Armed robbers attack religious sisters' home for girls in Mozambique

The Mercedarian Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament in the Diocese of Pemba, Mozambique. / Credit: ACNACI Africa, Jul 5, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).Armed robbers attacked a girls' home in the Diocese of Pemba in northern Mozambique run by the Mercedarian Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament (HMSS) in early June. Violent incidents are reportedly on the rise there, according to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) International. In a report ACN shared with ACI Africa, CNA's news partner in Africa, on July 1, HMSS members recalled the traumatic experience of June 8 when the girls' home under their care was broken into by a group of men armed with guns and machetes.In a message to ACN, Sister Ofélia Robledo Alvarado described the terror they felt during the break-in. "A group of 18 men entered our mission, armed with machetes, iron bars, and weapons. Eight men came into the house, while the others stayed outside, controlling the gates and subduing the guards," Alvarado said in the ACN rep...

Nigerian bishop: Displaced families in need of spiritual and material help

Bishop Mark Maigida Nzukwein of Nigeria's Catholic Diocese of Wukari. / Credit: Courtesy of Diocese of Wukari, NigeriaVatican City, Jul 5, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).Bishop Mark Maigida Nzukwein says displaced families and communities who daily face threats of violence in Nigeria are in great need of spiritual and material support.Since being appointed the first bishop of the Diocese of Wukari, located in Nigeria's Taraba state, by Pope Francis in 2022, Nzukwein has seen the destruction of at least 325 Catholic places of worship by Islamic extremists."Christians here are really suffering," the bishop told CNA in an interview. "The first thing we need from people is their prayerful support.""Secondly, definitely we need material support to help rehabilitate some of our people who are traumatized from the violence that has been very recurrent," he added.Reports released this year by the organizations Aid to the Church in Need and Open Doors have shown that violent attacks against unar...

Pope appoints Pizzaballa and Mathieu to Vatican's interreligious dialogue office

Cardinal Dominique Mathieu, archbishop of Tehran, Iran (left), and Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNAWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 4, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).Here's a roundup of Catholic world news from the past week that you might have missed:Pope appoints Pizzaballa and Mathieu to Vatican's interreligious dialogue officePope Leo XIV on July 3 appointed two prominent cardinals, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, and Dominique Mathieu, archbishop of Tehran, Iran, to the Vatican's Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, according to ACI MENA, CNA's Arabic-language news partner.Their appointment comes amid a broad reshuffle that also brought in cardinals from Japan and Canada as well as bishops and experts with experience in fostering relations among faiths. The two newly named members are already active in Vatican circles: Pizzaballa also serves in the Eastern Churches and Christian unity offices, while M...

July Fourth celebration prompts Catholic reflection on religion and U.S. founding

The National Catholic Bioethics Center's Edward J. Furton speaks at the Catholic Information Center in Washington, D.C., on June 25, 2025. / Credit: Tessa Gervasini/CNAWashington D.C., Jul 4, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).Ahead of the celebration of Independence Day, Edward Furton, publications director for The National Catholic Bioethics Center, spoke in a lecture in the nation's capital about the country's founders and their desire for a republic open to all faiths but one in which no citizen would be compelled to profess any particular religious doctrine.In a presentation titled "Natural Religion and the American Founding" at the Catholic Information Center, Furton referenced James J. Walsh's book "Scholasticism in the Colonial Colleges" to discuss church and state separation and how the Declaration of Independence is "the founding truth of the United States" and should be "at the center of American public life."Furton, who received his doctoral degree in philosophy from The Catholi...

U.S. embassy in Rome honors first American-born pope as U.S.-Vatican diplomatic milestone

Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Vatican Secretary for Relations of States, and Laura Hochla, chargé d'affaires of the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See, addressed the crowd at Villa Richardson on June 30, 2025, in Rome, where Fourth of July was celebrated this year with a special milestone: the recent election of the first pope born and raised in the United States. / Credit: Photo courtesy of the U.S. Embassy to the Holy SeeVatican City, Jul 4, 2025 / 05:00 am (CNA).Beneath a canopy of Roman pines, Americans in Rome celebrated the Fourth of July this year with something more than barbecue and fireworks: the historic election of the first pope born and raised in the United States."Let us celebrate the milestone of an American pope on the Fourth of July, in the spirit of friendship, freedom, and shared purpose," said Laura Hochla, chargé d'affaires of the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See, addressing the crowd at Villa Richardson, the U.S. ambassador's residence.The embassy's a...

Andrea Picciotti-Bayer named religious freedom award winner

Attorney and columnist Andrea Picciotti-Bayer was named the winner of the Religious Freedom Impact Award by the Religious Freedom Institute on July 2, 2025. / Credit: Courtesy of Andrea Picciotti-BayerCNA Staff, Jul 4, 2025 / 12:00 pm (CNA).Andrea Picciotti-Bayer is the 2025 recipient of the Religious Freedom Impact Award, the Religious Freedom Institute (RFI) announced July 2.The Religious Freedom Impact Award honors leaders who demonstrate "consistent, effective, and innovative leadership in advancing religious freedom" through law, policy, or culture. It will be presented at the RFI Annual Dinner on Nov. 6 in Washington, D.C. Picciotti-Bayer is an accomplished attorney, policy expert, political commentator, and mother who has spent her career defending the conscience rights and religious liberty of individuals and institutions, particularly in the areas of education, parental rights, and health care.A Catholic mother of 10, Picciotti-Bayer told CNA that she sees God's h...

Bishop Barron urges court to strike down Washington law that targets seal of confession

Bishop Robert Barron is the founder of Word on Fire, a media apostolate focused on evangelization. / Credit: Word on FireCNA Newsroom, Jul 4, 2025 / 15:29 pm (CNA).Bishop Robert Barron on July 4 urged a federal court to strike down a Washington state law that would force priests to violate the seal of confession, telling the court that the law is "manifestly" disrespectful of the ancient and vital Church practice. Barron, the bishop of Winona-Rochester and a member of the White House Religious Liberty Commission, made the argument in a proposed amicus brief filed in U.S. district court in Washington State. The filing comes on behalf of the bishops of Washington State, who in May of this year sued the state government over its new mandatory reporting law that requires priests to report child abuse learned during the sacrament of confession or face jail time and fines. The law has drawn criticism from religious liberty advocates who say it unjustly targets Catholics. The Dep...

40 new priests ordained in Vietnam      

Sacred Heart Cathedral in Da Nang, Vietnam. / Credit: Andreas Bossard via Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 3, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).The Catholic Church in Vietnam welcomed with great joy and hope the ordination of 40 new priests during June, the month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.According to the Vatican news agency Fides, the Diocese of Da Nang welcomed six new priests, "consecrated to be each an 'alter Christus' ['another Christ'], to become pastors of the people of God, not to live for themselves but to be all things to all people," said Archbishop Joseph Dang Duc Ngan, archbishop of Hu? and apostolic administrator of Da Nang, in his homily at the ordination Mass on June 24 in the local cathedral before numerous faithful."A priest does not become perfect from the day of his ordination. The priesthood is a journey of daily growth in Christ and constant strengthening in the Holy Spirit to fulfill the mission of God and the Church with joy and true love," the prela...

Notre Dame Law School recognizes scholars for religious liberty work

Professor Michael McConnell speaks after winning the Notre Dame Prize for Religious Liberty on June 25, 2025. / Credit: Casey Patrick/Notre Dame Law SchoolWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 3, 2025 / 09:45 am (CNA).During its recently concluded fifth annual Religious Liberty Summit, Notre Dame Law School recognized two scholars for their contributions to the promotion and protection of religious liberty around the world.The Notre Dame Prize for Religious Liberty, which is awarded to one person each year for his or her achievements in preserving religious liberty, was presented at last week's summit to former federal judge and constitutional scholar Professor Michael McConnell of Stanford Law School. Meanwhile, professor and author Dr. Russell Hittinger of The Catholic University of America (CUA) received the Religious Liberty Scholarship Award, which is given annually to an individual for accomplishments in advancing the understanding of how law protects freedom of religion.&n...

Vatican downplays leaked documents on Latin Mass

The Confiteor at a Traditional Latin Mass. / Credit: James Bradley, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia CommonsVatican City, Jul 3, 2025 / 09:15 am (CNA).A Vatican spokesman has played down the significance of recently leaked Vatican documents that appear to cast doubt on Pope Francis' rationale for restricting the Latin Mass, calling the documents "partial and incomplete."The documents appear to show that bishops had a more favorable outlook on the Traditional Latin Mass than Pope Francis suggested when he issued controversial restrictions on its celebration in 2021.Vatican journalist Diane Montagna published two excerpts from an internal Vatican report on the global consultation of bishops in a Substack newsletter July 1. The publication of the texts has sparked renewed controversy over Francis' decision to restrict the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass at a time when some liturgical traditionalists are voicing hopes that Pope Leo will reverse or moderate his predecessor's ...