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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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ACI Prensa Staff, Aug 19, 2025 / 14:33 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV sent a telegram to the bishops of the Amazon region participating in a meeting in Bogotá, Colombia, this week, reminding them of the importance of caring for nature without becoming slaves or worshippers of it.

In his message, addressed to Cardinal Pedro Barreto Jimeno, president of the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon, the Holy Father thanked the prelates for their "efforts made to promote the greater good of the Church in favor of the faithful of the beloved Amazonian territory."

Recalling what was learned during the Synod on the Amazon in 2019, the pontiff urged the bishops to seek, based on the unity and collegiality proper to an "episcopal body," ways to help "diocesan bishops and apostolic vicars concretely and effectively carry out their mission."

To achieve this, Pope Leo XIV proposed three dimensions: the Church's mission to proclaim the Gospel to all people, the just treatment of the peoples who live there, and the care of our common home.

"It is necessary that Jesus Christ, in whom all things are encompassed, be announced with clarity and immense charity among the inhabitants of the Amazon," the pope affirmed, emphasizing the need to "give them the fresh and pure bread of the good news and the heavenly food of the Eucharist, the only means to truly be the people of God and the body of Christ."

He also emphasized that "wherever the name of Christ is preached, injustice recedes proportionally, for, as the Apostle Paul asserts, all exploitation of man by man disappears if we are able to receive one another as brothers and sisters."

Within this "perennial doctrine," the Holy Father emphasized the importance of caring for the "home" that God the Father "has entrusted to us as diligent stewards, so that no one irresponsibly destroys the natural goods that speak of the goodness and beauty of the Creator."

"Nor, much less, subjects oneself to them as a slave or worshipper of nature, since things have been given to us to attain our end of praising God and thus obtaining the salvation of our souls," the Holy Father stated, citing St. Ignatius of Loyola's Spiritual Exercises. 

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 / 11:51 am (CNA).

Ever since his brother was named pope, John Prevost hasn't been shy about talking to the press. Pope Leo XIV's first phone call with his brother went viral after a reporter captured it on video ("Why don't you answer the phone," the newly elected pontiff had snapped at his brother in a highly relatable sibling interaction captured for posterity). 

Now, in a wide-ranging, half-hour interview with NBC's Chicago affiliate that aired over the weekend, the 70-year-old retired high school principal opened up again. 

Here are some highlights from their talk:

Prevost still speaks with his brother every day.

Yes, they still talk on the phone each day, and they still play "Wordle" and "Words With Friends" together, Prevost told NBC's Mary Ann Ahern.

"I usually now ask him, 'Who did you meet famous?' to see who came to see him because he's always with audiences," Prevost said.

The two haven't lost their taste for gentle sibling ribbing. 

When asked if he says, "Hey, Bob" or "Hi, Pope," when they get on the phone, Prevost said they often joke about that. 

Sometimes, Prevost said, he will ask: "Is this [His] Holiness?" to which the pope responds: "Yes, my child, how may I help you."

Pope Leo enjoys going to Castel Gandolfo, the papal summer residence near Rome.

The Holy Father resumed the tradition of going to Castel Gandolfo, which had been on pause during Francis' papacy. 

"He's going to make it a permanent thing. He's spent two weeks there and now he has been back already one more time and they're going to try to do it more often because it just is relaxing and away from the crowd — away from the grind, so to speak," Prevost said.

"There really is an opportunity to relax, and he doesn't have to be dressed in his papal outfit all the time."

The pope is apparently taking advantage of the swimming pool and tennis courts at Castel Gandolfo.

Prevost didn't explicitly say his brother is working on his backhand and swimming laps, but he did say that he is "making use" of the facilities there.

Pope Leo misses driving.

The pope, he said, is not particular about where he likes to go on vacation if he can get behind the wheel.

"I think he likes anything. I think he likes the mountains. I think he likes the shore, so long as he has an opportunity to drive. Driving to him is totally relaxing," Prevost said.

In the past, when they would get together, Prevost always let his younger brother drive.

"Otherwise, then he would criticize my driving," he said.

Not being able to drive anymore "bothers him," his brother said. 

Pope Leo really did eat that pizza.

When the pope stepped off his popemobile to receive a gift of a pizza from Aurelio's, one of his favorite Chicago pizzerias, he ate the whole thing. And it was sausage.

"He did take it. His bodyguards took it from him to make sure it was safe. He did reheat it. He did eat every bit of it," his brother told NBC.

His favorite kind of pizza? Pepperoni.

As children, the Prevost brothers did "everything any child would do."

"It was in the days when you just went out and played," he said. "Everyone met on the street. Do whatever you're going to do. Go ride your bikes, go play baseball, four-square. We just did that with all the neighborhood kids."

The boys, however, were not allowed to go out trick-or-treating on Halloween as children.

"My mom thought it was begging," Prevost said.

His brother was "very close" to Pope Francis.

"He was close with Francis. Very close. They were very good friends," he said.

The pope promised he would return to Chicago for one reason.

When asked whether the pope was planning to return to his hometown, Prevost said "anything's likely" since he is, of course, the pope.

"The only thing we know for sure is he's going to be here for my funeral," he said.

Prevost said he asked his younger brother if he would return under those circumstances, and he reportedly responded: "They may have to keep the body on ice for a while, but I'll get there."

The pope's favorite candy is not what you'd expect.

When asked what he plans to bring his brother when he travels to Rome in October (along with several members of his extended family), Prevost said: "Peeps."

"That's his favorite candy on Earth."

The pope was the handy one in the family.

His brother told NBC that the family would save certain household chores for their younger brother.

"I used to have to say, 'Well, I'll save this for when Rob's here because he'll take care of it.'

"Anything on a ladder, I don't do, but he will," he said.

Pope Leo likes upbeat movies.

When asked which kind of movies his brother likes, Prevost said: "I think things that are generally entertaining that have a positive outcome."

Before he was pope, Leo might have enjoyed a John Grisham novel.

"He liked legal thrillers," his brother said.

Pope Leo warned his brother to be careful about what he says in interviews.

Prevost was accompanied by Augustinian Father Ray Flores during his interview with the NBC station.

When asked if his brother, the pope, asks him to "be careful," Prevost said that he does.

"Yes, absolutely," he said. "That's why this gentleman is here."

The pope is praying for us.

Prevost said: "I think what people don't know is he's taking this very seriously. It may not look that way when you see him enjoying himself, but this is quite a burden on his shoulders and he's praying for the world."

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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Vatican City, Aug 19, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV named Father Ralph O'Donnell of the Archdiocese of Omaha as the new bishop of Jefferson City, Missouri. He will succeed Archbishop Shawn McKnight, who in May was installed as archbishop of Kansas City, Kansas.

Bishop-elect O'Donnell has most recently served as pastor of Saint Margaret Mary Parish in Omaha.

Born on August 31, 1969, in Omaha, he earned a bachelor's degree in religious studies from Conception Seminary College and a Master of Divinity from the University of Saint Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary. He later obtained a master's degree in spirituality from Creighton University.

Ordained a priest in 1997, O'Donnell has served in various pastoral and administrative roles, including vocations director, seminary vice rector, and executive director of the U.S. bishops' Secretariat for Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations (2015–2019).

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ACI Prensa Staff, Aug 19, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Two weeks ago, 1 million young people returned to their countries after participating in the Jubilee of Youth, an experience that undoubtedly left a profound mark on their lives of faith. Now, beyond what they experienced in Rome, they have a mission: to take that message and testimony home.

In the days leading up to the long-awaited event, Pope Leo XIV exhorted a group of young Peruvian pilgrims to "keep everything you live in these days in your heart, but not to conserve it only for yourselves. This is very important: Let what you will experience here be not only for yourselves. We must learn how to share."

Being an example of the love of Jesus Christ

Marta Zambrano, a 25-year-old Spaniard who participated as a volunteer in the jubilee, reflected on this calling. Speaking to ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner, she noted that those of us "who have been fortunate enough to experience the jubilee have a very important mission."

The young woman from Cádiz is clear about that mission: "To be witnesses of the faith and pass on the teachings of everything we have learned from the testimonies, catechesis, homilies of the Holy Father... even from our own experience or encounter with Jesus Christ."

For the young Spaniard, the best way to share everything she experienced is "by setting an example with our attitude and reflecting the love that Jesus Christ poured out on us."

In particular, she emphasized the need for others "to see in us that joy and that we know we are loved by Christ, which makes us different from the rest of the people in this world" that tries to pull people in the wrong direction. 

Zambrano said she hopes that by exuding that light and joy, the people around her can say: "I want that in my life too."

She explained that people will thus be able to "bring the world closer to the path of truth and life, of fulfillment and true happiness and peace of heart, which is Jesus Christ."

A clearer and more hopeful outlook

Claudia Arrieta, 29, from Madrid, said the best way to bear witness is by example: "changing our way of thinking, speaking, interacting, working, and relating to others in our daily lives. That those around us see a change in us, that they ask themselves why we have this way of being with others."

"The best way to tell the world about what we experienced in Rome this summer is for each of the pilgrims who attended the gathering with the pope to return to our lives with a clearer and more hopeful outlook," she added.

She also told ACI Prensa her hope that the words Pope Leo XIV addressed to young people inviting them to seek holiness would be "a message that comes directly from God for mankind." 

"The pope," the young Spaniard added, "is an instrument that God uses to tell us all to be holy in our relationships."

She said one of the gifts given in the pilgrim's "kit" was a rosary and that "since I returned, I see people with the jubilee rosary on the street, in a restaurant, at the supermarket, at Mass," she said.

Prayer and discernment to take in what they experienced

María Fernanda de Luna Martínez, a 34-year-old Mexican, traveled to Rome with 48 young people from different parts of her country. For her, sharing what she experienced in Rome "is a very great responsibility and duty."

De Luna, who works in the social communications department of the Salesians in Mexico, said she believes an experience like this generates "many emotions and feelings that take time to settle in."

When young people return home, she noted, they sometimes "arrive all revved up and eager to take on the world." She therefore advised "discernment, prayer, accompaniment, and community" so that they don't quickly forget what they've experienced and avoid becoming discouraged.

In this context, she specified that it's important to ask three questions: "What moved me during the jubilee? What impacted me the most? What does God want from me with this?"

The answers, she said, "can shed light on where to begin," and it should begin at home, with friends and the community. "Let our commitment be to bring someone else to an upcoming event, like World Youth Day in Seoul in 2027, so that that person may also bear witness that the Church is alive and that there are indeed young people in it, in love with Jesus."

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 18, 2025 / 16:04 pm (CNA).

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has released a report examining the religious liberty implications for women and minorities in Afghanistan four years after the Taliban's takeover. 

"Religious freedom conditions in Afghanistan continue to decline dramatically under Taliban rule," the USCIRF wrote in an Aug. 15 report examining the Taliban's Law on the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice one year after its enactment. "The new morality law reinforces a systematic and overt erasure of religious freedom in Afghanistan and facilitates the ongoing repression of religious minorities."

According to the USCIRF, the morality law "impacts all Afghans" but "disproportionately affects religious minorities and women, eradicating their participation in public life and systematically eliminating their right to [freedom of religious belief]."

The August 2024 law contains 35 articles and centers on mandating the Taliban's interpretation of Islam and sharia law. Authorities are granted "broad powers to arrest, detain, and monitor Afghans who are perceived to have violated its provisions," the USCIRF noted.

Among the 35 articles is the criminalization of adherence to any religion apart from Sunni Islam. According to the USCIRF: "Non-Muslims are forced to practice in secret or risk arrest and torture."

The report quoted the Taliban's minister for the propagation of virtue and prevention of vice, Khalid Hanafi, as saying Hindus, Jews, Christians, and Sikhs are "worse than four-legged animals" for holding "beliefs that go against sharia and the Quran."

All Afghan women — Muslim or otherwise — under the morality law are mandated to cover their entire body and face. They are also barred from leaving their homes without a male guardian. The law "characterizes women's voices as intimate and therefore something to be concealed." As such, Afghan women are barred in public from speaking, singing, or reciting the Quran. 

"While the morality law impacts all Afghans, it disproportionately affects Afghan women and girls. As of 2025, Afghan women and girls are still barred from attending school beyond age 12. The education ban, coupled with the morality law, makes it impossible for Afghan women and girls to participate in public life, including religious expression," the report stated. 

"The requirement of a male guardian, reinforced under the morality law, has created significant barriers for Afghan women," the report continued, noting that Afghan widows who may not have any male relatives are especially impacted.  

The Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, which was reestablished for societal reform shortly after the Taliban took over in 2021, oversees all enforcement of the Taliban's morality law.

According to USCIRF, there are approximately 3,330 male enforcers employed in 28 of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan.

Heightened surveillance, arbitrary arrests and detention, forced conversions, physical assault, death threats, and torture are used as tactics by enforcers across the country, the USCIRF stated, citing a U.N. report that as many as 50 Ismaili Muslims were forced to convert to Sunni Islam and that one Ismaili man was killed in the Badakhshan Province.

The man "was severely tortured prior to his death," the USCIRF said, further noting that "while in Taliban custody, individuals' ethnic or religious identity influenced the severity of torture inflicted, including for Christians and Hazaras."

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ACI Prensa Staff, Aug 18, 2025 / 16:56 pm (CNA).

The ongoing violence in the Holy Land, especially now with the war in Gaza, was addressed by the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, in his homily during the solemnity of the Assumption of Mary.

The prelate's diocese includes not only Israel but also those living in the Palestinian territories of Gaza and the West Bank. This has allowed him to experience firsthand the consequences of violence, especially that which has ravaged the Gaza Strip in the last two years and which requires true words of peace, not "sugarcoated and abstract" speeches, he said.

From the Benedictine Monastery of Abu Gosh in Israel, the cardinal stated that while everyone wants an end to the conflict, its end will not mark "the end of hostilities and the pain they will cause," as the desire for revenge will persist, and "we will have to struggle with the consequences of this war on people's lives for a long time to come."

In this regard, the cardinal recalled in his homily the importance of the Holy Land for Christians and for humanity, as the region where Mary said yes to God's will and where Christ was born. It is also the place where the Lord defeated sin with his resurrection.

"It really does seem that our Holy Land, which preserves the highest revelation and manifestation of God, is also the place of the highest manifestation of Satan's power. And perhaps precisely because it is the place where the heart of salvation history is located, it is also the place where 'the Ancient Adversary' tries to assert himself more than anywhere else," he noted.

The Latin patriarch of Jerusalem was reflecting on the passage from the Book of Revelation that depicts the enormous dragon with seven heads and 10 diadems, which "is a very clear representation of the power of evil in the world, of Satan."

"It strikes me that it is clear from this passage that the dragon, Satan, will never cease to assert himself and rage in the world, especially 'against those who keep God's commandments and bear witness to Jesus,'" he noted.

This, he explained, leads Christians to be aware that "the power of evil will continue to be present in the life of the world and in our own lives," but this does not mean resignation, since the solemnity of the Assumption "also tells us that there is someone before whom evil is powerless."

"The power of the dragon cannot prevail in the face of a birth, a mother who gives birth, who generates life. The dragon cannot triumph over the seed of life, the fruit of love," he pointed out.

In this regard, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem noted that the Church is called to plant a seed of life in the world. "Evil will continue to express itself, but we will be the place, the presence that the dragon cannot overcome: a seed of life," he affirmed.

Pizzaballa noted that while "we know that sooner or later the dragon will be defeated," Christians today are called to persevere, "because we know that the dragon will continue to rage through history."

However, he said that "the blood caused by all this evil" throughout the world "flows under the altar, mingled with the blood of the Lamb, united to the work of redemption to which we all are part of."

"The Assumption of the Virgin Mary, which we celebrate, her complete participation, with body and soul, in the victory of Christ, is also a foretaste of our destiny as children of God, as baptized and redeemed by the blood of Christ," he affirmed.

Finally, the patriarch encouraged: "So as we rise from the Eucharistic table, today, we carry with us the certainty of Christ's victory over death, the conviction that our life, however much it may be turned upside down by the dramatic events of today, is nevertheless the place where the dragon will not prevail, for it is a life bathed in the blood of the Lamb, in God's infinite love."

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 18, 2025 / 15:04 pm (CNA).

Father Gabriel Romanelli, the pastor of the only Catholic church in Gaza, Holy Family Parish, said Monday that an evacuation order was issued by Israeli forces for the al-Zaytun neighborhood surrounding the parish in Gaza City.

The Aug. 18 order was part of a broader Israeli plan to relocate Palestinians from northern Gaza, where the parish is located, to designated zones in the south. Earlier this month, Israel revealed its plan to occupy Gaza.

Romanelli expressed concern about the feasibility of relocating Gaza's 2.3 million inhabitants, however, asking: "Where can they find the space for all the inhabitants?" He said Israel was distributing tents to facilitate the evacuation.

The Israeli military said the relocation plan is necessary to protect civilians amid the ongoing two-year war, which has led to a humanitarian crisis due to severe shortages of food, water, and medical supplies, with Caritas Jerusalem reporting that "people are dying of hunger" and "all the children are suffering from malnutrition."

Despite the evacuation order, Romanelli noted "contradictory signs," saying an aid group continued to distribute vegetables to civilians.

The Holy Family Parish compound, which contains a school, convent, a multipurpose center, and a Missionaries of Charity building, has been a critical shelter since the war began in October 2023. It has been housing over 600 people, the majority of whom are Orthodox Christians, Protestants, and Catholics, as well as at least 50 Muslim children with disabilities and their families.

Holy Family Parish 'accidentally' attacked in July

Romanelli and eight others were injured and three civilians were killed after Israeli munitions hit the church in July.

In response to the attack, Pope Leo XIV said "it is time to stop this slaughter" and renewed his call for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, expressing his desire for dialogue, reconciliation, and lasting peace in the region.

On social media platform X the day of the attack, the account of Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, stated: "Israel deeply regrets that a stray ammunition hit Gaza's Holy Family Church. Every innocent life lost is a tragedy. We share the grief of the families and the faithful."

"We are grateful to Pope Leo for his words of comfort. Israel is investigating the incident and remains committed to protecting civilians and holy sites," the prime minister's account continued.

Israel Defense Forces said it regretted the attack and maintained after the investigation that the attack was accidental, calling it a "deviation of munitions."

On July 18, Latin Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa visited Holy Family Parish alongside Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III to offer support following the attack.

Israelis protest Netanyahu's plan to occupy Gaza 

In Tel Aviv, hundreds of thousands of people protested against the Israeli government over the weekend, demanding an end to the war and arguing that Israel's plan to occupy Gaza could endanger the approximately 20 hostages still held by Hamas.

Regarding its occupation, Israel has a five-step plan that includes disarming Hamas, releasing all remaining living and deceased hostages, demilitarizing the Gaza Strip, establishing temporary Israeli control over the enclave, and eventually replacing Hamas with a friendly Arab civil administration.

Netanyahu said of Sunday's protests, which led to dozens of arrests: "Those who today call for an end to the war without defeating Hamas are not only hardening Hamas' position and delaying the release of our hostages, they are also ensuring that the horrors of Oct. 7 will be repeated," referring to the Hamas attack in 2023 that left 1,200 dead and started the war.

During yesterday's Sunday Mass at Holy Family Church, an explosion damaged a nearby water tank, though no injuries were reported from the incident.

"Another Sunday of war," Romanelli said.

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ACI Prensa Staff, Aug 18, 2025 / 15:34 pm (CNA).

Archbishop Guy de Kirimel of Toulouse, France, has reversed his decision to appoint a priest convicted of rape as chancellor of the archdiocese and asked forgiveness of the victims of abuse, whom he had no intention of offending, according to a statement released Aug. 16.

"In order not to cause division among bishops, and not to remain at a standoff between those for and against, I decided to reverse my decision; this has now been done, with the appointment of a new chancellor," the archbishop said.

The reversal of the appointment of Father Dominique Spina, a priest sentenced in 2006 to five years in prison for raping a 16-year-old boy in 1993, came after the French Bishops' Conference asked the archbishop on Aug. 11 to "reconsider the decision."

The French prelates stated at the time that "an appointment of such importance, both canonically and symbolically, can only reopen wounds, arouse suspicions, and disconcert the people of God."

Speaking about sexual abuse perpetrated by members of the Catholic Church in France, the bishops noted that "we have learned to look at these events first from the point of view of the people who were their victims and who suffer the consequences for the rest of their lives."

"This shift in perspective," the bishops continued, has initiated "a long and demanding work of conversion, which we are determined to continue."

Accepting the request of the French bishops, De Kirimel appointed Father Léopold Biyoki as the new chancellor of the Archdiocese of Toulouse, effective Sept. 1.

Asking for forgiveness

"My decision was interpreted by many as a snub to victims of sexual abuse; I ask forgiveness of the victims. That was obviously not my intention," the archbishop wrote in the Aug. 16 statement.

"Others in the end saw it as a sign of hope for abusers who had served their time and are experiencing the great trial of being totally shunned by society. For that I must ask forgiveness from the one I named and in whom I have confidence, for not having known how to find the right place to which he is entitled," the archbishop further explained.

In his statement, De Kirimel asked: "How can we find the right attitude that does not force us to take one side to the detriment of the other? How can we keep the primary focus on the victims without forever rejecting the guilty?"

After pointing out that in abuse there is always irreparable damage and recalling that Jesus in the Gospel forgives the sins of Paul, who persecuted Christians, or of Mary Magdalene, who was once a prostitute, the archbishop noted: "We believe that justice is not opposed to mercy, mercy is not opposed to justice" and urged continued "reflection on this issue."

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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