The pope met with the chief bishop of the Armenian Apostolic Church of Cilicia headquartered in Lebanon, emphasizing his concern for that country and the role of ecumenism for Christian unity.
On Monday, May 18, Pope Leo XIV received at the Vatican His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia of the Armenian Apostolic Church, one of the most prominent figures in Eastern Christianity.
The Armenian Apostolic Church, part of the Oriental Orthodox Church, is headquartered in Antelias, Lebanon.
During the audience held at the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father underscored the profound bond uniting the two churches, marked in a special way by the figure of St. Paul, whom he described as the "apostle of communion."
In addition to St. Paul, the pontiff cited other saints who worked for Christian unity, such as St. Nerses, considered a "pioneer of ecumenism." In this context, Leo underscored "the tireless ecumenical zeal" of Aram I, 79 years old and one of the founders of the Middle East Council of Churches.
Pope Leo XIV also thanked him for his closeness to the Church of Rome and especially for his personal commitment to promoting theological dialogue.
"I sincerely hope that, despite recent difficulties, this dialogue will continue with renewed vigor, for there can be no restoration of communion between our churches without unity in faith," he emphasized.
The pope recalled his visit last December to Lebanon, a land that continues to "face severe trials" and that, for so long, "has shown the whole world that it is possible for people of diverse cultures and religions to live together as one nation."
"At a time when the unity and integrity of your country are once again under threat, our churches are called to strengthen the fraternal bonds that unite not only Christians amongst themselves but also with their brothers and sisters from other communities in their shared homeland," he noted.
Pope Leo XIV assured Aram I of his prayers for the nation and conveyed his "deep concern" for the people of Lebanon and for the Churches of the Middle East.
The pontiff asked the Holy Spirit to grant them the gift of unity and lasting peace.
At the close of the audience with the Holy Father, a moment of ecumenical prayer took place in the Urban VIII Chapel of the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican.
This marks the first official meeting between Leo XIV and the Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, who will also participate in the pope's general audience on Wednesday, May 20.
During his visit to the Vatican, Aram I will also meet with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and visit the Dicasteries for Promoting Christian Unity, Interreligious Dialogue, and Eastern Churches, as well as the Pontifical Armenian College.
On May 19, he is scheduled to deliver a lecture titled "The Challenges of the Churches in the Middle East" at the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome.
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.
Relatives and former novices gathered in northeast India to honor two priests and a brother killed by militants in 2001 — even as fresh ethnic violence roils the region.
DIMAPUR, India — The cemetery of the Salesian province of Dimapur in northeast India was the scene of a solemn remembrance May 15 marking the 25th anniversary of the killing of three Salesian members at a novitiate in neighboring Manipur state.
Father Raphael Paliakara, the 46-year-old novitiate rector; Father Andreas Kindo, the 32-year-old newly appointed administrator; and 23-year-old Brother Shinu Joseph were shot dead at the Salesian novitiate at Ngarian Hills in Manipur on the night of May 15, 2001.
Relatives pray during a memorial Mass honoring three Salesians killed in Manipur in 2001 at the Salesian provincial house in Dimapur, India, on May 15, 2026. | Credit: Anto Akkara
"I remember the deep pain of May 15, 2001," recalled Father Joseph Pamplackal, Salesian provincial of Dimapur, presiding over the memorial Mass held at the cemetery with dozens of Salesian priests, including 10 who had been novices at the time and were present at the novitiate during the attack.
"Today we remember the beauty of Salesian missionary spirit. When Father Raphael was shot, Father Andreas rushed forward to protect him, and Brother Shinu too was shot. They died for the faith and inspired many to witness to the faith," Pamplackal said at the Mass.
Twenty-eight relatives of the three slain Salesians traveled from the southern state of Kerala and from Jharkhand in eastern India for the occasion.
'Shepherds who did not flee'
A memorial card distributed at the event described the three as "shepherds who did not flee" and summarized the events of 2001: "They laid down their lives for us … when armed militants stormed the novitiate demanding money and the novices' lives."
"Money was handed over, but [they] refused to surrender any novice. They died as true shepherds standing between the wolf and the flock," the card said.
Father Josekutty Madathiparambil, one of the 27 novices sheltered during the attack, told EWTN News on May 19 that the events of that night shaped his vocation.
"What happened that night influenced my life a lot. Their sacrifice has given a new meaning to life," said Madathiparambil, who is originally from Kerala and now serves in eastern Arunachal Pradesh state.
"The militants had asked the fathers to bring out the novices, separating them as 'locals' [from Manipur] and 'outsiders.' That would have been the end of our lives. But they fulfilled what Jesus has said: 'There is no greater love than laying down one's life for others,'" he said.
After the memorial service, the Salesians — including 10 of the novices who went on to become priests — joined the family members of the slain Salesians in a two-hour gathering that included the screening of the documentary "They Laid Down Their Lives for Us" produced for the occasion.
"Today we are celebrating the silver jubilee of their martyrdom, which has not gone in vain. We are the proof for that," said Father Anthony Kangba Rang in his testimony.
"We were heartbroken when we came here for the funeral 25 years ago," recalled John Paliakara, elder brother of Father Raphael, who brought eight members of the Paliakara family, including three siblings, from Kerala for the anniversary.
"But it is no more a tragic memory. They saved the lives of 27 novices. We are proud of it," he told EWTN News.
Ethnic tensions persist
As the Salesians prepared for the anniversary, they received a grim reminder of the continuing ethnic tensions in Manipur when two Salesian brothers were kidnapped on May 13.
"I was very tense hearing about this, and that too round the jubilee time," said Father Shyjan Chemmaparappallil, another 2001 novice who was in Manipur that day.
"Our prayers were heard, and they were released unharmed the next night," he said during the jubilee commemoration.
Relatives of three Salesians killed in Manipur in 2001 and members of the Salesian community gather at the provincial cemetery in Dimapur, India, for a 25th-anniversary memorial on May 15, 2026. | Credit: Anto Akkara
Father Suresh Innocent, from whose care the two ethnic Naga Salesian brothers were taken at an impromptu road checkpoint by Kuki groups, described the ordeal.
"I was shattered. Because of their ethnic [Naga] identity, they were taken away. It is reported that it was a tit-for-tat kidnapping, as some ethnic Kukis had been kidnapped earlier in the day," Innocent told EWTN News on May 16 after bringing the brothers to the Dimapur provincial house.
"Due to prayers and high-level interventions, they were released in 24 hours," he said.
The kidnapping took place on the same day that three Kuki Baptist pastors were killed in an ambush in Kangpokpi district, an attack that has further deepened the ethnic crisis in the state.
The Islamic Center said it had lost "three pillars of our community," two men and a security guard, who "put themselves on the line for our [mosque] and our community."
San Diego Bishop Michael Pham condemned the "senseless act of violence" at a local Islamic mosque on May 18, an attack that left five people dead — three victims and two teenage suspects who died by suicide.
The city government said police responded to the shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego just before noon on May 18. Three adult victims, including a security guard, were found dead outside of the center, while the two suspects — aged 17 and 19 — were found dead several blocks away with self-inflicted gunshot wounds.
The FBI is helping with the investigation, the city said. The shooting is being investigated as a hate crime.
In a statement released on May 18, Pham said the local Catholic community "stand[s] united in solidarity and prayer with the Muslim community" in San Diego.
Decrying the "senseless act of violence" at the mosque, Pham said the Islamic Center of San Diego "has been a longtime partner in our collaborative work for justice, especially in accompanying immigrants."
"Houses of worship must always be sanctuaries of peace, safety, and prayer," the bishop said. "An attack on one faith community is an attack on the sacred dignity of all human life."
The bishop offered his "deepest condolences, solidarity, and fervent prayers to the families of the victims and the entire Muslim community."
As of the morning of May 19 police had not yet released information about the suspects in the shooting; their names were being withheld "pending notifications," according to the city government.
In a statement on its Facebook page, the Islamic Center said it had lost "three pillars of our community," including the security guard, who "gave his life protecting the children and community members" of the facility.
The three men who were killed "put themselves on the line for our [mosque] and our community," the center said, describing them as "men of courage, sacrifice, and faith."
In another post the mosque said it had established a victim support fund for those impacted by the tragedy.
On its website the center said it was "closed until further notice." The facility opened in 1989 and is the largest mosque in San Diego County.
The mosque was the target of a bomb attack in 1991 when an explosive device was found in a bathroom there. The device did not explode and nobody was injured in the incident.
A Latin Patriarchate official said Israel declined to renew Father Louis Salman's visa after Facebook posts were deemed "incitement," forcing the Jordanian priest to leave his ministry near Bethlehem.
A Catholic priest forced by Israel to leave the West Bank said farewell to his parishioners with a message of obedience, sorrow, and faith, saying he was returning to Jordan after serving the Christian community near Bethlehem.
"I have left Palestine, the land I loved, to return to my beloved homeland, Jordan, continuing the mission of the Gospel and justice," Father Louis Salman wrote in a farewell message to the faithful.
Salman had served in Beit Sahour, at the Shepherds' Field near Bethlehem, where he had become a much-loved figure among local Christians.
"In a spirit of priestly obedience, I accept all divine will and wisdom with hope and faith despite the deep pain," the priest said in a message shared by the Bethlehem Institute for Peace and Justice. "I knew that speaking the truth is costly, and here I am paying the price. Not with regret, but with great love, like my crucified Christ."
The priest described Jesus as his "example and teacher" and concluded his farewell by recalling the words of the Gospel: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."
Father Louis Salman. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Father Louis Salman
Young priest with great pastoral potential
In comments to ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, Bishop William Shomali, vicar general of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, said Salman's visa "was not renewed because he had made some political statements on Facebook that were considered by Israel to be incitement."
"The Church did everything possible to resolve the situation, but Shabak [Israel's internal security service] did not give a positive response," Shomali said. "The Christian community in general — especially his parish and the young people he served as spiritual director — was deeply affected, especially during the farewell gathering they organized for him."
Shomali clarified that Salman "was not physically expelled."
"However, since his visa was not renewed, he was asked to leave discreetly to avoid any further tension," the bishop said. "That is how the situation unfolded."
Shomali said the priest's future has already been arranged, adding that Salman will "soon receive a new assignment in one of our dioceses, since he is a good young priest with great pastoral potential."
Interrogation and departure
According to sources familiar with the case cited by The Pillar in late April, the priest underwent an unusually lengthy interrogation.
Afterward, authorities of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem reportedly advised Salman to leave Palestine for his own safety. He later received official notification that his visa would not be renewed, with no formal justification provided. The deadline for him to leave was May 11.
According to The Pillar, Jerusalem sources who requested anonymity said the case may mark the first time Israel has intervened so directly in internal Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem personnel decisions.
The same sources said the patriarchate does not plan to make public statements for the time being as it prepares for a possible legal battle expected to be long and complex.
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.
Declining wages among working-class men are not the main driver of marriage decline in America, the report said.
Cultural shifts regarding sex and unwed childbearing as well as heightened material expectations for marriage are the driving forces behind America's falling marriage rates, according to a Heritage Foundation report.
While declining wages among working-class men is sometimes cited as reason for declining marriage rates, especially among moderate- to low-income brackets, Rachel Sheffield, a Heritage Foundation research fellow, said "the data tell a different story."
Over the past 50 years, the report said, marriage rates have declined from more than 90% of Americans having married by ages 30-35 in 1962 to 55% as of 2025.
"While inflation-adjusted earnings did decline among working-class and lower-income men during the 1970s and 1980s, earnings rose thereafter and have fluctuated since then — even as marriage rates have steadily dropped," the report said. "Although economic factors may explain why marriage declined during some periods across the past several decades, cultural shifts instead have been the main drivers."
"The economic argument doesn't really hold up to scrutiny," Sheffield told EWTN News. Sheffield said census data about the median earnings of men in their 20s and 30s has been "mostly flat" or fluctuated but not gone down consistently overall. Though "at certain times there were downturns," she said, wages have "reached some of the highest levels they have had in the last 50 years."
"I think the bigger point is that in the past," she said, "owning a home or having a particular size of home was less of a prerequisite to entering marriage than it is today."
Sheffield said one of the factors driving higher material expectations is that "people go into marriage today with more of an expectation that this might not last because of shifts over time in divorce rates."
According to Pew Research Center data, 1 in 3 Americans who have ever been married have also experienced a divorce. However, Pew Research Center notes that divorce rates have been down since the 1980s, partly due to the married population shifting to adults with higher levels of education and people with lower levels of education becoming less likely to marry at all.
While Sheffield said cultural norms about sex and childbearing have shifted across income levels, the shift has been most impactful on the working class, which she said is more likely to have children out of wedlock.
"People at all education and income levels have embraced the cultural push to disconnect marriage and sex, but among the college-educated, roughly 90% of children are born within marriage," the report said. "While the college-educated are most likely to promote the cultural messages that marriage is unnecessary, outdated, and even oppressive, they do not practice what they preach."
Furthermore, she said, "having a child [outside of marriage] is going to make it less likely for you to get married down the road because it is just a greater family complexity."
On a policy level, Sheffield called for funds from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program to be used for "strengthening marriages," including through high school marriage education programs.
She highlighted Utah's "Healthy Marriage Initiative" as a strong example of a state providing marriage-preparation resources, including a discount on marriage licenses for couples who complete premarital education programs.
In addition to front-loading marriage education at the high school level, Sheffield called for a reorientation of cultural messages in the media, TV shows, and advertisements that "have information on why marriage is important and that can lead people to educational resources on how to strengthen marriage."
A priest offers guidelines on how to determine whom to vote for based on the principles found in Scripture and the social doctrine of the Church.
One of the questions that often weighs on a Catholic's conscience when elections approach is how to decide which candidate to vote for.
Father Duberley Salazar has developed the "Discern" method, which is presented through short videos available on the "Clínica del Alma" ("Clinic for the Soul") Instagram account. Salazar explained to ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, that the videos serve "as a practical tool to guide and form one's conscience in making responsible political decisions."
"We live in complex times: times of moral confusion, social polarization, and political decisions that profoundly shape the destiny of individuals, families, and peoples. In this context, a decisive question arises: How should a Christian discern when faced with concrete political choices?" the Colombian priest states in the introductory video.
He also points out that Christianity possesses "an inescapable social and political dimension"; consequently, the method he has developed is grounded in that "which seeks the common good and which the Gospel illuminates, purifies, and elevates" and seeks to enlighten those believers who "experience a disconnect between the faith they profess and the decisions they make in public life."
"They believe, but they don't always discern. They vote, but not always from a formed conscience. From this dissonance is born a weak, disembodied faith incapable of transforming history," he notes.
The videos have been developed based on the "principles of sacred Scripture, the social doctrine of the Church, moral theology, philosophy, political science, bioethics, and psychology, uniting faith and reason, spirituality and social responsibility."
The program "is neither an ideological manual nor a partisan guide. It is an ethical and spiritual compass, designed to inform the conscience without imposing decisions," the priest explains.
For example, the first video, titled "God First," invites viewers to pray and place their vote in God's hands before making a decision, because "it's not about choosing what suits me best but rather what glorifies God and promotes the common good."
The second video, titled "Get Informed," urges viewers not to vote "blindly" but rather to inform themselves beforehand regarding the situation in their country or locality, each candidate, their platforms, and "their respect for the rule of law, the constitution, and democratic norms."
"Faith does not exclude reason; on the contrary, it enlightens and purifies it," the video notes.
Thus, the method proceeds, reflecting on service, consistency with Christian values, listening to that voice within, responsibility, the need to be exemplary in virtue, inspiration that edifies, and resilience.
What to do when there is no ideal candidate
In a document shared with ACI Prensa, Salazar explains that if, after evaluating the candidates, it is discovered that "none fully meet" the outlined criteria, one may "apply the moral principle of the 'lesser evil' or the 'choosing the possible good.'"
"This principle teaches that, in situations where no option is ideal, it is licit to choose the least harmful one or the one that offers greater consistency with Christian values, thereby avoiding contribution to a greater evil or to the deterioration of society," he states.
The priest points out that "the intention is not to seek human perfection, which no one possesses, but rather to act with responsibility, prudence, and faithful obedience to the Gospel, insofar as is possible."
He also noted that St. Thomas Aquinas referred to this moral principle when he noted: "Do not do evil so that good may come of it; always do whatever good you can, and avoid whatever evil is possible."
"This means that when voting, it is not merely a matter of choosing what comes closest to the good, but also of avoiding options that could gravely harm the common good or human dignity," Salazar explains.
However, if one determines that no candidate respects fundamental values, "the option of casting a blank ballot exists in some electoral systems as a way to express your dissatisfaction."
The priest points out that "from a moral and Christian standpoint, this option may be legitimate when, in truth, none of the candidates represents the common good or consistency with fundamental values."
But he noted that it is also important "to discern whether this gesture responsibly expresses your will or if, on the contrary, it could indirectly favor an option contrary to those values."
"For this reason, the principle of the 'lesser evil' invites you not only to choose the least harmful option but also to evaluate the real consequences of your vote within the specific context of your country and of society as a whole," Salazar notes.
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.
Catholic participants at the event included U.S. Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Bishop Robert Barron and actor Jonathan Roumie.
In a marathon ecumenical prayer and praise celebration ahead of the nation's 250th anniversary, top U.S. political figures gathered with major faith leaders and several thousand Americans on May 17 to reflect on the role of Providence in American history and rededicate the country as "One Nation under God."
The event, which was held under the auspices of Freedom 250, the country's public-private initiative leading the celebration of the United States' 250th birthday, also commemorated the act of the American colonies' Continental Congress which ahead of the Revolutionary War proclaimed for May 17, 1776 a "Day of Humiliation, Fasting and Prayer."
In that proclamation, the leaders of the nascent nation urged their fellow citizens to "confess and bewail our manifold sins and transgressions, and by a sincere repentance and amendment of life, appease his [God's] righteous displeasure, and through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ, obtain his pardon and forgiveness."
Catholic participants at the "Rededicate 250" event, held on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., included U.S. Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Bishop Robert Barron and actor Jonathan Roumie who plays Jesus in "The Chosen" television series.
President Trump did not attend or offer a customized message for the event. Instead, a video of the president from last month's "America Reads The Bible" event was played in which Trump reads from 2 Chronicles, including verse 7:14 "If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."
In a video message to the gathering, Cardinal Timothy Dolan noted that "in every chapter of the American story our faith in God has been the bedrock of our greatness."
"Our deepest values as a country have always been rooted in our identity as a people of God and anchored in the reality that we're not only American citizens — you bet we are and grateful for it — but that we are bound some day to be citizens of Heaven," Dolan emphasized, adding that "our founders knew that. They knew that in order to be faithful and productive citizens and true patriots, well we must recognize that we're children of God first."
Driving home the point, Dolan cited the nation's preeminent founding father and first president, George Washington, who in 1778 said "While we are zealously performing the duties of good Citizens and soldiers we certainly ought not to be inattentive to the higher duties of Religion — To the distinguished Character of Patriot, it should be our highest Glory to add the more distinguished Character of Christian."
Dolan also took the occasion to inform the audience that the nation's bishops will "consecrate the United States of America to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus on June 12th of this year."
The central prayer of the event was led by Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Mike Johnson, who at the outset of his prayer recalled the nation's legislative forebears' act of May 17, 1776, which he noted they did "to humble themselves and to seek Your guidance at the dawn of their fight for freedom."
The resulting nation, Johnson continued, "would become, by Your mercy and grace, the most successful, most benevolent nation in the history of the world."
"Lord, today our people gather once again in your Name," Johnson prayed. "We have humbled ourselves before You. We acknowledge that the miracle of our founding and the countless miracles that have followed are Your doing."
"We pray that You bestow on all Americans a renewed love of country, hope for the future and faith in Your everlasting mercy and grace," Johnson continued. "Father we pray mercy upon our land, mercy upon us for our mistakes, forgive us of our sins individually and collectively and help us to devote ourselves with renewed piety and patriotism to the eternal truths of Your Word."
As he concluded his prayer, Johnson declared that "Today, here Lord, in this 250th year of American independence, we hereby rededicate the United States of America as one nation under God" and he asked for the Holy Spirit to descend upon the American homeland.
Johnson was followed by one of the country's best known Catholic prelates, Bishop Robert Barron, who referenced Blessed Fulton Sheen's saying that America's Declaration of Independence amounts to a "Declaration of Dependence" upon God.
"Lord, on this great national anniversary we gather to rededicate our country to You," Barron prayed. "Not because You need our devotion, but because by praising You we receive grace upon grace."
Recalling that the United States rests on theological foundations, Barron concluded his prayer by declaring that "as a bishop of the Catholic Church and as a proud American, I make bold to dedicate our country once more to God and to say Lord, let the light of Thy face shine upon our land. Amen."
A new Office of National Drug Control Policy report emphasizes the important role of faith-based partnerships.
A White House official in President Donald Trump's administration expressed a desire to work more closely with churches and faith-based leaders in efforts to confront both drug and human trafficking and assist in recovery.
Victor Avila, assistant director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), made the comments during a panel discussion on border security and immigration enforcement hosted by the America First Policy Institute's (AFPI) Hispanic Leadership Coalition in Washington, D.C., on May 14.
"We need to get the church involved," he said, referencing a ONDCP report that emphasizes the importance of faith-based partners.
The report, issued this month, details the administration's drug control strategy and states the office will ensure access to evidence-based prevention and recovery programs that are faith-based. It lists faith leaders as important partners and advocates and encourages them to use their role to promote a social norm that is opposed to using drugs and supportive of treatment for addicts.
Avila told EWTN News after the panel that he hopes churches can also assist in the realm of human trafficking, noting that much of it "happens in plain sight."
Both the Vatican and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops have been outspoken on the issue of human trafficking in recent years, with the Vatican hosting an international conference last year on the issue and the U.S. bishops running programs and promoting policies to combat human trafficking.
Illicit drugs, human trafficking, and border policies
The discussion of drug control and human trafficking was part of a broader conversation about border security and immigration enforcement in the country.
While the U.S. bishops support border security, they have been at odds with the administration over various immigration enforcement policies.
During the panel, Avila indicated that the work to secure the border has been essential to the "drop in drugs coming in" and noted "the illegal alien rate [is] almost at zero." He specifically noted significant drops in poisonings related to fentanyl, which he also credited to dramatically improved border security during the current administration.
Alfonso Aguilar, AFPI director of Hispanic engagement, similarly noted humanitarian concerns that overlap with border security, noting people making journeys to cross the border unlawfully often face "violence, exploitation, and even death along the way" with many women and girls being victimized through "rape and sexual assault."
"That's not a humane system," he said, emphasizing that migration should be "effective, lawful, and humane."
America First Policy Institute's Alfonso Aguilar speaks at a May 14, 2026, forum on U.S. immigration enforcement and border security. | Credit: Ken Oliver-Méndez/EWTN News
Panelists, including Avila and Aguilar, defended the administration's mass deportation agenda, arguing that those policies are required for safety. Although a low percentage of migrants facing deportation have committed violent crimes, panelists claimed that a majority have some form of criminal history.
Aguilar said that number is 70% — the same number reported by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This number includes people convicted of crimes and those who face charges but have no convictions. It includes both felonies and misdemeanors.
Speaking to EWTN News, Aguilar said some nonviolent crimes are serious: "Child pornography is not a violent crime. It is a serious crime. Those are being detained as well." During the panel, he noted other nonviolent crimes that put people at risk, such as driving while intoxicated.
"There is a 30% who are collateral arrests, but they are arrested when there's an enforcement operation going after a criminal," he told EWTN News.
Michael Garcia, a former Republican congressman from California, said during the panel that it's important to "hold the criminals accountable first," calling enforcement "common sense."
During the panel, Emilio González, former director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, also noted that he is an immigrant, but he considers illegal immigration to be the greatest threat to legal immigration.
"It should be legal, it should be safe, it should be orderly," he said.
Family separation, mass deportations
Before the panel began, Aguilar, a Catholic, quoted the concerns Cardinal Robert Sarah has expressed about large-scale migration, in which the cardinal noted that people come to Europe "penniless, without work, without dignity."
"The Church cannot cooperate with this new form of slavery that has become mass migration," Sarah said.
At the same time, Pope Leo XIV has encouraged support for migrants. In addition, the USCCB overwhelmingly backed a November 2025 joint statement to oppose "the indiscriminate mass deportation of people" and unnecessary separation of families.
A Brookings Institution report this week estimated that more than 100,000 children have been separated from their families as part of deportation proceedings.
A DHS spokesperson said in a statement to EWTN News that immigration enforcement "does not separate families," adding: "Parents are asked if they want to be removed with their children or ICE will place the children with a safe person the parent designates. This is consistent with past administrations' immigration enforcement."
Avila, who had a career in federal law enforcement before joining the Trump administration, told EWTN News it's "not a good feeling for us as police officers" to separate families, but that if someone in the country unlawfully has children who are citizens, then they have an option for the children to remain in the country or leave with the parent.
"They think that if my kid is a U.S. citizen that I get to somehow stay here," he said, adding that this situation does not justify remaining in the country unlawfully.
"I arrested countless people in my career," Avila said of his law enforcement experience. "One hundred percent of the time, I separated families."
He said immigration enforcement has "separated families all the time" including when Avila worked for DHS under former President Barack Obama. He alleged a "double standard" in rhetoric from "the [political] left."
DHS reported more than 675,000 deportations in Trump's first year in office and has estimated more than 2.2 million self-deportations in that time period. Some organizations, including the Center for Migration Studies, have questioned the asserted self-deportation numbers.
Archbishop John Wester challenged the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration's position that increased pit production complies with the 1970 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
Archbishop John C. Wester of Santa Fe, New Mexico, has strongly urged the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) to stop expanding production of plutonium pits, the triggers used in nuclear weapons.
In a written statement, read by a priest on Wester's behalf at a public hearing on May 14, the archbishop described nuclear weapons as "immoral" and "genocidal." The priest who read the statement is from Hiroshima, Japan, where the U.S. dropped the first atomic bomb in 1945.
The hearing, the fourth of five scheduled this month, drew more than 130 people in person and roughly 100 online, with the vast majority expressing opposition to the agency's draft environmental impact statement, in which it lays out its plan to ramp up plutonium pit production.
Wester directly challenged the position of the NNSA that increased pit production complies with the 1970 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). He argued that the treaty's core bargain requires nuclear-armed states to work toward disarmament, a commitment he said has not been fulfilled.
"The essential bargain of the NPT was that the nuclear weapons states try to negotiate nuclear disarmament," Wester's statement said. "The nuclear weapons powers have never upheld that part of the bargain."
The NNSA proposal calls for at least 80 pits per year by 2030, as required by the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act, potentially split between Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico and the Savannah River Site in South Carolina.
Between the two locations, they could produce around 200 pits per year.
The current number of pits being produced annually is "classified," according to Toni Chiri, a spokesperson for the NNSA's Los Alamos field office.
Chiri stated that the agency values public input and will consider comments as it prepares a final environmental impact statement.
'Peace through atomic strength'
Nevertheless, Chiri emphasized the NNSA's mission. "We make weapons that deter our adversaries. Atomic strength is essential for U.S. nuclear deterrence and national security."
During the hearing, a screen displayed the NNSA's slogan: "Peace through atomic strength." The NNSA is housed within the U.S. Department of Energy.
The prelate's intervention carried particular weight coming from the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, which has lived for decades with the legacy of nuclear weapons development at Los Alamos in northern New Mexico.
Wester's message aligns with consistent Church teaching that the use of nuclear weapons is incompatible with peace and human dignity.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church explicitly condemns "indiscriminate destruction of whole cities or vast areas with their inhabitants," calling them "a crime against God and man."
It does not, however, explicitly declare the possession of nuclear weapons immoral. That stronger language has come more recently from Pope Francis.
In 2022, Francis wrote: "I wish to reaffirm that the use of nuclear weapons, as well as their mere possession, is immoral," in a letter to Ambassador Alexander Kmentt, president of the First Meeting of States Parties, regarding the U.N. Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
During his year-old pontificate, Pope Leo XIV has made multiple calls for peace. He has also warned of the dangers of modern warfare, including the threat of nuclear escalation at a time when global tensions remain high, and he has called for renewed international efforts toward disarmament and de-escalation.
Comments on the draft environmental impact statement will be accepted until July 16. The NNSA expects to issue a final decision early next year, though some commenters noted that as the agency is required by law to manufacture the pits, public hearings are useless.
Chiri said, however, that "NNSA does listen; we take the comments — especially those that actually address the document — and consider those as we work towards our final document."
"Based on the turnout tonight, it's clear that the public is paying attention and wants to provide its input," she said.
Many attendees at the hearing also raised concerns about environmental impacts, water usage, waste disposal, and the health of workers and surrounding communities. Several speakers also questioned why a genuine "no-action" alternative — meaning no new pit production — was not seriously considered.
The pope expressed his gratitude to the papal society founded in 1905, which raises funds to support and strengthen under-resourced mission dioceses throughout the United States.
In an address to its board of governors, Pope Leo XIV thanked the Catholic Extension Society on May 18 for the assistance it provides to the poor.
The pontiff praised the organization's founder, Father Francis Clement Kelley, who more than 120 years ago "sought to reach out to remote faith communities across the United States in order to bring to them the very life of Christ through the sacraments and the support of a larger Catholic community."
"This missionary enthusiasm is still needed today, and so I would like to thank you for your continued efforts to minister to the needs of the poorer Catholic communities both in the United States and abroad," the pope noted.
"In a particular way, I would like to commend your work in Cuba and in Puerto Rico. The support you provide to these communities is a beautiful expression of the universality of the Church and a living reminder that 'love for our neighbor is tangible proof of the authenticity of our love for God,'" the pope emphasized, citing his apostolic exhortation Dilexi Te.
He praised the pastoral care the society offers to the most disadvantaged "as well as to the numerous immigrant families in the United States."
"It is imperative that our brothers and sisters experience the warmth of a community which is marked by the presence of Christ," he emphasized.
The Catholic Extension Society raises funds to support and strengthen under-resourced mission dioceses throughout the United States. Founded in 1905, it is headquartered in Chicago.
The pope, a native of the Chicago area, took this opportunity to make a joke: "When someone from Dolton, Illinois, comes, we have to open all the doors! There aren't many of us around anymore," he quipped.
As they continue their mission, he added, Catholic Extension Society's dedication to not "only alleviate the temporal needs of those less fortunate" but also to "invest in building up vibrant Catholic communities is particularly necessary today."
"Faith-filled communities provide an opportunity for individuals to experience the joy of new life in Christ lived out in a daily, ordinary fashion," the Holy Father pointed out.
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.
