Catholic News

Pro-life organizations in Mexico are warning that a draft ruling set to be debated by a full session of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN, by its Spanish acronym) seeks to move toward the "total decriminalization" of abortion.

According to these groups, such a move would eliminate legal protections for the unborn in Mexico and open the door to abortion throughout all nine months of pregnancy.

On May 28, the SCJN is scheduled to debate the draft ruling regarding Constitutional Challenge 172/2024, authored by Supreme Court Justice-Rapporteur Irving Espinosa Betanzo.

The proposal posits that "removing abortion from penal codes is fundamental to precluding criminal proceedings and eradicating both social criminalization and that which occurs within healthcare services."

The constitutional challenge, filed in 2024 by the federal executive branch and the National Human Rights Commission, seeks to invalidate articles of the Aguascalientes State Law for the Protection of Life, which establishes that "from the moment an individual is conceived, he/she falls under the protection of the present law."

The challenge also seeks to invalidate articles of the penal code of the state of Aguascalientes, which reduce the time frame for abortion on demand from 12 to six weeks of gestation.

Citing the feminist nongovernmental organization Group for Information on Elective Reproduction (GIRE, by its Spanish acronym), which promotes the abortion agenda in Mexico, the draft ruling states that "the only way to eliminate criminalization is through total decriminalization, whereby abortion would be regulated solely within the realm of public health."

GIRE is regarded by the U.S. abortion provider Planned Parenthood as one of its "allies and partners," which "we are proud to stand with ... for sexual and reproductive health and rights," it said.

According to the proposal presented by Espinosa, "achieving the full decriminalization of abortion in Mexico would be a historic milestone that marks a turning point in the fight for reproductive justice."

In a May 27 interview with ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, Uriel Esqueda, leader of campaigns for the Actívate (Get Active) platform, noted that "what this Aguascalientes case seeks to do is completely strip away even the slightest protection for the human being in the womb," thereby setting a "precedent" that would subsequently be replicated in other states to liberalize access to abortion.

"At the end of the day, by repealing the criminalization of abortion, you open the door to allowing abortion at any stage of pregnancy," he pointed out.

The pro-life organization Red Familia (Family Network) warned that the constitutional challenge would "increasingly narrow the scope of legislative discretion available to the states."

"Although it does not formally establish a single time limit for abortion across Mexico," the group said, "it's a push toward a uniform national model constructed upon judicial criteria rather than democratic deliberation [going through the legislative process]; in doing so, it risks a direct confrontation with governors and legislators."

"We are deeply concerned that this draft ruling not only invalidates in a practically comprehensive manner the regulations democratically approved by the Aguascalientes Congress but also moves toward a logic of structural decriminalization of abortion in Mexico by maintaining that the very use of criminal law to protect life in gestation would be contrary to the democratic rule of law," said Laura Hernández, director of public affairs for Red Familia, in a press release to ACI Prensa.

Rodrigo Iván Cortes, president of the National Front for the Family, stated in a video message that "the Supreme Court intends to commit a supreme injustice this week, as they plan to vote on a proposal to remove the crime of abortion [from the statutes of] Aguascalientes," thereby permitting the practice throughout the entire nine months of pregnancy and doing so "with repercussions that could extend across the entire republic."

"Mexico does not need more death; we have enough already with the hundreds of thousands of people murdered by organized crime, without the Supreme Court now seeking to legalize the death of the most innocent [human beings]," he stated.

'Activist judges'

Esqueda charged that "today, in the [Supreme] Court, we do not have impartial judges; we have activists who answer to ideological agendas and minority interest groups."

He further criticized the Supreme Court justices, stating that "today, they feel they're legislators and that they're above the states."

Following judicial reform in 2024, justices of the SCJN are elected by popular vote. The current members took office on Sept. 1, 2025, and will serve terms ranging from eight to 11 years.

The leader of campaigns for Actívate lamented that, although the change in the court's composition came with promises to "protect Mexicans," the justices could this Thursday leave "the human being in the mother's womb without any form of protection. So these Mexicans are second-class citizens? They don't matter?"

Esqueda urged people to join the campaign launched by Actívate, which has gathered more than 2,400 signatures demanding that the justices not approve the draft ruling proposed by Espinosa, and encouraging Mexicans "not to remain indifferent."

"Today, a group of justices feel they own the country, and we cannot allow that," he stated.

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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Abuse allegations rose slightly in 2025 but remained far below 2021 levels, while settlement amounts paid during 2025 increased by 69% over the previous year, according to the U.S. bishops' annual report.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' (USCCB) Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection released the 2025 report with findings from an audit on sexual abuse allegations in the Church.

According to the report, in 2025 the Church conducted about 2.3 million background checks on clergy, employees, and volunteers. There were about 2.3 million adults and 2.8 million children and youth trained how to identify the warning signs of abuse and report those signs.

The report "stands as evidence that the Church not only continues to prevent child sexual abuse and reconcile with past victims but also ensures that audits serve as effective tools for accountability and prevention," Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City, president of the USCCB, said in the report.

"By the end of 2025, 100% of the 196 dioceses and eparchies had participated in at least one on-site audit, marking a historic milestone — the first time since the Charter's inception that full participation has been achieved," Coakley wrote.

The report, "Findings and Recommendations on the Implementation of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People," is the 23rd since the U.S. bishops adopted the charter in 2002 to address clergy sexual abuse of minors and establish nationwide safeguarding protocols.

Settlement amounts increase

An increase in the settlement amounts paid during 2025, which increased by 69%, accounted for the rise in costs related to allegations, the report said.

Dioceses and eparchies that responded to the survey and reported costs related to abuse allegations paid about $389.9 million between July 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025, including payouts for allegations from previous years. Total costs for 2025 were 61% higher than $242.8 million recorded in 2024, the report said. Costs also included therapy, attorneys' fees, and other allegation-related expenses.

Report notes slight differences in numbers, demographics from 2024

The 2025 report covers July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025. During that period, 1,070 allegations were reported by 973 victims of child sexual abuse involving alleged clergy offenders across 194 Catholic dioceses and eparchies.

The 2025 report showed 168 more allegations than in the previous audit year. In 2024, the report noted a drop of 406 allegations from the year before.

The allegations involve reports of abuse between an alleged victim and an alleged offender, whether the abuse occurred once or over a period of time. The abuse was alleged to have occurred primarily from the 1950s to the present.

Compared with fiscal 2024, slightly more victims who reported abuse are male. In 2025, 87% of abuse victims were male, compared with 84% in 2024.

The 2025 numbers differ from 2024 in regard to the victims' ages when the abuse first began. There was a 7 percentage point increase in the number of victims who were 9 or younger and a 10 percentage point decrease in the victims who were between the ages of 10 and 14.

In 2025, 27% of victims reported abuse started when they were 9 or younger; 50% were between 10 and 14; 20% were between 15 to 17; and for 20% the age is unknown.

Allegations that were received as a result of lawsuits, compensation programs, and bankruptcies make up about 60% of the 2025 allegations.

Out of the 1,070 allegations, 231 allegations were made by self-disclosure while the rest were made by someone else on behalf of the victims and survivors.

The report found that 727 allegations were brought to the attention of the diocesan or eparchial representatives through an attorney, and 112 were made by spouses, relatives, or other representatives such as other dioceses or eparchies, religious orders, clergy members, or law enforcement officials.

The number of clerics accused of sexual abuse of a minor during the audit period totaled 837.

Accused clergy members were classified as priests, deacons, unknown, or other. "Unknown" refers to cases where the victim could not identify the accused, while "other" refers to clergy from another diocese whose ordination and incardination details were unavailable.

Accused priests of the audit period totaled 704. Of this total, 552 were diocesan priests, 120 belonged to a religious order, and 32 were incardinated elsewhere. There were 14 deacons accused, 12 of whom were diocesan deacons and two were religious order deacons.

The report was comprised of the independent audit by StoneBridge Business Partners, the progress report from the Secretariat for Child and Youth Protection, and the survey of allegations and costs from Georgetown University's Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA).

Moving forward, the report noted that the USCCB's Board and Committee on the Protection of Children and Young People will meet every year to review and make recommendations on the matter.

As the bishops recognize "that parishes and schools are on the front lines of any diocese's or eparchy's Charter compliance efforts," the bishops also "strongly recommend that dioceses/eparchies conduct regular audits of their parishes and schools."

"I hope and pray that, through collective efforts, we remain vigilant and committed to the work needed to prevent the evil of child sexual abuse — not only in the Church but in society. May our 'Promise to Protect and Pledge to Heal' reach all God's children," Coakley wrote.

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Fulani militants caused the highest number of deaths among all religious communities in Nigeria in the past year, according to the U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).

"Conflicting media narratives and reported government censorship have hindered accurate analysis of the identities and motivations of the alarming number of armed nonstate actors that violate religious freedom in Nigeria," USCIRF said in a recent issue update examining how Fulani militant groups have contributed to "deteriorating religious freedom conditions" in Nigeria.

Though some cite economic and environmental factors or genocidal intent against non-Muslims as driving Fulani-led violence, USCIRF said, "in fact, multiple and overlapping factors, including religion in many cases, likely spur Fulani militants to attack communities or individuals."

The Fulani are a Muslim-majority ethnic group that originates from northern Nigeria and represents around 6% of Nigeria's total population of about 242.4 million people. Among the Fulani population, an estimated 30,000 operate as militant groups of 10 to 1,000 members across the country and are concentrated mostly in the northwest and Middle Belt region, according to USCIRF.

"Regardless of these complex motivating factors, the escalation of Fulani-led land invasions and other violent assaults has yielded the same outcomes: severely disrupting the lives, livelihoods, and ability to worship of many Christian and Muslim farmers while triggering their mass displacement and depriving them of their lands," USCIRF said.

The commission cited instances of Fulani militants targeting both non-Fulani Muslim communities and Christian communities in the Middle Belt region, burning homes and churches, killing hundreds, and using sexual violence and kidnapping as tools of intimidation or extortion.

USCIRF estimated that Fulani attacks have resulted in the displacement of at least 1.3 million people in the Middle Belt region, leading them into "unsanitary and unsafe conditions in displacement camps."

The response of federal and state authorities to Fulani attacks has been described as "unsatisfactory at best and complicit at worst," USCIRF said, noting that victims have reported consistent failure of security forces to respond promptly to attacks on their communities and that "some Christian advocates have continued to suggest that security forces responding to or investigating attacks routinely show favoritism toward Muslim communities."

USCIRF said Fulani militants "have continued to carry out large-scale incursions onto Christian farmers' agricultural lands, violent raids on Christian and Muslim religious sites, and kidnappings of laity and leaders from both religions" despite the Trump administration's designation of Nigeria as a country of particular concern (CPC) in October 2025 and ongoing bilateral security discussions.

"As a result, central Nigeria remains entrenched in an intense, daily, and seemingly perpetual crisis of insecurity — a crisis that is likely to persist until the federal and several state governments create broader underlying conditions that are more conducive to the safe practice of religious freedom," the commission said.

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U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has raised the cap for Afrikaner refugees but kept capacity restrictions on refugees from other countries, which sparked disapproval from Bishop Brendan J. Cahill of the Diocese of Victoria, Texas.

Cahill, who chairs the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Migration, welcomed the decision to admit 10,000 more Afrikaners as refugees but said in a statement that resettlement opportunities should be more broadly available.

Afrikaners are a white minority descendent of Dutch settlers. In February, the White House issued a statement that accused the South African government of racial discrimination against Afrikaners through land seizures permitted under the Expropriation Act 13 of 2024. The South African government denies racial discrimination.

On May 28, the administration updated the federal register to change the cap on Afrikaner refugees from 7,500 to 17,500, citing an "unforeseen emergency refugee situation."

Cahill, in a May 28 statement, said the U.S. has a long-standing moral and historical commitment to offering refuge to people fleeing persecution but stressed that the U.S. refugee program should not be limited to "favoring one particular group."

"For decades, the United States was known for offering this opportunity, not favoring one particular group but granting relief in accordance with our laws, our shared values, and the national interest," he said. "Today, however, that is sadly not the case."

He urged the government to restore broader refugee admissions and ensure that vulnerable people of all backgrounds have access to safety.

"We appreciate the administration's acknowledgement that our country can continue to resettle refugees, and we renew our call for resettlement to be extended further to others in need, including those persecuted on the basis of their faith, the likes of whom have no access to refuge in our country at this time," Cahill said.

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Pope Leo met with the mayor of Chicago, Brandon Johnson, at the Vatican on May 28.

Johnson, who has served as mayor since 2023, met with the pontiff for the first time since his election. He also used the occasion to formally invite the pontiff to visit his native city, Chicago.

In a press briefing to journalists after the audience, Johnson explained that the two discussed the policies of the United States government under President Donald Trump, including immigration and the Iran conflict.

Johnson: Trump's actions in Iran are tyrannical

The Democratic mayor sharply criticized Trump in remarks to journalists, calling him a "tyrant" as well as a "disgrace" for involving the U.S. in the Israel-Iran conflict. He also said he discussed his concerns about the administration with Pope Leo and described his recent encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, as a "call to action" to work to avoid wars.

"I think the pope's encyclical is a call to action for the entire planet," Johnson told journalists at the briefing. "Illegal wars do not leave just a trail of tears and trauma, but it also harms and brutalize our humanity. The economic drive with which [Trump] is moving is selfish."

Leo XIV has regularly criticized the U.S.-Israel war in Iran as unjust.

Johnson, reflecting on his discussions with the pope, stated that "his position around Trump was more about disagreement with his approach."

"In the midst of a brutal, horrific, and ignorant tyrant that is currently occupying the White House, it is imperative that we really walk in the true essence of our faith. The impact of his failures on our global economy is quite severe. It is a disgrace to the sensibility of our humanity," Johnson said.

The Chicago mayor also said the two spoke about the Trump administration's immigration enforcement, specifically raids by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

"We did discuss ICE. The pope wanted to know how ICE impacted our city and whether there were still examples of ICE raids happening in our city. I talked about how our rapid response team came together to support families. And then I talked about my executive orders, for which he was very gracious and encouraging, especially those I signed to protect the people of Chicago."

Praise for Leo's apology for slavery

Leo XIV presented his first encyclical on May 25 at the Vatican, offering moral guidance amid widespread concern about the dangers posed by artificial intelligence.

In the text, Leo issued an apology for the Church's role in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Johnson praised the pope for his courage and explained that he had discussed the legacy of slavery with him.

"We talked about the conditions that the long legacy of slavery and disinvestment has had on Black Americans and Black people around the world," Johnson said. "I engaged in a conversation with him around reparations and why it is important to work to repair the harm caused by the brutal legacy of slavery."

Yusef Jackson, the son of renowned civil rights activist Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., was also part of the mayor's delegation that visited the pope. He praised Leo for his apology on behalf of the Church for slavery.

"The pope is a powerful man. The color of his title commands respect around the world. For him to use the color of that title, coming from Chicago, a very segregated and class-divided city, with the bona fides to be a freedom fighter, meant a lot to me. He is a pope that I agree with," Jackson said.

An invitation to come to Chicago

Johnson also presented the pope with an official letter inviting him to visit Chicago and offer Mass at Grant Park. He wrote the letter after being advised by the Catholic archbishop of Chicago, Cardinal Blaise Cupich.

Speaking about the possibility of a future visit by Leo, he described his feelings and those of the city as hopeful.

"We are going to remain hopeful. We have an open invitation for the pope to come to the city of Chicago. Ultimately, it will be his decision whether his schedule allows him to come. Some of the greatest voices for justice come from the city of Chicago. And that beloved city, of course, birthed Pope Leo XIV."

Along with the official invitation letter, the pontiff was presented with a ceremonial key to the city of Chicago.

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Czech police arrested Metropolitan Hilarion, a prominent clergyman of the Russian Orthodox Church, on suspicion of drug possession during a vehicle stop on May 24. Officers acted "on anonymous information" about the alleged "transportation of narcotics and psychotropic substances."

A few grams of an unidentified substance were found in the vehicle, though the discovery "does not answer the central question: how the items ended up in the vehicle," Hilarion said, denying "any involvement in the illegal possession or transportation of prohibited substances."

He was released May 26 after protests from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which called the detention a "deliberate, orchestrated provocation" and summoned a Czech diplomat in Moscow. The Russian Orthodox Church likewise defended him, saying the incident "looks like a classic farce" since drug smuggling is often used by "unscrupulous police officers around the world."

No charges have been brought, and Hilarion is free without restrictions while the investigation continues, according to a statement on his Telegram account. His team also called the arrest "a provocation," claiming he had received anonymous death threats demanding he leave the country.

Who is Hilarion?

Metropolitan Hilarion, whose secular name is Grigory Alfeyev, headed the Moscow Patriarchate's Department for External Church Relations from 2009 to 2022, a role often described as the Russian Orthodox Church's "foreign minister." He was widely regarded as a close ally of Patriarch Kirill and a possible successor.

In June 2022, he was removed from the post and appointed to the Budapest diocese, a move widely interpreted as a demotion. During Pope Francis' apostolic trip to Budapest in April 2023, the two held a private meeting at the apostolic nunciature.

In July 2024, Hilarion was accused of sexual harassment by George Suzuki, a former personal attendant. Hilarion denied the allegations. The Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church subsequently declared "the inconsistency of the nature of his relations with his immediate environment and his life with the image of a monk and clergyman" and removed him from the Budapest diocese on Dec. 27, 2024. He has since been serving at the Church of Sts. Peter and Paul in Karlovy Vary, a spa town in western Czech Republic.

Rising tensions over the Russian Orthodox Church in Czech Republic

Sergei Chapnin, a Russian church affairs scholar at Fordham University and former employee of the Moscow Patriarchate, offered two possible explanations for the incident. First, Hilarion may serve "as a high-level courier" who "moves sensitive documents and other items around Western Europe" since "Russian diplomats are closely monitored and constrained in their movements." Second, Hilarion was operating "inside a very rough political and ecclesiastical game ... over assets and influence" involving local Orthodox communities.

The Church of Sts. Peter and Paul was recently registered under the Russian Orthodox Church in Hungary to prevent Czech authorities from freezing Russian assets. Patriarch Kirill, the church's head, is personally listed on the Czech national sanctions list for his support of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Concerns about the church's role in Czech Republic have been escalating. The Czech security agency's annual report said the Russian Orthodox Church's local representatives are loyal to the Moscow leadership and their "support for the Russian official line is evident."

A study titled "Security Risks of the Orthodox Church," published by the Czech Academy of Sciences in 2025, called for systematic monitoring of the Russian Orthodox Church in the country. The authors recommended investigating "activities with regard to the danger of money laundering, purposeful export of funds and property, smuggling of goods and people, passing information to the enemy, for example the Russian side, [and] influencing the opinions of Czech society through social networks."

The study also noted that the Church of Sts. Peter and Paul in Karlovy Vary allegedly hosted meetings involving Russian military intelligence (GRU) officials.

In a related case, a Prague court recently convicted former Orthodox abbess Tatána Hanhur for the unauthorized transfer of a monastery and property worth 73 million Czech crowns (approximately $3.2 million). The property had belonged to the autocephalous Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia.

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A controversial video posted on social media this week appears to show a Washington Nationals executive claiming that the team discriminates against Catholic pitcher Trevor Williams due to his having been outspoken about his faith.

The video, posted to X by "guerrilla journalist" James O'Keefe, apparently shows Sean Hudson, the director of community relations for the Nationals, claiming that the baseball team "[doesn't] use" Williams in certain team activities due to his having criticized an LGBT group that mocks Catholic religious imagery.

Williams spoke out in 2023 against the Los Angeles Dodgers' decision to honor the "Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence" with a "Community Hero Award." Members of the group of drag performers dress up in attire resembling Catholic nuns and engage in sexualized performances.

The group also uses imagery of Jesus and the Blessed Mother in its performances. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has referred to the displays as "blasphemy."

The recent O'Keefe video, posted to X on May 26, features a man identified as Hudson describing Williams as a "super Catholic" and referencing his criticism of the drag group.

"Because of that, [the team doesn't] use him on social [media]," Hudson claims in the video.

In a statement to EWTN News on May 28, the team said it was "aware of comments made by an employee which were recorded without the employee's knowledge and disseminated without his permission."

"The statements are not only factually incorrect, but do not reflect the views, opinions, or actions of the Washington Nationals," the team said.

"The Nationals are dedicated to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for our players, fans, and staff, and we vehemently deny any allegations to the contrary," the statement added.

Hudson's LinkedIn page, meanwhile, appeared to have been taken down as of May 28.

Allegations prompt filing from Catholic group

The video prompted a federal filing from the Catholic advocacy group CatholicVote, which announced on May 27 that it had sent a formal letter of complaint to Harmeet Dhillon, the assistant attorney general for the U.S. Department of Justice's civil rights division.

CatholicVote CEO Kelsey Reinhardt claimed the video showed a "direct admission that a Catholic player may have been excluded from official team promotion because he publicly defended his faith."

"Catholics are not asking for special treatment. We are demanding equal treatment under the law," she said. CatholicVote said it asked the Department of Justice to investigate the team for the alleged discrimination.

The organization said it also sent a letter to the Nationals demanding a detailed breakdown of the team's policies regarding its treatment of religious players and how it plans to respond to the controversy.

Williams told "EWTN News in Depth" in 2023 that his criticism of the Dodgers "had to be said."

"We cannot stand idly by while Our Lord gets mocked," he said at the time.

Several weeks after the controversy involving the drag group, Williams invited women from religious orders to a "Ladies Night" being held at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.

"If we're going to have a 'Ladies Night' at the stadium, what better opportunity to bring our religious sisters out to the game?" Williams said in an interview with the Catholic Herald.

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After beginning their trek on Sunday, May 24, in St. Augustine, Florida, pilgrims participating in the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage spent four days in Georgia.

Founded in 1874 by Benedictine missionaries to serve Savannah's African American Catholic community, Our Lady of Good Hope served as the starting point for the approximately one-mile Eucharistic procession through rain-soaked streets beneath Spanish moss and along Savannah marshlands before arriving at Villa Marie Center, established in 1967 as a Catholic summer camp for children in largely Protestant Savannah.

The procession on Tuesday included clergy, Knights of Columbus members, families, and pilgrims carrying the Blessed Sacrament beneath a canopy despite heavy rain that later cleared during the route.

The next day, May 27, pilgrims processed with the Eucharist through historic downtown Savannah from Forsyth Park to the Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist. The procession passed notable Savannah landmarks including Forsyth Park and the Confederate Memorial before arriving at the cathedral for prayer and worship.

On May 28, the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage makes it way to Charleston, South Carolina, where it will remain until departing for Charlotte, North Carolina, on Sunday, May 31. After that it will continue to make its way up the northeast corridor of the United States.

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On June 9, as part of his apostolic journey to Spain, Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to visit Barcelona. There, he will inaugurate the Tower of Jesus Christ at the Basílica de la Sagrada Família and celebrate a Mass commemorating the 100th anniversary of the death of its first architect and designer, Antoni Gaudí.

Interest in Gaudí, whom Pope Francis proclaimed venerable in 2025, has grown recently alongside rumors of an imminent beatification.

Ahead of Leo's visit to Barcelona, two experts commented on Gaudí's legacy, which is not widely recognized beyond his architecture.

Gaudí's Sagrada Família: Representative of his vision?

One hundred forty-four years after construction began, Sagrada Família continues to spark debate. Gaudí saw only about 10% of the original project completed. This raises a key question for architecture, heritage conservation, and contemporary art history: To what extent does what is being built today remain faithful to the original project envisioned by "God's Architect"?

"Our obligation is to continue with the construction of Sagrada Família, faithfully following Gaudí's project," affirmed Jordi Faulí, the seventh architect of the church after Gaudí, in an interview with EWTN News.

While other buildings were completed after their creators' deaths, such as Le Corbusier's Saint-Pierre de Firminy church in France, Gaudí's situation is unique: he knew he would not live to see the work finished. For this reason, he devoted enormous effort to leaving a comprehensive roadmap for the future.

Faulí, who has directed the works since 2012, asserted that Gaudí left a conceptual and technical legacy solid enough to guarantee the basilica's continuity.

"Consider that Gaudí spent his last 12 or 14 years working exclusively on Sagrada Família, living poorly, thinking about the future, with hope and faith in the future," Faulí recounted. To ensure his vision survived him, the architect left behind a comprehensive theological-symbolic plan, detailed drawings, and large-scale models — including a massive 16.4-foot-high projection of the main nave.

More than an architectural project, Sagrada Família is, in Faulí's words, a catechesis sculpted in stone.

"He wanted to move people, to inspire them by seeing the facades, entering the interior, and seeing these treelike structures that rise upward into the space for the Eucharistic celebration, and for all this beauty to reach everyone's heart so they would think about their lives, think about the life of Christ and their own lives, and that this would lead them to feel loved, welcomed, and ready to love others," he stated.

Gaudí: A model of dialogue amid deep divisions in Spain

Gaudí's life and example of holiness have been highlighted in the run-up to Leo's trip to Barcelona. Father Reniel Ramírez Herrera, who has served as postulator of Gaudí's canonization cause since 2025, told EWTN News that although an imminent beatification for Gaudí is unlikely, it is impossible to understand him without faith.

"Surely the figure of Gaudí is incomprehensible without a vision of faith," Ramírez said to EWTN News. "Gaudí himself, during his architectural studies, did not conceive of architecture or even art in a broad sense without a vision of faith. Therefore, the transcendental element — and undoubtedly the element of holiness — is fundamental. And it is certainly a surprise for anyone who discovers, through small details, that the life of Gaudí is incomprehensible without a vision of faith; his genius cannot be understood except through faith."

Gaudí's example has earned him praise from Catholic leaders, including Pope Benedict XVI. During his 2010 apostolic journey to Spain, when he consecrated Sagrada Família, he described Gaudí as "a brilliant architect and devout Christian, whose faith burned brightly."

Discussing the likely impact of the pope's trip to Spain, Ramírez expressed hope that the visit would foster dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Spanish state, particularly given Spain's history of anticlericalism.

Gaudí lived through the intense violence against Catholic clergy in 1909, during the so-called Tragic Week, while still overseeing the construction of Sagrada Família. Ramírez expressed hope that renewed interest in Gaudí's life and the pope's visit would help heal the deep divisions that persist between Spain and the Church.

"Certainly, the context is marked by deep divisions and elements of an ideological nature. And yet the pope's visit brings hope," Ramírez said.

"Gaudí was convinced that Sagrada Família was a kind of courtyard of the gentiles (a place of dialogue between Christians and nonbelievers), in which even an unbeliever could not only raise their gaze but also open their heart toward the transcendent. This spirit of dialogue with which Gaudí lived his mission will certainly mark the pope's visit and will accompany the moments when the pope will encounter a society and culture in which Gaudí deeply rooted his faith."

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KADUNA, Nigeria — The Catholic Archdiocese of Kaduna in Nigeria has condemned a fresh wave of terrorist attacks on Christian communities under the pastoral care of Sts. Peter and Paul Kurmin Parish located in Dangana District of Kaduna state, following deadly raids that left at least five people dead, several others injured, and many abducted.

In a letter published May 24 addressed to the secretary-general of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, the chancellor of the Nigerian metropolitan see detailed "incessant terrorist attacks" targeting parish outstations in Kagarko Local Government Area.

According to Father Christian Okewu Emmanuel, the latest attack occurred on May 21 in the outstation of Kurmin Bongo.

"The terrorist struck between 10 p.m. and 1 a.m., during heavy rainfall. In spite of the efforts of the vigilante group, five persons were killed, while 10 others were abducted, out of which two were rescued through the efforts of the vigilante group," the priest said in the letter dated May 22.

He explained that the attack on the Kurmin Bongo outstation was the latest in a series of assaults on Catholic communities in the area.

"Earlier, two other attacks had taken place in the outstations of Kasaru-B on March 2 and Sabon Gari on May 1. During the attack on Kasaru-B, one person was shot dead, another sustained several gunshot injuries, while eight others, including the Mai Wa'azi, were abducted. Although they later regained their freedom, two of them were killed in the terrorists' den," Emmanuel recounted.

The attack on Sabon Gari came barely two weeks after the release of the Kasaru-B victims.

According to the chancellor, "two persons sustained gunshot injuries, while 10 others were abducted," with one of the abductees later killed while still being held captive.

He condemned what he described as "incessant attacks" on the affected communities and appealed to government authorities and security agencies to strengthen protection for vulnerable populations.

"The archdiocese condemns these incessant attacks in the strongest terms and calls on government and the security agencies to intensify efforts towards the protection of lives and properties of such besieged areas," Emmanuel said.

He went on to note that repeated violence has deepened fear and instability among residents.

"Needless to say, these repeated attacks have displaced affected persons and thrown the communities into untold sorrows, fears, and uncertainty," the chancellor added.

Nigeria has continued to experience widespread insecurity marked by kidnappings, armed attacks, and killings carried out by criminal gangs and insurgent groups.

Since 2009, the Boko Haram insurgency has remained a major security challenge in the West African nation. In several parts of the country, violence has also been linked to armed Fulani herdsmen, also referred to as the Fulani Militia.

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

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