Catholic News

BATA, Equatorial Guinea — Pope Leo XIV met with young people and families on Wednesday evening in an event marked by singing, dancing, and a stadium full of jubilant Catholics waving Vatican and Equatorial Guinean flags.

Even under relentless rain, the atmosphere remained festive, with chants, songs to the Virgin Mary, and crowds greeting the pontiff as he rode around the field in the popemobile.

Before the pope spoke, Bishop Miguel Ángel Nguema Bee, apostolic administrator and head of youth ministry for the Equatorial Guinea bishops' conference, welcomed him to the country and to the Diocese of Bata. He described Equatorial Guinea as "a young country, full of energy, questions, and a thirst for life" while acknowledging its challenges and affirming that "Christ is our light."

Local songs and dances followed, along with the presentation of gifts to the pope, including a fishing net, a statue of the Virgin Mary, a model boat, and a staff — objects reflecting the country's daily life and cultural traditions.

Several young people and families then gave testimonies.

A young worker, Alicia Ikimo Ipo, spoke about the meaning of being Christian in daily life and about bringing Christ into ordinary work and human relationships.

A young married couple, Purificación Nntongono Nguema and Jaime Antonio Ndong, shared their hope for an Equatorial Guinea marked by united and reconciled families, open to dialogue and forgiveness, and rooted in marriage as taught by the Church.

Seminarian Francisco Martín Nze Obiang spoke of overcoming fear in responding to God's call, saying he had discovered that when Christ calls, he does not take anything away but gives everything.

The most moving testimony came from 13-year-old Arnoldo Abeso Ondo, who spoke about growing up with only his mother and about the importance for young people of respecting themselves, caring for themselves, and living responsibly.

The pope then turned to the testimonies he had heard.

Speaking about Alicia, he said: "In this regard, Alicia spoke to us about the importance of being faithful to one's duties and of contributing to the good of the family and society through daily work." He added that her words invite reflection "on the importance of productive, committed effort and on the need always to uphold the dignity of every human being."

Turning to Francisco Martín's witness, Leo said the seminarian "has given us a glimpse into the beautiful reality of so many young people who give themselves totally to God for the salvation of their brothers and sisters."

Encouraging vocations, the pope said: "So, if you feel that Christ is calling you to follow him in a path of special consecration — as priests, religious sisters, or religious brothers — do not be afraid to follow in his footsteps. As he himself promised, I too wish to assure you today that you will receive 'a hundredfold and … eternal life' (Mt 19:29)."

Addressing family life and marriage, Leo said: "Many of you will prepare to receive the sacrament of holy matrimony. Being spouses and parents is an exciting mission — a covenant to be lived day by day. Within this covenant, you will continually rediscover one another as you cooperate with God in the miracle of life and in building happiness for yourselves and for your children."

He urged couples to embrace marriage "as a journey of true love that grows in freedom; as a journey of hope, born from the knowledge that God will never abandon you; and as journey of holiness, in which you always seek the good and happiness of others."

The pope also thanked Victor Antonio — the name given in the official text to the young witness whose testimony centered on the need to protect life and care for the vulnerable — saying: "I warmly thank Victor Antonio for sharing his story with such sincerity and courage."

Leo added: "His testimony may unsettle us, but it does not discourage us. Rather, it invites us to build a better world — one founded on respect for burgeoning life and on a sense of responsibility toward the most vulnerable among us."

He continued: "Victor Antonio has reminded us that welcoming life requires love, commitment, and care. These words, spoken by a young person, should lead us to reflect seriously on the importance of protecting and safeguarding the family and the values learned within it."

Summing up his message as an appeal to Christian love, Leo said: "Let us be inspired by the beauty of love; let us become witnesses to the love that Jesus has given us and taught us! Let us show every day that it is beautiful to love — that the greatest joys, in every situation, come from knowing how to give and from giving of ourselves, especially when we reach out to those most in need."

He concluded by linking charity lived in the home to the transformation of society itself: "The light of charity, nurtured in our homes and lived out in faith, can truly transform the world — even its structures and institutions — so that every person is respected and no one is forgotten."

"Let us together make this a firm resolution, a joyful commitment," he said, "so that the crucified and risen Christ — the light of Equatorial Guinea, of Africa, and of the whole world — may guide us all toward a future filled with hope."

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

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Cardinal Reinhard Marx, who has served as archbishop of Munich and Freising in Germany since 2008, has instructed the priests and full-time pastoral staff in the archdiocese to introduce the controversial handout "Blessing Gives Strength to Love" as the basis of pastoral care.

Priests who do not want to carry out such blessing celebrations for homosexual marriages or remarried divorced people must refer the couples to the dean or other staff.

A letter from the cardinal, which Die Tagespost reported on Monday, indicates that the handout should be "the basis of pastoral care" and beginning in June, various offices within the archdiocese are to offer further training as to the design of the blessing celebrations for all full-time officials in pastoral care.

Marx emphasized that "the blessing is not the celebration of a sacramental marriage." However, this does not mean that the blessing of a non-sacramental union, which in many cases is already a civil marriage, moves the couple to the margins of the community and the Church.

According to Tagespost, Marx instructed that the "theological meaning" of the text be explained to all those "who still struggle with this blessing."

The handout "Blessing Gives Strength to Love" is the result of a process that emerged from a vote at the Synodal Way. In March 2023, the fifth synodal meeting adopted the text of the handout with 92% of the votes. The Joint Conference of the German Bishops' Conference (DBK) and the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK) presented the text of the handout in spring 2025.

In the Church in Germany, the handout is highly controversial. Official recommendations were issued by the dioceses of Limburg, Osnabrück, Rottenburg-Stuttgart, and Trier. However, the Archdiocese of Cologne and the dioceses of Augsburg, Eichstätt, Passau, and Regensburg all rejected the application and referred to Fiducia Supplicans for justification.

According to Fiducia Supplicans, the Vatican declaration on the pastoral meaning of blessings issued by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (formerly the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, or CDF) in December 2023, blessings of connections in irregular situations and of homosexual couples are possible — although the CDF claimed the opposite only two years earlier.

Paragraph 31 of the document states that the form of the blessings may not be "ritually determined by the ecclesiastical authorities ... so as not to cause confusion with the blessing of the sacrament of marriage."

According to paragraph 38, one should neither promote the blessing of couples who are in an irregular situation nor provide a ritual for it. Blessings according to No. 39 are expressly excluded "in direct connection with a civil celebration." Also "the clothes, the gestures, and the words that are the expression for a marriage" are therefore to be refrained from.

Numerous bishops — including entire bishops' conferences — have rejected the Vatican approval of blessings for same-sex unions. Thus, there is a struggle for direction in the Church between those who adhere to the Church's traditional teaching on homosexuality and those who consider blessings of same-sex couples to be possible in principle — whether in the form outlined by the Vatican or in the form that is largely common in Germany.

The Catholic Church in the catechism, basing its teaching in sacred Scripture and tradition, distinguishes between homosexual inclinations or tendencies and homosexual acts, calling such acts "intrinsically disordered" and contrary to natural law. "They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved," the catechism says in No. 2357.

The Church at the same time strictly forbids discrimination against homosexuals, saying they must always be accepted with "respect, compassion, and sensitivity." Furthermore, the Church calls persons with same-sex attraction to chastity — as all are called to according to their state in life — and to "fulfill God's will in their lives" (No. 2358).

According to Catholic doctrine, marriage is exclusively the union of one man and one woman, and their union has a twofold end: "the good of the spouses themselves, and the transmission of life" (No. 2363). The catechism says these two values of marriage may never be separated.

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

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In a society where marriage and the family are constantly under attack, a new film is highlighting how St. Joseph can be a powerful intercessor for marriages and families facing hardships.

"Saint Joseph: Guardian of the Family" tells the story of a married couple facing a serious marital crisis. After the husband — a journalist — is assigned to investigate testimonies of people who claim to have experienced the intercession of St. Joseph, he begins to be personally impacted by the beloved saint and is inspired to become the guardian of his own family, striving to fix the struggles they face.

Based on true stories, the film shows how love can heal the deepest of wounds and highlights how St. Joseph is a model for fatherhood and marriage.

Made by the Polish production studio Rafael Film, "Saint Joseph: Guardian of the Family" was made through the crowdfunding efforts of more than 5,000 people in Poland and several other countries. After a successful run in theaters internationally, the film will be released in theaters across the United States on April 23.

Dariusz Regucki, the film's director, told EWTN News in an interview that the film was inspired by Father Jacek Plota, custodian of the National Shrine of St. Joseph in Kalisz, Poland, and a "great devotee" of St. Joseph.

Before working on the film, Regucki was not very familiar with St. Joseph.

"I had no prior personal experiences with St. Joseph … It was only when I received the proposal to make the movie from Rafael Film — something I am still very grateful for — and began working on the script that I started discovering our protagonist for myself," he shared.

He added that while making the film he "had to remain very careful not to create any caricature of St. Joseph — one that, for example, would merely fulfill our expectations. St. Joseph is a silent yet obedient man, and he simply does his work. He is very concrete. He does not complain, does not grumble, and does not feel sorry for himself."

"This deeply moved me. St. Joseph inspires me as a father and as a husband. In the rush of everyday life, he makes me stop and, at times, look at myself — almost with embarrassment — as if in a mirror," he said. "It confronts me with the truth and pulls me out of alienation and my comfort zone. St. Joseph shows me what true love really is."

The Polish filmmaker said he hopes viewers "will leave the cinema moved and full of hope — holding the hand of his wife, partner, or fiancée, perhaps for the first time in many years. It's simple, yet very difficult. But it is possible to look at one another with love and say, 'I love you.'"

He added: "To my viewer — who is so often lost and lonely — I propose that through the story told in the film, and through St. Joseph, they look upward, stop dwelling on their sadness and suffering, and begin to affirm life. This is the message St. Joseph brings to us, and this is how I portray him in my film."

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At least six people have been injured in attacks on Indigenous Christians and Hindus in Bangladesh. Trees in a Catholic cemetery were also cut down, and a Hindu temple was destroyed in the attack.

The violence took place on April 19 in the Christian village of Birganj in the area of Christ the King Catholic Church in the Birganj area of ??the Dinajpur Diocese in the northern part of the country.

Nearly 200 Muslims were reportedly involved in the attack and used local homemade weapons such as axes, iron rods, and bamboo sticks in an attempt to steal land from Indigenous Christians and Hindus.

Indigenous peoples in Bangladesh are made up of ethnic groups that are culturally and historically distinct from the Bengali majority in the country, and many happen to be Christian, Hindu, or Buddhist.

"Six Indigenous were seriously injured in the attack and one was pierced by an arrow. The injured are undergoing treatment in the hospital," Pius Murmu, a 45-year-old Catholic injured in the attack, told EWTN News.

Murmu said that almost 50-60 families live in Birganj and that they have been using the land there for more than a century. In addition, more than 200 landless Indigenous families in the area use the cemetery to bury their dead and live around it.

Indigenous Christian families in Birganj say they have been living on the land there for several generations.

Saiful Islam, police officer in charge of the local Birganj police station, told EWTN News that there has been a long-standing dispute with members of the Indigenous community over a small parcel (93 decimals, which is .01 acres) of state-owned land. Rezaul Islam, son of Abdul Quader of the nearby village of Ghoraband, claims to own the land.

According to the police officer: "On April 19, at noon, about 200 people led by Islam and his uncle Azad attacked the temple and graveyard with the intention of taking the land. They attacked the temple with sticks, rods, and sharp weapons and cut down 10-12 trees in the graveyard. A house was also vandalized during this time."

He added that when members of the Indigenous community resisted, they were beaten up and injured.

Saiful Islam also said that after the police received information, they went to the spot and dispersed the attackers. Additional police were deployed to control the situation. The vandalized property and other evidence were seized.

When asked about his involvement in the attack, Rezaul Islam said: "I bought 41 decimals of the land in 1999 and another 48 decimals in 2023 from someone else. The remaining land belongs to the graveyard." But he denied the allegations that he attacked Indigenous people, saying: "We are not involved in this attack. I do not know who or what carried out this attack."

Christians account for less than half a percent of the population of Bangladesh and religious minorities are only 8% of more than 180 million people in the Muslim-majority south Asian nation of Bangladesh.

Father Antony Sen, convener of the Justice and Peace Commission of Dinajpur Diocese, said he believes minorities are often made victims of violence because of injustice and the lack of will on the part of government officials to address it.

"Such incidents will be resolved only when the government of the country is humane and solves every incident fairly. The government must solve the problem of these Indigenous people with land," Sen told EWTN News.

He said the problem is not only with privately-owned land but also that Church lands are also threatened as local influential people make attempts to occupy it. Sen said they will soon hold discussions with government officials to try to resolve the situation.

The attack in Birganj is not the only example of violence against Indigenous people and religious minorities in Bangladesh; most of it is centered on land grabbing.

In 2001, a bomb attack took place during Sunday Mass at Most Holy Redeemer Church in the southern district of Gopalganj, killing 10 and injuring over 50 Catholics.

On Jan. 24, 2015, a group of Muslims armed with homemade weapons and firearms attempted to forcibly cultivate tribal lands in Dinajpur.

On Nov. 6, 2016, in the Gobindganj area of Gaibandha district, tribal homes were set on fire and three Christians were killed.

The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council (BHBCUC) annual report in 2025, on violence against religious and ethnic minorities, recorded over 1,000 cases of human rights violations.

The interreligious forum's findings were based on media reports from July 2023 to June 2024. During this period, 45 members of minority communities were murdered and there were 10 attempted murders and 36 death threats.

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Rome remembered Pope Francis' legacy one year after his death with a Mass on Tuesday at the Basilica of St. Mary Major, where the late pontiff is buried.

The same day, while en route to Equatorial Guinea to wrap up his trip to Africa, Pope Leo XIV remembered Pope Francis on the first anniversary of his death, highlighting his predecessor's "solidarity with the poorest, the most vulnerable, the sick, children, and the elderly."

Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, celebrated the Mass with other cardinals and clergy resident in Rome. He read Leo's message at the Mass, in which the pope recalled Francis' missionary zeal.

"He was also a missionary, proclaiming the Gospel of mercy 'to all, to all, to all,' as he said many times," Leo wrote. "In harmony with his predecessors, he took up the legacy of the Second Vatican Council and urged the Church to be open to mission, a guardian of the world's hope, and passionate about proclaiming the Gospel that can bring fullness and happiness to every life."

Re described Leo's message as an invitation to preserve the legacy of Pope Francis, rooted in his "exhortation to build bridges and not walls."

"The heart of this message seems to me a vibrant invitation to preserve the spiritual legacy of the late Pope Francis. A legacy summarized, as we have heard, through several of his key phrases: 'the joy of the Gospel,' 'the mercy of God,' 'the smell of the sheep,'" Re said.

Before the Mass, a special plaque was blessed and unveiled to commemorate Francis' many visits to the Basilica of St. Mary Major. During his life, Francis frequently visited the basilica to venerate the Marian icon "Salus Populi Romani" and expressed his wish to be buried in the church near the icon.

The Mass was also attended by several ambassadors accredited to the Holy See, including Irish Ambassador Frances Collins and U.S. Ambassador Brian Burch.

After the Mass, all the cardinals processed to Francis' tomb for the final prayer, delivered by Cardinal Rolandas Makrickas, archpriest of the basilica.

Commending the late pontiff to the mercy of God, Makrickas recalled that "hope does not disappoint," a tribute to the papal bull with which Francis inaugurated the Jubilee Year 2025, which drew over 20 million people to St. Mary Major and his tomb.

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In a video posted on social media, Auxiliary Bishop Francisco Javier Acero of the Primatial Archdiocese of Mexico encouraged participation this Saturday, April 25, in the March for Life in Mexico City, which will begin at the Monument to the Revolution at 10 a.m. local time.

Acero emphasized that "our primary goal is to care for life, to love it, and, above all, to protect the most vulnerable," extending an invitation to "take part in the march" in order to "show the beauty of life and continue protecting it."

Traditionally held in April to commemorate the victims of the decriminalization of abortion on demand for up to 12 weeks' gestation, which was passed by  Mexico City's government in 2007, the March for Life, organized by the Steps for Life platform for the past 15 years, attracts tens of thousands of people.

In an April 19 editorial of its weekly publication Desde la Fe (From a Faith Perspective), the Primatial Archdiocese of Mexico described as "hope-inspiring" the "knowledge that a new generation has become convinced of the need to care for our common home and for our neighbor."

"We affirm, grounded in science and anthropology, that the human being possesses inherent dignity simply by existing, regardless of its circumstances: from the moment life begins at fertilization, throughout all stages of life, and until death. Therefore, it is not licit to kill, enslave, capture, or torture any human being at any time," the editorial emphasized.

The archdiocese said that "abortion, euthanasia, and suicide are scourges that attack our humanity, wearing the mask of being valid solutions in the face of suffering."

Although the editorial stated, "We do not judge those who resort to any of these measures," it emphasized that "neither can we, as a society, present these three issues as solutions, nor as rights."

"Trivializing the importance of life contaminates society, making it easier to attack life and dignity through actions such as human trafficking, which constitutes the new slavery, as well as kidnapping and murder," the editorial stated.

With the 19th anniversary of the decriminalization of abortion up to 12 weeks' gestation coming up, "there is nothing to celebrate," the Archdiocese of Mexico pointed out, for "hundreds of thousands of human beings have been eliminated, while the health policy regarding abortion as a symbol of a capitulating state has demonstrated that it has not improved the situation of women but has instead turned pregnancy into a stigma from which one must seek to be liberated."

"We entrust these new generations to Mary Most Holy, so that just as she while still very young gave her 'yes' to God and to life, she may continue to imbue them with courage and love, and that this may always be reflected in their service to the most vulnerable," the editorial stated.

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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MONGOMO, Equatorial Guinea — Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday urged Catholics in this Central African country to help shape the nation's future, saying there is "a need for Christians to take the destiny of Equatorial Guinea into their own hands."

The second day of the pope's apostolic journey in the country opened with the celebration of Mass at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Mongomo. The Immaculate Virgin is patroness of Equatorial Guinea.

The basilica is the largest religious building in Central Africa and the second-largest basilica on the continent, after the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace in Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast.

Emotion and affection for the pope were palpable before the Mass.

"I feel great joy at the arrival of the Holy Father in our country," said Emmanuel, a young man from Mongomo who came to attend the Mass.

"I am here with my fellow citizens, waiting for the pope's arrival. And I am very moved," added Pedro Ngema outside the basilica.

Before celebrating Mass, Leo greeted a group of children, and together they released balloons tied in the shape of a rosary into the sky. He then blessed the foundation stone for the future cathedral of Ciudad de la Paz. In brief spontaneous remarks, he thanked those present and said it was "wonderful" to be united in praising the Lord. He said he wanted to ask God's blessing on those gathered, on their families, and on the foundation stone that would mark the beginning of the future cathedral.

"We want to renew our faith," the pope said. "We want to renew our commitment to follow Jesus Christ faithfully in his Church, in the Catholic Church."

In his homily, the pope began by reflecting on the Eucharist.

"The Eucharist truly contains every spiritual good of the Church: it is Christ, our Passover, who gives himself to us, he is the living Bread that nourishes us," Leo said. "His presence in the Eucharist reveals God's infinite love for the entire human family and the way he encounters every woman and every man even today."

The pope said he was pleased to celebrate with the faithful and "give thanks to the Lord for these 170 years of evangelization in Equatorial Guinea."

"It is a fitting occasion to recall all the good that the Lord has done," he said, "and at the same time, I wish to express my gratitude to the many missionaries, diocesan priests, catechists and lay faithful who have devoted their lives in service to the Gospel."

He praised those missionaries for their witness, saying: "Through the example of their lives, they have played their part in bringing about the Kingdom of God, unafraid of suffering for their fidelity to Christ."

"It is a history that you must never forget," the pope continued. "On the one hand, it links you to the universal and apostolic Church that came before you. On the other, it has made you protagonists in proclaiming the Gospel and bearing witness to the faith."

Leo said Catholics in the country are now called to continue along that path.

"Each and every one of you is invited to make a personal commitment that encompasses your entire life, so that the faith — celebrated so joyfully in your communities and in your liturgies — may also nourish your charitable works and the sense of responsibility toward your neighbor, for building up the common good," he said.

"Such a commitment requires perseverance; it demands effort and, at times, sacrifice. Yet it is the sign that we are truly the Church of Christ," he added.

The pope acknowledged that personal, family, and social circumstances are not always favorable, but urged the faithful to remain steadfast.

"Even when faced with personal, family and social situations that are not always favorable, we can trust that the Lord is at work, making the good seed of his Kingdom grow in ways unknown to us, including when everything around us seems barren, and even in moments of darkness," he said.

"With such confidence, rooted in the power of his love rather than in our own merits, we are called to remain faithful to the Gospel, to proclaim it, to live it fully and to bear witness to it with joy."

Recalling the motto of his apostolic journey — "Christ, Light of Equatorial Guinea, Towards a Future of Hope" — Leo said the country's deepest hunger today is "for a future imbued with hope that is capable of engendering a new sense of justice and producing fruits of peace and fraternity."

"This is not an unknown future that we must passively await, but rather one that we ourselves are called to build with God's grace," he said. "The future of Equatorial Guinea depends upon your choices; it is entrusted to your sense of responsibility and to your shared commitment to safeguarding the life and dignity of every person."

The pope then called all the baptized to active participation in the Church's mission and in the country's development.

"It is therefore necessary for all the baptized to feel that they are part of the work of evangelization, and so become apostles of charity and witnesses to a new humanity," he said.

"The Creator has endowed you with great natural wealth: I urge you to work together so that it may be a blessing for all," he continued.

Leo concluded with an appeal for a more just society, one in which all work "to serve the common good rather than private interests, bridging the gap between the privileged and the disadvantaged."

"May there be greater room for freedom, and may the dignity of the human person always be safeguarded," he said. "My thoughts go to the poorest, to families experiencing difficulty and to prisoners who are often forced to live in troubling hygienic and sanitary conditions."

Then came the line at the heart of the homily: "Brothers and sisters, there is a need for Christians to take the destiny of Equatorial Guinea into their own hands."

"For this reason, I would like to encourage you: do not be afraid to proclaim the Gospel and bear witness to it with your lives!" the pope said. "Be builders of a future of hope, peace and reconciliation, carrying on the work begun by the missionaries 170 years ago."

Among those reflecting on the pope's visit was Ndende Njoya Soulemanou, founder and director of the Francophone Institute of Bata, who said Leo's repeated emphasis on peace during his African journey had especially struck him.

"One word struck me above all during his passage through Cameroon, Angola, and here in Equatorial Guinea," Soulemanou said. "That word is peace — peace in capital letters. Hearing that word went straight to my heart."

After Mass, the pope walked to the nearby Pope Francis Technical School for a brief visit to the training center named after his immediate predecessor. In the afternoon, his schedule was set to continue in Bata.

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

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A new automation system for the telescope at the Holy See's astronomical observatory in Arizona will allow students from Jesuit universities to use it remotely for scientific research.

Mount Graham in Arizona is home to the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope (VATT), one of the most important observatories managed by the Vatican Observatory (Specola Vaticana).

According to a statement issued by the Governorate of Vatican City State, the robotization and automation of the telescope were recently completed successfully thanks to donations from the Thomas Lord Charitable Trust philanthropic foundation.

The automation was also made possible thanks to donations from Kim Bepler, who specifically supports various Jesuit initiatives and serves on the board of trustees of Fordham University.

Astronomers will now be able to operate the telescope remotely, without the need to be physically present on the mountain. In fact, astronomers from the Vatican observatory at Castel Gandolfo in Italy are already making use of this new feature.

The new automation system is named "Don" in memory of Donald Alstadt, a renowned figure in the field of philanthropy dedicated to supporting scientific research, particularly through the Thomas Lord Charitable Trust.

The idea to automate the telescope emerged following a meeting held last January between Bepler; the director of the Vatican Observatory, Father Richard D'Souza; and the president of the Vatican Observatory Foundation, Brother Guy Consolmagno.

Their objective was to develop a program to connect the VATT with Castel Gandolfo and enable its use at Jesuit universities worldwide, particularly those that normally lack access to an advanced research telescope.

To launch the project, Bepler offered "a generous contribution in honor of Father Joseph M. McShane, president emeritus of Fordham University and a member of the development committee of the Vatican Observatory Foundation."

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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Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA) launched an advertising campaign encouraging Catholics to love and serve their neighbors with volunteer work with local CCUSA agencies.

"Often we think of a neighbor as just someone who lives nearby, but it's more than simple geography," a new 30-second video advertisement states.

"Being a neighbor is how you show up in moments of need, when things are unsure, when small acts can be huge, and you're a light in someone's darkest moment, showing up again and again to faithfully serve," the advertisement adds. "That's a neighbor. Be the hope around the corner in your neighborhood nationwide."

According to a news release, CCUSA has 169 affiliates in the country and serves more than 16 million people every year.

CCUSA Vice President for Communications Kevin Brennan told EWTN News the organization launched the advertisements because volunteers are "the backbone of the work of the Catholic Charities network across the country."

"There's always more need, and so it is a priority for us at [CCUSA] and for agencies across the country to encourage people to volunteer," he said.

Brennan said specific services vary depending on location to "respond to the specific needs of those most in need in their local communities." The largest service, he said, is to "feed hungry people" through food pantries or other services such as delivering meals to homebound seniors.

Services also include support for those with developmental disabilities, accompanying pregnant mothers in need, and financial counseling for veterans looking to enter the workforce or change careers, among other things.

He said CCUSA "really serves virtually any category of a person in need that you can think of" and any person "can contact your local Catholic Charities agency and learn how you can get involved."

Brennan said each agency is united in the core mission to "live out the Gospel call to love your neighbor and serve those most in need." He said doing volunteer work also "benefits the one doing the service."

"We know [serving your neighbor is] critical to being a well-rounded person [and] to being a well-rounded Catholic," he said.

According to the news release, the first round of advertisements will run until the end of May, and another two phases will run in the summer and fall. They will appear on Catholic media, other Christian media, and secular national media outlets. They will also run on podcasts and digital publications.

CCUSA will run advertisements in both English and Spanish media.

"Inspired by the merciful, selfless acts of service undertaken each day by the staff and volunteers of the Catholic Charities network, this campaign calls all of us to find ways, big and small, to offer assistance and accompaniment to those struggling in our midst," CCUSA President and CEO Kerry Alys Robinson said in a statement.

"By following the Gospel call to love and serve our neighbors, we can strengthen our communities, our world, and ourselves," she said.

The campaign was launched in conjunction with CCUSA's launch of the traveling museum People of Hope, which celebrates Christian service with stories of faith-based acts of charity.

The museum's nationwide tour began in late March. It offers an exhibit with 42 stories from CCUSA staff serving around the country and an interactive data wall on poverty and other challenges.

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Pope Leo XIV met with civic leaders and cultural stewards in Equatorial Guinea on April 21, coming to the coastal African nation after traveling across much of the continent during his first papal visit there.

The Holy Father's two-day stay in Equatorial Guinea will cap his visit to Africa, during which he has visited and toured Algeria, Cameroon, and Angola.

During his first day in Equatorial Guinea, Leo met with President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo along with civil leaders and the country's diplomatic corps.

He also visited with cultural leaders and with staff and patients at a psychiatric hospital in Malabo.

Here's a look at Leo's activities during his first day in Equatorial Guinea:

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