.

Ultimately, it is a matter of “having a rule of life, a set of elements through which you strive to improve your Christian life,” she said. There is also a yearly retreat and a specific study theme each month.

Alberto emphasized that the Teams of Our Lady are, in a sense, “precursors of the synodality” promoted by Pope Francis. “It’s a movement that is very nonclerical — though, it must be said, the accompaniment of married couples by priests is essential.”

He also noted that “married couples place their time, their skills, their charisms, and their gifts at the service of others in order to build community.”

Mercedes, who had the opportunity to meet the now-venerable, recalled that in 1973 he stepped aside after founding the teams, convinced that “if it was a work of the Holy Spirit and possessed a charism for the Church, there was no need for him to stay on.”

Leaving the ministry in the laity’s hands, he retired to a house of prayer on the outskirts of Paris, where he began his other “great work”: teaching people how to pray. Mercedes noted that “one of the things he desired most was to teach people how to draw closer to Christ and to serve as an intermediary so that every person could have a personal encounter with God.”

The challenges facing married couples today

Alberto and Mercedes explained how married couples today confront new challenges stemming from the pace of life, particularly the “massive entry of women into the workforce,” which has brought different challenges, such as “finding time to be together and talk.”

They highlighted Caffarel’s enduring counsel: “Seek out these moments; don’t let them slip away,” for life “sweeps us along like a fast-moving river.

They also highlighted the movement’s impact in countries such as Lithuania, with a past marked by communist repression, or in African nations where the teams foster equality, participation, and changes such as abandoning polygamy. This is also true in Europe, where the Teams of Our Lady help strengthen families within increasingly secularized societies.

Both highlight the universal impact of the movement: Couples from diverse cultures agree on the benefits received, particularly the “opportunity to pray together” and the realization of “how difficult it would have been without the presence of Christ in their married life.” Ultimately, this is a way of life that responds to a profound desire: Even as sacramental marriages decline, “there is no diminishing of people’s desire to live as a couple.”

Mercedes also warned of a growing way of dealing with problems: “At the slightest setback, people are right off tempted to give up,” and the couple is not taught how to “persevere and forgive.” Added to this is “a great fear of commitment” and a tendency to avoid lasting bonds or communities despite the fact that, deep down, people “want to be happy and want to stay together.”

For this reason, she emphasized the importance of mutual support and community life: “It‘s fundamental to allow oneself to be helped,” since in her view navigating married life in isolation “is extremely complex.”

The teams offer precisely the necessary tools and support: a setting where married couples share their problems and solutions. Drawing upon their own experiences, they particularly encourage young couples to embark on this path of holiness.

Both expressed their joy that Caffarel has been declared venerable, a long-awaited recognition following nearly 20 years of going through the beatification process, which continues, awaiting a miracle wrought through his intercession.

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 documentary, directed by Andrés Garrigó, is set to premiere in Spain on April 10. It is headed to Mexico and Central America later this month, followed by distribution in the United States later in the year.

The film traces the journeys of figures from both the present day and recent history who, from their Jewish origins, traveled the path toward recognizing Jesus as the Messiah.

The film takes an approach that is in keeping with the Second Vatican Council’s declaration Nostra Aetate. That document emphasizes that “the Church, mindful of the patrimony she shares with the Jews and moved not by political reasons but by the Gospelʼs spiritual love, decries hatred, persecutions, displays of anti-Semitism, directed against Jews at any time and by anyone.”

Following that declaration, St. Paul VI became the first pope to travel to the Holy Land in the modern era. Subsequently, St. John Paul II visited Rome’s synagogue and established diplomatic relations with Israel. Both St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI visited the Auschwitz death camp. Pope Francis and Leo XIV further developed the path charted by Nostra Aetate.

In a statement to ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, Goya Productions indicated that in the version of the film to be distributed in the United States, “only the testimonies originally in French, Spanish, and Portuguese will require dubbing” and that “more than half of the film will remain in its original English.”

The U.S. version will also feature an additional testimony from Dr. Robin Pierucci, a Jewish convert and neonatologist who lives in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Other testimonies to be highlighted inlude those of French philosopher Fabrice Hadjadj, Harvard Business School professor Roy Schoeman, Brazilian philosopher Edgar Leite Ferreira, British literary critic Robert Asch, American author Dawn Eden Goldstein, and Argentine professor of biblical pastoral studies Luciana Rogowicz.

Garrigó told ACI Prensa that the subject of the film is one “that hasn’t been explored in cinema; people are a bit wary of it.”

He said the idea for the film originally came from a person in Mexico. “We didn’t think it would be possible, but after reflecting on it and later conducting research, we discovered that there were amazing people who had things to say about the Messiah and about discovering [him] from the point of view of Judaism,” he said.

‘Our greatest loves are Jewish’

Garrigó said the core narrative theme of the film is particularly captured in a recording of St. Josemaría Escrivá. In it, the Spanish saint, during one of his well-known informal gatherings, responds to a question from a young Jewish girl whose parents will not allow her to be baptized.

“As St. Josemaría himself says, our greatest loves are Jewish, aren’t they? They are Jesus and the Virgin,” Garrigó observed.

From that standpoint, “everything else is an attitude of openness; and they — the moment they discover Jesus — become deeply committed, the ones who feel called to fulfill an eternal design: that of a chosen people who in the end complete their journey,” the director said.

“They still feel Jewish after their conversion, yet Jewish in a way that fulfills what Jesus had envisioned for them,” he added.

“Searching for the Messiah” also explores other figures of Jewish origin who embraced the Catholic faith, particularly during the last century: Rome’s chief rabbi, Eugenio Zolli; St. Edith Stein, a German philosopher who became a Carmelite nun and was canonized by St. John Paul II, who named her a patroness of Europe and a doctor of the Church; Dr. Bernard Nathanson, who before his conversion was known as one of the most staunch abortion advocates in U.S. history; and the French poet Max Jacob, whose baptismal godfather was his friend Pablo Picasso.

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

In a Vatican Radio recording in 1994, Pope John Paul II gave an explanation for Monday of the Angel.

“Why is it called that?” the pope asked, highlighting the need for an angel to call out from the depths of the grave: “He is risen.”

These words “were very difficult to proclaim, to express, for a person,” John Paul II said. “Also, the women that were at the tomb encountered it empty but couldn’t tell ‘he had risen’; they only affirmed that the tomb was empty. The angel said more: ‘He is not here, he has risen.’”

The Gospel of St. Matthew puts it this way: “Then the angel said to the women in reply, ‘Do not be afraid! I know that you are seeking Jesus the crucified. He is not here, for he has been raised just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ Behold, I have told you” (Mt 28:5-7).

Angels are servants and messengers of God. As purely spiritual beings, they have intellects and wills. They are personal and immortal. They surpass all visible beings in their perfection.

Christ himself gave testimony to the angels when he said: “The angels in heaven always see the face of my father who is in heaven!” (Mt 18:10).

Christ is the center of the universe and angels belong to him. Even more so, because he made them messengers of his plan of salvation: An angel announced his conception to the Blessed Mother at the Annunciation and an angel proclaimed his resurrection to Mary Magdalene.

From Easter Monday until the end of Easter at Pentecost, the Church prays the Regina Caeli instead of the Angelus at the noon hour.

On Monday of the Angel in 2008, Pope Benedict XVI said the text of the Regina Caeli “is like a new ‘Annunciation’ to Mary, this time not made by an angel but by us Christians who invite the Mother to rejoice because her Son, whom she carried in her womb, is risen as he promised.”

He continued: “Indeed, ‘rejoice’ was the first word that the heavenly messenger addressed to the Virgin in Nazareth. And this is what it meant: Rejoice, Mary, because the Son of God is about to become man within you. Now, after the drama of the Passion, a new invitation to rejoice rings out: ‘Gaude et laetare, Virgo Maria, alleluia, quia surrexit Dominus vere, alleluia’ — Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia. Rejoice because the Lord is truly risen, alleluia!”

Regina Caeli (English)

V. Queen of Heaven, rejoice, alleluia.

R. For he whom you did merit to bear, alleluia.

V. Has risen, as he said, alleluia.

R. Pray for us to God, alleluia.

V. Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia.

R. For the Lord has truly risen, alleluia.

V. Let us pray. O God, who gave joy to the world through the resurrection of thy son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, grant we beseech thee, that through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, his mother, we may obtain the joys of everlasting life. Through the same Christ, Our Lord.

R. Amen.

Regina Caeli (Latin)

V. Regina caeli, laetare, alleluia.

R. Quia quem meruisti portare, alleluia.

V. Resurrexit, sicut dixit, alleluia.

R. Ora pro nobis Deum, alleluia.

V. Gaude et laetare, Virgo Maria, alleluia.

R. Quia surrexit Dominus vere, alleluia.

V. Oremus. Deus, qui per resurrectionem Filii tui, Domini nostri Iesu Christi, mundum laetificare dignatus es: praesta, quaesumus; ut per eius Genetricem Virginem Mariam, perpetuae capiamus gaudia vitae. Per eundem Christum Dominum nostrum.

R. Amen.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, then translated and adapted by the National Catholic Register on March 4, 2021, and updated for EWTN News English on March 28, 2024, and again on April 5, 2026.

The announcement was made by Father Cristino Ela Engonga, secretary-general of the Episcopal Conference of Equatorial Guinea (CEGE) and general coordinator of the Church commission for the papal visit, during a strategic meeting that was held on March 28 at the bishop’s house in Bata Diocese.

The meeting brought together members of various subcommissions from the dioceses of Bata, Ebibeyín, Evinayong, and Mongomo to assess ongoing preparations and receive updates from the Holy See regarding the historic visit, which will mark Pope Leo XIV’s first trip to Africa.

According to Engonga, nearly 50 Vatican officials are expected to accompany the pontiff, including five cardinals. Among them is Cardinal Robert Sarah, prefect emeritus of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.

The pope is expected to visit key cities, including Malabo, Mongomo, and Bata, accompanied by senior Vatican officials such as Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization.

Other prominent members of the papal entourage include Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad, prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, and Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences.

They will be joined by 42 additional Vatican officials, including Monsignor José Nahúm Jairo Salas, who is responsible for coordinating papal international travels, as well as leading Vatican communicators such as Paolo Ruffini and Matteo Bruni.

Beyond the papal entourage, the meeting also highlighted the participation of special guests, including Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo, president of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), as well as Archbishop Luis Javier Argüello García, president of the Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE).

Engonga further said that more than 40 Catholic bishops from six central African countries have expressed their intention to attend the event.

During the meeting, participants also received a report from the masters of ceremonies of CEGE, Fathers Julio Enrique Meheme and Diosdado Márquez Sabadell, who recently traveled to Rome to prepare the liturgical celebrations the pope will preside over.

The Holy Father is expected to arrive in Malabo on Tuesday, April 21, the final leg of his four-nation African trip. Following the official welcome ceremony, he will meet the president of Equatorial Guinea and address political leaders, civil society representatives, and the diplomatic corps.

In the afternoon, the pope will engage with academics and artists during a meeting with representatives of the world of culture at the León XIV Campus of the National University. A pastoral visit to patients and staff at the Jean Pierre Olie Psychiatric Hospital is also scheduled for this day.

On Wednesday, April 22, the pope will travel to Mongomo to celebrate Mass at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception before visiting the Pope Francis Technology School.

Later in the day, the Holy Father will continue to Bata, where he is scheduled to visit a prison; pray at a memorial dedicated to victims of the March 7, 2021, explosion; and meet young people and families at Bata Stadium.

The apostolic journey to Africa is to conclude on Thursday, April 23, with a final Mass celebrated by the pope at Malabo Stadium.

Following the farewell ceremony at Malabo International Airport, the Holy Father will depart for Rome, arriving later that evening at Rome’s Fiumicino International Airport.

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

The seminary was founded on Aug. 31, 1999, by the then-primate archbishop of Mexico, Cardinal Norberto Rivera, after the Catholic Church recognized the need to form priests capable of understanding the cultural richness of Hispanics in North America.

Rivera was inspired by the call issued by St. John Paul II in the January 1999 apostolic exhortation Ecclesia in America, which called the American Church to a new evangelization.

The seminary opened in August 2000 with the arrival of five seminarians from the archdioceses of Los Angeles and Milwaukee. Since then, more than 200 graduates from at least 55 dioceses across the U.S. have passed through the formation center.

‘A Church without borders’

In an interview with ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, Father Juan Antonio Vértiz Gutiérrez, the seminary’s rector, explained that the learning experience goes beyond language. The seminarians gain firsthand insight into what the Church in Mexico is like as well as its ecclesial and cultural traditions, particularly through apostolates.

According to the priest, this enables them to “better serve our fellow countrymen and our brothers and sisters of Hispanic origin” in their home dioceses in the U.S. He emphasized that this formation helps these young men understand two distinct cultural realities that, while united in faith, have different cultural expressions.

For Vértiz, one of the greatest beauties of Catholicism is that it “doesn’t have any borders.” In a time marked by tensions stemming from immigration policies, he noted that the experience of the Hispanic seminary demonstrates that for the Catholic Church, regardless of one’s background, every person “already belongs to the family of the children of God.”

The program

Life at the seminary follows the rhythm of any house of priestly formation but with a particular emphasis on cultural encounter. Mornings are dedicated to philosophical and theological studies at Lumen Gentium Catholic University, while in the afternoons, seminarians delve deeper into language learning and spiritual formation.

During Holy Week, seminarians are often sent to communities outside Mexico City.

The admissions process is typically conducted through diocesan vocations offices in the U.S. “We do not accept young men who do not belong to a diocese,” the rector explained.

Currently, the seminary hosts 16 young men hailing from California, Nevada, Washington, Texas, Illinois, Alabama, and Georgia.

Diverse testimonies of faith

Ramsés Yates, originally from the Diocese of Yakima, Washington, arrived at the seminary a year and a half ago to complete his theological formation and learn Spanish.

In an interview with ACI Prensa, he said his experience in Mexican communities has filled him with “much hope and much joy.” In them, he said, it’s possible to witness what it means to “be a community that lives out Catholicism to the fullest.”

He noted that he is eagerly preparing to return to Yakima, knowing that he will now be able to speak “with many more people in my diocese, people with whom I previously could not communicate effectively. That fills me with great enthusiasm.”

Ramón Pérez, originally from Guanajuato, Mexico, migrated to Fresno, California, at the age of 17. There, his life was defined by work until he felt “the call to the priesthood, to a more complete dedication to the service of the Church.”

He told ACI Prensa that following a lengthy process of discernment, he requested admission to the seminary. His diocese decided to send him to Mexico “to continue nurturing my culture and to support the various people entering the United States” from Spanish-speaking countries.

The seminarian said the experience has enabled him “to know and become conscious of my origins, my roots, and my culture, of where I was born and where I come from.” Growing up in two different cultures, he acknowledged, can be challenging, but it has also “profoundly shaped this aspect of my vocation.”

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 dessert, like the traditional Christmas treats of panettone and pandoro, is said to come from northern Italy. But a popular legend also recounts the sweet bread’s possibly miraculous origins.

The incredible story dates to the sixth or seventh century and includes a queen, a feast, and a group of Irish monks.

According to the legend, Queen Teodolinda, who was living where the town of Pavia, Italy, now lies, had heard the great reputation for holiness of an Irish missionary and abbot who had arrived in her kingdom.

In Italy, the saint is called Colombano, but he is also variously known as Columba, Columbkille, Columcille, or Colmcille.

The name Colmcille means “dove of the Church,” providing a hint to how this legend may have originated.

According to an account on the Italian website saintcolumban.eu, Queen Teodolinda really wanted to meet the Irish abbot she had heard so much about. So when she knew he was in her lands, she invited him and his fellow missionaries to visit her castle for lunch.

Given the importance of her guests, Queen Teodolinda ordered the best food to be served at her table that day, including roasted meats with gravies, sausages, and platters of fresh game.

St. Colmcille’s monks were shocked at the sight of all the rich food, especially given their practice of poverty and fasting.

There was also another problem: It was Lent.

As Queen Teodolinda, her husband, King Agilulfo, and their courtiers began to dig into the feast, the monks sat still, waiting for a sign from their abbot about what to do. They were hungry after their long travels but saw there was only meat at the table.

Colmcille bowed his head to the monarchs in thanks for the meal but did not reach for any food.

The queen was offended by her guests’ refusal of her meal. She said, in a sardonic tone, “You aren’t eating, brothers?”

A young monk piped up in response: “We are monks: We can’t eat this.”

St. Colmcille interrupted his rude confrere. He told the queen they could not eat food that had not been blessed and humbly asked for permission to bless the meal.

Given the queen and king’s permission, Colmcille pulled toward him the nearest plate of food and bowed his head in prayer.

He then held his hand over the platter — which held a large roasted dove — to bless it.

As he concluded, everyone present was shocked to see that the roasted bird and its fragrant dressings had been transformed into a simple loaf of bread.

The only trace of what had been there before was the bread’s shape, which was the form of a dove.

This, St. Colmcille said, is food appropriate for the season of Lent, and he and his followers began to eat the loaf.

Although most biographies do not record the great Irish missionary St. Colmcille’s visit to Italy, the Colomba bread is associated with Easter and is usually sweetened in order to be fitting for the celebration of Christ’s resurrection.

This story was first published on April 8, 2023, and has been updated.

This measure was granted after a “pardon approved by the government of Cuba” and after the analysis of a series of circumstances of the prisoners, such as “good behavior maintained in prison, having extinguished an important part of their sanction and state of health,” according to a note from the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Among the released prisoners are young people, women, and people over 60 years old. Excluded from the release were those who have committed crimes such as sexual assault, pedophilia with violence, murder, robbery with violence or force with weapons, and “crimes against authority.”

Specifying that it was the “second release” of 2026, the ministry said the pardons were announced “in the context of the religious celebrations of Holy Week.”

The statement pointed out that this is the government’s “fifth pardon” since 2011, by which a total of “more than 11,000 people have been released.”

In March, the Cuban government announced that it would release 51 prisoners “in the spirit of goodwill, of close and fluid relations between the Cuban state and the Vatican.”

The release comes as the United States has been cutting off the oil supply in Cuba as a way to pressure the regime to make various political and economic reforms.

Much of the Cuban population has also been experiencing a serious humanitarian emergency due to a lack of food, medicine, and health, among other shortcomings.

Palm Beach, Florida, Bishop Manuel de Jesús Rodríguez, a native of the Dominican Republic, recently wrote in a March 27 column that he found in Cuba “a deep and increasing humanitarian crisis: raw, visible, and deeply human.”

The prelate said that “prayer must lead to action.” To that end, the Diocese of Palm Beach is collaborating with the Cuban bishops to find “all possible ways to provide concrete assistance, especially in urgent areas of food and medical care.”

“This job is not optional. It is a moral imperative,” he said.

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

The archbishop, who also served as the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops from 2022 to 2025, made the remarks during an interview with Ed O’Keefe on CBS News’ “Face the Nation,” set to air on April 5.

O’Keefe during the interview highlighted St. Augustine’s theory of “just war” in which the ancient theologian pointed out that “the causes for which men undertake wars” must be grounded in both peace and necessity. The journalist asked if the Iran war could be justified under that doctrine.

“I would think under the just war theory, it is not,” the archbishop said. “Because while there was a threat with nuclear arms, [the war is] compensating for a threat before [the threat itself] is actually realized.”

“I would line myself up with Pope Leo, who has been urging for negotiation,” Broglio continued. “I realize also that you could say, well, with whom are you going to negotiate? And that is a problem.”

“But in the meantime, lives are being lost, both there and also among troops,” he said. “So it is a concern.”

On March 31 Pope Leo XIV appealed for world peace amid multiple conflicts throughout the Middle East, urging the faithful to pray “for the victims of war ... that there may truly be a new, renewed peace, which can give new life to all.”

Earlier, on Palm Sunday, the Holy Father spoke out more strongly against global conflict, arguing that God “does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war.”

In his interview on CBS, Broglio pointed to remarks in October 1965 by then-Pope Paul VI, who in addressing the United Nations decried the “blood of millions” resulting from numerous global conflicts, telling the international body: “Never again war, never again war!”

“Now, so many years later, we’re still in this situation,” Broglio said. “So I think Pope Leo would definitely support saying that, you know, we have to find a situation where men and women can sit down and find avenues of peace.”

“I think war is always a last resort,” the archbishop said during the interview.

In January, amid overtures by the U.S. to potentially invade Greenland, Broglio in an interview with the BBC expressed concern that soldiers might be “put in a situation where they’re being ordered to do something that is morally questionable.”

Speaking to CBS, the prelate acknowledged that a soldier in the military “has to obey [an order] unless it’s clearly immoral.”

“And then he would probably have to speak to his chaplain, to his chain of command,” the archbishop said. “The question might be, would generals or admirals have space to perhaps say, can we look at this a different way?”

“But having spoken to some of them too, they’re also in the same dilemma,” he said. “So I guess my counsel would be to do as little harm as you can, and to try and preserve innocent lives.”

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government’s backing off from the amendment to the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act was promptly welcomed by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI).

The CBCI had mailed a protest letter on March 31 to Amit Shah, the home minister of India, who handles the sensitive subject of foreign donations, calling for the “referral of the bill to a Parliamentary Standing Committee for wider consultation.”

The bill provides for setting up a government authority to seize properties bought or developed on foreign funds if the government license is canceled or not renewed.

The CBCI letter argued that it was essential “to ensure that administrative lapses do not lead to disproportionate penalties such as asset seizure.”

With the Christian heartland of southern Kerala going to the polls on April 9 to choose its new assembly, ruling communists and opposition leaders joined senior bishops holding news conferences dubbing the amendment as “draconian, barbaric, and undemocratic.”

The Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council held an emergency online meeting March 31 and sent a powerful letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing “deep concern regarding certain provisions” within the proposed amendment.

“The amendments, as presently understood, may create possibilities for misuse of authority, which could adversely impact many voluntary organizations, nongovernmental organizations, and auxiliary institutions — including places of worship — that have been established over decades for public service, irrespective of caste or religion,” the Kerala bishops cautioned.

More than 18% of Kerala’s 37 million residents are Christians.

The bishops asked Modi to refer the amendment bill “to the appropriate Parliamentary Subject Committee for further study, stakeholder consultation, and detailed discussion.”

“We are relieved now that the bill has been postponed and it will certainly provide an opportunity to address our concerns,” Father Thomas Tharayil, the deputy secretary of the Kerala bishops, told EWTN News on April 2 from Kochi.

Contribution act licenses of several dioceses, congregations, and charitable organizations have been “canceled without any proper reason,” Tharayil said.

Since the BJP came into power in 2014, thousands of licenses of church and Christian social action groups have been canceled or not renewed along with those of secular advocacy groups, including international nonprofits like Amnesty International, Bread for the World, and Greenpeace.

The FCRA Online dashboard of the government gives details of the curbing of the license with nearly two-thirds of around 50,000 accounts either canceled or not renewed.

The BJP government in 2020, meanwhile, made it mandatory that all licensees  open a designated “FCRA Account” only at the main New Delhi branch of the government-controlled State Bank of India.

An online campaign to revise the controversial bill has drawn thousands of signatures. The campaign argues that foreign donations “play a crucial role in supporting development projects in India, with billions of dollars in aid helping to alleviate poverty, support education, and improve public health.”

Cerro noted that questions about the seminary’s success lead him and his team to live in “profound humility and sincere gratitude” for what God has granted them through “the heart of Jesus Christ, eternal high priest,” both for the good of the Church and for “a humanity incapable of finding a way back to the Lord, marked by apostasy and, above all, weary and burdened because it lacks the Love of loves.”

In a recent letter, Cerro offered 10 points he said have shaped the seminary’s strong vocation culture — points “strengthened by the pastors who have served this primatial see, watered by the blood of martyrs, and sustained by the witness of holiness of so many lives.”

1. “Reasons of faith”

“We enter the seminary for reasons of faith, not for human reasons, and we remain for reasons of faith,” explained the prelate, who — drawing inspiration from the words Pope Leo XIV addressed to Spanish seminarians in February — added that “when we lose the supernatural dimension of our vocation, we lose everything.”

2. The Church confirms the vocation

Cerro explained that “in the seminary, the vocation — which we place in the hands of the Church — is discerned.” Thus, priestly ordination “takes place when that call has been confirmed by the Church, which is the body of Christ.”

3. A transformed heart

The archbishop of Toledo, recalling his days as a seminarian, said: “I must allow the seminary to pass through me, to enter deep within me, and to gradually form and transform me. Formation must help us to live with the sentiments of the heart of Jesus. We cannot be like those smooth stones we see in mountain rivers: The water flows over them, but it does not penetrate their interior.”

4. Human, not worldly

Another factor contributing to the success of the Toledo seminary is awareness of having “seminarians who are deeply human, yet not at all worldly,” Cerro said, men who share in “the joys, hopes, sorrows, and anxieties of our brothers,” for “the world awaits holy priests who know how to accompany people on the journey of life.”

5. Solid in-depth formation

The prelate said the Toledo seminary offers “solid in-depth formation,” grounded in the magisterium of the Church, “so as not to turn our seminaries into a laboratory for all manner of experiments, the outcome of which we all know.”

6. Based on the word of God and the lives of the saints

“Based on the living word, on the doctrine of the Church, on the experience of the saints, and in dialogue with a world that needs the Redeemer of the world more than ever” — this is how the formation process is carried out, the prelate emphasized.

7. Living in the present

Cerro said the seminary approaches its work “without nostalgia for a past that will not return. With eyes of faith, living in the present in communion with Peter, we form ourselves to live out what is essential: to be holy and blameless before God out of love.”

8. Fraternity and unity in diversity

“The seminary — as a presbyterate in formation — must be a community that lives like a family,” the prelate added, “for this fraternity strengthens that which unites us, enabling us to live with one heart while respecting the healthy plurality of sensibilities that reaffirm one faith, one baptism, and one Lord, in communion with Peter in [Christ’s] Church.”

9. Devoted to Mary

“We place the seminary in the heart of the Immaculate One. She watches over every seminarian so that he may attain the goal of a life of priestly dedication and generosity,” the archbishop shared.

10. Entrusted to the saints and martyrs

Finally, Cerro said he considers the final characteristic of the seminary is that it is entrusted to “St. Ildefonsus, to Blessed Sancha, and to so many holy pastors who have passed through it” as well as “to the martyrs of the religious persecution in Spain.”

He appealed to them to “grant us many holy vocations, so that the Church journeying in Toledo may never lack pastors after the heart of Christ.”

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 Bishop’s Brewery at St. Stephen’s took home top honors at the Czech Brew Star 2026 competition held in Brno on Feb. 6, the diocese announced March 16.

The brewery’s amber lager, Jezule 15%, won gold, while its flagship Czech pale lager, Děkan 11%, was named the overall winner in the Czech light lager category and received a diamond medal — the competition’s highest distinction.

Days later, the brewery’s Easter special — a dark stout brewed from five types of malt — won a gold medal at an international beer festival in Litoměřice, along with the main prize for best beer among all microbreweries in the Ústí nad Labem region of northern Bohemia.

Archbishop-designate Stanislav Přibyl of Prague blessed the Easter stout a few days before the fifth Sunday of Lent, March 22.

“God, you never cease to care for what you have created, you send the abundance of your blessing and give the earth its fruitfulness. We praise you for your infinite goodness and ask your blessing for this batch of beer,” Přibyl prayed. “Beer is a precious drink; through it, people meet and friendships deepen. Grant that whoever drinks it may receive protection of body and soul.”

Why a stout?

Head brewer Robert Kříž said the choice to brew a stout as the Easter special was deliberate.

“Everyone makes green beer before Easter, so we said we’d do something completely different — and the decision fell on a strong dark beer,” Kříž explained.

The stout, a bottom-fermented dark beer made from five types of malt, draws its distinctive flavor primarily from chocolate malt. Kříž described the result as similar to Guinness but noted: “We definitely don’t want to compare ourselves with them. We have our own taste, and that needs to be tried.”

Not 1 but 3 awards

The Czech Brew Star is an international competition that evaluates exclusively unfiltered and unpasteurized beers. The 2026 edition in Brno attracted 113 breweries from six countries — the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Cyprus, Greece, and Italy — with 52 tasters from nine countries judging 444 entries.

The Jezule 15% lager takes its unusual name from the affectionate Czech diminutive for the Infant Jesus. The name was inspired by the children’s book “The Flight Into Egypt Through the Kingdom of Bohemia” by the German-Bohemian author Otfried Preußler, a favorite of Přibyl’s. The beer was originally brewed as a Christmas special and was produced for only the second time in the brewery’s 11-year history.

“The judges praised the perfect harmony of flavors, aroma, and overall quality of this beer,” Kříž said.

Richard Kirbs, the brewery’s director, called the Děkan lager’s diamond medal “a fantastic success in unprecedented competition.”

“This is also the best reward for our brewer and the whole team,” Kirbs said. “The 11-degree Děkan can be tried in the brewery restaurant practically at any time.”

The Bishop’s Brewery at St. Stephen’s was established in 2015 in the Diocesan House of the Diocese of Litoměřice. It is one of a small but growing number of Church-owned breweries in Europe, continuing a monastic and ecclesial brewing tradition that dates back centuries in the Czech lands.

Přibyl, a Redemptorist, was named archbishop of Prague by Pope Leo XIV on Feb. 2 and remains administrator of the Diocese of Litoměřice until his installation in Prague on April 25.

The court already ruled in 2002, in Atkins v. Virginia, that executing people with intellectual disabilities violated the Constitution’s Eighth Amendment, which prohibits “cruel and unusual punishment,” but justices did not define intellectual disability.

In Hamm v. Smith, the court will consider whether Joseph Smith, facing execution in Alabama for the 1998 murder of Durk Van Dam, should be spared because his IQ test scores hover so closely to the threshold of 70 established in the Atkins case. Smith was given several IQ tests ranging from 72 to 78, above the standard threshold of 70, but within the margin of error.

“As long as the death penalty remains on the books in this country, it is essential that these guardrails are upheld to safeguard the most vulnerable among us, including those with intellectual disabilities,” said Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy, executive director of the Catholic Mobilizing Network, an anti-death penalty group based in Washington, D.C. “The surest way to protect the sanctity of life in these instances is to end the practice of capital punishment altogether.”

In 2018, Pope Francis updated paragraph 2267 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, declaring the death penalty “inadmissible” because “it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person.” Pope Leo XIV affirmed this, saying that those who are against abortion must also be against capital punishment as they both degrade human life.

Vaillancourt Murphy said the death penalty is more unpopular than ever, mostly because of “young adults who, by and large, oppose the death penalty far more than their older counterparts.”

Oral arguments in the case were heard in December 2025. Eighteen states and the Trump administration filed briefs supporting Alabama.

Assistant to the U.S. Solicitor General Harry Graver told the justices that the court’s ruling in Atkins had “outsourced the definition of intellectual ability to the states,” giving them “significant discretion in defining what it means to be intellectually disabled and what a defendant must do to prove it.”

Theresa Farnan, a philosopher on the Ethics and Public Policy Committee of the National Catholic Partnership on Disability, said several conditions should be evaluated to determine an inmate’s intellectual ability outside of IQ tests, including their social adaptability and early childhood performance.

“This was clearly a borderline case,” Farnan said, noting that Smith could not finish grade school, struggled with reading, and could not keep jobs created for special needs employees. “It’s obvious to me he could not grasp the gravity of his crimes. In cases like these, the burden on us as a society is even more pronounced to be radically pro-life.”

She said the court may establish a legal precedent in this case in which these holistic evaluations will be used by states in assessing intellectual fitness.

The American Psychological Association with the American Psychiatric Association and the Alabama Psychological Association argued in their amicus briefs that diagnosing intellectual disability requires a comprehensive clinical assessment that goes beyond just IQ test scores. Their briefs clarified that IQ tests are not always definitive.

A decision is expected by July.

About 200 Catholics gathered April 3 at the Jesus Worker Center in the Zirani area of Gazipur to watch fellow parishioners dramatize the 14 stations, from the condemnation of Jesus to his burial and resurrection.

The participants — young men, women, and elderly Catholics who work in nearby factories — performed the reenactment at the center, which serves roughly 1,700 Catholics scattered across the surrounding industrial zone.

Binodh Bless Mardy, 28, is one of them. An Indigenous Catholic, Mardy has worked at E.O.S. Textile Mills Limited for about eight years. He tries to join the Christian community in his free time and took part in the Good Friday reenactment as a narrator.

“Since I don’t get much time off during Easter and my home is far away, I try to attend all the Easter Sunday events here instead of going to my village,” Mardy told EWTN News.

Mardy’s home village is about 250 miles away, in Dinajpur Diocese in northern Bangladesh.

He said he is not always able to attend Mass during Holy Week before Easter. “When I get time off, I don’t always get to Mass. And when I try to get time off, I can’t always manage it. So I pray at home,” he said.

A center for Catholic workers

The Jesus Worker Center was established in 2009 by the Archdiocese of Dhaka for the spiritual care of Catholics working in the area’s garment factories and other private industries. About 1,700 Catholics live in different neighborhoods under the center’s pastoral reach.

Father Biswajit Bormon, assistant parish priest at the center, said he and three other priests provide spiritual care to Catholic workers across a 20-square-kilometer (about 7.7-square-mile) area.

“Laborers come here from different parts of Bangladesh and work in different companies. Most of them do not get Sunday off, so we give them more time on Fridays,” Bormon said.

During Lent, the priests visit at least seven subcenter locations to offer Mass and hear confessions. They celebrate as many of the Holy Week liturgies as possible across the area.

“Where seven or eight families can gather in a place, the priests go and celebrate the Mass and take care of them spiritually. And those who are around the center come to the center. The Way of the Living Cross is staged by those around the center,” Bormon said.

‘The joy of celebrating with family’

Milon Kormokar has worked in the Zirani area for about 15 years and currently works for Rahimafrooz, a Bangladeshi industrial company. He lives in a rented house with his wife and two children.

Kormokar does not go home for Easter. His home parish is the cathedral parish of the Diocese of Rajshahi, about 190 miles from Zirani — a six- to seven-hour bus journey.

His company gives one day of personal leave, but that is not enough to travel home, so he celebrates Easter at the center instead.

“There are many of us Christians here; we celebrate Easter Sunday with them, but the joy of celebrating with our families is not available with others,” Kormokar said.

“Priests work very hard to take care of us spiritually. They often go door to door to check on the families, pray, and hear confessions,” Kormokar told EWTN News.

Beyond spiritual care

The center’s mission extends beyond sacraments. The priests also assist Catholics who are sick and help arrange accommodation for new arrivals in the area. A day care center at the Jesus Worker Center allows Catholic parents to leave their children in care while they work.

Bangladesh’s roughly 600,000 Christians make up less than 1% of the country’s approximately 178 million people. The Catholic community, with about 400,000 members, is the single-largest Christian group and includes a large proportion from the country’s Indigenous communities.

Both Mardy and Kormokar said they believe the Church should advocate the government to declare at least two days of public holiday around Easter so that Christians who work far from home can travel to spend the feast with their families.

On the night of the Easter Vigil, April 4, more than 700 adults across the French capital will be received into the Catholic Church as part of a sudden nationwide surge.

Across France, more than 13,000 adults will be baptized this Easter, according to data released by the French Bishops’ Conference — an increase of 28% compared with 2025.

The “boom” in adult baptisms in France is a relatively recent phenomenon. It has intensified over the past decade, with a marked acceleration following the COVID-19 pandemic, reaching record levels since 2024.

Within this national picture, Paris stands out as a beating heart of such renewal. According to figures provided by the archdiocese, 788 adult catechumens will be baptized in the city during the Easter Vigil, a 17% increase from the previous year.

These baptisms will take place across 94 parishes and several communities, mobilizing more than 1,000 accompanying members, mostly laypeople. The age distribution is characterized by a predominance of younger people, with nearly one-third under the age of 25, about half between the ages of 26 and 40, and 1 in 5 over the age of 40, with candidates ranging in age from 18 to 73.

Women remain the majority among catechumens, accounting for 58% in Paris, a proportion consistent with national patterns.

The list of Parisian parishes with particularly high numbers of catechumens reveals a landscape that cuts across ecclesial sensibilities and social geographies. Parishes where the Traditional Latin Mass is regularly celebrated such as Saint-Roch in the 1st arrondissement or Saint-Eugène Sainte-Cécile (9th) stand alongside parishes in more working-class or mixed neighborhoods, including Notre-Dame de Clignancourt (18th), Notre-Dame de la Gare (13th), or Saint-Ambroise (11th).

Many of these communities, often led by young and dynamic clergy, have become vibrant centers of parish life.

Robin, a 30-year-old catechumen preparing to be baptized at Saint-Ambroise this Saturday, embodies this trend. Raised in a nonbelieving family with no religious background, he began his spiritual journey through a gradual process of questioning the purpose of life. 

“In a world where everything moves so fast, where we lose sight of what matters, the Church has done me a world of good,” he told EWTN News. “It has helped me put the ‘why’ back at the center of everything.”

His path has been shaped by a growing desire for silence and contemplation as well as a yearning for beauty. “I would go to churches to find a moment of calm, where time would stop,” he explained. “I was looking for a place where you can listen to yourself and reflect on what you want to do with your life.”

“What moves me deeply,” he added, “is the beauty that surrounds my church — its architecture, its music… that’s where I feel something powerful.”

Like many catechumens, Robin described an experience of welcome that proved decisive. At an early stage in his journey, he met a young parish priest who, despite a busy schedule, took the time to speak with him.

“We talked for an hour. It was incredibly reassuring,” he recalled. He was then introduced to a group of parishioners who accompanied him throughout his catechumenate, forming what he describes as a “deep bond of humanity.”

This communal dimension appears to be a key factor in the current surge. While the French model of catechumenate has traditionally been more individual, the growing number of candidates is prompting parishes to rethink their approach, often favoring group dynamics that foster a sense of belonging from the outset.

Many catechumens come from families with little or no Christian background, reflecting a broader shift from cultural Catholicism toward a more deliberate, conviction-based faith. On a national level, the number of catechumens identifying as having no religious tradition now represent a proportion comparable with those from Christian backgrounds.

The scale of the phenomenon is now prompting serious reflection among French Church leaders. In response to the steady increase in adult baptisms, the eight dioceses of the Île-de-France region, together with the Diocese for the Armed Forces, have convened a provincial council set to open on May 31 at Notre-Dame Cathedral.

Under the theme “Catechumens and Neophytes: New Perspectives for the Life of Our Church,” the council will seek to discern how local structures and pastoral practices should adapt to this unexpected growth.

Season 6 of “The Chosen” will include six episodes, the first three of which will debut on Nov. 15, followed by the release of a weekly episode through Dec. 6.

The season finale will be a stand-alone theatrical release in spring 2027.

The highly anticipated sixth season will portray the 24 hours of Good Friday — culminating in Christ’s crucifixion.

“Everyone knows the basics of this part of the story, but not everyone knows the ‘why’ of the crucifixion and the extraordinary events of these 24 hours,” Dallas Jenkins, creator, writer, and director of “The Chosen,” said in a press release. “We realized this not only deserved a season of television but a stand-alone full-length theatrical event as well. We wrote and filmed all of it with this in mind.”

The show’s star, actor Jonathan Roumie, has spoken about his experience portraying Jesus’ passion and crucifixion.

“For the first few months afterwards going to Mass — and even thinking about it now — I just get weepy. I get emotional. It’s hard. It’s left an indelible impression on me — mentally and emotionally sharing even just a percentage, a micron of a percentage, of the Lord’s passion; playing it and reenacting it has left me absolutely humbled and moved,” he told EWTN News at ChosenCon on Feb. 20.

The show’s cast spent three weeks filming the crucifixion in Matera, Italy, in June 2025. In a press conference held at the Vatican at the end of that time, Jenkins called the three weeks “the most challenging and difficult we had in filming,” requiring him to surrender everything to Christ.

Abe Bueno-Jallad, the actor who portrays Big James, or James the Great, told EWTN News that during filming, he had “never seen the cast so focused.”

He added that the actors were “all there for each other … Everybody is carrying such a heavy burden this season as an actor.”

“There’s just been incredible stuff happening on set. I’ve come back to set on days that I don’t work just to watch and I’ve seen stuff that gives me goosebumps,” he shared.

In 2025, Amazon MGM Studios and 5&2 Studios signed a deal that made Prime Video the exclusive U.S. streaming partner for “The Chosen.” The deal also provides streaming rights to 5&2 Studios’ future projects including “The Chosen in the Wild with Bear Grylls,” “The Chosen Adventures,” and “Joseph of Egypt.”