Catholic News

Pope Leo XIV's first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, is a paean to peace that warns of the danger of "a world in a permanent state of belligerence" even more threatening than the Cold War era.

In that era, the pope writes, despite the existence of grave conflicts, "the awareness persisted that a new global conflict had to be avoided at all costs."

Following the Second World War, "peace was made the focus of the international order, as attested in particular by the United Nations Charter" but now, war has been "revived as an instrument of international politics, while the very ethical principles that had previously limited its use are being eroded," writes the pope.

The Holy Father makes no reference to any specific conflict, but rather offers an assessment of a world shaken by violence.

"Today, more than ever, without prejudice to the right to self-defense in the strictest sense, it is important to reaffirm that the 'just war' theory, which has all too often been used to justify any kind of war, is now outdated," the pope indicates in the encyclical.

The right to self-defense

This is not a radical shift, but rather a predictable trajectory that Leo XIV himself outlined from the first day of his pontificate, when, following his election on May 8, 2025, he spoke from the balcony of the Apostolic Palace of a peace that was "unarmed and disarming."

Recently, during one of his customary encounters with the press upon leaving Castel Gandolfo, where he spends most Tuesdays, he responded to a question from EWTN journalist Javier Romero concerning self-defense.

Self-defense, he said, has always been accepted by the Church. However, he qualified the application of the concept of a just war in the current context: "To talk about just war today, it's a very complex problem. You have to analyze it on many levels, but ever since the entrance into the nuclear age, the whole concept of war has to be reevaluated."

"I always believe that it's much better to enter into dialogue than to look for arms and to support the arms industry, which gains billions and billions of dollars each year, instead of sitting down at the table solving our problems and using money to solve humanitarian issues, hunger in the world, et cetera," he added.

In an interview with EWTN News, Cardinal Michael Czerny, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, emphasized that, although the pope reaffirms "the right to self-defense" in the encyclical, it remains "impossible to justify a war."

The cardinal said the new encyclical is "a very, very strong call. And it has to do with responsible use. And the Holy Father gives the example of military power. We have achieved a certain level of control. And we must do the same with artificial intelligence in warfare as soon as possible."

Teaching on just war subject to historical circumstances

The Church's teaching on "just war" is, by definition as noted by the Second Vatican Council, dynamic and subject to historical circumstances. Popes have progressively raised the bar for accepting the legitimacy of armed conflict.

Thus, in 2003, the Iraq War drew outright condemnation from Pope St. John Paul II in response to the United States' planned offensive: "No to war! War is not always inevitable. It is always a defeat for humanity," the Polish pontiff declared on Jan. 13, 2003, before more than 170 ambassadors accredited to the Vatican.

About four weeks later, on March 19, 2003, the United States began its preemptive war against Iraq.

The first major point of reference for contemporary doctrine on war is the Second Vatican Council itself. Its pastoral constitution, Gaudium et Spes (Joy and Hope), established a provisional criterion in 1965: "As long as the danger of war remains and there is no competent and sufficiently powerful authority at the international level, governments cannot be denied the right to legitimate defense once every means of peaceful settlement has been exhausted."

It continued: "State authorities and others who share public responsibility have the duty to conduct such grave matters soberly and to protect the welfare of the people entrusted to their care. But it is one thing to undertake military action for the just defense of the people, and something else again to seek the subjugation of other nations. Nor, by the same token, does the mere fact that war has unhappily begun mean that all is fair between the warring parties," reads a section of paragraph 79 of this document.

A quarter of a century later, in 1992, the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) addressed at length the notions of "legitimate defense" and "safeguarding peace," within a more complex international context.

After acknowledging the approval of certain Church leaders of "cruel practices" such as torture in times past, the text affirms that "Because of the evils and injustices that accompany all war, the Church insistently urges everyone to prayer and to action so that the divine Goodness may free us from the ancient bondage of war."

According to the CCC, "The strict conditions for legitimate defense by military force require rigorous consideration." It also states that "the evaluation of these conditions for moral legitimacy belongs to the prudential judgment of those who have responsibility for the common good."

These conditions include "lasting, grave, and certain" damage; the exhaustion of "all other means of putting an end to" a conflict; the existence of "serious prospects of success"; and the assurance that "the use of arms must not produce evils and disorders graver than the evil to be eliminated."

Referring modern weaponry such as nuclear arms, the CCC also underscores that "The power of modern means of destruction weighs very heavily in evaluating this condition."

The Church has previously expressed its concern regarding so-called killer robots, or autonomous weapons, whose level of technological sophistication has increased notably in recent years.

Pope Francis called upon G7 leaders gathered in Italy in 2024 to ban the use of autonomous weapons capable of operating without human mediation in armed conflicts.

However, Magnifica Humanitas marks the first time that this appeal has been incorporated into an encyclical.

"Any technology that facilitates attacks without seeing the face of human beings lowers the moral threshold of conflict. Target selection and the use of force must not confuse combatants and non-combatants, nor ignore the impact on defenseless populations," the pope emphasizes.

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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Spain's president congratulates Pope Leo XIV on Magnifica Humanitas

Spanish President Pedro Sánchez offered his praise for Pope Leo XIV's first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, on Wednesday.

"No technology is neutral, AI isn't either. And even less so those who use it and the purposes for which they use it," Sánchez wrote in a social media post on X. "I have congratulated Pope Leo XIV for centering his first encyclical on this topic. Only multilateralism and international governance can ensure that technology serves humanity, and not the other way around," he said.

Catholic and Coptic dialogue resumes after tensions over same-sex blessings

After nearly two years of tension, the Catholic Church and the Coptic Orthodox Church are moving back toward theological dialogue, ACI MENA, EWTN News' Arabic language service, reported.

Following renewed contact between Pope Leo XIV and Pope Tawadros II, the Coptic Orthodox Holy Synod announced that dialogue with the Catholic Church would resume. The move comes after the Coptic Orthodox Church strongly rejected Vatican guidance on blessings for people in same-sex relationships.

The continuation of dialogue protects a decades-long ecumenical relationship at a time when Christians in the Middle East face severe, shared pressures.

Catholic agency in South Sudan issues Ebola alert

The Catholic Organization for Development and Peace (CODEP) of the Catholic Diocese of Tombura-Yambio (CDTY) in South Sudan has issued an alert and advisory notice urging heightened preparedness against Ebola following reports of the outbreak in neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), ACI Africa, a sister EWTN News service, reported Thursday.

In the May 26 advisory addressed to staff of the Wholeness and Wellness Health Service Department, St. Theresa Mission Hospital, health workers, community leaders, and the public, CODEP Director, Father Charles Mbikoyo warned that "the risk of cross-border transmission remains serious due to frequent population movement within the region."

Mbikoyo said that "although no confirmed case has yet been reported in our area, the risk of cross-border transmission remains serious due to frequent population movement within the region. We therefore cannot remain passive or unprepared."

Aleppo Catholics bid farewell to beloved archbishop

The Melkite Catholic Church in Aleppo celebrated the funeral of Archbishop Emeritus Jean Jeanbart, whose name became closely linked with rebuilding, education, and pastoral resilience in the city.

At his funeral on Tuesday, church leaders remembered him as a bishop who invested in schools, housing, youth formation, and the future of Christians in Aleppo, even during years of war, ACI MENA reported. His legacy was presented not only as a record of service, but as a practical answer to fear and displacement.

Belarusian Noble laureate meets Pope Leo XIV

Ales Bialiatski, a Catholic and Nobel laureate, met Pope Leo XIV on and delivered a letter to the pontiff raising concerns over human rights issues facing believers in Belarus.

"There are around a thousand political prisoners in prisons, including Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant priests. That is why I asked him to pray for the release of political prisoners in Belarus, to pray for the Church and for the priests who are imprisoned, as well as for democratic change in Belarus," Bialiatski said in a social media post on Wednesday.

Bialiatski has been detained multiple times, including in 2021 amid government crackdowns on nationwide protests following President Alexander Lukashenko's contested election. He has previously said, "if I get to meet the pope, I'll inform him of our Church's needs."

Chaldean patriarch meets Iraq's new Prime Minister ahead of installation

Chaldean Patriarch-elect Paul III Nona received Iraq's new prime minister in Baghdad just days before his installation, ACI MENA reported Tuesday.

The meeting between the newly elected leaders touched on Iraq's diversity, the place of Christians in public life, and the need to face the country's challenges through cooperation rather than division. The patriarch, Paul III Nona, was installed on Friday at St. Joseph Cathedral in central Baghdad.

Christians in northern India arrested on mass conversion charges

Authorities in Uttar Pradesh arrested three Christians on Thursday, alleging that the individuals organized "mass conversion events," according to a UCA report on Friday.

The three men, Pastor Vivek Kumar, Mohit Chaudhary, and a man identified in the report as "Amit" were arrested after hardline Hindu activists stopped their vehicle while they were traveling with a group of about 30 people to the state capital of Lucknow for a prayer gathering.

The activists said in the First Information Report (FIR) that the men were "conducting religious conversion activities and were found carrying Bibles and other Christian literature," according to UCA.

Lebanese choir brings Zahle's sacred music to Rome

Lebanon's WATAR Choir brought the sound of Zahle to Rome in a recital that blended prayer, memory, and Lebanese musical heritage, ACI MENA reported Thursday.

Performing in several languages, the choir offered a program rooted in church tradition while also carrying the emotional weight of Lebanon's story abroad. The evening drew clergy, diplomats, and members of the Lebanese community, turning the concert into a moment of faith, culture, and belonging far from home.

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Most abortion drug sellers are flouting a federal rule that protects women from complications from chemical abortions, according to a recent report.

The May 26 report by Charlotte Lozier Institute, a think tank affiliated with Susan B Anthony Pro-Life America, examined the telehealth abortion landscape and investigated whether abortion drug providers follow U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requirements.

Titled "An Overview of Online Abortion Drug Access in Post-Dobbs America," it found numerous alleged violations, including a discovery that eight online abortion distributors violate state pro-life laws by shipping abortion drugs into those states.

The report also found that eight in 10 abortion drug sellers send abortion drugs after 10 weeks of pregnancy, flouting an FDA rule meant to protect women from potential harm.

Within the formal U.S. healthcare system, which involves licensed healthcare professionals, the report found that abortion drug sellers "do not provide the type of oversight typically associated with telemedicine or even telehealth services."

In addition, abortion sellers outside the formal U.S. healthcare system — such as international online organizations, e-commerce pharmacies, and community networks — have minimal safeguards for women. These organizations ship abortion drugs "produced outside of the FDA's approved supply chain." The report maintains that this "could be characterized as the wild west, as almost zero safeguards exist for women."

The report also found that 28 websites are still selling unapproved and misbranded abortion drugs to women even after the FDA sent abuse letters to them in 2019.

Mia Steupert, research associate at the institute and the report's author, called the findings "egregious."

"The abortion industry loves to claim 'abortion is healthcare,' but their actions and advocacy have shown they don't want abortion to be treated with the same level of regulatory scrutiny as legitimate medical procedures," Steupert said.

"No one should be able to obtain abortion drugs as easily as purchasing something off Amazon," Steupert said, adding that the findings "should serve as a wake-up call to policymakers that a wild west of online abortion drug access only serves to end unborn life at all costs, even at the expense of women's safety."

Kristi Hamrick, a spokesperson for Students for Life of America, said the "anonymous distribution of what is sometimes classified as a controlled substance is out of control."

"Our undercover work, ordering chemical abortion pills online without any verification at all — of whether a woman is pregnant, or late in pregnancy, or experiencing an ectopic pregnancy (which can't be ended with the pills) — is medically negligent," she said.

"Just as horrific, the fact that abusers can get the drugs easily, makes it clear that pill pushers don't care what happens to the women exposed to the dangerous dies, as long as they get paid," Hamrick continued. "Chemical abortion pills expose women to injury, infertility, and death. And that's when they work as advertised."

Andrea Trudden, a spokeswoman for Heartbeat International, a worldwide network of more than 4,000 pregnancy help organizations, said the report "confirms exactly what many of us warned would happen when abortion pills were deregulated."

"The FDA needs to reinstate in-person dispensing now to protect women from unnecessary harm," Trudden said.

"Ironically, the more the abortion industry markets abortion as 'reproductive healthcare,' the fewer actual healthcare professionals tend to be involved in the process," Trudden continued. "Women are increasingly being pushed toward mail-order abortion drugs with little medical oversight, no in-person examination, no ultrasound, and in some cases apparent disregard even for FDA safety limits."

Trudden also raised concerns about abortion drug poisonings, citing recent arrests for alleged secret druggings. There are numerous documented cases of pregnant women being drugged with abortion pills, ending the lives of children they wanted to keep.

"Concerns about coercion, abuse, and complications were repeatedly dismissed, yet Heartbeat International continues to document disturbing cases involving abortion drug poisonings and women being secretly drugged by boyfriends or family members attempting to end pregnancies without their knowledge or consent," Trudden said. 

Just this week, a Kentucky woman's boyfriend was arrested for allegedly committing fetal homicide, causing the woman to lose her baby by replacing her medications with an abortifacient.

In another case this week, a Texas man was indicted on charges of an abortion and injury to a child after he allegedly administered a substance to a Texas woman without her knowing, causing the death of the unborn baby and "serious bodily injury" to the woman.

In addition, Rosalie Markezich, a Louisiana woman, is involved in an ongoing lawsuit after she was allegedly coerced into taking mail-order abortion drugs by her boyfriend.

"Women deserve real healthcare and real protections, not an increasingly profit-driven system willing to sacrifice their health and safety for the sake of abortion," Trudden said.

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During a panel discussion on Friday, Nicaragua Freedom Coalition President Rosalia Gutierrez-Huete Miller said Catholic persecution in her home country is being met with "silence" despite continued government pressure.

Miller, whose citizenship was revoked by the Nicaraguan government in 2023, said that while Catholics in Nicaragua continue to face "the lack of freedom to worship" amid continued pressure from the dictatorship of President Daniel Ortega and his wife and "co-president" Rosario Murilo, other denominations have chosen to "work with the government to avoid that persecution."

The May 29 panel discussion took place at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C. The discussion comes after the release of GHREN's March 2026 report detailing systematic repression and human rights violations against the Nicaraguan people.

"Everything has to be vetted by the government, especially what priests are going to preach on Sunday," she said, noting the presence of spies for Maduro regime in churches, who she said, "are not taking notes only, but recording what the priest is saying in case that homily was changed or there is variation."

"Those who are not with [the government] are quiet," Miller said. "I have permission to mention that in my meeting with [Monsignor Silvio José Báez, auxiliary bishop of Managua], when I asked him, what is the status of the Catholic Church in Nicaragua, he said 'silence.'"

"I think that Rosario Murillo, she's afraid of the power of the Nicaraguan faith," Miller said. "It's values that shape their beliefs and commitments. She, as we know, needs to control and repress communities of faith in order to prevent the social process, and protests, because that immediately gives them cause for concern."

Miller lamented the cancellation of traditional Holy Week processions across her home country. "I remember back to my childhood what that meant for a child, what it meant for the whole population — it was a joyous occasion. And now, they cannot do that."

"But guess what?" she said, "If you look at the videos, and I see them, they're being held inside the churches. And that gives me so much encouragement, so much pride, because they cannot just wipe us out […] Faith is being practiced regardless."

Other participants in the panel included Christopher Hernandez-Roy, acting director and senior fellow of the Americas Program, Jan-Michael Simon, chair of the United Nations Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua (GHREN), and Juan Holmann Chamorro, the manager and publisher of the Nicaraguan newspaper, La Prensa.

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The port of Arguineguín with its pier located on the southern end of the Spanish island of Gran Canaria, where Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to visit on June 11, is at first glance just another port in a fishing town. But it's a seemingly nondescript place that in 2020 became the setting for one of the most dramatic episodes of Europe's migration crisis.

A port transformed into a symbol

For four months, more than 2,600 people — six times the capacity of the pier, which spans a mere 656 ft. — remained crowded together there in inhumane conditions. There were as many people jammed together on the concrete as there were inhabitants in the town that hosted them.

"It was already a very turbulent time, on many levels. Locally, we were right in the middle of the [Covid 19] pandemic, and due to a lack of resources, the food bank had just closed," recalled Father Adrián Sosa Nuez, who arrived in September 2020 at Our Lady of Sorrows and St. Agatha Parish. Located just a few feet from the port, the parish was where he began to witness the mass arrival of hundreds of "cayucos" — the narrow flat bottom boats that migrants use.

That year, 23,000 migrants and refugees arrived in the Canary Islands, mostly hailing from the Maghreb and sub-Saharan Africa. Fleeing poverty, war, and drought in search of hope, the desperate people of the world's poorest continent cast off into the Atlantic for an extremely perilous voyage.

The island of Gran Canaria lies approximately 95 miles off the northwest coast of Morocco, a distance that in the unseaworthy, open-topped wooden vessels the migrants use, can stretch into voyages lasting up to a week.

The collapse nobody knew how to handle

Although the 2020 figure is lower than the historic record of 46,843 arrivals recorded in 2024, the surge six years ago caught institutions off guard. There were no adequate facilities to receive them, no beds, and no defined strategy to address a situation that, though foreseeable, spiraled into a humanitarian crisis.

"The impact came as a shock to us not only as a parish, but as the Canarian people. We were unaccustomed to witnessing scenes of this kind, and it caught all the authorities off guard. No one knew how to handle it," Sosa told ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News.

He is currently a judge on a diocesan tribunal, a professor of canon law, and the parochial vicar in the Siete Palmas neighborhood of Las Palmas, where the pope will celebrate Mass in Gran Canaria Stadium.

Trying to survive in overcrowded conditions

The migrants themselves improvised makeshift shelters using tarps and cardboard. The pier became a place where people slept, ate, and prayed. In real terms, each person had little more than one square yard of space.

Arguineguín thus came to symbolize a triple failure: that of the migrant reception system, that of respect for human rights, and, ultimately, that of human dignity. Added to this were restrictions imposed because of the pandemic.

"We were unable to be at the pier due to Covid protocols, so we could only provide help at a later stage," explained the priest. Around twenty hotels on the island then opened their doors to accommodate the migrants. "That was when we began to put a human face to their suffering and to accompany them," he said.

The response of the Church and society

Volunteers from the parish and from Caritas mobilized to offer Spanish classes. Some even welcomed migrants into their own homes. Sosa himself gave shelter to a young man in the rectory after the young man was left out of the reception system.

"Pope Francis had recently published Fratelli Tutti, and it was truly providential. It helped us greatly in raising awareness across all social strata that, as Christians, not everything is negotiable and that we had a duty to help these people," he explained.

The crisis also fostered collaboration among various ecclesial organizations. Among others, Sosa received calls from Father Ángel, founder and president of the NGO Messengers of Peace, inquiring about their needs, as well as from the evangelical church Misión Moderna.

"Despite the difficulties, it was a time of great joy, a time of feeling in communion with the entire Church," he recalled.

Along the edges of the pier in those days, family members also gathered in search of news regarding their loved ones. They arrived bearing photographs, asking survivors if they had seen them. "Many arrived traumatized. If someone fell ill during the crossing, in many cases they were thrown into the sea," Sosa recounted.

In the words of the priest, it was "a major traumatic experience." Since 2020, more than 19,000 people have died attempting to reach the Canary Islands, victims of the cold, the currents, and a journey spanning hundreds of miles, depending on the point of departure.

In 2025 alone, of the more than 3,000 people who perished on maritime routes, 1,906 lost their lives on the Atlantic route to Europe as documented in the 2025 Monitoring the Right to Life report by the NGO Caminando Fronteras (Walking the Borders).

Pope coming to the 'pier of shame'

Six years later, the pope will visit this site, now known as the "pier of shame." Nearly 2,000 people will await him there, the very place where many first set foot in European territory under extreme conditions. Moreover, this visit fulfills a wish that his predecessor, Pope Francis, was unable to realize.

"Many of those who will be with the pope have experienced the grueling Atlantic route. A great many have left friends or acquaintances behind at the bottom of the sea," explained Caya Suárez, a social worker, secretary general of Caritas in the Diocese of the Canary Islands, and coordinator of the event.

One of the most moving moments will be the casting of a floral wreath into the sea in memory of the victims, echoing the gesture performed by Pope Francis in the Sicilian island of Lampedusa. Alongside Pope Leo, a human chain will be formed by people who "wish to remember those they have seen die."

The pope will listen to the testimonies of four migrants, who will recount not only the hardships of their journey and the stigmatization they endured, but also how Caritas and other ecclesial organizations have become a new family to them.

In Las Palmas province alone, Caritas has assisted more than 22,000 migrants of African and Latin American origin since 2020. Since 2024, the Caritas Española confederated network has launched 47 diocesan projects dedicated to welcoming and supporting undocumented individuals.

"Caritas steps in when people, regrettably, find themselves outside the system, when government assistance fails to reach them," Suárez explained.

A cross made from cayuco wood

Another significant moment will be the blessing of an image of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, the patroness of sailors. A small altar dedicated to her image, which is deeply rooted in local fishing traditions, is kept on the pier. On numerous occasions, sailors have been the first to go out to rescue incoming vessels.

Alongside this altar will be a cross crafted from the wood of a migrant boat, a cross that has already become a symbol of the local Church. At the conclusion of the ceremony, the pope will bless both the cross and the image of the Virgin, which will remain on the pier.

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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The Swiss Bishops' Conference has endorsed a national legal ban on so-called conversion measures aimed at people who identify as LGBT while insisting that legitimate pastoral care, counseling, and psychotherapy be expressly shielded from any prohibition.

In a statement issued May 26, the bishops said they reject conversion measures in all their forms. "Practices aimed at changing or suppressing sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression contradict the dignity of the person as the image of God and can cause considerable harm," the conference said (translated from German).

The bishops defined conversion measures as targeted influence intended to make a person change or suppress his or her sexual orientation or "gender identity," exercised through means such as pressure, blame, threats, isolation, devaluation, or religious fear.

Open-ended, respectful conversation and accompaniment, in which a person reflects on his or her situation and decides in freedom, does not fall under that definition, they said.

The conference reserved its sharpest language for religious settings. "In a religious context, such practices can become spiritual abuse when people are shamed, threatened, or manipulated in the name of God," the bishops said. Church pastoral care must never exert pressure or shame people, they added, and conversion measures are incompatible with Catholic pastoral care.

Pastoral care is legitimate, the bishops said, "when it preserves the dignity and freedom of the person, protects personal integrity, and exercises no undue influence."

The statement backs the aim of Motion 22.3889, now before the Swiss Parliament, which would prohibit and penalize the offering, facilitating, and advertising of conversion measures, the bishops said, "especially to protect minors and vulnerable persons."

They set three conditions for any law: a clear definition that captures targeted "conversion" practices; a precise delineation so that open-ended pastoral care, counseling, and professional psychotherapy are not criminalized; and ready access for those affected to support, counseling, and channels for filing complaints.

A long-running Swiss debate

A federal ban has been debated in Switzerland for years. The National Council, the larger chamber of Parliament, adopted Motion 22.3889 on Dec. 12, 2022, instructing the government to create a criminal provision against conversion practices.

The Federal Council recommended rejection, with then-Justice Minister Karin Keller-Sutter arguing that a ban at the federal level was not feasible and that some acts could already be punishable under existing law.

The motion remains in committee in the Council of States, which has awaited a federal report on the scope of the practices. Several cantons have already enacted their own bans.

The bishops were not alone in weighing in. The Protestant Church in Switzerland, the country's main Reformed body, issued its own statement the same day, also backing a legal ban.

The debate extends beyond Switzerland: In late April the European Parliament voted in favor of an EU-wide ban, and on May 13 the European Commission said it would recommend, without binding force, that member states outlaw such practices. Switzerland is not a member of the European Union.

Bishops say position is grounded in Catholic teaching

The bishops argued that they were grounding their position in the teaching of Pope Leo XIV, citing his inauguration homily of May 18, 2025, in which he said the Church is called "to offer God's love to everyone, in order to achieve that unity which does not cancel out differences but values the personal history of each person."

That pastoral emphasis sits within the wider framework of Catholic moral teaching. The Catechism of the Catholic Church holds that homosexual acts are "intrinsically disordered" and that "under no circumstances can they be approved" (No. 2357), while teaching that persons with homosexual inclinations are called to chastity and, through prayer and sacramental grace, "can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection" (No. 2359).

In its 1986 "Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons," what was then the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith — now the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith — then led by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (the future Benedict XVI), wrote that pastors "should have the confidence that they are faithfully following the will of the Lord by encouraging the homosexual person to lead a chaste life and by affirming that person's God-given dignity and worth."

The same letter taught that those who experience the inclination should not be led to believe that "the living out of this orientation in homosexual activity is a morally acceptable option," adding: "It is not."

A caution over religious freedom

The Swiss bishops' insistence on protecting pastoral care echoes a concern raised by their Austrian counterparts.

As CNA Deutsch, EWTN News' German-language news partner, has reported, the Institute for Marriage and the Family of the Austrian Bishops' Conference warned in 2023, when Austria considered a similar ban, that an overly broad prohibition could sweep in serious counseling for people experiencing conflicted sexuality and could restrict religious freedom where it touched pastoral accompaniment by confessors, pastoral workers, or laypeople.

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Vice President JD Vance told graduates of the U.S. Air Force Academy on May 28 that regarding modern warfare and artificial intelligence (AI), he agrees with Pope Leo XIV's recent admonition "not to outsource the most important decisions to digital technology."

During the commencement address in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Vance told over 900 graduating cadets that "the thing I worry about most with AI is how it will change warfare."

Vance said that "decisions over life and death must be made by humans and not machines." He warmed the graduates to fiercely guard their roles "as the decision-makers in warfare" rather than outsource to AI.

"You are the masters of warfare and both your minds but also your hearts are the opposite of artificial," he said. "Use technology to make you better, but never submit to it."

Vance echoed Pope Leo's recently released encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, in which the pope said human beings must not allow AI to make decisions in war because those systems do not "have a moral conscience, since they do not judge good and evil, grasp the ultimate meaning of situations, or bear responsibility for consequences."

Leo called for a "moral and social discernment that safeguards the primacy of the human person, in order to ensure that it will always be human intelligence, with its conscience and freedom, that guides technical innovations and responsibly determines their use and limits."

In the encyclical, the pope said that AI's power "remains entirely tied to data processing. So-called artificial intelligences do not undergo experiences, do not possess a body, do not feel joy or pain, do not mature through relationships and do not know from within what love, work, friendship or responsibility mean."

A total of 931 graduates received their diplomas during the graduation ceremony and will enter the Air Force or Space Force, where they will serve for a minimum of five years.

Though Vance told the graduates his main worry with AI is how it will affect war, he also acknowledged other concerns, namely "how it will affect the labor market, how it will distribute resources, and how it has fundamentally changed how we interact with one another, our social lives."

Leo also addressed these concerns in the encyclical, writing that while AI systems "often surpass human intelligence in speed and computational capacity, offering tangible benefits across many fields," society must not forget "the primacy of human labor over any mindset focused solely on finance or productivity — with the consequent attention to the people and families most susceptible to exploitation."

AI systems "may imitate language, behavior and analytical skills, or even simulate empathy and understanding," the pope wrote, "but they do not understand what they produce, for they lack the affective, relational and spiritual perspective through which human beings grow in wisdom."

Just War theory 'outdated'

The vice president told the cadets that what "makes Americans unique … is that we wage war justly," admonishing them they must do the same when they become "the ones who lead on the battlefield."

Waging just wars "is an incredible burden to put on your shoulders. But it is one that we entrust to you with full confidence," Vance said. "And if the warfare of the future is to live up to the moral values of our ancestors, decisions over life and death must be made by humans and not machines."

"You're the ones who ensure that our lethality in war, which is amazing and necessary … also coexists with our heart and with our conscience", he said.

In his encyclical, however, Leo suggested the Church must update its "just war theory" in light of modern technological and political developments.

"Today, more than ever, without prejudice to the right to self defense in the strictest sense, it is important to reaffirm that the 'just war' theory, which has all too often been used to justify any kind of war, is now outdated," the pope said.

While acknowledging nations' continued right to legitimate self defense, the pope wrote that resorting to "force, violence and weapons reflects a relational poverty that always has disastrous consequences for civilian populations."

"Humanity possesses far more effective and capable tools for promoting human life and resolving conflicts, such as dialogue, diplomacy and forgiveness," he said.

Vance's address to the Air Force cadets comes after Pope Leo's recent comments implying the U.S. is not engaged in a just war in Iran, remarks that were followed by a verbal attack from U.S. President Donald Trump.

Vance weighed in on the matter several weeks ago, saying the pope should take more care when he speaks on theological issues such as just war.

"In the same way that it's important for the vice president of the United States to be careful when I talk about matters of public policy, I think it's very, very important for the pope to be careful when he talks about matters of theology," he said.

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The Catholic University of America (CUA) and Faithful Citizenship Institute (FCI) are launching a partnership to prepare Catholics for a life in public service rooted in Catholic social teaching.

The organizations will help students who complete a graduate-level Catholic Social Teaching Certificate Course through FCI continue their public policy studies by earning three credit hours toward CUA's Master in Public Policy (MPP) program.

"This brings together the practical training offered by FCI and the rigorous professional training of the MPP program. That creates a pathway for policy professionals to gain the skills necessary to put Catholic social teaching into practice," Richard Gallenstein, founding director of the master of public policy program, said in a press release.

The two organizations also will collaborate on events and programming. In addition to receiving course credits, all MPP students will have access to FCI's upcoming formation and networking platform, Fratelli.

The collaboration comes at a time when "current political culture is marked by deep division that extends beyond Capitol Hill – even to our church pews," said Jennifer Daniels, FCI president and co-founder.

"By forming public policy professionals in the principles of Catholic social teaching, they will reflect the light of the Gospel in civic life to serve the common good," she said.

Benedictine College moves closer to launching its osteopathic medical school

Benedictine College has filed the application for candidate status with the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation after acquiring the necessary funds for submission. This pushed the institution one step closer to opening its proposed School of Osteopathic Medicine.

The institution may receive notification of status as early as September 2026, allowing for progression to the next steps. The expected status keeps the school on track to welcome its first class in 2028.

"This is the big moment that many people have been waiting for," Benedictine College President Stephen D. Minnis said in a press release. "Our next task is to finish this proposed medical school that will imitate Christ the teacher and the healer."

The proposed Benedictine College School of Osteopathic Medicine plans to train 180 medical students per year, who will then serve in Catholic hospitals around the country, bringing medical care to those in need.

"This is a great moment when Benedictine College sees the need for rural health care and is stepping forward to educate physicians to fill the gap in delivering faithfully Catholic, high-quality medical care," said Mike Kuckelman, chair of the board of Benedictine College.

Families open school in Sacramento following closure of Catholic school

Families in the Diocese of Sacramento established Alphonse Gallegos Academy (AGA) after the diocese announced the consolidation of three Catholic schools, leading to the closure of two campuses this summer.

The new school refers to itself as "a modern alternative to traditional private school" and "an independent, faith-based learning co-op."

It plans to serve Sacramento families through a full-day, teacher-guided academic environment rooted in faith, community, and strong educational foundations.

Families are actively enrolling for the 2026–2027 school year as the school prepares for its founding classes.

The school's launch began after the Diocese of Sacramento announced the merger of St. Charles Borromeo School, St. Patrick Academy, and St. Robert School, which will take effect in June 2026.

AGA will include faith-based education "inspired by Catholic tradition," according to its website, but is not a diocesan school.

AGA is named in honor of Blessed Alphonse Gallegos, who "devoted his ministry to serving others, especially children, families, and those often overlooked by society."

His "example of joyful service and compassionate leadership continues to inspire the mission and values of AGA," the school reported.

CUA honored for demonstrating 'significant contributions' in space or aerospace research

The Universities Space Research Association (USRA) has welcomed The Catholic University of America (CUA) to its consortium.

CUA was granted membership on May 18 from USRA, a nonprofit corporation to advance space-related science, technology, and engineering. It operates scientific institutes and facilities other research and educational programs under federal funding.

To receive a USRA membership, institutions must have demonstrated "significant contributions in space or aerospace research by faculty," and "a substantial commitment to a course of studies and dissertation research leading to a doctorate in one or more related fields."

"We look forward to the contributions of The Catholic University of America in ongoing space science investigations, and collaborations with faculty and peers on space-related projects, and USRA programs that bridge academic research with real-world space exploration challenges," Dr. Elsayed Talaat, president and CEO of USRA, said in a press release.

CUA's designation marks the 124th USRA institution. The designation also follows the university's achievement in 2025 of the R1 designation, granted to institutes with the highest levels of research activity.

CUA's "academic prominence and background in physics, engineering, computer science" and its "passion for space science made it an ideal candidate for membership with USRA," USRA reported.

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Poland's bishops have defended the constitutional meaning of marriage, saying that upholding it is not acting "against anyone or taking away anyone's dignity," as Polish cities begin registering same-sex couples following an EU court ruling.

"Respect for each person does not mean giving up the truth about marriage that the Church has been preaching from the beginning," the Family Council of the Polish Bishops' Conference (KEP) said in a May 22 statement signed by its chairman, Archbishop Wieslaw Smigiel.

Warsaw and Wroclaw have begun transcribing same-sex "marriage" certificates into Poland's civil registry after Prime Minister Donald Tusk pledged to implement a November 2025 ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union requiring member states to recognize such unions contracted elsewhere in the bloc.

In their reaction, the bishops recall that Article 18 of the Polish Constitution states that "marriage, being a union of a man and a woman, as well as the family, motherhood, and parenthood, shall be placed under the protection and care of the Republic of Poland."

This is not a formality, the bishops say, warning that "expansive interpretations of law may lead to the weakening of the constitutional understanding of marriage." They contend that "such fundamental issues should not be resolved through interpretations that raise serious social and constitutional concerns," pointing instead to a deeply rooted reality in "the Polish legal system, cultural tradition, and the Christian understanding of marriage and family, which for centuries have co-shaped European understanding of humanity."

The episcopate stressed that the debate on marriage "should be conducted with responsibility, calm, and genuine concern for the common good."

Meanwhile, Slovak lawmaker Michal Šabo "married" his male partner in Hainburg, Austria, just across the Slovak border, where same-sex marriage is legal. He wants Slovakia to recognize the marriage, but the country's constitution has defined marriage as a union of a man and a woman since 2014, and a September 2025 amendment recognized only two sexes, male and female.

Šabo knows Slovakia cannot register the union and would eventually sue the country over it, former minister Milan Krajniak warned. The progressives "do not want tolerance" but want others "to have to accept their idea of the world," the former minister claimed.

In April, after elections in Hungary, the EU's top court ruled that the country's 2021 law limiting the promotion of LGBT and gender-related issues to minors, passed under outgoing Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, breached the EU's founding values.

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Pope Leo XIV's upcoming visit to Spain will take place against a political and social backdrop marked by intense polarization.

The divided political climate coincides with an unprecedented event in Spanish democracy: the indictment on charges of alleged corruption by a former prime minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party, who held the office when Pope Benedict XVI visited the country 15 years ago.

Zapatero's scheduled court appearance in connection with his alleged involvement in a scheme linked to the 2021 public bailout of the airline Plus Ultra, originally set for June 2, has been postponed by the judge to June 17–18.

The cardinal archbishop of Madrid, José Cobo, downplayed the impact the case will have on the pope's June 6–12 visit. "We are accustomed to operating amid many events in political life. That is simply part of life, and the headlines keep shifting," he stated in an interview with EWTN News.

The stability of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's government is also being called into question by some of its coalition partners, such as the Basque Nationalist Party, which has labeled the decision not to call general elections before the end of the year "irresponsible."

Polarization is not limited to the political sphere, however. According to the Atlas of Polarization by More in Common (2025), nearly 5 million Spaniards have broken off a personal relationship in the past year due to ideological differences, a figure equivalent to 14% of the population. Furthermore, three out of every five citizens say they avoid discussing politics to avoid creating conflict.

According to jurist Rafael Domingo Oslé, professor at the University of Navarra in Spain, this phenomenon reflects a grave deterioration of society at large. "Spain is experiencing a moment of profound social fragmentation, exacerbated by a political class incapable of lowering the tone," he said in an interview with ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. In his view, the volume of personal breakups "is a symptom that we are losing the respect necessary to prevent a society from fragmenting."

A shared language

In this context, the pope's visit takes on a particular significance as the emergence of a voice capable of introducing a different language into the public debate.

"A papal visit does not, in and of itself, resolve a crisis of this nature. But it can accomplish something that politics, by its very logic, is no longer able to achieve: offering a common framework and a shared language," Domingo explained.

The key, he added, lies in the pontiff's unique position: "The pope arrives not as an arbiter of an ideological debate but as a shepherd reminding a weary society that every person, regardless of whom they vote for, possesses a dignity that precedes their opinions."

This circumstance has prompted an unusual gesture in recent Spanish politics: a unanimous invitation to the pope extended by both the House and the Senate.

"In a country where parliamentary consensus is nearly impossible, all political forces have agreed to listen to the same voice. That, in itself, is already a healthy gesture," Domingo emphasized.

Leo XIV will address a joint session of the Legislature on June 8, marking the first time a pontiff has spoken before both Spanish legislative chambers.

The motto of the trip, "Lift Up Your Eyes," encapsulates the spirit of the visit, according to Domingo, who said he hopes Spaniards will "cease focusing solely on immediate conflict and look toward what truly matters."

Concurrently, the encyclical Magnifica Humanitas has met with a remarkable reception in the Spanish political world.

In a message posted on X, Sánchez emphasized: "Leo XIV's encyclical Magnifica Humanitas challenges us all. AI is not neutral, and digital power could lead us to new atrocities if it is not directed toward the common good. The text is also a defense of peace, human dignity, and multilateralism. Spain is clear on this: In this moment of change, we cannot be resigned spectators. Everything that makes us human is at stake."

Along the same lines, Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares told the press, following his audience with the pope on May 4: "There is a great convergence between the Vatican's positions and Spain's humanist foreign policy at this time."

Despite these points of convergence, tensions between the Church and the political realm remain.

One of the most visible flashpoints is the re-signification of the Valley of the Fallen (Cuelgamuros), a monument to the victims from both sides of the 1936–1939 Spanish Civil War comprising a basilica, a cemetery, and a guesthouse.

For 44 years, the mortal remains of dictator Francisco Franco lay buried there until their exhumation in 2019. Franco was the general who led the victorious right-wing Nationalist side against the leftist Republican side in the conflict.

The current government has led the drive to transform the site into a political memorial, while the Church has advocated for the preservation of the monument's religious dimension.

Italian constitutional scholar Marco Olivetti warned during a press conference at LUMSA University in Rome that "historical memory has been used as a divisive element that shapes public perception of the Church."

Added to this are legislative clashes such as the attempt to enshrine abortion rights in the Spanish Constitution or proposals to eliminate military chaplains, efforts in direct confrontation with Church doctrine.

However, criticism of the Church does not stem solely from the left. The bishops' defense of immigrants, including their support for the government's plan to give legal status to undocumented immigrants, which would benefit nearly half a million people already residing in Spain, has also drawn reproaches from conservative quarters.

Santiago Abascal, the leader of the Vox party, which declares itself Catholic, lashed out at the secretary-general of the Spanish Bishops' Conference, Bishop Francisco César García Magán: "This character never dares to criticize the mafioso government. Because the government provides him with his business through the invasion [the influx of illegal immigrants]. And that's his priority: the business. And a profound contempt for the Spaniards who wish to defend their homeland."

The risk of instrumentalizing the pope's words

The papal visit is not without risks in a climate of high polarization, Domingo warns. "One party will highlight whatever suits its agenda while remaining silent on the rest; another will try to do the opposite. It's inevitable."

Nevertheless, he underscored the Holy See's experience in "writing speeches that stand as a cohesive whole."

"Taking the pope out of context is relatively easy; refuting him is much more difficult," he said.

Cobo shared this concern regarding the pontiff's address before the joint session. "I believe this is a gesture that is also very characteristic of the Church, for it entails listening to the Christian tradition speaking about politics, but 'Politics with a capital P' [the noble art or statesmanship]. In a society where we are accustomed to talking about political parties, that moment is significant. The fear, indeed, is that we might attempt to make a discourse on 'Politics with a capital P' to fit into a partisan narrative, effectively pitting one against the other," he noted in his interview with EWTN News.

Moreover, the context is exacerbated by the rise of identity-based discourses that conflate politics and faith.

Sociologist Rafael Ruiz Andrés, a professor at Complutense University in Madrid, warned in an interview with ACI Prensa that "there is a whole range of sectors, located primarily within the far-right spectrum, and specifically in Spain within the Vox party, that seek to portray the defense of Christian culture as a central tenet of their platforms." However, he qualified this by noting that "it's not necessarily a defense based on religion" but is rather linked to "identity-based culture, and in many instances, positioned in opposition to Islam."

In his view, one of Pope Leo XIV's concerns is precisely "that there be this sort of hijacking of Christianity by politics." In line with this, reports published following a meeting of the executive committee of the Spanish Bishops' Conference with the pope pointed to the Vatican's unease regarding attempts to "instrumentalize the Church," although the bishops subsequently clarified that the pontiff spoke in general terms about "the risks of subjecting faith to ideologies," without referring to any specific group.

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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