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A 39-year-old man was arrested on Saturday, March 21, for throwing an incendiary device at participants at the March for Life in front of the country's Parliament building in Lisbon, Portugal.

According to the police, at the time of the attack "the demonstration comprised approximately 500 participants," including families with young children and babies. The man approached the scene and "hurled an improvised incendiary device — a 'Molotov cocktail' containing gasoline — in the direction of the people present; the device struck the ground but failed to ignite, thereby averting potentially more serious consequences."

The suspect was apprehended and arrested at the scene. The police stated that other "individuals who were allegedly part of a group with anarchist leanings" fled, but three members were subsequently identified.

The authorities also seized the device, "consisting of a glass bottle containing flammable liquid and textile material — as well as other items of evidentiary value."

Commenting on the case, Portugal's minister of internal administration, Luís Neves, said on social media: "We do not tolerate any form of violent extremism, and we will continue to act firmly to prevent and combat it, safeguarding democratic values."

Act of terrorism

The Portuguese Federation for Life, which organized the March for Life, issued a statement on March 23 classifying Saturday's incident as a "terrorist attack."

In recounting the event, the federation emphasized that while the incendiary device did not ignite, "the fuel used in the device" splashed on "several people, including two babies."

"Had the ignition not failed, we would be talking today about the deaths of children and infants," the federation stated. However, the group emphasized that "the failure of the attack cannot obscure the fact that a political organization planned and sought to carry out an attack using an incendiary device against a public event packed with families, youths, and children."

The Portuguese Federation for Life urged "that this attack be treated by the authorities as the act of terrorism that it is." The group also requested that if any link between the attackers and a political organization is established, that organization should "be declared a terrorist organization, as provided for in the counterterrorism law."

Furthermore, the federation called upon "all those who, especially in the exercise of public office, have in recent years employed a tone of hatred against the pro-life movement, accusing us of countless evils, to search their consciences and understand the consequences of their rhetoric."

The federation announced that it will request a meeting with the minister of internal administration and the prosecutor general of the republic to address the incident and that, "at the appropriate moment," it will "join as an amicus curiae [friend of the court] in the ensuing judicial proceedings."

Gravely unacceptable incident

The patriarch of Lisbon, Rui Manuel Sousa Valério, condemned the attack against the March for Life.

"Such events are gravely unacceptable," Sousa Valério said. He emphasized that "violence is never the way," that it "harms human dignity and does not serve the truth."

"And it becomes even more painful when it threatens the most vulnerable, especially children, who should always be a sign of hope and never exposed to fear," he pointed out.

The patriarch expressed "his closeness to all those who participated in this initiative and, in particular, to the families and children who may have felt fear and insecurity."

"The Church is close to everyone; it accompanies and prays for each person. No incidence of violence can erase the good accomplished, the witness given, and the hope sown," he said.

The March for Life

The March for Life took place in 12 Portuguese cities on Saturday. In addition to Lisbon, demonstrators took to the streets to take a stand against abortion and euthanasia in Aveiro, Beja, Braga, Bragança, Coimbra, Faro, Guarda, Lamego, Porto, Setúbal, and Viseu.

This year, the March for Life adopted the theme "The Pro-Life People Take to the Streets" and aimed to be a march "for the dignity of all human beings, for life from the moment of conception until natural death, and for families."

Abortion was legalized in Portugal in 2007 after a national referendum.

Pope Leo XIV sent a message to the participants of the March for Life, stating that "the family is, by divine design, the natural guardian of life" and therefore, it is necessary "to ensure that it does not lack the conditions required to welcome nascent life and to care, with renewed commitment, for that which is in decline (ailing or elderly persons)."

"May public resources sustain Portuguese families, specifically supporting women who are about to become mothers and fostering the implementation of authentic policies of solidarity that draw citizens closer to the most needy, the marginalized, the lonely, and migrants in whom the face of Christ shines," the pope said.

Of the culture of death, Leo said that "mere declarations of good intentions, and least of all, illusory forms of compassion such as euthanasia and, ultimately, abortion, do not serve the development of our societies."

In his view, "ideas and words that inspire actions and gestures that raise up human dignity are indispensable, a goal to which friendship with Christ, fostered through the prayerful reading of the Gospel within the family, contributes immensely."

The pope also encouraged newlyweds to "welcome God's love and allow it to bear fruit, thereby mirroring the joy of marriage and parenthood."

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

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Abortionist and convicted serial killer Kermit Gosnell, believed to have murdered thousands of infants and convicted of involuntary manslaughter of a woman, died in prison at 85.

Gosnell died two weeks ago of unknown causes, but his death went unreported until March 23, when Irish husband-and-wife documentary filmmaking team  Phelim McAleer and Ann McElhinney reported it.

For 30 years, Gosnell operated out of an abortion clinic with conditions so disturbing it was nicknamed the "house of horrors" after law enforcement raided the clinic that had gone unchecked.

Gosnell hoarded baby body parts in the abortion facility in Philadelphia, where law enforcement found blood-stained rooms, rusting and unsanitary medical equipment, flea-infested cats and cat feces, as well as severed feet of unborn babies preserved in specimen jars and body parts in the freezer next to staff lunches.

Convicted in 2013 of first-degree murder of three infants, Gosnell was sentenced to three consecutive life terms without parole, among other concurrent sentences. Gosnell would "snip" the spinal cords of the children born alive during illegal late-term abortions after inducing labor in pregnant women, according to employee testimony. Former clinic staff testified that this occurred hundreds of times.

Gosnell was also found guilty of involuntary manslaughter of Karnamaya Mongar, a 41-year-old refugee from Bhutan, who died of a lethal overdose of anesthesia administered by unlicensed staff in 2009.

Gosnell earned an estimated $1.8 million per year.

The Department of Health in Pennsylvania did not intervene in spite of the death of two women, injuries of many more, and years of complaints from staff and patients. Two high-ranking health department officials were fired after the clinic was exposed. The crimes were uncovered when Detective Jim Wood led a raid, along with the FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration, of the clinic on Feb. 18, 2010.

A 2018 film about Gosnell's trial named him "America's biggest serial killer."

"May God have mercy on his soul but his soul was filled with evil so there may be no mercy for him, like there was no mercy for the babies," said Wood, the detective who brought Gosnell to justice.

Maria V. Gallagher, spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation of National Right to Life, said: "We continue to grieve the loss of the babies and women who fell victim to Gosnell's violent crime spree. And we hold out hope that the lessons learned from Gosnell's reign of terror will not be forgotten."

"Tragically, public officials allowed his House of Horrors abortion facility to operate for years without being inspected," Gallagher said. "As the grand jury stated, hair and nail salons received greater scrutiny than Gosnell's catastrophic abortion center."

"We at Students for Life pray that he repented before dying," said a statement from Students for Life of America. "His operation was profit-driven, dangerous, and even led to the death of a mother."

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Amid the continuing war and restrictions on access to the holy sites, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem has canceled the traditional Palm Sunday procession from the Mount of Olives to Jerusalem, announcing "exceptional measures" regarding this year's Holy Week and Easter celebrations.

The Palm Sunday procession will instead be replaced by a time of prayer for the city in a location yet to be announced.

The patriarchate also announced the postponement of the chrism Mass until circumstances allow — most likely during the Easter season after necessary ecclesiastical approvals are obtained.

At the same time, it affirmed that the churches of the diocese will remain open and that priests and pastors will work, within the limits of what is possible, to ensure the participation of the faithful in prayers and liturgical celebrations.

The patriarchate explained that this year it has not been possible to hold the traditional Lenten pilgrimage in Jerusalem, with its celebrations at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the sites associated with Christ's passion. It noted that, although the faithful have been able to prepare individually, they have felt the absence of the communal journey toward Easter, which is an essential element of the Church's spiritual life.

Continuing restrictions

The patriarchate said the security conditions linked to the conflict do not suggest any improvement in the near future. It stressed that, in coordination with the other Churches and the relevant authorities, it is continuing to assess possible ways to hold the celebrations within the available framework.

Decisions, it said, will be made on a day-by-day basis according to developments on the ground. According to the statement, it has become clear that it will not be possible to organize normal celebrations open to all the faithful, prompting the patriarchate to adopt a set of organizational measures.

The patriarchate said this reality constitutes "another wound added to the many wounds caused by the conflict." The pain, it said, is not limited to the consequences of war but also includes the inability to celebrate Easter together "in a fitting way." Yet it stressed the need not to surrender to despair and called for perseverance in prayer.

In this context, the patriarchate called on the faithful to unite in prayer on Saturday, March 28, by reciting the rosary for peace and reassurance, especially for those suffering because of the conflict. It concluded by affirming that Easter remains, despite every circumstance, a sign of hope, recalling that "no darkness, not even the darkness of war, can have the last word" and that the empty tomb remains a witness to the victory of life over hatred and mercy over sin.

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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On the steps of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, Pope Leo XIV met last week with some of his eighth grade classmates from St. Mary of the Assumption lower school in south Chicago, where he grew up.

Of the 82 eighth graders with whom he attended St. Mary's in 1969, 10 greeted him after the general audience on March 18, exchanging laughs, gifts, and warm handshakes.

During the meeting, his former classmates gave him a photograph of the class of 1969, which he held up as he posed for another group shot more than 50 years later.

Jerome Clemens pointed out the young Robert Prevost standing among his classmates to the L'Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper: "Here he is, our friend, the pope," showing the back of the photo with Prevost's old autograph and his new one, which he signed, "Leo XIV."

Another former classmate, Sherry Stone (née Blue), dropped a sign she held that read "God bless you Pope Leo" when the pope approached her.

"Sorry! I'm nervous!" she said, laughing, as he shook her hand.

Instagram post

Last spring, Stone told the Lansing Journal: "When he was in the conclave, I thought, 'Could it be him? Could Bob be the new pope? No, probably not.' When I saw that it was him, I was just amazed. I was crying tears of joy."

"He was a super nice guy, but not nerdy," she said.

After finishing eighth grade at St. Mary's, Prevost attended boarding school at St. Augustine Seminary High School in Michigan, graduating in 1973. He then attended another Augustinian school, Villanova University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics in 1977 before entering the Augustinian novitiate that September.

He was ordained a priest in 1982, earning a master of divinity degree from the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago that same year. He earned a licentiate in canon law (JCL) in 1984 and completed a doctorate in canon law (JCD) in 1987, both from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome.

St. Mary's church and school on Chicago's 'most endangered list'

St. Mary of the Assumption Church and School, where a young Prevost served as an altar boy and his mother, Mildred Prevost, worked as a librarian, was at the center of a vibrant Catholic community in the Riverdale neighborhood on Chicago's South Side in the 1960s.

The property, which has been vacant since 2011 and is now privately owned, is located just a few blocks from the pope's childhood home in Dolton, Illinois, but within Chicago city limits.

The neighborhood has seen significant decline since the pope's childhood. Ward Miller of Preservation Chicago told EWTN News that St. Mary's, which has a hole in the roof of the church building, broken windows, graffiti, and many other issues, was listed on Preservation Chicago's 2026 "7 Most Endangered List" as of March 4.

"We at Preservation Chicago are of the opinion that the church and school buildings of St. Mary's are in need of immediate attention in order to secure temporary repairs, with a long-term goal of a full restoration of the campus of buildings, before everything is lost to deterioration," Miller said.

The property's current owner, Joel Hall, said last year he is open to a landmark designation by the city, according to Miller.

Preservation Chicago, a nonprofit advocacy organization dedicated to preserving historic sites in Chicago and encouraging landmark designations in the city, presented its case to designate it as such at a meeting in May 2025 of the Commission of Chicago Landmarks.

No decision has been made yet regarding the landmark designation, but Preservation Chicago has created an online petition to the city of Chicago to "Save the Pope's Church!"

"This complex should become a visitors site, an oratory or shrine, as this is our first American pope — a world leader, and from Chicago!" Miller told EWTN News.

"We would very much like to see a partnership form to save these buildings and tell the story of this world leader," reads an article on Preservation Chicago's website. "An initial step in this process would be to consider a Chicago landmark designation of the buildings of this campus, with a plan to methodically restore and repurpose each of the buildings."

Miller told EWTN News he would like to see the property "prepared [in time] for the pope's return visits to Chicago!"

The pope does not yet have plans to visit the United States.

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The Latin parish priest of the last entirely Christian village in the West Bank appealed for the solidarity of Christians worldwide in the face of new attacks by "fanatical Israeli settlers" seeking to displace the local population.

Father Bashar Fawadleh issued an appeal on Saturday, March 21, telling ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, that the lands seized this week by Israeli settlers "belonged to the people of Taybeh and were, moreover, our private property."

These incursions, he continued, in addition to constituting "a violation of international law and of the rights of the local community," represent an affront that, for the village's inhabitants, goes far beyond a mere legal or political matter.

"This story is about the life of a Christian community that has been present in this land for more than 2,000 years," Fawadleh said.

Taybeh is the modern name of the biblical village of Ephraim, where Jesus went to rest shortly before his passion (cf. John 11:54). In addition to being the only entirely Christian village in the West Bank, Jerusalem, and Gaza, it is also renowned for its beer.

In recent days, Israeli settlers have seized areas near the village's quarry and cement factory. These encroachments have been ongoing for some time. In July 2025, settlers set fire in the area near the ruins of St. George Church, built in the historic Byzantine style and dating back to the fifth century, where the local community typically holds religious celebrations.

Several vehicles were also set ablaze, and the attackers "painted hateful graffiti," according to sources in Taybeh. Christian leaders have demanded immediate action from Israeli authorities and called upon the international community to halt the escalating violence.

When asked what message he would like to send to Pope Leo XIV and to all Christians around the world, he said: "We ask not only for compassion, but for solidarity."

Fawadleh, whose mother was born in Venezuela but returned to the West Bank at the age of 16, told ACI Prensa: "As a church, our mission is to help people remain in their land, to live with dignity, and to keep the Christian presence alive in the Holy Land. Our presence here is a living testament to the roots of Christianity — where it all began."

According to the parish priest, "when the land is threatened, people become fearful." The local community simply wants "to live in peace, with dignity, and on our own land," he said, noting that the farmers of Taybeh are even afraid to go out to their fields.

"This is a matter that concerns the entire Church. We ask for your prayers, and for your visits to the Holy Land and to the 'living stones' in Taybeh and throughout the Holy Land," he said.

"And your support, so that Christians may remain here through education, housing, and employment opportunities. For the Christian presence in the Holy Land is not merely a local matter," he pointed out.

"For the truth is one; it is not a matter of distorting it. Thank you; we will remain in contact and united in prayer," the priest said.

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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In 1792, a young architect from Kilkenny, Ireland, began what would become one of the most famous landmarks in the world. Centuries later, James Hoban, who designed and oversaw the building of the White House, is now being remembered alongside other Irish Americans who made significant contributions to American history.

At a reception on March 20 at the newly opened Irish embassy on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., Ireland's ambassador to the U.S., Geraldine Byrne Nason, highlighted Hoban's life, saying he is among those Irish Americans who have left their "Irish fingerprints" on American's founding.

"Irish immigrants helped to shape the very ideas at the heart of this great country," Nason told approximately 200 guests, pointing out that 23 American presidents are of Irish heritage.

According to historian Matthew Costello with the White House Historical Association, Hoban relied on other Irish immigrants, as well as enslaved laborers, to bring his vision — based on Leinster House in Dublin — to life in 1800.

John Adams would be the first president to move into the White House, but the British sent Hoban's work up in flames, burning the mansion down during the War of 1812.

Costello told EWTN News that Hoban would return to rebuild the White House, using the same Irish brethren as his stalwarts. His camaraderie with Irish immigrants was fostered not only by their shared origins but also by their Catholic faith during a time when Catholics were viewed with great suspicion — and often hostility. Many state constitutions forbade Catholics from holding public office.

Although the Jesuits brought Catholicism to America before the Revolution and founded Georgetown University in what was then Georgetown, Maryland, Hoban is celebrated as a founding father of the Irish Catholic community in the Federal City, which he nurtured and built like one of his renowned buildings.

In 1794, in anticipation of more Irish immigrants arriving in Washington, D.C., Hoban — along with fellow immigrant Father Anthony Caffry from County Mayo — started building St. Patrick's Church, which is today the oldest Catholic parish in Washington, D.C.

Like the White House, the church was damaged by fire by British invaders but continues in its current iteration in the heart of the capital. Pope Francis visited the church in 2015.

By the time of Hoban's death in 1831, Irish Catholics had made great progress in American society. The heralded architect would go on to serve as a captain in the Washington militia and on the city council. He is credited with the Octagon House in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood, various public buildings and city projects, and became superintendent of the construction of the U.S. Capitol.

Hoban's personal papers were burned in a fire after his death, which has obscured historians from discovering more about the man. Nevertheless, every year, the White House Historical Association gathers at Hoban's grave at Mount Olivet Cemetery to keep his memory alive.

At this year's ceremony on March 20, Hoban's contributions were honored in view of America's 250th commemoration. Monsignor Veceslav Tumir, first counselor from the apostolic nunciature, was there to salute Hoban's ongoing connection to the Catholic community.

After a wreath placement ceremony at the cemetery hosted by the White House Historical Association and featuring Mark Carney of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, guests of the Irish ambassador gathered at the embassy, where Nason praised Hoban and other Irish patriots for their impressive contributions to historic architectural buildings as well as for lending their "Irishness" to the ideals of a young nation.

The embassy has brought together many examples of these contributions in a new exhibit called "The Emerald Thread," which depicts how Ireland's diaspora has been woven into American history. The artifacts are on display in a room overlooking the city and will will run through the America 250 celebrations this summer.

A large portrait of Hoban — a gift to the ambassador from the White House Historical Association — is among the exhibition's many treasures.

Among other Irish-American heroes being highlighted by the embassy in the exhibit is Stephen Moylan of Cork, an Irish Catholic who became part of George Washington's inner circle and served as his aide-de-camp during the Siege of Boston.

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Pope Leo XIV on Monday approved the advancement of the beatification cause for Boys Town founder Father Edward J. Flanagan, declaring him "venerable."

The Irish-born priest, revered for his revolutionary approach to caring for homeless and impoverished children in the 20th century, famously said there was "no such thing as a bad boy, only bad environment, bad modeling, and bad teaching."

His life and legacy were immortalized in the 1938 movie "Boys Town," starring Spencer Tracy, who won an Oscar for his portrayal of the priest.

Thanks to his ministry to young boys in Omaha, Nebraska, Flanagan was invited to review the child welfare conditions in Japan and Korea in 1947, and the following year in Austria and Germany.

While in Germany, Flanagan had a heart attack and died on May 15, 1948. His body rests at Dowd Memorial Chapel of the Immaculate Conception in Boys Town, Nebraska.

The pope declared the "heroic virtue" of Flanagan alongside four other holy men and women on March 23.

He also authorized the beatification of Italian Cardinal Ludovico Altieri, who died ministering to cholera patients during an epidemic in 1867.

Altieri was found to have made an "offering of life," a legal path to sainthood created by Pope Francis in 2017.

The other sainthood causes advanced Monday are French diocesan priest Henri Caffarel (1903–1996), founder of Équipes Notre-Dame; visionary and Polish Sister Barbara Stanislawa Samulowska, who served for five decades as a missionary in Guatemala (1865–1950); Spanish Sister Maria Dolores Romero Algarín (Mother Belén) (1916–1977); and Italian husband and father of 12 Giuseppe Castagnetti (1909–1965).

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NAGPUR, India — Catholic leaders in one of India's most populous states are demanding the repeal of a new law that criminalizes religious conversion — the 13th such measure enacted across the country under the ruling Hindu-nationalist government.

"We protest this move. We have urged the government to repeal this law. Copies of our [Western Regional Bishops' Council] statement have been sent to the chief minister and governor of the state," Archbishop Elias Gonsalves of Nagpur, chairman of the Western Regional Bishops' Council, told EWTN News on March 23.

"Far from safeguarding religious freedom, this law, in its present form, effectively undermines the very right it claims to protect, i.e., the freedom to choose and profess one's religion, as guaranteed under Articles 19, 21, and 25 of the Constitution of India," the Western Regional Bishops' Council said in its March 19 statement.

Expressing "deep disappointment and strong protest" against the bill, the bishops' council said sections of the legislation "amount to a direct and unjustified interference in the legitimate religious practices of the Catholic Church, particularly its Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults program. It is equally disheartening that the ruling party has passed this bill [on March 16] without adequate consultation with the communities most affected by it."

A threat to conscience

The statement pointed out that sections of the legislation "mandate that any individual intending to convert must submit a notice 60 days in advance to the competent authority. ... This provision intrudes deeply into the personal domain of conscience and belief, opening the door to scrutiny, suspicion, and harassment."

"This section, like most sections in the bill, is manifestly arbitrary and violative of individual's right to privacy protected by Article 21 [under Fundamental Rights]," the statement cautioned.

Given the serious concern, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India distributed the statement to media across the country.

Laity and civil society

"We are very disappointed that the Maharashtra Freedom of Religion Bill was passed in haste and rammed through the Assembly owing to the brute majority of the BJP [Bharatiya Janata Party] government," said Dolphy D'Souza, spokesperson of the Bombay Catholic Sabha — a lay forum of the Archdiocese of Bombay.

"One of our demands was to give opportunity to discuss the provisions of the bill, some of which are draconian, which has the propensity to be misused against minorities, women, and interfaith marriages, as is evident from states where this law has been implemented," D'Souza said in a March 21 statement.

"This law will be a tool used to harass minorities, women, and interfaith marriages and those who want to convert out of their personal choice voluntarily. While the bill is titled Freedom of Religion Act, it curtails this fundamental right," D'Souza told EWTN News.

"This bill also criminalizes all charitable works including imparting education under the vague terms of 'allurement.' It will give unbridled power to [Hindu] vigilante groups and 'suo motu' powers to police to harass and intimidate citizens, encouraging violence and attacks," he cautioned.

A week before the legislation was passed, a coalition of 35 civil rights, social action, Muslim, and Christian groups had condemned the bill as a "threat to constitutional freedom."

"Article 25 guarantees the freedom to profess, practice, and propagate religion, which includes the right to adopt and change one's faith," the groups asserted.

"The political agenda behind this legislation is to polarize and divide communities on religious lines," said Irfan Engineer, who heads the Center for Study of Society and Secularism, one of the groups that signed the statement.

Hindu nationalists, Engineer said, are using the propaganda of "love jihad" — marriage for the purpose of conversion — to defend the legislation. He pointed out, however, that "the committee appointed by the state government studied 152 interreligious marriages and found no conversion motive."

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"After the tragic experiences of the 20th century, aerial bombardment should have been banished forever!" Pope Leo XIV said Monday during an audience with airline executives and staff.

"Instead, as we know, it still exists, and technological development, which is positive in itself, is being put at the service of war. This is not progress, it is regression!" he added.

The pope, speaking to representatives of Italy's national airline, ITA Airways, along with a delegation from the Lufthansa Group, emphasized that aviation must serve peace rather than conflict.

"Aircraft should always be vehicles of peace, never of war! No one should fear that threats of death and destruction will come from the sky," he said.

Leo XIV also underscored the importance of fostering peace through global travel and cooperation.

"In this context, it becomes even more important to chart courses of peace in the skies," he said.

The audience highlighted the long-standing relationship between the papacy and Italy's national airline, dating back to St. Paul VI's historic 1964 pilgrimage to the Holy Land — the first papal journey by air. Since then, successive popes have continued the tradition of international apostolic travel.

The pope noted that he himself plans to rely on ITA Airways for his upcoming trip to Africa in about 20 days.

Reflecting on papal travel more broadly, Leo XIV described such journeys as a visible expression of the Church's mission.

"The papal flights are one of the most eloquent symbols of the mission of the successors of Peter in the contemporary age," he said. "In a particular way, in his apostolic journeys, the pope appears to everyone as a messenger of peace: His routes are what they should always be, namely bridges of dialogue, of encounter, and of brotherhood."

He also praised airline personnel for their professionalism and spirit of service.

"My predecessors and the collaborators who accompanied them on their international journeys found in the personnel of Alitalia and ITA not only qualified and experienced professionals, but also people capable of creating a serene, I would say almost family-like, atmosphere, where respect goes hand in hand with devotion," he said.

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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Questions about whether Pope Leo XIV must vote in Peru or pay taxes in the United States remain unresolved, with one canon law expert arguing that the pope's unique status as a sovereign head of state likely exempts him in practice — even if the legal picture is not entirely settled.

The debate has gained attention following Leo XIV's election, given that he holds both U.S. and Peruvian citizenship. In Peru, voting is mandatory, with elections scheduled for April 13. In the United States, citizens — including those living abroad — are generally required to file tax returns, including disclosures of foreign income.

The Holy See Press Office did not immediately respond to questions about whether the pope will vote in Peru or in the United States or file U.S. income tax returns.

According to Professor Antonio G. Chizzoniti, a canon law scholar at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, these questions arise from treating the pope as an ordinary dual citizen — an assumption he argues is incomplete.

"The issue of the pope's citizenship lies at the intersection of distinct legal systems," Chizzoniti told ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News, referring to canon law, Vatican law, and the laws of the countries from which popes originate. "None of these systems establishes uniform rules," he said, noting that the pope's legal status is the result of a "complex layering of norms" that has led to different outcomes in modern history.

Chizzoniti emphasized that canon law does not require a pope to renounce prior citizenship, nor does it forbid retaining it. He described this as an intentional gap, reflecting the Church's focus on the pope's spiritual and ecclesial role rather than his civil status.

At the same time, Vatican law grants the pope citizenship of Vatican City automatically upon his election. This "functional citizenship," tied to office rather than birth or descent, exists alongside any prior nationality, which may still be retained depending on the laws of the country of origin.

As a result, modern popes have typically held multiple citizenships. Historical examples include St. John Paul II retaining Polish citizenship and Pope Francis maintaining Argentine nationality.

In principle, Chizzoniti said, obligations tied to original citizenship — such as taxes or voting — could still apply. However, he argued that the pope's status as a foreign head of state introduces a decisive complication.

"It will be necessary to verify the applicability of such obligations to a foreign head of state," he said, pointing to the well-established principle in international law that grants heads of state immunity from the jurisdiction of other countries.

This immunity, he explained, generally covers both official and private acts and prevents enforcement of civil or administrative obligations by foreign states.

For that reason, while the pope's dual citizenship is not merely theoretical, "there are multiple reasons to consider these obligations not applicable or no longer enforceable" in his case, Chizzoniti said.

Still, his analysis reflects a legal interpretation rather than a definitive resolution. The interaction between citizenship obligations and head-of-state immunity — especially in cases as unique as the papacy — remains a matter of ongoing discussion rather than settled law.

Leo XIV's situation is particularly notable because he holds three citizenships: U.S. citizenship by birth, Peruvian citizenship acquired in 2015 when he became bishop of Chiclayo, and Vatican citizenship by virtue of his election as pope.

Ultimately, Chizzoniti argues that the pope's identity as both the Holy See and the sovereign of Vatican City distinguishes him fundamentally from ordinary citizens — even those with dual nationality.

But the broader questions — whether and how civil obligations tied to citizenship apply to a reigning pope — remain open, highlighting the unusual intersection of international law, state sovereignty, and the unique nature of the papal office.

A version of 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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