Catholic News

The Priestly Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) announced Monday that it plans to consecrate new bishops on July 1 even without authorization from the Holy See, a move that would likely lead to automatic excommunication of all the bishops who take part and harden a decades-old split with Rome.

The SSPX, which exclusively celebrates the Traditional Latin Mass and maintains doctrinal differences with certain teachings and reforms of the Second Vatican Council, has not consecrated new bishops since 1988 when the society's founder, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, consecrated four bishops without Rome's approval. The move directly contravened canon law and led to their, and the archbishop's, automatic excommunication.

Even though Pope Benedict XVI remitted the 1988 excommunications in 2009, the Vatican says the SSPX exists in a state of "institutional irregularity" or "imperfect communion" with the Holy See, lacking a formal, recognized canonical structure.?Ongoing doctrinal disagreements are the stated reason why no stable canonical structure has yet been granted.

The SSPX said Monday that its superior general, Father Davide Pagliarani, requested an audience with Pope Leo XIV last August to present, "in a filial manner," the current situation of the SSPX, including its need for bishops.

The society's statement continued: "After having long matured his reflection in prayer, and having received from the Holy See, in recent days, a letter which does not in any way respond to our requests,?Father Pagliarani, in harmony with the unanimous advice of his council," has decided to proceed with consecrating new bishops.

The SSPX has only two serving bishops: Bishop Bernard Fellay, a former superior general of the society, and Bishop Alfonso de Galarreta. Bishop Richard Williamson was expelled in 2012 for persistent disobedience and open opposition to the society's superiors and their policy toward Rome. He died last year. Bishop Bernard Tissier de Mallerais died in 2024.

Both Benedict XVI and Pope Francis tried to regularize the SSPX gradually, with Pope Benedict pursuing dialogue that was halted in 2017. Pope Francis granted faculties for confessions and marriages while keeping doctrinal issues open.

Observers say moving ahead with new consecrations after explicitly seeking and not receiving Rome's agreement signals a clear divergence of judgment that will likely harden positions on both sides, making any future canonical solution more difficult.

They also say the move implicitly challenges how the Holy See is handling liturgy, doctrine, and the traditionalist movement globally at a time when debates over the older liturgy are already intense.

"Excommunications are back on the menu, obviously because it's automatic," said Joseph Bevan, a senior SSPX layman and author of the 2025 book "Traddy Daddy — Memories and Thoughts of the Father of a Catholic Family." He said he believes such a development was "inevitable," adding that the discussions have been ongoing since July 2025 but with no progress. "Who can blame them?" he told EWTN News. "Rome is dragging its feet and being obstructive."

But a Rome canonist speaking on background to EWTN News held out hope that as the consecrations have not yet happened, a solution could possibly be found in the meantime, and today's announcement could press both parties into coming to a resolution.

The Holy See Press Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In his Feb. 2 message, Pagliarani stressed that the SSPX's motive remains the service of the Church and the preservation of tradition, citing his 2024 reflection on the 50th anniversary of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre's declaration that formally set out the position of the SSPX.

"The Society of St. Pius X is not primarily seeking its own survival," Pagliarani said on that occasion. "It seeks the good of the universal Church and, for this reason, is a work of the Church, responding to the needs of an unprecedentedly tragic era… Without any spirit of rebellion, bitterness, or resentment, we pursue our work of forming priests, guided by the timeless magisterium."

The communiqué concluded by saying that further explanations regarding the present situation and today's decision would be expected in the coming days.

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A victim of clerical sexual abuse from Ireland shared his story in a private meeting with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on Monday.

David Ryan, who was sexually abused by a Catholic priest at Blackrock College in Dublin in the 1970s, told a small group of reporters, including Colm Flynn of EWTN News, after the meeting that the pope "was horrified" by his story during their 40-minute conversation Feb. 2.

"I didn't hold back. I told him about the abuse," said Ryan, whose deceased brother, Mark, was also abused while attending the same school.

The pope "just listened to me and then I put my questions to him and we spoke about each one at length," Ryan said.

Ryan said Leo called his questions "tough" and asked if he could have more time to reflect on them and respond further via email at a future date.

"What an experience. I'll never, never forget it. [Pope Leo's] sincerity, his empathy. He felt my pain," Ryan said.

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Ryan, who has been open about being abused for years from around age 11 by a Catholic priest from his school, said in a 2024 interview with EWTN News that "you never forget about it. It ruined my life, it ruined Mark's life."

He said that he shared with Leo that it took him 40 years to realize what happened to him was not his fault.

"I did get a feeling of being listened to and being understood," he said, adding that he hopes other victims will feel inspired to come forward.

Deirdre Kenny, CEO of One In Four, an Irish organization that supports child sexual abuse survivors, also briefly met Pope Leo.

Kenny called the encounter "very human … very down-to-earth."

Ryan said he is not "very religious," which he told the pope, but that he talks to God "in my own funny, little way."

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Cardinal Giuseppe Petrocchi, the retired archbishop of L'Aquila, Italy, has been appointed president of the Cardinalitial Commission of the Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR), commonly known as the Vatican bank.

Petrocchi succeeds Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, the retired archbishop of Vienna, who has led the commission since 2014 and is stepping down after reaching the age limit.

In a statement, the commission thanked Schönborn "for his valuable leadership and for the commitment with which he supported and accompanied the institute during decisive phases of its reform process over the 12 years of his mandate," adding that his service helped ensure guidance consistent with the institute's mission.

Schönborn, for his part, expressed "profound gratitude" to Pope Francis for his "constant and enlightened support" during the IOR's "long and demanding" reform process. He also thanked the bank's director general, Gian Franco Mammì, and the institute's leadership and staff as well as the supervisory board chaired by Jean-Baptiste de Franssu for guiding what he described as a far-reaching transformation that has earned broad recognition within the international financial community.

Petrocchi said he has witnessed "important developments" carried out by the institute in service of the Holy Father and the universal Church, and said the commission and the supervisory board will continue that work with an emphasis on continuous improvement, collaboration, and respect for Catholic ethics, transparency, and shared responsibility.

At the same meeting, the commission welcomed Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, who was recently appointed a member of the commission by Pope Leo XIV.

The Cardinalitial Commission oversees the IOR's fidelity to its statutes. It is composed of five cardinals appointed by the pope, who designate one of their members as president. Members serve five-year terms and may be confirmed once.

In addition to Petrocchi and Fernández Artime, the commission includes Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle, and Cardinal Emil Paul Tscherrig.

This story was first published by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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Religious freedom advocates addressed how democratic countries can prioritize and promote religious freedom at a plenary session of the 2026 International Religious Freedom (IRF) Summit in Washington, D.C.

The Feb. 2 panel was led by Knox Thames, a human rights lawyer, advocate, and author. He sat down with panelists Melissa Rogers, lawyer and former executive director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships; Jordan Sekulow, director of the American Center for Law and Justice; and Ahmed Shaheed, professor of international human rights law at the University of Essex.

In order to prioritize global religious liberty, nations must "work across faiths and beliefs as widely as possible," Rogers said. "The best coalitions are the broadest and the loudest."

Rogers recommended that groups not only be large and diverse but also "persistent." Activists must "have a lot of meetings and stay after it while understanding schedules in people's offices, in the White House, and otherwise can be tricky. So staying after it, staying in communication, that's a big deal."

"Also … being able to express that big goal, the big principles we're fighting for, and the big achievements that we want to make. At the same time, being able to break those down into steps so that we can chart our progress. To appreciate that progress is a good thing."

Shaheed also spoke to the importance of persistence. He added: "We will not get the result we want overnight, but we keep pushing — it matters."

"The most important thing" to do is "to reach out to different levels, multilevels of activity," Shaheed said. He suggested working with the government, municipal actors, parliamentarians, and the grassroots leaders as well.

"So the ability to reach out to these different levels … is a very, very important tool," he said.

Storytelling to promote human dignity

"What we have seen is that countries that respect religious liberty are likely going to be countries that are allies in the United States," Sekulow said. "I think the concern right now we see in our country is that there's so many countries that don't have religious liberty at all, and everything is underground."

"You can't say that every country that doesn't have religious liberty is obviously an enemy of the United States. That's not true either. But if you truly want this for the people or your faith group or just fellow citizens, I think that we have to put … our individual faiths aside."

Sekulow, who works for a Christian-based organization, said that when they represent Christians and win, "we don't win for Christians only. We win for everyone."

In order to promote religious liberty and ensure these wins for religious liberty, countries must utilize the "personal stories," Sekulow said. "If you just talk about it generally, it doesn't work for people."

"It comes down to: Why is religious speech treated so much different from all the others' speech? It's because the power of it. It's the power," he said. "I think that's why it's important we're here, because we can meet so many people with the stories and then tell those stories through our media departments, take it to the U.N., so that the wife, the husband, the family, has to be seen in the room by the country that is persecuting the father, that is imprisoning the father."

"This is about saving people's lives. Most of our faiths call us to do that if we can. To save the innocent. Almost every faith calls for that," he said.

Defending religious liberty comes down to focusing on "a broader human rights agenda, because that gives a lot of power," Rogers said. "Sometimes there'll be tensions among different rights and liberties. But when we're working together, we can find where we agree and be shoulder to shoulder on that."

"Where there are differences, we can have dialogue, respectful dialogue about those conflicts, and make sure that we're working to increase understanding and trust at a time of deep polarization in our own country and around the world."

"This is just essential to the cause of religious liberty and for the benefit of human dignity and all the rights that are necessary to realize that dignity on behalf of everyone, everywhere," Rogers said.

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Pope Leo XIV on Monday urged consecrated men and women to serve as "leaven of peace" and a "sign of hope" as he celebrated Mass for the feast of the Presentation of the Lord in St. Peter's Basilica and marked the 30th World Day for Consecrated Life.

The liturgy began with a candlelight procession, recalling Simeon's words that Christ is "a light for revelation to the Gentiles," as the pope processed from the basilica's entrance toward the main altar in a dimly lit church "waiting" for the light of Christ.

In his homily, the pope reflected on the Gospel passage from Luke (2:22–40), where Simeon and Anna recognize and proclaim Jesus as the Messiah. He described the scene as "the meeting between two movements of love: that of God who comes to save man and that of man who awaits with vigilant faith his coming."

Leo noted that Jesus presents himself as the son of a "poor" family — a detail he said shows God's respect for human freedom and his solidarity with human need: Christ offers himself "in full respect for our freedom and in full sharing of our poverty," the pope said, adding that there is "nothing coercive" in the Lord's action "but only the disarming power of his unarmed gratuitousness."

Turning to those living vowed religious life, the pope said the Church asks them "to be prophets: messengers who proclaim the presence of the Lord and prepare his way." He urged them to "empty" themselves for the Lord, invoking the prophet Malachi's imagery of being "crucibles for the refiner's fire and vessels for the launderer's lye."

Leo framed the mission of religious communities as especially vital in societies where faith and daily life "seem increasingly to drift apart," calling consecrated men and women to witness that God "is present in history as salvation for all peoples." He also emphasized the dignity of the vulnerable — the young and old, the poor, the sick, and prisoners — saying they have "their sacred place" on God's altar and in his heart, and that each person is "an inviolable sanctuary" of God's presence.

The pope pointed to religious congregations that remain amid conflict rather than fleeing, saying their steadfast presence can speak "more eloquently than a thousand words" to the "inviolable sacredness of life," even where weapons thunder and "arrogance, self-interest, and violence" seem to prevail. He echoed Jesus' warning not to despise "one of these little ones," noting that "their angels in heaven always see the face of the Father."

Leo also lingered on Simeon's prayer — "Now, Lord, you may let your servant go in peace" — saying it teaches that genuine care for earthly realities cannot be separated from loving hope in eternal goods. Simeon, he said, saw salvation in Jesus and became free in the face of both life and death.

So too, the pope said, should consecrated people live with feet "firmly planted on the ground" while constantly oriented toward eternal goods that illuminate everything else.

This story was first published by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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U.S. bishops released a statement in favor of the new United States Department of State rules expanding the Mexico City Policy and limiting the funding of abortion abroad.

"We support robust funding for authentic lifesaving and life-affirming foreign assistance and applaud new policies that prevent taxpayer dollars from going to organizations that engage in ideological colonization and promote abortion or gender ideology overseas," the bishops said.

The statement was released by United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) leaders Bishop Edward Burns of the Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth; Bishop Daniel Thomas of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities; and Bishop Elias Zaidan of the Committee on International Justice and Peace.

"God entrusts us with a responsibility to share our blessings to help preserve the lives and dignity of our brothers and sisters in need," they said.

"We also call for the implementation of any related policies to be carried out in a manner that recognizes the inherent dignity of every human person and does not harm those who are racially or ethnically marginalized."

New additions to the policy

The newly published additions to the Mexico City Policy, which historically limited certain federal funds from going to foreign nongovernmental organizations that perform or promote abortion abroad, introduced limits on activities related to gender identity and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

The rules are collectively being referred to as the Promoting Human Flourishing in Foreign Assistance (PHFFA) Policy, which "imposes certain abortion-related requirements on foreign nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), United States NGOs, public international organizations, foreign governments, and parastatals," according to the PHFFA.

The PHFFA also includes the measures Combating Gender Ideology in Foreign Assistance (CGIFA) and the Combating Discriminatory Equity Ideology in Foreign Assistance (CDEIFA).

Thomas offered a previous statement that addressed the rule related to the performance and promotion of abortion and the end to performing and funding research using aborted human fetal tissue. He reiterated that "taxpayer dollars have no business funding organizations that target vulnerable populations with abortion."

"As we applaud these actions protecting preborn children, we renew our commitment to dialogue with and pray for the administration as we seek to advocate for all human life from conception until natural death," Thomas said.

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Around 70,000 young people from different parts of Mexico made the pilgrimage on Jan. 31 to the Christ the King monument, situated atop Cubilete Hill in the Mexican state of Guanajuato, in what became one of the largest youth pilgrimages in recent years.

Since 1974, the Witness and Hope movement has organized the youth pilgrimage, which commemorates the Mexican martyrs who gave their lives exclaiming, "Long live Christ the King!" This year, the number of attendees surpassed that of 2020, previously the year with the highest number of pilgrims recorded for this youth event.

Witness and Hope told ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, that by the end of the Mass, it had an estimated count of 50,000 pilgrims. However, after a subsequent meeting with authorities from the state of Guanajuato, it was determined that the final number was higher, reaching approximately 70,000 attendees.

This year's pilgrimage had the special purpose of commemorating the centenary of the start of the 1926–1929 Cristero War, a conflict stemming from the religious persecution experienced by Catholics in Mexico during the first decades of the 20th century.

'A clear sign of a people who believe'

At a press conference following the closing Mass of the pilgrimage, Bishop Víctor Alejandro Aguilar Ledesma of Celaya, Guanajuato state, stated that the massive turnout does not represent an "awakening" of young Catholics but rather the manifestation of a reality that already exists.

The prelate explained that "there are many young people in Mexico who live their faith" and that "they believe and express their faith in their communities, in their parishes."

Aguilar called it a lie that "young people are drifting away from the Church… or that the Church no longer has young people."

The large number of pilgrims "is a clear sign of a people who believe," he said and affirmed that "young people in Mexico have faith."

Aguilar also expressed his joy at seeing that young people are able to organize themselves months in advance to participate in these kinds of expressions of faith, "without being coerced, without being paid, without any promotion by a political party" but rather doing so to "express their love for Jesus, for the Blessed Virgin, and their fidelity to the Church."

'Seeds of hope'

The apostolic nuncio to Mexico, Archbishop Joseph Spiteri, urged the young participants of the pilgrimage to become "seeds of hope" in society upon returning to their dioceses and communities.

The pope's representative in Mexico assured them that everyone can "have an influence in changing structures of sin, unjust structures," and affirmed that the first step is to build community and encourage other young people, because in this way "the fire will continue to grow."

Finally, Andrea Perea, who concludes her term as president of Witness and Hope this year, invited the young people to continue their formation so as not to have a "shallow faith" that is limited solely to isolated events.

"That is the challenge we take with us today as young people: to recognize that today is beautiful but tomorrow will bring fatigue and weariness," she added. In this context, she emphasized the need for young people to work for the community and its development, and that this commitment be "guided by love for one's neighbor."

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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In a decree by a Wisconsin bishop on Friday, the Catholic Church officially opened the cause for sainthood of a Belgian immigrant who had visions of the Blessed Mother.

Adele Brice (1831–1896) couldn't read or write, but she traveled the countryside of Wisconsin on foot teaching children and families about God. Brice is most well known for three apparitions she had, which are the only approved Marian apparitions to have happened in the United States.

Last year, more than 200,000 pilgrims visited the shrine to Our Lady of Champion in Wisconsin, Father Anthony Stephens, the Father of Mercy who serves as a rector of the shrine, told EWTN News.

From the time Brice first received holy Communion as a young girl in Belgium, she felt a calling to religious life. But when her family decided to immigrate to the United States, she went with them, trusting her parish priest who encouraged her to go.

She would never become a religious sister, "but she remained faithful to that fundamental calling," said Bishop David Ricken of Green Bay, Wisconsin, who promulgated the decree on Jan. 30.

"What moves me particularly about her is perseverance," added Father John Girotti, the vicar general and moderator of the curia for the Diocese of Green Bay. "She moved to this country with her parents when she was in her 20s. She didn't necessarily want to come, but she came out of respect for her mom and her dad."

Brice was also blind in one eye because of a childhood injury.

"She had her faith. She loved God. And she persevered," Girotti continued. "Her faith allowed her to move mountains, as Jesus says. And she did. She did great things. She was open to God's will in her life."

In her visions, Mary called her to catechize children, so Brice gave her life to the vocation of education. She wore a habit but was never consecrated as a religious sister. Instead, as a laywoman, she dedicated her life to teaching children the Catholic faith.

"As soon as she experienced the Blessed Virgin Mary speaking to her, her life was transformed and she went immediately away and for the rest of her life [was] teaching children, caring for children, preaching the Gospel without letting up, often with great poverty, with fire, with famine, with poverty, but with enormous faith," Girotti said. "She kept going. And I think that's a powerful witness to us today to keep the faith and to share it."

After building a chapel and a school in the area where Our Lady appeared, the community would experience a night that Stephens described as "like the Battle of Jericho."

In 1871, as a fire closed in around the property, Brice and others in the community came to pray.

"They just prayed the perimeter of the property where they had a fence set up and the fire burned up to the fence, but it burned around the chapel itself," Stephens said. "The chapel and the school were spared, and it rained the next morning."

Stephens called the shrine "a prayerful place."

Visitors range from devout Catholics to non-Catholics to people who have been away from the Church for a while, and Stephens said he hears lots of "very sincere confessions."

The shrine has seen "little physical healings" and "moral healings," Stephens said, including one woman who was cured after 15 years of painful migraines.

An American saint

As the 250th birthday of the United States approaches, Stephens said it is "really exciting for an American to become a Servant of God."

"Our Catholic identity should form how we live as Americans, and they can very much go together," Stephens said. "And so this is an exciting thing to have one of our fellow countrymen recognized as one who loved God radically and tried to live heroic virtue. We should try to imitate her so that we can live well as Americans."

Ricken said he hopes this is part of a move toward uncovering more American saints. He noted that Pope Benedict XVI had urged the Church in the U.S. to begin the process of investigating sainthood causes.

"We knew that there had to be saints here, but we hadn't, as a Church in the United States, taken the initiative to really take this adventure and go into it," Ricken said.

The prayerful event announcing her cause drew lots of young families, according to Ricken.

"It was so beautiful to see all the young families here," Ricken said at a press event after the decree. "I thought that was tremendous, especially since Adele was all about children."

"[The] Blessed Mother told her to go out to this wild country and teach the children what is necessary for the faith," Ricken said. "And she's still doing that, obviously, because it happened tonight where all these young children and families came."

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Catholic business leaders gathered on Saturday, Jan. 31, at The Ritz-Carlton Bacara in Santa Barbara, California, where James Olson, retired CIA chief of counterintelligence, spoke at Legatus' The Summit.

Legatus, an organization for Catholic executives launched by Domino's Pizza founder Tom Monaghan in 1987 with chapters throughout North America, hosts The Summit annually.

Other speakers at this year's event included actor/filmmaker Neal McDonough, former HUD secretary Ben Carson, and former Google senior vice president for social Vic Gundotra. 

Olson, who served overseas with the CIA in the Soviet Union and Austria as well as in Mexico, has been a regular presenter at Legatus events, discussing themes from his book "Fair Play: The Moral Dilemmas of Spying," which explores the difficult moral questions intelligence officers face as well as the challenges of being a practicing Catholic while doing the work of a spy.

"There are moral dilemmas of spying," Olson told EWTN News in an interview, "but espionage can be consistent with the Catholic faith. You can be a good Catholic and a good spy at the same time."

Olson said the ordinary lifestyle of a spy involves "living a lie." He and his wife, Meredith, worked overseas as CIA operatives and protected their cover by constantly lying, even to their own children. 

"We did so for safety, as being a CIA operative overseas can be very dangerous. Other than the military, we lose more people in the line of duty than any other government entity," he explained.

Olson met Meredith while working at the CIA. They trained together and then were sent abroad with Meredith operating in a support role to Olson's operation. 

There were two basic covers while engaging in espionage, Olson said: posing as a U.S. government official working for another agency (e.g. the State Department), or in a nongovernmental, nonofficial cover (NOC) — such as a businessman, student, or researcher. 

A NOC has greater ability to spy as he or she has less scrutiny but is also at greater risk. If someone posing as a governmental official is discovered he has diplomatic status and will be expelled from the country, a risk to his career. A NOC, conversely, has no diplomatic immunity and is subject to "the full force and fury of local laws."

Yet despite ethical concerns and risk, Olson said he believes the work the CIA performs is vital to the country, "as quality intelligence can help U.S. officials make commonsense policy decisions, which will be a force for stability and peace in the world."

He pointed to the example of the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis during which the CIA was able to provide U.S. President John F. Kennedy accurate information on the Soviet Union's intentions, capabilities, and weaknesses and avert nuclear war. After 13 days of tension, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev agreed to remove nuclear missiles and the crisis ended. 

"Military commanders in Cuba were under instructions to launch the missiles if the Americans attacked, and Kennedy was prepared to launch an invasion. It was really close; I credit intelligence with saving the day," Olson said.

He continued: "The CIA can play an important role in defusing tensions around the world by collecting, analyzing, and disseminating intelligence information to decision-makers."

Olson noted that contrary to the image that some had of the CIA, in his experience it was a "faith-filled" organization. "I've never known finer people than those who served in the CIA, including many devout Catholics. But love of God and country go together; they are not inconsistent," he said.

There is a seeming dichotomy for the observant Catholic working undercover, he admitted. "My wife and I did things that ordinarily we never would have done. We lied, cheated, stole, and manipulated. But we believe that it was for the greater good, and that we have a moral right to protect our country, and it requires intelligence to be able to do that."

During Olson's time in the CIA the country's chief adversary was the Soviet Union, "and we dedicated our lives to fighting totalitarian, oppressive, cruel, atheistic communism. We were on the right side."

He said he did have moral discussions with a few "cleared" priests who could be relied upon for their discretion. He claimed they were supportive of his methods of operation. Olson said one noted that St. Thomas Aquinas said that it could be morally permissible to kill in defense of one's country, "so it would follow that it would also be okay to lie, steal, and cheat in these circumstances as well."

Olson also pointed to the story of the prostitute Rahab in the Book of Joshua in the Old Testament who aided Israelite spies in escaping from the king of Jericho. In return, Rahab famously hung a scarlet cord from her window and she and her household were spared death when Joshua took the city.

While Olson found many CIA operatives to be of exemplary character, he concedes that he's known a few traitors as well. These include Aldrich ("Rick") Ames (1941–2026) and Robert Hanssen (1944–2023) — CIA officers who were recruited by the KGB, the secret police of the Soviet Union. 

Olson noted that in the mid-1980s, shortly before the fall of the Soviet Union, many "courageous" Russians were working for the CIA "because of their hatred for communism" (although some did it for payment). Olson said the CIA was careful to protect their identities and did so through a variety of clandestine operations as "we felt a moral obligation to protect them and knew what their fate would be if they got caught [death]."

In 1985, many of these friendly Russians began dying, he said, "and it was like a death in the family." Many were betrayed by Ames, and some by Hanssen. While he had known Hanssen only casually, he knew Ames well and had worked with him. When he discovered Ames was a traitor, he said, "I was outraged. I had an anger you would not believe. I hated what he did. He's a contemptible person, and he did it for money. He had no redeeming qualities at all."

When he learned of Ames' betrayal, Olson recalled, "it was the worst moment in my CIA career."

While the world has changed in 40 years — Olson now sees China as America's greatest geopolitical rival today — he believes the work of the CIA continues to be "essential." 

"The intelligence it provides is vital to protect the American people and our way of life. We have to make sure our leaders are well informed; we cannot rely on the goodwill of our adversaries," he said.

Olson stressed the importance of intelligence agencies in continuing to recruit people of good character, as well as the importance of providing intelligence agencies with clear guidelines with what is morally permissible: "We need to know how far we can go."

More than 600 attended this year's Legatus Summit. To see upcoming Legatus events, visit https://legatus.org/events.

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Just over a year ago in County Wicklow, Ireland, three young men decided to sidestep the secular Christmas season tradition of hitting 12 pubs and instead visited 12 different churches for Sunday Mass.

Forty churches later, Luke Doogue, 20, and his friends Neil, 19, and Stephen Patterson, 17, have found themselves explaining on Irish national radio how on earth they decided to swap "pints for pews."

"This journey didn't start with holiness; it started as an alternative to the traditional '12 pubs of Christmas,'" Doogue told EWTN News.

He continued: "We were looking for a reason to get up on a Sunday morning that didn't involve questioning our life choices the night before. What we called '12 churches' began half as a joke and half as a challenge: Could we replace pints with pews and still enjoy ourselves?"

The initial idea came from Patterson, a promising golfer who is now on  scholarship in Rome, Georgia.

"We went to Grangecon first; Mass was said by Father Ger Ahern. We got nine churches done, but we didn't get 12 before Christmas. So we said 'lads we have to get our 12.' Twelve came, 15 came, suddenly we were looking down the barrel of 40. It stopped being a challenge and became something we genuinely looked forward to."

Doogue told EWTN News: "Getting to know people in our own parish proved just as important as traveling further afield. Mass became something we shared. The breakfast table often became the place where the readings were unpacked, how Communion tasted was discussed, and the homily was debated — usually between bites of a fry."

One of the trio's earliest Masses was in Bolton Abbey in nearby Moone. "It's tiny, there isn't a sound when you walk in, and there's three or four monks saying mass at 8:30 a.m. Stepping into places like Bolton Abbey reminded us that Mass can feel like an experience. Quieter, more reflective, suspended from normal routine."

And the hook — is it the spiritual element? The travel? The novelty?

"It's a mix of all," Doogue said. "Starting it was great socially. As it went on, it got more spiritual."

The three of them have received invitations from priests across Ireland to attend Masses in their local churches, but far from being a "Tripadvisor" for parishes, the trio said that while they maintain a high degree of reverence at liturgies, they now fancy themselves "connoisseurs" of what ultimately makes a "good" Mass.

Doogue told EWTN News that for them there is a near-perfect Mass length. "In our view, it sits comfortably in the 35th- to 42nd-minute window. Too short it feels rushed; too long, and you find yourself mentally planning your breakfast order."

He continued with a laugh: "Sometimes there's nothing beats a sub-30 Mass. Last week we got a 27.5-minute one!"

The said their favorite Masses contain the right elements, including, crucially, the Nicene Creed. "Why anyone thought it was a good idea to shorten a creed so great remains a mystery to us," Doogue said.

And the million-dollar question: How long should a homily be?

According to Doogue: "Not too long, not too short. Four to six minutes. More than seven minutes is too long."

Music also plays a huge role, he said, and a good choir adds to the experience.

Sunday Mass attendance and Catholic devotion in Ireland isn't what it used to be. What do the friends of these Gen Zers think?

"Honestly, they thought we were mad. But over the months, we've had people come with us. We've had a few more people join the group. We love our faith, but the social element's huge, like meeting people after Mass, chatting with the priest."

For Patterson, Sunday Mass is now something he looks forward to. "I'm watching a video, playing golf, or a bit of football, and then on to Mass on a Sunday. I take it as a complete recess and you can reflect on what you did during the week, what you're going to do next week."

Doogue admitted that before their new Sunday obligation, he would miss Mass once or twice in a month. He summed up the attendance pattern of many of his Catholic peers as "CEO or CFO Mass-goers." CEO stands for "Christmas and Easter only"; CFO denotes "Christmas and funerals only." He said the interest in their "12 churches" demonstrates a newfound hook in attracting people to attend Mass and suggests a curiosity in the Catholic faith.

Many priests enjoy seeing the trio at the end of Mass and hearing their story.

"The bishop thought it was brilliant. So did our old parish priest," Doogue said. The parish priest in question enjoyed the stories so much he invited the trio to the parochial house where they tucked into Chinese food before discussing the fine details of diverse congregations across dioceses.

"We've had friends say, 'You know what, it's a good idea, we might try it out,' and people text saying, 'Whenever you're in our parish, tell us and we'll go to Mass with you,'" Doogue said.

One thing has become clear to the young men: Priests who smile, make eye contact, speak plainly, and take time to chat before or after Mass transformed their experience. Conversations at the church door made them want to return.

The trio said they have no intention of giving up their alternative to the "12 pubs of Christmas" with its very different spiritual appeal.

Doogue told The Way, the Irish Bishops' media platform: "We don't know how many churches we will end up visiting, and we are not in any rush to stop. If loving Mass, community, friendship, and breakfast makes us mad, then we are more than happy to be."

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