Appeals court says Texas attorney general can't question Catholic charity leaders

Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley Executive Director Sister Norma Pimentel speaks to reporters on May 8, 2023, in Brownsville, Texas. / Credit: Michael Gonzalez/Getty ImagesCNA Staff, Aug 6, 2025 / 14:55 pm (CNA).A state appeals court in Texas this week affirmed that Attorney General Ken Paxton will not be permitted to question the leaders of a Catholic Charities affiliate at the U.S.-Mexico border amid an inquiry into illegal immigration.The state 15th Court of Appeals said in an Aug. 4 ruling that Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley has cooperated sufficiently with the state's investigation into the charity. Paxton's office has been conducting broad inquiries into allegations that nonprofits have facilitated illegal immigration in the state.Prosecutors were not entitled to a "pre-suit deposition" from charity leaders, including its executive director, Sister Norma Pimentel, the court ruled.Rather than "an uncooperative or evasive organization," the Catholic ...

Pope Leo XIV visits young Spaniard hospitalized during jubilee

Pope Leo XIV greets the crowd at the Jubilee of Youth on Aug. 3, 2025. / Credit: Vatican MediaVatican City, Aug 5, 2025 / 14:16 pm (CNA).Pope Leo XIV made a surprise visit to Ignacio Gonzálvez, a 15-year-old Spanish boy who had been urgently admitted to Bambino Gesù Hospital in Rome after collapsing during the Jubilee of Youth.Upon learning of Ignacio's situation, Pope Leo XIV asked the thousands of young people gathered for the Aug. 2 vigil at Tor Vergata to join in prayer for him."I would like to ask for your prayers for another friend, a young Spaniard, Ignacio Gonzálvez, who has been admitted to the Bambino Gesù Hospital. Let us pray for him, for his health," the visibly moved pontiff said.Ignacio's parents, Pedro Pablo and Carmen Gloria, along with his siblings Pedro Pablo Jr. and Adela, traveled to Rome immediately upon receiving the news.On the afternoon of Monday, Aug. 4, according to the Holy See, Pope Leo XIV personally visited Ignacio in his room in the intensive car...

Report: Trump administration may walk back IVF insurance mandate plan

null / Credit: Rohane Hamilton/ShutterstockWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Aug 5, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).President Donald Trump's administration may be walking back an earlier plan that would have required insurance companies to provide coverage for in vitro fertilization (IVF), according to a report from the Washington Post.The Post reported that "two people with knowledge of internal discussions" told the outlet that the White House does not plan to impose any IVF mandates on health insurance providers.According to the report, a senior administration official said expanding IVF access is still "a huge priority" for the president but that any government-imposed mandatory coverage would need to come from legislation passed through Congress. The article reported that such a plan is not on the table at the moment.CNA reached out to the White House for a response to that report and to ask whether religious liberty concerns for Catholics and others opposed to IVF are being weighed in the...

Spanish court rules in favor of Church in eviction lawsuit against schismatic nuns

Entrance to St. Clare's Monastery in Belorado, Burgos, Spain. / Credit: Nicolás de Cárdenas/EWTN NewsACI Prensa Staff, Aug 5, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).A Spanish court has ruled in favor of the Catholic Church in the eviction lawsuit against the former Poor Clare nuns of Belorado, ordering them to leave the monastery they are illegally occupying."The ruling upholds in its entirety the eviction lawsuit filed on Sept. 16, 2024, by the pontifical commissioner as major superior, administrator, and legal representative of the monastery of Belorado," announced the statement from the office of the pontifical commissioner published Aug. 1.The papal commissioner, Archbishop Mario Iceta, is also the archbishop of Burgos, where the monastery is located.The text specifies that the ruling declares "that the eviction of the defendant [the schismatic former nuns] from the aforementioned property is warranted, the possession of which must be returned to the plaintiff, and orders the defendant to v...

Pope Leo XIV expresses his 'profound sorrow' over death of migrants in shipwreck off Yemen

Pope Leo XIV addresses pilgrims during his general audience on July 30, 2025, in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican MediaACI Prensa Staff, Aug 4, 2025 / 18:02 pm (CNA).In a new gesture of closeness to the victims of irregular migration, Pope Leo XIV expressed his "profound sorrow" for the sinking of a boat off the coast of Yemen in which at least 76 migrants on their way to Saudi Arabia died. Most of the passengers were Ethiopian nationals.In a telegram signed by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the pontiff entrusted "the many migrants who have lost their lives to the loving mercy of Almighty God."In the message, addressed to the apostolic nuncio in Yemen, Archbishop Christophe Zakhia El-Kassis, the pope also invoked "divine strength, consolation, and hope for the survivors, emergency workers, and all those affected by this tragedy."The tragedy occurred on the dangerous route through the Gulf of Aden, also known as "the route of death." Acco...

This is Pope Leo XIV's prayer intention for the month of August

Pope Leo XIV prays during Mass for more than 1 million young pilgrims at the University of Rome Tor Vergata, in Rome's outskirts, on Aug. 3, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibanez/CNACNA Staff, Aug 4, 2025 / 13:22 pm (CNA).Pope Leo XIV's prayer intention for the month of August is for mutual coexistence.In a video released July 29, the Holy Father asked the faithful to pray "that societies where coexistence seems more difficult might not succumb to the temptation of confrontation for ethnic, political, religious, or ideological reasons."According to a press release, this month's video was made in collaboration with the Jesuit Communications Foundation (JesCom).In the video, Pope Leo recites a prayer composed specifically for this month's prayer intention.Here is Pope Leo's full prayer:Jesus, Lord of our history,Faithful companion and living presence,You who never tire of coming to meet us,Here we are, in need of your peace.We live in times of fear and division.Sometimes we act as if we ...

Miami Archdiocese celebrates its first Mass at 'Alligator Alcatraz'

Rows of bunk beds line the interior of the so-called "Alligator Alcatraz" detention facility in the Florida Everglades, a repurposed training center now designated for holding immigrants. President Donald Trump appears in the background during a July 1, 2025, visit to the site. / Credit: The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia CommonsWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Aug 4, 2025 / 13:52 pm (CNA).As part of a new Catholic ministry, the Archdiocese of Miami celebrated its first Mass at the Florida detention center for unauthorized immigrants known as "Alligator Alcatraz.""I am pleased that our request to provide for the pastoral care of the detainees has been accommodated," Archbishop Thomas Wenski said in an Aug. 3 statement. "Also, we were able to respond to a request to provide similar service to the staff who reside at the facility."In a July interview with "EWTN News In Depth," Wenski said his "greatest concern" was the "health and care of the people that are being detained" ...

'The greatest privilege for priests is to celebrate the Eucharist,' Irish archbishop says

Archbishop Eamon Martin. / Credit: Irish Jesuits, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia CommonsACI Prensa Staff, Aug 4, 2025 / 14:23 pm (CNA).In a moving message, Eamon Martin, primate of Ireland and archbishop of Armagh, commemorated St. John Vianney, the patron saint of all priests and especially parish priests, whose memorial is celebrated Aug. 4.At the beginning of his message, the prelate recalled his May visit to the tomb of St. John Vianney in the French town of Ars, where the saint served for more than 40 years. The archbishop visited on the occasion of the centenary of the saint's May 1925 canonization.Martin recounted that there at Ars he had given thanks to God "for the dedication and quiet commitment of so many good priests throughout Ireland; I remembered my classmates and the priests who inspired my own vocation, and I prayed especially for priests who are sick, struggling, or out of ministry."In this regard, he emphasized the importance of praying for priests: "It's understan...

Catholic nuns arrested in India on human trafficking and conversion allegations released

The Durg railway station in Chhattisgarh, site of the July 25, 2025, arrest of two nuns. / Credit: Rajbhatt, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia CommonsWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Aug 4, 2025 / 14:54 pm (CNA).Two Catholic nuns who were arrested at a train station in central India have been released on bail after spending more than 10 days in prison. "The Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI) has welcomed with relief the grant of bail to Sister Preethi and Sister Vandana by the NIA Court in Bisaspur," the Indian Catholic bishops wrote in an Aug. 2 statement following the sisters' release, which they said "has brought a sense of hope to the Christian community across the country." Government Railway Police had arrested Sisters Preeti Mary and Vandana Francis of the Assisi Sisters of Mary Immaculate congregation July 25 at the Durg railway station in Chhattisgarh for human trafficking and forced conversion. The nuns had been accompanying three young women between the ...

Why St. John Vianney is a model for all priests

St. John Vianney. / Credit: Herwig Reidlinger via Wikimedia Commons CC 3.0CNA Newsroom, Aug 4, 2025 / 04:00 am (CNA).A century after the patron saint of priests, St. John Vianney, died on Aug. 4, 1859, Pope John XXIII reflected on the life of the saint and what it means to be a holy priest.In contemplating his life, one immediately thinks of a priest who lived out great penance and whose "only motives were the love of God and the desire for the salvation of the souls of his neighbors," John XXIII said.The saintly pope reflected on the life of Vianney in an encyclical titled Sacerdotii Nostri Primordia. The encyclical was written in 1959 for the 100th anniversary of Vianney's death.After struggling with his studies, John Vianney was ordained a priest in 1815. Shortly afterward, he was assigned to Ars, France, near his hometown of Dardilly. There, he spent the majority of his priesthood. The devoted pastor was known for his dedication to the poor, his counseling to those in need,...