Catholic News

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was guilty of a "grave failure" of responsibility in the drafting of its controversial 2023 "Catholic memo" that sought to link racist and violent extremists with so-called "radical-traditionalist" Catholics, the U.S. Department of Justice said this week.

The Justice Department on Aug. 28 released an extensive report on the memo, which was drafted out of the FBI's Richmond, Virginia, field office and leaked in early 2023.

Upon its leak the memo drew immediate criticism from Catholics and religious liberty advocates around the country. The FBI quickly retracted the document after the leak, with the bureau claiming that it did "not meet our exacting standards."

On Aug. 28 FBI Director Kash Patel described the contents of the memo as "unacceptable." He said the release of information "about what occurred under [the Biden administration] is an important part of the process" of ongoing investigations into alleged government weaponization.

Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward, meanwhile, described the memo as "a clear abuse of power," one that targeted "conservative and religious beliefs disfavored by agents of government."

Memo arose from 2020 investigation into violent extremist

The Aug. 28 report — released by the Department of Justice's Weaponization Working Group — said the Catholic memo arose out of an FBI investigation that began in 2020 regarding an individual who moved to Virginia from New York and began writing "violent and racially-motivated" posts on the internet.

Richmond Domain Perspective Report

That individual was ultimately sentenced to two separate prison terms on vandalism and weapons charges. Prior to his second imprisonment, he reportedly began attending a Virginia chapel run by the Society of St. Pius X.

Federal agents began investigating the chapel and a priest associated with it; their investigation expanded to include another priest connected to the so-called SSPX Resistance, a breakaway group that the FBI alleged has neo-Nazi sympathies.

Based on those investigations, starting in late 2022 the Richmond field office began developing a "domain perspective" on the alleged "increasing intersection" of "radical-traditional Catholics" and "domestic violent extremists."

Subsequent research turned up "only two additional cases," the working group report said, and FBI investigators found "nothing linking Catholics or groups not in full communion with the Catholic Church to domestic extremism."

The investigation progressed to the point where analysts were preparing to develop a high-level executive report of the inquiry to present to senior FBI officials. Yet after the leak of the memo on Feb. 8, 2023, that report was never developed.

The working group report described the FBI memo as using a "sweeping generalization" of "radical-traditionalist" Catholics. Internal FBI presentation materials obtained by EWTN News identify the "core ideology and beliefs" of such Catholics as including "conservative family values/roles" and a "tendency toward isolationism."

The memo further identified such Catholics as believing in the "creation of a totalitarian, anti-pluralist Catholic nation" as well as the "rejection of religious neutrality and right to religious freedom."

The document drew a distinction between "radical" Catholics and so-called "traditionalist Catholics" who prefer the Traditional Latin Mass and pre-Vatican II traditions yet do not adhere to "the more extremist ideological beliefs and violent rhetoric" of the "radical" group.

An internal review of the memo found no "constitutional concerns" related to the analysis, the working group report said. Yet the memo spawned "significant internal criticisms" in the FBI after its leak, the report said.

In particular, an agent with the bureau's counterterrorism division said the unit found no "significant linkage" between violent extremists and "radical traditionalist" Catholics.

Bureau leadership ultimately ordered the deletion of the memo, though the working group report said the memo was still being worked on more than a month after that order came down.

Later in the year the bureau's inspection division found that the drafters of the memo demonstrated a lack of "professional judgment" and that they "failed to adhere to FBI standards." The division ordered "all individuals" involved in the memo's production to be "admonished" and be subject to additional training.

The working group report noted that the personnel involved in the production of the memo "have been terminated from their positions." It argued that "history" will "rightly judge the Richmond Catholic Memo as a grave failure of the FBI Richmond Field Office" to uphold First Amendment rights.

The controversial memo has generated sustained criticism from religious liberty advocates as well as numerous responses from lawmakers in Washington since it was leaked.

In March the conservative legal group Judicial Watch was in federal court arguing for the release of un-redacted files related to the memo. Attorney Meredith DiLiberto expressed disappointment at the time that heavy redaction practices had continued from the Biden administration to the Trump administration.

In December 2024 Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, warned the government to not destroy federal records including documents related to the FBI investigation. Hawley said at the time that he had received reports of employees "destroying records and other documents in an effort to conceal widespread misconduct that took place under the [Joe] Biden administration."

The working group report released on Aug. 28 did not mention any reports of records destruction. But Attorney General Todd Blanche said the Justice Department "will not tolerate a weaponized bureaucracy that chills First Amendment activity."

The working group's investigations into alleged government weaponization "will continue," Blanche said.

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Pope Leo XIV warned Friday that decisions affecting human life are increasingly being entrusted to machines as he called for ethical safeguards governing artificial intelligence and other digital technologies.

"One of the serious problems today is the fact that decisions concerning human life are being entrusted to machines," Pope Leo XIV said Aug. 28 during an audience with members of the International Institute of Administrative Sciences.

"The speed at which innovations in AI, in artificial intelligence, are developing prompts us to ask whether, in the future, we will be able to control these machines and whether humanity runs the risk of becoming victim of its own inventions," he said.

The International Institute of Administrative Sciences, of which the Holy See is a member, was founded in 1930 in the aftermath of the Great Depression. It works to help public authorities adapt governance to the changing needs of society.

Pius XII addressed the institute in 1950, highlighting the responsibility of public administration to serve society in accordance with the Creator's wisdom.

Pope Leo XIV said the theme of the institute's conference represented "a powerful appeal to our world in the digital age" to maintain a proper balance in the use of digital technologies.

He said the appeal echoed his recent encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, on safeguarding the human person in the age of artificial intelligence.

The pope said the rapid development of digital technology is a reality that directly affects people's way of life and "permeates every level of social life."

Against that backdrop, he praised the institute's effort to reaffirm "the irreplaceable nature of human intelligence in the face of these technological tools" and to help public authorities make decisions "for the good of humanity."

Pope Leo XIV also called for an ethical framework to guide the use of artificial intelligence and other digital tools, noting that such technologies are increasingly concentrated in the hands of major economic and technological actors while governments struggle to exercise effective oversight.

"We must ensure that the good of the human family is not sacrificed to private interests," he said.

The pope encouraged the institute's members to continue studying ways public administration can help keep technology centered on the human person.

"I encourage you to continue your research in order to find the ways and means of contributing to public administration in the humanization of digital technologies, so that they may serve life and peace," he said.

Pope Leo XIV also recalled Pope Francis' 2024 World Day of Peace message, in which Francis called for scientific and technological research to be directed toward peace and the common good and placed at the service of the integral development of individuals and communities.

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.

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King Harald V of Norway, Europe's oldest reigning monarch, died on Aug. 28 at Oslo University Hospital. He was 89.

A Requiem Mass for King Harald will be celebrated at St. Olav's Cathedral in Trondheim on Aug. 29 at noon, and Lauds and Vespers will also be offered for the late monarch.

EWTN Norway is streaming the services on its website and YouTube channel.

Within hours of the king's death, Bishop Erik Varden of Trondheim published a tribute on behalf of Norwegian Catholics. He commended Harald to God's mercy and offered prayers for Queen Sonja, the royal family, and the new King Haakon VIII.

Varden, a Trappist monk who also serves as apostolic administrator of Tromsø and president of the Nordic Bishops' Conference, opened his reflection with the ninth-century Commendatio Animae — the Church's prayer for the dying.

"Go forth, Christian soul, from this world in the name of God, the Almighty Father, who created you; in the name of Jesus Christ, the living Son of God, who suffered for you; and in the name of the Holy Spirit, who was poured out upon you," the prayer begins.

Varden wrote that the prayer reminds the faithful that death is a transition "from life to Life."

Prayers for the new king

Varden described Harald as a monarch who embodied the nation in an exemplary way, giving Norwegians a sense of being seen and cared for.

"He was so completely and utterly king, devoted to the people, that it was as if no ego stood in the way," the bishop wrote. "In this way, he drew near to us in a comforting way."

Harald "has spoken wisely to us, with a subtle sense of humor that we will miss," Varden added.

The bishop placed the king's passing in the context of the ancient acclamation "The King is dead; long live the King," and wrote that the monarchy stands as "a stable pillar in society" that represents continuity.

"In a time as uncertain as ours, that is a comfort," he wrote.

Varden called on Norwegian Catholics to pray for King Haakon VIII. He asked the faithful for "blessings and wisdom," and called on Catholics to stand loyally by the new sovereign..

Closing his tribute, the bishop invoked the intercession of St. Olav, Norway's patron saint.

King Harald's reign

Harald V was born on Feb. 21, 1937, and ascended the throne on Jan. 17, 1991, succeeding his father, King Olav V. He reigned for 35 years.

A three-time Olympic yachtsman, Harald modernized the Norwegian royal house. Later in his life, he refused to abdicate, saying he had taken a lifelong oath before the Norwegian parliament.

He had experienced multiple health problems in recent years.

Harald is survived by Queen Sonja, 89, his wife of 57 years, and their two children: Princess Märtha Louise, 54, and the new King Haakon VIII, 53. His granddaughter, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, is now next in line to the throne.

This report draws on coverage by EWTN Norway and reporting by Pål Johannes Nes.

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The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem has warned that the Christian presence in the Holy Land is going through one of the most critical moments in its 2,000-year history, calling for the transition from emergency response to investment in education, work, and special projects, giving families practical reasons to remain.

In an article titled "Hope Demands Action" released on Aug. 21, the patriarchate said restrictions on movement, the cancellation of work permits, and the paralysis of the tourism sector have exacerbated the conditions of Christian families in Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and the villages scattered in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and affected their ability to work and secure their needs.

The Catholic diocese — whose territory includes Cyprus, Jordan, Israel, and Palestine and is supported by six vicariates — highlighted that the unemployment rate in Christian communities in the Holy Land is 54%, which is about double the national average.

The patriarchate also pointed out that artisans, hotel workers, shopkeepers, tour guides, drivers, and restaurant owners rely heavily on pilgrims and visitors, which have significantly declined over the years, threatening livelihoods.

The patriarchate said the repercussions of the crisis extend to the younger generations, as limited job opportunities after university or vocational training may push young people to migrate, raising concerns for a generation that believes its future may be outside the land of its ancestors.

Gaza at the heart of the crisis

According to the patriarchate, only 541 Christians remain in the Gaza Strip, while others have been forced to flee and still others were killed in the war or lost their lives amid the collapse of medical care and lack of basic supplies.

The patriarchate said the possibility that no more Christians will be left in the Holy Land does not represent just a demographic change but a "crisis in history, identity, and faith," stressing that a living Christian presence should remain in a land where Christianity originated.

The article called for international Christian solidarity to go beyond responding to emergency needs, including education, vocational training, special projects, and support for community institutions, allowing families to build a decent and sustainable life in their homeland.

In this context, the article referred to a back-to-school initiative to cover basic educational expenses for children and families most in need, stressing that keeping schools open — and reopening them where possible — represents a message that destruction will not have the final say.

The patriarchate stressed that the Christians of the Holy Land do not want to be a part of the past but desire the opportunity to live, work, raise their children, and exercise their faith in dignity in the land where Christianity began.

This story was first published by ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News, and has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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Authorities are warning of a second flood after Wednesday's devastating deluge on the Nepal-China border, which left more than 1,500 people missing, many presumed dead.

Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said a lake at the flood site was rising and at risk of bursting, raising the prospect of another deadly disaster.

China's Minister of Water Resources said the lake had formed inside Nepal and was already overflowing. A further 3 million cubic meters could flow in over three days, the ministry said, raising the risk of a breach during that window to a high level. Rain is forecast across the coming days.

Catholic relief agencies immediately responded to the unfolding disaster, linking their efforts to the urgent needs created by the floods.

Caritas Nepal said it had mobilized teams and begun operating community kitchens in areas where people lost their homes, while also distributing immediate relief supplies. Some Catholics who had been working in tourist areas remain unaccounted for, the agency said.

Catholic Relief Services launched an emergency appeal, saying it was coordinating with Caritas Nepal and local partners to assess urgent needs and support affected communities.

Caritas Australia launched an urgent flood appeal, confirming teams are on the ground assessing the scale of the disaster and the needs it has created.

The needs will most likely include emergency shelter, clean water and sanitation, food, and immediate and long-term recovery, the aid agency noted.

The apostolic administrator of Nepal told Fides news agency on Thursday this was "the worst disaster in the country's history."

"It was terrible. A flood coming from the mountains, and directed violently towards the valley, overwhelmed everything: people, homes, bridges, structures. Villages, markets, and roads were swept away. It is a serious wound for the nation," Father Silas Krishna Bogati said.

"We have about 25 Catholic families in the disaster area; they appear to be safe, but we are very worried about them," he said. "We entrust them to God, we pray for their safety, and we will do everything we can to help them."

Bogati noted that Nepalese, as well as foreigners and tourists, were in the area at the time of the disaster.

At least 392 people have been killed, 389 of them in Nepal and three in Tibet, according to Nepali authorities and Chinese state media. More than 900 remain unaccounted for in Nepal and more than 550 in Tibet; 466 people have been rescued.

Pope Leo sent his condolences and offered prayers for the victims on Thursday, expressing solidarity with those affected by the floods. In an Aug. 27 telegram sent on behalf of Leo, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin said the pope was "saddened to learn of the loss of life and devastation" caused by the floods.

"Commending the souls of the deceased to the clemency of the Almighty, His Holiness sends heartfelt sympathies to the bereaved, with the assurance of his spiritual closeness to those affected by this tragedy," the telegram said.

This story was updated on Aug. 28, 2026, with details from Caritas Nepal and Catholic Relief Services.

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Authorities are warning of a second flood after Wednesday's devastating deluge on the Nepal-China border, which left more than 1,500 people missing, many presumed dead.

Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said a lake at the flood site was rising and at risk of bursting, raising the prospect of another deadly disaster.

China's Minister of Water Resources said the lake had formed inside Nepal and was already overflowing. A further 3 million cubic meters could flow in over three days, the ministry said, raising the risk of a breach during that window to a high level. Rain is forecast across the coming days.

Catholic relief agencies immediately responded to the unfolding disaster, linking their efforts to the urgent needs created by the floods. Caritas Australia launched an urgent flood appeal, confirming teams are on the ground assessing the scale of the disaster and the needs it has created.

The needs will most likely include emergency shelter, clean water and sanitation, food, and immediate and long-term recovery, the aid agency noted.

The apostolic administrator of Nepal told Fides news agency on Thursday this was "the worst disaster in the country's history."

"It was terrible. A flood coming from the mountains, and directed violently towards the valley, overwhelmed everything: people, homes, bridges, structures. Villages, markets, and roads were swept away. It is a serious wound for the nation," Father Silas Krishna Bogati said.

"We have about 25 Catholic families in the disaster area; they appear to be safe, but we are very worried about them," he said. "We entrust them to God, we pray for their safety, and we will do everything we can to help them."

Bogati noted that Nepalese, as well as foreigners and tourists, were in the area at the time of the disaster.

At least 392 people have been killed, 389 of them in Nepal and three in Tibet, according to Nepali authorities and Chinese state media. More than 900 remain unaccounted for in Nepal and more than 550 in Tibet; 466 people have been rescued.

Pope Leo sent his condolences and offered prayers for the victims on Thursday, expressing solidarity with those affected by the floods. In an Aug. 27 telegram sent on behalf of Leo, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin said the pope was "saddened to learn of the loss of life and devastation" caused by the floods.

"Commending the souls of the deceased to the clemency of the Almighty, His Holiness sends heartfelt sympathies to the bereaved, with the assurance of his spiritual closeness to those affected by this tragedy," the telegram said.

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Marjorie Dannenfelser, head of a major pro-life advocacy group, said President Donald Trump's new nominee for U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner, Dr. Heidi Overton, is "the right person for the job."

"I'm very impressed with her credentials and her pro-life heart," Dannenfelser said in an Aug. 26 interview with "EWTN Pro-Life Weekly" anchor Abigail Galván. "She, behind the scenes, was working very hard to make sure that the FDA was moving in the right direction on a new study to base further action on."

The position became vacant after Dr. Marty Makary was fired and is currently filled by acting commissioner Kyle Diamantas, whom Dannenfelser also described as "a very strong pro-life person."

"We've been extremely disappointed from the beginning of the administration with the direction of the FDA and the inaction from the Department of Justice, or the undermining of the pro-life priorities at the Department of Justice," Dannenfelser said. "What I think is that her naming is an indication of the right direction that … this administration is now taking."

Confirmation hearings will begin as soon as the Senate is back in session. Dannenfelser said she anticipates the hearings "will probably go pretty well."

"Now, it doesn't mean that the hard questions shouldn't be asked," she said. "They must be asked, and one of those questions would be the direction of the study: How long it will take? What do you see about preliminary findings come out that the court has ordered to be communicated in early October? And do you support the Department of Justice doing what it can to settle this case and get the drugs immediately out of the mail?"

"Because there is a challenge from the state of Louisiana, representing many states, that are saying what we all know: They have basically nullified those state laws," she continued. "They've put a burden on states to help women that should never have been in a horrible situation. So while it's a question about the Department of Justice, one should not claim that the FDA is the only entity that can do something about fixing this horrific problem that is occurring for children and women in this nation."

Dannenfelser called for a return to the first Trump administration policy on abortion drugs.

"We've been battling for quite some time from the beginning of this administration to get these drugs out of the mail, and all we're hoping for, and what all any sane voter wants to see, is that on the at least on the Republican side, that we return to the first Trump administration policy on the distribution of these drugs, that only in a Biden administration that put on an emergency cloak around the distribution around the COVID moment," she said.

"It's time to restore the first Trump administration rules — no reason why we shouldn't," she said. "The DOJ can act now and should."

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Newman Guide institutions are shaping their classroom approach to rapidly evolving artificial intelligence through Pope Leo XIV's encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, emphasizing human dignity and guarding against the technology's potential to weaken authentic learning.

Five Catholic colleges and universities told EWTN News they are crafting classroom AI policies in light of the pope's encyclical, as the University of Chicago moves — as first reported by the student newspaper The Chicago Maroon — to make social sciences classes fully analog this fall.

Belmont Abbey College

"The Chicago response in their core classes resonates strongly with where our thoughts are going, although they're a bit ahead of us in formulating a general policy," David Williams, dean of arts and sciences and professor of theology at Belmont Abbey College in Belmont, North Carolina, told EWTN News.

"Discussions on the pedagogical response to AI have been ongoing for some time now, with new impetus as we absorb Pope Leo's encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas," Williams said. "There's a significant contingent among the faculty who prefer the all-analog approach, at least in our core curriculum classes, and are teaching accordingly as a matter of individual choice."

According to Williams, a faculty-led committee is expected to deliver a report to the university's president and provost by the end of the fall 2026 semester.

"I wouldn't be surprised at all to see a recommendation similar to Chicago's for all our core curriculum courses; the core here is a substantial part of the overall degree program, so that would be more than 40% of a graduate's coursework," he said.

Ave Maria University

Daniel Davy, dean of faculty and associate professor of history at Ave Maria University in southwest Florida, told EWTN News that Pope Leo's "concern for preserving genuine human formation, rather than outsourcing it to a machine, is at the heart of AMU's approach to teaching and learning" but noted that the university does not have plans to institute a university-wide AI ban.

"AMU approaches AI with what Pope Leo XIV calls in the encyclical a spirit of 'prudence, rigorous evaluation and even, at times, a slower pace' (par. 106), rather than either uncritical adoption or blanket prohibition," Davy said in an email.

"AMU does not have a university-wide AI ban comparable to the University of Chicago's Social Sciences Core policy; academic policy here is set at the course and department level, since pedagogical needs vary by discipline," he continued, noting that the university's academic honor code bans use of generative AI in any part of the writing process and in all freshmen- and sophomore-level courses.

"We are far less concerned with whether a student turns in a perfectly polished paper than with how the student grows through the act of trying to communicate an idea," Davy said. "This is where generative AI poses its deepest danger, because it offloads the process of thinking onto a machine that cannot, in fact, think. Outsourcing that struggle diminishes a student's own capacity to encounter truth more deeply in each discipline, and through that truth, ultimately, Christ, to whom every field of knowledge points."

University of Mary

"Here at Mary, one of our charisms is Friendship with Truth," David Echelbarger, vice president for academic affairs at the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota, told EWTN News in an email. "Because we are made in the image of a Triune God who is himself a communion of Persons," he said, "we are not made to arrive at the truth alone. We come to it through dialogue and conversation with other people." 

"One concern with AI, then, is that it turns learning into an isolated, impersonal endeavor," he said. "To counter that, many of our professors are incorporating into their courses activities that require hard and rigorous thinking together."

Additionally, he said, all faculty members have been asked to place an AI policy on each of their assignments, clarifying the degree to which the technology is permitted for each individual assignment, "which is meant to help students understand when the use of AI is a hindrance to their intellectual formation and when it is a helpful learning tool."

Benedictine College

Mariele Courtois, assistant professor of theology and director of the Center for Technology and Human Dignity at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, told EWTN News that the college's "Academic Misconduct" statement was recently updated "to clearly state that AI cannot be used 'in place of a student's own effort,' in order to respect the learning process and the special connection between students and their academic work, which should reveal the students' own personalities and convictions."

"While some classes, especially in the STEM fields, may utilize or learn about AI — including its function, risks, dangers, and potential promises — many professors choose to make their classes AI-free both in the lecture hall and for homework, especially in Theology and the humanities," Courtois said in an email. "Benedictine College respects the prudential judgment of professors to make the pedagogical choices that are best suited to their particular class goals and the aims of their respective disciplines."

Courtois noted the college's Center for Technology and Human Dignity was recently founded "to help guide discussions about rising biomedical and digital technologies in light of Catholic moral teaching."

In addition, she said, the theme of the college's annual Symposium on Transforming Culture on Sept. 4–5 will be "The Church in an Algorithmic Age" and "will bring together intellectuals and students from many fields and business sectors to discuss the ethical questions and social implications for transformative technologies such as AI."

University of St. Thomas

"With Pope Leo XIV, UST is alive both to the ways in which AI can serve the human and the ways in which the human can be made to serve the work of His hands," Thomas Harmon, professor of theology and director of the University of St. Thomas' honors program special projects, told EWTN News in an email.

Harmon said the university, located in Houston, does not have a blanket ban on artificial intelligence but noted that many core courses prohibit screens and emphasize developing students' own skills rather than relying on AI.

"We regard AI as an important and potentially very useful technology that needs to be utilized in ways that serve rather than replace human excellence, which requires training, formation, practice, and guidance by faculty mentors who themselves have already cultivated the habits we want our students to develop," he said.

"Since it is so new, the ways in which it can be responsibly integrated into an excellent liberal education are not all clear yet, but we are confident that we will be able to integrate this new technology analogously to the ways in which we have integrated other useful technologies like books, pencils, white boards, and computers," Harmon said.

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Pope Leo XIV has offered prayers and condolences to the victims of major floods along the Nepal-China border that have claimed several hundred lives so far.

The flooding disaster was driven by what the U.S. Geological Survey said was a glacial collapse near the Nepalese capital of Kathmandu, one that displaced huge volumes of water and generated catastrophic flooding downstream.

Videos circulating on social media from closed-circuit camera footage showed massive waves of water rushing across the landscape and overtaking entire structures as local residents ran for their lives.

Tweet

In an Aug. 27 telegram sent on behalf of the Holy Father, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin said the pope was "saddened to learn of the loss of life and devastation" caused by the floods.

"Commending the souls of the deceased to the clemency of the Almighty, His Holiness sends heartfelt sympathies to the bereaved, together with the assurance of his spiritual closeness to those affected by this tragedy," the telegram said.

"Likewise offering prayers for the emergency personnel engaged in the ongoing rescue efforts, [the pope] invokes upon all divine assistance and protection," the message continued.

The tragedy has resulted in a global outpouring of support, with governments and humanitarian organizations mobilizing to respond to the catastrophe with resources and assistance.

The U.S. Department of State said it was deploying a "disaster response advisor" to the region to help manage rescue and cleanup efforts. The government said it would also distribute $500,000 in assistance via Catholic Relief Services.

The United Nations, meanwhile, said it had released $2 million from its Global Emergency Fund to provide emergency medical care, water, and shelter to those affected by the flooding.

Workers with the U.N. World Food Programme and the U.N. Children's Fund were also being deployed to the region with supply trucks.

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The Diocese of Knoxville is mourning the passing of American artist and Tennessee native Dolly Parton and reflecting on her legacy.

"I am very sorry to hear of her passing, and I am praying for those who are mourning her loss," said Bishop Mark Beckman of Knoxville in a statement. "She made a wonderful contribution to our world and our community, and she will be greatly missed."

The artist passed away on Aug. 25 at the age of 80 following a brief battle with cancer. Parton is being remembered across the world for her work as a singer, songwriter, actress, businesswoman, and philanthropist whose career spanned over 60 years.

"East Tennessee knew Dolly Parton as more than a world-famous star. We knew her as one of our own," the diocese said in a statement.

"She was shaped by these hills and these churches. Her life shows what can grow from faith, perseverance, imagination, and love for one's neighbors — even from humble beginnings," the statement said.

Parton, who was not Catholic, sang and spoke frequently about her Christian faith and love for Jesus. Some of her public views — including her support for same-sex marriage — differed from Catholic teaching. She was publicly silent on her views about abortion.

"She first sang in a small Pentecostal church, long before the world knew her name," the diocesan statement said. Parton included the Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame in her Dollywood theme park.

"She never hid her faith. It showed up in the hymns she recorded across six decades, in how openly she talked about God, and in the millions of free books her Imagination Library has placed in children's hands," the statement said.

Parton's "life carried the spirit of our mountain home far beyond the Smokies," the statement said.

"As Catholics, we entrust her to the mercy of Almighty God. We pray that Jesus, who is the resurrection and the life, will receive her into His eternal kingdom," the statement said.

Remembering Parton's 'generosity'

Father Jim Sichko, a papal missionary of mercy who has repeatedly referred to Parton as a friend, also mourned the artist's passing, calling her "a woman whose extraordinary gifts reached far beyond the stage."

"As a Papal Missionary of Mercy, I will remember Dolly not simply as an icon of American music, but as a woman who understood that blessings are meant to be shared," Sichko said in a statement.

Sichko, a priest of the Diocese of Lexington, said he "had the privilege of welcoming Dolly to my church on several occasions." He added: "She generously used her presence and influence to help raise money to support my ministry and its work of mercy."

Parton "never forgot where she came from, and she never seemed to forget the people who needed a helping hand," Sichko said.

"Her faith, generosity, humor, and unmistakable spirit touched millions," he said.

"My faith impacts everything that I do because I do believe that, through God, all things are possible," Parton said in a 2023 interview with Fox News. "And so I always ask God to bless everything that I do and the people that I work with and to bring all the right things and right people into my life and to take the wrong ones out."

"So, I try to just live through love as much as I can," Parton said.

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