Catholic News

Pope Leo XIV has appointed Father John Berinyuy Tatah, who was among six Catholic priests abducted in Cameroon's Bamenda Archdiocese on Nov. 15, 2025, and later released, as auxiliary bishop of the archdiocese.

The appointment of Berinyuy, rector of the Catholic University of Cameroon in Bamenda, to assist Archbishop Andrew Nkea Fuanya in shepherding the archdiocese was made public on Feb. 13 by the Holy See Press Office.

Born on Dec. 18, 1975, in Mbuluf-Shisong in the Diocese of Kumbo, the bishop-elect studied philosophy and theology at St. Thomas Aquinas Interdiocesan Major Seminary in Bambui, Bamenda. He was ordained a priest for the Kumbo Diocese on March 30, 2005.

The priest pursued further studies in spirituality at the Dominican monastery of Bambui and was awarded a doctorate in theology, specializing in Christian anthropology, at the Pontifical Theological Faculty Teresianum in Rome.

Following his priestly ordination, Berinyuy served as parish vicar of St. Joseph in Bafut (2005–2006) and parish priest of St. Patrick in Babanki-Tungo (2006–2010).

Before being appointed to his current position, he served as spiritual director and lecturer at St. Thomas Aquinas Major Seminary in Bambui and chaplain of the diocesan charismatic movement.

The bishop-elect was the last of the six priests to regain freedom on Dec. 2, 2025, after being held captive for over two weeks.

In a video circulated on Facebook shortly after his release, the Cameroonian priest recounted how he and his brother priests were abducted and appealed for peace in Cameroon's troubled Anglophone regions.

"I was arrested with my brothers because the forces of La Republic accompanied us to Ndop for the opening of the university. During the Mass, the nuncio came to inaugurate the university in the war zone, and we say that we are very sorry that that happened, and that it will not happen again," Berinyuy said.

He added: "We are praying that there should be dialogue to see to the solution of the southern Cameroonian, and that there should be justice and peace, so that a lasting solution should be brought to these problems that we are facing."

Following the incident, Pope Leo XIV expressed sorrow over the kidnappings of priests, Christians, and students in Nigeria and Cameroon, urging authorities to act swiftly to secure their freedom.

Once consecrated bishop, Berinyuy will assist 60-year-old Nkea in shepherding 615,015 Catholics out of the total population of 1,460,253, representing 42.1% of the population, according to 2022 statistics.

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

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The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Broadview, Illinois, must accommodate Catholic clergy who wish to provide detainees with ashes and Communion on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 18, according to a federal court ruling.

Judge Robert W. Gettleman issued the Feb. 12 order in favor of the Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership (CSPL), a nonprofit that helps facilitate Catholic services at ICE facilities among other initiatives. Its mission is rooted in liberation theology and focused on economic, environmental, racial, and social justice.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which operates ICE, denied repeated requests to administer the sacraments at the Broadview facility, including when clergy sought to bring Communion and pastoral care to immigration detainees on Christmas.

"The whole world has seen the injustices of our federal immigration system," Father Leandro Fossá, CS, a member of the CSPL Clergy Council, said in a statement.

"We are eager to see how the federal government responds to the injunction and restores the fundamental religious rights of people in detention to receive pastoral visits, rights that had been honored previously," he said.

The order states that the government has substantially burdened the religious exercise of the clergy and that there is no compelling government interest to justify that burden. The judge cited the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

"Allowing plaintiffs to provide pastoral care to migrants and detainees will improve the condition of those detained at Broadview," the judge's order states.

The judge ordered the government to permit ashes and Communion for Ash Wednesday and to coordinate with CSPL to establish an appropriate safety and security protocol. The order directs them to also meet and confer about future religious ministry at the facility.

Father Dan Hartnett, SJ, a member of the CSPL Clergy Council, expressed hope that this ruling will set a trend.

"The collective voices and faithful witness of Catholics and Christians in Chicago and across the country are making an impact," he said. "As Lent begins, we pray this ruling restores religious freedom for those detained and moves our country closer to justice in honoring the dignity of all migrants."

Pope Leo XIV said in November 2025 the spiritual rights of migrants in detention must be considered.

According to an CSPL statement, the nonprofit is awaiting a response from ICE about coordinating the Ash Wednesday services. Both priests and religious sisters are expected to visit the Broadview facility.

Neither ICE nor DHS immediately responded to a request for comment.

The Broadview facility is an ICE field office used to process detainees before being transferred to a detention center. Although detainees are only meant to be held there for a few hours, with the maximum being 72 hours, some alleged last year that they were held there for several days and even up to one week.

A large outdoor Mass with Scalabrinian Missionaries is set for Ash Wednesday at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church in Melrose Park, led by Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of the Archdiocese of Chicago. It will be followed by a procession through the Melrose Park community as participants say the rosary and sing as a sign of the Church's presence and solidarity with immigrant families.

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BRUSSELS, Belgium — The European Parliament adopted a resolution on Feb. 12 strongly condemning Turkey's expulsion of Christian missionaries under what lawmakers described as opaque "national security" pretexts. The resolution urges the capital city of Ankara to respect freedom of religion and allow those affected to return.

The European Parliament, the EU's directly elected legislature, represents over 450 million citizens across 27 member states.

The resolution passed with 502 votes in favor, two against, and 59 abstentions, following a late-evening parliamentary debate on Wednesday, reflecting broad cross-party concern over the treatment of foreign Christian religious workers.

Missionaries targeted as 'threat to national security'

During the debate, Dutch Member of the European Parliament Bert-Jan Ruissen described the situation facing missionaries in Turkey in stark terms.

"You bring the good news of the Gospel, the message of peace and reconciliation through Jesus Christ. Then you are considered a threat to national security and are no longer allowed to enter the country. That is the harsh reality of missionaries working in Turkey," Ruissen said.

He urged Turkish authorities to "take freedom of religion seriously," adding that as the EU strengthens engagement with Ankara, it must speak clearly about fundamental rights.

"Turkey must stop targeting churches, guarantee freedom of religion or belief, and allow Christians to share their faith freely," he said.

At least 160 foreign Christian workers expelled or denied reentry

According to ADF International, at least 160 foreign Christian workers, along with their families, have been expelled from Turkey or denied reentry in recent years, often after living and serving in the country for decades.

Many of those affected were issued so-called "N-82" administrative codes, a national security classification used to bar individuals from returning. ADF International reports that these bans are often applied without public explanation or effective legal remedy, leaving missionaries unable to challenge their exclusion.

Approximately 20 related cases are currently before the European Court of Human Rights, where applicants are challenging the legality of the expulsions and reentry restrictions, according to ADF International.

The adopted resolution calls on Turkish authorities to ensure that national security measures are not applied arbitrarily and urges Turkey to respect international human rights obligations, including protections for freedom of religion or belief.

Turkey's foreign ministry reportedly rejected the resolution on Feb. 13, saying claims regarding freedom of expression and religion "contradict the facts" and that "no foreign institution, including the European Parliament, can interfere in judicial proceedings conducted in our country."

Resolution puts EU-Turkey relations further on the line

The resolution comes amid long-standing tensions between the EU and Turkey over human rights and rule of law concerns. Despite holding official EU candidate status since 1999, Turkey's long-stalled bid to join the bloc has effectively frozen.

The European Parliament has repeatedly raised concerns regarding the treatment of journalists, civil society actors, and religious minorities in the country. Thursday's vote adds the expulsion of Christian missionaries to the list of issues under parliamentary scrutiny.

Although European Parliament resolutions are not legally binding, the adopted resolution carries political weight, signaling the EU's stance on freedom of religion and prompting the European Commission and the European External Action Service, the EU's diplomatic service, to raise the issue with Turkish authorities.

Croatian Member of the European Parliament Tomislav Sokol, speaking during the debate, framed Turkey's expulsions within a broader global challenge to religious freedom. He highlighted the ongoing persecution of Christians in Nigeria, including widespread killings and the destruction of churches. He warned that Turkey's expulsions represent a different but equally serious form of persecution — including administrative bans, deportations, church closures, and denial of legal protection. He added: "Our credibility is measured by our willingness to defend freedom of religion everywhere and without double standards."

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DHAKA, Bangladesh — The Catholic Church in Bangladesh has congratulated the country's newly elected government after the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) won a commanding two-thirds majority in the Feb. 12 parliamentary election — the first since a student-led uprising toppled former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in 2024.

Bishop Gervas Rozario of Rajshahi, vice president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Bangladesh (CBCB), told EWTN News the election appeared to be a fair contest and urged the incoming government to prioritize human rights.

"We only want the new government to respect and promote human rights of all citizens, including minority people of other faiths and cultures, and promote justice and peace for all," said Rozario, who also chairs the CBCB's justice and peace commission.

BNP wins landslide; Islamist party becomes opposition

The BNP and its allies won 212 of 299 contested parliamentary seats, while the Islamist party Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and its alliance secured 77 seats, according to official results published by the Bangladesh Election Commission. The National Citizens Party, a youth-led group that emerged from the 2024 uprising, won six seats.

Jamaat-e-Islami will serve as the main opposition in the Jatiya Sangsad, the national parliament.

Rozario said he hoped the Islamist party would play a constructive role. "We hope Jamaat-e-Islami will be able to play the role of a strong opposition in the house," he said. "The people of Bangladesh want this party to apologize for their role in 1971."

During Bangladesh's war of independence from Pakistan in 1971, Jamaat-e-Islami was accused of collaborating with Pakistani forces. The previous Awami League government tried and executed several of the party's senior leaders on war crimes charges.

First election since 2024 uprising

The 2024 student-led mass uprising forced the ouster of Hasina, whose Bangladesh Awami League had governed the country for 15 years amid allegations of increasing authoritarianism. Hasina fled to neighboring India, where she remains.

An interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus subsequently took power. The interim government held the election within approximately 18 months, though the Awami League was barred from participating after its activities were banned under public pressure.

BNP chairman Tarique Rahman, who is expected to become prime minister, told a press conference on Feb. 14 that the new government faces significant challenges. Rahman cited the need to repair the economy, restore law and order, and ensure good governance across institutions that he said had been politicized by the previous government.

Constitutional referendum held alongside election

A constitutional referendum on the "July Charter" — a reform blueprint drafted under the interim government — was held simultaneously with the parliamentary election. According to official Election Commission results, approximately 62% of voters approved the charter, which proposes sweeping governance changes including the creation of a bicameral parliament and term limits for the prime minister.

Catholics make up less than half a percent of Bangladesh's population of approximately 175 million. The country has eight dioceses, including two archdioceses.

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Pope Leo XIV will preside over the traditional Ash Wednesday procession and Mass on Rome's Aventine Hill, an important place of Christian veneration and pilgrimage for more than 1,500 years.

For the Dominican and Benedictine religious orders, whose communities have had a significant historical presence on the Aventine, the Holy Father's Feb. 18 visit will be a special occasion to begin the Church's liturgical season dedicated to prayer and fasting before Easter.

On the first day of the 40-day Lenten "Stations Churches" pilgrimage — formally instituted in the sixth century by Pope Gregory the Great and restored by Pope John XXIII in 1959 — the pope leads a penitential procession from the Benedictine church of Sant'Anselmo to the nearby Dominican Basilica of Santa Sabina.

"To walk with Pope Leo on this pilgrimage from the nearby Sant'Anselmo church will be a sign, a symbol, for all of us of the spiritual work that's taking place in our hearts in Lent," Santa Sabina resident Father Patrick Briscoe, OP, told EWTN News. "We'll all be on pilgrimage together."

This year, Pope Leo will preside over a short afternoon prayer service at the Benedictine monastery and then celebrate the Ash Wednesday Mass at Santa Sabina, a fourth-century basilica that was gifted to St. Dominic and the Order of Preachers in 1219 by Pope Honorius III.

"The pope himself imposes ashes on [the cardinals] during the Mass," Briscoe added. "The cardinals stand in for the whole Church and they're a sign of all of us joining and following the pope's lead."

As part of the Lenten tradition, the pope leads the procession through the main doors of Santa Sabina, which contains the oldest known artistic portrayal of Jesus Christ crucified.

"On the door we have a very important Christian symbol… It allows us to think of the meaning of Lent and to embrace the suffering of Christ," Briscoe said.

"When we consider it from the historical perspective and the evolution of Christian understanding, we really didn't know how to handle the cross," he explained. "It took us a hundred years to depict it."

"This says something to each of us entering into Lent — to discover anew what our sufferings mean and how to have them transformed by Christ's own sacrifice," he said.

Father Eusebius Martis, OSB, a sacramental theology professor who teaches at the Pontifical Athenaeum of Sant'Anselmo, told EWTN News the Aventine is an ideal place for prayer and pilgrimage.

"It's really an ideal spot because it's quiet and it's a little bit separated but not too far [from the city center]," he said.

According to Martis, nature on the Aventine has inspired artists and pilgrims alike throughout the centuries to contemplate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

"The acanthus leaf is growing all across our property here at [Sant'Anselmo]," Martis said. "It dies and it lays against the ground … completely dead until the spring [when] it comes back to life."

"In a couple of weeks, it will start putting up flowers, which represent a bloom around Easter time," he said.

Pointing out the reliefs of the acanthus leaf found on the Corinthian columns inside the Basilica of Sant'Anselmo, Martis said several churches across Rome purposefully depict the leaf to symbolize the Church's belief in Jesus' victory over sin and death.

"The architects wanted us to remember that, every time we're at the altar, we are at Easter," the Benedictine father said.

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Among the recent appointments of Pope Leo XIV, one in particular has been made with remarkable frequency: that of "chaplain of His Holiness." What does this honorary title mean?

In November 2025, the Holy Father bestowed this title upon his secretary, Peruvian priest Father Edgard Iván Rimaycuna Inga, officially incorporating him into the papal household, in accordance with the provisions of the 1968 motu proprio Pontificalis Domus ("Pontifical House").

Among those who have received this distinction in recent days is Father Fermín González Melado, a diocesan priest born in Badajoz, Spain, who has resided in Rome since 2019.

With degrees in biology and the theology of marriage and family, González is an adviser to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and a member of the clinical ethics committee at the Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital. He has also served as vice rector of the Spanish National Church of St. James and Montserrat in Rome since 2021.

In an interview with ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, he explained that the title of "chaplain of His Holiness" is a recognition "granted by the dicasteries, since it is the prefects who suggest to the secretariat of state the recognition of individuals who have been working at the Holy See."

He clarified that this "does not imply a change of job or employment status, but rather a kind of medal that recognizes meritorious work. It is an honorary title that entails a change of cassock colors and little else," he explained.

With this appointment as chaplain, the pope also bestowed upon him the honorary title of monsignor. From now on, as a member of the papal household, the priest may wear the cassock with purple buttons and trim, along with the sash of the same color, according to protocol.

González said this title is not reserved just for the Holy See to give "but can also be granted by bishops in their dioceses after requesting it from the Vatican."

He pointed out that there is no precise figure for the number of chaplains of His Holiness worldwide. "Some dioceses grant this honor to priests upon reaching the age of 80, in recognition of their service," he added.

Although he has not yet been able to express his gratitude to Pope Leo XIV in person, he recalled his recent meeting with him, along with other members of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, during its plenary assembly.

The priest told ACI Prensa that every time he meets with the Holy Father, he likes to give him "some small gift." On the last occasion, he gave him a book and a documentary film about the Shrine of Our Lady of Sorrows of Chandavila, in La Codosera, Spain, which is in his diocese.

"It's the first shrine and the first devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows approved in Spain under the new regulations of the dicastery on alleged supernatural phenomena," he explained.

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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Catholics must educate themselves on "the facts" regarding the U.S. immigration system and the Church's teachings on the matter, according to Washington, D.C., Auxiliary Bishop Evelio Menjivar-Ayala.

Following his participation in a panel at the New York Encounter titled "Seeking a Home: A Catholic View on the Status of Immigration to the U.S.," Menjivar-Ayala told EWTN News that he is "very hopeful" about the future of immigration in the U.S. "When people show up for a talk like this, and you see standing room only, that tells you of the great desire of people to get informed, to get educated."

The D.C. auxiliary bishop emphasized the need to "get the facts," not only about the immigration system in the U.S. but also where the Church stands on the issue. "For the Church, the first and the most important thing is human dignity," he said. "It is the dignity of every person, undocumented or citizen."

While the government must enforce its laws and protect its sovereignty, Menjivar-Ayala said, it is necessary for the government to "look at the eyes of the person, the dignity of every human being," and to ensure that enforcement is "done in a humane way that respects the dignity of the human person."

"Let us educate ourselves," he said, adding: "As they say, the social doctrine of the Church is the best-kept secret. And the Church teaches, has beautiful teachings, about the social dimension of our faith."

Dialogue with Catholics in the Trump administration

Menjivar-Ayala noted that previous administrations in the past had participated in dialogue with the Catholic Church, consulting with organizations such as the Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc. (CLINIC) on the issue of immigration. However, he said, the current administration has not.

Menjivar-Ayala noted the disparity between the Church's emphasis on human dignity and the Trump administration's position that every unauthorized border crossing is a criminal act.

He said we should be careful about narratives surrounding the issue and refrain from categorizing those who cross the border without authorization the same way as perpetrators of crimes such as murder, rape, or theft.

Menjivar-Ayala said criminals should be prosecuted as criminals and not categorized in the same way as immigrants, noting that "immigration laws are a different set of laws than criminal laws" but that the current administration is now "pulling them together."

Responding to high-ranking officials who are Catholic, such as "border czar" Tom Homan, who has described the Catholic Church as being "wrong" about immigration, Menjivar-Ayala said he believes "it's a question for them" about "how are you living the Gospel?"

"I would say that the question is not for me, because for me and for the bishops it is very clear. Every person has dignity, and in every migrant, no matter if they are documented or undocumented, we should see the face of Christ," he said. "So the question is for them, for those who claim to be Catholic but are not seeing the face of Christ in the migrants."

Menjivar-Ayala stressed the need for one's politics to be informed by the Gospels and faith, rather than one's faith being informed by politics or one's personal views. "It is the Gospel that needs to tell me how I should see the world and not politics," he said.

Life for the immigrant community in Washington, D.C.

Immigration enforcement among Catholic migrant communities in D.C. is "dying down a bit," according to Menjivar-Ayala.

Sacred Heart Shrine in the Columbia Heights neighborhood reported that six of its parishioners were detained by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in August 2025, including an usher who was on his way to evening Mass.

Menjivar-Ayala said the immigrant community at Sacred Heart Shrine "has been affected the most" in the city but has also become the most tight-knit. During the panel, Menjivar-Ayala described parishioners in immigrant communities banding together to bring food and provide other support for one another. "I was thinking about that parish," he said.

"I believe right now it's dying down a bit, but nobody knows when you are going to have ICE in the streets," he concluded.

Panel highlights broken system, need for congressional action

For the panel, Menjivar-Ayala was joined by Mario Russell, executive director of the Center for Migration Studies, and Ashley Feasley, a legal expert in residence at The Catholic University of America's Immigration Law and Policy Initiative.

During her remarks, Feasley described the U.S. immigration system as "old," having not been reformed since the late 1990s.

"What has happened here is people may have many perspectives about the failures of one president or another on immigration reform," she said. "But the one place where I think we can really circle in on is the failure of Congress to act regardless of who is in the White House or who controls Congress."

Feasley noted the presence of a number of comprehensive bills seeking to address border security and asylum but have had a difficult time garnering bipartisan support. This, she said, has ultimately been "one of the biggest problems."

During his remarks Russell, similarly to Menjivar-Ayala, encouraged Catholics to inform themselves about the immigration system by reading reports such as those from the Center for Migration Studies or from diocesan sources.

"What is happening is basically what is happening," he said. "Robert Reich, the old labor secretary, recently said, 'Why would the Immigration Customs Enforcement go to Home Depot to find criminals? Why would they go to a posada or a corner to find criminals? Those are workers,' so the evidence doesn't support the narrative."

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NEW YORK — How can Catholic social teaching guide us in weighing the benefits of artificial intelligence against the dangers it poses to human dignity? That question animated a wide-ranging discussion among Catholic thinkers and technology experts at the New York Encounter on Saturday.

Citing Pope Leo XIV's call to use AI responsibly as well as the Church's historic defense of human dignity in the face of modern technology, Davide Bolchini, moderator and dean of the Luddy School of Informatics at Indiana University, opened the discussion before an audience of several hundred people gathered for the three-day cultural conference in New York City.

"The pope encouraged us to use AI responsibly, to use it in a way that helps us grow, not to let it work against us, but to let it work with us, not to substitute human intelligence, not to replace our judgment of what's right ... our ability of authentic wonder," Bolchini said.

With technology rapidly advancing, Bolchini asked, how can the Church stay ahead of these challenges?

Chuck Rossi, an engineer at Meta who is developing AI-driven content moderation technology at the technology conglomerate, which includes Facebook and Instagram, argued that in his work, developments in AI have been instrumental in safeguarding human beings from harm. 

AI systems, he said, can examine 2.5 billion pieces of of shared online content per hour, filtering harmful material including nudity and sexual activity, bullying and harassment, child endanger, dangerous organizations, fake accounts, hateful conduct, restricted goods and services, spam, suicide and self-injury, violence and incitement, and violent and graphic content.

"That's my world," he said. "It's a very, very hard problem. If we miss 0.1% of 2. 5 billion, that's millions of things that we didn't want to be seeing. But we do an excellent job, and we have for years — we're one of the best at it," Rossi said.

Using AI also protects human content moderators from being exposed to disturbing material, as they were in the past.

"The good thing that we are giving back to humans is you never have to do this horrible work," he said.

Paul Scherz, professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame, acknowledged the benefits of AI, which he said included advances in medicine and efficiency for tasks like billing ("Nobody wants to do billing," he said).

But Scherz warned of the dangers of relying on technology to do what is intrinsically human.

"We are really starting to turn to AI as people more broadly for these relational aspects, which would be tragic because there is something in that human-to-human connection, the 'I/thou connection,' as Martin Buber called it, that is irreplaceable by a machine," Scherz said. He noted that AI has even moved into ministry, with the rise of Catholic apps relying on bots to offer catechesis.

Scherz also cautioned that substituting AI for human interaction and intelligence risks eroding our skills, whether in relationships or in professional life.

"My fear is as we use these chatbots more and more we will lose those person-to-person skills. We'll no longer be able to engage one another as well, or have the patience and virtue to deeply love and encounter one another," Scherz said.

In addition, relying on AI in our work, for example, when a doctor consults AI to make a diagnosis, will result in our "de-skilling," he said. 

"We know that people, when they're using automated systems, they tend to just become biased and complacent and just approve the automated system. They lose their skills," he said, adding that airline pilots who rely too much on autopilot are more prone to making errors.

Louis Kim, former vice president of personal systems and AI at Hewlett-Packard who is currently pursuing graduate studies in theology and health care, pointed out that it's not possible to know today what skills will be required in the future.

"My personal view is I often find that predictions of impacted technology are largely unconsciously based on what we know of the current paradigm and structure and technologies," Kim said.

"There are going to be skills needed to control AI that are going to be different," he said.

Kim also called for "humility" in discussions about AI's potential to affect human relationships.

"Let's ask ourselves about the quality of our current human relationships, whether it's in the workplace, in toxic cultures, sometimes at home — even at conferences, at your next break, as you go around talking to this person [or] that person, how many times that person is looking over your shoulder for the more important person to talk to?" he said.

Our moral formation, he said, will continue to shape the quality of our encounters with others.

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Pope Leo XIV on Sunday made his first visit to a parish in the Diocese of Rome, celebrating Mass at Santa Maria Regina Pacis in Ostia Lido and urging Catholics to cultivate "coherence between faith and life" while opposing violence and injustice with "the disarming strength of meekness" and renewed prayer for peace.

Santa Maria Regina Pacis, located on Rome's coast and part of the diocese's southern sector, is the first Roman parish the pope has visited during his pontificate. The pope is expected to visit four additional parishes over the next four Sundays in the diocese's remaining sectors.

Upon his arrival, Leo was welcomed by Cardinal Vicar Baldassare Reina and Bishop Tarantelli Baccari, vicegerent and auxiliary bishop for the southern sector. Before Mass, the pope greeted children in catechism and young people in a field behind the church, then met with the elderly, the sick, the poor, and Caritas volunteers in the parish gym.

"It is for me a source of great joy," the pope said in his homily, "to be here and to live with your community the gesture from which Sunday takes its name. It is the Lord's Day because the risen Jesus comes among us, listens to us and speaks to us, nourishes us and sends us out."

Reflecting on the day's readings, Leo said the law God gave his people is not opposed to freedom but is "the condition for making it flourish." The Lord's commandments, he added, "are not an oppressive law, but his pedagogy for humanity, which seeks the fullness of life and freedom."

Jesus' preaching, he continued, reveals "the authentic and full meaning of God's law," pointing to a fidelity to God grounded in respect and care for others "in their inviolable sacredness" — something to be cultivated first "in the heart." The pope warned that it is in the heart that both "the noblest sentiments" and "the most painful profanations" take root: "closures, envies, jealousies," by which someone who harbors evil thoughts against a brother is "as if, within, he were already killing him."

"We must remember," Leo added, "that the evil we see in the world has its roots precisely there, where the heart becomes cold, hard, and poor in mercy."

The pope said such realities are felt "also here, in Ostia," where violence can wound, sometimes taking hold among young people and adolescents, "perhaps fueled by the use of substances," or through criminal organizations that exploit people and draw them into wrongdoing.

In response, he urged the parish community to continue working "with generosity and courage" to sow "the good seed of the Gospel" in the neighborhood.

"Do not resign yourselves to the culture of abuse and injustice," the pope said. "On the contrary, spread respect and harmony, beginning by disarming language and then investing energy and resources in education, especially for children and youth."

Addressing the young in particular, Leo expressed the hope that they would learn in the parish "honesty, welcome, and love that overcomes boundaries," as well as the ability to help those who do not repay them and to greet those who do not greet them — learning to go toward everyone "freely and gratuitously."

"Learn coherence between faith and life, as Jesus teaches us," he said.

In concluding remarks, the pope recalled that Pope Benedict XV gave the church its title, "St. Mary, Queen of Peace," during World War I, envisioning the community as "a ray of light in the leaden sky of war." Today, Leo said, "many clouds still darken the world," including the spread of ways of thinking contrary to the Gospel that exalt "the supremacy of the strongest," encourage arrogance, and prize "victory at any cost," deaf to the cry of those who suffer.

"Let us oppose this drift with the disarming strength of meekness," the pope said, "continuing to ask for peace, and to welcome it and cultivate its gift with tenacity and humility."

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

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Feb. 2 marked a turning point in the life of David Ryan, a 61-year-old Irishman who suffered sexual abuse as a teenager. More than 40 years later, he was able to share his story face-to-face with Pope Leo XIV in the first private meeting the pontiff has held alone with a victim of abuse.

While the Holy Father had already met with other victims of abuse, those meetings were in groups. The meeting with Ryan was different: For almost an hour, he was able to share everything he thought and still thinks about what happened to him and about the reaction of the Catholic Church in Ireland, which he felt did not listen to him.

"He's a lovely man, and a lovely experience… Wow. I'm so glad I've done it today, I'm really so glad I've done it. I didn't hold back, I told him about the abuse and asked him, 'Why are these priests still doing this?'" Ryan told reporters in Rome who were waiting for him outside the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican.

"His sympathy, his empathy toward the survivors, myself and my family, toward my close friends… He felt this, he was sorry, and it was genuine. I knew it was genuine," he emphasized.

Ryan suffered sexual abuse when he was roughly between the ages of 11 and 17 while attending Blackrock and Willow Park School in Dublin. His brother, Mark, who died at age 62, was also a victim of abuse but never revealed what had happened to him. "It ruined my life. It ruined Mark's life, and my brother is now gone," Ryan, who brought a photo of Mark to Rome, told EWTN News.

When Ryan's story came to light in a documentary titled "Blackrock Boys" on RTÉ radio, it shocked the nation. Following the broadcast, the Irish government commissioned a report that revealed widespread allegations of sexual abuse at hundreds of schools over several decades — a total of 2,400 cases. This was made possible by the courage of Ryan and others like him who shared their stories.

Ryan, who felt he was not being heard by the Church, wrote to Pope Leo XIV and received a reply to meet with him, an appointment he attended with Deirdre Kenny, CEO of One in Four, an Irish charity that advises and supports adults who have suffered sexual abuse.

'I'm so sorry for you'

EWTN Vatican correspondent Colm Flynn spoke with Ryan after his meeting with the pope. He recounted that he told Leo XIV "that I wanted an apology, and the first thing he said to me was, 'David, all I can say is that I'm so sorry for your pain and hurt, what your family went through, what Mark and the other survivors went through. I can feel your pain, but I don't know your pain.' And he looked me straight in the eyes and just said, 'I'm so sorry for you.'"

"But I could feel a kind of energy coming down when he told me, because I knew he meant it, and it's like a whole new experience for me. It's still going down; I still can't believe I've been there. I thought this day would never come," he emphasized.

'I just wanted him to hear my voice, my story'

After explaining that he wanted to express his anger to the pope and get a response from him, Ryan clarified that with the Holy Father, "I wasn't going to shout and scream; there was no point in doing that. I just wanted him to hear my voice, I wanted him to hear my story, and he heard. He apologized in a way I wasn't expecting, and his empathy toward me… it was just quiet and surreal."

"And I didn't hold back, I told him I had been raped three times. It's not pleasant, but many men are afraid to talk about it, and a lot of men don't cry," he said. However, he shared that in his case, he managed "to talk about it, I have cried."

Ryan also said the pope "was shocked to hear how many people had been abused and that the Church had hidden it for so long. I asked him why they did that, and he replied, 'David, I don't have an answer yet for you, but I will have an answer when I can.'"

'It wasn't your fault'

Ryan also told Flynn that he shared his story so that others "would want to come forward and speak out about clerical abuse, because a lot of men don't talk and keep it quiet."

"And as I told the pope: It wasn't my fault. And that took me a long time to admit: It wasn't my fault. He shook his head and said to me, 'Yes, it wasn't your fault, David.' And that really did hit me. We shook hands afterwards, and I know he understands. It was the best thing I've ever done," he concluded.

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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