Catholic News

VILNIUS, Lithuania — More than 3,000 pro-life advocates gathered in Vilnius on Sept. 26 for the country's second March for Life, braving cold winds, morning rain, and autumn fog to affirm the dignity and value of every human life.

Families, students, and older people joined a warmly spirited program of personal testimonies, hopeful speeches, and musical performances celebrating life.

The march took place amid continuing political debate in Lithuania over family policy and declining birth rates. Lawmakers also remain divided over reproductive legislation, including access to abortion and in vitro fertilization.

Organizers stressed that the event sought to move beyond abstract slogans and political declarations by focusing on the realities of family life. Speakers addressed motherhood, fatherhood, and the challenges posed by child loss, disability, illness, and old age.

Throughout the march, participants and speakers affirmed the equal dignity of every person — especially unborn children — regardless of health, age, or ethnicity.

Saulius Karosas, a father, illustrated that conviction by describing how welcoming children with special needs reshaped his family's outlook. After their fourth child, Iva, was born with Down syndrome, the family adopted Motiejus, a boy with the same condition. Karosas said embracing the children transformed the family's understanding of human worth and beauty and how they recognize the value of others.

Courage and perseverance

The event also drew pro-life advocates from across Europe and the Americas. Featured speakers included Agnese Irbe, OFS, founder of Latvia's Peripatos Philosophers' Association; Marcin Perlowski, director of the Polish pro-life foundation Centrum Zycia i Rodziny; and Patricia Sandoval, an international pro-life speaker and co-host of EWTN's "Informe Provida."

Sandoval described the Vilnius march as deeply moving. "I was impressed by the zeal of the youth that attended the march," she told EWTN News, noting that they were "on the front line." She recalled the peaceful atmosphere, in which participants sang "hymns and songs of joy," and praised the event as "very well organized."

Sandoval, who shared her testimony of undergoing three abortions and later working for Planned Parenthood, said speaking in Vilnius held particular significance. "Vilnius is the city of mercy," she said, describing the opportunity to share her story as "a very emotional and very exciting moment."

Offering spiritual encouragement to participants, Sandoval urged advocates to remain strong regardless of political outcomes. "Remain steadfast, persevere, and be faithful to do his will," she said.

From Christian witness to practical help

Speaking to EWTN News, Archbishop Gintaras Grušas of Vilnius said he hoped the event would help "a culture of life grow in Lithuania" — one in which every "human being is welcomed as a gift from the very beginning of life."

For Grušas, that culture must be experienced concretely. "I would be especially glad to see a practical change," he said, so that "a woman who feels anxious about her pregnancy knows where to turn, finds someone who will listen, and receives the support she needs." He also said he hoped "families feel supported by their communities, employers, and public institutions."

"We build a culture of life through many everyday decisions," he said. In a city known as the "City of Mercy," he added: "I hope mothers, children, and families will increasingly experience that mercy here."

The archbishop also pointed to the responsibility of men. "A man's steady presence can make an enormous difference," he said, describing fatherhood as beginning before a child is born through "supporting the mother, listening to her, sharing her concerns, and preparing together to welcome the child."

Grušas cited St. Joseph as a model of quiet responsibility. "He speaks no words in the Gospels, yet his care for Mary and Jesus is unmistakable."

He described the march as "Christian witness with a civic dimension," saying Catholics can participate in public life while seeking the common good. "We must keep in view both the dignity of the unborn child and the real needs of the mother," he said, calling for public conversation "grounded in respect and followed by practical help."

Builders of a culture of life

Archbishop Kestutis Kevalas of Kaunas told EWTN News at the march that building a culture of life requires men to embrace their roles as "fathers, leaders, and providers." He urged them to take an active part in their children's religious upbringing and formation.

That responsibility, he said, belongs to every Christian. Too often, people assume that "somebody else will do this" rather than recognize that "we are the people who need to take personal responsibility in creating the culture of life."

For Kevalas, this means fostering "prayer groups, family movements, and also the consciousness of the culture of life." Christians, he added, are called to become "collaborators of God" in transmitting life and the Gospel of Life.

Asked what most threatens a culture of life, the archbishop pointed beyond individual social trends to "the faith problem." The deeper question, he said, is whether people understand that "we are given the gift of life" and are called to give others "the possibility of life."

He also warned against a materialistic mindset in which families "count the cost" of having children primarily in material terms. Greater trust in God, he said, can foster "a culture of trust and encouragement."

Ultimately, he called Catholics to reject passivity. "We need to be not those who are just looking or observing life, but ones creating life and building the culture," he said. He compared this vocation to that of the builders of medieval cathedrals, who laid foundations they would never see completed, trusting that their work would contribute to "a beautiful creation."

Last update on Sept. 30, 2026, with official number of participants.

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Catholic bishops and religious sisters in multiple states are leading efforts to roll back assisted suicide laws, launching lawsuits to help protect religious objectors who do not want to participate in the killing of medical patients.

Church leaders in New York and Illinois have won multiple victories in recent weeks in federal district court after bringing suits against the newly launched suicide regimes in those states.

In New York, Rockville Centre Bishop John Barres and a coalition of four communities of religious sisters won a victory in July when U.S. District Judge Anne Nardacci said the state would be barred from enforcing its new suicide law against the Catholic plaintiffs while their federal suit played out.

Two separate lawsuits in Illinois, meanwhile, have also brought relief to Catholic objectors. U.S. District Judge Franklin Valderrama said in August that Springfield Bishop Thomas Paprocki and several other plaintiffs, including Christian doctors and a Lutheran care home, would not have to abide by the state's suicide law and help patients kill themselves.

In September, meanwhile, Valderrama ruled again in favor of a coalition of religious plaintiffs, including the Archdiocese of Chicago and the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm as well as the Little Sisters of the Poor, all of whom had brought suit against the Illinois law.

In all three cases, the plaintiffs only won temporary reprieves meant to forestall enforcement of the law while the lawsuits continue through the federal court system.

And though advocates hailed the rulings, Chicago archbishop Cardinal Blase Cupich on Sept. 11 argued that the Illinois law should be struck down "permanently."

"[T]he Church's objection to this statute is not an attempt to impose Catholic teaching on non-Catholics," the archbishop said at the time. Rather, "it is an effort to stop the State from compelling Catholic health care providers to violate their conscience."

Church strongly opposes assisted suicide, euthanasia

The Catholic Church has been at the forefront of efforts to roll back assisted suicide in countries around the world in recent years. The controversial practice, which is growing in popularity around the world, allows doctors to prescribe lethal doses of medication to patients who wish to end their own lives.

Advocates of assisted suicide usually argue that the laws only allow doctors to help kill adult patients who are terminally ill and likely to die in the very near future. But in many cases where the practice has been introduced it has expanded to include broader classes of patients.

In the Netherlands in 2024, for instance, a physically healthy 29-year-old woman was allowed to kill herself with a doctor's help on the grounds that she was suffering from depression. This year, the country recorded its first euthanasia of a child under the age of 12.

In Canada, meanwhile, about 100,000 people have taken their own lives since the country legalized assisted suicide in 2016. Thousands of those individuals reportedly did not have a "reasonably foreseeable death," but doctors were allowed to help kill them anyway.

Numerous U.S. states have legalized the practice in recent years. New York's and Illinois' respective suicide laws went into effect this year.

In both cases the religious objectors were suing to stop the state from forcing them to promote assisted suicide. While narrow opt-out laws mean the Catholic care providers are not obligated to actively facilitate the specific act of suicide, the state laws require them to participate in the suicide regime in various other ways, including touting the alleged benefits of taking one's own life.

The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which is representing both the Springfield and Rockville Centre lawsuits, says that refusing to participate in such rules "invites significant fines, license revocation, or even time behind bars."

In a statement to EWTN News, Paprocki said the "heart of the Catholic Church's healthcare ministry" is "the healing work of Christ — to stand with the suffering, to comfort the dying, and to affirm the God-given dignity of every human life."

The Illinois suicide law "undermines that mission by forcing Catholic hospitals and those who serve in them to push death onto their most vulnerable patients," the bishop said.

"We must be free to serve the sick and the dying according to our faith, not according to the state's mandate," he added.

The lawsuits are continuing their way through the federal courts and may reach the Supreme Court in time. Meanwhile, Catholic leaders continue to denounce the practice of assisted suicide, including Pope Leo XIV, who during a visit to France in September described the practice as "false compassion."

"It is impossible to regard causing death as something normal. What is legal is not necessarily moral," the Holy Father said.

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ABUJA, Nigeria — A Catholic bishop in Nigeria has warned that the growing culture of digital distraction risks undermining the silence needed for prayer and spiritual discernment, urging Christians to resist the constant demands of notifications, social media, and online interactions.

In an interview with ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, on Sept. 25, the auxiliary bishop of Nigeria's Archdiocese of Abuja cautioned that digital technology, despite its benefits, should not displace Christians' relationship with God, authentic human relationships, and sacramental life.

"Our world has changed, and the way human beings connect, think, and communicate has been radically rewritten by the digital revolution. But we must not allow digital noise to replace our silent prayers and quiet moments with our God," Bishop Anselm Umoren told ACI Africa at the seventh annual general assembly of the Archdiocese of Abuja held under the theme "Christian Faith and the Evolving Communication Technology."

Umoren challenged Christians to reflect on how they can preserve their faith amid rapid technological changes, warning that the digital environment encourages constant communication at the expense of contemplation.

"One of the dangers is that the digital world often demands constant communication. Ecclesiastes reminds us that there is a time to keep silence and a time to speak. But the digital world sometimes tells us that we must speak constantly," he said.

He added that social media platforms encourage users to react immediately to trending topics, share content, and express opinions, leaving little room for reflection.

"The danger is that we can become so busy scrolling, commenting, posting, and reacting — even inside the church during Mass — that we no longer know how to sit in holy silence," the bishop said.

Emphasizing the importance of silence in the spiritual life, he explained that constant exposure to digital noise could make it difficult for Christians to hear God's voice, reflect on their lives, and discern God's will.

"Technology should not take away our capacity for contemplation. We must learn that there are moments when the phone must be put away, the notifications must stop, and the human heart must become quiet enough to listen to God," he said.

Umoren highlighted what he described as a paradox of the digital age: unprecedented technological connectivity alongside growing loneliness.

"Our generation is living through a strange paradox. We live in an age of extraordinary technological connectivity and high productivity, yet we are also confronted by profound loneliness," he said.

Umoren, a member of the Missionary Society of St. Paul Nigerian, observed that having thousands of online friends and followers does not necessarily translate into meaningful relationships or genuine companionship, particularly during difficult moments.

"A person may have thousands of friends and followers online but very few people who actually know them deeply or are physically present when they are in difficulty," he said.

Umoren emphasized that Christianity is fundamentally rooted in relationships, both with God and with other people, rather than merely exchanging information.

"The Christian faith is about relationship. Christianity is not merely an exchange of information. It is communion with God and communion with other human beings," he said.

While warning against the dangers of digital technology, Umoren acknowledged its potential to advance the Church's evangelizing mission, describing cyberspace as a new mission territory.

"The digital world has become a new mission territory. Every Christian who has the motivation to proclaim the Gospel must recognize that cyberspace is now part of the mission field," he said.

Reflecting on the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI), he noted that digital tools can assist with communication, research, education, and evangelization but cannot replace a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

"If we ask a machine to give us information about Jesus, that is different from knowing Jesus personally. Faith is not merely information about God. Faith is a relationship with God. Our digital tools can assist us, but they cannot believe for us. They cannot pray for us in the deepest sense. They cannot replace the encounter between the human heart and God," he said.

The bishop also defended the pastoral value of livestreamed Masses, particularly for people who are sick, elderly, hospitalized, or otherwise unable to attend church physically.

He cautioned, however, against treating online participation as a substitute for gathering physically to celebrate the Eucharist.

"Livestreaming holy Mass is a beautiful pastoral provision … But livestreamed Mass can never replace the physical gathering of the Christian community around the altar," he said.

He further underscored the importance of physical participation in the sacraments, noting that digital platforms cannot provide the experience of receiving the Eucharist or participating fully in sacramental life.

"You cannot receive the holy Eucharist through a phone screen. You cannot experience the healing touch of the sacraments through an application. You cannot fully substitute physical Christian fellowship with a digital connection," he said.

According to Umoren, the Church must ensure that technological advances strengthen rather than weaken authentic Christian communion.

"The Church is a community of real people; we must safeguard the sanctity of real, physical, human, and authentic presence. Technology should support communion, not destroy it," he said.

Turning to the formation of young people, the bishop called on the Church to go beyond discouraging excessive phone use and equip young people to engage responsibly with digital technology and use it to proclaim the Gospel.

"We should not simply tell young people, 'Put your phones away.' We should also teach them how to use their phones responsibly and evangelically. A young person who understands technology and has a strong relationship with Christ can become a powerful digital missionary," he said.

He also urged the Church to help young people develop critical thinking and discernment amid the vast amount of information available online.

"Our children are growing up in an environment where they are exposed to enormous quantities of information. Not everything they see online is true, beautiful, or beneficial. They must develop the capacity to discern," Umoren 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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VATICAN CITY -- Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday reflected on his recent four-day pastoral visit to France, calling it a "great gift" and saying the trip could be understood through one central image: the reconstruction of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris.

"It is precisely Notre-Dame, with the tragedy it has endured, that can symbolically shed light on this entire Apostolic Journey, offering a perspective that I would summarize in one word: rebirth," the pope said during his general audience in St. Peter's Square.

Leo recalled that the cathedral, devastated by fire seven years ago and once thought to be mortally wounded, has been rebuilt and is now "more splendid than ever."

He said its restoration demonstrated what can be achieved through collaboration among the Church, the state, public institutions, and civil society.

"This approach made it possible to make the most of both the generosity of benefactors and the expertise of professionals and skilled workers," he said.

The pope added that such cooperation for the common good should become the norm for institutions, political and social forces, and those with civic and economic responsibilities.

Firm commitment to preventing abuse

The pope also recalled his private meeting during the trip with seven victims of clerical abuse and reaffirmed the Church's commitment to listening to survivors, accompanying them as they seek healing, and preventing future abuse.

"In this context I met some people who were victims of abuse, and I asked them to help me express to other victims too my own wish, and that of the whole Church, to listen to them and walk alongside them as they seek healing, acknowledging the pain inflicted upon their lives and working to prevent abuse," he said.

The meeting took place Sunday at the bishop's residence in Lourdes and lasted about two hours. Leo also spoke privately with each participant.

The Church is made of people, not stones

The Holy Father reflected on the prayer vigil he celebrated with thousands of young people at the Stade de France, describing it as a powerful sign of vitality in the Church.

"The Church, which is not made up of stones or cement, but of people who love Jesus Christ because they have been loved by Him," he said.

Leo spoke of a "new French generation," new not only in terms of age but, as he said, "even more so in spirit, in the freedom of heart and faith."

"Young people who sang and shouted, but who also remained silent, listening. Attentive and emotional faces, which revealed hearts yearning for truth and love," he said.

"To them I said with joy: 'You are the saints of France!' The Vigil was a great sign of hope."

He also highlighted the remarkable and growing number of young people and adults seeking Baptism, calling it a beautiful "surprise" from God and a sign of renewal within the Church.

Lourdes and the 'civilization of love'

Recalling his visit to Lourdes, the pope emphasized the message of hope offered to pilgrims, especially those suffering physically or spiritually.

"In Lourdes, the Lord, through the maternal care of the Virgin Mary, conveys to everyone, pilgrims and especially those who are sick in body and spirit, a message of hope and rebirth," he said.

The pope also strongly defended the dignity of every human life, particularly in situations of profound vulnerability.

"Every human life, in whatever condition, even in the most extreme frailty, retains its inviolable dignity and deserves to be cared for, accompanied and relieved of suffering with human compassion and with the aid of the means offered by science," he said.

For that reason, he added, Lourdes represents for the entire world "a sanctuary of the civilization of love."

Europe, dialogue, and peace

The final stage of Leo's trip took him to Metz, a city in a region ravaged by World War II and closely associated with Robert Schuman, one of the principal architects of European integration.

The pope compared the reconstruction of Notre-Dame with Europe's rebirth after World War II. He noted that the European project arose from principles of democracy, solidarity, and fraternity among peoples that owe much to the continent's Christian roots.

He also highlighted his meeting with representatives of various religious traditions, who read and signed the "Metz Appeal" for dialogue and peace in his presence.

'That the world may have life'

The pope concluded by recalling that the theme of his pastoral visit was Pour que le monde ait la vie ("That the world may have life"), drawn from John 6:51.

He said the words of Jesus encapsulate Christ's mission of salvation and expressed the Gospel meaning of every encounter during the journey.

Leo ended by praying that the visit would bear "abundant and lasting fruit."

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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The March for Life announced the theme for next year's rally in Washington, D.C.: "The Truth Is Pro-Life."

In a Sept. 29 teleconference, the group also revealed that recently retired Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw will give the keynote address at the march, taking place on Jan. 22, 2027.

"The truth cannot be denied and that's why we have kept our message so simple and bold this year," said Hayden Sledge, chief of staff for the March for Life.

"Truth doesn't shout. It's just there, waiting to be seen," she said. "Truth has a way of bringing people together. That's why for more than 50 years we've kept showing up to defend that truth. Some things remain true no matter the culture, politics, or the year. The truth is pro-life."

The national march occurs every year near the anniversary of the legalization of abortion nationwide in the 1973 Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade. The event continues despite Roe's reversal by the court in 2022 as abortion remains legal in dozens of U.S. states. In all, some 63 million babies have been aborted since the Roe decision, according to pro-life groups.

During the press conference, the committee shared the details of the expected program and the intentional decision behind the chosen theme.

Last year's theme was "Life Is a Gift."

"Last year, our theme spoke to the heart," Sledge said. "This year, we are speaking to the head and making a clear statement about the truth at the heart of our mission, because truth does not change with an election or due to politics, or current trends. It's unchanging. That's why our theme is 'The Truth Is Pro-Life.'"

Kershaw, a three-time Cy Young Award winner and the 2014 National League MVP, operates the nonprofit group Kershaw's Challenge, which partners with other charities to improve the lives of children in need living in Los Angeles, Dallas, Zambia, and the Dominican Republic.

"I'm excited to get to be the speaker for the 2027 March for Life," said Kershaw, while holding his 9-month-old daughter, Chloe, the youngest of his five children. "She's excited for us to be there, too, and we can't wait."

In keeping with this year's theme, the March for Life organizing committee is inviting individuals to ask "the hard questions" about human life when they interact with those outside the pro-life community.

"Today, it's hard to figure out what the truth is. Not because it isn't there, but because of the distractions. But sometimes all you have to do is look closer, get rid of the noise, the chaos, the confusion, and see what's really there," Sledge said.

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NEW YORK — The root of today's fragmented world is not technology, excess freedom, or diversity but the loss of a common understanding of who the human person is, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin said at a New York dinner that took place during the United Nations General Assembly's High-level Week.

Parolin spoke Sept. 25 as an honoree of CAPP-USA, the U.S. arm of the Fondazione Centesimus Annus Pro Pontifice, a Vatican foundation that promotes Catholic social teaching and was established by St. John Paul II in 1993.

Among those present at the event were the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations (U.N.) Mike Waltz, Knights of Columbus Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly, and the Holy See's permanent observer to the U.N., Archbishop Christophe-Zakhia El-Kassis, who delivered the evening's benediction.

Parolin said: "In the light of the Gospel, each generation must read the signs of its own times."

Citing Pope Leo XIV's encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, Parolin said modern technology is not humanity's enemy but that dignity belongs to people, not systems or algorithms. He also recalled Rerum Novarum, the encyclical Pope Leo XIII penned in 1891 as the Church's response to the industrial revolution and which laid the foundation for Catholic social teaching.

"In a world that builds towers, build places of encounter," Parolin challenged his listeners. "In a world connected online and disconnected offline, be people of presence. In a world asking whether we can remain human, answer with the witness of your lives."

He told attendees the foundation matters because its members are meant to be "bridge builders between the encyclicals … and the decisions made in daily life."

Fragmentation and loneliness

Parolin said people "are more connected than any generation in history, and yet many of us are lonelier than ever." Exchanging information instantly but struggling to encounter one another as human beings has led to fragmentation, he said, and families, communities, and nations are "divided into camps that no longer even speak the same language."

He noted Pope Leo's description of this moment in the opening lines of Magnifica Humanitas, saying: "We can either construct a new tower of Babel or build the city in which God and humanity dwell together."

'A fragmented world is a searching world'

Regarding the spiritual hunger many modern people are feeling, he said restlessness, especially among the young, is evidence that our hearts are made for God and cannot rest until we rest in him, citing St. Augustine.

"A fragmented world is also a searching world," he noted.

"The human person is not self-made, but receives; he is a being created for relationship," he said. "Leo expressed the hope that the world will come to recognize the human heart is the place where God desires to dwell."

The Church's social doctrine is "itself an expression of the spiritual life," Parolin said, and results in a faith that becomes real "concern for the worker, the family, the poor, and the seeking of the common good."

Freedom and pluralism not to blame, Parolin says

On freedom and pluralism, he rejected blaming "too much freedom" or "too many voices."

The Church defends "freedom as a gift inseparable from human dignity," he said, noting the Second Vatican Council's teaching on "religious freedom as a right found in the very nature of the human person."

But, he said, "freedom detached from truth and responsibility for others turns against itself." Freedom, in the Christian vision, "is not the capacity to choose anything whatsoever. It is the capacity to choose the good."

Authentic pluralism, he said, rests on dignity, the common good, solidarity, and subsidiarity. "We should respect the family, communities, and institutions through which people flourish," he urged.

The next day, Sept. 26, Parolin addressed the opening of the 81st U.N. General Assembly, whose theme is "Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations That Delivers for All."

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Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, said that nations have the right to self-defense but urged them not to use it as an excuse for rearmament.

Parolin addressed the United Nations (U.N.) General Assembly in New York on Sept. 26 at the opening of its 81st session. The U.N. chose "Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations that delivers for All" as the theme for this year's assembly.

Parolin quoted Pope Leo XIV's encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, which he said "emphasized that 'there is an urgent need to shift from the 'culture of power' to a genuine 'culture of negotiation,' in which dialogue and diplomacy become the standard means of resolving conflicts.'"

Parolin said that nations have a right to self-defense, but not as a pretext for arming themselves, especially with nuclear or autonomous weapons.

"No true peace is possible without genuine common resolve for disarmament; the legitimate right of every people to provide for its own defense must not degenerate into a race to massive rearmament," Parolin said.

Parolin's remarks uphold the stance of the Holy See and of Pope Leo XIV regarding nuclear disarmament. In May, Pope Leo XIV rejected United States President Donald Trump's claim that he supported nuclear weapons.

In July, Leo wrote a foreword to the book "Disarmed and Disarming: Peace Is a Gift," citing American singer Bob Dylan, who criticized the manufacture of nuclear bombs during the Cold War.

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Many Catholics can, at the drop of a hat, recite the prayer to St. Michael the Archangel — the famous petition to that venerable saint to "defend us in battle" and "cast into hell Satan."

In the culture of the Church, Michael is often accompanied by his two fellow archangels — Sts. Gabriel and Raphael — with the three forming a phalanx of protection, healing, and petition for those who ask for their intercession. The Church celebrates the three archangels with a joint feast day on Sept. 29.

St. Michael the Archangel

St. Michael the Archangel is hailed in the Book of Daniel as "the great prince who has charge of [God's] people."

Michael Aquilina, the executive vice president and trustee of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology in Steubenville, Ohio, described Michael among angels as "the one most often named — and most often invoked — and most often seen in history-changing apparitions."

Devotion to Michael, Aquilina told EWTN News, "has been with the Church from the beginning. And Michael has been with God's people since before the beginning of the Church."

Michael's history in the Bible is depicted through Daniel, in Jude (in which he battles Satan for possession of Moses' body), and in Revelation as he "wag[es] war with the dragon" alongside his fellow angels.

Michael, Aquilina said, was "a supremely important character who was there from the beginning of the story." Rabbinic tradition holds that Michael was at the center of many of the great biblical dramas even if not explicitly mentioned.

He was an early subject of veneration in the Church, though Aquilina noted that the Reformation led to a steep decline in devotion to the angels — until the end of the 19th century, when Michael began an "amazing comeback journey" in the life of the Church.

Following a vision of Satan "running riot" on the planet, "Pope Leo [XIII] composed three prayers to St. Michael, ranging from short to long," Aquilina said. "The brief one, he commanded, should be prayed at the end of every Mass."

This was a regular feature of the Mass until the Vatican II era, after which it came to an end — though Pope John Paul II in 1994 urged Catholics to make the prayer a regular part of their lives.

"St. Michael is there for us in the day of battle, which is every day," Aquilina said.

The St. Michael Prayer: St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil / May God rebuke him, we humbly pray / And do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the divine power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

St. Gabriel the Archangel

Gabriel appears regularly in Scripture as a messenger of God's word, both in the Old and New Testaments. Daniel identifies Gabriel as a "man" who came "to give [him] insight and understanding," relaying prophetic answers to Daniel's entreaties to God.

In the New Testament, Luke relays Gabriel's appearances to both Zechariah and the Virgin Mary. At the former, he informs the priest that his wife, Elizabeth, will soon conceive a child; at the latter he informs Mary herself that she will do the same. The two children in question, of course, were respectively John the Baptist and Jesus Christ.

Christian tradition further associates Gabriel with the apostle Paul's reference in his First Letter to the Thessalonians to the "archangel's call" and "the sound of the trumpet of God."

"Judgment will begin with the archangel's call and the sound of the horn," Aquilina told EWTN News. "Thus we hear often of Gabriel's trumpet."

Media workers in particular have "good professional reasons to go to Gabriel," Aquilina said.

"Since he is the Bible's great communicator — the great teller of good news — he is the natural patron of broadcasters and all those who work in electronic media," he said.

"For the same reason, he's the patron saint of preachers ... but also of postal workers, diplomats, and messengers."

The St. Gabriel Prayer: O Blessed Archangel Gabriel, we beseech thee, do thou intercede for us at the throne of divine mercy in our present necessities, that as thou didst announce to Mary the mystery of the Incarnation, so through thy prayers and patronage in heaven we may obtain the benefits of the same, and sing the praise of God forever in the land of the living. Amen.

St. Raphael the Archangel

Lesser-known among the three great archangels, Raphael's mission from God "is not obvious to the casual reader" of the Bible, Aquilina said. Yet his story, depicted in the Book of Tobit, is "something unique in the whole Bible." In other depictions of angels, they come to Earth only briefly, to deliver a message or to help God's favored people in some way.

"Raphael is different," Aquilina said. "He stays around for the whole story, and by the end he's become something more than an angel ... he's become a friend."

In Tobit, Raphael accompanies Tobias, the son of the book's namesake, as he travels to retrieve money left by his father in another town, helping him along the way and arranging for his marriage to Sarah.

The biblical account "has in every generation provided insight and consolation to the devout," Aquilina said.

Notably, Raphael deftly uses the natural world to work God's miracles: "What we would ordinarily call catastrophes — blindness, multiple widowhood, destitution, estrangement — all these become providential channels of grace by the time the threads of the story are all wound up in the end."

"Raphael is patron of many kinds of people," Aquilina said. "Of course, he's the patron of singles in search of a mate — and those in search of a friend. He is the patron of pharmacists because he provided the salve of healing. He is a patron for anyone in search of a cure."

He is also the patron saint of blind people, travelers, sick people, and youth.

"Raphael's story," Aquilina said, "remains a model for those who would enjoy the friendship of the angels."

Prayer to St. Raphael: St. Raphael, of the glorious seven who stand before the throne of him who lives and reigns, angel of health, the Lord has filled your hand with balm from heaven to soothe or cure our pains. Heal or cure the victim of disease. And guide our steps when doubtful of our ways. Amen.

This story was first published on Sept. 29, 2023, and has been updated.

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ROME — The Holy See has confirmed that Argentine priest Carlos Miguel Buela, founder of the Institute of the Incarnate Word (IVE), committed abuse against several individuals.

The Vatican reached this conclusion following a canonical process and has ordered the religious family, which has been under Vatican intervention for more than seven years and without self-governance, to undertake a path of renewal.

The decision was communicated during a meeting in Rome on Sept. 14 involving the pontifical delegates overseeing the men's and women's branches of the congregation, provincial superiors of both institutes, and representatives of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. The decision was made public Tuesday and had also been posted on the IVE's website last week.

According to a Vatican statement, both the Special Criminal Tribunal of First Instance and the Court of Appeal, established by the Church's competent authority, "reached moral certainty regarding the responsibility of Fr. Carlos Miguel Buela, founder of the two institutes, for committing an offense against the Sixth Commandment, perpetrated with violence against several persons," in accordance with Canon 1395 §2 of the Code of Canon Law.

The Vatican said the clarification seeks "to restore the truth as an act of justice toward those persons who have been harmed by the founder's behavior."

Reexamining the charism and purifying the institution

The statement framed the decision within the broader renewal process currently underway in both the Institute of the Incarnate Word and the Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matará, which remain under Vatican oversight.

The Vatican stressed the need to pursue a process of "re-reading the charism and reviewing, renewing and purifying the spirituality, formation and apostolic activity proper to each institute, distinguishing between the gift of the Holy Spirit granted for the building up of the Church and the limitations or personal actions of the founder."

The goal, the statement said, is to distinguish the charism received for the service of the Church from the personal conduct and shortcomings of Buela, whose legacy has long been overshadowed by allegations of sexual abuse, manipulation, and serious failures in governance.

A step toward renewal

The Vatican's measures amount to what is effectively a process of institutional renewal. The effort bears similarities to the path undertaken by the Holy See with the Legionaries of Christ and Regnum Christi after the confirmation of abuses and crimes committed by their founder, Marcial Maciel.

The initiative has the support of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life, headed by Sister Simona Brambilla, as well as the two pontifical delegates originally appointed by Pope Francis and later confirmed by Pope Leo XIV: Bishop José Antonio Satué of Teruel and Albarracín, Spain, for the men's branch and Sister Clara Echarte for the women's branch.

Presence in 45 countries

The Religious Family of the Incarnate Word is present in 45 countries and includes more than 3,000 members, including priests, religious sisters, and lay members of its Third Secular Order. Founded in Argentina in 1984, it experienced rapid international growth in the decades that followed.

However, just 11 years after its founding, the Holy See began intervening in the congregation amid allegations of sexual abuse against Buela and other concerns involving the exercise of authority and community life. Since then, various pontifical commissioners and delegates have sought to address the situation.

A major milestone came in December 2016, when the Diocese of San Rafael in Argentina publicly announced that the Vatican had found Buela guilty of "improper behavior with adults." In a statement read at the time during a press conference, the diocese said allegations had emerged involving "sexual actions affecting religious and seminarians of the institute."

In 2019, Spanish Cardinal Santos Abril y Castelló was appointed pontifical commissioner. He imposed restrictions on the congregation's expansion and publicly denounced the internal resistance he encountered during his mission.

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 Jewish charter school in Oklahoma scored a key victory this month in its federal lawsuit seeking access to the state's publicly funded charter program.

The ruling from the U.S. District Court of the Western District of Oklahoma comes more than a year after a Catholic charter school lost a similar lawsuit seeking to be included in Oklahoma's charter school funding.

In his decision, U.S. District Judge David Russell said the state may not "single out religious schools for exclusion" from public charter funding "solely because of their religious character."

The Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board may not deny funding to the National Ben Gamla Jewish Charter School Foundation, Russell held, though the order only applies so long as the lawsuit continues through the federal court system.

The Oklahoma government requires charter schools to identify as "nonsectarian" and not be affiliated with religious groups. That rule was previously challenged by a Catholic institution, St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, which sought funding from the charter school board and which sued the state in 2023 over being excluded from the state program.

That suit drew the backing of the U.S. bishops as well as numerous states who advocated expanded educational opportunities. Yet the U.S. Supreme Court ultimately declined to issue a ruling in the case after the court's justices were split in the dispute, leaving the school without charter funding.

It's unclear whether or not the Jewish charter school dispute will affect the status of the Catholic charter school. But in his ruling Russell said the denial of the school's application on religious grounds constituted a "concrete" and "actual" injury.

A "long line of Supreme Court precedent" supports the school's position that the denial of its public funding violates the U.S. Constitution, the judge said.

Daniel Chen, an attorney with the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which is representing the charter school, said in a press release that Oklahoma's ban on religious charter funding was "destined to fail."

"The Constitution doesn't permit the state to welcome every kind of charter school except a religious one," Chen said.

The state has 30 days to appeal to the federal Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit, Becket said.

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