Catholic News

A few prominent Catholics are scheduled to speak at a May 17 event on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., where President Donald Trump will rededicate the United States to "one nation, under God."

Speakers will include Diocese of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, Bishop Robert Barron, founder of Word on Fire and member of the president's Religious Liberty Commission, and Father Mike Schmitz, a Catholic media figure and host of "The Bible in a Year" podcast, according to an announcement by the White House.

Jonathan Roumie, the Catholic actor who plays Jesus Christ on the television series "The Chosen," will also speak at the event. Cardinal Timothy Dolan will provide a video address for the event.

The programming for the event will include talks about Christianity in American history and the Christian faith of American historical figures along with prayers and Christian music.

Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and House Speaker Mike Johnson are scheduled to speak as well.

"Our mission is to gather the nation in prayer and worship, to have a moment reflecting on God's providence in the birth and preservation of the United States, and this is really our opportunity to unite the country and rededicate our nation to God," Justin Caporale, executive producer for major events and public appearances for the White House, said in a media call.

Some Protestant speakers expected include Pastor Jack Graham, Samuel Rodriguez, and Eric Metaxas. There will also be a video address by Franklin Graham. There will be musical performances by Chris Tomlin, Blessing Offor, and the U.S. Navy Band.

Trump announced the "Rededicate 250" event in February during the National Prayer Breakfast, which coincides with broader celebrations to honor the 250th anniversary of the Founding Fathers signing the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The Rededicate 250 event organizer, Freedom 250, is a nonprofit subsidiary of the National Park Foundation.

"When our founders proclaimed the immortal truths that echoed around the world and down all the way through time, they declared that all of us are made free and equal by the hand of our Creator," Trump said at the Feb. 4 breakfast.

Last September, Trump also launched the "America Prays" initiative, which asks Americans to create groups to dedicate one hour of prayer every week for the United States and its people leading up to the Fourth of July anniversary.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) launched separate events to honor the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

In February, the USCCB asked parishes to contribute to 250 collective hours of adoration and 250 collective works of mercy in the lead up to the Fourth of July. The bishops asked parishes to report participation in the initiative and inform them of the fruits of the prayers and actions.

On July 12, the bishops will also reconsecrate the United States to the Sacred Heart of Jesus as part of the solemnity. This will occur during Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.

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Pope Leo XIV on Holy Thursday returned the Mass of the Lord's Supper to the Basilica of St. John Lateran, reviving a papal practice last observed there in 2012 under Benedict XVI.

Departing from Pope Francis' custom of celebrating the liturgy in prisons or migrant centers, Leo celebrated the rite in the cathedral of Rome and washed the feet of 12 priests of the Diocese of Rome.

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Catholic activists have complained of "persecution" and "a clear bias against Christianity" in a controversy over public prayer in the U.K. following a recent outdoor Islamic prayer service in London.

When thousands of Muslims took part in a prayer service in London's Trafalgar Square in March to mark Iftar, the meal that breaks the Ramadan fast, the event was hosted by London Mayor Sadiq Khan. It was also welcomed by political leaders, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer highlighting the Trafalgar Square event as an example of "the great strength of our diverse city and country."

Starmer added that he would sack anyone from his "team" who said "Muslims praying in public … are not welcome." Defending the event against outside criticism, Labour Member of Parliament (MP) Stella Creasy said: "Muslims should be as free as Christians, Sikhs, and Jews to celebrate their faith in Trafalgar Square."

Criticizing the response to the event, Paul Sapper, ADF International communications officer, told EWTN News: "There is a two-tier bias in how many in our political class view public prayer and freedom of religion. Mass Islamic prayer is defended and celebrated as characteristic of 'our tolerant and diverse country,' while the silent prayer of solitary Christians is criminalized."

Many Catholics have taken particular issue with the comments made by Creasy, the pro-abortion MP who was responsible for pushing a law that banned silent prayer outside abortion facilities. Under Section 9(1)(a) of the Public Order Act, which became law in October 2024, "influencing" any person wishing to access an abortion facility became illegal, leaving pro-life activists concerned that silent prayer would be considered a crime.

These concerns were realized when British army veteran Adam Smith-Connor was found guilty of breaching a local buffer zone in October 2024 by praying silently outside an abortion clinic and given a fine of almost $12,000. This was followed, in December 2025, by police charging Catholic campaigner Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, 48, from Worcestershire, for silently praying in an abortion clinic "buffer zone" under the Public Order Act 2023. The date for her trial has been set for October.

Sapper complained that the celebration by "the political establishment" of "mass Islamic prayer" while supporting buffer zones "shows a clear bias against Christianity," adding: "The undeniable reality is that 'buffer zone' legislation is being used in this country to ban silent Christian prayer in what is the most egregious example of censorship in Britain today. 'Buffer zones' are used to censor not only speech but also people's most intimate thoughts, as the examples of Adam and Isabel show. This is real-life thought-crime."

ADF International is a Christian legal advocacy organization that defends fundamental freedoms. ADF has legally supported Vaughan-Spruce and Smith-Connor as victims of 'buffer zone' censorship, with Sapper describing them as "peaceful Christians who merely silently prayed in a public space, as is their lawful right in a free country."

Highlighting Creasy's role in particular, Sapper added: "Stella Creasy introduced Section 9 of the Public Order Act (POA) 2023, which introduced 'buffer zones' around all abortion facilities in England and Wales. Creasy also voted against a specific amendment to POA 2023 which would have made it clear that silent prayer is not a crime."

"ADF International and many others warned that this would lead to the criminalization of silent prayer, and we sadly have been proved right. If anyone supports the criminalization of silent prayer and pretends to care about freedom of religion, they simply should not be believed," he said.

Backing Sapper's point, Vaughan-Spruce complained of the praise given to the Islamic event. She told EWTN News: "Politicians suddenly seem to be lining up to defend the right to pray in public — but only when it's Muslims doing the praying. I've been charged three times in connection with my silent prayers, arrested twice, and am now facing court again. Where are those same voices when it comes to defending my rights as a Christian?"

"We were told that buffer zones were needed to prevent harassment and intimidation, yet the only people being charged under this law are peaceful, prayerful Christians."

Responding to Creasy's comment that "buffer zones don't ban prayer," Vaughan-Spruce said: "If Ms. Creasy truly believes buffer zones don't ban prayer, then why has she been silent throughout my ordeal? I face court again for doing nothing more than silently praying on a public street. I would welcome support from Ms. Creasy if, true to her word, she believes buffer zones don't ban prayer."

Looking to the future, Vaughan-Spruce urged Catholics "to recognize the rights we do have and use them," adding: "So often it's our own fear or complacency which limits us. God himself tells us in Joshua 1:9: 'Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.'"

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Builders AI Forum (BAIF), an organization bringing together some of the world's most consequential voices in artificial intelligence (AI) with visionary leaders of the Catholic Church, has announced the appointment of a new CEO, Vincent Higgins, a seasoned technology and AI executive.

Dedicated?to?providing?a?Catholic?moral?framework?for?the?use?of?artificial?intelligence,?BAIF works?"to?shape?AI's?trajectory?for?humanity,"?Higgins?told?EWTN News.

The group was founded in October 2024 by Matthew Harvey Sanders, CEO and founder of Longbeard, a Catholic AI company that built Magisterium AI. BAIF held its first major conference at the Vatican in November 2025.

EWTN News spoke with Higgins about his vision for BAIF and the rumor that Pope Leo XIV's first encyclical will be dedicated to the topic of AI.

EWTN News: What are some key issues you plan to focus on in your new role at BAIF?

Higgins: There are certain areas in our society that are being highly disrupted by AI right now. The very first has been software development; it has completely transformed that world, anything that's related to the creative social media, all those aspects. It's being very disruptive in education where the deposit of knowledge, say at a university, which was something that would be communicated through professors — a lot of that can be found in AI today. So why spend $80,000 on a degree?

Of course, there's many reasons to go to college — the social community aspect and many others. But it's going to be very disruptive to the economic model for universities as AI can create personalized learning, it can help you understand where your learning gaps are, what's missing in your knowledge and fill those gaps in a very personalized way based on your personality and your intellect, many other things. So, it's very disruptive both at the high school and the college level in terms of how AI will transform education...

We've only been at this a few years in terms of AI development and we're already seeing major changes in people losing their jobs and having to retool new careers and all sorts of things. You can imagine 10 years from now what that might look like. So, [there are] a lot of [things] to address.

So, [we want] to look at particularly those that are building AI, [that they] do it in an ethical and responsible way — what you might call "responsible AI" — so that it's at the service of humanity and not at the detriment of humanity.

Builders AI Forum is really unique and it's bringing together top leadership in AI ... with Church leaders, to benefit the Church. So, that the Church understands in a better way what's coming and can then be at the forefront of leadership in terms of leading the message — not behind the message, but in front of the message — in terms of teaching and deepening the understanding of the impact and how humans can flourish.

Pope Leo XIV's first encyclical is rumored to be about AI and Catholic social teaching — if true, what do you hope to see in it?

Obviously, we know why he chose his name, that "Leo XIV" came from his predecessor, Leo XIII, and that Rerum Novarum is one of the most important writings of all time when it comes to Catholic social teaching. There is a strong rumor that the encyclical, his first encyclical, will be on AI and that the title will be Magnifica Humanitas, which means "Magnificent Humanity."

Rerum Novarum came out [in 1891] on May 15. And so, I think there's a potential that [the new encyclical on AI] might be released also on May 15. Those are the rumors … It makes perfect sense that Magnifica Humanitas would be the title focusing on the beauty of humanity and what makes us different than a machine. Because when you shine a light on humanity and all of its beauty and depth and the treasury of the philosophical tradition of the Catholic Church, and you look at the probabilistic nature of AI, it pales in comparison. It's like night and day.

How does Pope Leo's witness in this area guide your approach to this new role?

As an organization we have identified the top 10 biggest concerns around AI as it relates to society, to human dignity, to humanity, and to the disruption that this technology is having and will have on our lives and our kids' and grandkids' lives. But as a very Catholic organization dedicated to serving the Church, we will take our cues and our lead from Holy Father and in particular this encyclical.

So we have our ideas on priorities, but the Builders AI Forum will take its true lead from Pope Leo and hopefully at some time in the future he'll be able to see us as kind of his "soldiers" in service to that mission that he took on when he took the role and chose his name.

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Delivering a eulogy at the beginning of his mother's funeral Mass this week, international soccer star Roy Keane spoke lovingly of his parents and his Catholic upbringing in Ireland.

After his mother died, he paid tribute on Instagram to her, writing under a photograph of them together: "You'll always be the boss."

The Requiem Mass for Marie Keane took place in the Church of the Resurrection in Farranree, Cork City, the same church where she and her late husband, Mossie, were married in 1963. He died in 2019. Their wedding photograph was placed on her coffin during the Mass.

In his eulogy, Keane said: "From a selfish point of view, we weren't ready for my mam to go yet. Today, we feel like the heart has been ripped out of our chest. Our mam would not want us to make a fuss today."

He continued: "Our mam played so many different roles in our lives. She was a wife, mother, sister, daughter, mother-in-law, and grandmother. She was pretty cool at all of them. We can take comfort in knowing she was so deeply loved. We mourn her, but we have to celebrate her life as well. Ultimately, our mam and dad were at their happiest when they were together. And they are together. God bless, mam — and thanks for everything you did for us."

Marie Keane passed away peacefully in the presence of her family at Marymount Hospice in Cork after suffering a long illness.

Roy Keane, who captained Manchester United during their most successful era and played for Ireland at the 1994 World Cup in the United States, is one of Ireland's most famous sportsmen. He grew up in Cork City. After a period managing and coaching at club and international level, he is now a soccer pundit on television.

In his autobiography, Keane talked about his faith. "Sometimes I don't know what's best for myself, and that's why I've got great faith; the man upstairs looks after me. I just have to trust him a bit more."

Notoriously private, Keane previously said in an interview that he attended Mass most Sundays. "I have to drag the kids along sometimes, but they are all very well-grounded because that is what my life is," he said.

In his address, he looked back on the parenting skills of his late mother and father with great affection: "Our mam didn't always [give] what we wanted but always gave us what we needed. She was pretty strict with us, and if we were up to no good, she had an amazing skill of throwing a shoe, and no matter where we were in the house, she would always hit the target."

Recalling a happy childhood growing up with his parents, Keane said: "Summer holidays to Garretstown were always special. In the evening, we would get a bag of chips. We thought life was great, just so simple. They would both be in great form. It was like going to Australia. We would also enjoy trips up to Dublin to the All-Ireland back in the days when Cork used to win. The only disappointment was our dad telling us once we got up to Dublin that we had no tickets for the match. But you can't have everything."

Thanking the wider family circle for their care, Keane said: "I have never known a closer family. Your help and support over the last couple of years has been a great example to us all. We will never be able to thank you enough. The turnout today has not surprised us. Our mam always looked out for other people. Not only was she kind and caring, but she had a good sense of humor, right up until the end."

Father Sean O'Sullivan, who celebrated the Requiem Mass, told mourners that Marie Keane was everything to her family. She cherished them "not for anything they had done or achieved" but simply for who they were.

"While our hearts expand to love others as we grow, there is a place in our hearts that forever belongs to our mother. That is what makes them so special. It also makes it hard to lose them," O'Sullivan said.

Keane's praise for his family, faith, and upbringing follows the Oscars ceremony in Hollywood last month where his fellow Irish star, Best Actress winner Jessie Buckley, paid a warm tribute to her parents and the beauty of motherhood in her acceptance speech.

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More than half a century after humans last traveled beyond Earth's orbit, a new National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) project for lunar exploration has begun, marking a historic day in the United States.

"The feeling is really palpable that now America is on its way back to the moon after more than five decades of waiting and planning," Jonathan Lunine, chief scientist at NASA Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) and the founding vice president of the Society of Catholic Scientists, said in an interview with "EWTN News Nightly."

On April 1 at 6:35 p.m. ET, the Artemis II rocket lifted off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida with four astronauts on board.

"Everyone's very excited at JPL, at NASA headquarters," Lunine said. "Artemis II is a 10-day mission which will send four astronauts around the moon, and they will go as far, or farther, than any humans have, even during the Apollo program, and then return to the Earth."

The mission is the first time astronauts have flown aboard NASA's Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft, which has key systems designed to support future missions to the lunar surface.

The mission is part of NASA's Artemis program, which "will send astronauts on increasingly difficult missions to explore more of the moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build on our foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars," according to NASA.

"The United States has not been back to the moon, and no country has been to the moon, since 1972. So this is really developing completely new hardware with the technologies that we have today to build a lunar program for the United States that's going to be long-lasting," Lunine said.

Apollo 8 and Artemis II are 2 different journeys around the moon

Many space enthusiasts have wondered if Artemis II is just a rerun of Apollo 8, but Lunine clarified "this is not like Apollo."

"The NASA administrator made it clear, and the president has made it clear as well, that this is the start of the United States staying on the moon and having a presence there in the long term," he said. "And that means that the technologies that are required … for being able to bring astronauts and significant amounts of cargo to the moon, need to be developed."

Despite the difference in the missions, Apollo 8 and Artemis II undoubtedly have similarities as both were developed primarily for testing purposes to help NASA refine the systems needed for future lunar landings.

In 1968, Apollo 8's success paved the way for Apollo 11, which landed astronauts on the moon just seven months later. Similarly, Artemis II is expected to set the stage for Artemis III, which is intended to test docking capabilities between Orion and commercial spacecraft needed to land astronauts on the moon.

"The idea is to test out all of the systems necessary for bringing astronauts to the moon in a lunar landing, hopefully in a couple of years," Lunine said.

An unexpected — and unplanned — similarity between the missions is that both will have had astronauts in space for significant Christian holidays. Apollo 8 traveled Dec. 21–27, 1968, and was in space on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

On Christmas Eve, the astronauts recited from the Book of Genesis in what was the most-watched broadcast in history at the time. Following the launch of Artemis II, the astronauts and rocket will be in space during Easter.

The missions share similar crew sizes, as Apollo 8 carried three astronauts, and Artemis II is carrying four. The Artemis crew is made up of commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen.

Wiseman, Glover, and Koch have all been astronauts with NASA for more than a decade, and Hansen became the first Canadian to be entrusted with leading a NASA astronaut class — training astronaut candidates from the U.S. and Canada.

A mission for 'humanity'

During a March 29 press conference, 49-year-old Glover brought attention to the importance of the mission being for all human beings, calling it a "story of humanity."

Koch is the first female astronaut to travel to the moon and Glover is the first Black astronaut to do so. Hansen is also set to make history as the first Canadian to travel on a lunar mission. Despite the many firsts, Glover said he hopes the mission is more representative of "human history" as a whole rather than specific demographics.

Glover said it's "great" that "young brown boys and girls can look at me and go, 'Hey, he looks like me, and he's doing what?' I love that, but I also hope we are pushing the other direction, that one day we don't have to talk about these firsts," he said.

"It's about human history. It's the story of humanity, not Black history, not women's history, but that it becomes human history," Glover said.

In a CBS broadcast, former astronaut and Catholic Mike Hopkins, who spoke at the National Eucharistic Congress, said to the Artemis crew: "Godspeed to Reid and Victor and Christina and Jeremy. They're taking the hopes and dreams of an entire planet with them right now."

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During Holy Week, the archbishop of Miami, Thomas Wenski, and the second-in-command at the U.S. State Department, Deputy Secretary Christopher Landau, both expressed their concern for the persecution the Church in Nicaragua is suffering at the hands of the dictatorship of President Daniel Ortega and his wife and vice president, Rosario Murillo.

At the March 31 chrism Mass celebrated at Miami's St. Mary Cathedral, Wenski noted that during Holy Week 2026, "we find ourselves surrounded by people who desperately need good news."

After lamenting the current climate of mass deportations in the U.S., violence in Haiti, and repression in Cuba, the prelate turned his attention to the situation facing Nicaraguan Catholics.

"In Nicaragua — a country that has expelled more than 300 bishops, priests, seminarians, and religious in recent years — the regime has banned priestly ordinations in four dioceses," he pointed out.

With the expulsion of Father José Concepción Reyes Mairena of the Diocese of León in February, the number of religious forced to leave Nicaragua now stands at 309.

Furthermore, the dictatorship has banned priestly and diaconal ordinations in the four dioceses whose bishops are absent because they were forced into exile: Matagalpa, Estelí, Siuna, and Jinotega. The chrism Mass, during which the oil, or chrism, to be used in the sacraments is blessed, was also not celebrated in those dioceses.

In his homily, Wenski encouraged the faithful to prepare for the "Paschal Triduum, the commemoration of the passion, death, and resurrection of Our Lord," reminding them that "we cannot look upon the crucified Christ without looking at those being crucified before our very eyes and seeing him in them."

"It struck me as a very prophetic homily," said Father Edwing Román, a Nicaraguan priest in exile who now serves as vicar of St. Agatha Parish in Miami, told ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News.

"As an exiled Nicaraguan priest, I value and appreciate that a pastor of his stature during such a significant celebration as the chrism Mass in the very midst of Holy Week included our people who are suffering and yearning for their freedom, as well as our persecuted Church," the priest said.

"Thank you, Archbishop Wenski, for your prophetic defense and for demonstrating once again your closeness to Nicaragua. Your archdiocese has served as a refuge for us and for Bishop Silvio Báez," he added.

Joining Wenski at the chrism Mass was the auxiliary bishop of Managua, Báez, who went into exile from Nicaragua in 2019 and whose position was confirmed in August 2025 when he was received at the Vatican by Pope Leo XIV. The prelate celebrates Mass and ministers to the community at St. Agatha in Miami.

Román told ACI Prensa that in total four exiled priests participated in the chrism Mass including himself and Father Marcos Somarriba, a parish priest at St. Agatha, along with six other priests who arrived in the United States as children or young adults and a deacon who will soon be ordained a priest, all of Nicaraguan origin.

Dearth of religious freedom in Nicaragua

Also on March 31, Landau denounced the Nicaraguan dictatorship's stifling of religious freedom in the country.

He noted that "Nicaragua has historically hosted some of the most beautiful and famous processions in the region (for example in Granada and Leon) and I look forward to the day when our Nicaraguan friends reclaim their religious freedom."

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Martha Patricia Molina, researcher and author of the report "Nicaragua: A Persecuted Church," has documented the thousands of processions and public events banned by the country's dictatorship in recent years, a phenomenon that is even more severe during this Holy Week.

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 celebrated a chrism Mass at the Vatican on April 2, his first as pope after being elected as supreme pontiff in May 2025.

The Mass included the traditional blessing of the holy oils that will be used throughout the year in the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, anointing of the sick, and holy orders.

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The Visitation to Seven Churches is a Holy Thursday devotion primarily practiced in Latin America, Italy, Poland, and the Philippines — though it is also practiced in many other places.

The devotion involves traveling to seven local churches after the Mass of the Lord's Supper on the evening of Holy Thursday. These visits recall the final seven places Jesus went from his arrest on Holy Thursday to his death on Good Friday.

In each church, the pilgrim kneels before the altar of repose, meditates on the appropriate Scripture, and offers prayers and adoration. In this way, pilgrims seek to spiritually accompany Christ as he enters his passion.

The first church recalls Jesus going from the Cenacle, where he celebrated the Last Supper with his disciples, to the Garden of Gethsemane, where he earnestly prayed and sweat blood in his agony over what was about to take place (see Luke 22:39-46).

In the second church, the pilgrim meditates on Jesus being taken from the Garden of Gethsemane by the armed crowd to the house of Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas the high priest, where he was interrogated and slapped in the face (see John 18:19-22).

In the third church, the prayer focuses on Jesus being brought to the house of Caiaphas, where he was beaten, spat upon, insulted, and endured a painful night in captivity (see Matthew 26:63-68).

The focus of the reflection for the fourth church is the first time Jesus was brought before Pilate, the Roman governor of the region. There Jesus was accused by the Jewish religious authorities of being a rival king to Caesar (see John 18:35-37).

In the fifth church, the pilgrim follows the Lord as he is taken to King Herod, who along with his guards mock him (see Luke 23:8-9; 11).

The sixth church recalls Jesus being taken from Herod and brought before Pilate for the second time and then scourged, crowned with thorns, mocked, and condemned to death (see Matthew 27:22-26).

The last church commemorates Christ carrying the cross on his shoulders from the Praetorium, where Pilate yielded to the crowd's demand for his crucifixion, to Mount Calvary, where he suffered excruciating pain, died, and was laid to rest in a nearby tomb until his resurrection from the dead on Easter Sunday (see Matthew 27:27-31).

This story was first published on April 1, 2021, and has been updated.

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Pope Leo XIV on Holy Thursday proposed Christian mission as an antidote to what he called the "imperialist occupation of the world," saying it is now a priority to remember that "neither in the pastoral sphere nor in the social and political spheres can good come from abuse of power."

At the Chrism Mass in St. Peter's Basilica on April 2, the pope reflected on the mission God entrusts to his people and warned that it must never be distorted by "a desire for domination, entirely foreign to the way of Jesus Christ."

"The cross is part of the mission: the sending becomes more bitter and frightening, but also more freeing and transformative," Leo said. "The imperialist occupation of the world is thus disrupted from within; the violence that until now has been the law is unmasked."

The pope did not point to any specific geopolitical situation when he used the phrase.

The Chrism Mass, one of the principal liturgies of Holy Thursday, includes the blessing of the holy oils that will be used throughout the year in the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, anointing of the sick, and holy orders. During the Mass, priests also renew the promises they made at ordination.

Presiding over the rite for the first time as bishop of Rome, Leo addressed nearly 1,000 priests in St. Peter's Basilica and emphasized that the Christian mission is never lived in isolation or in rupture with the Church.

"Each of us takes part in it according to our own vocation in a deeply personal obedience to the voice of the Spirit, yet never without others, never neglecting or breaking communion!" he said.

The pope said the Easter Triduum, which begins later on Holy Thursday, calls Christians not to flee trial but to pass through it with Christ.

"What we are about to relive, in fact, possesses the power to transform what human pride generally tends to harden: our identity and our place in the world," he said. "Jesus' freedom changes hearts, heals wounds, refreshes and brightens our faces, reconciles and gathers us together, and forgives and raises us up."

Leo also stressed that the Church is apostolic because it is sent out, not static, and said bishops and priests are called to remain at the service of a missionary people.

He warned that mission has too often been warped by worldly logic and said authentic Christian love cannot be tied to force or display.

"Love is true only when it is unguarded; it requires little fuss, no ostentation, and gently cherishes weakness and vulnerability," he said.

The pope also cautioned against approaching the poor with worldly signs of influence.

"There is no 'good news to the poor' … if we go to them bearing the signs of power, nor is there authentic liberation unless we free ourselves from attachment," he said.

Instead, Leo pointed to the witness of the great missionaries, who, he said, embody "quiet, unobtrusive approaches, whose method is the sharing of life, selfless service, the renunciation of any calculated strategy, dialogue and respect."

He added that Christian mission requires simplicity and reverence before the mystery present in every people and culture.

"As Christians, we are guests," he said. "To be hosts, in fact, we must learn to be guests ourselves."

Even in places marked by secularization, he said, the Church must not think in terms of conquest or reconquest, but of listening, accompaniment, and witness. That is possible only when the Church walks together, he said, and when mission is not "a heroic adventure reserved for a few, but the living witness of a Body with many members."

Leo also reflected on the possibility of rejection in Christian mission, recalling Jesus' expulsion from Nazareth. Yet even that trial, he said, can become the place where the Gospel reveals its deepest power.

"How many 'resurrections' are we called to experience when, free from a defensive attitude, we immerse ourselves in service like a seed in the earth!" he said.

During the homily, the pope cited St. Óscar Romero, the archbishop of San Salvador murdered in 1980, as a witness of persevering hope amid danger and suffering.

At the close of his reflection, Leo urged Catholics to renew their commitment to a mission marked by unity and peace.

"In this dark hour of history, it has pleased God to send us to spread the fragrance of Christ where the stench of death reigns," he said. "Let us renew our 'yes' to this mission that calls for unity and brings peace. Yes, we are here! Let us overcome the sense of powerlessness and fear!"

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, EWTN News' Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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