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About 130 cathedrals, thousands of churches, and over 125,000 people around the world are expected to take part in Red Week this month, with the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, honoring the occasion by lighting up in red on Nov. 23.

Red Week 2026 will take place from Nov. 15–22, with Red Wednesday falling on Nov. 18 in most regions, although it will be observed on Nov. 25 in the Philippines.

The observance began in 2016 by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), an international Catholic aid organization and Pontifical Foundation of the Church that supports Christians who are persecuted, oppressed, or in material need. The week includes illuminating monuments in red, prayer vigils, testimonies, and seminars on Christian persecution around the world.

Designed to raise awareness of the ongoing Christian persecution in countries particularly in Africa and Asia, Red Week brings together those who are persecuted and those who are working to end violence and hatred against people of faith. At various events, testimonials from survivors of religious persecution will provide powerful moments of reflection about the suffering and human rights violations happening around us that go unnoticed.

According to the latest figures provided by ACN, 413 million Christians live in countries where serious violations of religious freedom occur, and around 220 million Christians worldwide are directly exposed to persecution.

"Faced with this reality, the pontifical foundation is once again promoting the Red Week this November, an international mobilization of prayer, witness, and awareness-raising to draw attention to the deterioration of religious freedom and remember the millions of Christians who suffer discrimination and persecution because of their faith," said Regina Lynch, executive president of ACN International.

Red is more than a color

According to ACN's "Religious Freedom in the World Report 2025," more than 5.4 billion people — almost two-thirds of humanity — live in countries where religious freedom is not fully guaranteed.

The color red is used to symbolize the blood of martyrs and all those who suffer for their faith. In 33 countries Christians have been forced to leave their homes because of their faith while in 57 countries Christians suffer physical violence or even detention because of their faith.

Each church and monument taking part in Red Week serves as a reminder of Christians who cannot freely practice their religion. In line with article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, every individual has the freedom of thought, religion, and conscience with the right to practice their beliefs, free from persecution and violence.

Through this weeklong initiative, ACN aims to promote one shared goal of making visible the shared suffering of the Christian people and defend everyone's fundamental rights to religious freedom.

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Research shows that roughly 60% of women who have had abortions say they would have chosen life if they had more support at the time, according to Anna Stephens of Her PLAN, a pro-life safety net organization that provides practical support to mothers experiencing crisis and for years afterward.

"Abortion says to women: 'You can't be a good mom.' It's a lie," she said. "The pro-life movement says the opposite."

The organization connects services that already exist within communities so that pregnant women and new mothers who want to choose life can receive the practical support they need.

"At Her PLAN, we do the 'life' piece of the pro-life movement," Stephens said. "We help moms to choose life, and to sustain it."

With the approach of the U.S. bishops' Pregnancy Help Appreciation Week from Nov. 9–13, Stephens, marketing and communications director at Her PLAN, spoke with EWTN News about the organization's mission and how her faith informs her work there.

Her PLAN, founded in 2020 and headquartered in Virginia, assesses women's needs across seven key areas, aiming to strengthen community-based resources that can meet those needs at the time of a crisis pregnancy and for years afterward.

The seven areas are women's health; care coordination and pregnancy support; prenatal diagnosis; material or legal support; finances, work, and education; recovery and mental health; and care for children.

"How can we provide those things to her in that moment of crisis and years down the road, so that she can make the choice for life?" Stephens said.

The organization does not provide direct services itself. Instead, it identifies assets already present in local communities, building a directory of life-affirming, credentialed, and trustworthy providers. It also looks for gaps in needed services, such as transportation, housing, or childcare, and then works with communities to fill those gaps.

Her PLAN's directory currently spans 29 states and contains more than 8,000 listings of vetted, life-affirming providers, Stephens said. The organization has coordinators on the ground in nine states: Florida, Georgia, Arkansas, Tennessee, Virginia, Ohio, West Virginia, North Carolina, and Nebraska. There, they meet community stakeholders, facilitate workshops, and help identify needs and existing resources.

In states without a coordinator, the Pathways platform, launched in June, offers a 10-question quiz that gives those with a desire to help mothers in need a place to begin.

"People often want to help in a concrete way but don't know where to start," Stephens said. "The problem feels too big, and they might think: 'I can't open a maternity home, so I won't do anything.'"

The Pathways platform offers practical ideas so individuals and parishes can start helping mothers in concrete ways, whether with a support group, a food pantry, job assistance or financial help, or a day of free car maintenance.

Stephens said that transportation is one of the biggest barriers many mothers face: "If they don't have a working car, they can't get to work or drive their children to school."

She described car maintenance days, an effort supported by Her PLAN, where mechanics volunteer their time, often with the assistance of a local church, as "a practical way everyday people can use their skills and expertise" to help mothers with a very real need.

Stephens, who keeps St. John Paul II's quote "Be not afraid!" up in her office, said her Catholic faith shapes her work and mission. "I've always had a heart for this. I always recognized, from my parents, the intimate beauty and worth every human life has. I've always wanted to protect that."

Her PLAN is a project of the SBA Pro-Life America Education Fund and is a secular group, but Stephens said "the pro-life work we do here is inherently Catholic in many ways" because of its "fundamental belief in the worth of every human being."

She said the group also offers churches a 30-day prayer guide to assist them in discerning what needs mothers have and how to help them.

The U.S. bishops recently recognized the "heroic" work of pregnancy help centers and resource help centers such as Her PLAN.

In a statement issued Oct. 27 in anticipation of Pregnancy Help Appreciation Week, Bishop Daniel E. Thomas, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Pro-Life Activities, thanked those who provide "necessary resources to women, babies, and families during pregnancy and beyond."

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The bill to ban surrogacy in Colombia will undergo the first of four required debates in the coming days, Rep. Luis Miguel López Aristizábal, the bill's author, announced.

"The proposal for the bill that would ban 'rent-a-womb' or surrogacy in Colombia has just been formally submitted. This means that in the next few days, we will hold the first of the four debates that this bill requires," the congressman from the Conservative Party stated.

The bill was introduced in mid-August in response to calls from the Constitutional Court in four separate rulings to enact legislation regarding surrogacy, an area currently lacking legal regulation, which is being exploited by private clinics, with "direct consequences for the fundamental rights of the women who carry the pregnancies and the children born through this practice."

On his social media, López stated that "the lobbying by clinics has been truly incredible; however, we believe that the majority of Colombians support this bill. And not just that, I hope it will be passed unanimously in the Congress of the Republic, as it has the backing of various voting blocs."

"We need this to be prohibited quickly to protect our children and women — after all, what is the value of a baby? Naturally, it is priceless, because a child is not a product, and a woman cannot be rented," the legislator remarked.

What the bill proposes

López noted that "the bill does not criminalize the pregnant woman; rather, it protects her and directs sanctions toward those who promote, facilitate, finance, or organize this practice."

To this end, the bill establishes the criminal offense of "reproductive exploitation through surrogacy" with or without payment involved and imposes penalties on those who promote, facilitate, finance, or organize such practices, with punishments consisting of "120 to 192 months [10 to 16 years] in prison and fines ranging from 500 to 1,500 times the minimum wage, with aggravating circumstances applicable in cases involving the vulnerability of the woman."

These sanctions also apply to Colombian citizens abroad who have fully or partially engaged in surrogacy.

In addition to protecting the surrogate mother from having to return any payments received, the bill establishes that, "for all legal purposes, the mother of the children conceived or born in Colombia is the woman who carries and gives birth to them."

This story was first published by EWTN News Español, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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Catholics voted about equally for Democrats and Republicans in the 2026 midterms, exit polls show, with Catholic voters shifting their alignment from 2024 to help propel Democratic politicians to their historic victories on Nov. 3.

Exit polling data released by NBC News shows the Catholic vote almost equally split between Democratic and Republican politicians this year, with the network reporting 50% of Catholic voters choosing Democrats and 49% choosing Republicans.

The even split marks a notable departure from the 2024 presidential election, which saw just 39% of Catholic voters casting ballots for Democrat Kamala Harris and 59% of them voting for Republican Donald Trump, according to NBC data from that year.

Andrew Chestnut, the Bishop Walter F. Sullivan chair in Catholic studies at Virginia Commonwealth University, told EWTN News that the results represent a "notable shift" from 2024, though "it remains to be seen whether this represents a lasting political realignment."

He noted that a closer read of polling data reveals a more nuanced view of the Catholic voting bloc.

"The preliminary exit polls underscore the considerable diversity of American Catholicism, with 56% of white Catholics voting Republican compared with 65% of Hispanic Catholics who favored Democrats," he said.

"Equally noteworthy is the generational divide, with 65% of Catholics under 29 voting Democratic," he said, though he pointed out that "younger voters' preferences do not necessarily predict their political allegiances later in life."

The stronger Latino Catholic vote for Democrats likely reflects a response to Trump's hard-line immigration policies, Chestnut said. The president's public criticism of Pope Leo XIV earlier in the year "could also have influenced some voters," he noted, though "the extent of either effect is difficult to establish."

Though the Catholic vote in the midterms broke markedly from 2024, the 2026 numbers are similar to other recent elections in which NBC obtained exit polling data. Exit polling in 2016 showed 46% of Catholics voting for Hillary Clinton that year and 50% voting for Trump, while in 2020 Catholics voted for Democrat Joe Biden over Trump by a 52% to 47% margin.

Though Catholics were evenly divided between both major parties in 2026, other religions broke heavily for Democrats, according to the exit poll data.

Muslim voters reported voting Democratic 86% of the time, according to the network's data, while 68% of Jewish voters cast Democratic ballots.

Those who identified their religious affiliation as "none," meanwhile, were 78% in favor of Democrats, with just 20% voting Republican.

Chestnut said high Democratic support from "nones" reflects the "growing electoral significance of religiously unaffiliated Americans," while high Muslim support "point[s] to the diversity of the party's religious coalition."

Regarding the Catholic vote, meanwhile, "ultimately, the results reinforce the importance of Catholics as a potentially pivotal constituency whose voting patterns reflect differences in ethnicity, generation, and political outlook, rather than any unified Catholic political identity," he said.

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MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay — Pope Leo XIV on Friday opened his first visit to South America as pope with a call to protect life from its beginning in the womb until its natural end and to guarantee healthcare for all members of society.

The pope addressed Uruguay's President Yamandú Orsi and other dignitaries in the country's capital on the first day of an 11-day tour of the continent that will also take him to Argentina and Peru.

"The unborn already belong to the human family and to the future of their people. Their absolute dependence on their mother does not diminish the dignity to which they are entitled or the protection they deserve," Leo said.

Though he did not directly mention euthanasia, which Uruguay legalized last year, the pope stressed the need to preserve life even in the midst of suffering.

"Given the painful reality of suicide, it is clear that adequate healthcare, family ties, and the closeness of the community are inseparable. None should ever feel like a stranger among their own or think that their absence matters less than their presence," Leo said. "It is everyone's responsibility to ensure that each person can live with dignity, receive the care they need, and be accompanied until the natural end of his or her life."

Euthanasia, the intentional ending of a human life in order to relieve suffering, is forbidden by Catholic teaching.

The pope referred to his recent surgery for lung cancer, less than a month before his trip to South America, in his call for universal healthcare.

"Recently I experienced firsthand the limitations imposed by illness and I received care for which I am deeply grateful. That experience makes me think of the many men and women who lack the means to obtain a timely diagnosis or receive the treatments they need. Ensuring that healthcare is accessible to everyone, regardless of their resources, is a duty that confronts every society," Leo said.

Uruguay is exceptional among Latin American countries for the extent of its state-provided social services. It is also one of the most secular countries in the region, where more than half the population does not identify with organized religion and the official state calendar refers to Holy Week as Tourism Week.

Echoing remarks he made in September in France, whose model of secularism has historically influenced Uruguay, Leo called for religious believers and institutions to take part in public life.

"The secular character of the state involves an obligation to ensure that there is room for believers and nonbelievers to live together in freedom and respect. This neutrality does not require that the religious dimension be confined to the private sphere," the pope said. "Individuals and religious communities can contribute to the common good while respecting the autonomy of civil institutions."

Leo also took up the theme of Uruguay's secularism in his second and final speech of the day, a homily at a vespers service in the city's cathedral with bishops, clergy, religious, and seminarians. The pope said the example of a Christian minority was especially important in evangelizing the society around them.

"One of the secrets of evangelization is to resemble the One whom we proclaim. In this land, where many of our contemporaries barely know Jesus Christ and so many young people have grown up far from the life of the Church, that witness has a special power. May the way we look at others, the way we listen, or the way we reach out to those who suffer prompt them to ask about the origins of that love. When we speak to them of Jesus, may they discover the very Lord whose goodness they have begun to experience, despite our own poverty," the pope said.

This story was updated at 6:42 p.m. ET on Nov. 6, 2026, with his speech at vespers.

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A piece of American history came to life at the Nov. 4 red carpet premiere of a new film called "Jimmy." With music from the 1940s playing in the background, a military color guard paying tribute to legendary actor Jimmy Stewart, and a B-24 Liberator flying overhead, the evening in Dallas celebrated a side of Stewart that many don't know: his service as a World War II bomber pilot.

James "Jimmy" Stewart was a beloved American actor best known for his portrayal of George Bailey in the Christmas classic "It's a Wonderful Life." But at the height of his Hollywood career, Stewart put acting on hold to serve his country during World War II. The new film explores this transformative chapter of his life and how his wartime experiences would later influence his iconic portrayal of the family man from Bedford Falls.

Stewart served in the military from 1941 to 1945, eventually deploying to England in 1943 as a heavy bomber pilot with the United States Army Air Forces. Assigned to the Eighth Air Force, he rose to become a squadron and group commander and flew the B-24 Liberator on 20 combat missions over occupied Europe, including raids on targets such as Berlin.

He would later serve as a strategic bomber officer and attain the rank of brigadier general in the U.S. Air Force Reserve.

It was Stewart's service to his country that inspired director Aaron Burns to create the new film.

In an interview with EWTN News at the premiere of "Jimmy," Burns shared that he grew up watching Stewart's movies but he had "no idea that the life he lived was every bit as interesting — maybe even more so — than the films he made."

"I read an article that Jimmy wrote about this period of his life and how 'It's a Wonderful Life' was the first movie he made when he came back from serving in World War II," he added. "And I had no idea that Jimmy was in a war and so it uncovered, for me, a whole new chapter to explore."

For Kelly Stewart-Harcourt — one of Stewart's daughters — her initial reaction upon hearing someone wanted to make a biopic on her father was that it would be "boring because he had a scandal-free life."

"But then, when it was focused on this particular chapter of his life, then I started thinking more about it," she said. "My biggest concern was, 'Would dad approve?' And I think, it doesn't glorify war, it tells a really true story, and I think he would approve."

Stewart-Harcourt also recalled the role her father's faith played in his life professionally as an actor, during his service, and as a father and husband.

"Faith was very important to dad. He didn't wear it on his sleeve. He was very quietly religious but he went to church every single Sunday … A few times, I would burst into the bedroom to tell him something, and it would be before he was going to bed, and he would be kneeling at the bed like a little boy saying his prayers."

She added that he often told her that his faith is what "gave him great strength and comfort."

KJ Apa, the actor who portrays Stewart in the film, shared that taking on this role impacted the way in which he thinks about what it truly means to live a meaningful life.

He admitted that in his early 20s he got "caught up for the wrong reasons" in the entertainment industry. Now, as a father and in a committed relationship, it "puts things in perspective."

"At the end of the day, what it comes down to is what kind of person you are behind closed doors. That's who you really are. I can say with certainty that Jimmy was that same guy behind closed doors and hopefully it inspires other people to practice what you preach, in a way," he said.

Apa added: "Because in a time where people like to capitalize on fame, and one opportunity, and they're very quick to kind of forget about everything else in order to gain this thing that's going to make them huge — this story kind of shows the opposite of what that looks like, to throw that away and be like I'm doing this because it's the right thing to do. It's pretty cool. It's the ultimate to me. It's the ultimate story."

Karolyn Grimes, the actress who played ZuZu Bailey in "It's a Wonderful Life," recalled her time working alongside Stewart and called him "an angel on earth" and that the beloved American Christmas classic "was a gift to people."

She said she hopes viewers will "realize that there is kindness in this world and there is goodness. Sometimes you have to look for it, but it's there."

"Jimmy was the epitome of kindness and he set such a wonderful example that I hope they could take that away from him and maybe make some changes in their lives to be more of a good Samaritan and to give of themselves more," Grimes added.

Hien Papaian, the founder of the production studio behind the film, Papaian Studios, shared similar sentiments. She told EWTN News that she hopes viewers will see "the kindness and the love that exudes from every part of this movie. Again we can disagree, we can have differences, but we can love each other through that and still unite in kindness."

As for Stewart-Harcourt, she said she hopes viewers will come to see "how very honorable" her father was.

"Jimmy" can be watched in theaters nationwide now. Veterans, active-duty military, first responders, and their families can receive free tickets to see the film.

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The Democratic Party will head into the 2027 legislative session with majorities in the House of Representatives and the Senate following a landslide victory in the midterm elections, and one of its focuses will be to advance pro-abortion legislation.

Earlier this year, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries promised healthcare would be one of the top Democratic priorities for 2027 and created a Cost-of-Living Healthcare Working Group to develop a legislative plan, led by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, and Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Alabama.

Based on a memo developed by the working group and obtained by Politico in late September, Democratic plans to codify the now-defunct Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision, which made abortion legal nationwide, and plans for tax-funded elective abortions, "should be considered for advancement in the first 100 hours" of the legislative session.

"Reestablish a federal right to abortion care and end restrictions that prevent people covered through federal health programs from receiving abortion coverage," read the memo, which is dated Sept. 1 and was published by Politico on Sept. 25.

EWTN News reached out to Ocasio-Cortez's office and Sewell's office to ask whether this is still the plan but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

The White House provided a statement to EWTN News when asked about Democrats' plans to prioritize abortion legislation but did not specifically say whether President Donald Trump would veto any pro-abortion bills.

"The Trump Administration is committed to Gold Standard Science, as outlined in detail by President Trump's Executive Order, 'Restoring Gold Standard Science,'" White House spokeswoman Allison Schuster said in the statement. "The mifepristone safety review by the FDA is just one example of President Trump's total commitment to ensuring the health and safety of all Americans."

2 bills for immediate consideration

One bill the working group suggests Democrats consider to advance in the first 100 hours is the Women's Health Protection Act, which was first introduced in 2013 to codify Roe. This bill would declare abortion "a human right" and prevent state governments from restricting abortion before fetal viability, which is typically in the 23rd or 24th week of pregnancy.

According to the 2025 version of the bill, viability is when the unborn child can survive outside of the womb. Whether the unborn child is viable would be determined by "the treating health care provider," who is typically the abortionist.

Although some post-viability abortion restrictions would be allowed, all state laws would need to allow abortion through the ninth month of pregnancy if "the treating health care provider," who is typically the abortionist, deems it necessary to protect "the life or health of the patient." The text is unclear as to what qualifies as a threat to the patient's health.

If this bill were to become law, it would immediately invalidate state-level pro-life laws across the country.

"It would sweep aside state protections for unborn children," Laura Echevarria, communications director National Right to Life, told EWTN News.

She said the bill would "take away the ability for [people's] elected representatives … [to] protect babies before viability." And after viability, she said abortions would be allowed "if the abortionist determines the abortion is necessary."

Echevarria said the text used in the bill offers a "very broad definition" for the health exemption and warned that it could include not just physical health complications but also mental health complications, as determined by the abortionist.

The second bill the working group suggests Democrats consider within the first 100 hours is the Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Health Insurance (EACH) Act, which would add abortion coverage to tax-funded health insurance plans for government workers and people enrolled in Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

Essentially, the bill would eliminate the Hyde Amendment, which has been included in spending bills since 1976 to prohibit federal funds for elective abortions. Although the ban on tax-funded abortion originally had bipartisan support, Democrats have sought to eliminate the ban in recent years.

Echevarria said the EACH Act would "require abortion coverage across specific government health programs," with the goal being to eliminate Hyde. She said: "The federal government would ensure that abortion would be covered, so it's very broad and very sweeping."

She said the Democrats' plan to prioritize these bills is "disappointing" but "not surprising." She said that although the Democratic Party used to welcome pro-life voices, "now it's the party that encourages women to 'shout their abortion.'"

"It used to be we had more pro-life Democrats in the House years ago, [but] the Democratic Party has not welcomed pro-lifers in years," Echevarria said. "So they are not welcoming that viewpoint."

Kelsey Pritchard, the communications director for Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, said in a statement to EWTN News that this agenda shows "pro-abortion Democrat extremism will be on full display next Congress."

In addition to the two bills included in the memo, Pritchard said: "We also anticipate efforts to revive the expansion of Obamacare subsidies that further taxpayer funded abortion coverage, another avenue for more babies to die at the hands of the federal government."

The incoming members of Congress will be sworn in at noon on Jan. 3, 2027. Although not all of the results are finalized, Democrats will have at least 253 seats in the House and at least 54 seats in the Senate.

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Father Alberto Medel reported that staff at Mexico's Secretariat of Foreign Affairs (SRE, by its Spanish acronym) demanded he remove his clerical attire for the photo to renew his passport, a requirement he described as discriminatory and a violation of his right to religious freedom.

The incident took place on Nov. 4 at the passport office in the Coyoacán borough of Mexico City, according to an account the priest shared on X.

In response to the complaint, Roberto Velasco Álvarez, who heads the SRE, said on X that he had given instructions "for the photograph to be retaken with him wearing his ecclesiastical attire, and for the passport to be issued."

What happened?

According to Medel, the coordinator of the theological committee for the college of exorcists of the Primatial Archdiocese of Mexico, an SRE employee told him that he "could not have the photograph taken while wearing his ecclesiastical attire."

The priest refused to remove his attire, arguing that he had the right to dress according "to my state of life, provided that my face remained perfectly visible."

The employee consulted with a supervisor, and Medel was allowed to be photographed in his clerical attire.

However, while waiting for his new passport, the priest was told by another person, who "did not identify herself by name or position and displayed a hostile attitude from the start," that the SRE would not process a passport application with a photograph showing him in clerical attire.

When Medel requested that she show him the law that prohibited his attire, the official "showed him a page from the secretariat's internal regulations, which state that photographs containing religious symbols are not permitted."

Medel said a police officer standing behind the official seemed to indicate "a clear attitude of intimidation."

"We Catholic priests are second-class citizens whose freedoms and rights are restricted because of our choice of faith," he stated, alleging that what occurred violated the rights stipulated in the Mexican Constitution concerning nondiscrimination and religious freedom.

"Today, I was subjected to discrimination; my human rights were violated, and I was humiliated through clear expressions of anticlericalism and Christianophobia," he said.

Passport regulations and the Supreme Court precedent

Article 14 of Mexico's "Regulations for Passports and Identity and Travel Documents" stipulates that for the passport application process, "the photograph must be taken facing forward, in color, with a white background; the head must be uncovered, and there must be no garments or objects that partially or completely cover the face, including eyeglasses."

The article does not establish a general prohibition against the use of religious attire or symbols in photographs for a Mexican passport.

On Dec. 11, 2025, the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation resolved a dispute concerning Muslim women who had been required to remove their hijabs in order to obtain a passport.

In that case, the court determined that the women could wear the hijabs; regulations must be interpreted in a manner consistent with freedom of religion, ideology, and conscience; and individuals may wear "religious garments, attire, or symbols" that do not hinder their identification.

Furthermore, the court cautioned against "the absolute sacrifice of religious freedom."

'I am not the only person who has suffered this'

In a statement to EWTN News Español, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, Medel confirmed that following Velasco's statement, he received an email and a phone call from SRE staff in order to facilitate the renewal of his passport.

However, he has been unable to return to the government office due to his pastoral commitments including the celebration of the 500th anniversary of his parish, Santa María de la Visitación, in the Indigenous town of Santa María Tepepan. This event is scheduled for this Saturday, Nov. 7, and will be attended by the apostolic nuncio to Mexico, Archbishop Joseph Spiteri.

Medel said he plans to travel to Rome on Monday, Nov. 9, which is why he needed his passport.

He said he hopes to be able to complete the process but also believes it is necessary for the SRE to take measures to prevent other religious from facing similar situations.

"I don't need an apology," he said, expressing his hope that this case will lead to "firmer steps" being taken to ensure that nothing like this happens again.

He said other priests and religious sisters told him they have had similar experiences.

Medel clarified that clerical attire "is not a uniform; it is my way of life." He noted that because he dresses as a priest, he's been insulted but has also experienced "a great deal of good: People I encounter ask for a blessing, and I have heard confessions in airports, on airplanes, on buses, and out on the street."

He said he is requesting from the authorities, "in writing, a commitment and an instruction to all offices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, that ensures this does not happen again to any priest or religious."

After EWTN News Español contacted the General Directorate for Social Communication of the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs, the office forwarded Velasco's public statement.

This story was first published by EWTN News Español, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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