Catholic News

Pope Leo XIV warned Wednesday of a "paradox" in Western societies where a growing emphasis on individual freedom coexists with an increasingly widespread fear of being judged.

Speaking to bishops from various countries who are friends of the Focolare Movement, the pontiff warned of the effects of individualism in the West, "where the once-stable networks of family, friendship, and community are giving way to greater fragmentation."

In this context, he said, freedom "is increasingly presented as absolute autonomy — the ability to pursue happiness without any moral, natural, or even human limits," as he noted in his recent encyclical Magnifica Humanitas.

"And yet we observe a paradox," he continued. "For all the emphasis on individual freedom, people today frequently feel less free to be their genuine selves or follow their highest ideals out of a hidden fear of being judged or of not fitting in."

Unity as an answer to polarization

During his address, the pope called for a renewed commitment to unity as a response to the divisions afflicting the contemporary world.

Highlighting the contribution of the movement founded by Chiara Lubich, he said that "in an age sadly marked by increasing polarization, Our Lord enabled her to give witness to both the sense and service of unity, thus becoming a sign for her own and for future generations."

"If that was Chiara's task 40 years ago, it is ours even more urgently today," he said. "I think of the difficult social situations, the circumstances, the divisions which some of you, my brothers, endure in your countries, situations such as prejudice, racism, religious intolerance, even violence."

Leo said the loss of openness to others "exacerbates a sense of disunity" and ultimately deprives people "of the happiness for which we were created, since we are made in the image of the Triune God, who is himself a communion of persons — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit."

Addressing the participants as heirs to Lubich's spiritual legacy and ministers of the Church in a fragmented world, the pope urged them to bear witness to the unity of the human family.

"The answer to the sad divisions that plague our world lies not in forming more committees or launching more projects but in going back to the source of our unity in the Holy Trinity," he said.

'We must become contemplatives'

"Indeed, we must become contemplatives!" the pope told the bishops, encouraging them to strengthen their interior lives.

He urged them to do so "with generous and sustained prayer before Our Lord in the tabernacle, with a calm and attentive celebration of the Office and holy Mass, and finally by frequent contemplation of the indwelling of the Persons of the Trinity in the depth of our being."

"In this way, you will be witnesses to each other and to those you serve of that unity which builds lasting peace," he said.

Reform of the Focolare Movement

This was not the first time Leo had received members of the Focolare Movement, also known as the Work of Mary, which Lubich founded in 1943. In March, he met with representatives of the ecclesial movement following the conclusion of its general assembly.

Present in 182 countries, the movement has about 110,000 active members and approximately 2 million supporters and adherents, according to figures published on its official website.

The Holy See approved the Work of Mary in 1962. Its General Statutes were subsequently approved in 1990 by the then-Pontifical Council for the Laity, whose functions are now part of the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family, and Life.

In recent years, the movement has also faced allegations of abuse. Revelations that a former consecrated member in France had sexually abused minors prompted the organization's leaders to commission an official investigation by an independent body, the British firm GCPS Consulting.

A report published in March 2022 as a result of that investigation detailed confirmed cases of sexual abuse as well as instances of spiritual and power abuse identified through testimony gathered during the inquiry.

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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ACCRA, Ghana — The representative of the Holy Father in Ghana has challenged young Catholics from across West Africa to reject fear, build friendships rooted in faith, and embrace their responsibility as the "today of God" in the Church and their countries.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the first-ever West African Youth Day (WAYD) in Accra on Tuesday, Archbishop Julien Kaboré said young people should not see themselves as victims of the challenges facing their societies or as a generation forced to wait for its opportunity to make a difference.

Instead, he said, young West Africans are already needed by the Church and their countries.

"Do not lose hope. You are not a sacrificed generation. You are not a lost generation. You are not a generation without a future," the apostolic nuncio said.

The archbishop acknowledged that many young people are growing up amid uncertainty, insecurity, violence, and anxiety about what the future holds. Yet, he said, these realities should not determine how they understand themselves or their place in society.

The Church, he explained, recognizes young people as having an active role in the life of the Church and the world.

"In the Church, which is the family of God, the Holy Father calls you the 'today of God,'" Kaboré said.

A native of Burkina Faso, Kaboré, who has been the pope's representative in Ghana since June 2024, emphasized that the energy, dreams, talents, and hope of young people are not simply resources for the future but gifts that are needed in the present.

"Life needs you today. The Church needs you today. Your countries need you today," he told the participants.

The Sept. 7–11 event is being celebrated under the theme "Take Courage, Catholic Youth, as Actors and Agents of Peace and Hope in West Africa."

The gathering has brought together youth from the 16 countries in the West African region and has been organized by the Regional Episcopal Conference of West Africa.

In his address, the nuncio challenged young people to see WAYD not simply as a major Catholic celebration but as an opportunity to discern how they can contribute to the future of West Africa.

For Kaboré, the impact of the gathering should be measured long after the participants have returned to their respective countries. He acknowledged that neither he nor the young people could know exactly what the future would bring, but said he had a dream for the gathering.

"My hope, my dream, is that, by the grace of God, what we are witnessing today will one day be remembered as the beginning of a moment when a generation of young West African Catholics rediscovered the courage of faith," he said.

He expressed hope that the encounter would awaken vocations, encourage young people to offer their gifts in service of the Church, and establish friendships that transcend national and linguistic boundaries.

"Every great tree begins with a seed. And therefore, I hope that this gathering today is also a seed," Kaboré said.

For the young people at WAYD, he said, following Christ means learning to recognize the dignity of others and becoming instruments of unity in societies often marked by division. This mission, he added, begins with relationships.

"Do not leave Ghana without making new friends, without creating bonds," he said.

He challenged participants to ensure that the friendships formed during the gathering are not superficial relationships based merely on photographs and memories but bonds capable of supporting their Christian vocation beyond Accra.

"Seek friends in virtue. Friends who bring you closer to God," he said, "May Mary accompany each of your steps. May she protect your youth. May she teach you to say yes to God." 

This story was first published by ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, and has been adapted by EWTN News.

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St. Peter Claver was a Spanish Jesuit priest who dedicated his life to the care of African slaves. On Sept. 9 — the saint's feast day — EWTN will release an original docudrama on his life titled "Saint Peter Claver — Slave of the Slaves."

The docudrama was filmed on location in Spain, Colombia, and Cape Verde and uses interviews and dramatizations to present the life of Claver, who tirelessly ministered to the spiritual and physical needs of African slaves in Cartagena, Colombia, for 40 years.

The film will air on EWTN TV and EWTN+ on Sept. 9 at 9:30 p.m. ET and re-air on Sept. 12 at 8 p.m. ET. At this time, the program will not air on YouTube.

Who was St. Peter Claver?

Born on June 26, 1580, in Catalonia, Spain, Claver grew up in a devout Catholic farming family. He attended the University of Barcelona and at age 20 joined the Jesuits.

During his studies as a novice, Claver met an older lay Jesuit brother, Alphonsus Rodriguez. It was Rodriguez who encouraged Claver to become a missionary in the Spanish colonies in the Americas.

In 1610, Claver traveled from Spain to Cartagena, Colombia, where he was ordained a priest five years later.

At that time, the African slave trade had been in place for several decades in the Americas, and Cartagena was one of the busiest slave ports in the Spanish empire.

While there, Claver witnessed the cruelty with which the slaves were treated firsthand, despite Pope Paul III's repeated condemnations of slavery. It is estimated that tens of thousands of enslaved Africans passed through Cartagena during Claver's ministry.

Moved by their suffering, Claver worked to bring both bodily and spiritual aid to the slaves. Despite his own health problems and the language barrier, he dedicated himself to his vocation.

Claver would meet slave ships upon arrival in the harbor and board them to care for the poorly treated passengers on board who had made the journey from Africa in diseased and cramped conditions over the course of several months. He would tend to the sick — bringing food, water, and medicine — and treat wounds and illnesses. He would immediately baptize babies and those near death.

After a slave was sold, Claver would continue to visit the individual, providing physical and spiritual support.

When it came to catechesis, due to the language barrier, Claver used pictorial representations of the Gospel stories he was teaching.

Throughout his ministry, Claver lived on small amounts of food and sleep. His lifestyle led to several miraculous occurrences, including when he healed the sick with the touch of his cloak or appeared surrounded by a supernatural light during his hospital visits.

After suffering for several years from poor health, Claver died on Sept. 8, 1654. He had baptized and taught the faith to more than 300,000 slaves during his 40 years in Colombia.

He was beatified by Pius IX on July 16, 1850, and canonized along with his friend St. Alphonsus Rodriguez on Jan. 15, 1888, by Pope Leo XIII.

Claver is the patron saint of enslaved peoples, African missions, and interracial justice, and one of several patron saints of Colombia.

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As you walk into one new gym in the Archdiocese of Denver, the first thing you'll notice isn't the equipment. A large crucifix hangs on the wall above a Bible, while a nearby whiteboard is covered with prayer intentions. The gym's workout equipment fills the rest of the space.

Grow the Kingdom gym opened in 2025 in the former Augustine Institute building in Greenwood Village, Colorado. Founded by Jayce Rastrelli and Hayden Dalton, the gym aims to integrate faith and fitness, teach the importance of taking care of the body as a way to serve God and family, and equip individuals to be servants of God.

Rastrelli and Dalton, who are best friends, felt inspired to open the gym after experiences they had working out at a secular gym, where they were surrounded by music, conversations, and attire that they considered immodest and inappropriate.

"I realized I had been lifting in an environment that just wasn't beneficial to my faith," Rastrelli told EWTN News in an interview. "It was like a battle ground."

Each had a background in personal training and sports. After prayer and discernment, the two friends decided to open Grow the Kingdom as a "safe space to glorify God," where individuals "get to lift with the right purpose and know that you couldn't do without God."

The gym serves people of all ages and demographics — from preteens to older adults — and even local parish priests.

Rastrelli said the gym's members all have the "understanding that God needs to be at the center of everything that you do."

The gym incorporates faith into fitness in other tangible ways.

"The first thing you see is going to be Our Lord giving his body for us on the cross. And then you're going to get to come in here and work on your body for God," Rastrelli said.

Across from the crucifix is a large whiteboard covered with people's names. This is the gym's prayer intentions board, where members are encouraged to write the names of individuals they're offering their workouts for and are keeping in prayer.

"Having that [intentions board] up there is, I would argue, the best way to automatically take yourself out of it. You're now doing it for someone else. You're building someone else up," Rastrelli explained. "You're allowing God to take your workout and transform it into a prayer and send it back to someone in the form of grace. So, no more ego lifting. You're not doing this for yourself. You're doing it for the names on the board. You're doing it for the person you put up there."

The gym also enforces a modest dress code and plays "clean and appropriate" music.

A common obstacle many face when working out, according to Rastrelli, is falling into vanity and focusing too much on one's ego. Rastrelli said he has seen this too and admitted that he has also struggled with it in his own fitness journey.

He said he uses Scripture to explain that people's bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit and gifts from God, and that they work out to build those bodies and use them to their fullest potential.

With that in mind, Rastrelli said there are "going to be great bonuses that are going to come along with that," and even if "aesthetic appearance" is part of those benefits, he suggested people ask themselves truthfully why they are training: "Is it just for that ego, that vanity? 'I want to look big. I want to have this appearance.' What are you going to use that for?"

While Rastrelli said he believes there's nothing wrong with working out a specific muscle group, for example, but the danger "comes down to your intent."

"It's OK to want to look good for your spouse … but if your intent becomes too inwardly focused, that's where the danger really comes," he said. "'I want to look good for my spouse.' That's a beautiful thing. Know that it's from God that you're able to do that. Praise God that you're able to do that, that you have a body that is capable of pursuing difficult things."

Rastrelli emphasized that the key is "refocusing people['s minds] into 'Your body is built to serve God.'"

He pointed out how this mindset can be beneficial in various aspects of a person's life.

"To have results in the gym, to actually better your body, is going to take consistent work," he explained. "When you're not feeling it, you have to show up. You have to stay disciplined. So you start building on these routines and habits and they start forming into these great virtues."

Rastrelli also noted how an understanding of delayed gratification is also developed through working out. "I think that's a huge one for us in our current culture. Everyone wants something immediately — myself included. In the gym, there's no immediate; it's consistently built," he said.

"It's the same thing when we're walking with God. We want that immediate fix. 'Lord, just take this sin away from me right now. I don't want it anymore.' That's not how it's going to work. You face that battle over and over, consistently, for you to build up those tools with God to then be able to deny it, say no to it, have that self-mastery. So I think the correlation is just so strong and it can be so evident that you're proving with God's grace that you can do difficult things."

Beyond the weight room

As the gym approaches its one-year anniversary, new programs are being planned to foster more growth among the community. Currently, the gym offers basic, open access as well as group training classes, which are split into an adults' class and a class for 11- to 21-year-olds.

Soon, Rastrelli said, he will roll out eight different training programs he created, which members can access on an app. It will lead them through each exercise with a video demonstration as well as include numbers of sets and repetitions. In addition, Rastrelli will offer individualized programs created for members' specific needs.

Grow the Kingdom will soon offer a mentorship program for 11- to 21-year-olds that will focus on "vice versus virtue training," Rastrelli explained. The program will include a course that takes them through the four cardinal virtues as well as monthly Bible studies, virtue talks, Q&A sessions, saint studies, live seminars, and a 24/7 live community in their age group. The program will be offered to young men first until a female coach is hired.

The idea behind it is to "build this community — let's get them into the gym. Let's get this well-rounded mind, body, and soul all together and have them understand you're not walking this alone. We're actually walking with you," Rastrelli said.

Rastrelli said he hopes the gym will help its members "get to know their worth in God's eyes."

"I just think there's so much in our culture right now that is … infiltrated with a lot of false narratives," he said. "Coming in here, I would hope that they get to see how much God loves them. He … gave his body for us, so can we not do the same?"

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The U.S. bishops have published a pastoral plan calling for a faithful replica of St. Juan Diego's tilma to be enthroned in every diocese in the United States as the Church prepares for the 500th anniversary of the Guadalupe Marian apparitions in 2031.

The proposal is set out in "One Tilma, One Heart: Walking with Our Lady of Guadalupe in the Footsteps of Saint Juan Diego" and is part of the Intercontinental Guadalupe Novena's 2025–2028 strategic plan, which aims at "a profound spiritual renewal and unity under the protection of Our Lady of Guadalupe."

Bishops from Mexico, the U.S., and Canada each carried home tilma replicas after their historic meeting last week at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City.

Bishop Daniel E. Flores of Brownsville, Texas, vice president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB); Bishop Oscar Cantú of San José, California; Bishop Eugenio Lira Rugarcía of Matamoros, Mexico; and Bishop Pierre Goudreault of Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière, Canada, president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, attended the meeting.

Under the plan, each diocese in the U.S. will receive a tilma for enthronement in its cathedral followed by two years of missionary activity including pilgrimages, service, and catechesis as the image travels to parishes beginning in 2027.

The original tilma, the cactus-fiber cloak on which Mary's image miraculously appeared on Tepeyac Hill in Mexico in 1531, remains at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City.

The replicated images are printed on cloth similar to the original, and those touched to the original tilma will be treated as third-class relics.

The pastoral plan presents the tilma not only as an object of devotion but also as a "living catechetical witness" meant to make Catholics messengers of hope like St. Juan Diego.

Bishop Robert Brennan of Brooklyn, New York, said at the bishops' June plenary that a tilma for each diocese could be ordered at a low cost and that images would be presented to ordinaries in Baltimore in November for veneration in cathedrals or other sites designated by the local bishop.

After enthronement, the image is to travel through parishes and what organizers call "contemporary Tepeyacs," or places marked by suffering, exclusion, migration, and violence. Local missionaries known as Juandieguitos will accompany the image, listen to community concerns, and help establish "sacred little houses" as sites of welcome, reconciliation, and Guadalupan formation, according to the pastoral plan.

A bilingual Order of Enthronement of the Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, originally prepared by the Mexican bishops' liturgy commission, was also posted by the USCCB. The rite envisions a solemn diocesan Mass with procession, a prayer of consecration, and a blessing of the community "under the mantle of Mary."

The bishops noted that the effort is in preparation both for the 2031 anniversary of Mary's apparitions at Tepeyac and for the Great Jubilee of 2033, the Church's planned extraordinary Holy Year of Redemption, marking 2,000 years since Jesus' passion, death, and resurrection.

Citing Pope Francis' Dec. 12, 2022, homily at the beginning of the Guadalupan novena, hoped-for fruits of the effort include the "renewal of a Christocentric faith through Marian mediation," reconciliation of polarized communities, strengthening of Hispanic cultural identity, and a network of Marian shrines as "privileged spaces for the rebirth of hope."

Francis said in his 2022 homily on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe that "although this horizon seems bleak and disconcerting ... this too is a propitious time of salvation, in which the Lord, through the Virgin Mother, continues to give us his Son."

A suggested timeline has dioceses naming Guadalupan ambassadors in late 2026, initial formation in January 2027, and diocesan enthronements from February through December 2027, with pastoral follow-up continuing through 2031.

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The archbishop of Indianapolis has granted a dispensation from Mass for parishioners who fear deportation, making Indianapolis the seventh U.S. diocese to issue such a decree amid rising federal immigration-enforcement activity nationwide.

Catholic parishioners, regardless of documentation, are permitted to miss Sunday Mass if they "reasonably fear being detained, separated from their families, or experience intimidation due to the increased immigration enforcement," according to the decree, showing how the archdiocese is accompanying migrants.

The dispensation took effect Sept. 4 and runs through Sept. 30 unless extended. With Indianapolis added, dioceses that have issued similar decrees encompass about 3.5 million Catholics, according to the Official Catholic Directory 2025.

During the pandemic in 2020, all Catholic dioceses and archdioceses issued Mass dispensations. Canon 1245 allows a diocesan bishop or pastor to grant a dispensation from Mass obligation "for a just cause."

"The decision to grant the dispensation at this time came as a response to requests from our pastors who work closely with our immigrant communities," Sally Krause, the archdiocese's director of communications, told EWTN. "They are experiencing fear and uncertainty due to an increase in immigration enforcement in Indianapolis and the surrounding areas. By granting the dispensation, we wished to express the Church's solidarity and care for those who are afraid to leave their homes."

Archbishop Charles Thompson of Indianapolis said the dispensation and his statement came after what he described as a "recent surge in immigration enforcement activity in Indiana," which he said "has caused fear and uncertainty for many families, particularly when detention results in the sudden separation of parents and children."

Thompson encouraged the faithful who use the dispensation to supplement with prayer, reading the Sunday readings, praying the rosary, and watching livestreamed Mass.

"Pastors and all those who minister to the faithful within the Archdiocese of Indianapolis are encouraged to attend to the spiritual care of those who must make use of this dispensation to the best of their ability, especially regarding the Sacraments of Penance and Anointing of the Sick, or the distribution of Holy Communion to the homebound," he said.

Thompson said the dispensation applies to immigrant parishioners fearing detention, adding: "This applies even to those with proper legal documentation."

"While recognizing the need for law enforcement to protect and defend, it is gravely concerning to witness families being torn apart," Thompson said in the statement. "The family, the fabric of stability in our society, must be cherished and defended. The inherent dignity of being created in the image of God demands that every person be treated with dignity, compassion, and respect."

Krause said: "It is our practice that dispensations have a specific time frame delineated for which they have legal force. One month is a measured amount of time for such a decree, and we knew that we would discern the situation again in a month's time."

Dispensations across the U.S.

The dispensation in Indianapolis marks the seventh such dispensation granted in the U.S. for migrants fearing deportation by immigration enforcement officers since the start of the Trump administration.

The Archdiocese of New Orleans and the dioceses of Columbus, Baton Rouge, Charlotte, San Bernardino, and Nashville have granted dispensations.

Archbishop Jeffrey Grob of Milwaukee has said he would consider granting dispensation from Mass obligations to migrants fearing deportation, should the situation in his archdiocese require it. No dispensation has been announced in Milwaukee to date.

Bishops in other dioceses along the border, including the Diocese of El Paso, the Diocese of Brownsville, and the Diocese of Tucson, have not granted dispensations but issued strong statements of condemnation over mass detentions and deportations of migrants in their respective communities.

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Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella announced an initial disbursement of 1.2 billion pesos ($320,000) to restore the Minor Basilica of the Lord of Miracles, which was damaged by the Aug. 10 earthquake.

The basilica, located in the city of Buga in the Valle del Cauca department (administrative district), sustained damage to its dome. As a safety precaution, Masses inside the church have been suspended and are currently being held in the town's central square.

In addition, as the basilica has the legal designation of an asset of cultural interest, any restoration work must be supervised by the Ministry of Culture.

During his Sept. 5 visit to Valle del Cauca, De la Espriella expressed the government's commitment to "protecting the spiritual symbols of the Colombian people."

"We already have 1.2 billion pesos [approximately $320,000] to repair our Basilica of the Lord of Miracles, and we are working with the private sector to secure another 5 billion [$1.6 million] to rebuild and repair the basilica so that Masses can be held there," he announced Sept. 5.

Referring to the image of Christ crucified in the church, which depicts the Savior with dark-colored skin, the president stated the state-funded repairs are intended to "honor our beloved [Black Christ]," as the Lord of Miracles of Buga is also known, "and to defend that symbol of faith and spirituality that means so much to us Colombians."

The announcement comes just days before the feast of the Lord of Miracles in Buga, celebrated on Sept. 14, which draws thousands of pilgrims.

In a Facebook video, Father Alcides de Jesús Orozco, rector of the basilica, explained that although the basilica is closed, the part of the church where the image of Christ is enthroned suffered no damage and the faithful may enter there.

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 coalition of lawmakers, state attorneys general, and advocacy groups filed dozens of legal briefs in support of California parents who are challenging a state law that excludes parents from decisions about "socially" transitioning a child's gender.

California law does not allow school districts to adopt policies that require teachers and school administrators to tell parents when their child identifies as transgender and wants to be treated as the opposite sex. The law does not forbid voluntary notification by a teacher.

In March, the U.S. Supreme Court halted enforcement of the state law, warning it cuts parents out of the conversation. The 6-3 decision did not offer a final ruling on the constitutionality of the law but found that it likely violates constitutionally protected rights to freedom of religion and to direct the upbringing of one's children, and sent the case back down to the lower courts.

A lower court's permanent injunction that blocks the law indefinitely is in effect, and the case is in front of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit.

The parents, represented by the Catholic nonprofit legal group The Thomas More Society, are getting support from 17 state attorneys general, five senators, and dozens of organizations that filed legal briefs with the appellate court in their defense.

Paul M. Jonna, special counsel for Thomas More Society, said in a statement that the legal briefs "all converge on the same point," which is that the law will not survive "strict scrutiny," which is the highest standard of review, required in cases when constitutional rights are at risk.

"Parents, not school bureaucrats, have the right to raise their children and to direct their religious upbringing," Jonna said. "That means a school may not facilitate a child's gender transition without their knowledge and consent."

Legal briefs backing parents

Five Republican senators signed on to a joint brief supporting the parents: Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas; Sen. Mike Lee of Utah; Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota; Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas; and Sen. Jim Banks of Indiana.

"America's history and tradition affirm that parents bear the primary responsibility for their children's upbringing and have 'natural bonds of affection' with their children leading them to act in their children's best interests," the senators wrote.

"The state must presume that parents are fit to direct their children's upbringing and education," they wrote. "It follows that parents are also in the best position to help their children with life's struggles. That includes mental health struggles like gender dysphoria. When children engage with their school for help regarding their gender dysphoria, the school must tell the parents."

Republican attorneys general from 17 states also filed a brief: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia.

In the brief, they stated their intent is "to ensure that parents retain their fundamental right to direct the upbringing of their minor children."

"The need for parental involvement and oversight is only more pressing when the ideology pushed by the state confuses innocent and impressionable children experiencing 'gender dysphoria,'" they wrote.

A large coalition of more than 70 nongovernmental organizations, which includes Catholic and other Christian organizations, signed a separate brief. The signatories include Tradition, Family, Property, Inc.; the Christian Law Association; and the Christian Medical & Dental Associations, along with Catholic former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum.

"Parents, whether religious or not, have the responsibility as well as the right to monitor the ideas to which their children are exposed and to protect them from those ideas likely to confuse and harm them," the brief said.

"When officious school officials use their access to children absent parental supervision to instill in those children ideas to which the parents are likely to object, they subvert the trust upon which family strength, and child wellbeing, depend," it adds.

Three legal scholars also filed a legal brief with the court: Professors Robert P. George, Melissa Moschella, and Eric A. DeGroff. George and Moschella are Catholic.

"Anglo-American law has long recognized that parents — not the state — are the primary decision-makers for their children's medical care," the brief said. "This reflects a considered judgment that parents are best positioned to know their children's needs, weigh risks and benefits in light of family values, and act in their children's interests."

"Our legal tradition has never treated parental authority as absolute," it added. "But the limits history has placed on that authority reflect two principles that, properly understood, reinforce rather than diminish the primacy of parental decision-making."

The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which secured a religious liberty and parental rights victory at the Supreme Court in Mahmoud v. Taylor, also filed a brief in defense of the parents, as did a parent represented by Alliance Defending Freedom, who is fighting against a similar school policy in Wisconsin.

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ABUJA, Nigeria — Technology can help humanity transform the resources provided by God into practical benefits for people and communities across the African continent, the chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences in Rome said.

In an interview with ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, on Sept. 3 during the launch of a 1.5-megawatt solar project that Earth Our Common Home (ECHo) is providing for Veritas University, Abuja, Cardinal Peter Turkson said ECHo's mission is to provide clean energy for Catholic Churches and their institutions across Africa because of the importance of energy to man.

"There's hardly anything that happens in this world without energy. Hardly anything. The solar energy initiative at the Catholic university demonstrates how human ingenuity can harness God's creation to meet concrete needs while promoting integral human development," Turkson said.

The Ghanaian-born cardinal said the Church should recognize the natural resources available in creation as gifts from God and use appropriate technology to transform them for the benefit of humanity.

"We need energy for everything that we do. So far, we've tried to produce that energy using generators, diesel fuel, and all of that," he said.

Turkson continued: "It is, however, good to also notice that God, who created this, also provided the wherewithal to carry out everything that we do, providing this great source of energy. All it takes is that technology to transform this into our concrete use."

The cardinal explained that God provides the raw materials while human creativity and technology transform them into useful products.

"God created cotton; God did not create a vest. Business transformed cotton into a vest that you wear. God created trees; he didn't create furniture. Business people convert trees into furniture," he said.

He added: "So we have solar light and a technology that is going to convert this into specific, concrete needs of this community. So that's what we gathered here to do."

Beyond providing electricity for teaching, learning, and other activities, Turkson said the project could significantly reduce the financial burden associated with diesel-powered electricity.

"It's going to save this university not only by providing energy for people to study and learn, but save this university a lot of money," he said.

He described the implementation of the project at a significantly reduced cost as an important opportunity for the Church, particularly as Catholic institutions seek sustainable ways of funding their educational and pastoral missions.

Turkson said the initiative should not be seen as benefiting Veritas University alone, noting that the experience could open the way for similar interventions in other Catholic institutions across Africa.

"From our small office, we've just tried to put together this small group to help our continent. So the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria is beginning with this, but from here it's going to go on," he said.

He explained that the vision was to make the benefits of the initiative available to Catholic bishops' conferences and local churches across Africa.

"The benefits of ECHo and what it can facilitate and fund is something that is meant for all the bishops' conferences of Africa, all the local churches in Africa, to support what the Church does for the promotion of integral human development," Turkson said.

The Vatican official linked the project to the ecological vision of Pope Francis, particularly the late pope's encyclical Laudato Si', which calls Christians and the wider human family to care for creation.

He said the encyclical invites people to reflect on the impact of human activity on the natural environment.

"Everything that God created was good, very good. It comes into the hands of human beings, and we make it very good or very bad," Turkson said.

He said the transition to renewable energy could help reduce the negative impact of human activities on creation.

"In terms of promoting the well-being of human beings or people, this project over here will go a long way toward determining how we reduce our negative impact on creation," he said.

The cardinal emphasized that the environmental benefits of renewable energy are closely connected to human well-being.

"As Pope Francis would say, we turn the pain of the earth into our own personal pains. And we want to reduce that. Reduce that by producing less carbon dioxide, producing less greenhouse gas, whatever type of thing, and so polluting less," he said.

He noted that reducing pollution would benefit both the environment and human health.

"When we pollute less, then we promote the environment more. Not only do we promote the environment, but we also promote the health of human beings, who also need this for their own existence," he said.

For Turkson, the Veritas University project therefore represents more than an alternative source of electricity; it is an example of how faith, technology, and responsible stewardship can work together to support education, reduce costs, and advance human well-being.

"Everything that is happening here not only helps the advancement of the educational process but ultimately also enhances the well-being of creation and the human beings," he said.

Meanwhile, the vice chancellor of Veritas University, Abuja, Father Hyacinth Ichoku, who spoke to ACI Africa during the same event, said the initiative was driven by the need to respond to the environmental damage caused by continued dependence on fossil fuels.

"We are part of the global consciousness about the Earth, our common home, and that's why the project is actually about our Earth, our common home, about consciousness about the Earth and consciousness about the environment," he said.

He noted that the continued release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere contributes to environmental degradation and poses risks to human life and ecosystems.

"The continuous transmission of carbon dioxide into the air is damaging our Earth, killing us, killing things, killing our environment. So we decided to move away from fossil fuels to solar energy, which they regard as clean energy," Ichoku said.

This story was first published by ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, and has been adapted by EWTN News.

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The Primatial Archdiocese of Mexico said it considers it appropriate to regulate the use of cellphones and other electronic devices in schools but banning them should not be the only response: Parents must set a good example and impose limits at home as well.

In its latest editorial, titled "Before taking away their cellphones, let's look at our own [use]," Desde la Fe (From a Faith Perspective), the archdiocese's weekly publication, addressed the debate surrounding the use of mobile devices at schools as millions of students return to class this fall.

According to the publication, 19 states in the country (about 60%) already regulate or prohibit students' use of such devices in schools, except when teachers allow their use for educational purposes.

A ban 'just by itself' won't solve the problem

The archdiocese acknowledged that younger generations "have grown up connected to a screen" and that social media in particular "is part of how they communicate, entertain themselves, and stay informed."

However, it warned that excessive use of these devices can lead to "distraction, dividing one's attention, and hindering concentration." It also warned of the risk that digital content may gain "greater authority than the words of parents or teachers simply because it is more attractive or popular."

While the archdiocese stated that it is "appropriate to discuss the regulation of mobile phones in schools," it noted that "it would be a mistake to think that banning them by itself will solve the problem."

The editorial highlighted the challenge of teaching students the technical use of digital tools while also helping them engage "responsibly" with "the vast amount of information, stimuli, and content to which they provide access."

A challenge for parents and teachers

The editorial noted that the responsibility cannot solely fall upon children or schools; rather, parents need "tools to set boundaries, give guidance to their children, and learn to manage the use of technology" themselves.

"If a child spends several hours without a cellphone at school but returns to a home where every family member remains absorbed in their own screen, we will have made little progress," the editorial pointed out.

The Archdiocese of Mexico invited adults to ask themselves: "How often do we ask [our children] to get off their phones while we look at ours? How many conversations do we interrupt to check a notification? How often are we physically present with them, but our attention is elsewhere?"

The archdiocese acknowledged that digital tools "allow us to learn, work, communicate, and connect with others," but maintained that the challenge lies in "keeping them at the service of the person and not the person at the service of the screen."

"Regulating cellphones in schools may be a good start, but let's not make banning them a way to ease our consciences, nor set ourselves up as judges of the younger generations," the editorial advised.

The archdiocese emphasized that "educating for the digital world requires time and presence," inviting parents to ask themselves if they are willing to sit down with their children to "get to know what they are viewing, listen to their concerns, and help them establish the criteria needed to discern what they encounter on a screen."

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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