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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 1, 2025 / 18:37 pm (CNA).

A small Catholic church in Heber City, Utah, will offer a Mass for the repose of the soul of Russell M. Nelson, the president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), who died on Sept. 27 at the age of 101.

St. Lawrence Catholic Church, a mission church of St. Mary's in Park City, will celebrate the Mass at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 2. The community will pray a rosary for the repose of his soul at 8:45 a.m. before the weekday Mass begins.

Catholics offer prayers for the dead to ask God to grant graces to the recently deceased for the purification of their souls, which may not be complete at the moment of the person's death.

The church extended an "open invitation" to everyone in the Heber Valley community to attend the Mass in a message posted to Facebook. It is open to any person who wants to join in prayer for Nelson, "especially our LDS neighbors," according to the post.

"We are grateful for President Nelson's kindness to the Catholic community especially in Utah," the post read. "Over the years, he has led efforts to support our Catholic charity work as well as renovation projects at the Cathedral of the Madeleine — our mother church for the Diocese of Salt Lake City."

Justin Hibbard, the mission administrator and director of evangelization at St. Mary's, told CNA the Catholic community in Heber Valley has a "great relationship with our LDS neighbors here."

He noted the area is predominantly LDS, and nearby congregations have volunteered to help with Catholic service projects. He said he suggested a Mass for the repose of the soul of Nelson to St. Mary's pastor, Father Arokia Dass David, who felt it would be "a great way to show solidarity to our community and be good neighbors to our Mormon friends."

"These are the types of things our community needs to bring us together and to do things together as a broader faith community," Hibbard added.

Hibbard said he expects one of Nelson's daughters to attend the Mass. He said the church will have rosaries and handouts explaining how to pray the rosary for non-Catholics who attend the Mass and are unfamiliar with the prayers. He said a member of a local LDS ward reached out to him to request materials to "help people with praying the rosary."

The church has enough pews for about 130 people. Hibbard said the weekday morning Masses usually get about 25 to 30 people, but he expects a much larger number on Thursday because of the LDS members who are likely to be in attendance.

Father Christopher Gray, the rector of the Cathedral of the Madeleine in Salt Lake City, said in a statement that he thanks Nelson and the LDS community for the support for the cathedral in recent years and expressed sorrow for his death.

"As the mother church for Catholics in Utah, the Cathedral of the Madeleine joins the world in mourning the passing of President Russell M. Nelson," he said in a post on Facebook. "We offer our condolences to our brothers and sisters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."

Gray noted that Nelson offered his condolences when Pope Francis died earlier this year. Gray added: "With a heavy heart, I express my gratitude for [Nelson's] lifetime of dedication, faith, and service, and I thank our LDS neighbors for generously sharing his teaching with us."

Nelson met Francis at the Vatican in 2019, which was the first-ever meeting between a pope and an LDS president.

Gray told CNA he is "tremendously grateful for the charitable work of the [LDS] throughout the world, and the many ways it interfaces with the work of Catholic organizations like Catholic Relief Services."

"In Utah, we work together closely and are grateful to the LDS members who, under the leadership of President Nelson, have so powerfully witnessed to the dignity of all people by working with the Diocese of Salt Lake City's Catholic Community Services," he said. "We are united in meaningfully assisting the poor, the afflicted, the refugees, and others in need here in Utah, and this same spirit can be seen at work around the world."

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ACI Prensa Staff, Oct 1, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Speaking at the School of Theology of Northern Spain in Vitoria-Gasteiz, the relator for the Vatican's Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, Monsignor Melchor Sánchez de Toca, noted that the lives of the canonized saints "raise incisive questions that pierce our conscience."

"Our hope lies in the beauty of a life lived to the fullest and its power to attract. The saints appear before us with the radiance of a life that attracts and invites," he emphasized at an academic event on Sept. 26 marking the beginning of the school year.

During his inaugural lecture, Sánchez de Toca also stated that "the saints, along with Christian art, are the Church's true apologetics. They are the credibility of the Gospel, incarnated not in ideas but in people of flesh and blood, because they reflect Christ."

"There are lives of servants of God that are truly heroic, more admirable than imitable, imposing because of the radical nature of what they demand; there are lives hidden with Christ in God, in the solitude of the cloister, in the intimacy of a Christian home; and there are beautiful, truly luminous lives. Theology cannot do without any of them," he added.

Divorce between holiness and theology

Appointed relator for the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints in March 2023 after 20 years working in the Dicastery for Culture and Education, Sánchez de Toca explained that while "knowledge and holiness have gone hand in hand in the lives of the great pastors and theologians of the great centuries," there has increasingly been at work "an ever-widening divorce between holiness and theology."

He noted that "after the great figures of St. Anselm, St. Thomas, and St. Bonaventure, it is difficult to find great saints among the teachers of theology."

"The 20th century has been rich in great theological figures of the first order who can be counted among humanity's greatest thinkers, but none of them has deserved the glory of the altars," he explained.

Sánchez de Toca argued that "the knowledge of God proper to the saints develops far from the classrooms and corridors of theology schools: It grows in the street, in the factories, in poor neighborhoods, in family life, or in the society of a monastery, but rarely in theology classrooms."

According to the relator, it seems "as if the knowledge of God proper to the saints is moving away from the university environment and at the same time, the knowledge of the faith taught in classrooms is disregarding the knowledge of the saints and any connection with them."

Restoring the lost unity of theology

Sánchez de Toca also maintained that "there already exists in this life a certain imperfect participation in the divine light, either through the understanding of faith, the 'scientia fidei' (the knowledge of faith), or through intimate and personal union with God, the 'scientia amoris' (the knowledge of love)."

"It is necessary to reconcile these two theologies," he emphasized, adding that "we need to restore the lost unity of theology, so that it may truly nourish the faith and not just the intellect, but rather be an introduction to the mysteries of God."

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

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Vatican City, Oct 1, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday expressed his concern over the recent violent clashes between law enforcement and young protesters in Madagascar, which have left several dead and around 100 injured. 

Following the catechesis at the general audience on Oct. 1, the pontiff said: "Let us pray to the Lord that all forms of violence may always be avoided and that the constant pursuit of social harmony may be fostered through the promotion of justice and the common good."

Madagascar is experiencing a serious social and political crisis following a series of mass protests that have left at least 22 dead and more than 100 injured. The demonstrations, led mostly by young people, erupted in the capital, Antananarivo, due to prolonged power and water outages that have affected the population for weeks. The protests quickly spread to other cities such as Mahajanga, Fenoarivo, and Diego Suárez, reflecting widespread discontent with the government of President Andry Rajoelina.

At the end of his public audience, Leo also recalled the Oct. 1 feast day of "St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus, doctor of the Church and patron saint of missions."

"May her example encourage each of us to follow Jesus on the path of life, bearing joyful witness to the Gospel everywhere," he said.

Before the audience in St. Peter's Square, Pope Leo stopped to bless an Italian-made replica of the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, in France, crafted entirely out of wheat stalks.

The Church's mission

In his spiritual message at the audience, Pope Leo spoke about the Church's mission to communicate the joy of the Resurrection without exerting power over others.

"This is the heart of the mission of the Church: not to administer power over others but to communicate the joy of those who are loved precisely when they did not deserve it," he said.

He reminded Christians of their responsibility "to be instruments of reconciliation in the world."

The pontiff dedicated his catechesis this week to the Resurrection and to Christ's appearance afterward to the disciples in the Upper Room.

The risen Christ's appearance, Leo said, "is not a bombastic triumph, nor is it revenge or retaliation against his enemies. It is a wonderful testimony to how love is capable of rising again after a great defeat in order to continue its unstoppable journey."

The pope described how Christ appears to the apostles with meekness, demonstrating "the joy of a love greater than any wound and stronger than any betrayal."

Appearing in the upper room, Jesus does not force his friends, the apostles, to accept the reality of his resurrection, he said. "His only desire is to return to communion with them, helping them to overcome the sense of guilt."

Leo noted that it could be considered strange that Christ displayed his wounds to those who had disowned and abandoned him: "Why not hide those signs of pain and avoid reopening the wound of shame?"

The reason, he continued, is because Jesus is fully reconciled with what he has suffered. He has no resentment, he holds no grudges. "The wounds serve not to reproach but to confirm a love stronger than any infidelity."

"They are the proof that, even in the moment of our failure, God did not retreat. He did not give up on us," he added.

He invited Catholics to follow Jesus' example and to not give in to the temptations of revenge or retaliation. "When we get up again after a trauma caused by others, often the first reaction is anger, the desire to make someone pay for what we have suffered. The Risen One does not react in this way," said.

Another temptation after betrayal, the pontiff said, is to "mask our wounds out of pride, or for fear of appearing weak. We say, 'it doesn't matter,' 'it is all in the past,' but we are not truly at peace with the betrayals that have wounded us."

"At times we prefer to hide our effort to forgive so as not to appear vulnerable and to risk suffering again," he added. "Jesus does not. He offers his wounds as a guarantee of forgiveness. And he shows that the Resurrection is not the erasure of the past but its transfiguration into a hope of mercy."

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Vatican City, Oct 1, 2025 / 09:30 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV said he will not interfere in the court case of Cardinal Angelo Becciu, the former deputy Vatican secretary of state convicted of embezzlement, aggravated fraud, and abuse of office.

In response to a journalist who asked the pontiff about the "Becciu trial" on Tuesday evening outside Castel Gandolfo, Leo said "the trial must go forward" and that "he has no intention of interfering" in the legal proceedings underway.  

The pope's comments were made about one week after the commencement of Becciu's hearing before the Vatican Court of Appeal on Sept. 22, nearly two years after his conviction by the Vatican City State criminal court.

In December 2023, after a two-and-a-half-year trial, the Italian cardinal and former deputy Vatican secretary of state was convicted, alongside eight other defendants, of financial malfeasance. 

Becciu, the first cardinal to be tried by the Vatican tribunal, was dealt a five-and-a-half-year prison sentence, an 8,000 euro (about $9,400) fine, and a permanent disqualification from holding public office.

The other defendants who were also tried and found guilty were also given a variety of sentences. Five of those defendants — Raffaele Mincione, Enrico Crasso, Gianluigi Torzi, Fabrizio Tirabassi, and Cecilia Marogna — also received prison sentences of varying length.

The former Vatican deputy secretary of state has consistently protested his innocence, maintaining that he acted with papal approval or authority when he invested money or issued payments using Vatican funds.

The Vatican realized a $200 million loss following a highly speculative real estate deal in London's Sloane Avenue negotiated by the Vatican Secretariat of State in 2014 while Becciu was in office.

The cardinal was also found guilty of making at least 125,000 euros (about $148,000) in unauthorized payments to his brother's charity in Sardinia as well as approving more than 500,000 euros (about $590,000) be paid to geopolitical expert Marogna who, instead of using it for intelligence and a humanitarian mission to help free a kidnapped religious sister in Mali, was accused of spending the funds on luxury goods and travel.

Last October, the Vatican released its reasons for convicting Becciu, stating he was involved in the illicit use of Holy See funds despite having no "profit-making purpose" and stressing that the trial was fair.

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ACI Africa, Oct 1, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Testimonies of Nigerians kidnapped by jihadist Fulani herdsmen have revealed that hundreds of Christians are still being held by the Islamist group in the infamous Rijana Forest in the southern part of Nigeria's Kaduna state.

In a statement shared with ACI Africa, CNA's news partner in Africa, on Sept. 28, the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) decried the persecution of Christians allegedly being held near a military post and said the victims must be freed.

Intersociety researchers quoted a report by TruthNigeria earlier this month called "Inside Rijana: Nigeria's Forest of Hostage" that gathered testimonies from victims of jihadist attacks who reported being marched to the infamous Rijana enclave, a sprawling settlement hidden in the forest, "like a secret village of its own."

The victims who were held by their kidnappers for months recounted seeing 11 major camps in Rijana, each holding more than 50 captives. They also saw 10 smaller camps with around 30 captives in each of them. The total number of Christian captives believed to be in the village as of August was 850.

Researchers at Intersociety said they find it inconceivable that the captives are held near military bases and that nothing is being done to rescue them.

"No fewer than 850 Christian hostages are languishing inside Rijana Forest, near a Nigerian army base and others in Kachia County, southern part of Kaduna state," the researchers say, quoting the TruthNigeria report.

Decrying the laxity of Nigerian authorities when it comes to the situation of the Christians still languishing in Rijana, Intersociety researchers said: "The forest is located along Kaduna-Abuja Expressway and home to the Nigerian Army Table Hill Training Area and Army School of Artillery, among other military sites."

Intersociety researchers noted that Kaduna state is "likely to have recorded the largest number of kidnapped Christians in Nigeria in the past nine or 10 months," between Dec. 2, 2024, and Sept. 28, "with no fewer than 1,100 cases."

Victims' testimonies 

The TruthNigeria report details experiences of 32-year-old Esther Emmanuel and her 10-month-old daughter, Anita, who were kidnapped from their home in Gaude village, Kaduna state, on the night of June 4.

The same night, the Fulani terrorists behind the kidnapping also took 35-year-old farmer Maureen Mica.

Describing the Fulani terrorists' hideout in Rijana, Mica told TruthNigeria: "I saw many big camps, about five, but there could be more. Each of them held over 50 hostages. There were also smaller camps with about 30 people each — more than 10 of those. Esther and I were kept in one of the smaller camps, numbering 30. Each camp is named after its commander. Ours was called Sanda, after the commander."

She recounted that life inside the camp was brutal and that hostages survived on cornmeal, often without soup, and were regularly beaten.

"We sometimes went seven days without food," Mica said, adding: "If baby Anita cried, the terrorists flogged both the baby, her mother, and me."

Confirming the cruelty, Emmanuel told TruthNigeria: "They warned us never to speak, never to look them in the eye, and never to say Christian prayers. Once, when my baby cried, I tried to breastfeed her. One terrorist snatched her from me. Instead of soothing her, he covered her mouth and nose, choking her. I had to wrestle her back."

"Prayer was our only consolation," she said. "In our camp, they executed two people because their parents could not pay ransom. In the bigger camps, executions were more frequent. Anytime we heard gunfire, we knew someone had been killed. Four bursts usually meant two people had been executed."

Meanwhile, the Intersociety researchers called on the military in Nigeria to go back to how it was before it lost the people's trust.

The researchers said that before June 2015, the Nigerian military was known for "neutrality, secularity, and semi-professionalism" — qualities they said raised its public trust and confidence among Nigerians.

Over the years, the trust that Intersociety estimates was at 45% "drastically reduced to less than 20% … especially among civilian citizens of the east and members of minority ethnic and religious groupings in the north."

Intersociety researchers pointed out a lack of neutrality among the military authorities, as the situation is characterized by "romance with jihadist bandits and their allies in the north," they said.

The group decried "negotiations and pacifications" between the military and jihadist bandits, noting that the situation has made it difficult for the Nigerian government and the country's security forces and their commanders to successfully extricate themselves from involvement in attacks, especially those targeting Christians.

The researchers said they find it inconceivable that while jihadists are freely brandishing guns in their attacks against vastly Christian populations, Christians on the other hand are not allowed to keep any weapons to defend themselves.

This story was first published by ACI Africa, CNA's news partner in Africa, and has been adapted by CNA.

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CNA Staff, Sep 30, 2025 / 12:56 pm (CNA).

A West Virginia circuit court judge has tossed out a lawsuit aiming to block a state government agency from providing a $5 million grant to an Ohio Catholic trade school.

Judge Richard Lindsay said in the Sept. 25 ruling that the seven-figure grant from the West Virginia Water Development Authority was constitutional, nixing the effort by the American Humanist Association to block the funds for the College of St. Joseph the Worker in Steubenville, which is looking to expand into West Virginia.

Lindsay had blocked the grant in July after the secular humanist group argued in its lawsuit that the state government's grant would violate Article III of the West Virginia Constitution.

That section forbids the government from using tax funds "for the erection or repair of any house for public worship or for the support of any church or ministry."

In his Sept. 25 ruling, however, Lindsay said the court had received documentation that the entirety of the grant is "being used for the purpose of economic development only" and "therefore is constitutional."

The West Virginia water authority is empowered to issue grants to "encourage economic growth," Lindsay noted in his ruling. The government agency told the court that the grant to the Steubenville school would be used only for "real estate acquisition, site development, construction, infrastructure improvement," and other nonreligious endeavors.

School president Michael Sullivan, meanwhile, agreed that none of the grant would be spent on "religious advocacy of any kind." Grant money would also not go toward teacher salaries, Sullivan said.

Lindsay said in his ruling that the humanist group had "rightly" challenged the grant under the impression that it would fund religious advocacy.

But since the school and the West Virginia government agreed that the funds would only go toward secular concerns, there is "no genuine issue of material fact" in the case, Lindsay said, and there is "no question of constitutional law" remaining.

The Ohio school did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the decision on Sept. 30. The humanist group, meanwhile, said on Sept. 26 that it was "satisfied" with the ruling.

The group alleged that the original grant was an "affront to West Virginia taxpayers" and a "blatant violation of church-state separation."

St. Joseph the Worker teaches construction-related trades such as carpentry, HVAC, electrical, and plumbing. It also offers a bachelor's degree in Catholic studies along with the trade lessons.

The school says on its website that its Catholic studies program is "designed to prepare [students] for the lay vocation: sanctifying your family, your workplace, and your community."

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ACI Prensa Staff, Sep 30, 2025 / 13:45 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV responded with a father's heart to a 21-year-old Roman medical student who asked him "What does the future hold for us?" and "What can young people do to aspire to a better world, when there is so much injustice, tragedy, and war today?"

Veronica, whose dream is to be a doctor, wrote a letter to Leo XIV asking him these and other questions. She pointed out to him that all the current problems make it seem "impossible to live in peace," according to the September issue of Piazza San Pietro magazine.

After encouraging Veronica to fulfill her dream of serving "the weakest and most unfortunate," the Holy Father noted that her "questions are those on the hearts of many of your contemporaries. It is true that we live in difficult times: Evil seems to overwhelm our lives, wars claim more innocent victims."

"But all this must not make us lose hope for a better world. As I have already said, quoting St. Augustine: 'Let us live well, and the times will be good. We are the times.' Likewise, the times will be good if we are good!" Leo continued.

"For this to happen, we must place our hope once again in the Lord Jesus. It is he who has stirred in your heart the desire to make of your life something great," the pope emphasized.

"It is he who will give you the strength to improve yourself and the society around you so that the times we live in may be truly good," the pontiff continued.

Recalling the 2025 Jubilee of Youth, which brought together 1 million people in Rome, Pope Leo XIV repeated "the invitation I made to you and to all the young people who came to Tor Vergata: 'Cultivate your friendship with Jesus.' It's worth it. You can be sure."

The Holy Father then asked Veronica to keep him "in the loop about your studies and your inner journey. I bless you from my heart."

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

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CNA Staff, Sep 30, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Political satirist Bill Maher, who has often been a vocal critic of Christianity, recently called attention to the persecution of Christians in Nigeria, calling the ongoing violence a "genocide attempt."

"I'm not a Christian, but they are systematically killing the Christians in Nigeria," he said during the Sept. 26 episode of his HBO show "Real Time with Bill Maher."

"They've killed over 100,000 since 2009. They've burned 18,000 churches," Maher said, referring to violent Islamists in Nigeria such as Boko Haram.

"This is so much more of a genocide attempt than what is going on in Gaza," he continued. "They are literally attempting to wipe out the Christian population of an entire country."

"Where are the kids protesting this?" Maher asked.

The violent persecution of Christians in Nigeria "is underreported in Western media," Religious Freedom Institute President David Trimble told CNA.

Trimble, commending Maher for raising the issue "to his mass audience, which may otherwise have very little exposure to such weighty issues," noted that the "atrocities committed against Nigerian Christians can rightly be labeled as genocide." 

"Nigeria is the most dangerous place in the world to be a follower of Jesus," Trimble said. "Over the last decade, Islamist extremists have killed approximately 4,000 Christians there annually."

Since July 2009, more than 19,000 Christian churches have been destroyed or looted, while hundreds of clergy, including Catholic priests, have been kidnapped or attacked. Less than two weeks ago, a Catholic priest named Father Matthew Eya was murdered while returning from his ministry.  

Edward Clancy, outreach director of Aid to the Church in Need USA, said that Christian persecution is at its height in Nigeria.

"It's the area in the world where more Christians are killed for their faith than anywhere else," Clancy told CNA.

"It's amazing that it takes Bill Maher to become the voice of Christian persecution in the United States," Clancy added.

Experts call the persecution a genocide

Christians make up about half of Nigerians, but they live in fear of persecution. 

"Shocking levels of violence have persisted for years," Trimble said.

Christians experience frequent violent attacks, especially those living on farms in small towns on the outskirts of the north central state of Benue, which is predominantly Christian. Their farms are often burned to the ground during these attacks, destroying their livelihoods.

"They attack small towns and devastate them to the point that people need to abandon their homes, and then they'll destroy and burn what's remaining," Clancy said. "It just demolishes the whole community." 

Because of the destruction, many parishes have been forced to close. In the Diocese of Makurdi in Benue, at least 16 parishes have been abandoned due to the violence, according to Clancy. As each parish has multiple locations, this translates to roughly 40 churches. 

The violence in Nigeria has "a lot of the elements of a genocide," Clancy said.

The violence began in 2009 with the Boko Haram insurgency, which aimed to turn Nigeria into an Islamic state. Since then, the group has been orchestrating terrorist attacks on civilians and targeting Christians. 

But militant Fulani herdsmen contribute to a majority of the violence, sowing fear in Nigeria's Middle Belt communities.  

"These Fulani militants account for more attacks against Christians (and Muslims) than either of the more prominent Boko Haram and ISWAP [Islamic State West Africa Province]," Trimble said.

The violence is now growing in the south, according to Trimble. 

"Violence against Christians, once confined predominantly to the north and Middle Belt, is now also spreading further south, where the majority of Nigerian Christians reside," Trimble said. 

Persecution is enshrined in Nigerian law, with blasphemy laws, sharia codes, and sharia courts in more than a dozen provinces "that oppose equal rights and due process for religious minorities," according to Trimble.

"Atrocities committed against Nigerian Christians can rightly be labeled as genocide in terms both of how that term is used in popular discourse as well as its more precise usage in international law," Trimble added.

Clancy noted that declarations of genocide are often "after the fact."

"By the time someone says it, it's history," Clancy said. "We've got to stop it beforehand."

Vocations thrive amid persecution 

Though priests are being kidnapped and even killed, vocations thrive in Nigeria.

"Believe it or not, it's inspiring vocations," Clancy said. "You would think that Tertullian was a lunatic when he said, 'The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the faith.' But there's been so many young men who've been emboldened."

"The seminaries are full," he said. 

When asked how Catholics can support their fellow Christians in Nigeria, Clancy said that "we should always start with prayer because it guides us, but it also helps to strengthen us."

But also, Clancy encouraged Christians in the U.S. to "build awareness" as the topic of Christian persecution often "becomes cloistered in the confines of worship space" but "it doesn't break out."

"The Church is being very faithful and serving the people around the world in the harshest places," Clancy said. "Let people know that our brothers and sisters in places like Nigeria are suffering."

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CNA Staff, Sep 29, 2025 / 21:45 pm (CNA).

Multiple U.S. Catholic bishops offered prayers and expressed their solidarity after a gunman attacked a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) chapel in Grand Blanc, Michigan, on Sept. 28,, killing four people, injuring eight, and setting the building on fire. The incident occurred just before 10:30 a.m. during a Sunday service with hundreds in attendance.

The suspect, identified as 40-year-old Thomas Jacob Sanford of Burton, Michigan, drove a pickup truck into the chapel's entrance, entered with an assault-style rifle, and began shooting. Witnesses reported Sanford shouting anti-LDS slurs. He then used an accelerant to start a fire inside the building. Grand Blanc Township Police arrived within a minute of 911 calls, engaging Sanford in a shootout and killing him. Firefighters extinguished the blaze, but the chapel was destroyed.

The victims included two adults and one child found in the debris, and one person who died from gunshot wounds at the hospital. Eight others were injured, five with gunshot wounds and three with smoke inhalation. 

In a statement, Archbishop Bernard Hebda of St. Paul-Minneapolis promised prayers for the LDS community, saying the LDS church had recently "extended their sincere condolences and prayers to the faithful of this Archdiocese," referring to the August shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis, where two students were killed and over 20 people were injured.

"Please join me in praying for them and for an end to senseless violence around the globe," Hebda said.

In a separate statement, Bishop Earl A. Boyea of Lansing also offered his prayers for those killed at the church, while also "assuring those who mourn, and those who are injured, my solace and support." 

"Any place of worship should be a sanctuary of peace," Boyea continued. "The violation of such a haven, especially upon a Sunday morning, makes yesterday's act of mass violence even more shocking. I commend the first responders for heroically assisting at the scene and for working to safeguard other local places of worship."

"Lastly, let us remember that Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life," he said. "Hence, in this moment of tragedy, let us all draw closer to Jesus, Prince of Peace."

Meanwhile,  Detroit Archbishop Edward J. Weisenburger said he was "heartbroken" by the gun violence and arson in Grand Blanc. "In this time of immense sorrow, I ask that we stand in solidarity with the victims, their families, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints," Weisenburger said.

"In an era marked by hostilities and division, let us all come together in faith and compassion, upholding the fundamental right to worship freely and without fear. May God's infinite love and mercy embrace and heal us all."

Bishop David J. Walkowiak of Grand Rapids also expressed his sorrow after the tragic attack, saying "No one should ever fear for their safety while gathering to worship. The ability to pray, to assemble peacefully, and to express one's faith is not only a constitutional right but a moral necessity for a compassionate society. My prayers are with the victims, their families, and the entire Latter-day Saints community as they grieve and seek healing in the face of this senseless violence."

Bishop Michael Burbidge of Arlington prayed for healing in another post, saying: "May we be united in prayer for those who lost their lives in the tragic violence at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan. We pray for their eternal rest, for comfort to their families, and for healing and peace for the entire community."

The attack came one day after the death of LDS Church President Russell M. Nelson on Saturday, Sept. 27, at age 101 in Salt Lake City.

President Donald Trump addressed the incident in a post on Truth Social, stating: "This appears to be yet another targeted attack on Christians in the United States of America. The Trump Administration will keep the Public posted, as we always do. In the meantime, PRAY for the victims, and their families. THIS EPIDEMIC OF VIOLENCE IN OUR COUNTRY MUST END, IMMEDIATELY!" 

Vice President JD Vance also addressed the attack in a social media post: "Just an awful situation in Michigan. FBI is on the scene and the entire administration is monitoring things. Say a prayer for the victims and first responders." 

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints also issued a statement expressing grief and gratitude for support: "We are deeply grateful for the outpouring of prayers and concern from so many people around the world. In moments of sorrow and uncertainty, we find strength and comfort through our faith in Jesus Christ. Places of worship are meant to be sanctuaries of peacemaking, prayer and connection. We pray for peace and healing for all involved."

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer ordered flags lowered statewide, describing the incident as "unacceptable violence in a sanctuary" and pledging support for the investigation. Grand Blanc area schools, both Catholic and public, closed Sept. 29.

The FBI, with support from the ATF and Michigan State Police, is investigating the attack as targeted violence. Three unexploded devices were found at the scene. Sanford, a former Marine and truck driver, had no known ties to the church but expressed anti-LDS views, according to neighbors. His social media included posts about religious "deceptions." The FBI is examining his motives.

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http://www.myspiritfm.com/News?blogid=Catholic-News&view=post&articleid=288769&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0

ACI Prensa Staff, Sep 29, 2025 / 16:53 pm (CNA).

Attacks against Christian communities, especially in northern Nigeria, are not an isolated phenomenon but rather a strategy to "annihilate them all and Islamize the country," said Emeka Umeagbalasi, a criminologist and researcher.

The expert has spent 30 years denouncing human rights violations in his country and is clear that "this is not simply a case of violence."

"We have documented the coordinated and systematic murder of an entire people; therefore we are clearly talking about a Christian genocide," he told ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner.

Umeagbalasi, the director of the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), has just published a report with chilling data on the violence that extremists carry out every day against those who profess the Christian faith.

They can't pray out loud so they do it in secret

The nongovernmental organization estimates that in the north of the country there are some 40 million Christians who "cannot pray out loud" because it is extremely dangerous. "They do it in secret, at night. No one dares to openly confess their faith. If you do, you risk being killed for 'blasphemy,'" the expert said.

Thus, he warned against a "systematic strategy to achieve the extermination of Christians," which, he alleged, is supported by the complicity of the state and the passivity of the international community.

"Today in northern Nigeria, it's almost impossible to live as a Christian, and if the trend continues, within half a century we will no longer be a country with religious pluralism," he affirmed.

One of the most serious issues documented by the organization he leads is precisely the "complicity" of the Nigerian state.

"Complicity is part of an expansive policy by the Nigerian government to Islamize the country," he charged. According to Umeagbalasi, during the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari (2015–2023), a former military officer of Fulani origin, Nigeria experienced a significant deterioration in internal security.

Although Buhari came to power with the promise of defeating jihadist groups and restoring stability, the truth is that both Boko Haram and its offshoot, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), have consolidated their control over large areas of the northeast of the country in recent years.

There is a 'national Islamization project'

"The jihadists have seized political power and have since launched a national Islamization project," he stated.

To justify the Nigerian state's inaction, Umeagbalasi cited the paradigmatic case of mass kidnappings in Kaduna state in the country's north. In this area, various armed groups linked to radicalized Fulani herders frequently attack Christian villages, with security forces making no attempt to prevent them. In fact, according to the expert, the Nigerian government tends to downplay this violence, describing it simply as "community crime."

"More than 850 Christians remain captive in several camps in the Rijana area, very close to a military base. This began in December 2024, and they remain held by jihadists to this day. Between December and August 2025, more than 100 prisoners were killed there. How is it possible that all this is happening just a few kilometers from military installations without anyone taking action?" the activist asked.

Parishes virtually empty for fear of attacks

According to the Nigerian Bishops' Conference, at least 145 Catholic priests have been kidnapped since 2015. However, investigations by Intersociety raise that number to 250 Catholic clergy attacked, along with another 350 ministers of various Christian denominations.

"The Catholic Church and the bishops in Nigeria are doing what they can, but there are limits to what they dare to say publicly," Umeagbalasi explained.

"They can't openly acknowledge, for example, that many parishes in the north of the country are practically empty for fear of attacks. But we, however, can tell the truth, and we do it to help them," he explained.

Violence has profoundly altered the religious balance in Nigeria. "The jihadists' goal is to eliminate Christians," the director of Intersociety warned.

The mass displacements to internally displaced persons camps — and beyond the country's borders, to Cameroon or Chad — are further evidence of the magnitude of the problem. "When they destroy your church, attack your community, and threaten your life, you have no choice but to flee," he pointed out.

The kidnapping business

In other research, the African security and strategy consultancy SBM Intelligence documented in its annual report, "Economics of Nigeria's Kidnap Industry, 2025 Update," that 4,722 people were kidnapped between July 2024 and June 2025 by extremist groups. Among the victims were 18 priests.

For the release of these thousands of hostages, people paid in Nigerian currency approximately 2.57 billion naira ($1.72 million), which is approximately 10% of what the kidnappers were demanding.

"The priests and nuns have families who end up paying ransoms even though the Catholic Church officially refuses to negotiate. In addition, the kidnappers keep the cars used by the clerics, which they end up selling on the black market. A car stolen from a priest can fetch up to 10 million naira ($6,727) on the black market," Umeagbalasi explained. 

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

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