With the official registration period now closed, shrine officials reported that, due to the “exceptionally high turnout expected,” they will ensure “the best possible conditions for welcoming visitors, safety, and organization,” as the site reaches “maximum capacity.”

“There will be 150,000 of us praying with the pope at the shrine. Millions more will be tuning in via television and radio,” the shrine said in its latest news bulletin.

The shrine noted that registrations can no longer be modified and that instructions regarding the assignment of sectors and access routes to the venue will be sent via email in the coming days.

Preparations for Leo XIV’s visit

In recent weeks, preparations have continued at the venue to welcome the pontiff, including permanent improvements that will remain in place after the pope’s departure.

Marking the 150th anniversary of the Marian apparitions, Leo’s visit will take place 18 years after the last visit by a pontiff — that of Benedict XVI in 2008.

With that visit in mind, the shrine states that “enthusiasm is already palpable here in Lourdes at the prospect of praying with the successor of Peter.”

Various departments are putting forth great effort to ensure the event is unforgettable — from the sewing workshop, where Sister Martha is quietly making the liturgical vestments to be worn by Pope Leo XIV, to the workshops where “the large podium cross is gradually taking shape.” In addition, those responsible for decorating the venue are designing ways to ensure the shrine looks suitably adorned for the occasion.

Leo XIV will land in Paris on Sept. 25 where, after the official reception at the Elysée Palace, he will visit the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) headquarters and hold a meeting with young people. The next day, he will visit the Maison Bakita Center for Accompaniment and Social Integration, which provides support services for migrants, and will hold a meeting with the members of the Provincial Synodal Assembly, the catechumens and the neophytes at the Catholic Institute of Paris.

After celebrating Mass in the Place de la Concorde, he will fly to Lourdes. At the end of his stay at the shrine, he will head to the city of Metz, where he will hold an interreligious meeting at the Robert Schumann Congress Center and celebrate Mass in the cathedral before returning to Rome.

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.

“Surrogacy is by its nature evil and incompatible with Christian faith and morality,” the bishops’ bioethics committee said. “The desire to have children cannot be interpreted as a right to have children, because a child, in the ontological sense, as a human being, is not the property of its parents.”

The bioethics committee of the Polish Bishops' Conference issued a statement on Aug. 27 signed by the head of the committee, Auxiliary Bishop Józef Wróbel of the Archdiocese of Lublin. The committee warned that the “conception and birth of a child cannot be the subject of a commercial transaction” between those who offer their body for rent and those who want to obtain offspring in this way.

The committee underscored that the practice of surrogacy cannot, therefore, “be tolerated, permitted, accepted, or, even less so, promoted by state institutions.”

The statement noted that “more and more offers are emerging in Poland guaranteeing the birth of a healthy child through surrogacy,” likely a reference to an event organized in the Polish capital, Warsaw, for Sept. 12-13 by the Ukrainian fertility clinic BioTexCom: Center for Human Reproduction.

The company says it has a “wide database of donors who meet all individual requirements of clients” as well as “the latest techniques” to achieve “positive results” of in vitro fertilization.

BioTexCom describes surrogacy “as a program during which a healthy woman carries a child for the infertile couple” and promises “best surrogate mothers,” lower prices, and better services than other medical centers in Europe.

However, the bioethical experts of the Polish episcopate pointed out that surrogacy is available only through artificial insemination, usually performed through in vitro fertilization, which has a variety of “genetic, developmental, and psychological” consequences.

Moreover, the experts said such “conceived children will be killed through eugenic abortion if genetic or developmental disorders are detected,” stressing that “the murder of an unborn child is always an extremely evil act” and that under “law in force in Poland, it is also a crime.”

The bioethicists said conducting surrogacy outside Poland does not make it legal, adding that it rather resembles “international human trafficking, which cannot be justified either by the desire to have offspring or the consent” of the parties involved.

The experts concluded that children are “treated as commodities and not as endowed with an inalienable dignity attached to their humanity.” Thus, they called for “the state authorities to take immediate and decisive action to prevent surrogacy by Polish citizens and to block” companies that “offer such procedures.”

Some analysts noted that Poland lacks surrogacy limitations, unlike Slovakia and Italy, where the practice is banned.

Sarah, the former prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, spoke to the Italian newspaper Il Giornale last week about the importance of the traditional liturgy, which dates back to the time of Pope Gregory the Great and earlier, and which was celebrated worldwide until the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965).

After the council, the old liturgy was abandoned, although some priests continued to celebrate it. The archbishop of Dakar, Senegal, Marcel Lefebvre, remained faithful to it and founded the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) under the claim of preserving the Traditional Latin Mass and in opposition to some reforms of the Second Vatican Council. The SSPX has twice been declared to be in schism, including in 2026, and its bishops excommunicated.

In the mid-1980s, the Holy See began to relax the de facto ban. In his motu proprio Summorum Pontificum, Pope Benedict XVI in 2007 authorized all priests to celebrate the old liturgy; in his view, strictly speaking, it had never been abrogated. He differentiated between the Traditional Latin Mass as the “extraordinary form” and the new Mass as the “ordinary form.”

Pope Francis revoked his predecessorʼs decision in 2021 and severely restricted the classical Roman liturgy with his motu proprio Traditionis Custodes.

“Among the effects of the liberalization of the extraordinary form was the positive influence — I would even say the correction — regarding possible abuses in the celebration of the ordinary form,” Sarah said. “These abuses are extremely serious acts, yet we must never equate the ordinary form itself with them. Many priests testify that discovering the extraordinary form helped them celebrate Mass better.”

“I think Benedict XVI also demonstrated on that occasion a deeply humble and democratic attitude,” the cardinal continued, recalling the 2007 decision. “He wanted to ensure the widest possible dissemination, so that the people of God could decide for themselves, over the decades, which form of living out the faith best suited them. All of this, however, was nullified by Traditionis Custodes, while the pope emeritus was still alive.”

“That did not seem to me a decision that was either sensible or respectful,” Sarah explained. “But Benedict XVI, a man as gentle as a lamb, allowed himself to be humiliated and thus offered his suffering to God in silence and prayer, so as to better identify with Christ’s pain for his Church and to purify it.”

Sarah said that “access to ritual forms that have been recognized and in existence for centuries must never be artificially restricted by means of decrees. If a rite did not serve the faith, it would disappear on its own; if, conversely, it preserves and fosters the faith, we must by no means restrict it, for in doing so we would be restricting the very preservation and spread of the faith.”

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

A panel discussion held on Aug. 21, the opening day of the Meeting for Friendship Among Peoples, titled “The Freedom to Believe: A Human Right at the Center of Geopolitical Challenges,” explored the role of religious freedom in contemporary geopolitical dynamics, with particular attention to minorities in crisis areas and the contribution of faith communities to reconciliation processes. It also examined the responsibilities of the European Union, Italy, and international cooperation in strengthening diplomatic and political instruments to defend this fundamental right.

Following introductory remarks by Maria Cristiana Mele, Italy’s special envoy for the promotion of religious freedom and the protection of religious minorities worldwide, speakers included Cristina Duranti, director of the Good Shepherd International Foundation; Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of the Diocese of Sokoto, Nigeria, who said: “In Nigeria, if you ask someone whether he is Christian or Muslim, he will answer: I am hungry”; Mairead McGuinness, the European Union special envoy for the promotion of freedom of religion or belief; and Andrea Avveduto, journalist and spokesman for the Italian Committee for Freedom of Religion or Belief, who moderated the discussion. Daniela Canclini, president of the Italian Committee for Freedom of Religion or Belief, delivered the concluding remarks.

In his remarks, Kukah highlighted the "actions" of terrorist groups in Nigeria: "Islamic extremism has changed over time. If 15 or 20 years ago Boko Haram persecuted only Christians because it aimed to convert the population to Islam at gunpoint and establish a caliphate in which sharia would be imposed; the groups operating today have no contact with the population. They live in hiding and emerge only to kill, loot, and rape. They do not kill on a confessional basis, so it is inaccurate to say that today they persecute only Christians.

“Their attacks make no distinction based on belief: They kill people on farms, in churches, in mosques, at home, everywhere. There are also several groups affiliated with ISIS but divided among themselves, so if you are killed, you do not even know who did it. The situation is extremely complicated. The only thing that unites these groups with one another and with Boko Haram is violence and the mineral trade.”

He also described the difficulties involved in combating terrorist groups: “The situation is extremely difficult to contain, and the government is present only through the military, which nevertheless allows things to happen. Nigeria is a corrupt state. It has lost the ability to enforce the laws, which do exist, just as there is a constitution. At every political election the same thing happens: There is a suitable candidate, capable, the ideal person to have a positive impact on the government of the country. He will not be elected, because another, wealthier candidate will buy the election with money.”

At the conclusion of the meeting, ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News, asked Avveduto to explain why the freedom to believe is increasingly under threat.

ACI Stampa: Why is the freedom to believe increasingly under threat?

Avveduto: We are living in a time in which faith has once again come to be perceived as a problem rather than a resource. On the one hand, there are authoritarian regimes and totalitarian ideologies, which see in the believer someone who obeys an authority higher than the state and therefore fear him; on the other, there is the growth of extremisms that exploit religion to justify violence and the seizure of power.

In between is the fragility of many states: Where institutions collapse, religious freedom is the first to fall, because minorities are left without protection. And there is also a more subtle threat, typical of our secularized societies: the temptation to reduce faith to a purely private matter, expelling it from the public sphere. The freedom to believe is threatened wherever the person is not recognized in his or her entirety, which also includes the spiritual dimension.

Why are more and more Christians under threat?

The numbers are striking: According to Open Doors' World Watch List 2026, the number of Christians exposed to persecution worldwide has risen to 388 million, 8 million more than the previous year — a record year. One Christian in 7 globally suffers persecution. The reasons are different and intertwined: the expansion of Islamist extremism, especially in sub-Saharan Africa; regimes that see Christians as a foreign body or ideological enemy; organized crime that targets Christian communities because they are defenseless.

The center of gravity of Christianity has shifted to Africa, and it is precisely there that it is principally under attack: Christians are often visible minorities, communities that educate, provide care, and build social cohesion; precisely for this reason, they become targets of those who want chaos or a monopoly on power. The paradox is that Christians are persecuted not despite the good they do but often because of it.

Another region is the Middle East. The conflict between Israel and Iran is affecting Lebanon: How are Christians living through it?

Lebanon is once again paying for wars decided elsewhere. Since the beginning of March, the bombings have caused more than 2,000 deaths and over 1 million displaced people, and Christians have not been spared: Members of the community who have nothing to do with Hezbollah have been killed in the attacks. And yet, amid all this, the faith endures: In Christian villages in the south, such as Rmeich, Debel, and Ain Ebel, priests say that daily Mass and the rosary prayed together are what sustain the people under bombardment.

Lebanese Christians are experiencing a double suffering: the material suffering of war and the moral suffering of a country held hostage, whose sovereignty is contested among outside powers. But they also remain bearers of a vocation: As the Maronite patriarch recalls, echoing the words of the popes, “Lebanon is more than a territory; it is a message of freedom, dignity, pluralism, and coexistence.” For this reason, supporting the Christians of Lebanon means supporting the very idea of a pluralistic Middle East.

Another difficult situation is found in Nigeria, as Bishop Hassan Kukah described, and in Sudan: How can Christians be supported?

Nigeria today is the deadliest place in the world for Christians: It alone accounts for about 3,490 victims, 70% of the global total of Christians killed for their faith, amid attacks on villages, burned churches, kidnappings of priests, and even schoolchildren. Sudan, devastated by civil war, is also among the countries experiencing extreme persecution. How can they be supported? First of all, by not forgetting them: The first persecution is silence.

Then through concrete closeness: supporting the local Churches, schools, clinics, and projects that allow communities to remain in their own land rather than flee. There is also the level of political and diplomatic pressure, so that governments are called to their responsibility to protect. And finally prayer, which for the persecuted themselves — they always say this — is not a symbolic gesture but the sign that they belong to a larger body that does not abandon them.

Why is religious freedom a good for everyone, as the Church emphasizes in its magisterium?

Because it is the mother of all freedoms. It concerns the most intimate core of the person: conscience, the relationship with truth, and with the ultimate meaning of life. A state that respects this inner sanctuary will also respect freedom of thought, expression, and association; a state that violates it will sooner or later violate everything else.

This can be seen empirically: The countries where believers are persecuted are the same countries where all human rights are trampled upon. Religious freedom, moreover, does not protect only believers: It also protects those who do not believe, because it affirms that no power may impose or prohibit a worldview. It is the foundation of a truly pluralistic society, where diversity is not merely tolerated but recognized as a source of richness.

So why does the Church fight for religious freedom for everyone?

Because it does not ask for privileges but for a right that arises from the dignity of the person created in the image of God, a dignity that belongs to every human being, Christian or not. This is the teaching of the Second Vatican Council through the declaration on religious freedom, Dignitatis Humanae: Truth imposes itself solely by virtue of its own truth, never through coercion. Faith, to be authentic, must be free; an imposed faith is not faith.

For this reason, the Church defends with the same voice the persecuted Christian in Nigeria, the discriminated-against Muslim, the threatened Jew, the massacred Yazidi: because defending religious freedom only for oneʼs own people would deny its very foundation. And it is also a matter of credibility: The Church knows that the strongest witness is that of those who defend the rights of others, not only their own.

A few months ago in Italy, the Pact among Religions was signed. Can it be a first step toward cooperation and dialogue among faiths?

Yes, and it is a significant step precisely because it is not a declaration of intent but a public and structured commitment. On June 25, at the Ara Pacis in Rome, the leaders of religious confessions present in Italy signed the pact “The Italian Way of Interreligious Dialogue,” which was then presented to Italian President Sergio Mattarella: 15 religious confessions, from the Catholic Church to Muslim, Jewish, Orthodox, Protestant, Buddhist, Hindu, and Baháʼí communities, the fruit of three years of joint work.

The document contains nine commitments and nine concrete actions: educating communities in dialogue, working together for the common good, and promoting a culture of peace. It is important for two reasons. The first is because it shows that religions are not the problem but part of the solution and, as Mattarella said, dialogue pursued sincerely produces understanding and cooperation, and gives life to forms of coexistence that are essential for banishing all intolerance.

The second is this: In a world where religion is exploited to fuel conflicts, a pact among different faiths is the most eloquent refutation of that exploitation. Of course, a document is not enough: It will be everyday practice — in cities, in schools, among young people — that will show whether this first step becomes a journey. But the direction is the right one, and beginning in Italy it can become a model elsewhere.

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

During a meeting between Argüello and the minister of culture, tourism, and sport, Alberto Díaz Pico, the regional government expressed its “interest in promoting the commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the birth of Philip II (in 2027), as well as highlighting the beatification cause of Isabella, the Catholic Monarch, and its historical and cultural significance,” according to an Aug. 27 statement issued by the government.

Isabella and her husband, King Ferdinand, were given the title “the Catholic Monarchs” by Pope Alexander VI through the papal bull Si Convenit for their defense of the Catholic faith.

“Furthermore, the commitment to continue collaborating with the Church on the conservation, protection, and enhancement of the ecclesiastical heritage of Castile and León has been reaffirmed, with a view to exploring ways to expand and strengthen existing support measures,” the statement added.

The statement also highlighted “the good rapport and the determination to maintain close collaboration on matters of mutual interest regarding the culture, heritage, and history of Castile and León.”

Isabella, the Catholic Monarch

Isabella I of Castile was born in Madrigal de las Altas Torres on April 22, 1451, Holy Thursday that year. After being recognized as Princess of Asturias in 1468, she married Ferdinand of Aragon in 1469 and had six children, two of whom predeceased her. Upon the death of Enrique IV, she was proclaimed queen in 1474, according to the Archdiocese of Valladolid.

During her reign, she championed the reconquest of Granada from the Muslims and the voyage of Christopher Columbus, which led to the discovery of the Americas in October 1492. She also promoted the evangelization and protection of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, going so far as to ban their enslavement. She died on Nov. 26, 1504, from uterine cancer.

The cause for her beatification was initiated in Valladolid in 1958; the diocesan phase concluded in 1990, after which the process moved to Rome.

Historians have already favorably reviewed the documentation, but the theological assessment regarding the heroic nature of her virtues is still pending. Once that takes place, and following the popeʼs approval, she may be recognized as venerable, awaiting a miracle for her beatification.

Enraizados (the “Rooted in Christ and in Society Association”) has an annual Mass celebrated in memory of Isabella. In the manifesto the group published in 2026, it included a prayer by the queen: “I am afraid, Lord, of being afraid and not knowing how to fight. I am afraid, Lord, of being afraid and being capable of denying you. I ask you, Lord, that in your greatness, you do not forget me. And that, with your love, you grant the strength to die for you.”

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.

Written by journalist Regina Statkuvienė and published by the DONUM Foundation, “In the Light of the Altar” draws on recent interviews she conducted with Tamkevičius. The book also includes his letters and diary entries alongside accounts of his childhood, priesthood, underground activities, imprisonment, exile, and later episcopal ministry.

Tamkevičius was arrested in 1983 and sentenced to six years in a strict-regime labor camp followed by four years of exile in Siberia.

His story offers an insight into the experience of Catholics who resisted the Soviet Unionʼs efforts to suppress religious life and impose state atheism.

Catholic resistance in Soviet-occupied Lithuania

Founded by Tamkevičius in 1972, the Chronicle of the Catholic Church in Lithuania (“Lietuvos katalikų bažnyčios kronika,” or “LKB Kronika”) was an underground publication documenting religious persecution and human rights abuses in Soviet-occupied Lithuania.

The Kronika recorded arrests and interrogations of clergy and lay Catholics, confiscation of Church property, restrictions on religious practice, and attempts by Soviet authorities to infiltrate the Church. It was a strictly factual catalog of human rights violations, not a literary magazine or a platform for theological commentary.

Its reports were secretly typed and reproduced, with editions being smuggled to Western diplomats and foreign journalists in Moscow, with activists often microfilming the pages and hiding the negatives inside everyday objects like book covers or flashlights.

Once in the West, the material was translated and disseminated internationally, including through Vatican Radio and Radio Free Europe, directly challenging Soviet claims that religious freedom existed behind the Iron Curtain.

In the bookʼs foreword, Archbishop Petar Rajič, current prefect of the Papal Household and former apostolic nuncio to Lithuania, described Tamkevičius as one of the most prominent witnesses to the Soviet era.

“Every Catholic who loves the Church should read the Chronicle,” Rajič wrote, calling it a testimony to the spiritual strength and resistance of the Lithuanian people, rooted in the victory of the cross of Christ and offering lessons for Catholics today and future generations.

Arrest and KGB interrogation

The Kronika not only exposed Soviet religious persecution to the outside world but also strengthened the underground Catholic resistance within Lithuania. The KGB consequently intensified efforts to identify and suppress those involved in producing and distributing the publication.

Since Tamkevičius openly preached against state atheism and challenged Soviet restrictions on the Church, he was seen as a visible figure within the Catholic resistance movement.

The Soviet authorities eventually arrested Tamkevičius in May 1983 and charged him with “anti-Soviet agitation and propaganda.” After six months of pretrial detention in the KGB isolation prison in Vilnius, he was sentenced in December to six years in a strict-regime labor camp in the Ural Mountains, followed by four years of exile in Siberia.

During his detention, Tamkevičius recalled psychological pressure from KGB interrogators. On one occasion, an interrogator offered him tea and biscuits. He drank the tea at around 2 p.m. and soon became extremely dizzy.

His next clear memory came hours later, when he heard the interrogator angrily questioning him about a document concerning the underground seminary. He was then told that it was already 10 p.m. “Only then did I realize that after drinking the tea I had lost consciousness,” he recalled.

Tamkevičius believed he had been drugged to extract information from him. The attempt failed. “Seeing how angry the interrogator was, I understood that he had managed to extract nothing from me,” he said.

Life in the labor camp

Tamkevičius recalled that his first assignment in the labor camp was peeling potatoes. “Each potato had to be taken out of almost ice-cold water,” he recalled. He feared that doing this for six years would make him ill, but after two weeks he was transferred to a metalworking workshop, where he collected metal shavings from lathes and carried them to containers.

Prisoners worked eight hours a day and were allotted another eight hours for sleep. The food was poor, consisting largely of “thin soup and watery porridge.” Later, after Mikhail Gorbachev came to power in 1985, Tamkevičius was assigned to the camp kitchen and had to rise at 4 a.m. to prepare breakfast.

The ingredients were often badly preserved. Fish, he recalled, could be heavily salted and stored for years. He learned to make the most of what was available, washing the fish overnight and frying it separately so that prisoners could have a more edible meal.

During more than five years in captivity, Tamkevičius was transferred under guard seven times and encountered prisoners ranging from teenagers to murderers. The experience became for him a reflection on human nature and the consequences of abandoning moral law.

“A life without God, without the commandments of the Decalogue, a life without love,” he wrote, describing the selfishness, pride, lust, and greed that shaped much of prison life. His reflections ultimately turned toward his own imprisonment and vocation.

“Lord, what was it that brought me behind bars and barbed wire?” he asked. “The affairs of the Church? Yes. Concern for people’s moral lives? Yes. Living according to my conscience? Yes. Thank you, Lord, that the answer was ‘yes.’” For Tamkevičius, imprisonment was ultimately the consequence of refusing to compromise his faith in the face of communist oppression.

From persecution to freedom

Tamkevičius was released in 1988 as Soviet repression began to weaken. He returned to Lithuania as the country moved toward independence, restored on March 11, 1990.

Tamkevičius' story offers a firsthand account of the cost of defending the faith under communism and the role of ordinary believers in preserving the Church through decades of persecution.

A Requiem Mass for King Harald will be celebrated at St. Olavʼs Cathedral in Trondheim on Aug. 29 at noon, and lauds and vespers will also be offered for the late monarch.

EWTN Norway is streaming the services on its website and YouTube channel.

Within hours of the kingʼs death, Bishop Erik Varden of Trondheim published a tribute on behalf of Norwegian Catholics. He commended Harald to Godʼs mercy and offered prayers for Queen Sonja, the royal family, and the new King Haakon VIII.

Varden, a Trappist monk who also serves as apostolic administrator of Tromsø and president of the Nordic Bishops' Conference, opened his reflection with the ninth-century “Commendatio Animae” — the Churchʼs prayer for the dying.

“Go forth, Christian soul, from this world in the name of God, the Almighty Father, who created you; in the name of Jesus Christ, the living Son of God, who suffered for you; and in the name of the Holy Spirit, who was poured out upon you,” the prayer begins.

Varden wrote that the prayer reminds the faithful that death is a transition “from life to Life.”

Prayers for the new king

Varden described Harald as a monarch who embodied the nation in an exemplary way, giving Norwegians a sense of being seen and cared for.

“He was so completely and utterly king, devoted to the people, that it was as if no ego stood in the way,” the bishop wrote. “In this way, he drew near to us in a comforting way.”

Harald “has spoken wisely to us, with a subtle sense of humor that we will miss,” Varden added.

The bishop placed the kingʼs passing in the context of the ancient acclamation “The King is dead; long live the King,” and wrote that the monarchy stands as “a stable pillar in society” that represents continuity.

“In a time as uncertain as ours, that is a comfort,” he wrote.

Varden called on Norwegian Catholics to pray for King Haakon VIII. He asked the faithful for “blessings and wisdom” and called on Catholics to stand loyally by the new sovereign.

Closing his tribute, the bishop invoked the intercession of St. Olav, Norwayʼs patron saint.

King Haraldʼs reign

Harald V was born on Feb. 21, 1937, and ascended the throne on Jan. 17, 1991, succeeding his father, King Olav V. He reigned for 35 years.

A three-time Olympic yachtsman, Harald modernized the Norwegian royal house. Later in his life, he refused to abdicate, saying he had taken a lifelong oath before the Norwegian Parliament.

He had experienced multiple health problems in recent years.

Harald is survived by Queen Sonja, 89, his wife of 57 years, and their two children: Princess Märtha Louise, 54, and the new King Haakon VIII, 53. His granddaughter, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, is now next in line to the throne.

This report draws on coverage by EWTN Norway and reporting by Pål Johannes Nes.

“As representatives of the people, your mandate is clear: You must champion an immediate, binding international ban on fully autonomous lethal weapons,” the cardinal and archbishop of Yangon, Myanmar, said in Assisi, Italy, on Aug. 24.

“To automate the battlefield is to lower the moral threshold for violence, stripping conflict of human conscience and turning our sons, daughters, and citizens into bloodless data points,” he added.

Bo addressed lawmakers during a one-day peace summit organized by the International Catholic Legislators Network (ICLN) on Aug. 24. The summit immediately followed the group’s annual meeting in Rome Aug. 20–23, which included a private audience with Pope Leo XIV.

Bo — whose country has been suffering for years under unrelenting violence, economic collapse, and dramatic humanitarian concerns — gave a strong warning about AI’s “potential to amplify human conflicts and malice.”

“Human conflicts alone resulted in the deaths of 135 million people in the 20th century,” he said. “Now, we have a new lethal actor: AI in the hands of a few, in some countries, who perceive AI as the bride of geostrategic power games.”

The cardinal sounded the alarm about “a terrifying marriage of autocratic monopolies and automated surveillance” that replaces human freedom; he urged legislators not to give in to the pressure to adopt a “There Is No Alternative (TINA) narrative.”

“As lawmakers and Christians, we are called upon to embrace a different TINA: ‘There Is a New Alternative.’ This alternative involves human-led AI that would bring greater prosperity and ultimately lead to durable peace for all,” he said.

‘Christ is our model’

Acknowledging that his prognosis about AI may appear pessimistic or even dystopian, Bo recalled that the objective is to shape a society grounded in lasting peace.

“Between dystopian reaction and utopian celebration, humanity requires a guiding beacon in its journey. For men and women of faith, Christ serves as that beacon, the savior sent to remind humanity of its earthly and heavenly path,” he said.

“Christ is our model,” he continued. “Christ’s warning in Matthew 26:52 rings across history: ‘Put your sword back in its place... for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.’ When you delegate lethal force to an autonomous weapon system, the concept of a ‘moral agent’ collapses entirely. A machine cannot possess a right intention; it cannot comprehend grief, mercy, or the sacred value of a human life. It can only execute statistical optimization.”

The cardinal reminded Christian lawmakers of their responsibility to the people who elected them.

“Your faith is not a private luxury to be hidden away; it is a public covenant to build peace in a world tearing at the seams,” he said.

“We live in an era uniquely troubled by global war, civic unrest, and crushing economic upheaval, but Christ calls Christian leaders to a radically different, courageous path,” he added, quoting Christ’s words in Matthew 5:9, that “Blessed are the peacemakers.”

“Notice carefully that he does not bless the ‘peace-lovers’ or the ‘peace-wishers.’ He blesses the peacemakers — those who actively build bridges, enforce structural justice, and cultivate narrative empathy across bitter political and social divides,” he said.

True leaders in AI regulation

Bo noted the presence of Christopher Olah, a co-founder of Anthropic and machine learning researcher, at the May presentation of Pope Leo’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, and called it a sign that “the architects of our digital future are begging for governance. They are confessing that while they understand the code, they do not have the answers for human dignity.”

“If you refuse to regulate, if you accept the myth of technological inevitability, you are abdicating your sovereign duty to the people who elected you,” he said.

“In the words of St. Francis of Assisi, remember that ‘all the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle,’” the cardinal said. “Let your governance be that candle. Stand up as true leaders. Establish binding legal guardrails, demand corporate transparency, reject the automation of human slaughter, and ensure that technology remains entirely subservient to the magnificent humanity that God has entrusted to our care.”

The meeting highlights deepening ecumenical ties as Norway prepares to mark the 1,000th anniversary of its Christianization. The upcoming 2030 millennium commemorates 1,000 years since the pivotal Battle of Stiklestad in 1030, where King Olav Haraldsson was martyred. His death ultimately cemented the nation’s conversion to Christianity and established St. Olav as Norway’s patron saint.

Norwegian Catholic leaders greeted the historic Vatican encounter with great joy. “We have excellent ecumenical relations with the Church of Norway and are pleased that the bishops have an opportunity to meet Pope Leo XIV,” Bishop Fredrik Hansen of Oslo said. “We look forward to the millennium of Norway’s conversion and hope this jubilee will give occasion for broad ecumenical collaboration.”

Before visiting Rome, Presiding Lutheran Bishop Olav Fykse Tveit announced he would use the papal audience to invite Pope Leo XIV to the upcoming jubilee celebrations in Norway.

The pope closed the meeting by praying that Catholics and Lutherans live “ever more truly as brothers and sisters” and give “common witness to our savior, Our Lord Jesus Christ.”

A petition for a special year of jubilee

To mark this national milestone, Norway’s Catholic leadership, represented by Hansen and Bishop Erik Varden of Trondheim, formally petitioned Pope Leo XIV to declare a special year of jubilee for the Catholic Church in Norway running from July 29, 2030, through Aug. 3, 2031.

Explaining the significance of the dates, Varden explained that St. Olav is the centerpiece of the upcoming millennium. “29 July 2030 will mark the millennium of his martyr’s death at Stiklestad; 3 August 2031 will mark the millennium of his exhumation, when his body was found incorrupt,” he noted. “On that day he was proclaimed a saint not just for Norway, but for all of Christendom.”

For Catholics, a jubilee year serves as a period of special grace centered on prayer, pilgrimage, and reconciliation.

Hansen highlighted that the year will allow local Catholics and international pilgrims to walk in St. Olavʼs footsteps while renewing their faith “in gratitude for the Christian patrimony with which Norway has been blessed.” He added that the celebration will help the faithful keep “their eyes set on the Church’s present and future task in this country.”

A model of conversion and national identity

Speaking to EWTN News, Varden noted St. Olav’s life as a compelling witness for people who feel alienated from organized religion. Rather than viewing the saint as an untouchable historical figure, Varden pointed to his personal transformation.

“What attracts us in the life of any saint is to see how grace works over time and gradually transforms a person,” Varden said, describing the young king as “headstrong, ambitious, self-assured, [and] proud.”

Yet Olav was “increasingly drawn into Christ’s gentle mystery, fascinated by the all-reconciling love displayed in the cross,” making him “a model of conversion” for modern believers. Varden also noted that at the end of Olav’s life, Christ’s love was “the only thing that really mattered to him.”

Looking ahead to the jubilee’s pastoral impact, the prelate noted that his diocese began preparations years ago, choosing to use the millennium as “an opportunity to renew our baptismal promises.”

“We want to re-root ourselves in the essence of our faith,” he explained, adding that he hopes visiting pilgrims will discover the “fascination and freeing power” of Nordic Christianity. He noted Norway’s patrimony expressed across liturgy, literature, and architecture, which represents a “flowering of sanctity” that the Nordic Church is eager to share with the world.

This vision could also pave the way for a potential papal visit during the jubilee period.

Restoring Nidaros and looking toward 2033

Nidaros, the medieval name for present-day Trondheim, was one of northern Europe’s most important Christian pilgrimage centers. The city became the focal point of devotion to St. Olav, whose shrine at Nidaros Cathedral drew pilgrims from across Scandinavia and beyond.

“The cult of St. Olav spread with great speed in the 11th century,” Varden said, noting that it “nurtured apostolic efforts and the founding of churches throughout northern Europe.” He sees the revival of the pilgrimage as a means of recovering that Christian heritage, calling it “an aid to rereading the Christian history of our continent” and a source of inspiration for “endeavors of new evangelization.”

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We feel “obligated to speak out in the spirit of pastoral care for the young,” the episcopate writes in a statement titled “A Young Person Deserves More.”

The document was published Aug. 24 and signed by the presidency of the Polish Bishops' Conference headed by Archbishop Tadeusz Wojda of Gdańsk.

“Religion classes are not a privilege of the Church” but “a constitutional right” based on “freedom of conscience and religion and the right of parents to raise their children in accordance with their own beliefs,” the document stresses.

They also say religious classes can help nonbelievers in schools better understand the history of the nation and Europe as well as the arts, culture, and literature. “Especially in times of crisis,” the document says, religion is a “guiding light that prevents them from getting lost.”

The episcopacy raised concerns that the Ministry of National Education placed “religious education classes before or after other school activities,” reduced “teaching time to one hour per week,” eased mixing of such classes, and removed their grade from the grade point average. They said these measures marginalize religious formation in schools and called for “the immediate restoration of these classes to their proper place and for a genuine dialogue with representatives of religious communities.”

At the same time, the episcopate says “formation of values” is not “opposed to pluralism,” as it “enables respectful dialogue and building community.” Thus, it is not opposed to the choice between religion and ethics classes.

Polish Catholic leaders also voiced reservations about the new compulsory subject “health education.” Although it leaves the theme of sexuality optional, they said it “does not solve the problem,” since such “a sensitive area of human life must respect parents' right to decide” on its form.

They also argue that sexuality should be presented in the context of marital and family relationships, because in this context it serves the true good of humanity. They add that “the lack of a clear position that marriage is a union between a man and a woman is also concerning.”

So far, the proposed changes have sparked controversy due to conflicting views of education. Apart from bishops, the Coalition to Save the Polish Schools opposed “health education” for its allegedly “anti-family and gender-ideology character.”

The Synodal Conference is intended to serve as a permanent body implementing the controversial German Synodal Way. The Vatican continues to review the bylaws of this new national-level body, which is to consist of bishops and non-bishops.

“The statutes are currently being reviewed in Rome,” Bishop Heiner Wilmer of Münster said in an interview Sunday with the Kirche+Leben website.

“I know from those responsible there that it will still take some time. I am confident that we will make progress on this.”

Wilmer confirmed what he had already hinted at in May: “Personally, I do not expect us to meet as early as November, given the dynamics involved, because the matter is being passed from one dicastery to the next.”

The first meeting of the new German body was scheduled for Nov. 6–7 in Stuttgart. The next session was then scheduled to take place in Würzburg on April 16–17, 2027.

The Synodal Conferenceʼs bylaws have been under review in Rome since the end of March. Nearly half a year has now passed. That leaves just over two months until the originally planned date in November.

Originally, the German organizers had planned a permanent “Synodal Council.”

Who makes decisions?

The issue regarding the bylaws that remains contentious is that of joint deliberation and decision-making by diocesan bishops and non-bishops, which has met with resistance in the Vatican, at least in recent years.

Specifically, the bylaws state that the Synodal Conference “deliberates and makes decisions in the spirit of ‘synodal decision-making processes’” on important issues of Church life of supra-diocesan significance.

Despite all the criticism of the Synodal Way, the Vatican under Pope Francis — and now under Pope Leo XIV — has never formally demanded that the process, with its sometimes radical attempts to change traditional Church teaching, be terminated, nor has it demanded that bodies be established only in ways that are unproblematic under canon law and that already exist at all levels in Germany.

Meanwhile, in his interview with Kirche+Leben, Wilmer emphasized: “For me, the Church is synodal. I associate synodality with deep respect and great appreciation. We can only move forward if we journey together.”

In the Diocese of Münster, synodality is “deeply rooted,” according to the bishops’ conference chairman. As the new bishop of the diocese, he is looking forward “to walking this path together with so many baptized people here, but also internationally, ecumenically, and with our Jewish and Muslim brothers and sisters.”

Bishops who opted out

Three sitting diocesan bishops — Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki of Cologne; Bishop Stefan Oster, SDB, of Passau; and Bishop Rudolf Voderholzer of Regensburg — have already withdrawn from the Synodal Way some time ago, after the relevant Vatican authorities had issued several clear warnings. The now-resigned bishop of Eichstätt, Gregor Maria Hanke, OSB, had also withdrawn from the Synodal Way.

As a result, the Synodal Committee for the Preparation of the Synodal Conference was not supported by the German Bishops' Conference but rather by an association established specifically by the 23 other dioceses.

Should the Vatican approve the bylaws, it is possible that these three diocesan bishops could also join the committee.

Oster stated in March: “I have always said that I will follow the universal Church. I am waiting with some anticipation to see how Rome will respond. But fundamentally, my position is this: If we do this in agreement with the universal Church, then I will participate.”

The bishop of Passau emphasized that the “German side” had “tried to make it clear” in discussions with the Vatican that “passing resolutions” is different from “deciding.”

"Iʼm curious to see how the Romans will respond to this,” he said.

Nevertheless, he expressed confidence, because “the process has been going on for over two years now. A sense of reciprocity has developed in the meantime. Theyʼre not going to run this thing into the ground. The Romans, too, have an interest in ensuring that no one walks away having lost face. Thatʼs why I believe the Synodal Conference will take place.”

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

Catholic hospitals, hospices, and nursing homes will not be forced to allow euthanasia or assisted suicide on their premises, and pharmacists cannot be compelled to prepare or dispense the lethal substance.

This conscience-clause win, secured by interpretive reservations by the Constitutional Council on Aug. 14, has received less attention than the law itself, adopted by the Parliament in July, and which the progressive government of President Emmanuel Macron had vigorously defended since 2023.

In a press release on its ruling, the council — France’s highest constitutional authority — specified that the exemption applies when hosting assisted dying would be “manifestly contrary” to an institution’s statutory mission or project, and only if that opposition is formally written into its governing statutes or an ethical charter, and only if other establishments are able to meet local needs.

For pharmacists, the council issued a separate reservation grounded in Article 10 of the 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man, ruling that preparing or dispensing the lethal substance “is liable to offend” personal convictions.

As originally adopted, the text required that when a person is hospitalized or living in certain covered facilities, “the head of the establishment must allow the intervention of the professionals participating in the procedure” as well as access for anyone accompanying the person requesting to die — with no exception for an institution’s own objections.

Archbishop Laurent Ulrich of Paris welcomed the reservations in his Aug. 19 message to the faithful marking the law’s promulgation, calling them “an opportunity.” He expressed his hope that institutions built around care for the gravely ill and expertise in palliative care would “find in these reservations an encouragement to maintain their particular character, and to remain places where no one will be killed.”

The Aug. 14 exemption followed formal submissions to the council from several Catholic and pro-life organizations, including the Fondation Jérôme Lejeune and the European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ), a Strasbourg-based advocacy group, which argued that forcing institutions to accommodate mobile euthanasia teams “constitutes a clear violation of their freedom.”

While the bill was still moving through the French Parliament, Sister Agnès, a physician with the Little Sisters of the Poor, on March 3 spoke on behalf of French Catholic congregations that run hospitals and nursing homes during an interactive dialogue with the U.N. Human Rights Council’s special rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief in Geneva. She told the rapporteur the draft law would force those congregations to accept euthanasia on their premises or risk up to two years in prison and a 30,000-euro fine, warning they could be forced to “renege on Godʼs commandments” to keep operating.

Legal scholars have noted the unusual character of this reversal and highlighted the weight of the advocacy of Catholic organizations.

Roseline Letteron, a professor of public law who publishes the blog “Libertés, Libertés chéries,” wrote that the council built the institutions’ exemption on different legal ground than the pharmacists’ clause: not the individual right to conscience but the right to form an association and the right to run a business as one sees fit, combined with an older idea, borrowed from a 1959 law on religious schools, that an institution can have a distinct “character” worth protecting.

French courts had rejected comparable institutional opt-outs before, for civil-status registrars who refused to perform same-sex marriages in 2013 and hospital department heads who objected to abortion in 2001. Letteron asked directly whether the council “wanted to give symbolic satisfaction to the Catholic lobby,” concluding that “the answer is yes.”

Meanwhile, ECLJ Director Grégor Puppinck called the Aug. 14 decision “a great victory,” saying in a statement that the group would now “continue this fight in other countries that have already legalized euthanasia, in order to guarantee the freedom of faith-based institutions there as well.”

A French constitutional ruling does not bind courts abroad, but the ECLJ — which has published its own comparative-law study of the question — intends to press the same argument through European Court of Human Rights jurisprudence on institutional autonomy, contending that freedom of religion protects “communities and institutions,” not only individuals, and that “the right to refuse to kill must be accepted completely” for both.

The Fondation Jérôme Lejeune, whose own submission had focused especially on the law’s lack of protection for people with intellectual disabilities — a concern it says it had also raised repeatedly with the U.N. — called the council’s ruling “scandalously minimal” in an Aug. 14 statement.

“The Fondation Jérôme Lejeune will never resign itself,” said its president, Jean-Marie Le Méné. “The fight is far from over.”

The foundation said it would watch closely as the government drafts implementing decrees, continuing to press its demand for protections for people with intellectual disabilities.

With this, the Vatican appears to contradict a framework regarding sex education that the archdiocese’s vicar general said must be used in all Catholic schools and that some parents reject.

Father Sascha-Philipp Geißler, SAC, implemented the document “Male, Female, Diverse: Framework for Sexual Education at Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of Hamburg” first in 2025, and all Catholic schools in the archdiocese are expected to use it beginning with the 2026–2027 school year.

The framework, in line with influential sexologist Uwe Sielert, describes sexuality as “general life energy.” On the issue of gender, it states: “Biological sex does not necessarily have to correspond to social identity.”

Regarding conflicts of values with parents, the document notes that it may be “the school’s role to ‘stand on the children’s side.’”

After receiving a response to their complaints to the Vatican, the Parents’ Network for Child Protection and Prevention asked Hamburg’s Archbishop Stefan Heße once again to withdraw the framework. They asked that it be replaced by guidelines that “in particular guarantee parental rights and child protection and are in full accordance with Catholic doctrine and the requirements of the Holy See.”

Monsignor Matthias Ambros, the undersecretary of the Dicastery for Culture and Education, wrote in the letter dated July 6, which was obtained by CNA Deutsch, the German-language sister service of EWTN News: “After due consideration of its contents, this dicastery confirms that, with regard to the question of possible guidelines on sex education, the position remains the one set forth in the document ‘Male and Female He Created Them’ … published by the Congregation for Catholic Education on February 2, 2019.”

According to the dicastery, the parents’ petition was received on July 2. The letter thanks the parents for their “commitment to Catholic education.” It does not explicitly mention the framework the Archdiocese of Hamburg wants Catholic schools to use. In fact, the dicastery did not comment on the substance of the parents’ objections at all.

Based on the answer from Rome, the parents’ network compared the Vatican document from 2019, which firmly rejects gender ideology, with the Hamburg framework. The comparison lists 20 contradictions the parents see. These relate to the view of human nature, the assessment of marriage and family, and parents’ rights to educate their own children. The framework concept “adopts, in essential parts, the premises of that gender ideology which the congregation’s letter … has expressly rejected in the spirit of respectful dialogue,” the parents’ network concluded.

“We ask you: Do not view our concern merely as the protest of a group of parents. Read the response from Rome and compare it with the concept that is to be implemented in Catholic schools in Hamburg. Rome has once again reaffirmed the Church’s continuing position on sexual morality. If you, too, recognize the contradiction we have pointed out, we ask you: Do not remain silent! This is not merely a matter of defending our children and families but also of standing up for the teaching of our Church and remaining faithful to what it itself proclaims,” the network’s spokeswoman, Varinia Arauco Vera, said.

When the framework first took effect in 2025, the archdiocese described it as a sign of “contemporary, values-based, and scientifically sound sex education.”

“We advocate for the acceptance of diversity with regard to sexual orientations and gender identity,” said Geißler, the vicar general, at the time.

Christopher Haep, head of the Department of Schools and Higher Education in the archdiocese, added: “We want Catholic schools to be safe places where sexuality is not treated as a taboo but is recognized in all its complexity and dignity.”

The department’s spokesperson, Christoph Schommer, told CNA Deutsch in March that “as the school operators, we are in regular and intensive dialogue with parents and parent representatives.”

When the policy was implemented, it received “broad approval from the general parents’ council, school administrations, and the representatives for school pastoral care.”

“But of course, we also engage constructively with critical voices,” Schommer said.

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

On its website, the Catholic organization states that “no one should have to choose between their faith and their life.” However, “5.4 billion people, almost two-thirds of humanity, live in countries where individuals and communities continue to face harassment, violence, and even death because of their beliefs.”

ACN is therefore inviting people to sign the petition addressed to United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres; U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk; the U.N. General Assembly; European Council President António Costa; as well as democratic governments, ambassadors, and diplomatic representatives.

The goal is to call upon international leaders to permanently protect the fundamental right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion, “as enshrined in Article 18 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”

ACN notes that its “Religious Freedom in the World Report 2025” warns that “some 5.4 billion people live in 62 countries where persecution, oppression, or discrimination by both state and non-state actors has intensified.”

The pontifical foundation states that “this grave human rights crisis can no longer be ignored” and therefore urges democratic governments and international bodies to “publicly condemn all forms of religious persecution.”

Likewise, ACN calls for “religious freedom to be a priority in foreign policy and diplomatic relations,” for “enforcing appropriate measures against regimes that repeatedly violate this fundamental right,” and for concrete measures to be adopted “to prevent violations, ensure the effective protection of this right, and promote the socioeconomic development of religious minorities.”

The letter also calls for the protection of “at-risk religious communities to be granted protection, especially in countries suffering from sectarian violence or religious extremism. This is aimed at preventing forced migration, thereby enabling communities to stay in their ancestral homes and lands.”

Finally, the letter requests that “individuals and groups suffering religious persecution receive the emergency aid and legal aid they need.”

Those wishing to sign the petition can visit this link.

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.

According to an Aug. 18 press release, the “two big drivers of the decline are falling births and rising secularism,” with birth rates accounting for about 60% of the decline. “In a way the figures are not a surprise given the rapidly falling number of births and growing secularization. Given that births have fallen by almost a fifth in the last ten years, and more people are ticking the ‘No Religion’ box in the Census, we could expect nothing but a big drop in baptism figures,” Tom Finegan, chairman of The Iona Institute, said in the release.

“It remains to be seen whether cultural Catholicism will remain a force in Irish life. It’s worth noting that in Britain in 2023, according to the Vatican yearbook, over 42,000 Catholic children were baptized, even though levels of Mass-attendance in Britain are low.”

German bishop resigns, citing ‘recurrent depressive disorder’

Bishop Karl-Heinz Wiesemann of the German Diocese of Speyer resigned early at age 66 over ongoing mental health struggles he developed in the wake of the sexual abuse crisis in his diocese.

“I have been a Christian and a bishop for you with all my heart and great inner joy,” Wiesemann explained in a letter to the faithful on Aug. 19, reported CNA Deutsch, the German-language sister service of EWTN News. “Nevertheless, the burden of extensive responsibility has left serious traces in me physically, as well as mentally.”

Wiesemann said in the letter that he had to go to a psychosomatic clinic due to a “recurrent depressive disorder” and that the “processing of sexual abuse in our diocese” was the “immediate trigger.” Pope Leo XIV has accepted his resignation.

Asian churches rally together after earthquake in Indonesia

The Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) is calling on local churches to provide support for humanitarian relief efforts after a magnitude-7.7 earthquake in Indonesia, Licas News reported Aug. 18.

“We call on CCA member churches, national councils, and ecumenical partners to uphold the affected communities in prayer and to accompany them with timely relief, compassionate presence, and support for recovery and rebuilding. As the immediate emergency response continues, let us stand alongside the people and churches of Indonesia in solidarity,” Christian Conference of Asia General Secretary Rev. Jung Eun Grace Moon said. The earthquake is estimated to have killed at least 53 people, according to the report.

New push to build New Zealand cathedral yields over $1 million

After a new call to Catholics in Christchurch, New Zealand, over $1 million was raised in just three weeks for the building of a new cathedral, with the bishop himself pledging $16,000 over five years.

According to The Press, priests within the Diocese of Christchurch have pledged $50 a week, totaling $400,000, which was matched by an out-of-country donor.

“We’ve got to lead the way because people look to us to show that
we’re committed,” Bishop Michael Gielen, who leads the diocese, said.

The project reportedly already has nearly $65 million from “insurance proceeds, assetsales, financial gifts, pledges and regular donations.” Once the total reaches $72 million the diocese will be able to start construction, and Gielen said he hopes that will happen by the end of 2027.

There are more than 60,000 Catholics in the Christchurch Diocese, though only about 11,000 are believed to attend Mass regularly.

Finnish parliamentarian blocked from entering UK

Finnish parliamentarian Päivi Räsänen has been barred from entering the United Kingdom for a religious freedom conference where she was scheduled to give a talk about free speech.

Räsänen’s Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) has been revoked, according to an Aug. 18 press release from her legal counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International. She will now speak at the event virtually.

“It is shocking that the U.K. has blocked me, a democratically elected politician in an allied European state, from entering the country,” Räsänen said. “Even though this unjust conviction is currently on appeal to the European Court of Human Rights, the U.K. has likely refused me travel authorization on this basis. In doing so, the U.K. is punishing me for exercising my fundamental human rights.”

Chaldean sisters open jubilee year honoring martyred sister

The Daughters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus have opened a jubilee year marking the approaching 25th anniversary of the martyrdom of Servant of God Sister Cecilia Moshi Hanna, ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News, reported Aug. 19.

Chaldean Patriarch Paul III Nona celebrated the opening Mass at St. Joseph Cathedral in Baghdad. Mother Samar Kamil, the congregation’s superior general, said the year will include devotional programs, spiritual retreats, and opportunities for prayer and reflection. The congregation’s convents will welcome groups of faithful, with particular attention given to the shrine at the Convent of Charity in Baghdad, where Sister Cecilia was killed. The observance, she explained, is intended not only to honor the martyred sister but also to help Christians consider how they are called to bear witness to their faith in daily life.

Sister Cecilia was murdered on Aug. 16, 2002, at the age of 71. The Vatican’s Dicastery for the Causes of Saints recognized her as a servant of God in 2018, formally beginning an important stage in her cause for canonization.

Italian parish mourns death of priest by suicide

Members of San Carlo Borromeo Parish in Trento, Italy, gathered for the funeral of parish priest Father Don Lino Zatelli on Aug. 15.

The service, presided over by Archbishop Lauro Tisi, came after Zatelli was found dead on Aug. 12 by the parish sacristan after he did not appear at the parish to celebrate Mass that morning, according to an Aug. 18 Tribune Chrétienne report. Zatelli had reportedly discovered in the past few weeks that he was to be reassigned to another parish as a part of a pastoral reorganization.

"All this good that he has sown with his humanity, his gestures and his word is a reason for thanks to God for everything that Don Lino has given us,” Tisi said in his homily, according to the diocese.

Nigerian priest calls for prayers as 2 killed, 1 abducted in bandit attack

A Catholic priest in Nigeria has appealed for prayers following a bandit attack that left two people dead and another abducted in the Catholic Diocese of Zaria, ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, reported Aug. 18.

In a statement shared on Aug. 18, Father Samuel Ameh shared news of the deadly attack, calling for prayers for those who lost their lives, the abducted community elder, and families affected by the tragedy.

“We ask for prayers for the souls of the departed, for the safe return of the kidnapped, and for strength for all the families affected by this tragic incident,” Ameh said, noting the bandits abducted a respected community elder, killed his son on the spot, and confirmed that another person who was injured during the attack later died while receiving medical treatment.

Marian festival brings Syrians together in Armenian town

The “Green Kessab” festival concluded in Syria’s Latakia countryside with religious ceremonies, music, food, and traditions honoring the Virgin Mary, ACI MENA reported Aug. 17.

Organized by the Armenian Apostolic Church in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism and the Kessab municipal council, the two-day celebration drew residents and visitors from different religious and cultural backgrounds.

Kessab’s Armenian presence stretches back centuries, according to local writer Karo Manjikian. For the Aug. 15 feast, farmers offer the first clusters of their grape harvest to the church, which blesses and distributes them among the people. Families also donate sheep whose meat is slowly cooked overnight with crushed wheat to prepare harissa, a traditional dish shared freely after Mass the following morning. Muslims as well as Christians take part in receiving the blessed grapes and meal.

War and emigration have reduced Kessab’s resident Christian population to about 1,000, although the number rises considerably during the summer when expatriates and other visitors return.

National Youth Day in Angola ends with call to young people to reject violence

The president of the Bishops' Conference of Angola and São Tomé and Príncipe has called on young people to reject violence, hatred, and intolerance, urging the promotion of dialogue, respect for differences, and fraternity, ACI Africa reported Aug. 18.

“Only mutual love and respect build a strong nation,” Archbishop José Manuel Imbamba said in his homily on Aug. 16 during the closing Mass of the fourth National Youth Day at Our Lady of Fatima Parish of the Luanda Archdiocese.

“There should be no intolerance that excludes and rejects. There should be no fanaticism that blinds and destroys. There should also be no violence that frightens and dehumanizes,” he said.

More than 4,000 young people from the dioceses of Angola and São Tomé and Príncipe participated in the four-day gathering, held from Aug. 13 to 16 under the theme “Young People, Take Courage. I Have Overcome the World.”

In an Aug. 13 statement, the French prelate explained that his decision is based on the Vatican decree of excommunication declaring the SSPX to be in a state of schism following its July 1 ordination of four bishops without a papal mandate.

“Following the decree of schism and excommunication published by the Holy See, I cannot authorize the celebration of the Mass or the other sacraments, not even the public prayers of the Society of St. Pius X within the shrine,” the bishop of Lourdes explained.

Therefore, "the authorization that until now was granted to the SSPX to do so is therefore withdrawn. On the other hand, it is obviously possible that whoever so desires can freely come to the grotto or other places at the shrine to pray privately,” the prelate noted.

“I am well aware of the pain and perhaps the lack of understanding that this decision will cause. I entrust my decision to God’s mercy. We are deeply pained by the tearing of Christ’s tunic caused by our divisions. They scandalize the little ones and hinder our witness to the Gospel,” the bishop 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.

Bishop Jean-Marc Micas of Tarbes and Lourdes told the French daily La Dépêche du Midi on Aug. 20 that “all of the works on the façade” of the Basilica of the Rosary will be covered and redecorated out of respect for abuse victims. He also said they will remain covered going forward.

EWTN News confirmed the report with the press office of the shrine. Details about how the mosaics are to be covered and when were not yet available.

Micas’ decision to cover the mosaics comes just over a month before Pope Leo’s scheduled visit to France, which will include a stop at the popular Marian apparition site in Lourdes from Sept. 26–27.

The visibility of the mosaics by Rupnik, an accused sexual abuser currently undergoing a Vatican trial, risked becoming the literal backdrop of Leo’s rosary procession and other events at Lourdes.

The topic of sexual abuse and care for victims is still likely to come up in the pope’s meeting with French bishops on Sept. 27, though the pontiff is not expected to address the status of Rupnik’s case.

The Vatican has also said Leo will meet privately with victims of abuse sometime during his France trip, but no other details have been shared.

Covering all of Rupnik’s mosaics is the Lourdes bishop’s most dramatic step yet with regard to the artworks by the priest-artist. The mosaics were added to the neo-Gothic facade of the lower Lourdes basilica at the end of 2007.

Rupnik, who has been accused of spiritual, psychological, and sexual abuse of religious sisters, was removed from the Jesuits in June 2023 and is currently facing a canonical trial at the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith over the allegations he abused dozens of women religious, including some within the context of the creation of his art.

Micas formed a commission in May 2023 to discuss the future of the Rupnik mosaics. Since July 2024, the art has no longer been lit up at night or during candlelight processions.

For the Jubilee of Hope in 2025, the central doors of the lower basilica, which also feature Rupnik’s artwork, were covered, though the largest mosaics, depicting the luminous mysteries of the rosary, remained visible.

“My role is to ensure that the shrine welcomes everyone, especially those who are suffering,” Micas told La Dépêche du Midi. "Among them are victims of sexual abuse and assault, both children and adults. … Those who are suffering and wounded, who need consolation and healing, must remain the top priority in Lourdes.”

The bishop added that the mosaics “will remain covered after the Holy Father’s pilgrimage, following which a new process of reflection will be launched. The current commission will be expanded — notably to include artists and theologians — in order to consider the future of the basilica’s façade.”

Rupnik’s prolific art career has created a problem for many shrines and Catholic churches across Europe and North America. Rupnik’s workshop was involved in projects for over 200 liturgical spaces around the world, including at Fátima, the Vatican, the John Paul II shrine in Washington, D.C., and the tomb of St. Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio).

The Knights of Columbus in 2024 covered mosaics by Rupnik in the two chapels of the St. John Paul II National Shrine in Washington, D.C., and in the chapel at the Knights’ headquarters in New Haven, Connecticut, a dramatic move that represented at the time the strongest public stand by a major Catholic organization regarding the former Jesuit’s embattled art.

Moth, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, called on Catholics and people of goodwill to sign a petition urging world leaders to ensure countries fulfill the religious freedom requirements in Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

“Religious freedom is a right not a privilege,” Moth said in the Aug. 18 statement.

The article, created and adopted in 1948, “affirms the right to freedom of religion or belief,” he said. “It was ratified by the United Nations and quickly became recognised around the world.”

“The Second Vatican Council affirmed this right, teaching that ‘this freedom means that all people are to be immune from coercion… in such a way that no one is to be forced to act in a manner contrary to his or her own beliefs,’” he said.

The petition is part of a campaign organized by the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). It is intended to advocate for Article 18 ahead of the 10-year anniversary of Red Wednesday, an annual global campaign by ACN to raise awareness about religious persecution.

It is “a critical moment to act,” as “more than 5 billion people live in countries where persecution, oppression, and discrimination restrict religious freedom, including more than 200 million Christians,” ACN reported.

Despite Article 18’s recognition, “all too often Article 18 is ignored,” Moth said.

The bishop said: “Men and women are imprisoned, others are driven from their homes, or even killed, simply because of their peacefully held beliefs.”

“In some countries women and girls are kidnapped, forced to renounce their faith and marry their abductors; children are denied the right to learn about their faith; many people — young and old alike — are the victims of religious hatred; they suffer abuse and discrimination in the streets, at school and at work.”

“We need to stand up for our brothers and sisters in Christ and stand in support of all those who suffer for their beliefs, recognising religious freedom as a universal human right,” Moth said.

Answering Pope Leo’s call

The bishop echoed Pope Leo XIV’s call to not abandon persecuted believers.

“As Pope Leo has said, ‘Religious freedom is not merely a legal right or a privilege granted to us by governments. It is a foundational condition that makes authentic reconciliation possible,’” Moth said.

“In the words of the Holy Father, there can be … ’no peace without freedom of religion, freedom of thought, freedom of expression, and respect for the views of others,’” he concluded.

The tragedy prompted immediate reactions from public figures, including condolences from Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar and his Polish counterpart, Donald Tusk. The Polish prime minister sent a special aircraft to Hungary carrying representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and medical services to assist those affected. Polish President Karol Nawrocki said he was praying for “the families and loved ones of the victims.”

The heads of both the Polish and the Hungarian bishops' conferences also responded to the accident.

Archbishop Tadeusz Wojda of Gdańsk, president of the Polish Bishops' Conference, received the news “with great sadness” and prayed “for eternal life for the tragically deceased victims of the accident and for the recovery of the injured.”

Wojda extended prayers “to the families of those who died and those injured,” asking “God to grant them relief from their pain, as well as the strength and hope that will help them survive these extremely difficult times.”

Bishop János Székely of Szombathely, president of the Hungarian Catholic Bishops' Conference, expressed solidarity with the Polish victims who died while passing through his country.

“I was deeply moved to learn of the tragic bus accident,” he said, and prayed “for the eternal salvation of those who lost their lives.”

Székely asked “the Almighty to grant comfort to the families of the deceased in these difficult hours and to help the injured recover as quickly as possible.”

On behalf of the entire Catholic community in Hungary, the bishop assured “our Polish brothers of compassion and solidarity.”

The bus carrying the Polish pilgrims overturned in the early hours of Sunday and went off the road into a ditch on the M3 motorway in eastern Hungary. Some media have reported that the driver may have fallen asleep and that he has been taken into custody.

The monument stands 55.6 meters (182 feet) tall from ground level to its highest point. It was built in the town of Konotopie and funded by married couple Grażyna and Roman Karkosik, for whom it represents a “personal vow of thanksgiving for the recovery of their health and lives,” according to Euronews.

Its height exceeds that of the famous Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, which measures 38 meters (125 feet) from its base; it is also taller than the Christ the King of the Universe statue in Świebodzin, Poland, which stands 52.5 meters (172 feet) tall when measured from the mound upon which it rises.

According to Vatican News, the statue depicts Our Lady of Mercy and is located near a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows, which serves as a pilgrimage site. The bishop of Włocławek highlighted this during the blessing ceremony, noting that the site where the new monument stands "is no ordinary place; it is a place sanctified by the prayers of pilgrims.”

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Construction followed the design of sculptor Adam Jakub Matejkowski. The pedestal is surrounded by eight pillars in the form of a crown. Additionally, pilgrims can go up to a terrace at a height of 15.3 meters (50 feet), from where the image of Mary itself rises.

In his homily, the prelate emphasized the importance of lifting oneʼs gaze toward heaven, especially in these times when many people “keep their eyes fixed solely on the earth and focus exclusively on themselves.”

Regarding the name of the new sculpture, Wętkowski noted that St. Faustina Kowalska, to whom Christ revealed his divine mercy, was born in Świnice Warckie, also within the Diocese of Włocławek, where she was baptized and received her first Communion.

“Here in Konotopie, Mary, in the image we see, welcomes us all; she leans toward us and opens her arms to invite us to lift our gaze upward, toward God and heaven,” Wętkowski noted.

The ceremony began with the recitation of the rosary and concluded with a shower of red rose petals dropped from two helicopters hovering over the monument.

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.

“It‘s like a dwelling place around the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. A space filled with the immensity of God, God’s children living together, seeing God’s wonderful, creative power in the cosmos,” the centenarian priest shared in an interview with the Archdiocese of Santiago de Compostela, where he has served for more than seven decades.

Is it worth being a priest?

Reflecting on the most memorable moments of his long life, Bello highlighted “the day of my ordination as a deacon and the day of my first Mass. My diaconal ordination was conferred by the cardinal, Don Fernando Quiroga. There were about 33 of us, and at one point someone had to speak and offer thanks; that role fell to me, as I was the oldest.”

“At my first Mass, I felt unworthy and inadequate. It was a deeply moving experience. It took place in 1955 at the parish in Cances, a time of great celebration and high hopes,” he continued.

Regarding the crosses he has borne in his life, the priest remarked that there have been “many, which I strove to carry well.”

When asked whether he felt it was worth being ordained a priest, he replied: “For me, yes, and I believe also for some of the faithful whom I supported and who later thanked me for it.”

On Wednesday, Aug. 12, the archbishop of Santiago de Compostela, Francisco José Prieto Fernández, visited the priest, who now devotes himself to prayer, spiritual accompaniment, and writing.

Bello’s life

Bello was born on Aug. 1, 1926, in the village of Cances into a large Catholic family. His childhood was marked by the aftermath of the 1936–1939 Spanish Civil War, the loss of his older brother, and the need to assume adult responsibilities, according to the archdiocese.

After the war, he was sent to the Salesian school in Madrid. He entered the seminary in 1943 and celebrated his first Mass in 1955. Shortly thereafter he was assigned to a parish where a group of university students assisted him in his ministry.

“I tried to go to the Americas, but Father Benito Espiño wouldnʼt let me; instead, he sent me to Ozón, near Muxía. The Holy Spirit took hold of me there and never let me go,” the priest recalled, noting that he had also once hoped to reach what is known as the Continent of Hope (Latin America).

He served in various parishes, where he ministered to many people and helped restore a monastery. He also led short courses, spiritual exercises, and gave talks.

In 1999, he was appointed chaplain of the Padre Rubinos Residence and also of the Sisters of Charity, where he ministered to the elderly, the poor, and many other members 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.

This year marked the 260th annual thanksgiving pilgrimage to the shrine, according to the diocese. Participation was restricted and at times banned under the communist regime, and the pilgrimages have been held freely again since 1990.

The ceremony in Nitra — one of the oldest Slavic dioceses — drew several thousand faithful. Those taking part included Bishop František Rábek, the retired military ordinary of Slovakia; Bishop Jozef Haľko, auxiliary bishop of Bratislava; and Bishop Viliam Judák of Nitra. Each celebrated a Mass and heard confessions during the two days, which featured several Masses and confessions in Slovak but also in Hungarian, as well as adoration and an organ concert.

Haľko, who celebrated a Mass in Hungarian, told EWTN News that during the pilgrimage he reflected “on how we are very Marian in the Eucharist as we say yes to God, amen, which is our small preaching as we give ourselves to him and vice versa.”

Bishops preach on Mary’s example

For his part, Rábek, who was a priest in the local parish of Nitra-Calvary and now lives on the site of the pilgrimage, invited parents “to search for a healthy balance in your kids to develop their talents, but also the word of God.”

Mary was a simple, ordinary woman, yet she was ready to embrace God’s word and became a role model, he said. “Show me a woman who is as famous, glorified, and respected as Mary,” he emphasized.

The pilgrimage culminated in a Mass on Sunday, which the mayor of Nitra and other local politicians attended. In his homily, Judák cited Carl Jung, the psychologist and son of a Protestant pastor, who called the Catholic Church’s 1950 dogma of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary “the most important religious event since the Reformation.”

The bishop of Nitra asked the Virgin Mary to help all present proceed on the path to the goal of life, which is self-giving love.

“If we strive to live according to our conscience, that is, to fulfill God’s will just like she did, our life and the events of our life, everything we do well, will not perish even upon death,” he stressed.

The prelate encouraged everyone to look, “just as we and many millions of people looked up” on Aug. 12 “to see the cosmic phenomenon of the solar eclipse,” but now “with a spiritual sight to where the Virgin Mary leads us.”

May this moment at the feet of the Virgin Mary of the Assumption help us, Judák continued, “so that tomorrow, in a week, in a month, in a year, at least until the end of our lives, we will never lose sight of the noble goal of our life, and that we strive for it with God’s help.”

He likewise encouraged the faithful to fulfill their Christian duty and to act and profess Christian values in the local elections coming this autumn.

50 pilgrims on foot in the heat

The pilgrimage was organized by the parish of Nitra-Calvary, run by the Divine Word Missionaries (the Society of the Divine Word), whose Slovak province has its seat on the Calvary hill.

The parish priest, Father Ján Štefanec, SVD, told EWTN News that he “is happy this place is alive for the feast, though I would like to see so many people show up more often” in the parish.

He said he finds it interesting that every year many pilgrims come from the region to pray to the Mother of God, that former parishioners return for the feast, and that cyclists at times make part of their pilgrimage on two wheels. Although people nowadays come by car or bus, this time a group of 50 pilgrims walked 20 kilometers (12 miles) in temperatures of 36 degrees Celsius (97 degrees Fahrenheit), the Divine Word missionary said.

During his visit, the pope will meet with authorities, lead Eucharistic adoration, and meet the faithful gathered before traveling to the nearby city of Rimini, Italy, for the “Meeting for Friendship Among Peoples.”

Here are 10 things to know about San Marino’s ancient history and deep Catholic heritage.

1. San Marino was founded at a time of Christian persecution.

San Marino is said to have been founded in A.D. 301, roughly 270 years after the death and resurrection of Christ. It was also founded at a time when early Christians in Rome still faced widespread persecution, producing martyrs such as St. Agnes, St. Pancras, and St. Lucy. The Great Persecution under Emperor Diocletian occurred soon after the country’s founding and lasted nearly a decade (A.D. 303-311).

2. San Marino is among the world’s oldest and smallest republics.

The country’s founding in A.D. 301 also makes it the world’s oldest continuing republic. Like Vatican City, it is completely surrounded by Italy and is one of the world’s smallest states by both land area and population.

The land area measures 23.63 square miles, which is 20 times smaller than New York City by land area. Its population is approximately 34,000, about the same as Ithaca, New York.

3. The name San Marino comes from a hermit saint.

St. Marinus, after whom the country is named, was a third-century deacon who fled the Great Persecution under Diocletian. According to tradition, he settled on Monte Titano, where San Marino now stands, and founded a monastery there.

His reputation for holiness began to spread in his old age, leading many to join his monastery. The owner of Monte Titano also offered him the mountain as a gift. It has remained the highest point of the sovereign state ever since.

4. San Marino has been protected by popes and has never been annexed.

Though landlocked by Italy today and occupied several times throughout its more than 1,000-year history, San Marino has never been annexed by another nation.

By the 17th century, it was even surrounded by the Papal States, the region of Italy ruled by the popes until the Kingdom of Italy permanently absorbed it in 1870. Pope Urban VIII placed San Marino under papal protection through the 1631 treaty while recognizing its full sovereignty.

5. San Marino is governed by two captains who serve for only six months.

San Marino has two heads of state, the captains regent, who are currently Alice Mina and Vladimiro Selva. For nearly 800 years, they have been elected by the country’s 60-member parliament, the Grand and General Council.

The captains regent serve only six-month terms, among the shortest constitutional terms for any political office in the world. They cannot serve a second consecutive term but can return to office after three years.

6. Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI have been there.

Despite being in Italy, San Marino has only been visited by two popes.

St. John Paul II visited the country on Aug. 29, 1982. During his visit, he met with the only communist head of state in Western Europe, Captain Regent Giuseppe Maiani.

Benedict XVI visited on June 19, 2011, as part of his pastoral visit to the nearby Diocese of San Marino-Montefeltro.

During their visits, both popes venerated the relics of St. Marinus, the country’s patron, at the Basilica of San Marino.

7. The official language of San Marino is Italian.

Italian has remained San Marino’s only official language since the Middle Ages, reflecting its shared history with the Italian peninsula.

The country also has a regional dialect called Sammarinese, a local variant of Romagnol spoken in the nearby Romagna region of Italy.

8. San Marino’s most famous cake represents its three towers.

The country’s cuisine has been heavily influenced by Italy. But one can visit there to try its most famous dessert: the Torta Tre Monti (“the cake of the three mountains”).

The cake is made up of three layers of wafer and chocolate-hazelnut cream, representing the three towers that make up San Marino: the Guaita, the Cesta, and the Montale.

9. Abraham Lincoln was made an honorary citizen of San Marino.

Shortly after becoming U.S. president in 1861, Abraham Lincoln received a letter from the captains regent of San Marino granting him honorary citizenship as the U.S. prepared for the Civil War. Lincoln replied later that year, accepting the honor.

The original letter from the captains regent can still be viewed at the U.S. National Archives in Washington, D.C.

10. San Marino hosts an annual event, which Leo XIV will attend. 

On Aug. 22, Pope Leo XIV will become only the third pope in history to visit San Marino. He is scheduled to meet with civil and religious leaders during his visit and to greet the faithful who will gather in the country’s main squares.

At 12:45 p.m. that day, he will travel to the nearby city of Rimini for the “Meeting for Friendship Among Peoples,” an annual international Catholic cultural festival organized by the lay movement Communion and Liberation.

He will then meet the sick and elderly at Rimini Cathedral and celebrate Mass before returning to Rome at 8 p.m.

“There are many people longing for true and everlasting love in Christ,” he told ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News.

Now over 70, the priest, who is from the island of Ibiza and is a member of Opus Dei, acknowledges that this providential pastoral work has transformed his ministry: “This has totally changed my life,” he said.

In addition to serving as chaplain for two schools near Valencia and two youth clubs, for the past 15 years he has been receiving dozens of requests from single Catholics — “on a normal day, 60 WhatsApp messages” — at the number +34 609 765 284.

Despite the sheer volume, he said he approaches it with great peace of mind: “I don’t let myself get overwhelmed,” he said.

“The two requirements I set are that they be over 25 and attend Mass on Sundays,” he explained. From there, he asks about their age, their level of church involvement, and where they live, cross-referencing the information whenever possible.

At times, he has to ask those who come to him for patience. “Wait — your turn will come,” he tells those who express a particularly strong desire to find a life partner.

When it comes to exchanging numbers, the first thing he looks at is the city where they live, as this usually makes things easier, though not always. He also tries to ensure the men are taller and two or three years older than the women.

Then there are “people with a strong sense of spirituality” — another factor that really helps ensure that the candidates hit it off.

‘I’m a priest; I completely trust in Providence’

Cuevas sets no limits on divine plans and serves people of all ages, though men are scarce in certain age groups. “I have few men in their 30s. A great many in their 40s. And fewer from age 50 onwards.” Women are less scarce.

Despite his success, the priest approaches this pastoral work with humility: “I have no special gift,” he said.

“I’m a priest; I completely trust in Providence and know that God calls every person, that there is a specific plan from the Lord for them from before they were born. Just as someone might have a vocation to a religious order, a movement, or anything else, God has someone in mind for that person, so that they may attain holiness.”

The priest, dubbed the “Tinder priest” or a matchmaker, is clear that the vocation to marriage is no less significant than others: “It’s a call to total self-giving. Just as a priest or a nun has discovered that deep longing of the human heart.”

It has happened on occasion that phone numbers got mixed up during the exchange. Someone called the wrong person, not the one originally intended. They met up, had a meal, and got to know each other. Obviously, they realized the photos and certain profile details didnʼt match, but they didnʼt mind. “I donʼt know what happened, but itʼs perfect,” one of them wrote to him.

Requests from around the world

At the start of this pastoral work, Cuevas sought to help people in his immediate circle within the Archdiocese of Valencia. However, many people write to him from other countries, particularly from Spanish-speaking America.

To better handle these requests, he relies on the assistance of another priest, Father Vicente Huerta, who is based in Spain and spends many nights speaking with people in Argentina, Mexico, Colombia, and Peru, among other places.

But they have also had candidates from places that might seem unexpected at first glance, such as India.

‘People want to love truly’

In a society like Spain’s, which is experiencing a major crisis regarding marriage and the family, Cuevas said he draws a clear lesson from this apostolate: “People are looking for true love. There is a yearning, an enormous need to love. People are in great need. They want to love truly, to forget themselves, to give of themselves, and to bring Christ into their lives.”

He continued: “The vast majority are looking for someone who places Christ at the center of their lives. There are so many people longing for that. It moves me to see the number of people who say: ‘It doesn’t matter to me if he has blue eyes, is very handsome, or is very smart. If he doesn’t have Christ at the center of his life — forget it.’ That is the hierarchy of values.”

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 Helsinki Catholic School, which was scheduled to begin operations in August, has postponed its opening until next year, according to Bishop Raimo Goyarrola of Helsinki.

The planned school gained attention after the Helsinki Diocese announced the project in its diocesan magazine last November. By the time of the announcement, groundwork was already underway, with fundraising efforts and the necessary administrative and bureaucratic processes being pursued.

Once completed, the school would be the first Catholic school in Finland in roughly 500 years, following the near disappearance of Catholic institutional life in the country after the Reformation and the adoption of Lutheranism as Finland’s state religion in the 16th century.

The school’s planned model

Goyarrola previously described the project to ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, as an important step in rebuilding Catholic educational life in Finland.

He said the school was intended to open in August 2026 and would initially operate on the second floor of a Lutheran church dedicated to St. James the Apostle on Lauttasaari, an island in Helsinki. The bishop had also expressed hope that, if finances permitted, the diocese could acquire the building within three years.

The Helsinki Catholic School is planned as a small, inclusive school initially serving grades 1–3, following Finland’s national and Helsinki city curricula while incorporating Catholic values. Its approach focuses on personal attention, a calm learning environment, initiative, and a strong character foundation.

Opening delayed until 2027

In response to an inquiry from EWTN News, Goyarrola clarified that the school has not opened and that its launch has been postponed.

“The school will open once everything is fully in place,” Goyarrola said. “We had hoped to begin this August, but after careful consideration we have decided to postpone the opening until next year, as there are still several important matters to resolve.”

He also went on to say: “The administrative procedures, logistics, and financing alone are challenging.” He further noted that “when the school is also Catholic and privately run, the work and the requirements become even more demanding.”

Social media accounts and online posts have recently presented the Helsinki Catholic School as though it is already operating in an educational sense. This is inaccurate. The school is not currently teaching any students, and it is not open in the capacity that formal classes or regular educational activities are being conducted. The project remains in development.

The Diocese of Helsinki continues to work with its partners toward establishing the school and remains hopeful that it will become a reality in 2027.

Goyarrola asked the faithful to pray for the project as the diocese works through the remaining requirements. “We would be deeply grateful for your prayers as we continue working to make this project a reality,” he told EWTN News.

The Vatican — specifically Cardinal Arthur Roche, prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments — rejected a request from the German bishops in June arising from the Synodal Way for permission to let a commissioned layperson preach in place of the homily at Mass in exceptional cases.

Kohlgraf said the Diocese of Mainz observes the ban but that lay preaching has become customary in some of its parishes and that he will neither authorize it nor move to stop it.

“The letter from the liturgy prefect says that the only one who preaches at Mass is the priest who celebrates it,” Kohlgraf told the official news portal of the German bishops’ media arm, katholisch.de. “But a priest who concelebrates, or a deacon who takes part, would then logically also not be permitted to preach at that Mass.”

“In any case, in the Diocese of Mainz we abide by the Church’s directive that laypeople do not preach a homily at Mass,” the bishop said, before qualifying: “In practice, though, it has become established that this happens from time to time nonetheless. I am not going to change that there.”

Pressed on the point, Kohlgraf made clear that a woman employed by the diocese as a personnel officer, for example, could not preach “according to the Roman requirements.” Nor could he as bishop “issue such a permission”: “Canon law does not allow it, and that remains our basis.”

“Nevertheless, it is the case that in some parishes here it is customary for laypeople to preach,” he added. “When I learn of it, I will not intervene disciplinarily or sanction it under canon law. But I do not promote it either, and I cannot permit it. I simply take note that in some parishes such a practice has become established.”

Concern about ‘denunciation’

“I do argue, though, for using all the other forms of proclamation that canon law makes possible,” Kohlgraf said. “Perhaps one would have to collect all these possibilities of proclamation for laypeople in the liturgy since the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965). In the Diocese of Mainz, the liturgical commission published a set of guidelines on this last year, compiling the many possibilities of the preaching ministry.”

For the Diocese of Mainz, the bishop summarized, the Roman letter changes “nothing in concrete pastoral practice.” He was more troubled, he said, “that the ban on lay preaching from Rome is now encouraging denunciation,” because there are “people who report liturgical violations to the bishop immediately and write directly to me.”

“That existed before as well, that individual people complained to me, but now they demand that I must intervene. Some even write to the nuncio or directly to Rome,” he said.

He reacts to such reports in a friendly and unruffled way, Kohlgraf said: “I take note of it and pass it on, usually to the respective pastor or pastoral leader of the parish concerned.”

In principle, the bishop of Mainz underlined, permission for lay preaching at Mass would be welcome to him, and he regards it as an enrichment for the Church where pastoral workers are theologically qualified to preach. “But I can still only choose the forms that canon law permits,” he said.

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

The shrine’s recent newsletters have highlighted the preparations and appealed for support to help carry out the necessary work to welcome the Holy Father and the thousands of pilgrims expected for the occasion.

For the Sunday, Sept. 27, Mass, organizers plan to install a platform capable of accommodating 400 people, an audio system suitable for the sanctuary’s meadow, 10 giant screens, and enhanced signage.

In addition, measures are being taken “to ensure the safety of pedestrian routes and facilitate the movement of sick, elderly, and disabled persons,” a priority that is already central to the shrine’s mission but one that organizers hope to improve further.

Most of these upgrades will remain at the shrine for the long-term benefit of pilgrims, so any donations are viewed as an investment in Lourdes’ future.

In total, organizers expect to install more than 6.2 miles of security barriers, mobilize approximately 600 volunteers, welcome nearly 3,000 priests, provide 1,000 temporary public restrooms, and implement an enhanced cleaning and waste-management system.

Registration opens for Mass and rosary procession

Beyond the technical challenges, shrine officials emphasize that the essential priority during the pope’s visit is to maintain the shrine’s normal activities, “accompanying the sick with the same tenderness” and ensuring that “the spiritual heart of Lourdes continues to beat uninterrupted alongside the day’s events.”

Organizers also announced that registration forms are now available for those wishing to attend, either individually or as part of a group. While registration is not mandatory, it is strongly recommended.

Two registration forms have been created: one for individuals, families, or groups of fewer than 10 people, and another for larger groups.

Upon registering, pilgrims will receive practical information by email, including transportation options, recommended travel routes, and instructions for access and seating arrangements in the Meadow or the Rosary Esplanade.

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 letter addressed to the priests, religious, and faithful of Ceuta, where the recent arrival of thousands of illegal migrants led to an overwhelming breach of the city’s maritime border, Valdivia invited the faithful to pray on the eve of the solemnity of the Assumption of Mary, celebrated on Aug. 15, following a suggestion made by Pope Leo XIV.

“As a proposal for ecclesial action in response to this humanitarian and confidence crisis, I believe it is necessary to turn our gaze toward God,” Valdivia wrote, expressing his desire that this prayer take place “with the intention not only of seeking protection for the city of Ceuta but also so that we may become aware of the importance of maturing in the faith we have received and ask for the necessary light so that, united, we may experience these moments as a new cultural beginning and not simply as a crisis, which one hopes will prove temporary.”

“These events seem to me to reveal the depth of the cultural change that is taking place. For this reason, now more than ever, we need to lift our eyes and pray together the Our Father, saying: ‘Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven!’” he insisted.

In the letter, Valdivia, who is also the auxiliary bishop of Seville, acknowledged that he needed time “to reflect on and understand the scope of what we have suffered and, at the same time, to try to understand, with the light available to me, the repercussions that go beyond what the media have been showing.”

The bishop pointed to “the humanitarian disaster generated by ambition and corruption” in which “young people without a future threw themselves into the unknown, driven only by political slogans or ill-intentioned promises” while adults “took advantage of the lack of government control to flee the criminal responsibilities of their own country, perhaps aided by a premeditated pardon arranged for this occasion.”

He also wrote of minors who, “abandoned by their families, become easy prey for predators” and, referring to the residents of Ceuta, “people who have felt their own space violated.”

‘Our Lady of Africa has been our stronghold’

In his reflection, Valdivia shared that what arose in his heart was “gratitude born of faith,” emphasizing that “from the very first moment, Our Lady of Africa has been the stronghold in which we can find refuge.”

“I have been able to perceive how the mother and patroness of Ceuta has once again, throughout history, become the lighthouse guiding us as we navigate stormy seas,” he added.

The auxiliary bishop of Seville also highlighted the way Catholics have faced the challenge of the arrival of a group nearly as large as Ceuta’s own population: “It is only right that we all send a message of gratitude to this small Christian community, so that they may receive strong encouragement from the rest of the diocese and continue to keep alive the witness of faith.”

“I want to believe that both the floral offering and the celebration and procession with the image of Our Lady of Africa were not merely a passing sigh but rather a catalyst for breaking the inertia generated by fear, the spark that awakens awareness of what faith contributes to the rebuilding of the city, the greatest challenge facing society and the Church in this time that the Lord has given us,” Valdivia 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 postulator of her cause, Father Lucián Bogucki of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual, handed the “positio super miro” to the archbishop of Bratislava, Stanislav Zvolenský, last month. The document, whose Latin title refers to a purported miracle, describes an alleged healing said to have occurred through her intercession in Denver.

“The very fact that the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints is dealing with the extraordinary healing through the intercession of Blessed Zdenka Schelingová is a gift from God and a great encouragement,” Zvolenský told EWTN News.

The date for the meeting of the commission of cardinals that will discuss the document and the reported miracle is not yet known but may come within a few months. The final decision on canonization rests with the pope.

The cause is an opportunity to enter “spiritual communion with those whom the Church presents to us as saints and blessed, so that we can also turn to them with a request for their intercession,” the archbishop said.

Zvolenský encouraged the faithful to “admire God’s goodness as he always gives us extraordinary signs of his love.”

A martyr under communism

Born Cecília Schelingová on Christmas Eve 110 years ago in the village of Krivá, in modern-day Slovakia, the future sister joined the Sisters of Mercy of the Holy Cross and worked as a nurse and later in a hospital laboratory. She helped a Catholic priest escape from a hospital and attempted to do so again; the second time it was a trap, and she was arrested. She was tortured, accused of treason by the recently established communist regime, and imprisoned in various jails across then-Czechoslovakia.

Sister Zdenka was released in April 1955 and died on July 31, 1955, from the effects of torture and her ruined health. She was exonerated of all charges against her in 1970 and was beatified in 2003 by Pope John Paul II.

Respect and admiration for Sister Zdenka “is growing,” as “we have seen this now during various events on her liturgical feast,” which falls on July 30, said Sister Mária Terézia Dobrovičová, provincial superior of the Slovak province of the Sisters of Mercy of the Holy Cross. The congregation was founded 170 years ago in Switzerland, and soon afterward the sisters were invited to what is now Slovakia, she explained.

Bishop Tomáš Galis of the Diocese of Žilina celebrated Mass on the feast day, quoting Sister Zdenka: “Forgiveness is the greatest thing in life.” The Confederation of Political Prisoners of Slovakia also organized a conference on the religious sisters who lived in secret under the communist regime in Czechoslovakia.

Pilgrims are visiting sites associated with her, including her native village of Krivá; Podunajské Biskupice, where her remains rest; and Trnava, the seat of the congregation in Slovakia.

Sister Mária Terézia said the sisters “receive various requests from people to pray for the intercession” of Sister Zdenka, “but we also have various testimonies about how prayers for her intercession have been heard.” This is encouraging, “and we are happy about it,” she stressed.

The official website dedicated to Sister Zdenka’s memory, zdenka.sk, shares several testimonies from people whose prayers were answered after they prayed to her. It does not, however, include the case contained in the “positio super miro.”

The Denver healing

A man in Denver was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and sent home. His wife knew someone who was a distant relative of Sister Zdenka and, together with her colleagues, reportedly began to pray for him.

The man had his tubes removed and was ready to die, yet his appetite returned and he regained his strength. He later suffered an embolism and died, according to one Slovak daily, which, however, did not cite a source. An autopsy confirmed that he had been cured of cancer, with no trace of the disease, and died three years after his recovery, though from a different diagnosis.

EWTN News contacted Bogucki for details about the case and the alleged healing. Instead, the priest — who is of Polish origin, has lived in Slovakia for many years, and served as a confessor at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome — asked for prayers for the final phase before Sister Zdenka’s possible canonization.

The original monument, the work of architect Carlos Maura and sculptor Aniceto Marinas, was built on the Cerro de los Ángeles, the geographical center of Spain, and was funded through public subscription, although the statue itself was donated by the count of Guaqui, Juan Marino de Goyeneche.

The monumental complex, standing 92 feet tall, consisted not only of the central figure of Jesus Christ but also of two sculptural groups representing, respectively, sanctified humanity and humanity journeying toward holiness.

The first group featured St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, St. Augustine, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Teresa of Jesus, Blessed Bernardo de Hoyos, and St. John the Evangelist, among others. The second group comprised figures representing the path of charity, virtue, and the love essential for conversion and sanctification.

Its inauguration, originally scheduled for 1918, was postponed due to the Spanish flu pandemic until May 30, 1919. It was then that, in the presence of the government, the apostolic nuncio, Archbishop Francesco Ragonesi, and a large group of bishops and cardinals, Alfonso XIII pronounced the formula for the consecration of Spain to the Sacred Heart: “Spain, the people of your heritage and predilection, bows reverently today before that throne of goodness raised for you in the heart of the peninsula. Reign in the hearts of men, in the bosom of our homes, in the minds of the wise, in the halls of science and letters, and in our laws and national institutions.”

Tried, shot by firing squad, and blown up with dynamite

The Spanish Civil War broke out on July 18, 1936. Just five days later, five young men who had remained near the monument to defend it against potential desecration were killed.

On Aug. 7, the first Friday of the month, Popular Front militiamen staged a mock summary trial of Jesus; after passing sentence, they fired upon the monument while shouting, “Aim with hatred! Fire with rage!”

They subsequently attempted to topple and demolish the monument using various tools, including cables and sledgehammers, but failed. They then decided to blow it up with dynamite. They subsequently dragged the head of the Christ figure behind a horse to further humiliate the image.

The site, renamed Cerro Rojo (Red Hill), was retaken by Nationalist forces on Nov. 6, 1936, which was another first Friday of the month. Troops under the command of Gen. José Enrique Varela attended a Mass of reparation officiated by a military chaplain.

New monument

Following the end of the Civil War in 1939, reconstruction of the site began in 1944. This coincided with the 25th anniversary of the consecration of Spain, an occasion for which the Holy See had granted a jubilee year.

The sculptor of the original work was engaged for the 38-foot-tall statue of the Sacred Heart, which stands atop an 85-foot pedestal.

Four sculptural groups by Fernando Cruz were placed around the base. The first group, representing “Missionary Spain,” features Isabella the Catholic, Christopher Columbus, Hernán Cortés, and St. Junípero Serra.

The second group, representing “Spain: Defender of the Faith,” includes Bishop Osio of Córdoba, Don Pelayo, Diego Laínez, John of Austria, and Blessed Anselmo Polanco, a bishop martyred during the war.

The third group, dedicated to the Church militant, consists of figures representing charity, virtue, and love. The final sculptural ensemble, representing the Church triumphant, reproduces the saints from the original monument.

The new monument, inaugurated in 1965, is located on the site of the original, the ruins of which are preserved on the other side of the complexʼs large esplanade. Ten years later, a sanctuary was inaugurated featuring a temple carved into the rock.

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 closure occurred in the context of growing political debates around the challenges posed by the expansion of Islam in the country.

The order targeted the “Chanteloup” mosque in Aulnay-sous-Bois, a suburb northeast of the capital in the Seine-Saint-Denis department. It was announced by the local prefecture, the regional arm of the French state administration.

The closure was ordered under a provision enacted in October 2017 that allows prefects to shut down places of worship where preaching is found to “incite violence or hatred, promote terrorism, or provoke acts of terrorism.”

A communique by the local prefect claimed that both the mosque’s regular imams and the guest speakers it hosted spread a “radical Islamist ideology” that “echoes the rhetoric of terrorist organizations, legitimizes jihad, and glorifies death as a martyr.” The administration added that the closure was warranted given the gravity and repetition of statements it judged “capable of inciting terrorist acts.”

The French news agency AFP reported that a video circulating on the social platform X earlier in the year showed an imam who had lectured at least once at the mosque urged Muslims to strike their children aged 11 and older if they failed to pray.

The mosque’s management has contested the order. Its attorney, Rafik Chekkat, announced on social media that the association had filed an emergency appeal with the Montreuil administrative court, arguing the case rested on insufficient, imprecise, and unsubstantiated evidence involving faulty interpretations of Quranic verses.

“The prefect of Seine-Saint-Denis faults an imam for having cited the Surah Al-Baqara at the Chanteloup mosque in Aulnay-sous-Bois, in order to justify its administrative closure,” Chekkat said in a tweet. “If the order is upheld by the courts, the Quran itself becomes grounds for closure.”

He said the mosque had already removed the two imams responsible for what he described as roughly 90% of the complaints against it and that mosque leaders had asked to meet with the prefect beforehand but were refused.

Regional outlet Ici Paris Île-de-France reported the association is also contesting a freeze on its bank accounts and a separate move to dissolve the managing association itself.

A hearing before the Montreuil court was held on Aug. 4; the mosque remained open pending the ruling that should be made public in the coming days.

This is the second time the mosque has faced a shutdown. In 2019, the prefecture ordered its closure after an inspection found the premises did not meet public safety requirements.

Another mosque in the department, in Pantin, closed for six months in 2020 for publicly criticizing history teacher Samuel Paty, who was beheaded that year after showing pupils caricatures of Mohammed, the central figure of the Islamic faith.

Since 2017, the French Senate has ordered seven houses of worship closed under the same provision in its first two years alone, following 19 mosque and prayer-hall closures carried out under France’s 2015–2017 state of emergency after the Paris terrorist attacks in 2015. A further wave followed France’s 2021 law against Islamist “separatism.”

The closure lands amid an ongoing, and polarizing, public conversation in France about the growth of Islam. Government figures put the number of Muslim places of worship nationwide — mosques and smaller prayer rooms combined — at roughly 2,600 in 2024, up from about eight mosques in 1975.

Estimates of France’s Muslim population vary by methodology; INSEE-linked survey data suggest Muslims make up roughly 10% of the metropolitan population, or 6 to 7 million people. A widely covered November 2025 survey by the polling institute IFOP put the adult Muslim share at 7% in 2025, up from 0.5% in 1985.

The closure of the Chanteloup mosque came just one day after the 10th anniversary of the murder of 85-year-old parish priest Jacques Hamel by two Islamic State-inspired attackers inside his own church during Mass on July 26, 2016.

It was the first time in France a terrorist attack had targeted worshippers during a religious service. The local Diocese of Rouen and the town of Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray — where Hamel was slaughtered — held two days of commemorations July 25 and 26.

A Mass was celebrated by the president of the French bishops’ conference, Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline, with the homily delivered by Rouen’s Archbishop Dominique Lebrun, built explicitly around interreligious dialogue rather than security concerns.

Saturday’s program featured a roundtable titled “Muslims and Catholics: Educating Young People to Encounter One Another.” Organizers highlighted the public friendship between Roseline Hamel, the slain priest’s sister, and Nassera Kermiche, the mother of one of his killers, as the defining symbol of the decade since the attack.

"We are aware of the historic mission that Ceuta represents for our entire nation; we are a bastion of faith that loudly proclaims the value of the faith in the building of a country,” Valdivia said.

“That is why we wish to lift our gaze and see the Lord on our horizon — walking upon the waters of the Strait, approaching our boat, and saying to us: ‘Do not be afraid; it is I,’" he added in remarks released by the diocese in response to the numerous interview requests received in recent days.

Referring to the Ceuta’s patron saint festivities, Valdivia remarked that “centered around St. Mary of Africa, one can understand the faith of a people who have endured centuries of hardship” and that, following events like those of last week, “while it is true there is anger, fear, and at times even a desire to give up, we do not want to do so.”

“The presence of the Virgin Mary offers comfort, peace, and security in God and fosters compassion while simultaneously expressing faith in the God who, having become man, has conquered death. Offering this response entails responding with Godʼs love,” he added.

The Church has demonstrated its maturity amid an unprecedented crisis.”

Bishop Ramón Valdivia

apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Cádiz and Ceuta in Spain

The prelate further indicated that “the Church has demonstrated its maturity amid an unprecedented crisis,” even as it continues to “view with concern these events that disturb our peace,” bearing in mind that “this is the second time [such an event has occurred] since the mass influx of May 2021.”

“We feel vulnerable and, in a sense, in need of protection,” added the bishop, who, drawing inspiration from St. Paulʼs Second Letter to the Corinthians, observed: “We are troubled, but not in despair. We trust in God above all.”

Valdivia further noted that the task for the near future involves “rebuilding trust, encouraging those who have suffered fear and anxiety, and working toward a dignified solution for those who entered illegally,” bearing in mind that “feelings very difficult to root out have taken hold in peopleʼs hearts, stemming from the need to care for others while simultaneously protecting the shared space.”

Gratitude to Pope Leo XIV

Meanwhile, the prelate welcomed the words of Pope Leo XIV regarding the crisis — spoken during the Angelus on Sunday, Aug. 2 — as “a balm of comfort, knowing that we are close to the popeʼs heart.”

Leo XIV expressed that he was following “the alarming situation in Ceuta” with concern and asked, through the intercession of Our Lady of Africa, that “solutions of peace, stability, and justice might be found.” These words, the prelate stated, “have helped guide our public mission amid this difficulty, fostering peace, stability, and justice.”

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.

Below are four facts that can help shed light on the scale of the crisis.

1. It is a Spanish territory on the North African coast.

Ceuta is a Spanish city located on the North African coast, at the eastern end of the Strait of Gibraltar. Together with the city of Melilla, it forms the European Unionʼs only land border with Africa and is a point of critical geopolitical importance.

Conquered by Portugal in 1415, it became part of Spain under the 1668 Treaty of Lisbon. Morocco claims that both Ceuta and Melilla belong to its territory, even though both were Spanish outposts before Morocco existed as a nation.

2. It is a multicultural society.

Ceuta has a registered population of over 80,000. The majority are Spanish nationals of diverse backgrounds. In addition to a Catholic majority, some 35,000 people practice Islam, and there are also significant Jewish and Hindu communities.

Most of the city’s foreign population, which accounts for 6% of the total, is of Moroccan origin.

Although Spanish is the official language, Hindi, English, Haketia (a North African dialect of Ladino or Judeo-Spanish), and Darija (the Moroccan variety of Arabic) are also commonly spoken.

3. It has been a border crossing for African migration to Europe.

The Ceuta border, like that of Melilla, separates two radically different socioeconomic realities; this disparity is evident in everything from wages to public services, such as education, healthcare, and transportation.

People arrive at this boundary intending to cross it — not only Moroccans but also individuals from across Africa who have traveled thousands of miles, driven largely by the desire for prosperity and peace. During the arduous journey, many fall prey to migrant-smuggling rings or human traffickers.

These movements have reportedly been used as a demographic weapon, a claim recently made by the president of the Spanish Episcopal Conference, Archbishop Luis Argüello.

Additionally, these movements overwhelm support services, such as the city’s Temporary Immigrant Stay Center. The facilityʼs capacity of over 500 places is routinely stretched to the breaking point. Prior to the latest surge of people, the center was already serving 200 individuals beyond its capacity, while another 500 were waiting nearby for assistance.

4. There have been tensions between Morocco and Spain.

Ceuta and Melilla have been at the epicenter of diplomatic tensions between Morocco and Spain for decades, with Morocco’s ambition to annex the former Spanish colony of Western Sahara serving as the backdrop.

In recent years, there has been a significant shift in the Spanish governmentʼs stance on this issue.

In April 2021, Spain admitted Sahrawi leader Brahim Ghali for COVID-19 treatment, triggering a diplomatic crisis with Morocco that culminated in a surge of migration into Ceuta in May of that year, with over 10,000 people entering the city. Many of them were children.

In an unexpected move that departed from the diplomatic stance Spain had maintained for decades, in March 2022 it was revealed that the Spanish government, in a letter sent to King Mohammed, supported Moroccoʼs claims regarding Western Sahara.

Then, in May 2022, the Spanish government publicly acknowledged that Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s phone had been intercepted between May 19 and May 31, 2021 — right in the midst of the diplomatic crisis with Morocco. This sequence of events could explain why the Spanish government has chosen to keep a low profile regarding Morocco following the arrival of more than 70,000 people in Ceuta within the span of a few hours last 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.

The local diocese has acknowledged the donorʼs intentions but stressed that, from the Churchʼs point of view, there is no financial barrier to baptism in the first place.

Peter Löw, a Starnberg-based investor and practicing Catholic, has set aside 20,000 euros ($21,800) for the initiative, which he calls “Starnberger Schutzengelchen” (“Little Starnberg Guardian Angel”).

The amount is enough to cover up to 40 baptisms this year.

Support for families in expensive region

To qualify, a child must be no older than 3 and registered in the Catholic parish community of Starnberg, a lakeside area about 17 miles south of Munich.

Prized for its scenery and its short commute to the city, Starnberg has drawn an influx of wealthy newcomers that has made it one of the richest districts in Germany, with among the countryʼs highest incomes and property prices. The same pressure has driven up housing costs for local families, some of whom, the parish priest said, find even the cost of a baptism celebration hard to meet.

Löw, a father of eight who ranks among Germanyʼs wealthier businessmen, started the effort after a conversation with the Starnberg parish priest, Father Andreas Jall.

The priest had told him about families who were holding back from baptizing their children because of the cost of the celebration.

Löw told the newspaper Bild that if a modest sum nudged parents toward baptism, that was “a good thing,” adding that families were free to spend the money however they wished. He also framed the gift as an incentive to bring children into the life of the parish, telling Bild: “My eight children are all baptized.”

He said he would assess at the end of the year whether the initiative had been worthwhile.

Four families had already received the money by late July, Jall told the German Press Agency (dpa), noting that all four baptisms had been registered roughly six months in advance and that the offer had not triggered a sudden rush of new bookings.

The Diocese of Augsburg gave a mixed assessment in a statement to the official news portal of the German bishops' media arm.

Catholic parents are already obliged to have their children baptized as soon as possible and to raise them in the faith, a diocesan spokesman said, and because the Church charges nothing for a baptism, the financial element the initiative puts front and center is unlikely to be decisive in a familyʼs decision.

Every believer who meets the conditions has a right to receive the sacraments, the spokesman added.

Theology and intention

The Bavarian diocese called Löwʼs generosity “a likeable expression of charity” but said that wherever “the reception of a sacrament and financial considerations, however well meant, move too close together,” an “uneasy feeling” remains from the Churchʼs point of view.

The diocese also questioned the theology behind the offer. Baptism presupposes a conscious decision of faith and is far more than a simple blessing, the spokesman said; if no faith is thereby awakened or strengthened, the purpose of even a “surely well-intentioned initiative” is called into question.

Jall, the local parish priest, has defended the measure. Some parishioners had objected that it risked cheapening the Churchʼs reputation, he told the German Press Agency, but he said his own view started from the families' side. “We want to help families in this high-priced area,” he said, adding that the aim clearly was not to “buy” believers but to help Catholic families.

The initiative comes as the Catholic Church in Germany keeps shrinking. It recorded a net loss of about 321,659 members in 2025, leaving roughly 19.2 million Catholics, or 23% of the population — a decline driven partly by Germans formally quitting the Church to escape its state-collected tax on members.

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

Father Manuel Navarro, a priest of the Archdiocese of Madrid, Spain, was at the renowned Marian shrine on the night of July 27–28 when the Polish national Bartłomiej Włodzimierz Krakowiak allegedly vandalized a statue of the Virgin Mary and set fire to an outdoor altar located next to the local parish church.

“We were all shocked because we didnʼt know why it had happened,” Navarro explained in an interview with EWTN News, describing how images and videos began reaching him that morning.

Despite the emotional impact, the priest highlighted how “within minutes and hours, volunteers from the Cenacolo Community, along with pilgrim volunteers, set about cleaning and clearing everything away,” allowing devotional activities to proceed normally by that afternoon.

When asked how to respond to such attacks, Navarro said he felt the statement released by the parish that day rightly identified three key elements: prayer, fasting, and forgiveness.

“First, prayer for all those who commit attacks” not only in the physical sense, as in this most recent incident, but also bearing in mind that “every day there are attacks against the Most Holy Virgin in many ways, and we must also pray for the conversion of hearts.”

Secondly, Navarro added that “fasting makes us humble,” an attitude that counters the temptation to believe ourselves “superior to others.” Finally, regarding forgiveness, the Spanish priest stated that Medjugorje is “a place of reconciliation” that calls upon us to forgive those who offend us; otherwise, “the message is undermined if we take justice into our own hands.”

In conclusion, Navarro noted, the act of desecration served as an occasion to recall that “God brings good out of evil” — a providence made evident through the cooperation of all those present, which made it possible to celebrate a Mass of reparation at the desecrated altar that very afternoon.

Meanwhile, Father Gerardo Martínez, the St. Bonaventure Parish priest in Mexico’s Diocese of Saltillo, reflected on the attack carried out in the early hours of July 28 against the statue of the parishʼs patron saint, which was beheaded.

Martínez explained to EWTN News that during the month of July — which is dedicated to this saint and bishop — the statue is placed on a cart in the parish courtyard so that the faithful can approach to venerate it.

The parish responded with a statement encouraging prayers “for the person who committed this outrage” and urging everyone “to continue walking in the light of faith, creating bonds, ties, and better ways of living as a society and as a Christian community,” Martínez explained.

Facing this moment of “pain and sadness,” Martínez said the next step is to “strengthen our faith” and our sense of fraternity, and to “be signs of communion,” because such a profanation “is undoubtedly outrageous and distressing, yet it also strengthens us.”

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.

Krakowiak was apprehended in the village of Cerno, near Ljubuški, shortly after the incident on July 28. A local man, Ivan Vučić, recognized and detained him before handing him over to the authorities. Bosnian judicial authorities have charged him with damaging or destroying religious property. He could face a prison sentence ranging from six months to five years.

A hearing was held July 30 in which the prosecution proposed ordering the accused held in pretrial detention “due to the risk that he might flee or repeat the offense,” according to the local outlet Avaz.

The prosecutor reported that Krakowiak “showed no remorse during questioning” and stated that, through the attacks, he sought to demonstrate “that the visions are a fraud and that the whole thing is a fabrication.” The Polish national declined legal representation during the hearing and, according to local media, said he wanted to remain in prison.

A difficult childhood

“Bartek,” a common diminutive of his name in Poland, has his own conversion story from Medjugorje, which he recounted in a film released in 2024: “Called 2” produced by the Powołany Film Foundation.

Sharing his testimony in the film, Krakowiak recalled coming “from a family with a history of alcoholism,” a disease that afflicted his great-grandfather, his grandfather, and his father. “Because of that, from a very young age, I thought it was normal,” he noted.

His father was “very aggressive” and abused him. He began to feel “more at ease” on the streets, so he started running away from home. Amid an environment of poverty and deprivation of all kinds, his father’s beatings grew worse, until eventually his mother decided to move out.

“I also became a very peculiar person because I took out all the anger I carried inside on others. I wanted people to suffer as much as I did,” Krakowiak said.

At the age of 18, he met a girl who soon became pregnant. Krakowiak said that this pregnancy made him feel “unconditional love for the first time,” marking a turning point in his life. Sadly, his girlfriend suffered a miscarriage in her sixth month.

“That was when I realized that what my father had said — that I didn’t deserve love, that I would never achieve anything, that I was worthless — was true. That was when I sank even deeper into alcoholism, drugs, and violence,” he remarked.

Amid despair and resentment toward God and his family, Krakowiak decided to take his own life: “I was deeply in debt and suffering from depression and anxiety. I knew I was going to do it that day, and I remember the moment I opened the window and the fear left me.”

‘I am with you’: A journey to Medjugorje

Standing at the window, no longer afraid of the suffering he would leave behind upon his death, Krakowiak received a notification on his phone: A rapper had released a new song titled “I Am With You.”

The song was about the love of Jesus Christ and his closeness during times of greatest difficulty. “That I would overcome this, that he loves me, fights for me, and desires me. It was such a powerful experience — so powerful for me — that I closed the window, and a great hope simply filled my heart that something would change,” Krakowiak recalled.

Afterward, having surrendered himself to God’s will, asking only to be made happy, he heard the word “Medjugorje” deep within himself, though he could not quite describe how. He then understood that he “had to go there” and that, through that journey, God would transform his life. Without delay, he began preparing for the trip of over 800 miles.

“During this trip, I experienced a powerful presence of God. I simply felt his physical presence, that he was with me. During that time, extraordinary miracles occurred in my life, and I saw things I had never seen before,” he said.

“I remember passing the Medjugorje sign and, for the first time in my life, feeling proud of myself. For the first time in my life, I felt proud of who I was and what I was. And although I still had much to process and experience, I simply came to know the living God, the living Christ, who exists and who rose from the dead,” he added.

After returning from Medjugorje, he dedicated himself “to evangelizing, serving, and bringing people closer to God,” striving to show them that “he loves them, fights for them, and that there is hope.” By the time the film premiered, Krakowiak stated that he had been married for five years and was then a father for three.

The shrine restored in record time

The Medjugorje shrine reported on July 28 that the statue of Our Lady that was vandalized on the hill of the alleged apparitions has already been completely restored, thanks to the work of the parish community and members of the Cenacolo Community.

In addition, the outdoor altar of St. James the Apostle Parish was also restored and activities at the shrine have resumed.

Instagram post

“The shrine remains open to all pilgrims. The prayer program is taking place regularly, and all the spaces are being rapidly cleaned and prepared so that they can once again be a place of prayer and encounter with the Lord through the intercession of the Queen of Peace,” the parish office reported in a statement.

“In a special way, we invite all faithful to respond to this event in the way that Our Lady has been teaching us for over 40 years in Medjugorje: with prayer, fasting, and forgiveness,” the parish stated.

The Vatican has approved the “spiritual experience” taking place in Medjugorje, without recognizing the supernatural nature of the alleged apparitions.

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 Aug. 2 message shared on X, Argüello declared: “Biopolitics is key to current global power. Life is toyed with, and people — their dreams, hunger, sexuality, and data — are exploited for the sake of profit and power.”

“Migration is part of this strategy. The invasion of Ceuta is a test. Demography is a weapon,” the prelate added. Since July 31, the Spanish city of Ceuta — located on the African coast of the Strait of Gibraltar — has been facing an extremely grave situation following the illegal entry of some 60,000 people who swam from Morocco, skirting the Tarajal breakwater.

As a result, at least 72 people are believed to have lost their lives during the crossing, though the death toll is estimated to potentially exceed 100. While it is estimated that the majority of those who crossed the border irregularly have returned to Morocco, around 5,000 people still remain on the streets of the autonomous city.

Up to 22 European Union countries have pointed to the recent mass legalization of immigrants carried out in Spain — and backed by the Catholic Church — as a contributing factor to the current migration crisis.

Meanwhile, a recent Spanish court ruling invalidated the practice of so-called “hot returns” (immediate, summary expulsions) in cases where illegal entry into the country was made by swimming, as occurred on July 31.

The bishop of Sant Feliú de Llobregat, the Dominican Xabier Gómez — speaking in his capacity as the official responsible for Migration and Interculturality for the Tarraconense Episcopal Conference — stated in a reflection that "we are not facing an ordinary migration crisis."

The “terrible and very real human drama” that unfolded has benefited neither those who took to the sea risking their lives nor the citizens of Ceuta, who “have the right to live in safety, free from alarm, and in peaceful coexistence.”

However, it has served the interests of “those who use human mobility as a tool for political pressure, those seeking to strain diplomatic relations through potential ‘hybrid threats,’ those who play on public fear, and those who turn the suffering of others and fear into electoral gain.”

After ruling out the recent Spanish Supreme Court ruling or the regulatory process as the root causes of the situation, Gómez recalled the words of Pope Leo XIV regarding the migration issue — spoken during his recent trip to Spain, which included a visit to the Canary Islands, a region that has also been heavily impacted by the mass migration phenomenon.

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 memory of that religious persecution, however, has largely been constructed around its martyrs, leaving in the background those who endured the same brutality but did not receive the palm of martyrdom.

A new book by Spanish priest and theologian Monsignor Melchor Sánchez de Toca Alameda brings to light the stories of Catholics who survived the upheaval and violence of those years.

Published in Spanish by publishing house Didaskalos under the title “Los mártires que no fueron. Salvados, clandestinos, refugiados, evadidos y muertos de la persecución religiosa en España (1936–1939)” (“The Martyrs Who Were Not: Survivors, Underground Catholics, Refugees, Escapees and Victims of Religious Persecution in Spain, 1936–1939”), the book recounts the experiences of people who escaped death, lived in hiding, fled dangerous areas, or died during the Spanish Civil War under circumstances that did not meet the Church’s criteria for martyrdom.

Sánchez de Toca, a relator at the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, has worked on numerous causes of martyrdom connected with the religious persecution of the 1930s.

That experience, he told ACI Prensa, inspired him to begin collecting the stories of those whose lives had received less attention.

“Those who went through the persecution and did not die in it, or who died during that period but without the grace of martyrdom, had been left somewhat in the shadows,” he said.

Would-be martyrs

The book presents a broad collection of men and women who endured the same trial as the martyrs but met a different fate.

Some escaped death through unexpected circumstances. Others remained hidden for years while sustaining a Church forced underground. Some fled the most dangerous areas, while others died during the war without their deaths being recognized as martyrdom.

“Not all saints who live through a religious persecution attain the palm of martyrdom by dying in it, and not everyone who dies during a persecution is a martyr,” Sánchez de Toca explained.

Rather than attempting an exhaustive catalog, the author selected figures who have been canonized or are currently the subjects of beatification causes, offering a different perspective on the dramatic events of the period.

Among the better-known figures are St. Maravillas of Jesus, St. Josemaría Escrivá, Blessed Álvaro del Portillo, Venerable José María García Lahiguera, Blessed Pere Tarrés, Isidoro Zorzano, and Servant of God Carmen Hidalgo, co-founder of the Oblate Sisters of Christ the Priest.

The book also features lesser-known people whose lives were marked by the persecution, including Ismael de Tomelloso, known as “the saintly militiaman”; Antonio Rivera, called “the angel of the Alcázar”; and Jesuit Father Fernando Huidobro, a chaplain to the Spanish Legion.

Those three cases initially attracted the author’s interest. Although all suffered the consequences of the war and two died from wounds or at the front, none can be considered martyrs in the strict sense.

“There were attempts to present them as martyrs, especially during the postwar period through Francoist propaganda,” Sánchez de Toca said.

They were sometimes described using a phrase common at the time, “fallen for God and for Spain.” The circumstances of their deaths, however, did not satisfy the requirements established by the Church for the recognition of martyrdom.

The underground Church

One of the book’s most distinctive sections reconstructs the daily lives of Catholics who remained in Republican-controlled territory and were forced to practice their faith clandestinely.

A chapter devoted to “the underground and the prayerful home front” recounts the experiences of courageous men and women who organized secret networks to assist priests in hiding, enable the celebration of the sacraments and keep Catholic religious practice alive.

“They created assistance networks that would not be out of place in the best spy novels,” Sánchez de Toca said.

Isidoro Zorzano, Venerable José María García Lahiguera and Mother Carmen Hidalgo organized a network of financial assistance for priests who had survived.

“They provided them with the materials needed to celebrate Mass and then redistributed Communion, taking it to homes through underground agents,” he explained.

Crossing the front lines

Another chapter recounts the stories of Catholics who crossed the front lines through exceptionally dangerous operations.

They include Blessed Álvaro del Portillo, who crossed through the battlefront; Servant of God Tomás Alvira, who accompanied St. Josemaría Escrivá across the Pyrenees; and Venerable Sister Justa Domínguez de Vidaurreta, a superior of the Daughters of Charity who escaped Madrid after numerous difficulties and eventually settled in Pamplona.

The burden of survival

Sánchez de Toca was also struck by what is commonly known as survivor’s guilt, a psychological phenomenon experienced by many who escaped persecution.

Although a chapter devoted to the subject was removed for editorial reasons, the author said many survivors spent the rest of their lives wrestling with a troubling question: Why had they survived while so many of their companions had been killed?

“It is not always easy to answer the question: ‘Why did the Lord not want me to be a martyr when so many of my companions were killed?’” he said.

Saved at the last moment

Some of the book’s most dramatic passages recount the experiences of people who escaped what appeared to be certain death.

One of the most striking accounts concerns an Augustinian friar imprisoned in Madrid during the persecution.

According to Sánchez de Toca, the friar’s hands had already been tied and he was preparing to be transported to Paracuellos when an unknown person cut his ropes and whispered: “Turn around and go back to your cell. Don’t look back.”

The friar obeyed mechanically and survived.

“He returned to his cell and began trembling and convulsing from the post-traumatic shock so violently that several companions had to hold him down,” Sánchez de Toca recounted.

Others survived because of errors in prisoner lists or the unexpected intervention of anonymous people. Many interpreted their rescue as an act of divine providence and spent the rest of their lives wondering why they had been chosen to survive.

The author also addresses crimes committed by Nationalist forces. Father Huidobro, for example, denounced the summary executions of prisoners in complaints submitted to Gen. Francisco Franco’s headquarters.

A lesson for today

Beyond their historical value, Sánchez de Toca said he believes the biographies offer lessons of particular relevance to Christians today.

“They all lived with a clear vocation to martyrdom,” he said.

According to the author, martyrdom was part of the spiritual horizon of many Spanish Catholics even before the outbreak of the Civil War.

“This can be seen in their letters, homilies, and conversations as an expression of their willingness to give their lives for Christ if necessary,” he said.

Sánchez de Toca also highlighted the extraordinary apostolic creativity Catholics demonstrated under extreme circumstances.

“This is another enduring lesson for our time,” he concluded. “The Holy Spirit inspires apostolic creativity in the circumstances in which each person lives.”

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.

“Regrettably, I find Father Michael Mary guilty of the charges brought against him, most notably that of schism. He is therefore declared to be excommunicated, dismissed from ecclesiastical office, and prohibited from the celebration of Mass or the other sacraments,” Gilbert said in a statement released July 25.

Gilbert’s statement came after Sim’s participation in an illicit ordination, which the bishop described as “a clear break with the Church.”

Gilbert added that Sim and his congregation “have removed themselves from the communion of the Catholic Church, and the faithful of the diocese should have no dealings with them.”

Augustinian nuns evacuate monastery amid wildfires in Spain

A community of Augustinian nuns at the Monasterio de la Conversión in Avila, Spain, is “waiting for a grace that will allow us to return home” after being evacuated amid wildfires.

The sisters said in a statement on Monday that they have been staying with another community of Augustinian sisters at the convent of Saint Ildefonso in Talavera, about 26 miles from their community.

“We are here sharing as sisters and waiting for a grace that will allow us to return home,” the sisters said. “We especially ask for prayers for all the volunteers and security forces who are trying to extinguish the fires without rest. We ask the Virgin of Remedies to protect us all.”

Priest calls for prayers as fuel crisis brings Gaza to standstill

Father Gabriel Romanelli of Holy Family Parish in Gaza called for prayers as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is being compounded by a worsening fuel shortage, crippling transportation across the territory, ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News, reported July 28.

Romanelli said residents are struggling to reach hospitals, workplaces, and even loved ones, while soaring prices have made alternative means of transport almost impossible to afford.

The parish has not been spared. Most of its vehicles are now out of service because of damaged engines and a lack of spare parts, yet it continues caring for displaced families and organizing summer activities for children, asking the faithful to keep Gaza and its people in their prayers.

Antilles bishops issue pastoral guidance on sexual and gender identity

The bishops of the Antilles Episcopal Conference have distributed guidance to Catholics in the Caribbean on the Church’s theological teachings about human biology amid rising “tides of ideologies that seek to redefine the human person, love, and sexuality.”

“In a context where language has been redefined and ideologies are presented as compassion, we must proclaim a truth that liberates rather than constrains,” the bishops said in the document published on Sunday titled “Pastoral Letter on Sexual and Gender Identity.”

The bishops further called on the faithful to “resist narratives that suggest the human person is a self-made project, detached from biological reality or moral order.”

Christians in Syria call for lasting security

Another security incident has renewed fears in the predominantly Christian city of Al-Suqaylabiyah in western Syria, where residents say recurring outbreaks of armed violence can no longer be addressed with temporary measures alone, ACI MENA reported.

Following the latest unrest, demonstrators gathered to demand tighter control over illegal weapons and greater protection for the city. In a separate statement, the Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarchate confirmed that a break-in at its Damascus headquarters was an isolated criminal act with no religious or political motive, while urging the public to avoid speculation and rumors.

French bishops urge Catholics to foster solidarity in response to wildfires

The presidency of the Bishops’ Conference of France is calling on Catholics to “take a generous part in the momentum of solidarity that is being put in place” in the aftermath of recent wildfires.

“We encourage parishes to leave their churches open, when possible: Many offer a refuge of freshness in the heart of the summer heat,” the conferenceʼs leadership said in a statement signed this week by Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline, archbishop of Marseille and president of the conference; Bishop Vincent Jordy, archbishop of Tours and vice president; and Bishop Benoît Bertrand, bishop of Pontoise and vice president.

“We know that the heat wave will continue and that these extreme weather events may be repeated,” the bishops said. “That is why, at this time when many take a few days of rest, we also call on the Christian communities not to forget the sick, elderly, or isolated people but to redouble their attention to them and to organize themselves, in parish, to show them a fraternal and faithful presence.”

Summer becomes time of faith for thousands in United Arab Emirates

Nearly 2,000 children are spending part of their summer in Catholic parishes across the United Arab Emirates, where faith formation is being combined with games, workshops, music, and community life.

Each parish has adopted its own spiritual theme, ranging from sacred Scripture to the jubilee and the spirituality of St. Francis of Assisi, ACI MENA reported.

Apostolic Vicar Bishop Paolo Martinelli, OFMCap, described the gatherings as a hopeful sign for the Church, thanking the many young volunteers who are helping children grow in faith while discovering that Christian life is also a call to service.

2 Irish dioceses consolidated under one bishop

Bishop Gerard Nash of the Diocese of Ferns in Ireland will now also serve as the bishop of Ossory, the Vatican announced on July 29, uniting the two dioceses “in persona Episcopi.”

“I am deeply honored to have been asked by Pope Leo to become bishop of Ossory in addition to my existing pastoral role in the Diocese of Ferns,” Nash said in a statement following the announcement.

“The challenge of being one bishop for two dioceses is a mirror of the experience of many priests in modern Ireland as they take on responsibility for more than one parish,” he said, noting that one area the two dioceses could work together on would be fostering vocations to the priesthood and religious life.

Patriarch Nona makes Lebanon his first overseas visit

Lebanon has become the first stop abroad for Chaldean Patriarch Mar Paul III Nona since his election in April, reflecting the close ties between the Chaldean and Maronite Churches.

During the visit, he met President Joseph Aoun, visited fellow Eastern patriarchs, and joined celebrations surrounding the beatification of Patriarch Elias Hoyek, ACI MENA reported.

The patriarch also highlighted Lebanonʼs importance for Christians across the Middle East, describing the country as a strategic pillar for the regionʼs Christian presence while expressing support for Iraqi refugees living there.

Bishop Zaidan expresses solidarity with bishops, faithful of South Sudan

Bishop Elias Zaidan expressed his “solidarity and fraternal unity” with the Catholic Church in South Sudan amid ongoing instability in the region.

“On behalf of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace, I write to express our continued solidarity and fraternal unity with the bishops and faithful of South Sudan,” Zaidan, who currently serves as chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on International Justice and Peace, said in a letter on Tuesday addressed to Bishop Eduardo Hiiboro Kussala of Tombura-Yambio.

“Be assured of our steadfast prayers for the South Sudanese people at this time of severe economic hardship, deadly violence, environmental and food insecurity, and contestation surrounding the country’s Transitional Constitution framework.”

“In recent days, three churches in our diocese in Chambray-lès-Tours, Luynes, and Tours (St.Joan of Arc Church) have been targeted by malicious individuals,” the archdiocese said in a July 28 statement.

The text specifies that “offering boxes were looted and damaged, doors forced open, sacred vessels damaged, a tabernacle forced open, and the Blessed Sacrament desecrated.”

“These painful and hurtful events for the Catholic community unfortunately reveal the extent to which our society is permeated by disturbing forms of violence, a lack of culture, and a lack of civility,” the statement laments.

Finally, the text notes without specifying dates that “Masses of reparation will be celebrated in the desecrated churches.”

Michel Lamy, the mayor of Chambray-lès-Tours, condemned the desecration of the church in his town, stating: “These acts fill me with deep indignation and are simply unacceptable.”

“Nothing can justify an attack on a place of worship, our heritage, and what it represents for many residents of Chambray,” the mayor stated on his Facebook page.

The mayor posted photos of the desecration, showing Communion hosts scattered on the ground and excrement on the floor.

“I condemn this desecration in the strongest possible terms and offer my full support to the parish community, Father François Xavier Olayemy Oniossou, and all those deeply shocked by these events,” the mayor added.

“In Chambray-lès-Tours, as elsewhere, respect for places of worship, regardless of one’s convictions, is a fundamental value,” he stated.

In November 2024, similar acts of desecration occurred at four churches in the Archdiocese of Tours. Archbishop Vincent Jordy stated at the time that “there may be people who wish to express at times hatred toward the Church, or toward what she represents.”

“There is this type of phenomenon that unfortunately exists — we say it in the communique — and which manifests a lack of culture and a form of contempt for peopleʼs [way of] life and faith,” the prelate lamented at the time.

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

The Diocese of Cádiz and Ceuta, led by Apostolic Administrator Ramón Valdivia (auxiliary bishop of Seville), expressed in a statement its “deep concern regarding the gravity of the events and the particular vulnerability of so many people affected by this situation.”

The diocese reiterated its readiness “to collaborate with civil institutions and competent bodies” to address “any needs that may arise.”

In support of this commitment, the diocese has directed that the entirety of the collections taken up this weekend in Ceutaʼs parishes be allocated to the diocesan migrant ministry in order to channel aid through the San Antonio Migrant Care Center.

“We thank the faithful and all people of goodwill in advance for their generosity, and we invite Christian communities to pray earnestly for those who are suffering, for those responsible for managing this situation, and for all who work to build paths of peace, justice, and hope,” the statement concludes.

On social media the bishops’ Commission for Social Pastoral Care and Human Promotion of the Spanish Bishops’ Conference called for “measures addressing this situation to be taken within the framework of current law, with respect for human dignity, and avoiding manipulation for partisan ends.”

Court ruling that precipitated the surge

Migrants are entering Spanish territory by swimming around the Tarajal breakwater, a border structure that extends into the sea located south of the autonomous city of Ceuta continuing the border fence that separates the Spanish town from Moroccan territory on land. The crossing, which can sometimes last for hours, is fraught with danger; Spanish authorities have already reported the recovery of more than 40 bodies.

On June 29, Spain’s Supreme Court issued a ruling rejecting the practice of “hot returns” (summary expulsions) applied to migrants intercepted at sea who attempt to swim into the Spanish territories of Ceuta and Melilla in Africa.

The high court determined that this method of illegal entry into the country takes place without getting over any border barrier as occurs when scaling a border fence and therefore the Law on Immigration’s Tenth Additional Provision cannot be applied.

The referenced section of the regulation stipulates that foreign nationals detected at the border line of demarcation of the territory of Ceuta or Melilla while attempting to get over a border barrier in order to enter illegally “may be turned back to prevent their illegal entry into Spain."

The Supreme Court ruling further stated that “nothing would prevent” the application of this provision for automatic return “were containment measures to be established at sea to protect the border line.”

Calls to exclude Spain from Europeʼs Schengen Area

The president of the autonomous city of Ceuta, Juan Jesús Vivas, requested that the central government on the Spanish mainland declare a national emergency so that Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez could assume unified command of the situation and adopt “decisive” measures.

However, the request was rejected, even though the current situation involves a volume of arrivals many times greater than the last migratory wave the city experienced in 2021 when a group of around 12,000 people arrived, a figure nearly four times smaller.

The vulnerability of the borders of Spain’s African territories has led Italy and Finland to back a proposal to exclude Spain from the Schengen Area, the zone of free movement for people that comprises 29 European countries.

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.

Situated next to the imposing Gothic cathedral where Cistercians have prayed for centuries, this depository of knowledge preserved a medieval manuscript whose significance has since come to light.

In 2024, Paul Alexander Nebauer, an independent researcher specializing in the medieval history of the former Cistercian monastery of Bad Doberan in Germany, contacted Christian Tornau, a professor of classical philology (Latin studies) at the University of Würzburg, to propose a mission to him: He had located a medieval codex containing several sermons attributed to St. Augustine and needed help identifying and translating them.

Tornau, considered one of Germany’s leading specialists on the works of St. Augustine of Hippo and Christian literature of late antiquity, accepted the challenge.

To an untrained observer, the manuscript might appear to be little more than a collection of aged pages, yellowed in hue with the smell of an ancient document.

However, the exhaustive philological research conducted by Tornau together with Clemens Weidmann, a researcher at the “Corpus Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum Latinorum” (Corpus of Latin Ecclesiastical Writings or CSEL, by its Latin acronym) in Vienna, Austria, and a team of young scholars ultimately revealed a discovery of immense importance.

The manuscript was copied at the Doberan monastery during the 12th century and may have been transcribed from an older codex originating from Amelungsborn, a historic Cistercian monastery located in the present-day German state of Lower Saxony.

Of the four sermons analyzed, two were already known to specialists: one recognized as authentically Augustinian and another classified as pseudo-Augustinian. The other two, however, could not be immediately identified.

“We transcribed the new texts and began analyzing them with a view to a future edition. We were fascinated, of course, by the idea of ​​having found new sermons by St. Augustine, but we soon became skeptical because, in some places, the sermons did not seem to have been written by Augustine,” Tornau explained to ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News.

2 years of research to verify authenticity

Without letting themselves get carried away by the initial rush of excitement, the researchers wanted to subject the discovery to the highest academic standards before validating it. “Our final verdict that they are authentic is the result of continuous philological work during nearly two years,” noted the German scholar.

Part of this work was carried out during a summer school organized by the CSEL in Vienna in 2025, attended by doctoral students and early-career researchers specializing in early Christian literature. Following a meticulous analysis of the texts and their transmission into a manuscript, the team concluded that there were no serious objections to attributing them to St. Augustine.

According to the researcher, although several centuries of textual transmission separate the era of St. Augustine (fifth century) from the surviving manuscript, the document offers a surprisingly reliable version.

“Several centuries lie between Augustine and this 12th-century scribe, so it is easy to imagine that errors occurred during transmission. Nevertheless, we have a very good text, and with a few critical corrections, we can largely reconstruct what St. Augustine said,” he explained.

Among the most compelling arguments are the dating of the sermons to late antiquity — between the fifth and seventh centuries — as well as the description of liturgical practices that, in Tornau’s words, “would be unimaginable in the Middle Ages.”

Furthermore, according to the researcher, “the background is North African, as is evident from the concluding prayer of the first sermon, which is attested only in Africa of late antiquity.”

Specialists also confirmed that the author possessed a profound understanding of Augustinian thought, without, however, merely reproducing it mechanically.

“The preacher is familiar with the thought and works of St. Augustine, but he does not simply copy them — which could be a sign of inauthenticity,” he explained.

He further added that “the sermons contain nothing that could not have been said by Augustine, whether from a linguistic, exegetical, or theological standpoint.”

After comparing expressions, arguments, and textual features against the extant body of Augustinian works, the researchers reached a firm conclusion.

“Since the preacher is indistinguishable from St. Augustine, we consider it methodologically sound to accept St. Augustine’s authorship rather than inventing an anonymous ‘disciple’ or ‘follower,’” Tornau explained.

A biblical passage that posed a major theological problem

The two sermons center on one of the most complex episodes in the Old Testament: King Saul’s consultation with the medium or “witch” of Endor, recounted in Chapter 28 of the First Book of Samuel.

According to the biblical account, abandoned by God and in despair over the threat posed by the Philistines, Saul turns to a necromancer to summon the prophet Samuel. The prophet appears and foretells his imminent death.

“This narrative posed a problem for early Christian exegesis. How could a necromancer wield magical, diabolical power over Samuel, a saint of God? Is God unable or unwilling to prevent it? Evidently, this raises the question of theodicy,” Tornau explained.

According to Britannica, theodicy is “an explanation of why a perfectly good, almighty, and all-knowing God permits evil.”

Before St. Augustine, two main interpretations prevailed. The first held that Samuel had actually appeared, albeit by divine will or permission, and not as a result of magic. The second maintained that the apparition was, in reality, an evil spirit assuming the prophetʼs appearance to deceive Saul.

What is new is the emergence of two specific sermons in which the bishop of Hippo addresses the matter before his congregation without ruling out either possibility.

“In the new sermons, St. Augustine discusses both possibilities along with their advantages and drawbacks and concludes that both are acceptable because neither contradicts the Christian faith,” the professor noted.

For Tornau, this stance reflects a distinctive trait of the bishop of Hippo. “This openness to divergent interpretations of Scripture is characteristic of Augustine in general,” he observed.

According to the specialist, this doctor of the Church, one of the most significant and influential minds in the history of philosophy, adopts an attitude far more willing to dialogue than other ancient authors, who tended to engage in harsh polemics against opposing views.

The great surprise: Saul may have been saved

The most striking aspect of the new texts is a hypothesis previously unknown to the Augustinian tradition.

“The most notable element of the new sermons is the idea that Saul, after hearing Samuel’s prophecy, could have repented and been redeemed,” Tornau noted.

According to the researcher, this interpretation has no parallels in either the known works of the bishop of Hippo or in early Christian exegesis, where the figure of Saul is typically portrayed in a decidedly negative light.

In these sermons, St. Augustine seems to suggest that even a figure as controversial as Israel’s first king might have ultimately opened himself to divine grace.

“The idea may be an original invention of Augustine’s, or perhaps he had access — directly or indirectly — to Rabbinic Jewish exegesis, which is far more positive regarding Saul,” the specialist noted.

Be that as it may, Tornau said he believes this interpretation sheds light on a fundamental aspect of Augustinian thought.

“His intellectual independence and his willingness to consider that anyone, even those who seem most wicked, is capable of attaining salvation through the grace of God” is striking, Tornau commented.

For the expert, this insight accurately reflects the personality of the great Church Father who died in the year 430 and whose work has shaped European theology, philosophy, spirituality, and culture for centuries: “This combines intellectual honesty and episcopal humility in a remarkable and very Augustinian way.”

The next step is to prepare a critical edition of the Latin text with a German translation and a substantial introduction that will explain the history of the discovery; describe the manuscript, its contents and dating; and place the new sermons in the context of St. Augustine’s body of work and the history of Christian exegesis. The publication could appear in early 2027.

The discovery has already sparked numerous reactions in academic and ecclesiastical circles. “Perhaps also because the pope is an Augustinian, which has heightened interest in St. Augustine,” remarked Tornau, who said he hopes to personally present the future critical edition to Leo XIV.

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.

"Personally, I think thereʼs something that needs to happen first, and thatʼs the fixing of the funding of palliative care and social care,” Burnham said on July 29. "I think it is very challenging to introduce that wider debate in a context of people not receiving that care and having the peace of mind about that care.”

Burnham spoke with reporters after outlining his social‑care reform plans at Jewish Care in Golders Green, a northwest London suburb. Burnham, a Catholic, praised the facility for its “model of community” and the Jewish values that shape its care in a July 29 op-ed following the speech.

“They understand that care means treating people not as the sum of their different ailments, but as a human being with history and character, deserving of all the dignity and respect that comes with that,” he wrote. “Building a stronger care system and building a stronger country begin with the same belief: that every person belongs, that every community matters, and that no one should ever be made to feel like a stranger in the place they call home.”

Burnham said England must urgently fix social care, which supports people with daily living needs. The U.K.’s publicly funded national health system cannot recover without it, Burnham said.

Burnham’s speech came after the House of Commons passed the end-of-life bill, but the measure did not advance in the House of Lords. The bill will be debated again in the next parliamentary session.

In the central area of ​​Spain alone, 12 towns have been evacuated and another three are under a shelter-in-place order due to the wave of forest fires that in recent days have devastated thousands of acres. At least 50,000 people have been affected in the area.

Faced with this human tragedy, the Catholic Church has set to work providing material aid, shelter, a listening ear, and the sacraments in efforts overseen by the auxiliary bishop of Getafe, José María Avendaño.

Father Álvaro Piñero is the vicar of the parish in Villaviciosa de Odón, one of the towns serving as a place of refuge for those fleeing the fires who had nowhere else to go. Throughout the weekend, he has been coordinating the aid provided by the parish to the more than 300 displaced people arriving from Chapinería, Pelayos de la Presa, Navas del Rey, and other towns.

Along with the residents, the parish priests from those towns are also being sheltered because as Piñero explained to ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, “even when displaced, one remains a priest and continues to minister to the people of oneʼs town.”

“Many of the volunteers helping at the sports center are from Caritas or local confraternities from the town; they have ties to the parish,” noted Piñero, who is from Valdemoro, a nearby town where he has gone to pick up hosts for Mass.

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In addition to providing food and meeting material needs, the Church offers the treasure of the faith and the sacraments: “At the sports center, we have been attending to people, listening to them, hearing their confessions and above all, listening to so many suffering people. At the end of the day, the people here are extremely vulnerable.”

The authorities specifically entrusted the care of the children to the parish. The youngsters are kept entertained with games and activities, so much so that when asked if they want to return home, some say no, “because it feels like camp.”

Despite the magnitude of the tragedy, heart-wrenching from a purely human perspective, a supernatural outlook and a shepherd’s heart keep hope alive.

“As St. Paul said in the reading: We hold this treasure in earthen vessels so that not only death but the glory of the Lord may be manifested in our lives. That is somewhat what we are experiencing; while we are keenly feeling the drama of so many very difficult situations, Providence is also taking super good care of us,” Piñero emphasized.

“If God is looking after us now in this situation, why would he fail me tomorrow? If he is doing so now, then I believe trust is what sustains us in these moments, and not blind trust, but a trust we can tangibly feel here and now,” he explained, referring to the help provided by so many volunteers and donors.

‘The Lord is going through this evacuation with us’

One of the areas hardest hit by the fire is the Tiétar Valley, home to the town of Rozas de Puerto Real and the minor seminary of the Diocese of Getafe, where 130 students, 35 of whom are seminarians, normally study.

The facility, currently spared by the flames, is in grave danger. A summer camp was taking place there until participants had to be evacuated on July 25, the feast of St. James the Apostle.

“We were already surrounded by smoke and had to evacuate all the young people; it was done very quickly. In less than 25 minutes, the entire seminary had been cleared, and although there was great fear, everyoneʼs efforts made it possible,” Father Eliert Jerez, rector of the minor seminary, told ACI Prensa.

In addition to the people, they removed the statues of the Immaculate Conception and St. Joseph, the archives, and the tabernacles containing the Blessed Sacrament from the site; these were taken to Villaviciosa de Odón, where Jerez is currently taking shelter.

The moment the Body of Christ was being moved was captured on video. “I canʼt get that moment out of my head, and I donʼt want to let it go from my heart either,” the priest shared.

“When you hold the Blessed Sacrament in your hand, when you can’t wear a cope or liturgical vestments — you realize the Lord’s closeness in those moments. You realize that the Lord was going through this evacuation with us, and I imagine he was also in this prayer and this plea for it to end,” he added.

It’s precisely in prayer that they are finding great comfort: “Prayer is working real miracles such as the fact that the seminary has not yet been engulfed by the flames,” explained the rector, even as the burden of responsibility weighs heavily on him: “Many of our seminarians are going to be left homeless. Many of our seminarians will face immense difficulties in continuing their formation.”

It’s not just for their sake that Jerez is aware of how this situation will transform life in the region for years to come: “So many towns have been affected. Many people will not get their jobs back because they make their living from the land, and that is very difficult to recover from. Many people have lost not only their homes but also their prospects for the future, and this is a reality that will stay with us in the years ahead.”

Indeed, he admitted to his deep unease: “I have had trouble sleeping ever since the first flames appeared.”

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.

Gaelic football is a traditional Irish team sport that blends elements of rugby, soccer, and basketball.

Legend has it that after winning their last All Ireland in 1951, the victorious Mayo team disrupted a funeral procession during their open-top lorry celebrations. In response, according to lore, a furious priest “cursed” the team, declaring that Mayo would not win another All Ireland title until every member of the 1951 squad had passed away. The last two members, Paddy Prendergast and Mick Loftus, passed away in 2021 and 2023, and this year is the first final the county has played — and won — since.

The historic win also took place on Reek Sunday, a traditional day of pilgrimage in County Mayo when thousands of Catholics climb Croagh Patrick holy mountain — a site forever associated with Ireland’s patron saint. To mark a marvelous day for the Mayo faithful, GAA President Jarlath Burns even mentioned Our Lady of Knock in his presentation speech to Mayo captain Jack Coyne in Croke Park.

The victory attracted acclaim from around the world. Former U.S. President Joe Biden’s family hails from County Mayo and he posted on social media: “Today, the dream becomes reality. Congratulations to my friends in Mayo. You earned this victory. Enjoy every minute. Sam is coming home.”

For the rest of the world the sporting focus this summer has been on the FIFA World Cup, but in Mayo fans agonized over whether this would finally be the year to end the 75-year losing streak.

Every July, the GAA Gaelic Football and Hurling championship finals take center stage, each attended by 82,000 fans in Croke Park Dublin. The finals are the showpiece occasion for the GAA, which is the largest amateur sports organization in the world.

Hurling continues to attract the attention and admiration of a growing international audience. It’s a nonstop, full-contact game played with sticks made from ash and a ball slightly smaller and lighter than a baseball. It traces its origins back to Celtic myth and legend.

Historic connection between the GAA and the Catholic Church

The Catholic connection to Ireland’s Gaelic sports is not coincidental. From its foundation in 1884, the GAA has had an almost symbiotic relationship with the Catholic Church. It is still present but no longer as evident.

There are GAA clubs globally wherever there is an Irish community, but in Ireland clubs are traditionally organized on a parish basis, relying on unpaid volunteers, with the best players selected to represent their county.

“Parish life revolved around the GAA and the Catholic faith — the two real pillars of life in Ireland,” Mickey Harte, who managed (County) Tyrone for three All-Ireland Senior football titles, told EWTN News. "The local priest would have been very heavily involved in the structure of the GAA club in the parish. Itʼs still a very strong connection, although thereʼs more of a secular outlook now.”

In Ireland, the GAA is more than a sporting organization, providing essential social fabric and support.

The GAA’s founding patron was the archbishop of Cashel and Emly, Thomas William Croke, after whom the famous stadium in Dublin is named. It was there that Pope Francis hosted the World Meeting of Families in 2018, and the GAA made Croke Park available for the World Eucharistic Congress in 1932. In years gone by, a bishop threw the ball in ceremonially on All Ireland final day.

Father Derek Ryan, a Redemptorist priest based in Drogheda and a GAA referee, said he sees a lessening of the link between the Catholic faith and the GAA, but “in times of tragedy, you can see how organized, compassionate, and supportive the GAA club can be to a community.”

Ryan pointed to the importance of the parish.

“The traditional loyalty to the parish is still the basis of the GAA. Itʼs about where youʼre living, where youʼre from, and parish boundary lines mark the border lines between local GAA clubs,” he said. “Club identity is woven into parish identity.”

Ryan highlighted the value of GAA clubs that provide a sense of community for the Irish diaspora.

“My own experience of living abroad in Africa and over in the United States is that these clubs become much more than sporting organizations, they become supportive centers,” he said. “If we didnʼt have these GAA clubs and communities throughout the world, we would be very much less well off.”

“How terrible! To brutally destroy such a joyful and moving celebration. In our prayers we are with all the victims and their relatives and friends, and also with all those whose joy hatred has taken away. Hatred must not win,” Archbishop Heiner Koch told the German Catholic news agency KNA.

The prelate said intercessions would be offered at Sunday Masses throughout the Archdiocese of Berlin for those affected and for peaceful coexistence in society.

What happened in the Tiergarten

According to media reports, a white minivan was driven at high speed into a densely packed crowd at Tiergarten park, the venue of the annual Christopher Street Day (CSD) event, at about 10 p.m. on July 25, roughly 1,300 feet outside the secured festival area, before crashing into a tree.

The driver then attacked bystanders with a machete and fled.

The suspect, identified in German media as Abdul B., was a 21-year-old German citizen of Lebanese background whom authorities had classified as a potential Islamist attacker.

According to NZZ, the Muslim attacker had previously attempted to join the Islamic State in Syria and was convicted in May of preparing a serious act of violence, receiving a suspended juvenile sentence.

The German newspaper Der Tagesspiegel reported that he had openly sympathized with the terrorist group.

The suspected terrorist was shot dead by police on Sunday evening in Berlin’s Spandau district after attacking officers with his bladed weapon.

Germany’s federal prosecutor has taken over the investigation, and Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt called the incident an “Islamist terrorist attack.”

‘We light a candle and pray’

Hundreds of thousands of people had taken part in the 48th Berlin CSD earlier on Saturday. The event was called off after the attack. On Sunday evening, hundreds attended an ecumenical memorial service at St. Mary’s Church in central Berlin, with Chancellor Friedrich Merz among those present.

The Federation of German Catholic Youth (BDKJ), which took part in the LGBT parade through its Berlin diocesan association, said it was “shocked and saddened.”

“We light a candle and pray for all those affected by this terrible act,” the organization said.

The Catholic Church unequivocally condemns all violence and every form of unjust discrimination against persons living with same-sex attraction. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, they “must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity” (No. 2358).

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

The statue of Our Lady on Podbrdo, or Apparition Hill, was doused with black paint across the face, chest, and dress, with the words “Devil in a skirt” scrawled on its pedestal, local media reported. The statue of Our Lady at the nearby Blue Cross was similarly defaced, with “EVIL” written on a nearby stone slab. A banner in Polish naming the six alleged seers was left near the Podbrdo statue.

Police in Čitluk received the first report at 4:30 a.m. and a report of fire at the recently renovated altar behind St. James parish church at 5 a.m., a police spokeswoman said reportedly. Surveillance footage shows a man dousing the altar with flammable liquid and igniting it. Cantonal police later confirmed to local media that a suspect was arrested Tuesday afternoon. His identity has not been released.

‘Prayer, fasting, and forgiveness’

“We received with great sadness the news of the act of vandalism that damaged the places of prayer in our parish,” the Medjugorje parish office said in a statement, calling on the faithful to respond “as Our Lady has been teaching us in Medjugorje for more than 40 years: with prayer, fasting, and forgiveness.”

Cleanup began immediately, the parish said, and “the shrine remains open to all pilgrims.”

Bishop Petar Palić of Mostar-Duvno expressed deep sorrow, urging the faithful not to let evil “infect us with its own logic,” while the Interreligious Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina condemned the attack.

The Vatican granted a “nihil obstat” to devotion at Medjugorje in September 2024. Mladifest opens Aug. 1 and is expected to draw 50,000 to 60,000 pilgrims.

“We have not forgotten Father Jacques Hamel. Ten years ago today, he was cowardly murdered by two Islamist terrorists — targeted because he embodied the rejection of hatred, as well as fraternity and hope,” the French leader wrote on his X account on July 26.

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“To his loved ones, his parishioners, all the inhabitants of Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray, and the Catholics of France, I extend the nation’s faithful, fraternal greetings,” Macron emphasized.

“His memory places a duty upon us. It compels us to tirelessly defend the freedom of conscience that the Republic guarantees and protects,” the French president continued, concluding: “In the face of Islamist terrorism, France remains united. True to its foundational values. Resolute not to yield anything to those who seek to divide us.”

Hamel’s murder

On July 26, 2016, two young Islamic State terrorists stormed the church of Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray in Rouen, France, and murdered 86-year-old Father Jacques Hamel while he was celebrating Mass.

Shouting “Allahu Akbar” (Arabic for “God is great”), the killers entered the church and began destroying religious images. The priest tried to stop them but was unable to do so. The terrorists attempted to force him to his knees, but he refused.

One of the killers stabbed him, and Hamel cried out, “Begone, Satan!” These were his last words, and they slit his throat.

The cause for Hamel’s beatification

The cause was announced on April 13, 2017, and officially opened on May 20 of that year.

The diocesan phase of the cause concluded on March 9, 2019, at Our Lady of the Annunciation Chapel of the Archdiocese of Rouen.

During that stage, 66 hearings were held, with testimony from the five witnesses to the murder, 51 summoned witnesses including siblings, friends, parishioners, and priests as well as five witnesses the tribunal called “ex officio” to ensure the process was not one-sided.

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 church, formally named the Church of St. John the Baptist and St. John the Apostle and Evangelist, has yielded a discovery that is both archaeological and religious.

It reveals an almost untouched vision of Catholic worship from the 18th century and offers new evidence that Lithuania was an important center of Europe’s shared Christian artistic tradition.

Researchers have confirmed that more than 2,000 square meters (21,500 square feet) of original Baroque murals remain preserved beneath later paint layers, making it one of the most authentic surviving Baroque church interiors in the Baltic region.

Baroque architecture was heavily promoted by the Catholic Church in the early 1600s to counter the austere architectural style present in Lutheran churches following the Reformation.

Starting in Rome, the style spread across Italy, Spain, and Portugal before gaining popularity in Austria, Poland, and Lithuania. Vilnius is today known as the “Rome of the North” because it boasts the largest collection of Baroque architecture in Eastern and Central Europe.

A rare moment of discovery

For lead conservator Indrė Valkiūnienė, the first glimpse of the hidden paintings immediately signaled that the team had uncovered something extraordinary.

“Uncovering the first painted figures brought a wonderful sense of discovery,” she told EWTN News. “It immediately became clear that they had been executed with great skill.” The paintings’ refined technique and vivid colors, she said, point to “highly accomplished painters active in 18th-century Vilnius.”

“An even greater sense of satisfaction came when we realized that the paintings had escaped later alterations and overpainting until the third decade of the 19th century,” Valkiūnienė said. “They were not overpainted because they could no longer be conserved, but because there was an intention to fundamentally change the decoration of the church interior.”

For Valkiūnienė, the paintings are important as works of art but also as expressions of Christian faith and culture in Vilnius and broader Lithuania.

“The character of Vilnius Baroque is expressed not only through architecture but also through the artistic conception of church interiors,” she explained. Churches were designed as unified sacred spaces where marble, stucco sculpture, gilding, and monumental paintings together proclaimed the Christian message.

The newly investigated vault paintings formed part of that unified program.

Historically across Europe, many Baroque church interiors have been repeatedly restored or repainted, leaving scholars to distinguish original artwork from later interventions. At St. John’s Church, the paintings were simply concealed.

Researchers have now identified the arrangement of scenes depicting the lives of St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist while also establishing the original color scheme and assessing the condition of the concealed paintings. This information will guide any future restoration.

For visitors today, Valkiūnienė believes the discovery places Lithuania firmly within Europe’s Christian artistic heritage.

A Jesuit church at the heart of Lithuania

The discovery carries added significance because St. John’s Church stands at the heart of Vilnius University, one of Eastern Europe’s oldest universities.

Founded by the Jesuits in 1579, it was one of just 23 Jesuit universities in Europe between the 16th and 18th centuries and, for nearly 200 years, the easternmost university on the continent. From there, it served as a leading center of Catholic learning during the Counter-Reformation, shaping the intellectual and spiritual life of the region.

The university also has close ties to one of the Church’s best-known modern devotions. Among its professors was Blessed Michał Sopoćko, the confessor and spiritual director of St. Faustina Kowalska, who encouraged the Polish nun to record her mystical experiences and helped spread the message of divine mercy throughout the Church.

For centuries, St. John’s Church also hosted royal ceremonies and gatherings of nobles, reflecting its central place in the religious and civic life of Lithuania.

More than restoring art

For Jesuit Father Aldonas Gudaitis, the chaplain of Vilnius University, the discovery is about far more than recovering historical paintings.

“The beauty of Baroque inspires young people to admire art,” he said. That fascination, he explained, often encourages them not only to explore Christian artistic traditions more deeply but also awakens an interest in the Christian faith itself. He believes the restoration also carries a powerful message for Lithuania, whose churches suffered greatly during decades of Soviet occupation.

Under the USSR, St. John’s Church was closed to worshippers, damaged while being stripped of its religious functions, and later repurposed as a warehouse.

Across the country, Gudaitis explained, restoring what was damaged or hidden has become a source of hope for many people. Comparing the process to the Catholic sacrament of reconciliation, Gudaitis said that just as forgiveness frees a person to live without the burden of guilt, restoring sacred art brings a similar spiritual renewal to communities.

“The restoration of art in churches enriches people spiritually,” he said. “It strengthens the hope that even a violent occupation cannot destroy what is beautiful and cherished.”

That message may ultimately become the discovery’s greatest legacy.

Beyond revealing one of the Baltic region’s largest surviving Baroque painting programs, the hidden murals of St. John’s Church remind Catholics that beauty created for the glory of God can endure through wars, occupations, and changing fashions, all while waiting patiently to inspire a new generation.

The Transalpine Redemptorists, or the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer, livestreamed the counterfeit ceremony from their monastery on Papa Stronsay, an island that forms part of the Orkney archipelago in Scotland.

Aberdeen Bishop Hugh Gilbert had warned in a pastoral letter on July 18 that the consecration would constitute an “act of schism” that would “place those engaged in it outside the Catholic Church.”

The ceremony was performed by Bishops Rodrigo Ribeiro da Silva, Fernando Altamira, and Pierre Roy. Gilbert referred to the three as “unauthorized bishops from the Americas.” The ersatz consecration was done on Father Michael Mary, a priest of the order and its rector.

The Transalpine Redemptorists earlier in 2026 publicly denied the legitimacy of the modern papacy. In May they released a sedevacantist statement declaring that they would give “no juridical recognition” to Pope Leo XIV and other popes who have “departed” from the faith in the decades since the Second Vatican Council.

The three bishops that performed the nominal consecration are reportedly sedevacantist as well.

Gilbert had previously warned of the consecration ceremony in June, noting that the event “would be celebrated without a papal mandate” and would be “unlawful and a grave act of disobedience.”

Even before the several controversies in 2026, the Transalpine Redemptorists had been involved in disputes regarding canonical violations.

In August 2025 the Vatican allowed the Diocese of Christchurch, New Zealand, to ban the order from public ministry in that diocese amid allegations of unauthorized exorcisms.

Christchurch Bishop Michael Gielen had said in July 2024 that the community had been subject to an apostolic visitation by Australian Bishop Robert McGuckin.

The bishop had removed the ministry faculties of the members after the Vatican’s recommendation and also asked the group “to leave the Christchurch Diocese.”