Catholic News

An increase in spirituality and religious practice among young adults in Ireland aged 18 to 30 and confirmation that Ireland is in the "middle range" of religious countries in Europe are among the trends identified in a new report published by the Irish Catholic bishops titled "Turning the Tide."

Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh, primate of all Ireland, told EWTN News: "There has been a lot of talk recently about the so-called quiet revival in religious practice in recent years. The [report] looks at some of the research studies that have been carried out north and south of the island of Ireland into religious practice, religious awareness and spirituality, and interest in religion, and asks a question by comparing this with European social studies: Is there actually any uptake [in] religious practice and awareness and interest in Ireland?"

Drawing on research from the European Social Survey, the Iona Institute's two recent surveys conducted by Amárach Research, and a variety of relevant academic studies, the report seeks to provide an integrated, relevant, and current look at religious practice in Ireland.

"The report very interestingly points to some type of uptick, as they call it, particularly among young people around the ages of 16 to 30 and the fact that they are taking a new interest in religion and in spirituality."

Encouraged by the positive trends emerging across different studies, Martin sounded a note of caution, highlighting the challenges that these findings pose for the Catholic Church in Ireland.

"I don't think we should get ourselves too enthusiastic thinking this is a complete reversal of the very obvious decline and religious practice over the last 10 or 20 years," he said. "However, it is saying something on the turning tide."

The archbishop pointed to the implications for the Irish Church: "It's asking us to reflect on this phenomenon in the light of research, and for instance what does this mean for us as Church, as parishes, as dioceses? How are we responding to this growing body of young people who want to know more more about God, about church, and about religion?"

The report, co-authored by Stephen Bullivant, professor of theology and the sociology of religion at St. Mary's University, Twickenham, and Emily Nelson, a doctoral student of sociology at Queen's University Belfast, examined the overall religious profile of the island of Ireland, including areas of convergence and divergence between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

The authors drew together research studies on patterns in belief, practice, and religious identification between generations, with particular attention to differences within young adult cohorts. The work also provided insight on  dimensions of religiosity, religious transmission, and attitudes toward Church teaching and institutions among both men and women.

Ireland remains among the more religious countries in Europe, on measures of religious affiliation, religious service attendance, and frequency of prayer. Among western European countries, it is one of few outliers with a relatively high level of overall religiosity. It also ranks toward the higher end of (especially western) European countries on measures of weekly Mass attendance and daily prayer.

While key measures of Irish religiosity have declined significantly since the European Social Survey began in 2002-2003, the most recent round in 2023-2024 shows a strong uptick in religious affiliation and religious practice.This effect is most strongly evident among those aged 16–29 years, across both Catholics and Protestants.

Northern Ireland is both the most religious region of the United Kingdom, by a large margin, and the most religious part of the island of Ireland, in terms of both affiliation and religious practice.

Although women in the Republic of Ireland are equally as likely as men to be religious, they continue to play an influential role in transmitting faith, even as they express higher levels of moral dissent and institutional dissatisfaction. The report revealed that 74% of Irish Catholic women were found to believe that the Church did not treat them with "a lot of respect."

According to the report, 51% of Irish adults — and 27% of Irish young adults —pray at least once a week, and 31% say they attend Mass at least once a week, placing them fourth overall, alongside Italy (32%) but well behind Poland (49%) and Slovakia (46%).

There is a significant drop-off among young adults, whose reported religious practice is roughly half that of older adults. Irish 16- to 29-year-olds rank sixth overall compared with other countries, at 17%, though that is at least double the rates of the same age group in Switzerland, Germany, and Belgium, at 5%, and in Austria with less than 1%.

The Irish report also pointed to a 2023 Barna study that found in certain respects, Irish teens are more religious than their global peers. Just over 3 in 5 (62%) Irish teens identify as Christian with nearly a third identify as atheist, agnostic, or of no faith.

On average, 18- to 24-year-olds in the Republic of Ireland aren't particularly positive about both Christianity and the Catholic Church in Ireland, but they are more positive than those in the 25–34 age range, and fewer have a negative attitude toward priests and nuns.

In 2023, EWTN News' Colm Flynn traveled to Ireland with the question "Is Ireland still Catholic?" He explored the various reasons for the decline of the faith in Ireland and the challenges the Church faces there today. In the three years since, and after many emails and messages pointing to signs of a "quiet revival" of faith in Ireland, Flynn recently returned to the country to explore those signs of renewal. In his report, he refers to the "Turning the Tide" report:

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Paul Ehrlich, the biologist whose 1968 bestseller "The Population Bomb" warned of imminent mass starvation and environmental catastrophe from overpopulation and whose predictions proved spectacularly wrong, died March 13 at age 93. His death has prompted retrospection among Catholic scholars, who lambasted his legacy as a "false prophet" whose ideas fueled deadly population control policies and demographic decline worldwide.

Several of those scholars, whose work deals directly with the fallout of Ehrlich's ideas, did not mince words when talking with EWTN News about the immense responsibility Ehrlich bore for his "wrong predictions," which they say led to the deaths and nonexistence of millions of people around the world.

"He was a false prophet of the worst kind," said Steve Mosher, president of the Population Research Institute and a specialist on China. "He is responsible for hundreds of millions of deaths worldwide, and his wrong predictions prevented millions of souls from coming into existence. There is nothing more diabolical than that."

Ehrlich's book famously opened with the following statement: "The battle to feed all of humanity is over. In the 1970s hundreds of millions of people will starve to death in spite of any crash programs embarked upon now."

Later editions of the book, which Ehrlich co-authored with his wife, Anne, sometimes broadened the dates slightly to "the 1970s and 1980s," but his core prediction, that large-scale famines killing hundreds of millions were inevitable in the immediate future, never came to pass.

Ehrlich "never acknowledged how extraordinarily, absolutely wrong he was about every one of his predictions," Mosher said. "America and many parts of the world are now below replacement birth rate in part because of his false proclamations of doom."

In the book, Ehrlich suggested voluntary, mass contraceptive use, tax penalties on large families, "luxury taxes" on goods such as cribs and diapers, and "responsibility prizes" and other incentives for childlessness or delayed marriage.

If these methods failed to change people's "value systems," however, he suggested governments force change "by compulsion," such as adding temporary sterilants to water supplies or staple foods (with government-rationed antidotes to control birth rates).

He also called for a powerful federal bureau to enforce population limits and the conditioning of foreign aid on recipient countries' population-control efforts, which, according to Mosher, to this day remains part of U.S. law.

Ehrlich framed these as necessary to avert catastrophe, emphasizing "conscious regulation of human numbers" and that "the cancer [of population growth] itself must be cut out."

Ehrlich's death "marks the end of the life of one of the great enemies of mankind," said Catherine Pakaluk, a Harvard-trained economist at The Catholic University of America and author of the 2024 book "Hannah's Daughters: The Women Quietly Defying the Birth Dearth," in which college-educated women explain why they chose to have large families.

"He was unbalanced, and no part of his work was correct," she said. "The great scandal is that he was welcomed not only by progressives all over the world but even by Christians and Catholics as some kind of prophet."

Mosher agreed: "Many people have regretted that they were deceived by Ehrlich and his false claims. They tell me they were deceived into contracepting or aborting the children they would have had out of existence."

He taught "really nasty, humanity-hating stuff. I will pray for the repose of his soul," Mosher said.

Though Ehrlich later distanced himself from the more coercive policies he urgently suggested in his first book, Mosher told EWTN News that Ehrlich often refused to debate others with ideas that opposed his "because he didn't like being contradicted and could not admit that he was wrong."

Instead, Ehrlich doubled down, Mosher said: "With each passing decade, he would write a new book, explaining his predictions were merely premature, not wrong. He taught that people were jeopardizing earth's ability to support life and were a plague on the planet. By killing ourselves, we'd be doing mother earth a favor."

Indeed, in 2018, Ehrlich said civilization's collapse was "a near certainty in the next few decades."

An obituary in the New York Times last week called Ehrlich's predictions of ecosystem collapse and mass starvation "premature" rather than wrong.

China's 1-child policy an outcome of Ehrlich's ideas

In 1979, Mosher, who studied anthropology, oceanography, and East Asian studies at Stanford University, where Ehrlich taught, was the first American social scientist to visit mainland China. Invited there by the Chinese government, he personally witnessed women forced to have abortions under the "one-child policy."

Mosher was a pro-choice atheist at the time, he said, but seeing the brutality of the forced abortions, sterilizations, and infanticide led him to change his views and eventually become a pro-life Catholic.

Mosher called Ehrlich the "godfather of China's one-child policy" because the communist regime adopted principles directly from Ehrlich's book, among other sources.

"His proposals, which suggested governments should impose harsh regimens of population controls and resource conservation, using whatever means necessary, led to the forced killing of 400 million unborn and newborn children," Mosher said.

He pointed out that Ehrlich's ideas were so wrong, China is now having a "population implosion. The government is desperate to raise the birth rate, proposing incentives to young couples to have children."

Ehrlich's thinking 'rejects the providence of God'

Ehrlich's thinking "rejects the providence of God," Pakaluk said, "specifically in the domains which are God's: Scripture says God is the author of life and death."

Regarding population growth (or decline) and climate change, Pakaluk said people of faith should ask: "How does this thing, which seems difficult or impossible, how does it propose a challenge we as a society have to meet in order to see the plan of God?"

"With the hopeful expectation of people of faith, we say with Our Lady ... how? How is it going to work out that people aren't going to be a threat to mankind? That's always been the question of Our Lady. She doesn't doubt, she just has a question," Pakaluk said.

"The 'how' question is the job of people of goodwill, specifically, men and women of science," she said.

The Green Revolution

Ehrlich's predictions of worldwide starvation did not come to pass in part because of the Green Revolution, which massively transformed agriculture through advances in technology. It was a vast, global, technological initiative to fight hunger by introducing high-yield, disease-resistant seeds (especially wheat and rice).

Key elements included synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and intensive irrigation, shifting agriculture toward industrial methods. This dramatically increased food production globally and prevented the predicted scale of famine, though hunger and malnutrition have persisted in parts of the world for political or economic reasons.

Ehrlich's 'huge cultural impact'

Although Ehrlich was one of many scientists claiming the world could not handle its growing population, Ehrlich's charisma helped popularize his ideas. He appeared on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" at least 20 times.

"Ehrlich had a huge cultural impact," Mosher said. "He was a pied piper who misled generations of American young people, forced by their professors to read his screed. They thought it was the socially responsible thing to do to have one child."

Ehrlich wrote more than 50 books and founded Zero Population Growth, now called Population Connection. He received dozens of awards for his work.

Ehrlich was born in Philadelphia in 1932 and earned a bachelor's degree at the University of Pennsylvania and received his doctoral degree in entomology from the University of Kansas, specializing in butterflies.

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Dozens of Catholics and Protestants gathered at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C., on March 18 to have discussions and find common ground on challenges facing Christianity today. The third Ecumenical Forum was intended to embody "the very prayer of Christ: that they may all be one."

The event is led annually by the Napa Institute, a nonprofit that works to promote the re-evangelization of the United States and the defense of Catholicism in the public square.

The gathering "was conceived as a serious dialogue centered on Jesus Christ, sacred Scripture, and the pursuit of Christian unity rooted in truth," Timothy Busch, Napa Institute founder, said in a statement.

With the approach of historically significant milestones including the beginning of Christ's public ministry and his crucifixion and resurrection, "the call to Christian unity grows louder," he said. "Not unity at the expense of truth, but unity grounded in Jesus Christ."

Challenges facing Christianity today

The "major challenge" for Christians in the U.S. today "is for us to live what we claim we believe," Monsignor Roger Landry, who served as an emcee of the event, told EWTN News.

"First and foremost, we've got to get our own house in order and strengthen each other in order to be able to live our faith," he said. "Jesus gives us a high vocation to be the salt of the earth, the light of the world, and leaven that lifts everybody up."

"But he warns us not to let our salt lose its flavor, not to hide our light, and not to let our leaven basically become that of the Pharisees and the Herodians rather than the leaven of the saints. So that's our first biggest challenge."

There are also "major issues coming down the road for which we need to bring the light of our Catholic faith to the darkness that portends in some of these issues," Landry said. He detailed issues regarding the understanding of who the human person is.

"Some of the questions are going to be new, but the answers Jesus has already given, at least in seed, and we need to develop those answers credibly in order to do what Christians are supposed to do in every culture, which is to be the soul of that culture," he said.

In order to effectively engage the issues, we need to "recognize the importance of prayer," Landry said. "That we pray not just on our own, but we pray for each other and eventually find occasions to pray with each other."

At the "Ecumenical Forum, we began by praying … the Nicene Creed," he said. The group then had Protestant worship and a Catholic Mass to have ample opportunities to pray together.

First Catholic Mass at Museum of the Bible

The Mass was the first Catholic Mass ever offered inside the Museum of the Bible. The celebrant was Bishop Steven Lopes, head of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter, established by Pope Benedict XVI in Anglicanorum Coetibus.

Dedication to prayer was not the only shared practice and value the forum highlighted. Through discussion, the overall themes of strong consensus were on pro-life matters, human dignity, and matters of embracing how God made us.

We have "had some issues that united us here in the United States," Landry explained. "The Catholic and evangelical collaboration on the pro-life fight that culminated … with Dobbs a few years ago in the overturning, finally, of Roe v. Wade. That was a great time in which Catholics and Protestants got to know each other and what they really valued."

"We've likewise seen it in the defense of marriage. We're seeing it with the defense of who the human person is, that God does make us male and female, and if people sadly begin to think that they're trapped in some other identity, we need to give them real help rather than pretend as if the emperor is fully dressed."

"The ecumenical work began at a theological level, but now it's become very practical. One of the things that's happening at this Napa Institute Ecumenical Forum is we're focusing very much on how our practical collection collaboration can bring what we share in our faith much more effectively into the public square, because that public square is losing its orientation and is desperate for that type of guidance," he said.

Ecumenism as 'an exchange of gifts'

"Christ prayed that we might be one as he and the Father are one, and that oneness is, at its root, love," Nathan Smith, director of ecumenism for Glenmary Home Missioners, told EWTN News.

Smith's ministry "seeks to enhance understanding, reduce alienation, and foster reconciliation between Catholics, evangelicals, and Pentecostals," he said. "And the way that we lead with that is following John Paul II," who said "ecumenism isn't simply an exchange of ideas, but an exchange of gifts."

Smith said Christians can foster a connection among one another by leading "with our experience of Jesus Christ," he said. Doing this "invites different types of Christians to the ecumenical table, but it also frames the way in which we engage the questions of structure as you engage it with somebody who's a co-traveler in faith, somebody who's carrying this proclamation of the Gospel within their lives."

When we "begin to engage our ecumenical questions from a place of friendship, from a place of recognizing that that person is a carrier of gift — we hold them differently. I think we can hold on to the conversation of Christian divisions, which can be difficult, in a new kind of way."

"We have to pay attention to what the Holy Spirit's doing, because at the same time that some dialogues are having trouble finding their footing, we have new types of Christians engaging in the question of Christian unity … And that's going to change the way we engage ecumenism. But hopefully towards a way of unity as representative of the Trinity," he said.

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The 70th annual session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) concluded March 19 in New York City amid significant disagreement over the definition of "woman."

The commission adopted a text on "women, the girl child, and HIV/AIDS" but set aside a U.S.-sponsored resolution titled "Protection of Women and Girls Through Appropriate Terminology." The proposal sought to define men and women according to biological sex, drawing on the 1994 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which defined "gender" as "its ordinary, generally accepted usage, as referring to men and women."

On March 19, 23 nations voted to table the U.S. resolution, 17 abstained, and only the United States, Chile, and Pakistan voted to advance it. The U.S.-sponsored measure would have rejected what it described as "subjective and ideological terminology."

Earlier in the session, which ran from March 9–19, the CSW held an unprecedented recorded vote, requested by the U.S., on its Agreed Conclusions, a negotiated document typically adopted by consensus at the outset of each annual session.

The U.S. called for language acceptable to all participating nations and introduced amendments reflecting the policy of the Trump administration opposing "ambiguous language promoting gender ideology" as well as references to "sexual and reproductive health and rights," which the U.N. uses to promote abortion and transgenderism.

The U.S. cast the sole vote against the Agreed Conclusions on March 9. Côte d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Mali, Mauritania, and Saudi Arabia abstained, while the remaining countries voted in favor. The U.S. amendments were not brought to a vote.

The Agreed Conclusions do not refer to motherhood or experiences unique to women and girls but include language on "universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights," widely understood to include abortion and contraception. In contrast, the Trump administration, citing a 2025 executive order, has sought to define women based on biological sex while opposing transgender medical interventions and policies allowing biological males in female-designated spaces.

Addressing the commission on March 17, Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, the Holy See's permanent observer to the United Nations, called for a "holistic approach" to justice for women and girls.

"It also involves addressing the root causes that put them at risk, prevent them from seeking justice, and ultimately undermine their God-given human dignity," he said.

Stefano Gennarini of the Center for Family and Human Rights (C-FAM) told EWTN News that the European Union used procedural tactics to block U.S. efforts to define "woman" and exclude abortion-related language.

U.S. Ambassador Dan Negrea, who serves as the representative of the United States to the United Nations Economic and Social Council, said: "The United States cannot in any way consider the document presently submitted to the commission as if it were agreed conclusions."

He criticized what he called "ambiguous language promoting gender ideology," adding that undefined references to "sexual and reproductive health" imply abortion.

"How do we entrust the women and girls of the world to an agency that denies the biological realities of a woman?" Negrea asked. He proposed that "gender" be understood solely as referring to men and women based on biological sex rather than subjective gender identity.

During the conference, several nations raised concerns about the wording of the Agreed Conclusions, noting unprecedented disagreement over gender-related language.

On March 19, Bethany Kozma of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services told delegates: "We are disappointed that the commission did not adopt the Agreed Conclusions by consensus this year. … We will not stand by as malicious forces use multilateral organizations to promote their ideologies and social agendas, obstructing nations' ability to exercise their national sovereignty."

"It's the policy of the U.S. to recognize two biological sexes — male and female. To achieve this, we use clear and accurate language that recognizes that women are biologically female and men are biologically male. Sex isn't interchangeable; it is, rather, irreplaceable. The differences should be celebrated, appreciated, and respected," she said.

Kozma added that the administration is committed to families, women's health, and protecting children "at all stages of life and reaffirms there is no international right to abortion."

Malaysia and Namibia also expressed regret over the lack of consensus. At times during the session, delegates responded with both applause and audible booing.

For decades, the U.N. has expanded the use of the term "gender" in its documents while promoting global access to abortion and contraception.

In its own summary of the final day, the U.N. stated: "The erosion of consensus signals a willingness to break with foundational language agreed at the historic 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women, which saw the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, considered the most comprehensive global framework for women's empowerment and gender equality."

Daniela Garcia of CitizenGo told EWTN News that the recorded vote marked a break with past global consensus on gender. While the Agreed Conclusions are not binding, she warned: "They remain very dangerous because these dictate where the money goes to U.N. agencies to promote abortion and contraception."

Groups supporting the Agreed Conclusions included the International Planned Parenthood Federation; Amnesty International; Fos Feminista; Global Trade Unions Caucus; and the Lesbian, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex Caucus.

Gennarini said: "The Commission on the Status of Women is where the fight against gender ideology will be won or lost." He added that international engagement is essential, arguing that U.N. policy discussions influence national laws and priorities.

Grace Melton of The Heritage Foundation told EWTN News that debates over language have practical consequences.

"We've seen concrete examples in what happens to women's private spaces. When access is based on gender identity, men and boys can enter women's locker rooms, bathrooms, and domestic abuse shelters," she said.

She added that courts in the United States and elsewhere sometimes cite U.N. positions, including in legal arguments related to abortion.

Rebecca Oas of C-FAM said countries at the commission faced pressure from the European Union, which funds programs related to abortion, contraception, and development.

"The presence of serious disagreement undermines any claim of universal agreement," she said, adding: "Even if they win this vote, they have ultimately lost the issue."

Anna Derbyshire of CitizenGo told EWTN News that, although the conclusions are nonbinding, they can still influence policy debates.

The outcome of this year's session highlighted growing divisions among member states and marked a departure from the consensus that has long characterized the commission's work.

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Renowned American actor and martial artist Chuck Norris — who often bucked Hollywood trends by speaking about his strong Christian faith and staunch pro-life views — died Thursday, March 19, at age 86 after suffering from a medical emergency while vacationing in Hawaii.

Norris' family confirmed his death Friday in a post on Instagram and said he was "surrounded by his family and was at peace." His family thanked fans for the "prayers and support you sent his way" during his brief hospitalization before his death.

"He lived his life with faith, purpose, and an unwavering commitment to the people he loved," they said. "Through his work, discipline, and kindness, he inspired millions around the world and left a lasting impact on so many lives."

Norris, a U.S. Air Force veteran, began training in martial arts while stationed in South Korea in the late 1950s and competed in several martial arts tournaments in the 1960s. Norris met the actor and martial artist Bruce Lee in the mid-1960s, and they became friends and trained together.

Lee offered Norris his first movie role — the very successful 1972 film "The Way of the Dragon" — which includes a seven-minute fight scene showcasing their respective martial arts talents. From there, Norris went on to star in numerous films and the long-running television series "Walker, Texas Ranger."

Norris lived his life as a Protestant Christian, regularly attending services at Prestonwood Baptist Church, which is a Southern Baptist congregation. He was open about his faith, often speaking about it in interviews and embedding it into his professional work.

In a 2004 interview with Trinity Broadcasting Network, Norris credited his mother with raising him as a Christian, saying: "I had a mother who kept me very close to the Lord in my younger days."

"You know, unfortunately, in periods of my life, I did drift from the Lord, but the Lord never drifted from me," he said. "He stayed with me the whole time … and I just praise God for that."

Norris acknowledged the temptations that come with stardom. In a 2009 interview with Hollywood TV, he noted that a lot of actors "try to be happy, but you can see that they're not." He warned that many actors seek to "fill that void" with drugs and alcohol, but they are "not going to cure that void that they have in them until they really find their faith."

"The actors I meet that have their faith, you can see the brightness in their eyes," he said. "And the ones that don't have it, you can see that darkness in their eyes. And so I just say, you know, try it. Try your faith. Just try it out and see if it works for you. I know it will. It worked for me."

Norris starred in one explicitly Christian film called "Bells of Innocence." He also co-authored Christian Western books. Although he mostly acted in nonreligious shows and films, he would often bring Christian themes into the storyline.

The show "Walker, Texas Ranger," for example, included several scenes with prayer and a few scenes that showed divine intervention in the form of miracles in recoveries. Some episodes had faith-based plots, including "The Neighborhood" in Season 5, which showed a miraculous health recovery.

During his life, Norris also spoke in defense of the unborn. In a 2008 op-ed for WorldNetDaily, Norris criticized conservatives who seek to sidestep the issue of abortion, saying it "is not about a woman's 'right to choose'" but rather "it is about a more fundamental 'right to life,' which is one of three specifically identified unalienable rights in the Declaration [of Independence]."

Throughout his career, Norris starred in more than 38 movies and a long-running television show, and maintained that success while emphasizing the importance of faith in Christ and the power of prayer.

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President Donald Trump says the White House is "not looking" to enact a ceasefire in the ongoing Iranian war after Pope Leo XIV called for dialogue instead of conflict there.

EWTN News White House Correspondent Owen Jensen asked the president about the Holy Father's March 15 calls for a ceasefire in the latest Middle East war. Leo had urged "those responsible for this conflict" to "let the fire cease and let paths of dialogue be reopened."

"We can have dialogue, but I don't want to do a ceasefire," the Republican president responded.

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"You don't do a ceasefire when you're literally obliterating the other side," Trump continued.

"[Iran doesn't] have a navy, they don't have an air force, they don't have any equipment, they don't have any spotters, they don't have anti-aircraft, they don't have radar, and their leaders have all been killed at every level," the president said.

"We're not looking to do [a ceasefire]," he added.

The conflict in Iran broke out on Feb. 28 when the U.S. and Israel launched joint strikes against the Middle Eastern country. Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed in the protracted barrage, along with multiple other top-ranking Iranian officials.

Iran has responded by launching strikes against U.S. and Israeli bases. The conflict upended Catholic pilgrimages in the region and sent Catholics scrambling to evacuate the war zone.

Speaking to MS Now on March 20, Trump indicated that the U.S. intended to continue the conflict in Iran to ensure the country could "never rebuild" after the war.

"If we left right now, it would take them at least 10 years to rebuild, but rebuild they will," Trump told the news network.

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Aid to the Church in Need says Israeli authorities blocking humanitarian aid to Gaza and West Bank

Amid the regional conflict spreading across the Middle East, Israeli authorities have ceased emergency aid shipments from entering the Gaza Strip, according to Aid to the Church in Need.

Citing George Akroush, director of the Development Office of the Latin Patriarchate, the organization reported Monday that "the dire situation of communities in Gaza and the West Bank is being compounded by the state's decision to block aid."

Since March 7, Akroush said all humanitarian shipments have been blocked, including crucial medical supplies. "We are trying our best to help the only Christian hospital there, which is very close to the Catholic compound, but all the channels that the Latin Patriarchate used to communicate with the authorities were closed," Akroush said.

England bishop appointed to lead 3 dioceses

Bishop Marcus Stock of Leeds, England, will oversee three dioceses after Pope Leo XIV appointed him as the apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Middlesbrough and Hallam.

Stock, who is now responsible for the dioceses of Leeds, Hallam, and Middlesbrough, said he was "very humbled" by the new appointment. He gave thanks to God for "the ministry that Bishop Ralph Heskett has given so devotedly" for 12 years.

Syria granted new apostolic nuncio

The Vatican's appointment of Archbishop Luigi Roberto Cona as apostolic nuncio to Syria comes at a delicate moment as the country navigates a new and uncertain phase, ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News, reported Friday.

Cona is expected to remain in El Salvador for several more weeks or months before taking up his post in Damascus, with a farewell Mass scheduled for May 10 marking the close of his service there.

Born in Sicily in 1965, Cona brings more than two decades of diplomatic experience, having served in postings across Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East before his recent role in El Salvador. There, he became known for initiatives that combined humanitarian outreach with long-term development, including programs supporting marginalized youth, improving access to clean water, and promoting prisoner rehabilitation through the arts.

Restored crosses returned to rightful place atop Vietnam cathedral

Two crosses removed from the twin towers of Notre Dame Cathedral in Saigon, Vietnam, were reinstalled Thursday after being freshly gilded.

The long-anticipated installation occurred on the solemnity of St. Joseph on Thursday, according to a LiCAS News report. Archbishop Marek Zalewski, the resident papal representative in Vietnam, said the return of the crosses represented "a sign of faith placed in the heart of the city, directing people toward the mystery of the cross of Christ."

According to the report, the crosses are about 12 feet high and weigh about 880 pounds.

Amazonian Church elects new president at synodality conference

The Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon chose a new leader, Cardinal Leonardo Steiner, OFM, of the Archdiocese of Manaus, Brazil, at its sixth General Assembly March 16–19, during which it also renewed its commitment to synodality.

Steiner told Vatican News on Friday that the election came in order "to give continuity to that dream of Pope Francis to go to the Churches of the Amazonia and to be an ecclesial Church."

He said the conference reflected on its mission and the social, cultural, ecological, and ecclesial situation of the Amazon region.

Irish bishop says women diaconate issue 'firmly closed'

Bishop Alan McGuckian of Down and Connor in Ireland has said he believes the door is "firmly closed" to a female diaconate in the Catholic Church but that his fellow Jesuit, Pope Francis, wanted to hear all voices on the subject.

The bishop told journalist Martin O'Brien in an interview at the St. Patrick Centre: "Francis had this vision, and it was a good one, and I admire him for it, that the followers of Christ have to be different. He called us into this process where everybody could speak and everybody would be listened to."

When asked if women would see themselves as second-class citizens of the Catholic Church, McGuckian pointed to his memory of his own parents, saying: "My mother was not a second-class citizen in the Catholic Church. Never. And I never thought she was. And she never thought she was."

Ethiopian bishops show solidarity after flooding in southern parts of country

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Ethiopia conveyed its "deep sadness" following deadly floods in the Gamo Zone of southern Ethiopia that has killed 125 people.

The bishops mourned those killed in the natural disaster as well as the suffering of families who were forced to evacuate their homes, according to Vatican News. The bishops also called for "immediate humanitarian assistance to those affected," the report said, noting that the Catholic Church in Ethiopia "has mobilized rapid support through the Apostolic Vicariate of Soddo."

Patrick J. Passmore and Andy Drozdziak contributed to this report.

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DENVER — Over the past 14 years, Archbishop Samuel Aquila has led the Archdiocese of Denver. Appointed to lead the archdiocese in 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI, Aquila — who at 75 has reached the customary retirement age for prelates — now prepares to hand the role over to Bishop James Golka, who will be installed as the archdiocese's new leader on March 25.

During his time in Denver, Aquila has been an outspoken figure — commenting boldly on topics such as abortion and immigration policies — and a faithful leader who has worked diligently in Catholic schools, among the youth, and in the state's seminary alongside its future priests.

Ordained a priest in 1976 in the Archdiocese of Denver, Aquila has had a front-row seat to the growth the Church has seen there and the fruit it is bearing.

Reflecting on the time he has spent in the archdiocese, Aquila told EWTN News in an exclusive sit-down interview that he looks back with "deep gratitude for the priests, for the religious, the deacons, the laity, and just seeing the real growth in faith that has taken place here, and people's deeper relationship with Jesus Christ and with the sacramental life of the Church. It gives me great joy to be able to see that."

This year marks Aquila's 50th anniversary as a priest, with 40 of those being spent in the Colorado archdiocese. He shared that during this time his relationship with God has deepened.

"Certainly, my image of God changed from a God who was more or less one who was always checking his little black book and seeing, well, how many holy things they did today and how many sins did he do today, to one of deep love," Aquila said.

"I trust in the Holy Spirit much more profoundly. All of that has grown because early on, as a young priest, I really didn't pray too much to the Holy Spirit or to the Father, for that matter. It was all Jesus-centered. But Jesus wants to lead us to the Father. He wants us to live in the communion that he lives with the Trinity. And so all of that has grown deeply in the last [several years] and only continues to grow," he said.

The importance of respecting human dignity

Abortion is allowed up until the moment of birth in the state of Colorado and the right to abortion is enshrined in the state's constitution. Throughout his time in Denver, Aquila has boldly spoken up for the unborn — frequently praying outside of abortion clinics, calling upon the faithful to defend life, and speaking out against pro-abortion legislation.

"It's important for us to be those who speak out on the dignity of human life from the moment of conception until natural death," Aquila said. "Science has demonstrated completely that human life begins at the moment of conception. That's when your life began. That's when my life began. With that, life is to be respected. It's not our call or the call of any other human being to destroy that life. That is where all fundamental rights begin — with the right to life."

Aquila has also been outspoken regarding immigration policies implemented by both political parties. In November 2025, Aquila led hundreds of Catholics in the Stations of the Cross outside of an ICE detention facility in Aurora, Colorado.

"You really have to welcome the stranger. The Lord is very clear on that in the Gospel," he said. "But also with that is the responsibility that every country has to protect its borders, to look at who is this person that's entering. Because many people got through who were not the types of persons you want in a country — whether it was drug-related, whether it was cartels, whether it was people who were murderers or criminals."

He added: "There's an obligation of every country to protect their own people. There has to be a very fine balance there. One that certainly is rooted in charity and one that is rooted in the truth of the Gospel and treating people with dignity, because even the criminal needs to be treated with dignity."

The archbishop emphasized the need to help the immigrants who have raised their children here from a young age and have "held good jobs, they've gotten good education, they're law-abiding, and they really see this as their country, and we should be welcoming them."

"Why haven't we provided them with a pathway to citizenship as quickly as possible? … Neither political party has helped immigration at all," he said.

Looking to the future

As the archdiocese prepares to welcome Golka, Aquila said he would "encourage him to continue the missionary aspect that we've begun here keeping our eyes focused on Jesus Christ and really our surrender to him."

Aquila shared that he has strongly promoted praying the Surrender Novena and the Anima Christi prayer as well as the last words of Jesus on the cross: "Father, into your hands, I commend my spirit."

"That total trust and surrender to the Lord. Continuing to encourage that, because that's what builds fruit," he said.

"If you want to bear fruit, you have to embrace the cost of discipleship and live that costly grace of giving yourself completely to Christ and following in the steps of Christ," he added. "I would just really encourage Archbishop-designate Golka to continue with that, and I know his heart's there because I've known him for the last four and a half years and have had meetings and conversations, and that he understands that we are living in apostolic times that needs that missionary spirit and to continue to build on that."

As for what his retirement plans look like, the archbishop isn't sure yet but said he believes "it'll be an adventure."

"I know the Lord has stuff he wants me to do. And so I will remain open and try to discern where can I serve the best."

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VATICAN CITY — King Felipe VI of Spain on Friday was installed as protocanon of the Basilica of St. Mary Major in a solemn ceremony that underscores the historic link of the Spanish monarchy with the oldest Marian church in the West.

"Protocanon" is an honorary title reserved exclusively for the Spanish head of state, recognizing the monarch as a collaborator of the pope without bestowing executive functions or decision-making power. The investiture March 20 renewed a relationship that dates back centuries and that last took place with Juan Carlos I of Spain in 1977.

The king arrived at the Marian basilica, one of four papal basilicas in Rome, after a 50-minute audience with Pope Leo XIV at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican. The meeting served as a prelude to the pontiff's upcoming apostolic journey to Spain, scheduled for June 6–12.

Upon their arrival at the basilica, the king and his wife, Queen Letizia, were received at the Bronze Gate by the Spanish canon of the chapter, Monsignor José Jaime Brosel, and the archpriest of the basilica, Cardinal Rolandas Makrickas.

The king and queen viewed a statue of Philip IV of Spain, ancestor of the current monarch, a work designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and one of the pieces of evidence that show the centuries-old historical and spiritual relationship between Spain and the oldest Marian temple in the West.

During the ceremony, Makrickas stressed that "authentic tradition is not stagnation but the living transmission of a gift that transcends time" and recalled that the basilica is entrusted with prayer for Spain and its head of state.

Parts of the bull Hispaniarum Fidelitas were also read at the ceremony. Pope Pius XII signed the important document, which renewed and confirmed the historic ties of devotion and protection between the Spanish nation and the Basilica of St. Mary Major, in Rome on Aug. 5, 1953.

In a short speech, King Felipe VI reaffirmed his commitment to the historic Roman basilica and appealed for "clarity of deed and word, of heart and conscience" in the current context. He also invited people to overcome selfishness and indifference in order to become "a small beacon of concord, generosity, and dedication to the common good."

Spain's connection to the Basilica of St. Mary Major

Few know that the Basilica of St. Mary Major has close ties to the Spanish crown. Proof of this lies in the statue of Philip IV — an ancestor of the current king — which stands in the atrium.

The work was inaugurated in 1692 during the tenure of the Spanish ambassador, the Duke of Medinaceli.

The duke "was one of the main benefactors of St. Mary Major," Brosel, a canon of the basilica and rector of the Spanish National Church of Santiago and Monserrat in Rome, told EWTN News ahead of the March 20 event.

"In fact, it was in 1647 that Pope Innocent X formally established the Spanish Charitable Foundation in this basilica. Furthermore, the pope established an annual income in exchange for certain privileges for the Spanish monarchy," Brosel explained.

From that moment onward, the kings of Spain have held the title of "honorary protocanon." This was a gesture of support for the pope during the Counter-Reformation but also a guarantee to safeguard the influence of the Spanish monarchy within the Holy See.

The last time a Spanish head of state took possession as protocanon of the basilica was the father of the current king, Juan Carlos I, on Feb. 10, 1977.

Brosel emphasized that Spain's bond with the basilica "is born from the heart of Spain and its deep Marian devotion, where Spaniards feel St. Mary Major is their home."

Papal audience

The investiture ceremony for the king took place following a visit to the Vatican and private audience with Pope Leo XIV.

Leo's upcoming trip to Spain — which is expected to include stops in Madrid, Barcelona, and the Canary Islands — will be the first papal journey to Spain in 15 years.

Benedict XVI was the last pope to visit the country, traveling to Madrid for World Youth Day in 2011. At that time, Felipe VI was still a prince and the king was his father, Juan Carlos I.

Queen Letizia at Friday's papal audience wore white, a privilege reserved for Catholic queens, although without a mantilla or hair comb.

The private conversation and exchange of gifts with Pope Leo was followed by talks with Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Archbishop Paul Gallagher in the Secretariat of State.

This story was first published as three articles by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister agency of EWTN News. It was translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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Archbishop Ignatius Ayau Kaigama of Abuja, Nigeria, has requested intelligence assets and weaponry from U.S. President Donald Trump to combat violence in the country.

The Nigerian prelate made his remarks during an informational briefing in Madrid, where the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) presented the campaign "May Persecution Not Have the Last Word: Heal Nigeria," which aims to strengthen faith, heal the trauma caused by violence, and protect the persecuted.

Kaigama noted that the U.S. president was "the first head of state to declare as a global leader, clearly and unequivocally, that Christians in Nigeria are being persecuted."

"We thank him," noted the archbishop, who lamented that for years, only organizations like ACN had spoken out against the situation amid the silence of Western nations.

"I was glad when I heard Donald Trump say, 'We are going to go to Nigeria; we are going to put an end to Boko Haram' ... at Christmas, we received a gift — a bomb that fell on Nigerian soil — and, truth be told, I could not say whether it did any good," the prelate commented.

He explained that, initially, they welcomed Trump's condemnation of the violence but in the long run it has proven counterproductive: "We thought he would come to strike at the root of the problem, utilizing intelligence, equipment, everything necessary to eradicate Boko Haram and allow us to live in peace. But a single bomb hasn't accomplished much."

"On the contrary, these people are now more emboldened; they attack with regular frequency and are making things worse," he said. "That incident, coupled with Donald Trump's words, has greatly inflamed the passions of the Islamists in that territory. The number of attacks, the number of kidnappings carried out by Boko Haram and other groups, has been rising ever since."

"So we say to Donald Trump: Give us intelligence reports, give us weapons, collaborate with our government, and then find a way to eradicate all these military groups," stated the prelate, who also sent a message to the leaders of other Western nations: "Stop ignoring what is happening in Africa, especially in Nigeria."

Deliberate Islamist effort to reduce Christian presence

"Nigeria is bleeding," Kaigama continued. "Nigeria is wounded. Nigeria is being destroyed by multiple factors. And we must ask God to help us heal Nigeria."

"There is a deliberate program by Islamists to reduce the Christian presence in this country," he continued. "They are instilling fear into the laity who gather to celebrate Mass — bombarding them, shooting at them, threatening them, and preventing them from assembling."

He charged that "there is a deliberate strategy to thwart the growth of the Church, as well as the expansion of evangelization in Nigeria."

The archbishop warned that "if this continues, we will be in danger of losing our faith and also of being unable to remain strong enough to promote the faith and identity of our Church."

"If we are left alone, we will become sickened in mind and spirit. We are suffering," he lamented.

Heal Nigeria

During the campaign launch, José María Garrido, the director of ACN Spain, described the dire situation facing Nigeria, where Boko Haram's terrorism in the north is compounded by the criminal actions of extremist Fulani herdsmen groups and kidnapping gangs.

From 2015 to 2025 alone, more than 200 priests were kidnapped across 70% of the country's dioceses. Of these, 183 were released, 12 were murdered, and three others died as a result of the conditions of their captivity.

More than 80 communities have been attacked, and there are over 3 million internally displaced persons in the country due to the violence.

To strengthen the faith of persecuted Christians, ACN Spain is fundraising for the construction of centers for psychological and spiritual assistance in the dioceses of Makurdi and Abuja.

Furthermore, aid has been planned for the seminary in Kaduna — one of the dioceses hardest hit by kidnappings — to ensure that one of the universal Church's greatest sources of vocations can carry on despite the prevailing fear and hardships.

ACN Spain also seeks to provide support through various security projects, including the installation of alarm systems in parish centers and the provision of vehicles, enabling priests to minister to rural communities without the risk of being kidnapped.

ACN Spain supports the persecuted Church in Nigeria through contributions that have steadily increased in recent years — exceeding 3 million euros ($3.48 million) in 2025 — and which the organization aims to sustain through its "Heal Nigeria" campaign.

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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