Catholic News

St. Peter Claver was a Spanish Jesuit priest who dedicated his life to the care of African slaves. On Sept. 9 — the saint's feast day — EWTN will release an original docudrama on his life titled "Saint Peter Claver — Slave of the Slaves."

The docudrama was filmed on location in Spain, Colombia, and Cape Verde and uses interviews and dramatizations to present the life of Claver, who tirelessly ministered to the spiritual and physical needs of African slaves in Cartagena, Colombia, for 40 years.

The film will air on EWTN TV and EWTN+ on Sept. 9 at 9:30 p.m. ET and re-air on Sept. 12 at 8 p.m. ET. At this time, the program will not air on YouTube.

Who was St. Peter Claver?

Born on June 26, 1580, in Catalonia, Spain, Claver grew up in a devout Catholic farming family. He attended the University of Barcelona and at age 20 joined the Jesuits.

During his studies as a novice, Claver met an older lay Jesuit brother, Alphonsus Rodriguez. It was Rodriguez who encouraged Claver to become a missionary in the Spanish colonies in the Americas.

In 1610, Claver traveled from Spain to Cartagena, Colombia, where he was ordained a priest five years later.

At that time, the African slave trade had been in place for several decades in the Americas, and Cartagena was one of the busiest slave ports in the Spanish empire.

While there, Claver witnessed the cruelty with which the slaves were treated firsthand, despite Pope Paul III's repeated condemnations of slavery. It is estimated that tens of thousands of enslaved Africans passed through Cartagena during Claver's ministry.

Moved by their suffering, Claver worked to bring both bodily and spiritual aid to the slaves. Despite his own health problems and the language barrier, he dedicated himself to his vocation.

Claver would meet slave ships upon arrival in the harbor and board them to care for the poorly treated passengers on board who had made the journey from Africa in diseased and cramped conditions over the course of several months. He would tend to the sick — bringing food, water, and medicine — and treat wounds and illnesses. He would immediately baptize babies and those near death.

After a slave was sold, Claver would continue to visit the individual, providing physical and spiritual support.

When it came to catechesis, due to the language barrier, Claver used pictorial representations of the Gospel stories he was teaching.

Throughout his ministry, Claver lived on small amounts of food and sleep. His lifestyle led to several miraculous occurrences, including when he healed the sick with the touch of his cloak or appeared surrounded by a supernatural light during his hospital visits.

After suffering for several years from poor health, Claver died on Sept. 8, 1654. He had baptized and taught the faith to more than 300,000 slaves during his 40 years in Colombia.

He was beatified by Pius IX on July 16, 1850, and canonized along with his friend St. Alphonsus Rodriguez on Jan. 15, 1888, by Pope Leo XIII.

Claver is the patron saint of enslaved peoples, African missions, and interracial justice, and one of several patron saints of Colombia.

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As you walk into one new gym in the Archdiocese of Denver, the first thing you'll notice isn't the equipment. A large crucifix hangs on the wall above a Bible, while a nearby whiteboard is covered with prayer intentions. The gym's workout equipment fills the rest of the space.

Grow the Kingdom gym opened in 2025 in the former Augustine Institute building in Greenwood Village, Colorado. Founded by Jayce Rastrelli and Hayden Dalton, the gym aims to integrate faith and fitness, teach the importance of taking care of the body as a way to serve God and family, and equip individuals to be servants of God.

Rastrelli and Dalton, who are best friends, felt inspired to open the gym after experiences they had working out at a secular gym, where they were surrounded by music, conversations, and attire that they considered immodest and inappropriate.

"I realized I had been lifting in an environment that just wasn't beneficial to my faith," Rastrelli told EWTN News in an interview. "It was like a battle ground."

Each had a background in personal training and sports. After prayer and discernment, the two friends decided to open Grow the Kingdom as a "safe space to glorify God," where individuals "get to lift with the right purpose and know that you couldn't do without God."

The gym serves people of all ages and demographics — from preteens to older adults — and even local parish priests.

Rastrelli said the gym's members all have the "understanding that God needs to be at the center of everything that you do."

The gym incorporates faith into fitness in other tangible ways.

"The first thing you see is going to be Our Lord giving his body for us on the cross. And then you're going to get to come in here and work on your body for God," Rastrelli said.

Across from the crucifix is a large whiteboard covered with people's names. This is the gym's prayer intentions board, where members are encouraged to write the names of individuals they're offering their workouts for and are keeping in prayer.

"Having that [intentions board] up there is, I would argue, the best way to automatically take yourself out of it. You're now doing it for someone else. You're building someone else up," Rastrelli explained. "You're allowing God to take your workout and transform it into a prayer and send it back to someone in the form of grace. So, no more ego lifting. You're not doing this for yourself. You're doing it for the names on the board. You're doing it for the person you put up there."

The gym also enforces a modest dress code and plays "clean and appropriate" music.

A common obstacle many face when working out, according to Rastrelli, is falling into vanity and focusing too much on one's ego. Rastrelli said he has seen this too and admitted that he has also struggled with it in his own fitness journey.

He said he uses Scripture to explain that people's bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit and gifts from God, and that they work out to build those bodies and use them to their fullest potential.

With that in mind, Rastrelli said there are "going to be great bonuses that are going to come along with that," and even if "aesthetic appearance" is part of those benefits, he suggested people ask themselves truthfully why they are training: "Is it just for that ego, that vanity? 'I want to look big. I want to have this appearance.' What are you going to use that for?"

While Rastrelli said he believes there's nothing wrong with working out a specific muscle group, for example, but the danger "comes down to your intent."

"It's OK to want to look good for your spouse … but if your intent becomes too inwardly focused, that's where the danger really comes," he said. "'I want to look good for my spouse.' That's a beautiful thing. Know that it's from God that you're able to do that. Praise God that you're able to do that, that you have a body that is capable of pursuing difficult things."

Rastrelli emphasized that the key is "refocusing people['s minds] into 'Your body is built to serve God.'"

He pointed out how this mindset can be beneficial in various aspects of a person's life.

"To have results in the gym, to actually better your body, is going to take consistent work," he explained. "When you're not feeling it, you have to show up. You have to stay disciplined. So you start building on these routines and habits and they start forming into these great virtues."

Rastrelli also noted how an understanding of delayed gratification is also developed through working out. "I think that's a huge one for us in our current culture. Everyone wants something immediately — myself included. In the gym, there's no immediate; it's consistently built," he said.

"It's the same thing when we're walking with God. We want that immediate fix. 'Lord, just take this sin away from me right now. I don't want it anymore.' That's not how it's going to work. You face that battle over and over, consistently, for you to build up those tools with God to then be able to deny it, say no to it, have that self-mastery. So I think the correlation is just so strong and it can be so evident that you're proving with God's grace that you can do difficult things."

Beyond the weight room

As the gym approaches its one-year anniversary, new programs are being planned to foster more growth among the community. Currently, the gym offers basic, open access as well as group training classes, which are split into an adults' class and a class for 11- to 21-year-olds.

Soon, Rastrelli said, he will roll out eight different training programs he created, which members can access on an app. It will lead them through each exercise with a video demonstration as well as include numbers of sets and repetitions. In addition, Rastrelli will offer individualized programs created for members' specific needs.

Grow the Kingdom will soon offer a mentorship program for 11- to 21-year-olds that will focus on "vice versus virtue training," Rastrelli explained. The program will include a course that takes them through the four cardinal virtues as well as monthly Bible studies, virtue talks, Q&A sessions, saint studies, live seminars, and a 24/7 live community in their age group. The program will be offered to young men first until a female coach is hired.

The idea behind it is to "build this community — let's get them into the gym. Let's get this well-rounded mind, body, and soul all together and have them understand you're not walking this alone. We're actually walking with you," Rastrelli said.

Rastrelli said he hopes the gym will help its members "get to know their worth in God's eyes."

"I just think there's so much in our culture right now that is … infiltrated with a lot of false narratives," he said. "Coming in here, I would hope that they get to see how much God loves them. He … gave his body for us, so can we not do the same?"

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The U.S. bishops have published a pastoral plan calling for a faithful replica of St. Juan Diego's tilma to be enthroned in every diocese in the United States as the Church prepares for the 500th anniversary of the Guadalupe Marian apparitions in 2031.

The proposal is set out in "One Tilma, One Heart: Walking with Our Lady of Guadalupe in the Footsteps of Saint Juan Diego" and is part of the Intercontinental Guadalupe Novena's 2025–2028 strategic plan, which aims at "a profound spiritual renewal and unity under the protection of Our Lady of Guadalupe."

Bishops from Mexico, the U.S., and Canada each carried home tilma replicas after their historic meeting last week at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City.

Bishop Daniel E. Flores of Brownsville, Texas, vice president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB); Bishop Oscar Cantú of San José, California; Bishop Eugenio Lira Rugarcía of Matamoros, Mexico; and Bishop Pierre Goudreault of Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière, Canada, president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, attended the meeting.

Under the plan, each diocese in the U.S. will receive a tilma for enthronement in its cathedral followed by two years of missionary activity including pilgrimages, service, and catechesis as the image travels to parishes beginning in 2027.

The original tilma, the cactus-fiber cloak on which Mary's image miraculously appeared on Tepeyac Hill in Mexico in 1531, remains at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City.

The replicated images are printed on cloth similar to the original, and those touched to the original tilma will be treated as third-class relics.

The pastoral plan presents the tilma not only as an object of devotion but also as a "living catechetical witness" meant to make Catholics messengers of hope like St. Juan Diego.

Bishop Robert Brennan of Brooklyn, New York, said at the bishops' June plenary that a tilma for each diocese could be ordered at a low cost and that images would be presented to ordinaries in Baltimore in November for veneration in cathedrals or other sites designated by the local bishop.

After enthronement, the image is to travel through parishes and what organizers call "contemporary Tepeyacs," or places marked by suffering, exclusion, migration, and violence. Local missionaries known as Juandieguitos will accompany the image, listen to community concerns, and help establish "sacred little houses" as sites of welcome, reconciliation, and Guadalupan formation, according to the pastoral plan.

A bilingual Order of Enthronement of the Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, originally prepared by the Mexican bishops' liturgy commission, was also posted by the USCCB. The rite envisions a solemn diocesan Mass with procession, a prayer of consecration, and a blessing of the community "under the mantle of Mary."

The bishops noted that the effort is in preparation both for the 2031 anniversary of Mary's apparitions at Tepeyac and for the Great Jubilee of 2033, the Church's planned extraordinary Holy Year of Redemption, marking 2,000 years since Jesus' passion, death, and resurrection.

Citing Pope Francis' Dec. 12, 2022, homily at the beginning of the Guadalupan novena, hoped-for fruits of the effort include the "renewal of a Christocentric faith through Marian mediation," reconciliation of polarized communities, strengthening of Hispanic cultural identity, and a network of Marian shrines as "privileged spaces for the rebirth of hope."

Francis said in his 2022 homily on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe that "although this horizon seems bleak and disconcerting ... this too is a propitious time of salvation, in which the Lord, through the Virgin Mother, continues to give us his Son."

A suggested timeline has dioceses naming Guadalupan ambassadors in late 2026, initial formation in January 2027, and diocesan enthronements from February through December 2027, with pastoral follow-up continuing through 2031.

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The archbishop of Indianapolis has granted a dispensation from Mass for parishioners who fear deportation, making Indianapolis the seventh U.S. diocese to issue such a decree amid rising federal immigration-enforcement activity nationwide.

Catholic parishioners, regardless of documentation, are permitted to miss Sunday Mass if they "reasonably fear being detained, separated from their families, or experience intimidation due to the increased immigration enforcement," according to the decree, showing how the archdiocese is accompanying migrants.

The dispensation took effect Sept. 4 and runs through Sept. 30 unless extended. With Indianapolis added, dioceses that have issued similar decrees encompass about 3.5 million Catholics, according to the Official Catholic Directory 2025.

During the pandemic in 2020, all Catholic dioceses and archdioceses issued Mass dispensations. Canon 1245 allows a diocesan bishop or pastor to grant a dispensation from Mass obligation "for a just cause."

"The decision to grant the dispensation at this time came as a response to requests from our pastors who work closely with our immigrant communities," Sally Krause, the archdiocese's director of communications, told EWTN. "They are experiencing fear and uncertainty due to an increase in immigration enforcement in Indianapolis and the surrounding areas. By granting the dispensation, we wished to express the Church's solidarity and care for those who are afraid to leave their homes."

Archbishop Charles Thompson of Indianapolis said the dispensation and his statement came after what he described as a "recent surge in immigration enforcement activity in Indiana," which he said "has caused fear and uncertainty for many families, particularly when detention results in the sudden separation of parents and children."

Thompson encouraged the faithful who use the dispensation to supplement with prayer, reading the Sunday readings, praying the rosary, and watching livestreamed Mass.

"Pastors and all those who minister to the faithful within the Archdiocese of Indianapolis are encouraged to attend to the spiritual care of those who must make use of this dispensation to the best of their ability, especially regarding the Sacraments of Penance and Anointing of the Sick, or the distribution of Holy Communion to the homebound," he said.

Thompson said the dispensation applies to immigrant parishioners fearing detention, adding: "This applies even to those with proper legal documentation."

"While recognizing the need for law enforcement to protect and defend, it is gravely concerning to witness families being torn apart," Thompson said in the statement. "The family, the fabric of stability in our society, must be cherished and defended. The inherent dignity of being created in the image of God demands that every person be treated with dignity, compassion, and respect."

Krause said: "It is our practice that dispensations have a specific time frame delineated for which they have legal force. One month is a measured amount of time for such a decree, and we knew that we would discern the situation again in a month's time."

Dispensations across the U.S.

The dispensation in Indianapolis marks the seventh such dispensation granted in the U.S. for migrants fearing deportation by immigration enforcement officers since the start of the Trump administration.

The Archdiocese of New Orleans and the dioceses of Columbus, Baton Rouge, Charlotte, San Bernardino, and Nashville have granted dispensations.

Archbishop Jeffrey Grob of Milwaukee has said he would consider granting dispensation from Mass obligations to migrants fearing deportation, should the situation in his archdiocese require it. No dispensation has been announced in Milwaukee to date.

Bishops in other dioceses along the border, including the Diocese of El Paso, the Diocese of Brownsville, and the Diocese of Tucson, have not granted dispensations but issued strong statements of condemnation over mass detentions and deportations of migrants in their respective communities.

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Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella announced an initial disbursement of 1.2 billion pesos ($320,000) to restore the Minor Basilica of the Lord of Miracles, which was damaged by the Aug. 10 earthquake.

The basilica, located in the city of Buga in the Valle del Cauca department (administrative district), sustained damage to its dome. As a safety precaution, Masses inside the church have been suspended and are currently being held in the town's central square.

In addition, as the basilica has the legal designation of an asset of cultural interest, any restoration work must be supervised by the Ministry of Culture.

During his Sept. 5 visit to Valle del Cauca, De la Espriella expressed the government's commitment to "protecting the spiritual symbols of the Colombian people."

"We already have 1.2 billion pesos [approximately $320,000] to repair our Basilica of the Lord of Miracles, and we are working with the private sector to secure another 5 billion [$1.6 million] to rebuild and repair the basilica so that Masses can be held there," he announced Sept. 5.

Referring to the image of Christ crucified in the church, which depicts the Savior with dark-colored skin, the president stated the state-funded repairs are intended to "honor our beloved [Black Christ]," as the Lord of Miracles of Buga is also known, "and to defend that symbol of faith and spirituality that means so much to us Colombians."

The announcement comes just days before the feast of the Lord of Miracles in Buga, celebrated on Sept. 14, which draws thousands of pilgrims.

In a Facebook video, Father Alcides de Jesús Orozco, rector of the basilica, explained that although the basilica is closed, the part of the church where the image of Christ is enthroned suffered no damage and the faithful may enter there.

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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A coalition of lawmakers, state attorneys general, and advocacy groups filed dozens of legal briefs in support of California parents who are challenging a state law that excludes parents from decisions about "socially" transitioning a child's gender.

California law does not allow school districts to adopt policies that require teachers and school administrators to tell parents when their child identifies as transgender and wants to be treated as the opposite sex. The law does not forbid voluntary notification by a teacher.

In March, the U.S. Supreme Court halted enforcement of the state law, warning it cuts parents out of the conversation. The 6-3 decision did not offer a final ruling on the constitutionality of the law but found that it likely violates constitutionally protected rights to freedom of religion and to direct the upbringing of one's children, and sent the case back down to the lower courts.

A lower court's permanent injunction that blocks the law indefinitely is in effect, and the case is in front of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit.

The parents, represented by the Catholic nonprofit legal group The Thomas More Society, are getting support from 17 state attorneys general, five senators, and dozens of organizations that filed legal briefs with the appellate court in their defense.

Paul M. Jonna, special counsel for Thomas More Society, said in a statement that the legal briefs "all converge on the same point," which is that the law will not survive "strict scrutiny," which is the highest standard of review, required in cases when constitutional rights are at risk.

"Parents, not school bureaucrats, have the right to raise their children and to direct their religious upbringing," Jonna said. "That means a school may not facilitate a child's gender transition without their knowledge and consent."

Legal briefs backing parents

Five Republican senators signed on to a joint brief supporting the parents: Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas; Sen. Mike Lee of Utah; Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota; Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas; and Sen. Jim Banks of Indiana.

"America's history and tradition affirm that parents bear the primary responsibility for their children's upbringing and have 'natural bonds of affection' with their children leading them to act in their children's best interests," the senators wrote.

"The state must presume that parents are fit to direct their children's upbringing and education," they wrote. "It follows that parents are also in the best position to help their children with life's struggles. That includes mental health struggles like gender dysphoria. When children engage with their school for help regarding their gender dysphoria, the school must tell the parents."

Republican attorneys general from 17 states also filed a brief: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia.

In the brief, they stated their intent is "to ensure that parents retain their fundamental right to direct the upbringing of their minor children."

"The need for parental involvement and oversight is only more pressing when the ideology pushed by the state confuses innocent and impressionable children experiencing 'gender dysphoria,'" they wrote.

A large coalition of more than 70 nongovernmental organizations, which includes Catholic and other Christian organizations, signed a separate brief. The signatories include Tradition, Family, Property, Inc.; the Christian Law Association; and the Christian Medical & Dental Associations, along with Catholic former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum.

"Parents, whether religious or not, have the responsibility as well as the right to monitor the ideas to which their children are exposed and to protect them from those ideas likely to confuse and harm them," the brief said.

"When officious school officials use their access to children absent parental supervision to instill in those children ideas to which the parents are likely to object, they subvert the trust upon which family strength, and child wellbeing, depend," it adds.

Three legal scholars also filed a legal brief with the court: Professors Robert P. George, Melissa Moschella, and Eric A. DeGroff. George and Moschella are Catholic.

"Anglo-American law has long recognized that parents — not the state — are the primary decision-makers for their children's medical care," the brief said. "This reflects a considered judgment that parents are best positioned to know their children's needs, weigh risks and benefits in light of family values, and act in their children's interests."

"Our legal tradition has never treated parental authority as absolute," it added. "But the limits history has placed on that authority reflect two principles that, properly understood, reinforce rather than diminish the primacy of parental decision-making."

The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which secured a religious liberty and parental rights victory at the Supreme Court in Mahmoud v. Taylor, also filed a brief in defense of the parents, as did a parent represented by Alliance Defending Freedom, who is fighting against a similar school policy in Wisconsin.

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ABUJA, Nigeria — Technology can help humanity transform the resources provided by God into practical benefits for people and communities across the African continent, the chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences in Rome said.

In an interview with ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, on Sept. 3 during the launch of a 1.5-megawatt solar project that Earth Our Common Home (ECHo) is providing for Veritas University, Abuja, Cardinal Peter Turkson said ECHo's mission is to provide clean energy for Catholic Churches and their institutions across Africa because of the importance of energy to man.

"There's hardly anything that happens in this world without energy. Hardly anything. The solar energy initiative at the Catholic university demonstrates how human ingenuity can harness God's creation to meet concrete needs while promoting integral human development," Turkson said.

The Ghanaian-born cardinal said the Church should recognize the natural resources available in creation as gifts from God and use appropriate technology to transform them for the benefit of humanity.

"We need energy for everything that we do. So far, we've tried to produce that energy using generators, diesel fuel, and all of that," he said.

Turkson continued: "It is, however, good to also notice that God, who created this, also provided the wherewithal to carry out everything that we do, providing this great source of energy. All it takes is that technology to transform this into our concrete use."

The cardinal explained that God provides the raw materials while human creativity and technology transform them into useful products.

"God created cotton; God did not create a vest. Business transformed cotton into a vest that you wear. God created trees; he didn't create furniture. Business people convert trees into furniture," he said.

He added: "So we have solar light and a technology that is going to convert this into specific, concrete needs of this community. So that's what we gathered here to do."

Beyond providing electricity for teaching, learning, and other activities, Turkson said the project could significantly reduce the financial burden associated with diesel-powered electricity.

"It's going to save this university not only by providing energy for people to study and learn, but save this university a lot of money," he said.

He described the implementation of the project at a significantly reduced cost as an important opportunity for the Church, particularly as Catholic institutions seek sustainable ways of funding their educational and pastoral missions.

Turkson said the initiative should not be seen as benefiting Veritas University alone, noting that the experience could open the way for similar interventions in other Catholic institutions across Africa.

"From our small office, we've just tried to put together this small group to help our continent. So the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria is beginning with this, but from here it's going to go on," he said.

He explained that the vision was to make the benefits of the initiative available to Catholic bishops' conferences and local churches across Africa.

"The benefits of ECHo and what it can facilitate and fund is something that is meant for all the bishops' conferences of Africa, all the local churches in Africa, to support what the Church does for the promotion of integral human development," Turkson said.

The Vatican official linked the project to the ecological vision of Pope Francis, particularly the late pope's encyclical Laudato Si', which calls Christians and the wider human family to care for creation.

He said the encyclical invites people to reflect on the impact of human activity on the natural environment.

"Everything that God created was good, very good. It comes into the hands of human beings, and we make it very good or very bad," Turkson said.

He said the transition to renewable energy could help reduce the negative impact of human activities on creation.

"In terms of promoting the well-being of human beings or people, this project over here will go a long way toward determining how we reduce our negative impact on creation," he said.

The cardinal emphasized that the environmental benefits of renewable energy are closely connected to human well-being.

"As Pope Francis would say, we turn the pain of the earth into our own personal pains. And we want to reduce that. Reduce that by producing less carbon dioxide, producing less greenhouse gas, whatever type of thing, and so polluting less," he said.

He noted that reducing pollution would benefit both the environment and human health.

"When we pollute less, then we promote the environment more. Not only do we promote the environment, but we also promote the health of human beings, who also need this for their own existence," he said.

For Turkson, the Veritas University project therefore represents more than an alternative source of electricity; it is an example of how faith, technology, and responsible stewardship can work together to support education, reduce costs, and advance human well-being.

"Everything that is happening here not only helps the advancement of the educational process but ultimately also enhances the well-being of creation and the human beings," he said.

Meanwhile, the vice chancellor of Veritas University, Abuja, Father Hyacinth Ichoku, who spoke to ACI Africa during the same event, said the initiative was driven by the need to respond to the environmental damage caused by continued dependence on fossil fuels.

"We are part of the global consciousness about the Earth, our common home, and that's why the project is actually about our Earth, our common home, about consciousness about the Earth and consciousness about the environment," he said.

He noted that the continued release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere contributes to environmental degradation and poses risks to human life and ecosystems.

"The continuous transmission of carbon dioxide into the air is damaging our Earth, killing us, killing things, killing our environment. So we decided to move away from fossil fuels to solar energy, which they regard as clean energy," Ichoku said.

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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The Primatial Archdiocese of Mexico said it considers it appropriate to regulate the use of cellphones and other electronic devices in schools but banning them should not be the only response: Parents must set a good example and impose limits at home as well.

In its latest editorial, titled "Before taking away their cellphones, let's look at our own [use]," Desde la Fe (From a Faith Perspective), the archdiocese's weekly publication, addressed the debate surrounding the use of mobile devices at schools as millions of students return to class this fall.

According to the publication, 19 states in the country (about 60%) already regulate or prohibit students' use of such devices in schools, except when teachers allow their use for educational purposes.

A ban 'just by itself' won't solve the problem

The archdiocese acknowledged that younger generations "have grown up connected to a screen" and that social media in particular "is part of how they communicate, entertain themselves, and stay informed."

However, it warned that excessive use of these devices can lead to "distraction, dividing one's attention, and hindering concentration." It also warned of the risk that digital content may gain "greater authority than the words of parents or teachers simply because it is more attractive or popular."

While the archdiocese stated that it is "appropriate to discuss the regulation of mobile phones in schools," it noted that "it would be a mistake to think that banning them by itself will solve the problem."

The editorial highlighted the challenge of teaching students the technical use of digital tools while also helping them engage "responsibly" with "the vast amount of information, stimuli, and content to which they provide access."

A challenge for parents and teachers

The editorial noted that the responsibility cannot solely fall upon children or schools; rather, parents need "tools to set boundaries, give guidance to their children, and learn to manage the use of technology" themselves.

"If a child spends several hours without a cellphone at school but returns to a home where every family member remains absorbed in their own screen, we will have made little progress," the editorial pointed out.

The Archdiocese of Mexico invited adults to ask themselves: "How often do we ask [our children] to get off their phones while we look at ours? How many conversations do we interrupt to check a notification? How often are we physically present with them, but our attention is elsewhere?"

The archdiocese acknowledged that digital tools "allow us to learn, work, communicate, and connect with others," but maintained that the challenge lies in "keeping them at the service of the person and not the person at the service of the screen."

"Regulating cellphones in schools may be a good start, but let's not make banning them a way to ease our consciences, nor set ourselves up as judges of the younger generations," the editorial advised.

The archdiocese emphasized that "educating for the digital world requires time and presence," inviting parents to ask themselves if they are willing to sit down with their children to "get to know what they are viewing, listen to their concerns, and help them establish the criteria needed to discern what they encounter on a screen."

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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For many of the 150 Catholics serving in the 119th Congress, faith plays an important role in their lives and work.

The current number of Catholic lawmakers on Capitol Hill is slightly higher than the previous Congress, with Catholics accounting for more than 28% of the members of the United States House of Representatives and Senate. Of the Catholic members, 126 serve in the House and 24 in the Senate, according to a report from the Pew Research Center.

In this special report, EWTN News Capitol Hill correspondent Erik Rosales spoke with various Catholic members of Congress about their faith and how they live it in their work.

Sen. Eric Schmitt

Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Missouri, grew up a cradle Catholic and said his parents instilled in him the importance of having a personal relationship with Christ at a young age.

"I grew up in St. Louis, which is a very Catholic town and has been referred to as the Rome of the West because per capita, very Catholic," Schmitt told Rosales.

A "conversation back home, it might very easily start … 'What parish are you at? or 'What parish did you grow up in?'" Schmitt said.

At 17, Schmitt went to a Jesuit retreat house that had a profound impact on him. Later, when his son was born with a rare genetic condition, Schmitt would often return to the Jesuits for prayer.

It "was a seed that was planted … when I was confronted with this really kind of difficult situation. I went back there, and it was a profound experience," he said. "I go back every year. It's a … weekend silent retreat. And that keeps me very rooted."

When working busy days on the Hill, Schmitt said he looks to prayer.

"I'll listen to a podcast by Bishop [Robert] Barron or Father Michael Schmitz," he said. "I think technology now too has allowed a different avenue for people to … maintain their faith and grow their faith."

Even "if it's five or 10 minutes, it really does help me kind of start the day right," Schmitt said.

Rep. John Rutherford

Rep. John Rutherford, R-Florida, also spoke about leaning on his faith when working in a hectic position, often by attending Mass and saying the rosary.

"In Ephesians 2:10, it says, 'for we are all God's workmanship, created in the image of Christ Jesus to do good work,' which he prepared … in advance for us to do,'" Rutherford said. "So he's got work out there that he's prepared for me to do," he continued.

While Rutherford's Catholic faith is incorporated into his day-to-day life, he shared that was not always the case. He grew up in the United Methodist Church, but at about 14 years old, "fell away from the church," he said.

After becoming a police officer in Jacksonville, Florida, Rutherford's perspective on faith changed. Witnessing crimes made him question his own mortality.

"So I went back to the Bible, and I read the Bible literally cover to cover, not once but twice," he said.

Rutherford returned to the Methodist Church, while his wife and kids attended Catholic Mass. After reading about the Methodist Church's seven principles, he realized he didn't agree with them.

"It was a long process, but I finally read a book by Pope John Paul II, 'Crossing the Threshold of Hope,' and that explained where the authority of the Church is," Rutherford said. "And how it's passed down through the papacy."

After his research, and inspired by the true Church and presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, Rutherford entered the Catholic Church.

Rep. Mark Messmer

Rep. Mark Messmer, R-Indiana, said he has spent his life putting God, family, and community first.

It was during his time as a state legislator that a colleague invited Messmer and his wife to attend a Cursillo, a retreat focused on showing Christian laity how to become effective leaders and how to use the Gospel in daily life.

"It ignited a passion and a love for Christ, and a love for the Eucharist that I always said I wanted. And then it gives you the tools [for] your prayer life, study life, and evangelization, how to live that out on a daily basis," he said.

Messmer said he stays grounded with daily Mass and his Friday morning prayer group. He and his family also all join together for a weekly group call to catch up and join for "spiritual reinforcement."

Rep. Stephanie Bice

Rep. Stephanie Bice, R-Oklahoma, converted to Catholicism in college after she started going to Mass with her now husband.

Bice served six years in the Oklahoma Senate and later ran for U.S. Congress. She joined a number of women who have been elected over the past two cycles.

"Not every woman believes that … you should be able to terminate pregnancies up to birth," Bice said. "So you had a groundswell of women consider running for congressional seats and Senate seats," she said.

While serving on Capitol Hill, Bice said she turns to prayer and the comfort of the Blessed Mother.

"I stumbled across a group of staffers that actually pray the rosary on fly-in days in the morning," she explained. "I said, 'Hey, can a member come?' And they were delighted that I would even ask."

One highlight of her congressional career was meeting Pope Francis at the Vatican. The invitation came from Rep. James Langevin, a fellow Catholic and Democrat from Rhode Island.

Pope Francis "looked at my husband and I after blessing us both, and he said: 'Will you pray for me?' And that was pretty profound," Bice said.

Rep. Robert Onder

"Really, my Catholic faith has motivated me my whole life, my whole career, and really motivated in many ways the direction my life has taken," Rep. Robert Onder, R-Missouri, said.

Onder said his faith was present in his work trying to pass a religious liberty bill in the Missouri Senate and through his fight to protect the conscience rights of physicians who are forced to perform abortions.

As a medical doctor, Onder detailed the present problem in some states and hospitals, which "want to force physicians to participate in abortions, participate in vitro fertilization or artificial contraception, and, of course, more recently, participate in euthanasia."

Onder said his political service has been motivated by love of God, family, and country. He said he stays rooted in faith by attending daily Mass. He said he also enjoys talking with other lawmakers about their love for Christ.

"Speaker [Mike] Johnson is absolutely a brother in the Christian faith and a very, very strong believer," Onder said. "It does give me a lot hope and a lot of encouragement to serve with other people who really take their faith seriously."

Rep. Riley Moore

Rep. Riley Moore, R-West Virginia, said his Catholic faith is "is the most important thing" in his life.

"It forms me — every decision I make, everything that I do here on the Hill, it is central to my life. I'm always praying to be able to deepen my faith, be a strong family man, and then also my service."

"So it's my faith, my family, my service to my state, my country. But faith comes first."

"Can't always be easy to discern God's will, particularly in a place that is more about individual will and not God's will," Moore said. "I'm trying to re-center myself towards that. That's that gravitational pull for me that I'm always trying to get back to."

Moore started as a Hill staffer on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, working under the late Rep. Henry Hyde, R-Illinois. One of his priorities is drawing attention to the persecution of Christians around the world, especially in Nigeria.

While in Nigeria, "I met a woman who had had all five of her children murdered, murdered by Islamic terrorists," Moore said. "I met another woman who had her two daughters and husband killed right in front of her, and then they killed her unborn child."

"As we know and we've heard many times, and it's so true that there is salvation through suffering. I think that … their suffering offers us salvation as well by doing something here," he said.

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer

Majority Whip of the U.S. House of Representatives Tom Emmer discussed how his faith was largely inspired by his family, including his father, who attended daily Mass.

"The example that they set is, I believe, why I am who I am," said Emmer, R-Minnesota.

Emmer also detailed the trials of his faith, including the loss of his sister Bridget, who died of breast cancer at 38 years old.

Emmer said he was angry at the Lord and had doubts about God's will because of his sister's suffering. A conversation with Bridget during her chemotherapy treatment was a pivotal moment for him and his faith.

"She looked at me and she said, 'Tom, would I love to live forever? Absolutely. But I'm not going to,'" he explained. His sister added: "I have lived a good life. If God comes and calls me today, so be it."

Emmer said her words brought him away from his own anger with the Lord. Now his message to others is to put God first while living each moment to the fullest.

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Father Andrew Ding Yang was ordained Tuesday, Sept. 8, as archbishop of Chongqing in southwestern China, a see that had been vacant since March 26, 2001.

It was the fourth episcopal ordination celebrated since June 15 and the eighth during the pontificate of Leo XIV under the procedures established by the agreement between Beijing and the Holy See governing the appointment of bishops.

The most recently announced appointment had been that of Bishop Paul Liu Honggang as bishop of Datong in China's Shanxi province on Aug. 10.

However, the Holy See announced Tuesday that Leo XIV had appointed Ding on July 28, more than 10 days before Liu's appointment.

The Vatican generally does not announce episcopal appointments in China when they are made but instead waits until the day of the bishop's ordination. In this case, the chronological order of the appointments differed from the order in which they were announced.

The eight episcopal ordinations held during Leo XIV's pontificate do not mean that all eight bishops were appointed by him.

Among these cases are two prelates who had already been ordained bishops and belonged to the so-called underground Church — the Catholic community not officially recognized by Chinese authorities. Both were subsequently recognized by the communist government, regularizing their ecclesiastical and civil status.

Educated at a pontifical university in Rome

Ding was born Sept. 16, 1981, in Hechuan District, part of the Chongqing municipality. He entered the Beijing seminary in 2000 and completed his priestly formation there in 2006.

He was ordained a priest on May 24, 2007, after a year of pastoral service at St. Joseph Parish in Yuzhong, Chongqing, where he later served as parochial vicar.

From 2009 to 2011, he pursued further theological studies at the University of St. Joseph in Macao. From 2012 to 2014, he served as a formator at the National Seminary of the Catholic Church in China in Beijing.

In March 2014, he moved to Rome to continue his studies at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, returning to China the following year.

After his return, he held several pastoral assignments as a parish priest in Tongliang, Tongnan, Tongguanyi, and Jiulongpo in the Archdiocese of Chongqing. Pope Leo XIV appointed him archbishop of Chongqing in July.

Appointments under Leo XIV

The process that led to Ding's appointment and episcopal ordination took place entirely during Leo XIV's pontificate, signaling the pope's intention to continue dialogue between Rome and Beijing.

Drawing on the missionary outlook he developed during years of pastoral ministry, Leo has approved several episcopal appointments in China and entrusted new responsibilities to some prelates who had already been ordained bishops.

On June 11, 2025, the Vatican announced the civil recognition and installation of Bishop Joseph Lin Yuntuan as auxiliary bishop of Fuzhou in Fujian province.

Lin was not ordained a bishop during Leo's pontificate, having received episcopal ordination in 2017. Pope Leo XIV appointed him auxiliary bishop of Fuzhou on June 5, 2025, after which Chinese authorities granted him civil recognition.

The prelate welcomed the decision and expressed his willingness to assist in the diocese's pastoral mission.

On July 8, 2025, Leo suppressed the Dioceses of Xuanhua and Xiwanzi, which Pope Pius XII had established in 1946, and created the new Diocese of Zhangjiakou as a suffragan see of Beijing.

Two months later, on Sept. 10, Father Joseph Wang Zhengui, whom the pontiff had appointed to lead the new diocese, received episcopal ordination.

China recognizes 2 underground bishops

On Sept. 12, 2025, the Chinese government recognized two underground bishops — prelates loyal to Rome who had been appointed by the pope.

Bishop Joseph Ma Yanen, 65, formerly the underground bishop of Xiwanzi, became an auxiliary bishop of the new Diocese of Zhangjiakou in Hebei province.

Bishop Augustine Cui Tai, 75, had served as the underground bishop of Xuanhua, the other diocese suppressed by Pope Leo XIV when he created the Diocese of Zhangjiakou. Because Cui is over the age of 70, the Vatican considers him bishop emeritus.

Appointments in 2026

In 2026, Father Francis Xavier Duan Yongkun was ordained coadjutor bishop of Bameng in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region after Pope Leo XIV appointed him on June 15 under the Provisional Agreement between the Holy See and the People's Republic of China.

His was the second episcopal ordination connected with appointments approved by the pontiff on June 15. According to the Vatican, Leo also appointed Father Joseph Chang Yanfeng that day. Chang was subsequently ordained the new bishop of Chifeng, another diocese in Inner Mongolia.

On Aug. 10, Father Paul Liu Honggang was ordained bishop of Datong in Shanxi province. Ding has now joined that list.

Tensions during the papal interregnum

During the period when the Holy See was vacant following the death of Pope Francis, Chinese authorities unilaterally selected two bishops, including one for a diocese already led by a prelate recognized by the Holy See.

On Oct. 15, 2025, Father Ignatius Wu Jianlin was ordained auxiliary bishop of Shanghai after Leo officially appointed him on Aug. 11 of that year. His ordination at St. Ignatius Cathedral marked another chapter in the complex relationship between Beijing and the Vatican.

Chinese authorities had previously announced that an assembly of priests and laypeople had elected Wu on April 28, during the interregnum following Francis' death.

The Holy See later revealed that the pope had approved the nomination on Aug. 11. Although the appointment was not immediately made public, the Vatican announcement indicated that it ultimately proceeded under the mechanisms established by the agreement between China and the Holy See.

On Dec. 5, 2025, Francis Li Jianlin was ordained bishop of the Apostolic Prefecture of Xinxiang in Henan province after Pope Leo XIV appointed him on Aug. 11, 2025.

Li was the second bishop promoted by Chinese authorities during the interregnum between the death of Pope Francis and the election of Leo XIV.

18 Chinese bishops ordained under agreement

With Ding's appointment, 18 Chinese Catholic bishops have now been ordained under the Provisional Agreement signed by the Holy See and China during Francis' pontificate.

The bilateral agreement, first signed in 2018, governs the selection and recognition of Catholic bishops in China.

The two states have not maintained diplomatic relations since 1951, following the communist government's rise to power under Mao Zedong. Chinese Catholics subsequently became divided between the state-controlled Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association and the underground Church loyal to Rome.

The agreement's full contents have never been made public. It was renewed every two years until 2024, when the two sides extended it through 2028.

Under the publicly known terms of the agreement, the pope retains the final say over episcopal appointments in China, including the right to reject candidates proposed by Beijing. The Holy See, meanwhile, agreed not to make episcopal appointments without the Chinese government's prior approval.

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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