Catholic News

The U.S. bishops are reiterating their calls for immigrants in the U.S. to be treated with dignity as the Trump administration launched a campaign that likens immigrants living in the country illegally to extraterrestrials.

The White House on May 28 launched a government website "Aliens.gov," a retro sci-fi-styled site that claims the government has "kept a closely guarded secret" about "aliens" and an "invasion" for decades.

The site mimics sci-fi aesthetics, with a bold, geometric sans-serif typeface in neon green and black, like 1950s movie posters used to advertise Cold-War-era sci-fi films featuring monstrous extraterrestrials.

"Aliens have been walking among us, living in our neighborhoods, and interacting with us in our daily lives," the site claims, alleging that "aliens" have "shopped in the same stores, attended the same classes as our children, and lived seemingly normal human existences."

Promoting an "alien arrest map" of immigrant detentions around the country, the site states bluntly that people without legal status "do not belong here."

The website urges visitors to "report suspicious aliens" to an "ICE tip line."

In U.S. law, the word alien is a formal legal classification meaning a person who is not a U.S. citizen or national, a definition that appears in the Immigration and Nationality Act and is used in statutes, regulations, and court decisions.

Dignity, national security 'not in conflict,' bishops says

Immigrants have long been portrayed through metaphors in U.S. culture, from 19th-century political cartoons that depicted Irish, Italian, and Chinese newcomers as monsters or subhuman creatures to modern rhetoric framing migrant groups as "invaders," "infestations," or something other than fully human.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) lamented "the state of contemporary debate and the vilification of immigrants" in a special message in November 2025.

In February, the bishops condemned a plan from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to increase the capacity of migrant detention centers around the U.S. The government earlier this year indicated it would spend about $38 billion to bolster detention space.

Victoria, Texas Bishop Brendan Cahill, chair of the bishops' immigration committee, called the plans "deeply troubling" at the time.

"The thought of holding thousands of families in massive warehouses should challenge the conscience of every American," the bishop said.

Asked about the government's new "aliens" campaign on May 29, USCCB spokeswoman Chieko Noguchi told EWTN News that the bishops have "continuously condemned vilification of immigrants and dehumanizing rhetoric and consistently advocated for a meaningful reform of our nation's immigration laws and procedures."

"They've also repeatedly asserted that human dignity and national security are not in conflict," she said, pointing to the bishops' special message.

The bishops at that time said they "oppose[d] the indiscriminate mass deportation of people," with the prelates praying "for an end to dehumanizing rhetoric and violence, whether directed at immigrants or at law enforcement."

The bishops in February urged the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold the U.S. constitutional policy of "birthright citizenship" wherein any individual born on U.S. soil is counted as an American citizen.

The dispute before the court was launched after Trump in January 2025 signed an order directing that children born to parents in the country illegally were not entitled to U.S. citizenship.

Pope Leo XIV — the first pope in history from the United States — has also weighed in, affirming in November 2025 that while nations have "a right to determine who and how and when people enter," countries "have to look for ways of treating people humanely, treating people with the dignity that they have."

"When people are living good lives — and many of them (in the United States) for 10, 15, 20 years — to treat them in a way that is extremely disrespectful, to say the least," is not acceptable, the pope said on Nov. 18, 2025.

Regarding the bishops' Nov. 12, 2025 message on immigration, the pope remarked: "I appreciate very much what the bishops have said. I think it's a very important statement. I would invite, especially all Catholics, but people of goodwill to listen carefully to what they said."

In a statement to EWTN News, meanwhile, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on May 29 argued that news reports "too often" ignore "the victims [of illegal immigration] and their stories."

"These victims and their families are why we work around the clock to arrest and deport illegal aliens from our communities," the department said, describing crimes committed by undocumented immigrants as "completely preventable."

"What makes someone a target of ICE is if they are in the U.S. illegally," the statement continued, arguing that "nearly 70% of ICE arrests are of criminal illegal aliens who have been convicted or have pending charges."

ICE data shows most people arrested and booked into ICE custody do not have criminal convictions, and some analyses show the 70% figure comes from redefining "criminal" to include pending charges, foreign allegations untested in a U.S. court, and people who have never been found guilty of a crime.

Roughly 25–30% of people arrested by ICE have a prior conviction, according to analyses of ICE arrest and detention data, including work by the Cato Institute and the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse based on ICE data.

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Spanish missionary priest Father Julio Alonso Ampuero dedicates every weekend to evangelizing in the Diocese of Lurín in South Lima, Peru.

He gives retreats, hears confessions, and provides biblical formation and pastoral care to vulnerable individuals, a ministry through which he says he frequently witnesses "many miracles" in the form of conversions and renewed closeness to the faith.

"The truth is that it's a blessing, because practically every weekend there are groups attending the retreat," the priest said in an interview with ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, referring to Holy Family Retreat House in Lurín, the place from which he carries out a large part of his missionary work.

"One certainly sees the fruits," he said. "One sees the good it does for people." He told ACI Prensa that priests like him "are privileged" because people open their consciences to them, and consequently, "one sees miracles constantly."

Ampuero explained that the most requested retreats are those focused on inner healing and those designed for couples, which are open to engaged couples and those living together, with the aim of drawing them closer to the sacrament of matrimony.

"We have also been emphasizing silent retreats, because we see that there is a need to turn inward, a need to put down roots, and a need to strengthen that relationship with the Lord," he added.

A mission accessible to the poorest

Ampuero highlighted that one of the aims of the retreat house is to enable people of limited financial means to participate.

"If there are people who can't pay, or who can only pay a portion, we welcome them just the same. Divine Providence has always looked after us, and we have never gone without," he explained.

For the priest, the impact of these encounters with God is evident. "One need only look at the joy with which people leave at the end of a retreat; the difference in their faces between the day they arrive and the day they depart," he remarked.

"People come back again. They say, 'It has done me so much good that I want to do it again.' So, that is certainly very motivating," he added.

'I've found great openness to the Gospel here'

Ampuero arrived in Peru in 2011, following years of pastoral service and academic formation in Spain and Italy.

A specialist in Sacred Scripture, he pursued studies in Rome and Jerusalem at the behest of his superiors. He served as a professor of "Introduction to Sacred Scripture and the Epistles of St. Paul" at the San Ildefonso Institute of Higher Theological Studies in Toledo, in addition to serving as a formator at the seminary for several years.

He subsequently channeled this experience toward evangelization and the formation of God's people.

"I didn't view myself as a biblical researcher, but rather as someone tasked with disseminating, with making known, all that richness," he explained.

He currently has nearly 30 publications on biblical and spiritual formation to his name.

The presence of priests from Toledo in South Lima dates back several decades to when they first began working in Villa El Salvador, a district still marked by poverty.

Ampuero said that one of the experiences that has impacted him most since his arrival in Peru has been the people's receptiveness to the Catholic faith.

"In Spain, there has been very strong secularization over the last few decades. My experience upon arriving here is that, generally speaking, that was not the case. I have encountered a great openness to the Gospel, a great openness to the tenets of the faith," he said.

He also said the people are close to their priests and place a high value on the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

"One can sometimes spend hours hearing confessions, and people seek out the priest; sometimes simply to unburden themselves, to share their problems, and to find a little consolation and hope," he recounted.

Evangelizing among the most vulnerable

In addition to leading spiritual retreats, Ampuero ministers at the Sowing Hope shelter, which houses 150 men — including the elderly, individuals with mental illnesses, and people rescued from the streets, many of whom are former drug addicts.

"These individuals, who have often lost everything, can come to know the greatest thing of all: the love of God," he said.

The priest particularly highlighted the transformative power of faith in people struggling with addiction. "We know that in cases of addiction, it's faith in Christ, the encounter with Christ, that can most radically set you free," he affirmed.

"That encounter with Christ is what liberates you and heals all wounds."

'Prayer is my daily strength'

The priest said that the key to sustaining such an intense apostolate lies in prayer.

"For me, prayer is my daily strength, and I would not give it up for anything. It's what gives you oxygen; it's what strengthens you; it's what enables you to bear the burdens of your brothers and sisters as well," he explained.

Finally, he shared a message to young people who may be experiencing stirrings to enter the religious or consecrated life.

"Don't be afraid. When God calls us to something, he will always provide the means to carry it out," he affirmed.

"God takes nothing away; rather, he gives everything," he said, recalling a saying of the late Pope Benedict XVI.

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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Florida judge rules against Planned Parenthood in false advertisement case

A circuit court judge in Florida said the state can continue legal action against Planned Parenthood over the abortion giant's claims that the abortion pill is safer than Tylenol.

In a May 27 ruling, First Circuit Court Judge J. Scott Duncan of Santa Rosa County struck down Planned Parenthood's attempt to dismiss a Florida lawsuit that accused the company of false advertising.

In November 2025, state Attorney General James Uthmeier sued Planned Parenthood for $350 million, alleging that the abortion provider spread information that was deceptive and misleading by claiming abortion drugs are safer than Tylenol, Viagra, and penicillin.

Planned Parenthood then asked for the suit to be dismissed, but the judge refused, allowing the legal action to continue.

Colorado governor signs bill requiring college health centers to provide abortion pills

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed a bill requiring college student health centers to provide chemical abortion pills on-site.

The law includes exemptions, however. Colleges are exempt from providing abortion pills "if doing so would jeopardize an institution's federal grant participation, require the institution to deviate from generally accepted billing practices, [or] modify the generally accepted standards of medical practice."

Colleges are also allowed to opt out of the mandate if the rule would "conflict with the institution's sincerely held religious beliefs or practices."

Babies lost to abortion at a record high in Scotland

Scotland saw a record high in the number of babies lost to abortion in 2025, with recent statistics showing that 18,783 babies died from abortion last year.

The count is the highest on record, according to statistics released May 26 by Public Health Scotland.

Scotland currently protects unborn children after 24 weeks of pregnancy.

Report details Planned Parenthood transgender ideology and services

A recent report by the organization Biological Integrity, a project of the American College of Pediatricians, details Planned Parenthood's transgender, or "sex-rejecting," procedures.

The report notes that Planned Parenthood provides free chest binders for minors and distributes hormones to patients as young as 16 years old.

According to the report, Planned Parenthood provides birth control to halt periods of minor girls without parental consent as a "loophole."

Planned Parenthood is a "primary distributor" of sexual education, spending more than $70 million on training participants in fiscal year 2025 and providing resources about transgenderism for children as young as three years old.

The report highlights malpractice lawsuits filed against Planned Parenthood by people who detransition after receiving hormones and surgery.

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Catholic Charities Boston has seen a surge in the numbers of families who need food pantry assistance, offering nearly 3 million pounds of food over the past year. 

Over the past three months, Catholic Charities Boston has "seen over 2,000 new households register who have never come to our food pantries before," said Jonathan Tetrault, the vice president of economic empowerment at Catholic Charities Boston.

Tetrault told "EWTN News Nightly" on May 29 that these families "are seeking help with food assistance because of the many pressures that are … colliding to put pressure on their family budgets."

"So they're reaching out to us for help," he said.

The organization operates "four food pantries across the cities of Brockton, Dorchester, Lowell, and Lynn. This past year, we've served nearly 70,000 people through these four food pantries – almost 3 million pounds of food through these four locations," Tetrault said.

"We offer fresh fruits and veggies, frozen lean proteins, shelf-stable dry goods," he said.

"[W]hat we're hearing from [families] when they're coming in to get these critical groceries is that it's ... a number of factors" that are causing the need, he said.

Following federal cuts to programs like Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Catholic Charities is experiencing an "elevated need in our communities, and we're seeing fewer dollars to meet that need with," he said.

"For some folks, the SNAP work requirements are going into effect. Most of our other clients are being impacted by the high cost of gas" and "utility prices soaring," he said.

"This is all coming together to strain their family budgets over the past several months," he said.

"It is becoming harder to stand in the gap, but that is our commitment [to] those families, those individuals who are coming to us for support. And so we're figuring out ways to do that," he said.

The organization is adapting to meet the urgent needs and acquire the necessary food, he said.

"Most recently, we had to double the credit limit on our fuel cards" to ensure delivery trucks and vans could continue to get fueled up, he said.

Call for community involvement

As Catholic Charities Boston's food pantries operate with small numbers of staff members, they rely on volunteers and are calling for community support.

"We recognize that it takes each one of us to meet the needs of our neighbors in our communities. So we would love for … our community to support us with their time, their talent, their treasure," Tetrault said.

To help, Tetrault called on the community to "find out where your local food pantry is" and "show up to volunteer."

"You can bring donations of dry goods there as well. And then supporting us financially ... is critical because oftentimes we're able to purchase food at a better scale, better price points, when we pull those funds together," he said.

The "food pantries operate with two staff each," he said. "So we rely heavily on our volunteer support" which is "critical for us to be able to serve the hundreds and hundreds of families that we see each and every day throughout the week."

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Pope Leo XIV on May 30 emphasized to Catholic lay leaders that, in a world increasingly divided by war and polarization, shared humanity can help unify it.

During a private audience at the Vatican with the members of the Centesimus Annus Pro Pontifice Foundation, Leo in his remarks referenced his recent encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, explaining that current challenges prompt fundamental questions about life.

"Indeed, it is precisely when faced with adverse circumstances that the human person is called to reconsider the fundamental questions that have gently prodded the heart of countless generations to more serious reflection: 'Where are we going? Toward what goal do we wish to orient ourselves? What direction should we choose as a people and as a human community?'" Leo said.

These questions, the pope said, clearly indicate humanity's common pursuit of truth.

"Such questions are a clear manifestation of humanity's search for truth, and give rise to a desire for something more, a thirst for God and lasting meaning," Leo said in his remarks.

"They also bear witness to the essential aspects of our humanity: the God-given gifts of reason and freedom by which we may come to know the truth and adhere to what is good."

Also referencing his predecessor, St. John Paul II, who founded the Centesimus Annus Pro Pontifice Foundation in 1993 to promote Catholic social teaching, Leo explained that while the modern concept of freedom "is often understood as the capacity to do what one wants," true freedom is lived "as a "gift of self and openness to others."

He also referred to Saint Augustine in his address, using Augustine's concept of the two cities.

"The City of Man, built on pride and love of oneself, is marked by selfish individualism," Leo said. "The City of God, built on love of God unto selflessness, and the cultivation of relationships, is what makes it truly possible to build a civilization of love."

He also reminded those present not to despair at the current state of the world, but engage in "small and steadfast acts of fidelity that serve as a bulwark against dehumanization".

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As the 2025-2026 United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) term came to a close, Commissioner Stephen Schneck detailed the declining religious freedom abroad and the severe violations against people of faith.

"The problems not only are very, very present, but worsening," Schneck told EWTN News. "I think the situation for religious freedom in the world today is worse than it was when I came on the commission, and certainly worse than it was a decade ago."

In its 2026 report, the commission recommended 18 countries to be labeled as "countries of particular concern" (CPCs) — "the label that we give to the governments in the world who are the worst abusers of religious freedom," Schneck said.

The list includes 12 countries the U.S. Department of State designated as CPCs in December 2023, including Burma, China, Cuba, Eritrea, Iran, Nicaragua, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan.

It also includes Nigeria, which President Donald Trump designated in 2025, and five additional recommendations: Afghanistan, India, Libya, Syria, and Vietnam.

India "is among the worst countries in the global community in regards to religious freedom from the analysis that has been done by the commission over the last decade or so," Schneck said.

"Since 2020, maybe 2019, the commission has been calling on the United States government to designate India as a CPC."

The religious freedom status in India is "particularly tragic" because it "is a country that is famous for its democratic traditions and … where many religions have actually emerged historically," he said.

"The principal driver" of the current problems "is a really powerful religious nationalism," he said. "Particularly it's Hindu nationalism that is being promoted largely for political reasons by the political party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), of the current prime minister, Narendra Modi."

"Since the separation from Great Britain and its independence after the Second World War, there have been a number of episodes of communal violence," he said. 

There is "mob violence against minority religious believers increasingly being allowed, and frankly sometimes being promoted, or at least given legal impunity, under the government's control by the BJP."

"The State Department never really explains fully … why they decline to go along with our designation," Schneck said. It could be due to "geopolitical reasons of international politics and U.S. foreign policy."

"India is a particularly important country, for a variety of reasons," including being "an important country set against China in the geopolitical politics of our day, and it's an important country for trade purposes for the United States."

"Unfortunately, now through several administrations ... we have not seen the United States governments actually support our commission's recommended designation."

The commission also continues to recommend China as a CPC, which the State Department has listened to. It has continued to list China since it was first categorized a CPC in 1999.

Despite its designation, Schneck noted that the commission is "very concerned about the situation in China."

As Trump recently traveled to China and discussed political prisoners with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Schneck noted the commission has "called for Jimmy Lai's release and [has] made not only his case, but the case of millions of others within China."

The situation "gets worse and worse" and "it's not just limited to individuals," Schneck said. "We're talking about whole populations here — the Uyghur Muslims, the Tibetan Buddhists, Christians."

"Even our own Catholic Church is under the watchful eye of China … The repression of religion by China is a real deal and something that we should all be concerned about," he said.

Catholics should be 'on the front lines' of defending religious freedom

May marked the end of seven commissioners' terms, including Schneck's. He said: "I'm very concerned about leaving this work at this particular moment … that I see religious freedom really under a great deal of stress around the world."

Schneck was appointed to the commission in June 2022 by President Joe Biden. He was later reappointed to the commission and served as its chair for the 2024-2025 term.

Schneck joined the commission after having worked as a political philosopher, a professor, department chair, and dean at The Catholic University of America for more than 30 years. There, he founded and directed the Institute for Policy Research and Catholic Studies.

Schneck served as a national co-chair of Catholics for Biden, part of Biden's presidential campaign. The group worked to rally Catholics to vote for Biden, despite the then-nominee's support for legislation and policies that did not align with Church teaching. Prior to that, Schneck was appointed by President Obama to the White House Advisory Council for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.

Prior to that, he was appointed by President Barack Obama to the White House Advisory Council for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.

Schneck was also the executive director of Franciscan Action Network, a national organization promoting environmental, economic, and social justice for the Franciscan communities of the United States.

Following his multiple positions, Schneck said serving on USCIRF was the "capstone" of his career.

The work "is so meaningful," he said. "But sometimes it's incredibly hard. You talk to people whose relatives have been killed. You talk to people … who have just come out of prison. You go to refugee camps and you see how refugees are living in absolutely dire situations."

"So, emotionally it can be tremendously hard," he said. "But at the same time…you really do feel that bearing witness to what has happened to these people is important work and makes a difference."

"It was a privilege … to be a representative of my own faith on the commission," Schneck said. "I do feel that my own faith really was strengthened as a result of my participation on the commission."

"The famous document from the end of Vatican II, Dignitatis Humanae, really laid down for our Church what religious freedom should be about, how we as Catholics should be on the front lines in trying to defend religious freedom around the world."

"I feel like I was called in a way by that teaching of our Church to do this work. I mean, truly, even though it's only four years, it did feel like a vocation," he said.

While Schneck is no longer a USCIRF commissioner, he said he plans to continue his advocacy work through other organizations.

Schneck serves on the governing board of Catholic Climate Covenant, a U.S. organization that advocates for care for creation and climate action. He also is on the board of the Catholic Mobilizing Network, an organization working to end the death penalty.

"Both of these two organizations … spun out of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops," he said. 

"I'm pleased to continue my work for the Church with both of these fine organizations, by working on behalf of care for creation ... and working on the Church's pro-life mission in working against the death penalty here in the United States," he said.

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Outside the packed school chapel, Benedictine College students continued to gather, kneeling on the ground to pray for Alex Lynch.

On the night of May 8, the news had spread across the campus that Lynch, a Benedictine student suffering from cancer, had died.

A college senior, Lynch had just had his graduation ceremony. He didn't walk the stage, however; instead, the college president went to him.

On May 7, Benedictine College President Stephen Minnis traveled from the school in Atchison, Kansas, to Lynch's family home in Indianola, Iowa, along with 30 Benedictine students for Lynch's personal baccalaureate Mass and graduation ceremony.

"Graduation is a powerful moment for these students," Minnis told EWTN News. "They have worked so hard for it, including their whole primary and secondary education."

"I want to make that moment special for every student," he said. "It's a moment that is powerful for me too — I pray a Hail Mary for every student by name when they come and when they graduate, but I have prayed especially for Alex."

"It just took an extra step in his case, but I didn't want to miss his big moment," Minnis said.

Father Ryan Richardson, Benedictine College's chaplain, told EWTN News he spoke "directly to Alex" in his homily, detailing how Lynch lived out the fruits of the Holy Spirit while at school.

"He radiated the Holy Spirit and the love of Christ," Richardson said. "Alex often said that his desire was that others see Christ in him. He definitely accomplished that."

Finnegan Ritchie, a close friend of Lynch's, was among the 30 students who attended the ceremony.

"We were both worried that it was going to be unreasonably long," Ritchie said in an interview with EWTN News. "Entertaining people is exhausting. But Alex was able to sit and stand at will; he had a lot of grit."

"After the ceremony, he had a little graduation party and greeted his family and friends," Ritchie said. "It was wonderful to see how everyone came together to bring food, drinks, and tables for the occasion. People were catching up with each other and treating it like any other grad party."

Ritchie said goodbye to Lynch in the evening, "around 5:30 p.m."

"It was very difficult to leave him," Ritchie said.

On May 8, less than a day after his home graduation ceremony, Lynch died. It was late in the evening on a Friday night. Off-campus parties stopped. Students gathered in the chapel, again, this time to pray for a friend who had passed away.

"Students left parties and gathered spontaneously in our adoration chapel," Minnis said. "It was filled until late that night. It was an overwhelming response."

The following day, Benedictine held a Mass on campus in his memory.

Students traveled from all over the country for Lynch's funeral at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Indianola, Iowa, on May 14, nearly filling the pews in the church.

"He made such an impact," Minnis said. "The way he lived and the way he died will change these students for years."

Yellow pins and applause

On Saturday, May 16, just over a week after Lynch died, Benedictine's official graduation took place. The crowd was peppered with students wearing yellow pins, which they wore, Richardson said, "to remember Alex."

While at Benedictine, Lynch was a resident adviser (RA) on campus. He played intramural sports, was active with FOCUS, and sang in the choir at Mass.

"The best way I can describe Alex is that he was faith-filled," Richardson said. "Faith in Christ was the foundation of his life and his faith in Christ spilled over into all his relationships."

"[Lynch] had a friendship with the Holy Spirit that was alive and active," the chaplain continued.

"He loved people sincerely and intensely," he said. "Even in the midst of his illness he would often look me in the eye and intentionally ask how I was doing and how he could pray for me."

"We have grieved as a community," Richardson said.

"Since Alex's passing, though, I think many of us have transitioned from sadness to peace," he continued. "In his death Alex showed us what it means to truly live and what it means to live the faith to the end."

Lynch's friend Jack Figge, a recent Benedictine graduate and a Catholic journalist, wrote a tribute to Lynch in Benedictine's school publication.

"I spent three days with Alex at the beginning of the week he passed away. It's a series of days I will never forget because Alex lived out what it meant to be a suffering servant," Figge told EWTN News.

"He never complained about the pain he was in; he was so generous with his time making sure that everybody who wanted to see him could," Figge recalled. "Whenever you walked in, the first question he asked was 'How are you?'"

"Even in the midst of being close to death, he remained joyful, laughing, and cracking jokes," Figge continued. "On the day of his graduation, so many people wanted to say goodbye and he was clearly tired. But he sat and talked with everybody for hours, making sure he had a moment with everybody."

In the last week of his life, Lynch visited his parish to pray a Holy Hour.

He died reciting his baptismal promises — promises made by Catholics at baptism and renewed at the Easter Vigil.

Benedictine students and faculty remembered Lynch at the school's graduation ceremony, where Lynch's parents walked the stage in his place.

"It was truly fitting to have Alex's family with us at graduation," Richardson said. "The resounding applause they received was a tribute to the impact that Alex had on each of us and the legacy he has left at Benedictine College."

Shaved heads and a walk down the aisle

When Lynch discovered he would lose his hair from chemotherapy, 30 of his friends at Benedictine shaved their heads, Ritchie recalled.

"We did it to be funny, but we also wanted to present ourselves as Alex's friends," Ritchie said. "He and I, along with many others, had spiritual conversations often — we wanted to do college well. We wanted to know what our purpose in life was and how to go about getting it."

"At the end of the day, we wanted to be virtuous; it was the way to a happier life on earth and an even more perfect one in the next life," Ritchie said.

"Alex sought to see God in everyone he met in order to love them well. We rarely talked about his disease; I figured he wanted to let go of it while he was with people," he said.

"He loved the quiet; he enjoyed eating breakfast at the door to St. Joseph Hall and seeing people he loved walk by," Ritchie continued. "I was always struck by his take on things, since death was a real threat for him; it put my life in perspective. He taught me that I have a lot to be grateful for, and that it is best to take action now than wait until later."

In one of their last conversations, Lynch told his friend he had learned from him as well. "I'm honored to have been taught by him," Ritchie said. "I'm even more honored to have taught him something. I think we just wanted to seek God together."

Earlier this year, Lynch walked down the aisle as a groomsman at the wedding of one of his best friends, Ben Shonka, who recently served as a pallbearer at Lynch's funeral.

"Alex was a goofy man; he loved his faith and loved to have fun," Shonka, also a Benedictine graduate, told EWTN News. "He made every moment count whether he was with friends or whoever."

"He was one of the groomsmen in my wedding because he was one of the best men in my life," Shonka said. "He really showed me what masculinity could look like at our age."

"He was so intentional in everything he did," Shonka recalled. "He knew everyone's name and would always greet them accordingly. He would always be down to talk whenever. He lived a life of prayer, often going to Mass and adoration."

After Lynch's death, Shonka's wife observed that Lynch had walked down the aisle as a groomsman at their wedding and now her husband had carried Lynch "down the aisle as a pallbearer to his final resting place."

The college president noted the impact Lynch had on both students and himself.

"I think the students saw him as a representative of the best of what they are and a model to aspire to," Minnis said. "I see him that way, too."

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The Washington Nationals have fired a spokesman after video surfaced in which he appeared to admit that the team discriminates against one of its outspoken Catholic pitchers.

EWTN News confirmed on May 29 that the Nationals had dismissed its former community relations director Sean Hudson amid media coverage and criticism from religious groups over the video.

Hudson was at the center of controversy earlier in the week when footage posted to X by "guerrilla journalist" James O'Keefe apparently showed him claiming that the baseball team "[doesn't] use" Williams in certain team activities due to his having criticized an LGBT group that mocks Catholic religious imagery.

Williams had spoken out in 2023 against the Los Angeles Dodgers' decision to honor the "Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence" with a "Community Hero Award." Members of the group of drag performers dress up in attire resembling Catholic nuns and engage in sexualized performances.

The group also uses imagery of Jesus and the Blessed Mother in its performances. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has referred to the displays as "blasphemy."

A source confirmed to EWTN News that Hudson had been dismissed following the video controversy. An email to Hudson's Nationals address earlier in the day had been returned with the notification that the address was "no longer a system account," while Hudson's LinkedIn account had been taken down at some point prior to May 29.

Prior to a May 29 game against the San Diego Padres, team business president Jason Sinnarajah said in an interview on the Nationals broadcast channel that the team is "not anti-Catholic" and does "not hide players from social media."

"We were horrified by the comments that were made on the video," he said. "The comments don't reflect us as an organization, our values and who we are. We took action right away, and that individual is no longer employed by the team."

The recent O'Keefe video, posted to X on May 26, features a man identified as Hudson describing Williams as a "super Catholic" and referencing his criticism of the drag group.

"Because of that, [the team doesn't] use him on social [media]," Hudson claims in the video.

Williams told "EWTN News in Depth" in 2023 that his criticism of the Dodgers "had to be said."

"We cannot stand idly by while Our Lord gets mocked," he said at the time.

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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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