Following the closed-door meeting at the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace that lasted an hour, the French president said he was “very happy” to have met with the Holy Father, adding that both share “a common conviction: In the face of the world’s divisions, action for peace is a duty and a requirement.”

“France will always work toward dialogue, justice, and fraternity among peoples,” Macron wrote on X.

The Élysée Palace saw this meeting as an opportunity to “recognize the essential role of the Holy See and the Holy Father’s personal commitment to peace, dialogue, and solidarity among peoples, as well as to demonstrate France’s willingness to work jointly with the Holy See toward this end.”

During the traditional exchange of gifts, Macron presented Pope Leo XIV with a French national basketball team jersey signed by the players, a book on the reconstruction of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris following the 2019 fire, and a map of the Mississippi region created by French missionaries in 1617.

The pontiff presented the French president with a decorative ceramic tile symbolizing abundance, along with his message for this yearʼs World Day of Peace.

According to the Vatican, Macron subsequently met with the Holy See’s secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and with Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, secretary for relations with states and international organizations.

During the meeting at the Secretariat of State, they addressed various international issues, particularly conflicts around the world.

Both Macron and Vatican officials expressed the hope that peaceful coexistence might be restored through dialogue and negotiation.

The day before, on April 9, Macron visited the Sant’Egidio Community in Rome, an organization characterized by its promotion of international ecumenical prayer gatherings for peace.

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

The poll, conducted March 20–23 jointly by Republican pollster Shaw & Co. Research and Democratic pollster Beacon Research, found that 48% of Catholic voters approve of the job Trump is doing as president and 52% disapprove.

It found that 23% of Catholics strongly approve of the job he is doing, 25% somewhat approve, 12% somewhat disapprove, and 40% strongly disapprove. The pollʼs margin of error is plus or minus 3%.

Pope Leo XIV and Catholic bishops in the United States and globally have encouraged Trump to pursue peace and diplomacy, as opposed to war, in Iran. With peace negotiations underway, the Holy Father echoed his call for more diplomacy in an April 10 post on X.

“God does not bless any conflict,” Leo said. “Anyone who is a disciple of Christ, the Prince of Peace, is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs. Military action will not create space for freedom or times of peace, which comes only from the patient promotion of coexistence and dialogue among peoples.”

God does not bless any conflict.

Pope Leo XIV

In the 2024 election, Trump won the Catholic vote by a 12-point margin, securing 55% of the voting bloc’s support, compared with former Vice President Kamala Harris’ 43%. In 2020, Trump won 49% of the Catholic vote, compared with former President Joe Biden’s 50%.

This poll comes as Trump’s support is dwindling with the broader American public as well. The poll found that only 41% of all voters approve of the president, and 59% disapprove.

Iran war disapproval

The poll found that most Catholics disapprove of Trump’s actions in Iran and the use of military force against the country but still favor some American influence in the region.

According to the poll, only 40% of Catholics approve of the way Trump has handled the conflict with Iran, and 60% disapprove. It found that 45% of Catholics support military force against Iran and 55% oppose military force. Similarly, 45% of Catholics believe military action against Iran is going well, and 55% believe it is not going well.

The poll found that 39% of Catholics believe attacks on Iran will make the country safer, 38% believe it will make the country less safe, and 23% believe it will not make much of a difference.

Alternatively, 71% of Catholics believe ending Iran’s nuclear program is important, and 29% said it is not important. It found 61% said it is important to bring about changes in Iran’s government, and 39% said it is not important.

The poll also found that 71% of Catholics believe it is important to protect the flow of oil from the region, and 29% believe it is not important. It found that 73% of Catholics believe it is important to reduce Iran’s support for terrorism, and 27% believe it is not important.

According to the poll, 74% of Catholics are concerned about Iran potentially getting a nuclear weapon, and 26% are not concerned.

2024 coalition ‘in tatters’

John White, professor emeritus of politics at The Catholic University of America, told EWTN News that he believes Trump’s 2024 coalition “is now in tatters [and] Catholics are no exception.”

“The Iran War is unpopular with the American public and Catholics reflect that,” he said. “What may carry more resonance with Catholic voters are the strong and blunt statements about the war from Pope Leo. It is not unreasonable to assume that there is a higher level of cognitive dissonance among Catholics who support Trump but are hearing the words of the pope. For some, that may result in their shifting opinions.”

Susan Hanssen, history professor at the University of Dallas — a Catholic institution — had a similar view about why Catholic support has dipped, telling EWTN News “a reversal of positions seems to be underway within the Catholic community.

“During Trump‘s campaign, Trump‘s supporters expressed hopes for a fundamental realignment of America’s foreign policy, particularly withdrawing from ‘forever wars,’ while many of Trump’s Catholic critics expressed concern during his campaign that he would disengage America from its support for Ukraine or [for] Israel,” she said. “Support for Trump’s strong stance on Iran seems to be coming now … from Catholics who were wary of Trump earlier.”

Vice President JD Vance, a Catholic, has departed the U.S. for his trip to Pakistan, where he plans to directly negotiate with Iranian leaders for a long-term peace while both sides hold off on military strikes during a two-week ceasefire.

The military carried out its deadliest attack of the war on April 8, killing more than 300 people throughout southern and eastern Lebanon and inside Beirut and its surrounding suburbs.

Although Iranian officials continue to assert that Lebanon was included in the U.S.-Iran two-week ceasefire agreement, American and Israeli officials contend this was never promised.

Many people in Lebanon initially believed their country was included in the ceasefire.

Cedric Choukeir, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) country representative for Lebanon, told EWTN News that Wednesday, April 8, was “a little bit of an emotional roller coaster because people woke up to the news of a ceasefire” and many people were “hopeful” until they heard reports that neither the U.S. nor Israel recognized Lebanon as part of the agreement.

“When the strikes happened, it was very sudden,” said Choukeir, who works in the capital city of Beirut. “Everything happened within 10 minutes. The strikes were across the country.”

Most of the strikes occurred within a 10-minute window in the early afternoon. Choukeir said Israel provided no warning before the attack and the strikes included locations that are not covered in evacuation orders as well as villages that had not previously been hit.

He said "people were just going about their daily business in areas they considered themselves to be safe in,” adding that some of the strikes were in “heavily populated” areas in and around Beirut.

“No one felt safe in Beirut and anyone who could leave, left,” Choukeir said.

He said “we had a few people in the office” during the strikes, and “it’s traumatizing for most of us because it’s hard to tell what’s going on; you definitely hear the airstrikes happening.”

“You feel the vibrations, the shaking, the impact of the explosions,” Choukeir said, adding that “the level of chaos is similar to what we experienced a little bit in the Beirut blast [in 2020] and the [Israeli] pager attack in 2024.”

He said everyone in Beirut heard the “sound of ambulances nonstop for several hours after the strikes” and “hospitals were filled up, everyone was coming for blood donations.”

Every one of his team members at CRS in Beirut knows someone who was impacted by the strikes, including people who suffered injuries, he said.

Jesuit Father Daniel Corrou, Middle East and North Africa regional director for Jesuit Refugee Service, similarly told EWTN News that initially, “there was a sense of relief here” amid news of a ceasefire.

Corrou also serves as a parish priest at St. Joseph in Beirut and has opened up his church as a shelter, primarily for migrant workers and ethnic minorities.

Many people, he said, believed “there’s an end in sight.” People were “moving from shelters, and the roads going to the south were full again; the people were moving back down to that area,” he said.

When the strikes happened, Corrou said, “it was everywhere all at once” and people promptly turned their cars back around, away from the south, and “it was sheer chaos on the streets.”

Since the attacks, he said the number of people he has seen camping on the streets doubled, but he is unsure whether these are new people or people who were in shelters before the attack. Government-run and privately-run shelters, he noted, are completely full.

“We have seen an uptick in the number of people trying to get in [for shelter at our church],” Corrou said. “We’re at capacity. We’re completely saturated here.”

Fighting continues as peace talks begin

Choukeir said it’s difficult to know how recent attacks will impact the number of displaced people in Lebanon: “It’s changing on a daily basis ... people are leaving some neighborhoods in the suburbs and going up to Beirut, while some are moving further north.”

“Definitely no one’s going back home, I think,” he said. “People are reluctant to go back.”

Israel’s destruction of bridges that cross the Litani River has also caused problems for those who remain in the south to leave at this point, according to Choukeir. He said there are about 150,000 people remaining there despite evacuation orders. Many are in Tyre, but this includes at least three Christian villages that are difficult to reach: Debel, Rmeish, and Ain Ebel.

Choukeir said only one bridge still functions and just one lane is operational, but “the moment that bridge is cut, there are very few options.”

“The supplies that people have there aren’t going to last for weeks and weeks,” he warned. “Some of the items are going to run out in days.”

Corrou noted that several hospitals were struck in Israelʼs most recent attack and more than 40 health care workers have been killed during the conflict so far. He noted that Catholics have been delivering aid throughout the south, but some difficulties include recent news of a Vatican convoy being turned around after getting caught in a ground fight between Israel and Hezbollah.

He echoed messages coming from Pope Leo XIV about the conflict that “war is always a human failure” and “real peace will never come from violent conflict.” Ultimately, peace for Lebanon will have to come from the “difficult, messy work of dialogue [and] diplomacy,” the pope said.

As the Lebanese and Israeli governments signal talks aimed at peace, Choukeir said he thinks “everybody’s tired of conflict, pain, suffering, [and] destruction,” and “everyone would welcome any kind of cessation to hostilities” and a just, long-lasting peace.

“We pray it would allow people to return home and live in dignity and safety with the hope that their children can have a bright and prosperous future,” he said. “But I havenʼt felt optimism yet. I think the road from … where we are to that hopeful future isn’t clear to people.”

In his April 6 message published in Agenzia Fides, Mathieu emphasized that “in the communion of saints and in the grace of the sacraments, especially in the Eucharist, we are truly united, even when we cannot be so visibly. ... I celebrated the Easter Vigil carrying you all in my heart: far from my flock, but precisely for this reason, in a mysterious way, close to each one of you.”

Cambodia welcomes 375 new Catholics

The minority Catholic population in Cambodia has reported a surge in the number of baptisms this Easter, according to Fides News Agency.

Apostolic Prefect of Battambang Father Enrique Figaredo said 92 people were baptized in his province, while 152 catechumens were baptized in the capital city of Phnom Penh and 131 were welcomed into the Church in Kampong Cham.

“The new baptisms of young people and adults that we celebrated this year are a sign of great hope. They show that young Cambodians hear Godʼs call and want to follow it. For our Church, they are a true source of strength and life,” Figaredo said.

Filipino bishop condemns Easter ritual involving dove and balloon

Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David of Kalookan in the Philippines reprimanded a local parish for the way it used a live dove in an Easter ritual involving a balloon, according to a Licas News report Wednesday.

The report said the bird was tied to the balloon during the ritual, causing distress to the animal, which was eventually killed.

“I was not aware that there was a subsequent practice of tying the pigeon to balloons, with its wings restrained. Had I known, I would have objected, because this is not only cruel to the animal but also harmful to the environment, especially to marine life that may ingest deflated balloons,” David said after the incident drew controversy among the Philippine Animal Welfare Society.

Christians in southern Lebanon at odds with state and Hezbollah operatives

Lebanon’s Christian community is reacting with growing fury after an Israeli strike killed Pierre Maouad, a Lebanese Forces official; his wife, Flavia; and their neighbor, Roula, on Easter Sunday, ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News reported Tuesday.

The deaths quickly fueled accusations that Hezbollah operatives had been using civilians as cover in Christian areas, especially after conflicting accounts emerged about whether the targeted apartment had been occupied. The episode has deepened mistrust toward both Hezbollah and state institutions, with many residents dismissing the Lebanese Army’s explanation of events and demanding accountability.

In several neighborhoods, the fear has translated into stricter local vigilance, new security measures, and louder calls for self-protection, as many Christians insist they are being forced to bear the cost of a war not of their making.

South Korean archdiocese launches Carlo Acutis-inspired AI initiative

The Archdiocese of Seoul has announced it will soon launch AI-integrated information services inspired by St. Carlo Acutis.

The first phase of the initiative will launch in May and will integrate data across services provided by the archdiocese, including catechism, pastoral programs, and volunteer work, with its other information systems, UCA News reported Wednesday.

The second phase will focus on the archdiocese’s administrative systems from 2029–2031. The report said the initiative will also promote World Youth Day 2027, which is set to take place in Seoul.

3 Asian Church leaders appointed by pope to communications dicastery

Three prominent Asian prelates have been tapped by Pope Leo XIV to serve on the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication.

The Vatican announced Thursday the appointments of Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, pro-prefect for the Dicastery for Evangelization; Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrão, archbishop of Goa and Damão, India, and president of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences; and Bishop Marcelino Antonio M. Maralit, president of the Office of Social Communications of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences.

The Dicastery for Communication oversees the various media outlets of the Holy See, including the Holy See Press Office, the Vatican News website, Vatican Radio, Vatican Television Center, LʼOsservatore Romano, the Vatican.va website, and the Holy Father’s X account @pontifex.

French church targeted by vandals on Holy Thursday

Vandals attacked a Catholic Church in the French city of Rosny-sous-Bois just outside of Paris, causing serious damage on Holy Thursday.

The unknown perpetrators drove a car into the Church of Saint-Laurent and vandalized the church’s interior with an axe, according to an UOJ report Tuesday. The gates and doors of the church were destroyed, and the sacristy was vandalized, the report said, noting that nothing was stolen.

Religious sisters remain in Yemen amid ongoing conflict

A group of 10 sisters from the Missionaries of Charity are continuing to minister to communities in Yemen despite war and instability in the gulf region.

“The most concrete example of mission in a war-torn area is that of the Sisters of Mother Teresa of Calcutta and the priest who lives with them,” Bishop Paolo Martinelli, apostolic vicar of Southern Arabia, said in an interview, according to Licas News, noting the sisters provide companionship to the small community of Catholics. “I am impressed by their joy, by their joy at being in Yemen and being able to be close to the suffering people.”

The Republican governor approved Senate Bill 248, known as the Alabama Released Time Credit Act, on April 8. The new law takes effect July 1.

The measure allows parents to choose for their child to participate in a released-time program sponsored by a church or local community-based religious organization. Instruction must take place off school grounds, be privately funded, and require no use of taxpayer money. Schools are not responsible for transportation or liable for students during the released time.

Students may earn elective credit for participating, provided they complete any missed schoolwork and meet state education guidelines. School boards can deny a request only if there is an objective substantial risk of physical harm to the student.

The bill passed the state Senate 32-0 and the state House 88-4 after revisions.

Supporters say it protects parental rights and religious liberty without burdening public schools.

Alliance Defending Freedom senior counsel Greg Chafuen praised the law in a statement: “The government shouldn’t stop families from raising their children in their family’s faith. SB 248 respects parents’ educational decisions, allowing public school children to be briefly excused from school to receive free, off-campus religious instruction taught by private charitable organizations."

"As the U.S. Supreme Court has explained, respecting parents’ decisions for their child to participate in released-time programs ‘follows the best of our traditions,’” he wrote.

Chafuen was referring to the Supreme Court’s 1952 ruling in Zorach v. Clauson, which upheld the constitutionality of released-time programs. In that decision, the court stated that when the state accommodates religious instruction by adjusting school schedules, it follows “the best of our traditions” by respecting the religious nature of the American people.

Chafuen commended the Alabama Legislature as well as Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth and Ivey “for their commitment to ensuring that parents remain in the driver’s seat when it comes to their children’s education.”

The legislation updates a 2019 law and adds clearer guidelines and protections requested by school superintendents.

Critics have raised concerns about church-state separation and potential logistical challenges for schools.

Released-time programs have historically been used more frequently by Protestant and evangelical groups, though Catholic parishes could organize similar off-campus faith formation sessions under the new rules.

At least a dozen other states have similar laws allowing students to leave campus for voluntary religious instruction.

Originally from Milan, the 59-year-old Ciucci has a doctorate in the philosophy of religion from the Pontifical University of Sant’Anselmo in Rome. After serving as a parish vicar in Milan, he worked at the former Pontifical Council for the Family from 2012–2016.

He is also the general secretary of the RenAIssance Foundation, a Vatican institution that promotes an ethical perspective on artificial intelligence.

Ciucci is a professor at the Pontifical Theological Institute John Paul II in Rome and he is a public speaker and writer on the topic of new technologies and their influence on young people and families.

Last month, the president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, Renzo Pegoraro, received the title of “bishop” from Pope Leo for his role.

Pegoraro was chancellor of the academy from 2011 until his appointment as president in May 2025.

According to the academyʼs statutes, the chancellor “may represent the Pontifical Academy for Life on behalf of the president and collaborates with him in the direction and administration of the academy’s activities.”

The Pontifical Academy for Life was founded in February 1994 by St. John Paul II. It is one of several academic and cultural institutions at the Vatican that bring together experts in their fields to discuss issues of relevance to the Church and the world.

Organized by the Finnish pro-life group Oikeus elämään ry, the “Muistamme” (“In remembrance”) event featured 8,645 candles, one for each abortion performed in Finland in 2024.

Johannes Laitinen, one of the eventʼs organizers, said approximately 100 preselected participants were invited to light the candles, chosen because of their personal connection to the loss of children through abortion. Members of the public were also given the opportunity to take part in the candle lighting during the vigil.

After the candles were lit, participants observed a minute of silence, while volunteers remained through the night as the display continued glowing in central Helsinki.

A public witness in the heart of Helsinki

Speaking to EWTN News, Kirsi Morgan-MacKay, chairman of Finlandʼs Right to Life Association, said the vigil sought both to honor the unborn and to confront the public with the scale of abortion in the country.

“The event created a visual that touched peopleʼs hearts and perhaps made them stop and think about how many children are actually lost every year through abortion,” she said.

Morgan-MacKay added that the vigil also aimed to acknowledge the often-unspoken grief experienced by women and families affected by abortion.

She noted that leaders from multiple Christian denominations attended the event, which organizers viewed as an encouraging sign of broader ecclesial engagement.

“We have always hoped that churches would come together to defend the lives of unborn children,” she said, explaining that abortion is not merely political but “a spiritual, ethical, and moral issue.”

A prayer gathering was also held in connection with the vigil at Luther Church in Helsinki, where clergy from Lutheran, Presbyterian, and Catholic communities offered prayers. Representing the Catholic Church, Jean Claude Kabeza, vicar general of the Diocese of Helsinki, conveyed greetings from Bishop Raimo Goyarrola.

Finlandʼs welfare state and the limits of social support

While happy about Finlandʼs reputation for its strong social welfare system, Morgan-MacKay noted that many women facing crisis pregnancies still experience profound isolation. “Many women and families are still left alone in the midst of a crisis,” she said, adding that loneliness and lack of support often persist even within families.

She also observed that in Finland, the lives of unborn children often go unvalued when a pregnancy is unwanted. She pointed out that women confronted with an unplanned pregnancy, sometimes in shock, may see abortion as an “easy” way out, particularly since medical abortion is frequently presented as a simple “procedure.”

Morgan-MacKay also drew attention to Finlandʼs liberalized abortion framework, particularly the increased accessibility of medical abortion, arguing that women may be pressured into rushed decisions without adequate counseling.

“Sometimes the health care system offers abortion as the only option,” she said. “Many times, these women need space to pause, think everything through, and receive real support.”

She added that while Finlandʼs pro-life movement remains relatively small, it is gradually growing, with increased awareness of abortionʼs broader social and personal consequences. She expressed particular encouragement at the involvement of younger supporters, especially young men, saying she believes “God is raising up a new generation of pro-lifers” as more Finns begin speaking openly about the issue.

A bishopʼs medical perspective on abortion

EWTN News also spoke with Goyarrola, who said he remains hopeful that Finland can become more receptive to pro-life values, despite abortion remaining a sensitive and often taboo topic in public life.

Goyarrolaʼs comments carry added weight in Finlandʼs abortion debates because of his medical background. Before entering the priesthood, he trained as a physician, graduating with a degree in medicine and surgery from the University of Navarra in Spain in 1992, and has pursued doctoral research in palliative care at the University of Eastern Finland since 2022.

Drawing on his medical knowledge, he has also written extensively on social issues for general audiences, authoring “Ihmiselämää äidin kohdussa” (“Human Life in the Womb”), on abortion, and “Arvokas kuolema” (“A Dignified Death”), on euthanasia. Both books were widely praised for making complex bioethical questions accessible to ordinary readers.

Reflecting on his experience, Goyarrola said that with regard to discussing abortion, conversations require clarity and compassion rather than confrontation.

“I believe that positive language is what truly reaches people and opens hearts to reflection,” he said. “The Church speaks in defense of life by offering real solutions to real problems and proposing ways to prevent abortion.”

“No one celebrates abortion as a joyful experience,” he added.

Signs of change among younger Finns

Assessing the broader cultural climate, Goyarrola said abortion has historically remained difficult to discuss openly in Finnish society. “Abortion has long been a taboo subject in Finland, and to a large extent it still is,” he said, noting that public discourse is often narrowly framed around “the womanʼs right to her own body.”

Yet the bishop said younger generations appear increasingly willing to engage the issue more thoughtfully. “Among young people, the topic is beginning to be discussed more openly, and with many serious questions,” he noted.

Goyarrola explained that because over 90% of abortions in Finland are carried out for social rather than medical reasons, the underlying causes must be addressed socially as well. He called for “better education, access to information, healthier lifestyles, and more personal responsibility and support for marriage and family life.”

He added that the Church must continue promoting a concrete vision of family and human dignity, saying: “We aim to promote a culture that values life, family, and hope.” He also noted that the Catholic Church in Finland tries to speak about the “need for more children in society,” not for economic or labor-related reasons but rather for the future of Finnish society itself.

“I hope that we can speak about abortion and about life in the motherʼs womb without prejudice, in a rational and thoughtful way,” Goyarrola added. “Only through open and respectful conversation can we better understand the complexity of the issue and seek humane and responsible solutions.”

At the 2026 Christian Institutional Investors conference in Lakewood, Colorado, on April 8, speakers urged Christian businesses, schools, and apostolates to stand up for their beliefs as investors.

More than 150 attendees from across the country attended the conference, which was hosted by the faith-based investment consulting company Innovest Portfolio Solutions along with the Archdiocese of Denver, Catholic Benefits Association, The Catholic Foundation of Northern Colorado, AmPhil, Alliance Defending Freedom, and Colorado Christian University, where the event took place.

“This ecumenical gathering brings together Catholic and Protestant leaders to explore portfolio screening, values alignment with asset managers, and the importance of proxy voting and corporate engagement,” Innovest principal Sarah Newman said.

“Our goal is for attendees to leave informed, inspired, and equipped to better understand how their portfolios are built and why the partners they choose truly matter to create returns they need for their Christian mission,” Newman told EWTN News.

Fighting for Christian values through proxy voting

In the fight to bring Christian values into investing, speakers emphasized the importance of proxy voting — a process where shareholders authorize someone else to vote on their behalf in shareholder meetings.

“As a shareholder, youʼre sort of a citizen of a company and are entitled to vote on these matters — but most people donʼt realize that their proxies are being delegated to an adviser and unintentionally support things that are opposed to their own values,” speaker Dustin DeVito said.

DeVito is a research director at the 1792 Exchange, a company working to bring “ideological balance back to public corporations.”

Nicholas Schmitz, the Traviesa chair of finance at The Catholic University of America’s Busch School of Business, noted that Christian investors “need a custom proxy option that actually represents Christian viewpoints” to have a cumulative, widespread impact across corporate America.

Custom proxy options enable institutions to vote according to their own guidelines rather than the default options.

“That would be a huge, huge uptake that would get long-term cultural change,” Schmitz said in a panel titled “Leading Change: Bringing Faithful Christian Proxy Voting Rules to Institutional Systems.”

In November, The Catholic University of America developed new proxy guidelines that leading companies representing shareholders accepted — giving a faith-based option in line with the Catholic Churchʼs teachings.

“Catholicism ... I joke, weʼre the most organized religion in America, but the least organized in capital markets. We donʼt really have an excuse for not getting this right,” Schmitz said.

In his talk, “The Post-ESG Landscape: Where Corporate America Is Headed and How Faith-Aligned Capital Can Lead,” DeVito also encouraged Christian investors to stand up for their faith.

“As Christians, we want to be the ones boldly leading because the lordship of Christ is over everything,” DeVito said. “So if thereʼs any issue in which companies are engaging in something thatʼs biased and thatʼs harming Christians, we need to be willing to have the courage and put ourselves out there and engage on the issue.”

As an example, DeVito cited the debanking of Christians and conservatives. In 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order prohibiting banks and financial institutions from debanking clients based on their political or religious views after Christians and conservatives expressed concern about the controversial practice.

“Even just with a small amount of shares and the willingness to engage these companies and to talk through the research, we end up seeing incredible wins,” DeVito continued. “All it takes is just some people willing to fight.”

In his research at 1792, DeVito said he has seen a trend away from DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) initiatives and “ESG” (environmental, social, and governance) — politically-motivated standards that large companies subscribed to but that recently fell out of favor after criticism from conservatives.

DeVito pointed to the work of Robby Starbuck, an influencer known for raising awareness of DEI policies at companies like Tractor Supply, as well as the Trump administration as defining moments in the decline of DEI and ESG.

“For the first time in over 20 years, corporate America is headed back in the direction of depoliticizing and focusing on business,” DeVito said. “And this is good because the companies are supported for the value they bring in, the goods and services they provide, not for identifying and solving all the worldʼs problems.”

During an April 9 event hosted by the Hudson Institute highlighting new evidence of forced organ harvesting in China, Rep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, called out the Vatican for hosting China’s leading transplant official at the Summit on Organ Trafficking and Transplant Tourism in 2017.

Smith was a panelist at the Hudson Institute event with Ethan Gutmann, the author of a new book, “The Xinjiang Procedure,” which presents evidence of forced organ harvesting targeting Uyghur and other Turkic Muslim communities on an industrial scale in China.

Gutmann testified during the panel about his findings while on an undercover mission where he secretly interviewed former detainees of Chinese concentration camps, whose testimonies included accounts of gang rape, water torture, and forced organ harvesting.

“I’ve argued with [the Vatican],” Smith said. “If you’re bringing in people who are doing terrible evil, you’re giving them a platform.”

Participants at the 2017 Vatican conference, organized by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, signed a statement agreeing to unite in fighting the crime of organ trafficking, submitting 11 proposals for implementation by health care and law enforcement professionals around the world.

China’s participation in the conference was the source of controversy at the time, as the advocacy group Doctors Against Forced Organ Harvesting said in a statement that there was “no evidence that past practices of forced organ harvesting have ended” in China.

The group further criticized the Vatican’s decision to invite Huang Jiefu, Beijing’s top official on transplants, saying that it would compromise the conference’s image and objectives, when there was not sufficient evidence that China was changing its ways.

Human rights advocate and Hudson Institute Senior Fellow Nina Shea, who also spoke at the April 9 event, echoed Smith’s censure of the Vatican for hosting Jiefu.

She told EWTN News the Vatican’s first point of leverage to help prevent organ harvesting is to “start by doing no harm.”

“What they did was host the public face of the organ transplant sector of China at their conference in Rome,” she said, describing Jiefu as a “longtime member of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party.”

Shea said the Vatican conference helped “open doors” for Jiefu with the World Health Organization (WHO), after which she said he proposed a “task force for best practices on organ transplants.”

“That’s part of his propaganda,” she said. “The Vatican thought that was a great idea and introduced him to WHO, and when he proposed it, they said, ‘Yes, at the Vatican’s urging we’ll create a task force and you’re on it.’”

“So, they appointed this Chinese Communist Party Central Committee member, who is the vice minister of health and the public face of their organ transplant sector, to this task force,” she said.

“Needless to say, the task force has done nothing," she said.

“I think Pope Leo should pronounce against forced organ harvesting. Itʼs a great human rights issue,” she said. “It hasnʼt been addressed on the world stage, and the pope has the platform to do that and the moral authority to do it."

Legislative efforts in the U.S.

On a policy level, Smith emphasized the need to “seriously criminalize” forced organ harvesting to combat the practice on an international level. He also lamented that the Senate failed to pass the Stop Organ Harvesting Act of 2023 after it passed in the House with nearly unanimously.

The congressman warned that the latest attempt to pass legislation with the Stop Forced Organ Harvesting Act of 2025 could face the same fate if the Senate fails to lend its support.

The current legislation, he noted, would require the president to impose sanctions on individuals and entities involved in forced organ harvesting and authorize the State Department to revoke passports of individuals found complicit in the practice.

“This would have a chilling effect on [organ] brokers,” Smith said.

The electoral synod represents a pivotal moment in the life of the Chaldean Catholic Church, as the bishops are expected to choose a new shepherd to lead Chaldean Catholics amid complex internal and national challenges. The meetings also reflect a broader dimension that goes beyond the local framework, highlighting a close relationship with the Holy See.

Leoʼs hope for the next patriarch

The Holy Father addressed the bishops on April 10, praying that the Holy Spirit would guide them in their election of a patriarch. He expressed the hope that the patriarch would be a father in faith and a sign of unity; a person of the beatitudes who lives daily holiness based on fidelity, mercy, and purity of heart; and a shepherd close to his people, steadfast in prayer, capable of facing difficulties with hope, and working with the bishops in a spirit of unity.

The pope described the Chaldeans as guardians of a living and noble memory, and of a faith transmitted through the centuries with courage and fidelity. He added that their history is glorious but also marked by harsh experiences: wars, persecutions, and trials that affected their communities and scattered many believers around the world.

Leo further stated that it is precisely in these wounds that the witness of faith shines, because a Church that bears the scars of history shows how wounds, in the risen Lord, can become signs of hope and new life. He affirmed his closeness to them in their trials, calling for communion with Christians of other denominations.

He urged the bishops to remain vigilant and transparent in managing Church property, to exercise moderation and responsibility in the use of media, and to be cautious in public statements so that every word contributes to building ecclesial communion rather than harm it. He also emphasized the importance of forming priests, supporting consecrated persons, and accompanying laypeople. He highlighted the importance of believers remaining in their homelands and respecting the freedom of Christians in the Middle East.

He also described those present as signs of hope in a world full of violence, noting that they are called to be peacemakers, since only dialogue creates true peace. He said they have a great mission: to proclaim the risen Christ and keep hope alive.

Sako bids farewell to his Church

Leo accepted the resignation of Sako on March 10, one day after the patriarch requested to step down to “dedicate himself quietly to prayer, writing, and simple service.”

In a farewell letter April 9, Sako expressed his deep gratitude to all those who supported him during his 13 years as patriarch, noting his profound emotion at the messages of solidarity he received from Church figures and believers of different backgrounds. He affirmed his commitment to pray for the Church and the bishops gathered in Rome, calling for the election of a patriarch who embodies unity and serves the people with love.

Sako also emphasized his neutrality in the electoral process, considering his absence from the synod an expression of respect for the bishops’ freedom. He also reviewed key aspects of his ministry, through which he sought to balance tradition and renewal, affirming that ecclesial tradition must remain alive and engaged with the times.

Sako noted his influence since the Second Vatican Council, his participation in Catholic Church synods, and his role in the Middle East Council of Churches. These experiences, he said, shaped his efforts to develop Church discourse in liturgy and teaching in a modern and accessible language. He highlighted his efforts to strengthen Christian-Muslim dialogue, unify Church positions, defend the presence of Christians in Iraq, and advocate for a state based on citizenship and equality. He said he considers his resignation not an end but the beginning of a new phase of quiet service.

After the election and announcement of a new patriarch, a holy Mass, an expression of ecclesial communion, will be celebrated by the new leader of the Chaldean Catholic Church with Pope Leo XIV or his representative. The newly elected patriarch will also announce, in consultation with the synod fathers, the date of his enthronement at the patriarchal seat in Baghdad, the Iraqi capital.

According to Cardinal Christophe Pierre, his meeting with Undersecretary of War for Policy Elbridge A. Colby in January was part of the former nuncio’s “regular mission and provided an opportunity for an exchange of views on matters of mutual interest,” Matteo Bruni, director of the Holy See Press Office, said in a statement April 10.

“The narrative presented by certain media outlets regarding this meeting does not correspond to the truth at all,” Bruni added.

Bruni’s statement followed an April 6 report by The Free Press claiming Pierre, then the apostolic nuncio to the U.S., received “a bitter lecture” in a January meeting with defense officials, reportedly because of a speech in which Pope Leo XIV criticized “a diplomacy based on force.”

According to The Free Press, the pope’s message was interpreted as a criticism of U.S. policy by Pentagon officials, who told Pierre: “America has the military power to do whatever it wants in the world. The Catholic Church had better take its side.”

The U.S. Department of Defense, in a post on X on April 9, said that a “substantive, respectful, and professional” meeting took place on Jan. 22, but “recent reporting of the meeting is highly exaggerated and distorted.”

“During the cordial meeting, they discussed a range of topics, including issues of morality in foreign policy, the logic of the U.S. National Security Strategy, Europe, Africa, Latin America, and other topics. Cardinal Pierre expressed his appreciation for the outreach and both sides looked forward to continued open and respectful dialogue,” the department said. It also shared photos from the meeting.

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The U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, Brian Burch, also commented on the Pentagon meeting on X on April 9. Burch said he had spoken to the former nuncio who “emphatically denied the media’s portrayal of his meeting with Colby.”

Pierre, Burch wrote, “described the meeting as ‘frank, but very cordial’ and a ‘normal encounter.’ He confirmed that the reporting ‘does not reflect what happened’ and was ‘just invented to make a story.’”

Catholic news outlet The Pillar reported April 10 that one senior Vatican official had described the conversation as having moments of tension, with some U.S. officials being “aggressive” and “bullying,” though “there was no question of anybody threatening anyone.”

Pope Leo accepted Pierreʼs resignation as nuncio in March for reaching the age limit and appointed Archbishop Gabriele Caccia as his new representative to the U.S.

According to official information released by the shrine, the celebrations will be marked by liturgical observances and moments of prayer in response to the request of St. Faustina Kowalska, who conveyed the words of Jesus: “I desire that the first Sunday after Easter be the feast of mercy.”

Mass and vigil celebration

Under this year’s theme, “God, the Merciful Father... To You We Entrust the Destiny of the World,” the organizers invite the faithful to the commencement of celebrations on Saturday, April 11, with a vigil Mass in the basilica to be celebrated by the archbishop emeritus of Kraków, Marek Jędraszewski.

After the Mass, a prayer vigil will take place, continuing through the early morning hours. At midnight, another Mass will be celebrated by Auxiliary Bishop Janusz Mastalski of Kraków. Afterward, the faithful will continue to participate in the vigil until 5 a.m.

On Divine Mercy Sunday, the Mass will be celebrated at the outdoor altar by the archbishop of Kraków, Cardinal Grzegorz Ryś, who also serves as the honorary patron of the event.

During this celebration, the so-called “Bell of Hope” destined for the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Vilnius, Lithuania, will be blessed.

One of the most significant moments will be the solemn hour of mercy, a practice deeply connected to this devotion, which will be observed in the basilica at 3 p.m., coinciding with the hour of Christʼs death.

A shrine marked by history and faith

The shrine’s current basilica was built from 1999 to 2002 and was consecrated on Aug. 17, 2002, by St. John Paul II, who at that site entrusted the entire world to divine mercy.

The basilica is noted for its symbolism: Its shape evokes an ark, a sign of salvation for those who place their trust in God. Inside, a tabernacle shaped like a globe representing humanity in need of mercy is situated alongside the image of the merciful Jesus.

It also houses depictions of St. Faustina Kowalska and St. John Paul II — great apostles of this devotion — as well as one of the largest stained-glass windows in Kraków, which symbolizes the light of divine mercy radiating upon the world.

Mass schedule

The shrine has scheduled multiple Eucharistic celebrations throughout the day:

6 a.m. (basilica), celebrated by Father Tomasz Szopa

8 a.m. (basilica), celebrated by Auxiliary Bishop Damian Muskus

10 a.m. (outdoor altar), principal Mass with Cardinal Ryś

12:30 p.m. (basilica), celebrated by Father Robert Woźniak

4 p.m. (outdoor altar), celebrated by Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz, who served as secretary to St. John Paul II for over 40 years.

6 p.m. (basilica), with the participation of young people

7 p.m. (convent chapel)

Broadcasts and global participation

All celebrations will be broadcast on television and digital platforms. The main Mass will be aired on TVP1, while the hour of mercy can be followed on EWTN.

Additionally, the shrine will offer online broadcasts via its official website and YouTube channel, enabling the participation of the faithful from around the world.

The shrine has implemented various logistical measures to accommodate the crowds expected to attend the celebration.

Confessions will be available throughout the night and on Sunday, including in several languages, and Communion will be distributed between Masses.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

During his “urbi et irbi” (“to the city and the world”) message on Easter Sunday, the Holy Father called for a prayer vigil for peace to be held Saturday at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.

Responding to that call, the president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Archbishop Paul Coakley, made “a special plea to my brother bishops, the priests, the laity, and all people yearning for true peace to join the Holy Father’s Vigil for Peace, whether virtually or in parishes, chapels, or before the Lord present in the quiet of their hearts to join with our Holy Father as we pray for peace in our world.”

The pontiff encouraged the faithful to join together to make heard “the cry for peace that springs from our hearts” and warned against growing indifference: “We are growing accustomed to violence, resigning ourselves to it, and becoming indifferent.”

“Indifferent to the deaths of thousands of people,” he continued, “indifferent to the repercussions of hatred and division that conflicts sow. Indifferent to the economic and social consequences they produce, which we all feel.”

Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, president of the Italian Bishops’ Conference, issued a statement urging priests, religious, and all believers to participate in the vigil led by the pope or to gather in prayer within their local communities to “implore the gift of reconciliation.”

“Let us halt the whirlwind of pain, suffering, and devastation; let us say our ‘no’ to war, and let us not grow accustomed to the horror,” the cardinal said.

Together with the Society of Jesus and the Conference of Major Superiors of Religious in Mexico, the Mexican Bishops’ Conference issued “an urgent call to society” to join the popeʼs campaign of prayer for peace with the theme “Let Us Make Heard the Cry for Peace That Springs from the Heart!”

“The peace that Christ offers us is both a gift and a mission. This peace is built by learning to transform conflicts into opportunities for forgiveness rather than into excuses for violence. Therefore, peace within the family and community is a daily task that requires a generous heart, willing to forgive,” the Mexican bishops stated.

The bishop of Huesca, Spain, Pedro Aguado Cuesta, has also called upon the faithful there to participate in the prayer vigil.

The prelate will lead the vigil at San Vicente el Real Church at 9 p.m. local time in communion with the initiative promoted by the Holy Father.

“Peace lies at the heart of the Gospel and at the center of human aspirations,” said Aguado, who urged the faithful to make a personal commitment to be builders of peace.

Likewise, Archbishop Gilbert Garcera, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, invited local churches to participate in the day of prayer.

“In a world increasingly marked by conflict and the ‘globalization of indifference,’ the Holy Father has invited the entire Church to unite in prayer, exhorting everyone to implore the gift of peace and to renew our commitment to dialogue, reconciliation, and nonviolence,” he said in a statement.

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.

Zaidan, a native of Lebanon and chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace, issued a statement on April 9 conveying his gratitude for the U.S.-Iranian ceasefire but also expressing his concerns about Lebanon, which he says the agreement does not cover.

Shortly after the ceasefire, Israel launched its deadliest attack on Lebanon since the start of the war, killing more than 300 people, according to the Associated Press. The attack outraged Iran, with officials claiming Lebanon was part of the ceasefire. American officials asserted Lebanon’s inclusion was never promised.

“I am grateful for the ceasefire between the United States, Israel, and Iran, and pray for all sides to engage in effective dialogue to end this devastating war,” Zaidan said in his statement. “I am disappointed, however, to learn that the agreement does not cover Lebanon, and thus falls short of encompassing the entire region where the conflict has been raging.”

On April 9, Lebanese and Israeli officials both expressed an interest in beginning peace talks.

Zaidan acknowledged the Israeli people “have the right to live in peace,” as do “the innocent Lebanese civilians who are currently suffering from lack of food, medical supplies, and from paralyzing fear.”

“Distressingly, over 1 million people, including 370,000 children, have been displaced by the fighting in what is becoming one of Lebanon’s most acute internal displacement crises in recent history,” he said.

As EWTN News previously reported, several Catholic organizations are operating in Lebanon seeking to provide shelter, food, medical services, and other forms of aid to people harmed or displaced by the conflict. This week, a Vatican humanitarian convoy in southern Lebanon was forced to turn back after it was caught in the crossfire between Hezbollah and Israel.

Father Pierre al-Rahi, a Catholic priest, was killed in Israeli strikes in late March. Some Catholic communities in southern Lebanon were ordered to evacuate, but some have refused to leave the war zone out of fear their land and homes could be permanently occupied. The majority of southern Lebanon is Shia Muslim, but it has pockets of Catholic, Sunni, and religiously mixed communities.

In total, more than 1,700 people have been killed in Lebanon and more than 5,500 have been injured.

“As the United States seeks a negotiated end to the war in Iran, I call on President Trump and the international community to ensure that the people of Lebanon receive greater access to humanitarian assistance, including food and medical supplies, especially in the south,” Zaidan said in his statement.

For a long-term peace, Zaidan said “it is imperative that all parties work toward the full and immediate disarming of Hezbollah,” which is an Iranian-backed Shia militant group operating throughout southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah joined the war against Israel following the U.S. and Israeli attack on Iran, prompting Israel to fire rockets and launch ground incursions in Lebanon.

The Lebanese government has sought to disarm Hezbollah previously and attempts to disarm them are part of the Lebanon-Israel peace negotiations.

Zaidan also called for “the implementation of the U.N. resolutions concerning Lebanon,” adding that “hopefully, after that, the governments of Israel and Lebanon can sign an agreement for lasting peace.”

The bishop quoted Pope Leo XIV’s Easter message, in which the Holy Father said: “May you, in the midst of feelings of pain, anxiety, and mourning, come to know in your hearts a deeper joy: Jesus has gloriously triumphed over death. It is a joy that comes from heaven and that nothing can take away.”

“May Our Lady of Lebanon, Queen of Peace, pray for her children in Lebanon and for the peace of the entire world,” Zaidan concluded.

There were 3,606,400 live births last year, down from 3,628,934 in 2024, the National Center for Health Statistics reported.

The general fertility rate dropped 1% to 53.1 births per 1,000 women ages 15–44, continuing a long-term decline of 23% since its 2007 peak.

The most notable decline came in teenage births, which reached another historic low. The birth rate for females ages 15–19 fell 7% to 11.7 births per 1,000 — the lowest rate ever recorded.

In total, 125,933 babies were born to teen mothers in 2025, an 8% decrease from the previous year.

Rates dropped for both younger teens (ages 15–17) and older teens (ages 18–19), with both age groups setting new record lows.

The provisional figures are based on nearly all (99.95%) birth records received and processed by the CDC as of early February. Final 2025 numbers, expected later this year, are not anticipated to change significantly.

The report reflects the ongoing gradual decline in U.S. births that has persisted for most of the past two decades, interrupted only by a modest uptick in 2024.

Experts continue to link the broader trend to factors such as abortion, biotechnology, economic pressures, and shifting social and political priorities.

“There is no single driver of declining birth rates, and yet what is undeniable is that due to anti-life technologies, economic pressures, bad policies, and cultural movements such as girl-boss feminism, more and more women are delaying or forgoing children," said Emma Waters, a senior policy analyst in the Center for Technology and the Human Person at The Heritage Foundation.

“Increasingly, it is women without a college degree who are opting out of children, in part because it feels like a luxury or elite enterprise to get married and have kids, and sadly our elite class only continues to fuel this lie,” she said.

Steven Mosher, president of the Population Research Institute, also expressed concern about the broader trend.

“The continuing decline in birth rates in the U.S. is very worrisome,” Mosher said. “We seem to be going the way of Old Europe, that is, entering an extended period of low fertility that puts us, as a country, in danger of entering into an irrecoverable demographic decline.”

He pointed to multiple possible factors, including “the increasingly widespread use of the abortion pill” and high numbers of abortions reported by Planned Parenthood.

According to the groupʼs 2024-2025 annual report, Planned Parenthood performed an all-time high of 434,450 abortions in 2023-2024.

The record number of abortions is an 8% increase, or about 32,000 more abortions, from the previous year. The number does not include telehealth chemical abortions, which are a growing percentage of all abortions, especially for teenagers and young adults.

A recent report, published in the journal JAMA Health Forum, found that young adults (ages 18–24) order abortion medication at much higher rates than older adults and that more teenagers order abortion pills in states with parental notification or consent laws around abortion.

The report found a “growing demand among adolescents and young adults in legally constrained environments.”

Mosher also attributed part of the decline in births to stricter immigration enforcement.

“Another part of the decline is surely related to the now-closed border and the crackdown on ‘birth tourism,’ which means that fewer and fewer babies [of foreign-born parents] are being born in the U.S.,” he said. “Ten percent of all births in the U.S. in 2024 were to illegal aliens, a percentage that is undoubtedly lower in 2025 as deportations and remigration reduce their numbers.”

The CDC also found that the cesarean delivery rate rose slightly to 32.5%, the highest since 2013, while the preterm birth rate held steady at 10.41%. Early preterm births (less than 34 weeks) saw a small 1% decline.

Trump announced a ceasefire agreement on April 7, hours after threatening the annihilation of the “whole civilization” of Iran if the country did not agree to U.S. terms.

Plans to destroy Iran’s infrastructure by striking power plants and bridges were paused for two weeks. Yet disputes about the ceasefire’s terms and the starting point of negotiations quickly raised tensions again.

During the war, both sides have already struck some civilian infrastructure. Iran struck hotels, energy facilities, and private companies, among other targets in the Gulf states.

Both Iran and Hezbollah fired rockets into civilian neighborhoods in Israel. The United States struck a girls’ school and civilian neighborhoods and targeted steel plants in Iran, while Israel has struck bridges, hospitals, and civilian neighborhoods in Lebanon and transportation and energy infrastructure, along with civilian buildings in Iran.

William Newton, chair of the theology department at Franciscan University of Steubenville, told EWTN News: “It always seems best to sort out disputes by talking rather than fighting when this is possible.”

He urged prayers “that a real peace can be established that makes the world safer and the people of Iran better off.”

Joseph Capizzi, dean and ordinary professor of moral theology and ethics at The Catholic University of America, told EWTN News he is “glad” the ceasefire is in place and believes pushback against the war prompted it.

Taylor Patrick O’Neill, a theology professor at Thomas Aquinas College, told EWTN News the ceasefire is “a cause for hope” but “still far from lasting peace.”

He urged both sides to negotiate “in the spirit of using force as an absolutely last resort.”

Peaceful intention

On April 8, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, a Catholic, told reporters that Trump’s threat to destroy the Iranian civilization “was not an empty threat by any means.” The Pentagon, she said, had a list of targets if a deal was not reached.

When asked about the morality of the threats, Leavitt said it was “insulting” to suggest Iran had a moral high ground. She accused Iran of “atrocities” against Americans and the military.

Catholic doctrine recognizes war can be justified under some circumstances. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, war is justified only to confront grave evil, and even then its harm must not exceed the evil it seeks to end and there must be a real chance of success, with all alternatives to war exhausted.

St. Augustine — the architect of just war doctrine — wrote to the Roman general Boniface: “Peace should be the object of your desire; war should be waged only as a necessity, and waged only that God may by it deliver men from the necessity and preserve them in peace.”

Augustine, writing in A.D. 418, told the general that “even in waging war, cherish the spirit of a peacemaker." The theologian cited Christ’s teaching in Matthew 5:9: “Blessed are the peacemakers.”

Capizzi said Trump’s rhetoric “is utterly alien to a peaceful intention” and, even if war is justified, “the intention of war must always be peace.”

“We Catholics do not pray to be merciless,” he said. “We do not invoke God in vengeance against our enemies. When we pray to God for victory, Catholics do so with humility and a desire for peace, a peace that ought to include our enemies whom Our Lord taught us to love.”

Capizzi said the notion that power plants are “dual use” because it “fuels both civilian homes and military arms production factors” does not make it a legitimate military target.

“Thereʼs significant gray area in this, but the idea is to limit the conduct of war to legitimate military targets and reduce the expansion of war in ways that increase civilian suffering,” he said.

O’Neill said it is not intrinsically evil to destroy a power plant or bridge, but the question must be: “Why are we striking it?”

Military officials, he said, must also ask: “How do the proportion of innocent deaths caused (directly and indirectly, with a bridge out of service in the coming weeks) by the strike compare to the good sought?”

He said Trumpʼs rhetoric shows “the intention and the means employed to achieve the fruition of those intentions.” He argued Trumpʼs intentions “explicitly and directly threaten mass casualty strikes that make no determination between combatant and noncombatant."

Trumpʼs remarks “border on the genocidal," he argued.

“What the Church provides is a clear moral reasoning for making difficult judgments about how to defend yourself and your nation justly,” O’Neill said. “These comments are more or less a rejection of any kind of moral reasoning beyond ‘win at all costs.’ Under no circumstances is it just to attempt to wipe a nation off of the face of the earth.”

According to Newton, distinguishing between military and civilian targets can be complex, but he offered his opinion that "a proper military target is one which is proximately ordered towards a military goal. By this I mean that the facility exists — or exists in the mode it currently does — because of military needs.”

To determine morality, Newton said, it “is not merely what you do but why you do it” and “something can be evil on account of either or both these elements.”

He said the president’s threats to destroy Iran “imply targeting elements of the country which go way beyond military targets and would be immoral,” but he added the caveat that “not knowing the intention means we cannot really interpret these [words] accurately.”

Principle of double effect

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that a moral act requires “a good intention,” but a good intention does not justify an intrinsically evil act. A bad intention always “makes an act evil,” it states.

St. Thomas Aquinas explains in the “Summa Theologica” that some acts can have several effects — some good and some bad. If the act itself is morally neutral, the act can be justified only if the good result is intended, and the bad consequence is unintended.

Capizzi said the principle of double effect often applies to war because hitting a legitimate target can result in hitting something that is not legitimate. When necessary, it may be moral to accept “collateral damage” as a secondary, unintended effect, he said.

“The proportionality of military actions is always important,” he said. “The bad secondary effects should not outweigh the good associated with the act. Again, the general idea is that war should be borne by combatants to the war and not be civilians.”

Yet because bad intentions and intrinsically immoral acts cannot be justified, Capizzi said “the intentional targeting of the innocent is never permissible, no matter how much good might come of it.”

O’Neill said this applies in the context of civilian infrastructure, noting the justification cannot just be “Does this harm the Iranian military?” and “Will this help us win the war?”

He said Trump must consider proportionality and cannot actively will the harm to civilians.

“If part of your decision to blow up a power plant is to cause suffering to the civilian population that depends upon it so that they are more likely to organize a coup, you are seeking a good effect through the evil means of civilian suffering,” he said.

Newton also noted the importance of proportionality: “One does need to make a prudential judgment concerning whether the good that one is seeking is really sufficiently good to tolerate the unintended but foreseen negative outcomes.”

He noted any intention to harm civilians “does not square with the principle of double effect” and expressed concern that Trump’s comments “are at least in danger of giving the impression that the approach taken to seeking the military defeat of the enemy is the demoralization of the population as a whole.”

“Iʼm not saying that this is the only way to interpret those statements but they are statements which definitely open up the possibility of an interpretation which is not compatible with the principle of double effect,” Newton said.

Iranian and American officials, including Vice President JD Vance, are scheduled to meet in Pakistan this weekend to negotiate long-term peace. Lebanese and Israeli officials have both expressed interest in peace talks as well.

“The social, economic, and political reality of human life and poverty is not disconnected from environmental issues concerning polluted air, water, and land, decreasing biodiversity, and habitat destruction,” the Indiana Catholic Conference of Bishops wrote in a pastoral letter released April 8.

“Human ecology and natural ecology are united in what Pope Francis called ‘integral ecology,’" the prelates said.

The pastoral letter, signed by Archbishop Charles Thompson of Indianapolis, Bishop Kevin Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Bishop Robert McClory of Gary, Bishop Timothy Doherty of Lafayette, and Bishop Joseph Siegel of Evansville, was written during the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope, according to a press release from the bishops.

The prelates emphasized “Christian hope” amid ecological and societal challenges and called the faithful “to live Eucharistic lives as we care for both our human community and for God’s good world.”

They explained that integral ecology “recognizes that we are both ecological citizens and ecclesiological citizens. We belong to the earth and to the Church."

The letter encourages sustainable farming, enhanced development of renewable energy sources, and care for the state’s water sources.

The Indiana faith leaders highlighted farming as “a vocation from God to feed the human community,” noting that “our state is an agricultural leader in that regard.” They called for the prioritization of “safe, affordable, and sustainable food supply” that “treats people, land, and animals in accord with their God-given way of being.”

“At the core of the ecological and social crises is a human heart enclosed in upon itself, alienated from God, our neighbor, and creation,” the bishops said. “The Sacred Heart of Jesus seeks to draw each human heart into communion with himself and through him into communion with the Trinity.”

Beyond care of creation and the poor, the bishops encouraged Catholics to seek healing in relationships with God, oneself, and each other by restoring commitment to observing the sabbath, unplugging from the virtual world, and seeking encounter with each other and creation.

They further suggested that the faithful could take up gardening in order to become closer to Godʼs world.

“Biblically, our human life originated in the Garden of Eden, a paradise of holy and just relationships among God, ourselves, and creation," the bishops said.

"Gardening is a way of life that requires humility, attentiveness, gratitude, and faithful obedience to cooperate with the ways of soil and plants.”

Cardinal Michael Czerny, the prefect of the Vaticanʼs Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, praised the bishops' letter in a separate message.

He called the letter a “thoughtful contribution to the Church’s ongoing reflection on the relationship between integral human development and care for creation.”

Czerny urged Catholics in Indiana to “continue fostering reflection and action regarding integral ecology in an attentive and balanced manner.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

‘A victory for the United States of America’

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Disputed report

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

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

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

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

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

Brian Burch, the U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, likewise wrote on X on April 9 that Pierre told him the reports of a “bitter” meeting were “fabrications” that were “just invented.”

“It was a frank and cordial meeting," Pierre said, according to Burch.

The Department of Defenseʼs rapid response team similarly wrote on X on April 9 that the report was “grossly false and distorted.” The account also shared images of the meeting between Pierre and government officials.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This story was updated at 2:50 p.m. ET on April 9, 2026, with remarks from U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Brian Burch and the Department of Defenseʼs rapid response X account.

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

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

Abortion a priority for Planned Parenthood

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Advocacy goals: Defunding Planned Parenthood

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“The situation is untenable,” he said.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Speaking in the Clementine Hall at the Vatican on April 9, the Holy Father welcomed the athletes “with joy” shortly after the conclusion of the Winter Games and thanked them for their witness.

“Thank you for what you have shown,” the pope said. “Truly, sport, when lived authentically, is not merely a performance: It is a form of language, a narrative made up of gestures, of effort, of anticipation, of falls, and of new beginnings.”

Leo XIV said the games revealed not only athletic achievement but also “stories of sacrifice, of discipline, of tenacity.”

“In particular, in Paralympic competitions we have seen how a limitation can become a source of revelation: not something that holds a person back but something that can be transformed, even transfigured into newfound qualities,” he said. “You athletes have become life stories that inspire a great number of people.”

The pope also emphasized the communal dimension of athletic success, saying: “No one wins alone.”

“Your team spirit reminds us that no one wins alone, because behind every victory there are many people involved — from family to teams — as well as many days of training, pressure, and solitude,” he said.

Quoting Psalm 18, he added: “It is often precisely in these moments that God reveals himself, as the psalmist sings: ‘Thou didst give a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip.’”

Leo XIV said sport helps mature the human person by fostering discipline, humility, and right relationships.

“Sport contributes to the maturing of our character, requires a steadfast spirituality, and is a fruitful form of education,” he said. “By training the mind, along with the limbs, sport is authentic when it remains humane — that is, when it remains faithful to its first vocation: to be a school of life and talent.”

“A school in which one learns that true success is measured by the quality of relationships: not by the amount of prizes but by mutual respect, by shared joy in the game,” he continued.

Referring to his Feb. 6 apostolic letter “Life in Abundance,” written for the occasion of the Olympics and Paralympics, the pope said the Gospel’s vision of abundant life points to harmony between the physical and interior dimensions of the person.

Turning to the present global situation, Leo XIV said the athletes’ witness carries special importance.

“At the present time, so marked by polarization, rivalry, and conflicts that escalate into devastating wars, your commitment takes on an even greater value: Sport can and must truly become a space for encounter!” he said. “Not a show of strength but an exercise in relationship.”

Recalling the value of the Olympic truce, he thanked the athletes for making visible “this possibility of peace as a prophecy that is by no means rhetorical: breaking the logic of violence to promote that of encounter.”

The pope also warned against distortions in sport, including doping, commercialism, and the reduction of athletes to mere spectacle.

“We are well aware that sport also brings with it certain temptations: that of performance at any cost, which can lead to doping; that of profit, which transforms the game into a market and the athlete into a star; that of spectacle, which reduces the athlete to an image or a number,” he said. “Against these excesses, your witness is essential.”

Leo XIV concluded by thanking the athletes for showing “an honest and beautiful way of inhabiting the world” and urged them to keep the human person at the center of sport in all its forms.

Following the audience, several of the athletes spoke to journalists about their experience of the audience and competing in the Winter Games, including speed skater Francesca Lollobrigida, who won two gold medals at Milan-Cortina this year.

“My goal was just to show that in my sport; I was able to combine, you know, being a mother and a top athlete,“ Lollobrigida told EWTN News. ”Iʼm just doing this for the other women, you know, that maybe at some points during their career they want to stop to focus on the family and then to come back.”

Nikko Landeros, an American-born Catholic who lost both his legs in 2007, represented Italy in ice hockey at the latest Paralympic games. He described to EWTN News the role of Catholicism in his athletic journey.

“At home, I started pretty much Catholic. You know, I went to Catholic school in the U.S. Weʼve been going to church now... not as much as I should, but, you know, I still pray every day, and Iʼm thankful to be here. You know, if it werenʼt for God, I wouldnʼt be alive. So, you know, Iʼm super thankful,” Landeros said.

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

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

But that’s not all of what was refurbished.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Full list of archdiocese jubilee sites

Santa Barbara Region

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

San Fernando Region

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

Our Lady of the Angels Region

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

San Gabriel Region

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

San Pedro Region

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

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

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

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

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

Students and parents voice concerns

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

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

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

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

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

Teachers: ‘Online classes are not effective’

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

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

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

Government says proposal still under review

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dissenting opinions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

‘A big disappointment’

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

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

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

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

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

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

“On the very day of Jesus’ resurrection, on Easter day, Jesus appeared to the apostles [and] the message he delivered to them was, ‘Peace to you!’” Father Giulio Albanese, MCCJ, said in an exclusive interview with EWTN News reporter Valentina Di Donato.

“Peace, from a Christian perspective, is not simply a wish, it’s a gift, and we must be aware that this is our vocation, to bring peace to the world. What is shameful is that nowadays we are doing exactly the opposite,” he said.

Albanese, who was kidnapped in northern Uganda by armed rebels in 2002 and witnessed several atrocities of war firsthand, said today’s Christians cannot turn a blind eye to people’s sufferings.

“We have to be aware that we are living in a society, at an international level, where there are many, many contradictions,” he said.

“There are many innocent people who are slaughtered out of human selfishness. Look at what is taking place in Iran, in the Middle East, in Africa,” he continued.

In order to address the obstacles to peace, Albanese said it is necessary for Christians to undergo a conversion and to take Jesus’ Easter message of peace to heart.

“During Easter day and even in the following days we have to pray for peace because if there is a lack of peace in the world it’s because our Christianity has become meaningless,” he said.

After witnessing the violent killings of a woman and her young children in Uganda, Albanese shared with Di Donato how his faith in the risen Jesus was put to the test.

“I must be sincere, in that very moment, I started screaming against the Lord, I said, ‘Lord where are you? Why are you allowing innocent people [to be] killed like that in that way? Why do they have to suffer in such a way? Lord have you forgotten us? Have you forgotten these people?” he said.

But it was through the help of an elderly priest that Albanese was able to sense the presence of God, when he was told: “You should ask yourself where is man, not where is God.”

Describing his heartfelt conversion as a “story of resurrection,” the Comboni missionary said these days of Easter can help Christians renew their commitment to work toward peace.

“We have to believe that our life is in the hands of God,” he said. “The Lord is faithful, and in the very moment you live an experience like this you understand also the significance of life.”

During Holy Week, Pope Leo XIV made several pleas to world leaders to bring all conflict and violence to an end.

Describing Jesus Christ as the “King of Peace” during the Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square, the Holy Father said God does not listen to those who “wage war.”

“Just as the Church contemplates the mystery of the Lord’s passion, we cannot forget those who today are truly sharing in his suffering,” he said in his March 29 homily.

On Easter Sunday, the pope renewed his prayerful petition for peace during his “urbi et orbi” blessing delivered from the central loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica.

“The peace that Jesus gives us is not merely the silence of weapons but the peace that touches and transforms the heart of each one of us!” he said. “Let us allow ourselves to be transformed by the peace of Christ! Let us make heard the cry for peace that springs from our hearts!”

Pope Leo will preside over a prayer vigil for peace in St. Peter’s Basilica on April 11.

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

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

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

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

Justice and forgiveness in a post-Maduro Venezuela

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

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

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

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

Fundamental freedoms in the country

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

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

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

A possible transition to democracy

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Johns noted several preexisting ties between the two groups.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Spiritual needs of the soldiers

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That agreement was never approved by the court, however.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Archdiocese of Detroit

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

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

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

Diocese of Boise

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

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

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

Los Angeles

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

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

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

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

Other notable numbers

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Living with the poor on the streets

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A father’s account

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

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

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

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

Protests and backlash

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

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

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

Legal dimensions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A pattern of abuse

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

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

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

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

In an interview with Dialoghi, a cultural magazine linked to Italian Catholic Action, Parolin said the voice of the pope is “prophetic” but risks becoming “a voice crying in the wilderness if it is not supported and helped concretely.”

His remarks also offer a key to understanding the peace prayer vigil Leo XIV has called for April 11 in St. Peter’s Basilica.

Parolin recalled the 2003 Iraq war, when St. John Paul II pleaded for the conflict to be avoided but “was left alone.” He therefore stressed the need to support the current pontiff’s appeal for a peace that is “unarmed and disarming” and to reject “the false propaganda of rearmament.”

“There is a need for more voices of peace, more voices against the madness of the rush toward rearmament, more voices raised in favor of our poorest brothers and sisters, more voices and more proposals — I am thinking, for example, of the world of Catholic universities — for new economic models inspired by justice and care for the weakest instead of the idolatry of money,” Parolin said.

The cardinal described an alarming international climate in which military action appears to impose itself too easily.

“I am struck by how much determination — I was about to say ease — with which the military option is presented as decisive, almost inevitable,” he said.

According to the Vatican secretary of state, this trend has left diplomacy practically “mute,” unable to activate alternative tools, while awareness of the tragedy of war and the value of shared rules is being lost.

Parolin said the root of the problem is a “multi-polarism inspired by the primacy of power,” in which states place greater trust in force than in international law. That, he said, has produced “double standards,” visible in the differing reactions to attacks on civilians in Ukraine and the destruction in Gaza.

“Many governments,” Parolin said, “have expressed indignation over attacks against Ukrainian civilians by Russian missiles and drones, imposing sanctions on the aggressors.”

“I do not think the same has happened with the tragedy of the destruction of Gaza,” he added.

For the cardinal, this is a case of “double standards” tied to the “primacy of power” — the dominance of one’s own country over others — with international law invoked “only when convenient” and ignored in many other cases.

“It seems there has been a lack of awareness of the value of peace, awareness of the tragic reality of war, awareness of the importance of shared rules and of respecting them,” he said.

Parolin also lamented the weakening of the global diplomatic architecture and said it is “utopian” to think peace can be guaranteed “by weapons and by balances imposed by the strongest rather than by international agreements.”

“We cannot surrender to the logic of the strongest,” the cardinal insisted, because that logic “bends international law to its own interests” and weakens multilateral institutions.

In that context, he also expressed regret that Europe has been unable to speak with one voice. He said it is necessary “to rekindle in peoples the sense of European belonging and, in leadership, the awareness of the need for common actions without ever failing the principles that are at the foundation of the European Union itself.”

Regarding the United Nations, Parolin said the Holy See “continues to believe in its importance,” considering international organizations essential for restraining the logic of the strongest. At the same time, he acknowledged that the use of the veto has limited the U.N.’s ability to act.

“We cannot move from the force of law to the law of force,” he warned.

Parolin also highlighted the role believers can play, including defending life and human dignity, protecting religious freedom, promoting reforms to the economic and financial system in line with the Church’s social doctrine, and caring for creation.

Finally, the cardinal addressed the cultural impact of new technologies, saying hyper-connectivity and the spread of fake news help fuel fear and build new walls.

“As Christians, we must oppose this drift with our daily lives,” 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 pope is scheduled to visit Algeria, Angola, Equatorial Guinea, and Cameroon on his first apostolic journey to the continent April 13–23.

Growing conflict between African Muslims and Christians

Niyiring is concerned about the state of Christian-Muslim relations in Africa, particularly in Muslim-majority countries such as Algeria.

Niyiring described the situation as one of fear between the two religions. His comments on the situation echo those of several African prelates who have recently voiced concern over the plight of Christians on the continent, highlighting the struggle Christians often face to practice their faith in predominantly Muslim African countries.

“There is always that fear between Christianity and Islam,” Niyiring told EWTN News. “Islam is becoming a religion that is quite strong in Africa, and we Christians will have to engage with Muslim leaders. … But it is dialogue that takes that fear out. Without dialogue, people will always be suspicious and afraid of one another. I am sure that the Holy Father will say something about that.”

Niyiring said he hopes the pope’s trip also raises awareness of other issues often ignored in the West, including poverty, political corruption, and the plight of young girls in Africa.

“In many countries, perhaps in the West, nobody discusses the issues facing young girls on the streets. We see many of them on our streets [as victims of sex trafficking], and there are situations where they don’t get the attention they need, especially in education,” he said.

Regarding politicians, the bishop said: “In Africa today, there are people who want to be in government, but they’re hardly interested in the well-being of their people. We would like to hear Leo say more about [political corruption], encouraging our leaders to be leaders who love their people and are there to serve them.”

Serving with the then-Father Robert Prevost

The future pope, then-Father Robert Prevost, served as prior general of the Augustinians from 2001 to 2013. During this period, Prevost played a key role in helping establish a new province for the Augustinians in Nigeria, an experience that greatly enhanced the future pope’s knowledge of the country and the African continent.

“His trip to Nigeria in 2001 — one of several he made there — was the first canonical visit he made outside Rome as prior general. I worked closely with him after I became the provincial superior of the Augustinians in Nigeria in 2005, until I became a bishop in 2008. His presence there was crucial. There were also projects underway in Nigeria and across Africa, and he helped a lot in raising funds to build them. I brought many problems to his attention as the provincial of a young order. And he was always attentive and always emphasized the importance of finding new approaches to issues,” Niyiring said.

Niyiring also praised the pope’s leadership style while serving the Augustinians, noting his attentiveness and calm.

“He has a pleasant personality. He was always attentive and always emphasized the importance of finding new approaches to issues. He encouraged us to be open to the promptings of the spirit and willing to change in situations that needed it.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

New York law

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The congregation

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

‘We’ve given our life to God’

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Disputed claims

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

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

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

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

‘It was the worst Easter’

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

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

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

Capuchin friar condemns ‘Christianophobia’

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Charbel and Leo 

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

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

An ancient history

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

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

Lebanon’s Christians and Muslims

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

Ongoing suffering

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

A shared bleeding

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

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

Despair and witnesses of hope

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

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

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

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

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

Pope Leo’s visit

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Draw to the faith

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

30 years after Tibhirine massacre, concerns over religious freedom remain

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A trip in the footsteps of St. Augustine

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

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

“Following these recent hours of great tension for the Middle East and for the whole world, I welcome with satisfaction and as a sign of living hope the announcement of an immediate two-week truce,” the pope said at the end of his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square on April 8.

Commenting in the wake of a ceasefire deal between the United States, Israel, and Iran, Leo said: “Only through a return to negotiation can the war come to an end.”

“I urge that this time of delicate diplomatic work be accompanied by prayer, in the hope that readiness for dialogue may become the means to resolve other situations of conflict in the world. I renew for all the invitation to join me in the prayer vigil for peace that we will celebrate here in St. Peter’s Basilica on Saturday, April 11,” he said.

In comments to the press on the evening of April 7, the pope renewed his forceful appeal for an end to war and urged an embrace of dialogue, distinguishing himself as a singular global voice calling for restraint and moral accountability amid bellicose statements from U.S. leadership.

The first U.S.-born pope called on U.S. citizens to plead with elected officials to work for peace in remarks to the press as he left his residence in Castel Gandolfo, 18 miles south of Rome, and called threats to destroy Iran’s civilization unacceptable.

Leo said “attacks on civilian infrastructure [are] against international law [and] also a sign of the hatred, the division, the destruction that the human being is capable of ... We all want to work for peace. People want peace. I would invite citizens of all the countries involved to contact the authorities, political leaders, congressmen, to ask them, tell them to work for peace and to reject war.”

Catechesis: Holiness is more than an ethical commitment

Before his appeal, the pope spoke about the Second Vatican Council constitution Lumen Gentium.

The pontiff emphasized that holiness is not a privilege reserved for an elite or a mere “ethical commitment” but a vocation and a gift that involves all the baptized.

“Holiness, according to the conciliar constitution, is not a privilege for a few but a gift that commits every baptized person to strive for the perfection of charity, that is, the fullness of love toward God and toward one’s neighbor,” the pope said.

“Charity is the heart of the holiness to which all believers are called,” he affirmed, noting that its highest expression, as in the early days of the Church, is martyrdom — that is, the willingness to confess Christ even to the shedding of blood.

“This readiness for witness becomes a reality whenever Christians leave signs of faith and love in society, committing themselves to justice,” the pontiff explained in his catechesis.

Along this path, he added, the sacraments — and in a particular way the Eucharist — are the nourishment that fosters a holy life, assimilating each person to Christ, the model and measure of all holiness.

He stressed that holiness does not have “only a practical nature, as if it could be reduced to an ethical commitment, however great, but concerns the very essence of Christian life, both personal and communal.”

Consecrated life: A prophetic sign

The pontiff also recalled that Lumen Gentium defines holiness as a constitutive characteristic of the Catholic Church, which is conceived as “indefectibly holy.”

However, he clarified that this affirmation does not imply a full and completed perfection but rather a call “to confirm this divine gift during her pilgrimage toward the eternal destination,” walking — citing St. Augustine — “amid the persecutions of the world and the consolations of God.”

In this context, the pope also addressed the reality of sin within the Church, emphasizing that this reality calls everyone to a serious process of personal and communal conversion. “The infinite grace that sanctifies the Church entrusts to us a daily mission: that of our conversion,” he affirmed.

The pope devoted a significant portion of his reflection to consecrated life, which he described as a prophetic sign of the new world already present in the mystery of the Church. In this sense, he noted that the evangelical counsels — poverty, chastity, and obedience — are signs of the kingdom of God and give shape to every experience of consecrated life.

Leo XIV concluded by emphasizing that these virtues are not limits to freedom but gifts that liberate, bestowed by the Holy Spirit. In this way, he said, consecrated persons bear witness to the universal vocation to holiness through a radical following of Christ, recalling that even the experience of suffering, when lived in union with the Lord’s passion, can become a path of holiness and transformation.

Redemptive suffering

Thus, the pontiff explained that there is no human experience that “God does not redeem.”

“Even suffering, lived in union with the passion of the Lord, becomes a path of holiness. The grace that converts and transforms life thus strengthens us in every trial, pointing us not toward a distant ideal but toward the encounter with God, who became man out of love,” he concluded.

This story was updated on April 8, 2026, at 7:57 a.m. ET with the pope’s catechesis. Part of this story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bishop Báez’s homily on Easter Sunday

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

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

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

The first U.S.-born pope called on U.S. citizens to plead with elected officials to work for peace in remarks to the press April 7 and called threats to destroy Iran’s civilization unacceptable. Earlier in the day, President Donald Trump promised on social media the annihilation of the “whole civilization” of Iran if the country fails to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

The pope said “attacks on civilian infrastructure [are] against international law [and] also a sign of the hatred, the division, the destruction that the human being is capable of ... We all want to work for peace. People want peace. I would invite citizens of all the countries involved to contact the authorities, political leaders, congressmen, to ask them, tell them to work for peace and to reject war.”

Reiterating the substance of his Easter Sunday urbi et orbi message, Leo said he was "asking people of good will to search always for peace and not violence, to reject war, especially a war which many people have said is an unjust war, which is continuing to escalate and is not resolving anything,” the pope said. “We have a worldwide economic crisis, energy crisis, situation in the Middle East of great instability, which is only provoking more hatred throughout the world.”

He also said, speaking in Italian: “Today, as we all know, there was also this threat against the entire people of Iran, and this truly is not acceptable. Let us begin with dialogue. We should resolve problems without reaching this point, yet here we are. We must pray a great deal.”

The pope spoke to the press outside the papal villa of Castel Gandolfo before returning to Rome after a daylong stay there. He made his appeal in Italian and English and did not take reporters’ questions.

“Let’s come back to the table, let’s talk, let’s look for solutions in a peaceful way, and let’s remember especially the innocent,” the pope said. “Children, the elderly, the sick, so many people have already become or will become victims of this continued warfare.”

Pope Leo XIV has repeatedly rejected rhetoric invoking God to justify loss of life. “Brothers and sisters, this is our God: Jesus, King of Peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war,” Leo said on Palm Sunday.

On April 7, Archbishop Paul Coakley, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, underscored the pope’s repeated calls for peace and urged Trump to avoid war with Iran.

Carrying hope

Pope Leo XIV in his Easter homily called for peace throughout the world, urging Christians to carry the hope of the Resurrection into a world wounded by war, violence, and injustice.

Leo used his first Easter urbi et orbi message April 5 to make a forceful appeal for an end to war and a renewed embrace of dialogue. He will lead a prayer vigil for peace on April 11 at St. Peter’s Basilica.

The pope has repeatedly condemned war, saying it is a moral failure rooted in abuse of power and domination rather than dialogue. He urged those “who have weapons to lay them down” and those with power “to choose peace — not peace imposed by force, but through dialogue.”

In the Easter message, the pope warned that the world is sliding into a “globalization of indifference” toward the suffering and deaths caused by war.

Valentina Di Donato contributed to this story.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The ‘magnitude of the thirst for God’

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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