10,000 Austrian students petition to end mandatory fees funding abortions #Catholic More than 10,000 Austrian university students have signed a petition demanding that the Austrian National Union of Students (ÖH, by its German acronym) abolish its so-called “Repro Fund,” a program that uses mandatory student fees to finance abortions.The petition, organized by ProLife Europe in partnership with CitizenGo, was formally submitted on March 11 to the authorities responsible for administering the fund. Titled “No Student Funds for Killing Human Beings,” the initiative was launched after the ÖH introduced financial assistance for abortions through the Repro Fund.According to the ÖH’s published budget for the 2025-2026 academic year, 18,000 euros have been allocated to cover abortion costs, with plans outlined in the student union’s coalition agreement to expand the fund in the coming years.Petition organizers argue that the policy forces students to subsidize abortions regardless of their moral convictions.“The targeted financing of abortions is incompatible with the freedom of conscience of many students and represents an ethically absolutely indefensible decision,” the petition states.Mandatory student feesIn Austria, all university students must pay a mandatory contribution to the ÖH as part of their semester enrollment.If a student fails to pay the fee, enrollment cannot be completed. This means the student loses official student status for that semester and is barred from attending courses or taking examinations. Nonpayment also results in the loss of student accident insurance, which is normally included as part of enrollment.Because the ÖH contribution is embedded in the legal structure of university registration, students cannot opt out of supporting the organization or its programs, regardless of whether they agree with its political positions or spending decisions.Pro-life petitioners say this system effectively compels students to fund abortions through their mandatory contributions.Student mobilization exceeds expectationsMaria Czernin, president of ProLife Europe, told EWTN News that the petition’s response exceeded expectations in Austria, where public mobilization on civil issues is often limited.“For a three-month petition in Austria, this is a very strong result,” Czernin said. “People here tend to be more reserved in public campaigns, so reaching more than 10,000 signatures is significant.”Organizers initially hoped to gather around 8,000 signatures, she said, but the campaign surpassed that target before the petition closed.The ÖH, Austria’s national student union, is elected democratically by university students. As a result, the Repro Fund was introduced through decisions taken by the organization’s governing coalition.During campus outreach efforts linked to the petition, ProLife Europe volunteers spoke with students who did not identify as pro-life but nevertheless objected to the use of mandatory student fees to fund abortions.“We encountered students who were not pro-life, but they still felt that their money should not be used for this,” Czernin said. “That says a lot about how controversial this program is.”She added that the program remains relatively unknown across many Austrian universities. Organizers believe that if awareness of the funds were more widespread, opposition would grow further.A message to policymakersCzernin said the petition is also intended as a signal to Eva-Maria Holzleitner, Austrian minister for women, science, and research, whose ministry oversees higher education policy.“I hope this petition reaches Minister Holzleitner as a strong sign from students,” she said. “It shows that many students clearly stand against this cooperation and against using their mandatory contributions in this way.”Beyond the immediate funding issue, Czernin explained that abortion should not be promoted as a solution for students facing academic or financial challenges.“There is no evidence that abortion helps women finish their studies,” she said. “But there is substantial research indicating that abortion can negatively affect women’s mental health.”She added that many women have successfully completed their studies while continuing their pregnancies, explaining that support structures for student mothers would be a more constructive response to the pressures some students face.Austria’s abortion landscapeIn Austria, abortion is permitted during the first three months of pregnancy.The law does not formally declare abortion a legal right. Instead, it states that the procedure is not punishable if it is performed by a physician within the first trimester following a prior medical consultation.There is no mandatory waiting period and no requirement for counseling from an independent advisory service. The consultation requirement is limited to a discussion with a doctor before the procedure.Abortion services are generally not covered by Austria’s public health insurance system and must typically be paid for privately. Because of this, women are not required to be registered residents of Austria or enrolled in Austrian health insurance to obtain an abortion in the country.Abortions are also not subject to mandatory reporting requirements and personal information about women undergoing the procedure is not shared with authorities.
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10,000 Austrian students petition to end mandatory fees funding abortions #Catholic More than 10,000 Austrian university students have signed a petition demanding that the Austrian National Union of Students (ÖH, by its German acronym) abolish its so-called “Repro Fund,” a program that uses mandatory student fees to finance abortions.The petition, organized by ProLife Europe in partnership with CitizenGo, was formally submitted on March 11 to the authorities responsible for administering the fund. Titled “No Student Funds for Killing Human Beings,” the initiative was launched after the ÖH introduced financial assistance for abortions through the Repro Fund.According to the ÖH’s published budget for the 2025-2026 academic year, 18,000 euros have been allocated to cover abortion costs, with plans outlined in the student union’s coalition agreement to expand the fund in the coming years.Petition organizers argue that the policy forces students to subsidize abortions regardless of their moral convictions.“The targeted financing of abortions is incompatible with the freedom of conscience of many students and represents an ethically absolutely indefensible decision,” the petition states.Mandatory student feesIn Austria, all university students must pay a mandatory contribution to the ÖH as part of their semester enrollment.If a student fails to pay the fee, enrollment cannot be completed. This means the student loses official student status for that semester and is barred from attending courses or taking examinations. Nonpayment also results in the loss of student accident insurance, which is normally included as part of enrollment.Because the ÖH contribution is embedded in the legal structure of university registration, students cannot opt out of supporting the organization or its programs, regardless of whether they agree with its political positions or spending decisions.Pro-life petitioners say this system effectively compels students to fund abortions through their mandatory contributions.Student mobilization exceeds expectationsMaria Czernin, president of ProLife Europe, told EWTN News that the petition’s response exceeded expectations in Austria, where public mobilization on civil issues is often limited.“For a three-month petition in Austria, this is a very strong result,” Czernin said. “People here tend to be more reserved in public campaigns, so reaching more than 10,000 signatures is significant.”Organizers initially hoped to gather around 8,000 signatures, she said, but the campaign surpassed that target before the petition closed.The ÖH, Austria’s national student union, is elected democratically by university students. As a result, the Repro Fund was introduced through decisions taken by the organization’s governing coalition.During campus outreach efforts linked to the petition, ProLife Europe volunteers spoke with students who did not identify as pro-life but nevertheless objected to the use of mandatory student fees to fund abortions.“We encountered students who were not pro-life, but they still felt that their money should not be used for this,” Czernin said. “That says a lot about how controversial this program is.”She added that the program remains relatively unknown across many Austrian universities. Organizers believe that if awareness of the funds were more widespread, opposition would grow further.A message to policymakersCzernin said the petition is also intended as a signal to Eva-Maria Holzleitner, Austrian minister for women, science, and research, whose ministry oversees higher education policy.“I hope this petition reaches Minister Holzleitner as a strong sign from students,” she said. “It shows that many students clearly stand against this cooperation and against using their mandatory contributions in this way.”Beyond the immediate funding issue, Czernin explained that abortion should not be promoted as a solution for students facing academic or financial challenges.“There is no evidence that abortion helps women finish their studies,” she said. “But there is substantial research indicating that abortion can negatively affect women’s mental health.”She added that many women have successfully completed their studies while continuing their pregnancies, explaining that support structures for student mothers would be a more constructive response to the pressures some students face.Austria’s abortion landscapeIn Austria, abortion is permitted during the first three months of pregnancy.The law does not formally declare abortion a legal right. Instead, it states that the procedure is not punishable if it is performed by a physician within the first trimester following a prior medical consultation.There is no mandatory waiting period and no requirement for counseling from an independent advisory service. The consultation requirement is limited to a discussion with a doctor before the procedure.Abortion services are generally not covered by Austria’s public health insurance system and must typically be paid for privately. Because of this, women are not required to be registered residents of Austria or enrolled in Austrian health insurance to obtain an abortion in the country.Abortions are also not subject to mandatory reporting requirements and personal information about women undergoing the procedure is not shared with authorities.

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Pro-life students are demonstrating against the “Repro Fund,” a program that uses mandatory student fees to finance abortions.

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The religious sisters in Vatican leadership #Catholic VATICAN CITY — Religious sisters and consecrated women are a formidable presence inside Vatican City State and the Roman Curia, with recent years seeing their number and prominence rise.The increasing presence of women in the Vatican has been well documented. According to the Vatican, the percentage of women grew from 19.2% to 23.4% during the first decade of Pope Francis’ pontificate.According to a study done at the end of 2024, there were 1,318 women in a total workforce of around 6,000. There is no publicly available data on how big a share of the female presence is composed of consecrated women and religious sisters.Sister Nathalie Becquart, XMCJ, was one of the first women to be appointed to a major role at the Vatican when she was named undersecretary of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops in 2021. She was also the first woman to vote at a synodal assembly.Becquart told EWTN News that during her five years at the Vatican not only have women been given more key positions, but they are also serving in less visible, though no less important, roles.“At the Vatican now, you have more women as consultors to the different dicasteries or member of the dicasteries, on different commissions,” she said. “We had women in all our commissions as experts, as facilitators, inside the synod.”In August 2025, Pope Leo appointed Sister Iuliana Sarosi, CMD, and Sister Martha Driscoll, OCSO, consultors of the Dicastery for Clergy. Sister Raffaella Petrini, FSE, president of the Governorate and of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Sister Raffaella Petrini of the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist is the first woman in the history of the Church to head the Vatican City State.She was appointed president of the Governorate and of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State — the equivalent of a kind of governor — in March 2025 after serving as secretary general of the city state for four years.Petrini is also one of the first women to be a member of the Dicastery for Bishops. Pope Francis appointed Petrini, consecrated virgin María Lía Zervino, and Sister Yvonne Reungoat, FMA, members in July 2022.Since 2023, the undersecretary of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (APSA) is also a religious sister: Sister Silvana Piro, FMGB.Serving at the VaticanBecquart described coming to the Vatican to work as “an adventure.”“For me, being appointed at the Vatican has been a little bit like being sent to be a missionary in Papua New Guinea or in Brazil. It’s arriving in a new context, a new experience, learning a new language, new ways of working. A new culture, I would say, a new environment,” the sister said. Sister Nathalie Becquart, XMCJ, is an undersecretary for the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops. | Credit: Daniel Ibañez/EWTN News Becquart noted that one of the qualities religious sisters in general bring to their service at the Vatican is “a deep connection with real life.” As well, many “have started at the grassroots [ministering to] the people where they are. So we bring also this experience of being with others, especially with the poor and the most marginalized.”Margherita Romanelli, a non-religious sister who recently retired after working for 31 years in the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, told EWTN News “the recent appointments of women to top positions have greatly helped other women working [in the Vatican] to feel valued and to commit themselves to working for the common good, alongside men.”Romanelli, who is also president of the Women in the Vatican Association (DIVA), said the association was founded in 2016 because some women “felt the need to come together to respond to the needs of their female colleagues and, above all, to gain greater visibility within the Vatican. Their goal is therefore to create a network of friendship and solidarity.”In the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, where Romanelli worked, economist Sister Alessandra Smerilli, FMA, is the first woman to hold the No. 2 position.Smerilli was named secretary in April 2022 after serving for eight months as interim secretary and, prior to that, almost half a year as undersecretary, starting in March 2021. Before starting in the Roman Curia, Smerilli was also a councilor of the Vatican City State. Sister Alessandra Smerilli, FMA, secretary of the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Religious sisters serving religiousIn one department at the Vatican, there has been a revolution of women religious in leadership over the last year.In 2025, first Pope Francis, and then Pope Leo XIV, put two religious sisters in charge of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, starting with Sister Simona Brambilla of the Consolata Missionaries.Appointed prefect in January 2025, Brambilla is the first woman ever named prefect of a dicastery. She leads together with Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime, SDB, who is pro-prefect of the same dicastery.Brambilla, who served as superior general of the Consolata Missionary Sisters from 2011 to 2023, was secretary of the dicastery for religious and consecrated life since October 2023.The sister, who trained as a nurse before entering religious life, was a missionary in Mozambique in the late 1990s. She then returned to Italy, where, with her advanced degree in psychology, she taught at the Pontifical Gregorian University in its Institute of Psychology. She was head of the institute of Consolata Missionary Sisters from 2011 until May 2023.In May 2025, Pope Leo XIV named Sister Tiziana Merletti, a Franciscan Sister of the Poor, secretary of the same dicastery.Merletti, a former superior general of her order, is an expert in canon law who taught at the Pontifical University Antonianum.With Sister Carmen Ros Nortes, NSC, who has been undersecretary of the same dicastery since 2018, three of the department’s top five positions are filled by religious sisters.
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The religious sisters in Vatican leadership #Catholic VATICAN CITY — Religious sisters and consecrated women are a formidable presence inside Vatican City State and the Roman Curia, with recent years seeing their number and prominence rise.The increasing presence of women in the Vatican has been well documented. According to the Vatican, the percentage of women grew from 19.2% to 23.4% during the first decade of Pope Francis’ pontificate.According to a study done at the end of 2024, there were 1,318 women in a total workforce of around 6,000. There is no publicly available data on how big a share of the female presence is composed of consecrated women and religious sisters.Sister Nathalie Becquart, XMCJ, was one of the first women to be appointed to a major role at the Vatican when she was named undersecretary of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops in 2021. She was also the first woman to vote at a synodal assembly.Becquart told EWTN News that during her five years at the Vatican not only have women been given more key positions, but they are also serving in less visible, though no less important, roles.“At the Vatican now, you have more women as consultors to the different dicasteries or member of the dicasteries, on different commissions,” she said. “We had women in all our commissions as experts, as facilitators, inside the synod.”In August 2025, Pope Leo appointed Sister Iuliana Sarosi, CMD, and Sister Martha Driscoll, OCSO, consultors of the Dicastery for Clergy. Sister Raffaella Petrini, FSE, president of the Governorate and of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Sister Raffaella Petrini of the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist is the first woman in the history of the Church to head the Vatican City State.She was appointed president of the Governorate and of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State — the equivalent of a kind of governor — in March 2025 after serving as secretary general of the city state for four years.Petrini is also one of the first women to be a member of the Dicastery for Bishops. Pope Francis appointed Petrini, consecrated virgin María Lía Zervino, and Sister Yvonne Reungoat, FMA, members in July 2022.Since 2023, the undersecretary of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (APSA) is also a religious sister: Sister Silvana Piro, FMGB.Serving at the VaticanBecquart described coming to the Vatican to work as “an adventure.”“For me, being appointed at the Vatican has been a little bit like being sent to be a missionary in Papua New Guinea or in Brazil. It’s arriving in a new context, a new experience, learning a new language, new ways of working. A new culture, I would say, a new environment,” the sister said. Sister Nathalie Becquart, XMCJ, is an undersecretary for the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops. | Credit: Daniel Ibañez/EWTN News Becquart noted that one of the qualities religious sisters in general bring to their service at the Vatican is “a deep connection with real life.” As well, many “have started at the grassroots [ministering to] the people where they are. So we bring also this experience of being with others, especially with the poor and the most marginalized.”Margherita Romanelli, a non-religious sister who recently retired after working for 31 years in the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, told EWTN News “the recent appointments of women to top positions have greatly helped other women working [in the Vatican] to feel valued and to commit themselves to working for the common good, alongside men.”Romanelli, who is also president of the Women in the Vatican Association (DIVA), said the association was founded in 2016 because some women “felt the need to come together to respond to the needs of their female colleagues and, above all, to gain greater visibility within the Vatican. Their goal is therefore to create a network of friendship and solidarity.”In the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, where Romanelli worked, economist Sister Alessandra Smerilli, FMA, is the first woman to hold the No. 2 position.Smerilli was named secretary in April 2022 after serving for eight months as interim secretary and, prior to that, almost half a year as undersecretary, starting in March 2021. Before starting in the Roman Curia, Smerilli was also a councilor of the Vatican City State. Sister Alessandra Smerilli, FMA, secretary of the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Religious sisters serving religiousIn one department at the Vatican, there has been a revolution of women religious in leadership over the last year.In 2025, first Pope Francis, and then Pope Leo XIV, put two religious sisters in charge of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, starting with Sister Simona Brambilla of the Consolata Missionaries.Appointed prefect in January 2025, Brambilla is the first woman ever named prefect of a dicastery. She leads together with Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime, SDB, who is pro-prefect of the same dicastery.Brambilla, who served as superior general of the Consolata Missionary Sisters from 2011 to 2023, was secretary of the dicastery for religious and consecrated life since October 2023.The sister, who trained as a nurse before entering religious life, was a missionary in Mozambique in the late 1990s. She then returned to Italy, where, with her advanced degree in psychology, she taught at the Pontifical Gregorian University in its Institute of Psychology. She was head of the institute of Consolata Missionary Sisters from 2011 until May 2023.In May 2025, Pope Leo XIV named Sister Tiziana Merletti, a Franciscan Sister of the Poor, secretary of the same dicastery.Merletti, a former superior general of her order, is an expert in canon law who taught at the Pontifical University Antonianum.With Sister Carmen Ros Nortes, NSC, who has been undersecretary of the same dicastery since 2018, three of the department’s top five positions are filled by religious sisters.

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The percentage of Vatican employees who are women grew from 19.2% to 23.4% during the first decade of the last pontificate.

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During Lent, a bishop invites people to practice ‘spiritual intelligence’ – #Catholic – The bishop of San Ignacio de Velasco in Bolivia, Robert Flock, reviewed the different types of intelligence and encouraged the development of “spiritual intelligence,” which allows one to move from a mere understanding of things to true wisdom.Recalling his youth, the prelate noted that intelligence was measured according to mathematical and verbal abilities. Later, at the university, he became aware of the existence of emotional intelligence, “through which one can perceive, understand, and manage one’s own emotions and those of others,” he recalled.However, citing psychologist Howard Gardner, he referred to “multiple intelligences,” different forms that include: linguistic-verbal, logical-mathematical, visual-spatial, musical-auditory, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalist, emotional, existential, creative, and collaborative.“Naturally, this list does not include artificial intelligence, which is not a human capacity but a computer tool that is beginning to dominate information searches,” the prelate clarified.However, Flock emphasized a type of intelligence that he considers “the most important”: spiritual intelligence.“At first glance, it sounds like existential intelligence, No. 10, which is defined as ‘meditation on existence, including the meaning of life and death,’ but this would be a superficial understanding, ironically lacking in intelligence, because spiritual intelligence is being attuned to God,” he explained.“Spiritual intelligence allows us to move from a mere understanding of things to true wisdom. It is the only one that can unite and harmonize all the others and ensure that they are used wisely,” he added.“All the phrases in the Lord’s Prayer emanate from the spiritual intelligence of Jesus Christ, as do his parables and other teachings, his miracles, and his final sacrifice.”Jesus, the prelate noted, “embodied all forms of intelligence, except for artificial intelligence, which he did not need.”“The risen Jesus opened the intellect of his disciples so they could ‘understand the Scriptures’; that is, he gave them the gift of spiritual understanding so that they could not only understand the Bible but also converse with God at all times,” he emphasized.“This is not the opiate of the masses, as someone lacking spiritual understanding has said. It is life in abundance. This is what Lent is for!” he explained.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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During Lent, a bishop invites people to practice ‘spiritual intelligence’ – #Catholic – The bishop of San Ignacio de Velasco in Bolivia, Robert Flock, reviewed the different types of intelligence and encouraged the development of “spiritual intelligence,” which allows one to move from a mere understanding of things to true wisdom.Recalling his youth, the prelate noted that intelligence was measured according to mathematical and verbal abilities. Later, at the university, he became aware of the existence of emotional intelligence, “through which one can perceive, understand, and manage one’s own emotions and those of others,” he recalled.However, citing psychologist Howard Gardner, he referred to “multiple intelligences,” different forms that include: linguistic-verbal, logical-mathematical, visual-spatial, musical-auditory, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalist, emotional, existential, creative, and collaborative.“Naturally, this list does not include artificial intelligence, which is not a human capacity but a computer tool that is beginning to dominate information searches,” the prelate clarified.However, Flock emphasized a type of intelligence that he considers “the most important”: spiritual intelligence.“At first glance, it sounds like existential intelligence, No. 10, which is defined as ‘meditation on existence, including the meaning of life and death,’ but this would be a superficial understanding, ironically lacking in intelligence, because spiritual intelligence is being attuned to God,” he explained.“Spiritual intelligence allows us to move from a mere understanding of things to true wisdom. It is the only one that can unite and harmonize all the others and ensure that they are used wisely,” he added.“All the phrases in the Lord’s Prayer emanate from the spiritual intelligence of Jesus Christ, as do his parables and other teachings, his miracles, and his final sacrifice.”Jesus, the prelate noted, “embodied all forms of intelligence, except for artificial intelligence, which he did not need.”“The risen Jesus opened the intellect of his disciples so they could ‘understand the Scriptures’; that is, he gave them the gift of spiritual understanding so that they could not only understand the Bible but also converse with God at all times,” he emphasized.“This is not the opiate of the masses, as someone lacking spiritual understanding has said. It is life in abundance. This is what Lent is for!” he explained.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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“Spiritual intelligence is being attuned to God,” the bishop of San Ignacio de Velasco in Bolivia, Robert Flock, explains.

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Tangled up in red

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Emil Andronic from Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, U.K. Cederblad 51 is a blue reflection nebula embedded within the red emission nebula Sharpless 2–264 in Orion — part of a complex of nebulosity near the hunter’s “head.” This portrait combines 69 hours 15 minutes of HαLRGB data gathered between Sept. 9 and Dec. 19, 2025, using twinContinue reading “Tangled up in red”

The post Tangled up in red appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

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9 Most Dangerous Places To Be A Christian #BabylonBee – While many American Evangelicals often lose sight of it, the reality is that there are still places throughout the world where it is dangerous to live as a Christian. But where are the most dangerous places?
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9 Most Dangerous Places To Be A Christian #BabylonBee – While many American Evangelicals often lose sight of it, the reality is that there are still places throughout the world where it is dangerous to live as a Christian. But where are the most dangerous places?

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While many American Evangelicals often lose sight of it, the reality is that there are still places throughout the world where it is dangerous to live as a Christian. But where are the most dangerous places?

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Many Worried That The Giant Spiders Attacking New York Could Lead To An Increase In Hateful Arachnophobia #BabylonBee – NEW YORK, NY — As giant mutant spiders attacked the Big Apple, many concerned experts across the country expressed worry that the giant attacking spiders could lead to a substantial increase in hateful arachnophobia.
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Many Worried That The Giant Spiders Attacking New York Could Lead To An Increase In Hateful Arachnophobia #BabylonBee – NEW YORK, NY — As giant mutant spiders attacked the Big Apple, many concerned experts across the country expressed worry that the giant attacking spiders could lead to a substantial increase in hateful arachnophobia.

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NEW YORK, NY — As giant mutant spiders attacked the Big Apple, many concerned experts across the country expressed worry that the giant attacking spiders could lead to a substantial increase in hateful arachnophobia.

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Act of Love #1: Prayer of the Day for Wednesday, March 11, 2026 – #Prayer – O My God, I love you above all things, with my whole heart and soul, because you are all-good and worthy of all love. I love my neighbor as myself for the love of you. I forgive all who have injured me, and ask pardon of all whom I have injured. Amen.

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O My God,
I love you above all things,
with my whole heart and soul,
because you are all-good and worthy of all love.
I love my neighbor as myself for the love of you.
I forgive all who have injured me,
and ask pardon of all whom I have injured.

Amen.

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Gospel and Word of the Day – 11 March 2026 – A reading from the Book of Deuteronomy 4:1, 5-9 Moses spoke to the people and said: "Now, Israel, hear the statutes and decrees which I am teaching you to observe, that you may live, and may enter in and take possession of the land which the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you. Therefore, I teach you the statutes and decrees as the LORD, my God, has commanded me, that you may observe them in the land you are entering to occupy. Observe them carefully, for thus will you give evidence of your wisdom and intelligence to the nations, who will hear of all these statutes and say, ‘This great nation is truly a wise and intelligent people.’ For what great nation is there that has gods so close to it as the LORD, our God, is to us whenever we call upon him? Or what great nation has statutes and decrees that are as just as this whole law which I am setting before you today? "However, take care and be earnestly on your guard not to forget the things which your own eyes have seen, nor let them slip from your memory as long as you live, but teach them to your children and to your children’s children."From the Gospel according to Matthew 5:17-19 Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.”In the Gospel of today’s liturgy, Jesus says: “Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfil them” (Mt 5:17). […] Jesus makes us understand that religious rules are necessary, they are good, but they are only the beginning: to fulfil them, it is necessary to go beyond the letter and live their meaning. The commandments that God gave us should not be locked up in the airless vaults of formal observance; otherwise, we are limited to an exterior, detached religiosity, servants of “God the master” rather than children of “God the Father”. Jesus wants this: not to have the idea of serving a God who is master, but Father; and this is why it is necessary to go beyond the letter. Brothers and sisters, this problem was present not only in Jesus’ time; it is there today too. At times, for example, we hear some say, “Father, I have not killed, I have not stolen, I have not harmed anyone…”, as if to say, “I am fine”. This is formal observance, which is satisfied with the bare minimum, whereas Jesus invites us to aspire to the maximum possible. That is: God does not reason with calculations and tables; he loves us as one who is enamoured: not to the minimum, but to the maximum! He does not say, “I love you up to a certain point”. No, true love is never up to a certain point, and is never satisfied; love always goes beyond, it cannot do otherwise. The Lord showed us this by giving his life on the cross and forgiving his murderers (cf. Lk 23:34). And he entrusted to us the commandment most dear to him: that we love one another like he  loved us (cf. Jn 15:12). This is the love that gives fulfilment to the Law, to faith, to true life! (Francis – Angelus, 12 February 2023)  

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A reading from the Book of Deuteronomy
4:1, 5-9

Moses spoke to the people and said:
"Now, Israel, hear the statutes and decrees
which I am teaching you to observe,
that you may live, and may enter in and take possession of the land
which the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you.
Therefore, I teach you the statutes and decrees
as the LORD, my God, has commanded me,
that you may observe them in the land you are entering to occupy.
Observe them carefully,
for thus will you give evidence
of your wisdom and intelligence to the nations,
who will hear of all these statutes and say,
‘This great nation is truly a wise and intelligent people.’
For what great nation is there
that has gods so close to it as the LORD, our God, is to us
whenever we call upon him?
Or what great nation has statutes and decrees
that are as just as this whole law
which I am setting before you today?

"However, take care and be earnestly on your guard
not to forget the things which your own eyes have seen,
nor let them slip from your memory as long as you live,
but teach them to your children and to your children’s children."

From the Gospel according to Matthew
5:17-19

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.
I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.
Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away,
not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter
will pass from the law,
until all things have taken place.
Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments
and teaches others to do so
will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven.
But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments
will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.”

In the Gospel of today’s liturgy, Jesus says: “Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfil them” (Mt 5:17). […] Jesus makes us understand that religious rules are necessary, they are good, but they are only the beginning: to fulfil them, it is necessary to go beyond the letter and live their meaning. The commandments that God gave us should not be locked up in the airless vaults of formal observance; otherwise, we are limited to an exterior, detached religiosity, servants of “God the master” rather than children of “God the Father”. Jesus wants this: not to have the idea of serving a God who is master, but Father; and this is why it is necessary to go beyond the letter. Brothers and sisters, this problem was present not only in Jesus’ time; it is there today too. At times, for example, we hear some say, “Father, I have not killed, I have not stolen, I have not harmed anyone…”, as if to say, “I am fine”. This is formal observance, which is satisfied with the bare minimum, whereas Jesus invites us to aspire to the maximum possible. That is: God does not reason with calculations and tables; he loves us as one who is enamoured: not to the minimum, but to the maximum! He does not say, “I love you up to a certain point”. No, true love is never up to a certain point, and is never satisfied; love always goes beyond, it cannot do otherwise. The Lord showed us this by giving his life on the cross and forgiving his murderers (cf. Lk 23:34). And he entrusted to us the commandment most dear to him: that we love one another like he  loved us (cf. Jn 15:12). This is the love that gives fulfilment to the Law, to faith, to true life! (Francis – Angelus, 12 February 2023)

 

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Lebanon asks Vatican to help protect threatened Christian villages in the south – #Catholic – Lebanon is asking the Vatican to stand with Christian villages in the southern part of the country. In recent days, these communities were widely praised across Lebanese and international media after residents chose to remain in their homes despite the dangers around them. Caught between Hezbollah infiltrations and Israeli strikes, villagers insisted on staying in their ancestral lands.Lebanon’s Foreign Minister, Youssef Raggi, said on Tuesday he had contacted the Holy See to raise concerns about the situation. In a phone call with Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Vatican’s Secretary for Relations with States, Raggi discussed the latest developments in Lebanon and the difficult conditions facing border villages in the south.He also asked the Holy See to intervene and mediate in order to help preserve the Christian presence in those villages, whose residents, he noted, have consistently supported the Lebanese state and its official military institutions.Gallagher, for his part, affirmed that the Holy See is making the necessary diplomatic contacts to help halt the escalation in Lebanon and prevent the displacement of citizens from their lands. He also assured that Lebanon remains in the prayers of Pope Leo.A worsening crisis for southern Lebanon’s Christian villagesThe foreign ministerʼs appeal comes as the situation for Christian border villages grows increasingly dire.On Monday, Father Pierre Rahi was killed in an Israeli strike on the Christian village of Qlayaa. According to local reports, Hezbollah militants had infiltrated the town, turning it into a potential target. Residents alerted Father Rahi, who reportedly went to confront the armed men and asked them to leave the village. The strike that followed killed him.His death shocked Lebanon and drew attention across the Catholic world, where many saw in him as a hero and shepherd who chose to remain with his community despite the dangers.It was not the first such tragedy. The day before, Youssef Al-Ghafri, a Christian farmer, was killed in the town of Alma al-Shaab in similar circumstances.On Tuesday, United Nations peacekeepers from UNIFIL escorted residents of Alma al-Shaab out of the village as they evacuated their homes. The residents had hoped to remain and had appealed for the Lebanese army to deploy and protect the town, but the protection did not materialize, forcing families to leave.There are now growing fears that other Christian towns along the border could face the same fate. The mayor of Rmeish, for example, said he received a warning call from an Israeli officer stating that the town itself is not considered a target, but that it would become one if Hezbollah militants entered it.The problem, residents say, is that these villages lack the presence of the Lebanese army needed to prevent such infiltrations, making it extremely difficult for local communities to control the situation.Caught between Israeli strikes and Hezbollah’s military adventures, Christian villagers fear they are paying the price of a conflict they oppose — at risk of becoming not only collateral damage, but also pawns in a wider regional confrontation.According to reports from An-Nahar, the Apostolic Nuncio to Lebanon, Archbishop Paolo Borgia, has scheduled a visit to the Christian border villages next Friday in a gesture of solidarity with their residents and in rejection of any plans that could lead to the displacement of those who remain. The visit aims to encourage villagers to remain in their homes and on their land despite the growing dangers.In addition, according to MTV Lebanon, the United States has intervened, in coordination with Israel, to help protect Christian villages in southern Lebanon. However, the sources said the main challenge remains the absence of the Lebanese army in these areas, which has made it difficult to prevent Hezbollah militants from entering the villages and turning them into potential targets.
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Lebanon asks Vatican to help protect threatened Christian villages in the south – #Catholic – Lebanon is asking the Vatican to stand with Christian villages in the southern part of the country. In recent days, these communities were widely praised across Lebanese and international media after residents chose to remain in their homes despite the dangers around them. Caught between Hezbollah infiltrations and Israeli strikes, villagers insisted on staying in their ancestral lands.Lebanon’s Foreign Minister, Youssef Raggi, said on Tuesday he had contacted the Holy See to raise concerns about the situation. In a phone call with Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Vatican’s Secretary for Relations with States, Raggi discussed the latest developments in Lebanon and the difficult conditions facing border villages in the south.He also asked the Holy See to intervene and mediate in order to help preserve the Christian presence in those villages, whose residents, he noted, have consistently supported the Lebanese state and its official military institutions.Gallagher, for his part, affirmed that the Holy See is making the necessary diplomatic contacts to help halt the escalation in Lebanon and prevent the displacement of citizens from their lands. He also assured that Lebanon remains in the prayers of Pope Leo.A worsening crisis for southern Lebanon’s Christian villagesThe foreign ministerʼs appeal comes as the situation for Christian border villages grows increasingly dire.On Monday, Father Pierre Rahi was killed in an Israeli strike on the Christian village of Qlayaa. According to local reports, Hezbollah militants had infiltrated the town, turning it into a potential target. Residents alerted Father Rahi, who reportedly went to confront the armed men and asked them to leave the village. The strike that followed killed him.His death shocked Lebanon and drew attention across the Catholic world, where many saw in him as a hero and shepherd who chose to remain with his community despite the dangers.It was not the first such tragedy. The day before, Youssef Al-Ghafri, a Christian farmer, was killed in the town of Alma al-Shaab in similar circumstances.On Tuesday, United Nations peacekeepers from UNIFIL escorted residents of Alma al-Shaab out of the village as they evacuated their homes. The residents had hoped to remain and had appealed for the Lebanese army to deploy and protect the town, but the protection did not materialize, forcing families to leave.There are now growing fears that other Christian towns along the border could face the same fate. The mayor of Rmeish, for example, said he received a warning call from an Israeli officer stating that the town itself is not considered a target, but that it would become one if Hezbollah militants entered it.The problem, residents say, is that these villages lack the presence of the Lebanese army needed to prevent such infiltrations, making it extremely difficult for local communities to control the situation.Caught between Israeli strikes and Hezbollah’s military adventures, Christian villagers fear they are paying the price of a conflict they oppose — at risk of becoming not only collateral damage, but also pawns in a wider regional confrontation.According to reports from An-Nahar, the Apostolic Nuncio to Lebanon, Archbishop Paolo Borgia, has scheduled a visit to the Christian border villages next Friday in a gesture of solidarity with their residents and in rejection of any plans that could lead to the displacement of those who remain. The visit aims to encourage villagers to remain in their homes and on their land despite the growing dangers.In addition, according to MTV Lebanon, the United States has intervened, in coordination with Israel, to help protect Christian villages in southern Lebanon. However, the sources said the main challenge remains the absence of the Lebanese army in these areas, which has made it difficult to prevent Hezbollah militants from entering the villages and turning them into potential targets.

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Caught between Hezbollah and Israeli strikes, Lebanon’s Christian villages in the South seek Vatican support.

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Several cardinals show grave concern about Iran war; McElroy says it’s not a just war - #Catholic - Several members of the Catholic hierarchy are expressing grave concerns about the American and Israeli military conflict with Iran, and at least one cardinal said the U.S. decision to launch the initial attacks fails to meet the criteria of a “just war” based on Catholic criteria.President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered joint strikes on Iran on Feb. 28 amid inconclusive U.S.-Iranian negotiations related to uranium enrichment. In response, Iran launched strikes on U.S. bases and forces, Israel, and the Gulf states.“At this present moment, the U.S. decision to go to war against Iran fails to meet the just war threshold for a morally legitimate war in at least three requirements,” Cardinal Robert McElroy, archbishop of Washington, D.C., said in an interview with the archdiocesan Catholic Standard.McElroy noted that the Church recognizes six conditions for a war to be just. The war must be waged by a proper authority, it must have a just cause, it must have the right intention, it must have a reasonable chance of success, it must be a last resort, and the damage caused by the war must not be more harmful than the evil it is meant to destroy.“The criterion of just cause is not met because our country was not responding to an existing or imminent and objectively verifiable attack by Iran,” McElroy said. Cardinal Robert McElroy of the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. speaks at the University of Notre Dame Forum event on ‘Healing Our National Dialogue and Political Life’ on Oct. 17, 2025. | Credit: Courtesy of Michael Caterina / University of Notre Dame Just prior to the attack, Omanʼs Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, a key mediator in the negotiations between the two countries, told CBS News that Iran was prepared to make major concessions, including a lower level of enrichment, a reduction of its enriched uranium stockpile, and inspections. On March 3, three days after the attack, Trump said “it was my opinion [Iran was] going to attack first.”McElroy said the “right intention” criterion is also not met: “One of the most worrying elements of these first days of the war in Iran is that our goals and intentions are absolutely unclear, ranging from the destruction of Iran’s conventional and nuclear weapons potential to the overthrow of its regime to the establishment of a democratic government to unconditional surrender.”At times, Trump has said he would potentially work with new Iranian leaders but has also urged the Iranian people to overthrow the government at other times. The previous supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, was killed in a strike and has been replaced by his son, Mojtaba Khamenei. Iran has not shown any interest in returning to negotiations or making more concessions since the war began.McElroy also said “it is far from clear that the benefits of this war will outweigh the harm which will be done.” He called the Middle East “the most unstable region in the world, and the most unpredictable.”“Already the war has had unintended consequences,” McElroy said. “Iran’s morally despicable decision to target its neighbors in the region has spread the expanse of destruction. Lebanon may fall into civil war. The world’s oil supply is under great strain. The potential disintegration of Iran could well produce new and dangerous realities. And the possibility of immense casualties on all sides is immense.”More cardinals echo concernsOther cardinals have also publicly conveyed their concerns about the conflict, including Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin.Parolin told Vatican News that “this erosion of international law is truly worrying: justice has given way to force; the force of law has been replaced by the law of force.”He said people in the Middle East, including Christians, have been “plunged into the horror of war, which brutally shatters human lives, brings destruction, and drags entire nations into spirals of violence with uncertain outcomes.”“The Holy See prefers to recall the need to use all the instruments offered by diplomacy in order to resolve disputes among states,” Parolin said. “History has already taught us that only politics — through the hard work of negotiation and attention to balancing interests — can increase trust among peoples, promote development, and preserve peace.”Cardinal Blase Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, criticized the administration’s characterization of the war, especially an X post from the White House that showed videos of American strikes with the caption “JUSTICE THE AMERICAN WAY” in all capitalized letters.In a statement, Cupich said “more than 1,000 Iranian men, women and children lay dead after days of bombardment,” and added: “A real war with real death and real suffering being treated like it’s a video game — it’s sickening.” Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago speaks at a Georgetown University forum Oct. 30, 2025. | Credit: Madalaine Elhabbal/CNA “Hundreds of people are dead, mothers and fathers, daughters and sons, including scores of children who made the fatal mistake of going to school that day,” he added. “Six U.S. soldiers have been killed. They are also dishonored by that social media post. Hundreds of thousands displaced, and many millions more are terrified across the Middle East.”Following the publication of the statement, a seventh member of the U.S. armed forces was confirmed dead.Cupich accused the government of “treating the suffering of the Iranian people as a backdrop for our own entertainment, as if it’s just another piece of content to be swiped through while we’re waiting in line at the grocery store.” He warned that “in the end, we lose our humanity when we are thrilled by the destructive power of our military.”Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, vice president of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC), raised similar concerns as Cupich, and commented on how technology changes how war is conducted.“From distant command centers, military operators stare at screens where maps, radar signals, and algorithm-generated targets move like icons in a computer game,” he told Vatican News. “A cursor moves. A coordinate is selected. A click is made. And a missile is launched."When asked about who benefits from the war and who does not, David said “industries that manufacture weapons” benefit financially from the conflict.“Certainly not the families who bury their dead,” David said. “Certainly not the workers who suddenly find themselves trapped in a war zone far from home. Certainly not the poor nations that will absorb the economic shock.”Cardinal Domenico Battaglia, archbishop of Naples, wrote a critique of the war in poetic form in Italian, addressed to the “merchants of death.”“I write to you from this trembling land,” he wrote. “It trembles under the footsteps of the poor, under the crying of children, under the silence of the innocent, under the fierce noise of the weapons you have built, sold, blessed by your cynicism.”Battaglia asked those perpetuating the war to “stop,” to “convert,” and to listen to the words of Jesus Christ, as expressed in the Beatitudes.“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God,” Christ said in Matthew 5:9.
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Several cardinals show grave concern about Iran war; McElroy says it’s not a just war – #Catholic – Several members of the Catholic hierarchy are expressing grave concerns about the American and Israeli military conflict with Iran, and at least one cardinal said the U.S. decision to launch the initial attacks fails to meet the criteria of a “just war” based on Catholic criteria.President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered joint strikes on Iran on Feb. 28 amid inconclusive U.S.-Iranian negotiations related to uranium enrichment. In response, Iran launched strikes on U.S. bases and forces, Israel, and the Gulf states.“At this present moment, the U.S. decision to go to war against Iran fails to meet the just war threshold for a morally legitimate war in at least three requirements,” Cardinal Robert McElroy, archbishop of Washington, D.C., said in an interview with the archdiocesan Catholic Standard.McElroy noted that the Church recognizes six conditions for a war to be just. The war must be waged by a proper authority, it must have a just cause, it must have the right intention, it must have a reasonable chance of success, it must be a last resort, and the damage caused by the war must not be more harmful than the evil it is meant to destroy.“The criterion of just cause is not met because our country was not responding to an existing or imminent and objectively verifiable attack by Iran,” McElroy said. Cardinal Robert McElroy of the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. speaks at the University of Notre Dame Forum event on ‘Healing Our National Dialogue and Political Life’ on Oct. 17, 2025. | Credit: Courtesy of Michael Caterina / University of Notre Dame Just prior to the attack, Omanʼs Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, a key mediator in the negotiations between the two countries, told CBS News that Iran was prepared to make major concessions, including a lower level of enrichment, a reduction of its enriched uranium stockpile, and inspections. On March 3, three days after the attack, Trump said “it was my opinion [Iran was] going to attack first.”McElroy said the “right intention” criterion is also not met: “One of the most worrying elements of these first days of the war in Iran is that our goals and intentions are absolutely unclear, ranging from the destruction of Iran’s conventional and nuclear weapons potential to the overthrow of its regime to the establishment of a democratic government to unconditional surrender.”At times, Trump has said he would potentially work with new Iranian leaders but has also urged the Iranian people to overthrow the government at other times. The previous supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, was killed in a strike and has been replaced by his son, Mojtaba Khamenei. Iran has not shown any interest in returning to negotiations or making more concessions since the war began.McElroy also said “it is far from clear that the benefits of this war will outweigh the harm which will be done.” He called the Middle East “the most unstable region in the world, and the most unpredictable.”“Already the war has had unintended consequences,” McElroy said. “Iran’s morally despicable decision to target its neighbors in the region has spread the expanse of destruction. Lebanon may fall into civil war. The world’s oil supply is under great strain. The potential disintegration of Iran could well produce new and dangerous realities. And the possibility of immense casualties on all sides is immense.”More cardinals echo concernsOther cardinals have also publicly conveyed their concerns about the conflict, including Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin.Parolin told Vatican News that “this erosion of international law is truly worrying: justice has given way to force; the force of law has been replaced by the law of force.”He said people in the Middle East, including Christians, have been “plunged into the horror of war, which brutally shatters human lives, brings destruction, and drags entire nations into spirals of violence with uncertain outcomes.”“The Holy See prefers to recall the need to use all the instruments offered by diplomacy in order to resolve disputes among states,” Parolin said. “History has already taught us that only politics — through the hard work of negotiation and attention to balancing interests — can increase trust among peoples, promote development, and preserve peace.”Cardinal Blase Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, criticized the administration’s characterization of the war, especially an X post from the White House that showed videos of American strikes with the caption “JUSTICE THE AMERICAN WAY” in all capitalized letters.In a statement, Cupich said “more than 1,000 Iranian men, women and children lay dead after days of bombardment,” and added: “A real war with real death and real suffering being treated like it’s a video game — it’s sickening.” Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago speaks at a Georgetown University forum Oct. 30, 2025. | Credit: Madalaine Elhabbal/CNA “Hundreds of people are dead, mothers and fathers, daughters and sons, including scores of children who made the fatal mistake of going to school that day,” he added. “Six U.S. soldiers have been killed. They are also dishonored by that social media post. Hundreds of thousands displaced, and many millions more are terrified across the Middle East.”Following the publication of the statement, a seventh member of the U.S. armed forces was confirmed dead.Cupich accused the government of “treating the suffering of the Iranian people as a backdrop for our own entertainment, as if it’s just another piece of content to be swiped through while we’re waiting in line at the grocery store.” He warned that “in the end, we lose our humanity when we are thrilled by the destructive power of our military.”Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, vice president of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC), raised similar concerns as Cupich, and commented on how technology changes how war is conducted.“From distant command centers, military operators stare at screens where maps, radar signals, and algorithm-generated targets move like icons in a computer game,” he told Vatican News. “A cursor moves. A coordinate is selected. A click is made. And a missile is launched."When asked about who benefits from the war and who does not, David said “industries that manufacture weapons” benefit financially from the conflict.“Certainly not the families who bury their dead,” David said. “Certainly not the workers who suddenly find themselves trapped in a war zone far from home. Certainly not the poor nations that will absorb the economic shock.”Cardinal Domenico Battaglia, archbishop of Naples, wrote a critique of the war in poetic form in Italian, addressed to the “merchants of death.”“I write to you from this trembling land,” he wrote. “It trembles under the footsteps of the poor, under the crying of children, under the silence of the innocent, under the fierce noise of the weapons you have built, sold, blessed by your cynicism.”Battaglia asked those perpetuating the war to “stop,” to “convert,” and to listen to the words of Jesus Christ, as expressed in the Beatitudes.“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God,” Christ said in Matthew 5:9.

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Cardinals in the United States and elsewhere are raising concerns about just war and about the death and destruction caused by the ongoing conflict with Iran.

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The One Strategic Mistake America Cannot Make in Iran (VIDEO) – The one mistake America cannot make in Iran is stopping before the mission is finished. The post The One Strategic Mistake America Cannot Make in Iran (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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The One Strategic Mistake America Cannot Make in Iran (VIDEO) – The one mistake America cannot make in Iran is stopping before the mission is finished. The post The One Strategic Mistake America Cannot Make in Iran (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Image featuring Donald Trump with the text "Mission Not Over," alongside an Iranian flag and military jets, symbolizing ongoing geopolitical tensions.

Image featuring Donald Trump with the text "Mission Not Over," alongside an Iranian flag and military jets, symbolizing ongoing geopolitical tensions.

The one mistake America cannot make in Iran is stopping before the mission is finished.

The post The One Strategic Mistake America Cannot Make in Iran (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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CNN Edits Shameful Post Framing Suspected ISIS Inspired Terrorists as ‘Pennsylvania Teenagers Enjoying a Day in NYC’ After Backlash – CNN edited a shameful social media post that framed two suspected ISIS-inspired terrorists as throwing a homemade bomb in an attempt to kill protesters at an anti-Islam rally, as a couple of Pennsylvania teenagers who were out to enjoy an unseasonably warm day. The post CNN Edits Shameful Post Framing Suspected ISIS Inspired Terrorists as ‘Pennsylvania Teenagers Enjoying a Day in NYC’ After Backlash appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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CNN Edits Shameful Post Framing Suspected ISIS Inspired Terrorists as ‘Pennsylvania Teenagers Enjoying a Day in NYC’ After Backlash – CNN edited a shameful social media post that framed two suspected ISIS-inspired terrorists as throwing a homemade bomb in an attempt to kill protesters at an anti-Islam rally, as a couple of Pennsylvania teenagers who were out to enjoy an unseasonably warm day. The post CNN Edits Shameful Post Framing Suspected ISIS Inspired Terrorists as ‘Pennsylvania Teenagers Enjoying a Day in NYC’ After Backlash appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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CNN edited a shameful social media post that framed two suspected ISIS-inspired terrorists as throwing a homemade bomb in an attempt to kill protesters at an anti-Islam rally, as a couple of Pennsylvania teenagers who were out to enjoy an unseasonably warm day.

The post CNN Edits Shameful Post Framing Suspected ISIS Inspired Terrorists as ‘Pennsylvania Teenagers Enjoying a Day in NYC’ After Backlash appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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US Winning in Iran, Despite False Claims That US Hasn’t Won a War in 80 Years – As of March 9th, the Iranian air force and navy have been destroyed, along with thousands of high-value targets, including Iranian command centers, air-defense systems, missile-production facilities, launch platforms, and airfields across the country. The post US Winning in Iran, Despite False Claims That US Hasn’t Won a War in 80 Years appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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US Winning in Iran, Despite False Claims That US Hasn’t Won a War in 80 Years – As of March 9th, the Iranian air force and navy have been destroyed, along with thousands of high-value targets, including Iranian command centers, air-defense systems, missile-production facilities, launch platforms, and airfields across the country. The post US Winning in Iran, Despite False Claims That US Hasn’t Won a War in 80 Years appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Soldiers in tactical gear maneuvering through rocky terrain as a helicopter hovers above during a military operation at dawn.

Soldiers in tactical gear maneuvering through rocky terrain as a helicopter hovers above during a military operation at dawn.

As of March 9th, the Iranian air force and navy have been destroyed, along with thousands of high-value targets, including Iranian command centers, air-defense systems, missile-production facilities, launch platforms, and airfields across the country.

The post US Winning in Iran, Despite False Claims That US Hasn’t Won a War in 80 Years appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Before he was killed, priest in Lebanon declared: ‘We will remain until death’ #Catholic In recent days, Christian villages in southern Lebanon have drawn widespread attention across media and social networks, praised for their resilience and peaceful resistance as many residents chose to remain in their homes despite the dangers of ongoing hostilities. But on Monday, that resilience took a tragic turn. What had become a symbol of persistence turned into a scene of martyrdom, when a Catholic parish priest was killed in an Israeli strike that hit the border village of Qlayaa in southern Lebanon. Father Pierre Al Rahi, who had chosen to remain with his parishioners, died alongside the community he refused to abandon.According to local media reports, Hezbollah militants infiltrated the Christian town, turning it into a target for Israeli airstrikes. Residents alerted Rahi, who reportedly went to confront them and ask them to leave the village. The strike that killed him occurred around the same time.In one of his last television interviews before the strike, Rahi said: “We will remain here until death.”It was not the first time he had expressed such determination. During a previous round of the war in 2024, speaking from the same village of Qlayaa, he said: “We will not leave. We are projects of martyrdom, and we will not abandon our land.”His death sparked strong reactions among Lebanon’s Christian community, particularly from political and religious leaders. Fingers were pointed at both Israel and Hezbollah. In a statement, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea confirmed that Hezbollah fighters had infiltrated the village of Qlayaa, triggering Israeli strikes that led to Rahi’s death.Father Dani Dergham, known for his political activism, wrote on X that during both the current war and previous rounds of fighting, Rahi had repeatedly warned about the presence of armed men among the peaceful residents of his town.Meanwhile, a video also circulated online showing Father Hanna Khoury, another priest from Qlayaa, saying that anyone whose presence or activities in the village are unknown should be considered a threat to the community, reflecting fears among residents about the infiltration of Hezbollah militants into the town.Rahi was not the only victim of the strikes. Several residents were injured, and earlier, community pages from Christian villages in southern Lebanon also announced the death of a Christian farmer, Sami Youssef Al-Ghafri — from the nearby town of Alma Al-Shaab — who was killed in the shelling.Christian residents of southern Lebanon have also been calling for the deployment of the Lebanese Army in their towns. They say they wish to remain on their land, fearing that if they evacuate, Hezbollah could use their villages to launch rockets, exposing them to destruction. Some also express concern that if Israel launches a ground operation, displacement could lead to the loss of their land.
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Before he was killed, priest in Lebanon declared: ‘We will remain until death’ #Catholic In recent days, Christian villages in southern Lebanon have drawn widespread attention across media and social networks, praised for their resilience and peaceful resistance as many residents chose to remain in their homes despite the dangers of ongoing hostilities. But on Monday, that resilience took a tragic turn. What had become a symbol of persistence turned into a scene of martyrdom, when a Catholic parish priest was killed in an Israeli strike that hit the border village of Qlayaa in southern Lebanon. Father Pierre Al Rahi, who had chosen to remain with his parishioners, died alongside the community he refused to abandon.According to local media reports, Hezbollah militants infiltrated the Christian town, turning it into a target for Israeli airstrikes. Residents alerted Rahi, who reportedly went to confront them and ask them to leave the village. The strike that killed him occurred around the same time.In one of his last television interviews before the strike, Rahi said: “We will remain here until death.”It was not the first time he had expressed such determination. During a previous round of the war in 2024, speaking from the same village of Qlayaa, he said: “We will not leave. We are projects of martyrdom, and we will not abandon our land.”His death sparked strong reactions among Lebanon’s Christian community, particularly from political and religious leaders. Fingers were pointed at both Israel and Hezbollah. In a statement, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea confirmed that Hezbollah fighters had infiltrated the village of Qlayaa, triggering Israeli strikes that led to Rahi’s death.Father Dani Dergham, known for his political activism, wrote on X that during both the current war and previous rounds of fighting, Rahi had repeatedly warned about the presence of armed men among the peaceful residents of his town.Meanwhile, a video also circulated online showing Father Hanna Khoury, another priest from Qlayaa, saying that anyone whose presence or activities in the village are unknown should be considered a threat to the community, reflecting fears among residents about the infiltration of Hezbollah militants into the town.Rahi was not the only victim of the strikes. Several residents were injured, and earlier, community pages from Christian villages in southern Lebanon also announced the death of a Christian farmer, Sami Youssef Al-Ghafri — from the nearby town of Alma Al-Shaab — who was killed in the shelling.Christian residents of southern Lebanon have also been calling for the deployment of the Lebanese Army in their towns. They say they wish to remain on their land, fearing that if they evacuate, Hezbollah could use their villages to launch rockets, exposing them to destruction. Some also express concern that if Israel launches a ground operation, displacement could lead to the loss of their land.

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Father Pierre Rahi, a shepherd who refused to leave Southern Lebanon, was killed in Israeli strike.

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Georgia appeals court blocks abuse suit against Atlanta Archdiocese, cites statute of limitations #Catholic A dozen alleged abuse victims suffered a defeat at a Georgia appeals court this week when their lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Atlanta was dismissed on the grounds that the alleged abuse did not fall under an extended statute of limitations. The case turned on whether or not the archdiocese had covered up the alleged clergy sexual abuse, which if true could have “tolled” the time limit for filing abuse claims. “Tolling” occurs when a statute of limitations is extended beyond a normal window, allowing alleged victims to file abuse claims years after they normally would have been barred from doing so. In the Atlanta case, a dozen alleged victims had filed numerous suits against the Archdiocese of Atlanta and numerous churches, claiming that Fathers John Edwards and Jorge Cristancho had abused them over multiple decades from the 1960s to the early 2000s. A lower court had dismissed the cases. The Georgia Court of Appeals on March 9 upheld the dismissal, arguing that the statute of limitations for the filings had expired and that the archdiocese had not committed any malfeasance that could have extended the filing window. The plaintiffs “failed to point to any evidence that the [the archdioceseʼs] actions concealed the Plaintiffs’ claims and prevented or hindered them from filing their lawsuits,” the ruling held. The alleged victims failed to prove that they “ever requested information from the [archdiocese] about their knowledge and involvement in the abuse, or that the [archdiocese] refused” to provide it. The three-judge panel acknowledged that it was “certainly mindful of the grievous circumstances involving heinous conduct which led to the filing of these cases.”Edwards and Cristancho are both listed by the archdiocese as “credibly accused” of sexual abuse. Edwards died in 1997; Cristancho was laicized in 2003. Statutes of limitations have been a key component of disputes in the U.S. Church for years, with lawmakers in recent years advocating and often passing bills retroactively extending the window for filing abuse claims. In 2023 Maryland passed the state Child Victims Act, which abolished a 20-year statute of limitations for civil child abuse suits. The Maryland Supreme Court ruled in 2025 that the law did not violate the state constitution.Numerous states such as New York, North Carolina, New Jersey, Colorado and others have enacted similar laws allowing for abuse victims to seek restitution for alleged incidents that occurred in decades past. Such legal arrangements are not limited to the United States. In January the Spanish Bishops’ Conference and the national government agreed to a compensation plan for abuse victims that will allow victims to file for restitution even if the alleged abuse falls outside of the standard statute of limitations.
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Georgia appeals court blocks abuse suit against Atlanta Archdiocese, cites statute of limitations #Catholic A dozen alleged abuse victims suffered a defeat at a Georgia appeals court this week when their lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Atlanta was dismissed on the grounds that the alleged abuse did not fall under an extended statute of limitations. The case turned on whether or not the archdiocese had covered up the alleged clergy sexual abuse, which if true could have “tolled” the time limit for filing abuse claims. “Tolling” occurs when a statute of limitations is extended beyond a normal window, allowing alleged victims to file abuse claims years after they normally would have been barred from doing so. In the Atlanta case, a dozen alleged victims had filed numerous suits against the Archdiocese of Atlanta and numerous churches, claiming that Fathers John Edwards and Jorge Cristancho had abused them over multiple decades from the 1960s to the early 2000s. A lower court had dismissed the cases. The Georgia Court of Appeals on March 9 upheld the dismissal, arguing that the statute of limitations for the filings had expired and that the archdiocese had not committed any malfeasance that could have extended the filing window. The plaintiffs “failed to point to any evidence that the [the archdioceseʼs] actions concealed the Plaintiffs’ claims and prevented or hindered them from filing their lawsuits,” the ruling held. The alleged victims failed to prove that they “ever requested information from the [archdiocese] about their knowledge and involvement in the abuse, or that the [archdiocese] refused” to provide it. The three-judge panel acknowledged that it was “certainly mindful of the grievous circumstances involving heinous conduct which led to the filing of these cases.”Edwards and Cristancho are both listed by the archdiocese as “credibly accused” of sexual abuse. Edwards died in 1997; Cristancho was laicized in 2003. Statutes of limitations have been a key component of disputes in the U.S. Church for years, with lawmakers in recent years advocating and often passing bills retroactively extending the window for filing abuse claims. In 2023 Maryland passed the state Child Victims Act, which abolished a 20-year statute of limitations for civil child abuse suits. The Maryland Supreme Court ruled in 2025 that the law did not violate the state constitution.Numerous states such as New York, North Carolina, New Jersey, Colorado and others have enacted similar laws allowing for abuse victims to seek restitution for alleged incidents that occurred in decades past. Such legal arrangements are not limited to the United States. In January the Spanish Bishops’ Conference and the national government agreed to a compensation plan for abuse victims that will allow victims to file for restitution even if the alleged abuse falls outside of the standard statute of limitations.

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The statute of limitations could not be extended due to a lack of evidence of fraud by the archdiocese, the court said.

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Aid to the Church in Need warns escalating violence threatens survival of Middle East Christians – #Catholic – Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has expressed deep concern over the security and humanitarian challenges posed by renewed violence in the Middle East, warning that the spiral of conflict could threaten the region’s already fragile Christian communities and even bring an end to the Christian presence in the Middle East if the pressures exceed their capacity to endure.Regina Lynch, executive president of ACN, told ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News, that the desire to preserve the historic Christian presence in the Middle East and prevent its disappearance is self-evident. She said any new war would come at a heavy cost, one borne first and foremost by civilians, especially Christians, who are often among the weakest and least able to defend themselves.A growing challenge in LebanonLynch said the greatest concern at present is focused on Lebanon, where the challenge is worsening as thousands of people are already being displaced, according to ACN teams working on the ground. “The Lebanese, like all peoples, long for peace and hope for a chance to help their country recover from the many challenges it faces. But once again, they find themselves the victims of renewed conflict,” she said. Regina Lynch, executive president of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). | Credit: Photo courtesy of Aid to the Church in Need A catastrophic situation in GazaIn the Holy Land, Lynch described the humanitarian situation in Gaza as still catastrophic. She warned that any further obstruction of aid deliveries would place the resilient Catholic parish there, along with thousands of people who depend on its assistance, at grave risk. In the West Bank, where many Christian families rely on tourism as a main source of income, Lynch said renewed instability threatens their livelihoods at a time when they had been hoping for an increase in pilgrims and visitors during the Easter season.Prayer, solidarity, and hopeFor decades, Aid to the Church in Need has supported Christian communities in the Middle East. Lynch affirmed that the foundation will continue its work, while calling for prayer and solidarity.“Despite the difficult circumstances, parishes and religious communities continue distributing food, running schools, sheltering displaced families, and promoting reconciliation as much as possible,” she said. Lynch also highlighted the strength of faith and perseverance shown by Middle Eastern Christians despite centuries of persecution and discrimination. She added: “It is true that many have left, but others remain. We know many of them. Their faith is firm and alive. Their presence in these countries is a wonderful and steadfast seed of faith, and indeed a challenge to our own faith.”Most important investmentAccording to the latest statistics issued by ACN, funding allocated to the Middle East accounted for 17.5% of the foundation’s total aid. In this regard, Lynch stressed that ACN’s investments are not limited to buildings and projects. Rather, the human person remains its priority and most important investment.Lynch said that as Christians, the ACN workers’ hope does not fail, especially because they have learned so much from their experience with Middle Eastern Christians, who offer a living example of perseverance and endurance amid hardship without losing hope.This story was first published by ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
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Aid to the Church in Need warns escalating violence threatens survival of Middle East Christians – #Catholic – Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has expressed deep concern over the security and humanitarian challenges posed by renewed violence in the Middle East, warning that the spiral of conflict could threaten the region’s already fragile Christian communities and even bring an end to the Christian presence in the Middle East if the pressures exceed their capacity to endure.Regina Lynch, executive president of ACN, told ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News, that the desire to preserve the historic Christian presence in the Middle East and prevent its disappearance is self-evident. She said any new war would come at a heavy cost, one borne first and foremost by civilians, especially Christians, who are often among the weakest and least able to defend themselves.A growing challenge in LebanonLynch said the greatest concern at present is focused on Lebanon, where the challenge is worsening as thousands of people are already being displaced, according to ACN teams working on the ground. “The Lebanese, like all peoples, long for peace and hope for a chance to help their country recover from the many challenges it faces. But once again, they find themselves the victims of renewed conflict,” she said. Regina Lynch, executive president of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). | Credit: Photo courtesy of Aid to the Church in Need A catastrophic situation in GazaIn the Holy Land, Lynch described the humanitarian situation in Gaza as still catastrophic. She warned that any further obstruction of aid deliveries would place the resilient Catholic parish there, along with thousands of people who depend on its assistance, at grave risk. In the West Bank, where many Christian families rely on tourism as a main source of income, Lynch said renewed instability threatens their livelihoods at a time when they had been hoping for an increase in pilgrims and visitors during the Easter season.Prayer, solidarity, and hopeFor decades, Aid to the Church in Need has supported Christian communities in the Middle East. Lynch affirmed that the foundation will continue its work, while calling for prayer and solidarity.“Despite the difficult circumstances, parishes and religious communities continue distributing food, running schools, sheltering displaced families, and promoting reconciliation as much as possible,” she said. Lynch also highlighted the strength of faith and perseverance shown by Middle Eastern Christians despite centuries of persecution and discrimination. She added: “It is true that many have left, but others remain. We know many of them. Their faith is firm and alive. Their presence in these countries is a wonderful and steadfast seed of faith, and indeed a challenge to our own faith.”Most important investmentAccording to the latest statistics issued by ACN, funding allocated to the Middle East accounted for 17.5% of the foundation’s total aid. In this regard, Lynch stressed that ACN’s investments are not limited to buildings and projects. Rather, the human person remains its priority and most important investment.Lynch said that as Christians, the ACN workers’ hope does not fail, especially because they have learned so much from their experience with Middle Eastern Christians, who offer a living example of perseverance and endurance amid hardship without losing hope.This story was first published by ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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Regina Lynch, executive president of ACN, said she fears for the Christian presence in the Middle East amid rising tensions and violence.

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Webb Studies Cranium Nebula – A brain-new image from Webb! What looks like a brain (complete with what appear as left and right hemispheres) is actually a dying star blowing off a shell of gas, and within that shell, a cloud of various gases.
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Webb Studies Cranium Nebula – A brain-new image from Webb! What looks like a brain (complete with what appear as left and right hemispheres) is actually a dying star blowing off a shell of gas, and within that shell, a cloud of various gases.

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A brain-new image from Webb! What looks like a brain (complete with what appear as left and right hemispheres) is actually a dying star blowing off a shell of gas, and within that shell, a cloud of various gases.

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Europe Under Persistent Delusion Anyone Cares What It Thinks #BabylonBee – BRUSSELS — As all eyes around the globe remained fixed on the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict, leaders gathered for an important summit in a clear display that Europe remained under its persistent delusion that anyone cares what it thinks.
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Europe Under Persistent Delusion Anyone Cares What It Thinks #BabylonBee – BRUSSELS — As all eyes around the globe remained fixed on the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict, leaders gathered for an important summit in a clear display that Europe remained under its persistent delusion that anyone cares what it thinks.

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BRUSSELS — As all eyes around the globe remained fixed on the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict, leaders gathered for an important summit in a clear display that Europe remained under its persistent delusion that anyone cares what it thinks.

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Picture of the day Famous sanctuary of the temple of Ramses II, Abu Simbel, Egypt. The Great Temple at Abu Simbel, which took about twenty years to build, was completed around year 24 of the reign of Ramesses the Great (which corresponds to 1265 BC). It was dedicated to the gods Amun, Ra-Horakhty, and Ptah, as well as to the deified Ramesses himself. It is generally considered the grandest and most beautiful of the temples commissioned during the reign of Ramesses II, and one of the most beautiful in Egypt. In the sanctuary are rock cut sculptures of four seated figures: Ra-Horakhty, the deified king Ramesses, and the gods Amun Ra and Ptah, the main divinities in that period. It is believed that the axis of the temple was positioned by the ancient Egyptian architects in such a way that on October 22 and February 22 (allegedly the king’s birthday and coronation day, respectively), the rays of the sun would penetrate the sanctuary and illuminate the sculptures on the back wall, except for the statue of Ptah, a god connected with the realm of the dead, who always remained in the dark. People gather at Abu Simbel on these days to witness this. #ImageOfTheDay
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Picture of the day Famous sanctuary of the temple of Ramses II, Abu Simbel, Egypt. The Great Temple at Abu Simbel, which took about twenty years to build, was completed around year 24 of the reign of Ramesses the Great (which corresponds to 1265 BC). It was dedicated to the gods Amun, Ra-Horakhty, and Ptah, as well as to the deified Ramesses himself. It is generally considered the grandest and most beautiful of the temples commissioned during the reign of Ramesses II, and one of the most beautiful in Egypt. In the sanctuary are rock cut sculptures of four seated figures: Ra-Horakhty, the deified king Ramesses, and the gods Amun Ra and Ptah, the main divinities in that period. It is believed that the axis of the temple was positioned by the ancient Egyptian architects in such a way that on October 22 and February 22 (allegedly the king’s birthday and coronation day, respectively), the rays of the sun would penetrate the sanctuary and illuminate the sculptures on the back wall, except for the statue of Ptah, a god connected with the realm of the dead, who always remained in the dark. People gather at Abu Simbel on these days to witness this. #ImageOfTheDay

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Picture of the day
Famous sanctuary of the temple of Ramses II, Abu Simbel, Egypt. The Great Temple at Abu Simbel, which took about twenty years to build, was completed around year 24 of the reign of Ramesses the Great (which corresponds to 1265 BC). It was dedicated to the gods Amun, Ra-Horakhty, and Ptah, as well as to the deified Ramesses himself. It is generally considered the grandest and most beautiful of the temples commissioned during the reign of Ramesses II, and one of the most beautiful in Egypt. In the sanctuary are rock cut sculptures of four seated figures: Ra-Horakhty, the deified king Ramesses, and the gods Amun Ra and Ptah, the main divinities in that period. It is believed that the axis of the temple was positioned by the ancient Egyptian architects in such a way that on October 22 and February 22 (allegedly the king’s birthday and coronation day, respectively), the rays of the sun would penetrate the sanctuary and illuminate the sculptures on the back wall, except for the statue of Ptah, a god connected with the realm of the dead, who always remained in the dark. People gather at Abu Simbel on these days to witness this.
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The Practice of the Presence of God** #Catholic – By Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection **Recommended by Pope Leo XIV** “Twice in recent weeks, Pope Leo XIV has brought up a book that essentially spells out his spiritual MO. When asked in a Dec. 2 in-flight press conference about what was on his mind during the conclave, Leo credited a book he had read “many years ago” that highlighted “a type of prayer and spirituality where one simply gives his life to the Lord and allows the Lord to lead.” The book, The Practice of the Presence of God, is only about 100 pages (depending on the edition), but it seems to pack a spiritual punch. It was first published in 1692, the year after the author — simply known as Brother Lawrence, a lay Carmelite brother in France — died at the age of 77.” A Pope Leo book club? Count me in BISHOP KEVIN J. SWEENEY The quote above is from an article written by Carol Zimmerman and published in the National Catholic Reporter on Dec. 19, 2026. I don’t recall the first time that I heard or read that Pope Leo had “recommended” The Practice of the Presence of God,” but it was sometime after Dec. 2, 2025, when, in what was described as, “his first major press conference as pope … Leo, almost seven months into his pontificate, told journalists that if there were one book to help people understand who he is, not written by St. Augustine, it would be The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence, a 17th-century Carmelite friar…” In press conference, Pope Leo says US has ‘another way’ besides attacking Venezuela | National Catholic Reporter     I do remember smiling and being pleasantly surprised that Pope Leo was recommending a book that I remembered well. I did not remember whether or not I had read the book, nor, if I had read some of it, what it said. I had two (or three) very distinct memories of The Practice of the Presence of God. First, I remembered that Msgr. John Antoncic (a wonderful priest of the Diocese of Brooklyn, may he Rest in Peace) had given a talk to seminarians during my time in the major seminary in Huntington, Long Island (sometime between the fall of 1992 and the spring of 1997). Msgr. Antoncic would have been a priest 25 or more years when he spoke to the seminarians, and he recalled his time in the seminary, in the mid-1960’s, and how he “sat under a tree and read a book called The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection. My second clear memory was that I remembered the name of the author. My third memory was that, at some point during my time in the seminary, I had a copy of the book. I believe it had a blue cover with the words of the title and author (and a sketch of a tree?) in yellow or gold. I remember very little of what Msgr. Antoncic said, but between his mentioning it and having had the copy of the book on my bookshelf for many years (I presume it is in a box somewhere at this point), there was something about that book! So, when I heard Pope Leo’s recommendation, I immediately thought that I should order it on Amazon, which I did not get around to doing. So, I was very happy when someone gave me a (new, updated) copy of it for Christmas. I (finally) read The Practice of the Presence of God in January, while on retreat. Given Pope Leo’s recommendation, you really don’t need my recommendation, but, as you can probably tell by now, I would certainly encourage you to read The Practice of the Presence of God, whether you had never previously read (or heard of) it – or, if it has been a long time since you read it, or heard of it. I was glad that I came across the article by Carol Zimmerman, as she shares a similar experience of having some memory of the book that came back to her after the pope’s recommendation: “While editing our coverage of the plane press conference, I thought,”Wait, I know this book,” remembering it because my mom had also been a fan. Later, I pulled out her 1972 edition of The Practice of the Presence of God, with its 60-cent price printed on the cover, from a bookshelf’s pared-down collection of my parents’ religious books from their years of living with us.” If you click on the link to her article (above), you will see a nice picture of her parents’ “pared down” bookshelf with her Mom’s 1972 edition. In her article, you can also find some helpful biographical information on Brother Lawrence, as well as summaries of the author’s interviews with two Carmelite historians and their thoughts on how the book has remained popular over these more than 300 years, and the book’s relevance for our lives today. Here is a link to the new/updated (November 2024) version of the book that I received as a Christmas gift, described by Amazon as “The most faithful version of Brother Lawrence’s classic text.” I am writing this column on the weekend of March 7/8, the Third Sunday of Lent, when we hear and reflect on the Gospel account of Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan Woman (at the well) – Jn. 4: 5-52, when we hear Jesus say: “… If you knew the gift of God and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him and he would have given you living water…”  In the last paragraph of an excellent Preface in this version of The Practice of the Presence of God, Joseph Clampitt offers this reflection on the life and lessons of Brother Lawrence: “Three hundred years later, his message is still one our world needs to hear. We have been seduced into chasing one high after another: just a few more minutes scrolling social media, one more episode in a binge-watching session, one more shallow Christian book. We drink from wells that don’t satisfy – that were never designed to satisfy! – and wonder when our thirst will be quenched. Only when we drink deeply of Jesus Christ will we find the stream of living water. Brother Lawrence drank constantly from that stream. He was not a peddler of theoretical ideas about God. He only wrote about what he himself had experienced. As you read his words, may his depth of experience become yours as well.” (pg. 4) I hope and pray, dear Reader, that you may find the time, during this Season of Lent or in the near future, to read the words of Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection, as recorded in The Practice of the Presence of God. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
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The Practice of the Presence of God** #Catholic – By Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection **Recommended by Pope Leo XIV** “Twice in recent weeks, Pope Leo XIV has brought up a book that essentially spells out his spiritual MO. When asked in a Dec. 2 in-flight press conference about what was on his mind during the conclave, Leo credited a book he had read “many years ago” that highlighted “a type of prayer and spirituality where one simply gives his life to the Lord and allows the Lord to lead.” The book, The Practice of the Presence of God, is only about 100 pages (depending on the edition), but it seems to pack a spiritual punch. It was first published in 1692, the year after the author — simply known as Brother Lawrence, a lay Carmelite brother in France — died at the age of 77.” A Pope Leo book club? Count me in BISHOP KEVIN J. SWEENEY The quote above is from an article written by Carol Zimmerman and published in the National Catholic Reporter on Dec. 19, 2026. I don’t recall the first time that I heard or read that Pope Leo had “recommended” The Practice of the Presence of God,” but it was sometime after Dec. 2, 2025, when, in what was described as, “his first major press conference as pope … Leo, almost seven months into his pontificate, told journalists that if there were one book to help people understand who he is, not written by St. Augustine, it would be The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence, a 17th-century Carmelite friar…” In press conference, Pope Leo says US has ‘another way’ besides attacking Venezuela | National Catholic Reporter     I do remember smiling and being pleasantly surprised that Pope Leo was recommending a book that I remembered well. I did not remember whether or not I had read the book, nor, if I had read some of it, what it said. I had two (or three) very distinct memories of The Practice of the Presence of God. First, I remembered that Msgr. John Antoncic (a wonderful priest of the Diocese of Brooklyn, may he Rest in Peace) had given a talk to seminarians during my time in the major seminary in Huntington, Long Island (sometime between the fall of 1992 and the spring of 1997). Msgr. Antoncic would have been a priest 25 or more years when he spoke to the seminarians, and he recalled his time in the seminary, in the mid-1960’s, and how he “sat under a tree and read a book called The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection. My second clear memory was that I remembered the name of the author. My third memory was that, at some point during my time in the seminary, I had a copy of the book. I believe it had a blue cover with the words of the title and author (and a sketch of a tree?) in yellow or gold. I remember very little of what Msgr. Antoncic said, but between his mentioning it and having had the copy of the book on my bookshelf for many years (I presume it is in a box somewhere at this point), there was something about that book! So, when I heard Pope Leo’s recommendation, I immediately thought that I should order it on Amazon, which I did not get around to doing. So, I was very happy when someone gave me a (new, updated) copy of it for Christmas. I (finally) read The Practice of the Presence of God in January, while on retreat. Given Pope Leo’s recommendation, you really don’t need my recommendation, but, as you can probably tell by now, I would certainly encourage you to read The Practice of the Presence of God, whether you had never previously read (or heard of) it – or, if it has been a long time since you read it, or heard of it. I was glad that I came across the article by Carol Zimmerman, as she shares a similar experience of having some memory of the book that came back to her after the pope’s recommendation: “While editing our coverage of the plane press conference, I thought,”Wait, I know this book,” remembering it because my mom had also been a fan. Later, I pulled out her 1972 edition of The Practice of the Presence of God, with its 60-cent price printed on the cover, from a bookshelf’s pared-down collection of my parents’ religious books from their years of living with us.” If you click on the link to her article (above), you will see a nice picture of her parents’ “pared down” bookshelf with her Mom’s 1972 edition. In her article, you can also find some helpful biographical information on Brother Lawrence, as well as summaries of the author’s interviews with two Carmelite historians and their thoughts on how the book has remained popular over these more than 300 years, and the book’s relevance for our lives today. Here is a link to the new/updated (November 2024) version of the book that I received as a Christmas gift, described by Amazon as “The most faithful version of Brother Lawrence’s classic text.” I am writing this column on the weekend of March 7/8, the Third Sunday of Lent, when we hear and reflect on the Gospel account of Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan Woman (at the well) – Jn. 4: 5-52, when we hear Jesus say: “… If you knew the gift of God and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him and he would have given you living water…”  In the last paragraph of an excellent Preface in this version of The Practice of the Presence of God, Joseph Clampitt offers this reflection on the life and lessons of Brother Lawrence: “Three hundred years later, his message is still one our world needs to hear. We have been seduced into chasing one high after another: just a few more minutes scrolling social media, one more episode in a binge-watching session, one more shallow Christian book. We drink from wells that don’t satisfy – that were never designed to satisfy! – and wonder when our thirst will be quenched. Only when we drink deeply of Jesus Christ will we find the stream of living water. Brother Lawrence drank constantly from that stream. He was not a peddler of theoretical ideas about God. He only wrote about what he himself had experienced. As you read his words, may his depth of experience become yours as well.” (pg. 4) I hope and pray, dear Reader, that you may find the time, during this Season of Lent or in the near future, to read the words of Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection, as recorded in The Practice of the Presence of God. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

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The Practice of the Presence of God** #Catholic –

By Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection

**Recommended by Pope Leo XIV**

“Twice in recent weeks, Pope Leo XIV has brought up a book that essentially spells out his spiritual MO. When asked in a Dec. 2 in-flight press conference about what was on his mind during the conclave, Leo credited a book he had read “many years ago” that highlighted “a type of prayer and spirituality where one simply gives his life to the Lord and allows the Lord to lead.”

The book, The Practice of the Presence of God, is only about 100 pages (depending on the edition), but it seems to pack a spiritual punch. It was first published in 1692, the year after the author — simply known as Brother Lawrence, a lay Carmelite brother in France — died at the age of 77.”

A Pope Leo book club? Count me in

BISHOP KEVIN J. SWEENEY

The quote above is from an article written by Carol Zimmerman and published in the National Catholic Reporter on Dec. 19, 2026. I don’t recall the first time that I heard or read that Pope Leo had “recommended” The Practice of the Presence of God,” but it was sometime after Dec. 2, 2025, when, in what was described as, “his first major press conference as pope … Leo, almost seven months into his pontificate, told journalists that if there were one book to help people understand who he is, not written by St. Augustine, it would be The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence, a 17th-century Carmelite friar…” In press conference, Pope Leo says US has ‘another way’ besides attacking Venezuela | National Catholic Reporter    

I do remember smiling and being pleasantly surprised that Pope Leo was recommending a book that I remembered well. I did not remember whether or not I had read the book, nor, if I had read some of it, what it said. I had two (or three) very distinct memories of The Practice of the Presence of God.

First, I remembered that Msgr. John Antoncic (a wonderful priest of the Diocese of Brooklyn, may he Rest in Peace) had given a talk to seminarians during my time in the major seminary in Huntington, Long Island (sometime between the fall of 1992 and the spring of 1997). Msgr. Antoncic would have been a priest 25 or more years when he spoke to the seminarians, and he recalled his time in the seminary, in the mid-1960’s, and how he “sat under a tree and read a book called The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection. My second clear memory was that I remembered the name of the author. My third memory was that, at some point during my time in the seminary, I had a copy of the book. I believe it had a blue cover with the words of the title and author (and a sketch of a tree?) in yellow or gold.

I remember very little of what Msgr. Antoncic said, but between his mentioning it and having had the copy of the book on my bookshelf for many years (I presume it is in a box somewhere at this point), there was something about that book! So, when I heard Pope Leo’s recommendation, I immediately thought that I should order it on Amazon, which I did not get around to doing. So, I was very happy when someone gave me a (new, updated) copy of it for Christmas. I (finally) read The Practice of the Presence of God in January, while on retreat. Given Pope Leo’s recommendation, you really don’t need my recommendation, but, as you can probably tell by now, I would certainly encourage you to read The Practice of the Presence of God, whether you had never previously read (or heard of) it – or, if it has been a long time since you read it, or heard of it.

I was glad that I came across the article by Carol Zimmerman, as she shares a similar experience of having some memory of the book that came back to her after the pope’s recommendation:

“While editing our coverage of the plane press conference, I thought,”Wait, I know this book,” remembering it because my mom had also been a fan. Later, I pulled out her 1972 edition of The Practice of the Presence of God, with its 60-cent price printed on the cover, from a bookshelf’s pared-down collection of my parents’ religious books from their years of living with us.”

If you click on the link to her article (above), you will see a nice picture of her parents’ “pared down” bookshelf with her Mom’s 1972 edition. In her article, you can also find some helpful biographical information on Brother Lawrence, as well as summaries of the author’s interviews with two Carmelite historians and their thoughts on how the book has remained popular over these more than 300 years, and the book’s relevance for our lives today.

Here is a link to the new/updated (November 2024) version of the book that I received as a Christmas gift, described by Amazon as “The most faithful version of Brother Lawrence’s classic text.”

I am writing this column on the weekend of March 7/8, the Third Sunday of Lent, when we hear and reflect on the Gospel account of Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan Woman (at the well) – Jn. 4: 5-52, when we hear Jesus say: “… If you knew the gift of God and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him and he would have given you living water…”

 In the last paragraph of an excellent Preface in this version of The Practice of the Presence of God, Joseph Clampitt offers this reflection on the life and lessons of Brother Lawrence:

“Three hundred years later, his message is still one our world needs to hear. We have been seduced into chasing one high after another: just a few more minutes scrolling social media, one more episode in a binge-watching session, one more shallow Christian book. We drink from wells that don’t satisfy – that were never designed to satisfy! – and wonder when our thirst will be quenched. Only when we drink deeply of Jesus Christ will we find the stream of living water. Brother Lawrence drank constantly from that stream. He was not a peddler of theoretical ideas about God. He only wrote about what he himself had experienced. As you read his words, may his depth of experience become yours as well.” (pg. 4)

I hope and pray, dear Reader, that you may find the time, during this Season of Lent or in the near future, to read the words of Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection, as recorded in The Practice of the Presence of God.

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– By Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection **Recommended by Pope Leo XIV** “Twice in recent weeks, Pope Leo XIV has brought up a book that essentially spells out his spiritual MO. When asked in a Dec. 2 in-flight press conference about what was on his mind during the conclave, Leo credited a book he had read “many years ago” that highlighted “a type of prayer and spirituality where one simply gives his life to the Lord and allows the Lord to lead.” The book, The Practice of the Presence of God, is only about 100 pages (depending on the edition), but it seems to

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A Prayer for a Lately Deceased Person: Prayer of the Day for Tuesday, March 10, 2026 – #Prayer – Absolve, we beseech Thee, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant N…, from every bond of sin, that being raised in the glory of the resurrection, he may be refreshed among the Saints and Elect. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

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Absolve, we beseech Thee, O Lord,
the soul of Thy servant N…,
from every bond of sin,
that being raised in the glory of the resurrection,
he may be refreshed among the Saints and Elect.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

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Gospel and Word of the Day – 10 March 2026 – A reading from the Book of Daniel 3:25, 34-43 Azariah stood up in the fire and prayed aloud: “For your name’s sake, O Lord, do not deliver us up forever, or make void your covenant. Do not take away your mercy from us, for the sake of Abraham, your beloved, Isaac your servant, and Israel your holy one, To whom you promised to multiply their offspring like the stars of heaven, or the sand on the shore of the sea. For we are reduced, O Lord, beyond any other nation, brought low everywhere in the world this day because of our sins. We have in our day no prince, prophet, or leader, no burnt offering, sacrifice, oblation, or incense, no place to offer first fruits, to find favor with you. But with contrite heart and humble spirit let us be received; As though it were burnt offerings of rams and bullocks, or thousands of fat lambs, So let our sacrifice be in your presence today as we follow you unreservedly; for those who trust in you cannot be put to shame. And now we follow you with our whole heart, we fear you and we pray to you. Do not let us be put to shame, but deal with us in your kindness and great mercy. Deliver us by your wonders, and bring glory to your name, O Lord.”From the Gospel according to Matthew 18:21-35 Peter approached Jesus and asked him, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times. That is why the Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the accounting, a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount. Since he had no way of paying it back, his master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, his children, and all his property, in payment of the debt. At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’ Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan. When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a much smaller amount. He seized him and started to choke him, demanding, ‘Pay back what you owe.’ Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’ But he refused. Instead, he had him put in prison until he paid back the debt. Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master and reported the whole affair. His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?’ Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt. So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart.”“Forgiveness! Christ taught us to forgive. Many times, and in various ways He spoke of forgiveness. When Peter asked him how many times he would have forgiven his neighbour, “As many as seven times?”, Jesus replied that he should forgive “seventy times seven” (Mt 18:21f). This means, in practice, always: in fact, the number “seventy times seven” is symbolic, and means, rather than a specific quantity, an incalculable, infinite quantity. Responding to the question of how one should pray, Christ uttered those magnificent words addressed to the Father: “Our Father who art in heaven”; and among the requests that make up this prayer, the last one speaks of forgiveness: “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those” who are guilty towards us, who “trespass against us”. Finally, Christ himself confirmed the truth of these words on the Cross when, turning to the Father, he pleaded: “Forgive them!”, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Lk 23:34). (Saint John Paul II – General audience, 21 October 1981)  

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A reading from the Book of Daniel
3:25, 34-43

Azariah stood up in the fire and prayed aloud:

“For your name’s sake, O Lord, do not deliver us up forever,
or make void your covenant.
Do not take away your mercy from us,
for the sake of Abraham, your beloved,
Isaac your servant, and Israel your holy one,
To whom you promised to multiply their offspring
like the stars of heaven,
or the sand on the shore of the sea.
For we are reduced, O Lord, beyond any other nation,
brought low everywhere in the world this day
because of our sins.
We have in our day no prince, prophet, or leader,
no burnt offering, sacrifice, oblation, or incense,
no place to offer first fruits, to find favor with you.
But with contrite heart and humble spirit
let us be received;
As though it were burnt offerings of rams and bullocks,
or thousands of fat lambs,
So let our sacrifice be in your presence today
as we follow you unreservedly;
for those who trust in you cannot be put to shame.
And now we follow you with our whole heart,
we fear you and we pray to you.
Do not let us be put to shame,
but deal with us in your kindness and great mercy.
Deliver us by your wonders,
and bring glory to your name, O Lord.”

From the Gospel according to Matthew
18:21-35

Peter approached Jesus and asked him,
“Lord, if my brother sins against me,
how often must I forgive him?
As many as seven times?”
Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.
That is why the Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king
who decided to settle accounts with his servants.
When he began the accounting,
a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount.
Since he had no way of paying it back,
his master ordered him to be sold,
along with his wife, his children, and all his property,
in payment of the debt.
At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said,
‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’
Moved with compassion the master of that servant
let him go and forgave him the loan.
When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants
who owed him a much smaller amount.
He seized him and started to choke him, demanding,
‘Pay back what you owe.’
Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him,
‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’
But he refused.
Instead, he had him put in prison
until he paid back the debt.
Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened,
they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master
and reported the whole affair.
His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant!
I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to.
Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant,
as I had pity on you?’
Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers
until he should pay back the whole debt.
So will my heavenly Father do to you,
unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart.”

“Forgiveness! Christ taught us to forgive. Many times, and in various ways He spoke of forgiveness. When Peter asked him how many times he would have forgiven his neighbour, “As many as seven times?”, Jesus replied that he should forgive “seventy times seven” (Mt 18:21f). This means, in practice, always: in fact, the number “seventy times seven” is symbolic, and means, rather than a specific quantity, an incalculable, infinite quantity. Responding to the question of how one should pray, Christ uttered those magnificent words addressed to the Father: “Our Father who art in heaven”; and among the requests that make up this prayer, the last one speaks of forgiveness: “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those” who are guilty towards us, who “trespass against us”. Finally, Christ himself confirmed the truth of these words on the Cross when, turning to the Father, he pleaded: “Forgive them!”, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Lk 23:34). (Saint John Paul II – General audience, 21 October 1981)

 

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Pope Leo tackles topic of domestic abuse on International Women’s Day – #Catholic – In the context of International Women’s Day, celebrated March 8, Pope Leo XIV responded to a letter from a reader of Piazza San Pietro magazine who asked what can be done about femicides, and the pope shared that violence against women causes him “great suffering.”Femicide is defined as a man killing a girl or a woman for the very reason that she is female. Pope Leo replied to a woman named Giovanna, who said she is “fortunate” to be married to a man who loves and respects her. The letter appeared in the latest issue of the publication, which this March is dedicated to women.In her letter, the woman confessed to having “tears in her eyes” because of the “death trap” that married life becomes when a man kills a woman due to a “culture of possession.” Giovanna then proposed an alliance between the Catholic Church and schools to educate young people in love and respect. “Who else, if not schools and the Church, can help new generations by spreading a culture of respect, love, and above all, freedom?” she asked.Pope Leo XIV’s response to violence against women“You raise a major issue that for me is always a source of great suffering: violence in relationships, and in particular violence against women,” the Holy Father responded to Giovanna.“In a world often dominated by violent thinking, we must further support the feminine genius, as St. John Paul II said, the ‘genius of women,’ protagonists and creators of a culture of care and fraternity indispensable for giving a future and dignity to all humanity,” he emphasized.Leo XIV added that “perhaps this is also why women are beaten and murdered, because they are a sign of contradiction in this confused, uncertain, and violent society, because they point to values ​​of faith, freedom, equality, generativity, hope, solidarity, and justice.”“These are great values, which are nevertheless attacked by a dangerous mentality that infests relationships and only produces selfishness, prejudice, discrimination, and a will to dominate,” he added.After recalling that he had already denounced the violence of femicides in June 2025, the pope stressed that “violence, any violence, is the boundary that separates civilization from barbarism.”Leo XIV then advised that “we must never underestimate an act of violence and we must not be afraid to denounce violence, including that climate of justification or that downplays or denies responsibility.”“Walking together in mutual respect for our humanity is not a dream, but the only possible reality for building a world of light for all.”A task for the ChurchThe pope thanked Giovanna for her suggestions for an “ever stronger educational alliance” and stated that “the Church, together with families, schools, parishes, movements and associations, religious congregations, and public institutions, can share the urgency of carrying out specific projects to prevent and stop violence against women.”The pope also recalled that on Nov. 25, 2025, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, he emphasized that “to stop violence, we must begin with the education of young people.”“We must begin by opening everyone’s hearts to the fact that every person is a human being who deserves respect, that dignity for men and women, for everyone.”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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Pope Leo tackles topic of domestic abuse on International Women’s Day – #Catholic – In the context of International Women’s Day, celebrated March 8, Pope Leo XIV responded to a letter from a reader of Piazza San Pietro magazine who asked what can be done about femicides, and the pope shared that violence against women causes him “great suffering.”Femicide is defined as a man killing a girl or a woman for the very reason that she is female. Pope Leo replied to a woman named Giovanna, who said she is “fortunate” to be married to a man who loves and respects her. The letter appeared in the latest issue of the publication, which this March is dedicated to women.In her letter, the woman confessed to having “tears in her eyes” because of the “death trap” that married life becomes when a man kills a woman due to a “culture of possession.” Giovanna then proposed an alliance between the Catholic Church and schools to educate young people in love and respect. “Who else, if not schools and the Church, can help new generations by spreading a culture of respect, love, and above all, freedom?” she asked.Pope Leo XIV’s response to violence against women“You raise a major issue that for me is always a source of great suffering: violence in relationships, and in particular violence against women,” the Holy Father responded to Giovanna.“In a world often dominated by violent thinking, we must further support the feminine genius, as St. John Paul II said, the ‘genius of women,’ protagonists and creators of a culture of care and fraternity indispensable for giving a future and dignity to all humanity,” he emphasized.Leo XIV added that “perhaps this is also why women are beaten and murdered, because they are a sign of contradiction in this confused, uncertain, and violent society, because they point to values ​​of faith, freedom, equality, generativity, hope, solidarity, and justice.”“These are great values, which are nevertheless attacked by a dangerous mentality that infests relationships and only produces selfishness, prejudice, discrimination, and a will to dominate,” he added.After recalling that he had already denounced the violence of femicides in June 2025, the pope stressed that “violence, any violence, is the boundary that separates civilization from barbarism.”Leo XIV then advised that “we must never underestimate an act of violence and we must not be afraid to denounce violence, including that climate of justification or that downplays or denies responsibility.”“Walking together in mutual respect for our humanity is not a dream, but the only possible reality for building a world of light for all.”A task for the ChurchThe pope thanked Giovanna for her suggestions for an “ever stronger educational alliance” and stated that “the Church, together with families, schools, parishes, movements and associations, religious congregations, and public institutions, can share the urgency of carrying out specific projects to prevent and stop violence against women.”The pope also recalled that on Nov. 25, 2025, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, he emphasized that “to stop violence, we must begin with the education of young people.”“We must begin by opening everyone’s hearts to the fact that every person is a human being who deserves respect, that dignity for men and women, for everyone.”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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Responding to a woman writing to the Vatican magazine Piazza San Pietro, Pope Leo decried violence against women and emphasized that educating young people in respect is the key to preventing it.

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Can AI be a tool for virtue? Catholics grapple with Anthropic’s claim of virtuous AI #Catholic – ROME (OSV News) — In a room full of Dominican friars and Catholic philosophy professors, a priest and AI researcher read aloud excerpts pertaining to ethics from the guiding “constitution” of one of Silicon Valley’s most prominent artificial intelligence companies, drawing laughter from the audience of Thomists. The moment came on March 6 when Father Jean Gové, coordinator of the European AI Research Group within the Vatican’s Dicastery for Culture and Education, cited passages from Anthropic’s internal guidelines. The company says it aims for its AI model, Claude, to be a “good, wise, and virtuous agent,” without wanting to define those “ethically loaded terms,” and expresses hope that the AI model might one day possess an understanding of ethics that could surpass human ethical understanding. “I appreciate the laughter,” Father Gové told the conference. “This is a text coming from one of the leading AI companies, frontier companies in the world. … This is the company that … is doing the most comparatively when it comes to ethics, safety, and governance when it comes to AI. This is where we are. This is the state of play.” Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Father Gové spoke at the two-day academic conference “Artificial Intelligence: A Tool for Virtue?”, held March 5–6 at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, known as the Angelicum, in Rome. He said theologians, philosophers, academics and the Church are now being invited to engage with companies that hold ideas like these when grappling with the many issues raised by AI. The conference comes as Catholic institutions are actively engaged with AI ethics. The Vatican issued a document on the technology in 2025, “Antiqua et Nova,” and Pope Leo XIV has made AI a focus since the first days of his pontificate. Organized by the university’s Thomistic Institute Project for Science and Religion, the conference brought centuries of Dominican engagement with Aristotelian virtue ethics to bear on examining whether AI systems can be designed and used in ways that help people grow in virtue. The answer, by most accounts, was a cautious and qualified no, though not without nuance. Virtue requires more than good output Dominican Father Alejandro Crosthwaite, a professor of social sciences at the Angelicum, argued that genuine virtue requires faculties no AI system possesses. “Virtue is not correct output,” he said. “It is right reason embodied in a self-determining agent.” A large language model, he continued, predicts tokens based on statistical patterns. It does not deliberate, does not possess will and does not apprehend the good as something it is ordered toward. Father Crosthwaite emphasized that AI “is never a moral subject” and that “virtue ultimately belongs to persons.” “Simulation is epistemic imitation,” he said. “Virtue is ontological possession. This is not a criticism of the technology. It’s simply a clarification of metaphysical categories.” The more pressing question, he argued, is not whether AI can become virtuous, but what kind of persons AI helps form. “If AI replaces prudential judgment, prudence weakens in the human person,” he said. “The ultimate question is not whether the machines become wise. It is whether we do.” A safer tool, if not a virtuous one Father Gové, who also serves as the Holy See’s representative to the Council of Europe on AI matters, acknowledged that Anthropic’s guidelines, which decline to commit to any specific ethical framework, leave Claude with “no definitions of what is the good,” with “no hierarchy of goods,” and “no end to which good actions are ordered toward.” Thomistic virtue ethics would not recognize Claude as truly virtuous, he said. But Father Gové stopped short of dismissing Anthropic’s efforts. “Does this make Claude a tool for virtue? Not exactly,” he said. “I hope it makes Claude a safer tool. So that’s already something, right?” He also argued that AI ethics require “a triadic relationship between tool, virtue, and regulation, policy, governance,” describing the current state of AI governance legislation as a barren desert. The risk of replacing teachers and friends with AI Dr. Angela Knobel, a philosophy professor at the University of Dallas and author of “Aquinas and the Infused Moral Virtues,” warned that algorithms can work against virtuous habit formation. “AI chatbots are doing what video games and TikTok and other things are designed to do,” she said. “They design it to make you want more of the same.” Knobel pointed to how algorithmic design in social platforms like TikTok track user behavior, saying, “TikTok is programmed to notice not just what you click on, but also what you pause on and don’t click on. And so, if you see the porn that it shows you and you don’t click on it, but you pause on it, it starts showing you more porn until you do click on it, which is, Aristotle tells us, a very good way to encourage you to do what you don’t want to do, right?” “This is not to say that technology, including AI, can’t be used in helpful ways,” she said. “It’s just to say that it takes effort to make sure you use it in a non-detrimental way.” She was especially concerned about AI’s potential to displace the irreplaceable role of human teachers and mentors in moral formation. Growing morally and intellectually, she said, is inherently uncomfortable, and “that is not something most of us can or even want to do on our own.” “You teach someone to write by making them write, by trying to help them see the ways in which what they wrote falls short, and then asking them to do it again,” she said. “Computers are not very good at doing this.” AI, she concluded, is “closer to an opiate — the kind of thing that requires extreme caution in its use.” “I think we have to exercise extreme caution to ensure that we do not let it take the place of our teachers and friends, because if we do, and to the extent that we do, we will certainly allow it to make us worse,” she said. The danger of disconnection Dominican Sister Catherine Droste, a theology professor at the Angelicum, warned of what she called “the zombie effect” with people absorbed in devices, oblivious to those around them. “AI has upped the ante,” she said. “At least with Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, et cetera, even though people were using technology, there was still something of a connection related to human beings, which we’ve lost.” Still, Sister Catherine allowed that AI could be used prudently in certain contexts. “Before you’re using AI, there has to be prudence,” she said. “But that doesn’t mean you cannot use AI prudently in the sense that it can … give some information that can help you to be truly prudent.” Courtney Mares is Vatican Editor for OSV News. Follow her on X @catholicourtney.  
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Can AI be a tool for virtue? Catholics grapple with Anthropic’s claim of virtuous AI #Catholic – ROME (OSV News) — In a room full of Dominican friars and Catholic philosophy professors, a priest and AI researcher read aloud excerpts pertaining to ethics from the guiding “constitution” of one of Silicon Valley’s most prominent artificial intelligence companies, drawing laughter from the audience of Thomists. The moment came on March 6 when Father Jean Gové, coordinator of the European AI Research Group within the Vatican’s Dicastery for Culture and Education, cited passages from Anthropic’s internal guidelines. The company says it aims for its AI model, Claude, to be a “good, wise, and virtuous agent,” without wanting to define those “ethically loaded terms,” and expresses hope that the AI model might one day possess an understanding of ethics that could surpass human ethical understanding. “I appreciate the laughter,” Father Gové told the conference. “This is a text coming from one of the leading AI companies, frontier companies in the world. … This is the company that … is doing the most comparatively when it comes to ethics, safety, and governance when it comes to AI. This is where we are. This is the state of play.” Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Father Gové spoke at the two-day academic conference “Artificial Intelligence: A Tool for Virtue?”, held March 5–6 at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, known as the Angelicum, in Rome. He said theologians, philosophers, academics and the Church are now being invited to engage with companies that hold ideas like these when grappling with the many issues raised by AI. The conference comes as Catholic institutions are actively engaged with AI ethics. The Vatican issued a document on the technology in 2025, “Antiqua et Nova,” and Pope Leo XIV has made AI a focus since the first days of his pontificate. Organized by the university’s Thomistic Institute Project for Science and Religion, the conference brought centuries of Dominican engagement with Aristotelian virtue ethics to bear on examining whether AI systems can be designed and used in ways that help people grow in virtue. The answer, by most accounts, was a cautious and qualified no, though not without nuance. Virtue requires more than good output Dominican Father Alejandro Crosthwaite, a professor of social sciences at the Angelicum, argued that genuine virtue requires faculties no AI system possesses. “Virtue is not correct output,” he said. “It is right reason embodied in a self-determining agent.” A large language model, he continued, predicts tokens based on statistical patterns. It does not deliberate, does not possess will and does not apprehend the good as something it is ordered toward. Father Crosthwaite emphasized that AI “is never a moral subject” and that “virtue ultimately belongs to persons.” “Simulation is epistemic imitation,” he said. “Virtue is ontological possession. This is not a criticism of the technology. It’s simply a clarification of metaphysical categories.” The more pressing question, he argued, is not whether AI can become virtuous, but what kind of persons AI helps form. “If AI replaces prudential judgment, prudence weakens in the human person,” he said. “The ultimate question is not whether the machines become wise. It is whether we do.” A safer tool, if not a virtuous one Father Gové, who also serves as the Holy See’s representative to the Council of Europe on AI matters, acknowledged that Anthropic’s guidelines, which decline to commit to any specific ethical framework, leave Claude with “no definitions of what is the good,” with “no hierarchy of goods,” and “no end to which good actions are ordered toward.” Thomistic virtue ethics would not recognize Claude as truly virtuous, he said. But Father Gové stopped short of dismissing Anthropic’s efforts. “Does this make Claude a tool for virtue? Not exactly,” he said. “I hope it makes Claude a safer tool. So that’s already something, right?” He also argued that AI ethics require “a triadic relationship between tool, virtue, and regulation, policy, governance,” describing the current state of AI governance legislation as a barren desert. The risk of replacing teachers and friends with AI Dr. Angela Knobel, a philosophy professor at the University of Dallas and author of “Aquinas and the Infused Moral Virtues,” warned that algorithms can work against virtuous habit formation. “AI chatbots are doing what video games and TikTok and other things are designed to do,” she said. “They design it to make you want more of the same.” Knobel pointed to how algorithmic design in social platforms like TikTok track user behavior, saying, “TikTok is programmed to notice not just what you click on, but also what you pause on and don’t click on. And so, if you see the porn that it shows you and you don’t click on it, but you pause on it, it starts showing you more porn until you do click on it, which is, Aristotle tells us, a very good way to encourage you to do what you don’t want to do, right?” “This is not to say that technology, including AI, can’t be used in helpful ways,” she said. “It’s just to say that it takes effort to make sure you use it in a non-detrimental way.” She was especially concerned about AI’s potential to displace the irreplaceable role of human teachers and mentors in moral formation. Growing morally and intellectually, she said, is inherently uncomfortable, and “that is not something most of us can or even want to do on our own.” “You teach someone to write by making them write, by trying to help them see the ways in which what they wrote falls short, and then asking them to do it again,” she said. “Computers are not very good at doing this.” AI, she concluded, is “closer to an opiate — the kind of thing that requires extreme caution in its use.” “I think we have to exercise extreme caution to ensure that we do not let it take the place of our teachers and friends, because if we do, and to the extent that we do, we will certainly allow it to make us worse,” she said. The danger of disconnection Dominican Sister Catherine Droste, a theology professor at the Angelicum, warned of what she called “the zombie effect” with people absorbed in devices, oblivious to those around them. “AI has upped the ante,” she said. “At least with Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, et cetera, even though people were using technology, there was still something of a connection related to human beings, which we’ve lost.” Still, Sister Catherine allowed that AI could be used prudently in certain contexts. “Before you’re using AI, there has to be prudence,” she said. “But that doesn’t mean you cannot use AI prudently in the sense that it can … give some information that can help you to be truly prudent.” Courtney Mares is Vatican Editor for OSV News. Follow her on X @catholicourtney.  

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Can AI be a tool for virtue? Catholics grapple with Anthropic’s claim of virtuous AI #Catholic –

ROME (OSV News) — In a room full of Dominican friars and Catholic philosophy professors, a priest and AI researcher read aloud excerpts pertaining to ethics from the guiding “constitution” of one of Silicon Valley’s most prominent artificial intelligence companies, drawing laughter from the audience of Thomists.

The moment came on March 6 when Father Jean Gové, coordinator of the European AI Research Group within the Vatican’s Dicastery for Culture and Education, cited passages from Anthropic’s internal guidelines. The company says it aims for its AI model, Claude, to be a “good, wise, and virtuous agent,” without wanting to define those “ethically loaded terms,” and expresses hope that the AI model might one day possess an understanding of ethics that could surpass human ethical understanding.

“I appreciate the laughter,” Father Gové told the conference. “This is a text coming from one of the leading AI companies, frontier companies in the world. … This is the company that … is doing the most comparatively when it comes to ethics, safety, and governance when it comes to AI. This is where we are. This is the state of play.”

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

Father Gové spoke at the two-day academic conference “Artificial Intelligence: A Tool for Virtue?”, held March 5–6 at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, known as the Angelicum, in Rome. He said theologians, philosophers, academics and the Church are now being invited to engage with companies that hold ideas like these when grappling with the many issues raised by AI.

The conference comes as Catholic institutions are actively engaged with AI ethics. The Vatican issued a document on the technology in 2025, “Antiqua et Nova,” and Pope Leo XIV has made AI a focus since the first days of his pontificate.

Organized by the university’s Thomistic Institute Project for Science and Religion, the conference brought centuries of Dominican engagement with Aristotelian virtue ethics to bear on examining whether AI systems can be designed and used in ways that help people grow in virtue.

The answer, by most accounts, was a cautious and qualified no, though not without nuance.

Virtue requires more than good output

Dominican Father Alejandro Crosthwaite, a professor of social sciences at the Angelicum, argued that genuine virtue requires faculties no AI system possesses.

“Virtue is not correct output,” he said. “It is right reason embodied in a self-determining agent.”

A large language model, he continued, predicts tokens based on statistical patterns. It does not deliberate, does not possess will and does not apprehend the good as something it is ordered toward.

Father Crosthwaite emphasized that AI “is never a moral subject” and that “virtue ultimately belongs to persons.”

“Simulation is epistemic imitation,” he said. “Virtue is ontological possession. This is not a criticism of the technology. It’s simply a clarification of metaphysical categories.”

The more pressing question, he argued, is not whether AI can become virtuous, but what kind of persons AI helps form.

“If AI replaces prudential judgment, prudence weakens in the human person,” he said. “The ultimate question is not whether the machines become wise. It is whether we do.”

A safer tool, if not a virtuous one

Father Gové, who also serves as the Holy See’s representative to the Council of Europe on AI matters, acknowledged that Anthropic’s guidelines, which decline to commit to any specific ethical framework, leave Claude with “no definitions of what is the good,” with “no hierarchy of goods,” and “no end to which good actions are ordered toward.”

Thomistic virtue ethics would not recognize Claude as truly virtuous, he said. But Father Gové stopped short of dismissing Anthropic’s efforts.

“Does this make Claude a tool for virtue? Not exactly,” he said. “I hope it makes Claude a safer tool. So that’s already something, right?” He also argued that AI ethics require “a triadic relationship between tool, virtue, and regulation, policy, governance,” describing the current state of AI governance legislation as a barren desert.

The risk of replacing teachers and friends with AI

Dr. Angela Knobel, a philosophy professor at the University of Dallas and author of “Aquinas and the Infused Moral Virtues,” warned that algorithms can work against virtuous habit formation.

“AI chatbots are doing what video games and TikTok and other things are designed to do,” she said. “They design it to make you want more of the same.”

Knobel pointed to how algorithmic design in social platforms like TikTok track user behavior, saying, “TikTok is programmed to notice not just what you click on, but also what you pause on and don’t click on. And so, if you see the porn that it shows you and you don’t click on it, but you pause on it, it starts showing you more porn until you do click on it, which is, Aristotle tells us, a very good way to encourage you to do what you don’t want to do, right?”

“This is not to say that technology, including AI, can’t be used in helpful ways,” she said. “It’s just to say that it takes effort to make sure you use it in a non-detrimental way.”

She was especially concerned about AI’s potential to displace the irreplaceable role of human teachers and mentors in moral formation. Growing morally and intellectually, she said, is inherently uncomfortable, and “that is not something most of us can or even want to do on our own.”

“You teach someone to write by making them write, by trying to help them see the ways in which what they wrote falls short, and then asking them to do it again,” she said. “Computers are not very good at doing this.”

AI, she concluded, is “closer to an opiate — the kind of thing that requires extreme caution in its use.”

“I think we have to exercise extreme caution to ensure that we do not let it take the place of our teachers and friends, because if we do, and to the extent that we do, we will certainly allow it to make us worse,” she said.

The danger of disconnection

Dominican Sister Catherine Droste, a theology professor at the Angelicum, warned of what she called “the zombie effect” with people absorbed in devices, oblivious to those around them.

“AI has upped the ante,” she said. “At least with Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, et cetera, even though people were using technology, there was still something of a connection related to human beings, which we’ve lost.”

Still, Sister Catherine allowed that AI could be used prudently in certain contexts. “Before you’re using AI, there has to be prudence,” she said. “But that doesn’t mean you cannot use AI prudently in the sense that it can … give some information that can help you to be truly prudent.”

Courtney Mares is Vatican Editor for OSV News. Follow her on X @catholicourtney.

 

– ROME (OSV News) — In a room full of Dominican friars and Catholic philosophy professors, a priest and AI researcher read aloud excerpts pertaining to ethics from the guiding “constitution” of one of Silicon Valley’s most prominent artificial intelligence companies, drawing laughter from the audience of Thomists. The moment came on March 6 when Father Jean Gové, coordinator of the European AI Research Group within the Vatican’s Dicastery for Culture and Education, cited passages from Anthropic’s internal guidelines. The company says it aims for its AI model, Claude, to be a “good, wise, and virtuous agent,” without wanting to define

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NBC poll: Pope Leo XIV held in highest esteem among public personalities – #Catholic – A March NBC poll found that U.S. voters hold Pope Leo XIV in highest esteem among other public personalities.The NBC News Survey by Hart Research Associates/Public Opinion Strategies surveyed 1,000 registered voters about public figures and various topics, including the first U.S. pope.When asked how they felt about Leo, 42% of respondents were “very positive” or “somewhat positive,” while 8% felt “somewhat negative” or “very negative.”With a favorability rating that outpaced unfavorability by 34 points, Leo ranked ahead of other U.S. figures including comedian Stephen Colbert, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vice President JD Vance, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, President Donald Trump, former Vice President Kamala Harris, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom (listed in order of their net rating).Leo’s total positive score beat out Trump’s by 1 percentage point and JD Vance’s by 4 percentage points. The American pope’s total negative score was markedly lower than that of other U.S. public figures as the only one in the single digits. Colbert was the only other public figure who had a net-positive rating.The margin of sampling error for the full sample of 1,000 respondents is plus or minus 3.10 percentage points.Comparison with previous popesIn comparison with previous popes in similar polls, Leo’s total positive rating is somewhere in between. Pope Francis peaked at a 57% approval rating in December 2013, according to NBC. Pope Benedict XVI had a 30% positive rating in February 2013, while Pope John Paul II’s favorability in January 1998 hit 65%.Born on the South Side of Chicago, Leo is the first pope to hold U.S. citizenship as well as the first to hold Peruvian citizenship and the first Augustinian pope. Following Pope Francis, he is the second pope from the Americas.
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NBC poll: Pope Leo XIV held in highest esteem among public personalities – #Catholic – A March NBC poll found that U.S. voters hold Pope Leo XIV in highest esteem among other public personalities.The NBC News Survey by Hart Research Associates/Public Opinion Strategies surveyed 1,000 registered voters about public figures and various topics, including the first U.S. pope.When asked how they felt about Leo, 42% of respondents were “very positive” or “somewhat positive,” while 8% felt “somewhat negative” or “very negative.”With a favorability rating that outpaced unfavorability by 34 points, Leo ranked ahead of other U.S. figures including comedian Stephen Colbert, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vice President JD Vance, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, President Donald Trump, former Vice President Kamala Harris, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom (listed in order of their net rating).Leo’s total positive score beat out Trump’s by 1 percentage point and JD Vance’s by 4 percentage points. The American pope’s total negative score was markedly lower than that of other U.S. public figures as the only one in the single digits. Colbert was the only other public figure who had a net-positive rating.The margin of sampling error for the full sample of 1,000 respondents is plus or minus 3.10 percentage points.Comparison with previous popesIn comparison with previous popes in similar polls, Leo’s total positive rating is somewhere in between. Pope Francis peaked at a 57% approval rating in December 2013, according to NBC. Pope Benedict XVI had a 30% positive rating in February 2013, while Pope John Paul II’s favorability in January 1998 hit 65%.Born on the South Side of Chicago, Leo is the first pope to hold U.S. citizenship as well as the first to hold Peruvian citizenship and the first Augustinian pope. Following Pope Francis, he is the second pope from the Americas.

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A March NBC poll found that American voters hold Pope Leo XIV in highest esteem among other public personalities.

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Pakistani Christians join Muslims for Ramadan meals amid Iran war fallout #Catholic LAHORE, Pakistan — White bedsheets for Muslim worshippers were laid on the grassy lawn outside the Dominican Peace Center in Punjab an hour before the annual interfaith iftar — the fast-breaking meal during Ramadan.The aroma of crispy pakoras (fritters), dried dates, rose-flavored Rooh Afza, and dahi bhallay (lentil dumplings in yogurt) drew guests to the dining tables after they finished reciting their iftar prayers in Lahore, the provincial capital.Dominican Father James Channan, director of the center, has hosted such interfaith gatherings for 25 years in a country where religious tensions have periodically turned violent. Dominican Father James Channan speaks at a combined International Women’s Day and interfaith iftar program at the Dominican Peace Center in Lahore, Pakistan, on March 8, 2026. | Credit: Kamran Chaudhry “Table friendships are very important in our context. People attending such forums highlight them on social media, reaching millions,” he told EWTN News at the sidelines of the program, timed with International Women’s Day on March 8.“The combined meals and prayer services have helped curb trends of church attacks that followed U.S. wars in Muslim countries.”Pakistani Christians have faced multiple terrorist attacks since October 2001, after the United States — seen by many Pakistani Muslims as a Christian nation — launched its military campaign in Afghanistan.“It’s a bitter past. Churches and Christian settlements were considered soft targets. The ongoing conflicts are not crusades; they are wars of interest,” Channan said.Interfaith meals continue despite unrestInterfaith gatherings continued this year even as protests against U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran left 26 dead in Pakistan.Church leaders joined clerics in prayers for peace and shared meals at mosques, church premises, and hotels across six dioceses and one apostolic vicariate, as Middle East air travel disruption and rising fuel prices added regional tension.Many Pakistanis view the United States and Western Europe as Christian nations, and some militant groups target local Christians as linked to these “Christian countries.”Communal tensions have also erupted locally. In May 2024, a mob attacked 74-year-old Christian Nazir Masih over alleged blasphemy in Sargodha. He later died of his injuries. In August 2023, violence in Jaranwala destroyed 26 churches and 80 Christian homes following allegations of Quran desecration.In a Feb. 17 message, Archbishop Joseph Arshad of Rawalpindi-Islamabad invited Christians and Muslims to offer special prayers for peace as Lent and Ramadan coincided this year. He encouraged people of both faiths “to visit one another, exchange greetings with respect, and unite in serving vulnerable segments of society.”Joint events across PakistanIn Multan, over 82 participants attended a Feb. 28 iftar jointly organized by the Catholic Commission for Inter-Religious Dialogue and Ecumenism; Saiban-e-Pakistan, a state peace initiative; and the Centre of Excellence on Countering Violent Extremism.A day earlier in Lahore, Channan and four Catholic priests attended the fast-breaking event at the Badshahi Mosque, the country’s second-largest mosque. He presented a framed photo of Abdul Khabeer Azad, the mosque’s “khateeb” (prayer leader), who met Pope Leo XIV in October 2025 at the “Christian-Muslim Dialogue and Daring Peace” conference in Rome organized by the Community of Sant’Egidio. Guests share the interfaith iftar meal at the Dominican Peace Center in Lahore on March 8, 2026. | Credit: Kamran Chaudhry Among 120 guests at the Dominican iftar was Muslim speaker Shehzad Qaiser. The event, held in collaboration with groups including the Seventh-day Adventist Church, highlighted ongoing social challenges.The head of external affairs at Sundas Foundation, which supports patients with blood disorders, agreed that Christians face discrimination in some offices and some Muslims refuse the food prepared by Christians.“It is very important to share our common practices, joys, and sorrows. Religious leaders have the duty to raise awareness. Sadly some mistake local Christians as ‘kafir’ (infidels),” Qaiser said.“During Ramadan, people distribute free meals to everyone without asking their religion. Blood donors don’t discriminate either. This is the real spirit of Ramadan and Lent.”
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Pakistani Christians join Muslims for Ramadan meals amid Iran war fallout #Catholic LAHORE, Pakistan — White bedsheets for Muslim worshippers were laid on the grassy lawn outside the Dominican Peace Center in Punjab an hour before the annual interfaith iftar — the fast-breaking meal during Ramadan.The aroma of crispy pakoras (fritters), dried dates, rose-flavored Rooh Afza, and dahi bhallay (lentil dumplings in yogurt) drew guests to the dining tables after they finished reciting their iftar prayers in Lahore, the provincial capital.Dominican Father James Channan, director of the center, has hosted such interfaith gatherings for 25 years in a country where religious tensions have periodically turned violent. Dominican Father James Channan speaks at a combined International Women’s Day and interfaith iftar program at the Dominican Peace Center in Lahore, Pakistan, on March 8, 2026. | Credit: Kamran Chaudhry “Table friendships are very important in our context. People attending such forums highlight them on social media, reaching millions,” he told EWTN News at the sidelines of the program, timed with International Women’s Day on March 8.“The combined meals and prayer services have helped curb trends of church attacks that followed U.S. wars in Muslim countries.”Pakistani Christians have faced multiple terrorist attacks since October 2001, after the United States — seen by many Pakistani Muslims as a Christian nation — launched its military campaign in Afghanistan.“It’s a bitter past. Churches and Christian settlements were considered soft targets. The ongoing conflicts are not crusades; they are wars of interest,” Channan said.Interfaith meals continue despite unrestInterfaith gatherings continued this year even as protests against U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran left 26 dead in Pakistan.Church leaders joined clerics in prayers for peace and shared meals at mosques, church premises, and hotels across six dioceses and one apostolic vicariate, as Middle East air travel disruption and rising fuel prices added regional tension.Many Pakistanis view the United States and Western Europe as Christian nations, and some militant groups target local Christians as linked to these “Christian countries.”Communal tensions have also erupted locally. In May 2024, a mob attacked 74-year-old Christian Nazir Masih over alleged blasphemy in Sargodha. He later died of his injuries. In August 2023, violence in Jaranwala destroyed 26 churches and 80 Christian homes following allegations of Quran desecration.In a Feb. 17 message, Archbishop Joseph Arshad of Rawalpindi-Islamabad invited Christians and Muslims to offer special prayers for peace as Lent and Ramadan coincided this year. He encouraged people of both faiths “to visit one another, exchange greetings with respect, and unite in serving vulnerable segments of society.”Joint events across PakistanIn Multan, over 82 participants attended a Feb. 28 iftar jointly organized by the Catholic Commission for Inter-Religious Dialogue and Ecumenism; Saiban-e-Pakistan, a state peace initiative; and the Centre of Excellence on Countering Violent Extremism.A day earlier in Lahore, Channan and four Catholic priests attended the fast-breaking event at the Badshahi Mosque, the country’s second-largest mosque. He presented a framed photo of Abdul Khabeer Azad, the mosque’s “khateeb” (prayer leader), who met Pope Leo XIV in October 2025 at the “Christian-Muslim Dialogue and Daring Peace” conference in Rome organized by the Community of Sant’Egidio. Guests share the interfaith iftar meal at the Dominican Peace Center in Lahore on March 8, 2026. | Credit: Kamran Chaudhry Among 120 guests at the Dominican iftar was Muslim speaker Shehzad Qaiser. The event, held in collaboration with groups including the Seventh-day Adventist Church, highlighted ongoing social challenges.The head of external affairs at Sundas Foundation, which supports patients with blood disorders, agreed that Christians face discrimination in some offices and some Muslims refuse the food prepared by Christians.“It is very important to share our common practices, joys, and sorrows. Religious leaders have the duty to raise awareness. Sadly some mistake local Christians as ‘kafir’ (infidels),” Qaiser said.“During Ramadan, people distribute free meals to everyone without asking their religion. Blood donors don’t discriminate either. This is the real spirit of Ramadan and Lent.”

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Church leaders and Muslim clerics shared Ramadan fast-breaking meals across six Pakistani dioceses this year as the overlap of Lent and Ramadan inspired joint prayers for peace.

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Iranian Women’s Soccer Team Appears to Cry for Help with Subtle Hand Gesture – Members of the Iranian women’s soccer team appeared to call for help as their bus pulled away from an Australian stadium on Sunday night. The post Iranian Women’s Soccer Team Appears to Cry for Help with Subtle Hand Gesture appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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Iranian Women’s Soccer Team Appears to Cry for Help with Subtle Hand Gesture – Members of the Iranian women’s soccer team appeared to call for help as their bus pulled away from an Australian stadium on Sunday night. The post Iranian Women’s Soccer Team Appears to Cry for Help with Subtle Hand Gesture appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Members of the Iranian women’s soccer team appeared to call for help as their bus pulled away from an Australian stadium on Sunday night.

The post Iranian Women’s Soccer Team Appears to Cry for Help with Subtle Hand Gesture appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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SBA Announces New Policy Banning Foreign Nationals and Non-Citizens from Loans and ‘Prioritize American Citizens’ – On Friday, Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Kelly Loeffler announced a new policy that would ban foreign nationals and non-citizens from loans through the agency. The post SBA Announces New Policy Banning Foreign Nationals and Non-Citizens from Loans and ‘Prioritize American Citizens’ appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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SBA Announces New Policy Banning Foreign Nationals and Non-Citizens from Loans and ‘Prioritize American Citizens’ – On Friday, Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Kelly Loeffler announced a new policy that would ban foreign nationals and non-citizens from loans through the agency. The post SBA Announces New Policy Banning Foreign Nationals and Non-Citizens from Loans and ‘Prioritize American Citizens’ appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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On Friday, Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Kelly Loeffler announced a new policy that would ban foreign nationals and non-citizens from loans through the agency.

The post SBA Announces New Policy Banning Foreign Nationals and Non-Citizens from Loans and ‘Prioritize American Citizens’ appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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The Sky Today on Monday, March 9: Callisto’s disappearing act

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Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.  March 8: Spiral galaxy NGC 2541 The Galilean moon Callisto disappears behind Jupiter in an occultation early this morning. The catch is that the event is only visible from the western half of the U.S., but observers farther east can still watchContinue reading “The Sky Today on Monday, March 9: Callisto’s disappearing act”

The post The Sky Today on Monday, March 9: Callisto’s disappearing act appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

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Unfailing Prayer to St. Anthony: Prayer of the Day for Monday, March 09, 2026 – #Prayer – “Blessed be God in His Angels and in His Saints” O Holy St. Anthony, gentlest of Saints, your love for God and Charity for His creatures, made you worthy, when on earth, to possess miraculous powers. Encouraged by this thought, I implore you to obtain for me (request). O gentle and loving St. Anthony, whose heart was ever full of human sympathy, whisper my petition into the ears of the sweet Infant Jesus, who loved to be folded in your arms; and the gratitude of my heart will ever be yours. …

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“Blessed be God in His Angels and in His Saints”
O Holy St. Anthony, gentlest of Saints, your love for God and Charity for His creatures, made you worthy, when on earth, to possess miraculous powers. Encouraged by this thought, I implore you to obtain for me (request). O gentle and loving St. Anthony, whose heart was ever full of human sympathy, whisper my petition into the ears of the sweet Infant Jesus, who loved to be folded in your arms; and the gratitude of my heart will ever be yours. …

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Gospel and Word of the Day – 09 March 2026 – A reading from the Second Book of Kings 2 Kings 5:1-15ab Naaman, the army commander of the king of Aram, was highly esteemed and respected by his master, for through him the LORD had brought victory to Aram. But valiant as he was, the man was a leper. Now the Arameans had captured in a raid on the land of Israel a little girl, who became the servant of Naaman’s wife. "If only my master would present himself to the prophet in Samaria," she said to her mistress, "he would cure him of his leprosy." Naaman went and told his lord just what the slave girl from the land of Israel had said. "Go," said the king of Aram. "I will send along a letter to the king of Israel." So Naaman set out, taking along ten silver talents, six thousand gold pieces, and ten festal garments. To the king of Israel he brought the letter, which read: "With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you, that you may cure him of his leprosy." When he read the letter, the king of Israel tore his garments and exclaimed: "Am I a god with power over life and death, that this man should send someone to me to be cured of leprosy? Take note! You can see he is only looking for a quarrel with me!" When Elisha, the man of God, heard that the king of Israel had torn his garments, he sent word to the king: "Why have you torn your garments? Let him come to me and find out that there is a prophet in Israel." Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. The prophet sent him the message: "Go and wash seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will heal, and you will be clean." But Naaman went away angry, saying, "I thought that he would surely come out and stand there to invoke the LORD his God, and would move his hand over the spot, and thus cure the leprosy. Are not the rivers of Damascus, the Abana and the Pharpar, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be cleansed?" With this, he turned about in anger and left. But his servants came up and reasoned with him. "My father," they said, "if the prophet had told you to do something extraordinary, would you not have done it? All the more now, since he said to you, ‘Wash and be clean,’ should you do as he said." So Naaman went down and plunged into the Jordan seven times at the word of the man of God. His flesh became again like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. He returned with his whole retinue to the man of God. On his arrival he stood before him and said, "Now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel."From the Gospel according to Luke 4:24-30 Jesus said to the people in the synagogue at Nazareth: “Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place. Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah when the sky was closed for three and a half years and a severe famine spread over the entire land. It was to none of these that Elijah was sent, but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon. Again, there were many lepers in Israel during the time of Elisha the prophet; yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were all filled with fury. They rose up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong. But he passed through the midst of them and went away.After Jesus, when he was about 30 years old, had left Nazareth and had already been travelling about preaching and working miracles of healing elsewhere, he once returned to his birthplace and started teaching in the synagogue. His fellow citizens “were astonished” by his wisdom, and knowing him as “the son of Mary”, as the carpenter who had lived in their midst, instead of welcoming him with faith were shocked and took offence (cf. Mk 6:2-3). This reaction is understandable because familiarity at the human level makes it difficult to go beyond this in order to be open to the divine dimension. That this son of a carpenter was the Son of God was hard for them to believe. Jesus actually takes as an example the experience of the prophets of Israel, who in their own homeland were an object of contempt, and identifies himself with them. Due to this spiritual closure Jesus “could do no mighty work there [Nazareth], except that he laid his hands upon a few sick people and healed them” (Mk 6:5). In fact Christ’s miracles are not a display of power but signs of the love of God that is brought into being wherever it encounters reciprocated human faith.(Benedict XVI – Angelus, 8 July 2012)

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A reading from the Second Book of Kings
2 Kings 5:1-15ab

Naaman, the army commander of the king of Aram,
was highly esteemed and respected by his master,
for through him the LORD had brought victory to Aram.
But valiant as he was, the man was a leper.
Now the Arameans had captured in a raid on the land of Israel
a little girl, who became the servant of Naaman’s wife.
"If only my master would present himself to the prophet in Samaria,"
she said to her mistress, "he would cure him of his leprosy."
Naaman went and told his lord
just what the slave girl from the land of Israel had said.
"Go," said the king of Aram.
"I will send along a letter to the king of Israel."
So Naaman set out, taking along ten silver talents,
six thousand gold pieces, and ten festal garments.
To the king of Israel he brought the letter, which read:
"With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you,
that you may cure him of his leprosy."

When he read the letter,
the king of Israel tore his garments and exclaimed:
"Am I a god with power over life and death,
that this man should send someone to me to be cured of leprosy?
Take note! You can see he is only looking for a quarrel with me!"
When Elisha, the man of God,
heard that the king of Israel had torn his garments,
he sent word to the king:
"Why have you torn your garments?
Let him come to me and find out
that there is a prophet in Israel."

Naaman came with his horses and chariots
and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house.
The prophet sent him the message:
"Go and wash seven times in the Jordan,
and your flesh will heal, and you will be clean."
But Naaman went away angry, saying,
"I thought that he would surely come out and stand there
to invoke the LORD his God,
and would move his hand over the spot,
and thus cure the leprosy.
Are not the rivers of Damascus, the Abana and the Pharpar,
better than all the waters of Israel?
Could I not wash in them and be cleansed?"
With this, he turned about in anger and left.

But his servants came up and reasoned with him.
"My father," they said,
"if the prophet had told you to do something extraordinary,
would you not have done it?
All the more now, since he said to you,
‘Wash and be clean,’ should you do as he said."
So Naaman went down and plunged into the Jordan seven times
at the word of the man of God.
His flesh became again like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

He returned with his whole retinue to the man of God.
On his arrival he stood before him and said,
"Now I know that there is no God in all the earth,
except in Israel."

From the Gospel according to Luke
4:24-30

Jesus said to the people in the synagogue at Nazareth:
“Amen, I say to you,
no prophet is accepted in his own native place.
Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel
in the days of Elijah
when the sky was closed for three and a half years
and a severe famine spread over the entire land.
It was to none of these that Elijah was sent,
but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon.
Again, there were many lepers in Israel
during the time of Elisha the prophet;
yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.”
When the people in the synagogue heard this,
they were all filled with fury.
They rose up, drove him out of the town,
and led him to the brow of the hill
on which their town had been built,
to hurl him down headlong.
But he passed through the midst of them and went away.

After Jesus, when he was about 30 years old, had left Nazareth and had already been travelling about preaching and working miracles of healing elsewhere, he once returned to his birthplace and started teaching in the synagogue. His fellow citizens “were astonished” by his wisdom, and knowing him as “the son of Mary”, as the carpenter who had lived in their midst, instead of welcoming him with faith were shocked and took offence (cf. Mk 6:2-3). This reaction is understandable because familiarity at the human level makes it difficult to go beyond this in order to be open to the divine dimension. That this son of a carpenter was the Son of God was hard for them to believe. Jesus actually takes as an example the experience of the prophets of Israel, who in their own homeland were an object of contempt, and identifies himself with them. Due to this spiritual closure Jesus “could do no mighty work there [Nazareth], except that he laid his hands upon a few sick people and healed them” (Mk 6:5). In fact Christ’s miracles are not a display of power but signs of the love of God that is brought into being wherever it encounters reciprocated human faith.(Benedict XVI – Angelus, 8 July 2012)

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Pope Leo says parishes should reflect a Church that ‘cares for her children’ #Catholic Pope Leo XIV continued his pastoral visits to parishes on the outskirts of Rome Sunday, traveling to the Santa Maria della Presentazione parish in the Torrevecchia neighborhood, where he encouraged Catholics to ensure parish activities reflect a Church that “cares for her children.”The pope arrived at the parish at 4 p.m., when he was welcomed by Cardinal Vicar Baldo Reina and the pastor, Father Paolo Stacchiotti. The warmest welcome, however, came from catechism students, young people, and families from Rome’s 13th municipal district.It has been more than 40 years since a pope last visited Santa Maria della Presentazione parish. The previous papal visit was made by St. John Paul II in 1982.The pastor said the neighborhood faces significant challenges but is also marked by strong community bonds.“This is not an easy neighborhood,” Stacchiotti said. “But the crime reports do not do justice to the good that exists here. This is a united community, full of generous people who do not hold back in helping one another.”The visit marked Leo XIV’s fourth to a Roman parish since mid-February. Parishioners welcomed him with banners, songs, and warm handshakes.“We will give the pope an icon made by consecrated women who have lived in Bastogi for 30 years,” the pastor said. “It is a copy of the Madonna Pellegrina that travels around the neighborhood during the month of May. It is not a precious gift, but it is a symbol of our parish.”Before Mass, the pope stopped on the parish sports field to greet children and families amid banners reading “we give our hearts,” balloons, and a festive atmosphere.During his visit to the parish complex, Leo XIV also met with people with disabilities and the sick. In the parish hall he greeted about 60 people experiencing various forms of vulnerability before celebrating Mass at 5 p.m.In his homily, reflecting on the Gospel account of Jesus and the Samaritan woman, the pope emphasized the connection between God’s closeness and the life of faith.“In this journey, the closeness of God and our life of faith are deeply intertwined: by renewing in each of us the grace of Baptism, the Lord calls us to conversion, even as he purifies our hearts with his love and with the works of charity he invites us to perform,” the pope said.“The thirst for life and love of the Samaritan woman is our thirst: the thirst of the Church and of all humanity, wounded by sin but even more deeply inhabited by the desire for God,” he continued.Leo XIV noted that the Gospel narrative shows the woman’s gradual recognition of Jesus — first as a man, then a prophet, the Messiah, and finally the Savior — and how encountering Christ transforms her into a witness to others.“Standing beside him and enjoying his company, the Samaritan woman becomes in turn a source of truth,” he said. “The new water of God’s gift has begun to spring up in her heart, and she feels immediately driven to return to her village, finally free from shame and eager to make known to everyone her liberator, Jesus.”The pope also addressed the social difficulties facing the parish’s neighborhood.“I know well that your parish community lives in an area with many challenges,” he said. “Situations of marginalization are not lacking, nor material and moral poverty.”“Many are waiting for a home, a job that ensures a dignified life, and safe places where they can meet, play, and build something beautiful together,” he said.Encouraging the faithful to respond to these realities with pastoral charity, the pope pointed to the Eucharist as the heart of Christian community life.“Starting from the Eucharist, the beating heart of every Christian community, I encourage you to ensure that parish activities become a sign of a Church that — like a mother — cares for her children, without condemning them, but rather welcoming them, listening to them, and supporting them in the face of danger,” Leo XIV said.Before the Mass, the pope also spoke informally to young people and children gathered on the sports field, many of whom are preparing for their first Communion.“Jesus will come to your home, into your heart, into your life,” he told them. “We must all be ready to open the door to find Jesus who is waiting for us.”He also encouraged them to pray regularly and to speak to God about their worries and daily difficulties.Finally, the pope spoke to the children about the importance of peace and reconciliation.“Make peace with your friends when there are difficulties or differences of opinion,” he said. “Reject all forms of violence and hatred, things that cause division, and try to be promoters of peace and reconciliation in today’s world.”At the end of the celebration, the pope met with the parish pastoral council and priests before returning to the Vatican.This article was originally published by ACI Stampa, EWTN News’ Italian-language partner agency, and has been translated and adapted by EWTN News.
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Pope Leo says parishes should reflect a Church that ‘cares for her children’ #Catholic Pope Leo XIV continued his pastoral visits to parishes on the outskirts of Rome Sunday, traveling to the Santa Maria della Presentazione parish in the Torrevecchia neighborhood, where he encouraged Catholics to ensure parish activities reflect a Church that “cares for her children.”The pope arrived at the parish at 4 p.m., when he was welcomed by Cardinal Vicar Baldo Reina and the pastor, Father Paolo Stacchiotti. The warmest welcome, however, came from catechism students, young people, and families from Rome’s 13th municipal district.It has been more than 40 years since a pope last visited Santa Maria della Presentazione parish. The previous papal visit was made by St. John Paul II in 1982.The pastor said the neighborhood faces significant challenges but is also marked by strong community bonds.“This is not an easy neighborhood,” Stacchiotti said. “But the crime reports do not do justice to the good that exists here. This is a united community, full of generous people who do not hold back in helping one another.”The visit marked Leo XIV’s fourth to a Roman parish since mid-February. Parishioners welcomed him with banners, songs, and warm handshakes.“We will give the pope an icon made by consecrated women who have lived in Bastogi for 30 years,” the pastor said. “It is a copy of the Madonna Pellegrina that travels around the neighborhood during the month of May. It is not a precious gift, but it is a symbol of our parish.”Before Mass, the pope stopped on the parish sports field to greet children and families amid banners reading “we give our hearts,” balloons, and a festive atmosphere.During his visit to the parish complex, Leo XIV also met with people with disabilities and the sick. In the parish hall he greeted about 60 people experiencing various forms of vulnerability before celebrating Mass at 5 p.m.In his homily, reflecting on the Gospel account of Jesus and the Samaritan woman, the pope emphasized the connection between God’s closeness and the life of faith.“In this journey, the closeness of God and our life of faith are deeply intertwined: by renewing in each of us the grace of Baptism, the Lord calls us to conversion, even as he purifies our hearts with his love and with the works of charity he invites us to perform,” the pope said.“The thirst for life and love of the Samaritan woman is our thirst: the thirst of the Church and of all humanity, wounded by sin but even more deeply inhabited by the desire for God,” he continued.Leo XIV noted that the Gospel narrative shows the woman’s gradual recognition of Jesus — first as a man, then a prophet, the Messiah, and finally the Savior — and how encountering Christ transforms her into a witness to others.“Standing beside him and enjoying his company, the Samaritan woman becomes in turn a source of truth,” he said. “The new water of God’s gift has begun to spring up in her heart, and she feels immediately driven to return to her village, finally free from shame and eager to make known to everyone her liberator, Jesus.”The pope also addressed the social difficulties facing the parish’s neighborhood.“I know well that your parish community lives in an area with many challenges,” he said. “Situations of marginalization are not lacking, nor material and moral poverty.”“Many are waiting for a home, a job that ensures a dignified life, and safe places where they can meet, play, and build something beautiful together,” he said.Encouraging the faithful to respond to these realities with pastoral charity, the pope pointed to the Eucharist as the heart of Christian community life.“Starting from the Eucharist, the beating heart of every Christian community, I encourage you to ensure that parish activities become a sign of a Church that — like a mother — cares for her children, without condemning them, but rather welcoming them, listening to them, and supporting them in the face of danger,” Leo XIV said.Before the Mass, the pope also spoke informally to young people and children gathered on the sports field, many of whom are preparing for their first Communion.“Jesus will come to your home, into your heart, into your life,” he told them. “We must all be ready to open the door to find Jesus who is waiting for us.”He also encouraged them to pray regularly and to speak to God about their worries and daily difficulties.Finally, the pope spoke to the children about the importance of peace and reconciliation.“Make peace with your friends when there are difficulties or differences of opinion,” he said. “Reject all forms of violence and hatred, things that cause division, and try to be promoters of peace and reconciliation in today’s world.”At the end of the celebration, the pope met with the parish pastoral council and priests before returning to the Vatican.This article was originally published by ACI Stampa, EWTN News’ Italian-language partner agency, and has been translated and adapted by EWTN News.

unitedyam

The pontiff encouraged a Rome parish facing poverty and social challenges to show its closeness to those wounded and searching for hope.

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Pope Leo XIV warns of wider Middle East conflict #Catholic Pope Leo XIV on Sunday appealed for peace as violence and fear continue to spread in Iran and across the Middle East, praying in particular for Lebanon and warning that the conflict could widen.Speaking after the Angelus on March 8, the pope said “deeply disturbing news continues to arrive from Iran and the entire Middle East.”“In addition to the episodes of violence and devastation as well as the widespread climate of hatred and fear, there is also the concern that the conflict will spread and that other countries in the region, including beloved Lebanon, may again sink back into instability,” he said.“We lift up our humble prayer to the Lord, so that the thunderous sound of bombs may cease, weapons may fall silent, and a space for dialogue may open up in which the voice of the people can be heard,” the pope said. He added that he was entrusting that intention to the Virgin Mary, “that she may intercede for those who suffer because of war and lead hearts along the paths of reconciliation and hope.”Before the Marian prayer in St. Peter’s Square, Leo reflected on the day’s Gospel and said that “since the first centuries of the Church’s history, the dialogue between Jesus and the Samaritan woman, the healing of the man born blind and the resurrection of Lazarus illuminate the path of those who, at Easter, will receive Baptism and begin a new life.”“These great Gospel passages, which we read beginning this Sunday, are intended for the catechumens to help them on their journey to become Christians,” he said. “At the same time, these passages are heard once again by the entire community of believers to help them to be more authentic and joyful Christians.”Referring to Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman, the pope said: “Indeed, Jesus is the response to our thirst. As he suggested to the Samaritan woman, the encounter with him stirs in the depths of each person ‘a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.’”“How many people in the entire world are searching even today for this spiritual spring!” he said.Quoting the diary of Etty Hillesum, a Dutch Jewish writer who died in Auschwitz during World War II, Leo said: “‘Sometimes I am there too. But more often stones and grit block the well, and God is buried beneath. Then he must be dug out again.’”“Dear friends, there is no energy better spent than that dedicated to freeing our heart,” the pope said. “For this reason, Lent is a gift: we are starting the third week and now we are able to intensify the journey!”He went on to reflect on the disciples’ reaction in the Gospel: “His disciples came [and] they were astonished that he was speaking with a woman.” The Master, he said, had to prompt them: “‘Do you not say, “Four months more, then comes the harvest”? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting.’”“The Lord still says to his Church: ‘Lift up your eyes and recognize God’s surprises!’” Leo said. “In the fields, four months prior to the harvest, one sees practically nothing. But there, where we see nothing, grace is already at work and its fruits are ready to be gathered.”“The harvest is great: perhaps the workers are few because they are distracted by other activities,” he continued. “Jesus, on the other hand, is attentive. According to custom, he ought to have simply ignored that Samaritan woman; instead, Jesus speaks with her, listens to her, and shows her respect — without a hidden agenda and without disdain.”“How many people seek in the Church this same sensitivity, this availability!” the pope said.“And how beautiful it is when we lose track of time in order to give attention to the person we are encountering, as we see in this passage,” he added. “Jesus was so spiritually nourished by God’s desire to reach people on the deepest levels that he even forgot to eat.”Leo said that “the Samaritan woman becomes the first of many female evangelizers.” Because of her testimony, “many from her village of despised and rejected people came to meet Jesus, and also in them faith bubbled forth like pure water.”The pope also marked International Women’s Day, observed March 8, saying: “We renew our commitment, which for us Christians is based on the Gospel, to recognize the equal dignity of man and woman.”“Unfortunately many women, from childhood onwards, are still discriminated against and suffer various forms of violence,” he said. “In a special way, I offer to them my solidarity and my prayers.”This article was originally published by ACI Stampa, CNA’s Italian-language news partner, and has been translated and adapted by EWTN News.
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Pope Leo XIV warns of wider Middle East conflict #Catholic Pope Leo XIV on Sunday appealed for peace as violence and fear continue to spread in Iran and across the Middle East, praying in particular for Lebanon and warning that the conflict could widen.Speaking after the Angelus on March 8, the pope said “deeply disturbing news continues to arrive from Iran and the entire Middle East.”“In addition to the episodes of violence and devastation as well as the widespread climate of hatred and fear, there is also the concern that the conflict will spread and that other countries in the region, including beloved Lebanon, may again sink back into instability,” he said.“We lift up our humble prayer to the Lord, so that the thunderous sound of bombs may cease, weapons may fall silent, and a space for dialogue may open up in which the voice of the people can be heard,” the pope said. He added that he was entrusting that intention to the Virgin Mary, “that she may intercede for those who suffer because of war and lead hearts along the paths of reconciliation and hope.”Before the Marian prayer in St. Peter’s Square, Leo reflected on the day’s Gospel and said that “since the first centuries of the Church’s history, the dialogue between Jesus and the Samaritan woman, the healing of the man born blind and the resurrection of Lazarus illuminate the path of those who, at Easter, will receive Baptism and begin a new life.”“These great Gospel passages, which we read beginning this Sunday, are intended for the catechumens to help them on their journey to become Christians,” he said. “At the same time, these passages are heard once again by the entire community of believers to help them to be more authentic and joyful Christians.”Referring to Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman, the pope said: “Indeed, Jesus is the response to our thirst. As he suggested to the Samaritan woman, the encounter with him stirs in the depths of each person ‘a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.’”“How many people in the entire world are searching even today for this spiritual spring!” he said.Quoting the diary of Etty Hillesum, a Dutch Jewish writer who died in Auschwitz during World War II, Leo said: “‘Sometimes I am there too. But more often stones and grit block the well, and God is buried beneath. Then he must be dug out again.’”“Dear friends, there is no energy better spent than that dedicated to freeing our heart,” the pope said. “For this reason, Lent is a gift: we are starting the third week and now we are able to intensify the journey!”He went on to reflect on the disciples’ reaction in the Gospel: “His disciples came [and] they were astonished that he was speaking with a woman.” The Master, he said, had to prompt them: “‘Do you not say, “Four months more, then comes the harvest”? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting.’”“The Lord still says to his Church: ‘Lift up your eyes and recognize God’s surprises!’” Leo said. “In the fields, four months prior to the harvest, one sees practically nothing. But there, where we see nothing, grace is already at work and its fruits are ready to be gathered.”“The harvest is great: perhaps the workers are few because they are distracted by other activities,” he continued. “Jesus, on the other hand, is attentive. According to custom, he ought to have simply ignored that Samaritan woman; instead, Jesus speaks with her, listens to her, and shows her respect — without a hidden agenda and without disdain.”“How many people seek in the Church this same sensitivity, this availability!” the pope said.“And how beautiful it is when we lose track of time in order to give attention to the person we are encountering, as we see in this passage,” he added. “Jesus was so spiritually nourished by God’s desire to reach people on the deepest levels that he even forgot to eat.”Leo said that “the Samaritan woman becomes the first of many female evangelizers.” Because of her testimony, “many from her village of despised and rejected people came to meet Jesus, and also in them faith bubbled forth like pure water.”The pope also marked International Women’s Day, observed March 8, saying: “We renew our commitment, which for us Christians is based on the Gospel, to recognize the equal dignity of man and woman.”“Unfortunately many women, from childhood onwards, are still discriminated against and suffer various forms of violence,” he said. “In a special way, I offer to them my solidarity and my prayers.”This article was originally published by ACI Stampa, CNA’s Italian-language news partner, and has been translated and adapted by EWTN News.

unitedyam

At his Sunday Angelus, the pope voiced alarm over violence and fear spreading from Iran across the region.

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Ireland group calls for inquiry into deaths of 108 babies born alive after abortion #Catholic Ireland group calls for inquiry into deaths of 108 babies born alive after abortionAn advocacy group in Ireland is calling for an inquiry into the deaths of 108 babies who were born alive after attempted abortions in Ireland.In a story published March 1 and authored by Ireland’s Life Institute and others, the institute cited figures released by Ireland’s Health Service Executive (HSE) from 2019 to 2023.“Were these babies simply left to die and were they denied the lifesaving interventions that might have saved them?” Life Institute spokesperson Sandra Parda asked.“We need answers, we need transparency,” Parda said. “Looking at the evidence, clearly these babies are then simply being left to die, yet everything is shrouded in silence and secrecy.”Deputy Mattie McGrath, who obtained the numbers after requesting them from the HSE, said he was “gravely concerned about any approach that reduces transparency around perinatal outcomes.”Woman forced to induce labor while in prison sues IllinoisA former inmate from Illinois filed a lawsuit against the state prison because it allegedly forced her to give birth via induction rather than spontaneous labor.At about seven months pregnant, Amy Hicks was convicted of an illegal drug offense. Two weeks before her due date, in early 2024, she underwent induction due to prison requirements.Labor is usually induced only if there is a health concern for the mother or baby. Women will often elect to avoid induction because it can increase pain and lead to higher intervention rates such as C-sections, among other concerns.The lawsuit, argued by the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, alleges that the prison’s requirements violate the state’s Reproductive Health Act, an amendment that created a right to abortion in the state law. The federal lawsuit names Gov. JB Pritzker’s Illinois Department of Corrections, the prison’s medical provider, and Wexford Health Sources, among others.Wyoming Senate passes heartbeat actThe Wyoming Senate passed a heartbeat bill to protect unborn children from abortion when their heartbeats are detectable.The act prohibits “procedures that terminate the life of a child with a detectable heartbeat” with some exceptions.The bill now moves to the governor’s desk; If signed, the act would immediately take effect.Indiana court blocks protections for unborn children on religious freedom claimsAn Indiana court blocked a law protecting unborn children under religious freedom claims on March 6.The American Civil Liberties Union, on behalf of the advocacy group Hoosier Jews for Choice and anonymous women, claimed the law violated religious freedom by preventing women from aborting their children.Lawsuit alleges Virginia abortion rights ballot initiative is invalidA lawsuit dated March 6 alleges that a Virginia ballot initiative to create a right to abortion is invalid.District 3 Supervisor for the Bedford County Board of Supervisors Charla Bansley claimed in the lawsuit that the House of Delegates missed mandated procedural steps, making the ballot initiative invalid.The 35-page lawsuit claims that Virginia’s House of Delegates failed to send it to all circuit court clerks so they could post it for public inspection three months prior to the 2025 House of Delegates elections.North Dakota trains physicians to understand new protections for unborn childrenA training for doctors required by a North Dakota law recently became available, part of a recent law passed to enforce laws surrounding abortion.The online training is required after the Legislature passed a bill requiring training for physicians on how to apply the state’s laws protecting unborn children in various scenarios.Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America to campaign in OhioSusan B. Anthony Pro-Life America and Women Speak Out PAC launched a seven-figure campaign in Ohio to elect pro-life legislators.The organizations announced on March 2 that they are dedicating .25 million to campaign in support of U.S. Sen. Jon Husted, who is running against former U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, and plan to canvas 500,000 houses.The Ohio campaign is part of SBA’s million investment for the 2026 midterm cycle across the nation.
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Ireland group calls for inquiry into deaths of 108 babies born alive after abortion #Catholic Ireland group calls for inquiry into deaths of 108 babies born alive after abortionAn advocacy group in Ireland is calling for an inquiry into the deaths of 108 babies who were born alive after attempted abortions in Ireland.In a story published March 1 and authored by Ireland’s Life Institute and others, the institute cited figures released by Ireland’s Health Service Executive (HSE) from 2019 to 2023.“Were these babies simply left to die and were they denied the lifesaving interventions that might have saved them?” Life Institute spokesperson Sandra Parda asked.“We need answers, we need transparency,” Parda said. “Looking at the evidence, clearly these babies are then simply being left to die, yet everything is shrouded in silence and secrecy.”Deputy Mattie McGrath, who obtained the numbers after requesting them from the HSE, said he was “gravely concerned about any approach that reduces transparency around perinatal outcomes.”Woman forced to induce labor while in prison sues IllinoisA former inmate from Illinois filed a lawsuit against the state prison because it allegedly forced her to give birth via induction rather than spontaneous labor.At about seven months pregnant, Amy Hicks was convicted of an illegal drug offense. Two weeks before her due date, in early 2024, she underwent induction due to prison requirements.Labor is usually induced only if there is a health concern for the mother or baby. Women will often elect to avoid induction because it can increase pain and lead to higher intervention rates such as C-sections, among other concerns.The lawsuit, argued by the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, alleges that the prison’s requirements violate the state’s Reproductive Health Act, an amendment that created a right to abortion in the state law. The federal lawsuit names Gov. JB Pritzker’s Illinois Department of Corrections, the prison’s medical provider, and Wexford Health Sources, among others.Wyoming Senate passes heartbeat actThe Wyoming Senate passed a heartbeat bill to protect unborn children from abortion when their heartbeats are detectable.The act prohibits “procedures that terminate the life of a child with a detectable heartbeat” with some exceptions.The bill now moves to the governor’s desk; If signed, the act would immediately take effect.Indiana court blocks protections for unborn children on religious freedom claimsAn Indiana court blocked a law protecting unborn children under religious freedom claims on March 6.The American Civil Liberties Union, on behalf of the advocacy group Hoosier Jews for Choice and anonymous women, claimed the law violated religious freedom by preventing women from aborting their children.Lawsuit alleges Virginia abortion rights ballot initiative is invalidA lawsuit dated March 6 alleges that a Virginia ballot initiative to create a right to abortion is invalid.District 3 Supervisor for the Bedford County Board of Supervisors Charla Bansley claimed in the lawsuit that the House of Delegates missed mandated procedural steps, making the ballot initiative invalid.The 35-page lawsuit claims that Virginia’s House of Delegates failed to send it to all circuit court clerks so they could post it for public inspection three months prior to the 2025 House of Delegates elections.North Dakota trains physicians to understand new protections for unborn childrenA training for doctors required by a North Dakota law recently became available, part of a recent law passed to enforce laws surrounding abortion.The online training is required after the Legislature passed a bill requiring training for physicians on how to apply the state’s laws protecting unborn children in various scenarios.Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America to campaign in OhioSusan B. Anthony Pro-Life America and Women Speak Out PAC launched a seven-figure campaign in Ohio to elect pro-life legislators.The organizations announced on March 2 that they are dedicating $3.25 million to campaign in support of U.S. Sen. Jon Husted, who is running against former U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, and plan to canvas 500,000 houses.The Ohio campaign is part of SBA’s $80 million investment for the 2026 midterm cycle across the nation.

unitedyam

Here is a roundup of recent pro-life and abortion-related news.

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Ireland group calls for inquiry into deaths of 108 babies born alive after abortion – #Catholic – Ireland group calls for inquiry into deaths of 108 babies born alive after abortionAn advocacy group in Ireland is calling for an inquiry into the deaths of 108 babies who were born alive after attempted abortions in IrelandIn a story published March 1 and authored by Ireland’s Life Institute and others, the institute cited figures released by Ireland’s Health Service Executive (HSE) from 2019 to 2023."Were these babies simply left to die and were they denied the life-saving interventions that might have saved them?” asked Life Institute spokesperson Sandra Parda.“We need answers, we need transparency,” Parda said. “Looking at the evidence, clearly these babies are then simply being left to die, yet everything is shrouded in silence and secrecy.”Deputy Mattie McGrath, who obtained the numbers after requesting them from the HSE, said he was "gravely concerned about any approach that reduces transparency around perinatal outcomes.”Woman forced to induce labor while in prison sues IllinoisA former inmate from Illinois filed a lawsuit against the state prison because they allegedly forced her to give birth via induction rather than spontaneous labor.At about seven months pregnant, Amy Hicks was convicted of an illegal drug offense. Two weeks before her due date, in early 2024, she underwent induction due to prison requirements.Labor is usually induced only if there is a health concern for the mother or baby. Women will often elect to avoid induction because it can increase pain and lead to higher intervention rates such as C-sections, among other concerns.The lawsuit, argued by the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, alleges that the prison’s requirements violate the state’s Reproductive Health Act, an amendment that created a right to abortion in the state law. The federal lawsuit names Gov. JB Pritzker’s Illinois Department of Corrections, the prison’s medical provider, and Wexford Health Sources, among others.Wyoming Senate passes heartbeat actThe Wyoming Senate passed a Heartbeat bill to protect unborn children from abortion when their heartbeats are detectable.The act prohibits “procedures that terminate the life of a child with a detectable heartbeat” with some exceptions.The bill now moves to the governor’s desk; If signed, the act would immediately take effect.Indiana court blocks protections for unborn children on religious freedom claimsAn Indiana court blocked a law protecting unborn children under religious freedom claims on March 6.The American Civil Liberties Union, on behalf of the advocacy group Hoosier Jews For Choice and anonymous women, claimed the law violated religious freedom by preventing women from aborting their children.Lawsuit alleges Virginia abortion rights ballot initiative is invalidA lawsuit dated March 6 alleges that a Virginia ballot initiative to create a right to abortion is invalid.District 3 Supervisor for the Bedford County Board of Supervisors Charla Bansley claimed in the lawsuit that the House of Delegates missed mandated procedural steps, making the ballot initiative invalid.The 35-page lawsuit claims that Virginia’s House of Delegates failed to send it to all circuit court clerks so they could post it for public inspection three months prior to the 2025 House of Delegates elections.North Dakota trains physicians to understand new protections for unborn childrenA training for doctors required by a North Dakota law recently became available, part of a recent law passed to enforce laws surrounding abortion.The online training is required after the legislature passed a bill requiring training for physicians on how to apply the state’s laws protecting unborn children in various scenarios.Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America to campaign in OhioSusan B. Anthony Pro-Life America and Women Speak Out PAC launched a seven figure campaign in Ohio to elect pro-life legislators.The organizations announced on March 2 that they are dedicating .25 million to campaign in support of US Senator Jon Husted, who is running against former US Senator Sherrod Brown and plan to canvas 500,000 houses.The Ohio campaign is part of SBAʼs million investment for the 2026 midterm cycle across the nation.
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Ireland group calls for inquiry into deaths of 108 babies born alive after abortion – #Catholic – Ireland group calls for inquiry into deaths of 108 babies born alive after abortionAn advocacy group in Ireland is calling for an inquiry into the deaths of 108 babies who were born alive after attempted abortions in IrelandIn a story published March 1 and authored by Ireland’s Life Institute and others, the institute cited figures released by Ireland’s Health Service Executive (HSE) from 2019 to 2023."Were these babies simply left to die and were they denied the life-saving interventions that might have saved them?” asked Life Institute spokesperson Sandra Parda.“We need answers, we need transparency,” Parda said. “Looking at the evidence, clearly these babies are then simply being left to die, yet everything is shrouded in silence and secrecy.”Deputy Mattie McGrath, who obtained the numbers after requesting them from the HSE, said he was "gravely concerned about any approach that reduces transparency around perinatal outcomes.”Woman forced to induce labor while in prison sues IllinoisA former inmate from Illinois filed a lawsuit against the state prison because they allegedly forced her to give birth via induction rather than spontaneous labor.At about seven months pregnant, Amy Hicks was convicted of an illegal drug offense. Two weeks before her due date, in early 2024, she underwent induction due to prison requirements.Labor is usually induced only if there is a health concern for the mother or baby. Women will often elect to avoid induction because it can increase pain and lead to higher intervention rates such as C-sections, among other concerns.The lawsuit, argued by the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, alleges that the prison’s requirements violate the state’s Reproductive Health Act, an amendment that created a right to abortion in the state law. The federal lawsuit names Gov. JB Pritzker’s Illinois Department of Corrections, the prison’s medical provider, and Wexford Health Sources, among others.Wyoming Senate passes heartbeat actThe Wyoming Senate passed a Heartbeat bill to protect unborn children from abortion when their heartbeats are detectable.The act prohibits “procedures that terminate the life of a child with a detectable heartbeat” with some exceptions.The bill now moves to the governor’s desk; If signed, the act would immediately take effect.Indiana court blocks protections for unborn children on religious freedom claimsAn Indiana court blocked a law protecting unborn children under religious freedom claims on March 6.The American Civil Liberties Union, on behalf of the advocacy group Hoosier Jews For Choice and anonymous women, claimed the law violated religious freedom by preventing women from aborting their children.Lawsuit alleges Virginia abortion rights ballot initiative is invalidA lawsuit dated March 6 alleges that a Virginia ballot initiative to create a right to abortion is invalid.District 3 Supervisor for the Bedford County Board of Supervisors Charla Bansley claimed in the lawsuit that the House of Delegates missed mandated procedural steps, making the ballot initiative invalid.The 35-page lawsuit claims that Virginia’s House of Delegates failed to send it to all circuit court clerks so they could post it for public inspection three months prior to the 2025 House of Delegates elections.North Dakota trains physicians to understand new protections for unborn childrenA training for doctors required by a North Dakota law recently became available, part of a recent law passed to enforce laws surrounding abortion.The online training is required after the legislature passed a bill requiring training for physicians on how to apply the state’s laws protecting unborn children in various scenarios.Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America to campaign in OhioSusan B. Anthony Pro-Life America and Women Speak Out PAC launched a seven figure campaign in Ohio to elect pro-life legislators.The organizations announced on March 2 that they are dedicating $3.25 million to campaign in support of US Senator Jon Husted, who is running against former US Senator Sherrod Brown and plan to canvas 500,000 houses.The Ohio campaign is part of SBAʼs $80 million investment for the 2026 midterm cycle across the nation.

unitedyam

Here is a roundup of recent pro-life and abortion-related news.

Read More
David Copperfield Ends 25-Year Vegas Residency Over His Presence in the ‘Epstein Files – Documents Show FBI Probed His ‘Predilection for Minors’ – No ‘Abracadabra’ can make this trouble disappear. The post David Copperfield Ends 25-Year Vegas Residency Over His Presence in the ‘Epstein Files – Documents Show FBI Probed His ‘Predilection for Minors’ appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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David Copperfield Ends 25-Year Vegas Residency Over His Presence in the ‘Epstein Files – Documents Show FBI Probed His ‘Predilection for Minors’ – No ‘Abracadabra’ can make this trouble disappear. The post David Copperfield Ends 25-Year Vegas Residency Over His Presence in the ‘Epstein Files – Documents Show FBI Probed His ‘Predilection for Minors’ appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

unitedyam

Group of people enjoying a relaxed gathering outdoors, featuring two men and a woman in bathrobes, with greenery in the background.

Group of people enjoying a relaxed gathering outdoors, featuring two men and a woman in bathrobes, with greenery in the background.

No ‘Abracadabra’ can make this trouble disappear.

The post David Copperfield Ends 25-Year Vegas Residency Over His Presence in the ‘Epstein Files – Documents Show FBI Probed His ‘Predilection for Minors’ appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Brutal Numbers: Schools Spent Billion on Laptops… and They Seem to Have Made Kids Dumber – Technological innovation doesn’t always yield good results. The post Brutal Numbers: Schools Spent Billion on Laptops… and They Seem to Have Made Kids Dumber appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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Brutal Numbers: Schools Spent $30 Billion on Laptops… and They Seem to Have Made Kids Dumber – Technological innovation doesn’t always yield good results. The post Brutal Numbers: Schools Spent $30 Billion on Laptops… and They Seem to Have Made Kids Dumber appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

unitedyam

Technological innovation doesn’t always yield good results.

The post Brutal Numbers: Schools Spent $30 Billion on Laptops… and They Seem to Have Made Kids Dumber appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Bangladesh’s ‘Mother of Migrants’ brings hope to the vulnerable – #Catholic – CHATTOGRAM, Bangladesh — In Bangladesh’s bustling port city of Chattogram, where thousands of internal and international migrants struggle daily for survival, a 67-year-old Catholic sister has become their strongest defender. Sister Zita Rema of the Salesian Sisters of Mary Immaculate is known across the city as the “Mother of Migrants,” a title she has earned through decades of tireless service to the poor, the displaced, and the forgotten.Born in the Diocese of Mymensingh, Sister Zita now leads the Migrant Desk of the Archdiocese of Chattogram. The local Catholic community includes about 3,000 faithful, among them migrant workers and expatriates from India, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Nigeria, Uganda, and South Korea. Alongside them live more than 5,000 internal Christian migrants working in garment factories, shipbreaking yards, bicycle workshops, oxygen plants, beauty parlors, and other sectors. Many face discrimination, unsafe labor conditions, financial insecurity, and emotional isolation. To all of them, Sister Zita offers a compassionate presence.“Migrants carry heavy burdens,” she said. “I walk with them so that no one feels abandoned.”Her ministry is a daily journey through crowded streets, workers’ quarters, and factory neighborhoods. She visits homes after long work shifts, prays with families, counsels the distressed, and advocates for those facing harassment or injustice. Many call her “Ma” — a sign of deep affection. Sister Zita Rema (pictured on the right) and two other sisters travel by boat to conduct pastoral work in Chattogram. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Sister Zita Rema Sister Zita is often among the first to respond when tragedy strikes. On March 4, 2023, an explosion at the Seema Oxygen Plant in Sitakunda killed seven workers, including two Catholics, and injured 25 others. “I went to the hospital immediately,” she recalled. She spent days helping secure treatment, comforting families, and negotiating compensation. Her advocacy resulted in more than 1 million taka (about ,300) paid by the factory owner and the government. “Without Sister Zita, we would not have received justice,” said Mickey Nokrek, whose son died in the blast.The hardships of migrants extend beyond accidents. Many families cannot afford the cost of transporting a deceased relative’s body back home. “It can cost 10,000 to 30,000 taka,” Sister Zita said. She mobilizes parish committees to raise the necessary funds so that families can bury their loved ones with dignity.Sister Zita is also deeply involved in preventing human trafficking. She helped rescue seven Christian children taken to a madrasa in Dhaka under false promises of education and pressured to convert. She has intervened for young women in beauty parlors who were facing abuse, helping them seek legal remedies. “Every person deserves safety and dignity,” she said.Health care is another cornerstone of Sister Zita’s mission. Many migrant women, especially those who are pregnant, seek her guidance. The Migrant Desk works with two part-time doctors who offer free consultations. She also connects patients to affordable diagnostic centers and has introduced a small insurance pool: Each member contributes 100 taka, and the fund supports anyone hospitalized.Economic instability has made life worse for many workers. The Russia-Ukraine war has slowed operations in shipbreaking yards, reducing daily wages to 300 taka only — and only when work is available. Sister Zita regularly counsels workers and provides school materials for their children. “Without support, they lose hope,” she said. Sister Zita Rema teaches catechism to children. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Sister Zita Rema One migrant who found refuge in her mission is Papia Nokrek, a beautician who suddenly lost her housing due to rising rent. “Sister gave me shelter when I had nowhere to go,” she said. “She truly is a mother to migrants like me.”Despite working in a Muslim-majority nation, Sister Zita said she has never faced hostility. Her cross silently communicates her Catholic identity. “My witness is through love,” she said. Bus staff greet her respectfully as “Ma,” and she continues to teach catechism and prepare Catholics for the sacraments of reconciliation, the Eucharist, and confirmation each year.As International Women’s Day is marked globally on March 8 with the theme “Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls,” Sister Zita said the struggle for safety remains urgent. “Women and children still fear leaving their homes alone,” she said. “My hope is for a Bangladesh where every woman can walk freely, without fear.” Each year, she organizes a program for migrant women to give them a platform to share their struggles and strengthen their unity.Sister Zita’s concerns reflect the harsh realities women face in Bangladesh. According to the human rights group Ain o Salish Kendra, 749 rapes were reported from January to December 2025, including 569 single rapes and 180 gang rapes. In addition, 193 women were victims of sexual harassment. For Sister Zita, these numbers underscore the urgency of protecting women’s rights and dignity.Looking back on her decades of service, she said she feels fulfilled. “For 20 years, I have walked with migrant workers, listened to their stories, cried with them, and prayed with them,” she said. “Their love has blessed my life. I thank God for choosing me for this mission.”
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Bangladesh’s ‘Mother of Migrants’ brings hope to the vulnerable – #Catholic – CHATTOGRAM, Bangladesh — In Bangladesh’s bustling port city of Chattogram, where thousands of internal and international migrants struggle daily for survival, a 67-year-old Catholic sister has become their strongest defender. Sister Zita Rema of the Salesian Sisters of Mary Immaculate is known across the city as the “Mother of Migrants,” a title she has earned through decades of tireless service to the poor, the displaced, and the forgotten.Born in the Diocese of Mymensingh, Sister Zita now leads the Migrant Desk of the Archdiocese of Chattogram. The local Catholic community includes about 3,000 faithful, among them migrant workers and expatriates from India, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Nigeria, Uganda, and South Korea. Alongside them live more than 5,000 internal Christian migrants working in garment factories, shipbreaking yards, bicycle workshops, oxygen plants, beauty parlors, and other sectors. Many face discrimination, unsafe labor conditions, financial insecurity, and emotional isolation. To all of them, Sister Zita offers a compassionate presence.“Migrants carry heavy burdens,” she said. “I walk with them so that no one feels abandoned.”Her ministry is a daily journey through crowded streets, workers’ quarters, and factory neighborhoods. She visits homes after long work shifts, prays with families, counsels the distressed, and advocates for those facing harassment or injustice. Many call her “Ma” — a sign of deep affection. Sister Zita Rema (pictured on the right) and two other sisters travel by boat to conduct pastoral work in Chattogram. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Sister Zita Rema Sister Zita is often among the first to respond when tragedy strikes. On March 4, 2023, an explosion at the Seema Oxygen Plant in Sitakunda killed seven workers, including two Catholics, and injured 25 others. “I went to the hospital immediately,” she recalled. She spent days helping secure treatment, comforting families, and negotiating compensation. Her advocacy resulted in more than 1 million taka (about $8,300) paid by the factory owner and the government. “Without Sister Zita, we would not have received justice,” said Mickey Nokrek, whose son died in the blast.The hardships of migrants extend beyond accidents. Many families cannot afford the cost of transporting a deceased relative’s body back home. “It can cost 10,000 to 30,000 taka,” Sister Zita said. She mobilizes parish committees to raise the necessary funds so that families can bury their loved ones with dignity.Sister Zita is also deeply involved in preventing human trafficking. She helped rescue seven Christian children taken to a madrasa in Dhaka under false promises of education and pressured to convert. She has intervened for young women in beauty parlors who were facing abuse, helping them seek legal remedies. “Every person deserves safety and dignity,” she said.Health care is another cornerstone of Sister Zita’s mission. Many migrant women, especially those who are pregnant, seek her guidance. The Migrant Desk works with two part-time doctors who offer free consultations. She also connects patients to affordable diagnostic centers and has introduced a small insurance pool: Each member contributes 100 taka, and the fund supports anyone hospitalized.Economic instability has made life worse for many workers. The Russia-Ukraine war has slowed operations in shipbreaking yards, reducing daily wages to 300 taka only — and only when work is available. Sister Zita regularly counsels workers and provides school materials for their children. “Without support, they lose hope,” she said. Sister Zita Rema teaches catechism to children. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Sister Zita Rema One migrant who found refuge in her mission is Papia Nokrek, a beautician who suddenly lost her housing due to rising rent. “Sister gave me shelter when I had nowhere to go,” she said. “She truly is a mother to migrants like me.”Despite working in a Muslim-majority nation, Sister Zita said she has never faced hostility. Her cross silently communicates her Catholic identity. “My witness is through love,” she said. Bus staff greet her respectfully as “Ma,” and she continues to teach catechism and prepare Catholics for the sacraments of reconciliation, the Eucharist, and confirmation each year.As International Women’s Day is marked globally on March 8 with the theme “Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls,” Sister Zita said the struggle for safety remains urgent. “Women and children still fear leaving their homes alone,” she said. “My hope is for a Bangladesh where every woman can walk freely, without fear.” Each year, she organizes a program for migrant women to give them a platform to share their struggles and strengthen their unity.Sister Zita’s concerns reflect the harsh realities women face in Bangladesh. According to the human rights group Ain o Salish Kendra, 749 rapes were reported from January to December 2025, including 569 single rapes and 180 gang rapes. In addition, 193 women were victims of sexual harassment. For Sister Zita, these numbers underscore the urgency of protecting women’s rights and dignity.Looking back on her decades of service, she said she feels fulfilled. “For 20 years, I have walked with migrant workers, listened to their stories, cried with them, and prayed with them,” she said. “Their love has blessed my life. I thank God for choosing me for this mission.”

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Sister Zita Rema of the Salesian Sisters of Mary Immaculate has spent decades of tireless service to the poor, the displaced, and the forgotten.

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Brazilian healer John of God, promoted by Oprah Winfrey as an inspiring figure of spiritual miracles, sentenced to 118 years in prison for sexual rapes – This is a Gateway Hispanic article. The post Brazilian healer John of God, promoted by Oprah Winfrey as an inspiring figure of spiritual miracles, sentenced to 118 years in prison for sexual rapes appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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Brazilian healer John of God, promoted by Oprah Winfrey as an inspiring figure of spiritual miracles, sentenced to 118 years in prison for sexual rapes – This is a Gateway Hispanic article. The post Brazilian healer John of God, promoted by Oprah Winfrey as an inspiring figure of spiritual miracles, sentenced to 118 years in prison for sexual rapes appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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A man in a white shirt passionately gestures while speaking to a crowd, with several individuals in the background also dressed in white.

A man in a white shirt passionately gestures while speaking to a crowd, with several individuals in the background also dressed in white.

This is a Gateway Hispanic article.

The post Brazilian healer John of God, promoted by Oprah Winfrey as an inspiring figure of spiritual miracles, sentenced to 118 years in prison for sexual rapes appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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