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ACI Prensa Staff, Aug 21, 2025 / 14:15 pm (CNA).

Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester in Minnesota and founder of the Catholic ministry Word on Fire recently warned about the proliferation of fake videos created with artificial intelligence (AI) circulating on social media impersonating him.

"The presence online of these videos generated by artificial intelligence that purport to be from me and that are not from me" is a problem that is becoming "increasingly difficult," the prelate warned in a message posted Aug. 20 on his official social media.

Barron recounted that a few months ago, a woman told him that she felt so bad about an altercation he supposedly got into in a restaurant in Chicago, which was actually a fake video.

"I said I've not been in a restaurant in Chicago for about five years. Well, it was one of these AI-generated silly videos," he explained.

He also recalled another case in which he was supposedly summoned to Rome by Pope Leo XIV for "high-level discussions." The bishop clarified: "I've met Pope Leo once — it happened a couple of weeks ago in Rome; we put it up on our social media. I shook his hand and he smiled at me. That's my one contact with him. I'm not being summoned to Rome for high-level discussions."

A video even circulated in which he supposedly gave recommendations on how to "remove demons from your toilet."

"My point," Barron said, is "this is all ridiculous. And I think if you spend just a moment, you can tell the difference between an authentic video from me and one of these fakes."

The bishop warned that this phenomenon is not harmless: "These are fraudsters. What they're doing is making money off these things because they monetize them through ads … So it's not just harmless fun people are having. It's doing damage to my reputation, but it's also doing damage to people who are being defrauded."

In response, he urged the faithful not to be fooled: "Don't take these silly things seriously. Don't watch them. And what you look for is something on my YouTube channel, something on the official Word on Fire channel, and there's a blue check you can see next to my name, the profile name. Look for that: That's the sign that it's a video from me."

Finally, he called for common sense: "When you see these goofy images that are obviously generated by a computer and you hear me talking about some wild thing, I hope you have the sense to know 'Look, that's not really Bishop Barron speaking.'"

"It's becoming increasingly a problem and I want you to know about it and do what you can to battle it. And God bless you," he concluded.

Leo XIV's concern for the ethical use of AI

Since the beginning of his pontificate, Pope Leo XIV has expressed particular concern about the ethical use of AI. On June 7, the pontiff underscored the "urgent need" for "serious reflection and ongoing discussion on the inherently ethical dimension of AI as well as its responsible governance."

A month later, in his message to participants at the AI ??for Good 2025 summit held in Geneva, Switzerland, he recalled that "although responsibility for the ethical use of AI systems begins with those who develop, manage, and oversee them, those who use them also share in this responsibility."

In his letter, the pope urged the promotion of "regulatory frameworks centered on the human person" and "proper ethical management" of AI technologies at both the local and global levels.

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

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CNA Staff, Aug 21, 2025 / 15:19 pm (CNA).

James Dobson, the evangelical Christian psychologist, author, and founder of Focus on the Family, an influential family counseling ministry, passed away on Aug. 21. He was 89 years old.

Dobson advised five U.S. presidents on family policy, most recently as a member of President Donald Trump's Evangelical Executive Advisory board. He was considered a leading light in the American conservative movement's fight for traditional family values, including a focus on defending the institution of marriage as between one man and one woman for life, biblical sexual ethics and gender roles, and innocent life through opposition to abortion.

"James Dobson was the indispensable man," Peter Wolfgang, president of Family Institute of Connecticut Action, an affiliate of the Family Policy Councils that Dobson helped start, told CNA. "Just as I don't think the Soviet Union would have collapsed without Pope John Paul II, I don't think we'd be where we are in the culture wars without him. He was a builder of institutions."

In 1977, after leaving nearly two decades in academia and private practice in California, Dobson began Focus on the Family, which produced a daily radio program that provided parenting advice as well as encouraged Christians to advocate for biblical values in schools and the wider culture. The radio program was carried by more than 7,000 radio stations around the world and had hundreds of millions of listeners.

"Focus on the Family is the mothership; it is where it all began," Wolfgang noted. The organization, which by the 1990s had a budget that exceeded $100 million and produced, in addition to its radio programs, print publications, video projects, and camps, was the first of several ministries and organizations Dobson started. 

Key role in founding Alliance Defending Freedom

Dobson also helped found the Christian legal advocacy group Alliance Defense Fund, now known as Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), in 1994, as well as the Washington-based political advocacy group Family Research Council. He was also involved in the founding of ecumenical, state-based Family Policy Councils, which exist in about 40 states. 

In 1986 Dobson served on the U.S. Attorney General's Commission on Pornography, where he met Alan Sears, who became CEO, president, and general counsel of ADF for 26 years. 

"I am sad to learn of the passing of my ally and friend, Dr. James Dobson," Sears said in a press release. "He gave us the greatest gift any person can give: his name and reputation. It was an incredible trust and turned out to be a gift that changed the world."

He continued: "It was through Focus on the Family that the ADF theme verse, John 15:5, was adopted, which acknowledges that 'without Christ, we can do nothing.' This has been the cornerstone of everything ADF has accomplished, and Dobson's legacy will continue on through the many ministries he envisioned and led."

Current ADF CEO and Chief Counsel Kristen Waggoner said: "Dobson's bold leadership and commitment to the Gospel shaped the lives of so many and will continue to do so many years after his passing."

Dobson's leadership in the 'culture wars' 

According to Wolfgang, "James Dobson did more than any other single individual" to bring about the "turning of the tide" in the "culture wars," as evidenced by the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the collapse of the transgender movement.

"He is the man who gave us the tools to do it," Wolfgang said. 

In the beginning years of the contemporary pro-family movement in the U.S., "the larger movement was mostly evangelical," Wolfgang said, noting, however, that "it was ecumenical. It was Catholic-friendly."

"I'm just so grateful for what Dobson did," Wolfgang continued. "I love the Catholic faith, we have the fullness of the truth, but in the late 20th century, we didn't build the institutions to fight back like he did. We're just now starting to do that. It was really Focus on the Family, the Family Research Council — all of that universe that began with Dobson — that really gave pro-life and pro-family Christians the tools."

"The Protestant scene, like the Values Voter Summit, was the nuts and bolts on how to turn culture around. 'How do we win on the state and federal level?'" Wolfgang continued.

He said it was not just Dobson's advocacy for the family that helped but his ability to fight for it in the public realm.

"We're living at a time now where a lot of our sturdy evangelical allies have started to go a little wobbly on the biggest cultural issues of the day," he continued.

"Focus on the Family never lost its focus. It never strayed from the vision of its founder. It is like how religious orders in the Catholic Church who follow the vision of their founder flourished. They never lost their focus," Wolfgang said.

Praise of the Catholic Church

In an historic moment in 2000, Dobson and Chuck Colson, another prominent evangelical leader, along with other Protestant and Catholic advocates for a Christian view of sexuality and the family, met with Pope John Paul II at a three-day conference in Rome.

Though the theological divides between Catholics and Protestants separated the Christian groups, they united over the "breakdown of the family and the deterioration of the respect for human life," Russell Hittinger, a law professor at The Catholic University of America, said at the time.

Dobson himself said that "when it comes to the family, there is far more agreement than disagreement, and with regard to moral issues from abortion to premarital sex, safe-sex ideology and homosexuality, I find more in common with Catholics than with some of my evangelical brothers and sisters."

Paul McCusker, who worked with Dobson at Focus on the Family for almost 20 years as a writer and director for the "Adventures in Odyssey" audio series, told CNA: "Dr. James Dobson was a man of Godly integrity, dedication, and immense love for the family. He was a help and guide to millions of people, offering wisdom and advice to couples, parents, and kids in all conditions."  

A convert to Catholicism, McCusker is currently a senior content creator for the Augustine Institute. 

"He was a leading voice where families needed one. His creative vision allowed for efforts like 'Adventures in Odyssey' and so many other programs that have inspired the past couple of generations," he continued. "Personally, I am grieved, even while celebrating Dr. Dobson's greatest of homecomings."

Early life and career

Born in 1936 in Louisiana, Dobson came from generations of Christian faith. His father, grandfather, and great-grandfather were all pastors in the Church of the Nazarene. 

Dobson studied psychology as an undergraduate and received his doctorate in psychology in 1967 from the University of Southern California.

He worked as a professor of pediatrics at the University of Southern California School of Medicine for 14 years and spent 17 years in the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles Division of Child Development and Medical Genetics, leaving both positions in 1976.

He published his first book and most famous parenting tome, "Dare to Discipline," in 1970 in response to the disintegration of the family he encountered in his clinical practice. In the book, he encouraged parents to assert their authority over their children, advocating for restrained but principled corporal punishment.

He went on to publish nearly 70 books on parenting, discipline, traditional values, and marriage.

Dobson is survived by his wife of nearly 65 years, Shirley, and two children, daughter Danae and son Ryan, along with daughter-in-law Laura and two grandchildren.

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ACI Prensa Staff, Aug 21, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

Two years after "the worst episode of violence against Christians" in Pakistan's history, according to the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), the bishop of Faisalabad said the community of the faithful is outraged by the apparent failure of justice.

Beginning Aug. 16, 2023, and in the days following, Muslims in the village of Jaranwala in the Diocese of Faisalabad looted and burned more than 25 churches and at least 80 Christian homes.

According to ACN, two months ago, local courts "acquitted 10 people accused of setting fire to one of the churches." Another 5,213 people were accused of participating in the violence, of whom more than 380 were arrested. However, many were released on bail. To date, no convictions have been handed down.

Bishop Indrias Rehmat spoke to the pontifical foundation about the case, denouncing the lack of justice and explaining the feelings of local Christians.

"Justice has not been done," he said. "The police have not done their duty. Nobody has been punished and nobody has been dealt with properly. At this stage, we do not see any hope of any culprit being punished."

The Christians, Rehmat said, have received physical threats and harassment from local extremists for "daring to call for justice but had now become so enraged that they are determined to speak out."

"What's changed over the last two years since the attacks is that people have now become ready to fight for their rights. They say we should shout and scream," he added.

The bishop explained that the Christian community's discontent is exacerbated by the fact that Christians were the only ones convicted on charges related to the 2023 attacks. Brothers Rocky and Raja Masih were accused of blasphemy against the Quran — which sparked the persecution that year — but were later acquitted.

Pakistan is home to about 4 million Christians. This represents only 1.6% of the country's total population, estimated at 241 million and predominantly Muslim. From 1987 to early 2021, more than 1,800 people were charged with blasphemy against Islam.

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, Aug 21, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Nigeria is the deadliest country in the world for Christians, according to the new chair of the U.S. Commission on International Freedom (USCIRF).

Vicky Hartzler, a Republican who represented Missouri in the U.S. House of Representatives for 12 years, became chair of the commission in June. In an interview with CNA, she said of her new mission: "We want to make a difference. We want to save lives."

Hartzler's top priority is Nigeria. Citing statistics from Open Doors, an international organization dedicated to helping persecuted Christians, Hartzler said 69% of Christians killed worldwide in 2023 died in Nigeria, with more than 50,000 killed since 2009. The violence includes mass killings of worshippers, such as the June attack on a Catholic church where more than 200 people were slaughtered.

Hartzler is calling on the U.S. State Department to designate Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) and pressure its government to better protect citizens and prosecute those committing crimes against religion.

Iran and China remain major focuses. In Iran, Hartzler said more than 900 executions took place in 2024, and 96 Christians received sentences totaling more than 260 years in prison.

China, meanwhile, continues its so-called sinicization campaign, especially against Uyghur Muslims in the Xinjiang region, requiring mosques and churches to display portraits of leader Xi Jinping and replace traditional worship with Chinese Communist Party propaganda. Hartzler said these examples not only represent repression but also are systematic attempts to erase authentic religious practice.

Stephen Schneck, who served as chair of the USCIRF under President Joe Biden and is a former director of the Institute for Policy Research and Catholic Studies at The Catholic University of America, equates USCIRF's work within a Catholic tradition of defending religious liberty, tracing back to the Second Vatican Council's declaration of religious freedom Dignitatis Humanae.

He warned of "a historic uptick in the persecution of religion around the world" and highlighted two genocides in Asia: against Uyghur Muslims in China and the Rohingya in Myanmar. For Schneck, it is vital not only to document these atrocities but also ensure they remain in international focus.

Maureen Ferguson, a former senior fellow at The Catholic Association and EWTN radio host, wants to draw attention to Nicaragua, where President Daniel Ortega's regime has targeted the Catholic Church by arresting priests, expelling nuns, and even monitoring homilies.

"When they kick out the nuns, what are the nuns doing?" Ferguson asked. "They take care of the street girls, the elderly poor who are dying. Who's taking care of them now? The government is certainly not taking care of these people."

Ferguson also pointed to Cuba's ongoing repression of churches and independent religious voices as another regional priority for USCIRF. 

She framed international religious freedom as part of a broader defense of human dignity. "The right to practice your faith is one of the most fundamental human rights," Ferguson said, linking it with conscience rights and the sanctity of life. 

Schneck said USCIRF's bipartisan structure adds weight to its recommendations. But he cautioned that designations such as CPC or the Special Watch List are not enough without enforcement.

"Too often these designations come with no sanctions, or sanctions are waived," he said.

Hartzler and her fellow commissioners also highlighted USCIRF's Victims List, which features individuals imprisoned or tortured for their beliefs. By publicizing their names and stories, the commission seeks to pressure governments into releasing them and to remind the world that religious persecution is not abstract but lived by real people.

The commissioners all agree that Americans have a role to play. Hartzler urged people not just to pray but also to act: calling elected officials, pressing the White House and State Department, and demanding that religious freedom be a core element of U.S. foreign policy.

Ferguson called for the confirmation of President Donald Trump's nominee for ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom, former Congressman Mark Walker, to strengthen U.S. diplomatic efforts.

The U.S. State Department is expected to release the annual International Religious Freedom report soon.

USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan legislative branch agency created by the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act, as amended. The commission monitors the universal right to freedom of religion or belief abroad; makes policy recommendations to the president, secretary of state, and Congress; and tracks the implementation of these recommendations.

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CNA Staff, Aug 20, 2025 / 19:14 pm (CNA).

Frank Caprio, who served as a Providence, Rhode Island, municipal court judge for nearly 40 years and came to be known as "America's nicest judge," passed away on Aug. 20 from pancreatic cancer.

"Beloved for his compassion, humility, and unwavering belief in the goodness of people, Judge Caprio touched the lives of millions through his work in the courtroom and beyond. His warmth, humor, and kindness left an indelible mark on all who knew him," read a statement posted on his official Facebook page.

Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee ordered flags in the state to be flown at half staff at all state agencies and buildings until the day of Caprio's internment, and he also asked Rhode Island residents to lower their flags out of respect.

Caprio gained worldwide fame for a lenient judicial style that blended justice, extreme empathy, and mercy when his courtroom was televised in a program called "Caught in Providence." The program began in 1999 and went viral in 2017, achieving hundreds of millions of views since then. The show was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award in 2021 and has a YouTube channel with nearly 3 million subscribers.

When handing down judgments for low-level offenses like parking and speeding tickets, Caprio told EWTN News correspondent Colm Flynn on "EWTN News In Depth" in February that he always kept in mind something his father, a hardworking Italian immigrant with a fifth-grade education, had impressed upon him: "What might seem like a small fine to some was something that many couldn't afford."

"That's why I would always inquire: 'Tell me a little bit about what's going on in your life,'" Caprio said.

"Your case is dismissed" became Caprio's signature phrase.

When other judges asked him why he would be so lenient, he said: "I would just place myself in the shoes of the person before me." 

Caprio dismissed the case of a 96-year-old man, Victor, who had an outstanding unpaid speeding ticket, the first one in his life, which he received while taking his disabled son to a doctor's appointment. Four years later, Caprio celebrated the man's 100th birthday with him.

"Watching my father, I learned how to treat people with respect and dignity," Caprio said.

Early life and education

Caprio was born in 1936 in Providence, Rhode Island, the second of three sons of Italian immigrants Antonio Caprio and Filomena Caprio, who emigrated from Naples. 

Caprio attended Providence public schools, winning a state title in wrestling when he attended Central High School, and later graduating from Providence College in 1958. While teaching American government at Hope High School, he pursued a law degree at Suffolk University School of Law, attending night classes and passing the bar in 1965. He became a judge in 1985 and served until his retirement in 2023.

Caprio said that his father, a fruit peddler and milkman, used to wake him and his brothers at 4 a.m. to accompany him on his milk delivery rounds. 

"I had the most privileged childhood you could imagine," Caprio told Flynn. "I had the privilege of being brought up poor."

He described living in a "cold water flat," an apartment that had no hot water. 

Caprio's father told his sons if they "didn't want to stay on this milk cart for the rest of your life, you better stay in school." 

One day when he was around 12 years old, Caprio said, his father put his hand on his shoulder and said: "You're going to be a lawyer someday, and you can't charge poor people like us."

The elder Caprio showed his sons how to be compassionate even as a poor milkman, refusing to stop milk deliveries when customers could not pay.

Caprio's father continued to be a powerful presence in his life even after he became a judge. On his first day on the bench, Caprio required a belligerent, rude woman with multiple parking tickets to pay the full amount she owed and impounded her car. At the end of the day, he asked his father, who had been watching: "How'd I do?" 

His father told him he was too harsh with the woman, even if she did have a bad attitude. He told him she had three kids and might not be able to feed them that night.

"Because you're in a position of power doesn't mean you have to use it against people who don't have power," Caprio's father said to him.

It was a lesson he would never forget.

"I was just trying to be decent with everyone. I never sat on the bench and thought I was better than anyone else or that I was superior to them in any way," Caprio told Flynn.

Cancer diagnosis

Caprio was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2023. 

A devout Catholic, Caprio's faith sustained him during a pilgrimage to Lourdes, France, in 2024, where he sang "Ave Maria" at the grotto, describing it as a profound spiritual moment.

He told Flynn he hoped his fans would pray for him after his cancer diagnosis because "I have a deep and abiding faith in the Catholic Church, in Jesus, in the power of prayer." He said his faith in God and the prayer from all his fans kept him going.

He asked for prayers again on Aug. 19, posting a video on Facebook. He passed away the next day.

Career, legacy, and honors

Caprio, a Democrat, served on the Providence City Council for six years, from 1962 to 1968, and lost the general election for Rhode Island attorney general in 1970. He served as a delegate for five Democratic National Conventions. Caprio also served in the Rhode Island Army National Guard.

He was actively involved in several community organizations, including the Boys Town of Italy and the Rhode Island Food Bank. He co-chaired the Rhode Island Statue of Liberty Foundation, raising funds for the restoration of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Additionally, he served on the Rhode Island Board of Regents for Elementary and Secondary Education. Caprio was also a member of the President's Council at Providence College.

At Suffolk University School of Law, Caprio established the Antonio "Tup" Caprio Scholarship Fund, named after his father, to support Rhode Island students dedicated to enhancing access to legal services in the state's poor, urban neighborhoods. Caprio also created scholarships at Providence College, Suffolk Law School, and for Central High School graduates, all honoring his father's legacy.

Caprio received two honorary doctorates and a Producer's Circle Award at the Rhode Island International Film Festival along with the Daytime Emmy nomination. His former municipal courtroom was renamed "The Chief Judge Frank Caprio Courtroom" in 2023. 

An avid Boston Red Sox fan, Caprio threw the ceremonial first pitch at Fenway Park in 2019.

In 2025 he published his memoir, "Compassion in the Court: Life-Changing Stories from America's Nicest Judge."

Caprio is survived by his wife of 60 years, Joyce, with whom he had five children: Frank T. Caprio, David Caprio, Marissa Pesce, John Caprio, and Paul Caprio. The couple had seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

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CNA Staff, Aug 20, 2025 / 13:26 pm (CNA).

Pro-life activists in New York state were awarded $1 this month after a court found that a county abortion clinic rule violated their constitutional free speech rights. 

The Thomas More Society brought suit in federal district court in 2022 against New York's Westchester County over its rule forbidding "interference" with abortion access there. 

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York found in favor of pro-life sidewalk counselors Oksana Hulinsky and Regina Molinelli, with District Judge Philip Halpern ruling on Aug. 12 that the county ordinance violated the activists' free speech and due process rights. 

The plaintiffs were only seeking "nominal damages" in the suit, the court noted, leading Halpern to order the $1 award. The county had already repealed the ordinance in question prior to the ruling.

Thomas More Society attorney Christopher Ferrara said in a press release that the ruling sends a "powerful message to municipalities nationwide" that "vague laws targeting pro-life speech will not stand."

"Westchester County's pro-life sidewalk counselors seek only to offer compassionate, life-affirming alternatives on public sidewalks — as is their First Amendment right," he said. 

"Westchester's arrogant overreach tried to silence their voices, but this decision helps reaffirm their constitutional freedom to share the pro-life message."

The law firm, however, noted that it would appeal an earlier court ruling that upheld parts of the law that forbid so-called "following-and-harassing" behavior.

Rules regarding conduct outside of abortion clinics have become legal flashpoints in the abortion debate around the U.S. and internationally in recent years. 

The Supreme Court earlier this year refused to hear a case involving a "buffer zone" around abortion clinics in Carbondale, Illinois. That rule criminalizes approaching within eight feet of another person without his or her consent for purposes of protest, education, or counseling within 100 feet of a health care facility.

In 2023 a Washington state county judge ordered a pro-life group to pay nearly $1 million to Planned Parenthood for gathering and praying outside of one of its abortion clinics. 

Earlier this month, a 28-year-old man was found guilty of assaulting two elderly pro-life activists in front of a Planned Parenthood facility in Baltimore, though the perpetrator was sentenced to just one year of home detention. 

Last year, meanwhile, a national "buffer zone" law went into effect across England and Wales barring protests outside abortion facilities. Officials stipulated that silently praying outside of abortion clinics is "not necessarily" a crime under the new rules.

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ACI Prensa Staff, Aug 20, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

During the Jubilee of Youth in Rome, young people from around the world gathered to celebrate a mosaic of universal faith. In the midst of this gathering, an inevitable question arose for young Cubans: How can they live their faith in a country fraught with challenges?

ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner, spoke with Fernando Mario Díaz Hernández and Cynthia Izaguirre Roldán, both 19 and university students whose lives bear witness to a Catholic faith that steadfastly perseveres in everyday life despite the precarious conditions.

They live in Camagüey, a province located in the heart of Cuba, between the Atlantic and the Caribbean. According to the website Catholic Hierarchy, the Archdiocese of Camagüey has 15 parishes and 26 priests for approximately 800,000 inhabitants. Nationally, Aid to the Church in Need estimates that there are only 370 priests in the 11 dioceses.

Spiritual challenges

Hernández indicated that the large number of churches in his city is a factor that makes the Catholic faith present in the daily life of society. However, he contrasted this impression, noting that despite this, "being a young Catholic is difficult."

Izaguirre agreed, adding that "there is a lack of priests" and "consistency in the faith, so that young people live their lives according to their convictions, not otherwise."

Father Alberto Reyes Pías from St. Joseph Parish in Esmeralda has a vision that is not very different from that of the young people. The priest noted that there is a need to "find a path that leads them to a spiritual experience, to an encounter with a transcendent dimension."

Reyes emphasized that today they face the challenge of "choosing the values of the spirit in a world where those values are viewed with indifference or even as disadvantages for progressing in life."

In this regard, he emphasized that it's a real challenge for young people "to get to the point where life has a meaning beyond the daily demands of survival." The priest considers that the main task of the new generations is "not to lose hope that a different homeland is possible, in the midst of an environment of survival, precariousness, and lack of horizons." 

The priest also warned about "an accelerated rise in Afro-Cuban religions," which offer "an illusion of security and control over life, which in Cuba today is a very complicated issue, because you never know what will happen on a given day, much less in the long term." He also emphasized that these religions "make no claims on moral behavior, which makes it easy and convenient to 'get hooked' on them."

Other challenges for youth

The challenge is not only spiritual. According to figures from Human Rights Watch (HRW), Cuba's population decreased by 10% between December 2021 and December 2023, primarily due to migration. Between January and August 2024 alone, the United States Border Patrol apprehended Cubans more than 97,000 times, which may include multiple encounters with the same persons.

Furthermore, the report describes an "economic crisis" that has caused power outages of up to 20 hours a day in some areas, along with "acute shortages of food, medicine, and other essential items." According to HRW, in February, the government requested assistance from the United Nations World Food Program for the first time to obtain powdered milk for children under 7 years of age.

The same report warns that Cubans who criticize the government "risk criminal prosecution" without being guaranteed due process. In practice, "the courts are subordinate to the executive branch." Furthermore, the state "controls virtually all media."

Signs of hope

Amid precarious conditions, faith remains a source of hope. Izaguirre said that "through my faith and that of many others, we can aspire to a better future" and she dreams of "a country free from the shackles that limit us, where we can hold processions and Stations of the Cross with the hope that they won't tell us 'you can't.'"

She noted that one of the things that inspires her is that, despite everything, hope "still persists in those who seek and find purpose in faith, as well as in those who fight daily for change in our country, despite the oppression and what this can mean."

Far from being discouraged, Izaguirre is committed to "creating spaces for debate and activities that demonstrate that faith is still alive in Cuba. There are still young people willing to fight for change and keep that spark of hope alive in our homes."

For his part, Hernández confessed that, although at times it's difficult for him to "maintain hope," his faith has saved him. "When I feel like I can't go on, that it's impossible to continue, I go before the Lord, and he comforts me, fills me with encouragement and strength to endure."

That's why he actively participates in youth ministry, so that, together with other young people, he can create "a space where they can receive formation, feel safe, and recover that source of energy that drives their lives, always for the greater glory of God."

Reyes shared that he has noticed an increase in children who "grow up without fear of openly acknowledging their faith. Many children go to church alone, without their parents taking them," and it's the example of many children "that their parents have started attending church."

The priest noted that, despite the emigration of young people, communities are "being renewed by young people who keep coming and who ask to undergo a process of growing in faith, and the change in their lives is a source of hope, seeing in them that beautiful reality we call 'conversion.'"

Reyes also noted that in his experience, "couples are increasingly requesting the sacrament of marriage, and more and more people are baptizing their children, even if they don't attend church."

Catechumenate groups have also increased, and despite constant emigration, "communities are renewing themselves."

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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National Catholic Register, Aug 19, 2025 / 18:43 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV made a private visit Tuesday to the Shrine of Our Lady of Mentorella, Mother of Graces, near Rome, underscoring his devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

A favorite pilgrimage site of St. John Paul II and close to the picturesque mountain town of Capranica Prenestina, it is the fourth Marian shrine the Holy Father has visited since his election on May 8.

The Vatican said in a short statement that after visiting and praying at the shrine, Leo XIV spent some time with members of the Polish Resurrectionist congregation who run the shrine before returning to Castel Gandolfo.

Perched on the top of a small mountain overlooking a vast valley below with breathtaking views, the Shrine of Our Lady of Grace at Mentorella is said to have been founded in the fourth century by Constantine, who wanted to commemorate the site of St. Eustachius' conversion. Pope Sylvester I had it consecrated around 335, and in the sixth century the land was given to the Benedictine monks at nearby Subiaco.

The shrine's small church, with its gable façade and ogival windows, dates to the 13th century; behind it is a mystical grotto where St. Benedict is alleged to have lived for two years. During his visit on Tuesday, Pope Leo XIV lit a candle and prayed there.

The shrine as it is seen today was developed by Jesuit scholar Father Athanasius Kircher in the 17th century, believing it to be one of the 12 abbeys St. Benedict founded. The pope at that time, Innocent XIII, asked for his heart to be buried there.

The Polish Resurrectionist congregation has looked after the shrine since 1857.

The shrine was the first Marian shrine Pope John Paul II visited after his election in 1978. He made several pilgrimages to Our Lady of Mentorella throughout his pontificate, using it as a place for personal prayer and reflection. During his visits, he used to cherish a hiking path leading to the shrine, now known as the Wojtyla Trail, which makes its way through a captivating landscape of small waterfalls surrounded by red rock.

Benedict XVI also visited the holy site soon after his election in 2005, celebrating Mass there exactly 27 years to the day of John Paul II's first visit.

Leo's fourth Marian shrine

Pope Leo has so far visited three other Marian shrines, the first being the Augustinian-run Shrine of the Mother of Good Counsel in Genazzano about an hour's drive from Rome, on May 10, two days after his election. While in Genazzano he left a written note for Our Lady expressing his devotion to Our Lady of Good Counsel and asking for her help in his new mission.

He has also prayed before the "Salus Populi Romani" icon in the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome soon after his election — a special place of devotion also for Pope Francis, who is buried there — and on Aug. 17 he celebrated Mass at the Shrine of Santa Maria della Rotonda in Albano near his summer residence of Castel Gandolfo.

This week's visit is therefore just the latest example of Pope Leo's very apparent Marian devotion. Mariologists such as professor Mark Miravalle of Franciscan University of Steubenville have noted clear devotion to Mary in Leo's pontificate so far — in common with Leo XIII — as well as possibly providential indications such as his papal election on the previous feast of the Mediatrix of All Graces. 

The pope has repeatedly referred to the Blessed Virgin in his addresses and homilies as a source of consolation, hope, and help, particularly for those facing illness and suffering, and encouraging the faithful to grow in devotion to Our Lady. 

This week, the Vatican disclosed that he had responded in a magazine to a letter from a mother who shared some of her struggles with faith, inviting her to keep the Virgin Mary as a firm point of reference amid difficulties.

In an address during a 1978 pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Mentorella, Pope John Paul II said the holy site, "hidden among the mountains, particularly fascinated me."

Noting that the "Mother of Christ went to the hills to say her 'Magnificat,'" he said that "this is a place in which man opens to God in a special way: [A] place where, far from everything, but also at the same time close to nature, one can speak confidentially to God himself. One feels within one what is man's personal call."

This story was first published by the National Catholic Register, CNA's sister news partner, and has been adapted by CNA.

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CNA Staff, Aug 19, 2025 / 12:35 pm (CNA).

A federal district court has ordered that a California school district must grant a Christian children's club equal access to school facilities, arguing that the denial of that access violates the club's free speech rights.

The Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) will be required to provide "equal access to available spaces and benefits" to the group Child Evangelism Fellowship of NorCal, District Judge Haywood Gilliam Jr. said in an Aug. 15 ruling.

The court order found that the school district apparently engaged in "viewpoint discrimination" in violation of the U.S. Constitution when it barred the group from after-school use of campus facilities.

The district had argued that the Christian group did not meet the administrative requirements to be allowed access to school space and that allowing the group on campus could constitute a violation of the Constitution's establishment clause, which forbids government favoring of religion.

The school district's arguments were "remarkably short on caselaw," Gilliam noted, while court precedent "clearly favor[s]" the Christian group's position.

The court order said the district was forbidden from enforcing rules "in any manner that denies [the Christian group] access to OUSD facilities on an equal basis to the access provided to similarly situated nonprofit organizations."

The evangelical organization was represented in its bid by the legal group Liberty Counsel. Group founder Mat Staver described the decision as a "great victory."

"Child Evangelism Fellowship gives children a biblically-based education that includes moral and character development," he said. "Good News Clubs should be in every public elementary school."

Gilliam in his order directed the school district and the Christian group to present a jointly-agreed-upon plan to implement the ruling by Sept. 16.

The judge said the court would determine "what if any additional language is needed" to ensure the ruling is carried out.

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ACI MENA, Aug 19, 2025 / 14:03 pm (CNA).

Marking the 11th anniversary of forced displacement of Christians in Iraq, Father Benedict Kiely presented an icon of Our Lady of Persecuted Christians to Bishop Benedictus Younan Hanno, Syriac Catholic archbishop of Mosul and its dependencies, on Aug. 6 in Qaraqosh, Iraq.

The bishop announced that the icon will be placed in St. Ephrem Church in Qaraqosh, which is currently under construction and expected to open in November.

Kiely, a priest of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, England, has spent the last decade supporting persecuted Christians. In 2015, while visiting Iraq to assist in Aid to the Church in Need's efforts to shelter and feed victims of forced displacement, he became deeply bound to the Christians there who suffer for their faith, leading him to return many times and expand his support.

His efforts bore fruit in 2016 with the official founding of Nasarean.org, dedicating his priesthood to preaching, writing, and raising global awareness of the persecution of Middle Eastern Christians "as well as working to create job opportunities to help them remain in their historic homeland, something that cannot be achieved without a source of livelihood," he told ACI MENA, CNA's Arabic-language news partner.

"Over 10 years of service, our organization has supported more than 60 small projects in Iraq alone in addition to other initiatives in Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Armenia, and Jordan," Kiely said. "We focus on small and family-run projects to help families remain rooted in the land of their forefathers."

Spiritual support before humanitarian aid

Driven by a sincere desire to call Church members to intensify prayer for their persecuted brothers and sisters worldwide and to draw attention to their suffering, Kiely has launched a spiritual initiative to establish shrines dedicated to the Virgin Mary under the title "Our Lady of Persecuted Christians." 

"A Catholic organization founded by a priest cannot be just like any other humanitarian NGO [nongovernmental organization] that provides material aid only," Kiely explained. "Prayer must be at the heart of our mission. That is why we have created these shrines, to offer a space for prayer for suffering Christians, many of whom are in the diaspora, so they can also be a sign of hope."

This year, the group launched an annual World Day of Prayer for the Persecuted on July 24, which will be observed every year at all shrines.

After the dedication at the Church of St. Michael in New York City — which featured an icon of the Virgin in traditional Chaldean dress holding the Child Jesus — there were dedications at six more shrines around the world: Our Lady of the Assumption and St. Gregory in Warwick, London; St. John Guardian of Our Lady Parish in Clinton, Massachusetts; Akalla Church in Stockholm; Byzantine Chapel of Wyoming Catholic College in Lander, Wyoming; and Our Mother of Perpetual Help in Astana, Kazakhstan. The seventh shrine in Qaraqosh will have its dedication this October.

Most of the dedication ceremonies included the local bishop who celebrated the Divine Liturgy and blessed the icon.

Middle Eastern Christian artists

While the icons share stylistic similarities, they all bear their title in Syriac. "I wanted it to express the identity and continuity of Iraq's Christians and remind the world that the language of Christ is still alive and spoken in this land," he explained. 

Kiely prefers the icons to be created by Middle Eastern Christian artists to carry symbolic meaning and offer them both encouragement and support. The Qaraqosh icon was written by Deacon Ibrahim Lallo, an artist from nearby Bartella.

Kiely concluded with a message of hope to Iraq's Christians: "You are not forgotten. The Church in the West prays for you and supports you so you can remain in your historic homeland, keep your faith, your language, and your heritage. You have been here for 2,000 years, and these shrines are a sign of our concern for you and our commitment to stand by your side."

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