Nicaraguan bishop denounces 'real problem' of region's dictatorships and cartels

Bishop Silvio Báez, auxiliary bishop of Managua, Nicaragua. / Credit: Courtesy of Archdiocese of ManaguaACI Prensa Staff, Sep 22, 2025 / 16:02 pm (CNA).From his exile in the United States, Nicaraguan Bishop Silvio Báez denounced what he considered the "real problem" of Latin American dictatorships and cartels: the idolatry of money. Although he did not mention specific countries in his homily at the Mass he celebrated Sunday, Sept. 21, at St. Agatha Church in Miami, the prelate was apparently referring to the dictatorships of presidents Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua, Miguel Díaz-Canel in Cuba, and Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela, the latter accused by the U.S. government of leading the drug-trafficking Cartel de los Soles.Báez noted that one day, "all of us, without exception, will leave this world, and God will ask us to account for how we have used the wealth" and gifts he has given us. As an example of how these gifts are misused, the prelate pointed to "the dictatorships in s...

Mothers urge lawmakers to ban assault weapons after Minneapolis Catholic school shooting

Police gather at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis on Aug. 27, 2025, following a mass shooting that killed two children and injured 17 others, 14 of them children. / Credit: Chad Davis, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsCNA Staff, Sep 22, 2025 / 17:17 pm (CNA).At a town hall meeting in Plymouth, Minnesota, over the weekend, three mothers whose children survived the school shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in August advocated for stricter gun laws. Two children were killed and 21 people were injured after Robin Westman, 23, a man who identified as a woman, shot through the stained-glass windows of the church during a school Mass on Aug. 27. Fletcher Merkel, 8, and Harper Moyski, 10, were killed in the attack. Carla Maldonado, who has two children at Annunciation Catholic School, said "taking action" by tightening gun laws would honor the deaths of the two children and "all lives taken by gun violence.""We cannot accept a world where civilians have a...

Cardinal Becciu's Vatican appeal hearing begins

Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu in 2019. / Credit: Daniel Ibanez/EWTNNational Catholic Register, Sep 22, 2025 / 17:51 pm (CNA).The appeal hearing for Cardinal Angelo Becciu, the former deputy Vatican secretary of state who was convicted in December 2023 of embezzlement, aggravated fraud, and abuse of office, began on Monday.Heard by a six-judge Vatican Court of Appeal, the appeal is expected to revisit both factual and procedural objections from the first trial, including evidence, court transcripts, and all submissions from both Becciu's defense and the Vatican prosecution.After the so-called "Trial of the Century" lasting two and a half years, Becciu, 77, was convicted of financial malfeasance and sentenced to five years and six months in prison. He was also handed a fine of 8,000 euros (about $9,400) and permanently disqualified from holding public office.The cardinal's appeal will be heard alongside those of eight other defendants who were also tried, found guilty, and give...

Pope Leo XIV: 'It's going to be very difficult to discover the presence of God in AI'

In Pope Leo XIV's first sit-down interview, published in Spanish on Sept. 18, 2025, the pope warned of the loss of humanity in the digital world of artificial intelligence (AI). / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/EWTN NewsVatican City, Sep 22, 2025 / 14:09 pm (CNA).Pope Leo XIV revealed in his first interview since being elected pontiff that it's going to be "very difficult to discover the presence of God" in artificial intelligence (AI), noting that he recently refused a proposal to create an avatar of himself.He pointed to the loss of humanity in the digital realm and warned that "extremely wealthy" people are investing in AI and "totally ignoring the value of human beings and humanity.""The danger is that the digital world will follow its own path and we will become pawns, or be brushed aside," he warned."I think the Church needs to speak out in this regard," he stated.During the interview, held on July 10 at Villa Barberini, the papal residence in Castel Gandolfo, and published on Sep...

Archbishop Coakley urges prayers after Oklahoma priest dies from fall through ceiling

Father Linh Bui celebrating Mass. / Credit: Photo courtesy of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma CityWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 22, 2025 / 14:59 pm (CNA).Oklahoma City Archbishop Paul Coakley is requesting prayers from the faithful after an archdiocesan priest died after falling through the sacristy ceiling of his parish late last week.Father Linh Bui, the pastor at St. Ann Catholic Church in Elgin, Oklahoma, died after suffering a severe brain injury caused by the fall, according to a Sept. 19 announcement by the archbishop posted to Facebook. Bui was 56 years old."It is with great sadness that I announce that Father Linh Bui passed away this morning from his injuries," Coakley wrote.Before his death, Bui received the sacrament of the anointing of the sick and the apostolic pardon, which grants an indulgence for the remission of temporal punishment for a person who dies in the state of grace.According to the archbishop, Bui "was surrounded by the family who loved him dearly" when...

Trump, Vance among those honoring Charlie Kirk's Christian legacy 

Erika Kirk embraces U.S. President Donald Trump at the conclusion of the memorial service held for Charlie Kirk in Glendale, Arizona, on Sept. 21, 2025. / Credit: Joe Raedle/Getty ImagesWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 22, 2025 / 09:35 am (CNA).President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Erika Kirk, and more than a dozen others gave speeches to honor the late Charlie Kirk at Sunday's memorial service, highlighting his efforts to promote conservative values to young people and promote the Gospel on campus.Some 90,000 people gathered for the memorial service at State Farm Stadium and an adjacent venue in Glendale, Arizona, on Sept. 21. Bishop Robert Barron, who had scheduled Kirk to come on his show, was among those in attendance.Kirk, an evangelical Christian, was assassinated on Sept. 10 during an event at Utah Valley University while debating students on campus. At the time, Kirk was conversing with a young ideological opponent about transgenderism and gun violence. Prior t...

Study: 'Traditional liturgical experiences predict stronger belief in the Real Presence'

The Eucharist is displayed in a monstrance in St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City before a Eucharistic procession on Oct. 15, 2024. / Credit: Jeffrey BrunoWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 22, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).A recent study found that traditional liturgical experiences, including receiving the Eucharist by tongue, indicate a stronger belief among Catholics in the Real Presence.Last year, Natalie A. Lindemann published a journal article on Catholics' belief in the real presence of Jesus Christ's body and blood in the Eucharist. Lindemann, a professor in the department of psychology at William Paterson University, recently published a follow-up peer-reviewed article that uses a larger sample size and examines additional information.Belief in the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist is central to the Catholic faith, but only about 57% of U.S. Catholics believe with certainty the Eucharist is Jesus' body, according to  Lindemann's report.The new study, publis...

1 million children to pray the rosary for world peace on Oct. 7

The pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) recently announced the 20th edition of its One Million Children Praying the Rosary campaign, set to take place Oct. 7, 2025. / Credit: Courtesy of Aid to the Church in NeedACI Prensa Staff, Sep 22, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).The pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) announced the 20th edition of its One Million Children Praying the Rosary campaign, whose purpose this year is to pray "for peace and unity in a world wounded by division, conflict, and suffering."On Oct. 18, 2005, a group of laypeople organized children and young people to pray the rosary in the city squares of Caracas, the capital of Venezuela. At one point, it seemed like glitter appeared on the children's hands while they were praying, which the laypeople said was a sign from heaven asking them to spread their apostolate.Following the event, they presented their idea to Venezuela's National Conference of Laity, where "the campaign was given a f...

Justice Alito speaks at the Vatican about justice and mercy

Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr., shares his perspective on how a legal system can provide for mercy during a conversation with Msgr. Laurence Spiteri (left) at the Vatican's judicial headquarters on Sept. 20, 2025. / Credit: Hannah Brockhaus/CNA.Vatican City, Sep 21, 2025 / 14:24 pm (CNA).United States Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., spoke about the role that mercy can play in the legal system during an event at the Vatican on Saturday.The Sept. 20 discussion at the Vatican's judicial headquarters was organized by the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See, the U.S. bishops' conference, and the Vatican's Dicastery for Evangelization. The event was part of the Jubilee of Justice, part of the Church's yearlong Jubilee of Hope.Earlier in the day, Alito, a Catholic, greeted Pope Leo XIV following an audience for the Jubilee of Workers of Justice in St. Peter's Square.During a one-hour afternoon conversation with Msgr. Laurence Spiteri, an American priest and retired judge on the Va...

Pope Leo XIV on Palestinians: 'Those who truly love them work for peace'

Pope Leo XIV waves to those gathered in St. Peter's Square to pray the Angelus and listen to his Sunday message on Sept. 21, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media.Vatican City, Sep 21, 2025 / 10:34 am (CNA).Those who really love the people living on the Gaza Strip will work to achieve peace in the Holy Land, Pope Leo XIV said on Sunday in his Angelus message.The pontiff expressed his closeness to all those "suffering in that tormented land," after leading the Marian prayer from a window of the Apostolic Palace overlooking St. Peter's Square Sept. 21.Leo also thanked the Catholic associations who are helping the people of the Gaza Strip: "Together with you and with the pastors of the Churches in the Holy Land, I repeat: there is no future based on violence, forced exile, or revenge. The people need peace; those who truly love them work for peace," he said.Pilgrims hold a sign reading, "Peace for Gaza," during the Angelus of Sept. 21, 2025, in St. Peter's Square. Credit: Vatican Med...