Catholic News

In a homily over the weekend, Auxiliary Bishop Silvio Báez of Managua, Nicaragua, compared "casting out demons" to denouncing the cruelty and irrationality of dictatorships that violate human dignity.

"Casting out demons means committing ourselves to processes of personal and social liberation, and helping those trapped by idols, fear, or hopelessness to regain their freedom," the bishop noted during a Mass he celebrated at St. Agatha Parish in Miami on June 14.

"It also means denouncing the irrationality and cruelty of regimes that violate human dignity and multiply people's misery, often even invoking the name of God," he emphasized.

Báez, who was forced to leave Nicaragua in 2019, now lives in exile and serves at the Miami parish where his compatriots gather. Like many others, Báez was a victim of persecution by the Nicaraguan dictatorship, which intensified its ruthless campaign against the Catholic Church in 2018, a campaign that continues to this day.

The Nicaraguan prelate reflected on a passage from the Gospel of Matthew, stating that Jesus saw the crowd and "had compassion for them, because they were weary and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd."

This image, he noted, "has lost none of its relevance. Today, too, there are many people living like sheep without a shepherd: individuals who are sad, lonely, disoriented, and disillusioned by deceptive idols; families torn apart by poverty, forced migration, or violence; entire peoples deprived of freedom and a future due to war or dominated by dictatorial regimes that impose themselves through fear and repression."

In this situation, the bishop explained, "prayer is the first and most urgent response," not because it "replaces action but because it is the root and foundation of action, making it fruitful and strong."

Through prayer, one can be in tune with the Lord and move toward effective action, he noted. "From this compassion and this prayer came forth the choice of the Twelve [Apostles]," the prelate emphasized.

"The power Jesus grants is a power at the service of life and human dignity. It is exactly the opposite of the power that seduces the world — the power that crushes, controls, intimidates, and subjugates. This power, received to serve rather than to subjugate, did not end with the Twelve; it continues today through us," he said.

In addition to casting out demons, he said every member of the Church is called to perform various actions, such as "healing the sick, raising the dead, and cleansing lepers."

The bishop explained that resurrecting the dead "is restoring hope to those who no longer expect anything, helping them discover glimmers of God's light in the middle of the nights of life. It's announcing, without tiring, the God of life."

"And it is also to oppose the oppressive powers that subjugate people, with the conviction that God accompanies and blesses the efforts made for the freedom and dignity of people," he noted.

The Nicaraguan prelate also emphasized that "cleansing the lepers means striving to restore dignity to those marginalized by society or religion, through gestures of inclusion, solidarity, and respectful dialogue."

He remarked that "the laborers remain few. The Lord continues to seek those today who are willing to extend his compassionate gaze into the world. May that gaze be ours."

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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Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said this week that the state should end the death penalty, with the governor arguing that he no longer believes it is a "deterrent" to murder.

"I believe Ohio should abolish the death penalty," the Catholic Republican governor said at a June 16 press conference. "The Legislature can take this action, and I believe they should take this action."

"But if the Legislature does not want to make that decision, they can leave it up to a vote of the people of the state of Ohio," he said.

After DeWine was elected to the state Senate in 1980, he co-sponsored a bill that sought to reinstate the death penalty in Ohio.

DeWine supported the policy at the time believing it would lessen violent crime, he said at the press conference, but, he argued, "the moral justification I had for voting for the death penalty simply no longer exists."

Each decade that the death penalty has been in effect, "the chances of a murderer getting executed get more and more remote," DeWine said. Therefore, "it is today impossible to make the case that the death penalty is a deterrent."

"For the state to take a human life, there … must be evidence that in doing so, it will help protect the public [and] that the threat of that action will deter someone from committing murder," he said.

"I do not believe that argument today can be successfully made, nor do I believe that there's any chance [of successfully making it] in the future," he said.

The term-limited governor, whose second term will end in 2027, has repeatedly postponed scheduled executions in the state since taking office in early 2019.

He has cited issues involving "the willingness of pharmaceutical suppliers to provide drugs to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, pur­suant to DRC pro­to­col, with­out endan­ger­ing other Ohioans."

"We also cannot talk about capital punishment without talking about those we task with carrying it out," DeWine said.

"While it is true they are 'volunteers,' we still must be mindful of the impact preparations for and the carrying out of executions have on them. They are the forgotten people — but they are real people. They are our fellow Ohioans."

DeWine used the example of Gary Mohr, who served as the director of the state Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections from 2011 until 2018.

"During that time, he supervised 15 executions," DeWine said, and he "summarize[d] the toll on the staff in this one sentence: 'The heaviness felt by the execution team and by the support staff is indescribable.'"

"Our money and our energies are much better spent focusing on keeping these repeat violent offenders out of society than focusing on the death penalty," DeWine said.

"Throughout my career, I've always stated that the most important way to protect the public is to lock up violent criminals and to keep them out of society. Keep them locked up. That is a proven way of saving lives and protecting our citizens."

DeWine said that any "decision to officially end the death penalty in Ohio could not change the horror and the anger that we all feel in regard to these murderers, nor the deep sorrow we feel for the victims and for their families."

"These murderers ended the life of a precious human being. These murderers have changed the lives of the surviving family members forever. Their lives will never be the same."

During a question-and-answer session at the press conference, DeWine declined to comment when asked if he would begin commuting death sentences in the state.

Praise from Catholic anti-death penalty group

DeWine's "call for the abolishment of capital punishment in Ohio is an encouraging sign and reflects growing recognition that the state can move toward a more just and life-affirming approach," Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy, the executive director of the anti-death penalty Catholic Mobilizing Network, told EWTN News.

"Gov. DeWine is a Catholic whose faith has always inspired his public service," Vaillancourt said.

"As fellow Catholics who advocate for the dignity of every human life, we urge him to go further and grant clemency to those on Ohio's death row. The time to act is now," she said.

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Seton Hall University will not have to fully disclose a report detailing its handling of sex abuse allegations connected to disgraced and deceased former cardinal Theodore McCarrick, a New Jersey appeals court ruled this week.

The school has been battling efforts to force disclosure of the so-called "Latham report," an investigation commissioned by Seton Hall itself amid fallout surrounding the McCarrick scandal.

New Jersey Judge Avion Benjamin had ordered the school in November 2025 to turn over the Latham report to lawyers representing victims of clergy abuse. The school had previously argued that the report was protected by attorney-client privilege.

In a June 15 ruling, the Superior Court of New Jersey's appellate division ruled mostly in favor of the school, holding that the relationship between the school and the law firm Latham & Watkins LLP enjoyed a measure of attorney-client protection.

Attorney Gabriel Magee, who represents multiple Church abuse victims as part of consolidated litigation that included suits against Seton Hall, told EWTN News in May that the Latham report was "created for self-critical analysis by Seton Hall" and thus fell outside of the protection of attorney-client privilege or "work-product privilege."

Yet the appeals court on June 15 held that work-privilege considerations have to be adjudicated on a "case-by-case, fact-specific analysis." Attorney-client protections, meanwhile, apply to "notes, communications, and other documents" prepared "at the behest of and for" legal counsel.

The school did not respond to a request for comment on June 16 regarding the decision.

The appellate court said one section of the report regarding the university's sexual harassment policies is "clearly a self-critical analysis" that was "not prepared in anticipation of litigation" and thus could be disclosed as part of legal proceedings.

The judges said that "some materials" in that section could be subject to redactions depending on the subject material.

Magee told EWTN News on June 16 that while plaintiff attorneys "appreciate the appellate division's ruling that some portions of the Latham report must be produced, we are still digesting the opinion and considering our appeal options with respect to the rest of the decision."

The Latham report, which has never been made public, is expected to examine whether Monsignor Joseph Reilly, then-rector of Seton Hall's Immaculate Conception Seminary (and now university president), knew about abuse claims and failed to report them. Reilly was appointed president in 2024.

Meanwhile, Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark, New Jersey, in February 2025 ordered an independent review into the controversy.

The prelate said at the time that the review would examine "how the findings of [the earlier reports] relate to Monsignor Joseph Reilly, including whether they were communicated to any and all appropriate personnel at the archdiocese and Seton Hall University and Monsignor Reilly, and if so, by what means and by whom."

The review is still ongoing, the archdiocese said in May.

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Russia's "true goal" is "a war on Christianity in Ukraine," Steven Moore, founder of the Ukraine Freedom Project, told "EWTN News Nightly" after the bombing of the 11th-century Dormition Cathedral of Kyiv Pechersk Lavra.

"This is certainly deliberate," Moore said, noting that Russia has destroyed 750 churches in Ukraine and killed as many as 80 pastors and priests.

The Dormition Cathedral of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, part of a UNESCO World Heritage site, caught fire June 14 after Russia launched 70 missiles and 611 drones into several Ukrainian cities, which killed four people and injured 28 others, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

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"This is one of Russia's most serious crimes against Christian culture to date," Ukraine's leader said about the damaged to the Eastern Orthodox cathedral, historically tied to the monastic life of the Lavra.

'Putin is not making mistakes'

Russia's Ministry of Defense issued a statement on June 15 claiming that the cathedral "was hit by a missile from an American Patriotic air defense system" and that "one possible reason for the malfunction of this system could be that Western countries had supplied the Kyiv regime with missiles that had expired."

"The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation do not plan or conduct strikes against civilian infrastructure facilities," the Kremlin said.

"The Kremlin is talking about it being an accident," Moore said. "But there's a lot of accidents — every week there's an accidental church bombing."

"Putin is not making mistakes," Moore said.

"Putin is not going to stop this until someone makes him stop," Moore said, describing efforts to bring the war to an end as "a lot of talk."

Combating Russian propaganda

Moore is visiting Washington, D.C., from Kyiv and said he has plans to advocate on Capitol Hill and launch several films, including one on Ukrainian children who have been trafficked into Russia. Moore is set to meet with Sen. John Kennedy, R-Louisiana, on June 16.

Moore told EWTN News in a separate interview that he plans to "focus primarily on Republicans because Republicans are in charge, and the Russians spend $2 billion annually on propaganda worldwide. Much of that goes into the conservative ecosphere."

"The Russians target these conservative believers with misinformation," he said, citing online figures such as Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson. "So we're trying to push back on that, and we're pushing back on Capitol Hill."

The role of the international community

Foreign leaders took to social media to condemn the strikes, including French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, who said the strike on the Dormition Cathedral is the equivalent of bombing Notre-Dame in Paris.

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"The French are really good at talking," Moore said.

"But I have yet to see a Leclerc tank in Donbas," he said, speaking of French-made battle tanks.

"On an average day in April, the French bought enough petroleum products, liquid natural gas, primarily from Russia, to pay for about 220 Shahed drones every day," he said about Iranian-made munitions, noting that Russia sends about 600 drones every time they attack Ukraine.

"A lot of this is paid for by European purchases of Russian fossil fuel," Moore said. "So, you know, while I always like to hear what the French have to say, I would like to see them stop fueling the Russian war machine. And I would like to see them do more, send more aid to Ukraine."

Ultimately, Moore called for the international community to cut off all financial ties with Russia. "Nothing else works because Putin only understands strength."

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Catholic church bells in Mexico will be rung on June 20 "as a call to build peace" and in memory of victims of violence in the country, marking the fourth anniversary of the murders of Jesuit priests Javier Campos Morales and Joaquín César Mora Salazar.

In a statement released on June 14, the National Dialogue for Peace called for placing a "white ribbon or small flag" on the doors of homes, schools, and workplaces on June 20 to make "visible the commitment to peace, dialogue, reconciliation, or hope."

The group also called for "ringing church bells on June 20 at 3 p.m. as a call to all sectors of society to build peace and to renew our commitment to forming the community that Mexico needs today."

Campos Morales and Mora Salazar were killed on June 20, 2022, inside their parish church in the town of Cerocahui in the Mexican state of Chihuahua while attempting to protect a man who was being pursued by a criminal.

The organization also asked Mexicans to "place photographs of missing persons at church altars during the celebrations on Sunday, June 21," as well as to "offer a special prayer for families searching [for their loved ones] and invite adolescents and young people to present the offerings as a sign of a Church that recognizes their place and accompanies them in building hope."

The National Dialogue for Peace was started following the murder of the Jesuits as an initiative of the Catholic Church in Mexico formed by the Mexican Bishops' Conference, the Bishops' Commission for the Laity, the Conference of Major Religious Superiors of Mexico, and the Society of Jesus in Mexico.

In its statement, the National Dialogue for Peace stated that on June 20, "we remember the murdered religious leaders, the thousands of missing persons, the families living amid violence, the merchants suffering extortion, and the forests illegally logged."

"It's a day to remember the suffering that we are standing against throughout Mexico and to call upon all sectors of society to redouble their efforts to sow peace. Amid the pain this country is experiencing, Jesus continues to call us to build peace," the statement explained.

Reflecting on the efforts made since 2022, the organization noted that "over these four years, we have learned that the great challenge is to build a responsible and participatory community capable of deciding its own destiny."

While "violence isolates people and stifles social participation, paving the way for the imposition of criminal projects and ideas," the National Dialogue for Peace said, noting that "the process of building peace entails reaching out to others to heal, participate, and form one's own judgment."

"Building peace today entails healing the wound caused by the forced disappearance of loved ones, having concern for abandoned youth, and envisioning the institutional framework Mexico needs. That wound is healed through truth, political will, and reparation for the harm done," the National Dialogue for Peace 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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Church leaders in Bangladesh have welcomed Anna Minj, the country's first Catholic Indigenous woman lawmaker, for using her first budget-session speech to press for the development of long-neglected Indigenous communities.

On June 14, given the floor in the National Parliament during the budget session, Minj first thanked Almighty God. "Today I am representing the ethnic minority groups of the plain land of Bangladesh in this Parliament," she said.

Welcoming the proposed budget, she said: "This budget is a people-oriented and inclusive budget."

"I would like to specifically mention that the budget has increased the special allocation for ethnic minority groups in the prime minister's office," Minj said. "Similarly, the allocation for ethnic minority groups in the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock has been increased in this budget. In the National Parliament I highly appreciate and I firmly believe that these two projects will play a special role in the development of the ethnic groups of the plain land."

At the same time, she drew attention to several concerns, noting that development allocations had been increased across various ministries. Those allocations, she said, should reach the marginalized and those who are truly in need among ethnic minority groups so they can genuinely develop.

"We all know that the socioeconomic condition of the people of the ethnic groups of the plain land is very fragile. Ninety percent of them are daily wage laborers; many times they sell their agricultural labor in advance. In that case, we ask everyone to involve them in various developmental activities such as education, technical education, and provide them with work opportunities," Minj told Parliament.

Praise from deputy speaker

After her speech, Deputy Speaker Kayser Kamal thanked Minj and acknowledged that the country's Indigenous people have remained disadvantaged.

"When martyred President Ziaur Rahman formed the BDR [Bangladesh Rifles], many Indigenous people were involved, many were involved in primary education, but their participation has decreased with the passage of time," he said. "Thank you very much for addressing this issue."

Mixed reaction in the Church

Holy Cross Father Liton Hubert Gomes, secretary of the Integral Human Development Commission of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Bangladesh, welcomed Minj's speech. He told EWTN News that her statement on Indigenous rights was sound and that the increased government allocation was a positive step, but he said other problems still needed to be addressed.

"She has created a mixed reaction among the Indigenous people because she didn't address them as Indigenous but as a small ethnic group. Again, she is not only an MP [member of Parliament] for the Indigenous people, she is also an MP for the Christian community," Gomes said.

The voices of both Indigenous people and Christians should be heard in Parliament, the priest said, because Catholics and other Christians contribute heavily to the country, especially in education, health, and social development, yet that contribution is not recognized by the state.

Gomes said he was hopeful, adding: "Anna Minj will work for our society and work to achieve the rights of Indigenous people and will highlight the contribution of Christians to the nation so that others can use our good teachings for the development of the nation."

A historic first

Minj is a leader from the Oraon Indigenous community and has served for over three decades in leadership roles at BRAC International, an entrepreneurial and solutions-focused nonprofit development organization.

Of the 350 seats in Bangladesh's National Parliament, 300 are filled by direct election, which was held on Feb. 12, and 50 are reserved for women. Minj was elected to one of those reserved women's seats as a nominee of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, which formed the government.

In Muslim-majority Bangladesh, only 1% of the 180 million people belong to various ethnic minorities, while 99% are ethnic Bengalis.

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VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV defended the importance of rigorous journalism against "the drug of fake news" and "artificial polarizations" in a message to the Italian newspaper L'Adige on the occasion of its 80th anniversary, celebrated Tuesday.

In his message to the newspaper, the pope urged journalists to "safeguard voices and faces, cultivate seriousness in every report and every analysis, preserve the beauty of cultures and territories."

He also called on them to "strengthen communities in the truth that unites us all, govern technology without surrendering to the rhetoric of uniform thought, respect differing opinions, never yield to the temptation to make greater profits by resorting to the drug of fake news and artificial polarizations."

"In the time of great changes that we are experiencing, I wish your newspaper always to be an instrument of truth, a guardian of history and memory, a source of knowledge and a leaven of humanity," the pope wrote, calling on the newspaper to meet the challenge of information with "quality."

In his letter, Leo also recalled the origins of the newspaper and the figure of its founder, Flaminio Piccoli, who chose for the publication the name of a river, the Adige, which runs through Trento, the city where the newspaper is published.

"Flowing water," the pope said, "is indeed a symbol of continuous regeneration, possible only if one drinks from a pure spring. What more beautiful metaphor for good journalism? To be water that deeply satisfies the thirst for knowledge of people of different generations; to nourish consciences with news and not gossip; to offer a correct and transparent interpretation of reality; to unite, in good fortune and bad, the community in which one is rooted, protecting its history and memory."

The pope also highlighted the contribution of Christian thought to the development of journalism and the defense of freedom of expression.

"Its roots testify to the richness of Christian thought as a leaven of journalism, not only Catholic journalism, a bulwark of the freedom to express one's thoughts," he wrote.

Leo also recalled Alcide De Gasperi, who, he said, before becoming a leading political figure in Italy's democratic reconstruction after fascism, "was an editor and then director of La Voce Cattolica of Trento, and later founder of the daily Il Trentino."

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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VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV said those who believe God created the world are called to take on a greater responsibility for caring for creation, describing it as a requirement of faith.

In a video message to participants in the 10th Austrian World Summit — an annual international event on climate, sustainability, and the environment taking place Tuesday at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna — the Holy Father recalled that "the Church has always been aware that the ecological question has a moral dimension."

Reflecting on climate change and environmental protection in light of the theological virtues, the pope said the religious dimension "is in fact essential to address these issues adequately."

"Those who believe that our world was created by God and is inherently good are compelled to assume an even greater responsibility to care for creation, since this is the requirement of their faith," Pope Leo XIV said.

He also quoted Pope Francis' 2015 encyclical Laudato Si', saying: "Living our vocation to be protectors of God's handiwork is essential to a life of virtue; it is not an optional or a secondary aspect of our Christian experience."

The pope stressed that "religious faith reinforces the overall desire to protect life and care for nature." He said the climate crisis is "one manifestation — and a critical one — of the wider socioeconomic crisis," adding that special attention must be given to "the poorest and those most vulnerable to environmental degradation."

Pope Leo XIV acknowledged widespread concern over the challenges caused by "a lack of respect for creation, the plundering of natural resources, and a progressive decline in the quality of life due to climate change."

"These challenges require international cooperation, together with cohesive and forward-looking multilateralism in order to find effective solutions," he said.

At the same time, the pope sought to offer a message of hope, urging participants to overcome fear and work together toward appropriate solutions.

"Despite the naysayers or cynics, hope can be a powerful driving force," he said.

The Holy Father also emphasized the contribution religious leaders and communities can make to ambitious social and environmental efforts, noting that the Bible offers many examples of how fear can be overcome by hope, "which ultimately is a gift from God himself."

Pope Leo XIV called on wealthier countries to "meet their obligations to support poorer countries financially." He also said the world needs "the development of a new person-centered international financial framework" so that all countries, "especially the poorest and those most vulnerable to climate disasters, can reach their full potential, with the dignity of their citizens respected."

Turning to the virtue of love, the pope invited participants to cultivate "a genuine culture of care for our environment," including what Pope Francis described as "civic and political love."

"Such love is the key to authentic development," Pope Leo XIV said, adding that "social love moves us to devise larger strategies to halt environmental degradation and to encourage a 'culture of care' which permeates all of society."

The pope concluded by expressing his hope that the summit's deliberations would promote this culture of care and "thus contribute to the civilization of love."

He also prayed that the summit would help promote "the much-needed dialogue for seeking effective solutions to protect the wonderful gift of creation."

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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During his apostolic journey to Spain from June 6–12, Pope Leo XIV became the first pontiff in history to address the Spanish Parliament, using the occasion to urge the country's political class to defend human dignity and protect life "from conception to its natural end."

The pontiff also joined the list of other pontiffs since St. Paul VI who have been invited to speak to government assemblies during their journeys.

While it is expected that the pope will address civil leaders during an apostolic journey, invitations to address a country's legislature or national assembly are rare and considered a high honor, even for a pope. These addresses have often been opportunities for the pope to challenge civil leaders on critical issues, including human rights, war, and the treatment of migrants.

But what do these speeches reveal about the pope's priorities regarding global issues?

St. Paul VI: A call for an end to war

As the first pope in centuries to undertake extensive international travel, Paul VI was known for his forceful calls to denounce war and promote peace.

He became the first pontiff to address the United Nations (U.N.) General Assembly during his historic one-day visit to the United States on Oct. 4, 1965. He addressed the assembly in the wake of the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Vietnam War, and the Indo-Pakistani War, which had occurred mere weeks before his visit.

Amid these and other conflicts, Paul VI made a passionate appeal for peace, famously declaring: "Never again war, never again war! It is peace, peace, that has to guide the destiny of the nations of all mankind!"

With this speech and similar ones, including a little-known one delivered to the Ugandan Parliament in 1969, the pope would forever alter the Holy See's role in international affairs, establishing it as an important actor in international diplomacy. He also helped establish the Church's anti-war stance early in the modern period, a stance adopted by every pope since.

St. John Paul II: Papal presence in the public sphere

Whereas Paul VI would pioneer the pope's presence in the public sphere, St. John Paul II would make it the norm.

The Polish pontiff delivered at least five addresses to secular parliaments, including those of the European Union, Poland, and Italy.

He also addressed the U.N. General Assembly twice during his papacy. The first, in 1979, challenged the U.N. to denounce the arms trade, ensure religious freedom, and protect religious minorities in the Middle East.

Though noted for his stance on life issues, including opposition to abortion, he did not address abortion in any of his addresses to parliaments, instead focusing more broadly on human rights.

Benedict XVI: Religion cannot be set aside in the West

Pope Benedict XVI became the first pontiff to address both houses of the British Parliament during his visit to the United Kingdom in September 2010.

Referring to St. Thomas More and the country's Christian heritage, Benedict denounced the tendency toward the marginalization of religion in the West, particularly Catholicism.

"I cannot but voice my concern at the increasing marginalization of religion, particularly of Christianity, that is taking place in some quarters, even in nations which place a great emphasis on tolerance," Benedict said. "These are worrying signs of a failure to appreciate not only the rights of believers to freedom of conscience and freedom of religion, but also the legitimate role of religion in the public square."

Such sentiments would be reflected in his address to the Federal Parliament of Germany during his 2011 visit. Already famous for his advocacy of the relationship between faith and reason, Benedict gave a speech highlighting the role of natural law and the limits of democracy.

"For most of the matters that need to be regulated by law, the support of the majority can serve as a sufficient criterion. Yet it is evident that for the fundamental issues of law, in which the dignity of man and of humanity is at stake, the majority principle is not enough."

Francis: Environmental justice, migrant care, and the abolition of the death penalty

When Pope Francis became the first pope to address a joint session of the United States Congress in 2015 during his visit to the country, he offered a candid assessment of issues in the national debate, especially immigration.

Referring to the 2015 refugee crisis, in which Syrians fled the civil war in Syria for the U.S., Francis advocated greater care for those coming to the U.S. to find a better life.

"Our world is facing a refugee crisis of a magnitude not seen since the Second World War. This presents us with great challenges and many hard decisions," Francis said. "We must not be taken aback by their numbers, but rather view them as persons, seeing their faces and listening to their stories, trying to respond as best we can to their situation."

He would also, like several of his predecessors, oppose the death penalty. Unlike them, however, he would call for its abolition, support the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' initiative for abolition that year, and criticize the resumption of executions by lethal injection.

"This conviction has led me, from the beginning of my ministry, to advocate at different levels for the global abolition of the death penalty. I am convinced that this way is the best, since every life is sacred, every human person is endowed with an inalienable dignity, and society can only benefit from the rehabilitation of those convicted of crimes."

He would use these ideas presented to Congress to finally amend the Catechism of the Catholic Church in 2018, declaring that the death penalty is "inadmissible."

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Canada's government-sanctioned assisted suicide program — known as medical assistance in dying, or MAID — turns 10 years old this month, and in the decade since it was launched assisted dying has become a leading cause of death in the country.

Yet Alex Schadenberg, the executive director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, says there is a grim upside to that trend: Other countries increasingly don't want anything to do with assisted suicide.

"The only good thing about Canada is the effect Canada is having on other countries," he said.

Assisted suicide measures have recently suffered notable defeats in numerous other national legislatures. But the procedure remains immensely popular in Canada.

Government data show that suicide uptake grew at an annual rate of more than 30% from 2019 to 2022; it has decreased in the years since, though it has continued to grow, with a total number of 16,499 Canadians dying by suicide in 2024.

The "vast majority" of people who died by assisted suicide had a "reasonably foreseeable death," the government said, while around 4.5% of victims' deaths did not meet that criteria.

The government said that the decreasing rate of growth "seem[s] to suggest that the number of annual [suicides] is beginning to stabilize," though it said that "long-term trends" would only be identifiable after "several more years."

Data indicate that the country has the highest numbers of assisted suicide deaths in the world.

Some restrictions, proposed expansions

The Canadian Supreme Court ruled in February 2015 that the country's ban on assisted suicide was illegal. That decision technically legalized the practice in Canada, though the court delayed implementation of the decision for a year.

Assisted suicide became fully available in the country the following summer, on June 16, 2016. In April of this year the country officially passed 100,000 "provisions" of MAID.

David Cooke, the campaigns manager for the Ontario-based Campaign Life Coalition, told EWTN News that the 10-year mark for the MAID program is "an anniversary to mourn."

"With 10 years of legalized medical homicide, Canada has the blood of over 100,000 victims on its hands — blood that cries out to God for justice," he said. "Canada's euthanasia program is on a killing spree."

Cooke argued that while the program was touted as an "answer" to "human suffering," the program has "unleashed enormous suffering on Canadian society and on the family and friends of victims."

"Even the victims themselves suffer — by being subjected to medical and societal abandonment, prejudice, being denied timely access to life-affirming treatment and support, plus they must face the horrendous and indescribable experience of being poisoned to death," he said.

The euthanasia regime "has also utterly destroyed the integrity and lifesaving purpose of our healthcare system, dispensing with sick and disabled Canadians as a cost-saving measure," he argued.

Advocates have argued that the government program has built-in safeguards, including stipulations that patients must be at least 18 years old and suffering from a "grievous and irremediable medical condition" before they are allowed to partake in it.

Yet critics have argued that the system is rife with both abuse and safety failures, allowing Canadians to access assisted suicide when they shouldn't qualify for it.

The reported safety failures are so acute that in 2024 the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association — which helped get MAID legalized a decade ago — warned of the need for more safeguards in the program.

Among the concerns raised by pro-life advocates has been the push to expand suicide to those suffering solely from mental illnesses. That expansion has been delayed until 2027, though the group Cardus Health said in 2025 that patients with mental illnesses were dying at disproportionately high rates in the country.

A 2024 report, meanwhile, claimed that from 2018 "euthanasia regulators" in Ontario had identified over 400 "issues with compliance" with MAID laws — including failures of the eligibility process and mishandled reporting — but that  none of those violations were prosecuted.

Catholic advocates in the country have regularly protested against the program over the past decade, including in February when the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops urged the government to pass a measure prohibiting citizens from accessing MAID if their sole condition is a mental illness.

Schadenberg said the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition is active in combatting efforts to expand MAID, including in the case of Claire Brosseau, a Canadian actress who is suing to access euthanasia due to ongoing mental illness.

Brosseau has argued that she suffers from "a severe form of bipolar I disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, among other mental disorders," and that the country's MAID laws "discriminate" against individuals like her.

Yet concerns about allowing mental illness patients to access assisted suicide are so prevalent that in 2025 the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities urged Canada to halt the planned expansion of MAID for those suffering solely from mental health issues. 

Cooke said such a plan would allow euthanasia for those struggling with depression, addiction, autism, schizophrenia, eating disorders, and "a multitude of other difficulties which impair one's thinking and judgment."

"Offering euthanasia to those 'not in their right mind' is a horror that recalls the Nazi T4 program," he said. "These hurting souls are better served through counseling, therapy, and medication — not murder."

Schadenberg pointed to modestly encouraging proposed euthanasia safeguards in Alberta that would offer protections to underage citizens and those suffering from mental illnesses. He said the proposals were "minor restrictions" but he described them as "positive outcomes compared to the rest of Canada."

Cooke also cited the Alberta safeguards, which also include affirming the rights of medical patients to not receive care from doctors who perform euthanasia and upholding the rights of doctors themselves to not kill their patients.

Doctors and other medical officials in Alberta are now also forbidden from proposing euthanasia as a medical option, instead being required to wait until a patient brings it up.

Though assisted suicide uptake remains high in Canada, Schadenberg claimed that the country's runaway suicide rate was driving backlash in other nations.

"Scotland defeated their assisted suicide bill, the U.K. bill died in the House of Lords, [and] Slovenia overturned their assisted suicide law," he said, arguing that "all of this is related to how crazy Canada has become."

Cooke said the Campaign Life Coalition is urging other provinces to develop their own safeguards while raising awareness of "the horrors of euthanasia" through lobbying and public demonstrations.

Schadenberg told "EWTN Pro-Life Weekly" in March, meanwhile, that the fight against euthanasia in Canada is "a long-term situation that we have to be involved in."

"Most people are dying by euthanasia not because they're in extreme pain ... Usually it's because they feel their life lacks meaning, purpose, or value," he said.

"The most important thing we can do is recognize the importance of caring for people, being with people," he argued.

He urged advocates to ensure that "family members [and] friends ... when they're going through illness, that they're not feeling alone, they're not feeling lonely, they're not feeling that their life lacks meaning or purpose of value, and that someone actually cares about them."

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