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ACI Prensa Staff, Sep 6, 2025 / 10:00 am (CNA).

There are five indicators to keep in mind to know whether you're evangelizing or falling into proselytism, a behavior far from authentic apostolic zeal, Bishop José Ignacio Munilla explained during an event in Colombia.

The bishop of Orihuela-Alicante in Spain is currently in Santa Marta, Colombia, participating in Evangelization Week, organized by the local diocese to mark the city's 500th anniversary.

"What are the nuances of the negative meaning of the term proselytism? What indicators, what clues could we observe to determine what proselytism is in order to distinguish it from apostolic zeal?" the prelate asked.

The Spanish bishop asked these questions noting that Pope Francis had said that being a missionary is not the same as being a proselytizer and that Pope Benedict XVI taught that the Church grows through witness, not through proselytism.

Below are the five indicators Munilla pointed out:

1. Evangelizing respects where the person whom one is talking to is at. The bishop explained that "we must not overwhelm a person" but rather wait for the time of grace that the Lord has for him or her, because "there is a time of grace that God has for us, for our conversion."

Munilla said that by not taking this into account, the proselytizer lacks the ability to accompany the other person, to listen to his or her concerns, and lead the person to an encounter with Jesus.

2. Proselytism often doesn't place any importance on witnessing. Munilla explained that the proselytizer focuses more on his or her presentation than on bearing witness that the encounter with God changed his or her life. "I, at the same time that I'm telling you this, am a witness that what I am telling you has become my life experience," he advised.

3. Proselytism believes more in the efficacy of one's own reasoning than in the action of the Holy Spirit. Munilla explained that while the experience of evangelization teaches that it's important to prepare, the proselytizer "isn't quite convinced that it is the Spirit who moves hearts" and "that the fruit of evangelization is a gift from the Holy Spirit."

"Therefore, you must be praying at the same time you're evangelizing. Proselytism forgets this," he noted.

4. Proselytism does not sufficiently respect freedom. The proselytizer "seeks to impose rather than propose," despite the fact that Jesus "is infinitely respectful: 'Behold, I knock at the door. If you hear my voice, if you open the door, I will come in, and we will dine together.'"

5. Proselytism will only help the person who is part of his or her flock. The prelate explained that sometimes proselytizers tend to condition their offer to help a person out on adherence to the message of faith, when "true evangelization, true witness, is to love freely," without asking: "Do you belong to our group or not?"

The Spanish prelate invited Catholics to reflect on whether any of these attitudes are contaminating the apostolate because, as the declaration Dignitatis Humanae points out, "the Church severely forbids anyone to be forced, induced, or enticed by indiscreet means to embrace the faith. She also vigorously vindicates the right to have no one turned away from it by unjust harassment."

Munilla shares a conversion story

Addressing the second point, Munilla shared an anecdote that happened to him a few months ago in Alicante and that illustrates the importance of the witness of one's life.

He recounted that on one occasion he was invited to participate in a debate with an atheist philosopher about the existence of God. "And as you can imagine, I said yes [God exists], and the other person said no he doesn't. And we used our apologetic arguments. And I tried to reason and spoke about the order of the universe, about conscience; and the man answered… Well, we did what we could."

The bishop said then a conversation ensued, but as it was about to end, a man in the back raised his hand and said: "I have listened attentively to your arguments. You have developed them very well. You have said this and that and so on and so on. But I have an argument, and I am going to say it."

The man then recounted that throughout his life he had suffered from a severe addiction that had kept him enslaved for many years.

He struggled with this addiction several times and even turned to psychologists and therapists, but he experienced powerlessness, "and I had thrown in the towel."

"Then," the bishop recounted, "he said that one year Holy Week came around and he was invited to attend the Easter Vigil. That famous liturgy, the mother of all liturgies, the Easter Vigil, in which we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And he said that he attended."

"And, well, it wasn't that it was a particularly devout celebration that he got emotional about. No, no, nothing like that. He attended, it was over, and he left."

But after leaving, "that addiction never came back. He never experienced it. It's as if it had never existed in his life."

The man then concluded by telling the audience: "I only know that I was once an addict, and after that celebration of the resurrection of Christ, I am free. I have no more arguments, you see? I have no more questions, gentlemen."

Munilla explained that with this man, the story of the man born blind was repeated. When people began to ask him, "Who opened your eyes?" he only responded: "I only know that I once was blind, and now I see."

In that sense, he said the man's story "was a testimony to what God had done in him. And that is very powerful."

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

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Vatican City, Sep 6, 2025 / 10:45 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Saturday resumed special jubilee audiences, begun by Pope Francis after the opening of the Church's Year of Hope, telling Christians that the cross of Christ is a great treasure and source of hope.

Before delivering his morning catechesis on Chapter 4 of St. Mark's Gospel, the Holy Father greeted hundreds of pilgrims in St. Peter's Square from his popemobile, blessing several babies and accepting various gifts from people from different countries.

In his Gospel reflection, the pope said hope and happiness is rekindled when people "break through the crust of reality" and "go beneath the surface," like the man in the parable who sold all his possessions to buy the field with a hidden treasure.

Leo described the holy cross of Jesus as the "greatest discovery of life" and expressed his high esteem for Helena, the mother of the first Christian Roman Emperor Constantine, who found the treasure of the wooden cross in Jerusalem and brought it to Rome.

"Helena always remained a woman searching," he said in his Sept. 6 catechesis. "She had decided to become a Christian. She always practiced charity, never forgetting the humble people from whom she herself had come."

"Such dignity and faithfulness to conscience, dear brothers and sisters, still change the world today," he continued. "They bring us closer to the treasure."

Encouraging Christians to cultivate their own heart through humility, Leo said one is able to draw closer to the Lord "who stripped himself to become like us."

"His cross lies beneath the crust of our earth. We can walk proudly, heedlessly, trampling upon the treasure that is beneath our feet," he said.

"But, instead, if we become like children, we will come to know another kingdom, another strength," he continued. 

"God is always beneath us in order to raise us up on high," he said at the end of the catechesis.

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CNA Staff, Sep 6, 2025 / 11:30 am (CNA).

A leading Catholic advocate in Minnesota is calling for an "all-of-the-above" approach to school safety and security in the wake of the Aug. 27 mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis that claimed the lives of two children and injured more than 20 children and adults.

Jason Adkins, the executive director of the Minnesota Catholic Conference, told "EWTN News In Depth" anchor Catherine Hadro on Friday that "nonpublic school students" should have access to the same levels of security as those in public schools.

"We've been consistent advocates for [security] policies that include, and are nondiscriminatory against, nonpublic school students," he said.

"We think that when the state makes a commitment to protecting students and to promote public safety, [that it's] a basic public safety issue that should be available to all students, irrespective of where they go to school," he argued further.

Adkins noted that Minnesota Catholic leaders in the past have implored state lawmakers to provide security funding for local nonpublic schools, though those calls went unheeded prior to the Aug. 27 shooting. "People have noticed that," he said.

"Looking at school safety programs, nonprofit security grants, all these things — we have to take an all-of-the-above approach to looking at public policy solutions that limit gun violence in our communities," he said.

Focusing just on guns will 'fall short'

The Annunciation shooting once again touched off what is a regular debate in U.S. politics regarding school safety and gun crime. Some advocates have called for broad new gun control laws, while others have argued for arming teachers in classrooms.

In a statement this week amid a special session of the Minnesota Legislature, Adkins acknowledged that "continued discussion is warranted about access to certain weapons and high-capacity magazines."

"At the same time, a special session that focuses only on gun regulations will fall short, as the issue runs deeper than firearm access," he argued, calling for a focus on school security measures "that ensure the safety of all students."

Adkins told Hadro, meanwhile, that policymakers and leaders "have to have honest conversations and take a look at every facet of this problem and explore creative solutions."

In addressing the problem, meanwhile, he said those seeking solutions "have to see with the eyes of Christ."

"Ultimately, there's no political solution to what's a theological and spiritual problem," he said. "The answer to all these problems and challenges is ultimately the call to holiness."

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ACI Prensa Staff, Sep 6, 2025 / 12:00 pm (CNA).

Timothée Croux, a young seminarian from the French Diocese of Meaux in the Île-de-France region of the country, says the example of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati played a decisive role in his vocational discernment.

Croux said he discovered Frassati, who was from Turin, Italy, and who died in 1925, through scouting and shares many personal affinities with the soon-to-be saint. 

"I delved deeper into Frassati's personality during my preparatory year, before entering the seminary," he said. "I discovered that there were many things in his biography that resembled mine. For example, we both have a passion for the mountains."

"We both sought an authentic vocation, although in the end he decided not to become a priest in order to serve the poor in the mines, studying engineering to better help the miners," Croux told ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner.

An adventurer with a true appetite for life

Croux noted that this young man from Turin, set to be canonized Sept. 7 alongside Blessed Carlo Acutis, is highly regarded among French scouts "because he was an adventurer with a true appetite for life."

Croux, 23, is preparing for the priesthood through his ecclesiastical studies at the Pontifical French Seminary in Rome. In collaboration with Belgian priest Emmanuel de Ruyver, he has published in France and Italy the book "An Adventurer in Paradise," a spiritual biography of Pier Giorgio Frassati designed especially for young people and students.

"It has a biographical section with many stories about Frassati. At the end of each chapter, there is a meditation on a beatitude, reflection questions, a Gospel excerpt, and a short prayer," Croux explained.

"By knowing him better, we can give young people the desire for holiness. Being a saint was a daily pursuit for him. Frassati was not a priest and did not die a martyr. But from his most tender years as a child, he strove to live the Gospel consistently and with a disconcerting freedom," the seminarian emphasized.

Croux also maintains close contact with Frassati's family, particularly with Wanda Gawronska, the blessed's niece, who wrote the book's preface and is scheduled to be present during Sunday's canonization.

He died young like Acutis

The young man from Turin died at age 24, one week after contracting fulminant poliomyelitis while visiting the poor in their homes. His premature death is a characteristic he shares with Acutis, who died of leukemia at the age of 15.

"Young people may think that you have to die young to be a saint, but that's not true. The important thing is to live faithfulness, charity, and hope throughout your life," the French seminarian emphasized.

The poor and most vulnerable always held a special place in Frassati's heart. When he was just a child, after a poor mother and her barefoot son knocked at his family's door, he gave them his shoes, asking them to leave quickly before his family found out. Until shortly before his death, he worked to get money or medicine to those in need.

"He said he saw through them a light that we don't have: the light of Christ. And he understood it deeply, as in Matthew 25: 'If you visit the poor, the prisoners, the naked, it is I you visit.' He had understood it. That's why he calls us not to be afraid to go to the peripheries and visit the poorest," Croux said.

The Frassati family was very wealthy. His father, Alfredo Frassati, was a senator, ambassador, and director of the Italian newspaper La Stampa. The future saint grew up in the Catholic upper-class environment of Turin. But "it was perfunctory Catholicism, and it wasn't his parents who encouraged him to serve the poor. They only discovered the scope of his action after his death, when thousands of people wanted to pay tribute to him," Croux explained.

Love for the poor, rooted in the Gospel

His passion for the poor was rooted above all in his love for the Eucharist, another characteristic he shares with Acutis. At the age of 13, he obtained permission from his mother to go to Mass every day.

"He used to say: 'Jesus visits me every day in Communion, and I humbly return that visit by going to see the poor.' He had understood that the Eucharist was the sacrament of charity," Croux explained.

Frassati's daily life, marked by faith, service, and evangelical consistency, made him — as St. John Paul II said, when he was still a cardinal in Krakow in 1977 — "the man of the eight beatitudes."

"He saw in him a model of complete holiness, living every beatitude in his short life," Croux noted.

Frassati received a strict education. He was not a great student, and his father was very severe with him, expecting him to take over as director of La Stampa. However, the young Frassati directed his life toward the study of engineering so he could be closer to the people working in terrible conditions underground in the mines.

Peace and social commitment

Another essential feature of Frassati's life was his moral firmness in the face of the totalitarian threat.

Frassati was associated with the Italian Popular Party, inspired by a priest and based on principles of Christian democracy. But he left it when the movement made a pact with the Fascists in 1922. He also resigned from a Catholic student group, Cesare Balbo, after discovering that it had honored Mussolini during his visit to Turin.

"For Pier Giorgio, politics was a service, especially to the poorest, and he could not accept a movement that exalted force," Croux explained.

His brief but intense life explains why today, 100 years later, Frassati continues to speak to thousands of young people. According to Croux, Frassati's message to the youth of the 21st century can be summed up in three points: prayer and charity, friendship, and the pursuit of peace.

"He made a connection between the daily Eucharist and charity toward the poorest. Every morning he went to Mass and then visited needy families, offering food, clothing, and a smile," the young seminarian noted.

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

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ACI Prensa Staff, Sep 6, 2025 / 13:00 pm (CNA).

Domenico Sorrentino, the bishop of Assisi, Italy, where the remains of Blessed Carlo Acutis rest, sent a message of encouragement to young people just prior to Pope Leo XIV's declaring Acutis a saint of the Catholic Church along with another young Italian, Pier Giorgio Frassati.

"Dear faithful and most beloved young people, let yourselves be guided by Carlo, follow his example, follow in his footsteps, walk his path, because it is the right path, the one that leads to Jesus and, therefore, to love and joy," the Italian prelate said in a message published Sept. 5.

The bishop of Assisi sent his message just two days before the canonization of Acutis, who will be declared a saint alongside Frassati on Sunday, Sept. 7, at a Mass celebrated by Pope Leo XIV in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican at 10 a.m. local time.

Sorrentino also said that "today more than ever we need positive examples, exemplary life stories that will help our children not to be carried away by uncomfortable images, violent examples, and passing fads that leave nothing to be desired."

"Carlo, on the other hand, teaches us to live a normal life, putting Jesus at the center. You, parents, also help your children discover Carlo's holiness so that they can live a life full of joy, full of Jesus," he emphasized.

Born on May 3, 1991, Acutis was a young Italian who from a very early age experienced a profound love for God, with a special devotion to Eucharistic miracles, which he compiled in a digital exhibition that he shared online.

Suffering from leukemia, Carlo died on Oct. 12, 2006, at the age of 15. He was beatified on Oct. 10, 2020.

The Diocese of Assisi also reported that some 800 pilgrims will arrive in Rome from Assisi on a special train arranged by the diocese. Twelve volunteers will be on board to distribute backpacks, scarves, and hats, and several priests and religious, led by the rector of the Shrine of the Spogliazione (Dispossession), Father Marco Gaballo, will be in charge of the group.

The Shrine of Spogliazione is the place where Carlo Acutis wanted to be buried, so Assisi welcomes both him and St. Francis.

Relics of the soon-to-be-canonized St. Carlo Acutis at the canonization

The Diocese of Assisi also announced that the relic of the heart of the young man who will become the first millennial saint will be brought to St. Peter's Square in Rome. It was also announced that another relic of Carlo Acutis will be brought as a gift to Pope Leo XIV.

On Monday, Sept. 8, the day after the canonization, a Mass of thanksgiving will be celebrated in Assisi at St. Mary Major Church by Sorrentino. Carlo Acutis' parents; Valeria, the young Costa Rican woman who received the miracle leading to Acutis' canonization; and several civil authorities will be present.

The Diocese of Assisi also reported that, so far this year, some 630,000 pilgrims have come to the Shrine of the Spogliazione to venerate Acutis, with an average of up to 4,000 per day. In 2024, there were almost 1 million visitors.

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

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Vatican City, Sep 6, 2025 / 13:30 pm (CNA).

Bishop Francesco Savino, vice president of the Italian Bishops' Conference, celebrated Mass at the Church of the Gesù on Saturday for LGBT pilgrims in Rome for the Jubilee of Hope.

An Italian lay association organized the international pilgrimage, which included a morning Mass celebration inside the mother church of the Society of Jesus in Rome and a St. Peter's Basilica Holy Door pilgrimage in the afternoon.

More than 1,000 pilgrims from around the world attended the Mass concelebrated by approximately 30 priests, including American Father James Martin, SJ, who had met with Pope Leo XIV in a Sept. 1 private audience at the Vatican.

Several people, including religious brothers and sisters, waved rainbow-colored fans to keep cool inside the packed church and some wore shirts with a phrase from 1 John 4:18, "nell'amore non c'e timore" ("there is no fear in love"), during the Mass.

In his homily, Savino underscored the inherent dignity of every person and the need to "restore dignity to those who had been denied it." 

"We are all a pilgrim people of hope and we want to leave this celebration more joyful and hopeful than ever," Savino said during his homily. "We have to go forward, convinced that God loves us [with] a unique and unrepeatable love … unconditional love."

"In that awareness there is the foundation of all hope," he said.

Reflecting on the selected Mass readings and Gospel for the day, Savino said St. Paul's writings in the New Testament teach us that "a small step" in the midst of great human limitations may be "more pleasing to God than the outwardly correct life" of those who do not experience trials in life.

"We all have to convert, that is, we turn, we look in the opposite direction than before. The Acts of the Apostles documents this experience as defining and definitive," he said. 

"Truly I am realizing that each of us, you here present, your family members, your brothers and sisters, we pastors and disciples of the Lord — each of us has had in our lives to accept or to reject a living truth," he added.

Asking the Lord to "deliver us freely from any polemical or ideological temptation, from any preconceived temptation based on prejudice," the Italian bishop spoke of the need for "Peter and the Apostolic College to put living truth before dead truth," a reference to the pope and bishops today.

The Sept. 6 Mass concluded with rounds of loud applause and great emotion. Family members and friends sang the recessional hymn and hugged each other as the bishop and concelebrating priests processed out of the main part of the basilica, led by a pilgrim holding a rainbow-colored cross.    

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, people with "deep-seated homosexual tendencies … must be treated with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided." 

The catechism also states that homosexual acts are "intrinsically disordered" and "under no circumstances can they be approved."

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National Catholic Register, Sep 6, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA).

Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent, who became the first senior British royal to be received into the Catholic Church since the 17th century, has died at the age of 92.

In a statement, Buckingham Palace said that the duchess died peacefully on Thursday evening at her Kensington Palace home, surrounded by her family.

"The king and queen and all members of the royal family join the Duke of Kent, his children and grandchildren in mourning their loss and remembering fondly the duchess's lifelong devotion to all the organisations with which she was associated, her passion for music and her empathy for young people," the statement read.

Renowned for her natural charm, compassion for the sick and downtrodden, and commitment to serving others, the duchess was a much-loved and hard-working British royal whose popularity was enhanced by her own personal suffering and self-effacing nature.

Born into a notable aristocratic and land-owning family, Katharine Lucy Mary Worsley was raised an Anglican and, in 1961, married Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, a grandson of King George V and a first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II.

The first woman without a peerage or princess title at birth to marry a royal duke in over a century, Katharine devoted herself to a life of service, and often, together with the duke, represented the queen at charity and state events at home and abroad.

Her journey to the Catholic faith was historically significant and born out of considerable personal loss and suffering.

While pregnant with her fourth child in 1975, the duchess contracted measles and, following her doctors' advice, terminated the pregnancy for medical reasons. In 1977, when happily pregnant again, she gave an address to the British Congress of Obstetrics in which she declared human life was a gift from God and uniquely valuable as every birth is a miracle. She also paid tribute to those who fight to protect life and the family.

But some weeks later, the duchess lost the baby at 36 weeks; she described the experience as "devastating," and viewed the miscarriage as punishment for the abortion two years earlier.

The duchess went on to express deep empathy for others who had suffered similar tragedy, and turned to her faith, making the first of several regular visits to the shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham with the then-Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury, Robert Runcie.

But some years later, seeing the uncertainties and internal struggles of the Church of England, which was then grappling with whether to accept women clergy, she was drawn to Catholicism.

Her journey culminated with being received into the Catholic Church in January 1994 by Cardinal Basil Hume, then-Archbishop of Westminster. Up until then, no senior royal had publicly been received into the Church since 1685. The Act of Settlement of 1701 also barred royals who became or married Catholics from the line of succession.

She described her conversion as a "long-pondered personal decision," and that she was attracted by the solace and clarity of the Catholic faith. "I do love guidelines and the Catholic Church offers you guidelines," she once told the BBC. "I have always wanted that in my life. I like to know what's expected of me."

As a Catholic, she made regular visits to Lourdes with her local parish, and often attended Mass at the Brompton Oratory in London, close to her Kensington Palace home.

In 2001, the third-eldest of her four children, Lord Nicholas Windsor, followed her into the Catholic Church, becoming the first male blood member of the British royal family to become a Catholic since King Charles II's probable deathbed conversion in 1685.

The Duchess of Kent gave her time and energy to various good causes, including becoming patron of the Samaritans, a charity that tries to deter people from committing suicide, and co-founding a charity called Future Talent, which supports young musicians from poor backgrounds.

After retiring from public service, she taught music to children at a primary school in the 2000s for over a decade in complete anonymity. Known simply as "Mrs. Kent" at the school, she said in a 2022 interview that "only the head knew who I was. The parents didn't know, and the pupils didn't know. No one ever noticed. There was no publicity about it at all — it just seemed to work."

Many of the children at the school in Hull, northern England, came from single-parent families and very deprived areas. "It was very, very rewarding," the duchess said. "The music did such wonderful things. It really did."

Many in Britain remember seeing the duchess' compassion visibly shown when, as the presenter of trophies at Wimbledon, she broke with protocol to comfort Jana Novotná, a Czech tennis player, who cried on her shoulder after narrowly losing the Wimbledon women's singles final.

In a statement, Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster recalled "with fondness her presence in our community, especially her participation in the pilgrimage to Lourdes, as well as her lifetime of public service."

The Prince and Princess of Wales said the duchess worked "tirelessly to help others" and would be a "much missed member of the family."

Writing on X, British Catholic broadcaster Colin Brazier wrote that "in a world of bombast, self-promotion and vanity, Katharine Worsley was that rarest of things: a public figure of genuine humility, even holiness."

The late Duchess of Kent's funeral — the first Catholic funeral for a member of the royal family in modern British history — will take place at Westminster Cathedral in the coming weeks.

This article was originally published by the National Catholic Register, CNA's news partner, and has been adapted for CNA.

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Vatican City, Sep 5, 2025 / 10:00 am (CNA).

Real peace, often used as a slogan, begins in our own hearts and communities, Pope Leo XIV told a group of young adults from the Mediterranean region at the Vatican on Friday.

In a speech in both Italian and English Sept. 5, the pope called young people the "generation that envisions a better future and chooses to build it. You are the sign of a world that does not give in to indifference and complacency," he added, "but rolls up its sleeves and works to transform evil into good."

Leo met with around 50 members of the Mediterranean Youth Council, which was founded in 2022 and includes young adults from European and Middle Eastern countries bordered by the Mediterranean Sea.

"Peace is on the agenda of international leaders, it is the subject of global discussions, but sadly, it often gets reduced to a mere slogan," the pontiff said. "What we need is to cultivate peace in our own hearts and in our relationships, to let it blossom in our daily actions, to work for reconciliation in our homes, our communities, our schools and workplaces, in the Church and among the Churches."

Being a peacemaker is not easy, Leo said, and he denounced the use of religious traditions to justify violence, instead of bringing peace, fraternity, care for creation, and openness to others. 

"We need to reject these forms of blasphemy that dishonor God's Holy Name, and to do so by the way we live our lives," he underlined. "We are called to cultivate prayer and spirituality, together with action, as sources of peace and points of encounter between traditions and cultures."

"For believers, the future is not one of walls and barbed wire, but one of mutual acceptance," he added.

The pope encouraged the young people to not give up, even if someone does not understand them or what they are working for: "St. Charles de Foucauld said that God also uses headwinds to bring us to port."

"Do not be afraid: Be seeds of peace where the seeds of hate and resentment grow; be weavers of unity where polarization and enmity prevail; be the voice of those who have no voice to ask for justice and dignity; be light and salt where the flame of faith and the taste for life are dying out," he said.

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ACI Prensa Staff, Sep 4, 2025 / 15:03 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Thursday offered his "heartfelt condolences" to the families of those who were killed and injured in an accident involving the Elevador da Glória, an iconic funicular train that crashed at high speed into a building on Sept. 3.

In a Sept. 4 message signed by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin on behalf of the pope, Leo offered prayers "for the complete recovery of the injured" and invoked "the strength of Christian hope for all those affected by this disaster," Vatican News reported.

Pope Leo also expressed "special gratitude to those who took part in the rescue operations" and gave an apostolic blessing to all, especially to the families of the deceased.

The patriarch of Lisbon, Rui Valério, also offered his prayers following the accident. A statement posted on the patriarchate's website said the patriarch received "with profound sorrow and sadness" the news of the accident, which left 17 dead and at least 23 injured in the Portuguese city. The crash of the funicular, a type of railway operated by cables and designed for steep slopes, occurred around 6:05 p.m. local time.

"At this difficult time Bishop Rui Valério lifts up his prayers to God for the victims and expresses his closeness to their families during this time of separation and profound grief," read the statement in which the patriarch also wished the injured a speedy recovery.

The patriarch also expressed his gratitude and solidarity with those who mobilized to help the victims, including emergency teams, health care professionals, civil authorities, and volunteers.

The patriarchate also announced that Valério was scheduled to offer a Mass for the victims of the accident at St. Dominic Church in Rossio on Thursday, Sept. 4, at 7 p.m. local time. All faithful in the Portuguese capital were invited to attend.

According to the BBC, the cause of the accident is still unknown, nor is it clear how many people were on board the funicular, a tourist attraction inaugurated in 1885 and electrified 30 years later.

A witness told Portuguese television station SIC that just before the accident, the Elevador da Glória was descending "at full speed" down a steep street before violently colliding with a building.

"It crashed with brutal force and collapsed like a cardboard box; it had no brakes," a woman told SIC. 

Carlos Moedas, mayor of Lisbon, stated on X that the city council has declared three days of mourning for the victims of the accident and offered his "sincere condolences to all the families and friends of the victims. Lisbon is in mourning."

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA. It was updated on Sept. 4, 2025, at 3:59 p.m. ET with the pope's comments.

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ACI Prensa Staff, Sep 4, 2025 / 15:54 pm (CNA).

The bishop of Paterson, New Jersey, Kevin J. Sweeney, offered the funeral Mass for Father Rafael Ángel Ciro, a 45-year-old Colombian priest who died by suicide on Aug. 27. In a heartfelt homily on Sept. 3, Sweeney recalled that Jesus, who understands our pain and suffering, "is here and comforts us."

In his opening remarks in both English and Spanish, the bishop addressed the priest's mother, Elena Guarín, and his brother Jairo, saying: "We are with you, with you and the entire family there in Colombia. We are all one family, with our Bishop Emeritus [Arthur] Serratelli, with all the priests. We are also your children, Doña Elena: The mother of one priest is the mother of all priests. You are also our mom."

"We share the pain, but we also share the faith, especially with the community of St. Stephen and all the parishes where Father Rafael served as a priest," the prelate continued.

Jesus understands our pain and suffering

In his homily on the Gospel recounting the death of Lazarus, still alternating between English and Spanish, Sweeney recalled the lyrics of a well-known Spanish hymn: "God is here, as surely as the air I breathe, as surely as the morning sun rises, so surely that when I speak to him, he can hear me."

"We believe this: Jesus our God is here, in the home of Doña Elena and the family of Father Rafael in Colombia, in the hearts of each one of us present here. Jesus speaks to us and comforts us. He comes to us, as he did to that house in Bethany, which was also in mourning," the prelate emphasized.

The bishop of Paterson noted that "perhaps we are like Martha, angrily asking Jesus where he was, and if he had been, perhaps my brother would not have died. He doesn't answer Martha's question with an explanation, nor does he give us an explanation today to all our questions, but he answers us surely as he answers Martha: 'Your brother will rise.'"

"And she tells him with pain that she knows he will rise again on the last day. And Jesus tells her, he tells Doña Elena and us, 'I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me will never die.'"

The prelate then added that "Jesus is here at this moment, walking with us, and will accompany the priests who will go with Father Rafael to his burial in his beloved Colombia."

"The shortest line in the Gospel says: 'Jesus wept.' He understands our pain and suffering and invites us to walk with him and the Blessed Virgin Mary to Calvary. Only God knows Father Rafael's journey, his daily life; only God knows how many families and individuals he accompanied, and who now weep."

Sweeney then thanked Guarín for giving the Church "a very good priest. A round of applause for our beloved Father Rafael! To his brother, Jairo, we priests are your brothers, too."

At the end of his homily, the bishop said: "To anyone who feels alone or anxious now, I want to say, 'You are not alone.' God does not leave us alone. If you are struggling with difficulties, psychological emotions, depression, you are not alone, we want to walk with you."

"We give thanks for the priesthood of Father Rafael Ángel Ciro, and we commend him to God now," he concluded.

Biography of Father Rafael Ángel Ciro

Rafael Ángel Ciro was born on Oct. 29, 1979, in the municipality of Alejandría in the district of Antioquia, Colombia. 

He earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy from the Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana in Medellín, Colombia, in 2006.

He continued his theological studies at the Intercontinental University in Mexico City (2007–2009), Holy Apostles College and Seminary in Cromwell, Connecticut (2011–2012), and Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland (2012–2013).

Before joining the Diocese of Paterson as a seminarian in January 2011, he dedicated nearly three years to missionary work in Medellín and another three years in Mexico City. He also ministered to Hispanic migrants in Alabama and New Jersey.

He was ordained a priest on March 25, 2013, at St. Philip the Apostle Parish in Clifton, New Jersey. Following his ordination, he served in the parish communities of St. John the Baptist Cathedral in Paterson, St. Mary of the Assumption Parish in Passaic, St. Nicholas Parish, also in Passaic, and Sacred Heart and Holy Rosary Parish in Dover, New Jersey, before being appointed pastor of St. Stephen's Parish in Paterson. 

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

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