Pax Christi International, a Catholic peace movement, is working with the Hiroshima Coventry Club (Touro Project) to organize the “Lanterns for Peace: from Hiroshima to the World” campaign around the world.

“Inspired by the lantern ceremonies held each year in Hiroshima, the campaign invites communities around the world to organize local commemorative events using traditional lanterns as symbols of remembrance, peace, hope, and nuclear disarmament,” the Lanterns for Peace June 15 announcement read.

The lantern ceremonies will mark the anniversaries of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima on Aug. 6 and Nagasaki on Aug. 9 in 1945.

“In an increasingly fragile world, where the nuclear threat has once again become a tangible reality, this commemoration is not only a moment of mourning, but a genuine call to conscience,” the statement continued.

The lanterns represent remembrance for lives lost, “hope for reconciliation and peace,” and “a collective commitment to abolish nuclear weapons,” according to the statement.

Lanterns for Peace is working with local groups to honor the anniversaries.

“Each participating city or community is encouraged to adapt the ceremony to its own local context while remaining united through shared symbols, messages, and commitments,” according to a booklet the group issued.

The booklet contains more details about the event along with instructions on how to build a lantern.

Each event includes a lantern floating ceremony, where safe and permitted, a moment of silence or prayer, and the reading of survivors’ testimonies.

In an interview with EWTN News In Depth, the former prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith said episcopal ordinations carried out “without the pope are absolutely impossible, against the will of God,” marking those who carry them out as “not Catholic or anti-Catholic.” That judgment, he stressed, rests on “objective criteria,” not “subjective judgments.”

The Society plans to consecrate four priests, including American Father Michael Goldade, on July 1 at its seminary in Écône, Switzerland, echoing Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre’s 1988 consecrations.

Without a papal mandate the consecrations would be valid but illicit, carrying an automatic “latae sententiae” excommunication.

Müller likened the society to the Donatists, the schism St. Augustine fought in North Africa.

“They should learn from the way of the Donatists,” he said, adding that St. Pius X, the society’s patron, “will pray against these people who abuse his name.” Pope Leo XIV, he noted, is himself an Augustinian.

The German prelate, a longtime professor of dogmatic theology, called devotion to traditional liturgy and the rejection of papal authority “two absolutely different questions,” and faulted bishops who forbid the TLM as “authoritarian.”

Asked what faithful drawn to SSPX Masses should do if a schism follows, Müller said they “shouldn’t go, and cannot participate in the Masses of schismatic priests and bishops.”

The Vatican’s current doctrine chief, Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, warned on May 13 that the consecrations would be “a schismatic act.”

The SSPX rejects the charge, holding that such consecrations do not by themselves break communion; on June 24 it sent Pope Leo and the College of Cardinals a “Declaration of Catholic Faith.” 

Superior General Father Davide Pagliarani has cited a “state of necessity,” noting only two aging SSPX bishops remain to ordain its priests.

Müller also discussed the June 26–27 consistory, which he said he expected to take up atheism and artificial intelligence, and renewed his criticism of “synodality,” which he said had been “abused” to push ideas against Church teaching on the priesthood and marriage.

The five-day gathering is hosted by the GIVEN Institute – a nonprofit organization dedicated to activating the gifts of Catholic young adult women for the Church and the world through faith formation and leadership.

The forum, taking place June 24-28, features keynotes, leadership training, mentorship, adoration, prayer, and Mass.

“We hope women will take away an understanding, on a much deeper level, that they are a gift. They are a beloved daughter of God,” executive director of GIVEN, Jennifer Cole-Schaefer, told EWTN News.

Women have “been given gifts that are specific to them, and God has a plan to use those gifts,” she said. “Itʼs all about receiving this idea that we are a gift, realizing what our gifts are, and responding in a way that only we can respond with our particular gifts.”

The forum welcomes Catholic women, ages 21-35, who have been accepted into the institute’s leadership program, as well as mentors, volunteers, exhibitors, and sponsors.

Acceptance into the program includes participation in GIVEN’s forum, followed by a year of accompaniment with a trained mentor. Participants cultivate a personalized “action plan” designed to serve the Church and their community.

The “formation starts well before we get to the forum, but the forum is a really pivotal in-person experience,” Cole-Schaefer said.

“Itʼs after the forum that the real work begins – when women start to actualize their action plans, and they donʼt do that alone. They do that through mentoring,” she said.

“So we have a whole army of women with some life experience whoʼve stepped forward and been trained as mentors to walk with our young women as they discern all the steps,” Cole-Schaefer said.

Cole-Schaefer said she hopes that after the forum, women walk “away inspired and ready to change the world in whatever way God is calling them to.”

2026 forum kicks off

This yearʼs forum welcomes a variety of presentations and keynotes, including talks from Sr. Bethany Madonna, SV, a Sister of Life, and Dr. Mary Healy, a professor of scripture at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit and the editor of the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture.

The event is also featuring numerous panels on finding one’s vocation and mission. Panelists include GIVEN alumni who attest to the formation they received through the forum.

President and COO of EWTN News, Montse Alvarado, will speak on June 27 about how young women respond with their gifts. GIVEN will also bestow Mother Agnes Mary Donovan, SV with its Fiat Award, which honors women whose lives embody the response of Our Lady through faithful leadership, service, and love.

Sr. Mary Madeline Todd, OP presented the keynote address on June 26. The Dominican Sister of the Congregation of St. Cecilia told attendees that God reveals “you are the gift” and “you are the love.”

Todd told her listeners that contemporary culture tells women they were made for “comfort,” “convenience,” or “control,” but, she emphasized, “you and I were made for communion.”

“Every gift weʼve been given is to call others into the relationship with the Lord they were made for. Itʼs to realize our relationship with the Lord, to grow in it, to let that love that fills us up” so we can then “pour it out onto the world,” she said.

“My sisters, whatever gift he gives you, receive it. Whatever struggle you face, do not get discouraged. Heʼs working in it,” she said.

“Your story is a way heʼs bringing beauty into the world. But know that no matter what comes and goes with your gifts, the gift is him. His friendship, his presence, his love, is the gift heʼll never take away,” Todd said.

Six young people claimed to have seen the Virgin Mary for the first time on June 24, 1981, the feast day of St. John the Baptist, on Mount Podbrdo. Since then, some of those visionaries say they still receive messages from the Mother of God on a daily basis.

Following a lengthy investigation, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith approved a document in 2024 titled The Queen of Peace, which acknowledges the spiritual fruits that have been borne, finds no obstacles in the alleged messages received, and makes no pronouncement regarding the supernatural nature of the phenomena.

Assisted by young people from the Cenacolo Community, who carried the cardinal part of the way as he was seated on a litter, the Albanian cardinal traversed a portion of the rocky path on foot, though not without difficulty.

Along the way, he blessed those present who stopped to greet him. Upon reaching the summit of the mountain, he prayed the rosary beside the statue of the Virgin Mary and blessed the water with which he sprinkled the crowd before returning.

The footage of this pilgrimage, provided by María Visión Medjugorje, bears witness to the determination of the cardinal who, as a priest, endured the communist dictatorship of Enver Hoxha, the man who proclaimed Albania to be “the first atheist state in the world."

A priest twice sentenced to death

Born in 1928 in the village of Troshani, the young Simoni underwent formation with the Franciscans from 1938 to 1948, until a bloody religious persecution eliminated the communityʼs superiors and forced him to continue his formation in secret.

In 1956, he was ordained a priest at St. Stephenʼs Cathedral in the Archdiocese of Shkodrë-Pult. Seven years later, after celebrating Christmas Eve Mass on Dec. 24, 1963, he was arrested by four agents and informed that he would be executed by hanging, accused of having celebrated a Mass for the repose of the soul of recently assassinated U.S. President John F. Kennedy at the behest of St. Paul VI.

According to his own account, an attempt was made to entrap him by placing another prisoner in his cell who began complaining about the Communist Party. News of his preaching about love for oneʼs enemies while in prison reached the dictator, who decided to commute his sentence to 28 years of forced labor. During those years, he continued to celebrate Mass and exercise his priestly ministry clandestinely.

In 1973, he was once again sentenced to death, accused of inciting a rebellion. However, exonerating testimony prevented the immediate execution of the sentence, and he remained in prison for another 18 years until his release in 1981.

He continued his pastoral work in secret for another nine years, until the fall of the communist regime in 1990.

“The Lord has helped me to serve so many people and to reconcile many, driving hatred and the devil away from the hearts of men,” he stated upon concluding his testimony before Pope Francis in October 2016.

A month later, Simoni was created a cardinal at the consistory held on Nov. 19, 2016.

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

In his address on June 25, the Holy Father referenced several of the major challenges facing humanity, which he said is undergoing an “epochal change.” Specifically, he pointed to the secularization of societies, where many people are “seeking to push any mention of God out of the public sphere and beyond popular culture.”

In addition, he pointed to the failure of political systems to address the needs of migrants and the marginalized, as well as the lack of hope among young people, the degradation of the planetʼs resources, and the challenges posed by artificial intelligence.

The pope encouraged representatives of Jesuit colleges and universities to confront these challenges by looking to the Society of Jesus’ four Universal Apostolic Preferences, which are four focus areas that are to guide the Jesuits’ mission worldwide from 2019 to 2029. They were developed through a two-year global discernment process involving Jesuits and their lay partners, then confirmed by Pope Francis in 2019.

The four Universal Apostolic Preferences are to show the way to God through the Spiritual Exercises and discernment; to walk with the poor, the outcasts, and those whose dignity has been violated in a mission of reconciliation and justice; to accompany young people in the creation of a hope-filled future, and to collaborate in the care of our common home.

First, the pontiff reflected on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius and the importance of discernment, encouraging members of academic communities to have the opportunity to participate in them and thus come to know “the One who is Truth.”

“Those who conduct research, those who pursue studies and those who seek the truth are ultimately seeking God, whether they realize it or not,” he emphasized.

He also referred to the “thirst for God” that is increasingly palpable among young people, something he noted he had witnessed firsthand during his recent visit to Spain. Consequently, he encouraged them to offer the Spiritual Exercises to young people on university campuses.

The pope also pointed out that it is essential to “walk with the poor and the outcasts of the world.” For this reason, he urged them to “offer opportunities for immigrants, refugees and those of a lower socioeconomic status to have the benefit of an advanced education.”

“The resurrection of Christ is the ultimate source of hope.”

Pope Leo XIV

He emphasized that Jesuit schools and universities must be places where young people find “a hope-filled future,” and thus must foster opportunities for dialogue, service, and prayer, “remembering always that the resurrection of Christ is the ultimate source of hope.”

As another urgent duty, the pontiff underscored the need to educate about the care of creation, primarily due to the effects of climate change as well as “the exploitation of resources by a few at the expense of the common good.”

Finally, in citing the advances in artificial intelligence, he appealed to the essential role of colleges and universities and noted that it is “important to begin now to address the consequences, both positive and negative, that come from these advances.”

“With the help of the prayers of St. Ignatius of Loyola, may you continue the Jesuit tradition of forming those entrusted to your care to be ‘men and women for others,’” the Holy Father encouraged.

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 178 cardinals attending the two-day consistory, run in a synodal format, spoke of growing polarization within societies, with some saying it is often fueled by misinformation and exacerbated by digital communication that hinders rather than fosters genuine dialogue.

The theme of the first session was: “In what kind of world are we called to proclaim the Gospel?” As the proceedings were closed to the public, the Holy See Press Office supplied the media with a synthesis of the discussions.

The Vatican said the cardinals spoke of political tensions, social fragmentation and an increase in violence, both at the interpersonal level and in international conflicts.

Many cardinals also pointed to a lack of respect for religious and ethnic minorities, with particular concern expressed about rising antisemitism and hostility toward Christians in various parts of the world.

The cardinal participants also spoke of extreme individualism, the crisis in the family, and loneliness that affects both the elderly and the young, which they see as a cause of even greater evils, such as the rise in suicide and drug use.

“In this context, there was much discussion about young people, including in the context of economic, financial and labor market crises,” the Vatican synthesis said.

“At the heart of many of the contributions was an awareness of a general sense of mistrust, fatalism and powerlessness towards institutions, democracy and the future, linked also to the falling birth rate, the rise of criminal groups, youth crime and drug trafficking,” it continued.

“In this regard, several groups emphasized the role of secularism, the loss of transcendent and spiritual values, and the loss of a sense of purpose in life; they noted that the spread of a sense of weariness and the absence of a perspective on truth signify an inability to recognize otherness and to build relationships.”

Several groups noted a pervasive sense of mistrust toward institutions, including democratic systems, coupled with a growing fatalism about the possibility of meaningful change.

Migration highlighted

The phenomenon of migration received significant attention. While acknowledging the challenges it poses, the cardinals emphasized the need for humane and Christian responses, including effective integration policies and a rejection of exclusionary attitudes.

Migrants, several groups observed, can be a source of renewal and blessing for host communities when welcomed appropriately.

Environmental degradation, corruption, and the difficulties of life in large urban centers were also cited as contributing to the hardships faced by many people today.

Across all groups, the Vatican reported that there was a shared conviction that the Church has a vital role to play in responding to these challenges.

The cardinals stressed the need for the Church to present itself as a “mother” — a welcoming and compassionate presence capable of acknowledging its own failings while offering healing and reconciliation. This includes renewed attention to parish life, seen as a key locus for fostering community and encounter.

At a time when many institutions are experiencing a crisis of credibility, the cardinals affirmed that the Church is called to speak with moral authority on issues of human dignity, peace and the common good. They suggested that such credibility is most effectively established through proximity to those who suffer.

Young people were described as having a growing thirst for the Gospel. The Church, the cardinals said, must accompany them closely, offering both guidance and hope.

The Vatican synthesis said that the Church “sees how synodality is a providential path for the Church and humanity to find the answers the world seeks.” It also said the witness of charity, especially by lay faithful, was highlighted as a powerful means of evangelization.

The cardinals pointed to signs of hope in popular piety, education and the life of faith among ordinary believers. Even in contexts where Christians are a minority, the Church’s witness was described as particularly meaningful, they said.

Efforts to promote dialogue and peace, including ecumenical and interreligious initiatives, were identified as essential in countering violence and division, according to the Vatican synthesis. Prayer was also emphasized as a fundamental source of strength in these endeavors.

Although such a consistory of cardinals has traditionally been an opportunity for the pope to listen to all the cardinals’ concerns, he was absent during the working group session, returning later to address the assembly following the group reports.

Thanking the cardinals for their contributions, he reiterated the importance of dialogue and participation, the Vatican said.

The pope observed that the widespread loneliness and suffering of today’s world constitute a direct challenge to the Church. Its response, he said, must be to invite all people into communion — not only by opening churches and celebrating the sacraments, but also by creating opportunities and experiences of encounter.

“If we are not blind,” the pope said, “it is true that there is so much suffering.”

The June 26 session concluded with the recitation of the Angelus, with further discussions scheduled to continue in the afternoon and the following day.

As the consistory proceeds, the Vatican said it is expected to further refine these reflections, offering clearer indications of how the Church under Pope Leo XIV intends to navigate what it says many participants described as one of the most challenging periods in recent history.

The first session brought together cardinal electors and non-electors — 178 out of a total of 241 cardinals.

The Vatican said that, as planned, the cardinals were divided into two sets of groups. The first contained eight groups — rather than a planned nine — of ordinary cardinal electors, including nuncios and cardinal electors (under the age of 80) who have completed their service as ordinaries. A second set consisted of ten groups — rather than a planned eleven — comprising cardinal electors of the Roman Curia and non-elector cardinals.

The Vatican said that at the end of the first session, all eight from the first set shared their reflections at the end of the session, though only four out of ten from the second set reported on theirs.

Opening proceedings

The proceedings opened with the chanting of the Veni Creator Spiritus, followed by remarks from Cardinal Baltazar Enrique Porras Rueda Aparicio of Bogota, Colombia, who presided over the session, and Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals.

Pope Leo XIV then delivered an introductory address, calling on the assembled prelates to assist him in discerning the Church’s mission amid today’s complex realities.

Cardinal Re, speaking on behalf of the College, underscored the gravity of the present historical moment, describing a world shaped simultaneously by rapid technological advances, including artificial intelligence, and a troubling erosion of moral and ethical foundations.

He praised Pope Leo’s recent encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, as a “beacon of light” addressing contemporary challenges while remaining rooted in the Church’s social doctrine.

The cardinals then turned to a biblical meditation offered by Polish Cardinal Grzegorz Ryś, the Archbishop of Krakow, who proposed the parable of the Good Samaritan as a key to understanding the modern world.

Rather than treating the world as an abstract concept, Cardinal Ryś urged reflection on concrete human experience, symbolized by the wounded man in the Gospel narrative.

He identified several defining features of contemporary humanity: exposure to violence, loss of dignity, deep personal and societal wounds, and, above all, a pervasive loneliness. “People today are suffering a tsunami of loneliness,” he noted, echoing reflections heard during the Synod on Synodality.

Cardinal Ryś also pointed to what he described as a spiritual “descent” in secularized societies increasingly detached from transcendence.

Yet alongside this wounded figure, he highlighted the example of the Samaritan — an outsider who demonstrates compassion, closeness and self-sacrificial love — as a model for the Church’s engagement with the world.

The Vatican said his reflection was followed by a prolonged period of silent prayer, after which the cardinals began discussions in their respective working groups.

During a June 26 presentation in the Oval Office, members of the Commission, led by Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, delivered their final report to President Donald Trump.

The report includes detailed recommendations for religious leaders and institutions, educators, teachers, coaches and administrators, parents, the military, religious healthcare workers and institutions, and the private sector. It also includes calls for action on efforts to combat antisemitism.

Established by executive order in May 2025, the commission was “formed to finally advise the president as to legislation, or executive orders, or other moves he could make to foster religious liberty,” Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, a member of the commission, told EWTN News Nightly’s Veronica Dudo.

“Our purpose was to listen to lots of witnesses, and we did. I think itʼs well over 100 people we listened to in education, health care, the military,” he said.

“We looked at antisemitism” and “we listened to scholars talk about the Founding Fathers,” he said. “The whole purpose was to determine to what degree religious liberty is being threatened in our country, and then what recommendations we can make to the president.”

“I respect President Trump very much. Heʼs the president in my lifetime whoʼs done the most for the defense of religious liberty,” Barron said.

I respect President Trump very much. Heʼs the president in my lifetime whoʼs done the most for the defense of religious liberty."

Robert Barron

Bishop of Winona-Rochester

“Itʼs the first mention in the First Amendment and itʼs basic to our democracy,” he said. “I think this commission focused on that a lot. We kept coming back to that basic insight: This is the first liberty.”

“When religious liberty is threatened, all the other liberties are threatened. And so we wanted to revive a sense of the Founding Fathers and the stress that they placed on it,” he said.

The completed report is based on findings from the seven hearings that the commission held over the past year, receiving input from witnesses of diverse ages, religions, and backgrounds.

“I was struck by the courage of a lot of these people because their religious liberty really was threatened,” Barron said. “Iʼm glad they came forward and…we were an opportunity for them to express their concerns to the government.”

“Among the recommendations we make, we want education to happen so that the Justice Department can really be clear on…what religious liberty means, what your rights are, what the separation of church and state does and doesnʼt mean. So part of that is educational,” Barron said.

Key recommendations ‘for all Americans’

Among the many suggestions, the commission highlighted “12 key recommendations to strengthen religious liberty for all Americans," according to the report.

The commission recommended that the Department of Justice (DOJ) issue guidance clarifying the understanding of the Establishment Clause and separation of church and state, because “the phrase ‘wall of separation between church and state’ does not appear in the First Amendment or anywhere else in the Constitution," the report noted.

Instead, the wording originates from President Thomas Jefferson’s 1802 letter to the Danbury Baptist Association, where he described the First Amendment as building a “wall of separation between Church & State.”

Because the language is not in the Constitution, “donʼt be cowed” by the claims of “separation of church and state, a wall of separation, therefore, retreat into silence, retreat into privacy with your religion,” Barron said. “I say, no, donʼt buy that.”

“Go back to the First Amendment of our Constitution,” he said. “We donʼt want an established religion. No one in our commission wants that. None of the Founding Fathers wanted that.”

“But at the same time…The government shall make no move restricting the free exercise of religion,” he said.

Many of the panel’s recommendations focused on creating clarity so people know their rights, and have ways to receive help if they feel their rights have been violated.

The commission urged that if any public official alleges a person under their supervision has improperly engaged in religious expression, they must provide a written explanation of the alleged violation to the person accused within 30 days, and explain the charge based on a constitutional provision or provision of law.

It recommended the DOJ, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issue “Know Your Rights” posters for students, parents, public school teachers and administrators, religious leaders, religious institutions, healthcare workers, and military service members.

The commission also suggests the DOJ, HHS, and EEOC create religious liberty violation hotlines and online portals for students, parents, teachers, and healthcare workers to get support.

“A number of people could call if they feel their religious liberties are being threatened,” Barron said.

“We want people to bring litigation if they can in some of these cases to press the issue. I think we want people to know that they...have friends who will support them in their struggle for this right,” he said.

The commission requests judges be nominated and confirmed who have a history of showing “courage to decide religious liberty cases on the merits where warranted, rather than engage in improper judicial avoidance,” according to the report.

The commission also called for the repeal of the Johnson Amendment, which is a 1954 provision in the U.S. tax code that prohibits nonprofits, including religious institutions, charities, and universities, from endorsing or opposing political candidates.

After speaking about antisemitism at many hearings, the commission recommended the issue be combatted through enforcement of civil rights laws, litigation of credible allegations discrimination and violence, and civic education.

The commission asked that efforts continue to restore the retirement or re-enlistment eligibility for service members who lost employment, health insurance, pensions, and other benefits because of their religious beliefs about the COVID-19 vaccine.

The commission also recommended ways of tracking and streamlining religious liberty matters. It suggested that the DOJ create a religious liberty task force to track and prioritize litigation protecting religious liberty, and the Department of War streamline and improve the religious accommodation process.

Lastly, the commission recommended that “the courage of religious liberty heroes” be honored through the creation of a Presidential Medal of Religious Liberty and First Freedom Hero Awards.

The award would “recognize Americans who stand up for religious freedom and play an indispensable role in protecting citizens’ Constitutional rights,” the report said.

Bishop Brendan J. Cahill, who chairs the committee, asked Trump to refrain from deporting the migrants and for Congress to take action that would allow them to remain.

“Revoking the legal status of hundreds of thousands of people residing in our country creates a moral crisis when returning to their country of origin is not a safe or reasonable option,” Cahill said in a statement.

“If we are truly to affirm the God-given dignity of every human person, we as a nation cannot turn a blind eye to such an injustice and the impossible choices it will create for families and communities,” he said.

The Supreme Court on June 25 ruled in favor of the Department of Homeland Security ending the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) of Haitian and Syrian migrants, finding the law provides the executive branch with broad discretion in making those determinations.

Without TPS status, more than 300,000 Haitians and more than 6,000 Syrians have lost legal protections that prevent them from being deported.

“Even if the administration determines TPS is no longer warranted, deferred enforced departure remains a tool available to the president, and we urge him to exercise right judgement in this way,” Cahill said.

“Forcibly sending families to dire conditions is a legacy all leaders should seek to avoid,” the bishop said. “To that end, my brother bishops and I also continue to call upon Congress to act — to meet this moment with the moral fortitude that is so desperately needed.”

Addressing 178 cardinals in the Paul VI Hall on the first of two days of discussions, Leo encouraged them to “engage wholeheartedly” in a synodal, working group structure, adding that he was “well aware that, for many of us, this is not the usual way of conducting a consistory.”

Yet, he said this form is now part of “the journey along which the Lord is leading us,” encouraging the cardinals to participate actively while assuring them that they can still make “personal contributions” and send him “any confidential observations or reflections.”

“Enter into this ecclesial exercise with confidence,” he said, adding that synodality is learned “by practising it” and that “we learn together to grow in communion.”

The pope’s comments came after some cardinals had expressed apprehensions about the consistory using a “synodal” round-table format for a second time — a structure they felt was “very controlled” when used at the first consistory last January, and left them with a sense that key decisions and framing had been set in advance.

Efforts made to address those concerns at this meeting include the introduction of a “free dialogue” session at the end of the meeting and a dedicated email address where cardinals can write directly to the pope to share their advice and concerns.

In his opening address, Pope Leo summarized the four themes the cardinals are to discuss. First, they were invited to contemplate the world “through the eyes of faith,” listening and walking with others amid contemporary challenges. Secondly, they were asked to reflect on a “civilization of love” in a time of conflict, oppression and division, drawing on his social encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, which explores human dignity and the common good. Thirdly, they are to explore that encyclical in greater depth by examining how the Church can build the common good through shared responsibility and adopting a “synodal style.” Finally, they are to consider how to implement the Synod on Synodality “in the face of the world’s wounds.”

Synodality, a recurring theme in both his opening address and homily at the opening Mass, “points to a way forward: listening, discerning and jointly assuming responsibility,” Leo said. It is not simply a set of procedures, he insisted, but “an attitude, an openness, a willingness to understand.” Nor does it entail a “diminishment of authority;” rather it serves to “safeguard communion” while fostering the participation of all and helping pastors exercise authority more evangelically.

The pope underlined that the consistory is not meant merely to address the internal life of the Church but to shape “our view of the world, peace, the common good, synodality,” so that the Gospel may be proclaimed with greater fidelity and credibility. The goal, he said, is to improve the Church’s witness and to become better heralds of the Gospel, which requires listening and the sharing of responsibilities.

“For this reason I wish to ask for your help,” he continued. “I need your support: strong, explicit and public. I need to feel supported by you as by brothers.” He urged the cardinals to accompany him in his service, to listen to what is emerging in local churches, to recognize signs of hope, but not ignore “struggles, misunderstandings and resistance.”

Leo said he was convinced the Lord is “teaching us a more evangelical way of living out together the responsibility he has entrusted to us,” and that the credibility of their witness and fruitfulness in mission depend on this.

The pope decided to reinstate extraordinary consistories after Pope Francis had suspended them in 2014, a generally unpopular move with many cardinals who, ahead of the conclave last year, voiced a need for the Holy Father to consult them more frequently.

In contrast to the approach of Francis, who rarely consulted his porporati except for a select few and his council of nine cardinals who advised him on Church governance, Pope Leo was emphatic on Friday about how much he valued their input, saying “sincere advice is always an act of communion” and that he needed their freedom, frankness and loyalty.

He thanked them for attending, saying their presence showed their “concern for the whole Church,” and stressing that their dialogue with him, to assist him in the service and mission of the Church, is one of the cardinals’ “most important responsibilities.”

Leo underlined that they are to be builders of “Christ’s communion” which, he said, “takes shape in a synodal Church in which everyone cooperates in the same mission, each according to their own charism and ministry.”

“We are not guardians of particular interests,” he reminded them, “but disciples and witnesses of the Kingdom of God, called to be, in Christ, the leaven of universal brotherhood,” echoing remarks he had made to the Roman Curia last December.

Opening homily

In his homily at the opening Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on Friday morning, Pope Leo said synodality and collegiality are “forms of Christian fraternity,” which enables all the baptized to participate in the unity of the People of God.

Noting that the meeting is taking place just ahead of the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, he urged the cardinals to follow the apostles’ example of sharing the faith in freedom, to ask for the gift of peace and unity, and to “savor harmony through obedience.”

The implementation of the synod, “to which we are committed, invites everyone to move forward in unity of faith, promoting peace, and in obedience to Jesus, the living Word,” he said. As ideologies fade away, the Holy Spirit makes fraternal harmony, charity, and missionary zeal “flourish in the Church.”

“Our working together in a collegial way embodies the synodality in which all the baptized participate in the unity of the People of God,” he continued. “Synodality and collegiality are, in fact, forms of Christian fraternity, which binds us together as the baptized and as bishops.”

Appearing to recast the way in which Petrine ministry is exercised, he closed by saying that in helping him in that task, “you will find in me one who asks, not commands.”

“Moreover, the authority of primacy belongs to the one who listens and only then leads, to the one who learns and only then teaches, always following the one and only Teacher,” he said. “May the intercession of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul accompany us on this enthralling journey.”

The state attorney general’s report is the second-to-last of a total of seven investigations into clergy and Church abuse in Michigan. Prior to the Saginaw investigation, Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office released a report in December 2025 regarding the Diocese of Grand Rapids.

On June 25, the state published its investigation into the Saginaw Diocese, revealing what it said were allegations against “37 priests and one deacon.” The allegations date as far back as the 1950s.

Thirty of the alleged abusers are “known or presumed to be dead,” while of the eight living priests, “none is in active ministry,” according to the report.

The majority of incidents involve alleged abuse of underage minors, though four priests were the subject of allegations involving adults, according to the report.

The attorney general’s investigation was launched in part to examine whether criminal charges could be filed against any of the accused. In its press release announcing the report, the attorney general’s office indicated that it had not filed any criminal charges against priests from the Saginaw Diocese.

Nessel said in a press release the investigation was “only possible because of the bravery of so many, from young children to the elderly, coming forward over decades to share their suffering.”

”Accountability comes in many forms, and by publishing these accounts we hope to foster acknowledgment for these survivors and safer communities today,” she said.

In a June 25 letter, Saginaw Bishop Robert Gruss acknowledged the release of the report and affirmed that the diocese had “fully cooperated” with the government in its investigation.

“As Bishop of the Diocese of Saginaw, I want to express my deepest sorrows to those who have been victims of abuse by members of the clergy,” the prelate said. “Please accept my sincere apology for the pain and suffering you have experienced by those who were entrusted with your care.”

The bishop noted that the “vast majority” of abuse allegations in the diocese were “very old,” with most occurring decades ago, in the 1970s and 1980s.

“Itʼs clear that the Catholic Church in the United States has made significant progress over the last 20-plus years in putting safeguards in place to protect children, young people, and vulnerable adults,” he said.

“Clearly, we are a different Church today because of those who have and continue to courageously share their stories, so that the sins and crimes which damaged the Body of Christ could be addressed,” he wrote.

Following the Saginaw report, the state government is expected to release one more investigation regarding allegations in the Archdiocese of Detroit. Nessel in the press release said the Detroit investigation would be released “later this year.”

Held on the eve of the two-day extraordinary consistory of cardinals, which began at the Vatican on June 26, the pontiff’s meeting with the synod members concluded a three-day gathering to discuss the document “Towards the Assemblies 2027-2028: Stages, Criteria and Tools for Preparation,” published by the synod in May.

The final session of the extraordinary consistory of cardinals will feature a discussion on the document and implementing the synod before 2028.

The synod meeting included discussions regarding synod teams at the diocesan and national levels, current progress and challenges in implementing synodality, and the synod’s final document, published in 2025 under Pope Francis.

Synod Secretary General Cardinal Mario Grech said in a press release that, “The meeting with the Holy Father was for all the participants a powerful sign of support and encouragement as they continue their work for the Churchʼs synodal conversion.”

The synod’s implementation path before the ecclesial assembly in 2028 will proceed through four stages: “Recollecting” in the first half of 2027; “Interpreting” in the second half of 2027; “Orienting” in the first four months of 2028; and “Celebrating” in October 2028.

In May, the synod featured the testimonies of two men in civil marriages with other men. It formed part of the synod’s Executive Summary of the Final Report of Study Group 9, which analyzed the experience and pastoral care of LGBTQ+ Catholics.

“This is totally unnecessary,” Father Mathew Koyickal, deputy secretary general of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI), told EWTN News June 26.

Koyickal was summing up the Church’s concerns, which were laid out at a June 24 news conference at the CBCI Centre in New Delhi, after the government imposed harsher rules to enforce the existing provisions of the FCRA (Foreign Contribution Regulation Act).

The new rules, issued on June 22, require action groups and charities that receive foreign funds to specify their activities by category and geographical area, disclose their social media accounts, websites, and publications, and pay a separate fee for each category and area in which they operate. Political content is barred, and the rules impose high penalties for each infringement.

Describing the rules as “alarming,” Koyickal said: “We feel at this moment, it was unnecessary because already there is a new amendment bill happening, and we have already shared our concern with regard to the proposed amendment.”

Koyickal declined to comment when EWTN News asked whether the government’s move was a “tit-for-tat” response to the pressure the Church has placed on the government through its June 28 nationwide call for prayers and protests.

“The proposed legislation (FCRA amendment) has generated concerns regarding its potential impact on the charitable, educational, healthcare, and social ministries undertaken by Churches and Christian institutions throughout the country,” said Cardinal Anthony Poola, CBCI president and Archbishop of Hyderabad, in his June 17 appeal.

Recalling the Church’s longstanding commitment to serving the poor, marginalized, and vulnerable sections of society, Poola emphasized that these ministries are a concrete expression of the Gospel values of love, justice, and compassion and “invited the faithful to unite in prayer for the nation, for public authorities, and for the continued freedom of the Church to carry out its mission of service.”

“A draconian law has been already proposed. So, we have been trying to appeal to the government. We hope that the government will come up with a law that could help the NGOs to work for the development of our country,” Koyickal told the news conference.

Though the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government had announced the harsher amendment to the FCRA and planned to pass it in Parliament on April 1, vociferous opposition inside Parliament and public opposition, including from Catholic Church leadership, forced the government to delay the bill to the monsoon session in July.

The new rules also drew opposition from outside the Church. KC Venugopal, general secretary of the opposition Congress party, wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 25 urging their immediate withdrawal, saying they were “designed not to regulate, but to strangle” the country’s nongovernmental organizations.

The FCRA rules have been changed nine times since the BJP came to power in 2014. The government’s FCRA Online dashboard shows that fewer than 15,000 of about 52,000 FCRA accounts are active.

The 37,000 FCRA licenses that have been canceled or not renewed include those of church charities and Christian social action groups, along with those of secular advocacy networks, including international organizations such as Amnesty International, Bread for the World, Compassion International, and Greenpeace.

‘Total restriction of all sorts’

“These norms amount to emasculating the work of the Church,” said John Dayal, a Catholic journalist who was among the first to publicize the new FCRA rules.

“The fresh curbs,” Dayal said, “amounts to total restriction of all sorts and silences the right to speak out on issues of truth and justice.”

Church charities that receive foreign donations, Dayal said, will be “reduced to silent spectators in India: forced to pray behind closed walls, run schools and hospitals with their mouth shut to intervene or speak out on social concerns.”

War, economic instability, and continued emigration are placing increasing pressure on the Christian presence in the region, driving a significant decline in communities across the Holy Land and neighboring countries, Twal said in an interview that aired June 25 with Veronica Dudo of EWTN News Nightly.

Reflecting on Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa’s June 22 visit to Gaza alongside Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III, Twal said the trip was a powerful sign of Christian unity and solidarity with those suffering amid the ongoing conflict.

“It is very important because it shows that Catholics and Orthodox are working together for peace and justice,” Twal said. “It is very important for our people in Gaza to see that we are united together. We care for them, we follow them, and we are close to them.”

The cardinal’s presence, he said, reassured local Christians that Church leaders remain committed to accompanying them through the hardships of war. “It is our duty to be close always to our people in the parishes, in the church in Gaza,” he added.

The bishop emphasized that the Middle East cannot be viewed as a single reality. Conditions vary greatly among countries such as Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, and the Palestinian territories, each facing its own unique challenges. Yet one concern unites them all: the steady decline of the Christian population.

“Generally speaking, Christianity in the Middle East is shrinking, and our numbers are decreasing,” Twal said. He attributed the decline to “the instability of the political situation, of wars, of conflicts.”

He noted that Christians in the Palestinian territories number about 4,000, while the Catholic parish in Gaza has dwindled to roughly 700 members. Conflict and political instability continue to drive many families to leave in search of safety and opportunity elsewhere, Twal said.

Despite these hardships, he stressed that the Catholic Church’s presence remains vital. Through its parishes, schools, hospitals, and charitable ministries, the Church provides stability and hope for vulnerable communities, serving both Christians and Muslims.

Asked whether peace is possible in the region, Twal responded emphatically: “Of course, peace is possible because we believe in it and we work for it.”

He added that peace requires daily commitment and practical action. “Peace is not only a principle that we just think about or believe in. Peace is a daily work. It is our responsibility, even with small gestures and activities,” he said.

The bishop pointed to the Church’s educational, medical, and humanitarian efforts as concrete ways it promotes peace and serves local communities. “Through our schools, our parishes, our hospitals, the services we offer to everyone, Christians and Muslims, we are building peace,” he said.

Twal also praised Pope Leo XIV for his continued calls for prayer and solidarity with those suffering throughout the region, noting that “the Holy Father is always asking to pray for us and encouraging people to be close to us.”

Calling on Christians worldwide to support the Church in the Holy Land, Bishop Twal encouraged pilgrims to visit.

“Come and visit us,” he said. “Coming to us, visiting us, it’s a sign of solidarity and support and knowing better. So stay close, either by knowing our situation or by coming and visiting us.”

The Holy Father sent the funds in order to express his closeness to the Venezuelan people through a donation made via the papal almoner, the pope’s charitable office, according to Vatican News.

The financial aid has been sent to Church leaders in the country, and the amount was agreed upon after consultations with the apostolic nuncio to Venezuela, Archbishop Alberto Ortega Martín, and the archbishop of Caracas, Archbishop Raúl Biord Castillo.

The earthquakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude, struck Venezuela after 6:00 p.m. local time, with particular intensity in La Guaira and Caracas, where, according to Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, “there are several complicated areas,” in which a number of buildings have collapsed.

Although it is still too early to determine the full extent of the tragedy, the provisional toll stands at at least 164 dead and nearly 1,000 injured. Rescue teams continue working around the clock to locate and save people trapped under the rubble.

The Catholic Church mobilized from the very first moments after the devastating quakes. The pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need has launched initiatives to support those affected.

For its part, Caritas Internationalis has allocated 100,000 euros for emergency relief, in coordination with Caritas Venezuela, which has a network of nearly 30,000 volunteers deployed throughout the country.

Archbishop Biord of Caracas lamented the “serious structural damage” suffered by numerous parishes, as well as damage recorded in the cathedral and in 12 other churches.

He noted, however, that the number of victims could have been significantly higher had it not been a holiday. “Thank God it was a holiday. If it had been a working day, with schools, offices, and businesses open, the number of victims would have been much higher,” he said.

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

“Over the past few weeks, we have been working on a project that sets many of the words spoken by Jesus himself during his public ministry to Gregorian chant,” siblings Nikolai, Lucía, and Mirjana Gerstner told ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, on June 24.

“These are very ancient chants that have evolved since the early centuries within the context of the liturgy, both in Holy Mass and in the breviary,” they said.

Why the Parable of the Prodigal Son in Latin?

While they sing in other languages ​​as well, the siblings said that “our focus and home as Roman Catholics is Gregorian chant. One of its fundamental characteristics is that its texts are exclusively in Latin.”

After highlighting that Latin serves “for the worship of God and, therefore, easily lifts us from the profane to the transcendent,” Harpa Dei said it hopes this chant will help “the faithful rediscover the beauty of Gregorian chant and the value of a sacred language as great treasures of the Church.”

The Gerstner siblings also noted that “the words of Jesus, who is the Word made flesh, possess great power and efficacy. They offer comfort, guidance, and strength; they invite conversion and reveal the Father to us just as he truly is.”

They said Gregorian chant makes it possible to “penetrate the soul deeply and gently, and to become imprinted upon the memory and the heart.”

The Prodigal Son video

They also said they hope to help “the ‘prodigal’ sons and daughters of this world realize that God, our Heavenly Father, is waiting for them, and that his great desire is for them to return to him, to their true home.”

The siblings said they filmed the video in the Danube Valley and at Lake Constance in southern Germany. “Throughout the filming process, we could clearly recognize God’s guidance in finding the right locations and managing all the logistics,” they said.

Since 2011, following a peace initiative, the siblings have felt called to evangelize through sacred music. Their mission has taken them to many countries around the world, such as Mexico, Israel, Germany, Russia, Ecuador, Lithuania, and the United States, among others.

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.

One ruling allows the Department of Homeland Security to end “temporary protected status” for Haitians and Syrians, who can now be deported. The other allows the government to turn away asylum seekers at the southern border by limiting the number of claims they will process each day.

Both cases were decided 6-3. All of the justices who sided with the majority were appointed by Republican presidents and each dissenting justice was appointed by Democratic presidents.

Anna Gallagher, the executive director of Catholic Legal Immigration Network, said in a statement to EWTN News that both decisions are “devastating for our clients, and for those of us who accompany vulnerable immigrants through the legal system.”

“As Catholics, we believe in a God who weeps for our suffering, who is concerned for the fall of the sparrow, for the least of these,” she said.

“And so we, too, weep for our clients whose asylum rights are restricted or who fear return to immediate life-threatening conditions because of this court decision.”

“We walk with them as legal advocates, seeing the injustice of our laws play out firsthand. We know that today is a dark day for many people we have come to know and care for — including legal residents of this country, beloved members of our community.”

Protections for Haitians, Syrians gone

The Supreme Court decision in Mullin v. Doe and Trump v. Miot, which were consolidated into one case, ensures that the government’s decision to terminate temporary protected status for Haitians and Syrians will be in effect. The ruling strips them of legal protections for work authorization and prevention from deportation.

Justice Samuel Alito, who wrote the opinion, said that the law itself generally gives the government broad discretion in determining whether to approve, extend, or terminate protected status for a given country. The ruling found that all non-constitutional claims are not subject to judicial review.

Haitians protected under the protected status argued that the policy terminations discriminated against people based on race. In its ruling the Supreme Court stated that both the protected designations and the terminations come from a racially diverse collection of countries.

“They claim that TPS has not been terminated for any predominantly white nation, and they therefore infer that the reason for the termination of the TPS designation for Haiti was having a predominantly nonwhite population,” the opinion stated.

The plaintiffs’ “definition of a predominantly non-white nation is broad, apparently encompassing major European countries,” the ruling said.

“It may be that only the termination of a TPS designation for a Nordic or Germanic country would be sufficient in their judgment to show that the Secretary’s unbroken record of TPS terminations was race-neutral,” the decision added.

Justice Elena Kagan, in her dissenting opinion, said she believes the court erred in ruling that all non-constitutional claims are barred from judicial review, arguing that the court should be able to determine whether the secretary followed the proper procedures in deciding to terminate protected status.

She also argued that Trump’s comments show that race played a role in the decision to end the Haitian protected status designation.

“The majority briefly replies that [his] remarks are not ‘overtly racial,’ … but it is hard to know what that means,” Kagan wrote. “Haitians are Black. …The references — of filth, disease, and primitiveness — are shot through with racial stereotypes and tropes.”

Andrew Arthur, a resident fellow in law and policy at the Center for Immigration Studies and a former immigration judge, told “EWTN News Nightly” on June 25 that the ruling essentially solidifies that “no one has the ability to sue when the government decides it’s going to terminate TPS status.”

He said the protected status is meant to provide temporary legal status for someone escaping a danger in their country. He said some protected designations “have been in place … for more than a quarter of a century,” even for “events that occurred decades ago” and are no longer impacting the country.

The U.S. bishops had urged the government to extend protected status, including for Haitians, who are a majority Catholic community.

“We are deeply concerned about the plight of our Haitian brothers and sisters living in the United States,” Bishop Brendan J. Cahill, chair of the bishops’ committee on migration, and Bishop A. Elias Zaidan, chair of the committee on international justice and peace, said in a joint statement in February.

“There is simply no realistic opportunity for the safe and orderly return of people to Haiti at this time,” they said.

Asylum seekers at the border

The decision in Mullin v. Al Otro Lado dealt with the “metering” policy that started under former President Barack Obama and is being enforced by Trump, which the court ruled is a lawful policy.

Under the policy, the government can limit the number of asylum claims it chooses to process in a day and can turn people away from entry into the country when they approach the southern border.

The case centered on an asylum seeker’s right to apply for asylum when he or she “arrives in the United States.” The ruling, also authored by Alito, states that the right only applies when the person has already entered the country and it does not give legal protections for someone who is seeking entry into the country but has not yet been allowed in.

“We begin by considering what the phrase ‘arrives in the United States’ means when used in everyday speech,” the ruling states. “That meaning is clear. A person arrives in a geographic location only when he enters it.”

The ruling states that if Congress wanted to extend that right to anyone who approaches the border or seeks entry into the country, it would have written the law to clearly state that.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote the dissent, arguing that the ruling allows the executive branch to “circumvent … mandatory procedures by having U. S. immigration officers stand at the border and physically block noncitizens from setting a foot onto U. S. soil.”

“Words … must be read in context and with attention to how they fit into the statute as a whole,” Sotomayor wrote.

“The majority ignores the statutory context and history, not to mention the longstanding position of the Executive Branch, all of which show that any noncitizen arriving at our doorstep and seeking admission must be inspected and allowed to apply for asylum, regardless of whether her foot has crossed the threshold,” she said.

Arthur told “EWTN News Nightly” that the decision essentially “narrows the ability of people who havenʼt actually entered the country … to apply for asylum.”

“You’re not subject to United States law … until you’ve actually crossed into this country,” he said.

The U.S. bishops petitioned the Supreme Court to rule against the policy and require the government to process all asylum claims.

“The turnback policy is not just a flawed piece of statutory interpretation but an historical aberration — one that, during the period it was enforced, left vulnerable asylum seekers stranded in encampments on the border while lawfully trying to seek asylum at a port of entry,” the bishops wrote.

The Supreme Court has not yet ruled on the most significant immigration case before it, Trump v. Barbara, which will decide the extent of birthright citizenship in the United States.

This story was updated at 1:50 p.m. ET on June 25, 2026 with further analysis and expert comment.

“We write not as adversaries, but as fellow Christians who love the Church, which is built on Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition, and who, like you, long for the salvation of souls,” the professors wrote in an open letter to the SSPX, noting that if the group moves forward with the illicit consecrations, “it would cement and deepen the already existing separation between the Society and the See of Peter.”

“Whatever legitimate questions or grievances may exist, they are no excuse to create a schism,” the letter’s signatories assert. The letter is signed by 26  faculty and staff, with university professors of theology constituting the majority of the signatories. 

“The treasures of Catholic Tradition do not belong outside communion with Peter; they belong at the heart of the Church,” the letter continues. “A new episcopal ordination outside the ecclesial hierarchy without the Apostolic mandate would create a new wound in the Body of Christ and place the gifts that God has entrusted to the Society, which belong to the Church and are ordered towards unity with her (Lumen Gentium 8), outside of her maternal embrace.”

“Please don’t do this,” the letter said. “Please don’t create this wound! Please, re-enter into dialogue with the Holy See and into full communion with the Church.”

The letter comes after the SSPX announced it plans to consecrate four new bishops at its seminary in Écône, Switzerland, prompting Pope Leo XIV and the Vatican to warn that doing do without a papal mandate would constitute “a schismatic act” and carry the penalty of excommunication.

“We have invited them, and I am still considering making another appeal, to say: ‘Do not do this. Let us try to live communion in the Church.’ But it is their choice. They must understand what it means for them and for the Church,” the pope said, responding to journalists’ questions outside Villa Barberini in Castel Gandolfo on June 16.

Courage International priest says Pride Month events ‘inappropriate’ at Catholic colleges

Courage International Associate Director Father Colin Blatchford has spoken out against Catholic colleges holding Pride Month events.

In an interview with the Cardinal Newman Society, Blatchford said “it causes scandal” when a Catholic college encourages students to participate in events celebrating Pride Month in June.

Courage International is a Catholic apostolate that ministers to individuals experiencing same-sex attraction and gender confusion.

“When a Catholic college picks and chooses the theological or philosophical teachings of the Church that it will abide, it undermines that process,” Blatchford said. “Indeed, it hollows it out and provides merely an empty emotional shell where there should be a full abiding relationship with God.”

“The anthropological underpinnings of ‘Pride Month’ include a dualistic view of the person and radical autonomy,” he said. “Each of the last four popes has spoken about the necessity of recognizing the dignity of the human person and that no one thing here on this earth can sufficiently define who we are, beyond ‘beloved child of God.’”

Blatchford encouraged Catholic colleges to remember three things when encountering individuals with same-sex attraction: “First, communicate that they are loved. Second, let them know that even if it does not seem so now, God has a unique plan for their life. And finally, ask if they would be willing to share their story.”

“We don’t have to agree on everything or approve of every action, but we walk together towards God. We are a group of imperfect people striving to grow closer to God, by means of His grace,” he said.

Immaculate Conception Parish in Earlington — the oldest Catholic church in Hopkins County, established in 1886 — has offered the TLM for nearly a decade, and will have its final Mass in the extraordinary form at 12:30 p.m. CT on June 28.

It is the only parish offering the TLM in the diocese, which covers the 32 westernmost counties in Kentucky. The closest options available will be east in the Archdiocese of Louisville, Kentucky; north in the Diocese of Evansville, Indiana; and south in the Diocese of Nashville, Tennessee.

Penny Giardinella, administrative assistant for the small parish, told EWTN News the church is “pretty full” during the TLM, as it is during all Sunday Masses. She said a large portion of TLM worshipers travel from outside parish lines to attend.

On May 18, the bishop sent a letter to the parish priest, Father David Kennedy, instructing him to halt all celebrations of the TLM after June 30. Although he initially secured a dispensation for the parish to continue its weekly celebration amid the 2021 Vatican restrictions, Medley did not seek an extension into the latter half of 2026.

The issue, Medley said in his letter, is that he lacked standing to seek an extension because the parish did not submit a report to the bishop, which the Holy See required for an extension to be granted. The bishop said this requirement was based on his 2023 correspondence with the Holy See.

The report, he wrote, needed to provide the TLM attendance and explain what steps were taken to lead the faithful toward the Novus Ordo Mass — the ordinary form of the liturgy adopted in 1969 by the Catholic Church in reforms following the Second Vatican Council.

“As I am unable to demonstrate that this condition has been met, I have no standing to request an extension of the Holy See,” Medley wrote.

Medley said the parish can instead celebrate the novus ordo Mass in accordance with the 1969 reforms in the Latin language and ad orientem, with the priest facing toward the tabernacle and away from the people.

“I know in some dioceses, the faithful who have shown a preference for the Mass celebrated in Latin have accepted the Novus Ordo Mass celebrated in the Latin language,” Medley said.

The bishop added that he postponed halting the Mass upon the death of Francis to see whether Pope Leo XIV would alter the restrictions. Because Leo has not — and because the January Consistory of the College of Cardinals explicitly opted not to review Traditionis Custodes — the bishop said he “felt obligated to act in accord with the direction of the Holy See.”

“For the faithful who may object to this directive, you may certainly refer them to me, but please make clear that I am acting in accord with my promise to the pope, the Bishop of Rome,” Medley said. “I am grateful for your ministry to this small and unique community. And I assure you of my prayers for them and for you and I kindly ask that you all pray for me.”

Rachel Hall, director of communications for the diocese, told EWTN News that “the parish will transition to the scheduled details in the correspondence” after June 30.

“As the parish navigates this transition with their faithful pastor Father Kennedy, the diocese asks for prayers to the Holy Spirit in guidance, with unity and peace,” she said.

Leo has not taken any official steps to amend Francis’s TLM restrictions, but has offered a conciliatory tone toward those attached to the older form of the liturgy.

In March, Leo described liturgical divisions as a “painful wound” in a communication with French bishops, and encouraged solutions that allow “the generous inclusion” of Catholics who choose to worship at the TLM “in respect for the directions desired by the Second Vatican Council in matters of liturgy.”

Last year, Leo approved Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke’s celebration of the TLM at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.

Since its inception, the number of euthanasia procedures carried out in the country has risen steadily; from 75 in the second half of 2021 to 288 in 2022, followed by 334 in 2023, some 426 in 2024 and 565 in 2025.

The Madrid-based Professionals for Ethics Association has issued a report that points out that the progression of euthanasia over the past five years shows that “once approved, euthanasia becomes a slippery slope” with destructive effects.

In addition to accelerated year-to-year growth in the number of euthanasia cases, the ethics professionals cite the progressive expansion of the grounds for the procedure under the catch-all category of “severe suffering.”

Euthanasia procedures have been streamlined “even at the cost of reducing or eliminating safeguards,” according to the report.

Euthanasia is being promoted “as an altruistic choice, based on arguments regarding organ donation and bequests to pro-euthanasia associations.”

The report denounces the “imposition of the so-called ‘right to die’ and personal autonomy over good medical practice.”

The practice of euthanasia results in the “abandonment of clinical effort” in situations where it appears to be an “easier and less costly” option. The report also underscores that euthanasia “harms the relationship of trust” between patient and physician, as well as between the patient and their family members.

The "normalization of euthanasia" in society and among healthcare professionals has led to the "loss of the meaning of vulnerable life, of aging, and of the value of caring for and accompanying” such patients, the report finds.

Other destructive effects include “social pressure on dependent individuals based on ‘quality of life’ criteria and the perception of being a burden to others” and, finally, the fostering of individualism and “society’s indifference toward suffering.”

Recommendations

Beyond pointing out dangers and contradictions inherent in the advance of euthanasia in Spain, the Professionals for Ethics Association proposes five measures “to reverse the slippery slope of euthanasia upon which we have already embarked.”

The first recommended measure is to develop “the plan, organization, and resources necessary to provide nationwide palliative care coverage," which must include "home-based teams and specialized pediatric units."

The ethics professionals also recommend boosting support “for vulnerable individuals and their families,” specifically those facing dependency, mental illness, and unwanted loneliness. This requires both the allocation of resources to address these challenges and facilitating “family support through programs that balance work and family life in order to provide care” for the patient.

A third recommendation is to monitor official information regarding the euthanasia procedures performed in order to “ensure rigor in the processes for requesting and approving euthanasia,” as well as preventing lax interpretations of the law that make “euthanasia the easiest, most accessible, and quickest ‘solution’.”

Fourth, the association holds that “it is vital to preserve the mission and objectives of healthcare aimed at preventing, curing, and caring for health as well as professional ethics and practice.”

In this regard, the group emphasizes that “euthanasia runs counter to the essence of medicine, caring for human life, and should never be considered a medical act.” Thus, the association also advocates the right of healthcare workers to conscientiously object to participating in euthanasia procedures.

Finally, the association calls for halting the promotion of euthanasia, as its rise “is neither a social good nor a sign of progress in human rights, nor is it even a neutral matter.”

“The fact that an increasing number of people in Spain desire a lethal injection should be a cause for concern, not celebration,” the group emphasizes; and therefore advocates for “a euthanasia prevention plan” similar to those for suicide and, ultimately, the repeal of the euthanasia law and the enactment of legislation “that facilitates the care of human life until the very end.”

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 department’s Office of Population Affairs, which designates grants for teenage pregnancy prevention, will divert $67 million to open new grants for prevention programs, a source confirmed to EWTN News.

The department will terminate 53 of 67 of the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program grants following a department review, according to a Daily Signal report. The department reportedly described the current grants as “age-inappropriate,” “sexually explicit," and in violation of the program’s founding statute.

Some of the current teenage pregnancy programs teach teens how to access abortion, while others promote transgender ideology or sexually explicit material.

“Under programming favored by the Biden Administration, we saw too much emphasis on abortion and too little on protecting kids,” said Kristi Hamrick, a spokeswoman for Students for Life.

Hamrick referred to various instances of programming that instruct high schoolers with sexually explicit content.

“The kind of programming that tries to separate sexual activity from marriage or from babies, who are an important reality, misses the point,” Hamrick told EWTN News. “Pretending in programming that the presence or absence of a baby is the only thing to discuss, or that contraception comes with magical guarantees, doesnʼt begin to educate teenagers.”

“Young girls being groomed by older men; sexually transmitted diseases or broken hearts are all part of this reality, which makes pushing abortion as a ‘solution’ seriously off base,” Hamrick continued.

The administration is opening up new grants for pregnancy prevention programming more aligned with its goals, promoting two new funding streams according to two notices the department listed on Tuesday, totaling $71.1 million in grants. Applications close July 26.

Andrea Trudden, spokeswoman for Heartbeat International, an organization of pregnancy help centers, noted that many pregnancy centers provide education that reduces the risk of unplanned pregnancies.

"Pregnancy help organizations serve as an important resource for young women when an unexpected pregnancy occurs, offering practical support, compassionate care, and information about the resources available to help them continue their pregnancies,” she told EWTN News.

“Many of these organizations also provide sexual risk avoidance education that encourages healthy relationships, responsible decision-making, and behaviors that reduce the risk of unintended pregnancy,” Trudden continued.

"When a teen pregnancy does occur, the goal should be to ensure that no young woman feels she has to choose between her future and her child,” said Trudden.

“Pregnancy help organizations have decades of experience walking alongside teens before, during, and after pregnancy, helping them build healthy futures,” said Trudden.

“With the right support, education, parenting resources, and community assistance, teens can pursue their goals while welcoming the life of their baby,” Trudden said.

“There are so many out there ready to help, at churches, at pregnancy care centers, and in the community,” Hamrick added.

Hamrick noted that Students for Life lists resources at their webpage, Standing With You.

“A baby represents hope and a future, and for a family, whether by birth or adoption, and we need to help teenagers understand that they are not alone, that many will help, and that this is the beginning of another personʼs story,” Hamrick said.

In May, DeWine quietly commuted the sentence of Gregory Lott, who killed a man in East Cleveland in 1986 by setting him on fire during a burglary.

DeWine did not publicly announce the commutation, which he issued several weeks before openly calling for an end to the death penalty in the state.

A former supporter of the death penalty, DeWine said during a June 16 press conference that the “moral justification I had for voting for the death penalty simply no longer exists.”

DeWine did not directly say during that press event if he would commute any death sentences, though reporters questioned him on the subject. The order to commute Lott’s sentence had been filed in the state court system several days earlier.

The order cited a parole board recommendation that Lott’s sentence be commuted, as well as findings that Lott is “intellectually disabled to a degree that would prohibit the imposition of the death penalty under current law.”

The family members of Lott’s victim, meanwhile, said they were “opposed to the implementation of the death penalty,” according to the order.

A ‘pro-life decision’

Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy, the executive director of the anti-death penalty group Catholic Mobilizing Network, said in a June 25 statement that “no matter the harm one has caused or suffered, every person deserves the possibility of redemption.”

Responding to DeWine’s decision by exclaiming “Praise God!” Murphy said the commutation “underscores the governor’s concern for those who are marginalized in our society.”

She urged DeWine to “take further steps before leaving office toward commuting the death sentences of the more than 100 individuals who are currently on Ohio’s death row.”

Lott’s efforts to avoid the death penalty took a winding path through both the state courts and the state executive system.

The U.S. Supreme Court in 2002 ruled in Atkins v. Virginia that executing condemned criminals who are intellectually disabled is unconstitutional.

Lott’s attorneys appealed to the Ohio Supreme Court under that ruling, though the state court denied that claim, establishing what in judicial circles came to be known as “Lott’s Test” for determining the threshold of intellectual disability.

Yet he was spared from being executed after Ohio’s 2014 execution of Dennis McGuire, whom witnesses said visibly suffered while dying from the lethal injection that ultimately killed him. Then-Gov. John Kasich issued a moratorium on executions there that lasted for more than three years.

Stephen Ferrell, one of Lott’s public defenders during his legal battles, told the Marshall Project that Lott “would have been executed a month [after McGuire]” without the moratorium in place.

“To me, that epitomizes the arbitrariness of this system,” the lawyer said.

According to the Dutch governmentʼs 2025 annual report on late-term pregnancy termination and life-ending procedures, authorities received a report in late 2025 involving a child between the ages of 1 and 12. The case is the first known report since the Netherlands broadened its regulations to permit euthanasia for children in that age group under limited circumstances.

Dutch Health Minister Sophie Hermans confirmed in a June 22 letter to the Dutch House of Representatives, “At the end of 2025, the committee received its first report of life termination of a child between the ages of 1 and 12 years.”

Few details about the childʼs age, illness, or circumstances have been released. Under Dutch law, all such cases are reviewed by an independent committee to determine whether legal requirements were followed.

A medical-legal committee reviewed the death, evaluated it, and forwarded an advisory opinion to prosecutors who must independently decide next steps, Hermans’ letter said. The committee is expected to publish its opinion on its website.

Expansion of Dutch euthanasia policy

The Netherlands became the first country in the world to legalize euthanasia for adults in 2002. Before the 2024 expansion, euthanasia was already permitted for infants under one year old in exceptional circumstances and for minors aged 12 and older, subject to parental consent requirements.

Dutch officials said the regulations were designed to address a small number of cases involving terminally ill children experiencing what authorities describe as “hopeless and unbearable suffering.”

Under the rules, euthanasia for children ages 1 to 12 may be permitted when a child is terminally ill, suffering unbearably with no prospect of improvement, and when no reasonable treatment or palliative care alternative exists.

The 2025 report recorded three late-term pregnancy terminations, no reported life-ending procedures involving newborns, and one reported life-ending procedure involving a child between the ages of 1 and 12.

Catholic bioethicists raise concerns

The reported case of the child under 12 has drawn criticism from Catholic and pro-life advocates, who argue that societyʼs response to suffering should be compassionate care and effective pain management rather than intentionally ending a human life.

“This is clearly a grave ethical violation,” said Joseph Meaney, senior fellow and director of international coordination at the National Catholic Bioethics Center. “The Church teaches that euthanasia and assisted suicide are intrinsically evil and so can never be morally justified actions. The case of euthanizing children is graver still since a child cannot give informed consent.”

Meaney said that while euthanasia may appear compassionate in cases of severe suffering, “it is a grave mistake,” emphasizing that “human persons have a special dignity” and that modern medicine offers ethical means of pain management and care for the seriously ill and dying.

He also warned that the Netherlands has often served as a bellwether for euthanasia policy worldwide.

“Expanding the limits of what is allowed by the law in terms of medicalized killing usually happens first in the Netherlands and then spreads to other countries,” Meaney said.

International implications

The case comes amid ongoing debates over assisted dying in several Western nations.

Meaney warned that jurisdictions often begin by legalizing euthanasia in limited circumstances before gradually broadening eligibility.

“After a few years of legalization, advocates push for limitations to be removed or the categories of persons with permission to be killed or kill themselves to be enlarged,” he said.

Matt Vallière, executive director of the Patient Rights Action Fund, expressed similar concerns.

“The further that they push the envelope, the more other countries will consider it, especially in the Euro-American West,” Vallière said. “Currently, bills are pending in France, the UK.”

He also pointed to developments in the United States.

“You see some of this going back and forth from here to the states, too. There are 12 states plus D.C. that have officially legalized assisted suicide,” he said.

The report comes as euthanasia continues to rise in the Netherlands. More than 10,000 euthanasia deaths were reported in the Netherlands in 2025, accounting for a growing share of annual deaths in the country.

The Netherlands remains one of only a handful of countries that permit euthanasia for minors. Belgium removed age restrictions on euthanasia in 2014, while assisted-dying proposals continue to be debated in several Western nations.

Bishop David James Oakley of Northampton was charged with two counts of rape against a female under the age of 16.

The diocese of Northampton confirmed that the bishop “has been charged after an investigation into non-recent safeguarding allegations.”

The diocese could not provide further comment.

“We understand that this will be very distressing for all concerned but cannot comment further on an active legal process,” the diocese said in its statement.

The statement provided direction to safeguarding resources.

“If you have any safeguarding concerns please contact either the diocesan safeguarding team or the police directly,” the diocese said.

Oakley was ordained in 1980 as a priest and became bishop of Northampton in 2020. In October of last year, he took a leave of absence for “personal reasons.” Oakley was an episcopal advisor for Catholic Charismatic Renewal in England and Wales and was rector of St. Maryʼs College, Oscott, the seminary of the Archdiocese of Birmingham, from 2013 to 2020.

English news outlets reported that the bishop was a strong contender for bishop of Westminster in recent years.

Oakley will appear in court for an initial hearing August 14.

“Weʼre already deploying search and rescue teams from Fairfax County [Virginia] and Los Angeles,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters June 25.

“There will be some others weʼll add,” Rubio said. “Thatʼs their most immediate need right now, is search-and-rescue efforts: They have [many] collapsed buildings. And so theyʼll need a lot of help in terms of digging through that.”

The earthquakes took place on June 24, with the first 7.2-magnitude earthquake recorded at 6:04 p.m. local time, and the second 7.5-magnitude earthquake occurring just 39 seconds later, according to the United States Geological Survey.

“Weʼve already stood up our disaster response teams at the Department of State and our humanitarian efforts,” Rubio said. “Itʼs something we did very well in Jamaica, after that storm, and itʼs something weʼre really prepared to do now.”

The update came after Rubio issued a statement earlier in the morning pledging to carry out U.S. President Donald Trump’s directive for “all agencies of [the U.S.] government” to “get ready to move quickly.”

“The United States extends our deepest condolences to the people of Venezuela following the devastating earthquakes,” Rubio said. “Our hearts are with all those who have lost loved ones, those injured, and the courageous rescue workers working tirelessly in the aftermath.”

Bishop A. Elias Zaidan, chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace called on the international community to “mobilize in support of the Venezuelan people, and to send the necessary humanitarian assistance to alleviate their suffering.”

Pope Leo XIV has sent an initial 100,000 euro donation to Venezuela in the aftermath of the earthquakes through the Apostolic Almonerʼs Office. Catholic Relief Services (CRS) said it is “working through Caritas Venezuela and the local Church to quickly deliver emergency shelter, food, safe water, medical care and other critical relief to those affected.”

Aid to the Church in Need reported significant damages to numerous churches, parish houses, and Church institutions, but noted no casualties among priests, deacons, seminarians, or religious sisters.

Archbishop Raúl Biord Castillo of Caracas told the aid group after touring affected parishes to assess the situation that “many of them have serious structural damage,” with the Cathedral of Caracas among the most affected.

Bishop Pablo Modesto González Pérez of the Diocese of La Guaira described the impact of the earthquakes on the local seminary, telling Aid to the Church in Need: “We are without electricity and we have all been affected. In the seminary, many walls collapsed.”

The bishop expressed gratitude that no priests were seriously harmed and noted the mobilization of the local Church in response to the disaster: “Many parishes have received people to spend the night in their facilities. We have already activated a solidarity network through the parish Caritas.”

“From tomorrow, inspections will be carried out to determine which temples can be reopened,” he said. “May God help us and grant us the necessary consolation to accompany our people in these difficult times.”

This story was updated at 2:40 p.m. ET on June 25, 2026 to include comments from Bishop A. Elias Zaidan, Catholic Relief Services, and information about Pope Leo XIV’s donation through the Apostolic Almonerʼs Office.

In a private audience with members of the Italian Swimming Federation on June 25, the pontiff highlighted the value of competitive sport as a means of instilling important values and fostering the growth of the body and mind.

“Sport, when practiced well, is medicine for both body and spirit,” Leo said in his remarks. “It integrates the different dimensions of the human person and directs them toward very important values such as commitment, solidarity, and honesty.”

To the swimmers present in the audience, the pope also highlighted the environmental and theological significance of water.

“[Swimming] symbolically recalls an aspect that has been part of us since our motherʼs womb: to live means learning to move in harmony with others and with the environment around us. For us Christians, moreover, water is a symbol of Baptism and of new life in Christ,” Leo said.

Leo has frequently emphasized the value of sport since the beginning of his pontificate.

On the eve of the Milano-Cortona Winter Olympic Games in February, the pope published the letter Life in Abundance on the importance of sports in personal formation.

He also declared his prayer intention for the month of June to be for the value of sports and for sports to promote peace.

The Archdiocese of Palo, which covers Tacloban City, said the June 22 attack at San Jose National High School left three students dead and at least 20 others wounded — a tragedy that the archdiocese said should prompt deeper reflection on the formation of young people and the values imparted to them.

In a statement issued after the attack, Palo Archbishop John Du expressed shock and sorrow over what has been described as one of the deadliest school shootings in recent Philippine history.

“The Archdiocese of Palo is greatly shocked and grieving on the horrific act of violence and the tragic loss of innocent lives during the school shooting incident that happened in San Jose National High School, Tacloban City,” the archbishop said.

“As we pray for the victims and mourn with their families and loved ones, our thoughts and prayers also go to all those who have in one way or another been affected by this tragedy — the school and community, the families of the students and the society which have nurtured our young people.”

Du said the tragedy should lead Filipinos to examine how children and young people are being formed by families, communities, and society.

“This tragedy challenges us all to reflect on how we (our nation, our families and communities) have raised our children and young people and on the values we have imparted to them,” he said.

“Let us unite and work together that this kind of tragedy will never happen again.”

The archbishop assured victims and their families of the Church’s continued prayers and support, invoking God’s healing mercy upon those affected by the violence.

A priest’s ministry of presence

Among the first Church leaders to visit the school after the shooting was Father Ivo Velazquez, parish priest of St. Roch the Healer Parish.

The priest said he first learned of the incident while attending the opening academic ceremonies of the archdiocese’s major seminary.

“I wasn’t there when the shooting happened. I was at the apertura del curso at the theologate. But out of distraction I happened to glance at Facebook during the long inaugural discourse and got to see what was happening,” Velazquez told EWTN News.

After lunch, he proceeded directly to the school.

“The atmosphere was oppressive,” he recalled. “My task was very simple — to check on the people. No grand theological messages. I checked on the security guard, and some of the teachers who were still there.”

The priest said his role was primarily to listen as teachers, school personnel, and survivors recounted their experiences.

“The most difficult for me was how to slowly approach the parents of the victims,” he said.

Yet he discovered that the simplest gesture often opened the door to consolation.

“But the best way — as I got to learn — was the simplest: to ask for the name of their child. And then I just simply listened as the tears rolled down my cheeks.”

“I realized that I have never left school,” he added. “I continue to learn what it means to shepherd.”

In a reflection posted on social media after spending the day with victims and their families, Velazquez described the emotional toll of ministering in the aftermath of the tragedy.

“Today was a heavy day,” he wrote.

“That it was supposed to be like any Monday seems to make it even heavier to bear.”

The priest recounted meeting parents who had lost children in the attack and listening to survivors struggling to process what they had witnessed.

“To be at a loss as to what to say and what to do in the presence of those who had lost a child in the most nightmarish way possible,” he wrote.

Velazquez particularly remembered a grieving mother who asked him to pray for her daughter and for her husband. Another mother shared how her son had reportedly helped shield others from danger.

As he walked through classrooms where violence had erupted only hours earlier, Velazquez prayed for healing.

“Upon the spilled blood still on the floor I implored the application of the spotless blood of the Lamb to cleanse and heal all those lives that had been affected,” he said.

“Lord, in our burdens lift us up. In our sadness console us, our wounds do heal, and use our hands to uplift, to bless, and restore.”

Catholic educators call for deeper reforms

The tragedy also prompted a response from the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP), which expressed “profound alarm and deep sorrow” over the shooting and a recent stabbing incident at another school.

“These tragic events, which claimed lives and inflicted serious injuries, mark a harrowing escalation from bullying and peer conflicts to outright killings,” CEAP said.

“Schools, meant to be sanctuaries of learning, growth, and formation, are now turning into places of fear and violence.”

The association called on government agencies, educational institutions, and families to pursue “urgent, holistic reform that prioritizes integral human development over purely technical goals.”

Investigation continues

Police have taken into custody two students, aged 14 and 15, who allegedly carried out the attack. Authorities said the suspects used a pistol and a .38-caliber revolver, both of which had been traced to their registered owners.

Investigators are examining reports that the suspects had experienced prolonged bullying and are also probing possible influences from violent online content and gaming platforms.

Philippine authorities have since ordered the temporary blocking of an online game being reviewed as part of the investigation.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered a comprehensive investigation and directed government agencies to strengthen security measures in schools nationwide. Meanwhile, the Department of Education has pledged medical, psychological, and psychosocial support for students, teachers, and families affected by the tragedy.

As Tacloban continues to grieve, Church leaders have urged the faithful to pray for healing and reconciliation.

“May we find strength in faith, compassion in our hearts, and hope in God who remains close to the brokenhearted,” the San Jose Parish, Tacloban City, posted in the aftermath of the shooting.

The Vatican’s Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue organized the June 23–24 meeting at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, also known as the Angelicum, under the theme: “Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Jains and Sikhs in Europe: Building Fraternity through Dialogue and Collaboration.”

According to a June 24 Vatican statement, “some prominent religious leaders, academics, scholars and representatives of Christianity and the Dharmic religions (Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism)” took part in the conference.

The meeting, promoted by the dicastery “in continuity with its previous initiatives,” brought together people committed to “strengthening human fraternity through interreligious dialogue and cooperation in Europe.”

The Vatican said the conference was “conducted in a cordial atmosphere and in a spirit of respect and openness” and offered participants “an opportunity for mutual listening, learning and enrichment.”

Participants reflected on the challenges facing contemporary societies and “reaffirmed the importance of dialogue and collaboration as means of fostering understanding, solidarity and hope,” the statement said.

Fraternity should not be a utopia

In his welcoming address, Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad, prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, lamented that fraternity is often viewed as “a utopian idea,” particularly in a context marked by war and division.

Looking to Europe, he recalled the continent’s “cultural and religious heritage” and its history of diverse groups living together amid migration, globalization, and demographic change.

The cardinal described Europe as a “rich melting pot” of ethnic groups, languages, and religious traditions — a heritage he said should be valued in order to build “an inclusive, cohesive and harmonious society” that respects human dignity and human rights, including the right “to profess and practice one’s own religion.”

In this context, the Vatican statement said participants “acknowledged the foundational role of fraternity for building cohesive and peaceful communities.”

They also stressed that believers, “while serving as credible witnesses of their morals and faith convictions, must never shy away from contributing to the flourishing of fraternity through concrete actions that promote peace, harmony and the wellbeing of all.”

The participants also “highlighted the importance of strengthening mutual respect, cooperation and engagement today, while remaining rooted in their respective religious traditions.”

The meeting reaffirmed a shared commitment “to nurturing a culture of encounter and collaboration for the common good,” according to the Vatican.

Participants also expressed hope that “such collaboration will continue to inspire the wider society and contribute to the building of fraternity and peace.”

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

According to Vatican News, the writings will be published in the volume Freedom Under Grace: Reflections on the Spiritual Tradition That Formed Me. The volume will include homilies, speeches, and letters from then-Father Robert Prevost.

It was originally published in Italian on May 6 by the Vatican Publishing House under the title Liberi sotto la Grazia. The English edition will be published by Image Books, a division of Penguin Random House Christian Publishing Group.

Freedom Under Grace offers insights into Leo’s Augustinian spirituality and his preoccupation with themes such as unity, servant leadership, social justice, and constant spiritual renewal. Many of these addresses were delivered during his extensive travels to support Augustinian communities around the world.

At a press conference for the publication of the Italian edition on May 6, Father Joseph Farrell, O.S.A., prior general of the Augustinians and a former colleague of Prevost, spoke to EWTN News about his hopes for the book.

“It is a great opportunity to share a person who led the order of Saint Augustine for 12 years, who now serves as the Successor of Saint Peter,” Farrell told EWTN News.

“I hope that what we are able to discover in his writings is the foundation he has in the teachings of St. Augustine — his own formation, which he shared with us Augustinians and is now ready to share with the world.”

Among its many treasures, the cathedral features eight chapels where fragments of history, traces of the God-inspired actions of kings, cardinals, and archbishops, and the evolution of sacred art all intertwine.

1. Main chapel

The main chapel is the liturgical heart of the Toledo Cathedral. Its current layout is the result of an alteration initiated by Cardinal Francisco Jiménez de Cisneros in the 15th century, which involved relocating the original burial sites of the monarchs Alfonso VII, Sancho the Desired, and Sancho the Brave.

Also located there is the tomb of Cardinal Pedro González de Mendoza, a pivotal figure in the history of the Catholic Church in Spain, who was closely linked to the evangelization efforts of the Catholic monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella in Spanish America.

The main altarpiece, made of gilded and polychromed wood, is considered a masterpiece of Hispano-Flemish Gothic art, created by some of the most renowned sculptors and polychromists of the era. It depicts numerous Gospel scenes, such as the Nativity, the Adoration of the Magi, Pentecost, and scenes from the Passion, all crowned by a large Crucifixion scene at the top.

2. Chapel of the Descent

Founded by Enrique II of Castile, this space stands on the site where tradition places the high altar of the Visigothic church dedicated to the Virgin Mary, the church that gave rise to the cathedral. Legend also attributes a miraculous event to this location: the Virgin Mary descended from heaven to place a chasuble on St. Ildefonso, archbishop of Toledo and a fervent defender of the mystery of her immaculate purity.

The altarpiece, restored by order of Cardinal Bernardo de Sandoval y Rojas, depicts this miraculous episode, among other scenes. Cardinal Baltasar Moscoso y Sandoval is buried here.

3. Chapel of St. Ildefonso

Located in the center of the churchʼs apse, this octagonal, Gothic-style chapel houses the tomb of Archbishop Gil Carrillo de Albornoz, a papal legate, a minister of Alfonso XI, and founder of the Royal Spanish College in Bologna.

Numerous archbishops from the 14th through the 21st centuries are also buried within its walls. The last to be interred there was Cardinal Marcelo González Martín in 2004.

4. Tabernacle Chapel

In the Tabernacle Chapel, in addition to the adoration of the Eucharist, the chapelʼs patroness, the Virgin of the Tabernacle, is venerated. The Virgin is represented by 12th-century wooden carving, overlaid with silver and seated upon an 18th-century gilded silver throne.

Tradition holds that the statue was hidden during the Muslim invasion in the early 8th century, and following the Reconquista of Toledo at the start of the second millennium, miraculously emerged from the well in the cathedral cloister, bearing a lit candle.

Clad in marble, the chapel’s dome features frescoes depicting the Evangelists, prophets, and Doctors of the Church. The chapel is also adorned with paintings dedicated to Sts. Bernard, Eugenius, Ildephonsus, and Leocadia.

It was inaugurated in 1616 in the presence of Felipe III.

5. St. Blaise Chapel

Located in the northeast corner of the cathedral cloister is the St. Blaise Chapel, commissioned in the late 14th century by Archbishop Pedro Tenorio to serve as his burial place.

The chapelʼs most notable features are its murals, which depict the articles of faith contained in the Creed and scenes of the Last Judgment, as well as numerous Gospel images and episodes from the lives of St. Anthony and St. Blaise, along with miracles attributed to St. Peter.

These works are considered among the most significant examples of the Spanish International Gothic style, inspired by the Italian genius Giotto and the Florentine school.

6. St. James Chapel

Built in the mid-15th century, the St. James funerary chapel is designed in the Toledan Gothic style and is located in the outer ambulatory. It was built by order of the royal favorite of Juan II of Castille, Constable Álvaro de Luna, who was ultimately executed, and his spouse Juana Pimentel, whose tombs of sculpted alabaster are situated in the center of the chamber.

Archbishops Juan de Cerezuela and Pedro de Luna, along with some of the constableʼs relatives, are buried along the side walls.

7. Chapel of the New Kings

The Chapel of the New Kings is one of the areas of the cathedral richest in history. It represents the merging of royal chapels originally established in the 13th century. With the authorization of Emperor Charles V, and to meet liturgical needs, the chapel was relocated to the ambulatory in the 16th century.

It houses the tombs of the Trastámara dynasty, showcasing a unique example of Late Gothic art evolving toward the Neoclassical style.

8. Mozarabic Chapel

Erected by Cardinal Jiménez de Cisneros in 1502, this chapel was built to perpetuate the celebration of the Hispanic-Mozarabic rite — the oldest liturgy in Hispanic Christianity, which was preserved only in Toledo after the city was reconquered in 1085.

In 1500, Cardinal Jiménez de Cisneros restored this rite; it is celebrated every morning thanks to a permission granted by Pope Alexander II at a time when the Roman rite, established in the 11th century, was spreading across the Iberian Peninsula.

It is located in the former chapter house, and its dome, damaged by a fire in 1622, was rebuilt by El Grecoʼs son. The altarpiece, remodeled in the 18th century, is crowned by an Ibero-American crucifix.

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.

Amid these challenges, the Catholic Church in the countries of the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia continues to accompany the faithful spiritually and pastorally.

Bishop Aldo Berardi, apostolic vicar of Northern Arabia, told ACI MENA, the Arabic language service of EWTN News, that the Church is trying to remain close to its people during these times of fear and uncertainty.

The conflict that erupted in late February brought unexpected challenges to the vicariate and to the faithful living in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Bahrain.

“For a community that draws its strength from gathering together for Mass and communal prayer, the suspension of Church activities was a deep wound,” he said.

Berardi reflected on the fact that the conflict began during two important seasons of prayer: Lent for Christians and Ramadan for Muslims. He described this timing as a reminder of divine providence.

“It was not only painful, but it also reminded us that fasting and prayer are not merely religious practices; they are acts of solidarity with all who suffer,” he said. “They taught us as well that we are not alone in times of hardship.”

Even when public gatherings were restricted, churches remained open for private prayer. Later, parish activities and public Masses gradually resumed.

Hearts shaken by war

The apostolic vicar acknowledged the concerns of the faithful throughout the vicariate, which is home to about 2.2 million Catholics, in addition to members of other Christian communities. Most are expatriates and migrant workers from around the world. Each person carries a story of faith, migration, and hope.

“While their families in Lebanon, the Philippines, India, Kenya, and elsewhere closely follow developments and worry about the safety of their loved ones here, every phone call home becomes burdened with anxiety,” he said. “Conflict does not only damage infrastructure. The first thing it wounds is the human heart.”

As fears spread, many faithful came to the bishop asking whether they would lose their jobs, be evacuated, or still be able to send money home.

“For many of our faithful, the money they earn in the Gulf supports entire families back home,” he explained.

The bishop sought to remain close to his people, reassure them, and help ease their fears.

“I never claimed to have all the answers,” he said. “But my role as a father is to remind them of a deeper truth: They are not alone. Even far from home and living in uncertainty, God accompanies them, and the Church stands beside them.”

From the first days of the crisis, he encouraged the faithful to remain calm, stay united in prayer, and care for one another.

“Fear is not a sin,” he added. “It is a natural and necessary human response for survival. Jesus Himself experienced fear in the Garden of Gethsemane. Faith does not eliminate fear; it transforms it, gives it meaning, and enables us to cling to hope, ‘a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul.’”

“I am truly filled with hope,” he said. “Christian hope is more than simple optimism. It is a gift from God that helps us persevere even in difficult times.”

Mission and service

At the beginning of this year, the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia began a fruitful spiritual journey. One important moment was the elevation of the Church of Our Lady of Arabia in Kuwait to the status of a minor basilica.

According to the bishop, this reflected the vitality and continued growth of the Catholic Church in the Gulf.

“Our journey has not stopped,” he said. “It has only been temporarily interrupted. As we await a lasting peace, we remain determined to continue with renewed energy, ready to resume pastoral programs, educational initiatives, and community activities.”

When people live amid fear, sorrow, and uncertainty, the bishop said, the Church’s first responsibility is to accompany them in their suffering.

“At the same time, peace creates the space necessary for service. Stability is not a luxury for the Church; it is an essential condition for mission.”

He stressed that peace is necessary for every part of the Church’s mission: proclaiming the Gospel, forming believers, serving the poor, and building dialogue between Christians and Muslims.

“Every sincere effort to build lasting peace helps the Church carry out its mission,” he said. “It helps create the conditions the Church needs to serve people and grow.”

Our Lady of Arabia

Millions of Catholics around the world turn to the Blessed Virgin Mary in times of need. The bishop often reminds the faithful of their patroness, Our Lady of Arabia.

“She is our mother, our protector, and the companion of millions of Catholics living far from their homelands,” he said.

“Mary herself experienced life as a refugee. She lived under occupation and remained standing at the foot of the Cross when everything seemed lost. She is not simply a figure from the past but a living presence in the lives of believers. I have no doubt that many of the faithful found strength in her maternal presence during these difficult months.”

‘A new Pentecost every day’

The bishop said the cultural diversity of the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia is both its greatest gift and one of its greatest challenges.

Catholics in the vicariate worship according to a variety of liturgical traditions, including the Latin, Maronite, Syro-Malabar, Syro-Malankara, and Coptic Catholic rites.

“People of different nationalities, languages, and cultures come together in prayer,” he said. “They are united by one baptism, one Eucharist, and one Lord. In our vicariate, we experience a new Pentecost every day.”

This unity is also seen in simple daily acts of charity and solidarity: a Filipino family helping an Indian family find housing, an African choir singing alongside a Lebanese choir at the same Mass, or a priest from one Church tradition visiting patients from another.

“This diversity is a living witness that we belong to one Church — holy, catholic, and universal,” the bishop said. “It is a witness the world needs to see today more than ever, especially here in the Middle East.”

Iran and the United States recently reached a preliminary agreement to extend a ceasefire that was welcomed by Gulf Cooperation Council states earlier this year. Although the situation remains fragile and many challenges continue, the bishop ended with a message of hope.

“We follow these developments closely, not from a political perspective but from a pastoral one,” he said. “We remain convinced that every step toward peace is a gift from God, and we receive it with gratitude.”

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

Bishop Jose Elmer Mangalinao of Bayombong welcomed the June 24 ruling, which dismissed a complaint linked to barricades established by residents in Kasibu town against exploration activities by North Luzon Mineral Resources Corporation (NLMRC).

“This outcome is not only a legal victory. It is a victory for truth, justice, and the collective efforts of communities who courageously stand to protect our land, water, and future generations,” Mangalinao said in a statement.

The complaint named Mangalinao, Father Christian Dumangeng, and several community leaders allegedly involved in maintaining the barricades. The case drew national attention after a Catholic bishop and priest were included among the defendants.

The dispute stems from opposition to a 4,456-hectare (11,011 acres) mining exploration project being undertaken by NLMRC in several villages in Kasibu, a municipality in Nueva Vizcaya, a mountainous province on the island of Luzon north of Manila.

Residents, church groups, and some Indigenous leaders have raised concerns about the project’s potential effects on watersheds, local livelihoods, and nearby communities.

Residents established barricades in May to block the movement of fuel, equipment, and mineral samples linked to NLMRC’s exploration activities, according to community groups.

The complaint was filed by Rosario Camma, who identified himself as the overall chieftain of the Bugkalot-Ilongot Indigenous Cultural Communities. Some members of the Bugkalot-Ilongot Indigenous communities have joined opposition to the project, citing concerns about its possible effects on their communities and surrounding resources.

In a nine-page decision obtained by EWTN News, the local court said the plaintiff failed to establish a clear legal right warranting injunctive relief and ruled that it lacked jurisdiction over the action. The court found that the relief sought was more consistent with an injunction case than a forcible entry action.

The decision also cited a certification from the Philippine government’s Indigenous affairs agency stating that the exploration permit area falls outside officially recognized ancestral domain lands. Opponents of the project, however, have argued that the controversy extends beyond ancestral domain claims and includes concerns over environmental impacts and consultation requirements.

The court further held that the complaint sought to stop activities related to the barricades rather than recover possession of property, a key element in forcible entry cases.

Mangalinao has defended his involvement in the issue, saying his presence at the barricades was part of his pastoral responsibility. Earlier this week, he said he visited the communities to celebrate Mass and accompany residents concerned about the future of their land and water sources.

“I went as their bishop to offer the Holy Mass, to pray with them, and to remind them that their concern for the land, the water, and their children’s future is one the Church shares and blesses,” he said.

In his homily on June 21, the prelate said the dispute is an issue of environmental stewardship and concern for communities affected by development projects.

“I could have chosen not to speak up, but if I do not speak up, my sin would be great before God,” he said.

The bishop said the ruling would strengthen continuing efforts to defend the environment and communities affected by extractive projects.

“Let this moment remind us that defending our watersheds, our environment, and our people’s livelihood is not a crime: it is a shared moral responsibility,” he said.

“We believe, as the Church has always taught, that the earth is not ours to exhaust but ours to steward,” he added.

The discovery was made in April, when a parishioner noticed an unusual detail on the face of the saint from Pietrelcina: A reddish tear, resembling blood, appeared to be falling from its left eye.

The news quickly reached the parish priest, Father Girolamo Capuano, who went to the church to verify what had happened and attempt, without success, to clean off the stain. The statue of Padre Pio, which has stood at the entrance of this Italian church for two decades, has been removed for examination in order to determine the origin of the phenomenon.

Speaking to Mediaset Italia’s program Mattino Cinque, Capuano urged prudence and emphasized that bringing the matter to public attention to clarify the facts “does not stem from any desire for popularity.”

Furthermore, he insisted that such “signs” are “given to all so that they may be shared with prudence, love, and discernment,” while also stating that they should be made known “because many people begin a journey of faith” through them.

The Italian priest, who verified via security cameras that no one had tampered with the statue, reiterated that in his view, it is “an authentic sign that comes from God,” although he asked people to wait for the necessary verification.

“What convinces me the most is that we have a camera monitoring the statue day and night for more than 10 years. I have personally reviewed all the footage from April 1st to the 30th. The tear appeared on the 18th, or at least that was when we saw it. No one approached the statue, either by day or by night, to do anything to it. That reinforces my personal conviction and my faith in Padre Pio,” he said.

The priest noted several striking elements: “The statue is made of fiberglass, and the reddish color of the tear raises questions. Furthermore, the path of the tear is so perfect that not even a painter like Michelangelo could reproduce something like it.”

Regardless of the investigationʼs findings, which must determine whether the stain contains hemoglobin or another substance, Capuano insists that “they cannot take our faith away from us.”

In 2015, a reported case of an image of the Virgin Mary weeping circulated in the same town, although investigations concluded that the phenomenon was caused by rainwater seepage.

In accordance with the Vatican’s Norms for Proceeding in the Discernment of Alleged Supernatural Phenomena, the bishop of the Diocese of Capua, Pietro Lagnese, will lead the preliminary investigation before submitting the findings to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF).

According to these norms, published by the Vatican in 2024, it is up to diocesan bishop to examine cases in dialogue with his corresponding bishops’ conference and under the supervision of the DDF.

Once the facts have been investigated, the bishop must send the results to the dicastery, which analyzes both the material received and the procedure followed by the prelate. Until the DDF issues a definitive judgment, the bishop “will refrain from any public declaration regarding the authenticity or supernaturality of these phenomena.”

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

The Diocese of Las Cruces “is currently the subject of an application by the United States government to exercise eminent domain over diocesan land situated on Mount Cristo Rey,” Baldacchino wrote in a letter.

Mount Cristo Rey is a prominent mountain in Sunland Park, New Mexico, overlooking the Texas and Mexico borders. The mountain is home to a 29-foot-tall statue of Christ and a shrine.

“At this site, Christ the King, with open arms, rises above two countries,” Baldacchino said. “Since the sites’ founding nearly a century ago, many have come together in devotion and journeyed to the top of this mountain seeking Him and offering prayers of thanksgiving and hope.”

As the dispute remains ongoing, Baldacchino and Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso are inviting the faithful “to join in prayer and pilgrimage” by climbing the mountain and celebrating Mass on June 28.

“Our government is within its rights to secure its border, however, our Diocese is defending itself against the means by which the government now seeks to do so,” Baldacchino said.

The government is trying to seize the diocesan property “to construct, install, operate, and maintain…structures designed to help secure the United States/Mexico border within the state of New Mexico,” according to a civil action filed by the federal government in U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico.

The Diocese of Las Cruces had asked a district court to block the deposit of the funds while it fights the governmentʼs attempts, but on June 15, U.S. District Judge Kenneth Gonzales ruled the government could deposit the $183,071 to “allow for the safekeeping of funds pending resolution” of the dispute.

This is not a matter of politics, but a matter of preserving and defending a sanctuary and devotion which has brought many people in our community to God."

Peter Baldacchino

Bishop of Las Cruces, New Mexico

“This is not a matter of politics, but a matter of preserving and defending a sanctuary and devotion which has brought many people in our community to God,” he said. “The spiritual value of this site cannot be compromised by politics or financial gain.”

“I look forward to being with you all on June 28, 2026, as we pray for the Dioceses of Las Cruces and El Paso, and for our government and its leaders,” Baldacchino wrote.

The proposed university is borne out of the broader Sahel Peace Initiative, an interfaith advocacy organization working toward peacebuilding in the region. The Sahel is the region sitting directly below the Sahara desert, representing the northernmost part of Sub-Saharan Africa.

According to a concept proposal provided to EWTN News, the initiative is led by the Catholic bishops conferences in Burkina Faso and Niger.

Christians are the minority in both countries, representing slightly more than one-fourth of Burkina Faso and about 1% of Niger. Traditional African religions also represent a minority, while Islam is the most practiced religion.

“While we will envision solutions like buildings and programs, the goal is to foster a robust population engaged in problem solving and developing a sustainable peace in the Sahel,” the proposal states.

Although led by Catholics, the bishops also partner with Muslim clerics and leaders of traditional African faith communities. The proposal notes the university will be grounded in Catholic social teaching, and open to everyone, and expressed a commitment to work with interfaith partners, especially the Muslim community.

“The [university] will serve as a regional hub for peacebuilding, governance research, trauma healing, and community resilience, equipping leaders and communities to address the Sahel’s most urgent challenges,” it adds.

The bishops hope to headquarter the university in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso. It will be African- and Catholic-led, but the bishops are looking for international support, including from the United States.

“While the physical requirements include buildings and materials, these are merely tools for the emerging leaders to cultivate a new group of younger and empowered people of all faiths working collaboratively towards the shared goal of lasting peace,” it states.

Burkina Faso bishops seek solidarity

Bishops from Burkina Faso have met with Pope Leo XIV in Rome and have offered information to the U.S. State Department in a recent trip to the United States, hoping to spread awareness about problems in the Sahel and to garner more support for their peace efforts.

Two of the bishops — Archbishop Laurent Dabire, archbishop of Bobo-Dioulasso, and Bishop Alexandre Bazie, auxiliary bishop of Koudougou and head of the Burkina Faso-Niger bishops’ delegation — spoke with EWTN News about the situation on the ground and efforts to gain support for the university.

The bishops spoke in French through a translator, Father Barthelemy Bazemo.

Dabire said he told Leo the bishops have been trying to raise awareness about problems in the region for a long time. He said people globally are aware of the conflicts in Ukraine, Iran, and Gaza, but often Africa and the Sahel are overlooked.

President Donald Trump coordinated with the Nigerian government to strike terrorists in Nigeria — a country in the Sahel, east of Burkina Faso — amid rampant violence, killings, and terrorism that has disproportionately targeted Christians, but also victimized many Muslims and followers of traditional African religions.

Bazie said the U.S. has coordinated with Burkina Faso on separate issues, such as health initiatives, but the terrorism problem has not drawn as much attention from the administration when compared to Nigeria.

He said the violence in Burkina Faso is not one-sided against Christians, but that terrorists target both churches and mosques, and both Christian and Muslim clerics. He warned the people of Burkina Faso, however, cannot afford to wait until the situation reaches the level of Nigeria.

According to a 2025 report from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) about the Sahel countries, Burkina Faso has “one of the world’s highest rates of civilian attacks and fatalities from insurgent violence.”

It cites actions from violent insurgent groups, including a February 2024 attack by the Islamic State – Sahel Province that killed 12 worshipers at a Catholic Church in Essakane. There was another attack that month on a mosque that killed dozens of people, along with numerous attacks on villages by bandits and insurgents. These attacks have targeted both Christians and Muslims.

In addition to murders, attacks have included kidnappings of priests, religious sisters, imams, and other Christian and Muslim civilians.

“As a result of brutal killings — thousands [have been] killed — there [are] many [in the] community being impacted [and] it takes education,” Bazie said. “It takes several years of training to get people into the [right] mindset, even if we have different solutions.”

Bazie noted that the Church has been working to improve the region through construction of schools and hospitals and other forms of economic development, but that additional support from outside partners can help the region further.

“With limited resources, [we’re] trying to do [our] best,” he said. “But now coming here is to ask for support in what’s already being done.”

Audato and Ieda Denardi were found guilty of the crime of “intellectual neglect” by a court in the state of São Paulo, even though the prosecution itself had requested their acquittal after concluding that the minors were not suffering from any neglect and were demonstrating appropriate academic and social development.

The Christian legal organization ADF International, which is representing the family in the appeal, denounced the case as “a grotesque abuse of criminal law” and stated that it would continue defending the couple.

The conviction, initially handed down in April 2026 and currently under appeal before the Seventh Criminal Court Chamber of the São Paulo State Court of Justice, will remain suspended while the appeal is being resolved.

‘I cannot conceive of a more dictatorial state’

Ieda Denardi expressed her distress and defended the right of parents to choose their childrenʼs education.

“As a mother, I cannot conceive of a more dictatorial state than the one that wants me in jail because I chose to exercise my right to direct the education and upbringing of my daughters,” she told ADF International.

“My husband and I are hopeful the court will recognize our right to choose the best education for our children and overturn this unjust conviction,” she added.

The couple began homeschooling their daughters in 2020 after realizing the limitations of the remote public education imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since then, they report a significant improvement in their daughters' academic performance and have been able to incorporate family values ​​and faith into their education.

Judge takes into account the girls’ music preferences

One of the most striking aspects of the case is the reasoning the judge used to reach the verdict. According to the ruling, the educational program provided by the parents did not include content regarding “gender and sex education” or “tolerance and diversity.”

Furthermore, the court concluded that the fact that the girls, aged 15 and 11, do not enjoy popular musical genres such as “trap” or “sertanejo” demonstrated an alleged deficiency in their cultural education.

The judge cited this despite the fact that both girls are pianists with advanced training and are fluent in several languages.

In his ruling, the judge further accused the parents of “using their daughters as pawns in an ideological struggle, subjecting them to a form of unregulated education, the effectiveness and quality of which lack adequate metrics within the Brazilian legal system, while completely excluding the state’s involvement.”

The prosecution sought the parents' acquittal

“The prosecutor examined the witnesses and recommended acquittal. An independent educational psychologist found no sign of neglect. The girls themselves described rigorous daily education,” explained Julio Pohl, legal counsel for Latin America at ADF International.

However, “the judge convicted anyway,” he said, “because a fifteen-year-old said she finds some music lyrics morally questionable, and because the curriculum didn’t include state-approved content on gender.”

“A parent has been sentenced to prison not for failing to educate her children, but for educating them according to her own values. This is a grotesque abuse of the criminal law, and we will not let it stand.” Pohl pledged.

First criminal prosecution against homeschooling families

According to ADF International, more than 70,000 children are currently being homeschooled in Brazil. However, a lack of regulation has left thousands of families in a state of uncertainty.

The Denardi case sets a precedent as the first criminal conviction of parents for homeschooling their children.

The situation has even reached the country’s legislature, where hearings were recently held on the matter, and the Denardis asked lawmakers to pass a law guaranteeing families the right to choose this educational model.

Although a homeschooling bill was passed by the Chamber of Deputies (lower house) in 2022, the initiative remains stalled in the Senate.

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.

Ahead of the extraordinary consistory of the cardinals at the Vatican on June 26-27 and the SSPX’s upcoming episcopal consecrations on July 1 without papal approval, the group issued the letter as well as the declaration reaffirming their attachment to Church tradition.

“We are convinced that Tradition contains all the remedies for the deepest ills afflicting the Church and the world, for which solutions are sought in vain outside of it,” the SSPX stated in their open letter.

The accompanying declaration contains 154 statements defending traditional Church teachings, including on the sacraments, divine revelation, the Virgin Mary, the rejection of ecumenism, and fidelity to the Traditional Latin Mass.

These documents from the SSPX mark the latest development in a series of public disagreements with the Holy See over the SSPX’s planned episcopal consecrations without papal approval.

The Vatican stated on May 13 that the consecrations would be a schismatic act, resulting in automatic excommunication for the consecrating bishops and those consecrated.

On June 16, Pope Leo warned the SSPX that their planned episcopal conscrations risk schism.

“We have invited them, and I am still considering making another appeal, to say: ‘Do not do this. Let us try to live in communion in the Church.’ But it is their choice. They must understand what it means for them and for the Church,” the pope said, responding to journalists’ questions outside Villa Barberini in Castel Gandolfo on June 16.

The SSPX exclusively celebrates the Traditional Latin Mass and has rejected certain teachings and reforms of the Second Vatican Council, particularly regarding religious freedom and the Church’s approach to other faiths.

The Holy See Press Office did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.

According to Vatican News, Ignatius Press has published “The Lord Holds Us By the Hand,” previously released in Italian in 2025 under the title “Il Signore Ci Tiene per Mano.”

The book contains Benedict’s homilies delivered during private Masses both during his time as pope and after his resignation from the papacy in 2013.

The volume includes homilies from the seasons of Advent, Lent, and Easter, given at either the private chapel in the Apostolic Palace or the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in the Vatican, and focused on developing a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

The book offers an example of the continuity of the late pope’s theological work since his time as Joseph Ratzinger, both as an acclaimed theologian and as head of the then-Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The book also highlights his focus on the person of Christ as an accompanying figure for today’s Christians.

“The Lord Holds Us by the Hand” includes a preface by Archbishop Georg Gänswein, Pope Benedict XVI’s former personal secretary, and an introduction by Father Federico Lombardi S.J., president of the Joseph Ratzinger-Benedict XVI Vatican Foundation.

A second volume, dedicated to Benedict’s homilies given during Ordinary Time, is forthcoming.

Next year, 2027, will mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of Joseph Ratzinger, who would later become Pope Benedict XVI.

DeSantis should “grant a stay of the execution of Dusty Ray Spencer and … commute his sentence to life without parole,” the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops said in a letter to DeSantis dated June 18.

Spencer is set to be executed at 6 p.m. on June 25. DeSantis signed his death warrant on May 26.

The convicted murderer was found guilty of killing his wife Karen after stabbing her to death in 1992 in the backyard of her Orange County home. Spencer carried out the killing with a brick and a knife; Karen’s 17-year-old son witnessed the murder and attempted to stop his stepfather from the killing.

Spencer had carried out the murder after being released from jail on bail. His attorneys had argued that the murder was a crime of passion, though prosecutors said he had threatened to kill Karen prior to getting out of jail and ultimately followed through with the threat.

A U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Spencer will be 74 if and when the state executes him. Data from the Death Penalty Information Center indicates that he would be among the 10 oldest criminals executed in the U.S. since 1976.

‘God is the author of life’

In their letter, written by Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops Executive Director Michael Sheedy, the Florida bishops acknowledged that Karen Spencer’s death was “tragic and horrific.” The letter expressed “sorrow for the terrible suffering her loved ones have had to live with ever since.”

“Mr. Spencer’s crime was truly heinous and merits a severe punishment by the state,” the letter said. “…Nevertheless, we ask that you spare the life of Mr. Spencer, who was sexually abused as a child by his father and had a paranoid personality disorder.”

Like bishops in many U.S. states, the Florida bishops regularly petition the state government to commute death sentences there. Florida is among the most active states in the country for carrying out death sentences.

The state most recently executed Andrew Lukehart, a 53-year-old who was convicted of killing his girlfriend’s baby in 1997. The Florida bishops had petitioned the state government to halt that execution as well, though it was ultimately carried out on June 2.

In their plea to DeSantis regarding Spencer, the bishops said a sentence of life in prison was “not [meant] to minimize the heinousness of Mr. Spencer’s crime.”

“It is rather to recognize with awe that God is the author of life, and to reserve to him the taking of human life except where it is otherwise impossible to maintain the common good,” they said.

The letter urged the governor to “uphold justice and..exercise mercy.” It further offered prayers for Karen Spencer “and for the consolation of her loved ones.”

If it proceeds with the execution, Florida will carry out the killing at Florida State Prison in Raiford, located between Jacksonville and Gainesville.

In their statement on Tuesday about the state of the nation, the bishops said that the initiative, which was suspended by the court following public outcry, has been imposed on Kenyans without adequate public consultation or parliamentary oversight.

“We…as your shepherds committed to safeguarding the dignity and protection of our people, express our grave concern regarding the proposed establishment of an Ebola quarantine and treatment facility at Laikipia Air Base, mainly for the American citizens,” the bishops said.

The Catholic leaders explained that their opposition stems from the initiative’s lack of transparency and disclosure of its governing terms. The prelates said: “Clearly, there is an inherent threat to the lives of Kenyan citizens that must be addressed because we would be importing a deadly disease.”

They continued: “What is in this for Kenya? Is this facility in the interest of our nation, whereby Kenya as a country welcomes the treatment of foreign Ebola patients, who are not welcome to their own country, for fear and danger of infection, yet accommodated in our country at the risk of our people? Kenya must affirm its sovereignty,” they said.

The facility was reportedly intended to quarantine and monitor Americans who may have been exposed to Ebola during the ongoing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). 

According to U.S. officials, the plan was designed to keep exposed individuals closer to the outbreak region rather than transport them immediately to the United States.

The project has generated significant public opposition in Kenya, with protests in and around Nanyuki and legal challenges arguing that the government failed to adequately consult the public and disclose the agreement with the United States.

Some demonstrations have turned violent, with reported fatalities.

Kenyaʼs Health Minister, Aden Duale has ordered an immediate halt to construction of the U.S.-backed Ebola quarantine facility at Laikipia Air Base following a court finding that he failed to comply with earlier suspension orders.

Despite previous court orders suspending the project, Reuters reported that construction activity and deliveries of equipment appeared to continue at the site until the latest order to halt work. Satellite imagery and flight-tracking data indicated ongoing activity at the air base.

The Kenyan government, led by President William Ruto, has defended the initiative, saying it forms part of broader Ebola preparedness efforts and a long-standing health partnership with the United States. U.S. officials have also stated that the project is intended to strengthen regional preparedness.

Reuters in its June 23 report indicated that the construction of the Ebola quarantine facility was ordered to stop but that the project remains embroiled in legal and political controversy.

In their June 23 statement, the Kenyan bishops said that considering the nature of the Ebola disease and what it takes to contain it, government wisdom would have required a public engagement, to build consensus on the necessity, if at all, of the facility.

The bishops further argued that the absence of meaningful public participation had already resulted in serious consequences, noting that the lack of engagement had contributed to the loss of lives during protests in Laikipia, the arrest of residents, and widespread anxiety over the possibility of an Ebola outbreak in the area.

Calling for a different approach, they urged the nation’s government to “engage in genuine, transparent dialogue with religious leaders, civil society, healthcare workers, and affected communities to explore alternative solutions” that would strengthen Kenya’s own health infrastructure and its capacity to respond to Ebola and other infectious disease threats.

The Ebola outbreak is centered in DRC and is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, a relatively rare strain for which there is currently no licensed approved vaccine.

According to the latest reports, the DRC has recorded more than 1,000 confirmed cases and over 250 deaths, making this one of the fastest-growing Ebola outbreaks on record.

The outbreak has also spread into Uganda, where authorities have confirmed 19 cases and two deaths, many linked to importation from the DRC and subsequent local transmission

The bishops also demanded greater openness in government agreements affecting the country, including those involving the exploitation of Kenya’s natural resources.

“We demand for transparency in government deals that affect our country, including those recently struck like the exploitation of our minerals,” they said, adding that such transparency is a right of all Kenyans because the nation’s natural resources belong to its people.

At the same time, the bishops reaffirmed their willingness to collaborate with the government and international partners in strengthening public health systems.

They said they were committed to helping build “robust, equitable public health systems that protect all people, Kenyan and foreign alike, without compromising our constitutional principles or the safety of our citizens,” while also recalling that concerns surrounding the Social Health Authority (SHA) remain unresolved.

Emphasizing the need to place human dignity at the center of national decision-making, the bishops said they believe “the renewal of our nation must begin by recovering an unwavering respect for the dignity of every human person,” arguing that only a society that protects life can build justice, peace, and lasting hope.

They said that Catholic social teaching regards human dignity as the cornerstone of justice and maintains that honoring the dignity of every individual creates the conditions necessary for genuine peace and human flourishing.

The bishops further expressed confidence that Kenya possesses the spiritual resources, moral wisdom, and collective resolve needed to build a nation where every person is valued, grievances are addressed with respect, and economic systems serve the common good.

The Catholic leaders pledged to continue working alongside both the government and the Kenyan people in pursuing these goals.

“We as the Catholic Church, commit ourselves to walking alongside the government and our people in this sacred work,” they said, expressing faith in Kenya’s capacity for transformation and in the power of faith to guide the country toward justice and an environment in which human life is cherished.

This article was originally published by ACI Africa, EWTN News’ service in Africa, and has been adapted for EWTN News English.

In an audience with a group of authors on June 24, Leo discussed the enduring value of literature amid rapid digitalization. In his remarks, he urged authors to inspire readers to seek truth through their work.

The encounter between the pope and writers marked the 100th anniversary of the Vatican Publishing House, also known as Libreria Editrice Vaticana, shortened to LEV, in Italian.

“Writing, as you know, is an act of truth, of revelation, for it reveals who we are, what we believe and hope for, the world we strive toward and the future of which we dream,” Leo said. “We are never masters of the truth; if anything, it is the truth that ‘conquers’ us. That is why I hope you will inspire others to be drawn to the truth, because you yourselves are drawn to it.”

Leo also explained that writing, as a human exercise, ultimately leads to God.

“When we delve into the very depths of our humanity, we are not far from God; for there, in the midst of very human stories, God reveals himself,” Leo said.

His speech to writers follows a similar address delivered to the Vatican Publishing House employees on May 7, also held to mark its 100th anniversary.

The Vatican Publishing House was founded in 1926 as the official publisher of all texts by the pope and the Holy See.

Encounter through literature in the age of AI

Several of the authors reflected on the pope’s speech in comments to journalists following their audience.

Jonathan Safran Foer, a critically acclaimed Jewish-American author, described the encounter as revealing the power of writing to foster empathy for others’ suffering.

“Writing is good at opening us up empathically and being aware of the suffering in the world,” Foer told EWTN News. “It is very easy to ignore somebody you don’t see. It’s very hard to ignore somebody who is in front of you. And at its best, art brings the other in front of you. It creates those encounters.”

Other authors discussed the challenges faced by writers in the era of artificial intelligence (AI). Paul Elie, an American author and a senior fellow at Georgetown University, praised Pope Leo for highlighting the need for writers in today’s world.

“Artificial intelligence — thereʼs no question itʼs a threat to literature and writing, and the pope addressed that today. ‘We need you,’ he said. One reason the world needs writers is that we still write as a free act, not as something created by an algorithm,” Elie told EWTN News.

Colum McCann, an Irish writer of literary fiction, added: “The Holy Father has been talking about stories and storytelling, language, disarming language, and how AI has penetrated the world of storytelling. If you get to the heart of the human mystery, you get to the heart of proper storytelling and engagement. We would then hope, somehow, to bring [humanity] back together in these divided times.”

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Representatives of the participating states presented a joint declaration calling for an international moratorium on surrogacy as a step toward its eventual global abolition. In this context, a moratorium refers to a temporary suspension of surrogacy arrangements pending further legal, ethical, and human rights review.

The event, titled “Building Momentum Towards a Moratorium on Surrogacy,” was motivated by concerns over the increasing physical, psychological, medical, and ethical harms associated with surrogacy. The rapid growth of the surrogacy industry, projected to hit nearly $100 billion by 2033, was another cause of concern.

The joint declaration presented reflects an abolitionist approach to surrogacy and calls on governments to adopt policies that safeguard human dignity and fundamental human rights.

The initiative follows previous criticism of the controversial practice by Pope Leo XIV, who condemned it in a January address. In March, the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations also raised concerns about surrogacy, warning that it is an area in which “technology and practice have run laps around the law and ethics.”

A question of human dignity

Italy’s Minister for Family, Birth Rate and Equal Opportunities, Eugenia Roccella, framed the surrogacy debate as a fundamental question about the status of the human person.

She asked whether society still recognizes human beings as persons “who must be respected” or is willing to accept a situation in which they become “a means to satisfy the interests or needs of others.”

Roccella described the declaration as establishing “a common political commitment” to support an international moratorium on surrogacy while laying the groundwork for “an international legal framework aimed at abolishing surrogacy worldwide.”

At the same time, she stressed that the initiative should be viewed as the beginning of a broader international effort rather than its culmination. Roccella urged governments, international organizations, and civil society actors to engage in a “serious and constructive dialogue” on how best to address surrogacy while protecting the rights and dignity of all those involved.

Serious human rights concerns

Among the keynote speakers was U.N. Special Rapporteur Reem Alsalem, whose 2025 report to the U.N. General Assembly was widely praised as one of the most comprehensive examinations of surrogacy to date.

Alsalem told participants that her scrutiny of surrogacy arose not from ideological opposition but from her mandate to investigate violence against women and girls. She said she began examining the issue after identifying it as a “growing and emerging phenomenon” with “significant and serious consequences” for women and girls, yet one that had received comparatively little analysis through the framework of international human rights law.

Drawing on her findings, Alsalem described surrogacy as a system that “commodifies women and children,” turning women’s reproductive capacities into services to be purchased and children into objects of contractual arrangements.

She further argued that children born through surrogacy can face abandonment, statelessness, and separation from their birth mothers, circumstances she said may cause lasting emotional harm.

Welcoming the declaration, Alsalem endorsed calls for an international moratorium, explaining that a temporary suspension would allow governments to gather data, improve accountability, and better assess the human rights implications of surrogacy.

“We will no longer accept these abuses,” she said, expressing hope that additional states would join the initiative.

Her subsequent 2026 report on violence against women and girls reiterates concerns that surrogacy can facilitate exploitation, coercion, and other serious violations of the rights of women and girls.

Momentum beyond Geneva

Speaking to EWTN News, Giorgio Mazzoli, moderator of the event and director of U.N. advocacy for ADF International, explained that opposition to surrogacy is gaining traction among governments. He referred to Slovakia’s 2025 constitutional prohibition of surrogacy and current advancing legislation in Chile that would ban the practice as evidence of a broader shift.

According to Mazzoli, “states are increasingly aware of the need for a coordinated response to the harm surrogacy causes to women and children,” adding that the Geneva event was intended to “build and sustain that momentum.”

While supporters of surrogacy continue to advocate for its expansion in jurisdictions where the practice remains legal or unresolved, Mazzoli said governments that have not yet confronted the issue directly are nevertheless paying attention.

“Even countries which do not yet face the problem directly — or claim not to — are taking note,” he said. “They see where this is heading and want to be ahead of it.”

Mazzoli also highlighted Italy’s recent legislation extending criminal liability to Italian citizens who commission surrogacy abroad, describing it as a significant attempt to curb so-called “forum shopping,” whereby individuals travel to other countries to access services prohibited at home.

Nevertheless, he argued that national measures alone will not be sufficient. Given the increasingly cross-border nature of the surrogacy industry, Mazzoli said the long-term goal should be the development of an international legally binding instrument capable of addressing surrogacy across jurisdictions.

Meanwhile, Ludovine de La Rochère, president of Le Syndicat de la Famille, who attended the event as an observer, told EWTN News that public awareness of surrogacy varies significantly across Europe.

Countries where advocacy groups actively publicize scandals and ethical concerns tend to have a greater understanding of the issue, while in other countries “people are largely unaware of what surrogacy entails.”

She noted that most media outlets rarely scrutinize surrogacy practices in depth and that public discussion is often shaped by advocacy groups supportive of surrogacy.

According to De La Rochère, anti-surrogacy organizations defending mothers and children face an uphill battle because they often operate with limited resources. “Large-scale information campaigns are absolutely essential,” she said, but she noted that such groups generally lack the financial support available to progressive organizations.

She contended that public education efforts should focus on demonstrating why surrogacy constitutes “an exploitation of women and an objectification of the child,” while also drawing attention to cases involving international human trafficking.

The pontiff also accepted the resignation of Bishop Rubén Antonio González Medina, C.M.F., who has led the diocese since 2015.

According to a Vatican press release, Ramírez was born in Villalba, Puerto Rico, on Nov. 17, 1967. He was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Ponce on Nov. 19, 1991.

His academic training included a bachelor’s degree in theology at the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico.

He served as a parish priest and chaplain for several parishes in the Ponce diocese before his appointment as bishop. He served as vicar general of the diocese since 2021 and as parish priest of the dioceseʼs Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe since 2004.

Known as “Father Jerry,” Ramírez told El Visitante de Puerto Rico in 2016 that he owed his priestly vocation to “a devout family and the example and dedication of the Marianist priests and brothers.”

“I accepted the call aware that I wasnʼt the best clay, but with the conviction that he is indeed the greatest and best potter,” the priest told the Catholic newspaper on the occasion of his 25th anniversary of priestly ordination.

The diocese of Ponce is one of six Roman Catholic dioceses in Puerto Rico and is a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of San Juan de Puerto Rico, all of which are a part of the Catholic Church in the United States.

In a statement released on the anniversary of the landmark Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, Bishop Daniel E. Thomas of Toledo, chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, praised the ruling as a historic turning point while urging Catholics to remain engaged in the pro-life cause.

“On this Anniversary of the Dobbs decision, we praise God for the historic overturning of Roe v. Wade,” Bishop Thomas said. “And we beg the intercession of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in building a culture of life.”

Dobbs overturned Roe and eliminated federal constitutional protection for abortion, shifting authority back to the states. Since then, any laws restricting or expanding abortion have been carried out by the individual states.

Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America, recalled learning of the decision while standing outside the Supreme Court.

“As the opinion was put into my hand, I started reading it, and it said, ‘The Constitution does not confer the right to abortion. Roe and Casey are overruled,” Hawkins spoke during an interview with EWTN News Nightly. “This decision that came down four years ago today gave states and gave legislators across the country … the ability to regulate or end abortion.”

Hawkins described the post-Dobbs landscape as a new phase in the pro-life movement’s efforts, with legislative battles now taking place in state capitals across the nation.

“The decision of abortion is now returned to the people and their representatives,” she said. “We have 51 playing fields in our country where we’re attempting every single day to pass laws to either outright end abortion or to severely restrict abortion.”

Abortion pills emerge as a flashpoint

Several pro-life leaders criticized leaving abortion policies entirely in the hands of the states, arguing that abortion regulations should also come from the federal level.

Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America,  told reporters in a June 23 press call with Bob Vander Plaats, president and CEO of FAMiLY Leader, an Iowa‑based evangelical political advocacy organization “that whole stateʼs-only experiment is a failure. It has been tried and failed.”

Dannenfelser said permissive abortion pill policies in states such as California and New York are undermining pro-life laws elsewhere, allowing abortion drugs to be shipped across state lines into states that have enacted abortion restrictions.

“Now, 15,000 children a month are dying in pro-life states. That is the definition of failure,” she said.

“We used to say thereʼs going to be abortion destination places,” Vander Plaats said. “In Iowa, we were concerned about a state like Illinois being an abortion destination. Now the abortion destination is in your mailbox.”

Both the bishops and pro-life advocates raised growing use of chemical abortion drugs as a concern.

“Now with easier access to abortion pills, the abortion rate is tragically climbing. The victory of the Dobbs decision risks being undone by the massive influx of abortion pills,” Bishop Thomas said in the statement.

Pro-life leaders said changes made by federal regulators have enabled abortion pills to be prescribed through telehealth appointments and distributed through pharmacies and the mail, despite restrictions enacted by pro-life states.

Hawkins likewise criticized the federal government’s handling of abortion pills and called for further action from the Trump administration.

“While we’re excited and we’re still celebrating the win of Roe being reversed, something that many people told us was impossible, we have not won the war,” she said.

“We’re going to be celebrating the victory of the Dobbs decision. And weʼre going to be praying for our future success to see abortion completely abolished in our land,” Hawkins said.

Catholics urged to pray and take action

Looking ahead, the USCCB is encouraging Catholics to participate in a national prayer and advocacy effort that will run from mid-August through October’s Respect Life Month. Bishop Thomas urged the faithful to pray for women facing unplanned pregnancies, share information about abortion pills, and advocate for policies that protect both mothers and unborn children.

“Thus, by incorporating us into Christ, the Eucharist teaches us to adopt the very style of life of the Lord Jesus, which was marked by the free gift of Himself,” the pope said during his June 24 general audience in St. Peter’s Square.

“This gift draws us into the dynamic of unity, offering a powerful antidote to the forces of division that undermine our world, our communities, our families, and our hearts,” he said.

The pope continued his catechesis on the documents of the Second Vatican Council, focusing on the Constitution “Sacrosanctum Concilium” on the sacred liturgy.

Leo highlighted the liturgical reform called for by the council fathers, especially the creation of the Lectionary, the book containing the biblical readings for liturgical celebrations.

“The liturgical reform translated this request into the treasure that is the Lectionary, the book that gathers all the biblical readings for liturgical celebrations,” he said.

“This richness has been drawn from the purest source of the living Tradition, which combines fidelity with tradition; with openness to legitimate progress,” the pope added, citing “Sacrosanctum Concilium.”

Reflecting on the Mass, Leo said the faithful are invited “to listen to the Word of God and to be nourished at the Lord’s table, where He offers Himself to the Father.”

The two parts of the Mass — the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist — “are so closely connected with each other that they form but one single act of worship,” he said.

“The Eucharist opens us to an understanding of Scripture, just as Scripture for its part illumines and explains the mystery of the Eucharist,” the pope said, quoting Benedict XVI’s apostolic exhortation “Verbum Domini.”

Leo also drew on the teaching of St. Augustine, who explained the mystery of the Body of Christ to the newly baptized by citing St. Paul’s words: “Now you are Christ’s body, and individually parts of it.”

“It is your own mystery that you receive,” Augustine wrote, according to the pope. “To what you are, you respond: Amen, and your response is like your signature. You are told, ‘The Body of Christ,’ and you reply, ‘Amen.’ Be therefore members of the Body of Christ, so that your Amen may be true.”

The pope said that through the Eucharist, Christians become what they receive: the Body of Christ.

“Thus, the Eucharist is the sacrament of the Kingdom that is to come,” Leo said. “It is the Bread for the journey that leads us to our heavenly homeland, until that blessed day when ‘God will be all in all.’”

He also stressed that the faithful are not passive spectators at Mass but join in offering the sacrifice “not only through the hands of the priest, but also with him.”

“By participating in it, they learn ‘to offer themselves; through Christ the Mediator, they should be drawn day by day into ever more perfect union with God and with each other,’” he said.

The pope concluded by quoting “Sacrosanctum Concilium” on the Eucharist as “a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a paschal banquet in which Christ is eaten, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us.”

“Dear brothers and sisters,” he said, “let us draw with faith from this source of divine life and allow ourselves to be transformed by the mystery we celebrate.”

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.

No contribution is too small; every gift counts: It doesn’t matter whether you can offer a grain of sand or a mountain; what truly matters is participating and giving what is within your means, according to Peter’s Pence Office.

To support this initiative, the Vatican Secretariat for the Economy and the Dicastery for Communication have prepared a series of informational and multimedia materials.

What is Peterʼs Pence?

The Peterʼs Pence website explains that it is an offering “which may be small in amount, but holds great symbolic value,” as it “demonstrates a sense of belonging to the Church and of love and trust in the Holy Father.”

It is also “a concrete sign of communion with him as the successor of Peter, and of concern for the most needy, whom the pope always cares for.”

Peter’s Pence has two purposes. The first is “to support the mission of the Holy Father, which extends to the entire world through the proclamation of the Gospel, the promotion of integral human development, education, peace, and fraternity among peoples.”

A second purpose is “to support numerous charitable works benefiting individuals, families in difficulty, and populations affected by natural disasters and wars, or those in need of assistance or development aid.”

How did Peterʼs Pence originate?

Peterʼs Pence, as a donation to the pope, began to take place on a regular basis in the 7th century with the conversion of the Anglo-Saxons. Over time, more European peoples joined the practice. In the Middle Ages, the term was used to designate the annual contribution made by states to the Holy See, a custom that eventually fell out of use.

In modern times, specifically around 1870, following the end of the Papal States, the practice of making material contributions to the Vatican picked up again across Europe. The pope was able to provide aid to the needy, such as those affected by an earthquake in Croatia in 1881.

How is the money used now?

The website presents reports on the use of the funds raised. In 2024, for example, donations totaled 58.5 million euros ($66.5 million) of which 13.3 million euros ($15.1 million) were used to help those most in need, funding 239 charitable projects across 66 countries.

The remaining funds — the majority of the collection — supported the broader apostolic mission of the Holy Father and the Holy See. Specifically, 61.2 million euros helped cover essential activities carried out by Vatican dicasteries and offices, including evangelization efforts, support for local churches in difficulty, formation of priests and seminarians, diplomatic work through apostolic nunciatures, education, and the promotion of integral human development and 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.

In the decision, authored by Justice Neil Gorsuch, the court found that Damon Landor — a Rastafarian whose dreadlocks were shaved in violation of his religious practice — does not have legal standing to seek monetary damages from the Louisiana Department of Corrections officials responsible for the incident.

Every justice appointed by Republican presidents sided with the majority, and every justice appointed by Democratic presidents dissented from the majority in the decision in Landor v. Louisiana Department of Corrections.

Landor contended that when he was taken to prison, he provided the guards with a copy of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals decision in Ware v. Louisiana Department of Corrections, which found that in most circumstances, shaving the head of a Rastafarian violates the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act.

Landor alleges the guards threw his copy of the decision in the garbage, took him to another room, handcuffed him, held him down, and shaved his head.

In its decision the Supreme Court determined that the law does not permit lawsuits against the individual guards for such violations.

According to the ruling, the authority of the religious liberty law derives from the U.S. Constitution’s spending clause. It states the federal spending power allows Congress to put conditions on the money allocated to entities, such as prisons, but that it cannot regulate the conduct of private individuals under this authority without their express consent, meaning the officials themselves are not liable for any damages.

“Adopting Mr. Landor’s proposed cause of action would allow Congress to evade the consent requirement inherent in its Spending Clause authority and regulate directly the conduct of countless nonconsenting individuals in spheres traditionally reserved to the States,” the ruling states.

“Such a result would be inconsistent with principles of state sovereignty and a federal government of limited and enumerated regulatory powers,” it adds.

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, in her dissent, disagreed with the majority’s interpretation of the spending clause, asserting that the ruling diminishes constitutional powers and “transforms a federal statute into an invitation to be accepted or declined, deemed binding only if each particular defendant has explicitly agreed to be penalized.”

“Prisoners like Landor who suffer violations of their religious freedom in state prisons — no matter how blatant — will often be left remediless,” Jackson wrote. “And encroachments on prisoners’ statutory rights are likely to happen with fair frequency, as state-empowered prison officials will have little incentive to abide by federal law, even if it is handed to them on a piece of paper.”

In another 6-3 decision, which was split along the same lines, the Supreme Court also ruled practitioners of the Chinese spiritual movement Falun Gong had no standing to sue Cisco Systems, Inc. in spite of allegations the company’s technology was used by the Chinese government to persecute them for their religious beliefs.

The decision in Cisco Systems, Inc. v. Doe found that the practitioners did not have standing to sue under the Alien Tort Statute. Because there was no standing, the court did not determine whether the company aided the persecution in any way, which it denies doing.

In fact, the Nativity of St. John the Baptist on June 24 is a solemnity, meaning it is the highest form of Catholic feast day. And because it falls exactly six months before the solemnity of the Nativity of Our Lord, it is sometimes known as “Summer Christmas.”

“The Church observes the birth of John as in some way sacred; and you will not find any other of the great men of old whose birth we celebrate officially. We celebrate John’s, as we celebrate Christ’s,” St. Augustine of Hippo said in his sermon 293.

In the Mass for the solemnity, the priest prays to God in the preface that in Christ’s precursor, “St. John the Baptist, we praise your great glory, for you consecrated him for a singular honor among those born of women.”

“His birth brought great rejoicing; even in the womb he leapt for joy at the coming of human salvation. He alone of all the prophets pointed out the Lamb of redemption,” the prayer continues. “And to make holy the flowing waters, he baptized the very author of baptism and was privileged to bear him supreme witness by the shedding of his blood.”

St. Augustine explained that “John, it seems, has been inserted as a kind of boundary between the two Testaments, the Old and the New. That he is somehow or other a boundary is something that the Lord himself indicates when he says, ‘The Law and the prophets were until John.’ So he represents the old and heralds the new. Because he represents the old, he is born of an elderly couple; because he represents the new, he is revealed as a prophet in his mother’s womb.”

John’s connection to Christ

Father Mauro Gagliardi, a theologian and liturgist who teaches in Rome, wrote in a 2009 article on Zenit that it is important to emphasize John the Baptist’s role as “indicator.” John is “a prophet who refers back to Christ.”

The liturgy, Gagliardi said, does the same thing, and thus the June 24 solemnity “reminds us of this: The Christian liturgy is a powerful indicator of Christ to the peoples, like [John] the Baptist.”

John the Baptist’s feast day also has cosmic connections, the theologian pointed out. The fact that June 24 is close to the summer solstice demonstrates the fulfillment of the prophecy in John 3:30 that “he must increase; I must decrease,” since after John’s birthday the days get shorter, or “decrease,” while after Jesus’ birthday on Dec. 25, the days get longer, or “increase.”

“This interweaving between a figure from the history of salvation — John — and the cosmic rhythms (both guided by the same God) has found a fruitful development in the devotion and liturgy of the Church,” Gagliardi said.

Popular customs of ‘summer Christmas’

The Church’s liturgical commemoration of St. John the Baptist dates back to the fourth century.

Acknowledgement of the saint’s importance can also be noted in his shared patronage, together with St. John the Apostle, of Rome’s Archbasilica of St. John Lateran, which is also the seat of the bishop of Rome — that is, the pope.

The night of June 23 is known in some countries, including Italy, as “St. John’s Eve.” Due to the solemnity’s timing, shortly after the summer solstice, some of the practices connected to the feast have a pagan character, including that some refer to it as “the Night of the Witches.”

Modern-day secular festivities may include concerts and theatrical performances, while Catholics usually celebrate Mass and hold religious processions.

One of the most typical customs related to St. John’s Eve, both secular and religious, is the bonfire, called in some countries “St. John’s Fires,” which are lit in honor of the saint who “was not the light, but came to testify to the light (Jn 1:8).” Fireworks or candle-lit processions can also take the place of bonfires.

In an Angelus message on June 25, 2006, Pope Benedict XVI said the feast of St. John the Baptist “reminds us that our life is entirely and always ‘relative’ to Christ and is fulfilled by accepting him, the Word, the Light, and the Bridegroom, whose voices, lamps, and friends we are.”

“‘He must increase, but I must decrease’ (Jn 3:30): The Baptist’s words are a program for every Christian,” Benedict said.

This story was first published on June 24, 2024, and has been updated.

Catholic Charities USA President Kerry Alys Robinson said in a June 23 statement the bill (HR 6644) “has the potential to improve the lives of so many of our fellow citizens.”

Though he had been expected to sign the bill, Trump postponed the signing to leverage lawmakers to address restrictions on voter identification and mail-in ballots, although the housing measure automatically becomes law if the president takes no action for 10 days while Congress remains in session.

The House cleared the measure and agreed to the version that the U.S. Senate had amended on June 22. The legislation, among other things, would adjust federal multifamily loan limits.

Rep. French Hill, R-Arkansas, sponsored the bill, titled “The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act.”

“We applaud Congressʼs effort to address manufactured housing laws, veterans’ access to housing, and rental assistance for the elderly and disabled through the advancement of this bill,” Robinson said.

The Catholic Charities leader praised provisions in the bill related to zoning reforms, increased private investment in the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program, a higher public welfare investment cap for banks, changes to homeless assistance programs, and the reauthorization of the Community Development Block Grant–Disaster Recovery program.

She also lauded the bill’s proposed reforms to the HOME Investment Partnerships and Community Development Block Grant programs, which she said have been key resources for addressing the housing needs of low-income individuals and families.

“All of God’s children deserve a safe, decent, affordable place to call home and this legislation is an important next step in providing that assurance,” Robinson said.

“We look forward to continued collaboration with Congress to ensure that housing policy in our nation reflects both sound research and our shared moral commitment to protect the most vulnerable.”

This story was updated at 12:30 p.m. ET on June 24, 2026, with news of President Donald Trump’s delay in signing the housing bill.

In an open letter addressed to Pope Leo on June 22, the group’s co-founders André Villeneuve and Father Antoine Lévy, OP, are asking the Holy Father to answer the question, “Should Catholics interpret the creation and enduring existence of the State of Israel as a sign of God’s providence — or should they not?”

While the pair note that “the Church’s reticence to pronounce on the theological meaning of the State of Israel has served a real purpose,” they proceed to express concerns over “a number of Catholic commentators” who they contend “have interpreted this silence as a formal dismissal of the very possibility of ascribing any theological resonance to the founding of the State of Israel and to its enduring existence.”

“The Church’s silence regarding Israel’s right to exist — the reluctance to go beyond mere political recognition, on a par with that extended to the still inchoate State of Palestine (2013) — gives ground to all those Catholic voices that wish to lend this campaign of denigration the authority of the Church’s own name,” the letter manifests.

Villeneuve and Lévy argue that “the ‘theological silence’ that has prevailed until now would risk doing more harm to the Church’s witness than the prudence it was meant to preserve.”

‘For Zion’s Sake’

Villeneuve and Lévy’s letter to Pope Leo comes as part of an effort by Catholic Voices for Israel to make “a biblically grounded, theologically informed case for Catholic solidarity with Israel.”

In its founding statement, “For Zion’s Sake: A Catholic Appeal in Support of Israel,” the recently formed Catholic Voices for Israel (CVFI) calls for Catholic Zionism to be understood as “supporting the Jewish people’s right to self‑determination in their ancient, biblical homeland; acknowledging God’s love for Zion and his promise of the land in Scripture; recognizing that these promises were never revoked in the New Testament; and remaining open to seeing the work of divine providence in Israel’s return to the land — a possibility the Church has not foreclosed.”

Since launching CVFI last month, “For Zion’s Sake” has garnered 165 signatories, including prominent names such as Gavin DʼCosta of the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome and Jennifer Bryson of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C.

Addressing the question of his motivation for helping to spearhead the initiative, Villeneuve, an associate professor of Old Testament and biblical languages at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, Michigan, told EWTN News that Catholic antisemitism has “become much more prevalent” since Oct. 7, 2023 on two levels: the political level and the theological and biblical level.

“All the prophets consistently reaffirm Godʼs covenant with Israel and his promises that he will return them back to their land. So why arenʼt Catholics taking that seriously?” Villeneuve said. “As if this is just an evangelical, dispensationalist-type of idea, when Scripture is really quite clear about it? These promises and prophecies are never abolished in the New Testament.”

One of the four “Guiding Principles” in CVFI’s Charter asserts the importance of the re-establishment of a Jewish homeland in the modern State of Israel, quoting Pope Benedict XVI who said in a 2018 letter to Rabbi Arie Folger that "it is not difficult, I believe, to see in the creation of the State of Israel the fidelity of God to Israel is revealed in a mysterious way.”

While Villeneuve and the Charter both make the case for a Catholic Zionism and recognition of biblical significance for the modern state of Israel, other Catholic public intellectuals argue that the lack of official teaching leaves room for Catholics to disagree or form alternate opinions.

Indeed, in the same 2018 letter to Rabbi Folger, Benedict XVI says “the state of Israel cannot be seen to theologically represent fulfillment of the Land promise, but rather as a secular state which of course has religious foundations.”

Outside perspectives on the effort

“The Charter is strongest when it grounds itself in truths the Church has clearly affirmed,” Simone Rizkallah, manager of Jewish-Christian Partnerships at the Tikvah Fund, told EWTN News.

“Where the Charter moves beyond settled doctrine is in its attempt to reflect on the theological significance of the modern State of Israel,” she said, explaining that the Catholic Church has never taught that the modern State of Israel was biblically prophesied, nor rejected the idea that “the re-establishment of a Jewish homeland might bear theological significance in light of Godʼs enduring fidelity to the Jewish people.”

“On these questions there remains room for legitimate theological exploration and debate among Catholics,” Rizkallah, who is not a signatory to the Charter, said.

In addition, Rizkallah pointed to the perspective of Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, in his framing of the issue: “[Pizzaballa] put his finger on an important aspect of the discussion when he observed: "While Europeans primarily view Israel as a state, for Jews it is much more than that.”

“Too often Catholics discuss Israel exclusively as a political entity without adequately appreciating the religious, historical, and covenantal significance that the Land of Israel holds within the Jewish self-understanding,” she said. “Recognizing that reality does not require agreement with every policy of the Israeli government, but it does require taking Jewish self-understanding seriously.”

Rizkallah, who is also a founding member of the Coalition of Catholics Against Antisemitism, said she welcomed the charter’s rejection of dispensationalism, dual-covenant theology, political absolutism, and the notion that Israel should be exempt from moral scrutiny. She further praised the document’s acknowledgement of the dignity and concerns of Palestinians and local Christians.

“One reason I believe this conversation is so important is that, despite the tremendous progress in Catholic-Jewish relations since Nostra Aetate, there are signs that certain anti-Jewish attitudes are reappearing within parts of Catholic discourse,” she said. “I do not mean that large numbers of Catholics are racial antisemites, nor do I mean that the Churchʼs official teaching has changed. On the contrary, the Churchʼs teaching on the Jewish people remains one of the great achievements of the post-conciliar era.”

“The challenge facing Catholics today is not only to reject overt antisemitism, but also to ensure that our theological, political, and moral judgments are shaped by what the Church actually teaches about the Jewish people,” Rizkallah pointed out.

A ‘work of God’

For his part, David Moss, longtime president of the Association of Hebrew Catholics in the U.S., praised CVFI’s initiative.

“I am totally in agreement with this new Catholic initiative in support of Israel,” Moss told EWTN News. “It can only be a work of God that His chosen people, the people Israel (aka the Jews), would survive the holocaust in Christian Europe, and then three years after the end of World War II return to their ancient homeland.”

Moss emphasized that “it is way past time for Catholics to stand up for the Jewish people, the State of Israel, and the many Jewish traditions of Jesus and His people upon which the Catholic faith is based.”