Catholic News

Pope Leo XIV affirmed on June 15 the shared heritage of Jews and Catholics, emphasizing that they must be united against antisemitism and in serving those in need.

In an address at the Vatican to representatives of the United Jewish Appeal-Federation of New York, the pontiff praised their organization as "an instrument of global Jewish philanthropy, providing essential humanitarian aid and social services to vulnerable populations." He also drew parallels between their work and the Catholic Church's commitment to human development.

"These efforts reflect a clear recognition of human dignity and fraternity, resonating with the Church's own commitment to integral human development and the call to love our neighbor," Leo said in his remarks.

The pope also reflected on the progress of Catholic-Jewish dialogue since the 1965 publication of Nostra Aetate, a declaration from the Second Vatican Council that condemned all forms of antisemitism. Reaffirming the Church's stance against antisemitism, Leo emphasized the need for Catholics and Jews to work together to combat all forms of discrimination.

"[Nostra Aetate] affirmed, among other things, the truth that we belong to one human family," Leo said. "Recognizing the inherent dignity of all men and women, Nostra Aetate took a firm stand against antisemitism and declared that the Church rejects all forms of discrimination or harassment because of race, color, condition of life, or religion. In a world still wounded by division and conflict, it called us to move beyond past misunderstandings toward collaboration for the common good."

Full Article

Nearly 40 years after Norway's last March for Life, about 1,000 pro-life supporters braved rain and winds to gather in Oslo on June 13 for a renewed public witness in defense of unborn life.

The event began with a rally at 11 a.m. in Seventh June Square before participants marched through the capital's streets singing Christian hymns, concluding outside the Norwegian Parliament at 12:30 p.m. There, speakers from medical, social, religious, and political walks of life delivered addresses on the dignity and protection of human life, before the crowd joined together to sing "Navnet Jesus" ("The Name of Jesus"), widely regarded as Norway's most beloved Christian hymn.

Banners bearing slogans such as "A Voice for the Voiceless," "Choose Life," and "650,000 Since 1978" — a reference to the number of abortions recorded in Norway since the country's abortion law was liberalized — defined the march's central message: that every child has a right to life.

The discussion is not over

The march was organized by Velg Livet, a pro-life organization whose director, Cecilie Marie Røinås, told EWTN News the event was driven by a growing interest among younger Norwegians and a determination to respond to recent expansions of the country's abortion laws.

"Since it has been around 40 years since the last major March for Life in Norway, we felt it was time for a new public witness," she said. "With recent expansions of Norway's abortion laws, it is important that we continue to be a voice for unborn life and not act as if the discussion is over."

The strong presence of young people behind the initiative, many of them in their early 20s, was, for Røinås, one of the march's most significant features.

"The fact that so many young people are involved shows that the issue of abortion is not a lost cause," she said. "We want to show that there are many in our generation who are willing to stand up for unborn life."

Røinås said the march's success would ultimately be measured not by attendance figures alone but by its impact on hearts.

"Our prayer is that people would experience God's love," she said, "because real change begins in the hearts of the people."

A sign of growing engagement

Bishop Fredrik Hansen of Oslo, who was unable to attend due to pastoral commitments, described the march to EWTN News as evidence of a broader shift in Norwegian society.

"The Oslo March for Life attests to the increasing interest in and engagement for the defense of life and the dignity of life in Norway," he said, expressing hope that it would become an annual event and serve to build bridges among the country's pro-life organizations.

Asked whether he viewed the march as a form of healthy political advocacy or as genuine Christian witness, Hansen said it was both.

"The march will serve to witness to Norwegian society about the sacredness of life and to the need to challenge the many threats to life," he said. "In so doing, it will send a firm message to our politicians and to the media that many Norwegians are deeply committed to a pro-life culture and wish their voices to be heard."

He also pointed to what he described as quiet but real signs of religious renewal in a country better known for its secularism. "Interest in Christianity is increasing, notably among the young. Pro-life and broader social engagement is increasing in both the Catholic Church and other Christian communities, and public discussion on issues of life and faith are becoming more and more common."

He closed with a direct appeal to Catholics abroad: "Remember Norway in your prayers."

Unity among Christians

The Catholic Church was represented at the march by Catholics from several parishes, as well as Ragnhild Helena Aadland Høen, public affairs officer for the Norwegian Catholic Bishops' Conference.

Høen drew an immediate contrast with the last such demonstration in 1986, which was met with large and sometimes violent counterprotests. "This time, we were allowed to walk in peace," she told EWTN News.

For Høen, the march's most striking feature was not its size but its unity. "Catholics, Lutherans, Pentecostals, and evangelicals stood side by side," she said, describing this cross-denominational cooperation as "one of the most hopeful signs in Norway today."

She also highlighted the participation of American worship leader Phil King, whose address centered on Christian unity: "The impossible is not impossible with Jesus."

Høen was careful to situate the march as a beginning rather than a culmination. "I have the distinct sense that God is gathering his people in Norway," she said. "It felt like the opening lines of a new chapter," one in which both Christian ecumenism and the pro-life movement, she believes, will continue to grow.

"I left with such a strong sense of expectation and joy," she noted.

The fundamental question remains

Among the speakers at the Parliament steps was Ingrid Olina Hovland, chairwoman of the youth wing of Norway's Christian Democratic Party, who was candid about the political landscape facing pro-life advocates in the country.

Pro-life politicians, she acknowledged, remain a minority in Norway and frequently face opposition from fellow lawmakers and the wider public alike. She explained that national debates have become too narrowly focused.

"The public discussion focuses primarily on healthcare and women's rights while giving less attention to the unborn child," she told EWTN News.

Hovland also challenged a common assumption underpinning arguments that economic hardship is a primary driver of abortion. Norway's extensive welfare state, she argued, makes that case difficult to sustain.

"Even in a society with generous welfare benefits, the fundamental question remains: What moral value do we assign to unborn human life, and how should that value be weighed against other interests and rights?"

She expressed cautious optimism about the direction of her generation. Younger Norwegians, she said, appear increasingly willing to engage seriously with the moral dimensions of abortion rather than treating the debate as settled, a willingness that, for those gathered in Oslo on Saturday, the march itself was designed to reflect.

Full Article

Thousands gathered in Rome on June 13 to march against Italian legislation permitting abortion and to defend those with disabilities and the vulnerable in Italy who could be affected by future legislation on euthanasia and assisted suicide.

Participants in the "Scegliamo della Vita" ("Let's Choose Life") March — an annual pro-life march since 2011 — gathered at the Piazza della Repubblica to voice support for promoting a culture of life in Italy and for respecting the human dignity of every person at all stages.

Current abortion legislation in Italy

Abortion first became legal in Italy in May 1978, allowing women to terminate a pregnancy up to 12 weeks of gestation.

This has since been followed by certain measures in favor of abortion by the Italian Ministry of Health, including permitting abortions as an essential healthcare service during the COVID-19 pandemic and allowing chemical termination of pregnancy up to 63 days.

Maria Rachele Ruiu, a prominent Italian pro-life advocate and participant in the march, expressed her hope to EWTN News that the march will persuade the Italian government to repeal current legislation permitting abortion.

"In Italy, unfortunately, we have Law 194, which governs abortion. It allows abortion up to the 12th week, but it is also permitted beyond that if a specific medical diagnosis is made," Ruiu told EWTN News. "We want to show that choosing and protecting life is not only right, important, and necessary but also beautiful."

Potential legislation permitting euthanasia and assisted suicide

Other participants voiced concerns about rumors that the Italian government would enact laws permitting euthanasia and assisted suicide more broadly.

Massimo Gandolfini, spokesperson for the Scegliamo della Vita March, expressed opposition to such laws and discussed the role that men have in promoting a pro-life culture.

"We see that this right [to life] today is deeply wounded and heavily attacked with abortion law, and with this rumored law on assisted suicide, to which we are totally opposed," Gandolfini said.

"We [men] want to demonstrate to keep attention high on a fundamental issue, which is the right to life. The right to life is the right that underpins every other right of a civil society and a democratic society."

Ruiu added that the participants at the march would "ask Parliament not to legislate."

A future of marriages and children

Looking to the future, Ruiu stated that young people can support a culture of life by getting married and having families of their own.

"We want to bear witness to the fact that choosing life is worth it, especially for those who choose it; that having a child is wonderful news for the family and for society; that people can get married. Young people, get married and have children!

"They always portray us, even in the press, as ugly and bad; we want to parade through Rome to show our true face: happy people," Ruiu said.

Full Article

Authorities in Pakistan's Punjab province have taken control of a century-old church-run hostel in Lahore for what they describe as restoration work, but Christian leaders warn the move could result in the church losing ownership of the property permanently.

The Punjab Board of Revenue seized Ewing Hall, a British-era building constructed in 1916 and long associated with Forman Christian College University (FCCU), prompting widespread condemnation from alumni, church leaders, and minority rights advocates.

Jonathan Addleton, rector of FCCU, described the action as a "forcible takeover" in a video statement posted on the university's Facebook page on June 12.

Standing with staff members outside the locked gates of the hostel in Lahore's historic Anarkali Bazaar, Addleton said Ewing Hall had been part of the Forman campus for more than a century.

"The initial lease was signed in 1915 and subsequently renewed multiple times, most recently to extend it well into the 2040s," he said, adding that university officials were given only 24 hours by telephone to remove movable property, including generators, furniture, and historical artifacts, a task he called impossible.

Addleton urged the government to return the property and called for consultations with stakeholders, including Pakistan's minority communities, "for whom Forman means so much."

The video attracted more than 233,000 views within days.

The government, however, offered a sharply different account.

Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari, speaking to Dawn on June 14, said the lease for Ewing Hall had expired and had not been renewed for several years.

She said the property was reclaimed as part of the Lahore Heritage Area Revival Project, which aims to restore historic buildings in the provincial capital, and alleged that the lessee had failed to clear outstanding lease payments dating back to 1975.

Documents shared by the government show alleged outstanding lease liabilities totaling 107.79 million rupees (about $387,000): 29.19 million rupees (about $105,000) accrued between 1975 and 2018, and a further 78.59 million rupees (about $282,000) calculated for the period from 2018 to 2026.

The records also contend that the land was leased exclusively for educational purposes but had not been used as such since 2015.

Reuben Qamar, a pastor at the Presbyterian Church on the FCCU campus, said the college had refused to pay the lease during three decades of nationalization when the building was under government possession.

"We were in the midst of negotiations with the officials to reduce the lease amount when the takeover took place," he told EWTN News.

Qamar remained doubtful about the property's return.

"Basically, it is a property dispute. The building was still being used for educational purposes. We are not sure whether it will be handed back to us," he said.

He noted the 6,070-square-meter site had been vacated in 2018 after cracks appeared in the structure and the COVID-19 pandemic that followed. A professional firm had only recently completed a safety assessment.

Founded in 1864 by American Presbyterian missionaries, FCCU is Pakistan's only church-run chartered university. It was nationalized in 1972 under former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto before being returned to Presbyterian Church management in 2003.

Qamar warned the seizure sent a troubling message to minority institutions across the country.

"The government's priority appears to be monetary interests rather than education, despite Forman's role in producing generations of national leaders," he said, adding that the move reeked of bad intention.

Nasir William, convener of Minority Forum Pakistan, called the seizure a violation of minority rights and demanded a transparent and impartial investigation.

"Such actions not only violate constitutional and legal principles but are deeply concerning for the protection, dignity, and equal citizenship of minorities in Pakistan," he said.

The case has renewed attention on the broader issue of nationalized church properties.

According to the Lahore-based Centre for Social Justice, 118 church-owned educational institutions remained under provincial government control as of June 2020.

William noted that despite past discussions about returning some of those properties, including Rang Mahal School, described as the first English-medium institution in northern India, "nothing materialized."

The independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan also weighed in on June 13, describing Ewing Hall as a building of "historical, educational, and cultural significance."

It warned that the reported eviction deadline raised "serious questions about transparency, due process, and the stewardship of shared heritage," and urged authorities to protect the building's physical integrity.

Full Article

The district court in Olomouc, Czech Republic, has rehabilitated Josef Karel Matocha, the city's former archbishop, recognizing his internment under the communist regime as unlawful more than six decades after his death.

The court's decision, based on the Judicial Rehabilitation Act, confirms that the prelate was a victim of unlawful deprivation of liberty in the 1950s by the communist regime in what was then Czechoslovakia. He was not formally convicted, yet he was forced to remain in the archbishop's palace under surveillance by the State Security, and this was recognized as imprisonment.

The current archbishop of Olomouc, Josef Nuzík, said he is "very happy that after so many years we have managed to complete this procedural step and achieve justice" in civil law as well.

Matocha is "constantly present in our palace and in the hearts of believers," and guests "are often moved when they realize that these beautiful spaces were his prison," said Nuzík, who is also president of the Czech Bishops' Conference.

The rehabilitation is an important sign "also for the entire society," he added, one that shows "the heroism and suffering of people who did not let themselves be broken must not be forgotten."

Ladislav Müller filed the initial motion for rehabilitation at the request of Jan Kratochvil, director of the Museum of Czech, Slovak, and Ruthenian Exile of the 20th Century in Brno.

Decades of isolation

Matocha, who held doctorates in philosophy and theology, was appointed archbishop of Olomouc by Pope Pius XII in 1948. He was deeply dedicated in his pastoral visits, initiated the beatification process of Archbishop Antonín Stojan, and secretly ordained František Tomášek as a bishop, who later became a cardinal and archbishop of Prague, according to the Archdiocese of Olomouc.

After his internment in 1950, he could not read newspapers or listen to the radio, and visits to the garden were permitted only sporadically. The isolation lasted until his death from a heart attack in 1961, which was also due to the denial of medical care. In 1999, then-Czech President Václav Havel posthumously awarded Matocha the first class of the Order of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk for outstanding services to democracy and human rights.

The press office of the Archdiocese of Olomouc told EWTN News that no special event regarding Matocha is planned at present, but it noted that a rehabilitation process is underway for Cardinal Štepán Trochta. Trochta also suffered internment as the bishop of Litomerice, but "we consider him ours," the press office said, because he was born within the Archdiocese of Olomouc.

A wider reckoning

The unjust treatment of two other churchmen by the communist regime in Czechoslovakia has recently been recognized.

Cardinal Josef Beran, the former archbishop of Prague, who was interned in several locations, was rehabilitated in February, the District Court of Prague confirmed to EWTN News.

In 2024, the regional court in Hradec Králové rehabilitated the priest Josef Toufar, who was illegally arrested and tortured to death.

Full Article

President Donald Trump announced on June 14 that the United States and Iran had reached a deal to end months of hostilities that have claimed thousands of lives.

In a Truth Social post, Trump declared: "The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete. Congratulations to all!"

He added: "I hereby fully authorize the toll free opening of the Strait of Hormuz, and, simultaneously herewith, authorize the immediate removal of the United States Naval blockade. Ships of the World, start your engines. Let the oil flow!"

A formal signing ceremony is scheduled for June 19 in Switzerland.

Between 7,500 to 10,000 people have died since the war erupted in February, with the majority of fatalities occurring in Iran and Lebanon. Civilian deaths across the region are estimated between 2,500 and 4,000. The United States has lost 13 service members in the conflict.

The pact is expected to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, lift the U.S. naval blockade on Iranian ports, and include a 60-day period for further negotiations, particularly on Iran's nuclear program, according to the Associated Press.

The deal only partially addresses the issues that sparked the conflict, which began with U.S.-supported Israeli airstrikes that killed Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Feb. 28.

While the agreement requires Iran to refrain from producing or acquiring nuclear weapons and to maintain the current nuclear status quo during the 60-day negotiation period, it does not include a full dismantling of Iran's nuclear program or the removal of its highly enriched uranium stockpile.

Nor does the deal require Iran to halt funding, arming, or directing its network of militant groups, including Hezbollah.

Those questions have been deferred for future talks.

According to Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, a mediator in the peace deal, the agreement calls for "the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon."

Hezbollah launched projectiles from Lebanon into Israel on Sunday, however, leading Israel, which maintains it has the right to respond to Hezbollah attacks, to retaliate by striking Beirut's southern suburbs.

Both Iran and Trump criticized Israel's airstrikes. In a separate Truth Social post earlier that day, Trump wrote: "This morning's attack on Beirut should not have happened, particularly on a special day when we are so close to a Peace Deal with Iran."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has repeatedly stated that Israel is "not a party" to the deal, said the strikes targeted Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure and a Hezbollah command center.

Pope Leo's repeated calls for peace

The peace deal follows repeated appeals for peace by Pope Leo XIV. He has consistently called on all parties to return to dialogue and protect innocent lives.

In April, the pope stated: "Search always for peace and reject war … especially a war which many people have said is an unjust war."

Trump took issue with Leo's statements, leading to a public dispute in which the president accused the pope of saying Iran "can have a nuclear weapon," despite the pope's repeated calls for nuclear disarmament.

"The Church has spoken for years against all nuclear weapons, so there is no doubt there," Leo said in response on May 5.

"The peace that Jesus gives us is not merely the silence of weapons, but the peace that touches and transforms the heart of each one of us!" the pope said in his Easter "urbi et orbi" message. "Let us allow ourselves to be transformed by the peace of Christ!"

The peace deal announcement comes on the same day as Trump's 80th birthday, on which he held the first-ever professional UFC fights on the South Lawn of the White House. Trump hosted the event as part of America's 250th anniversary celebrations.

Full Article

One year ago, Sarah-Elizabeth Pilato, a Catholic mother of three from New York, found out she was pregnant at the age of 40. It was a surprise to her and her husband but the couple were excited to bring another life into the world.

Then, suddenly, their excitement ended when Pilato went into her doctor's office and was told that her baby no longer had a heartbeat. She had undergone a miscarriage. It was this experience that inspired her to write a book called "H.U.G" — an acronym for "Here, Understood, and Gently held."

"It was a very quick emotional roller-coaster ride," Pilato told EWTN News. "And when I had the miscarriage, my doctor, she looked at me and she basically said, 'I'm so sorry. Miscarriage is really not talked about. I don't know why women don't talk about it, but it's very common.' And in that moment, as she looked at me, I thought to myself, 'OK, I'm going to talk about it.'"

She recalled sitting in the doctor's office, alone, looking for anything that would help her with her grief — a pamphlet, a picture on the wall, anything — and there was nothing. Instead, all she was handed as she walked out the door was her bill for the office visit.

"There was just nothing for me to make me feel that I was going to be OK and that I wasn't alone. I felt completely isolated and I felt like I was the only person in the world that was feeling this," she recalled.

Once she got home, she felt lost, not knowing what to think or do. After some time alone at home, she heard God tell her to sit down and write.

"I'm like, 'Well that's a really weird thing to do right now. That's like the last thing that I want to do is open my laptop,'" she said. "But, when God gives you directions it's always best to follow. And so I sat down and I opened my laptop. I've got the tissues out, I'm still a mess, and I just started writing what I was feeling."

Her writing went up on her blog and after several hours, Pilato returned to the blog post where she saw hundreds of women commenting and sending her messages of their own similar experiences.

"That's when I knew that we needed to share these stories and that I wasn't the only one that had ever felt like this," she shared. "And it became so important to me, in that moment, that no one ever felt like we felt again — if we can make that feeling go away for as many women as possible, it would be worth it."

This is when Pilato was inspired to write her book, "H.U.G.," which is made up of over 30 testimonies from women who have walked through pregnancy loss as well as men who share their perspectives as husbands and fathers walking alongside their wives. After each story, there are several reflection questions.

"This book is meant to be for the woman that's experiencing it at any stage," Pilato explained. "And it's really the kind of book that you can open, look at the table of contents, and they're all labeled — a hug for when you just want to scream or a hug for when you feel alone, a hug for when you don't have the words to pray … So, you can pick it up, put it down, pick it up, put it down whenever you need it, wherever you're grieving."

She added: "I wish I'd had a book to just hug when I was laying there on my couch that would just make me feel seen."

Speaking to the men in the book, Pilato realized through her own miscarriage that her husband "had no idea what to do with me or how to respond or what to do with his own emotions."

"[Men are] kind of forgotten and they're processing in a very different way. And I realized that he didn't know what to do and so I realized that he needed to have a story as well," she said.

Pilato explained that the book was entirely funded by donations from individuals, and with the donations she is now working to get the book available "in any place that a woman might be grieving."

"We have them in hospitals, in urgent cares, in churches, therapy offices — I've had requests come in from all different places. And our goal is to get the book into every state," she said.

Books are available for purchase or, if an organization is unable to pay for them, they can request free books to be donated to them.

"I do always say if your organization has the budget and you would like to pay, absolutely, it helps, it all goes back into the book, but if not, if we have inventory, we make it happen," she said. "So, it is all God filling our inventory, bringing us to the people. And so far, we've been able to get books to women as soon as two hours after they've heard that they're experiencing a loss."

The author shared that her main hope for women who come across her book is that "she feels seen and loved and finds hope in her future. I think It's so hard to feel seen and loved and hopeful in the moment, but by reading these stories, I believe that she can feel that and get closer to it in her healing."

Full Article

ANN ARBOR, Michigan — Bishop Earl Boyea of Lansing, Michigan, ordained four men to the priesthood on June 6 at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in East Lansing after the crowd was too big for St. Mary's Cathedral, the mother church of the diocese.

In the packed church, Boyea told the ordinands: "You have been spending years being with Jesus. He's calling you as he called those 12 so many centuries ago. Today, as you are consecrated by the Church for a sacred ministry, consecrate yourselves to drink the cup which the Lord gives and take in the word which the Spirit is providing. Though weak vessels that we are, we will not let that prevent us from following the calling we have received."

Now 75 and due to retire from his duties in Lansing, Boyea has ordained 45 priests during his 18 years of leadership of the diocese in Michigan's capital. The diocese, one of seven Latin-rite dioceses in Michigan, is currently sponsoring 29 seminarians, and last year's ordination class was the largest in nearly 50 years.

Fathers Joshua Bauer, Jacob Derry, Ryan Ferrigan, and Peter Randolph, ordained by Boyea, all attended Sacred Heart Major Seminary of the Detroit Archdiocese.

Before their ordination, the men were interviewed on video, displaying the chalices they will use as priests.

Ferrigan, 28, said his antique sacred vessel had been left behind at the now-shuttered St. Michael Parish church in Flint, Michigan, established more than 170 years ago. Inscribed on its base are the words of an anonymous donor: "In reparation from a friend of the Sacred Heart."

"You know, it's a paradox because this chalice has a long history, and I don't know who the priests are who used it in the past," he said. "They offered the Holy Sacrifice using this vessel for over 100 years, and I get to continue faithfully offering the Mass and praying for the salvation of the world every day."

In his thanksgiving address to the congregation, Ferrigan said of his priesthood: "It's all about the glory of God and the salvation of souls!"

In an interview with EWTN News, the new priest said: "In being ordained, the palpable joy they could see in me was there because in ordination, I am seeing the purpose for which God created me coming to fruition. I have become what the Lord created me to be."

"The day of my ordination was the best day of my life. Lots of friends and family were there to support me. The Lord has blessed me and is very good to me. I'm still adjusting and realizing that I'm really a priest now and have the privilege of offering the Mass every day. This is my commission and what the Lord wants me to do for his praise and the salvation of the world. It is still sinking in," he told EWTN News.

Ferrigan celebrated his first solo Mass that same day at St. Martha Parish in Okemos, near Lansing. He was able to distribute the Eucharist for the first time in both instances to his mother. He will serve at St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Ann Arbor, which is close to the University of Michigan campus and known for its music and solemn liturgies.

"I'm excited to be going there, and I expect to serve about three years at St. Thomas," he said, adding: "I'm excited about learning to be a parish priest and diving into ministry. This is how the Lord wants me to feed his sheep."

Randolph, 27, reflected in the video about his journey to the altar, which has included profound loss.

"The emphasis of this chalice upon the humanity of Christ and about receiving the chalice, and then living it out to the fullest extent, both in pain and suffering, and full self-abandonment and full self-emptying and glory, means a lot to me, because my [18-year-old] brother Xavier died less than a year ago. And the Lord has really promised me that he's going to meet me in the place of my pain," he said, adding: "He's not going to leave me alone. But it's going to come in my very broken humanity. In my humanity that is now broken in a particular way in grief."

Randolph's father and grandfather serve as deacons in the Lansing Diocese. At the July 2025 funeral for Xavier, hundreds of friends and parishioners of the close-knit Christ the King Parish in Ann Arbor were on hand to support the Randolph family with the same solidarity shown at Randolph's ordination. He has been assigned to St. Patrick Parish in Brighton, Michigan, which is known for its healing services and charismatic liturgies.

As Boyea consecrated Randolph, the newly ordained young man openly sobbed in the presence of his many friends and family members.

"I want every day of my priesthood and every time that I offer Mass in this chalice, to be able to say, like, 'Accipiam calicem,' right, I accept the chalice," Randolph vowed.

Paraphrasing Matthew 26:42, Randolph said: "Father, I accept this chalice, and I will drink it to the dregs with your Son."

Full Article

VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV said Sunday that when the Gospel is proclaimed and lived out, evil gives way before the power of the risen Christ.

Speaking from the window of the Apostolic Palace for the June 14 Angelus in St. Peter's Square, the pope reflected on the day's Gospel from Matthew, saying it "brings us a great gift, for it draws all who hear it into Jesus' gaze."

"It is a story that bears witness to the attentiveness of this gaze, as well as telling us what the Lord sees," Pope Leo said, citing the passage in which Christ, "When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless."

"Having become our brother, the Son of God looks at the people, he looks at humanity: he sees the oppression that burdens and the violence that causes strength to fade," the pope said.

Christ, he continued, also sees the wounds of the contemporary world.

"He sees the wounds of war and the emptiness of consumerism. He sees faces reduced to masks, families torn apart by evil, and young people misled by false ideals," Pope Leo said. "Jesus sees and loves. He loves and suffers for and with us: his compassion expresses not only fraternal closeness, but his desire to redeem."

Before humanity's wounds, the pope said, Christ remains near and sends "workers into the field of the world."

"What is their task?" he asked. "They must offer God's comfort to those who suffer by bringing charity where there is misery, hope where there is affliction, faith where there is distrust."

The pope noted that the Gospel names the first 12 "workers," the disciples made apostles, missionaries, and preachers.

"The Good News that spans the centuries is the same, always young, fresh, and liberating: 'The Kingdom of Heaven has come near!'" he said. "Yes, it is near because in Jesus Christ, God draws near to every man and woman, to every people and nation."

Pope Leo added that the Gospel is not merely announced but also lived.

"When this Gospel is proclaimed and lived out, evil crumbles like a disease that passes away, like a night giving way to dawn, like death conquered by the risen One," he said.

The pope said the Church is called to continue the mission of the apostles, remembering Jesus' words: "You received without payment; give without payment."

"Dear friends, the task of evangelization springs from God's gift, which in Christ becomes forgiveness for the world, service to the least and the poor, and a commitment to justice," he said.

After the Angelus prayer, Pope Leo recalled his recent apostolic journey to Spain.

"First of all, I express my gratitude to the Lord for the Apostolic Journey he has allowed me to undertake in Spain," he said. "I also thank the Spanish people who have welcomed me with great enthusiasm and devotion."

"I am especially grateful to His Majesty the King; I affectionately thank the Bishops, all the communities I visited and the entire Church in Spain," the pope added. "Que Dios bendiga siempre a España!"

Pope Leo also remembered several newly beatified martyrs: the diocesan priests Václav Drbola and Jan Bula of Moravia, and Jan Šwierc and eight companions, Polish Salesian priests.

"All were beatified as martyrs, as victims of the persecution by totalitarian regimes because of their fidelity to Christ," he said.

The pope also recalled that Nazareno Lanciotti, "a Roman missionary priest," had been beatified Saturday in Mato Grosso, Brazil.

"He too was a martyr, for he defended the poorest in the name of the Gospel," Pope Leo said. "May the example and intercession of these courageous witnesses sustain the mission of priests and of the entire Church."

The pope concluded by expressing his closeness to the people of the Philippines, "struck a few days ago by a powerful earthquake."

"I pray for the deceased and their families, for the wounded and for all those suffering because of this disaster," he said.

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

Full Article

Following its summer 2026 general meeting, the Irish Bishops' Conference voiced its deep concern about the attack on human life and the wider violence and social disorder that has taken place in Belfast and across Northern Ireland this past week.

The civil unrest followed a brutal knife attack in Belfast carried out by a Sudanese national. Footage of the incident has been widely circulated globally and on social media. Bishop Alan McGuckian, SJ, of Down and Connor said: "My thoughts and prayers are firstly with Stephen Ogilvie, who sustained life-changing devastating injuries in a brutal and horrific attack."

Referring to the rioting, intimidation, and vandalism toward immigrant people that followed, he said: "So many newcomers make an outstanding contribution to our communities, including our parishes. They are our friends. Shame on all those who have sought to mobilize, agitate, weaponize, and politicize the fear and concerns of others over the last few days. All of us have a responsibility to de-escalate societal tension rather than stoke the flames of racism."

Lebanese priest says 'situation drastically deteriorating' for Christians

Father Youssef Semaan, parish priest of Kfour, Nabatieh District, in Lebanon, said the situation for Christians remaining in the country is continuing to worsen.

"Every week is more dangerous than the last. The situation has become unbearable," Semaan said, according to a press release from Aid to the Church in Need on Thursday.

The priest, who was forced to leave Kfour due to safety reasons, said he has managed to return on two occasions. He said many Christians have been faced with the difficult decision to "stay and risk their lives or abandon our land without any guarantee that we will ever get our houses or our goods back."

In Kfour, the Christian population has dropped from 120 to around 12, ACN noted. "We still have hope," Semaan said. "But hope itself is not enough. It has to be based on solid foundations that allow us to rebuild and go on living. We are human after all."

Zimbabwe bishops consecrate nation to Mary, a 'model of courage' in difficult times

Members of the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops' Conference (ZCBC) have consecrated the Southern African nation to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, entrusting the country to her maternal protection and presenting her as a model of faith, hope, courage, and love amid ongoing challenges.

The consecration took place during a Mass marking the conclusion of the bishops' 2026 plenary assembly at the Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral of the Archdiocese of Harare on June 10, ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, reported Thursday.

In his homily, ZCBC president Bishop Raymond Tapiwa Mupandasekwa said the bishops identified Mary as a fitting patroness for Zimbabwe, saying: "The act of surrender to God is indeed an imitation of this Holy Virgin. She is the woman who not only shows her total surrender to God in faith, but she is also a woman of great hope. At the foot of the cross she stands. A great sign of courage in a very difficult moment."

Legislation threatening the seal of confession in France fails

A provision in a bill proposed to the French National Assembly that would have compelled priests to violate the seal of confession to report instances of abuse against minors has failed.

The bill, aimed at preventing and combating violence in schools in the wake of a sex abuse scandal at a Catholic boarding school in southern France, was adopted on June 1 without the proposed clause that would have removed exemptions for priests from mandatory reporting of information regarding sexual abuse heard during the sacrament of confession.

The French Bishops' Conference expressed "grave concern" ahead of a debate on the bill, noting several articles in the bill that "call into question several fundamental freedoms," including the right to secrecy under the seal of confession.

Christians in Tyre face new wave of uncertainty

The Christian community in the southern Lebanese city of Tyre is watching recent developments with growing concern after the area was included in an Israeli evacuation warning for the first time, ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News, reported Thursday.

Church leaders fear that any military escalation could have lasting consequences for one of Lebanon's oldest Christian communities, which has already endured years of economic hardship and emigration.

Melkite Greek Catholic Archbishop Georges Iskandar called for urgent efforts to protect civilians and preserve the city's historic and religious character, warning that further instability could accelerate the decline of the local Christian presence.

Victims of clergy abuse in Australia clash with diocese over memorial

A group representing victim survivors of clergy abuse has announced its agreement with the Diocese of Ballarat in Australia to build a memorial for victims "null and void" after an alleged communication breakdown with the diocese.

"Throughout the memorial process, we have sought to engage with Church representatives in a respectful, transparent, and constructive manner. We have acted in good faith and demonstrated a genuine willingness to work collaboratively towards memorials at both sites: St. Patrick's Cathedral and St. Alipius Old Boys School," the Ballarat and District Survivors Memorial Committee said in a June 6 Facebook post. "Regrettably, we do not believe the same level of transparency and good faith has been demonstrated by the Church during these negotiations."

British National Trust reopens 420-year-old Catholic lodge

Lyveden, a three-story Tudor lodge in Northamptonshire, England, known for its Catholic symbolism, has been reopened following conservation work.

"We're very excited to open Lyveden Lodge after 18 months and welcome visitors back inside this remarkable building," Matthew Glasgow, senior building surveyor, said in a BBC News report on Friday. "While further conservation work will be needed in the coming years, the completed repairs mean visitors can once again enjoy this extraordinary unfinished vision of Sir Thomas Tresham." Conservationists conducted repairs to the lodge's stonework, replaced timber, and restored its Elizabethan garden.

Constructed in the 16th century by Sir Thomas Tresham, a practicing Catholic who faced persecution for refusing to attend Anglican church services during the late 1500s and early 1600s, Lyveden is built in the shape of a Greek cross and features references to Christian numerology, according to the National Trust's website.

Rebaptisms raise questions in Syria's Maronite community

Reports that several Maronites in the Latakia countryside of Syria joined Protestant groups and underwent "rebaptism" have sparked discussion within the local Church about the challenges facing parish life in the region.

The situation came to light in the village of Ain Halaqim, where community members pointed to years of pastoral difficulties, including the absence of a resident priest and limited opportunities for ongoing catechesis, ACI MENA reported Friday.

Rather than focusing solely on the individuals who left, many local voices are asking broader questions about how the Church can better accompany the faithful, especially in communities affected by economic struggles and migration.

Full Article