With the arrival of the millions of tourists Mexico is expecting during the event, the Catholic Church there has expressed concern that “risks may increase” with regard to “human trafficking, sexual exploitation, and other forms of violence.”

In this context, the Commission for the Protection of Minors for the Primatial Archdiocese of Mexico issued a statement May 19 acknowledging that while sporting events of this magnitude “present an opportunity for encounter, togetherness, fraternity, and cultural exchange,” they can also be exploited by “criminal networks that operate through deception, manipulation, coercion, exploitation, and the abuse of individuals.”

In the Mexican cities that will host matches  — Mexico City, Monterrey, and Guadalajara — the arrival of “more than 5.5 million international visitors” is anticipated, according to Gabriela Cuevas Barrón, the Mexican government’s World Cup coordinator.

Reports from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, UNICEF, and Amnesty International have warned that this massive movement of people “entails a massive influx of visitors with a potential impact on tourism-related sexual exploitation.”

In light of this situation, the Primatial Archdiocese of Mexico called upon authorities to “strengthen prevention, early detection, responsible reporting, and the protection of potential victims during this period.”

How could a person fall into the hands of these networks?

The bishops' statement reiterated several warnings issued by the Citizen Council for Security and Justice of Mexico City regarding risk factors that require special attention; among them is the use of social media, which has been identified “as a means for recruiting minors.”

The council also issued a warning regarding “a growing trend of recruiting individuals of other nationalities — primarily from Colombia, Venezuela, and Honduras — with false promises of obtaining legal immigration status.”

The organization drew attention to the lack of awareness surrounding this type of crime and recommended the implementation of “targeted awareness campaigns, particularly in sectors with high exposure during the World Cup.”

What can a member of the Church do to help?

The Archdiocese of Mexico urged priests, deacons, men and women religious, catechists, and pastoral workers to “actively join this effort through concrete actions aimed at raising awareness and prevention.”

Among the proposed actions, particular emphasis was placed on the need to “speak clearly about this crime within pastoral settings.” In this regard, the archdiocese encouraged the “placement of informational materials in visible locations” in parishes and places where people gather at churches.

The archdiocese recommended “guiding parents and guardians regarding the risks present in digital environments” as well as “disseminating protocols for the protection of minors and promoting a culture of caring in catechesis and youth groups.”

Likewise, it proposed including “moments of prayer for victims of trafficking, exploitation, abuse, and violence.”

The archdiocese further reminded that, in the event of a potentially risky situation, “one must not directly confront the potential aggressor or trafficker, nor publicly expose the potential victim.”

The recommended course of action, it stated, is “to act with prudence, safeguard one’s personal safety, listen without applying pressure, inform the right people, and refer the matter to the competent authorities.”

Various national and international organizations have launched the website Mundialsintrata (“World Cup Without Trafficking”) where users can access information and materials related to this initiative, which aims to promote the identification and safe reporting of human trafficking cases.

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.

He had endured several health challenges in recent years, including a stroke in March 2025.

Tributes are pouring in for the man who shepherded Campaign Life Coalition (CLC), the political arm of the Canadian pro-life movement, for over 34 years as national president before passing the leadership reins to his successor Jeff Gunnarson in late 2018.

Gunnarson penned a poignant missive to the dedicated husband, father, and grandfather who was “a mentor and a fatherly presence to so many” he encountered.

“His tireless work helped shape, strengthen, and mobilize the movement across the country, saving countless lives and inspiring generations of pro-life Canadians,” Gunnarson wrote. “Yet Jim’s impact extended far beyond public leadership. If someone needed help, he would help, often quietly, without recognition and without ever seeking praise.”

Hughes devoted more than 80 hours a week advocating against abortion during his years actively leading Campaign Life, and remarkably he still devoted more than 60 hours per week to this fight during his retirement years.

During Hughes' tenure the Campaign Life mailing list grew from 200 names in 1978 to nearly 200,000 today. He also brought the National March for Life to Ottawa in 1997. And he was active in the political arena by supporting pro-life legislation and lobbying against bills that he deemed did not go far enough in safeguarding life.

He was deemed a great bridge-builder between people and a man who empowered the next generation of pro-life leaders.

Alissa Golob, the co-founder of Right Now, an organization striving to effectuate the election of pro-life MPs, saluted Hughes for his role in her formation as an advocate.

“Jim gave me my start in the pro-life movement by hiring me right out of university as the youth coordinator for Campaign Life Coalition,” Golob wrote on X. “He gave me many amazing opportunities and helped shape me to become the pro-life woman I am today. Although we had our differences, at the end of the day he was an amazing man who wanted to protect babies and is the reason why so many pro-life organizations exist today. He is greatly loved and will be missed.”

After his passion for the pro-life cause was kindled at a Campaign Life retreat as a teenager, Patrick Craine, the president of Our Lady Seat of Wisdom College, stated in a Facebook tribute that it was an honor to work alongside Hughes for many years as president of Campaign Life Coalition Nova Scotia.

Of Hughes, Craine wrote that “the movement is immeasurably poorer for his absence. But the leaders he formed, the institutions he built, and the lives he helped protect are his lasting legacy.” All of Hughes' deeds on behalf of the unborn, Craine added, were guided by his faith in Christ.

“Jim was a committed Catholic, and it was that faith, not mere ideology or politics, that animated everything he did. He understood the defense of the unborn not as a cause among many but as a profound moral and spiritual calling. His was the conviction of a man who truly believed every life is made in the image and likeness of God and who ordered his entire life accordingly.”

Hughes’ efforts to emulate Jesus was evident in the love he exhibited for figures who espoused pro-choice doctrine. He once told the famous Canadian abortionist Dr. Henry Morgantaler that “I’m still praying for you” during an encounter in a downtown Toronto restaurant.

Father Thomas Lynch, president of Priests for Life Canada, lauded Hughes' tireless advocacy for the unborn amid an discouraging Canadian cultural landscape.

"I admired Jim for never losing hope, never giving up, and never failing to speak up for the preborn and the defenseless," Lynch wrote. "We worked together for many years with CLC, in its various forms, and in too many organizations to count. Positive, funny, indefatigable, and always on the lookout for another opportunity to speak, to organize, and to achieve the goals of the pro-life movement — he will be sorely missed.”

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

With the goal of sustaining an orphanage that provided a home for dozens of children, Gutiérrez decided to enter the world of freestyle wrestling, which combines sport and spectacle and is deeply rooted in Mexican popular culture.

The name of Friar Storm echoes through wrestling arenas from Mexico to Japan, but his story achieved global fame thanks to a 2006 film inspired by him: “Nacho Libre,” starring Jack Black (though the priest has always been quick to clarify that the movie is not his biography, because, he said, “I never stalked a nun").

Today, at the age of 80, Friar Storm is waging a different kind of battle. He still celebrates Mass occasionally, and facing advancing blindness as well as the ailments typical of old age, he supports himself by selling wrestling-themed merchandise.

A life marked by violence

Gutiérrez was born in 1945 in a town in the state of Hidalgo, although he grew up in Mexico City near the Our Lady of Guadalupe Basilica. As he told ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, it was a neighborhood “of kicks and punches,” a place where violence was a daily reality.

There he fell in with “gang kids” who introduced him to the world of drugs. That addiction, he confessed with sadness, led him to a life of crime; he was even arrested for homicide, but he managed to prove his innocence.

Upon reaching adulthood, he wanted to leave that life behind. He sought help at a church, and this led him to consider a priestly vocation. “I said to myself: ‘If there werenʼt cool priests, good guys, really down-to-earth, how many of us wouldn’t change?’”

Gutiérrez recounted that he found spiritual support in a religious brother from the Mercedarian order who took him to a detox clinic and subsequently helped him enter the Order of Poor Regular Clerics of the Mother of God of the Pious Schools, known as the Piarists, where he completed his novitiate around 1962.

Before professing the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, his formator asked the novices to share their life stories. Gutiérrez recalled feeling afraid that the others would discover who he truly was and he considered running away. Then his formator told him that he need not fear, because “it is precisely people like you that the Church needs.”

While serving as a deacon in the port of Veracruz, where he taught classes and assisted at a parish, he recalled that the young people told him: “We don’t want priests here.” He won their friendship over time and was ordained a priest there on May 26, 1973.

Thus began his ministry, marked by his work helping young people whom he affectionately called his “cubs,” kids who accompanied him wherever he went. His bond with them was such that, even when he was transferred to other parishes, they would follow him, and he would take it upon himself to find them temporary homes.

Around 1976, acting on the suggestion of a Piarist superior, he decided to leave the order and seek out a bishop who would accept him “along with all my ‘chamacos’” (as children are known in Mexico).

In the state of Mexico in the Diocese of Texcoco, he was welcomed by Bishop Magín C. Torreblanca Reyes, who gave him a chapel and the opportunity to embark on his dream of building a childrenʼs home, a project he began with 15 youths. “The most I ever had living with me at one time was 350,” he noted.

From the altar to the ring: The origins of Friar Storm

With no money to build his orphanage, he recalled an old inspiration: the 1962 film “El Señor Tormenta” (“Mr. Storm”), in which a priest becomes a masked wrestler. He originally fantasized about becoming a boxer, fighting a couple of bouts, earning $2 million, and using that money to build the shelter.

He couldn’t find anyone to teach him to box, however, but it was in that search that he met José Ramírez, “El Líder” (“The Leader”), an amateur wrestler who taught him how to do basic moves.

To launch his wrestling career, he adopted the name of the character who had inspired him. “Mr. Storm was a ‘mister’; I’m a friar so I took the name Friar Storm,” he recalled. He then went to see Ranulfo López, one of the most prominent mask-makers in the industry, who helped him design his mask.

“The yellow signifies the quick reflexes that Friar Storm sought to display in the ring; the red signifies the blood which he is willing to shed for his orphans’ home, and [at the center of the mask] the diamond, to attain eternal life,” he recalled.

In his first fight in 1977, he earned a mere handful of pesos, yet he didn’t hesitate to donate the entire sum to lay the foundations for the “Casa Hogar de los Cachorros” (“Home for the Cubs”).

From modest neighborhood arenas, he gradually climbed the ranks to reach the most professional venues. His name began to spread by word of mouth, though his career did not truly take off until 1983, when the wrestler “Hurricane Ramírez” revealed his true identity, a secret he had kept guarded for six years.

On one occasion “Hurricane” challenged Gutiérrez to a match, but he declined because he had to officiate a wedding. Much to Gutiérrez’s disbelief, he showed up on the day of the religious ceremony, unmasked, among those in attendance.

“He winked at me, and I winked back. The wedding Mass ended; I went to the sacristy, and there he was. He said to me: ‘You really are a priest — and those scoundrels [the wrestlers], look how they beat you up!’

From then on, everyone wanted to see the man who, in addition to delivering homilies, delivered blows in the ring. His fame grew, and with it, so did his apostolate within the world of freestyle wrestling. “I began baptizing [the other wrestlers'] children; I began hearing their confessions and [giving them] their first Communions,” he recalled.

“I would be leaving after a match, and even the wrestlers themselves would say to me: ‘Won’t you give me your blessing, Father? Where can I find you? I’d like to go to confession,’” the priest related.

Although inside the ring “they showed me no mercy since I was already among the stars — everyone wanted to beat Friar Storm," outside the ring, “they never once disrespected me.”

A legacy that impacted lives

Although Gutiérrez admitted he did not understand how he managed to balance his life — juggling his wrestling career, the children’s home, and the priesthood — he attributes it all to divine providence. “God helped me a great deal,” he affirmed.

“It was very difficult for me because for instance I would finish wrestling at 10 or 11 o’clock at night, and then I would drive back from wherever I happened to be. I would arrive just in time to celebrate [Mass] on Monday morning.”

With a smile, he declared: “No one can tell you that there was no Mass because I went off to wrestle.”

Among the many children he helped was “Storm Jr.,” who arrived at the orphanage when he was barely 12 years old, hailing from a small town in the state of Nayarit. In an interview with ACI Prensa, he recalled: “We would sleep three, four, or five to a room or sometimes on the floor.”

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He, too, wanted to dedicate himself to professional wrestling. In doing so, he gained not only a mentor but also a close friend, a bond that has endured ever since, as the two now live together: “Since he is getting on in years and is quite elderly, there is no one to look after him but me.”

Currently, both men support themselves by selling official Friar Storm merchandise such as keychains, masks, and other items to attendees at wrestling events.

“Storm Jr.” said he feels a great sense of responsibility “because I bear this name and have a godfather, a very famous mentor like Friar Storm.”

From the orphanage, which Gutiérrez eventually sold to pay for the university studies of his “cubs,” came three doctors, 16 teachers, two accountants, 20 computer technicians, 13 lawyers, and a priest. In addition, he sponsored several young wrestlers.

One of them is Father “Fuerza Divina” (“Divine Force”). Although he didn’t live in the orphanage, he was inspired by the priest’s example. Today, he combines his priestly ministry with professional wrestling. In the courtyard of his parish in Mexico City, he installed a small wrestling ring where young people train while simultaneously receiving spiritual formation.

He shared with ACI Prensa that he uses that ring “not only to give them actual wrestling lessons but also to impart a message about values, a message of evangelization.”

“Thanks to this, many are drawing closer to the parish. Many of them are leaving negative things behind. Many of them are behaving better, both with their families and in their own personal lives,” Father “Divine Force” said.

The story of Friar Storm has inspired films, vocations, and hundreds of lives. Today, at 80 years old, the old wrestler lives an austere life, yet one with a heart full of gratitude. “I wrestled with a single objective: that everything I earned would go to the children’s home... I never did get that $2 million, but I do want to say that I am proud.”

And if he had to choose between the wrestling ring and the altar, his choice is clear: “Friar Storm would never have existed had I not been a priest.”

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.

Father Duberley Salazar has developed the “Discern” method, which is presented through short videos available on the “Clínica del Alma” (“Clinic for the Soul”) Instagram account. Salazar explained to ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, that the videos serve “as a practical tool to guide and form oneʼs conscience in making responsible political decisions.”

“We live in complex times: times of moral confusion, social polarization, and political decisions that profoundly shape the destiny of individuals, families, and peoples. In this context, a decisive question arises: How should a Christian discern when faced with concrete political choices?” the Colombian priest states in the introductory video.

He also points out that Christianity possesses “an inescapable social and political dimension”; consequently, the method he has developed is grounded in that "which seeks the common good and which the Gospel illuminates, purifies, and elevates” and seeks to enlighten those believers who “experience a disconnect between the faith they profess and the decisions they make in public life.”

“They believe, but they don’t always discern. They vote, but not always from a formed conscience. From this dissonance is born a weak, disembodied faith incapable of transforming history,” he notes.

The videos have been developed based on the “principles of sacred Scripture, the social doctrine of the Church, moral theology, philosophy, political science, bioethics, and psychology, uniting faith and reason, spirituality and social responsibility.”

The program "is neither an ideological manual nor a partisan guide. It is an ethical and spiritual compass, designed to inform the conscience without imposing decisions,” the priest explains.

For example, the first video, titled “God First,” invites viewers to pray and place their vote in God’s hands before making a decision, because “it’s not about choosing what suits me best but rather what glorifies God and promotes the common good.”

The second video, titled “Get Informed,” urges viewers not to vote “blindly” but rather to inform themselves beforehand regarding the situation in their country or locality, each candidate, their platforms, and “their respect for the rule of law, the constitution, and democratic norms.”

“Faith does not exclude reason; on the contrary, it enlightens and purifies it,” the video notes.

Thus, the method proceeds, reflecting on service, consistency with Christian values, listening to that voice within, responsibility, the need to be exemplary in virtue, inspiration that edifies, and resilience.

What to do when there is no ideal candidate

In a document shared with ACI Prensa, Salazar explains that if, after evaluating the candidates, it is discovered that “none fully meet” the outlined criteria, one may “apply the moral principle of the ‘lesser evil’ or the ‘choosing the possible good.’”

“This principle teaches that, in situations where no option is ideal, it is licit to choose the least harmful one or the one that offers greater consistency with Christian values, thereby avoiding contribution to a greater evil or to the deterioration of society,” he states.

The priest points out that “the intention is not to seek human perfection, which no one possesses, but rather to act with responsibility, prudence, and faithful obedience to the Gospel, insofar as is possible.”

He also noted that St. Thomas Aquinas referred to this moral principle when he noted: “Do not do evil so that good may come of it; always do whatever good you can, and avoid whatever evil is possible.”

“This means that when voting, it is not merely a matter of choosing what comes closest to the good, but also of avoiding options that could gravely harm the common good or human dignity,” Salazar explains.

However, if one determines that no candidate respects fundamental values, “the option of casting a blank ballot exists in some electoral systems as a way to express your dissatisfaction.”

The priest points out that “from a moral and Christian standpoint, this option may be legitimate when, in truth, none of the candidates represents the common good or consistency with fundamental values.”

But he noted that it is also important “to discern whether this gesture responsibly expresses your will or if, on the contrary, it could indirectly favor an option contrary to those values.”

“For this reason, the principle of the ‘lesser evil’ invites you not only to choose the least harmful option but also to evaluate the real consequences of your vote within the specific context of your country and of society as a whole,” Salazar notes.

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.

Bishop Ramón Castro Castro of Cuernavaca delivered the message during the 12th annual Walk for Peace in his diocese on Saturday, May 16, as thousands gathered to reject resignation in the face of ongoing violence.

This march, he said, demonstrates that the people of Morelos are “a people who keep moving forward, who don’t give up, and who continue to believe that peace is possible.”

According to the most recent report by the Citizens’ Council for Public Security and Criminal Justice, 17 Mexican localities appear on the list of the 50 most violent cities in the world. Cuernavaca ranks 23rd.

Guarding the ‘flame’ of peace

After recalling the message of Pope Leo XIV for the 2026 World Day of Peace observed on Jan. 1, in which the Holy Father described peace as “a small flame threatened by the storm,” Castro affirmed: “That is what we have come here to do today: to guard that flame so that it’s not extinguished by the storm. And we do so together, for if we stand alone, it goes out. But together, we can keep it lit.”

The Mexican prelate emphasized that his message is not “that of a politician, nor of a social analyst, nor of someone who seeks to point out the suffering of others from a distance. I speak as a shepherd, as a brother who walks alongside his people.”

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“I speak as a disciple of Jesus Christ who has seen too many tears on the faces of [the people of] Morelos and of Mexico, of our homeland, so deeply wounded by the violence afflicting our families,” he noted.

“I have heard the mothers who break their silence, searching [for their disappeared children],” he continued. “I have seen the fear of young people who feel their future slipping away; the weariness of entire families living amid uncertainty, violence, and abandonment; the exhaustion of transport workers unable to earn an honest living because organized crime holds them in subjugation; and the fed-up frustration of so many who can no longer put up with the corruption we endure.”

In the face of this suffering, he said, “the Church cannot remain indifferent, nor take refuge in the comforting atmosphere of its churches; for the God in whom we believe is not a God who observes from afar, he is the God of the burning bush, the God who said to Moses: ‘I have seen the oppression of my people, I have heard their outcry, and I have come down to deliver them.’ Our God hears the cries of the victims, walks with them, and calls upon us, too, not to look the other way.”

“The Church is not here to divide or to sow confusion out of ambition or to gain power; the Church is here to build based on the truth, for only the truth can open the way to authentic reconciliation,” the prelate said.

“In the face of the person mourning a child, of the one who has been forcibly disappeared, of the one being extorted, or of the one who has lost hope — there is Christ, crying out once again from the cross,” he lamented.

A priest forced to leave his parish due to death threats

The prelate subsequently referred to the “particular wound” afflicting the small town of Huautla, in southern Morelos — one of the “poorest and most forgotten corners of our state,” a “land of simple, hardworking people; a land hard hit for years by poverty and migration; a land that has watched its children depart in search of the daily bread they can’t get there.”

There, he denounced, “organized crime has reached a level of cruelty that defies description,” exacting extortion payments, also known as protection money, “simply for living there, simply for owning a home.”

“When the pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Huautla became the last bastion of hope for the community, as the priest so often is in Mexico’s most vulnerable villages, and when his presence and his words were the only support the people had left to keep from sinking into despair, organized crime threatened to take his life.”

“Those threats were so serious, so real, and so concrete that he was forced to leave his community for his own physical protection; and today, Huautla is left without a shepherd,” he lamented.

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Governing means not abandoning the people

Castro emphasized in his message that “governing means not abandoning the people. Governing means not refusing to take up the responsibility of guaranteeing the security and well-being of every person within the territory entrusted to them.”

“Our heartfelt plea without mincing words is that Huautla not be left all alone; that the government do its job to help the mothers searching [for their disappeared children] an effort which they rightly deserve; that transport workers be afforded security; that thousands upon thousands of merchants — micro, small, and medium-sized alike — be able to work without having to pay protection money; and that our young people be provided with real alternatives: quality education, decent jobs, and personal safety, so that organized crime is not the only door open to them.”

“We ask you, government officials, not to sell us false narratives. The people aren’t buying them anymore then you declare peace, while 90% of the people of Morelos are afraid to step out onto the street. That’s not governing; that’s an insult to the intelligence of the people,” he stated.

At the same time, he assured the authorities of help from the Church and its priests, religious, and communities: “We’re not here to criticize for the sake of criticism; we are here to contribute, to offer accompaniment, to put forward proposals, and to walk together toward peace.”

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 cardinal made this appeal May 15 during the Mass for Peace and Social Development in Cuba, held at St. Ignatius of Loyola Church in Rome, an event organized by the Cuban Embassy to the Holy See.

“Let us pray that the beloved land of Cuba may experience days of greater serenity, of authentic human and social development, of harmony, and of hope. Let us pray that every political, economic, and international decision be illuminated by wisdom, prudence, and a sincere pursuit of the well-being of the people,” Czerny said.

This appeal comes amidst talks between the Cuban and U.S. governments and pressure from Washington for fundamental changes to take place on the island.

In his homily, the cardinal noted that “any logic of permanent confrontation runs the risk of compounding the burden that already weighs upon ordinary people, especially the poorest, the elderly, the sick, and children.”

Therefore, he called for humanitarian aid to arrive “in sufficient quantity and without obstacles, never being instrumentalized for political or geopolitical ends.”

Czerny’s remarks follow an offer by the U.S. to send $100 million in humanitarian assistance to Cuba, to be distributed by the Catholic Church without the intermediation of the communist government.

The proposed aid would follow two previous shipments, totaling $3 million and $6 million, earmarked for those affected by Hurricane Melissa and which are being distributed directly by Caritas Cuba.

Other countries that have sent humanitarian aid include Mexico, Brazil, and Spain, although the extent of the Cuban governmentʼs involvement in the aid distribution is unknown.

Placing the person at the center

In his homily, the Vatican prefect noted that the social doctrine of the Church teaches that “authentic peace is founded on moral and spiritual pillars even before political or economic ones.”

Czerny also recalled the apostolic visits of St. John Paul II in 1998 and Pope Francis in 2015, highlighting the Polish pope’s prophetic call for “the world to open itself to Cuba, and for Cuba to open itself to the world.”

“It wasn’t a political slogan. It was a spiritual and human invitation to tear down walls of misunderstanding, to open up spaces of mutual trust, and to allow peoples to encounter one another without fear,” he noted.

Regarding Francis' visit, the cardinal recalled the pontiffʼs invitation to “place the concrete individual at the center of social and political life,” because “service is ‘never ideological,’” but rather, stems from genuine care for one’s neighbor.

Czerny affirmed that Jesus’s promise that “sadness will turn into joy” is not naive, for it is grounded in “the Christian certainty that God continues to act within human history, even when darkness and bewilderment prevail.”

“The Holy Spirit continues to raise up men and women capable of building fraternity, reconciliation, and paths of peace,” Czerny said, inviting the faithful to ask the Virgin of Charity of El Cobre, the patroness of Cuba, to “accompany this nation’s journey with her maternal protection and safeguard all her children in peace.”

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 Mass of Consecration, celebrated as part of the Fourth National Rosary, took place at the primatial cathedral of Bogotá and was offered by the president of the Colombian Bishops’ Conference, Archbishop Francisco Javier Múnera.

Prior to the ceremony, the more than 600 faithful who filled the cathedral participated in the recitation of the Holy Rosary, accompanied by a statue of Our Lady of Fátima and by a monstrance in the form of the “Mutilated Christ” (armless as if amputated) in which the Blessed Sacrament was exposed.

Concelebrating with Múnera were the bishop emeritus of Ocaña, Jorge Enrique Lozano Zafra, as well as priests from religious communities such as the Franciscans, the Dominicans, and the Union of the Catholic Apostolate as well as the Maronite Exarchate, and the Archdiocese of Bogotá.

In his homily, the archbishop of Cartagena also noted that consecrating oneself “to the Immaculate Heart of Mary allows us to unify our life, our Christian life, because it presupposes and actualizes the consecration to Christ that derives from Baptism.”

“The Immaculate Heart of Mary, a spotless, most pure heart, unites us closely to the heart of her Son, so that, transformed by the One who is meek and humble, we may be able to transform the world as well as our personal and social relationships,” he said.

The prelate reminded that just as at the wedding feast at Cana, Mary invites people to do whatever Jesus tells them, being “docile to transformation for the good of all that we are, with our potential and our fragilities as a country.”

“Her maternal presence opens us to hope and enables us to restore trust in one another. We are brothers and sisters; we are citizens of this beloved homeland. It’s true that we have differences, we are diverse,” he noted.

However, he clarified that “we may even be adversaries, but never enemies.”

He called upon those engaged in politics to always exercise discernment in the pursuit of the common good, “so that we may work toward the national project we yearn for, one characterized by justice, equity, and solidarity, and, above all, by the pursuit of truth. Let us not be afraid; the truth will set us free.”

He affirmed that the consecration also serves as a prayer for “hearts that open up bridges, that mend relationships, that forge new bonds, all in the service of others, all to serve our homeland, through the noble service of politics that promotes and defends the dignity of all people, especially the most vulnerable; that promotes and defends life in all its manifestations and stages; and that promotes truth and justice.”

“Therefore, we can conclude by saying: Give us a heart like yours, like Mary’s, for Mary’s heart leads us to the One who is meek and humble of heart: Christ, our peace,” the archbishop prayed.

Prayer for countryʼs consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Before the conclusion of the Mass, Munera approached the statue of Our Lady of Fátima to renew the countryʼs consecration with the following prayer:

O Most Holy Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Mother of the Church! God has chosen you so that his Son, Jesus Christ, Lord of Life and Peace, may dwell among us, radiating the light of truth and love.

Oh, Mother of Grace! You know our history: our wounds, our tears, our hopes, our struggles amidst lights and shadows, and the times we have preferred to ignore God in the building of our nation, trusting solely on our human capabilities and wounding, through sin, the heart of God, our Father, who desires us to be his children and brothers and sisters.

Oh, Most Loving Mother! You know the love that we Colombians express to You through the various manifestations of Marian veneration that fill us with joy and hope in the fulfillment of the promise you made at Fátima: “In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph.”

Oh, Mother of Tenderness! Today we recall the words of your son Jesus when he said to you while you stood at the foot of the cross, beside the beloved disciple: “Behold, your son” (Jn 19:26), and thus entrusted us all to your maternal care. Then, you were entrusted to our filial care when, addressing the disciple and, in him, all of us, he declared: “Behold, your mother” (v. 27).

Oh, Mary, Queen of all creation! Today, once again, we consecrate to you all of us Colombians, those living both at home and abroad; yours we wish to be forever. We consecrate ourselves to your Immaculate Heart, so that the bond between God and us celebrated in Holy Baptism may remain alive forever, and that we may walk along the paths of freedom, justice, love, forgiveness, reconciliation, and peace.

Oh, Mother of Mercies! We ask you to defend and cultivate this Garden of God called Colombia. May peace flourish which is a gift of the Holy Spirit and artisanal work of our fraternal coexistence along with justice and equity, which seat us at the table as brothers and sisters to partake of the loaves that God multiplies for all. Bless, dear Mother, our cities with their industries, our mountains with their crops, and our rivers and seas with the life they hold within.

Oh, Mary, all-powerful in supplication! United with your most holy spouse and powerful intercessor, St. Joseph, intercede for us. In these difficult times for Colombia, bring to the throne of God the prayer that Christ placed upon our lips: “Our Father, deliver us from evil. Amen.”

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.

Members of every ethnic background, young and elderly, priests, families and church groups carried pro-life signs and walked the streets of the Canadian capital to press for an end to abortion and euthanasia in Canada.

The day began with liturgies celebrated at Notre Dame Cathedral, St. Patrick’s Basilica, and St. Clement. Ottawa-Cornwall Archbishop Marcel Damphousse was the main celebrant at the cathedral, joined by papal nuncio Archbishop Ivan Jurkovič, Ukrainian Catholic Bishop Bryan Bayda, and some 30 priests and deacons.

At a midday rally before the march, organizer Debbie Duval told the crowd, “We march on a Thursday, in Ottawa, because that’s when our legislators are sitting in the House of Commons. We want them to hear us. We want them to know we’re here.”

Matthew Wojciechoski, Project Manager at Campaign Life Coalition (CLC), which organizes the annual event, told the crowd, “We are here to call upon the members of Parliament to enact legal protections for all human beings from conception up to natural death. To remind Parliament of four simple words, ‘Thou shalt not kill.’”

The March for Life takes place in May to mark the month in 1969 when the omnibus bill that decriminalized abortion in Canada was passed.

This year’s march fell on the very anniversary of the vote and adopted as its theme Jesus’ command, “Follow me.”

CLC national president Jeff Gunnarson asked the crowd to pray for founder and former president Jim Hughes who is in hospital with pneumonia and “not doing well.”

“Jim devoted decades of his life to the unborn and building this movement in Canada. Many of us are standing here today because of sacrifices he made long before we arrived,” Gunnarson said.

The featured speaker was Aleš Primc, co-founder of the Slovenian political party Voice for Children and Families that recently forced a referendum to overturn the country’s assisted suicide law. He led pro-lifers in a series of loud “hellos” to people of all ages, from unborn children to “people with gray hair like me.”

“Saying “hello” is the start of recognizing our shared humanity,” he said.

Speaker Rebecca Kiessling, a U.S. lawyer and founder of the organization Save the 1 — a reference to the one per cent of babies conceived in rape — said she narrowly escaped “the death penalty” in the womb at two abortion clinics.

Kiessling, who was conceived in rape, has dedicated her legal career to advocating for the rights of mothers whose children were similarly conceived. She lobbies for abortion bans with no exceptions for rape or incest.

Born four years prior to the landmark 1973 ruling Roe v. Wade, she said she survived only because “the (existing) law in Michigan protected me.”

“I did not deserve the death penalty for the crime of the man who raped my mother. My mother chose abortion. I wasn’t lucky: I was protected. The law matters.”

Conservative MP Arnold Viersen brought his two toddler children to the stage with him, one of them amusing the crowd by peeking through the railing and jumping around loudly enough to be heard over the public address system.

The Parliament Hill speeches and the march through Ottawa are the centrepoint of four days of events, from a candlelight vigil the night before to pray and remember babies lost to abortion, a banquet Thursday evening, and a youth summit on Friday.

Gunnarson summed up why the march continues each year. “Sometimes this work can feel difficult, sometimes we feel that no progress is being made, but then we gather here and we remember that truth does not expire, love does not quit, and courage inspires courage.”

Pro-life supporters march in British Columbia

Across the country, ihundreds also gathered at the annual March for Life in Victoria, British Columbiaʼs capital city, where participants marched through downtown streets carrying pro-life signs and banners before rallying at the legislature to hear speakers, including Vancouver Archbishop Richard Smith.

The Victoria event drew families, clergy, students, and supporters from across the province for speeches, prayer, and music focused on the protection of unborn life and care for vulnerable people. Organizers also highlighted concerns surrounding euthanasia and assisted suicide.

In his homily at St. Andrewʼs Cathedral in Victoria, Smith acknowledged that many pro-life advocates can feel discouraged by what he described as “a powerful juggernaut moving forward and expanding in a manner that appears irresistible,” pointing to abortion and the expansion of euthanasia in Canada.

But he urged participants not to lose hope, saying, “God is at work, God is on the move, and God is an unstoppable force. His saving will simply cannot be thwarted by human iniquity.”

“This is why we march,” he said. “It is incumbent upon all of us to look for any and every opportunity to witness to the truth of God’s own love for life.”

Speaking later in front of the B.C. Legislature, Smith said the annual March for Life was part of a broader effort to build “a culture of life” through speaking, celebrating, and serving.

“Our march is a very peaceful event, and a great occasion for us to witness to the beauty of all life,” he said, adding that every human being is “willed, loved and necessary.”

He also said society needs “radically transformed human relationships, defined no longer by an extreme individualism and a false notion of freedom, but by a self-giving love that welcomes the other as gift.”

Several other March for Life events are also scheduled across Canada later this month and into June.

The Toronto March for Life will take place Saturday, May 23 at 11 a.m. at Queen’s Park North in Toronto. Organizers say a prayer service will be held beforehand at 9:30 a.m., along with workshops and educational events following the march.

The Halifax March for Life in Nova Scotia is scheduled for Saturday, May 30 at 1 p.m. at St. Maryʼs Cathedral Basilica in Halifax.

The Prince Edward Island March for Life will be held Saturday, June 6 at 2 p.m. at Central Christian Church in Charlottetown.

The Catholic Register with B.C. Catholic files

This article was orignally published by the B.C. Catholic and is reprinted here, with adaptations, with permission. 

The regime of President Daniel Ortega and his wife and vice president, Rosario Murillo, ramped up its persecution of the Catholic Church in 2018.

After the dictatorship exiled Silvio Báez, the auxiliary bishop of Managua, from Nicaragua in April 2019, Mendieta, who as a seminarian often accompanied the bishop, was forced to flee the country as well, traveling first to Guatemala and then to Costa Rica.

His journey concluded in Miami in January 2022, where, with the assistance of Báez and Father Marco Somarriba, pastor of St. Agatha Parish in Miami, he was able to continue his priestly formation.

On May 9 at St. Mary’s Cathedral, he knelt before Archbishop Thomas Wenski and received the priestly ordination that the Nicaraguan dictatorship had attempted to deny him.

“I carry my people and my homeland in my heart, and I will offer my first Mass for them,” the newly ordained Nicaraguan priest, who will serve as parochial vicar at St. Thomas the Apostle in Miami, told ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, on May 10.

“This priesthood is a blessing for me, for my family, for the Church, and for the people of Nicaragua,” added Mendieta, who was born in La Concepción township in the Masaya district of Nicaragua.

He celebrated his first Mass on May 10 at St. Agatha, accompanied by Báez and other Nicaraguan priests who attended the ordination.

“I am grateful to the Archdiocese of Miami for welcoming me and giving me the opportunity to serve the people of God. Here we have a broader perspective that our ministry is for all of God’s people and that our people, especially those from Latin America, share the same aspirations for freedom, peace, and stability,” he emphasized.

Father Edwing Román, parochial vicar at St. Agatha, told ACI Prensa that “it’s a source of great joy to have Father Cristhian as another brother in the priesthood. He is a young man of many virtues and a dedicated scholar.”

“I admire his piety and humility as well as his ease in forming friendships with the faithful. May God bless him abundantly, and may he be a shepherd modeled after Jesus Christ, the eternal high priest,” Román said.

In a video posted by the Archdiocese of Miami on May 6, Mendieta recalled that when he was 6 years old and attending a concert, he announced that he was thinking of becoming a priest, which surprised his family.

Years later, while involved in his parishʼs youth ministry, the example of his hardworking parish priest, Father José Antonio, who strove to reach every community, no matter how remote, encouraged him to pursue his vocation and change his plans to become a doctor.

The young priest also shared that he enjoys classical music and Frank Sinatra, and that when he is driving, he entertains himself by listening to the British band Queen.

Along with Mendieta, the following men were ordained: Adam Cahill, Henry Cárdenas Afanador, Tomasz Kaziel, Arístides Lima, Carlos Luzardo, Saint-Clos Papouloute, Pietro Pironato, and Michele Sega.

In his homily, Wenski highlighted the diverse origins of the new priests — Nicaragua, Italy, Poland, Haiti, Venezuela, Colombia, etc. — and noted that “in an increasingly secularized world, where many have lost the sense of the transcendent, the priest is an enigma, a symbol of great contradiction.”

"Nowadays, many view religious faith with hostility or at best, with indifference. In such a world, the Church will always appear out of step and irrelevant. Often, such a Church will be viewed if not with contempt and mockery, with total incomprehension. As Jesus said: ‘If the world hates you, know that it hated me first,’” the archbishop said.

“Face the challenges of your ministry without anxiety or mediocrity, and do not allow yourselves to be intimidated or influenced by those who make power, wealth, or pleasure the primary criteria of their lives,” he exhorted.

After encouraging the new priests to lay down their lives for their faithful, Wenski urged them to be “generous with their time and available to hear the confessions of the faithful.”

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 office of the president shared the event on social media on May 9 after the head of state and her staff attended a Mass celebrated by Bishop Javier Román  of Limón, president of the Costa Rican Bishops’ Conference.

During his homily, the prelate said the gesture of beginning one’s administration with a Mass serves as a reminder that “there are decisions and burdens that cannot be sustained solely by our own strength,” emphasizing the need to turn to God in our daily lives.

He invited Fernández to draw inspiration when exercising power from the example of St. Thomas More, who did so “with rectitude and consistency,” noting that authority attains its “greatest grandeur when exercised considering others.”

Peace for Costa Rica and its leaders

Román offered a prayer asking for “strength” for those assuming public responsibilities, noting that behind every office, “there remains a person, a heart that needs serenity and peace so as not to harden amid so many pressures.”

He invited the new officials to seek that peace in God, who, he assured, “walks with us even amid trials,” affirming that the Costa Rican people also share this need, given the current social context of violence and uncertainty.

“Families battered by violence need that peace. Our youth, often tempted by misguided paths or by discouragement, need it. Our communities, scarred by insecurity, drug trafficking, and murders, need it,” he stated.

In light of this situation, Román invoked the Holy Spirit to grant the new officials “wisdom in making decisions, prudence to listen, and clarity to act, always with the well-being of our people in mind.”

‘A call to live out one’s faith publicly’

Román said this is a time when “faith is hidden or is lived out solely in private,” noting that faith in public life “can become a guide for acting with rectitude, honesty, and with a sense of morality.”

He added that when a person recognizes the existence of a truth greater than oneself, he or she “also understands that power has limits and that all authority must be exercised with ethics, conscience, and respect for life.”

Women in power

During the ceremony, Román also highlighted the fact that, for the second time in Costa Rican history, a woman has assumed the leadership of the country.

He said that women possess a special capacity to “safeguard life, to sustain it even amid difficulties, and to remind us that behind every decision, there are always real people, families, and genuine suffering.”

The bishop affirmed that the country needs “firmness, yes; but also humanity,” as well as leaders capable of “listening to that cry and seeking ways to relieve those who feel that the doors are beginning to close.”

Román issued a call for national unity and said that “the challenges facing us are too great to deal with while we are divided,” inviting his listeners to “walk together and build the future of our nation with confidence.”

“As a Church, we wish to say to you with sincerity, Madam President: We pray for you. Not only during this celebration. Every Sunday, the Church lifts up its prayers for those who bear the responsibility of leading the peoples,” he said.

The bishop then entrusted the present and future of the country to the protection of Our Lady of the Angels, asking that she “accompany every step of this new government, protect our people, and help us to live as brothers and sisters. And may the Lord grant us the grace to walk together, in truth, justice, and hope.”

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

The leadership of the Venezuelan Bishops’ Conference updated the pope at the Vatican on May 4 about the situation: “Change has arrived, yes — but democracy has not yet," Archbishop Jesús González de Zárate, president of the Venezuelan Bishops’ Conference, told ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News.

“Many unresolved questions remain regarding what Venezuela’s immediate future will be like,” Zárate explained, following the meeting with the leadership team held with Pope Leo XIV, to whom they laid out the complex and uncertain situation the country is currently facing.

“Throughout these past months, we have asked ourselves many questions, and we still do not have sufficient answers,” he explained in a statement to ACI Prensa.

The bishops “constantly” receive requests to mediate the release of political prisoners. However, “the channels are not always open,” Zárate said.

More than 450 political prisoners remain behind bars, according to the count by Foro Penal, the promised amnesty has stalled, and fear of arbitrary detention persists in the streets.

As pastors, he noted, the Venezuelan bishops “have highlighted the need to restore the primacy of human dignity, which is the fundamental point of the Church’s social doctrine.”

“Upon this,” he clearly affirmed, “would rest the freedom of citizens, the right to participate, the paths toward democratization that we need, and overcoming of merely partisan or private interests for the sake of the common good.”

Political continuity following Maduro’s departure

Although he acknowledged that since Maduroʼs capture, “there is a change, a result of the fact that the person who previously held the highest office is no longer there,” he pointed out that “there is also continuity among the political actors,” which casts doubt on whether there will be political change.

The prelate emphasized that the outlook remains uncertain: “More concrete decisions were expected in the political sphere, which have yet to materialize.”

Relations with the United States have been normalized, but for Zárate, the advent of democracy does not appear to be imminent. “The reconstruction of political institutions, economic recovery, and the establishment of a new social dynamic constitute a slow, complex, and difficult undertaking,” he said.

In this process, he insisted that “the participation of everyone is required,” particularly to overcome the “constant confrontation and conflict-ridden political rhetoric that have impoverished Venezuelan social life.”

The prelate issued an urgent call to rebuild trust: “It is necessary to restore the population’s trust in institutions such as the National Electoral Council, the Supreme Tribunal of Justice, and other state institutions” in order to reestablish “healthy democratic coexistence.”

The National Electoral Council tallies and announces election results and declared Maduro the winner of the last presidential election despite strong evidence to the contrary.

The amnesty law passed in February benefited 8,616 people. However, that process appears to have stalled since Acting President Delcy Rodríguez announced that it had come to an end.

For the Church, this represented a key opportunity to advance national reconciliation, even though the lawʼs implementation has been inconsistent.

“What was particularly significant was the full liberty of political prisoners, not merely their release,” Zárate said.

“Release would mean that they leave the detention facility, but their activities would still remain restricted; we are speaking of full liberty, that is, the recognition of full freedom for all,” the archbishop explained.

The prelate acknowledged a loss of momentum after initial progress: “At first, there was greater diligence in the implementation of the amnesty law; subsequently, however, there has been something of a delay.”

In light of this, he warned that as long as there remains a Venezuelan “imprisoned for their political ideas or personal opinions, we can hardly rest easy or build a better society in peace.”

Víctor Hugo Quero, a Venezuelan political prisoner who died in custody, is one of many on a long list of citizens who have perished at the hands of the state over more than 25 years of authoritarian socialist rule.

“Doubts therefore remain regarding the whereabouts of many others. At this moment, there is the open question whether those about whom there is no news may have met a similar fate,” he added.

From initial hope to discouragement

Maduro’s removal from power sparked a certain “hopeful expectation” among Venezuelans, he said, yet now there is growing frustration. “There is much talk of investments in oil, of better prices, and of agreements with various companies, but the concrete reality is the average Venezuelan continues to suffer from the same deprivations,” Zárate lamented.

Among these difficulties, he cited “the constant rise in prices, the depreciation of buying power, the inability to access certain services, or the deficiencies within those very services” such as electricity or water supply. It’s a situation that “breeds discouragement.”

The harsh reality of the Venezuelan diaspora

After years of crisis, many who fled the country have been unable to return. “There are more than 8 million Venezuelans outside our country,” the archbishop noted.

The impact of the diaspora is part of families' daily lives: “There are children who don’t have the opportunity to be close to their parents, and parents who cannot enjoy their children or their grandchildren.”

This also impacts ecclesial life: “The migration of many Venezuelans also leaves parishes without catechists, without their ministers, and without the young people who were part of the youth ministry.”

Economic deterioration further exacerbates this scenario. “The widespread impoverishment of the population — to which the Church has sought to respond through social programs [providing] food and healthcare — also affects the life of the Christian community,” he noted.

Zárate said this reality even limits the Church’s pastoral outreach: “It finds itself weakened in its capacity to carry out its programs and to provide assistance to people.”

The bishops’ priority: ‘Preserving internal unity’

The president of the bishops’ conference stated that one of the episcopate’s constant efforts has been “to preserve internal unity."

Unity was one of the key issues discussed during the meeting at the Vatican on May 4. The pope, he said, was “very attentive; he is well-informed about the reality in the country.”

The pontiff centered his interest on the Church’s role as an agent of reconciliation: “His questions focused on the role we can play in the reunification of the Venezuelan people and in the internal unity of the Church.”

Zárate emphasized that the credibility of the message depends on the witness: “We could hardly proclaim reunification, reconciliation, or harmonious coexistence if divergences were visible within the Church itself.”

Some things never should have happened

Zárate clarified that the Church’s message of reconciliation to Venezuelan society “is not that forgiving means forgetting.”

“There are situations that never should have happened, and there are people who are responsible,” he pointed out.

Nevertheless, Zárate emphasized that the response cannot be based on vengeance: “We cannot believe that revenge or retaliation will provide the answer. The healing of hearts must be based on the truth.”

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 1961, Fidel Castroʼs communist regime confiscated hundreds of schools and other assets from the Catholic Church, among them the cloister and school that the Piarist Fathers maintained in the Guanabacoa district of Havana.

However, the prolonged economic crisis and the negligence of the authorities have led to the gradual deterioration of both buildings.

Compounding this situation was the looting of the Piarists’ church in October 2025, during which criminals stole “candelabras for the Blessed Sacrament, vestments, and fans, smashing display cases and windows.”

“We filed a complaint, but only a few items could be recovered,” they said.

Next came a fire in March of this year at the old cloister — “abandoned for over a year by the municipal department of education without maintenance or security” and a blaze on April 9 that damaged the church door after unknown individuals set fire to trash accumulated in the street.

In their post, the Piarist Fathers warned that what is being destroyed is the first Teachers College for Cuba and Latin America founded by the order in 1857 and declared a national monument in 1990. “Nationalized in 1961, state ownership brought only neglect and, now, destruction,” they charged.

They said the parties responsible for the situation are the municipal department of education and the municipal government; for while the former “abandoned the building without protection,” the latter “ignored repeated warnings from the cultural heritage authorities as well as our own.”

Furthermore, they noted, “the [Communist] Party condones criminal inaction: Promises ‘fade into bureaucratic silence’ while the looting is carried out in plain sight.”

The Piarist Fathers said they have spent “months working to reclaim these places to restore them and breathe new life into them in the service of Guanabacoa.”

They are demanding of the authorities the “immediate return of the cloister and school to the Piarist order,” an “end to empty promises,” and that “public accountability for criminal negligence” be established.

“This is not a demand [in the name of the Catholic religion]; it is the very identity of all the people of Guanabacoa that is fading away. Enough with the complicity. There is still time,” they urged.

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.

For many, the project’s next — and most important — step marks a joyous continuation of a dream long held by generations of parishioners and clergy alike.

Celebrations will take place on Pentecost Sunday with Mass at the current St. Patrick’s Church, followed by a procession to the new site located at 150 Martin Byrne Dr. for the formal blessing and groundbreaking ceremony. There, Toronto Auxiliary Bishop Ivan Camilleri will preside, joined by parishioners, major donors, local mayors, and councillors. The day will conclude with a festive barbecue, live music, games, and family activities back at St. Patrick’s.

Monsignor Owen Keenan, pastor of St. Patrick’s, the archdiocese’s second-oldest parish, said the long-awaited moment is deeply meaningful for all. He spoke to Canadaʼs The Catholic Register about the parish communityʼs vision for a larger church, dating back to the 1980s, with planning truly intensifying in 2015 under the late Father Vito Marziliano. 

Unfortunately, misfortune befell the project even in its earliest stages.

“ First, our architect Renzo Pianon died at 47, and then COVID hit us hard with the drop in attendance and various fundraising challenges before Father Vito left us far too young,” Keenan said. “There were moments of asking what is next? How much more can the community endure?”

Still, the community persisted through Marziliano’s Loaves and Fishes Campaign — a project solely dedicated to St. Patrick’s mission of building a new, larger church property to serve a growing local population.

Speaking to The Catholic Register in October 2025, Keenan revealed that the City of Brampton, Region of Peel, and the City of Caledon anticipated an increase of between 50,000 to 60,000 people within the confines of the parish in the next 15 to 20 years. He also shared the growing interest from parishioners — and pledges of $1 million to be paid upon the start of construction and an additional $1 million in bequests from an anonymous parishioner and an area business, respectively.

While the community has continued to rally behind the cause — including a promising showing and fundraising efforts at last year’s gala in October —Keenan concedes that a sense of restlessness has been creeping in.

“ Weʼve managed to maintain and reestablish a good level of fundraising after COVID, but weʼve run out of runway — people are only going to throw money at a question mark for so long. Thus far, we have around $350,000 worth of new donations already, with more expected as we go and as we break ground,” he said.

In total, the project has amassed several million dollars for the project.

Despite the impressive figures, Keenan reiterated that rising prices have played a role in the project’s delay. Even as the market shows itʼs a good time to build, a 32,000-square-foot project in 2018 was estimated to cost $12.9 million, but by 2024, a reduced 28,000-square-foot building was estimated to cost as much as $26.5 million, leading the parish to scale its operation back from wants to needs.

Still, the new church itself is set to be Marziliano’s swan song and become something truly unique as his original vision promised.

“He was quite an artist, and so the design for the new church will be based on a 19th-century reconstruction of a sixth-century church in the Holy Land, specifically the Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fish in Tabgha, Israel,” Keenan said.

The extensive project involves building a bigger version that remains faithful to the original design, complete with a traditional Romanesque style, rounded apse, cruciform shape, and pillars up the aisles.

Now, the project that required a true test of the communityʼs resiliency, patience, and faith will reach its most defining moment with May 24’s first dig.

Looking back on the multigenerational effort, Keenan is grateful for the patience and steadfast support of parishioners who have sacrificed for this new church over a decade.

“ We are all very excited, and I canʼt say enough about the good people of this parish who have been wanting this for so long. There are lots of good people for whom weʼre enormously grateful,” he said.

“We want a place for families who are stressed to be able to come together to appeal to the Lord. Letʼs find our identity in Christ, as St. Paul says, and letʼs truly rejoice together.”

This story was first published in Canadaʼs The Catholic Register and has been adapted by EWTN News. It is reprinted here with permission.

The theme for the rosary event, organized by various lay groups and supported by the Colombian bishops, is “Colombia’s Peace and Reconciliation Are Built Upon the Conversion of Your Heart.”

The country has been plagued by violent Marxist guerrilla groups and drug trafficking for decades.

The day’s events will consist of two main parts. The first will take place at the Bogotá cathedral at 11 a.m. with the recitation of the rosary, the celebration of Mass, and the consecration of the country to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

The rosary will be led by the cathedral’s parish priest, Father Sergio Pulido Gutiérrez. The president of the bishops’ conference, Archbishop Francisco Javier Múnera Correa, will celebrate the Mass and make the act of consecration.

The second part will begin at 5 p.m. in Bogotá’s Plaza de Bolívar, where Eucharistic adoration, a candlelit procession, and the recitation of the rosary will take place. The organizers said that during this Marian prayer, Our Lady will be asked to intercede “for the conversion of Colombians, in order to achieve peace and reconciliation.”

Múnera invited Colombians living both within and outside the country to “join in on May 13 for the great act of consecration to the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mary.”

“We will ask the mother of the Lord to rekindle hope within us, sustain unity, and intercede for the reconciliation and peace of all Colombians,” the president of the bishops’ conference stated.

More information can be found on the national rosaryʼs YouTube and Instagram channels.

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

During the first session on May 2, nearly 500 people connected in real time. In a statement to ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, the Digital Ministry noted that there are “more than 1,400 people who signed up to view a recording of the initial session.

The Digital Missionaries School consists of seven monthly sessions running until October, culminating in an in-person national gathering in the Archdiocese of Cali, “where the aim is to consolidate a network of digital missionaries and officially commission them.”

The May 2 session was moderated by Rafael Beltrán, coordinator of Digital Ministry in Colombia and a member of the “The Church Hears You” team, and by Father Martín Sepúlveda Mora, director of the Colombian bishops' conferenceʼs Department of Communications.

Participants included Bishop Juan Carlos Cárdenas Toro, president of the bishops’ Commission for Communications and Technologies, and Bishop Dimas Acuña, episcopal liaison for the Digital Ministry in Colombia.

Also present was Monsignor Lucio Adrián Ruiz, secretary of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication, who during the launch highlighted the scope and significance of the school, stating that it is a space that manifests “that missionary spirit which the Church has and which lives in our hearts.”

“We are called to widen the tent of our hearts and our gaze, to discover all those who need the Lord, even in those places in life where many seek him without knowing it,” he noted, referring to digital evangelization.

He also reminded the participants that the digital mission consists “not merely of techniques or strategies” but rather “is called to be a presence: an ecclesial presence, a presence that makes visible the fact that we are not alone.”

For this reason, he warned against the risk of reducing evangelization to metrics. “Our mission goes against the current. It’s not measured in followers but in communion, in encounter, and in the capacity to get people to undertake real processes in their lives,” he noted.

Father Álvaro Serrano Bayán, a collaborator with the Dicastery for Communication, was also present via Rome. He noted that “the digital mission is here to stay,” given that more than 70% of the world’s population is connected to the internet.

However, he reminded them that “the mission does not depend on the algorithm but on prayer”; therefore, the digital missionary “proclaims the Gospel in the digital environment with responsibility, creativity, and fidelity.”

For this reason, he encouraged digital missionaries to “keep alive the inner fire, the one that is not kindled by algorithms but by prayer, community, and the Holy Spirit.”

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

In a May 3 press conference, the Mexican cardinal noted that “this is nothing new; it’s what the people experience.”

The cardinal said this in response to a question from the press regarding recent controversy surrounding the unsealing of an indictment filed by a U.S. federal prosecutor, which was announced in an April 29 press release, against the governor of the state of Sinaloa, Rubén Rocha Moya, and nine other Mexican officials.

Rocha, a member of the ruling Morena party, is charged with “narcotics importation [into the U.S.] conspiracy,” “possession of machine guns and destructive devices,” and “conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.” U.S. authorities are seeking life imprisonment for the politician, who is currently on leave from his post.

Regarding the accusations made by U.S. authorities, Claudia Sheinbaum, president of Mexico, said during her May 4 morning press conference that “we don’t cover for anyone” but demanded “evidence.”

“Let them send whatever evidence they have. And if warranted, the prosecutor’s office — the [federal] prosecutor’s office — will take action,” she said.

The power of organized crime in Mexico is 'nothing new’

Robles noted that “the allegations made by the U.S. government are one thing, allegations which I am willing to assume are based on investigation, on firsthand knowledge, and which have some foundation.”

However, he emphasized, “as far as our own country is concerned, something we have been saying and lamenting for a long time now, we are experiencing, at the level of many municipalities and several states, that the government, the decisions, are in the hands of organized crime.”

The residents experience this through a financial "levy they call ‘protection money’ — demanded, threatened, and coerced — because they have a business or hold a job, and are forced to pay a fee to organized crime,” he said.

The archbishop noted that the actions of criminals have also made themselves felt “during election periods,” and that he knows of cases involving candidates who “received threats from organized crime if they continued their bid for the office to which they were legitimately aspiring.”

This, he warned, “indicates that organized crime in many places puts forward its candidates, imposes its candidates under threat,” in situations that “speak to the very real power that organized crime holds within the structure of our society.”

“I don’t know to what degree the authorities bear a shared responsibility — it could not be otherwise — or to what degree there is impunity, for we do not see these matters being brought to trial or subjected to the enforcement of the law,” he stated. “In that sense, we can say that the drug traffickers govern in certain jurisdictions, in certain places.”

Violence in Jalisco and the extent of organized crime in Mexico

Jalisco is the stronghold of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, one of Mexico’s most powerful criminal groups, designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. Department of State.

According to the 2025 Mexico Peace Index, produced by the Institute for Economics and Peace, “over the last two decades, Jalisco has recorded both the highest number of disappeared [missing and presumed dead] persons and the highest number of bodies exhumed from clandestine graves.”

“Of the 3,335 bodies exhumed nationwide between late 2018 and late 2021, one-third were found in Jalisco alone, representing by far the highest figure recorded in any state,” the report notes.

An especially dramatic case that brought these practices to international light in early 2025 was that of “Rancho Izaguirre,” about 40 miles from Guadalajara, where charred human remains, along with hundreds of scattered clothes and shoes, were discovered in what had apparently functioned as an organized crime training and extermination camp.

Based on leaked intelligence from the Secretariat of National Defense, the Mexican newspaper El Universal produced an “Organized Crime Map” of Mexico in October 2022, indicating that “40% of the country’s states have their entire territory divided among one or more organized crime groups.”

“Of the 2,471 municipalities in Mexico, at least one cartel, crime gang, or crime cell is listed in 1,198 of them [48%],” the Mexican newspaper states.

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.

Speaking anonymously to ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, a priest in active service in Nicaragua revealed the exact mechanisms by which the dictatorship of President Daniel Ortega and his wife and vice president, Rosario Murillo, control, surveil, and silence the Catholic Church in the country.

The Nicaraguan dictatorship intensified its persecution of the Church in 2018 after bishops and priests offered to mediate between the regime and civil society in the wake of popular protests. Documented attacks against Catholics in the country now total over 1,030, and 149 priests have been expelled or exiled.

The priest said the population “has grown accustomed to the situation and no longer says anything. I sense a calm atmosphere, yet the restrictions, which are always present, persist, because there is no freedom.”

Every Sunday, 'the police arrive to take my photograph’

Speaking about how the police monitor priests and bishops, the priest recounted: “Whenever there are liturgical services, we have to report what they are and where they are being held; we have to report when we leave our parish boundaries, and we have to state how long we intend to remain at any location outside of it.”

“And the police arrive to take my photograph, always, every Sunday. It’s a way of verifying that we are where we said we would be. Police superiors require their officers to provide evidence of the visits they conduct, and thatʼs how they maintain control,” he added.

“If you fail to give notice,” the priest continued, “sometimes nothing happens; but other times when they realize that youʼre outside the parish and didn’t give prior notice, they make a call. There have been times when it simply slipped my mind to let them know.”

Regarding the bishops, he said he believes that “yes, they are monitored, they are kept under surveillance. And the police are constantly asking about this or that meeting: where it’s going to take place and whether the bishop will be there.” It also appears the police do in fact “have some person along with his vehicle assigned to” follow the bishops.

Political or social issues avoided in homilies

The priest explained that no priest can speak about social or political topics; otherwise, he risks being considered an opponent to the regime and it could cost him one of two things: “imprisonment or exile.”

“If we speak about a social problem or something currently taking place, they may view us as opponents, as if we were delivering a speech inciting rebellion. And so, they keep watch. They listen whether in person or via broadcasts, and they record us and file reports,” he said.

Any criticism of the dictatorship, he added, “they interpret as political discourse or an act of insurrection. And so that can have consequences.”

The priest recounted that whenever he learns of a fellow priest being imprisoned, there is “total silence. You can’t visit them; you can’t speak with them.”

Pressure on the bishops

ACI Prensa asked the priest why the bishops of Nicaragua do not typically speak about the situation in the country or criticize the dictatorship.

“First, perhaps, out of fear of being expelled. I believe thatʼs the primary factor. And there is the fear of leaving a large population of believers [without a bishop] as happened in Matagalpa, Estelí, or Jinotega” where the bishops are in exile, the priest noted.

The four dioceses currently without a bishop present in the country are Jinotega, whose bishop, Carlos Herrera, serves as president of the bishops' conference; Siuna, Matagalpa, and Estelí. The latter two are headed by Bishop Rolando Álvarez, who was exiled to Rome in January 2024.

The priest noted that “in the dioceses where the bishops are absent, there are no priestly ordinations, primarily because the bishops are not there.”

“They [the police] are specifically keeping those dioceses under surveillance,” he added, explaining that a bishop from another diocese is also not permitted to ordain priests who fall outside his own jurisdiction.

In a diocese where the bishop is still present, he continued, “ordinations do take place, but they are conducted with great prudence and caution; they are not given much publicity or promoted in the media, so as to avoid any difficulties.”

The priest noted that there has been a decline in the number of priests due to expulsions, and that the most affected diocese is Matagalpa, with nearly half of its clergy now outside the country — a reprisal against Álvarez, who “in his homilies never sugarcoated” the situation in Nicaragua.

Processions banned in Nicaragua

The priest said that while most processions are banned, “there are some, traditionally massive in scale, that have been permitted,” such as those for St. Jerome or the Virgin of Mercy; “but more for their cultural and tourism value and not because it might be an opening toward the faith which they [the police] have otherwise closed.”

The priest recalled when he requested permission from the police to hold a procession and an officer told him that they could imprison him if he proceeded with it.

How does the Church get by day to day?

In 2023, the dictatorship banned the inflow of foreign funds to the Catholic Church after accusing it of “money laundering,” an accusation deemed “ridiculous” at the time by Félix Maradiaga, president of the Freedom for Nicaragua Foundation, while simultaneously freezing the bank accounts of the country’s parishes and dioceses in an attempt to further curtail their activities.

“There are no [parish] vehicles, and it’s impossible to purchase them using the offertory funds because the people are poor. So I have to go around asking people to give me a ride,” he recounted.

Among the many institutions whose legal status was revoked by the Ortega-Murillo dictatorship — meaning they cease to function and their assets are transferred to the regime — is Caritas Nicaragua, the charitable arm of the Catholic Church, which was dissolved by the dictatorship in March 2023.

“We no longer have access to Caritas or foreign aid, because all of that has been banned. Consequently, here, assistance is provided by the population itself amid their poverty,” the priest emphasized.

Without the assistance of Caritas, “it’s the community itself that takes it upon itself to help us. We rely on divine providence, and thatʼs how we carry on.”

“If we survive, it’s because of the help of the people themselves. The people pay for the electricity and the water. These costs are not paid with the collection or offerings. The same goes for food; the people pitch in to help me. Without that, it would not be sustainable,” he explained.

“We collaborate with the people; we help, we deliver food, provisions to certain people. I haven’t had any issues with the police in that regard, but I do it publicly; I don’t do it in secret,” he explained.

According to an April World Bank report, 2.8 million people in Nicaragua live in poverty.

Are there vocations in Nicaragua?

The Nicaraguan priest highlighted that, despite everything, there still are vocations. “It’s true that there was a decline in vocations after 2018. There was significant attrition and a decrease in numbers, and many young people left the country; however, vocations are currently on the rise.”

The year 2018 marked a turning point in the persecution against the Church. Protests against the dictatorship prompted the regime to intensify its multifaceted attacks against Catholics. Nicaraguan lawyer and activist Martha Patricia Molina, author of the report ”Nicaragua: A Persecuted Church,” provides a detailed account of these attacks.

“Today, vocations are once again beginning to resurge in the seminaries. Before last year there were few, but today the number of seminarians has already risen,” the priest added.

Despite the tribulations, the Church in Nicaragua ‘walks with hope’

The priest said “a characteristic of Nicaraguans is their love for the pope, because he [represents human] dignity and the Church, it’s something that characterizes the Nicaraguan Catholic.”

Bolstered by the pope’s encouragement expressed to the exiled Nicaraguan bishops in August 2025 and despite all the difficulties facing Nicaragua, the priest said there are reasons for hope, such as those newly baptized at Easter.

“I believe that the Church in Nicaragua is a suffering Church; yet, above all that suffering, we press onward. We are spurred on and find hope in the knowledge of what Easter has given us: the resurrection of Christ, that Christ is alive, that Christ is with us, and that he walks in our midst,” he said.

“Even amid these tribulations,” he affirmed, “the Church in Nicaragua moves forward with confidence; it moves forward with hope. We’re not sorrowful; we are joyful. We simply hope to receive the solidarity and attention of the world, and that, one day, we may be able to live out our faith in complete freedom.”

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.

“There are some things you just don’t talk about to some people,” said Father Larry Holland, who has completed studies in healthcare chaplaincy in addition to serving at numerous parishes in the Archdiocese of Vancouver.

He described his reaction when a doctor brought up the option of medical aid in dying (MAID) should his condition deteriorate. “I think I was very shocked,” he said. “It is such a sensitive subject.”

Holland, 79, is currently convalescing at VGH after suffering a hip fracture from a fall in his bathroom on Christmas Day. He spoke to The B.C. Catholic about the offers of MAID from two healthcare professionals, despite their knowing he was a Catholic priest.

Holland said he wasn’t dying then or now and that the doctor’s mention of MAID left him “kind of silent” for a moment. The doctor then raised the subject again, saying it’s “something they have to discuss with someone who’s been given a terminal diagnosis.”

Holland recalled telling the doctor he was morally opposed to euthanasia. The doctor explained that “he just wanted to make sure that, if a [terminal] diagnosis came up or not ... I knew of the different services I had access to.”

Weeks later, a second offer of MAID came from a nurse who the priest said seemed uncomfortable raising the topic and was likely doing so out of compassion because of the pain he was enduring.

“It’s a false compassion, really,” he said.

A spokesman for Vancouver Coastal Health, which operates VGH, told The B.C. Catholic in an email that “staff may consider bringing up MAID based on their clinical judgment, provided they possess the necessary knowledge and skills to do so.”

Staff are also “responsible for answering questions when patients bring up the topic of MAID,” the spokesman said.

The two incidents arise as Canada approaches 100,000 assisted dying deaths.

Father Larry Lynn, the archdiocese’s pro-life chaplain, said he was shocked to hear about Holland’s case.

“This must surely be among the most appalling examples of Canada’s coercive and insensitive euthanasia regime,” Lynn said in an interview.

He said it’s disturbing that a healthcare provider suggests euthanasia with any patient, and particularly when the patient is a consecrated religious known to be morally opposed. “It places the medical practitioner into the role of the devil, tempting a vulnerable person into mortal sin.”

He’s equally troubled that Canadian euthanasia providers aren’t ruling out initiating discussions with Roman Catholics about MAID. In a document titled “Bringing up Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) as a Clinical Care Option,” the Canadian Association of MAID Assessors and Providers recommends against assuming patients oppose MAID because of their faith.

The document says: “Healthcare professionals may draw incorrect assumptions about a person’s views on MAID; e.g., they may assume that a patient objects to MAID because she is a Roman Catholic nun, and yet Roman Catholic nuns and others dedicated to a faith-based way of life have requested MAID.” The booklet does not provide a source for the information.

An updated version published in March removes the Catholic reference but gives the same advice regarding people of a “faith community” and even those of “strong faith.”

Lynn called it “diabolical” to use a nun as an example for overcoming a patient’s moral objections.

The booklet reflects a recent trend of encouraging healthcare personnel to initiate MAID discussions with patients. In November 2025, The B.C. Catholic reported on a little-known 2023 Health Canada document urging health authorities and professional bodies to adopt “practice standards” requiring doctors and nurse practitioners to raise MAID with certain patients.

The MAID assessors and providers document similarly says physicians and nurse practitioners involved in care planning and consent processes “have a professional obligation to initiate a discussion about MAID if a patient might be eligible for MAID.” However, Health Canada does not have the authority to require provinces or health authorities to adopt such guidelines and The B.C. Catholic found no evidence of any public agency or professional body in British Columbia doing so.

Amanda Achtman, creator of the anti-euthanasia project Dying to Meet You and ethics director of Canadian Physicians for Life, said initiating MAID discussions in a medical setting is a form of coercion that attacks patients’ deepest convictions when they’re vulnerable. To “torment” someone who has deeply held beliefs with an offer of MAID is “an attack on their identity,” Achtman said.

Holland admitted he was in so much pain that he could “feel the temptation” to accept MAID. “It’s a human reaction. We always look for the easy way out.”

Conservative member of Parliament Garnett Genuis has introduced Bill C-260, An Act to Prevent Coercion of Persons Not Seeking Medical Assistance in Dying, which would prohibit federal employees from proactively offering or recommending MAID. The bill resulted from incidents of bureaucrats such as veterans counselors trying to steer vulnerable people toward assisted dying.

The Alberta government introduced legislation in March that would restrict regulated health professionals from providing information about MAID to their patients unless the patient brings it up. The Safeguards for Last Resort Termination of Life Act would also restrict the public display of MAID information, such as posters, within healthcare facilities.

The bill is worth supporting, said Achtman, who lives in Calgary. “Simply being offered euthanasia already kills the person, because it defeats and deflates their sense of self-worth and value.”

The unwanted initiation of MAID discussions in Canada made international headlines in March after Achtman shared the story of an 84-year-old woman, Miriam Lancaster, who went to VGH last year for severe back pain. She said the first doctor she spoke with in the emergency room raised MAID before any diagnostic work had been done. Lancaster’s daughter was present and confirmed the incident, adding her mother eventually responded to rehabilitation and rest.

The Catholic chaplain at VGH, Father Ronald Sequeira, said it’s a constant struggle to help suffering patients not lose hope. He said he tries to offer them “some kind of encouragement and comfort,” but many give up.

“The moment you lose hope, the devil comes in, in different personalities, and says, ‘Do you want MAID? I don’t want people to suffer.’”

Patients often don’t realize that suffering is redemptive, he said. “God makes us more pure, more strong, through the suffering when we offer it up,” Sequeira said. “So we give hope — help them not to lose hope.”

Holland said turning down an offer of death opens one to new experiences. Even enduring pain “can encourage growth,” he said. “It can motivate you, it can open up new worlds, new vistas, new opportunities,” including enriched relationships.

He said he is sharing his story in the hope it will help others. “I went through it; you can go through it, too.”

This story was first published in The B.C. Catholic and is reprinted here with permission and adaptations.

The 2026 conference, “Restoring the Covenant: Catholic Social Teaching as Common Social Ground,” will take place on Saturday, May 30, at De La Salle Oaklands College in Toronto.

The gathering is rooted in Catholic social doctrine and inspired by Pope Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum, in which he says: “Since the end of society is to make people better, the chief good that society can possess is virtue,” said Matthew Marquardt, executive director of Catholic Conscience.

Open to Catholics and all people of goodwill, the aim is to offer Catholic social teaching as a roadmap for renewing public life, Marquardt said.

The conference is meant to be a place where young professionals, potential volunteers, and benefactors can begin to match their skills and resources to the Church’s most pressing projects.

The day will combine liturgy and prayer with plenary talks and themed breakout sessions, all framed by Catholic social teaching’s vision of human dignity and the common good.

Speakers include Bishop Mark Hagemoen of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon; Peter Copeland of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute; Tucker Sigourney, a John and Daria Barry postdoctoral fellow at Harvard; Moira McQueen, a prominent lawyer and consultant in moral theology who until recently served as executive director of the Canadian Catholic Bioethics Institute; and Kathleen Muggeridge of Young Professional Catholics of Toronto and the Office of Social Action of the Archdiocese of Montreal.

In an education session, Catholic Register publisher Peter Stockland will host a discussion examining the influence of news and media in shaping social values.

In a world marked by radical individualism, moral relativism, and what organizers describe as “a culture indifferent to the dignity of life,” the conference proposes Catholic social teaching as a unifying framework for rebuilding the bonds that make us a true covenant people.

For example, Catholic social teaching offers a Catholic lens for evaluating and interpreting governmental wellness indexes, such as the Quality of Life Framework recently adopted by the government of Canada.

“Our social covenant is broken and needs to be restored, said Marquardt, who is also president of Canadian Catholic News. “And the responsibility for doing that is on every one of us. We belong to one another and each have a role to play in society.”

The conference grew out of months of discussions about the fragile state of Catholic apostolates in Canada and the surprising appetite among young Catholics for serious engagement, he said.

“If you go to church in Toronto since the pandemic, attendance is up a lot,” Marquardt said. “The difference is a lot of young people who are very ardent. They say they want things to do.”

Organizers say the event is intended to:

• Advance civic conversation on restoring a shared social covenant grounded in common principles and values, as an alternative to the social currents pulling people away from God and one another.
• Bring together Canadian Catholic social and civic initiatives — along with other groups of goodwill — to increase awareness and promote cooperation among them.
• Promote volunteer, employment, and fundraising opportunities for these initiatives, helping them find the skills and support they need to survive and grow.

The vision goes beyond theory. In recent years, small Catholic organizations such as Catholic Insight, Catholic Conscience, and Canadian Catholic News have struggled with increasingly complex regulatory demands, especially those affecting interactions with agencies such as the Canada Revenue Agency, and the practical burden of running lean operations with minimal staff.

This story was first published by The B.C. Catholic and is reprinted here with permission.

During her tour of Mexico to promote the book, which was released in February, Tapia spoke on April 28 with ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, saying that the pro-life cause is a matter of “a commitment to civilization,” one that means opposing “any form of human extermination — be it abortion, the death penalty, or eugenics.”

She addressed a draft ruling by the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation, Mexico’s highest judicial body, which “seeks the decriminalization of abortion and, consequently, the permission to perform abortions throughout the entire nine months of gestation.”

The ruling concerns a 2024 constitutional challenge to a state law protecting life from conception in which the court states that “removing abortion from penal codes is fundamental to precluding criminal proceedings and eradicating social criminalization and that which occurs within healthcare services.”

Defending life: ‘A commitment to civilization’

Given the current legal and cultural juncture Mexico is facing, she explained, “we have [selected] the 20 best arguments from a nonreligious perspective to come to the defense of life and seek to dismantle, because they are either false or flawed, the 20 most popular excuses we always hear to promote the decriminalization of abortion.”

“Defending life is not something proprietary to Catholics,” she pointed out, although she highlighted that “Catholics have been doing so for 2,000 years, and doing it very well.”

“We human beings are the ones who create the state and governments in any era and in any country,” she emphasized; therefore, “we must radically oppose any branch of the government of a state arrogating to itself or assigning to itself the authority to decide which humans live and which humans die.”

The discussion regarding the draft ruling at the Mexican Supreme Court was scheduled for early January but has since been postponed indefinitely.

A legal expert, Tapia served as a distinguished professor of Roman law and civil law at the Autonomous Technological Institute of Mexico and currently teaches electoral law in the master’s program in constitutional law at Pan-American University.

She has also advised the John Paul II Institute and Red Familia (Family Network), among others, on issues such as surrogacy, palliative care, abortion, advance directives, and conscientious objection. She is a member of the Interdisciplinary Family Studies Group at Pan-American University.

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Keys to the ‘cultural battle’

In the “cultural battle” to defend life, she stated, “it’s essential to correctly choose the terrain, to correctly choose one’s weapons.”

“If you defend life based on your religious position and you go before a court seeking to defend life using faith-based arguments, it is highly probable that you will fail; for constitutional or constitutional-procedural language entails certain requirements that are incompatible with the language you are employing, or want to employ,” she explained.

She even warned that “it is highly probable that you will be stigmatized and dismissed right from the start,” which is why it is important to avoid — to borrow a war analogy — ‘bringing horses to a naval battle.’"

“That is why this set of arguments serves a practical purpose,” she emphasized, for it “compiles the 20 best, truly splendid arguments for defending human life without any religious basis.”

“Every Life Matters: Bulletproof Arguments,” published by Ediciones MUAC, is now available for sale in Mexico in Spanish, and will be available for purchase through Amazon in the coming weeks. English and French versions are currently in the works.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The book can be downloaded free of charge here.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Other states begin to permit abortion

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Young people don’t want these deadly laws

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

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

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

Youth at the forefront

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

‘Defend your faith by knowing it better’

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Who is the new bishop of London?

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

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

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

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

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

Acero emphasized that “our primary goal is to care for life, to love it, and, above all, to protect the most vulnerable,“ extending an invitation to ”take part in the march” in order to “show the beauty of life and continue protecting it.”

Traditionally held in April to commemorate the victims of the decriminalization of abortion on demand for up to 12 weeks' gestation, which was passed by  Mexico Cityʼs government in 2007, the March for Life, organized by the Steps for Life platform for the past 15 years, attracts tens of thousands of people.

In an April 19 editorial of its weekly publication Desde la Fe (From a Faith Perspective), the Primatial Archdiocese of Mexico described as “hope-inspiring” the “knowledge that a new generation has become convinced of the need to care for our common home and for our neighbor.”

“We affirm, grounded in science and anthropology, that the human being possesses inherent dignity simply by existing, regardless of its circumstances: from the moment life begins at fertilization, throughout all stages of life, and until death. Therefore, it is not licit to kill, enslave, capture, or torture any human being at any time,” the editorial emphasized.

The archdiocese said that “abortion, euthanasia, and suicide are scourges that attack our humanity, wearing the mask of being valid solutions in the face of suffering.”

Although the editorial stated, “We do not judge those who resort to any of these measures,” it emphasized that “neither can we, as a society, present these three issues as solutions, nor as rights.”

“Trivializing the importance of life contaminates society, making it easier to attack life and dignity through actions such as human trafficking, which constitutes the new slavery, as well as kidnapping and murder,” the editorial stated.

With the 19th anniversary of the decriminalization of abortion up to 12 weeks' gestation coming up, “there is nothing to celebrate,” the Archdiocese of Mexico pointed out, for “hundreds of thousands of human beings have been eliminated, while the health policy regarding abortion as a symbol of a capitulating state has demonstrated that it has not improved the situation of women but has instead turned pregnancy into a stigma from which one must seek to be liberated.”

“We entrust these new generations to Mary Most Holy, so that just as she while still very young gave her ‘yes’ to God and to life, she may continue to imbue them with courage and love, and that this may always be reflected in their service to the most vulnerable,” the editorial stated.

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.

“We deeply lament that this has occurred as a consequence of the loss of a sense of the meaning of life and the failure to recognize the other as a brother,” the bishop stated in a press release.

According to a statement from the Security Cabinet, the body responsible for the countryʼs security strategy, “a man fired shots at the scene and subsequently took his own life.”

“Regrettably, a Canadian woman lost her life, and as of now there are reports of several individuals who sustained injuries and are currently receiving medical attention. A firearm, a bladed weapon, and unspent ammunition were secured at the scene,” the statement said.

According to the Security Cabinet, the 13 people injured, two of whom are minors aged 6 and 13, are foreign nationals: six from the United States, three from Colombia, one from Canada, one from Russia, one from the Netherlands, and one from Brazil. As of the latest report, “eight remain hospitalized.”

The office of the attorney general of Mexico state identified Julio César Jasso Ramírez, a Mexican national, as the alleged assailant.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum stated April 20 on X that “what occurred today in Teotihuacán pains us deeply. I express my most sincere solidarity with those affected and their families. We are in contact with the Canadian Embassy.”

“I have instructed the Security Cabinet to thoroughly investigate these events and provide all necessary support,” she stated.

The federal attorney generalʼs office stated that it is carrying out “the necessary investigative steps to clarify what occurred, in coordination with the attorney generalʼs office of Mexico state.”

Located approximately 25 miles northeast of Mexico City, the Teotihuacán archaeological site, which includes the Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon, is the second-most-visited site in Mexico after Chichén Itzá in Yucatán state. According to official figures from the Secretariat of Tourism, 1.8 million tourists visited Teotihuacán during 2025.

Look to Jesus Christ

In his statement, Escobar called upon all Catholic faithful “to lift up our prayers for those who have lost their lives, as well as for all those who are going astray, that they may be profoundly reconciled with God and with others.”

“Today, more than ever, we need to look to Jesus Christ, the way, the truth, and the life, to return to Christian values ​​within our families,” he said.

“May Mary Most Holy accompany and soothe the pain of those suffering the loss of a loved one and of those who have gone through this bitter experience,” the prelate prayed.

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.

“God’s timing is perfect,” Rodríguez shared in an interview with ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. Following various setbacks, she will embark on a promotional book tour April 23–26, visiting four Mexican cities: Guadalajara, Mexico City, Puebla, and Xalapa.

On April 25, she will also participate in the March for Life organized by the “Pasos por la Vida” (Steps for Life) platform in Mexico City, drawing tens of thousands to the streets of the Mexican capital.

“The book is about my story. I speak briefly about my childhood in Mexico and how I arrived in the United States,” she said, adding that the book also discusses “the mindset of a Catholic within the reproductive rights movement,” saying it is something “that is profoundly impacting our Hispanic culture.”

Rodríguez clarified: “How many people do we know who call themselves Catholic yet support contraception, abortion, and things like that?”

Rodríguez, who worked for the abortion provider for over 15 years, sued Planned Parenthood Arizona in 2017 for “retaliatory employment termination” after she was fired for reporting to her superiors a series of practices at the facilities that were dangerous to women.

In 2019, a jury ruled in Rodríguez’s favor and awarded her $3 million in damages.

“Throughout the entire trial, we didn’t ask for a single cent,” she emphasized; “we left everything to the jury,” which “decided everything and delivered its verdict. Our sole focus was on proving that I was telling the truth.”

She initially hesitated over the bookʼs title but ultimately settled on “Mayra Rodríguez vs. Planned Parenthood.” She feared it might face a legal challenge, but after consulting with her attorney, they concluded that “that’s the name of the case,” a case that “is a matter of public record; anyone can look it up online. Thanks to that, I am the only person who can afford the luxury of using that name ... because they are the defendants.”

Her intention, she emphasized, is to show “who Planned Parenthood is,” because many Mexicans and Hispanics, even within the pro-life movement, are unaware of its impact on politics. She wants people to "see the name and recognize it, and understand that it is synonymous with abortion, synonymous with puberty blockers, synonymous with this entire LGBT movement.”

Welcoming ‘with compassion’ ex-abortion workers

Rodríguez also called upon pro-life advocates not to view those working in the abortion industry “as enemies,” encouraging them instead “to view them with love and compassion, understanding that only in this way will we be able to show them the dignity of the human being.”

She highlighted the abundance of cases involving abortion clinic workers who have become pro-life leaders such as Abby Johnson, Patricia Sandoval, Ramona Treviño, and Dr. Anthony Levatino, among many others.

Within the organization And Then There Were None founded by Johnson to assist those wishing to leave the abortion industry, and of which Rodríguez is a member, “we have over 750 employees who have left the abortion industry, and more continue to join.”

“Our true struggle,” she said, “is to focus on changing hearts. And that is done only by getting the word out, by speaking the truth, by talking to people, and by hoping that they listen and that this succeeds in ensuring that even if abortion remains legal, people come to view it as unthinkable,” she explained.

‘This is just the beginning’

“This is just the beginning. I hope people receive the book well, and ... I hope that many people who believe in abortion manage to open their eyes, or at least that that little seed is planted” that leads to their conversion.

“Mayra Rodríguez vs. Planned Parenthood” is published in Mexico by the publishing house Cristo Misionero. The book will be available for purchase during the tour and at the March for Life in Mexico City on April 25.

Rodríguez is also working on translating the book into English.

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.

Born in Laja, a small rural community on the banks of the Bío Bío River 28 miles from Los Ángeles, Chile, Daza still fondly remembers his grandmother Trinidad, who taught him how to pray “and to trust in God with a simple faith.”

These days, he also turns his thoughts with gratitude toward Father Félix Eicher, the first parish priest of his hometown, a Belgian priest who remained there for 50 years and whom he still remembers today as “a great man who helped me, guided me, and accompanied me” during his vocational discernment, he recounted in an interview with ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News.

During this period of accompaniment, Eicher recommended St. Luigi Orione to him as a model whose example sparked in him the desire “to become a brother so that I could serve the most needy in a more direct way.”

As part of his discernment, in 1985 he spent a year in Argentina, completing his novitiate with the Little Work of Divine Providence. Currently, he directs a “Cottolengo” care facility housing 107 elderly residents.

A new calling

To be a coadjutor brother, he explained, means fulfilling the four vows: “Poverty, obedience, chastity, and fidelity to the pope,” which is the fourth vow of the Congregation of Don Orione. “I abide by all the regulations, and I have all the rights and duties of the congregation,” he said, adding that he has always felt “very content and very happy” with his consecration to religious life.

However, after several decades of service, he began to hear from colleagues and friends telling him: “The congregation needs priests; you’ve got to become a priest.”

At first, the religious offered some resistance: “I would say: ‘No! I feel content, fulfilled by what I do — happy,’” he recalled. But more recently, he began hearing this urging more frequently from acquaintances, as well as from priests within the diocese and the congregation, prompting him to consider more seriously this inner stirring. “Perhaps this had been within me all along, only I hadn’t wanted to bring it to the surface,” he began to think.

“I prayed about it extensively, discussed it with people of greater experience, and let them help me to be sure about this step. And after 40 years as a coadjutor brother and seven years as a permanent deacon, this restlessness arose in me about giving the Lord a more serious response regarding the path toward the priesthood,” he explained. Consequently, during a visit from one of the superiors of the congregation who had arrived from Rome, Daza presented his situation to him.

Understanding each step as God’s will

Following that conversation, he sent a letter to Rome as required by the formal process and also spoke with the bishop of Los Ángeles, Cristián Castro Toovey. “But I never thought this would happen so quickly,” he acknowledged with surprise.

So it was that on March 21, accompanied by his mother, María Jara, and in the presence of brothers in his congregation and communities hailing from various parts of Chile and even his novitiate classmate, Father Sergio Jiménez (who had traveled from Argentina), Daza was ordained a priest at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Los Ángeles by the local bishop.

Reflecting on this new path that God has set before him, he said: “One must understand it as the will of God and the ways of God in the life of a human being.”

“Since making my first vows, I have felt fulfilled and happy in the congregation. Today, more than ever, for this step is a huge step, a greater responsibility,” he shared.

As he relived the moment of his ordination, Daza recalled it as “a great mystery,” a moment in which he experienced “many conflicting emotions.”

“I don’t know how to explain it, because there are moments when you feel as if you are ‘up there,’” he said. And he especially cherishes the presence of his fellow brothers: “It was something of immense importance.”

Regarding his first Mass, he said: “As I walked behind the priests in the middle of the church, I felt something truly immense; it’s very difficult to explain, like a feeling of joy, of weeping for joy. It was a very powerful experience.”

A greater commitment to the people

Currently, Daza remains very active. “Don Orione always went all in,” he noted as he enumerated the works of the congregation currently active in Chile: the Home for the Elderly, the ministry to young offenders, and the farm that helps generate resources for the home, tasks that demand both his time and energy. Now, in addition, pastoral care has been added to his responsibilities.

The priest said he believes that, in these times, “there must be a greater commitment to the people. People need to be heard; they need someone to dedicate time to them.”

“I’m a bit hyperactive, so that’s an exercise I’m going to have to undertake,” he joked.

“I am deeply grateful to God and to the congregation, because my daily routine revolves around being able to help people spiritually. Many already know me, they know I can be a bit quirky,” he quipped, “but it seems I inspire a certain amount of trust. I am content and happy; the fact that people feel heard, loved, and respected, that’s already a big step,” he emphasized.

Be courageous and let others help you

Finally, the priest addressed young people, encouraging them “to be courageous in giving a response, in placing themselves at the Lord’s disposal, and in letting the Lord carry out his will.”

In this regard, he recalled the motto of his ordination — “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want,” and assured them: “If you give yourselves over to him, you will lack nothing in your life. We have more than we sometimes imagine,” he shared.

To those considering the possibility of the priesthood, he advised: “Pray often, allow yourself to be helped a great deal, be open with the people the Lord puts on your path, take heart, and I say it again: Don’t be afraid; take the step, and the Lord will help you afterwards.”

“In my case, it has been 40 years and today I can say with complete peace of mind that I have never once felt any doubt about my vocation, if this was truly my path or not because I have always felt secure, supported, and so loved by everyone; and that is what has kept me happy all along.”

“For the Lord, age is of no consequence; what matters is simply having the desire to help,” 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.

Young Professional Catholics of Toronto (YPCT), which has become an official lay association of the Archdiocese of Toronto, brings together ambitious individuals navigating careers and personal growth, all while remaining rooted in shared Catholic values.

Through networking events, service initiatives, and faith-centered gatherings, the group offers more than just social connection — it provides purpose and belonging as it redefines how Catholic identity can thrive among the next generation of leaders.

Founded in 2024 by Kateryna Sphir and Francis Odum, the latter of whom also currently serves as the groupʼs president, YPCT attracts men and women in the age range of 18 to 39 who meet monthly at different parishes and event spaces across the city.

Kathleen Muggeridge, who serves as the group’s vice president, spoke to EWTN News about the group’s purpose and the challenges young Catholics face in Toronto today. She explained that she sees Toronto as a “spiritually desolate place.”

“Medical assistance in dying [MAID] is being legalized across the country — thereʼs a lot of hopelessness,” she said. “One of the main reasons why [itʼs] being legalized is because of loneliness. And that loneliness doesnʼt just exist in the senior population, it also exists in the young adult population. Thereʼs a lot of isolation.”

Against this backdrop, YPCT aims to serve not only as a resource for young professional Catholics but also as a community where the members “can grow in their faith together.”

Non-Catholics are also welcome to join the group and hopefully “be inspired to start practicing their faith,” Muggeridge said.

Roughly 200 people attend each YPCT event, and for the first time the group plans to host a professional networking conference in the fall for about 500 attendees.

In addition to its monthly events, YPCT hopes to start a mentorship program where professional Catholics who are established in their careers serve as mentors and guides to younger individuals interested in the same field of work.

The group also plans to expand to other cities across Canada. Muggeridge explained that in order to do that they’re building a larger team in Toronto that includes a social media team, a stakeholder relations team, a finance team, a board of directors, and a spiritual director.

“Weʼre hoping to create a structured team format and then once we meet people who are interested in starting YPC in other provinces, we will be able to share that format with them,” she said.

Muggeridge highlighted the many challenges Catholics face in Canada right now. In addition to the legalization of assisted suicide, these include abortion being legal through all nine months of pregnancy and bubble zone laws preventing advocacy outside of abortion clinics.

With this in mind, Muggeridge said she hopes YPCT will “inspire these people to be passionate on certain issues that are related to the spiritual desolation [in the country].”

“So in addition to spiritual nourishment and community and networking, getting involved in these social issues is definitely something that is very important for us,” she added.

She also pointed out the difficulties many young people face in trying to find employment.

“Itʼs hard to build up a career on your own, especially if youʼre a newcomer or you donʼt have a lot of resources,” Muggeridge explained. “Even if youʼve gone to school for something, and youʼre certified in a specific field, itʼs hard to get a job in Canada these days. And so the networking that weʼre able to provide young Catholics, I think has been very valuable and especially when we launch our mentorship program, I think that will provide even more value for people.”

Muggeridge said the group’s main goal “is to just be a channel where people can come closer to Christ by the spiritual nourishment and community that we provide because we want to be in communion with Christ and with our brothers and sisters.”

“Our No. 2 goal is to just be a place where people can grow and develop in their field,” she added. “Work is something that is good and itʼs beautiful, and weʼre made to work and weʼre made to sanctify our work. So, we hope to inspire our members to do that as well.”

The event, as its founder and director, Andrés Villaseñor, explained to ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, “is a masculinity conference for men and women” as well as for “families who want to find their center, who want to unite, and who want to know what their purpose is.”

Held at the the Mexican Martyrs Shrine, the Fearless Congress is featuring among its speakers psychologist Jordan Peterson, Mexican actor and producer Eduardo Verástegui, world champion soccer player Carles Puyol, and theology of the body expert Christopher West, among many other well-known personalities.

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Partners, not enemies

In a statement to ACI Prensa, Zeny Leyva, a Cuban-born wife, mother, and media professional with decades of experience in television in the Dominican Republic, emphasized that “every society needs structure, and the core of that society is the family. If we believe (as our faith teaches) that men are called to exercise leadership within the home, then it cannot be just any kind of leadership: It must be one that is properly guided.”

“For a long time — and rightly so — efforts have focused on bringing women’s wounds and needs to light. It was necessary. But we have stopped there,” she noted. “If we don’t also look at the wounds, shortcomings, and needs of men, we will continue to pull taut a rope that is already stretched too thin.”

“It’s not about competing; it is about understanding one another and returning to the original design: the one in which man and woman are not enemies but partners who complement each other,” she emphasized.

Irma Wilde, a business executive with over 15 years of experience in innovation, digital transformation, and technology, told ACI Prensa that “the level of menʼs emotional development directly impacts the quality of our relationships and our lives.”

“Today, there is a clear reality: Women are investing much more in their personal growth, while many men still lack the same emotional tools,” she said. “If we want healthier relationships, we both need to grow.”

Sofía Medina, a Catholic psychologist who leads the SHELTER apostolate, considers it “vital” that men be formed in virtuous masculinity, for “it is answering the basic question of life: ‘For what purpose was I created?’ — and also, ‘How?’”

“Men and women must understand their essence in order to respond with enthusiasm to God’s call. As a Catholic woman, knowing that there are men who strive to be the best version of themselves, with their gaze fixed on Christ, fills me with hope,” she stated.

‘We need men strong in faith’

Leyva emphasized: “We need men who are strong in faith, because only through God can love endure over time ... a man with authentic faith — not merely of words, but lived out — becomes someone capable of true love: of making sacrifices, of caring, of listening, and of working as a team with his wife."

"He doesn’t impose his will but rather leads by example," she said. "That kind of man raises children who are more secure, healthier, and possess clear values.”

Men “are not the enemy," she added. "And when it seems like they are, it’s often because there are unhealed wounds."

She highlighted that “we have demonstrated that women can lead — of course. But we must also be wise enough to recognize that a healthy society needs healthy men. It is not about ceding ground; it is about building together.”

Maturity in men leads to ‘healthier relationships’

A man characterized by maturity and commitment, noted Wilde, “transforms the entire environment. There is greater stability, more clarity, and less emotional strain.”

Nevertheless, she pointed out that men “continue to be the ones least likely to seek psychological help, something that often translates into difficulties in communicating, sustaining, or committing to deep relationships.”

“This is for us, too,” she noted regarding the Fearless Congress, pointing out that “if we want healthier relationships, less emotional burden, and a better quality of life, we need men who grow and develop themselves.”

‘Courage, joy, and a spirit of service’

Medina said that when a man lives out his vocation, “everything begins to fall into place, for he also becomes a source of stability and guidance for his family. A man on this path lives with courage, joy, and a spirit of service.”

“Today, more than 70% of unpaid domestic labor continues to fall upon women. When a man gets involved with maturity, that burden becomes balanced, and the dynamic changes completely,” she explained.

The conference, she emphasized, “is not just for men,” since “we all have a man in our lives whom we are influencing whether we are aware of it or not, so we absolutely must utilize every possible means to educate ourselves and grow. Only in this way will we achieve a better society.”

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.

José Dionisio Gómez, who was recently appointed by Pope Leo XIV as auxiliary bishop of Caracas, reminded the Venezuelan people that Christʼs resurrection is “a source of solace and strength.”

“In Venezuela, we have the hope of rising again at every moment in the face of every suffering and obstacle that confronts us,” Gómez said in an interview with ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News.

“To rise with Christ is to strive to be better people and better witnesses to his resurrection,” Gómez said. “Throughout history, it has been demonstrated that human beings possess the capacity through the grace of God and with the solidarity of their brothers and sisters to overcome situations of suffering caused by wars, pandemics, holocausts, abuses of power, and harassment.”

The capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife by the United States military in the early hours of Jan. 3 ushered in “a new political era," presenting a scenario that was previously unimaginable.

The prelate cited the episcopate’s latest pastoral exhortation, published in mid-February, in which the bishops stated that “Jesus Christ consoles us and encourages us to move forward with hope.”

Gómez noted that Venezuelans are not alone amid their daily lives: “We are all aware of [the need to] and are eager to move our country forward, a country we love so much.”

On March 18, Gómez and José Manuel León were named the two new auxiliary bishops-elect of Caracas. They join Auxiliary Bishop Carlos Márquez in assisting Archbishop Raúl Biord in the governance of the Church in the Venezuelan capital.

Venezuelans ‘bear signs of Christ’s passion’

Reflecting on Venezuelaʼs political situation, Gómez, who also serves as rector of St. Rose of Lima archdiocesan seminary in Caracas, said that, regrettably, “all Venezuelans bear signs of Christ’s passion, whether through imprisonment, exile, or migration under duress; through acute poverty as wages aren’t enough to have a decent life; or because we witness others suffering even more and we are powerless to help them.”

“Indeed, Jesus came to have compassion on us. That is why he drew near to and remained alongside the abandoned and suffering members of society, inviting them to bear that suffering with love and patience,” he noted.

Gómez also referred to Pope Leo’s Lenten message, which echoed the words God addressed to Moses: “I have seen the oppression of my people who are in Egypt, and I have heard their cries of pain” (Ex 3:7).

Law on amnesty and national reconciliation

In mid-February, the National Assembly, which is controlled by the ruling socialist party, approved the Law on Amnesty and National Reconciliation, which led to the release of hundreds of political prisoners.

However, various independent organizations have said the new law has not benefited all detainees and have charged that its application serves the interests of the regime. According to the Foro Penal, 485 people remain unjustly detained in Venezuela.

“There is not the slightest doubt that we all wish to live in justice and truth. The amnesty law is also the law of God’s mercy, who desires that all men be saved. For this reason, he offers his forgiveness to all,” Gómez explained.

“A wounded country and a wounded human being are healed through forgiveness and reconciliation by setting aside interests of any kind and always seeking paths toward the common good and brotherhood, where we are all one despite our differing ways of thinking, accepting one another. Therefore, it is important to set aside what divides us and embrace what unites us,” he said.

‘Let us make our lives a journey of peace and reconciliation’

Gómez noted that “the new era” for Venezuela coincides with the Franciscan Jubilee Year, which serves as “a good opportunity to embark on a path of education for peace, one that entails nonviolence and reconciliation.”

“It’s not about forgetting but rather about remembering, repairing the damage, and building bonds of fraternity. A society achieves reconciliation and rebuilds itself not with heroes but with free, responsible people capable of living together with dignity and building a future worthy of hope,” the auxiliary bishop-elect emphasized.

Finally, he prayed that Catholics might make their “great contribution” to Venezuela, following the example of St. José Gregorio Hernández, who offered his life for the end of World War I.

“Let us make our lives a journey of peace and reconciliation so that all Venezuelans may return to the source of our essence: a people of solidarity — friendly, humorous, and joyful — with a simple faith and fervent religious expressions, and ready to help anyone in need,” he urged.

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 the homily delivered during a Mass he celebrated on Sunday, April 12, at St. Agatha Church in Miami, Baez, who has been living in exile since 2019, warned that the wounds inflicted on the Nicaraguan people will remain but that "they will be scars healed by the love of God — wounds glorious forever, wounds of love destined for eternity. So too will be the wounds and sores of our people. One day, they will just be historical scars reminding us of a painful past of injustice and oppression, so that we may never repeat it,” he underscored.

A message of hope

The Nicaraguan prelate reflected on the Gospel passage in which the risen Jesus shows his wounds so that the apostle Thomas may touch them and believe.

Báez affirmed that “just like the glorious wounds of Jesus, so too one day will be the wounds we endured as we alleviate and heal, with respect and mercy, the wounds of others.”

“And those very wounds — scarred over yet eloquent — will spur us to build the future, acting as artisans of peace, ready to foster processes of healing and reconciliation with ingenuity and boldness,” the prelate continued.

Báez denounces ‘false peace’

The bishop also referred to the vigil for peace led by Pope Leo XIV on April 11 at the Vatican and pointed out that “peace is not merely the absence of war. Political systems that impose themselves upon people through terror, stripping them of their freedom, are enemies of peace.”

“Even if they speak of peace, if they repress, control, imprison, and force people into exile, they are enemies of peace. For peace is not a mere balance of forces, nor is it synonymous with the tranquility of cemeteries. We must not grow accustomed to the false peace and deceptive normality that dictators seek to impose through fear and arms, solely to preserve their privileges,” he continued.

For the fourth consecutive year, the Nicaraguan dictatorship has banned thousands of processions and public events during Lent and Holy Week, permitting only a few on the streets and always under police surveillance.

Currently, 309 religious including bishops, priests, and nuns have been forced to leave the country, while the regime has confiscated at least 39 properties belonging to the Catholic Church and has banned the ordination of priests in several dioceses.

A call to be builders of peace

The prelate emphasized that “we, the disciples of Jesus, having received his peace are called to be builders of true peace: a peace that springs from justice, is lived out in freedom, and bears the fruit of reconciliation.”

The bishop expressed the hope “that the mercy of the Lord, welcomed into our hearts, may make us mature believers, earnest builders of peace in the world, and people capable of bending down with mercy [to heal] the wounds of our brothers and sisters.”

“Our lives may not be easier, but they will be fuller, more vibrant, and more filled with light and love,” 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 prelate, who is also a member of the Social Pastoral Commission, noted in his letter that politics is “one of the noblest tasks” and is “charity exercised at its highest level.”

“It means administering what belongs to everyone; it means engaging in dialogue, listening, enduring tensions, and always seeking what is just, good, and appropriate while looking out for the most vulnerable, working for the common good, and fostering processes of friendship and social dialogue,” he explained.

He asked that anyone who “enters politics” be a person of integrity, someone “who does not toy with the dreams and hopes of a people.”

He outlined several essential qualities and habits that aspiring politicians should cultivate.

According to the bishop, such a person should be austere, possess a deep spirituality, and be firmly rooted in values and principles.

The bishop advised that politicians should always keep close at hand a list of their campaign promises and deepest aspirations, so they can periodically hold themselves accountable and undertake a sincere examination of conscience.

He emphasized the importance of humility, urging politicians not to become enamored of their own image. Instead, they should know how to “renounce and die” to themselves and to their own petty interests.

They should be quick to ask for forgiveness and know how to step away from their work each day to rest, pray, and reflect, enjoying with sobriety the simple things in life — nature, family, wholesome friendship, and serene prayer.

Liébana added that politicians must never lose their tenderness, their smile, or their simplicity and should make time to play with their own children and visit their elders.

He warned against the allure of luxury, stating that politicians should not be enamored of travel, the “high life,” or extravagant living, as these temptations often lead to the misuse of power and distance them from the realities of ordinary people.

The bishop also stressed the need for good and honest companions, recommending that politicians surround themselves with true friends who are willing to correct them directly and honestly. He advised always having a wise person nearby to consult, listen to, and learn from.

Finally, Liébana called for a clear understanding of one’s innermost motivations for entering politics. If the goal is to make money, become famous, have a good time, or gain recognition, he said, then the person is mistaken about the nature of the vocation.

“The temptations are many; that’s why one must stand firm,” the prelate emphasized. In his view, politics “should be a place for the best, the most virtuous, and not ‘a den of thieves.’”

“We cannot continue to toy with the future of our people, who are already weary and fed up with so much narcissism and mediocrity. This applies equally to every public servant, including us who are consecrated religious,” he pointed out.

“Let us ask God to raise up vocations of public servants who are enthusiastic and passionate, sober and austere, simple and humble — ordinary men and women who are approachable, and filled with tenderness and love for our beloved Argentina. Our homeland deserves it,” he emphasized.

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 Dominican-born prelate made the appeal in an interview with “EWTN Noticias,” the Spanish-language broadcast edition of EWTN News, after a March visit to Cuba to attend the installation of Osmany Massó Cuesta as bishop of Bayamo-Manzanillo.

Speaking with “EWTN Noticias,” Rodríguez addressed recent events in the Caribbean nation, including the government’s Holy Week announcement that it would release more than 2,000 people from prison.

The bishop stated that this was “a first step toward a long-term and more stable solution.”

“It is certainly neither the definitive nor the complete solution, but it is a sign that should be appreciated as a positive step,” he said.

He noted that this step “must be followed by other measures” capable of “increasingly guaranteeing the growing integral development of Cuban men and women at the social level.”

“In Cuba,” he stated, “a process must take place wherein Cubans are granted increasingly greater access to the internet, where the exercise of freedom of expression is made possible, and where political freedom — naturally — can also be exercised, for that is part of human dignity.”

“However,” he noted, “all of this must always proceed from an attitude of dialogue and collaboration.”

Regarding the Catholic Church in Cuba, the prelate stated that in recent years, the bishops have been granted the opportunity “to speak on the radio,” thereby enabling them to evangelize and provide moral support to the people “within the limitations inherent to the prevailing situation and circumstances.”

In Cuba, where a one-party system is imposed, the internet is monopolized by the state-owned company ETECSA. The most affordable data plan available to citizens costs 120 Cuban pesos ($5) and offers only 2 GB. In contrast, a person arriving from abroad can access a minimum plan of 10 GB, although the cost is not listed on the website.

The state also holds a monopoly over print, television, and radio media. Those wishing to establish independent media outlets have the internet as their only alternative, albeit at the risk of being harassed and detained by the communist regime, as documented on March 11 by the Inter American Press Association.

The Catholic Church ‘is no one’s enemy’

Rodríguez first visited Cuba as a young man in 1998 on the occasion of the historic apostolic journey of St. John Paul II. He returned in 1999 as a missionary and lived on the island until 2000.

“Upon returning after 25 years, I have found a people who still possess the same faith, a people filled with hope, and a Church that has continued to grow and renew itself. However, suffering and distress in general have multiplied. When I was here more than 25 years ago, the humanitarian and social situation was already appalling.”

“But now, the crisis has reached truly inhumane proportions … and our solidarity and response are urgently needed,” Rodríguez emphasized.

The blackouts and shortages of food and medicine plaguing the island intensified starting in January, after the United States effectively stopped oil shipments from Mexico and Venezuela, a measure that has further complicated daily life, affecting, among other things, transportation, the accumulation of trash on the streets, and foreign tourism.

And although a Russian vessel arrived in late March carrying 730,000 barrels of oil and the U.S. government is sending donations to be distributed by Caritas Cuba, this is not enough.

Rodríguez therefore called upon the Cuban authorities to understand that the Catholic Church “is no one’s enemy,” for it is not married “to any ideology or to any political party” but rather preaches “Jesus Christ and his message of love, fraternity, respect for human dignity, peace, and hope.”

“By working with the Church, they will be safeguarding the dignity of the Cuban people and will also be collaborating in a deliberate process aimed at implementing measures to restore the people’s dignity,” he stated.

“Therefore, I invite the authorities of Cuba — the government of Cuba — not to be afraid to collaborate” with the Church, Rodríguez urged, who assured that “we, the Catholic bishops of the United States, are here to support the bishops of Cuba in whatever is needed.”

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 decision, communicated by Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the dicastery, stems from “a possible canonical procedure not carried out by Bishop Jorge Novak, SVD, regarding the conduct of a priest of the diocese,” the Diocese of Quilmes clarified.

Furthermore, the diocese clarified that this decision expresses “no moral judgment regarding the life, virtues, and pastoral ministry" of Novak and that consequently he is still recognized as a servant of God even though his cause will not proceed.

The Diocese of Quilmes and the Society of the Divine Word — co-sponsors of the canonical cause initiated on Dec. 11, 2017 — announced the news “with sorrow,” while simultaneously expressing their confidence that “God, in his immense goodness, has granted the beloved and fondly remembered Father-Bishop Jorge Novak, SVD, the joy of eternal life, even if he is not inscribed in the canonical register of the blessed and saints officially proclaimed by the Church.”

Novak, who died in 2001, was the first bishop of the Diocese of Quilmes, which was established in June 1976. His episcopal consecration took place on Sept. 19, 1976, and he remained at the helm of the diocese until his death.

He is remembered for his staunch defense of human rights during the military dictatorship in Argentina and for his care for the poor. Novak also promoted the “Mass of Hope,” which continues to be celebrated to this day.

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

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.

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.

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.

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 bishops were among more than 50 intervenors presenting arguments at a landmark Supreme Court of Canada hearing into the constitutionality of Quebec’s 2019 secularism law. The hearing, one of the longest in the court’s history, ran from March 23–26. The court reserved its decision, with a ruling expected later this year.

The secularism law, which lower courts have twice upheld, prohibits certain public employees — such as teachers and police officers — from wearing religious symbols while at work.

Toronto lawyer Phil Horgan, president and general counsel of the Catholic Civil Rights League (CCRL), argued on behalf of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), summarizing a factum that argued the “purpose and effect” of Quebec’s legislation is to “amend Canada’s federal constitution by imposing an anti-religious, non-neutral ideology, which goes beyond Québec’s jurisdiction.”

Such a “drastic” change can only be made by the federal government using its authority over criminal law or its constitutional “peace, order, and good government” powers, according to the bishops’ argument.

Quebec preemptively invoked the notwithstanding clause of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms when it drafted Bill 21 to shield it from judicial review.

Federal and provincial governments can invoke the notwithstanding clause of the Constitution to temporarily prevent courts from invalidating legislation as unconstitutional.

The timing and impact of the use of Charter Section 33 became a significant issue during the four days of hearings and will likely be central in the court’s analysis, Horgan told The Catholic Register.

The appellants challenging Bill 21 include individual teachers directly affected by it as well as advocacy groups including the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA), and the Legal Committee of the Coalition Inclusion Québec. They argue Bill 21 is “ultra vires,” beyond the powers of provincial jurisdiction.

In a five-minute oral argument, Horgan told the seven justices that “Canada’s existing federal constitution is pluralist and pro-religion.” Although “the doctrine of state neutrality is well established, Canada has never adopted laicity or an absolutist separation of church and state,” he said.

Justice Malcolm Rowe questioned Horgan on the point, asking: “Other than the reference to the supremacy of God in the preamble to the Charter, would you direct me to the provision in the Constitution which is pro-religion?”

Horgan cited Section 93 of the Constitution Act, 1867, which protects denominational school rights and privileges, and noted federal charity law recognizes religion as a public good.

Horgan said he wasn’t concerned by the pushback, noting judges often ask questions “not so much to get the answers from counsel but to help … persuade other members of the bench on some of the merits of the argument.”

In its factum, the CCCB said Bill 21 “turns the expression of religious belief, through the wearing of symbols, into something to be punished because such expression now conflicts with the dominant philosophical posture of laïcité.”

Just as religious symbols are an illustration of underlying personal faith, “the prohibition of religious symbols manifests an outlook from the provincial government that denies the divine,” the bishops said.

Quebec has argued the notwithstanding clause disqualifies courts from weighing in on matters deemed political debates. Isabelle Brunet, a lawyer for the Quebec government, told the justices: “It is not up to a court to answer a question that doesn’t concern the courts.”

Quebec received support from the attorneys general of Alberta, Ontario, and Saskatchewan, who maintain the courts should not interfere once the notwithstanding clause is invoked.

Alberta and Ontario take a contrary position, arguing there is nothing in the notwithstanding clause that precludes judicial scrutiny of legislation.

Guy J. Pratte, a lawyer for the attorney general of Canada, said Section 33 gives legislatures the power to override Charter rights but does not nullify the rights altogether or prevent judges from issuing an opinion if freedoms are violated.

‘Imposing an anti-religious, non-neutral ideology’

The following excerpts are from the factum submitted to the Supreme Court of Canada by the Canadian bishops:

• “The purpose and effect of the act is unilaterally to amend Canada’s federal constitution by imposing an anti-religious, non-neutral ideology, which goes beyond Québec’s jurisdiction.”
• “When a province makes itself laïc, it is adopting a non-neutral stance on religion. The provinces do not have that power.”
• “Québec is attempting to impose an atheistic posture on religious believers.”
• “Our constitution is founded on a political theory that sees fundamental rights and freedoms as God-given. To adopt an expressly anti-religious viewpoint, as the act purports to do, is an amendment of our existing federal constitution.”
• “In the place of a genuinely neutral, pluralist, and pro-religious approach, the act substitutes an anti-religious constitutional settlement where symbols of religion worn by individuals are not permitted.”
• “Just as religious symbols manifest an underlying personal faith, the prohibition of religious symbols manifests an outlook … that denies the divine.”

This story was first published by The B.C. Catholic and is reprinted here with permission.

At the March 31 chrism Mass celebrated at Miami’s St. Mary Cathedral, Wenski noted that during Holy Week 2026, “we find ourselves surrounded by people who desperately need good news.”

After lamenting the current climate of mass deportations in the U.S., violence in Haiti, and repression in Cuba, the prelate turned his attention to the situation facing Nicaraguan Catholics.

“In Nicaragua — a country that has expelled more than 300 bishops, priests, seminarians, and religious in recent years — the regime has banned priestly ordinations in four dioceses,” he pointed out.

With the expulsion of Father José Concepción Reyes Mairena of the Diocese of León in February, the number of religious forced to leave Nicaragua now stands at 309.

Furthermore, the dictatorship has banned priestly and diaconal ordinations in the four dioceses whose bishops are absent because they were forced into exile: Matagalpa, Estelí, Siuna, and Jinotega. The chrism Mass, during which the oil, or chrism, to be used in the sacraments is blessed, was also not celebrated in those dioceses.

In his homily, Wenski encouraged the faithful to prepare for the “Paschal Triduum, the commemoration of the passion, death, and resurrection of Our Lord,” reminding them that “we cannot look upon the crucified Christ without looking at those being crucified before our very eyes and seeing him in them.”

“It struck me as a very prophetic homily,” said Father Edwing Román, a Nicaraguan priest in exile who now serves as vicar of St. Agatha Parish in Miami, told ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News.

“As an exiled Nicaraguan priest, I value and appreciate that a pastor of his stature during such a significant celebration as the chrism Mass in the very midst of Holy Week included our people who are suffering and yearning for their freedom, as well as our persecuted Church,” the priest said.

“Thank you, Archbishop Wenski, for your prophetic defense and for demonstrating once again your closeness to Nicaragua. Your archdiocese has served as a refuge for us and for Bishop Silvio Báez,” he added.

Joining Wenski at the chrism Mass was the auxiliary bishop of Managua, Báez, who went into exile from Nicaragua in 2019 and whose position was confirmed in August 2025 when he was received at the Vatican by Pope Leo XIV. The prelate celebrates Mass and ministers to the community at St. Agatha in Miami.

Román told ACI Prensa that in total four exiled priests participated in the chrism Mass including himself and Father Marcos Somarriba, a parish priest at St. Agatha, along with six other priests who arrived in the United States as children or young adults and a deacon who will soon be ordained a priest, all of Nicaraguan origin.

Dearth of religious freedom in Nicaragua

Also on March 31, Landau denounced the Nicaraguan dictatorship’s stifling of religious freedom in the country.

He noted that “Nicaragua has historically hosted some of the most beautiful and famous processions in the region (for example in Granada and Leon) and I look forward to the day when our Nicaraguan friends reclaim their religious freedom.”

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Martha Patricia Molina, researcher and author of the report “Nicaragua: A Persecuted Church,” has documented the thousands of processions and public events banned by the country’s dictatorship in recent years, a phenomenon that is even more severe during this Holy Week.

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 March 28 video message, the Mexican bishops said that “Holy Week invites us to contemplate the mystery of God’s love, which is given for us in Jesus Christ.”

“During these days, we remember his passion, his death, and his resurrection; yet this is not merely about recalling an event from the past — it’s about opening our hearts so that Christ may once again transform our lives and the history of our people,” they said.

“The Church in Mexico walks with its people; it walks with those who suffer, with those who seek hope, with those who cry out for peace, and with those who cry out for justice,” the bishops assured.

The Mexican prelates told the faithful that Holy Week “calls us to pause, to examine our lives with sincerity, and to return to God.” They noted that Pope Leo XIV has reminded us that “this spiritual journey begins by learning once again to listen: to listen to God who speaks to us in his word, to listen to the hearts of our brothers and sisters, to listen to the cry of the poor, of the victims, of those who cannot find their loved ones, or of those who live in despair.”

“God continues to walk with us, even amid trials,” they reminded, noting that “in the face of this reality, the cross of Christ is raised up as a sign of love and hope.”

They further encouraged the faithful to renounce speaking “hurtful words” and to sow “words that build communion.”

“In a world where insults, accusations, and polarization easily multiply, we, the disciples of Christ, are called to speak with truth, with respect, and with charity. The cross of Christ does not divide; it reconciles,” they emphasized.

“Holy Week reminds us of a profound truth: Evil does not have the final word. The suffering of the cross does not end in the darkness of the tomb,” they pointed out, for “God always opens a new path of life.”

“That is why Easter is humanity’s great hope. The risen Christ shows us that life is stronger than death, that love is stronger than hatred, and that hope is stronger than fear,” they emphasized.

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.

Justice Alexandre de Moraes signed the decision on March 20 — 12 days after the priest’s defense attorney, Miguel Vidigal, requested the permanent closure of the investigation.

The priest, from Osasco in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, was named as a suspect by the Federal Police in November 2024, under suspicion of being part of a “legal core” responsible for advising on and drafting decrees intended to serve alleged coup-related interests.

Others under investigation for the attempted coup d’état include the country’s former president, Jair Bolsonaro, along with advisers, allies, military personnel, and former ministers of his administration. However, on Feb. 18, the Office of the Prosecutor General of the Republic did not file charges against the priest before the Supreme Federal Court.

“It is to be hoped that the investigation against Father José Eduardo was an isolated incident on the part of the Brazilian state and that the religious freedoms enshrined in the Federal Constitution and in the Brazil-Holy See Agreement (Federal Decree No. 7.107/2010) will be guaranteed by the Judiciary. Had these norms been observed, unfounded and slanderous messages — as well as aggressive outbursts — could have been avoided, whether coming from the media or from private individuals who were quick to unjustly accuse the clergyman of illicit acts,” Vidigal told ACI Digital, the Portuguese-language sister service of EWTN News.

“Father José Eduardo’s defense team consistently alerted the Judiciary and the Federal Police — the agency in charge of the investigation — that the visits the clergyman made in Brasilia were never of a conspiratorial nature but rather strictly fulfilled what is expected of a Catholic priest: spiritual care and guidance — nothing more than that,” Vidigal said. “The Father had his private life exposed, yet he was never charged with any of the irregularities initially imputed to him; even so, the Judiciary had not requested the formal dismissal of the investigation.”

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 date was established in Argentina in December 1998 by President Carlos Saúl Menem. A few days before the observance of this day in 1999, the president encouraged leaders throughout Latin America to join the initiative.

At the time, St. John Paul II sent a letter to the Argentine president, encouraging that “the celebration of the ‘Day of the Unborn Child’ foster a positive choice in favor of life and the development of a culture oriented in this direction — one that ensures the promotion of human dignity in all situations.”

In 1999, the observance was also adopted by law in Guatemala and Costa Rica, while Nicaragua embraced it the following year. Bolivia joined in 2000; the Dominican Republic followed in early 2001; in Peru, it was established by law in 2002; and Paraguay joined in 2003.

The observance is also celebrated on March 25 in El Salvador, Uruguay, Spain, Mexico, Austria, Slovakia, Cuba, and the Philippines. Ecuador joined in 2006, Chile in 2014, and it was enacted by law in Puerto Rico in 2018.

This date typically coincides with the solemnity of the Annunciation, usually celebrated on March 25. On this day, the Catholic Church commemorates the announcement made by Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary as well as her momentous yes to God — an assent that led her to conceive, at that very instant, the Child who saved humanity, becoming his most holy mother.

Catholic bishops in various countries are joining the celebration by organizing events in defense of the lives of unborn children. In addition, in recent years, memorials have been erected in memory of the millions of unborn child victims of abortion.

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 an interview with ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, Francisco Javier Acero, OAR, auxiliary bishop of the Primatial Archdiocese of Mexico and a member of the Latin American council of the Center for the Protection of Minors, emphasized the importance of the Church returning “to the essentials, to Jesus,” to ensure that “as members of the Church, we stand with the weakest and most vulnerable ... the victims.”

“We must create spaces for them so we can listen to them. We cannot engage in prevention if we are not capable of listening with empathy and without prejudice,” he stated.

The prelate said that “when we listen, we are directing all our faculties toward grasping, attending to, and interpreting the verbal messages and other expressions such as body language and tone of voice of that victim who has been scarred for life.” It means finding the meaning behind the sound of their voice “within the deep wound they carry, and putting ourselves in their shoes.”

Resistance to recognizing and confronting abuse

According to Acero, who prior to his episcopal ordination in 2022 served as major superior of the Augustinian Recollects for Mexico and Costa Rica, the resistance within the Church to recognizing and confronting abuse “lies in clericalism as well as in its structures.”

“There is a hidden clericalism among the laity that does great harm preventing our people of God from being holy and faithful,” he said — a phenomenon that also affects “bishops, priests, and those in consecrated life.”

“There is also an exacerbated clericalism caused by formation systems outwardly embellished with a profound spirituality that at their core revert to a nostalgia for the past; a nostalgia that prefers a Church that’s a museum to a Church that embodies the Gospel alongside faces that suffer and weep over injustices,” he noted.

“Pope Francis spoke of a ‘spiritual worldliness’ that manifests itself in self-satisfaction, a desire for applause, and careerism aimed at personal advancement,” he recalled, warning against a “worldly mentality centered on money, pride, and selfishness rather than living in accordance with the cross of Christ.”

Acero pointed out that “the structures of the Church, if they do not lead to processes of personal conversion and healthy relationships with others, become ossified; and we become more like bureaucrats of the altar than servants of charity.”

The challenge of discernment

For Acero, “the pain of a victim is to be believed from the very first moment. It is a wound that is sensed and doesn’t require verification, because the wound itself seeps forth when you listen to the victim.”

“Systematic suspicion persists and takes root when there is a false sense of fatherhood and a flawed understanding of what the Church is,” he continued.

He noted that “in this change of epochs with the new digital culture that has become integrated into our lives, we have access to such a vast amount of information such that we have never been as vulnerable to deception as we are today.”

“We are enamored of the superfluous, and we are increasingly incapable of delving deeper to reach the underlying essence of people and issues. We remain at the level of headlines, rumors, and superficial comments about others which shape our judgments.”

The prelate emphasized that “suspicion and careerism go hand in hand; negative influences along with a type of Church that is scarcely missionary and highly self-referential cause one to fall into a world of complicity and covering up cases.”

Unfortunately, the proclamation of the good news becomes corrupted when allegations arise and we turn a blind eye to them because they are inconvenient, he said.

The key: Staying centered on Jesus

When asked how a bishop can make sure victims are cared for in a warm, loving manner, Acero emphasized that it helps for the victim to feel “supported by God in prayer, by a person who assists him in spiritual direction, and by a group of brothers who look out for and protect him.”

“Valor and courage don’t come from human gifts; the momentum comes from within the Spirit. Only the Spirit restores harmony to the heart, for he is the one who creates that ‘intimacy with God’ of which St. Basil spoke.”

According to the auxiliary bishop, “when we are centered on Jesus,” we go through life “without getting caught up in dynamics that seek to polarize, or to deny the harm we have caused through our misconduct and our inability to empathize with those who suffer all manner of abuse.”

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.