Catholic News

VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV said those who believe God created the world are called to take on a greater responsibility for caring for creation, describing it as a requirement of faith.

In a video message to participants in the 10th Austrian World Summit — an annual international event on climate, sustainability, and the environment taking place Tuesday at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna — the Holy Father recalled that "the Church has always been aware that the ecological question has a moral dimension."

Reflecting on climate change and environmental protection in light of the theological virtues, the pope said the religious dimension "is in fact essential to address these issues adequately."

"Those who believe that our world was created by God and is inherently good are compelled to assume an even greater responsibility to care for creation, since this is the requirement of their faith," Pope Leo XIV said.

He also quoted Pope Francis' 2015 encyclical Laudato Si', saying: "Living our vocation to be protectors of God's handiwork is essential to a life of virtue; it is not an optional or a secondary aspect of our Christian experience."

The pope stressed that "religious faith reinforces the overall desire to protect life and care for nature." He said the climate crisis is "one manifestation — and a critical one — of the wider socioeconomic crisis," adding that special attention must be given to "the poorest and those most vulnerable to environmental degradation."

Pope Leo XIV acknowledged widespread concern over the challenges caused by "a lack of respect for creation, the plundering of natural resources, and a progressive decline in the quality of life due to climate change."

"These challenges require international cooperation, together with cohesive and forward-looking multilateralism in order to find effective solutions," he said.

At the same time, the pope sought to offer a message of hope, urging participants to overcome fear and work together toward appropriate solutions.

"Despite the naysayers or cynics, hope can be a powerful driving force," he said.

The Holy Father also emphasized the contribution religious leaders and communities can make to ambitious social and environmental efforts, noting that the Bible offers many examples of how fear can be overcome by hope, "which ultimately is a gift from God himself."

Pope Leo XIV called on wealthier countries to "meet their obligations to support poorer countries financially." He also said the world needs "the development of a new person-centered international financial framework" so that all countries, "especially the poorest and those most vulnerable to climate disasters, can reach their full potential, with the dignity of their citizens respected."

Turning to the virtue of love, the pope invited participants to cultivate "a genuine culture of care for our environment," including what Pope Francis described as "civic and political love."

"Such love is the key to authentic development," Pope Leo XIV said, adding that "social love moves us to devise larger strategies to halt environmental degradation and to encourage a 'culture of care' which permeates all of society."

The pope concluded by expressing his hope that the summit's deliberations would promote this culture of care and "thus contribute to the civilization of love."

He also prayed that the summit would help promote "the much-needed dialogue for seeking effective solutions to protect the wonderful gift of creation."

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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During his apostolic journey to Spain from June 6–12, Pope Leo XIV became the first pontiff in history to address the Spanish Parliament, using the occasion to urge the country's political class to defend human dignity and protect life "from conception to its natural end."

The pontiff also joined the list of other pontiffs since St. Paul VI who have been invited to speak to government assemblies during their journeys.

While it is expected that the pope will address civil leaders during an apostolic journey, invitations to address a country's legislature or national assembly are rare and considered a high honor, even for a pope. These addresses have often been opportunities for the pope to challenge civil leaders on critical issues, including human rights, war, and the treatment of migrants.

But what do these speeches reveal about the pope's priorities regarding global issues?

St. Paul VI: A call for an end to war

As the first pope in centuries to undertake extensive international travel, Paul VI was known for his forceful calls to denounce war and promote peace.

He became the first pontiff to address the United Nations (U.N.) General Assembly during his historic one-day visit to the United States on Oct. 4, 1965. He addressed the assembly in the wake of the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Vietnam War, and the Indo-Pakistani War, which had occurred mere weeks before his visit.

Amid these and other conflicts, Paul VI made a passionate appeal for peace, famously declaring: "Never again war, never again war! It is peace, peace, that has to guide the destiny of the nations of all mankind!"

With this speech and similar ones, including a little-known one delivered to the Ugandan Parliament in 1969, the pope would forever alter the Holy See's role in international affairs, establishing it as an important actor in international diplomacy. He also helped establish the Church's anti-war stance early in the modern period, a stance adopted by every pope since.

St. John Paul II: Papal presence in the public sphere

Whereas Paul VI would pioneer the pope's presence in the public sphere, St. John Paul II would make it the norm.

The Polish pontiff delivered at least five addresses to secular parliaments, including those of the European Union, Poland, and Italy.

He also addressed the U.N. General Assembly twice during his papacy. The first, in 1979, challenged the U.N. to denounce the arms trade, ensure religious freedom, and protect religious minorities in the Middle East.

Though noted for his stance on life issues, including opposition to abortion, he did not address abortion in any of his addresses to parliaments, instead focusing more broadly on human rights.

Benedict XVI: Religion cannot be set aside in the West

Pope Benedict XVI became the first pontiff to address both houses of the British Parliament during his visit to the United Kingdom in September 2010.

Referring to St. Thomas More and the country's Christian heritage, Benedict denounced the tendency toward the marginalization of religion in the West, particularly Catholicism.

"I cannot but voice my concern at the increasing marginalization of religion, particularly of Christianity, that is taking place in some quarters, even in nations which place a great emphasis on tolerance," Benedict said. "These are worrying signs of a failure to appreciate not only the rights of believers to freedom of conscience and freedom of religion, but also the legitimate role of religion in the public square."

Such sentiments would be reflected in his address to the Federal Parliament of Germany during his 2011 visit. Already famous for his advocacy of the relationship between faith and reason, Benedict gave a speech highlighting the role of natural law and the limits of democracy.

"For most of the matters that need to be regulated by law, the support of the majority can serve as a sufficient criterion. Yet it is evident that for the fundamental issues of law, in which the dignity of man and of humanity is at stake, the majority principle is not enough."

Francis: Environmental justice, migrant care, and the abolition of the death penalty

When Pope Francis became the first pope to address a joint session of the United States Congress in 2015 during his visit to the country, he offered a candid assessment of issues in the national debate, especially immigration.

Referring to the 2015 refugee crisis, in which Syrians fled the civil war in Syria for the U.S., Francis advocated greater care for those coming to the U.S. to find a better life.

"Our world is facing a refugee crisis of a magnitude not seen since the Second World War. This presents us with great challenges and many hard decisions," Francis said. "We must not be taken aback by their numbers, but rather view them as persons, seeing their faces and listening to their stories, trying to respond as best we can to their situation."

He would also, like several of his predecessors, oppose the death penalty. Unlike them, however, he would call for its abolition, support the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' initiative for abolition that year, and criticize the resumption of executions by lethal injection.

"This conviction has led me, from the beginning of my ministry, to advocate at different levels for the global abolition of the death penalty. I am convinced that this way is the best, since every life is sacred, every human person is endowed with an inalienable dignity, and society can only benefit from the rehabilitation of those convicted of crimes."

He would use these ideas presented to Congress to finally amend the Catechism of the Catholic Church in 2018, declaring that the death penalty is "inadmissible."

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Canada's government-sanctioned assisted suicide program — known as medical assistance in dying, or MAID — turns 10 years old this month, and in the decade since it was launched assisted dying has become a leading cause of death in the country.

Yet Alex Schadenberg, the executive director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, says there is a grim upside to that trend: Other countries increasingly don't want anything to do with assisted suicide.

"The only good thing about Canada is the effect Canada is having on other countries," he said.

Assisted suicide measures have recently suffered notable defeats in numerous other national legislatures. But the procedure remains immensely popular in Canada.

Government data show that suicide uptake grew at an annual rate of more than 30% from 2019 to 2022; it has decreased in the years since, though it has continued to grow, with a total number of 16,499 Canadians dying by suicide in 2024.

The "vast majority" of people who died by assisted suicide had a "reasonably foreseeable death," the government said, while around 4.5% of victims' deaths did not meet that criteria.

The government said that the decreasing rate of growth "seem[s] to suggest that the number of annual [suicides] is beginning to stabilize," though it said that "long-term trends" would only be identifiable after "several more years."

Data indicate that the country has the highest numbers of assisted suicide deaths in the world.

Some restrictions, proposed expansions

The Canadian Supreme Court ruled in February 2015 that the country's ban on assisted suicide was illegal. That decision technically legalized the practice in Canada, though the court delayed implementation of the decision for a year.

Assisted suicide became fully available in the country the following summer, on June 16, 2016. In April of this year the country officially passed 100,000 "provisions" of MAID.

David Cooke, the campaigns manager for the Ontario-based Campaign Life Coalition, told EWTN News that the 10-year mark for the MAID program is "an anniversary to mourn."

"With 10 years of legalized medical homicide, Canada has the blood of over 100,000 victims on its hands — blood that cries out to God for justice," he said. "Canada's euthanasia program is on a killing spree."

Cooke argued that while the program was touted as an "answer" to "human suffering," the program has "unleashed enormous suffering on Canadian society and on the family and friends of victims."

"Even the victims themselves suffer — by being subjected to medical and societal abandonment, prejudice, being denied timely access to life-affirming treatment and support, plus they must face the horrendous and indescribable experience of being poisoned to death," he said.

The euthanasia regime "has also utterly destroyed the integrity and lifesaving purpose of our healthcare system, dispensing with sick and disabled Canadians as a cost-saving measure," he argued.

Advocates have argued that the government program has built-in safeguards, including stipulations that patients must be at least 18 years old and suffering from a "grievous and irremediable medical condition" before they are allowed to partake in it.

Yet critics have argued that the system is rife with both abuse and safety failures, allowing Canadians to access assisted suicide when they shouldn't qualify for it.

The reported safety failures are so acute that in 2024 the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association — which helped get MAID legalized a decade ago — warned of the need for more safeguards in the program.

Among the concerns raised by pro-life advocates has been the push to expand suicide to those suffering solely from mental illnesses. That expansion has been delayed until 2027, though the group Cardus Health said in 2025 that patients with mental illnesses were dying at disproportionately high rates in the country.

A 2024 report, meanwhile, claimed that from 2018 "euthanasia regulators" in Ontario had identified over 400 "issues with compliance" with MAID laws — including failures of the eligibility process and mishandled reporting — but that  none of those violations were prosecuted.

Catholic advocates in the country have regularly protested against the program over the past decade, including in February when the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops urged the government to pass a measure prohibiting citizens from accessing MAID if their sole condition is a mental illness.

Schadenberg said the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition is active in combatting efforts to expand MAID, including in the case of Claire Brosseau, a Canadian actress who is suing to access euthanasia due to ongoing mental illness.

Brosseau has argued that she suffers from "a severe form of bipolar I disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, among other mental disorders," and that the country's MAID laws "discriminate" against individuals like her.

Yet concerns about allowing mental illness patients to access assisted suicide are so prevalent that in 2025 the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities urged Canada to halt the planned expansion of MAID for those suffering solely from mental health issues. 

Cooke said such a plan would allow euthanasia for those struggling with depression, addiction, autism, schizophrenia, eating disorders, and "a multitude of other difficulties which impair one's thinking and judgment."

"Offering euthanasia to those 'not in their right mind' is a horror that recalls the Nazi T4 program," he said. "These hurting souls are better served through counseling, therapy, and medication — not murder."

Schadenberg pointed to modestly encouraging proposed euthanasia safeguards in Alberta that would offer protections to underage citizens and those suffering from mental illnesses. He said the proposals were "minor restrictions" but he described them as "positive outcomes compared to the rest of Canada."

Cooke also cited the Alberta safeguards, which also include affirming the rights of medical patients to not receive care from doctors who perform euthanasia and upholding the rights of doctors themselves to not kill their patients.

Doctors and other medical officials in Alberta are now also forbidden from proposing euthanasia as a medical option, instead being required to wait until a patient brings it up.

Though assisted suicide uptake remains high in Canada, Schadenberg claimed that the country's runaway suicide rate was driving backlash in other nations.

"Scotland defeated their assisted suicide bill, the U.K. bill died in the House of Lords, [and] Slovenia overturned their assisted suicide law," he said, arguing that "all of this is related to how crazy Canada has become."

Cooke said the Campaign Life Coalition is urging other provinces to develop their own safeguards while raising awareness of "the horrors of euthanasia" through lobbying and public demonstrations.

Schadenberg told "EWTN Pro-Life Weekly" in March, meanwhile, that the fight against euthanasia in Canada is "a long-term situation that we have to be involved in."

"Most people are dying by euthanasia not because they're in extreme pain ... Usually it's because they feel their life lacks meaning, purpose, or value," he said.

"The most important thing we can do is recognize the importance of caring for people, being with people," he argued.

He urged advocates to ensure that "family members [and] friends ... when they're going through illness, that they're not feeling alone, they're not feeling lonely, they're not feeling that their life lacks meaning or purpose of value, and that someone actually cares about them."

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The Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) in cooperation with the Caritas in Veritate Foundation organized a conference titled "Outer Space: A New Frontier of the Common Good."

Representatives from the Catholic Church and European Union, as well as diplomats, academics, and experts, gathered at the event in Brussels on June 9 to reflect on the ethical, political, and strategic implications of outer space governance and sustainability in an increasingly interconnected world.

As COMECE noted in a statement, the conference took place against the backdrop of "a rapidly evolving global space sector. In recent years, outer space has become an increasingly prominent area of strategic, economic, and scientific interest."

"Alongside the growing ambitions of established space powers," COMECE stated, "an increasing number of countries are seeking to develop or expand their presence in space."

At the same time, the sector has also seen a significant rise in private actors, "whose expanding role in satellites, deployment, space exploration, and commercial activities is reshaping the governance landscape."

The developments highlight the urgent need to foster international dialogue and cooperation to ensure that outer space continues to serve the common good and that its exploration and use remain the "province of humankind," accessible for peaceful and sustainable purposes, "for the benefit and in the interest of all countries in accordance with the 1967 Outer Space Treaty."

Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, permanent observer of the Holy See to the United Nations and president of the Caritas in Veritate Foundation, opened the event together with Father Manuel Barrios Prieto, secretary-general of COMECE.

Both men stressed the profound moral dimension of these issues, since "they concern peace, justice, and the dignity of present and future generations."

Balestrero stated that "we must not turn space into a jungle," as it is not "a lawless frontier" governed by the principle of "first come, first served."

The prelate emphasized that it offers humanity "an invitation to avoid repeating many of the mistakes made on Earth. Space therefore must be explored with responsibility, solidarity, and respect for subsidiarity, for the benefit of present and future generations."

Barrios noted that, in an increasingly polarized world, "the European Union and its institutions have a significant role to play in guiding humanity in navigating such questions wisely."

He also highlighted several initiatives such as the proposal for an EU Space Act, the development of a European Space Shield, and investments in various programs that, in his view, "reflect the EU's growing responsibility in shaping the governance of space activities."

During the conference, the Caritas in Veritate Foundation presented its publication "Outer Space and Humanity at a Crossroads: Reflections on a New Frontier of the Common Good." It offers interdisciplinary, ethical reflections and recommendations regarding the opportunities and responsibilities associated with humanity's growing presence in outer space.

Conference participants also reflected on the increasing importance of outer space for communications, security, environmental monitoring, and technological development while addressing emerging challenges such as "space debris, the congestion of low-Earth orbit and the risk of the militarization of space."

Furthermore, special attention was paid to "the ethical dimensions of space activities and the need for governance frameworks capable of balancing technological innovation, security considerations, and the responsibility to safeguard the common good for present and future generations."

The conference "reaffirmed the importance of promoting a human-centered approach to scientific and technological progress, guided by ethical responsibility, international cooperation, and a commitment to peace," COMECE noted.

"As humanity's presence beyond Earth continues to expand, participants emphasized the need to ensure that outer space remains a shared heritage whose exploration and use should contribute to the flourishing of the entire human family," the statement reads.

The event forms part of COMECE's "ongoing efforts to foster dialogue between the Catholic Church, the EU institutions, and civil society on emerging policy challenges affecting the future of humanity and the common good."

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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Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance discussed their family's Mass attendance practices ahead of the release of Vance's memoir, "Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith," which is available June 16.

JD Vance is the second Catholic to serve as U.S. vice president, following President Joe Biden, who held the office from 2009 to 2017. Vance has discussed his Catholic faith and shared about his conversion but is not seen or reported by the media attending Mass in the Washington, D.C., area.

Vance said in a June 14 interview with "CBS Sunday Morning" that Mass is sometimes said in his home or he attends small churches.

Having priests come to celebrate Mass at home is "one of the rare privileges of this life," Vance said.

"I try not to do it too much" because "I try to … have a little bit more of a ritual to it," he said. "So we do try to leave the house and actually go to church. And that's important."

"But sometimes … you have a late day at work, or something's going on at the White House, or something's going on in the world and you say, 'Could a priest just come by and say Mass at our house?'" Vance said.

"It makes it very easy, but it's one of those creature comforts of being vice president I try not to use too much because I think it makes us a little lazy," he said.

"It's a perk," Usha Vance added. "But I think it's also important to say that it's sometimes a necessity, because a motorcade just shuts down streets."

"It means sometimes people can't get into Mass when they arrive," she said. "It means that you have people trickling in after the start because they're being put through magnetometers."

The second lady, who practices Hinduism, said they try to adjust the "timing of Mass and location" in order "to mitigate all of these discomforts for all the other people who are just trying to live their lives."

"We try to go to smaller churches and we try to get there exactly on time, because if we get there 10 minutes earlier," security becomes "a nightmare for everybody else," JD Vance said.

"So you try to obviously take your kids to church, but you also try to do it in a way that doesn't inconvenience everybody. That's very important to us," he said.

Vance has attended some highly publicized liturgies. The vice president attended Pope Leo XIV's inaugural Mass on May 18, 2025, in St. Peter's Square. He led the U.S. delegation for the ceremony and was joined by Usha Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

He also attended a private Mass celebrated by Franciscan monks at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem during a three-day diplomatic trip to Israel in October 2025.

Vance met with a group of bishops and went to confession prior to Mass, according to the White House press pool report.

Memoir on Vance's Catholic conversion

Vance's memoir discusses why he left his faith and describes his conversion to Catholicism.

The book has been published by HarperCollins Publishers, which also produced Vance's 2016 bestselling book "Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis."

The book addresses the "story of how I regained my faith," which "only happened because I had lost it to begin with," Vance wrote in a HarperCollins press release. "The interesting question that hangs over this book, and over my mind, is why I ever strayed from the path. Why the Christian faith of my youth failed to properly take root."

In the "CBS Sunday Morning" interview, Vance explained some of what the book uncovers about finding his "home" in the Catholic Church.

"I was raised in evangelical tradition that in a lot of ways I really loved," he said.

The evangelical faith offered an "incredible generosity of spirit" and an "incredible spirit of 'welcomingness,'" Vance said.

While he said he still tries to "apply" these aspects to his life, he "drift[ed] away from that faith."

"I don't think that I was properly rooted," Vance said. "I started to see myself as too smart, maybe too high-minded. I was going to make decisions based on rationality and science and not on this religious mumbo jumbo."

Then, he said, "as I started to think to myself, 'Maybe there is some real truth to these Christian ideas that I grew up with' … I was just incredibly attracted to the tradition of the church that I ultimately selected."

"Things are constantly changing. Social media is changing how we communicate with each other," he said. "You go to one church and it's … one thing. You go to another church and it's something different."

Catholicism "felt rooted" and "if I went to a foreign country and I didn't understand the language, I kind of knew what was going on. And I liked that feeling of rootedness."

"Fundamentally, when I started thinking to myself, 'Maybe I do believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Maybe I do believe in the core tenets of the Christian faith.' A lot of the people who [were] encouraging me on that journey … were Catholic, and they took me to Catholic churches, and I felt at home there, and eventually I converted," Vance said.

"God put a lot of people in my path who were very good Christians and ended up being Catholics. And that's where … I found a home," he said.

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In Derry City, Northern Ireland, on June 13, to mark the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Our Lady of Fátima, and the feast of St. Anthony of Padua, 6,000 people took part in a Eucharistic procession that completed its route in the shadow of the city's famous walls.

The prayer event kicked off a worldwide Eucharistic procession honoring the Blessed Mother including more than 550 parishes and 15 prominent shrines across six continents in what organizers say is the first-ever united and coordinated global Marian Eucharistic procession.

Participating Marian shrines included Knock, Fátima, Lourdes, La Salette and Pontmain Shrine in France, Garabandal in Spain, Beauraing Shrine in Belgium, and the Coimbra convent in Portugal, where Our Lady is believed to have appeared to Sister Lucia, one of the Fátima seers.

Barry Mallett from the Guardians of the Faith group, who organized the Derry procession, spent over a year contacting parishes, dioceses, and Marian shrines around the world to bring them together for this remarkable global outpouring of Eucharistic adoration, held in unison at the same time in each area of the world.

"Fruits from the last Eucharistic processions [held in February and November 2025 in Derry] are an increase in Mass attendance and vocations, with a real hunger and desire to see these continue to help lead our youth back to God," Mallett told EWTN News. "We have seen an increase in conversions and an uplift in faith amongst the Gen Z population locally."

He added: "There isn't any coincidence that this is all taking place so shortly after Archbishop Eamon Martin, a Derry man, reconsecrated Ireland to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in June 2025 and to the Immaculate Heart of Mary at the Rosary Rally in Knock on the 6th of June."

Mallett said he has been getting messages from around the world from participants in the procession who say "they were overwhelmed and that it was such an honor to be part of this synchronized event to honor the holy mother of God."

"Locally here in Derry the buzz is incredible; people were saying it's absolutely beautiful. As the procession wound its way through the city, devotional items were handed out to passersby, and people came out of shops, restaurants, and public houses to watch the very significant event," Millet explained.

"There's a very famous prophecy by St. Patrick in 433 about a light rising and shining from the north of Ireland, spreading throughout the whole of Ireland, on to Britain, Europe, and the whole world."

The city of Derry is remembered for some of the most notorious incidents of the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

During the opening Mass before the procession, Father Roland Colhoun, curate in the Derry Diocese, Parish of Ardstraw East, said: "A procession visually and spiritually transforms streets and sanctuaries into places of contemplative peace. The exercise of communal prayer elevates the district into a place of holiness. We walk under banners with messages of faith, carrying our rosary beads as instruments of prayer. We venerate the image of Our Lady, adore the Eucharist, and meditate on the mysteries of the faith as we process. By taking part in the worldwide Marian procession today, you and I are making our contribution to world peace. May the Prince of Peace reign in our hearts and in the hearts of our brothers and sisters across the world."

After Mass, celebrated in the Creggan estate, a well-known housing development built for working-class Catholics, where the 1972 Bloody Sunday civil rights march started, the route of the procession followed that of the march, culminating at the Long Tower church — the site of the last Penal mass in the city in 1784 and now known as the home parish church of Servant of God Sister Clare Crockett, an Irish sister who died in an earthquake in Ecuador at the age of 33. The church is also close to the site of St. Columba's original church in Derry.

Sister Clare Crockett's uncle, Danny Doyle, said: "Clare would have loved today and been thrilled to have this on her own patch where she was born and reared."

Sisters from the Letterkenny convent of Sister Claire Crockett's congregation, Home of the Mother, were present in Derry, and other sisters participated from their convent in Spain.

Among the procession participants was Father Patrick Desmond, OP, from the Dominican congregation in Newry, who told EWTN News: "It's great to be here. It was so well organized, and everyone played their part. So many young people. So many young families. It would just give you confidence and encourage you to remember that the Lord is in control and it's his Church!"

Desmond said he believes the Lord "is going to renew the Church in the world in his way and in his time, and it's happening. It's very exciting to be at the heart of it. I'm very encouraged, and I'm going to go back to my congregation, and I'm going to try to encourage them with some of the joy that I've experienced here and remind them that God will have the victory ultimately! This needs to be multiplied and magnified!"

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The Colombian Bishops' Conference (CEC, by its Spanish acronym) called for respect for the meaning of the messages the bishops issued ahead of the presidential runoff election, rejecting any manipulation of their content.

Colombia's June 21 election pits right-wing candidate Abelardo de la Espriella against left-wing candidate Iván Cepeda of President Gustavo Petro's party.

In a June 10 statement, the CEC warned that "certain posts and comments are circulating on digital platforms presenting partisan interpretations of recent episcopal statements, even going so far as to use them to support specific political positions."

The bishops called for these "messages to be understood and disseminated within their full context, avoiding uses unrelated to their pastoral purpose."

"The statements and exhortations issued by the presidency of the Colombian Bishops' Conference are inspired by the Gospel, the Church's social doctrine, and the magisterium," with the aim of "offering criteria for reflection that foster citizen participation in the country's democratic life, grounded in responsible discernment, freedom, respect, a culture of encounter, reconciliation, and the pursuit of the common good," the press release noted.

"In no case," the bishops clarified, "do these statements seek to favor, endorse, or delegitimize any candidacy, nor to express support for specific political projects."

For these reasons, the CEC reiterated its call for the bishops' statements to be shared or discussed "while respecting their context, content, and original purpose, and avoiding interpretations that could cause confusion or contribute to the polarization affecting our society."

Likewise, the CEC called for verifying any information through "the institution's official channels before replicating or interpreting its statements."

It noted that, at this decisive moment for Colombia, the CEC "maintains its call to foster a climate of mutual respect, serenity, dialogue, and hope, as well as to reject all forms of violence, stigmatization, or division."

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

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The Vatican on Monday published Pope Leo XIV's message for the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, which this year will be celebrated on July 26 with the theme "I Will Never Forget You."

Reflecting on this theme, taken from a verse of the book of the prophet Isaiah, the Holy Father emphasized that "these are words that fill us with comfort and hope." He recalled the "painful feeling of being forgotten," something shared by many people, especially the elderly.

God's love as a response to anonymity

In the face of this sense of abandonment, the Holy Father recalled that God's love, which "forgets no one," is also "an act of justice and a response to the anonymity in which human life all too often ends up lost."

The pontiff turned his attention to elderly people who have been forgotten and who live in homes "where loneliness reigns" or in care facilities "where each person's uniqueness risks being reduced to a bed number or an illness."

He proposed the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly as an opportunity "to rediscover that the Church is called to be a mother to all and that at any age it is always possible to recognize ourselves as sons and daughters of God."

He also invited this day to be "an inspiration for everyone, especially the young, to revive the beautiful custom of visiting their grandparents, the elderly members of the family, and even those who have no one to visit them."

Leo said the Church "understands the suffering of her elderly members; she knows full well that they are all too often viewed through the lens of stereotypes and considered a burden." He noted in particular the weakening of family ties and the abandonment of many elderly people by children forced to migrate or to fight in wars.

Recalling the words of Pope John Paul I, Leo stressed that we are the recipients "of undying love on the part of God. We know: He has always his eyes open on us, even when it seems to be dark. He is our father; even more he is our mother." He added that even in old age "we do not cease to be sons and daughters; therefore, the invitation to return to the arms of God — whose love is both paternal and maternal — remains worthwhile at any age."

'It is never too late to begin turning to him'

He then noted that the final stage of life "can become the right time to begin or resume a spiritual life" and to encounter God anew.

The pope invited the elderly "not to feel embarrassed by the fragility that emerges" and to recognize that "we are always in need of one another and in need of attention and care." To God, he said, "we can now turn with filial trust in prayer. It is never too late to begin turning to him."

He also emphasized that advanced age can be a time to reflect on one's vocation: "Do not be afraid of fragility! It is precisely this weakness that holds within itself a new potential that also illuminates the other stages of life."

In this sense, he explained that when "we acknowledge our fragility, our hearts become open to supporting one another and to invoking the One who can grant what no human power can ensure: the profound reconciliation of hearts and, with it, true peace."

A path toward renewal and peace

In conclusion, the pope stressed that it is possible to live old age as Christians, "fragile" yet at the same time "called." He noted that a person can be "born anew in old age" and choose paths not of power but of reconciliation and peace.

Finally, he urged the elderly to join in prayer "that peace may soon come to the whole world," so that a better future may be secured for their grandchildren.

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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A long-running legal dispute against a city in Ohio has received the backing of the U.S. Catholic bishops as it seeks to both assert a religious liberty claim and challenge a long-standing U.S. rule over when a lawsuit can be brought before a court.

Daniel Grand filed a lawsuit against the city of University Heights, Ohio, in September 2022 after the city blocked his efforts to convene a minyan, or Jewish prayer group, of about a dozen friends at his home. The city directed that he would have to acquire a special-use permit to host the group.

"They said if I got the permit, I could have the prayer group," he told EWTN News. "But halfway into this ordeal, I learned that if anybody qualifies for this permit, there is no residence allowed [where the permit is granted]." His family would have to move in the event the permit was granted, he said.

The federal district court dismissed his case on the grounds of a legal concept known as "finality," a rule that holds that a lawsuit can only be brought if a plaintiff has exhausted all other relevant options first.

Jonathan Gross, an attorney who is representing Grand in the ongoing dispute,  said governments will sometimes use this rule in order to thwart a lawsuit attempt.

"Certain jurisdictions recognize that the government controls everything and that if they want they can 'jerk you around' and table your case indefinitely to prevent you from ever getting finality that allows you to sue," he said.

"If local government can do whatever they want with your application and make it so you never get a final decision, then you're ultimately blocked from ever suing them, and they know that," he said.

The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio dismissed the case on finality grounds; the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit upheld that dismissal. Grand and his attorneys are asking the Supreme Court to review the case and rule on the finality question so that the religious liberty suit can proceed.

"We obviously assert that Daniel was harmed," Gross said. "But we didn't even go to court because we didn't get the final decision."

Decision would 'open up the Hoover Dam' for some lawsuits

Grand and his attorneys are hoping to resolve the finality question at the Supreme Court for the sake of both themselves and plaintiffs in other lawsuits.

A favorable decision from the high court would "open up the Hoover Dam for everyone who wants to get into federal court but is being denied because you didn't complete some sort of process," Grand told EWTN News.

Yet Grand himself is still focused on resolving the religious liberty dispute as well. Among other supporters, the lawsuit has received backing from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which filed an amicus brief in appeals court arguing that Grand's religious liberty claims should be considered without being subject to "finality."

Religious plaintiffs have standing to sue "as soon as a credible threat arises," the bishops said in their filing, arguing that court processes that play out over "months or years" due to finality rules serve as a "constitutional harm" in and of themselves.

In his filing with the Supreme Court, Grand argued that the case is "a playbook for government-sponsored religious discrimination."

Speaking to EWTN News, Grand disputed the implicit contention that "10 Jews in a room makes it a synagogue." He said his aim was simply to host a small group to speak to God.

"It was on my heart to have a prayer gathering, and I thought nothing more than that," he said.

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Pope Leo XIV received a delegation from the Syro-Malankara Church on June 15 on the occasion of its first convention for clergy and laity residing in Europe, urging them to preserve and promote their identity, particularly within the context of the diaspora in Europe and the United States.

The origins of this Church lie in the Christian tradition of India, specifically in the state of Kerala, and trace back to the Christians evangelized by the Apostle Thomas in the first century.

After greeting the bishops present and highlighting the spiritual renewal of this Church in preparation for the centenary of its reunion with the Catholic Church in 1930, he said the Syro-Malankara Church as "your Church has always been a beacon of evangelical energy and apostolic charity, bringing social justice, education, and integral human development to those on the margins of society."

In his address, the pope also noted that this Church began to grow rapidly beyond ethnic or linguistic boundaries, initially in the neighboring state of Tamil Nadu as the fruit of evangelization efforts begun in 1934.

In this vein, he highlighted the need for "an urgent commitment" to preserving and promoting "the inestimable treasures incarnated by all the Eastern Churches," especially within the growing diaspora.

The pope underscored the presence of these faithful in the United States, just as Benedict XVI and Pope Francis had done.

Along the same lines, he addressed in particular Bishop Kuriakose Mar Osthathios, whom he recently appointed as apostolic visitator for the Syro-Malankara faithful residing in Europe.

His responsibility includes, according to the pontiff, "surveying the current state of pastoral care with a view to making proposals to the local bishops and to the Holy See for the spiritual good of the faithful."

He also recalled having asked the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches to help him "to evaluate the best ways to establish firm and enduring foundations" so that future generations of Syro-Malankara faithful may continue to deepen their friendship with the Lord Jesus through their own traditions, thereby contributing to the good of the entire Catholic Church.

In this regard, he asked them to promote greater awareness about "the precious identity of the Syro-Malankara Church" and the "experience of its unique heritage."

Noting that the St. Thomas Christians of India, considered one of the oldest Christian communities in the world, have a "well-deserved reputation for devout families from which arise many vocations to the priesthood and religious life," Leo XIV prayed that a steadfast faith "may continue to thrive in your homes and your hearts, particularly in those of the young."

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.

Full Article