Pope Francis appears at St. Peter's Basilica absent his usual papal attire on Thursday, April 10, 2025. / Credit: EWTN News/screenshotVatican City, Apr 11, 2025 / 09:38 am (CNA).A day after Pope Francis surprised pilgrims by appearing inside St. Peter's Basilica in a wheelchair, draped in a blanket and wearing a white undershirt and black pants instead of his usual white cassock and zucchetto, the Vatican on Friday offered a brief update on the 88-year-old pontiff's ongoing recovery.The pope, who has been largely absent from public life since being released from Rome's Gemelli Hospital nearly three weeks ago, was seen in the basilica Thursday with nasal tubes delivering oxygen, escorted by his personal nurse and health aides.A Vatican spokesman told journalists Friday morning that the pope had simply wanted to get some air and then spontaneously decided to extend his time outside of his Vatican residence by going to the basilica "as he was" to pray at the tomb of Pope Pius X an...
Pope Francis appears at St. Peter's Basilica absent his usual papal attire on Thursday, April 10, 2025. / Credit: EWTN News/screenshot
Vatican City, Apr 11, 2025 / 09:38 am (CNA).
A day after Pope Francis surprised pilgrims by appearing inside St. Peter's Basilica in a wheelchair, draped in a blanket and wearing a white undershirt and black pants instead of his usual white cassock and zucchetto, the Vatican on Friday offered a brief update on the 88-year-old pontiff's ongoing recovery.
The pope, who has been largely absent from public life since being released from Rome's Gemelli Hospital nearly three weeks ago, was seen in the basilica Thursday with nasal tubes delivering oxygen, escorted by his personal nurse and health aides.
A Vatican spokesman told journalists Friday morning that the pope had simply wanted to get some air and then spontaneously decided to extend his time outside of his Vatican residence by going to the basilica "as he was" to pray at the tomb of Pope Pius X and before the Chair of St. Peter.
Pope Francis made a surprise visit to St Peter's Basilica in a wheelchair while using his oxygen cannula. It was the first time he has been seen without his papal attire.
The Holy See Press Office confirmed that Francis continues to receive supplemental oxygen, especially at night, but that he is now able to go for "prolonged periods" without it.
The appearance marked the third unexpected move by the pope this week, following the release of photographs from a private audience with Britain's King Charles III on Wednesday and a brief greeting to pilgrims in St. Peter's Square during the Vatican's Jubilee of the Sick on Sunday.
According to the Vatican, the pope's convalescence is progressing steadily. Pope Francis is undergoing respiratory and motor physiotherapy and is using oxygen "therapeutically" but with decreasing frequency.
The pope has also begun receiving visitors again, including senior Vatican officials such as Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, the sostituto for the Secretariat of State; Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the secretary for relations with states; and Monsignor Luciano Russo, who oversees diplomatic personnel.
Still, questions remain about the full extent of the pope's condition. Though tests reportedly show gradual improvement, the underlying infection has not been completely resolved. The Vatican described Pope Francis as under "constant" medical supervision at his residence in Casa Santa Marta.
According to officials, the pope showed "slight improvements in voice and mobility" this week and continues to concelebrate daily Mass privately.
As Holy Week approaches, uncertainty still surrounds the pope's potential participation in the liturgies.
Argentine Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, vice dean of the College of Cardinals, is set to preside over Palm Sunday Mass as Pope Francis' delegate.
Vatican officials have indicated that a decision about the pope's role in the Easter Triduum will be made at the last minute with an update expected early next week.
U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York. / Credit: fisheradam13/ShutterstockWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 10, 2025 / 16:00 pm (CNA).Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy made a splash at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) in Kings Point, New York, during a speech last week when he called for a painting of Jesus to be brought up from the flood-prone basement of a building on academy grounds, where it has been held since the Biden administration.Midshipmen broke out into loud and prolonged applause after Duffy, a practicing Catholic, in his April 3 speech called for the beloved painting to be restored, saying: "Can we bring Jesus up from the basement? Let's not put Jesus in the basement! Let's get him out! Let's bring him up!"The enthusiastic response prompted a surprised reaction from Duffy, who remarked: "You want Jesus up from the basement? All right, great!" "That was the loudest applause we got," he added. Painted in 1944 by U.S. Maritime Service...
U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York. / Credit: fisheradam13/Shutterstock
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy made a splash at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) in Kings Point, New York, during a speech last week when he called for a painting of Jesus to be brought up from the flood-prone basement of a building on academy grounds, where it has been held since the Biden administration.
Midshipmen broke out into loud and prolonged applause after Duffy, a practicing Catholic, in his April 3 speech called for the beloved painting to be restored, saying: "Can we bring Jesus up from the basement? Let's not put Jesus in the basement! Let's get him out! Let's bring him up!"
The enthusiastic response prompted a surprised reaction from Duffy, who remarked: "You want Jesus up from the basement? All right, great!"
"That was the loudest applause we got," he added.
Painted in 1944 by U.S. Maritime Service Lt. Hunter Wood, "Christ on the Water" depicts Jesus walking on water and merchant seamen floating adrift in a lifeboat after their ship is torpedoed. According to the USMMA website, Wood used sail canvas, marine paints, and spar varnish to paint the artwork, also known as "Jesus and Lifeboat."
The painting "Christ on the Water" by U.S. Maritime Service Lt. Hunter Wood is displayed at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York. Credit: Hunter Wood, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
A white curtain was hung in front of the 10-by-19-foot painting in January 2023 after the founder and president of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), Michael Weinstein, demanded that USMMA superintendent Vice Admiral Joanna Nunan remove the "massive sectarian painting illustrating the supremacy of Jesus Christ" from its place in a frequently-used meeting room in an administrative building at the academy, according to a report from the Christian Post.
"The outrageousness of that Jesus painting's display is only further exacerbated by the fact that this room is also used regularly for USMMA honor code violation boards, where midshipmen are literally fighting for their careers, and, often even more, as they face the shameful ignominy of potential expulsion with prejudice if found guilty of USMMA honor code violations," Weinstein added.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas; Sen. Jim Banks, R-Indiana; and others sent letters and petitions at the time to Nunan to protest the move.
"Under the Supreme Court's standard for long-standing government displays, the painting is perfectly in keeping with the establishment clause [of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution]," Cruz wrote in a statement on Feb. 21, 2023.
He continued: "Your decision to move it, and to discontinue use of the conference room it presently is located in, is regrettable and suggests you believe a painting that tens of thousands of midshipmen, faculty, staff, and visitors have viewed for more than half a century is now suddenly unconstitutional."
null / Credit: lazyllama/ShutterstockWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 10, 2025 / 16:30 pm (CNA).The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and Catholic Relief Services (CRS) are urging lawmakers in the House of Representatives to approve tens of billions of dollars in international humanitarian assistance in an upcoming appropriations bill.CRS Executive Vice President Bill O'Keefe provided testimony to the House Subcommittee on National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs earlier this month to present lawmakers with "a Catholic pro-life vision of international assistance that drives to the common good."Congress allocated nearly $70 billion in total foreign aid funding in the last fiscal year, although President Donald Trump's administration froze most of those funds for a three-month period in January. The administration intends to restore some funds, but it's unclear which organizations will continue to receive federal money.CRS receives more federal funding...
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and Catholic Relief Services (CRS) are urging lawmakers in the House of Representatives to approve tens of billions of dollars in international humanitarian assistance in an upcoming appropriations bill.
CRS Executive Vice President Bill O'Keefe provided testimony to the House Subcommittee on National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs earlier this month to present lawmakers with "a Catholic pro-life vision of international assistance that drives to the common good."
Congress allocated nearly $70 billion in total foreign aid funding in the last fiscal year, although President Donald Trump's administration froze most of those funds for a three-month period in January. The administration intends to restore some funds, but it's unclear which organizations will continue to receive federal money.
CRS receives more federal funding through international aid than any other nongovernmental organization. Between fiscal years 2013 and 2022, CRS received more than $4.6 billion in funds, according to a Congressional Research Service report.
However, Trump's freeze in funding, O'Keefe told the subcommittee, forced CRS to eliminate 74 programs that serve 20 million people abroad. If federal funding is not restored, CRS will have to cut about 50% of its staff this year alone, according to an internal email that was reported on by the National Catholic Reporter.
Yet O'Keefe took a conciliatory tone toward the Republican majority in the House, thanking them for "your leadership amid a realignment of U.S. international assistance aimed to make America stronger, safer, and more prosperous."
O'Keefe said he hoped to bring "a Catholic perspective to this realignment," which focuses on an adherence to three principles: "inherent human dignity, solidarity, and subsidiarity."
"Both Church institutions and states have a shared responsibility to promote human life and dignity," O'Keefe told the lawmakers.
"The Catholic Church has a moral [duty] to respond to our neighbors in need, whether near or far," he said. "… This work alone cannot be left to the Church and other civil society groups. Church teaching has long asserted that governments must actively pursue the common good, not just for our own citizens but for all members of the global family."
CRS and the bishops encouraged Congress to appropriate more than $10 billion for global health programs that are designed to address maternal and child health, nutrition, HIV and AIDS, and life-threatening diseases. They also requested nearly $4.8 billion for international disaster assistance programs.
The two organizations also urged Congress to provide nearly $4 billion for each of the following: developmental assistance, migration and refugee assistance, and the Economic Support Fund.
The request also suggested another $1.38 billion to the International Development Association.
Other programs for which the groups recommended less than $1 billion each include the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, the Millennium Challenge Account, the Green Climate Fund, emergency refugee and migration assistance, and the Complex Crises Fund.
O'Keefe said Congress ought to prioritize human dignity by "investing in lifesaving responses" such as emergency food assistance and programs to help promote farming and education in other parts of the world.
To conform its priorities to solidarity, O'Keefe stressed "authentic partnerships" that facilitate "a society-to-society approach, not just a government to government approach." Aligning with the principle of subsidiarity, he encouraged "investing in local community organizations who are closest to the ground and have the best understanding of what to do."
On Trump's first day in office, he signed an executive order to pause nonemergency foreign aid payments for 90 days. That directive expires later this month on April 20.
The order stated that prior foreign aid policies were "not aligned with American interests and in many cases antithetical to American values" and not aligned with Trump's agenda.
Under President Joe Biden's administration, some of the foreign aid goals were designed to advance gender ideology in other parts of the world. This included direct funds for projects supporting transgenderism and homosexuality and leveraging foreign aid to pressure nations into adopting laws and policies on gender that aligned with Biden's goals on those issues.
The sweeping pause, however, prompted lawsuits from organizations that receive funding. A federal judge in March ordered the Trump administration to pay organizations for completed work and ordered him to spend the foreign aid money allocated by Congress but offered him discretion on restructuring the funding to align with his agenda.
null / Credit: Brian A Jackson/ShutterstockCNA Staff, Apr 10, 2025 / 17:00 pm (CNA).Here is a roundup of recent pro-life and abortion-related news:Illinois upholds free speech for pro-life ministriesA federal district court has struck down a law forcing pro-life ministries to promote abortion while upholding a law requiring physicians to refer patients to abortion providers. In a split decision issued on Friday, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois found that a law compelling pregnancy centers to promote the medical "benefits" of abortions violated freedom of speech protections.U.S. District Court Judge Iain Johnston ruled that part of the law violated free speech. But the court upheld that its abortion referral requirement "doesn't compel speech" but "merely regulates professional conduct." In 2016, Illinois amended the state Health Care Right of Conscience Act to require health care providers to share benefits of abortions and refer clients ...
null / Credit: Brian A Jackson/Shutterstock
CNA Staff, Apr 10, 2025 / 17:00 pm (CNA).
Here is a roundup of recent pro-life and abortion-related news:
Illinois upholds free speech for pro-life ministries
A federal district court has struck down a law forcing pro-life ministries to promote abortion while upholding a law requiring physicians to refer patients to abortion providers.
In a split decision issued on Friday, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois found that a law compelling pregnancy centers to promote the medical "benefits" of abortions violated freedom of speech protections.
U.S. District Court Judge Iain Johnston ruled that part of the law violated free speech. But the court upheld that its abortion referral requirement "doesn't compel speech" but "merely regulates professional conduct."
In 2016, Illinois amended the state Health Care Right of Conscience Act to require health care providers to share benefits of abortions and refer clients to abortionists on request.
Pro-life groups quickly took legal action, and in 2017 a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction to temporarily pause enforcement of the law.
Thomas More Society Executive Vice President Thomas Olp in a Monday statement welcomed the decision's ruling in favor of First Amendment rights, though he added the group was "greatly concerned that the court did not fully protect conscience rights, leaving our clients forced to compromise their deepest beliefs."
Illinois House passes bill to protecting abortion pills even if FDA finds them unsafe
Also in Illinois, the state House of Representatives this week passed a bill that will maintain access to the abortion pill even if the U.S. Food and Drug Administration determines it to be unsafe.
The bill passed 67-39 in the House on Monday and is now moving through the state Senate.
The measure states that "a drug's status as not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration shall not cause it to be deemed a misbranded drug in violation of this act if it is recommended for use by the World Health Organization."
The bill would also protect medical providers who lose their licenses in other states if the conduct was legal in Illinois.
A chemical abortion takes place via a two-pill regimen. The first pill, mifepristone, kills an unborn child by blocking the hormone progesterone, cutting off the child's supply of oxygen and nutrients. The second pill, misoprostol, is taken between 24 to 48 hours after mifepristone to induce contractions and expel the child's body.
Texas sues San Antonio for abortion travel fund
The Texas attorney general sued the city of San Antonio last week for allegedly using public money to fund abortion travel out of state.
San Antonio had set aside $100,000 for a "Reproductive Justice Fund" designed to pay for out-of-state travel for mothers to abort their unborn children.
Attorney General Ken Paxton requested a temporary restraining order and injunctive relief to stop the fund, maintaining that it violates the Texas Constitution's gift clause.
In a recent statement, Paxton said the city was "blatantly defying Texas law" in an "attack on the pro-life values of our state."
"I will not stand by while rogue cities use tax dollars to circumvent state law and take the innocent lives of unborn children," Paxton said.
Paxton sued the city of Austin in September 2024 for a similar program allocating $400,000 of public funds for abortion travel.
Father Aaron Nord, pastor of St. Stephen Protomartyr Church, carries the Eucharist through St. Louis on the way to his parish. / Credit: Jonah McKeown/CNACNA Staff, Apr 10, 2025 / 17:30 pm (CNA).Organizers of the 2025 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage shared details today about the planned 3,340-mile trek that will see Jesus in the Eucharist carried across 10 U.S. states by a cadre of young Catholics, with members of the public invited to join in walking and special events along the way, beginning May 18.The pilgrimage, dubbed the Drexel Route, will open with a Mass of Thanksgiving in Indianapolis on Sunday, May 18. The route then heads northwest through Illinois to Iowa before turning to the southwest and descending through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. From Texas the route continues roughly west through New Mexico, Arizona, and finally California, culminating in a Mass, Eucharistic procession, and festival on June 22 in Los Angeles. As with last year's ground...
Father Aaron Nord, pastor of St. Stephen Protomartyr Church, carries the Eucharist through St. Louis on the way to his parish. / Credit: Jonah McKeown/CNA
CNA Staff, Apr 10, 2025 / 17:30 pm (CNA).
Organizers of the 2025 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage shared details today about the planned 3,340-mile trek that will see Jesus in the Eucharist carried across 10 U.S. states by a cadre of young Catholics, with members of the public invited to join in walking and special events along the way, beginning May 18.
The pilgrimage, dubbed the Drexel Route, will open with a Mass of Thanksgiving in Indianapolis on Sunday, May 18. The route then heads northwest through Illinois to Iowa before turning to the southwest and descending through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.
From Texas the route continues roughly west through New Mexico, Arizona, and finally California, culminating in a Mass, Eucharistic procession, and festival on June 22 in Los Angeles.
As with last year's groundbreaking four simultaneous Eucharistic pilgrimages, which started at the edges of the country and eventually converged in Indianapolis for the 10th National Eucharistic Congress in July 2024, a small group of young adult "Perpetual Pilgrims" will accompany the Eucharist the entire way, while any person wishing to join for small portions of the route will be able to sign up to do so for free.
Bishop Andrew Cozzens of Crookston, Minnesota, who is spearheading the U.S. bishops' multiyear National Eucharistic Revival, said at a Thursday press conference that Catholics who participate in any part the pilgrimage this year have the opportunity to obtain an indulgence — a grace granted by the Catholic Church, through the merits of Jesus Christ, to remit from a person the temporal punishment they face for past sins that have already been forgiven.
Cozzens thanked Pope Francis for granting the "very special grace" of the indulgence and said the official decree from the Apostolic Penitentiary announcing the indulgence will be shared "as soon as possible." The Apostolic Penitentiary made a similar decree for last year's pilgrimages.
The goal of the pilgrimages is to bear public witness to the truth that Christ is truly present in the Eucharist. Organizers say that an estimated 250,000 total people participated in the four national pilgrimages last year.
Perpetual Pilgrims from the St. Juan Diego Route process into Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis in July 2024 with an image of their patron saint. Credit: Jeffrey Bruno
Numerous meaningful stops, events planned
The 36-day Drexel Route, named for St. Katharine Drexel (1858–1955), will take the procession through 10 states — including the country's two most populous, California and Texas — as well as through 20 Catholic dioceses and four Eastern Catholic eparchies.
Masses at stops along the way, which include numerous shrines and cathedrals, will be offered in various languages and liturgical styles, including the Traditional Latin Mass, Gospel choir, praise and worship, Vietnamese, and Spanish, representing five different rites of the Church.
In keeping with the ongoing Jubilee Year of Hope in the worldwide Catholic Church, the focus of the Drexel Route is on "hope and healing," with visits planned not only to churches but also to "prisons and nursing homes and places where people need hope," Cozzens noted.
Service projects and encounters with the poor and those in need are planned, including opportunities to serve the homeless, visit hospice facilities, and participate in a service project with Catholic Charities.
Special Masses and prayers will be offered for the Wichita, Kansas, plane crash victims; at the Oklahoma City bombing memorial; at the southern border; and in areas impacted by wildfires in Los Angeles. Numerous holy men and women have ties to planned stops, such as the tomb of Venerable Fulton Sheen in Illinois and the Shrine of Blessed Stanley Rother in Oklahoma City.
Organizers also highlighted the planned pilgrimage stop at St. Monica's Catholic Church and School in Kansas City, Missouri, a parish with historical ties to St. Katherine Drexel and a vibrant Black Catholic community.
The schedule of public events for each diocese along the Drexel Route is now officially available on the National Eucharistic Congress website. Prayer intentions for the Perpetual Pilgrims to carry with them on their journey can be submitted here.
Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone and the faithful from the Archdiocese of San Francisco process across the Golden Gate Bridge in the historic first Eucharistic pilgrimage to the National Eucharistic Congress in 2024. Credit: Jeffrey Bruno
Kansas Capitol in Topeka. / Credit: Dave Newman/ShutterstockWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 10, 2025 / 18:00 pm (CNA).The Kansas House and Senate voted successfully to override Gov. Laura Kelly's veto of a bill that will protect the religious liberty of adoptive parents and foster parents on issues related to gender identity and sexual orientation.House lawmakers voted 87-38 and Senate lawmakers voted 31-9, which exceeds the two-thirds supermajority needed to override a veto. Although the governor is a Democrat, the Republicans hold a supermajority in both chambers of the state's Legislature.The new law, which takes effect immediately, prohibits the Kansas Department for Children and Families from enacting any policies that would force an adoptive parent or foster parent to affirm support for gender ideology or homosexuality to obtain a license to adopt or foster children.Under this law, a person cannot be denied a license based on his or her "sincerely held religious or moral b...
Kansas Capitol in Topeka. / Credit: Dave Newman/Shutterstock
The Kansas House and Senate voted successfully to override Gov. Laura Kelly's veto of a bill that will protect the religious liberty of adoptive parents and foster parents on issues related to gender identity and sexual orientation.
House lawmakers voted 87-38 and Senate lawmakers voted 31-9, which exceeds the two-thirds supermajority needed to override a veto. Although the governor is a Democrat, the Republicans hold a supermajority in both chambers of the state's Legislature.
The new law, which takes effect immediately, prohibits the Kansas Department for Children and Families from enacting any policies that would force an adoptive parent or foster parent to affirm support for gender ideology or homosexuality to obtain a license to adopt or foster children.
Under this law, a person cannot be denied a license based on his or her "sincerely held religious or moral beliefs" on those subjects and the department cannot refuse to select them to foster or adopt children.
The state can still consider an adoptive or foster parent's beliefs on those topics when deciding where to place a specific minor who identifies as transgender or has same-sex attraction, but it cannot impose a blanket ban on people with those beliefs fostering or adopting children.
Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) Senior Counsel Greg Chafuen praised the lawmakers for the veto override, saying in a statement that "every child deserves a loving home that can provide them stability and opportunities to grow."
"This is a critical step to prioritize the well-being of kids by prohibiting state and local government officials from discriminating against adoption and foster care providers and parents simply because of their religious beliefs and moral convictions," Chafuen said.
ADF currently represents families in Vermont and a mother in Oregon who are fighting lawsuits against policies in those states that require prospective foster and adoptive parents to first affirm an adherence to gender ideology before they can foster or adopt children.
St. Joseph Cathedral in Buffalo, New York. / Credit: CiEll/ShutterstockCNA Staff, Apr 10, 2025 / 14:30 pm (CNA).More than a dozen parishes in the Diocese of Buffalo, New York, have received a temporary reprieve from the Vatican regarding planned mergers as the churches petition the Holy See to halt parts of the diocese's renewal plan. Bishop Michael Fisher announced in May 2024 that the diocese would be merging over a third of its 160 parishes, calling the move an effort to "reinvigorate the Catholic faith in western New York." In September the diocese said it would see a total of 118 worship sites remain open, down from 196. Multiple parishes in the diocese appealed the decision to the Vatican, asking the Dicastery for the Clergy to review Fisher's proposal. Local media reported this week that 14 parishes received letters from the dicastery confirming that their respective mergers would be suspended while the Vatican reviews the plans. The request for the suspen...
St. Joseph Cathedral in Buffalo, New York. / Credit: CiEll/Shutterstock
CNA Staff, Apr 10, 2025 / 14:30 pm (CNA).
More than a dozen parishes in the Diocese of Buffalo, New York, have received a temporary reprieve from the Vatican regarding planned mergers as the churches petition the Holy See to halt parts of the diocese's renewal plan.
Bishop Michael Fisher announced in May 2024 that the diocese would be merging over a third of its 160 parishes, calling the move an effort to "reinvigorate the Catholic faith in western New York." In September the diocese said it would see a total of 118 worship sites remain open, down from 196.
Multiple parishes in the diocese appealed the decision to the Vatican, asking the Dicastery for the Clergy to review Fisher's proposal. Local media reported this week that 14 parishes received letters from the dicastery confirming that their respective mergers would be suspended while the Vatican reviews the plans.
The request for the suspension "is hereby granted, for the duration of the recourse," dicastery prefect Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik wrote in the letters.
The dicastery "has placed itself in correspondence with Bishop Fisher and will communicate with you again when his response has been studied," the parishes were told.
The letters were dated to last month. They were also signed by Archbishop Andrés Gabriel Ferrada Moreira, the secretary for the dicastery.
The Buffalo Diocese's mergers come amid efforts by other U.S. dioceses to shore up Church finances and operations in response to declining attendance and funding shortages.
The Diocese of Peoria, Illinois, said last year it would halve the number of parishes there by 2026 as part of a pastoral planning effort focused on helping the diocese "be more intentional in cultivating disciples."
Around the same time, the Archdiocese of Baltimore announced that it would merge 61 parishes in the episcopate's titular city into 21 parishes.
The Archdiocese of Seattle last February, meanwhile, said it would combine 170 parishes into 60 "parish families" as part of its major diocesan renewal plan.
Parishes and local Catholics have regularly mounted challenges to diocesan merger plans, sometimes successfully.
In Buffalo, meanwhile, Ellen and Tim Zelasko — parishioners of Infant of Prague in Cheektowaga, New York — told local news station WKBW that the order from the dicastery was "a bit of a reprieve," though Ellen Zelasko noted that it was "just for now."
Still, Tim Zelasko told the network: "We're very, very happy right now."
An aerial view shows rescue teams working at the Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on April 9, 2025, a day after the collapse of its roof. / Credit: ALFRED DAVIES/AFP via Getty ImagesVatican City, Apr 10, 2025 / 11:12 am (CNA).Pope Francis on Thursday offered prayers for the victims of a deadly nightclub collapse in the Dominican Republic that killed at least 200 people.As of Thursday morning, a reported 218 people have been killed and more than 200 others injured after the ceiling of the Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo collapsed early Tuesday morning local time during a merengue concert, media reported.The Holy Father said he was "deeply saddened" by the tragic events in the Dominican Republic's capital city and offered his "prayers for the eternal repose of the deceased" in an April 10 telegram addressed to Archbishop Francisco Ozoria Acosta of Santo Domingo."His Holiness also extends his heartfelt condolences to the relatives of the deceased, togethe...
An aerial view shows rescue teams working at the Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on April 9, 2025, a day after the collapse of its roof. / Credit: ALFRED DAVIES/AFP via Getty Images
Vatican City, Apr 10, 2025 / 11:12 am (CNA).
Pope Francis on Thursday offered prayers for the victims of a deadly nightclub collapse in the Dominican Republic that killed at least 200 people.
As of Thursday morning, a reported 218 people have been killed and more than 200 others injured after the ceiling of the Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo collapsed early Tuesday morning local time during a merengue concert, media reported.
The Holy Father said he was "deeply saddened" by the tragic events in the Dominican Republic's capital city and offered his "prayers for the eternal repose of the deceased" in an April 10 telegram addressed to Archbishop Francisco Ozoria Acosta of Santo Domingo.
"His Holiness also extends his heartfelt condolences to the relatives of the deceased, together with his expressions of consolation, his heartfelt concern and his wishes for the speedy recovery of the injured," the telegram signed by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin read.
While blessing the efforts of hospital and emergency crews caring for the injured and recovering the bodies of the dead from the rubble, the pope also invoked the help of the Mother of God for those mourning the loss of loved ones.
The pope granted "through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, consoler of the afflicted, the comforting apostolic blessing as a sign of hope in the risen Lord."
On Wednesday, the archbishop of Santo Domingo called for solidarity with the families affected by the tragedy in a video message: "We pledge our prayers for those who have died and we also want to join in with all the collaboration of many brothers and sisters, especially by assisting, donating blood, and trying to remedy this situation for the injured," the prelate said.
Dominican Republic authorities stated Wednesday evening that it is too early to determine the cause for the iconic nightclub's roof collapse and they will launch an investigation once the recovery of bodies has concluded, the Associated Press reported.
Emergency Missions volunteers at the Dos de Mayo National Hospital in Lima, Peru. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Fabrizio CacianoLima Newsroom, Apr 10, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).In one of the most poverty-stricken areas of Lima, Peru, where hunger and hopelessness have long prevailed, a man who once rejected the Church now leads a quiet revolution of solidarity.After 24 years away from the faith, Fabrizio Caciano transformed his own conversion into "Emergency Missions," a Catholic nongovernmental organization (NGO) that not only feeds people in hospitals and on the hills but also builds a future by bringing education to those forgotten by society.His story is a living testimony of how faith in action can transform lives in a country where more than 17 million Peruvians face food insecurity.Fabrizio Caciano with young children who benefit from Emergency Missions' charitable projects. Credit: Photo courtesy of Fabrizio CacianoEmergency Missions, formed by volunteers from the Santa María...
Emergency Missions volunteers at the Dos de Mayo National Hospital in Lima, Peru. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Fabrizio Caciano
Lima Newsroom, Apr 10, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).
In one of the most poverty-stricken areas of Lima, Peru, where hunger and hopelessness have long prevailed, a man who once rejected the Church now leads a quiet revolution of solidarity.
After 24 years away from the faith, Fabrizio Caciano transformed his own conversion into "Emergency Missions," a Catholic nongovernmental organization (NGO) that not only feeds people in hospitals and on the hills but also builds a future by bringing education to those forgotten by society.
His story is a living testimony of how faith in action can transform lives in a country where more than 17 million Peruvians face food insecurity.
Fabrizio Caciano with young children who benefit from Emergency Missions' charitable projects. Credit: Photo courtesy of Fabrizio Caciano
Emergency Missions, formed by volunteers from the Santa María Reina (Holy Mary Queen) Parish in the Miraflores district of Lima, has been recognized three times with the Metropolitan Volunteer Award in the religious organizations category.
Caciano, the leader of the initiative, told ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner, that the foundation of the mission is deeply Catholic. "We transmit the faith we carry within us, and that also transforms those we serve," he said.
He also noted that he follows this maxim in life: "What is from God is from God. Trust, let go, wait. Let the Lord surprise you," remembering that true transformation begins with surrender and faith in divine providence.
A path of conversion and service
Caciano, 55, began leading the initiative in 2016 after a long process of personal transformation. Raised in a practicing Catholic family, he attended Mass regularly until the age of 18. However, the sudden death of his mother and the loss of his best friend in 1989 led him to distance himself from the faith and reject the Church for 24 years.
While studying business administration and specializing in marketing, he accidentally discovered his calling to serve. Through his passion for candlemaking, he began working with the NGO Mundo Libre ("A Free World"), teaching homeless children. His commitment led him to become the director of the Street Educators program, working with child drug users in the worst-off areas of Lima.
Emergency Missions T-shirt. In the background, a low-income neighborhood on a hill in Lima. Credit: Photo courtesy of Fabrizio Caciano
'What kind of Church do you want to be?'
His return to the faith was unexpected and occurred in 2013 after a conversation with Marianist priest Víctor Müller. During that conversation, Caciano tried to challenge the priest with controversial topics about the Church.
However, Müller's response disconcerted him: "You may be right, but you cannot deny that, at this moment, in the mountains of Peru, at 4,000 meters [13,125 feet] above sea level, there is someone carrying a message of solidarity, faith, and hope to those who need it most."
The priest then asked him a question that would deeply mark him: "What kind of Church do you want to be?" These words were engraved in his heart and began his evangelizing mission.
Caciano admitted that, from that moment on, he began attending Mass and, shortly after, became involved in perpetual Eucharistic adoration. He chose a difficult schedule because, for him, sacrifice is a fundamental part of growth. "Calm waters have never made good sailors," he told ACI Prensa.
Emergency Doors: First humanitarian aid project
Since 2016, every week, a group of young people and adults has met in the evenings in the halls of Santa María Reina Parish to bring love and food to patients and families in seven hospitals in Lima, alleviating their needs with solidarity and closeness.
An Emergency Missions team prays at the Mayo Hospital prior to a food delivery service. Credit: Photo courtesy of Fabrizio Caciano
"The idea is to provide them with a snack and, above all, company, emotional support, and help. These are people who face uncertainty, often without having eaten or without money to return home. We want to be there for those who wait, anguished," Caciano said.
This is how the Emergency Doors project, which has delivered more than 400,000 snacks to hospitals to date and currently distributes 1,100 loaves of bread weekly, was born.
"It's not just about giving bread but about looking into the eyes of those who are suffering, accompanying them in their pain," Caciano said.
Young people serving at the Dos de Mayo Hospital. Credit: Photo courtesy of Fabrizio Caciano
In addition to this project, the Emergency Streets initiative was started during the COVID-19 pandemic. "We are going to prepare food to take to people in need, to those who live on the streets, sleep on the streets, and spend their nights outdoors during the winter," he commented.
Some families from Santa María Reina Parish are participating in the project, which began cooking food to distribute in downtown Lima. Currently, approximately 1,500 meals are provided monthly.
The U.N. Food and Agricultural Organization's 2024 report indicates that 51.7% of Peruvians, approximately 17.6 million people, face moderate or severe food insecurity. This makes Peru the country with the highest rate of food insecurity in South America.
Emergency Mission volunteers bring food and drink to the families of hospital patients. Credit: Photo courtesy of Fabrizio Caciano
Emergency Pots: Fighting hunger
Faced with this reality, initiatives like Emergency Soup Kitchens have been key to bringing aid to those most in need. During the pandemic, Caciano and his team went to the town of Villa María del Triunfo and, seeing dozens of families organizing communal soup kitchens due to a lack of food, decided to take action, supplying them with essential products.
"For a year and a half, we gave them breakfast supplies," Caciano said. "We saw children who hadn't eaten all day, desperate mothers looking for something for their children. We couldn't just stand idly by."
Fabrizio Caciano with Emergency Missions members in charge of a popular dining room on a hill in Lima, Peru. Credit: Photo courtesy of Fabrizio Caciano
This charitable initiative grew rapidly and continues to support hundreds of vulnerable families today.
Currently, thanks to an agreement with the Plaza Vea supermarket chain and in partnership with the prison ministry at the Lurigancho Penitentiary, they manage to collect 3 tons of food per month to share with the soup kitchens in the San Juan de Lurigancho district, one of the poorest areas of Lima.
Fabrizio with the women in charge of a soup kitchen on a hill in Lima. Credit: Photo courtesy of Fabrizio Caciano
Emergency Classrooms: Education for the neediest
Over time, Emergency Missions identified another urgent problem: the lack of access to education. During the pandemic, many children didn't have internet access or the tools to continue studying.
The solution emerged unexpectedly when a friend of Caciano's offered him a device that provided internet access for 10 people. Thus, the Emergency Classrooms project was born.
"We've seen mothers crying with joy because their children can study now. One mom told us, 'My son wants to be an engineer, but he didn't have the means to study. Now he has the opportunity to do so,'" Caciano related.
In partnership with Loyalty Bonus, the project has equipped 25 meeting places in South Lima, each with free internet access for one year, tablets, and printers.
The Emergency Classrooms team gathers new notebooks for children in need. Credit: Photo courtesy of Fabrizio Caciano
In addition, they have set up prefabricated modules in the hilltops of southern Lima, allowing teachers to hold in-person classes with official status. Thanks to this initiative, in 2022 they were able to integrate 100 mothers from the soup kitchens into the school system within their own communities.
The impact has continued to grow. In 2024, 200 mothers returned to and completed their studies, and last year, 60 women graduated from high school with an official state certification. Currently, Emergency Classrooms has seven outlying centers where people can sign up for classes in different areas of Lima, facilitating access to education for those most in need.
Message of hope and faith
Regarding spreading their work, Caciano noted that the projects tend to be discreet in publicizing their work due to their Catholic identity, although he acknowledged the importance of making themselves known.
"We do much more than we show the world, while many publicize more than they actually do. We are present, quietly working. Humility is part of the work, but it is also necessary to make yourself known, because if people don't know about you, they can't help," he said.
Fabrizio Caciano climbs a hill in the city of Lima, Peru. Credit: Photo courtesy of Fabrizio Caciano
For this reason, he invited those who wish to support the outreach to experience it in person. "When someone here says, 'How can I support you?' I say, 'Come. Come, join me on the street. Come, join us at the hospital.' And along the way, I'll tell you what's going on, because it's a lot," he commented.
Finally, reflecting on the journey, he reaffirmed that this work has been a calling from God that has grown into a life mission for many. "We have changed lives, not only with what we give but with what we share: hope, companionship, and faith. And that transforms hearts," he concluded.
Participants march at a rally for immigrants and refugees at the Diocese of El Paso on Monday, March 24, 2025. / Credit: Father Miguel Briseño, OFM ConvWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 9, 2025 / 14:37 pm (CNA).The debate over immigration, border control, and refugee resettlement remains a hot-button topic among the general population, including U.S. Catholics, who have a wide range of stances on the issue. An array of policymakers, theologians, and representatives for Catholic aid organizations have shared their takes on the topic with CNA.In the wake of the Trump administration's funding cuts, Catholic aid organizations such as Catholic Charities and Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) USA have been outspoken in their advocacy for the restoration of aid to their programs, which benefit migrants and refugees. As part of the 90-day funding freeze, over $18 million in federal federal funding to JRS USA was frozen, though aid to select programs has since been reauthorized. Catholic Chariti...
Participants march at a rally for immigrants and refugees at the Diocese of El Paso on Monday, March 24, 2025. / Credit: Father Miguel Briseño, OFM Conv
The debate over immigration, border control, and refugee resettlement remains a hot-button topic among the general population, including U.S. Catholics, who have a wide range of stances on the issue. An array of policymakers, theologians, and representatives for Catholic aid organizations have shared their takes on the topic with CNA.
In the wake of the Trump administration's funding cuts, Catholic aid organizations such as Catholic Charities and Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) USA have been outspoken in their advocacy for the restoration of aid to their programs, which benefit migrants and refugees. As part of the 90-day funding freeze, over $18 million in federal federal funding to JRS USA was frozen, though aid to select programs has since been reauthorized. Catholic Charities across the country have shuttered refugee services and other programs due to the freeze.
At a JRS USA-sponsored conference late last month, Kevin Appleby, former director of migration policy for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and current senior director of international migration policy for the Center for Migration Studies, weighed in on the divide between the U.S. bishops and the administration.
"I always believe that dialogue is important," he told CNA. "I don't think the Church should wait for four years. We have to try to engage the administration as much as possible because by doing that, you can help refugees." Appleby indicated there are areas where the Church and administration might find common ground, such as in combatting human trafficking.
Cardinal Robert McElroy speaks at the "Catholic Social Teaching and Work with Migrants and Refugees at a Time of Uncertainty" conference on March 25, 2025. Credit: Madalaine Elhabbal/CNA
At that same conference, Washington, D.C.'s Cardinal Robert McElroy emphasized that "we've got to remember the call of Jesus is constant, to always be attentive to the needs and the suffering that lie around us, to perceive it, and then to act," he said, comparing the plight of migrants to the robbers' victim in the parable of the good Samaritan.
The cardinal archbishop criticized the Trump administration's foreign aid suspension, describing it as "unconscionable through any prism of Catholic thought" and "moral theft from the poorest and the most desperate men, women, and children in our world today." While acknowledging the need for border control, McElroy condemned mass deportation efforts and called for legislation that supports "generous asylum and refugee policy."
Thomistic perspective
Both St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas have also become subjects of media attention on the topic due to Vice President JD Vance's recent invocation of the concept of "ordo amoris" in the context of the immigration debate, which then garnered a response from Pope Francis himself.
In discussing the principle, Vance, a Catholic, said "ordo amoris" teaches that one's "compassion belongs first" to one's family and fellow citizens "and then after that" to the rest of the world. "[Y]ou love your family, and then you love your neighbor, and then you love your community, and then you love your fellow citizens in your own country, and then after that you can focus and prioritize the rest of the world," Vance said.
Pope Francis promptly issued a letter to the U.S. bishops in which he stated that "Christian love is not a concentric expansion of interests that little by little extend to other persons and groups."
Offering additional insights on the subject of welcoming the stranger, the president of the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception at the Dominican House of Studies, Father Thomas Petri, OP, noted that "obviously, Aquinas did not have the same concerns about immigration since his day was not marked by the globalism of today."
Petri said the Angelic Doctor's most explicit treatment of the issue comes out in his analysis of the judicial precepts found in Mosaic law. Essentially, Petri said, Aquinas "argued that foreigners who are just visiting or staying for a short period should be received without problem, [citing] Exodus 22:19 ('Thou shalt not molest a stranger')."
However, Petri explained, for foreigners who wanted to be admitted to citizenship, Aquinas pointed out that in those days "foreigners would not be admitted to citizenship for two or three generations." Petri added: "The reason this was the case is instructive for us."
Father Thomas Petri, OP, is president of the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C. Credit: "EWTN News Nightly"/EWTN News Screenshot
According to Petri, Aquinas believed that "those who want to be citizens need to come to understand and hold the common good of the society 'firmly at heart' lest they attempt to do something (even unintentionally) that might harm the society."
Backlash against refugee resettlement
As the executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), Mark Krikorian, sees it, the refugee system has been "so abusive of taxpayers, such a misdirection of resources" that "it may require a blunt instrument, at least at first, to address it."
Known for its close relationship with the Trump administration, CIS bills itself as a "low-immigration, pro-immigrant" think tank. Krikorian himself is a deacon in the Orthodox Armenian Apostolic Church.
According to Krikorian, the moral debate surrounding refugee resettlement is not just the amount of money being spent or what services people should be eligible for, but over the purpose of resettlement itself.
"This public image of resettlement is that we're saving lives, when the reality is nothing of the kind," he said, adding: "If anything, more people die because of the money we spend on refugee resettlement than would if we spent that money on refugee protection abroad."
"We did a deep dive into the costs of resettling a refugee here versus the cost of taking care of a refugee in the country they took their first asylum," Krikorian continued. "The five-year cost of resettling a refugee was 12 times greater than the cost of taking care of a refugee in the country they had taken their initial refuge."
According to Mark Krikorian, the moral debate surrounding refugee resettlement is not just the amount of money being spent or what services people should be eligible for but the purpose of resettlement itself. Credit: "The World Over with Raymond Arroyo"/EWTN News screenshot
"The analogy here is that there's 12 people floundering in the water, and instead of throwing each one of them a life preserver, which isn't great, but at least you won't drown, we're sending a yacht to pick up one of them and leaving the rest to their fate," he added. "There's simply no excuse for it."
While he acknowledged concerns for human dignity advanced by the U.S. bishops advocating for the restoration of the resettlement program, Krikorian also noted that "there is no infinite source of funding for refugee protection." As such, he argued, the best use of taxpayer dollars for this purpose would be toward helping refugees abroad, "where you get much more bang for the humanitarian buck."
A 'longer view'
"I would advise Catholics to take a longer view of Catholic teaching, which does not support open borders or illegal migration," Chad Pecknold, an associate professor of systematic theology at The Catholic University of America, told CNA.
"As well, I would remind faithful Catholics that the USCCB is not 'the Catholic Church' but a national conference which has outsourced much of the Church's charitable work with immigrants to NGO [nongovernmetnal organization]-type organizations, many of which work on the liberal principles which have been operative in global humanitarian aid for decades," he added. This, he said, "is at the heart of the so-called 'debate' between the USCCB and the administration."
Pecknold recalled Pope Benedict XVI's teachings in Deus Caritas Est, which stated that the Church's charitable work "must avoid any semblance of becoming an NGO." Benedict's teachings were not meant to exclude the Church from becoming allied with federal programs, he said, but rather to discourage it from becoming dependent on government aid.
Notably, in the past week, the USCCB announced its decision to end its cooperative agreements with the federal government for resettling refugees and unaccompanied minors.
Multiple U.S. bishops continue to call on the Trump administration to make a radical about-face on mass deportation efforts, citing Catholic social teaching on human dignity. At a recent vigil march in solidarity with migrants in El Paso, Texas, Bishop Mark Seitz described the administration's actions in this regard as "a fundamental attack on human community. On the body. On Jesus' vision of a fully reconciled humanity."
Pecknold noted that the Church has been opposed to mass deportations since the end of World War II. Yet then, as now, the Church's position against the practice has been "under the prudential caveat that nations have the right to decide such questions."
CUA's Chad Pecknold notes that the Church has been opposed to mass deportations since the end of World War II. Yet then, as now, the Church's position against the practice has been "under the prudential caveat that nations have the right to decide such questions." Credit: "The World Over with Raymond Arroyo"/EWTN News Screenshot
"It was never framed as 'a fundamental attack' on any of the emotive points the bishops insist upon," he continued. "I think it's good that the Church advocates always for the migrant family, for keeping the family together and safe, and when necessary and possible, for returning migrant families to the countries where they are from. But I think Bishop Seitz's condemnations go too far."
The CUA professor also referenced Pope Pius XII's Excul Familia Nazarethana, the only papal encyclical on the question of migration, in which Pecknold said "the overwhelming concern was to protect the family unit."
"Pope Pius XII encyclical on protecting migrants did not make human dignity hinge upon the absolute rights of individuals who want to cross any border they want, regardless of laws," he explained. "Human dignity for Pius XII was bound up with the family, and the plight of migrants was keyed to both mercy and justice: Mercy for the migrant family must be balanced with the just laws of nations."
For 2,000 years, he reflected, the Catholic Church has served as "a light" to nations on these crucial societal questions, not by acting as social activists "but by encouraging rulers to make 'justice and mercy kiss' as far as that is possible in their prudential decisions of civic governance."
Pope Francis appears at St. Peter's Basilica absent his usual papal attire on Thursday, April 10, 2025. / Credit: EWTN News/screenshot
