Catholic News

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, said that nations have the right to self-defense but urged them not to use it as an excuse for rearmament.

Parolin addressed the United Nations (U.N.) General Assembly in New York on Sept. 26 at the opening of its 81st session. The U.N. chose "Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations that delivers for All" as the theme for this year's assembly.

Parolin quoted Pope Leo XIV's encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, which he said "emphasized that 'there is an urgent need to shift from the 'culture of power' to a genuine 'culture of negotiation,' in which dialogue and diplomacy become the standard means of resolving conflicts.'"

Parolin said that nations have a right to self-defense, but not as a pretext for arming themselves, especially with nuclear or autonomous weapons.

"No true peace is possible without genuine common resolve for disarmament; the legitimate right of every people to provide for its own defense must not degenerate into a race to massive rearmament," Parolin said.

Parolin's remarks uphold the stance of the Holy See and of Pope Leo XIV regarding nuclear disarmament. In May, Pope Leo XIV rejected United States President Donald Trump's claim that he supported nuclear weapons.

In July, Leo wrote a foreword to the book "Disarmed and Disarming: Peace Is a Gift," citing American singer Bob Dylan, who criticized the manufacture of nuclear bombs during the Cold War.

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Many Catholics can, at the drop of a hat, recite the prayer to St. Michael the Archangel — the famous petition to that venerable saint to "defend us in battle" and "cast into hell Satan."

In the culture of the Church, Michael is often accompanied by his two fellow archangels — Sts. Gabriel and Raphael — with the three forming a phalanx of protection, healing, and petition for those who ask for their intercession. The Church celebrates the three archangels with a joint feast day on Sept. 29.

St. Michael the Archangel

St. Michael the Archangel is hailed in the Book of Daniel as "the great prince who has charge of [God's] people."

Michael Aquilina, the executive vice president and trustee of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology in Steubenville, Ohio, described Michael among angels as "the one most often named — and most often invoked — and most often seen in history-changing apparitions."

Devotion to Michael, Aquilina told EWTN News, "has been with the Church from the beginning. And Michael has been with God's people since before the beginning of the Church."

Michael's history in the Bible is depicted through Daniel, in Jude (in which he battles Satan for possession of Moses' body), and in Revelation as he "wag[es] war with the dragon" alongside his fellow angels.

Michael, Aquilina said, was "a supremely important character who was there from the beginning of the story." Rabbinic tradition holds that Michael was at the center of many of the great biblical dramas even if not explicitly mentioned.

He was an early subject of veneration in the Church, though Aquilina noted that the Reformation led to a steep decline in devotion to the angels — until the end of the 19th century, when Michael began an "amazing comeback journey" in the life of the Church.

Following a vision of Satan "running riot" on the planet, "Pope Leo [XIII] composed three prayers to St. Michael, ranging from short to long," Aquilina said. "The brief one, he commanded, should be prayed at the end of every Mass."

This was a regular feature of the Mass until the Vatican II era, after which it came to an end — though Pope John Paul II in 1994 urged Catholics to make the prayer a regular part of their lives.

"St. Michael is there for us in the day of battle, which is every day," Aquilina said.

The St. Michael Prayer: St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil / May God rebuke him, we humbly pray / And do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the divine power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

St. Gabriel the Archangel

Gabriel appears regularly in Scripture as a messenger of God's word, both in the Old and New Testaments. Daniel identifies Gabriel as a "man" who came "to give [him] insight and understanding," relaying prophetic answers to Daniel's entreaties to God.

In the New Testament, Luke relays Gabriel's appearances to both Zechariah and the Virgin Mary. At the former, he informs the priest that his wife, Elizabeth, will soon conceive a child; at the latter he informs Mary herself that she will do the same. The two children in question, of course, were respectively John the Baptist and Jesus Christ.

Christian tradition further associates Gabriel with the apostle Paul's reference in his First Letter to the Thessalonians to the "archangel's call" and "the sound of the trumpet of God."

"Judgment will begin with the archangel's call and the sound of the horn," Aquilina told EWTN News. "Thus we hear often of Gabriel's trumpet."

Media workers in particular have "good professional reasons to go to Gabriel," Aquilina said.

"Since he is the Bible's great communicator — the great teller of good news — he is the natural patron of broadcasters and all those who work in electronic media," he said.

"For the same reason, he's the patron saint of preachers ... but also of postal workers, diplomats, and messengers."

The St. Gabriel Prayer: O Blessed Archangel Gabriel, we beseech thee, do thou intercede for us at the throne of divine mercy in our present necessities, that as thou didst announce to Mary the mystery of the Incarnation, so through thy prayers and patronage in heaven we may obtain the benefits of the same, and sing the praise of God forever in the land of the living. Amen.

St. Raphael the Archangel

Lesser-known among the three great archangels, Raphael's mission from God "is not obvious to the casual reader" of the Bible, Aquilina said. Yet his story, depicted in the Book of Tobit, is "something unique in the whole Bible." In other depictions of angels, they come to Earth only briefly, to deliver a message or to help God's favored people in some way.

"Raphael is different," Aquilina said. "He stays around for the whole story, and by the end he's become something more than an angel ... he's become a friend."

In Tobit, Raphael accompanies Tobias, the son of the book's namesake, as he travels to retrieve money left by his father in another town, helping him along the way and arranging for his marriage to Sarah.

The biblical account "has in every generation provided insight and consolation to the devout," Aquilina said.

Notably, Raphael deftly uses the natural world to work God's miracles: "What we would ordinarily call catastrophes — blindness, multiple widowhood, destitution, estrangement — all these become providential channels of grace by the time the threads of the story are all wound up in the end."

"Raphael is patron of many kinds of people," Aquilina said. "Of course, he's the patron of singles in search of a mate — and those in search of a friend. He is the patron of pharmacists because he provided the salve of healing. He is a patron for anyone in search of a cure."

He is also the patron saint of blind people, travelers, sick people, and youth.

"Raphael's story," Aquilina said, "remains a model for those who would enjoy the friendship of the angels."

Prayer to St. Raphael: St. Raphael, of the glorious seven who stand before the throne of him who lives and reigns, angel of health, the Lord has filled your hand with balm from heaven to soothe or cure our pains. Heal or cure the victim of disease. And guide our steps when doubtful of our ways. Amen.

This story was first published on Sept. 29, 2023, and has been updated.

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ROME — The Holy See has confirmed that Argentine priest Carlos Miguel Buela, founder of the Institute of the Incarnate Word (IVE), committed abuse against several individuals.

The Vatican reached this conclusion following a canonical process and has ordered the religious family, which has been under Vatican intervention for more than seven years and without self-governance, to undertake a path of renewal.

The decision was communicated during a meeting in Rome on Sept. 14 involving the pontifical delegates overseeing the men's and women's branches of the congregation, provincial superiors of both institutes, and representatives of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. The decision was made public Tuesday and had also been posted on the IVE's website last week.

According to a Vatican statement, both the Special Criminal Tribunal of First Instance and the Court of Appeal, established by the Church's competent authority, "reached moral certainty regarding the responsibility of Fr. Carlos Miguel Buela, founder of the two institutes, for committing an offense against the Sixth Commandment, perpetrated with violence against several persons," in accordance with Canon 1395 §2 of the Code of Canon Law.

The Vatican said the clarification seeks "to restore the truth as an act of justice toward those persons who have been harmed by the founder's behavior."

Reexamining the charism and purifying the institution

The statement framed the decision within the broader renewal process currently underway in both the Institute of the Incarnate Word and the Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matará, which remain under Vatican oversight.

The Vatican stressed the need to pursue a process of "re-reading the charism and reviewing, renewing and purifying the spirituality, formation and apostolic activity proper to each institute, distinguishing between the gift of the Holy Spirit granted for the building up of the Church and the limitations or personal actions of the founder."

The goal, the statement said, is to distinguish the charism received for the service of the Church from the personal conduct and shortcomings of Buela, whose legacy has long been overshadowed by allegations of sexual abuse, manipulation, and serious failures in governance.

A step toward renewal

The Vatican's measures amount to what is effectively a process of institutional renewal. The effort bears similarities to the path undertaken by the Holy See with the Legionaries of Christ and Regnum Christi after the confirmation of abuses and crimes committed by their founder, Marcial Maciel.

The initiative has the support of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life, headed by Sister Simona Brambilla, as well as the two pontifical delegates originally appointed by Pope Francis and later confirmed by Pope Leo XIV: Bishop José Antonio Satué of Teruel and Albarracín, Spain, for the men's branch and Sister Clara Echarte for the women's branch.

Presence in 45 countries

The Religious Family of the Incarnate Word is present in 45 countries and includes more than 3,000 members, including priests, religious sisters, and lay members of its Third Secular Order. Founded in Argentina in 1984, it experienced rapid international growth in the decades that followed.

However, just 11 years after its founding, the Holy See began intervening in the congregation amid allegations of sexual abuse against Buela and other concerns involving the exercise of authority and community life. Since then, various pontifical commissioners and delegates have sought to address the situation.

A major milestone came in December 2016, when the Diocese of San Rafael in Argentina publicly announced that the Vatican had found Buela guilty of "improper behavior with adults." In a statement read at the time during a press conference, the diocese said allegations had emerged involving "sexual actions affecting religious and seminarians of the institute."

In 2019, Spanish Cardinal Santos Abril y Castelló was appointed pontifical commissioner. He imposed restrictions on the congregation's expansion and publicly denounced the internal resistance he encountered during his mission.

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

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A Jewish charter school in Oklahoma scored a key victory this month in its federal lawsuit seeking access to the state's publicly funded charter program.

The ruling from the U.S. District Court of the Western District of Oklahoma comes more than a year after a Catholic charter school lost a similar lawsuit seeking to be included in Oklahoma's charter school funding.

In his decision, U.S. District Judge David Russell said the state may not "single out religious schools for exclusion" from public charter funding "solely because of their religious character."

The Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board may not deny funding to the National Ben Gamla Jewish Charter School Foundation, Russell held, though the order only applies so long as the lawsuit continues through the federal court system.

The Oklahoma government requires charter schools to identify as "nonsectarian" and not be affiliated with religious groups. That rule was previously challenged by a Catholic institution, St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, which sought funding from the charter school board and which sued the state in 2023 over being excluded from the state program.

That suit drew the backing of the U.S. bishops as well as numerous states who advocated expanded educational opportunities. Yet the U.S. Supreme Court ultimately declined to issue a ruling in the case after the court's justices were split in the dispute, leaving the school without charter funding.

It's unclear whether or not the Jewish charter school dispute will affect the status of the Catholic charter school. But in his ruling Russell said the denial of the school's application on religious grounds constituted a "concrete" and "actual" injury.

A "long line of Supreme Court precedent" supports the school's position that the denial of its public funding violates the U.S. Constitution, the judge said.

Daniel Chen, an attorney with the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which is representing the charter school, said in a press release that Oklahoma's ban on religious charter funding was "destined to fail."

"The Constitution doesn't permit the state to welcome every kind of charter school except a religious one," Chen said.

The state has 30 days to appeal to the federal Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit, Becket said.

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A cross and Nativity will remain in a Los Angeles public plaza after a U.S. appeals court ruled against an atheist who brought a lawsuit to have the displays removed.

The two monuments are located at El Pueblo de Los Angeles, the historical center of the Southern California city, marking its founding in 1781.

Los Angeles resident Jack Gerritsen sued the city government claiming that the displays violate the establishment clause of the U.S. Constitution. Gerritsen identifies himself as a "nonbeliever" in the suit and claims the monuments make him feel "excluded" in the public space.

A U.S. district court ruled against Gerritsen, after which he appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. On Sept. 29, the religious liberty law firm Becket announced that the appeals court had also ruled against Gerritsen.

The plaintiff "failed to establish the requirements" to justify removing the monument, the appeals court said, including failing to establish that he would "suffer irreparable harm" if the monuments were left in place.

He further failed to affirm that removing the monuments would be "in the public interest," the court noted.

The ruling comes after a group of merchants located on Olvera Street near the monuments asked to join the lawsuit in defense of the public displays.

Among them was cafe owner Edward Flores, who said that a cultural display such as the cross and Nativity helps "[ennoble] Americans across all ethnicities, faiths, cultures, and generations to take pride in their own contributions and to see more clearly their future potential."

The appeals court ultimately ruled against the efforts of the merchants to join the suit, arguing that their participation in the legal proceeding was moot given the court's dismissal of Gerritsen's request.

But Andrea Butler, a lawyer at Becket who represented the merchants in their request, said in a news release that the ruling was "common sense."

"Los Angeles belongs to people of every faith and none, and its public square naturally bears the marks of that diversity," Butler said.

The case will be sent back to lower district court following the appeals ruling, according to Becket. The law firm said the monuments will remain "while courts move toward a final decision in the case."

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WASHINGTON — Thousands of Catholics who gathered at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception on Saturday got a head start on the approaching month of the rosary by participating in a daylong event featuring prayer and talks centered on the power of the Marian prayer.

The fourth annual Dominican Rosary Pilgrimage drew an estimated 3,000 people, with tens of thousands of others joining via livestream broadcast.

Hosted by the Dominican Friars of the Province of St. Joseph, the event included opportunities for joining in Eucharistic adoration and receiving the sacrament of reconciliation.

"Every year the pilgrimage grows. Every year, more people join us and every year those prayers are lifted up to heaven with greater enthusiasm," said Dominican Father Patrick Briscoe, promoter general for social communication of the Province of St. Joseph, which extends from New England to Virginia to Ohio.

"It's such a beautiful event," said pilgrim Lauren Rodriguez, who traveled from Miami. "This is the second time I've come and this year I brought my husband. I just thought it was so impactful to see so much beauty, prayer, and truth in the preaching. It's incredibly peaceful for as many activities that there are throughout the day."

In preparation for the event, an estimated 100,000 Catholics participated in a nine-month novena, beginning on Jan. 31 and ending on Sept. 26, according to Dominican Father John Paul Kern, the St. Joseph province's executive director.

"I think Our Lady brings us closer to him and reveals something to us about her son in a very special way with him here at this event," Kern said.

Dominican Father Peter John Cameron, the event's principal speaker, described the rosary as a gift and a "chain that unites people to God."

"The rosary is something truly unique and indescribably precious," he told EWTN News. "Because more than just a form of prayer, the rosary is a relationship. The rosary is a dynamic experience of our sonship, of our daughtership, in God."

"For someone like me who's so busy, and so many people are busy, it's a day dedicated to prayer, to soak it in, receive the graces," Rodriguez told EWTN News. "You meet so many wonderful people from all over. It really is reaching so many people and touching so many hearts."

The Catholic Church dedicates the entire month of October to the most holy rosary and celebrates the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary on Oct. 7.

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Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, archbishop of Bologna and president of the Italian Bishops' Conference, has again been appointed as a papal envoy to Russia.

Pope Leo XIV appointed Zuppi to lead a Vatican delegation to Russia from Sept. 28–30 to advocate for the release of Ukrainian prisoners amid the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war.

According to Vatican News, this will be Zuppi's third visit to Russia on behalf of the pope to advance the Vatican's humanitarian peace efforts. Pope Francis appointed him as peace envoy in 2023 and 2024.

The Holy See's plea for Ukrainian victims of the war

Zuppi explained that his visit to Russia on behalf of the Holy See aims to support efforts regarding prisoners of war and children separated from their families. He also said his mission reflects the concern of Pope Francis and now Pope Leo for those affected by the conflict.

"All of this is part of the humanitarian mission entrusted to me initially by Pope Francis and subsequently confirmed by Pope Leo XIV," the cardinal said to the Russian news agency Tass. "We are assessing all the requests coming from both the Ukrainian and Russian sides, within the framework of the dialogue already initiated."

"We wish to develop this dialogue further, aware of the suffering caused by the war, and we seek to contribute to bringing it to an end," he added.

Recent Vatican efforts for peace in Ukraine

Zuppi's recent trip to Russia follows that of Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Vatican's secretary for relations with states and international organizations. Gallagher visited the country from Aug. 25–28 to meet with senior Russian officials to discuss a peaceful resolution to the war.

Zuppi also visited Ukraine in July 2025, during which he visited the Russian prisoners of war held there.

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A New Jersey man will spend more than half a decade behind bars after pleading guilty to charges related to his arrest outside of the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle before the 2025 "Red Mass" in Washington, D.C.

Louis Geri was arrested in Washington on Oct. 5, 2025, on charges of threats to kidnap or injure a person as well as possession of a molotov cocktail.

Geri was present at the cathedral on the same day as its annual Red Mass, which honors lawmakers and judicial officials. Police later said Geri had specifically targeted Catholics and Supreme Court justices in a bomb plot.

In March, Geri pleaded guilty to a violation of the federal Hobbs Act, specifically an extortion charge, as well as possession of an unregistered firearm. He had reportedly drawn up a list of demands that included "hundreds of thousands of dollars in payments," according to the government.

On Sept. 28 the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia announced that Geri had been sentenced to 70 months in prison over the incident. He will also serve three years of supervised release, the government said. Prosecutors had originally sought an 87-month sentence.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro described the bomb threat as "an attack on our community and on the fundamental right to worship freely."

Geri "chose to terrorize a sacred space, St. Matthew's Cathedral, and endanger officers and parishioners, thereby preventing Supreme Court Justices from attending an annual religious event," she said.

The 70-month sentence "reflects the seriousness of his conduct and our commitment to protecting every community from extremist threats and violence," Pirro said.

Geri also said he was willing to use the bombs at the White House and the U.S. Capitol, according to the government. Photographs shared by the D.C. prosecutor's office showed explosive devices that appeared to be assembled in part from fireworks and tinfoil.

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Assisi is preparing to welcome thousands of pilgrims Oct. 3–4 when the main celebrations marking the 800th anniversary of St. Francis' death will take place. On his feast day, Oct. 4, the city will also welcome the president of Italy, Sergio Mattarella.

A solemn Mass will be celebrated by Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi, archbishop of Bologna and president of the Italian Bishops' Conference, with Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime, the papal legate for the basilicas of Assisi, in attendance, Vatican News reported.

Activities surrounding the anniversary began on Sept. 24 and will run until Oct. 5. In addition to liturgical celebrations, cultural events and various charitable initiatives are being celebrated — among them the traditional procession dedicated to the saint at the Porziuncola.

One of the key moments will be the "Transitus," the observance commemorating St. Francis' final hours before his death.

The new bishop of Assisi, Felice Accrocca, noted that the figure of the saint continues to spark wide interest.

"St. Francis continues to fascinate people from all continents and cultures, thanks to his radical interpretation of the Gospel and his vision of society rooted in peace, fraternity, and hope," he noted.

According to the prelate, many of the concerns Francis addressed during his lifetime remain relevant today. "Francis is, in fact, ahead of us," he stated, referring to interfaith dialogue, the pursuit of peace, and care for our common home.

"His vision continues to inspire and challenge us," he added.

A remembrance that looks to the future

For Accrocca, the anniversary is not merely about looking to the past.

Speaking to Vatican Media, he described the celebrations as a journey "between remembrance and the future." Remembering Francis, he explained, can offer keys to understanding the present moment.

Accrocca highlighted that the saint's teachings remain relevant because they constitute "a radical interpretation of the Gospel."

A city that continues to welcome pilgrims

The October celebrations follow months of intense activity in Assisi.

Between February and March, the exposition of the mortal remains of St. Francis drew nearly 400,000 pilgrims, according to data presented at a press conference reported by Vatican News.

Fraternity will be another theme of the anniversary. Friar Marco Moroni, custos of the Sacred Convent of St. Francis, noted that the saint himself spoke of his brothers as a gift received from God.

"The Lord gave me brothers," recalled Friar Moroni, quoting the Testament of St. Francis.

The friar explained that the Sacred Convent currently brings together more than 50 friars from some 20 different countries. For him, this life shared by people of diverse cultures demonstrates that fraternity, while not always easy, can be lived out in practice.

"It is also possible in the world," he affirmed.

The events in October will also hold special significance as they coincide with the 40th anniversary of the interfaith gathering for peace convened by St. John Paul II in Assisi in 1986.

On that occasion, representatives of various religions came together to pray for peace. Four decades later, the anniversary of St. Francis' death will once again place Assisi at the center of a gathering centered on that same theme.

The life and person of the saint has continued to impact new generations of Catholics. Among them is Carlo Acutis, who, although not from Assisi, asked to be buried there.

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

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The Diocese of Tlaxcala in Mexico began celebrations marking the 500th anniversary of the martyrdom of Sts. Cristóbal, Antonio, and Juan, known as the Child Martyrs of Tlaxcala, considered the protomartyrs of the Americas, with a reminder that their blood "opened the way for the faith on the continent."

On Sept. 23, the date of their liturgical memorial, the Diocese of Tlaxcala inaugurated the Jubilee of Holiness and Mission with a Mass. The jubilee will conclude on Sept. 23, 2027.

Cristóbal died a martyr in 1527, at around the age of 12, after his own father punished him for destroying idols. Antonio and Juan gave their lives two years later in 1529 while participating in an evangelization mission.

They were beatified on May 6, 1990, at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City and canonized by Pope Francis on Oct. 15, 2017, in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican.

'They didn't wait until they were adults' to evangelize

In his homily for the Mass on Sept. 23, Bishop Julio César Salcedo Aquino of Tlaxcala highlighted that the celebration seeks to highlight the testimony of the three young martyrs as an example of holiness and renew "missionary zeal."

The prelate pointed out that Cristóbal, Antonio, and Juan, even as children, "embodied to the letter the words of Christ."

"God's protection does not mean an absence of physical hardships or persecution" but rather the grace to "persevere in the faith," he noted.

In this regard, Salcedo recalled that Cristóbal "did not fear threats from his own family," while Antonio and Juan "maintained the joy of the mission despite knowing the danger they were in."

"The protomartyrs of the Americas did not wait until they were adults or had some official title to become evangelizers," he stated. Educated by Franciscan friars, he added, "they became the first catechists of their people [and thus] shared their experience of faith."

The bishop pointed out that this commitment to evangelization ultimately led them to lay down their lives. "They were beaten with clubs and burned for bearing witness to the truth of the Gospel." That they willingly shed their blood for Christ "was a very moving example to the Indigenous communities and opened the way for the faith on the continent," he added.

Salcedo pointed out that "children, adolescents, and young people exposed to so many secularist ideologies need models of piety and of apostolic and missionary generosity rooted in Gospel values."

The Apostolic Penitentiary granted a plenary indulgence for the jubilee year at the Shrine of the Child Martyrs in the town of Atlihuetzia.

To obtain it, the faithful must fulfill the usual conditions: confession, Communion, prayer for the pope's intentions, and detachment from all sin, even venial sin.

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

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