The church has thrived through historic events and turbulent times, even as it was being rebuilt. In 1924, one of the largest Ku Klux Klan (KKK) rallies ever recorded saw 100,000 participants tramp through Jacksonʼs streets, and parish tradition holds that the Knights of Columbus kept vigil at the construction site to protect it from KKK vandalism.

As he prepares to wrap up his 15-year tenure as pastor of the parish, Father Timothy Nelson reflected on the churchʼs enduring vitality: “Our church is not a relic but a dynamic part of the present, enriched by a legacy of faith.”

Located west of Detroit, Jackson has long been a railroad hub with ties to the automobile industry. St. Mary’s is one of three current parishes, following a consolidation of several others. Following decades of a strong Polish-American presence, demographic changes have included the growing influx of Hispanic families. Children of the latter now make up about a quarter of the enrollment at St. Mary School.

St. Mary’s three spires dominate the skyline, reaching up 180 feet in an imposing Romanesque style. Long regarded as one of the most beautiful churches in Michigan, it features magnificent stained-glass windows fashioned in Innsbruck, Austria, an apse mosaic of Our Lady Star of the Sea, murals of the apostles, and Carrara marble altars and Communion rail.

The latter embellishments were donated by George Washington Hill, president of the American Tobacco Co., as a memorial to his young wife, Aquinas Heiler Hill, who died in 1925. The green and red colors in the mosaics around the high altar repeat the original colors used on packs of Lucky Strike cigarettes.

The present structure replaced an earlier church, with its cornerstone laid on Sept. 23, 1923. Construction faced delays because of a prolonged labor strike at limestone quarries. The era was also marred with social unrest, including the Ku Klux Klan and its virulent anti-Catholicism and racism. Construction was not completed until May 31, 1926, at a cost of $375,000. Then-Auxiliary Bishop Joseph C. Plagens came from Detroit to officiate the dedicatory Mass.

Among its treasures is a unique stained-glass rose window memorializing the fallen of the first world war, including nuns who tended the wounded. “The window shows not only the American soldiers and sailors of the war, but even their enemies who reach out to Jesus rising above them,” Nelson said as he gave a tour of the magnificent church.

Restoration of the windows cost $1 million and was made possible through the generosity of parishioners and benefactors, including the Eisele Family Foundation. St. Mary’s is depicted in “Buildings of Michigan” by Kathryn Bishop Eckert as one of the most notable in the Mitten State.

Now 74, Nelson will step down as pastor this summer. A former cardiologist, he will continue his ministry as chaplain of the St. Pio Medical Center in nearby Howell, which is part of a Vatican-authorized healthcare network inspired by St. Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio). He will be succeeded by Father John Vinton, who will continue offering Traditional Latin Masses and Spanish-language Masses.

St. Mary’s serves about 1,086 families, including the active Sacred Heart of Jesus Hispanic Community.

Nelson said: “The school is necessary for parish life” and is the most diverse parochial school in the area.

The parish’s liturgical life shows both continuity and renewal. The Traditional Latin Mass, celebrated every Sunday, is accompanied by Gregorian chant and organ led by Aine Schroeder, a student at nearby Hillsdale College. Schroeder said the Gregorian schola will chant the “Ave Maria” and “Salve Regina” at the centennial concert.

Dispelling concerns that the Latin liturgy is stuck in the past, Nelson said: “I agree with Pope Benedict XVI that the past continues to be lived in the present. We are bringing it into the future.”

For longtime parishioner Mary Belknap, a fourth-generation member who serves on the parish guild, St. Mary’s is a spiritual home and a place of encounter.

“It’s one of the hallmark parishes in the state. People come from all over to see us and our beautiful church,” she said. Bridging the gaps between communities came easily to educator Belknap, who said that, having been raised in poverty as a child, she has experienced life on the margins, and “I personally reach out to embrace the goodness of other people.”

The parishʼs centennial observance will commence with a concert on May 29 and culminate in a solemn Mass on May 31 — exactly 100 years after its first Mass — to be celebrated by Bishop Earl Boyea.

Mary Malewitz, parish music director since 1981, is organizing the opening concert, which will feature adult and school choirs, a Hispanic choir, and a Gregorian schola. Between each performance, parishioners will sing their favorite hymns.

“St. Mary’s has brought glory to Michigan for generations,” she told EWTN News.

Building on last year’s turnout when more than 10,000 people gathered for the 40th Rosary Rally in Knock, famous for its shrine and as a pilgrimage destination, rally organizers hope the two-week campaign will attract an even bigger audience. It is the first time the event has been advertised using billboards. Fifty sites throughout Ireland were chosen, including a number in Northern Ireland.

“We chose billboards because Father Patrick Peyton was famous for his billboards in running his rosary rallies around the world, some of which attracted crowds of 2 million people,” Father Marius O’Reilly, one of the rally organizers, told EWTN News.

The billboards have attracted reaction and comments online and in the mainstream media. The Irish News, a daily newspaper published in Belfast, reported that Archbishop Eamon Martin and Bishop Donal McKeown plan to “reconsecrate Ireland to the Immaculate Heart of Mary at the event, which organizers describe as a national moment of prayer for peace.”

Parishes have been drawing people’s attention to the billboard campaign as well. Holy Family Parish in Drogheda spotted one of the billboards in the town and posted on its Facebook page: “A giant reminder on the Dublin Road in Drogheda from the All Ireland Rosary Rally. Book your spot on our bus to Knock.”

O’Reilly explained to EWTN News that the cost of the billboards has been borne by sponsors and voluntary donations. “Sponsors are paying for the posters and indeed, this huge event is possible because of the generosity of so many. People are not charged on the day; thereʼs no ticket price. So the event relies heavily on the generosity and support of many people across Ireland and beyond. People are responding very positively, and with great enthusiasm.”

The goal of the rally’s organizing committee was a billboard presence in as many counties and population centers as possible. “We tried to ensure that every county would be represented with the billboards, and more so in the cities,” O’Reilly said.

“I think it is encouraging people in their faith and itʼs just part of the renewal in Ireland thatʼs taking place. The Irish have a great love for Our Lady in the rosary.”

He continued: “The devotion to Our Lady is evident on the highways and byways of our country; we have huge grottos everywhere around Ireland, so Our Lady is very, very important to the Irish. Now for the duration of the campaign, people of all faiths and none can see Our Lady on a billboard, as well as the grottos, inviting them to come to Knock to pray for peace in our world and for the renewal of our faith in Ireland.”

Partners for this yearʼs rally include the Father Peyton Centre in Attymass, County Mayo, and Holy Cross Family Ministries, which both continue the work of Peyton. International speakers include Father Chris Alar, Nikki Kingsley, and Bishop Oliver Doeme.

Over 10,000 pilgrims are expected to attend this year, with 50 buses already booked to bring people to the Knock shrine.

State Attorney General Jennifer Davenportʼs office said in a May 15 press release that Joseph Manzi pleaded guilty to “one count of second-degree theft by unlawful taking and one count of third-degree filing a fraudulent tax return.”

The state had charged Manzi in the theft in October 2025 after staffers at St. Leo the Great Parish in Lincroft had discovered “numerous unauthorized charges that were determined to allegedly be for Manzi’s personal benefit.” Manzi had left his position as the parish finance director earlier in the year.

In its May 15 release the state said its investigation determined that the 78-year-old Manzi “fraudulently used St. Leo’s credit cards to make unauthorized purchases and payments.” Such purchases included “personal medical and dental payments,” “sports event tickets,” “chartered fishing trips” and a Cadillac SUV.

In October 2025 the state had alleged Manzi stole around $500,000, though on May 15 it said its investigation had revealed nearly $675,000 in thefts, while “further investigation identified additional stolen funds.”

The state said it was recommending a five-year sentence in New Jersey state prison.

Manzi in August 2025 had also been the subject of a separate civil lawsuit by the St. Leo the Great Parish which accused him of stealing more than $1.5 million from the church.

New Jersey said this week that part of Manziʼs plea agreement includes $1.2 million in restitution to the church.

Emerson Wells, studying for the Archdiocese of Louisville, placed second overall with a personal best marathon time of 2:23:52, averaging 5 minutes, 30 seconds per mile for the entire 26.2 mile race. It’s a time that would have won him first place nine out of the last 10 years of the race. 

The seminarian-led Verso l’Alto Track Club team won first place in the 4-person relay, clocking a finish time of 2:30:39 and outstripping the second place relay team by nearly 20 minutes.

Seminarian Chatham Anderson, studying for the Diocese of Columbus, started the team off, followed by Nick Merk, then Kevin Bonfield, and finally Cincinnati seminarian David Adamitis brought the team over the finish line. 

These five men each donned the Verso l’Alto Track Club jersey, signalling to all who passed by that they ran for a reason.

St. Pier Giorgio Frassati, canonized by Pope Leo XIV on Sept. 7, 2025, made the Italian phrase Verso l’Alto known around the world. It translates to “To the heights.” The Verso l’Alto Track Club, open to all local Catholic men (with a qualifying 5k time of 18 minutes) combines the pursuit of excellence in running and virtuous brotherhood — all ordered toward the glorification of God

Wells, a lifelong runner, said this was the most systematic training he’s used to prepare for a marathon thus far.

“I had a few weeks where I got up to 80 miles a week, which was workable, but it was definitely tough with the schedule and I had to use my breaks to take advantage of that,” he said.

The seminarians stick to a strict schedule of prayer, worship, instruction, and study each day. Wells trained with a goal of running the race in 2 hours, 25 minutes or less. “I knew I had to really focus on the hills if I was going to be successful.”

In conjunction with his rigorous training, Wells had a few other tools to keep him going toward his goal.

“There was a group of sisters from the Children of Mary that came down to my home parish in Louisville. One of them — Sister Imelda Joy — told me that she and two of her other sisters were going to be making perpetual vows soon.”

On May 3, to be exact, the same day as the Flying Pig Marathon.

“When she told me that, I was like, full stop. Thatʼs what Iʼm going to be offering this race for.”

At moments when the race became tough, Wells remembered those sisters and asked for our Lady’s intercession for them.

Wells’ devotion to Mary is made visible by the brown scapular he wore during the race. “I wear the scapular every day; itʼs part of my devotional life.” The scapular didn’t stay in place as he ran through the streets of Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. “I actually like having it on during runs because you can kind of see itʼll fly around quite a bit, and I’m reminded that Mary is the way and sheʼs the perfect exemplar of what it means to be truly devoted to God and contemplation,” Wells said.

The men of the Verso l’Alto Track Club share a common goal: physical excellence ordered toward spiritual growth.

“You can be excellent in a given activity and excellent in your faith. Theyʼre not exclusive to each other, but actually mutually affirming,” Adamitis said. “I think that thereʼs a real good among Christians to have ambitious goals according to their talents and to ask the Lord for enlightenment about what their abilities are and how they can use those abilities to glorify His name to bring others into His kingdom.”

The message as these men ran “to the heights” was clear: the pursuit of excellence is the pursuit of God.

“When we strive to have perfection in those areas of physical health and strength, it should really encourage us to have greater care for what matters the most, and thatʼs our soul and our union with God,” said Adamitis.

Both Wells and Adamitis plan to continue running. Through the Verso l’Alto Track Club, they aim to amplify their mission throughout Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, and the Archdiocese at large.

Catholic high school students and adults are invited to compete in the club’s summer cross country challenge on Aug. 7, 2026. Adamitis explained the main motivation is to bring Catholic high school students together so that they can have a sense of a greater community. “So that these high school students can see, ‘As I get older and I eventually graduate high school, I can still pursue running at a high level and stay Catholic.’ Thereʼs an element of excellence to both of those things that continue beyond high school.” 

“Our athletic pursuits are ultimately ordered for the glorification of God,” Adamitis said. “Cincinnati is a wonderful running city, and we can shift the idea to where itʼs not just running, but itʼs running for the glorification of God.”

This article was originally published by The Catholic Telegraph, of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, and is reprinted here, with adaptations, with permission.

Born in Kerala, India, and a member of the Carmelite Order, the 48-year-old prelate has become the first bishop in a German diocese with a non-European background.

His appointment comes at a time when the Catholic Church in Germany is increasingly shaped by global migration. About a quarter of Catholics and priests in the country have roots outside Germany, Pottackal said, yet their presence often remains largely unnoticed in public life.

“I am thankful to Pope Leo XIV for the honor of being able to give these people a face, so to speak, and public recognition,” Pottackal told EWTN News.

His consecration, attended by family members, fellow Carmelites from around the world, diocesan clergy and faithful, and representatives from civic life and other Christian communities, underscored the broader significance of the moment. “I really felt like a part of the universal Church,” Pottackal said.

A call he did not expect

When he first received news of his appointment in November, Pottackal admitted to surprise, and even doubt. “Why me?” he recalled asking himself. He said he had never imagined becoming a bishop, noting that he comes from pastoral ministry rather than academia. Yet after a period of discernment, he came to see the nomination as a call from God, one that required trust and humility.

“I felt it was a call from God, despite my shortcomings and the feeling that I was not worthy of the nomination,” he said. “Despite these doubts I decided to trust God and his guidance and say yes to his call.”

Ordained a priest on Dec. 28, 2003, Pottackal moved to Germany the following year and has spent more than two decades in pastoral ministry in the Diocese of Mainz. His experience spans parish work, youth ministry, and diocesan administration, including service as vicar for clergy. Those years, he said, have prepared him for his new responsibility in guiding the local Church.

Listening in a secularized society

Serving in a society marked by deep secularization, the bishop emphasizes listening as a cornerstone of his pastoral mission. He believes the Church must engage in meaningful dialogue, taking seriously the concerns and hopes of people.

“A synodal church is the way to bring our church forward in a secularized society,” he said, highlighting the importance of shared discernment guided by the Holy Spirit. At the same time, he stressed that the German Church remains inseparably part of the universal Catholic Church, a communion that spans continents and traditions.

One of his key concerns is the growing distance between young people and the Church in Europe. Rather than focusing solely on declining attendance, he pointed to a deeper openness among young people to Christian values.

“Young people deserve that you listen to them, take their views, worries, and interests seriously and let them play an active role,” he said. “Authenticity matters.”

Carmelite roots, global horizons

Pottackalʼs intercultural journey has shaped his understanding of the Church. Raised in the ancient Christian tradition of Keralaʼs Thomas Christians, whose origins trace to the earliest centuries of Christianity, he encountered a different yet equally rich expression of the faith in Germany.

“The essence of the faith is the same,” he said, citing St. Augustineʼs maxim “Love and do what you will” as a guiding principle for ministry in a new cultural setting.

His spiritual identity as a Carmelite remains central. Drawing inspiration from the prophet Elijah and the Virgin Mary, he described his vocation as one grounded in contemplation and attentiveness to Godʼs word. “Being rooted in and inspired by Scripture is the essence of my spiritual identity as a Carmelite, a priest, and now a bishop,” he said.

As auxiliary bishop of Mainz, his responsibilities include overseeing consecrated life, ecumenism, interreligious dialogue, social responsibility, and the Churchʼs global connections. While he is still becoming familiar with these areas, he said, he views them as essential to the Churchʼs witness in the world today.

Looking beyond Europe, Pottackal reflected on the Church in Asia, where Christianity continues to grow, often in the face of persecution. He cautioned against complacency or the rise of what he called a “personality cult” where Christians enjoy social acceptance.

“I think it is important to remember that we have a great message of which we can be proud and to concentrate on that message and live according to it,” he said.

The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch has restored an episcopal presence to Tarsus after more than a century, following the consecration of Bishop Paul Orduloglu in Mersin, Turkey. Orduloglu now serves the newly formed Diocese of Tarsus, Adana and Hatay, and as patriarchal vicar in Antioch, a region still recovering from the devastating 2023 earthquake.

The bishop told ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News, that in the earthquake, nine churches were destroyed, roughly 80 Christians were killed, and reconstruction costs remain far beyond the community’s means. For now, his priority is not only rebuilding churches but renewing parish life through catechism, choirs, youth groups and efforts to preserve both Arabic and liturgical identity in a community facing emigration and economic pressure.

Three priests ordained in Armagh Archdiocese

In the Armagh Archdiocese in Ireland, three new priests were ordained in St. Patrick’s Cathedral on May 9.

Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh expressed his gratitude for the ordinations. “I give thanks for their generous ‘yes’ to God’s call, and my hope is that they will have many years of fulfillment in serving God’s people here in the Archdiocese of Armagh. Our celebration will bring to 12 the number of priestly ordinations for the archdiocese in recent years. At a time when the Church in Ireland continues to face many pastoral challenges, these ordinations are a moment of encouragement and hope for the archdiocese," he said.

As of September 2025, 77 men were in training for the priesthood for Irish dioceses.

Canadian archdiocese welcomes four new priests

The Archdiocese of Toronto celebrated the ordination of four new priests on Saturday, May 9.

“We gather this morning in our Cathedral to celebrate something truly extraordinary. Each, in your own way, years ago, at different times, and in different circumstances and different places, heard the words of Christ saying, ‘Come, follow me,’” Cardinal Frank Leo told the ordinandi at St. Michael’s Cathedral Basilica, according to the Canadian Catholic Register.

Hong Kong diocese celebrates 80th anniversary

Cardinal Stephen Chow Sau-yan, Bishop of Hong Kong, marked the 80th anniversary of his diocese’s founding in a celebration on Saturday, May 9.

“The joy of our Church lies in being able to share the joy of the Gospel with Hong Kong,” Chow said during the event, which included the inauguration of a historical exhibition on the local church, according to Fides News Agency.

The exhibition will feature photographs, oral testimony, and guided tours on the growth of the diocese, the work of Caritas International, and Catholic education. Hong Kong is home to around 600,000 Catholics.

The event also marked the 180th anniversary of the founding of the mission there. “The heart of evangelization is unchanging, and in this way, people can experience the love of the Gospel,” the cardinal said.

Kidnapped Nigerian priest freed after 3 months in captivity

Father Nathaniel Asuwaye of Holy Trinity Parish in the Diocese of Kafanchan, who was kidnapped on Feb. 7 during an attack by gunmen, has regained his freedom after more than three months in captivity, ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News, reported May 13.

“We are pleased to inform you that Father Nathaniel is now safe and receiving care. He is in stable condition, remains in good spirits, and appreciates your prayers and support,” Father Jacob Shanet, the chancellor of the diocese, said in a May 12 statement.

Notre Dame marks 170 years of ‘L’Œuvre d’Orient’

Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris hosted the Day of Eastern Christians under the theme “Bearers of Hope,” coinciding with the 170th anniversary of L’Œuvre d’Orient, ACI MENA reported on May 11.

Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches, presided over the liturgy in the presence of Eastern Catholic patriarchs and representatives, bishops, and supporters. Speakers stressed that aid to Eastern Christians is not only material but also spiritual and ecclesial, affirming that they belong fully to the universal Church.

Gugerotti warned against the world’s silence in the face of suffering in the Middle East, while Eastern Catholic leaders thanked French Catholics for their solidarity and cautioned that the disappearance of Christians from their homelands would be a loss for the entire Church.

Irish parliament rejects bill to expand abortion access

In Ireland, pro-life campaigners hailed a significant success this week when the Social Democrats’ Reproductive Rights (Amendment) Bill was defeated in the Dáil.

The bill would have abolished the current three-day waiting period for an abortion, revised abortion criteria on the grounds of fatal fetal abnormality, and removed criminal sanctions found in the current law. While the government allowed a free vote of conscience, Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill raised “significant legal and operational concerns” regarding the proposed legislation, which will not now proceed. The bill was heavily informed by the controversial O’Shea review of 2018 abortion legislation, which proposed 10 legislative changes and which pro-life advocates argue overlooks the rights of the unborn child.

Welcoming the vote, Eilis Mulroy of Pro Life Campaign Ireland said that the vote would not have happened without a core group of pro-life TDs who stood firm. She also pointed to the coordinated pro-life lobbying effort in the final 72 hours before the vote, which made a decisive difference by informing and persuading elected representatives.

The agreement, first announced by Paxton’s office May 15, resolves a years-long investigation of the hospital that began after whistleblower allegations surfaced claiming the hospital continued performing sex-change procedures on minors in secret even after state lawmakers made such procedures illegal.

According to the Justice department , the Houston-based hospital has agreed to pay more than $10 million in civil penalties and damages for allegedly falsely billing Medicaid and other insurers for these “pediatric sex-rejecting procedures.”

The federal government alleges the hospital violated the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, the False Claims Act, and federal fraud and conspiracy laws.

Under the terms of the settlement, Texas Children’s will no longer provide “gender-transition” interventions, including puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones, to minors, per Texas law.

The hospital also agreed to establish a multidisciplinary detransition clinic to offer restorative medical care to patients who previously underwent such procedures.

All services at the new clinic will be funded by Texas Children’s, the largest children’s hospital system in the country, and will be provided free of charge for the first five years.

The settlement also requires the permanent termination and revocation of privileges for five physicians who performed these interventions.

The hospital is permanently barred from rehiring or credentialing the doctors and must implement new compliance measures, including bylaw changes that will automatically revoke privileges for any physician who violates Texas law prohibiting such procedures on children.

“Under my watch, I will investigate and bring the full force of the law against any Texas hospital that abuses children with harmful medical interventions to ‘transition’ kids,” Paxton said.

Following the publication of a directive by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott that transgender procedures on minors that could be considered “child abuse” under existing state law, Texas Children’s announced in 2022 that it would cease “sex-change” therapies and procedures, citing concerns that these practices were potentially illegal.

In 2023 Texas passed a law that explicitly banned puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and gender-transition surgeries for minors under 18.

Nevertheless, at least three doctors associated with Texas Children’s — Richard Roberts, David Paul, and Kristy Rialon — continued to perform “sex-rejecting” procedures on children throughout 2022 and 2023, according to whistleblower evidence published by Christopher Rufo, a fellow at the Manhattan Institute.

Rufo claimed that Rialon had been performing surgeries on minors ranging in age from 15 to as young as 1.

Calling the settlement “historic,” Paxton said it “will ensure that the deranged child mutilators who hurt our kids are fired and held accountable.”

According to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, the DOJ “will use every weapon at its disposal to end the destructive and discredited practice of so-called ‘gender-affirming care’ for children.”

The Department of Justice noted that Texas Children’s cooperated with the investigation and took proactive steps that contributed to the resolution. The claims resolved in the settlement remain allegations, with no determination of liability.

“I am grateful that Texas Children’s wants to be part of the solution and no longer the problem,” said Brett Shumate, assistant attorney general for the Civil Division.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Placing the person at the center

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Prayer for countryʼs consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Trump traveled to Beijing this week to meet with Xi Jinping about numerous topics, including the potential release of multiple political prisoners.

Speaking with reporters after the meeting, Trump confirmed that the leaders spoke about Jimmy Lai, the founder and publisher of the pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily who was sentenced to 20 years in prison over what Chinese officials claim were national security violations.

“I donʼt want to mislead anybody,” Trump said. Xi Jinping “said Jimmy Lai is a tough one for him to do.”

“They went through a lot and right or wrong, they went through a lot, so he told me that would be a tough one,” Trump said.

“I think heʼs giving very serious consideration to the pastor,” he said, referring to Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri — a Christian pastor detained by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Despite the failure to come to an agreement on Lai’s freedom, his daughter Claire Lai told EWTN News that her family is “so grateful to President Trump and his administration for their continuous support of and…commitment to” her fatherʼs case.

“President Trump first raised [Jimmy Lai’s case] in South Korea, back at the end of 2025, and has raised it again this time,” she said. “Of course, the dream was for my father to come back on Air Force One, but I remain extremely confident that itʼs him and his administration that will secure the release of my father.”

“Yesterday was the day of the Ascension...when Jesus ascended into heaven," Claire Lai said. "And prior to that, he had promised that he was going up so that he could send the Holy Spirit down."

“So…in the days that follow, I hope that the Holy Spirit might move President Xiʼs heart and he might see the wisdom in releasing my aging and ailing father, who has done nothing wrong,” she said.

“He is a man who was anti-violence, pro-democracy, pro-free press, free speech, and anti-Hong Kong independence. And all he wanted was for the rights that China promised in the Sino-British Joint Declaration to be kept, for those promises to be kept,” she said.

“Everything he did at the time he did them was perfectly legal. Thatʼs why in his latest trial…99% of the things they pulled out was from prior to the National Security Law coming into force.”

“My father, he is a symbol of freedom for so many, but he is a symbol of hope. Heʼs a symbol of faith,” she said. “I think possibly even more since his imprisonment because…in the silence of his cell and in the intensity of his suffering, he really has learned just the abundance of Godʼs mercy and the abundance of his grace.”

She continued: “I know that…our good Lord and the Blessed Mother will continue to watch over him as they always have.”

The Catholic Psychotherapy Association (CPA) is encouraging its members worldwide to request a diocesan-wide Mass intention this weekend (May 15–17) for individuals struggling with mental illness and for the mental health professionals who serve them.

Dr. Terry Braciszewski, CPA president-elect, told EWTN News that during May — observed by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops as Mental Health Awareness Month — he hopes to “bring hope to those afflicted with mental illnesses and awareness to the wonderful Catholic professionals that can help them.”

Braciszewski noted the growing number of Catholics experiencing mental health challenges and their increased vulnerability to spiritual attacks. Quoting the St. Michael prayer, he acknowledged that “the evil one is prowling about the world seeking the ruin of souls,” but added, “there’s hope.”

The association, which now has more than 600 members globally, aims to support mental health practitioners who integrate psychological practice with full fidelity to Catholic teaching on the human person.

Separately, Catholic psychologist Dr. Greg Bottaro of the CatholicPsych Institute has launched a nine-day Pentecost Novena for Healing, centered on a newly composed Litany for Mental Health. The novena runs from May 15 to May 23 and concludes on Pentecost Sunday, May 24.

Bottaro told EWTN News he hopes the initiative will help Catholics and others to bring their struggles directly to God.

“The world needs the truth our faith has to offer, and we need to learn how to speak better to the needs of the world,” he said. “If we can pray in the language of today’s needs, we can open to deeper healing for both ourselves and the world that is far from the faith.”

The litany names common fears, lies people live by (such as the need to earn love or that control equals safety), and clinical issues including anxiety, depression, compulsion, scrupulosity, and trauma.

Bottaro hopes praying it will “bring a wave of healing to thousands of people around the world.”

St. Dymphna, patroness of those suffering from mental illness

St. Dymphna, a 7th-century Irish martyr, is one of the best-known patrons of mental illness.

When she was fourteen, she consecrated herself to Christ and took a vow of chastity. Tradition holds that after her Christian mother’s death, her pagan father’s mental health declined dramatically and he sought to marry her. She fled to Belgium, where he eventually found her and she was martyred around age 15.

Miraculous healings attributed to her intercession led to her canonization in 1247 and the development of a major shrine and healing tradition in Geel, Belgium.

The Catholic University of America

The Catholic University of America (CUA) will confer honorary degrees on three “notable individuals” at its May 16 commencement ceremony, including Lisa Brenninkmeyer, Dr. John Bruchalski, and Iqbal Z. Quadir.

Brenninkmeyer is the founder and CEO of Walking with Purpose, a Catholic Bible study group for women and girls, while Bruchalski is the founder of Tepeyac OB-GYN and Quadir is a distinguished fellow at the CUA’s Busch School of Business “who has pioneered technology-based and for-profit entrepreneurship for the economic empowerment of low-income people,” according to a press release from the university.

Monsignor James Patrick Shea, president of the University of Mary, will serve as commencement speaker.

Thomas More College of Liberal Arts

Thomas More College of Liberal Arts in New Hampshire will award former Wyoming Catholic College President Glenn Arbery, PhD, and his wife, Virginia, with honorary doctorates at its commencement ceremony May 16.

“Thomas More College is glad to have old friends and teachers — Glenn and Virginia Arbery — returning,” Thomas More College President William Fahey said. “A community is healthy when it remembers and honors important moments and people of its history. The Arberys are well known and influential teachers and scholars at several institutions of higher learning, but our college was profoundly shaped and ennobled by their learning and generous hearts. We are glad to have them return for this most solemn and joyful of occasions.”

University of Mary

Catholic businessman and lawyer Timothy Busch received an honorary degree from the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota, in addition to delivering the commencement address during the university’s April 25 commencement.

The university also honored Dan Butler, chairman of the board of trustees at the University of Mary, as well as his wife, Heather Butler, who co-chaired the university’s 2030 Capital Campaign with U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-North Dakota, raising over $100 million for the university’s advancement, according to the university.

Franciscan University of Steubenville

Busch also served as commencement speaker for graduates of science and professional programs at Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio, and received an honorary doctorate in humane letters during its May 9 commencement.

Busch’s NAPA Institute co-founder, Father Robert Spitzer, SJ, also delivered a commencement address for graduates from the arts, humanities, and social scientists at the university. Spitzer received an honorary doctorate in catechetics and evangelization.

University of Dallas

In addition to delivering the school’s commencement address, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop emeritus of New York, will receive an honorary degree of doctor of humane letters from the University of Dallas.

“Cardinal Dolan is one of the Church’s most joyful and widely respected shepherds, and we are honored to welcome him to the University of Dallas,” said President Jonathan J. Sanford said in a press release. The university’s commencement ceremony will take place May 16.

Benedictine College

Peter Cancro, the founder and chairman of the popular sandwich chain Jersey Mike’s, will receive an honorary doctor of humane letters at Benedictine College’s May 16 commencement.

Cancro, who is renowned for his charitable contributions to faith-based organizations, including a $5 million gift to Ave Maria School of Law, will also deliver the commencement address.

Ave Maria University

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis received an honorary degree from Ave Maria University during its May 9 commencement ceremony. 

“The faith does not depend on what is fashionable or who holds power. It is, in fact, the truth that ultimately will set you free,” DeSantis said during his speech, urging Ave Maria’s class of 2026 to put on “the full armor of God” as they go out into the world.

Walsh University

EWTN “Real Life Catholic” host Chris Stefanick received an honorary doctorate of applied theology at Walsh University’s May 2 commencement ceremonies.

“Your formation as men and women of character is the primary end of Catholic education,” Stefanik told graduates during his speech at the Ohio Catholic school. “The secondary end is the formation of useful citizens. Your greatest achievement will forever be marked not by what you do, but by what you do for others.”

Walsh University also conferred an honorary doctorate of applied engineering upon Michael White, former principal director for hypersonics in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.

Since Poland currently does not recognize same-sex “marriage” or civil partnerships under domestic law, Tuskʼs decision means that Polish same-sex unions that are recognized abroad will similarly be recognized, transcribed, and officially entered into Polandʼs civil registry.

Tusk urged ministers to finalize regulations as quickly as possible to standardize the transcription process nationwide. He also said the decision was set in motion by rulings from the European Unionʼs highest court and Polandʼs Supreme Administrative Court.

In November 2025, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that EU member states must recognize same-sex marriage ceremonies performed in other member countries for certain administrative purposes. In March 2026, Polandʼs Supreme Administrative Court reinforced that principle by ordering Warsaw authorities to register the marriage certificate of a Polish same-sex couple “married” in Germany.

The prime minister also offered a public apology to same-sex couples in Poland, saying many had experienced “years of rejection and humiliation” from the state.

Warsaw moves ahead of national legislation

On the same day as Tuskʼs announcement, the mayor of Warsaw, Rafał Trzaskowski, a senior figure in Tuskʼs political camp, stated that the city would begin recognizing same-sex unions of Polish citizens conducted elsewhere in the EU, even before national legislation is adopted.

Two days later on May 14, Trzaskowski said the city “issued the first transcription of a marriage certificate for a same-sex couple, in accordance with the court rulings.”

Proposed changes to civil registry system

More broadly, Polandʼs digital affairs ministry proposed technical changes to the national civil registry system to facilitate recognition of foreign same-sex relationships designated as marriage.

Under current regulations, the system only recognizes marriage as between a man and a woman. The ministry has proposed replacing the categories “husband” and “wife” with neutral terms such as “first spouse” and “second spouse.”

However, the proposal remains under discussion within the government. Polandʼs interior ministry has reportedly argued that implementing such changes may require parliamentary legislation rather than a simple administrative regulation.

Legal experts challenge administrative solution

Polish legal observers argue that the governmentʼs approach may exceed its legal authority. Olivier Bault, communications director for Ordo Iuris, told EWTN News that what Polish authorities are presenting as a technical administrative update to marriage certificate templates is, in reality, “an attempt to redefine marriage.”

Bault pointed to Article 18 of the Polish Constitution, which defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman, alongside provisions in the Family and Guardianship Code and the Civil Registry Records Act, which he said collectively establish a clear legal framework that cannot be altered through ministerial regulation.

“No ministerial decree can lawfully override this hierarchically layered framework,” Bault said. He also said that the statutory powers granted to Tuskʼs government only permit the modification of document templates and do not authorize the creation of new civil-status categories.

He went on to explain that the transcription of foreign same-sex unions into Polish records would not create a legally recognized marriage under Polish law. “The individuals listed will not be spouses within the meaning of the Family and Guardianship Code and will enjoy no matrimonial rights,” Bault said.

Instead, he stated, the changes would create “legal confusion.”

Constitutional obstacles and internal government division

One of Tuskʼs governmentʼs major campaign promises was the legalization of civil unions for same-sex couples.

Despite a majority in parliament, Tuskʼs coalition includes conservative factions who have expressed reluctance toward expanding LGBT rights. To reassure those members, he stressed that the recognition of foreign same-sex “marriages” would “in no way” create a pathway toward allowing the adoption of children by same-sex couples.

Yet divisions within the governing alliance over LGBT-related policies remain significant. Observers have also noted that any legislative changes would likely face opposition from Polish President Karol Nawrocki, a staunch Catholic, who retains veto power over legislation passed by parliament.

Previously, there were two motions for the government to introduce bills on civil partnerships into parliament; however, both failed due to a lack of support from more conservative coalition members.

Despite Tuskʼs pledge and his governmentʼs efforts to recognize same-sex union ceremonies performed abroad for Polish couples, none of the rulings mean that Poland is obliged to legalize same-sex “marriage” domestically.

“We appeal to the members of the Senate to abide by what the Constitution directs: to proceed with the trial and to decide the case against the Vice President by summoning witnesses, hearing testimony, and voting according to the evidence and, above all, the demands of righteousness and justice,” CBCP President Archbishop Gilbert Garcera of Lipa said.

On May 11, the House of Representatives voted 257–25, with nine abstentions, to impeach Duterte for the second time, making her the first official in Philippine history to be impeached twice. The House forwarded the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate for trial.

“We urge the senators to avoid any act that may be perceived as evading their sworn duty or circumventing the requirements of the Constitution,” Garcera said. “You now have this opportunity to restore our peopleʼs faith and confidence in our public institutions that adhere to the rule of law and serve the common good in the pursuit of justice and truth.”

The bishops also called on Filipinos to remain engaged throughout the proceedings.

“Let us fulfill our civic duties and responsibilities by ensuring a fair and credible trial so that all may see and hear clear, verified evidence and arguments,” the CBCP statement said.

“We must also remain vigilant in monitoring the proceedings. In this way, we uphold the truth, safeguard the integrity of public discourse, and strengthen our nation against misinformation, disinformation, and manipulation.”

In a separate statement, Bishop Gerardo Alminaza of San Carlos also urged Filipinos to monitor the impeachment closely.

Duterte is accused of systematic misuse of confidential funds totaling 612.5 million Philippine pesos (roughly $10 million) paid to the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education during her tenure as education secretary, including irregular disbursements, suspicious liquidations, and recipients that could not be verified.

Allegations also include that she amassed wealth beyond her lawful income and failed to accurately disclose her assets.

She allegedly bribed government officials to influence procurement and financial decisions.

Additionally, she was accused of threatening to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.

Whatʼs next for the Senate?

The Articles of Impeachment were transmitted to the Senate on May 13, and the Senate is required to act as an impeachment court.

The Senate will conduct a trial in which senators serve as both judges and jurors. Removal from office requires conviction by a vote of two-thirds of all senators — 16 out of 24.

If convicted and removed from office, Duterte would be barred from holding any public office. She has already declared her candidacy for the 2028 presidential election.

A previous impeachment by the House in February 2025 was voided by the Supreme Court on constitutional grounds.

Now, Pope Leo says, it can help us, along with the full body of social teaching, to navigate the developments of artificial intelligence.

Today, on the 135th anniversary of the release of Rerum Novarum — published May 15, 1891 — EWTN News takes a look at the significance of this encylical.

As European society was grappling with the impact of the industrial revolution and the rise of socialist ideology in the late 1800s, Pope Leo XIII issued a papal encyclical that expressed empathy with the discontentment of laborers but outright condemnation of the socialist movements of the time.

The encyclical emphasizes a need for reforms to protect the dignity of the working class while maintaining a relationship with capital and the existence of private property.

The message was promulgated fewer than 50 years after Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels published “The Communist Manifesto” in 1848 and after Pope Pius IX denounced both socialism and communism in his 1849 encyclical Nostis et Nobiscum.

Pope Leo XIII’s teachings can still help inform readers on the proper relationship between labor and capital.

Leo XIII writes of a “great mistake” embraced by the socialist-leaning labor movements, which is the notion that “class is naturally hostile to class” and “wealthy and the working men are intended by nature to live in mutual conflict.”

This view, he asserts, is “so false … that the direct contrary is the truth.”

“It [is] ordained by nature that these two classes should dwell in harmony and agreement, so as to maintain the balance of the body politic,” Leo XIII teaches. “Each needs the other: Capital cannot do without labor, nor labor without capital.”

The pontiff, who reigned from 1878 until his death in 1903, saw a need “in drawing the rich and the working class together” amid the strife brewing between these groups throughout the continent.

This can be done, he said, by “reminding each of its duties to the other” and “of the obligations of justice.”

For the laborer, this includes a duty “fully and faithfully to perform the work which has been freely and equitably agreed upon” and to never destroy property, resort to violence, or riot to achieve a goal.

For the wealthy owner, this includes a duty to “respect in every man his dignity as a person ennobled by Christian character” and to never “misuse men as though they were things in the pursuit of gain or to value them solely for their physical powers.”

“The employer is bound to see that the worker has time for his religious duties; that he be not exposed to corrupting influences and dangerous occasions; and that he be not led away to neglect his home and family or to squander his earnings,” Leo XIII says.

Leo XIII contends that employers must pay workers the whole of their wages and workers must do all of the work to which they agreed. But, in the context of wages, he adds that this “is not complete” because workers must be able to support themselves and their families.

“Wages ought not to be insufficient to support a frugal and well-behaved wage-earner,” Leo XIII writes. “... If a workman’s wages be sufficient to enable him comfortably to support himself, his wife, and his children, he will find it easy, if he be a sensible man, to practice thrift, and he will not fail, by cutting down expenses, to put by some little savings and thus secure a modest source of income.”

In certain cases, Leo XIII encourages the intervention of government, such as when “employers laid burdens upon their workmen which were unjust,” when “conditions [were] repugnant to their dignity as human beings,” and when “health were endangered by excessive labor.” He adds that such interventions should not “proceed further than [what] is required for the remedy of the evil.”

Leo XIII also expresses support for “societies for mutual help” and “workingmen’s unions” but also exerts caution against any associations that promote values contrary to Catholic teaching. He encourages the creation of associations that are rooted in Catholic teaching.

The pontiff says there is much agreement “that some opportune remedy must be found quickly for the misery and wretchedness pressing so unjustly on the majority of the working class.” Yet, he accuses socialists of “working on the poor man’s envy of the rich” to “do away with private property” and turn “individual possessions” into “the common property of all, to be administered by the state or by municipal bodies.”

“Their contentions are so clearly powerless to end the controversy that were they carried into effect the working man himself would be among the first to suffer,” Leo XIII says. “They are, moreover, emphatically unjust, for they would rob the lawful possessor, distort the functions of the state, and create utter confusion in the community.”

Using this remedy to resolve poor conditions for the laborer, the pontiff contends, “is manifestly against justice” because “every man has by nature the right to possess property as his own.” He further argues that government intrusion into the rights of property and the right to provide for one’s family is “a great and pernicious error.”

“That right to property … [must] belong to a man in his capacity of head of a family; nay, that right is all the stronger in proportion as the human person receives a wider extension in the family group,” Leo XIII says. “It is a most sacred law of nature that a father should provide food and all necessaries for those whom he has begotten; and, similarly, it is natural that he should wish that his children, who carry on, so to speak, and continue his personality, should be by him provided with all that is needful to enable them to keep themselves decently from want and misery amid the uncertainties of this mortal life.”

Rerum Novarum set the foundations of Catholic social teaching about labor. Other popes have since built on the teachings laid out in the encyclical, including Pope Pius XI’s 1931 encyclical Quadragesimo Anno on the 40th anniversary of Leo XIII’s writing and Pope John Paul II’s 1981 encyclical Laborem Exercens on the 90th anniversary.

This story was first published on Sept. 2, 2024, and was updated on May 15, 2025 and again on May 15, 2026.

“Itʼs the oldest novena in the life of the Church, going back to the time where Jesus ascended into heaven, in that time where he promised the Holy Spirit upon the apostles, and where the apostles gathered together in the Upper Room with the Blessed Virgin,” EWTN Chaplain Father John Paul Mary, MFVA, said. “You can read the exact account in the Acts of the Apostles itself, where they awaited the coming of the Holy Spirit after our Lord ascended into heaven.”

Father John Paul, who will lead the novena each day, explained that each day will feature a meditation on the Holy Spirit, along with a consecration prayer. “After the consecration prayer, there’s a prayer for the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit,” he said, noting that there is also a fruit of the Holy Spirit connected with each day.

The Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear. The nine fruits associated with each day of the novena are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

“The Holy Spirit is really the way in which salvation is carried out in the life of the Church,” Father John Paul said. “Christ is known through the power of the Holy Spirit and that nobody can really say Jesus is Lord, Saint Paul says, unless it is in the Holy Spirit.”

Father John Paul emphasized the importance of praying to the Holy Spirit leading up to Pentecost as the disciples did with the Blessed Virgin Mary, so that “we can receive the Holy Spirit” like they did.

While some may regard the Holy Spirit as the “forgotten person of the Trinity,” Father John Paul said “itʼs really the Holy Spirit that changes us, that conforms us into Jesus himself and makes us other Christs in the world.”

In April, the Holy Father spoke out against executions several times, including to pro-life advocates in his hometown of Chicago, whom he urged to continue seeking the abolishment of the death penalty in the United States.

Earlier, speaking aboard the papal plane while returning from his apostolic trip to Africa, Leo also called for an end to the death penalty.

“I condemn the taking of people’s lives,“ he said. ”I condemn capital punishment. I believe that human life is to be respected and that all people — from conception to natural [death] — their lives should be respected and protected.”

In September 2025, meanwhile, he argued that supporting the death penalty is antithetical to the pro-life position.

Can executions ever be permitted?

Leoʼs repeated entreaties against the death penalty articulate a relatively new but forceful magisterial teaching in the Catholic Church, one promulgated in 2018 by Pope Francis.

The revision to the Catechism of the Catholic Church acknowledges that while the death penalty was “long considered an appropriate response” to serious crimes, in the modern world there is “an increasing awareness that the dignity of the person is not lost even after the commission of very serious crimes.”

“In addition, a new understanding has emerged of the significance of penal sanctions imposed by the state,” the catechism says, while also pointing to “more effective systems of detention” that “ensure the due protection of citizens” but “do not definitively deprive the guilty of the possibility of redemption.”

The Catechism bluntly refers to the death penalty as “inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person.”

The 2018 revision of the Catechism came after several decades of shifting views within the Catholic Church on the death penalty. In his 1995 encyclical Evangelium Vitae, Pope John Paul II wrote that punishments for crimes “ought not go to the extreme of executing the offender except in cases of absolute necessity,” specifically “when it would not be possible otherwise to defend society.”

“Today however, as a result of steady improvements in the organization of the penal system, such cases are very rare, if not practically nonexistent,” the pope wrote.

The most recent revision of the Catechism at that time stated that authorities must adhere to “bloodless means” of punishment if they are “sufficient to defend human lives against an aggressor.”

Pope Benedict XVI, meanwhile, continued advocating against capital punishment, urging in 2011, for instance, that societyʼs leaders should “make every effort to eliminate the death penalty and to reform the penal system in a way that ensures respect for the prisoners' human dignity.”

Though the teaching appears uncomplicated, it would ostensibly seem that the Church does leave at least some room for dispute over whether the death penalty can ever be morally applied — such as in cases where an “effective system of detention” does not exist and there is no other way of properly detaining a dangerous criminal.

Moral theologians told EWTN News that the issue is still somewhat in flux, though the teaching of the Church leaves little wiggle room at least in countries such as the United States.

Father Phillip Brown, the president and rector of St. Maryʼs Seminary in Baltimore, noted that “natural law ... acknowledges the right of self-defense,” including “violence and killing to defend oneself.”

But such extreme measures can only be used “as a last resort when other means to stop unjust aggression would not be capable of doing so.”

Brown suggested that societies may “evolve” to the extent that “it is never necessary to kill a person to protect society from further harm, because modern societies have the means to protect themselves from such dangers in less egregious ways than killing the offender.”

He noted, however, that such an understanding gives rise to “a concomitant duty on the part of society to deal with offenders in a humane way, and certainly ways that are not less humane than killing them.”

Monsignor Stuart Swetland, the president of Donnelly College in Kansas City, Kansas, said theologians are “still working to figure out” what “inadmissible” means in this context.

“We’re in that transition stage where we have a true development of doctrine,” he said.

Still, he argued, the moral implications of capital punishment itself leave little room for uncertainty.

“For the death penalty to be carried out, someone must have a will to directly kill another person,” he said. “And I think it’s always wrong to directly kill somebody — to intend death.”

He distinguished between deliberately causing someoneʼs death and inadvertently bringing about death when using violence to defend oneself or others.

“In war, and in police actions, the intent is to stop a perpetrator in carrying out unjust aggression,” he pointed out. “If we capture [a soldier or a prisoner], we treat them humanely.”

"We’d much rather deter than wound, wound than maim, and maim than kill," he continued. "With the death penalty we have to intend the death penalty. I think that intent is immoral."

He further drew a line between what he described as “prudential judgments” that reflect Church teaching on the one hand and the unambiguous teaching of the Church on the other.

He pointed out, for instance, that the U.S. bishops advocate “certain policies about immigration.” The national bishops' conference has regularly petitioned the government to carry out “just immigration policies.”

“Can you disagree with those? I think so,” Swetland said. Yet the Churchʼs recent promulgation on the death penalty is less ambiguous, he said.

“It says the Church ‘teaches’ this about the death penalty,” he said. “I think the way itʼs presented, itʼs more than a policy.”

Burden of proof for death penalty ‘extraordinarily high’

Father Thomas Petri, OP, STD, a Dominican friar and theologian who served as the president of the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception at the Dominican House of Studies, told EWTN News that the 2018 revision of the Catechism generated “a lot of confusion about the status of a state’s authority to impose on the death penalty on a criminals who commit extremely grave crimes.”

Petri pointed out that the Catechism does not state that the death penalty is “intrinsically evil.” However, such actions, he said, “are never moral, regardless of the times, circumstances, or intention of those who do them.”

“The Church teaches that every person is created in the image of God and called to eternal communion with him,” he said. “This is our fundamental human dignity that cannot be taken away. Our dignity can grow with good and holy actions but can also diminish with sinful actions, though it can never be destroyed. Our fundamental dignity always remains.”

The priest argued that the “best way to understand the revision is that the Church is exercising a prophetic judgment about the moral direction of civil society.”

“It is not simply saying that the state never had authority to impose capital punishment,” he said. “It is saying that the conditions of punishment should now be ordered so that even the worst offender’s fundamental dignity remains publicly recognized, society is protected, and the guilty are not definitively deprived of the possibility of repentance and redemption.”

Under that teaching, he said, “one should not speak casually of circumstances in which the death penalty remains permissible.”

“The burden of proof would be extraordinarily high,” he argued. “At most, one could imagine a case in which no nonlethal means exist to protect innocent life. But that would be an exceptional breakdown of ordinary penal order, not a normal application of Catholic teaching today.”

The U.S. is among the few developed countries in the world that still regularly carries out executions. The countryʼs Catholic bishops, particularly state bishops' conferences, regularly appeal the government to halt executions, especially in states like Texas and Florida where capital punishment is frequent.

Still, a majority of U.S. Catholics are supportive of the death penalty, though polling indicates that Catholics who attend Mass regularly are much more likely to oppose the death penalty than Catholics whose attendance is less frequent.

In December 2025, meanwhile, a group of Catholics and other advocates formed the U.S. Campaign to End the Death Penalty. Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy, the executive director of the anti-death penalty group Catholic Mobilizing Network, which is taking part in the campaign, told EWTN News that the initiative represents "an exciting expression of the growing momentum and interest in ending capital punishment in the United States.”

“The impressive range of organizations involved in [the campaign] represents the incredibly effective efforts happening across the country for this critical mission,” she said.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pro-life supporters march in British Columbia

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Catholic Register with B.C. Catholic files

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

Titled “Only One Thing Is Necessary: How Catholic Families Can Strive To Be United in This Life and the Next”, the letter emphasizes that strong Catholic families are essential to the future of both the Church and society.

The archbishop says he wrote the letter in response to parents who desire the Church’s help in raising faithful families. Drawing from more than three decades of ministry, he notes the deep love and concern he has witnessed, recalling families "who want nothing more than to lead their families to Jesus" and who "instinctively understand and model what Jesus taught Martha in the midst of her anxiety: ‘only one thing is necessary,’ being with Jesus (Luke 10:42).”

Hebda emphasizes that the future of the Church and society depends on strong families, quoting St. John Paul II:

“The family is the first and vital cell of society. In its own way it is a living image and historical representation of the mystery of the Church. The future of the world and of the Church, therefore, passes through the family ... As the family goes, so goes the nation, and so goes the whole world in which we live.”

The archbishop outlines the urgent challenges facing modern families, such as “a general societal decline in religious practice and church affiliation,” the prioritizing of money over relationships, increasing fatherlessness, mental illness, and addictions, loneliness, and declining marriage and birthrates.

“Raising a Christian family has never been easy,” he writes. “On top of those perennial challenges, today’s families are faced with challenges particular to our time.”

Of the ubiquity of screens, the archbishop asks: “What would our families and our society look like if we spent but a fraction of what we spend on screens looking at the faces of our family members?”

Despite the “uphill battle” families are fighting, he urges them not to lose heart: “Dear families, please take heart. You are not alone. The Church journeys with you, the Church loves you, and the Church needs you!”

In the letter, Hebda encourages sacramental marriage as the foundation, calling on parishes to become “families of families,” and to help Catholic families by providing concrete support for passing on the faith.

In this context, the archbishop invites the entire archdiocese to read and discuss the document over the coming year (July 2026–June 2027) as a pastoral priority. 

Holy examples of family life

The archbishop draws on the examples of several holy couples, including the Ulma family, who along with their six children were killed by the Nazis in 1944 for giving refuge to Jews. Pope Francis beatified the whole family in 2023. 

He calls the parents of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Saints Louis and Zélie Martin, who were the first married couple to be canonized together, relatable models of ordinary holiness.

He said the hardworking, middle class couple “made it a point to do three things very well: to love each other and their children unconditionally; to teach their children about God and the virtuous life; and to worship God at home and in the parish.”

He encourages families to do the same.

Hebda commends the letter to Our Lady, Seat of Wisdom, ending it with a prayer to the Holy Family of Nazareth composed by Pope Francis.

The full letter is available as a free PDF download, in addition to a Spanish-language version, an audio version and a printed keepsake edition. Parish resources and small-group guides are also provided on the website.

In the interview, Rubio acknowledged the Catholic Church’s longstanding position advocating for peace and the avoidance of war while drawing a clear distinction between the Church’s role and the duties and responsibilities of nation states.

While saying the U.S. also seeks peace, Rubio affirmed that the countryʼs position on war is “different,” because it is “a nation state.”

“For a nation state, which is different from a religious office, for a nation state there are threats to your security and to the well-being of your people that have to be addressed, ideally through diplomatic means, but there are conflicts and issues in the world that cannot be solved diplomatically, no matter how hard you try,” Rubio said, pointing to years of failed diplomacy with Iran and other past examples.

He said there have not been “any results” despite “over a decade of work done to try to diplomatically solve Iran’s desire and ambition to have a nuclear weapons program."

Recalling World War II, Rubio asked: “What was the diplomatic solution for … Adolf Hitler, as an example? There was none, right? And unfortunately, it led to real war. So that’s where I think the realm of the geopolitical is different.”

Nevertheless, he emphasized that Catholics, like himself, must balance their faith with their duty to their nation.

“We are obviously guided by our faith, and we’re instructed by our faith. That’s the compass by which we live our lives,” Rubio said. “We also have an obligation to the national security of our country, and that has to be taken into account. That’s our primary job — is to keep Americans safe. And that’s why we’re involved in Iran. That’s why we’re involved in anything we do around the world.”

Rubio described his meeting with the American pontiff as positive and unusually straightforward.

“This is an American pope. We spoke for over an hour. We talked about a lot of topics," Rubio said.

Rubioʼs remarks come amid ongoing U.S. actions in Iran and public differences between the Trump administration and the Holy See on the conflict.

Ahead of Rubio’s meeting with Leo, President Trump told EWTN News that the secretary of state’s key message should be: “Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.”

On May 5, Pope Leo XIV said “The Church has spoken for years against all nuclear weapons, so there is no doubt there.”

On May 8 the State Department posted a clip of Rubio on X following his meeting with the pope, in which he said “of course” he had wanted “to hear the perspective of the most important, far-reaching religious leader in the world … on what his bishops and others are hearing in the Western Hemisphere, the plight of Christians in Africa … and Lebanon.”

On the subject of the U.S. position on the Iran war, Rubio said “We’re capable of having that position and expressing that position clearly and also working cooperatively, as we have for decades, with the Vatican, with the Catholic Church.”

“We were able to talk about these different areas of the world where they have a presence, where they are engaged, and we are as well,” Rubio said.

The Supreme Court on May 14 blocked a lower court ruling that would have required in-person dispensation of mifepristone. Chemical abortions, which rely on mifepristone and misoprostol, are the most common form of abortion in the U.S., making up at least 63% of abortions in the U.S. according to the Guttmacher Institute.

A New Orleans federal appeals court had restricted the mail-order prescriptions, ruling that these undermined Louisiana state law. The Supreme Court issued a temporary stay on enforcement of this ruling amid the ongoing lawsuit after abortion drug manufacturers Danco Laboratories and GenBioPro made emergency requests.

The stay expired at 5 p.m. ET May 14, and shortly after, the Supreme Courtʼs order was released. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will decide the merits of Louisianaʼs challenge.

In May of 2025, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ordered a review of the abortion drug mifepristone, which is ongoing. Activists, lawmakers, and state attorneys general have also been calling on the FDA to do a safety review of the drug, citing severe risks to women’s health.

The American Association of Pro Life OBGYNs (AAPLOG) said they will continue “to fight for life-affirming healthcare” in light of the decision.

“Mail-order abortions are bad for women’s health, an abusive tool for predators, and lethal for our preborn patients,” AAPLOG said in a statement shared with EWTN News.

“Today’s decision from the U.S. Supreme Court sends a clear message to the American public: the profits of the abortion industry and unregulated abortion have taken priority over the health and safety of our patients,” the statement read.

“We are confident that once a decision is made based on the merits of the case, common-sense safety regulations will be reinstated,” AAPLOG declared.

Turner testified before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development on May 14 about proposed decreases in HUD’s budget from $84.2 billion to $73.5 billion for fiscal 2027.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-New York, pressed Turner about the overdue 2025 Annual Homeless Assessment Report and the Point‑in‑Time Count, both of which provide yearly data on people experiencing homelessness and help lawmakers track trends and allocate aid.

Gillibrand acknowledged “shared goals” to stop funneling aid to programs that do not help people get out of homelessness but challenged Turner on his approach, especially in light of the missing reports.

“If your way, not funding all these programs, is better than the way this committee has tried to address homelessness over decades, I want to see the results,” she said. “Where is the homeless data report? It is over a year late, and that would give us the data to see if your theory about how to address homelessness actually works.”

Turner, a former NFL cornerback, pointed to rising homelessness under the Biden administration despite “record funding,” and blamed the “unprecedented” government shutdown and the administration being in “constant litigation” for the lack of reports.

“Mr. Secretary, I think youʼre obfuscating. What way does litigation slow down your report?” Gillibrand said.

“I just want to know, did you get the number down? Do we have 700,000 homeless still, or is it a million or 1.5 million?” Gillibrand asked. She said the lack of reports “doesnʼt let this committee do our job.”

Ranking member Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington, also pressed Turner over decreases in HUD’s Continuum of Care grants despite requirements mandated in fiscal 2026. “Mr. Secretary, our bill requires you to get this money out,” she said. “All of the data, all of the research shows that economic factors are driving homelessness.”

Federal grants from HUD’s Continuum of Care directly support Catholic Charities’ ability to provide services to homeless people.

“Access to safe, decent housing is a fundamental human right that should be attainable for all of God’s children, and the Catholic Charities network remains committed to addressing the rising rates of homelessness and the severe lack of affordable housing around the nation,” Kevin Brennan, vice president for Catholic Charities USA, told EWTN News.

“Catholic Charities USA and its 169 member agencies use the Annual Homeless Assessment Report and the Point-in-Time Count as tools in evaluating the level of homelessness locally and across the country, seeking to alleviate that urgent need,” he said.

“Importantly, these reports also help state housing finance agencies set goals and priorities in Qualified Allocation Plans (QAPs), including tax credits and set-aside programs,” he said. “Catholic Charities agencies use this data to comment on local QAPs and advocate for directing resources to those with the greatest need,” he said.

Housing rule change

Turner also faced questions on May 12 at a U.S. House Appropriations subcommittee hearing about a proposed HUD rule change that could cause families to lose federal housing assistance if some family members lack legal immigration status.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has voiced opposition to the rule change, warning it would “require these families to make a heartbreaking choice — endure family separation so that eligible members could continue to qualify for critical subsidized housing programs or stay together and forfeit any housing assistance.”

At the hearing on May 12, Rep. Adriano Espaillat, D-New York, asked Turner how the housing rule might impact mixed-status families.

Turner said, “Families have to make good decisions within the family. If you’re making a decision that impacts your family negatively, then that’s a decision that the family made, not the U.S. government.”

In a May 13 statement, the State Department said the United States “continues to seek meaningful reforms to Cuba’s communist system, which has only served to enrich the elites and condemn the Cuban people to poverty.”

According to the statement, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. also made numerous private offers to provide assistance to the Cuban people, including support for free satellite internet and $100 million in direct humanitarian assistance.

“The regime refuses to allow the United States to provide this assistance to the Cuban people, who are in desperate need of assistance due to the failures of Cuba’s corrupt regime.”

“The decision rests with the Cuban regime to accept our offer of assistance or deny critical life-saving aid and ultimately be accountable to the Cuban people for standing in the way of critical assistance,” the department indicated.

The funds would go toward numerous programs and organizations, many run by the Church, that provide shelter, food assistance, safe water, and home repair throughout the nation.

Funds would require a ‘regime change’

“The offer is $100 million, but it basically requires the Cuban government to surrender and undergo regime change,” Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami told EWTN News. “The government doesnʼt seem to be willing to do that yet.”

“Cuba right now is experiencing a total economic collapse because of the restrictions that the U.S. government has put on the importation of oil and fuel to the island,” he said. “So throughout the island, people are undergoing extended periods of blackouts of no electricity. And no fuel to put in the cars.”

The State Department previously “offered $3 million and then later on, another $6 million of assistance to Cuba,“ Wenski said. It was ”directed through the Catholic Church, and the Catholic Relief Services of the United States Bishops Conference was the conduit.”

Along with the Archdiocese of Miami, “they brought supplies – hurricane relief supplies, food, and supplies to the Caritas agency of the Catholic Church in Cuba,” he said.

“Itʼs still ongoing,” he explained. “That total $6 million has not been spent yet because it takes a while to get the stuff distributed, because if you donʼt have any electricity and you donʼt have any gas and youʼre lacking transportation, itʼs hard to get stuff from the port to the affected areas.”

"The $6 million or $3 million is a drop in the bucket,” he said. “The $100 million is in the market of what Cuba really needs,” but the funds “would imply that there would be serious fundamental changes in Cuban governance that would probably go to the state, or the state would be involved in it.”

Following the offer, Rubio said the U.S. will give Cuba “a chance,” but he does not believe there will be a regime change.

“There is no economy in Cuba,” he said in an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox on May 13. Any wealth in Cuba “doesn’t go to the people” and “doesn’t even go to the government.”

Rubio said the wealth is controlled by a private company "owned by military generals. They take all the money.”

“This is a country where people are literally now eating garbage from the streets, but they have a company that controls all of the moneymaking there that’s sitting on $15-16 billion,” Rubio said.

“I believe – it’s my personal opinion – you cannot change the economic trajectory of Cuba as long as the people who are in charge of it now are in charge of it,” he said.

“That’s what’s going to have to change because these people have proven incapable. I hope I’m wrong,“ he said. ”But I don’t think it’s going to happen. I don’t think we’re going to be able to change the trajectory of Cuba as long as these people are in charge in that regime.”

“This is a historic development. We hope it will lead to positive changes as the chief minister has already promised,” Archbishop George Antonysamy of Madras and Mylapore told EWTN News on May 13.

Vijayʼs new political party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), which translates to Victory Party of Tamil Nadu, was founded in 2024. In its electoral debut, the party stunned the Dravidian parties that had held power for nearly six decades between them, winning 107 seats in the 234-member state assembly.

Acknowledging the mandate, five smaller parties withdrew their support from the ousted DMK and opposition AIADMK coalitions to back TVK, pushing it past the 118-seat majority mark and prompting the state governor to invite Vijay to form the government on May 9.

The Vijay government won a crucial vote of confidence on May 13 with 144 votes, with a section of the AIADMK also voting in his favor.

‘I wonʼt touch public money’

“I wonʼt touch public money,” Vijay declared soon after his swearing-in on May 10, promising a “corruption-free” administration. Within hours, the new chief minister signed three orders subsidizing electricity for the poor, establishing a task force for womenʼs safety, and setting up anti-narcotics units to curb the drug menace.

Welcoming “the steps the CM has promised,” Antonysamy said, “We cannot judge a person in a few days. Everything will depend on the performance. Vijay himself is new to government administration, and his legislators too, as most of them hail from his fan base.”

Catholic identity in the spotlight

“We are really rejoicing that we have a Catholic chief minister,” Father Vincent Chinnadurai, spokesperson of the Tamil Nadu Catholic Bishops' Council, told EWTN News.

“Vijay is known as a popular actor. But his Catholic background came into public attention after the Hindu nationalists tried to polarize the voters, saying that Vijay is a Christian with the first name Joseph,” explained Chinnadurai, who is also the rector of the Santhome Basilica in Chennai, adjacent to the archbishopʼs residence.

The Santhome Basilica is built over the traditional site of the tomb of St. Thomas the Apostle, who according to tradition was martyred at Mylapore in present-day Chennai in A.D. 72. It is one of three basilicas in the world built over tombs traditionally associated with apostles, along with St. Peterʼs Basilica at the Vatican and the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Spain.

“The people here are very happy, as we are privileged to be the first big state in India to have a Catholic chief minister, and at a time when Christians are facing troubles in different parts of the country,” Chinnadurai added. He is a former chairman of the Minorities Commission of Tamil Nadu.

With approximately 77 million people, Tamil Nadu is the seventh most populous of Indiaʼs 28 states.

The archbishop also acknowledged that “Vijay is not known much as a Catholic. But during the election time, it came out in a big way.”

Hindu nationalists and the ‘Joseph’ factor

The name “Joseph” stood out prominently on the large stage at the Nehru Indoor Stadium during the swearing-in ceremony, which was broadcast live by major national television channels.

When Hindu nationalists tried to brand Vijay as a Christian in the run-up to the election held on April 19, Chinnadurai pointed out that “he did not back off.”

Instead, Vijay publicized a Christmas program in which he made a speech linking himself to the Old Testament figure of Joseph, who looked after his brothers even after they had thrown him into a well, while he was the ruler of Egypt. In the speech, Vijay also asserted that “Tamil Nadu is a mother; all children are equal,” promising to care for all, including those who opposed him.

In the state, where popular film actors have massive fan followings with organized clubs, The Hindu, a national daily based in Chennai, noted in its May 10 edition that although Vijay set up TVK only two years ago, the party was built on more than 80,000 fan clubs established from 2009 across the state, carrying out social work and social campaigns.

Faithful throng Marian shrine

Thousands of Vijayʼs fans thronged the Marian shrine of Vailankanni, known as the Lourdes of the East, about 200 miles south of Chennai, from the night of May 1, expecting him to visit the shrine on the morning of May 2 in thanksgiving after voting.

The fans waited through the night and loudly chanted “TVK, TVK” inside the church premises before church authorities asked them to calm down. Vijay canceled the visit after hearing about the commotion at the shrine.

“Vijay is an alumnus of our college, and his mother used to come to our college for Mass regularly,” Professor Gladstone Xavier of Chennaiʼs Loyola College told EWTN News.

With Vijayʼs Catholic identity now public, Xavier hopes that “Vijayʼs performance as the chief minister should make the community proud.”

BDSM is an acronym that stands for “bondage and discipline, dominance and submission, sadism and masochism.”

“The Ecumenical Working Group BDSM and Christianity has been represented on the Kirchenmeile at several Catholic Congresses now,” Cosima Jagow-Duda, head of press and marketing at the Catholic Congress, told CNA Deutsch, the German-language sister service of EWTN News, in response to an inquiry.

“All organizations with an explicitly Christian reference have this right in principle, provided they are not unconstitutional or hostile to specific groups.” The groupʼs guidelines, she added, contain “no contradiction with the Catechism.”

The working group was founded in 1999, according to its own website. It also exhibited at the previous Catholic Congress in Erfurt in 2024.

Organized by the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK), the German Catholic Congress (Katholikentag) is a biennial gathering led by laypeople and representing the countryʼs main umbrella organization for lay Catholic associations. The 104th edition is taking place from May 13 to 17 in Würzburg under the motto “Have Courage, Stand Up!” Around 20,000 people are expected to attend the event, which features approximately 900 events across 50 venues.

The approved booth is listed in the official program as stand number MW-R-07 on the Kirchenmeile — a German term meaning “Church Mile” — an exhibitor area where approximately 300 organizations present themselves to attendees.

‘Out of the taboo corner’

On its website, the working group describes itself as “Christians from various denominations who deal with eroticism and sexuality, particularly in the area of sadomasochistic sexual preferences.”

Its published guidelines open with a “preamble on the relationship with God,” affirm belief in “the love and salvation through Jesus Christ,” and state that the group “accepts and lives the diverse and consensual BDSM culture.” The group has also said it wants to take the topic “out of the taboo corner.”

Jagow-Duda told CNA Deutsch that applications for the Kirchenmeile “follow clear rules and guidelines” and that the organizers do not admit, for example, “right-wing extremist or anti-democratic groups.”

The printed program book states, on page 58, that “a diversity of opinions that encourages and enriches discourse on the cohesion of society is expressly desired,” with limits “where discriminatory, racist, or antisemitic convictions are represented, expressions of group-related misanthropy, or an ideological distance from the free democratic constitutional order are to be expected.”

“This concerns a booth where Christians are entering into conversation about their faith,” Jagow-Duda said.

Other groups presenting on the Kirchenmeile whose positions stand in tension with Catholic teaching on sexuality include the Network of Catholic Lesbians, the LGBT initiative #OutInChurch, and the Ecumenical Working Group Homosexuals and Church.

The official program also lists a “Queer worship service” on May 16 under the title “Life is colorful — diversity in the Church?!” and a Bible workshop titled “Reading the Bible queerly. Why G*D is a fan of diversity.”

Pro-life panels rejected, association still present

The eventʼs panel program, meanwhile, turned down three proposals on surrogacy, abortion, and end-of-life care from the countryʼs largest lay pro-life association, citing limited slots, even as the association maintains its own booth at the congress.

The proposals were submitted by the Action for the Right to Life for All (ALfA) in cooperation with the Association of Catholic German Teachers (VkdL).

The proposals' titles, according to the Catholic weekly Die Tagespost, were “Life Without a Child? Is Surrogacy the Solution on the Way to a Wished-For Child?”, “Taboo Topic Abortion — ‘I didnʼt want to abort, I had to,’” and “My Death and My Dignity — Autonomy and Human Dignity at the End of Life.”

Britta Baas, a spokeswoman for the ZdK, told Die Tagespost that the rejections were made on “capacity grounds.” Two-thirds of all applications had to be turned down because only 40 panel slots were available, she said.

The Catholic Congress leadership had set up a so-called “topic convention” before the nationwide call for proposals opened, which pre-selected the 40 panel themes. About three times as many applications were submitted as there were slots, Baas said, and “the panel working group commissioned by the Catholic Congress leadership then had to make a selection.”

According to Die Tagespost, ALfA and VkdL had already secured several speakers for the proposed panels, including psychiatrist Christian Spaemann, surgeon and medical ethicist Kai Witzel, and the jurist Felix Böllmann of Alliance Defending Freedom International.

The Catholic Congress will, however, host one panel on assisted suicide, titled “Quo Vadis Assisted Suicide? General Regulations and Individual Wishes,” with Social Democratic Party (SPD) parliamentarian Lars Castellucci and the president of the German Caritas Association, Eva Maria Welskop-Deffaa, among the discussants.

ALfA itself will be present at the Catholic Congress with a booth on the Kirchenmeile, located in the “Social Cohesion” theme area.

In parallel to the official program, the association is holding its own events in cooperation with the VkdL and Die Tagespost, including a lecture on end-of-life autonomy by Witzel, a presentation on international surrogacy by ALfA national chair Cornelia Kaminski, and a panel discussion with Bishop Rudolf Voderholzer of Regensburg on the relationship between the Catholic Church and the German pro-life movement.

“The commitment to the protection of human life belongs at the heart of the Church,” Kaminski said in a May 8 statement. “The Catholic Congress is therefore an important place to enter into conversation with people, to present our work, and to make clear how many areas there are in which the right to life and human dignity are under threat — and how needed Church members are who commit themselves to this cause.”

Catholic teaching on sexuality

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that sexual pleasure “is morally disordered when sought for itself, isolated from its procreative and unitive purposes” (No. 2351).

Chastity, the Catechism teaches, “involves the integrity of the person and the integrality of the gift” and is realized in “the complete and lifelong mutual gift of a man and a woman” (No. 2337). It requires what the Catechism calls “an apprenticeship in self-mastery which is a training in human freedom” (No. 2339).

Consent does not, in Catholic moral theology, automatically change the moral character of an act.

The May 14 report found that 61% of U.S. adults said religion is losing influence in American life. In contrast, 37% said it is gaining influence, a figure that has risen 19 percentage points in the past two years.

The data in the report, “How Americans Feel About Religion’s Influence in Government and Public Life,” was based on Pew’s survey conducted April 6–12 that included more than 3,500 U.S. adults with questions about religion’s influence in society, Christian nationalism, and the relationship of church and state.

The survey has an overall margin of error of plus or minus 1.9 percentage points. Pew’s studies on the public’s views about religion’s role in public life are an ongoing effort of the center’s research and therefore included past data for comparison with the 2026 findings.

The research found that 65% of Catholics reported they have a positive view of religion, 12% said they have a negative view, and 22% they have a neutral or unclear view.

Overall, 55% of U.S. adults expressed a positive view of religion’s role in American life and either said religion’s influence is growing and this is a good thing (21%) or that its influence is declining and this is a bad thing (34%).

Christian influence in government

The survey found a small increase in the percentage of Americans who said they want the government to declare Christianity the nation’s official religion. Overall, 17% of U.S. adults express this view, up from 13% in 2024.

Most Americans said the government should promote Christian moral values without making Christianity the official religion (43%) or that the government should not establish an official religion or promote Christian values (38%).

Of adults, 28% said the Bible should have influence on U.S. law. The majority of Catholics surveyed (55%) also reported it should have influence, compared with the 43% who said it should not.

The survey also found that the public’s familiarity with the term “Christian nationalism” has grown since Pew last asked about the topic. There has been a 14 percentage point increase in the share of U.S. adults who reported they have heard or read about Christian nationalism, from 45% about two years ago to 59% in 2026.

Overall there is more of a negative view of Christian nationalism than positive with 31% of U.S. adults who reported they have an unfavorable view of it and 10% who view it favorably.

The survey also asked about the separation of church and state and found there has been a decline from 19% in 2021 to 13% in 2026 in the share of Americans who want the government to stop enforcing separation of church and state, but the percentage of Americans who said the government should enforce it has remained at 54%.

Nearly half of Catholics (49%) reported that the federal government should enforce separation of church and state, and 16% said it should stop enforcing it.

Most people (79%) reported they do not think churches and other houses of worship should endorse candidates during elections. Similarly, 66% also said churches should keep out of political matters.

Political affiliationʼs influence on views of religion in government

The survey found a large difference in respondents' perspectives based on their political affiliation.

Of Republicans and independents who lean toward the Republican Party, 75% expressed a positive view of religion’s influence in American life compared with 38% of Democrats and Democratic leaners who do so (38%).

Similarly, 45% of Republicans and Republican leaners said the Bible should have influence on U.S. laws, whereas 13% of Democrats and Democratic leaners said the same. Most Republicans (74%) and Democrats (84%) agree that churches should not endorse political candidates.

Most Democrats (68%) said the federal government should enforce the separation of church and state, compared with 42% of Republicans.

The celebration of the solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord is an annual opportunity for us not only to focus on heaven, where the Lord Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us (Jn 14:1-6) and on the joy that “eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor the human heart conceived,” which “God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Cor 2:9; Is 64:4), but also on the implications Jesus’ return to the Father means for each of his followers.

Jesus could have stayed on earth until the end of time as the Good Shepherd, crisscrossing the globe after every lost sheep, saving them one by one. As he ascended, however, he placed his own mission in our hands, commanding us to “go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature” (Mk 16:15).

He took the training wheels off our discipleship and removed any excuses we might have to pass the buck of sharing and spreading the faith. “You will be my witnesses,” he told us, “in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

His confidence and trust in us, despite all our weaknesses, is astonishing. He wanted to incorporate us into — actually entrust to us — his mission of the redemption of the world.

But he didn’t leave us orphans (cf. Jn 14:18).

St. Luke gives us a beautiful image and detail, that Jesus “led them out as far as Bethany, raised his hands, and blessed them. As he was blessing them, he parted from them and was taken up to heaven” (Lk 24:50-51).

Jesus departed in the very act of blessing us. Pope Benedict XVI in his trilogy “Jesus of Nazareth” commented on how the risen Jesus in heaven is perpetually blessing us.

“Jesus departs in the act of blessing,” he states. “He goes while blessing, and he remains in that gesture of blessing. His hands remain, stretched out over this world … [which] expresses Jesus’ continuing relationship to his disciples, to the world. … That is why the disciples could return home from Bethany rejoicing. In faith we know that Jesus holds his hands stretched out in blessing over us. That is the lasting motive of Christian joy.”

Jesus is continuously blessing us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens (cf. Eph 1:3). He’s seeking to transform us into his incarnate benediction of the world.

The great manifestation of that blessing is the descent of the Holy Spirit, for whose renewed coming we pray in the annual decenarium from the 40th to 50th days of Easter. St. Luke recalls Jesus’ words: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8). That’s the power, the blessing, that came down upon the Church on Pentecost.

During the Last Supper, Jesus said something startling: “I tell you the truth: It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you” (Jn 16:7). He was describing the incredible gift of the Holy Spirit’s presence as a blessing even greater than his own. That’s what the Church, huddling around the Blessed Virgin Mary, incessantly begs for after the Ascension.

The Holy Spirit helps us to fulfill, and not shirk, the awe-inspiring responsibility Christ has given us. This is the duty to give witness that Christ is alive, that he is the Way, the Truth, the Resurrection, and the Life, that he came to give us life to the full, so that his joy may be in us and our joy may be complete; he came to give and leave us the peace of his kingdom in a war-torn world; he came to help us and others to change our lives, to believe wholeheartedly in the good news, and to follow him, so that where he is we also may be and so that we might recognize that God the Father loves us just as much as he loves Jesus (cf. Jn 14:6; 11:25; 10:10; 15:11; 14:27; Mk 1:15; Jn 16:27; 15:9).

That’s a message and a mission that many no longer easily receive.

Whether they think erroneously that science has disproven faith, or the problem of evil has refuted the possibility of a good God, or the clergy sex-abuse scandals have invalidated the Church’s witness, or the frigidity with which so many secularized Christians live their faith has revealed its incapacity to inspire, or a score of other possible reasons people cite to deaden the appeal of Christian faith and life, it’s clear that proclaiming the Gospel effectively to every creature is challenging work — but so was trying to convince down-to-earth first-century pagans and Jews that a crucified carpenter had not only risen from the dead but also was the Savior of the world. The same blessing of the Holy Spirit that made their joint witness fruitful desires to give tandem testimony with us.

One of the most effective ways to do so is through charity.

Back in 1985, the future Pope Benedict XVI gave a radio address in which he focused on the “delightfully naive pictures” of the Ascension in which the disciples are looking upward as Jesus is passing through the clouds and all we see are Jesus’ feet, the same feet the women wanted to grasp onto after the Resurrection. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger commented that we need to recognize his feet and reverence them in disguise in the feet around us as we follow Christ’s example of washing the feet of others just as he cleansed the apostles’ feet in the upper room.

“The true ascent of mankind,” he stated, “takes place precisely when a man learns to turn in humility to another person, bowing deeply at his feet in the position of one who would wash the feet of the other. It is only in the humility that knows how to bow down that can raise a person up.”

In order to ascend, we need first to descend humbly in acts of corporal and spiritual works of mercy, including passing on the faith to those who don’t know it or who reject what they mistakenly believe it to be.

Christ’s ascension is meant to lead us on an exodus not merely in the future, but here and now: an exodus from the self toward God and others, a journey from fear to trust, a passover from the flat earth of a world without God to the multidimensional reality of Christ’s kingdom.

Christ’s ascension is meant to lift up our hearts as it helps us to drop to our knees. It is meant to help us to grow to full stature in Christ as we respond to his confidence in making us his missionaries, together with the Holy Spirit, to renew the face of the earth. It is meant to fill us, even now, with lasting joy.

This story was first published by the National Catholic Register, EWTN News' partner and updated for EWTN News English.

In his book “De Roberto a León” (“From Robert to Leo”) published by Editorial Mensajero, Armando Lovera, a native of Iquitos, Peru, provides data and insights that illuminate the maternal influence in the life of the pope.

1. Two of Mildredʼs sisters embraced religious life.

A testament to the importance of the Catholic faith in Mildred’s family is that two of her sisters, Louise and Hilda, decided to consecrate their lives to God by joining religious congregations.

Louise Eugenie, born in 1903 in New Orleans, was the first to take this step: at the age of 19, she entered the Sisters of Mercy. Years later, in 1928 at the age of 21, Hilda followed in her footsteps by professing vows in the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

2. Mildred lost her father as a young teen.

Mildred’s childhood was marked by the loss of her father, Joseph Martinez, who died on July 31, 1926, when she was just 14 years old. His death left her mother, Louise, a widow who was then compelled to enter the workforce. Mildredʼs mother, the popeʼs maternal grandmother, found employment at a nut and candy factory, where she worked as a taster, evaluating the quality of the products.

At the same time, Mildredʼs older sisters, Irma and Margaret, also assumed responsibility for the family’s financial support, thereby enabling the family to stay afloat during a time of exceptional hardship.

3. She was educated to be an independent woman.

In the 1920s, Mildred began her studies at Immaculata High School, a Catholic girls' school founded by the congregation to which Hilda belonged.

The education she received was not limited to academics. The institution sought to prepare women capable of navigating public and professional life, fostering both intellectual development and Christian values, with a clear commitment to women’s independence.

4. She had a life dedicated to books and education.

At the age of 27, Mildred began working at a public library, performing administrative tasks. Three years later, she enrolled at DePaul University to study library science. She completed a postgraduate degree in education in 1949.

Her passion for books was not limited to the professional sphere. For years, she volunteered at the parish library: She organized the collections, cataloged books, and arranged public readings to promote culture.

5. She was a sacred music singer and distinguished soloist.

Mildred possessed a deep and powerful contralto voice. This was no mere hobby: she performed as a soloist in numerous sacred music concerts.

In 1941, Mildred even appeared at the prestigious Chicagoland Music Festival, held at Soldier Field before an audience of over 100,000 people. Her repertoire centered on sacred music, and among her performances, her rendition of the “Ave Maria,” a demanding piece even for professionals, stood out in particular.

6. The first time her future husband met her family nearly ended in disaster.

The family history also yielded some singular anecdotes. Mildred met Louis, who would become her husband and the father of the future pope, at DePaul University in 1948. However, his first meeting with her family nearly ended in disaster.

Invited to their home, Louis arrived feeling unwell; he took some medication and shortly thereafter fainted in front of everyone. Joking around, one of the sisters declared that he wouldnʼt be back. But he did return. Months later, on Jan. 25, 1949, they were married at Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago and began their life together in Dolton, Illinois.

7. Her electric organ ended up in Trujillo, Peru.

In addition to singing, Mildred played the piano and actively participated in her parishʼs music ministry.

Years later, her electric organ was transported by her son, then-Father Robert Prevost, some 3,500 miles to the Augustinian formation house in Trujillo, the city where he worked from 1988 to 1999.

8. Mildred played a decisive role in her sonʼs vocation.

Mildred was a pillar in the spiritual life of the Prevost family, which lived parish life as if it were an extension of their own home. Their home served as a regular gathering place for priest friends, whom she would often invite over for a meal. These gatherings, characterized by simplicity and warmth, helped to kindle in the heart of the youngest of her three sons his desire to be like 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.

Father Noel Fitzpatrick, 42; Patrick Butler, 38; John Dougal, 16; David McCafferty, 15; and Margaret Gargan, 13, were shot and killed in the Springhill/Westrock area of West Belfast on July 9, 1972. The deceased were all Corpus Christi parishioners and their relatives and campaigners for justice were present at the Mass on May 3 to hear McGuckian’s words.

The shooting took place at a time of great turmoil and disturbance in the city, with an IRA ceasefire having just broken down. The British Armyʼs position was that it was engaged in a sustained gun battle. The coroner’s verdict was that there may have been some “sporadic” firing by the IRA, but those killed were unarmed, posed no threat, and should not have been killed.

The inquest was completed in 2024, just before the British government’s controversial Legacy Act shut down inquests in Troubles-related killings. Belfast High Court Judge David Scoffield, sitting as a coroner, stated that the soldiers from the King’s Regiment “lost control.”

Speaking at the Mass at Corpus Christi Church, McGuckian paid tribute to the perseverance, resilience, and persistence of the victims’ families and the parish community.

McGuckian said the legacy of conflict in Northern Ireland continues to cast a long shadow across communities, families, and institutions, adding that this is a “moment of deep significance” for the families of the parish community and for all who carry the memory of the shootings.

He continued: “Three young children, John Dougal, David McCafferty, Margaret Gargan; a father of a young family, Patrick Butler; and a local priest, Father Noel Fitzpatrick, were unlawfully killed by British army soldiers who ‘overreacted and lost control’ using force that was unreasonable and unjustified. While no legal finding can ever undo the pain of such loss, the public naming of this truth is of profound importance.”

McGuckian paid tribute to Fitzpatrick, “a priest of this diocese, who in faithfulness to his pastoral calling stood with you, his people, in a time of fear and violence.”

He added that the “path towards reconciliation and recovery in Northern Ireland can only be achieved by walking together in the light of truth and justice.”

The inquest found that Fitzpatrick, at the time of his death, was unarmed, posed no threat, and was going to the assistance of others. Butler was killed by the same bullet that killed Fitzpatrick, which struck him after passing through the priest’s neck. He, too, was unarmed, posed no risk, and was assisting Fitzpatrick in helping others.

McCafferty, a schoolboy, was likely attempting to recover the body of  Fitzpatrick when he was shot and killed. McCafferty was a member of the junior wing of the Official IRA. The coroner found he was not armed and was not posing a threat when he was shot by the same soldier who killed Fitzpatrick and Butler.

Dougal was an acknowledged member of Na Fianna, the juvenile wing of the Provisional IRA. The coroner found there was suspicious activity in the area that evening and said he was unable to determine whether Dougal had been armed when he was killed. The coroner found that like the other deceased in the inquest, Dougal should not have been shot dead by the army in the circumstances. He was shot in the back as he retreated from the scene.

Thirteen-year-old Gargan was standing talking to friends in the street when she was “shot directly in the face.” She was “wholly innocent.”

Scoffield said in his concluding comments: “In light of the passage of time, the difficulties in establishing to the criminal standard who fired any lethal shots and the associated difficulties in this case of even establishing the identity of the ciphered soldiers — there is little prospect of any prosecution in these cases if that is what anyone is seeking.”

The shooting of Fitzpatrick was the second killing of a Catholic priest by British soldiers within 12 months in Belfast at the time.

Father Hugh Mullan was one of 10 people killed in the Ballymurphy massacre between Aug. 9 and Aug. 11, 1971. An inquest in 2021 found all victims in Ballymurphy to be innocent.

Eyewitnesses reported Mullan was carrying a white cloth when he was shot and continued to pray as he lay dying. Prior to his shooting he had telephoned the British Army base to notify them he was going to the scene to assist a wounded man. He was shot in the back by a member of the paratroop regiment. Mullan’s sister, Geraldine, told ITV News at the time: “It made me very angry that he had died and nobody seemed to care that this young priest’s life had been taken away from him.”

Following the Springhill/Westrock verdict, Down and Connor Diocesan Vocations Director Father Conor McGrath pointed to the example of Fitzpatrick and Mullan as men of heroic virtue — both of whom were exercising their priestly ministry when they were shot.

The head of the social and humanitarian association told EWTN News on the occasion of its 170th anniversary that the organization was founded in 1856 under the name “Œuvre des Écoles d’Orient,” or “Work of the Schools of the East.” From the beginning, he said, it was built on the conviction that “the formation of minds is the first act of solidarity.”

Since then, the organization has expanded its mission to include education, healthcare, social assistance, humanitarian relief, and the preservation of both tangible and intangible heritage, which he described as “the living memory of Christian communities in the East."

Building on this legacy, he explained that the organization has developed “an organized field presence through local offices and young volunteers.” This presence, he said, aims to “bring the voice of Eastern Christians to decision-makers in Europe and at the level of international institutions,” helping to strengthen their historic presence and safeguard their future in their homelands.

The challenge of migration

Speaking about the main challenges facing Eastern Christians today, de Woillemont said the current situation “is a cause for deep concern.” Political, economic, and military crises, he explained, “weaken entire societies,” while Christians often bear these consequences in a particularly heavy way.“

“The greatest challenge today is migration,” he said. “In several countries, ancient communities face the risk of disappearance because of the lack of economic and security prospects.”

Despite this, he emphasized that “Eastern Christians continue to play their role as makers of peace and dialogue in extremely difficult circumstances, even though they are facing wars they did not choose.”

Education, he added, remains “at the heart of our commitment because it helps build stable societies and limits migration.” He noted that “behind every school that opens or clinic that receives support, there is a family choosing to stay and remain rooted in its land.”

De Woillemont said the organization’s work has also expanded to include healthcare and social assistance, “especially amid the weakness of public systems,” as well as emergency humanitarian relief in times of war and disaster. He also underlined that preserving heritage is a central part of the organization’s mission, because “it is not only about buildings but about the living memory of entire civilizations.”

As part of his appeal for solidarity, de Woillemont addressed Christians in Europe and the United States, saying: “Eastern Christians are not only communities that suffer; they are a richness for the whole Church.”

“Prayer is essential,” he added, “but it must be accompanied by concrete solidarity,” including support for educational, healthcare, and social projects, as well as efforts to make their reality known to the wider public.

He also called for a better understanding of Eastern Christians within Western societies and for greater advocacy with decision-makers, noting that “action by the international community can make a real difference.”

De Woillemont highlighted the importance of building direct relationships through volunteering and twinning initiatives, saying that such experiences “leave a deep impact on the young people who take part in them.”

Looking ahead, he said three major challenges are emerging: the acceleration of migration, the preservation of education and heritage in conflict zones, and the difficulty of mobilizing resources amid multiple crises and declining international attention.“

It is becoming difficult to maintain sustained attention and mobilize the necessary resources,” he said, adding that this requires broadening the support base and strengthening awareness efforts.

At the conclusion of his remarks, de Woillemont expressed “deep appreciation and lasting closeness” to Eastern Christians, saying that “their fidelity, courage, and hope are a witness for the whole Church.”

He stressed that their presence “is essential in their countries,” adding: “They are not only heirs to history but also bearers of the future.”

In this context, he recalled Pope Leo XIV’s call for “a peace that is disarmed and disarming, humble and persevering,” emphasizing that such peace must be based on respect for the sovereignty of states and international law.“

Let them know that we are at their side for the long term, with determination and trust,” he concluded. “We do not forget them, and we remain beside them.”

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.

“Contrary to news reports, Pope Leo has not bestowed an exclusive special honor on the Iranian ambassador to the Holy See,” the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See said in a May 13 social media post. “This decoration is given to all accredited ambassadors to the Holy See after 2+ years of service and has been standard practice for many years.”

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The post comes after Iranian state media outlets reported that the Vatican honored Iran’s ambassador, Mohammad Hossein Mokhtari, with an award for “strengthening diplomatic ties and serving the cause of peace and dialogue.”

The Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported that Pope Leo XIV awarded the “Vatican’s highest diplomatic honor to Iran’s ambassador” for his “efforts to promote peace, dialogue, and bilateral relations.”

The report further claimed that “officials praised the Iranian embassy’s activities in advancing peaceful coexistence, wisdom, tolerance, and interfaith dialogue,” and that in the official decree, Leo “expressed appreciation for Ambassador Mokhtari’s services in strengthening ties with the Holy See." The Holy See has had diplomatic relations with Iran since May 1953.

The U.S. Embassy explained that the award given to Mokhtari “is a personal recognition and does not imply support or opposition to any policy or country.”

“Thirteen ambassadors were recently given this recognition. Previous U.S. ambassadors have all received the same,” the post noted. “Finally, the decoration was not given in person by the pope.”

Vatican News reported that Mokhtari was among 13 ambassadors to receive the recognition for completing two years of service. The ceremony was presided over by Archbishop Paolo Rudelli, substitute for general affairs at the Secretariat of State, who presented insignia and official parchments to the diplomats.

The Holy See Press Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Daily Wire commentator Michael Knowles, a Catholic, described the incident as “a reminder about the ubiquity and power of propaganda, especially when we’re talking about the Iran war.”

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“It’s all propaganda,” Knowles said. “The Iranians are clearly making hay out of this rote procedure that the Vatican presented.”

“Acting Commissioner Kyle Diamantas is personally committed to delivering on President Trump’s pro-life and pro-family agenda at the FDA,” Andrew Nixon, deputy assistant secretary for media relations at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, told EWTN News.

“Both he and other administration officials will continue regularly interacting with stakeholders in this community to inform FDA decision-making,” he said.

Diamantas is serving as acting commissioner after the May 12 resignation of Commissioner Marty Makary, who faced criticism from within the pro-life movement for failure to impose stricter regulations on the  abortion drug mifepristone.

Some pro-life leaders celebrated Makary’s departure but grew concerned about Diamantas because court records show him serving as legal counsel for a Planned Parenthood affiliate while working at the Baker Donelson law firm. The case was related to a property dispute.

Alex Bruesewitz, an adviser to President Donald Trump, dismissed the concern in a post on X, saying he was a junior associate assigned to the case but removed himself because of his pro-life beliefs.

Within the past two days, Diamantas has reached out to some pro-life advocates, including March for Life President Jennie Bradley Lichter. A spokesperson for Live Action confirmed he had scheduled a conversation with Live Action President Lila Rose as well.

“Within a few hours of being handed this big new job, he was getting on the phone with pro-life leaders and that in itself, I think, is a really encouraging sign of where his priorities are going to be,” Lichter told “EWTN Pro-Life Weekly” host Abigail Galván.

Lichter said she spoke with Diamantas about her concerns with mifepristone, specifically about “the lack of safety, the lack of guardrails, [and] its easy availability.”

Under Makary, the FDA launched a study to review the 2023 deregulation of mifepristone, but so far no action has been taken to increase restrictions. Rather, in that same month, the FDA approved a generic version of the drug.

Based on her conversation, Lichter said, “I think weʼre going to see real movement” on that study and “I think that the cause of life is going to have, you know, a real champion at the FDA” under Diamantas’ leadership.

“I feel really comfortable that he is bringing in strong pro-life commitments and a commitment to transparency and to moving with all deliberate speed to take a close look at mifepristone and then take decisive action based on what that study shows,” she said.

Mark Harrington, president of Created Equal, told EWTN News he had not received a call from Diamantas and expressed hesitations about his leadership of the FDA, saying his efforts “could just be viewed as nothing more than damage control.”

“Talk is cheap,” he said. “But personnel is policy, and the fact that Diamantas [reportedly] represented Planned Parenthood makes me skeptical that he will advocate for the full mifepristone safety study. We will trust but verify. Action needs to be taken now on the abortion drug.”

Marshall, who practiced as an obstetrician-gynecologist for more than 25 years, said he is naming the bill the “Bereaved Parents Rights Act.” Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Florida, who personally suffered an ectopic pregnancy, said she is sponsoring a companion version in the House.

Laws on the handling of fetal remains following a miscarriage or stillbirth vary state to state, and many states have no clear legal requirements regarding the disposition of remains, leaving hospitals to rely on internal policies and procedures, according to Marshall.

Students for Life Action backs the measure and is leading lobbying on Capitol Hill to urge lawmakers to back it, said Kristan Hawkins, the organization’s president.

The legislation would amend Title XVIII of the Social Security Act “to say that the hospital that she is birthing her child into, whether the childʼs born stillborn or miscarried … has to notify the parents no less than six hours after the event or before discharge“ and ”how she can get her babyʼs body to the funeral home to have a funeral if she would like to,” Hawkins said.

A standardized form from the secretary of Health and Human Services would ensure a parent has the right to cremate the child after miscarriage or stillbirth, and it would apply in every state, Hawkins said.

The legislation “is a no-brainer,” Cammack said. “This is very simple in my mind. Any parent who has lost a child needs the space, opportunity, and resources to properly grieve that child.”

To “provide a burial for your child to recover the remains of your child” is “not a partisan issue,” she said. “I believe that is a human issue and something that, if we are serious about honoring life and protecting people, we really do champion and pass this legislation to give closure to so many families around the country.”

Bill sponsors said they have been trying to find a Democratic cosponsor for the bill without success.

“Thereʼs a culture around the issue that doesnʼt allow people to get to the facts. And while you are entitled, certainly, to your own opinion, you are not entitled to your own facts,” Cammack said.

“And the fact is that these are children, these are human beings that have heartbeats, and they deserve the same dignity that a child who was born and has been lost deserves," she said.

“It should be something very simple that every woman, regardless of where you are in the country, what hospital you find yourself in, is given the exact same rights as a woman who is in a state that values and protects life,” she said.

Personal testimonies

“I see tremendous value in women coming together and reaching across the aisle saying, ‘Weʼve all experienced loss in some form or fashion, whether yourself personally or you know someone who has,’” Cammack said.

A briefing by Students for Life Action on May 13 included numerous personal testimonials from women who have been affected by miscarriage and stillbirth who are urging lawmakers to advance the bill.

Sarah Wirtz said: “I could not go to the hospital. I actually waited three days to go to the hospital because I just was trying to research … if I was going to be allowed to have my son," she said. "He had passed away, but I still had him inside of me."

“I knew within at least the medical system, after 20 weeks I was afforded more protection” and “I was absolutely terrified what this meant legally for my baby,” she said.

Wirtz said she was asking: “Would I be given my baby? When I went in to give birth, would they take him from me?”

Wirtz said she risked her own health to spend time finding resources to ensure she was able to keep her sonʼs body. Once she found Heavenʼs Gain Ministries, a Catholic organization that helps families with pregnancy loss, she was told “Youʼre very blessed to be in Ohio,” because state law ensured she had the right to her baby.

“So I went to the hospital, I gave birth to my son Noah, and I was able to bury him,” she said. “But I was also told at the time, if [I] had been in California … I wouldnʼt be afforded the same rights under the law."

“He would have been deemed as his gestational size, which is under 20 weeks, and I wouldnʼt have been guaranteed right to disposition and ... what happened to his body,” she said.

Language of miscarriage

Hawkins also noted the importance of the language when discussing abortion and miscarriage, and ensuring women know the difference and understand the procedures.

“Something we saw in the fall of the Dobbs … was Planned Parenthood intentionally started changing the language around abortion, direct intentional abortion, and they started using the phrase ‘induced miscarriage,’” she said.

“Thatʼs largely because of the invention and the shifting of the abortion industry to the chemical abortion pill, where we know at least 70% of these abortions, that are still killing about a million children a year, are being committed using these pills,” she said.

“The way theyʼre framing these abortions to many young confused women, very scared women, is youʼre just going to ‘induce a miscarriage. Itʼs going to be just like a miscarriage,’” she said.

“We know those are two very different things. And I think apart from the evil of Planned Parenthood killing children and harming women … this is the third greatest evil theyʼve ever committed, which is trying to use the pain and the tragedy of a miscarriage to then justify and try to change the hearts of millions of Americans on their issue, which is the intentional destruction of a human being,” Hawkins said.

On the eve of the feast of Our Lady of Fátima, May 12, the light of thousands of candles illuminated the night at the spot where Our Lady appeared to three shepherd children 109 years ago.

The faithful filled the shrine, gathering to participate in the recitation of the rosary and the traditional candlelight procession.

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‘We come as pilgrims and depart as missionary disciples’

Rui Manuel Sousa Valério, patriarch of Lisbon, Portugal, celebrated the Mass on May 13. In his homily, the prelate emphasized that the pilgrimage “does not end here” but rather Fátima is “a point for sending forth.”

This celebration commemorates the first of the six apparitions of Our Lady of Fátima to the three shepherd children, Lucia dos Santos, 10, and her cousins Francisco and Jacinta Marto, 9 and 7, in 1917.

The pilgrimage on May 13 is the most attended, welcoming more than 450,000 pilgrims last year. They gather at Cova da Iria, a neighborhood that was once the field where the three shepherd children pastured their familyʼs sheep and where the Virgin Mary appeared.

The Catholic Church officially recognized the apparitions as worthy of belief in 1930.

“We come as pilgrims and depart as missionary disciples; everything we experience here — prayer, silence, reconciliation, and communion — cannot remain confined within the Cova da Iria,” the prelate noted.

He invited the faithful to let the experience of Fátima “enter into our hearts” as well as into all areas of life — our homes, families, workplaces, and schools — and also “into the wounds and joys of daily life.”

Sousa emphasized that the message of Fátima is truly embraced “when it transforms into a mission, and what we receive becomes a light for others.”

He further recalled that in her apparitions, the Virgin called for conversion and for the responsibility of love: “True devotion to Mary never closes the heart. It opens it; it never isolates, it sends forth; it never sleeps, it awakens.”

The Virgin Mary asked the children to pray the rosary every day for the conversion of sinners and to obtain peace for the world, especially an end to the ongoing First World War. She also invited them to make personal sacrifices and offer their sufferings on behalf of sinners.

She promised to return on the 13th day of each month for the next six months and confided that she had secrets to reveal concerning the fate of the world.

To prove that the apparitions were true, Mary promised the children that during the last of her six appearances, she would provide a sign so people would believe in the apparitions and in her message. What happened on that day — Oct. 13, 1917 — has come to be known as the “Miracle of the Sun,” or “the day the sun danced.”

May 13, 2026, also marks the 45th anniversary of the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II in St. Peterʼs Square. For this reason, the Mass in Fátima was celebrated using the chalice that the Polish pontiff donated during one of his visits to the site.

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 document, titled “Mental Health in Europe — A Call for Care,” states that Europe is facing a growing mental health crisis with increases in depression and anxiety being causes by various factors, such as loneliness, trauma, suicide, job insecurity, aging, digitalization, and forced migration.

The study notes that the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the crisis while it simultaneously exposed the weaknesses of the European mental health care system.

The document, which advocates for a “comprehensive” vision of mental health that also encompasses social, relational, and spiritual dimensions, was prepared by the COMECE ethics committee.

Loneliness: One of the greatest risks to mental health

Friederike Ladenburger is a jurist, adviser on ethics, research, and health, and secretary of the commission. In an interview with ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, she emphasized the need to address mental health from a “multidimensional” perspective that takes into account not only biological and psychological needs but also “spiritual support.”

She also noted that the document stems from a concern regarding “current, urgent, and pressing” issues such as loneliness, one of the greatest risks to mental health today, which “has evolved into one of the major crises of our time.”

Ladenburger clarified that loneliness is defined as “the absence of social contact and the perceived discrepancy between a person’s desires and their actual social network,” emphasizing that the problem is not solely quantitative. “It is not just about the size of your network, but also the quality of your network,” she stated, underscoring the importance of having “meaningful, authentic, and lasting human connections.”

The document states that mental well-being depends not only on clinical treatments but also on strong human relationships, social integration, a sense of belonging, and respect for the dignity of every individual.

She noted that the report rests on three fundamental pillars drawn from Christian anthropology: that “the human person is created in the image of God,” that this dignity encompasses “both body and soul,” and that human beings possess an essential relational and spiritual dimension.

“One of the most important points of our report is the communal aspect of the human person,” she said, indicating that the Church can help address social isolation with community events.

Strengthening families

The COMECE study also emphasizes the need for the European Union to promote policies that strengthen families as a fundamental place where care takes place.

The report identifies the family as “the basic cell of society” and, in this vein, warned that Europe is undergoing “an urgent and dramatic demographic change.”

Consequently, Ladenburger called for greater financial support for young families: “They need financial support, financial relief, and the opportunity to start a family” as well as “jobs and decent housing.”

Technology must not replace human contact

Ladenburger expressed concern regarding the impact of artificial intelligence, particularly among young people, underscoring the need for European regulation to protect individuals from technological abuse, digital addiction, and online harassment.

She warned that the use of digital tools must be “supplementary, not substitutive,” acknowledging that digital technologies can improve access to psychological care but emphasizing that technology should complement, rather than replace, human contact.

She said that “the priority is the human being,” whose core capacity remains “to express empathy and feel with others.”

Spiritual accompaniment

In addition, COMECE called for European policies that include spiritual accompaniment in hospitals and in other vulnerable settings, including reproductive health, palliative and end-of-life care, and migration.

Regarding surrogacy, she explained that the report outlines the psychological risks for both the pregnant mother and the child. Likewise, concerning palliative care, it advocates for comprehensive care that is not limited to the clinical aspect. “Every human being must be treated with dignity, especially those who are suffering,” Ladenburger pointed out.

Emphasizing the importance of hospital chaplaincies and of every individual’s right to practice his or her religion, especially in situations of suffering or displacement, the bishops’ commission noted that effective support would not only be "medical or clinical ... it also entails spiritual support.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A civil action filed by the federal government in U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico on May 7 names the Diocese of Las Cruces in the eminent domain request.

The filing was made at the request of the Department of Homeland Security. It says it seeks the land “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 disputed land is located northwest of El Paso, Texas. Government schematics show an extensive border wall planned for the site.

The government said it would compensate the defendants in the case with just over $183,000. The treasurer of Doña Ana County was also named in the filing.

The Las Cruces Diocese did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the dispute. But in a court filing on May 8 the diocese said the land seizure would “substantially burden” the religious freedom of both the diocese and “the other faithful who seek to commune with God on diocesan property.”

The disputed land parcel runs along the base of Mount Cristo Rey, the diocese said in its filing. Atop of that mountain is a 29-foot-tall statue of Christ, marking a shrine the diocese said 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.

The filing asked the court to halt the proceedings until the First Amendment dispute could be fully adjudicated.

The archieparchial celebration was held in Hopkoʼs birthplace on the eve of the anniversary of his episcopal consecration on May 11, 1947. The blessed bishop died on July 23, 1976, his health broken by years of incarceration and torture.

Metropolitan Archbishop Jonáš Maxim of Prešov presided over the hierarchical Divine Liturgy, concelebrated by Bishop Kurt Burnette of the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic, New Jersey, who is currently on a pastoral visit to Europe. Burnette also serves as apostolic administrator of the Exarchate of Sts. Cyril and Methodius of Toronto for Slovaks of the Byzantine rite. More than 30 priests concelebrated, and religious sisters and laypeople from across the region attended.

‘He did not search for glory’

In his homily, Maxim drew on the testimony of Father Atanáz Pekár, OSBM, who described Hopko as a bishop who never sought glory, never demanded justice for himself, and forgave everyone.

“In todayʼs Church and in Slovakia, there are still people who seek their own glory and not Christʼs — may God be merciful to them,” Maxim warned.

The archbishop recalled that in 1968, Hopko wrote to the Czechoslovak government requesting the reestablishment of the Greek Catholic Church, which had been dissolved at the so-called Sobor of Prešov — a staged assembly orchestrated by the communist regime in 1950. Hopko sought justice for his Church, not for himself, Maxim said, quoting from the letter: “We are not dead. We live and we want to live! We claim all the rights we had in the past… Please take it for granted that we have never, not even for a moment, given up our rights.”

Maxim described Hopko as “highly educated and wise,” a man who “suffered a lot” yet “remained an ordinary, simple, and humble person” and “a sincere lover of his nation.” The metropolitan called him “a saint.”

Bishop Burnette: Freedom brings its own dangers

Burnette, addressing the pilgrims at the close of the liturgy, praised Hopko as a man who remained faithful to the word of God and to the pope during the harshest years of communism. He warned that in the present day, when there is no restriction on religious freedom, the pursuit of power and money makes people even less free.

On the same day, Bishop Milan Lach of the Eparchy of Bratislava celebrated a separate Divine Liturgy in Hopkoʼs memory in Brezno.

A life of suffering and fidelity

Vasiľ Hopko was born on April 21, 1904, in Hrabské in what is now eastern Slovakia. He was consecrated a bishop of the Eparchy of Prešov on May 11, 1947, as Soviet pressure on the Greek Catholic Church intensified.

After the Sobor of Prešov in 1950 — at which the communist regime declared the Greek Catholic Church dissolved and transferred its assets to the Russian Orthodox Church — Hopko was arrested on April 28, 1950. He was imprisoned, starved, and tortured.

Released in 1964 in broken health, he was transferred to a care home. After the Prague Spring of 1968, the Greek Catholic Church was legally restored, and Hopko resumed episcopal ministry, encouraging the faithful, ordaining priests, and rebuilding Church life despite his frailty.

Hopko died on July 23, 1976, in Prešov. His remains are interred in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Prešov. St. John Paul II beatified him at a ceremony in Bratislava on Sept. 14, 2003.

The liturgy was broadcast live on the Slovak public broadcaster STVR.

In a statement issued on May 12, Minority Concern said Christian sanitation workers continue to face unsafe working conditions, inadequate protective equipment, and limited employment opportunities beyond sanitation work due to entrenched discrimination.

On May 7, Shabbir Masih, a 33-year-old father of three, died after inhaling toxic gases inside a 25-foot-deep sewer line in Faisalabad. Three days earlier, Shakeel Masih and Samar Masih died while cleaning a sewer line in Sahiwal district.

In April, three Christian sanitation workers also died in similar incidents in Karachi in the southern province of Sindh.

“Sanitary workers are indispensable members of society. No individual should risk their life simply for carrying out essential public service work,” said Aftab Alexander Mughal, director of Minority Concern.

“Protecting the rights and safety of Christian sanitary workers is not only a labor issue — it is a matter of human dignity, equality, and justice.”

Christians make up about 1.37% of Pakistanʼs population and have long complained of being pushed into low-paid sanitation work historically associated with marginalized castes in South Asia.

‘The death toll is higher than reported’

Speaking from Lahore, 49-year-old Catholic sanitation worker Shafiq Masih rejected official claims that proper personal protective equipment (PPE) is provided to workers.

“Each of the Water and Sanitation Authority field office responsible for sewer maintenance reportedly has only one PPE suit, shown only to visiting officials or media,” he told EWTN News.

“Even that imported suit from Japan is not suitable for local conditions — it is heavy and impractical. The death toll is higher than reported.”

Masih, who helped form a union of nearly 2,900 sanitation workers in Lahoreʼs Johar Town area in 2023, said little has changed in more than two decades of service.

“The Church has no concern for us,” he said, adding that he received assurance of only spiritual support when he raised the issue with his parish priest.

He also said that after Christian workers refused to enter manholes without PPE, authorities began hiring daily wage laborers to perform the same tasks.

Court rulings and government response

Rights groups such as Minority Concern have urged Pakistanʼs federal and provincial governments, municipal authorities, and employers to end discriminatory hiring practices that channel minorities into hazardous work.

In December 2025, the Islamabad High Court barred the use of the phrase “Christians only” in sanitation job advertisements and called for urgent safety reforms to reduce fatalities among sewer workers.

According to Manzoor Masih of the National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR), violations of the ruling have decreased.

“Concerned departments apologized and re-advertised after we notified the violations,” he said, expressing concern over the rising number of deaths.

He added that the commission has taken notice and sought reports from provincial Water and Sanitation Authority offices.

In November 2025, the NCHR filed a petition before the Federal Constitutional Court seeking an end to manual sewer cleaning, arguing that forcing workers into toxic environments without protection violates constitutional guarantees of life, dignity, equality, and safe working conditions.

A 2024 NCHR inquiry report titled "Risk of Sanitation Work in Pakistan" warned that sanitation workers continue to face deadly conditions due to the absence of occupational safety standards, weak enforcement of labor laws, and discrimination against religious minorities.

The report estimates that sanitation workers make up about 2% of Pakistanʼs 225 million population and that approximately 80% are Christians.

Based on a survey of 42 sanitation workers in Karachi, it found that 78.6% were never provided personal protective equipment, while 57.1% reported workplace injuries, including lung damage and dislocated joints.

It documented at least 14 deaths between 2022 and 2024, mostly in Punjab, caused by toxic sewer gases and unsafe working practices.

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

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

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

Peace for Costa Rica and its leaders

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Women in power

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The summitʼs organizers said their purpose was to bring “together investors, regulators, innovators, and policymakers to accelerate Africa’s digital economy — from policy to prosperity.”

ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, first reported on the summit in February and said Kenya was preparing to host the summit at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) under the theme “Ethical Stewardship for the Love of the Poor” with the aim of examining “how digital innovation can serve humanity.”

One of the summitʼs organizers, Eddie Cullen, said he drew inspiration from Pope Leo XIV’s first apostolic exhortation on love for the poor, Dilexi Te, a copy of which all participants received. 

Cullen, CEO of Crescite Innovation Corporation, which sponsored the event, called it a “a resounding success.”

The former papal nuncio to Kenya, Archbishop Bert van Megen, delivered the keynote address titled “The Intersection of Faith, Ethics, and Technological Development: Toward Ethical Stewardship in Service of the Poor.” 

Van Megen framed technological development as a moral question with direct implications for vulnerable communities, cautioning that modern financial and technological infrastructure, while promising inclusion, could instead sideline vulnerable populations if not designed with them in mind.

“Artificial intelligence, fintech ecosystems, and digital identity infrastructures are not merely tools; they are rapidly becoming systems of governance,” he said, adding that “they determine access to credit, healthcare, mobility, and even citizenship itself.”

He noted that “in previous eras, exclusion was visible. Today, it is increasingly encoded.”

The Dutch-born archbishop, whom Pope Leo XIV appointed as the new apostolic nuncio to Germany on April 9, cautioned that digital systems presented as neutral or efficient can quietly exclude people who lack stable digital records or formal participation in financial systems.

“The danger is not only that technology may fail the poor,” he said. “The deeper danger is that it may systematically exclude them while appearing neutral, efficient, and even progressive.”

Drawing from Dilexi Te, van Megen said Christian love must become the standard by which technological systems are evaluated.

“If this is true, then love is not one value among many,” he said, referring to the apostolic exhortation’s opening words: “I have loved you.”

“It is the criterion by which all systems, including technological ones, must be judged,” he said.

He warned that societies focused on speed and optimization often marginalize vulnerable populations.

“In a world driven by speed, scale, and efficiency, attention to the poor becomes structurally inconvenient,” the Vatican diplomat said. “We must ask: Are we building systems that can still afford to notice the vulnerable?”

He said the poor increasingly risk becoming “statistically invisible” within modern digital systems.

“Modern technological systems operate through abstraction,” he said. “They convert persons into data points, profiles, and probabilities.”

According to the archbishop, many economically disadvantaged people lack “stable digital identities,” “formal financial histories,” and “continuous data trails,” making them difficult for algorithmic systems to process.

“The poor are the privileged recipients of the Gospel,” he said, quoting Dilexi Te, while warning that they risk becoming “present in life, but absent in the data that drives decisions.”

“This is not simply exclusion; it is invisibility by design,” the apostolic nuncio said.

Using examples from AI-powered credit systems and fintech ecosystems operating across Africa, he explained how algorithmic systems can interpret poverty itself as a financial liability.

“Irregular income becomes ‘risk’; informal economies become ‘instability’; community-based sharing becomes ‘lack of ownership,’” he said.

“The poor are not excluded explicitly ... They are filtered out silently,” he noted.

It is ‘false’ to call technology ‘neutral’

The archbishop also challenged the widely repeated claim that technology is neutral.

“We often hear that technology is neutral. While this is convenient, it is equally false,” he said.

“Technology is never simply a passive tool,” he went on to say, adding: “Every system is shaped by human decisions such as what to measure, what to prioritize, what to optimize, and what to ignore.”

Quoting Pope Benedict XVI’s June 2009 encyclical letter on integral human development in charity and truth, Caritas in Veritate, he said: “Technology is never merely technology. It reveals man and his aspirations.”

He also warned that technology “can give those with knowledge and economic resources an impressive dominance.”

“When access to essential goods, credit, healthcare, and education is mediated through digital systems, then control over those systems becomes a form of social authority,” van Megen said, adding: “If that authority is concentrated, inequality is not merely preserved, it is amplified.”

‘Structural ethics’ must shape design of digital systems

The Vatican envoy called for what he termed “structural ethics,” arguing that ethical responsibility must shape the design of systems themselves.

“Ethics today must move from personal virtue to system design,” he said.

He went on to propose that technological systems prioritize vulnerable users, preserve non-digital alternatives, create accountability structures, and accept exceptions where justice requires flexibility.

“Systems should not be designed around the most efficient or profitable user but around those who are most vulnerable,” van Megen said.

He linked those principles to Catholic social teaching, including “the dignity of the human person, the common good, solidarity, and subsidiarity.”

Catholics called to 'shape ethical frameworks for emerging tech

The Vatican diplomat further urged Catholics to play a more active role in shaping emerging technologies.

“The Church must do more than critique. It must also propose,” he said. “It is called to shape ethical frameworks for emerging technologies; advocate for policies that protect the most vulnerable; form leaders capable of integrating faith, ethics, and innovation; offer a vision of development rooted not in domination but in dignity.”

Van Megen said technological advancement cannot be separated from moral responsibility.

“We are not merely building technologies,” he said. “We are constructing the moral architecture of the future — the conditions under which human life will flourish or fail.”

For him, “the question is not whether technology will shape the future. It will.”

“The question is: Will it recognize the poor or render them invisible?” van Megen said, and affirmed: “The answer will not be found in code alone. It will be found in conscience.”

Cullen said he hopes to expand faith-driven technological initiatives "inspired by Dilexi Te to more projects in Africa.”

“We are hopeful of continuing to spread the love of Christ across the continent,” Cullen added.

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

Father James Cervantes, MIC, known for his initiative calling for Eucharistic revival in the Philippines and co-launching the Philippine Rosary Crusade during the EDSA Revolutionʼs 40th anniversary, is calling the faithful to respond to what he described as heaven’s urgent appeal for our time.

“The premise is simple,” he said. “We are living in a time of deep moral confusion, widespread indifference to God, and a growing loss of souls. Our Lady has already given us the remedy. The answer is prayer, sacrifice, and the holy rosary.”

The initiative, called “The 153-Day Fátima Invitation,” asks the faithful to offer 153 Hail Marys a day for 153 days, from May 13 to Oct. 13 — the exact span of the apparitions of Our Lady of Fátima.

At Fátima in 1917, Our Lady appeared to three shepherd children and pleaded with the world: “Pray, pray much, and make sacrifices for sinners, for many souls go to hell because there is no one to sacrifice and pray for them.”

For Cervantes, that appeal remains as urgent today as ever.

“This is an act of love, an act of faith, and a great work of mercy for the salvation of souls,” he said. “It will be an intense time of spiritual harvesting, done with great love and sacrifice, to honor and console Our Lord and Our Lady and to heed their request to help save many souls.”

Why 153?

The number 153 is not arbitrary. Cervantes points to several striking spiritual and biblical connections.

First, Our Lady’s apparitions at Fátima lasted from May 13 to Oct. 13 — a span of exactly 153 days.

Second, at the time of the Fátima apparitions, the full traditional rosary consisted of 15 mysteries — the joyful, sorrowful, and glorious mysteries — containing 153 Hail Marys. The luminous mysteries were later added by Pope John Paul II in 2002.

Third, in the Gospel of John, after the Resurrection, the disciples cast their nets at Christ’s command and caught 153 large fish. According to St. Jerome, 153 represented all the known species of fish at the time — a symbol that all nations would be gathered into the net of the Church.

“It is a time of spiritual fishing,” Cervantes explained. “A time to cast the net for souls lost in the sea of sin and death. As the call of Jesus goes: ‘Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.’”

He also noted another striking providence: Our Lady appeared in 1917, and the sum of the numbers from 1 through 17 equals 153.

“In subtle but beautiful ways,” he said, “heaven keeps pointing us back to 153.”

A spiritual battle for souls

The invitation comes at a time when some Catholics sense that the world is entering deeper spiritual darkness.

Families are under strain. Faith is growing cold. Many young people are drifting from God. War, terrorism, and global instability dominate headlines. The battle is no longer merely social or cultural. At its core, it is spiritual, according to Cervantes.

“Our Lady of Fátima showed the children a vision of hell,” he said. “She warned that many souls are lost because there is no one to pray and sacrifice for them. That warning should move us.”

He added that the rosary is not merely a devotional practice but a spiritual weapon entrusted by heaven.

“The method to catch souls will be the holy rosary — a spiritual net,” he said. “For the next 153 days, we are being invited to do spiritual harvesting.”

The rosary and the salvation of souls

Throughout history, saints and popes have spoken of the power of the rosary.

St. Louis de Montfort taught that God gave the rosary as a means to convert even the most hardened sinners.

St. Dominic called it one of heaven’s most powerful weapons for the conversion of souls.

Pope Pius X described the rosary as “the most beautiful and the richest in graces of all prayers.”

Blessed Pius IX famously declared: “Give me an army saying the rosary and I will conquer the world.”

And one of the children of Fátima, St. Francisco Marto, once said with childlike simplicity: “Oh, Our Lady! I’ll say as many rosaries as you want.” The children of Fátima were said to pray as many as nine rosaries a day.

A simple invitation

Cervantes emphasized that the invitation is simple: Place prayer at the center of daily life.

“Step into a sacred rhythm of prayer,” he said. “For the next 153 days, place the rosary at the heart of your day and gently witness how God begins to move.”

The purpose is not merely personal devotion but a concrete response to Our Lady of Fátima’s request to help save souls through the power of the rosary.

“This is a great work of mercy for souls,” he said. “The harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few. Who will be the ‘few’ to respond?”

From May 13 to Oct. 13, Catholics are invited to pray the full rosary — the 15 traditional mysteries — offering 153 Hail Marys each day for sinners, for souls in danger, and for those who are far from God.

YouTube evangelizer Gabriel Castillo, featured in the National Catholic Register about his book “The Power of the Rosary” and his "Rosary Testimonies" documentary, has spoken extensively about the power of praying the full rosary every day versus only one or two a day.

In a world marked by confusion, moral relativism, and spiritual darkness, Cervantes said heaven’s answer remains astonishingly simple.

“Let us be the few who answer the call of Our Lord and Our Lady," he said.

“Weʼre in a battle today with the Chinese Communist Party and their authoritarian view, and their view that religion is an opium of the people, something that should be thrown out, discarded, persecuted, stomped on, and killed,” Brownback said at a May 12 event at the Hudson Institute. 

Brownback appeared at the event to promote his book “China’s War on Faith,” co-authored with journalist Michael Arkush.

The book, released May 12, highlights “three genocides” taking place in China against the Tibetan Buddhist, Uyghur Muslims, and Falun Gong practitioners, as well as systematic persecution of Christians and other religious minorities.

The event comes as U.S. President Donald Trump travels to China to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Additional speakers included Nina Shea, Hudson Institute senior fellow; former Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Virginia; as well as individuals profiled in the book, such as Frances Hui, Hong Kong Foundation policy and advocacy manager; Mihrigul Tursun, a Uyghur woman once detained in Xinjiang; Arjia Rinpoche, Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center director; Falun Gong practitioner Wang Chunyan; and Chinese Christian “Born Again Movement” founder Peter Xu.

“Their stories really merit movies being made about them,” Brownback said. “Itʼs my prayer that this book is the clarion call, is the trumpet sound, into the fight against persecution of people in faith, of all faiths in China, and for us to stand up on American principles against that persecution.”

Brownback lauded the panelists for speaking out about their stories of persecution under the Chinese Communist Party, which he described as “a regime that has killed more of its own people than any other regime in the history of mankind; a regime that is at war with us, whether we realize we are at war with them or not.”

“I hope the president’s trip is very successful,” he said. “The president has done more than any president of modern times to push for religious freedom. He believes the world needs more religion. Thatʼs the direct opposite of what the Chinese Communist Party believes. It believes there should be no religion whatsoever in the world. And those two systems are clashing with each other.”

‘Critical’ international religious freedom post vacant

Brownback told EWTN News “it is critical right now” for Trump to nominate an ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom, a post that has remained vacant since the start of the administration after Trump’s nominee, Mark Walker, saw his confirmation stall in the Senate.

“We need to have that voice and that representation inside the administration and talking about what China is doing, and we need it right now,” he said, adding that he hopes the Trump administration will nominate someone quickly and that the Senate will proceed with a swift confirmation.

“Iʼve talked to a person that theyʼre discussing, I understand, internally, and I think she would be excellent, but I donʼt know if that oneʼs moving forward or not, and Iʼm not at liberty to say,” Brownback said.

Brownback’s remarks come after the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) urged Trump to fill the position in a statement on May 11.

Makary, who resigned on May 12, drew the ire of the pro-life community throughout his tenure for inaction to reimpose regulations on the abortion pill mifepristone.

Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods Kyle Diamantas will serve as the acting commissioner of the FDA until President Donald Trump nominates and the Senate confirms a replacement. Some pro-life advocates lamented Diamantas' elevation to acting commissioner, saying he once served as counsel for Planned Parenthood of Greater Orlando.

Court documents show that while he worked at the Baker Donelson law firm, he was part of the legal team that represented the Planned Parenthood affiliate in a property dispute. He was not an employee of Planned Parenthood, and a Trump administration adviser says it was just an assignment that he eventually backed out of due to moral objections.

Students for Life President Kristan Hawkins posted concerns about Diamantas on X, saying: “Quite frankly, this is why our team at Students for Life did not call for Dr. Makary to resign, because I know the FDA is filled with pro-abortion leftists.”

“The new FDA commissioner must be 100% committed to protecting innocent children in the womb AND their mothers,” she said.

Live Action President Lila Rose posted on X that “we cannot allow someone who represented Planned Parenthood to oversee rules surrounding the deadly abortion pill mifepristone that has killed MILLIONS of babies.”

In response to the concerns, Trump adviser Alex Bruesewitz said in a post on X that Diamantas was working as a junior associate “but he later removed himself from the case because of his personal beliefs.”

“Kyle is a good man, is pro-life, and he is focused on delivering on President Trump’s promise to MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN,” he said.

Makary’s tenure

During his tenure, Makary faced repeated criticism from pro-life advocates, who are expressing hope that Trump will nominate someone who will take stronger action against abortion.

Makary launched a study in coordination with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to review the safety of the abortion drug mifepristone in September 2025. No action has been taken to restrict the drug, but the FDA did move in the opposite direction by approving a generic version of mifepristone that same month.

The Department of Justice also filed a motion on behalf of the FDA in January asking a federal court to pause a lawsuit from Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill that challenged the 2023 deregulation of mifepristone based on claims that it led to harm against residents.

Marjorie Dannenfelser, who has been one of Makaryʼs top critics for months, said on X that “we must return immediately to the [first] Trump administration standard of in-person dispensing to protect women from coercion and abuse and allow the enforcement of pro-life state laws.”

Live Action President Lila Rose similarly rejoiced about Makaryʼs exit, saying: “He tragically continued to allow sending the abortion pill through the mail and approved a new version of the abortion pill.”

“The abortion pill has killed over 7 million preborn American children and harmed countless mothers,” she said and appealed to Trump to appoint a pro-life commissioner who will “ban the abortion pill now!”

Some pro-life senators joined the voices cheering his resignation, including Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, who called the announcement “welcome news” in a post on X and accused Makary of being “uniquely destructive to the pro-life movement.”

Hawley, who initially supported Makaryʼs nomination in January 2025, has been publicly critical of his leadership since December. In his post, he said Makary “slow walked” the mifepristone review while approving a generic version in spite of safety risks.

The senator called Makary’s resignation “an opportunity for the FDA to reset.”

Sarah Zagorski, senior director of public relations and communications for Americans United for Life, told EWTN News the Trump administration “has the opportunity to demonstrate real moral leadership by appointing a commissioner dedicated to protecting women and girls from the harms associated with abortion drugs” upon Makary’s resignation.

“With these drugs increasingly available online, the risks of coercion, misuse, and medical complications have grown substantially. Strong oversight and patient safety must come first,” she said.

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana, called Makary’s tenure “part of a broader symptom of an administration that has not paid attention to pro-life issues” in a post on X.

“I care deeply about life, and I anticipate the next FDA nominee shall as well,” he said.

Although many pro-life advocates see an opportunity for change, it’s unclear whether their criticisms contributed to Makary’s resignation, considering Trump himself committed during his campaign to ensuring the FDA would not threaten access to the abortion pill.

Trump did not reference the life issue when asked by reporters about Makary’s resignation and declined to say whether he asked him to step down.

“He was having some difficulty,” Trump said. “You know he’s a great doctor and he was having some difficulty, but he’s going to go on and he’s going to do well. We have — everybody wants that job, everybody.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Political continuity following Maduro’s departure

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

From initial hope to discouragement

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

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

The harsh reality of the Venezuelan diaspora

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

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

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

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

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

The bishops’ priority: ‘Preserving internal unity’

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

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

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

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

Some things never should have happened

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

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

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

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

“My father, his fight, the rights and values that he stands for, and the urgency of his case is one that speaks to a lot of people,“ Claire Lai said in an interview with EWTN News. ”And weʼre just extremely grateful for the people who have taken his case to heart.”

Jimmy Lai, founder and publisher of the pro-democracy tabloid Apple Daily, was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Feb. 9 over what Chinese officials claim were national security violations. He has already spent more than five years in detention, much of which was in solitary confinement.

Trump is traveling to Beijing this week to meet with Xi Jinping about numerous topics including trade, Taiwan, and emerging technology issues. He has also said he will raise the release of multiple prisoners including Lai, whose case he  previously brought up to the Chinese president.

The U.S. House of Representatives was set to vote May 12 on a resolution that would condemn the People’s Republic of China for its prosecution and imprisonment of Lai and call for his immediate release. Catholic Rep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, co-chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, sponsored the measure.

“The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) jails people to silence their faith, speech, and conscience — and to scare their families here in America and beyond,” Smith said. “The CCP’s unacceptable and unfair practice of politically motivated detention must end.”

The push by lawmakers “absolutely does give more hope,” Claire Lai said. She also noted a May 7 letter to Trump spearheaded by Smith and Sen. Rick Scott, R-Florida, and signed by more than 100 lawmakers “from both sides of the political aisle urging President Trump to bring up my father in the upcoming summit,” she said.

“There were 68 senators, which is over two-thirds of all senators, which we are so incredibly grateful for,” she said. “Someone said once, ‘Whenʼs the last time … two-thirds of senators agreed on anything?’ Itʼs such a privilege, and … we are just so extremely humbled that this is the one thing that they have agreed on.”

“President Trump and his administration have continuously mentioned my father, and they have continuously mentioned their commitment to freeing him,” Claire said. “At least speaking for myself, I am extremely confident that it will be this administration that does secure my fatherʼs freedom.”

Need for a humanitarian release

Lawmakers are urging a humanitarian release as Jimmy Lai’s health continues to worsen. While Claire Lai said her family has “basically stopped” receiving reports on her father and his health, they do “hear things here and there.”

“Heʼs lost weight, he still has heart issues, he still has high blood pressure,” Claire Lai said. It is becoming increasingly urgent as it is “getting close to summer,” as the weather in Hong Kong will reach extremely hot temperatures and humid and wet conditions.

“I heard that itʼs not too hot in Hong Kong yet, but every summer he gets heat rashes and theyʼre … painful red bumps,” she said. He also gets “frequent and pretty severe back pains and waist pains.”

His “infections that last for months are … just another sign of a compromised immune system,” she said. “He has nails starting to fall off. He has teeth that are rotting and just skin that is drying and just a lot, a lot, of things that are … just cascading health issues.”

“In terms of detailed reports — we just havenʼt received those without really any reason since January. Not because we stopped asking; weʼre still asking, but we havenʼt received those,” she said.

The feast of Our Lady of Fátima offers hope ahead of summit

“It would mean so much to have our father back,” Claire Lai said. “I think that tomorrow is when President Trump arrives and itʼs the feast day of Our Lady of Fátima.”

Our Lady of Fátima presented herself to three shepherd children “during the first World War,” Claire Lai explained. “So it was a sign of hope. It was a sign of hope during a time of turmoil.”

“It reminds us of the power of prayer for the conversion of souls and just … that the Blessed Mother appears to the weakest among us. And my father is physically very weak right now,” she said.

Claire Lai also noted an incident when her father fell in the shower while imprisoned, which “happened actually three days right before the feast day of Our Lady of Fátima.” She added: “And he prayed to the Blessed Mother and suddenly he was able to get up again.”

“The Blessed Mother is watching over my father and … she continues to guide us under her mantle,” she said. “This month is dedicated to the Blessed Mother and Iʼm just extremely grateful that in times of doubt, in times where I have thoughts or emotions that I know donʼt come from God, I can turn to her.”

“My fatherʼs trust in the provisions of divine providence has never wavered. So … itʼs a reminder for mine not to either,” she said. “My fatherʼs story isnʼt really one of religious persecution per se, because heʼs not in prison because of his faith, but his faith is a huge driving force of why he had the courage for the things that he did.”

“As his physical conditions got from bad to worse, he came to know … the abundance of Godʼs mercy and Godʼs grace,” she said. “Itʼs something thatʼs almost limitless."

Father Jose Molina, a priest of the Institute of the Incarnate Word, was accused of engaging in “improper and inappropriate conversations and communications with minors and adult women,” Chicago archbishop Cardinal Blase Cupich said in a May 9 letter.

Cupich, in the letter addressed to parishioners at St. Francis of Assisi Parish on Chicagoʼs Near West Side, said he had sent Molina back to the provincial house of the Institute of the Incarnate Word and had removed Molinaʼs faculties to minister in the archdiocese.

The letter also said the archdiocese has “reported the allegations to civil authorities,” while Molinaʼs accusers were “offered the services of the archdiocese’s Office of Assistance Ministry.”

The archbishopʼs letter did not offer any further details about the allegations against Molina and indicated the investigation was ongoing.

Priest in New Mexico also removed from ministry

A priest in New Mexico was also recently removed from ministry amid allegations of the theft of diocesan records.

In a May 8 letter to parishioners at the Basilica of San Albino, Las Cruces Bishop Peter Baldacchino said Father Chris Williams had been “relieved of all his duties” in the diocese and suspended as pastor of the basilica amid a controversy involving the reported theft of tens of thousands of diocesan files.

The bishop said a civil discovery process revealed that Williams and “certain employees” of the basilica allegedly conspired to steal “over 60,000 private diocesan records,” specifically financial records. The diocese has referred the theft to law enforcement, he said.

The alleged robbery “exposed the diocese and all parishes to a significant risk of misappropriation and theft,” the bishop said.

Williams' brother, Father Michael Williams, would serve as the temporary pastor of the basilica, Baldacchino said, noting he was unable to share further details due to the ongoing investigation.

A housing rule proposed by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) could cause families to lose federal housing assistance if some family members lack legal immigration status. Current rules allow families to receive assistance at a prorated rate, with money adjusted based on how many family members are in the country lawfully.

An employment rule proposed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) would establish a one-year waiting period for asylum seekers to receive work authorization and create stricter eligibility requirements. It also would pause new applications.

Both rules proposed by the Trump administration underwent the required 60-day comment period.

Housing rule

The bishops warned the proposed housing changes could lead to family separation by driving away family members who are in the country unlawfully, fearing the family’s housing assistance would otherwise be lost.

“The proposed rule would require these families to make a heartbreaking choice — endure family separation so that eligible members could continue to qualify for critical subsidized housing programs or stay together and forfeit any housing assistance,” the USCCB public comment states.

“This is a choice no family should be forced to make,” it adds.

For families who do stay together, the bishops warn the rule risks them all losing affordable housing and could drive up homelessness. They also fear unintended consequences, with eligible families being kicked off if they do not have the necessary documents to prove their citizenship or legal status.

“Denying subsidies to eligible individuals because of their membership in a mixed-status family is morally wrong, concerning from a fiscal perspective, and is in conflict with the underlying law,” the statement adds.

“The rule would have grave consequences for families, vulnerable communities, and the organizations that serve them,” it continues. “It will lead to family separation and create unnecessary housing instability amongst eligible applicants and their families.”

The bishops were joined by other Catholic organizations in objecting to the housing rule: the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Catholic Charities USA, the Catholic Health Association of the United States, and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.

Employment rule

The bishops argued the proposed employment rule violates the law as written and raises both economic and moral consequences.

“Catholic social teaching affirms the inherent dignity of every human person and the right of individuals to support themselves and their families through work,” the bishops said.

“Policies that deny asylum seekers the ability to meet their basic needs while pursuing protection effectively force individuals into destitution, exploitation, or abandonment of lawful claims,” they said. “Such outcomes are incompatible with the Gospel’s call to welcome the stranger and with long-standing principles of solidarity and the preferential option for the poor.”

The bishops warned the change would negatively impact a vulnerable population that is fleeing hardship and has limited resources. They said asylum seekers are often not eligible for government assistance and must work to provide for themselves.

“The changes … would undermine the common good by disregarding the dignity of work as well as the right of noncitizens to provide for themselves and for their families in a dignified way, subjecting them to an increased risk of exploitation,” they said. “They would also limit asylum seekers’ ability to contribute their God-given gifts and talents for the benefit of the community as a whole.”

There is “no dogma or formal teaching” promulgated by the Church on the question of extraterrestrial life, according to experts, but prominent Catholic scholars and philosophers have contributed to the discussion around the centuries-old question, one that remains unresolved amid intense public interest.

For decades “contactees” have claimed to have encountered alien life either in the form of purported alien spacecraft or direct contact with extraterrestrials themselves. But such sightings and experiences have never been “proven” or confirmed by scientific bodies or governments.

Perhaps unsurprisingly for a topic that in more recent decades has been viewed as little more than an esoteric fad, the Church has never pronounced definitively on the topic of UAP and alien phenomena in general.

But Luke Togni, a professor of religious studies at Saint Maryʼs University in Nova Scotia, Canada, said the Churchʼs official silence on the matter is arguably a statement in and of itself.

“You might say that the Church hasn’t pronounced on it through a kind of silence around the topic,” he said. “But it has permitted speculation.”

There are some rare instances in Church history where leaders have briefly touched on the question, Togni said.

He pointed to the Medieval-era Pope Zacharyʼs condemnation of a theory that there could be human life on “another orb,” although Togni said the popeʼs remarks “probably had more to do with a race of humans not descending from Adam” than dispute over alien life in general.

He also noted the 15th-century Pope Pius IIʼs condemnation of a similar theory regarding other humans on “other worlds,” though the dispute again seemed to stem from whether or not the biblical Adam was to be considered the first human being.

Still, the overall debate, particularly in modern times, has never been deemed illicit by the Church, Togni said. “Into the Renaissance and more recent modernity there is a proliferation of speculation about alien life,” he said. “That’s never been condemned.”

The issue is increasingly drawing attention and commentary from Catholic philosophers and experts.

Catholic theologian Paul Thigpen, who passed away in February and who wrote the book "Extraterrestrial Intelligence and the Catholic Faith: Are We Alone in the Universe with God and the Angels?", told the National Catholic Register in 2022 that he was “convinced” after years of study that a belief in extraterrestrial intelligence was compatible with the Catholic faith.

“Some Christian theologians of the past have asserted that there can be no intelligent species other than humanity and the angels (fallen and unfallen),” he told the Register.

“But their reasoning was most often flawed by a reliance on certain philosophical or scientific assumptions of ancient pagan philosophers that have proven to be wrong — such as the notion that planet Earth is the center of the universe.”

In 2024 the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame released a documentary examining “the boundaries for Catholic belief” in relation to extraterrestrial theories. The documentary spoke to numerous Catholic academics and researchers, including St. Johnʼs University philosophy professor Marie George.

George in the documentary disputed the belief that God would create a “teeny tiny Ptolemaic universe” as envisioned by thinkers and astronomers of earlier centuries.

“If Godʼs going to create a universe, heʼs going to create a really splendid universe,” she said. “... Itʼs going to be marvelous. Itʼs going to mind-blowing.”

In a May 2025 episode of “The Lila Rose Show,” meanwhile, Father Robert Spitzer — currently president of the Magis Center, which “seeks to answer the conflict of science and faith” through both research and Catholic theology — said that if aliens do exist, and if they meet certain criteria such as self-consciousness, free will, and conscience, then such beings would “have a soul.”

“[If] they would have a soul just like us, then they would be made in the image and likeness of God,” he said while agreeing that such beings would not contradict Scripture.

Diana Pasulka, a writer and professor of religious studies at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington — who also appeared in the McGrath Institute documentary — told EWTN News that the Church “has not declared UFOs to be real, false, or anything else.”

“Historically and even recently, prominent Catholics have issued opinions about extraterrestrials, but these are not to be understood as official doctrine or dogma,” she said.

The early Church theologians St. Athanasius and St. Basil were aware of debates regarding the “plurality of worlds” theory, she said, “but they didn’t venture to make any pronouncements about whether these worlds were populated with extraterrestrial life.”

In later centuries some prominent leaders began to speak more directly about the issue. Pasulka pointed to St. Albert the Great, a 13th-century Dominican friar who referred to the “wondrous and noble” question about “whether there is one world or many.”

Around the same time, Parisian Bishop Étienne Tempier affirmed that God could make many worlds if he chose (though the bishop himself believed that Earth was the lone created world).

And the 15th-century Cardinal Nicholas of Cusa challenged the belief that “so many of the stars and parts of the heavens are uninhabited,” arguing instead that “in every region there are inhabitants, differing in nature by rank and all owing their origin to God.”

Both Togni and Pasulka disputed the conspiracy theories that claim the Vatican is hiding evidence of alien life or alien spacecraft. In a recent Substack post, Pasulka wrote: “I have spent most of my career studying Catholic history, and I have worked in the observatory archive myself. I did not encounter a crashed UFO there, and I do not believe the Vatican is hiding one.”

Togni said that for years theorists have speculated on the so-called “Magenta crash,” an alleged incident involving a downed UFO in Italy in 1933 that, according to conspiracy theories, the Vatican helped cover up.

“It does get a little bit sensationalized,” he said with a laugh. There is little evidence that the Vatican is concealing secret alien files, he acknowledged, but “that doesn’t mean there isn’t some level of discussion that hasn’t been held there.”

James Madden, a philosophy professor at Benedictine College who has written at length on the UAP phenomenon, suggested that it should not be assumed by default that aerial phenomena come from extraterrestrial life.

“There are a number of other possible explanations that do not dismiss the reality of what people have claimed to have experienced,” he said, arguing that the issue needs to be “explored with our most sophisticated scientific, philosophical, and maybe even theological tools.”

Madden, a practicing Catholic, said he would “not be surprised at all” if there were “other intelligent species” in the universe, arguing that such a revelation would not seem “troubling for Catholic theology.”

He warned, however, that the traditional Catholic “receptivity to the supernatural” could “render Catholics uniquely vulnerable to be taken in by UFO lore,” even if the lore itself is groundless.

“When someone has long believed in things that most people take as ‘weird,’ there might be a tendency to see other ‘weird’ beliefs entering the cultural mainstream as a kind of confirmation,” he said. “That could leave Catholics liable to accepting certain claims without fully exploring all the possibilities or really criticizing the evidence.”

Togni himself said he believes it is “not an impossibility” that intelligent life exists elsewhere, though he said he may hold that belief “just because I was a sci-fi kid.”

He admitted that itʼs been difficult to get the Church engaged on the question in a “measured, open way.”

“The Church should say: ‘This is something that is being thought about,’” he said. Amid ongoing public interest, he added: “I think weʼll see more and more conversation arise on this.”

Meanwhile, the U.S. government said in a press release Monday that the Trump administration was “focused on providing maximum transparency to the public, who can ultimately make up their own minds about the information contained in these files.”

Linda Carl spoke about the dangers of yoga and her newest book, “Yoga Unveiled: My Spiritual Journey from Darkness to Light," at a May 11 discussion at the Catholic Information Center in Washington, D.C.

As a stay-at-home mom, Carl began to take yoga classes and eventually became a certified instructor. The practice led her into the chakras and Reiki, which “are New Age modalities” that claim to be energy healing techniques.

For nearly 20 years, much of Carl’s life revolved around yoga and other New Age philosophies. She taught yoga, practiced it, and promoted it, but after prayer and discernment, and an encounter with the devil, Carl said she left the practice entirely.

“I got swooped into the seduction, and it wasnʼt until I fully removed myself from yoga that I was able to even begin to understand what I was deeply involved in,” Carl said.

Yoga is “a fairly controversial issue, so I think when we armor ourselves, or when we arm ourselves with information, that helps us tell the truth,” Carl said. “Even priests and religious donʼt necessarily know or understand … yogaʼs dangers.”

In order to “arm” people, Carl drew from years of research, personal experience, Scripture, and the words of Hindu teachers themselves to write her book. The book explores how yoga’s postures, mantras, breathing practices, and techniques are not neutral but are acts of devotion to other gods.

The book draws “a side-by-side comparison ... of what yoga beliefs are and what Christian or Catholic beliefs are, and theyʼre very, very different,” Carl said.

What is yoga?

While many people practice and recommend yoga, Carl said many donʼt know exactly what it is or the meaning behind it. She posed the questions: “What is yoga?” and “Where did it come from?"

“Yoga is done in the language of Sanskrit,” she said. In Sanskrit, “yoga actually means to yoke or to unite. So what youʼre yoking to is not the Judeo-Christian God but the Hindu god Brahman. Brahman is their main god."

“Itʼs not the God revealed in the Bible. And Scripture cautions us not to be yoked to unbelievers. Christians, on the other hand, yoke to Christ,” she said.

“Yoga is actually a Hindu spirituality, which makes it an occult practice, and anything of the occult opens the door to Satan and evil spirits,” she said. “We learned in the very beginning of the Bible that in the garden, Satan was present but hidden. Itʼs really no different in yoga.”

“Yoga is not really what most people think,” Carl said. There are “four major Hindu scriptures, and … one of them, the Vedas, provides all liturgical sequences for their worship, and yoga is in there. So yoga is essentially a worship of their gods.”

“The moves that were created through this liturgical process were intended to honor and venerate Hindu gods and to adore them,” she said. “And we know that Hindu gods are not real. We know that demons hide behind Hindu gods. So yoga, through its practice, through doing it, youʼre opening a door to those demonic entities that hide behind,” Carl said.

Yoga is also “a gateway to the New Age,” including “crystals, numerology, astrology, channeling,” Carl said. “The New Age is an ideology that essentially replaces religion, which essentially replaces God.”

Yoga ‘misleading’ Christians

Carl warned that it is easy to enter into the darkness of yoga because terminology and actions can be “confusing or misleading.”

“When I would go to my teacher trainings, we learned everything in Sanskrit — the postures, the invocations,“ she said. Often in the trainings, ”nobody takes the time to tell you what the translation is or to tell you what it means.”

She gave the example of breaking in yoga, which is “an important component.”

“Itʼs called Ujjayi breath. Ujjayi means snake,” Carl said. “We were never told that. So the first type of yoga that I practiced was Kundalini. Kundalini is one of the most dangerous types of yoga. Kundalini is said to be an energy that resides at the base of your spine in the form of a serpent. We know who the serpent is, right?”

Carl further discussed a book she read on Kundalini that “talks about G-O-D,” which she believed to mean God. Carl said: "Well, itʼs generator, oppressor, and destroyer, and those are three main Hindu gods, and those are what they do. So itʼs not God as we know, itʼs a different god.”

“In yoga, they talk about the universe,” Carl said. “But thatʼs not God. People mistake the universe with God. God created the universe, but God is not the universe.”

In training they also “talk about the spirit,” Carl said. “Well, itʼs the snake spirit, not the Holy Spirit … So these kinds of things become confusing or misleading to people who are not well catechized.”

"Spirituality has to be tethered to something, and if itʼs not tethered to God, then itʼs tethered to something not of God, and thatʼs where the dangers come in,” Carl said. “So we have to be really careful when we think about that. As Catholics, we know and we believe that everything comes from God. God is the source of all, everything, all good, all challenges in our life.”