The Save Nigeria Rally included speakers such as Alveda King, the niece of civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr., along with representatives from all six geopolitical zones of Nigeria.

“We are here to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the persecuted Christians of Nigeria,” Save Nigeria Group USA President Stephen Osemwegie said during his rally speech, in which he thanked the U.S. President Donald Trump for his efforts to redesignate Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” and to carry out strategic strikes on terrorist groups there.

“This is the Juneteenth holiday weekend,” Osemwegie said. “As our American brothers and sisters celebrate the historic victory over the evils of slavery and chattel oppression, we see an unbreakable spiritual connection between the American civil rights struggle and our fight against religious persecution and terrorism today.”

“The shackles may look different, but the demonic spirit of oppression is exactly the same,” he said.

Osemwegie told EWTN News that ending radical terrorism and persecution in Nigeria is “in the vital national security interest of the United States.”

As a country of 240 million people with 70% under the age of 45 years old, Osemwegie emphasized the critical need for the U.S. to prevent Nigeria from falling “into the hands of radical Islamic terror.”

“Nigeria sits at the epicenter today of global jihad,” he said. “If Boko Haram and ISIS reconstitute like they did in Syria, Nigeria could be another Syria, another Afghanistan. And that means that their core goal  … [would be] to reconstitute and come after the United States.”

“They are really planning to regroup using the awesome resources in Africa and Nigeria, which has lithium, rare earths, gold, you name it, and two million barrels per day oil production,” he said. “You cannot allow such a country to become a terror hub. It will threaten the global community.”

Osemwegie further emphasized that escalating terrorism could spark a migration crisis. “We are 240 million [citizens], we could overrun many neighboring countries and Europe. We want America and the world to help us stay there by fighting the terrorism.”

“What Nigeria needs is not U.S. troops fighting on the ground,” Osemwegie said. “We need support — the platform, the drones, the advisors who will be behind our very gallant Nigerian troops that are giving their lives every day. As a matter of fact, weʼve lost senior officers, generals, soldiers fighting without the right equipment.”

According to Osemwegie, Nigeria needs the United States to intervene in cutting off funding to terrorist groups in the country such as Boko Haram and ISIS, which he said receive the bulk of their funding from the Middle East and other “nefarious parts of the world.”

The activist further called attention to the “humanitarian crisis that Nigeria faces,” with those who have been forced to flee their homes after facing persecution from armed militant groups, particularly the Fulani militant groups that have carried out most of the Christian persecution in the country.

“An estimated 11 million people have been driven from their homes since 2009,” he said. “These people now live in makeshift camps. They want for everything, but the world is not aware that they need food, shelter, and most importantly, they need to be safely returned to their communities.”

‘Nigeria, we hear you, we love you’

“I encourage President Trump, and I am continually praying for him, to care about the people of Nigeria," Alveda King said during her rally speech.

Reflecting on the message of her late uncle, King called for people of all faiths to consider each other as brothers and sisters.

“We have to learn to live together. Same thing for Israel and the Palestinians and the Jews. Theyʼre brothers. Theyʼre not neighbors and cousins. They are actually brothers,” she said, alluding to ongoing conflicts in Israel and the broader Middle East.

At different points in her remarks, King sang verses of the gospel songs “This Little Light of Mine” and “How Great Thou Art.”

She emphasized the need for Christians to support humanitarian causes. “When little children are hungry, I don’t say ‘Are you a Muslim or a Jew?’ ‘Are you from Nigeria or America?’ A little child is hungry, so we’re going to feed that child.”

In an interview with EWTN News, King encouraged the Nigerian people to maintain hope.

“Be encouraged,” she said. “Of one blood, God made all people to live together on the face of the earth. My uncle, Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Jr, said: ‘We must learn to live together as brothers … and not to perish together as fools’”

“Nigeria, we hear you, we love you, be encouraged and have faith in God,” she said.

Survivor of Boko Haram kidnapping calls for ‘open doors’

Rebecca Samuel Dali, who was kidnapped by Boko Haram in 2014 and survived sexual assault as a young child, told EWTN News at the rally that she came to express her gratitude for Trumpʼs efforts to end persecution in Nigeria, and to ask that he “open doors” to those fleeing persecution.

Dali was taken by Boko Haram July 30, 2014. She said the group released her after three hours when its leader realized his family had benefitted from the services provided by her organization, the Center for Compassion, Empowerment, and Peace Initiative.

“If America was locked, I could not have been here now,” she said. “So to open doors for people to come and stay in this peaceful country, this is why I’m here.”

Dali is also a minister of the Church of the Brethren and a 2017 recipient of the Humanitarian Award from the Sergio Vieira de Mello Foundation.

At this hospital, which looks like something out of a storybook, medical professionals work to ensure that children can keep smiling despite their illnesses.

This is the case for Carmen Molina, a nurse in the hospital’s pediatric comprehensive palliative care unit, who recently shared her testimony at a gathering organized for Pope Leo XIV’s visit to the Movistar Arena in Madrid.

Sitting near one of the play areas in the hospital, Molina shared with ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, her experience accompanying seriously ill children and their families through some of the most difficult moments of their lives.

‘God’s hand is always there’

The vocation Molina chose is not an easy one. “There are things that are painful for you, too, when accompanying the patient through this process, knowing there is no option for a cure. But it changes your perspective and the way you care for them,” she said.

Since she first came to the hospital three years ago, she has had to face tough challenges marked “not only by physical exhaustion, but also by the emotional and spiritual pain” of sick children and their families.

Despite the hardships, she said faith sustains her every day and helps her to be aware of her own limitations and fragility. “You find meaning in many of the situations you experience, and you realize that, thank God, a lot of things don’t depend on you personally; that gives you peace of mind.”

“The hand of God is always there — always,” Molina said, convinced that his presence becomes visible in sick children and their loved ones. “Of course, everyone goes through it as best they can, but I see it in the way they face so many things in their day-to-day lives, in the way they look toward the future and ‘normalize’ so many aspects of their situation.”

With extensive experience in palliative care, the nurse pointed out certain recurring patterns among people in the final stage of life. “They want to feel loved and don’t want to be a burden to others. They wish to heal old wounds, ask for forgiveness, be forgiven, or find reconciliation.”

As they find themselves in the final stretch of their lives, Molina noted that many people “seek the meaning of their life” without concerning themselves with material things. Ultimately, she emphasized, “what counts is the love given or not given; that’s what matters at the end of life.”

Recognizing the person as someone unique

She emphasized that palliative care “is necessary for living with peace and dignity” and clarified that “we don’t focus on death, but on life,” so that patients live as well as possible. “What matters is how they live; it’s not so much about how long they will live, but rather how they will live.”

In her view, this is closely linked to the dignity of each person, which “depends neither on the time lived — whether long or short — nor on the health one enjoys or the illness one suffers.”

“Nor does it depend on success,” she added, “nor on the abilities one may possess; rather, it is something so intrinsic and so infinite that we are called to protect, care for, appreciate, and attend to the person in a holistic way.”

The nurse explained that palliative care aims to address every dimension of the person, focusing not only on the physical dimension but also on the emotional, social, and spiritual ones.

“We try not to reduce the person to their illness,” she said, “but rather to recognize that person as a unique individual with a story that deserves respect, someone who has value right up to the very last moment of their life.”

She further noted that hope is indispensable at this stage: “As long as there is hope, there is life and expectation."

She clarified that it’s not about “the hope of a cure, but the hope of living each day with meaning, being at peace, and saying goodbye properly.”

“If you are at peace with yourself and with others, I believe going to heaven is a joy.”

The cross: A companion in suffering

Molina also pointed out that accepting the illness is a key element: “When you take a step toward transcendence, toward peace, it is palpable, even if it isnʼt fully understood. I have been fortunate enough to witness how the sick person and their family, despite the hardships, experience moments of serenity, peace, intimacy, and inner healing. I believe that hope does not vanish; rather, it changes form.”

Throughout her journey as a palliative care nurse, she has witnessed how many patients and their loved ones have found “strength in faith, in prayer, and in the cross, understood as a companion in suffering.”

Ultimately, she emphasized that what helps the patient most “is knowing that their life matters to others and feeling accompanied by God.”

Drawing on her own experience, she encourages people “not to wait until they are sick to ask themselves about what is truly important and essential: loving and letting yourself be loved. It’s about living a life of integrity and caring for your family, friends, and those around you. Ultimately, life is not measured by success or productivity but by authenticity and love.”

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 FIFA World Cup is one of the most-watched sporting events with roughly 5 billion people tuning in to the tournament that brings together soccer’s best athletes from around the world.

Despite only being a little over a week into the soccer tournament, the name of Jesus has already been made known many times from several of the athletes and teams as they compete on this global stage.

Here are five powerful moments of faith we’ve seen at the World Cup so far:

1. Croatian team shares the importance of their Catholic faith

Ahead of Croatia’s first match against England, two members of the team took part in a press conference where they discussed the role their Catholic faith plays in their lives.

EWTN News correspondent Mark Irons was in attendance and asked Kristijan Jakić and Igor Matanović what Catholicism means to the team and if prayer and faith is important to them in their own lives.

“I think faith is very important in my life. When you pray to God, it’s like a feeling that someone is listening to you, and that gives me a lot of strength,” Matanović said.

Jakić added: “We are a country in which we are Catholics and in which faith means the path in our lives. I think faith represents the entire national team. Faith simply means everything in our lives.”

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2. Players from Curaçao and Germany join in prayer after competing against one another

The national team from the country of Curaçao — which is a Caribbean island with a population of 150,000 — made history by qualifying for the World Cup for the first time. By qualifying, the island nation set a Guinness World Record as the smallest country by population to ever reach the global menʼs tournament.

Despite losing to Germany in their first match 7-1, the players and coaches were visibly emotional realizing the achievement the team had accomplished. In a moment of gratitude, several of the athletes joined on the pitch for a moment of prayer. They were then joined by German players Jonathan Tah and Felix Nmecha — both outspoken Christians.

In a postgame interview, Nmecha said: “During the game, we are opponents, but after the game we are all Christians and we are brothers… In our faith, we all believe that Jesus is glorified through the game and that’s why we came together and simply prayed together.”

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3. Lionel Messi thanks God after making history

Argentina went up against Algeria on June 16 in Kansas City, Kansas, where over 69,000 fans watched history unfold at the feet of the famous Argentinian player Lionel Messi.

During the 3-0 victory against Algeria, Messi recorded the first FIFA World Cup hat trick — when a single player scores three goals during one game — of his career. Additionally, Messi made history by tying former German soccer player Miroslav Klose’s record for most men’s World Cup goals scored at 16.

After the game, Messi, a devout Catholic, said: “I can’t ask for more than what I received. As I’ve said many times, thank God that he has given me so much and everything that comes now is a blessing.”

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4. Team USA shares a moment of prayer after historic win against Paraguay

On June 12, the men from the United States started their World Cup journey on a positive note with a 4-1 victory over Paraguay. After the game, defender Mark McKenzie led the team in a moment of prayer on the field.

Leading into the tournament, several of the U.S. players were vocal about their faith. Star winger Christian Pulisic is known for leading several of his teammates in a Bible study he calls “Bible Time” and has discussed the important role reading Scripture plays in his daily life.

Goalkeeper Matt Freese recently spoke to Sports Spectrum’s “What’s Up” podcast and discussed how his faith and career are intertwined.

“Godʼs given me so many opportunities within this game and within my career. I still have a role to play in that. I still have to do my part and take that opportunity and do something with it,” Freese said.

He also shared that he’s a listener of Father Mike Schmitz’s “Bible in a Year” podcast.

“Right now I’m listening to ‘Bible in a Year’ by Father Mike Schmitz. It’s been fantastic and it kind of makes me able to — even when I’m on the road or even if itʼs a busy stretch — make sure I’m spending some time every day, hopefully every day, [with Scripture],” he said.

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5. Felix Nmecha honors Jesus in post-goal celebration

German midfielder Felix Nmecha honored Jesus by making a powerful gesture after scoring the first goal in Germany’s 7-1 victory against Curaçao on June 14.

After scoring the goal, Nmecha knelt down on one knee and made the gesture of taking off a crown from his head, placed it on the ground, and then pointed up to the sky. This “crown down” gesture, as it has been called, symbolizes that every gift, every victory, and every moment of glory belongs to Christ.

In a postgame interview, Nmecha said: “It was an incredible blessing to score my first goal for Germany and for it to be so fast. All the glory I give to God, because he is the one who has given me this talent and the opportunity to be here living this dream.”

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“Our biggest challenge now is funding,” said Liton Luis Gomes, project director of Caritas Bangladeshʼs Emergency Response Program.

“We only received 60% of the funds we planned for this fiscal year; we didnʼt get the remaining 40%,” Gomes told EWTN News by phone. “Thatʼs why we had to reduce the quantity while maintaining the quality of our services.”

The cuts have fallen hardest on shelter and hygiene work. “If we used to be able to repair 500 houses, now it has decreased by 50%. If someone asks for a hygiene kit like soap, we canʼt give it urgently,” Gomes said.

A shrinking budget

The decline in donor support has been steep. Caritas Bangladesh reported receiving about 916 million taka ($7.4 million) for its Rohingya response in 2017–18. Support fell to about 468 million taka ($3.8 million) in 2020 and about 417 million taka ($3.4 million) in 2024. It rose to about 531 million taka ($4.3 million) in 2025 before falling again to about 427 million taka ($3.5 million) so far in 2026, the agency said.

Even so, Gomes said, the charity is maintaining the services that do not require money. “We are doing things like training volunteers for the crisis period, raising awareness about disaster relief,” he said.

Caritas Bangladesh has worked in the camps since the 2017 exodus, providing shelter, water and sanitation, child protection, and education. Between 2017 and 2024, its shelter and settlement program reached an average of 38,335 households a year, the charity said, through transitional shelter assistance, repairs, tarpaulin distribution, and monsoon support. It runs 12 learning centers and two youth and adolescent centers in the camps, teaching children under the Myanmar curriculum.

Lives in the camps

The charityʼs work is felt in individual lives. Mohammad Arshad, 23, who lives in Camp 19, has volunteered in the shelter program of Caritas Bangladeshʼs Emergency Response Program since 2018. He had studied up to class nine in Myanmar and helped his father run a grocery shop before the family was forced to flee. With no stable income and eight people to support, including his aging parents, his wife, his young son, and two younger siblings, he had lain awake wondering how he would provide.

“The job was more than just a source of income; it gave me a sense of purpose. I learned how to organize workers, coordinate with engineers, and develop technical skills,” Arshad told EWTN News.

“This opportunity had not only helped me; it supports my family but also [has] given me hope for a better future. As I watched my son sleep peacefully at night, [I] whispered silent thanks, to Caritas Bangladesh, to the people who had trusted me, to the strength that kept me going,” Arshad added.

Momtaz Begum, a vulnerable woman who received income-generating support through Caritas, described a similar turnaround.

“My husbandʼs addiction left us in debt, and after he abandoned us, I struggled to provide for my family by raising poultry and growing vegetables. The COVID-19 pandemic made things worse, leaving us without food or income. When our home was destroyed in the rain, I moved to my fatherʼs house, where I faced mistreatment from relatives,” she told EWTN News.

On Jan. 18, 2022, Begum received 25,000 taka (about $200) from Caritas Bangladesh to start an income-generating activity. She used the money to expand her cloth business.

“Earlier, I had to share profits with a shopkeeper, but now I buy cloth independently and keep all the profit. This has increased my daily earnings to 400-500 taka [about $3 to $4], allowing me to save … money,” Begum told EWTN News.

A stateless people

Rohingya refugees have fled Myanmar for Bangladesh since the 1970s. In the 1990s, more than 250,000 sheltered in Coxʼs Bazar, though all but 20,000 were repatriated after a campaign that began in the early 2000s.

The influx resumed in 2015, and by 2017 an estimated 300,000 Rohingya were in Bangladesh. About 537,000 more fled across the border to Coxʼs Bazar in August 2017 as violence intensified in Myanmarʼs Rakhine state, prompting the United Nations to call the situation “a textbook example of ethnic cleansing.”

By December 2023, 971,904 Rohingya were living in 33 camps in the Coxʼs Bazar district. Pope Francis met a group of Rohingya refugees during his apostolic visit to Bangladesh in 2017.

Looking ahead, Caritas Bangladesh said it aims to build stronger links between the refugees it assists and local businesses, and to deepen cooperation with government and aid agencies, even within a tighter budget.

Golka follows in the footsteps of Archbishop Samuel Aquila, who led the archdiocese since 2012 and was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI.

Golka told EWTN News in a sit-down interview that he was “not expecting to come to Denver.”

“I had been in [Colorado] Springs for four and a half years as a bishop and I know many other bishops more qualified than I am, who have served longer than I have. So, I thought I was safe, if you will,” he said. “So when I saw that the nuncio had tried to call me, I said a prayer and called him back and he said, ‘Are you alone? Can we talk?’ And I joked and I said, ‘Your Eminence, we can talk all you want as long as youʼre not going to move me.’ And he laughed and he just right away said, ‘Youʼve been appointed.’

Golka shared that he had two reactions to the news. First, he was sad to be leaving the Diocese of Colorado Springs after falling in love with the parishes, the people, and the pastors. Second, he immediately said “yes” because he believes that “if the Holy Spirit is asking through the Church and the Holy Father, you have to say yes.”

“I also joked that in my last five assignments I would have never chosen any of them myself. So itʼs clear to me God chose them and if God wants it, itʼs going to be great if I let God do it,” he added.

The new appointment comes at a time where the world is still getting to know Pope Leo XIV, which includes analyzing and monitoring the new pope’s appointments. When asked why he believes the Holy Father chose him for Denver, Golka shared that he asked the papal nuncio this very question during their call, which took place on Feb. 7.

“I asked the papal nuncio why I was chosen for Denver and he said, ‘I donʼt really know,’” Golka recalled. “He said that the Holy Father discerns and prays, so we believe the Spirit is leading this choice, so thatʼs first of all it.”

Golka added that he sees Pope Leo as a “very thoughtful, well-considered person,” so if he had to guess why he was chosen, Golka would credit it to the fact that he loves Jesus “immensely.”

“I try to talk about him [Jesus] as much as I can and be a witness to that. I love being a pastor … So, I think the Holy Father wants people who love Our Lord openly, outwardly, and who are pastors who care for the people,” he said.

Born and raised in Grand Island, Nebraska, Golka was the fourth of 10 children. His father, Robert, was a civil engineer and his mother, Patricia, was a Catholic school teacher.

Golka shared that his parents were “experts at passing on the faith.” While they never sat their children down for a lesson on the faith or opened the catechism to teach them from it, the children had the faith instilled in them from young ages because “they just lived it [the faith].”

In second grade, Golka was preparing to receive his first Communion and in one of his workbook activities it asked the children to draw a picture of someone they enjoyed listening to. Golka drew a picture of his parish priest.

“I knew it was in me at a young age,” he said.

When Golka was in eighth grade one of his older brothers entered the seminary. Despite his brother discerning out of the priesthood, Golka thought to himself, “Boy, if he can do it, I can do it.”

“I went up and stayed with him for a week when I was in eighth grade and I thought to myself, ‘This is where Godʼs calling me.’”

Growing up in a large family, Golka dreamt of getting married and having a lot of children. He shared that he “grieved the loss of children I wouldn’t have and the loss of a family.”

However, “God assured me that many people would treat me as father and call me Father for the rest of my life, and heʼs come through on that promise,” he said.

In the weeks leading up to Golka’s installation as archbishop of Denver, both of his parents passed away — his mother in January and his father in March.

“Both of their deaths were not surprising, but both were unexpected and both were incredibly beautiful deaths but painful as heck,” he shared.

He explained that his mother passed away in her sleep right before he was appointed archbishop. Golka’s father was in attendance at the press conference held after the announcement was made and he recalled his father “being the star of the show that day.”

On March 3 — less than a month after the press conference — Golka visited his father in the hospital.

“I went into his hospital room — he was very awake that day, his last day of being lucid — and I walked in the room and … he looked at me and he smiled and I said, ‘What dad, you couldnʼt wait till March 25?’ And he laughed and he said, ‘No, Iʼm going to die tomorrow or the next day, but I can do more for you from heaven that I can from here. So you can trust that,’” Golka recalled.

His father passed away on March 5.

On the day of Golka’s installation, he recalled being extremely tired, lightheaded, and he was worried he was going to pass out.

“I was just so tired, exhausted, and as soon as Archbishop Aquila and [apostolic nuncio] Cardinal [Christophe] Pierre put me in the cathedra and Archbishop Aquila gave me the crozier, immediately my mom was standing right here [on his right side] and my dad right here [on his left side] — like theyʼre tangible,” he shared. “And so it was almost like God told me, ‘Now relax and enjoy this. Weʼll take care of you.’ And my dad said, ‘Weʼre going to stand in front of God and intercede for our family for all of eternity. So, donʼt worry.’ So, at my installation, what a gift to have had that, because without them there that day, I would have passed out.”

He added that he has felt his parents' presence with him several times already in his new role as archbishop.

As for his top priorities for Denver, Golka said he wants to start by getting to know his priests and their parishes and invest time in supporting them, he wants to continue to work hard to defend life in the state of Colorado, and lastly he wants to “listen more intently” to God’s plans for the archdiocese.

“God has a plan for this archdiocese and he knows why he brought me here and why he brought all of us here. I donʼt know why he made me an archbishop; Iʼm just a guy from Nebraska … But, he has a plan so we need to listen to him intently and trust that he isnʼt hiding the plan from us. He wants to show it to us. So our job then is to learn how to listen and discern.”

“We thank God for this [court] verdict. We are happy as our prayers have been heard,” Sister Concettina, MC secretary-general, told EWTN News June 19 from the motherhouse in Kolkata.

“Finally, [the] eight long years’ ordeal has come to an end,” Archbishop Vincent Aind of Ranchi and head of the Catholic Church in Jharkhand told EWTN News, reacting to the June 18 verdict of the Ranchi district court.

On July 4, 2018, 62-year-old MC Sister Concilia and two aides from the MC home for unwed mothers at Jail Road in Ranchi were arrested on the allegation by Rupa Verma, the chairwoman of the Child Welfare Committee for the Ranchi district, that the home had sold a 14-day-old infant boy to a couple.

The sensational news of “child trafficking” against the Missionaries of Charity, the congregation founded by Mother Teresa, made worldwide headlines.

A flurry of criticism followed after the federal Ministry for Women and Child Welfare under the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government tried to malign the MC congregation by even ordering inspection of all MC homes across the country, as detailed in a report from the National Catholic Register, the sister partner of EWTN News.

On July 11, The Republic, a major news channel known for publicizing BJP perspectives, alleged that the number of babies missing from the Missionaries of Charity home was as many as 280 and branded the congregation as a “multimillion corporation.” However, three days later, the channel abandoned its hyperbolic earlier allegation and reported instead about “three babies sold.”

Even the Supreme Court of India denied bail to the accused nun, who was released after 14 months on bail from the Jharkhand High Court.

“We are happy that the judiciary has thrown out the concocted case,” Bishop Theodore Mascarenhas, who was then secretary-general of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, told EWTN News.

“The whole allegation was part of a conspiracy to tarnish the image of the Church and has to be seen in the background of the political atmosphere in Jharkhand [under BJP rule] at the time with concerted attempts to discredit the Church. Church institutions were having visits of investigation teams in late evenings,” Mascarenhas said.

Following this case, he said, 22 children — from infants to those below five years — who were under nutritional care at the nearby MC home at Hinoo were taken away by the government, and two of the children died.

“I met the [federal] home minister to communicate the ridicule, humiliation, and distress the Missionaries of Charity congregation faced and the pain of the Church in India over the wild allegation,” said Mascarenhas, now bishop of Daltonganj in Jharkhand.

“I cannot forget the face of the tearful Sister Concilia when I met her in jail when she told me ‘I am hungry for [the] Eucharist,’” he added.

Meanwhile, Church sources in Ranchi told EWTN News that the news of the court’s rejection of the “child trafficking” charge against the MCs has been virtually blacked out in the Jharkhand media, let alone the entire national media.

According to historical accounts, Nicolazic, a deeply religious farmer from the village of Keranna, began experiencing a series of extraordinary events in August 1623. He reported seeing mysterious lights and hearing voices near his home. Eventually, he said the figure speaking to him identified herself as St. Anne, the mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

St. Anne told Nicolazic that an ancient chapel dedicated to her had once stood in the area but had fallen into ruin centuries earlier. She asked that the sanctuary be rebuilt so that people could once again come there to honor God and seek her intercession.

According to tradition, the first chapel had been built nearly nine centuries before Nicolazic’s visitations. However, the original chapel was destroyed at the end of the seventh century. Still, the memory of it was kept alive by tradition, and the hamlet was called “Keranna”; i.e., “Village of Anne.” The visions culminated on the night of July 25, 1624, when Nicolazic followed a brilliant torch-like light to a field where workers later uncovered an old statue of St. Anne. The discovery was viewed as confirmation of Nicolazic’s claims and sparked widespread interest throughout Brittany.

Church authorities investigated the reported apparitions and eventually approved devotion at the site. Construction of a new chapel soon began, laying the foundation for what would become the Shrine of St. Anne d’Auray.

A center of Breton faith

The shrine quickly became a focal point for Catholic life in Brittany, a region known for its strong religious traditions and distinctive Catholic identity.

Pilgrims traveled long distances on foot to visit the sanctuary, seeking healing, spiritual renewal, and the intercession of St. Anne. Over time, annual pilgrimages grew into major religious gatherings that attracted thousands of faithful.

As devotion spread, St. Anne came to be regarded as a special patroness of Brittany. Families entrusted children to her care, sailors sought her protection before voyages, and generations of Catholics turned to her as a model of faith and family life.

Surviving revolution and conflict

The shrine’s history has not been without challenges.

During the French Revolution, Catholic churches and religious institutions across France faced suppression, confiscation, and destruction from revolutionists. Like countless Catholic sites throughout the country, St. Anne d’Auray experienced the same persecution. The original statue, which had lasted over nine centuries, was tragically destroyed by anticlerical forces. Today, a surviving, blackened fragment of the original head is securely preserved and venerated within a dedicated reliquary. Despite the revolution, devotion to St. Anne endured.

The sanctuary eventually recovered and entered a new period of growth during the 19th century. A larger basilica was constructed from 1865 to 1872 to accommodate increasing numbers of pilgrims. 

Papal recognition

The significance of St. Anne d’Auray has been recognized repeatedly by the universal Church.

In 1996, Pope John Paul II visited the shrine during his apostolic journey to France. During the visit, he prayed with pilgrims and highlighted the importance of family life, a theme closely associated with devotion to St. Anne and the Holy Family.

The papal visit marked a milestone in the shrine’s history and underscored its importance not only to Brittany but also to the broader Catholic world.

Today, the sanctuary remains one of the most visited pilgrimage destinations in France, behind Lisieux and Lourdes. Pilgrims arrive for major feast days, organized diocesan pilgrimages, and personal spiritual retreats.

A legacy that endures

Four hundred years after Nicolazic first reported seeing a mysterious light in the Breton countryside, the message associated with St. Anne d’Auray continues to resonate.

The bells that ring across the sanctuary grounds today echo a history stretching back centuries. They tell the story of a farmer who was entrusted with a mission, a community that responded in faith, and a shrine that remains a living witness to one of Catholicism’s most enduring traditions.

Previously released models identified 58 parishes for potential stoppage of weekend Masses. An additional 32 parishes could see a suspension in weekend Masses.

The models released June 18 cover several planning areas across parts of metro Detroit and nearby counties including Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb.

The latest update follows the completion of 400 listening sessions at parishes across the archdiocese amid its two-year restructuring process. While the listening sessions are complete, parishioners are invited to share feedback through an online form available until July 31.

Archbishop Edward Weisenburger announced the restructuring and renewal initiative for the archdiocese on Nov. 16, 2025, saying: “I believe with all my heart that God is inviting us to reimagine parish life, priestly ministry, and our mission with new creativity and deep faith, to build something that will last — something vibrant, sustainable, and full of hope.”

Weisenburger said at the time that a reduction in the number of parishes and worship sites was expected and that implementation of the plan would take place in 2027, “with a goal of fostering long-term health and missionary vitality throughout the archdiocese.”

A similar suspension of weekend Masses at more than 80 parishes across northeastern Iowa will also take place this summer as a part of the Archdiocese of Dubuque, Iowa’s reorganization plan that began in September 2024.

Like the Archdiocese of Detroit, the Archdiocese of Dubuque cited a declining Catholic population, lower participation in the sacraments, and a continuously shrinking number of priests as reason for its restructuring.

Hosted by Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio, the annual conferences are large Catholic youth evangelization events for high school students in North America. Since their founding in 1976, the conferences have drawn hundreds of thousands of young people for worship, Eucharistic adoration, confession, catechesis, and fellowship.

This year more than 43,000 teenagers are expected to participate in conferences held in Steubenville and at regional sites across North America. There is no known record of any previous papal message to the Steubenville conferences.

In his message, the pope reflected on the witness of St. Francis of Assisi and wrote on two themes that defined the saint’s life: authentic peace and perfect joy.

Recalling St. Francis’ traditional greeting, “peace and all good,” the pope emphasized that true peace is a gift from God and flows from a relationship with Christ. He encouraged participants to seek moments of silence and prayer during the conferences to discover the peace that Christ promised disciples and to become instruments of that peace in their families, communities, and society.

The Holy Father also addressed the meaning of “perfect joy,” drawing on St. Francis’ teaching that lasting happiness is not found in material success, popularity, entertainment, or social media. Instead, he explained, true joy comes from knowing God’s love and remaining faithful even amid suffering, rejection, and hardship.

The pope recalled St. Francis’ explanation for what perfect joy is. He wrote: “One winter evening, as he was walking back to Assisi with Brother Leo, one of the first members of the Franciscan order, St. Francis began to give a long list of apparently ‘good’ things that do not lead to perfect joy. At a certain point, Brother Leo finally exclaimed, ‘Father Francis, I pray that you will teach me about perfect joy!’”

Then, the pope wrote, St. Francis recounted “a tragic situation that implied suffering cold, hunger, and rejection — the opposite of what you would expect — and added that if such difficulties are embraced with patience, without complaining, and with love for God, ‘This is perfect joy.’”

“Is it really possible to have joy in such difficult circumstances, we might ask? It is only possible if our life is founded upon our relationship with God as a loving Father,” the pope wrote.

“Only the love of God can provide us with true and perfect joy,” the pope wrote, reminding young people that they are precious in God’s eyes and loved unconditionally by him. He urged conference participants to deepen their relationship with Christ through prayer, the sacraments, and trust in God’s providence.

The message concluded with an invitation to discern God’s call. Whether to marriage, priesthood, religious life, or missionary service, the pope encouraged young people not to be afraid to respond generously if they sense the Lord calling them to a particular vocation.

The caucus, which first formed in 2020, established ad hoc committees for the defense of life, family, and religious freedom in both chambers, coordinated by Rep. Luis Miguel López and Sen. Karina Espinosa.

Over the 2022–2026 term, the group advanced more than 30 legislative initiatives, three of which became law: Law 2310 of 2023 (the “Empty Arms” Law) providing comprehensive support for parents mourning miscarriage or newborn loss; Law 2361 of 2024 strengthening public policy on breastfeeding and human milk banks; and Law 2495 of 2025 creating the “Made by Family” Seal to support family-owned businesses.

The caucus also successfully modified Bill 155/23C to define marriage in the Civil Code as between “a man and a woman.” The bill initially stated that marriage is between “two adults.”

Furthermore, the caucus blocked or amended “articles to defend the family, life, and religious freedom.”

In the report, members of the caucus addressed not only their achievements but also “the battles fought against harmful bills, many of which were ultimately shelved thanks to the joint action of the caucus members.”

“Each victory represents a step toward solidifying the goal of ensuring that the voices of those who defend life and the family have a place in democratic debate,” the report notes.

The caucus also successfully eliminated the tax on churches within the Tax Reform and removed Article 277 of Bill 338/23C — the “2022–2026 National Development Plan” — which sought to establish a public policy favoring abortion and other “sexual and reproductive rights.’”

Furthermore, prevented from moving forward in the legislative process were initiatives “seeking to legalize cannabis, the four statutory bills on euthanasia, the more than 10 bills seeking to impose gender ideology, and the three statutory bills seeking to authorize surrogacy, among others.”

Nevertheless, the report notes that “the challenges ahead are enormous” for the members of the pro-life caucus during the term beginning on July 20.

Among these challenges are “continuing to strengthen the unity of the pro-life caucus, broadening its influence on public opinion, and confronting with solid arguments and constructive proposals the cultural and legislative challenges that put the values ​​we defend under strain.”

“The struggle for life, family, and religious freedom is ongoing, and this report stands as a testament to the fact that, with perseverance and commitment, significant victories can be achieved and the groundwork laid for those yet to come.”

In the lead-up to the congressional elections on March 8, the citizens' group Unidos por la Vida (United for Life) encouraged candidates to sign the “Commitment to Life and Family.”

Following the official vote count, the group reported that more than 30 of the candidates who signed the pledge were elected to the new Congress. They will form the next pro-life caucus in the Legislature, alongside any other lawmakers who wish to join.

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

The Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne, who have cared for terminal cancer patients at no charge for 125 years, sued the state after the New York Department of Health sent them three warnings about not following the transgender policies.

One letter warns 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.”

On June 18, the DOJ notified the U.S. District Court of its intent to intervene on behalf of the sisters, asserting that New York’s law violates their constitutional right to equal protection as a religious group.

“States should take notice that they cannot require Americans to abandon their religious beliefs in the name of woke gender ideology,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the DOJ Civil Rights Division said in a statement.

“For more than a century, the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne have provided free palliative care to indigent cancer patients in their last days,” she said. “New York’s law would force these religious women to choose between their faith and their license if they wish to continue serving the dying.”

The sisters argue that the state is violating their First Amendment right to the free exercise of religion. They also argue their First Amendment rights are being violated because the state is trying to force them to communicate a point of view with which they disagree.

The Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne operate Rosary Hill Home, a 42-bed nursing home in Thornwood, New York.

Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ), sent a letter to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred on June 18 that said the DOJ will use all available means to hold employers accountable for discrimination and referred the matter to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

The Giants held a “Pride Night” on June 12 in which most players wore caps that infused the colors of the Progress Pride Flag onto the team’s logo, which was advertised as a “celebration of Pride and the LGBTQIA+ community” during a game against the Chicago Cubs.

Starting pitcher Landen Roupp and two relief pitchers wore the caps but wrote Bible verses next to the rainbow-colored logo. Roupp wrote “Genesis 9:12-16,” in which God tells Noah the rainbow is “the sign of the covenant that I am making between me and you and every living creature with you for all ages to come” and promises to never flood the entire Earth again.

The Giants apologized in a statement to the San Francisco Standard, saying the display “caused pain and anger to many in the LGBTQ+ community.” It also prompted an official warning from the MLB to not display handwritten messages in any future games.

The DOJ letter cites an MLB explanation for why the players were warned, reported by NBC News, which said the warning is not disciplinary and “had absolutely nothing to do with the content of the message.” Rather, the MLB cited a rule that prohibits displays of writings and messages on uniforms.

However, Dhillon accused the MLB of having a “double standard” in how it enforces this rule, noting the MLB allowed players to wear “Black Lives Matter” messages in spite of the broad prohibition.

Dhillon’s letter noted that employers cannot legally use “facially neutral” policies as “a pretext for discrimination” and said the selective enforcement “calls MLB’s true motives into question” and raises questions about whether the league is complying with federal civil rights protections. She also cited Supreme Court precedent requiring employers to accommodate religious expression in uniform rules.

“The Civil Rights Act prohibits MLB and its franchises from unreasonably burdening the rights of players with religious objections to serving as the league’s vehicle for pro-Pride messages,” she wrote to the commissioner.

Neither the MLB nor the Giants responded to a request for comment.

Support from archdiocese

The players got public support from the Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco, which was first reported by the New York Post.

Peter Marlow, a spokesperson for the archdiocese, said in statements provided to EWTN News that “people of faith should not be compelled to hide or suppress their sincerely held religious convictions in public life, including in the world of professional sports.”

“In a diverse society, respect should be a two-way street,” he said. “Just as individuals with same-sex attraction deserve to be treated with dignity and free from unjust discrimination, people of faith deserve the freedom to express their beliefs peacefully and respectfully without being presumed hostile or hateful.”

While he said he understands that “some individuals may have been offended,” he added: “We do not believe that a respectful reference to sacred Scripture should be viewed as inherently hurtful or exclusionary.”

Other controversies

This investigation also comes less than one month after the Nationals fired Sean Hudson, its former director of community relations, for saying the team tries to avoid the inclusion of pitcher Trevor Williams in promotional materials because of his strong Catholic faith.

Williams was outspoken against the Los Angeles Dodgers giving a Pride Night award to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence — a group of drag queens who dress like Catholic nuns and mock Catholic symbols and practices, which includes a blasphemous satire of the Mass.

This week, Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colorado, reiterated her call for a DOJ investigation into that incident and questioned a long-standing rule that exempts the league from antitrust regulations. In her June 17 letter, she demanded a response within 10 days to her concerns about alleged patterns of discriminatory behavior from the MLB.

“No private organization, even one granted special legal status, should be permitted to penalize or marginalize Americans for objecting to the public mockery of their faith,” she wrote. “MLB’s privileged antitrust position must not serve as a license for exclusionary practices.”

The Nationals did not respond to a request for comment.

Controversies about pride celebrations have also extended into the minor leagues, with the York Revolution forfeiting a game because some players refused to wear pride-themed jerseys. This team is part of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, which is a partner of the MLB.

The team issued a statement saying the players’ refusal to participate in pride is “completely inconsistent with our vision.” The statement said they decided to cancel the game and host a separate Pride event “out of respect for the Pride community and the York community.”

The findings come from the “A Portrait of the Permanent Diaconate in 2025,” an annual survey conducted by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University on behalf of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life, and Vocations.

The survey was administered between February and May, asking about the previous year. CARA received responses from 143 of the 185 archdioceses, dioceses, archeparchies, and eparchies whose bishops and eparchs belong to the USCCB and have an active Office of Deacons, for a 77% overall response rate.

Researchers estimated that 21,562 permanent deacons serve in the United States, a record high. The previous year’s report showed 20,212 U.S. deacons.

Yet beneath the 2025 record figure, the report revealed signs of stagnation that could shape the future of the ministry carried out by married or unmarried men ordained as permanent deacons to preach, teach, baptize, witness marriages, and lead charitable service.

“The 2025 diaconate portrait shows a remarkable rebound, estimating 570 ordinations compared to 494 retirements and 390 deaths,” Sister Thu Do, LHC, the report’s primary researcher, told EWTN News. “While we are moving toward a healthier replacement rate than in previous years, the workload for active deacons remains intense.”

Growth slows despite record numbers

The report estimated that 13,864 deacons are active in ministry, while thousands of others are retired or no longer serving in active assignments.

Although the overall number of deacons increased slightly from the previous year, growth has slowed considerably. The survey found that losses from retirement and death are nearly matching the number of men entering the ministry.

During the 2025 calendar year, 466 permanent deacons were ordained, the study showed. Extrapolating to include those who did not respond to the survey, it can be estimated that there were 570 deacons ordained in the United States in 2025, according to the report. At the same time, 494 deacons retired from active ministry, and another 390 deacons died, the report said.

The data suggest that growth will depend heavily on whether dioceses can attract and form enough candidates to replace those leaving ministry.

An aging ministry

The report’s findings highlight that the permanent diaconate is aging rapidly, and its pipeline isn’t keeping up.

The median age of active deacons is 69, while the median age of all permanent deacons, including retirees, is 70. Only a small percentage of active deacons are younger than 50.

The report indicates that the permanent diaconate remains one of the oldest groups of ordained ministers in the Church in the United States.

The aging trend is also reflected in the number of deacons who retire each year. In many dioceses, retirements outpace growth, contributing to concerns that the ministry could begin declining in size if ordination rates do not increase, the report said.

Demographic profile

The survey found that the vast majority of permanent deacons are married, with only a small percentage being widowed or never married.

Racial and ethnic diversity within the diaconate continues to increase, though most deacons are non-Hispanic white, the report said. Hispanic and Latino Catholics represent a growing share of both active deacons and men in formation, the report said.

“I want to highlight how beautifully the diaconate reflects the growing cultural diversity of the U.S. Catholic Church,” Sister Thu said. “This dynamic adaptation equips men to serve communities in their heart languages, serving as a wonderful testament to the universal and living nature of the Church.”

Questions about the future

The report does not forecast an imminent decline in the permanent diaconate. However, its findings point to growing demographic pressures that could limit future expansion.

While the total number of deacons has reached a historic high, the ministry’s growth increasingly depends on replacing aging members rather than expanding into new territory as retirements and deaths consume much of the annual increase generated by ordinations.

“This signals a crucial transition,” Sister Thu said. “To maintain vibrant parish ministries and avoid a pastoral vacuum as our senior deacons rightfully retire, we must actively encourage the next generation of men to discern and hear this call.”

The legislation, named the Combatting Hate Act (Bill C-9), received Royal Assent on June 18 and is set to take effect July 18. The law increases penalties for hate‑motivated offenses, adds new protections against intimidation or blocking access to places of worship, and bans the promotion of terrorism or certain hate symbols. It also repeals a section of the Criminal Code that said a person could not be convicted for “in good faith” expressing an opinion on a religious subject or based on a religious text.

Cardinal Frank Leo of Toronto urged lawmakers to “carefully consider amendments that will provide clear and unambiguous protection for freedom of religion, conscience, and expression.”

Missionaries of Charity acquitted by Indian court in child trafficking case

The Ranchi Civil Court of Jharkhand, India, has acquitted Missionaries of Charity Sister Concelia Baxla of 2018 charges of child trafficking.

Baxla had been accused of cooperating with the sale of a 2-week-old baby from a home for unwed mothers for 50,000 rupees.

“This has taken eight years to get cleared,” Bishop Theodore Mascarenhas of Daltonganj, a former general secretary of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India, said, according to an Asia News report Thursday. “Today, after years of suffering, prayer, and perseverance, truth has prevailed.” The decision comes after the sister spent three years in prison before being granted bail and an intense investigation of the congregation’s facilities across the Indian state of Jharkhand, the report noted.

U.S.-born missionary sister who helped shape African Bible dies at 87

Tributes poured in following the death of Sister Mary Augustine Nemer, a member of the Pious Society of the Daughters of St. Paul who spent more than three decades serving the Church in East Africa.

Nemer, who died Tuesday, according to a report from ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, contributed significantly to the publication of the African Bible, one of the most important Catholic publishing projects on the continent. Beyond publishing, the late Sister Mary Augustine assisted sisters serving in Africa with immigration documentation, taught English, catechetics, and the Constitutions of the Daughters of St. Paul, and played a key role in the formation of young women preparing for religious life.

Coptic Catholic synod focuses on education and the diaspora

The Coptic Catholic Synod concluded its two-day meeting in Egypt with discussions focused on pastoral life, education, and the future of communities outside Egypt, ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News, reported Wednesday.

The bishops expressed support for the Upper Egypt Association for Education and emphasized the importance of developing its mission while preserving its Catholic identity. A point of discussion was the possible establishment of the first Coptic Catholic eparchy in the diaspora. The synod also reviewed developments related to Egypt’s Christian personal status law and reflected on Catholic social teaching in the age of artificial intelligence, especially the need to protect human dignity, truth, justice, and peace.

Weapons theft revealed in murder case of 11 Catholics in Northern Ireland

Documents detailing the theft of a British army gun later used to murder 11 Catholics in Northern Ireland have been revealed more than 50 years later amid an ongoing civil case against the country’s police service and Ministry of Defence by a surviving family member.

The documents, which were not provided to investigation teams, link a Sterling submachine gun stolen from a military base in Northern Ireland in May 1974 to two gang members, who family survivor Eugene Reavey claims were involved in the murder of his three brothers, John Martin Reavey, Brian Reavey, and Anthony Reavey, according to an Irish News report on Tuesday. The stolen gun was used to kill 11 Catholics in 1975 and 1976.

Patriarch Paul III Nona receives Kurdish officials in Ankawa

Newly installed Chaldean Patriarch Paul III Nona received senior officials from the Kurdistan Region during his first pastoral visit outside the patriarchal diocese.

The meetings in Ankawa included congratulations from President Nechirvan Barzani, Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani, and other political and civil figures, ACI MENA reported Wednesday. Discussions focused on the situation of Christians in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, coexistence, and the protection of the country’s religious and cultural diversity. Patriarch Nona thanked the Kurdish leadership and recalled the region’s role in receiving displaced Christians after the ISIS invasion in 2014.

He also stressed the need to help Christians regain confidence, remain in their homeland, and find safe conditions and work opportunities that could encourage displaced and emigrated families to return.

‘We still have a long way to go,’ says archbishop in Democratic Republic of Congo

Archbishop François-Xavier Maroy Rusengo of Bukavu in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has expressed concern over persistent insecurity and violence in the eastern part of the country, lamenting that decades of conflict continue to undermine efforts toward national unity and lasting peace.

“For three decades, we have lived through the horrors of war in eastern DRC. This situation shows that we still have a long way to go in building a united nation, one family of Godʼs children living on the land the Lord has entrusted to us,” the archbishop said during a Thanksgiving Mass marking the 20th anniversary of his installation on Thursday, ACI Africa reported. Drawing on the Gospel message of love and reconciliation, Maroy urged Congolese citizens to embrace peaceful coexistence and work together for the common good.

Bomberger was conceived in rape. Even in states with strong protections for the unborn, these protections often don’t extend to children conceived in rape. Some consider these exceptions a mercy to women who have suffered assault; others consider abortion a secondary trauma.

“My birth mom chose courage in the midst of the chaos,” Bomberger told EWTN News. “She had a strength within that enabled her to be stronger than her circumstances.”

“She rejected what the world says was her right and, in some circles, her obligation,” Bomberger said. “The world looks at lives like mine and says we should have been aborted.”

“I have nothing but love and compassion for the post-abortive, but had my birth mom given in to the lie, I wouldn’t be here,” he said. “Those beautiful generational reverberations wouldn’t exist.”

“My family — my heart — wouldnʼt exist,” he said.

As an adult, Bomberger advocates for unborn babies and for adoption through the organization he co-founded with his wife, the Radiance Foundation.

Adopted into a diverse, loving family

After nearly being aborted, Bomberger was adopted into a large and loving family on June 19, 1971.

“I was the first of 10 children adopted and loved by parents who loved Jesus. They had three biological children prior to adopting,” he said. “We were a diverse family of white, Black, mixed, Asian, Native American, able, and disabled children from different backgrounds who became one family because of our faith.”

“We grew up on a farm in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania — the perfect place for all of us as we did life together,” Bomberger said. “People often looked at us, confused, trying to figure out whether we were a youth group, a team from school, or some other kind of unrelated crowd of kids. It was fun to see some of their reactions when they learned that we were all Bombergers.”

“Our family served as a powerful testament to the community about how color isn’t what binds us, but love is,” he said.

“I knew I was loved, unconditionally,” Bomberger said. “And I was a complete handful.”

Bomberger’s experience of adoption inspired him to advocate for adoption in his work — and to adopt two children.

Bomberger advocates for adoption through AdoptedAndLoved.com, an initiative that “helps defray expenses for Christian families seeking to adopt,” Bomberger said.

“I was grafted in as one of their own,” he said of the Bombergers. “That’s the beauty of adoption.”

“In the natural and the supernatural, it makes you a son or daughter without a disclaimer,” he continued. “It’s an act of love, mercy, and justice that helps brings wholeness and healing to what was broken.”

Juneteenth: Self-sacrificial love

For Bomberger, Juneteenth is a reminder of the unity of Christ’s love.

“Juneteenth broke through color barriers both in our nation’s history and in my own personal life,” Bomberger said. “Both situations took courageous white and Black people rejecting the lies about our humanity and choosing self-sacrificial love instead.”

“Juneteenth is a great reminder that there’s beauty in unity,” he said. “Only Christ’s love brings perfect unity.”

Bomberger advocates especially those targeted by Planned Parenthood, which often places locations in Black communities and has a history of eugenics and racism.

“Juneteenth demonstrates how truth has to get over so many obstacles to be finally heard and bring the freedom that is its very nature,” Bomberger said. “Our nation’s soul was finally moved by the truth that we’re created equal and led to the abolition of the inhumane institution of slavery.”

“My prayer is that the work I do helps bring this great nation to that same awakening when it comes to the inhumane institution of abortion,” he said.

How is the Black community targeted by the abortion industry?

Bomberger advocates against the abortions of all unborn babies, but especially Black babies.

He described Planned Parenthood as “the leading killer of Black lives.”

“Planned Parenthood kills more Black lives in two weeks than the KKK killed in a century,” Bomberger said.

Bomberger noted that Planned Parenthood has a past history of racism.

“Planned Parenthood has a long history of targeting the Black community initially through its eugenics programs including the Negro Project,” Bomberger said.

“Presently, it overtly targets the Black community with their facility placements, racial propaganda, marketing, and specific programs (i.e., Black Organizing Program, African-Americans for Planned Parenthood, and Stand with Black Women),” he said.

“They even admit in writing: ‘The fact is — Black people are our base,’” Bomberger continued.

“Planned Parenthood poses as an ally in a community they ravage with abortion,” he said.

Motivated by faith in Christ

Bomberger is inspired by his faith, his family, and love for all people.

“My faith in Jesus fuels my activism,” he said. “My resilient and resourceful wife, Bethany, who is the co-founder of our organization, inspires me.”

“1 Corinthians 13:6 says: ‘Love does not delight in evil, but it rejoices in the truth,’” he said.

“Everything I do is motivated by love for Christ and love for people,” he said.

“Our four children, two of whom were adopted, are the reason why we fight for the most marginalized,” he said. “They’ve been involved in our ministry since they were toddlers.”

His organization publishes children’s books that teach “an age-appropriate pro-life worldview” for kids.

“Each book shares the truth that every human life, whether planned, unplanned, able, or disabled, has God-given purpose.”

“We’ve taught them that every human life has equal and inherent worth from God, not government,” he said. “It’s been a blessing to see them, over the years, be able to communicate God’s heart for the most vulnerable through our original content and to live audiences across the country.”

St. Torquatus, beheaded in the first century, was one of the seven reputed disciples of the apostle James, known as the apostolic men, who were the first to preach Christianity in Spain.

Carlos Andrés, Óscar Eduardo, Osmar Moisés, and Emilio José have taken up residence at Face Retama, a desert area within the Granada Geopark and the location of the hermitage of St. Torquatus, the patron saint of the Diocese of Guadix.

The four Venezuelans have formed a community known as the Hermits of Sts. Torquatus, Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, receiving their habits in early May.

According to the Diocese of Guadix, this diocesan foundation was established through the efforts of Bishop Francisco Jesús Orozco, who wants to ensure that the diocese “keep[s] the memory of the place alive and pray[s] for the Church proclaimed by St. Torquatus in the first century and that endures to this day.”

In recent years, the hermitage of Face Retama has been restored and designated a diocesan shrine, with plans for regular Masses and pilgrimages.

The four new hermits have been preparing for their arrival for three years and, prior to establishing the community, underwent a period of acclimatization to the location.

“They arrive guided by and inspired by the charism of the Congregation of Martha and Mary, which already has two communities of women religious in the diocese, one in Castril and the other in the city of Guadix,” the diocese explained.

The ceremony consecrating the four men as hermits held at the Guadix Cathedral was attended by numerous religious sisters from this community, including its founder, Mother Ángela, and the superior general, Mother Rutilia.

Signs of their commitment as hermits

Several signs of the new communityʼs eremitic life were present during the celebration: a white tablecloth, recalling the table Martha prepared for Jesus, the purity of Lazarus’s resurrection, and the Eucharist they will celebrate daily; a cross with its nails, a symbol of the self-offering of the family of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, “seeking nothing other than to unite with the sufferings of Christ in order to share in his glory”; and a staff, a water gourd, and sandals, reminding that “the hermit through his seclusion upholds the mission of the Church through prayer.”

During the homily, Orozco reminded the newly consecrated men of their new commitments: “In the perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, you will be the beating heart of our diocese, interceding ceaselessly for the needs of the Church and, very especially, for the needs of our Holy Father, the pope.”

He also reminded them that their new way of life “is not a flight from the world. It is much more; it is personal intimacy with Christ.”

“In the desert of Face Retama you will never be alone. Where a Christian or where a hermit lives, he gives himself, suffers, makes sacrifices, and lives in fidelity to prayer and contemplation; there the entire Church is with him. That is the desert, that is your vocation,” he continued.

“In you, dear hermits, we place our rich history of 21 centuries of faith; may Face Retama, through your fidelity, be heaven on Earth,” the bishop told them.

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

David Shellenberger, president and CEO of the Saint John Vianney Center, which helps those in ministry navigate stress, anxiety, addiction, vocational transitions, and other challenges, stressed in an interview the importance of caring for them.

When asked by anchor Veronica Dudo on “EWTN News Nightly” why it is so important for Catholics to talk openly about the mental health needs of clergy, Shellenberger emphasized the humanity of those called to ministry.

We need “to make sure that we are always aware of the stressors that come up in their lives. While they’re called to ministry, they are human first,” he said.

They are “just like all of us,” he continued, “[who] come preconditioned with certain situations that we may be predisposed to.”

Catholics must make “sure that spiritually, physically, and emotionally we are always caring for our clergy and religious,” he said. It is “essential because they are being challenged every single day to do more with less. And we as a laity can continue to support them with our time and our talent, and also, most importantly, our prayers.”

The Saint John Vianney Center, founded in 1946 in Downingtown, Pennsylvania, is the longest-running Catholic behavioral health and addictions treatment center for clergy and consecrated religious in the world. It also serves clergy from other religious denominations.

Shellenberger highlighted a milestone the center is observing in 2026: “This year we celebrate 80 years of ministry to the Church,” he said.

“Our approach begins from Christ’s healing presence and addresses the multi-dimensional nature of the healing process — the integration of spiritual, human, intellectual, and pastoral well-being,” the website reads.

The center offers residential and outpatient treatment, spiritual direction, mental health counseling and psychotherapy, vocational assessments, and consultation services that integrate Catholic spirituality with clinical excellence. It also offers education programs and wellness initiatives to religious orders and parishes, both online and in person.

The center also maintains outpatient services on the West Coast through a partnership with the Kairos Psychology Group in Oakland, California.

When asked about the role of bishops, parish staff, and parishioners in caring for the psychological and spiritual well-being of clergy, Shellenberger replied that first, we must acknowledge “that the stressors exist for all of our Church ministers.”

The next step is “being able to coordinate the supportive services that our clergy and religious need.”

“It’s not just top-down and it’s not just bottom-up. It’s both. And when we can care and cradle our clergy and religious in that way, they will be successful in providing us the ministry they were called to,” he said.

This year’s annual conference, held June 5–8 at Mundelein Seminary outside Chicago, included a new offering designed to address this issue directly. Attendees at the Society of Catholic Scientists conference could choose to arrive early for Science and Faith Speaker Training, a one-and-a-half-day workshop on June 4 and 5 to prepare Catholic scientists to speak on science and faith topics.

While many scientists throughout history didn’t even dream of a conflict existing between scientific reason and their Catholic faith, many attendees spoke of the persistent modern “myth” that the two are not mutually compatible. The numbers back up their observation of the myth’s prevalence: According to Pew Research, some 59% of Americans believe “that science often is in conflict with religion.”

The Society of Catholic Scientists exists largely to combat this myth, founded as it was in 2016 “to witness to the harmony of science and faith.” With some 1,500 members so far and about 250 new scientists and students joining each year, its mission is growing rapidly.

The Science and Faith Speaker Training workshop began with guidance on presentation techniques from mentors who have extensive experience speaking and writing about these topics, such as Stephen Barr, president of SCS and author of the book “Modern Physics, Ancient Faith,” which argues “that modern scientific discoveries and religious faith are deeply consonant.”

Then attendees shared their own sample presentations in small groups and received feedback from experienced mentors. The workshop was supported by a grant from the Templeton Religion Trust.

The idea for the workshop, the first in the society’s nine years of conferences, originated with Dan Kuebler, biology professor at Franciscan University, vice president of SCS, and author of the book “Darwin and Doctrine,” which offers “a fascinating exploration of the compatibility and mutual flourishing of science and religion.” When he proposed the idea, other members quickly saw its wisdom.

“Iʼm a theologian whoʼs been doing faith and science work for 21 years, and thereʼs nothing that replaces a Catholic scientist who is doing great work in their field and showing that they see the harmony between that work and their Catholic faith,” said Chris Baglow, theology professor and director of the Science and Religion Initiative at the University of Notre Dame’s McGrath Institute for Church Life.

“The ‘conflict’ misconception is almost universal in our culture, so itʼs part of the mission of the society to represent the relationship between faith and science in the public square,” Baglow said.

As part of that mission, Baglow recently wrote a high-school theology textbook, “Faith, Science, and Reason,” which “unveils the history of science as something that grew out of, rather than in opposition to, the Catholic faith.”

When Kuebler first envisioned the workshop, he saw it as an explicit effort to prepare younger scientists to represent this message effectively.

“One of the things that we recognize is that we need more people out there speaking to high schools, parishes, and so forth about science and the Catholic Church to help dispel some of these myths,” Kuebler said. “We thought, ‘We have all these scientist members here who are interested in that — why donʼt we get some of the best speakers to come and help train them?’”

Sixteen scientists took part in the workshop, which included not only instruction from experienced speakers but also a chance to put those skills into immediate practice. Each attendee prepared his or her own “faith and science talk” and presented it to a small group of mentors, receiving feedback to improve.

“Many of the attendees have letters of invitation to go speak at Catholic seminaries or at Catholic high schools, and now they feel much more confident,” Kuebler said.

Indeed, workshop participants said it equipped them with confidence to speak on these topics.

“The workshop provided a supportive, expert group to receive feedback for developing my faith and science talk,” said Anna Lennon, a doctoral student in ecology and evolutionary biology at Indiana University. “We were able to engage in discussion that supported and encouraged us to go beyond our labs and classrooms into our local communities to encounter our Creator together.”

Nathaniel Cunningham, Fairchild distinguished professor of physics at Nebraska Wesleyan University, particularly appreciated the chance to practice his own presentation with mentor feedback.

“This was really useful for me to go from general ideas to a concrete science and faith talk,” he said. He also appreciated getting “helpful guidelines and guardrails for speaking on faith and science” in the training presentations from speakers with expertise in both science and theology.

“Personal growth in goodness, inner peace, and an understanding of truth emerged as some of the strongest motivations for exploring the Catholic faith,” said the report, titled “Why Are So Many People Becoming Catholic?”

About 85% of respondents said desire to grow closer to God was their primary reason for entering the Church and 77% listed “wanting to grow in goodness and virtue,” while 76% cited a desire for “a deeper understanding of truth” and 72% said they were looking for “a greater sense of inner peace.”

Led by the Archdiocese of Chicago, the survey conducted from Feb. 22 to May 31 included 2,127 responses from participants across 20 U.S. Catholic dioceses. The report did not list a margin of error.

About 68% of respondents named attraction to the Church’s sacred liturgy, prayer, ritual, and the sacraments as a significant factor in their conversion, while 65% said they were “attracted to the wisdom of a 2,000-year-old Church to help me navigate life.”

Fewer Catholics flirting to convert

Adult converts to the faith were less likely to cite dating or marrying a Catholic as a factor related to their conversion, researchers found.

“About 26% of catechumens and candidates for reception into full communion cited dating or marrying a Catholic as part of their journey to the Church,” the survey said. “By comparison, the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA), using data from Pew Research Center’s 2007 Religious Landscape Study (Conversion Recontact Survey), found that 72% of Catholic converts at the time said marriage was an important reason for becoming Catholic.”

For respondents who did cite dating or marrying a Catholic as a part of their journey to the Catholic Church, the gender composition varied based on generation. Among Gen Z respondents, women represented a majority at 63%, while men comprised 37%. For millennials, the distribution was balanced, according to the survey, while men “represented a clear majority” among Gen X and baby boomer respondents.

Other motives

A little more than half of respondents identified the desire to belong to a church community or being inspired by the positive example of Catholic family, friends, or other personal connections.

The Church’s stance on social issues and its position as a worldwide provider of charitable services were ranked lowest among participants.

Challenges and fears among respondents

OCIA participants listed a variety of obstacles to their conversion, ranging from personal fears and apprehension about Church teaching to difficulty navigating parish systems and fitting OCIA classes into their schedules, according to the survey.

“Many expressed anxiety about navigating the liturgy itself, often feeling unfamiliar with and intimidated by the rituals of Mass. Others feared not belonging in a parish, worrying they would feel like outsiders within an established community,” researchers said. “Finally, some held back due to doctrinal uncertainty, unsure whether they could fully embrace all Catholic teachings and fearful of committing to a journey they might ultimately feel unable to complete.” 

The study’s authors included Chicago archdiocesan employees Betsy Bohlen, chief operating officer; Pat Brown, strategy and research manager; and Tim Weiske, director of the department of parish vitality and mission.

The survey of 1,848 Catholics between May 26 and June 1, part of Pew’s broader American Trends Panel survey, found 78% of Catholics view Leo favorably. This is down from last summer when his favorability was at 84%, mostly due to lower favorability from Catholic Republicans.

Only 12% of Catholic Americans viewed the pope unfavorably, and 10% did not answer or did not know who Leo was.

The survey found Leo’s favorability at 84% among Democratic or Democratic-leaning Catholics, which is five points lower than last year. Only 5% of Democrats said they had an unfavorable view. Among Republicans and Republican-leaning Catholics, 72% had a favorable view, which is 12 points lower than last year. About 22% had an unfavorable view.

Leo’s favorability is highest among those who attend Mass weekly, at 85%, and lowest among those who seldom attend Mass, at 73%. It was 79% among those who attend monthly or yearly.

Leo and Trump

The survey found that a plurality of Catholics say Pope Leo has struck the right balance in his approach to the Trump administration, while smaller shares say he has been too critical or not critical enough. Views vary sharply by party.

Leo criticized some of Trump’s rhetoric about the Iran war and called for a peaceful resolution, and Trump called the pontiff “terrible on foreign policy.” The U.S. and Iran are close to a peace deal as of mid-June. On June 18, Trump shared an article on Truth Social about the Holy Father’s approval of the ongoing peace negotiations.

Among all Catholics, 51% say Trump has been too critical of Leo, 14% say Trump has struck the right balance in his criticisms, and 4% say he has not been critical enough of the pope. The remaining 31% were either unsure or did not answer.

The survey found that only 19% said Leo has been too critical of Trump, 35% said the pope struck the right balance, and 16% said he has not been critical enough of the president. Another 30% were unsure or did not answer.

It found that 70% of Democratic and Democratic-leaning Catholics say Trump has been too critical of Leo, and 3% said the pope has been too critical of the president. Alternatively, it found that 32% of Republican and Republican-leaning Catholics said Trump has been too critical of Leo, and 39% said the pope has been too critical of the president.

John White, a retired politics professor at The Catholic University of America, told EWTN News the poll results are not surprising, saying “itʼs very clear that Pope Leo has settled into his role — indeed, he was made for it.”

“Pope Leo XIV has bridged the divisions among Catholics with his wise, timely pronouncements — all of which are true to the Gospel,” White said. “He is a moral leader for this time.”

White said Trump’s decision to demean the pope in social media posts are not received well by Catholic Americans or Americans more broadly.

According to an April Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll of 2,560 American adults, about two-thirds of Americans viewed Leo’s calls for peace positively and a majority of Americans did not like Trump’s criticism of the pontiff.

The new regulation aims to unify and streamline procedures for the expulsion of individuals in an irregular situation (who are illegally present) within the European Union, strengthening cooperation among member states and facilitating returns to ensure the effectiveness of the common migration system.

Migration affects people who possess inviolable dignity

While acknowledging the legitimate responsibility of public authorities to manage migration, ensure border integrity, and combat human trafficking, the president of COMECE expressed “deep concern” regarding certain aspects of the new regulation.

Speaking on behalf of the Church in the EU, he noted that the extension of detention, limitations on legal remedies, and the increasing externalization of responsibilities to third countries raise “serious ethical and humanitarian questions” and could undermine “effective protection of fundamental rights and the dignity of vulnerable persons.”

Crociata warned that migration “is not merely a matter of procedures, statistics, or border management” but rather affects human beings “with an inviolable dignity that must remain at the center of every policy decision.”

‘Security and solidarity are not opposing principles’

In response to Pope Leo XIV’s call not to remain indifferent to the suffering of migrants, Crociata noted that the EU “was founded on the conviction that human dignity is inviolable” and therefore urged that migration and asylum policies respect that dignity.

The commission also reiterated that “security and solidarity are not opposing principles” but rather “must advance together” and appealed to the affected countries’ responsibility “to address the root causes that force people to migrate and to protect those who are on the move.”

Furthermore, Crociata insisted that everyone has “the right to seek protection when life is threatened” as well as the right “not to be forced to leave their homeland because of war, persecution, poverty, corruption, or environmental collapse.”

Crociata pointed out that the vote held on June 17 concerns not only migration policy but also raises “a broader question about the kind of Europe we wish to build.”

“At this decisive moment, Europe is called not to retreat from its founding values but to reaffirm them with courage, wisdom, and humanity,” he stated.

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

Catholic bishops, higher education leaders, scholars, and superintendents gathered for the Front Royal Education Summit at Christendom College in Front Royal, Virginia, at the end of May where they developed the statement together.

“We must reexamine the curriculum, pedagogy, and culture of our schools,” says the “Front Royal Statement” by Catholic educators, bishops, and practitioners.

The statement provides guidance for Catholic education, detailing “seven cardinal principles” for Catholic K-12 schools.

Several Catholic bishops signed the letter: Bishop James Conley of Lincoln, Nebraska; Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco; Bishop Thomas Daly of Spokane, Washington; Bishop Earl Fernandes of Columbus, Ohio; and Bishop Thomas John Paprocki of Springfield, Illinois.

The statement’s 45 signatures include Society of G.K. Chesterton President Dale Ahlquist; Ethics and Public Policy Center President Ryan Anderson; President George Harne of Christendom College; and others involved in Catholic education.

Preventing Catholic schools from disappearing

Educators voiced concern for the “steady decline” of Catholic schools.

An average of 100 Catholic schools have closed per year for 60 years, according to the letter.

“Today, only 6,000 Catholic schools remain, serving fewer than 1.7 million students, despite significant growth in the overall Catholic population,” the statement said. “If this trend continues for another 60 years, parochial schools will largely disappear, and Catholic education will survive primarily in home schools and small co-ops.”

“Yet Catholic schools remain indispensable,” the statement continued. “Nowhere else do we have so many hours each week to form a sacramental imagination in young people, present salvation history comprehensively, and help them grasp the immensity of the incarnation and redemption of Jesus Christ.”

Catholic parish schools were originally founded en masse to preserve the faith of Catholic children in light of public schools “steeped in Protestant culture,” according to the statement.

“Today, we face a different but equally grave crisis: soaring rates of disaffiliation among young Catholics, driven by a culture of skepticism and materialism that undermines faith and the Church’s moral teachings,” the statement said.

“Declining enrollment, rising costs, a shortage of well-formed teachers and leaders, the reluctance of some pastors to maintain Catholic schools, and the inability of many families to afford a Catholic education, despite their desire for one, only make the crisis more acute,” the statement continued.

Education for human flourishing

Conley, known for his work in Catholic education, wrote the introduction for the seven principles, saying that they “articulate and condense this great tradition of Catholic educational philosophy and practice and attempt to capture the essence of the renewal of Catholic education now sweeping the Church in the United States.”

The seven principles are: the supernatural end of education; the nature and dignity of the human person; what children deserve, the rights of parents, and the duties of the state; the ecclesial responsibility of bishops and priests; the formation and responsibilities of teachers and leaders; the integrity and order of the curriculum; and the transmission of a living Catholic culture.

The principles are intended “to carry forward that rich tradition while addressing the urgent needs of Catholic primary and secondary schools today,” according to Conley.

“[T]he Church has continually reminded the world that education is ordered toward the full flourishing of the human being, culminating in the supernatural vision of God,” Conley wrote.

“We pray that these seven principles will provide a shared foundation to unify the various streams of educational renewal now underway in Catholic schools and to inspire a supernatural vision that guides the true integral formation of the whole child,” Conley said.

The gathering took place outside the court in Santo Domingo during a public hearing regarding a “direct constitutional challenge” filed by groups such as the pro-abortion Catholics for the Right to Decide and the Dominican Christian Alliance Association. They seek the decriminalization of abortion based on three grounds: danger to the motherʼs life, fetal non-viability, and rape or incest.

The legal maneuver seeks to challenge articles 106, 107, 108, 110, and 111 of Law 74-25, which establishes the new penal code of the Dominican Republic and is set to take effect on Aug. 3. These articles prescribe various penalties for women who undergo an abortion and for those who assist in the procedure.

The pro-life demonstrators emphasized that in its upcoming ruling, the Constitutional Court must underscore that Article 37 of the Dominican constitution establishes that “the right to life is inviolable from conception to death.”

“We are driven not by confrontation but by love and the defense of the most vulnerable. Attempting to legalize abortion by having the court interpret the law this way would flagrantly violate our constitution and undermine the nationʼs sovereignty regarding its laws, which has already been expressed through the legislative branch in the new penal code,” 40 Days for Life and the vicariate said in a joint statement sent to ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News.

At the event, pro-life advocates displayed banners with messages such as "The DR is pro-life; we pray for a pro-life and constitutional penal code"; "We pray for an end to abortion”; and "Women need support, not abortion."

“Pro-life organizations concluded the day by reiterating their unwavering commitment to supporting mothers in vulnerable situations and to the ongoing defense of the family in the Dominican Republic,” the statement noted.

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.

Tylka expressed his excitement for the upcoming celebrations in a statement June 18.

“It is with profound joy and gratitude that I share that tickets for the Mass of beatification of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, as well as many of the events surrounding this historic celebration, will become available during the week of June 22, 2026, through the Archbishop Fulton Sheen Foundation website at celebratesheen.com,” Tylka said.

The beatification Mass is set for 2 p.m. CT on Sept. 24 at the Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis. The venue will open early that day for the sacrament of reconciliation and Eucharistic adoration, allowing pilgrims time for spiritual preparation. A special pre-beatification program featuring Catholic speakers and musicians will begin later that morning.

Tylka said the beatification Mass is the centerpiece of a broader pilgrimage experience.

“While the beatification Mass will be the centerpiece of these celebrations, it is only one part of what I hope will be a transformative pilgrimage experience for countless people,” he said. “From Sept. 15–26, 2026, pilgrims will have the opportunity to participate in a rich series of prayerful, educational, and celebratory events, including Holy Hours, Masses of thanksgiving, visits to Archbishop Sheen’s tomb, and the inaugural Sheen Awards in Peoria, Illinois.”

The official Sheen Pilgrimage includes events in both Peoria and St. Louis. Tylka encouraged pilgrims to participate.

“I strongly encourage pilgrims to make the journey to both Peoria and St. Louis so they can fully experience the breadth and beauty of this grace-filled time in the life of the Church,” he stated. “Each event has been designed to help us encounter Jesus Christ more deeply through the witness of Archbishop Sheen.”

Due to anticipated high attendance from across the United States and around the world, advance ticket registration is required for the beatification Mass and select other events.

Full details, including the complete schedule, hotel information, livestream options, pilgrim resources, and FAQs, will be posted on the website when registration opens.

Sheen (1895–1979) — the renowned television evangelist, author, and former bishop of Rochester, New York — served for many years in the Diocese of Peoria. The diocese has made the promotion of his cause for canonization one of its five foundational priorities.

“The bishops, priests, religious, and staff of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, join me in offering condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the tragic accident at Edwards Air Force Base,” Broglio said in a statement provided to EWTN News.

“I pray for the repose of the souls of those who have passed away and for the families where an emptiness has been provoked and deep sorrow pierces their hearts,” he said. “May the Lord of all mercies bring them consolation.”

All eight people aboard the B-52 Stratofortress died when the bomber crashed during a routine test mission. The plane crashed shortly after take off at 11:20 a.m. local time, and the accident is under investigation, according to a statement issued by the base.

The victims included members of the military, government civilians, and contractors. The tests were supporting the B-52 Radar Modernization Program, which seeks to improve the bombers’ capabilities of tracking moving surface and air targets.

Col. James Hayes, deputy commander at 412th Test Wing, said in a news conference that first responders immediately attended to the crash, but the bomber had burst into flames on impact and the crash was not survivable.

Hayes offered prayers for the families and said the base “experienced a horrible tragedy and we lost eight great Americans.” He said the full review of the accident could take up to six months and, following the investigation, some details will be released to the public.

Rep. Vince Fong, R-California, whose district includes the air force base, said he and his wife are praying for the victims and their families and asked others to pray as well.

“Absolutely heartbreaking,” he said in a post on X. “God bless the [eight] crew members on board. Amanda and I are praying for them, their families, and all those in the Edwards community. Rest in peace.”

Two of the victims were employees of Boeing, which issued a statement extending condolences to the families and saying the company is in contact with them and offering support.

In the complaint, the FTC alleges the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) disregarded evidence and made unsubstantiated claims about cross-sex hormones, puberty blockers, and surgeries that alter “sex traits” to feminize boys and masculinize girls.

Part of the complaint focuses on WPATH’s standards of care guidelines for children, which do not set minimum age suggestions for most services. Some surgical interventions include chest surgery, which removes the healthy breasts of girls or adds prosthetic breasts onto boys, and sterilizing surgery on reproductive organs to make the person resemble the opposite sex.

The FTC alleges WPATH’s avoidance of recommended age minimums was based on external pressure, including from former President Joe Biden’s administration. It alleges WPATH ignored its own reviews of scientific evidence and falsely asserted its final recommendations were based on “rigorous scientific procedures and expert consensus.”

In the complaint, the FTC points to email exchanges that were unveiled in court documents in 2024. They show that, in 2021, WPATH’s original draft guidance for children included suggested age minimums for certain procedures, but they were removed in the published document amid pressure from Adm. Rachel Levine, the first openly transgender four‑star officer who was Biden’s assistant secretary for health.

Internal emails show WPATH employees saying Levine warned that age-based guidance could be used to justify restrictions on gender transitions for children in Republican-led states. They also show employees noting that setting recommended age minimums is a “consensus-based” guideline before WPATH ultimately removed them from the draft.

One internal email pointed to the lack of evidence for their final published suggestions: “Now that we have reviewed the evidence, we are painfully aware of the gaps in the literature and the kinds of research that are needed to support our recommendations.”

In addition to its failure to set minimum age recommendations, the FTC also accuses WPATH of misleading parents by referring to these services as lifesaving despite an absence of evidence that the medicine and surgeries reduce the risk of suicide.

The complaint alleges that WPATH presented these services “as the only alternative to a child’s death.” It points to examples of clinicians using this rhetoric, which includes providers asking a parent, “Would you rather have a live daughter or a dead son?” The complaint alleges that this false dichotomy induces the purchase of pediatric transition services.

It notes WPATH’s membership mostly consists of doctors who profit from the services. It asks the federal court to impose civil penalties on WPATH and to order compliance with consumer protection laws.

“When an organization provides guidance designed to mislead families about the risks, benefits, or medical consensus behind a treatment, it undermines trust in those responsible for providing medical care,” FTC Commissioner Mark R. Meador said in a statement.

“Our action today is a straightforward application of the law to ensure that families receive accurate, evidence-based information as they seek to make some of the most important healthcare decisions for their children,” he said.

In response to the lawsuit, WPATH issued a statement calling the complaint “baseless” and saying the FTC “is not a medical provider and has no place interfering with the process of individualized medical decision-making.”

“The FTC also does not have any jurisdiction over WPATH and its noncommercial speech. The state claims have similar factual and legal flaws,” it added.

WPATH accused the FTC of “pure retaliation” to wage a “targeted campaign to undermine gender-affirming care by attacking the First Amendment rights and the independence of professional medical organizations.”

Concerns of bishops

In October 2025, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops submitted a public comment urging the FTC to investigate “false or unsupported claims” in advertisements for pediatric gender transition services.

The bishops expressed concern that parents were not informed on risks and were being told the services are “lifesaving.” The statement also commented on the spiritual dimension, warning against a “rejection of our God-given bodies.”

Joseph Meaney, senior ethicist at the National Catholic Bioethics Center (NCBC), told EWTN News that WPATH operates as “more of a pro-transgender activist organization than an objective healthcare association.”

Father Tadeusz Pacholczyk, a neuroscientist and senior ethicist at NCBC, warned that “when a group of scientists ventures to offer statements about values or ethics, the general public makes the broader assumption that they are offering an ‘objective’ or ‘scientifically informed’ viewpoint when in fact it may be little more than raw advocacy masquerading as scientific truth.”

“Science itself lacks qualifications to fully address and answer some of the most important ethical questions of our day, especially those related to the dignity of the human person,” he said. “Even though scientists are sometimes treated as if they are a new class of ‘elite high priests’ in our society, they remain just as human as the rest of us and just as subject to the siren calls of various ideologies and misguided viewpoints.”

The diocese announced bicentennial celebrations honoring the July 7, 1827, arrival of the French brothers of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary — the first Catholic missionaries in Hawaii — at a June 17 press conference.

Bishop Larry Silva, who is retiring this summer, said the celebration is “not just about the early missionaries” but also commemorates “the people of Hawaii that embraced the Catholic faith and lived it for generations. They received that faith and wanted to share it with others, as we do today.”

Bishop-designate Michael T. Castori, SJ, will be installed as the bishop of Honolulu on July 28.

Kickoff events of the yearlong celebration of 200 years of Catholic life in the islands will take place on July 9, the feast of Our Lady of Peace, who is the patroness of the diocese and of the cathedral, the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace.

Silva said Masses will take place that day at the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa in Honolulu and simultaneously at parishes on six other islands.

The bishop told “EWTN News Nightly” anchor Veronica Dudo on June 17 that the celebration is taking place “not only to observe the 200 years but to help us be better evangelizers in this culture in which we live, to be missionaries to not only to the world but to the people right here in Hawaii.”

He told EWTN News he hopes that through the yearlong celebration, the faithful will “appreciate the efforts that the missionaries made in coming here.”

Silva said he wants the faithful today to be “aware that they, too, are called to be missionaries and that the battle will not be easy at all times. There will be many joys, but there will be many challenges as well. But we can meet those challenges with the help of the Lord.”

He explained that the Hawaiian culture at the time of the missionaries’ arrival “was a very religious culture,” so the missionaries “werenʼt starting from scratch.”

However, native Hawaiians “certainly did not know about Jesus Christ. And so it was an uphill battle, but a battle that was fought valiantly and for much good fruit,” he explained, noting that two years after Catholicism’s arrival in Hawaii, it was outlawed for 10 years.

“But the faith has thrived” nevertheless, he said.

In preparation for the bicentennial, the historic Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace — where one of Hawaii’s best-known saints, St. Damien of Molokai, was ordained — is undergoing renovations.

St. Damien of Molokai, a Belgian priest in the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, ministered to lepers in Hawaii from 1873 until his death in 1889.

The rededication of the 183-year-old church is targeted for Aug. 16, 2027, the anniversary of its original dedication in 1843.

A reliquary chapel featuring relics of St. Damien and St. Marianne Cope, a Franciscan nun who also ministered to lepers, will become part of the renovated basilica.

Celebrations will culminate next year, from July 7–9, 2027, anchored by a  closing Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, which Silva described as a “sending forth” for missionaries.

“There are many who have not heard of Jesus Christ here in Hawaii,” he said at the press conference. “Who will tell them about him if we don’t?”

“It is my hope the celebration … will be a way for all of us to be recommitted and remotivated to go out and share the good news to others, so Jesus may be known, may be loved, may be honored, and may be glorified,” the bishop said.

Deacon Mike Browning, chair of the bicentennial planning committee, said at the press conference that the diocese is also planning a heritage pilgrimage to France in October 2027, led by Silva and perhaps Castori, to visit the Sacred Heart community where the first missionaries originated.

He also announced the launch of the bicentennial website, which will be a hub for event information, historical stories, pilgrimage details, and opportunities for the community to participate.

The Diocese of Honolulu became a diocese just months before the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941.

Today there are 66 parishes and 23 mission churches ministering to Catholics on six islands within the boundaries of the Diocese of Honolulu, making it “a diocese like no other,” Silva said.

Witness accounts indicated that Fortune had enough time to escape the May 28 inferno at Utumishi Girls Academy Senior School yet she chose to save the lives of other girls that night before the ceiling of the dormitory caved in on her.

The grade 10 student, said to be the only child of her mother, was laid to rest in Turkana West, which is served by Kenya’s Catholic Diocese of Lodwar.

In his homily at the burial, Father John Nzau said that Fortune, whose body could only be identified by her red-and-white rosary that appeared “almost brand-new” as if untouched by the fire, died “ready.”

“Christ should find us ready. He found our sister [Fortune] ready,” Nzau said, and added: “I was happy to learn that she was found with her weapon, a rosary. She died wearing the rosary. This means that she was united with Christ in her death and she will rise with Christ.”

The Kenyan member of the Salesians of Don Bosco described the young Catholic convert as “a heroine who lived well with others,” adding: “Our sister wanted to help others to safety, but the tragedy ended up befalling her. May she rest in peace.”

Speaking to local media, Fortune’s mother, Pauline Losike, described the aftermath, saying that she was able to identify her daughter by the rosary that hung on her neck. Her daughter also wore the rosary bracelet and wristwatch she had bought her.

“Fortune’s head and neck were burnt beyond recognition. But the rest of the body was OK. I was able to identify her by the rosary she was wearing on her neck, her bracelet, and her watch,” Losike said.

She recounted the testimony of her daughter’s friend who said that Fortune was unable to save her life after helping others to safety.

“She struggled to come out of the building, but something seemed to hold her leg. That’s when a ceiling fell on her. She started screaming for help, but the other girls were helpless,” Losike said.

Father Casmir Odundo, a Kenyan priest of the Nakuru Diocese studying in Rome, recounted the difficult ordeal Fortune’s mother went through, searching for her child at the school and in hospitals near the school after news of the fire broke.

At one of the hospitals, Losike is said to have met a Muslim friend of Fortune who had witnessed her final moments.

The Muslim girl explained that when the fire started, Fortune had an opportunity to escape with her, but she chose to remain behind with a few other girls to help others get out safely.

The fire is said to have continued spreading, trapping Fortune and some other girls inside. The only possible escape route was through the windows. Even then, she allowed other girls to go first.

Her Muslim friend, who had already reached safety, kept urging Fortune to jump. “When Fortune finally attempted to do so, something caught one of her legs and prevented her escape. At that moment, part of the roof collapsed and struck her. Her friend could only watch helplessly and later heard Fortune and others crying out for help — an experience that has left the young girl deeply traumatized,” Losike’s friend told Odundo.

Speaking about the red-and-white rosary and other items by which Losike identified her daughter, the friend told Odundo: “What surprised her [Losike] was that these items appeared untouched by the fire. Although Fortuneʼs head and neck had been severely burned, the rosary remained intact, looking almost brand-new. This has left Pauline with many questions and reflections.”

The friend said that Fortuneʼs spiritual journey was unique.

While attending St. Peterʼs Girls Boarding Primary School in the Nakuru Diocese, the young girl is said to have been baptized in the Catholic Church.

At home, however, she worshipped with her family at Miracle Church, a Protestant congregation attended by most of her relatives.

Moved by the events surrounding Fortune’s death, her family contacted the priest who baptized her, Father Vincent Marube. The priest is said to have confirmed her baptism.

Meanwhile, Odundo described Fortune’s witness as moving and explained, in a note he sent to ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, on June 17: “At an age when many would naturally think first of their own safety, Fortune chose to remain behind so that others might live.”

He added: “In a world often marked by self-interest, the story of this young girl reminds us that holiness is not measured by age but by love. Whether in a classroom, a family home, or a moment of crisis, the call of the Gospel remains the same: to love God and to love our neighbor, even at great personal cost.”

“May the memory of Fortune Amaya inspire young people to live lives of faith, courage, and service,” the Rome-based priest said.

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

U.S. District Judge Kenneth Gonzales said in a June 15 ruling the government could deposit the $183,071, which he said would “allow for the safekeeping of funds pending resolution” of the dispute.

The order represents a blow for the Las Cruces Diocese, which since May has been fending off the government’s attempt to seize the land under eminent domain.

The government says it seeks the land, located northwest of El Paso, Texas, “to construct, install, operate, and maintain roads, fencing, vehicle barriers, security lighting, cameras, sensors, and related structures designed to help secure the United States/Mexico border within the state of New Mexico.”

The diocese had sought to block the deposit of the funds amid the legal fight, but Gonzales said allowing the deposit will “not interfere with, alter, or nullify [the diocese’s] right to challenge the validity of the taking.”

The judge further argued that “transferring title [of the land] to the United States is in no way a final or irrevocable action that would deprive [the diocese] of an opportunity to contest the validity of the taking.”

The disputed land parcel runs along the base of Mount Cristo Rey. Atop of that mountain is a 29-foot-tall statue of Christ, marking a shrine the diocese said in May is the “site of annual pilgrimages” that draw thousands to the mountain.

The diocese had earlier told the government that the land seizure would “constitute a significant infringement on religious freedom and the rights of worship” given the religious significance of the site.

In a statement issued following a meeting of the presbyteral council, the priests expressed “deep concern” over the surge in attacks affecting priests, women and men religious, seminarians, and Church properties across the capital of the DRC.

“Once-isolated acts of delinquency are now taking the form of organized crime directed against our parishes and other structures,” the priests said in the statement they shared with ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, on June 15, condemning what they termed a “spiral of violence.”

They highlighted several recent incidents, including the killing of a security guard at St. Francis de Sales Parish and attacks on Church personnel at St. Agnes Parish in Ndjili and St. Théophile Parish in Kimbanseke, where a vicar was seriously injured during a nighttime assault.

According to the priests, some of the attacks are carried out by armed groups operating in uniforms resembling those of national security forces, a development they described as particularly alarming and intolerable.

“We condemn with the utmost firmness these criminal acts that violate human dignity and freedom of worship,” the priests said.

They also decried vandalism and desecration of sacred spaces, including sacristies, archives, pastoral materials, and devotional objects, warning that such acts are undermining institutions that serve society through education, healthcare, reconciliation, and social cohesion.

The bishops further expressed concern about what they described as growing indifference and a sense of impunity surrounding the attacks, calling for urgent intervention by state authorities.

They urged political, administrative, and security leaders to fully assume their constitutional responsibility to guarantee the safety of people and property, and demanded “serious and transparent investigations” to identify and prosecute both perpetrators and sponsors of the violence.

The priests also called for strengthened cooperation between security services and local leaders to better protect vulnerable Church sites.

While appealing for vigilance and unity among parish communities, the priests expressed solidarity with victims of the attacks and reaffirmed the Church’s commitment to peace-building.

“Security, justice, and peace are possible when each person responsibly fulfills their duty in service of the common good,” they said.

They prayed for divine protection over the archdiocese and for peace in the country, invoking God to comfort victims and guide national leaders toward justice and harmony.

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

In the spring of 2023, George launched Fidelity Month, a grassroots initiative in response to a Wall Street Journal poll indicating a significant decline in religious belief, patriotism, and family values among Americans.

“I was particularly alarmed because those values — fidelity to God, fidelity to spouses and families, fidelity to country, service to communities — these have historically been the values that have provided this very pluralistic nation from the beginning with its sources of unity and strength,” George said at the June 17 event hosted by the Advancing American Freedom Foundation (AAF).

During the discussion with AAF President Tim Chapman, George attributed the decline to “a loss of faith” and failure to have gratitude for America.

“So what binds us together?” George asked. “Well, No. 1, our shared commitment to our basic constitutional principles, the principles of our civic order, the principles of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.”

“Americans across the racial spectrum, across the ideological or the ethnic spectrum, across the religious divides, have all shared a commitment to the principles of the declaration that all men are created equal and endowed by their creator with unalienable rights,” he said. “But that has never been the whole story, and by itself, it has never been enough.”

George underscored “shared belief in the importance of fidelity to God” and “belief in the importance of marriage and family” as binding factors, noting that these values, along with patriotism, are “not a distinctively or uniquely Christian thing.”

During the month of June, George encouraged those in attendance to find simple ways to “spread the word about Fidelity Month,” whether by sharing articles on social media that promote fidelity to God, family, and country, or asking religious leaders to speak about the importance of fidelity during at least one sermon in June.

Governors in Utah and Arkansas have issued proclamations recognizing Fidelity Month, and the Michigan House and Kentucky Senate have adopted resolutions.

“Thatʼs the first time in our four years that weʼve had public officials at that level,” George said. “Weʼve had more local officials recognize Fidelity Month, but now weʼre having governors and legislatures. And next year Iʼd like to see 10 or 12 or 15 more, and then weʼll see how we go from there.”

The monastery’s numbers dwindled in recent years from nine to four sisters — one of them with Alzheimerʼs.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, five have passed away due to old age and various medical conditions.

According to the apostolic constitution Vultum Dei Quaerere, promulgated by Pope Francis in 2016, the minimum number of sisters required to maintain a community is six; otherwise, the remaining members must join other, larger communities.

The nuns have not been able to find two more sisters despite efforts to publicize their need. As a result, the four remaining sisters from Ronda will move to other communities, and the most important relic housed in their convent will have to be relocated.

Since 1924, the Carmelites have occupied a former Mercedarian convent founded in the 16th century but which was expropriated in the 19th century during the processes known in Spain as “desamortización,” the confiscation and sale of Church properties by the government.

An incorrupt relic after 444 years

The relic of the incorrupt left hand of St. Teresa, a Carmelite reformer and doctor of the Church, was separated from her body in 1582. Following various historical twists and turns, it wound up with a religious community in Portugal.

In 1910, a decree expelled religious orders from that country; consequently, the Carmelites fled to Spain, taking the relic to Ávila. When the Portuguese community was reestablished in Ronda, they requested the relic’s return.

With the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936, militiamen from the Red Army forced the nuns to hand over the relic. Shortly thereafter, it was recovered by General Francisco Franco’s Nationalist Army and was moved to Burgos, the general’s headquarters, where he kept it until his death.

In January 1976, the relic returned to the convent in Ronda, which now faces closure.

The relic’s final destination remains uncertain, although there has been speculation about its return to Alba de Tormes, the saintʼs birthplace and the location of the rest of her body, which also remains incorrupt after 444 years.

If the left hand were to return to Alba de Tormes, all of St. Teresa’s mortal remains would be reunited once more, after more than four and a half centuries.

However, sources from the Iberian Province of the Discalced Carmelites have told ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, that a definitive decision has not been made on the matter.

The canonical process for closing the Ronda monastery has not yet concluded and ultimately depends on the Vatican. The process is expected to be completed by early 2027.

Also, the remaining nuns in Ronda, who will determine the fate of the relic, must now discern if they want to remain together and, if so, must ask to join one of the convents of the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Federation to which they belong.

Likewise, they must determine the fate of the other belongings owned by the community.

St. Teresa’s left hand could go to one of the monasteries where the four nuns settle or be entrusted to a diocese or the Carmelite motherhouse.

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 his homily during Mass on Sunday, June 14, at the Cuernavaca cathedral, Castro noted that the World Cup “is an event that reminds us that no championship is won alone.”

“No matter how excellent the soccer players are, they cannot succeed alone. Teamwork is required, as are discipline, constant effort, adherence to the rules, and ... mutual trust.”

In the realm of sports, he said, “we have an example for the Church: We are playing the greatest match in history, we have Jesus Christ as our captain, and we must work together and trust one another, above all knowing that the Holy Spirit is in our midst, strengthening, encouraging, and transforming us.”

The FIFA World Cup is being hosted this year by Mexico, the United States, and Canada from June 11 to July 19. Thirteen of the matches are scheduled to be held in the Mexican cities of Mexico City, Monterrey, and Guadalajara.

‘Christ sees people’s hidden pain’

In his homily, Castro also highlighted that “Christ sees people’s hidden pain; Christ sees the wounds of our personal history and of our families.”

The Lord, he continued, “sees the loneliness of the elderly, sees the uncertainty of many young people, sees the anguish of those who find no meaning in their lives, the suffering of the poorest; he sees the victims of violence, sees those who have lost hope.”

“That compassion includes all this and more, because we are his special treasure,” he emphasized.

The Mexican people, he lamented, are “weary and disheartened” by “violence, insecurity, extortion, corruption, mistrust in society, family breakdown, and religious indifference.”

“God sees this, feels it, and, we might say, suffers because he loves us, because he sees his treasure wounded; he looks upon these realities and he doesn’t look at them from afar, but looking upon them with his love and mercy and his heart feels compassion for all of this,” he noted.

In this context, Castro affirmed that “God never tires of us, never; he certainly does not resign himself to our wounds and sins” and “never ceases to love his people.”

‘There is a tremendous spiritual hunger’

The Mexican prelate highlighted that “God knows there is an enormous need for workers in his vineyard,” as “there is a tremendous spiritual hunger; the emptiness of the heart and that hunger remain intense.”

“There are so many people who live without faith or appear to live without faith, yet deep down in their hearts, they continue to seek the meaning of their lives, continue to seek hope, and continue to seek love,” he noted.

“When Jesus says that laborers are lacking, he’s not referring only to priests and religious — no,” Castro clarified, for “we also need committed laypeople, generous young people who respond; we need holy families, we need convinced catechists, we need laypeople who love their Church.”

Reflecting on the calling of the Twelve Apostles, the bishop of Cuernavaca noted that Jesus “did not choose the most perfect” individuals; rather, they were “very simple people, simple fishermen, courageous and impulsive men, people with very difficult temperaments, and even a traitor.”

“We sometimes think that God chooses only saints to serve him,” the bishop said, but “the Gospel tells us otherwise: God calls fragile people to transform them into instruments of his grace.”

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

In a statement, Archbishop José Domingo Ulloa Mendieta of Panama announced that this gesture of fraternity “arises in response to the difficulties several Cuban dioceses are facing in ensuring a supply of hosts, an essential element for the celebration of the sacrament that constitutes the source and summit of the Christian life.”

Meanwhile, El Visitante, the official newspaper of the Catholic Church in Puerto Rico, reported that Archbishop Roberto O. González Nieves of San Juan is coordinating the country’s efforts to get the aid to Cuba.

Currently, all of Cuba’s hosts are produced at the Monastery of Santa Teresa and San José, home to a Discalced Carmelite community. However, the lack of a reliable power supply has hindered production.

Eucharist, the ‘sacrament of unity’

Friar George Payano, a Dominican priest, told Agence France-Presse that making Communion hosts requires time and suitable machinery, but “the hours of electricity are very limited.”

“This results in lower production and means they have to, as they announced to the priests and bishops, ration distribution somewhat,” the friar noted.

Ulloa stated in his message that beyond the material value of the shipment, “this act constitutes a concrete sign of the Communion that unites the Church beyond borders.”

The archbishop noted that the Eucharist “is the sacrament of unity. Gathered around the same bread of life, we recognize ourselves as brothers and sisters and as members of one body.”

“Therefore, when a community lacks what is necessary to celebrate this mystery, we feel the duty from the Gospel to reach out and accompany them,” he said.

El Visitante noted that González described the initiative similarly, saying that it is “a visible sign of communion among the particular Churches of the Caribbean and a concrete expression of the unity born of the Eucharist.”

The Puerto Rican newspaper added that the shipment also serves as an invitation to “keep on praying for the Cuban people, for their pastors and the faithful, so that strengthened by God’s grace they may continue to proclaim the Gospel and joyfully celebrate the mysteries of our faith.”

The hosts sent from Panama were made by the Sisters of the Monastery of the Visitation and shipped free of charge by Copa Airlines. In Puerto Rico, production involved the collaboration of the cloistered Dominican sisters of the Mother of God Monastery as well as the support of the faithful who made donations for their preparation.

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.

On Wednesday, Labour member of Parliament (MP) Lauren Edwards reintroduced the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which passed a vote in the House of Commons in June 2025 but failed to pass the House of Lords when it ran out of time in April.

The bill today received its first reading in the House of Commons, officially marking the return of the bill in Westminster.

Responding to the news that it would be reintroduced, in a June 15 statement Archbishop John Sherrington of Liverpool, lead bishop for life issues at the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, expressed his deep disappointment and criticized the “flawed” legislation, saying: “The Catholic Church opposes this bill in principle and joins with many other people of faith and none in arguing that we should not cross this watershed.”

He added: “The recent debate about this bill showed how many people found the proposed legislation, even if they accepted it in principle, to be flawed and full of unresolved matters.”

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, originally sponsored by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, proposes to legalize assisted suicide in England and Wales for people with a prognosis of six months or less to live and has received extensive criticism for posing a threat to vulnerable people.

In bringing back the exact same bill, Edwards could use the Parliament Act to bypass future opposition from the House of Lords. In the U.K., bills become law after both the House of Commons and the House of Lords agree on a bill. The Parliament Act enables MPs to pass an unchanged bill, with the House of Lords unable to prevent the bill from becoming law a second time.

Edwards urged the House of Lords not to “block” the bill and to pass it, saying: "Itʼs perfectly reasonable for us to ask the House of Lords to finish the job … to refine the legislation the House of Commons has introduced.”

However, Sherrington challenged the criticism of the House of Lords, saying the Lords had “identified many shortcomings and bad legislation.”

“The bill was criticized for a lack of safeguards and as a danger to vulnerable people, with a number of respected professional bodies highlighting unsafe aspects within the bill,” he said.

Sherrington added that reintroducing the bill “places the most vulnerable at risk,” adding: “Many professional bodies argued against this bill, including the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the Royal College of Physicians, whose members would be required to be involved under the provision of the bill. Disability rights groups, those fighting against eating disorders and against domestic abuse, were highly concerned and considered it dangerous.”

Sherrington pinpointed further concerns about the bill, which he urged MPs to reject, saying: “The bill undermines freedom of conscience for medical professionals and care workers. It also requires care homes and hospices to participate in assisted suicide, threatening not only their future existence but also the well-being of their more vulnerable staff.”

Pro-life groups have also criticized the move by Edwards. Catherine Robinson, spokesperson for Right to Life UK, said reintroducing the same bill would be a “serious mistake.” Robinson told EWTN News that the bill contained “serious flaws” that have been exposed by “peers and experts.”

She said: “At a time when the Labour Party is already divided and the country is facing so many real problems, reviving this bill would be a serious mistake. It would create further division, waste precious Parliamentary time, and distract from the very real challenges facing our country.”

Robinson added: “If it is brought back, it is likely to fail” and commented that further debate on the bill would be “divisive and distracting.”

Further criticism has come from bishops in England and Wales.

Archbishop John Wilson of Southwark told EWTN News: “Assisted suicide has no place in a civilized society. It violates the God-given dignity of human life and puts the vulnerable — especially elderly and disabled people — in grave danger.”

Wilson called on Catholics to take action against the bill through prayer and action, saying: “As followers of the Lord Jesus, we have a duty to speak out and to act when the lives of so many people are at risk. That is why I urge Catholics to pray and to campaign to stop this deadly bill from becoming law.”

Welsh Archbishop Mark OʼToole of Cardiff-Menevia said it is “immensely disappointing that the bill to legalize assisted suicide is being reintroduced to Parliament.”

OʼToole added: “It does nothing to uphold the dignity of every person or encourage investment in good palliative care.”

OʼToole’s call for greater investment in palliative care was echoed by Sherrington, who said: “Surely what is now needed to help the terminally ill is an improvement in compassionate, high-quality palliative care and proper hospice funding.”

Catholic peer Lord David Alton shared his concerns about what he described as a “deeply flawed and dangerous assisted suicide bill,” saying: “The wisest thing which MPs can do is to reject this bill.”

Sherrington concluded his statement with a calI “on all people of goodwill to join me in work and prayer to prevent this flawed bill from succeeding.”

As the discussion spread across social media platforms, a familiar claim resurfaced alongside it — that Iceland has effectively eliminated Down syndrome births through abortion, with virtually every baby diagnosed prenatally with the condition terminated before birth.

The claim has circulated for years in media and social commentary, often stated as established fact. EWTN News went looking for current, primary sourcing and reached out to Catholic organizations on the ground in Iceland to find the truth of these claims.

How the narrative took hold

The origin of the claim about Iceland mostly comes from a 2017 CBS News report, which mentioned that since prenatal screening tests were introduced in Iceland in the early 2000s, close to 100% of women who received a positive test for Down syndrome terminated their pregnancy.

By law, Icelandic doctors are required to inform pregnant mothers about the availability of a screening test that can indicate (among many other things) the presence of Down syndrome in the babies they are carrying.

The piece quoted a leading Icelandic geneticist, Kári Stefánsson, saying “we have basically eradicated, almost, Down syndrome from our society — that there is hardly ever a child with Down syndrome in Iceland anymore.”

That report is now nearly nine years old. It is, nonetheless, the source most frequently referenced in the current wave of social media posts and the one used as a jumping-off point for other articles.

A more complete picture

When EWTN News contacted Caritas Iceland and the Chancery of the Catholic Church in Iceland, both groups referred EWTN News to April Frigge, who sits on the board of Lífsvernd, the pro-life group of the Diocese of Reykjavík.

Frigge highlighted a response that Dr. Hulda Hjartardóttir, chief of obstetrics at Iceland’s National University Hospital, gave to Morgunblaðið, Iceland’s most prominent newspaper, within days of the CBS report airing.

Hjartardóttir had been one of the doctors CBS interviewed, and she was direct about what had been left out. “I went over this with CBS’ journalists, but then they decided to publish one thing and not the other,” she told the paper.

What CBS had omitted, Hjartardóttir explained, was that the 100% termination figure applied only to a specific subset of women.

She explained that 80% to 85% of pregnant women in Iceland choose to undergo prenatal screening, while 15% to 20% decline it altogether. Among those who receive screening results indicating a higher risk of Down syndrome, about 75% to 80% proceed with additional testing, but roughly 20% to 25% decide against further tests and continue their pregnancies. Hjartardóttir noted that these were women who, after counseling and discussions, couldn’t “bear the thought of ending the pregnancy despite the Down syndrome emerging.”

Taken together, she estimated that about one-third of Icelandic mothers either decline screening from the outset or choose not to pursue further testing after an initial positive result, opting instead to continue their pregnancies regardless of the outcome.

Frigge noted that this fuller account received a fraction of the attention that the original CBS report generated and that it remains largely absent from the online debate nearly a decade later.

These figures were also addressed by Iceland’s Ministry of Welfare, which rejected claims that the government encourages mothers carrying children diagnosed with Down syndrome to terminate their pregnancies. The ministry stated that prenatal screening for Down syndrome is voluntary and that women are neither required to undergo testing nor mandated to have an abortion if a diagnosis is confirmed.

What this means is that children with Down syndrome are being born in Iceland precisely because a significant portion of mothers either decline pregnancy screening or choose not to pursue confirmatory testing after an initial positive result.

What research shows

A 2020 study drawing on Icelandic prenatal screening data from 2012 to 2016 adds context to the situation. During that period, 79% of pregnant women chose to undergo a first-trimester screening test, amounting to 16,649 screenings.

Of the women screened, 333 received high-risk results and were offered further testing. Down syndrome was subsequently confirmed in 44 pregnancies. Of those, 43 ended in abortion, while one woman chose to carry her child to term.

Over the same five-year period, 12 children with Down syndrome were born in Iceland. Five were born to women who declined prenatal screening, six followed false-negative test results, and one was born to the woman who continued her pregnancy after receiving a confirmed diagnosis.

What the current data does and does not show

Iceland recorded 4,311 births and 1,147 abortions in 2024, the most recent year for which official figures are available. However, publicly available data does not specify how many of those births or abortions involved a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome, making precise assessment difficult.

What can be said with reasonable confidence is that the pattern documented in 2017 has not fundamentally changed.

A March 2026 article published through the U.N.’s regional information network noted that approximately 80% to 85% of pregnant women in Iceland still undergo prenatal screening and that nearly all pregnancies with a confirmed Down syndrome diagnosis continue to be terminated, resulting in only two to three children with Down syndrome born in Iceland each year.

EWTN News attempted to contact Downs félagið (The Downs Society), an Icelandic association that advocates for the rights of individuals with Down syndrome, but was unable to obtain a response.

“Remember all those who have built and protected this temple for centuries, also the generous patrons of this instrument, and especially those who did not live to see its completion and todayʼs blessing,” Graubner said during the blessing.

He asked the Lord to accept this work of the patrons and benefactors and “to give them a share in the heavenly harmony that never ceases.”

The ceremony, which featured the Czech Philharmonic, was broadcast live by Czech public television.

‘Awakening’ the organ

The current archbishop of Prague, Stanislav Přibyl, who is himself an organist, presided over a Mass on the occasion. In his homily, the chief pastor of the capital city of the Czech Republic said the organ does not exist independently of the space around it. It becomes part of it, as “it is not just the organ playing, but the entire cathedral, literally every stone playing,” he stressed.

He also performed the ceremony of “awakening the organ,” addressing the instrument and asking it, literally, to “wake up” and fill the space with music. The organist responded by playing the wind instrument.

“It is the moment when the instrument sounds praise to God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. The organ can rejoice, cry, calm down, and stir our hearts, express the emotions that are within us,” Přibyl underscored.

This awakening, in which one can behold and listen to beauty and experience spiritual reality, is a dialogue, according to the prelate: “First, a word is spoken, a challenge, and the response is music. It is a beautiful picture of the relationship between God and man.” When God speaks, it evokes a reaction in man, be it a word, silence, tears, laughter, and so on.

Music and singing transcend the boundaries of words, and “our new instrument will also serve this purpose: liturgy, prayer, the uplifting and joy of the human spirit,” Přibyl concluded.

Years in the making

The organ has undergone a few restoration works over the last 100 years, yet they did not bring the desired results. In 2012, Duka brought up the idea and won the support of high-ranking public figures to assume the patronage of the public collection. Approximately 12,000 people have contributed 135 million Czech crowns so far toward the final cost of roughly 160 million.

The new instrument was completed by the German organ builder Gerhard Grenzing and designed by Slovak designer Peter Olah, who also designs within the once-Czech automobile brand Škoda, now part of Volkswagen.

The organ weighs 45 tons and has about 6,000 pipes. The cathedral will host an organ concert in the coming days, and the instrument will be played during liturgy.

The first stone of the Cathedral of St. Vitus, Wenceslaus, and Adalbert was laid in the 14th century, though the first church at the same place stood in the 10th century. The coronation of the Czech kings took place within the church, which is one of the most important in the Czech Republic.

Chaldean Patriarch Paul III Nona (formerly Archbishop Amel Shamon Nona) was elected in April and formally installed at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Baghdad in late May.

Speaking during a welcoming ceremony for the Chaldean patriarch at St. Joseph Cathedral in Ankawa, Warda said that choosing Ankawa as the first stop in Nona’s visits outside his patriarchal eparchy carried a clear message to its people: “You are in my heart.”

A Christian identity despite challenges

Warda recalled the deep Christian roots of the historic region of Adiabene — today’s Erbil and its surrounding areas — and its Church, known for its leaders, martyrs, and perseverance amid persecution.

He particularly remembered the 1310 massacre at the Erbil Citadel, which forced Christians to flee to Mosul and to the towns and villages of the Nineveh Plain.

“Yet the faith was not extinguished,” he said.

Ankawa’s distinct place

The archbishop praised Ankawa for preserving its Christian identity across the centuries and remaining a living witness of perseverance despite persecution and hardship. By the 16th century, he said, Ankawa had become the only remaining village in the area with a large Christian population.

“In every trial our Church endured, Ankawa was a refuge whose doors were never closed,” Warda said, especially during the forced displacement of 2014.

What happened in 2014?

The occupation of Mosul and the towns and villages of the Nineveh Plain by the terrorist organization ISIS caused the forced displacement of Christians, many of whom fled to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Ankawa and the towns and villages of the Chaldean Archeparchy of Erbil became among their most important places of refuge.

In his latest pastoral letter, Warda noted that within weeks in the summer of 2014, Ankawa received more than 13,200 displaced families. They were housed in churches, schools, parish halls, and homes of charity. The Joint Episcopal Relief Committee and the Chaldean Mercy Association helped organize the first response, providing temporary shelter, food, water, mattresses, and other basic needs in more than 26 small, medium, and large camps.

The people of Ankawa opened their hearts to welcome their persecuted brothers and sisters, and the town became home to the largest gathering of Christians in Iraq and a safe haven for them.

For years, Ankawa has faced several challenges related to political representation and public services. Many residents believe that the use of agricultural land for residential investment projects is contributing to demographic change and reducing green and cultivated areas. These concerns have grown with the spread of nightlife and entertainment venues in residential neighborhoods.

A deliberate exclusion

The Church believes it is unfair for Ankawa’s young people to direct their frustration toward the Church over these issues. Warda stressed that since 2011 the Chaldean Church has been excluded from having the final word on matters concerning Ankawa and its future, despite being, as he put it, “the owner of the land, the history, and the people.”

He pointed to several issues that concern public opinion in Ankawa, including the failure to appoint a permanent district mayor for nearly a year and a half “for unknown reasons.”

Warda said the truth, which is hidden from those who blame the Church for Ankawa’s situation and falsely accuse it of indifference or complicity, is that “our exclusion as a Church was deliberate, serving the narrow interests of beneficiaries at the expense of the good of the city and the future of its people.”

“This is my testimony for history,” he added. “I place it before God and before you.”

He urged the Church’s young people, whom he called “its hope and its tomorrow,” to remain attached to their land, to work patiently, and to persevere in their demands, saying that their legitimate anger alone cannot build a future.

“Our father the patriarch is with us,” Warda said, adding that “the truth will reach the attention of the Kurdistan Regional Government, which sincerely desires the survival and flourishing of Christians.”

Warda also emphasized that the Church has not remained idle but has worked to serve its people in practical and effective ways through “achievements accomplished despite the circumstances, not because of them.”

“Let actions speak for us, not words,” he said.

He highlighted the archeparchy’s catechetical programs for all ages, its active youth pastoral initiatives that help young people remain rooted in their faith and land, the construction of four new churches, three of them in Ankawa, as well as four schools, a university, a hospital, and Radio Maryam. Together, he said, these institutions provide more than 800 job opportunities for qualified residents of Ankawa, in addition to relief services and assistance to the poor and needy.

Ankawa includes about 75,000 Christians from the apostolic churches — Catholic and Orthodox — as well as evangelical communities. Today, Ankawa faces the challenge of preserving its religious character and safeguarding its historic identity.

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.

“Casting out demons means committing ourselves to processes of personal and social liberation, and helping those trapped by idols, fear, or hopelessness to regain their freedom,” the bishop noted during a Mass he celebrated at St. Agatha Parish in Miami on June 14.

“It also means denouncing the irrationality and cruelty of regimes that violate human dignity and multiply peopleʼs misery, often even invoking the name of God,” he emphasized.

Báez, who was forced to leave Nicaragua in 2019, now lives in exile and serves at the Miami parish where his compatriots gather. Like many others, Báez was a victim of persecution by the Nicaraguan dictatorship, which intensified its ruthless campaign against the Catholic Church in 2018, a campaign that continues to this day.

The Nicaraguan prelate reflected on a passage from the Gospel of Matthew, stating that Jesus saw the crowd and “had compassion for them, because they were weary and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd.”

This image, he noted, “has lost none of its relevance. Today, too, there are many people living like sheep without a shepherd: individuals who are sad, lonely, disoriented, and disillusioned by deceptive idols; families torn apart by poverty, forced migration, or violence; entire peoples deprived of freedom and a future due to war or dominated by dictatorial regimes that impose themselves through fear and repression.”

In this situation, the bishop explained, “prayer is the first and most urgent response,” not because it “replaces action but because it is the root and foundation of action, making it fruitful and strong.”

Through prayer, one can be in tune with the Lord and move toward effective action, he noted. “From this compassion and this prayer came forth the choice of the Twelve [Apostles],” the prelate emphasized.

“The power Jesus grants is a power at the service of life and human dignity. It is exactly the opposite of the power that seduces the world — the power that crushes, controls, intimidates, and subjugates. This power, received to serve rather than to subjugate, did not end with the Twelve; it continues today through us,” he said.

In addition to casting out demons, he said every member of the Church is called to perform various actions, such as “healing the sick, raising the dead, and cleansing lepers.”

The bishop explained that resurrecting the dead “is restoring hope to those who no longer expect anything, helping them discover glimmers of Godʼs light in the middle of the nights of life. It’s announcing, without tiring, the God of life.”

“And it is also to oppose the oppressive powers that subjugate people, with the conviction that God accompanies and blesses the efforts made for the freedom and dignity of people,” he noted.

The Nicaraguan prelate also emphasized that “cleansing the lepers means striving to restore dignity to those marginalized by society or religion, through gestures of inclusion, solidarity, and respectful dialogue.”

He remarked that “the laborers remain few. The Lord continues to seek those today who are willing to extend his compassionate gaze into the world. May that gaze be ours.”

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

In a pastoral letter released ahead of the nation’s semiquincentennial, Brennan, apostolic administrator of Wheeling-Charleston, West Virginia, reflected on America’s history, praised the contributions of Catholics to the common good, and warned that the nation risks moral decline if it abandons God’s law.

The letter, which Brennan noted would likely be his final pastoral letter as bishop, comes 50 years after his priestly ordination during the country’s bicentennial celebrations in 1976. Bishop Evelio Menjivar-Ayala is succeeding Brennan, and a Mass of installation will be celebrated on July 2 at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Wheeling.

“Catholics of West Virginia, be truly Catholic and truly patriotic,” Brennan wrote. “Work for the genuine good of your country and trust that God will bless your efforts.”

Progress and persistent challenges

Brennan acknowledged significant advances in American society since the nation’s founding, including the abolition of slavery, the end of legal racial segregation, and expanded opportunities for women.

At the same time, he pointed to ongoing problems including racial disparities, domestic violence, human trafficking, abortion, and hostility toward immigrants.

The bishop highlighted the contributions immigrants have made throughout American history, noting that Catholicism itself grew from roughly 1% of the population in 1776 to about 20% today, largely because of immigration.

While praising the stability of the nation’s constitutional system, religious liberty protections, and tradition of public service, Brennan warned that Americans should not take God’s blessings for granted.

Quoting both Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln, Brennan argued that nations will face divine judgment when they ignore moral truths and permit injustice.

Defense of human life

A central theme of the letter was the dignity of human life from conception to natural death.

Brennan condemned abortion, assisted suicide, and the death penalty while also calling for greater care for immigrants, the elderly, and the vulnerable.

“The God who gave us life does not want us to take it,” he wrote, referring to unborn children and the sick.

The bishop praised the work of the pro-life movement, highlighting the role Catholics have played in organizing marches, supporting pregnancy resource centers, and providing housing and assistance for mothers in need.

He specifically pointed to the legacy of Nellie Gray, the Catholic lawyer who founded the annual March for Life, and commended the efforts of countless Catholics who have worked to defend unborn children.

Catholic contributions to American society

Brennan also emphasized the Church’s historic contributions to social reform in the United States.

Among his examples was Cardinal James Gibbons, whose advocacy for workers influenced Pope Leo XIII’s landmark 1891 encyclical Rerum Novarum and helped strengthen support for labor rights.

He also cited the efforts of Archbishop Patrick O’Boyle, who desegregated Catholic schools in Washington, D.C., in 1948, years before the Supreme Court’s ruling in Brown v. Board of Education.

According to Brennan, these examples demonstrate how Catholic teaching has advanced both human dignity and the common good.

‘Culture of life’ and ‘civilization of love’

The bishop devoted a substantial portion of the letter to outlining what he called a “culture of life,” rooted in respect for every human person.

Such a culture, he said, includes opposition to abortion, support for marriage and family life, care for the sick and elderly, and welcoming immigrants while respecting the dignity of every person.

Brennan also drew on the teachings of St. John Paul II, who promoted the concept of a “civilization of love.”

He pointed to hospice programs, soup kitchens, food pantries, charitable organizations, youth mentorship programs, and service groups such as the Knights of Columbus as examples of that vision in action.

Warning against secularism

Brennan warned that secularism, relativism, and excessive individualism pose significant challenges to American society.

Echoing concerns raised by Pope Benedict XVI, he argued that excluding religion from public life weakens the moral foundations necessary for self-government.

The bishop also criticized cultural trends that prioritize personal autonomy over the common good and cautioned against what he described as distractions that prevent Americans from addressing deeper social and moral concerns.

Looking ahead

As the nation approaches its 250th birthday, Brennan expressed hope that reform and renewal remain possible.

Drawing on biblical examples and the Church’s own history of reform, he urged Catholics to engage actively in public life while remaining faithful to Catholic teaching.

“The very soul of our country” is at stake, Brennan wrote, calling on Catholics to educate future generations, defend human dignity, and help shape a society grounded in faith, virtue, and concern for the common good.

“As we joyfully celebrate our nation’s 250th anniversary of independence,” he concluded, “we are the Americans who must keep it [America].”

The bishops’ conference explained that the initiative includes a prayer vigil for Colombia in cathedrals, parishes, and other ecclesial communities as well as an invitation “for families to gather in their homes to light a candle or taper and offer a prayer for Colombia as an expression of trust in God and commitment to the nation’s future.”

To conduct the vigil, the bishops’ conference prepared a resource with opening remarks that emphasize that “Colombia is going through a decisive moment” and that, before exercising the right to vote that will determine the country’s future, “it is necessary to listen to the voice of God.”

“We are brought together by love for Colombia and the certainty that, without God, we will not be able to build the civilization of love we all long for, nor sustain our common home,” the bishops note.

However, they also recall that during the election campaign, “too many words have been heard that wound, divide, and point fingers.”

“Pope Leo XIV, during his recent visit to Spain, reminded us that the temptation to gain popularity by stoking the fires of polarization seems to be growing rather than diminishing,” they say. “He invited us to choose a different path: ‘It is not the culture of confrontation but that of encounter that creates stability and prosperity.’”

The June 21 presidential runoff election pits Abelardo de la Espriella, who is on the more conservative side of the political spectrum, against Iván Cepeda, a member of current president Gustavo Petro’s leftist party.

The ombudsman’s office noted that the final days of the campaign are characterized by “an electoral climate marked by high levels of confrontational rhetoric, stigmatization, the spread of false or misleading information, and challenges to democratic institutions.”

“In the current high-tension context — where there are signs that escalating verbal violence could lead to physical violence, the ombudsman’s office reiterates its call for candidates to focus their actions on protecting lives and de-escalating confrontation in public debate,” an ombudsman’s office document stated.

The ombudsman’s office also called on both candidates to act with the moral rectitude proper to those aspiring to become the head of state and with the strengthened responsibility that such an aspiration entails toward society and democratic coexistence.

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 school has been battling efforts to force disclosure of the so-called “Latham report,” an investigation commissioned by Seton Hall itself amid fallout surrounding the McCarrick scandal.

New Jersey Judge Avion Benjamin had ordered the school in November 2025 to turn over the Latham report to lawyers representing victims of clergy abuse. The school had previously argued that the report was protected by attorney-client privilege.

In a June 15 ruling, the Superior Court of New Jersey’s appellate division ruled mostly in favor of the school, holding that the relationship between the school and the law firm Latham & Watkins LLP enjoyed a measure of attorney-client protection.

Attorney Gabriel Magee, who represents multiple Church abuse victims as part of consolidated litigation that included suits against Seton Hall, told EWTN News in May that the Latham report was “created for self-critical analysis by Seton Hall” and thus fell outside of the protection of attorney-client privilege or “work-product privilege.”

Yet the appeals court on June 15 held that work-privilege considerations have to be adjudicated on a “case-by-case, fact-specific analysis.” Attorney-client protections, meanwhile, apply to “notes, communications, and other documents” prepared “at the behest of and for” legal counsel.

The school did not respond to a request for comment on June 16 regarding the decision.

The appellate court said one section of the report regarding the university’s sexual harassment policies is “clearly a self-critical analysis” that was “not prepared in anticipation of litigation” and thus could be disclosed as part of legal proceedings.

The judges said that “some materials” in that section could be subject to redactions depending on the subject material.

Magee told EWTN News on June 16 that while plaintiff attorneys “appreciate the appellate division’s ruling that some portions of the Latham report must be produced, we are still digesting the opinion and considering our appeal options with respect to the rest of the decision.”

The Latham report, which has never been made public, is expected to examine whether Monsignor Joseph Reilly, then-rector of Seton Hall’s Immaculate Conception Seminary (and now university president), knew about abuse claims and failed to report them. Reilly was appointed president in 2024.

Meanwhile, Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark, New Jersey, in February 2025 ordered an independent review into the controversy.

The prelate said at the time that the review would examine “how the findings of [the earlier reports] relate to Monsignor Joseph Reilly, including whether they were communicated to any and all appropriate personnel at the archdiocese and Seton Hall University and Monsignor Reilly, and if so, by what means and by whom.”

The review is still ongoing, the archdiocese said in May.

“I believe Ohio should abolish the death penalty,” the Catholic Republican governor said at a June 16 press conference. “The Legislature can take this action, and I believe they should take this action.”

“But if the Legislature does not want to make that decision, they can leave it up to a vote of the people of the state of Ohio,” he said.

After DeWine was elected to the state Senate in 1980, he co-sponsored a bill that sought to reinstate the death penalty in Ohio.

DeWine supported the policy at the time believing it would lessen violent crime, he said at the press conference, but, he argued, “the moral justification I had for voting for the death penalty simply no longer exists.”

Each decade that the death penalty has been in effect, “the chances of a murderer getting executed get more and more remote,” DeWine said. Therefore, “it is today impossible to make the case that the death penalty is a deterrent.”

“For the state to take a human life, there … must be evidence that in doing so, it will help protect the public [and] that the threat of that action will deter someone from committing murder,” he said.

“I do not believe that argument today can be successfully made, nor do I believe that thereʼs any chance [of successfully making it] in the future,” he said.

The term-limited governor, whose second term will end in 2027, has repeatedly postponed scheduled executions in the state since taking office in early 2019.

He has cited issues involving “the willingness of pharmaceutical suppliers to provide drugs to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, pur­suant to DRC pro­to­col, with­out endan­ger­ing other Ohioans.”

“We also cannot talk about capital punishment without talking about those we task with carrying it out,” DeWine said.

“While it is true they are ‘volunteers,’ we still must be mindful of the impact preparations for and the carrying out of executions have on them. They are the forgotten people — but they are real people. They are our fellow Ohioans.”

DeWine used the example of Gary Mohr, who served as the director of the state Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections from 2011 until 2018.

“During that time, he supervised 15 executions,” DeWine said, and he “summarize[d] the toll on the staff in this one sentence: ‘The heaviness felt by the execution team and by the support staff is indescribable.’”

“Our money and our energies are much better spent focusing on keeping these repeat violent offenders out of society than focusing on the death penalty,” DeWine said.

“Throughout my career, Iʼve always stated that the most important way to protect the public is to lock up violent criminals and to keep them out of society. Keep them locked up. That is a proven way of saving lives and protecting our citizens.”

DeWine said that any “decision to officially end the death penalty in Ohio could not change the horror and the anger that we all feel in regard to these murderers, nor the deep sorrow we feel for the victims and for their families.”

“These murderers ended the life of a precious human being. These murderers have changed the lives of the surviving family members forever. Their lives will never be the same.”

During a question-and-answer session at the press conference, DeWine declined to comment when asked if he would begin commuting death sentences in the state.

Praise from Catholic anti-death penalty group

DeWine’s “call for the abolishment of capital punishment in Ohio is an encouraging sign and reflects growing recognition that the state can move toward a more just and life-affirming approach,” Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy, the executive director of the anti-death penalty Catholic Mobilizing Network, told EWTN News.

“Gov. DeWine is a Catholic whose faith has always inspired his public service,” Vaillancourt said.

“As fellow Catholics who advocate for the dignity of every human life, we urge him to go further and grant clemency to those on Ohio’s death row. The time to act is now,” she said.

Catholic Conference of Ohio responds

Brian Hickey, executive director of the Catholic Conference of Ohio, said in a statement June 16: “Several of Ohio’s death row inmates have found redemption through the Catholic faith. They have repented of their egregious crimes and seek to live as witnesses to a better way of life through prayer, penance, and service to other inmates.”

The statement thanked DeWine for acknowledging the burden placed on state workers involved in carrying out executions, calling the act morally wrong and contrary to Catholic teaching. Hickey praised DeWine’s pro-life legacy, from protecting “Ohioans from the very beginning of life to those who, at one time, blatantly disregarded the humanity of others and need to face justice.” Hickey also noted that DeWine’s attention to victims and their families accords with the Church’s perspective that the state should focus on supporting them rather than adding more violence.

“Eliminating the state’s ability to kill citizens is not a partisan issue. More and more Republicans support the State of Ohio removing the death penalty due to their Christian faith or understanding the flawed practice of a state’s human execution system. As Gov. DeWine noted convincingly, the death penalty does not serve as a deterrent to the unacceptable violence we witness in Ohio’s communities,” Hickey said.

This story was updated at 11:45 a.m. ET on June 17, 2026, with the statement from the Catholic Conference of Ohio.

On June 14, given the floor in the National Parliament during the budget session, Minj first thanked Almighty God. “Today I am representing the ethnic minority groups of the plain land of Bangladesh in this Parliament,” she said.

Welcoming the proposed budget, she said: “This budget is a people-oriented and inclusive budget.”

“I would like to specifically mention that the budget has increased the special allocation for ethnic minority groups in the prime ministerʼs office,” Minj said. “Similarly, the allocation for ethnic minority groups in the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock has been increased in this budget. In the National Parliament I highly appreciate and I firmly believe that these two projects will play a special role in the development of the ethnic groups of the plain land.”

At the same time, she drew attention to several concerns, noting that development allocations had been increased across various ministries. Those allocations, she said, should reach the marginalized and those who are truly in need among ethnic minority groups so they can genuinely develop.

“We all know that the socioeconomic condition of the people of the ethnic groups of the plain land is very fragile. Ninety percent of them are daily wage laborers; many times they sell their agricultural labor in advance. In that case, we ask everyone to involve them in various developmental activities such as education, technical education, and provide them with work opportunities,” Minj told Parliament.

Praise from deputy speaker

After her speech, Deputy Speaker Kayser Kamal thanked Minj and acknowledged that the countryʼs Indigenous people have remained disadvantaged.

“When martyred President Ziaur Rahman formed the BDR [Bangladesh Rifles], many Indigenous people were involved, many were involved in primary education, but their participation has decreased with the passage of time,” he said. “Thank you very much for addressing this issue.”

Mixed reaction in the Church

Holy Cross Father Liton Hubert Gomes, secretary of the Integral Human Development Commission of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Bangladesh, welcomed Minjʼs speech. He told EWTN News that her statement on Indigenous rights was sound and that the increased government allocation was a positive step, but he said other problems still needed to be addressed.

“She has created a mixed reaction among the Indigenous people because she didnʼt address them as Indigenous but as a small ethnic group. Again, she is not only an MP [member of Parliament] for the Indigenous people, she is also an MP for the Christian community,” Gomes said.

The voices of both Indigenous people and Christians should be heard in Parliament, the priest said, because Catholics and other Christians contribute heavily to the country, especially in education, health, and social development, yet that contribution is not recognized by the state.

Gomes said he was hopeful, adding: “Anna Minj will work for our society and work to achieve the rights of Indigenous people and will highlight the contribution of Christians to the nation so that others can use our good teachings for the development of the nation.”

A historic first

Minj is a leader from the Oraon Indigenous community and has served for over three decades in leadership roles at BRAC International, an entrepreneurial and solutions-focused nonprofit development organization.

Of the 350 seats in Bangladeshʼs National Parliament, 300 are filled by direct election, which was held on Feb. 12, and 50 are reserved for women. Minj was elected to one of those reserved womenʼs seats as a nominee of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, which formed the government.

In Muslim-majority Bangladesh, only 1% of the 180 million people belong to various ethnic minorities, while 99% are ethnic Bengalis.

In a statement released on June 14, the National Dialogue for Peace called for placing a “white ribbon or small flag” on the doors of homes, schools, and workplaces on June 20 to make “visible the commitment to peace, dialogue, reconciliation, or hope.”

The group also called for “ringing church bells on June 20 at 3 p.m. as a call to all sectors of society to build peace and to renew our commitment to forming the community that Mexico needs today.”

Campos Morales and Mora Salazar were killed on June 20, 2022, inside their parish church in the town of Cerocahui in the Mexican state of Chihuahua while attempting to protect a man who was being pursued by a criminal.

The organization also asked Mexicans to “place photographs of missing persons at church altars during the celebrations on Sunday, June 21,” as well as to “offer a special prayer for families searching [for their loved ones] and invite adolescents and young people to present the offerings as a sign of a Church that recognizes their place and accompanies them in building hope.”

The National Dialogue for Peace was started following the murder of the Jesuits as an initiative of the Catholic Church in Mexico formed by the Mexican Bishops’ Conference, the Bishops’ Commission for the Laity, the Conference of Major Religious Superiors of Mexico, and the Society of Jesus in Mexico.

In its statement, the National Dialogue for Peace stated that on June 20, “we remember the murdered religious leaders, the thousands of missing persons, the families living amid violence, the merchants suffering extortion, and the forests illegally logged.”

“It’s a day to remember the suffering that we are standing against throughout Mexico and to call upon all sectors of society to redouble their efforts to sow peace. Amid the pain this country is experiencing, Jesus continues to call us to build peace,” the statement explained.

Reflecting on the efforts made since 2022, the organization noted that “over these four years, we have learned that the great challenge is to build a responsible and participatory community capable of deciding its own destiny.”

While “violence isolates people and stifles social participation, paving the way for the imposition of criminal projects and ideas,” the National Dialogue for Peace said, noting that “the process of building peace entails reaching out to others to heal, participate, and form one’s own judgment.”

“Building peace today entails healing the wound caused by the forced disappearance of loved ones, having concern for abandoned youth, and envisioning the institutional framework Mexico needs. That wound is healed through truth, political will, and reparation for the harm done,” the National Dialogue for Peace stated.

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

“This is certainly deliberate,” Moore said, noting that Russia has destroyed 750 churches in Ukraine and killed as many as 80 pastors and priests.

The Dormition Cathedral of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, part of a UNESCO World Heritage site, caught fire June 14 after Russia launched 70 missiles and 611 drones into several Ukrainian cities, which killed four people and injured 28 others, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

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“This is one of Russia’s most serious crimes against Christian culture to date,” Ukraine’s leader said about the damaged to the Eastern Orthodox cathedral, historically tied to the monastic life of the Lavra.

‘Putin is not making mistakes’

Russia’s Ministry of Defense issued a statement on June 15 claiming that the cathedral “was hit by a missile from an American Patriotic air defense system” and that “one possible reason for the malfunction of this system could be that Western countries had supplied the Kyiv regime with missiles that had expired.”

“The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation do not plan or conduct strikes against civilian infrastructure facilities,” the Kremlin said.

“The Kremlin is talking about it being an accident,” Moore said. “But there’s a lot of accidents — every week there’s an accidental church bombing.”

“Putin is not making mistakes,” Moore said.

“Putin is not going to stop this until someone makes him stop,” Moore said, describing efforts to bring the war to an end as “a lot of talk.”

Combating Russian propaganda

Moore is visiting Washington, D.C., from Kyiv and said he has plans to advocate on Capitol Hill and launch several films, including one on Ukrainian children who have been trafficked into Russia. Moore is set to meet with Sen. John Kennedy, R-Louisiana, on June 16.

Moore told EWTN News in a separate interview that he plans to “focus primarily on Republicans because Republicans are in charge, and the Russians spend $2 billion annually on propaganda worldwide. Much of that goes into the conservative ecosphere.”

“The Russians target these conservative believers with misinformation,” he said, citing online figures such as Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson. “So weʼre trying to push back on that, and weʼre pushing back on Capitol Hill.”

The role of the international community

Foreign leaders took to social media to condemn the strikes, including French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, who said the strike on the Dormition Cathedral is the equivalent of bombing Notre-Dame in Paris.

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“The French are really good at talking,” Moore said.

“But I have yet to see a Leclerc tank in Donbas,” he said, speaking of French-made battle tanks.

“On an average day in April, the French bought enough petroleum products, liquid natural gas, primarily from Russia, to pay for about 220 Shahed drones every day,” he said about Iranian-made munitions, noting that Russia sends about 600 drones every time they attack Ukraine.

“A lot of this is paid for by European purchases of Russian fossil fuel,” Moore said. “So, you know, while I always like to hear what the French have to say, I would like to see them stop fueling the Russian war machine. And I would like to see them do more, send more aid to Ukraine.”

Ultimately, Moore called for the international community to cut off all financial ties with Russia. “Nothing else works because Putin only understands strength.”

Representatives from the Catholic Church and European Union, as well as diplomats, academics, and experts, gathered at the event in Brussels on June 9 to reflect on the ethical, political, and strategic implications of outer space governance and sustainability in an increasingly interconnected world.

As COMECE noted in a statement, the conference took place against the backdrop of “a rapidly evolving global space sector. In recent years, outer space has become an increasingly prominent area of strategic, economic, and scientific interest.”

“Alongside the growing ambitions of established space powers,” COMECE stated, “an increasing number of countries are seeking to develop or expand their presence in space.”

At the same time, the sector has also seen a significant rise in private actors, “whose expanding role in satellites, deployment, space exploration, and commercial activities is reshaping the governance landscape.”

The developments highlight the urgent need to foster international dialogue and cooperation to ensure that outer space continues to serve the common good and that its exploration and use remain the “province of humankind,” accessible for peaceful and sustainable purposes, “for the benefit and in the interest of all countries in accordance with the 1967 Outer Space Treaty.”

Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, permanent observer of the Holy See to the United Nations and president of the Caritas in Veritate Foundation, opened the event together with Father Manuel Barrios Prieto, secretary-general of COMECE.

Both men stressed the profound moral dimension of these issues, since “they concern peace, justice, and the dignity of present and future generations.”

Balestrero stated that “we must not turn space into a jungle,” as it is not “a lawless frontier” governed by the principle of “first come, first served.”

The prelate emphasized that it offers humanity “an invitation to avoid repeating many of the mistakes made on Earth. Space therefore must be explored with responsibility, solidarity, and respect for subsidiarity, for the benefit of present and future generations.”

Barrios noted that, in an increasingly polarized world, “the European Union and its institutions have a significant role to play in guiding humanity in navigating such questions wisely.”

He also highlighted several initiatives such as the proposal for an EU Space Act, the development of a European Space Shield, and investments in various programs that, in his view, “reflect the EU’s growing responsibility in shaping the governance of space activities.”

During the conference, the Caritas in Veritate Foundation presented its publication “Outer Space and Humanity at a Crossroads: Reflections on a New Frontier of the Common Good." It offers interdisciplinary, ethical reflections and recommendations regarding the opportunities and responsibilities associated with humanityʼs growing presence in outer space.

Conference participants also reflected on the increasing importance of outer space for communications, security, environmental monitoring, and technological development while addressing emerging challenges such as “space debris, the congestion of low-Earth orbit and the risk of the militarization of space.”

Furthermore, special attention was paid to “the ethical dimensions of space activities and the need for governance frameworks capable of balancing technological innovation, security considerations, and the responsibility to safeguard the common good for present and future generations.”

The conference “reaffirmed the importance of promoting a human-centered approach to scientific and technological progress, guided by ethical responsibility, international cooperation, and a commitment to peace,” COMECE noted.

“As humanity’s presence beyond Earth continues to expand, participants emphasized the need to ensure that outer space remains a shared heritage whose exploration and use should contribute to the flourishing of the entire human family,” the statement reads.

The event forms part of COMECE’s “ongoing efforts to foster dialogue between the Catholic Church, the EU institutions, and civil society on emerging policy challenges affecting the future of humanity and the common good.”

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.

Yet Alex Schadenberg, the executive director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, says there is a grim upside to that trend: Other countries increasingly donʼt want anything to do with assisted suicide.

“The only good thing about Canada is the effect Canada is having on other countries,” he said.

Assisted suicide measures have recently suffered notable defeats in numerous other national legislatures. But the procedure remains immensely popular in Canada.

Government data show that suicide uptake grew at an annual rate of more than 30% from 2019 to 2022; it has decreased in the years since, though it has continued to grow, with a total number of 16,499 Canadians dying by suicide in 2024.

The “vast majority” of people who died by assisted suicide had a “reasonably foreseeable death,” the government said, while around 4.5% of victims' deaths did not meet that criteria.

The government said that the decreasing rate of growth “seem[s] to suggest that the number of annual [suicides] is beginning to stabilize,” though it said that “long-term trends” would only be identifiable after “several more years.”

Data indicate that the country has the highest numbers of assisted suicide deaths in the world.

Some restrictions, proposed expansions

The Canadian Supreme Court ruled in February 2015 that the countryʼs ban on assisted suicide was illegal. That decision technically legalized the practice in Canada, though the court delayed implementation of the decision for a year.

Assisted suicide became fully available in the country the following summer, on June 16, 2016. In April of this year the country officially passed 100,000 “provisions” of MAID.

David Cooke, the campaigns manager for the Ontario-based Campaign Life Coalition, told EWTN News that the 10-year mark for the MAID program is “an anniversary to mourn.”

“With 10 years of legalized medical homicide, Canada has the blood of over 100,000 victims on its hands — blood that cries out to God for justice,” he said. “Canada’s euthanasia program is on a killing spree.”

Cooke argued that while the program was touted as an “answer” to “human suffering,” the program has “unleashed enormous suffering on Canadian society and on the family and friends of victims.”

“Even the victims themselves suffer — by being subjected to medical and societal abandonment, prejudice, being denied timely access to life-affirming treatment and support, plus they must face the horrendous and indescribable experience of being poisoned to death,” he said.

The euthanasia regime “has also utterly destroyed the integrity and lifesaving purpose of our healthcare system, dispensing with sick and disabled Canadians as a cost-saving measure,” he argued.

Advocates have argued that the government program has built-in safeguards, including stipulations that patients must be at least 18 years old and suffering from a “grievous and irremediable medical condition” before they are allowed to partake in it.

Yet critics have argued that the system is rife with both abuse and safety failures, allowing Canadians to access assisted suicide when they shouldnʼt qualify for it.

The reported safety failures are so acute that in 2024 the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association — which helped get MAID legalized a decade ago — warned of the need for more safeguards in the program.

Among the concerns raised by pro-life advocates has been the push to expand suicide to those suffering solely from mental illnesses. That expansion has been delayed until 2027, though the group Cardus Health said in 2025 that patients with mental illnesses were dying at disproportionately high rates in the country.

A 2024 report, meanwhile, claimed that from 2018 “euthanasia regulators” in Ontario had identified over 400 “issues with compliance” with MAID laws — including failures of the eligibility process and mishandled reporting — but that  none of those violations were prosecuted.

Catholic advocates in the country have regularly protested against the program over the past decade, including in February when the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops urged the government to pass a measure prohibiting citizens from accessing MAID if their sole condition is a mental illness.

Schadenberg said the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition is active in combatting efforts to expand MAID, including in the case of Claire Brosseau, a Canadian actress who is suing to access euthanasia due to ongoing mental illness.

Brosseau has argued that she suffers from “a severe form of bipolar I disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, among other mental disorders,” and that the countryʼs MAID laws “discriminate” against individuals like her.

Yet concerns about allowing mental illness patients to access assisted suicide are so prevalent that in 2025 the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities urged Canada to halt the planned expansion of MAID for those suffering solely from mental health issues. 

Cooke said such a plan would allow euthanasia for those struggling with depression, addiction, autism, schizophrenia, eating disorders, and “a multitude of other difficulties which impair one’s thinking and judgment.”

“Offering euthanasia to those ‘not in their right mind’ is a horror that recalls the Nazi T4 program,” he said. “These hurting souls are better served through counseling, therapy, and medication — not murder.”

Schadenberg pointed to modestly encouraging proposed euthanasia safeguards in Alberta that would offer protections to underage citizens and those suffering from mental illnesses. He said the proposals were “minor restrictions” but he described them as “positive outcomes compared to the rest of Canada.”

Cooke also cited the Alberta safeguards, which also include affirming the rights of medical patients to not receive care from doctors who perform euthanasia and upholding the rights of doctors themselves to not kill their patients.

Doctors and other medical officials in Alberta are now also forbidden from proposing euthanasia as a medical option, instead being required to wait until a patient brings it up.

Though assisted suicide uptake remains high in Canada, Schadenberg claimed that the countryʼs runaway suicide rate was driving backlash in other nations.

“Scotland defeated their assisted suicide bill, the U.K. bill died in the House of Lords, [and] Slovenia overturned their assisted suicide law,” he said, arguing that “all of this is related to how crazy Canada has become.”

Cooke said the Campaign Life Coalition is urging other provinces to develop their own safeguards while raising awareness of “the horrors of euthanasia” through lobbying and public demonstrations.

Schadenberg told “EWTN Pro-Life Weekly” in March, meanwhile, that the fight against euthanasia in Canada is “a long-term situation that we have to be involved in.”

“Most people are dying by euthanasia not because theyʼre in extreme pain ... Usually itʼs because they feel their life lacks meaning, purpose, or value,” he said.

“The most important thing we can do is recognize the importance of caring for people, being with people,” he argued.

He urged advocates to ensure that “family members [and] friends ... when theyʼre going through illness, that theyʼre not feeling alone, theyʼre not feeling lonely, theyʼre not feeling that their life lacks meaning or purpose of value, and that someone actually cares about them.”

The prayer event kicked off a worldwide Eucharistic procession honoring the Blessed Mother including more than 550 parishes and 15 prominent shrines across six continents in what organizers say is the first-ever united and coordinated global Marian Eucharistic procession.

Participating Marian shrines included Knock, Fátima, Lourdes, La Salette and Pontmain Shrine in France, Garabandal in Spain, Beauraing Shrine in Belgium, and the Coimbra convent in Portugal, where Our Lady is believed to have appeared to Sister Lucia, one of the Fátima seers.

Barry Mallett from the Guardians of the Faith group, who organized the Derry procession, spent over a year contacting parishes, dioceses, and Marian shrines around the world to bring them together for this remarkable global outpouring of Eucharistic adoration, held in unison at the same time in each area of the world.

“Fruits from the last Eucharistic processions [held in February and November 2025 in Derry] are an increase in Mass attendance and vocations, with a real hunger and desire to see these continue to help lead our youth back to God,” Mallett told EWTN News. “We have seen an increase in conversions and an uplift in faith amongst the Gen Z population locally.”

He added: “There isn’t any coincidence that this is all taking place so shortly after Archbishop Eamon Martin, a Derry man, reconsecrated Ireland to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in June 2025 and to the Immaculate Heart of Mary at the Rosary Rally in Knock on the 6th of June.”

Mallett said he has been getting messages from around the world from participants in the procession who say “they were overwhelmed and that it was such an honor to be part of this synchronized event to honor the holy mother of God.”

“Locally here in Derry the buzz is incredible; people were saying it’s absolutely beautiful. As the procession wound its way through the city, devotional items were handed out to passersby, and people came out of shops, restaurants, and public houses to watch the very significant event,” Millet explained.

“There’s a very famous prophecy by St. Patrick in 433 about a light rising and shining from the north of Ireland, spreading throughout the whole of Ireland, on to Britain, Europe, and the whole world.”

The city of Derry is remembered for some of the most notorious incidents of the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

During the opening Mass before the procession, Father Roland Colhoun, curate in the Derry Diocese, Parish of Ardstraw East, said: “A procession visually and spiritually transforms streets and sanctuaries into places of contemplative peace. The exercise of communal prayer elevates the district into a place of holiness. We walk under banners with messages of faith, carrying our rosary beads as instruments of prayer. We venerate the image of Our Lady, adore the Eucharist, and meditate on the mysteries of the faith as we process. By taking part in the worldwide Marian procession today, you and I are making our contribution to world peace. May the Prince of Peace reign in our hearts and in the hearts of our brothers and sisters across the world.”

After Mass, celebrated in the Creggan estate, a well-known housing development built for working-class Catholics, where the 1972 Bloody Sunday civil rights march started, the route of the procession followed that of the march, culminating at the Long Tower church — the site of the last Penal mass in the city in 1784 and now known as the home parish church of Servant of God Sister Clare Crockett, an Irish sister who died in an earthquake in Ecuador at the age of 33. The church is also close to the site of St. Columba’s original church in Derry.

Sister Clare Crockett’s uncle, Danny Doyle, said: “Clare would have loved today and been thrilled to have this on her own patch where she was born and reared.”

Sisters from the Letterkenny convent of Sister Claire Crockett’s congregation, Home of the Mother, were present in Derry, and other sisters participated from their convent in Spain.

Among the procession participants was Father Patrick Desmond, OP, from the Dominican congregation in Newry, who told EWTN News: “It’s great to be here. It was so well organized, and everyone played their part. So many young people. So many young families. It would just give you confidence and encourage you to remember that the Lord is in control and it’s his Church!”

Desmond said he believes the Lord “is going to renew the Church in the world in his way and in his time, and it’s happening. It’s very exciting to be at the heart of it. I’m very encouraged, and I’m going to go back to my congregation, and I’m going to try to encourage them with some of the joy that I’ve experienced here and remind them that God will have the victory ultimately! This needs to be multiplied and magnified!”

JD Vance is the second Catholic to serve as U.S. vice president, following President Joe Biden, who held the office from 2009 to 2017. Vance has discussed his Catholic faith and shared about his conversion but is not seen or reported by the media attending Mass in the Washington, D.C., area.

Vance said in a June 14 interview with “CBS Sunday Morning” that Mass is sometimes said in his home or he attends small churches.

Having priests come to celebrate Mass at home is “one of the rare privileges of this life,” Vance said.

“I try not to do it too much” because “I try to … have a little bit more of a ritual to it,” he said. “So we do try to leave the house and actually go to church. And thatʼs important.”

“But sometimes … you have a late day at work, or somethingʼs going on at the White House, or somethingʼs going on in the world and you say, ‘Could a priest just come by and say Mass at our house?’” Vance said.

“It makes it very easy, but itʼs one of those creature comforts of being vice president I try not to use too much because I think it makes us a little lazy,” he said.

“Itʼs a perk,” Usha Vance added. “But I think itʼs also important to say that itʼs sometimes a necessity, because a motorcade just shuts down streets.”

“It means sometimes people canʼt get into Mass when they arrive,” she said. “It means that you have people trickling in after the start because theyʼre being put through magnetometers.”

The second lady, who practices Hinduism, said they try to adjust the “timing of Mass and location” in order “to mitigate all of these discomforts for all the other people who are just trying to live their lives.”

“We try to go to smaller churches and we try to get there exactly on time, because if we get there 10 minutes earlier,” security becomes “a nightmare for everybody else,” JD Vance said.

“So you try to obviously take your kids to church, but you also try to do it in a way that doesnʼt inconvenience everybody. Thatʼs very important to us,” he said.

Vance has attended some highly publicized liturgies. The vice president attended Pope Leo XIV’s inaugural Mass on May 18, 2025, in St. Peter’s Square. He led the U.S. delegation for the ceremony and was joined by Usha Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

He also attended a private Mass celebrated by Franciscan monks at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem during a three-day diplomatic trip to Israel in October 2025.

Vance met with a group of bishops and went to confession prior to Mass, according to the White House press pool report.

Memoir on Vance’s Catholic conversion

Vance’s memoir discusses why he left his faith and describes his conversion to Catholicism.

The book has been published by HarperCollins Publishers, which also produced Vance’s 2016 bestselling book “Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis.”

The book addresses the “story of how I regained my faith,” which “only happened because I had lost it to begin with,” Vance wrote in a HarperCollins press release. “The interesting question that hangs over this book, and over my mind, is why I ever strayed from the path. Why the Christian faith of my youth failed to properly take root.”

In the “CBS Sunday Morning” interview, Vance explained some of what the book uncovers about finding his “home” in the Catholic Church.

“I was raised in evangelical tradition that in a lot of ways I really loved,” he said.

The evangelical faith offered an “incredible generosity of spirit” and an “incredible spirit of ‘welcomingness,’” Vance said.

While he said he still tries to “apply” these aspects to his life, he “drift[ed] away from that faith.”

“I donʼt think that I was properly rooted,” Vance said. “I started to see myself as too smart, maybe too high-minded. I was going to make decisions based on rationality and science and not on this religious mumbo jumbo.”

Then, he said, “as I started to think to myself, ‘Maybe there is some real truth to these Christian ideas that I grew up with‘ … I was just incredibly attracted to the tradition of the church that I ultimately selected.”

“Things are constantly changing. Social media is changing how we communicate with each other,” he said. “You go to one church and itʼs … one thing. You go to another church and itʼs something different.”

Catholicism “felt rooted” and “if I went to a foreign country and I didnʼt understand the language, I kind of knew what was going on. And I liked that feeling of rootedness.”

“Fundamentally, when I started thinking to myself, ‘Maybe I do believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Maybe I do believe in the core tenets of the Christian faith.’ A lot of the people who [were] encouraging me on that journey … were Catholic, and they took me to Catholic churches, and I felt at home there, and eventually I converted,” Vance said.

“God put a lot of people in my path who were very good Christians and ended up being Catholics. And thatʼs where … I found a home,” he said.