Catholic News

Bishop Peter Dai Bui believes priests are not just "workers in the vineyard" but "sons and brothers who need to be accompanied," and this conviction has led to a new role in the Diocese of Phoenix that will help ensure all priests are supported spiritually, physically, and emotionally.

"I believe that a priest who is known, accompanied, and cared for brings that fullness to everything he does: to the altar, to the confessional, to the bedside of the dying," Bui, auxiliary bishop for the Diocese of Phoenix, told EWTN News.

Father Greg Schlarb, who is currently a pastor at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Scottsdale, Arizona, will pioneer the role of vicar for priestly life and ministry for the diocese, working with Bui, the vicar for clergy, to care for priests in the diocese.

While Bui's role is practical — handling priestly assignments and personnel management — Schlarb will take a "more proactive and personal approach," according to the diocese.

"I want to be a sounding board, a listening ear, and a compassionate brother who is there to support and assist them," Schlarb told EWTN News.

No priest has to walk alone

"Priestly formation does not end at ordination," Bui said. "It is a lifelong journey, and every priest needs someone walking alongside him in that journey. Father Schlarb's role exists to make sure no priest in the Diocese of Phoenix has to walk it alone."

"When our priests are well — humanly, spiritually, pastorally — their people feel it," Bui continued.

The new role is one of several mental health efforts established by Bishop John Dolan of Phoenix. Dolan, who has lost four family members to suicide, is known for his mental health advocacy.

"Bishop Dolan has always understood that the health of the diocese depends on the health of its priests, and as that conviction deepened, it became clear that priestly life and ministry deserved its own dedicated focus, that is, as a distinct and primary pastoral priority," Bui said.

"How do we make sure our priests have what they need, that they are healthy: spiritually, physically, mentally; that they constantly are formed and transformed in their relationship with Christ?" Dolan asked in his monthly podcast, "Tilma," which highlighted the new role.

"You're not just ordained a priest, but you're ordained a priest in the presbyterate — that means there's a community of priests of which you belong," Dolan said.

The Diocese of Phoenix spans 44,000 square miles and is the fastest-growing diocese in the U.S. It is home to more than 2 million Catholics and 94 parishes.

"It's my hope that all of our priests, no matter how far away they are from the Phoenix metropolitan area, will feel supported, heard, and loved," Schlarb said.

"Just as the parishioners they serve understand that the presence of a priest shepherding in the farthest parts of our diocese demonstrates the care, concern, and love of our bishop, so these heroic priests who serve in these remote parishes will also experience that same care, concern, and love through the presence and support I am able to offer them," Schlarb said.

A pastor's heart

"Priests can often face challenges when their life is 'out of balance,'" Schlarb said. "Sometimes there are personnel issues that cause great concern, or 'actively disengaged' parishioners are placing stumbling blocks for our pastors, or there's little to no opportunity to create community in these remote areas."

But Bui said he believes Schlarb has "exactly the right gifts to this work."

"He has a pastor's heart, a brother priest's credibility, and a genuine love for his fellow priests," he said.

Even though he does not start in the role until July 1, Schlarb said priests have already begun to reach out.

"There have been priests reaching out for guidance with pastoral challenges, new assignment excitement, and concerns and guidance on applying for sabbaticals or ongoing formation opportunities," Schlarb said.

"I am grateful to God for this assignment that Bishop John Dolan has entrusted to me and with the guidance of the word or God and the Holy Spirit, I hope to serve our priests to the best of my ability," he said.

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Carmelite sisters in Los Angeles are asking the Catholic faithful for prayers — and donations if they are able — after a fire destroyed one of their retreat houses April 11.

"[The] No. 1 [way to help] is just to pray with us, to be attentive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit right now, especially in this time of rebuilding, that we move according to what the Lord wants," Sister Meredith Boquiren, OCD, directress of the Sacred Heart Retreat House in Alhambra, California, told anchor Veronica Dudo in an April 16 interview on "EWTN News Nightly."

Early Saturday afternoon during a four-day Healing the Whole Person retreat, a fire broke out on the second floor of one of the two retreat houses on the campus, which is operated by the Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles.

No one was injured in the fire, but the damaged building is inoperable and will need to be rebuilt.

Three fire departments responded to the scene and prevented the fire from spreading further throughout the campus, which includes the motherhouse, where all the sisters begin formation. The sisters have operated the campus for 85 years.

The exact cause of the fire has not yet been determined, and the sisters believe the source may have been electrical.

Boquiren said in the interview that the fire alarm went off shortly after the conclusion of the final retreat Mass, which the sisters hosted during the latter half of the Easter Octave, just ahead of Divine Mercy Sunday.

"We've had some false alarms before, so I just went and ran to the place that the source indicated," Boquiren said. "So I ran up the second floor of the building and saw a bunch of billowing black smoke and realized it was real. And then I ran outside to see, and at that moment the window had burst open with flames."

She said it was "a strange experience because we had just finished some powerful testimonies" and within the next 10 minutes, "I experienced a sense of weight and darkness at the same time."

"It was just quite strange to … experience the paschal joy and resurrection of our Lord through the suffering, right? The actual healing journey that we were experiencing on retreat," she said. "So it was, it was quite a strange contradiction of emotions."

Boquiren said "the damage was pretty expensive," noting it is "a two-building, two-floor building with 25 rooms."

"The water, smoke, and fire damage is pretty extensive," she said. "The firemen had to make holes through the building on the top, and so it's basically unusable and irreparable at this time."

In addition to asking for prayers, Boquiren said: "If you are willing and able to provide a gift, we would greatly appreciate that."

Sister Mary Scholastica, OCD, director of advancement for the Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles, told EWTN News "it is too early for estimated cost of damages" but "an entire building will need to be rebuilt and construction in Southern California is costly."

She said the retreat house serves more than 13,000 people annually.

Although one building is unusable, Boquiren noted in her "EWTN News Nightly" interview that retreats are still happening, but "it's just with less capacity."

"Blessed be God, they are [still happening], because we still have two of the buildings that we use in operation," she said.

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DOUALA, Cameroon — Physical food is not enough, the soul needs the nourishment of the Eucharist, which sustains us in times of fear and suffering, Pope Leo XIV said at a Mass in Douala, Cameroon, on Friday.

Celebrating Mass for more than 120,000 people outside Japoma Stadium, in Cameroon's economic capital, the pope said in his homily that Jesus' miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes is a sign he came to serve with love, not domination.

The miracle "shows us not only how God provides humanity with the bread of life, but how we can share this sustenance with all men and women who, like ourselves, hunger for peace, freedom and justice," Leo said.

"Each act of solidarity and forgiveness, every good effort, becomes a morsel of bread for humanity in need of care," the pope added.

"Yet this alone is not enough: the food that sustains the body must be accompanied, with equal charity, by nourishment for the soul — a nourishment that sustains our conscience and steadies us in dark hours of fear and amid the shadows of suffering. This food is Christ himself, who always gives his Church abundant sustenance and strengthens us on our journey by giving us his Eucharistic Body," he said.

Leo celebrated Mass in French in Douala on his third day in Cameroon. On April 18, he will celebrate Mass in the country's capital, Yaoundé, before departing for the third country of his apostolic journey in Africa — Angola.

In his homily, delivered mostly in French, the pope reflected on miracle of the loaves and fished, comparing the crowd in the Gospel to those present at the Mass.

"The Gospel we have heard (John 6:1-15) is the word of salvation for all humanity. This Good News is proclaimed today throughout the world; for the Church in Cameroon, it resounds as a providential proclamation of God's love and of our communion," he said.

Describing the scene in the Gospel, Pope Leo focused on the crowd and the lack of food: "Jesus asks us today, just as he asked his disciples then: how will you solve this problem? Look at all these hungry people, weighed down by fatigue. What will you do?"

The pope stressed that this question concerns everyone: "It is posed to the fathers and mothers who care for their families. It is directed to the shepherds of the Church, who watch over the Lord's flock, and also to those who bear social and political responsibility for the people and seek their well-being. Christ asks this question to the powerful and the weak, to the rich and the poor, to the young and the elderly, because we all hunger in the same way."

"Our necessity reminds us that we are creatures," he continued. "We need to eat in order to live. We are not God: but where is God in the face of people's hunger?"

Turning to Christ's response, Leo underlined the meaning of thanksgiving and sharing: "While awaiting our answers, Jesus gives his own: 'Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted.' A serious problem was solved by blessing the little food that was present and sharing it with all who were hungry."

He said the miracle is that "there is bread for everyone if it is given to everyone. There is bread for everyone if it is taken, not with a hand that snatches away, but with a hand that gives."

Pointing to the Mass being celebrated, the pope highlighted its transforming power as "a source of renewed faith, because Jesus becomes present among us. The sacrament [of the Eucharist] does not merely revive a distant memory; it brings about a 'companionship' that transforms us because it sanctifies us."

"This very altar, around which we gather for the Eucharist, becomes a proclamation of hope amid the trials of history and the injustices we see around us. It is a sign of God's love; in Christ, the Father invites us to share what we have, so that it may be multiplied in ecclesial fellowship," Leo said.

Switching to English, Pope Leo addressed young people, asking them to "be the first faces and hands that bring the bread of life to your neighbors, providing them with the food of wisdom and deliverance from all that does not nourish them, but rather obscures good desires and robs them of their dignity."

Acknowledging the realities of poverty, he issued a warning against violence and corruption, urging them to "not give in to distrust and discouragement" and to "reject every form of abuse or violence, which deceives by promising easy gains but hardens the heart and makes it insensitive."

"Do not forget that your people are even richer than this land, for your treasure lies in your values: faith, family, hospitality and work," he said.

This story was originally published by ACI Stampa, EWTN News' Italian-language sister service. It was translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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U.S. President Donald Trump on April 16 downplayed his recent public criticism of Pope Leo XIV, stating that he has "nothing against the pope" while continuing to falsely suggest that Leo wants Iran to develop nuclear weapons.

While speaking to the press on April 16, Trump was asked why he was "fighting with the pope." Trump responded that he himself "[has] to do what's right."

"It's very simple, I have nothing against the pope," Trump said. "... I'm not fighting with him. The pope made a statement, he says Iran can have a nuclear weapon. I say Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon."

The president had slammed Leo as "weak on crime" and "weak on nuclear weapons" in an April 12 social media post while suggesting that the pope "thinks it's OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon."

Leo has several times in recent weeks called for peace while criticizing the ongoing U.S.-led war against Iran, but it is unclear why Trump has repeatedly claimed that Leo has advocated for nuclear weapons in Iran.

The pope has spoken out explicitly against the expansion of global nuclear armaments in the recent past.

'I want him to preach the Gospel'

Asked at the April 16 press gaggle about the pope's obligation to preach the Gospel, the president responded: "I want him to preach the Gospel."

"I'm all about the Gospel," Trump told reporters. "But I also know that you cannot let [Iran] have a nuclear weapon. If they did, they would use it, and I think they'd use it quickly, and they would kill many millions of people."

"As president of the United States of America, I can't allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon," he said. "And here's the story: They won't have [it]. They've already agreed not to have [it]. That's good news. And I think the pope will be very happy."

Asked by a reporter if he would meet with the pope "to even out your differences," Trump said: "I don't think that's necessary."

During a press conference at the White House on Monday, Trump claimed that Iranian officials had contacted him seeking a peace deal. "They'd like to make a deal very badly," the president said.

Earlier peace talks in Islamabad, led by Vice President JD Vance, collapsed last weekend after Iran refused to meet U.S. demands to end its nuclear program.

Trump's support among Catholics dipped notably after the launch of the Iran war, with bipartisan polling finding that 48% of Catholic voters approve of the job Trump is doing as president and 52% disapprove. The president won 55% of the Catholic vote in the 2024 election.

The poll found that most Catholics disapprove of Trump's actions in Iran and the use of military force against the country but still favor some American influence in the region.

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Young men in the United States surpass young women in regard to the importance of religion in their lives.

Findings from 2024-2025 Gallup data revealed that 42% of young men ages 18 to 29 said religion is "very important" to them, up 14 percentage points since 2022-2023. This jump pushes them above the 29% of young women who reported the same.

Gallup's data comes from 4,015 interviews with U.S. adults, including 295 men under 30 and 145 women under 30. The survey had a margin of error of between plus or minus 7 and 10 percentage points. It also used information from separate reports of 26,601 U.S. adults, including 1,905 men under 30 and 832 women under 30, and a report of 27,616 U.S. adults, including 1,839 men 18 to 29 and 796 women 18 to 29. The margin of error was between plus or minus 3 and 4 percentage points.

Gallup found that young women are significantly the least likely age group of women to report religion is "very important" to them, compared with 47% of women ages 30 to 49, 53% of women ages 50-64, and 64% of women 65 or older.

While young women's stance on religion has held steady at about 30% since 2020-2021, young men's has been less stable. In 2020-2021, 34% of young men said religion was "very important" in their lives; this declined to 28% in 2022-2023 and has increased again.

Further findings from Gallup's religious data also found that from 2000-2001 through 2024-2025, young men have returned to the high point of how many find religion important.

The percentage of young men who reported monthly or more frequent attendance at religious services has risen. In 2022-2023, 33% of young men reported attending, compared with 40% in 2024-2025.

According to Gallup's monthly measurement of religious attendance in 2026 so far, 40% of young men continue to attend religious services weekly or monthly, consistent with 2025.

Young women's attendance has also increased since 2022-2023, rising three points to 39% in 2024-2025. However, this rate remains below the levels recorded in the early 2000s, when the group was at 54%.

Impact of political party and religious affiliation

The research looked at how political affiliation affects how often young men and women attend religious services.

Republican women and men are far more likely to attend religious services than Democratic women and men, with 58% of Republican women and 52% of  men attending at least monthly, compared with 31% of Democratic women and 26% of men.

The report noted that the partisan shifts affect the trends among young men and women differently, because of differences in party identification between them.

In 2024-2025, 48% of young men identified as or leaned Republican, compared with 41% who identified as or leaned Democratic. Among young women, 27% identified as or leaned Republican, compared with 60% who identified as or leaned Democratic.

The report also examined trends in how many young adults practice specific religions. The data found that as young men have become more religious since 2022-2023, more identify with a specific religion, but they still remain the least likely male age group to do so.

In 2024-2025, 63% of young men reported identifying with a specific religion including Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, or another religion. This was nearly the same as the 61% who reported the same in 2022-2023. However, it is the highest number reported by young men since 2012-2013, when the group was at 67%.

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To Venezuelans gripped by anxiety and fear after years of political violence, economic collapse, famine, and family separation, the newly-appointed bishop of Caracas said the hardships they have endured for too long can be faced with the certainty that the Lord has triumphed over sin and death.

José Dionisio Gómez, who was recently appointed by Pope Leo XIV as auxiliary bishop of Caracas, reminded the Venezuelan people that Christ's resurrection is "a source of solace and strength."

"In Venezuela, we have the hope of rising again at every moment in the face of every suffering and obstacle that confronts us," Gómez said in an interview with ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News.

"To rise with Christ is to strive to be better people and better witnesses to his resurrection," Gómez said. "Throughout history, it has been demonstrated that human beings possess the capacity through the grace of God and with the solidarity of their brothers and sisters to overcome situations of suffering caused by wars, pandemics, holocausts, abuses of power, and harassment."

The capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife by the United States military in the early hours of Jan. 3 ushered in "a new political era," presenting a scenario that was previously unimaginable.

The prelate cited the episcopate's latest pastoral exhortation, published in mid-February, in which the bishops stated that "Jesus Christ consoles us and encourages us to move forward with hope."

Gómez noted that Venezuelans are not alone amid their daily lives: "We are all aware of [the need to] and are eager to move our country forward, a country we love so much."

On March 18, Gómez and José Manuel León were named the two new auxiliary bishops-elect of Caracas. They join Auxiliary Bishop Carlos Márquez in assisting Archbishop Raúl Biord in the governance of the Church in the Venezuelan capital.

Venezuelans 'bear signs of Christ's passion'

Reflecting on Venezuela's political situation, Gómez, who also serves as rector of St. Rose of Lima archdiocesan seminary in Caracas, said that, regrettably, "all Venezuelans bear signs of Christ's passion, whether through imprisonment, exile, or migration under duress; through acute poverty as wages aren't enough to have a decent life; or because we witness others suffering even more and we are powerless to help them."

"Indeed, Jesus came to have compassion on us. That is why he drew near to and remained alongside the abandoned and suffering members of society, inviting them to bear that suffering with love and patience," he noted.

Gómez also referred to Pope Leo's Lenten message, which echoed the words God addressed to Moses: "I have seen the oppression of my people who are in Egypt, and I have heard their cries of pain" (Ex 3:7).

Law on amnesty and national reconciliation

In mid-February, the National Assembly, which is controlled by the ruling socialist party, approved the Law on Amnesty and National Reconciliation, which led to the release of hundreds of political prisoners.

However, various independent organizations have said the new law has not benefited all detainees and have charged that its application serves the interests of the regime. According to the Foro Penal, 485 people remain unjustly detained in Venezuela.

"There is not the slightest doubt that we all wish to live in justice and truth. The amnesty law is also the law of God's mercy, who desires that all men be saved. For this reason, he offers his forgiveness to all," Gómez explained.

"A wounded country and a wounded human being are healed through forgiveness and reconciliation by setting aside interests of any kind and always seeking paths toward the common good and brotherhood, where we are all one despite our differing ways of thinking, accepting one another. Therefore, it is important to set aside what divides us and embrace what unites us," he said.

'Let us make our lives a journey of peace and reconciliation'

Gómez noted that "the new era" for Venezuela coincides with the Franciscan Jubilee Year, which serves as "a good opportunity to embark on a path of education for peace, one that entails nonviolence and reconciliation."

"It's not about forgetting but rather about remembering, repairing the damage, and building bonds of fraternity. A society achieves reconciliation and rebuilds itself not with heroes but with free, responsible people capable of living together with dignity and building a future worthy of hope," the auxiliary bishop-elect emphasized.

Finally, he prayed that Catholics might make their "great contribution" to Venezuela, following the example of St. José Gregorio Hernández, who offered his life for the end of World War I.

"Let us make our lives a journey of peace and reconciliation so that all Venezuelans may return to the source of our essence: a people of solidarity — friendly, humorous, and joyful — with a simple faith and fervent religious expressions, and ready to help anyone in need," he urged.

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 Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is increasing its pressure campaign on underground Catholics, according to a report from Human Rights Watch.

"A decade into Xi Jinping's Sinicization campaign and nearly eight years since the 2018 Holy See-China agreement, Catholics in China face escalating repression that violates their religious freedoms," Yalkun Uluyol, a China researcher at Human Rights Watch, said in an April 15 report. "Pope Leo XIV should urgently review the agreement and press Beijing to end the persecution and intimidation of underground churches, clergy, and worshippers."

Human Rights Watch said it conducted interviews with "nine people outside the country who had firsthand knowledge of Catholicism in China" for its report, who said the 2018 Vatican-China agreement has "provided an overarching structure for the authorities to pressure underground Catholics."

Witnesses in the report said Catholics in China felt the agreement left them with "no other choice but to join the official church" and that those who have remained in the underground Church "felt betrayed by the Vatican."

Human Rights Watch also highlighted the Chinese government's persecution of Catholic bishops and clergy, citing instances of detention and forced disappearance as well as China's move to ban Catholic priests from teaching or evangelizing online.

"Catholic clergy released from detention continue to face harassment," the report said. "One person said in January that a priest he knew was barred from having bank accounts, SIM cards, and a passport, and thus has 'no means of survival and can barely make ends meet for even a day or two.'"

"The Vatican's agreement and policy regarding the Catholic Church in China in recent years has been disastrous," Nina Shea, Hudson Institute senior fellow,  told EWTN News. "Faithful Catholic bishops are subjected by the government to being disappeared, detained indefinitely without due process, sidelined but 'recognized' or being actively threatened with detention if they resist swearing fealty to only the Chinese Communist Party and not Rome."

Shea, who also serves as director of the Hudson Institute's Center for Religious Freedom, urged Pope Leo XIV to lead a global prayer vigil for Chinese bishops who have been forcibly disappeared or detained.

"Pope Benedict XVI designated May 24 as the World Day of Prayer for the Church in China but it's been virtually forgotten in the last few years and never robustly embraced by the Vatican, which probably sees it as implicit criticism of the CCP, something it is loath to do," she said.

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The brother of Pope Leo XIV was reportedly the victim of a hoax bomb threat in a suburb outside of Chicago, according to police and media reports.

The New Lenox, Illinois, Police Department said in a Facebook post on April 15 that it had responded to a "reported bomb threat at a private residence" in the Chicago suburb about 40 miles outside of the city center.

The statement did not identify the home as belonging to Leo's brother John Prevost, but local media reports said the target of the threat was Prevost's home. Public records indicate that Prevost lives on the street to which police responded.

Police evacuated nearby homes during their investigation and called in explosive-detection K9 units. "After careful examination, investigators determined that the threat was unsubstantiated and that no explosive devices or hazardous materials were present," New Lenox police said.

The police noted that no injuries were reported but that the false bomb threat was "a serious offense and may result in criminal charges."

New Lenox Police Chief Micah Nuesse told EWTN News via email on April 16 that the matter was an "active and ongoing investigation" and that the police department had "no new updates to share" about the crime or any suspects.

The hoax threat came just several days after President Donald Trump praised Pope Leo XIV's other brother, Louis, in a rambling Truth Social post in which he derided Pope Leo XIV as "weak on crime" and "terrible for foreign policy" after Leo repeatedly criticized the ongoing U.S.-led war in Iran.

"I like [Leo's] brother Louis much better than I like him, because Louis is all MAGA. He gets it, and Leo doesn't!" Trump said. Louis Prevost currently lives in Florida.

On April 11 at a Vatican peace vigil, the pope criticized the "madness of war" and urged world leaders: "Stop! It's time for peace!" On March 29, meanwhile, he said that God "does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war."

In Trump's Truth Social post, he suggested that Leo — the first American-born pontiff — was only elected to the papacy as part of a diplomatic strategy to "deal with" Trump himself, due to Leo's U.S. background.

"If I wasn't in the White House, Leo wouldn't be in the Vatican," Trump claimed in the post.

Responding to a question about Trump's post on April 13, Leo told media that "people who read it will be able to draw their own conclusions."

"I am not a politician, and I have no intention of entering into a debate with him," the pope said, adding that he had "no fear neither of the Trump administration nor of speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel."

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For the fourth consecutive year, the Holy See will have its own pavilion at the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia in Italy.

The Dicastery for Culture and Education announced the participation of several influential figures in contemporary art and culture — including American singer Patti Smith and Mexican architect Tatiana Bilbao — in the Holy See Pavilion at the 61st International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale, which will be held May 9 through Nov. 22.

This edition of the Italian cultural event, titled "In Minor Keys," is a sensory and meditative experience that seeks to reconnect participants with the emotional and affective roles of art in society.

In a press release, the Dicastery for Culture and Education announced the 24 artists who will form part of the Holy See's selection this year, reflecting the event's concept for 2026, which invites visitors to slow down the pace of life and open up spaces for reflection and silence.

This edition is marked by the unexpected death in May 2025 in Basel, Switzerland, of its curator, Koyo Kouoh, a Cameroonian-Swiss artist globally recognized as one of the most powerful voices in the promotion of contemporary African art.

Patti Smith is popularly known as the "Godmother of Punk." Her 1975 debut album "Horses" marked a turning point in New York punk by fusing rock and poetry.

The prestigious Mexican architect Tatiana Bilbao, internationally renowned for her humanist and social approach to architecture, will also participate in the project. She designed the pavilion for the 2025 Venice Biennale, a project titled "Opera Aperta" ("Open Work"), which received a special mention from the jury.

Inspired by a medieval saint

Inspired by the life and spiritual legacy of St. Hildegard of Bingen, the Holy See's pavilion as explained by the Vatican is conceived as a space for contemplation and deep listening.

Titled "L'orecchio è l'occhio dell'anima" ("The Ear Is the Eye of the Soul"), the pavilion will be hosted across two historic venues in the city: Cannaregio and Castello.

It has been curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist and Ben Vickers in collaboration with the Soundwalk Collective and draws upon the life and spiritual legacy of St. Hildegard, a 12th-century Benedictine nun, mystic, composer, and thinker who was proclaimed a saint and doctor of the Church in 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI.

The works commissioned from the participating artists are conceived as a "sonic prayer": an art form that unites music, spoken word, film, and silence, and invites the visitor to an experience of contemplative listening.

As explained by the Vatican, the proposal reflects a curatorial vision that conceives of sound as a path to inner knowledge and spiritual experience, reviving a central insight of the thought of Hildegard of Bingen.

The project is curated by Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça, prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education.

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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Pope Leo XIV spent his first full day in Cameroon on April 16 meeting with local Catholics and other officials, hosting a meeting for peace and saying Mass in the central African country.

The Holy Father will ultimately spend several days in Cameroon before heading on to Angola and then Equatorial Guinea during his first apostolic journey to Africa. The trip is scheduled to last through April 23.

Here is a look at the pope's activities in Cameroon:

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