Catholic News

Catholic bishops of the European Union closed their spring plenary in Cyprus with an urgent appeal for peace in the Middle East and a public gesture of solidarity with the island's Maronite Christians, whose villages and churches lie in the north of the island, under Turkish military control since 1974.

Meeting in Nicosia from April 22–24 under the Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the EU, delegates of the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) endorsed a declaration that echoed Pope Leo XIV's recent appeal: "Let those who have weapons lay them down."

In his opening address, Maronite Archbishop Selim Sfeir called Cyprus a "natural bridge" between Europe and the Middle East and named greed as the root of wars "that are regional only in name."

The Church, he told the assembly, citing Paul VI, is "an expert in humanity."

Support for Christians

On April 23, the feast of St. George, the bishops celebrated Mass in the Maronite rite in Kormakitis, Cyprus.

In his homily, Sfeir said the once-flourishing Cypriot Maronite community had been reduced to four villages and that the unresolved Cyprus question continued to deprive the faithful of access to their properties, including — according to Sfeir — two parishes and the historic Monastery of the Prophet Elijah.

The bishops past occupied homes and churches under restricted access; they pledged to advocate within EU institutions for the rights and heritage of Cyprus' Christians.

Cypriot Deputy Minister of Culture Vasiliki Kassianidou used her address to the assembly to set out Nicosia's EU agenda, citing more than 550 religious monuments under occupation, over 20,000 stolen icons, and looted cemeteries since 1974. Combating the illicit trafficking of cultural property, she said, is a Cypriot presidency priority.

The plenary also heard from Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, who joined by video link and described the daily reality of Christians in the Holy Land since October 2023.

He urged the European bishops to invest in interreligious dialogue at home as a model for the region.

EU Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Šuica briefed the assembly on the new EU Pact for the Mediterranean, with its 21 initiatives focused on youth, investment, and migration, and on Europe's "demographic winter." A separate meeting with His Beatitude Georgios III, Greek Orthodox archbishop of Nova Justiniana and All Cyprus, completed the ecumenical program.

COMECE's autumn plenary convenes in Brussels from Oct. 14–16.

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JERUSALEM — Catholic soldiers were among the three dozen young Israeli servicemen and servicewomen invited to speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, April 26. The meeting was a rare opportunity for Christians serving in the Israeli military to share their views and experiences with the leader of Israel's government. 

"I'm here in the prime minister's office with an extraordinary group of young men and women. These are Christian soldiers, men and women, in the Israel Defense Forces," Netanyahu said in a video as he sat at his desk, flanked by the soldiers. "They fill all the important positions in our incredible military, and they do incredible work."

Up to 1,000 of the roughly 185,000 Christians with Israeli citizenship serve in the IDF. While some have been drafted, the majority serve as volunteers. 

The meeting was scheduled at a time when Israel faces mounting criticism over the country's treatment of Christians in both Israel and south Lebanon, where Israeli forces are fighting the Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah. On April 19, an IDF soldier destroyed a statue of Jesus in the village of Debel in southern Lebanon. The same week, a video showed an IDF vehicle destroying a large solar energy panel near the same Lebanese Christian village. 

There were also 180 reported anti-Christian incidents — from spitting at Christian clergy to defacing church property — in Israel in 2025, according to the Religious Freedom Data Center, an Israeli nongovernmental organization that tracks these incidents. 

In contrast to other Middle Eastern countries, Israeli law grants full rights to its small Christian community. But Christian emigration from both Israel and Palestine has increased in recent years, fueled by wars, financial instability, and anti-Christian acts by both Jews and Muslims. 

Appointment of special envoy

Reflecting the growing crisis between Israel and Christians around the world, on April 23 the government appointed diplomat George Deek, an Orthodox Christian, to serve as special envoy to the Christian world. Deek previously served as Israel's ambassador to Azerbaijan.

In a statement announcing Deek's appointment, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said Israel "attaches great importance to its relations with the Christian world and with its Christian friends around the world. I am confident that George, a respected and experienced diplomat, will greatly contribute to the friendship and strengthening of the ties between the state of Israel and the Christian world."

During Sunday's meeting with soldiers, Netanyahu said that "Israel fights for the rights of Christians around the Middle East" and noted that "Israel has Christian soldiers who fight for the defense of Israel and for our Christian brethren throughout the area, throughout the region, and beyond."

Netanyahu said he was "impressed" by the soldiers' personal stories, "their commitment, their sacrifice, their achievements."

Juergen Buehler, head of the evangelical International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, said it was gratifying to be invited to the meeting, where 17 evangelical Christian soldiers and about 20 Arab Christian soldiers spoke at length with the prime minister.

"It was an extraordinary meeting, which lasted for at least one-and-a-half hours. At first, the prime minister went around and greeted each soldier personally. It was a very open discussion," Buehler said.

Given the opportunity to share some of the challenges of being a Christian IDF soldier, "an Arab Christian soldier told Netanyahu that he doesn't face any challenges in the IDF for being Christian, but when we go home, it's a different reality," Buehler related.

Buehler said the gathering was particularly important after the back-to-back incidents in southern Lebanon.

"One purpose of the meeting was to signal from the government that Christian soldiers are appreciated. Christians here are a minority within a minority within a minority, so it provided a unique window for the government to see why we serve. We are Zionists, but there are issues when you are a minority."

Buehler said the soldiers told Netanyahu that the government must work harder to raise the profile of Israel's small Christian population. 

"Israel needs to make sure that the next generation of Israelis are taught that Christians are part of the state of Israel and that there are many Christians around the world who stand with Israel," Buehler said. 

Shadi Khalloul, a Maronite Christian from northern Israel, agreed.

"Israel needs to normalize that Christians have a place here in this country, and it must stop Jewish and Muslim extremists. These extremists like the ones we saw in southern Lebanon do not represent the Israelis, the IDF, or the Jewish spirit," said Khalloul, an IDF veteran.

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The vociferous protests over a Hindu activist calling St. Francis Xavier — patron of the tiny Indian state of Goa, a former Portuguese colony on India's west coast — a "terrorist" at a Hindu group's convention subsided after state police traced the absconding insulter to the state of Himachal Pradesh in the foothills of the Himalayas and brought him to Goa on April 26.

"Things are peaceful now and the Church has made its stand clear with our earlier (April 20) statement," Father Barry Cardozo, Goa archdiocesan social communications director, told EWTN News on April 28.

Gautam Khattar, a viral Hindu YouTuber and founder of the Hindu group Sanatan Mahasangh, made the controversial remarks about St. Francis Xavier on April 18 at an event organized by a Hindu group, Sanatan Dharma Raksha Samiti (Eternal Religion Protection Committee), at Vasco in south Goa in the presence of a state minister and legislator.

"We unequivocally reject and condemn these pernicious statements," the Catholic Church of Goa articulated its concern in a powerful statement on April 20 as news of the controversial comments spread.

The statement expressed "deep pain and anguish over the hateful and malicious remarks made recently at a public function in Vasco city against St. Francis Xavier, … affectionately known as the Gõycho Saib, a saint loved and revered not only in Goa but by millions of people across the globe."

In Konkani, the language of Goa, Gõycho Saib — commonly rendered "Goencho Saib" in English-language press — means "Protector of Goa."

Born in Spain in 1506, the Jesuit co-founder Francis Xavier reached Goa in 1542 while the region was a Portuguese colony. Baptizing thousands in Goa and along the southern coast of India, missionary Xavier left for east Asia in 1549 and returned to India in 1551.

During his trip to China in 1552, he fell sick and died at the age of 46. After his buried body was found incorrupt a year later, it was brought to Goa and has been preserved in a glass casket on top of the side altar of the Basilica of Bom Jesus.

The incorrupt body is taken out for solemn exposition every 10 years and kept for public viewing for weeks at the nearby Se Cathedral during the decennial exposition, with millions thronging Goa.

"Such divisive rhetoric, laced with falsehoods and venom, deeply hurts the sentiments of lakhs [hundreds of thousands] of Goans — irrespective of the religion they profess — who hold St. Francis Xavier in the highest esteem. These statements have caused serious hurt to the religious sentiments of Catholics and risk disturbing the communal harmony we have long cherished," the Catholic Church pointed out.

It called upon "authorities to take immediate, strong, and exemplary action against those responsible for this hate speech, in accordance with the laws of the land."

At the same time, the Church appealed to "all to remain calm and exercise restraint. Let us uphold the peace and unity that have defined us for so long," it said, calling for the saint's "spirit of love and fraternity [to] continue to guide us all towards ever greater unity and peace in these troubled times."

Apology to Christian community

Amid infuriated protesters marching to police stations and holding huge protest rallies in all major centers in Goa, Khattar went underground while the Hindu group that organized the meeting held a news conference the next day to apologize to the Christian community.

"We are tendering an apology to all our Christian brothers with whom we have been living like brothers. We never expected Khattar to make such a statement, and we had tried to stop him," the organizers said in a statement.

The self-described "spiritual beat journalist" Khattar has been booked by the Goa Police under criminal sections for allegedly making "derogatory remarks" against St. Francis Xavier and "hurting religious sentiments."

"This was an attempt by the Hindu fringe elements to polarize the Goans on religious lines," Cyril Fernandes, president of the Catholic Association of Goa, which filed the criminal complaint against Khattar, told EWTN News on April 29.

"The people of Goa stand united and it was manifest in the protests with people all faiths joining the protests. Hindus were never persecuted under the Portuguese as these fringe groups claim," Fernandes reiterated.

Christians, most of them Catholic, account for a quarter of Goa's 1.5 million people, with the overwhelming majority being Hindus.

Joan Rebello, a retired Catholic professor who joined the protest in Murgao, told EWTN News: "The protest was spontaneous and widespread. Even many Hindus joined the protests as they were also hurt by the remarks against the saint revered as Goa's patron."

Meanwhile, news reports quoting the police said Khattar was hospitalized on April 28 after he complained of "uneasiness and hypertension."

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On April 29, Catholics celebrate the feast of St. Catherine of Siena, a Dominican, Church reformer, mystic, and one of the four female doctors of the Church.

During the 14th century, the Catholic Church was in a weakened state as it faced internal crises and the devastating impact of the Black Death. St. Catherine lived during the troubled period but ultimately played a key role in inspiring reforms that guided the Church to greater unity and stability.

"Even in the most difficult times, the Lord does not cease to bless his people, bringing forth saints who give a jolt to minds and hearts, provoking conversion and renewal," Pope Benedict XVI said at his general audience on Nov. 24, 2010.

"Catherine is one of these and still today speaks to us and impels us to walk courageously toward holiness to be ever more fully disciples of the Lord," he said.

Her incredible spiritual graces led her to sainthood, and her influential writings earned her the title "doctor of the Church."

Born in 1347 in Siena, Catherine was the 25th child of a large household. Her given name was Catherine Benincasa, but those around her often called her "Joy" due to her bright and cheerful nature.

When she was just 6 years old, she had her first vision of Christ, whom she saw bless her. From then on she chose a life of prayer, consecrating her virginity to Christ and dedicating herself to penance and works of charity.

As she grew older her parents wished for her to marry, but she fought it. In return, they made her life a complete service to the family, burdening her with many household duties. She accepted the work, but not their plan.

Catherine remained steadfast in her faith and developed a great love for the Dominicans. She would seek conversation with Dominican priests and visit Dominican sites. At the age of 16, after a vision of St. Dominic, Catherine joined the Third Order Dominicans.

At first the order was reluctant to accept her due to her young age, but her conviction and deep spiritually swayed them. She lived a life as a hermit in her home, spending three years in prayer and contemplation.

Life as a mystic

The accounts of St. Catherine's spirituality and mystical experiences detailed in her biography by Blessed Raymond of Capua are nothing short of extraordinary.

After her seclusion, Catherine underwent a mystical marriage. In a vision, Our Lady presented her to Jesus, who gave her a ring and said: "I, your Creator and Savior, espouse you in the faith, that you will keep ever pure until you celebrate your eternal nuptials with me in heaven," Raymond of Capua wrote.

St. Catherine understood this to be a profound bond of love with Christ and a gift from him. It was more than a mystical experience; it was a chance to receive his heart. This was further shown to her in another mystical exchange.

The Lord appeared to her "holding in his holy hands a human heart, bright red and shining." He opened her side and put the heart within her and said: "Dearest daughter, as I took your heart away from you the other day, now, you see, I am giving you mine, so that you can go on living with it forever."

When talk of her holiness spread, she became a spiritual figure offering guidance for people from every walk of life including nobles, politicians, and religious men and women — many even calling her "mother."

She had a profound love for the Eucharist, even choosing to live solely off the body of Christ for a long period of her life as she went through intense fasts.

She would sit in ecstasy for hours after receiving the body of Christ, which many believed was a spectacle and tried to restrict her from receiving the Eucharist. But when they did, she would receive miraculous interventions.

In one of her spiritual states, she received the stigmata. The wounds were invisible to others during her lifetime and only appeared after her death.

Her fruitful work led to opposition in the Church, even from some Dominicans. The order wanted to verify her authenticity and appointed Raymond of Capua, a canon lawyer, who became her close confidant and biographer. He discovered that her wisdom went far beyond her years and her actions were genuine.

Ending the Avignon papacy

As the respect for the papacy waned throughout the Church and had reached a critical low point, Catherine began to be known as a respected peacemaker and trusted advocate for reform.

The popes had lived in France for more than 60 years when Catherine decided to visit Pope Gregory XI in Avignon to urge him to return to the Eternal City. She shocked him by telling him about private promises he had made before God, which ultimately convinced him.

She later received reports that the French cardinals were causing him to have second thoughts. She then began incessantly sending letters to him and others to aid the cause.

Most of her life she dictated letters, since she did not know how to read or write. She dictated them to scribes and secretaries who would send them to popes, kings, and even pirates, encouraging them to help strengthen the Church.

Eventually through prayer, she learned how to read and write herself. She sent thousands of letters, a little more than 300 of which remain today.

Soon Pope Gregory XI defied his court and went back to Rome.

'The Dialogue'

Catherine then took to writing "The Dialogue of Divine Providence" in Tuscany and Siena between approximately 1377 and 1378. The 400 pages of writing are a conversation between her and Christ.

She often manifested her teachings in the work through images, including one known as the "Christ bridge." She said the Father helped her understand that he has provided a bridge between heaven and man when he came to humanity through the Son.

Later, Catherine's help was needed again in Rome. Following the return of the papacy from Avignon, the election of Pope Urban VI in 1378 was challenged by French cardinals who elected a rival pope.

The situation led to the start of the Great Western Schism, dividing the Church for the next 40 years. Catherine staunchly supported Pope Urban VI and understood that despite failings of the pope he was still "Christ on earth," as she wrote.

Her work began to take immense tolls, leading her to suffer a fatal stroke at age 33 in 1380.

Becoming a doctor of the Church

Catherine was canonized a saint in 1461 by Pope Pius II. For her travels to help the reform of the Church, Pope John Paul II declared her co-patroness of Europe.

She was later declared the second female doctor of the Church by Pope Paul VI on Oct. 4, 1970 — just days after declaring St. Teresa of Ávila as the first. There are now four female doctors of the Church (the other two are St. Thérèse of Lisieux and St. Hildegard of Bingen).

The title "doctor of the Church" recognizes canonized men and women who possessed profound knowledge, were superb teachers, and contributed significantly to the Church's theology.

Traditionally, the title has been granted on the basis that he or she is a saint who left behind a body of teachings that made significant contributions to the life of the Church, and there is formal declaration by the Church — usually by a pope.

In his homily declaring her a doctor, Pope Paul VI said that St. Catherine addressed "cardinals and many bishops and priests, she … did not spare strong reproaches, but always in all humility and respect for their dignity as ministers of the blood of Christ."

He then posed the question: "How then can we not remember the intense work carried out by the saint for the reform of the Church?"

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The push to legalize assisted suicide in the United Kingdom is "losing momentum" after legislation to legalize it stalled, according to a euthanasia prevention advocate.

The House of Lords, the upper chamber of the U.K. Parliament, halted consideration of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill on April 24. More than 1,300 amendments were tabled during the committee stage, a record for any parliamentary bill. The debate lasted over 75 hours, consuming the available parliamentary timetable and preventing the bill from advancing.

There is a "big pushback happening" against assisted suicide, Alex Schadenberg, executive director for the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, said in an April 28 interview with "EWTN News Nightly."

The House of Lords "actually did what they're supposed to do," Schadenberg said. "They debated the bill and the government actually expected them to just have a short debate, have it go to committee, and then have it pass through. And in fact, they did have a thorough debate of the bill."

The bill was introduced by Kim Leadbeater, a British Labour Party politician, and it passed in the House of Commons in June 2025. It would have allowed terminally ill adults with six months or less to live to request medical help to end their own lives.

While proponents said they expect to resurrect the proposal, it is "definitely at this moment losing momentum," Schadenberg said. "I think it has a lot to do with the fact that it was recently defeated also in Scotland."

The Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill "was originally passed by 70 to 56, then it went into committee, then they had the final vote on it and it was defeated," he said. "The vote flipped around; it was 69 to 57. It was defeated. This is the same group of people who first passed it and then defeated it."

"We also have the effect of Slovenia, who had a referendum and they overturned their assisted suicide law," Schadenberg said.

Also in Canada, "there's been a lot of pushback now on euthanasia … So we're seeing this big pushback happening, which had not been happening before, partially because our government is very pro-euthanasia," he said.

'Language' of euthanasia matters

In the U.K., and other nations, the language of euthanasia is not always clear, but it is "when a doctor, or in my country of Canada, a nurse practitioner, intentionally kills you," Schadenberg said.

"This is not about giving you lethal poison and you take it yourself, which is what happens in the U.S. with assisted suicide. This is them actually killing you," he said.

When "debate actually happens and people get a chance to actually discuss it openly, you realize pretty quickly that the support for it just starts disappearing because the euthanasia movement bases their big push on emotions," Schadenberg said.

"They want us to fear. They tell us stories of people who were going through difficult health conditions, and the answer for them was killing them," he said. "So I see that when you get this proper debate, things start turning around."

In Canada there is "a committee looking at euthanasia for mental illness alone," he said. "This whole committee is starting to reverse in direction because we're actually discussing, 'What does this actually mean?'"

The committee is "willing to discuss this openly, and the euthanasia lobby is getting very nervous because people are starting to back off from their support," he said.

While in the U.S., "there are now 13 states … that have legalized assisted suicide," we "have to be willing to talk about what it is, always compassionately though," Schadenberg said.

"I'm not opposed to euthanasia or assisted suicide just because of how bad this is. I'm opposed to killing people," he said.

If "you allow the language of the other side to rule the debate, you end up losing the debate because people start thinking of it in a fuzzy way rather than for what it actually is," Schadenberg said.

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Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday condemned a surge of violence in Colombia, following a weekend of deadly attacks in the southwest part of the country.

Since Friday, rebel groups have carried out more than two dozen attacks on civilians and military bases, just ahead of the presidential elections scheduled for May 31.

The deadliest incident took place when a bomb exploded on the Pan-American Highway in the department of Cauca as an intercity bus was passing by. The attack occurred in one of the regions that has suffered most from violence in recent weeks, amid an escalation of armed assaults.

It is the bloodiest massacre of civilians recorded in the country in more than a decade, when the Colombian state and specialized nongovernmental organizations began officially identifying episodes involving the simultaneous deaths of three or more people as massacres.

Before thousands of people gathered in St. Peter's Square, the pontiff expressed his condemnation of the renewed wave of violence affecting the South American country.

"With sorrow and concern, I have learned of the tragic situation of violence afflicting the southwestern region of Colombia, which has caused grave loss of human life," he said, addressing Spanish-speakers.

"I express my closeness in prayer to the victims and their families, and I urge everyone to reject every form of violence and to choose decisively the path of peace," the pope said in Spanish.

Colombia is once again experiencing some of the darkest episodes of its armed conflict. Since January, 48 massacres have been recorded. At least 229 people have been killed in the incidents, making it the most violent start to a year since the signing of the 2016 Peace Agreement.

The wave of violence extends from north to south across the country, in a context marked by an increasingly tense electoral climate.

This article was originally published by ACI Prensa, EWTN News' Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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With the aim of keeping alive the pastoral, spiritual, and social legacy of Pope Francis, the free book "Legado de Francisco a la Iglesia y a la Vida Religiosa" ("Legacy of Francis to the Church and to Religious Life") is now available online. The book consists of essays written by academics and religious from various parts of Latin America and is entirely in Spanish except for an essay on Amazonia written in Portuguese.

The initiative was spearheaded by the Latin American and Caribbean Confederation of Men and Women Religious (CLAR, by its Spanish acronym) in the context of the World Day of Prayer for Vocations held on April 26, just a few days after the first anniversary of the death of the Argentine pontiff, who passed away on April 21, 2025, at the age of 88.

In the introduction, Father Israel Arévalo Muñoz, deputy secretary of CLAR, explains that the volume brings together diverse perspectives on "the pastoral, political, spiritual, and ecological imprint that Pope Francis has left on the Church and on society."

The content is divided into four sections: "Spirituality and New Humanism," "Theological-Pastoral Horizons," "Francis' Challenges to Religious Life," and "Francis and the World's Socio-Environmental and Political Challenges."

Twenty-one authors from diverse ecclesial and academic backgrounds collaborated on the work, including laypeople, women religious, and priests from congregations and institutes such as the Missionaries of the Holy Spirit, the Society of Jesus, and the Order of Preachers, among others. The prologue was written by Cardinal Ángel Rossi, SJ, archbishop of Córdoba, Argentina, who is considered a "spiritual son" of Francis.

Arévalo notes that one of the central themes of the text is to demonstrate that Pope Francis' leadership was grounded "in prayer, listening to the Spirit, and the conviction that the Gospel must once again become the center of ecclesial life."

He also notes that the Holy Father championed a "profound ecclesial reform, grounded in transparency, co-responsibility, and pastoral conversion."

Regarding his style of evangelization, the priest highlights that it was distinguished by "closeness, service, simplicity, and a commitment to the poor and marginalized" as well as by promoting a Church that is "Samaritan, missionary, and present in the geographical, social, and existential peripheries."

In this regard, the deputy secretary of CLAR expressed his hope that the book would inspire civil society, the Church, and religious life to "embody a coherent, prophetic, and compassionate leadership" and motivate Catholics to work toward "a culture of encounter, interreligious dialogue, respect for diversity, and the pursuit of unity amid differences."

The book can be downloaded free of charge here.

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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On April 23, Gov. Josh Green of Hawaii signed into law a bill that established April 27 of each year as Brother Joseph Dutton Day.

Servant of God Joseph Dutton was a Civil War veteran who dedicated the later part of his life to serving people with leprosy alongside Father Damien De Veuster (St. Damien of Molokai) — who called him "Brother Joseph" — in Kalaupapa on the island of Molokai, Hawaii.

"Brother Joseph Dutton's life is a powerful reminder of what it means to serve others with humility and compassion," Green said in a press release. "By establishing this day of recognition, Hawaii ensures that his legacy continues to inspire future generations to act with kindness and selflessness."

"As state senator representing Molokai, this recognition is deeply meaningful to our community," Sen. Lynn DeCoite said. "Brother Joseph Dutton stood alongside the people of Kalaupapa during one of the most difficult chapters in our history, bringing care, dignity, and hope to those who needed it most. Establishing April 27 as Brother Joseph Dutton Day ensures that his legacy and the strength and resilience of Kalaupapa will continue to be honored for generations to come."

"For 44 years Joseph Dutton was an important member of the Kalaupapa community, embracing aloha and compassion in giving of his life of service to the patients living during challenging times," said Dr. Maria Devera, board president of the Joseph Dutton Guild. "It is fitting that we take time to recall and honor that life of service and take a moment and reflect on our call to service."

Dutton was born Ira Dutton to Protestant parents in Stowe, Vermont, on April 27, 1843. In 1883 he became Catholic and took Joseph as his baptismal name.

The next year he entered a Trappist monastery in Kentucky, where he stayed for almost two years but discerned that a better way for him to offer penance would be through an active spiritual life.

In July 1886, Dutton arrived at Kalaupapa after discovering the work St. Damien was doing on the island. He quickly became an expert in caring for the sick, specifically those with Hansen's disease, or leprosy, and continued his work after Damien died in 1889 from leprosy. He served the sick in Kalaupapa for 44 years.

Dutton died in 1931 at the age of 87 at St. Francis Hospital in Honolulu.

His cause for canonization opened on May 10, 2022, at the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace in Honolulu. On Jan. 21, 2024, the local phase of his cause concluded and was sent to the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints in Rome for review.

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Cardinal Ernest Simoni, 97, considered a "living martyr" of the bloody communist persecution in Albania, met at the Vatican with Pope Leo XIV this week in a private audience marked by the remembrance of the testimony of faith of the persecuted Church.

According to Vatican media reports, the cardinal presented the pontiff with a cross and a relic of the Albanian martyrs "who gave their lives out of fidelity and love for Jesus, and for the salvation of the people of Albania, so that all men may contemplate the smile of heaven," the cardinal told the pope.

The meeting on April 26, also attended by about 40 of the cardinal's relatives, took place in "an atmosphere of joy and hope, gazing upon the face of the Holy Father, who represents the face of Jesus, to proclaim to all mankind the good news from heaven, of peace, of fraternity, and of love for all the peoples of the world," Simoni told Vatican media following the meeting.

Simoni under the communist dictator Enver Hoxha

Ordained a priest in 1956, 12 years after the regime of communist dictator Enver Hoxha came to power, Simoni endured the brutal repression of the Catholic Church in the world's first officially atheist state, where all religious practice was prohibited.

The priest was arrested on Christmas Day 1963 and sentenced to death, but the sentence was commuted to forced labor. He spent 18 years in prison and was released in 1981. However, still considered "an enemy of the people," he was afterward forced to work cleaning out the sewers in the city of Shkodër. He carried out priestly ministry clandestinely until the fall of the regime in 1990.

Despite the absolute ban on worship, during his imprisonment he celebrated Mass daily, resorting to ingenious subterfuges to go undetected. Since he celebrated Mass in Latin, his jailers thought he had gone mad and was merely babbling incomprehensible words.

Pope Francis' visit to Albania in 2014

In 2014, when Pope Francis visited Albania, the testimony of this now-elderly priest moved him to tears. In 2016, the pope created him a cardinal, publicly thanking him for a life of dedication that "does good to the Church."

On April 7 this year, the cardinal celebrated the 70th anniversary of his priestly ordination. Two days earlier, on Easter Sunday, he accompanied Leo XIV during the "urbi et orbi" ("to the city and the world") message and blessing from the central loggia of St. Peter's Basilica.

Simoni described the audience with the pontiff as "a special grace by the Holy Spirit and also by the Holy Father: to proclaim together, to all the peoples of the world, the peace that comes from heaven, that most sweet peace, spiritual joy, and the joy of the Resurrection."

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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Pope Leo XIV on Monday outlined the qualities needed in priests who serve as Vatican diplomats, describing their work as a unique ministry that serves not only Catholics but also the entire human family in individual nations and international organizations.

The pope made the remarks April 27 during a visit to the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, the Holy See's school for training diplomats, on the occasion of the 325th anniversary of its founding.

Leo recalled that a few years earlier, while serving as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, he had visited the academy and reflected on "the essential mission carried out by the alma mater of the pontifical diplomats."

"Today, almost a year after the start of my Petrine ministry, accompanied by the diligent commitment of the Secretariat of State and the pontifical representations," he said, "I therefore look with deep gratitude upon the history of dedication and service that this joyful anniversary celebrates."

That history, the pope said, rooted in the very Catholicity of the Church, has included an unbroken chain of priests from various parts of the world who have contributed "with their humble efforts to the building of that unity in Christ which, amid the diversity of origins, makes communion a fundamental characteristic of the diplomatic service of the Holy See."

Referring to reforms made to the academy by Pope Francis in March 2025, Leo said the most important reform required of those entering the community is "a constant exercise in conversion, aimed at cultivating 'closeness, attentive listening, witness, a fraternal approach, and dialogue … combined with humility and meekness.'"

The pope said the gathering was an opportunity to outline some characteristics of the pontifical diplomatic priest, who participates in the ministry of the successor of Peter and serves peace, truth, and justice.

The Vatican diplomat, he said, "must be, first of all, a messenger of the paschal proclamation 'Peace be with you!'"

"Even when the hopes for dialogue and reconciliation seem to vanish and peace 'as the world gives it' is trampled upon and put to the test," Leo said, "you are called to continue to bring the word of the risen Christ to all. 'Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.'"

Before trying to build peace "with our own meager strength," the pope said, the mission of pontifical diplomats calls them to be bridges and channels for it, "so that the grace that comes from heaven may find its way through the vicissitudes of history."

Leo also said the papal diplomat, working in different cultural settings and international organizations, "is specifically assigned to bear witness to the truth that is Christ."

Such a diplomat, he said, must bring Christ's message to the forum of nations and become "a sign of his love for that portion of humanity entrusted to his mission as a shepherd, even before that of a diplomat."

The pope also stressed the importance of clear language in diplomacy, citing his January address to the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See in which he said it is urgently necessary that "words once again … express distinct and clear realities unequivocally," because "only in this way can authentic dialogue resume without misunderstandings."

"For this reason, too," he told the students, "it is important that you bring to the world the Word of Life, who revealed himself not through the affirmation of abstract principles and ideas but by becoming flesh."

Leo reminded the academy's students that they are preparing for a ministry "which is not limited to safeguarding the good of the Catholic community but extends to the entire human family living in a particular nation or participating in the work of various international organizations."

This, he said, requires them "to be promoters of all forms of justice that help to recognize, rebuild, and protect the image of God imprinted in every person."

"In the defense of human rights — among which the rights to religious freedom and to life are prominent — I therefore urge you to continue to show the way, not toward confrontation and demands but toward the protection of human dignity, the development of peoples and communities, and the promotion of international cooperation," he said. "These are the only means that allow us to embark on authentic paths of peace."

The pope acknowledged that in a world marked by tensions, where conflict can appear to be the only way to address needs and demands, efforts at dialogue, listening, and reconciliation may seem insufficient, at times even futile.

"This must not discourage us!" he said. "Let us continue to invoke with confidence the gift of Christ's peace, without fear."

He assured the superiors and students that their ministry, at any time and in any place, will be "an instrument for promoting and safeguarding the dignity of every man and woman, created in the image and likeness of God, and for advancing the common good."

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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