A new Pew Research Center report found that 25% of all AM and FM radio stations in the United States have a faith focus.

The report, "Religious Radio Across America," was conducted by the Pew-Knight Initiative, which supports research on how Americans consume civic information, form beliefs and identities, and engage in communities.

For the study, Pew used three data sources including all Federal Communications Commission-licensed terrestrial AM and FM radio stations in the U.S. It took data from around 440,000 hours of audio collected from the internet broadcasts of more than 2,000 religious stations during July 2025.

The report also includes information from a survey of 5,023 U.S. adults conducted June 9–15, 2025, which asked members of Pew's American Trends Panel about the religious audio programming they listen to and why.

Faith-based radio in America dates back to the earliest broadcasts of Sunday services at the beginning of the 1920s. Today, there are more than 4,000 terrestrial religious radio stations in the U.S., according to the Pew-Knight Initiative.

The research found that 37% of Americans who listen to religious audio programming said it is "extremely important" or "very important" to their religious or spiritual lives. Another 35% said it is "somewhat important," and 29% said it is either "not too important" or "not at all important."

Christian radio in the U.S.

More than half (63%) of religious stations overall identify as "Christian," without explicitly aligning with a specific tradition or denomination.

Another 10% identify with a specific Protestant denomination, such as Baptist or Pentecostal, and 8% identify as Catholic.

Large majorities of white evangelical Protestants (76%) and Black Protestants (84%) said they listen to religious programming. Smaller shares of Catholics (40%) and white non-evangelical Protestants (40%) reported they listen to this type of programming.

Most religious radio stations report that "evangelism" is part of their mission. Slightly more than three-quarters (77%) of stations with an "about us" page or mission statement on their website mention evangelism or spreading the Gospel as a key component of their work.

Nearly half of U.S. adults (45%) reported they listen to at least one type of religious programming Pew inquired about, including religious music (37%), sermons and religious services (30%), religious talk shows (18%), and religious storytelling or audio dramas (16%).

About 4 in 10 U.S. adults who identify with a religion other than Christianity (39%) said they listen to religious programming. Religious "nones," those who identify as atheist, agnostic, or "nothing in particular," are the least likely to report listening to religious programming, but 18% said they do.

What sets Catholic radio apart from other Christian radio

Catholic radio features different formats, contains more talk programming, and tends to focus on a different set of topics than other religious stations.

Similarly to the broader context of religious radio stations, Catholic radio stations are located across the country. The report found that 17% of all religious radio stations in the Midwest are Catholic stations as well as 12% of religious stations in the Northeast and 9% in the West.

In contrast, just 5% of all religious stations in the South are Catholic stations.

Catholic radio stations play less music and provide more talk programming than other Christian stations. On average, U.S. Catholic radio stations broadcast music for 2 hours and 35 minutes per day, compared with other Christian stations that broadcast music for 13 hours and 17 minutes.

The daily average U.S. Catholic radio stations broadcast talk programming is for 15 hours and 8 minutes, compared with the 4 hours and 44 minutes other Christian stations broadcast it.

Catholic talk radio is also more likely to include caller interaction or audience participation segments. The report found 27% of talk programming on Catholic stations includes these interactive elements, compared with 8% of non-Catholic Christian stations.

Catholic talk radio is also more likely to contain discussions of family, parenting, and education, with 25% of talk time mentioning these issues. On other Christian stations, these topics are mentioned 18% of the time.

Catholic talk radio is more likely to include mentions of popes, both past and current. Pope Francis or Pope Leo XIV are mentioned by name in 6% of talk programming on Catholic stations, compared with 0.2% on non-Catholic stations.

Outside of music and talk radio formats, Catholic and non-Catholic stations spend a similar amount of time on content that Pew broadly categorized as "religious services or sermons."

The services Catholic stations broadcast sound different from those heard on other Christian stations, reflecting the differences between Catholic Mass and services in other Christian traditions.

The report noted there is overlap in discussion on the books of the Bible mentioned on Catholic and non-Catholic radio. The Gospels of Matthew, Luke, and John, and the Hebrew Scriptures of Psalms, Genesis, Exodus, and Isaiah are among the 10 most mentioned books of the Bible on both types of stations.

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More than 100 Chicago-area Catholic parents are appealing to the Vatican to keep open what one school mom describes as "the only Catholic option in the largest elementary school district in Illinois," the pope's home state.

St. Hubert Catholic School in northwest suburban Hoffman Estates is one of seven Chicago archdiocesan Catholic schools closing at the end of this year after the archdiocese announced in January that the schools were "no longer sustainable." Parents across the archdiocese made efforts to fundraise for their schools, but with the short notice, were unable to raise enough money to keep the schools open in the archdiocese's eyes. But at one Catholic school, families aren't giving up.

Jillian Bernas Garcia and a coalition of parents made an appeal to the Vatican to keep the school open. Under canon law, the Catholic Church's legal structure, a "remonstratio" is an option of recourse for Catholics who disagree with a decision made by local Church hierarchy.

'We intend to be here for many more years to come'

According to Garcia, families have been directed to enroll in public school while enrolling their children in catechesis at the parish. For Garcia, this isn't good enough.

"When the decision was made to close the school, the pastor and finance committee wrote that families can attend local public schools and utilize faith formation classes at the parish," Garcia told EWTN News.

"For us and our fellow school families, Catholic schools play an important role in youth faith formation," she said, "and an emphasis should be placed on the school instead of shutting it down, especially considering the important growth the Catholic Church is seeing among young people who will turn to Catholic schools to educate their children."

Garcia's oldest son and daughter attend early childhood education classes at St. Hubert.

What inspired her to appeal the decision, she said, is "the families whose children's spiritual needs are met through their education at our school."

"Integrating faith into their daily lives is something we value and practice at home," Garcia said.

The parent coalition is working with a Pennsylvania-based canon lawyer, Laura Morrison, who has helped other schools appeal in the past.

The archdiocese on Feb. 24 denied the initial appeal made by parents, but now, with the help of an experienced canon lawyer, the parents are appealing to the Vatican itself.

"We selected St. Hubert after considering various schools," Garcia said. "And we intend to be here for many more years to come and eventually send our youngest as well."

A financial audit found the school is 'viable'

As part of the remonstratio, a third party audited the school and found, according to Garcia, that the school could be financially viable if some changes are made.

"A coalition of parents had a forensic auditor and certified fraud examiner prepare a financial report showing financial viability for the next five years," she said. "With a decrease of 10% in costs or an increase in revenue-generating activities the school could be cash-flow-positive in two years."

The financial analysis found that "the school could operate for more than five years at its current deficit and became cash-flow-positive within two years with a modest 10% reduction in salary costs," according to the financial report provided by the parents.

The audit found the deficit is "driven primarily by staffing costs rather than enrollment decline, facilities, or debt service."

"Immediate closure is not financially required," according to the financial analysis.

Garcia said that part of the reason for the decline in enrollment was the removal of a large chunk of student tuition assistance the previous school year, leading to 48 students having to disenroll.

"Parents had been successful last school year in lowering the deficit and increasing enrollment despite administration," Garcia said. "Parish administration and the Archdiocese of Chicago then took drastic actions to put the school in a poor financial position to make an argument for closure."

St. Hubert operates in what Garcia described as "a diverse, strong working-class community."

"It should be a thriving school, but it suffers from poor administration and archdiocesan leadership that is quick to close the school instead of working to invest in it as an important center of youth faith formation," Garcia said.

The Archdiocese of Chicago and St. Hubert did not respond to requests for comment by the time of publication.

In the January announcement of the closures, Greg Richmond, superintendent of schools for the archdiocese, said: "We made these decisions with heavy hearts after months of discussions with each school. We know the importance of these schools in each community. Unfortunately, the enrollment of each school is too low, and the ongoing deficits are too high. Many people have worked hard at each school to raise money and try to boost enrollment. We recognize and value those efforts but, in the end, the schools were not able to close the gaps and they are no longer sustainable."

In the meantime, the parents' coalition awaits a decision on whether the Vatican Dicastery for Culture and Education will hear the case. It could take approximately six months for the Vatican to make a decision.

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The city of Louisville, Kentucky, will pay $800,000 to a Christian photographer and blogger who won a religious freedom lawsuit over an antidiscrimination ordinance that would have required her to photograph same-sex weddings in spite of her religious objections.

In October 2025, a federal court ruled that the ordinance contained two provisions that violated the First Amendment rights of the photographer, Chelsey Nelson. The city agreed to pay the fee through a settlement negotiated by her legal counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF).

"The government cannot force Americans to say things they don't believe," ADF Senior Counsel Bryan Neihart said in a statement on March 24.

"For almost six years, Louisville officials tried to do just that by threatening to force Chelsey to promote views about marriage that violated her religious beliefs," he said. "Louisville's threats contradicted bedrock First Amendment principles which leave decisions about what to say with the people, not the government."

"This settlement should teach Louisville that violating the U.S. Constitution can be expensive," Neihart added.

The ordinance prohibited "the denial of goods and services to members of protected classes," which included people with same-sex attraction, according to the ruling last year.

It also violated Nelson's First Amendment rights through the publication provision, which prevented her "from writing and publishing any indication or explanation that she wouldn't photograph same-sex weddings or that otherwise causes someone to feel unwelcome or undesirable based on his or her sexual orientation or gender identity."

The court found that both provisions "limit Nelson's freedom to express her beliefs about marriage" and that the ordinance forced her to suffer "a First Amendment injury."

The ruling built on the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis ruling, which struck down a Colorado antidiscrimination law because it would have forced a web designer to create websites for same-sex weddings in spite of her religious beliefs.

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Three Spanish policemen who were visiting Rome as tourists prevented a robbery at one of the city's most iconic churches — the Basilica of the Holy Cross of Jerusalem — on March 21.

The policemen — one of whom is stationed at the Spanish Embassy to the Holy See — were off duty when they intervened in response to a priest's call for help.

After hearing the priest's shouts, they managed to intercept the suspect, who — according to the clergyman — had just stolen several items.

After questioning the suspect, the policemen recovered from the alleged thief two lockpicks (used to open locks), 480 euros (about $555), two watches, and five lottery tickets.

The officers then proceeded to notify the Italian State Police of the incident, who took over the case.

Home of Passion relics

The Basilica of the Holy Cross of Jerusalem is one of the most renowned churches in the Eternal City, owing to the spiritual treasures it holds within its walls.

Access to the basilica's "Chapel of Relics" is gained through one of the church's side aisles; there, several relics associated with Christ's passion are preserved, protected behind a glass display case.

These objects were transported from Jerusalem to Rome thanks to St. Helena, mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine.

According to tradition, the chapel houses three fragments of the cross of Christ — displayed in a reliquary dating from 1800 — as well as one of the nails with which soldiers affixed Christ to the cross and two thorns from Christ's crown.

Also venerated here is the sign known as the "Titulus Crucis," which Pontius Pilate ordered to be placed at the top of Christ's cross. It bears the inscription in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin: "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews."

There is also a fragment of the cross of the good thief, along with a relic of the finger of the apostle Thomas — the very finger with which he touched Christ's wound to believe that he had risen.

Additionally, in another side chapel — located next to the Chapel of the Relics of the Passion — a modern reproduction of the Shroud of Turin is on display.

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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Pope Leo XIV has called for renewed unity in the Church's liturgical life, urging French bishops to seek "concrete solutions" to include Catholics attached to the Traditional Latin Mass while preserving communion.

In a message sent through Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, to the French bishops' spring plenary assembly in Lourdes (March 24–26), the pope expressed concern over divisions surrounding the liturgy, describing them as "a painful wound" within the Church.

"It is troubling that a painful wound continues to open in the Church concerning the celebration of the Mass, the very sacrament of unity," the message stated.

The pope emphasized the need for a renewed spirit of charity and understanding among Catholics of differing liturgical sensibilities.

"A new outlook of each toward the other, with greater understanding of their sensitivities, is certainly necessary," he wrote, "an outlook that would allow brothers and sisters, enriched by their diversity, to welcome one another in charity and in the unity of the faith."

Addressing the growth of communities attached to the "Vetus Ordo," Leo XIV encouraged bishops to discern practical ways forward.

"May the Holy Spirit inspire you with concrete solutions that allow for the generous inclusion of those sincerely attached to the 'Vetus Ordo,' in respect for the directions desired by the Second Vatican Council in matters of liturgy," the message said.

Benedict XVI in 2007 broadly liberalized celebration of the preconciliar liturgy in Summorum Pontificum, allowing wider use of the Traditional Latin Mass, but Pope Francis in 2021 sharply restricted that permission in Traditionis Custodes, returning tighter control to diocesan bishops.

The debate has taken on fresh urgency in France in part because of the Society of St. Pius X, founded by French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre and known for celebrating only the traditional liturgy. The SSPX said in February that it plans to consecrate bishops on July 1 without a pontifical mandate, a step canon law says carries automatic excommunication for both the consecrating bishop and the one ordained.

Beyond liturgical concerns, the pope also addressed the ongoing abuse crisis, urging perseverance in prevention efforts and continued care for victims.

"It is appropriate to persevere over the long term in the prevention measures that have been undertaken," he wrote, while also calling for the Church to show "attention to victims and the mercy of God toward all," including offending priests, who should not be excluded from pastoral reflection.

After "years of painful crises," the pope added, "the time has come to turn resolutely toward the future" and to offer "a message of encouragement and confidence" to priests in France.

The message also highlighted the importance of Catholic education amid increasing societal pressure on Catholic institutions.

"With respect for the convictions of each and with constant concern to welcome all," the pope encouraged bishops "to defend with determination the Christian dimension of Catholic education which, without reference to Jesus Christ, would lose its reason for being."

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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The federal government will proceed with plans to develop a copper mine at a Native American religious site, claiming the effort is "crucial" to meeting the "growing demand for critical minerals" in the U.S.

Indigenous advocates of the Oak Flat site, meanwhile, are vowing to continue fighting against the effort to obliterate what they say is a "holy place" and the "spiritual lifeblood" of Apaches.

Since 2021, the coalition group Apache Stronghold has been fighting the sale of the Arizona site to Resolution Copper, a British-Australian mining company.

The group has argued that the planned land transfer to the multinational company violates U.S. religious freedom law and threatens Native American traditions dating back centuries.

The battle against the sale — which advocates argue violates the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act — made it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which in May 2025 ultimately refused to halt the transfer. Advocates lost another bid at the Supreme Court in October 2025.

On March 23 the U.S. Department of Justice said its Environment and Natural Resources Division had secured a "major win" in the push to develop the site.

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a district court's order to allow the sale to proceed, allowing the government to "proceed with a congressionally mandated land exchange crucial to advancing development of one of the largest known copper deposits in the world."

The mining project "will play an important role in developing a stable, domestic copper supply," the government said.

Wendsler Nosie Sr. of Apache Stronghold told EWTN News in a statement on March 25 that the group "will never stop fighting to protect Oak Flat."

"It is our spiritual lifeblood — the place where generations of Apache have gathered to worship, pray, and connect with our Creator," the activist said. "The federal government and Resolution Copper want to wipe Oak Flat off the map and sever our connection with this holy place forever. But we will never give up."

"We will keep defending what is holy. We will continue pressing forward in the lower courts and urging America's leaders to protect Oak Flat before it is too late," Nosie said.

The Native American coalition garnered support from Catholic leaders in its effort to halt the sale of the site. In 2024, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops joined an amicus brief, arguing that lower court decisions allowing the sale of Oak Flat represented "a grave misunderstanding" of religious freedom law.

The Knights of Columbus similarly filed a brief in support of the Apaches, arguing that the decision to allow the property to be mined applies an "atextual constraint" to federal religious freedom law with "no grounding in the statute itself."

The Religious Freedom Restoration Act states that the government "shall not substantially burden" an individual's religion unless it can demonstrate that the burden is "in furtherance of a compelling governmental interest" and is "the least restrictive means of furthering that compelling governmental interest."

The measure became law with bipartisan support in 1993. It was passed partly in reaction to the 1990 U.S. Supreme Court decision Employment Division of Oregon v. Smith, which upheld "neutral laws of general applicability" even if they burden the exercise of religion.

The specific case in Oregon v. Smith involved two Native American residents of Oregon who had been denied unemployment benefits stemming from their use of peyote, a cactus with psychoactive properties that has been used in Indigenous ceremonies for thousands of years.

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NAIROBI, Kenya — Catholic bishops in Africa have released a final report addressing the pastoral challenge of polygamy across Africa. The 25-page document responds directly to the mandate that the multiyear XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, the Synod on Synodality, gave to members of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) "to promote theological and pastoral discernment on the issue of polygamy."

Compiled by a SECAM commission made up of selected theologians and professionals from relevant ecclesiastical disciplines, the report presents a structured reflection on the phenomenon through what it describes as a process of "quadruple listening": attentive engagement with African cultural realities, sacred Scripture, Church teaching on Christian marriage, and pastoral practices already operative within ecclesial communities across the continent.

Polygamy within the context of the African family

The report begins by situating polygamy within the broader cultural and religious context of the African family. According to the SECAM commission: "The African family is built on the covenant: an alliance between human groups, an alliance with ancestors, and an alliance with God."

Within this worldview, the birth of children is central. The commission members explained that "at the heart of this family, the child represents an inestimable treasure, a divine blessing. He perpetuates the name of the lineage while helping to consolidate the present life."

It is within this framework that members of the SECAM commission situated polygamy, defined as "a marital regime in which an individual is linked at the same time to several spouses." They clarified that although the term technically includes both polyandry and polygyny, the latter — a man married to multiple women — remains by far the most common form in Africa.

Historically, the practice emerged from specific social needs. In early agrarian and nomadic societies, large families provided economic stability and security, they noted, recalling: "Polygamous marriages were practiced not only for the sake of large families, but also for reasons of solidarity, alliances, and political objectives."

Marriage in traditional African societies also carried communal and spiritual dimensions that made divorce rare, they further noted, recalling that marriage ceremonies involved not only the spouses but also entire families and even calling upon ancestors, reflecting a deeply communal understanding of family life.

Biblical discernment

Turning to Scripture, the SECAM commission members noted that the Bible itself reflects diverse marital practices. In the Old Testament world, "forms of marriage varied, from polygamy to monogamy," and several biblical figures lived in polygamous unions.

Nevertheless, the commission members stressed in the report that monogamy gradually emerged as the biblical ideal. They pointed to the Book of Tobit as a text that strongly "exalts monogamy," describing families that are "strictly monogamous" and characterized by fidelity and religious devotion.

The commission members interpreted this development as part of what they call a "divine pedagogy." According to their report, God allowed polygamy historically but ultimately revealed the ideal of monogamous marriage through Christ.

"In his Son, he shows that polygamy is not the ideal couple desired by God," they said, emphasizing Jesus' teaching that marriage is a union between "one man and one woman."

This biblical reflection also addressed one of the most common cultural motivations for polygamy — infertility. The commission insisted that biological impediments to fertility do not justify polygamy.

They explained that biblical tradition broadens the understanding of motherhood and fatherhood beyond biological reproduction. True fruitfulness, the commission members wrote, can consist in fidelity to God and virtuous life rather than biological offspring alone.

Ethical questions raised by polygamy

The report on the pastoral challenges of polygamy raised ethical questions about whether the core meaning of Christian marriage can be reconciled with polygamous unions. The commission highlighted the Christian understanding of marriage as a total mutual gift between two persons.

"If marriage translates into 'the gift of oneself to another,' one might wonder how a man or woman can experience this 'gift of self' by giving themselves to several wives or husbands at the same time," they observed.

Commission members also raised questions about emotional and psychological dimensions, asking whether shared marital relationships risk undermining authentic communion between spouses.

The Christian understanding of marriage, they noted, is further illuminated by the apostle Paul's comparison of marriage with the relationship between Christ and the Church — a singular and exclusive covenant of love.

Pastoral challenges: Baptism and sacramental life

The commission acknowledged that polygamy has long posed pastoral challenges for the Church in Africa, especially when individuals living in polygamous unions seek baptism or integration into Catholic communities.

Historically, missionaries often approached the issue by requiring monogamy as a condition for baptism, they recalled, adding that "monogamous marriage was therefore a requirement for being or becoming a Christian."

Today, however, pastoral practice has evolved in many African dioceses, they said, identifying several pastoral approaches currently used within local churches.

One approach requires a man seeking full sacramental participation to choose one spouse while continuing to provide for the other women and their children.

Another response is the "permanent catechumenate" in which a polygamous individual participates in catechetical formation and community life without receiving baptism or the other sacraments due to the continuing marital situation.

A third practice involves baptizing the first wife when she has been placed in a polygamous relationship without her consent. In such cases, she may be fully integrated into the Christian community while remaining within her family environment.

Position on baptism for polygamists

One of the clearest conclusions of the SECAM commission concerned the sacrament of baptism. The commission argued that baptizing someone who intends to remain in a polygamous union risks undermining the theological meaning of baptism itself.

"Baptizing a polygamist who will continue to remain so would give every appearance of legitimizing this irregularity and could distort or even devalue baptism of its substance," they stated.

For this reason, the commission recommended that baptism should normally follow a clear commitment to monogamous marriage.

According to their report, polygamous catechumens should undergo thorough preparation and be ready to "accept the Gospel message, adhere to the Christian ideal, and commit to monogamous marriage before receiving baptism."

Implications for Catholics living in polygamous families

At the pastoral level, the members of the commission stressed accompaniment rather than exclusion. The Church, the report says, must practice "a pastoral approach of proximity, listening, and accompaniment."

This approach acknowledges that many polygamous families cannot easily dissolve existing marital bonds. In such cases, pastoral accompaniment may maintain the family structure while gradually introducing the Christian vision of marriage.

The commission noted that some members of polygamous families — particularly the first wife and children — may meet the conditions for full sacramental participation, while others may live their faith "in a penitent manner and in the hope of full integration into the community of Jesus' disciples."

Ultimately, the commission members framed the issue as part of a broader process of inculturation. The challenge for the Church in Africa, they concluded, is to present the Gospel within cultural realities while remaining faithful to the Christian understanding of marriage.

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

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The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) took part in an ecumenical meeting with the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) to engage in dialogue and collaborate on pastoral solutions to heightened immigration enforcement.

The meeting was held on March 24 to launch the Evangelical-Catholic Dialogue on Immigration (ECDI) — a joint initiative focused on the subject.

It builds on previous collaborations, particularly a report on how President Donald Trump's mass deportation plans could affect Christian families. According to a USCCB news release, Catholic and evangelical leaders continue to grapple with pastoral challenges related to the policy, such as an increase in fear and anxiety among members.

"I view the ECDI as a means of growing in Christian unity with our evangelical brothers and sisters, while also furthering our shared goal of bringing the message of the Gospel to bear on one of the most pressing issues of our time," Bishop Brendan Cahill, chair of the USCCB's Committee on Migration, said in a statement.

Cahill co-chairs the ECDI with the Rev. Walter Kim, president of the NAE. It also includes five other Catholic and five other evangelical members and organizational observers.

"Whatever theological differences exist between us, Catholics and evangelicals across our country are navigating many of the same complex realities — political and social — and the issue of immigration is an important example," Cahill said. "Together, we place our hope in Jesus Christ, and we seek to live out his teaching in relation to this challenging topic."

Cahill cited Pope Leo XIV's emphasis on dialogue being necessary for "peace, understanding, and fraternity, especially between different faith traditions." He expressed gratitude for Kim's leadership and "willingness to collaborate in this way and for the commitment of all those participating."

In November, the USCCB voted 216-5 to oppose "the indiscriminate mass deportation of people." The bishops have expressed concerns that the Department of Homeland Security rescinded guidelines that had previously limited immigration enforcement at "sensitive locations," including churches.

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The Day of the Unborn Child is celebrated internationally on March 25 to commemorate, promote, and defend human life from the moment of conception in the mother's womb until natural death.

The date was established in Argentina in December 1998 by President Carlos Saúl Menem. A few days before the observance of this day in 1999, the president encouraged leaders throughout Latin America to join the initiative.

At the time, St. John Paul II sent a letter to the Argentine president, encouraging that "the celebration of the 'Day of the Unborn Child' foster a positive choice in favor of life and the development of a culture oriented in this direction — one that ensures the promotion of human dignity in all situations."

In 1999, the observance was also adopted by law in Guatemala and Costa Rica, while Nicaragua embraced it the following year. Bolivia joined in 2000; the Dominican Republic followed in early 2001; in Peru, it was established by law in 2002; and Paraguay joined in 2003.

The observance is also celebrated on March 25 in El Salvador, Uruguay, Spain, Mexico, Austria, Slovakia, Cuba, and the Philippines. Ecuador joined in 2006, Chile in 2014, and it was enacted by law in Puerto Rico in 2018.

This date typically coincides with the solemnity of the Annunciation, usually celebrated on March 25. On this day, the Catholic Church commemorates the announcement made by Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary as well as her momentous yes to God — an assent that led her to conceive, at that very instant, the Child who saved humanity, becoming his most holy mother.

Catholic bishops in various countries are joining the celebration by organizing events in defense of the lives of unborn children. In addition, in recent years, memorials have been erected in memory of the millions of unborn child victims of abortion.

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

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The war unfolding in the Middle East and the security challenges accompanying it have affected how Iraqi Christians will observe Palm Sunday, Holy Week, and the feast of Easter this year.

The Syriac Catholic Archdiocese of Mosul and its dependencies called on the faithful to reflect deeply on the true meaning of the feast and on the One it commemorates, and to live it in a spirit of faith, prayer, and fraternal solidarity by avoiding large gatherings and refraining from outward displays of festivity, "as an expression of solidarity with those suffering and those affected by the horrors of war, and in order to preserve everyone's safety."

The archdiocese also announced that holiday celebrations would be limited to church interiors, especially for Palm Sunday, meaning that the large annual procession through the city's streets will not be held this year. It also canceled the customary exchange of holiday greetings throughout the archdiocese.

No procession in Ankawa

For its part, the Chaldean Archdiocese of Erbil announced the cancellation of its annual Palm Sunday procession, which it had traditionally organized in cooperation with the apostolic churches in Ankawa.

Speaking to ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News, Archbishop Bashar Matti Warda said security necessities required the cancellation of the Palm Sunday procession, which the faithful await each year with joy and eagerness, in order to guard everyone's safety.

He explained that the archdiocese has limited its activities to the usual Masses, evening prayer, and the Way of the Cross while canceling catechism classes for all age groups and youth meetings since the beginning of the war and the targeting of Erbil by missiles and drones.

Other churches in Iraq have not officially announced specific measures or changes to the schedules of liturgical celebrations, Masses, and rites. However, it appears that dioceses and parishes across Christian towns and villages are moving toward canceling the customary processions and confining celebrations to church buildings.

Youth gathering postponed

The Chaldean Archdiocese of Erbil also announced through ACI MENA the postponement of the 2026 Ankawa Youth Gathering, which was scheduled for March 18–21, for the same reasons.

Qaraqosh, Ankawa, Alqosh, and other Christian towns and villages in Iraq have long organized large Palm Sunday processions. This tradition has only been interrupted under exceptional circumstances, including the years of forced displacement during the ISIS occupation (2014–2017) and the coronavirus pandemic.

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

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