Catholic News

Deaths under Victoria's assisted-dying law rose by nearly one-third in the past year, new official figures show, as the Australian state prepares to expand access in 2027 and Catholic leaders warn of reduced safeguards for vulnerable patients.

Five hundred twelve people died in Victoria, a southeastern Australian state whose capital is Melbourne, after being administered a voluntary assisted dying (VAD) substance in the year ending June 30, according to the Victorian Voluntary Assisted Dying Review Board's annual report.

The total was up 31.6% from 389 deaths in 2024-2025 and represented 1.1% of all deaths in the state, the report said. It also recorded 1,156 applications, nearly 40% more than in the prior year.

Of the 512 deaths, 372 followed self-administration of the VAD substance and 140 followed practitioner administration, the report said. The board said VAD deaths were nearly four times the number reported in the program's first full year after Victoria's law came into force in 2019.

Victoria's new report is the latest evidence of a national trend. Since Victoria became the first Australian state to introduce VAD, more than 14,000 people nationwide have applied for access, and more than 7,000 have died after using a VAD substance, according to Go Gentle Australia's 2026 State of VAD report, an advocacy group that supports the practice. The group said VAD now accounts for an estimated 2%-3% of deaths nationally.

VAD is available in Australia's six states and the Australian Capital Territory. The Northern Territory passed its own law in August, though the system is not expected to begin operating until 2028.

Victoria's Parliament passed amendments in November 2025. Scheduled to take effect April 19, 2027, the changes will broaden eligibility, shorten the minimum request period from nine days to five, and allow some health professionals to initiate discussions about VAD as part of end-of-life care.

In an October 2025 pastoral letter, Victoria's Catholic bishops warned the changes would allow practitioners to raise euthanasia and assisted suicide with patients who "may be at their most vulnerable." They said this would further weaken safeguards and urged lawmakers to strengthen access to palliative care instead.

Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fisher likewise said the Church must offer "positive alternatives," including palliative care, pastoral care, and respite care for families caring for the dying and elderly.

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During the First World War, before being proclaimed a saint, devotion to St. Thérèse of Lisieux became particularly widespread in France. Soldiers carried medals and images of her, and many French Catholics saw her as a spiritual companion and intercessor.

The Carmelite nun, patron saint of missions, and the youngest doctor of the Church died at the age of 24 and was canonized in 1925 by Pope Pius XI. She was declared the second patron saint of France in 1944, during the Battle of Normandy, by Pope Pius XII.

The town of Lisieux, a 90-minute train ride from Paris, is where Thérèse spent her entire religious life. It is the second most visited pilgrimage destination in France, after Lourdes, with over 2 million pilgrims every year.

Last year, in Pope Leo XIV's message on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the canonization of St. Thérèse's parents, Louis and Zélie Martin, he called the faithful to "put Jesus at the centre of your families, your activities, and your choices. Help your children discover His boundless love and tenderness, and strive to make them love Him in return as He deserves: this is the great lesson that Louis and Zélie teach us today, and which the Church and the world so urgently need. How could Thérèse have loved Jesus and Mary so much — and then passed on such a beautiful doctrine to us — if she had not learned it from her saintly parents from an early age?"

Thérèse lost her mother when she was just 4 years old and endured periods of illness and intense emotional sensitivity as a child. At 14, however, she experienced a moment of spiritual transformation where she received a special grace from God.

In France, young children left their shoes by the hearth at Christmas, and parents would fill them with gifts. But her sister Celine didn't want Thérèse to grow up, so they continued to place gifts in "baby" Thérèse's shoes. As she and Celine climbed the stairs to take off their hats their father's voice rose from the parlor below. Standing over the shoes, he said: "Thank goodness that's the last time we shall have this kind of thing!" Thérèse froze, and her sister looked at her helplessly, knowing that in a few minutes she would be in tears over what their father had said.

But the tantrum never came. A special grace came over Thérèse as Jesus had done what she could not do herself. She swallowed her tears, walked slowly down the stairs, and went over the gifts in the shoes, as if she had never heard a word her father said. In her autobiography, "Story of Soul," she referred to that Christmas as her "conversion."

From childish to childlike

In his book "The Way of Trust and Love," French priest Jacques Philippe explores St. Thérèse of Lisieux's "Little Way" to holiness. He recalls that "through seemingly insignificant events, God can heal us deeply. Sometimes we feel a call from the Lord to step outside ourselves, to take a step forward, to become more mature, more free. There are times in life when we dwell on our immaturity, our complaints, our laments, our dependencies, and then suddenly one day we are given grace, a gift from God, but one that also calls upon our freedom. There is a choice to be made; it is both healing and conversion: freedom must choose to perform an act of courage."

He then later proposes: "Let us then ask God this question: What is the 'yes' you are asking of me today? What is the small act of courage and trust you are asking me to do today?"

For St. Thérèse, it was about overcoming her emotional sensitivity. For others, it might be learning to control their tongue, be more optimistic, or manage their temper.

A 'Little Way' for everyone

From the very beginning of her life, Thérèse desired to be a saint; still, when she entered the convent, she also thought how inaccessible and unrealizable it was when she compared herself to others.

And here, perhaps, is where we can learn one of her most powerful teachings: never lose courage.

She goes on: "Instead of being discouraged, I told myself: God would not make me wish for something impossible and so, in spite of my littleness, I can aim at being a saint. It is impossible for me to grow bigger, so I put up with myself as I am, with all my countless faults. But I will look for some means of going to heaven by a little way which is very short and very straight, a little way that is quite new … It is your arms, Jesus, which are the lift to carry me to heaven, and so there is no need for me to grow up. In fact, just the opposite: I must stay little and become less and less."

But by "little," Thérèse does not suggest we think of ourselves as of small value; instead, she reminds us of an unchanging truth: We are children of God.

As St. John Paul II on his apostolic trip to France in June 1980 recalled: "There is something unique about it, a characteristic of St. Thérèse of Lisieux. In it, one finds both the confirmation and the renewal of the most fundamental and universal truth. What truth in the Gospel message is more fundamental and universal than this: God is our Father, and we are his children?"

And like children who trust, even if thrown into the air, in the safety of returning to their parents' arms, we must trust in the providence of our Father, with a deep knowledge of his unlimited and unconditional love for us: "In truth I tell you, unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven" (Mt 18:3).

A missionary without ever leaving home

Proclaimed the patron saint of missionaries for her support of the missions through constant prayer and sacrifice despite being a cloistered nun who never left her convent, she said: "My strength lies in prayer and sacrifice; they are invincible weapons, and touch hearts more surely than words can do, as I have learned by experience."

To many, even in the convent, she seemed like an average, ordinary person. Her greatness showed in the constancy of her love for others in the simplest ways. Perhaps some of the missionary work we are called to do today doesn't necessarily begin externally but within our hearts. As the saint herself wrote: "A word, a kindly smile, will often suffice to gladden a wounded and sorrowful heart."

Thérèse also found strength in Scripture: "But above all it is the Gospels that occupy me during my prayers; in them I find everything that is necessary for my poor little soul. I constantly discover in them new lights, hidden and mysterious meanings."

Her life was characterized by austerity, far from recognition and noise from the world. She died anonymously in 1897 at the young age of 24, and no more than 30 people attended her funeral.

This saint's life and journal is a legacy for all who want to learn a simple and practical approach toward their relationship with God. Her advice is for everyone: "Miss no single opportunity of making some small sacrifice, here by a smiling look, there by a kindly word; always doing the smallest right and doing it all for love."

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Every October, the Catholic Church in the U.S. honors Respect Life Month and affirms the dignity of every human life, including unborn babies. While abortion remains a controversial issue, at its heart is the issue of how society views an unborn baby and by extension the relationship between the baby and his or her mother.

It can be hard to talk about, as emotions run high on both sides of the debate. As chemical abortion pills become increasingly more accessible to women and girls across the U.S., it raises the question: How do we discuss abortion as Catholics in a charitable and truthful way?

Father Tadeusz Pacholczyk, a senior ethicist at the National Catholic Bioethics Center, said "the manner in which we speak is often more important than the details of what we say."

"In approaching conversations around abortion, it's important to acknowledge the woman's fears," Pacholczyk said. "It feels like a 'crisis' pregnancy as her worries snowball and she asks herself a thousand painful questions: What will my friends think of me if they find out? Will this make it impossible to finish college? I feel so alone, ashamed, and abandoned — why isn't my boyfriend here to support me?"

"Acknowledging the woman's fears by using sympathetic language can help open up a space of dialogue with advocates of abortion, as we seek to remind them of what a better response to an unexpected pregnancy should really look like," Pacholczyk said.

"It should be almost self-evident that it would be better to respond with support and accompaniment in the midst of her turbulent fears, seeking to calm the waters rather than roiling them further by turning to the violence of abortion, which in the final analysis, layers on additional regret and turbulence," Pacholczyk continued.

"Patience and a real willingness to listen to the person we are engaging with needs to prevail over our desire to try to quickly win the argument," he added. "It can be helpful to ask calm and reasoned questions to move the discussion forward in place of making dramatic, vociferous, and inflammatory assertions that may serve only to keep the two parties at loggerheads."

From a pro-life perspective, affirming the unborn child's dignity is also a fundamental part of the conversation.

"We need to be attentive when it comes to abortion 'rights' language, seeking to offer the clarity that there really is no such thing as 'rights' that allow someone to directly target and victimize innocent bystanders," Pacholczyk said. "An unborn child in a crisis pregnancy situation is surely an innocent bystander, as he or she is as much a victim of difficult circumstances as is the mother."

"The authentic 'rights' we should all be able to agree on include the right to receive help in parenting from society as new moms face the daunting and unexpected prospect of caring for and raising a child for the first time," Pacholczyk said.

Camille Pauley, who heads Healing the Culture, a Catholic organization that educates people on how to engage with difficult cultural issues like abortion, spoke to EWTN News about what it means to show charity to another person.

"Charity is to act for the good of the other person, who is made in the image and likeness of God," Pauley said. "Persons who commit the evil of abortion are not 'demonic monsters' or 'soulless savages.' These are words that do damage to society and to ourselves when we use them.'

"Persons who have fallen into the sin of abortion are human beings who are either spiritually lost or have been deeply wounded, abandoned, betrayed, deceived, and sometimes abused or coerced," Pauley said.

"At the same time, we shouldn't confuse charity towards persons with charity toward abortion," Pauley continued. "'Abortion,' in the common usage of the term, is evil, wrong, and sinful. It hurts women and unjustly kills an intrinsically valuable and sacred human being who has an inalienable right to life. To speak these words is an act of charity when they are used for the good of the other person."

She emphasized that the woman and her baby shouldn't be pitted against one another.

"The language we use must affirm that the interests of the woman are the same as the interests of the child," Pauley said. "The pro-abortion movement always wants to separate the mother and her child and pit them against one another. We must never do this. Choosing to protect her child's life is in the best interest of the child and his mother."

Why does the Catholic Church teach that life is sacred?

In St. John Paul II's 1995 encyclical Evangelium Vitae ("The Gospel of Life"), which continues to inform the pro-life cause today, the late pope connects the teaching on the sacredness of life to how man relates to God.

"Every individual, precisely by reason of the mystery of the Word of God who was made flesh, is entrusted to the maternal care of the Church," JPII wrote. "Therefore every threat to human dignity and life must necessarily be felt in the Church's very heart."

He noted that the decision to have an abortion is "often tragic and painful" for the woman. However, serious reasons still "can never justify the deliberate killing of an innocent human being," he added.

But the responsibility doesn't fall on the woman alone. The responsibility for any abortion extends throughout society, from the mother and father, to legislators, and to systems in place that prop up abortion, according to John Paul II, who went on to say in the encyclical that abortion goes against the right to life, which is foundational to human society, and criticized the language of "abortion rights."

"To claim the right to abortion, infanticide and euthanasia, and to recognize that right in law, means to attribute to human freedom a perverse and evil significance: that of an absolute power over others and against others," John Paul II wrote. "This is the death of true freedom."

He emphasized that believers have a particular call to defending unborn children, as the incarnation of Jesus Christ, he said, reveals "the incomparable value of every human person."

He continued: "[Life is] a sacred reality entrusted to us, to be preserved with a sense of responsibility and brought to perfection in love and in the gift of ourselves to God and to our brothers and sisters."

This year's theme: 'Mary, Mother of Life'

The U.S. bishops, in their Respect Life Month resources, point to Mary as "our model for upholding the sanctity of all human life" — highlighting this year's theme: "Mary, Mother of Life."

"In becoming the mother of Jesus, Mary becomes the mother of life," the bishops wrote. "Mary's acceptance in this unforeseen moment demonstrates how each of us must welcome the gift of new human life, even when that gift is unexpected or calls us to make sacrifices."

The bishops encouraged Catholics to pray a Respect Life Novena from October 22–30. For more resources about Respect Life month, visit: https://www.respectlife.org/.

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This year marks the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis, which will be celebrated on his feast day, Oct. 4. October is also a month dedicated to the Blessed Mother and the holy rosary, which helps us meditate on Christ and the great mysteries of our salvation. The timing provides good reason to examine the exceptional devotion St. Francis had for the Blessed Mother.

Here are some fascinating facts to know about St. Francis, the Franciscan order he founded, and the Blessed Mother:

• St. Francis had a vision where he saw his friars try to reach Christ by a steep red ladder, but they kept falling off. Then Jesus showed him a second, less steep, white ladder that had Our Lady at the top. He told Francis: "Advise your sons to go by the ladder of my mother."
• Many have given testimony stating St. Francis was one of the strongest Marian devotees in Church history. Servant of God Thomas of Celano, one of Francis' friars, said that Francis' love for the Blessed Virgin was beyond words, "inexpressible … for it was she who made the Lord of Majesty our brother."
• St. Francis made the Blessed Mother the patroness and queen of the Friars Minor. St. Bonaventure, one of Francis' early biographers, wrote that Francis placed himself and his order under the protection and guidance of Mary for all time: "On one side we should show Mary in all her poverty of Bethlehem placing the most sweet son of God upon the rough straw of the manger. In the other half of our painting, we would portray Mary, the Immaculate Mother of God, and Queen of the Seraphic Order, in the chapel of Mary of the Angels stretching forth her arms in motherly protection over all her Franciscan sons and daughters."
• It was one of St. Francis' followers who was instrumental in the proclamation of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The writings of Blessed John Duns Scotus (d. 1308), one of the greatest Franciscan theologians, led the Church in part to proclaim the dogma of the Immaculate Conception in 1854.
• Praying with counted beads was a common method of meditation from the earliest centuries of the Church. Although we don't have written proof that St. Francis prayed the rosary founded by St. Dominic, we do know that St. Dominic and St. Francis were contemporaries, and so it may be very probable he would know and pray it.

St. Francis' devotion to the Blessed Mother is summarized beautifully in his "Salutation to the Blessed Virgin Mary":

Hail, O Lady,
Mary, holy Mother of God:
you are the Virgin made Church
and the one chosen by the
most holy Father in heaven
whom he consecrated
with his most holy beloved Son
and with the Holy Spirit the Paraclete,
in whom there was and is
the fullness of grace and every good.
Hail his palace!
Hail his tabernacle!
Hail his home!
Hail his robe!
Hail his servant!
Hail his mother!

And hail all you holy virtues which through the grace and light of the Holy Spirit are poured into the hearts of the faithful so that from their faithless state you may make them faithful to God. Amen.

St. Francis of Assisi, pray for us!

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Europe's data protection rules may require the erasure of personal data from Catholic baptismal records in some cases when an individual requests it, a top European Union official said Thursday.

The Oct. 1 opinion from Laila Medina, the advocate general at the Court of Justice of the European Union, could prove decisive in a dispute between the Catholic Church and European leaders over whether or not baptismal records can be preserved in Church registers.

The Court of Justice is currently considering the case, which was brought by the Brussels Court of Appeal and which asked for clarification about whether the Diocese of Ghent's refusal to erase names from baptismal records when requested is in violation of Europe's General Data Protection Regulation.

Catholic leadership has expressed strong concerns over the issue. The Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Union said in September that baptismal records are not merely a "list of members" of the Church but rather serve as a "record of historical events."

Allowing baptismal record erasures would "constitute an infringement on the substance of the sacrament" and would "seriously impede" the functioning of the Church, the bishops said.

Pope Leo XIV has also expressed concern in the debate, having reportedly told the European bishops in May 2025 that he "considers the issue very important."

In her Oct. 1 opinion, which is non-binding on the justice court, Medina said European data rules apply to the case and that the "data processing in question," i.e. the baptismal records, "must be in line" with those rules.

The Catholic Church must demonstrate "compelling legitimate grounds" for retaining someone's name in the baptismal records after the person rejects, Medina said.

The Ghent Diocese had originally responded to the individual's deletion request by striking through his name but still retaining his entry in a legible form. That measure, Medina said, "does not constitute erasure" under European data rules.

"The data must be rendered illegible to the extent necessary to ensure that the person is no longer identified or easily identifiable," she said. She argued that "information concerning the fact that a baptism took place at a given place and time may be retained."

Medina acknowledged that the issue was "complex" and that the European court must make a "case-by-case assessment" regarding such data disputes.

Though the report is non-binding, advocate general opinions often help shape the outcome of cases in European courts. The Oct. 1 document noted that the judges are "now beginning their deliberations" in the case. A ruling is expected later in 2026 or in 2027.

In September the European bishops told the court that baptismal registers do not "bear witness to the faith of individual persons" but rather serve as a "fundamental evidentiary instrument" that in part helps the Church manage its other records related to marriage and confirmation.

Requiring the deletion of baptismal data, the bishops said, would dictate that the Church "adapt to [a person's] feelings or opinions" in how it understands baptismal records.

This would require a shift in "theological reflection," they said, which is "protected by Church autonomy."

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WASHINGTON — Thousands of Catholics who gathered at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception on Saturday got a head start on the approaching month of the rosary by participating in a daylong event featuring prayer and talks centered on the power of the Marian prayer.

The fourth annual Dominican Rosary Pilgrimage drew an estimated 4,500 people, with tens of thousands of others joining via livestream broadcast.

Hosted by the Dominican Friars of the Province of St. Joseph, the event included opportunities for joining in Eucharistic adoration and receiving the sacrament of reconciliation.

"Every year the pilgrimage grows. Every year, more people join us and every year those prayers are lifted up to heaven with greater enthusiasm," said Dominican Father Patrick Briscoe, promoter general for social communication of the Province of St. Joseph, which extends from New England to Virginia to Ohio.

"It's such a beautiful event," said pilgrim Lauren Rodriguez, who traveled from Miami. "This is the second time I've come and this year I brought my husband. I just thought it was so impactful to see so much beauty, prayer, and truth in the preaching. It's incredibly peaceful for as many activities that there are throughout the day."

In preparation for the event, an estimated 100,000 Catholics participated in a nine-month novena, beginning on Jan. 31 and ending on Sept. 26, according to Dominican Father John Paul Kern, executive director of the Dominican Friars Foundation.

"I think Our Lady brings us closer to him and reveals something to us about her son in a very special way with him here at this event," Kern said.

Dominican Father Peter John Cameron, the event's principal speaker, described the rosary as a gift and a "chain that unites people to God."

"The rosary is something truly unique and indescribably precious," he told EWTN News. "Because more than just a form of prayer, the rosary is a relationship. The rosary is a dynamic experience of our sonship, of our daughtership, in God."

"For someone like me who's so busy, and so many people are busy, it's a day dedicated to prayer, to soak it in, receive the graces," Rodriguez told EWTN News. "You meet so many wonderful people from all over. It really is reaching so many people and touching so many hearts."

The Catholic Church dedicates the entire month of October to the most holy rosary and celebrates the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary on Oct. 7.

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LUSAKA, Zambia  — Archbishop Alick Banda of the Archdiocese of Lusaka in Zambia has been released from Chimbokaila Correctional Facility after meeting the bail conditions set by the Lusaka Magistrates' Court.

The archbishop spent a night in custody after he could not complete the bail process before close of business, despite the court granting him bail of 80,000 Zambian kwacha (about $4,094) on Sept. 28.

Banda was arrested by Zambia's Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) over the alleged possession of property suspected to have been unlawfully obtained, contrary to Section 319 of the Penal Code.

The charge relates to a blue Toyota Hilux bearing registration number ALF 7734, which the DEC alleges Banda had in his possession between April 22, 2021, and Dec. 27, 2023.

According to the particulars of the case, the vehicle is alleged to have been unlawfully obtained from the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA).

The DEC said the vehicle forms part of a wider investigation involving approximately 22 ZRA motor vehicles allegedly disposed of improperly.

The archbishop appeared before Magistrate Mwandu Nakazwe, where he pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The court granted him 80,000 Zambian kwacha (about $4,094) bail on his own recognizance (meaning he does not need to pay up front), requiring three working sureties (guarantors — usually family members or responsible parties) who are each bound to pay the sum of 50,000 Zambian kwacha (about $2,560) if the accused takes off or skips court.

The court also ordered the archbishop to surrender his travel documents.

Following his release, Banda will remain subject to the court process as he awaits further proceedings in the case.

The allegations against him remain unproven, and the archbishop's "not guilty" plea means the matter will now proceed through the judicial process.

The archbishop's arrest has generated varied reactions among members of the public, with calls for calm and for the legal process to be allowed to proceed without inflammatory statements.

Members of the Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops expressed solidarity with Banda as he appeared before the DEC, calling for fairness, dignity, and due process.

In a statement issued Sept. 28, the Zambian bishops also called for spiritual solidarity with Banda as he faces the charges.

The bishops affirmed their deep respect for Banda's pastoral ministry and his tireless dedication to serving the Church and the nation.

"In this moment, we recall the Church's teaching that every person is entitled to fairness, dignity, and due process. We therefore call upon all concerned to ensure that these principles are upheld without prejudice or intimidation," they said.

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

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Financial reports for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) revealed a $43.6 million increase in net assets from 2024 to 2025 despite a 60% decline in federal refugee program grants.

The bishops said their money grew mostly because long-term investments did well in 2025. Altogether, the investment pool made a 15.2% return, said Chieko Noguchi, a spokesperson for the conference. The conference ended 2025 with an increase in net assets from $340.4 million to $383.9 million.

"The increase in net assets was due primarily to the performance of the long-term investment pool in 2025, which received $16.3 million in investment income (interest income and dividends) as well as an increase in unrealized gains of $27.2 million due to positive market performance," Noguchi said.

The USCCB's financial audits for 2024 and 2025 showed total operating expenses fell about $100 million because migrant program activity contracted. Funding for refugee programs fell from $180.46 million to $72.23 million.

The $43.6 million increase in net assets represents a nearly 13% increase, according to the audit, which reflects the USCCB's financial position as of Dec. 31, 2025.

The USCCB said in its audit that it did not renew its refugee-resettlement agreements after the federal suspension of grants "rendered the programs financially unsustainable leading to a reduction in conference staff whose positions were funded by those programs."

According to the audit, the reduction of the refugee program and its staff contributed to a decrease in the conference's overall operational expenses, which declined from $281.9 million in 2024 to $189.6 million in 2025.

Overall, the USCCB's financial position has strengthened over the past four years, with its net assets growing from $268.4 million in 2022 to $304.9 million in 2023, according to its 2022-2023 audit, to $340.4 million in 2024, and $383.9 in 2025.

The year-to-year increase in net assets comes despite fluctuations in the conference's investment portfolio. In 2022, the USCCB reported $75.4 million in unrealized investment losses. The portfolio returned to gains in the following years, with the conference reporting $35.4 million in unrealized investment gains in 2023, $11.6 million in 2024, and $27.2 million in 2025.

National collections declined slightly from $82.3 million in 2024 to $80.6 million in 2025, while national collections program expenses increased by $9.1 million, according to the report. However, national collections are "restricted by the donor for a specific purpose" and therefore do not play a role in offsetting the conference's loss of refugee program funding.

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"Being a businessman (or woman) is a true vocation," and work "well done" can be "a path of service and holiness," said Luis Fernando Calvo, director of the Tomás Moro (Thomas More) Institute, on the occasion of the first event to be held by the Costa Rican Association of Christian Businessmen.

The association's first event on Oct. 1 will feature a lecture titled "Business Organization in the Church's Social Thought." It will be delivered by Calvo, author of "John Paul II, Friend of Man: Capitalism in the Thought of a Saint."

Speaking to ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, Calvo noted that "the Church's social doctrine offers clear criteria for the Christian businessman to exercise his vocation with consistency, honesty, and a sense of responsibility toward their workers and the common good."

In the business vocation, he noted, "God invites the businessman to assist in his creation, to improve it, and to make it more habitable for humanity."

"Being a businessman transcends profit, though profit is necessary, because the businessman, through his expertise and effort, creates jobs, goods, and services that benefit those who acquire them, and contributes to building societies that are more worthy of the human person," he said.

In this regard, he said his lecture aims to "help businessmen discover that their work, when well done, is also a path of service and holiness."

"A business is not merely an instrument for generating profit but a community of people called to serve society," Calvo emphasized.

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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Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, argued that Catholic theology is deeply compatible with the founding of the United States as it marks its 250th anniversary.

The evangelist and founder of Word on Fire Ministries delivered the keynote address at the "America at 250" event at the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See in Rome on Sept. 30. The embassy sponsored the event, and U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Brian Burch was present.

Catholicism and America: A shared but tense history

In his speech, Barron praised the relationship between the Catholic Church and the U.S. while acknowledging tense moments in their shared history.

"I speak to you today as both a proud American and a proud bishop of the Catholic Church," Barron said. "I stand with those who see no essential or fundamental tension between these two identities. To be sure, Catholicism and America have had a somewhat rocky relationship over the past two and a half centuries, and their rapport has been variously interpreted."

Burch, speaking to EWTN News on the sidelines, described this tension as indicative of a unique moment in U.S. history, particularly with the first U.S.-born pope, Leo XIV.

"You have this extraordinary confluence of circumstances where you have an American pope, and you have a president and an administration filled with many Catholics," Burch said. "The American experiment itself has a lot of common ground with the Church's teaching and social doctrine."

Catholic praise for America's commitment to human rights

Barron said the U.S. founders drew on a mix of sources and that their ideas shouldn't be reduced to modern secular philosophy alone. St. John Paul II explained rights differently, he said.

"During his first trip to the U.S. as pope in 1979, John Paul praised our country for its commitments to human rights, defined in a theological rather than Hobbesian way," Barron said. "Instead of grounding rights in individual desire, John Paul II grounds them in human dignity."

Speaking to EWTN News on the sidelines, Barron also described his involvement with the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, which is tasked with defending religious freedom, as a Catholic bishop.

"Well, I've just started on that commission. I spent a year with the national commission that President Trump established, but this one was established by Congress many years ago. We just had our first meetings by Zoom because I was here in Rome," Barron explained.

"It's a watchdog group to keep an eye on violations of religious liberty."

Barron will ordain 18 deacons for the Pontifical North American College at St. Peter's Basilica on Oct. 1.

Brian Schumacher contributed to this report.

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