The suit argues that Illinois' "End-of-Life Options" law requires doctors to participate in helping patients kill themselves even if they conscientiously object to doing so.
The bishop of Springfield, Illinois, is joining a Lutheran nursing home and a group of doctors to sue the state over its assisted suicide law, with the coalition arguing that the state's suicide regime abandons "nearly two millennia of medical practice" while requiring objectors to participate in it.
The suit, brought in U.S. District Court by Bishop Thomas Paprocki, the Lutheran Care Center, and four Illinois-based doctors, argues that the Illinois "End-of-Life Options" law requires doctors to participate in helping patients kill themselves even if they conscientiously object to doing so.
"Health care entities," meanwhile, must promote the "benefits" of the suicide law to patients even if they object to doing so, the suit says; those providers are also required to allow on-site practitioners to facilitate patient access to assisted suicide.
The lawsuit argues that both the doctors and the Lutheran nursing facility "[cannot] in good conscience comply" with the law. The suit also says that Paprocki is obligated to uphold the U.S. bishops' Catholic health service directives that forbid Catholic health facilities from participating in assisted suicide.
In a press release from the Thomas More Society, which is representing the plaintiffs in the suit, Paprocki said Catholic healthcare is meant to advance "the healing work of Christ" and "affirm the God-given dignity of every human life."
The state's assisted suicide law "undermines that mission by forcing Catholic hospitals and those who serve in them to push death onto their most vulnerable patients," the bishop said.
"We must be free to serve the sick and the dying according to our faith, not according to the state's mandate," he added.
Mary Keen, one of the physicians in the suit, said the state's requirement for doctors to facilitate assisted suicide "violates everything I know as a health care professional, as well as my deeply held Catholic convictions on the dignity of every human life."
"As a doctor, I have a responsibility to meet my patients' existential pain with loving accompaniment, not with abandonment," she said.
This is not the first lawsuit brought by Catholic objectors against an assisted suicide law in the U.S. In July, Rockville Centre Bishop John Barres and four communities of religious sisters filed a lawsuit against New York's assisted suicide law, arguing the measure would force them to participate in helping patients kill themselves.
The state subsequently agreed not to force the sisters to participate in the suicide program while their lawsuit proceeds. The suicide law went into effect on Aug. 5.
Rallies in Karachi and Faisalabad pressed for constitutional amendments allowing non-Muslims to serve as president or prime minister and for curbs on blasphemy law abuse.
Thousands of Christians in Pakistan marked National Minorities Day on Aug. 11 with protest rallies in three major Pakistani cities, calling for constitutional equality and religious freedom and urging the government to move beyond ceremonial celebrations to address long-standing discrimination.
In Karachi, more than 2,000 protesters gathered at the mausoleum of Pakistan's founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, carrying placards reading "My religion, my will" and featuring photographs of victims of mob lynchings, forced conversions, blasphemy-related attacks, and assassinated Christian leaders.
Demonstrators gather for the Minority Rights March at the mausoleum of Pakistan's founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, in Karachi on Aug. 11, 2026. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Luke Victor
"Young people are saying: 'We shall snatch our freedom,'" Luke Victor, organizer of the Minority Rights March, told EWTN News.
Addressing the rally, speakers demanded an end to faith-based discrimination and violent extremism against religious minorities and called for changes to constitutional provisions they say deny minorities equal access to public office.
Victor said protesters wanted Articles 41 and 91 of the constitution amended to allow minorities to become president or prime minister on merit.
The Minority Rights March's 11-point charter called for stronger political representation, curriculum reforms, protection of minority property and worship places, safeguards against blasphemy-law abuse, and independent national and provincial minority rights commissions.
The groups said rising violence, discrimination, and attacks on minorities had fueled fear and insecurity, particularly among young people.
Official ceremonies
While activists took to the streets, the government marked the day with official ceremonies promoting religious freedom, equality, and interfaith harmony.
In Lahore, the Punjab government organized a weeklong program beginning Aug. 7 with an interfaith rally, cultural competitions, and welfare camps. Karachi and Peshawar, capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, also hosted official programs highlighting the contributions and rights of religious minorities.
Minority activists said such events should be accompanied by concrete legal and institutional reforms.
Aug. 11 was declared National Minorities Day in 2009 following a campaign led by Shahbaz Bhatti, Pakistan's first Catholic federal minister for minorities and a prominent advocate for religious freedom.
Bhatti was assassinated outside his Islamabad home in March 2011. Two gunmen sprayed his car with bullets before leaving pamphlets describing him as a Christian "infidel."
In his Minorities Day message, President Asif Ali Zardari recalled Jinnah's Aug. 11, 1947, address to the Constituent Assembly in which the country's founder said citizens were free to worship according to their religion and that religion, caste, and creed should have no bearing on the affairs of the state.
Faisalabad rally
In Faisalabad, Catholic lawyer Akmal Bhatti, a nephew of Shahbaz Bhatti, led a rally calling for greater protection of freedom of religion and belief.
Participants demanded a ban on the forced conversion of minors, a 5% quota for minorities in public services and educational institutions, direct elections for reserved seats, removal of religious qualifications for the president and prime minister, and the creation of a constitutional National Minority Rights Commission.
Placards commemorating victims of mob lynchings, forced conversions, blasphemy-related attacks, and assassinated Christian leaders line a National Minorities Day protest at the mausoleum of Pakistan's founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, in Karachi on Aug. 11, 2026. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Luke Victor
They also criticized the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, which oversees the National Commission for Minorities, saying the commission has remained dysfunctional since completing its three-year term in May 2023.
Archbishop's appeal
Archbishop Joseph Arshad of Islamabad-Rawalpindi, in his Aug. 11 message, called for the protection of constitutional rights, religious freedom, and equality.
"Providing all citizens equal rights and equal opportunities for development without discrimination on the basis of religion or belief is a national responsibility," he said, urging collective efforts to eliminate hatred, prejudice, and intolerance.
He recalled Jinnah's emphasis on equal rights and religious freedom, saying the principles must be implemented "in their true spirit."
Non-Muslims accounted for about 14.2% of Pakistan's population in the country's first census in 1951. According to the 2023 Population and Housing Census, non-Muslims now constitute roughly 3.5% of the country's population of about 247.5 million.
Pakistan's religious minorities include Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, Ahmadis, Baha'is, Zoroastrians, Buddhists, and followers of the Indigenous Kalash faith.
Pope Leo expressed gratitude for "the longstanding contributions" of religious institutions, highlighting their work in "evangelization, education, and caring for the poor and marginalized."
Pope Leo XIV highlighted religious women's and men's work making "the mission and mystery of the Church visible in our world."
"All Christians are called to be builders of Christ's communion, formed in a synodal Church in which everyone cooperates in the same mission according to their own charism and ministry," he said during the Leadership Conference of Women Religious' (LCWR) 70th anniversary celebration being held in Orlando, Florida, Aug. 11–14.
"In a special way, those in religious life are called to become experts in synodality due to the opportunities afforded by community life to practice it, as well as the very way that your congregations are organized," he said.
The celebration, part of the group's 2026 annual assembly, brings together women religious from Canada, the United States, and Latin America to foster fellowship and honor decades of ministry.
"Even though you come from communities with different histories and apostolates, it is important to remember the need to foster unity within and among your institutes as well as in the broader Church," the pope said.
The gathering features numerous talks from religious women, reflections, and time in prayer and adoration.
The Holy Father further highlighted synodality in his message, sharing he "was pleased to learn that the assembly's proceedings will include a synodal method of listening, discussion, and discernment, with an openness and a willingness to understand what others are saying."
'The Church needs you'
The Holy Father further expressed his gratitude for "the long-standing contributions" of religious institutions, highlighting their work in "the fields of evangelization, education, and caring for the poor and marginalized."
"As you reflect on your theme of 'Many Charisms, One Spirit, One Call,' I pray that you will especially keep in mind the specific charisms entrusted by God to the founders and foundresses of your respective communities," he said,
"The Church needs you and all of the diversity and richness of the forms of consecration and ministry that you represent, for with your vitality and the witness of a life centered on Jesus, you can contribute to waking up the world," he said.
The Church needs you and all of the diversity and richness of the forms of consecration and ministry that you represent, for with your vitality and the witness of a life centered on Jesus, you can contribute to waking up the world."
Pope Leo XIV
The Holy Father detailed that fostering religious vocations is of "vital importance."
"Today, despite the increasing phenomenon of secularization in the world, there is also a growing hunger for God. Indeed, as I recently observed on my apostolic journey to Spain, 'Many young people and adults are rediscovering the Christian faith, sometimes after having drifted away from God over a period of time,'" he said.
In conversation with young people, the Holy Father called on religious women and men "to seek ways to introduce them to your way of life and help them to hear the voice of the Lord, who speaks to us in the depths of our hearts."
"Encourage them to be courageous in responding to Jesus, who is never outdone in generosity, so that they too may share the joy that comes from following his call," he said.
Pope Leo concluded wishing the group "a fruitful gathering" and entrusted their work to the maternal protection of Mary, Mother of the Church.
Bishop John J. Gomez of Laredo, Texas, confirmed that his family members are safe but that his friends and neighbors have faced hardship due to the earthquake.
Bishop John J. Gomez of Laredo, Texas, is calling on Catholics to pray for those in Colombia after a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck the country on Aug. 10.
"Pray for those who are out there in the rescue process," Gomez, who was born in Colombia, said in a statement shared with EWTN News. "I'm praying that they will find those who are still there, trapped, so that we could save some lives."
Gomez confirmed that his family members are safe but that his friends and neighbors have faced hardship due to the earthquake.
Bishop John J. Gomez of Laredo, Texas. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Diocese of Laredo, Texas
"So please pray for the fire departments and those rescue people and the volunteers of the communities so that we could find more lives and that we could save some who are waiting for the help," he said.
Bishop Robert Brennan of Brooklyn, New York, echoed Gomez in a statement on Aug. 11, saying: "Please join us in prayer for our brothers and sisters in Colombia. We have seen the horrifying images. Homes reduced to rubble, rescuers trying to save the trapped — and the falling tower at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary in Manizales."
"At times like this, we must remember, even as a tower falls, the Church remains — one Body, holding her suffering members in prayer," he said. "For those who have died, eternal rest. For the injured and the trapped, deliverance and healing."
Bishop David O'Connell of Trenton, New Jersey, also sought prayers, especially for "the families and other loved ones of some of our Colombian-born priests serving here in the diocese."
Pope Leo XIV sent his condolences to Colombians affected by the earthquake in a telegraph signed by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
"The Holy Father," the telegram said, is "deeply saddened to learn of the sorrowful news of the earthquake that has severely affected several areas of Colombia, causing casualties and numerous injuries, as well as serious material damage, including to many churches."
Conditions on the ground
Camila Gomez, deputy director of programs for Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela for the International Rescue Committee (IRC), told "EWTN News Nightly" on Aug. 11 that their representatives in Colombia are in the process of assessing the extent of the damage.
"As it happens, we have been receiving information both from official sources [and] from our partners on the ground as well as IRC," Gomez said. "We have had presence in Colombia since 2018, and we have some ongoing programs in parts of the regions where the earthquake took place."
Gomez noted that many of the schools in Buenaventura that IRC works with in Colombia have been "severely impacted." She said some of the schools' walls have fallen and that classes have been suspended for the time being. "So that is one of the areas that we continue to track very, very closely," she said. "Not just the infrastructure but most importantly the children, the families, the school communities."
"We're also tracking very strong needs as it relates to access to basic health services," she said. "And we know that there is a need for mobile health units in all of the places where the earthquake impacted."
Describing the response of the Colombian people to the disaster, Gomez said "there is a lot of solidarity."
"We are very close to the twin earthquakes that took place in Venezuela a little over a month ago," Gomez said. "So that is still very much in our minds and in our hearts. And we as a nation, we are in solidarity with our other fellow members of the country who are affected by this."
"I think people have come together to try to provide support," she said. "And to the extent that they can, whether it's gathering and sending over food items or first-necessity items, or reaching out to the authorities or to the organizations that they work with as IRC."
Catholic aid response
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is partnering with Caritas Colombia to provide relief to those impacted by the damage caused by the earthquake.
"With collapsed buildings, many families are left without shelter," CRS said in a statement. "Many families are in urgent need of shelter, clean water, food, medical care, and other essential support."
"CRS is supporting our local Church partner, Caritas Colombia, with its nationwide network across affected areas, to identify immediate needs for urgent relief, including safe shelter, food, clean water and protection. Thanks to Caritas's nationwide diocesan and parish reach, we have access to communities in urgent need," CRS said.
The pontiff's Aug. 12 general audience focused on the importance of the liturgical year.
VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV has urged Catholics to prioritize attending Sunday Mass, warning that active participation in the Eucharist cannot be replaced by virtual gatherings.
"I urge everyone to seek the best possible conditions so that even those who are unable to take time off work on Sundays may take part in Holy Mass," Leo said.
In his address during his general audience at the Vatican on Aug. 12, the pontiff continued his catechesis on the Second Vatican Council's constitution on the liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium.
As on Aug. 5, his general audience was held inside St. Peter's Basilica due to Rome's high summer temperatures.
The liturgical year according to Pius XII and Prosper Guéranger
Leo explained the importance of the liturgical year, referencing his predecessor Venerable Pope Pius XII as well as Servant of God Abbot Prosper Guéranger, OSB, the first abbot of Solesmes Abbey in France and a key figure in the liturgical movement.
It is "important to note that this way of referring to the cycle of Christian feasts as the 'liturgical year' became widespread in ecclesiastical language thanks to the work of the Servant of God, Abbot Prosper Guéranger," Leo said in his remarks.
The faithful gathered in St. Peter's Basilica during Pope Leo XIV's General Audience on Aug. 12, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News
The pope also stressed that the liturgical year is not merely a remembrance of past events but, as Pius XII wrote in his encyclical Mediator Dei, "Christ himself, who is ever living in his Church."
"The liturgical year should thus be understood as a constant renewal of the work of salvation which Christ accomplishes in history," the pope said. "As she journeys through this temporal cycle, the Church remains in contact with the Lord's redemptive action, so that all the faithful may be filled with his grace."
The importance of Sunday Mass
Leo also explained that the Church has always regarded Sunday as a weekly celebration of Christ's Resurrection: the "dies Domini" ("the Lord's Day").
He urged Catholics to attend Sunday Mass and warned against using virtual gatherings to substitute for in-person attendance.
"To sanctify Sunday, it is essential to celebrate the Eucharist," Leo said. "This assembly cannot be substituted by a solely virtual presence, nor can it be reduced to a merely passive gathering."
"The liturgical assembly is in fact fulfilled through the active participation of brothers and sisters," Leo added.
Leo's continued closeness to Colombia amid earthquake
The pope again expressed his spiritual closeness to the victims of a 7.4-magnitude earthquake that struck western Colombia on Aug. 10, which has killed at least 250 people, according to reports.
"As I pray to the Lord for the eternal rest of those who have died, I assure their families and those affected by this tragedy of my prayers. I express my gratitude to all those working in rescue and assistance efforts for those affected," Leo said in Spanish.
The previous day, Aug. 11, the pope sent a telegram through Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin expressing his sorrow upon learning of the earthquake.
The court initially dismissed the First Amendment challenge. In light of a recent U.S. Supreme Supreme Court decision, the judge is reconsidering those claims.
A federal court granted a request from two parents to consider whether a Michigan school district violated the First Amendment when officials began treating their daughter as a boy without informing them.
Judge Paul Maloney granted the motion to reconsider Aug. 7 in light of the 2026 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Mirabelli v. Bonta. The Supreme Court decided 6-3 that a similar policy in California likely violated the parents' First Amendment right to freely exercise their religion, which includes the right to direct the religious development of their children.
Similar to the California lawsuit, the two Michigan parents — Dan and Jennifer Mead — have argued that their views on gender and human sexuality are based on their Christian faith. The original lawsuit states that the Meads believe "each of us is born with a fixed biological sex that is a gift from God, not an arbitrary imposition subject to change."
According to the lawsuit, their seventh-grade daughter asked school officials at the Rockford Public School District to refer to her with a masculine name and use male pronouns. School officials began doing this but never informed her parents, and the school counselor had discussed the daughter's broader mental health struggles with her parents, the lawsuit states.
Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) Senior Counsel Kate Anderson, who represents the parents in court, said in a statement that "parents have the right to direct the upbringing, education, and healthcare of their children — without government interference."
"By intentionally concealing this information from the Meads, the school district violated their constitutional rights as parents to make critical decisions about their daughter," Anderson said. "The court's ruling is a necessary step toward protecting the Mead family's First Amendment rights."
Steve Matthews, superintendent for Rockford Public Schools, told EWTN News "the legal process continues to proceed" and "we have no comment at this time as we continue through this process."
Court proceedings continue
The lawsuit alleges that school officials began treating the Meads' daughter as a boy in 2022. It states that the school used a masculine name and male pronouns when speaking with their daughter and in internal school records. Yet, they used her legal name and female pronouns when talking to her parents and in documents shared with parents, it states.
Her parents removed her from the school in October 2022 after school officials forgot to alter a document that used the masculine name and male pronouns before giving it to her parents, the lawsuit states. This is how the parents discovered the school's practices.
The Meads filed the lawsuit in 2023, alleging the school district violated their First Amendment right to the free exercise of religion and the 14th Amendment's protection of a parent's right to raise his or her children.
In 2025, a federal court allowed the 14th Amendment claims to proceed but dismissed the First Amendment claims. On Aug. 7, 2026, the court granted a motion to reconsider First Amendment claims in light of the new Supreme Court precedent set in Mirabelli v. Bonta.
Maloney's court order in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan Southern Division states the Supreme Court ruling "calls into question the court's interpretation of the relevant law and will grant the motion to reconsider." It says the lawsuit filed in Mirabelli v. Bonta "involved school policies similar to the district's policies here."
"When a student engaged in gender transitioning at school, the policy prevented school staff from telling the student's parents about their child's situation unless the student consented," the judge said of the Mirabelli v. Bonta decision.
"Like the policies at issue in Mirabelli, the policies here likely created a substantial burden on the Meads' free-exercise rights," the order adds. "The Meads share religious beliefs similar to the parents in Mirabelli about the permanency of biological sex and the fixed relationship between sex and gender."
The judge's order notes that the Rockford Public School District's position is that its policies are designed "to meet [the district's] interest in promoting student safety and success." Yet, the court order states that the policies "do not factor in parents' views and, as a result, they 'cut' parents out."
The bishops of several Latin American countries offered prayers and expressed their closeness to the victims of the earthquake that struck Colombia this week.
Bishops from Mexico, Peru, Argentina, and Chile expressed their solidarity and offered prayers following the earthquake that struck Colombia on Aug. 10 leaving at least 180 deadand thousands injured.
The bishops of Argentina expressed their "closeness and solidarity with the Church and with the entire beloved people of Colombia."
In a letter sent to Archbishop Francisco Javier Múnera, president of the Colombian Bishops' Conference, the Argentine prelates stated: "We especially share in the pain of the victims and their families, and we accompany with our prayers all the communities affected by this difficult time."
"We ask the Lord to grant comfort to those who are suffering, strength to those who have lost loved ones, and hope to those facing the consequences of this tragedy," they emphasized.
Solidarity with the Colombian people
The bishops of Peru expressed their "most heartfelt closeness and solidarity with the beloved Colombian people and with the entire Catholic Church in Colombia."
"We accompany with our prayers the families going through moments of anguish and, especially, those who have lost their loved ones. We ask the Lord to welcome the deceased into his presence and to grant solace and strength to their families," the bishops continued.
The Peruvian prelates also prayed to the Virgin of Chiquinquirá, patroness of Colombia, for the injured and for all those "affected by this disaster, as well as for those participating in relief and aid efforts."
"From Peru, we renew our prayers and our affection for the sister people of Colombia," the bishops stated.
Mexican bishops invoke Our Lady of Guadalupe's intercession
The Mexican Bishops' Conference stated on X that "we join in prayer with the Latin American Bishops' Council and the entire Church in Colombia in the face of the earthquake that occurred today."
One of the towers of the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary in Manizales, Colombia, is partially collapsed due to the earthquake of Aug. 10, 2026. | Credit: Archdiocese of Manizales
"We express our closeness and solidarity with the affected families. We ask God to grant strength and hope to those experiencing moments of anguish today and to bless those working in relief and rescue efforts," they stated.
"May Our Lady of Guadalupe accompany the Colombian people and cover them with her mantle of protection," the prelates prayed.
Joining humanitarian aid initiatives
The Chilean Bishops' Conference also expressed its "fraternal closeness to the Colombian people and their shepherds," joining in prayer "for the families who have lost loved ones, the injured, and those suffering the destruction of their homes."
"We also share the concern of the Colombian community in Chile and assure them of our closeness and remembrance before the altar of the Lord," they added.
The Chilean bishops encouraged the faithful to "pray for the victims and join in the humanitarian aid initiatives of the civil and ecclesial institutions."
The earthquake in Colombia
The 7.4-magnitude earthquake that struck several Colombian departments (administrative districts) on Aug. 10 has left at least 180 people dead. In an update on Aug. 11, President Abelardo de la Espriella said that almost 2,600 people were injured, almost 200 are missing, more than 1,100 homes have been destroyed, and more than 8,000 have been damaged, the BBC reported.
The quake occurred at 7:34 a.m. local time at a depth of about 60 miles, with its epicenter in the town of San José del Palmar in the department of Chocó on the Pacific coast.
De la Espriella declared a state of emergency to coordinate aid for the nine departments affected by the earthquake, the strongest in the last 10 years.
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.
The death toll remains unknown as authorities assess the damage, which affected several cities in the western part of the country.
A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake shook several regions of western Colombia on Monday, Aug. 10, killing at least 180 people and injuring about 2,500, according to the Associated Press on Tuesday, and causing severe damage to many buildings, including the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, also known as the Manizales Cathedral, in the department of Caldas.
On its social media, the Archdiocese of Manizales shared a video showing cracks in the facade and the partial collapse of one of the side towers of the 390-foot-high neo-Gothic church, the tallest cathedral in Colombia and the tallest neo-Gothic church in the Americas.
Local and national authorities continue to gather information in order to get a complete picture of the number of victims and the structural damage caused by the earthquake, considered the strongest in the last decade.
Colombia's newly elected president, Abelardo De La Espriella, said on social media he has "personally taken charge of the emergency response in San José del Palmar" and has ordered the "establishment of a Unified Command Post to coordinate the response to the damage and assist those affected."
"You are not alone," wrote De La Espriella, who is Catholic. "The state is present and acting."
The Archdiocese of Manizales called on the population to pray "for all the people and families who may have been affected, for those who today feel fear and uncertainty, and, especially, for those who need help."
"May God protect Manizales and Colombia, strengthen our hearts, and grant us serenity, solidarity, and hope. Lord, we place Colombia in your hands," the archdiocese said in its post.
The governor of Chocó, Nubia Córdoba, stated on her social media account that "in the capital, Quibdó, there are injuries and serious damage to buildings."
"For safety reasons, air operations at these terminals remain suspended until structural damage to the infrastructure is assessed," the group stated.
This story was updated on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026, at 2 p.m. ET with the updated casualty numbers.
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.
Local Church leaders called on the faithful to respond with prayer, generosity, and solidarity.
The Colombian Bishops' Conference expressed its concern for those affected by the 7.4-magnitude earthquake that struck the country on Aug. 10, with the bishops calling upon "all the faithful to support them through prayer and solidarity."
The earthquake's epicenter was in the San José del Palmar subdistrict in the department of Chocó, and it was also felt in at least the departments of Antioquia, Caldas, Cauca, Risaralda, and Valle del Cauca as well as in the capital, Bogotá.
In its initial report, the national government stated that 111 people died and 87 were injured. In addition, 1,575 homes were damaged, 37 were destroyed, 61 buildings had collapsed, and six airports were affected, with one suffering damage to its runway. According to the Associated Press on Tuesday afternoon, at least 180 people were reported dead and 2,500 were injured, with thousands still missing.
Faced with this situation, the bishops' conference prayed that Christ would strengthen the hearts of the victims and "grant them solace and hope, and accompany those involved in medical attention and rescue efforts."
"Let us lift up with one voice a fervent prayer for Colombia; let us put into practice the charity of Christ toward our brothers and sisters, especially in these moments of suffering. May our prayer and closeness also be a sign of hope," the bishops stated on social media.
Subsequently, in a message published on its website, the national bishops' conference reiterated its call for solidarity, noting "that no one can face an emergency of this magnitude alone."
"Colombia is called upon, once again, to recognize itself as one family and to respond to the suffering of its brothers and sisters with generosity and solidarity," the bishops' conference stated, with the prelates adding that they would announce as soon as possible the ways the faithful can provide aid in solidarity with those affected.
Catholic organizations move to provide aid
To assist those affected, various food banks and other Catholic organizations have activated their protocols to collect donations and send them to the affected communities as soon as possible including the food banks of the archdioceses of Bogotá and Bucaramanga, which have issued an appeal on social media for monetary donations and packaged food.
The Colombia office of Aid to the Church in Need has also encouraged people to contribute donations to support the affected communities, "because when everything seems to be tottering, the Church remains."
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.
Evaluations found women in Unbound programs reported higher confidence, more access to leadership opportunities, and greater financial inclusion than those on the organization's waiting list.
More than a decade of evaluations across Africa, Asia, and Latin America found that family-led development is a consistent driver of lasting progress for families experiencing poverty in Unbound's programs.
Unbound, an international nonprofit founded by lay Catholics and grounded in Catholic social teaching, centers its numerous programs on alleviating poverty by allowing families to identify their own priorities and lead their personal development.
The organization, which is approaching its 45th anniversary in November, helps families remain in charge through direct cash transfers. Since it was established, Unbound has raised $3 billion, $2.5 billion of which has gone directly into families' bank accounts.
The findings draw from 13 years of evaluations across 16 countries, spanning programs focused on women's empowerment, education, elder support, leadership development, and community engagement.
The evaluations serve as a way to examine what is working and where the organization can make changes and updates to better serve families.
Just like its programs, the evaluation process is "quite decentralized" with dozens of "local internal evaluators embedded within each program staff around the world," Melissa Velazquez, vice president of program evaluation and learning at Unbound, told EWTN News.
The evaluations are "to really make sure that we're moving in a direction that is evidence based and helping us understand what works best," Velazquez said. "First and foremost" the evaluations are "for the families and communities so that they can learn and grow, and we can learn and grow."
They are also to show sponsors the benefits and success of Unbound's mission and to show "others who might be working in the international development space," Velazquez said.
"Our very loyal, longtime base of donors and sponsors are very connected to our work emotionally through their faith and through the power of our stories," Ashley Hufft, president and CEO of Unbound, told EWTN News.
"Then the opportunity is very exciting to be able to turn now to our sponsors and donors and actually show … that impact," Hufft said.
Data reveals increasing rates of women in leadership
In 2025, Unbound surveyed 2,329 women in Guatemala, Peru, Colombia, Uganda, Kenya, and the Philippines. The research compared Unbound participants to women on the organization's waiting list and adjusted for differences including age, education, and marital status.
It found that women in Unbound programs reported higher levels of confidence, more access to leadership opportunities, and greater financial inclusion.
The evaluations found that 70% of women participating in Unbound programs in Guatemala had a bank account registered in their names, compared with 24% of women with children on the organization's sponsorship waiting list.
In Nairobi, Kenya, 60% of sponsored women accessed credit in the previous year compared with 34% of women on the waiting list.
Unbound also examined the outcomes of its numerous mothers groups, which are community-based support groups of parents or guardians with sponsored children in Unbound.
Through the organization's Agents of Change program, the women make community-level decisions based on community needs with the help of grant money they receive after getting proposals approved.
"Unbound is so focused on household poverty, the elimination of that, and helping families … direct their own path. But we recognize that there are issues in the community," Velazquez said. "So there are things that have to be worked on at a community level or a structural level."
When evaluating the program, "we weren't just trying to count how many roads were paved or how many solar lights were installed. We were looking at empowerment outcomes for women," Velazquez said.
A mothers group in Guatemala focuses on health, education, development, and correspondence meets. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Unbound
The organization asked: "How many women felt confident to speak to authority? How many of them felt like leaders in the community? How many of them felt they actually had the power to make change?"
In Kampala, Uganda, women participating in the groups were 21 percentage points more likely to hold leadership positions than their nonparticipating counterparts.
A 2025 evaluation found that 74% of the participants feel they are involved in community decisions and make their community a better place to live. Also, 35% reported that they held a leadership position in their community since joining Unbound.
Due to the success, Unbound created an additional program, Agents of Change Kids. It will launch in 2027 to give children opportunities to develop community leadership as well as decision-making and problem-solving skills.
Evaluations reveal success for families, elders
Another evaluation addressed Unbound participants who use Poverty Stoplight, a poverty measurement tool. Families use green indicators to mark "no poverty," yellow for "poverty," and red for "extreme poverty" in numerous areas of poverty in their lives and then create pathways to improve each one.
A 2025 analysis found that nearly half of participating families have surpassed the 60% green threshold and over 60% have fewer than 10% red indicators.
Evaluations also showed positive updates within Unbound's programs for elder support. It revealed that elderly participants reported less loneliness, stronger social connections, improved food security, and greater access to healthcarethan nonparticipating elders.
It found 66% of participating elders reported receiving all needed medical care compared with only 40% of those not in Unbound. The outcomes for elders led the organization to increase its elder sponsorship in its 2030 strategic plan.
The plan was shaped by program partners across the globe. It highlights what Unbound wants to achieve, overarching goals, and strategic pillars it will use to measure the impact to eliminate poverty, empower women, advance education, build community, and promote well-being of all ages.
Ultimately, Unbound will continue its mission of family-led decision-making.
"I don't think that there's anyone better positioned to understand what their family needs and how to prioritize between a lot of competing priorities with little resources and various time constraints and levels of urgency on it," Hufft said. "No one, at the core, can do it like the family."
