Catholic News

Erlin Pérez Vásquez was born on Dec. 8, 1999, the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, a coincidence that his family has come to see as a special sign of his vocation.

He lived much of his life in Alfombrilla, a small town in the Santa Cruz province in the Andean district of Cajamarca, Peru, where, as he recounted, "there isn't even a pharmacy."

As he finished high school, he was confirmed by then-Bishop Robert Prevost — now Pope Leo XIV — and, at 26, has just been ordained a priest. Since childhood, he sensed a vocation, a call from God that was nurtured and encouraged by his family, especially his father.

"I feel that God has blessed me immensely, first with the priesthood, then with my family, with friends, acquaintances, and so many good people who have lived near me and prayed for me," the young priest, who was ordained in the Prelature of Yauyos on Feb. 13, told ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. The ordination Mass was celebrated by Bishop Ricardo García.

"I am overjoyed to have been ordained a priest," he said. "I lived in the countryside until I was 17, surrounded by nature, trees, rivers, and good friends."

He said the ways of God led him to the minor seminary in Yauyos in 2012, where he discovered that the Lord had called him to be one of his priests.

"This is where I began to get to know Jesus better through moments of prayer. And the example, the witness of life of the priests who accompanied us here at this seminary also helped me immensely," he continued.

Upon returning home to Alfombrilla, with his parents and four siblings, the calling continued to grow: "And my parents also helped me a lot regarding the faith. They helped us at home, we prayed together, the rosary too, and on Sundays as a family," he said.

Confirmed by the future Leo XIV

Pérez recalled that he was confirmed as he was finishing high school, after reminding his parish priest that the time for the sacrament was "slipping away." The priest gave him a catechism and told him to study, because the then-bishop of Chiclayo, Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, would be going to Uticyacu, a neighboring town an hour and a half away by motorcycle.

There, they met Prevost, who was accompanied by some priests who introduced the future pope to Mr. Paco, Pérez's father, because he was the parish catechist.

"And then Bishop Prevost, very warmly, approached him and they talked. My father says that for him, those were unique, beautiful, and happy moments. And that's how I, at the confirmation Mass, received the sacrament from the hands of the now-pope. For me, it has been a special grace."

'Here comes the little priest'

When Pérez shared his desire to become a priest, there were various reactions, but the one he remembers best is that of his father.

"The reactions were huge. When I had to tell my dad I was going to be a priest, all he did was open his arms and give me a giant bear hug. I was truly overjoyed," the young priest recalled.

"Then, little by little, my mom found out, and then my whole family — I have four siblings — and they were very happy. Then my friends found out I was going to be a priest when I was in my last year of high school."

With a big smile, Pérez said that people started joking "and they would say to me, 'There goes the little priest.' Or also, when they passed in front of me they would make the sign of the cross. These were things that I found quite funny."

Ordination and first Mass

Pérez arrived at the Yauyos Seminary in 2017 to study philosophy and theology. He said he was welcomed by Bishop Ricardo García, who eventually ordained him.

"There's a moment during the ordination Mass when the bishop lays hands on me. I felt like the Holy Spirit completely filled my soul, penetrated my entire being, and I was truly moved. Tears came to my eyes, and then the priests were also laying hands on me, and I kept weeping and weeping," he recounted.

"When all the priests had passed by, I opened my eyes and there before me was the Virgin Mary, the image of Our Mother of Fair Love," he emphasized, highlighting the importance of the Mother of God in his life.

Regarding his first Mass, celebrated on Feb. 15, the young priest shared that "it has been a very special grace; I can't even imagine it. To have God in my hands, the creator of the entire universe, the creator of the visible and the invisible. My hands were trembling. It was very beautiful."

The priest and confession

Pérez also said he feels inspired by the example of great priests like St. John Paul II; St. John Vianney, the Curé of Ars; and St. Philip Neri, and that he asks God to "help me have that charism because God needs it, he needs us."

He also said he wants to be "a priest of prayer who helps people with confession, spends several hours in the confessional, and lives the holy Mass well."

Regarding the sacrament of reconciliation, the young priest noted: "When a member of the faithful asks me, I'll be there because I know of cases where [a parishioner] approached a priest and asked, 'Father, can you hear my confession?' and because of time constraints or work, the priest wasn't able to hear his confession, and that person hasn't come back. I heard the testimony of someone a while ago who said, 'I approached the priest for confession, but he told me he couldn't,' and I'm returning [to make my first confession] after 30 years."

"Those experiences, those testimonies I've heard, have made me think and say, 'I have to attend to him right away; everything else can wait.'"

The priest offered this advice to those considering a possible vocation: "Let yourself be loved by Jesus Christ, let yourself be shaped by him, and also open your heart so that Christ may enter it."

"And," he added, "now I have a great mission: to lead souls to heaven."

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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Bishop Niall Coll of Raphoe, Ireland, said that new generations of Catholics are seeking "doctrinal solidity" during a presentation in Dublin this week.

Before a gathering at Holy Spirit Parish in Kimmage Manor, Dublin, the bishop reflected on the search for truth and the yearning for meaning among young people born after 1995.

According to Coll, these new generations are showing a renewed sense of seriousness regarding the faith, as reported by the national newspaper, The Irish Catholic.

The bishop discussed how these young people are growing up in a post-Christian culture, "digitally and morally fragmented," in which they "have no inherited memory of Catholic Ireland."

He emphasized that young people are seeking "clarity, coherence, and tradition," and noted that "they are drawn to doctrinal solidity, sacramental depth, and continuity with the Church's tradition."

The bishop suggested that, while synodal discussions often focus on structures and processes, many young people are asking themselves: "What does the Church actually believe?"

"Having grown up amid constant choice, information overload, and moral ambiguity, they are less interested in conversation and more in formation that produces conviction and confidence," he continued.

He warned that synodality, if not anchored in Scripture and doctrine, "risks endless discussion without direction."

He described the importance of strong catechesis and the formation of catechists, maintaining that "renewal cannot be sustained without formation" and pointing to "weak" catechesis as a central factor in the Church's current fragility.

He warned that many young people are being formed online, "often through fragmented and polarized sources," rather than through structured instruction in parishes or schools.

"A synodal Church requires not only participation but understanding, not only voice but formation. The people of God cannot discern together unless they can articulate what they believe and why," he pointed out.

For the bishop, this yearning for coherence and tradition could be received "as a gift for the Church, not as a problem to be managed." Synodality, he emphasized, "must hold together listening and teaching, discernment and authority. The task is not to choose between synodality and tradition but to integrate them."

He also cautioned that renewal "will be slow and sometimes uneven," as it "requires sustained theological clarity and spiritual depth."

"The future of Irish Catholicism will depend on whether the Church can become both synodal and coherent: a Church that listens deeply, teaches clearly, forms intentionally, and bears warm witness in a wounded world," he stated.

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 Sunday afternoon with parishioners in Rome's Quarticciolo neighborhood, meeting young people and families touched by addiction before celebrating Mass and urging Catholics to embrace what he called "the logic of unconditional love."

The pope arrived shortly before 4 p.m. at the Parish of the Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ and was welcomed by Cardinal Baldassare Reina, the vicar general of the Diocese of Rome, along with the parish pastor and faithful gathered in the courtyard of the oratory.

Leo began by greeting parishioners one by one and then sat down with young people involved in a local initiative known as "Magis." A message painted on a wall captured the tone of the visit: "Those who love go forward." One young person described the group's identity as "fraternity" as the pope exchanged gifts and embraced members of the community.

In remarks during the encounter, Leo spoke of his concern about the conflict in the Middle East, mentioning children killed in the war in Gaza. He also pointed to a local crisis closer to home: drug abuse that, he said, continues to wound the Quarticciolo area. The visit included time with the sick and elderly as well as mothers of people struggling with addiction, reflecting the neighborhood's hardships and hopes.

During Mass, the pontiff's homily turned to the Transfiguration and to Abraham, whom he held up as a model for believers learning to trust God on an uncertain path.

"With Abraham, each of us can recognize ourselves on a journey," he said, describing life as a road that requires confidence in God's word — and sometimes the courage to "leave everything." The temptation, he warned, is to treat uncertainty as something to escape instead of a place where God's promise can be discovered.

"It happens every day — because the world thinks this way — that we measure everything, we strain to keep everything under control," Leo said. "But in this way we lose the chance to discover the true treasure, the precious pearl … which God has hidden in our field as a surprise."

Reflecting on the disciples and the road to Jerusalem, the pope said their lesson was that true blessing comes only by moving beyond self-protection and accepting what Jesus reveals in the Eucharist: the willingness to offer one's life for others.

Sunday worship, he added, is not an interruption of that mission but a rest stop that re-centers the journey. The Lord gathers his people, he said, to strengthen them "not to stop and not to change direction."

Leo also returned to St. Peter's impulse to "stop" and "control" events — a way of thinking he said can resemble clinging to a dream. The Transfiguration, he said, points instead to the destination: "a new world" filled with light, with the human and divine face of Christ.

For that reason, he told parishioners, the essential task is to listen to Jesus.

"He travels with us, even today, to teach us in this city the logic of unconditional love," the pope said, calling believers to lay down the defensive posture that can become "an offense." "Let us listen to him … to become light of the world — beginning with the neighborhood where we live."

The pope said the Gospel also entrusts the parish with a concrete mission in a place facing "numerous and complex problems": to cultivate a gaze of faith that "transfigures everything with hope" and to put "passion, sharing, and creativity" into circulation as a way of tending the neighborhood's wounds.

He cited the parish's motto, "Let's build community," urging an open-armed welcome "to everyone, truly everyone." He also highlighted the "Magis" program, linking it to St. Ignatius of Loyola's call to seek the "more" — a challenge to young people to reject mediocrity and choose a courageous, authentic life rooted in Jesus Christ.

"When we realize that so many things around us are not right, sometimes we start to ask: Does what we're doing even make sense?" Leo said, warning against discouragement. "It is precisely in the face of the mystery of evil that we must bear witness to our identity as Christians," he said, by making God's kingdom visible in the places and times where believers live.

Father Daniele Canali, the parish priest, said the visit was the third by a pope to the community: St. John XXIII came on March 3, 1963, and St. John Paul II visited on Feb. 3, 1980.

Quarticciolo, on Rome's eastern outskirts, developed as a public housing project between 1939 and 1940 and later became a center of Resistance activity during World War II. The parish was established in 1948, the church completed in 1954, and today it is entrusted to the Dehonians, the Priests of the Sacred Heart founded by Léon Dehon.

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

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The escalating conflict in the Middle East has drawn a strong call for peace from Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), who issued an urgent statement calling on the United States, Iran, and the international community to "return to dialogue and pursue every avenue for a just and lasting peace."

Coakley issued the statement on March 1 as joint U.S.-Israeli military strikes on Iran entered their second day.

"My brother bishops and I unite our voice with our Holy Father and make the heartfelt appeal to all parties involved for diplomacy to regain its proper role," he wrote.

"The growing conflict risks spiraling into a wider regional war," Coakley stated. "As the Holy Father has warned, we are faced with the possibility of a tragedy of immense proportions."

Echoing Pope Leo XIV's appeal during his March 1 Angelus address warning that continued violence could create a "spiral of violence" leading to "an unbridgeable chasm," Coakley emphasized restraint, multilateral diplomacy, and protection of innocent lives.

He called for "a return to multilateral diplomatic engagement that seeks to uphold the 'well-being of peoples, who yearn for peaceful existence founded on justice.' All nations, international bodies, and partners committed to peace must exert every effort to prevent further escalation."

"At this critical moment, I invite Catholics and all people of goodwill to continue our ardent prayers for peace in the Middle East, for the safety of our troops and the innocent, that leaders may seek dialogue over destruction and pursue the common good over the tragedy of war. We implore the intercession of our Blessed Mother, Mary, Queen of Peace, to pray for our troubled world and for a lasting peace," the archbishop wrote.

On Feb. 28, the U.S. and Israel launched extensive airstrikes across Iran, targeting military installations, ballistic missile facilities, naval assets, and key leadership sites.

The operation resulted in the confirmed death of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei along with other high-ranking officials and significant civilian casualties; as reported by the Associated Press, Iranian state TV said over 200 people have been killed with over 700 injured.

The White House described the campaign, called Operation Epic Fury, as "a precise, overwhelming military campaign to eliminate the imminent nuclear threat posed by the Iranian regime, destroy its ballistic missile arsenal, degrade its proxy terror networks, and cripple its naval forces."

President Donald Trump said in a speech on Feb. 28 of the "mass terror" that has resulted from Iran's support of terrorist groups: "We're not going to put up with it any longer."

Trump said Iran's nuclear missile program would be "totally annihilated" and the campaign was "ahead of schedule" and could last several weeks.

In retaliation, Iran launched waves of missiles and drones targeting Israel, killing at least nine people and injuring dozens and central regions — and U.S. military bases in Gulf countries such as Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan.

At least three American service members have been killed and several more wounded, according to the Pentagon and U.S. Central Command. Explosions continued in Tehran and other sites, with Israel conducting fresh strikes on March 1, amid regional disruptions including flight cancellations and heightened alerts.

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A newly established nonprofit launched a crowdfunding effort to construct a papal tiara that will contain Catholic and American symbolism, with the plan to offer it to Pope Leo XIV as a gift from American Catholics for the first pontiff from the United States.

"Historically, the majority of papal tiaras are gifts, usually from the home diocese of the pope or from religious [communities] they may be affiliated with," Isaac Smith, a convert to Catholicism and the founder of Amici Vaticani, told EWTN News.

Smith said he was motivated to launch the project to provide Leo with a papal tiara based on the desire for "us, as Americans, to continue that tradition." He said the first American pope is "such a historical milestone" for Catholicism in the United States.

The history of papal crowns dates back to at least the eighth century with the word "tiara" first used in the 12th century. A second crown was added to the tiara in the 13th century to symbolize that the pope holds authority in both spiritual and temporal matters.

A three-crown tiara first appeared in the 14th century. One interpretation of the three crowns is that they represent the threefold office of Christ: priest, prophet, and king. Another suggests it represents the militant, the suffering, and the triumphant Church.

The proposed tiara commissioned by Amici Vaticani maintains the 14th-century tradition of three crowns. The tiara will be constructed with sterling silver and the crowns will be gold-plated.

Because the gift is meant to honor Leo's American heritage, the tiara will have red, white, and blue stones, which represent the colors of the American flag. It will incorporate other American symbols: oak leaves, representing the national tree; and corn stalks, representing the national crop.

Some of the symbols included in the tiara have dual meanings relevant to both the papacy and the United States. It will incorporate roses, which is a symbol of the Virgin Mary and the national flower; and it will incorporate olives, which is a symbol of the pontiff's commitment to peace and appears on the Great Seal of the United States.

A buttony cross will sit atop the crown as a symbol of American Catholicism. The cross is used in the coat of arms for the Archdiocese of Baltimore, the country's first Catholic diocese, and is featured on the flag of Maryland, which is the location of the first English Catholic colonies.

The design, Smith explained, is meant to be "elegant and traditional" to honor the office of the papacy but is also meant to "incorporate distinctively American elements" to honor the pope's American heritage.

Smith said he hopes to fund the project through small donations from the American Catholic faithful so the pontiff can see "this was a group effort" and a gift from Catholics in his home country. This project, he said, provides "a tangible way for people to connect with the successor of Peter."

He also said he plans to compile the names of every person who donates more than $20 into a book, which would be presented to the Holy Father along with the crown and would say on the cover: "Holy Father, please pray for these people."

Smith said his intention is that the tiara can "hopefully [be] put on display in a place of honor" after it is constructed "and presented to the pope when he visits." When Leo met Vice President JD Vance, the pontiff said he would travel to the United States at some point, although the Holy Father does not have any specific publicly announced plans to visit as of yet.

The tiara will be constructed by a Maltese jeweler and artist named Gabriel Farrugia, who has a background in creating religious art, including an Our Lady of Fátima crown, which was used in a coronation ceremony in Guardamangia, Malta. He has also been commissioned by Catholic churches for artistic projects.

"Making sacred art is a type of thanksgiving to the One who created us," Farrugia told EWTN News.

"For the God that created us and gave us life, I think we should give him something," he said, adding that sacred art provides "something that will be left there for ages" and something for "people to admire, to enjoy, and to reflect [upon]."

The construction of the crown has not yet begun, as Amici Vaticani is still in the early stages of the crowdfunding effort.

Amici Vaticani was launched in 2025 for the purpose of constructing the tiara. According to its website, the nonprofit also seeks to build up "the awakening of a Catholic spirit in the United States."

"Our country, once defined by its Protestant heritage, is now witnessing a boon of conversions," the website notes. "Men and women rediscovering the depth, beauty, and authority of the Catholic faith."

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In Mexico's cities bordering the U.S., migration numbers have changed. Where there was once a constant flow of people traveling in caravans, today the numbers have slowed to "a trickle." However, Catholic shelters point out that, far from disappearing, migration has a new face.

In the southern Mexican city of Tapachula bordering Guatemala, known as the main entry point for migrants from Central and South America, the diocesan shelter Belén (Bethlehem) once had a constant population of 500 people.

However, that number began to decline gradually, explained Father César Augusto Cañaveral Pérez, director of the center, in an interview with ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News.

"It decreased very slowly, little by little," the priest noted, saying the change began to be noticeable in the last two years, although the most notable change occurred after Jan. 20, 2025, when Donald Trump again was sworn in as president of the United States and immediately signed a series of executive orders to tighten immigration policies.

Although initially, Cañaveral thought the shelter would be empty, it has continued to serve between 80 and 120 people daily. However, he said he no longer sees what he described as "mass exoduses."

"Migration exoduses are no longer large," he noted, but rather there is "a trickle of migration."

A Pew Research Center study analyzed figures published by the U.S. Border Patrol on migrant apprehensions. The report states that "the 2025 total was the lowest in any fiscal year (October to September) since 1970."

In 2025, 237,538 encounters between the Border Patrol and migrants were recorded, a figure well below the more than 1.5 million in 2024 and the more than 2 million registered in 2022. The Pew report clarifies that these figures refer to events and not to individuals, because the same migrant may be counted more than once.

New realities of migration

According to Cañaveral, the continued presence of the migrant population in Tapachula is due to three factors. The first is that "migrant settlements have grown" in the city. This leads to "a slightly greater agglomeration of people within the city."

The second group is the return to what he called traditional, or transit migration, meaning "people who simply arrive at the shelter, shower, eat, and leave."

The third group consists of those awaiting immigration processing by the Mexican Commission for Refugee Assistance to legally remain in Mexico.

This scenario, he warned, is worrisome, since "Tapachula is not a town capable of responding to this major migration issue because we don't have the same infrastructure as Monterrey or Mexico City."

Repatriated from the United States

On the country's northern border with the U.S., there is also a change in the migration landscape, especially in Tijuana, a city known as one of the main border crossings.

Gilberto Martínez Amaya, administrator of the Scalabrinian Missionaries' Migrant Shelter located in Tijuana, stated in an interview with ACI Prensa that currently, the flow of people arriving from south to north has seen "a very significant decrease," although he clarified that "this does not mean there is no migration here on the border."

Since the beginning of 2026, the shelter has registered "a gradual increase in its resident population," composed mainly of repatriated individuals who had been living in the U.S. between five and 30 years.

The Mexican government reported that 160,000 people were repatriated during 2025, with the cities of Mexicali and Tijuana being the main points of return.

According to Martínez, the migrant shelter receives an average of 15 repatriated individuals daily, of whom "some stay with us for three days, a week, and then leave. Others want to settle here in Tijuana."

This reality presents a new challenge for those who care for them, as these are people who "need more time, they need lodging, they need food, they need employment, they probably need medical attention, they definitely need psychological support."

"Speaking of the migratory flow, well, it did decrease by 90% from south to north, but it increased from north to south with these repatriated individuals," he said.

In Tijuana, the shelter's services are primarily focused on repatriated men, while women and children are referred to the Madre Asunta center, run by the Missionary Sisters of St. Charles (Scalabrinian Sisters).

In addition to lodging and food, those who decide to stay receive support in finding employment, regularizing their immigration status, and integrating into the labor market.

They also receive assistance with child care, he said: "We take them to school, feed them, and pick them up. This way, the migrants arrive early, leave their children, and go to work."

Future challenges

Both in the north and south of the country, the main challenge remains securing support for the institutions serving migrants. Martínez pointed out that "our biggest challenge is financial sustainability, because we don't receive any aid."

He indicated that civil society organizations stopped receiving government funding years ago and that international aid has also decreased.

Cañaveral agreed that the lack of resources "is a very big challenge for a very poor local Church."

For this reason, he called on the Catholic Church throughout Mexico and the authorities not to let their guard down, especially during times like Lent, when faith calls for charity.

"We want to respond to the Gospel: 'I was hungry and you gave me food, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,'" he said. "This is God's work, and we must continue to provide support to our migrant brothers and sisters."

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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Thousands of fans of the hit series "The Chosen" gathered at the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, Feb. 19–21 for ChosenCon — a fan convention for the show.

This year's gathering also featured cast members from other shows from "The Chosen" universe including "The Chosen Adventures" and 5&2 Studios' next series, "Joseph of Egypt," as well as Amazon MGM Studios and the Wonder Project's "House of David."

"This is huge. This is the Comic-Con of the Bible," Michael Iskander, the actor who portrays King David in "House of David," told EWTN News on the teal carpet.

This was the young actor's first time attending ChosenCon. He participated in a panel discussion alongside star of "The Chosen" Jonathan Roumie and Adam Hashmi, the actor who will portray Joseph in "Joseph of Egypt."

"I've wanted to come to ChosenCon for such a long time as a fan but I'm here as a guest. So this is really, really special," he said.

Speaking about his panel, Iskander said: "Everybody has been so warm. It was Jonathan and Adam and I and we had a really, really amazing conversation about what it means to play these biblical characters, how it affects us, how it's changed us and what these biblical characters mean to everyone who is watching."

Many of the actors in attendance highlighted the importance the fans have played in the success of "The Chosen" and shared their feelings on the fact that they only have one season left to film.

"I remember in Season 1 we had like five superfans that would follow us around — by the way those five same fans we can see around here on occasion. So if we do see them we're just like 'Oh my goodness — here since the beginning,'" said George Xanthis, the actor who portrays the apostle John in "The Chosen." "But they're just as important as the fans that have been here for two years or one year or six years or whatever it is but remembering back to that time, we were so grateful that we even had five fans."

He added: "So I take that feeling into things like today and it's not lost on me how lucky I am, and how lucky we all are as a series and as a cast and as a production. So when days like this come about I just try to give my all. I want to say 'Hi' to as many people as possible."

Paras Patel, who plays Matthew, called his time on the show "a gift and a blessing."

"In many ways I have learned so much about myself being on the show and strengthened myself through it that I'm excited to see what will happen after," he shared. "I kind of don't want it to end because I just love these guys and I love our crew, but, as they say, all good things must come to an end."

An actor who has been deeply impacted by his time portraying his character is Giavani Cairo, the actor who plays Thaddeus. The actor has spoken openly about growing up without his biological father and during a panel discussion at ChosenCon discussed a moment of healing he received while filming.

"He's [Thaddeus] impacted me in ways that I could not have even imagined," he told EWTN News.

He shared that a few months before booking the role on "The Chosen," he decided to "renew" his faith.

"I started reading the Bible every day, talking to God like he was a friend, and that's when the audition for 'The Chosen' came — at the right moment, right time," he said. "And they always say God finds you in those moments."

He added: "So for me it started a healing process. I always had a chip on my shoulder wanting to prove that I was worthy. And he's made me reflective that I am worthy of his love, and I'm worthy of other people's love as well. So I just wanted to make people feel seen through Thaddeus that we all do matter."

While details of Season 6 of "The Chosen" are still largely under wraps, Roumie briefly discussed his experience portraying the Lord's passion and crucifixion.

"For the first few months afterwards going to Mass — and even thinking about it now — I just get weepy. I get emotional. It's hard. It's left an indelible impression on me — mentally and emotionally sharing even just a percentage, a micron of a percentage of the Lord's passion playing it and reenacting it has left me absolutely humbled and moved," he told EWTN News.

Monsignor Patrick J. Winslow, vicar general and chancellor of the Diocese of Charlotte, was grateful that his city was hosting the conference and called the event "inspiring to the faithful."

"I think it's such a beautiful new art form — a series — and to take the Gospel story in elevated form of that art form and present it for the world in a way that so many people can view and resonate with is just an extraordinary feat," he said.

Winslow added: "When you present a faithful rendition of Our Lord, or a faithful rendition of the Gospel, or David, or for that matter any story of faith, but you do it in a way that's very well done, very well produced, it's striking chords that very few people have access to. They're deep within. And when you strike those chords with people, it inspires."

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The standing committee of the Spanish Bishops' Conference (CEE, by its Spanish acronym) has approved the creation of a department for relations with Islam, intended to address the growth of the country's Muslim population.

This new body is part of the Bishops' Subcommittee for Interconfessional Relations and Interreligious Dialogue, chaired by the auxiliary bishop of Seville, Ramón Darío Valdivia.

The spokesperson for the CEE, Bishop Francisco César García Magán, stated to the media that the mission of the new department is "to respond to the pastoral challenges posed by the growing presence of Muslim faithful in Spain."

Among these challenges are supporting spouses in mixed marriages and training priests, seminarians, and laypeople for pertinent dialogue. García noted that the bishops are "aware of the need for trained personnel in this area" and that priests have been trained for this purpose at the Pontifical Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies in Rome.

The department for dialogue with the Muslim world will also develop catechetical materials for converts to Christianity from Islam and will seek to foster "the strengthening of institutional relations with Islamic groups."

This type of organization is not new in Europe. As Magán noted, the bishops' conferences of France and Italy also have such structures and have produced a significant body of doctrinal work.

2.5 million Muslims in Spain

The Union of Islamic Communities of Spain (UCIDE, by its Spanish acronym) estimates in its 2024 annual report that approximately 2.5 million Muslims live in the country, representing about 5% of the population.

According to the same source, the majority of Muslims are Spanish citizens, either by birth or naturalization (approximately 600,000 naturalized in 56 years), followed by Moroccans, Pakistanis, Senegalese, and Algerians. The municipalities with the largest Muslim populations are Barcelona, ??Ceuta, Madrid, and Melilla, followed by El Ejido (Almería) and Murcia. Ceuta and Melilla are Spanish autonomous cities on the Moroccan coast in North Africa.

This presence has also resulted in an increasing number of students studying the Islamic religion each year, exceeding 390,000 since the curriculum for the subject was published in 1996. This program has over 300 teachers, more than a third of whom are based in Andalusia, the southernmost area of peninsular Spain.

Spanish schools are required by law to offer courses in religion, although it is optional for the student to take the class.

The country's Islamic community also includes a military imam (akin to a chaplain) who ministers to inmates at the military prison in Madrid; five imams who provide assistance in hospitals and detention centers for foreigners and minors; and 11 prison imams serving in prisons in Catalonia, Madrid and Valencia, the Canary Islands, Ceuta, Melilla, and the Basque Country.

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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OLOMOUC, Czech Republic — More than 6,100 donors in the Archdiocese of Olomouc in the Czech Republic have contributed to priests' salaries through an online crowdfunding platform as the Catholic Church prepares for the end of decades of financial support from the Czech state.

The platform, called Donátor, originally launched in the Diocese of Brno to finance various parish projects. After one year of operation in the Olomouc Archdiocese, it has become a key tool in the Church's push for financial self-sufficiency, according to data published by the archbishopric.

Father Jan Berka, a parish priest in Valašské Mezirící and member of the archdiocesan pastoral and priest councils, described the platform in an email conversation with EWTN News as "a simple and effective way" to contribute to priests' salaries.

"I was surprised how quickly a relatively large part of people got involved," Berka said. "I feel support from parishioners for my ministry and I am grateful."

Priests who actively promoted the project attracted more donors, while those who did not ended up with fewer, he observed. Most of the priests he speaks with see it as "a good project that leads to greater co-responsibility of parishioners in the running of a parish," Berka said.

Although the system in its current form does not make parishes more cohesive, it could make a difference in the future, he said. If a given community "reaches the target amount, everything above can be used by the parish," he continued.

Berka said he does not see a risk of marginalizing those who prefer not to contribute, since participation is anonymous.

"To be honest, I am not sure who contributes and who does not. I do not check it in any way."

The Diocese of Ostrava-Opava is now preparing a similar fund drawing on Olomouc's best practices, the press office of the Archdiocese of Olomouc told EWTN News.

'It would be a shock if we had fallen asleep'

The crowdfunding initiative is part of a broader effort by Czech dioceses to prepare for the end of state contributions to churches, which will be phased out entirely by 2030 under a landmark law passed in 2012.

Financial independence is about "freedom and responsibility," Martin Pirkl, economist of the Archdiocese of Olomouc, said in an interview with the Czech Catholic weekly Katolický týdeník.

"It would be a shock if we had fallen asleep in the last 10 years," he said.

After years of debate following the fall of communism in 1989, the Czech Parliament passed the Act on Property Settlement with Churches and Religious Societies in 2012. The law provided for the return of property historically belonging to churches, lump-sum financial compensation, and transitional state contributions. The process took effect in 2013.

Seventeen religious communities, including the Federation of Jewish Communities, are covered by the act. The Catholic Church, the country's largest religious body, gave up a significant portion of its claims so that smaller communities could also benefit, streamlining the negotiations.

Under the law, churches will receive a total of 59 billion Czech crowns (about $2.5 billion) by 2043 to compensate for property confiscated by the communist regime between 1948 and 1989 that cannot be returned. State contributions to churches are decreasing annually and will end entirely in 2030.

Critics at the time argued that the restitutions were overvalued or would increase public debt, and some called for a referendum on the issue. Others questioned whether Church authorities could manage large sums responsibly.

Former Culture Minister Daniel Herman said in 2017 that the state and religious communities would continue to cooperate on preserving the country's cultural heritage, much of which — chapels, monasteries, churches — is sacral property.

"This means that they will always be platforms for cooperation," Herman said, describing "a cooperative model" that would persist even after formal financial separation.

Preparing for full independence

To prepare for full financial independence, the Olomouc Archdiocese is building "a portfolio of investments in agriculture, forestry, financial investments, and real estate," Pirkl explained. But the transition will be challenging because of the necessary "review of all expenses," which he described as "a test of maturity."

Pirkl said it will not be possible "to maintain every single dilapidated church in the countryside." If the Church "rationally prioritizes and cooperates with the state and municipalities to save cultural heritage," it can "fulfill its main mission," he said.

He noted that wealthier dioceses are already contributing to those with fewer resources, such as those in the borderlands, through the Czech Bishops' Conference.

'A revolutionary change'

Jakub Kríž, a lawyer who teaches at the Catholic Theological Faculty of Charles University in Prague, told EWTN News that the end of state funding would have no immediate impact but that the Church will have to find new ways to cover costs in the long term.

"This is a revolutionary change," he said, noting the assumption that greater financial independence will bring the Church more freedom.

However, the declining number of believers in one of Europe's most secular countries will also affect the Church's economic stability, Kríž warned.

He pointed to a deeper tension between two ways of thinking within the Czech Church: one focused on "business plans" — investing to generate profits — and another centered on people.

"Money will always be found, even if the investment is unsuccessful, and when there are no people, money is not needed," Kríž said, characterizing the second perspective.

While disputes over the property settlement are largely concluded, Kríž said he foresees new tensions ahead — not over finances but over ethical questions.

"Criticism from the woke side will certainly come, but it will not concern property issues but rather ethical issues," he said.

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Each Ash Wednesday, dozens of people crowd the doors of the Church of Sant'Anselmo, perched on the Aventine — one of Rome's seven hills — to witness the penitential procession that moves solemnly along the roughly 200 meters (656 feet) separating it from Santa Sabina.

This year, the tradition of the Station Churches, rooted in the first centuries of Christianity, takes on special significance: It will be the first time Pope Leo XIV presides over it.

It lasts less than five minutes, but it is not a mere ceremonial transfer. The short route liturgically marks the beginning of Lent and underscores the Aventine's strong monastic presence: the Benedictines at Sant'Anselmo and the Dominicans at Santa Sabina.

"The penitential character of Lent allows us to explore the spiritual dimension of these centuries-old stational liturgies. Lent is marked by themes of baptism and conversion: reorienting our lives toward Christ, making his life fruitful in ours, and striving to imitate him," Father Stefan Geiger, president of the Pontifical Liturgical Institute, told EWTN News.

Martyrs as models of life

Along that path, martyrs occupy a privileged place because, Geiger said, they "serve as exceptional models of this way of life."

"The method of the early Church was not based on theoretical instruction but on the concrete example of a life lived for Christ, offering an invitation to realign one's life completely with him," he added.

Santa Sabina's role as the destination is no accident. It is a "Station Church," a key concept in the Roman Church's tradition.

"It is the church the pope goes to on a specific occasion to celebrate the liturgy with the faithful," the Benedictine priest explained.

The practice goes back to the early Church, when Christianity began organizing public worship in Rome. After the Edict of Milan in 313, when the emperor Constantine granted freedom of worship, Christian communities grew quickly, leading to a multiplication of places for Sunday celebrations known as "tituli" — early parish-like churches.

"These 'titular churches' represented their respective parishes, dividing the growing number of faithful into smaller units," Geiger said.

But this expansion in urban contexts posed a theological and pastoral challenge, he said: "From very early on, there was concern about how to maintain and visibly express the unity of the local Church. At that time, the ideal of the local Church was still the community gathered around its bishop. However, this became increasingly difficult to sustain, especially in urban settings, and it threatened to obscure visible unity."

Stational liturgies arose in the fourth century

In that context, stational liturgies emerged in the fourth century as a tangible sign of ecclesial communion. The pope, as bishop of Rome, would regularly "station" at a specific titular church, preside over the liturgy there, and in doing so confer upon it a "precedence over other liturgies," Geiger explained.

A century later, the Roman tradition added a decisive element: the penitential procession.

"In the fifth century, a uniquely Roman custom developed: a penitential procession toward the stational church, which began at a gathering church — the 'collecta' — where penitential antiphons and the Litany of the Saints were sung," he said.

The route culminated in a triple invocation of the "Kyrie eleison" ("Lord, have mercy") — one of Christianity's oldest and most fundamental liturgical prayers — and an intense silent prayer before the altar, during which clergy prostrated themselves.

"It is a gesture we still see today in the liturgy of Good Friday. The procession concluded with a silent prayer and a prostration of the clergy before the final prayer, since the Kyrie had been sung during the litanies," he added.

From medieval solemnity to modern eclipse

During the early Middle Ages, this pattern was adopted and enriched with an ever more solemn ceremonial.

"The pope traveled on horseback from St. John Lateran — then the papal residence — and was received ceremonially at the Station Church, vested in liturgical garments. Then he entered the church accompanied by acolytes carrying seven torches, and only then did the celebration begin," Geiger recalled.

At the end of the liturgy, the deacon solemnly announced the next Station Church and, if applicable, the church of the collecta, to which the faithful responded with "Deo gratias."

Over time, however, the tradition weakened. During the period when seven popes resided in Avignon, France (1309–1377), it virtually disappeared from Rome.

After the capture of Rome in 1870 — the final milestone of the Italian Risorgimento, when troops of the Kingdom of Italy breached the Aurelian Walls near Porta Pia — stational liturgies were officially prohibited in 1870 as part of a general decree banning all processions.

Contemporary recovery

The revival of the tradition came after the Lateran Pacts, the 1929 concordat defining civil and religious relations between the government and the Church in Italy.

The Pontifical Academy of Martyrs — which seeks to keep alive the legacy of the early witnesses of the Christian faith — promoted the restoration of stational liturgies, especially through its first director, Carlo Respighi.

"Even today, the academy is responsible for overseeing these celebrations, and its website lists the Station Churches of Lent," Geiger said.

In any case, the president of the Pontifical Liturgical Institute noted that today the pope generally presides over only two stational liturgies: Ash Wednesday at Santa Sabina and Holy Thursday at St. John Lateran.

"Before the liturgical reform, the Missal listed about 89 stational liturgies in 42 Station Churches. The origins of each of the 'titular churches' are no longer known, but they are closely linked to the martyrs, who have a special significance in the memory of the city of Rome," he said.

As every year, the Benedictine community of Sant'Anselmo is preparing carefully for the event. The occasion takes on added meaning as it will be the pontiff's second visit there during his first year in office: The monks previously welcomed Leo XIV on Nov. 11, 2025, on the feast of their church's dedication.

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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