Swiss politician faces court after firing 20 shots at image of Mary and Jesus

Zurich, Switzerland. / Credit: Gianfranco Vivi/ShutterstockCNA Newsroom, Jul 22, 2025 / 08:42 am (CNA).Swiss prosecutors have filed criminal charges against a Zurich councillor and former Green Liberal Party leader after she posted images of herself firing approximately 20 shots at a Christian image depicting the Virgin Mary and the infant Jesus.According to the Swiss news outlet 20 Minuten, the Zurich public prosecutor's office accuses Sanija Ameti of publicly disparaging religious beliefs and disturbing religious peace under Article 261 of the Swiss Penal Code. The code penalizes anyone "who publicly and maliciously insults or mocks the religious convictions of others, and in particular their belief in God, or maliciously desecrates objects of religious veneration."The incident occurred in September 2024, when Ameti used an air pistol to shoot at a reproduction of the 14th-century painting "Madonna with Child and the Archangel Michael" by the artist Tommaso del Mazza.The...

Cardinal Pizzaballa: 'Christ is not absent from Gaza' amid war

Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Pierbattista Pizzaballa (left) and Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III hold a joint press conference in Jerusalem on July 22, 2025. / Credit: AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty ImagesRome Newsroom, Jul 22, 2025 / 09:38 am (CNA).Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa spoke on Tuesday about the devastation of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, emphasizing that the Church "will never abandon" the city's long-suffering people.Describing the extent of the destruction in Gaza at a press conference held at the Notre Dame of Jerusalem Centre, Pizzaballa said he and Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem witnessed during their July 18 pastoral visit the inadequate living conditions families have been forced to live in."We walked through the dust of ruins, past collapsed buildings and tents everywhere: in courtyards, alleyways, on the streets and on the beach," he told journalists on Tuesday. "Tents that have become ...

Mississippi launches MAMA program to support moms, families, and pro-life values

The Mississippi state capitol building. The Mississippi Access to Maternal Assistance (MAMA) program connects mothers and families with assistance from state and faith-based organizations like Catholic Charities. / Credit: Paul Brady Photography/ShutterstockWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 22, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).Mississippi is promoting family, motherhood, and pro-life policies through its Mississippi Access to Maternal Assistance (MAMA) program. Established under Senate Bill 2781 in 2023, the MAMA program leverages state funds to connect women and families with resources that support motherhood and family stability. Mississippi prohibits state funds from going to abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, following the Dobbs decision. Faith-based organizations, however, play a strong role in the network of listed services. Catholic Charities of Southern Mississippi, Catholic Charities of Jackson, and Embrace Grace Ministry at Trinity Wesleyan Church are among...

Pastor of Gaza church hit by Israeli fire: 'We are in God's grace and we persevere in faith'

Father Gabriel Romanelli, parish priest at the Roman Catholic Church of the Holy Family who was wounded in a recent strike on the church, stands before the altar during a Sunday morning Mass held by the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem at the church in Gaza City on July 20, 2025. / Credit: OMAR AL-QATTAA/AFP via Getty ImagesACI Prensa Staff, Jul 21, 2025 / 16:43 pm (CNA).The pastor of the only Catholic church in Gaza, Argentine priest Father Gabriel Romanelli, on Sunday described the current situation after the church was hit by Israeli fire on July 17, leaving three people dead and several injured, including a 19-year-old postulant who remains hospitalized.In a video posted July 20 on his YouTube channel, Romanelli, a priest of the Institute of the Incarnate Word, began by sharing the bad news: "Unfortunately, the war continues," he said. "Today there were many deaths, people who were even waiting in the north, where there is a great need for humanitarian aid. The numbers are terr...

Pope Leo XIV visits home for elderly in Castel Gandolfo: 'Age doesn't matter'

Pope Leo XIV greets residents of St. Martha Home for the Elderly in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, during a visit on July 21, 2025. / Credit: Vatican MediaACI Prensa Staff, Jul 21, 2025 / 15:12 pm (CNA).Pope Leo XIV on Monday morning visited St. Martha Home for the Elderly in Castel Gandolfo, the Italian town where he is spending his vacation.According to the Holy See Press Office, the pontiff arrived at the residence on July 20 at 10:30 a.m. local time and was welcomed by the community of nuns who run the facility.The Sisters of St. Martha religious order was founded in 1946 by Blessed Tommaso Reggio. The sisters aim to be "humble presences of peace and hope" for those most in need and to pay "the utmost attention to the quality of relationships and the well-being" of the nursing home's residents, according to the order's website.After spending time praying in the chapel, the Holy Father personally greeted approximately 20 elderly people, all between the ages of 80 and 101.Pope Leo X...

Tattoo shop in Times Square is a 'ministry for the Miraculous Medal'

Catholic images and crucifixes fill the walls in Times Square Tattoo. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Tommy HoulihanCNA Staff, Jul 21, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).In the heart of New York City, nestled among the tall buildings of Times Square, sits a small tattoo shop with two 17-inch signs of the Miraculous Medal hanging outside the front door. Inside, walls of rosaries, crucifixes, and religious images greet visitors, while an old church pew serves as a place to sit and wait. A glass jar filled with blessed Miraculous Medals sits on the front desk. The tattoo parlor, Times Square Tattoo, is more than a tattoo parlor, according to owner Tommy Houlihan, who has a deep devotion to the Miraculous Medal and the Blessed Virgin Mary. The 55-year-old told CNA that he views his shop as a "ministry for the Miraculous Medal."Houlihan has been a tattoo artist since 1990. He grew up in a Catholic household in Hell's Kitchen, a neighborhood on the west side of midtown Manhattan, and by the age ...

Pope Leo XIV marks moon landing anniversary with call to U.S. astronaut Buzz Aldrin

Pope Leo XIV speaks by video call with Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, and his wife Anca Faur, from Castel Gandolfo, Italy, on July 20, 2025. / Credit: Holy See Press OfficeRome Newsroom, Jul 21, 2025 / 06:30 am (CNA).Pope Leo XIV marked the 56th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing with a video call to U.S. astronaut Buzz Aldrin and a visit to the Vatican Observatory, located on the papal estate of Castel Gandolfo, where he has been staying for two weeks.According to the Vatican, the pontiff's July 20 call with the 95-year-old Buzz Aldrin, the last surviving Apollo 11 crew member, included reminiscing on the historic 1969 landing and meditating together on the "mystery, greatness, and fragility" of God's creation as described in Psalm 8.Earlier in the day, Leo visited the Vatican's internationally-recognized observatory, called the Specola Vaticana, where he was able to look through the astronomical center's historic telescopes.The Vatican Observatory has been located on...

Church dedicated to Mary in popular Canadian resort town 'mirrors area's natural beauty'

A rendering of the interior of Whistler's Our Lady of the Mountain's newest church, as designed by Oberto Oberti Architecture and Urban Design Inc. The grand opening of the new parish design is slated for later in the fall 2025. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Oberto Oberti Architecture and Urban Design Inc.Vancouver, Canada, Jul 21, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).Nestled within Whistler's many snow-covered peaks, Our Lady of the Mountains Parish finds itself just months away from the grand opening of its newly renovated church, a multimillion-dollar restoration project five years in the making, which is set to embrace the town's historic alpine atmosphere.As the only Catholic church in the popular British Columbia resort town in the Coastal Mountains north of Vancouver, Our Lady of the Mountains' transformation will see what was once no more than a quaint multipurpose hall become a fully functional sacred space for prayer, service, and evangelization as well as a visual testament to the co...

New short documentary highlights the life of Servant of God Julia Greeley

An image of Servant of God Julia Greeley in a parish. / Credit: Screenshot/Colorado Capuchin FranciscansCNA Staff, Jul 20, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).A new, short documentary tells the story of Servant of God Julia Greeley, also known as Denver's Angel of Charity, who was born into slavery near Hannibal, Missouri. "Julia Greeley: Servant of the Sacred Heart" features interviews with Father Blaine Burkey, OFM Cap, who wrote a book on Greeley's life; Mary Leisring, president of the Julia Greeley Guild; Father Eric Zegeer, pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Denver, Greeley's parish; and Jean Torkelson, executive director of the Julia Greeley Home, a Denver nonprofit that serves women in need.In the 13-minute documentary, interviewees discuss Greeley's deep faith, her acts of charity, and her courageous response to the challenges presented throughout her life. When she was a child, while her master was beating her mother, his whip caught Greeley's right eye and destroyed it. Aft...

Catholic bishops in Ethiopia call for 'unified voice' in confronting violent conflicts

Members of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Ethiopia say the situation currently in Ethiopia "calls more than ever" for a unified voice. / Courtesy of CBCEACI Africa, Jul 20, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).In a statement shared on July 13 following its 58th plenary assembly, members of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Ethiopia (CBCE) said the current situation in Ethiopia calls "more than ever" for a unified voice."The Church, as a mother, always longs and grieves for her children to enter into peace," the bishops said, encouraging the people of God in the country to continue praying, fasting, and working earnestly for peace.In March, Bishop Tesfasellassie Medhin of the Catholic Eparch of Adigrat, which covers the Tigray region in Ethiopia's northernmost territory, warned of "a very bloody confrontation" that could involve Ethiopia and neighboring Eritrea.He confirmed at the time that tensions were continuing to escalate in the region following an internal split within the Ti...