Catholic News

More than 100 U.S. lawmakers sent President Donald Trump a letter asking him to address Jimmy Lai's case when he meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on May 14–15.

Lai, founder and publisher of the pro-democracy tabloid Apple Daily, was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Feb. 9 over what Chinese officials claim were national security violations. The sentencing followed Lai's conviction, which ended what Lai's defenders described as a politically motivated show trial.

In October 2025, Trump spoke with Xi Jinping about Lai. In the letter sent to the White House on May 8, lawmakers urged Trump to advocate for Lai again by asking for his humanitarian release.

Catholic Rep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, co-chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, and Sen. Rick Scott, R-Florida, both longtime advocates of Lai's, circulated the bipartisan letter that was signed by 105 other members of Congress.

"We know the president wants to do this," Smith said in a May 8 interview with "EWTN News Nightly." "We want him to know — President Trump — that we're solidly behind him about what he might be able to accomplish."

"And he could use that, frankly, more effectively, with Xi Jinping, and say, 'Look, don't just do it for the executive branch. The legislative branch is asking you, as well, from a humanitarian point of view,'" Smith said.

The president has "an ability to persuade" like "no other president I've ever known," Smith said. "And I hope he can persuade Xi Jinping to let this great man go."

The letter notes that Trump's "direct engagement is critical to securing Mr. Lai's immediate release on humanitarian parole" and the case for his freedom "is urgent and undeniable."

"He is a devout Catholic and successful entrepreneur who has already spent five years in detention, much of it in solitary confinement," lawmakers wrote.

"His family, his friends, and supporters have indicated that if he is released, he will leave Hong Kong and withdraw from public life," they wrote. "It is a clear, practical path forward that reunites a family and prevents this case from becoming an irreversible tragedy — and an enduring symbol of repression that will echo far beyond Hong Kong."

Lai's 'deteriorating health'

The group is calling for a humanitarian release due to Lai's "deteriorating health condition." They wrote: "His health has declined in custody, and prolonged isolation and inadequate prison conditions only increase the risk of permanent harm."

"From a humanitarian point of view, we're hoping the president will look Xi Jinping in the eyes and say, 'Let this guy go. Do it now. It's a good gesture. It means a lot to us as Americans,'" Smith said.

"Jimmy Lai spoke truth to power. He did it with grace, eloquence," Smith said. "His newspaper … was just a beacon of hope and [truth], and for that, he's got a life sentence — 20 years. He's 78. It's probably a life sentence, and he's very sick."

"I'm very concerned," Smith said. "We've known for decades that when somebody is a political prisoner, and that's what Jimmy Lai is, or religious prisoner, and you get sick, they let you die. They do not attend to your needs."

Lai "has a number of very serious ailments," Smith said. "Type 2 diabetes is just one of them. He's got a lot of other problems, and they all are compounding, cascading. He needs good medical attention, and he needs it now."

"Otherwise it'll be a blight on the Chinese Communist Party added to the other blights that they've accumulated over the years. But break that mold of letting people just die in prison through neglect," Smith said.

"No one can do it better than Trump, and I think he will," Smith said. "And if it does fail, it won't be on Trump's back. It'll be, sadly, that Xi Jinping again has decided to stay with being cruel."

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The U.S. Supreme Court's stay on the 5th Circuit's ruling restricting access to telemedicine abortions is set to expire May 11, a deadline that could bring an extension, allow the restrictions to take effect, or prompt the justices to take up the case in full.

Michael New, assistant professor of social research at The Catholic University of America's Busch School of Business, told "EWTN News Nightly" on May 8: "The Supreme Court may extend the stay if they need more time to deliberate; they may simply uphold the 5th Circuit Court's decision that bans tele-abortion, and the ban will go into effect; or they may want to do a full hearing [and] conduct oral arguments."

The Supreme Court on May 4 temporarily blocked a lower court order requiring in-person dispensing of mifepristone after two manufacturers asked the justices to intervene, prompting Justice Samuel Alito to issue an administrative stay that restores mail-order access until May 11 at 5 p.m. ET while the court weighs the request.

Although Alito instructed the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the state of Louisiana to respond by 5 p.m. ET on May 7, the Justice Department failed to do so.

New described the development as "odd," saying the failure by the Justice Department, which represents the FDA, to meet the filing deadline could be that "they don't want to defend the FDA's position any longer" or that it may signal a policy change.

"Sometimes when people think they're going to lose a case, they change public policy because they'd rather change policy than, you know, lose a court case," New said. "It's really hard to say at this point."

Ultimately, New said the Supreme Court should "absolutely" reinstate in-person requirements to obtain abortion pills, saying: "There's some real serious public health issues at play here."

Judicial Crisis Network President Carrie Severino gave context for the latest developments in a May 7 interview on EWTN's "The World Over with Raymond Arroyo," noting that the FDA's ongoing approval of nationwide mail-order abortion effectively circumvents Louisiana law protecting unborn human life.

"The court should decide hopefully by the 11th, because that's when the stay expires," she said. "If they don't make any decision, then the 5th Circuit ruling goes back into effect and the FDA will have to disallow mailing of these pills, at least during the pendency of litigation," said Severino, who is also a former Supreme Court clerk.

U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ordered the FDA to carry out a review of the abortion drug in May 2025, which is still ongoing.

Ultimately, Severino said, the Supreme Court will not be ruling on "what the FDA needs to do at the end of the day" but on whether abortion drugs will be allowed to be mailed into Louisiana or not.

"Eventually, you know, then it's going to go back and the district court and the 5th Circuit are going to have to reconsider it," she said. "It could well return to the Supreme Court ultimately, but that's going to be a ways down the litigation."

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has spoken out against the dangers of mail-order abortion drugs for women and urged the FDA to restore in-person visits to screen for life-threatening conditions such as ectopic pregnancies as well as abuse and human trafficking.

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The Holy See emphasized the need to place human dignity at the center of migration policies during its May 6 address to the Second International Migration Review Forum being held at United Nations headquarters in New York.

In a statement, Monsignor Robert D. Murphy, interim chargé d'affaires of the Holy See's Permanent Observer Mission to the U.N., explained that the Holy See's approach "is rooted in the Gospel and developed in Catholic social teaching, with the God-given dignity of every human person at its core."

He articulated several priorities, among them the protection of the lives of migrants, family unity, and the impact of technology on migration processes.

The statement was part of the policy debate regarding the implementation of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration (GCM), highlighting key current and emerging challenges.

The obligation to protect lives

Regarding the protection of life, Murphy expressed his concern about the vulnerability of migrants on dangerous routes, pointing out that "protecting migrants' lives is an obligation under international law, based on the fundamental right to life."

He also emphasized the importance of strengthening cooperation in search and rescue operations and of ensuring that the right to life "is never subordinated to any other interests."

With regard to family reunification, Murphy noted that regular pathways for this purpose remain limited and called for greater efforts to promote family unity, including its integration into labor mobility schemes and ensuring access to education and healthcare, with particular attention to minors.

The Vatican representative also addressed the role of technological innovation, recognizing its potential to improve migration systems and make them "more predictable, accessible, and efficient," as seen with advancements made in telemedicine, digital recruitment tools, and online consular services.

However, he warned of the risks associated with the use of surveillance technologies at borders, which, he said, "has raised concerns" within the Holy See "regarding potential human rights violations."

In this context, he drew attention to the need to establish "adequate safeguards, robust oversight, and full respect for migrants' right to privacy."

Online recruitment systems

The priest also denounced the phenomenon of so-called "cyber-slavery," a growing threat driven by criminal networks that exploit globalization and technology, which he characterized as "particularly disturbing," noting that in these cases, victims are coerced into participating in criminal activities such as online fraud or drug trafficking.

These forms of violence, he noted, "are not isolated incidents, but symptoms of a culture that has forgotten how to love as Christ loves."

In his conclusion, Murphy quoted Pope Leo XIV to underscore the human dimension of migration: "Every migrant is a person and, as such, has inalienable rights that must be respected in every situation. Not all migrants move by choice, but many are forced to flee because of violence, persecution, conflict, and even the effects of climate change."

Based on this situation, the Holy See warned that the debate on migration governance must not be reduced to a technical exercise.

"Behind each objective of the GCM and policy effort stands the God-given dignity of migrants, demanding not only better governance but also solidarity, collective responsibility, and sustained efforts to ensure their protection and inclusion," he pointed out.

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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Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, prime minister of Haiti, a country which continues to suffer from a wave of violence and insecurity, was received by Pope Leo on Saturday.

Following the meeting, the Holy See Press Office reported that the discussions between the two men focused on "the good relations between the Holy See and Haiti" and "the valuable contribution that the Church offers to the country at this particular time."

The meeting's readout indicated that various current issues facing Haiti were also addressed during the meeting, including "the socio-political situation and challenges in the humanitarian matters, migration, and security" as well as "the necessary contribution of the international community in addressing the present difficulties."

Following his meeting with the Holy Father, the prime minister was received by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State, and Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations.

Haiti's ongoing turmoil

Haiti continues to experience a complex situation of violence and insecurity, particularly in the country's capital of Port-au-Prince, where armed gangs operate freely, controlling a large portion of the region.

In the midst of this backdrop, which also affects the Catholic Church, general elections are slated to be held on August 30, 2026, to elect the new president, members of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, as well as mayors.

The last elections in Haiti took place in 2016 and were marked by controversy. Following that process, Jovenel Moïse assumed the presidency. Moïse was assassinated in 2021 and since then Haiti has spiraled into further political chaos and violence.

Given the situation, in February of this year Bishop Pierre-André Dumas of Anse-à-Veau-Miragoâne, the current vice president of the country's bishops' conference, anticipated that this year's elections will neither be "transparent" nor "democratic."

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VILNIUS, Lithuania — Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas, the Vatican's apostolic nuncio to Ukraine, arrived in Kyiv six months before Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. More than four years later, he is still there.

In an interview with Sister Faustina Elena Andrulyte, editor-in-chief of the Lithuanian magazine Kelione, the Lithuanian archbishop opened a window into his time in Ukraine, defined by missile alerts, exhausted soldiers, grieving mothers and, despite the chaos, an extraordinary surge of faith.

The decision to stay in the midst of war

When the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, most diplomats had fled the country, yet Kulbokas made the firm decision to stay. He recounted how a friend of his from the British military "came to evacuate people, then stayed to help the nunciature," saying "that soldier made all the nunciature employees complete military training courses," which included sealing windows, evacuating quickly within 20 seconds, and storing food so it would not spoil.

When word reached the nunciature that Kyiv would be encircled by Russian forces within 24 hours, Kulbokas recalled that most ambassadors had decided to leave, with only Poland and Turkmenistan choosing to remain. "It was clear the city could soon be fully surrounded," he said. "But we stayed."

He described one account of a Ukrainian soldier armed with portable Javelin missiles who had spotted a Russian tank moving through a street near Kyiv. The soldier emerged from cover, fired a missile, and hid again. When a second tank appeared, he fired again. Then a third time.

"It's good that I didn't know there were a dozen tanks there," the soldier later said. The Russian convoy, believing it was facing a larger defensive force after several tanks were destroyed, reportedly halted its advance.

For Kulbokas, the episode illustrated how "even one person's contribution can be enormous" in moments of national crisis.

Living under missiles and the sound of war

As the war progressed, residents and nunciature staff became experts at reading air raid alerts.

"If the signal indicates a ballistic missile, you have to be in a shelter within 10 minutes," Kulbokas explained. "If it's drones or cruise missiles, I go back to bed and try to sleep."

One of the sisters working in the nunciature, he explained, had become something of a missile analyst, reading flight data on her phone to calculate how long the staff had before impact. He recalled one instance when she and the nunciature driver were at a market and an alert sounded. Checking her phone, she announced they had eight or nine minutes, just enough time to finish buying vegetables and return safely. They made it through the nunciature door seconds before explosions were heard near that very market.

The nuncio also shared the story of a seminarian who had taken academic leave to serve in the military. When he returned to his seminary, he could not sleep because it was too quiet. He had grown so accustomed to the sound of explosions that silence had become unbearable. Kulbokas later had him sent for treatment.

Chaplains on the front line

The nuncio spoke with particular tenderness about military chaplains, describing them as filling a void that trained psychologists have largely been unable to occupy. He recounted how a woman running a program to train 25 psychologists to work with wounded soldiers watched 23 walk away after a single session, with most saying "this is not for me."

After a second session, the remaining two psychologists also left. "Then the woman who organized the training said: 'Now I have only one hope left, priests and monks.'"

One chaplain the nuncio knows regularly brings his dog to the front. He rarely discusses religion directly. Instead, he prepares young soldiers for the raw reality of combat. "Don't be surprised, when you first find yourself in the trenches, you may pee and poop out of fear. This is normal. This happens to everyone." He distributes rosaries, prays, blesses, listens to confessions, and stays present.

"Soldiers are more open with a chaplain than with a psychologist," Kulbokas noted. "However, soldiers accept a dog best: There is no need for either words or questions, the puppy comes, snuggles up, and the therapy takes place."

The shortage of chaplains remains acute, with only 60% to 70% of the need being met. The stakes of that gap are painfully illustrated by the archbishop's account of a military doctor describing wounded soldiers who, unable to be evacuated under drone surveillance, decline further medical intervention by saying: "Don't stitch it up, it won't help anymore, better give me absolution."

"When you face eternity," Kulbokas reflected, "forgiveness is the only thing you really need."

Faith rising from the ruins

Perhaps the most astonishing dimension of the archbishop's testimony is what the war has done to religious belief. In Kherson, where Kulbokas said the civilian population has fallen to one-fifth of its prewar size, the Catholic parish has grown fivefold to sixfold. "In Kherson, there are no unbelievers left," Kulbokas said.

He also described how, in the Diocese of Kharkiv-Zaporizhzhia, roughly 30 to 50 kilometers (19 to 31 miles) from the front lines, Auxiliary Bishop Jan Sobilo and his team distribute food packages of bread and canned meat to residents. They use these moments to foster hope and talk about Christ.

Kulbokas said the war has also led people in the region to reconsider their faith. He noted that an Orthodox bishop and two Protestant pastors had converted to Catholicism and later became Catholic priests.

Recalling one story, Kulbokas said a Protestant pastor became curious after hearing reports about a Catholic bishop known for praying the rosary and rapidly building a church. "Don't go, because you'll convert and become a Catholic," a friend reportedly warned him. According to the archbishop, the pastor attended a single homily during Mass and soon decided to enter the Catholic Church.

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President Donald Trump's nominee for surgeon general, Dr. Nicole Saphier, kept her son, Nick, when she became pregnant unexpectedly at age 17.

Saphier, a radiologist who specializes in treating breast cancer, earned her medical degree and completed a Mayo Clinic fellowship after giving birth to her son in high school.

Saphier, a practicing Catholic, has shared that she had a deep connection to her Catholic faith while she was pregnant as a teen, even though she faced many challenges because she kept her son, even being asked to stop attending the teen Mass in her area.

"I lost a lot of friends when I made the decision to have the baby," she recalled in a CBN News interview about her pregnancy.

"I was reading my teen Bible a ton during that time and I was trying to draw strength from my Bible," Saphier said.

Her son would go on to be present at all of her graduation ceremonies going forward, and as an adult, went to flight school.

The announcement came at the end of April after Trump announced he was withdrawing the nomination of Dr. Casey Means, whom many pro-life activists saw as not solid on pro-life issues.

Live Action President and Founder Lila Rose celebrated Saphier in a post on X after the appointment, calling her "inspiring."

The National Right to Life Committee called Saphier an "excellent choice," noting that her story makes the appointment "especially meaningful."

Spokesperson Raimundo Rojas noted how Saphier "has spoken openly about the fear, uncertainty, judgment, and pressure that surrounded that moment [pregnancy]."

"Many young women in that situation hear one message from the culture: abortion will fix this. Motherhood will ruin your future. Your child stands between you and your dreams," Rojas said. "Dr. Saphier chose life. She chose her son. She chose courage. She chose what the culture deems the harder road, and that road did not destroy her future. It helped shape it."

Oklahoma criminalizes distribution of abortion drugs

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed into law a bill that criminalizes the distribution of abortion drugs in the state.

The law makes it a felony to provide abortion drugs to women knowing they are seeking abortion. Violators may be fined up to $100,000 and/or receive 10 years in prison.

The law does not apply to drugs used to treat ectopic pregnancies or miscarriages.

The measure, authored by state Rep. Denise Crosswhite Hader, R-Piedmont, and state Sen. David Bullard, R-Durant, will go into effect 90 days after lawmakers end the legislative session.

Oklahoma law protects unborn children from abortion at all stages of pregnancy, with an exception if the mother's life is at risk.

Kentucky judge strikes down state's definition of unborn children as human beings

A circuit court struck down part of Kentucky's pro-life law that defined human life as beginning at conception.

The law had defined a human being as "an individual living member of the species homo sapiens throughout the entire embryonic and fetal stages of the unborn child from fertilization to full gestation and childbirth."

The case is related to the use of in vitro fertilization (IVF). Because of the judge's ruling, unborn babies will no longer be considered human beings and IVF will no longer be in a legal gray area in the state.

IVF is a fertility treatment opposed by the Catholic Church in which doctors fuse sperm and eggs to create human embryos and implant them in the mother's womb. To maximize efficiency, doctors create excess human embryos and routinely destroy undesired embryos.

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With the aim of proclaiming the Gospel on the so-called "digital continent," the Colombian Bishops' Conference launched the Digital Missionaries School last weekend. The school is an initiative of the bishops' Department of Communications in collaboration with their Digital Ministry.

During the first session on May 2, nearly 500 people connected in real time. In a statement to ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, the Digital Ministry noted that there are "more than 1,400 people who signed up to view a recording of the initial session.

The Digital Missionaries School consists of seven monthly sessions running until October, culminating in an in-person national gathering in the Archdiocese of Cali, "where the aim is to consolidate a network of digital missionaries and officially commission them."

The May 2 session was moderated by Rafael Beltrán, coordinator of Digital Ministry in Colombia and a member of the "The Church Hears You" team, and by Father Martín Sepúlveda Mora, director of the Colombian bishops' conference's Department of Communications.

Participants included Bishop Juan Carlos Cárdenas Toro, president of the bishops' Commission for Communications and Technologies, and Bishop Dimas Acuña, episcopal liaison for the Digital Ministry in Colombia.

Also present was Monsignor Lucio Adrián Ruiz, secretary of the Vatican's Dicastery for Communication, who during the launch highlighted the scope and significance of the school, stating that it is a space that manifests "that missionary spirit which the Church has and which lives in our hearts."

"We are called to widen the tent of our hearts and our gaze, to discover all those who need the Lord, even in those places in life where many seek him without knowing it," he noted, referring to digital evangelization.

He also reminded the participants that the digital mission consists "not merely of techniques or strategies" but rather "is called to be a presence: an ecclesial presence, a presence that makes visible the fact that we are not alone."

For this reason, he warned against the risk of reducing evangelization to metrics. "Our mission goes against the current. It's not measured in followers but in communion, in encounter, and in the capacity to get people to undertake real processes in their lives," he noted.

Father Álvaro Serrano Bayán, a collaborator with the Dicastery for Communication, was also present via Rome. He noted that "the digital mission is here to stay," given that more than 70% of the world's population is connected to the internet.

However, he reminded them that "the mission does not depend on the algorithm but on prayer"; therefore, the digital missionary "proclaims the Gospel in the digital environment with responsibility, creativity, and fidelity."

For this reason, he encouraged digital missionaries to "keep alive the inner fire, the one that is not kindled by algorithms but by prayer, community, and the Holy Spirit."

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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Bishop Tesfasellassie Medhin of the Catholic Eparchy of Adigrat in Ethiopia has appealed to the international community to urgently intervene and halt the planned execution of 200 Ethiopian nationals reportedly facing the death penalty in Saudi Arabia.

"The cry of the poor and the marginalized must reach the ears of the international community. We cannot remain silent while the lives of so many hang in the balance," Medhin said in a report Tuesday, according to ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa.

Medhin called for immediate diplomatic engagement with Saudi authorities and urged the promotion of alternatives to capital punishment that uphold human dignity and the possibility of rehabilitation. Medhin's appeal comes as more than 200 Ethiopian youths detained in Saudi Arabia have been handed mass death sentences over alleged drug-related offenses.

Christian Finnish parliamentarian announces next move in legal battle

Päivi Räsänen, a parliamentarian convicted by the Finnish Supreme Court of hate speech in March, will appeal her case to the European Court of Human Rights.

"The failure of the Finnish Supreme Court to uphold freedom of speech has set a dangerous precedent in my country and across Europe," Räsänen said in a May 7 press release from her legal team Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International, which is representing her free of cost. "I make my appeal in the hope that the European Court of Human Rights will recognize that peacefully expressing one's beliefs is never a crime and ensure that this basic freedom is protected for all," she said.

Räsänen's appeal comes after a nearly seven-year legal battle in which she was unanimously acquitted by two lower courts in Finland before the latest Supreme Court ruling acquitted her of charges relating to a 2019 Bible tweet but convicted her of "making and keeping available to the public a text that insults a group," under a section of a Finnish criminal code titled "war crimes and crimes against humanity."

Catholics arrested in India after confronting mob of Hindu protesters

Police arrested four Catholics in the western Indian state of Rajasthan on charges including illegal conversion, rioting, and attempted murder after they confronted a Hindu nationalist mob that stormed a local parish celebrating Mass.

"It is very unfortunate that our people have been accused of serious criminal offenses and arrested for opposing right-wing Hindu activists' illegal acts," Father Arvind Amliyar, a parish priest, said following their arrests, according to a UCA report on Monday.

Amliyar said the Hindu nationalist mob entered the building during Communion and started filming with their phones and "alleging religious conversion activity." He also said the mob accused them of killing a cow for a "community feast." When parishioners stepped in to stop the mob, one of the activists threatened them with a knife before the parishioners overpowered him and took it away. When the police arrived, four Catholics were arrested and authorities rejected attempts to file complaints against the mob, "saying a case was already registered," according to the priest. 

Australian Pontifical Mission Societies' 'World Mission Rosary' initiative returns

The Pontifical Mission Societies of Australia is once more calling for participation in its "World Mission Rosary" during the month of May.

The World Mission Rosary, founded by the Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen in 1951, is a global prayer initiative in which each of the five decades is a different color representing each of the five continents. Prayers will be led online Monday through Friday throughout the whole month.

"By representing each continent with its five decades of colors, the World Mission Rosary is a beautiful reminder of the mission we all live each day on our personal journey," Catholic Mission said in a May 1 statement to Fides News Agency. "By praying together, we hope this initiative will help us pause and reflect on the missionary commitment that the Church, and each one of us, has carried out and continues to carry out every day for those most in need."

South Korean Catholic hospital adopts ethics code for AI

The Catholic Medical Center (CMC) of the Catholic University of Korea in Seoul debuted the country's first Medical Artificial Intelligence Ethics Code.

The code, which offers guidelines centered on human dignity and the common good for the use of artificial intelligence (AI), was announced during its May 7 Ethical AI Transformation Symposium, UCA News reported May 8.

Archbishop Peter Chung Soon-taick of Seoul emphasized during remarks at the symposium on the new code that "medicine lies not merely in the transmission of knowledge but in a human relationship in which one life recognizes and respects another," according to the report.

Sacred symbolism behind head coverings of Eastern patriarchs

ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News, has published a feature tracing the long and symbolic evolution of the head coverings worn by patriarchs and bishops of the Church of the East, especially within the Chaldean tradition.

Drawing on the testimony of Chaldean Archbishop Habib Hormiz, the story follows the development from early silk and colored coverings, known in some sources as the "biron," to the black "shash" or "shushta," which became associated with wisdom. The piece connects these traditions to Mesopotamian culture, biblical priestly garments, monastic influence, and later Catholic history, including the consecration of Yohannan Sulaqa in 1553.

Hormiz also explains that union with Rome did not erase the Eastern tradition, though the zucchetto entered Chaldean episcopal use only later, while the modern shushta gradually became a ready-made black cylindrical cap.

Cambodian Catholics celebrate new church, priest, and deacon

A new parish, the Church of St. Joseph the Worker, was consecrated for Catholics in the Apostolic Vicariate of Phnom Penh in Cambodia on Saturday.

The celebration of the new parish was presided over by Bishop Olivier Schmitthaeusler, apostolic vicar of Phnom Penh. "In opening these doors today, we experience immense joy: the joy of a completed church, the joy of having a sacred place worthy of praising the Lord," the bishop said, according to a report from Fides News Agency on Monday. "It is the joy of our people, the people of God in Cambodia, who have been able to build a beautiful church in the city of Phnom Penh to celebrate, praise, and give thanks to the Lord."

European bishops issue reflection on mental health

Catholic bishops in Europe published a reflection paper titled "Mental Health in Europe — A Call for Care" detailing a Catholic approach to mental health "rooted in human dignity, solidarity, and integral care."

The Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) said in a press release on Thursday that the publication of the document comes "at a time when Europe is facing a complex and interconnected set of mental health challenges" and that it hopes to highlight "the need for a holistic approach that places the human person at the center."

COMECE said the document "aims to provide EU policymakers, healthcare professionals, and civil society actors with ethical reflections and practical orientations capable of supporting mental well-being across Europe."

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WASHINGTON — Young adult Catholics living in Washington, D.C., are flocking to the Emmaus Happy Hour, a monthly event that its founder says is rooted in authentic friendship and the spirit of the early Church.

"We see all these Catholic communities that are separated from each other, and so the idea behind the happy hour is to bring as many of them as we can in one room and to build that community," said Fady Antoon, the founder and organizer of the event, citing the Acts of the Apostles as his main inspiration for the event.

"It's like in the Book of Acts, when you read the disciples not only broke bread together, but also they prayed together and cared for the people in their community," he said, underscoring the event's charitable aspect.

Attendees are invited to make an optional donation, which Antoon said goes to a local charity. "For example, usually we always donate to the Cathedral of St. Matthew Homeless Ministry," he said, estimating the group to have donated around $1,000 to the D.C.-based ministry since the happy hour started in June 2025.

The most recent happy hour, hosted at a rooftop venue in Arlington, Virginia, called Top of the Town, drew 190 attendees despite a lack of formal advertising, according to Antoon. During Lent, Antoon organized a holy hour that was attended by more than 120 people.

The location of the happy hour — though always in Washington, D.C., or Virginia — changes from month to month, depending on where Antoon can find a venue willing to host the event for free. The Emmaus Hour always begins with a prayer led by a local priest but otherwise bucks additional structure. 

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"The idea is to bring people together who share the same faith and values, but also to support each other, whether its professionally or on a social level," he said, describing the gathering as a "support system" and place "to come after hours and socialize."

Indeed, according to Antoon, the Emmaus Hour has served as the meeting place for 15 couples, while three others have landed jobs through connections made there.

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Beyond this, Antoon emphasized that the happy hour has also acted as space for evangelization, particularly for fallen-away Catholics.

"If some people have fallen away from the Catholic Church, it might be harder for them to go to the church," Antoon said. "But if they showed up to the happy hour and if the happy hour is a gate for them to get into the Catholic Church again, then that's one of the purposes of it."

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Antoon shared that during one of the happy hours, hosted in an event room at a local bar, a military serviceman came up to the Dominican priest who had led the prayer and asked for a blessing.

"He said, 'Father, would you just lay a hand on me and pray? I'm going to get deployed, and I haven't been practicing my Catholic faith,'" Antoon recalled.

For those who leave the happy hour inspired to grow in their faith, foster deeper connections, or even delve into classic literature, Antoon has developed a reading list, posted to the event's website.

The next happy hour will take place on May 20. Further information about the time and location of the event can also be found on the website.

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As children in Haiti face unimaginable conditions, a religious sister and her team are changing thousands of lives by providing protection, education, and faith formation in the nation's most dangerous slum, Cité Soleil.

Sister Paesie was born Claire Joelle Phillipe in Lorraine, France. Raised in a faith-filled Catholic home, she felt called to religious life at a young age.

Inspired by Mother Teresa's dedication to serving those most in need, Sister Paesie was drawn to the Missionaries of Charity. With a strong desire to spend her life loving Jesus through loving the poor, she made her final vows in 1996.

Sister Paesie chose her name in connection to St. Thérèse of Lisieux and a woman who showed great repentance. In St. Thérèse of Lisieux's autobiography, "Story of a Soul," "she refers to a woman who was known as a sinner and who converted and died of love," Sister Paesie said. The woman, known as Paesie, was detailed in "the lives of the fathers of the desert," which tells her story of repentance and salvation.

After various missions around the world, Sister Paesie's service as a Missionary of Charity took her to Haiti in 1999, where she worked for several years.

"I had been a Missionary of Charity … for about 30 years, but in 2017, I founded a new community under the bishop of Port-au-Prince," Sister Paesie told EWTN News during a recent visit to the U.S. "My inspiration for that actually came from Mother Teresa, from one of her visions she had before founding the Missionaries of Charity: She saw Jesus on the cross showing her a group of children in the dark. Then Jesus told her, 'Do you see those children? They do not love me because they do not know me. So go bring my light to them.'"

Sister Paesie continued: "When I was in Haiti … I saw all the children wandering about in the streets. These words of Jesus really came back to me strongly, and I felt the Lord was asking me to do something to protect them from the dangers of the streets, and then to bring his light to them."

"I spoke about it with the bishop, and he encouraged me," she said.

Sister Paesie left the Missionaries of Charity to begin the Kizito Family, a religious community named in honor of St. Kizito, a 14-year-old Ugandan martyr known as a protector of children, especially those facing danger, moral trials, and educational challenges.

On June 3, 2018, the Kizito Family received approval from the archbishop of Port-au-Prince as a pious association of the faithful — the first step in establishing a religious community at the diocesan level.

Sister Paesie then established the Kizito Family as a nonprofit organization to begin her ministry. Today, it runs seven houses for orphaned, abandoned, and in need children as well as eight schools and numerous centers to provide education and catechism in Cité Soleil, Haiti's biggest and most notorious slum.

Combating the 'chaos' in Haiti

Sister Paesie's mission has become even more dire as the state of the nation "has been … sinking deeper and deeper into chaos on the political level," she said.

Haiti is the most impoverished nation in the Latin American and Caribbean region. Children suffer from cholera without clean water to drink, and nearly 2 million people face emergency levels of hunger. Conflict and natural disasters have displaced approximately 1.4 million people — over half of them are children.

Many children are used to perpetual gang violence; they are trafficked and are victims of daily assaults. Grave violations against children surged 490% between 2023 and 2024, according to a World Vision report.

"The gangs are just becoming stronger and stronger as time goes by," Sister Paesie said. "The gang violence before was limited to the slum areas. But then they began attacking and taking over other areas of the country [and] of the city … which had been peaceful places before."

The gangs "burn houses, they kill people, they rape women. And people, they just run away and then they don't come back because the gang members settle there. They just steal everything from the houses, from the shops. And then after a while, they go attack another place," Sister Paesie said.

"On Easter Sunday, there was a little Protestant church in the countryside which was attacked and everyone was killed in that church. It was 80 people — women, children. And then they burnt it."

While Sister Paesie was traveling in the U.S. in April, the area where her organization's homes and schools are located fell under attack.

"My staff members … called me and we had to remove all the children from there because they were scared. They went over to another place. So this is going on, all the time," she said. "I spoke to some of my teachers, and they told me for a week they had been locked inside the house because the gang members just told people, 'Don't come out.'"

"They are ruling, they are deciding everything," she said. "So this is the dark side of it. But there are other sides also."

Offering children 'a safe place'

Despite the increasing violence, Sister Paesie, other sisters, and staff members remain committed to their mission.

In the Kizito Family schools, there are 3,000 children, 1,700 of whom attend school daily, and 1,000 are in the Sunday schools and catechism centers. The schools offer much more than education but are primarily for safety and to ensure the children receive meals.

"We have our teachers [who] are local staff members," she said. "They are young people who live there — right there in the slum area."

"This is what makes it possible for the schools to operate even when there is violence because they are ... not far from the schools. We have 210 staff members altogether — teachers, cooks, drivers, all kinds of people, all Haitians."

The Kizito Family also prioritizes guiding the children to the faith by providing catechism to 800 children and ensuring they are able to receive the sacraments. They often spend time offering prayer intentions and visiting Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.

"The country was largely Catholic, because it had been a French colony. But then, like 40 years back, the evangelicals began coming down a lot from the United States and converting many people. So now it's maybe half and half," Sister Paesie said.

She said it's very important to instill the Catholic faith in the children to combat the practice of voodoo, which is common in the nation. "There are people who are Christians and don't practice voodoo at all, but many people are kind of one leg in both sides."

Full-time care

The Kizoto Family staff cares for another 200 children who live with them in the homes full time. They "are kids who were completely on the streets, cut off from their families, or orphans," Sister Paesie said.

"The adoption process has been nearly stopped completely … because of the violence and because [of] the high level of corruption," she said. "So most countries have just decided to stop."

"The children who are with us, they are mostly bigger children because they had been on the streets and then they came to us," she said. But "now, in the last few months, we did receive little ones."

"We have a group of them, 2 to 6 years old. Most of their parents have been killed in these gang attacks, or some [of] their moms died in childbirth because … the women are not eating properly."

"So those little ones actually could be adopted, but the situation of the country now is such chaos that you cannot really think of adoption right now."

Despite adoption being currently closed, the children still receive love and care each day. With the Kizito Family, children in Cité Soleil are able to play, laugh, and worship with a community, Sister Paesie said. Even amid the mayhem, they sense God's presence, which offers "joy." What they really need, Sister Paesie said, are prayers.

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