Native American advocates have been fighting the threatened obliteration of Oak Flat for several years.
The federal government will proceed with plans to develop a copper mine at a Native American religious site, claiming the effort is "crucial" to meeting the "growing demand for critical minerals" in the U.S.
Indigenous advocates of the Oak Flat site, meanwhile, are vowing to continue fighting against the effort to obliterate what they say is a "holy place" and the "spiritual lifeblood" of Apaches.
Since 2021, the coalition group Apache Stronghold has been fighting the sale of the Arizona site to Resolution Copper, a British-Australian mining company.
The group has argued that the planned land transfer to the multinational company violates U.S. religious freedom law and threatens Native American traditions dating back centuries.
The battle against the sale — which advocates argue violates the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act — made it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which in May 2025 ultimately refused to halt the transfer. Advocates lost another bid at the Supreme Court in October 2025.
On March 23 the U.S. Department of Justice said its Environment and Natural Resources Division had secured a "major win" in the push to develop the site.
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a district court's order to allow the sale to proceed, allowing the government to "proceed with a congressionally mandated land exchange crucial to advancing development of one of the largest known copper deposits in the world."
The mining project "will play an important role in developing a stable, domestic copper supply," the government said.
Wendsler Nosie Sr. of Apache Stronghold told EWTN News in a statement on March 25 that the group "will never stop fighting to protect Oak Flat."
"It is our spiritual lifeblood — the place where generations of Apache have gathered to worship, pray, and connect with our Creator," the activist said. "The federal government and Resolution Copper want to wipe Oak Flat off the map and sever our connection with this holy place forever. But we will never give up."
"We will keep defending what is holy. We will continue pressing forward in the lower courts and urging America's leaders to protect Oak Flat before it is too late," Nosie said.
The Native American coalition garnered support from Catholic leaders in its effort to halt the sale of the site. In 2024, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops joined an amicus brief, arguing that lower court decisions allowing the sale of Oak Flat represented "a grave misunderstanding" of religious freedom law.
The Knights of Columbus similarly filed a brief in support of the Apaches, arguing that the decision to allow the property to be mined applies an "atextual constraint" to federal religious freedom law with "no grounding in the statute itself."
The Religious Freedom Restoration Act states that the government "shall not substantially burden" an individual's religion unless it can demonstrate that the burden is "in furtherance of a compelling governmental interest" and is "the least restrictive means of furthering that compelling governmental interest."
The measure became law with bipartisan support in 1993. It was passed partly in reaction to the 1990 U.S. Supreme Court decision Employment Division of Oregon v. Smith, which upheld "neutral laws of general applicability" even if they burden the exercise of religion.
The specific case in Oregon v. Smith involved two Native American residents of Oregon who had been denied unemployment benefits stemming from their use of peyote, a cactus with psychoactive properties that has been used in Indigenous ceremonies for thousands of years.
SECAM has issued a 25-page final report addressing the pastoral challenge of polygamy across Africa, a direct response to a mandate given at the Synod on Synodality.
Compiled by a SECAM commission made up of selected theologians and professionals from relevant ecclesiastical disciplines, the report presents a structured reflection on the phenomenon through what it describes as a process of "quadruple listening": attentive engagement with African cultural realities, sacred Scripture, Church teaching on Christian marriage, and pastoral practices already operative within ecclesial communities across the continent.
Polygamy within the context of the African family
The report begins by situating polygamy within the broader cultural and religious context of the African family. According to the SECAM commission: "The African family is built on the covenant: an alliance between human groups, an alliance with ancestors, and an alliance with God."
Within this worldview, the birth of children is central. The commission members explained that "at the heart of this family, the child represents an inestimable treasure, a divine blessing. He perpetuates the name of the lineage while helping to consolidate the present life."
It is within this framework that members of the SECAM commission situated polygamy, defined as "a marital regime in which an individual is linked at the same time to several spouses." They clarified that although the term technically includes both polyandry and polygyny, the latter — a man married to multiple women — remains by far the most common form in Africa.
Historically, the practice emerged from specific social needs. In early agrarian and nomadic societies, large families provided economic stability and security, they noted, recalling: "Polygamous marriages were practiced not only for the sake of large families, but also for reasons of solidarity, alliances, and political objectives."
Marriage in traditional African societies also carried communal and spiritual dimensions that made divorce rare, they further noted, recalling that marriage ceremonies involved not only the spouses but also entire families and even calling upon ancestors, reflecting a deeply communal understanding of family life.
SECAM president Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo (left) and secretary-general Father Rafael Simbine Junior (right). | Credit: ACI Africa
Biblical discernment
Turning to Scripture, the SECAM commission members noted that the Bible itself reflects diverse marital practices. In the Old Testament world, "forms of marriage varied, from polygamy to monogamy," and several biblical figures lived in polygamous unions.
Nevertheless, the commission members stressed in the report that monogamy gradually emerged as the biblical ideal. They pointed to the Book of Tobit as a text that strongly "exalts monogamy," describing families that are "strictly monogamous" and characterized by fidelity and religious devotion.
The commission members interpreted this development as part of what they call a "divine pedagogy." According to their report, God allowed polygamy historically but ultimately revealed the ideal of monogamous marriage through Christ.
"In his Son, he shows that polygamy is not the ideal couple desired by God," they said, emphasizing Jesus' teaching that marriage is a union between "one man and one woman."
This biblical reflection also addressed one of the most common cultural motivations for polygamy — infertility. The commission insisted that biological impediments to fertility do not justify polygamy.
They explained that biblical tradition broadens the understanding of motherhood and fatherhood beyond biological reproduction. True fruitfulness, the commission members wrote, can consist in fidelity to God and virtuous life rather than biological offspring alone.
Ethical questions raised by polygamy
The report on the pastoral challenges of polygamy raised ethical questions about whether the core meaning of Christian marriage can be reconciled with polygamous unions. The commission highlighted the Christian understanding of marriage as a total mutual gift between two persons.
"If marriage translates into 'the gift of oneself to another,' one might wonder how a man or woman can experience this 'gift of self' by giving themselves to several wives or husbands at the same time," they observed.
Commission members also raised questions about emotional and psychological dimensions, asking whether shared marital relationships risk undermining authentic communion between spouses.
The Christian understanding of marriage, they noted, is further illuminated by the apostle Paul's comparison of marriage with the relationship between Christ and the Church — a singular and exclusive covenant of love.
Pastoral challenges: Baptism and sacramental life
The commission acknowledged that polygamy has long posed pastoral challenges for the Church in Africa, especially when individuals living in polygamous unions seek baptism or integration into Catholic communities.
Historically, missionaries often approached the issue by requiring monogamy as a condition for baptism, they recalled, adding that "monogamous marriage was therefore a requirement for being or becoming a Christian."
Today, however, pastoral practice has evolved in many African dioceses, they said, identifying several pastoral approaches currently used within local churches.
One approach requires a man seeking full sacramental participation to choose one spouse while continuing to provide for the other women and their children.
Another response is the "permanent catechumenate" in which a polygamous individual participates in catechetical formation and community life without receiving baptism or the other sacraments due to the continuing marital situation.
A third practice involves baptizing the first wife when she has been placed in a polygamous relationship without her consent. In such cases, she may be fully integrated into the Christian community while remaining within her family environment.
Position on baptism for polygamists
One of the clearest conclusions of the SECAM commission concerned the sacrament of baptism. The commission argued that baptizing someone who intends to remain in a polygamous union risks undermining the theological meaning of baptism itself.
"Baptizing a polygamist who will continue to remain so would give every appearance of legitimizing this irregularity and could distort or even devalue baptism of its substance," they stated.
For this reason, the commission recommended that baptism should normally follow a clear commitment to monogamous marriage.
According to their report, polygamous catechumens should undergo thorough preparation and be ready to "accept the Gospel message, adhere to the Christian ideal, and commit to monogamous marriage before receiving baptism."
Implications for Catholics living in polygamous families
At the pastoral level, the members of the commission stressed accompaniment rather than exclusion. The Church, the report says, must practice "a pastoral approach of proximity, listening, and accompaniment."
This approach acknowledges that many polygamous families cannot easily dissolve existing marital bonds. In such cases, pastoral accompaniment may maintain the family structure while gradually introducing the Christian vision of marriage.
The commission noted that some members of polygamous families — particularly the first wife and children — may meet the conditions for full sacramental participation, while others may live their faith "in a penitent manner and in the hope of full integration into the community of Jesus' disciples."
Ultimately, the commission members framed the issue as part of a broader process of inculturation. The challenge for the Church in Africa, they concluded, is to present the Gospel within cultural realities while remaining faithful to the Christian understanding of marriage.
This story was first published by ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, and has been adapted by EWTN News.
Bishop Brendan Cahill noted the importance of ecumenical approaches to "one of the most pressing issues of our time."
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) took part in an ecumenical meeting with the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) to engage in dialogue and collaborate on pastoral solutions to heightened immigration enforcement.
The meeting was held on March 24 to launch the Evangelical-Catholic Dialogue on Immigration (ECDI) — a joint initiative focused on the subject.
It builds on previous collaborations, particularly a report on how President Donald Trump's mass deportation plans could affect Christian families. According to a USCCB news release, Catholic and evangelical leaders continue to grapple with pastoral challenges related to the policy, such as an increase in fear and anxiety among members.
"I view the ECDI as a means of growing in Christian unity with our evangelical brothers and sisters, while also furthering our shared goal of bringing the message of the Gospel to bear on one of the most pressing issues of our time," Bishop Brendan Cahill, chair of the USCCB's Committee on Migration, said in a statement.
Cahill co-chairs the ECDI with the Rev. Walter Kim, president of the NAE. It also includes five other Catholic and five other evangelical members and organizational observers.
"Whatever theological differences exist between us, Catholics and evangelicals across our country are navigating many of the same complex realities — political and social — and the issue of immigration is an important example," Cahill said. "Together, we place our hope in Jesus Christ, and we seek to live out his teaching in relation to this challenging topic."
Cahill cited Pope Leo XIV's emphasis on dialogue being necessary for "peace, understanding, and fraternity, especially between different faith traditions." He expressed gratitude for Kim's leadership and "willingness to collaborate in this way and for the commitment of all those participating."
In November, the USCCB voted 216-5 to oppose "the indiscriminate mass deportation of people." The bishops have expressed concerns that the Department of Homeland Security rescinded guidelines that had previously limited immigration enforcement at "sensitive locations," including churches.
Catholic bishops in various countries are joining the celebration by organizing events in defense of the lives of unborn children.
The Day of the Unborn Child is celebrated internationally on March 25 to commemorate, promote, and defend human life from the moment of conception in the mother's womb until natural death.
The date was established in Argentina in December 1998 by President Carlos Saúl Menem. A few days before the observance of this day in 1999, the president encouraged leaders throughout Latin America to join the initiative.
At the time, St. John Paul II sent a letter to the Argentine president, encouraging that "the celebration of the 'Day of the Unborn Child' foster a positive choice in favor of life and the development of a culture oriented in this direction — one that ensures the promotion of human dignity in all situations."
In 1999, the observance was also adopted by law in Guatemala and Costa Rica, while Nicaragua embraced it the following year. Bolivia joined in 2000; the Dominican Republic followed in early 2001; in Peru, it was established by law in 2002; and Paraguay joined in 2003.
The observance is also celebrated on March 25 in El Salvador, Uruguay, Spain, Mexico, Austria, Slovakia, Cuba, and the Philippines. Ecuador joined in 2006, Chile in 2014, and it was enacted by law in Puerto Rico in 2018.
This date typically coincides with the solemnity of the Annunciation, usually celebrated on March 25. On this day, the Catholic Church commemorates the announcement made by Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary as well as her momentous yes to God — an assent that led her to conceive, at that very instant, the Child who saved humanity, becoming his most holy mother.
Catholic bishops in various countries are joining the celebration by organizing events in defense of the lives of unborn children. In addition, in recent years, memorials have been erected in memory of the millions of unborn child victims of abortion.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
Iraq's Christians are signifcantly scaling back Palm Sunday and Easter observances amid ongoing security concerns due to the Iran war.
The war unfolding in the Middle East and the security challenges accompanying it have affected how Iraqi Christians will observe Palm Sunday, Holy Week, and the feast of Easter this year.
The Syriac Catholic Archdiocese of Mosul and its dependencies called on the faithful to reflect deeply on the true meaning of the feast and on the One it commemorates, and to live it in a spirit of faith, prayer, and fraternal solidarity by avoiding large gatherings and refraining from outward displays of festivity, "as an expression of solidarity with those suffering and those affected by the horrors of war, and in order to preserve everyone's safety."
The archdiocese also announced that holiday celebrations would be limited to church interiors, especially for Palm Sunday, meaning that the large annual procession through the city's streets will not be held this year. It also canceled the customary exchange of holiday greetings throughout the archdiocese.
No procession in Ankawa
For its part, the Chaldean Archdiocese of Erbil announced the cancellation of its annual Palm Sunday procession, which it had traditionally organized in cooperation with the apostolic churches in Ankawa.
Speaking to ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News, Archbishop Bashar Matti Warda said security necessities required the cancellation of the Palm Sunday procession, which the faithful await each year with joy and eagerness, in order to guard everyone's safety.
He explained that the archdiocese has limited its activities to the usual Masses, evening prayer, and the Way of the Cross while canceling catechism classes for all age groups and youth meetings since the beginning of the war and the targeting of Erbil by missiles and drones.
Other churches in Iraq have not officially announced specific measures or changes to the schedules of liturgical celebrations, Masses, and rites. However, it appears that dioceses and parishes across Christian towns and villages are moving toward canceling the customary processions and confining celebrations to church buildings.
Youth gathering postponed
The Chaldean Archdiocese of Erbil also announced through ACI MENA the postponement of the 2026 Ankawa Youth Gathering, which was scheduled for March 18–21, for the same reasons.
Qaraqosh, Ankawa, Alqosh, and other Christian towns and villages in Iraq have long organized large Palm Sunday processions. This tradition has only been interrupted under exceptional circumstances, including the years of forced displacement during the ISIS occupation (2014–2017) and the coronavirus pandemic.
This story was first published by ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
Auxiliary Bishop Francisco Javier Acero emphasized the need to truly listen to abuse victims and not let other interests, like careerism or clericalism, stand in the way of victims' proper care.
In light of the ongoing struggle to prevent and combat sexual abuse within the Catholic Church in Mexico, a bishop addressed the primary challenges currently being faced including "clericalism," "careerism," and the need to listen to those who are suffering.
In an interview with ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, Francisco Javier Acero, OAR, auxiliary bishop of the Primatial Archdiocese of Mexico and a member of the Latin American council of the Center for the Protection of Minors, emphasized the importance of the Church returning "to the essentials, to Jesus," to ensure that "as members of the Church, we stand with the weakest and most vulnerable ... the victims."
"We must create spaces for them so we can listen to them. We cannot engage in prevention if we are not capable of listening with empathy and without prejudice," he stated.
The prelate said that "when we listen, we are directing all our faculties toward grasping, attending to, and interpreting the verbal messages and other expressions such as body language and tone of voice of that victim who has been scarred for life." It means finding the meaning behind the sound of their voice "within the deep wound they carry, and putting ourselves in their shoes."
Francisco Javier Acero, auxiliary bishop of the Primatial Archdiocese of Mexico, celebrates Mass on Sunday, March 15, 2026, the Fourth Sunday of Lent, at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. | Credit: Basilica of Guadalupe
Resistance to recognizing and confronting abuse
According to Acero, who prior to his episcopal ordination in 2022 served as major superior of the Augustinian Recollects for Mexico and Costa Rica, the resistance within the Church to recognizing and confronting abuse "lies in clericalism as well as in its structures."
"There is a hidden clericalism among the laity that does great harm preventing our people of God from being holy and faithful," he said — a phenomenon that also affects "bishops, priests, and those in consecrated life."
"There is also an exacerbated clericalism caused by formation systems outwardly embellished with a profound spirituality that at their core revert to a nostalgia for the past; a nostalgia that prefers a Church that's a museum to a Church that embodies the Gospel alongside faces that suffer and weep over injustices," he noted.
"Pope Francis spoke of a 'spiritual worldliness' that manifests itself in self-satisfaction, a desire for applause, and careerism aimed at personal advancement," he recalled, warning against a "worldly mentality centered on money, pride, and selfishness rather than living in accordance with the cross of Christ."
Acero pointed out that "the structures of the Church, if they do not lead to processes of personal conversion and healthy relationships with others, become ossified; and we become more like bureaucrats of the altar than servants of charity."
The challenge of discernment
For Acero, "the pain of a victim is to be believed from the very first moment. It is a wound that is sensed and doesn't require verification, because the wound itself seeps forth when you listen to the victim."
"Systematic suspicion persists and takes root when there is a false sense of fatherhood and a flawed understanding of what the Church is," he continued.
He noted that "in this change of epochs with the new digital culture that has become integrated into our lives, we have access to such a vast amount of information such that we have never been as vulnerable to deception as we are today."
"We are enamored of the superfluous, and we are increasingly incapable of delving deeper to reach the underlying essence of people and issues. We remain at the level of headlines, rumors, and superficial comments about others which shape our judgments."
The prelate emphasized that "suspicion and careerism go hand in hand; negative influences along with a type of Church that is scarcely missionary and highly self-referential cause one to fall into a world of complicity and covering up cases."
Unfortunately, the proclamation of the good news becomes corrupted when allegations arise and we turn a blind eye to them because they are inconvenient, he said.
The key: Staying centered on Jesus
When asked how a bishop can make sure victims are cared for in a warm, loving manner, Acero emphasized that it helps for the victim to feel "supported by God in prayer, by a person who assists him in spiritual direction, and by a group of brothers who look out for and protect him."
"Valor and courage don't come from human gifts; the momentum comes from within the Spirit. Only the Spirit restores harmony to the heart, for he is the one who creates that 'intimacy with God' of which St. Basil spoke."
According to the auxiliary bishop, "when we are centered on Jesus," we go through life "without getting caught up in dynamics that seek to polarize, or to deny the harm we have caused through our misconduct and our inability to empathize with those who suffer all manner of abuse."
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
The pope also invited Catholics to pray for priestly vocations.
Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday said priestly ministry in the Catholic Church, entrusted only to men, is understood in light of apostolic succession and called for priests who are "ardent with evangelical charity" and "courageous missionaries."
During his March 25 catechesis dedicated to the dogmatic constitution Lumen Gentium, from the Second Vatican Council, Leo explained that the Church "is founded on the apostles, whom Christ appointed as the living pillars of his mystical body."
Speaking in St. Peter's Square, the pontiff emphasized that the Church possesses a "hierarchical structure that works in the service of the unity, mission, and sanctification of all her members," and that it is not merely an organizational structure but an institution of divine origin.
The pope recalled that the apostles, as authoritative witnesses of the Resurrection, received from Christ the mission to teach, sanctify, and guide, and that this ministry "is handed on to men who, until Christ's return, continue to sanctify, guide, and instruct the Church 'through their successors in pastoral office.'"
This transmission, he explained, forms the basis of apostolic succession and of the sacrament of holy orders, which is structured in three degrees: the episcopate, the presbyterate, and the diaconate.
The pope quoted from chapter 3 of Lumen Gentium, which is about the hierarchical structure of the Church, and states that this structure "is not a human construct, functional to the internal organization of the Church as a social body," but a divine institution through which Christ's mission continues throughout history.
The essential difference of the ministerial priesthood
In his address, the pontiff highlighted that Vatican II teaches that the ministerial or hierarchical priesthood "differs 'in essence and not only in degree' from the common priesthood of the faithful," while making clear that the latter are "nonetheless interrelated: Each of them in its own special way is a participation in the one priesthood of Christ."
Thus, the ordained ministry is conferred on men who receive "sacra potestas," or sacred power, for service in the Church, in continuity with the apostolic mission originally entrusted to the Twelve Apostles.
This link with the apostles — chosen by Christ from among men — constitutes the theological foundation explaining why the Church considers the ministerial priesthood to be reserved to men, in fidelity to tradition and to the mandate received from Christ.
A service born from charity
Leo insisted that this hierarchical structure must always be understood as service. Quoting the Second Vatican Council, he recalled that the duty entrusted to pastors "is a true service, which in sacred literature is significantly called 'diakonia' or ministry."
He also recalled the words of St. Paul VI, who described the hierarchy as a reality "born of the charity of Christ, to fulfill, spread, and ensure the intact and fruitful transmission of the wealth of faith, examples, precepts, and charisms bequeathed by Christ to his Church."
Call for new priests
In the final part of his catechesis, the pope invited Catholics to pray for priestly vocations.
"Let us pray to the Lord that he may send to his Church ministers who are ardent with evangelical charity, dedicated to the good of all the baptized, and courageous missionaries in every part of the world," he said.
Spiritual adoption of unborn children
In his remarks to Polish pilgrims at the general audience, the pope praised aninitiative in defense of human life, especially in an international context marked by conflicts and wars.
On March 25, Poland celebrates the "Day for the Sanctity of Life," which was instituted in response to St. John Paul II's call to promote respect for human life in the encyclical Evangelium Vitae.
"We really need initiatives like the spiritual adoption of an unborn child, which is being launched today. In a time marked by the madness of war, it is important to defend life from conception to its natural end," Leo said.
Catholics in Poland are encouraging people to commit to pray for an unborn child in danger of abortion for nine months, from the March 25 solemnity of the Annunciation to Dec. 25.
This story was first published in two parts by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
Pope Leo XIV appointed Bishop Anthony Randazzo of Broken Bay as head of the Legislative Texts office.
Pope Leo XIV has appointed Bishop Anthony Randazzo of Broken Bay, Australia, as prefect of the Dicastery for Legislative Texts, granting him the personal title of archbishop, the Vatican announced Wednesday.
With the appointment, Randazzo will become the first Australian to head a dicastery of the Roman Curia since Cardinal George Pell, who served as prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy until his retirement in 2019.
Randazzo, 59, was born in Sydney on Oct. 7, 1966, to parents originally from the island of Lipari in Italy. He was ordained a priest in 1991 after studies in Brisbane and later earned a degree in canon law from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.
He has held a number of roles in Australia and at the Vatican, including service as an official at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith from 2004 to 2008. He later served as rector of Holy Spirit Seminary in Brisbane and as auxiliary bishop of Sydney before being appointed bishop of Broken Bay in 2019.
Randazzo has also been a member of the permanent committee of the Australian Catholic Bishops' Conference and chaired its canonical affairs panel.
Archbishop Timothy Costelloe, president of the Australian Catholic Bishops' Conference, welcomed the appointment, saying Randazzo's "formation and long experience in canon law have been a precious gift to the Church."
"His expertise and leadership in canonical matters have been invaluable to the work of the Australian Catholic Bishops' Conference," Costelloe added.
In another appointment, Monsignor Renzo Pegoraro, president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, was named titular bishop of Gabi and granted the personal title of archbishop.
The pope also named Major Archbishop Claudiu-Lucian Pop of Fagara? and Alba Iulia of the Romanians as a member of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches. Pop, born in 1972 in Piscolt, Romania, has served in various pastoral and academic roles, including studies in Rome and leadership positions within the Romanian Greek Catholic Church.
Additionally, the Vatican announced new members of the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology: Alfonsina Russo, a senior official in Italy's Ministry of Culture, and professors Lucrezia Spera and Francesca Romana Stasolla, both specialists in Christian and medieval archaeology at Roman universities.
This story was first published by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
The Pontifical Academy for Life said the growing field of xenotransplantation requires international standards and ethical oversight.
The Vatican has called for a global ethical framework governing the use of animal organs in human transplants, warning that rapid advances in the field demand coordinated international oversight.
The Pontifical Academy for Life presented a new document examining the ethical challenges posed by xenotransplantation — the transplantation of animal organs into humans — an area that until recently was considered close to science fiction.
"It is an important contribution that the Church offers not only to believers but also to the scientific and ethical community, to see how to continue research, with protocols approved for human beings in this field," said Msgr. Renzo Pegoraro, president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, at a Vatican press conference introducing the volume "The Prospects for Xenotransplantation — Scientific Aspects and Ethical Considerations."
The text, published in English in November and presented March 24, includes contributions from leading experts, including Harvard Medical School professor Jay A. Fishman, who has studied infectious risks linked to genetically modified pigs used for organ donation for three decades.
The 90-page document — the result of collaboration among scientists, clinicians, legal experts, theologians, and bioethicists — is intended as a "useful point of reference" for decision-makers at international, national, and local levels, Pegoraro said.
It updates a previous Vatican publication on the topic from 2001 and acknowledges that while some countries have already developed regulations, existing frameworks remain fragmented. The Vatican stresses the "importance" of achieving "substantial convergence of international legislation as soon as possible."
Xenotransplantation has emerged in response to a global shortage of human organs. In the United States alone, between 13 and 17 people die each day while waiting for a transplant, and more than 100,000 patients remain on waiting lists — about 80% of them in need of a kidney.
"This is one of the possible solutions to alleviate the organ shortage we have, not only in the United States but globally," said Dr. Daniel J. Hurst of Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine, another contributor to the volume.
The document affirms that Catholics may morally accept animal organ transplants for medical treatment. "Catholic theology does not present obstacles, for religious or ritual reasons, to the use of any animal as a source of organs, tissues, or cells for transplantation into human beings," it states.
However, it emphasizes that the use of animals is justified only when necessary to achieve a "significant benefit for human beings."
Researchers involved in the project stressed the need to avoid unnecessary animal suffering and to establish clear ethical limits. Monica Consolandi, who coordinated the publication, said such procedures must be governed by strict criteria, ensuring "reasonable use, only out of necessity," while avoiding "unnecessary suffering for the animal world."
She also highlighted environmental concerns, warning that the use of genetically modified animals must not harm biodiversity and requires "a specific effort to preserve it."
Beyond biological and environmental issues, the document addresses the psychological and spiritual impact on patients. Recipients of animal organs may experience emotional or identity-related challenges, Consolandi noted, making psychological support and comprehensive informed consent essential.
"We know that the human being is not determined by matter," she said, adding that such procedures should not affect a person's fundamental identity. Still, she stressed the importance of accompanying patients throughout the process, including after the transplant.
The document also notes that while the Catholic Church has articulated its position, other religious traditions — particularly Judaism and Islam — have yet to issue definitive guidance, though some openness has been observed in past discussions.
Experts involved in the project said a broader international consensus will be increasingly urgent as the technique moves closer to routine clinical use.
The Vatican also raised concerns about public health risks, particularly the potential transmission of diseases between species — known as xenozoonosis. "We must ask how to adequately protect both the patient and the public from this known but difficult-to-quantify risk," Hurst said.
The document underscores that informed consent is "a cornerstone of ethics" in both research and clinical practice, requiring transparency not only about known risks and benefits but also about unknown factors.
Finally, the Vatican frames the issue within a broader moral vision of human responsibility toward creation. While humans are entrusted with stewardship over the natural world, Hurst said, "that does not mean we can do whatever we want with the earth, with resources, or with animal life."
Instead, he added, such stewardship calls for responsible care — a central principle guiding the Vatican's approach to emerging biomedical technologies.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
The video featuring the destruction of sacred images was "intended as a humorous piece," the station said.
Belgian radio hosts have apologized after airing a video feature in which they were seen smashing statues of both Jesus and the Virgin Mary.
At the Radiodays Europe conference in Riga, Latvia, EWTN News correspondent Colm Flynn on March 23 asked Studio Brussel hosts Sam De Bruyn, Eva De Roo, and Dries Lenaerts about the January segment, which featured the violent destruction of several objects including the Christian statuary.
De Roo said the segment was in observance of "Blue Monday."
"We were beating the blue out of the Monday," she said. "So people could text us like, 'I'm having really a blue Monday because my car broke and everything.' OK, I will smash something for you!"
Asked by Flynn if Christian viewers might find the destruction of the Jesus and Mary statues "deeply offensive," De Bruyn acknowledged that it "might" be offensive, but "in Belgium, not really."
"We're not a very religious country, definitely not the listeners of Studio Brussels," he said. He noted that "all the things we smashed" were "all things that were already broken."
De Bruyn admitted he would have been "more careful in another country, definitely." But "in Belgium, it is not a big issue."
Asked if the hosts would consider smashing a statue of the Islamic prophet Muhammed, De Bruyn said such a proposal was "dangerous."
De Roo argued that the hosts were "all from the Christian tradition," and De Bruyn pointed out that they were all "raised Catholic," which, he claimed, "gives us a little more credit to do this."
De Roo directly apologized during the interview, and the news network formally issued an apology on March 24, telling media that the company "misjudged" the segment.
"Eva and Dries offer their apologies. The video was intended as a humorous piece, and they underestimated how sensitive religious symbols can be," the network said.
The station said it "considers it important that all its staff show respect for every religion. We are not concerned with comparing religions but with treating everyone's beliefs with care."
Data show that Belgium is a majority-secular country. About 59% of the population says it does not belong to any religion.
The majority of religious adherents in the country identify as Roman Catholic, while 15% identify as Muslim.
