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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

His father passed away on March 5.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A flurry of criticism followed after the federal Ministry for Women and Child Welfare under the Hindu nationalist BJP government tried to malign the MC congregation by even ordering inspection of all MC homes across the country, as detailed in this National Catholic Register report.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A center of Breton faith

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

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

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

Surviving revolution and conflict

The shrine’s history has not been without challenges.

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

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

Papal recognition

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

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

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

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

A legacy that endures

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

One letter warns about “refusing to assign a room to a resident other than in accordance with the resident’s gender identity,” “prohibiting a resident from using a restroom available to other persons of the same gender identity,” and “willfully and repeatedly failing to use a resident’s preferred name or pronouns after being clearly informed of the preferred name or pronouns.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Support from archdiocese

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

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

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

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

Other controversies

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

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

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

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

The Nationals did not respond to a request for comment.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Growth slows despite record numbers

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

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

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

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

An aging ministry

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

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

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

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

Demographic profile

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

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

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

Questions about the future

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

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

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

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

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

Missionaries of Charity acquitted by Indian court in child trafficking case

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

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

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

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

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

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

Coptic Catholic synod focuses on education and the diaspora

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

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

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

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

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

Patriarch Paul III Nona receives Kurdish officials in Ankawa

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

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

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

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

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

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

On June 18, the Vatican published the decree regarding these martyrs as well as the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Clara Andreu y Malferit (1596–1628), a nun at the Hieronymite monastery of San Bartolomé in Inca in Mallorca.

The diocesan phase of the beatification process for these Spanish martyrs was opened in 2008 by Vicente Juan Segura, bishop of Ibiza, and concluded in 2015, when the cause was forwarded to the then-Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

The process was validated in January 2017, allowing work to proceed on the “positio,” the extensive report that compiles testimonies and details regarding the candidates' lives and virtues and examines their writings.

The report was approved by historical consultants in 2025, and in 2026 it was submitted for review by the dicastery’s theological consultants and member cardinals and bishops.

Born in 1912, Father Juan Torres Torres was martyred at the age of 25; he was the youngest of his companions and the first to die at the hands of his murderers. The eldest was Father José Tur Bennassar, born in 1859, who was a cathedral canon at the time of his death. He died at Ibiza Castle on Sept. 13, 1936, alongside the majority of this group. The Diocese of Ibiza celebrates the feast of these martyrs on that date.

Sister Clara Andreu

Bárbara Andreu Malferit was born on Dec. 4, 1596. Her mother died during childbirth. At the age of 8, she entered the Monastery of San Bartolomé in Inca and took the name Clara, although she did not profess as a novice until she turned 12. She made her religious profession in 1613.

The Royal Academy of History highlights in her biography that “she was notable for the dedication with which she lived out the evangelical counsels and the precepts of the rule and constitutions of the Order of St. Jerome, in every role and wherever obedience placed her.”

She also “engaged in intense activity as an adviser to many people regarding their lives and conscience” and suffered from numerous illnesses. Censured “for the spiritual experiences of a mystical nature she claimed to have and had committed to writing” at the request of Bishop Baltasar de Borja of Mallorca, “she bore it all with exemplary resignation; following a special visit by the Franciscan Father Figuerola, spiritual peace was restored,” according to the biography.

After she died in 1628, "in light of the favors she performed for those who commended themselves to her,” the biography said her remains were placed in a tomb in the convent church in 1702.” Her body is incorrupt, which has heightened her reputation for holiness.

The diocesan phase of her cause concluded in 2011, where the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints in Rome has studied her case for 15 years.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Adopted into a diverse, loving family

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Juneteenth: Self-sacrificial love

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

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

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

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

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

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

How is the Black community targeted by the abortion industry?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Motivated by faith in Christ

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In his private audience with the participants of the Borgo Dialogues at the Vatican on June 19, Leo praised their work as a commitment to the “ecological, social, and economic transformation of the world.” He also described their work as grounded in the Church’s vision to promote global unity.

“Your dialogues have been structured on the Catholic Church’s vision of synodality, listening from the ground up while fostering global unity,” Leo said.

In his remarks, the pope drew extensively on his recent encyclical on artificial intelligence, Magnifica Humanitas. He urged leaders to resist the temptation to prioritize profits over a civilization of love.

“In the face of the temptation to build the ‘Tower of Babel,’ which represents the idolatry of profit at the expense of the most vulnerable and enhances the risk of dehumanization, we are called to contribute to the construction of the New Jerusalem, the civilization of love, in which love is the only guiding principle of economic, political, and cultural life.”

The Borgo Dialogues were held June 17–19 at the Borgo Laudato Si’, part of the Pontifical Villa Gardens in Castel Gandolfo. Inspired by Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’, the meetings brought together leaders from academia, culture, and business to focus on global ecological challenges and related topics.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Signs of their commitment as hermits

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fewer Catholics flirting to convert

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

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

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

Other motives

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

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

Challenges and fears among respondents

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Leo and Trump

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Migration affects people who possess inviolable dignity

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

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

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

‘Security and solidarity are not opposing principles’

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Preventing Catholic schools from disappearing

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Education for human flourishing

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Concerns of bishops

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The friend said that Fortuneʼs spiritual journey was unique.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The funeral liturgy took place June 18 at the Altar of the Chair in St. Peter’s Basilica, two days after Ruini died late Tuesday, June 16. Several cardinals, archbishops, and bishops were present to bid farewell to one of the most prominent figures of the Italian Church.

“For many years he served the Church, carrying out with the same dedication both the humblest tasks and those most laden with responsibility that the Lord wished to entrust to him,” Pope Leo said in his homily.

The pope recalled Ruini’s long and influential ecclesial service, pointing in particular to the initiatives that “left a deep mark on the journey of the ecclesial community and also on civil society.”

Among them, Leo cited Ruini’s “Cultural Project,” his efforts to promote the contribution of Catholics in Italian religious, civil, and political life, the diocesan synod in Rome and its implementation, and his “active and dialoguing presence at the various levels of the life of the Church, as well as of the secular world and society.”

Reflecting on the readings proclaimed during the liturgy, the pope cited St. Paul’s words that neither death nor life, nor angels, principalities, the present, the future, powers, height, depth, or any other creature “will be able to separate us from the love of God.”

According to Pope Leo, this was “the truth that also animated Cardinal Ruini in his ministry.”

“The love of God is faithful,” the pope said. “Nothing can defeat it or separate us from it, because it is his gift, it comes from him, and it is poured out upon us beyond any merit of our own.”

Leo also quoted from Ruini’s spiritual testament, in which the cardinal, speaking of the many people to whom he felt gratitude for the good he had received, wrote: “From them I received no less than what I tried to give.”

“I think these are words that can also help us to live our responsibilities and our various forms of service with the same humility and the same trust in God,” the pope said.

The pope then turned to another passage from the day’s liturgy, taken from the Gospel of John: “Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am.”

In those words, Pope Leo said, one can see the summary of a program of life — “the direction and ultimate purpose of a life spent for the good of one’s brothers and sisters and lived in the constant search for God’s designs for one’s own salvation and theirs.”

Again citing Ruini’s spiritual testament, the pope recalled the cardinal’s words: “I hope, Lord, that I have acted not for personal interests but for the goals that were entrusted to me and that I shared from the heart.”

Leo’s homily was also marked by memories of the popes Ruini served, including St. Paul VI and especially St. John Paul II, in whom — as Ruini himself wrote in his spiritual testament — the cardinal “experienced” the presence of the Lord.

At the end of the homily, the pope reflected on the episcopal motto Ruini chose as a bishop: “The truth will set us free.”

Those words, Leo said, “summarize the profound understanding of the person and of freedom that Christ has revealed to us and that the Church teaches: We are made for truth and for goodness, and only in this do we find unity, peace, and full fulfillment, in earthly life and for eternity.”

Looking at Ruini’s life, the pope concluded, “at how he lived and how he left this world, we can perceive a sign of the strength and solidity with which a person grows and matures when he finds in the truth that comes from God the center and foundation of his existence.”

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

In a private audience with members of the Reunion of Aid Agencies for the Oriental Churches on June 18, Leo highlighted the great gift of the Eastern Churches in communion with Rome. He also explained that these Churches offer Catholics a rich diversity, often unknown to the wider Church.

“Yes, the Eastern Catholic Churches have a great gift to offer the entire Catholic community, which is often unaware of the diverse ecclesial traditions within its ranks,” the pope said. “The Christian East can only be preserved if it is understood: to lose that understanding is to impoverish the Church.”

Leo also stressed the importance of seminary formation for Eastern Catholics preparing for the clergy. He stated that this can help Catholics appreciate not only their own heritage but also that of the Eastern Orthodox Church.

“The Eastern Catholic communities preserve many of these [spiritual riches], sharing them with their brothers and sisters in the Orthodox Churches,” Leo explained. “It is good for us to delve deeper into these treasures together with millions of our Eastern Catholic brothers and sisters, as we look forward to progress toward full unity with all the Eastern Churches.”

His remarks also included an appeal for peace in war-torn regions, particularly those where Eastern Christians are affected.

“Let us pray to Jesus, the Lord of peace, and appeal to people’s consciences so that they may be moved by indignation; and may respect for humanity and a proper sense of civility be restored!”

“He has confirmed to us that he will be in Peru in the first half of November. From Lima, he will go to Chiclayo, from Chiclayo to Piura, from Piura to Pucallpa, in the jungle, and he would also visit Cusco,” he said, following a private meeting with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on June 18.

The president noted that the team responsible for organizing papal flights will ultimately determine the route.

He also did not rule out a possible stop in Arequipa: “As [Pope Leo] will handle it, according to his team of cardinals and the way he plans everything, it’s possible that he could also be in Arequipa.”

Balcázar also said he offered the pontiff several suggestions. Among them, he proposed that after his visit to Chiclayo, he could travel by helicopter “to the Andean area of Incahuasi and Cañaris, which is a very poor, Quechua-speaking region that he knows very well.”

“We have offered him a helicopter to reach any place he wishes quickly, because he wants to cover as many small towns as possible in the north and also in the jungle and Cusco,” he told the group of journalists, among them EWTN News, waiting for him after his private audience with the Holy Father.

Balcázar shares details of his meeting with the Holy Father

The president described the meeting as “magnificent and friendly” and highlighted as a meaningful detail that he is a “congressman for Lambayeque, Chiclayo,” the city where the pope lived from 2015 to 2023.

“We have known each other before,” he explained, referring to the reason why the private audience, held in the Vatican’s Apostolic Library, lasted “almost two hours.”

Balcázar’s visit coincided with the vote count from the second round of Peru’s presidential elections. According to the president, they discussed the country’s political situation, especially the need for the transition of power after the election to be “as orderly as possible, without major conflicts, and for the loser to recognize the winner.” He added that the pope “is concerned that we are still in the middle of this vote.”

The official proclamation of the winner is expected in mid-July.

During the meeting, they also discussed the encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, published May 25, which focuses on issues such as artificial intelligence and human rights. “We went through his entire encyclical, which, of course, I have read, and what comes through is a powerful call to the common good,” he said.

They also spoke about migration. The pope, Balcázar explained, is “aware that there are criminals who migrate from one country to another,” but at the same time is “even more aware that we should not persecute migrants moving from one country to another, because the world has always been marked by migration everywhere, and those migrants must be given the right to life, especially, as he emphasizes, in a very important chapter on human rights.”

“Those human rights must have concrete substance, not just a lyrical declaration, but must be translated into material and objective realities,” he added.

After leaving the Apostolic Palace around 1 p.m. Rome time, the president went to the Vatican Gardens, where he stopped to pray before the image of St. Rose of Lima, enthroned in a historic ceremony presided over by the pope in January.

Vatican highlights good relations with Peru

According to the Vatican, in the subsequent meeting with Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and the secretary for relations with states and international organizations, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, “satisfaction” was expressed over the good relations between the Holy See and Peru, along with a desire to strengthen them further.

They also discussed “matters of common interest, including socioeconomic developments, illegal mining activity, the promotion of the common good and dialogue, and efforts to foster social cohesion.”

Likewise, “there was an exchange of views on the regional and international sociopolitical situation, with particular attention to migration, organized crime, and the repercussions of conflicts.”

Visit still awaits official confirmation

At the beginning of June, Balcázar stated that Leo XIV would visit Peru on Nov. 10, though several months remain before the trip and the Holy See has not yet officially confirmed the final itinerary.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The pontiff signed a decree on Thursday recognizing the heroic virtue of the foundress of the Parish Visitors of Mary Immaculate in New York. He also recognized the heroic virtue of several others, bringing them closer to sainthood.

Just before signing the decree, he met with Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.

Mary Teresa Tallon: Making every soul count

Tallon was born on May 6, 1867, in Hanover, New York, as the daughter of Irish immigrants.

In 1887, at the age of 19, Tallon joined the Sisters of the Holy Cross, despite her family’s disapproval. She remained part of the congregation for the next 33 years, teaching in Catholic schools in South Bend, Indiana.

During this time, Tallon was inspired to establish a new congregation dedicated to contemplation and to preaching the Gospel to the neglected. In 1920, she left the Sisters of the Holy Cross and, on Aug. 15, established the Parish Visitors of Mary Immaculate (PVMI). She gave it the motto “Make every soul count.”

Considered a gifted scholar, Tallon authored a report documenting the first decade of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine in New York for the National Catechetical Congress in 1936.

Tallon died on Feb. 10, 1954, after a prolonged illness.

In 2013, she was declared a servant of God in recognition of her holiness.

Others declared venerable

Pope Leo XIV on June 18 also moved several other servants of God along the path to sainthood.

Two Italians were declared venerable: Maria Agnese Tribbioli, a religious sister who founded the Pie Operaie di San Giuseppe congregation, and Maria Petra Giordano, a Dominican nun.

Others included Spanish nun Clara Andreu y Malferit and Belgian missionary Júlio Maria de Lombaerde.

Leo also recognized the martyrdom of Juan Torres Torres and 19 companions, all Catholic priests, for having been killed “in odium fidei” (“in hatred of the faith”) in Spain during the Spanish Civil War.

During a private audience at the Vatican with the board of governors of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem on June 18, Leo said the universities can be promoters of peace at a time “often characterized by violence and pointed rhetoric.”

“While not always easy, universities must constantly work to ensure that opportunities for meaningful encounters remain available,” Leo said in his remarks. “In an atmosphere where respectful dialogue is possible, everyone can grow in knowledge through learning from the points of view and living testimonies of others, even those with whom they might disagree.”

The pope also highlighted the role of the university amid a rise in armed conflicts worldwide. Citing his message for the 59th World Day of Peace in January, Leo encouraged higher education leaders to work for peace within and beyond their academic communities, even if peace seemed impossible.

“Rather than believing peace to be impossible and beyond our reach, we must seek to promote it in our communities and to welcome and recognize it in our own lives,” Leo said. “I pray that through forming artisans of peace, the university community may continue to be a beacon of hope and unity in a world that is increasingly divided.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

As head of Italy’s bishops’ conference and vicar of Rome during the 1990s and the 2000s, the cardinal often took strong and influential stances on social and moral issues, giving him a reputation for helping to shape ecclesiastical and political opinion.

Personally courteous, reserved, and even shy in manner, he was also intellectually sharp, politically shrewd, and very determined on questions of principle, especially when it came to “nonnegotiable” issues such as the right to life, marriage, and the family. Any severity he would direct toward ideas rather than persons, while he remained generally polite and respectful toward opponents.

All of this made him a trusted collaborator of John Paul II — and later of Benedict XVI — as he dedicated himself to keeping the Catholic Church in Italy relevant at a time when secularism was increasingly taking hold of the nation’s politics and society.

His skills and tact became most evident in 2004 when he urged Italian Catholics to boycott advocating the liberalization of Italy’s legal restrictions on in vitro fertilization (IVF). The referendum the following year failed due to low turnout and while secularists accused Ruini of having overstepped the mark for a churchman, others praised his strategy and his determination to speak out. Some affectionately awarded him the nickname “Rovini,” meaning the “ruiner” of secularists’ plans. 

A year later, the cardinal drew the ire of the “gay lobby” when he warned that giving full legal recognition to unmarried couples would represent an “eclipsing of the nature and value of a family and a very grave harm to the Italian people.” In 2007, he was the key promoter and inspirer of a large Family Day rally in Rome, intended to block civil-unions legislation being pushed by the government of Romano Prodi. He also spoke out on several high-profile “end-of-life” cases, always in defense of the sanctity of human life. 

Also known for his views on the relationship between faith and politics, Ruini frequently addressed issues such as secularism, a “healthy secularity” regarding Islam, and what he perceived as the “naturalistic tendency of modern man,” which he considered a significant threat to religious faith.

In Italy he was especially noted for being the architect and longtime president of the Church’s “cultural project,” formed in the aftermath of the collapse of the Christian Democracy era that had dominated postwar Italian politics. The project sought to shift Catholic influence from party politics to the deeper work of shaping national culture and public debate.

Evangelizing mission

Both the cardinal and St. John Paul II worked well together, giving renewed coherence to the Church’s evangelizing mission and devising a framework in connection with John Paul II’s encyclicals. But his positions also drew opposition within the Church, especially from allies of Jesuit Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, a former archbishop of Milan, who believed he was abandoning the “spirit of the Council.”

“Cardinal Ruini deserves recognition for having steered the ship through the storm, for having shared John Paul II’s vision and for having fought to implement it in our country,” wrote Italian commentator Professor Stefano Fontana in La Nuova Bussola Quotidiana on June 17.

Born in Sassuolo in the province of Modena on Feb. 19, 1931, Camillo Ruini was the son of a local doctor who, during his schooling and in late adolescence, discerned a vocation to the priesthood. At 18 he entered seminary, later continuing his studies in philosophy and theology in Reggio Emilia and then at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.

Ordained a priest on Dec. 8, 1954, Ruini returned three years later to his native Reggio Emilia, where for nearly two decades he formed young clergy as a philosophy lecturer in the diocesan seminary before becoming a widely respected professor and then head of inter‑diocesan and academic theology institutes in Modena and Bologna. Alongside this teaching he threw himself into lay apostolates, serving as chaplain to Catholic university graduates, diocesan delegate for Catholic Action, and president of the John XXIII Cultural Centre — work that honed the intellectual and pastoral instincts he later brought to the national stage.

Appointed auxiliary bishop of Reggio Emilia‑Guastalla in 1983, he soon emerged as a key organizer of the 1985 Loreto ecclesial convention, a landmark attempt to reset relations between the Church and Italian society after the political and ecclesial upheavals of the 1960s and 1970s. In 1985 he joined the bishops’ commission for Catholic education, culture, and schools.

John Paul II elevated him to the cardinalate in 1991, after which he entered the decisive phase of his episcopal career as president of the Italian Bishops’ Conference (1991–2007) and vicar of Rome (1991–2008). A member of several Vatican dicasteries and the author of numerous essays and research works, he also served as grand chancellor of the Pontifical Lateran University. He played a significant role in the 2005 conclave that elected Benedict XVI, and from 2010 to 2014, at the request of Pope Benedict, he served as president of the International Commission of Inquiry on Medjugorje. He also headed the academic committee of the Joseph Ratzinger-Benedict XVI Vatican Foundation.

He praised John Paul II and Benedict XVI but was less at ease during the pontificate of Pope Francis. His criticisms, he suggested, stemmed not from conservatism but from concern that some of the faithful might struggle to understand Francis’ direction of the Church. Upon the pontiff’s death in April 2025, Ruini set out four conditions that, in his view, the new pope should possess: sound doctrine, capacity for governance, a spirit of communion, and the strengthening of the faith. Many observers saw in these criteria an implicit critique of the pontificate just ended.

Final interview

The cardinal continued to speak out publicly up until his final days. In one of his last interviews given to Corriere della Sera to coincide with his 95th birthday in February, Ruini said he disapproved of Benedict XVI’s resignation, praised Francis for his “great courage” but faulted him for “taking too little account of tradition,” and said his first impression of Leo XIV was excellent.

He had a negative opinion of President Trump, saying he had “upset American and world politics,” which were “going in a very questionable direction.” He was also not supportive of restoring the Traditional Latin Mass, saying: “It’s very important for people to understand the language in which they celebrate.” 

The cardinal died after suffering from a heart condition in his later years, but he endured his final months with serenity. He spoke and wrote often about death, reported Corriere della Sera, accepting his approaching end with “detachment and even cheerfulness,” and continued to celebrate Mass until shortly before his passing. 

In his tribute to the late cardinal published June 17, Pope Leo XIV said the news of his death had awakened in his heart “deep feelings of closeness, together with gratitude to the Lord for the gift of this esteemed man of the Church, who lived his ministry generously.” He recalled the cardinal’s legacy to the Italian Church, remembering him as an “experienced and wise brother, strengthened by deep faith, sharp intelligence, and farsighted vision,” and who “served the Gospel and the Church with discretion and self‑sacrifice.”

Similar heartfelt tributes were received from the ecclesial and political world: John Paul II’s former personal secretary, Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, said Ruini “always sought the good of the Church, with clarity of faith, loyalty to the magisterium, and a deep sense of duty and pastoral responsibility.” He expressed his gratitude for Ruini’s collaboration with John Paul II at “decisive moments” in the life of the Church.

The current Vicar of Rome, Cardinal Baldassare Reina, gave thanks for Ruini’s “long and fruitful Christian life and for his service to the Church,” and Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, president of the Italian bishops’ conference, said the cardinal helped the Church in Italy to “think, discern, speak, and walk in its own time.”

Ruini’s episcopal motto — “Veritas liberabit nos” (“The truth sets us free”) — “remains a summons for all,” he said. Italy’s premier, Giorgia Meloni, described him as a “great man of the Church,” while Prodi recalled a “profound connection” with Ruini, who, as a young man in Reggio Emilia, guided him and other youth in the diocese. 

Elisabetta Valgiusti, a Roman citizen who knew Ruini personally, praised him for being a “leading figure in the life of the Catholic Church at every level and in public debate more broadly.” She especially lauded him for his understanding of culture, which she said he saw as a “meeting ground between the Church’s own mission and the nation’s most urgent needs.”

Valgiusti, an EWTN documentary filmmaker who founded Save the Monasteries to help Christian communities through cultural and communication projects, told the National Catholic Register, the sister partner of EWTN News, that she remembered her conversations with him “with gratitude and respect,” especially during the pandemic period.

“We will miss his strong and upright voice, and also his piercing gaze,” she said. 

Pope Leo XIV will celebrate the funeral for Ruini at the Altar of the Chair in St. Peter’s Basilica on Thursday afternoon, June 18, together with cardinals, archbishops, and bishops.

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

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

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

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

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

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

An incorrupt relic after 444 years

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

‘Christ sees people’s hidden pain’

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

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

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

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

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

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

‘There is a tremendous spiritual hunger’

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Eucharist, the ‘sacrament of unity’

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Further criticism has come from bishops in England and Wales.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How the narrative took hold

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

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

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

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

A more complete picture

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What research shows

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

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

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

What the current data does and does not show

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

‘Awakening’ the organ

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

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

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

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

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

Years in the making

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

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

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

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

In his remarks, the pope praised Spainʼs "very rich Catholic tradition" and highlighted the countryʼs “joyful expression of their faith" as well as the affection shown to him by the people.

“In the case of Spain, I was able to observe with joy how much people of every age and situation were looking forward to the pope’s visit: Everywhere I found multitudes who welcomed me with great warmth,” Leo remarked, acknowledging that this was not something to be taken for granted.

Safeguarding encounter between Catholic tradition, contemporary culture

Referring to the events in Madrid and Barcelona during his trip to Spain, the pope also described his trip as an “encounter of ancient and modern, Catholic tradition and contemporary culture,” allowing him to experience “the very character of Europe, its inestimable wealth, as a living reality, not a thing of the past.”

Leo also said that Europeʼs cultural heritage must be preserved to address ongoing challenges.

“It is a heritage to be safeguarded with care, so that it may be invested in today’s global world with its momentous challenges: peace, integral ecology, equitable and sustainable development, and respect for human dignity,” Leo said.

Care for migrants

Referring to the final stage of the journey at the Canary Islands, where Leo met a large number of African migrants, the pope acknowledged that the migration phenomenon “is complex and requires organic and coordinated action plans.”

The pontiff noted, however, that this reality also offers an interpretation that “opens up a different, broader perspective,” allowing Catholics to understand how “to reread the Gospel in today’s world, exchanging with each other the gifts of our respective cultures, and in particular the results produced in them by the fruitfulness of Christ’s message.”

Among these results, he highlighted “dialogue between people and between peoples, the encounter in a spirit of fraternity, which enables us to discover and appreciate one another’s values.” He cautioned that this path is not easy and that asking for God’s help is essential to achieving a “civilization of love.”

Praise for U.S.-Iran peace deal

Leo concluded his remarks by expressing his satisfaction with the peace agreement between the United States and Iran, to be signed on June 19, which will bring an end to prolonged hostilities.

He also renewed his appeal for peace in Ukraine, acknowledging with concern the casualties suffered in the Russo-Ukrainian war. He invited all to “ask the Lord to open pathways to dialogue, to extinguish hatred, and to make a just and lasting peace possible.”

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

In a message signed by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the pope said he is praying that these parents “find consolation and peace in the knowledge of God’s love for them” and for the child they have lost.

“This divine love gives meaning to the life of every person and, far from ending with death, invites us to a new fullness in eternity,” the pontiff affirmed.

According to a statement from the Irish Bishops’ Conference, Pope Leo XIV also sent his best wishes and prayers to all those participating in this day of prayer, which is centered on “wonder at the full humanity of the child in the mother’s womb” as well as the efforts made to support mothers and fathers who have suffered the loss of a baby.

He also urged parents to find the support they need in the Church community, “especially in a life nourished by prayer and the sacraments.”

‘Wonder at the child in the mother’s womb’

Organized under the title “Wonder at the Child in the Mother’s Womb,” the Day for Life, which always falls on Father’s Day, recalls that every human being is endowed with infinite dignity from the very moment of conception, “simply by existing, by having been wanted, created, and loved by God,” as the pope recalled in his recent encyclical Magnifica Humanitas.

The Bishops’ Conferences of England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland recalled in their statement that fatherhood “is a vocation full of joys and hopes, but also of sorrows and concerns.”

The bishops wished to specially acknowledge the pain of parents who have lost a child before birth or during infancy and to offer them a message of hope and consolation: that of fullness in eternity.

The Church wants to be especially close to these parents, according to the bishops, who emphasized the need for spiritual and pastoral accompaniment as parents face physical and psychological consequences, as well as the feeling of powerlessness in not knowing how to support their family or how to express their own grief.

The bishops also recalled that “God has created, wanted, and deeply loved from all eternity every child, including those who lose their lives before birth or shortly afterward.”

The prelates emphasized that the word of God “reveals the sacred humanity of the unborn child” and that parents therefore understand how precious and unique the child they have lost is: “They know that no other child will ever be able to replace him,” they affirmed.

From this perspective, the bishops denounced the inconsistency of describing life in the mother’s womb as a mere cluster of cells. “How can that life be someone so loved and valuable to their parents and, at the same time, be considered something worthless and disposable?” they asked.

The prelates insisted that science is clear in stating that life begins at the moment of fertilization. “The more we learn from science, the more we understand the Church’s teaching on the unique value of the unborn child,” they highlighted.

They further recalled that every human being is not only a body “but also an immortal soul, with a unique and eternal relationship with God, our Creator,” which is why the unborn child “deserves full protection under the law.”

They emphasized that the Church “has always rejected voluntary abortion” and committed themselves to “work and pray so that our society values the life of every child,” especially in the earliest stages of human existence.

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.

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

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

A Christian identity despite challenges

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

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

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

Ankawa’s distinct place

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

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

What happened in 2014?

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

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

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

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

A deliberate exclusion

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Progress and persistent challenges

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

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

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

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

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

Defense of human life

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

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

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

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

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

Catholic contributions to American society

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

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

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

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

‘Culture of life’ and ‘civilization of love’

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

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

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

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

Warning against secularism

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

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

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

Looking ahead

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“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.

The Society of St. Pius X said it plans to consecrate four priests as bishops on July 1 without the permission of Pope Leo XIV. The Vatican warned on May 13 that doing so without a papal mandate would constitute “a schismatic act” and carry the penalty of excommunication. The consecrations are set to take place at its seminary in Écône, Switzerland.

“Certainly, division among Christians is always a painful matter,” the pope said. “But they refuse to accept certain fundamental elements of the Church, beginning with various points of the Second Vatican Council. And if they make those choices, I am sorry. But we must move forward.”

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 pope also answered questions about G7 diplomacy, his future travel to France and Peru, and about the Christian response to migration that calls for recognizing reasons why people have to leave their countries such as violence and war.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Praise from Catholic anti-death penalty group

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

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

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

Catholic Conference of Ohio responds

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

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

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

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