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.

Instagram post

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.

Tweet

“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.”

These are some of the findings of "The German-Austrian Cloister Study" conducted by Marc Luy of the Vienna Institute of Demography at the Austrian Academy of Sciences. The research project to study health, aging, and life expectancy investigated the factors of health and longevity that revealed the so-called "successful aging" — that is, a long and healthy life.

The research has drawn fresh attention in Europe this month after Benedictine Brother David Steindl-Rast marked his 100th birthday on July 12, as CNA Deutsch, the German-language sister service of EWTN News, reported.

It started in 1997 with a focus on the members of menʼs and womenʼs religious orders, as they have a very similar life and are easy to study. They resemble one another in daily regime, nutrition, living conditions, faith, and many other aspects that influence health and longevity, the study explains.

Around 16,600 order members participated (more than 9,000 nuns, with the rest monks) in Germany and Austria — with a few members living in Switzerland and Italy. The investigation included anonymous self-conducted questionnaires sent to more than 1,100 of the religious but went back as far as 1890 to consult the archives of numerous religious communities, which are helpful in providing data. Somewhat surprising results emerged.

About one year of difference in life expectancy between the two sexes is attributed to biological factors, according to the study. The bigger sex differences in life expectancy in the population are caused by non-biologically caused mortality of men and not by the low mortality of women, as is often believed.

The research also questioned the well-known saying that “women are sicker, but men die quicker.”

Luy set out two hypotheses at the start of the project. The first is that “the overall reversal in sex morbidity and sex mortality differentials occurs because conditions that figure importantly in morbidity are not very important in mortality, and vice versa.” The second is that it is “very likely that longevity is directly related to the absolute number of life years in ill health,” which means that “women show higher morbidity rates not because they are female but because they are the sex with higher life expectancy.”

Men in religious orders live on average about five years longer than men outside the cloister, and monastic life seems to reduce some of the risks that shorten life. Such communities provide an ordered daily routine and a structured schedule for work, eating, and prayer, long-term relationships, shared purpose, and the like. Therefore, one has ideal conditions for well-being both mentally and physically.

What is more, in a monastic community, people take care of one another, and physical or mental decline is usually recognized sooner. Likewise, chronic stress is reduced and prayer helps with emotional stability.

The main person behind the project, German social scientist Luy, who has been working in Austria since 2008, told EWTN News that it would be “interesting” to include religious orders from other countries. However, “this is a matter of resources,” he said.

“Nonetheless, I would not expect different results than those we have obtained from several orders in Germany and Austria,” he added.

Yet “being a monk or a nun does not necessarily mean living an easy and peaceful life,” Slovak religious Sister Cecília Kasanová told EWTN News.

The Dominican sister has been living for six years in the Monastery of St. Dominic and Sixtus of Our Lady of the Rosary in Rome, which safeguards the ancient Marian icon known as the "Advocata," carried across Rome by St. Dominic.

Although she admitted that a balanced lifestyle can influence longevity, “famous long-lived monks or nuns went through suffering, war, persecution because of their religious beliefs, or imprisonment.” Sister Cecília said she thinks it is “amazing” that those monks and nuns “had the strength to persevere and not give up.”

She acknowledged the good of a day proportionally divided into moments of silence: personal prayer, study, work, daily Mass, regular confession, and common meals. There are moments, too, when they talk, such as community meetings and celebrations, as well as time to relax and to receive visitors at the entrance.

Furthermore, consecrated life in a community of nuns may improve the life of visitors, Sister Cecília observed. It is “a great gift for me personally, for the Church and for the world,” as “we live exclusively for the Lord” and pray for those who come. Those faithful “often feel better because they are listened to, accepted, knowing that they are not alone in what they are experiencing, because we accompany them with prayer,” she stressed.

A monastic life thus shows that we should “put God first,” as he “gives meaning to everything we do and to who we are. He is our God and at the same time a faithful friend,” the Slovak nun said.

In a letter dated July 16 and published by the Vatican on July 22, Pope Leo XIV wrote to mark the 70th anniversary of the Conference of Major Superiors of Men in the United States. He encouraged them to consider community life “as a place of sanctification and a source of inspiration, witness, and strength in your apostolate.”

According to the pontiff, who is a member of the Augustinian order himself, “it is precisely through sharing everything in common, including material goods, spiritual experiences, apostolic ideals, and charitable service that the hidden presence of the risen Lord is made manifest among you.”

The calls follow growing concern over reports of the abduction, forced conversion, and marriage of girls from Pakistanʼs Christian and Hindu minority communities. In a resolution passed in the European Parliament on July 9, lawmakers called on Pakistan to investigate and prosecute those responsible, while urging the EU to continue raising the issue in its political dialogue with Islamabad.

Calls for special envoy engagement

Speaking at a conference on forced marriage and religious conversions held at the European Parliament last week, Slovak member of the European Parliament Miriam Lexmann said she had recently met with McGuinness to discuss the issue.

“We urge her to see this as a big priority,” Lexmann said, adding that the envoy “has to make this a key priority for the coming months and coming years.”

Carmen Correas López, legal officer for Europe at ADF International, which is supporting Mariaʼs case, told EWTN News the organization is working to arrange a September meeting with the special envoy to discuss the case and broader concerns about the persecution of Christians.

Mariaʼs appeal

Maria, whose case is unrelated to the separate 2020 case involving Christian activist Maira Shahbaz, was abducted in July 2025 at the age of 12 and was allegedly forced to convert to Islam before being married to a man who was about 30 years old.

Pakistanʼs Federal Constitutional Court is due to hear her review petition on Friday. The petition seeks to overturn an earlier judgment handed down in March that allowed Maria to remain with the man accused of abducting, forcibly converting, and marrying her.

ADF International said Mariaʼs case reflects a broader pattern of forced marriage and religious conversion affecting girls from Pakistanʼs minority communities and could establish an important legal precedent.

According to research published by the Pakistan-based organization Voice for Justice, there were 210 documented cases involving Christian girls between 2019 and 2025. The organization said many victims' ages were falsified in official records and alleges that police, local officials, and religious figures facilitated fraudulent marriage and conversion documents.

Mariaʼs father, Shahbaz Masih, told EWTN News that international support had given the family renewed hope after repeated legal setbacks.

“Repeated failures to obtain justice through the courts had all but extinguished our hope of bringing Maria home,” Masih said. “But the overwhelming outpouring of support and solidarity, not only from Christians in Pakistan but also from Christians around the world, has rekindled our hope that we will one day be reunited with our daughter.”

A test for the special envoy

The increased focus on Mariaʼs case follows the appointment of former European commissioner McGuinness as special envoy in March, ending a vacancy of more than a year that Christian advocacy groups and lawmakers had criticized as undermining the EUʼs engagement on freedom of religion or belief.

Commenting on McGuinness' appointment, Professor Shahid Mobeen of the Pontifical Theological Faculty Teresianum in Rome and president of the Italian Roundtable on Freedom of Religion or Belief said the move should lead to stronger EU engagement with Pakistan.

“The appointment of the European Unionʼs new special envoy for the promotion of freedom of religion or belief makes it necessary that the envoy engages actively with the Pakistani authorities and civil society in support of meaningful reforms,” he said at the conference.

Mobeen also called on the EU to use Pakistanʼs GSP+ status, which grants the country preferential access to the EU market in return for meeting human rights obligations, to press for stronger protections for religious minorities.

“The European Union should, therefore, make full use of the GSP+ monitoring mechanism, paying particular attention to Pakistanʼs commitment to freedom of religion or belief and ensuring that these commitments are effectively implemented and translated into tangible improvements for vulnerable communities,” he said.

EWTN News sought comment from the European Commission, including on whether the special envoy intends to engage with Pakistani authorities following Parliamentʼs resolution, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

Conducted online by GAD3 with more than 5,000 of registered participants and volunteers involved in the apostolic journey, 97% held a positive or very positive view of the pontiff’s visit to Madrid, Barcelona, ​​and the Canary Islands that took place June 6–12.

Fifty-seven percent of respondents acknowledged that, prior to the popeʼs arrival in Spain, their knowledge of the person, biography, and apostolic message of Leo XIV was limited. That number dropped to 14% following the visit.

The vast majority of registered participants and volunteers indicated that the presence of the vicar of Christ in Spain has strengthened their desire to help improve the world, deepen their personal relationship with God, and reinforce their commitment to the Church.

The visit has also contributed very positively to a better understanding of the person of Jesus Christ and the Church.

Among the emotions most frequently experienced during the days of the papal visit to the country, respondents highlighted joy, enthusiasm, hope, peace, a sense of unity with others, spiritual connection, and pride.

The popeʼs most impactful messages

Among the messages from Pope Leo XIV that had the greatest impact were “the importance of prayer and a personal encounter with God” (19%); “the importance of living out oneʼs faith with joy and hope” (17%); “the call to serve and help others” (13%); and “building peace through dialogue, listening, and reconciliation” (12%).

Among the least highlighted messages were “the value of volunteering” (1%), “the dialogue between faith, culture, and art” (2%), and “welcoming and integrating migrants and vulnerable people” (7%) even though a significant part of the pope’s visit and his messages involved the migration situation in Spain.

Resolutions following the visit

After the pope’s visit to Spain, the survey participants made personal resolutions, including “trying to live with more hope or joy” (45%), “attending more to my spiritual life” (41%), “trying to help others more” (30%), and “talking more about my faith with others” (28%).

Likewise, many have committed to “spending more time in prayer” (27%), “considering an important decision,” “participating in my parish or community,” or “becoming more committed to the Church” (11%).

Digital impact

The vast majority of participants read or listened to digital content about the pope after the visit (91%) or shared photos and videos of the visit via WhatsApp (89%).

Seven out of 10 forwarded messages, quotes, or videos of the pope via WhatsApp or Telegram, while slightly more than half sought out and followed new social media profiles related to the pontiff or the visit, or shared content in parish, volunteer, or attendee groups.

Furthermore, 55% used Instagram, 24% YouTube, 1 in 5 Facebook, 14% TikTok, and only 10% used X. More than a quarter of the respondents did not use social media.

Overall, 91% felt that media coverage accurately reflected the experience to a great or significant extent.

The group of registrants and volunteers consisted of 39% men and 61% women, with an average age of 36; 22% of those attending the various events were under the age of 18.

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 measure is the culmination of a campaign led by President Emmanuel Macron since 2017 in which he has denounced anonymity on social media as a gateway to online abuse.

The law, presented as a child protection measure against all the risks associated with the use of social media, from addiction to bullying and abuse, has also reignited concerns about increased government oversight of internet users, as the age verification requirements — intended to target minors — entail identity checks for everyone.

“France is leading the way in Europe by becoming the first country to establish a ‘digital age of majority’ to better protect our children online,” said Anne Le Hénanff, minister delegate for digital sovereignty, following the vote.

The Senate adopted the compromise bill by a vote of 243 to 2, and the National Assembly followed suit a few hours later, paving the way for Macron to sign the measure into law, subject to review by the Constitutional Council.

The bill’s central provision bars minors under 15 from accessing “an online social network service.” Leading platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat are expected to fall under the ban, though lawmakers left the precise scope undefined.

Wikipedia and other online encyclopedias, along with open-source software and educational platforms, are explicitly exempted. Responsibility for verifying users’ ages falls to the platforms themselves, which must offer at least two different verification methods.

Enforcement will unfold in two different stages. New accounts will be subject to age checks starting Sept. 1, while existing accounts belonging to minors under 15 will have until Jan. 1, 2027, before they are suspended.

The law also extends France’s existing smartphone ban in middle schools to high schools starting in the 2026 school year.

France’s move makes it the first EU member state to enact a blanket social-network age floor, though it follows Australia, which imposed a minimum age of 16 in December 2025.

Officials say a coalition of roughly 15 European countries is interested in adopting a similar standard. Le Hénanff confirmed Greece is ready to transpose the French model, with Spain expected to follow in the fall.

The European Commission is separately developing its own EU-wide age-verification tool, expected to be available to member states by the end of the year.

Under the model France has adopted — built around the “double anonymity” principle found in the EU’s Digital Services Act, the bloc’s main online-platform law — a trusted third party would verify a user’s age from an ID document or bank card and issue an anonymous token confirming only whether the user is over or under 15, without revealing the user’s identity or which platform requested the check. Le Hénanff has described this as a way of avoiding data collection by the platforms themselves. Critics, however, argue the system’s implementation is far less safe than officials suggest.

The underlying concern is that this child-protection measure could evolve into a broader mechanism for verifying and tracking the identity of internet users generally. Opponents of the law claim that the mechanics of age verification remain largely undefined barely a month before the law takes effect.

They also point to recent history of large-scale personal data breaches across government agencies as a reason for caution about centralizing age- or identity-verification data.

La Quadrature du Net, France’s leading digital-rights advocacy group, and the Conseil national du numérique, an official government advisory body, both warned that the law amounted to what they termed “generalized surveillance disguised as child protection.”

The European Center for Law and Justice, along the same lines, argues that France and the European Commission are each independently pushing to generalize identity checks across the EU under the banner of online safety policy.

Several digital-rights groups are reportedly preparing separate challenges before France’s Council of State and the EU’s Court of Justice, arguing the law violates free-expression and proportionality principles.

For now, all eyes are on Australia, the only country with a comparable ban already in force.

An early analysis of survey data from roughly 400 young social media users, published in The BMJ on June 24, found little evidence that Australia’s Social Media Minimum Age Act had produced any substantial early drop in social media use among adolescents in its first three months — although researchers cautioned that legislative effects can take time to appear and called for longer-term evaluation.

A companion analysis reported that roughly 85% of Australians aged 12 to 15 were still using restricted platforms, the most common workarounds being fake accounts and private browsers.

One year ago, Caritas Lithuania launched “Caritas Listens,” a free emotional support hotline aimed at combating loneliness among older adults. Staffed by trained volunteers, the helpline offers a compassionate listening ear, a need many callers say they lack.

While the initiative was started in Lithuania, its significance reaches far beyond the Baltic nation. Across Eastern Europe, declining birth rates, rising life expectancy, and decades of emigration by younger generations to Western Europe have left many elderly people living alone.

Similar demographic pressures are also reshaping societies in countries such as Japan, South Korea, and China, raising concerns not only about healthcare and pensions but also about social isolation and mental well-being.

For the Catholic Church, Caritas Lithuania’s experience offers a practical example of how pastoral care can respond to an increasingly urgent social and spiritual crisis.

A year of great impact

After its first year, Caritas Lithuania says the hotline has recorded 67,308 minutes of conversations, which the organization sees as evidence of both the scale of loneliness among older people and the need for emotional support.

The initiative currently relies on 86 trained volunteers who provide confidential emotional support by phone. Their focus is on listening without judgment; accompanying callers in moments of loneliness, grief, or anxiety; and helping them rediscover a sense of connection.

For Erika Panova-Polikevičienė, the project’s coordinator, the need was already clear before the hotline began.

According to Lithuanian statistics, she said, 1 in 5 people aged 60 and over experiences loneliness, while adults over 60 make up almost one-third of the country’s population.

“For more than 37 years, Caritas Lithuania has been providing support to people in vulnerable situations, including older persons,” she told EWTN News. Yet despite those efforts, the organization realized that many elderly people remained beyond the reach of traditional services.

Some struggled with poor health or limited mobility. Others faced social isolation or lacked the confidence to seek help. For many, attending community activities or receiving in-person support was simply not possible.

“We saw a need to create an alternative way for them to receive emotional support and human connection,” Panova-Polikevičienė said.

With support from Lithuania’s Ministry of Social Security and Labor, Caritas expanded its network of assistance and launched the emotional support line in 2025.

Listening as a form of pastoral care

Callers frequently speak about grief after losing loved ones, strained family relationships, conflicts with neighbors, declining health, financial worries, and uncertainty about where to seek help.

Some, Panova-Polikevičienė said, simply need someone who will listen. “Sometimes the first step toward overcoming isolation is simply having someone on the other end of the phone who is ready to listen.”

The conversations have also challenged common assumptions about loneliness. “One of the key lessons we have learned is that loneliness is not always about being physically alone,” Panova-Polikevičienė explained.

Some callers live with family members or have relatives nearby yet still experience profound loneliness because they lack emotional connection or a sense of being understood. “A simple conversation can sometimes restore a feeling of connection and remind a person that they are not forgotten,” she said.

The hotline has also become a refuge for people facing moments of deep despair. Volunteers regularly receive calls from older adults coping with bereavement, hopelessness, or periods when they feel they have nobody else to turn to. In those moments, the immediate goal is not necessarily solving every problem.

“The most important first step is often not providing an immediate solution but being present, listening with compassion, and helping a person feel that their life and experiences matter.”

The volunteers behind the ministry

At the center of the initiative are the volunteers themselves. Panova-Polikevičienė described them as people who freely choose to accompany others through some of life’s most difficult moments.

“They want to be there for others, to listen with compassion, to offer their time and presence, and to accompany older people who may be experiencing loneliness or difficult moments in their lives,” she said.

Before answering calls, every volunteer undergoes a process of discernment with both a volunteer coordinator and a psychologist.

Caritas Lithuania believes that a desire to help is not enough on its own. Volunteers must also honestly evaluate whether they are emotionally prepared to accompany people through grief, isolation, and profound loneliness.

Those accepted into the program receive training in active listening, empathetic communication, and responding responsibly to emotionally difficult situations. They provide support in Lithuanian and continue to receive ongoing supervision and psychological support throughout their service.

Additionally, supervision sessions and consultations with psychologists help them avoid burnout and remain emotionally supported while accompanying vulnerable callers.

A model that could reach beyond Lithuania

“We believe that the experience of ‘Caritas Listens’ could be relevant for other Caritas organizations, as loneliness among older people is a growing challenge across Europe,” Panova-Polikevičienė said.

She stressed that every country would need to adapt a similar initiative to its own social realities and support systems. Nevertheless, she said Caritas Lithuania is ready to share what it has learned.

“We believe that exchanging good practices within the Caritas network can help us better respond to the growing challenge of loneliness among older people.”

As many nations grapple with aging populations, Caritas Lithuania’s experience suggests that responding to loneliness may not always require complex solutions.

Sometimes, the ministry begins with something far simpler: a listening ear and the reassurance that no one is forgotten.

Representatives of the International Union of Superiors General (UISG) met with the queen to share the impact of their work over the past year, with a particular focus on advancing dignity, protection, and opportunities for vulnerable women and girls.

Anabel Inge, MVO, charge’ d’affaires ad interim of the British Embassy to the Holy See, commented on the impact of the stories on Queen Camilla at the meeting. 

“What struck me was how engaged Her Majesty was throughout the conversation,” Inge told EWTN News. “Many of the themes discussed clearly resonated. Her Majesty has consistently highlighted the importance of supporting women and girls, and this was a major focus.”

The meeting with the queen included conversations about efforts to accompany migrant women and strengthen communities in the U.K., education initiatives supporting children affected by conflict in Lebanon, antihuman trafficking work in Asia, and programs helping vulnerable women build livelihoods and improve food security in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Commenting on the meeting in a press release, the UISG said: “Her Majesty expressed deep admiration and humility regarding the global work Catholic sisters do to aid vulnerable populations, particularly women and girls.”

“This renewed exchange underlined the strong alignment between the mission of Catholic sisters and Her Majesty’s long-standing commitment to supporting women and girls.”

Sisters from a range of ministries around the world joined in the meeting with Queen Camilla at Clarence House, including Sister Lynne Baron, FCJ, area leader of the Sisters Faithful Companions of Jesus in Britain and archbishop’s delegate for Catholic social action in the Archdiocese of Liverpool.

Baron was joined by Sister Roxanne Schares, SSND, executive secretary of UISG; Sister Maamalifar M. Poreku, MSOLA, co-executive secretary of the UISG-USG Commission for Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation; and Sister Abby Avelino, MM, international coordinator of Talitha Kum.

Avelino drew attention to the Young Ambassadors Against Human Trafficking Programme, initially supported by the U.K. government and now expanded globally, which equips young people with the tools to identify risks, raise awareness, and lead peer-based prevention in their communities.

Describing young people as “protagonists of change,’” Avelino said: “In many countries, they are helping to build a culture of prevention, supporting their peers in recognizing the risks of exploitation and trafficking, and promoting a vision of society rooted in dignity, freedom, and solidarity.”

The meeting between the sisters and the queen came nine months after King Charles III and Queen Camilla met with Pope Leo XIV in October 2025 in a historic ecumenical prayer service in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican. The prayer service marked the first time an English sovereign had prayed with a pope in 500 years.

“The meeting during Their Majesties’ state visit to the Holy See in 2025 reflected the long-standing and positive relationship between the Crown and the Holy See,” Inge said.

Inge hailed the latest meeting with the queen as “a valuable opportunity to recognize the extraordinary contribution sisters make around the world, particularly in supporting women and girls affected by poverty, conflict, displacement, and exploitation.”

She added: “What is distinctive about the sisters‘ contribution is that they are deeply embedded in the communities they serve. The tea was an opportunity to hear firsthand accounts of that service, and the sisters’ personal stories helped to bring these important issues to life.”

A royal family post on X highlighted the visit with the sisters: “The Queen hosted Sisters from the International Union of Superiors General (IUSG) who shared the impact of their global work, particularly in support of vulnerable women and girls … The meeting was an opportunity to reflect on the work of the Sisters to support women living in conditions of conflict, poverty, and displacement across the world.”

“The summer vacation time is perhaps always more conflict-ridden. This is because there is more free time and more opportunities [to fall into watching pornography]. The heat itself plays a role, too. There are many factors that make it easier to get hooked or stay hooked on pornography,” Jorge Gutiérrez, the organization’s director general, told ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News.

Although vacations can increase the risk of falling into pornography use, a change in routine can also become an opportunity to leave the habit behind.

“It’s an ideal time to focus more on hobbies, your own family, and many enjoyable, pleasant activities rather than isolating yourself and ending up watching pornography,” Gutiérrez said. He explained that this addiction “has a lot to do with emotional factors such as tension and anxiety and the desire to escape unpleasant moods.”

The organization’s approach to freeing oneself from porn is based on two ideas: releasing “your best dopamine through activities and relationships that you genuinely enjoy and that help you become freer” and seeking the meaning of life.

“‘Know yourself, love yourself, better yourself’ is the best recipe for overcoming porn,” the organization advises.

‘Humanize the way you look’ at other people

For adults who have fallen into pornography use, the organization offers nine basic recommendations:

1. Identify triggers. Pinpoint the “situations, objects, places, or people” that spark the desire to consume pornography in order to anticipate them or replace harmful habits.

2. Learn from relapses. Make the most of your relapse by asking yourself questions that help you understand why and for what purpose you consume pornography.

3. Strengthen personal relationships. Devote time to social interactions, maintaining contact with friends or forging new connections.

4. Organize your day. Avoid letting your vacation days pass without a plan; pay attention to your diet, rest, and hobbies.

5. Avoid isolation. During vacations, be wary of the most secluded areas of the house, experts warn, noting that “pornography thrives on solitude and isolation.”

6. “Humanize the way you look at others.” Strive to “see beyond sexual pleasure,” recognizing the other person as “an individual with their own life story, family, problems, etc.”

7. Train your willpower. Delay any urge — whether it’s eating a sweet or watching pornography — by five minutes to strengthen your self-control.

8. Understand the reality of the pornography industry. Educate yourself on the dark reality of this industry, because that time spent is “invested in your recovery.”

9. Accept discomfort without giving in. When the urge to consume arises, “accept it without having to satisfy it; tolerate the discomfort,” remembering that it’s possible to experience a sense of lacking something and at the same time, be happy.

The ‘Bermuda Triangle of Porn’ for young people

In addition to these recommendations, Dale una Vuelta offers others specifically for young people.

Tips include seeking out screen-free leisure activities and getting at least a half an hour of exercise daily. It also helps to have three planned activities ready if faced with relapsing, with the rule that they must be “anything other than digital.”

Along with recommendations to avoid sleeping with a mobile phone in the room and to turn off notifications, the organization emphasizes the importance of planning one’s day, noting that “boredom, loneliness, and curiosity make up the ‘Bermuda Triangle of Porn.’”

Advice for parents and educators

For parents and educators, Dale una Vuelta recommends avoiding “long periods where your child spends hours not knowing what to do,” establishing guidelines for mobile phone use, getting to know their friends, and talking to them about sexuality.

The organization also urges parents to get their children into “action mode” to help “release tension and relax the mind and body” while simultaneously encouraging an “inner journey” through connecting with the beauty found in nature, art, and music.

Encouraging reading — “the best vaccine for almost everything,” including pornography as well as building mutual trust and promoting deep conversations — is also among the recommendations.

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 goal is the least important thing; right now, all I want is to grab that trophy and squeeze it as hard as I can, because I believe it represents the dream of the 47 million people we were representing on the pitch today — because I think we deserved it and we gave it our all,” said Ferrán Torres after the final.

Torres, who plays for Barcelona in Spain, also said that the goal brought him a sense of relief, given the heavy criticism he had faced during the World Cup. “Thank God, He always gives me the strength to keep going, and in the end — as I always say — God grants things to those who deserve them most,” the forward emphasized.

Days before the final, a video was released in which Torres spoke about the importance of God in his life. “I have a cross and an image of the Virgin Mary; ultimately, I think having such strong faith gives me great support — it is something very important to me,” remarked the Spanish forward, who was named the final’s Superior Player of the Match.

Tweet

Torres stands out for his Catholic faith within the Spanish national team, alongside coach Luis de la Fuente — who, at the press conference prior to the semifinal match where they defeated France 2–0, stated that he prays “every day, but not because I am at a World Cup or in order to get a result.”

“I give thanks every day — every day I wake up and find myself well, I look at myself and say: ‘Another day I can enjoy life.’ I give thanks for those little things. I pray—because I do pray every day — not to ask for more help,” the Spanish head coach explained 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.

Speaking on his program “Sixth Continent” on Radio María Spain regarding the sporting event, the Spanish prelate noted that soccer “possesses values ​​that deserve to be recognized."

He said the Church “cultivates the spiritual values ​​of sport,” which unites families and friends, creates opportunities for social connection in an increasingly individualistic society, and offers a chance to share joys and disappointments, among other virtues.

‘Who holds first place in our hearts?’

However, Munilla pointed out that “precisely because soccer stirs the human heart so deeply, it also becomes a magnificent mirror of our contradictions. For enjoying the sport is one thing, but turning it into a religion is something else entirely.”

“Our era has a curious way of manufacturing saints, but without holiness,” he added, referring to the attention lavished on sports stars, particularly soccer players.

While “it’s not wrong to admire someone who has developed an extraordinary talent through effort and sacrifice,” Munilla suggested it’s worth asking, “Who holds the first place in our hearts?”

The saints, he emphasized, guided generations of Christians for centuries as “models of humility, self-giving, mercy, fortitude, and faithfulness. They weren’t perfect, yet they pointed the way to human fulfillment.”

At another point in his radio reflection, the prelate said: “We all need role models; we all need points of reference. We all end up resembling those we admire. That is why it’s worth asking whether our children are more familiar with the biographies of great soccer players than with those of St. Francis of Assisi, St. Teresa of Calcutta, St. John Paul II, or Blessed Carlo Acutis. It would be a tragedy, of course, not because one must choose between them but because the saints teach us the art of living.”

‘Idols are always made of clay’

Today, people are fascinated with certain athletes, and "when we turn someone into an idol, they will inevitably end up disappointing us. Idols are always made of clay," he added, because just as "today we raise them to the heavens, tomorrow we will tear them down on social media over a missed penalty kick, a bad season, or making some personal mistake, because idolatry always ends up being cruel."

This reveals “that we are not truly loving the people themselves but rather using their successes to fuel our own emotions.”

Munilla also pointed to “the enormous financial disproportion surrounding professional soccer,” reflecting that “the market tends to put a price on what we turn into something indispensable.”

“The problem is not merely about money. The problem lies in the heart. For wherever we place our admiration, that is where our time, our attention, and our resources ultimately go,” Munilla observed, recalling Pope Francis' words: “You roar for a goal, yet you are unable to praise God with that same intensity?”

‘Only God can fill the heart forever’

On a purely human level, the bishop of Orihuela-Alicante reflected on a lesson to be drawn from sports: “Not knowing how to accept defeat is a sign of immaturity. But the person who needs to humiliate others doesn’t know how to win, either.”

He argued that “true sportsmanship lies in discovering that the rival player is not an enemy but someone who made the game possible. Only those who respect the loser truly know how to win. And only those capable of acknowledging the victorʼs merit without resentment truly know how to lose.”

“Let’s never confuse a ball with the meaning of life,” Munilla concluded, emphasizing that “a championship can fill a public square for a night, but only God can fill the heart forever.”

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.

Supported by pro-life group the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC), Sarah Morse, 66, is taking Arbroath High School, run by Angus Council, to court on grounds of discrimination. The move comes after Morse was fired after telling a student, “I am a faithful Roman Catholic and I am against it,” when asked her opinion on abortion during a history lesson in November 2025.

“At no time did I attempt to persuade any student to adopt my position. To be ‘canceled’ and lose my livelihood because of my religious identity is a terrifying precedent for the teaching profession in Scotland,” Morse said.

“As a faithful Roman Catholic, Sarah Morse respectfully said she opposes [abortion]. Hours later she was sacked on the spot,” SPUC said. “We must all have the right to express our pro-life views without fear of losing our jobs.”

Attack on Christians in Egypt raises questions about hate speech

A new attack on Christians in Egypt’s Minya Governorate has renewed scrutiny of sectarian incitement and the deeper roots of anti-Christian hostility.

According to ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News, Bishop Macarius, Coptic Orthodox bishop of Minya, said extremists attacked Copts in the village of al-Tal al-Qibliya, damaged a priest’s car, prevented worshippers from leaving a church, and cut off electricity. Security forces later arrived, arrested those accused of incitement and rioting, and began documenting the damage.

Egyptian senator Bassem Kamel said repeated incidents in Minya point to failures that cannot be addressed by security responses alone, calling for renewed religious discourse, educational reform, media policies that promote acceptance, and faster action on an independent antidiscrimination commission.

Apostolic vicar of Northern Arabia describes pastoral visits amid war

Apostolic Vicar Aldo Berardi, OSST, of the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia revealed that he was able to carry out 11 pastoral visits throughout the region despite airport closures and ongoing conflicts.

“Despite the difficulties caused by the attacks and the closure of airports, we were able to carry out the program as planned,” Berardi said in a Fides News article, emphasizing the need to visit his flock “especially at a time marked by tension and fear.” 

The Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia covers Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. “We gathered to pray for peace and organized special moments of encounter and fraternity,” he said. “No priest requested to return to his home country, a source of great consolation for the entire community.”

Vatican diplomat highlights HIV crisis among children

Monsignor Marco Formica, counselor of the Holy See’s Permanent Observer Mission to the United Nations, called for increased attention to HIV cases among children.

“My delegation would like to draw special attention to children, who remain particularly vulnerable to HIV. Gaps in both diagnosis and treatment mean that the 3% of HIV patients that are children account for 12% of deaths due to HIV,” Formica said in a statement following a U.N. meeting on HIV and AIDS.

“Quality antenatal as well as perinatal and postpartum care protects both mothers and their children. It is vital to ensure early testing and consistent access to treatment for children with HIV in child-friendly formulations,” he said.

Syriac lawmaker says Christians not sufficiently represented

Gabriel Moshe Kourieh, the only Syriac member of Syria’s Parliament and a leading figure in the Assyrian Democratic Organization, told ACI MENA that Christian representation in the new People’s Assembly remains below the community’s aspirations.

Christians currently hold about 3% of the seats, a figure Kourieh said does not properly reflect their historic role in Syrian public life or their place in the country’s national consensus. He argued that a future fair electoral law could allow broader Christian participation from different provinces while stressing that Syria’s transition must be judged by actions: the building of institutions, separation of powers, judicial independence, and equal citizenship.

Kourieh also placed constitutional recognition of the Syriac-Assyrian identity, language, and culture among his top parliamentary priorities while warning that economic hardship, poor services, and fading hope continue to push many Syrians toward emigration.

Catholic Social Services in Australia urges government to address housing crisis

Catholic Social Services Australia (CCSA) has asked the Australian government to conduct an audit of the country’s regulations on buying and building housing.

“Regulation is not inherently negative. It is introduced to address specific problems or market failures,” CSSA chief executive Jerry Nockles said in a Catholic News report on Thursday following the proposed audit. “Without regular reassessment, well-intentioned regulations can inadvertently constrain housing supply, driving up costs and limiting access — experienced most acutely by low-income households.”

Caritas South Korea named official channel for humanitarian aid

The South Korean Caritas will serve as the primary distributor of humanitarian aid from Caritas International for people north of the border, Asia News reported.

"On behalf of the Caritas Internationalis, we discussed the project of development and cooperation with Kim Seong-il, vice chairman of the National Economic Cooperation Committee of North Korea, who accepted our direct commitment. We also exchanged a letter of intent,” Father Lazzaro You Heung-sik, president of the bishops' aid committee, said following a five-day visit to North Korea in May, according to the report.

Under the agreement, Caritas will serve as the “only channel of aid from Catholics from all over the world,” Paul Jeremiah Hwang Yong-yeon, secretary of the South Korean Caritas, also said.

Filipino bishop calls for end to stigma around mental health

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines pledged to walk with members of the faithful struggling with mental illness and work toward breaking societal stigmas around mental health.

“Mental illness is not a sign of weak faith. It is not a punishment from God. Like any illness, it deserves understanding, appropriate care, and compassionate accompaniment. Every person, whatever his or her condition, is created in the image and likeness of God and possesses an inalienable dignity that no illness can ever take away,” the bishops said in a pastoral statement released on Monday. 

“As a Church, we commit to building communities of encounter, breaking the stigma, strengthening collaboration, and walking together in hope so that every person is welcomed, accompanied, and freed from stigma,” the bishops added.

Following the resignation of Prime Minister Keir Starmer on June 22, Burnham became the main contender to replace him.

Previous prime ministers have had connections to the Catholic faith, although none have begun their terms in office as practicing Catholics. Tony Blair, prime minister from 1997 to 2007, converted to Catholicism after leaving office. Boris Johnson, prime minister from 2019 to 2022, though baptized a Catholic as an infant, entered Downing Street as an Anglican.

Burnham, who was sworn in on a Bible as a new member of Parliament on June 22, has described his Catholic faith as “unshowy,” telling The Guardian in 2009: “Three things are important in my life apart from family: Everton [Football Club], the Labour Party, and the Catholic Church — in that order.”

The appointment could also raise a constitutional question concerning his role in episcopal appointments.

At play is a landmark U.K. law known as the Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829 (also called the Catholic Emancipation Act). It grants Roman Catholics the right to sit in Parliament and hold most public offices but does not allow them to advise the crown on Church of England episcopal appointments. How this provision may operate in modern constitutional practice remains contested.

Jon Tonge, a politics professor at the University of Liverpool, told EWTN News: “Legally, Burnham would be prohibited from advising the monarch on [Church of England] bishops. The law has not been repealed. The lord chancellor will provide the advice.”

An ‘a la carte’ Catholicism

Tonge continued: “Even though heʼs not a regular at Mass, [Burnham] sent his children to Catholic schools … It is an ‘a la carte’ Catholicism, which ignores the social conservatism (opposition to same-sex marriage or to abortion, as examples) and attempts to apply Catholic social teaching principles to policy. Equality, fairness, justice, and help for those with least are at its heart — hence Burnhamʼs commitment to tackle homelessness in Greater Manchester and donate some of his salary to the issue.”

Burnham has said he was raised with a "live and let live" approach, something that has shaped his stance on policy. He supports abortion and same-sex marriage and is in favor of assisted suicide for terminally ill adults, positions that are not in line with the teachings of the Catholic Church.

Andrea Williams, chief executive of Christian Concern, told EWTN News: “I canʼt actually see anything thatʼs obviously Christian in his [Burnham’s] policies. A person that professes and confesses faith will always uphold marriage between one man and one woman, will not champion trans ideology into law and into policy … Heʼs pro-assisted suicide, heʼs pro-liberalization of abortion. So that doesnʼt actually match with his faith.”

In 2023, Burnham delighted Pope Francis at the Vatican when he gifted the pontiff a shirt signed by fellow Argentinian Lisandro Martinez, a player for Manchester United. Following Francis’ death, Burnham described the meeting as the “most moving” experience of his life — despite having previously pressured the pope to bring the Catholic Church “into the 21st century” on issues including LGBT rights.

Growing up in the 1980s in Warrington, Burnham attended St. Aelredʼs Catholic High School and was raised in his Irish mother Eileen’s Catholic faith. She said in a 2015 interview: “You should have seen the fights he and his brothers had on Sundays. They were all altar boys, but Andy had to be the one at the front holding the Communion plate.” 

Burnham married Marie-France van Heel in 2000 after meeting at Cambridge Universityʼs Fitzwilliam College in 1989, and they have three grown children.

This story was updated at 2:45 p.m. ET on July 17, 2026, with a change in the headline and first paragraph to reflect Burnham’s election as leader of the Labour Party.

The revised Federal Act on the Armed Forces, which took effect June 1, repealed Article 18, ending the automatic exemption that priests, monks, and other clergy had traditionally received because of their pastoral role in civilian society.

Clergy deemed fit for service are now required to complete the same compulsory military service as other Swiss men: an initial 18 weeks of basic training followed by refresher courses over nine years, amounting to a total of 245 days of service. Military service remains compulsory only for men.

Church response

In a July 8 letter to the Swiss Federal Council, four of the country’s largest Christian bodies criticized the government’s handling of the reform. The signatories included the Swiss Bishops’ Conference, the Evangelical Reformed Church of Switzerland, the Christian Catholic Church of Switzerland (Old Catholic), and the umbrella organization Freikirchen.ch, which represents Switzerland’s free churches.

Christian leaders said they had not been invited to participate in the consultation process that normally accompanies significant legislative changes in Switzerland, despite the fact that the reform directly affects the ministry of clergy during times of national crisis.

“We regret this procedural flaw,” said Peter Schneeberger, president of Freikirchen.ch, in a statement. “From our standpoint, this does not correspond to a proper legislative process.”

According to the organizations, they only became aware of the change indirectly after the legislation had already been adopted.

While acknowledging that the reform itself can be debated politically, Schneeberger argued that the deeper issue is what the decision says about the state’s understanding of religion.

By abolishing the exemption, he wrote, the government is abandoning the long-held assumption that pastoral care during wars, disasters, and other emergencies is a public service worthy of special protection. He described the move as a form of “state self-secularization” — not hostility toward religion but a reassessment of the churches’ role in society without any broader public discussion.

Government response

The Federal Council defended the reform by arguing that the exemption had become obsolete. It said the provision was originally intended to ensure civilians would continue receiving spiritual care during wars and national emergencies.

In its reasoning, the government stated that “the increasing secularization of society means that fewer and fewer people feel connected to the Church’s offerings,” concluding that pastoral ministry can no longer be regarded as “an activity essential to maintaining social life.”

Swiss military authorities similarly argued that the exemption no longer reflects the religious realities of modern Swiss society.

The government’s decision comes amid a marked shift in Switzerland’s religious landscape. According to official statistics, Catholics accounted for 42.3% of the population in 2000 but had fallen to 30% by 2024. Over the same period, the proportion of people with no religious affiliation more than tripled, rising from 11.4% to 36.8%, reflecting the country’s accelerating secularization.

Questioning the army’s response

Auxiliary Bishop Alain de Raemy of Lausanne, Geneva, and Fribourg, who previously served as chaplain to the Pontifical Swiss Guard at the Vatican, called the government’s decision “a lack of respect for society.”

Pointing to the COVID-19 pandemic as an example, de Raemy argued that moments of crisis often increase, rather than diminish, the demand for spiritual care.

“As we saw during COVID, or during the Crans-Montana disaster, there was a need for people available on a spiritual level as well. So how will we manage in times of war and future crises, if priests must serve in the army? What is the Federal Council’s plan?” he asked.

Collectively, the churches have appealed to the Federal Council to clarify how clergy will be able to continue providing pastoral care if they are called to military service and have urged the government to introduce flexible arrangements that preserve their ministry during future national emergencies.

"I have decided to file a complaint against the men who caused my daughter so much harm. I am doing this because I feel that is what she wanted,” said Yolanda Ramos, the mother of Noelia Castillo, in explaining her reasons for asking the public prosecutorʼs office to investigate two alleged rapes that appear to be at the root of her daughter’s case.

“Noelia spoke about the rapes on television, and on the very day she died, she gave me her diary,” Ramos said. “And when I read it, I understood many things."

In a recording released by the Spanish Foundation of Christian Lawyers, Ramos explained how an intuition led her to take the step nearly four months after her daughter was euthanized via lethal injection.

“I feel that my daughter wanted the whole truth to be known someday. That is why I decided to go to the prosecutorʼs office, because I cannot simply stand by and do nothing. They can’t bring my daughter back, but neither do I want this to be forgotten. I am doing this for her, and also for other young women who have gone through the same thing but have not reported it,” she explained.

“It’s the only thing I can do for my daughter,” she said, “so that she is never forgotten.”

In April, Ramos called for the repeal of the euthanasia law via social media: “Please, let this law be abolished. I donʼt want there to be any more Noelias. I donʼt want this to happen again. This euthanasia law must be completely done away with.”

A written record of the assaults

Working with the Spanish Foundation of Christian Lawyers, Ramos filed two complaints with the provincial prosecutorʼs offices of Barcelona and Tarragona. She said she hopes the two alleged rapes her daughter suffered will be investigated and those responsible brought to justice.

The foundation said the complaints show that Noelia left, in writing, the story of both sexual assaults.

Regarding the first incident, it describes how she was forced to have sexual relations by her then-romantic partner, a young Pakistani man with whom she had been in a relationship for four years.

As for the second, it details how, after meeting a waiter in Salou, she was drugged, made to consume alcohol, and raped by three men. Three days after that assault, Noelia attempted suicide by throwing herself from the fifth floor of a building. She survived but was left paraplegic. Years later, she would request euthanasia.

According to the foundation, "the events could constitute two counts of rape”  under the penal code.

“The family was unable to report the incidents at the time due to a lack of sufficient evidence. However, following Noeliaʼs death, her mother has gained access to various documents that, according to the complaint, would make it possible to identify the alleged perpetrators,” the foundation stated.

Among the new evidence are handwritten entries “recounting both rapes, as well as conversations, identifying details, and other elements that would facilitate locating the alleged assailants."

Finally, the Christian Lawyers foundation pointed out that “the victimʼs death does not preclude criminal prosecution for these offenses” and called on the public prosecutorʼs office “to initiate the necessary proceedings to identify those responsible and hold them criminally accountable.”

The first euthanasia case to go to court in Spain

Noelia del Castillo was euthanized on March 26. She requested the procedure in April 2024 and it was granted in August of that year. Shortly after that, her parents initiated a legal battle to preserve her life.

This was the first case to go to court in Spain since the euthanasia law came into effect on June 25, 2021. Since then, 1,688 people have died from euthanasia, according to official statistics from the Ministry of Health.

In the legal proceedings, it was requested that the procedure not be carried out, as it was determined that Noelia had not received the necessary support to address her psychiatric issues — issues highlighted by her repeated suicide attempts, one of which caused her serious injuries.

“The Constitutional Court itself makes it clear that euthanasia cannot be applied when the origin of the suffering is a mental illness, and that the state has the obligation to protect these people against the risk of suicide,” Christian Lawyers explained to ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, in March.

Separately, a complaint was filed against the doctor and the lawyer who initially assessed Noelia’s request, alleging that they “feigned disagreement in order to refer the decision to the Guarantee and Evaluation Commission and ‘force’ a supposedly higher level of assurance in the decision-making process,” a Supreme Court ruling noted.

Furthermore, a complaint was also lodged against seven members of the Guarantee Commission for conflict of interest and against the former Minister of Health for Catalonia, Josep María Argimón, for having appointed them.

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

“We regret that this briefing was uploaded to our website without going through the established internal review processes that are in place to ensure consistency, accuracy, and alignment with Amnesty International UKʼs positions,” an Amnesty International UK spokesperson said.

The statement comes after the organization removed a report titled “A Growing Threat: The Anti-Rights Movement in the UK” from its website following backlash from organizations that were categorized as “anti-rights” as well as conservative author J.K. Rowling.

“Because these groups challenge core human rights principles, Amnesty International UK uses the term ‘anti-rights’ to describe their aims and impact,” the report said of the 117 organizations it censured for restricting human rights, including the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales (CBCEW), the Catholic Herald, the Catholic Medical Association, Right to Life UK, and Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International.

“The Catholic Church works to uphold the God-given rights of all humanity, without exception,” the CBCEW said in a statement shared with EWTN News. “This includes the rights of those unjustly imprisoned, of refugees and migrants, of those who have been trafficked, and the right to life of all people from conception to natural death.”

“Furthermore,” the statement continued, “we uphold the right to freedom of religion, conscience, and expression as explained in the document of the Second Vatican Council Dignitatis Humanae. Our belief in the dignity of every person, from which a proper understanding of human rights comes, animates all our work in the field of social justice in England and Wales.”

The report also cited the Holy See’s Permanent Observer Mission at the U.N. General Assembly as playing a role in coining the term “gender ideology,” which the report said is used by “anti-rights actors.”

An image Rowling posted showed Amnesty’s website after the report was taken down that stated the briefing was “temporarily removed” and was being subject to internal review.

“Amnesty International UK has shown its true colors in releasing this report,” a spokesperson for ADF told EWTN News. “Though it has now been removed, the publication made it very clear the organization is strongly biased against Christian groups and their beliefs.”

“To smear a large, collective list of Christian organizations as ‘anti-rights’ is not only an inaccurate accusation but completely disregards the right each of these organizations has to freely and peacefully express their views,” the ADF spokesperson added.

Amnesty International UK said the report’s "use of language does not reflect the position of Amnesty International UK, which is why it was promptly removed.”

"We remain committed to defending human rights, including both the rights of women and the rights of trans people,” the statement said. "Human rights protections are strongest when they apply equally to everyone, and no community should be singled out for unfair treatment or denied their dignity and rights."

This story was updated at 10:20 a.m. ET on July 17, 2026, with the statement from ADF International.

Speaking at the European Parliament in Brussels on July 15 during a discussion titled “Europe and Africa: In Conversation with Cardinal Robert Sarah,” the former prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments said international cooperation is increasingly undermined by a growing disconnect between language and reality.

“In the relationship between the European Union and Africa, words are today used not to reveal reality but to hide it, and even to distort it,” Sarah said.

Pointing to expressions such as “sexual and reproductive health,” “gender equality,” and “human rights,” Sarah argued that such language is sometimes used to advance concepts that many African societies neither share nor have chosen.

“If words no longer mean what they say, how can there be authentic dialogue?” he asked. “How can Africa trust a Europe that speaks with equivocal, double-meaning words?”

He warned that international agreements relying on ambiguous terminology risk becoming “instruments of perversion and of silent power” rather than genuine cooperation.

Lessons from the pope’s AI encyclical

Sarah also drew on Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, published in May, arguing that although it addresses the ethical challenges posed by artificial intelligence (AI), its warning against manipulative and deceptive language also extends beyond technology to diplomacy and international cooperation.

He said the encyclical calls on policymakers to ensure political, economic, and technological systems remain grounded in truth and always serve the human person. It also insists on human oversight and moral discernment so that AI remains at the service of the human person rather than becoming its master.

Warning against reducing individuals to “statistical categories or instruments of economic power” rather than recognizing their “transcendent dignity,” Sarah said the encyclical ultimately places the human person at the center.

“The question remains, and always will remain, anthropological,” he said, urging Europe and Africa to build their partnership on “the truth of the human person, of the family, and of peoples.”

Europe-Africa cooperation

Opening the conference, Paolo Inselvini, an Italian member of the European Parliament, said the gathering offered an opportunity to recover Europe’s Christian roots while promoting “a frank, equal dialogue” with Africa based on truth rather than ideology.

European Parliament Vice President Antonella Sberna pointed to the EU’s Global Gateway investment strategy and Italy’s Mattei Plan as examples of cooperation with Africa based on “respect, reality, and the identity of peoples.” She said such discussions help “translate our values into legislation and concrete change.”

Launched in 2021, Global Gateway is the EU’s flagship global investment strategy. As part of that strategy, the EU aims to mobilize up to 150 billion euros ($171.9 billion) in public and private investment across Africa.

A bridge between continents

Born in Guinea, Sarah was appointed archbishop of Conakry by Pope John Paul II in 1979 at the age of 34, becoming the youngest Catholic bishop in the world at the time.

Pope Benedict XVI named him president of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum in 2010, and Pope Francis appointed him prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments in 2014, a position he held until his retirement in 2021.

Archbishop Bernardito Cleopas Auza, the apostolic nuncio to the European Union, who also spoke at the event, recalled his first meeting with the cardinal during reconstruction efforts following the 2010 Haiti earthquake. He described Sarah as someone whose life and ministry have spanned Africa, Europe, and the universal Church.

Sarah remains one of the Catholic Church’s most influential voices on evangelization, liturgy, religious freedom, and the relationship between faith, culture, and public life.

The 291-241 vote came three years after President Emmanuel Macron, who had made it one of his key campaign promises, first opened the question to national debate.

The vote ended an unusual parliamentary stalemate between the National Assembly and the Senate. Members of the National Assembly passed the bill three times over the course of 14 months — most recently on June 30 by a vote of 295 to 232 — and senators rejected it just as many times.

On July 7, the Senate passed, by a narrow majority of 169 to 164, with 11 abstentions, a preliminary motion to outright reject the bill rather than debate it, and this motion itself called on the government to end the legislative process. Rather than heeding this call, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu invoked Article 45 of the Constitution, which allows the government to give the National Assembly the final say when repeated readings fail to produce an agreement between the two chambers. He then referred the bill back to the National Assembly for a fourth and final vote instead of a fourth reading in the Senate.

The July 15 vote, however, did not close the matter. On July 14, Lecornu announced he would refer part of the text to the Constitutional Council, a step Senate President Gérard Larcher had also urged, citing in particular how the billʼs conscience clause would interact with health and social care facilities built around end-of-life accompaniment that exclude assisted dying. The council must rule within a month, or eight days if the government asks for an expedited review, meaning the law cannot be promulgated until that review is complete even though the Assembly has now adopted it.

The end-of-life law covers both euthanasia, administered by a doctor or nurse, and assisted suicide, in which the patient self-administers a lethal substance, under five cumulative conditions: A person must be an adult, a stable resident of France, diagnosed with a serious and incurable condition, in an advanced or terminal phase of that condition, and suffering in a way current treatment cannot relieve, while remaining able to express a free and informed decision. Self-administration is supposed to be the default rule, with the law providing for intervention by a healthcare professional only when the patient is physically unable to act.

A supporting measure aimed at expanding access to palliative care was adopted with much broader support, passing its first reading in the Senate by a vote of 307 to 17. To date, more than 20% of French departments still lack a palliative care unit, according to figures cited repeatedly by the Bishops’ Conference of France during the debate.

The push to legalize assisted dying traces back to September 2022, when the National Consultative Ethics Committee reversed its earlier opposition to assisted dying and endorsed an “ethical” application of the practice. A citizens’ panel Macron had convened spent the following winter weighing the question and backed legalization.

The French president unveiled the outline of a bill in March 2024, but the initiative stalled when he dissolved the Assembly in June the same year. Deputy Olivier Falorni, who had filed an earlier and unsuccessful end-of-life bill, revived it in 2025.

Critics argue the newly adopted framework is among the most permissive of its kind in the world. Grégor Puppinck, a Catholic lawyer and director general of the European Centre for Law and Justice, has published a point-by-point analysis contending that the entire process rests on the judgment of a single physician, who may meet the patient for the first time on the day of the request and need not be the one already treating them.

The two additional professionals that physician must consult are chosen by the same person, are not required to examine the patient in person, and may be consulted by videoconference.

Puppinck noted the statute sets no minimum interval between the decision and the act itself beyond a two-day reflection window, relatives have no guaranteed right to be informed beforehand, and they cannot challenge the outcome in court.

Doctors who object in conscience must still refer patients to a colleague willing to proceed, and private and religious institutions, including nursing homes, must accommodate mobile euthanasia teams under threat of administrative penalties. Oversight, in Puppinck’s account, comes only after death, based on a report filed by the same clinician who carried it out.

The founders of the ethics collective Democracy, Ethics, and Solidarity, Laurent Frémont and Emmanuel Hirsch, wrote in Le Journal du Dimanche that the law’s eligibility criteria — primarily a “serious and incurable condition” causing “unbearable suffering,” are defined vaguely enough that a strict medical interpretation could make more than 1 million people eligible, including patients with chronic illnesses, psychiatric disorders, or advanced age, without requiring a prior written request, a peer review by medical colleagues, or a psychiatric evaluation.

A 2025 study by the Fondation pour l’innovation politique estimated the measure could save the state around 1.4 billion euros ($1.6 billion) a year in health, eldercare, and pension spending, a projection critics have cited as evidence of the pressures vulnerable and elderly patients could face once the law takes effect.

The French bishops’ conference called the text a threat to “the most fragile” among French citizens in a statement issued in May 2025 ahead of the Assembly’s first vote on the bill. The archbishop of Paris, Laurent Ulrich, has repeatedly urged lawmakers to reconsider their position, asserting that true solidarity is built through caring for others rather than through death. “More than assistance in dying, our society needs assistance in living,” he has repeatedly stated.

In a video appeal to lawmakers released before the vote, Archbishop Vincent Jordy of Tours invoked François Rabelais’ centuries-old warning that “science without conscience is but the ruin of the soul.” What is underway, he said, is “an anthropological shift,” a new way of viewing life and its end that will gradually reshape the country, touching caregivers, families, people with disabilities, and the relationship between generations.

He pointed to the Netherlands, where regulators had layered on safeguards for two decades and where health officials confirmed in June that a child under 12 had been euthanized for the first time, under a 2024 expansion of the law to children between the ages of 1 and 12.

Making a law, Jordy said, is also opening doors toward things “one had perhaps not imagined” when it was written.

According to the Catholic Churchʼs news site in Germany, 41-year-old Senad Mrkaljevic was ordained a priest a few weeks ago by the archbishop of Berlin, Heiner Koch, at St. Hedwigʼs Cathedral.

“Many people fear that faith will take something away from them. My experience is exactly the opposite: God gives me much more. That is what I want to convey to others,” the new priest stated.

Born in 1984 in Brčko in the former Yugoslavia, Mrkaljevic grew up in a Muslim family where religion did not play a central role.

“Catholics, Orthodox Christians, and Muslims lived peacefully alongside one another back then,” he recalled. However, the outbreak of the war in Bosnia in 1992 forced his family to seek refuge, first in Austria and later in Germany.

“As a child, it was hard to grasp what fleeing meant, and I quickly felt like an outsider in Germany,” he recounted.

Compounding these difficulties, Mrkaljevic has a congenital visual impairment, which made integrating into school life more challenging.

His journey toward the Catholic faith began around the age of 23, when he started reading the Bible and secretly visiting the church every Sunday morning. He felt afraid the first time he entered a church. “Going in there was quite a challenge for me. I kept asking myself, ‘Is what you’re doing right?’” he recalled.

Over time, he realized he no longer wanted to hide. “I didn’t want to lead a double life,” he explained. In 2009, he was baptized during the Easter Vigil, a decision his family initially found difficult.

“It was a problem for my mother; she tried to make me change my mind,” he recounted. Even so, he decided to move forward.

After completing his theology studies at the Lantershofen seminary for adult vocations in 2023, he was assigned first as a deacon and later as a chaplain to St. Edith Stein Parish in Berlin’s Neukölln district, an area with a significant Muslim population.

Mrkaljevic said he believes that, given his background, he can become a bridge-builder between Christians and Muslims.

He also noted that, over time, his decision was met with respect by his loved ones. “My conversion and my decision to become a priest were acknowledged by my Muslim family in Bosnia as well as by my siblings,” he said. His mother even attended his priestly ordination.

Looking ahead to his new ministry, Mrkaljevic expressed his desire to provide spiritual accompaniment to people and “to proclaim the good news.”

“It is never in vain, however few we may be. I myself have experienced how much it has enriched me, and that is what I want to share with others,” he said.

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

“A Catholic engaged in public life cannot ignore” the Church’s constant teaching against euthanasia, Aillet told France Catholique in a July 7 interview. He highlighted that the Christian faith engages a person’s whole existence and that every lawmaker must examine in conscience whether the acts they take align with the faith they profess.

A public vote for a law gravely contrary to the Church’s moral teaching, he said, creates “a real problem of ecclesial coherence,” and Catholic lawmakers who support the bill need to weigh the consequences of that choice. If they are aware of the inconsistency, he said, “they will no longer be able to receive Communion,” adding that the Church has the authority to remind them of this, just as some bishops have already done in the United States.

Aillet said he wanted to invite lawmakers to a sincere examination of conscience and raised the question of whether society has the right to make the deliberate ending of a human life its answer to suffering.

The National Assembly, the lower house of the French Parliament, is scheduled to hold the decisive vote on the bill Wednesday, July 15. Barring a last-minute reversal, the measure is expected to pass by a wide margin, as it has in each of its three previous readings in the lower chamber, most recently by 295 votes to 232 on June 30.

The bill has been rejected three times by the Senate, most recently on July 7 by a narrow vote of 169 to 164, with 11 abstentions.

Under Article 45 of the French Constitution, the government can give the Assembly the final word once the two chambers remain deadlocked after repeated readings, and Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu is expected to invoke that procedure Wednesday.

The bill, titled a “right to aid in dying,” legalizes both euthanasia, administered by a doctor or nurse, and assisted suicide, in which the patient self-administers a lethal substance. Access is restricted to adults who are stable residents of France, suffer from a serious and incurable condition in an advanced or terminal phase, experience suffering that cannot be relieved by treatment, and remain able to express their will freely and with full understanding throughout the process.

Aillet also grounded his warning in the Vatican’s 2020 letter Samaritanus Bonus, which he said had reaffirmed that euthanasia is intrinsically evil regardless of circumstance. He distinguished true compassion from what St. John Paul II called a “false mercy,” arguing that a genuinely fraternal society answers suffering with palliative care and accompaniment rather than the elimination of the person who suffers.

The bishop also called for a fully guaranteed conscience clause for health workers and defended the right of Catholic-run care institutions to refuse to participate, warning that without it, some might be forced to close or relocate abroad.

The French bishops’ conference has opposed the bill since its earliest stages, issuing formal statements opposing the bill after the Assembly’s first vote in May 2025, again after the second reading in February, and a third time on Ascension Day in May, when it warned of “moral imprudence” and “democratic disrespect” given the absence of political and social consensus.

On the eve of the June 30 vote, the Church released a video appeal to lawmakers, with Archbishop Vincent Jordy of Tours saying the testimony of caregivers, jurists, and associations involved in end-of-life care had been “painfully ignored” during the debates.

The Christian social network Hozana has separately called on believers to join a prayer chain addressed to French lawmakers ahead of Wednesdayʼs vote, an appeal that has drawn more than 58,000 participants.

The bill’s critics are not confined to religious circles. The Société française d’accompagnement et de soins palliatifs and other caregiver federations have opposed the text, arguing that palliative care should be made a real, accessible alternative before any shift toward assisted death and that the bill’s clinical framework and oversight remain unclear.

Asked about the pending visit of Pope Leo XIV to France, whose chosen motto for the trip is “So that the world may have life,” Aillet said he hoped the pope would reaffirm the inalienable dignity of every human life regardless of how the vote turns out.

“The placement of a replica mosque atop a bonfire is grossly offensive and raises tensions so soon after the unrest that destroyed property and severely impacted the lives of individuals and families,” the archbishops said.

Bonfires are traditionally lit in loyalist areas of Northern Ireland on the night before July 12 — a holiday referred to as “The Twelfth” — marking the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, which saw the defeat of Catholic King James II. The mosque replica placed on top of a bonfire was reported to depict a person holding a knife and a flag.

The incident follows weeks of civil unrest and targeting of migrant communities throughout Northern Ireland after a brutal knife attack in Belfast carried out by a Sudanese national.

Little Sisters of the Poor set up field hospital for Venezuela earthquake victims

The Congregation of the Little Sisters of the Poor of Maiquetía has set up a field hospital following the destruction of San José Hospital during the earthquakes in Venezuela last month.

The sisters are continuing their health ministry operations across the street from the damaged hospital, Sister María Yraida Mora Sánchez, vicar general of the Congregation of the Little Sisters of the Poor, told Vatican News.

"We are also making regular visits to three emergency shelters, and the situation is extremely difficult. It is especially challenging because Venezuela was already facing a severe economic and humanitarian crisis, as much of the world already knows,” she said. 

Abuse survivors seek damages from entity tied to Christian Brothers’ asset transfers

Survivors of clergy abuse at the hands of the Congregation of Christian Brothers are seeking to transfer their compensation claims to Edmund Rice Education Australia, a Catholic entity that received over $50 million worth of property from the Christian Brothers over the course of a decade in symbolic $1 transfers.

The move comes after the Christian Brothers said in court that they could not afford to pay survivors’ claims in full but that they would sell off their remaining 36 properties valued at $217 million to divide among creditors and abuse survivors, according to a report from The Guardian on Friday.

Indonesia bishops speak out against killing of American mission pilot

Catholic bishops in Papua, Indonesia’s easternmost province, have condemned the murder of an American pilot on July 2 by an armed group.

“We strongly condemn this brutal act,” Archbishop Petrus Canisius Mandagi of Merauke said, according to Licas News, noting that the plane that was set on fire by the group was an Associated Mission Aviation (AMA) aircraft owned by five dioceses in Papua. AMA has served Papua for 67 years, delivering humanitarian aid to areas difficult to reach by land.

“For decades, we have faced risks from weather and technical problems. However, a criminal act involving the burning of an aircraft and the murder of a pilot is extremely difficult to accept. It is a barbaric and inhumane act,” Bishop Yanuarius Theofilus Matopai of Jayapura in Papua said.

Pakistan archbishop declares child abuse a national, moral crisis

Archbishop Joseph Arshad of Islamabad-Rawalpindi in Pakistan has designated 2026 the “Year of Children” amid what he described as “deep concern over the growing number of child abuse cases in society.”

"The issue of child sexual abuse in Pakistan remains widespread and requires urgent attention,” the archbishop said in an interview with Fides News Agency on July 8.

“Crimes against children are among the most shameful and intolerable violations of human dignity. No society can call itself just, peaceful, or civilized as long as its children live under threat, fear, and insecurity. Children are a sacred gift from God and must be protected with the highest level of moral, social, legal and institutional responsibility,” he said, calling for action from the Pakistani government. 

New Zealand marks near-50% surge in euthanasia deaths in 3 years

A report has recorded a 48.17% increase in deaths by euthanasia and assisted suicide in New Zealand over the past three years.

The Registrar (assisted dying) Annual Report to the Minister of Health June 2026 report found there was a total of 486 cases of euthanasia and assisted suicide in New Zealand from April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026. In 2023-2024, there were 328 cases nationwide.

The New Zealand Catholic Bishops’ Conference has repeatedly spoken out against euthanasia and assisted suicide laws in the country.

Bishop of Alexandria, Egypt, celebrates centenary of Latin Vicariate of Port Said

Hundreds of pilgrims gathered in Port Said in Egypt to celebrate 100 years after the establishment of the apostolic procurator there, ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News, reported Sunday.

Bishop Claudio Lurati of the Apostolic Vicariate of Alexandria presided over the Mass celebrating the anniversary at the Regina Mundi Cathedral.

Beyond the anniversary itself, the celebration brought together the history of the local Church, the legacy of generations of Christians, and a remarkable example of ecumenical cooperation, with Regina Mundi Cathedral serving both Latin Catholic and Coptic Orthodox communities.

Thailand Catholic schools launch program to combat food insecurity

In the wake of catastrophic flooding across southern Thailand, the Catholic Foundation of the Surat Thani Diocese has launched a program to transform schools into food hubs.

The “Promoting Nutrition and Sustainable Food Production for Children and the Poor” project is funded by Pope Leo XIV through the apostolic nuncio to Thailand, according to a report from Licas News on Wednesday.

The project is designed to ensure that students receive balanced meals every day by enabling schools to become agricultural food production zones. The program will also establish health monitoring systems to track body mass index (BMI) of students suffering from food insecurity.

The public prosecutor asked the relevant authorities to carry out an investigation into the archives and, based on the outcome, found the initiative reasonable. He has already submitted a proposal for the judicial rehabilitation of Trochta over the illegal deprivation of his personal freedom. A date for consideration of the proposal has not yet been set.

“I firmly believe that the name of Štěpán Trochta, my predecessor in Litoměřice, will be cleared through the courts,” said Archbishop Stanislav Přibyl of Prague, who is also apostolic administrator of Litoměřice.

The verdict that sent Trochta to prison, handed down in a political trial for “treason and conspiracy,” was overturned in 1968, but the Czech courts have not dealt with his earlier illegal internment. The initiative for full rehabilitation came from Jan Kratochvil, director of the Museum of Czech, Slovak, and Ruthenian Exile of the 20th Century, and the lawyer Lubomír Müller.

It is “important to clean his name in this way as well,” said Kratochvil, whose family was friends with the prelate.

Salesian, prisoner, cardinal

Štěpán Trochta (1905–1974) was one of the first Czech members of the Society of St. Francis de Sales, the so-called Salesians. He studied in Turin, Italy, where he obtained a doctorate in theology. He returned to Czechoslovakia, and when Nazi Germany occupied the country, he was arrested for his contacts with and support for the resistance and was sent to several concentration camps.

He was “ready to work, full of energy, enthusiasm, and willing to work hard.” Trochta was also a good organizer and a gifted speaker and writer who “enjoyed being among the boys, even though he gradually had to spend more time in administration,” according to “Life and Legacy,” a booklet published by the Salesians on the 50th anniversary of the prelate’s death.

Shortly before the communists took over in Czechoslovakia, he was appointed bishop of Litoměřice. He became the spokesman for the episcopate of Czechoslovakia in difficult negotiations with the new government. In the end, the regime interned him in his residence and later imprisoned him. Although he was released sooner than expected, he was not allowed to continue as a bishop and had to work as a manual laborer.

In 1969, when he was already back in the Diocese of Litoměřice, Pope Paul VI created him a cardinal “in pectore” — that is, secretly.

When Trochta died five years later, the funeral was attended by many of the faithful, including cardinals from Berlin, Krakow, and Vienna. Archbishop Karol Wojtyła of Krakow, who later became Pope John Paul II, reportedly asked to concelebrate but was not permitted to do so. Wojtyła then defied the ban on foreign participants speaking, delivering a short address over the coffin in which he called the deceased prelate a martyr. The funeral Mass was celebrated by the Czech bishop and future Cardinal František Tomášek.

A series of Czech rehabilitations

The case may become one more in a recent series of rehabilitations in the Czech Republic.

In February, the District Court of Prague recognized the unjust treatment of Cardinal Josef Beran, the former archbishop of Prague, who was interned in several locations. Last month, the District Court in Olomouc rehabilitated Archbishop Josef Karel Matocha of Olomouc, also over his internment.

In 2024, the Regional Court in Hradec Králové rehabilitated Father Josef Toufar, who was illegally arrested and tortured to death.

These are some of the attacks that St. Benedict, whose feast the Catholic Church celebrates on July 11, endured throughout his life.

Benedict even had to use force to manifest his authority as abbot over his monks oppressed by the enemy, as related in Father Robert Nixon’s book “The Cross and Medal of Saint Benedict: A Mystical Sign of Divine Power” (TAN, 2024):

“Benedict found this monk outside wandering around aimlessly when he should have been in the oratory in prayer. With a certain degree of paternal severity and charitable discipline, he reprimanded him for his lack of wisdom and discernment and struck him with his staff. At this, the monk fell down, motionless. And after that, the devil ... never troubled him again. It was as if the staff of Benedict had not struck the hapless monk but had rather driven away the wicked tempter himself!” (p. 14).

St. Benedict has come to be recognized for the power of his actions against the enemy, alongside St. Michael the Archangel, as a major protector against evil — particularly through the medal that bears his image.

Nixon’s book offers an overview of how the medal rose to prominence as a Catholic devotion and received papal approval, couching it within the story of St. Benedict’s life and the rise of his order of monks.

The St. Benedict medal

If you’ve seen the back of a St. Benedict medal, you may have noticed a series of letters. The first set is arranged in and around the shape of the cross: C S P B C S S M L N D S M D. The next set is arranged in a circle around the cross: V R S N S M V S M Q L I V B.

This arrangement first came to serious attention in the year 1647 in relation to the Benedictine Abbey of Metten in Bavaria, Germany, when it was believed to have prevented a series of diabolic attacks.

Although some of the laity already had medals with these letters engraved, no one at the time understood their meaning. It was only in researching the library’s manuscripts that a 15th-century illustration of St. Benedict pointed to the full prayer they abbreviated:

“Cross of our Holy Father Benedict. May the cross be light to me. May the dragon not be a leader to me. Get behind me, Satan: Never persuade me to vain things. What you like is evil; may you yourself drink your venom!”

Due to a widespread story of the medal preventing the effect of curses and bringing about exorcisms and healings, which Nixon details in his book, its use spread across Europe, with Pope Benedict XIV approving an official blessing for it and granting it indulgences in 1741.

The great father of modern Benedictine monasticism, Dom Prosper Guéranger, speculated why God would grant so many favors to those who invoke his help through St. Benedict’s medal. In an age when “rationalism is so rife,” God has deigned to offer help to those “who put their confidence in the sacred signs marked on the medal” with “strong and simple” faith (Guéranger, “The Medal or Cross of St. Benedict,” author’s preface). It’s as if to laugh at the devil and his plans to pull people away from God through the alleged sophistication of the modern world, overcoming them with simple signs pointing us to the cross and the protection of a holy monk.

Of course, the medal should not be used in a superstitious way. It expresses our faith and confidence in God, which conquers the power of the enemy through the blood of Christ. Within God’s plan of salvation, there are certain key defenders of God’s people. St. Benedict proved himself as one over his own monks in spiritual combat. Through the efficacy of his medal, he has manifested himself as a fatherly defender of all who invoke his help.

Throughout history, the monastic life has served as a constant beacon calling us to greater conversion of life and prayer. Turning to St. Benedict can lead us to embrace some of his spiritual principles, such as humility, obedience, stability, hospitality, the prayerful reading of Scripture in “lectio divina,” and viewing our work as a means of honoring God.

While St. Benedict faced trials in his life as a monk, we all face trials and attacks from the enemy in the Christian life. Sacramentals can help us in our journey of faith, including our efforts to keep evil far away.

St. Benedict medals and rosaries with the medal affixed can be purchased at religious gift stores and can be blessed after purchase. Medals are also available at EWTN’s Religious Catalogue site.

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

The long-serving British politician, who converted to Catholicism in the early 1990s, was found dead on July 9 at her home in Dartmoor in southwestern England.

Initial reports suggested she may have died from a fall in her home. But in a statement on July 10 Devon and Cornwall Police said it had launched a murder investigation into her death. The police said July 13 that Counter Terrorism Policing is leading the investigation.

“Specialist officers from across the CTP network have been working alongside colleagues in Devon and Cornwall Police since a murder investigation was launched last week,” the July 13 statement said. “A 28-year-old white British man from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, was arrested on suspicion of murder on Saturday 11 July.”

An earlier statement by Devon and Cornwall Police Chief Inspector Ilona Rosson said investigators were performing forensic examinations. At that time, the event was not being treated as terrorism, authorities said July 10.

A member of the U.K.’s Conservative Party, Widdecombe served in various government roles for decades, including as a member of Parliament and as prisons minister under Prime Minister John Major.

She famously converted to Catholicism in 1993 after the Church of England began ordaining women. In an interview with The New Statesman, she described the English church as “a huge bundle of straw,” with women’s ordination “the last straw.”

“For years I had been disillusioned by the Church of Englandʼs compromising on everything. The Catholic Church doesnʼt care if something is unpopular,” she told the outlet.

Throughout her life as a Catholic she was a vocal defender of the Church and its teachings, especially on the sanctity of life and the sanctity of marriage.

She herself never married; she lived with her widowed mother, Rita, in London until 2007 when her mother died at the age of 95.

In one of her last interviews before her death, she told EWTN News’ Colm Flynn in September 2025 that the “great thing about Catholicism is it doesn’t compromise.”

“You know, something’s either true or it’s false. It’s right or it’s wrong. It’s sin or it’s not,” she told Flynn. “[In the Catholic Church] there is none of the endless fudging that you got with the Anglican Church.”

She argued that the Church is “appealing to young people” in the modern era, pointing to an uptick of interest and an increase in the sale of Bibles. She also cited high levels of religious devotion in the Global South, including in Africa.

“We live in a surprisingly optimistic time,” she said.

This story was updated at 1:30 p.m. ET on July 10, 2026, with news of the arrest of a suspect in Ann Widdecombe’s murder. It was further updated at 1:45 p.m. ET on July 13, 2026, with information from Devon and Cornwall Police that Counter Terrorism Policing is leading the investigation into the death of Widdecombe.

Instagram post

The modern design seeks to express the journey’s theme, “So That the World May Have Life” (cf. John 6), through a visual language inspired by peace, the Eucharist, the heritage of French cathedrals, and Art Deco, one of France’s most iconic artistic movements.

The bishops’ conference highlighted on social media that it is “a striking symbol that combines the dove of peace, the bursting forth of life, and the spirit of our cathedrals' rose windows.” It also noted that “France’s tricolor hues blend with the orange of life and the green of hope, creating a universe that is decidedly joyful and radiant.”

The artwork was created by Atelier Argo, a French studio specializing in design and brand identity. Its founder, Ghislain dʼOrglandes, explained the creative process behind the logo, typography, and graphic elements.

“When the French Bishops' Conference came to present the project to me, they did so using the phrase the pope chose to express the meaning of his journey and visit. I studied it closely and wanted to get to the essence,” dʼOrglandes explained.

“That’s where the idea of ​​the dove with an olive branch, a symbol of a return to life, originated. I started with that initial sketch and then worked on the pope’s name as if it were a logo. It’s a short, memorable name. Those four letters [‘Leon’ in French], together with the Roman numeral, already formed a very powerful image,” he explained.

The result is a circular emblem reminiscent of a cathedral stained-glass window. Inside, it features a blue dove, a cross, an architectural shape evoking both a church and an open doorway, and an olive branch.

Inspired by the stained-glass windows of French cathedrals

Regarding the meaning of the symbols, the designer explained that “the dove naturally represents peace; the branch symbolizes the sprouting of life — rebirth. At the same time, the overall design adopts a stained-glass style, resembling a large rose window that evokes both the one at Notre Dame and those of the great cathedrals.”

In addition to the main logo, the accompanying images feature minimalist illustrations of three iconic locations from the papal visit: Paris, Lourdes, and Metz.

As part of the project, Atelier Argo developed an original typeface “following the same style as the logo.”

“It conveys stability and a timeless character, yet simultaneously possesses curves and a certain softness in its horizontal and vertical lines. These are letters with a commanding presence and full forms that can symbolize the Eucharist, because the Eucharist is fullness,” dʼOrglandes said.

A design conceived to convey joy

“And it is precisely here that the Mass with the pope on Sept. 26 will be celebrated,” the designer said in the video released by the French bishops, speaking from Place de la Concorde, where the pope will celebrate a Mass in Paris.

Finally, he expressed his hope that the logo and related imagery would help spiritually prepare for the pontiffʼs arrival in France.

“I hope my modest contribution also helps to beautify this event and succeeds in conveying a spirit of joy, the joy of welcoming the pope,” he concluded.

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

The bill was first introduced in June 2025 and completed its final stage on June 30 of this year.

The inquiry will investigate issues raised in the Truth Recovery Independent Report, which was also published this week.

Both the report and the bill focus on institutions that for over 60 years housed unmarried pregnant women who were sent to the homes by a variety of authorities — welfare, priests, family members — to have their babies. The children born there were typically adopted or sent to baby homes, while some returned home with their mothers.

Over 15,000 women and girls are estimated to have passed through mother and baby homes, as well as Magdalene laundries — institutions in both the north and south of Ireland operated by Catholic religious orders in which thousands of women and girls were confined and forced to perform unpaid hard labor. The last one closed in 1996.

The Truth Recovery Independent Panel report was commissioned to gather evidence in a nonconfrontational setting and includes the testimonies of over 300 survivors. Seventy recommendations were made, including the specific investigation of “Sister Z,“ a nun at the Good Shepherd Sisters-run Marianvale Mother and Baby Home in Newry, County Down, for sexual abuse.

The report highlights serious systemic failures of the state to exercise oversight in Magdalene laundries and other homes.

Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill said: “Within their walls, women and girls were stripped of dignity, silenced, and shamed. Their children, now adults, are still living with that impact today, carrying unanswered questions and loss.”

Conor Brogan, who was born at Marianvale and placed for adoption as an infant, told EWTN News that the bill and the public inquiry are incredibly significant because they were developed with survivors' input.

“It has survivors at the forefront, and that is something that victims and survivors have campaigned for for a long time,” he said. “It is a massive step in the right direction to clearly understand where accountability lies and to ensure that those who are accountable are seen in the public eye as such.”

He continued: “Girls and women who went into these institutions were publicly shamed. It was barbaric in terms of how they were treated. Institutions themselves didnʼt exist in a vacuum. Society was, in those days, very ‘puritan,’ and the whole facilitation of these institutions was by the broader society. There isnʼt a single case of a mother or baby being connected to one of these institutions without some form of government involvement. They all played a part in it.”

Brogan’s birth mother, Geraldine, now deceased, was a resident at Marianvale. He was born there in February 1969 and adopted several weeks later. He says of the redress scheme: “For my mother itʼs getting back to lifting the shame off her shoulders. In todayʼs society, where shame doesnʼt exist, I think education and support for young girls who find themselves in this situation is the biggest legacy that could come out of it.”

Brogan was reunited with Geraldine in his 30s, and he said they established a good relationship. “She had never talked to anybody about it — not her own sisters and brothers. Her children didnʼt know about it. Her spouse did. The trauma that was associated with that weighed heavily on her,” he said.

Geraldine’s time in the Good Shepherd home from November 1968 to April 1969 was too painful for her to ever talk about to Brogan. “That was very hard for her to even sort of go near it at all. She just couldnʼt; it was too painful, too raw, even after all those years, 35 to 40 years later, she couldnʼt. She just said it wasnʼt very nice and didnʼt want to elaborate. Meeting me and having me in her life went some way to, to sort of easing that trauma; I donʼt think it ever fully healed the wound.”

Brogan always knew he was adopted and describes a happy childhood with his adoptive family. He told EWTN News that he, as a child, returned to visit the nuns in Marianvale with his adoptive parents. His brother and sister, also adopted, were born there too.

“There was the convent at the front, but there were other smaller outbuildings around the back, where, looking back now, I realize that’s where the women and girls were quartered.”

He recalled his dad putting money in the collection box there. “I have clear memories of that visit, but I had absolutely no understanding of the other side of it. The trauma of the birth mothers, knowing that youʼre giving up your baby as soon as itʼs born, of the baby being taken away, and then after that, I think, is the most impactful on peopleʼs lives.”

Brogan also embarked on a different journey to make contact with his birth father’s family. Unaware that he had a biological son who had been adopted, his biological father died in 1982.

Brogan said of both journeys: “You donʼt know where youʼre going to end up. You donʼt know if youʼre going to have an open door, a closed door, or visit a graveyard. When I found my fatherʼs family, the connection was fantastic. I did visit his grave, and that was quite tough. The realization that I would never meet my father.”

“I have met every sort of combination a survivor has gone through,” he said. “So, whether that’s a birth mother never able to meet her child, or one who found their child, but the child, now an adult, didnʼt want to have a relationship, and vice versa. Where the mother has locked that away, doesnʼt want it disturbed, hasnʼt told her family, and really doesnʼt want to acknowledge that it happened.”

He added: “I feel incredibly fortunate [that] Iʼm able to talk about it; Iʼm able to talk with others about it. And, you know, if my talking can help one other person, then itʼs worth it.”

He explained that “everybody will automatically think, ‘Oh, the Catholic Church is at fault again,’ but there were more accounts of women from a Protestant background who went through institutions than from a Catholic background. I think thatʼs important to state because the number of people who have come forward from the Protestant community is significantly less than the Catholic community. And I think there has to be some level of outreach to those people who feel that they canʼt come forward.”

Brogan said that beginning this journey was difficult. “But for me to have a better understanding of who I am, and where I came from, itʼs very, very important. And to be able to spend some level of time with my birth mother, and get an understanding of her and what she went through and everything else was pretty priceless.”

In a statement dated July 8 following the publication of the Truth Recovery Independent Report, the Good Shepherd Sisters said: “We respect the courage and strength of all who have come to share their experiences and have contributed to this research. We deeply regret the pain and hurt women in our care experienced, as outlined in their testimony to the panel.”

The statement continued: “We also acknowledge the women who expressed their appreciation to the Sisters they met while in our care in the past, even when they reflect on a time of deep crisis in their lives. We will continue to fully cooperate with the impending work of the public inquiry.”