Speaking to ARISE NEWS on July 31, Onaiyekan said the president responded directly to the concerns raised by the Catholic bishops during a July 28 meeting at the State House in Abuja and made it clear that he did not share their assessment of the situation in the country.

The cardinal said the CBCN members nevertheless considered it their responsibility to speak honestly about the realities facing Nigerians.

“When the nation is bleeding, you cannot expect a polite meeting with the head of state,” Onaiyekan said.

He explained that while the bishops told Tinubu that the economy was failing to adequately support poor Nigerians, the president maintained that the economy was doing well.

“Frankly speaking, he told us quite clearly that he did not agree with us,” the cardinal said.

Bishops’ message was widely consulted

Onaiyekan emphasized that the statement presented to Tinubu was not the opinion of a handful of bishops but the outcome of extensive consultation within CBCN members.

The Nigerian cardinal, who retired from his episcopal ministry as archbishop of Abuja in November 2019, said the document had been written, reviewed, and corrected before being presented to the president.

“It was not done at random, nor did we deliver it with levity. As bishops, we have no ambitions to take Mr. Tinubu’s job or anybody else’s job. We are not politicians running for office,” the cardinal said.

Rather, he explained, the CBCN members see it as part of their responsibility as religious leaders to address issues affecting both Catholics and the wider Nigerian population.

“We feel we have a duty — not just to preach our religious doctrines, but also to address the lives of our people, both those who are our members and those who are not,” he said.

Bishops had a duty to tell the president the truth

Onaiyekan said he was not surprised that Tinubu appeared unhappy while listening to the bishops’ presentation, arguing that they deliberately chose to communicate the realities they see among Nigerians rather than offer the president a favorable picture.

“We knew that this is different from the kind of statements that our president keeps receiving from all kinds of people,” he said.

The 82-year-old archbishop emeritus of Abuja expressed concern that some people around the president may be giving him an overly positive assessment of the situation in Nigeria.

“We felt that we have a duty not to do that. Indeed, we have the obligation to help him appreciate the reality of the situation in which we find ourselves,” the cardinal said.

Despite the disagreement, Onaiyekan said the bishops were encouraged by the fact that the president responded to the issues they raised, indicating that he had heard their concerns.

“He heard it, and he tried to tell us that he heard us, which is precisely why he replied the way he replied,” he said.

The cardinal expressed hope that people close to the president would encourage him to reflect further on the bishops’ concerns.

“We believe one of the problems within our government right now is that there are not too many people telling him the truth,” he said.

Bishops warn against one-party dominance

Onaiyekan also defended the bishops’ warning about what they described as the “creeping danger” of a one-party dominant state in Nigeria.

He said the concern was linked to the conduct of elections and the growing use of the powers of incumbency, stressing that electoral victory should not be pursued at the expense of democratic principles.

The cardinal questioned the notion that “in politics, all is fair,” saying that political competition must remain subject to standards of propriety.

“If that is what politics is — that in politics everything can be done provided you win elections — that is certainly not correct,” he said.

He warned that if Nigeria failed to reform its electoral system to guarantee free, fair, and credible elections, the country could face serious difficulties.

“We warned that the country doesn’t gain anything by a one-party state in a so-called democracy,” the cardinal said.

He clarified that the bishops were not asking Tinubu to assist opposition parties in defeating his administration but were insisting that the president should be treated as a candidate like any other during elections despite the advantages of incumbency.

Onaiyekan questions INEC’s independence

Responding to Tinubu’s defense of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Onaiyekan questioned whether the electoral body can be perceived as fully independent under Nigeria’s current appointment system.

The cardinal noted that the president appoints the chairman, members, and commissioners of INEC, arguing that this arrangement creates doubts about the commission’s impartiality.

“The presumption is that Mr. President will appoint independent, impartial, wonderful people. But on the ground, we see that standard politicians and members of his party are appointed,” he said.

Onaiyekan called for consideration of a system in which members of the electoral commission would be selected by a genuinely independent body.

He said such reforms are possible and have been implemented elsewhere.

The cardinal also challenged Tinubu to live up to his reputation as a pro-democracy figure by strengthening institutions that guarantee credible elections.

“You have a reputation to be a democrat, and you can’t under your watch watch our democratic structures disintegrate,” he said.

Bishops united despite political differences

Onaiyekan insisted that the CBCN members were not acting at the behest of any political party. He acknowledged that individual bishops may have their own political preferences but said they were united in addressing issues affecting the welfare of Nigerians.

“When it comes to what is important for Nigeria, when it comes to our existential existence, when it comes to the life of our people, we are united,” he said.

According to the cardinal, the bishops believe Nigerians deserve better in terms of economic well-being, security, and governance.

Cardinal defends National Peace Committee

The cardinal, who is involved in Nigeria’s National Peace Committee, also defended the relevance of the body ahead of the forthcoming Osun state governorship election.

While acknowledging concerns that political actors sometimes sign peace accords and subsequently fail to respect their commitments, he said the committee remains useful and should be strengthened.

“My own conclusion is that it is useful, and we must find a way of reviving it,” he said.

‘We have delivered our message’

Despite the disagreement between CBCN members and Tinubu, Onaiyekan said the Catholic Church had fulfilled its responsibility by bringing the concerns of Nigerians directly to the head of state.

“We have delivered our message, and we are quite convinced that it will not go for nothing,” he said.

The cardinal expressed hope that the bishops’ intervention would eventually contribute to changes in Nigeria’s political, economic, and security landscape.

“At least we have expressed the feelings of many Nigerians who have no way of meeting Mr. President,” he said.

“We knew that this is different from the kind of statements that our president keeps receiving from all kinds of people,” he said.

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

According to the Vatican agency Fides, the slain priest was Father Samuel Opeyemi Oyetoro of the Diocese of Lokoja in Kogi state.

“With deep sorrow but with firm faith in the resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ,” on July 30 the Diocese of Lokoja announced “the passing unto eternal glory” of Oyetoro.

Details of the murder were released by state police spokesperson and assistant superintendent Afusat Oyiza Salihu. “On July 29, 2026, around 9:30 a.m., the police received information regarding the discovery of a manʼs lifeless body along Church Road in Ajaokuta,” Salihu said.

Salihu added that police arrived quickly at the scene and confirmed that the victim “had severe machete wounds to the head.” The body was taken to ASCL Hospital, where the priest’s death was pronounced.

According to Salihu, “the investigation is ongoing,” and they are working “to apprehend those responsible.”

“Once the preliminary investigation is concluded, the case will be transferred to the state Criminal Investigation Department for further proceedings,” she explained.

Meanwhile, the governor of Kogi state, Ahmed Ododo, condemned the killing, describing it as “an atrocious and unacceptable act,” according to Fides.

Gunmen storm a Mass

While the local Church was mourning the priestʼs death, still another incident of violence shook Nigerian Catholics.

Fides also reported that on Sunday, Aug. 2, at least seven gunmen stormed St. Joseph’s Church in Inoyi Affa, Enugu state, during the morning Mass.

The attackers abducted three people: a seminarian, a catechist, and a parishioner.

Several attendees at the Mass attempted to pursue the kidnappers but abandoned the effort upon realizing the assailants were armed and to avoid further endangering the lives of the hostages, according to Fides.

Police launched a search operation that led to the release of the catechist. However, seminarian Lawrence Chidera Igbo and a parishioner identified only as Emmanuel remain in captivity.

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

Father Manuel Navarro, a priest of the Archdiocese of Madrid, Spain, was at the renowned Marian shrine on the night of July 27–28 when the Polish national Bartłomiej Włodzimierz Krakowiak allegedly vandalized a statue of the Virgin Mary and set fire to an outdoor altar located next to the local parish church.

“We were all shocked because we didnʼt know why it had happened,” Navarro explained in an interview with EWTN News, describing how images and videos began reaching him that morning.

Despite the emotional impact, the priest highlighted how “within minutes and hours, volunteers from the Cenacolo Community, along with pilgrim volunteers, set about cleaning and clearing everything away,” allowing devotional activities to proceed normally by that afternoon.

When asked how to respond to such attacks, Navarro said he felt the statement released by the parish that day rightly identified three key elements: prayer, fasting, and forgiveness.

“First, prayer for all those who commit attacks” not only in the physical sense, as in this most recent incident, but also bearing in mind that “every day there are attacks against the Most Holy Virgin in many ways, and we must also pray for the conversion of hearts.”

Secondly, Navarro added that “fasting makes us humble,” an attitude that counters the temptation to believe ourselves “superior to others.” Finally, regarding forgiveness, the Spanish priest stated that Medjugorje is “a place of reconciliation” that calls upon us to forgive those who offend us; otherwise, “the message is undermined if we take justice into our own hands.”

In conclusion, Navarro noted, the act of desecration served as an occasion to recall that “God brings good out of evil” — a providence made evident through the cooperation of all those present, which made it possible to celebrate a Mass of reparation at the desecrated altar that very afternoon.

Meanwhile, Father Gerardo Martínez, the St. Bonaventure Parish priest in Mexico’s Diocese of Saltillo, reflected on the attack carried out in the early hours of July 28 against the statue of the parishʼs patron saint, which was beheaded.

Martínez explained to EWTN News that during the month of July — which is dedicated to this saint and bishop — the statue is placed on a cart in the parish courtyard so that the faithful can approach to venerate it.

The parish responded with a statement encouraging prayers “for the person who committed this outrage” and urging everyone “to continue walking in the light of faith, creating bonds, ties, and better ways of living as a society and as a Christian community,” Martínez explained.

Facing this moment of “pain and sadness,” Martínez said the next step is to “strengthen our faith” and our sense of fraternity, and to “be signs of communion,” because such a profanation “is undoubtedly outrageous and distressing, yet it also strengthens us.”

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 contemplating his life, one immediately thinks of a priest who lived out great penance and whose “only motives were the love of God and the desire for the salvation of the souls of his neighbors,” John XXIII said.

The saintly pope reflected on the life of Vianney in an encyclical titled Sacerdotii Nostri Primordia. The encyclical was written in 1959 for the 100th anniversary of Vianney’s death.

After struggling with his studies, John Vianney was ordained a priest in 1815. Shortly afterward, he was assigned to Ars, France, near his hometown of Dardilly. There, he spent the majority of his priesthood.

The devoted pastor was known for his dedication to the poor, his counseling to those in need, and for founding La Providence, an orphanage for girls.

He was also well known for his dedication to the sacrament of penance. He would make himself available for confession for up to 16 hours daily.

In his encyclical, Pope John XXIII called St. John Vianney a model of priestly holiness.

“[The priest] is no longer supposed to live for himself … He must be aflame with charity toward everyone. Not even his thoughts, his will, his feelings belong to him, for they are rather those of Jesus Christ who is his life,” he wrote, quoting a sermon from Pope Pius XII.

“St. John Mary Vianney is a person who attracts and practically pushes all of us to these heights of the priestly life,” John XXIII further added.

The pope highlighted the three evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity, and obedience, which he said Vianney exemplified.

“His example in the various works of priestly asceticism still points out the safest path to follow, and in the midst of this example, his poverty, chastity, and obedience stand forth in a brilliant light,” the pope said of Vianney.

“What great benefits are conferred on human society by men like this who are free of the cares of the world and totally dedicated to the divine ministry so that they can employ their lives, thoughts, powers in the interest of their brethren!”

Pope John XXIII said Vianney, who was a member of the Third Order of St. Francis, clearly lived a life of poverty. He noted the saint’s heavy mortifications — restraining himself from food, sleep, and other personal belongings.

“This detachment from external goods enabled him to offer the most devoted and touching care to the poor,” the pope said.

“He passed a life that was almost completely detached from the changeable, perishable goods of this world, and his spirit was free and unencumbered by impediments of this kind, so that it could always lie open to those who suffered from any kind of misery.”

Similarly, Pope John XXIII wrote, the preservation of chastity breaks the restraints of self-interest and grants a person greater dedication to those in need.

“St. John Mary Vianney has this pertinent comment to make in this regard: ‘A soul adorned with the virtue of chastity cannot help loving others; for it has discovered the source and font of love — God.’”

The pope also pointed to Vianney’s dedication to the virtue of obedience. The saint, he said, had desired a contemplative life rather than the heavy burden of pastoral duties, but he still remained obedient to his bishops.

“All his life he longed to lead a quiet and retired life in the background, and he regarded pastoral duties as a very heavy burden laid on his shoulders, and more than once he tried to free himself of it,” the pope said.

While God never allowed him to achieve this goal, it was certainly God’s way of forming the saint in the virtue of obedience, he said.

He also highlighted Vianney’s prayer life and devotion to the Eucharist as well as his commitment to the sacrament of confession.

Pope John XXIII said Vianney “habitually restrained his own will” to further dedicate himself to the Church. He expressed hope that this fire for the Church that consumed Vianney may also consume all priests.

“It is said that St. John M. Vianney lived in the Church in such a way that he worked for it alone, and burned himself up like a piece of straw being consumed on fiery coals. May that flame which comes from the Holy Spirit reach those of us who have been raised to the priesthood of Jesus Christ and consume us too.”

This story was first published on Aug. 3, 2018, and has been updated.

But like many of the so-called mendicant orders — which have traditionally relied on charity to survive — Carmelites have an order of laypeople who meet monthly in community and who develop a deep life of prayer over many years. They also study and discuss the writings of the Carmelite saints so they might become more like them and therefore more like God.

The call to Secular Carmelites

In 2003, in a move meant to signal that the laity is of equal importance to the priests and nuns who make up the first and second orders, the Order of Discalced Carmelites (OCD) — which is St. Teresa’s reform group — changed the name of its lay order from Third Order Carmelites to Secular Carmelites (OCDS). Not everyone in the order truly understood what that meant in practice.

That changed during the first world meeting of OCDS Carmelites in the history of the order, held July 23–26, 2026, in Ávila, Spain, where the leaders of the Order of Discalced Carmelites called upon their almost 33,000 Seculars to fully embrace their vocation as coequal members of the order.

This historic call was enthusiastically embraced by the more than 900 Secular Carmelites who attended from almost 80 of the 92 countries in which Secular Carmelite communities are present.

“In the past, people thought, ‘Whatever the priests say.’ Seculars were more like followers whereas now, they are called to be leaders,” said Father Ramiro Casale, OCD, general delegate to the OCDS, in an exclusive interview with EWTN News.

“The Fathers are called to the sacraments, preaching, teaching, accompanying people. Carmelite nuns are cloistered so they offer their lives for Christ and the Church and the world. [But] the Seculars have access to so many places where the friars and nuns are not present. They have biological children and are very engaged in their work and in different apostolates in the Church, and they are very well-prepared. I tell them that they have a voice and that voice needs to be heard,” Casale said.

Of course, this call to the laity is partly due to the fact that Secular Carmelites outnumber Carmelite priests by more than 8 to 1. This imbalance is not limited to the Carmelite order. The Secular Franciscan Order outnumbers its friars by roughly 25 to 1, while Lay Dominicans outnumber their friars by more than 26 to 1.

Another major factor is also at play.

“We need only look around us to see that the world is still on fire,” Ramiro said. In a world in which consumerism, secularization, self-promotion, and a thirst for power rule, the Secular Carmelite order needs “a greater awareness of its professional and vocational identity … [a] rich prayer life … [and a] growing cooperation with the entire Carmelite family. We live in a time where human beings — even if they do not often express it in words — want to find a path that gives meaning and direction to their lives. They thirst for us.”

‘Everyone is a house for God’

Father Miguel Marquez Calle, OCD, superior general of the Order of Discalced Carmelites, explained in a one-on-one interview with EWTN News that the charism of the Carmelite order is what Carmelites lovingly refer to as “a call to ‘The Interior Castle.’” That is a reference to St. Teresa’s masterwork in which she compares the soul to a mansion with many rooms, all of which lead to the center of the castle, which is where God dwells.

“We offer an invitation to live this richness of the presence of God in the soul of everyone, and to share it as St. Teresa did, with a joy that is contagious. We show the world that we are not empty, everyone is a house for God, and that gives life meaning.”

The temptation, even for Carmelites, is to become divided like the world is divided. But Calle said the remedy is to be like St. Teresa, who was able to handle criticism with humor because she was not full of self but full of God. In fact, when a group of friars wanted St. Teresa’s partner in reforming the old order, St. John of the Cross, removed as head of the friars, he famously joined his detractors and signed the petition requesting his removal, saying he was not worthy of the position.

Meeting highlights call to prayer, service, and leadership

The world meeting (“encuentro mundial”), appropriately titled “Witnesses to the Experience of God: Identity and Mission,” was a call to communion, to a deeper prayer life, and to leadership. In recent years, the secular order has been making important inroads into the leadership role to which the order is explicitly calling them.

With the largest population in the Western world, the United States boasts approximately 6,000 Secular Carmelites, the largest of any country, although Asia has the largest number of Seculars on any continent. A collaborative effort to standardize and unify various regional formation practices into a single national program by and for OCDS Carmelites began in 2017, was officially approved in early 2023, and was released and distributed by ICS publications on March 1, 2024.

The program consists of a handbook for formators and six official formation manuals covering all stages of formation. In the works are two manuals for those who are definitively professed and a manual for spiritual assistants. The program was presented at the world meeting by Angela Vel from the Washington Province of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and may become a model, or perhaps the basis of a similar effort, for OCDS communities around the world.

“I think that we have lost sight of our apostolate in many communities,” said Ramon Gras, who is also a member of the Immaculate Heart of Mary community in the Washington Province. “One of the things that we have been reminded of this week is that we, as Secular Carmelites, have access to the world in ways that the other two branches of the order do not. The national formation program is not just something to fill our head with facts, but it’s something to help us to develop our spirituality and to give us a renewed sense of purpose.”

He added: “Our formation program tells us that our saints say prayer and service are two sides of the same coin, so we need to review what we are currently doing in our apostolates and determine whether we are serving the current needs of the Church.”

When asked for examples of successful community apostolates, Casale highlighted two that he finds especially impressive.

“There is one in Venezuela called Nagoanagoa,” he said. “Thatʼs an Indian name. It was formed by medical doctors who began to go to the jungle to help people with no access to healthcare. It was something so attractive to others that many other people began to join them: engineers, people who knew about agriculture, dentists — so many people wanted to help. But everything began in the OCDS. Thatʼs something really beautiful, and itʼs happening still.”

The other example is a project in Portugal called Casa de Comunión. “The interesting thing about this is that they have a community of nuns, a community of friars, and two communities of OCDS and they share life together,” Casale explained. “They don’t live together, but they do things together. They organize retreats, they organize talks for young people and for marriages, and they help in the local diocese, so this is an example of collaboration between the three branches of the order.”

‘We are a family’

The three branches don’t just work together; they enjoy one another’s company via various forms of recreation and by sharing the joys and challenges of the work. As Casale said: “We [the Discalced Carmelites] are a team; we are a family, and we need to help each other.”

Esther Tijerina, a community-minded Carmelite from Texas, came to the conference despite some difficult health challenges over the past year. She had her own epiphany regarding the order’s call to fraternity and community during the conference. Tijerina reached out to one woman who rebuffed her not once but twice. “It took three days, but she walked with me and she smiled and she apologized for how she had been on that first day,” Tijerina said. “I learned not to give up because I donʼt know what her load is; I donʼt know what her baggage is.”

Susy Stokes, immediate past president of an Alabama community, focused on another important aspect of the meeting: “By being in Ávila, the birthplace of my order, I received a much deeper sense of belonging to an international family and appreciation for my vocation. The bonus gift I received was a much better understanding of the role of the friars and spiritual assistants.”

Indeed, as superior general of the Order of Discalced Carmelites, Calle kicked off the conference with a talk on the history of the Secular Carmelites.

In it, he explained that the friars were originally heavily involved in every aspect of the community, even down to determining who had a vocation to join the secular order. That deep involvement had to change because there are simply not enough friars to do such work.

Despite this, or maybe even because of this, fraternity within and outside of the order has become even more important. During the four-day meeting, many had the opportunity to visit important sites in the life of St. Teresa such as the convent in which she spent much of her life and her birthplace. One Secular said she was amazed to see that St. Teresa had placed a large painting of St. Francis in the local convent. When asked about this, Calle made a surprising statement.

“I am 30% Franciscan,” he said, smiling at the reaction of the questioner. “My preparation for solemn profession was to go to Assisi in Italy without money, asking for food, and sleeping on the road for one month.”

When one of his brothers insisted it was dangerous to do this without money, he promised him he would bring money, so he put one peseta (this was before the euro) in his pocket.

Calle said he discovered: “When you ask for food, people give food.” Where did he sleep? “In the countryside, in a gas station, in the forest.” He had a backpack and a sleeping bag. He said the experience set him up for 13 years of pilgrimages to the Holy Land and parts of Spain, traveling 170 kilometers (almost 106 miles) every year for 13 years. Through this, he learned the importance of fraternity and communion, which he is asking of Secular Carmelites — indeed, the entire order — today.

In addition to many important talks, which were translated into many languages, the four-day conference included excursions to nearby Carmelite sites, a flamenco celebration, and a visit to a special exhibit of St. John of the Cross celebrating his 300th anniversary as a saint and his 100th anniversary as a doctor of the Church.

The closing Mass at the Ávila Cathedral ended with more than 30 priests on the altar, a magnificent choir, and more than 900 Carmelites raising their voices in the song that ends every Carmelite meeting around the world: the Salve Regina, a salute to the Queen of Heaven and Earth and of the Carmelite order under the title of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

As Calle said, in this divided time, the spirituality of the Blessed Mother is of central importance. Just as she was literally filled with the presence of God, her Carmelite order witnesses to the fact that “the presence of God is in every soul without exception. The world needs to understand that everyone is a home for God.”

For more information about the Secular Carmelite Order in the U.S., visit ocdswashprov.org (Eastern Province), thereseocds.org (Central Province), or ocds.info (Western Province). Information about communities worldwide can be found at https://www.carmelitaniscalzi.com/en/.

Menezes is already familiar to EWTN audiences from his many appearances on various shows across the network. The numerous televised and online series he has produced and hosted include “The Gospel of Life vs. the Culture of Death” and “The Ten Commandments of Catholic Family Life.”

He is also familiar to EWTN audiences as a guest on various episodes of EWTN’s “Mother Angelica Live” and “Life on the Rock,” during which he discussed such topics as the sanctification of marriage and family life, vocations, and the sacred liturgy. 

He is the current host of EWTN Global Catholic Radio’s “Open Line Tuesday.”

Menezes has also served as the chaplain-in-residence at the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament of Our Lady of the Angels Monastery in Hanceville, Alabama.

On the print side, he is the author of four books, including: “Stand Firm, Be Strong: A Men’s Catholic Daily Devotional of Scripture and Saints” — the inspiration for the new podcast.

Prior to the launch, and while inviting listeners, Menezes spoke about the podcast with the National Catholic Register, the sister partner of EWTN News.

Register: Father Menezes, please tell us how your “Stand Firm, Be Strong” audio podcast came to be.

Menezes: This 200-day audio-only podcast grew out of the popularity of my men’s daily devotional book of the same title that was published in 2024. The book is a six-month spiritual manual for men. Each day has a different spiritual or temporal (secular) topic that is followed by three components: a Scripture quote, a saint quote, and a short meditation written by me. Both the book and podcast titles are based on 1 Corinthians 16:13, wherein we read: “Be watchful, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong.”

Will the podcast follow the same daily devotional format?

The “Stand Firm, Be Strong” daily audio podcast is related closely to the book’s own format. For example, each of the 200 days’ prerecorded short audio podcasts correspond directly — and in proper order — with each of the book’s own 200 days’ topics. But whereas the book is designed to be a five- to 10-minute exercise each morning for men as they begin their day, each podcast episode is itself under five minutes in length and highlights the most pertinent points of the book’s topic for that same day.

Why did you decide on a daily podcast?

EWTN pitched the idea to me to do a “Stand Firm, Be Strong” daily audio podcast precisely because the book has done so well with male readers. The book has proven to hold men’s attention as a committed daily exercise to strengthen their spiritual and temporal lives. I hope that a podcast will likewise strike at the male heart and spark the male intellect to help men live their vocations more fully and committedly — whether single, married, widowed, or as a consecrated brother, deacon, priest, or bishop.

Please share a highlight or two that listeners will hear about in opening episodes.

The timely wisdom offered by the “Stand Firm, Be Strong” podcast will help prepare men to put on the armor of God for their daily struggles and help them withstand trials at home and at work. It will also help them to kindle their prayer life, better utilize their talents, and order their priorities in daily life. It will also help guide men in imitating Christ in guarding their senses and responding to temptation — all important factors when navigating life in this third millennium.

Please share or give a hint of what will be a few topics or themes you will be dealing with that are certainly relevant.

During the course of the first 20 [days] … for example, episodes will cover the following topics [titled]: “The Committed Man of God,” “Strength and Fortitude,” “Having No Duplicity or Guile,” “Shunning Sin and Vice,” “Fraternity and Brotherhood,” “The Demands of Virtue and Aiming Toward Salvation,” “The Virtue of Diligence,” “The Truth,” “The Need for Humility Amid Trials and Successes,” “Accountability,” “Confidence,” and “The Athlete of God.” Other podcast episodes include such topics as the “Importance of Eucharistic Adoration,” “Sanctifying Grace,” “Filial Fear of God vs. Servile Fear of God,” and the “Importance of Fostering Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph.”

Why are these topics essential for today?

Navigating third-millennium society and culture can be challenging. These various topics are essential today because we live in a day and age that tragically downplays authentic masculinity and what that means. Whether it’s the prevalence of television commercials that frequently make the husband or man look like a buffoon to the misguided direction being offered by various movements within the so-called “manosphere,” what it means to “be a man” in the authentic Christian sense is greatly attacked today.

But as Dr. Tim Gray of the Augustine Institute reminds us: “The virtues give us a blueprint for being a man. Indeed, the very term ‘virtue’ comes from the Latin word for man, ‘vir.’ For the ancients, to be manly was to be virtuous. The term ‘virtue’ in Latin (‘virtus’) signifies power, strength, and ability. Thus, the virtues are habits that give us the power to act in a manly way, with strength sufficient to do what is right. Without virtues we will neither be godly nor real men. Virtues are the building blocks of character, and without them our moral lives will eventually collapse under the pressures of the world.”

Will your podcast appeal to, and be relevant to, men of any age?

Just like the book, the podcast is designed to appeal to any male that is 14 years of age and older. In other words, if a guy is a high school freshman or older and is serious about living his faith authentically and well in the midst of the modern world, he will benefit from hearing this podcast. This fact, in turn, will hopefully inspire him to “go deeper” with the “Stand Firm, Be Strong” book as a daily devotional that he commits himself to for a six-month period.

Will men learn to live a balanced life through your podcast?

Yes, listeners of the “Stand Firm, Be Strong” podcast (as well as those readers of the book) will learn to live a balanced life — both spiritually and temporally. For example, a main theme peppered throughout the podcast and book is “faithfulness to daily duty” ­and what this means and why it is a main ingredient needed when a man strives for sanctification and advancement in the spiritual life according to his particular vocation and state in life. In short, a man is called to fulfill his duties with diligence and balance — all the while serving God and others.

What is the ultimate goal and hope for this podcast?

To help men of all vocations and states in life realize that they are called to become saints “right where they are.”

Both the podcast and book are designed to help jump-start and strengthen a man’s spiritual life over the course of six months. The podcast’s daily topics and accompanying meditations are power-packed, offering achievable resolutions and prudent advice to help a man attain his spiritual and temporal goals in everyday living.

Will it improve their families, too, in any way?

Yes. Just as there is crisis in today’s culture regarding authentic masculinity and what that means, the same can be said regarding the sanctification of marriages and family life. The “Stand Firm, Be Strong” podcast can help a married man become a better husband and father. For single men, it can help them to become a better brother, brother-in-law, co-worker, etc. This same goes for married men and those men in the consecrated religious state, of course. 

Themes in the podcast call upon all men to provide, protect, and lead — again, according to each one’s particular vocation and state in life.

Based on the popularity of your book, do you think the podcast will have a similar appeal?

I believe the podcast will appeal to listeners because it will help the individual man to grow in knowledge of his faith and gain strength for the spiritual battle. These, in turn, will help the individual male listener to become more fully the man he was created and meant to be in God’s plan for him.

Is there anything else you would like to say or add about the podcast?

The “Stand Firm, Be Strong” podcast launched Aug. 3 and is posting a new episode daily over the course of 200 days. It is available from EWTN+, a free, ad-free digital streaming platform by the Eternal Word Television Network that offers on-demand Catholic podcasts, movies, live TV and radio, and original series. 

Also, for those listeners of the “Stand Firm, Be Strong” podcast and/or readers of the book who are so interested, there are three additional “Stand Firm, Be Strong” merchandise items available from EWTN Religious Catalogue (EWTNRC.com). These include a “Stand Firm, Be Strong” T-shirt, travel mug, and 12-in-1 pocket knife. Along with the podcast and book, these items make great gifts for men who are striving to increase their faith and grow in holiness.

I would encourage all women — such women could include, of course, a wife, mother, sister, sister-in-law, friend, or girlfriend — who may stumble across the podcast, book, or three items of merchandise to think about sharing these with the men in their lives so as to encourage them to “stand firm [and] be strong.”

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

In an Aug. 3 statement, Bishop A. Elias Zaidan, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on International Justice and Peace, said he is “heartened by news of an agreement which aims at the disarmament of Hamas and Israel’s military withdrawal from the [Gaza] Strip,” calling for “intense prayers for the success of these negotiations.”

“As I previously articulated, as ‘people of faith who deeply care for all our brothers and sisters who live in the land of Christ’s life, death, and glorious resurrection, we cannot lose this opportunity for peace,’” Zaidan continued, calling on the U.S., Israel, and the international community “to facilitate greater amounts of humanitarian and development assistance to the Strip.”

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on July 30 that his Board of Peace had reached a deal for Hamas to fully disarm after nearly three years of war.

“The agreement will be carried out in carefully structured phases,” Trump indicated. “As disarmament is completed, Israeli forces will withdraw, and the International Stabilization Force will work with a new Palestinian police force to take responsibility for Gaza being safe for its residents and its neighbors.”

Though a Hamas official confirmed the disarmament pact the next day, according to the Associated Press, significant hurdles remain, leaving the deal’s implementation uncertain despite U.S. optimism. Israel has not publicly endorsed the agreement and has continued airstrikes, with the AP reporting that at least 17 people, including children, were killed in Gaza over the weekend.

‘People are living with nothing’

“Alleviating the suffering of the Gazan people is not only a vital moral imperative but is also necessary for the consolidation of peace in the Holy Land and the entire region,” Zaidan declared. “This should include restoring educational opportunities for children and youths, jobs, and clean water.”

In an interview last week with Vatican Media, Father Gabriel Romanelli, pastor of Holy Family Church in Gaza, begged for humanitarian aid for the region, emphasizing that “when people say the situation here is disastrous, believe me: It really is disastrous — if anything, it calls for an even stronger word.”

“People are living with nothing,” Romanelli said. “Reconstruction is certainly essential, but so too are all the basic necessities of everyday life.”

Former U.S. ambassador and EWTN contributor on Middle East issues Alberto Fernandez told EWTN News that while the deal is “extraordinarily shaky from both sides,” he is hopeful because “the situation of the civilian public in Gaza is so dire,” Fernandez said. “Gaza is destroyed, people are traumatized, there’s no economy.”

‘Deeply conflicting agendas’

“The agreement on paper is a positive, concrete step in the right direction,” Fernández said, pointing out that the issue of which side will act first “is a small part of a bigger problem. There is no trust between the two sides, and deeply conflicting agendas.”

In Zaidan’s statement, the bishop wrote that the “agreement’s successful implementation, as its principles statement says, has the potential of finally providing the Palestinian people with a ‘credible political path that achieves self-determination and Statehood.’ This would be a major milestone.”

Hamas said Friday that it would give up its heavy weapons, including rockets, contingent on Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza and the creation of a Palestinian state, the latter condition one Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government strongly rejects.

“The two-state solution among the Israeli public is moribund,” the ambassador continued. “We’re not there at all in a situation where they will compromise. They’ve become more intransigent. That’s a reality.”

“It’s not time for celebration, but time to recognize there is small progress being made, and huge obstacles remain,” Fernandez said.

‘Serious security concerns’

Doron Spielman, a spokesperson for Netanyahu, told the AP on Aug. 2 that Israel has “serious security concerns” surrounding the deal. Spielman said Israel believes Hamas is still committed to building up its military, not demilitarizing, and said Israel would not withdraw from the Gaza Strip, where it controls more than half the territory, before Hamas disarms.

“Disarming means physically giving up the weapons. Nothing less,” he said.

“Our assessment is that if we redeploy before Hamas is truly disarmed, it will quickly expand its presence throughout Gaza, rebuild its terrorist infrastructure, once again threaten Israeli communities, and seek to carry out another Oct. 7-style attack,” Spielman told the AP.

After an Aug. 3 meeting between Netanyahu and Board of Peace High Representative Nickolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace said on X that the meeting was “constructive and detailed” and that Israel and the board “share a common understanding of the ultimate objectives” — specifically, the complete decommissioning of Hamas’ weapons in Gaza and the transition to civilian governance.

The social media post clarified that the withdrawal of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) beyond the Yellow Line would occur only after Hamas’ weapons decommissioning is complete, including “light weapons, heavy weapons, and the tunnels alike.”

The “Yellow Line” refers to the demarcation line separating the area under IDF control from the rest of Gaza.

Zaidan concluded his statement acknowledging the “extreme challenges inherent in this ongoing peace process” but called on all to “entrust the hearts and minds of the negotiators to the maternal care of Our Lady of Wisdom, that she may illumine and enliven their efforts to finally achieve peace in those sacred lands.”

This story was updated at 12:03 p.m. ET on Aug. 4, 2026, with the information on the meeting between Benjamin Netanyahu and Board of Peace High Representative Nickolay Mladenov.

On Aug. 1, De la Espriella stated via his social media accounts that, during the retreat, he reaffirmed his conviction that "to build a great nation, one must place God at the center of every decision."

Accompanying the president-elect on the retreat were his wife, Ana Lucía Pineda; vice president-elect José Manuel Restrepo; and cabinet nominees Jaime Andrés Beltrán, Mauricio Gómez, Iván Cancino, and Elsa Noguera, among others.

“With faith, hard work, and love for our land, we will make the country of our dreams a reality,” De la Espriella wrote.

In another post published on Aug. 2, the president-elect stated that the retreat strengthened his and his team’s faith and commitment “to serve Colombia with humility, responsibility, and love for the nation.”

Restrepo stated on X that “a nation that prays together stays together.”

As part of the event, each participant was given a copy of the Bible, featuring a map of Colombia and the heart of Jesus on the cover. Additionally, a video of Pope Leo XIV was shown.

Beltrán, the country’s incoming minister of labor, stated on his X account that “human effort is futile without God’s help” and that the together the retreatants experienced “a moment of encounter and unity, because we know that the battle ahead is also spiritual. God bless Colombia.”

Meanwhile, the retreat drew sharp criticism from members of current President Gustavo Petro’s outgoing administration. Among them, Labor Minister Antonio Sanguino and Rep. Mafe Carrascal argued that the event undermined the secular state established by the Colombian Constitution.

However, the spiritual gathering was defended by other political leaders, including some outside the incoming administrationʼs political party.

For example, Medellín Mayor Federico Gutiérrez criticized the retreat’s detractors for trying to "make people believe that even believing in God is a sin“ while Conservative Party Rep. Luis Miguel López noted that ”a secular state guarantees freedom of conscience; it does not force a president to hide their faith."

“What stands out is the double standard. When shamanic rituals and Santería were promoted from within the government, many spoke of diversity and respect. Today, a spiritual retreat is portrayed as an attempt to replace the Constitution with the Bible, something that never happened. The Constitution remains the same; the only thing that changed was the president. And, judging by the reaction of some, it seems that is what truly makes them uncomfortable,” López added.

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 event is proceeding normally, despite the grave act of vandalism that took place on July 28 at the Parish of St. James the Apostle, where the outdoor altar used for celebrations was set on fire and a statue of the Virgin Mary was found defaced with offensive graffiti.

In his message, read by the apostolic visitor for the parish of Medjugorje, Archbishop Aldo Cavalli, shortly before the opening Mass presided over by the apostolic nuncio to Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, Archbishop Francis Assisi Chullikatt, the pontiff invited participants to return to the source of true joy, following this yearʼs motto: “Ad fontem! To the source!”

Addressing participants from 73 countries, the pope warned against the false promises offered by the contemporary world. “Promises of easy and immediate happiness are alluring, but they often vanish without a trace,” the pope noted, while reminding them that the deepest questions of the human heart — and the longing for lasting joy — endure.

The Holy Father emphasized that these very yearnings can become an opportunity for growth in faith when they lead to the “beauty of a personal encounter with the Lord, who satisfies every heart and gives the strength to always begin anew.”

For that reason, he encouraged the participants to turn to Christ — the “source of new life and authentic joy” — through prayer, listening to the word of God, and receiving the sacraments.

Likewise, the pontiff encouraged the young people to sincerely seek “the truth that sets us free,” without “letting yourselves be captivated by fleeting happiness.”

He concluded his exhortation by inviting them to let themselves be guided by the Holy Spirit and to trust in the intercession of the Virgin Mary, so as to become “luminous witnesses of the Gospel, promoters of fraternity, and builders of peace in society.”

Mladifest has been held annually in Medjugorje since 1989, bringing together tens of thousands of young people from around the world.

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 gathering, held from July 28 to Aug. 3, brought together participants from Europe, the Middle East, and North America. More than simply a youth event, it offered a space for prayer, service, fellowship, and a renewed understanding of what Christian witness means in an increasingly complex world.

Catholicos-Patriarch Raphaël Bedros XXI Minassian of the Armenian Catholic Church presided over a festive Mass on Sunday at the Monastery of Our Lady of Bzommar. In his homily, Minassian noted that the participants came from different countries and dioceses, bringing with them diverse cultures, experiences, and hopes, yet they had gathered under the banner of "Christ the Savior.”

The patriarch said the people of the Middle East live amid recurring crises and suffering while continuing to long for peace, freedom, and dignity. The young people’s gathering, he said, sent a clear message: The final word belongs not to pain and division but to hope, love, and fraternity.

Minassian stressed that the gathering should not remain merely a cherished memory but should become a “spark” that continues to burn in the participants’ hearts, inspiring them to draw closer to others, build peace, and serve with love.

He urged the young people to take initiative in their churches and communities, to offer words that unite when others are divided, and to extend a helping hand when others withdraw. Faith, he emphasized, is not simply an inheritance from the past but a calling that must continually be renewed.

Concluding his homily, the patriarch explained that the gathering sought to entrust a new generation with the deposit of faith that the Church had preserved through adversity. It is now their responsibility, he said, to live that faith and pass it on to those who come after them.

Fadi Beshkenji, general coordinator of the Armenian Catholic Youth Union of Lebanon, which organized the event, told ACI MENA that participants came from France, Luxembourg, Italy, Canada, Iraq, Jordan, Armenia, Lebanon, and Syria.

The Syrian delegations included young people from Aleppo, the country’s northeastern Jazira region, Damascus, and Kessab in the Latakia countryside.

Beshkenji explained that the program was organized around three principal areas. Its spiritual component included talks on the gathering’s theme, drawn from Acts 4:32, as well as reflections on the participants’ relationships with God, others, and themselves.

The service and humanitarian component included a visit to a home for the elderly, activities with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, and service and beautification projects at the Armenian Catholic church and complex in Anjar.

The gathering also included pilgrimages to the Shrine of St. Charbel in Annaya, the Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon in Harissa, and the Monastery of Our Lady of Bzommar, where participants visited the monastery’s museum and viewed its historical collection, including items associated with St. Gregory the Illuminator and St. Ignatius Maloyan.

A cultural evening also gave each delegation an opportunity to present the heritage of its country.

Beshkenji said Lebanon was chosen to host the gathering because it is a “country of message” and should remain a source of hope for young people in Lebanon, the Middle East, and around the world.

He encouraged participants to trust that Christ accompanies them and to use their talents in the service of their churches and communities.

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.

The announcement was made by Pope Francis at the closing Mass of World Youth Day 2023 in Lisbon, Portugal. Catholics from South Korea in attendance responded with happiness and excitement to the news.

This is only the second time an Asian country has hosted a World Youth Day — the last being in Manila, Philippines, in 1995 — and the first hosted in a nation where Catholicism is a minority religion.

With the date quickly approaching, South Korea is already preparing for this historic event. Here’s what you need to know:

The venues

The specific venues for the many events taking place are still being finalized by the Vatican and the WYD Seoul 2027 local organizing committee (LOC), which is led by Archbishop Peter Soon-taick Chung, archbishop of the Archdiocese of Seoul, with Bishop Paul Kyung-Sang Lee serving as the general coordinator. Additionally, Bishop Job Yobi Koo helps the LOC as the episcopal coordinator.

The theme

The theme of WYD 2027 is taken from the Gospel of John 16:33: “Take Courage! I Have Overcome the World.”

The program

While the schedule is still being finalized, attendees can expect an opening Mass to be celebrated by the archbishop of Seoul, morning catechesis sessions led by bishops from around the world, a papal welcome ceremony, the Way of the Cross, a pilgrimage walk to the grounds where the closing Mass will take place, Eucharistic adoration, and a prayer vigil with Pope Leo XIV as well as the closing Mass celebrated by the Holy Father.

Additionally, the youth festival will include concerts, cultural performances, and other events for the young people in attendance. Attendees will also be able to visit reconciliation park and the vocations fair.

The patron saints

The five patron saints of WYD Seoul 2027 are St. John Paul II, founder of World Youth Day; St. Andrew Kim Taegon and his companion martyrs; St. Frances Xavier Cabrini; St. Josephine Bakhita, and St. Carlo Acutis.

St. John Paul II (1920–2005) is remembered for centering much of his pastoral teaching on young people, the family, and the defense of the dignity of human life. St. Andrew Kim Taegon (1821–1846), the first Korean Catholic priest, together with his companion martyrs, represents a powerful witness of faith and courage, sealed by martyrdom at a young age.

St. Frances Xavier Cabrini (1850–1917) was a tireless missionary, known especially for her work on behalf of migrants and the poor. St. Josephine Bakhita (1869–1947), a former slave who became a religious sister, is a witness of hope, freedom, and faith transformed through suffering. St. Carlo Acutis (1991–2006), meanwhile, embodies the witness of holiness in the digital age and remains a model of evangelization for young people today.

The official theme song

The official theme song for WYD 2027 was released on Aug. 3. The song, “Confidite, Ego Vici Mundum” (“Take Courage! I Have Overcome the World,” in Latin), was the winning composition from 434 submissions and was written by Korean composer Francis Jiyoon Kim.

How many Catholics are in South Korea?

According to data released by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea in 2022, South Korea has approximately 6 million Catholics, which is just 11% of the total population.

A 2020 survey by a Korean research journal tracking recent religious demographic changes in the country found that now about 50% of South Koreans are nonreligious, while 32% are Protestant Christians and 16% are Buddhist.

Pray for WYD 2027

You can find the official prayer for WYD Seoul 2027 here.

Government officials in Michigan have agreed they will not enforce the state ban on "conversion therapy” on the counselors who work for Catholic Charities of Jackson, Lenawee, and Hillsdale Counties or any other counselors engaged in “talk therapy.”

The Catholic Charities affiliate sued Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and other state officials after the governor signed into law a ban on “conversion therapy.” This prohibited treatments that seek to “change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity.” This includes “efforts to change behavior or gender expression.”

According to the law, counselors were allowed to offer “acceptance, support, or understanding” of a child who self-identifies with a gender inconsistent with his or her sex. The lawsuit filed by the Catholic Charities affiliate argued the law forced them to “affirm” that the child could identify with a gender that is inconsistent with his or her sex, which conflicts with Catholic teaching.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that “everyone, man and woman, should acknowledge and accept his sexual identity.” The Vatican’s 2019 document “Male and Female He Created Them” teaches that sexual identity is a reality “given” through one’s biological and physiological nature.

Officials in Michigan consented to a court order that acknowledges that the law — as enforced against the Catholic Charities affiliate — violates the counselors’ First Amendment right to freedom of speech.

According to the court order, the state cannot enforce this law against the Catholic counselors or any other counselors in the state if the treatment “consists exclusively of talking.” The order is permanent and took effect immediately, upon the signature of Judge Jane M. Beckering.

The Catholic Charities affiliate was represented by lawyers at the Becket Fund. Luke Goodrich, senior counsel at Becket and lead attorney for the counselors, said in a statement that the order is “a major victory for children, counselors, and common sense.”

“Kids who are hurting deserve compassion, not a one-way ticket to harmful drugs, hormones, and surgery,” he said. “Now counselors can offer compassionate counseling without fearing that state bureaucrats will come knocking.”

This agreement comes four months after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 8-1 that a similar ban on “conversion therapy” in Colorado violated the First Amendment rights of counselors, warning the state-level bans “suppress speech based on viewpoint.”

Kimberly Bush, a spokesperson for Michigan’s attorney general’s office, said in a statement to EWTN News that Michigan entered into the agreement because of the Supreme Court ruling, but added: “We remain deeply disappointed in this decision and have grave concerns for the implications this could bring for the safety and welfare of Michigan’s children.”

A spokesperson for Whitmer also expressed disappointment in the agreement in a statement to EWTN News.

"Governor Whitmer believes that every young person deserves the right to grow up safe, supported, and free to be themselves,” the spokesperson said.

“This order is disappointing and represents a step back for the LGBTQ+ community,” the spokesperson added. “Michigan will never support any practice that harms or shames LGBTQ+ youth. The governor will continue to fight to ensure that LGBTQ+ individuals are protected from attacks and that their voices are heard.”

In June, Oregonʼs Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and Therapists withdrew disciplinary action against Catholic counselors who engaged in similar talk therapy, citing the Supreme Court decision as its reason.

The message was shown as part of the July 30–Aug. 2 event, held in Chulucanas, a town in the Piura region, that brought together thousands of young people from throughout the country.

Chulucanas is the site of then-Father Robert Prevost’s first missionary assignment in northern Peru in 1985, when the man who would become pope — and who has held Peruvian citizenship since 2015 — arrived as an Augustinian missionary in this region entrusted to his order.

In his message, the pope thanked the country’s young people “from the heart, for having responded to this initiative, which renews and strengthens the life of the Church.”

“The motto bringing you together for this gathering is: ‘Be brave, Christ lives.’ It is precisely the certainty of the Lord’s living presence in our midst that is the inner fire driving us to be brave and to step out of the comfort of individualism — to become part of a community of brothers and sisters in faith, to forge true bonds of friendship, and thus bear witness that it is possible to live united in Christ,” Pope Leo declared.

“I invite you to open your hearts wide to welcome the gifts the Lord wishes to pour out upon you,” the Holy Father continued in his message.

“And do not keep what you experience during this event just for yourselves — do not let it remain only in photos on your phones or videos on social media; share it, reflect it in your lives, because today many people need that joyful and contagious witness that a young person in love with Christ can convey,” Leo encouraged.

“Do not be afraid to be God’s instruments in rekindling hope for so many — for so many suffering hearts,” he emphasized.

In closing, the pope entrusted the young people to “the maternal intercession of Our Lady of Evangelization. May she intercede for you, so that you may be Christ’s ‘salt and light’ in this beloved Peruvian land. May God bless you!”

Highly anticipated papal visit

Peruvians are preparing to welcome the Holy Father this November to the country where he served as bishop of Chiclayo and apostolic administrator of Callao, prior to his tenure as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops at the Vatican.

Although the Vatican has not yet officially confirmed it, the cities Pope Leo is expected to visit in Peru include Lima, Chiclayo, Piura, Cusco, and Pucallpa as part of a trip that is also expected to include stops in Argentina and Uruguay.

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.

State Treasurer Larry Pack said the deadly flash flooding that swept through Upshur, Lewis, and nearby counties killed at least two people. West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey said preliminary assessments show about 151 homes in Upshur County suffered damage.

Morrisey, a Catholic Republican who was elected governor in 2024, acknowledged the work of “faith-based organizations” in aiding relief efforts in a July 27 statement.

“Volunteer organizations remain at the heart of the recovery effort,” Morrisey said.

Menjívar-Ayala, who was installed on July 2, asked parishes to hold the collections on Aug. 1–2 or Aug. 8–9. All of the funds collected will remain in West Virginia and will be managed by Catholic Charities West Virginia (CCWVa), a July 22 press release said. CCWVa will direct funds first to parishes aiding families, then to CCWVa regional staff assisting victims, followed by partner agencies, with any remaining money supporting CCWVa’s long‑term recovery work, the statement said.

“West Virginia is truly one community. The way the people of this state support each other, especially in times of great need like this, is a testament to how we are called to love our neighbors as ourselves,” Menjívar-Ayala said in the release. “Let us now put that love into action by helping our sisters and brothers during this tragic time.”

“Please remember in prayer all those whose lives have been changed in the wake of these disasters. Let us come together now to support our brothers and sisters in Christ who have been injured and lost their homes, cars, employment, and access to food and water,” Menjívar-Ayala said.

Krakowiak was apprehended in the village of Cerno, near Ljubuški, shortly after the incident on July 28. A local man, Ivan Vučić, recognized and detained him before handing him over to the authorities. Bosnian judicial authorities have charged him with damaging or destroying religious property. He could face a prison sentence ranging from six months to five years.

A hearing was held July 30 in which the prosecution proposed ordering the accused held in pretrial detention “due to the risk that he might flee or repeat the offense,” according to the local outlet Avaz.

The prosecutor reported that Krakowiak “showed no remorse during questioning” and stated that, through the attacks, he sought to demonstrate “that the visions are a fraud and that the whole thing is a fabrication.” The Polish national declined legal representation during the hearing and, according to local media, said he wanted to remain in prison.

A difficult childhood

“Bartek,” a common diminutive of his name in Poland, has his own conversion story from Medjugorje, which he recounted in a film released in 2024: “Called 2” produced by the Powołany Film Foundation.

Sharing his testimony in the film, Krakowiak recalled coming “from a family with a history of alcoholism,” a disease that afflicted his great-grandfather, his grandfather, and his father. “Because of that, from a very young age, I thought it was normal,” he noted.

His father was “very aggressive” and abused him. He began to feel “more at ease” on the streets, so he started running away from home. Amid an environment of poverty and deprivation of all kinds, his father’s beatings grew worse, until eventually his mother decided to move out.

“I also became a very peculiar person because I took out all the anger I carried inside on others. I wanted people to suffer as much as I did,” Krakowiak said.

At the age of 18, he met a girl who soon became pregnant. Krakowiak said that this pregnancy made him feel “unconditional love for the first time,” marking a turning point in his life. Sadly, his girlfriend suffered a miscarriage in her sixth month.

“That was when I realized that what my father had said — that I didn’t deserve love, that I would never achieve anything, that I was worthless — was true. That was when I sank even deeper into alcoholism, drugs, and violence,” he remarked.

Amid despair and resentment toward God and his family, Krakowiak decided to take his own life: “I was deeply in debt and suffering from depression and anxiety. I knew I was going to do it that day, and I remember the moment I opened the window and the fear left me.”

‘I am with you’: A journey to Medjugorje

Standing at the window, no longer afraid of the suffering he would leave behind upon his death, Krakowiak received a notification on his phone: A rapper had released a new song titled “I Am With You.”

The song was about the love of Jesus Christ and his closeness during times of greatest difficulty. “That I would overcome this, that he loves me, fights for me, and desires me. It was such a powerful experience — so powerful for me — that I closed the window, and a great hope simply filled my heart that something would change,” Krakowiak recalled.

Afterward, having surrendered himself to God’s will, asking only to be made happy, he heard the word “Medjugorje” deep within himself, though he could not quite describe how. He then understood that he “had to go there” and that, through that journey, God would transform his life. Without delay, he began preparing for the trip of over 800 miles.

“During this trip, I experienced a powerful presence of God. I simply felt his physical presence, that he was with me. During that time, extraordinary miracles occurred in my life, and I saw things I had never seen before,” he said.

“I remember passing the Medjugorje sign and, for the first time in my life, feeling proud of myself. For the first time in my life, I felt proud of who I was and what I was. And although I still had much to process and experience, I simply came to know the living God, the living Christ, who exists and who rose from the dead,” he added.

After returning from Medjugorje, he dedicated himself “to evangelizing, serving, and bringing people closer to God,” striving to show them that “he loves them, fights for them, and that there is hope.” By the time the film premiered, Krakowiak stated that he had been married for five years and was then a father for three.

The shrine restored in record time

The Medjugorje shrine reported on July 28 that the statue of Our Lady that was vandalized on the hill of the alleged apparitions has already been completely restored, thanks to the work of the parish community and members of the Cenacolo Community.

In addition, the outdoor altar of St. James the Apostle Parish was also restored and activities at the shrine have resumed.

Instagram post

“The shrine remains open to all pilgrims. The prayer program is taking place regularly, and all the spaces are being rapidly cleaned and prepared so that they can once again be a place of prayer and encounter with the Lord through the intercession of the Queen of Peace,” the parish office reported in a statement.

“In a special way, we invite all faithful to respond to this event in the way that Our Lady has been teaching us for over 40 years in Medjugorje: with prayer, fasting, and forgiveness,” the parish stated.

The Vatican has approved the “spiritual experience” taking place in Medjugorje, without recognizing the supernatural nature of the alleged apparitions.

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 new survival series is the latest project from 5&2 Studios — the production company behind “The Chosen.”

The show will include six episodes featuring actors Jonathan Roumie (who plays Jesus in “The Chosen”), Noah James (Andrew), Paras Patel (Matthew), Luke Dimyan (Judas Iscariot), Elizabeth Tabish (Mary Magdalene), and creator, writer, and director of “The Chosen,” Dallas Jenkins.

Each individual will join renowned adventurer and survivalist Bear Grylls — known for his series “Running Wild” on FOX — on an adventure in the wild where they will be pushed beyond their comfort zones while exploring what makes them who they are and share personal conversations about their lives and their faith.

Some of the places visited in the series include Utah’s Castle Valley and Canyonlands, the Great Basin Desert, the Colorado River, the Ausable River, and the Adirondack Forest.

The series premieres on Aug. 9 on Prime Video.

Grylls spoke to EWTN News in an interview and shared that he has always been a fan of “The Chosen,” with the series having a great impact on his own faith.

“I was one of those fans. I loved it,” he said. “But I kind of always felt that, unlike big movies or big TV shows normally where you sort of also know the characters as human beings, so few people actually knew much about the actors. Jonathan Roumie, for example, who plays Jesus, what has actually that journey been like for him?”

When speaking with Jenkins, the two thought it would be great to do a spinoff show “where we take some of these [actors], and we actually introduce you to what theyʼre like as human beings, what their journey has been like playing these characters, [and] how itʼs impacted their lives.”

He added: “I think what I wasnʼt ready for is just what a huge effect this TV show has had on all of their lives personally. And that was a really emotional sort of beautiful part of the whole ‘Chosen in the Wild’ series for me.”

Reflecting on the episodes featuring the cast members of “The Chosen,” Grylls shared that the episode with Roumie is the one that “in terms of an experience of an episode — out of all the ‘Running Wild’s’ and everything Iʼve done — I actually would rate that for me the one that will always stay in my heart.”

“Heʼs such a sort of icon of a guy, and his portrayal of Jesus is so powerful. Iʼm a man of faith, and at the start of every episode I do, I always say a prayer, like, ‘Jesus be with me,’” he recalled. “And on this one, it was about as close as youʼre going to get, you know. So, I kind of really wanted to honor that and do it well.”

He added that Roumie “was wonderful” and “incredibly honest,” talking about “things heʼd never spoken about before,” which was a “great privilege” for Grylls.

“I think out of all the roles an actor is going to play, that one is going to mess with your head and heart a lot, because you know at heart, youʼre not that guy. And he was really open about that. I think that conversation sat with him. There was a lot of emotion there,” he shared. “I mean, I donʼt want to kind of over-spiritualize it, but you could feel a presence there. And both of us said that afterwards, [we] said that was kind of weird, but good.”

When asked why the wild sparks so many deeper, more vulnerable conversations, Grylls said: “The wild opens people up. And as you know, you go into the outdoors, and you hike, and you face a few fears, and you cross a river or climb a cliff, you get to see the real people.”

He highlighted that each cast member who participated arrived “ready to be honest and to talk about their journey and how this show, ‘The Chosen,’ has impacted their lives.”

“I really value that honesty. And the wild is a great space — it gives it the space to breathe and to have those sorts of conversations on a level you never normally have,” he said.

Grylls said he hopes viewers will take away a strong “connection with the characters they love” after watching the series.

“This show is made specifically for those hundreds of millions of people around the world who love this TV show and are invested and care about the characters and just want to know more. And I think thereʼs no better way to get to know people than going on an adventure together,” he said. “Weʼve only done a few of these episodes — there are only six of them — [but] theyʼll always hold a really special place in my heart. And I canʼt wait for people to see it.”

In an Aug. 2 message shared on X, Argüello declared: “Biopolitics is key to current global power. Life is toyed with, and people — their dreams, hunger, sexuality, and data — are exploited for the sake of profit and power.”

“Migration is part of this strategy. The invasion of Ceuta is a test. Demography is a weapon,” the prelate added. Since July 31, the Spanish city of Ceuta — located on the African coast of the Strait of Gibraltar — has been facing an extremely grave situation following the illegal entry of some 60,000 people who swam from Morocco, skirting the Tarajal breakwater.

As a result, at least 72 people are believed to have lost their lives during the crossing, though the death toll is estimated to potentially exceed 100. While it is estimated that the majority of those who crossed the border irregularly have returned to Morocco, around 5,000 people still remain on the streets of the autonomous city.

Up to 22 European Union countries have pointed to the recent mass legalization of immigrants carried out in Spain — and backed by the Catholic Church — as a contributing factor to the current migration crisis.

Meanwhile, a recent Spanish court ruling invalidated the practice of so-called “hot returns” (immediate, summary expulsions) in cases where illegal entry into the country was made by swimming, as occurred on July 31.

The bishop of Sant Feliú de Llobregat, the Dominican Xabier Gómez — speaking in his capacity as the official responsible for Migration and Interculturality for the Tarraconense Episcopal Conference — stated in a reflection that "we are not facing an ordinary migration crisis."

The “terrible and very real human drama” that unfolded has benefited neither those who took to the sea risking their lives nor the citizens of Ceuta, who “have the right to live in safety, free from alarm, and in peaceful coexistence.”

However, it has served the interests of “those who use human mobility as a tool for political pressure, those seeking to strain diplomatic relations through potential ‘hybrid threats,’ those who play on public fear, and those who turn the suffering of others and fear into electoral gain.”

After ruling out the recent Spanish Supreme Court ruling or the regulatory process as the root causes of the situation, Gómez recalled the words of Pope Leo XIV regarding the migration issue — spoken during his recent trip to Spain, which included a visit to the Canary Islands, a region that has also been heavily impacted by the mass migration phenomenon.

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 memory of that religious persecution, however, has largely been constructed around its martyrs, leaving in the background those who endured the same brutality but did not receive the palm of martyrdom.

A new book by Spanish priest and theologian Monsignor Melchor Sánchez de Toca Alameda brings to light the stories of Catholics who survived the upheaval and violence of those years.

Published in Spanish by publishing house Didaskalos under the title “Los mártires que no fueron. Salvados, clandestinos, refugiados, evadidos y muertos de la persecución religiosa en España (1936–1939)” (“The Martyrs Who Were Not: Survivors, Underground Catholics, Refugees, Escapees and Victims of Religious Persecution in Spain, 1936–1939”), the book recounts the experiences of people who escaped death, lived in hiding, fled dangerous areas, or died during the Spanish Civil War under circumstances that did not meet the Church’s criteria for martyrdom.

Sánchez de Toca, a relator at the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, has worked on numerous causes of martyrdom connected with the religious persecution of the 1930s.

That experience, he told ACI Prensa, inspired him to begin collecting the stories of those whose lives had received less attention.

“Those who went through the persecution and did not die in it, or who died during that period but without the grace of martyrdom, had been left somewhat in the shadows,” he said.

Would-be martyrs

The book presents a broad collection of men and women who endured the same trial as the martyrs but met a different fate.

Some escaped death through unexpected circumstances. Others remained hidden for years while sustaining a Church forced underground. Some fled the most dangerous areas, while others died during the war without their deaths being recognized as martyrdom.

“Not all saints who live through a religious persecution attain the palm of martyrdom by dying in it, and not everyone who dies during a persecution is a martyr,” Sánchez de Toca explained.

Rather than attempting an exhaustive catalog, the author selected figures who have been canonized or are currently the subjects of beatification causes, offering a different perspective on the dramatic events of the period.

Among the better-known figures are St. Maravillas of Jesus, St. Josemaría Escrivá, Blessed Álvaro del Portillo, Venerable José María García Lahiguera, Blessed Pere Tarrés, Isidoro Zorzano, and Servant of God Carmen Hidalgo, co-founder of the Oblate Sisters of Christ the Priest.

The book also features lesser-known people whose lives were marked by the persecution, including Ismael de Tomelloso, known as “the saintly militiaman”; Antonio Rivera, called “the angel of the Alcázar”; and Jesuit Father Fernando Huidobro, a chaplain to the Spanish Legion.

Those three cases initially attracted the author’s interest. Although all suffered the consequences of the war and two died from wounds or at the front, none can be considered martyrs in the strict sense.

“There were attempts to present them as martyrs, especially during the postwar period through Francoist propaganda,” Sánchez de Toca said.

They were sometimes described using a phrase common at the time, “fallen for God and for Spain.” The circumstances of their deaths, however, did not satisfy the requirements established by the Church for the recognition of martyrdom.

The underground Church

One of the book’s most distinctive sections reconstructs the daily lives of Catholics who remained in Republican-controlled territory and were forced to practice their faith clandestinely.

A chapter devoted to “the underground and the prayerful home front” recounts the experiences of courageous men and women who organized secret networks to assist priests in hiding, enable the celebration of the sacraments and keep Catholic religious practice alive.

“They created assistance networks that would not be out of place in the best spy novels,” Sánchez de Toca said.

Isidoro Zorzano, Venerable José María García Lahiguera and Mother Carmen Hidalgo organized a network of financial assistance for priests who had survived.

“They provided them with the materials needed to celebrate Mass and then redistributed Communion, taking it to homes through underground agents,” he explained.

Crossing the front lines

Another chapter recounts the stories of Catholics who crossed the front lines through exceptionally dangerous operations.

They include Blessed Álvaro del Portillo, who crossed through the battlefront; Servant of God Tomás Alvira, who accompanied St. Josemaría Escrivá across the Pyrenees; and Venerable Sister Justa Domínguez de Vidaurreta, a superior of the Daughters of Charity who escaped Madrid after numerous difficulties and eventually settled in Pamplona.

The burden of survival

Sánchez de Toca was also struck by what is commonly known as survivor’s guilt, a psychological phenomenon experienced by many who escaped persecution.

Although a chapter devoted to the subject was removed for editorial reasons, the author said many survivors spent the rest of their lives wrestling with a troubling question: Why had they survived while so many of their companions had been killed?

“It is not always easy to answer the question: ‘Why did the Lord not want me to be a martyr when so many of my companions were killed?’” he said.

Saved at the last moment

Some of the book’s most dramatic passages recount the experiences of people who escaped what appeared to be certain death.

One of the most striking accounts concerns an Augustinian friar imprisoned in Madrid during the persecution.

According to Sánchez de Toca, the friar’s hands had already been tied and he was preparing to be transported to Paracuellos when an unknown person cut his ropes and whispered: “Turn around and go back to your cell. Don’t look back.”

The friar obeyed mechanically and survived.

“He returned to his cell and began trembling and convulsing from the post-traumatic shock so violently that several companions had to hold him down,” Sánchez de Toca recounted.

Others survived because of errors in prisoner lists or the unexpected intervention of anonymous people. Many interpreted their rescue as an act of divine providence and spent the rest of their lives wondering why they had been chosen to survive.

The author also addresses crimes committed by Nationalist forces. Father Huidobro, for example, denounced the summary executions of prisoners in complaints submitted to Gen. Francisco Franco’s headquarters.

A lesson for today

Beyond their historical value, Sánchez de Toca said he believes the biographies offer lessons of particular relevance to Christians today.

“They all lived with a clear vocation to martyrdom,” he said.

According to the author, martyrdom was part of the spiritual horizon of many Spanish Catholics even before the outbreak of the Civil War.

“This can be seen in their letters, homilies, and conversations as an expression of their willingness to give their lives for Christ if necessary,” he said.

Sánchez de Toca also highlighted the extraordinary apostolic creativity Catholics demonstrated under extreme circumstances.

“This is another enduring lesson for our time,” he concluded. “The Holy Spirit inspires apostolic creativity in the circumstances in which each person lives.”

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 Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate announced the appointment in a statement published on the order’s official Facebook page. The appointment was also confirmed to ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, although it has not yet been officially announced by the Vatican.

“We are pleased to announce that the Holy See has appointed Msgr. Mario León Dorado, OMI, apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of Rabat, Morocco,” the Oblates said.

The statement said the Spanish priest would carry out the responsibility “in communion with the Holy See and at its discretion” and invited the faithful to accompany him with their prayers in his new mission.

ACI Prensa obtained a copy of the decree sent by the apostolic nunciature in Morocco communicating the decision. The letter was signed by Archbishop Alfred Xuereb, the apostolic nuncio, and dated Aug. 1.

An apostolic administrator “sede plena” is appointed when the diocesan bishop remains in office but is temporarily unable to exercise pastoral governance. In such circumstances, the Holy See entrusts the ordinary administration of the diocese to another bishop or priest until the situation that prompted the measure is resolved.

The Archdiocese of Rabat covers much of Morocco and is one of the Catholic Church’s principal jurisdictions in the country.

Preliminary investigation underway

The appointment follows López Romero’s announcement in early July that he would temporarily withdraw from all public and pastoral activity while the Church conducts a preliminary investigation into allegations of inappropriate conduct involving adult women.

The cardinal defended his innocence in a brief statement released at the time by the Spanish news agency EFE.

“I have not committed any assault, violence, or sexual harassment,” he said.

López Romero informed the diocesan community of his decision in a message issued at the end of the pastoral year. He said the Church had opened a preliminary investigation into the complaints and that the case was in the hands of the appropriate Holy See authorities.

“I am accused of inappropriate conduct toward adult women,” the archbishop said, adding that he was cooperating fully with the ecclesiastical process.

The cardinal said he would refrain from presiding at public celebrations or taking part in pastoral activities while the investigation is underway.

“During this period of investigation, and so as not to hinder it, I am going to take a step back, refraining from presiding at any public celebration and from participating in any pastoral activity, as you will undoubtedly understand,” he said in the statement obtained by ACI Prensa.

Who is Mario León Dorado?

León Dorado, who is also Spanish, belongs to the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate and currently serves as apostolic prefect of Western Sahara. According to information released by the archdiocese, he has carried out his ministry in the region for nearly 25 years.

He discerned a missionary vocation at a young age and professed religious vows on Sept. 15, 1996. He was ordained a priest on June 2, 2001, and began his pastoral ministry in the Spanish province of Jaén, where he served for three years while retaining his desire to minister in an Arab cultural setting.

That interest was strengthened by a visit to the Sahara during his formation, an experience that profoundly shaped his vocation and ultimately directed his pastoral and missionary work toward North Africa.

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 Vatican published a video message from Leo for Ecuador’s seventh National Youth Day on Aug. 2, the final day of the event that began on July 31 in Ibarra. In the message, the pope greeted those present and urged them to listen to Christ’s call for their lives.

“I encourage you to listen to the Lordʼs call and to follow him with determination,” the pope said in his message. “An encounter with Jesus Christ fills the heart with joy and gives us the strength to be witnesses of his love and his mercy.”

Leo also asked them to allow themselves to be transformed by Christ’s love and to work for peace in today’s world.

“Allow yourselves to be transformed by his love and be promoters of forgiveness, reconciliation, and peace.”

“The Church needs your joy, your courage, and your witness so that many others may come to know Christ,” Leo added.

The National Youth Day in Ecuador (“Jornada Nacional de la Juventud”) is the country’s own adaptation of World Youth Day, gathering dioceses nationwide for catechesis, worship, and fellowship. The motto for this year’s gathering is drawn from John 16:33: “Take courage; I have conquered the world.”

Amid a rise in homicides nationwide, the Ecuadorian bishops renewed the country’s consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in June. In 1874, Ecuador became the first country to be officially consecrated to the Sacred Heart.

The primary hub for American Catholicism in 1776 was Maryland, which was created as a safe haven for Catholics and home to the only Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence: Charles Carroll of Carrollton.

Yet, more than one-third of Catholics lived outside Maryland in the late 1700s. Archbishop John Carroll — the first bishop in the United States — reported the Catholic population to the Holy See in 1785: about 15,800 in Maryland, at least 7,000 in Pennsylvania, at least 1,500 in New York, and no more than 200 in Virginia. There were a few hundred scattered elsewhere.

The primary reason for the low numbers was restrictive laws, some of which outright banned Catholicism and priests from colonies. Even in Maryland, after the 1689 Protestant Revolution, Catholics faced severe restrictions, including a ban on voting and openly celebrating Mass.

“[The laws were] definitely repressive,” said Seth Smith, a history professor at The Catholic University of America with expertise in American Catholicism.

“But Catholics in the colonies had more freedom to practice their faith than they would have in Britain,” Smith told EWTN News.

“On the books, virtually everywhere except Rhode Island and (informally) Pennsylvania, Catholics faced disenfranchisement, exclusion from office, land restrictions, and bans on public worship, Catholic schools, and priests,” he said. “These laws escalated throughout the colonial period.”

For example, Massachusetts had a law permitting executions of priests but “actual executions of priests for simply being priests essentially didnʼt happen in the 13 colonies,” Smith said.

“[These laws] had the effect of limiting Catholic migration to British North America,” he said. “... The practical reality was that there were so few Catholics that enforcement was often moot.”

Catholicism in Pennsylvania

As the Catholic hub in Maryland faced legal restrictions in the late 1600s into the 1700s, Jesuits in Maryland sought to extend their reach into the colonies and found the friendliest colony to be Pennsylvania, founded by a Quaker strong advocate for religious freedom, William Penn.

Father Joseph Greaton, an English Catholic who moved to Maryland in 1719, was assigned to Pennsylvania, where he established the colony’s first Catholic parish in Philadelphia — Old St. Josephʼs Church, founded in 1733.

Although the colony and city tolerated Catholics legally, Greaton still took precautions because of anti-Catholic sentiment, designing the church to look more like a residential building rather than appearing outwardly like a Catholic church.

When reached for comment, the current pastor referred EWTN News to Stephen Paesani, a parishioner deeply involved in the parish, to speak about its history.

Paesani said the chapel was designed that way “so it wouldn’t draw attention to itself.” When it was created, it was the “only place in the British empire where Mass was celebrated legally and publicly” because the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly — the governing body — determined British anti-Catholic laws did not apply.

To enter the church, Paesani said, “you had to come in through the alley and go through the courtyard.” He said “if you didn’t know the church was there, you would never know.”

Catholics were a small minority in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania more broadly. Paesani said treatment of Catholics was “a mixed bag.” There were “clearly incidents of anti-Catholicism” in colonial Philadelphia, but the priests were involved in the community and generally had support from public officials, he said.

Charles Carroll of Carrollton, a Catholic Founding Father, sometimes worshipped there. Another prominent parishioner was John Barry, an Irish Catholic naval officer who fought in the American Revolution and was appointed to lead the U.S. Navy post-Revolution.

Greaton established other churches throughout Pennsylvania to serve Catholics and would travel from town to town administering the sacraments to the faithful. One parish that’s still standing is Most Blessed Sacrament in Bally, which was home to a small number of German Catholics, founded in 1741.

Michael Miller, the museum director at Most Blessed Sacrament, told EWTN News the parish only served “a few families,” with the closest being the Kuhn family. John Kuhn — a German Catholic — informed the Jesuits that land there was for sale, previously owned by Mennonites.

“[Greaton] would travel to other Mass houses [throughout Pennsylvania],” Miller said.

When asked whether the German Catholics faced discrimination, he said “not around here.” In that part of Pennsylvania, he said most people, regardless of religion, were either iron workers or farmers, and the Protestant majorities were “good neighbors.”

“There were so few Catholics in the immediate area, when they got around to building the chapel, they had Mennonite workers,” he said.

Other locations he traveled to included Ivy Mills, where Mass was celebrated in the home of Thomas Willcox in the early 1700s until Catholics established the parish of St. Thomas the Apostle. Another was the Conewago Chapel in Hanover (now the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus), established in 1730.

Catholicism outside Maryland and Pennsylvania

Outside of Maryland and Pennsylvania, Smith said “mostly what existed were scattered gentry families like the Brents in Virginia (who had ties to Maryland) and Catholics with diplomatic and mercantile roles in port cities.”

This contributed to the small number of Catholics present in New York City and Charleston, South Carolina, even though Catholicism was illegal in both cities for most of colonial times. Catholicism was only briefly legal in colonial New York when Irish Catholic Thomas Dongan was appointed governor from 1683 to 1688.

“The reason that there was any Catholic presence in these cities (or any port cities in British North America) was due to commerce,” Smith said. “Port cities pulled sailors, merchants, etc., from around the world. Some level of religious tolerance was good for business, though tolerance generally meant that Catholics could practice their faith out of sight.”

After the revolution and when the United States adopted the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, which guaranteed a right to “the free exercise” of religion, Catholicism was tolerated — at least legally. This led to a greater influx of Catholic immigration in the 1800s.

In 1790, President George Washington wrote to Archbishop John Carroll while lawmakers were still in the process of adopting the Bill of Rights.

Washington assured the archbishop that Catholics would enjoy the same rights as Protestants under the new government. He said “your fellow-citizens will not forget the patriotic part which you took” in the revolutionary war and the establishment of the government. He also noted the support received from the Catholic country of France.

“May the members of your society in America, animated alone by the pure spirit of Christianity, and still conducting themselves as the faithful subjects of our free government, enjoy every temporal and spiritual felicity,” Washington wrote.

According to its website, ARISE is a full-day conference built for young professionals and Catholics from all walks of life called to be a “light and witness in their workplaces and society.”

The conference will include keynote speakers, breakout sessions, Mass, benediction, and networking opportunities. Some of the speakers set to take the stage include Sister Marie Veritas of the Sisters of Life; Father Charbel Bousamra, a Maronite priest and founder of Assumption Academy in Canada; and Father Marcin Serwin, a Missionary Oblate of Mary Immaculate and director of Oblate Youth Canada, among others.

YPCT brings together ambitious individuals navigating careers and personal growth, all while remaining rooted in shared Catholic values. Through networking events, service initiatives, and faith-centered gatherings, the group offers more than just social connection — it provides purpose and belonging as it redefines how Catholic identity can thrive among the next generation of leaders.

The group’s vice president, Kathleen Muggeridge, and Eva Bracho, one of the group’s event directors, told EWTN News in an interview that the inspiration for the conference came from a passage from the Gospel of Matthew where Jesus tells the rich young man to arise, sell his possessions, and follow him.

“Obviously not everyone can literally sell everything that they have and follow him and become like a monk or be out on the streets to serve the poor, but in their own vocational path — whether itʼs to be a father or mother of many children and to work and contribute to society — in whatever state of their life that theyʼre in, they need to arise and go and follow Our Lord,” Muggeridge said.

Bracho added that the theme of “arise” is also a “call from from spiritual slumber to intentional action. Especially, I think, in our society now, in our generation as well, itʼs really that call to live our faith fully in the world and tend to our individual God-given missions whatever that is and to become the person that God has created us to be.”

YPCT is expecting 600 to 800 attendees and while the conference is open to all Catholics, Bracho emphasized that what sets this conference apart is “that mission focus in your life. A lot of us are called to marriage and professional life. So what does that look like from a professional standpoint, which I think has not really been touched before.”

She added that she hopes attendees will leave the conference with “a sense of renewal.”

“So really remembering who God created each person to be in our identity as daughters and sons and then coming out of that and saying, ‘OK, what am I here for? What is my mission?’ And feeling the renewal of ‘Iʼm going to go forth in whatever my circumstances, my job, my life, my family, whatever that is, and be intentional about the life that Iʼm living and have that call to holiness but also have that call of like pursuing with purpose what I feel like my mission is in this life,’” Bracho said.

Muggeridge added: “The conference will be a reminder to people that Godʼs grace is in the here and now; itʼs right now, and every single moment of life that God wills us to be here is a moment where we can turn it all around. I really believe that it only takes a little bit of goodness on our part for God to do huge things.”

The sentence was carried out after all stages of litigation were completed and the defendant had exhausted his available legal appeals, bringing to an end a case that lasted more than four years from the killing to the execution of the final judgment.

According to the attorney representing the priest’s family, Egyptian authorities carried out the death sentence, the most severe punishment under the country’s law, after investigators and the courts found the defendant responsible for intentional murder.

The execution followed the Egyptian Court of Cassation’s rejection of the defendant’s final appeal and its affirmation of an earlier ruling by the Alexandria Criminal Court, making the sentence final and enforceable.

The case dates back to April 7, 2022, when Wadid, a priest of the Coptic Orthodox Church of the Virgin Mary and St. Paul the Apostle in Alexandria’s Karmouz-Moharam Bek district, was participating in a weekly parish gathering at one of the city’s beaches. As participants were boarding buses following the gathering, Wadid, who was wearing clerical attire and helping organize their departure, was attacked from behind and fatally stabbed.

Those present restrained the assailant and handed him over to security forces. Wadid was taken to a hospital, where he died from his injuries.

Although the legal proceedings initially moved quickly, with the defendant referred to the criminal court within weeks of the killing and sentenced to death by hanging, the ruling was not final at the time and remained pending while the Court of Cassation considered his appeals.

In January 2025, the Court of Cassation rejected the defendant’s appeal and upheld the death sentence, making the judgment final. The sentence, however, was not carried out until approximately a year and a half later, making it more than four years from the killing to the execution and leaving a profound mark on the Coptic Orthodox Church and the people of Alexandria.

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.

This responsibility holds special significance in the sacraments of baptism, Eucharist, and confirmation, which, according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “lay the foundations of every Christian life.”

In an interview with ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, Mexican priest Father Luis Fernando Valdés, who holds a doctorate in theology from the University of Navarra in Spain, explained that the role of the godparent or sponsor corresponds to a human reality, since “we all need help to achieve life’s lofty goals.”

Just as a person receives support to reach academic or professional goals, the priest noted, “the Church, with its centuries-old tradition, establishes this great custom of godparents for the spiritual life as well, because we all require this help.”

Based on this reflection, he shared some recommendations for those wishing to better fulfill this mission and strengthen the bond with their godchild or candidate. (Editor’s note: For simplicity’s sake, both will now be referred to as godchild or godparent but includes adults receiving these sacraments.)

1. Know that the godparent’s mission is to help the godchild grow in the faith.

Valdés said the first step is to understand that being a godparent means “helping one’s godchild receive and cultivate a new life,” a life that is born solely “from the encounter with Christ.”

“This new life consists in that we are now another Christ, because Jesus has conformed us to his life through the action of the Holy Spirit among us. Like Christ, we are children of God the Father,” he added.

Therefore, he continued, the godparent’s goal is to help the godchild grow in that Christian identity.

2. You can’t give what you don’t have.

The priest pointed out that “no one gives what he doesnʼt have,” emphasizing that “the first task of the one who agrees to be a godparent is his or her own self.”

Godparents need to build their lives on the four pillars of the Catechism of the Catholic Church: “doctrine, sacraments, moral life, and life of prayer.”

“That is the great task of the godparents: to form themselves and then help their godchildren know these four pillars, which are what will configure them with Christ in the Church,” he stated.

Furthermore, he clarified that this formation does not take place solely in a classroom or during catechesis. Often, it is passed on “through ordinary life, get-togethers, conversations, and visits between godparents and their godchildren.”

3. Make the sacraments and prayer part of life.

Another piece of advice from the priest is that godparents should strive to be people of the sacraments; that is, they should attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation, go to confession frequently, and “live in a state of grace, leading a Christian life.”

He also encouraged godparents to “strive to grow in charity,” seeking to “care for others, attend to the poor, and share their goods.”

He added that they need to be “prayerful souls” who entrust their godchildren to God and learn “the Church’s beautiful vocal prayers,” such as the Our Father, the Hail Mary, the Creed, and the rosary.

However, he noted that spiritual life should not be limited to traditional formulas but also entails “engaging in personal prayer, knowing how to converse personally with Christ.”

4. Review how you’re living the faith.

Valdés acknowledged that being a godparent requires constant commitment; he therefore invited godparents to periodically examine their own spiritual lives and ask themselves whether they are living in accordance with the four pillars of the Christian life.

And if the answer is not what was hoped for, he suggested asking these questions: “What must I do? How should I start over? Where should I personally go to receive formation?”

5. Choose godparents who will “share parenthood.”

His final piece of advice is addressed to parents. Valdés noted that choosing a godparent “is not simply about making it look like the other person is my closest friend”; rather, it is a commitment in which a person “shares their parenthood with a specific purpose.”

“When someone chooses a godparent, they are saying to him or her ‘I have such love for you, and such trust in you, that I am sharing my parenthood with you so that you can help ensure that my child lives out the Christian life,’” Valdés explained.

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.

Berardi said parish life across the vicariate, which includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudia Arabia, remains strong, noting that “our churches are filled with the faithful during Masses and Eucharistic adoration.”

At the same time, the bishop acknowledged that the uncertainties created by the ongoing war in Iran and the anxiety it has generated have led many Catholics to leave the Gulf after businesses closed and jobs were lost.

Holding fast to hope

Berardi said the lack of clarity surrounding ongoing negotiations and the possibility of further escalation have raised serious concerns among Christians in the region.

“Nevertheless, we remain hopeful and continue to witness to our hope,” he said. “Our faith is stronger than any challenge, and God alone is our help.”

Berardi added that the Church continues to pray for peace throughout the Gulf region and in the Holy Land.

“We never cease praying for peace in the Gulf and for the Holy Land, placing our trust in Christ. His resurrection is our hope as we face this difficult time,” he said.

Pastoral visits across the vicariate

In recent weeks, Berardi carried out a series of pastoral visits throughout the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia, reaffirming the Churchʼs closeness to the faithful and encouraging them to remain steadfast in unity, hope, and prayer amid rising tensions in the Gulf and across the broader Middle East.

His visits included 10 parishes and two cathedrals serving Catholic communities in Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia. During his visits, he encouraged the faithful to deepen their relationship with Christ through the Eucharist, remain firm in the faith, and continue witnessing to the Gospel within their families, workplaces, and communities.

Living unity in faith

In addition to celebrating Masses, Berardi administered the sacrament of confirmation to 155 candidates and inaugurated a jubilee year marking the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi. As part of the observance, one church was designated as a jubilee church where pilgrims may obtain jubilee indulgences.

The bishop also attended the screening of the documentary “Our Lady of Arabia: A Legacy of Faith,” which recounts the history and spiritual heritage of the Minor Basilica of Our Lady of Arabia in Ahmadi, Kuwait, and highlights its continuing mission.

Throughout the visits, Berardi listened to the experiences, challenges, and hopes of the faithful, offering pastoral guidance to support their spiritual growth. He also called for greater collaboration, the promotion of missionary discipleship, and a spirit of service inspired by the Holy Spirit.

He concluded by reminding the faithful that the Church “cannot fully accomplish her mission unless her members live in unity of faith, hope, and charity.”

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.

“I am following with concern the alarming situation in Ceuta, praying to God that, through the intercession of Our Lady of Africa, solutions may be found to bring peace, stability, and justice,” the pope said after leading the Angelus in St. Peter’s Square on Aug. 2.

His remarks followed the arrival of an estimated 50,000 to 60,000 people from Morocco on July 30, many of whom attempted to reach Spanish territory by swimming around the border barriers.

According to figures provided by Spanish authorities, at least 67 people died, most of them by drowning. The influx overwhelmed the autonomous city’s capacity to respond and prompted authorities to install additional barriers near the El Tarajal border crossing.

The pope also renewed his appeal for an end to armed conflicts around the world.

“Let us continue to pray for peace, that wars may cease throughout the world and diplomatic solutions to conflicts may be found,” he said.

“Let us remember all the victims of hostilities, especially the weakest and most defenseless: children, the elderly, and the sick,” he continued. “May the Lord comfort those who suffer and bless the work of those who bring aid and consolation.”

Pope Leo also recalled the Pardon of Assisi, the plenary indulgence traditionally associated with the Portiuncola chapel in Assisi, Italy.

“St. Francis obtained this indulgence from Pope Honorius III in 1216, having been inspired — while praying at the Porziuncola — by a vision of Jesus and Mary surrounded by angels,” he said.

“Let us thank the Lord for this great gift and treasure it, especially in this eighth centenary year of the Transitus of the Poor Man of Assisi, who died at the Portiuncola on 3 October 1226.”

Earlier, in his reflection before the Angelus, Pope Leo encouraged Catholics to rediscover the practice of blessing meals as a simple public witness to faith and a way of bringing the beauty of the Eucharist into everyday life.

“As we savor the grace of the Eucharist, let us commit ourselves to bearing witness to its beauty in our daily actions, beginning with blessing meals at the table with family and friends,” he said.

The pope reflected on the Gospel account of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes, explaining that Christ’s miracles reveal both his care for humanity and the salvation he offers to the world.

“When we listen to the Gospel, we frequently hear that Jesus performed signs, which are acts that reveal his special dedication to us and the salvation that he brings to the world,” he said. “The Lord is presented as the One who gives meaning to our lives, freeing us from evil and sin.”

Pope Leo said Christ’s healing miracles were not merely extraordinary acts but signs that the kingdom of God was near.

“By restoring sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf, Christ is doing more than merely performing miraculous deeds; he is proclaiming to all that the kingdom of God is near,” he said.

The Gospel, he continued, shows that Christ not only restores the senses but also fills them with good things, giving food to the hungry as well as sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf.

“The account of the multiplication of the loaves shows us that the encounter with the Lord is a nourishing experience,” he said. “In the desert, that is, when we are in need, Christ is the bread of life.”

The 12 baskets of food left over after the crowd had eaten, the pope explained, signify both the universal character of God’s gift and the constancy of his providential care.

“Christ truly satisfies humanity’s hunger, our hunger for truth and life,” he said. “His gesture teaches us that nothing is discarded when it is shared.”

Pope Leo contrasted that spirit of generosity with a culture driven by accumulation and waste.

“Hoarding and waste, on the contrary, are two sides of the same evil: greed,” he said.

He described greed as a spiritual sickness that dulls the senses and makes people indifferent to the suffering of others.

“This spiritual sickness numbs the senses, which become intoxicated with wealth, to the point of making people forget those who weep from hunger and cry out from thirst,” he said.

“And so, in the face of an opulence that reeks of decay, we find the outstretched hands of those who have no nourishment, the burned homes of those who have no peace.”

Against the “deserts of war and arrogance,” the pope invited Christians to contemplate the actions of Jesus during the multiplication of the loaves: looking to heaven, blessing the bread, breaking it, and giving it to the disciples to distribute.

“In this miracle of charity, we recognize the characteristic actions of Jesus, which find their culmination in the Last Supper, for it was then that the Son of God gave us his very life as our brother in humanity,” he said.

The pope concluded by encouraging Catholics to make their summer vacations an opportunity for fraternity and service.

“In Jesus’ company, even vacations can become a time of fraternal serenity, if we reach out to our neighbors in need,” he said.

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

Gliot is part of the Daughters of St. Paul, a religious order with the mission to evangelize through media. The vampire trilogy is a part of that evangelizing mission.

Gliot’s “In Aeternum” trilogy begins with Elizabeth, a Catholic teenager caught up in a fight between vampires who goes on the run with a vampire outcast named Christopher. The story concludes in the third book, “The Dawn We Seek,” which was released July 24.

In an interview with EWTN News, Gliot shared about the spiritual journey of her writing process, what Catholics can learn from cryptids, and a prayer request.

EWTN News: As you conclude this trilogy, what stays with you from the spiritual journey of writing it?

Gliot: When I first started writing this series, it was a solitary endeavor — just me and Jesus. When I shared the books with my publishing house, the circle grew to include my sisters and editors.

But now that actual readers have been engaging with these stories and sharing their thoughts, hopes, and spiritual struggles with me as a result, Jesus has really been encouraging me to carry the readers in my heart and prayers in a special way.

This story isnʼt just mine anymore.

I surrendered it to God and to the readers when I published it, and itʼs beautiful and profoundly humbling for me to see the fruit it’s bearing in so many lives.

How can writing be a spiritual experience and how do you as a religious sister connect your faith with your writing?

For me, storytelling is a spiritual experience because itʼs something I do with Jesus. He provides the initial inspiration and asks me to trust him enough to put the time and effort into writing it down. Then he stays with me during the writing, teaching me things through the experience and helping me make connections I never would have been able to see on my own.

Writing stories that involve my faith helps me to explore and live that faith more deeply, and, at the same time, I often notice my spiritual struggles and faith epiphanies from religious life trickling into my writing in various (and sometimes surprising) ways.

How does the trilogy deal with sin, redemption, and our relationship with God, and what can we learn about ourselves through fictional cryptid characters?

In the “In Aeternum” trilogy, vampires are a mirror of our wounded humanity at its worst. They are an exploration of just how far we can fall when we truly make the choice to embrace sin and evil.

But because vampires embody such an extreme, they also provide an opportunity to show the extremity of Godʼs mercy and the lengths he will go to save us — if we let him. And if weʼre willing to change our ways and step toward Godʼs goodness, even if weʼve gone very far in the other direction, even if itʼs just a tiny step.

No reader will have committed the same atrocities as the vampires in my books (I hope). But if there can be a possibility of repentance and redemption even for them, then I pray that even readers who feel like theyʼve hit rock bottom can find a ray of divine hope through these books.

How does Catholicism invite us to use our imagination and creativity? How does it expand our imagination rather than limit it?

The Catholic Church teaches that God created our imaginations and gave us gifts of creativity — gifts that he desires us to delight in and to use for building up his kingdom.

But God is the ultimate Creator, and his imagination far surpasses ours. He can speak to us through so many means — including beauty, story, and imaginative play. Catholicism, far from limiting our imagination, puts us in touch with Godʼs imagination and communicates his very life to us through the grace of the sacraments.

When we fully embrace our faith, allowing God to infuse us with his grace and inspire us with his divine love, we find ourselves on fire with the same creativity he used to make the world and everything in it. Exercising that creativity through our minds, wills, and hearts in harmony with God is a powerful force to draw us even closer to him.

What does the field of fiction-writing look like for Catholic authors?

I’d like to ask anyone reading this to say a prayer for Catholic authors who are seeking to bring God and the faith into popular genres. Since I began publishing Catholic urban fantasy stories, I’ve had so many authors and aspiring authors reach out to me to share their hopes and dreams for their faith-based stories. But even though these stories are so needed in our world today and have so much evangelizing and catechetical potential, it isn’t an easy field to navigate or break into. So please pray for Catholic authors and storytellers, that the Holy Spirit can bring much good out of the work we strive to do in his name.

To learn more about Gliot’s new book, visit Pauline Books & Media.

Mary Ann Kuharski, founder of Pro-Life Across America, said the organization began out of frustration with the growing politicization of the abortion debate and a conviction that lasting change comes from changing hearts rather than winning elections.

“I started out of frustration,” Kuharski told EWTN News. “The more I looked into it, the more I realized if we donʼt do something to change hearts, weʼre never going to save babies and moms from the devastation of abortion.”

Kuharski said she had spent years involved in political organizing before stepping away to focus on what would become a nonpartisan educational ministry. With encouragement from her husband and local pastors, she launched what she expected would be a small Minnesota organization dedicated to sharing pro-life messages through advertising.

“We said we were going to do one thing, and that is to get the truth out before the public,” she said. “What we didnʼt realize is that God would use that truth to touch hearts.”

‘Thereʼs no such thing as an unwanted baby’

Kuharskiʼs commitment to the pro-life movement is deeply personal.

She was adopted from one of Minnesotaʼs last orphanages and later became the mother of 13 children, including six mixed-race children with special needs whom she adopted.

“I came from one of the last orphanages out of Minnesota, so I have a special reason why I feel like there should never be a slogan that says thereʼs such a thing as an unwanted baby,” she said.

“Thereʼs always someone who will welcome that baby if they give them a chance for life.”

From a kitchen table to a nationwide outreach

Kuharski said the organization began in 1989 from her kitchen table with the help of her husband and another couple. With no office and no paid staff, the group purchased 42 simple black-and-white billboards across Minnesota carrying a message encouraging people to “listen to the heartbeat” of an unborn child.

Within two weeks, Kuharski said, the organization received a call that convinced her the campaign was making a difference.

“A clinic director in St. Paul called me and said, ‘I know thatʼs you behind these billboards,’” Kuharski recalled. “She told me a woman had come in scheduled for an abortion and said, ‘I canʼt stand to drive by that billboard on my way to work every day. Will you help me?’”

“Thatʼs when we realized that the Holy Spirit was behind these billboards, not us,” she said.

As requests for the campaign spread beyond Minnesota, the organization expanded nationally and eventually changed its name to Pro-Life Across America.

Now in its 37th year, the nonprofit operates in all 50 states through a nationwide educational outreach that includes more than 11,000 billboards annually, as well as thousands of radio spots, internet advertisements, and streaming television and radio ads when funding allows.

A ministry serving women — and men

While many assume pregnancy resource ministries primarily serve women, Kuharski said a significant number of calls come from men.

“Forty percent or more of the calls to our hotline are men,” she said. “Theyʼre the fathers of the baby. Theyʼre the brothers. Theyʼre the fathers of the pregnant girl.”

Some callers seek pregnancy resources, including medical care, confidential counseling, housing, and adoption information, while others are looking for healing years after abortion.

Kuharski recalled one man who contacted the organization around Christmas after years of staying away from church.

“He said, ‘I paid for two abortions years ago, and Iʼve never felt good about going back into a church,’” she said. “‘I pushed and pushed her until she got those abortions, and I havenʼt been able to have peace since.’”

The organization connected him with a pastor and a menʼs support group.

“Itʼs amazing what the truth will do to help us really relieve our consciences if we follow our conscience,” Kuharski said.

Kuharski said stories like his are common, as are calls from women who credit the organizationʼs outreach with changing the course of their lives.

One recent caller shared her gratitude three years after seeing one of the organizationʼs billboards.

“I had to call to say, ‘Thank you!’ Three years ago today, because of many circumstances, I was scheduled for an abortion. I drove by one of your billboards and read the message. Today, Iʼm on my way to church with my 3-and-a-half-year-old little girl, and I have you to thank for her!”

Kuharski said moments like these reinforce the organizationʼs belief that a simple billboard or advertisement can be the only sign of hope someone encounters during an unexpected pregnancy.

“So often a simple billboard, radio message, or ad on the internet may be the only sign of help and hope to someone experiencing an untimely pregnancy,” she said.

Continuing the mission

Today, Kuharskiʼs daughter oversees much of the organizationʼs daily operations. The ministryʼs hotline receives more than 700 calls each month from people seeking pregnancy assistance, adoption information, medical care, confidential counseling, housing, or post-abortion support.

The hotline operates around the clock and connects callers with a network of more than 3,000 pro-life agencies across the country, including Spanish-language resources.

Although the organization now has 11 employees, Kuharski said that only one works full time. She said approximately 92 cents of every donated dollar goes directly toward the ministryʼs outreach rather than administrative costs, with less than 8 cents going toward administrative expenses. The organization remains entirely donor-funded.

Despite decades of growth, Kuharski said the organizationʼs mission has remained unchanged.

“Weʼre nonpolitical and totally educational and service-oriented,” she said. “Not that I wouldnʼt want to change the laws, but I think itʼs important for us to change hearts in this country.”

She said the ministry continues to operate “like a mission,” relying entirely on public support to sustain its nationwide outreach and to ensure that those facing unexpected pregnancies can find help when they need it most.

“I have been humbled and inspired by the stories — so many stories, everywhere I go — of how the March for Life has changed people’s minds and hearts, how for so many Marchers it has sparked a lifetime of action and advocacy on behalf of the unborn, and in some cases, how it has changed the entire trajectory of their lives,” Bradley Lichter wrote in a farewell statement.

She and her husband “are raising two tweens and a rising kindergartner, and it has become very clear that my family needs more of my time and my active presence than I’m able to give while leading the March for Life,” she said in the statement.

“My most important titles of all are not ‘President’ — but ‘wife’ and ‘Mom,’” she said.

Bradley Lichter said that her role has been “the highlight of my professional life.”

The resignation is effective July 31. The March for Life Board is actively searching for a new president.

The annual demonstration draws tens of thousands to the nation’s capital yearly to advocate for the rights of unborn babies.

Abortion drug present in municipal water, study finds

A study published on July 20 in the Journal of the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine highlighted the need for “significant additional investigation into the levels of various hormones and [endocrine-disrupting chemicals], including mifepristone, in water sources,” with researchers finding high levels of the abortion drug in municipal water supplies.

Mifepristone is used in chemical abortions, as well as in treatment for miscarriages, and works by blocking progesterone, a hormone necessary for pregnancy.

The investigation found “significant levels of mifepristone (up to 0.041 μgram/l) in the water of all but one of the nine sampling classes,” the study read.

Water samples “were collected from sites upstream and downstream of water treatment facilities and from municipal tap water” from multiple American cities.

“Because of the plethora of effects of progesterone, this contaminant could affect the physiology of aquatic animals; and human health, including fertility, pregnancy, and fetal development,” the researchers said.

Justice Department settles with pro-life father after FBI raid

The U.S. Department of Justice reached a seven-figure settlement with pro-life father Paul Vaughn after his home was raided by the FBI in connection with his pro-life work.

The settlement affirmed that under the Biden administration, the government’s actions “were an abuse of government power,” according to a July 28 press release by the Thomas More Society, the legal nonprofit that defended Vaughn.

Vaughn, a Catholic father of 11, was arrested at gunpoint after the FBI raided his house in connection with his protest at an abortion clinic. He is one of several pro-life advocates prosecuted under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act during the Biden administration.

“My family has been through a traumatic ordeal that never should have happened. But today brings an end to this portion of the story,” Vaughn said in a statement.

“This chapter is finally closed, and our family looks forward with gratitude and hope, as we continue to serve God, advocating for the most vulnerable among us without fear.”

Catholic bishops of Massachusetts speak out against late-term abortion bill

The Catholic bishops of Massachusetts spoke out this week against a bill that will legalize late-term abortion in the state.

“As Catholic bishops we have a moral responsibility to present and uphold Catholic teaching and the sacred God-given dignity of every human life from conception to the natural death,” the bishops said in a July 29 statement signed by Bishop William Byrne of Springfield, Archbishop Richard Henning of Boston, Bishop Robert McManus of Worcester, and Bishop Edgar da Cunha of Fall River.

The state Legislature passed the bill in July, with the Massachusetts Senate voting in favor of it on July 31. The measure, if signed into law, will remove the stateʼs 24-week limit on abortion.

“The proposed elimination of any legal restraint on late-term abortion is, in our judgment, a radical measure which is gravely immoral,” the bishops’ statement read.

The advocacy group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America is also strongly opposing the bill; the group’s president Marjorie Dannenfelser called for nationwide protections for unborn children.

“If Gov. [Maura] Healey signs this bill into law, Massachusetts will join 10 states and Washington, D.C., with an all-trimester abortion policy where babies are killed after the point they can survive outside of the womb,” Dannenfelser told EWTN News.

“These extreme laws that only 10% of Americans support are enabled by the ‘states-only’ philosophy on abortion,” she said.

The state Senate passed Bill H.5595 on July 31, a little over a week after the state House passed the same measure. The bill now awaits Democratic Gov. Maura Healey’s signature.

The legislation removes all of the state’s current restrictions on abortion after 24 weeks, instead dictating that a late-term abortion may be done based upon “the professional judgment of the physician” performing it.

Current state law, which H.5595 would change, only allows late-term abortions if they are necessary to preserve the life or “physical or mental health” of the mother, or if the baby has been diagnosed with a fatal condition.

Abortions are also allowed to be performed in the state if a baby would require “extraordinary medical interventions” to survive after birth.

If signed into law, the bill would make Massachusetts the 11th state to impose no limits whatsoever on abortion. Healey, who has served as the state’s governor since 2023, is an outspoken supporter of abortion.

The passage of the bill drew rebuke from SBA Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser, who said in a July 31 statement that the state’s already-generous abortion policy “isn’t enough for Democrats whose party holds the position of no limits on abortion whatsoever.”

“These extreme laws that only 10% of Americans support are enabled by the ‘states-only’ philosophy on abortion,” she argued.

“The GOP must abandon the failed ‘leave it to the states’ position and move the country toward a national protection for unborn children across this nation,” she said.

Ahead of the July 31 vote, the state’s Catholic bishops had also criticized the measure.

“The proposed elimination of any legal restraint on late-term abortion is, in our judgment, a radical measure which is gravely immoral,” the bishops’ July 29 statement read.

The bishops urged Catholics “to pray for a renewal of reverence for all human life.”

Speaking in an interview with “EWTN News In Depth” host Catherine Hadro on July 31, Pimentel — a Missionary of Jesus and the executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley who has served as a longtime migrant advocate — recounted her reaction after learning that Sister Leticia “Letty” Ugboaja had been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials while walking to church in June.

Ugboaja, a Nigerian-born member of the Daughters of Mary Mother of Mercy and a nurse, has served in the Diocese of Brownsville for nearly two decades. She has ministered in Catholic schools, parishes, and hospitals throughout south Texas and has become well known for her work with immigrant and low-income families.

In 2019, a judge denied Ugboaja’s asylum application but did grant her protection from removal to Nigeria under the United Nations Convention Against Torture because she is likely to face torture in her native country.

She is still at risk of third-country removal, however. Her attorney, Carlos Garcia, says she is legally permitted to work in the U.S. and has complied with every immigration requirement.

“My most immediate concern was that she needed somebody by her side,” Pimentel recalled in the interview with “EWTN News in Depth.”

She said she learned from a priest that Ugboaja was “very frightened,” crying after being taken into custody. Pimentel immediately contacted an ICE official she knew to determine what had happened and whether she could accompany the nun during the process.

“Knowing her, sheʼs such a beautiful person,” Pimentel said. “She was walking to church, and the last thing in her mind was that somebody was just going to take her and change her life this way.”

Although Ugboaja has resumed serving her community, including attending daily Mass, Pimentel said the experience continues to affect her.

“I think sheʼs a strong woman that is trying her best to put this behind her,” she said. “But I noticed that even the day of the press conference, she became overwhelmed with fear.”

Concerns over access to the sacraments

During the interview, Hadro replayed remarks Ugboaja made at a recent press conference where the religious sister described being prevented from attending Sunday Mass or receiving Communion while in detention.

“It was very, very heartbreaking for me,” Letty said. “Can I go to Mass? Can I just attend Mass? Can I receive Communion? And the answer was no.”

Asked whether immigration enforcement has affected Catholics' ability to practice their faith, Pimentel said priests throughout the Diocese of Brownsville have reported growing anxiety among immigrant families.

“What I hear from local priests that call me … is, ‘Norma, please help me. One of our families, one of their mothers … theyʼre all frightened,’” Pimentel said in the interview.

While Pimentel said she is not aware of people being detained while attending Mass, she said many families have become fearful after seeing immigration officials in their communities, including near schools.

“Itʼs so sad to hear that, the fact that people are afraid to go to church,” she said.

A call for legal pathways

Hadro also asked Pimentel how Catholics should balance respect for the rule of law with the Churchʼs teaching on the dignity of every human person.

Pimentel said border security and human dignity “go hand in hand,” arguing that nations have the right to maintain an orderly immigration system while also providing legal avenues for migrants who qualify to remain in the country.

“We must be able to distinguish the difference,” she said, calling for “safe legal procedures” that allow immigrants who contribute to their communities to pursue legal status.

Pimentel expressed hope that legal pathways for asylum seekers who do not pose a threat to public safety would continue to be available.

“I think those legal pathways need to be established,” she said, “for certain individuals that present themselves as something that contributes good to our country.”

Aging with Dignity, a nonprofit organization, defends the rights of all people as they approach the end of life.

On Aug. 5, New York will become the 13th state in the country, along with the District of Columbia, to allow doctors to prescribe lethal doses of medication to terminally ill patients. Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the legislation (S.138/A.136) into law on Feb. 6, 2025.

“We shouldnʼt be offering the false solution of suicide. Suicide is not a real medical treatment. It is not a solution to suffering,” Towey said in an interview with Catherine Hadro of “EWTN News In Depth.”

When New York’s state Legislature passed its assisted suicide bill, “it didnʼt include any waiting periods out of the gate,” which are intended “to protect against rash decision-making,” he said.

There also “wasnʼt a residential requirement,” he said. So people “could come from any state in the country and get assisted suicide in New York without any waiting period.”

“Now, the law, as it was signed by Gov. Hochul, included certain stipulations for those. But I can promise you that this is just the beginning because theyʼre going to come back. They always do,” he said.

Aging with Dignity

Founded in 1996 by Jim Towey, legal counsel and close adviser to St. Teresa of Calcutta, also known as Mother Teresa, the Aging with Dignity organization “was informed almost entirely by his experiences working with Mother Teresa of Calcutta for the last 12 years of her life,” said Jamie Towey, son of Jim Towey.

For Mother Teresa, “dying was more than a medical moment. It was an emotional and a spiritual moment where people werenʼt just there to have their pain managed or their checklist of symptoms addressed … They needed to be accompanied,” he said.

“They needed, in Motherʼs words, to love and to be loved. And so when dad founded Aging with Dignity, he wanted to take Motherʼs example and bring that to the United States and give people the right to have that opportunity to age with dignity,” he said.

Today, the organization continues its mission through numerous programs including its Assisted Suicide Watch. The program tracks the data and researches the consequences that follow when physician-assisted suicide becomes law.

Its research has found that the situation is “a mess,” Jamie Towey said. “We were promised that this would be transparent,” but "in reality we have very poor insights into whatʼs happening with the data.”

New Mexico and Montana have “never submitted an annual report on assisted suicide data,” he said. “Our nationʼs capital of Washington, D.C., hasnʼt submitted one in years.”

Washington state has lifted some of its reporting requirements, Hawaii’s health department has recommended repealing portions of its reporting rules, and Vermont releases its data biennially.

There are also “tremendously conflicting reporting standards across the states,” because “one state will report who died from the drugs, one state will report just how many people were prescribed the drugs,” he said.

“But for the data that we do have, you see some very concerning things,” he said.

Even though “every law has a requirement for psychiatric evaluations, “only one out of the 13 where this is legal tracks psychiatric evaluations, and thatʼs Oregon,” he said. “Last year, between four and 500 people were prescribed these drugs in Oregon. Two were referred for psychiatric evaluations.”

Some studies show “as high as 20% of people with a terminal cancer diagnosis suffer from severe depression,” he said. “One of the symptoms of severe depression is suicidal ideation. So this is a population that is very exposed to suicide. And Oregon is doing nothing to screen for that.”

Increase in assisted suicide led by ‘culture of death’

“To take a step back and put yourself in the shoes of someone who has a terminal diagnosis or whoʼs just living in a nursing home … and is aging alone,”  Towey said. “Maybe they donʼt have good access to pain control” or “they donʼt have good access to care.”

“If you put yourself in those shoes, you can understand the impulse of wanting to just escape somehow,” he said.

“Now, those desires are playing out in a culture of death. And we have organizations like Compassion and Choices, which are $20 million a year organizations, tens of millions in assets, that have been behind this push in every single state where itʼs been legalized. And so theyʼre moving in on the vulnerable,” he said.

To people who feel this way, Towey’s message is to remember that “your life has meaning, and itʼs hard, and that suffering is real and that you deserve accompaniment.”

“You deserve to be shepherded through this. You deserve a real person. You deserve access to care. And if youʼre not getting those, thatʼs an indictment on our healthcare system, and thatʼs what we ought to fix,” he said.

You deserve to be shepherded through this. You deserve a real person. You deserve access to care. And if you’re not getting those, that’s an indictment on our healthcare system, and that’s what we ought to fix.”

Jamie Towie

President, Aging with Dignity

To combat the culture of death, the organization offers its Five Wishes legal document, which is an advanced care planning program so people can establish their wishes for care ahead of a serious illness.

“Every patient has the right to determine the kind of care that he or she wants. Thatʼs guaranteed in federal law,” he said.

Five Wishes “has been used by 44 million Americans” and “40,000 organizations,” he said. “We are just trying to empower patients to make decisions about the kind of care that they want, and to name the people that can speak for them.”

“I think for Catholics in particular, every Catholic wants to finish life faithfully. They want to be in a position where they can have that hopeful vision at the end of life and really live out those moments with their loved ones,” he said.

“Regrettably, I find Father Michael Mary guilty of the charges brought against him, most notably that of schism. He is therefore declared to be excommunicated, dismissed from ecclesiastical office, and prohibited from the celebration of Mass or the other sacraments,” Gilbert said in a statement released July 25.

Gilbert’s statement came after Sim’s participation in an illicit ordination, which the bishop described as “a clear break with the Church.”

Gilbert added that Sim and his congregation “have removed themselves from the communion of the Catholic Church, and the faithful of the diocese should have no dealings with them.”

Augustinian nuns evacuate monastery amid wildfires in Spain

A community of Augustinian nuns at the Monasterio de la Conversión in Avila, Spain, is “waiting for a grace that will allow us to return home” after being evacuated amid wildfires.

The sisters said in a statement on Monday that they have been staying with another community of Augustinian sisters at the convent of Saint Ildefonso in Talavera, about 26 miles from their community.

“We are here sharing as sisters and waiting for a grace that will allow us to return home,” the sisters said. “We especially ask for prayers for all the volunteers and security forces who are trying to extinguish the fires without rest. We ask the Virgin of Remedies to protect us all.”

Priest calls for prayers as fuel crisis brings Gaza to standstill

Father Gabriel Romanelli of Holy Family Parish in Gaza called for prayers as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is being compounded by a worsening fuel shortage, crippling transportation across the territory, ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News, reported July 28.

Romanelli said residents are struggling to reach hospitals, workplaces, and even loved ones, while soaring prices have made alternative means of transport almost impossible to afford.

The parish has not been spared. Most of its vehicles are now out of service because of damaged engines and a lack of spare parts, yet it continues caring for displaced families and organizing summer activities for children, asking the faithful to keep Gaza and its people in their prayers.

Antilles bishops issue pastoral guidance on sexual and gender identity

The bishops of the Antilles Episcopal Conference have distributed guidance to Catholics in the Caribbean on the Church’s theological teachings about human biology amid rising “tides of ideologies that seek to redefine the human person, love, and sexuality.”

“In a context where language has been redefined and ideologies are presented as compassion, we must proclaim a truth that liberates rather than constrains,” the bishops said in the document published on Sunday titled “Pastoral Letter on Sexual and Gender Identity.”

The bishops further called on the faithful to “resist narratives that suggest the human person is a self-made project, detached from biological reality or moral order.”

Christians in Syria call for lasting security

Another security incident has renewed fears in the predominantly Christian city of Al-Suqaylabiyah in western Syria, where residents say recurring outbreaks of armed violence can no longer be addressed with temporary measures alone, ACI MENA reported.

Following the latest unrest, demonstrators gathered to demand tighter control over illegal weapons and greater protection for the city. In a separate statement, the Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarchate confirmed that a break-in at its Damascus headquarters was an isolated criminal act with no religious or political motive, while urging the public to avoid speculation and rumors.

French bishops urge Catholics to foster solidarity in response to wildfires

The presidency of the Bishops’ Conference of France is calling on Catholics to “take a generous part in the momentum of solidarity that is being put in place” in the aftermath of recent wildfires.

“We encourage parishes to leave their churches open, when possible: Many offer a refuge of freshness in the heart of the summer heat,” the conferenceʼs leadership said in a statement signed this week by Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline, archbishop of Marseille and president of the conference; Bishop Vincent Jordy, archbishop of Tours and vice president; and Bishop Benoît Bertrand, bishop of Pontoise and vice president.

“We know that the heat wave will continue and that these extreme weather events may be repeated,” the bishops said. “That is why, at this time when many take a few days of rest, we also call on the Christian communities not to forget the sick, elderly, or isolated people but to redouble their attention to them and to organize themselves, in parish, to show them a fraternal and faithful presence.”

Summer becomes time of faith for thousands in United Arab Emirates

Nearly 2,000 children are spending part of their summer in Catholic parishes across the United Arab Emirates, where faith formation is being combined with games, workshops, music, and community life.

Each parish has adopted its own spiritual theme, ranging from sacred Scripture to the jubilee and the spirituality of St. Francis of Assisi, ACI MENA reported.

Apostolic Vicar Bishop Paolo Martinelli, OFMCap, described the gatherings as a hopeful sign for the Church, thanking the many young volunteers who are helping children grow in faith while discovering that Christian life is also a call to service.

2 Irish dioceses consolidated under one bishop

Bishop Gerard Nash of the Diocese of Ferns in Ireland will now also serve as the bishop of Ossory, the Vatican announced on July 29, uniting the two dioceses “in persona Episcopi.”

“I am deeply honored to have been asked by Pope Leo to become bishop of Ossory in addition to my existing pastoral role in the Diocese of Ferns,” Nash said in a statement following the announcement.

“The challenge of being one bishop for two dioceses is a mirror of the experience of many priests in modern Ireland as they take on responsibility for more than one parish,” he said, noting that one area the two dioceses could work together on would be fostering vocations to the priesthood and religious life.

Patriarch Nona makes Lebanon his first overseas visit

Lebanon has become the first stop abroad for Chaldean Patriarch Mar Paul III Nona since his election in April, reflecting the close ties between the Chaldean and Maronite Churches.

During the visit, he met President Joseph Aoun, visited fellow Eastern patriarchs, and joined celebrations surrounding the beatification of Patriarch Elias Hoyek, ACI MENA reported.

The patriarch also highlighted Lebanonʼs importance for Christians across the Middle East, describing the country as a strategic pillar for the regionʼs Christian presence while expressing support for Iraqi refugees living there.

Bishop Zaidan expresses solidarity with bishops, faithful of South Sudan

Bishop Elias Zaidan expressed his “solidarity and fraternal unity” with the Catholic Church in South Sudan amid ongoing instability in the region.

“On behalf of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace, I write to express our continued solidarity and fraternal unity with the bishops and faithful of South Sudan,” Zaidan, who currently serves as chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on International Justice and Peace, said in a letter on Tuesday addressed to Bishop Eduardo Hiiboro Kussala of Tombura-Yambio.

“Be assured of our steadfast prayers for the South Sudanese people at this time of severe economic hardship, deadly violence, environmental and food insecurity, and contestation surrounding the country’s Transitional Constitution framework.”

The epiphany inspired Burbach to eventually launch Creedo, an app that utilizes the format of the beloved language-learning platform Duolingo to gamify lessons about Catholic teaching.

Creedo’s platform includes digestible lessons about the sacraments, Mary, the Trinity, angels, demonology, social teaching, and more. According to Burbach, the app avoids reinterpretation and draws its content from Scripture, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and other classic Catholic works.

“I wanted to build a platform that made it easier to engage consistently with Scripture and the Churchʼs rich tradition in small, manageable steps,” he told EWTN News. “Today, Creedo helps individuals grow in their faith while also giving parishes a unified platform to manage formation programs like OCIA [Order of Christian Initiation of Adults], sacramental preparation, Bible studies, and more.”

Burbach shared more about his vision for the app and how he hopes it will serve the Church in an interview with EWTN News.

EWTN News: What gap does Creedo fill in Catholic catechesis, and what sets it apart from other Catholic apps?

Burbach: One of the things that makes Creedo different is that it transforms the Churchʼs incredible treasury of teaching into a daily habit. The Church has never lacked great content. What itʼs often lacked is a format that people genuinely look forward to engaging with every day.

Creedo doesnʼt just put the Churchʼs teaching in your pocket. It gives you an app you actually want to take out of your pocket. Delightful animations, rewarding progression, and even a wingman character accompany users throughout their formation. Weʼve been amazed to see users of all ages come back day after day because learning the faith has become something they genuinely enjoy.

That same philosophy also shaped our parish platform. We wanted to make it just as enjoyable for parish leaders to accompany people through the faith. Instead of juggling paper forms, PDFs, spreadsheets, and multiple software tools, parishes can manage OCIA, Bible studies, sacramental preparation, and other formation programs in one place while members complete lessons, documents, and questionnaires in the same app.

What has been the response to Creedo among users?

The most rewarding part has been watching people build consistent habits around Scripture and the Churchʼs teaching. Users have completed tens of thousands of lessons on Scripture, Augustineʼs “Confessions,” the “Summa Theologica,” “Story of a Soul” [by St. Thérèse of Lisieux], and many other works in numbers I honestly never expected.

For thousands of people, Creedo has become part of their morning routine: a few minutes spent in Scripture, a daily meditation, or even a Catholic word puzzle before the rest of the day begins.

Itʼs also been exciting to see parishes embrace our parish platform for programs like OCIA. In one parish, participants completed more than 2,000 lessons on Scripture and Catholic teaching before a single lesson had even been assigned for an OCIA session. That kind of enthusiasm is incredibly humbling to witness.

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How does Creedo embody Pope Leo XIVʼs call in Magnifica Humanitas to use technology for human flourishing?

I believe technology is at its best when it helps people encounter Christ, and thatʼs what Creedo is built to do. We spend so much of our lives building habits around our phones. The important question isnʼt simply whether we have habits but what those habits are forming us to become.

Creedo is designed to be a simple five-minute daily habit. During those five minutes, youʼre reading Scripture, engaging with the Churchʼs teaching, and exploring the writings of the saints and other classic Catholic works. Rather than competing with the Churchʼs traditional resources, our goal is to help people return to them consistently. The technology isnʼt the point. Itʼs simply the vehicle that helps make those encounters a regular part of everyday life.

If Creedo helps someone discover the beauty of Scripture or the wisdom of the saints for the first time, then weʼve accomplished exactly what we set out to do.

“Roughly half of us live in cities. Jesus himself walked city streets, in Cana, in Jericho, in Jerusalem, and just as in those cities Christ is present in ours — teaching, praying, celebrating, but also suffering among the poor, the forgotten, the imprisoned," the Holy Father said in a video released July 31 on X.

He added: “This month, let us pray for the courage to recognize him [Jesus] there and through our work and witness to bring the Gospel to the streets and homes of our metropolises.”

In the full video shared on the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network website, Pope Leo recites an original prayer written specifically for this month’s prayer intention:

“Lord Jesus, Good Shepherd,

You walk through our streets and squares,

enter tall buildings and humble neighborhoods,

and silently accompany millions

who seek meaning amid noise and haste.

You know, Lord, the heart of the city:

its lights and shadows, its noise and loneliness.

We know that cities are called to be places of freedom and opportunity,

but they can also become spaces of anonymity and isolation.

That’s why today we ask you for a renewed gaze,

able to discover in urban life

fertile ground for proclaiming your Gospel.

Give us a creative and deep faith,

that doesn’t remain in words,

but becomes flesh through simple and loving gestures.

Make us a Church that goes forth,

able to reach out to the peripheries,

to console those who are lonely,

and to sow fraternity and connection instead of giving in to indifference.

Lord, may our urban communities

be open and welcoming homes,

places where hope is shared,

where no one feels invisible,

and where the joy of your Gospel shines

in the hidden lives of so many brothers and sisters.

Make us your witnesses in the city,

bold and creative missionaries,

who proclaim your love with their lives—

a love capable of overcoming haste, noise, and anonymity.

Amen.”

“Pray with the Pope” is accessible on the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network website and its digital platforms.

“In recent days, three churches in our diocese in Chambray-lès-Tours, Luynes, and Tours (St.Joan of Arc Church) have been targeted by malicious individuals,” the archdiocese said in a July 28 statement.

The text specifies that “offering boxes were looted and damaged, doors forced open, sacred vessels damaged, a tabernacle forced open, and the Blessed Sacrament desecrated.”

“These painful and hurtful events for the Catholic community unfortunately reveal the extent to which our society is permeated by disturbing forms of violence, a lack of culture, and a lack of civility,” the statement laments.

Finally, the text notes without specifying dates that “Masses of reparation will be celebrated in the desecrated churches.”

Michel Lamy, the mayor of Chambray-lès-Tours, condemned the desecration of the church in his town, stating: “These acts fill me with deep indignation and are simply unacceptable.”

“Nothing can justify an attack on a place of worship, our heritage, and what it represents for many residents of Chambray,” the mayor stated on his Facebook page.

The mayor posted photos of the desecration, showing Communion hosts scattered on the ground and excrement on the floor.

“I condemn this desecration in the strongest possible terms and offer my full support to the parish community, Father François Xavier Olayemy Oniossou, and all those deeply shocked by these events,” the mayor added.

“In Chambray-lès-Tours, as elsewhere, respect for places of worship, regardless of one’s convictions, is a fundamental value,” he stated.

In November 2024, similar acts of desecration occurred at four churches in the Archdiocese of Tours. Archbishop Vincent Jordy stated at the time that “there may be people who wish to express at times hatred toward the Church, or toward what she represents.”

“There is this type of phenomenon that unfortunately exists — we say it in the communique — and which manifests a lack of culture and a form of contempt for peopleʼs [way of] life and faith,” the prelate lamented at the time.

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.

With 70% of Scouting units in the United States chartered by religious organizations, “faith is integral to who we are as an organization,” Michael Ramsey, chief marketing officer for Scouting America, told EWTN News.

“Our Scout Oath, that every Scout knows, starts off with, ‘On my honor, I will do my duty to God and my country.’”

“Faith is not just the motion that we go to. Faith is who we are as an organization,” he said.

As part of its National Boy Scouts Jamboree, Scouting America brought together thousands of Catholic Scouts for a Mass celebrated by Bishop Evelio Menjivar-Ayala of Wheeling-Charleston, West Virginia, and Bishop Michael Fisher of Buffalo, New York.

The jamboree, which wrapped up on July 30, is a 10-day-long event that takes place every four years. It brings together more than 15,000 Scouts to camp and learn outdoor, conservation, and survival skills while meeting peers from across the nation.

The event, which was first held in 1937 around the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C., is now held at the Summit Bechtel Reserve.

“We actually took over a coal mine that had been abandoned in the ‘70s. And we reclaimed something that was an ugly scar on the earth … and turned it into heaven for Scouting,” Ramsey said.

At the camp are zip lines, rock climbing, skateboarding, and also a Sunday morning of worship.

Scouting America offers multiple worship services at the jamboree, the Catholic Mass being the largest.

At the recent Mass it “was absolutely stunning to see that many young people,” Ramsey reflected. “Theyʼre at camp, but they chose to be there. Almost 9,000 Scouts that were here, 2,000 of them came to Mass on Sunday morning. “

“Itʼs really a powerful testimony to faith in Scouting,” he said. “I donʼt know who else is running a Mass for 2,000 youth on Sunday morning. We like to think it was the biggest one in the country at that time, but itʼs such an important part of who we are.”

The jamboree also offers a number of other attractions.

“Weʼve got the second-largest zip line in the country at our property in West Virginia,” Ramsey said. “We have a skate park thatʼs the size of an aircraft carrier and some of the largest shooting ranges in the country.”

At the jamboree, there are also concerts, food trucks, booths, adventure activities, and opportunities for Scouts to earn merit badges.

“And youʼre with a bunch of scouts who are all living the ideals of the Scout Oath and Scout Law — to be trustworthy, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent,” he said.

The event brings “together scouts from all across the country,” Ramsey said. “They come in contingents from 228 of our local councils across the country.”

National Catholic Committee on Scouting

“Right now across the country, there are almost 131,000 Catholic Scouts across the country, which is a phenomenal number for us representing just shy of 200 dioceses, which we are very proud of.”

“The Catholic Church is the largest chartering organization that we work with in the whole country — by a fair amount. It is absolutely critical for us,” Ramsey said. “We actually have the National Catholic Committee on Scouting.”

The organization was recently renamed to Catholic Scouting America but has the same goal — to provide guidance and structure for the integration of Catholic teaching into Scouting America programs.

An organization officially related to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Catholic Scouting America is “made up of Catholic leaders that helped promote Scouting in the Catholic Church but also serve as a liaison with the leadership of the Catholic Church,” Ramsey said.

The organization even “signed a new memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Catholic Church about 18 months ago,” he said.

The MOU reported it reaffirms the organizations' “shared values and outlines collaborative efforts to provide enriching and character-building opportunities for Catholic youth through Scouting.”

The MOU noted that the ties between the Catholic faith and Scouting in the United States are as old as the movement itself.

In 1910, the same year Scouting America was founded, one of the earliest known Catholic-chartered troops was established in St. Paul, Minnesota. It was quickly followed by the founding of a troop at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York in 1912.

“It was one of the earliest religious organizations to adopt Scouting in the U.S. Itʼs a long, proud history that we have with the Church,” Ramsey said. “We want to make sure that we reach every young person in the Catholic Church who wants to be involved in Scouting.”

In a July 31 letter addressed to Michael Sheedy, the conference’s executive director, Uthmeier, a Catholic, expressed concern that “at least one diocese” appears to have adopted a policy articulated by the National Catholic Bioethics Center in 2011 that states Catholic institutions “cannot grant an exemption from vaccination on religious grounds.” Under Florida law, the attorney general pointed out, both public and private schools are required to provide religious exemptions for vaccinations.

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Citing Church teaching on respect for human life from conception to natural death, Uthmeier noted that “the Catholic Church has historically encouraged the faithful to abstain from the use of vaccines produced from aborted fetal tissue, while at the same time recognizing the moral permissibility of using such vaccines in certain circumstances.”

“But even if abortion-derived vaccines may be permissible to take, Church teaching also recognizes that no one should be forced to take a vaccine ‘if it would violate the sanctity of his or her conscience,’” he said. “Having no legitimate religious reason to refuse granting religious exemptions to the taking of abortion-derived vaccines, Catholic schools in Florida should comply with Florida law.”

Institute for Ethics and Common Good grants boost ethics and spirituality research on AI

The University of Notre Dame announced that its Institute for Ethics and the Common Good has awarded more than $800,000 in rapid-response grants for research on “the ethical and spiritual implications” of AI.

“The grants, provided through the institute’s DELTA Partner Program and selected from a competitive pool of over 160 applicants, offer seed funding for organizations to convene strategic gatherings, provide training, and create high-impact, practical tools and resources for educators, students, policymakers, and pastoral leaders as they lead in the midst of the rapidly changing technological landscape,” the university said in a July 29 press release.

Grants were distributed to 12 organizations, including Catholic tech companies, schools, and public policy nonprofits.

“We were thrilled to see such a wide range of organizations and individuals who were interested in immersing themselves in the DELTA framework and adapting it for their own unique contexts,” Meghan Sullivan, director of the Ethics Initiative, said in the release. “We know that those working to develop this new technology are moving rapidly, and so there’s a real need for Christian leaders across a wide variety of fields to also work quickly to help navigate questions of what it means to lead a good human life, to serve the common good, and to build what Pope Leo calls the ‘civilization of love’ in this new context.”

“Each of these partners brings a unique perspective to bear on the question of what it means to be human in this current moment,” Adam Kronk, director of DELTA, said in the release. “We are excited to have them as part of our growing community of leaders who are looking for tools to protect the dignity of learning and form people’s hearts and minds.”

Franciscan University launches ‘Be Light’ faculty appreciation fellowship

Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio, has announced a faculty fellowship program aimed at recognizing professors who have made an exceptional impact on students and the university’s Catholic mission.

“The highly competitive Be Light Faculty Fellows Program was established in 2026 to recognize and retain professors whose consistent exceptional performance strengthens academic programs, creates new opportunities, inspires students, and advances the university,” Franciscan said in a July 28 press release.

The university named seven faculty members to the fellowship, which includes “a monetary award that can be utilized for research costs, course reduction, or salary.”

“Recipients were selected following a nomination process and an extensive review of their performance in teaching, scholarship, and service over the previous three years, along with assessments of their broader institutional impact by their deans and department chairs,” the university said.

The program comes as part of the university’s Be Light Strategic Plan aimed at improving recruitment and retention of “mission-dedicated faculty and staff.”

John Paul the Great Catholic University announces degree in narrative arts

John Paul the Great Catholic University will launch a bachelor of narrative arts degree in screenwriting and fiction in fall 2026.

“The degree creates new pathways for students pursuing careers in storytelling across multiple media, while retaining the previous pathways,” the university said in a July 1 press release. Students who apply to the program before Sept. 1 will receive a $1,000 scholarship that may be stacked with other need- and merit-based aid.

Screenwriting students will be able to choose from a bachelor of science in communications media with an emphasis in screenwriting, a bachelor of arts in humanities with an emphasis in screenwriting, or a bachelor of narrative arts with an emphasis in screenwriting. Creative writing students will be able to choose from a bachelor of arts in humanities with an emphasis in creative writing or a bachelor of narrative arts with an emphasis in fiction.

“Alongside the launch of the Bachelor of Narrative Arts, JPCatholic is also introducing a renewed emphasis in Catholic Education & Evangelization within its Bachelor of Arts in Humanities,” the release said. “Led by Professor Justin Panlasigui, chair of Humanities, the revised emphasis builds upon the universityʼs former New Evangelization emphasis while providing students with stronger preparation for careers in Catholic education, ministry, catechesis, and evangelization.”

“Our new Catholic Education & Evangelization emphasis will help students develop an important skill set for todayʼs intra- and extra-ecclesial landscape,” Panlasigui said.

University of Dallas, DeSales University launch graduate partnership

The University of Dallas and DeSales University have announced an academic partnership to expand graduate-level business school offerings.

“Through a Memorandum of Understanding, enrolled graduate students at each university will be able to pursue select online concentration courses offered by the partner institution while remaining matriculated at their home university,” the University of Dallas said in a July 15 press release. Courses will be available online with flexible synchronous and asynchronous options, the release said.

“We are excited to partner with DeSales University in a collaboration that expands academic opportunities for students at both institutions while preserving our shared commitment to rigorous, applied graduate business education,” said J. Lee Whittington, dean of the Gupta College of Business at the University of Dallas.

Under the agreement, University of Dallas students will be able to enroll in DeSales’ courses in healthcare management and operations and supply chain management, while DeSales students will have access to University of Dallas classes in accounting, finance, and financial planning.

“We view this partnership as more than an academic agreement — it is a strategic collaboration between two institutions committed to student success,” said Chris Cocozza, dean of the Waterbury Reilly School of Business at DeSales.

Abortion pill reversal gives a mother the option to save the life of her child after she has taken the first chemical abortion pill. If she changes her mind, she can take the hormone progesterone to potentially save the child.

California’s attorney general is asking the Alameda County Superior Court to stop nonprofits Heartbeat International and RealOptions from offering this reversal, demanding up to $20 million in fines for alleged false advertising, with the government calling the measure “an unproven and largely experimental procedure.”

The state government is targeting those ministries for “telling women who regret swallowing the abortion pill that there is a medical treatment that can sometimes save their babies,” San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone and Oakland Bishop Michael Barber wrote in a July 30 op-ed for the Wall Street Journal.

Cordileone and Barber said that as priests they hear from many women who regret their abortions. Reading those depositions is “painful,” the bishops said.

They cited the case of Elizabeth Barrett, a woman who turned to abortion pill reversal through Heartbeat International and who ultimately gave birth to a healthy baby girl. Barrett testified in the case that she had originally felt pressured by Planned Parenthood staff to abort the baby.

“To be a Catholic priest these days, as we both are, is to have heard many similar stories of women who felt pressured to have an abortion they didn’t want,” they said. “Everyone should oppose this.”

The bishops argued that the California government aims to take away choices from women. The legal dispute “is a rare case that should bring together both sides of the abortion debate,” the bishops wrote.

“In particular, it tests the souls of those who claim the platform of ‘pro-choice.’ What kind of people see a pregnant woman who wants to reverse the effects of an abortion pill and think, ‘Let’s punish the nonprofits that informed her she has a choice’?” they said.

This is not the only case targeting abortion pill reversal, the bishops pointed out. New York state’s attorney general has filed a similar lawsuit against Heartbeat International.

People of faith have a particular call to support women in these scenarios, the bishops said.

“[T]hese women especially need support from the religious — those who hold that creation in God’s image means life is endowed with a dignity that can’t be trampled by a government determined to punish those who oppose unquestioned abortion,” they said.

The Diocese of Cádiz and Ceuta, led by Apostolic Administrator Ramón Valdivia (auxiliary bishop of Seville), expressed in a statement its “deep concern regarding the gravity of the events and the particular vulnerability of so many people affected by this situation.”

The diocese reiterated its readiness “to collaborate with civil institutions and competent bodies” to address “any needs that may arise.”

In support of this commitment, the diocese has directed that the entirety of the collections taken up this weekend in Ceutaʼs parishes be allocated to the diocesan migrant ministry in order to channel aid through the San Antonio Migrant Care Center.

“We thank the faithful and all people of goodwill in advance for their generosity, and we invite Christian communities to pray earnestly for those who are suffering, for those responsible for managing this situation, and for all who work to build paths of peace, justice, and hope,” the statement concludes.

On social media the bishops’ Commission for Social Pastoral Care and Human Promotion of the Spanish Bishops’ Conference called for “measures addressing this situation to be taken within the framework of current law, with respect for human dignity, and avoiding manipulation for partisan ends.”

Court ruling that precipitated the surge

Migrants are entering Spanish territory by swimming around the Tarajal breakwater, a border structure that extends into the sea located south of the autonomous city of Ceuta continuing the border fence that separates the Spanish town from Moroccan territory on land. The crossing, which can sometimes last for hours, is fraught with danger; Spanish authorities have already reported the recovery of more than 40 bodies.

On June 29, Spain’s Supreme Court issued a ruling rejecting the practice of “hot returns” (summary expulsions) applied to migrants intercepted at sea who attempt to swim into the Spanish territories of Ceuta and Melilla in Africa.

The high court determined that this method of illegal entry into the country takes place without getting over any border barrier as occurs when scaling a border fence and therefore the Law on Immigration’s Tenth Additional Provision cannot be applied.

The referenced section of the regulation stipulates that foreign nationals detected at the border line of demarcation of the territory of Ceuta or Melilla while attempting to get over a border barrier in order to enter illegally “may be turned back to prevent their illegal entry into Spain."

The Supreme Court ruling further stated that “nothing would prevent” the application of this provision for automatic return “were containment measures to be established at sea to protect the border line.”

Calls to exclude Spain from Europeʼs Schengen Area

The president of the autonomous city of Ceuta, Juan Jesús Vivas, requested that the central government on the Spanish mainland declare a national emergency so that Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez could assume unified command of the situation and adopt “decisive” measures.

However, the request was rejected, even though the current situation involves a volume of arrivals many times greater than the last migratory wave the city experienced in 2021 when a group of around 12,000 people arrived, a figure nearly four times smaller.

The vulnerability of the borders of Spain’s African territories has led Italy and Finland to back a proposal to exclude Spain from the Schengen Area, the zone of free movement for people that comprises 29 European countries.

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.

“I think with some precautions, we can allow a greater access to the Mass and maintain unity within the Church,” Cordileone said in a July 30 interview on “The World Over with Raymond Arroyo.”

Cordileone, who is one of seven new members of the Apostolic Signatura appointed by Pope Leo XIV, spoke about the Latin Mass restrictions following the excommunication of the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) members involved in consecrating four bishops without the pope’s permission.

The SSPX consecrations manifest “a growing lack of trust that has been simmering for a very long time,” Cordileone wrote in a post to X.

“Let us pray that an ardent effort toward sincere and honest dialogue will soon start up, and that easier access to the traditional form of the Mass will be available to our people, so they will not feel as if they are constrained to seek spiritual nourishment outside of the family in union with Rome,” he said in the July 10 statement.

While Cordileone and other leaders have called for less restrictions on the TLM, Cardinal Arthur Roche, head of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, said in an interview with The Tablet that Pope Leo has no intention of changing Pope Francis’ restrictions on the traditional liturgy.

Cordileone told Raymond Arroyo in response to Roche’s comments: “I donʼt know how well he knows the mind of the Holy Father. But I think one thing thatʼs clear to everyone is the Holy Father wants to bring everyone together. Heʼs all about unity.”

Cordileone said he is concerned that if the restrictions remain in place, people who want a traditional form of worship will feel they “have no choice” other than “to go outside of officially approved institutions and communities.”

“They will do that. So I think thereʼs concern for unity on both sides. One, if the restrictions are in place, people will then go to these other groups that are not in full communion with the See of Rome,” he said.

“But if theyʼre allowed generously, we have to make sure that the people who access the Mass are in full communion in terms of their belief and their acceptance of the teachings of the Second Vatican Council,” he said.

In the U.S. and other nations, Cordileone said that has, for “the most part,” been the case.

“So I think with some precautions, we can allow a greater access to the Mass and maintain unity within the Church,” he said.

Reconciliation of TLM restrictions not ‘realistic’

While Cordileone said he believes more access to the TLM is possible, he said he does not think itʼs “realistic” to reconcile the TLM restrictions following Pope Leoʼs message to the French bishops to be more inclusive of those who want to celebrate the traditional rite.

In March, Pope Leo XIV called for “concrete solutions” to heal divisions over the Mass in a message to the French bishops.

The Holy Father called for renewed unity in the Church’s liturgical life, urging French bishops to seek “concrete solutions” to include Catholics attached to the Traditional Latin Mass while preserving communion.

“We look at the younger generation — they all love the tradition,” Cordileone said. “They love the more classical way that the Church worships, the traditional Mass, what we call the traditional Mass, the form of the Mass before it was changed after the Second Vatican Council.”

“But even the order of the Mass as we have now done in a more traditional way with the priest ad orientem, and the sacred music, and great solemnity, and reverence. Theyʼre desiring this deep tradition. It takes them to a very deep place,” he said.

“This is unstoppable. Itʼs whatʼs drawing young people in and will continue to do so,” he said.

The lawsuit had been brought earlier in July by four communities of religious sisters in the state. U.S. District Judge Anne Nardacci on July 30 issued the consent order holding that the government is “barred from requiring that [the sisters]” participate in the assisted suicide process in any way while their lawsuit proceeds.

The suicide law itself is scheduled to go into effect on Aug. 5.

The decision was announced by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which is representing the sisters in the suit along with Rockville Centre Bishop John Barres.

Mother Mary Rose Heery, OCarm, the prioress general of the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm, said in the legal group’s press release that families “entrust their loved ones to us” and that the sisters were “grateful that we can continue honoring that trust and remain beside every resident until the very end.”

“[The state’s] decision not to enforce this law against us means that we can continue our loving service to Christ’s poor,” Mother Marie Edward, OP, the superior general of the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne, said in the announcement.

Barres, meanwhile, called the consent order an “important first step toward protecting religious freedom” in the state.

“New York cannot force the Church to answer suffering with suicide or abandon the sick and dying when they need care most,” the bishop said.

“Until our legal fight is resolved, this temporary agreement keeps our ministries free to serve every patient according to the Gospel,” he said.

New York’s assisted suicide law has drawn pushback from Catholic advocates. In December 2025 the state’s Catholic bishops described assisted suicide as a “grave moral evil” and said the law signals the state government’s “abandonment of its most vulnerable citizens.”

New York cannot force the Church to answer suffering with suicide.”

Bishop John Barres

Diocese of Rockville Centre

The suicide law “[tells] people who are sick or disabled that suicide in their case is not only acceptable but is encouraged by our elected leaders,” the bishops argued.

In addition to the Catholic legal filing, disability advocates filed suit against the New York law earlier this year, arguing that it threatens the lives of people with disabilities there.

The suit, filed in federal court in June alongside a similar suit against a new assisted suicide regime in the state of Illinois, argued that the New York law does not require medical officials to “consider a patient’s psychiatric or psychological condition or how that may affect their suicidality” when they ask for help in dying, potentially leading to the euthanasia of patients who are not suffering from terminal conditions. A federal judge dismissed that suit on July 30.

When it legalized assisted suicide in February, New York became the 13th state in the U.S. to allow doctors to help kill patients.

Farther to the north, Canada has had nationally legalized assisted suicide for about a decade, during which about 100,000 people have taken their lives under the program.

According to the annual report released on July 31 by the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (APSA), the profit increased by $102 million (89 million euros) compared with 2024. The profit was also mainly due to the revaluation of physical gold, the increase in the value of real estate, and the positive valuation of financial securities.

Speaking to Vatican Media, APSA President Archbishop Giordano Piccinotti said that comparing profits in 2024 and 2025 should be done with caution, as 2025 was marked by extraordinary income from the reorganization of financial flows, a situation he described as unrepeatable.

“APSA’s purpose is not to generate an annual profit, but rather to preserve and strengthen the patrimony entrusted to it,” he stated.

A profit driven by real estate

According to the 2025 report, real estate management was APSA’s main economic driver that year, with a profit of $51 million (44.5 million euros), an improvement of $10.8 million (9.4 million euros) over the $40.3 million (35.1 million euros) recorded in 2024.

This growth was driven by higher income from properties directly managed by APSA in Italy. APSA also manages approximately 1,200 properties abroad, including residential and commercial units, primarily in London, Paris, Geneva, and Lausanne, Switzerland.

APSA also made profits from its stakeholdings in several companies, including the Société Sopridex in France, the British Grolux Investments in the United Kingdom, and Profima S.A. in Switzerland.

Cardinal Becciu and the London property sale

For investments, APSA reported that it continues the financial and legal procedures for the divestment of the Luxembourg fund U.K. Opportunities (Sloane & Cadogan), in compliance with a 2020 motu proprio issued by Pope Francis to strengthen transparency and control of Vatican investments.

The fund is linked to the controversial real estate deal involving the Sloane Avenue building in London, which led to one of the Vatican’s biggest financial scandals in recent years. Cardinal Angelo Becciu, the former prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, was at the center of this scandal, and the Vatican sentenced him to five years and six months in prison.

Since his conviction in 2023, Becciu has pleaded not guilty to the charges and denied any wrongdoing.

The Vatican court ordered a retrial of Becciu’s case on March 17 after the initial sentence was overturned due to a “relative nullity” caused by violations of the right to defense. On Sept. 30, the appeal process against Becciu and other defendants will resume.

Growth by gold, money in reserves, and supporting Roman Curia

The growth in assets was mainly driven by the revaluation of physical gold in the portfolio, which contributed $46.9 million (40.8 million euros), as well as by the increase in the value of real estate by $45.1 million (39.2 million euros) and the appreciation of financial securities by $18.8 million (16.3 million euros).

Financial management showed a negative accounting result of $4.3 million (3.7 million euros) in 2025, compared with a positive $43.8 million (38.1 million euros) in 2024. However, APSA explained that this figure is mainly due to the application of the new Holy See accounting standards, the Vatican Financial Management Policy.

In 2025, APSA allocated a total of $26.1 million (22.7 million euros) to cover the financial needs of the Roman Curia, fully complying with the contribution requested by the Holy See.

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.

Inspired by the retreats of Father Karol Wojtyła — later Pope John Paul II — the St. John Paul II Retreat House will offer Catholic group retreats in a prayerful setting.

The house, which is a pastoral initiative of the Knights of Columbus, will be unveiled and blessed on Aug. 26. The event will include Mass and a blessing by Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, supreme chaplain of the Knights of Columbus.

“Pope John Paul II’s deep spiritual life was the engine which drove everything else he did,” Stephen White, executive director of the St. John Paul II Shrine, said in a press release.

“Through prayer, he allowed God to make him a saint. The Retreat House is a way to invite guests to enter more deeply into the vocation we all share — answering God’s call to become saints,” White said.

As a young priest, then-Wojtyła led wilderness excursions for young people while teaching them about the faith. He used the quiet setting as a place for Mass, prayer, and discussion, which the center hopes to reflect.

The center strives to imitate the early home of Wojtyła, in the years prior to his election as pope, according to White. It houses a collection of the saint’s personal belongings including papal dishes, his rosary and cross, and handwritten letters and other items from his writing desk.

It also includes 40 rooms, a library, meeting spaces, a chapel, and a dining area.

The center invites parish ministries, young adult groups, college campus ministries, leadership teams, formation groups, pilgrimage groups visiting the shrine, and any other Catholic group hoping to gather in prayer.

The center also allows for immediate access to the St. John Paul II National Shrine, one of the nationʼs premier Catholic pilgrimage sites, offering a 16,000-square-foot exhibit, sacred spaces, daily Mass, confessions, and a first-class relic of the saint.

The meeting lasted about 40 minutes at the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace, according to Jesuit Father Antonio Spadaro, undersecretary of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Culture and Education, who shared details of the encounter on Instagram.

Smith wore a Tau cross, a symbol closely associated with the Franciscan order, during the audience.

The meeting also had a personal connection: Both the pontiff and the artist were born in Chicago, a detail highlighted by the Vatican when it reported on the encounter.

Known as the “godmother of punk,” the 79-year-old Smith has been a prominent figure in music, poetry, and the visual arts for five decades.

Her debut album, “Horses,” released in 1975, helped transform New York’s music scene by combining rock and poetry. Her best-known songs include “Because the Night,” which she co-wrote with Bruce Springsteen.

The audience took place amid the Holy See’s continuing dialogue with the cultural world.

On May 8, the first anniversary of Leo XIV’s election, Smith inaugurated the Holy See Pavilion at the 61st International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale, which is scheduled to continue through Nov. 22.

For the exhibition, Smith and the artistic group Soundwalk Collective presented what organizers described as a “sound prayer.” The collective is a central collaborator in the project promoted by the Dicastery for Culture and Education.

Smith’s relationship with the Vatican extends across several pontificates. She met Pope Francis during his general audience on April 10, 2013, and performed for him at the Vatican the following year.

The Vatican did not disclose what Leo XIV and Smith discussed during their private conversation. Photographs released by Vatican Media showed the artist appearing visibly moved during the meeting.

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

Father Vincent Paul Chávez, the pastor of the Shrine of the Little Flower St. Therese of the Infant Jesus Parish in Albuquerque, told EWTN News that the violent incident on July 22 came after several weeks of tension in the community stemming in part from the priest’s open support of a proposed 45,000-square-foot mosque that would be built several miles away from the parish.

Chávez said he spoke at a county meeting on July 1 in support of the construction of the mosque. In remarks he provided to EWTN News, the priest said at the meeting that he would “love” if the mosque were built next to the Catholic parish.

He referred to the Islamic religion as “noble Islam” and as “a religion of Abraham as are Christianity and Judaism.”

“Let us not be influenced by ignorance and racism,” the priest said at the meeting. “We have freedom of religion in these United States.”

Chávez said one attendee filmed his remarks and posted the video to social media; she reportedly urged local residents to contact Archbishop John Wester in protest.

The priest said he eventually responded via the parish’s marquee sign on which he has regularly posted topical messages throughout the years. Chávez said he posted the phrase “Racism is a grave sin against God’s love” on the marquee; two days later he added part of the woman’s name to the sign.

On July 22 Chávez said the woman came to the parish to take a video of the sign. The priest said he spoke briefly with her; he said he remarked to her that he was “living rent-free in her head.” Chávez then went inside the parish, at which point he directed the parish’s facilities manager to ask the woman to leave.

The woman appeared to leave, the priest said, but eventually returned with another man who was reportedly her boyfriend. Chávez said the pair approached the facilities manager in his car while the boyfriend allegedly “presented a gun.” The manager then sprayed both of them in the face with mace.

Chávez said he ran out to take video of the rest of the encounter, which subsequently “de-escalated” with the boyfriend leaving in his car. He was arrested the next day and charged with two felony counts of aggravated assault. The priest said he was told by authorities that the FBI may be investigating the incident as a hate crime.

Both news reports and Chávez himself identified the individuals in the dispute as local residents Katrina Griego and David Romero. Neither individual responded to requests for comment regarding the incident.

Several days after the violent incident at the parish, on July 27, Wester issued a statement in which he said that Muslim residents of Albuquerque “have the same God-given and constitutionally protected right to worship freely as every other faith community, including our own.”

Citing the Second Vatican Council, the archbishop said the principle of freedom of religion “is not limited to Catholics or Christians; it extends fully to Muslims, Jews, and all people who seek to worship according to their conscience.”

In a July 30 statement the U.S. Council on American-Islamic Relations praised the assault charges brought against the suspect in the parish dispute, thanking law enforcement for “taking this alleged threat seriously.”

"No faith leader should face intimidation or violence for defending the constitutional rights and religious freedom of his neighbors,” the council said in its statement.

In a statement to his parishioners after the incident, meanwhile, Chávez said the altercation was “a sobering reminder that words matter.”

“When disagreements become fueled by anger, fear, or hatred, they can have real and dangerous consequences,” he said.

The priest urged the congregation to pray for “everyone involved,” including “those whose actions led to this painful event.”

The new laws, making up the Fundamental Law of Vatican City State, were published on July 31. They replace the 2023 constitution by Pope Francis, which emphasized papal authority over the sovereign state.

In an explanatory note, the Vatican said the new law responded to government and regulatory changes in recent years.

Non-cardinal eligibility for Vatican presidency enshrined in Fundamental Law

The most direct change in the 2026 law concerned the presidency and composition of the Vatican’s pontifical commission and governorate.

In 2025, Pope Francis appointed Sister Raffaella Petrini, FSE, as the first woman and first non-cardinal to serve as president of both the Pontifical Commission and the Governorate. Although the 2023 law already allowed non-cardinals to be members of the commission, its presidency had been reserved to a cardinal.

The Vatican subsequently said Francis had modified the Fundamental Law in connection with Petrini’s appointment. In November 2025, Leo XIV issued a motu proprio (a decree by the pope’s own initiative)  expressly providing that non-cardinals could serve as president. The 2026 constitution now incorporates that change into the state’s Fundamental Law.

Other changes

Other changes in Leo’s 2026 constitution included changes in the role of the general councilor. It allows for the general councilor to participate in commission meetings and provide consultation.

The 2026 law also specified the role of the secretary-general, who will implement the policies of the president.

Leo XIV’s new constitution is the fourth since the creation of Vatican City State in 1929. Following its Lateran Treaty with Italy that year, the first constitution was established and remained the law of the sovereign state until St. John Paul II replaced it in 2000.

Father Sylvester Okoh, who was serving in the diocesan hospital ministry under an R-1 religious worker visa, can remain in the country as he awaits government action. Yet, because the priest lost his work authorization amid the delays, he is unable to perform his duties in the diocese.

When reached for comment, Okoh referred EWTN News to his lawyer, Alexander Smith, who said his client has done everything by the book, has not broken any laws, and “just wants to get back to work.”

Smith said there “are no court orders as of yet,” and his application is still pending. He said “we are confident that the government and the court” will recognize the delay is “unreasonable” and ensure his application is processed by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

“Father Okoh meets the criteria for these forms of immigration benefits,” he said. “USCIS should have been able to make decisions on his applications within the time allowed. We hope that the government will respond favorably and we will be able to avoid further litigation. Father Okoh wishes to return to his important work as soon as possible.”

Okoh applied for permanent residency on Nov. 7, 2022 — nearly two years before his work authorization was set to expire on Aug. 30, 2024. Because of delays, USCIS extended his authorization until July 19 so he could continue working, and that extension has expired.

One reason for the delay is that USCIS adopted policies in December 2025 and January 2026 that put holds on applications from 39 “high risk” countries, including Nigeria. A federal court order in June requires that USCIS process these applications.

The lawsuit, which was filed shortly before his extension expired, warned that continued delays mean he “will be unable to perform his religious duties,” which will also “interfere with religious services for the diocese.”

It warned of “significant emotional hardship” to Okoh, the diocese, and his parishioners. The lawsuit alleges that USCIS failed to process the application in a “reasonable time,” which is required by law.

“The unreasonable delay in adjudicating [Okoh’s] application has resulted in [him] being stuck in limbo and has caused an extreme hardship on [him],” it adds.

When reached for comment, a spokesperson for USCIS told EWTN News the agency generally does not comment on individual immigration cases. The spokesperson confirmed that USCIS is complying with the June court decision that requires these applications be processed.

Smith said he has not received a response from the federal government as of July 30.

The diocese did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“The repeated explosions create confusion among medical staff and place additional psychological pressure on patients,” Mousa Ayad, manager at Al-Ahli Arab Hospital, told CNEWA’s Diaa Ostaz.

Ayad told CNEWA he could not rule out another airstrike: “This is war, and no one knows where the next danger will be. But given the hospital’s humanitarian and medical role, we do not believe that the hospital is the intended target.”

According to CNEWA, Mahmoud Basal, spokesman for Gaza’s Civil Defense, said emergency response crews were not able to immediately reach the struck building, which is beside the hospital and a shelter for displaced people, because responders feared a second strike.

“The fire burned for more than 15 minutes before our crews could move in,” he said, according to CNEWA. “We continue to work with severe shortages of firefighting vehicles, water tankers and fuel, making every emergency response more difficult.”

CNEWA reported that, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, nearly 1,200 Palestinians have been killed and another 3,900 injured since the ceasefire took effect in October 2025.

Ayad told CNEWA that despite the ceasefire, Gaza’s health sector is still in dire circumstances.

“The situation has not improved significantly. Hospitals continue to face shortages of medical supplies, equipment and essential consumables,” he said. “Thousands of patients remain on waiting lists for surgery, while many others still need to travel outside Gaza for specialized treatment.”

Last year, he told CNEWA that the hospital was operating at 350% capacity and a total evacuation would be “a major humanitarian challenge.”

This is not the first time the hospital has been struck.

On Oct. 17, 2023, an airstrike on the hospital killed 500 people and injured many others. More than 5,000 people were sheltering at the hospital at the time, reported Joseph Hazboun, regional director for CNEWA’s Jerusalem office.

Then, in June 2025 airstrikes, six people, including four journalists, were killed and 30 others were injured.

Three months later, Israel Defense Forces killed one person and injured several others after it launched a missile that landed in the hospital’s courtyard, according to CNEWA.

The Catholic aid group has long supported Al-Ahli Arab Hospital, and since January 2025, it has partnered with the hospital to provide urgent medical services.

Pope Pius XI founded CNEWA in 1926 as “an instrument of love and a sign of hope for those in need scattered throughout the historic but unstable lands of the ancient Eastern churches — the Middle East, Northeast Africa, India and Eastern Europe,” according to the group’s website.

In an interview with the archdiocesan press office, the priest explained how “physical presence, active listening, and organized charity” have been the cornerstones of the Church’s response to the tragedy, which claimed the lives of thousands of people and severely affected tens of thousands more.

“Our immediate priority was to be present where the suffering was most acute; we showed up and shared close up with the vulnerability of our people,” he said.

From the very first hours following the earthquakes, he continued, the Church understood that this accompaniment “could not take place from a distance” but rather “required being physically present in the places of greatest uncertainty to support those who had lost everything.”

“For this reason, we deployed directly to the areas most critical to the emergency,” he added. Consecrated personnel and lay volunteers assessed the scale of the disaster, offering special support to people at the morgues “to embrace and share in the families’ painful silence” and bringing the comfort of the sacraments.

“In each of those places, our mission was simply to be present, to listen, and not to leave anyone alone,” Guillén added.

‘God never abandons us’

After highlighting “the profound vocation of service and solidarity,” which he said especially characterizes the new generations of Venezuelans and which enabled the enormous logistical response to the emergency, the episcopal vicar noted that it is precisely “in closeness and compassion” that God’s presence is revealed amid so much pain.

Beyond providing material aid, the Catholic Church’s “fundamental mission” was to “be a living presence of the Lord and sustain the faith where suffering was the greatest,” regardless of the difficulties posed by the earthquakes. Thus, the Church “had to take to the streets,” transforming plazas, parks, and sports fields into “open-air altars” for religious services and encouraging the most popular devotions in Caracas and La Guaira.

“One of the most moving services was accompanying people in their grief,” he said. “We priests were present in morgues, hospitals, and cemeteries in Caracas and La Guaira, supporting those who were suffering, often offering nothing more than a hug, weeping with those who wept, praying together, or maintaining a respectful silence in the face of such immense pain.”

“Bringing grace and comfort to places where suffering reigned was living proof that God never abandons us,” he added.

What are lessons the earthquakes taught the Church?

Guillén emphasized that “the earthquake left deep scars, but it also revealed the immense spiritual and solidarity reserves of our people.”

“Far from plunging us into despair, this tragedy becomes an urgent call to make fraternity a permanent way of life, oriented toward the common good and the recognition of every person’s dignity,” he said.

He remarked that “true consolation requires neither explanations nor grand speeches,” but rather manifests itself “in quiet presence, in an outstretched hand, in attentive listening that takes in the pain, and in respectful silence that helps heal the wounds of the soul.”

The earthquakes “leave us with profound lessons” for the Church in Venezuela and have confronted the entire country with “the urgent need to organize ourselves better in the face of contingencies of this magnitude,” he said. In that sense, he continued, Cáritas must strengthen itself and become “a true network of solidarity capable of reaching even the most remote areas” of Venezuela.

“Ultimately, this time confirms for us that the faith lived out is authenticated through charity and tangible dedication to the most vulnerable,” Guillén said.

“For this reason, the Church in Caracas reaffirms its unwavering commitment to continue accompanying those affected. We are not pulling out now that the immediate phase of the emergency has ended; we will be there for the long road of rebuilding society and the integral healing of our people’s lives,” he pledged.

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.