Catholic News

Multiple parishes in the Diocese of Buffalo, New York, are celebrating after the Vatican said they would not have to contribute disputed amounts of cash into the diocesan abuse settlement plan.

Save Our Buffalo Churches said in an April 30 press release that the Dicastery for the Clergy had revoked multiple "assessment allocation decrees" levied by Bishop Michael Fisher amid the diocesan "Road to Renewal" plan.

That plan, first announced in 2024, moved to close and/or merge around a third of the diocese's parishes, driven in part by priest shortages and declining attendance.

Save Our Buffalo Churches has protested against the plan since its inception, winning several victories at the Vatican regarding the closures. The Vatican had said it would also examine the diocese's assessment plan that levied significant cash requirements on closing and merging parishes to pay into the diocesan abuse settlement.

In its April 30 press statement, Save Our Buffalo Churches said that eight parish groups had received word from the Vatican that Fisher's assessment decrees had been revoked.

Several other parishes were awaiting word from the Vatican on their own appeals. The parish group said it "fully expects" those parishes to receive similar decrees.

The parish preservation group said that the Vatican in its decrees cited canon law violations regarding parish fund procurement "as well as the amounts and methods undertaken to procure those monies."

"The amounts assessed, as well as the allocation procedures themselves, are wholly unsupported by canon law," the group claimed, stating the diocese has engaged in a "significant lack of adherence" to both canon law and nonprofit religious corporation law.

In a statement on April 30, the Buffalo Diocese said that the Vatican's decisions "affect only those parishes that appealed their determined contribution levels" to the diocesan abuse settlement. The settlement plan itself will continue unaffected, the diocese said.

The diocese disputed the group's claim that the Vatican had ordered the funds transferred "back" to the parishes.

"It is important to note that no parish funds have ever left the possession or administration of parishes," the statement said. "Parish funds designated for the settlement have been segregated into a separate account administered by the parish until which time they will be turned over to fulfill [the abuse settlement]."

The diocese pointed to Fisher's decision in March to have the diocese contribute an extra $10 million to the abuse settlement fund while lightening the contribution requirements for some parishes. The April 30 statement also denied a claim by the parish group that contribution amounts above $15,000 must be approved by the Vatican.

"The bishop has every intention to abide by the rulings of the offices of the Holy See, as he has confirmed repeatedly," the diocese said. "Several parishes have prevailed in their appeals to the bishop's decree that they merge with another parish or close. Bishop Fisher has accepted those determinations and will continue to monitor those parishes for their ability to be self-sustaining and viable."

The parish advocates had sought civil relief last year by taking their case against the Buffalo Diocese all the way to the New York Supreme Court. That court tossed the lawsuit out in September 2025, citing a long-standing "prohibition against court involvement in the governance and administration of a hierarchal church."

It is unclear if the Vatican's decrees will affect any civil disputes still active in the New York court system, though the Buffalo parish group indicated on April 30 that advocates may pursue more court action in light of the Vatican's rulings.

"[Save Our Buffalo Churches] now looks forward to the effect these decisions will have on the current civil proceedings," the group said. "The victims must receive their settlement, but from legal sources."

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A New York City street acquired a new name this past weekend honoring a Catholic sister's decades of dedication to the East Harlem community.

On Saturday, April 25, more than 100 people gathered to celebrate the newly named street — Sister Susanne Lachapelle Way — named for the life and legacy of Lachapelle and her contributions as a registered nurse, advocate, and Little Sister of the Assumption (LSA).

"With a heart rooted in justice, she dedicated herself to serving the vulnerable through home visits, healthcare, and tireless advocacy, both locally and globally," Rosario Jimenez, director for LSA Family in Mission, told EWTN News.

The event and street naming flowed from Lachapelle's work with Little Sisters of the Assumption Family Health Service, a community-based nonprofit based in East Harlem. Founded by the Little Sisters, the organization offers numerous programs to help vulnerable families and children meet their basic needs.

The group has been in the city for almost 70 years and Lachapelle "really helped to set the trajectory for the organization," Ray Lopez, chief program officer of LSA Family Health Service, told EWTN News.

She was "a foundational visionary staff person and a leader who really, to this day, has a very profound impact on many of us who are on the staff and worked shoulder to shoulder with her, learning from her," he said.

"Since her passing, we've all … redoubled our efforts to find a way to keep LSA's original mission and vision going in this current environment," Lopez said. "We really wanted to find ways to keep her name out there and the legacy going."

The street is on the southeast corner of East 115th Street and First Avenue. "It's almost the exact midpoint of where Sister Susanne Lachapelle lived in the Little Sisters of the Assumption brownstone and where the LSA Family Health Service … center is located," Lopez said.

"She walked there every day for at least two decades," he said. "We thought it was the appropriate place."

Sister Susanne and the Little Sisters: 'Unsung heroes'

Lachapelle entered the LSA order in 1962 and took the religious name Sister Susanne Mary of the Sacred Heart. She made her final vows in 1971.

In her 60 years of religious life, she served in numerous areas and worked with many ministries. But for 45 years she made the community of East Harlem her home, helping to spearhead the LSA Family Health Service's programs.

As a nurse, Lachapelle conducted home visits, which "was a foundational program of LSA Family Health Service," Lopez said. "All of the programs grew out of those interactions, those early interactions of nurses going into the homes to treat the sick and poor and really seeing conditions firsthand, sitting with families at their kitchen table, hearing their stories."

"Sister Susanne and the rest of the leadership created other programs to really provide wraparound services for families," he said. "The Little Sisters set up a food pantry and a thrift store just to make sure that people had the very basics."

"From there, the services were about connecting people with public benefits, providing support around education, education enrichment, education navigation. A lot of … programs focused on maternal child health and early childhood development."

Along with her support for health and families, Lachapelle also had a passion for protecting the environment through her commitment to Pope Francis' Laudato Si', a call to protect our common home.

Lachapelle decided to initiate "an environmental health component to the work that the Little Sisters were doing," Lynn Tiede, a volunteer for LSA Health Service who worked with Lachapelle, told EWTN News.

"She worked with the families and saw problems like asthma and other debilitating health things, she realized that … it's mold, it's the air quality, it's these other things that are really at the root of these health problems."

"Everybody was just so inspired … to see her traipsing into rough, rough buildings and just without any hesitation," Tiede said. "If you went into a home and people were dealing with asthma, you … send in the environmental health team and then they try to work to get the building management to actually address those things."

With the success of her work, she even collaborated with the human rights group and nongovernmental organization Vivat International, where she helped bring voices and environmental issues to the United Nations, but she always remained "very, very humble," Tiede said.

Due to her humility "there were a few people who were against [the street-naming] when we proposed it, because they thought she would hate it — because she was so humble," Tiede said.

Ultimately they chose to honor Lachapelle and the Little Sisters because they are "unsung heroes — these quiet heroes," Tiede said.

The process to get the street renamed began in 2024 and it was found to be an easier process than expected, as the city council was eager to acknowledge Lachapelle and the Little Sisters.

Sister Susanne's lasting impact

At the street naming celebration organizers "were expecting around 80 participants, but I think it was maybe 150 or a little bit more," Jimenez said. "There were community members, families that she served, youth that she served, … volunteers, and of course, our board members and benefactors."

It honored her "simplicity and the way that she used to be a leader," which was "was grounded in integrity, purpose, love," Jimenez said. "Having a street named after her will honor all of that."

Reflecting on the event, Lopez said: "[It] feels like a dream because so many people came that worked with her in the past."

Despite having to move the event inside to avoid the cold and rain, the crowd of people stayed to celebrate. It "was crowded with people, and our center lobby was filled completely," Lopez said. "It was just a very festive atmosphere."

He added: "It was really moving to have so many people there from so long ago that still feel it in their hearts, [how] the work here in East Harlem impacted their careers, impacted their lives, and that it's still a very significant thing for them," he said.

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Pope Leo XIV is aware that among the vocations to which men and women are called by God, marriage is one of the "noblest and highest."

He said as much last October, on the 10th anniversary of the canonization of Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin, the parents of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus. Now, the pope has set in motion a process to address both marital crises and the growing fear among young people of getting married and forming a family.

Leo XIV has called the presidents of the world's bishops' conferences to Rome this October to seek a response to an issue he considers crucial not only for the Church but also for society.

In preparation for the high-level meeting, the Vatican organized a study day Tuesday titled "The Sacrament of Marriage, Faith, and Munus Docendi" at the Casina Pio IV.

The initiative, hosted by the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family, and Life, brought together about 75 participants by invitation, including representatives of various dicasteries of the Roman Curia as well as rectors, lecturers, and others involved in the formation of future pastors.

According to the dicastery, the study day was devoted to the formation of priests in accompanying "young people, engaged couples, and married couples in faith."

How can the Church form pastors capable of accompanying young people, engaged couples, and spouses so that they live Christian marriage as an authentic experience of faith in a cultural context marked by secularization? Several speakers addressed that question, including Father Andrea Bozzolo, rector of the Pontifical Salesian University.

Speaking with ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, the Italian priest — who has taught theology of marriage at the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family — emphasized the urgent need to form priests who are prepared to accompany young people and help them live Christian marriage as a true event of faith rather than as a mere "formality or social rite."

According to Bozzolo, in large sectors of contemporary society, marriage is no longer perceived as a decisive moment in the formation of a family.

"For many couples, marriage today seems to be a less decisive step in the emergence of the family covenant," he said.

In that context, he added, cohabitation before marriage has become widespread as a kind of trial stage. For many young people, the strength of that relationship, tested in daily life, "has become the condition for eventually considering access to marriage," he said.

Bozzolo explained that this mentality fuels the now widespread phenomenon of couples living together before going to the altar.

Unlike in past decades, when de facto unions were presented as an ideological alternative to marriage, today "they are often understood as a preparatory path," he said.

In what he described as a "liquid society," cohabitation frequently functions as a first family experience, open to being consolidated over time into a more stable relationship.

"Cohabitation in most cases does not seek to exclude the marriage covenant but rather to verify its viability," he said, noting that the increase in separations also reflects this way of understanding the bond.

Not blaming, but not trivializing

In response to this reality, Bozzolo said the Church should "not blame" young people who ask to marry after living together, but it also should not "trivialize" premarital cohabitation, because "it is not the correct way" to arrive at the altar.

He also called on the Church to break with stereotypes that present love as if it were "a simple feeling."

"Love has ontological value — and not merely psychological value — and that is why marriage is a privileged vehicle for the biblical revelation of the face of God," he said.

Bozzolo insisted on the need for priestly formation that helps future priests rediscover the decisive value of marriage as a public and sacramental act.

"The public and religious expression of consent," he said, is no longer usually perceived today as something that substantially affects the stability of the bond — a reality he described as "a pastoral challenge of the first order."

Marriage is not a simple social procedure

For that reason, he said, it is essential for the Church to prepare priests who can accompany young people along a journey of faith that presents Christian marriage not as a "simple social procedure."

The goal, Bozzolo explained, is to help priests accompany married couples so that they learn to "recognize the presence and action of God in the concrete history of their bond."

Such accompaniment, he said, requires a "formative approach" capable of bringing together biblical wisdom, theological understanding, an awareness of contemporary cultural trends, and attentive listening to the real experiences of families.

One current problem among couples, he said, is the tendency to absolutize the relationship and place expectations on the spousal bond that the other person cannot sustain alone.

"We cannot place the entire responsibility for our happiness on our spouse, because he or she will disappoint us. For that, we have Jesus, the true messiah," Bozzolo said.

Only from a well-grounded faith, he emphasized, is it possible to live marriage in a healthy, realistic way that is open to gratuitousness, without making the other person the ultimate source of meaning.

For that reason, and in direct relation to the formation of future priests, Bozzolo highlighted the need to create formation paths in seminaries that integrate these dimensions and prepare pastors for authentic marriage ministry, rooted in life and not reduced to theoretical frameworks.

The last time a pope called together all the presidents of the world's bishops' conferences was in February 2019, when Pope Francis gathered them to address the wound of sexual abuse in the Church. That meeting marked a shift in the global perception of the problem and made it possible to outline a long-term strategy.

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

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The Catholic priest who created Operation Rice Bowl — Catholic Relief Services' annual Lenten program — has died at the age of 95.

Monsignor Robert Coll, a retired priest of the Diocese of Allentown, Pennsylvania, died on April 20 in Naples, Florida.

Born on Aug. 13, 1930, Coll grew up in the Philadelphia area in a devout Catholic family. After attending St. Joseph's Preparatory School, he felt called to the priesthood, attended St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, and was ordained a priest on May 7, 1959.

Early in his priesthood, Coll was a professor at Notre Dame High School in Easton and the chaplain at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. In 1961, he became a priest for the then-newly established Diocese of Allentown.

From 1966 to 1980, Coll served as the founding pastor of St. Thomas More Church in Allentown and it was here, in 1975, that he created Operation Rice Bowl.

Operation Rice Bowl was a Lenten response to hunger in Africa and encouraged families to donate the money they saved from fasting and eating meatless meals during Lent to those suffering from hunger.

Today, Rice Bowl is a national program of Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and has raised more than $350 million in 12,000 parishes nationwide.

In response to Coll's passing, Sean Callahan, president and CEO of CRS said in a statement: "It is with deep sorrow that we mourn the passing of Monsignor Robert Coll, a visionary priest whose legacy of faith and service will endure for generations through CRS Rice Bowl, a program he founded more than 50 years ago."

He added: "Through CRS Rice Bowl, Monsignor Coll gave U.S. Catholics a way to live the Church's call to solidarity — recognizing the God-given dignity of every person and the shared responsibility to care for our neighbors, especially those living in poverty — so we might truly feel connected to our sisters and brothers across borders and oceans. Millions of families use the program each year to put their faith into action and become one global Catholic family."

In 1980, Coll joined CRS as assistant executive director in New York City and later served as its European director in Rome until 1985. His ministry took him into some of the world's most urgent humanitarian crises in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and South America.

During the Lebanese Civil War, Coll accompanied Mother Teresa through active war zones in order to reach her community, who were caring for children with disabilities and elderly victims.

He also acted as an on-air guide for Mike Wallace, one of the original correspondents featured on CBS news program "60 Minutes," on his report about the devastating Ethiopian famine and helped bring global attention to the crisis.

Speaking on this work, Callahan said: "That commitment to the global Church was never more evident than when he answered the call in 1983 and traveled to Ethiopia to lead the Joint Relief Partnership for the Church's response to the devastating famine. His presence on the ground was a turning point — bringing urgency, organization, and humanity to CRS' response at a moment when the world desperately needed them."

Coll returned to parish ministry in 1987 as pastor of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Bethlehem where he served until his retirement in 1996. During his retirement, the priest helped establish St. Agnes Catholic Church in Naples, Florida. He also regularly helped celebrate Mass at St. John the Evangelist Parish, which is where his burial Mass will take place on May 12.

"His faith never wavered. His enthusiasm never faded," Callahan said. "And the warmth and inspiration he gave to those around him lives on in every Rice Bowl collected and every hungry family fed."

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Citing priest shortages and a dwindling Catholic population, the Diocese of Saint Cloud in central Minnesota is merging 131 parishes into 48 parish groups.

The merger, reportedly the most drastic reduction of Catholic parishes in Minnesota history, will affect many parishioners in the area.

The diocese has only 62 priests for its original 131 parishes. While across the U.S., the ratio of priest to parish is 1:1, in Saint Cloud, it is 1:2.4, according to the diocese's numbers.

The Diocese of Saint Cloud is home to about 120,000 Catholics and spans 16 counties in central Minnesota. As a reference point, the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., is home to five times as many Catholics and has 140 parishes. The Diocese of Phoenix — one of the fastest-growing dioceses in the U.S. — has 94 parishes and 2 million Catholics.

Similar restructuring has taken place in other U.S. dioceses, both large and small, including in the archdioceses of Dubuque, Iowa; St. Louis; Detroit; and Seattle.

Bishop Patrick Neary, who took leadership partway through the planning of the reorganization in 2023, said the reorganization "is rooted in a desire to strengthen the mission of our parishes and to ensure that our diocese remains vibrant and sustainable for generations to come."

"This moment invites us to look honestly at our realities, our demographics, our resources, and the needs of our people — and to respond with faith, creativity, and courage," Neary told EWTN News.

Brenda Kresky, director of pastoral planning for the Diocese of Saint Cloud, said there are "many factors that are prompting a restructuring process." Namely, she cited declining Catholic attendance, financial sustainability concerns, and a lack of priests.

While the population in the Diocese of Saint Cloud has grown by 7% since 2019, the number of Catholic parishioners in the diocese has decreased by nearly the same percentage.

Mass attendance, weddings, baptisms, first Communions, and confirmations have all declined significantly since 2010, according to the diocese's numbers.

"Four out of 5 parishes are operating with a consistent budget deficit from annual giving," Kresky noted.

Why are there fewer active Catholic parishioners?

Kresky noted that "there are many interconnected reasons for the decline in Catholic participation."

At a parish level, there are "challenges around engagement," Kresky said.

"In our largely rural diocese, many communities are small and deeply rooted, which is a great strength, but can also make it difficult for newcomers or younger families to feel fully included," Kresky said. "Change can be hard, especially when long-held traditions and roles are closely tied to personal identity and resistance to new approaches can unintentionally create barriers that leave some feeling disconnected from parish life."

She also noted that "many rural areas across the diocese are seeing population decline and aging communities as people move toward urban centers."

"At the same time, families are smaller than in past generations, which has a long-term impact on parish participation and vitality," Kresky noted.

"Some Catholics are turning to other Christian communities that emphasize strong relationships, engaging worship, and openness about faith," Kresky said. "This shift highlights a broader desire for meaningful community and relevant faith experiences, prompting many Catholic parishes to examine how they connect with and engage people today."

"Many of these trends reflected across the Diocese of Saint Cloud are also seen across the country," Kresky said.

"Broader cultural shifts have played a role as society has become increasingly secular; many people no longer see organized religion as central or necessary in their lives," Kresky said. "We see a rise in those who describe themselves as 'spiritual but not religious,' along with a gradual erosion of faith practice and a perception that the Church is less relevant to daily life than it once was."

Kresky also noted "the lasting impact of the clergy sexual abuse crisis," citing abuse claims in the Diocese of Saint Cloud.

"The abuse itself, as well as failures in leadership and accountability, deeply damaged trust in the Church," Kresky said. "Our diocese entered bankruptcy proceedings in 2020 related to more than 70 abuse claims, and the consequences of that history continue to affect participation, confidence, and engagement today."

Kresky also cited a "growing disconnect between some Catholics and Church teaching."

"For a variety of reasons, individuals may struggle with or disagree with teachings on issues such as marriage, sexuality, social questions, or family life," Kresky said. "In many cases, people drift away quietly, sometimes due to disagreement and sometimes due to misunderstanding or lack of formation around what the Church teaches and why."

A December 2025 Pew Research study found that leading reasons for U.S. adults leaving the Catholic Church included not believing in the Church's teaching, scandals involving religious leaders, and being unhappy with teachings on social and political issues.

Other top reasons U.S. adults cited were that the faith was simply not important to their own lives, or their spiritual needs were not being met.

Pew Research also found that Gen Z is the least church-attending generation in American history, with only 17% attending weekly.

How is the Church responding?

The Diocese of Saint Cloud's response is more than just merging parishes, according to Kresky.

The merger is a part of a larger pastoral planning initiative named "All Things New."

"While restructuring is one visible outcome of the process, the broader goal is renewal — strengthening parish life by helping communities focus more intentionally on evangelization, discipleship, leadership development, and stewardship," Kresky said.

The parish merges is a major step in an initiative that began more than a decade ago.

The bishop will lead a diocesan-wide prayer service on Sunday, May 3, at 7 p.m.  local time to pray for unity for the newly-merged parishes, according to the pastoral planning website.

"My hope is that this process will renew our sense of unity and deepen our commitment to being a missionary Church," Neary said.

"I believe the Holy Spirit is guiding us toward a future where our communities are more connected, our ministries more focused, and our parishes better equipped to form disciples," Neary continued.

The diocese hopes to "help parishes move from a mindset of simply maintaining aging structures to becoming vibrant centers of faith where people are welcomed, accompanied, formed, and sent forth in mission," according to Kresky.

"This includes supporting parishes in developing stronger leadership teams, fostering collaboration across churches, and using resources — human, spiritual, and financial — more effectively so ministry can flourish rather than merely survive," Kresky said.

"Our hope is that, through this pastoral process, parish life will become more sustainable, more welcoming, and more mission-focused," Kresky said.

"While the process includes difficult decisions and real experiences of loss, the diocese's long-term vision is one of hope: that the Church in central Minnesota will be well positioned to serve future generations with vitality, authenticity, and faithfulness to the Gospel," Kresky said.

"While change is never easy, I am confident that God is doing something new in our midst, and I am grateful for the openness and trust our people have shown as we walk this path together," Neary added.

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The Diocese of Springfield in Illinois announced plans to create The Shrine for Father Augustine Tolton, the first Black Catholic priest born in the U.S. whose priesthood is fully verified in Church and civil records.

Bishops, shrine organizers, city officials, and the faithful gathered at St. Boniface Church in Quincy, Illinois, on April 29 to announce the shrine will be a holy site of the first recognized Black priest in the United States and will offer pilgrims an opportunity to learn about his life and pray where he prayed.

"This is an extraordinary moment not only for our area but for the Catholic Church in our country," Bishop Thomas John Paprocki of the Diocese of Springfield said.

The shrine will be located at the closed St. Boniface Church, which was built on the site of Tolton's first solemn high Mass in Quincy, making it a fitting site for a shrine dedicated to his life and growing legacy.

"To restore St. Boniface as a shrine dedicated to Father Tolton means preserving sacred history while creating a living place of prayer, hope, and renewal — all tied to a holy priest whose life is an example of authentic discipleship of Christ," Paprocki said. "This shrine will place Quincy firmly on the spiritual map for pilgrims seeking inspiration, healing, and deeper faith."

Honoring Tolton's life that shows the faithful we "can do extraordinary things and live a heroic Christian life," Paprocki said.

The shrine will be a sacred place where pilgrims can pray for Tolton's intercession and attend daily Mass. It is intended for all the faithful's prayers, but especially for seminarians and priests, for patience, reconciliation, and harmony, and all that Tolton endured in his life, organizers said.

Father Tolton

Tolton, whose first name is sometimes rendered as Augustine, Augustus, or August, was born into slavery in 1854, but in 1862, his mother and siblings made an escape across the Mississippi River to the free state of Illinois, eventually settling in Quincy. There, he attended St. Peter's Catholic School and discerned a call to the priesthood.

Despite his calling, no American seminary would accept him as a Black man. He chose to leave and go to Rome to study where he was later ordained a priest. Though he believed he would serve in Africa, he was instead sent back to Quincy.

"Father Tolton overcame the odds of slavery, prejudice, and racism to become a humble priest and someone after whom we should model our lives," Paprocki said.

Known for his powerful preaching and singing, Tolton ministered in Quincy for several years before later transferring to Chicago. He died on July 9, 1897, at the age of 43 and is buried at St. Peter's Cemetery in Quincy.

Bishop Joseph Perry, retired auxiliary bishop of Chicago and past vice president of the board of the National Black Catholic Congress, is leading the cause for the canonization of Tolton.

The cause was formally opened in 2010 by the Archdiocese of Chicago and on June 12, 2019, Pope Francis declared him "venerable." The cause is now focused on documenting a miracle attributed to Tolton's intercession.

"Father Tolton's own struggles pose a shining example of how to grapple with disappointment, protracted disappointments that constrain our lives, as well as how to endure when endurance may appear illogical," Perry said at the event. "In the end, his faith, hope, and love were found intact."

Fundraising efforts

The Quincy-based Committee for the Shrine for Father Augustine Tolton estimates that the church building will require $5 million in renovations, plus an additional $5 million to $7 million for campus expansion and continued care.

"This shrine will only be possible through the generosity of the faithful," Father Steven Arisman, chair of the Committee for The Shrine for Father Augustine Tolton, said.

"I encourage Catholics everywhere to prayerfully consider supporting this project. By helping build this shrine, you are helping preserve Father Tolton's legacy and offering future generations a place where hearts can be lifted to God and lives transformed by grace," he said.

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Federal prosecutors say a deacon at a Tulsa, Oklahoma-area Catholic parish stole nearly $1.5 million from the church over a period of several months in 2025.

Charging documents obtained by EWTN News allege that Deacon John Sommer engaged in a scheme to use parish funds for "personal interests" from March to October of that year.

The documents do not identify the parish in question, referring to it only as "the church," though local Tulsa news reports identified it as Christ the King Parish just outside of the city center. An archived version of the parish's website lists Sommer as a deacon there.

The charging documents, filed in U.S. District Court by the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Oklahoma, state that Sommer served as both business manager and parish manager at the church, where he was "primarily responsible for the administrative and financial functions" of the parish.

He was authorized to initiate financial transactions of up to $30,000 per day, the prosecutors said. Over the months that he allegedly perpetrated the scheme, he carried out dozens of unauthorized transfers that ultimately totaled about $1.4 million, according to the U.S. attorney's office.

The deacon further allegedly "altered the church's accounting records" to make it appear as if the transfers were legitimate.

The documents state that Sommer, if convicted, will forfeit the money to the U.S. government. He could face up to decades in prison according to the statutes under which he is charged.

The parish told local news outlets that most of the money had been recovered via insurance.

The Diocese of Tulsa says on its website that Sommer is on a "leave of absence." The deacon's LinkedIn page says he took the role of the parish's business manager in 2011.

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The three-day Our Lady of Christendom Pilgrimage (NSC, by its Italian acronym), an initiative of young people seeking the "sanctification of souls" through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, offering prayers, sacrifices, and acts of penance, recently took place in Italy for the first time.

The purpose of NSC Italy is to offer a way to grow spiritually centered on prayer, sacramental life, and fellowship, fostering a personal relationship with God and a sense of belonging to the Church.

These young people, who attend the Traditional Latin Mass and do not belong to any religious organization or community, also seek to contribute to the restoration of the spirit of Christendom and to rekindle the faith within a contemporary context marked by secularization, by offering opportunities where Christianity can be rediscovered in a living, concrete, and shared manner.

Giacomo Mollo, an Italian and one of the organizers, explained to ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, that the idea for organizing a pilgrimage in Italy came from his participation in the one held in Spain, whose route goes from Oviedo to the shrine of Our Lady of Covadonga.

"After that long, three-day trek spent with many other traditionalist Catholic youths following in the footsteps of the heroes of the Reconquista [the liberation of Spain from Muslim control], and blessed by the holy Mass, we decided that this beautiful form of evangelization, the pilgrimage of faith, which for millennia has converted Catholics throughout Europe, should also be held in Italy, and particularly in Rome," he explained.

Mollo, together with his friend Nicolò Toppi, launched the initiative with the support of a large group of young volunteers and priests.

The pilgrimage, held April 25–27, brought together 160 people, including laypeople, priests, and seminarians hailing from countries such as France, Spain, Argentina, Ireland, England, Hungary, Mexico, the United States, and Portugal.

"The experience was truly beautiful," Mollo related. "Beyond the smooth execution, we traversed magnificent places, remarkable both for their scenic beauty and for their spiritual significance for Catholics."

A route laden with meaning

The pilgrimage set out from the papal basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome and proceeded to St. John Lateran, passing in front of the "Quo Vadis" church and traversing the Old Appian Way until reaching Castel Gandolfo square, surrounding the papal residence.

The pilgrims visited the shrine of Our Lady of Good Counsel in Genazzano, to whom Pope Leo XIV has a special devotion, and attended Mass at the Colonna Castle, the birthplace of Pope Martin V.

Their destination was Subiaco, where Mass was offered at St. Scholastica Church, concluding with a visit to the cave where St. Benedict, the primary patron saint of Europe, developed his rule and laid the foundations of Western monasticism.

"All of this combined with the penitential meaning of the journey, the universality of the Church demonstrated by the participation of pilgrims from many parts of the world, and the communion of faith experienced while participating in the holy Mass according to the 'Usus Antiquior' [older or ancient usage] of the Roman rite, filled us all with an unimaginable sense of gratitude, beauty, and faith," Mollo highlighted.

Currently, organizers are working on next year's pilgrimage, as they expect a larger number of pilgrims.

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

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The International Association of Exorcists (AIE, by its Italian acronym) praised the "courage of Pope Leo" in the context of his constant calls for peace in the face of war and terrorism around the world and proposed various spiritual means to achieve peace.

"In light of the dramatic global events currently unfolding, Pope Leo XIV, following in the footsteps of his predecessors, stands out for his firm condemnation of all war and his heartfelt appeals for dialogue," the exorcists declared in an Italian-language statement titled "The Courage of Pope Leo."

Since the beginning of his pontificate, the Holy Father has issued many calls for dialogue and for striving for a peace that is "unarmed and disarming," especially in the face of the wars in Iran, the Holy Land, and Ukraine, among other conflicts including those in Africa, a continent he visited April 13–23, where he did not cease in his calls to put an end to the violence.

The trip was marked by some tensions between the Vatican and the U.S. government, as President Donald Trump on social media openly attacked Pope Leo XIV, who put the matter to rest by stating that he has no fear of the current U.S. administration and is fulfilling his mission to proclaim the Gospel, adding that he has no interest in entering into a debate with Trump.

The AIE noted that the current global situation is marked "by a dynamic of evil that runs through history: in which despite the presence of the devil whom Jesus called the 'prince of this world' (Jn 14:30) and the 'father of lies' (John 8:44), man's moral responsibility ultimately remains, for he remains free and called to choose the good."

"Added to the responsibility and culpability of those participating in the escalation of violence is a deeper crisis affecting the human heart wounded by sin and often incapable of recognizing truth and goodness," the exorcists pointed out.

After recalling that it is the Church's mission to proclaim that "Christ is our peace," the International Association of Exorcists said it "renews its filial closeness and support for Pope Leo XIV in the universal mission of peace and justice that belongs to the Church by mandate of its Divine Founder."

How to achieve peace?

In its exhortation, the AIE called for "never tiring of working for peace, above all through prayer, and by beginning from within our hearts, our families, and our communities to promote concrete and sincere gestures of mutual forgiveness and authentic reconciliation with all."

In this regard, the association called for various spiritual means such as "Eucharistic adoration, the recitation of the rosary, fasting, and works of mercy," which serve as "concrete ways for building peace."

The exorcists emphasized that "authentic peace is inseparable from liberation from sin and from the action of the evil one, and that spiritual combat is an intrinsic part of the Church's journey through history."

The AIE invoked the intercession of the Virgin Mary, Queen of Peace, to "enlighten the leaders of peoples and nations and grant humanity the gift of reconciliation and true peace, which has its foundation in Christ and its full realization in eternal life."

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

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The Department of Justice (DOJ) released a new report on April 30 detailing allegations of anti-Christian bias from former President Joe Biden's administration and unveiling how President Donald Trump's administration is working to reverse those policies.

"When Christian beliefs about morality and human nature conflicted with the Biden administration's views, religious rights often suffered," the executive summary says.

"The Biden administration generally tolerated religious beliefs that were privately held but zealously pursued actions to limit Christians' ability to act in accordance with their faith," the report says. "This affected matters of deep personal importance to nearly every American: life, family, marriage, and self-identity."

The report, titled "Eradicating Anti-Christian Bias within the Federal Government," was issued by the Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias, which Trump established in February 2025.

The review lists Biden-era regulations related to abortion, contraception, gender, and human sexuality, among other issues, which often pitted the government against religious institutions, such as the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

Similar issues also exist in "state and local governments and the private sector," it notes, which had either "limited interference" or "tacit support" from the Biden administration.

It also alleges a "weaponization" of the government against Christians, which includes concerns about the Richmond office of the FBI investigating what it called "radical traditionalist Catholics" along with criminal convictions of pro-life protesters under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act.

The report notes that the Trump administration has worked to rescind those regulations and end those practices. It also states the administration has sought to incorporate faith into public life.

"No American should live in fear that the federal government will punish them for their faith," Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, the chair of the Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias, said in a statement.

"As our report lays out, the Biden administration's actions devastated the lives of many Christian Americans," he said. "That devastation ended with President Trump. The Department of Justice will continue to expose bad actors who targeted Christians and work tirelessly to restore religious liberty for all Americans of faith."

Biden-era regulations

A major issue noted in the DOJ report is the Biden administration's reading of the 2019 Supreme Court decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, which found the Civil Rights Act bans discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

The report notes the first Trump administration issued a memorandum on Bostock instructing the DOJ to interpret that ruling without violating religious liberty.

Yet the Biden administration rescinded that memorandum and issued a new one that the report states "applied the ruling to sex-based discrimination in federally funded schools and sports."

"The Biden DOJ also considered requests for religious exemptions as harmful conduct to be regulated and pushed its incorrect Bostock interpretation in amicus briefs, even though federal courts repeatedly rejected it," it states.

In one example, the report notes that the U.S. Department of Agriculture tied this interpretation of Bostock to the National School Lunch Program. Initially, religious freedom objections were considered on a case-by-case basis, but the administration eventually issued a memo that acknowledged religious exemptions.

"The policy left Christian schools and ministries with a coercive choice: If they wanted to feed the hungry using these programs, they would need to abandon the Bible's teachings on sex and marriage," it states.

"As a result, the Biden USDA pushed many Christians out of the programs," it adds. "The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis, for example, chose to remove all of its parochial schools from the National School Lunch Program, even after the Biden USDA issued its memo acknowledging Title IX's religious exemption."

This interpretation was also applied to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) rules for what the Biden administration called "gender affirming care for minors." The report notes that "many providers interpreted [this] as a requirement with limited or no religious exemptions." Similar to the lunch program, religious exemptions were looked at on a case-by-case basis.

Similar rules were applied to workplaces through the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

Other regulations scaled back conscience protections related to abortion and contraception. It notes, for example, that HHS and DOJ withdrew a notice of violation against the University of Vermont Medical Center after it "coerced a Christian nurse into participating in an abortion despite her religious objections."

In other examples, HHS issued guidance that required hospitals, including Catholic hospitals, to offer abortions in certain circumstances under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act. The Biden administration also interpreted the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act to force employers to accommodate an employee's abortion, "regardless of whether doing so would conflict with an employer's religious rights," the report states.

"The findings presented by the task force raise serious concerns about whether certain Biden-era policies and practices were administered in a manner consistent with the Constitution and applicable federal law," the report states.

"These concerns implicate core American commitments — religious liberty, equal treatment, and the rule of law — that protect all Americans of faith and conscience," it adds.

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