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Leo XIV at Pentecost: The Spirit overcomes war with the omnipotence of love #Catholic VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV marked Pentecost Sunday with a plea for peace, praying that the Holy Spirit would save the world “from the evil of war” and renew the Church in its mission to transform confusion into communion.Celebrating Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on May 24, the pope centered his homily on the risen Christ’s appearance to the disciples in the upper room, where Jesus showed them “his hands and his side” and breathed the Holy Spirit upon them.“The Lord reveals his glorious body, specifically his wounds, the marks of the crucifixion,” Pope Leo said. “These signs of the Passion, more eloquent than words, are now transfigured; he who was dead lives forever.”The pope said the same upper room that had been marked by fear and betrayal became, through Christ’s gift of the Spirit, “for the entire Church, the womb of the Resurrection.”“Pentecost is therefore a paschal feast and a feast of the body of Christ, which by grace is all of us,” he said.Leo framed his homily around three aspects of the Holy Spirit: peace, mission, and truth.“First of all, the Spirit of the risen One is the Spirit of peace,” he said. “Indeed, through his paschal mystery, Christ restores peace between God and humanity, and the Holy Spirit pours this peace into our hearts and spreads it throughout the world.”That peace, the pope said, “stems from forgiveness and leads us to forgiveness,” beginning with Christ’s forgiveness of humanity.The pope then described the Holy Spirit as “the Spirit of mission,” citing Christ’s words: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”“We are truly co-workers of the Gospel: The whole Church is its protagonist, not merely its guardian,” Leo said. “Through the power of the Spirit, our proclamation is filled with joy and hope, for we — yes, we ourselves — are the newness of the world, the light and the salt of the earth.”The pope warned that some changes “do not bring new life to the world, but make it grow old through error and violence.” By contrast, he said, “the Holy Spirit enlightens minds and instils new vitality in our hearts.”“This is how he transfigures history, opening it to salvation, which is the gift that the Lord offers to everyone,” he said. “The Church’s mission bears witness to this offer, thereby transforming the world’s confusion into communion with God and among ourselves.”Finally, Leo said the Spirit is “the Spirit of truth,” who “always promotes unity in truth” and protects the Church from “partisanship, hypocrisy, and fads that obscure the light of the Gospel.”“The truth that God gives us thus stands as a liberating word for all peoples, a message that transforms every culture from within,” he said.Concluding his homily, the pope offered a prayer for a world wounded by war, poverty, and sin.“Dear friends, with fervent hearts, let us pray today that the Spirit of the risen One may save us from the evil of war, which is overcome not by a superpower, but by the omnipotence of love,” he said. “Let us pray that he free humanity from misery, which is redeemed not by immeasurable wealth, but by an inexhaustible gift. Let us pray that he heal us from the scourge of sin through the salvation proclaimed to all peoples in the name of Jesus.”After the Mass, Pope Leo appeared from his study in the Apostolic Palace to pray the Regina Coeli, returning again to the theme of the Holy Spirit as the one who opens what fear and sin have closed.The pope said the Spirit was poured out abundantly on the newborn Church and is given anew to the faithful today as “light and strength” in every circumstance of life.“The Spirit opens doors,” he said, pointing to the image of Christ opening the doors of the upper room and to the Acts of the Apostles, where the Spirit comes “like a violent wind.”Leo asked: “What doors does the Holy Spirit open?”The first, he said, is “the door of God himself,” opening access to the mystery of God as revealed in Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit, he said, helps believers encounter God personally in Jesus, recognize him within themselves, and discover the signs of his presence in daily life.The second door is that of the upper room, “that is, of the Church.” Without the fire of the Spirit, the pope said, the Church “remains a prisoner of fear,” timid before the challenges of the world, closed in on itself, and unable to enter into dialogue with changing times.The third door, Leo said, is “the door of our hearts.” The Spirit helps believers overcome resistance, selfishness, mistrust, and prejudice, making them capable of living as children of God and brothers and sisters to one another.“Where the Spirit of the Lord is, fraternity is born among persons, groups, and peoples of the earth,” he said, adding that all are called to speak “the one language of love, which unites and harmonizes differences.”The pope also recalled the day of prayer for the Church in China, observed on the liturgical memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Help of Christians, who is venerated at the Shrine of Our Lady of Sheshan in Shanghai.Leo invited the faithful to join in prayer with Chinese Catholics “as a sign of our affection for them and of their communion with the universal Church and with the successor of Peter.” He prayed that Mary’s intercession would obtain for the Church in China the grace of unity and the strength to witness to the Gospel in daily hardship, becoming a seed of hope and peace.The pope also remembered victims of a recent mining accident in northern China and entrusted to Mary the Christian communities of the Holy Land, Lebanon, and the wider Middle East suffering because of war.This story was first published in two parts by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

unitedyam May 24, 2026May 24, 2026

The pontiff prayed that the Holy Spirit would save humanity from war, misery, and sin.

Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Is Attempting an ILLEGAL POWER GRAB Over Early Voting –
Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Approves an ILLEGAL POWER GRAB Over Early Voting.
The post Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Is Attempting an ILLEGAL POWER GRAB Over Early Voting appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

unitedyam May 24, 2026May 24, 2026

Image of the Board of Supervisors featuring five elected district supervisors, including the chair and vice chair, with their names and district information displayed.

Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Approves an ILLEGAL POWER GRAB Over Early Voting.

The post Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Is Attempting an ILLEGAL POWER GRAB Over Early Voting appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Democrats Suddenly Oppose ALL Redistricting When Republicans Start Winning (VIDEO) –
Political redistricting may be aggressive. It may even be bad policy in some cases. But calling every partisan move racist is exactly how Democrats have destroyed the meaning of racism.
The post Democrats Suddenly Oppose ALL Redistricting When Republicans Start Winning (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

unitedyam May 24, 2026May 24, 2026

Image depicting a political discussion on redistricting, featuring Democratic leaders and a news segment highlighting the ongoing debate on electoral map changes.

Political redistricting may be aggressive. It may even be bad policy in some cases. But calling every partisan move racist is exactly how Democrats have destroyed the meaning of racism.

The post Democrats Suddenly Oppose ALL Redistricting When Republicans Start Winning (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

unitedyam May 24, 2026May 24, 2026

Image featuring a politician speaking at a conference alongside a notable figure in military attire, with a vibrant street scene in the background.

For more exclusive interviews & videos like this one, subscribe to The Patriot Perspective YouTube channel. [HERE] The latest episode of The Patriot Perspective turned attention to Cuba, arguing that the communist regime just 90 miles from Florida remains one of the most serious long-term threats in the Western Hemisphere.

The post Will Trump Free Cuba From Communism Next? Here’s What We Know (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

This Virginia Park Is on the Second-largest Lake in the State—With Scenic Blue Ridge Mountain Views and a 500-foot Beach #Travel A Virginia local shares one of her favorite state parks.

unitedyam May 24, 2026May 24, 2026

A Virginia local shares one of her favorite state parks.

unitedyam May 24, 2026May 24, 2026

Encyclicals, motu proprios, apostolic constitutions, and exhortations — here is a guide to some of the types of documents the pope uses to lead the Catholic Church.

Platner Smooths Things Over With Democrats By Covering Nazi Tattoo With Hammer & Sickle #BabylonBee – BANGOR, ME — Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner has smoothed things over with supporters by covering up his Nazi death squad tattoo with a new tattoo of the communist hammer and sickle.

unitedyam May 24, 2026

BANGOR, ME — Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner has smoothed things over with supporters by covering up his Nazi death squad tattoo with a new tattoo of the communist hammer and sickle.

unitedyam May 24, 2026May 24, 2026

Picture of the day

Australian brushturkey (Alectura lathami) female, Crater Lakes, Atherton Tableland, Queensland, Australia.

St. Augustine: Pentecost reverses chaos of Babel, unites Church under the Holy Spirit – #Catholic – On May 24, Catholics around the world celebrate the solemnity of Pentecost — the day on which the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples of Christ who gathered in Jerusalem 50 days after his resurrection on Easter Sunday.At Pentecost, there “appeared to them tongues as of fire … and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues.” The gift of tongues allowed them to speak and for every person gathered to hear them “in his own native language.”“Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit,” St. Peter said in Acts 2:38-39. “For the promise is made to you and to your children and to all those far off, whomever the Lord our God will call.”Pentecost is considered the birth of the Church, and the gift of tongues allowed Christians to embark on their mission to convert all nations by removing the impediment of language barriers united under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.St. Augustine of Hippo — the fourth- to fifth-century bishop, theologian, and philosopher — wrote about the solemnity in sermons in the late 300s and early 400s. He contrasted the gift of tongues with the chaos established in Genesis 11 when God punished humanity with separate languages for trying to construct the Tower of Babel to reach heaven.In Sermon 271, Augustine explains that after the Flood, “the ungodly pride of men built a high tower against the Lord, and the human race was deservedly divided by languages, so that each nation would speak its own language and thus not be understood by the others.”Augustine contrasts the pride of humanity in Genesis with “the devout humility of the faithful” who gathered together 50 days after the resurrection of Christ. At Pentecost, that humility prompted God to instill the gift of tongues to bring unity to the Church despite “the variety of their different languages,” he writes.With this gift, the theologian explains, “the scattered members of the human race, as of one body, might be attached to their one head, Christ, and so reunited, and fused together into the unity of the holy body by the fire of love.”“Whoever received the Holy Spirit, even as one person, started speaking all languages,” he writes. “So too now the unity itself is speaking all languages throughout all nations; and it is by being established in this unity that you have the Holy Spirit; you that do not break away in any schism from the Church of Christ which speaks all languages.”In Sermon 267, Augustine writes that at the Pentecost, “the Church was then in one house.” He adds: “That small church spoke in the languages of all nations” and 400 years later, “this great Church now speaks in the languages of all nations from the rising of the sun to its setting.”The growth of the Church over those four centuries, Augustine writes, is a fulfillment of God’s promise to reach across nations and languages: “You were promised to yourself: but promised in few, fulfilled in many. The Holy Spirit is the soul of the body of the Church.”In Sermon 268, Augustine expands on how the Pentecost points to the necessity of unity in the Church under the Holy Spirit, writing that it showed “the unity of the Church in the tongues of all nations” in a small room following Christ’s resurrection. Now we see “the unity of the Catholic Church, spread throughout the whole world.”“The duties of the members are distributed, but one spirit contains all,” he continues. “Many commands are given, many things are done: One commands, one is served. That is our spirit, that is, our soul, to our members; this is the Holy Spirit to the members of Christ, to the body of Christ, which is the Church.”Augustine is one of the Church’s greatest theologians and philosophers. He strongly influenced the Catholic understanding of the Trinity and the Holy Spirit more specifically, with writings such as “On the Trinity.”Pope Leo XIV, the first Augustinian pope, discussed Augustine’s writings about Pentecost in a homily on Sept. 1, 2025, telling his Augustinian brothers: “You are members of the body of Christ, who speaks all languages.”“If not all those of the world, certainly all those that God knows to be necessary for the fulfillment of the good that, in his provident wisdom, he entrusts to you,” Leo said. “Live these days, therefore, in a sincere effort to communicate and to understand, and do so as a generous response to the great and unique gift of light and grace that the Father of heaven gives you by summoning you here, specifically you, for the good of all.”

unitedyam May 24, 2026May 24, 2026

On the solemnity of Pentecost, St. Augustine reminds us to reflect on the the necessity of a globally unified Church, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

unitedyam May 24, 2026May 24, 2026

Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column. May 23: View Vallis Alpes Moving through vast Virgo, 11th-magnitude asteroid 13 Egeria is passing near some stationary background stars tonight, offering an excellent chance to chart its motion over the course of a few hours. You can begin looking for theContinue reading “The Sky Today on Sunday, May 24: Egeria slides on by”

The post The Sky Today on Sunday, May 24: Egeria slides on by appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Psyche Spacecraft Completes Mars Flyby – NASA’s Psyche spacecraft completed its close approach of Mars on May 15, capturing images as it came within 2,864 miles (4,609 kilometers) of the planet’s surface. This is an enhanced-color view of the large double-ring crater Huygens and the surrounding heavily cratered southern highlands.

unitedyam May 23, 2026May 23, 2026

NASA’s Psyche spacecraft completed its close approach of Mars on May 15, capturing images as it came within 2,864 miles (4,609 kilometers) of the planet’s surface. This is an enhanced-color view of the large double-ring crater Huygens and the surrounding heavily cratered southern highlands.

unitedyam May 23, 2026May 24, 2026

A reading from the Book of the Acts of the Apostles
Acts 2:1-11

When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled,
they were all in one place together.
And suddenly there came from the sky
a noise like a strong driving wind,
and it filled the entire house in which they were.
Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire,
which parted and came to rest on each one of them.
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit
and began to speak in different tongues,
as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.

Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven
staying in Jerusalem.
At this sound, they gathered in a large crowd,
but they were confused
because each one heard them speaking in his own language.
They were astounded, and in amazement they asked,
"Are not all these people who are speaking Galileans?
Then how does each of us hear them in his native language?
We are Parthians, Medes, and Elamites,
inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia,
Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia,
Egypt and the districts of Libya near Cyrene,
as well as travelers from Rome,
both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs,
yet we hear them speaking in our own tongues
of the mighty acts of God."

A reading from the first Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians
12:3b-7, 12-13

Brothers and sisters:

No one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.

There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit;
there are different forms of service but the same Lord;
there are different workings but the same God
who produces all of them in everyone.
To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit
is given for some benefit.

As a body is one though it has many parts,
and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body,
so also Christ.
For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body,
whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons,
and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.

From the Gospel according to John
20:19-23

On the evening of that first day of the week,
when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,
for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood in their midst
and said to them, "Peace be with you."
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you."
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
"Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained."

Today, the Solemnity of Pentecost, the Gospel takes us to the Upper Room, where the apostles had taken refuge after the death of Jesus (Jn 20:19-23). On the evening of Passover, the Risen One presents himself precisely into that situation of fear and anguish and, breathing on them, says: “Receive the Holy Spirit” (v. 22). In this way, with the gift of the Spirit, Jesus wishes to free the disciples from fear, from this fear that keeps them holed up at home, and he frees them so that they may be able to go out and become witnesses and proclaimers of the Gospel. Let us dwell a little on what the Spirit does: he frees from fear. The disciples had closed the doors, the Gospel says, “for fear” (v. 19). The death of Jesus had shocked them, their dreams had been shattered, their hopes had vanished. And they had closed themselves inside. Not only in that room, but within, in the heart. I would like to underline this: closed inside. How often do we too shut ourselves in? How often, because of some difficult situation, because of some personal or family problem, because of the suffering that marks us or the evil we breathe around us, do we risk slipping slowly into loss of hope and lack the courage to go on? (…) However, the Gospel offers us the remedy of the Risen One: the Holy Spirit. He frees us from the prisons of fear. (…) Because this is what the Spirit does: he makes us feel God’s closeness, and thus, his love casts out fear, illuminates the way, consoles, sustains in adversity. Faced with fears and closure, then, let us invoke the Holy Spirit for us, for the Church and for the whole world: let a new Pentecost cast out the fears that assail us and revive the flame of God’s love. (Pope Francis, Regina Caeli, 28 May 2023)

unitedyam May 23, 2026May 24, 2026

Last remaining Paterson Catholic school celebrates 60 years strong #Catholic –

St. Gerard Majella School, the last remaining Catholic school in Paterson, celebrated its 60th anniversary with a Mass and reception on May 17. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney was the main celebrant of the Mass, which was concelebrated by Msgr. George Hundt, pastor of St. Gerard Majella Parish.

St. Gerard Majella School concluded celebrating 60 years of offering excellent, family-centered, Gospel-grounded Catholic education for children in the city.

The Cognia-accredited St. Gerard’s has a diverse, growing student population of students from pre-K4 to eighth grade. Opened on Oct. 3, 1965, the school has weathered many challenges to remain a pillar of Catholic education in the city.

BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI

[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]

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– St. Gerard Majella School, the last remaining Catholic school in Paterson, celebrated its 60th anniversary with a Mass and reception on May 17. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney was the main celebrant of the Mass, which was concelebrated by Msgr. George Hundt, pastor of St. Gerard Majella Parish. St. Gerard Majella School concluded celebrating 60 years of offering excellent, family-centered, Gospel-grounded Catholic education for children in the city. The Cognia-accredited St. Gerard’s has a diverse, growing student population of students from pre-K4 to eighth grade. Opened on Oct. 3, 1965, the school has weathered many challenges to remain a pillar of

unitedyam May 23, 2026May 24, 2026

59 Mendham youth receive Eucharist for first time #Catholic –

Fifty-nine children received their First Holy Communion at St. Joseph Parish in Mendham, N.J., on May 2. The sacrament was celebrated during two Masses.

At the first Mass, Father Frank Agresti was the main celebrant and Msgr. Joseph Anginoli concelebrated. Roles were reversed for the second Mass.

The liturgy included participation from many of the First Communicants.

BEACON PHOTO | JOE GIGLI

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On social media, St. Joseph’s posted, “With joyful hearts, we congratulate all of our children who received Jesus in the Eucharist for the very first time.”

The parish also posted, “May this sacred moment be the beginning of a lifelong relationship with Christ, filled with grace, faith, and love. We are so proud of each of you and thank your families and catechists for guiding you on this journey. Please know that our parish community continues to keep you in our prayers as you grow in faith.”

BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI

[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]

– Fifty-nine children received their First Holy Communion at St. Joseph Parish in Mendham, N.J., on May 2. The sacrament was celebrated during two Masses. At the first Mass, Father Frank Agresti was the main celebrant and Msgr. Joseph Anginoli concelebrated. Roles were reversed for the second Mass. The liturgy included participation from many of the First Communicants. BEACON PHOTO | JOE GIGLI Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. On social media, St. Joseph’s posted, “With joyful hearts, we congratulate all of our children who received Jesus in the Eucharist for the very first time.” The parish also posted,

How Catholics can receive a plenary indulgence on Pentecost #Catholic On the solemnity of Pentecost, which this year is celebrated on May 24, Catholics have the opportunity to gain a plenary indulgence.An indulgence can be received by praying or singing the hymn "Veni Creator Spiritus" during the solemnity of Pentecost. The prayer is below.What is a plenary indulgence?The following “General Remarks on Indulgences” from “Gift of the Indulgence” summarizes the usual conditions given in the Churchʼs law (cf. Apostolic Penitentiary, Prot. N. 39/05/I): “This is how an indulgence is defined in the Code of Canon Law (can. 992) and in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (n. 1471): ‘An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church which, as the minister of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints.’”Conditions in all casesIn order to obtain the plenary indulgence, in addition to praying or signing the hymn mentioned above, the following conditions must be fulfilled:1. Detachment from all sin, even venial.2. Sacramental confession, holy Communion, and prayer for the intentions of the pope. These three conditions can be fulfilled a few days before or after performing the works to gain the indulgence, but it is appropriate that Communion and the prayer take place on the same day that the work is completed.A single sacramental confession is sufficient for several plenary indulgences, but frequent sacramental confession is encouraged in order to obtain the grace of deeper conversion and purity of heart.Prayer: Veni Creator SpiritusCome, Holy Spirit, Creator blest, and in our souls take up thy rest; come with thy grace and heavenly aid to fill the hearts which thou hast made.O comforter, to thee we cry, O heavenly gift of God Most High, O fount of life and fire of love, and sweet anointing from above.Thou in thy sevenfold gifts are known; thou, finger of Godʼs hand we own; thou, promise of the Father, thou who dost the tongue with power imbue.Kindle our sense from above, and make our hearts oʼerflow with love; with patience firm and virtue high the weakness of our flesh supply.Far from us drive the foe we dread, and grant us thy peace instead; so shall we not, with thee for guide, turn from the path of life aside.Oh, may thy grace on us bestow the Father and the Son to know; and thee, through endless times confessed, of both the eternal Spirit blest.Now to the Father and the Son, who rose from death, be glory given, with thou, O Holy Comforter, henceforth by all in earth and heaven. Amen.This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, and has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

unitedyam May 23, 2026May 23, 2026

On the solemnity of Pentecost, which this year is celebrated on May 24, Catholics have the opportunity to gain a plenary indulgence.

Madrid archbishop says Catholics feel ‘incredible expectation’ at pope’s upcoming trip to Spain #Catholic Madrid Archbishop Cardinal José Cobo Cano said that the imminent visit of Pope Leo XIV to Spain has generated “incredible expectations” and that the main challenge will not only be organizational, but pastoral.“The challenge is that it is not an event. We are used to concerts, which are prepared, closed and thatʼs it," he said in an interview with EWTN News about the preparations for the trip of Pope Leo XIV, who will visit Madrid, Barcelona and the Canary Islands from June 6 to 12. He expressed hope that the visit will be “a moment of experience and … a moment also that will be slow, that it helps us to look up and take a step forward.”Preparations in record timeCardinal Cobo explained that the visit has been organized in “record time,” with just three months of work, and with a much greater social and ecclesial response than expected.“We have had three scarce months to prepare a trip, during which we have also found that there is a great desire and an incredible expectation. I think we thought it was going to be something [for which] we had to motivate [Catholics] a lot, but nothing was needed,” he said.As he highlighted, the popeʼs program in Madrid has been designed as a “pastoral triptych” with three major components: the celebration of the Eucharist on the feast of Corpus Christi, the great meeting with the Church of Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium, and a space for dialogue with leaders of culture, economy and sport.“The celebration of the Eucharist, [especially on] Corpus Christi — which is a very important holiday for us — and celebrating it with the successor of Peter, is a gift for the whole Church of Madrid and for the whole Church of Spain, because they will come from all places. This is the most celebratory central moment,” said the cardinal.The pope and “politics with capital letters”In Coboʼs opinion, one of the most delicate moments will be the appearance of the Holy Father in the Cortes, or the Spanish parliament, before a joint session of both the Congress of Deputies and the Senate.Cobo warned that he is concerned that a message about “politics with capital letters” may be reduced to a partisan reading.“In a society where we are used to talking about political parties, that moment is important,” he said. “Of course the intention is that the pope will come, that he will support politicians, that he will support politics and that he will thus be able to reinforce democracy from the experience and tradition of the Church,” he said.Asked if the recent accusation of alleged corruption of the former Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero could have any impact on the visit, Cobo indicated it was unlikely. “We are used to working with many events in political life. Thatʼs already part of life and the headlines are moving,” he said. “I think the good thing about a papal visit is that … it can help us look up and see that despite the political situation that is painful … there is a higher level.”“There is another level, a level that speaks to us of hope, it is a level that speaks to us of responsibility, that speaks to us of ethics,” he said. “I believe that we are not going to contradict one thing with another, but we are going to get used to being also in another space, which is that of non-confrontation and welcoming wounds and difficulties and putting them in front of the space of meaning that life gives and that faith tells us.”The hope of the young, and not so youngThe cardinal also noted that for young people the visit could represent a response to a climate of “disorientation”, “uprooting” and “hopelessness.” He maintained that many are looking for “anchors” and answers about the meaning of life, something that, in his opinion, explains the renewed interest in the figure of the pope among new generations.“I think it is a response to a longing that young people have … and not only young people, I think it is from a very broad generation, I believe that there is an experience of a certain discomfort, a disorientation … a certain de-rooting. People need anchors that they donʼt have.”A meeting between Pope Leo XIV and Bad Bunny?Regarding the coincidence of the popeʼs presence in Madrid occurring at the same time as the rapper Bad Bunnyʼs concerts, Cobo did not close the door to a possible meeting, although he left it in the hands of both parties. “The pope is never closed to talking to anyone who wants to enter into dialogue with him,” he said.“If at some point that can happen, we wouldnʼt rule it out of course, but that depends on the two of them. What is certain is that indeed Madrid is very big and can have different events on the same day,” he said.

unitedyam May 23, 2026May 23, 2026

Archbishop José Cobo Cano hopes Pope Leo XIV’s visit will help Catholics “look up and take a step forward.”

In Italian region marred by toxic waste, Pope Leo XIV praises ‘beauty no injustice can erase’ – #Catholic – Pope Leo XIV greeted residents and civic leaders in the southern Italian town of Acerra on May 23, a region marred by toxic wastes but possessing what the pope said was “beauty no injustice can ever erase.” “In life, we come to understand that the more fragile a beauty is, the greater the care and responsibility it demands,” the pope told the crowd in Acerraʼs Piazza Calipari.

Pope Leo XIV addresses crowds in the Piazza Calipari in Acerra, Italy, May 23, 2026. The pope was visiting the “Land of Fires,” a region in southern Italy devastated by illegal waste dumping. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

The Holy Father arrived in the small town earlier in the day for a brief pastoral visit. Acerra is located about 130 miles southeast of Rome. After meeting with local Church leaders at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption, the pope headed to the piazza, where he said he was “delighted” to spend the Saturday morning with the crowd of around 15,000.

A child smiles excitedly during Pope Leo XIVʼs address in the Piazza Calipari in Acerra, Italy, May 23, 2026. The pope was visiting the “Land of Fires,” a region in southern Italy devastated by illegal waste dumping. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

The popeʼs visit to the Land of Fires came on the 11th anniversary of the late Pope Francis' landmark environmental encyclical Laudato Si'. Acerra has for years suffered environmental fallout due to the dumping of waste materials in the region.Yet “life is present here, and it stands in opposition to death; justice exists, and it will prevail,” the pope said. “We must, of course, choose life and break free from the bonds of death.” “There is always a subtle convenience to be found in resignation, in compromise, and in postponing necessary and courageous decisions,” he continued. “Fatalism, complaining, and shifting the blame onto others serve as a breeding ground for lawlessness and mark the beginning of a desertification of consciences.” “For this reason, I would like to say to you all: Let each of us shoulder our own responsibilities; let us choose justice; let us serve life!”The pontiff further reminded the citizens of Acerra of the need to care for creation.“I would like to thank those ‘pioneers’ who, through their courageous commitment, were the first to denounce the ills plaguing this land and to draw attention to the obscured and denied reality of its poisoning,” the pope said. “I am thinking, in particular, of the members of environmental associations,” the pope said. “We all know that we must stand guard over the health of creation just as we stand guard over our own front door, and that we must resist the temptations of power and enrichment linked to practices that pollute the earth, the water, the air, and our shared life.”

Crowds hold up signs as Pope Leo XIV makes an address in the Piazza Calipari in Acerra, Italy, May 23, 2026. The pope was visiting the “Land of Fires,” a region in southern Italy devastated by illegal waste dumping. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

Acerra Mayor Tito dʼErrico expressed his gratitude to the pope for his presence, pointing to the significance of the Laudato Si' anniversary. “Integral ecology is not merely a label; it is a social and economic model that places the dignity of the human person at its very center,” dʼErrico said.During the visit Acerra Bishop Antonio Di Donna presented the Holy Father with two precious mementos linked to St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori, the patron saint of the diocese: a statue of the saint and an autograph letter.Following the event in the piazza, the pope departed by helicopter to Rome. This story was first published by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

unitedyam May 23, 2026May 24, 2026

The Holy Father on May 23 met with Church leaders and local residents at Acerra in Italy’s “Land of Fires.”

In Italy’s ‘Land of Fires,’ Pope Leo XIV laments ‘the cry of creation and the poor’ #Catholic Pope Leo XIV arrived in Italyʼs “Terra dei Fuochi,” or “Land of Fires,” for a one-day visit on May 23, the first pope in history to meet with this population amid a yearslong battle against illegal waste disposal.The pope arrived in Acerra around 8:45 a.m., landing at the Arcoleo sports field, where he was immediately welcomed by Acerra Bishop Antonio Di Donna.Numerous dignitaries were also present, including Tito d’Errico, the mayor of Acerra.Pope Leo XIVʼs visit to the region also marks the 11th anniversary of the publication of the late Pope Francis’ landmark environmental encyclical Laudato Si'.Pope Francis himself was originally scheduled to visit the area for the encyclical’s fifth anniversary, though the visit was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. From the sports field, Pope Leo XIV traveled immediately by car to the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption in Acerra, where he met with bishops, clergy, members of religious orders, and the families of victims of environmental pollution. Approximately 12,000 faithful were present for the occasion.

Pope Leo XIV greets the faithful at the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta in Acerra, Italy, May 23, 2026. The pope was visiting the so-called “Land of Fires” near Naples where illegal waste dumping has created a yearslong health crisis. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

"Today we wish to fulfill Pope Francis’ desire, recognizing the great gift that the encyclical Laudato Si’ has represented for the Church’s mission in this land," the Holy Father said."Indeed, the cry of creation and of the poor among you has been felt most dramatically due to a deadly concentration of shadowy interests and indifference toward the common good — forces that have poisoned both the natural and social environments," he said, adding: "It is a cry that calls for conversion!” Di Donna himself recounted the history of the region at the cathedral, stating that the “environmental tragedy” began in the 1980s, “when certain industrialists in the north needed to dispose of vast quantities of toxic waste.”“Over the span of roughly 30 years, hundreds of thousands of tons of toxic waste arrived from numerous industries across northern Italy, only to be dumped in a specific part of this territory,” the bishop said. The environmental crisis triggered “a collapse of the agricultural industry,” the bishop said, describing the “Terra dei Fuochi” label as “a mark of infamy for our region.” Pope Leo XIV told the assembly he had come to listen to those in the region who have lost loved ones to the environmental devastation. The pope said he also wished to “thank those who have responded to evil with good.”

Pope Leo XIV greets crowds in Acerra, Italy, May 23, 2026. The pope was visiting the so-called “Land of Fires” near Naples where illegal waste dumping has created a yearslong health crisis. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

“We suffer because of the devastation that has compromised a marvelous ecosystem — places, histories, and memories,” the pope said. “Faced with this reality, there are two possible attitudes: indifference or responsibility,” he continued. “You have chosen responsibility, and — with God’s help — you have embarked upon a path of commitment and the pursuit of justice.”“Can these lands come back to life?” the pope continued. “Be the answer yourselves: a united community, in faith and in commitment. Then life will multiply.”The pope was scheduled to return to Rome after his visit to Acerra, located a little over 130 miles southeast of Rome. The Holy Father also met with civic leaders and local residents of Acerra. This story was first published by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

unitedyam May 23, 2026May 24, 2026

The Holy Father said Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’ is a framework for addressing the social and environmental crises of the region.

unitedyam May 23, 2026May 23, 2026

Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column. May 22: Busy moons around Jupiter The Moon passes 0.08° south of Regulus at 3 A.M. EDT. A few hours later, First Quarter Moon occurs at 7:11 A.M. EDT. First Quarter Moon offers some great targets for lunar observers. Plus, the greatContinue reading “The Sky Today on Saturday, May 23: View Vallis Alpes”

The post The Sky Today on Saturday, May 23: View Vallis Alpes appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Tulsi Gabbard Forced To Resign After Trump Discovers She’s Not Blonde #BabylonBee – WASHINGTON, D.C. — Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was forced to resign on Friday after President Donald Trump discovered that she’s not blonde.

unitedyam May 23, 2026May 23, 2026

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was forced to resign on Friday after President Donald Trump discovered that she’s not blonde.

Church Hack: Explain To Everyone Stacking Chairs That You’d Love To Help, But Your Spiritual Gift Is Encouragement #BabylonBee – Getting a little tired of youth pastors teaching the Parable of the Talents and then asking you to go stack some chairs? Consider telling everyone you have the spiritual gift of encouragement.

unitedyam May 23, 2026May 23, 2026

Getting a little tired of youth pastors teaching the Parable of the Talents and then asking you to go stack some chairs? Consider telling everyone you have the spiritual gift of encouragement.

Picture of the day

This stained glass window in the Cathedral of Saint Julian of Le Mans (Le Mans, France) depicts the Virgin Mary and the apostles during the Ascension of Jesus. Today is the Feast of the Ascension in Western Christianity.
#ImageOfTheDay

unitedyam May 23, 2026May 23, 2026

Picture of the day

This stained glass window in the Cathedral of Saint Julian of Le Mans (Le Mans, France) depicts the Virgin Mary and the apostles during the Ascension of Jesus. Today is the Feast of the Ascension in Western Christianity.

Zohran Mamdani Wants NYC to Spend .2 BILLION on Services for the Homeless After Claiming City is in ‘Historic’ Budget Crisis –
In April, New York City’s new Democratic Socialist (communist) Mayor Zohran Mamdani, claimed that the city was facing a ‘historic’ budget crisis.
The post Zohran Mamdani Wants NYC to Spend .2 BILLION on Services for the Homeless After Claiming City is in ‘Historic’ Budget Crisis appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

unitedyam May 22, 2026May 23, 2026

In April, New York City’s new Democratic Socialist (communist) Mayor Zohran Mamdani, claimed that the city was facing a ‘historic’ budget crisis.

The post Zohran Mamdani Wants NYC to Spend $4.2 BILLION on Services for the Homeless After Claiming City is in ‘Historic’ Budget Crisis appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Time Magazine Gets DRAGGED for Putting Graham ‘Nazi Tattoo’ Platner on the Cover –
In case you haven’t noticed, Democrats and their media allies are pulling out all the stops to drag Maine senate candidate Graham Platner across the finish line.
The post Time Magazine Gets DRAGGED for Putting Graham ‘Nazi Tattoo’ Platner on the Cover appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

unitedyam May 22, 2026May 23, 2026

In case you haven’t noticed, Democrats and their media allies are pulling out all the stops to drag Maine senate candidate Graham Platner across the finish line.

The post Time Magazine Gets DRAGGED for Putting Graham ‘Nazi Tattoo’ Platner on the Cover appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Dysfunctional Democrats Calling on DNC Chair Ken Martin to Resign Over Lame 2024 Election Autopsy Report –
Democrats are furious about the long awaited 2024 election autopsy report.
The post Dysfunctional Democrats Calling on DNC Chair Ken Martin to Resign Over Lame 2024 Election Autopsy Report appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

unitedyam May 22, 2026May 23, 2026

Democrats are furious about the long awaited 2024 election autopsy report.

The post Dysfunctional Democrats Calling on DNC Chair Ken Martin to Resign Over Lame 2024 Election Autopsy Report appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

unitedyam May 22, 2026May 22, 2026

This near-infrared image shows a section of one of the spiral arms of Messier 51 (M51).

Pope Leo XIV discusses major challenges of EU and its future with European bishops – #Catholic – Pope Leo XIV met on May 21 with the Commission of the Episcopal Conferences of the European Union (COMECE), with whom he discussed the future of the EU and reflected on current global challenges.This marks the second official meeting between the Holy Father and the institution, which is the official association of the Catholic Bishops’ Conferences of all European Union member states. The organization views the encounter as an opportunity to reflect in particular on the process of European integration and to discuss the bishops’ role in promoting peace and integral human development.Essential issues on the Church’s agenda in EuropeIn a statement issued prior to its audience with the pontiff, COMECE outlined some of the topics the group wished to bring to the table, such as migration and the rise of populism in Europe; the fight against poverty; data protection within the Church; artificial intelligence; efforts to facilitate unrestricted access to abortion across the EU; and the mental health of Europeans, among others.The bishops also discussed a potential visit by Pope Leo XIV to the European Parliament, the appointment of a new special envoy for freedom of religion, and the political shifts currently taking place within the European Parliament.The COMECE presidency also presented to the Holy Father a proposal to hold a new gathering of “Rethinking Europe” in the autumn of 2027, marking 10 years since the first meeting, which gathered some 300 people at the Vatican, including political representatives from the European Union and its member states, academics, and Church representatives.The event aimed to reflect on the challenges facing the European Union and to explore ways to strengthen and renew the European project.Peace: A paramount issueIn a statement to EWTN News, Archbishop Bernardito Auza, apostolic nuncio to the European Union, highlighted regarding the meeting with the pontiff the need to revitalize Europeʼs capacity to promote dialogue and peace. He recounted that members of COMECE asked the pope what their priorities should be, to which the pontiff responded with clarity: the issue of peace.Auza also noted that the Holy Father encouraged the bishops to delve deeper into “how the Church should relate to political bodies and how it must remain faithful to its prophetic role” as well as into the issue of migration “within the context of certain movements we call populist in the European Union.”Auza underscored that Leo XIV upholds “the right of states to define their own migration policies” and emphasized that the Church does not question this. Rather, it maintains that, once migrants have reached their new destination, they cannot be denied the services they need, nor can their human dignity fail to be fully respected.The bishops also encouraged the pontiff to visit European institutions, recalling the official invitation extended to him by Roberta Metsola, president of the European Parliament, during a private audience on March 5.According to the nuncio, this visit “would be of great assistance to us, as it would lend significant momentum and great authority, we might say, to the work we constantly carry out in Brussels and Strasbourg.”Excellent atmosphere, calm dialogueFor his part, Bishop Mariano Crociata, president of COMECE, highlighted in a conversation with EWTN News the “calm, serene, and welcoming” presence of Pope Leo XIV.“The meeting unfolded in an atmosphere of great naturalness, spontaneity, and cordiality, and at the same time, of clarity regarding the issues discussed,” he emphasized.Crociata stated that it was “a calm dialogue” between people who know one another “and who hold the same task and the same mission in their hearts … there was an excellent atmosphere and a desire to continue working in unity and together.”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.

unitedyam May 22, 2026May 23, 2026

While the bishops proposed many possible topics for the meeting, the pontiff emphasized dialogue and peace as priorities. The pope also said migrants must be respected and needed services not denied.

Washington sues hospitals over treatment of pregnant, nursing employees – #Catholic – A state of Washington lawsuit alleges that Providence, a nonprofit hospital system that operates 51 hospitals across five western states, failed to accommodate pregnant and nursing employees for years.Washington Attorney General Nick Brown’s office alleged in a complaint that Providence regularly refused accommodations or failed to implement accommodations such as limited lifting or more frequent sitting for pregnant and nursing mothers.The complaint also alleges that some superiors retaliated against employees after they requested accommodations.The lawsuit said this violates the state’s Healthy Starts Act and the Washington Law Against Discrimination.Pennsylvania attorney general appeals lower court rulingPennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday is looking to overturn a court ruling that struck down a law preventing the state from funding abortion.Sunday appealed the lower court’s ruling, which struck down the state’s ban on Medicaid coverage for abortion in an ongoing case that began in 2019 when abortion providers brought a suit against the state’s abortion funding ban.The attorney general said he had a “statutory obligation to defend the commonwealthʼs laws.”“My responsibility as attorney general is to defend the rule of law and defend statutes without interference of personal opinion or political posturing,” Sunday said in a statement to EWTN News.Maine senator absent from abortion-related committee meetings, records showMaine U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican, has not attended abortion-related Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee meetings since the overturn of Roe v. Wade in 2022, according to committee hearing reports.Collins confirmed the appointment of Justice Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court in 2018, saying at the time that she thought he wouldn’t be a part of overturning Roe v. Wade.Her office did not respond to a request for comment from EWTN News.

unitedyam May 22, 2026May 23, 2026

A Washington suit over hospital treatment of employees, a Pennsylvania appeal against abortion funding, and a Maine senator’s absence from abortion-related meetings in this week’s pro-life roundup.

unitedyam May 22, 2026May 23, 2026

A reading from the Book of the Acts of the Apostles
Acts 28:16-20, 30-31

When he entered Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself,
with the soldier who was guarding him.

Three days later he called together the leaders of the Jews.
When they had gathered he said to them, "My brothers,
although I had done nothing against our people
or our ancestral customs,
I was handed over to the Romans as a prisoner from Jerusalem.
After trying my case the Romans wanted to release me,
because they found nothing against me deserving the death penalty.
But when the Jews objected, I was obliged to appeal to Caesar,
even though I had no accusation to make against my own nation.
This is the reason, then, I have requested to see you
and to speak with you, for it is on account of the hope of Israel
that I wear these chains."

He remained for two full years in his lodgings.
He received all who came to him, and with complete assurance
and without hindrance he proclaimed the Kingdom of God
and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.

From the Gospel according to John
21:20-25

Peter turned and saw the disciple following whom Jesus loved,
the one who had also reclined upon his chest during the supper
and had said, "Master, who is the one who will betray you?"
When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, "Lord, what about him?"
Jesus said to him, "What if I want him to remain until I come?
What concern is it of yours?
You follow me."
So the word spread among the brothers that that disciple would not die.
But Jesus had not told him that he would not die,
just "What if I want him to remain until I come?
What concern is it of yours?"

It is this disciple who testifies to these things
and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true.
There are also many other things that Jesus did,
but if these were to be described individually,
I do not think the whole world would contain the books
that would be written.

This conversation between Jesus and Peter contains a valuable teaching for all disciples, for all of us believers (…) beginning with the temptation — very human, undoubtedly, but also very insidious — to preserve our protagonism. And at times the protagonist has to diminish, has to lower him or herself (…). But you will have another way of expressing yourself, another way of participating in the family, in society, in a group of friends. And it is the curiosity that comes to Peter: “What about him?”, says Peter, seeing the beloved disciple following them (cf. vv. 20-21). Sticking your nose in other people’s lives. But no: Jesus says: “Shut up!”. Does he have to be part of “my” following [of Jesus]? Does he have to occupy “my” space? Will he be my successor? These are questions that do no good, that don’t help. Must he outlive me and take my place? Jesus’ answer is frank and even rude: “What is that to you? Follow me” (v. 22). As if saying: You worry about your own life, about your present situation, and don’t stick your nose into the lives of others. You follow me. This is important: following Jesus, to follow Jesus in life and in death, in health and in sickness, in life when it is prosperous with many successes, and in life even when it is difficult with many bad moments of failing. And when we want to insert ourselves into other people’s lives, Jesus answers, “What is that to you? Follow me”. Beautiful. (Pope Francis, General Audience, 22 June 2022)

Leo XIV authorizes beatification of 80 civil war martyrs ahead of his trip to Spain – #Catholic – On May 22, Pope Leo XIV approved the promulgation of six decrees from the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, following an audience granted to its prefect, Cardinal Marcello Semeraro.With the pontiffʼs authorization, 80 martyrs of the Spanish Civil War and the Lebanese Patriarch Elias Hoyek will be beatified. In addition, Salesian missionary Constantino Vendrame; discalced Carmelite from Cameroon Brother Jean Thierry; Spanish religious María Ana Alberdi Echezarreta; and Brother Nazareno da Pula, a Capuchin lay brother, will be declared venerable.The 80 ‘Martyrs of Santander’ to be beatifiedJust days before the start of his apostolic journey to Spain, Pope Leo XIV authorized the decree recognizing the martyrdom of Francisco González de Córdova and 79 companions — consisting of 67 priests, three Carmelites, three seminarians, and seven laypeople — who were killed during the Spanish Civil War in Santander in northern Spain.According to the Diocese of Santander, the martyrs, soon to be beatified, died without renouncing their faith and while forgiving their attackers, even praying for them. Some of them were thrown into the Cantabrian Sea with their hands and feet bound; others were executed and burned, or disappeared aboard the ship “Alfonso Pérez,” which had been converted into a prison by the Popular Front of the Second Spanish Republic.The priest Francisco González de Córdova refused to cease celebrating Mass and administering the sacraments, which he continued to impart clandestinely until his arrest. During his captivity, he continued to hear the confessions of his companions and blessed them before their execution. He was murdered in the hold of the prison ship.Elias Hoyek, ‘Father of Greater Lebanon’The patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites, Venerable Elias Hoyek, will be declared blessed as the pontiff has approved a miracle attributed to his intercession.Born on Dec. 4, 1843, in Helta, he founded the Congregation of the Maronite Sisters of the Holy Family in Ebrine, northern Lebanon, the first female religious institute of apostolic life in the Maronite Church.He was elected patriarch of Antioch and of All the East for the Maronites in 1899, a position he held for more than 30 years “with great dedication and pastoral sensitivity, constantly attending to the formation of the clergy and the catechesis of the faithful,” the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints notes.The future blessed aided the Lebanese people during the First World War, placing convents and monasteries at their disposal, a gesture for which he was sentenced to deportation, though he was ultimately able to remain in Lebanon thanks to the intervention of Pope Benedict XV.At the Congress of Versailles, he advocated for the independence of his homeland, which had been part of the Ottoman Empire during the war, achieving the proclamation of the new State of Greater Lebanon on Sept. 1, 1920; for this reason, he is known as the “Father of Greater Lebanon.”He used his influence to humbly assist those in need, regardless of their social standing.4 new venerablesThe Holy Father also approved the heroic virtues of Servant of God Constantine Vendrame (1893–1957). Also known as the “Apostle of Shillong,” he was a Salesian missionary from Italy who evangelized in India.The Servant of God Nazareno da Pula (1911–1992), a Capuchin lay brother, will also be declared venerable.Leo XIV likewise authorized the recognition of the heroic virtues of the Servant of God María Ana Alberdi Echezarreta (1912–1998), baptized as María de la Concepción Cruz, abbess of the monastery of the Franciscan Conceptionist Sisters.Finally, the pope authorized the recognition of the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Jean-Thierry of Jesus the Child and of the Passion (1982–2006), a professed religious of the Order of Discalced Carmelites.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.

unitedyam May 22, 2026May 23, 2026

In addition, the pope will declare four other religious from various countries as venerable.

This Remote Lake in South Carolina Boasts Crystal-clear Waters and an Underwater Ghost Town #Travel Here’s everything to know about visiting Lake Jocassee.

unitedyam May 22, 2026May 23, 2026

Here’s everything to know about visiting Lake Jocassee.

Bishop Barron speaks on U.S. religious roots ahead of nation’s 250th anniversary #Catholic While there has been a tendency in the United Sates "to hyper-stress separation of church and state," Bishop Robert Barron said "the roots of our country are deeply religious" and "the basic principles of the country are inescapably religious.” On May 17, thousands gathered on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., for the White House event celebrating “one nation under God” and "the connection between religion and our American democracy,” Barron said.In an interview with EWTN News’ Colm Flynn ahead of the event, Barron discussed the “hugely important” phrase "one nation under God.”“In the written versions of the Gettysburg Address that [Abraham Lincoln] prepared before giving it, the phrase ‘under God’ is not there,” Barron explained.“But then when he was delivering it he added ... ‘under God,’“ Barron said. ”I think it represented a deep intuition that Lincoln had that you canʼt really understand our democracy without it.” The phrase “under God” is “meant to hold off tyranny,” he said. It is clear that “all kings and all rulers are under God, meaning under the judgment and authority of God. Our founders understood that.”“And that little phrase is meant to hold off that tendency to deify any political establishment, political party, political ruler. Weʼre a nation, yes indeed, but weʼre under God. Our laws are determined by God,” he said.“I love the First Amendment to our Constitution, which in its opening lines expresses very eloquently … the right balance,“ he said. ”Namely, ‘Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion.’”“But then thereʼs a second part, the second clause of that: ‘Congress shall make no law limiting the free exercise of religion,’” he said.“Thatʼs an eloquent balance. So thereʼs no officially state-sanctioned religion, but that does not mean that religion has no role in public life. On the contrary, because there should be no law restricting the free exercise of religion,” Barron said. Catholics’ role in public life and public officeCatholics in public office should bring “moral sensibility into their public decisions,” Barron said.“Weʼre not here to impose Catholicism on anybody,” he said. “But I think to bring a moral and spiritual sensibility into the decisions that you make at these high levels is altogether valid.”As a member of the White House Religious Liberty Commission, Barron said he met “lots of Catholics in the present administration” and told them to “bring Thomas Aquinas into your public life.”“By which I mean bring these great moral and spiritual principles that indeed undergird our democracy, but make them a lively presence in the work that you do,” he said.Barron further spoke about his time on the White House commission, where he received both criticism and praise.When asked to be a commissioner, “my first reaction was very positive,” Barron said. “I thought … ‘Theyʼre inviting a Catholic bishop to be a voice around the table in the formulation of this policy. Why would I say no?’”To say no would be “taking a Catholic voice away from that process,” he said.“I’m not implementing the policy. Iʼm making suggestions regarding the formulation of policy,” Barron explained. “The president could take or leave what we say … So Iʼm not implementing the presidentʼs policies. Iʼm helping to shape public policy.”“The commission was great. I spoke my mind in every setting. No one censored me,” said Barron, who was present at a White House Holy Week event when Pentecostal pastor Paula Cain White compared the president’s suffering to Jesus Christ’s.Barron said he was able to address issues within the administration, specifically about Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) “detainees in Chicago having access to sacraments and pastoral care.”The bishop took the matter to Homeland Security and “no one questioned” him. It was “a religious liberty issue,” because “people have a right to their sacraments and pastoral care,” he said.Barron also spoke out in regard to the president’s “critical remarks about the pope.”“I said in an X post that I have deep admiration for the president in regard to religion. Heʼs done wonderful things. But I said I think that was a disrespectful way to talk to the pope,” Barron said.“In regards to prudential judgment,” a president can “disagree with the pope,” Barron said. “But the pope is not ... just an ordinary hack politician that you can sort of talk in that flippant way to.”

Bishop Robert Barron speaks with EWTN News’ Colm Flynn ahead of the May 17, 2026, White House event on “one nation under God” in Washington, D.C. | Credit: EWTN News

“Heʼs the vicar of Christ, successor of Peter. Heʼs our Holy Father. And I just felt that was disrespectful, and I thought it was not a constructive contribution to the conversation,” he said.“Heʼs the Holy Father, so we have a filial relationship to him. Heʼs a father, weʼre like children … we have a family relationship to the pope. So itʼs different than just our relationship to a political leader.”“At the level of principle and the moral values that ought to be informing our life … we abide by what the pope is saying, but I think there can be disagreement at the prudential level,” Barron said.Dividing issues in the nation todayAmid numerous wars right now, Barron said “we should study” the just war tradition.It offers “very useful criteria, and I think the Churchʼs job is to bring these to consciousness and urge political leaders to apply them,” he said.“The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that when it comes to the evaluation and application of the criteria, that belongs to the civil authorities. And I think thereʼs great wisdom there too.”Barron also spoke to the ongoing matters with U.S. immigration enforcement.“A completely open border invites a lot of moral chaos, and a lot of catastrophe happens because of an open border. So the Church recognizes the legitimacy of that,” Barron said. “At the same time, the Church wants us to welcome the stranger and to be open to those who are in great need and those who are seeking refuge.”ICE “is a very legitimate expression of the governmentʼs authority, but … I think ICE is way too blunt a tool to use to solve the general issue of people in the country illegally,” Barron said.“I think a political solution has to be found. I donʼt think ICE is the right instrument to do that,” he said. “Iʼd invite people who are intimately involved in these things to have a good, morally informed conversation about it and come to good prudential judgments.”“Iʼm not an expert in immigration policy, and Iʼm not an expert in the economics that are prevailing on the ground in various situations,” he said. “I think we have to inform all those who are making those decisions, make sure they have a keen moral sensibility, [and] know what the principles are.”“But I think people of goodwill can, and obviously do, disagree about how they are applied … concretely,” he said.

unitedyam May 22, 2026May 22, 2026

“There’s no officially state-sanctioned religion, but that does not mean that religion has no role in public life,” Bishop Robert Barron said.

unitedyam May 22, 2026May 22, 2026

A leading pro-life nongovernmental organization is asking Malta’s six political parties to declare publicly — yes or no — whether they would back abortion or euthanasia laws ahead of the May 30 vote.

unitedyam May 22, 2026May 22, 2026

Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column. May 21: Check in on Saturn and Mars Tonight we’re focused on Jupiter, as two of its Galilean moons cross the planet’ disk this evening. East Coast observers can zoom in on the gas giant shortly after sunset to see Io aloneContinue reading “The Sky Today on Friday, May 22: Busy moons around Jupiter”

The post The Sky Today on Friday, May 22: Busy moons around Jupiter appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Company-Wide Meeting Really Just For Phil #BabylonBee – GREENVILLE, SC — Sources revealed that the company-wide meeting scheduled today for all SynerTech employees was, in actuality, just for Phil.

unitedyam May 21, 2026May 21, 2026

GREENVILLE, SC — Sources revealed that the company-wide meeting scheduled today for all SynerTech employees was, in actuality, just for Phil.

Hunter Biden’s Reputation In Ruins After Talking To Candace Owens #BabylonBee – U.S. — After sitting down for an interview with podcaster Candace Owens, Hunter Biden’s reputation was reportedly in ruins.

unitedyam May 21, 2026May 21, 2026

U.S. — After sitting down for an interview with podcaster Candace Owens, Hunter Biden’s reputation was reportedly in ruins.

Picture of the day

This azulejo from the Igreja de São Bento (Ribeira Brava, Madeira, Portugal) depicts Our Lady of Fátima. Today is the feast of Our Lady of Fátima in the Catholic Church and the 110th anniversary of her first apparition to three shepherd children.
#ImageOfTheDay

unitedyam May 21, 2026May 21, 2026

Picture of the day

This azulejo from the Igreja de São Bento (Ribeira Brava, Madeira, Portugal) depicts Our Lady of Fátima. Today is the feast of Our Lady of Fátima in the Catholic Church and the 110th anniversary of her first apparition to three shepherd children.

Los Angeles Mayoral Candidate Spencer Pratt Explains What Made Him Become a Republican (VIDEO) –
Spencer Pratt’s mayoral campaign in Los Angeles has gone viral.
The post Los Angeles Mayoral Candidate Spencer Pratt Explains What Made Him Become a Republican (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

unitedyam May 21, 2026May 22, 2026

Spencer Pratt’s mayoral campaign in Los Angeles has gone viral.

The post Los Angeles Mayoral Candidate Spencer Pratt Explains What Made Him Become a Republican (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Media Analyst Takes In-Depth Look at the Numbers That Doomed the Colbert Show –
This is probably the last article about Stephen Colbert you will read at the Gateway Pundit for a while because, as you probably know, tonight is his last night on the air.
The post Media Analyst Takes In-Depth Look at the Numbers That Doomed the Colbert Show appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

unitedyam May 21, 2026May 22, 2026

Late- night talk show host Stephen Colbert did not have much good to say about Tuesday's election results.

This is probably the last article about Stephen Colbert you will read at the Gateway Pundit for a while because, as you probably know, tonight is his last night on the air.

The post Media Analyst Takes In-Depth Look at the Numbers That Doomed the Colbert Show appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Former Mobster Says There is More Evidence to Indict Joe Biden on Crimes Than There Ever Was on Him (VIDEO) –
If you watch a lot of podcasts or follow true crime news, you have probably heard of Michael Franzese.
The post Former Mobster Says There is More Evidence to Indict Joe Biden on Crimes Than There Ever Was on Him (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

unitedyam May 21, 2026May 22, 2026

If you watch a lot of podcasts or follow true crime news, you have probably heard of Michael Franzese.

The post Former Mobster Says There is More Evidence to Indict Joe Biden on Crimes Than There Ever Was on Him (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Catholic Charities USA brings traveling exhibit to U.S. Capitol on annual lobbying day – #Catholic – Catholic Charities USA brought its traveling “People of Hope Museum” to Capitol Hill for its annual advocacy day, inviting members of Congress to see firsthand how its ministries impact both those who serve and those they serve.“We’re anxious to get them to visit this,” Luz Tavarez, vice president for government relations at Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA), told EWTN News. Tavarez was among 21 diocesan officials who participated in CCUSA’s annual “Hill Day” on May 19-20 to lobby Congress on housing, food insecurities, and other poverty-related issues.CCUSA’s mobile museum is scheduled to be parked on the National Mall in front of the Capitol through May 22.“Whatʼs really amazing about the People of Hope Museum is that itʼs a firsthand account of how we see Jesus in the people we serve,” she said. “So, I really hope that they do get down here. We have invited every single one of them to come, so weʼll see.”The group met with about 60 offices, Tavarez said, including members of the House and Senate.Four members addressed CCUSA, including Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Massachusetts, Rep. James Clyburn, D-South Carolina, Rep. Mike Lawler, R-New York, and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine.“All of those members challenged us to just continue to hit the ground educating members of the important work that we do,” Tavarez said. “I think thereʼs a recognition on both sides of the aisle of how critical the work that Catholic Charities around the country, the work that we do, is. But again, our goal was just really to ensure that government funding, government appropriations, is reaching the most vulnerable.”Tavarez highlighted the recently-passed farm bill and housing issues as areas where they found bipartisan support among members. She said the group did not experience much pushback but that the challenge lay in educating members “on how our Catholic faith is translated into the policy positions we take, and thatʼs just consistent on both sides of the aisle.”

Women observe data on medical debt in exhibit inside the People of Hope Museum in Washington, D.C., May 21, 2026. | Credit: Madalaine Elhabbal/EWTN News

The lobbying day came a week after Democratic senators pressed Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner over missing data on homelessness and the Trump administration’s planned cuts to federal funding for homelessness.“Itʼs important to understand that not everyone understands the work that we do,” she said. “And for some people, Catholic Charities means just one thing, you know, perhaps itʼs working with immigrants. For other people, Catholic Charities is just the local food pantries. And there is some intersection there.”“What is beautiful about ‘Hill Day’ in my view is that Catholic Charities, of course, is not a political or partisan entity,” CCUSA CEO Kerry Alys Robinson told EWTN News. “It is a social ministry of the Church, and it encompasses the full political spectrum.”

CCUSA CEO Kerry Alys Robinson stands in front of the traveling exhibit People of Hope Museum on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on May 21, 2026. | Credit: Madalaine Elhabbal/EWTN News

“Elected officials across the aisle all understand just how important Catholic Charities is to their constituents in their districts and in their states,” she said. “So I think judging from all reports, the meetings went very, very well, and our diocesan directors are especially happy to be here.”

unitedyam May 21, 2026May 22, 2026

Twenty-one diocesan officials lobbied Congress on housing, food insecurities, and other poverty-related issues.

EWTN expands reach in northern Europe with new office in Sweden – #Catholic – EWTN Global Catholic Network will open a new office in Stockholm, the network announced May 21. As part of the expansion, EWTN will extend its Swedish services to reach Scandinavian and northern European audiences.The move comes amid growth of the Catholic Church in Sweden. The nation, which historically restricted religious freedom, has 130,000 registered Catholics.The Stockholm office will produce news from the Vatican along with devotional and catechetical content for local audiences and beyond.“EWTN’s mission has always been to bring the truth and beauty of the Catholic faith to people wherever they are,” said Michael P. Warsaw, chairman of the board and CEO of EWTN.Founded by Mother Angelica 45 years ago, EWTN is the largest Catholic media organization in the world. EWTN is the parent company of EWTN News.“The opening of our Stockholm office is an important step in serving a growing Catholic community in Sweden driven by immigration and conversions,” Warsaw said. “For EWTN, the Catholic Church in Sweden represents a dynamic and expanding audience for faithful Catholic media and local-language evangelization.”EWTN looks to reach the growing online audience in Sweden, where 93% of people go online daily, according to a 2025 report by the Swedish Internet Foundation.“EWTN Sweden is built for the way people in Sweden live and consume media today,” said Ulf Silfverling, director of EWTN Sweden. “Through EWTN.se and our media channels, we want to provide faithful, accessible, and relevant Catholic content that speaks to Swedish audiences in their own language and context.”“This office represents more than a new location; it is a commitment to Scandinavia, Sweden, and its growing community of faithful as EWTN continues to work on reaching every home and every heart,” said Andreas Thonhauser, chief global officer of EWTN.“By producing native Swedish content and collaborating more closely with Catholics in the region, EWTN can help deepen the faith and connect northern Europe more fully with the life of the universal Church,” Thonhauser added.

unitedyam May 21, 2026May 22, 2026

Amid growth in the Catholic Church in Sweden, EWTN Global Catholic Network has opened a new office in Stockholm to expand reach across northern Europe.

unitedyam May 21, 2026May 22, 2026

A reading from the Book of the Acts of the Apostles
Acts 25:13b-21

King Agrippa and Bernice arrived in Caesarea
on a visit to Festus.
Since they spent several days there,
Festus referred Paul’s case to the king, saying,
"There is a man here left in custody by Felix.
When I was in Jerusalem the chief priests and the elders of the Jews
brought charges against him and demanded his condemnation.
I answered them that it was not Roman practice
to hand over an accused person before he has faced his accusers
and had the opportunity to defend himself against their charge.
So when they came together here, I made no delay;
the next day I took my seat on the tribunal
and ordered the man to be brought in.
His accusers stood around him,
but did not charge him with any of the crimes I suspected.
Instead they had some issues with him about their own religion
and about a certain Jesus who had died
but who Paul claimed was alive.
Since I was at a loss how to investigate this controversy,
I asked if he were willing to go to Jerusalem
and there stand trial on these charges.
And when Paul appealed that he be held in custody
for the Emperor’s decision,
I ordered him held until I could send him to Caesar."

From the Gospel according to John
21:15-19

After Jesus had revealed himself to his disciples and eaten breakfast with them,
he said to Simon Peter,
"Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?"
Simon Peter answered him, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you."
Jesus said to him, "Feed my lambs."
He then said to Simon Peter a second time,
"Simon, son of John, do you love me?"
Simon Peter answered him, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you."
He said to him, "Tend my sheep."
He said to him the third time,
"Simon, son of John, do you love me?"
Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time,
"Do you love me?" and he said to him,
"Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you."
Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep.
Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger,
you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted;
but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands,
and someone else will dress you
and lead you where you do not want to go."
He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God.
And when he had said this, he said to him, "Follow me."

Jesus asks Peter the first time: "Simon… do you love me (agapas-me)" with this total and unconditional love (Jn 21: 15)? Prior to the experience of betrayal, the Apostle certainly would have said: "I love you (agapo-se) unconditionally". Now that he has known the bitter sadness of infidelity, the drama of his own weakness, he says with humility: "Lord; you know that I love you (filo-se)", that is, "I love you with my poor human love". Christ insists: "Simon, do you love me with this total love that I want?". And Peter repeats the response of his humble human love: "Kyrie, filo-se", "Lord, I love you as I am able to love you". The third time Jesus only says to Simon: "Fileis-me?", "Do you love me?". Simon understands that his poor love is enough for Jesus, it is the only one of which he is capable, nonetheless he is grieved that the Lord spoke to him in this way. He thus replies: "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you (filo-se)". This is to say that Jesus has put himself on the level of Peter, rather than Peter on Jesus’ level! It is exactly this divine conformity that gives hope to the Disciple, who experienced the pain of infidelity. From here is born the trust that makes him able to follow [Christ] to the end. (…) Peter succeeded in entrusting himself to that Jesus who adapted himself to his poor capacity of love. And in this way he shows us the way, notwithstanding all of our weakness. We know that Jesus adapts himself to this weakness of ours. (Benedict XVI – General audience, 24 May 2006)

Hubble Sights Galaxy in Transition – This NASA Hubble Space Telescope images reveals the lenticular galaxy, NGC 1266. This enigmatic post-starburst galaxy has a bright center and a face that hints at spiral structure, yet it holds no discernable spiral arms.

unitedyam May 21, 2026May 21, 2026

This NASA Hubble Space Telescope images reveals the lenticular galaxy, NGC 1266. This enigmatic post-starburst galaxy has a bright center and a face that hints at spiral structure, yet it holds no discernable spiral arms.

unitedyam May 21, 2026May 22, 2026

The grant will facilitate dialogue between Baltimore communities historically divided by race and income.

17 Best Small Towns in Europe for Stunning Scenery, Delicious Food, and Charming Streets #Travel Beyond the famous European cities, these destinations have ample attractions of their own.

unitedyam May 21, 2026May 22, 2026

Beyond the famous European cities, these destinations have ample attractions of their own.

Alabama cannot execute convicted murderer with low IQ after Supreme Court ruling #Catholic The Supreme Court on May 21 rejected an attempt by the state of Alabama to execute a convicted murderer whose low IQ may render him intellectually disabled and thus protected from capital punishment by the U.S. Constitution. The court in an unsigned order dismissed an appeal from Alabama after the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Joseph Clifton Smith, with the appeals court holding that Smithʼs low-70s IQ put him close enough to the threshold of an intellectually disability to render his death sentence unconstitutional. The court heard oral arguments in the case in December 2025. The case had followed a twisting path through the federal court system; the 11th Circuit first ruled in Smithʼs favor in 2023, after which the Supreme Court in 2024 vacated that decision and ordered the appeals court to consider it again. A second review by the lower court, with another favorable ruling for Smith, again brought the case before the Supreme Court last year; the high courtʼs May 21 ruling brought the case to an end.The latest ruling represents a potential precedent in how the Supreme Court considers certain cases of capital punishment. The court ruled in the 2002 case Atkins v. Virginia that executing people with intellectual disabilities violated the Constitution’s Eighth Amendment, which prohibits “cruel and unusual punishment." The justices did not define “intellectual disability” in that case, though it cited expert opinion that “an IQ between 70 and 75 or lower” is “typically considered the cutoff” in some definitions. Theresa Farnan, philosopher on the Ethics and Public Policy Committee of the National Catholic Partnership on Disability, told EWTN News in April that Smithʼs death sentence was “clearly a borderline case.” Smith was convicted in the brutal 1997 slaying of Durk Van Dam. “It’s obvious to me he could not grasp the gravity of his crimes,“ Farnan said of Smith. ”In cases like these, the burden on us as a society is even more pronounced to be radically pro-life.”The Catholic Church in recent decades has come out increasingly against the death penalty, with multiple popes arguing that modern penal systems have rendered capital punishment inadmissible in many if not most cases.Pope Leo XIV in particular has spoken out several times against the death penalty in just the first year of his pontificate, arguing that “human life is to be respected” and that support for capital punishment is incompatible with a pro-life philosophy.

unitedyam May 21, 2026May 21, 2026

The court has previously held that people with intellectual disabilities may not be executed under the U.S. Constitution.

unitedyam May 21, 2026May 22, 2026

Villa Walsh senior chosen one of MCRTL pro-life essay contest winners #Catholic –

Morris County Right to Life of Morriston, N.J., recently announced the winners of the John E. Mulholland Memorial Pro-Life Essay Contest. The contest was open to all Morris County high school seniors. First place awarded to Anthony Ricardo of Morris Knolls High School, and second place was tied between Amelia Kelinle of Villa Walsh Academy and Brendan Critchley of Morristown High School. First-place winner received $750 and the second-place winners each received $500. John and Mary Ellen Muholland were avid pro-life warriors, and the scholarship has been awarded in their memory.

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– Morris County Right to Life of Morriston, N.J., recently announced the winners of the John E. Mulholland Memorial Pro-Life Essay Contest. The contest was open to all Morris County high school seniors. First place awarded to Anthony Ricardo of Morris Knolls High School, and second place was tied between Amelia Kelinle of Villa Walsh Academy and Brendan Critchley of Morristown High School. First-place winner received $750 and the second-place winners each received $500. John and Mary Ellen Muholland were avid pro-life warriors, and the scholarship has been awarded in their memory. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

Vatican warns that AI ‘deepfakes’ threaten the human experience #Catholic Cardinal Jose Tolentino de Mendonça, prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education, on Thursday criticized AI deepfakes as a threat to human encounter.Speaking at a conference on AI in Rome on May 21, Mendonça warned of the dangers of AI, saying that it can “have painful consequences on the destiny of individuals.”“When a deepfake lends a personʼs face to words they have never spoken … it is the very grammar of the human encounter that is altered,” Mendonça said. “Technology that exploits our need for relationship … can not only have painful consequences on the destiny of individuals, but it can also damage the social, cultural, and political fabric of societies.”Preserving humanity in the age of AIComing a few days before of the release of Pope Leo XIVʼs Magnifica Humanitas, which will treat moral and social questions related to AI, the theme of the conference was “Preserving Human Voices and Faces.”Organized by the Dicastery for Communication and held at the Pontifical Urban University, the conference brought together professors, journalists, and engineers who offered insights into the risks AI poses to authentic human experiences.Mendonça, citing the popeʼs message for the 60th World Day of Social Communications, clarified that the goal “lies not in stopping digital innovation but in guiding it.”Paolo Ruffini, prefect of the Dicastery for Communication, added: “The greatest danger consists in passively accepting the idea that knowledge no longer belongs to us.”Magnifica Humanitas: Keeping the human at the centerSome of the conference panelists expressed their hopes for Leoʼs upcoming encyclical on AI.One of those was Bishop Paul Tighe, secretary of the Section of Culture of the Dicastery for Culture and Education. Speaking to EWTN News on the sidelines, Tighe gave his impressions about what the pope intends to contribute with this document.“I think the pope is doing two things: First, he will be offering perspectives that enable people to reflect and think critically about AI and its role in society. Second, he is initiating a dialogue,” Tighe told EWTN News. “He wants to create an environment where all the various people who have a part in the development of AI are attentive to keeping the human at the center.”

unitedyam May 21, 2026May 21, 2026

A top Vatican official warned of the dangers of AI at a conference ahead of the pope’s upcoming encyclical.

unitedyam May 21, 2026May 21, 2026

Pope will find a living, growing Church in Madrid, Spanish cardinal says #Catholic –

(OSV News) — Pope Leo XIV will encounter a living and growing Church when he arrives in Madrid, a revitalization highlighted by his planned blessing of the cornerstones for 12 new parishes, said Cardinal José Cobo of Madrid.

In a May 20 interview with OSV News, Cardinal Cobo described the new parishes as a sign of continuous growth and “an interesting moment of revitalization.” Looking ahead to the fruits of the papal visit in his archdiocese, the Spanish cardinal emphasized the importance of its long-term impact.

“We don’t want it to stay there because the events are events that fade away like fireworks,” he said. But “the pope is (not only) going to leave us with experiences, but also messages,” the cardinal stressed.

“So, afterward it will lead us to ensure that in every area — in parishes, in culture, in education — we will continue working on what we have started and continue creating processes so that this doesn’t just remain in the pages of a speech,” the cardinal added.

Pope Leo XIV’s June 6-12 apostolic visit to Spain will begin in Madrid with a packed schedule of events, including meetings with King Felipe VI and his wife, Queen Letizia, government authorities and the faithful.

‘Evangelical gesture’

Among his first pastoral stops is a visit to CEDIA 24 horas, a social center run by Caritas Madrid that serves as a shelter and offers social services, psychological care and workshops for the city’s homeless.

For Cardinal Cobo, the fact that the pope’s first pastoral stop will be a homeless shelter is “an obviously evangelical gesture” where he will visit a place “where the Church is with the most vulnerable.”

“The Archdiocese of Madrid and the Church are present in the realities of the last ones. Thank God I can say — and I am very grateful for this — that there is no social reality where the Church is not present in some way,” the cardinal told OSV News.

Pope Leo’s visit to CEDIA 24 horas, he added, indicates “from where he wants to look at the Church and from where he wants the Church to be from the beginning, which is first placing the most vulnerable at the forefront.”

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Among the most anticipated events during the pope’s stop in Madrid will be a Mass on the feast of Corpus Christi at Madrid’s Plaza de Cibeles, followed by a Eucharistic procession reflecting the city’s local traditions.

Cardinal Cobo told OSV News that the feast of Corpus Christi is “a very important day” in Spain and that Eucharistic adoration “is very alive and belongs not only to the ecclesial tradition in general but to popular piety.”

When asked what he hopes people will see or understand about Catholic tradition and faith in Spain, the cardinal said he hopes people will see that the Eucharistic procession celebrates the presence of Jesus “not only in the Church but in the streets.”

“That is the moment of this day. It is like centralizing a bit of what we are and our source. And to live it with our neighbors in the middle of the street, I think it almost brings us more joy. To be in the center of Madrid, being able to live the Eucharist and say, ‘Let us extend our hands to all who are unwell, to all who want to search.’ So for us it is a reason for joy. And I think it will also be a very special moment to revitalize faith and open doors to those who want to search,” he said.

Meeting with survivors proposed

However, among the events not included in the schedule released by the Vatican May 6 was a meeting with survivors of sexual abuse, an issue on the minds of many in Spain.

In October 2023, a government-led independent commission revealed in a 700-page report that over 200,000 minors had been abused by clergy since 1940. It also stated that when accounting for abuses committed by lay members of the Church, the number of victims rose to 400,000.

Recently, in January, the Catholic Church and the Spanish government signed an agreement that would seek to provide reparations to victims of clerical sexual abuse.

Cardinal Cobo told OSV News that although the pope’s schedule is full, a meeting with survivors has been proposed and will be announced only after it happens to “not create false expectations.”

Nevertheless, he noted, a meeting between the pope and survivors is “very necessary,” and Pope Leo is aware of the Archdiocese of Madrid’s efforts, such as “Proyecto Repara,” the archdiocesan office for the prevention of abuse.

The pope “knows ‘Proyecto Repara’ very well and everything we have been doing for many years, attending not only to victims of child abuse, but victims of all kinds of abuse, and how we are entering into an integral accompaniment” with them.

According to its website, “Proyecto Repara” was established in 2020 as an independent office where survivors of abuse, both within and outside of the Church, could receive support, including legal and canonical assistance, therapy and spiritual accompaniment.

The office also works with civil authorities in denouncing cases of abuse involving minors and informs victims of their rights to report alleged abuse to police.

A timely encyclical

The Vatican announced that Pope Leo’s first encyclical, “Magnifica Humanitas” (“Magnificent Humanity”), on the protection of the human person in the age of artificial intelligence, will be published May 25, less than two weeks before he lands in Madrid.

At a May 6 press conference, Archbishop Luis Argüello of Valladolid, president of the Spanish bishops’ conference, noted that the soon-to-be-released encyclical will likely “highlight the centrality of the human person” and focus on “human dignity, the common good, dialogue and encounter.”

Noting the timeliness of the encyclical’s release, Cardinal Cobo told OSV News that it will likely “be the framework for all the messages that the pope is going to give,” especially when he delivers his anticipated address to the country’s parliament.

In Spain, where politics “is very, very polarized” and “very segmented,” Pope Leo comes not “to impose anything on anyone,” but “simply to offer a higher perspective,” the cardinal said.

That perspective, he continued, is “to speak of the importance of the common good above differences, the importance of human dignity as the axis or the filter to face problems.”

“I think the pope can offer that, which is what the Church always offers: higher perspectives,” Cardinal Cobo said. “Let us not forget the grand horizons. Then we can be more or less in agreement on the small judgments, on the specifics. But let us not forget that, above the polarizations, there are broad outlines, and that the Christian tradition has something to say to society if it wants to listen to us.”

Junno Arocho Esteves is an international correspondent for OSV News. Follow him on X @jae_journalist.

– (OSV News) — Pope Leo XIV will encounter a living and growing Church when he arrives in Madrid, a revitalization highlighted by his planned blessing of the cornerstones for 12 new parishes, said Cardinal José Cobo of Madrid. In a May 20 interview with OSV News, Cardinal Cobo described the new parishes as a sign of continuous growth and “an interesting moment of revitalization.” Looking ahead to the fruits of the papal visit in his archdiocese, the Spanish cardinal emphasized the importance of its long-term impact. “We don’t want it to stay there because the events are events that fade

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Platner Smooths Things Over With Democrats By Covering Nazi Tattoo With Hammer & Sickle #BabylonBee – BANGOR, ME — Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner has smoothed things over with supporters by covering up his Nazi death squad tattoo with a new tattoo of the communist hammer and sickle.

Picture of the day Australian brushturkey (Alectura lathami) female, Crater Lakes, Atherton Tableland, Queensland, Australia. #ImageOfTheDay

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Tulsi Gabbard Forced To Resign After Trump Discovers She’s Not Blonde #BabylonBee – WASHINGTON, D.C. — Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was forced to resign on Friday after President Donald Trump discovered that she’s not blonde.

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Hunter Biden’s Reputation In Ruins After Talking To Candace Owens #BabylonBee – U.S. — After sitting down for an interview with podcaster Candace Owens, Hunter Biden’s reputation was reportedly in ruins.

Picture of the day This azulejo from the Igreja de São Bento (Ribeira Brava, Madeira, Portugal) depicts Our Lady of Fátima. Today is the feast of Our Lady of Fátima in the Catholic Church and the 110th anniversary of her first apparition to three shepherd children. #ImageOfTheDay

Hubble Sights Galaxy in Transition – This NASA Hubble Space Telescope images reveals the lenticular galaxy, NGC 1266. This enigmatic post-starburst galaxy has a bright center and a face that hints at spiral structure, yet it holds no discernable spiral arms.

17 Best Small Towns in Europe for Stunning Scenery, Delicious Food, and Charming Streets #Travel Beyond the famous European cities, these destinations have ample attractions of their own.

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‘Evangelical gesture’

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Meeting with survivors proposed

A timely encyclical