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Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/catholicnewsagency/dailynews

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<description>ACI Prensa's latest initiative is the Catholic News Agency (CNA), aimed at serving
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<title><![CDATA[ Gov. Cox: Transgender partner of alleged Charlie Kirk killer cooperating with authorities ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266581/gov-cox-transgender-partner-of-alleged-charlie-kirk-killer-cooperating-with-authorities</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/tylerrobinsongetty.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
Tyler Robinson, 22, (pictured on Sept. 12, 2025) the alleged killer of Charlie Kirk, conservative Christian political activist. / Credit: Handout/Getty Images
</div>
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 15, 2025 / 18:01 pm (CNA).
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox confirmed that the man accused of <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266491/christian-conservative-activist-charlie-kirk-shot-dead-at-utah-valley-university-event" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">killing Christian conservative activist Charlie Kirk</a> lived with a transgender partner who is cooperating with authorities in the ongoing investigation.The suspected<a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266523/charlie-kirk-before-death-i-want-to-be-remembered-for-courage-for-my-faith" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> assassin</a> is 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, a resident of St. George, Utah, which is about a three-and-a-half-hour drive south of Utah Valley University, where <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266487/breaking-charlie-kirk-shot-at-college-event-calls-for-prayers-spread-across-social-media" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">the shooting occurred</a>. Formal charges are expected Tuesday, Sept. 16.Although Robinson has exercised his right to remain silent while in custody and has not spoken to authorities, his live-in transgender partner and members of his family are cooperating with the investigation. He was arrested Thursday night, Sept. 11, the day after the shooting.In <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4g25ihkEfng" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press”</a> on Sunday, Sept. 14, Cox said the roommate of the alleged shooter “is a boyfriend who is transitioning from male to female.” He said the roommate “has been very cooperative with authorities.”“This person did not have any knowledge [and] was shocked … when he found out about it,” the governor said. “The suspect has not been cooperating so far, and so we’re getting all of this information from family members, again, people around the suspect, and then the forensic information that we have, which is confirming everything and more than what we were able to share in that initial press conference.”In <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNWEwyPTh_M" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">a previous news conference</a>, Cox said the roommate showed investigators messages that Robinson allegedly sent, which discussed engraving bullets, needing to retrieve a rifle from a drop point, leaving a rifle in a bush, and wrapping a rifle in a towel.Kirk was shot while answering a question about transgenderism and gun violence. Kirk said he supported an effort to ban transgender people from owning firearms in light of the <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266191/live-updates-shooting-at-annunciation-catholic-school-in-minneapolis" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church</a> in Minnesota last month, which was carried out <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266341/minneapolis-catholic-church-shooter-blamed-gender-and-weed-for-mental-health-issues" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">by a man who identified as a transgender person</a>.Throughout his career as a conservative activist, Kirk had been a critic of gender ideology, opposing allowing biological males in women’s sports, transgender surgeries and drugs for children, and the promotion of transgenderism and homosexuality in K–12 schools.<h2>FBI investigates suspect’s communications</h2>Cox said Robinson came “from a conservative family, but his ideology was very different” from his family’s, and “there clearly was a leftist ideology with this [alleged] assassin.”“The ‘why’ behind this, again, we’re all drawing lots of conclusions on how someone like this could be radicalized,” he said. FBI Director Kash Patel <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ku04krI7HKA" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">told “Fox & Friends” on Monday, Sept. 15</a>, the agency will not “politicize this investigation.” Rather, he said, “we are looking at the facts and that is why we are releasing the facts in record fashion.”“My job as FBI director is not to speak to motive; it’s to speak to the facts, and that’s what I’m going to do,” he said.“His family has collectively told investigators that he subscribed to left-wing ideology, and even more so in these last couple of years,” Patel continued. “And [the suspect] had a text message exchange … with another individual in which he claimed that he had an opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk, and he was going to do it because of his hatred for what Charlie stood for.”Markings on bullet casings found by investigators included the phrase “Hey, fascist. Catch!” and lyrics to the Italian anti-fascist song “Bella Ciao.”Patel said the FBI has evidence of a since-destroyed note written before the assassination in which the suspect wrote that he had the opportunity to “take out” Kirk and planned to do so. He said “even though it has been destroyed, we have found forensic evidence of the note, and we have confirmed what … it says because of our aggressive interview posture.” He said the FBI also has DNA evidence to link the suspect to the shooting.According to Patel, the FBI is also investigating the suspect’s conversations in chatrooms on the online messaging application Discord, and investigators will interview people with whom he conversed there.FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtfVfl0Hdtk" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">told Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom”</a> on Monday that the agency has evidence that the suspect may have communicated that “his target was obviously going to be Charlie [Kirk] and that people knew in advance.”Bongino said he does not “want anyone to jump to conclusions on this,” noting this is a question of whether people knew in advance and kept it quiet or whether they thought “it was some type of joke.”“That’s what we’re trying to find out now,” he said. “But I promise you, if there’s a larger network here, we’re going to get that out to the public as soon as we can.”<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/13/us/kirk-killing-suspect-online-chat.html" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">The New York Times reported</a> that in one Discord chat, friends of Robinson noted that he looked similar to the shooter. Robinson allegedly said the shooter was a “doppelganger” who was trying to “get me in trouble.”According to the Times, much of the communications appeared to be joking. After Robinson’s arrest, the report noted that members were in disbelief with one saying: “I truly cannot distinguish if this is for real.”<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2025/09/15/charlie-kirk-shooter-suspect-discord-chat/" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">The Washington Post reported</a> on a separate Discord chat in which Robinson was allegedly involved, which showed members expressing concern about the shooting with one saying Kirk “didn’t deserve to go out like that.”Robinson allegedly told this chat: “I have bad news for you all,” adding: “It was me at UVU yesterday. [I’m] sorry for all of this.”One friend reportedly urged the group to “pray for Tyler [Robinson] and his repentance” after the arrest.Bongino said the FBI is looking into the man who asked the question about transgenderism and gun violence just before Kirk was shot at the event, but noted Kirk “was known to speak out about these issues” and that it is “not terribly uncommon for him to get questions like that.”The man who asked the question gave <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18FNK6ZNGuo" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">an interview to “Channel 5 with Andrew Callaghan”</a> late last week and denounced the assassination and political violence.Bongino said the assassination was “an ideologically motivated attack” on a conservative.“Family members said he’d become more political, leading us to believe that this ideology had infected him and had taken over,” Bongino said.
]]></description>
<category>US</category>
<pubDate>Mon, 15 Sep 2025 18:01:00 -0400</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[ Mass attendance up at various colleges in wake of Charlie Kirk assassination ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266579/mass-attendance-up-at-various-colleges-in-wake-of-charlie-kirk-assassination</link>
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<description><![CDATA[ <div style="width: 100%; margin-bottom: 25px;">
<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/newman.center.jpeg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
St. John’s Catholic Newman Center at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. / Credit: Beyond My Ken, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
</div>
CNA Staff, Sep 15, 2025 / 17:31 pm (CNA).
In what some are calling “the Charlie Kirk effect,” people across the nation, including many college students who are not ordinarily churchgoers, have decided to go to church since the assassination last week of the conservative Christian political activist Charlie Kirk.Matt Zerrusen, co-founder of <a href="https://newmanministry.com/" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Newman Ministry</a>, a Catholic nonprofit that operates on about 250 campuses nationwide, told CNA he has spoken with Catholic college ministry leaders throughout the country over the last few days, and “every one of them told me they’ve seen bigger crowds” at Masses and lots of people “they’ve never seen before.”“I have not talked to anyone who has not seen an increase in Mass attendance,” Zerrusen said. “Some schools are reporting increases of 15%.”He told CNA that many more college students are also asking for spiritual direction. “So many people are asking ‘What do I do?’ What is evil? How does God allow this?” Zerrusen said. “They are asking so many basic questions.”One priest at a large state school in the Northeast told Zerrusen he spoke over the weekend with 15 young men he had never seen before who sought him out for faith advice. Zerrusen said the spiritual “revival” Kirk’s death has amplified comes amid one he has been observing for months.He pointed out that more than 400 students at Texas A&M University in College Station are attending the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) class at St. Mary’s Catholic Center near campus.<h2>Social media users say Kirk inspired them to go to church</h2>Since <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266491/christian-conservative-activist-charlie-kirk-shot-dead-at-utah-valley-university-event" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Kirk’s death on Sept. 10</a>, social media platforms X, TikTok, and Instagram have been flooded with posts from users saying they plan to go to church for the first time or to return to church, thanks to Kirk’s influence.With more than half a million followers, X user @TONYxTWO <a href="https://x.com/TONYxTWO/status/1967383629031698499" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">posted a TikTok video</a> on Sunday showing a young man saying he had to park “five blocks away from church because everyone wants to come now! Amen. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Charlie.”Another X user who calls herself a “Devout Aggie” and “Catholic” who has nearly 15,000 followers said her son, who “is not a churchgoer,” <a href="https://x.com/TexitDarling/status/1966377832143077663" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">asked her</a> to go to Mass with him over the weekend, attributing it to “the Charlie Kirk effect.” The vicar general for the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City, Father John Evans, said on Monday that he had noticed a “slight increase” in Mass attendance over the weekend, but what was more unusual was what happened in the days immediately after Kirk’s assassination.“People were coming together before Sunday, praying privately, some in groups, praying the rosary, and different prayers of different sorts,” Evans <a href="https://www.ksl.com/article/51375303/slight-increase-in-mass-attendance-weekend-after-charlie-kirks-assassination" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">told KSL-TV in Utah</a>.
]]></description>
<category>US</category>
<pubDate>Mon, 15 Sep 2025 17:31:00 -0400</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[ Hundreds of Italian priests condemn what they say is ‘genocide’ happening in Gaza ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266577/hundreds-of-italian-priests-condemn-what-they-say-is-genocide-in-gaza</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266577/hundreds-of-italian-priests-condemn-what-they-say-is-genocide-in-gaza</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ <div style="width: 100%; margin-bottom: 25px;">
<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/gazafooddrop.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
A plane drops food aid over Rafah, in southern Gaza, in August 2025. / Credit: Anas-Mohammed/Shutterstock
</div>
Gaza City, Sep 15, 2025 / 17:01 pm (CNA).
Under the slogan “Christ died in Gaza,” a network called “Priests Against Genocide” says it sees “in the exhausted people of Gaza and in the Palestinian people living under occupation the presence of Christ himself who identifies with the poor, the hungry, the thirsty, and the stranger, as written in Matthew 25 of the Gospel.”The network was founded in Italy by Catholic priests. At an online press conference on Sept. 15, the group stated its purpose is to “pray and bear witness to a peace that is ‘disarmed and disarming’; support Christian communities in the Holy Land; denounce every war crime and every form of genocide — such as the one currently being committed against the Palestinians — and promote a culture of reconciliation and accountability.”More than 550 priests from 21 countries — the majority of them Italian — have signed on to the initiative. Seven bishops from around the world, including the archbishop of Rabat, Morocco, Cardinal Cristóbal López Romero, have also joined.<h2>Not ‘against anyone’</h2>Speaking on behalf of the network, Father Pietro Rossini, an Xaverian missionary, said: “We cannot remain silent in the face of the tragedy affecting the Palestinian population in Gaza and the Occupied Territories. We do not speak as politicians but as pastors, as leaders of communities who believe in the Gospel and in the dignity of every human life. We do not represent only ourselves but also the communities entrusted to our care as shepherds in the Catholic Church.”Rossini added: “Our message is not ‘against’ anyone but in favor of life and peace. We condemn the logic of war and violence wherever it occurs, and we call for respect of international law, United Nations resolutions, and the rulings of the International Criminal Court against those who oppress and extinguish innocent human life.”<h2>Condemning Hamas and Israel</h2>The priest continued: “For this reason, with the same strength with which we condemn the massacre of Oct. 7 [2023], the killings and kidnappings carried out by Hamas terrorists, we condemn even more strongly the disproportionate response, the violence, the killing of innocent people unjustifiably excused as ‘unintentional errors’ (as even the Italian president of the Republic has stated), the bombings of sovereign third countries, the war crimes, ethnic cleansing, the use of starvation as a weapon of extermination, and the genocide being carried out by the State of Israel against the Palestinian population.”Rossini said the priests “feel the urgency to give voice to those who have none, to the innocent victims who cry out for justice.”<h2>A call to commitment</h2>At the conference, Father Rito Maresca from the Diocese of Sorrento-Castellammare said he felt compelled to join the initiative, describing its founders as “David against the Goliath of violence.” Father Nicola Colasuonno, rector of the Shrine of St. Guido Conforti in Parma, said he could no longer bear to see the violence and bombings.Father Massimo Nevola, superior of the Jesuit house of St. Ignatius in Rome, said he immediately joined the network, already aware of the situation in the Holy Land. He said the president of the Italian Bishops’ Conference did not officially endorse the initiative, since he represents all bishops, but neither did he oppose it.<h2>Prayer in Rome next week</h2>The network adopted a logo created by artist Gianluca Costantini, bearing the English phrase: “Christ died in Gaza.” The drawing is inspired by a real image of a Palestinian mother mourning her deceased son, Mohammed Zakaria.<figure class="mx-auto" style="width:100%"><img src="https://admin.catholicnewsagency.com/images/priestsagainstgen.jpeg" class="img-fluid" style="null" alt="The Priests Against Genocide network adopted a logo created by artist Gianluca Costantini bearing the English phrase: “Christ died in Gaza.” The drawing is inspired by a real image of a Palestinian mother mourning her deceased son, Mohammed Zakaria. Credit: Priests Against Genocide"><figcaption class="caption text-muted">The Priests Against Genocide network adopted a logo created by artist Gianluca Costantini bearing the English phrase: “Christ died in Gaza.” The drawing is inspired by a real image of a Palestinian mother mourning her deceased son, Mohammed Zakaria. Credit: Priests Against Genocide</figcaption></figure>The first public event of the network is scheduled for Sept. 22 in Rome, on the eve of the closing session of the United Nations General Assembly. A prayer will be held in the Church of St. Andrew on the Quirinal followed by a march with several stops where testimonies of Palestinian lives will be read, ending at Montecitorio, where the Chamber of Italian Deputies is located. During the march, prayers will be recited, including the Our Father in Arabic. About 50 priests are expected to participate in the first gathering.
]]></description>
<category>Middle East - Africa</category>
<pubDate>Mon, 15 Sep 2025 17:01:00 -0400</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[ CUA appoints Microsoft AI director to lead new institute on emerging technologies ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266575/catholic-university-of-america-appoints-microsoft-ai-director-to-lead-new-institute-on-emerging-technologies</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266575/catholic-university-of-america-appoints-microsoft-ai-director-to-lead-new-institute-on-emerging-technologies</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ <div style="width: 100%; margin-bottom: 25px;">
<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/taylorblack091525.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
The Catholic University of America has announced that Taylor Black, director of artificial intelligence at Microsoft, will lead a new institute on emerging technologies and AI at the Washington, D.C.-based university. / Credit: The Catholic University of America
</div>
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 15, 2025 / 15:36 pm (CNA).
The Catholic University of America (CUA) announced that Taylor Black, director of artificial intelligence (AI) at Microsoft, will lead a new institute on emerging technologies and AI at the Washington, D.C.-based university. At the technology conglomerate, Black serves as the director of AI and venture ecosystems in the Office of the Chief Technology Officer. In the role, he designs and leads cross-company initiatives that integrate innovation, product development, and community engagement to foster the next generation of technologies. He will remain in the position but plans to travel regularly to CUA’s campus.“Taylor’s background in innovation, AI, and entrepreneurship; studies in philosophy and law; and his formation as a deacon candidate make him the ideal person for this new venture,” H. Joseph Yost, senior vice provost of research for CUA, said in a <a href="https://www.catholic.edu/info-for-the-media/media-releases/microsoft-ai-director-taylor-black-lead-ai-institute-catholic" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">statement</a>. “From our first conversation, we knew he was the person we wanted to lead Catholic University’s expansion of AI programs and innovation.” Black received an undergraduate degree in philosophy and classics from Gonzaga University and a master’s degree in philosophy and a law degree from Boston College. His career took off after he created a successful web development business while still in school. He went on to hold consulting, business development, and venture positions before joining Microsoft in 2021. While working in the technology field, Black said he has noticed an increase in questions related to human dignity from his secular colleagues. The new institute will work to tackle some of the concerns by pursuing innovation in AI and engaging in dialogue about human issues central to the Catholic Church.“The Church has been trying to get people to ask the question ‘What does it mean to be human?’ for a very long time. Now a bunch of people are asking it unprompted,” Black said in an <a href="https://www.catholic.edu/all-stories/innovation-leader-microsoft-direct-new-ai-institute" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">interview</a> with CUA. “This lends itself to addressing the gaping hole in understanding what people should know about what it means to be human in a deeper way.”“Universities are for the formation of human persons. If you’re well-formed, you generally do a better job in the workplace,” Black said. He is interested in “how we reinvigorate the heart of what the university is — its human formation roots — while still providing the tools and training necessary from an entrepreneurial perspective to take this new economic paradigm in stride.”The new AI initiative will bring faculty together from multiple departments including engineering, business, science, art, philosophy, and theology to engage collaboration within as well as outside the university.The new institute follows a number of other advances at CUA. Earlier this year, the university achieved <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/262207/the-catholic-university-of-america-achieves-prestigious-r1-research-title" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">R1 status</a>, which placed it among the top 5% of universities nationwide in terms of research funding and doctorates.
]]></description>
<category>US</category>
<pubDate>Mon, 15 Sep 2025 15:36:00 -0400</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[ Pope Leo XIV at Jubilee of Consolation: Where pain is deep, hope in Jesus must be stronger ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266573/pope-leo-xiv-at-jubilee-of-consolation-where-pain-is-deep-hope-in-jesus-must-be-stronger</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266573/pope-leo-xiv-at-jubilee-of-consolation-where-pain-is-deep-hope-in-jesus-must-be-stronger</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ <div style="width: 100%; margin-bottom: 25px;">
<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/consola.pope.jpeg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
Pope Leo XIV celebrates the prayer vigil for the Jubilee of Consolation on Sept. 15, 2025, in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News
</div>
ACI Prensa Staff, Sep 15, 2025 / 15:06 pm (CNA).
With a call to trust that Jesus is the one who dries the tears of those who suffer, Pope Leo XIV celebrated the prayer vigil for the Jubilee of Consolation in St. Peter’s Basilica on Monday, Sept. 15.“Redemption is mercy and can make our future better, while we still await the Lord’s return. Only he will wipe away every tear and open the book of history, allowing us to read the pages that today we cannot justify or understand,” the Holy Father told the faithful gathered in the Vatican basilica.The pope delivered his homily after hearing two testimonies: that of Lucia Di Mauro, an Italian woman whose husband was murdered by a group of young men but who, with God’s grace, was able to forgive and help one of them recover; and that of Diane Foley, the mother of journalist James Foley, beheaded by Islamic State terrorists in 2014.The Holy Father said that both stories convey the certainty that “where pain is deep, even stronger must be the hope born of communion” — a hope that “never disappoints.”In this sense, he added, “that pain should not generate violence,” because this is not the final word, but rather “it is overcome by the love that knows how to forgive.”<figure class="mx-auto" style="width:100%"><img src="https://admin.catholicnewsagency.com/images/diane.f.jpeg" class="img-fluid" style="null" alt="Diane Foley, mother of the late American journalist James Foley, gives her testimony at the Jubilee of Consolution prayer vigil celebrated by Pope Leo XIV on Sept. 15, 2025, in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News"><figcaption class="caption text-muted">Diane Foley, mother of the late American journalist James Foley, gives her testimony at the Jubilee of Consolution prayer vigil celebrated by Pope Leo XIV on Sept. 15, 2025, in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News</figcaption></figure>“What greater liberation can we hope to achieve than that which comes from forgiveness, which, through grace, can open the heart despite having suffered all kinds of brutality? The violence suffered cannot be erased, but the forgiveness granted to those who caused it is a foretaste of the kingdom of God on earth; it is the fruit of his action that puts an end to evil and establishes justice,” he affirmed.In his homily, the pope also invited everyone to “share God’s consolation with so many brothers and sisters who live in situations of weakness, sadness, and pain,” for the Lord does not leave those who suffer alone. “On the contrary, precisely in these circumstances we are called more than ever to hope in the closeness of the Savior who never abandons.”Leo XIV indicated that it is true that sometimes words “are useless and become almost superfluous” in the ability to console, and “perhaps in such moments only the tears of weeping remain,” for these express the deepest feelings of a wounded heart.“Tears are a silent cry that implores compassion and consolation. But even before that, they are liberation and purification of the eyes, of feelings, of thoughts. We should not be ashamed of crying; it is a way of expressing our sadness and the need for a new world; it is a language that speaks of our humanity, weak and tested, yet called to joy,” he affirmed.The pope recalled that, in his “Confessions,” St. Augustine also wondered about the origin of evil and found the answers in Scripture.“There are questions that draw us back in on ourselves, divide us internally, and separate us from reality. There are thoughts from which nothing can be born. If they isolate us and drive us to despair, they also humiliate our intelligence. It is better, as in the Psalms, for the question to be a protest, a lament, an invocation of that justice and peace that God has promised us.”He explained that in this way, “we build a bridge to heaven, even when it seems mute. In the Church, we seek the open heaven, which is Jesus, God’s bridge to us. There is a consolation that reaches us when that faith, which seems to us to be “formless and wavering,” like a boat in a storm, “takes root in the heart.”Before concluding his homily, Pope Leo XIV encouraged people to also seek consolation in the Virgin Mary, who keeps repeating: “I am your mother.” He also recalled that, as St. Paul suggests, “when one receives consolation from God, one is then capable of offering consolation to others.”“Those we love and who have been taken from us by sister death are not lost nor have they disappeared into nothingness. Their life belongs to the Lord, who, as the good shepherd, embraces them and holds them close to himself and will return them to us one day so that we may enjoy eternal and shared happiness,” he affirmed.As part of the program, Pope Leo XIV blessed wax medals depicting the paschal lamb, the “agnus Dei,” a symbol “to remember that the mystery of Jesus, of his death and resurrection, is the victory of good over evil.”“He is the lamb who gives the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, who never leaves us, comforts us in need, and strengthens us with his grace,” the pope told them.This story <a href="https://www.aciprensa.com/noticias/117209/leon-xiv-en-el-jubileo-de-la-consolacion" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">was first published</a> by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
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<category>Vatican</category>
<pubDate>Mon, 15 Sep 2025 15:06:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Pope Leo XIV meets with his Augustinian brothers in Rome ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266571/pope-leo-xiv-meets-with-his-augustinian-brothers-in-rome</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/augies.pope.leo.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
Pope Leo XIV is pictured here with his Augustinian brothers in Rome on Sept. 15, 2025. / Credit: Courtesy of Augustinian Foundation Worldwide
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ACI Prensa Staff, Sep 15, 2025 / 13:00 pm (CNA).
Pope Leo XIV on Monday received the participants of the general chapter of the Order of St. Augustine, with whom he said he felt “at home.” In his address, he reflected in particular on the theme of love, which the order’s founder, St. Augustine, “placed at the center of his spiritual quest.”At the beginning of his Sept. 15 address, the Holy Father expressed his gratitude to Father Alejandro Moral, OSA, for his years of service and extended a warm welcome to the newly-elected prior general, Father Joseph Farrell, OSA.Referring to the general chapter as an opportunity to reflect on the gift received, the challenges, and the current situation of the order, he reminded the Augustinians of the importance of “interiority in the journey of faith.”He emphasized that this interiority is not “an escape from our responsibilities” but rather “a return to ourselves and then emerge with greater motivation and enthusiasm for the mission.”“Returning to ourselves,” he added, “renews our spiritual and pastoral drive: We return to the source of religious life and consecration so that we may offer light to those the Lord places on our path.”<h2>Vocations and the formation of young people</h2>He then reflected on what he considers “a fundamental theme”: vocations and initial formation. Pope Leo XIV advised “not to fall into the error of imagining religious formation as a set of rules to observe, things to do, or even as a ready-made habit to be worn passively.”On the contrary, he clarified that love is at the heart of everything and that “the Christian vocation, and in particular the religious vocation, is born only when one perceives the attraction of something great, of a love that can nourish and satisfy the heart.”Therefore, he reiterated that it is essential to help young people in particular “to glimpse the beauty of the call and to love what, by embracing the vocation, they can become.” He added: “Vocation and formation are not predetermined realities: They are a spiritual adventure that involves a person’s entire history, and it is above all an adventure of love with God.”Thus, he emphasized that love, which St. Augustine “placed at the center of his spiritual quest,” is also a fundamental criterion for the dimension of theological study and intellectual formation.“In the knowledge of God, it is never possible to reach him only with our reason or with a set of theoretical information; it is, above all, a matter of allowing ourselves to be surprised by his greatness, of questioning ourselves and the meaning of events to discover in them the traces of the Creator, and above all, of loving him and making him loved,” he noted.He also exhorted his Augustinian brothers to be generous and humble, two qualities that are born precisely from love, to have as their reference the “ineffable gift of divine charity,” and to be “faithful to evangelical poverty.”Finally, he asked them not to forget “our missionary vocation,” recalling that since 1533 the Augustinians have proclaimed the Gospel throughout the world.“This missionary spirit must not be extinguished, because it is sorely needed today as well. I urge you to revive it, remembering that the evangelizing mission demands the witness of humble and simple joy, availability to service, and participation in the life of the people to whom we are sent,” he emphasized.This story <a href="https://www.aciprensa.com/noticias/117219/papa-leon-xiv-la-vocacion-es-una-aventura-de-amor-con-dios" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">was first published</a> by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
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<category>Vatican</category>
<pubDate>Mon, 15 Sep 2025 13:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ British royal family set to have first Catholic funeral in centuries ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266551/british-royal-family-set-to-have-first-catholic-funeral-in-centuries</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266551/british-royal-family-set-to-have-first-catholic-funeral-in-centuries</guid>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/westminster.cathedral.frontview.london.arp.jpeg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
Front view of Westminster Cathedral, London. / Credit: Adrian Pingstone on Wikimedia Commons
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ACI Prensa Staff, Sep 15, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).
The first Catholic funeral of a member of the British royal family since the Anglican Reformation will take place at Westminster Cathedral on Sept. 16, that of the duchess of Kent, who converted to Catholicism in 1994.The duchess of Kent — born Katharine Lucy Mary Worsley — died on Sept. 4 at Kensington Palace at the age of 92. She was raised as an Anglican and in 1961 was married in that communion to Prince Edward, duke of Kent and grandson of King George V.Her conversion to Catholicism began in the wake of personal loss and suffering.In 1975, while pregnant with her fourth child, the duchess fell ill with measles and, following medical advice, had an abortion for medical reasons. In 1977, she became pregnant again and in a speech to the British Congress of Obstetrics, declared that human life was a gift from God and of unique value, as every birth is a miracle. She also paid tribute to those who fight to protect life and family.However, she lost the baby at 36 weeks, an experience she described as “<a href="https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/a41469965/katharine-duchess-of-kent-death-obituary/" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">devastating</a>” and viewed as punishment for the abortion performed two years earlier.The duchess continued to practice Anglicanism and made the first of several visits to the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham with the then-Anglican archbishop of Canterbury.<figure class="mx-auto" style="width:100%"><img src="https://admin.catholicnewsagency.com/images/the-duchess-of-kent-with-koala.jpeg" class="img-fluid" style="null" alt="Her royal highness the duchess of Kent holds a koala during a 1988 visit to Brisbane, Australia. Credit: Queensland State Archives, CC BY 3.0 AU, via Wikimedia Commons"><figcaption class="caption text-muted">Her royal highness the duchess of Kent holds a koala during a 1988 visit to Brisbane, Australia. Credit: Queensland State Archives, CC BY 3.0 AU, via Wikimedia Commons</figcaption></figure>In 1992, the general synod of the Church of England approved the ordination of female priests. This led to the conversion of several Anglicans to Catholicism. The duchess of Kent would enter the Catholic Church in January 1994.The duchess of Kent’s conversion was historic, as no member of British royalty had been received into the Catholic Church since the late 17th century, at least publicly. In 1685, King Charles II converted to Catholicism on his deathbed, although he had an Anglican funeral.The duchess herself described her conversion as a “long-considered personal decision” and that she was drawn to the consolation and clarity of the Catholic faith. “I love guidance, and the Catholic Church offers it to you,” she once told the BBC. “I’ve always wanted that in my life. I like to know what’s expected of me.” In 2001, her son, Nicholas Windsor, also joined the Catholic Church.Upon learning of the duchess’ death, Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster <a href="https://www.cbcew.org.uk/cardinal-duchess-of-kent/" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">recalled </a>“with fondness her presence in our community, especially her participation in the pilgrimage to Lourdes, as well as her lifetime of public service.”The royal family’s website <a href="https://www.royal.uk/news-and-activity/2025-09-06/arrangements-for-the-funeral-of-hrh-the-duchess-of-kent" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">reported</a> that the duchess of Kent’s funeral “will take place at Westminster Cathedral on Tuesday, Sept. 16, at 2 p.m. U.K. time.” The Mass will be attended by King Charles III and Queen Camilla.“Her royal highness’ coffin will be taken by hearse to Westminster Cathedral on Monday, 15th September, where the Rite of Reception and vespers will take place, on the eve of the Requiem Mass. Thereafter it will rest overnight in the Lady Chapel,” the announcement added.Following the funeral, the duchess of Kent’s remains will be transferred to the Royal Burial Ground in Frogmore, Windsor.“Flags will be half-masted at all official royal residences flying the Union flag on the day of the funeral,” the website reported.This story <a href="https://www.aciprensa.com/noticias/117115/la-familia-real-britanica-tendra-un-funeral-catolico-por-primera-vez-desde-la-reforma-anglicana" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">was first published</a> by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
]]></description>
<category>Europe</category>
<pubDate>Mon, 15 Sep 2025 06:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ ‘No one can silence their voice’: Pope Leo XIV honors modern martyrs at ecumenical service ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266569/no-one-can-silence-their-voice-pope-leo-xiv-honors-modern-martyrs-at-ecumenical-service</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/whatsapp-image-2025-09-14-at-5.11.57-pm.jpeg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
Pope Leo XIV presides over an ecumenical commemoration of the martyrs and witnesses of faith of the 21st century at Rome’s Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls on Sept. 14, 2025. / Credit: Elias Turk/EWTN News
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ACI Prensa Staff, Sep 14, 2025 / 12:38 pm (CNA).
Pope Leo XIV led an ecumenical commemoration of the martyrs and witnesses of faith of the 21st century at Rome’s Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls on Sunday, stressing that “even though they have been killed in body, no one can silence their voice or erase the love they have shown.”The Sept. 14 liturgy brought together Orthodox, Eastern, and Protestant leaders along with ecumenical organizations and Vatican officials.“Through his cross, Jesus revealed to us the true face of God, his infinite compassion for humanity,” the pope said. “He took upon himself the hatred and violence of the world to share the lot of all those who are humiliated and oppressed.”Pope Leo, speaking on the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, said that many believers still share in Christ’s cross. <div style="width:100%" class="mx-auto embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UbvPYa86vvY?feature=oembed" class="embed-responsive-item " frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></div>“Like him, they are persecuted, condemned, and killed,” the pope said, pointing to women and men — religious, laypeople, and priests — who have died for their fidelity to the Gospel, their fight for religious freedom, and their solidarity with the poor.The pope described their witness as “a hope filled with immortality” because it continues to spread the Gospel, cannot be silenced, and stands as a prophecy of the victory of good over evil.He recalled Sister Dorothy Stang, murdered in Brazil after telling her killers “This is my only weapon” as she held up her Bible. He also remembered Father Ragheed Ganni, a Chaldean priest shot in Mosul, and Brother Francis Tofi, an Anglican religious killed in the Solomon Islands.“Unfortunately, despite the end of the great dictatorships of the 20th century, to this day the persecution of Christians has not ended,” the pope said.“We cannot and do not want to forget,” he said. “Just as in the first centuries, so too in the third millennium, the blood of the martyrs is the seed of new Christians.”Pope Leo reaffirmed the Catholic Church’s commitment to keep alive the memory of martyrs from every Christian tradition, noting the collaboration of the Vatican’s Commission of New Martyrs with the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity.Recalling the “ecumenism of blood” discussed at the Vatican’s recent Synod on Synodality, he said that the witness of Christian martyrs is “more eloquent than any word: Unity comes from the cross of the Lord.”The pope ended by citing the words of Abish Masih, a Pakistani boy killed in an attack on a Catholic church who had written in his notebook: “Making the world a better place.” That dream, Pope Leo said, should inspire Christians today “to bear courageous witness to our faith, so that together we may be leaven for a more peaceful and fraternal humanity.”The service also included prayers from representatives of different Churches for persecuted Christians, the conversion of persecutors, and a united Christian stand for justice, peace, and solidarity with the poor.This story <a href="https://www.aciprensa.com/noticias/117205/nadie-podra-apagar-la-voz-de-los-martires-asegura-leon-xiv-en-encuentro-ecumenico" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">was first published</a> by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
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<category>Vatican</category>
<pubDate>Sun, 14 Sep 2025 12:38:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Vatican lights up with drone show at historic ‘Grace for the World’ concert ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266567/vatican-lights-up-with-drone-show-at-historic-grace-for-the-world-concert</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/whatsapp-image-2025-09-14-at-11.39.20-am.jpeg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
Illuminated drones reproduce Michelangelo’s “Pietà” over St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican on Sept. 14, 2025. / Credit: Courtney Mares/CNA
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Vatican City, Sep 14, 2025 / 10:45 am (CNA).
St. Peter’s Square became the stage for an unprecedented spectacle on Saturday night as tens of thousands gathered for “Grace for the World,” a massive concert closing the third World Meeting on Human Fraternity.The event opened with breathtaking symbolism: More than 3,000 drones illuminated the night sky above the basilica, tracing the image of Pope Francis, framing Michelangelo’s dome and Bernini’s colonnade in light. The display, a first for the Vatican, drew reverent silence before the crowd erupted in applause.<figure class="mx-auto" style="width:100%"><img src="https://admin.catholicnewsagency.com/images/whatsapp-image-2025-09-14-at-3.16.48-pm.jpeg" class="img-fluid" style="null" alt="Illuminated drones portray Pope Francis above St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on Sept. 14, 2025. Credit: Eva Fernández"><figcaption class="caption text-muted">Illuminated drones portray Pope Francis above St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on Sept. 14, 2025. Credit: Eva Fernández</figcaption></figure>The moment was accompanied by a stirring duet of “Amazing Grace” performed by world-renowned tenor Andrea Bocelli and American singer Teddy Swims. Their voices rose over the hushed square, blending with the faint hum of the drones in an atmosphere of solemnity and awe.<figure class="mx-auto" style="width:100%"><img src="https://admin.catholicnewsagency.com/images/whatsapp-image-2025-09-14-at-12.46.12-pm.jpeg" class="img-fluid" style="null" alt="Illuminated drones reproduce a detail from Michelangelo's "Creation of Adam" above St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on Sept. 14, 2025. Credit: Courtney Mares/CNA"><figcaption class="caption text-muted">Illuminated drones reproduce a detail from Michelangelo's "Creation of Adam" above St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on Sept. 14, 2025. Credit: Courtney Mares/CNA</figcaption></figure>After that, the Roman sky became a vast canvas. The drones depicted the hands from Michelangelo’s “Creation of Adam,” followed by a monumental dove of peace and finally a striking image of the “Pietà,” Michelangelo’s famous marble sculpture housed in St. Peter’s Basilica. The projections, clear against the night, prompted ovations and a forest of cellphones lifted high to capture the scene.Also projected was the icon of “Salus Populi Romani,” venerated in the Basilica of St. Mary Major and cherished by Pope Francis.<figure class="mx-auto" style="width:100%"><img src="https://admin.catholicnewsagency.com/images/whatsapp-image-2025-09-14-at-11.35.29-am.jpeg" class="img-fluid" alt="Illuminated drones reproduce a detail of the icon "Salus Popoli Romani" above St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on Sept. 14, 2025. Credit: Courtney Mares/CNA"><figcaption class="caption text-muted">Illuminated drones reproduce a detail of the icon "Salus Popoli Romani" above St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on Sept. 14, 2025. Credit: Courtney Mares/CNA</figcaption></figure>The innovative display set the tone for the evening: a call to universal fraternity, dialogue among cultures, and hope in times of global crisis. For the first time in history, St. Peter’s Square was transformed into an open-air arena for a concert of this scale.The event marked the conclusion of the two-day World Meeting on Human Fraternity, which brought together 500 participants, including Nobel laureates, academics, cultural leaders, and experts in technology and the environment. Fifteen dialogue panels explored themes such as peace, care for the planet, technology’s impact, and the future of humanity.In his greeting to the audience, Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica and president of the Fratelli Tutti Foundation, proclaimed: “In the midst of shadows, we see the possibility of a rebirth: the capacity to resist, to innovate, to build bridges.”Bocelli, a practicing Catholic and one of the world’s most acclaimed tenors, was among the evening’s central performers. He opened with Schubert’s “Ave Maria,” transforming the square into a place of silence and emotion.Colombian singer Karol G drew some of the loudest ovations of the night. She performed “Mientras me curo el cora” in a gospel-inspired style and closed with a moving duet with Bocelli of “Vivo per lei.” Dressed in an elegant, understated outfit, she was greeted with flags, shirts, and chants from fans who had crowded the front rows.Alongside the music came urgent appeals for peace and justice. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Kailash Satyarthi, Mozambican activist Graça Machel, and Iraqi Nobel laureate Nadia Murad all called for an end to war and violence, urging greater commitment to human dignity and fraternity.Pope Leo XIV was not present at the concert, but organizers thanked him for his support and noted that he celebrates his 70th birthday Sunday.This story <a href="https://www.aciprensa.com/noticias/117199/el-vaticano-se-ilumina-con-un-espectaculo-de-drones-en-el-historico-concierto-grace-for-the-world" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">was first published</a> by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
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<category>Vatican</category>
<pubDate>Sun, 14 Sep 2025 10:45:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Pope marks 70th birthday at Sunday Angelus: ‘I give thanks to the Lord and to my parents’ ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266565/pope-leo-xiv-marks-70th-birthday-at-sunday-angelus-i-give-thanks-to-the-lord-and-to-my-parents</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/tom5215.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
Pope Leo XIV at a window of the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace leads pilgrims in reciting the Angelus, on Sept. 14, 2025, the pope’s 70th birthday. / Credit: Vatican Media
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Vatican City, Sep 14, 2025 / 09:55 am (CNA).
On Sunday, his 70th birthday, Pope Leo XIV presided at the recitation of the Angelus with pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square. From the early morning hours, the square had filled up with the faithful carrying banners, flags, and congratulatory signs to celebrate the pope’s milestone.Leo was visibly moved when musical groups in the square played “Happy Birthday,” a gesture greeted with applause, cheers, and the waving of signs bearing messages of gratitude and blessing.“Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday! Today the Church celebrates the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, commemorating the discovery of the cross by St. Helen in Jerusalem in the fourth century and the return of the precious relic to the Holy City by the Emperor Heraclius,” the pope said at the start of his reflection.He explained that the day’s Gospel (Jn 3:13–17) presents Nicodemus as “one of the leaders of the Jews, a righteous and open-minded person … He needs light and guidance: He seeks God and asks the Teacher of Nazareth for help because he recognizes him as a prophet, a man who performs extraordinary signs.”“The Lord welcomes him, listens to him, and eventually reveals to him that the Son of Man must be lifted up, ‘so that whoever believes in him may have eternal life’ … adding: ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life,’” the pope said.<figure class="mx-auto" style="width:100%"><img src="https://admin.catholicnewsagency.com/images/tom5174.jpg" class="img-fluid" style="null" alt="Pilgrims in St. Peter's Square hold a banner congratulating Pope Leo XIV on his 70th birthday, Sept. 14, 2025. Credit: Vatican Media"><figcaption class="caption text-muted">Pilgrims in St. Peter's Square hold a banner congratulating Pope Leo XIV on his 70th birthday, Sept. 14, 2025. Credit: Vatican Media</figcaption></figure>“God saves us by showing himself to us, offering himself as our companion, teacher, doctor, friend, to the point of becoming bread broken for us in the Eucharist. In order to accomplish this task, he used one of the cruelest instruments that human beings have ever invented: the cross,” Leo said.“That is why today we celebrate the ‘exaltation’: for the immense love with which God has transformed the means to death into an instrument of life, embracing it for our salvation, teaching us that nothing can separate us from him and that his love is greater than our own sin,” he added.After leading the Angelus, the pope noted the 60th anniversary of St. Paul VI’s institution of the Synod of Bishops, expressing hope that “this anniversary will inspire a renewed commitment to the unity and mission of the Church.” He also extended greetings to pilgrims from around the world.<div style="width:100%" class="mx-auto embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JD-e6uNpcbc?feature=oembed" class="embed-responsive-item " frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></div>At the close, he turned to a more personal meaning of the day: “Dear friends, it seems that you know that today I turn 70 years old. I give thanks to the Lord and to my parents; and I thank all those who have remembered me in their prayers. Many thanks to everyone! Thank you! Have a good Sunday!”This story <a href="https://www.aciprensa.com/noticias/117201/el-papa-leon-xiv-preside-el-angelus-en-el-dia-de-su-70-cumpleanos-doy-gracias-al-senor-y-a-mis-padres" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">was first published</a> by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
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<category>Vatican</category>
<pubDate>Sun, 14 Sep 2025 09:55:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Death of Melkite Catholic in Syrian prison sparks debate over security abuses ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266563/death-of-melkite-catholic-in-syrian-prison-sparks-debate-over-security-abuses</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/storage/image/obispos-espana-condenan-violencia-ataque-a-iglesias-shutterstock-25012023.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
null / Credit: Freedom Studio/Shutterstock
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ACI MENA, Sep 14, 2025 / 08:09 am (CNA).
The death of Milad Farakh, a member of the Melkite Greek Catholic community from the village of Kafra in Syria’s Valley of Christians (Wadi al-Nasara), has stirred controversy on social media. About two weeks after his arrest and transfer to the Balouna Prison in Homs on charges of selling spoiled meat, reports emerged recently that he had died under torture, based on leaks.A local source told ACI MENA, CNA’s Arabic-language news partner, that the “spoiled meat” charge (Farakh was a butcher) was merely a cover to prevent unrest in the region. The source added that the security services themselves admitted Farakh had died under torture and issued an official apology. The officer responsible for interrogating him was also detained.At the same time, the source stressed that media claims of “persecution of Christians” in Wadi al-Nasara do not reflect reality. “We have never felt any direct targeting. Relations between the local community and the security services are built on coordination, especially with the church authorities. Speaking of persecution here is inaccurate.” He summarized the main problems faced by detainees during investigations involve three things: denial of communication with their families, lengthy interrogation periods, and the use of torture.From the perspective of Syrian security services, Farakh’s real charge was collaboration with foreign actors. “The authorities told us they had photos, videos, and audio recordings implicating him in the bombing of a car near the Valley Hotel about a month ago (officially attributed at the time to a fuel tank explosion), as well as in planting an explosive device in another location,” the source told ACI MENA. “He was also accused of receiving explosives and coordinating with outside groups to provoke media outrage and frame the events as persecution of Christians in Wadi al-Nasara, in order to establish an opposition front in the region.”urcDespite these accusations, the source concluded: “We cannot confirm either his involvement or his innocence. He died before his side of the story could be heard or before a fair trial could take place.”In a related development, the nearby city of Qusayr in Homs province recently witnessed a wave of arrests. Initially, they were described as an attempt to drive out Christians. Later it was learned that 30 people had been detained, most of them Muslims (both Sunnis and Alawites). Some have since been released, while about 15 remain in custody, including seven Christians, facing charges ranging from murder and rape to falsifying property records, according to the Syrian Ministry of Interior.This story <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.acimena.com/news/6507/khlfyw-amnyw-la-tayfyw-mot-msyhyw-tht-altaathyb-fy-sorya__;!!GfxeEQ!TQuDwtWwouHMgZhKFj7QEJxnqa6pUzjxoUuzGDcSQmSjvHfHupNbT4ESK3BxmPhMA_uK2Uh3Yh7u6KI$" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">was first published by ACI MENA</a>, CNA’s Arabic-language news partner, and has been translated for and adapted by CNA.
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<category>Middle East - Africa</category>
<pubDate>Sun, 14 Sep 2025 08:09:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ ‘Happy birthday, Pope Leo!’: EWTN viewers around the world share songs, prayers ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266561/happy-birthday-pope-leo-ewtn-viewers-around-the-world-share-songs-prayers</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/tre1032.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
Pope Leo XIV waves at the crowds of people who braved a rainy morning for the general audience in St. Peter’s Square on Sept. 10, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media
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National Catholic Register, Sep 14, 2025 / 07:09 am (CNA).
Sept. 14 marks Pope Leo XIV’s 70th birthday. To celebrate, “EWTN News In Depth” invited viewers to send in video messages to share their own personal greeting to the Holy Father on such a momentous occasion.The responses ranged from young Catholic school children singing “Happy Birthday” to seminarians and priests sharing their own sentiments and religious sisters gathered to say happy birthday in unison. Some celebrated by blowing out candles while holding their own Pope Leo prayer card, while many just thanked the Holy Father for all the love and joy he shares daily.Although many American voices shared birthday blessings and prayers of gratitude, several messages came from the Philippines, many in Spanish, and one even from Norway and the Netherlands.There was a heartfelt greeting from a group in Hong Kong and another from an African girl in her Catholic school uniform.Voices also came in from France, Indonesia, and Poland. A man named Derrick shared a message from Moscow in Russia. And there were countless voices from his own hometown, Chicago!  Pope Leo even received a special message from his alma mater, Villanova University: “May God continue to bless you,” a current student said. Good wishes also came from the Augustinian-run Villanova College in Brisbane, Australia, where the celebration featured a birthday cake and a cutout of the pope.  Young Catholic school pupils in Cincinnati offered a creative rendition of “Happy Birthday,” while another beautiful compilation came in all the way from Nigeria at St. Augustine’s Catholic School in Oghara. Students also shared a message from Galilee in the Holy Land from Christian Outreach Center, all excited to celebrate with the pope. One boy from St. Joseph’s Catholic School in South Bend, Indiana, was so excited to share not only that he shares the same name, Leo, but also the same birthday, adding that he’s turning 14 this weekend. Many viewers shared their excitement about having their first American-born pope, some just taking the time to send in their own greeting from the comforts of their own home. “We are so grateful to have you as a Church,” a young woman wrote. “We as young people especially would like to let you know that we are listening to you, that we are behind you, and we are living out the Gospel message because of you.” Another man shared a message from Pendleton, Oregon, assuring Pope Leo of his daily prayers for him.A few greetings came in from fellow polyglots, sharing birthday greetings in multiple languages, something the pope of many tongues will enjoy. And one woman was really creative, making an acrostic poem using the letters of the pope’s name.One greeting came in from the National Shrine of St. Maximilian Kolbe at Marytown in Libertyville, Illinois, from a group sitting on the floor holding a Chicago White Sox flag, all with matching Pope Leo shirts, including Bubba the hassett hound who is “our beloved mascot,  who is usually a Cubs fan but this weekend, he said he’ll root for the Sox just for you!”Many of the messages came with promises of prayer with hearts full of gratitude. To watch all the videos that came in, please enjoy the video below:<div style="width:100%" class="mx-auto embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/x2OFj-wPSmE?feature=oembed" class="embed-responsive-item null" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="null" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></div>Happy birthday Pope Leo!
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<category>Vatican</category>
<pubDate>Sun, 14 Sep 2025 07:09:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Juan Dabdoub, tireless defender of life and family in Mexico, dies ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266547/juan-dabdoub-tireless-defender-of-life-and-family-in-mexico-dies</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/juan.d..jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
Juan Dabdoub, founder of the Mexican Family Council. / Credit: David Ramos/EWTN News
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ACI Prensa Staff, Sep 14, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).
Juan Dabdoub Giacoman, a legendary and tireless defender of life and family in Mexico, passed away at the age of 71 on Sept. 11 in Mexico City after a long battle with cancer.“A Catholic at heart and by conviction,” as he described himself on <a href="https://x.com/juanmdabdoub" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">his social media</a>, Dabdoub was born on Nov. 30, 1953, in Monterrey in Nuevo León state in Mexico and specialized in marketing and business management.Self-described as a “rebel by nature and an idealist by conviction,” Dabdoub dedicated his recent decades to activism in support of life and family, and founded the Mexican Council of the Family (ConFamilia), which <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/42216/court-orders-mexican-senate-to-take-up-pro-family-constitutional-amendment-bill" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">promoted an amendment</a> to the Mexican Constitution to officially recognize marriage as between one man and one woman.The proposal was supported by more than 200,000 signatures, nearly twice the number required by law, but was ignored by the country’s Senate despite the legal requirement to consider the initiative. Under Mexican law, a citizen initiative is a means for citizens to directly file a specific bill or have a particular issue taken up by the Congress.  Dabdoub was also part of the founding group of the National Front for the Family, which organized <a href="https://www.aciprensa.com/noticias/61426/video-marcha-por-la-familia-marco-la-historia-de-mexico" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">a historic day of demonstrations</a> across Mexico on Sept. 10, 2016, in rejection of the attempt by the federal executive branch, then led by President Enrique Peña Nieto, to promote same-sex marriage nationwide.A few days later, in Mexico City alone, <a href="https://www.aciprensa.com/noticias/61559/videos-y-fotos-mas-de-400-mil-en-marcha-por-la-familia-en-mexico" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">more than 400,000 people gathered</a>, an event led by Dabdoub, along with other pro-family leaders.In 2023 he denounced that textbooks distributed by the Mexican government contained “ideologized education”: “They provide sex education that the state is not supposed to provide. They provide it in a bad way and pervertedly,” he told ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, at the time.In his fight to defend life and family, as well as against gender ideology, he organized <a href="https://www.aciprensa.com/noticias/67112/agustin-laje-y-nicolas-marquez-llegan-a-mexico-a-dinamitar-la-ideologia-de-genero" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">speaking tours </a>throughout the country alongside figures such as Agustín Laje and Nicolás Márquez, authors of the Spanish-language book “Black Book of the New Left,” also available <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49445850-the-black-book-of-the-new-left" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">in English</a>. He was a speaker at various international and national events on family issues, a panelist on various television programs, and a guest columnist for various media outlets such as Grupo Reforma’s newspaper El Norte. He was also the author of numerous articles and essays on the defense of life and the family.He participated in the U.N. Population Conference in Cairo, Egypt, in 1994, and in the World Congresses of Families in Geneva (1999) and Mexico City (2004).Dabdoub studied at the Pan-American Institute of Senior Business Management (IPADE by its Spanish acronym) in Monterrey; he earned a master’s degree in marketing from Thunderbird in Glendale, Arizona, and a postgraduate degree in international trade from the Getulio Vargas Foundation in Rio de Janeiro.He was a professor of strategic planning at the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education, a professor of marketing at the University of Monterrey, and a professor at the Middle Management Training Institute, a subsidiary of IPADE.He was the founding president of Familia Mundial (World Family) and also worked at companies such as Kimberly-Clark Mexico, the Gamesa-Nabisco Group, and the Alfa Industrial Group.In recent years, Dabdoub remained steadfast in his pro-life and pro-family activism, even as he battled a devastating bout of cancer. After an initial victory, he experienced a relapse in recent months.He is survived by his four children, Juan Pablo, Patricio, Alejandro, and Nicole; and by a granddaughter.This story <a href="https://www.aciprensa.com/noticias/117153/muere-juan-dabdoub-incansable-defensor-de-la-vida-y-la-familia-en-mexico" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">was first published </a>by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
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<category>Americas</category>
<pubDate>Sun, 14 Sep 2025 06:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Pope Leo XIV’s Peruvian birthdays: Simplicity, closeness, and community ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266549/pope-leo-xiv-s-peruvian-birthdays-simplicity-closeness-and-community</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/pope.bday.peru.3.jpeg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
Pope Leo XIV is pictured here during a past birthday celebration when he served as bishop of the Diocese of Chiclayo, Peru. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Diocese of Chiclayo
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Lima Newsroom, Sep 13, 2025 / 17:00 pm (CNA).
Before becoming Pope Leo XIV, Bishop Robert Prevost celebrated various birthdays in Chiclayo, Peru, with gestures marked by simplicity, closeness, and community as remembered by laypeople and groups of faithful who shared these moments with him during his years as bishop of the diocese.Father Jorge Millán, who worked closely with Prevost in Chiclayo, recalled the sober style of these celebrations: “We used to gather as a family with the bishop: lunch, the classic cake, singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to him... It was just a pleasant afternoon, nothing more, but then he would return to work,” he shared with ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner.In the mornings, he recounted, the bishop received greetings from institutions and schools in the city, while in the afternoon he celebrated a birthday Mass at the cathedral. “That was his solemn celebration with the citizens. Everything was generally very simple, but at the same time very emotional, because he welcomed these gestures and was delighted,” the priest added.Janinna Sesa Córdova, former director of Caritas Chiclayo, fondly recalled a surprise prepared by the team of volunteers: “One year we made him believe we were looking for him for an urgent matter. When he arrived, we surprised him with balloons, a big card, and a cake. He was truly surprised because he wasn’t expecting it.” The Eucharistic Miracle 1649 Peru group also has fond memories. Its coordinator, Jesús León Ángeles, especially highlighted Sept. 14, 2022, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the authorities had declared a national quarantine: “We brought him a cake with his image and the design of the future Eucharistic Shrine of Eten on it. When he saw us, he began to applaud with a smile and said, ‘Thank you very much, let’s keep journeying together.’”Every Sept. 14, his birthday, coincided with the feast of the Lord in Captivity, a local devotion. As Millán recalled, “he never put his [birthday] first; he participated faithfully in the celebration and preferred to remain unnoticed in that sense.”This affection is expressed today in Rome. César Fernández, president of the Jesus of Nazareth in Captivity Association of Monsefú-Rome, announced that in 2025 they will carry a large banner with the message “Happy birthday, Holy Father Leo XIV. Chiclayo and Monsefú await you,” along with traditional music and dances. “For us, it’s a way of returning the affection he sowed in our land.”Testimonies agree that, both in Chiclayo and elsewhere, Pope Leo XIV never sought the limelight. He preferred to share the table — <a href="https://www.aciprensa.com/noticias/115555/los-platos-favoritos-del-papa-leon-xiv-en-chiclayo-peru" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">with kid goat, duck, and rice</a>, or his favorite dessert, lemon pie — and celebrate with the community in a fraternal atmosphere.“He was characterized by his simplicity. He ate whatever was offered to him, drove himself to the parishes, and sat with the people to gaze at the stars. He always conveyed closeness and humility,” Jesús León Ángeles recalled.This story <a href="https://www.aciprensa.com/" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">was first published </a>by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
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<category>Americas</category>
<pubDate>Sat, 13 Sep 2025 17:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Pope Leo XIV urges theologians to defend creation and human dignity in the age of AI ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266555/pope-leo-xiv-urges-theologians-to-defend-creation-and-human-dignity-in-the-age-of-ai</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/sza8567.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
Pope Leo XIV greets participants in a seminar organized by the Pontifical Academy of Theology on Sept. 13, 2025, at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media
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Vatican City, Sep 13, 2025 / 12:30 pm (CNA).
Pope Leo XIV on Saturday urged Catholic theologians to embrace a “theology of wisdom” capable of addressing urgent global challenges, from environmental crises to the ethical questions posed by artificial intelligence (AI).In his address to participants of an international seminar organized by the Pontifical Academy of Theology, the pope said that “environmental sustainability and the care of creation are essential commitments to ensure the survival of the human race” and have a direct impact on peaceful human coexistence.Leo emphasized that theology is at the heart of the Church’s missionary work but must be “incarnate, imbued with the human pains, joys, expectations and hopes of the women and men of our time.” Citing the examples of St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas, he said the great masters of the past modeled a synthesis of faith and reason that can guide theology today.Turning to contemporary matters, Pope Leo warned that the Church must not limit itself to moral reflections when considering AI.“An exclusively ethical approach to the complex world of artificial intelligence is not enough,” he said, stressing the need for an anthropological vision rooted in human dignity. “What is a human being? What is his or her inherent dignity, which is irreconcilable with a digital android?”Leo recalled 2023 legislation by his predecessor Pope Francis that reformed the academy, highlighting its three “faces”: academic rigor, contemplative wisdom, and solidarity expressed in acts of charity. Theology, Leo said, should remain rooted in an encounter with Christ while engaging philosophy, science, economics, law, literature, and the arts. Dialogue within the Church must also lead to dialogue with other cultures and religions, so that theology may serve both the Church and the wider world, the pope said.
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<category>Vatican</category>
<pubDate>Sat, 13 Sep 2025 12:30:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Pope Leo approves new measures to include people with disabilities in Vatican workforce ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266559/pope-leo-xiv-approves-new-measures-to-include-people-with-disabilities-in-vatican-workforce</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266559/pope-leo-xiv-approves-new-measures-to-include-people-with-disabilities-in-vatican-workforce</guid>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/storage/image/jubdis5.jpeg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
Ferrara, Italy, resident Davide Andreoli and his family visit St. Peter’s Square for the Jubilee of People with Disabilities, Monday, April 28, 2025. / Credit: Courtney Mares/CNA
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Vatican City, Sep 13, 2025 / 11:30 am (CNA).
Pope Leo XIV has approved new measures to promote the hiring of people with disabilities in the Vatican, saying their condition does not prevent them from serving in Church institutions.The updated regulations require Vatican offices to welcome and support employees with disabilities, including by providing accommodations where needed, “since the condition of disability does not preclude suitability for work,” the new provision states.Health requirements for job candidates have also been revised. Instead of demanding perfect health, the focus will be on whether a person is fit for the specific duties of the job, with certification provided by Vatican health services.The changes apply both to the Holy See and to Vatican City and take effect immediately. They follow another papal decision in August expanding family benefits for employees, including paternity leave and extra support for parents caring for children with disabilities.
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<category>Vatican</category>
<pubDate>Sat, 13 Sep 2025 11:30:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ New U.S. ambassador to the Vatican presents credentials to Pope Leo XIV ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266553/new-us-ambassador-to-the-vatican-presents-credentials-to-pope-leo-xiv</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/sim9906.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
Brian Burch, the new U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, presents his credentials to Pope Leo XIV in the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace on Sept. 13, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media
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Vatican City, Sep 13, 2025 / 11:03 am (CNA).
Pope Leo XIV on Saturday morning received Brian Burch, the new U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, in the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace for the formal presentation of his letters of credence.According to a U.S. embassy statement, the two men discussed the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza as well as “protecting religious freedom, the Vatican’s relationship with China, and the AI revolution.”Regarding this week’s assassination of conservative Christian activist Charlie Kirk, “Pope Leo underscored that our political differences can never be resolved with violence and told Ambassador Burch that he was praying for the widow of Mr. Kirk and his children,” the embassy said.The ambassador also presented the pope, who turns 70 on Sunday, with a personalized birthday cake.Burch, 50, was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Aug. 2 in a 49-44 vote. He was nominated by President Donald Trump in December 2024 and succeeds former ambassador Joe Donnelly, who served under the Biden administration.In a statement following his confirmation, Burch said he was “profoundly grateful” to the president and Senate for the opportunity to serve and asked for the prayers of Catholics across the United States, “that I may serve honorably and faithfully in the noble adventure ahead.”A native of Phoenix, Burch is married and the father of nine children. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Dallas in 1997 and began his career in business before moving into Catholic nonprofit leadership. From 2005 until his confirmation this year, he was president of CatholicVote Civic Action and the CatholicVote Education Fund, organizations dedicated to promoting Catholic engagement in public life.During his time with CatholicVote, Burch became a nationally recognized figure in Catholic political advocacy, encouraging American Catholics to participate in the democratic process and to defend religious liberty and the sanctity of life. CatholicVote’s new president, Kelsey Reinhardt, said in August that the group “joyfully celebrates” his confirmation, praising his 17 years of leadership.On the occasion of his confirmation, Burch noted a point of personal significance for him in his new role. “In a remarkable coincidence, or what I prefer to attribute to providence, Pope Leo XIV is from Chicago, which is also my hometown,” he said.After meeting the pope on Saturday, the embassy said, “Ambassador Burch described the meeting as extraordinarily friendly, like talking to a friend back home in Chicago.”
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<category>Vatican</category>
<pubDate>Sat, 13 Sep 2025 11:03:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Faith, family, and God’s mercy: Highlights from Erika Kirk’s TV address ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266557/erika-kirk-charlie-kirk-tv-address</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/erika-kirk-on-plane.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
Vice President JD Vance (right), second lady Usha Vance (center), and Erika Kirk deplane Air Force Two while escorting the body of Charlie Kirk on Sept. 11, 2025, in Phoenix. / Credit: Kirk, Eric Thayer/Getty Images
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CNA Newsroom, Sep 13, 2025 / 10:05 am (CNA).
Erika Kirk, the widow of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk, vowed to continue her husband’s work Friday night during an impassioned and deeply personal televised address that focused on the importance of faith and family life.Appearing on <a href="youtube.com/watch?v=8lNF50VGFk4&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F&source_ve_path=Mjg2NjQsOTY3MTQ" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Fox News</a> just two days after her husband was shot and killed by an assassin’s bullet, fired from a rooftop on the campus of Utah Valley University where he was holding an outdoor event, she spoke for more than 16 minutes, maintaining her composure as she stood at a podium in her husband’s podcast studio, beside his empty chair.“I will never, ever have the words to describe the loss that I feel in my heart,” said Erika Kirk, the mother of two young children, ages 1 and 3.“I honestly have no idea what any of this means,” she said. “I know that God does, but I don’t. But Charlie, baby, I know you do, too. So does Our Lord.”“The evildoers responsible for my husband’s assassination have no idea what they have done,” she said.“They killed Charlie because he preached a message of patriotism, faith, and of God’s merciful love.”Here are other highlights from her remarks:She revealed that she had not yet told the couple’s 3-year-old daughter of her father’s death.“When I got home last night, Gigi, our daughter, just ran into my arms. And I talked to her, and she said, ‘Mommy, I missed you.’ I said, ‘I missed you too, baby.’“She goes, ‘Where’s daddy?’ She’s 3. I said, ‘Baby, daddy loves you so much. He’s on a work trip with Jesus, so he can afford your blueberry budget.’”She talked about why her husband advocated so passionately for marriage and family life.“Charlie always believed that God’s design for marriage in the family was absolutely amazing. And it is. It is. And it was the greatest joy of his life. And over and over, he would tell all these young people to come and find their future spouse, become wives and husbands and parents. And the reason why is because he wanted you all to experience what he had, and still has,” she said.“He wanted everyone to bring heaven into this earth through love and joy that comes from raising a family. It’s beautiful. Charlie always said that if he ever ran for office — I know a lot of you asked if he ever was going to — but privately, he told me if he ever did run for office, that his top priority would be to revive the American family. That was his priority.“One of Charlie’s favorite Bible verses was Ephesians 5 verse 25: ‘Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.’“My husband laid down his life for me, for our nation, for our children. He showed the ultimate and true covenantal love,” she said.Erika, who is a baptized Catholic, witnessed to the Christian faith she and her husband shared.“Charlie always said that when he was gone, he, he wanted to be remembered for his courage and for his faith,” she said.“And one of the final conversations that he had on this earth, my husband witnessed for his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Now and for all eternity, he will stand at his Savior’s side, wearing the glorious crown of a martyr.”During the broadcast, Erika Kirk urged others to make faith central to their lives, as her husband had done.“But most important of all, if you aren’t a member of a church, I beg you to join one, a Bible-believing church,” she said.“Our battle is not simply a political one above all. It is spiritual. It is spiritual. The spiritual warfare is palpable. Charlie loved his Savior with all of his heart, and he wanted every one of you to know him, too. He wanted everyone to know that if they confess, if they confess the Lord Jesus Christ who rose from the dead, then they will be saved.“Hear me when I say this. Nobody is ever too young to know the Gospel. Nobody. Nobody is ever too young to get involved with saving this beautiful country, this country my husband loved and still loves. And nobody is ever too old, either.”She vowed to continue Charlie’s work with Turning Point USA, the conservativve advocacy organization he founded, and said the campus speaking tour he had just embarked on would go on.“If you thought that my husband’s mission was powerful before, you have no idea. You have no idea what you just have unleashed across this entire country and this world. You have no idea,” she said.“You have no idea the fire that you have ignited within this wife. The cries of this widow will echo around the world like a battle cry.“To everyone listening tonight across America, the movement my husband built will not die,” she said. “It won’t. I refuse to let that happen. It will not die.”
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<category>US</category>
<pubDate>Sat, 13 Sep 2025 10:05:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ ‘Kendrick was joyful all the time,’ reflects father of Kendrick Castillo ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266543/kendrick-was-joyful-all-the-time-reflects-father-of-kendrick-castillo</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266543/kendrick-was-joyful-all-the-time-reflects-father-of-kendrick-castillo</guid>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/kendrickcastillo1.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
Kendrick Castillo, who died in a school shooting in 2019 and whose cause for canonization has been opened in the Diocese of Colorado Springs. / Credit: Photo courtesy of John and Maria Castillo
</div>
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 13, 2025 / 10:00 am (CNA).
The Diocese of Colorado Springs announced it received a petition to open a cause for canonization for Kendrick Castillo, the lone fatal casualty after a shooting at a <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/41321/the-young-man-with-a-big-good-heart-stem-hero-kendrick-castillo-laid-to-rest" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Colorado school </a>in 2019, when the 18-year-old died after jumping into the line of fire to stop one of the shooters. “Knowing Kendrick, we knew that that was something that he would do,” said his parents, Maria and John Castillo, in an interview with “EWTN News In Depth” this week.“We’re so humbled and grateful,” John said about the opening of Kendrick’s <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266339/kendrick-castillo-lone-fatality-at-stem-school-shooting-could-become-a-saint" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">cause for canonization</a>. “It’s one of the greatest gifts that can ever be bestowed upon anybody. It’s just the sheer mention of sainthood. We always have felt … that since Kendrick was born, he’s been our saint. He’s worthy, and we believe that. But to hear it coming from our Catholic brothers and sisters and our families, it’s different and it’s more powerful.”<div style="width:100%" class="mx-auto embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/a44OBvhN5ac?feature=oembed" class="embed-responsive-item " frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></div>The priests in the diocese advocating for Kendrick’s cause believe that he qualifies for beatification in a new category called “Offering of Life.” In a <a href="https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/motu_proprio/documents/papa-francesco-motu-proprio_20170711_maiorem-hac-dilectionem.html" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">2017 motu proprio</a>, Pope Francis established a new category of Christian life eligible for beatification, recognizing individuals who died prematurely as a sacrificial offering of their life out of love for God and neighbor.Since his death, there have been “numerous things that have taken place to honor Kendrick, and they’ve all been spectacular,” John said. “But this is on a level that is indescribable. It really is an honor, it’s humbling.”Reflected on the kind of man his son was, John said: “Kendrick was joyful all the time. I don’t think there’s a picture [of him] that we have that doesn’t have a smile on it. He was just happy all the time. He loved life.” “He made friends everywhere he went,” John continued, remembering a particular time when Kendrick was in preschool. “A child was being dropped off and was afraid to leave his mom for the day. Kendrick, as a little kid, went over and hugged him and said it would be OK and comforted him. That was just in his nature.”At the public school Kendrick attended, “he took his Catholic faith and did what we’re asked to do as Catholics,” John said. He showed the “agape love that we should have for our savior. That’s what Kendrick did every day. I just wish people got to know his personality and see that.”His son had a “willingness to live out his faith and help his community at church,” the elder Castillo said, recalling his service as an usher and altar server at Mass and funerals.On the day of the shooting, Kendrick “risked his life to save others,” John said. “That was in Kendrick’s nature. We wish that he didn’t have to do that, of course. But in that moment, it wasn’t surprising to us that he would not run the other way [and] that he would defend the sanctity of life.”Maria said she wants her son to be remembered for “his love.” She said: “He loved his friends, his parents, but most importantly, he loved God.”Following recent shootings at <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266189/shooting-possible-mass-casualty-incident-at-minneapolis-annunciation-catholic-school-parish" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Annunciation Catholic Church</a> in Minnesota and <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266495/3-teenagers-in-critical-condition-after-colorado-high-school-shooting" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Evergreen High School in Colorado</a>, John offered consolation and wisdom to parents who have lost a child in such a tragedy. “My words to them would be: ‘Hold each other close.’” “Remember what we’re called to do in faith and surrender to trust in the Lord,” John said. “God did not make this happen. Evil is real, and we can’t let evil divide us. We must comfort one another. We must try to seek viable solutions that are going to create safety for our families and our community … Reach out to one another and don’t let evil win and pull you away from anything that’s positive and God’s grace in our lives.”
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<category>US</category>
<pubDate>Sat, 13 Sep 2025 10:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Students for Life’s Kristan Hawkins: Charlie Kirk ‘died a martyr’ ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266531/students-for-life-s-kristan-hawkins-charlie-kirk-died-a-martyr</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266531/students-for-life-s-kristan-hawkins-charlie-kirk-died-a-martyr</guid>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/kristin.h.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
Students for Life of America President Kristan Hawkins. / Credit: “EWTN News in Depth”/Screenshot
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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 13, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA).
In the wake of the <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266491/christian-conservative-activist-charlie-kirk-shot-dead-at-utah-valley-university-event" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">assassination</a> of Charlie Kirk on Sept. 10 at a Utah college campus, Kristan Hawkins, president of <a href="https://studentsforlife.org/" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Students for Life of America</a> and<a href="https://www.studentsforlifeaction.org/our-team/" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> Students for Life Action </a>and a close friend of Kirk’s, said: “His death will be a turning point.”In an interview with “EWTN News In Depth,” Hawkins called Kirk “a joyful warrior.” She pointed out: “He was a man of God and just moments before he was assassinated, he had proclaimed that Jesus Christ is his Lord and Savior. And he never shirked away from that, just like he never shirked away from any of the other political debates … I believe with my whole heart, he died a martyr.”<div style="width:100%" class="mx-auto embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WqrQ4hIZDRU?feature=oembed" class="embed-responsive-item " frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></div>Kirk, founder of <a href="https://tpusa.com/" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Turning Point USA</a> and campus activist, “truly enjoyed having conversations with those who disagreed with him and having the opportunity to change their minds,” Hawkins said. “He was a huge learning advocate … He was always wanting to find out the best ways to save our country and to advance our faith.”“We work symbiotically on campuses to spread the good news of the Gospel, but then also spread the voice of reason, which Pope Benedict was very clear [about]. He wrote about how reason is God’s gift and when reason is abandoned, violence becomes the only remaining path … When people stop talking, when they disagree with each other, it only leads to violence.”Hawkins highlighted Kirk’s mission to protect human life. Students for Life honored him in January at the National Pro-Life Summit with the Defender of Life Award “for his advocacy for life on college campuses.” Turning Point, Students for Life, and similar organizations that work to defend life “have become increasingly effective [in] winning back students,” Hawkins said, especially because of Kirk’s “ability to reach young men.” While the pro-life organizations have been “effective and things have started to shift in our country, it hasn’t shifted enough,” Hawkins said. “We still have a culture of death.” <h2>Manifestation of the ‘culture of death’</h2>The day of Kirk’s death, Hawkins was speaking to students at the University of Montana. “I was on campus for two hours before Charlie was shot and every argument from the 150 pro-choice students who surrounded me … was: ‘Maybe it is a baby, maybe it is human, but I can still kill it because I want to. That’s a culture of death.”“When I announced to them that my friend had been shot and we were trying to find updates on Charlie’s condition … they laughed.” <div class="twitter-wrapper"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">This is the callous response of pro-choice students at the University of Montana when I told them my friend Charlie Kirk had been shot. It was horrific. I share this because evil must be exposed in our nation, now more than ever. We may be at one of the lowest points in our… <a href="https://t.co/1QFpG754AX">pic.twitter.com/1QFpG754AX</a>— Kristan Hawkins (@KristanHawkins) <a href="https://twitter.com/KristanHawkins/status/1966235753513627968?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2025</a></blockquote><script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><div class="drag-handle" data-drag-handle="true"> </div></div>“This is what a culture of death breeds. When you say it’s OK to kill innocent babies and that there should be no recourse [for] killing innocent, helpless babies who are the most innocent among us, this is what it leads to. This is why we say it’s a culture of death that must be defeated and this is why we can’t abandon the campuses right now,” Hawkins said. “Do we abandon violence or accept reason?”Despite this tragedy, Hawkins said: “We have to stay on campuses, because we have to teach this generation, Gen Z, that violence isn’t acceptable.” She shared that her organizations will be going to “160 campuses this semester talking about [their] fall theme, which is ‘every human life matters.’ Charlie Kirk’s life matters.”“We have to go now harder and louder than ever before because God’s gift of reason must prevail. That is the only way our mission survives this.”Hawkins also asked people to pray for Kirk’s wife, Erika, and their young children. “I can’t even imagine the pain that Erika is going through,” Hawkins said. “To lose the love of her life, the father of her children, her rock, one that she loves so dearly, and Erika loves so fiercely. But she also loves the Lord.” “And so my prayer for her right now is that her faith prevails, and her faith carries her through this moment, and God grants her strength. She is strong enough to endure this. I would ask folks every morning when you wake up, pray for Erika. Pray for those two young children.”
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<category>US</category>
<pubDate>Sat, 13 Sep 2025 09:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<item>
<title><![CDATA[ The spiritual testament of Cardinal Karlic, one of the authors of the catechism ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266501/the-spiritual-testament-of-cardinal-karlic-one-of-the-authors-of-the-catechism</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266501/the-spiritual-testament-of-cardinal-karlic-one-of-the-authors-of-the-catechism</guid>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/stani.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
The late Cardinal Estanislao Karlic. / Credit: Courtesy of Archdiocese of Paraná
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ACI Prensa Staff, Sep 13, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).
The Archdiocese of Paraná in Argentina has published <a href="https://arzparan.org.ar/2025/09/08/testamento-espiritual-del-cardenal-estanislao-esteban-karlic/" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">the spiritual testament</a> of Cardinal Estanislao Karlic one month after his death. The prelate was one of the authors of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and died on Aug. 8 at the age of 99.The archdiocese noted that the testament was written by Karlic at the House of Mary of the Benedictine monastery Our Lady of Paraná in Aldea María Luisa during the solemnity of the Nativity of Jesus in 2024. Karlic served as archbishop of the archdiocese from 1983 to 2003.In his opening lines, the Argentine cardinal wrote: “The truth of the Catholic faith is what I confess as light, the light with which I ask the Lord to illuminate me in making this testament. I place myself before divine mercy, praying that it may envelop me with its redeeming love in the final moment of my earthly life. I thank God for the love he gave me, even before creation, in Christ the Redeemer.”The cardinal also gave thanks for “the life the Lord gave me through my beloved parents, who from their native Croatia were welcomed by this generous and welcoming Argentine land, where they were able to grow as a family, work, and provide a future for their children; I give thanks for the immense gift of baptism, for the education I received within my family together with my sisters, Milka and Catalina, in my hometown of Oliva, and in Córdoba.”After recalling that he studied at Monserrat School, the Córdoba seminary, the Pontifical Pio Latin American College in Rome, and Gregorian University, Karlic expressed his gratitude for the gift of the priesthood, the Archdiocese of Paraná, which welcomed him as archbishop, the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires, his brother bishops, the German dioceses that supported his archdiocese, the Augustinians who welcomed him in 2005, Pope John Paul II, and Pope Benedict XVI, who created him a cardinal.“St. John Paul II undeservedly honored me by appointing me to the drafting committee of the catechism of the universal Church, and thus allowed me to have the extraordinary experience of the Church’s universal love for all men,” the cardinal recalled.<h2>To the people of Argentina</h2>The cardinal also dedicated a few lines to his homeland: “To the pilgrim people of Argentina, I say that I have wanted to serve my blessed homeland with all my soul, dreaming of a life of authentic fraternity for it, as children of the same Father, based on genuine respect and dialogue to give everyone the opportunity to live a life worthy of the generosity that the Lord has had with this land, which he has showered with so many splendid gifts.”“May the Lord forgive our many sins and give us the grace of a true moral conversion to make this possible,” he continued.“In this final remembrance, I don’t want to forget anyone. That’s why I hold in my heart all the people I’ve met, all those who have been my dear friends, all those who have prayed for me and done me some kindness, and also those who have found it hardest to love me,” he wrote, entrusting himself to the Virgin Mary.<h2>Who was Cardinal Karlic?</h2>Born on Feb. 7, 1926, in Oliva, Córdoba province, Argentina, to a family of Croatian immigrants, his career included various milestones: He earned a doctorate in theology from the Gregorian University in Rome, was archbishop of Paraná, president of the Argentine Bishops’ Conference for two terms, and one of the authors of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.He served as professor of theology and head of the philosophy department at the Córdoba major seminary and received an honorary doctorate from the Catholic University of Santa Fe.Karlic spent his final years at Our Lady of Paraná Monastery, where he shared his daily life with a community of Benedictine sisters, who gathered every morning at 11 a.m. in the chapel where he celebrated Mass.In a telegram marking Karlic’s death, Pope Leo XIV<a href="https://www.aciprensa.com/noticias/116157/papa-leon-xiv-el-cardenal-estanislao-karlic-fue-un-abnegado-e-integro-pastor" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> recalled with gratitude</a> the ministry of the man he described as “a selfless and upright pastor who, for many years and with great fidelity, dedicated his life to the service of God and the Church, bringing the light of the Gospel to various fields of life and culture.”This story <a href="https://www.aciprensa.com/noticias/116999/testamento-espiritual-del-cardenal-karlic-uno-de-los-redactores-del-catecismo-de-la-iglesia-catolica" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">was first published </a>by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
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<category>Americas</category>
<pubDate>Sat, 13 Sep 2025 08:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ New Vatican interfaith team to meet Russian patriarch, leading imam in Kazakhstan ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266535/new-vatican-interfaith-team-to-meet-russian-patriarch-leading-imam-in-kazakhstan</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266535/new-vatican-interfaith-team-to-meet-russian-patriarch-leading-imam-in-kazakhstan</guid>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/3-1.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
The venue of the VIII Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions. / Credit: N. Nazarbayev Center for Development of Interfaith and Inter-Civilization Dialogue
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Vatican City, Sep 13, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).
Religious leaders from China, Russia, the Middle East, and the Vatican are converging in Astana, Kazakhstan, on Sept. 17–18 for the VIII Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions. The gathering brings together some of the world’s most diverse spiritual voices at a moment of heightened global tensions. This year’s congress will focus on the theme “Dialogue of Religions: Synergy for the Future.” The congress is convened by the government of Kazakhstan under the patronage of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who will formally open the gathering. Organizers also expect Pope Leo XIV to send a special message, following the tradition of papal support for the congress. For the Vatican, it marks the first major interfaith event under Pope Leo XIV and the debut of an entirely new papal delegation. Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad, newly-appointed prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, will deliver a keynote at the plenary session and read the final declaration at the closing ceremony.He is joined by Father Laurent Basanese, SJ, secretary for Religious Relations with Muslims. The French Jesuit, known for his expertise in Christian-Muslim dialogue, will contribute to a working group, attend the secretariat meeting, and address the Forum of Young Religious Leaders.“Since its founding, it has become a privileged space for promoting peace and mutual understanding among religions and cultures,” Basanese told CNA.The Vatican delegation also includes Father Vincenzo Marinelli, deputy apostolic nuncio to Kazakhstan, and Professor Tiziano Onesti, president of the Vatican’s pediatric hospital Bambino Gesù, who will lead medical cooperation talks with Kazakh institutions.One notable first this year is the participation of the Sovereign Order of Malta. Representing the order will be Pasquale Ferrara, diplomatic adviser to the order’s advisory council, who will take part in the congress on Sept. 18.One of the most anticipated figures in Astana is Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, whose participation has been officially confirmed. He last attended the congress in 2012. His presence raises the prospect of the highest-level Vatican-Moscow encounter since the war in Ukraine. Earlier this summer, Pope Leo received Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk in Rome, and Metropolitan Anthony will return to the Eternal City on Sept. 14 for an ecumenical commemoration of the new martyrs at St. Paul’s Outside the Walls. Four days later, Patriarch Kirill will preside over a prayer service in Astana’s Assumption Cathedral for the new martyrs and confessors of Kazakhstan. The twin commemorations — one in Rome, the other in Astana — underscore how the memory of Christian martyrdom is providing common ground for dialogue.Another high-profile participant is Ahmed al-Tayeb, the grand imam of Al-Azhar. In 2019, he co-signed with Pope Francis the historic Document on Human Fraternity in Abu Dhabi, which inspired the United Nations to establish Feb. 4 as the International Day of Human Fraternity just days before the congress. Rome hosted the World Meeting on Human Fraternity on Sept. 12–13, where Pope Leo XIV greeted participants on Friday. Basanese told CNA that for him the gathering in Astana is more than symbolic: “Interreligious dialogue, which often requires inexhaustible patience, cannot be reduced to superficial consensus or a sterile ‘diplomacy of smiles.’ In reality it is central to the Church’s mission. In 2025 we mark the 60th anniversary of <a href="https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_decl_19651028_nostra-aetate_en.html" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Nostra Aetate</a>, which affirmed that the Church ‘rejects nothing that is true and holy in these religions.’ Dialogue does not mean giving up the truth but bearing witness with respect, listening, and charity.” The congress was first convened in 2003 on the initiative of Kazakhstan’s first President Nursultan Nazarbayev, inspired by the interreligious meeting at Assisi in 1986 and strengthened by Pope John Paul II’s visit to Kazakhstan in 2001. Since then, it has been held every three years in Astana, bringing together leaders of major religions to foster peace and mutual understanding. The Holy See has participated since the beginning, and Pope Francis himself attended the previous congress in 2022.
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<category>Vatican</category>
<pubDate>Sat, 13 Sep 2025 07:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ ‘Surge of enthusiasm’ among Catholics in Asia after St. Carlo Acutis canonization ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266529/surge-of-enthusiasm-among-catholics-in-asia-after-st-carlo-acutis-canonization</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266529/surge-of-enthusiasm-among-catholics-in-asia-after-st-carlo-acutis-canonization</guid>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/eli7713.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
Pilgrims at the canonization Mass for Sts. Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati in St. Peter’s Square on Sept. 7, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media
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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 13, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).
Here is a roundup of Catholic world news from the past week that you might have missed:<h2>‘Surge of enthusiasm’ among Catholic in Asia after St. Carlo Acutis canonization </h2>Young Catholics in Asia are “experiencing a surge of enthusiasm” around the life of the newly canonized St. Carlos Acutis, according to the testimony of Father Will Conquer, a Paris Foreign Missions Society priest stationed in Cambodia, according to a <a href="https://www.ucanews.com/news/acutis-canonization-inspires-asias-youth-says-mep-missionary/110214" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Sept. 8 UCA News report</a>. “In Asia, where digital culture is omnipresent, Carlo Acutis stands out as a ‘saint 2.0,’” said Conquer, who added that the young saint’s life “resonates particularly in this region where young people, connected and searching for meaning, find in him an accessible and inspiring role model.” <h2>Catholic leaders in Jerusalem gather for conference on property tax laws </h2>The Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land gathered at the Notre Dame Center in Jerusalem on Sept. 10 for a “high-level conference dedicated to the Arnona property tax issue,” the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said in a <a href="https://lpj.org/index.php/en/news/conference-on-arnona-tax-brings-together-catholic-leadership-to" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Sept. 12 press release</a>. The conference comes after the Jerusalem Municipality’s decision to impose the Arnona municipal property tax on church properties, breaking with the historic status quo that has exempted Christian churches in the Holy Land from paying property taxes <a href="https://www.churchinneed.org/churches-cry-foul-as-tax-war-flares-up-again-in-israel/" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">since the Ottoman Empire</a>.According to the release, the conference opened with a keynote address by Latin Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, who “emphasized that the status quo regarding the Arnona tax has come to an end and that change is inevitable.” Pizzaballa further called for leaders among the assembly to unite and “for institutions to prepare themselves collectively and responsibly for the upcoming changes.”<h2>Catholic charity delivers water to South Korean city plighted by drought</h2>A charity organization called the Catholic Medical Angels has delivered 10 tons of water to the coastal city of Gangneung in South Korea, where rapidly declining water levels in the city’s Obong Reservoir has prompted a water crisis, according to <a href="https://www.ucanews.com/news/catholic-charity-delivers-aid-to-drought-hit-south-korean-city/110196" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">a report from UCA News</a>.“Though it is a small effort, we hope it helps the citizens of Gangneung and that this severe drought is resolved as soon as possible,” said Min Chang-Ki, director of the Catholic Medical Center, which oversees the Catholic Medical Angels.The delivery took place on Sept. 3 and was carried out at parishes across the local Chuncheon Diocese. The diminishing reservoir ordinarily supplies about 87% of the city’s tap and industrial water, the report said.<h2>Filipino priest to receive Nobel Prize of Asia for opposition toward former president </h2>Filipino priest Father Flavie Villanueva will receive the Ramon Magsaysay Award, often referred to as the “Nobel Prize of Asia,” for his work building shelters for Manila’s homeless population and “defending victims of extrajudicial killings” in former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s drug crackdown, <a href="https://cruxnow.com/church-in-asia/2025/09/filipino-priest-who-defied-duterte-to-receive-nobel-prize-of-asia" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">according to Crux</a>.“I accept this on behalf of the thousands of homeless and those victims of social injustice, particularly the EJK victims, that they may have a face in this fast-changing world,” Villanueva said in a press conference on Wednesday. He will receive the award officially in a ceremony on Nov. 7.<h2>Catholics in Nepal hoping for an end to violence amid corruption protests</h2>Catholics in Nepal are hoping for an end to ongoing violence, according to Nepal priest Father Silas Bogati, after anti-corruption protests in the country escalated on Sept. 6, resulting in the deaths of at least 22 people, according to a <a href="https://cruxnow.com/church-in-asia/2025/09/priest-said-catholics-in-nepal-are-hoping-for-an-end-to-violence" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Sept. 10 Crux report</a>.“Violence is never a solution to problems, and now we hope there will be peaceful transition and people can live in peace,” the priest said. “For the Catholic Church, we want to see the end of violence and arson attacks and get a peaceful solution to the ongoing problems.”The priest’s words come after “a full curfew” was enacted following Saturday’s unrest, which was ignited by social media bans across the country.
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<category>US</category>
<pubDate>Sat, 13 Sep 2025 06:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ World Health Organization promotes abortion drugs on essential medicines list ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266545/world-health-organization-promotes-abortion-drugs-on-essential-medicines-list</link>
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The World Health Organization’s Model List of Essential Medicines 2025 no longer has the caveat that abortion drugs should only be used where “legally permitted or culturally acceptable.” / Credit: KadirKARA/Shutterstock
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CNA Staff, Sep 12, 2025 / 17:34 pm (CNA).
Here is a roundup of recent pro-life and abortion-related news.<h2>WHO promotes abortion drugs on essential medicines list</h2>Pro-life leaders are expressing concern after the inclusion of abortion drugs in the World Health Organization (WHO)’s latest annual list of essential medicines, noting that the drugs can be “dangerous.” The <a href="https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/B09474" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Model List of Essential Medicines 2025</a>, released on “International Safe Abortion Day,” had a section dedicated to abortion drugs, which for the first time did not include the caveat that these medicines are not legal or culturally acceptable everywhere. According to WHO, “the list no longer carries the boxed caveat, in place since 2005, that singled out these medicines as only to be used where legally permitted or culturally acceptable.” Dr. Ingrid Skop, vice president and director of medical affairs for Charlotte Lozier Institute and a board-certified OB-GYN, expressed concern that these drugs were being recommended for use around the world, noting that abortion drugs “have a <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/lozierinstitute.org/fact-sheet-risks-and-complications-of-chemical-abortion/*:*:text=Chemical*20abortion*20has*20a*20complication*20rate*20four*20times*20that*20of*20surgical*20abortion*2C*20and*20as*20many*20as*20one*20in*20five*20women*20will*20suffer*20a*20complication.*5B1*5D*2C*20*5B2*5D__;I34lJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSU!!GfxeEQ!SU5E6f_I6nj3OWqRWBMYLfoUsGH9-feluVmz7pKx2wLbFPMtFPUZysz7GgA8btM3uZJlYT_LRRaTQFdaEOq0$" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">complication rate</a> four times higher than surgical abortion.”“As many as 1 in 5 women will suffer a complication and 1 in 20 will require surgical completion,” Skop said. “Also, a recent <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.ajog.org/article/S0002-9378(25)00111-5/abstract__;!!GfxeEQ!SU5E6f_I6nj3OWqRWBMYLfoUsGH9-feluVmz7pKx2wLbFPMtFPUZysz7GgA8btM3uZJlYT_LRRaTQCR2BSVb$" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">study</a> found that more than a third of women who used abortion drugs were unprepared for the amount of pain and bleeding they encountered.” “Yet, the WHO is recommending them for use in Third World countries with poor health care systems, where emergency care may be limited or nonexistent,” Skop continued. Calling the action a part of WHO’s “population control and eugenic agenda,” Skop urged WHO to “instead devote more attention to helping countries obtain the resources they need to impact maternal mortality, such as blood-banking for hemorrhage and antibiotics and critical care for infections.”Michael New, a senior associate scholar at Charlotte Lozier Institute and assistant professor of practice at The Catholic University of America, added that the WHO’s decision was “disappointing” but “unsurprising.” “The World Health Organization has always had a very strong pro-abortion bias,” New said, noting that the group’s website calls abortion a “critical public health and human rights issue.”New also noted that WHO’s website “wrongly claims that ‘evidence shows that restricting access to abortions does not reduce the number of abortions’ even though many, many studies show the incidence of abortion is impacted by its legal status.” Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America Political Affairs Communications Director Kelsey Pritchard expressed gratitude that the U.S. <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/withdrawing-the-united-states-from-the-worldhealth-organization/" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">withdrew</a> from WHO in January.  “Thank goodness President Trump withdrew the U.S. from the pro-abortion WHO, and they keep proving that decision right,” she said. “The abortion industry — including foreign, criminal abortion drug rings — is flooding every state with these drugs whether it is legal or not.” Pritchard also noted that abortion drugs can be “dangerous.” “A mounting body of scientific <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/sbaprolife.org/latest-news/top-abortion-drug-studies-what-the-science-says__;!!GfxeEQ!TXvT3u2EfDgrw5F5krT7lKzHI5oumylAKPTGQPM8skz5hdJiGsjRMmJc7ZSSjtXwpal6P0sPc4xkALYo$" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">evidence</a> and real-life <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/sbaprolife.org/latest-news/abortion-drugs-fuel-abuse-the-women-poisoned-against-their-will__;!!GfxeEQ!TXvT3u2EfDgrw5F5krT7lKzHI5oumylAKPTGQPM8skz5hdJiGsjRMmJc7ZSSjtXwpal6P0sPc3tg9jNO$" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">horror stories</a> show abortion drugs are far more dangerous than advertised, exposing the serious risks they pose to women and girls as well as unborn children,” she said. “Week after week these dangerous drugs cause more tragedies: Women coerced and poisoned, girls rushed to the ER, mothers dying along with their babies — all while the abortion industry profits from deception and abusers benefit from unfettered drug access,” Pritchard continued.Pritchard anticipated the FDA’s review of the drug, saying that “we’re confident once the evidence is examined, it will be undeniable how harmful these drugs truly are.” <h2>California bill allowing anonymous abortion prescriptions awaits signature </h2>A California bill that would allow health care providers to anonymously prescribe abortion drugs <a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/07/07/nx-s1-5452449/california-bill-would-protect-doctors-who-mail-abortion-medication-to-patients" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">could soon become law</a>. The law would allow a pharmacist to dispense abortion drugs “without the name of the patient, the name of the prescriber, or the name and address of the pharmacy, subject to specified requirements,” according to the <a href="https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB260" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">bill’s text.</a>The law would allow abortionists to anonymously mail abortion medication to patients in California and in the rest of the U.S., even to states where these abortion drugs are illegal. This could make it harder for states to build legal cases against abortionists operating under shield laws.<h2>New York attorney general intervenes in landmark legal battle over abortion shield laws</h2>Attorney General Letitia James is intervening in a landmark case involving a New York abortionist who allegedly prescribed abortion pills to a patient in Texas, where the drugs are illegal. James sent a letter to the state Supreme Court judge in Ulster County, New York, saying she has the authority to enforce the state’s shield law — a law designed to protect abortionists who violate the laws of other states. The abortion shield law prohibits state officials from cooperating with investigations into abortionists for out-of-state abortions, even when abortion drugs are illegal in those states.The legal battle is among the first challenges to New York’s 2023 shield law.
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<category>US</category>
<pubDate>Fri, 12 Sep 2025 17:34:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Christian in wheelchair killed while livestreaming his faith in France ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266541/christian-in-wheelchair-killed-while-livestreaming-his-faith-in-france</link>
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A 45-year-old Iraqi Christian who fled his homeland to escape Islamist persecution was stabbed to death in Lyon in southern France on the evening of Sept. 10, 2025. / Credit: Stock-Asso/Shutterstock
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Lyon, France, Sep 12, 2025 / 17:04 pm (CNA).
A 45-year-old Iraqi Christian who fled his homeland to escape Islamist persecution was stabbed to death in Lyon in southern France on the evening of Sept. 10.He was reportedly livestreaming a video on TikTok in which he spoke about his faith. The attack has shocked local Christian communities and drawn calls for clarity on the motives behind the killing. According to local newspaper<a href="https://www.leprogres.fr/faits-divers-justice/2025/09/11/un-homme-en-fauteuil-roulant-tue-a-l-arme-blanche" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> Le Progrès</a>, the victim, identified as Ashur Sarnaya — who was disabled and used a wheelchair — was returning to his apartment building when a man, apparently waiting for him, struck him in the neck with a knife. Emergency services, alerted shortly before 10:30 p.m., found him in cardiac arrest and were unable to revive him. Born in 1979, Sarnaya had lived in the building with his sister for more than a decade after fleeing the advance of the Islamic State in Iraq in 2014. Neighbors described him as “a vulnerable person who didn’t walk and never caused any trouble.”<h2>An anti-Christian murder?  </h2>Relatives<a href="https://www.leprogres.fr/faits-divers-justice/2025/09/11/poignarde-sur-son-fauteuil-roulant-il-est-revenu-pour-tuer-mon-frere-confie-sa-soeur" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> told</a> local media that Sarnaya, an Assyrian Christian, regularly hosted live sessions on TikTok in the evenings in which he spoke about Christianity. In a video clip that was still<a href="https://x.com/ceanglobal/status/1966470389204238491" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> circulating</a> online the following morning, he appeared with his face covered in blood streaming from his nose and mouth.“He was a normal person. He did live videos on TikTok to spread the word of God. He had no enemies, no problems with anyone,” his sister<a href="https://rmc.bfmtv.com/actualites/police-justice/faits-divers/homme-handicape-tue-a-lyon-il-faisait-des-lives-tiktok-pour-faire-passer-la-parole-de-dieu-confie-sa-soeur_AV-202509110487.html" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> told</a> RMC-BFM Lyon, recounting how she was alerted by friends who were watching the livestream at the moment of the attack. “When I arrived, he was dead. He was on the ground, there were lots of people, the police, the firefighters.”On his social media accounts, Sarnaya often shared testimonies of faith in Arabic. In one post<a href="https://fr.aleteia.org/2025/09/11/lyon-un-chretien-irakien-en-fauteuil-roulant-assassine-en-plein-live/" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> cited</a> by Aleteia France, he complained that his content was frequently blocked or suspended due to reports from Muslim users. In March, he claimed to have been physically attacked by Muslims.The president of the Assyro-Chaldean Association of Lyon, Georges Shamoun Ishaq, told the Catholic media that Sarnaya was “a very kind, discreet person, deeply believing, who liked to speak about the Christian faith.”The Lyon prosecutor’s office has opened a homicide investigation, entrusted to the Division of Organized and Specialized Crime. At this stage, investigators are not prioritizing any hypothesis — whether criminal, political, religious, or drug-related. AFP<a href="https://www.leprogres.fr/faits-divers-justice/2025/09/11/un-homme-en-fauteuil-roulant-tue-a-l-arme-blanche" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> reportedly</a> received a video footage of a man in dark clothing and a hood leaving the scene, identified as the presumed attacker.<h2>Catholic organizations respond </h2>Catholic organizations in France have expressed strong concern. Œuvre d’Orient<a href="https://x.com/OeuvredOrient/status/1966138217129779461" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> condemned</a> “with the greatest firmness the murder of a vulnerable Iraqi Christian,” stressing that “it is essential that Christians of the Middle East be able to witness to their faith in safety and live with dignity.” SOS Chrétiens d’Orient<a href="https://x.com/SOSCdOrient/status/1966451426839654499" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> recalled</a> that Sarnaya had fled the persecution of ISIS in Iraq. “It is unimaginable that a Christian who fled persecution should be murdered in France,” the organization stated, calling for prayers for the repose of his soul and for his family. Family members also paid tribute to Sarnaya on social media. One cousin<a href="https://www.leparisien.fr/faits-divers/qui-etait-ashur-46-ans-chretien-dirak-refugie-a-lyon-et-tue-en-direct-sur-tiktok-12-09-2025-74X5O22W5FCX7KOA2HN3ASUM24.php" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> described</a> him as a martyr on Facebook: “He was preaching live when his life was tragically taken,” the post read, adding that his faith would always remain an inspiration.Reactions from political leaders have so far been limited. Marine Le Pen, leader of the right-wing party Rassemblement National,<a href="https://x.com/MLP_officiel/status/1966405967601451252" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> claimed</a> on X that Sarnaya “was savagely stabbed to death in Lyon by an Islamist. While granting asylum to the persecuted is legitimate, our uncontrolled immigration policy now leads us to welcome their executioners.” Lyon-based influencer Verlaine, also<a href="https://x.com/__Verlaine__/status/1966209642834571498" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> paid tribute</a> to the victim on X, highlighting his noticeable presence on social media, “where he shared above all his Catholic faith…,” suggesting that it was the reason why he was killed. “Rest in peace, Sir,” he wrote. <h2>Relentless rise of anti-Christian acts in France </h2>The killing of Sarnaya comes against a backdrop of growing concern over anti-Christian incidents in France. Advocacy groups have repeatedly warned of a rise in acts targeting churches, cemeteries, and believers over the past years.  On Aug. 7, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau asked prefects to reinforce protection of Christian places of worship, particularly around the feast of the Assumption. According to<a href="https://www.crsi-paris.fr/une-recrudescence-des-actes-anti-chretiens/" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> official figures</a>, 401 anti-Christian acts were recorded between January and June, an increase of 13% compared with the same period in 2024. Vandalism and desecration of churches account for the majority of these attacks.  Earlier this week, on Sept. 8, a statue of the Virgin and Child was deliberately<a href="https://www.leparisien.fr/faits-divers/guingamp-une-statue-de-la-vierge-marie-incendiee-en-pleine-messe-une-enquete-ouverte-11-09-2025-2LSJ5G7MC5CDBFAHOE3OEV4EBU.php" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> set on fire</a> during Mass at the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Bon-Secours in Guingamp (Brittany). The same statue had already been targeted by arson in 2015 and 2021. On July 25, the Notre-Dame des Champs church in Paris’ sixth arrondissement was also the<a href="https://www.lefigaro.fr/faits-divers/paris-l-eglise-notre-dame-des-champs-dans-le-6e-arrondissement-visee-par-un-incendie-criminel-20250725" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> target</a> of an arson attack. A year ago, the arson attack that devastated a historic church in northern France had already caused a<a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/259073/devastating-attack-on-church-in-france-renews-concerns-over-security-in-places-of-worship" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> wave of national emotion</a>. The relative lack of media coverage given to anti-Christian acts, which number in the hundreds each year, has fueled concerns among Catholic observers that this phenomenon may worsen if not addressed with greater seriousness.
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<category>Europe</category>
<pubDate>Fri, 12 Sep 2025 17:04:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ U.S. bishops’ conference creates a permanent subcommittee to address racism ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266539/us-bishops-conference-creates-a-permanent-subcommittee-to-address-racism</link>
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United States Conference of Catholic Bishops headquarters in Washington, D.C., where Archbishop Timothy Broglio, USCCB president, said the Subcommittee for the Promotion of Racial Justice and Reconciliation will continue “important work.” / Credit: Farragutful, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 12, 2025 / 16:34 pm (CNA).
The Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism established in 2017 by former United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) President Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston has officially been made a permanent body within the USCCB, according to a <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/17B5JViKZybHdcZ6SH2ikOeEVhgDQa7dtWtM116uqFrY/edit?usp=sharing" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Sept. 10 press release</a>. The newly created, permanent Subcommittee for the Promotion of Racial Justice and Reconciliation “continues the important work of the temporary ad hoc committee,” said USCCB President Archbishop Timothy Broglio. “As we call for a genuine conversion of heart that will compel change at both individual and institutional levels,” he continued, “I invite all Catholics to join us as we carry forward this work to recognize and uphold the inherent dignity of every person made in the image and likeness of God.”The Administrative Committee of the USCCB approved the transition on Sept. 9, according to the press release, noting that the new subcommittee falls “under the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development.” The Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development “seeks to teach about and to witness to the intrinsic dignity of the human person as an antidote to the grave sin of racism” and “explores and implements concrete solutions to address the racism that still pervades our society and our Church today, and works in collaborative ways to strengthen the response of all people to this evil.”The move to cement the ad hoc committee comes as part of the bishops’ “ongoing commitment to addressing the sin of racism,” the release noted. The committee’s <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266211/20-years-after-hurricane-katrina-us-bishops-call-for-renewed-commitment-to-racial-justice" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">chair, Bishop Joseph Perry</a>, also weighed in, stating: “I speak on behalf of the bishop members, staff, and consultants of the Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism in expressing gratitude for the transition of our committee to a standing subcommittee so that the important work of evangelization of the faithful and the community at large may continue in the spirit of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” The committee will officially begin work after this year’s November plenary assembly.
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<category>US</category>
<pubDate>Fri, 12 Sep 2025 16:34:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Pope Leo XIV: Inappropriate behavior of the clergy ‘cannot be kept in a drawer’ ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266537/pope-leo-xiv-inappropriate-behavior-of-the-clergy-cannot-be-kept-in-a-drawer</link>
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Pope Leo XIV meets with bishops on Sept. 11, 2025, at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media
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ACI Prensa Staff, Sep 12, 2025 / 16:04 pm (CNA).
In a meeting with bishops appointed in the last year, Pope Leo XIV exhorted them to address issues related to inappropriate behavior on the part of the clergy: “They can’t be put away in a drawer.”At the end of his Sept. 11 morning <a href="https://www.aciprensa.com/noticias/117093/papa-leon-xiv-pide-a-los-obispos-ser-servidores-de-la-fe" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">address</a> to the prelates participating in the formation course organized by the Holy See, the Holy Father engaged them in a fraternal dialogue, giving them the opportunity to convey their concerns and worries.The pontiff offered an overview of the challenges and issues bishops face at the beginning of a new ministry, such as fear, a sense of unworthiness, and the different expectations each had for their lives before being called.<h2>Don’t be frightened by the first difficulty</h2>As the Vatican noted in a statement released Sept. 12, the Holy Father also offered the bishops some valuable advice: “Remain close to the Lord, set aside time for prayer, and continue to live out unconditional trust in the Holy Spirit, the origin of one’s vocation.”He also exhorted them to be persevering disciples “who do not allow themselves to be frightened by the first difficulty; pastors close to the people and to priests, merciful and firm, even when it is a matter of making a judgment; capable of listening and dialogue, not just preaching sermons.”Pope Leo XIV also emphasized the value of the pastoral and human experience acquired in a local Church, which must be developed in a new ministry that puts bishops in touch with the universality of the Church.The pope emphasized to the new bishops the value of witness and the ability to stay in touch with the world as they respond to questions that people are asking today about the meaning of life and evil in the world. “The answers learned 25 years ago in the seminary are not enough,” he pointed out.Regarding synodality, the Holy Father — who headed the Dicastery for Bishops — explained that it is not a pastoral method but rather “a style of Church, of listening and of common search for the mission to which we are called.”“Be builders of bridges,” he said. He also asked them to value the role of the laity, integrating it into the life of the Church and to an “unarmed and disarming” peace because “peace is a challenge for all!”<h2>Misdeeds cannot be ‘put away in a drawer’</h2>Before answering questions, Pope Leo XIV encouraged the bishops to promptly address issues related to inappropriate behavior on the part of the clergy: “They cannot be put away in a drawer; they must be addressed with a sense of mercy and true justice toward the victims and the accused.”The pontiff thanked the new bishops for accepting the ministry: “I pray for you; the Church appreciates your ‘yes’; you are not alone; together we bear the burden and together we proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”<h2>Prudence on social media</h2>In response to questions posed by the bishops, the Holy Father spoke of the need to be prudent in the use of social media, where the risk is that “everyone feels authorized to say whatever he wants, even things that are false.” He added: “There are times when getting to the truth is painful, but necessary.”He encouraged the bishops to use communications professionals who are trained in the field, offering three specific pieces of advice: “Keep calm, use sound judgment, and seek the help of a professional.”Speaking of the challenges of every new ministry, Pope Leo XIV urged the new bishops to trust in God’s grace, to recognize their own gifts and limitations, and to rely on the help of others, including the valuable experience of a good bishop emeritus who can accompany or advise. He also warned against the temptation to form an inner circle and become isolated within it.<h2>Formation in seminaries</h2>The pontiff reiterated the need to build bridges and seek dialogue, even where Christians are a minority, with genuine respect for people of other religious traditions, especially through the witness of Christian love and mercy.The Holy Father also addressed formation in seminaries, particularly the responsibility of initial formation, urging the bishops to be welcoming, to receive vocations, and to accompany each person in the discovery of other dimensions of the Gospel and of Christian and missionary life.Speaking about mission, Pope Leo suggested that the bishops rely on those authentic, missionary laypeople present in eccesial movements who can be a source of hope for the local Church.In response to questions about the serious consequences of environmental crises, the pope recalled the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis’ encyclical <a href="https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Laudato Si’</a> and encouraged promoting this theme in pastoral care. He added that in this area, “the Church will be present,” without mixing in other issues contrary to Christian anthropology.<h2>Young people’s thirst for spiritual life</h2>According to the Vatican, the meeting also addressed the relationships between the various organizations in the universal and local Church, the process of appointing bishops, the need to confront together the many current crises in the world, and the value of the bishops’ presence to those who suffer.The new bishops also had the opportunity to speak with the Holy Father about young people, particularly in Europe after the recent jubilee for them, and about their questions about communion and prayer, and their thirst for spiritual life, which they have not been able to quench either in the virtual world or “in the typical experiences at our parishes.”This story <a href="https://www.aciprensa.com/noticias/117139/papa-leon-xiv-los-comportamientos-inapropiados-del-clero-no-pueden-guardarse-en-un-cajon" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">was first published</a> by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
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<category>Europe</category>
<pubDate>Fri, 12 Sep 2025 16:04:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Pew survey: 8 out of 10 U.S. Catholics view Pope Leo XIV favorably ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266533/pew-survey-8-out-of-10-us-catholics-view-pope-leo-xiv-favorably</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/eli6528-1.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
Pope Leo waves to the crowds in St. Peter’s Square on Sept. 6, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media
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CNA Staff, Sep 12, 2025 / 14:56 pm (CNA).
A new report from a Pew Research Center survey finds that 8 out of 10 American Catholics view Pope Leo XIV favorably.According to <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/09/12/more-than-8-in-10-u-s-catholics-view-pope-leo-favorably/?utm_source=AdaptiveMailer&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=REL%20-%2025-09-12%20Pope%20Leo%20SR&org=982&lvl=100&ite=16724&lea=4562636&ctr=0&par=1&trk=a0DQm000007TZO9MAO" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">the report</a>, 84% of U.S. Catholics surveyed say they have a “mostly favorable” view (47%) of the pope or a “very favorable” view (37%) — while only 4% of Catholics view him unfavorably and 11% say they have never heard of him.Among non-Catholic Americans, more than half of those surveyed (56%) say they view him favorably, while 31% say they have never heard of him.Pew surveyed 9,916 U.S. adults (which includes 1,849 Catholics) from July 8 through Aug. 3. The margin of error in the survey is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.The very same percentage of U.S. Catholics — 84% — viewed Pope Francis favorably in the early months of his pontificate as well, according to the report.Those who attend Mass more often have a more favorable view of the new pope. Among U.S. Catholics who attend Mass weekly or more often, 95% say they have a favorable view. Of those who attend Mass once or twice a year or a few times a month, the number stands at 84%, while 77% of Catholics who seldom or never attend Mass say they have a favorable view.More than three-quarters of U.S. Catholics say they are excited that Leo, born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago in 1955, is the first U.S.-born pope.Though so many view him in a positive light, only 7% of Catholic survey respondents say they know a lot about the new pope, while a quarter say they know nothing at all. Just under 70% say they know “a little” about the pontiff, who spent decades working for the Church in Peru, eventually serving as the bishop of Chiclayo from 2015 to 2023. He was <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/263787/live-updates-cardinals-gather-as-conclave-to-elect-successor-to-pope-francis" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">elected to the papacy by the College of Cardinals</a> on May 8 after the death of Pope Francis on April 21.Among weekly Catholic Mass attendees, 75% say they only know a little about the new pope, and 11% say they know nothing.“These numbers show both the excitement and the challenge of a new papacy,” said Montse Alvarado, president and COO of EWTN News (CNA’s parent company). “While Pope Leo XIV has been warmly received, many still don’t know his story.” “With our presence in Peru and the Vatican, and decades of experience covering the Church, EWTN News is uniquely positioned to help Catholics understand the people and places that shaped the Holy Father — and to serve as a force for unity for his pontificate,” she said.The latest findings are part of Pew’s<a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.pewresearch.org/the-american-trends-panel/?utm_source=AdaptiveMailer&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=REL*20-*2025-09-12*20Pope*20Leo*20SR&org=982&lvl=100&ite=16724&lea=4562873&ctr=0&par=1&trk=a0DQm000007TZO9MAO__;JSUlJSU!!GfxeEQ!SQ22QhZJH7HPSDCrPzMVlDn1DseF0f210l6ql7BoiMYGLGY4CZMPAIcK9DeZ6Vq8KaNmKuj5Ja6RcXV8$" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> American Trends Panel</a>, part of Pew’s ongoing<a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/03/04/10-facts-about-us-catholics/?utm_source=AdaptiveMailer&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=REL*20-*2025-09-12*20Pope*20Leo*20SR&org=982&lvl=100&ite=16724&lea=4562873&ctr=0&par=1&trk=a0DQm000007TZO9MAO__;JSUlJSU!!GfxeEQ!SQ22QhZJH7HPSDCrPzMVlDn1DseF0f210l6ql7BoiMYGLGY4CZMPAIcK9DeZ6Vq8KaNmKuj5JVNw71bL$" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> research</a> on<a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2025/06/16/47-of-us-adults-have-a-personal-or-family-connection-to-catholicism/?utm_source=AdaptiveMailer&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=REL*20-*2025-09-12*20Pope*20Leo*20SR&org=982&lvl=100&ite=16724&lea=4562873&ctr=0&par=1&trk=a0DQm000007TZO9MAO__;JSUlJSU!!GfxeEQ!SQ22QhZJH7HPSDCrPzMVlDn1DseF0f210l6ql7BoiMYGLGY4CZMPAIcK9DeZ6Vq8KaNmKuj5JRRpxzLs$" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> Catholicism in the U.S</a>.In June, <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/264785/nearly-half-of-americans-have-a-connection-to-catholicism-new-report-finds" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Pew reported that nearly 50% of adults in the U.S. have some connection to the Catholic faith</a>. “Catholicism’s roots in the United States run deep,” Pew stated in the<a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2025/06/16/47-of-us-adults-have-a-personal-or-family-connection-to-catholicism/" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> report</a> titled “U.S. Catholicism: Connections to the Religion, Beliefs, and Practices.”Pew found that 47% of U.S. adults have Catholic ties: 20% identify as Catholic, 9% as “culturally Catholic,” 9% as ex-Catholic, and 9% report a connection through a Catholic parent, spouse, or past Mass attendance.
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<category>US</category>
<pubDate>Fri, 12 Sep 2025 14:56:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Pope Leo XIV tells World Meeting on Human Fraternity to welcome migrants, care for poor ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266527/pope-leo-xiv-tells-world-meeting-on-human-fraternity-to-welcome-migrants-care-for-poor</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/ris2177-1.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
Pope Leo XIV greets participants in the third edition of the World Meeting on Human Fraternity at the Vatican on Sept. 12, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media
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Vatican City, Sep 12, 2025 / 11:51 am (CNA).
Pope Leo XIV spoke out on Friday against what he called the business of wars, while condemning attitudes of rejection and indifference toward migrants and the poor, as he received some of the participants in the third edition of the World Meeting on Human Fraternity at the Vatican.Among those present were several Nobel Peace Prize laureates, including Iraqi activist Nadia Murad, American Jody Williams, Liberian Leymah Gbowee, Yemeni Tawakkol Karman, Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov, Ukrainian lawyer Oleksandra Matviichuk, Filipino journalist Maria Ressa, and Congolese doctor Denis Mukwege.In his remarks, the pontiff reflected on the need for fraternity and reconciliation in a world where wars “shatter the lives of young people forced to take up arms; target defenseless civilians, children, women, and elderly people; devastate cities, the countryside, and entire ecosystems, leaving only rubble and pain in their wake.”The pope decried the plight of many “migrants who are despised, imprisoned, and rejected, among those who seek salvation and hope but find walls and indifference.” He also lamented that, on many occasions, the poor are “blamed for their poverty, forgotten and discarded, in a world that values profit more than people.”Faced with all these injustices, Leo XIV insisted that “the answer cannot be silence.”“You are the answer, with your presence, your commitment, and your courage. The answer is choosing a different direction of life, growth, and development,” he said.The pope also called for the establishment of a broad “covenant of humanity, founded not on power but on care; not on profit but on gift; not on suspicion but on trust.”“Care, gift, and trust are not virtues to be practiced only in one’s spare time: They are pillars of an economy that does not kill but deepens and broadens participation in life,” he said.Thus, the Holy Father invited everyone to recognize the other as a brother or sister, which in practice means “freeing ourselves from the pretense of believing that we are isolated individuals or from the logic of forming relationships only out of self-interest.”The pope said the planet is marked by conflicts and divisions, and emphasized that the participants of this new edition of the World Meeting on Human Fraternity are “united by a strong and courageous ‘no’ to war and a ‘yes’ to peace and fraternity.”Leo XIV cited an encyclical of his predecessor Pope Francis, <a href="https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20201003_enciclica-fratelli-tutti.html" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Fratelli Tutti</a>, to reiterate that social friendship and universal fraternity necessarily require the “acknowledgement of the worth of every human person, always and everywhere.”He also emphasized that Pope Francis taught that “war is not the right way to resolve a conflict” and praised the “willingness to face conflict head on, to resolve it and to make it a link in the chain of a new process,” which he called “the wisest path, the path of the strong.”The pope connected his reflections with the biblical account of Abel’s murder at the hands of his brother Cain and reflected on how this fraternal relationship immediately became conflictual.However, he stressed that this first homicide “should not lead us to conclude that ‘it has always been this way.’ No matter how ancient or widespread, Cain’s violence cannot be tolerated as ‘normal.’”“The norm is revealed in God’s question to the guilty party: ‘Where is your brother?’ It is in this question that we find our vocation, the rule and measure of justice,” he stated.For the pope, that same question continues to echo in history and “today more than ever, we must make this question our own as a principle of reconciliation. Once internalized, it will resonate in this way: ‘Brother, sister, where are you?’”Leo emphasized that the great spiritual traditions and the maturing of critical thought allow us to go “beyond blood or ethnic ties, beyond those kinships that recognize only those who are similar and reject those who are different.”For the Holy Father, it is also significant that in the Bible, as scientific exegesis has shown, it is the more recent and mature texts that narrate a “fraternity that transcends the ethnic boundaries of God’s people and is founded on a common humanity.”“The stories of creation and the genealogies bear witness that all peoples, even enemies, have the same origin, and the Earth, with its goods, is for everyone, not just for some,” he said.He also stressed that fraternity is “the most authentic name for closeness. It means rediscovering the face of the other. For those who believe, they recognize the mystery: the very image of God in the face of the poor, the refugee, and even the adversary.”The pope called on his listeners to identify paths, both local and international, that develop “new forms of social charity, alliances between different areas of knowledge and solidarity between generations.”On the other hand, he called for “community-based approaches that also include the poor, not as recipients of aid, but as subjects of discernment and discourse.”The Holy Father encouraged them to continue this work of “silent sowing. This can give rise to a participatory process focused on humanity and fraternity, which is not limited to listing rights, but also includes concrete actions and motivations that make us different in our everyday lives.”The organizers of the third edition of the World Meeting on Human Fraternity structured this international event, promoted by St. Peter’s Basilica on Sept. 12 and 13, around 15 thematic tables.These are spaces of dialogue that will function as laboratories for the exchange of ideas on various themes, such as the world of information, the environment and sustainability, the economy and finance, and artificial intelligence.In this context, St. Peter’s Square will host a free concert open to the public this Saturday, one that promises to mark a turning point in the relationship between culture, faith, and entertainment.Under the name “Grace for the World,” the Vatican square will become an open-air stage bringing together international artists such as Karol G, Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, and other singers like Pharrell Williams, John Legend, Teddy Swims, Jelly Roll, BamBam, and Angélique Kidjo.This evening will be broadcast live on Disney+, Hulu, and ABC News Live, allowing millions of viewers to follow the event in real time.The concert will also bring together the voices of an international choir of 250 people, including members of the Choir of the Diocese of Rome. The entire event will be orchestrated by world-renowned music producer Adam Blackstone.But the show will go beyond music. The company Nova Sky Stories will present a visual creation that will light up the sky of Rome with a choreography of more than 3,000 drones, inspired by the frescoes of the Sistine Chapel.This innovative staging will turn the night into a true living fresco of sounds and lights, an unprecedented sensory experience in the heart of Christendom, according to the Vatican.This story <a href="https://www.aciprensa.com/noticias/117147/papa-clama-contra-el-negocio-de-las-guerras-y-condena-los-muros-la-respuesta-no-puede-ser-el-silencio" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">was first published</a> by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
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<category>Vatican</category>
<pubDate>Fri, 12 Sep 2025 11:51:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Alveda King responds to Charlie Kirk’s assassination: ‘We’ve got to care again’ ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266525/alveda-king-responds-to-charlie-kirk-s-assassination-weve-got-to-care-again</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/alveda.k.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
Alveda King has suffered three assassinations in her family: that of her father, Rev. Alfred Daniel Williams King; her grandmother, Alberta King; and her renowned uncle, Martin Luther King Jr. / Credit: “The World Over with Raymond Arroyo”/Screenshot
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CNA Staff, Sep 12, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA).
After the assassination of Charlie Kirk at a college campus on Wednesday, Alveda King, the niece of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., encouraged people to pray.“It broke my heart,” King said when asked about her reaction to learning of the assassination.“I was so very startled when I got the news that Charlie had been shot, and my heart immediately went to him and his family, his beautiful wife, his little children,” she told Raymond Arroyo on EWTN’s “The World Over with Raymond Arroyo.”<div style="width:100%" class="mx-auto embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/n94-KnORL-k?feature=oembed&start=" class="embed-responsive-item null" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="null" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></div>“Having experienced those kinds of occurrences in my own family, I immediately went into prayer,” she said.King shared about her own experience with political assassinations in her family. Not only was her uncle, Dr. King, assassinated but her father, Rev. Alfred Daniel Williams King, was also assassinated as well as her grandmother, Alberta King.“For me, I am a Christian. I still have the peace and the joy of the Lord, but it’s almost like a trauma or a trigger point when those things happen,” King said. But amid the trauma, King encouraged listeners to “do what my uncle talked about,” encouraging people to have “regard for human dignity.” “We’ve got to care again,” King said. “We’ve got to see human beings as human beings — from the womb to the tomb and beyond.”“We’ve got to get back to a point of caring, of loving, of repenting, of forgiving,” she continued. “Therein lies the answer.”<h2>The greatest of these is love </h2>Calling Charlie Kirk a “man of faith,” King said she will remember him with a Scripture verse: 1 Corinthians 13:13.“Now abides faith, hope, and love. The greatest of these is love,” she said. “That’s the way that I do remember Charlie.”King said she believed that if Charlie Kirk, Dr. King, or President John F. Kennedy were still with us, they would encourage us to not “seek our answers in humanity.” “We’re going to find not our heroes in humanity, but we’re going to have to look to Jesus at these times,” King said. “We’re living in tumultuous times, and social media drives us to retaliate, to strike back,” she said. “I want to remind people that if you don’t agree with someone, you don’t shoot the person. You pray, you talk, and you consider your position. But this violence is just absolutely wrong.”She noted that we are living in “a time of violence and anger and fear and frustration.” “So that leads me to say to everyone: fear not, listen, love, communicate,” she said. King encouraged listeners “to do something good for someone” in remembrance of Charlie Kirk and in memory of the victims of the violence on the 24th anniversary of 9/11. “I would remind us to call for peace, to call for prayer,” she said. “And I know Charlie would want us to do that as well.”
]]></description>
<category>US</category>
<pubDate>Fri, 12 Sep 2025 09:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Brazilian court denies mother’s right to home-school her child ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266519/brazilian-court-denies-mothers-right-to-home-school-her-child</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266519/brazilian-court-denies-mothers-right-to-home-school-her-child</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ <div style="width: 100%; margin-bottom: 25px;">
<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/reglane.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
Regiane Cichelero. / Credit: Courtesy of Alliance Defending Freedom International
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Sao Paulo, Brazil, Sep 12, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).
The Santa Catarina State Court of Justice in Brazil has denied Regiane Cichelero’s request to home-school her son. In its Sept. 2 ruling, the court upheld the previous decision requiring the child to be enrolled in a regular school in addition to a fine of 100,000 reais (more than $18,000).In 2020, with the closure of public schools in Santa Catarina state due to fears surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, Cichelero decided to home-school her son. After schools reopened in March 2021, the lawyer decided to continue home-schooling him, believing it would guarantee a quality education in line with the family’s religious beliefs.At that time, the school began an “active search” for Cichelero’s son. The Child Protection Council went to the lawyer’s home and warned her about the mandatory school enrollment requirement, according to the Child and Adolescent Statute. After the Child Protection Council’s notification, the case was referred to the Santa Catarina public prosecutor’s office.Initially, the presiding judge threatened to remove Cichelero’s son from her custody if she continued home-schooling him. Later, the Santa Catarina court ruled that she had to pay a fine of between three and 20 times the minimum wage, plus an additional daily fine of 1,000 reais (approximately $184) if her son was not enrolled in school.<h2>Her defense</h2>On social media, Cichelero said she will appeal to Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court and, if necessary, to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in order to continue home schooling.The judges ruled on the case without “observing the law,” she said. “They ignored international human rights treaties, they ignored the constitutionality of home schooling. They relied solely on personal opinions.”The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a religious freedom legal advocacy organization, has been coordinating Cichelero’s defense since 2023, believing that her rights are being violated and that “parents have priority by right in choosing the type of education their children will receive.”“This decision represents a disappointing setback for parental rights in Brazil,” said Julio Pohl, legal adviser for Latin America at ADF International, which coordinated Cichelero’s defense. “International human rights law is clear: Parents have the right to choose the type of education their children receive. By ruling that Cichelero cannot home-school her son, the court not only ruled against her family but also undermined the protections of all parents throughout Brazil.”Article 26.3 of the <a href="https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Universal Declaration of Human Rights</a> states: “Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.” Article 13.3 of the <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/international-covenant-economic-social-and-cultural-rights" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights</a> also establishes that states must respect the right of parents “to choose for their children schools, other than those established by the public authorities, which conform to such minimum educational standards as may be laid down or approved by the state and to ensure the religious and moral education of their children in conformity with their own convictions.”In Brazil, Bill <a href="https://www25.senado.leg.br/web/atividade/materias/-/materia/153194" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">1338/2022</a>, which would regulate home schooling in the country, was approved by the Chamber of Deputies (lower house) in 2022 but is still awaiting a vote in the Senate.According to the Brazilian National Association of Home Education, approximately 75,000 Brazilian families have currently opted to home-school. This represents approximately 150,000 students receiving home schooling in the country.This story <a href="https://www.acidigital.com/noticia/64475/tribunal-de-justica-de-santa-catarina-nega-direito-de-mae-a-educar-seu-filho-em-casa" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">was first published</a> by ACI Digital, CNA’s Portuguese-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by ACI Prensa/CNA.
]]></description>
<category>Americas</category>
<pubDate>Fri, 12 Sep 2025 07:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ New film on St. Maximilian Kolbe’s final days highlights hope amid darkness ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266511/triumph-of-the-heart-brings-st-maximilian-kolbe-s-heroic-sacrifice-to-the-screen</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/tofhpremiere2.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
The premiere of “Triumph of the Heart” in Dallas on Sept. 8, 2025. / Credit: Nicole Marie Richards
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CNA Staff, Sep 12, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).
A new film called “<a href="https://www.triumphoftheheart.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Triumph of the Heart</a>” depicts St. Maximilian Kolbe’s last days on earth in a starvation bunker in the German death camp of Auschwitz. The film will be released in theaters on Sept. 12.St. Maximilian Kolbe was a Polish Franciscan friar and priest who volunteered to die in place of another man in Auschwitz. He spent the last 14 days of his life in a starvation bunker alongside nine other men.<figure class="mx-auto" style="width:100%"><img src="https://admin.catholicnewsagency.com/images/tofhpremiere1.jpg" class="img-fluid" style="null" alt="The red carpet at the premiere of "Triumph of the Heart" in Dallas on Sept. 8, 2025. Credit: Nicole Marie Richards"><figcaption class="caption text-muted">The red carpet at the premiere of "Triumph of the Heart" in Dallas on Sept. 8, 2025. Credit: Nicole Marie Richards</figcaption></figure>At the film’s Sept. 8 premiere in Dallas, where over 1,000 people gathered at the Edith O’Donnell Arts and Technology Building on the University of Texas at Dallas campus to show their support and watch the film, writer and director Anthony D’Ambrosio told CNA on the red carpet that it was “surreal” to see the magnitude of the premiere. He explained that it was originally meant to be a more intimate gathering with roughly 200 people in attendance but “God, of course, had other plans,” D’Ambrosio said. “I think that what I’m seeing is that God keeps on growing our vision for where he wants to take the film, where he wants to take this story.” <h2>The current rise in faith-based media</h2>Actors who also spoke on the red carpet discussed the resurgence of faith-based media being seen in today’s culture. Michael Iskander, who portrays King David in Prime Video’s “House of David” and served as the master of ceremonies for the premiere, said he believes “Christ is pouring his heart out to all of us in every way possible and media is one of those frontiers that hasn’t really been touched yet.”He credited the hit series “The Chosen” for “paving the path for so much faith-based filmmaking and showing people that this is a market that people want to see.”<figure class="mx-auto" style="width:100%"><img src="https://admin.catholicnewsagency.com/images/tofhpremiere4.jpg" class="img-fluid" style="null" alt="Michael Iskander, the actor who portrays King David in Prime Video's "House of David," at the Sept. 8, 2025, premiere of "Triumph of the Heart." Credit: Nicole Marie Richards"><figcaption class="caption text-muted">Michael Iskander, the actor who portrays King David in Prime Video's "House of David," at the Sept. 8, 2025, premiere of "Triumph of the Heart." Credit: Nicole Marie Richards</figcaption></figure>A recent convert to Catholicism, Iskander shared that St. Maximilian Kolbe was one of the first saints he learned about from the Catholic Church. He highlighted the saint’s use of media to spread the Gospel message to the masses and said it is “fitting that this film and this rise in Christianity, especially in filmmaking, had to do with St. Kolbe.”Jeff Schiefelbein, co-host of the podcast “The Beatidudes” and an investor in “Triumph of the Heart,” said he believes there is a resurgence in faith-based media because people are “sick of all the fake stuff.”“We’re being told to compare ourselves to things that aren’t even important. The materialism has swung so far that the pendulum is making its way back,” he said. “... I think there’s going to be this resurgence … of young people, Gen Xers, old people coming back and saying, ‘Wait, we want what’s real, what’s true, what’s good, and what’s beautiful’ and so it is rooted in the Gospel when we go and seek those.”<div style="width:100%" class="mx-auto embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hEJ8SWaFtuw?feature=oembed&start=" class="embed-responsive-item " frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></div>Marcellino D’Ambrosio, a well-known author, Catholic commentator, and executive producer of the film — also the father of Anthony D’Ambrosio — called this moment we’re seeing in faith-based media “a Holy Spirit moment.”“Human beings always need God but I think something really special is going on right now,” he said. “St. Augustine said it well: Our hearts are restless until we rest in him. And success in the culture — this is a fascinating thing that actually goes back even to the successful cultures in Rome — there’s an emptiness when you have a certain amount of success and you have leisure; nothing satisfies but God,” he added. “So it oftentimes leads people to that restlessness that St. Augustine talks about — to look for him, to be open to him, and I think that’s what’s going on in our culture right now.”<figure class="mx-auto" style="width:100%"><img src="https://admin.catholicnewsagency.com/images/kolbestepsout.png" class="img-fluid" style="null" alt="Actor Marcin Kwaśny as Maximilian Kolbe in “Triumph of the Heart.” Credit: Triumph of the Heart movie/Sherwood Fellows"><figcaption class="caption text-muted">Actor Marcin Kwaśny as Maximilian Kolbe in “Triumph of the Heart.” Credit: Triumph of the Heart movie/Sherwood Fellows</figcaption></figure><h2>A film that inspires hope</h2>As for what those involved in the film hope viewers take away from it, the major theme they mentioned was their wish that it fills the audience with hope.“I hope they will take away hope,” Marcellino D’Ambrosio said. “I hope that everyone realizes that God is real; I have a future, no matter how bad the present looks … he’s with me in the present and he has something in store for me that’s greater than my wildest dreams.”Rowan Polonski, the actor who portrays Albert in the film — one of the men in the starvation bunker alongside Kolbe — told CNA his hope is for the audience to be “pleasantly surprised in the way that they’re moved.”“Entering into this movie, you could quite easily walk in thinking it’s going to be a pretty dark and heavy write, but what I want them to walk out with is a sense of joy and catharsis,” he added. “And a sense that no matter how dark times can get, how low one can feel, there’s always a way out, there’s always a crack of light somewhere that you can cling onto and follow through and it’s normally in the form of love.”Producer Cecilia Stevenson added: “I really want people to feel love when they watch this movie and specifically to feel the love of Our Lord and how he enters into our suffering with us, just like Kolbe did for those men in that film. Our movie, Kolbe’s story, it’s a modern-day example that ultimately points us to Christ, and I really hope people feel that love and I hope it gives them hope, that there is meaning in life and that suffering itself can have meaning.”
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<category>US</category>
<pubDate>Fri, 12 Sep 2025 06:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Benedictine College launches AI center on Carlo Acutis’ canonization day ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266521/benedictine-college-launches-ai-center-on-carlo-acutis-canonization-day</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/storage/image/serra-still-7.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas. / Credit: “EWTN News in Depth”
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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 11, 2025 / 18:37 pm (CNA).
Here’s a roundup of the latest Catholic education news in the United States:<h2>Benedictine College launches AI center on Carlo Acutis’ canonization day</h2>In response to calls by Pope Leo XIV to the rise of artificial intelligence, Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, launched its new Center for Technology and Human Dignity to promote Catholic digital and biomedical ethics on the same day as Carlo Acutis’ canonization on Sept. 7 in Rome. “We are excited to dedicate this center under the patronage of St. Carlo Acutis, a model of how Catholics should use new technology thoughtfully but without fear. And its biomedical emphasis will help as we pursue a medical school,” said Benedictine College President Stephen Minnis in <a href="https://media.benedictine.edu/mastering-ai-benedictine-launches-new-center-as-carlo-acutis-is-canonized" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">a press release</a>. The center will be directed by Benedictine College Professor of Theology and Bioethics Mariele Courtois, who is also a member of the Vatican Dicastery for Culture and Education’s research group on artificial intelligence.<h2>2 Marquette University lacrosse players killed in drunk driving incident </h2>In a Sept. 6 Mass celebrated at the Marquette University Theatre, students, faculty, and staff mourned the loss of two lacrosse players killed in a drunk driving incident, <a href="https://www.ncronline.org/news/hundreds-mourn-2-marquette-athletes-killed-alleged-drunken-driver" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">according to reports</a>.Two students, Noah Snyder and Scott Michaud, were killed in the accident, which occurred when an unidentified 41-year-old woman who was driving while intoxicated struck their car. Four other students, including three lacrosse players, sustained non-life-threatening injuries. “When only standing room was available in the 1,000-seat facility in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Jesuit university, students, and members of the Marquette community lined the walls of the theater and watched the Mass from the lobby,” a report said. <h2>School to issue public apology after alleged racist incident</h2>The parents of a student who was expelled from a Catholic school in Oregon after they confronted the administration over a racist incident that took place in March have reportedly reached an agreement with the school. According to <a href="https://www.koin.com/news/parents-portland-catholic-school-reach-agreement-after-alleged-racism/" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">local reports</a>, the Madeleine School will issue a public apology to parents Karis Stoudamire-Phillips and her husband, Mike, who are African American, in addition to promising to rectify its actions after an incident in which their son was allegedly called the N-word on the playground. When the couple confronted the school, the school’s principal allegedly dismissed the incident. The principal has since been fired, and the school issued a pledge to “[maintain] an educational environment free from the scourge of racism.” <h2>Catholic Church in Oklahoma announces plan to open new school after SCOTUS ruling </h2>The Archdiocese of Oklahoma and the Diocese of Tulsa have announced plans to open a new Catholic virtual school after their plan to open the first religious charter school in the nation was <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/264269/oklahoma-catholic-charter-school-loses-supreme-court-bid-for-state-approval" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">blocked by a U.S. Supreme Court ruling</a>. St. Carlos Acutis Academy will officially open in August 2026 as a private Catholic institution, enrolling K–8 students for its first year and adding grades each year until the school reaches K–12, <a href="https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/education/2025/09/08/oklahoma-catholic-church-plans-to-open-online-school-after-supreme-court-ruling/86047996007/?gnt-cfr=1&gca-cat=p&gca-uir=true&gca-epti=z117112p119750c119750e000900v117112b0046xxd004665&gca-ft=131&gca-ds=sophi" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">the Oklahoman reported</a>.“We are thrilled to announce the opening of St. Carlo Acutis Classical Academy,” said the school’s head, Misty Smith.“Our mission is to bring the richness of the Catholic intellectual tradition into homes through an online format embracing classical curriculum resources that combine both synchronous and asynchronous learning.”“St. Carlo Acutis said: ‘To be with God, that is my life project,’” she added, “and everything we at the academy do walks us closer to unity with Christ.”
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<category>US</category>
<pubDate>Thu, 11 Sep 2025 18:37:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Charlie Kirk before death: ‘I want to be remembered for courage for my faith’ ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266523/charlie-kirk-before-death-i-want-to-be-remembered-for-courage-for-my-faith</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/charliekirk.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA and a vocal evangelical Christian who was assassinated on Sept. 10, 2025, speaks at an event in Texas in 2018. / Credit: Carrington Tatum/Shutterstock
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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 11, 2025 / 18:17 pm (CNA).
Just a few months before he was<a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266491/christian-conservative-activist-charlie-kirk-shot-dead-at-utah-valley-university-event" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> assassinated</a> on Sept. 10, Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk — a conservative campus activist and an outspoken evangelical Christian — said that upon his death, he would want to be remembered for his Christian faith.“If everything completely goes away, how do you want to be remembered?” Jack Selby, host of The Iced Coffee Hour, asked Kirk <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7QLJSSry8Y" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">at the end of a June 29 interview</a>.“If I die?” Kirk responded.“Everything just goes away,” Selby said. “If you could be associated with one thing, how would you want to be remembered?”“I want to be remembered for courage for my faith,” Kirk answered. “That would be the most important thing. The most important thing is my faith.”Kirk <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266505/politicians-faith-leaders-condemn-political-violence-after-charlie-kirk-assassination" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">was murdered</a> early Wednesday afternoon while conversing with students at Utah Valley University as part of his “The American Comeback Tour.” He had set up a tent with a banner that read “Prove Me Wrong,” urging people to approach and debate his views if they object to his political, religious, or philosophical positions.It began similarly to Kirk’s other campus tours, with students and others lining up to ask him questions. About 3,000 people attended to either watch or debate him.Just 20 minutes into the event, an attendee asked Kirk about transgenderism and gun violence. He and Kirk had a brief back-and-forth before someone perched on a nearby roof fired a single bullet from a bolt-action rifle, which pierced the left side of Kirk’s neck and ended his life.One witness named Brandon Russon <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hlmf-4MPN8" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">told CBS News</a> that shortly before Kirk was shot, he was discussing his Christian faith with a different attendee. In that conversation, Russon recalled Kirk proclaiming to the crowd that “Christ is Lord” and the Son of God had “defeated death.”This was a common trend in his campus activism.Earlier this year, Kirk <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sC9Sd6u9cZY" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">debated an atheist student</a> who asked him about working with atheist conservatives. Although Kirk said he would welcome anyone who supports good causes, he cautioned that atheism cannot produce a proper moral code.“You must be an honest atheist and acknowledge that morality is definitionally subjective without a belief in God,” he said. “That you cannot be an atheist and believe in objective morality. It is an impossibility and true atheists will acknowledge this.”Kirk noted that atheists have “ought” claims. They suggest that things ought to be a certain way, such as that “murder ought to be wrong,” but cannot proclaim objective moral standards “if there is not a divine eternal power over you.”“It’s a very important truth claim because when you do not have objective truth anchoring your society, then it becomes a power struggle,” Kirk warned. “If you do not have truth, then power will reign. Whoever can get the most amount of power then ends up having the most amount of say over society. We believe what is objectively right, true, good, and beautiful should be transcendent over society.”Kirk often discussed his faith in interviews, including one with prominent atheist Bill Maher <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OblCcO7-Alg&t=2371s" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">on the “Club Random” podcast</a> this year, where Kirk explained the Christian doctrines of grace and atonement. “We believe [Christ] … suffering the death that he did on the cross was him atoning for our sins, the sins of humanity” Kirk told Maher. “... It is at a core a statement of human equality, that we’re all sinners, we’re all screwed up. We all got problems. We all got vices. … We all fall short of God’s standard and Jesus makes us whole.”Throughout his career, Kirk encouraged young people to get married and start families, argued against abortion and gender ideology, and worked to inspire college students to follow Christ.<h2>Charlie Kirk’s relationship with the Catholic Church</h2>Although Kirk was Protestant, he often engaged in theological discussions with Catholics. His wife, Erika, is a baptized Catholic, and the couple and their two children have been seen at a Catholic church in Scottsdale, Arizona.During <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzUBMlqF1tA" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">a podcast this year</a>, Kirk told a caller: “Catholics are just fabulous in so many different ways.”“They fight for life, they fight for marriage, they fight against transgenderism,” he said.The caller asked Kirk about Catholic Mariology, an issue where Kirk said he believes Catholics go “too far.” Yet, Kirk said he would be “happy to debate it” and that evangelicals could “do a better job of remembering, studying, talking about and pointing towards Mary because she was a vessel chosen by God Almighty that brought Our Lord into this world.”“We as Protestants, evangelicals, under-venerate Mary,” he said. “She was very important. She was a vessel for Our Lord and Savior. I think that we … overcorrected. We don’t talk about Mary enough, we don’t venerate her enough. Mary was clearly important to early Christians. There’s something there. In fact, I believe one of the ways that we fix toxic feminism in America is: Mary is the solution.”Kirk also spoke about the trend that “many young men are going back to church” when he was <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-4tNK6dfD4" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">interviewed by Tucker Carlson this year</a>. He called church a “life raft in this tsunami of chaos and disorder” and noted that many are attending Catholic Mass because “they want something that has lasted” and “they want something that is ancient and beautiful.”Vice President JD Vance, a Catholic, <a href="https://x.com/JDVance/status/1965985360606888182?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">posted on X</a> that Kirk “genuinely believed in and loved Jesus Christ” and “had a profound faith.” Vance noted that Kirk was a friend, and they would often debate theological subjects.“We used to argue about Catholicism and Protestantism and who was right about minor doctrinal questions,” he said. “Because he loved God, he wanted to understand him.”Diocese of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, Bishop Robert Barron <a href="https://x.com/BishopBarron/status/1965945608323158485" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">posted on X </a>that he had breakfast with Kirk about four years ago and discussed theology. Kirk was scheduled to appear on his show “Bishop Barron Presents” in less than two weeks.“He was indeed a great debater and also one of the best advocates in our country for civil discourse, but he was, first and last, a passionate Christian,” Barron said. “In fact, when we had that breakfast in Phoenix, we didn’t talk much about politics,” Barron said. “We talked about theology, in which he had a deep interest, and about Christ. I know I’m joining millions of people around the world in praying that he rests now in the peace of the Lord.”Kirk also <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7aXCYff8Xg" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">joined in grieving for the victims</a> of the Annunciation Catholic Church shooting last month in Minneapolis. On his show, he discussed how one can believe in God even amid tragedy.“The cross is God’s answer to evil,” Kirk said. “... The question should not be ‘why does evil exist?’ Instead, it should be ‘what has God done about it?’ And the cross is the answer.”
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<category>US</category>
<pubDate>Thu, 11 Sep 2025 18:17:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Bishop advocates for a ‘two-state solution’ to achieve peace in the Middle East ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266517/bishop-advocates-for-a-two-state-solution-to-achieve-peace-in-the-middle-east</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/iyadtwal.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
Bishop Iyad Twal, auxiliary bishop of the Patriarchal Diocese of Jerusalem of the Latins for Jordan. / Credit: Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem
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ACI Prensa Staff, Sep 11, 2025 / 17:57 pm (CNA).
In response to Tuesday’s airstrike by the Israeli air force against the Hamas leadership in Doha, the capital of Qatar, the auxiliary bishop of the Patriarchal Diocese of Jerusalem of the Latins for Jordan, Iyad Twal, advocated for a two-state solution to achieve peace in the Middle East.Twal’s proposal aligns with what the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication called for in late July in an editorial by its director, Andrea Tornielli, who <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265617/vatican-communication-office-urges-2-state-solution-as-france-backs-palestinian-statehood" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">advocated for the recognition of a Palestinian state</a> amid the conflict between Israel and Hamas.“The alternative would be to build a state like in South Africa, that is, an apartheid state. But the land is very small. Either we live together, or there is no real solution,” Twal said, pointing out that the two-state solution, “as indicated in the 1970s with U.N. resolutions,” is the only way to live in peace.However, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/259995/jerusalem-cardinal-two-state-solution-to-end-israel-hamas-war-is-now-unrealistic" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">stated in October 2024</a> that the two-state solution is “unrealistic” for ending the war.“My impression is that no one wants a wider conflict, but no one is able to stop it,” he said. “Everything is possible, both positively and negatively. Now you need something new, creative, I don’t know what, but all the previous agreements, ideas, the prospective two-state solution; everything is not realistic now,” the cardinal said at the time.<h2>The Israeli airstrike in Doha</h2>In Rome for a formation course for new bishops, the auxiliary bishop told the pontifical news agency <a href="https://www.fides.org/en/news/76792-HOLY_LAND_JORDAN_Bombing_in_Doha_Bishop_Iyad_Twal_If_there_is_a_desire_to_live_in_peace_the_only_solution_is_that_of_two_States" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Fides</a> that what happened in Doha is “bad news.”“Wars in the history of humanity are a tremendous evil, and we don’t learn. Every day we try to find hope, but unfortunately, events contradict us,” Twal said.He also noted that the airstrike could sabotage efforts to find “a solution to the conflict” and is “a violation of international law.”“The entire world must understand that there is no justice for all in the Middle East and that we cannot continue living like this,” he said.Twal noted that Pizzaballa has also pointed out that the violence in the region is driven by <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266017/latin-patriarch-of-jerusalem-satan-wants-to-rule-where-jesus-lived" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Satan’s desire to rule where Jesus lived</a>, although he added that Middle Eastern Christians believe “in justice and in God’s love for all of us. This gives us hope every day, despite the harsh reality we live in.”“We continue to pray and trust in the possibility of living together. I regret that this is happening while I am far from my people, in Rome, but I feel the support of the other bishops, our brothers in the faith. Here you can breathe the spirit of the Catholic Church, which is truly universal … they pray with us for peace,” he added.The prelate also noted that religion in the Middle East “can be an element of peace, but also of war.” The region’s religions, according to Twal, “are part of the problem and the solution.”“The challenge begins with the concept of the state: We have not yet managed to separate state and religion as in Europe. But how can we live our religious differences from the perspective of citizenship, rights, and justice if we continue to say, ‘My God is the only true one and gives me every justification for my actions?’” he said.“That is fanatical thinking. Instead, faith, and I say this as a bishop, calls me to live justice for all, respecting human dignity,” he added.<h2>The Church in Jordan</h2>Faced with the regional conflict, Twal said young Jordanians live “with profound pain” and insistently ask themselves: “Where is God?” “It is an existential question that is also a temptation, but at the same time it is an opportunity to come closer to peace,” he continued. “We must ask ourselves: I, a young person, I am not a ruler, how can I make peace live in my heart, even before it becomes a reality among the nations?” Twal reiterated that Christians in the Middle East “are called to live peace personally, to be witnesses of it in society. In Jordan, thank God, the Catholic Church is committed to this not only internally but also with our Muslim brothers and sisters living in the country.”The bishop described Jordan as “an oasis of peace, where we live in dialogue with everyone: from the king to the least of us, everyone tries to help.”“We have supported our Christian brothers and sisters in Gaza, the West Bank, and Palestine. The more we are disappointed by armed conflicts, the more we are committed to helping those who suffer,” he emphasized.This story <a href="https://www.aciprensa.com/noticias/117071/obispo-pide-solucion-de-dos-estados-para-alcanzar-la-paz-en-medio-oriente" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">was first published</a> by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
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<category>Middle East - Africa</category>
<pubDate>Thu, 11 Sep 2025 17:57:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Catholic schools add security, including armed staff, after Minneapolis school shooting ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266515/catholic-schools-add-security-including-armed-staff-after-minneapolis-school-shooting</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/annunciationcatholicschoolminneapolis090825.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
Police gather at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis on Aug. 27, 2025, following a mass shooting that killed two children and injured 17 others, 14 of them children. / Credit: Chad Davis, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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CNA Staff, Sep 11, 2025 / 17:27 pm (CNA).
After two children died and more than 20 people were injured by a transgender-identifying man in Minneapolis in August, Catholic schools around the country have been evaluating their security measures, with some hiring security guards and others allowing teachers and staff to be armed.The Diocese of Buffalo this week <a href="https://www.wkbw.com/news/local-news/buffalo/parents-react-to-plans-for-armed-guards-at-wny-catholic-elementary-schools" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">announced</a> it has hired armed security guards for the 29 Catholic elementary schools in its jurisdiction and has also engaged a “security consultant” to help create “comprehensive safety plans tailored to each school community.”Catholic schools superintendent Joleen Dimitroff sent a letter to parents informing them of the decisions, which she said are “a reflection of our shared belief that the safety of our children is priceless and must be protected with the highest level of care.”Parents’ reactions have been mixed. Marc Bruno, a longtime Buffalo public school teacher, called the move “a necessary step.”“No one wants to see guns in the schools,” he told local ABC news station WKBW. However, he continued, “if you look at some of the previous shootings, principals have thrown their bodies at the gunman, and you know, our bodies don’t stand a chance against a bullet.”One mother opposed the move, saying having armed security guards will put “children’s lives in danger.” She said she will not continue sending her child to school with armed guards present, emphasizing that her child “isn’t allowed to have peanut butter in his classroom to protect kids, but you want a stranger strolling the halls with a gun?”<h2>Arming teachers</h2>A less-talked-about solution among Catholic schools is the practice of arming school staff, including teachers. In Ohio, nearly 100 public school districts — and even some private Christian schools — have anonymous armed staff this year, up from 67 the year before, according to a roster released by the Ohio Department of Public Safety.Hametown Christian Academy, a private school in Norton, Ohio, allows armed staff. Associate pastor and head of school safety at the school Rick Wright told the Akron Beacon Journal on Aug. 25 that the school board decided it was “prudent to arm teachers and staff members” due to the increase in school shootings in recent years. “A gun is not evil,” Wright said. “It is a tool, and the fact that some of our staff may be armed is a deterrent.”The names and numbers of teachers and other school staff carrying guns are not publicly available, nor are the total number of armed staff in each district. All armed staff are trained to use their weapons, according to Wright.Schools post signs alerting visitors of the gun policy, hoping the knowledge that staff are armed will serve as “a deterrent,” Wright said.If you “put up a no gun zone sign,” Wright said, “you’re telling somebody you can come in here and shoot all you want.” “It works the opposite (of the intent); you’ve made yourself a soft target,” he said.An independent Catholic school in the South that wishes to remain unnamed told CNA that after extensive discussion about campus security, administrators arrived at an “informal” security policy that involves armed staff.“We’re pretty sure some of the teachers have guns in their cars,” an administrator told CNA. When asked whether teachers were also carrying concealed weapons, the administrator said he does not know, and the school has “never said yes or no” to the practice.Because of the “high quality of the teachers” at the school, the administrator said the leadership “came to the conclusion that the teachers would go after a guy with a gun rather than run away.” The school would “call the police and then the teachers with weapons would use … deadly force” if necessary to protect students. “We’re willing to bet that would be a sufficient response,” he said.<h2>Funding for security measures</h2>Funding for the new security measures in the Buffalo Diocese for the 2025-2026 school year has been provided by the Foundation for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo, according to Dimitroff. Tuition will increase in subsequent years to cover the cost, which might also be covered by public funding.James Cultrara, the director for education for the New York State Catholic Conference, told CNA after the 2012 school shooting in Sandy Hook, Connecticut, that New York state lawmakers had instituted two funding streams to address school security: one for public schools and one for private schools. The private school funding program has expanded tenfold, from $7 million initially to more than $70 million. Schools can use the funds to address anything related to “health, safety, and security.” Environmental hazard mitigation as well as security cameras, security guards, and remote door locks are covered by the funding, Cultrara said.The Minnesota Catholic Conference released a statement on Sept. 5 saying it “welcomes a broader legislative discussion about preventing gun violence” and asking the state Legislature to address security funding disparities between public and private schools.Jason Adkins, executive director of the Minnesota Catholic Conference, noted that while the Catholic Church in Minnesota “has long supported commonsense gun regulations, such as <a href="https://www.mncatholic.org/letter_of_testimony_protective_order_to_prevent_gun_violence" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">protective orders</a> and <a href="https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mncatholic.org%2Ftestimony_in_support_of_three_provisions_in_the_omnibus_public_safety_bill_s_f_2909&data=05%7C02%7CCMulcahey%40mncatholic.org%7Cdf1134ac53384e00045308ddec803d1e%7Ca8b6aebdde42495683d23aaad5ab636a%7C0%7C0%7C638926757703531239%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=XkJkOrYE2mGoo%2F99VvfVrGvItwr4IhqeGOaamTqf3LA%3D&reserved=0" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">expanded background checks</a>,” neither of those measures prevented “the Annunciation tragedy.”Adkins noted that while “Americans have a right to possess firearms,” that right comes with responsibilities, including that of public officials to address the “deeper causes of violence — mental health struggles, family breakdown, and a growing despair often worsened by harmful ideologies, <a href="https://www.mncatholic.org/livinginthereal" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">substance abuse</a>, and the effects of the absence of God in people’s lives.”Adkins urged the Legislature to reconsider recently-enacted laws that loosen restrictions on THC (a cannabis plant derivative) and “the widely debated treatment of young people experiencing gender dysphoria.”A controversial Minnesota law prohibits mental health counselors from practicing so-called conversion therapy on LGBT youth, which in practice means that therapists who want to help people who do not want to embrace a LGBT identity are fearful of doing so, according to Christian therapist Dr. David Kirby, who testified against the legislation before it passed.
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<category>US</category>
<pubDate>Thu, 11 Sep 2025 17:27:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Catholic Church’s new bishops complete formation in Rome ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266513/catholic-churchs-new-bishops-complete-formation-in-rome</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/popeleobishops091125.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
Pope Leo XIV meets with new bishops in Rome on Sept. 11, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media
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ACI Prensa Staff, Sep 11, 2025 / 16:57 pm (CNA).
Every September, the new bishops of the Catholic Church gather in Rome to participate in a formation course, an initiative that, since its inception in 1994, has become a genuine tradition.During these sessions, the prelates receive from the Dicastery for Evangelization and the Dicastery for Bishops guidance and tools to carry out with greater clarity and responsibility the mission entrusted to them by the Church, through conferences, discussions, and various working groups.A total of 192 bishops from around the world gathered on Sept. 4 to participate in these sessions, which concluded Sept. 11, when the prelates were received by Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican.Dominican Xabier Gómez García, bishop of San Feliú de Llobregat in Spain <a href="https://www.aciprensa.com/noticias/107379/el-papa-francisco-nombra-a-un-nuevo-obispo-de-san-feliu-de-llobregat-espana" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">since October 2024</a>, is one of the prelates participating in this year’s course. Having been a bishop for only 10 months, from Rome he explained to ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, that during this time he has become aware “of what this service means.”<h2>A time of hope and missionary conversion</h2>He noted that the new bishops were appointed in the context of the jubilee year and at the end of the synodal process, so their service “is marked by a time of hope and missionary conversion, in a Church that journeys alongside its people.”<figure class="mx-auto" style="width:100%"><img src="https://admin.catholicnewsagency.com/images/xabier.jpg" class="img-fluid" alt="Bishop Xabier Gómez García, OP, is among the new bishops in attendance. Credit: Courtesy of Spanish Bishops Conference"><figcaption class="caption text-muted">Bishop Xabier Gómez García, OP, is among the new bishops in attendance. Credit: Courtesy of Spanish Bishops Conference</figcaption></figure>He explained that this year’s course offers tools to “become witnesses and heralds of hope founded in Christ” and sees it as an opportunity to “deepen our understanding of catholicity, live together, pray, celebrate together, share a meal, and learn firsthand about the experiences of the Church spread throughout the world and in so many and diverse dioceses.”Gómez, who was also prior of St. Thomas Aquinas–El Olivar Convent in Madrid, expressed his gratitude for having been able to share time with bishops representing the five continents, who have come from places such as Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Russia, Poland, Burkina Faso, Algeria, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Colombia, France, Poland, Portugal, and the United States.Among the presentations given during the course, what most caught the Spanish prelate’s attention was the “‘Decalogue of Hope for a Bishop in the Jubilee Year,’ which was the first introduction to the course.”He explained that in general, all the presentations were in some way “tied together by the unifying theme of hope and have also helped us deepen this sense of communion and what communion means in the service of the people of God.”The presentations also noted the importance of being “a Church that goes forth as a servant of the Gospel in the midst of the world.” Ultimately, the bishop explained, “we learn to listen with a heart that resembles Christ’s.”“We must nurture our relationship with God and with our fellow bishops, with our collaborators the priests, and with the people of God in general. We are called to be instruments of communion and also signs of hope,” he added.<h2>Abuse prevention</h2>During the formation sessions, they also tackled the issue of abuse prevention within the Church.“It must be recognized that mistakes may have been made in caring for victims and also in the lack of prevention. We also reflected on the support provided to individuals and the great efforts the Church has made to put the abused person at the center were emphasized.” A bishop you must “make that pain your top concern, empathize with it, and always seek truth, justice, and comprehensive reparation for the good of these people who have been hurt, and for the community, and to do so with a certain sense of the call to conversion, so that this itself may become a sign of light and hope,” he added.Gómez, who before assuming his position as bishop was director of the migration department at the Spanish Bishops’ Conference, explained that another topic addressed was migration and its challenges “in order to work on the reception, protection, advancement, and integration of migrants” and to be able to make a faithful reading of this reality.“We also,” the bishop continued, “asked ourselves what young people need from the Church and what God wants to tell us through them.”<h2>What should a bishop be like?</h2>According to the Spanish prelate, a bishop must “be close to the people, have a passion for God and also a missionary spirit. I believe it is also important to cultivate, as a spiritual attitude, humility, simplicity, allowing oneself to be accompanied, and also great trust in providence and in the Spirit, who guides his people.”After expressing his “excitement” for finally meeting with the Holy Father, he also emphasized the need to share “humbly and simply” what they experienced in Rome and to continue to deepen [our understanding] “when we return to our dioceses, with our people, in the service of our people.”<h2>Cardinals’ presentations</h2>During this period of formation, there were two courses available for the new bishops: “Opening a Door to Hope: Calls to the Episcopate in a Jubilee Context,” given by the Dicastery for Evangelization, which took place at the Pontifical College of St. Peter, and a course by the Dicastery for Bishops, given at the Pontifical College of St. Paul. On Sept. 8–9, the participants of both courses met at the Pontifical Urbaniana University and shared a time of fellowship.Among the speakers were Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle — <a href="https://www.aciprensa.com/noticias/116947/cardenal-tagle-los-obispos-en-la-iglesia-son-custodios-y-no-duenos-del-rebano-de-dios" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">who made it clear </a>that bishops are “stewards” and not “lords” of God’s flock — and Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, who emphasized the importance of the bishop being close to seminarians and priests, who “must feel that the bishop appreciates, esteems, and loves them.”This story <a href="https://www.aciprensa.com/noticias/117059/vaticano-organiza-en-roma-cursos-de-formacion-para-nuevos-obispos" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">was first published</a> by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
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<category>Vatican</category>
<pubDate>Thu, 11 Sep 2025 16:57:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Mozambique Church leaders decry silence after mosques built on land taken from Church ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266507/mozambique-church-leaders-decry-silence-after-mosques-built-on-land-taken-from-church</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/sabrine-amboka-2025-09-10t213234-1757537869.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
Archbishop Inácio Saure of Mozambique’s Catholic Archdiocese of Nampula has denounced illegal occupation of Church land in the country and the inaction on the part of relevant authorities in the country. / Credit: ACN
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ACI Africa, Sep 11, 2025 / 14:04 pm (CNA).
Archbishop <a href="https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bsaure.html" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Inácio Saure</a> of the <a href="https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dnamp.html" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Archdiocese of Nampula</a> in Mozambique and other Church leaders in the southern African country have denounced the illegal occupation of Church land in the country and the inaction of authorities there.In a report by the pontifical and charity foundation <a href="https://www.churchinneed.org/" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Aid to the Church in Need</a> (ACN) International, the leaders said mosques are springing up on land snatched from the Church in what they say raises fears of worsening interreligious relations in a country that is already suffering from an Islamist insurgency in Mozambique’s northern province of Cabo Delgado, which neighbors Nampula.The land includes plots on which the female religious congregation of the Servants of Mary, two seminaries, and the parish of St. John the Baptist in Marrare are located.“In at least one of these cases, a mosque has been built on the land adjacent to one of the seminaries,” according to the Sept. 8 report by ACN. <a href="https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bsaure.html" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Saure</a> said in the report that Church land property has been vandalized, and so far, authorities have failed to act.In reference to the attackers, he said: “They came and cut down many trees, and the wood was removed by truck. When we came to ask them to respect our private property, they appeared with machetes and spears. They threatened us and told us they were going to demolish the seminary.”The attackers, he added, also took away animals that were being reared by the seminarians.Despite the seriousness of the situation, authorities have taken no action, he said, adding that the issue has been ongoing for some time and the Church has filed official complaints. On May 16, a court ordered the provisional restitution of possession of the land to the Church, but five months later, no practical action has taken place, the ACN report said.Saure said that “officials who were sent there were chased away,” leading him to conclude that “there must be a very powerful, invisible, and untouchable hand encouraging the criminals.”  He demanded that justice be served “so that our rights are restored, because these are the rights of the poor, as the Church and its works are at the service of the poor. It is not fair that the Church’s goods should be stolen in this way.”  Meanwhile, Father Benvindo Isaías de Jesus, director of the local Catholic Radio Encontro, told ACN the illegal occupations began a long time ago but have recently become intense. The situation does not look good for a country that does not have religious tolerance, he said.“Most of those who spearhead the current occupations are Muslim. Once they have taken the land, the first thing they do is build a mosque,” Benvindo said.And according to Father José Luzia, a missionary who has been in the country for almost six decades, there is suspicion among the faithful.“Some claim that the apparently organized occupation of Church land in Nampula could be related to the fact that Archbishop Inácio Saure has recently spoken out very critically about the social and political situation in the country,” the missionary told ACN.Saure held a press conference on Sept. 3 and launched “a strong appeal, a call for help to all people of goodwill, in Nampula, in Mozambique, and all over the world, because it seems that the law is worth nothing in this country.” ACI Africa’s Sabrine Amboka contributed to this story.This story <a href="https://www.aciafrica.org/news/17487/catholic-church-leaders-in-mozambique-decry-silence-as-mosques-constructed-on-land-snatched-from-church" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">was first published</a> by ACI Africa, CNA's news partner in Africa, and has been adapted by CNA.
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<category>Middle East - Africa</category>
<pubDate>Thu, 11 Sep 2025 14:04:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Catholic and U.S. leaders offer prayers on 24th anniversary of 9/11 ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266509/catholic-and-us-leaders-offer-prayers-on-24th-anniversary-of-911</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/storage/image/sept-11-at-night.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
Memorial lights commemorate the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. / Credit: Brian E Kushner/Shutterstock
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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 11, 2025 / 13:34 pm (CNA).
On the 24th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Catholic and U.S. leaders offered prayers and paid tribute to those who lost their lives that day and for all those who continue to grieve.“Today we remember Sept. 11, 2001,” Cardinal Timothy Dolan of the Archdiocese of New York wrote in a <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DOdTP0yAfpj/?hl=e" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">joint post to social media</a>. “We continue to pray for the souls lost that day, the families who still mourn, the heroes who served, and all those who have since died from 9/11-related illnesses or continue to suffer.”<div class="instagram-wrapper"><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="null" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/DOdTP0yAfpj/?hl=e" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background:#FFF;
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width:calc(100% - 2px)">null</blockquote><script src="https://www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><div class="drag-handle" data-drag-handle="true"> </div></div>Dolan’s post offered a prayer to be said on the anniversary: “Lord, on this Sept. 11, we remember all who died 24 years ago in our city and throughout the country. We hold in our hearts those who still carry loss and grief from that day.”“Grant eternal rest to the departed, strength to survivors and their families, and protection for first responders and all who serve our communities with courage and dedication. Lord God, continue to watch over our city and country, and help us turn hearts toward compassion and peace. Amen.”In a post to X, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) also offered a <a href="https://x.com/USCCB/status/1966140319784739168" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">prayer</a> in memory of the attack: “God of understanding, overwhelmed by the magnitude of this tragedy, we seek your light and guidance as we confront such terrible events. Grant that those whose lives were spared may live so that the lives lost here may not have been lost in vain.”“Comfort and console us, strengthen us in hope, and give us the wisdom and courage to work tirelessly for a world where true peace and love reign among nations and in the hearts of all.”U.S. leaders also commemorated the day and paid tribute to the victims. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump attended an event at the Pentagon in Virginia on Thursday morning where prayers were offered for all the victims, first responders, those who continue to grieve, and U.S. active military members. “To every family member that still feels a void every day of your lives, the First Lady and I unite with you in sorrow,” <a href="https://x.com/WhiteHouse/status/1966120397927035094" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Trump said at the event</a>. “And today, as one nation, we renew our sacred vow that we will never forget Sept. 11, 2001.”U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth also spoke, asking the crowd to honor the memory of the victims and to acknowledge “the decades of courage that followed” the attack. “We gather to pay tribute to the first responders who charged into the flames and up the stairs, to those trapped on planes fighting their final fight, and to the families whose lives were forever altered by that fateful day,” Hegseth said.  “I thank God for all of you and all of our fighters from that day, to today and beyond. May God bless our warriors as they ruthlessly seek out enemies on behalf of the fellow citizens they love.”
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<category>US</category>
<pubDate>Thu, 11 Sep 2025 13:34:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Politicians, faith leaders condemn political violence after Charlie Kirk assassination ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266505/politicians-faith-leaders-condemn-political-violence-after-charlie-kirk-assassination</link>
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A makeshift memorial is seen at Timpanogos Regional Hospital in honor of political activist Charlie Kirk on Sept. 11, 2025, in Orem, Utah. / Credit: George Frey/Getty Images
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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 11, 2025 / 13:04 pm (CNA).
Faith leaders and political leaders are uniting their voices to condemn politically motivated violence following the assassination of Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk.Following the <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115181934991844419" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">confirmation</a> of Kirk’s death by President Donald Trump, some hours after the TPUSA founder was shot at a Utah Valley University event on Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 10, countless faith and political leaders began to speak out against the scourge of political violence.In a statement, Bishop Michael Burbidge of the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, railed against the “vicious pattern of political and social disorder” of the past several weeks, citing the Annunciation Catholic school shooting, the murder of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, “and now the political assassination of Charlie Kirk, known for his commitment to civil and rational discourse.” <div class="twitter-wrapper"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">As Americans, we are witnesses in just the past few weeks to a vicious pattern of political and social disorder. At Annunciation Catholic Parish in Minneapolis, the killings of Harper Moyski and Fletcher Merkel, two innocent children. In Charlotte, the murder of Ukrainian refugee…— Bishop Burbidge (@BishopBurbidge) <a href="https://twitter.com/BishopBurbidge/status/1965917919721959756?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 10, 2025</a></blockquote><script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><div class="drag-handle" data-drag-handle="true"> </div></div>“What we see unfolding in our nation is a vicious pattern of hatreds rooted in the rejection of God, of the dignity of the human person, and the sanctity of the family,” the bishop observed.“We are living through a perilous moment,” Burbridge continued. “Our challenge is not only one of partisan disagreement, law, and policy, but in a deeper way our challenge is to uphold the central goods of American political life: of faith, of families, and of a national commitment to live together in harmony as brothers and sisters.”<h2>Kirk’s assasination hit Bishop Barron particularly hard</h2>“I am devastated by the news of Charlie Kirk’s death,” Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, Bishop Robert Barron said after news of Kirk’s death was confirmed by President Donald Trump. Barron went on to <a href="https://x.com/BishopBarron/status/1965945608323158485" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">reveal</a> that Kirk had been scheduled to appear on his show, “Bishop Barron Presents,” in 10 days. The founder of Word on Fire called Kirk “a great debater and also one of the best advocates in our country for civil discourse, but he was, first and last, a passionate Christian,” recalling that when they first met four years ago, “we didn’t talk much about politics. We talked about theology, in which he had a deep interest, and about Christ. I know I’m joining millions of people around the world in praying that he rests now in the peace of the Lord.”<h2>Moral theologian on root of problem</h2>“You have to be willfully blind not to see that the root of the problem is political hatred, and that that hatred is no more obvious than in those who cannot restrain themselves from badmouthing a man even when he lay dying,” said Edward Feser, a Catholic philosopher and professor at Pasadena City College.<div class="twitter-wrapper"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">I have nothing against reasonable gun control laws. But you have to be willfully blind not to see that the root of the problem is political hatred, and that that hatred is no more obvious than in those who cannot restrain themselves from badmouthing a man even when he lay dying.— Edward Feser (@FeserEdward) <a href="https://twitter.com/FeserEdward/status/1965881560621891969?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 10, 2025</a></blockquote><script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><div class="drag-handle" data-drag-handle="true"> </div></div>In a joint post showcasing their shared perspective across ideological divides, Princeton legal scholar Robert George and Harvard theology and philosophy professor Cornel West said: “For our nation, this is a moment for deep healing and for bearing witness to the precious humanity of all our brothers and sisters — those with whom we agree and those with whom we disagree.” The pair had appeared together on Kirk’s show recently.<div class="twitter-wrapper"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">We join our fellow citizens of all faiths in praying for the repose of the soul of Charlie Kirk and for the comfort and consolation of his wife, two small children, and other loved ones. We recently appeared as guests on Charlie’s podcast, where he engaged us with moral…— Robert P. George (@McCormickProf) <a href="https://twitter.com/McCormickProf/status/1965934379030462599?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2025</a></blockquote><script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><div class="drag-handle" data-drag-handle="true"> </div></div>Meanwhile, CatholicVote President Kelsey Reinhardt said the tragic shooting “was not merely an assault on one man: It was an assault on the principles of free dialogue, civic order, and human dignity.” <div class="twitter-wrapper"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">It is with profound grief that I respond to the brutal assassination of Charlie Kirk during his “American Comeback” tour at Utah Valley University. Today, our nation mourns not only the loss of a bold voice for truth, but a husband and father who leaves behind a wife and two…— Kelsey (Wicks) Reinhardt (@catholickelsey) <a href="https://twitter.com/catholickelsey/status/1965887385893323117?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 10, 2025</a></blockquote><script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><div class="drag-handle" data-drag-handle="true"> </div></div>“As Catholics, we affirm with unwavering conviction that every human life is sacred,” Reinhardt continued, offering prayers for the repose of Kirk’s soul. “I call upon every leader, regardless of party or persuasion, to condemn this murder unequivocally. To remain silent in the face of such evil is to be complicit in its advance. Let this tragedy awaken America to the urgent need to recover respect for life, civility in discourse, and courage in the pursuit of truth.”Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts also weighed in, writing: “What a horrific day in American history.” <div class="twitter-wrapper"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">What a horrific day in American history. To Charlie’s family, friends, and <a href="https://twitter.com/TPUSA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TPUSA</a> colleagues: we must never, never, never, never, never, never stop fighting to build the America that he helped make possible. He restored optimism about the American future for millions of… <a href="https://t.co/VYP2WUaRiD">pic.twitter.com/VYP2WUaRiD</a>— Kevin Roberts (@KevinRobertsTX) <a href="https://twitter.com/KevinRobertsTX/status/1965881751349375361?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 10, 2025</a></blockquote><script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><div class="drag-handle" data-drag-handle="true"> </div></div>“To Charlie’s family, friends, and<a href="https://x.com/TPUSA" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> @TPUSA</a> colleagues: We must never, never, never, never, never, never stop fighting to build the America that he helped make possible,” Roberts added. <h2>Netanyahu: Kirk ‘stood tall for Judeo-Christian civilization’</h2>Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu joined world leaders in condemning Kirk’s assasination, writing: “Charlie Kirk was murdered for speaking truth and defending freedom. A lion-hearted friend of Israel, he fought the lies and stood tall for Judeo-Christian civilization.” <div class="twitter-wrapper"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Charlie Kirk was murdered for speaking truth and defending freedom. A lion-hearted friend of Israel, he fought the lies and stood tall for Judeo-Christian civilization. I spoke to him only two weeks ago and invited him to Israel. Sadly, that visit will not take place. We lost an…— Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) <a href="https://twitter.com/netanyahu/status/1965888327938158764?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 10, 2025</a></blockquote><script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><div class="drag-handle" data-drag-handle="true"> </div></div>Netanyahu revealed he had spoken to Kirk “only two weeks ago” and had invited the late TPUSA founder to visit Israel. “Sadly, that visit will not take place,” the prime minister said. “We lost an incredible human being. His boundless pride in America and his valiant belief in free speech will leave a lasting impact.” In another tribute, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who hosted Kirk as the first guest on his new podcast, said: “His senseless murder is a reminder of how important it is for all of us, across the political spectrum, to foster genuine discourse on issues that deeply affect us all without resorting to political violence.” <div class="twitter-wrapper"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">We should all feel a deep sense of grief and outrage at the terrible violence that took place in Utah today. Charlie Kirk's murder is sick and reprehensible, and our thoughts are with his family, children, and loved ones. I knew Charlie, and I admired his passion and commitment…— Governor Gavin Newsom (@CAgovernor) <a href="https://twitter.com/CAgovernor/status/1965899170579202144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 10, 2025</a></blockquote><script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><div class="drag-handle" data-drag-handle="true"> </div></div>“The best way to honor Charlie’s memory is to continue his work: Engage with each other, across ideology, through spirited discourse,” he continued. “In a democracy, ideas are tested through words and good-faith debate — never through violence.”Newsom added: “Honest disagreement makes us stronger; violence only drives us further apart and corrodes the values at the heart of this nation.Former Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden both took to social media as well, with Biden writing in a post: “There is no place in our country for this kind of violence. It must end now. Jill and I are praying for Charlie Kirk’s family and loved ones.” <div class="twitter-wrapper"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">There is no place in our country for this kind of violence. It must end now. Jill and I are praying for Charlie Kirk’s family and loved ones.— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeBiden/status/1965884787543171185?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 10, 2025</a></blockquote><script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><div class="drag-handle" data-drag-handle="true"> </div></div>“I am deeply disturbed by the shooting in Utah. Doug and I send our prayers to Charlie Kirk and his family,” Harris wrote, adding: “Let me be clear: Political violence has no place in America. I condemn this act, and we all must work together to ensure this does not lead to more violence.”<div class="twitter-wrapper"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">I am deeply disturbed by the shooting in Utah. Doug and I send our prayers to Charlie Kirk and his family. Let me be clear: Political violence has no place in America. I condemn this act, and we all must work together to ensure this does not lead to more violence.— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) <a href="https://twitter.com/KamalaHarris/status/1965864889651704135?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 10, 2025</a></blockquote><script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><div class="drag-handle" data-drag-handle="true"> </div></div>
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<category>US</category>
<pubDate>Thu, 11 Sep 2025 13:04:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Cardinal Parolin on Charlie Kirk death: ‘We are against all types of violence’ ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266503/vatican-secretary-of-state-cardinal-parolin-on-charlie-kirk-death-we-are-against-all-types-of-violence</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266503/vatican-secretary-of-state-cardinal-parolin-on-charlie-kirk-death-we-are-against-all-types-of-violence</guid>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/charliekirk1091125.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
A general view of a wreath laid by mourners outside the U.S. Embassy in Pretoria on Sept. 11, 2025, following the fatal shooting of U.S. youth activist and influencer Charlie Kirk while speaking during an event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. / Credit: PHILL MAGAKOE/AFP via Getty Images
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Vatican City, Sep 11, 2025 / 12:11 pm (CNA).
In response to the Sept. 10 fatal shooting of Christian conservative activist Charlie Kirk, the Vatican’s secretary of state condemned the use of violence against those with whom one disagrees.“The Vatican stand is that we are against all types of violence. And we think that we have to be very, very tolerant, very respectful of everybody, even though we don’t share the same view,” Cardinal Pietro Parolin told journalists at the sidelines of a conference at the Vatican on Sept. 11.“If we are not tolerant and respectful, and we are violent, this will produce a really big problem inside the international community and the national community,” he added.Parolin’s comments were made one day after the 31-year-old Kirk <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266491/christian-conservative-activist-charlie-kirk-shot-dead-at-utah-valley-university-event" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">was shot dead</a> during the first stop of his American Comeback Tour at Utah Valley University on the afternoon of Sept. 10.Kirk, who often debated students on campus, strongly defended free speech at colleges and was an outspoken critic of discrimination against Christians and of gender ideology. He founded Turning Point USA in 2012 to promote free speech and conservative values on college campuses.
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<category>Vatican</category>
<pubDate>Thu, 11 Sep 2025 12:11:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ ‘I don’t have a village anymore’: Priest decries insecurity, persecution in Nigeria ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266499/i-dont-have-a-village-anymore-priest-decries-insecurity-persecution-in-nigeria</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/sabrine-amboka-2025-09-08t212347-1757372906.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
Father Vealumun Paul Ansbert Mom, the superior general of the Via Christi Society in Nigeria, has decried the state of insecurity in his diocese, saying he can no longer travel to his village because “everyone has been driven away by killer herders.” / Credit: ACI Africa
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ACI Africa, Sep 11, 2025 / 11:34 am (CNA).
The <a href="https://viachristisociety.org/the-superior-general" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">superior general</a> of the <a href="https://viachristisociety.org/history-of-the-society" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Via Christi Society</a> in Nigeria has decried the state of insecurity in his native <a href="https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dmaku.html" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Makurdi Diocese</a>, saying he can no longer travel to his village.In an interview with ACI Africa on the sidelines of a canonical visit to St. Matthew Kuchikau Parish of the <a href="https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dlafi.html" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Diocese of Lafia</a> on Sept. 7, Father <a href="https://viachristisociety.org/the-superior-general" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Vealumun Paul Ansbert Mom</a> described the current insecurity in Benue state and others in the north-central region of Nigeria as “deliberate persecution of Christians in the West African nation.”“St. Paul Parish Ayititwa in <a href="https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dkats.html" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Katsina-Ala Diocese</a> was burnt down and destroyed. The parish house, rectory, and church building were reduced to ashes. From every evidence available, what is going on is the persecution of Christians, and we cannot hide away from that fact,” Mom told ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa.The Nigerian priest, who has lost family members amid insecurity in Benue state, said the attacks have destroyed entire communities. “I don’t have a village any longer; I can’t travel to my village. My village no longer exists because everyone has been driven away by killer herders,” he lamented.“When <a href="https://www.csw.org.uk/2025/06/17/press/6545/article.htm" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Yelewata community</a> was burnt down, I lost two cousins, and another cousin was shot on his farm two weeks ago,” Mom said. “These attacks are targeted. There are areas where Christianity is simply not allowed to grow.”The priest further explained that priests continue to live and work in dangerous conditions even after government officials have abandoned those areas. “Many parishes in Makurdi Diocese and outstations have been closed down because of this insecurity. Local government chairmen have relocated their offices to Makurdi, but Catholic priests remain in those villages. They go to bed every night wondering if they will survive, yet they stay,” he said.Mom urged the President <a href="https://statehouse.gov.ng/team/bola-ahmed-tinubu/" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Bola Ahmed Tinubu</a>-led government to acknowledge the scale of the crisis and take action. “The popular narrative among the powers that be is to deny the reality, but those of us who face it firsthand know the truth. Churches are destroyed, priests are displaced, and Christians are being persecuted. Government presence is almost nonexistent in these communities. The only officials left are soldiers,” he said.Despite the insecurity and criticisms, Mom noted that the Catholic Church does not see itself as an enemy of the Nigerian government and state officials. “The Church and the state have always worked hand in hand. The Scriptures call us to pray for our leaders. We love them, we pray for them, and we wish them well. But as a credible moral voice, we must call their attention to the suffering of the people,” he said.In the Sept. 7 interview, Mom also reflected on the challenges of vocations to priestly and religious life and the formation of candidates.“The world has become very secular and lazy, and vocations come from this same society. It is tougher now to train priests because many young people lack commitment. We must build virtues of sacrifice and dedication,” he explained.Mom dismissed suggestions that economic hardship alone prevents young people from joining the priesthood and religious life.“We train all our seminarians without asking them to pay. What really hinders vocations today is materialism. If you are driven by wealth and comfort, you cannot survive in the priesthood. Our priests in Via Christi Society work in remote and difficult missions where sacrifice is required, not wealth,” Mom said.“The Lord says, ‘Foxes have holes, the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.’ To follow him means surrender and sacrifice. If you are driven by wealth, you have no place in the priesthood,” he warned, highlighting the sacrifices of Via Christi missionaries both in Nigeria and abroad. “In Makurdi Diocese, our priests remain in flashpoints like Udei, Adaka, Aondona, and Naka. In Bauchi, one of our priests installed solar power that became the only source of light for an entire village,” Mom said.He went on to recount: “In the Caribbean, when <a href="https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/where-we-work/caribbean/newsletter/hurricane-beryl-in-the-eastern-caribbean/" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">hurricanes hit St. Vincent and the Grenadines</a>, one of our priests sheltered an entire community in his church basement. That is what missionary service looks like.”Mom said the Church will continue to rely on faith to sustain its mission. “Our founder, Father <a href="https://viachristisociety.org/about-our-founder" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Angus Fraser</a>, always reminded us to live by divine providence. Even when obstacles seem impossible, divine providence takes us a step further. That is what keeps us going in Nigeria and in every part of the world where we serve,” he said.This story <a href="https://www.aciafrica.org/news/17447/i-dont-have-a-village-anymore-catholic-priest-decries-insecurity-christian-persecution-in-nigeria" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">was first published</a> by ACI Africa, CNA's news partner in Africa, and has been adapted by CNA.
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<category>Middle East - Africa</category>
<pubDate>Thu, 11 Sep 2025 11:34:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ ‘God is with Nicaragua!’ exclaims first Nicaraguan consecrated bishop in the U.S. ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266497/god-is-with-nicaragua-exclaims-the-first-nicaraguan-consecrated-bishop-in-the-us</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266497/god-is-with-nicaragua-exclaims-the-first-nicaraguan-consecrated-bishop-in-the-us</guid>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/pedro.bismarck.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
Bishop Pedro Bismarck Chau at his episcopal consecration Mass as the new auxiliary bishop of Newark, New Jersey, on Sept. 8, 2025. / Credit: Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart
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ACI Prensa Staff, Sep 11, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).
“Today, we Nicaraguans are making history again. Do not forget: God is with us and God is with Nicaragua!” said Pedro Bismarck Chau, the new auxiliary bishop of Newark, New Jersey, at the Sept. 8 Mass for his episcopal consecration, making him the first Nicaraguan-born bishop in the United States.Amid a festive atmosphere and before a packed Sacred Heart Cathedral in Newark, where he had been rector since 2020, Chau received episcopal consecration through the laying on of hands by several bishops. The principal consecrator was Cardinal Joseph Tobin, the archbishop of Newark.As part of the celebration, Cardinal Christoph Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States, read the letter in which Pope Leo XIV officially appointed Chau as bishop and encouraged him to allow himself to be strengthened “by the grace of this jubilee year and you will have reason to be confident in the gift of hope, which does not disappoint. May God continue to bless you and may he bless the people of God in this archdiocese.”<div style="width:100%" class="mx-auto embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/e7hle8FPNzM?feature=oembed" class="embed-responsive-item null" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="null" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></div><h2>The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep</h2>In his homily in English and Spanish, Tobin encouraged the new bishop to remember that “you have been called from among the people of God and for the people of God. Not for yourself, but for the things that belong to God. Indeed, episcopacy is the name of a service, not an honor, for a bishop should strive to serve rather than rule.”“According to the Master’s commandment, whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of all … Be a faithful steward and dispenser of the mysteries of Christ. Always follow the example of the Good Shepherd, who knows his sheep and is known by them, and who did not hesitate to give his life for them.”The cardinal then recalled that “Pope Francis never tired of repeating to bishops that there are three aspects to a bishop’s closeness to the people he serves: closeness to God in prayer, the first task; closeness to the priests and deacons of the Church; and closeness to the people of God. … Do not forget your roots, do not forget those who have passed on the faith to you.”<h2>‘God is with Nicaragua!’</h2>At the beginning of his address as a newly consecrated bishop, Chau thanked the Deaf community in sign language, recalling that for 17 years they have been a great support and encouragement in his ministry, offering them his prayers and concluding with a clear: “I love you!”Speaking later in Spanish, he addressed his “dear Hispanic community: Thank you for the faith and devotion you possess. You are a great gift of life for the Church in the United States. Continue, brothers, to be a Church that goes out in search of the lost sheep.”“I would also like to acknowledge the presence this afternoon,” Chau continued, “of a group of people here from a very small country but with a big and resilient heart that cries out with a phrase that no other country has: ‘Who causes so much joy? The conception of Mary. Mary of Nicaragua! Nicaragua of Mary!’”The prelate addressed his family, especially his mother: “Thank you, my dearest mother, for everything and for praying so many rosaries for me, three, four, and five times a day that you pray for me. I need them, so don’t stop praying those rosaries for me. OK, Mommy?”“I love you very much,” he told his family, “you know I love you with all my heart.”<h2>The example of the Virgin Mary</h2>Chau said he hopes to “follow the example of Mary, whose birthday we celebrate today. Happy birthday, Mary! She trusted in God’s plan even though she didn’t know what she was being called to or where it would take or lead her. She renounced all the dreams and aspirations that a young girl would have and put God’s will first.”Then addressing all those assembled he said: “I humbly ask you to remember me in your prayers to the Lord and to ask the Virgin to watch over me and bring me closer to her son, Jesus, so that I may reflect for you the image of the Good Shepherd. Thank you, and may God bless you all!” he said.<h2>Words of Bishop Silvio Báez</h2>Following the Mass, Bishop Silvio Báez, the exiled auxiliary bishop of Managua, Nicaragua, who has been living in the U.S. since 2019, said the episcopal consecration of Chau was a “historic celebration. The first Nicaraguan, born in Nicaragua, to be ordained a bishop in the United States. He was baptized and took his first steps in the faith in Nicaragua.”“This is a sign of the richness and fruitfulness of the Church of Nicaragua and a message of hope for all the people of God in our country. The fact that Bismarck came from Nicaragua and settled in the United States shows that it is possible to move forward despite the difficulties one may encounter,” he added.When asked about <a href="https://www.aciafrica.org/news/17229/pope-leo-xiv-receives-exiled-president-of-nicaraguan-bishops-conference" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">his meeting with Pope Leo XIV</a> at the Vatican in August, along with two other exiled Nicaraguan bishops — Carlos Herrera and Isidoro Mora — the prelate said: “The interview with the Holy Father was a moment of grace, a moment of hope, seeing how deeply he holds Nicaragua in his heart as well as the situation the Nicaraguan people are experiencing at this time.”<h2>Who is Bishop Pedro Bismarck Chau?</h2>Pedro Bismarck Chau was born on June 28, 1967, in Managua, Nicaragua. He studied at Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey, earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology.He completed his ecclesiastical studies at Immaculate Conception Seminary in South Orange and later earned a master’s degree in counseling from Seton Hall University.He was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Newark on May 24, 2008.He served as parochial vicar of Our Lady of Mount Virgin in Garfield, New Jersey, from 2008–2012; as director of vocations from 2012–2016; and as head of campus ministry at Rutgers University and the New Jersey Institute of Technology from 2015–2020.He also served as pastor of the Pro-Cathedral of Sts. John and Patrick in Newark from 2015–2020 and rector of the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart since 2020.This story <a href="https://www.aciprensa.com/noticias/117025/consagran-en-estados-unidos-al-primer-obispo-nacido-en-nicaragua-pedro-bismarck-chau" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">was first published</a> by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
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<category>US</category>
<pubDate>Thu, 11 Sep 2025 08:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Pew Research surveys role of religion in how Americans vote ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266493/pew-research-surveys-role-of-religion-in-how-americans-vote</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266493/pew-research-surveys-role-of-religion-in-how-americans-vote</guid>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/Election_vote_ballot_box_Credit_roibu__Shutterstock_.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
null / Credit: roibu/Shutterstock
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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 11, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).
A new <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2025/09/10/most-americans-dont-believe-god-played-a-role-in-recent-presidential-election-outcomes/?utm_source=AdaptiveMailer&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=REL%20-%2025-09-10%20God%27s%20role%20in%20elections&org=982&lvl=100&ite=16675&lea=4532493&ctr=0&par=1&trk=a0DQm000007HklZMAS#how-americans-view-god-s-role-in-recent-presidential-elections" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Pew Research Center study</a> found that religion does not play a large role in how most Americans vote in U.S. elections. The research was conducted as part of Pew’s “<a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/the-american-trends-panel/" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">About the American Trends Panel</a>.” It was conducted May 5–11 and surveyed a representative sample of 8,937 U.S. adults. The margin of sampling error was plus or minus 1.4 percentage points.Of the responding participants, 56% of Americans said religion shapes how they vote “a little” or “not at all,” 18% said religion shapes how they vote “some,” and 25% said religion affects how they vote “a great deal” or “quite a bit.”Susan Hanssen, a professor of history at the University of Dallas, told CNA the data is “striking” because “it does not follow a normal curve.”“One would expect that on the edges of the sociological spectrum, a small portion of people would not vote according to their religious beliefs, the majority of people would vote somewhat in accordance with their religious beliefs, and a small number of people would vote absolutely based on their religious beliefs. But this curve is the opposite.”“This follows what we know to be true about people who say grace before meals,” Hanssen explained. “People either always say grace before meals and vote according to their religious beliefs, or they never say grace before meals and do not vote according to religious beliefs. Very few people only say grace every once in a while, and only consider God every once in a while while voting. It seems to be a kind of all or nothing thing with God.”Hanssen explained a possible reason behind the research findings. She said: “The fact that a majority of people are on one end of the spectrum, not taking God or religion into account when voting, matches perfectly with our deplorable birth rate.” “Clearly people are living for their immediate economic benefit and not thinking about either the next generation (their children and grandchildren) nor eternity. The widespread contraceptive mentality has undermined people’s habit of voting for family, values, and religious principles.”<h2>Catholic subset</h2>Among Catholic respondents, 24% said religion affects their voting patterns “a great deal” or “quite a bit,” 22% said “some,” and 54% said “a little” or “not at all.” The majority (67%) of Catholics also said “God does not get involved in U.S. presidential elections.” The research found that 26% of Catholics reported they agree Trump’s election “must be part of God’s overall plan, but doesn’t necessarily mean God approves of Trump’s policies.” Only 5% said “God chose Trump to become president, because God approves of his policies.”The Pew report revealed that religion affects how evangelical Christians vote the most among religious affiliations. Out of respondents, more than half (51%) of white evangelical Christians said their religion affects how they voted “a great deal” or “quite a bit.” Voters least affected by religious beliefs were unsurprisingly self-identified atheists, with 88% reporting that it affects them “a little” or “not at all.” Out of religiously affiliated, nonevangelical Christians were least likely to report their religious beliefs affect how they vote.Republicans (34%) were almost twice as likely as Democrats (18%) to report religion shapes how they vote. Republicans were also more likely to believe that recent election results must be part of God’s overall plan, even if God doesn’t necessarily approve of the winner’s policies.In regard to the most recent presidential election, the survey posed a question to Christians about what “good Christians” should think of Trump. It found that 80% of U.S. Christians said “good Christians can disagree about Donald Trump,” 11% said “opposing Trump is essential to being a good Christian,” and 7% said “supporting Trump is essential to being a good Christian.”
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<category>US</category>
<pubDate>Thu, 11 Sep 2025 07:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Catholic nursing students live faith on hospital ship in Madagascar ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266473/catholic-nursing-students-live-faith-on-hospital-ship-in-madagascar</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/01aa112b-1f24-47c4-81bc-5a8e2c5c5fd1.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
Erik Dike, a rising senior nursing student at Belmont Abbey College, carries a patient onboard a hospital ship in Madagascar during a two-week program with Mercy Ships. / Credit: Joshua Kiew Wing Chau
</div>
CNA Staff, Sep 11, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).
Three nursing students from a Catholic liberal arts school in North Carolina spent two weeks on a hospital ship in Madagascar this summer.Emma Harris, who will graduate from Belmont Abbey College in Charlotte in May 2026, joined fellow students Caroline Gutierrez and Eric Dike on a service-oriented internship in Madagascar with an international faith-based group called <a href="http://mercyships.org/" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Mercy Ships</a>. After returning to the U.S., Harris said she was “transformed.”Mercy Ships operates the two largest nongovernmental hospital ships worldwide, delivering free surgeries and health care services “to those with little access to safe medical care,” according to the organization. The three Belmont students, along with two other students, were selected to make up the first-ever cohort of The Mercyship, the hospital ship’s summer internship program.Harris joined Mercy Ships because she wanted to follow Jesus’ example.“Being on Mercy Ships completely transformed me,” Harris said. “I went in with my whole life mapped out, but the experience changed my perspective and priorities.”<figure class="mx-auto" style="width:100%"><img src="https://admin.catholicnewsagency.com/images/fbfb8538-dcbc-4eab-8197-7cefbc1009c8.jpg" class="img-fluid" style="null" alt="Nursing students Emma Harris, Eric Dike, and Caroline Gutierrez (left to right) represent Belmont Abbey College aboard “The Africa Ship” as part of a Christ-centered summer internship in 2025. Credit: Joshua Kiew Wing Chau"><figcaption class="caption text-muted">Nursing students Emma Harris, Eric Dike, and Caroline Gutierrez (left to right) represent Belmont Abbey College aboard “The Africa Ship” as part of a Christ-centered summer internship in 2025. Credit: Joshua Kiew Wing Chau</figcaption></figure>Mercy Ships, which has been operating for nearly 50 years, brings medical care to people in need around the world while incorporating the faith. Kerry Peterson, senior vice president of advancement at Mercy Ships, said its mission is “not just about providing medical care but creating a community centered on love, service, and faith.” More than 2,500 volunteers serve on the two ships. Students work with volunteer professionals “and witness firsthand how transformative health care can restore hope and dignity,” Peterson said. “Serving with Mercy Ships is a unique experience because it brings people from all over the world together with one purpose: using their skills and gifts to bring healing and hope to those who need it most,” Harris said.<h2>Faith and service in a ‘medical desert’ </h2>Madagascar is a “medical desert,” Peterson said. It is a country of more than 28 million residents, 75% living under the poverty line, and for every 1,000 people, there are 0.2 physicians, according to Peterson.The Africa Ship, one of the two hospital ships, arrived in Madagascar in February 2024 and will remain there until the end of 2025.“Access to safe surgical care is extremely limited, making it one of the world’s medical deserts where patients would otherwise go untreated for conditions that are easily treatable,” Peterson said.But the Mercy Ships program helps in “cultivating the next generation of faith-inspired health care leaders who will carry forward our commitment to bringing hope and healing to those who need it most,” Peterson said.“We hope students leave with a transformed understanding of what health care can be when delivered with compassion and cultural humility, seeing how healing encompasses dignity and hope far beyond clinical procedures alone,” Peterson said.Dike, a senior from Wake Forest, North Carolina, said: “Being part of this program was both eye-opening and deeply fulfilling.”<figure class="mx-auto" style="width:100%"><img src="https://admin.catholicnewsagency.com/images/c86633b7-e181-40b0-9c73-8b38cae83f16.jpg" class="img-fluid" style="null" alt="Erik Dike, a rising senior nursing student at Belmont Abbey College, with a patient at the ward onboard a hospital ship in Madagascar during a two-week program with Mercy Ships. Credit: Joshua Kiew Wing Chau"><figcaption class="caption text-muted">Erik Dike, a rising senior nursing student at Belmont Abbey College, with a patient at the ward onboard a hospital ship in Madagascar during a two-week program with Mercy Ships. Credit: Joshua Kiew Wing Chau</figcaption></figure>“While I was there, I could see how God was working through the staff to bring healing to those who need it most,” Dike told CNA. “None of the staff are paid, yet they serve with so much joy and love — a rare and inspiring thing to witness.”Harris said she “was inspired to join Mercy Ships because of my faith in Jesus and my desire to follow his example of serving others with compassion.”“Mercy Ships’ mission to bring hope and healing through love perfectly reflects the calling I feel to use my gifts in service,” Harris said. “I have always had a passion for caring for others, especially children and families, and the vision of Mercy Ships, to provide free medical care and show God’s love in practical, life-changing ways was the perfect way to do that.”For Harris, Mercy Ships is a “tangible” connection to Christ.“For me, it connects deeply to my walk with Jesus, because he calls us to care for the sick, love our neighbors, and serve with humility,” she said.<figure class="mx-auto" style="width:100%"><img src="https://admin.catholicnewsagency.com/images/884af1e9-fcf7-4eec-938a-18fc5f1bc65c.jpg" class="img-fluid" style="null" alt="Belmont Abbey College senior nursing student Emma Harris (left) volunteers in the galley aboard the Africa Ship. Credit: Joshua Kiew Wing Chau"><figcaption class="caption text-muted">Belmont Abbey College senior nursing student Emma Harris (left) volunteers in the galley aboard the Africa Ship. Credit: Joshua Kiew Wing Chau</figcaption></figure>“Being part of this program is important to me because it lets me live out my faith by serving others, growing in my walk with God, and using my gifts to make a difference,” Harris said.Gutierrez, a senior in the nursing program at Belmont Abbey from North Carolina, joined the program because she said she felt “drawn to helping people in some of their toughest, most vulnerable, painful moments, because we are called as Christians to heal the sick, feed the poor, and show love to those rebuked by the world.”“At Mercy Ships, they start the day with prayer and worship, offering up their work and service up to God,” Gutierrez said. “Everyone is there out of love of God and love of others — I found this to be the unifying key to the mission of mercy ships.”“Mercy Ships is truly something bigger than yourself,” Dike said, adding that the program helped him realize “how beautiful people’s hearts can be.”“Everyone on the ship speaks passionately about how much they love being a part of Mercy Ships and how it has become a lifelong calling for many of them,” he said. “I was grateful to share even a small part of that by caring for patients and witnessing their joy and gratitude.”<h2>Communicating beyond words</h2>Mercy Ships gives students the opportunity to “witness how our volunteer medical professionals combine clinical excellence with genuine care for each patient’s whole being,” Peterson said.Dike said it was a “unique experience” and “very different from nursing in America.” Health care practitioners on board “rely on translators for every patient,” he noted.  “This taught me the importance of communicating beyond words, through body language and facial expressions, when language barriers exist,” Dike said.Peterson hopes students view “their work not just as jobs but as callings to serve.”“This immersive experience shows them that faith, service, and clinical excellence aren’t separate components but integrated aspects of transformative health care that treats each patient with dignity and compassion,” Peterson said.After the transformative experience, Harris said she is setting her sights on a future of service. “Now, the one thing I know for certain is that I want to finish my degree and get back on the ship as soon as I can,” Harris said. “It showed me what it really means to serve, to live in community, and to trust God with my future.”<figure class="mx-auto" style="width:100%"><img src="https://admin.catholicnewsagency.com/images/5a4efd48-ff8a-486a-8289-5369a60ea03d.jpg" class="img-fluid" style="null" alt="Belmont Abbey College senior nursing student Emma Harris with a patient on the Africa Mercy ship deck during her two-week-long internship with Mercy Ships in summer 2025. Credit: Joshua Kiew Wing Chau"><figcaption class="caption text-muted">Belmont Abbey College senior nursing student Emma Harris with a patient on the Africa Mercy ship deck during her two-week-long internship with Mercy Ships in summer 2025. Credit: Joshua Kiew Wing Chau</figcaption></figure>
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<category>US</category>
<pubDate>Thu, 11 Sep 2025 06:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ UPDATE: Colorado high school shooting suspect was ‘radicalized,’ police say ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266495/3-teenagers-in-critical-condition-after-colorado-high-school-shooting</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/coloradoshooting.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
Police officers are on the scene at Evergreen High School where a shooting occured earlier in the day, in Evergreen, Colorado, on Sept. 10, 2025. A shooting at Evergreen High School in Colorado critically injured three studentsincluding the suspected shooter. Authorities say there is no longer an active threat. / Credit: CHET STRANGE/AFP via Getty Images
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Denver, Colo., Sep 10, 2025 / 20:14 pm (CNA).
The suspect in a school shooting in Evergreen, Colorado, has died of self-inflicted wounds after shooting two of his peers.After a shooting at Evergreen High School in Jefferson County, Colorado, on Wednesday, one student remains in critical condition while the other was released from the hospital in stable condition, according to the hospital’s trauma director, Dr. Brian Blackwood. The suspected shooter, identified as Desmond Holly, 16, had been “radicalized,” according to the sheriff’s office. Social media accounts apparently belonging to Holly featured white supremacist content and “explicitly antisemitic” posts, as well as posts suggesting an interest in mass shootings, according to a report by the <a href="https://www.denverpost.com/2025/09/11/evergreen-high-school-shooting-colorado-updates/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Denver Post</a>.  The students were treated at CommonSpirit St. Anthony Hospital in Lakewood, Colorado. One of the two victims was identified as Matthew Silverstone, 18. The family has asked for privacy “as we continue to heal and navigate the road ahead,” the Silverstone family said in a <a href="https://www.9news.com/article/news/local/victims-evergreen-high-school-shooting/73-760594c3-5a63-4854-85fd-a308d5a7cb14%5C" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">statement</a>.The shooting took place at midday about 30 miles southwest of Denver at a high school of 900 students. Hundreds of law enforcement rushed to the scene. The school has since been cleared by law enforcement and there is no longer an ongoing threat, according to local police.   “My heart is with the students, parents, and teachers at Evergreen High School. Today, we grieve for those critically shot and those left frightened and shaken,” Archbishop Samuel Aquila of Denver said in a <a href="https://www.denvercatholic.org/evergreen-high-school-shooting-catholic-community-mobilizes-to-provide-comfort-and-support" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">statement</a>. “We are grateful for the swift response of law enforcement on the scene, whose courage brought calm amid chaos, and for the doctors and medical teams working tirelessly to care for the injured,” he continued. “The victims have been taken to St. Anthony’s Hospital, a Catholic hospital, where they are receiving compassionate care.”“To our young people, know that Jesus is near you, hears your cries, and his mother Mary holds you close,” Aquila said. “To hurting families, the Church is with you, and we lift you and your children up in prayer.” “May Christ bring comfort to your hearts and may Mary at the foot of the cross wrap you in her tender care,” he said.The nearby parish, Christ the King Parish, is offering ministry for students, families, and staff amid the tragic event, according to the archdiocese. A team of deacons “trained to serve in disasters and critical incidents” has also been put on alert. “These deacons, who have partnered with the American Red Cross in past crises, stand ready to offer pastoral outreach and guidance should they be needed at the hospital or school,” read a <a href="https://www.denvercatholic.org/evergreen-high-school-shooting-catholic-community-mobilizes-to-provide-comfort-and-support" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">statement</a> from the archdiocese.“Students should be able to attend school safely and without fear across our state and nation,” Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said in a <a href="https://x.com/GovofCO/status/1965863733013463498" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">statement</a>. “We are all praying for the victims and the entire community.”<a href="https://x.com/FBIDirectorKash/status/1965880754375958933" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">FBI Director Kash Patel</a> posted about the tragedy, saying that the FBI was “on the scene and in full support of local authorities to ensure everyone’s safety.” This is at least <a href="https://www.denverpost.com/2025/09/10/evergreen-high-school-shooting/" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">the seventh </a>school shooting in Colorado since the 1999 Columbine High School shooting.The shooting took place within hours of the shooting of conservative commentator <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266487/breaking-charlie-kirk-shot-at-college-event-calls-for-prayers-spread-across-social-media" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Charlie Kirk</a> at a rally at Utah Valley University.  “In addition to praying for Charlie Kirk, please also pray for my hometown Evergreen, Colorado, where there is a school shooting and at least two students have been shot,” <a href="https://x.com/theisabelb/status/1965866338561486902" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">said</a> Catholic commentator and Daily Wire show host Isabel Brown.This story was updated most recently on Sept. 12, 2025, at 1:24 p.m. ET.
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<category>US</category>
<pubDate>Wed, 10 Sep 2025 20:14:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Christian conservative activist Charlie Kirk dies after being shot at Utah Valley University event ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266491/christian-conservative-activist-charlie-kirk-shot-dead-at-utah-valley-university-event</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/charliekirk1091025.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk (pictured at the White House in May) was shot and killed on Sept. 10, 2025, while speaking to college students in Utah. / Credit: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 10, 2025 / 17:37 pm (CNA).
Charlie Kirk — founder of the conservative campus activist organization Turning Point USA and outspoken evangelical Christian — was shot dead in an apparent assassination during an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 10.The 31-year-old was fatally shot in the neck while taking questions from audience members during a stop at the university as part of his American Comeback Tour. He is survived by his wife, Erika Frantzve, and his 3-year-old daughter and 1-year-old son.The shooting occurred when Kirk was answering a student’s question about transgenderism and gun violence at about 12:10 p.m. MST, shortly after the event began. Utah Valley University was Kirk’s first tour stop.Kirk, who often debated students on campus, strongly defended free speech at colleges and was an outspoken critic of discrimination against Christians and gender ideology. He founded Turning Point USA in 2012 when he was just 18 years old to promote free speech and conservative values on college campuses.Vice President JD Vance <a href="https://x.com/JDVance/status/1965874716071305285" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">posted on X</a> that Kirk’s campus events “are one of the few places with open and honest dialogue between left and right,” noting that Kirk “would answer any question and talk to everyone.”“Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord,” Vance said in <a href="https://x.com/JDVance/status/1965879202579730455" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">a follow-up post</a>.Kirk was a close ally of President Donald Trump, who expressed sadness about his death in <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115181934991844419" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">a Truth Social post</a> and referred to Kirk as “great, and even legendary.”“No one understood or had the heart of the youth in the United States of America better than Charlie,” he wrote. “He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us. Melania and my sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika and family. Charlie, we love you!”Kirk has also been outspoken about his Christian faith on social media, in interviews, and on his previous campus tours.In <a href="https://x.com/charliekirk11/status/1963302354281009549" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">a post on X</a> last week, Kirk expressed optimism about a “revival in the Christian church.” “Churches are growing,” Kirk said. “Young people are flocking to faith in God. You do not want to live in a non-Christian country. Even the most hardened atheists or agnostics are blessed by the church’s influence.”As of early Wednesday evening, the shooter has not yet been confirmed captured. The motive is not yet known.Trump ordered all American flags in the United States to be flown at half-staff until 6 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 14, to honor Kirk’s legacy. The president said Kirk was “ a truly Great American Patriot.”
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<category>US</category>
<pubDate>Wed, 10 Sep 2025 17:37:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Charlie Kirk dies after being shot at college event in Utah ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266487/breaking-charlie-kirk-shot-at-college-event-calls-for-prayers-spread-across-social-media</link>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/charliekirk3091025.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
Charlie Kirk speaks with attendees at the 2025 Chapter Leadership Summit at the Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, Florida. / Credit: Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 10, 2025 / 15:54 pm (CNA).
Founder and President of Turning Point USA Charlie Kirk has been shot in an incident that took place at a Utah Valley University event earlier this afternoon.Prayer requests for Kirk flooded across social media platforms after video footage depicting him being shot in the neck began to circulate on X. Kirk had been discussing the rising phenomenon of violent attacks perpetrated by trans-identifying individuals. AP News <a href="https://x.com/AP/status/1965879682584199572" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">reported on X</a> that Kirk has died.“Say a prayer for Charlie Kirk, a genuinely good guy and a young father,” Vice President JD Vance wrote immediately after news broke of the attack. <div class="twitter-wrapper"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Dear God, protect Charlie in his darkest hour. <a href="https://t.co/RqNYfHLs2b">pic.twitter.com/RqNYfHLs2b</a>— JD Vance (@JDVance) <a href="https://twitter.com/JDVance/status/1965857571492999312?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 10, 2025</a></blockquote><script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><div class="drag-handle" data-drag-handle="true"> </div></div>“Dear God, protect Charlie in his darkest hour,” Vance wrote in another post.President Donald Trump also posted his platform Truth Social: “We must all pray for Charlie Kirk, who has been shot. A great guy from top to bottom. GOD BLESS HIM!”Kirk is married to his wife, Erika, and is the father of two children. Police have reportedly arrested a man in connection with the attack, according to <a href="https://x.com/RichBeeker/status/1965854013372641520" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">videos posted on social media</a>. The man has not been identified. St. Joseph’s Catholic Church on Capitol Hill will host a prayer vigil for Kirk after its 5:15 p.m. Eucharistic adoration.Kirk, who has described himself as evangelical, recently went viral on social media for <a href="https://teams.microsoft.com/l/message/19:992aeb1709ee446384a9adf09a68add9@thread.v2/1757533764540?context=%7B%22contextType%22%3A%22chat%22%7D" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">his surprising take on the Virgin Mary</a>, saying during an episode of “The Charlie Kirk Show” on the Real America’s Voice channel that he believed Protestants do not talk about or venerate Mary enough, adding that Mary “is the solution” to “toxic feminism in America.”“Mary was clearly important to early Christians,” Kirk said. “Have more young ladies be pious, be reverent, be full of faith, slow to anger, slow to words at times. Mary is a phenomenal example, and I think a counter to so much of the toxicity of feminism in the modern era.”Bishop Robert Barron was among those to post immediately after the attack, writing: “Please pray for Charlie Kirk.” FBI Director Kash Patel said that “agents will be on the scene quickly,” and that the FBI would be standing “in full support of the ongoing response and investigation.”<div class="twitter-wrapper"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">We are closely monitoring reports of the tragic shooting involving Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University. Our thoughts are with Charlie, his loved ones, and everyone affected. Agents will be on the scene quickly and the FBI stands in full support of the ongoing response and…— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) <a href="https://twitter.com/FBIDirectorKash/status/1965851035467132940?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 10, 2025</a></blockquote><script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><div class="drag-handle" data-drag-handle="true"> </div></div>Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis stated: “I’ve been briefed on the shooting in Utah. Casey and I are praying for Charlie Kirk and his family.”<div class="twitter-wrapper"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">I’ve been briefed on the shooting in Utah. Casey and I are praying for Charlie Kirk and his family.— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) <a href="https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/1965854741407346711?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 10, 2025</a></blockquote><script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><div class="drag-handle" data-drag-handle="true"> </div></div>“My heart is sick. Charlie is a friend. A good, courageous man. Who cares passionately and deeply about this country. Who loves life. A father and husband. Pray for him, pray earnestly. Pray for his family. Pray for our country. Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy,” Live Action Founder Lila Rose wrote in a social media post.This is a developing story. This story was last updated on Sept. 10, 2025, at 4:48 p.m. ET.
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<category>US</category>
<pubDate>Wed, 10 Sep 2025 15:54:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Pope Leo XIV: Israeli attack in Qatar a ‘very serious’ development ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266485/pope-leo-xiv-israeli-attack-in-qatar-a-very-serious-development</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266485/pope-leo-xiv-israeli-attack-in-qatar-a-very-serious-development</guid>
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Pope Leo XIV preaches at the historic Rotonda church in Albano, Aug. 17, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media
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ACI Prensa Staff, Sep 10, 2025 / 13:18 pm (CNA).
On the evening of Sept. 9, when leaving Castel Gandolfo, where he had spent the day, Pope Leo XIV described Israel’s attack earlier Tuesday against leaders of the Hamas terrorist group in Doha, Qatar, as “very serious.”Referring to the growing tension in the Middle East conflict, the pontiff stated: “We must pray a lot and keep working, searching, insisting on peace.” On Wednesday, at the end of the general audience in St. Peter’s Square, the Holy Father encouraged the faithful to remember “in their prayers and in their humanitarian projects also the children of Ukraine, Gaza, and other regions of the world affected by war.”At Castel Gandolfo, the pontiff specifically expressed his concern about the situation in Gaza, after Israel ordered the immediate evacuation of residents in anticipation of an imminent intensification of military operations.Pope Leo XIV explained that he had unsuccessfully attempted to contact Father Gabriel Romanelli, pastor of Holy Family Church, the only Catholic church in Gaza.“I tried to call the parish priest just now; I have no news,” he said. “They were certainly OK before, but after this new [Israeli army evacuation] order, I’m not sure.” Hours later, Romanelli reported on X that he had finally managed to speak with the Holy Father. “He asked us how we’ve been and what the situation was like. He sent us his blessing and is praying for us and for peace,” the priest wrote.This story <a href="https://www.aciprensa.com/noticias/117051/papa-leon-xiv-alerta-sobre-gravedad-del-ataque-de-israel-a-hamas-en-qatar" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">was first published </a>by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
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<category>Vatican</category>
<pubDate>Wed, 10 Sep 2025 13:18:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Pope Leo XIV creates ‘new’ China diocese amid diocesan border dispute with Beijing ]]></title>
<link>https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266483/pope-leo-xiv-creates-new-china-diocese-amid-diocesan-border-dispute-with-beijing</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266483/pope-leo-xiv-creates-new-china-diocese-amid-diocesan-border-dispute-with-beijing</guid>
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<img src="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/storage/image/china-church.jpg?w=800&jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 100%" />
St. Francis Xavier statue in front St. Joseph Cathedral in Beijing, China, Feb. 25, 2016. / Credit: Zvonimir Atletic/Shutterstock
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Rome Newsroom, Sep 10, 2025 / 12:21 pm (CNA).
Pope Leo XIV has created a new Catholic diocese in northern China with the same name as one established decades ago by Beijing without Vatican approval, underscoring ongoing tensions over how China has redrawn Catholic diocesan borders independently of Rome. The Vatican announced Wednesday that the pope has suppressed two historic dioceses of Xiwanzi and Xuanhua — both erected in 1946 by Pope Pius XII — and replaced them with the Diocese of Zhangjiakou. The see of the new diocese is based in the city of Zhangjiakou, where China’s state-controlled Catholic association set up its own diocese in 1980 using boundaries never recognized by the Holy See. Notably absent from the Vatican’s announcement was any mention of Bishop Augustine Cui Tai, 75, the longtime underground bishop of Xuanhua, the diocese Pope Leo XIV suppressed. Cui has been subjected to repeated detention, house arrest, and forced labor over the past three decades, according to <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/259983/persecution-of-10-catholic-bishops-in-china-intensified-after-vatican-china-deal-report-says" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">a recent report.</a>Pope Leo XIV appointed a new bishop to lead the Diocese of Zhangjiakou in Hebei province, Father Joseph Wang Zhengui, who was selected within the framework of the Holy See’s provisional agreement with the Chinese government on the appointment of bishops, also referred to as the Vatican-China deal.The Vatican announcement came hours after Wang, 62, was consecrated bishop of Zhangjiakou on Sept. 10 in a Mass at the Church of the Holy Family in Zhangjiakou attended by about 300 Catholics, 50 priests, and senior Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association leaders. The Vatican said that Pope Leo had appointed Wang on July 8.“In order to promote the pastoral care of the Lord’s flock and to attend more effectively to its spiritual welfare, on July 8, 2025, Pope Leo XIV decided to suppress the dioceses of Xuanhua and Xiwanzi in mainland China, which were established on April 11, 1946, by Pope Pius XII,” the Holy See Press Office said in its announcement. “In this way, the territory of the Diocese of Zhangjiakou corresponds to that of the capital city of Zhangjiakou.”The new diocese covers 14 districts and counties around the city of Zhangjiakou, an area of 14,000 square miles with a population of just over 4 million people, including about 85,000 Catholics served by 89 priests. It will be a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Beijing.<h2>No mention of persecuted bishop</h2>The Holy See’s announcement conspicuously omitted mention of the current underground bishop of the suppressed Diocese of Xuanhua. Bishop Cui has been detained four times since the 2018 China-Vatican agreement was signed and had not been seen since he was taken into police custody in April 2021, according to a 2024 report by the Hudson Institute. His diocese had repeatedly called for his release from detention but to no avail. Asia News reported that Catholic clergy in Hebei were informed that a “retirement” ceremony for Cui, who is currently 75 years old, will take place on Sept. 12.<h2>China’s disputed diocesan borders</h2>The announcement highlights the long-standing issue in Vatican-China relations: The government-sponsored Chinese Patriotic Association redrew diocesan borders to align with state administrative divisions. This redrawn diocesan map does not match the Vatican’s canonical jurisdictions.The Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association is a state-run body under the control of the Chinese Communist Party’s United Front Work Department. Prior to Pope Leo’s decision, Beijing recognized 104 dioceses while the Holy See had 143 Catholic dioceses in China. While the 2018 Vatican-China deal — renewed by Pope Francis in October 2024 — aims to fill vacant sees through a shared process of bishop appointments, its details remain secret. Vatican officials have previously acknowledged that Beijing <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254812/pope-francis-confirms-shanghai-bishop-appointed-in-violation-of-vatican-china-deal" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">violated the agreement</a> multiple times.<h2>Pope Leo XIV on China</h2>The Vatican came under criticism during Pope Francis’ pontificate for what some saw as a muted response to China’s human rights abuses, including the internment of Uyghur Muslims and the imprisonment of Catholic pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai in Hong Kong.  On May 1, <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/263155/china-s-new-religious-restrictions-severely-limit-foreign-missionary-activity" target="null" class="null" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">new restrictions</a> from China’s United Front came into force banning foreign clergy from presiding over religious activities for Chinese people without the invitation of the Chinese government, severely limiting foreign missionary activity in the country. Meanwhile, state-sanctioned Catholic institutions in China offered little acknowledgement of Pope Francis’ death.  Pope Leo XIV, who inherited the Vatican-China deal from Francis, has retained Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the architect of the deal, as his secretary of state, yet it remains unclear how Vatican-China relations might shift under the new pontiff. Cardinal Stephen Chow, the bishop of Hong Kong, who met with Pope Leo XIV on Sept. 2, told his local diocesan newspaper, the Sunday Examiner, that “the Holy Father is not entirely unaware of the Church in China, as he has already gathered insights from multiple sources and through the Sino-Vatican agreement.”Leo XIV also visited mainland China before his election as pope when he served as superior general of the Augustinian order. “He recognizes the importance of dialogue between the Church and the mainland authorities, and considers respectful communication as the priority in addressing challenges in China-Vatican relations,” Chow said.
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<category>Middle East - Africa</category>
<pubDate>Wed, 10 Sep 2025 12:21:00 -0400</pubDate>
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