Catholic News

Pope Leo XIV affirmed Wednesday that Sacred Scripture has been entrusted to the Catholic Church — that she preserves and explains it, and supports its purpose of making Christ known to the world.

"The Church is the rightful home of Sacred Scripture," the pope said during the general audience on Feb. 11.

"With its efficacy and power [Sacred Scripture] sustains and invigorates the Christian community. All the faithful are called to drink from this wellspring, first and foremost in the celebration of the Eucharist and the other Sacraments," he added.

Addressing thousands of pilgrims in the Vatican's Paul VI Hall, Leo said, Scripture "finds the sphere in which to carry out its particular task and achieve its purpose: to make Christ known and to open dialogue with God" in the Church community.

The pontiff pointed to the 2008 Synod of Bishops on "The Word of God in the life and mission of the Church" as one of the Church's recent important reflections on Scripture.

He quoted from Pope Benedict XVI's post-synodal exhortation Verbum Domini. In that document, Pope Benedict affirmed that "The intrinsic link between the word and faith makes clear that authentic biblical hermeneutics can only be had within the faith of the Church, which has its paradigm in Mary's fiat… the primary setting for scriptural interpretation is the life of the Church."

The Purpose of Scripture

Pope Leo recalled the well-known phrase from St. Jerome that "ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ."

The expression reminds us, he said, "of the ultimate purpose of reading and meditating on the Scriptures: to get to know Christ and, through him, to enter into a relationship with God, a relationship that can be understood as a conversation, a dialogue."

"We live surrounded by so many words, but how many of these are empty!" the pontiff said.

"On the contrary, the Word of God responds to our thirst for meaning, for the truth about our life. It is the only Word that is always new: revealing the mystery of God to us, it is inexhaustible, it never ceases to offer its riches."

Leo said those who carry out the ministry of the Word — bishops, priests, deacons, and catechists — should be guided by love for the Sacred Scriptures and familiarity with them.

"The Church ardently desires that the Word of God may reach every one of her members and nurture their journey of faith. But the Word of God also propels the Church beyond herself; it opens her continually tothe mission towards everyone," he said.

Vatican II's Dei Verbum

The pope's catechesis at the general audience was part of a series on the documents of the Second Vatican Council.

The Holy Father explained that the sixth chapter of Dei Verbum, Vatican II's constitution on Divine Revelation, expresses a "profound and vital link that exists between the Word of God and the Church."

The document "presented the Revelation to us precisely as a dialogue, in which God speaks to humans as though to friends," he said.

Quoting the constitution, Pope Leo said "the Church has always venerated the divine Scriptures just as she venerates the body of the Lord, since especially in the sacred liturgy, she unceasingly receives and offers to the faithful the bread of life from the table both of God's word and of Christ's body."

Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes

Before the audience began, Pope Leo lit a candle in front of a statue of Our Lady of Lourdes present in the audience hall in honor of her Feb. 11 feast day.

He asked our Lady of Lourdes to accompany young people, newlyweds, and the sick, and to "intercede for before God, and obtain for you the graces that sustain you on your journey."

After the catechesis, the pope planned to visit the Vatican Gardens, where there is a replica of the grotto where Mary appeared to St. Bernadette Soubirous in Lourdes, France, in 1858.

At the grotto, Leo said he would light a candle in prayer for the sick. The World Day of the Sick, commemorated on Feb. 11, was instituted by St. Pope John Paul II in 1992, one year after his diagnosis with Parkinson's disease.

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A Democratic lawmaker asked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Todd Lyons whether he believes he is "going to hell" in a contentious hearing with the House Homeland Security Committee on Tuesday, Feb. 10.

Lyons — along with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow and Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott — testified before the committee as Congress negotiates potential reforms and funding for the agencies.

On Feb. 3, Congress voted to extend funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which operates the three agencies, until Feb. 13 to end a four-day partial government shutdown. A deal has not yet been reached to extend funding further.

At the hearing, Democratic lawmakers accused ICE of terrorizing the streets, using excessive force, and lacking accountability. Republicans defended ICE and rebuked Democratic officials in certain states for refusing to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.

One of the fiercest exchanges came from Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-New Jersey, who praised protesters for "peacefully rejecting your cruel agenda in the streets." She said ICE believes it is "the highest power who decides which people deserve dignity, protection, and due process" and said "you are wrong [and] we are here for answers."

"How do you think judgment day will work for you, with so much blood on your hands?" McIver asked Lyons, to which he responded that he would not entertain the question.

"Do you think you're going to hell?" she followed up, before being chastised by Committee Chair Andrew Garbarino, R-New York, who told her to avoid personal attacks on witnesses and maintain decorum.

McIver said "you guys are always talking about religion here, and the Bible." She changed the subject slightly and asked Lyons whether he could name agencies that "routinely kill American citizens and still get funding," which he also said was a question he was "not going to entertain."

"Once again, questions that you cannot answer and that is exactly why … we should not be funding this agency," McIver said. "The people are watching you; they are watching you. And this is why we need to abolish ICE."

Lawmakers debate ICE operations, future of agency

The killings of two American citizens at ICE protests — Renée Good and Alex Pretti — were a focal point of the hearing, and two examples that Democrats used to accuse ICE of excessive force and lacking accountability.

Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-California, referenced both killings and criticized DHS Secretary Kristi Noem for referring to those who died as "domestic terrorists." He asked Lyons whether he would apologize to the families or reject that characterization.

Lyons said he would not comment on an ongoing investigation but would welcome a private conversation with the families.

Democrats are split on whether to reform ICE or abolish it altogether.

Rep. Seth Magaziner, D-Rhode Island, brought up instances in which he believes ICE used excessive force and suggested reforms are necessary before Congress awards funding.

"It's not just the actions of the agents in the field," he said. "It is the lack of accountability from the top that has caused public trust to erode, and there needs to be major reforms before we vote to give any of you any more funding."

Alternatively, Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Illinois, called for abolishing ICE and the entire DHS, which Congress formed to address terrorism threats after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Ramirez said DHS was created to "violate our rights under the pretense of securing our safety."

"I'm going to say it loud and clear and I'm proud to stand by what I say," she said. "DHS cannot be reformed. It must be dismantled and something new must take its place."

Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, commented during the hearing that Democratic lawmakers "have called to abolish ICE [and] now they're trying to shut it down" amid the negotiations and discussion during the hearing.

He criticized the lack of coordination from Democratic-led "sanctuary" states and cities, which do not cooperate with ICE, saying the policies in Minneapolis "created a perfect storm for our officers being thrown into this situation."

Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, similarly expressed concern about ICE funding moving forward, based on the debates between the two parties.

"It seems like one side of the aisle is in favor of open borders and wants to abolish ICE … and the other side of the aisle wants to enforce laws that are on the books," he said.

During the question and answer, Lyons expressed worry about the rhetoric from Democrats and noted that threats and assaults against ICE agents are on the rise. He said agents are trying to "keep America safe, restore order to our communities, [and] return the rule of law to this country."

"Those who illegally enter our country must be held accountable," he said.

Scott also showed concerns about the ongoing debate and expressed hope that DHS could receive support from both Republicans and Democrats.

"I believe consistency and seeing support from the leadership on both sides of this building and the president is very important for our security," he said. "I think the rhetoric and the … politicizing of law enforcement in general detracts from the general morale of our personnel."

Andrew Arthur, a resident fellow in law and policy at the Center for Immigration Studies, told "EWTN News Nightly" that he sees "much of [the Democratic threats to halt funding] as political theater," noting that ICE will continue to operate regardless of whether Congress passes the funding bill.

He said Democrats hope to take away an issue that made Trump popular during the 2024 election "and turn it into a bad issue for Republicans" in the midterms.

Arthur said there may be some shifts in ICE's approach in Minneapolis now that Border Czar Tom Homan is involved in seeking the "cooperation of state and city governments" that have been "reluctant, if not hostile" to immigration enforcement over the past year.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) in November 2025 approved a special message with a 216-5 vote that declared opposition to "the indiscriminate mass deportation of people."

Late last month, about 300 Catholic leaders — including 15 bishops — asked Congress to reject ICE funding if the legislation fails to include reforms that have protections for migrants.

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The Diocese of Jackson, Mississippi, this week officially closed its proceedings regarding the potential sainthood of Servant of God Sister Mary Thea Bowman, a Catholic convert whose work during the 20th century helped the U.S. Catholic Church refine its ministry toward Black American Catholics.

Jackson Bishop Joseph Kopacz celebrated a Mass on Feb. 9 as part of the closing ceremony of the diocesan phase of Bowman's cause for canonization.

The diocese, which opened Bowman's cause in 2018, officially sealed the documents and other materials it gathered over the course of that phase; the records will be sent to the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints at the Vatican.

"This moment marks an important milestone in the Church's careful and prayerful discernment of Sister Thea Bowman's witness to the Gospel,"  Kopacz said prior to the ceremony.

"Her life continues to inspire faith, hope, and joy, not only within our diocese but throughout the Church in the United States and beyond," he said.

Born Dec. 29, 1937, in Yazoo City, Mississippi, Bowman — whose grandfather had been born into slavery — converted from Methodism to the Catholic Church when she was 9 years old.

She joined the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration at age 15, enrolling at the same time in Viterbo University, which was run by the Franciscan sisters. The school retains its Catholic identity in the present day.

While studying at The Catholic University of America — from which she earned a doctorate in English in 1972 — Bowman helped found the National Black Sisters' Conference. She would go on to teach for years in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

She was a major contributor to the development of "Lead Me, Guide Me," the Black Catholic hymnal first published in 1987.

She would eventually become known for her wide-ranging evangelization efforts; theology professor Christopher Pramuk wrote in 2014 that she "awakened a sense of fellowship in people both within and well beyond the Catholic world," in part because of her "willingness to speak the truth about racial injustice" both in the Church and in society.

Addressing the U.S. bishops' conference in 1989 and reflecting on "what it means to be Black in the Church and in society," Bowman famously sang several lines from the Negro spiritual "Motherless Child" while declaring: "Jesus told me that the Church is my home."

Regularly invoking laughter and applause from the bishops, Bowman during her talk reflected that the Church "teaches us that the Church is a family of families" and "the family got to stay together."

Bowman died on March 30, 1990, from breast cancer. She was buried at
Elmwood Cemetery in Memphis, Tennessee, alongside her parents.

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"I will not forget you" (Isaiah 49:15) is the theme chosen by Pope Leo XIV for the sixth World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly, which this year will take place on Sunday, July 26.

According to a Feb. 10 statement from the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family, and Life, the verse chosen by the Holy Father "is meant to emphasize how God's love for every person never fails, not even in the frailty of old age."

Taken from the book of the prophet Isaiah, the theme also aims to be "a message of comfort and hope for all grandparents and the elderly," especially those who live alone or feel forgotten.

The Vatican dicastery emphasized that it is also an invitation to families and ecclesial communities not to forget the elderly and to recognize in them "a precious presence and a blessing."

World Grandparents' Day was instituted by Pope Francis in 2021 and is celebrated every fourth Sunday of July. It is an opportunity to show the elderly the closeness of the Church and to value their contribution to families and communities.

This year, the date coincides with the feast of Sts. Joachim and Anne, the maternal grandparents of Jesus Christ, on Sunday, July 26, and the Holy Father invited everyone to celebrate the day with a Eucharistic liturgy in the cathedral church of their diocese.

The Dicastery for the Laity, the Family, and Life also urged particular Churches and ecclesial communities throughout the world to find ways to celebrate the day in their own local contexts.

Pope Leo XIV celebrated his first World Day of Grandparents in July 2025, an occasion on which he encouraged the faithful to participate in the "revolution" of care for the elderly.

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

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A Pew Research Center report found that Catholics' support for President Donald Trump's agenda has not changed significantly over the past year.

The analysis examined how U.S. religious groups view Trump, including his plans and policies and his ethics. It focused on Protestants, Catholics, and religiously unaffiliated adults.

The report, "White Evangelicals Remain Among Trump's Strongest Supporters, but They're Less Supportive Than a Year Ago," includes information from a survey of 8,512 U.S. adults who are part of the center's American Trends Panel (ATP).

The survey was conducted Jan. 20–26 and has an overall margin of error of plus or minus 1.4 percentage points.

The report found only a slight change from February 2025 to January 2026 in the number of Catholic participants who said they support all or most of Trump's plans and policies.

In 2025, 51% of white Catholics reported supporting all or most of Trump's plans and policies, compared with 46% in 2026. The decrease was less among Hispanic Catholics, which was 20% in 2025 and 18% in 2026. Overall, there was an 8-percentage-point decrease in all U.S. adults surveyed, dropping from 35% to 27%.

The survey also found that confidence in Trump's ethics has declined in several religious groups, including among Catholics. In 2025, 39% of white Catholics reported they were extremely or very confident that Trump acts ethically in office. In January 2026, this number dropped to 34%. Hispanic Catholics also experienced a slight decrease from 22% to 14%.

According to the report, Trump approval is down among most religious groups compared with a year ago. Among white Catholics, there was a decrease from 59% to 52% who reported they approve of the way Trump is handling his job as president. The number of Hispanic Catholics who approved decreased from 31% to 23%.

Other findings

One year into Trump's second term, white evangelical Protestants remain among the president's strongest supporters. They are the only large religious group that was found to have a clear majority approve Trump's job performance (69%). Roughly half of white Catholics (52%) and white Protestants who are not evangelical (46%) also approve of the way Trump is handling his job.

White evangelicals' views of Trump were found to be less positive than they were in the early days of his second term. There has been an 8-percentage-point decrease since 2025 in the number of white evangelicals who support all or most of Trump's plans and policies. There has also been a 15-point drop in the share who are confident Trump acts ethically in office.

Trump's approval rating among white evangelicals is also down compared with early 2025. It was 78% in 2025 and fell to 69% in 2026.

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Former Miss California Carrie Prejean Boller, a member of President Donald Trump's Religious Liberty Commission, said she doesn't embrace Zionism because of her Catholic faith, despite Catholic teaching that does not oppose Israel as a nation or the Jewish people.

"I am a Catholic, and Catholics don't embrace Zionism," Boller said at the fifth hearing of the Trump-appointed Religious Liberty Commission focusing on the topic of antisemitism in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 9.

Catholic teaching does not explicitly oppose Zionism, the movement supporting Jewish self-determination in a homeland in Israel. Israel is seen as God's chosen people through whom God revealed himself and prepared the way for the coming of Jesus Christ. The Catholic Church universally condemns antisemitism. The Church recognizes Israel's fundamental right to exist.

Boller issued several social media posts after the hearing. She wrote: "Forcing people to affirm Zionism on a 'Religious Liberty' Commission is the opposite of religious freedom. I will not resign, and I will not be bullied for following my Catholic conscience."

The commission and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Yeshiva University President Rabbi Ari Berman said at the hearing that while one does not have to support the policies of the Israeli government, "by denying the rights of Jews to have their own state while not saying the same for any other people, that is a double standard hypocrisy and antisemitism."

Both Berman and Yitzchok Frankel, a law student and former defendant in a case against Regents of the University of California over anti-Jewish protests that took place in wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, said "anti-Zionism is antisemitism."

Boller, author of "Still Standing: The Untold Truth of My Fight Against Gossip, Hate, and Political Attacks," countered that "as a Catholic," she disagrees with the notion that "the new modern state of Israel has any biblical prophecy meaning at all." She repeatedly pressed the Jewish panelists on whether her views made her an antisemite before the commission's chair, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, halted the exchange.

Boller told EWTN News that members of the commission asked her to resign a few months ago but that she refused. She also said several members asked to meet with her before the hearing to discourage her from making her planned remarks. "They were seeing what I was going to say in the hearing, trying to silence me," she said. "I told them I won't be silenced."

Response from other Catholic members

Later in the hearing, panelist Ryan Anderson, president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, joined the dialogue on Catholic teaching regarding the Jewish people and read passages from both Nostra Aetate and the writings of Pope Benedict XVI.

Anderson cited the following passage, which states that while "the Jewish authorities and those who followed their lead pressed for the death of Christ," it is the case that "what happened in his passion cannot be charged against all the Jews, without distinction, then alive, nor against the Jews of today." The paragraph further states that the Jewish people should not be regarded as rejected by God "as if this followed from the Holy Scriptures."

Anderson called on Father Thomas Ferguson of Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Alexandria, Virginia, who sits on the panel's advisory board of religious leaders, to provide further analysis on the Catholic Church's position on Jewish-Catholic relations.

"About the responsibility for the death of Jesus," Ferguson said, "he's not dead. He's alive, he is risen."

The pastor emphasized the Church's view that Jesus gave up his life freely and sacrificially. He also noted that, in alignment with the passage cited by Anderson from Nostra Aetate, Jesus "made an atonement as an offering for the forgiveness of the sins of every person, every time and place."

"That's how Catholics understand who is responsible for the death of Jesus on the cross: It's all of us," Ferguson said.

Ferguson said: "If you are seeking to know God through the Scriptures of the Old Testament and the New Testament," it is not possible to be Christian and antisemitic, "because we have the same father and faith." The more Catholics embrace their responsibility to know God through the Scriptures, he said, "the more we will know our common patrimony."

Catholic reaction

"Carrie Prejean Boller does not speak for the Catholic Church," Simone Rizkallah, director of the Coalition of Catholics Against Antisemitism and host of the "Beyond Rome" podcast, which seeks to reconnect Catholics to their roots in the Near East, told EWTN. "Her claim that Catholics do not embrace Zionism is not merely mistaken — it is reckless, historically uninformed, and deeply misleading to both Catholics and the wider public."

Rizkallah pointed out that the recognition of Israel's right to exist fundamentally amounts to "precisely what Zionism means," though Catholics themselves may not always be accustomed to using the word formally.

"Catholics who affirm Israel's right to exist and to self-determination — whether or not they personally use the label — are, in essence, affirming that same principle," she said. "The Church is therefore neither anti-Zionist nor, certainly, antisemitic; she explicitly condemns antisemitism and calls the faithful to reject it in all its forms."

At the same time, Rizkallah emphasized that the Catholic Church does not define Zionism using the same "theological frameworks found in some strands of Protestant Christian Zionism." Namely, she said, "Catholic theology does not teach that the modern state of Israel represents the direct fulfillment of biblical prophecy or a predetermined eschatological event."

Rizkallah described the Church's position as "both clear and nuanced," recognizing the modern state of Israel's political legitimacy, but not grounding it in prophetic claims.

Ultimately, she concluded, "precision matters. When public figures speak carelessly about the Church's teaching, they do not merely express a personal opinion — they create confusion, distort Catholic doctrine, and undermine serious efforts at Catholic-Jewish understanding. Catholics deserve better than slogans masquerading as theology."

The Religious Liberty Commission has had four previous hearings on protecting religious freedom in the U.S., religious freedom in education, and religious freedom in the military.

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Pope Leo XIV has strengthened his support for Ukraine amid the ongoing war by sending new humanitarian aid to areas hardest hit by winter bombings, including 80 electricity generators, along with food and medicine.

According to the official Vatican News outlet, the assistance was sent at the pope's request through the Dicastery for the Service of Charity. Three trucks carrying the generators departed Rome to help communities facing severe cold after repeated attacks on energy infrastructure.

Nighttime temperatures in Ukraine have fallen as low as minus 15 degrees Celsius, forcing many families to leave their homes in search of warmth in shelters, often the only places where they can receive a hot meal. The generators are intended to ensure electricity and heating in these shelters during the harsh winter months.

Along with the generators, the pope also sent food and large quantities of medicine, including antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, supplements, and melatonin, which has been especially sought after to help people sleep amid constant fear and stress caused by ongoing attacks.

The vehicles departed from the Basilica of St. Sophia in Rome, the church of Ukrainians in Italy, and have already reached Fastiv and Kyiv, two areas particularly affected by recent bombings. Once in Ukraine, the aid is distributed through parish networks in the dioceses.

This is not the first time Pope Leo XIV's repeated appeals for peace have been accompanied by concrete action. On Dec. 28, 2025, he sent three other trucks with special food supplies designed to meet the most urgent needs of civilians in wartime conditions. At that time, the papal almoner, Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, explained that the food dissolves in small amounts of water to become high-energy chicken and vegetable soups.

Pope Leo XIV has consistently condemned the war in Ukraine. Following the Angelus on Jan. 11, he lamented the impact of recent Russian attacks that left more than a million households without water or heating in the Dnipropetrovsk region.

"New attacks, particularly serious ones, directed above all at energy infrastructure, precisely while the cold becomes harsher, are striking the civilian population heavily," the pope said.

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

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The Franciscan Friars of California have announced a $20 million settlement with alleged abuse victims, with the eight-figure payout coming after the group filed for bankruptcy several years ago.

The friars announced in 2024 that they had filed a Chapter 11 petition "to address 94 child sexual abuse claims."

The order said at the time that the dozens of claims came about due to California state laws that "allowed abuse survivors to file decades-old complaints that were otherwise time-barred or expired under the state's statute of limitations."

In a Feb. 4 filing, the friars said they had agreed to deposit $20 million into a trust for alleged victims of abuse. In a press release, the law firm of Lowenstein Sandler — which has represented the abuse victims in the case — said the settlement is "the culmination of over 13 months of mediation among roughly 15 parties."

The California friars are "the first California-based religious entity to have filed for bankruptcy after the California statute of limitations was revived ... to announce a settlement between the debtor and survivors of sexual abuse," the law firm said.

Most accused friars deceased; abuse occurred decades ago

The friars when announcing the bankruptcy said that all of the alleged abuse at issue in the settlement "occurred at least 27 years ago," with some dating back to the 1940s.

"Almost all of" the claims were filed in California, and "most of the friars named in the claims" are deceased.

"Of the six living friars, all have been long-removed permanently from all public ministry and ministerial environments and are living under strict third-party supervision," the friars said at the time.

The Chapter 11 filing was "the only viable path to ensuring just, equitable, and compassionate compensation for all abuse survivors," Father David Gaa, OFM, said in 2024.

"A process supervised by the bankruptcy court can resolve a multitude of claims efficiently, in a timely manner, and with equity," the priest added.

The Feb. 4 filing says that the friars will retain ownership of multiple real estate holdings, including the Gibson Mine, a historic copper ore site the Franciscans received as a donation in 1969. The friars engaged in an extensive environmental remediation effort at the mine in the early 2000s.

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Officials at the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN), the administrative headquarters of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria, have denounced what they have described as a "relentless wave of killings and abductions" across the West African nation, warning that continued violence and impunity are turning the country into "a field of grief" and eroding the foundations of governance.

In a statement issued on Saturday, Feb. 7, and shared with ACI Africa — the sister service of EWTN News in Africa — CSN Secretary-General Father Michael Banjo and National Director of Social Communications Father Michael Nsikak Umoh expressed "profound outrage and sorrow at the ongoing assault on human life and dignity."

"After years of repeated complaints and unfulfilled promises, violence persists unchecked, leaving more communities devastated and citizens weary of empty condolences that do not guarantee their safety," the CSN officials said.

They lamented that the renewed cycle of mass violence "has turned our country into a field of grief."

"Nigeria cannot afford to normalize bloodshed or treat mass killings as routine tragedies," they emphasized in their one-page statement titled "The Cry of the Innocent: Stop This Slaughterhouse in Nigeria!"

Citing recent attacks between late January and early February, the Catholic officials questioned how such atrocities could be allowed to continue. "How can it be justified that, outside of war, over 160 innocent civilians were slaughtered in one coordinated attack in Woro, Kwara state?" they wrote.

They also referred to "the repeated killings and abductions in Agwara and Tungan Gero in Niger state, the wiping out of entire farming communities in Katsina and Kaduna, and the ongoing violence in Borno."

"This is not 'instability' but a massacre allowed by silence and a betrayal of every Nigerian's right to live in peace," the Nigerian Catholic officials added.

They went on to remind politicians that "the constitution is not a lofty document of ideals but a binding covenant with the people" and warned that "when citizens are slaughtered with impunity and communities live in perpetual fear, the very foundation of governance is undermined."

They added that "a government that struggles unsuccessfully to safeguard its people risks diminishing its moral authority to lead."

The CSN officials cautioned that "silence in the face of such horror as we now have in Nigeria can hardly escape being labeled as complicit," noting that "every unaddressed attack, every unpunished crime, and every unfulfilled promise deepens the wound of mistrust between the people and those entrusted with their protection."

Recalling Nigeria's international obligations, the Catholic priests emphasized that the country is a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, both of which affirm the right to life as "fundamental and nonnegotiable."

Yet, they lamented that "the state continues to treat this right as optional, allowing bloodshed to persist unchecked."

The CSN officials also renewed their call to the federal government to revise its security strategy urgently.

Among their demands, the Catholic officials urged authorities to "intensify efforts in redeploying security forces strategically from ceremonial press centers to the actual front lines where citizens are under siege," to "identify, expose, and prosecute the sponsors and enablers of terror," and to "arrest and punish every perpetrator of violence; for impunity is nothing less than a license for further bloodshed."

They also called for concrete support for victims, urging the government to "provide urgent relief, psychosocial care, and compensation to victims and their families, while guarding and rebuilding destroyed communities to restore hope and dignity to the indigenes of the land."

"Nigeria stands at a crossroads. We cannot allow mass graves to define our national story. The blood of all innocent Nigerians cries out to heaven, and their memory must compel us to act with sincerity, courage, and compassion," the officials lamented.

Calling for unity, they appealed to "all leaders, political, religious, and community, to rise above division and work together to restore peace and dignity to our land," while urging Nigerians "to reject hatred and violence, and to stand firm in solidarity with one another."

"As a people of faith, we entrust our nation to God's mercy and pray for healing, justice, and reconciliation. May the sacrifice of the innocent not be in vain but inspire a renewed commitment to protect life and build a Nigeria where peace and justice reign," the officials said in their Feb. 7 statement shared with ACI Africa.

This story was first published by ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, and has been adapted by EWTN News English.

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What drove tens of thousands of young Mexicans to defy fatigue and weather conditions and walk for hours? On Jan. 31, the resounding answer was faith. An entire generation embarked on a pilgrimage to lay their joys, concerns, and hopes at the feet of Christ the King.

In the early morning of Saturday, Jan. 31, more than 1,700 vehicles crowded the roads leading to Guanajuato. They came from different parts of the country and had the same destination: John Paul II Valley, at the foot of Cubilete Hill, where the pilgrimage would begin.

The organizers later acknowledged that the pilgrimage's 70,000 participants surpassed all predictions: They had initially expected just over 45,000.

Testimonies

For the attendees, the ascent was not only a physical challenge but also a spiritual necessity. David Andrés, who traveled more than 230 miles from the state of Nuevo León, explained to ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, that he wanted to offer his effort as a gift to Christ.

He pointed out that if it is possible to take a weekend off for a vacation, it is also possible to "place yourself at the feet of the Lord, literally, and say: 'Here I bring everything, I offer you my life, what I have given, and everything that may come from you we will receive with much love.'"

For Norberto Ríos, a novice of the Missionary Disciples of Emmaus, this was the first time he had participated in this faith experience. In an interview with ACI Prensa, he expressed his joy at being able to witness that "there are still young people who want to respond to the Lord."

For him, the challenge now is "to help others encounter Christ. Without that encounter, it is difficult to get close to the Church. Our witness can open that path."

Living memory of the Cristero War

The pilgrimage also held historical significance. This year, the youth march was marked by the commemoration of the centenary of the beginning of the 1926–1929 Cristero War, an episode of religious persecution experienced by the Catholic Church in Mexico.

The memory of the war was present throughout the journey: posters with quotes from martyrs, images such as that of the teen martyr St. José Sánchez del Río, and reliquaries of saints and blesseds accompanied the ascent.

Discerning one's vocation

For some, the pilgrimage was also a time for silence and discernment. Antonio Centeno Cuarenta, a young man from Guanajuato, told ACI Prensa that he made the pilgrimage hoping to understand what Christ wants for his future.

He offered his effort so that the Holy Spirit would help him "to contemplate what the Lord is asking of me ... in one of the beautiful vocations he offers us: either in marriage, the priesthood, or religious life."

'Onward, dear young people'

At midday, the apostolic nuncio to Mexico, Archbishop Joseph Spiteri, celebrated Mass. His message was a call to overcome "apathy," "virtual appearances," and "challenges."

"Onward, dear young people. As Pope Leo XIV has told you many times already, the Church is grateful for your generosity and trusts in the strength of your witness, as sincere friends of Jesus, who want to build with him his kingdom of fraternity, respecting the life of every person and always promoting reconciliation and true peace," he said.

Many arrived with different motivations, but at the end of the day, the 70,000 pilgrims descended from the mountain with tired feet and the conviction that faith continues to move their hearts.

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

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