Catholic News

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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Nearly 1,000 children were abused by hundreds of priests across three dioceses in Massachusetts for decades, a report by the state's attorney general said.

The report, published on Sept. 30, found evidence that "more than 270 Catholic clerics abused nearly 1,000 children over the course of a century in the Dioceses of Fall River, Springfield, and Worcester," state Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell said.

Leaders of the three dioceses failed to respond to allegations of abuse over the years, the attorney general said; diocesan leadership often transferred accused priests to other parishes and "failed to consistently report allegations to law enforcement," according to the report.

Among the contributing factors to the abuse epidemic, according to the report, was a "culture of reverence and indulgence" toward priests.

Around mid-century, priests "were viewed as holy, and their attention or attachment to a particular family was encouraged," the report says. These social dynamics "allowed offending priests easy access to victims."

The investigation was launched in 2019 and involved more than 300,000 pages of documentation as well as interviews with more than 100 people, including victims of child sex abuse.

The inquiry is similar to those that have been undertaken in other states, including in Michigan, where the state's attorney general has periodically released reports on the seven dioceses there.

The Massachusetts report covers every diocese in the state except the Archdiocese of Boston. That archdiocese has been subject to lengthy scrutiny after having been among the earliest subjects of abuse inquiries starting in 2002.

The attorney general's report said the three dioceses "often intentionally did not document child sexual abuse allegations or used coded and euphemistic language to conceal them." The office said it "worked diligently to create as complete a record as possible" of abuse in the dioceses.

As with similar reports in other states, the Massachusetts investigation mostly concerned abuse that was decades old. The "majority of known abuse" occurred "before 2002," prior to major public awareness of the clergy abuse scandal, the report said.

The report expressed hope that the investigation would "result in a stronger commitment to a safer environment within these dioceses." It thanked the child abuse victims who came forward to contribute to the inquiry.

It was not immediately clear how many of the instances of abuse in the report had already been identified and/or reported by the three dioceses. A query to the state attorney general's office was not immediately returned.

Dioceses apologize

Both the Worcester Diocese and the Fall River Diocese had issued responses to the report by the afternoon of Sept. 30 in which they apologized to victims of sexual abuse. A statement from the Diocese of Worcester said it would study the report to "identify any additional improvements" it could make to its child safety policies.

The diocese noted that the report found the "vast majority of cases" occurred decades ago and that it had significantly updated its screening procedures in the years since.

Fall River Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, SDV, meanwhile, said in a statement that he was "filled with sorrow" over the details of the report.

The diocese has developed a "culture of protection" to ensure children are not abused, including reporting abuse allegations to law enforcement and enhancing safety protocols, the bishop said.

Da Cunha said that during his time as bishop he has "learned much about the best practices for protecting children and vulnerable adults in our care."

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Pope Leo XIV encouraged contemplative nuns to uphold their commitment to silence amid a noisy world and aging religious communities.

"[Silence] is particularly important in a world characterized by speed, where everything must be immediately visible and every void must be filled in a hurry," Leo said.

The pontiff made these remarks during a private audience with a delegation from the International Commission of Dominican Contemplative Nuns on Sept. 30.

In June, Leo declared Sister Maria Petra Giordano venerable. An Italian Dominican nun, Giordano was selected to help revise the constitutions of Dominican nuns after the Second Vatican Council.

'Silence helps people hear God's voice'

In his address, Leo encouraged the sisters to remain faithful to their charism of silent contemplation and become more attentive to themselves, the outside world, and God.

"In this regard, your constitutions call for diligent observance of a fundamental value of cloistered life: silence," Leo said.

"Keeping silence is an act of the will that engages the whole person and helps to cultivate solid relationships, because they are animated by the Word of God," he added.

He also praised the silent witness as a "precious" service to the Church.

An uncertain future for vocations

Like his audience to a delegation from the Federation of Capuchin Poor Clare Nuns of Italy on Sept. 21, the pope addressed their declining vocations.

"Your experience… also leads you to encounter situations of difficulty: aging communities, deaths outnumbering new vocations, a decline in working capacity with consequent financial problems," Leo remarked.

The pope then encouraged the nuns to adapt to current needs by listening to the Spirit rather than merely trying to survive.

"I invite you not to ask yourselves so much how to maintain structures that are becoming empty. Rather, listen to what the Spirit is asking of the Dominican contemplative life today," the pope said.

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The pope's ambassador to Germany told the country's bishops this week that the Church's visible unity rests on two pillars: the papacy and the Eucharist.

Without them, he warned, the Church would become "a mere federation of individual communities, or even a Christian-flavored NGO [nongovernmental organization]," CNA Deutsch, the German-language sister service of EWTN News, reported.

Archbishop Hubertus van Megen, the apostolic nuncio, spoke at the opening of the German bishops' conference fall plenary assembly in Fulda, which runs through Oct. 1.

The bishops' conference published the full address.

"The Catholic Church rests on two great pillars of its visible unity — the Petrine ministry and the Eucharist," van Megen told the German bishops on Sept. 28. "The pope safeguards the unity of faith and ecclesial communion, while the Eucharist sacramentally realizes and nourishes this unity."

The Eucharist "is not merely a symbol of unity," van Megen said, but "actually creates and strengthens the communion of the Church." The pope's ministry, he added, "is not an end in itself." Its task is "to protect and foster that communion which finds its highest expression in the celebration of the Eucharist."

The Dutch prelate cautioned that the two do not guarantee unity "in a purely organizational or mechanical sense." Still, he said Christ "has given his Church enduring means through which its unity can be preserved and continually renewed."

Speaking "as a representative of the Holy See," the nuncio called Rome "the visible center and the guarantor of the unity of the universal Church, to which the Church in Germany also belongs." He noted that the Church in Africa differs from the Church in Europe and that "no local Church is more or less a Church than another."

Van Megen said synodality "can never be the concern of individual groups alone, while others are left behind." He closed by telling the bishops that "where we remain in communion with him, where we listen to one another, where we preserve unity with the universal Church and the successor of Peter — there the Holy Spirit can open up new paths."

The gathering in Fulda, in the central German state of Hesse, is also taking up life-protection questions and discussing artificial intelligence.

At a Sept. 29 press conference, Bishop Franz-Josef Overbeck of Essen said the Church "clearly" rejects legalizing surrogacy, arguing that it makes the child "the object of a contract among adults," CNA Deutsch reported.

Auxiliary Bishop Anton Losinger of Augsburg warned that gene editing and prenatal genetic testing raise questions about the dignity of people with disabilities.

A question of 'power'

Five days earlier, in an interview with katholisch.de, a portal run on behalf of the German bishops' conference, van Megen said his "impression is that Germans often want too much, too quickly." He called the word "power," common in documents of the controversial Synodal Way, "almost dangerous," and said he hoped to travel to Rome at the end of October.

The Vatican has been reviewing the bylaws of the Synodal Conference, a planned permanent body meant to implement the Synodal Way, since late March.

The Roman Curia and the German bishops have held talks on its statute since 2025.

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Roughly a year after the canonization of Carlo Acutis — the first millennial saint — an authorized documentary about him is set to premiere worldwide.

"Carlo Acutis: The Young Saint" premiered at the Vatican Film Library on Sept. 29. The documentary, featuring never-before-seen footage of Acutis' life and family, also marks the 20th anniversary of his death from leukemia in 2006.

From home videos to photos of his pilgrimages to sites such as Rome, Milan, and Fátima, the film, according to a press release, will convey the impact of Carlo's message and his relatable holiness.

The documentary will be shown in Italian theaters from Oct. 15–21 before premiering in Europe and then in North America in February 2027.

'Carlo still works miracles in a world no longer interested in God'

Among those present at the Vatican for the screening was Carlo's mother, Antonia Alzano Acutis. Speaking to EWTN News on the sidelines after the screening, she reflected on the impact of Carlo's 2025 canonization. Antonia described his legacy as proving that God exists in a world where he is often forgotten.

"In today's world, it almost seems as if faith has become something obsolete: People are distant, technology is idolized to the extreme, as though people no longer care about God," she told EWTN News. "Carlo, on the other hand, calls us back to eternal life and reminds us of the truth that God exists."

She also spoke on the comfort of seeing the impact of her son's intercession worldwide, particularly after his death 20 years ago.

"Carlo used to say, 'We will all climb Golgotha sooner or later, won't we?' But he also said that a good life isn't necessarily a long life; it is a life where one truly manages to put God first," she recounted.

"Many parents unfortunately lose their children, because some go earlier and some go later. But seeing everything happening now is certainly a powerful witness to my own faith, because I can genuinely see how the Lord works through Carlo."

Pope Leo XIV canonized Carlo Acutis together with Pier Giorgio Frassati on Sept. 7, 2025.

"I Am With You," an EWTN special documentary about Carlo's life, is available to watch online.

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A Vatican official called for greater scrutiny of Vatican finances after roughly 15 years of reforms.

Monsignor Anthony Ekpo, assessor for general affairs of the Secretariat of State and president of the Financial Security Committee, spoke at a conference at Rome's Luiss University on Sept. 29. According to Vatican News, the event marked 15 years since Pope Benedict XVI introduced anti-money-laundering legislation at the Vatican in late 2010.

Ekpo, in his remarks, stressed that ongoing financial reform at the Vatican is necessary to confront new technologies used in financial crime that may threaten it.

"The next 15 years will bring risks that would have been difficult to imagine in 2010: increasingly complex financial technologies, instantaneous cross-border transactions, activities involving virtual assets, artificial intelligence, and new forms of financial crime," Ekpo said.

In 2010, Italian authorities seized 23 million euros from accounts linked to the Vatican bank during an anti-money-laundering investigation and later returned the funds. In response, Pope Benedict established the Supervisory and Financial Information Authority (ASIF), a Vatican institution to prevent money laundering.

Ekpo highlighted the context in which Benedict implemented anti-money-laundering legislation and noted the progress made by Popes Francis and Leo XIV, who approved a new ASIF statute in June.

"Today, 15 years on, we can recognize significant progress," Ekpo said.

"A culture of financial integrity has gradually developed through the patient work of legislators, regulatory and supervisory authorities, financial intelligence experts, law enforcement agencies, judges, and institutions."

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VILNIUS, Lithuania — More than 3,000 pro-life advocates gathered in Vilnius on Sept. 26 for the country's second March for Life, braving cold winds, morning rain, and autumn fog to affirm the dignity and value of every human life.

Families, students, and older people joined a warmly spirited program of personal testimonies, hopeful speeches, and musical performances celebrating life.

The march took place amid continuing political debate in Lithuania over family policy and declining birth rates. Lawmakers also remain divided over reproductive legislation, including access to abortion and in vitro fertilization.

Organizers stressed that the event sought to move beyond abstract slogans and political declarations by focusing on the realities of family life. Speakers addressed motherhood, fatherhood, and the challenges posed by child loss, disability, illness, and old age.

Throughout the march, participants and speakers affirmed the equal dignity of every person — especially unborn children — regardless of health, age, or ethnicity.

Saulius Karosas, a father, illustrated that conviction by describing how welcoming children with special needs reshaped his family's outlook. After their fourth child, Iva, was born with Down syndrome, the family adopted Motiejus, a boy with the same condition. Karosas said embracing the children transformed the family's understanding of human worth and beauty and how they recognize the value of others.

Courage and perseverance

The event also drew pro-life advocates from across Europe and the Americas. Featured speakers included Agnese Irbe, OFS, founder of Latvia's Peripatos Philosophers' Association; Marcin Perlowski, director of the Polish pro-life foundation Centrum Zycia i Rodziny; and Patricia Sandoval, an international pro-life speaker and co-host of EWTN's "Informe Provida."

Sandoval described the Vilnius march as deeply moving. "I was impressed by the zeal of the youth that attended the march," she told EWTN News, noting that they were "on the front line." She recalled the peaceful atmosphere, in which participants sang "hymns and songs of joy," and praised the event as "very well organized."

Sandoval, who shared her testimony of undergoing three abortions and later working for Planned Parenthood, said speaking in Vilnius held particular significance. "Vilnius is the city of mercy," she said, describing the opportunity to share her story as "a very emotional and very exciting moment."

Offering spiritual encouragement to participants, Sandoval urged advocates to remain strong regardless of political outcomes. "Remain steadfast, persevere, and be faithful to do his will," she said.

From Christian witness to practical help

Speaking to EWTN News, Archbishop Gintaras Grušas of Vilnius said he hoped the event would help "a culture of life grow in Lithuania" — one in which every "human being is welcomed as a gift from the very beginning of life."

For Grušas, that culture must be experienced concretely. "I would be especially glad to see a practical change," he said, so that "a woman who feels anxious about her pregnancy knows where to turn, finds someone who will listen, and receives the support she needs." He also said he hoped "families feel supported by their communities, employers, and public institutions."

"We build a culture of life through many everyday decisions," he said. In a city known as the "City of Mercy," he added: "I hope mothers, children, and families will increasingly experience that mercy here."

The archbishop also pointed to the responsibility of men. "A man's steady presence can make an enormous difference," he said, describing fatherhood as beginning before a child is born through "supporting the mother, listening to her, sharing her concerns, and preparing together to welcome the child."

Grušas cited St. Joseph as a model of quiet responsibility. "He speaks no words in the Gospels, yet his care for Mary and Jesus is unmistakable."

He described the march as "Christian witness with a civic dimension," saying Catholics can participate in public life while seeking the common good. "We must keep in view both the dignity of the unborn child and the real needs of the mother," he said, calling for public conversation "grounded in respect and followed by practical help."

Builders of a culture of life

Archbishop Kestutis Kevalas of Kaunas told EWTN News at the march that building a culture of life requires men to embrace their roles as "fathers, leaders, and providers." He urged them to take an active part in their children's religious upbringing and formation.

That responsibility, he said, belongs to every Christian. Too often, people assume that "somebody else will do this" rather than recognize that "we are the people who need to take personal responsibility in creating the culture of life."

For Kevalas, this means fostering "prayer groups, family movements, and also the consciousness of the culture of life." Christians, he added, are called to become "collaborators of God" in transmitting life and the Gospel of Life.

Asked what most threatens a culture of life, the archbishop pointed beyond individual social trends to "the faith problem." The deeper question, he said, is whether people understand that "we are given the gift of life" and are called to give others "the possibility of life."

He also warned against a materialistic mindset in which families "count the cost" of having children primarily in material terms. Greater trust in God, he said, can foster "a culture of trust and encouragement."

Ultimately, he called Catholics to reject passivity. "We need to be not those who are just looking or observing life, but ones creating life and building the culture," he said. He compared this vocation to that of the builders of medieval cathedrals, who laid foundations they would never see completed, trusting that their work would contribute to "a beautiful creation."

Last update on Sept. 30, 2026, with official number of participants.

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