Catholic News

CHICAGO — What does a 17th-century anatomist-turned-bishop have to do with the future of Catholic science? Quite a lot, according to Nuno Castel-Branco of All Souls College, Oxford, who was one of the presenters at the ninth annual Society of Catholic Scientists conference held June 5–7 at Mundelein Seminary in Illinois.

About 130 scientists gathered for this year's conference for talks that touched on the deeply Catholic history of science, the moral dilemma of identical twins, how science and faith are one in their pursuit of truth, how AI fits into the grand scheme of things, and how key mathematical discoveries reveal God's beauty and infinity.

The Society of Catholic Scientists (SCS) exists to correct the false characterization of faith and science as opposed, and how to combat this myth was a constant topic in both formal presentations and informal conversations. All presentations can be seen on the recorded livestream.

Castel-Branco told the story in his Saturday morning talk of St. Nicolas Steno, a revolutionary scientist who is considered the father of geology and comparative anatomy. This brilliant researcher converted to Catholicism after witnessing a Corpus Christi procession in Italy, going on to become a bishop and then a saint.

The same research skills Steno used to understand the natural world, Castel-Branco said, became his path to heaven as he turned his intellect toward studying the Church fathers and theology.

Later on Saturday afternoon, Maureen Condic, neurobiology professor and bioethicist at The Catholic University of America, presented her solution to the "twin problem." Identical twins pose a moral dilemma: If one embryo can divide into two distinct persons, how does that square with the belief that personhood begins at conception? 

Condic pulled from the newest research in molecular developmental biology and the ancient wisdom of Aristotelian-Thomistic metaphysics to present a sophisticated answer that affirms the dignity of human life at all stages, arguing that the splitting of an embryo to become identical twins is an act of biological regeneration, comparable to asexual reproduction. Thus an embryo becoming identical twins is not the division of one human person but the spawning of a second individual from a first.

Ignasi Rosell, a particle physicist and one of several visitors from the society's Spain chapter, explained how scientists can understand their work in light of St. John Henry Newman's vision of the university, saying: "Truth is one. Newman was not defending theology against science: He was defending the unity of knowledge. The university remains the privileged place where that unity is sought."

Two talks addressed artificial intelligence, one addressing trustworthy scientific inference given the scope of AI and the other attempting to place machine intelligence on Aristotle's "Great Chain of Being" that classified all living and nonliving things into a hierarchical scale based on the complexity of their souls.

The conference also turned to the philosophy of mathematics in a presentation that revealed how religious faith brings new understanding to every field of scientific inquiry. Gregory F. Johnson, principal software engineer at Zap Surgical Systems, a spin-off of the Stanford Medical School, discussed "The Mathematical and Philosophical Revolution Launched by Gödel's Incompleteness Theorem," a theorem published in 1931 that fundamentally altered the philosophy of mathematics.

"The key thing Gödel showed was that mathematics has sort of infinite realms where we're being asked to explore more and more deeply," Johnson told EWTN News. "Gödel thought — he was a man of faith, a man of religious belief — that, in a way, God created an abstract realm to go with the material physical realm, where he was just opening doors for us to explore more and more deeply into his truth and his presence."

Participants called the conference "joyful," "refreshing," and "genuinely interdisciplinary."

"It's just a joyful sharing of the intersection of faith and science," Alexander Webber, a research fellow at the Food and Drug Administration, told EWTN News. It was Webber's fifth year attending the conference, and he said he frequently encourages friends and colleagues to come too.

"It's just an incredible experience every year, gathering with highly qualified scientists who are also believers," he said. "We always have wonderful conversations — not only on how our faith informs our work but also how our work reveals more about our faith. I always leave feeling edified. It's very much unlike other conferences. Nobody here is really putting on any pretenses."

Other attendees said they enjoy being with other serious scientists who are devout Catholics and who share their understanding that faith and science go hand in hand.

Robert Scherrer, a physics professor at Vanderbilt University, said: "There's this myth that science and religion are opposed to each other. A lot of atheists have a very simplistic view of religion: The religion they don't believe in is not the religion I do believe in. But young people see this myth and think, 'I have to pick which team I'm going to be on.'"

Chris Clemens, an astrophysicist and former provost of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, was one of the first members of the SCS. He said it was hard to find other Catholic scientists at first, but now it has grown and draws more members every year.

The organization has seen enormous development in its international chapters. The president of the Spain chapter, the second-largest chapter after the U.S., gave a presentation about its growth and success at the conference.

Scherrer, another founding member of the SCS, said he greatly enjoys the event's interdisciplinary nature. "All the other conferences I go to are in my specialty, and it's fun, but it's the same topics every time," he said. "Whereas here, I've heard talks about bees, and the Great Lakes, and lobster brains, and all sorts of things that you just don't get in your normal run of your life, so it's much more interesting. It reminds me of when I was a kid and was interested in science. I didn't just do physics; I was interested in all science. It feels like a chance to get back to that."

SCS members have initiated a number of projects to share more broadly the compatibility of faith and science, from a "Faith, Science, and Reason" high-school textbook written by Chris Baglow, who directs the Science & Religion Initiative of the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame, to a new training this year that prepares scientists to give lectures on the unity of faith and science.

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Pope Leo XIV continued his seven-day trip to Spain with visits to Catholic sites, meetings with numerous communities including abuse victims, and a historic address to the Spanish Parliament.

The Holy Father will continue the apostolic visit through June 12. His events so far in the European country have also included a massive gathering with young people in Madrid and a visit to the historic Cathedral of the Holy Cross and St. Eulalia in Barcelona.

See below for photos of Pope Leo XIV's activities in Spain.

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A distinctive feature of Pope Leo XIV's apostolic journey to Spain has been the frequent use of the red papal mozzetta, from meeting Spanish royalty in Madrid to praying the Divine Office in Barcelona.

When Leo first appeared on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica to the thousands of faithful gathered in the square after his election, many noticed the return of the mozzetta as reestablishing a papal tradition.

The mozzetta, which fell out of use under Pope Francis, is a short red cape worn over the shoulders. Leo has worn it often when meeting heads of state, delivering his "urbi et orbi" addresses at Christmas and Easter, and at special prayer services.

By wearing the mozzetta, Leo has chosen to revive a long-standing custom. But why does he wear it, and what does it symbolize?

History of the mozzetta

The mozzetta is a nonliturgical garment worn by the pope, cardinals, bishops, abbots, and certain priests, including canons of a cathedral chapter. It is normally worn over the cassock.

The history of this garment dates back to at least the 14th century, shortly after the papacy returned to Rome from Avignon. Initially, it was worn by the popes in Avignon to adapt to the colder French climate. Eventually, it became part of the pope's ceremonial dress around 1400, initially reserved for the pope but later extended to all cardinals and bishops.

The mozzetta also has roots from the earliest centuries of the papacy, when popes began to wear red mantles over white vestments in imitation of the Roman emperors, asserting both temporal and spiritual authority.

The mozzetta traditionally also had a hood attached to it to symbolize penance, but this was discontinued by St. Paul VI in 1969.

Symbolism, use, and differences

The mozzetta, in the case of a prelate, symbolizes his spiritual authority and rank within the Church hierarchy. For a pope, it is normally worn with the papal stole as a sign of his universal jurisdiction over all Catholics.

As a nonliturgical vestment, the mozzetta is normally not used to administer the sacraments. Instead, it is used by the clergy as a choir dress at certain services, e.g., the Divine Office, and by the pope for certain occasions, including audiences, prayer services, and "urbi et orbi" addresses. It is customary for the pontiff to wear it when he first presents himself to the crowd after his election.

The mozzetta a pope wears is different from those worn by cardinals and other clerics.

While the mozzetta for cardinals is red and for bishops purple, the pope has five versions of the mozzetta.

The one most commonly worn by the pontiffs is the red satin mozzetta, usually with an embroidered stole.

Pope Benedict XVI revived the use of other styles of the papal mozzetta, including the winter mozzetta (made of red velvet trimmed with white ermine fur) and the white silk mozzetta, worn during the Easter season.

Discontinuity under Francis and a reviving under Leo

When Pope Francis stepped out on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica after his election to greet the faithful, he did not wear the papal mozzetta, preferring a simple white cassock. He chose not to wear the vestment during his 12-year pontificate, becoming the first pontiff in living memory not to do so.

Leo XIV has instead chosen to revive the use of the papal mozzetta, in line with his predecessors, who favored wearing certain vestments as a visible reminder of papal tradition.

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The long-awaited meeting finally took place. As confirmed by the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV met with Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny and his family at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium on Monday, June 8.

For a few minutes, the pontiff and the Puerto Rican singer — whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio and who has performed 10 concerts in the Spanish capital (one of which coincided with the pope's Saturday vigil with young people in Madrid) — were able to greet each other and converse, taking advantage of the fact that both were in the city at the time.

So far, no images of the meeting have emerged.

The archbishop of Madrid, Cardinal José Cobo Cano, had previously spoken to EWTN News about the possibility of a meeting between the pope and the Puerto Rican musician, stating that "the pope is never closed to speaking with anyone who wishes to enter into dialogue with him."

"If that were to happen at some point, we certainly wouldn't rule it out, but it depends on the two of them. What is true is that Madrid is a very large city and can host various events on the same day," the cardinal observed.

Earlier this year, Bad Bunny was featured in the Super Bowl half-time show. His reggaeton repertoire has been sharply criticized for its vulgarity and degradation of human behavior.

Following the artist's Super Bowl performance, Puerto Rico Bishops Conference President Eusebio Ramos addressed the matter. Bishop Ramos said that, while he would not express support for the artist's musical genre, he welcomes the words of the singer that "have reminded us of Christian values, such as fraternity and the primacy of love."

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 group of United Nations human rights experts issued a stark warning this week over reports of killings, sexual violence, forced conversions, child marriages, forced marriages, abductions, and enforced disappearances targeting women and girls from Christian and other religious minority communities in Nigeria.

In a press release issued June 8, the experts said the situation is "deeply troubling," particularly in northern Nigeria and the Middle Belt region, where a "deteriorating security situation" and an "inadequate" response from civil authorities has allowed armed extremist groups — which include Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province, along with radicalized Muslim herdsmen — to operate with relative impunity.

The experts pointed to the role of local interpretations of Sharia law in 12 northern states, blasphemy codes, and systemic failures in access to civil justice as contributing factors.

"These reports are deeply troubling," the experts stated. "Violence targeting Christians and other religious minorities continues to be rampant."

"The testimonies we have received paint a horrifying picture of fear, trauma, coercion, and abandonment. Victims and survivors must not be left without protection, justice, [and] reparations, including rehabilitation and meaningful support," the experts wrote.

In a formal communication sent to the Nigerian government, the U.N. experts cited specific incidents such as the abduction of girls taken from a church in Borno state; the forced conversion and marriage of a 13-year-old girl in Bauchi state; and a gruesome attack on a 16-year-old Christian girl, whose hand was reportedly cut off by militants after her family rejected a forced marriage proposal.

These cases form part of a "broader pattern of violence" against Christian communities, according to the U.N. experts, "including killings, attacks on churches and villages, mass displacement, mob violence linked to accusations of blasphemy, and severe insecurity affecting women and children in internally displaced persons camps."

Women and girls in displaced persons camps face particular vulnerability to sexual exploitation, they said, with some coerced into sexual acts in exchange for food or aid. Many reportedly hide their Christian identity or wear hijabs for survival.

"If confirmed, these allegations may amount to serious violations of international human rights law, including violations of the rights to life, safety, liberty, security, freedom of religion or belief, freedom from torture, enforced disappearance, slavery and trafficking, and the rights of women and children," the experts said.

In a statement June 8 responding to the U.N. report, Giorgio Mazzoli, the director of U.N. advocacy at the religious freedom organization ADF International, said: "Christians, particularly women and girls, among other religious minorities, have faced grave and systematic atrocities at the hands of armed militant groups operating with impunity in parts of Nigeria."

ADF International was one of several human rights organizations that pushed the U.S. State Department to redesignate Nigeria as a "country of particular concern" in the fall of 2025.

Mazzoli continued: "For too long, the international community has remained largely silent as this crisis has deepened. The joint communication from five U.N. mechanisms is a significant and welcome step towards ensuring that these violations receive international attention, and that their root causes — including discriminatory legal frameworks — are fully addressed."

The U.N.'s June 8 statement was issued by a team of experts made up of U.N. special rapporteurs and a working group. The special rapporteurs include Reem Alsalem, special rapporteur on violence against women and girls; Morris Tidball-Binz, special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions; Nicolas Levrat, special rapporteur on minority issues; and Alice Jill Edwards, special rapporteur on torture.

The Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances is composed of Gabriella Citroni, Grazyna Baranowska , Aua Baldé, Ana Lorena Delgadillo Pérez, and Mohamed Al Obaidi.

The experts urged Nigerian authorities to take urgent action to protect at-risk populations, secure the release of abducted persons, conduct independent investigations, prosecute perpetrators, and provide justice, reparations, and support to victims.

"Impunity for these crimes only fuels further violence," they warned. "Nigerian authorities must act urgently to prevent further irreparable harm and ensure accountability for all violations."

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Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, ordained four priests trained at the Redemptoris Mater Seminary of Galilee — part of the Neocatechumenal Way — on Saturday, June 6, at the Church of the Twelve Apostles within the Domus Galilaeae International Center.

At this significant site of the Neocatechumenal Way on the shores of the Sea of ??Galilee in the Holy Land, the cardinal conferred priestly ordination upon Francisco Hurtado Cárdenas (Colombia), José Pablo Morera Mesén (Costa Rica), Adolfo René De León Salguero (Guatemala), and David Sotgiu (Italy).

In his homily, Pizzaballa highlighted the providential nature of the date — the eve of Corpus Christi — and emphasized that "there is no Eucharist without a priest, nor a priest without the Eucharist." The Italian cardinal also stressed that "love cannot be locked within itself; it must be communicated, it must become a gift," according to the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

The cardinal also emphasized that the priesthood is not a personal possession but a received gift that must be safeguarded. "If you keep it for yourselves, it will be stifled; it must always become a gift," he warned the new priests.

Pizzaballa also encouraged the new priests to remember "what the Lord has done for you," so that they do not forget the journey they have traveled or the people who have supported and accompanied them.

He also emphasized that a priest must lead people to an encounter with Christ through his witness and by helping communities live out the faith as something vibrant within the Church.

At the end of the homily, the patriarch highlighted both the beauty and the demanding nature of serving the Church in Jerusalem — a small, complex reality wounded by many situations. "Here, it is necessary to go to the very depths, to live the life of God to the fullest, right where the Word became incarnate and became tangible and real," he emphasized.

In June of last year, in the same church, Pizzaballa conferred priestly ordination upon John Oscar Nuñez (Philippines), Giacomo Pagliariccia (Italy), and Lucas Solbach (France), who were also trained at the Redemptoris Mater Seminary in Galilee.

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The U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico issued a temporary restraining order staying the expiration of a Nigerian priest's student visa while the archdiocese petitions to sponsor his R-1 religious worker visa.

The court's June 4 decision to issue a temporary stay for Nigerian priest Father Martin Umeatuegbu's student visa comes after the Trump administration issued proclamations placing a hold on all visa adjustment of status applications and restricting entry for all foreign nationals from "high-risk" countries, including Nigeria.

The 14-day stay, granted in response to the archdiocese's May 22 emergency request for a preliminary injunction and temporary restraining order, gives the Archdiocese of Santa Fe time to petition the U.S. government to upgrade Umeatuegbu's student visa to an R-1 religious worker visa, a five-year visa typically held by foreign-born priests while serving in the U.S. and applying for green card status.

The outcome of Umeatuegbu's case could set a precedent for other foreign-born priests from countries designated by the U.S. as "high risk."

Umeatuegbu's visa was set to expire on June 4. The Archdiocese of Santa Fe had filed its petition to upgrade his visa to R-1 status on Dec. 31, 2025. Umeatuegbu was ordained to the priesthood on May 23 and has been assigned to St. Anne Parish in Santa Fe.

Umeatuegbu obtained a master of arts degree in theology from Mount Angel Abbey Seminary and was ordained to the diaconate on June 5, 2025, according to the seminary's website.

The archdiocese did not return EWTN News' request for comment.

U.S. District Judge Kenneth Gonzales wrote that "the archdiocese is likely to succeed on merits under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act" and said the policy of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services "infringes on the archdiocese's right to select its minister of choice."

Gonzales said the U.S. government "is unlikely to demonstrate that the policy is the least restrictive means of furthering a compelling governmental interest," especially since it has already lifted adjudicative holds on other categories of petitions.

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U.S. Vice President JD Vance said this week that he was drawn to the Catholic faith in part because of its centuries of tradition and because it "felt like home" to him amid his own faith journey.

The vice president told Fox News host Jesse Watters on "Jesse Watters Primetime" on June 8 that he attended Christian churches while growing up but that he "wasn't properly formed in my faith" and that he eventually fell away from Christianity.

"I had a lot of people who just did not, I think, properly support me in my own faith journey. And so I kind of just lost it," he told Watters.

Vance said he experienced considerable career success as he grew older and became a lawyer. "I was professionally very successful. I was making a lot of money. I'd gone to all the right schools," he said.

But "I realized that American elite culture was forming me to be kind of a bad person."

When his wife, Usha, gave birth to their first baby, Vance said he began thinking about "how to be a good person, how to be virtuous, how to be a good and supportive husband, how to raise [their] son to be a good man himself."

These questions led him to consider returning to the faith, he said; he ultimately converted to Catholicism in 2019.

"It felt like the world was changing so fast," he said. "And what I loved about Catholicism is that you had this beautiful ancient Church, and you had all of these traditions that were very firmly rooted, some of which went back literally thousands of years. And I just really loved that sense of tradition."

He admitted that it's "possible sometimes to think too much about this stuff" and that ultimately he joined the Catholic faith because "when I went to a Catholic church, I felt at home."

"[A]fter a lot of soul searching, that's just what felt like home to me," he said.

Vance added he enjoys the "dynamism" that comes from the religiously pluralistic culture of the United States.

"Certainly it has been true for me that while I made my home in the Catholic Church, some of my best friends and some of the most influential people I've met ... have been Protestants. So I think that's going to continue to be true," he said.

Vance's wife, Usha, is Hindu, which Vance said "brings a lot" to their marriage.

"It's definitely dynamic to have a Hindu [mother], a Catholic father, two Catholic kids, and one 4-year-old girl who hasn't figured it out yet," he said. "But I wouldn't take it any other way."

Watters noted that he himself is Protestant but that his wife is "kind of trying to get me to convert to Catholicism." He joked with Vance: "I'm not there yet. Maybe I'll get there one day."

"We'll talk," Vance replied with a laugh.

Vance's upcoming book, "Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith" will be released on June 16. Vance said earlier this year that the book will explore the "story of how I regained my faith."

"I'm a Christian, and I became a Christian because I believe that Jesus Christ's teachings are true," Vance said when the book was announced. "But I didn't always think that, and by sharing my journey I might be helpful to others — Catholic, Protestant, or otherwise — who are seeking reconciliation with God."

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Monsignor Peter Vaccari reported rising humanitarian needs during a recent Middle East visit, describing disrupted daily life as conflicts intensified.

Vaccari, president of Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA), a papal agency that delivers humanitarian aid, described the realities facing those living amid ongoing regional tensions in an interview with "EWTN News Nightly" anchor Veronica Dudo, an excerpt of which was broadcast on June 8.

Vaccari said about a visit to Jerusalem: "The day began with the sound of large sirens. Loud sirens going off, letting us know that rockets, drones, and missiles were on their way." The situation, he said, dramatically altered the day's plans for residents and aid workers alike.

Despite the challenges, Vaccari continued his journey throughout the region, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a visible Church presence among suffering communities.

CNEWA maintains offices throughout the Middle East, including in Jerusalem, Amman, and Beirut. According to Vaccari, the organization's local presence enables it to respond quickly to changing circumstances and coordinate assistance directly with Church leaders on the ground.

"The work that we do is on the ground," Vaccari said, noting that local staff and Church partners remain deeply connected to the communities they serve.

Much of CNEWA's work focuses on humanitarian relief in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, and Lebanon. The organization provides assistance ranging from food and clean water to medicine, medical equipment, and emergency relief for families displaced by conflict.

Beyond material aid, CNEWA has increasingly emphasized psychosocial and emotional support programs. Vaccari said such healing initiatives have become especially important as communities continue to endure the trauma associated with war and displacement.

"To whatever extent we can work to try to provide clean water, medicine, food, medical relief, medical equipment, we're trying to do that," he said. "Psychosocial healing, which as you can well imagine under the circumstances right now, is [also] a very needed entity."

Founded by Pope Pius XI in 1926, CNEWA works on behalf of the Holy See to support Eastern Catholic Churches and provide humanitarian assistance throughout the Middle East, Northeast Africa, India, and Eastern Europe. The organization partners closely with local bishops, religious communities, and lay leaders to deliver aid where it is most needed.

"We work with the local Church," Vaccari said. "We're working with local bishops, lay leadership, consecrated religious, and the nuncios."

The organization's work is funded largely through donations from Catholics and other benefactors around the world.

"Never, in a typical mission, do we work alone," Vaccari said. He expressed gratitude for local partners and donors whose support makes the organization's humanitarian and pastoral outreach possible.

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BARCELONA, Spain — Pope Leo XIV dedicated Tuesday morning to thanking the thousands of volunteers who helped organize his apostolic journey to Spain before heading to Barcelona to touch the ancient traces of the country's deeply rooted Christian faith.

At the Cathedral of the Holy Cross and St. Eulalia, whose construction began at the end of the 13th century on the site of early Christian and Romanesque churches and which became, a century later, one of the most important jewels of European Gothic architecture, the pope prayed midday prayer with about 500 faithful.

Hundreds more waited outside the cathedral to show their affection, many waving Vatican flags.

The crowd erupted with excitement at his arrival. The pontiff was accompanied by Cardinal Juan José Omella, archbishop of Barcelona, who gestured with his hands to indicate to the people waiting outside that the pope had to leave. The plane carrying Leo XIV had landed in the Catalan capital 40 minutes late.

During the ceremony, the pope sat in the oldest chair — the cathedra, or bishop's seat — in the city that is still in use, dating at least to the cathedral's consecration in 1058, according to recent research.

In his homily, Leo XIV called Catholics to be builders of communion.

"Dear brothers and sisters: It is in this spirit that we too, in a world torn apart by wars and divisions, in a society that is increasingly fragmented and individualistic, wish to be 'martyrs' — that is, witnesses and prophets of unity, of welcome, of harmony and of peace, even at the cost of sacrifice and renunciation," the pope said.

It was the first time during the trip that Leo XIV pronounced several phrases in Catalan, the language proper to Catalonia, co-official with Spanish and the main language of the regional administration.

A symbol of Catalan cultural identity, the language to be used by the pontiff during the events scheduled in Barcelona had become the subject of public debate in Catalonia in recent days.

The controversy intensified after it emerged that the blessing of the Tower of Jesus Christ at the Sagrada Familia — one of the central moments of the visit — would be conducted mainly in Spanish.

In the Congress of Deputies, where the pope delivered an unprecedented address Monday, Junts per Catalunya lawmaker Miriam Nogueras asked him to speak Catalan.

"It is important for each of us not to allow anything to destroy the unity in which God has established us and toward whose fullness he leads us day by day," the pontiff said, alternating Catalan and Spanish in the homily.

Leo XIV cited two addresses by his predecessor, Pope Francis, who never visited Spain but often expressed affection for the country.

On the occasion of the inauguration of the Tower of the Virgin Mary at the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia on Dec. 8, 2021, Francis sent a message recalling that the Church "is the fruit of an act of love that precedes her and comes from God. Above all, she grows by allowing herself to be loved by him, united, with a humble and grateful heart, because only those who allow themselves to be loved by God can build, together with others, the works of love."

One year later, the Argentine pope told seminarians of the Archdiocese of Barcelona during a pilgrimage to Rome: "Never cease to savor and remember this love of predilection which pours and will pour itself abundantly into your heart."

Leo XIV structured his homily around the image of the Catholic Church as both beloved bride and body, with all believers as members of a single organism.

The Spirit, he said, "impels us, as parts of a single living structure, not only to give ourselves unreservedly wherever providence calls us, but to do so according to God's designs, in obedience and trust."

Just as in a body, he continued, "so too among us there are members who are stronger and others who are weaker; some are visible, performing functions that are evident to the outside world, while others are hidden, working from within — in some cases without ceasing and carrying out vital functions without anyone taking notice."

The pope said there are many possible images to "illustrate the variety and importance of the roles and missions we find among ourselves," but the message is always the same.

"In the richness of the gifts we have received, we are strong because we are united, and we are united because we are animated by the same Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, who is the Spirit of communion for the salvation of all," he said.

Upon arriving, Leo XIV was received by Omella. After the greeting, the cardinal led him to the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament for a brief moment of personal prayer.

On his way to the altar, the pope passed by the baptismal font, built in 1433. It was in that baptistery that the first six Indigenous people brought from the Americas by Christopher Columbus received the sacrament of entrance into the Church, as a plaque in the chapel recalls.

All of this forms part of the cathedral's history, which inherits a tradition of worship in this part of Barcelona dating back to the fourth century.

Leo XIV's final act inside the cathedral was to descend to the crypt, where the tomb of the Roman martyr St. Eulalia, co-patroness of Barcelona, is located.

Before her martyrdom, the young saint was said to have tended geese. For this reason, 13 geese are kept today in the cathedral cloister in her honor, recalling both her 13 tortures and the age at which she died for the Lord.

The pontiff also spoke of "so many other martyrs" and called the faithful to respond with "our 'yes,' ready if necessary to die to ourselves, to lose ourselves in order to find ourselves again, to renounce the superfluous in order to build upon what is essential and lasts forever."

"This is what the crucified One teaches us," the pope said. "This is what the Apostle Paul and the examples of the saints invite us to do."

The pope ended his homily by invoking Mary in Catalan: "Santa Maria de la Mercè, pregueu per nosaltres" — "Our Lady of Mercy, pray for us."

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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