Catholic News

Pope Leo XIV has received the green light from his surgeon to proceed with his planned Nov. 6–17 apostolic journey to Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru.

In an interview with Vatican News following the Holy Father's Oct. 17 discharge from the Gemelli Hospital, Dr. Stefano Margaritora, who operated on Pope Leo on Oct. 13, said he expects Leo will be fully recovered and in shape to travel within the next "10 days or so."

Calling him "an ideal patient," Margaritora said that upon his discharge from the hospital Leo "was in entirely satisfactory clinical condition" with completely normal blood test results and heart function.

"The lung's re-expansion after surgery is proceeding according to the usual timetable," and "overall, his condition is good," Margaritora added.

The surgeon indicated that the Holy Father's lung adenocarcinoma was discovered during routine abdominal examinations, which underscores the importance of regular preventive checkups.

"In the Holy Father's case, he had no respiratory symptoms and felt perfectly well," the doctor noted.

The pope has "put his heart and soul" into his recovery, Margaritora said. "His determination to recover quickly has been effective in every respect" and "truly commendable," he pointed out.

Illustrating the point, the doctor noted that on the second day after the operation, the medical staff found him arranging the chairs in the chapel himself. "Holy Father, we can do that," Margaritora recounted. But Leo replied: "It doesn't matter. I can do it, so I will."

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SINGAPORE — St. Clare of Assisi, as she appears on a church stage in Singapore this week, opens her story with a list of what her family owned. "We had money, we had servants ... we had horses," she tells the audience. "We had everything, but for a girl like me, my life was already written for me."

The line comes early in "TO GAZE: St. Clare of Assisi," performed Oct. 16 and 17 at the Church of St. Mary of the Angels, a Catholic parish in Bukit Batok in western Singapore served by Franciscan friars.

Presented by CANA, a faith-based community and cultural hub in Singapore, and Saint Max, the production is part of the celebrations of the Jubilee Year of St. Francis of Assisi, which the worldwide Franciscan family has held to mark 800 years since Francis died in October 1226.

Actress Sharda Harrison wrote the script and plays the role of Clare; according to the organizers, she also directed the show. Fra Rowland Yeo, OFM, a Franciscan friar, plays St. Francis, and the production's poster says all proceeds go to the development office of the Franciscan friars.

An organizer from CANA who asked not to be named said that after a year of jubilee celebrations for Francis, the play was a fitting way to close the celebration with "the precious legacy of St. Clare." The group turned to Harrison, the organizer said, because she had portrayed St. Thérèse of Lisieux for them in 2024 in "St. Thérèse: The Little Way," a play she also wrote and directed.

Asked what audiences should take home, the organizer answered with a question: "Why is poverty a privilege? ... Why is this crazy lady Clare so resolved to live it?"

The second and last performance falls on Oct. 17, the United Nations' International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

Medieval marriage, modern 'swiping'

In a city-state where Catholics live alongside Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus, Taoists, and others, the script reaches for references from everyday modern life. When Clare's father looks for a husband for her, suitors appear on a large screen: Guido, Bernardo, and Silvestro, "my father's favorite." Clare asks the audience to vote. "In your time ... you swipe right if you like the boy, and you swipe left if you don't like the boy," she says.

The comedy gives way to the turning point of her life. Clare describes Francis as a merchant's son "born into wealth just like me." She says: "I realized that I had everything, but I wanted none of it." She slips out of her family home on Palm Sunday night, has her hair cut before Francis, and faces her furious father: "I belong to Christ now, Father."

It is not a one-woman show. Other actors play Clare's companions and the early friars, and Clare pulls women from the audience into the story, choosing them as "sisters" and giving them vows as her community grows.

'The right to possess nothing'

Poverty runs through the script. Clare recalls that her mother, Ortolana, "saw God everywhere, especially in the poor," and adds: "They were not hidden like today."

"This is what it means to live in the privilege of poverty," she says, "to be given the right to possess nothing." The world, she tells them, "did not understand. Not even the Church."

The title of the play echoes Clare's letters to St. Agnes of Prague, a princess who, in the play's words, "decided to give up everything to become a poor lady."

In welcoming remarks before the curtain, Fra Michael D'Cruz, OFM, the Franciscan friar overseeing the event for the parish, quoted those letters and described how the two saints, Clare and Francis, worked together. "Francis was the voice; Clare was the quiet powerhouse of prayer," he said.

Near the end, Clare looks back on a life of refusals. "Perhaps saying no was never the whole point," she says. "I had to learn how to say yes, yes to Christ, yes to poverty."

After the cast took their bow on opening night, Harrison dropped Clare's Italian accent to thank those present "for wanting to be here to listen to Clare's story," promising "a bigger, grander farewell" for the last night.

St. Clare died in 1253 at San Damiano, near Assisi, Italy, her home "for the next 40 years," as she says in the script.

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The number of Catholic priests worldwide has risen again after five years of no growth, according to statistics published by the Vatican agency Fides ahead of the 100th World Mission Sunday, which will be celebrated Sunday, Oct. 18.

According to the Fides report, the total number of priests rose from 406,996 to 407,421, representing an increase of 425 compared with the previous year. The Vatican agency noted that the data comes from the Statistical Yearbook of the Church and is current as of Dec. 31, 2024.

Africa recorded the largest increase with 1,676 more priests, followed by Asia with 1,065. The Americas also reversed the previous year's downward trend, adding 199 priests.

In contrast, Europe lost 2,483 priests over the course of the year, while Oceania recorded a decrease of 32.

The overall increase is attributed to the growth in the number of diocesan priests, which reached 279,238, an increase of 496 compared with the previous count. Meanwhile, the number of religious order priests fell by 71, standing at 128,183.

Despite the increase in the number of priests, the number of Catholics per priest also rose, reaching 3,491 — an increase of 38 compared with the previous year. The average number of inhabitants per priest also climbed, reaching 16,104.

At 1.4 billion, Catholics are 18% of global population

Fides statistics further indicated that the global Catholic population reached 1,422,144,000 as of June 30, 2024, an increase of 16.69 million over the previous year. Based on these figures, Catholics represent 17.8% of the world's population.

Africa saw the largest growth in the number of Catholics, with an increase of 7.58 million, followed by the Americas, with a rise of nearly 7 million. Asia added 968,000, Europe 911,000, and Oceania 239,000.

Number of seminarians worldwide decreases

While the number of priests is rising, the number of seminarians is decreasing. The number of major seminarians stood at 103,604 worldwide, a decrease of 2,891 from the previous year.

Africa was the only continent to record growth, with 786 additional seminarians, whereas Asia saw a decline of 2,733, Europe 701, the Americas 227, and Oceania 16.

The number of minor seminarians also decreased, falling to 94,041, which is 980 fewer than in the previous count. Africa reversed the previous year's trend, adding 132, while Oceania recorded an increase of 20. In contrast, Europe lost 872, Asia 182, and the Americas 78.

Catholic Church's educational and charitable work

Fides also compiles figures on the Church's educational work around the world. Globally, the Church administers 75,448 kindergartens with over 7.4 million pupils; 103,666 primary schools attended by more than 36.3 million students; and 51,810 secondary schools with over 20.3 million students.

Joining them are nearly 2.7 million students in higher education centers and more than 4 million in university institutions affiliated with the Catholic Church.

In its healthcare and social assistance work, the Church manages 101,110 facilities worldwide. These include 5,397 hospitals, 13,646 dispensaries, 16,263 homes for the elderly, the chronically ill, and people with disabilities, 8,138 orphanages, 10,624 marriage counseling centers, and 3,194 social education or rehabilitation centers.

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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Pope Leo XIV left the Agostino Gemelli University Hospital shortly after 3:30 p.m. local time on Saturday to return to the Vatican.

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The 71-year-old pope had been admitted last Tuesday and underwent surgery just hours later to remove the lower lobe of his right lung. The procedure, which lasted about an hour and a half, was performed using a video-assisted technique, while an intraoperative histological examination confirmed a diagnosis of pulmonary adenocarcinoma.

His discharge from the hospital was announced by the pontiff's attending physician, Dr. Luigi Carbone, and the surgeon who performed the operation, Professor Stefano Margaritora.

As he left, the pope greeted the faithful gathered along the barriers. Daniele Franco, chairman of the board of the Gemelli University Hospital Foundation, was also there to welcome the pontiff upon his exit.

Before getting into the car, Leo greeted several members of the faithful who presented him with gifts. The pope did not stay in the papal suite on the hospital's 10th floor, as it was undergoing renovation, but rather in adjacent rooms on the same floor.

Yesterday, the first postoperative images of the pope were released, showing Leo XIV presiding over Mass in a room at the Policlinico hospital that had been specially set up for the celebration. Beside the pope was his personal secretary, Monsignor Edgard Iván Rimaycuna Inga.

Around noon on Saturday, Oct. 17, the pope also celebrated Mass before leaving the Roman hospital, the Holy See Press Office reported.

In the days following the surgery, Leo XIV has resumed his work, meeting at the hospital on various occasions with Archbishop Paolo Rudelli, substitute for general affairs of the Secretariat of State; Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, dean of the College of Cardinals; and Cardinal Baldassare Reina, vicar general of His Holiness for the Diocese of Rome.

On Friday, the press office also reported on a telephone conversation between the pope and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Sunday morning at noon, the pope will appear at the window of his study in the Apostolic Palace for the customary recitation of the Angelus. It was only last Sunday that Leo XIV himself, at the conclusion of the Angelus prayer, announced the news of his imminent hospitalization and the associated surgery.

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

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A century after Pope Pius XI established World Mission Sunday, the Catholic Church has grown dramatically in the mission territories, from fewer than 10 million Catholics to nearly 347 million.

According to data from the website Domund100.es, produced by the Pontifical Mission Society of Spain, in 1925 the Church had 297 missionary dioceses, some of which encompassed entire countries.

There were 9,645,173 Catholics in these mission lands, representing 1.68% of the population. A century later, the number of Catholics in mission territories stands at 346,644,968, representing 8.6%.

This spread of the Gospel would not have been possible without the dedication of thousands of diocesan priests and men and women religious who answered the call to "go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to all creation."

A hundred years ago, missionaries numbered fewer than 10,000 priests, just over 2,300 male religious, and more than 20,000 female religious. Today, there are more than 100,000 priests, over 76,000 male religious, and more than 200,000 female religious in mission lands.

The Church's evangelizing work has translated into concrete achievements. For instance, the number of parishes has grown from 627 to over 41,000 in a century.

Although there are no records from that time regarding schools or social institutions such as hospitals, orphanages, and care homes established by the Church in these regions, the comparison over the last 50 years speaks volumes: The number of schools rose from fewer than 50,000 to nearly 125,000, and social institutions increased from 12,000 to more than 26,000.

On average each day, over the last 100 years in mission territories, the Church has seen more than 9,000 people becoming Catholic, two priestly ordinations, five women taking vows as religious, and the construction of one parish church and three new schools.

1,133 missionary dioceses

Currently, the Pontifical Mission Societies support 1,133 missionary dioceses, those that following the initial proclamation of the Gospel do not yet possess sufficient resources of their own to sustain themselves and therefore depend on the Dicastery for Evangelization.

These dioceses, which account for one-third of the Catholic Church, are spread across 138 countries covering almost all of Africa and Asia (with the exception of the Philippines), Oceania (excluding Australia), and the Amazon basin in the Americas.

Given that two-thirds of the world's population lives in these territories and considering the growth of the Catholic faith there, the face of the Church is gradually changing. Indeed, 22 out of every 100 Catholics are African, whereas 40 years ago African Catholics represented barely 7%.

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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David Ryall, director of Jesuit Refugee Service UK, urged Catholics gathered for the Association of Provincial Bursars conference to walk in solidarity with refugees.

In his keynote speech, "Refugees and Migration in the U.K.: A Catholic Response to People Seeking Sanctuary," Ryall underscored the important role those working for Catholic organizations play in helping to "turn generosity into something practical and sustainable," according to an Oct. 13 report from Independent Catholic News.

Ryall further highlighted the importance of commitment to the preservation of human dignity and necessary reforms that should be made in the asylum system in the United Kingdom. The conference took place Oct. 5–7.

Priest in India arrested for molesting 5 minor boys

A Catholic priest in India has been arrested on charges of sexual assault against five minor boys.

Father Siprian Pinto of St. Vincent Ferrar Church at Valencia, Mangaluru, was arrested after one of the victims' families filed a complaint at the Mangaluru South Police Station on Oct. 15, according to a report from The Hindu.

The victim alleged that Pinto touched him inappropriately on several occasions and that when he confided in four of his friends about the sexual assault, they said they experienced the same thing, the report said. The boy's parents approached the bishop, who instructed them to file a complaint. An investigation is now underway, according to the report.

Maronite bishop appointed in Mexico

Father Milad Yaghi, a Lebanese priest serving in Houston, has been appointed by Pope Leo XIV as bishop of the Maronite Catholic community in Mexico, ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News, reported Oct. 12.

Yaghi will serve in the Diocese of Our Lady of Martyrs of Lebanon in Mexico, and his episcopal ordination is scheduled for Feb. 2, 2027, in Harissa, Lebanon.

Yaghi was born in 1964 in the town of Shalifa Bekaa, Lebanon, and has served as a mentor for Christian youth in the country and as the personal secretary for the Maronite bishop of Our Lady of Lebanon in Los Angeles.

Father Elias Suleiman, superior general of the Lebanese Maronite Missionaries, expressed gratitude to Pope Leo XIV and to the Synod of the Maronite Bishops for choosing Yaghi to take care of the Mexican diocese.

Mauritius having 'very difficult time' amid violent unrest

Bishop Jean Michaël Durhône of the Diocese of Port-Louis in Mauritius has appealed for peace and nonviolence as the Indian Ocean island nation grapples with violent protests.

"I am a brother of Mauritius, a brother of the people of Rodrigues, and a brother and sister of everyone living in Mauritius, a country that is going through a very difficult time," he said in a message on Oct. 13, ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, reported.

"We are witnessing a situation of suffering and anger," he said of the unrest following demonstrations that erupted last week over water shortages and living costs and escalated after police shot and injured a 27-year-old woman on Oct. 9.

"We must take this situation seriously and ensure that people remain safe," Durhône said. "There are many people of goodwill working for peace. We are trying to bring everyone together so that peace can return to the country, a peace built on a commitment to non-violence."

Caritas conference in Cyprus highlights global survey on migrant children

Caritas Italy and Caritas Cyprus hosted a three-day meeting in Nicosia on "Migration in the Eastern Mediterranean: Challenges, Responsibilities, and European Perspectives," with protection of migrant children as one of the event's central themes.

"We believe migration policies must be accompanied by safe and legal pathways, as well as effective systems for reception and integration. Here in Cyprus, the need to look beyond borders — and not only political ones — could not be more evident," Paolo Valente, deputy director of Caritas Italy, said in an Oct. 7 press release.

Cecilia Nicoletti of Caritas Internationalis presented a global survey of 73 Caritas organizations on the topic of migrant children, which found "many are under 14 and are fleeing conflict, violence, persecution and the effects of climate change, at a time when the principle of non-refoulement is increasingly disregarded," according to the release. The conference also included sessions on migration routes, integration, and global migration.

Asia-Pacific Augustinians hold congress on digital evangelization

The Asia-Pacific Augustinian Conference (APAC) held its Mission Congress 2026 Oct. 5–11 on evangelizing in the digital age, missionary identity, and "interior tourism."

The congress took place at the pastoral center of the Archdiocese of Saigon in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, according to a Licas News report. Joseph Ðinh Ð?c Ð?o, bishop emeritus of the Diocese of Xuân L?c, called participants to view digital tools as "secondary to the interior disposition of the evangelizer," the report said. "If you do not have Christ in your heart, you cannot preach and share Him."

Father Augustine Huyn Tran, OAD, prior of the Discalced Augustinian Saigon Community, called for missionaries to stay rooted in their spiritual heritage while also using technology to serve their efforts to carry out real-life conversions.

During the opening Mass of the congress, Father Andrew Batayola, OSA, president of APAC, encouraged delegates to practice "interior tourism" by exploring the depths of their hearts through deliberate spiritual journey.

Chaldean Catholics gather in Rome for special Mass

Chaldean Catholics from Iraq and communities around the world gathered at St. Peter's Basilica for a Mass celebrated by Patriarch Paul III Nona.

With Aramaic hymns, traditional clothing, and Chaldean flags, the celebration brought together believers from different countries," ACI MENA reported Oct. 15. In his homily, Nona emphasized that true Christian unity comes through Christ while respecting each community's identity and traditions.

Chaldeans came to the event from Australia, Canada, the United States, and several European countries, as well as from Iraq, Egypt, and Syria.

Tanzanians urged to pray for founding president's canonization

Bishop Lazarus Vitalis Msimbe of Morogoro, Tanzania, has presented Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere as a role model for leaders, urging intensified prayers for the canonization of the country's first president.

"Let us continue praying for Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere," he said in a homily on Oct. 11, ACI Africa reported. "Twenty-seven years have passed since his death, but the process of declaring him a saint has already begun."

Nyerere, whose cause was initiated in 2005, served as prime minister of Tanganyika from 1961 to 1962 and as its president from 1962 to 1964. Following the union that established Tanzania in 1964, he became the East African nation's first president, serving until 1985. He died in 1999 at the age of 77.

"Some leaders, when defending a position and encountering opposition, eventually back down. However, Mwalimu Nyerere did not retreat from upholding the principles he believed were right and essential for the country's development," the bishop said.

UK bishops merge 3 dioceses

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales has concluded its consultation process with three dioceses merged at the request of Pope Leo XIV and the Dicastery for Bishops.

"The priests and deacons of the three dioceses engaged positively and constructively with the discussions about the possibility of a unified diocese being established by the Holy Father," the bishops said in the conclusion of the consultative report on the merging of the Leeds, Middlesbrough, and Hallam Dioceses, released Oct. 14.

Bishop Marcus Stock of Leeds said in the report that "the unification of the three dioceses would help to strengthen the mission of the local Church, support the work of evangelization more strategically, and provide greater opportunities to fulfill our responsibility to reach out to the poor and disadvantaged within our region."

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Doctors have cleared Pope Leo XIV to leave the hospital; he will return to the Vatican on Saturday afternoon, according to the Vatican.

The pope's personal physician Dr. Luigi Carbone and surgeon Dr. Stefano Margaritora said Oct. 17 that "based on the blood tests and chest X-ray performed this morning, and after evaluating his clinical condition, the Holy Father has been deemed fit to be discharged."

The Vatican also announced that Leo would celebrate Mass at the hospital on Saturday before being discharged, and lead his Angelus at the Vatican on Sunday.

Leo announced during his Sunday Angelus on Oct. 11 that he would undergo surgery to remove a lung nodule. Doctors confirmed a diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma after his surgery at Rome's Gemelli Hospital on Oct. 13.

Since his surgery and hospitalization, doctors and the Vatican have confirmed that the pontiff's postoperative recovery is "progressing normally." On Friday, the Vatican released photos of the pope celebrating Mass at the hospital, the first photos since his hospitalization.

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In an exchange that drew sharp responses from Catholic scholars and the local bishop, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico told University of Dallas theology professor Jodi Hunt that "the Bible is silent on the issue" of abortion during an Oct. 14 CNN/Jubilee town hall in Fort Worth.

Hunt pushed back, drawing applause when she said the Bible does address abortion, as one of the Ten Commandments is "Thou shalt not kill," and that Catholics are insulted when it is suggested otherwise.

Following the exchange, Hunt told EWTN News she thinks Talarico was trying to appear as a "centrist" to undecided voters, or Republicans unhappy with the party, but she does not think he was convincing.

"While it's important to look at the whole picture of a candidate when discerning who to vote for," she said, "respect for human life must drive everything else," she said.

Fort Worth Bishop Michael Olson agreed, responding to the exchange on social media: "The right to life is the premier moral issue because all human rights depend upon the human person being alive. The right to life is the common ground for the morality of all issues considered in policies involving human dignity and the common good."

"I've yet to see a candidate where I really have to think about it, where they're pro-abortion but align with me on other issues," Hunt added.

During the town hall, Talarico made a point of calling Pope Francis and Pope Leo "two of my favorite spiritual heroes" for being "consistently pro-life" on poverty, climate change, and war as well as abortion.

"I appreciate that he highlighted some of the social causes Catholics care about and mentioned the popes," Hunt said. "But he was sidestepping. I thought it was a very politician-thing to do."

Hunt said if she had the opportunity to push back more, she would have pressed him on how Catholics can trust he will do the right thing concerning climate change or the poor when he won't defend the lives of the most vulnerable.

"If we can't trust him to protect the most innocent among us, we can't trust he'll do anything he says," Hunt explained.

Talarico went on to reframe abortion as "a public policy problem" rather than a  moral issue, saying both sides share the goal of fewer "unplanned or unwanted pregnancies," to be achieved through "scientifically valid sex education" and access to contraception, the use of which the Church calls intrinsically wrong.

"If I believed that abortion was murder or that it was against the 10 Commandments, then of course I would be against it, but we can just agree to disagree," he said.

Susan Hanssen, a history professor at the University of Dallas, told EWTN News she was "shocked at how deceptive he (Talarico) is."

"He lies to Christians about their own beliefs, and he does it very smoothly," Hanssen said. "He tried to put the idea that abortion is murder into the category of debatable belief. No one in their right mind thinks that abortion kills anything but a baby human. It's not a statement of religious belief, it's just a statement of science and biology."

In the aftermath of the exchange, the University of Dallas beamed about how Hunt handled the moment.

"Dr. Hunt demonstrated how to stand firmly in one's faith while engaging respectfully with those who hold different views," the University said, adding that she "exemplifies UD's mission to form leading citizens who bring their convictions into the public square with courage, clarity, and respect."

Catholic commentator Kathryn Jean Lopez also praised Hunt's participation, saying that in the exchange with Talarico she "demonstrated what it means to be a responsible Catholic engaged in our political life."

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The German Bishops' Conference has joined an initiative that aims to make artificial intelligence safe and suitable for children, citing Pope Leo XIV's call to defend human dignity in the age of AI.

The initiative, called "KI kindgerecht!" ("Child-friendly AI!"), also involves Germany's biggest Protestant body and an association of children's websites.

"AI is already embedded in many digital applications," said Bishop Georg Bätzing of Limburg, who chairs the bishops' media commission, in a statement Oct. 14.

"With the encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, Pope Leo XIV gives the Church a clear mandate: In the age of artificial intelligence, we must defend human dignity — especially where children are easily exposed to danger."

The initiative "combines protection, participation, and responsibility, and makes clear that digital spaces must serve the good of the child," he said.

Responsibility must not be "shifted onto parents alone," Bätzing added. "Precisely because we know how vulnerable children are, we see it as our duty to act as advocates for this group in need of protection — in the digital space as well. Technology must serve the human person, not purely economic interests."

The Church in Germany is working with academics, educators, and interested providers on a code of conduct for child-friendly interactive AI, built on five principles: safety by design, respect for children's rights, age-appropriate spaces for participation, data protection, and human review.

The bishops also said providers "must be obliged to comply with child-friendly standards" and called for lasting investment in media education so children, parents, and teachers can learn to use AI confidently.

Vatican sharpens focus

The German initiative comes as the Church globally wrestles with AI and the Vatican sharpens its own focus on minors online.

At its Sept. 28–Oct. 2 plenary assembly in Rome, the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors examined how digital technologies, AI, and websites are used in the pastoral care of children and backed wider collaboration with international partners and Curia offices so that "the dignity, safety, and wellbeing of children remain at the heart of technological development and governance," Vatican News reported.

In March, Pope Leo XIV warned: "We must not allow children to end up believing they can find in artificial intelligence chatbots their best friends or the oracle of all knowledge, dulling their intelligence and their capacity for relationships, and numbing their creativity and thinking."

Receiving participants of a Rome conference on "The Dignity of Children and Adolescents in the Age of Artificial Intelligence" on Nov. 13, 2025, Leo also warned that "children and adolescents are particularly vulnerable to manipulation through AI algorithms that can influence their decisions and preferences."

In Magnifica Humanitas, the encyclical on artificial intelligence published May 25, the pope wrote that "online phenomena such as grooming, blackmail, and the sexual exploitation of minors are not uncommon, and are made more insidious by the use of fake profiles, algorithms that facilitate dangerous contact, and AI tools capable of manipulating images and videos."

This story was first published by CNA Deutsch, the German-language sister service of EWTN News, and has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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Bishop Joseph Brennan of the Diocese of Fresno, California, warned that immigration raids in California's Central Valley are instilling "unrest, anxiety and even fear" in the community and that many of his priests are reporting that their parishes have been affected.

"Even if you have not been personally affected by the increased immigration enforcement in our region, many of those who sit alongside you in the pews have been affected, with some already having been detained," wrote Brennan, whose diocese covers a large portion of the southern Central Valley.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have not announced any specific operations targeting California or its Central Valley. However, local media have reported a surge in enforcement in recent weeks.

In his pastoral letter, Brennan said pastors reported to him that "members of their congregations have been taken away abruptly and with little or no information coming from federal agents." He said he has been in contact with priests and interfaith and advocacy partners about ways to "help, comfort and accompany our people" amid the reported surge."

"It breaks my heart," the bishop wrote. "... Many of those caught up in this recent immigration enforcement in our Valley are not strangers to us — they are family, neighbors, and parishioners who are being uprooted from the lives they have built over many years among us."

'Indiscriminate' raids

Brennan noted that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) voted 216-5 to approve a special message that the bishops oppose "the indiscriminate mass deportation of people" during the 2025 Fall Plenary Assembly. He then expressed concern that Central Valley raids appear to be indiscriminate.

"These people are valued and beloved, they are part of the fabric of our community," he said. "It is frightening to them and disturbing to us that these current operations seem to have taken on an indiscriminate nature with little regard for the dignity of the human person."

"Our Church teaches that every human person possesses an inherent dignity," the bishop continued. "This dignity is not granted by governments, economic status, citizenship, or legal documentation. It is given by God."

A spokesperson for DHS did not confirm any specific operation targeting California.

"For operational security and the safety of our officers, ICE will not disclose or discuss law enforcement operations," the spokesperson said. "Every day, DHS enforces the laws of the nation across the country including in California."

The spokesperson defended ongoing immigration enforcement: "To most Americans our ICE officers are heroes as they put their lives on the line to arrest murderers, rapists, pedophiles, gang members, and terrorists."

The spokesperson provided a list of five people they labeled as "public safety threats" arrested in California, which included people convicted of vehicular manslaughter, aggravated assault with a gun, burglary, homicide, and selling drugs.

Church 'will not be silent'

In his pastoral letter, Brennan said the Church "will not be silent" and "will accompany our vulnerable neighbors in concrete, sustained ways."

"We will strive to be a loving presence in our society for our brothers and sisters," Brennan said.

"Our parishes will be present to them for healing and comfort," he said. "Accompaniment might take the shape of walking with families through long and complicated legal proceedings, showing up at immigration court, organizing transportation and childcare, and refusing to let anyone face this situation alone. We will speak up for them and will encourage one another to see this work of justice as a part of our baptismal call."

Accompaniment might take the shape of walking with families through long and complicated legal proceedings, showing up at immigration court, organizing transportation and childcare, and refusing to let anyone face this situation alone. We will speak up for them and will encourage one another to see this work of justice as a part of our baptismal call."

Bishop Joseph Brennan

Diocese of Fresno, California

The bishop called for "real change and real reform," saying "our country and our elected officials must do better," calling for "tangible results that reflect meaningful and just immigration reform."

"Until such reform is achieved, the dignity of our immigrant brothers and sisters must remain in the forefront of whatever shape our efforts might take," he wrote. "In the midst of those efforts, to be sure, we are navigating in a chaotic and emotionally charged time. I encourage the faithful to pray for one another and to act out of a spirit of communion in all things, bridging divisions and treating one another peacefully and with compassion."

"We are in this together," Brennan wrote. "God bless you and those you love, always and in every way."

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