The Diocese of Springfield says the state Human Rights Act violates its religious freedom, including the right to hire workers who agree with its religious mission.
A Catholic diocese and a pregnancy center in Illinois are asking a federal appeals court to strike down a state law that they say would force them to hire workers who disagree with their religious and pro-life missions.
The Diocese of Springfield in March 2025 had filed suit against the state alongside the Pregnancy Care Center of Rockford. Both parties had argued that the Illinois Human Rights Act "dictates how religious employers must speak and act about employees' voluntary reproductive decisions like abortion, contraception, and sterilization."
That law "prohibits employers from disciplining or refusing to hire employees" regarding their decisions about abortion and further "requires employers to grant employee accommodations" regarding abortion, the lawsuit said.
A district court dismissed the lawsuit in March of this year, claiming the plaintiffs lacked standing to sue. On June 3 the Alliance Defending Freedom, which is representing both the diocese and the pregnancy center, said it had filed suit in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit over the dispute.
The district court had ruled that the alleged religious liberty violations were "speculative," according to the filing; the appeals brief called the court's conclusion "erroneous."
"The ministries currently engage in constitutionally protected conduct that the [the state law] arguably proscribes, and the State has repeatedly refused to disavow enforcement," the filing says.
The suit argues that the dispute "would be no different if a pro-life state government was forcing abortion clinics to hire pro-life employees and speak pro-life messages." In either case, "the First Amendment doesn't allow [it]."
Springfield Bishop Thomas Paprocki said in the Alliance Defending Freedom press release that the diocese "proclaims, teaches, and encourages Catholics to live out all the teachings of the Church, including the dignity and value of human life."
"Our employees represent the diocese and are expected to uphold our standards of conduct to ensure they align with the doctrine and moral teaching of the Catholic Church," the bishop said.
Under the Illinois law "we cannot hire or retain employees based on our deeply held religious beliefs on pro-life teachings without being subject to disciplinary action," the bishop continued, adding: "We must have the freedom to follow and express our convictions without government interference."
The October gathering follows a pastoral letter by Bishop Antonio Suetta on charity, Christian witness, and the proclamation of the Gospel to Muslims living in the diocese.
Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad, prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, will lead a meeting in Sanremo on Oct. 9 dedicated to the theme "Interreligious Dialogue Today in the Social and Cultural Context of Our Diocese."
The event is part of a broader diocesan initiative launched by Bishop Antonio Suetta, who published a pastoral letter on Pentecost Sunday outlining guidelines for charity, dialogue, and the proclamation of God's love to Muslims "who live in our territory," according to the diocesan website.
The pastoral letter, titled "No One Has Greater Love Than This," takes its inspiration from two significant anniversaries: the special Year of St. Francis, proclaimed by Pope Leo XIV for the 800th anniversary of the saint's death, and the 60th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council declaration Nostra Aetate.
Bishop Antonio Suetta of Ventimiglia-San Remo, Italy. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Diocese of Ventimiglia-San Remo
In the document, Suetta emphasizes esteem, welcome, and missionary courage. He recalls the example of St. Francis of Assisi and his historic 1219 encounter with the sultan of Egypt, presenting evangelization first as a witness offered through deeds and the coherence of Christian life, and only afterward through words.
The letter also stresses dialogue and collaboration, beginning from the teaching of Nostra Aetate and the recognition that Christians and Muslims are creatures of the one God. This shared foundation, the bishop writes, calls believers to work together in defense of human dignity and moral values in an increasingly secularized society.
At the same time, Suetta underlines what he describes as the Christian duty of proclamation. Charity and welcome, he writes, must never lead Christians to conceal their spiritual identity. To share the joy of the Gospel and to make known the true face of Jesus Christ — who for Christians is "the way, the truth, and the life" and the revelation of God who is love — is presented in the letter as the highest act of charity Christians can offer.
The pastoral initiative includes concrete proposals, such as specific formation programs and opportunities for encounter promoted by the diocesan Office for Catechetical Pastoral Ministry in collaboration with Caritas.
"Welcoming others with selfless charity, bearing witness to a coherent Christian life, and proclaiming the love of God in Jesus Christ with freedom and sincere respect are the human means that the Lord asks of us in order to evangelize," the letter states.
The events will take place during the Church's missionary month of October. In addition to the Oct. 9 meeting in Sanremo with Cardinal Koovakad, the diocese will hold a missionary vigil on Oct. 17 at the Oratory of the Immaculate in Piazza San Siro.
The presence of the prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue is seen as a sign of support from the Holy See for the diocesan initiative.
Ordained in 1950, Father Bruno Kant served the Diocese of Fulda in Germany for decades. After retiring from active ministry, he remained a confidant, pastor, and spiritual guide for many parishioners.
In late February, Pope Leo XIV thanked Father Bruno Kant of the Diocese of Fulda in Germany for his "many years of faithful and devoted priestly service." Kant, the oldest priest in the world at 110 years of age, passed away on the night of Friday, May 29. He had been a priest since 1950.
In an article published on his diocese's website, Bishop Michael Gerber of Fulda recalled that "just a few months ago" he had "the privilege of conveying Pope Leo XIV's blessing to Father Bruno Kant on the occasion of his 110th birthday."
"My encounter with him left a deep impression on me. Even at his advanced age, he radiated the humility, kindness, and spiritual depth that characterized his entire priestly life. The Diocese of Fulda remembers his work and service with great gratitude," he added.
Father Guido Pasanow of the parish in Eichenzell-Löschenrod, where Kant lived until his death, said that with the priest's death, the parish "loses a person who was fundamental to it for many years."
"Even after retiring from active ministry, he remained a confidant, pastor, and spiritual guide deeply cherished by many parishioners. We are grateful for all that he contributed to our community," he added.
As reported by the Catholic news outlet katholisch in November 2025, Kant, born near Danzig in what is now Poland, had aspired to become a priest since the age of 9. He was able to begin his theological studies, but the Nazi regime thwarted his plans by conscripting him for forced labor and making him a soldier.
Kant spent four years as a prisoner of war in Russia before reuniting with his family, who had fled to the West.
He was finally ordained a priest in 1950. After decades of priestly service, he considerably curtailed his activities. He stopped driving at the age of 102, according to a report published on katholisch.de in November.
"Over the last few years, he has refrained from celebrating holy Mass with the congregation on Wednesday evenings. However, he continued visiting the sick for as long as he was able. Now, that is no longer possible for him."
On that occasion, Kant said: "I expect to die every day. I am not far from it." In his final years, he spent his days solving Sudokus, watching television, reading newspapers, and, of course, praying.
"Praying keeps me young," he said.
This story was first published by CNA Deutsch, the German-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by ACI Prensa/EWTN News English.
The gathering will function as "a space for mutual listening, discernment, and shared exploration of certain issue," Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re said.
Several working sessions and four themes ranging from war to synodality are planned for the next consistory convened by Pope Leo XIV.
From reflection on the international situation to a possible "updating" of the doctrine of just war, to discussion of the encyclical Magnifica Humanitas to the steps of the synodal process, the cardinals are called upon for broad discussions in multiple sessions. The plans were reported Thursday by Vatican News.
The themes were outlined by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, in a letter sent to all cardinals on June 3. The extraordinary consistory, the second convoked by Leo XIV, will be held June 26-27.
Cardinal Re emphasized in the letter — which EWTN News has seen in the original — that the consistory "is intended, above all, to be a space for mutual listening, discernment, and shared exploration of certain issues relevant to the life and mission of the Church in the present time."
The pope "wishes to gather the experience and advice of the members of the College of Cardinals and, at the same time, to be able to count on the active help and support of each in the various places and responsibilities in which they serve the Church."
Cardinal Re wrote that "it will be important for our joint work to take place in a climate of listening, freedom, and parrhesia, so as to foster shared discernment on the issues we will be called upon to address."
Cardinal Re described the first session as "a shared meditation starting from the international situation." He emphasized that "in a climate of prayer, we will be invited to let emerge, before the Lord, what we are experiencing in different parts of the world and in the local Churches."
Two questions will guide the reflection: "What sufferings, tensions, and questions are most pressingly affecting the peoples and ecclesial communities entrusted to your care today? What signs of hope, of fidelity to the Gospel, and of possible reconciliation do you think it is important to bring to common listening?"
The encyclical Magnifica Humanitas will be the focus of the second and third working sessions. In particular, in the second session, the cardinals will be called to reflect on chapter five of the encyclical and to discuss the themes of peace as a "condition for the universal common good" (No. 182 of Magnifica Humanitas).
Cardinals will be asked to "become aware of how this reality painfully affects the experience of many of you, particularly those who come from war-torn territories, and at the same time challenges other contexts, where languages, logics, and practices are re-emerging that weaken the possibility of reconciliation and coexistence."
A particular focus will be on the concept of just war, and on "what concrete ways can help Christian peoples and communities preserve and build peace."
The third session will ask the cardinals to deepen the encyclical's invitation to read the transformations of our time in the light of the Gospel, as called for by Magnifica Humanitas.
A fourth session will be divided into two parts: an update on the Synod's implementation process and then a period of "free dialogue between the members of the College and the Holy Father, with three-minute interventions."
Cardinal Re hopes for "adequate preparation for the meeting, not only through careful consideration of the issues to be addressed, but also and above all through prayer and renewed attention to the life of the Churches entrusted to his pastoral care."
The consistory will conclude with Mass on June 29, the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, when the pope will impose the Pallia on the new metropolitan archbishops.
The president of the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon emphasized that peace must remain a national priority, particularly in Cameroon's conflict-ridden regions.
YAOUNDE, Cameroon — The president of the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon (NECC), Archbishop Andrew Fuanya Nkea, has renewed the Catholic Church's call for peace and dialogue, urging both Church leaders and political authorities to address the root causes of conflict as the country continues to face security, political, and socio-economic challenges.
Speaking during the opening ceremony of the 51st Plenary Assembly of NECC members, the archbishop emphasized that peace must remain a national priority, particularly in Cameroon's conflict-affected northwest, southwest, and far north regions.
"Peace is a fundamental human right, indispensable for the development of peoples, social cohesion, economic progress, and respect for human dignity," Nkea said on Tuesday, June 2.
The leader of Cameroon's Bamenda Archdiocese reflected on the April 15–18 apostolic journey of Pope Leo XIV to Cameroon, describing it as a historic moment for the local Church and a source of renewed hope for the nation.
"At a time when our Church and our country needed it most, he accepted, against all odds, even risking his own life, to come and comfort us and renew in us the hope that does not disappoint," Nkea said.
He also highlighted the Holy Father's appeal for reconciliation and an end to violence, recalling that Pope Leo XIV spoke of the suffering caused by the conflicts affecting parts of Cameroon, including the loss of lives, the displacement of families, disruptions to education, and growing uncertainty among young people.
The Cameroonian archbishop said the Church remains committed to promoting peace, dialogue, and hope while encouraging greater investment in the country's youth as an essential part of building a stable future.
Quoting Pope Leo, Nkea noted that the tensions and violence affecting parts of Cameroon have caused profound suffering, including loss of life, displacement of families, disruption of education, and uncertainty among young people.
"Enough of war, with all the pain it causes through death, destruction, and exile," the archbishop said, echoing the pope's call.
He emphasized that peace cannot be achieved solely through political declarations but requires a sincere commitment to dialogue, conversion, justice, and national reconciliation.
"We will never achieve lasting peace without a firm decision to choose the path that leads to it, with all its demands of conversion, love for country, change of mentality, and dialogue," he said.
As Cameroon prepares for future municipal elections, Nkea called for prayers and vigilance, noting that elections in the country are often accompanied by tensions and violence.
"The appeasement that we contributed to create after the presidential election was not a sign of weakness but a necessity for our society," he said.
A significant portion of the archbishop's address focused on the role of young people in building a peaceful and prosperous future.
Drawing from Pope Leo's remarks during his visit, the archbishop emphasized that youth remain the nation's greatest hope.
"Young people represent the hope of the country and of the Church. Their energy and creativity are priceless treasures," he said.
He warned that unemployment, social exclusion, and lack of opportunities continue to expose many young people to violence, migration, drug abuse, prostitution, and despair.
"Investing in education, training, and entrepreneurship for young people is therefore a strategic choice for peace," Nkea said.
The NECC president also encouraged the Church in Cameroon to reflect on the pope's recent encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, particularly its teaching on the ethical challenges posed by artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technologies.
"In times marked by the challenges posed by a certain use of digital technology and artificial intelligence, we must discern how to receive the Holy Father's encyclical in our context," he said.
Nkea also used the occasion to celebrate the 60th anniversary of NECC, describing the milestone as a testament to six decades of evangelization, ecclesial maturity, and faithful service to the people of God.
The 51st Ordinary Plenary Assembly of the NECC, running from May 31 to June 5, is bringing together Catholic bishops from across Cameroon to review pastoral priorities, discuss national concerns, evaluate Church projects, and strengthen their collective mission of evangelization.
Throughout the gathering, Nkea said, the bishops are to continue praying for peace in Cameroon and around the world while seeking ways to respond to the challenges facing the Church and society.
"We freely chose to come together and persevere in our journey toward eternity. May the Holy Spirit remain the principal protagonist of our communion and collegiality, so that our work may be for the glory of God and the salvation of all," he said.
This story was first published by ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, and has been adapted by EWTN News.
During the Diocese of Litomerice's Year of Reconciliation, Archbishop Stanislav Pribyl led a pilgrimage and Mass honoring hundreds killed in Czechoslovakia in 1945.
On June 3, the archbishop of Prague and the German ambassador to the Czech Republic commemorated the biggest massacre of the German-speaking population in Czechoslovakia — some say in Europe — after World War II.
In the town of Postoloprty in May and June 1945, the Czechoslovak army killed at least 763 people, according to a 1947 Czechoslovak parliamentary commission, though the total number is estimated by some to be 1,000-2,000. They were mostly civilians put into mass graves, and no one was ever convicted.
Archbishop Stanislav Pribyl; Rüdiger Heinrich, a military attaché from the German embassy; the faithful; and students from local schools and from Prague marched 10.5 miles from Postoloprty to Žatec. The marchers had the names of the victims written on a scarf, a stone, or a piece of cardboard to make them more visible and present.
Participants walk through the countryside between Postoloprty and Žatec, Czech Republic, during the reconciliation pilgrimage on June 3, 2026. | Credit: Diocese of Litomerice
The pilgrimage concluded at the Church of the Coronation of the Virgin Mary, where Pribyl celebrated Mass. German Ambassador Peter Reuss joined the ceremony.
In his homily, Pribyl admitted they were tired and sweaty. It was not just a walk from one city to another, but one through "the land of memory, through places where the history of our country touches on pain, guilt, helplessness, silence, and the desire for healing."
The topic of reconciliation is not raised to accuse anyone, "but because God invites us to the truth which is the first step towards reconciliation," the religious leader clarified and continued: "In a time when everyone believes he has his own truth and when our truths sometimes differ diametrically, we are invited to the truth that is known and spoken, but which is accompanied by mercy, because what good would it be for us to be right if we were left alone with it?"
The prelate saw the pilgrimage as a reminder that "peace is not created only by words, but sometimes by steps." It is "a quiet step" that says "I do not want to forget, I do not want to hate," the archbishop said.
The faithful bring to the Lord "the dead, known and unknown, families whose stories have been broken, silence that has often lasted too long," Pribyl recalled, adding: "We also bring our own fear of the truth and our own unwillingness to forgive."
He characterized the Eucharist and the Mass as "the deepest place of reconciliation." There, Christ does not proclaim that "the past does not matter or that sin is not sin," yet he does not reproach us, the prelate explained.
"The risen Lord had been crucified before and so comes among us not without wounds," Pribyl said. "But his wounds are healed, and by his wounds we are healed," the archbishop concluded.
A wooden cross and memorial plaque stand near the mass graves of ethnic Germans killed in 1945, marked during the reconciliation pilgrimage near Postoloprty, Czech Republic, on June 3, 2026. | Credit: Diocese of Litomerice
Part of a Year of Reconciliation
The event was part of the Year of Reconciliation in the Diocese of Litomerice, which borders Germany. Pribyl declared it for 2026 while he was bishop of the diocese; he has since been appointed archbishop of Prague but remains its apostolic administrator.
Each month, a gathering takes place in a different location linked to atrocities before and after World War II. In May, for example, Pribyl presided over an ecumenical ceremony in Terezín (Theresienstadt), which served as a Nazi transit camp and propaganda showpiece during the war.
When Nazi Germany invaded Czechoslovakia, it established the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. After Germany's defeat in 1945, some ethnic Germans were killed or died by suicide, and approximately 3 million were expelled from Czechoslovakia.
Mexico's bishops have a established a new pastoral ministry to meet the growing need of people experiencing spiritual, moral, and physical suffering, which could also be of malevolent origin.
As head of the recently established ministry team for the Pastoral Care of Consolation and the Ministry of Exorcism (DEPAC, by its Spanish acronym) of the Mexican Bishops' Conference, Bishop José Trinidad Zapata Ortiz highlighted the importance of a "mature faith" in the face of the proliferation of esoteric cults into which not a few Catholics have fallen.
"We are in need of a mature, committed, and convinced faith," the bishop of Papantla shared with ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, lamenting that "unfortunately, many of our parishioners who are baptized do not live out their faith in an orthodox manner" and end up seeking a "solution to their difficulties in other areas."
"Having the solution within their own Church in pastoral practice and by living out the sacraments, they go looking for solutions elsewhere," falling "into spiritist practices or other types — satanic ones, or the so-called 'Santa Muerte,' [a Mexican folk saint and deity personifying death], etc."
It is in this way that some people end up facing various spiritual difficulties, he explained.
This denotes a lack of faith, he pointed out, for "when there is total trust in the Lord, we know that there may be difficulties, that there may be problems, but that, ultimately, the Lord permits all of this to bring about a greater good and to guide us along the right path."
"The Christian life is not a victorious life devoid of pain or problems; rather, one embraces this as a path, following the Lord," he explained.
A new pastoral ministry to address spiritual suffering
The Mexican bishops established the new pastoral ministry during their general assembly in November 2025 and appointed Zapata as its head. The prelate explained to ACI Prensa that the decision is framed within the "growing need to address these situations of spiritual, moral, and physical suffering of some persons, which may have a malevolent origin."
"Therefore, it was deemed appropriate to officially support the exorcists who were already undergoing training courses," as well as to "accompany them" and foster "unity and cohesion regarding this entire issue at the national level."
However, he emphasized that DEPAC "will not focus solely on ministering to exorcists" but rather aims at a comprehensive "pastoral ministry of consolation," for "what people often need is consolation — to be listened to, to receive guidance, and to have prayers offered on their behalf — so that they may follow a path and a process in following the Lord."
All priests, he underscored, as pastors of their parishioners, must "listen to their faithful to see what difficulties or sorrows they are enduring or suffering."
For this reason, it is necessary to foster among priests a "serious and profound" formation in theology, spirituality, morality, and pastoral practice regarding these matters, in order to be able to attend to them.
The ordinary action of the devil
While the Mexican prelate emphasized that it is necessary to address problems related to the "extraordinary action" of the devil such as demonic possession, he noted that "it is through his ordinary action that the devil causes so much evil in the world."
It is "through temptation that many of us fall." It's how the devil "produces the worst evils in the world and not [through] possession," which happens once in a million cases.
Zapata also urged against exaggerating the power of the devil in our lives: "It should neither be denied nor seen everywhere," for we must also "assume our own responsibility."
"The devil can't do what God doesn't permit him to do, and what we don't permit him to do," he said. "Thus, if he wreaks havoc upon us, it is because we first allowed him to do so. We venture onto his paths and let him into our lives."
The formation the Church seeks to promote in Mexico
With these challenges in mind, the recently established DEPAC aims to "form and guide all our priests so that they may recognize divine action, the action of the devil, and human action, and know how to discern," while also ensuring they are equipped to "attend to special cases of extraordinary action" of the devil.
Along these lines, the new ministry team has already been conducting spiritual exercises and courses for priests, and has scheduled new training sessions for July of this year including lay experts in various disciplines who assist in this pastoral ministry, such as physicians and psychologists.
Outlining the qualities required of an exorcist priest, Zapata noted: "We simply need a priest grounded in doctrine, a good priest, generally speaking."
"This is not a matter of having a charism; it's a matter of a mandate issued by the bishop to a priest whom he sees has the qualities for this," he pointed out; consequently, every prelate "must evaluate the qualities the priest has."
However, he emphasized that it is considered important "that he be a Eucharistic priest, a Marian priest, a priest who enjoys caring for those in need, especially the sick."
Thus "a priest who is, let us say, upright, transparent, and honest," he summarized.
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.
"There was no debate" among Vatican theologians, but it was rather a "celebration," petitioner Allen Sanchez said.
The canonization cause for Sister Blandina Segale, the "Fastest Nun in the West," is moving forward after Vatican theologians unanimously voted to advance her sainthood cause.
It is a "very historical moment in the archdiocesan history, but also [for] the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati and the whole Church," Archbishop John Wester of Santa Fe, New Mexico, said at a press conference outside the Blandina Segale Convent in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on June 1.
"The Sisters of Charity are profoundly grateful for the life of Sister Blandina and her witness of faith, courage, and care for those most in need," said Sister Monica Gundler, president of the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati, in a press release.
"As her story continues to be shared with the world, we pray that her compassionate heart will inspire others to emulate her example of charity, justice, and service," she said.
Her cause moving forward is "a national celebration," said Allen Sanchez, the petitioner of Segale's cause, at the event.
The theologians "came together with a very important lens to look at her life" and examined 14,000 pages of "the argument for her heroic virtue, the book she wrote, and books written about her," Sanchez said.
After doing so, they confirmed that Segale used the gifts of the Holy Spirit and fulfilled the corporal works of mercy, Sanchez said.
"There was no debate" among them, but it was rather a "celebration," Sanchez said.
"They have everything in place, but in the summer they get to vote and then it's up to them to recommend to the pope if she's venerable," he said. After an examination by cardinals and bishops who are members of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, the prefect of the dicastery presents findings to the pope who can consider approval.
If she becomes venerable it will then require one miracle to move forward again to her beatification, but "we have 58 of them," he said.
Sister Blandina and Sister Justina Segale founded Santa Maria Institute, today known as Santa Maria Community Services in Cincinnati, one of the first Catholic settlement houses in the United States. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati
Sister Blandina Segale
Segale was an Italian immigrant who came to the Wild West in the 1800s. She was born Maria Rosa Segale in the town of Cigana, Italy, on Jan. 23, 1850. At the age of 4, she and her parents moved to Cincinnati where she joined the Sisters of Charity at 16.
She spent over two decades serving in the American Southwest, primarily in Trinidad, Colorado, and in Santa Fe and Albuquerque, New Mexico.
She worked in schools, orphanages, and hospitals that the sisters operated. She worked to build a trade school for Native American women and a home for the elderly.
She offered direct relief to the poor and helped raise money for numerous efforts.
She "started the public schools and the Catholic schools in [New Mexico] and the healthcare system," Sanchez said. "The healthcare system that she helped begin with other nuns is now the largest nonprofit healthcare provider in the nation."
Amid her efforts to start schools and hospitals, she intervened against lynch mobs and outlaws.
She eventually formed a friendship with William Bonney, better known as "Billy the Kid" — an American criminal linked to numerous murders in the late 19th century.
According to legend, and Segale's journal and letters, one of Billy the Kid's gang members was shot, but doctors refused to treat him. Segale decided to take him in and nurse him back to health.
The criminal was still unhappy so he planned to return to scalp the four doctors in revenge. When he arrived, Segale intervened and convinced him to call it off on behalf of the man she had saved.
After the incident, Segale and Billy the Kid became friends. She visited him in jail, and he called off a stage-coach robbery as soon as he realized she was one of the passengers.
Gifts of the Holy Spirit
"Blandina had wisdom and she had understanding," Wester said. "She saw the world through the eyes of God. She had the wisdom of the Scriptures, the wisdom of the Church, the wisdom of faith."
She also had "courage and fortitude," he said. "She was this little powerhouse" who "rode down here in the stagecoach by herself, and she came to New Mexico."
"She trusted in Jesus, that the Lord Jesus was with her and calling her to this mission, and she never wavered in her courage." She "confronted mobs, lynch mobs, Billy the Kid — all kinds of difficulties with courage."
"She had prudence" and "the gift of right judgment," Wester said. "She conceived that we needed hospitals and schools and cemeteries and orphanages and all kinds of institutions to help people. And she started them."
"She could make good decisions" with her "knowledge to know the will of God, that God was willing peace for his people," he said.
"God wants us all to live together in peace, and Blandina knew that," he said.
"I encourage all of us in New Mexico, Catholic and non-Catholic alive, to follow Blandina's example, to care for people, to live in harmony with people, to see the good in people, to be able to affirm one another and build each other up, and to be able to live together in peace," Wester said.
Monsignor Stephen Rossetti's claims about aerial phenomena and demons "gravely undermined" the Church's teachings, Cardinal Robert McElroy said.
Washington archbishop Cardinal Robert McElroy on June 3 removed a prominent priest from his role as an archdiocesan exorcist after the priest made remarks linking UFOs to demonic activity.
Monsignor Stephen Rossetti was "removed ... as an exorcist of the Archdiocese of Washington," McElroy said in a statement posted to the archdiocese's website. Rossetti is a priest of the Diocese of Syracuse, New York, the statement noted.
In addition to Rossetti's removal, McElroy said the archdiocese had "ended all affiliation between the archdiocese and the St. Michael Center for Spiritual Renewal located in Washington, D.C."
Led by Rossetti, the St. Michael Center is a Catholic nonprofit that "conducts spiritual education workshops and trains clergy, religious, and laity," according to its website.
Rossetti had on May 29 posted a video to YouTube in which the exorcist had expressed his personal belief that "many, if not most, [UFO] sightings are, in fact, demons." Such entities, he said in the video, "can do things that we can't do, such [as] the speed and all sorts of things that human beings can't do."
McElroy in his statement said Rossetti's remarks "gravely undermine the Church's very precise teaching on the devil, demons, and exorcism." The cardinal also criticized the St. Michael Center's "recent use of social media," though the statement did not offer any specifics beyond that.
In a statement after the news broke, Rossetti said he was "saddened" by the archdiocese's decision.
"I ask forgiveness for any ways that I have not been faithful to the teachings of the Church's magisterium, particularly in the cited video on 'aliens and the demonic,'" he said.
"I believe it is of the utmost importance to be obedient to the Church and I will continue to endeavor to subject all that I do and the center to be thus obedient," he continued, adding: "Also, I will continue to encourage all to do so as well."
"I am grateful for 19 years of ministering in the Archdiocese of Washington as its exorcist and I thank the archdiocese for its support and blessing all these years," the statement continued. "We will remember the cardinal and all in [the archdiocese] in our prayers for its important ministry."
The St. Michael Center "plans to continue its ministry elsewhere," Rossetti said.
As of June 3, the video that apparently resulted in Rossetti's dismissal had been marked private on YouTube.
"Our perspectives on these matters are grounded in Scripture and Catholic teaching, including our belief in the inherent and inviolable dignity of every person," U.S. bishops wrote to lawmakers.
U.S. bishops urged Congress to reauthorize the Religious Worker Visa Program, protect refugee services and unaccompanied children, and reject expanded enforcement and detention measures, warning that mass-deportation policies would undermine due process and separate families.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) sent a list of immigration-related requests to lawmakers June 1 as they are set to vote on fiscal 2027 appropriations.
In a letter sent to leaders of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, Bishop Brendan J. Cahill of Victoria, Texas, wrote on behalf of the USCCB asking the committee to consider "additional priorities" in connection "to human life and dignity."
"The well-being of immigrants, refugees, unaccompanied noncitizen children, victims of trafficking, and other populations, as well as our immigration system in general, is of deep concern to the Catholic Church," wrote Cahill, chair of the bishops' Committee on Migration.
"Our perspectives on these matters are grounded in Scripture and Catholic teaching, including our belief in the inherent and inviolable dignity of every person," he said.
The letter was sent to Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine; Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington; Rep. Tom Cole, R-Oklahoma; and Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Connecticut.
The bishops urged that funding continue for the Refugee and Entrant Assistance (REA) programs administered through the Office of Refugee Resettlement, as the programs are needed to assist refugees, victims of human trafficking, and other migrant groups.
They asked for "robust" appropriations for the Wage and Hour Division and the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs to support victims of trafficking, and funding for International Humanitarian Assistance and Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance.
While acknowledging the government's right to enforce immigration laws, the bishops reiterated their opposition to expanded enforcement and detention measures, and asked for "more humane" alternatives.
The letter warned that mass deportation threatens due process, family unity, and discriminatory practice and asked Congress to ensure that people in detention facilities have access to religious and pastoral services.
Bishops' requests
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is operating without fully enacted fiscal 2026 funding, and instead has been funded through continuing resolutions after a 76-day shutdown that ended April 30. The Trump administration is asking Congress to approve $118.4 billion in fiscal 2027 DHS spending, which is a $6.6 billion increase over the continuing resolution levels.
The bishops asked the committee to consider permanently reauthorizing the Religious Worker Visa Program, "to avoid the uncertainty and disruption" that its expiration creates for religious organizations, their workers, and communities they serve.
The bishops also reiterated their request for Congress to take up and pass H.R. 2672/S. 1298, named by sponsors as "the Religious Workforce Protection Act." The legislation would let DHS keep certain religious workers in the U.S. beyond the five-year limit on R-1 visas while their green card or immigrant visa applications are still pending.
The bishops urged Congress to support agencies that help "promote trust" in the immigration system that "have been weakened" or "ceased operating entirely," including the DHS Office of Inspector General and the Office of Immigration Detention Ombudsman.
Concerned about "nationality-based restrictions on legal immigration pathways," the bishops asked that the State Department and DHS be required to report the status of all nationality-based restrictions.
Bishops urged lawmakers to fund the Legal Orientation Program, support the immigration court system, and oversee functions related to immigration enforcement in their consideration of the fiscal 2027 Commerce-Justice-Science (CJS) appropriations bill. U.S. House consideration is next for CJS appropriations; the House Appropriations Committee approved the legislation May 13.
