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Vatican City, Jul 31, 2025 / 12:11 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Thursday appointed astronomer Father Richard Anthony D'Souza, SJ, as the new director of the Vatican Observatory.

D'Souza, who has worked at the Vatican's astronomical research and educational institution since 2016, will start his new position on Sept. 19, according to the Holy See Press Office statement.

The Indian priest succeeds Brother Guy J. Consolmagno, SJ, whose 10-year mandate ends next month, as head of the observatory. Consolmagno will remain at the scientific institution as a staff astronomer.

Born in Goa in 1978, D'Souza joined the Society of Jesus in 1996 and was ordained a priest in 2011 after completing studies at the Jnana Deepa Institute of Philosophy and Theology in India.

He obtained a bachelor's degree in physics from St. Xavier's College, University of Mumbai, India, in 2002 and was awarded a master's degree in physics by the University of Heidelberg, Germany, in 2005.

In 2016, he completed his doctorate in astronomy at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich, Germany, before moving to Italy to work with the Vatican Observatory in the same year. 

According to the Vatican Observatory website, D'Souza, whose area of specialized research is the formation and evolution of galaxies, is also the superior of the Jesuit community attached to the observatory in Castel Gandolfo, Italy. 

In 1891, Leo XIII issued the motu proprio Ut Mysticam ("As Mystical") authorizing the construction of a new modernized observatory in Castel Gandolfo, approximately 15 miles southeast of Rome. 

The Church's first observatory was founded in 1579 by Pope Gregory XIII, who entrusted the institution to the Society of Jesus.

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CNA Staff, Jul 31, 2025 / 15:05 pm (CNA).

A lawsuit filed in Massachusetts alleges that a Catholic student in a medical education program was dismissed from the school after she objected to having been forced to witness an abortion as part of her clinical studies.

The lawsuit, filed earlier this month in state court, alleges that Alina Thopurathu was taking part in Springfield College's physician assistant program when, during clinical rotations, she was scheduled to see a dilation and evacuation, or D&E, a procedure commonly used for later-term abortions.

Thopurathu, identified in the filing as a practicing Catholic, wrote in evaluations that she had assumed the procedure was intended for a miscarriage and that she was "overwhelmed" at witnessing an actual abortion.

"In the future, I believe students should be asked if they are comfortable with seeing a D&E rather than being assigned the procedure without patient information," she wrote in the evaluation.

The lawsuit says that after this write-up, faculty evaluations of Thopurathu "changed tone," with advisers accusing her of negative performance in the program, though she had received praise beforehand.

Eventually her academic advisers presented her with a "remediation contract" placing her under academic probation, according to the suit; the school also designated her work in the OB-GYN rotation as "incomplete." 

Thopurathu said she was "coerced" to sign the contract, the terms of which allegedly went beyond what was required in the student handbook. The school eventually dismissed her from the program, citing her alleged negative performance.

The suit claims that following her negative response to being forced to witness an abortion, the college "sought to dismiss [Thopurathu] for having personal values incompatible with those of the [school]." 

The lawsuit seeks monetary damages from the school, including $500,000 for "mental anguish, emotional distress," and other injuries. 

Springfield College did not immediately return a request for comment on the suit on Thursday. 

The suit has drawn national support from pro-life advocates. Students for Life of America spokesman Michael Allers told the College Fix this week that the group "stands with all Catholics in the academic space that are discriminated against by the secular elite."

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Vatican City, Jul 31, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Mikhail Ajjan fled war-torn Syria and the terrors of ISIS with his family when he was 10. Now a university student in Sweden, the 21-year-old Catholic faces a vastly different challenge of living his faith in a secular environment and is honing his media skills to help spread the Gospel.

Ajjan is one of more than 40 young Catholics from 23 countries who have come together to train in the 2025 EWTN Summer Academy in Rome, an intensive program in religious journalism and digital storytelling, which coincides this year with the Catholic Church's Jubilee of Youth.

Several of the academy participants come from places where Catholics live their faith amid severe adversity — from war zones to countries where cartel violence or religious persecution threaten Christian communities.

Among them is Nicolawos Hazboun, a multimedia officer from Bethlehem who works closely with Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa documenting life in the Holy Land for the Latin Catholic Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

On a recent afternoon, Hazboun, 26, paused to reflect on the current situation facing Palestinian Catholics in Bethlehem.

"It's a blessing for us to be in the same place where Jesus was born," he said. "My family is one of the biggest Christian families in Bethlehem. … We are in Bethlehem for more than 500 years … And we want to stay."

But staying isn't easy. "Nowadays we have a bad situation because of the war," Hazboun said. "We don't have any pilgrimage … groups from outside. The people of Bethlehem … depend on the tourists. We don't have any income."

Many Christian families in Bethlehem, he added, are leaving for Europe or North America. "We want the Christians of Bethlehem to grow and to increase in numbers, but unfortunately, the numbers of Christians in Bethlehem are getting low because of the situation."

Hazboun hopes to bring the skills he learns at the EWTN Summer Academy back to Bethlehem and Jerusalem to help him better communicate the experience of Christians in the Holy Land. 

"People are always surprised that there are … Palestinian Christians," Hazboun said. "I want them to know that we are a strong community."

"There are still Christians in Bethlehem. … Not all Palestinians are Muslim."

The EWTN Summer Academy, organized by the global Catholic media network EWTN, CNA's parent company, is now in its fourth year of training aspiring communicators in skills ranging from video editing to narrative reporting. The academy is held at the Pontifical Urban University's CIAM center with a panoramic view of Rome and the dome of St. Peter's Basilica and is offered at no cost to participants.

"I feel close to heaven," said Sister Mary Iyadunni Adeniyi, 27, a Nigerian member of the Congregation of Sisters of St. Michael the Archangel making her first pilgrimage to Rome to take part in the academy.

She recalls vividly the 2022 Pentecost massacre at St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Nigeria, where dozens of Catholics were killed.

"It feels bad that you just go out and you could get killed," she said. "We pray that God will help our faith and God could restore peace in our country."

Even so, Sister Mary remains committed to building a hopeful future. "The charism of my congregation is evangelization through inculturation," she explained.

"Now, it's a digital world … so we also have to use that for evangelization." She edits videos, designs graphics, and believes strongly in the potential of online platforms to reach young hearts.  

"Where can you find the young people in the 21st century? In the media," the sister said. 

In Vietnam, Tâm Nguyên Bùi, 31, works with the Vietnamese bishops' conference and also volunteers for the local archdiocese in Saigon.

"Even though we are a minority in the population — about 7% of 100 million people in the country — we have profound experiences in family life… and devotion in the churches," Nguyên said. 

"In the EWTN Summer Academy 2025, we are alongside 43 communicators from 23 countries. We come from different backgrounds, different experiences of faith also. I really learn when I speak with others about how they live their faith in their country. For some, it is freely and it's very enjoyable, but sometimes with difficulties," he said. 

Nguyên has translated some of the writings of St. John Paul II into Vietnamese and is a veteran of Catholic youth gatherings across Asia. He said that Catholics in Vietnam are hoping that Pope Leo XIV will visit Vietnam soon. "We try to pray that the relationship between Vietnam and the Holy See is better and gets better."

For Ajjan, the Jubilee of Youth will be a continuation of the rewarding experience that he had at the last World Youth Day.

"I've been to the World Youth Days in Portugal and I got hooked. So I was like, 'I'm going to the jubilee. I'm going to South Korea," he said referring to the 2027 World Youth Day in Seoul. 

Ajjan has also found a way to serve his local Catholic community. With EWTN Sweden, he helps a young priest to produce a weekly homily video series.  

"In our city, we have a very good youth pastor," he explained. "And we started to film a Sunday homily series with him. So each Wednesday we filmed the series, edited it, and then put it out on Sunday morning.?… It was really, really fun."

From Lebanon, Marguerita Kallassy is a trilingual journalist for ACI MENA, CNA's Arabic-language news partner, also owned by EWTN. She has covered everything from street protests to massive religious processions. But her heart lies in telling Catholic stories.

"It was so magical to bring that part of the East that still believes … that still has a place for Jesus in their lives," she said.

She wants to correct the common misperception that Christianity is all but vanished from the Middle East. 

"People never realize the scale [of Christianity] in the East. … They thought we have only Muslim community in Lebanon so I really need to tell people that this is the birthplace of Jesus. I mean — Jesus is not from New Jersey, you know?" she joked.

"My work with the EWTN inspired me so that I applied to the Sorbonne?… in media studies," she said. Kallassy will start her graduate studies in Paris in the fall.

Daniela Sánchez y Sánchez, 21, grew up in Puebla, Mexico, and is now studying journalism in Spain.

"Since I was a little kid, I always wanted to know … everything about everything," she said. She began working with Radio María and the Archdiocese of Puebla to report the news of the local Church and bring a message of faith to a country torn by drug violence. 

The Church's response, she said, has always been prayer — even for those committing violence. "[We] pray for all the victims, for all the priests who have been affected by this, and pray for those people … who are bad and want to do bad to our community," she said. "We all need to have mercy and pray for them."

Seated in view of St. Peter's, Santos marveled at the experience. "If you're into spreading God's message throughout the world and journalism, this is the best opportunity God has given us."

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 30, 2025 / 16:09 pm (CNA).

The University of California, Los Angeles, (UCLA) has agreed to a permanent court order forbidding campus antisemitism and a $6.13 million settlement after a number of discrimination complaints were filed against the school by Jewish students.

In June 2024, three students sued UCLA after the school "allowed a group of activists to set up barricades in the center of campus" to block Jewish students from accessing "critical educational infrastructure," according to the lawsuit, filed in U.S. district court. The suit was managed in part by the religious liberty law firm Becket.

UCLA agreed to the payout on July 28 after fighting the lawsuit for over a year. 

Some of the millions will be allocated to the defendants that brought the case forward, while more than $2 million of the funds will be donated to organizations that combat antisemitism on campus including the campus Hillel chapter, the Anti-Defamation League, and the Jewish Federation Los Angeles. 

"We are pleased with the terms of today's settlement. The injunction and other terms UCLA has agreed to demonstrate real progress in the fight against antisemitism," the plaintiffs said in a July 28 statement.

"When antisemites were terrorizing Jews and excluding them from campus, UCLA chose to protect the thugs and help keep Jews out," said Yitzchok Frankel, a recent UCLA law graduate and plaintiff in the case. "That was shameful, and it is sad that my own school defended those actions for more than a year."

"But today's court judgment brings justice back to our campus and ensures Jews will be safe and be treated equally once again."

According to the case, the actions in the lawsuit started after Hamas launched its attack against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. 

Protests broke out on campus as activists reportedly chanted antisemitic threats including "death to the Jews." The university's chancellor at the time, Gene Block, in a May 23, 2024, House Committee on Education and the Workforce hearing, admitted UCLA was not "immune to the disturbing rise of antisemitism that has occurred across our country" following the Oct. 7 attack.

The following spring, the actions continued with what became known as a "Jew Exclusion Zone" on campus that prevented Jewish students from accessing "the heart of campus, including classroom buildings and the main undergraduate library."

To enter the area, a person had to make a statement "pledging their allegiance to the activists' views," according to the lawsuit. UCLA's administration knew about the extreme actions but "did nothing to stop it."

For a full week, UCLA failed to clear the area and ordered campus police to stand down and allow the encampment to stay. The administration even stationed security staff around the area to keep students from attempting to enter the area blocked by the protestors. 

Last summer, U.S. District Judge Mark Scarsi barred the university from continuing to facilitate antisemitic exclusion on campus. The agreed judgment this week will officially bring the lawsuit to a close and make Scarsi's previous decision permanent.

"Campus administrators across the country willingly bent the knee to antisemites during the encampments," Mark Rienzi, president of Becket and an attorney for the students, said this week.

"They are now on notice: Treating Jews like second-class citizens is wrong, illegal, and very costly. UCLA should be commended for accepting judgment against that misbehavior and setting the precedent that allowing mistreatment of Jews violates the Constitution and civil rights laws. Students across the country are safer for it."

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CNA Staff, Jul 30, 2025 / 16:39 pm (CNA).

Hundreds of clergy abuse victims agreed to a massive settlement from the Diocese of Rochester, New York, this week, bringing the diocese's yearslong bankruptcy proceedings closer to an end. 

Documents obtained by CNA show a near-unanimous vote in favor of accepting the diocese's proposed $246 million settlement plan, with just a handful of "abstain" votes and none voting against it. 

The payment comes after years of wrangling in U.S. bankruptcy court as the diocese, the survivors, and diocesan insurance providers worked to come to a settlement amount on which all of them could agree. 

In 2022 the diocese said it would pay $55 million into a settlement fund, with Bishop Salvatore Matano noting that "additional recoveries" could come from diocesan insurers. 

Earlier this month Continental Insurance Co. agreed to pay $120 million into the settlement fund, bringing the total contributions from the diocese, its parishes, and insurers up to the $246 million figure. 

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Paul Warren said in court this week that he intended to approve the agreement in September. 

In a statement on Wednesday, the diocese said it was "hopeful that the bankruptcy plan will be approved … and help to ease the hurt and suffering of the survivors, who have endured this painful process for six years." The diocese first filed for bankruptcy in 2019.

"We pray that they will know the peace of Jesus and their faith, so scarred by those who so betrayed their trust, will be restored in Our Lord who is our ultimate hope," the statement said. 

The settlement, once it has been approved, will be among the larger payouts of any U.S. diocese for an abuse or bankruptcy proceeding.

The Diocese of Rockville Centre, New York, holds the record for the largest diocesan payout in the U.S. so far after it agreed last year to a $323 million settlement.

The U.S. record for any diocese or archdiocese, meanwhile, was set by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, also last year, when it agreed to an $880 million payout. 

In some cases parishioners have legally challenged the terms of diocesan bankruptcy settlements. Catholics in the Diocese of Buffalo, New York, earlier this month convinced the state Supreme Court to issue a temporary halt on settlement payments the diocese is requiring of parishes. The Vatican is currently considering a dispute over parish mergers there. 

Dioceses and archdioceses pay for settlements from a variety of sources, including parish contributions, insurance payouts, and the sale of diocesan property.

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Vatican City, Jul 30, 2025 / 17:09 pm (CNA).

Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, secretary for relations with states and international organizations of the Holy See, noted that universities are not Catholic "because of the number of crucifixes" but because they strive to seek truth that is "in harmony with the certainty of faith."

"Far from being just another institution in the global marketplace of ideas, and much less Catholic just because of the number of crucifixes on its walls or chapel services, a truly Catholic university is a place where the search for truth is in harmony with the certainty of faith," he noted.

As reported by Vatican News, Gallagher gave his reflections during the inaugural conference of the 28th general assembly of the International Federation of Catholic Universities (IFCU), held July 28 in Guadalajara, Mexico.

During his visit to Mexico, the prelate emphasized that Catholic universities are called to play a "central role" in building peace through knowledge, dialogue, and the formation of ethical leaders.

In his address, the archbishop strongly argued that, in a context marked by armed conflict, ideological divisions, and growing polarization, Catholic universities must reaffirm their original vocation: to be beacons of humanity and understanding.

"Catholic universities — and also papal representatives — have always been beacons of knowledge, faith, and service to humanity," he said.

The prelate thus emphasized their potential as active agents in the international arena: "In these turbulent times marked by conflict and war, division and mistrust, [universities] are called to reaffirm their vocation as builders of peace, collaborators in building bridges of understanding between cultures, religions, and disciplines."

Academic diplomacy: A bridge between cultures and knowledge

From this perspective, Gallagher defended the concept of "academic diplomacy," which he defined as an essential instrument for dialogue between peoples and fields of knowledge. "They can uniquely develop academic diplomacy as a means to promote peace through thoughtful engagement, ethical reflection, and respectful dialogue," he explained, insisting that the university vocation goes far beyond the transmission of technical knowledge.

Gallagher also proposed rediscovering the universal value of a deep-rooted Catholic identity, capable of dialogue with everyone without losing its center.

"A truly Catholic education is not isolated but extroverted and committed to the universal search for truth," he affirmed. "In a world awash in relativism and polarization, this deeply rooted — and therefore universal — Catholic identity constitutes a powerful resource."

In this regard, he recalled that the Christian conception of the human being is a solid foundation for peace: "The anthropological conception that sees every person, regardless of race, religion, nationality, or condition, in the image and likeness of God, endowed with reason and conscience, and destined for communion, is a solid foundation upon which to build peace through dialogue."

The archbishop also recalled his experience as a student at the Pontifical Gregorian University to illustrate how the university environment can foster authentic bonds. Along these lines, he affirmed that universities are "seeds of peace that are sown in classrooms, laboratories, residences, and libraries."

He therefore said that the entire university can be an authentic diplomatic mission: "not an ivory tower disconnected from reality, but an active participant in building a culture of peace."

This mission, he clarified, requires an interdisciplinary and collaborative structure: "This is intrinsically interdisciplinary, because only mutual exchange enriches all parties and contributes to the development of leaders capable of guiding their societies with wisdom and compassion."

Regarding the content that should occupy a prominent place in this academic diplomacy, the Vatican official emphasized that many of the challenges of war and peace "in today's world can only be addressed in a sustained manner by returning to these principles and applying them."

"If they are ignored, already difficult situations can deteriorate rapidly and with terrible consequences," he explained.

He also emphasized that diplomacy requires specialists but also "needs generalists who seek a broad and nuanced vision."

Finally, the archbishop reaffirmed the Holy See's commitment to a diplomacy that does not surrender to pragmatism but remains anchored in principles and humanity.

"In our efforts, we promote peace, defend human dignity, and give a voice to those without one, especially the poor, the displaced, and the marginalized," he concluded.

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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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 30, 2025 / 17:54 pm (CNA).

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has released a report showing widespread fraud in its permanent residence program for unaccompanied minors, which has led to a backlog in the issuance of visas to foreign-born priests and religious, whose visas fall under the same category.

According to a report published on July 24, USCIS has identified widespread age and identity fraud among applicants to the Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) visa program intended for unaccompanied immigrants under 21 years old.

USCIS revealed that of the 300,000 SIJ applicants it reviewed from 2013 to 2024, most SIJ petitioners were over the age of 18. In 2024 alone, 52% of applicants were 18, 19, and 20 years old. One-third of all SIJ applicants were males over the age of 18. The vast majority of applicants, 73.6%, originated from El Salvador, Guatemala, or Honduras.

Typically, SIJ petitioners must submit evidence that they were "declared dependent on a state juvenile court" or that they had been committed in some way to a state agency or court-appointed entity or individual.

To obtain consent for SIJ classification, they must provide the "factual reasons why the state court found the alien was abused, neglected, or abandoned by one or both parents, and why it is in the alien's best interests to remain in the United States," along with "evidence that a state court either granted or recognized some form of relief from parental maltreatment." 

Applicants committed fraud in various ways, including falsifying their age, name, and country of citizenship on official documents. In some cases, over-18 applicants to the SIJ program entered the U.S. without inspection and "filed court state petitions requesting other adult aliens who also recently entered the United States without inspection be appointed their guardians so they can file SIJ petitions."

How does this impact foreign-born priests and religious?

News of widespread fraud in the juvenile program comes months after it was revealed that an influx of minor visa applicants resulted in an unprecedented backlog in the employment-based fourth preference (EB-4) visa category — the same category used by foreign-born priests and religious. 

"Demand for SIJ immigrant visas creates significant pressure on the EB-4 category," the USCIS report states. "These immigrant visas are numerically limited and allocated based on country of origin. Other special immigrants rely on visas from the EB-4 category. This results in significant wait times for other special immigrants in the United States." 

The report noted "ministers of religion" are among the other special immigrants who draw visas from the EB-4 category.

According to data trends in the report regarding wait times for EB-4 visas, increasing demand in the category began to escalate in 2016. However, it wasn't until March 2025 — a little over a year after the Biden administration added juveniles to the category — that the wait time for the category extended to five years and seven months.

Each year, Congress decides how many green cards — visas that grant permanent residence in the U.S. — may be made available per year. These green cards are divided into categories based on various factors, including employment or relationship status to U.S. citizens. 

"The process to obtain permanent residence status, to get permanent residency, which a couple of years ago could probably be done in somewhere between 12 to 24 months, now is going to take significantly longer," Miguel Naranjo, director of religious immigration services at the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, told CNA in March. 

"There's a huge demand in the EB-4 category," Naranjo continued, saying that religious workers had not been previously affected by the surge in unaccompanied minors until the past year and a half, after the State Department designated the whole category as "subject to backlog" due to the sheer rise in demand across the category.

The rise came after the Biden administration's addition of minors to the category in March 2023, leading to the program distributing all available green cards in the category well before the end of the 2023-2024 fiscal year. More green cards will not be made available till the start of the next 2025-2026 fiscal year in October.

Due to the backlog, many priests and religious who are trying to remain in the U.S. to continue their ministries are in danger of being forced to leave the country before their green card application has been processed for at least one year. 

Typically, religious workers enter the U.S. on R-1 visas, which have a five-year limit. In the meantime, religious workers hoping to stay in the U.S. apply for visas in the EB-4 category. However, the influx of minor applicants has caused a major backlog in the category, meaning that many religious workers will be forced to leave the country when their R-1 visas expire. 

"It makes me feel sad and betrayed," said Father Paschal Anionye, a priest from the Diocese of Warri in Nigeria who works in New York, in reaction to the USCIS findings, "especially as my hopes — and those of many Nigerians and Africans in general — to live safely and to study and serve in a multicultural, multiethnic, and diverse environment are crushed."

Anionye further described the situation faced by foreign-born priests and religious as "disheartening," given the needs of Catholic dioceses across the U.S.

The Nigerian priest, who is in the U.S. on an R-1 visa issued in April 2023, is planning to file for his green card after his visa is renewed in October.

He told CNA: "I'll feel terrible, horrified, and disappointed" should he be forced to return to Nigeria before his green card application is processed, "as I came to the U.S. not only to seek a safe environment from Christian persecution in Nigeria ... but with a genuine intention to serve as a missionary, as has always been my desire from my early days in the seminary."

He further expressed fear of putting his mother and siblings at higher risk, saying his return would not only make him a target but also would renew threats against them. "I lost a cousin to kidnappers in 2015 and continue to carry trauma related to safety concerns," he added. 

Criminality among SIJ applicants

Troubling data in the report also identified a subset of 18,829 of the older applicants to the program were "engaged in significant criminality," with records showing 36,920 law enforcement encounters among these individuals, indicating multiple arrests for some.

According to the report, at least 120 petitioners were arrested for murder, and 200 approved petitioners convicted of sex offenses and required to register in the National Sex Offender Registry. Other SIJ petitioners were arrested for additional grave offenses including attempted murder, assault, rape, child molestation, possession and distribution of child sex abuse material, domestic violence, carjacking, and drug trafficking. 

Over 500 SIJ applicants approved for SIJ classification since 2013 were known or suspected members of violent gangs.

In some instances, the report notes, these gang members, who obtained lawful permanent residence status as SIJs, were "wanted by foreign law enforcement authorities for murders they allegedly committed before entering the U.S. without inspection and filed [SIJ petitions]." 

Although the number is relatively small, the report also identified known or suspected terrorists filing SIJ petitions, including "an alien from Tajikistan suspected of plotting an Islamic State (IS) terrorist attack in the United States."

"Criminal aliens are infiltrating the U.S. through a program meant to protect abused, neglected, or abandoned alien children," said USCIS spokesman Matthew J. Tragesser, who criticized "activist" judges and the Biden administration's open border policies.

Congress has introduced bipartisan legislation to help keep religious workers, including Catholic priests and religious, in the country by extending their visas instead of sending them back to their home countries amid the backlog in the EB-4 category.

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Bangalore, India, Jul 30, 2025 / 14:09 pm (CNA).

Protests are spreading in India over the arrest of two nuns on conversion and human trafficking charges in Chattisgarh state in central India. 

The ongoing demonstrations that began with the July 25 arrests intensified after the release of the nuns was delayed by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government opposing bail for the religious, who have been in jail for nearly a week.

"What kind of justice is this?" Cardinal Baselios mar Cleemis, the archbishop of the Syro Malankara Church and former president of Catholic Bishops' Conference of India, said on July 30.

The prelate spoke at the end of a protest march to the Kerala Legislative Assembly at Thiruvananthapuram, demanding the "immediate release" of the nuns, who are from the Christian heartland of Kerala.

On July 27, the Indian Catholic bishops in a press statement expressed "outrage and deep concern over the recent arrest" of the nuns at the Durg railway station in Chattisgarh. The religious were arrested when they reached the station to receive three young women to their convents.

Sister Preetha Mary and Sister Vandana Francis belong to the Assisi Sisters of Mary Immaculate congregation. The police charged them with "conversion and human trafficking," the bishops said. 

The nuns were "subjected to harassment, false accusations, and fabricated cases. They were physically assaulted and the arrest took place despite written consent letters issued by the parents of each woman above 18 years of age," the bishops said.

"Anti-national elements" including "Hindu fundamentalist outfits" are "tracking the movements of Catholic nuns," they alleged.

"Such incidents not only threaten the modesty of women but also put their lives in grave danger. These repeated unwarranted actions are a grave violation of the Constitution and cannot be tolerated," the bishops said.

"It is absolutely shocking and sad that the two religious sisters have been illegally detained under false charges of human trafficking and forced conversion," Sister M. Nirmalini, the president of the women's wing of the Conference of Religious India, told CNA on July 30. 

"Shockingly, the charges have been made without ascertaining or verifying facts," said the nun, who belongs to the Apostolic Carmel Congregation.

"An entire anti-minority brigade is whipping up a frenzy to create a false narrative and polarize the people against the Christians and particularly the tribals," Nirmalini said. "This must stop immediately and those responsible and the local police must be booked by the higher authorities."

"Some congregations have asked members to avoid traditional habits in public places to avoid harassment," Nirmalini said.

"Even the Kerala BJP president has [criticized] the arrest of the nuns. Yet, they continue to be jailed on trumped-up charges," said Cleemis, who along with a dozen bishops wore black ribbons on their faces while hundreds of nuns, priests, and even non-Catholics joined the recent protest in the Kerala capital.

Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the president of the BJP in Kerala, told reporters in New Delhi: "Our top priority is to protect the nuns and ensure justice."

"The persecution of the nuns by imprisoning them is a shame for the country," said John Brittas, a Catholic member in the upper house of the Indian Parliament, during the parliamentary debate on July 30.

Spirited protests have continued in several other cities in Kerala and elsewhere, including Bangalore, as the nuns continue to languish in jail.

"You cannot hold the Indian Constitution hostage. Jailing nuns for offering employment to young Christian women with their parents' consent is a national shame," Archbishop Andrews Thazhath of Thrissur said at a protest on July 29.

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Dhaka, Bangladesh, Jul 30, 2025 / 14:39 pm (CNA).

As parents grieve the loss of their children, the Catholic bishops of Bangladesh have urged the government to fully support victims and families following the July 21 crash of an air force training jet into a local school that killed at least 35 and injured over 170 people, most of them children.

Bishop Ponen Paul Kubi, secretary-general of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Bangladesh, told EWTN News the incident is "deeply saddening for us and a great loss for our country, as we have lost many from our future generation. We have requested prayers in our churches, because prayer is our source of strength and comfort."

Pope Leo XIV sent his condolences as families grapple with the loss of loved ones after a F-7 BGI fighter jet took off from Kurmitola Air Base for a routine training mission and developed a technical malfunction shortly after takeoff. The pilot, who was on his first solo flight, attempted an emergency maneuver to avoid populated areas but the aircraft crashed into the two-story Milestone School and College in the Uttara area of Dhaka. The crash sparked a fire that engulfed parts of the school building.

In a telegram sent on July 22, Pope Leo expressed that he was "deeply saddened" by the devastating loss of life, particularly the children who were caught in the sudden disaster.

The message, delivered by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, stated that the Holy Father "entrusts the deceased to the merciful love of the Almighty" and prayed "that their families and friends may be consoled in their grief, and for the healing and comfort of the injured." He also invoked "divine blessings of peace and strength" upon the entire school community and all those affected.

One of the victims of the crash was 14-year-old Ukya Chhaing Marma, a seventh-grade student at Milestone School who lived in a campus hostel. He loved playing the guitar and riding his bicycle. His parents, both schoolteachers living in Bandarban, 325 kilometers (about 200 miles) from Dhaka, had sent him to the capital for a better education. Ukya was their only child.

Shortly after the crash, the Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defence rescued him from the spot. He was rushed to the Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in critical condition, suffering burns over 100% of his body. Despite all efforts, he died around 2 a.m.

Ukya's father, Usai Mong Marma, said: "My son was very talented and dreamed of becoming an engineer. As his father, I feel helpless; I couldn't do anything for him." His mother, Daisy Prue Marma, tearfully added: "As a mother, I just pray no other mother ever has to feel the emptiness I carry in my heart."

This tragic event, one of the worst air disasters in Dhaka in recent memory, has triggered a wave of national mourning and renewed calls from civil society for accountability and improved safety measures in military training missions.

Father Biswajit Bernard Bormon, priest of St. Joseph's Church in Dharenda, Savar, said: "We held a special Mass in our church dedicated to the victims of the Milestone tragedy. At the beginning of the Mass, we observed a one-minute silence, praying for the eternal rest of those who lost their lives and for the recovery of those who are injured. In addition, we are praying for them daily during our rosary prayers."

Following the crash, the government declared July 22 a national day of mourning, calling for special prayers across the country.

"I express my deep grief and sorrow over the heartbreaking loss of lives caused by the crash," interim leader Muhammad Yunus wrote in a post on X. "This is a moment of profound pain for the nation. I pray for the swift recovery of the injured and have instructed all relevant authorities, including hospitals, to respond to the situation with the highest priority."

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ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 30, 2025 / 15:09 pm (CNA).

Before a packed St. Peter's Square filled with young people who had come from all over the world for the Jubilee of Youth, Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday gave his first general audience after his vacation in Castel Gandolfo.

Aboard the popemobile, the pontiff toured the colorful esplanade, warmly and enthusiastically greeting the hundreds of thousands of young pilgrims waving the flags of numerous countries.

At the beginning of his July 30 catechesis, the last in a series dedicated to the public life of Jesus, the Holy Father lamented the climate of violence and hatred that marks our time, a reality that, he affirmed, "deeply wounds human dignity." Against this backdrop, he firmly emphasized: "Our world needs healing."

"We live in a society," he explained, "that is becoming ill due to a kind of 'bulimia' of social media connections: We are hyperconnected, bombarded by images, sometimes false or distorted."

The silent proximity of Jesus

Faced with these messages that provoke "contradictory emotions," the pontiff warned that there is often an impulse "to turn everything off" and even to prefer not to feel anything anymore," thus running the risk of losing the ability "to say to one another the most simple and profound things."

In this context, Pope Leo XIV suggested meditating on the passage from the Gospel of St. Mark that presents a man who neither speaks nor hears (cf. Mk 7:31-37). He emphasized that "it is not he who comes to Jesus to be healed, but others bring him."

"The Christian community, however, has also seen in these people an image of the Church, which accompanies each person to Jesus so that they may listen to his word," he explained.

He noted that Jesus "takes this person aside," which seems to "emphasize his isolation." However, the pontiff pointed out that this gesture helps us understand "what lies behind the silence and closure of this man, as if Jesus had perceived his need for intimacy and closeness."

"Jesus offers him silent closeness, through gestures that speak of a profound encounter: He touches this man's ears and tongue," he added.

He also emphasized that Jesus doesn't use many words but rather says "only what is necessary in that moment: 'Be opened!'" For the Holy Father, with this "simple and beautiful" word, Jesus invites him to open himself to this world that frightens him and to the relationships that have disappointed him.

'To truly know Jesus, one must complete a journey'

Pope Leo pointed out that the attitude of the man in the Gospel could reflect the experience of someone who feels "inadequate" or is afraid to express themselves for fear of making a mistake. "All of us experience what it means to be misunderstood," he noted.

He therefore emphasized the need to ask the Lord to heal our way of communicating, "not only so that we may be more effective, but also so that we may avoid wounding others with our words."

In light of the Gospel, Pope Leo XIV recalled: "To truly know Jesus, one must complete a journey; one must remain with him and also pass through his Passion."

"When we have seen him humiliated and suffering, when we have experienced the saving power of his cross, then we can say that we have truly come to know him. There are no shortcuts to becoming disciples of Jesus," he emphasized.

At the end of his catechesis, the pope encouraged the faithful to ask the Lord "that we may learn to communicate with honesty and prudence. Let us pray for all those who have been wounded by the words of others."

"Let us pray for the Church, that she may never fail in her mission to lead people to Jesus, so that they may hear his word, be healed by it, and in turn become bearers of his message of salvation," he concluded.

Bright beacons of hope in the world

During his greetings to the pilgrims, the pope addressed in particular all the young people participating in the Jubilee of Youth, encouraging them to open their hearts "to God's healing love, so that you can become even brighter beacons of hope in the world."

"May this encounter with Jesus in fraternal communion strengthen your faith and your hope, fill your hearts with peace, and unite you in his love. Receive these gifts from Christ and share them with your contemporaries and compatriots in your homeland," he added.

In his message to the Spanish-speaking faithful, the Holy Father urged them to pray "so that these days of faith, reflection, and friendship may bear fruit." His words sparked a roaring ovation, and the square vibrated with loud applause, with the youth shouting: "[We are] the pope's young people!"

Sorrow over church attack in Democratic Republic of Congo

The pope renewed his "deep sorrow" for the brutal terrorist attack that took place on the night of July 26-27 in Komanda in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where more than 40 Christians were murdered in a church during a prayer vigil and also in their own homes.

"As I entrust the victims to God's loving mercy, I pray for the wounded and for Christians around the world who continue to suffer violence and persecution. I urge those with local and international responsibility to work together in order to prevent such tragedies," he stated.

Finally, the Holy Father recalled that Aug. 1 marks the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Helsinki Final Act, an agreement between 35 countries to guarantee security in the context of the Cold War.

This event, the pontiff stated, "renewed interest in human rights, with special emphasis on religious freedom." He also recalled that the Holy See's active participation "helped to promote political and moral commitment to peace."

"Today, more than ever, it is essential to safeguard the spirit of Helsinki: to persevere in dialogue, strengthen cooperation, and make diplomacy the preferred path to prevent and resolve conflicts," the Holy Father emphasized.

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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