NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Launches – A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket with NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Telescope on board is seen transiting the sun during launch from Launch Complex 39A, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

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A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket with NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Telescope on board is seen transiting the sun during launch from Launch Complex 39A, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

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SO DUMB: California Now Planning to Force Companies to Disclose ‘Historic Links to Slavery’ – California has seen a mass exodus of companies from their state in recent years due to ridiculously high taxes, burdensome regulations, and the draconian lock down policies of Gavin Newsom during Covid-19. The post SO DUMB: California Now Planning to Force Companies to Disclose ‘Historic Links to Slavery’ appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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SO DUMB: California Now Planning to Force Companies to Disclose ‘Historic Links to Slavery’ – California has seen a mass exodus of companies from their state in recent years due to ridiculously high taxes, burdensome regulations, and the draconian lock down policies of Gavin Newsom during Covid-19. The post SO DUMB: California Now Planning to Force Companies to Disclose ‘Historic Links to Slavery’ appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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California has seen a mass exodus of companies from their state in recent years due to ridiculously high taxes, burdensome regulations, and the draconian lock down policies of Gavin Newsom during Covid-19.

The post SO DUMB: California Now Planning to Force Companies to Disclose ‘Historic Links to Slavery’ appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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HOW CURIOUS: Democrats Sure Don’t Want to Campaign With Joe Biden and Kamala Harris – With the midterm elections approaching, you would think that Democrats would want to campaign with the last two members of their party to occupy the White House. The post HOW CURIOUS: Democrats Sure Don’t Want to Campaign With Joe Biden and Kamala Harris appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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HOW CURIOUS: Democrats Sure Don’t Want to Campaign With Joe Biden and Kamala Harris – With the midterm elections approaching, you would think that Democrats would want to campaign with the last two members of their party to occupy the White House. The post HOW CURIOUS: Democrats Sure Don’t Want to Campaign With Joe Biden and Kamala Harris appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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With the midterm elections approaching, you would think that Democrats would want to campaign with the last two members of their party to occupy the White House.

The post HOW CURIOUS: Democrats Sure Don’t Want to Campaign With Joe Biden and Kamala Harris appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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WATCH: Video Shows Moment FBI Agents Swarmed Swalwell and Seized His Electronic Devices at San Francisco Airport – New footage shows the moment that FBI agents swarmed former Democrat Rep. The post WATCH: Video Shows Moment FBI Agents Swarmed Swalwell and Seized His Electronic Devices at San Francisco Airport appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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WATCH: Video Shows Moment FBI Agents Swarmed Swalwell and Seized His Electronic Devices at San Francisco Airport – New footage shows the moment that FBI agents swarmed former Democrat Rep. The post WATCH: Video Shows Moment FBI Agents Swarmed Swalwell and Seized His Electronic Devices at San Francisco Airport appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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New footage shows the moment that FBI agents swarmed former Democrat Rep.

The post WATCH: Video Shows Moment FBI Agents Swarmed Swalwell and Seized His Electronic Devices at San Francisco Airport appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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The Church cannot declare war on Latin Mass devotees, Cardinal Robert Sarah says #Catholic “We, as a Church, cannot declare war on those who devoutly attend Mass simply because they prefer one form over another; this is a shortsighted and entirely ideological stance and, therefore, neither pastoral nor Christian,” Cardinal Robert Sarah said on Aug. 27. “It is harmful and destructive to the Church.”Sarah, the former prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, spoke to the Italian newspaper Il Giornale last week about the importance of the traditional liturgy, which dates back to the time of Pope Gregory the Great and earlier, and which was celebrated worldwide until the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965).After the council, the old liturgy was abandoned, although some priests continued to celebrate it. The archbishop of Dakar, Senegal, Marcel Lefebvre, remained faithful to it and founded the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) under the claim of preserving the Traditional Latin Mass and in opposition to some reforms of the Second Vatican Council. The SSPX has twice been declared to be in schism, including in 2026, and its bishops excommunicated.In the mid-1980s, the Holy See began to relax the de facto ban. In his motu proprio Summorum Pontificum, Pope Benedict XVI in 2007 authorized all priests to celebrate the old liturgy; in his view, strictly speaking, it had never been abrogated. He differentiated between the Traditional Latin Mass as the “extraordinary form” and the new Mass as the “ordinary form.” Pope Francis revoked his predecessorʼs decision in 2021 and severely restricted the classical Roman liturgy with his motu proprio Traditionis Custodes.“Among the effects of the liberalization of the extraordinary form was the positive influence — I would even say the correction — regarding possible abuses in the celebration of the ordinary form,” Sarah said. “These abuses are extremely serious acts, yet we must never equate the ordinary form itself with them. Many priests testify that discovering the extraordinary form helped them celebrate Mass better.”“I think Benedict XVI also demonstrated on that occasion a deeply humble and democratic attitude,” the cardinal continued, recalling the 2007 decision. “He wanted to ensure the widest possible dissemination, so that the people of God could decide for themselves, over the decades, which form of living out the faith best suited them. All of this, however, was nullified by Traditionis Custodes, while the pope emeritus was still alive.”“That did not seem to me a decision that was either sensible or respectful,” Sarah explained. “But Benedict XVI, a man as gentle as a lamb, allowed himself to be humiliated and thus offered his suffering to God in silence and prayer, so as to better identify with Christ’s pain for his Church and to purify it.”Sarah said that “access to ritual forms that have been recognized and in existence for centuries must never be artificially restricted by means of decrees. If a rite did not serve the faith, it would disappear on its own; if, conversely, it preserves and fosters the faith, we must by no means restrict it, for in doing so we would be restricting the very preservation and spread of the faith.”This story was first published by ACI Digital, the Portuguese-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
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The Church cannot declare war on Latin Mass devotees, Cardinal Robert Sarah says #Catholic “We, as a Church, cannot declare war on those who devoutly attend Mass simply because they prefer one form over another; this is a shortsighted and entirely ideological stance and, therefore, neither pastoral nor Christian,” Cardinal Robert Sarah said on Aug. 27. “It is harmful and destructive to the Church.”Sarah, the former prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, spoke to the Italian newspaper Il Giornale last week about the importance of the traditional liturgy, which dates back to the time of Pope Gregory the Great and earlier, and which was celebrated worldwide until the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965).After the council, the old liturgy was abandoned, although some priests continued to celebrate it. The archbishop of Dakar, Senegal, Marcel Lefebvre, remained faithful to it and founded the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) under the claim of preserving the Traditional Latin Mass and in opposition to some reforms of the Second Vatican Council. The SSPX has twice been declared to be in schism, including in 2026, and its bishops excommunicated.In the mid-1980s, the Holy See began to relax the de facto ban. In his motu proprio Summorum Pontificum, Pope Benedict XVI in 2007 authorized all priests to celebrate the old liturgy; in his view, strictly speaking, it had never been abrogated. He differentiated between the Traditional Latin Mass as the “extraordinary form” and the new Mass as the “ordinary form.” Pope Francis revoked his predecessorʼs decision in 2021 and severely restricted the classical Roman liturgy with his motu proprio Traditionis Custodes.“Among the effects of the liberalization of the extraordinary form was the positive influence — I would even say the correction — regarding possible abuses in the celebration of the ordinary form,” Sarah said. “These abuses are extremely serious acts, yet we must never equate the ordinary form itself with them. Many priests testify that discovering the extraordinary form helped them celebrate Mass better.”“I think Benedict XVI also demonstrated on that occasion a deeply humble and democratic attitude,” the cardinal continued, recalling the 2007 decision. “He wanted to ensure the widest possible dissemination, so that the people of God could decide for themselves, over the decades, which form of living out the faith best suited them. All of this, however, was nullified by Traditionis Custodes, while the pope emeritus was still alive.”“That did not seem to me a decision that was either sensible or respectful,” Sarah explained. “But Benedict XVI, a man as gentle as a lamb, allowed himself to be humiliated and thus offered his suffering to God in silence and prayer, so as to better identify with Christ’s pain for his Church and to purify it.”Sarah said that “access to ritual forms that have been recognized and in existence for centuries must never be artificially restricted by means of decrees. If a rite did not serve the faith, it would disappear on its own; if, conversely, it preserves and fosters the faith, we must by no means restrict it, for in doing so we would be restricting the very preservation and spread of the faith.”This story was first published by ACI Digital, the Portuguese-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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The cardinal praised Pope Benedict’s 2007 decision to allow the faithful greater access to the Latin Mass but called Pope Francis’ 2021 decision to restrict it neither “sensible” nor “respectful.”

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Bishops from Mexico, U.S., Canada see urgent need to speak ‘with one voice’ #Catholic “It is increasingly urgent that the Catholic Church in the Americas speak with one voice,” stated Bishop Daniel Flores of Brownsville, Texas, vice president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), following the Mass celebrated Aug. 30 at the cathedral in Cuernavaca, Mexico, which marked the beginning of a meeting among Mexican, U.S., and Canadian bishops.Bishop Ramón Castro Castro of Cuernavaca, president of the Mexican Bishops’ Conference (CEM, by its Spanish acronym) was the main celebrant of the Mass. Concelebrating alongside various priests, along with Flores, were Bishop Oscar Cantú of San José, California, chairman of the USCCB Subcommittee on Hispanic/Latino Affairs; and Bishop Pierre Goudreault of Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière, president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops. Bishop Daniel Flores of Brownsville, Texas, addresses the congregation at the conclusion of the Mass at Cuernavaca Cathedral on Aug. 30, 2026. | Credit: Photo courtesy of the Diocese of Cuernavaca In a brief message, Flores expressed gratitude for “Bishop Ramón’s inspiration in inviting us to this gathering to strengthen this ecclesial communion.”“In the times we are living through, it will become increasingly important — indeed, urgent — for the Catholic Church in the Americas to speak with one voice, defending the honor of Our Lord and the dignity of the human person — especially the poor and immigrants, who often have nowhere to lay their heads, just like the Lord Jesus himself,” he said.“We need to preach together and united as one Church, under the guidance of our Holy Father, Pope Leo, and in communion with all the bishops of the world,” he added.3 distinct countries ‘but one and the same faith’In his homily, Castro highlighted that this meeting of leaders from North American episcopal conferences is “the first of its kind in our history.”“We are three distinct countries. We are three Churches with different histories and realities, yet we share one and the same faith, one baptism, one Eucharist, and one mission,” the Mexican prelate affirmed.Regarding the role of bishops, Castro emphasized that “before being leaders, we are disciples,” and “before having responsibilities, we are men called by the Lord.”“Perhaps this can be the profound spirit of this gathering of the Church in North America: for all of us to place ourselves once again behind Jesus.” Bishop Ramón Castro Castro of Cuernavaca, Mexico, right, and Bishop Pierre Goudreault of Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière, Canada, pray during the consecration at the Cuernavaca Cathedral on Aug. 30, 2026. | Credit: Photo courtesy of the Diocese of Cuernavaca ‘Enormous challenges’The president of the CEM emphasized that “our peoples face enormous challenges, particularly Mexico,” and pointed to issues such as “violence, demagoguery, corruption, loneliness, secularization, individualism, materialism, polarization, wounded families, and young people seeking reasons for hope.”He further noted that “perhaps one of the most common themes among the three of us as countries and conferences is migration.”“Over the coming days, we will have the opportunity to share our perspectives on these realities, not in a spirit of judgment or confrontation but rather out of the pastoral responsibility that falls to us as shepherds,” the bishop of Cuernavaca said. The faithful attend Mass at the Cuernavaca Cathedral on Aug. 30, 2026. | Credit: Photo courtesy of the Diocese of Cuernavaca “We want to better understand the lives of our people. To what end? To be able to serve them better,” he stated.Castro emphasized that “migration must not be reduced to statistics, public policies, or economic obligations,” because “behind every migrant there is a face, a story, a family, a hope, and, unfortunately, often many wounds.”“The Church must view these people as brothers and sisters whose dignity must be recognized and protected,” he said.The Mexican bishop also expressed his wish “that from Cuernavaca we might send a simple yet powerful sign to our churches, churches on pilgrimage in Canada, the United States, and Mexico.”This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
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Bishops from Mexico, U.S., Canada see urgent need to speak ‘with one voice’ #Catholic “It is increasingly urgent that the Catholic Church in the Americas speak with one voice,” stated Bishop Daniel Flores of Brownsville, Texas, vice president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), following the Mass celebrated Aug. 30 at the cathedral in Cuernavaca, Mexico, which marked the beginning of a meeting among Mexican, U.S., and Canadian bishops.Bishop Ramón Castro Castro of Cuernavaca, president of the Mexican Bishops’ Conference (CEM, by its Spanish acronym) was the main celebrant of the Mass. Concelebrating alongside various priests, along with Flores, were Bishop Oscar Cantú of San José, California, chairman of the USCCB Subcommittee on Hispanic/Latino Affairs; and Bishop Pierre Goudreault of Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière, president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops. Bishop Daniel Flores of Brownsville, Texas, addresses the congregation at the conclusion of the Mass at Cuernavaca Cathedral on Aug. 30, 2026. | Credit: Photo courtesy of the Diocese of Cuernavaca In a brief message, Flores expressed gratitude for “Bishop Ramón’s inspiration in inviting us to this gathering to strengthen this ecclesial communion.”“In the times we are living through, it will become increasingly important — indeed, urgent — for the Catholic Church in the Americas to speak with one voice, defending the honor of Our Lord and the dignity of the human person — especially the poor and immigrants, who often have nowhere to lay their heads, just like the Lord Jesus himself,” he said.“We need to preach together and united as one Church, under the guidance of our Holy Father, Pope Leo, and in communion with all the bishops of the world,” he added.3 distinct countries ‘but one and the same faith’In his homily, Castro highlighted that this meeting of leaders from North American episcopal conferences is “the first of its kind in our history.”“We are three distinct countries. We are three Churches with different histories and realities, yet we share one and the same faith, one baptism, one Eucharist, and one mission,” the Mexican prelate affirmed.Regarding the role of bishops, Castro emphasized that “before being leaders, we are disciples,” and “before having responsibilities, we are men called by the Lord.”“Perhaps this can be the profound spirit of this gathering of the Church in North America: for all of us to place ourselves once again behind Jesus.” Bishop Ramón Castro Castro of Cuernavaca, Mexico, right, and Bishop Pierre Goudreault of Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière, Canada, pray during the consecration at the Cuernavaca Cathedral on Aug. 30, 2026. | Credit: Photo courtesy of the Diocese of Cuernavaca ‘Enormous challenges’The president of the CEM emphasized that “our peoples face enormous challenges, particularly Mexico,” and pointed to issues such as “violence, demagoguery, corruption, loneliness, secularization, individualism, materialism, polarization, wounded families, and young people seeking reasons for hope.”He further noted that “perhaps one of the most common themes among the three of us as countries and conferences is migration.”“Over the coming days, we will have the opportunity to share our perspectives on these realities, not in a spirit of judgment or confrontation but rather out of the pastoral responsibility that falls to us as shepherds,” the bishop of Cuernavaca said. The faithful attend Mass at the Cuernavaca Cathedral on Aug. 30, 2026. | Credit: Photo courtesy of the Diocese of Cuernavaca “We want to better understand the lives of our people. To what end? To be able to serve them better,” he stated.Castro emphasized that “migration must not be reduced to statistics, public policies, or economic obligations,” because “behind every migrant there is a face, a story, a family, a hope, and, unfortunately, often many wounds.”“The Church must view these people as brothers and sisters whose dignity must be recognized and protected,” he said.The Mexican bishop also expressed his wish “that from Cuernavaca we might send a simple yet powerful sign to our churches, churches on pilgrimage in Canada, the United States, and Mexico.”This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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The bishops discussed the pastoral challenges facing the Church in North America as a whole and concelebrated a Mass on Aug. 30 in the Cuernavaca, Mexico, cathedral.

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In fight against antisemitism, Israel steps up U.S. Catholic outreach – #Catholic – JERUSALEM — The Coalition of Catholics Against Antisemitism (CCAA), a lay-led U.S. organization established in late 2023 that “affirms the right of the Jewish people to live safely and securely in their ancestral homeland” as well as recognizes that “modern Israel is essential to that security,” has emerged as a leading resource in the Government of Israel’s outreach to American Catholics, who constitute the country’s largest single religious constituency.Tammy Ben-Haim, head of religious and interfaith affairs at Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told EWTN news that a May meeting in Washington, D.C., with CCAA Director Simone Rizkallah, a first-generation American of Egyptian-Armenian descent, convinced her of the importance of engaging the organization and its supporters.“I was so impressed by Simone and the vision she had for the organization to combat antisemitism,” including CCAA’s network of key influencers throughout the American Catholic world, Ben-Haim said.Signatories to the CCAA’s “Statement of Solidarity and Action,” a statement developed in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack against Israel that also affirms the above-referenced right of the Jewish people “should not jeopardize the right of Palestinians to also live in safety and security,” include dozens of the country’s top Catholic thought leaders and personalities.“When Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) decided to begin engaging Catholics more proactively and wanted to design a trip specifically for Catholic leaders, it made sense that they would reach out to us,” Rizkallah said.As a result, in August Rizkallah coordinated with the MFA a weeklong itinerary for 13 American Catholic influencers that addressed firsthand both concerns for the security of Israelis in the country’s Gaza and Lebanon border regions as well as honest discussions with Israeli Arab and Palestinian Catholics about the conditions and challenges they face.Signaling the importance of the initiative, the government of Israel highlighted the group’s visit on social media, noting that the journey of the American Catholic community leaders was one of “friendship and solidarity” that served to both “deepen their commitment to standing against antisemitism and strengthening the bonds between Christians and Jews.”Instagram postDuring the visit, the group, which included representatives from various U.S. Catholic educational institutions, media, think tanks, and lay apostolates, came face-to-face with the existential threats Israel has faced in recent years. The group visited sites of the Oct. 7, 2023, invasions into Israel by thousands of Hamas militants from Gaza, meeting with survivors of the attacks that killed over 1,000 Israelis. Members of the delegation survey the Gaza Strip, accompanied by Oct. 7, 2023, survivor Oshrit Sabag (pointing over her shoulder) of the neighboring Nahal Oz kibbutz. | Credit: Ken Oliver-Méndez/EWTN News From a mountaintop overlooking Israel’s border with southern Lebanon and as multiple explosions could be heard in the distance, the group received a sobering briefing on Israel Defense Forces (IDF) operations to neutralize the threat from Hezbollah in the neighboring country. Along the border with Lebanon and as multiple explosions could be heard in the distance, Avrahim Levine briefed the delegation on Israel Defense Forces operations to neutralize the threat from Hezbollah in the neighboring country. | Credit: Ken Oliver-Méndez/EWTN News In addition, the Government of Israel facilitated the group’s direct interaction with various Christians in the disputed lands internationally known as the West Bank (known in Israel by their biblical names of Judea and Samaria) as well as in Haifa, in northern Israel. To varying degrees, these Christians also see themselves as facing existential threats.The group’s guide in Bethlehem, the Palestinian-controlled West Bank town of Jesus’ birth, lamented that just in recent weeks the town has lost several leading Christian families, who have emigrated to Greece.Bethlehem continues to experience a devastating loss of its Christian population. From once having constituted a robust majority, the percentage of Christians there is now estimated in the single digits, with conditions for those remaining further exacerbated by the dearth of pilgrims and severe limitations, since the atrocities of Oct. 7, on permissions for Palestinians to enter Israel for work.In Haifa, the group met with Archbishop Youssef Matta of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, Israel’s largest Christian community. Melkite Greek Catholics represent nearly 40% of Israel’s total Christian population of 185,000. Nazareth, Haifa, and Jerusalem, respectively, are the country’s largest Christian population centers.In a meeting also attended by Ben-Haim and Cesare Marijeh, senior director of the Christian Department of Israel’s Ministry of Interior Affairs, Matta addressed several challenges facing his community, including alleged extortion rackets by Muslim and Jewish organized crime families as well as discrimination in government subsidies for the Church’s schools, of which there are five under his jurisdiction.At a luncheon with the delegation, Monsignor Simon Khoury, a Melkite Greek Catholic priest who serves a parish in Cana, asserted that the government has deliberately turned a blind eye to the criminal extortion rackets faced by Christians, as he believes such crimes align with the agenda of certain sectors of Israeli society that favor the displacement of the country’s non-Jewish population. View of the Sea of Galilee from the Mount of Beatitudes, the site of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. | Credit: Ken Oliver-Méndez/EWTN News From the beginning to the end of the trip, members of the delegation pressed Israeli authorities to provide necessary assistance to and security for the country’s Christian population, contending that such actions will go a long way toward bolstering goodwill toward Israel among hundreds of millions of Catholics worldwide.At a meeting of the group with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ director of the Department for Combating Antisemitism, Arezoo Hersel-Rohila, and the Anti-Defamation League’s Israel director, Carole Nuriel, EWTN News asked them to identify and address the principal antisemitic narrative that the country is currently facing at the international level.Both women agreed in answering that it is equating Israel’s policy in Gaza to that of the Nazis, i.e., the charge that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. The officials vigorously contested this widespread allegation, citing that by definition genocide requires intent and that in contravention of such intent, Israel’s military has repeatedly sought to relocate Palestinian civilians within Gaza to get them out of harm’s way as it targets Hamas’ terrorist infrastructure. Other organizations that also address this question, such as the American Jewish Committee (AJC), assert that the IDF “still endeavors to warn Gazans prior to attacks and has allowed humanitarian aid for civilians to be delivered under arrangements intended to prevent Hamas from diverting aid or controlling its distribution to reinforce its authority.”Israel’s government also answers the charge by pointing to evidence that Hamas has repeatedly called on Palestinian civilians to ignore Israel’s warnings about impending strikes, in effect using them as human shields. Defenders of Israel’s actions in Gaza, like the AJC, also note that “international law does not prohibit Israel from undertaking legitimate actions that will likely result in civilian harm unless the expected civilian harm will clearly exceed the anticipated military advantage from the attack.”As the ADL and much of the Jewish community worldwide see it, the propagation of antisemitic narratives around Israel’s operations in Gaza have particularly proliferated among social media influencers, including some Catholics.This also explains in part the why a wide range of U.S. Catholic influencers who personally stand in support of the CCAA’s statement of solidarity, including participants affiliated with EWTN News, the Ethics and Public Policy Center, the Institute on Religion and Democracy, the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast, the Family Research Council, the GIVEN Institute, Tepeyac Leadership, Benedictine College, and the Franciscan University of Steubenville, among others, were invited to engage firsthand with these ongoing issues. With St. Peter’s statue towering above them, members of the delegation are seen here in Capernaum, the fishing village that was the primary base of operations of Jesus’ ministry in Galilee and home of the Chief of the Apostles. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Yosi Shoshani Ben-Haim, who accompanied the delegation on the Stations of the Cross route in Jerusalem’s Old City, told EWTN News that going forward, she would like to see more such delegations, especially “young up-and-coming Catholic leaders and influencers” have similar experiences.“No amount of explaining or telling our story equals one visit to Israel,” Ben-Haim explained. Noting that terrorist organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah are right at the country’s borders, she insisted that “all that I believe Israel and Israelis want is for people around the world to understand this; we want to live in a county and in a region that is peaceful and quiet. We cannot afford to have the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre happen again; we cannot allow our borders to be crossed and our children and families to be murdered for being Jews and Israelis.”
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In fight against antisemitism, Israel steps up U.S. Catholic outreach – #Catholic – JERUSALEM — The Coalition of Catholics Against Antisemitism (CCAA), a lay-led U.S. organization established in late 2023 that “affirms the right of the Jewish people to live safely and securely in their ancestral homeland” as well as recognizes that “modern Israel is essential to that security,” has emerged as a leading resource in the Government of Israel’s outreach to American Catholics, who constitute the country’s largest single religious constituency.Tammy Ben-Haim, head of religious and interfaith affairs at Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told EWTN news that a May meeting in Washington, D.C., with CCAA Director Simone Rizkallah, a first-generation American of Egyptian-Armenian descent, convinced her of the importance of engaging the organization and its supporters.“I was so impressed by Simone and the vision she had for the organization to combat antisemitism,” including CCAA’s network of key influencers throughout the American Catholic world, Ben-Haim said.Signatories to the CCAA’s “Statement of Solidarity and Action,” a statement developed in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack against Israel that also affirms the above-referenced right of the Jewish people “should not jeopardize the right of Palestinians to also live in safety and security,” include dozens of the country’s top Catholic thought leaders and personalities.“When Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) decided to begin engaging Catholics more proactively and wanted to design a trip specifically for Catholic leaders, it made sense that they would reach out to us,” Rizkallah said.As a result, in August Rizkallah coordinated with the MFA a weeklong itinerary for 13 American Catholic influencers that addressed firsthand both concerns for the security of Israelis in the country’s Gaza and Lebanon border regions as well as honest discussions with Israeli Arab and Palestinian Catholics about the conditions and challenges they face.Signaling the importance of the initiative, the government of Israel highlighted the group’s visit on social media, noting that the journey of the American Catholic community leaders was one of “friendship and solidarity” that served to both “deepen their commitment to standing against antisemitism and strengthening the bonds between Christians and Jews.”Instagram postDuring the visit, the group, which included representatives from various U.S. Catholic educational institutions, media, think tanks, and lay apostolates, came face-to-face with the existential threats Israel has faced in recent years. The group visited sites of the Oct. 7, 2023, invasions into Israel by thousands of Hamas militants from Gaza, meeting with survivors of the attacks that killed over 1,000 Israelis. Members of the delegation survey the Gaza Strip, accompanied by Oct. 7, 2023, survivor Oshrit Sabag (pointing over her shoulder) of the neighboring Nahal Oz kibbutz. | Credit: Ken Oliver-Méndez/EWTN News From a mountaintop overlooking Israel’s border with southern Lebanon and as multiple explosions could be heard in the distance, the group received a sobering briefing on Israel Defense Forces (IDF) operations to neutralize the threat from Hezbollah in the neighboring country. Along the border with Lebanon and as multiple explosions could be heard in the distance, Avrahim Levine briefed the delegation on Israel Defense Forces operations to neutralize the threat from Hezbollah in the neighboring country. | Credit: Ken Oliver-Méndez/EWTN News In addition, the Government of Israel facilitated the group’s direct interaction with various Christians in the disputed lands internationally known as the West Bank (known in Israel by their biblical names of Judea and Samaria) as well as in Haifa, in northern Israel. To varying degrees, these Christians also see themselves as facing existential threats.The group’s guide in Bethlehem, the Palestinian-controlled West Bank town of Jesus’ birth, lamented that just in recent weeks the town has lost several leading Christian families, who have emigrated to Greece.Bethlehem continues to experience a devastating loss of its Christian population. From once having constituted a robust majority, the percentage of Christians there is now estimated in the single digits, with conditions for those remaining further exacerbated by the dearth of pilgrims and severe limitations, since the atrocities of Oct. 7, on permissions for Palestinians to enter Israel for work.In Haifa, the group met with Archbishop Youssef Matta of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, Israel’s largest Christian community. Melkite Greek Catholics represent nearly 40% of Israel’s total Christian population of 185,000. Nazareth, Haifa, and Jerusalem, respectively, are the country’s largest Christian population centers.In a meeting also attended by Ben-Haim and Cesare Marijeh, senior director of the Christian Department of Israel’s Ministry of Interior Affairs, Matta addressed several challenges facing his community, including alleged extortion rackets by Muslim and Jewish organized crime families as well as discrimination in government subsidies for the Church’s schools, of which there are five under his jurisdiction.At a luncheon with the delegation, Monsignor Simon Khoury, a Melkite Greek Catholic priest who serves a parish in Cana, asserted that the government has deliberately turned a blind eye to the criminal extortion rackets faced by Christians, as he believes such crimes align with the agenda of certain sectors of Israeli society that favor the displacement of the country’s non-Jewish population. View of the Sea of Galilee from the Mount of Beatitudes, the site of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. | Credit: Ken Oliver-Méndez/EWTN News From the beginning to the end of the trip, members of the delegation pressed Israeli authorities to provide necessary assistance to and security for the country’s Christian population, contending that such actions will go a long way toward bolstering goodwill toward Israel among hundreds of millions of Catholics worldwide.At a meeting of the group with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ director of the Department for Combating Antisemitism, Arezoo Hersel-Rohila, and the Anti-Defamation League’s Israel director, Carole Nuriel, EWTN News asked them to identify and address the principal antisemitic narrative that the country is currently facing at the international level.Both women agreed in answering that it is equating Israel’s policy in Gaza to that of the Nazis, i.e., the charge that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. The officials vigorously contested this widespread allegation, citing that by definition genocide requires intent and that in contravention of such intent, Israel’s military has repeatedly sought to relocate Palestinian civilians within Gaza to get them out of harm’s way as it targets Hamas’ terrorist infrastructure. Other organizations that also address this question, such as the American Jewish Committee (AJC), assert that the IDF “still endeavors to warn Gazans prior to attacks and has allowed humanitarian aid for civilians to be delivered under arrangements intended to prevent Hamas from diverting aid or controlling its distribution to reinforce its authority.”Israel’s government also answers the charge by pointing to evidence that Hamas has repeatedly called on Palestinian civilians to ignore Israel’s warnings about impending strikes, in effect using them as human shields. Defenders of Israel’s actions in Gaza, like the AJC, also note that “international law does not prohibit Israel from undertaking legitimate actions that will likely result in civilian harm unless the expected civilian harm will clearly exceed the anticipated military advantage from the attack.”As the ADL and much of the Jewish community worldwide see it, the propagation of antisemitic narratives around Israel’s operations in Gaza have particularly proliferated among social media influencers, including some Catholics.This also explains in part the why a wide range of U.S. Catholic influencers who personally stand in support of the CCAA’s statement of solidarity, including participants affiliated with EWTN News, the Ethics and Public Policy Center, the Institute on Religion and Democracy, the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast, the Family Research Council, the GIVEN Institute, Tepeyac Leadership, Benedictine College, and the Franciscan University of Steubenville, among others, were invited to engage firsthand with these ongoing issues. With St. Peter’s statue towering above them, members of the delegation are seen here in Capernaum, the fishing village that was the primary base of operations of Jesus’ ministry in Galilee and home of the Chief of the Apostles. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Yosi Shoshani Ben-Haim, who accompanied the delegation on the Stations of the Cross route in Jerusalem’s Old City, told EWTN News that going forward, she would like to see more such delegations, especially “young up-and-coming Catholic leaders and influencers” have similar experiences.“No amount of explaining or telling our story equals one visit to Israel,” Ben-Haim explained. Noting that terrorist organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah are right at the country’s borders, she insisted that “all that I believe Israel and Israelis want is for people around the world to understand this; we want to live in a county and in a region that is peaceful and quiet. We cannot afford to have the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre happen again; we cannot allow our borders to be crossed and our children and families to be murdered for being Jews and Israelis.”

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The Coalition of Catholics Against Antisemitism has been tapped by the Government of Israel as part of its latest outreach to American Catholics.

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Brazil archbishop establishes rules for use of AI in archdiocesan communications – #Catholic – The archbishop of Aracaju in Sergipe state, Brazil, Josafá Menezes da Silva, has established rules for the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in archdiocesan communications. The guidelines, addressed to priests, deacons, lay ministers, and the entire people of God of the Archdiocese of Aracaju, are based on documents of the Church’s magisterium regarding human dignity, communications, and the use of technology.The principal resources used by Menezes are the message for the 60th World Communications Day and the encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, both by Pope Leo XIV, regarding the safeguarding of the human person in the age of artificial intelligence; the document Antiqua et Nova, a joint note from the Holy See’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and Dicastery for Culture and Education, signed by Pope Francis concerning the relationship between artificial intelligence and human intelligence; and a reflection by Father Doriano Vincenzo De Luca, head of the social communications service for the Archdiocese of Naples, Italy.“The starting point for all the Church’s reflection on artificial intelligence is the unconditional defense of the dignity of the human person,” the archbishop of Aracaju explained. The prelate highlighted that the note Antiqua et Nova “places human dignity at the center of discernment regarding artificial intelligence and reminds us that technology must be guided by the good of the person and of society” and that “human intelligence must guide the use of technology for the sake of the ‘authentic good of the person.’”Therefore, “in light of the guidelines of the Church’s magisterium and with the aim of guiding discernment regarding the proper use of artificial intelligence tools, ensuring respect for the principle of human dignity by ‘preserving faces and voices,’ and ensuring these tools serve as an aid rather than replacing the responsible work that only a human being can perform, we hereby establish” certain guidelines within the territory of our Archdiocese of Aracaju, the bishop said.Review and transparencyMenezes mandated that “all art produced with the aid of artificial intelligence” within the archdiocese must “undergo a mandatory human review before publication” and that “any and all content generated or manipulated by artificial intelligence” must also “be labeled and clearly distinguished from content created by humans, especially when the use of AI could affect the perception of the reality being presented.”Prohibited uses for clergyRegarding the clergy, Menezes directed that “generative artificial intelligence must not be used to reconstruct or simulate the appearance of a bishop, priest, or deacon when the result replaces their actual photograph or could be interpreted as an authentic representation of their appearance or of a situation they experienced.” He also established that “generative artificial intelligence must not be used to reconstruct or simulate the voice of a bishop, priest, or deacon in a message or speech not originally delivered by them” and that “one must not attribute to a real person an appearance, speech, action, or situation that does not correspond to reality.”In addition, the archbishop prohibited the use of artificial intelligence to “reconstruct a real person’s face, replacing their photograph”; to “significantly modify a real person’s features”; to “create an artificial appearance presented as their actual appearance”; to “produce images placing a member of the clergy in situations that did not occur”; to “produce a synthetic representation that could be mistaken for a real photograph”; and to “create audio files attempting to simulate a person’s voice in a message or speech not actually delivered by that person.”AI as an auxiliary toolAccording to the archbishop of Aracaju, “artificial intelligence can be used as an auxiliary tool” in nine situations: creating backgrounds, creating textures, generating abstract elements, creating illustrations, suggesting layouts, working with colors, assisting with composition, assisting with editing, and helping to create visual concepts.“These guidelines are based particularly on the message from Pope Leo XIV for the 60th World Communications Day, in which the Holy Father warns that the simulation capabilities of artificial intelligence can fabricate ‘parallel realities,’ usurp faces and voices, and make it increasingly difficult to distinguish between reality and fiction,” Menezes explained.According to the archbishop, “the same document” also “draws attention to the need to protect people’s images, photographs, audio recordings, faces, and voices, preventing harmful uses such as digital fraud, cyberbullying, and deepfakes that can violate privacy and personal intimacy without consent.”At the end of the decree, Menezes exhorted “all pastoral workers, communicators, and the faithful to act with prudence, always consulting their respective ordinaries and respecting current regulations, so that technology may serve the mission and never distort it.” He further emphasized that “everything the Church communicates must be truthful in content and responsible in its manner of representation.”The archbishop ended his directive with the prayer “May Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, patroness of our archdiocese, intercede for us and help us preserve, in every communication, the dignity and beauty of human faces and voices called to reflect Christ.”This story was first published by ACI Digital, the Portuguese-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
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Brazil archbishop establishes rules for use of AI in archdiocesan communications – #Catholic – The archbishop of Aracaju in Sergipe state, Brazil, Josafá Menezes da Silva, has established rules for the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in archdiocesan communications. The guidelines, addressed to priests, deacons, lay ministers, and the entire people of God of the Archdiocese of Aracaju, are based on documents of the Church’s magisterium regarding human dignity, communications, and the use of technology.The principal resources used by Menezes are the message for the 60th World Communications Day and the encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, both by Pope Leo XIV, regarding the safeguarding of the human person in the age of artificial intelligence; the document Antiqua et Nova, a joint note from the Holy See’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and Dicastery for Culture and Education, signed by Pope Francis concerning the relationship between artificial intelligence and human intelligence; and a reflection by Father Doriano Vincenzo De Luca, head of the social communications service for the Archdiocese of Naples, Italy.“The starting point for all the Church’s reflection on artificial intelligence is the unconditional defense of the dignity of the human person,” the archbishop of Aracaju explained. The prelate highlighted that the note Antiqua et Nova “places human dignity at the center of discernment regarding artificial intelligence and reminds us that technology must be guided by the good of the person and of society” and that “human intelligence must guide the use of technology for the sake of the ‘authentic good of the person.’”Therefore, “in light of the guidelines of the Church’s magisterium and with the aim of guiding discernment regarding the proper use of artificial intelligence tools, ensuring respect for the principle of human dignity by ‘preserving faces and voices,’ and ensuring these tools serve as an aid rather than replacing the responsible work that only a human being can perform, we hereby establish” certain guidelines within the territory of our Archdiocese of Aracaju, the bishop said.Review and transparencyMenezes mandated that “all art produced with the aid of artificial intelligence” within the archdiocese must “undergo a mandatory human review before publication” and that “any and all content generated or manipulated by artificial intelligence” must also “be labeled and clearly distinguished from content created by humans, especially when the use of AI could affect the perception of the reality being presented.”Prohibited uses for clergyRegarding the clergy, Menezes directed that “generative artificial intelligence must not be used to reconstruct or simulate the appearance of a bishop, priest, or deacon when the result replaces their actual photograph or could be interpreted as an authentic representation of their appearance or of a situation they experienced.” He also established that “generative artificial intelligence must not be used to reconstruct or simulate the voice of a bishop, priest, or deacon in a message or speech not originally delivered by them” and that “one must not attribute to a real person an appearance, speech, action, or situation that does not correspond to reality.”In addition, the archbishop prohibited the use of artificial intelligence to “reconstruct a real person’s face, replacing their photograph”; to “significantly modify a real person’s features”; to “create an artificial appearance presented as their actual appearance”; to “produce images placing a member of the clergy in situations that did not occur”; to “produce a synthetic representation that could be mistaken for a real photograph”; and to “create audio files attempting to simulate a person’s voice in a message or speech not actually delivered by that person.”AI as an auxiliary toolAccording to the archbishop of Aracaju, “artificial intelligence can be used as an auxiliary tool” in nine situations: creating backgrounds, creating textures, generating abstract elements, creating illustrations, suggesting layouts, working with colors, assisting with composition, assisting with editing, and helping to create visual concepts.“These guidelines are based particularly on the message from Pope Leo XIV for the 60th World Communications Day, in which the Holy Father warns that the simulation capabilities of artificial intelligence can fabricate ‘parallel realities,’ usurp faces and voices, and make it increasingly difficult to distinguish between reality and fiction,” Menezes explained.According to the archbishop, “the same document” also “draws attention to the need to protect people’s images, photographs, audio recordings, faces, and voices, preventing harmful uses such as digital fraud, cyberbullying, and deepfakes that can violate privacy and personal intimacy without consent.”At the end of the decree, Menezes exhorted “all pastoral workers, communicators, and the faithful to act with prudence, always consulting their respective ordinaries and respecting current regulations, so that technology may serve the mission and never distort it.” He further emphasized that “everything the Church communicates must be truthful in content and responsible in its manner of representation.”The archbishop ended his directive with the prayer “May Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, patroness of our archdiocese, intercede for us and help us preserve, in every communication, the dignity and beauty of human faces and voices called to reflect Christ.”This story was first published by ACI Digital, the Portuguese-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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Archbishop Josafá Menezes da Silva directed that the use of AI must always conform to reality and the truth regarding a person’s appearance, voice, and statements.

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Nepal flood: Caritas runs community kitchens, sources body bags as toll reaches 919 – #Catholic – Five days after Nepal’s worst glacial flood, Caritas continued a full-scale relief operation for thousands of families in the affected area. The work has also taken on the grim task of corpse management, helping deal with the many dead bodies resulting from the catastrophe.The official death toll of the deluge, provided by authorities, has climbed to 919, and 4,793 people are still missing. More than 930 hydropower workers remain unaccounted for, LiCAS News reported. Many are feared to be trapped in hydro tunnels along the Bhote Koshi-Trishuli river system.In a situation report shared with EWTN News on Aug. 30, the president of Caritas Nepal, Father Silas Krishna Bogati, confirmed that the Catholic Church’s response is fully operational. Emergency shelters and hygiene kits have reached over 1,000 households. A cash assistance payment of 15,000 Nepali rupees (roughly 0) is being distributed to 750 of the worst-affected families.The priest, who also serves as apostolic administrator of the Apostolic Vicariate of Nepal, added that more than 50 community kitchens run daily to feed 300 families.Operations supported by China and IndiaThe full scale of destruction is yet to be accounted for. Reuters reported that the flood destroyed 19 bridges, roadways, and other crucial infrastructure, hampering emergency aid and the search for survivors.As rescue operations, supported by China and India, continue amid the risk of landslides and more flooding, aid workers are already flagging a second looming emergency: winter. Displaced families sheltering in high-altitude areas will require thermal gear and winter-proof shelter within weeks, Bogati shared with EWTN News.Nepal Red Cross has formally asked Caritas Nepal to source more than 1,000 body bags, with decomposition already becoming a public health concern, the president of Caritas Nepal wrote.To avoid future catastrophes, Nepal and China are expected to improve communication on real-time glacier data, avalanche risks, and water levels.International pledges for help and support exceed 0 million, with commitments from the United States, Europe, Canada, and the World Bank.Pope Leo XIV again prayed on Sunday for the flood victims. “Let us pray for those who have lost their lives, for the injured, those missing, for the families and rescue workers,” he said. “May the concern of everyone help to alleviate the suffering and provide the necessary aid to the people affected.”In the immediate aftermath of the disaster, U.S. bishops called for international mobilization and “long-term efforts to help affected communities rebuild their homes, livelihoods, and critical infrastructure.”
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Nepal flood: Caritas runs community kitchens, sources body bags as toll reaches 919 – #Catholic – Five days after Nepal’s worst glacial flood, Caritas continued a full-scale relief operation for thousands of families in the affected area. The work has also taken on the grim task of corpse management, helping deal with the many dead bodies resulting from the catastrophe.The official death toll of the deluge, provided by authorities, has climbed to 919, and 4,793 people are still missing. More than 930 hydropower workers remain unaccounted for, LiCAS News reported. Many are feared to be trapped in hydro tunnels along the Bhote Koshi-Trishuli river system.In a situation report shared with EWTN News on Aug. 30, the president of Caritas Nepal, Father Silas Krishna Bogati, confirmed that the Catholic Church’s response is fully operational. Emergency shelters and hygiene kits have reached over 1,000 households. A cash assistance payment of 15,000 Nepali rupees (roughly $110) is being distributed to 750 of the worst-affected families.The priest, who also serves as apostolic administrator of the Apostolic Vicariate of Nepal, added that more than 50 community kitchens run daily to feed 300 families.Operations supported by China and IndiaThe full scale of destruction is yet to be accounted for. Reuters reported that the flood destroyed 19 bridges, roadways, and other crucial infrastructure, hampering emergency aid and the search for survivors.As rescue operations, supported by China and India, continue amid the risk of landslides and more flooding, aid workers are already flagging a second looming emergency: winter. Displaced families sheltering in high-altitude areas will require thermal gear and winter-proof shelter within weeks, Bogati shared with EWTN News.Nepal Red Cross has formally asked Caritas Nepal to source more than 1,000 body bags, with decomposition already becoming a public health concern, the president of Caritas Nepal wrote.To avoid future catastrophes, Nepal and China are expected to improve communication on real-time glacier data, avalanche risks, and water levels.International pledges for help and support exceed $200 million, with commitments from the United States, Europe, Canada, and the World Bank.Pope Leo XIV again prayed on Sunday for the flood victims. “Let us pray for those who have lost their lives, for the injured, those missing, for the families and rescue workers,” he said. “May the concern of everyone help to alleviate the suffering and provide the necessary aid to the people affected.”In the immediate aftermath of the disaster, U.S. bishops called for international mobilization and “long-term efforts to help affected communities rebuild their homes, livelihoods, and critical infrastructure.”

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As Caritas Nepal is running community kitchens and sourcing body bags, a second emergency, winter, is approaching.

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Why do astronauts get constipated?

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Try and try and try as they may, scientists have yet to explain one of spaceflight’s most painfully enduring mysteries: Why do astronauts get constipated? After examining blood samples from 52 astronauts, they may have found an answer.  To learn more about how spaceflight affects digestion, researchers from the University of Copenhagen, working with NASA,Continue reading “Why do astronauts get constipated?”

The post Why do astronauts get constipated? appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

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Picture of the day SBB Ce 6/8 II 14253 “crocodile” electric locomotive with the Gotthard mountain route experience train 31066 Lavorgo – Erstfeld crosses the lower Wattingen bridge near Wassen, Switzerland. #ImageOfTheDay
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Picture of the day SBB Ce 6/8 II 14253 “crocodile” electric locomotive with the Gotthard mountain route experience train 31066 Lavorgo – Erstfeld crosses the lower Wattingen bridge near Wassen, Switzerland. #ImageOfTheDay

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Picture of the day
SBB Ce 6/8 II 14253 “crocodile” electric locomotive with the Gotthard mountain route experience train 31066 Lavorgo – Erstfeld crosses the lower Wattingen bridge near Wassen, Switzerland.
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Obituary: Deacon Frank Puglia, 91 #Catholic – A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 2, at 10 a.m. in St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in the Flanders neighborhood of Mount Olive Township, N.J., for Deacon Frank Puglia, a longtime permanent deacon serving the Paterson Diocese, N.J., who died on Aug. 26. He was 91. Deacon Puglia was ordained in 1989 by the late Bishop Frank J. Rodimer and ministered for 13 years at St. Rose of Lima Parish in East Hanover, N.J. While there, he served on the Home and School Association and the 25th Anniversary Committee and chaired the building of the parish hall. In 2001, Deacon Puglia and his wife Patricia, who predeceased him, moved to Mount Arlington, N.J., and he was then assigned to St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Flanders, where he actively ministered until a few years ago. Deacon Puglia also served as the chaplain for the Catholic Chaplain’s Office at Morristown Medical Center, performing pre-op ministry, starting in 1988. At St. Elizabeth’s, he was a 4th degree Knight of Columbus and a member of the Parish Advisory Board. The wake for Deacon Puglia will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 1, from 2 to 5 p.m. and again from 7 to 9 p.m. at the William J. Leber Funeral Home in Chester, N.J. His Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 2, at 10 a.m. in St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church. Please keep Deacon Puglia, his late wife, Patricia, and their family in your prayers. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
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Obituary: Deacon Frank Puglia, 91 #Catholic – A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 2, at 10 a.m. in St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in the Flanders neighborhood of Mount Olive Township, N.J., for Deacon Frank Puglia, a longtime permanent deacon serving the Paterson Diocese, N.J., who died on Aug. 26. He was 91. Deacon Puglia was ordained in 1989 by the late Bishop Frank J. Rodimer and ministered for 13 years at St. Rose of Lima Parish in East Hanover, N.J. While there, he served on the Home and School Association and the 25th Anniversary Committee and chaired the building of the parish hall. In 2001, Deacon Puglia and his wife Patricia, who predeceased him, moved to Mount Arlington, N.J., and he was then assigned to St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Flanders, where he actively ministered until a few years ago. Deacon Puglia also served as the chaplain for the Catholic Chaplain’s Office at Morristown Medical Center, performing pre-op ministry, starting in 1988. At St. Elizabeth’s, he was a 4th degree Knight of Columbus and a member of the Parish Advisory Board. The wake for Deacon Puglia will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 1, from 2 to 5 p.m. and again from 7 to 9 p.m. at the William J. Leber Funeral Home in Chester, N.J. His Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 2, at 10 a.m. in St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church. Please keep Deacon Puglia, his late wife, Patricia, and their family in your prayers. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

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Obituary: Deacon Frank Puglia, 91 #Catholic –

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 2, at 10 a.m. in St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in the Flanders neighborhood of Mount Olive Township, N.J., for Deacon Frank Puglia, a longtime permanent deacon serving the Paterson Diocese, N.J., who died on Aug. 26. He was 91.

Deacon Puglia was ordained in 1989 by the late Bishop Frank J. Rodimer and ministered for 13 years at St. Rose of Lima Parish in East Hanover, N.J. While there, he served on the Home and School Association and the 25th Anniversary Committee and chaired the building of the parish hall.

In 2001, Deacon Puglia and his wife Patricia, who predeceased him, moved to Mount Arlington, N.J., and he was then assigned to St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Flanders, where he actively ministered until a few years ago.

Deacon Puglia also served as the chaplain for the Catholic Chaplain’s Office at Morristown Medical Center, performing pre-op ministry, starting in 1988. At St. Elizabeth’s, he was a 4th degree Knight of Columbus and a member of the Parish Advisory Board.

The wake for Deacon Puglia will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 1, from 2 to 5 p.m. and again from 7 to 9 p.m. at the William J. Leber Funeral Home in Chester, N.J. His Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 2, at 10 a.m. in St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church.

Please keep Deacon Puglia, his late wife, Patricia, and their family in your prayers.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

– A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 2, at 10 a.m. in St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in the Flanders neighborhood of Mount Olive Township, N.J., for Deacon Frank Puglia, a longtime permanent deacon serving the Paterson Diocese, N.J., who died on Aug. 26. He was 91. Deacon Puglia was ordained in 1989 by the late Bishop Frank J. Rodimer and ministered for 13 years at St. Rose of Lima Parish in East Hanover, N.J. While there, he served on the Home and School Association and the 25th Anniversary Committee and chaired the building of the

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Sept. 26 Mass to honor first two Filipino saints #Catholic – Filipino Catholics from the Paterson Diocese, N.J., will gather for the annual Filipino Saints Celebration on Saturday, Sept. 26, at Notre Dame of Mount Carmel Church in the Cedar Knolls neighborhood of Hanover Township, N.J., beginning with Mass at 11 a.m. The event honors San Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila and San Pedro Calungsod de Cebu, the first Filipino saints. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney will celebrate the Mass, which will be concelebrated by the diocese’s Filipino priests, including Father Vidal Gonzales, pastor of Notre Dame and diocesan consultant/adviser for the Diocesan Commission for Catholic Filipino Ministries (DCCFM). The Mass will be followed by a Filipino fellowship. For more than 15 years, the DCCFM has celebrated the Filipino Saints Celebration, one of the major annual gatherings of the diocesan Filipino Catholic community, in September. For many years, the celebration was traditionally held at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson. When Deacon Elmer Maximo became president of the DCCFM, the commission began bringing the celebration to different parishes throughout the diocese, particularly those with a strong and active Filipino Catholic presence. This has allowed more parish communities to participate while highlighting the Filipino community’s important contribution to the life and mission of the local Church. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Adding to the beauty and cultural character of the celebration, participants are encouraged to come in traditional Filipino attire — the Barong Tagalog for men and the Baro’t Saya for women. These traditional garments are a visible expression of the Filipino heritage and remind Filipinos that their culture and Catholic faith are gifts they joyfully share with the wider Church. The fellowship reflects the joyful Filipino tradition of a fiesta, where faith, family, friendship, and hospitality come together. We will share a variety of traditional Filipino dishes. Traditionally, the celebration is also supported by a Hermana and/or Hermano, individuals or families who generously sponsor and assist with the celebration. Their generosity reflects the Filipino spirit of paglilingkod and bayanihan —serving God and the community together with joyful and grateful hearts. More than a cultural gathering, the Filipino Saints Celebration is an opportunity to give thanks to God for the gift of the participants’ Filipino Catholic heritage and to be inspired by the courageous witness of San Lorenzo Ruiz and San Pedro Calungsod. Through their example, Filipino Catholics are reminded that holiness is possible in every generation and that, wherever Filipinos may be, we are called to remain faithful witnesses of Christ and His Church.  
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Sept. 26 Mass to honor first two Filipino saints #Catholic – Filipino Catholics from the Paterson Diocese, N.J., will gather for the annual Filipino Saints Celebration on Saturday, Sept. 26, at Notre Dame of Mount Carmel Church in the Cedar Knolls neighborhood of Hanover Township, N.J., beginning with Mass at 11 a.m. The event honors San Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila and San Pedro Calungsod de Cebu, the first Filipino saints. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney will celebrate the Mass, which will be concelebrated by the diocese’s Filipino priests, including Father Vidal Gonzales, pastor of Notre Dame and diocesan consultant/adviser for the Diocesan Commission for Catholic Filipino Ministries (DCCFM). The Mass will be followed by a Filipino fellowship. For more than 15 years, the DCCFM has celebrated the Filipino Saints Celebration, one of the major annual gatherings of the diocesan Filipino Catholic community, in September. For many years, the celebration was traditionally held at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson. When Deacon Elmer Maximo became president of the DCCFM, the commission began bringing the celebration to different parishes throughout the diocese, particularly those with a strong and active Filipino Catholic presence. This has allowed more parish communities to participate while highlighting the Filipino community’s important contribution to the life and mission of the local Church. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Adding to the beauty and cultural character of the celebration, participants are encouraged to come in traditional Filipino attire — the Barong Tagalog for men and the Baro’t Saya for women. These traditional garments are a visible expression of the Filipino heritage and remind Filipinos that their culture and Catholic faith are gifts they joyfully share with the wider Church. The fellowship reflects the joyful Filipino tradition of a fiesta, where faith, family, friendship, and hospitality come together. We will share a variety of traditional Filipino dishes. Traditionally, the celebration is also supported by a Hermana and/or Hermano, individuals or families who generously sponsor and assist with the celebration. Their generosity reflects the Filipino spirit of paglilingkod and bayanihan —serving God and the community together with joyful and grateful hearts. More than a cultural gathering, the Filipino Saints Celebration is an opportunity to give thanks to God for the gift of the participants’ Filipino Catholic heritage and to be inspired by the courageous witness of San Lorenzo Ruiz and San Pedro Calungsod. Through their example, Filipino Catholics are reminded that holiness is possible in every generation and that, wherever Filipinos may be, we are called to remain faithful witnesses of Christ and His Church.  

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Sept. 26 Mass to honor first two Filipino saints #Catholic –

Filipino Catholics from the Paterson Diocese, N.J., will gather for the annual Filipino Saints Celebration on Saturday, Sept. 26, at Notre Dame of Mount Carmel Church in the Cedar Knolls neighborhood of Hanover Township, N.J., beginning with Mass at 11 a.m. The event honors San Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila and San Pedro Calungsod de Cebu, the first Filipino saints.

Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney will celebrate the Mass, which will be concelebrated by the diocese’s Filipino priests, including Father Vidal Gonzales, pastor of Notre Dame and diocesan consultant/adviser for the Diocesan Commission for Catholic Filipino Ministries (DCCFM). The Mass will be followed by a Filipino fellowship.

For more than 15 years, the DCCFM has celebrated the Filipino Saints Celebration, one of the major annual gatherings of the diocesan Filipino Catholic community, in September.

For many years, the celebration was traditionally held at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson. When Deacon Elmer Maximo became president of the DCCFM, the commission began bringing the celebration to different parishes throughout the diocese, particularly those with a strong and active Filipino Catholic presence. This has allowed more parish communities to participate while highlighting the Filipino community’s important contribution to the life and mission of the local Church.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

Adding to the beauty and cultural character of the celebration, participants are encouraged to come in traditional Filipino attire — the Barong Tagalog for men and the Baro’t Saya for women. These traditional garments are a visible expression of the Filipino heritage and remind Filipinos that their culture and Catholic faith are gifts they joyfully share with the wider Church.

The fellowship reflects the joyful Filipino tradition of a fiesta, where faith, family, friendship, and hospitality come together. We will share a variety of traditional Filipino dishes.

Traditionally, the celebration is also supported by a Hermana and/or Hermano, individuals or families who generously sponsor and assist with the celebration. Their generosity reflects the Filipino spirit of paglilingkod and bayanihan —serving God and the community together with joyful and grateful hearts.

More than a cultural gathering, the Filipino Saints Celebration is an opportunity to give thanks to God for the gift of the participants’ Filipino Catholic heritage and to be inspired by the courageous witness of San Lorenzo Ruiz and San Pedro Calungsod. Through their example, Filipino Catholics are reminded that holiness is possible in every generation and that, wherever Filipinos may be, we are called to remain faithful witnesses of Christ and His Church.

 

– Filipino Catholics from the Paterson Diocese, N.J., will gather for the annual Filipino Saints Celebration on Saturday, Sept. 26, at Notre Dame of Mount Carmel Church in the Cedar Knolls neighborhood of Hanover Township, N.J., beginning with Mass at 11 a.m. The event honors San Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila and San Pedro Calungsod de Cebu, the first Filipino saints. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney will celebrate the Mass, which will be concelebrated by the diocese’s Filipino priests, including Father Vidal Gonzales, pastor of Notre Dame and diocesan consultant/adviser for the Diocesan Commission for Catholic Filipino Ministries (DCCFM). The Mass will be

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Gospel and Word of the Day – 31 August 2026 – A reading from the First Letter of St. Paul to Corinthians 2:1-5 When I came to you, brothers and sisters, proclaiming the mystery of God, I did not come with sublimity of words or of wisdom. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear and much trembling, and my message and my proclamation were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of spirit and power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.  From the Gospel according to Luke 4:16-30 Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the sabbath day. He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord. Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him. He said to them, ?Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.? And all spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They also asked, ?Is this not the son of Joseph?? He said to them, ?Surely you will quote me this proverb, ?Physician, cure yourself,? and say, ?Do here in your native place the things that we heard were done in Capernaum.?? And he said, ?Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place. Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah when the sky was closed for three and a half years and a severe famine spread over the entire land. It was to none of these that Elijah was sent, but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon. Again, there were many lepers in Israel during the time of Elisha the prophet; yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.? When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were all filled with fury. They rose up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong. But he passed through the midst of them and went away.That day, in Nazareth, Jesus confronted His interlocutors with a choice about His identity and mission. No one in the synagogue could help but wonder: is He only the carpenter’s son who arrogates to Himself a role that does not belong to Him, or is He truly the Messiah, sent by God to save the people from sin and all evil? The Evangelist tells us that the Nazarenes failed to recognize the Lord’s anointed one in Jesus. They thought they knew Him too well, and this, instead of facilitating the opening of their minds and hearts, prevented them from doing so, like a veil obscuring the light. Sisters and brothers, this event, with the due analogies, also happens for us today. We too are challenged by the presence and words of Jesus; we too are called to recognize in Him the Son of God, our Saviour. But it may happen to us, as it did to His countrymen, to think that we already know Him, that we already know everything about Him, that we have grown up with Him, in school, in the parish, in catechism, in a country with a Catholic culture… And so, for us too, He is a Person who is close, indeed perhaps even ?too? close. But let us try to ask ourselves: do we sense the unique authority with which Jesus of Nazareth speaks? Do we recognize that He is the bearer of a proclamation of salvation (?)? And I, do I feel in need of this salvation? Do I feel that I too am in some way poor, imprisoned, blind, oppressed? Then, only then, ?the year of grace? will be for me! (Pope Francis, Angelus, 26 January 2025)

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A reading from the First Letter of St. Paul to Corinthians
2:1-5

When I came to you, brothers and sisters,
proclaiming the mystery of God,
I did not come with sublimity of words or of wisdom.
For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you
except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
I came to you in weakness and fear and much trembling,
and my message and my proclamation
were not with persuasive words of wisdom,
but with a demonstration of spirit and power,
so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom
but on the power of God.

 

From the Gospel according to Luke
4:16-30

Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had grown up,
and went according to his custom
into the synagogue on the sabbath day.
He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah.
He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring glad tidings to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.
Rolling up the scroll,
he handed it back to the attendant and sat down,
and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him.
He said to them,
?Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.?
And all spoke highly of him
and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.
They also asked, ?Is this not the son of Joseph??
He said to them, ?Surely you will quote me this proverb,
?Physician, cure yourself,? and say, ?Do here in your native place
the things that we heard were done in Capernaum.??
And he said,
?Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place.
Indeed, I tell you,
there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah
when the sky was closed for three and a half years
and a severe famine spread over the entire land.
It was to none of these that Elijah was sent,
but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon.
Again, there were many lepers in Israel
during the time of Elisha the prophet;
yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.?
When the people in the synagogue heard this,
they were all filled with fury.
They rose up, drove him out of the town,
and led him to the brow of the hill
on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong.
But he passed through the midst of them and went away.

That day, in Nazareth, Jesus confronted His interlocutors with a choice about His identity and mission. No one in the synagogue could help but wonder: is He only the carpenter’s son who arrogates to Himself a role that does not belong to Him, or is He truly the Messiah, sent by God to save the people from sin and all evil?

The Evangelist tells us that the Nazarenes failed to recognize the Lord’s anointed one in Jesus. They thought they knew Him too well, and this, instead of facilitating the opening of their minds and hearts, prevented them from doing so, like a veil obscuring the light.

Sisters and brothers, this event, with the due analogies, also happens for us today. We too are challenged by the presence and words of Jesus; we too are called to recognize in Him the Son of God, our Saviour. But it may happen to us, as it did to His countrymen, to think that we already know Him, that we already know everything about Him, that we have grown up with Him, in school, in the parish, in catechism, in a country with a Catholic culture… And so, for us too, He is a Person who is close, indeed perhaps even ?too? close.

But let us try to ask ourselves: do we sense the unique authority with which Jesus of Nazareth speaks? Do we recognize that He is the bearer of a proclamation of salvation (?)? And I, do I feel in need of this salvation? Do I feel that I too am in some way poor, imprisoned, blind, oppressed? Then, only then, ?the year of grace? will be for me! (Pope Francis, Angelus, 26 January 2025)

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Aug. 30, 1984: Space Shuttle Discovery launches

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The third member of NASA’s space shuttle program, Discovery had a fraught journey to its launch. First, a test in June of 1984 found a flaw in the thermal shield; then a launch scheduled for later the same month was delayed due to a computer failure. Attempt No. 2 was halted only four seconds beforeContinue reading “Aug. 30, 1984: Space Shuttle Discovery launches”

The post Aug. 30, 1984: Space Shuttle Discovery launches appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

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Spanish regional government spotlights sainthood cause of Queen Isabella – #Catholic – The regional government of Castile and León in Spain highlighted the beatification cause of Queen Isabella during a meeting with the archbishop of Valladolid and president of the Spanish Bishops’ Conference, Luis Argüello.During a meeting between Argüello and the minister of culture, tourism, and sport, Alberto Díaz Pico, the regional government expressed its “interest in promoting the commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the birth of Philip II (in 2027), as well as highlighting the beatification cause of Isabella, the Catholic Monarch, and its historical and cultural significance,” according to an Aug. 27 statement issued by the government.Isabella and her husband, King Ferdinand, were given the title “the Catholic Monarchs” by Pope Alexander VI through the papal bull Si Convenit for their defense of the Catholic faith.“Furthermore, the commitment to continue collaborating with the Church on the conservation, protection, and enhancement of the ecclesiastical heritage of Castile and León has been reaffirmed, with a view to exploring ways to expand and strengthen existing support measures,” the statement added.The statement also highlighted “the good rapport and the determination to maintain close collaboration on matters of mutual interest regarding the culture, heritage, and history of Castile and León.”Isabella, the Catholic MonarchIsabella I of Castile was born in Madrigal de las Altas Torres on April 22, 1451, Holy Thursday that year. After being recognized as Princess of Asturias in 1468, she married Ferdinand of Aragon in 1469 and had six children, two of whom predeceased her. Upon the death of Enrique IV, she was proclaimed queen in 1474, according to the Archdiocese of Valladolid.During her reign, she championed the reconquest of Granada from the Muslims and the voyage of Christopher Columbus, which led to the discovery of the Americas in October 1492. She also promoted the evangelization and protection of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, going so far as to ban their enslavement. She died on Nov. 26, 1504, from uterine cancer.The cause for her beatification was initiated in Valladolid in 1958; the diocesan phase concluded in 1990, after which the process moved to Rome.Historians have already favorably reviewed the documentation, but the theological assessment regarding the heroic nature of her virtues is still pending. Once that takes place, and following the popeʼs approval, she may be recognized as venerable, awaiting a miracle for her beatification.Enraizados (the “Rooted in Christ and in Society Association”) has an annual Mass celebrated in memory of Isabella. In the manifesto the group published in 2026, it included a prayer by the queen: “I am afraid, Lord, of being afraid and not knowing how to fight. I am afraid, Lord, of being afraid and being capable of denying you. I ask you, Lord, that in your greatness, you do not forget me. And that, with your love, you grant the strength to die for you.”This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
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Spanish regional government spotlights sainthood cause of Queen Isabella – #Catholic – The regional government of Castile and León in Spain highlighted the beatification cause of Queen Isabella during a meeting with the archbishop of Valladolid and president of the Spanish Bishops’ Conference, Luis Argüello.During a meeting between Argüello and the minister of culture, tourism, and sport, Alberto Díaz Pico, the regional government expressed its “interest in promoting the commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the birth of Philip II (in 2027), as well as highlighting the beatification cause of Isabella, the Catholic Monarch, and its historical and cultural significance,” according to an Aug. 27 statement issued by the government.Isabella and her husband, King Ferdinand, were given the title “the Catholic Monarchs” by Pope Alexander VI through the papal bull Si Convenit for their defense of the Catholic faith.“Furthermore, the commitment to continue collaborating with the Church on the conservation, protection, and enhancement of the ecclesiastical heritage of Castile and León has been reaffirmed, with a view to exploring ways to expand and strengthen existing support measures,” the statement added.The statement also highlighted “the good rapport and the determination to maintain close collaboration on matters of mutual interest regarding the culture, heritage, and history of Castile and León.”Isabella, the Catholic MonarchIsabella I of Castile was born in Madrigal de las Altas Torres on April 22, 1451, Holy Thursday that year. After being recognized as Princess of Asturias in 1468, she married Ferdinand of Aragon in 1469 and had six children, two of whom predeceased her. Upon the death of Enrique IV, she was proclaimed queen in 1474, according to the Archdiocese of Valladolid.During her reign, she championed the reconquest of Granada from the Muslims and the voyage of Christopher Columbus, which led to the discovery of the Americas in October 1492. She also promoted the evangelization and protection of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, going so far as to ban their enslavement. She died on Nov. 26, 1504, from uterine cancer.The cause for her beatification was initiated in Valladolid in 1958; the diocesan phase concluded in 1990, after which the process moved to Rome.Historians have already favorably reviewed the documentation, but the theological assessment regarding the heroic nature of her virtues is still pending. Once that takes place, and following the popeʼs approval, she may be recognized as venerable, awaiting a miracle for her beatification.Enraizados (the “Rooted in Christ and in Society Association”) has an annual Mass celebrated in memory of Isabella. In the manifesto the group published in 2026, it included a prayer by the queen: “I am afraid, Lord, of being afraid and not knowing how to fight. I am afraid, Lord, of being afraid and being capable of denying you. I ask you, Lord, that in your greatness, you do not forget me. And that, with your love, you grant the strength to die for you.”This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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A regional government’s minister of culture highlighted the cause for beatification of Queen Isabella during a meeting with Archbishop Luis Argüello, president of the Spanish Bishops’ Conference.

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Pope Leo XIV appeals for release of Haiti hostages, prays for flood victims in Nepal and Tibet – #Catholic – CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy — Pope Leo XIV on Sunday called for the immediate release of hostages taken in a deadly massacre in Haiti, appealed to authorities to protect the population from violence and prayed for victims of severe flooding in Nepal and Tibet.Speaking after the Angelus in Castel Gandolfo on Aug. 30, the pope said he had received “tragic reports” from Haiti about a massacre in Kenscoff.“Tragic reports are emerging from Haiti of the horrific massacre carried out in Kenscoff, in which numerous people have lost their lives and others taken hostage,” Pope Leo said. “I express my spiritual closeness to the victims and their families, and call for the immediate release of all hostages.”“I make a heartfelt appeal to all those in positions of authority to take concrete steps in order to ensure the safety of the population and put an end to all forms of violence,” he added.The pope also renewed his prayers for those affected by flooding in Nepal and Tibet.“Let us pray for those who have lost their lives, for the injured, those missing, for the families and rescue workers,” he said. “May the concern of everyone help to alleviate the suffering and provide the necessary aid to the people affected.”Pope Leo then broadened his appeal, urging Christians to continue praying for peace and recalling the words of St. Augustine, whose feast the Church celebrated Aug. 28.“Let us continue to pray for peace,” he said. “Saint Augustine, whose feast we celebrated a few days ago, said that peace ‘is like the miraculous bread multiplied in the hands of the disciples as they broke it and distributed it.’”“May there be an increase in the world of those who courageously break and share the bread of peace, overcoming divisions, promoting justice and practicing forgiveness for the good of all,” the pope said.Leo also noted that the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation will be celebrated Tuesday, marking the beginning of the ecumenical Season of Creation, whose 2026 theme is “Living Water.”“I invite everyone to join in prayer and action, that we may become channels of the living water of God’s peace, refreshing our wounded world,” he said.Understanding and accepting God’s waysBefore the Angelus, Pope Leo reflected on the Gospel account in which Jesus tells his disciples of his coming Passion, prompting Peter to reject what he hears.The pope noted that Peter had only shortly before recognized Jesus as “the Messiah, the Son of the living God,” but was shocked when Christ explained that he would go to Jerusalem, suffer, be killed and rise on the third day.Peter’s reaction, Leo said, was “an outburst of zeal, certainly motivated by sincere love, and yet it gives us something to consider.”“For us, too, in fact, it is not always easy to understand and accept God’s ways, especially when they are very far from our own,” the pope said. “Then the temptation arises — against all the reasoning of faith — to think that the Lord is the one who is wrong, or worse still, that he is not listening to us or is not concerned about us.”Peter, despite his impulsiveness, offers Christians two lessons in such moments, Leo said.“The first is, even in such moments, never to cease our dialogue with the Lord,” he said. “Instead, we are confidently to tell him our difficulty in understanding what he is asking of us.”“The second is never to judge God’s work, but rather humbly and prayerfully to listen to what he is revealing to us through his actions, even when they do not meet our expectations.”“The greatness of the first of the Apostles is also evident in this,” the pope said.Jesus responded to Peter with the words, “Get behind me, Satan!” before teaching the disciples that following him means denying themselves, taking up their crosses and following him.Peter would eventually accept that challenge, Leo noted, remaining faithful to Christ “for the rest of his life, even unto martyrdom.”The pope concluded his reflection by asking the Lord to give Christians Peter’s sincerity in prayer as well as his willingness to accept God’s will.“Let us therefore ask the Lord that we, too, in our life of faith and in our prayer, may have the same sincerity as Peter, humbly telling Jesus what we truly feel, even when our hearts are confused,” he said. “At the same time, may we cultivate Peter’s own docility in accepting what Jesus asks of us beyond our expectations.”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.
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Pope Leo XIV appeals for release of Haiti hostages, prays for flood victims in Nepal and Tibet – #Catholic – CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy — Pope Leo XIV on Sunday called for the immediate release of hostages taken in a deadly massacre in Haiti, appealed to authorities to protect the population from violence and prayed for victims of severe flooding in Nepal and Tibet.Speaking after the Angelus in Castel Gandolfo on Aug. 30, the pope said he had received “tragic reports” from Haiti about a massacre in Kenscoff.“Tragic reports are emerging from Haiti of the horrific massacre carried out in Kenscoff, in which numerous people have lost their lives and others taken hostage,” Pope Leo said. “I express my spiritual closeness to the victims and their families, and call for the immediate release of all hostages.”“I make a heartfelt appeal to all those in positions of authority to take concrete steps in order to ensure the safety of the population and put an end to all forms of violence,” he added.The pope also renewed his prayers for those affected by flooding in Nepal and Tibet.“Let us pray for those who have lost their lives, for the injured, those missing, for the families and rescue workers,” he said. “May the concern of everyone help to alleviate the suffering and provide the necessary aid to the people affected.”Pope Leo then broadened his appeal, urging Christians to continue praying for peace and recalling the words of St. Augustine, whose feast the Church celebrated Aug. 28.“Let us continue to pray for peace,” he said. “Saint Augustine, whose feast we celebrated a few days ago, said that peace ‘is like the miraculous bread multiplied in the hands of the disciples as they broke it and distributed it.’”“May there be an increase in the world of those who courageously break and share the bread of peace, overcoming divisions, promoting justice and practicing forgiveness for the good of all,” the pope said.Leo also noted that the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation will be celebrated Tuesday, marking the beginning of the ecumenical Season of Creation, whose 2026 theme is “Living Water.”“I invite everyone to join in prayer and action, that we may become channels of the living water of God’s peace, refreshing our wounded world,” he said.Understanding and accepting God’s waysBefore the Angelus, Pope Leo reflected on the Gospel account in which Jesus tells his disciples of his coming Passion, prompting Peter to reject what he hears.The pope noted that Peter had only shortly before recognized Jesus as “the Messiah, the Son of the living God,” but was shocked when Christ explained that he would go to Jerusalem, suffer, be killed and rise on the third day.Peter’s reaction, Leo said, was “an outburst of zeal, certainly motivated by sincere love, and yet it gives us something to consider.”“For us, too, in fact, it is not always easy to understand and accept God’s ways, especially when they are very far from our own,” the pope said. “Then the temptation arises — against all the reasoning of faith — to think that the Lord is the one who is wrong, or worse still, that he is not listening to us or is not concerned about us.”Peter, despite his impulsiveness, offers Christians two lessons in such moments, Leo said.“The first is, even in such moments, never to cease our dialogue with the Lord,” he said. “Instead, we are confidently to tell him our difficulty in understanding what he is asking of us.”“The second is never to judge God’s work, but rather humbly and prayerfully to listen to what he is revealing to us through his actions, even when they do not meet our expectations.”“The greatness of the first of the Apostles is also evident in this,” the pope said.Jesus responded to Peter with the words, “Get behind me, Satan!” before teaching the disciples that following him means denying themselves, taking up their crosses and following him.Peter would eventually accept that challenge, Leo noted, remaining faithful to Christ “for the rest of his life, even unto martyrdom.”The pope concluded his reflection by asking the Lord to give Christians Peter’s sincerity in prayer as well as his willingness to accept God’s will.“Let us therefore ask the Lord that we, too, in our life of faith and in our prayer, may have the same sincerity as Peter, humbly telling Jesus what we truly feel, even when our hearts are confused,” he said. “At the same time, may we cultivate Peter’s own docility in accepting what Jesus asks of us beyond our expectations.”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.

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The pontiff said believers should speak honestly to God in moments of confusion while humbly accepting his ways.

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Rest for a priest not a luxury but a necessity for mental health, Nigerian Vatican official says – #Catholic – NAIROBI, Kenya — For a priest, taking time to rest is not a “luxury,” the secretary of the Vatican Dicastery for Evangelization said, urging priests to embrace healthy periods away from work to sustain their physical and mental health.In his address during the launch of a six-week formation program that seeks to explore priestly life in Nigeria, Archbishop Fortunatus Nwachukwu reflected on cases of mental health struggles among the members of the Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life (ICLSAL), noting that priests should embrace rest just as Jesus himself did during his ministry.“Rest, then, is not a luxury in priestly life; it is necessary for physical and mental health,” the archbishop said, noting that the recent news of the resignation of German Bishop Karl-Heinz Wiesemann after a period of serious psychological strain is “a timely reminder that priests and bishops are not immune to exhaustion, depression, or burnout.”“We need proper rest, healthy boundaries, supportive relationships, and, when necessary, professional help. Caring for oneself is not stepping away from ministry; it helps us remain well enough to serve,” the Nigerian-born Vatican official emphasized during the launch, which was held virtually on Aug. 26.Organizers of the program seek to explore priestly life, starting with Nigeria, amid mounting mental health concerns among Catholic priests.According to organizers, participants in the program will look at “the quality of life, service, joy, aspirations, fears, and anxieties” that they say are “gradually pervading the cycle of a priestʼs life and ministry.”Guided by the theme “Fully Alive in Christ: Caring for the Self — The Priest as a Living Gift,” the program also seeks to explore priestly self-care, spiritual renewal, emotional well-being, burnout, healthy relationships, and living out the Church’s mission with confidence and joy.Participants in the formation will have access to training materials and will also receive a certificate of participation.In his presentation, Nwachukwu recalled the situation in the Diocese of Aba, where he said the age at which many priests have died points to the need for greater attention to the well-being of clergy.“Each time I visit the priests’ cemetery of the Diocese of Aba, close to the cathedral, I am struck and left sad by the age bracket of the colleagues whose remains are already lying there,” said the Vatican official, who also serves as the representative of the Holy See to the United Nations and Specialized Institutions in Geneva following his December 2021 appointment.Many of the priests, he added, died before reaching the age of 50. “Only very few crossed the bars of 60 and 70 years,” he said.Beyond the premature deaths of priests, Nwachukwu noted the growing number of young priests experiencing mental health challenges, raising the question of what can be done to address the situation.He said the concern was not about questioning God’s will but about examining how seriously the Church takes Jesus’ teachings and example regarding the self-care of those entrusted with ministry.Nwachukwu reflected on Mark 6:31-32 as a guiding text for understanding the importance of rest in priestly ministry. In the passage, Jesus tells his disciples: “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.”The Nigerian Church leader explained that Jesus invited his disciples to take a pause from their ministry and join him in a period of rest. He noted that Jesus himself demonstrated the importance of taking a break — particularly after receiving news of the death of his cousin, John the Baptist.The archbishop said the Gospel accounts show that Jesus’ decision to withdraw was connected both to grief and to the demands of ministry.He said St. Matthew presents the withdrawal after Jesus receives news of John the Baptist’s death, while Mark and Luke place the invitation to rest after the disciples returned from a successful missionary assignment.The disciples had been so occupied with their mission that “many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat,” he noted, adding that their missionary work had included casting out demons as well as anointing the sick with oil and healing them.Nwachukwu said the experience offers an important lesson for priests who devote themselves intensely to ministry.“God-given energy needs God-given direction,” he said, explaining that strength, passion, and drive must be directed toward one’s vocation and mission. Otherwise, he warned, such energy can easily be spent elsewhere.He said this spiritual energy, when properly directed, can lead a person to Christ and enable him or her to bring others to Christ.He recalled Pope Benedict XVI’s homily at his episcopal ordination on Jan. 6, 2013, in which the late pontiff described the spiritual restlessness of the Magi as the force that led them from the East in search of the newborn Jesus.According to Nwachukwu, such restlessness finds its fulfillment in Christ.The archbishop also reflected on Jesus’ invitation in Matthew 11:28: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”He cautioned that rest detached from Christ can be harmful to priests, emphasizing that the rest Jesus offers is not simply an escape from work but a source of renewal.He explained that the Greek expression used in the passage, “kagō anapausō humas,” means “and I will give you rest.” The verb “anapauō,” he noted, conveys the idea of an elevating or renewing rest.For priests, Nwachukwu said, this kind of rest should include periods of detachment from routine activities to allow for physical renewal and to strengthen relationships with God, fellow priests, family members, and the faithful.He added that physical refreshment should include ordinary needs such as taking adequate time to eat and drink, while mental and spiritual renewal should involve learning how to direct one’s energies toward Christ through prayer and genuine charity.This story was first published by ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, and has been adapted by EWTN News.
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Rest for a priest not a luxury but a necessity for mental health, Nigerian Vatican official says – #Catholic – NAIROBI, Kenya — For a priest, taking time to rest is not a “luxury,” the secretary of the Vatican Dicastery for Evangelization said, urging priests to embrace healthy periods away from work to sustain their physical and mental health.In his address during the launch of a six-week formation program that seeks to explore priestly life in Nigeria, Archbishop Fortunatus Nwachukwu reflected on cases of mental health struggles among the members of the Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life (ICLSAL), noting that priests should embrace rest just as Jesus himself did during his ministry.“Rest, then, is not a luxury in priestly life; it is necessary for physical and mental health,” the archbishop said, noting that the recent news of the resignation of German Bishop Karl-Heinz Wiesemann after a period of serious psychological strain is “a timely reminder that priests and bishops are not immune to exhaustion, depression, or burnout.”“We need proper rest, healthy boundaries, supportive relationships, and, when necessary, professional help. Caring for oneself is not stepping away from ministry; it helps us remain well enough to serve,” the Nigerian-born Vatican official emphasized during the launch, which was held virtually on Aug. 26.Organizers of the program seek to explore priestly life, starting with Nigeria, amid mounting mental health concerns among Catholic priests.According to organizers, participants in the program will look at “the quality of life, service, joy, aspirations, fears, and anxieties” that they say are “gradually pervading the cycle of a priestʼs life and ministry.”Guided by the theme “Fully Alive in Christ: Caring for the Self — The Priest as a Living Gift,” the program also seeks to explore priestly self-care, spiritual renewal, emotional well-being, burnout, healthy relationships, and living out the Church’s mission with confidence and joy.Participants in the formation will have access to training materials and will also receive a certificate of participation.In his presentation, Nwachukwu recalled the situation in the Diocese of Aba, where he said the age at which many priests have died points to the need for greater attention to the well-being of clergy.“Each time I visit the priests’ cemetery of the Diocese of Aba, close to the cathedral, I am struck and left sad by the age bracket of the colleagues whose remains are already lying there,” said the Vatican official, who also serves as the representative of the Holy See to the United Nations and Specialized Institutions in Geneva following his December 2021 appointment.Many of the priests, he added, died before reaching the age of 50. “Only very few crossed the bars of 60 and 70 years,” he said.Beyond the premature deaths of priests, Nwachukwu noted the growing number of young priests experiencing mental health challenges, raising the question of what can be done to address the situation.He said the concern was not about questioning God’s will but about examining how seriously the Church takes Jesus’ teachings and example regarding the self-care of those entrusted with ministry.Nwachukwu reflected on Mark 6:31-32 as a guiding text for understanding the importance of rest in priestly ministry. In the passage, Jesus tells his disciples: “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.”The Nigerian Church leader explained that Jesus invited his disciples to take a pause from their ministry and join him in a period of rest. He noted that Jesus himself demonstrated the importance of taking a break — particularly after receiving news of the death of his cousin, John the Baptist.The archbishop said the Gospel accounts show that Jesus’ decision to withdraw was connected both to grief and to the demands of ministry.He said St. Matthew presents the withdrawal after Jesus receives news of John the Baptist’s death, while Mark and Luke place the invitation to rest after the disciples returned from a successful missionary assignment.The disciples had been so occupied with their mission that “many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat,” he noted, adding that their missionary work had included casting out demons as well as anointing the sick with oil and healing them.Nwachukwu said the experience offers an important lesson for priests who devote themselves intensely to ministry.“God-given energy needs God-given direction,” he said, explaining that strength, passion, and drive must be directed toward one’s vocation and mission. Otherwise, he warned, such energy can easily be spent elsewhere.He said this spiritual energy, when properly directed, can lead a person to Christ and enable him or her to bring others to Christ.He recalled Pope Benedict XVI’s homily at his episcopal ordination on Jan. 6, 2013, in which the late pontiff described the spiritual restlessness of the Magi as the force that led them from the East in search of the newborn Jesus.According to Nwachukwu, such restlessness finds its fulfillment in Christ.The archbishop also reflected on Jesus’ invitation in Matthew 11:28: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”He cautioned that rest detached from Christ can be harmful to priests, emphasizing that the rest Jesus offers is not simply an escape from work but a source of renewal.He explained that the Greek expression used in the passage, “kagō anapausō humas,” means “and I will give you rest.” The verb “anapauō,” he noted, conveys the idea of an elevating or renewing rest.For priests, Nwachukwu said, this kind of rest should include periods of detachment from routine activities to allow for physical renewal and to strengthen relationships with God, fellow priests, family members, and the faithful.He added that physical refreshment should include ordinary needs such as taking adequate time to eat and drink, while mental and spiritual renewal should involve learning how to direct one’s energies toward Christ through prayer and genuine charity.This story was first published by ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, and has been adapted by EWTN News.

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As part of a formation program, the secretary of the Vatican Dicastery for Evangelization urged priests to take time away from ministry to sustain their physical and mental health.

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Hope for broken marriages: One couple’s story #Catholic On April 7, 2009, Mariela Villanueva landed in Venezuela convinced that she was going to end her marriage. Five years had passed since her husband, Harold Figueras, had left his family in Peru and rebuilt his life in another country. She carried with her the pain of a long separation and the resolve to sign the divorce papers. He had with him a written list of all the grievances he intended to unleash the moment he saw her.Nothing happened the way either of them had imagined.They arranged to meet on a Wednesday at 3 p.m., the Hour of Mercy, at the very spot where they had courted years before. When Mariela appeared, Harold frantically searched for the sheet of paper containing his complaints. It had vanished.“I was expecting a war. She opened her arms to embrace me, and I realized that I was the only one who wanted to fight,” Harold recalled in an interview with ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. Mariela said she made that gesture because she had already begun a process of conversion and was holding onto one last hope.That embrace did not immediately restore the marriage, however. It would still be nearly a month before he ended the other relationship he was in and decided to return to his family. But on that day, they both attest, Jesus won the first great battle. Harold and Mariela in front of Lima Cathedral. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Harold Figueras and Mariela Villanueva A marriage marked by woundednessHarold and Mariela met in 1998 at the Venezuelan College of Engineers. He worked in systems; she was a young lawyer running a legal consultation firm with dozens of professionals under her supervision.While Mariela had grown up in a Catholic family and frequently prayed the rosary, Harold was completely indifferent to the faith.“I used to make fun of priests. For me, getting married in the Church was simply a matter of fulfilling a social formality,” he admitted.They were married in a civil ceremony and on Sept. 2, 2000, received the sacrament at marriage at St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Barranco, Peru. However, they acknowledged that they came to the altar without truly understanding the meaning of the vocation of marriage.“We began our life together without God at the center. That was the first major mistake,” Harold explained.Over the years, deep-seated wounds began to surface: abandonment, loneliness, pride, an inability to communicate, and unrealistic expectations about love. Venezuela’s economic crisis further aggravated the situation. Harold traveled constantly between the two countries until, one day, he simply stopped coming back.Mariela was left alone in Lima with her young daughter. Recent photo of Harold and Mariela with their three daughters in Lima, Peru. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Harold Figueras and Mariela Villanueva ‘Mom, teach me to pray’Paradoxically, the restoration did not begin when Harold changed. It began when Mariela got down on her knees.Estranged from the Church and filled with resentment, the young mother had abandoned the practice of her faith after being hurt by a bad experience at a parish. Everything changed thanks to an unexpected request from her 7-year-old daughter: “Mom, grandma says you know how to pray. Teach me the rosary.”Mariela agreed, more out of a sense of obligation than anything else. Shortly after that, her daughter insisted on making her first Communion and said something that pierced her mother’s heart: “You know what it’s like to have Jesus in your heart… so why don’t you [go to Communion]?”Those words led Mariela back to the confessional.From then on, she began a routine that would change her life: daily Mass before work, Eucharistic adoration at midday, and the rosary every night with her daughter.“I was looking for God to change my husband. The Lord ended up changing me,” she related. Harold and Mariela with members of the Peruvian Catholic movement “Jesus and Mary Are Restoring My Family.” | Credit: Photo courtesy of Harold Figueras and Mariela Villanueva ‘Look at me’During Eucharistic adoration, an experience occurred that would, years later, give its name to the retreat the couple now leads as part of the Peruvian Catholic movement “Jesus and Mary Are Restoring My Family.”Mariela was praying, seeing herself as the victim in her story: “Lord, look at me. Look at how good I am. Look at what he did to me.”Then, she raised her eyes toward the monstrance.“I no longer saw the monstrance. I saw Jesus, wounded and bloodied. And he said to me only: ‘Look at me.’”In that moment, she experienced a personal encounter with Jesus. She began to recall her own sins from childhood and realized that, for years, she had been unable to recognize her own wounds.“I realized that God wasn’t going to ask me about Harold’s sins. He was going to ask me how much I loved my husband within the sacrament.”Her prayer changed completely, and she no longer asked for Harold to return. She only prayed: “Lord, bring him back to you.” Mariela Villanueva. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Mariela Villanueva The hell of the occultWhile Mariela was deepening her prayer life, Harold was heading down a completely opposite path.Seeking better financial prospects, he began consulting tarot cards. Next came syncretist Santería practices, and finally Palería, a witchcraft practice involving human remains and animal sacrifices.“I entered a dark room containing skeletal remains. I felt an indescribable fear, yet I kept looking for answers where they weren’t to be found,” Harold recalled.Amid that emptiness, he began to notice something strange. Mariela kept calling him, but no longer to get him back. One afternoon, in a mocking tone, he asked her: “What’s wrong? Don’t you need me anymore?”Her answer baffled him.“No. Whatʼs going on is that I have someone here who loves me.”Harold thought she had another romantic partner, but today he knows his wife was speaking of Christ himself. Harold Figueras. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Harold Figueras Welcomed back with loveAfter that encounter with his wife in Venezuela, Harold eventually returned to Peru.He admitted he was terrified of facing Mariela’s family and above all, their daughter. He imagined reproaches, humiliation, and rejection. Yet, he found exactly the opposite.“They all hugged me as if I had just stepped out to buy bread,” he recounted.A few days later, he accompanied Mariela to the Oblate Fathers’ church in the Barranco neighborhood of Lima. He had no thought of even going inside. He was standing near the doorway when, as he tells it, he felt an inner impulse that led him straight to the confessional.“I told the priest: ‘Father, I’ve been separated from my wife for five years, and I don’t know why I’ve come back.’”The priest invited him to attend a spiritual retreat. It was there that Harold experienced his own conversion.Before the Blessed Sacrament, after resisting for hours, Harold looked up: “I no longer saw the monstrance. I saw two honey-colored eyes that pierced my heart. I began to weep as I never had in my life.”From that moment on, he abandoned the occult and began a journey of faith that continues to this day.An ongoing miracleMore than 15 years have passed since that reconciliation.Harold and Mariela maintain that the true miracle was not simply living together again but discovering that marriage is a daily path to holiness.“Restoring the marriage takes your whole life. It doesn’t stop when the husband returns. It begins there,” Mariela said. Harold and Mariela today. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Harold Figueras and Mariela Villanueva That experience gave rise to the “Jesus and Mary Are Restoring My Family” movement, an initiative that supports spouses who are separated or on the verge of divorce. The path they propose begins with oneʼs own conversion rather than an attempt to change oneʼs spouse.Those who come to the mission begin with what’s called “Mary’s Workshop,” a preparation for consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary that focuses on the sacrament of marriage. There, the aim is for each person to acknowledge his or her own wounds and receive the tools to discern how to handle their issues as a family.However, Harold and Mariela noted that not all journeys end the same way. Some married couples manage to reunite, while others go their separate ways, including through the process of a declaration of nullity. What remains, they maintain, is the call to conversion and to seek God’s will.“The Lord wants us to be holy,” Mariela explained. She said that even when a person goes through a process different from what she or he hoped for, suffering can become an opportunity to draw closer to Christ and offer that pain for the holiness of the Church.Today, when they look back, the couple no longer see themselves as the same people who had separated. Mariela describes Harold as a man more committed to knowing Godʼs love and capable of giving of himself to his family.For his part, he acknowledged that the woman he reunited with after five years was no longer the same one he had left behind. The Figueras Villanueva family today. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Harold Figueras and Mariela Villanueva For this reason, their testimony does not aim to offer a formula for restoring a lost marriage. It is, above all, the story of two people who discovered that, before asking God to change the other person, they had to allow themselves to be transformed by him.“Many people come saying, ‘I want my husband to come back.’ We tell them: First, let Jesus return to the center of your heart,” Harold explained.Their message to couples in crisis stems from that experience: Don’t hide your wounds, don’t let shame defeat you, and don’t confuse restoration with a simple return to the life you had before.For as they discovered that Wednesday afternoon in 2009, some marital battles are not won by defeating the other person but by allowing oneself to be conquered by God’s merciful love.This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
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Hope for broken marriages: One couple’s story #Catholic On April 7, 2009, Mariela Villanueva landed in Venezuela convinced that she was going to end her marriage. Five years had passed since her husband, Harold Figueras, had left his family in Peru and rebuilt his life in another country. She carried with her the pain of a long separation and the resolve to sign the divorce papers. He had with him a written list of all the grievances he intended to unleash the moment he saw her.Nothing happened the way either of them had imagined.They arranged to meet on a Wednesday at 3 p.m., the Hour of Mercy, at the very spot where they had courted years before. When Mariela appeared, Harold frantically searched for the sheet of paper containing his complaints. It had vanished.“I was expecting a war. She opened her arms to embrace me, and I realized that I was the only one who wanted to fight,” Harold recalled in an interview with ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. Mariela said she made that gesture because she had already begun a process of conversion and was holding onto one last hope.That embrace did not immediately restore the marriage, however. It would still be nearly a month before he ended the other relationship he was in and decided to return to his family. But on that day, they both attest, Jesus won the first great battle. Harold and Mariela in front of Lima Cathedral. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Harold Figueras and Mariela Villanueva A marriage marked by woundednessHarold and Mariela met in 1998 at the Venezuelan College of Engineers. He worked in systems; she was a young lawyer running a legal consultation firm with dozens of professionals under her supervision.While Mariela had grown up in a Catholic family and frequently prayed the rosary, Harold was completely indifferent to the faith.“I used to make fun of priests. For me, getting married in the Church was simply a matter of fulfilling a social formality,” he admitted.They were married in a civil ceremony and on Sept. 2, 2000, received the sacrament at marriage at St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Barranco, Peru. However, they acknowledged that they came to the altar without truly understanding the meaning of the vocation of marriage.“We began our life together without God at the center. That was the first major mistake,” Harold explained.Over the years, deep-seated wounds began to surface: abandonment, loneliness, pride, an inability to communicate, and unrealistic expectations about love. Venezuela’s economic crisis further aggravated the situation. Harold traveled constantly between the two countries until, one day, he simply stopped coming back.Mariela was left alone in Lima with her young daughter. Recent photo of Harold and Mariela with their three daughters in Lima, Peru. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Harold Figueras and Mariela Villanueva ‘Mom, teach me to pray’Paradoxically, the restoration did not begin when Harold changed. It began when Mariela got down on her knees.Estranged from the Church and filled with resentment, the young mother had abandoned the practice of her faith after being hurt by a bad experience at a parish. Everything changed thanks to an unexpected request from her 7-year-old daughter: “Mom, grandma says you know how to pray. Teach me the rosary.”Mariela agreed, more out of a sense of obligation than anything else. Shortly after that, her daughter insisted on making her first Communion and said something that pierced her mother’s heart: “You know what it’s like to have Jesus in your heart… so why don’t you [go to Communion]?”Those words led Mariela back to the confessional.From then on, she began a routine that would change her life: daily Mass before work, Eucharistic adoration at midday, and the rosary every night with her daughter.“I was looking for God to change my husband. The Lord ended up changing me,” she related. Harold and Mariela with members of the Peruvian Catholic movement “Jesus and Mary Are Restoring My Family.” | Credit: Photo courtesy of Harold Figueras and Mariela Villanueva ‘Look at me’During Eucharistic adoration, an experience occurred that would, years later, give its name to the retreat the couple now leads as part of the Peruvian Catholic movement “Jesus and Mary Are Restoring My Family.”Mariela was praying, seeing herself as the victim in her story: “Lord, look at me. Look at how good I am. Look at what he did to me.”Then, she raised her eyes toward the monstrance.“I no longer saw the monstrance. I saw Jesus, wounded and bloodied. And he said to me only: ‘Look at me.’”In that moment, she experienced a personal encounter with Jesus. She began to recall her own sins from childhood and realized that, for years, she had been unable to recognize her own wounds.“I realized that God wasn’t going to ask me about Harold’s sins. He was going to ask me how much I loved my husband within the sacrament.”Her prayer changed completely, and she no longer asked for Harold to return. She only prayed: “Lord, bring him back to you.” Mariela Villanueva. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Mariela Villanueva The hell of the occultWhile Mariela was deepening her prayer life, Harold was heading down a completely opposite path.Seeking better financial prospects, he began consulting tarot cards. Next came syncretist Santería practices, and finally Palería, a witchcraft practice involving human remains and animal sacrifices.“I entered a dark room containing skeletal remains. I felt an indescribable fear, yet I kept looking for answers where they weren’t to be found,” Harold recalled.Amid that emptiness, he began to notice something strange. Mariela kept calling him, but no longer to get him back. One afternoon, in a mocking tone, he asked her: “What’s wrong? Don’t you need me anymore?”Her answer baffled him.“No. Whatʼs going on is that I have someone here who loves me.”Harold thought she had another romantic partner, but today he knows his wife was speaking of Christ himself. Harold Figueras. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Harold Figueras Welcomed back with loveAfter that encounter with his wife in Venezuela, Harold eventually returned to Peru.He admitted he was terrified of facing Mariela’s family and above all, their daughter. He imagined reproaches, humiliation, and rejection. Yet, he found exactly the opposite.“They all hugged me as if I had just stepped out to buy bread,” he recounted.A few days later, he accompanied Mariela to the Oblate Fathers’ church in the Barranco neighborhood of Lima. He had no thought of even going inside. He was standing near the doorway when, as he tells it, he felt an inner impulse that led him straight to the confessional.“I told the priest: ‘Father, I’ve been separated from my wife for five years, and I don’t know why I’ve come back.’”The priest invited him to attend a spiritual retreat. It was there that Harold experienced his own conversion.Before the Blessed Sacrament, after resisting for hours, Harold looked up: “I no longer saw the monstrance. I saw two honey-colored eyes that pierced my heart. I began to weep as I never had in my life.”From that moment on, he abandoned the occult and began a journey of faith that continues to this day.An ongoing miracleMore than 15 years have passed since that reconciliation.Harold and Mariela maintain that the true miracle was not simply living together again but discovering that marriage is a daily path to holiness.“Restoring the marriage takes your whole life. It doesn’t stop when the husband returns. It begins there,” Mariela said. Harold and Mariela today. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Harold Figueras and Mariela Villanueva That experience gave rise to the “Jesus and Mary Are Restoring My Family” movement, an initiative that supports spouses who are separated or on the verge of divorce. The path they propose begins with oneʼs own conversion rather than an attempt to change oneʼs spouse.Those who come to the mission begin with what’s called “Mary’s Workshop,” a preparation for consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary that focuses on the sacrament of marriage. There, the aim is for each person to acknowledge his or her own wounds and receive the tools to discern how to handle their issues as a family.However, Harold and Mariela noted that not all journeys end the same way. Some married couples manage to reunite, while others go their separate ways, including through the process of a declaration of nullity. What remains, they maintain, is the call to conversion and to seek God’s will.“The Lord wants us to be holy,” Mariela explained. She said that even when a person goes through a process different from what she or he hoped for, suffering can become an opportunity to draw closer to Christ and offer that pain for the holiness of the Church.Today, when they look back, the couple no longer see themselves as the same people who had separated. Mariela describes Harold as a man more committed to knowing Godʼs love and capable of giving of himself to his family.For his part, he acknowledged that the woman he reunited with after five years was no longer the same one he had left behind. The Figueras Villanueva family today. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Harold Figueras and Mariela Villanueva For this reason, their testimony does not aim to offer a formula for restoring a lost marriage. It is, above all, the story of two people who discovered that, before asking God to change the other person, they had to allow themselves to be transformed by him.“Many people come saying, ‘I want my husband to come back.’ We tell them: First, let Jesus return to the center of your heart,” Harold explained.Their message to couples in crisis stems from that experience: Don’t hide your wounds, don’t let shame defeat you, and don’t confuse restoration with a simple return to the life you had before.For as they discovered that Wednesday afternoon in 2009, some marital battles are not won by defeating the other person but by allowing oneself to be conquered by God’s merciful love.This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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Starting out their marriage without God at the center, the couple became estranged and the husband left, but things began to change when their daughter asked her mom, “Teach me to pray.”

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Gospel and Word of the Day – 30 August 2026 – A reading from the Book of Jeremiah 20:7-9 You duped me, O LORD, and I let myself be duped; you were too strong for me, and you triumphed. All the day I am an object of laughter; everyone mocks me. Whenever I speak, I must cry out, violence and outrage is my message; the word of the LORD has brought me derision and reproach all the day. I say to myself, I will not mention him, I will speak in his name no more. But then it becomes like fire burning in my heart, imprisoned in my bones; I grow weary holding it in, I cannot endure it.   A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans 12:1-2 I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship.  Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.From the Gospel according to Matthew 16:21-27 Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.  Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him, "God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you."  He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me.  You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do." Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.  For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?  Or what can one give in exchange for his life?  For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory, and then he will repay all according to his conduct."Always, today too, the temptation is that of wanting to follow a Christ without the cross, on the contrary, of teaching God which is the right path (?). But Jesus reminds us that his way is the way of love, and that there is no true love without self sacrifice. We are called to not let ourselves be absorbed by the vision of this world, but to be ever more aware of the need and of the effort for we Christians to walk against the current and uphill. Jesus completes his proposal with words that express a great and ever valid wisdom, because they challenge the egocentric mentality and behaviour. He exhorts: ?whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it (v. 25). This paradox contains the golden rule that God inscribed in the human nature created in Christ: the rule that only love gives meaning and happiness to life. To spend one?s own talents, one?s energy and one?s time only to save, protect and fulfil oneself, in reality leads to losing oneself, i.e. to a sad and barren existence. Instead let us live for the Lord and base our life on love, as Jesus did: we will be able to savour authentic joy, and our life will not be barren; it will be fruitful. (?) May Mary Most Holy, who followed Jesus up to Calvary, accompany us too and help us not to be afraid of the cross, but with Jesus nailed [to it], not a cross without Jesus, the Cross with Jesus, which is the cross of suffering for love of God and of our brothers and sisters, because this suffering, by the grace of Christ, bears the fruit of resurrection. (Pope Francis, Angelus, 3 September 2017)

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A reading from the Book of Jeremiah
20:7-9

You duped me, O LORD, and I let myself be duped;
you were too strong for me, and you triumphed.
All the day I am an object of laughter;
everyone mocks me.

Whenever I speak, I must cry out,
violence and outrage is my message;
the word of the LORD has brought me
derision and reproach all the day.

I say to myself, I will not mention him,
I will speak in his name no more.
But then it becomes like fire burning in my heart,
imprisoned in my bones;
I grow weary holding it in, I cannot endure it.

 

A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans
12:1-2

I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God,
to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice,
holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship. 
Do not conform yourselves to this age
but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,
that you may discern what is the will of God,
what is good and pleasing and perfect.

From the Gospel according to Matthew
16:21-27

Jesus began to show his disciples
that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly
from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed and on the third day be raised. 
Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him,
"God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you." 
He turned and said to Peter,
"Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. 
You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do."

Then Jesus said to his disciples,
"Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,
take up his cross, and follow me. 
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world
and forfeit his life? 
Or what can one give in exchange for his life? 
For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory,
and then he will repay all according to his conduct."

Always, today too, the temptation is that of wanting to follow a Christ without the cross, on the contrary, of teaching God which is the right path (?). But Jesus reminds us that his way is the way of love, and that there is no true love without self sacrifice. We are called to not let ourselves be absorbed by the vision of this world, but to be ever more aware of the need and of the effort for we Christians to walk against the current and uphill.

Jesus completes his proposal with words that express a great and ever valid wisdom, because they challenge the egocentric mentality and behaviour. He exhorts: ?whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it (v. 25). This paradox contains the golden rule that God inscribed in the human nature created in Christ: the rule that only love gives meaning and happiness to life. To spend one?s own talents, one?s energy and one?s time only to save, protect and fulfil oneself, in reality leads to losing oneself, i.e. to a sad and barren existence. Instead let us live for the Lord and base our life on love, as Jesus did: we will be able to savour authentic joy, and our life will not be barren; it will be fruitful. (?)

May Mary Most Holy, who followed Jesus up to Calvary, accompany us too and help us not to be afraid of the cross, but with Jesus nailed [to it], not a cross without Jesus, the Cross with Jesus, which is the cross of suffering for love of God and of our brothers and sisters, because this suffering, by the grace of Christ, bears the fruit of resurrection. (Pope Francis, Angelus, 3 September 2017)

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PHOTOS: Pope Leo XIV takes part in historic Marian procession on Lake Albano at papal summer house #Catholic Pope Leo XIV took part in an historic boat procession on Aug. 29, becoming what the Vatican said was the first pope to travel across the waters of Lake Albano at Castel Gandolfo during a procession for the Feast of Our Lady of the Lake. The town of Castel Gandolfo has been home to the papal summer residence since the early 17th century. The papal palace there overlooks Lake Albano, a roughly 2-square-mile lake in a volcanic crater. The pope traveled by boat across the lake after Mass at the Church of Maria Santissima del Lago. The papal procession was accompanied by a statue of Our Lady of the Lake. Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass at Maria Santissima del Lago, Castel Gandolfo, Aug. 29, 2026. Leo later took part in a Marian procession on nearby Lake Albano, becoming the first pope to travel by boat across the waters there according to the Vatican. | Credit: Zofia Czubak/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass at Maria Santissima del Lago, Castel Gandolfo, Aug. 29, 2026. Leo later took part in a Marian procession on nearby Lake Albano, becoming the first pope to travel by boat across the waters there according to the Vatican. | Credit: Zofia Czubak/EWTN News A pilgrim waves a flag welcoming Pope Leo XIV to Lake Albano at Castel Gandolfo, Aug. 29, 2026. Leo took part in a Marian procession on the lake, becoming the first pope to travel by boat across the waters there according to the Vatican. | Credit: Zofia Czubak/EWTN News Pilgrims gather at Lake Albano, Castel Gandolfo, Aug. 29, 2026. Pope Leo XIV took part in a Marian procession on the lake, becoming the first pope to travel by boat across the waters there according to the Vatican. | Credit: Zofia Czubak/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV travels across Lake Albano, Castel Gandolfo, Aug. 29, 2026. Leo took part in a Marian procession on the lake, becoming the first pope to travel by boat across the waters there according to the Vatican. | Credit: Zofia Czubak/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV travels across Lake Albano, Castel Gandolfo, Aug. 29, 2026. Leo took part in a Marian procession on the lake, becoming the first pope to travel by boat across the waters there according to the Vatican. | Credit: Zofia Czubak/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV travels across Lake Albano, Castel Gandolfo, Aug. 29, 2026. Leo took part in a Marian procession on the lake, becoming the first pope to travel by boat across the waters there according to the Vatican. | Credit: Zofia Czubak/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV greets pilgrims at Lake Albano, Castel Gandolfo, Aug. 29, 2026. Leo took part in a Marian procession on the lake, becoming the first pope to travel by boat across the waters there according to the Vatican. | Credit: Zofia Czubak/EWTN News The papal palace in Castel Gandolfo is seen from Lake Albano, Aug. 29, 2026. Pope Leo XIV took part in a Marian procession on the lake, becoming the first pope to travel by boat across the waters there according to the Vatican. | Credit: Zofia Czubak/EWTN News
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PHOTOS: Pope Leo XIV takes part in historic Marian procession on Lake Albano at papal summer house #Catholic Pope Leo XIV took part in an historic boat procession on Aug. 29, becoming what the Vatican said was the first pope to travel across the waters of Lake Albano at Castel Gandolfo during a procession for the Feast of Our Lady of the Lake. The town of Castel Gandolfo has been home to the papal summer residence since the early 17th century. The papal palace there overlooks Lake Albano, a roughly 2-square-mile lake in a volcanic crater. The pope traveled by boat across the lake after Mass at the Church of Maria Santissima del Lago. The papal procession was accompanied by a statue of Our Lady of the Lake. Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass at Maria Santissima del Lago, Castel Gandolfo, Aug. 29, 2026. Leo later took part in a Marian procession on nearby Lake Albano, becoming the first pope to travel by boat across the waters there according to the Vatican. | Credit: Zofia Czubak/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass at Maria Santissima del Lago, Castel Gandolfo, Aug. 29, 2026. Leo later took part in a Marian procession on nearby Lake Albano, becoming the first pope to travel by boat across the waters there according to the Vatican. | Credit: Zofia Czubak/EWTN News A pilgrim waves a flag welcoming Pope Leo XIV to Lake Albano at Castel Gandolfo, Aug. 29, 2026. Leo took part in a Marian procession on the lake, becoming the first pope to travel by boat across the waters there according to the Vatican. | Credit: Zofia Czubak/EWTN News Pilgrims gather at Lake Albano, Castel Gandolfo, Aug. 29, 2026. Pope Leo XIV took part in a Marian procession on the lake, becoming the first pope to travel by boat across the waters there according to the Vatican. | Credit: Zofia Czubak/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV travels across Lake Albano, Castel Gandolfo, Aug. 29, 2026. Leo took part in a Marian procession on the lake, becoming the first pope to travel by boat across the waters there according to the Vatican. | Credit: Zofia Czubak/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV travels across Lake Albano, Castel Gandolfo, Aug. 29, 2026. Leo took part in a Marian procession on the lake, becoming the first pope to travel by boat across the waters there according to the Vatican. | Credit: Zofia Czubak/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV travels across Lake Albano, Castel Gandolfo, Aug. 29, 2026. Leo took part in a Marian procession on the lake, becoming the first pope to travel by boat across the waters there according to the Vatican. | Credit: Zofia Czubak/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV greets pilgrims at Lake Albano, Castel Gandolfo, Aug. 29, 2026. Leo took part in a Marian procession on the lake, becoming the first pope to travel by boat across the waters there according to the Vatican. | Credit: Zofia Czubak/EWTN News The papal palace in Castel Gandolfo is seen from Lake Albano, Aug. 29, 2026. Pope Leo XIV took part in a Marian procession on the lake, becoming the first pope to travel by boat across the waters there according to the Vatican. | Credit: Zofia Czubak/EWTN News

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The Holy Father was the first pope to travel across the waters of the lake in the 400-year-long history of Castel Gandolfo as a papal summer residence, according to the Vatican.

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Department of Justice says government can’t restrict funding based on religious status #Catholic The U.S. Department of Justice this week said that the government’s practice of restricting federal funding from religious activities is “presumptively unconstitutional,” paving the way for greater public funding of religious groups.Such restrictions on federal funding are made “without any compelling government interest,” the Justice Department said in an Aug. 25 memorandum opinion issued to the Office for Civil Rights in the Department of Health and Human Services. In its 2004 decision Locke v. Davey, the U.S. Supreme Court held that public authorities are free to withhold funding from programs and activities that are explicitly religious in nature. In its memorandum, however, the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel said restricting federal funding based on either the religious status of an organization or the use of funds for religious purposes is “not required” under the U.S. Constitution. Such restrictions “discriminate based on anticipated religious use without any compelling governmental interest,” the memorandum said, and as a result they “violate the Free Exercise Clause.” “Use-based religious restrictions on generally available federal funding programs are presumptively unconstitutional,” the document said.The memorandum specifically addressed programs administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which controls billions of dollars in federal funding. It was not immediately clear if the directive applied to other federal departments. A spokesman for the Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The religious freedom legal group First Liberty, meanwhile, hailed the memorandum as “a major victory for religious liberty.” Faith-based organizations and schools “can now apply for and utilize federal grants without scrubbing the religious aspects of their programs,” the group said. First Liberty argued that opinions from the Office of Legal Counsel “serve as binding legal guidance for the executive branch,” meaning the memo “effectively instructs all federal agencies to rewrite their grant-making rules to align with this new standard.”The group noted that one of its network attorneys is Joshua Davey, part of the namesake of the 2004 Supreme Court case that established the precedent of restricting federal funds for religious activities and groups. That decision “has never been formally overturned,” First Liberty said, but “that could change in the very near future.”
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Department of Justice says government can’t restrict funding based on religious status #Catholic The U.S. Department of Justice this week said that the government’s practice of restricting federal funding from religious activities is “presumptively unconstitutional,” paving the way for greater public funding of religious groups.Such restrictions on federal funding are made “without any compelling government interest,” the Justice Department said in an Aug. 25 memorandum opinion issued to the Office for Civil Rights in the Department of Health and Human Services. In its 2004 decision Locke v. Davey, the U.S. Supreme Court held that public authorities are free to withhold funding from programs and activities that are explicitly religious in nature. In its memorandum, however, the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel said restricting federal funding based on either the religious status of an organization or the use of funds for religious purposes is “not required” under the U.S. Constitution. Such restrictions “discriminate based on anticipated religious use without any compelling governmental interest,” the memorandum said, and as a result they “violate the Free Exercise Clause.” “Use-based religious restrictions on generally available federal funding programs are presumptively unconstitutional,” the document said.The memorandum specifically addressed programs administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which controls billions of dollars in federal funding. It was not immediately clear if the directive applied to other federal departments. A spokesman for the Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The religious freedom legal group First Liberty, meanwhile, hailed the memorandum as “a major victory for religious liberty.” Faith-based organizations and schools “can now apply for and utilize federal grants without scrubbing the religious aspects of their programs,” the group said. First Liberty argued that opinions from the Office of Legal Counsel “serve as binding legal guidance for the executive branch,” meaning the memo “effectively instructs all federal agencies to rewrite their grant-making rules to align with this new standard.”The group noted that one of its network attorneys is Joshua Davey, part of the namesake of the 2004 Supreme Court case that established the precedent of restricting federal funds for religious activities and groups. That decision “has never been formally overturned,” First Liberty said, but “that could change in the very near future.”

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Such restrictions on federal funding are made “without any compelling government interest,” the Justice Department said in a memorandum opinion.

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Pope Leo XIV says Eastern synods can remove patriarchs for serious reasons – #Catholic – Pope Leo XIV on Aug. 29 said bishops of the Eastern Catholic Churches can remove their patriarchs when assembled in synod, though the Holy Father said the pope must still give his assent to the proposal. The pope made the declaration in an apostolic letter issued motu proprio titled Mutua Concordia. The letter modified canons 106 and 126 of the Codex Canonum Ecclesiarum Orientalium. The pope in the letter said the “mutual concord” between the head of an Eastern Church and the church’s bishops “is the soul of communion of the Eastern ecclesiastical hierarchy.” If the “sacred bond” between the two “were to be irreparably compromised, this would constitute a grave wound requiring a remedy,” the pope said. In such situations, the bishops in question “must be able to exercise canonical authority” to remedy the crisis.Synods will thus have the power to “[remove] their own Patriarch from office for a grave cause,” the pope said. Such a procedure would still guarantee the patriarch in question “a full defense before the synod,” the pope noted.The pope, however, will retain “the sole concession of consent to the synodal decision,” Leo wrote. That provision will ensure “that the full freedom of the Fathers in expressing their choice is guaranteed, sheltered from any possible internal or external undue pressure.”The order comes into effect “immediately,” Leo wrote in the letter. In June Leo emphasized the “great gift” the Eastern Catholic Churches offer to the Universal Church, which he said is “often unaware of the diverse ecclesial traditions within its ranks.”“The Christian East can only be preserved if it is understood: to lose that understanding is to impoverish the Church,” the pope told the Reunion of Aid Agencies for the Oriental Churches at the time.
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Pope Leo XIV says Eastern synods can remove patriarchs for serious reasons – #Catholic – Pope Leo XIV on Aug. 29 said bishops of the Eastern Catholic Churches can remove their patriarchs when assembled in synod, though the Holy Father said the pope must still give his assent to the proposal. The pope made the declaration in an apostolic letter issued motu proprio titled Mutua Concordia. The letter modified canons 106 and 126 of the Codex Canonum Ecclesiarum Orientalium. The pope in the letter said the “mutual concord” between the head of an Eastern Church and the church’s bishops “is the soul of communion of the Eastern ecclesiastical hierarchy.” If the “sacred bond” between the two “were to be irreparably compromised, this would constitute a grave wound requiring a remedy,” the pope said. In such situations, the bishops in question “must be able to exercise canonical authority” to remedy the crisis.Synods will thus have the power to “[remove] their own Patriarch from office for a grave cause,” the pope said. Such a procedure would still guarantee the patriarch in question “a full defense before the synod,” the pope noted.The pope, however, will retain “the sole concession of consent to the synodal decision,” Leo wrote. That provision will ensure “that the full freedom of the Fathers in expressing their choice is guaranteed, sheltered from any possible internal or external undue pressure.”The order comes into effect “immediately,” Leo wrote in the letter. In June Leo emphasized the “great gift” the Eastern Catholic Churches offer to the Universal Church, which he said is “often unaware of the diverse ecclesial traditions within its ranks.”“The Christian East can only be preserved if it is understood: to lose that understanding is to impoverish the Church,” the pope told the Reunion of Aid Agencies for the Oriental Churches at the time.

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The pope made the declaration in an apostolic letter issued motu proprio titled Mutua Concordia.

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Senate GOP report finds dangerous lack of guardrails for abortion pill prescribing – #Catholic – Senate GOP report finds dangerous lack of guardrails for abortion pill prescribingA five-month-long investigation by Republicans in the U.S. Senate found that abortion pill manufacturing companies are falling short on critical oversight while bringing in millions of dollars in revenue.The manufacturers are not fulfilling their obligation to oversee prescribers while making tens of millions of dollars each year, according to the report, released by U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana).The investigation also found that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s “lack of guardrails ensuring a sufficient provider-patient relationship creates accountability gaps for a product that carries risks of significant adverse health outcomes,” according to the report.Three companies, Danco Laboratories, GenBioPro, and Evita Solutions, reportedly did not provide details on how they followed existing federal regulations, according to the report.Among its findings, the report cited an undercover investigation that found that a girl as young as 13 years old could buy abortion pills.Cassidy, a doctor and the chairman of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, headed the investigation.“Abortion drug companies are putting mothers at risk through their failure to properly oversee the prescription and distribution of their products. We are seeing that the explosion in online sales of chemical abortion drugs has opened the door to coercion and abuse of women,” said Cassidy in a statement.“FDA and the sponsors of these drugs have a responsibility to the American people to crack down on these prescribers that violate the prescribing requirements and reinstate the safeguards that keep mothers and babies safe,” he continued.40 Days for Life says it will cover legal fees for arrests over New Jersey protest lawThe pro-life group 40 Days for Life says it will cover legal fees if protesters are arrested under New Jersey’s new abortion clinic buffer zone law.A new law signed by New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill on Aug. 20 could lead to legal crackdowns on protests near abortion clinics. The law criminalizes “interference” with “reproductive” or “gender-affirming” care.The law further criminalizes inflicting “emotional harm” against those seeking or providing “reproductive health care services.” It also bans filming and sharing videos within 100 feet of an abortion clinic.40 Days for Life, a group that organizes prayer vigils outside abortion clinics, has pledged to cover legal fees for peaceful protesters should the law be used to target them.“If New Jersey — or anywhere else — targets a 40 Days for Life participant for peacefully and lawfully praying in public, our Institute of Law & Justice will have your back,” the group said on Aug. 28. The group’s CEO Shawn Carney told the New York Post, meanwhile, that the services would be covered “at no cost.” Catholic Virginians launch campaign against abortion ballot measureCatholic leaders in Virginia are launching a campaign to oppose a ballot measure that would enshrine a right to abortion in the state.The Protect Virginia 2026 campaign urges Catholics to vote against the state’s “Right to Reproductive Freedom” amendment which will be on the ballot in November.Richmond Bishop Barry Knestout voiced opposition against the “radical” amendment in a letter to Catholics in the state.“Every life is sacred,” Knestout said. “The Church has always taught that abortion is an intrinsic evil. It takes one of God’s greatest gifts – a human life.”“No law can ever make right what is intrinsically wrong,” he continued. “Let us pray for the courage to confront this evil that threatens to destroy life, to be persistent yet compassionate in our advocacy, and to vote so that we stand up for the great good that God has given us.” “Let us commit ourselves to defending those who cannot speak for themselves and to witnessing to the Gospel of Life in both word and deed.”
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Senate GOP report finds dangerous lack of guardrails for abortion pill prescribing – #Catholic – Senate GOP report finds dangerous lack of guardrails for abortion pill prescribingA five-month-long investigation by Republicans in the U.S. Senate found that abortion pill manufacturing companies are falling short on critical oversight while bringing in millions of dollars in revenue.The manufacturers are not fulfilling their obligation to oversee prescribers while making tens of millions of dollars each year, according to the report, released by U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana).The investigation also found that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s “lack of guardrails ensuring a sufficient provider-patient relationship creates accountability gaps for a product that carries risks of significant adverse health outcomes,” according to the report.Three companies, Danco Laboratories, GenBioPro, and Evita Solutions, reportedly did not provide details on how they followed existing federal regulations, according to the report.Among its findings, the report cited an undercover investigation that found that a girl as young as 13 years old could buy abortion pills.Cassidy, a doctor and the chairman of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, headed the investigation.“Abortion drug companies are putting mothers at risk through their failure to properly oversee the prescription and distribution of their products. We are seeing that the explosion in online sales of chemical abortion drugs has opened the door to coercion and abuse of women,” said Cassidy in a statement.“FDA and the sponsors of these drugs have a responsibility to the American people to crack down on these prescribers that violate the prescribing requirements and reinstate the safeguards that keep mothers and babies safe,” he continued.40 Days for Life says it will cover legal fees for arrests over New Jersey protest lawThe pro-life group 40 Days for Life says it will cover legal fees if protesters are arrested under New Jersey’s new abortion clinic buffer zone law.A new law signed by New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill on Aug. 20 could lead to legal crackdowns on protests near abortion clinics. The law criminalizes “interference” with “reproductive” or “gender-affirming” care.The law further criminalizes inflicting “emotional harm” against those seeking or providing “reproductive health care services.” It also bans filming and sharing videos within 100 feet of an abortion clinic.40 Days for Life, a group that organizes prayer vigils outside abortion clinics, has pledged to cover legal fees for peaceful protesters should the law be used to target them.“If New Jersey — or anywhere else — targets a 40 Days for Life participant for peacefully and lawfully praying in public, our Institute of Law & Justice will have your back,” the group said on Aug. 28. The group’s CEO Shawn Carney told the New York Post, meanwhile, that the services would be covered “at no cost.” Catholic Virginians launch campaign against abortion ballot measureCatholic leaders in Virginia are launching a campaign to oppose a ballot measure that would enshrine a right to abortion in the state.The Protect Virginia 2026 campaign urges Catholics to vote against the state’s “Right to Reproductive Freedom” amendment which will be on the ballot in November.Richmond Bishop Barry Knestout voiced opposition against the “radical” amendment in a letter to Catholics in the state.“Every life is sacred,” Knestout said. “The Church has always taught that abortion is an intrinsic evil. It takes one of God’s greatest gifts – a human life.”“No law can ever make right what is intrinsically wrong,” he continued. “Let us pray for the courage to confront this evil that threatens to destroy life, to be persistent yet compassionate in our advocacy, and to vote so that we stand up for the great good that God has given us.” “Let us commit ourselves to defending those who cannot speak for themselves and to witnessing to the Gospel of Life in both word and deed.”

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

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How one Lithuanian cardinal resisted Soviet persecution from a KGB prison cell – #Catholic – A new biography published in Lithuania recounts the life of Cardinal Sigitas Tamkevičius, SJ, one of the leading Catholic figures in the resistance to Soviet religious persecution. It details his work as editor of the underground Chronicle of the Catholic Church in Lithuania publication and his subsequent imprisonment by the KGB.Written by journalist Regina Statkuvienė and published by the DONUM Foundation, “In the Light of the Altar” draws on recent interviews she conducted with Tamkevičius. The book also includes his letters and diary entries alongside accounts of his childhood, priesthood, underground activities, imprisonment, exile, and later episcopal ministry.Tamkevičius was arrested in 1983 and sentenced to six years in a strict-regime labor camp followed by four years of exile in Siberia.His story offers an insight into the experience of Catholics who resisted the Soviet Unionʼs efforts to suppress religious life and impose state atheism. Sigitas Tamkevičius stands for a portrait during his military service in the Soviet Army in Khosta, Russia, in 1959. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Cardinal Sigitas Tamkevičius Catholic resistance in Soviet-occupied LithuaniaFounded by Tamkevičius in 1972, the Chronicle of the Catholic Church in Lithuania (“Lietuvos katalikų bažnyčios kronika,” or “LKB Kronika”) was an underground publication documenting religious persecution and human rights abuses in Soviet-occupied Lithuania.The Kronika recorded arrests and interrogations of clergy and lay Catholics, confiscation of Church property, restrictions on religious practice, and attempts by Soviet authorities to infiltrate the Church. It was a strictly factual catalog of human rights violations, not a literary magazine or a platform for theological commentary.Its reports were secretly typed and reproduced, with editions being smuggled to Western diplomats and foreign journalists in Moscow, with activists often microfilming the pages and hiding the negatives inside everyday objects like book covers or flashlights.Once in the West, the material was translated and disseminated internationally, including through Vatican Radio and Radio Free Europe, directly challenging Soviet claims that religious freedom existed behind the Iron Curtain. Sigitas Tamkevičius, first from left, stands with fellow seminarians at his ordination to the priesthood in May 1962. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Cardinal Sigitas Tamkevičius In the bookʼs foreword, Archbishop Petar Rajič, current prefect of the Papal Household and former apostolic nuncio to Lithuania, described Tamkevičius as one of the most prominent witnesses to the Soviet era.“Every Catholic who loves the Church should read the Chronicle,” Rajič wrote, calling it a testimony to the spiritual strength and resistance of the Lithuanian people, rooted in the victory of the cross of Christ and offering lessons for Catholics today and future generations.Arrest and KGB interrogationThe Kronika not only exposed Soviet religious persecution to the outside world but also strengthened the underground Catholic resistance within Lithuania. The KGB consequently intensified efforts to identify and suppress those involved in producing and distributing the publication. Cardinal Sigitas Tamkevičius reaches into the hiding place in the altar of the church in Simnas, Lithuania, where he once concealed copies of the underground Chronicle of the Catholic Church in Lithuania, in 2021. | Credit: Jūratė Tamošiūnytė-Karašauskienė Since Tamkevičius openly preached against state atheism and challenged Soviet restrictions on the Church, he was seen as a visible figure within the Catholic resistance movement.The Soviet authorities eventually arrested Tamkevičius in May 1983 and charged him with “anti-Soviet agitation and propaganda.” After six months of pretrial detention in the KGB isolation prison in Vilnius, he was sentenced in December to six years in a strict-regime labor camp in the Ural Mountains, followed by four years of exile in Siberia.During his detention, Tamkevičius recalled psychological pressure from KGB interrogators. On one occasion, an interrogator offered him tea and biscuits. He drank the tea at around 2 p.m. and soon became extremely dizzy.His next clear memory came hours later, when he heard the interrogator angrily questioning him about a document concerning the underground seminary. He was then told that it was already 10 p.m. “Only then did I realize that after drinking the tea I had lost consciousness,” he recalled.Tamkevičius believed he had been drugged to extract information from him. The attempt failed. “Seeing how angry the interrogator was, I understood that he had managed to extract nothing from me,” he said.Life in the labor campTamkevičius recalled that his first assignment in the labor camp was peeling potatoes. “Each potato had to be taken out of almost ice-cold water,” he recalled. He feared that doing this for six years would make him ill, but after two weeks he was transferred to a metalworking workshop, where he collected metal shavings from lathes and carried them to containers.Prisoners worked eight hours a day and were allotted another eight hours for sleep. The food was poor, consisting largely of “thin soup and watery porridge.” Later, after Mikhail Gorbachev came to power in 1985, Tamkevičius was assigned to the camp kitchen and had to rise at 4 a.m. to prepare breakfast.The ingredients were often badly preserved. Fish, he recalled, could be heavily salted and stored for years. He learned to make the most of what was available, washing the fish overnight and frying it separately so that prisoners could have a more edible meal.During more than five years in captivity, Tamkevičius was transferred under guard seven times and encountered prisoners ranging from teenagers to murderers. The experience became for him a reflection on human nature and the consequences of abandoning moral law.“A life without God, without the commandments of the Decalogue, a life without love,” he wrote, describing the selfishness, pride, lust, and greed that shaped much of prison life. His reflections ultimately turned toward his own imprisonment and vocation.“Lord, what was it that brought me behind bars and barbed wire?” he asked. “The affairs of the Church? Yes. Concern for people’s moral lives? Yes. Living according to my conscience? Yes. Thank you, Lord, that the answer was ‘yes.’” For Tamkevičius, imprisonment was ultimately the consequence of refusing to compromise his faith in the face of communist oppression. Bishop Sigitas Tamkevičius addresses young people gathered to meet Pope John Paul II at the Darius and Girėnas Stadium in Kaunas, Lithuania, in September 1993. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Cardinal Sigitas Tamkevičius From persecution to freedomTamkevičius was released in 1988 as Soviet repression began to weaken. He returned to Lithuania as the country moved toward independence, restored on March 11, 1990.Tamkevičius' story offers a firsthand account of the cost of defending the faith under communism and the role of ordinary believers in preserving the Church through decades of persecution.
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How one Lithuanian cardinal resisted Soviet persecution from a KGB prison cell – #Catholic – A new biography published in Lithuania recounts the life of Cardinal Sigitas Tamkevičius, SJ, one of the leading Catholic figures in the resistance to Soviet religious persecution. It details his work as editor of the underground Chronicle of the Catholic Church in Lithuania publication and his subsequent imprisonment by the KGB.Written by journalist Regina Statkuvienė and published by the DONUM Foundation, “In the Light of the Altar” draws on recent interviews she conducted with Tamkevičius. The book also includes his letters and diary entries alongside accounts of his childhood, priesthood, underground activities, imprisonment, exile, and later episcopal ministry.Tamkevičius was arrested in 1983 and sentenced to six years in a strict-regime labor camp followed by four years of exile in Siberia.His story offers an insight into the experience of Catholics who resisted the Soviet Unionʼs efforts to suppress religious life and impose state atheism. Sigitas Tamkevičius stands for a portrait during his military service in the Soviet Army in Khosta, Russia, in 1959. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Cardinal Sigitas Tamkevičius Catholic resistance in Soviet-occupied LithuaniaFounded by Tamkevičius in 1972, the Chronicle of the Catholic Church in Lithuania (“Lietuvos katalikų bažnyčios kronika,” or “LKB Kronika”) was an underground publication documenting religious persecution and human rights abuses in Soviet-occupied Lithuania.The Kronika recorded arrests and interrogations of clergy and lay Catholics, confiscation of Church property, restrictions on religious practice, and attempts by Soviet authorities to infiltrate the Church. It was a strictly factual catalog of human rights violations, not a literary magazine or a platform for theological commentary.Its reports were secretly typed and reproduced, with editions being smuggled to Western diplomats and foreign journalists in Moscow, with activists often microfilming the pages and hiding the negatives inside everyday objects like book covers or flashlights.Once in the West, the material was translated and disseminated internationally, including through Vatican Radio and Radio Free Europe, directly challenging Soviet claims that religious freedom existed behind the Iron Curtain. Sigitas Tamkevičius, first from left, stands with fellow seminarians at his ordination to the priesthood in May 1962. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Cardinal Sigitas Tamkevičius In the bookʼs foreword, Archbishop Petar Rajič, current prefect of the Papal Household and former apostolic nuncio to Lithuania, described Tamkevičius as one of the most prominent witnesses to the Soviet era.“Every Catholic who loves the Church should read the Chronicle,” Rajič wrote, calling it a testimony to the spiritual strength and resistance of the Lithuanian people, rooted in the victory of the cross of Christ and offering lessons for Catholics today and future generations.Arrest and KGB interrogationThe Kronika not only exposed Soviet religious persecution to the outside world but also strengthened the underground Catholic resistance within Lithuania. The KGB consequently intensified efforts to identify and suppress those involved in producing and distributing the publication. Cardinal Sigitas Tamkevičius reaches into the hiding place in the altar of the church in Simnas, Lithuania, where he once concealed copies of the underground Chronicle of the Catholic Church in Lithuania, in 2021. | Credit: Jūratė Tamošiūnytė-Karašauskienė Since Tamkevičius openly preached against state atheism and challenged Soviet restrictions on the Church, he was seen as a visible figure within the Catholic resistance movement.The Soviet authorities eventually arrested Tamkevičius in May 1983 and charged him with “anti-Soviet agitation and propaganda.” After six months of pretrial detention in the KGB isolation prison in Vilnius, he was sentenced in December to six years in a strict-regime labor camp in the Ural Mountains, followed by four years of exile in Siberia.During his detention, Tamkevičius recalled psychological pressure from KGB interrogators. On one occasion, an interrogator offered him tea and biscuits. He drank the tea at around 2 p.m. and soon became extremely dizzy.His next clear memory came hours later, when he heard the interrogator angrily questioning him about a document concerning the underground seminary. He was then told that it was already 10 p.m. “Only then did I realize that after drinking the tea I had lost consciousness,” he recalled.Tamkevičius believed he had been drugged to extract information from him. The attempt failed. “Seeing how angry the interrogator was, I understood that he had managed to extract nothing from me,” he said.Life in the labor campTamkevičius recalled that his first assignment in the labor camp was peeling potatoes. “Each potato had to be taken out of almost ice-cold water,” he recalled. He feared that doing this for six years would make him ill, but after two weeks he was transferred to a metalworking workshop, where he collected metal shavings from lathes and carried them to containers.Prisoners worked eight hours a day and were allotted another eight hours for sleep. The food was poor, consisting largely of “thin soup and watery porridge.” Later, after Mikhail Gorbachev came to power in 1985, Tamkevičius was assigned to the camp kitchen and had to rise at 4 a.m. to prepare breakfast.The ingredients were often badly preserved. Fish, he recalled, could be heavily salted and stored for years. He learned to make the most of what was available, washing the fish overnight and frying it separately so that prisoners could have a more edible meal.During more than five years in captivity, Tamkevičius was transferred under guard seven times and encountered prisoners ranging from teenagers to murderers. The experience became for him a reflection on human nature and the consequences of abandoning moral law.“A life without God, without the commandments of the Decalogue, a life without love,” he wrote, describing the selfishness, pride, lust, and greed that shaped much of prison life. His reflections ultimately turned toward his own imprisonment and vocation.“Lord, what was it that brought me behind bars and barbed wire?” he asked. “The affairs of the Church? Yes. Concern for people’s moral lives? Yes. Living according to my conscience? Yes. Thank you, Lord, that the answer was ‘yes.’” For Tamkevičius, imprisonment was ultimately the consequence of refusing to compromise his faith in the face of communist oppression. Bishop Sigitas Tamkevičius addresses young people gathered to meet Pope John Paul II at the Darius and Girėnas Stadium in Kaunas, Lithuania, in September 1993. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Cardinal Sigitas Tamkevičius From persecution to freedomTamkevičius was released in 1988 as Soviet repression began to weaken. He returned to Lithuania as the country moved toward independence, restored on March 11, 1990.Tamkevičius' story offers a firsthand account of the cost of defending the faith under communism and the role of ordinary believers in preserving the Church through decades of persecution.

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A new biography traces Cardinal Sigitas Tamkevičius’ imprisonment by the KGB and his decades leading Lithuania’s underground Catholic resistance to Soviet persecution.

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How the movie ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ inspired a camp for Catholic fathers and sons #Catholic Inspired by the movie “Top Gun: Maverick,” a D.C.-based youth ministry is using a weekendlong camp to build mentors and strengthen the bonds between Catholic fathers and their sons.The annual “Top Gun Father and Son” camping event welcomes dads and sons for a mission to grow closer, strengthen their relationships through challenges and reflections, and partake in faith-filled adventures.Encounters, Convictions, and Your Decisions (ECYD), an international Catholic association of adolescents with the Legionaries of Christ and Regnum Christi, hosts the annual weekend at Camp Castleton in Virginia for boys in fifth to eighth grade and their fathers.The event is only one of the fruits of ECYD, which also carries out other youth clubs, camps, leadership trainings, and gatherings.Father Vito Crincoli, LC, the director of the ECYD Leadership Training program in D.C., told EWTN News the ECYD ministry is “based on the spirituality of Jesus calling you to be his friend.”“Itʼs an international movement,” he said. “In Washington, D.C., in particular, weʼve been putting a lot of emphasis on forming dads to be mentors for our clubs.”“One is because we donʼt have as many priests as we would like to run the youth ministry. But also, above all, we want to create vibrant apostles, vibrant laypeople, to run youth work. And because men really want to be mentors.”“Weʼve noticed in these past years of our ministry that thereʼs been such a desire for the men to want to be involved. And we saw that precisely through the father-son weekends we do. It awakens something in them.”Men “want to do more,” Crincoli said. “They want to give more.” A father and his son at the 2024 Top Gun Father and Son weekend event at Camp Castleton in Virginia. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Father Vito Crincoli Finding unexpected inspiration from filmWhile the camp grew out of the desire to minister to Catholic men, it was ultimately a fictional adventure film about U.S. Navy aviators that set the idea into motion.After noticing a “father and son tone” in the 2022 film “Top Gun: Maverick,” Crincoli was inspired to bring together families for the event, which now welcomes anywhere from 20 to 40 fathers and sons.Crincoli was inspired by the relationship between the film’s characters Pete Mitchell and Bradley Bradshaw, better known by their call signs “Maverick” and “Rooster.”While the two Top Gun pilots are not related, Crincoli noticed a bond between them that is unique to a father and his son.In the movie, “Maverick is trying to be the best dad he could be for Rooster. Experiencing his own limitations, but also just trying,” Crincoli explained. “And then Rooster is looking for the type of dad he wants: ‘I need a role model in my life. Someone who can guide me.’”“Weʼre really trying to tell the dads: ‘Be a dad as a mission.’ Itʼs a mission of love. The whole idea of Top Gun Father and Son is that you and your son are a team. Youʼre preparing your son for life.”“Thatʼs what Maverick was doing with Rooster. He was preparing him for battle.”Top Gun Father and SonWhile at the camp, the group has previously been joined by members of the U.S. Naval Academy, including a Catholic former Top Gun pilot who “gave a talk to the dads about learning to fly with your kids — learning to fly with them through life.” Retired Top Gun pilot Lt. Adam Farber speaks to participants at the 2024 Top Gun Father and Son weekend event held at Camp Castleton in Virginia. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Father Vito Crincoli A pivotal part is the “moment where the dads earn their wings,” he said. “We had somebody donate real Navy wings to us.”“Itʼs a ceremony. Weʼll have the wings on the table, the flag, the dads line up and then … the dads become ‘Top Gun dads’” and “they get their wings.” It “begins the mission of the weekend.”To help the participants live out the mission, the dads have “a training camp,” Crincoli said. “In that training camp we have different activities.”The activities include anything from dodgeball and nighttime “missions” to quiet time in prayer. The weekend includes “different dynamics and different adventures” to create fellowship and teamwork between the fathers and sons.During dodgeball, “itʼs the fathers and sons as teams against each other,” Crincoli explained. “But then, if their son gets hit with the ball, the dad has to go and rescue his son.”“Thereʼs even a night mission that the son and the dad have to do together. There was one year that we did a mission where the dads and kids had to crack codes and to find the missing pilot. But they have to do it together — the son and dad.”The event also includes father and sons giving each other their own call signs and explaining why they chose them for each other. Itʼs a “dynamic of ‘How well do you know your son, and how well does your son know you?’” Father Vito Crincoli and Top Gun Father and Son weekend participants hold the Encounters, Convictions, and Your Decisions flag at the 2024 Top Gun Father and Son weekend event at Camp Castleton in Virginia. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Father Vito Crincoli Along with the mission-center games, the group most importantly spends time in prayer throughout the weekend.The “most beautiful” part of the event is when “we have the adoration — father-son adoration together,” Crincoli said. “The dad and his kid, they both come up to receive the blessing with the Blessed Sacrament. Itʼs a very intimate moment.”“Then we have the finishing Mass. And after the Mass, the dads and the kids are together,” and “itʼs the award ceremony.”Then, “the dads give their wings to their sons” and “as theyʼre pinning the wings to their son, theyʼre praying over their kids. Theyʼre blessing them. Theyʼre encouraging them.” A father blesses his son at the 2024 Top Gun Father and Son weekend event at Camp Castleton in Virginia. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Father Vito Crincoli The many ‘lights’ that come from the eventThe last day includes “a debriefing with the dads,” Crincoli said. “We sit down with the dads and we start asking them, ‘What has this weekend been for you?’”“The dads begin to express different comments,” Crincoli said. He further reflected on some of the past insights he has heard from fathers.  “The men say, ‘It is great to be with men that believe what I believe.’”“Another, he goes, ‘Itʼs beautiful, itʼs great, to be with men who are strongly Catholic, who are bonded by their sons, and that we could be a community.’ One of the dads said, ‘I really want to be a mentor in this because … this is an extension of my fatherhood.’”After the weekend, “they come back,” Crincoli said. They come back as mentors for ECYD clubs or take part in its other camps.“There are so many different lights that come from this,” he said.The next annual Top Gun Father and Son will be held the weekend of Oct. 17–18. It will include the presence of members of the U.S. Naval Academy and a former Navy Seabee chief who will support the weekend with leadership and inspiration.
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How the movie ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ inspired a camp for Catholic fathers and sons #Catholic Inspired by the movie “Top Gun: Maverick,” a D.C.-based youth ministry is using a weekendlong camp to build mentors and strengthen the bonds between Catholic fathers and their sons.The annual “Top Gun Father and Son” camping event welcomes dads and sons for a mission to grow closer, strengthen their relationships through challenges and reflections, and partake in faith-filled adventures.Encounters, Convictions, and Your Decisions (ECYD), an international Catholic association of adolescents with the Legionaries of Christ and Regnum Christi, hosts the annual weekend at Camp Castleton in Virginia for boys in fifth to eighth grade and their fathers.The event is only one of the fruits of ECYD, which also carries out other youth clubs, camps, leadership trainings, and gatherings.Father Vito Crincoli, LC, the director of the ECYD Leadership Training program in D.C., told EWTN News the ECYD ministry is “based on the spirituality of Jesus calling you to be his friend.”“Itʼs an international movement,” he said. “In Washington, D.C., in particular, weʼve been putting a lot of emphasis on forming dads to be mentors for our clubs.”“One is because we donʼt have as many priests as we would like to run the youth ministry. But also, above all, we want to create vibrant apostles, vibrant laypeople, to run youth work. And because men really want to be mentors.”“Weʼve noticed in these past years of our ministry that thereʼs been such a desire for the men to want to be involved. And we saw that precisely through the father-son weekends we do. It awakens something in them.”Men “want to do more,” Crincoli said. “They want to give more.” A father and his son at the 2024 Top Gun Father and Son weekend event at Camp Castleton in Virginia. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Father Vito Crincoli Finding unexpected inspiration from filmWhile the camp grew out of the desire to minister to Catholic men, it was ultimately a fictional adventure film about U.S. Navy aviators that set the idea into motion.After noticing a “father and son tone” in the 2022 film “Top Gun: Maverick,” Crincoli was inspired to bring together families for the event, which now welcomes anywhere from 20 to 40 fathers and sons.Crincoli was inspired by the relationship between the film’s characters Pete Mitchell and Bradley Bradshaw, better known by their call signs “Maverick” and “Rooster.”While the two Top Gun pilots are not related, Crincoli noticed a bond between them that is unique to a father and his son.In the movie, “Maverick is trying to be the best dad he could be for Rooster. Experiencing his own limitations, but also just trying,” Crincoli explained. “And then Rooster is looking for the type of dad he wants: ‘I need a role model in my life. Someone who can guide me.’”“Weʼre really trying to tell the dads: ‘Be a dad as a mission.’ Itʼs a mission of love. The whole idea of Top Gun Father and Son is that you and your son are a team. Youʼre preparing your son for life.”“Thatʼs what Maverick was doing with Rooster. He was preparing him for battle.”Top Gun Father and SonWhile at the camp, the group has previously been joined by members of the U.S. Naval Academy, including a Catholic former Top Gun pilot who “gave a talk to the dads about learning to fly with your kids — learning to fly with them through life.” Retired Top Gun pilot Lt. Adam Farber speaks to participants at the 2024 Top Gun Father and Son weekend event held at Camp Castleton in Virginia. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Father Vito Crincoli A pivotal part is the “moment where the dads earn their wings,” he said. “We had somebody donate real Navy wings to us.”“Itʼs a ceremony. Weʼll have the wings on the table, the flag, the dads line up and then … the dads become ‘Top Gun dads’” and “they get their wings.” It “begins the mission of the weekend.”To help the participants live out the mission, the dads have “a training camp,” Crincoli said. “In that training camp we have different activities.”The activities include anything from dodgeball and nighttime “missions” to quiet time in prayer. The weekend includes “different dynamics and different adventures” to create fellowship and teamwork between the fathers and sons.During dodgeball, “itʼs the fathers and sons as teams against each other,” Crincoli explained. “But then, if their son gets hit with the ball, the dad has to go and rescue his son.”“Thereʼs even a night mission that the son and the dad have to do together. There was one year that we did a mission where the dads and kids had to crack codes and to find the missing pilot. But they have to do it together — the son and dad.”The event also includes father and sons giving each other their own call signs and explaining why they chose them for each other. Itʼs a “dynamic of ‘How well do you know your son, and how well does your son know you?’” Father Vito Crincoli and Top Gun Father and Son weekend participants hold the Encounters, Convictions, and Your Decisions flag at the 2024 Top Gun Father and Son weekend event at Camp Castleton in Virginia. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Father Vito Crincoli Along with the mission-center games, the group most importantly spends time in prayer throughout the weekend.The “most beautiful” part of the event is when “we have the adoration — father-son adoration together,” Crincoli said. “The dad and his kid, they both come up to receive the blessing with the Blessed Sacrament. Itʼs a very intimate moment.”“Then we have the finishing Mass. And after the Mass, the dads and the kids are together,” and “itʼs the award ceremony.”Then, “the dads give their wings to their sons” and “as theyʼre pinning the wings to their son, theyʼre praying over their kids. Theyʼre blessing them. Theyʼre encouraging them.” A father blesses his son at the 2024 Top Gun Father and Son weekend event at Camp Castleton in Virginia. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Father Vito Crincoli The many ‘lights’ that come from the eventThe last day includes “a debriefing with the dads,” Crincoli said. “We sit down with the dads and we start asking them, ‘What has this weekend been for you?’”“The dads begin to express different comments,” Crincoli said. He further reflected on some of the past insights he has heard from fathers.  “The men say, ‘It is great to be with men that believe what I believe.’”“Another, he goes, ‘Itʼs beautiful, itʼs great, to be with men who are strongly Catholic, who are bonded by their sons, and that we could be a community.’ One of the dads said, ‘I really want to be a mentor in this because … this is an extension of my fatherhood.’”After the weekend, “they come back,” Crincoli said. They come back as mentors for ECYD clubs or take part in its other camps.“There are so many different lights that come from this,” he said.The next annual Top Gun Father and Son will be held the weekend of Oct. 17–18. It will include the presence of members of the U.S. Naval Academy and a former Navy Seabee chief who will support the weekend with leadership and inspiration.

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The annual camping event welcomes dads and sons for a mission to grow closer, strengthen their relationships through challenges and reflections, and partake in faith-filled adventures.

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The Sky Today on Saturday, August 29: Double star Zeta Lyrae

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Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.  August 28: Vesta stands still You may have heard of Epsilon (ε) Lyrae, the famous Double Double star in the constellation Lyra, but it’s not the only fascinating pair this constellation holds. Tonight, let’s check out another multi-star system in the Lyre:Continue reading “The Sky Today on Saturday, August 29: Double star Zeta Lyrae”

The post The Sky Today on Saturday, August 29: Double star Zeta Lyrae appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

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Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney’s Schedule: September, 2026 #Catholic – 9/2 Wed.,1:30 p.m. Priest meeting – St. Paul Inside the Walls, Madison. 9/3 Thu., 7 p.m. DMA kick-off meeting with pastors and Lay Appeal chairpeople – All Saints Academy, Parsippany. 9/4 Fri., 4:30 p.m. Newer Religious Gathering – Mary Help of Christians, North Haledon. 9/5 Sat., 8 a.m. Mass for Life & Procession – St. Margaret of Scotland Parish, Morristown; 11 a.m. & 1 p.m. Confirmation – Holy Trinity Parish, Passaic. 9/6 Sun., 12:30 p.m. St. Therese Parish, Paterson. 9/8 Tue., 10 a.m. Solemn vows – Discalced Carmelites, Morristown. 9/9 Wed., 10:30 a.m. Tri-County Scholarship Fund visit – St. Gerard Majella School, Paterson. 9/10 Thu., 7 p.m. September 11 Memorial Mass – St. Patrick’s Cathedral, NYC. 9/11 Fri., 9:30 a.m. Mass – All Saints Academy, Parsippany; 11:30 a.m. Staff Mass – St. Paul’s Inside the Walls, Madison, commemorating the 25th Anniversary of the terrorist attacks; 7 p.m. Confirmation – St. Pius X Parish, Montville. 9/12 Sat., 10:30 a.m. Confirmation – Our Lady of the Magnificat Parish, Kinnelon; 2 p.m. Mass and Eucharistic Procession for Altar Servers Day – St. Paul Inside the Walls, Madison; 4 p.m. Installation Mass of Father Manuel Cuellar – St. Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio) Parish, Paterson, St. Bonaventure Church, Paterson. 9/13 Sun., 10:30 a.m. Mass and the Rite of Veneration over the first-class relic of St. Carlo Acutis – Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish, Wayne. 9/14 Mon., 1 p.m. Dean’s meeting. 9/15 Tue., 12 p.m. Retired Priests’ Autumn Lunch – St. Ann’s Parish, Parsipany; 6 p.m. Confirmation – Corpus Christi Parish, Chatham. 9/16 Wed., 12 p.m. Mass celebrating Hispanic heritage – St. Joseph’s Health, Paterson. 9/17 Thu. Pastoral Care of Immigrant Communities – Villanova Cabrini Campus, Radnor, Pa. 9/18–21 Pilgrimage to Our Lady of Guadalupe, Chalco, Mexico. 9/22 Tue., 7 p.m. Confirmation – St. Anthony Parish, Hawthorne. 9/23 Wed., 10:30 a.m. Mass and profession of vows – Chapel of Sisters of Christian Charity, Mendham. 9/25 Fri., 9:30 a.m. Mass – DePaul Catholic High School, Wayne; 7 p.m. Diocesan Emmaus Mass – the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, Paterson. 9/26 Sat., 11 a.m. Filipino Martyrs’ Mass – Notre Dame of Mount Carmel Parish, Cedar Knolls; 1 p.m. Invocation – the Memorial for the Fallen from the global war on terror, County College of Morris, Randolph; 5 p.m. Mass – St. Mary Parish, Denville, for their 100th anniversary celebration. 9/27 Sun., 4 p.m. Confirmation – St. Gerard Majella Parish, Paterson. 9/28 Mon., 1 p.m. Presbyteral Council. 9/29 Tue., 9:20 a.m. Mass – Villa Walsh Academy, Morristown. 9/30 Wed., 6 p.m. Governor Thomas Kean Leadership Award Gala – Battello, Jersey City. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.  
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Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney’s Schedule: September, 2026 #Catholic – 9/2 Wed.,1:30 p.m. Priest meeting – St. Paul Inside the Walls, Madison. 9/3 Thu., 7 p.m. DMA kick-off meeting with pastors and Lay Appeal chairpeople – All Saints Academy, Parsippany. 9/4 Fri., 4:30 p.m. Newer Religious Gathering – Mary Help of Christians, North Haledon. 9/5 Sat., 8 a.m. Mass for Life & Procession – St. Margaret of Scotland Parish, Morristown; 11 a.m. & 1 p.m. Confirmation – Holy Trinity Parish, Passaic. 9/6 Sun., 12:30 p.m. St. Therese Parish, Paterson. 9/8 Tue., 10 a.m. Solemn vows – Discalced Carmelites, Morristown. 9/9 Wed., 10:30 a.m. Tri-County Scholarship Fund visit – St. Gerard Majella School, Paterson. 9/10 Thu., 7 p.m. September 11 Memorial Mass – St. Patrick’s Cathedral, NYC. 9/11 Fri., 9:30 a.m. Mass – All Saints Academy, Parsippany; 11:30 a.m. Staff Mass – St. Paul’s Inside the Walls, Madison, commemorating the 25th Anniversary of the terrorist attacks; 7 p.m. Confirmation – St. Pius X Parish, Montville. 9/12 Sat., 10:30 a.m. Confirmation – Our Lady of the Magnificat Parish, Kinnelon; 2 p.m. Mass and Eucharistic Procession for Altar Servers Day – St. Paul Inside the Walls, Madison; 4 p.m. Installation Mass of Father Manuel Cuellar – St. Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio) Parish, Paterson, St. Bonaventure Church, Paterson. 9/13 Sun., 10:30 a.m. Mass and the Rite of Veneration over the first-class relic of St. Carlo Acutis – Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish, Wayne. 9/14 Mon., 1 p.m. Dean’s meeting. 9/15 Tue., 12 p.m. Retired Priests’ Autumn Lunch – St. Ann’s Parish, Parsipany; 6 p.m. Confirmation – Corpus Christi Parish, Chatham. 9/16 Wed., 12 p.m. Mass celebrating Hispanic heritage – St. Joseph’s Health, Paterson. 9/17 Thu. Pastoral Care of Immigrant Communities – Villanova Cabrini Campus, Radnor, Pa. 9/18–21 Pilgrimage to Our Lady of Guadalupe, Chalco, Mexico. 9/22 Tue., 7 p.m. Confirmation – St. Anthony Parish, Hawthorne. 9/23 Wed., 10:30 a.m. Mass and profession of vows – Chapel of Sisters of Christian Charity, Mendham. 9/25 Fri., 9:30 a.m. Mass – DePaul Catholic High School, Wayne; 7 p.m. Diocesan Emmaus Mass – the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, Paterson. 9/26 Sat., 11 a.m. Filipino Martyrs’ Mass – Notre Dame of Mount Carmel Parish, Cedar Knolls; 1 p.m. Invocation – the Memorial for the Fallen from the global war on terror, County College of Morris, Randolph; 5 p.m. Mass – St. Mary Parish, Denville, for their 100th anniversary celebration. 9/27 Sun., 4 p.m. Confirmation – St. Gerard Majella Parish, Paterson. 9/28 Mon., 1 p.m. Presbyteral Council. 9/29 Tue., 9:20 a.m. Mass – Villa Walsh Academy, Morristown. 9/30 Wed., 6 p.m. Governor Thomas Kean Leadership Award Gala – Battello, Jersey City. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.  

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Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney’s Schedule: September, 2026 #Catholic –

9/2 Wed.,1:30 p.m. Priest meeting – St. Paul Inside the Walls, Madison.
9/3 Thu., 7 p.m. DMA kick-off meeting with pastors and Lay Appeal chairpeople – All Saints Academy, Parsippany.
9/4 Fri., 4:30 p.m. Newer Religious Gathering – Mary Help of Christians, North Haledon.
9/5 Sat., 8 a.m. Mass for Life & Procession – St. Margaret of Scotland Parish, Morristown; 11 a.m. & 1 p.m. Confirmation – Holy Trinity Parish, Passaic.
9/6 Sun., 12:30 p.m. St. Therese Parish, Paterson.
9/8 Tue., 10 a.m. Solemn vows – Discalced Carmelites, Morristown.
9/9 Wed., 10:30 a.m. Tri-County Scholarship Fund visit – St. Gerard Majella School, Paterson.
9/10 Thu., 7 p.m. September 11 Memorial Mass – St. Patrick’s Cathedral, NYC.
9/11 Fri., 9:30 a.m. Mass – All Saints Academy, Parsippany; 11:30 a.m. Staff Mass – St. Paul’s Inside the Walls, Madison, commemorating the 25th Anniversary of the terrorist attacks; 7 p.m. Confirmation – St. Pius X Parish, Montville.
9/12 Sat., 10:30 a.m. Confirmation – Our Lady of the Magnificat Parish, Kinnelon; 2 p.m. Mass and Eucharistic Procession for Altar Servers Day – St. Paul Inside the Walls, Madison; 4 p.m. Installation Mass of Father Manuel Cuellar – St. Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio) Parish, Paterson, St. Bonaventure Church, Paterson.
9/13 Sun., 10:30 a.m. Mass and the Rite of Veneration over the first-class relic of St. Carlo Acutis – Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish, Wayne.
9/14 Mon., 1 p.m. Dean’s meeting.
9/15 Tue., 12 p.m. Retired Priests’ Autumn Lunch – St. Ann’s Parish, Parsipany; 6 p.m. Confirmation – Corpus Christi Parish, Chatham.
9/16 Wed., 12 p.m. Mass celebrating Hispanic heritage – St. Joseph’s Health, Paterson.
9/17 Thu. Pastoral Care of Immigrant Communities – Villanova Cabrini Campus, Radnor, Pa.
9/18–21 Pilgrimage to Our Lady of Guadalupe, Chalco, Mexico.
9/22 Tue., 7 p.m. Confirmation – St. Anthony Parish, Hawthorne.
9/23 Wed., 10:30 a.m. Mass and profession of vows – Chapel of Sisters of Christian Charity, Mendham.
9/25 Fri., 9:30 a.m. Mass – DePaul Catholic High School, Wayne; 7 p.m. Diocesan Emmaus Mass – the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, Paterson.
9/26 Sat., 11 a.m. Filipino Martyrs’ Mass – Notre Dame of Mount Carmel Parish, Cedar Knolls; 1 p.m. Invocation – the Memorial for the Fallen from the global war on terror, County College of Morris, Randolph; 5 p.m. Mass – St. Mary Parish, Denville, for their 100th anniversary celebration.
9/27 Sun., 4 p.m. Confirmation – St. Gerard Majella Parish, Paterson.
9/28 Mon., 1 p.m. Presbyteral Council.
9/29 Tue., 9:20 a.m. Mass – Villa Walsh Academy, Morristown.
9/30 Wed., 6 p.m. Governor Thomas Kean Leadership Award Gala – Battello, Jersey City.
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

 

– 9/2 Wed.,1:30 p.m. Priest meeting – St. Paul Inside the Walls, Madison. 9/3 Thu., 7 p.m. DMA kick-off meeting with pastors and Lay Appeal chairpeople – All Saints Academy, Parsippany. 9/4 Fri., 4:30 p.m. Newer Religious Gathering – Mary Help of Christians, North Haledon. 9/5 Sat., 8 a.m. Mass for Life & Procession – St. Margaret of Scotland Parish, Morristown; 11 a.m. & 1 p.m. Confirmation – Holy Trinity Parish, Passaic. 9/6 Sun., 12:30 p.m. St. Therese Parish, Paterson. 9/8 Tue., 10 a.m. Solemn vows – Discalced Carmelites, Morristown. 9/9 Wed., 10:30 a.m. Tri-County Scholarship Fund visit – St. Gerard

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NASA’s Artemis II Crew Receives Congressional Space Medal of Honor – President Donald J. Trump awarded NASA astronauts Victor Glover and Christina Koch, CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, and NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman with the Congressional Space Medal of Honor on Aug. 28, 2026, at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

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President Donald J. Trump awarded NASA astronauts Victor Glover and Christina Koch, CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, and NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman with the Congressional Space Medal of Honor on Aug. 28, 2026, at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

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Gospel and Word of the Day – 29 August 2026 – A reading from the First Letter of St. Paul to Corinthians 1:26-31 Consider your own calling, brothers and sisters. Not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. Rather, God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise, and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong, and God chose the lowly and despised of the world, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who are something, so that no human being might boast before God. It is due to him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, as well as righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, so that, as it is written, Whoever boasts, should boast in the Lord.From the Gospel according to Mark 6:17-29 Herod was the one who had John the Baptist arrested and bound in prison on account of Herodias,  the wife of his brother Philip, whom he had married. John had said to Herod, ?It is not lawful for you to have your brother?s wife.? Herodias harbored a grudge against him and wanted to kill him but was unable to do so. Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man, and kept him in custody. When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed, yet he liked to listen to him. She had an opportunity one day when Herod, on his birthday, gave a banquet for his courtiers, his military officers, and the leading men of Galilee. Herodias? own daughter came in and performed a dance that delighted Herod and his guests. The king said to the girl, ?Ask of me whatever you wish and I will grant it to you.? He even swore many things to her, ?I will grant you whatever you ask of me, even to half of my kingdom.? She went out and said to her mother, ?What shall I ask for?? She replied, ?The head of John the Baptist.? The girl hurried back to the king?s presence and made her request, ?I want you to give me at once on a platter the head of John the Baptist.? The king was deeply distressed, but because of his oaths and the guests he did not wish to break his word to her. So he promptly dispatched an executioner with orders to bring back his head. He went off and beheaded him in the prison. He brought in the head on a platter and gave it to the girl. The girl in turn gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard about it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.As his last act the Baptist witnessed with his blood to faithfulness to God?s commandments, without giving in or withdrawing, carrying out his mission to the very end. (?) We see this great figure, this force in the Passion, in resistance to the powerful. We wonder: what gave birth to this life, to this interiority so strong, so upright, so consistent, spent so totally for God in preparing the way for Jesus? The answer is simple: it was born from the relationship with God, from prayer, which was the thread that guided him throughout his existence. (?) Celebrating the martyrdom of St John the Baptist reminds us too, Christians of this time, that with love for Christ, for his words and for the Truth, we cannot stoop to compromises. The Truth is Truth; there are no compromises. Christian life demands, so to speak, the ?martyrdom? of daily fidelity to the Gospel, the courage, that is, to let Christ grow within us and let him be the One who guides our thought and our actions. However, this can happen in our life only if we have a solid relationship with God. Prayer is not time wasted, it does not take away time from our activities, even apostolic activities, but exactly the opposite is true: only if we are able to have a faithful, constant and trusting life of prayer will God himself give us the ability and strength to live happily and serenely, to surmount difficulties and to witness courageously to him. St John the Baptist, intercede for us, that we may be ever able to preserve the primacy of God in our life. (Pope Benedict XVI, General Audience, 29 August 2012)

unitedyam

A reading from the First Letter of St. Paul to Corinthians
1:26-31

Consider your own calling, brothers and sisters.
Not many of you were wise by human standards,
not many were powerful,
not many were of noble birth.
Rather, God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise,
and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong,
and God chose the lowly and despised of the world,
those who count for nothing,
to reduce to nothing those who are something,
so that no human being might boast before God.
It is due to him that you are in Christ Jesus,
who became for us wisdom from God,
as well as righteousness, sanctification, and redemption,
so that, as it is written,
Whoever boasts, should boast in the Lord.

From the Gospel according to Mark
6:17-29

Herod was the one who had John the Baptist
arrested and bound in prison
on account of Herodias, 
the wife of his brother Philip, whom he had married.
John had said to Herod,
?It is not lawful for you to have your brother?s wife.?
Herodias harbored a grudge against him
and wanted to kill him but was unable to do so.
Herod feared John,
knowing him to be a righteous and holy man,
and kept him in custody.
When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed,
yet he liked to listen to him.
She had an opportunity one day when Herod,
on his birthday,
gave a banquet for his courtiers,
his military officers, and the leading men of Galilee.
Herodias? own daughter came in
and performed a dance that
delighted Herod and his guests.
The king said to the girl,
?Ask of me whatever you wish and I will grant it to you.?
He even swore many things to her,
?I will grant you whatever you ask of me,
even to half of my kingdom.?
She went out and said to her mother,
?What shall I ask for??
She replied, ?The head of John the Baptist.?
The girl hurried back to the king?s presence
and made her request,
?I want you to give me at once
on a platter the head of John the Baptist.?
The king was deeply distressed,
but because of his oaths and the guests
he did not wish to break his word to her.
So he promptly dispatched an executioner with orders
to bring back his head.
He went off and beheaded him in the prison.
He brought in the head on a platter and gave it to the girl.
The girl in turn gave it to her mother.
When his disciples heard about it,
they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

As his last act the Baptist witnessed with his blood to faithfulness to God?s commandments, without giving in or withdrawing, carrying out his mission to the very end. (?)

We see this great figure, this force in the Passion, in resistance to the powerful. We wonder: what gave birth to this life, to this interiority so strong, so upright, so consistent, spent so totally for God in preparing the way for Jesus? The answer is simple: it was born from the relationship with God, from prayer, which was the thread that guided him throughout his existence. (?)

Celebrating the martyrdom of St John the Baptist reminds us too, Christians of this time, that with love for Christ, for his words and for the Truth, we cannot stoop to compromises. The Truth is Truth; there are no compromises. Christian life demands, so to speak, the ?martyrdom? of daily fidelity to the Gospel, the courage, that is, to let Christ grow within us and let him be the One who guides our thought and our actions. However, this can happen in our life only if we have a solid relationship with God. Prayer is not time wasted, it does not take away time from our activities, even apostolic activities, but exactly the opposite is true: only if we are able to have a faithful, constant and trusting life of prayer will God himself give us the ability and strength to live happily and serenely, to surmount difficulties and to witness courageously to him. St John the Baptist, intercede for us, that we may be ever able to preserve the primacy of God in our life. (Pope Benedict XVI, General Audience, 29 August 2012)

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Student asks Supreme Court to overturn ruling blocking public aid for religious studies #Catholic Representatives for Liberty University student Bethany Hall have filed a petition to the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse a decades-old court decision that has been used to bar Catholic institutions from receiving state funds.The National Legal Foundation, Claybrook LLC, Troutman Pepper Locke, First Liberty Institute, and Alliance Defending Freedom filed the petition on Aug. 11. The filing follows a May 13 ruling by a 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel that rejected Hall’s attempt to sue Virginia officials for blocking her from using a ,000 Virginia Tuition Assistance Grant for a youth ministries degree, citing the 2004 Supreme Court decision Locke v. Davey.“It is odious to our Constitution for a state to fund a degree in music but refuse to fund a degree in music & worship,” Steven Fitschen of National Legal Foundation said in a press release announcing the petition. “The Free Exercise clause is meant to encourage and even prefer religion. But Virginia’s decision to deny funding based upon religious use is the type of hostility toward religion rejected by the First Amendment.”Diocese of Scranton reopens St. Pius X Seminary after over 20 yearsSt. Pius X Seminary in the Diocese of Scranton, Pennsylvania, has been reestablished 22 years after its closure in 2004 due to a declining number of vocations to the priesthood.Bishop Joseph Bambera presided over the seminary’s official opening on Aug. 23, welcoming four seminarians to the freshly renovated building that was formerly the Cathedral Convent building, according to a press release from the diocese.“As we re-establish the ministry of Saint Pius X Seminary, what an incredible gift this is,” Bambera said during his homily at the seminary’s first Mass, according to the release. Bambera had been a seminarian at St. Pius X Seminary in Dalton 48 years ago.The release noted that the decision to reestablish the seminary came from Bambera’s wish “to make the first stage of priestly formation more closely connected to the Diocese of Scranton and the people the seminarians may one day serve.”“We are excited because it’s going to give these men, as they start seminary, an opportunity to get to know the Diocese better,” Father Alex Roche, diocesan secretary for clergy formation and rector of St. Pius X Seminary, said in the release. “It’s also going to give the people of the Diocese a chance to get to know our seminarians before they go elsewhere to continue their studies in theology.”Justice Barrett to speak at Benedictine College’s library dedicationSupreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett will deliver a speech at the upcoming dedication of Benedictine College’s Independence Hall-inspired library on Sept. 26.“This is an exciting milestone for Benedictine College,” Benedictine College President Stephen D. Minnis said in a press release on Aug. 25. “The library will not only demonstrate our commitment to academic excellence and the Catholic Intellectual Tradition, but it will also be a symbol of our love for this great country of ours.”“The college is pleased to have Justice Barrett as part of the dedication ceremony,” the press release said, noting that the dedication for the Moritz Library in D’Aniello Hall will be free and open to the public.Barrett earned her bachelor’s degree from Rhodes College and her law degree from the University of Notre Dame.Students revive 1982 robotic arm at Catholic University despite lost documentationA group of students from The Catholic University of America have brought to life a robotic space arm built in 1982 after documentation for the piece of technology has been lost for years.Originally developed by Engineering Dean Emeritus and Ordinary Professor Charles Cuong Nguyen, the arm had been part of a pioneering technological effort to build the International Space Station, according to the university’s press release on Aug. 12.The project to revive the arm, which is capable of a wide range of precise movements within a thousandth of an inch, was carried out by three students, including a high school Da Vinci Scholar, and was led by Nguyen. The students included Saliha Kavafogolu, an undergraduate intern from Yale University; Nathan Arega, a high school Da Vinci Scholar; and Ha (Jessica) Ngo-Tang, a biomedical engineering doctoral candidate.California parents ask Supreme Court to overturn ruling excluding them from state programThree California parents have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit to exclude them from a state program over the religious materials they chose to home-school their children.“The Ninth Circuit declared the homes of these parents to be ‘public school programs’ in order to justify the state’s religious discrimination,” Hiram Sasser, executive general counsel for First Liberty Institute, said in an Aug. 20 press release. “Parents should not be punished for choosing quality religious curriculum meeting the state’s standard that they teach to their own children in their own home just because it’s religious.”The state of California’s tuition-free charter schools allow parents to home-school their children and have access to state funds to purchase curriculum. However, the press release notes, parents “can’t select a religious curriculum, even if they purchase it with their own funds, and their children’s work samples are rejected if they include religious wording or derive from materials created by religious publishers.”The petition states that “California’s policy singles out parents who wish to give their children a faith-based education and excludes them from homeschooling benefits and support extended to other California families.”
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Student asks Supreme Court to overturn ruling blocking public aid for religious studies #Catholic Representatives for Liberty University student Bethany Hall have filed a petition to the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse a decades-old court decision that has been used to bar Catholic institutions from receiving state funds.The National Legal Foundation, Claybrook LLC, Troutman Pepper Locke, First Liberty Institute, and Alliance Defending Freedom filed the petition on Aug. 11. The filing follows a May 13 ruling by a 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel that rejected Hall’s attempt to sue Virginia officials for blocking her from using a $5,000 Virginia Tuition Assistance Grant for a youth ministries degree, citing the 2004 Supreme Court decision Locke v. Davey.“It is odious to our Constitution for a state to fund a degree in music but refuse to fund a degree in music & worship,” Steven Fitschen of National Legal Foundation said in a press release announcing the petition. “The Free Exercise clause is meant to encourage and even prefer religion. But Virginia’s decision to deny funding based upon religious use is the type of hostility toward religion rejected by the First Amendment.”Diocese of Scranton reopens St. Pius X Seminary after over 20 yearsSt. Pius X Seminary in the Diocese of Scranton, Pennsylvania, has been reestablished 22 years after its closure in 2004 due to a declining number of vocations to the priesthood.Bishop Joseph Bambera presided over the seminary’s official opening on Aug. 23, welcoming four seminarians to the freshly renovated building that was formerly the Cathedral Convent building, according to a press release from the diocese.“As we re-establish the ministry of Saint Pius X Seminary, what an incredible gift this is,” Bambera said during his homily at the seminary’s first Mass, according to the release. Bambera had been a seminarian at St. Pius X Seminary in Dalton 48 years ago.The release noted that the decision to reestablish the seminary came from Bambera’s wish “to make the first stage of priestly formation more closely connected to the Diocese of Scranton and the people the seminarians may one day serve.”“We are excited because it’s going to give these men, as they start seminary, an opportunity to get to know the Diocese better,” Father Alex Roche, diocesan secretary for clergy formation and rector of St. Pius X Seminary, said in the release. “It’s also going to give the people of the Diocese a chance to get to know our seminarians before they go elsewhere to continue their studies in theology.”Justice Barrett to speak at Benedictine College’s library dedicationSupreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett will deliver a speech at the upcoming dedication of Benedictine College’s Independence Hall-inspired library on Sept. 26.“This is an exciting milestone for Benedictine College,” Benedictine College President Stephen D. Minnis said in a press release on Aug. 25. “The library will not only demonstrate our commitment to academic excellence and the Catholic Intellectual Tradition, but it will also be a symbol of our love for this great country of ours.”“The college is pleased to have Justice Barrett as part of the dedication ceremony,” the press release said, noting that the dedication for the Moritz Library in D’Aniello Hall will be free and open to the public.Barrett earned her bachelor’s degree from Rhodes College and her law degree from the University of Notre Dame.Students revive 1982 robotic arm at Catholic University despite lost documentationA group of students from The Catholic University of America have brought to life a robotic space arm built in 1982 after documentation for the piece of technology has been lost for years.Originally developed by Engineering Dean Emeritus and Ordinary Professor Charles Cuong Nguyen, the arm had been part of a pioneering technological effort to build the International Space Station, according to the university’s press release on Aug. 12.The project to revive the arm, which is capable of a wide range of precise movements within a thousandth of an inch, was carried out by three students, including a high school Da Vinci Scholar, and was led by Nguyen. The students included Saliha Kavafogolu, an undergraduate intern from Yale University; Nathan Arega, a high school Da Vinci Scholar; and Ha (Jessica) Ngo-Tang, a biomedical engineering doctoral candidate.California parents ask Supreme Court to overturn ruling excluding them from state programThree California parents have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit to exclude them from a state program over the religious materials they chose to home-school their children.“The Ninth Circuit declared the homes of these parents to be ‘public school programs’ in order to justify the state’s religious discrimination,” Hiram Sasser, executive general counsel for First Liberty Institute, said in an Aug. 20 press release. “Parents should not be punished for choosing quality religious curriculum meeting the state’s standard that they teach to their own children in their own home just because it’s religious.”The state of California’s tuition-free charter schools allow parents to home-school their children and have access to state funds to purchase curriculum. However, the press release notes, parents “can’t select a religious curriculum, even if they purchase it with their own funds, and their children’s work samples are rejected if they include religious wording or derive from materials created by religious publishers.”The petition states that “California’s policy singles out parents who wish to give their children a faith-based education and excludes them from homeschooling benefits and support extended to other California families.”

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A student challenges a 2004 Supreme Court decision, the Diocese of Scranton reopens its seminary, and Benedictine College names a speaker for its library dedication in this week’s education roundup.

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Revival of Latin Mass spreads among Vietnamese Catholic youth #Catholic The Latin Mass and traditional Vietnamese prayers and catechetical texts written by missionaries prior to the Second Vatican Council are growing in popularity among young Vietnamese Catholics.“Few Catholic communities in Southeast Asia still possess such a rich heritage,” Joseph Christopher Nguyen Thien Tuan Hoang, the leader of a Latin Mass community in Vietnam, said in an Aug. 25 UCA News report.While there is no established parish dedicated to the Latin Mass according to the report, traditional communities are able to attend the liturgy when approval is granted and with the help of foreign visiting priests.“Our biggest challenge is not hostility, but misunderstanding,” Hoang said. “If more Church leaders understood why some young Catholics are drawn to the older liturgy, I believe more people would have the opportunity to experience this part of the Churchʼs tradition.”From Gaza to Taybeh, priests call for living Christian presence in Holy LandFather Gabriel Romanelli of Holy Family Parish in Gaza City discussed the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza during a video appearance at the Rimini Meeting, a signature event hosted by the Catholic movement Communion and Liberation.Romanelli described Gaza as a devastated territory where water, electricity, and basic necessities remain scarce. The priest said his decision to stay was rooted in pastoral duty: the parish could not abandon children, people with disabilities, or struggling families.ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News, reported Aug. 26 that Gaza’s Christian community now numbers 541 Catholics and Orthodox, and 60 members have died since the war began.Father Francesco Ielpo, custos of the Holy Land, also spoke at the event, turning attention to the attacks facing the Christian town of Taybeh and called for concrete protection of fundamental rights. He also encouraged pilgrims to return, noting that their presence supports local Christians and strengthens their calling to care for the holy sites.10 Catholic dioceses in the Philippines call for end to mining agreementBishops representing 10 Catholic dioceses in the Philippines have issued a joint pastoral statement addressed to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Environment Secretary Juan Miguel T. Cuna calling for an end to mining in the island of Sibuyan.The letter, titled “Let Sibuyan Live: A Joint Call to Initiate the Cancellation of APMC’s Mining Agreement,” urges political leaders to carry out a comprehensive review of a mining agreement with Altai Philippines Mining Corp (APMC) in Sibuyan to ensure compliance with environmental laws, according to an Aug. 24 report from Inquirer.net. The bishops expressed concern over the mining agreement’s threats to the island’s mountains, watersheds, rivers, coral reefs, and species unique to the island.Recently appointed apostolic nuncio to Germany makes first visitThe recently appointed apostolic nuncio to Germany, Archbishop Hubertus van Megen, completed his inaugural visit to the headquarters of the German Bishops' Conference (DBK) in Bonn this week, CNA Deutsch, the German-language sister service of EWTN News, reported Aug. 28. During the meeting, van Megen presented his official assignment letter as nuncio to the DBK chairman signed by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin. "It was the first visit of an apostolic nuncio to the Secretariat of the German Bishops' Conference in more than 13 years,” the DBK noted in its announcement on social media. Van Megen has served as nuncio to Kenya and South Sudan and held various positions within United Nations institutions.UK member of Parliament calls for reforms before considering assisted suicideMember of Parliament Zubir Ahmed, a former health minister in the British Labour Party and National Health Service doctor, has backed calls from Prime Minister Andy Burnham, a Catholic, to carry out health reforms before considering legislation on assisted suicide.“What kind of society are we building if, before we’ve fixed the systems designed to care for people, we introduce a system designed to help them die?” Ahmed asked in an Aug. 25 op-ed in The Guardian. “As a former health minister who has seen the system from the inside, I am able to say it is not ready or equipped to answer this question.” Ahmed’s remarks come after the prime minister said in July that debates on assisted suicide should be delayed until the country’s palliative and social care systems have been reformed.Syria’s Catholic schools seek to remain both strong and compassionateWith another school year approaching, Syria’s Christian schools are struggling to keep tuition affordable while covering salaries, taxes, electricity, books, and other rising expenses.Father Fadi Najjar, secretary-general of Catholic educational institutions in Syria, said no child should be forced out because a family cannot pay, ACI MENA reported Aug. 27. At the same time, he cautioned that schools cannot fulfill their educational mission if they are treated solely as charitable institutions. Najjar appealed to churches and aid organizations to support families in genuine need and help protect the future of Christian education in Syria.Catholic priest in Ghana suspended for ‘abandoning’ pastoral ministryGhana’s Diocese of Konongo-Mampong has imposed an indefinite canonical suspension on a priest of the diocese for taking a leave of absence and “abandoning his pastoral ministry” without legitimate permission.Bishop John Opoku-Agyemang announced the suspension of Father Samuel Adapore on Aug. 24, ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, reported. The priest has been barred from administering any of the sacraments publicly, including the celebration of Mass, or officiating any other liturgical services. The bishop said he made the decision “with a heavy heart but a great sense of duty to Holy Mother Church” to suspend the priest, who he noted had left his parish without telling anyone where he was going, including immediate family members.Sierra Leonean priest cautions religious against shunning help for mental health strugglesThe president of the Regional Union of Priests of West Africa has told members of the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life not to be ashamed of seeking psychological support, stressing that “mental-health struggles do not cancel their vocation,” ACI Africa reported Aug. 25.“Our priests and religious spend their lives caring for others. We must also care for them. They need trusted friends, safe spaces for honest conversation, regular medical and psychological support, sufficient rest, and communities that listen without judgment,” Father Peter Konteh said following the resignation of Bishop Karl-Heinz Wiesemann of German’s Speyer Diocese over mental health struggles.Christian city of Qamishli, Syria, turns 100The city of Qamishli marked its centennial with a Christian community far smaller than the one that helped build the northeastern Syrian city.Founded in 1926 after Christians fled Ottoman-era massacres, the city once had a population that was nearly 90% Christian, ACI MENA reported Aug. 25. Father Samir Kanoun, priest of the church of St. Yacoub Al-Nusaibini in Qamishli, said decades of migration, intensified after the Syrian crisis began in 2011, have reduced that share to about 20%, leaving roughly 2,000 Christian families. Despite the decline, Qamishli retains a rich mix of Syriac, Armenian, Chaldean, Assyrian, and Protestant churches. Their cooperation grew stronger during the war through shared prayer, security coordination, and charitable work. Kanoun remains hopeful, pointing to the city’s active young Christians and the Church’s efforts to preserve their faith, heritage, and sense of belonging to Syria.
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Revival of Latin Mass spreads among Vietnamese Catholic youth #Catholic The Latin Mass and traditional Vietnamese prayers and catechetical texts written by missionaries prior to the Second Vatican Council are growing in popularity among young Vietnamese Catholics.“Few Catholic communities in Southeast Asia still possess such a rich heritage,” Joseph Christopher Nguyen Thien Tuan Hoang, the leader of a Latin Mass community in Vietnam, said in an Aug. 25 UCA News report.While there is no established parish dedicated to the Latin Mass according to the report, traditional communities are able to attend the liturgy when approval is granted and with the help of foreign visiting priests.“Our biggest challenge is not hostility, but misunderstanding,” Hoang said. “If more Church leaders understood why some young Catholics are drawn to the older liturgy, I believe more people would have the opportunity to experience this part of the Churchʼs tradition.”From Gaza to Taybeh, priests call for living Christian presence in Holy LandFather Gabriel Romanelli of Holy Family Parish in Gaza City discussed the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza during a video appearance at the Rimini Meeting, a signature event hosted by the Catholic movement Communion and Liberation.Romanelli described Gaza as a devastated territory where water, electricity, and basic necessities remain scarce. The priest said his decision to stay was rooted in pastoral duty: the parish could not abandon children, people with disabilities, or struggling families.ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News, reported Aug. 26 that Gaza’s Christian community now numbers 541 Catholics and Orthodox, and 60 members have died since the war began.Father Francesco Ielpo, custos of the Holy Land, also spoke at the event, turning attention to the attacks facing the Christian town of Taybeh and called for concrete protection of fundamental rights. He also encouraged pilgrims to return, noting that their presence supports local Christians and strengthens their calling to care for the holy sites.10 Catholic dioceses in the Philippines call for end to mining agreementBishops representing 10 Catholic dioceses in the Philippines have issued a joint pastoral statement addressed to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Environment Secretary Juan Miguel T. Cuna calling for an end to mining in the island of Sibuyan.The letter, titled “Let Sibuyan Live: A Joint Call to Initiate the Cancellation of APMC’s Mining Agreement,” urges political leaders to carry out a comprehensive review of a mining agreement with Altai Philippines Mining Corp (APMC) in Sibuyan to ensure compliance with environmental laws, according to an Aug. 24 report from Inquirer.net. The bishops expressed concern over the mining agreement’s threats to the island’s mountains, watersheds, rivers, coral reefs, and species unique to the island.Recently appointed apostolic nuncio to Germany makes first visitThe recently appointed apostolic nuncio to Germany, Archbishop Hubertus van Megen, completed his inaugural visit to the headquarters of the German Bishops' Conference (DBK) in Bonn this week, CNA Deutsch, the German-language sister service of EWTN News, reported Aug. 28. During the meeting, van Megen presented his official assignment letter as nuncio to the DBK chairman signed by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin. "It was the first visit of an apostolic nuncio to the Secretariat of the German Bishops' Conference in more than 13 years,” the DBK noted in its announcement on social media. Van Megen has served as nuncio to Kenya and South Sudan and held various positions within United Nations institutions.UK member of Parliament calls for reforms before considering assisted suicideMember of Parliament Zubir Ahmed, a former health minister in the British Labour Party and National Health Service doctor, has backed calls from Prime Minister Andy Burnham, a Catholic, to carry out health reforms before considering legislation on assisted suicide.“What kind of society are we building if, before we’ve fixed the systems designed to care for people, we introduce a system designed to help them die?” Ahmed asked in an Aug. 25 op-ed in The Guardian. “As a former health minister who has seen the system from the inside, I am able to say it is not ready or equipped to answer this question.” Ahmed’s remarks come after the prime minister said in July that debates on assisted suicide should be delayed until the country’s palliative and social care systems have been reformed.Syria’s Catholic schools seek to remain both strong and compassionateWith another school year approaching, Syria’s Christian schools are struggling to keep tuition affordable while covering salaries, taxes, electricity, books, and other rising expenses.Father Fadi Najjar, secretary-general of Catholic educational institutions in Syria, said no child should be forced out because a family cannot pay, ACI MENA reported Aug. 27. At the same time, he cautioned that schools cannot fulfill their educational mission if they are treated solely as charitable institutions. Najjar appealed to churches and aid organizations to support families in genuine need and help protect the future of Christian education in Syria.Catholic priest in Ghana suspended for ‘abandoning’ pastoral ministryGhana’s Diocese of Konongo-Mampong has imposed an indefinite canonical suspension on a priest of the diocese for taking a leave of absence and “abandoning his pastoral ministry” without legitimate permission.Bishop John Opoku-Agyemang announced the suspension of Father Samuel Adapore on Aug. 24, ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, reported. The priest has been barred from administering any of the sacraments publicly, including the celebration of Mass, or officiating any other liturgical services. The bishop said he made the decision “with a heavy heart but a great sense of duty to Holy Mother Church” to suspend the priest, who he noted had left his parish without telling anyone where he was going, including immediate family members.Sierra Leonean priest cautions religious against shunning help for mental health strugglesThe president of the Regional Union of Priests of West Africa has told members of the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life not to be ashamed of seeking psychological support, stressing that “mental-health struggles do not cancel their vocation,” ACI Africa reported Aug. 25.“Our priests and religious spend their lives caring for others. We must also care for them. They need trusted friends, safe spaces for honest conversation, regular medical and psychological support, sufficient rest, and communities that listen without judgment,” Father Peter Konteh said following the resignation of Bishop Karl-Heinz Wiesemann of German’s Speyer Diocese over mental health struggles.Christian city of Qamishli, Syria, turns 100The city of Qamishli marked its centennial with a Christian community far smaller than the one that helped build the northeastern Syrian city.Founded in 1926 after Christians fled Ottoman-era massacres, the city once had a population that was nearly 90% Christian, ACI MENA reported Aug. 25. Father Samir Kanoun, priest of the church of St. Yacoub Al-Nusaibini in Qamishli, said decades of migration, intensified after the Syrian crisis began in 2011, have reduced that share to about 20%, leaving roughly 2,000 Christian families. Despite the decline, Qamishli retains a rich mix of Syriac, Armenian, Chaldean, Assyrian, and Protestant churches. Their cooperation grew stronger during the war through shared prayer, security coordination, and charitable work. Kanoun remains hopeful, pointing to the city’s active young Christians and the Church’s efforts to preserve their faith, heritage, and sense of belonging to Syria.

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Vietnamese youth drawn to the TLM, Holy Land priests highlight plight of Christian community, Philippine dioceses call for end of mining agreement, and more in this week’s world news roundup.

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Beyond The Beacon podcast 117: How serving in Alaska transformed Father Kamil’s life #Catholic – Father Kamil Kiszka likened serving in Alaska to a priceless two-year retreat, during which he came away more peaceful and balanced. Father Kiszka returns to the podcast to talk about this unique full-time missionary experience in the Land of the Midnight Sun and what might be next for him. The conversation is moved along by Father Kiszka’s collection of photographs from Alaska. (Watch the video version of the podcast to see the photographs.) Host Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney reflects on our call to be missionary disciples wherever we are.  Bishop Sweeney also reflects on the life of Father Rafael Ciro, who took his life one year ago, and a Memorial Mass scheduled the day this episode was recorded. He also mentions the feast days of St. Monica (Aug. 27) and her son St. Augustine (Aug. 28).  Listen to the episode here, or on any major podcast platform, or watch it on Bishop Sweeney’s YouTube channel. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
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Beyond The Beacon podcast 117: How serving in Alaska transformed Father Kamil’s life #Catholic – Father Kamil Kiszka likened serving in Alaska to a priceless two-year retreat, during which he came away more peaceful and balanced. Father Kiszka returns to the podcast to talk about this unique full-time missionary experience in the Land of the Midnight Sun and what might be next for him. The conversation is moved along by Father Kiszka’s collection of photographs from Alaska. (Watch the video version of the podcast to see the photographs.) Host Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney reflects on our call to be missionary disciples wherever we are.  Bishop Sweeney also reflects on the life of Father Rafael Ciro, who took his life one year ago, and a Memorial Mass scheduled the day this episode was recorded. He also mentions the feast days of St. Monica (Aug. 27) and her son St. Augustine (Aug. 28).  Listen to the episode here, or on any major podcast platform, or watch it on Bishop Sweeney’s YouTube channel. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

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Beyond The Beacon podcast 117: How serving in Alaska transformed Father Kamil’s life #Catholic –

Father Kamil Kiszka likened serving in Alaska to a priceless two-year retreat, during which he came away more peaceful and balanced. Father Kiszka returns to the podcast to talk about this unique full-time missionary experience in the Land of the Midnight Sun and what might be next for him. The conversation is moved along by Father Kiszka’s collection of photographs from Alaska. (Watch the video version of the podcast to see the photographs.)

Host Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney reflects on our call to be missionary disciples wherever we are. 

Bishop Sweeney also reflects on the life of Father Rafael Ciro, who took his life one year ago, and a Memorial Mass scheduled the day this episode was recorded. He also mentions the feast days of St. Monica (Aug. 27) and her son St. Augustine (Aug. 28). 

Listen to the episode here, or on any major podcast platform, or watch it on Bishop Sweeney’s YouTube channel.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

– Father Kamil Kiszka likened serving in Alaska to a priceless two-year retreat, during which he came away more peaceful and balanced. Father Kiszka returns to the podcast to talk about this unique full-time missionary experience in the Land of the Midnight Sun and what might be next for him. The conversation is moved along by Father Kiszka’s collection of photographs from Alaska. (Watch the video version of the podcast to see the photographs.) Host Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney reflects on our call to be missionary disciples wherever we are.  Bishop Sweeney also reflects on the life of Father Rafael Ciro, who took

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Latin Patriarchate: Emergency relief alone will not secure a future for Holy Land Christians – #Catholic – The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem has warned that the Christian presence in the Holy Land is going through one of the most critical moments in its 2,000-year history, calling for the transition from emergency response to investment in education, work, and special projects, giving families practical reasons to remain.In an article titled “Hope Demands Action” released on Aug. 21, the patriarchate said restrictions on movement, the cancellation of work permits, and the paralysis of the tourism sector have exacerbated the conditions of Christian families in Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and the villages scattered in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and affected their ability to work and secure their needs.The Catholic diocese — whose territory includes Cyprus, Jordan, Israel, and Palestine and is supported by six vicariates — highlighted that the unemployment rate in Christian communities in the Holy Land is 54%, which is about double the national average.The patriarchate also pointed out that artisans, hotel workers, shopkeepers, tour guides, drivers, and restaurant owners rely heavily on pilgrims and visitors, which have significantly declined over the years, threatening livelihoods.The patriarchate said the repercussions of the crisis extend to the younger generations, as limited job opportunities after university or vocational training may push young people to migrate, raising concerns for a generation that believes its future may be outside the land of its ancestors.Gaza at the heart of the crisisAccording to the patriarchate, only 541 Christians remain in the Gaza Strip, while others have been forced to flee and still others were killed in the war or lost their lives amid the collapse of medical care and lack of basic supplies. The patriarchate said the possibility that no more Christians will be left in the Holy Land does not represent just a demographic change but a “crisis in history, identity, and faith,” stressing that a living Christian presence should remain in a land where Christianity originated.The article called for international Christian solidarity to go beyond responding to emergency needs, including education, vocational training, special projects, and support for community institutions, allowing families to build a decent and sustainable life in their homeland.In this context, the article referred to a back-to-school initiative to cover basic educational expenses for children and families most in need, stressing that keeping schools open — and reopening them where possible — represents a message that destruction will not have the final say.The patriarchate stressed that the Christians of the Holy Land do not want to be a part of the past but desire the opportunity to live, work, raise their children, and exercise their faith in dignity in the land where Christianity began.This story was first published by ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News, and has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
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Latin Patriarchate: Emergency relief alone will not secure a future for Holy Land Christians – #Catholic – The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem has warned that the Christian presence in the Holy Land is going through one of the most critical moments in its 2,000-year history, calling for the transition from emergency response to investment in education, work, and special projects, giving families practical reasons to remain.In an article titled “Hope Demands Action” released on Aug. 21, the patriarchate said restrictions on movement, the cancellation of work permits, and the paralysis of the tourism sector have exacerbated the conditions of Christian families in Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and the villages scattered in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and affected their ability to work and secure their needs.The Catholic diocese — whose territory includes Cyprus, Jordan, Israel, and Palestine and is supported by six vicariates — highlighted that the unemployment rate in Christian communities in the Holy Land is 54%, which is about double the national average.The patriarchate also pointed out that artisans, hotel workers, shopkeepers, tour guides, drivers, and restaurant owners rely heavily on pilgrims and visitors, which have significantly declined over the years, threatening livelihoods.The patriarchate said the repercussions of the crisis extend to the younger generations, as limited job opportunities after university or vocational training may push young people to migrate, raising concerns for a generation that believes its future may be outside the land of its ancestors.Gaza at the heart of the crisisAccording to the patriarchate, only 541 Christians remain in the Gaza Strip, while others have been forced to flee and still others were killed in the war or lost their lives amid the collapse of medical care and lack of basic supplies. The patriarchate said the possibility that no more Christians will be left in the Holy Land does not represent just a demographic change but a “crisis in history, identity, and faith,” stressing that a living Christian presence should remain in a land where Christianity originated.The article called for international Christian solidarity to go beyond responding to emergency needs, including education, vocational training, special projects, and support for community institutions, allowing families to build a decent and sustainable life in their homeland.In this context, the article referred to a back-to-school initiative to cover basic educational expenses for children and families most in need, stressing that keeping schools open — and reopening them where possible — represents a message that destruction will not have the final say.The patriarchate stressed that the Christians of the Holy Land do not want to be a part of the past but desire the opportunity to live, work, raise their children, and exercise their faith in dignity in the land where Christianity began.This story was first published by ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News, and has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem has called for and investment in education, work, and special projects so Christian families can remain in the Holy Land.

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The Sky Today on Friday, August 28: Vesta stands still

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Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.  August 27: A deep partial lunar eclipse Asteroid 9 Metis reaches opposition at 10 A.M. EDT. It is in the constellation Aquarius and rises around sunset and sets around sunrise. However, with the bright, nearly Full Moon still nearby this evening, theContinue reading “The Sky Today on Friday, August 28: Vesta stands still”

The post The Sky Today on Friday, August 28: Vesta stands still appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

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Bishop prays for Norway’s King Harald V, hails ‘stable pillar’ #Catholic King Harald V of Norway, Europeʼs oldest reigning monarch, died on Aug. 28 at Oslo University Hospital. He was 89.A Requiem Mass for King Harald will be celebrated at St. Olavʼs Cathedral in Trondheim on Aug. 29 at noon, and Lauds and Vespers will also be offered for the late monarch.EWTN Norway is streaming the services on its website and YouTube channel.Within hours of the kingʼs death, Bishop Erik Varden of Trondheim published a tribute on behalf of Norwegian Catholics. He commended Harald to Godʼs mercy and offered prayers for Queen Sonja, the royal family, and the new King Haakon VIII.Varden, a Trappist monk who also serves as apostolic administrator of Tromsø and president of the Nordic Bishops' Conference, opened his reflection with the ninth-century Commendatio Animae — the Churchʼs prayer for the dying.“Go forth, Christian soul, from this world in the name of God, the Almighty Father, who created you; in the name of Jesus Christ, the living Son of God, who suffered for you; and in the name of the Holy Spirit, who was poured out upon you,” the prayer begins.Varden wrote that the prayer reminds the faithful that death is a transition “from life to Life.”Prayers for the new kingVarden described Harald as a monarch who embodied the nation in an exemplary way, giving Norwegians a sense of being seen and cared for.“He was so completely and utterly king, devoted to the people, that it was as if no ego stood in the way,” the bishop wrote. “In this way, he drew near to us in a comforting way.”Harald “has spoken wisely to us, with a subtle sense of humor that we will miss,” Varden added.The bishop placed the kingʼs passing in the context of the ancient acclamation “The King is dead; long live the King,” and wrote that the monarchy stands as “a stable pillar in society” that represents continuity.“In a time as uncertain as ours, that is a comfort,” he wrote.Varden called on Norwegian Catholics to pray for King Haakon VIII. He asked the faithful for “blessings and wisdom,” and called on Catholics to stand loyally by the new sovereign..Closing his tribute, the bishop invoked the intercession of St. Olav, Norwayʼs patron saint.King Haraldʼs reignHarald V was born on Feb. 21, 1937, and ascended the throne on Jan. 17, 1991, succeeding his father, King Olav V. He reigned for 35 years.A three-time Olympic yachtsman, Harald modernized the Norwegian royal house. Later in his life, he refused to abdicate, saying he had taken a lifelong oath before the Norwegian parliament.He had experienced multiple health problems in recent years.Harald is survived by Queen Sonja, 89, his wife of 57 years, and their two children: Princess Märtha Louise, 54, and the new King Haakon VIII, 53. His granddaughter, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, is now next in line to the throne.This report draws on coverage by EWTN Norway and reporting by Pål Johannes Nes.
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Bishop prays for Norway’s King Harald V, hails ‘stable pillar’ #Catholic King Harald V of Norway, Europeʼs oldest reigning monarch, died on Aug. 28 at Oslo University Hospital. He was 89.A Requiem Mass for King Harald will be celebrated at St. Olavʼs Cathedral in Trondheim on Aug. 29 at noon, and Lauds and Vespers will also be offered for the late monarch.EWTN Norway is streaming the services on its website and YouTube channel.Within hours of the kingʼs death, Bishop Erik Varden of Trondheim published a tribute on behalf of Norwegian Catholics. He commended Harald to Godʼs mercy and offered prayers for Queen Sonja, the royal family, and the new King Haakon VIII.Varden, a Trappist monk who also serves as apostolic administrator of Tromsø and president of the Nordic Bishops' Conference, opened his reflection with the ninth-century Commendatio Animae — the Churchʼs prayer for the dying.“Go forth, Christian soul, from this world in the name of God, the Almighty Father, who created you; in the name of Jesus Christ, the living Son of God, who suffered for you; and in the name of the Holy Spirit, who was poured out upon you,” the prayer begins.Varden wrote that the prayer reminds the faithful that death is a transition “from life to Life.”Prayers for the new kingVarden described Harald as a monarch who embodied the nation in an exemplary way, giving Norwegians a sense of being seen and cared for.“He was so completely and utterly king, devoted to the people, that it was as if no ego stood in the way,” the bishop wrote. “In this way, he drew near to us in a comforting way.”Harald “has spoken wisely to us, with a subtle sense of humor that we will miss,” Varden added.The bishop placed the kingʼs passing in the context of the ancient acclamation “The King is dead; long live the King,” and wrote that the monarchy stands as “a stable pillar in society” that represents continuity.“In a time as uncertain as ours, that is a comfort,” he wrote.Varden called on Norwegian Catholics to pray for King Haakon VIII. He asked the faithful for “blessings and wisdom,” and called on Catholics to stand loyally by the new sovereign..Closing his tribute, the bishop invoked the intercession of St. Olav, Norwayʼs patron saint.King Haraldʼs reignHarald V was born on Feb. 21, 1937, and ascended the throne on Jan. 17, 1991, succeeding his father, King Olav V. He reigned for 35 years.A three-time Olympic yachtsman, Harald modernized the Norwegian royal house. Later in his life, he refused to abdicate, saying he had taken a lifelong oath before the Norwegian parliament.He had experienced multiple health problems in recent years.Harald is survived by Queen Sonja, 89, his wife of 57 years, and their two children: Princess Märtha Louise, 54, and the new King Haakon VIII, 53. His granddaughter, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, is now next in line to the throne.This report draws on coverage by EWTN Norway and reporting by Pål Johannes Nes.

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Bishop Erik Varden invoked a ninth-century prayer for the dying as he commended King Harald V to God’s mercy on behalf of Norwegian Catholics.

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UPDATE: Nepal, China warn of second flood as Church launches relief efforts #Catholic Authorities are warning of a second flood after Wednesday’s devastating deluge on the Nepal-China border, which left more than 1,500 people missing, many presumed dead.Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said a lake at the flood site was rising and at risk of bursting, raising the prospect of another deadly disaster.China’s Minister of Water Resources said the lake had formed inside Nepal and was already overflowing. A further 3 million cubic meters could flow in over three days, the ministry said, raising the risk of a breach during that window to a high level. Rain is forecast across the coming days.Catholic relief agencies immediately responded to the unfolding disaster, linking their efforts to the urgent needs created by the floods. Caritas Nepal said it had mobilized teams and begun operating community kitchens in areas where people lost their homes, while also distributing immediate relief supplies. Some Catholics who had been working in tourist areas remain unaccounted for, the agency said.Catholic Relief Services launched an emergency appeal, saying it was coordinating with Caritas Nepal and local partners to assess urgent needs and support affected communities.Caritas Australia launched an urgent flood appeal, confirming teams are on the ground assessing the scale of the disaster and the needs it has created.The needs will most likely include emergency shelter, clean water and sanitation, food, and immediate and long-term recovery, the aid agency noted.The apostolic administrator of Nepal told Fides news agency on Thursday this was “the worst disaster in the country’s history.”“It was terrible. A flood coming from the mountains, and directed violently towards the valley, overwhelmed everything: people, homes, bridges, structures. Villages, markets, and roads were swept away. It is a serious wound for the nation,” Father Silas Krishna Bogati said.“We have about 25 Catholic families in the disaster area; they appear to be safe, but we are very worried about them,” he said. “We entrust them to God, we pray for their safety, and we will do everything we can to help them.”Bogati noted that Nepalese, as well as foreigners and tourists, were in the area at the time of the disaster.At least 392 people have been killed, 389 of them in Nepal and three in Tibet, according to Nepali authorities and Chinese state media. More than 900 remain unaccounted for in Nepal and more than 550 in Tibet; 466 people have been rescued.Pope Leo sent his condolences and offered prayers for the victims on Thursday, expressing solidarity with those affected by the floods. In an Aug. 27 telegram sent on behalf of Leo, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin said the pope was “saddened to learn of the loss of life and devastation” caused by the floods.“Commending the souls of the deceased to the clemency of the Almighty, His Holiness sends heartfelt sympathies to the bereaved, with the assurance of his spiritual closeness to those affected by this tragedy,” the telegram said.This story was updated on Aug. 28, 2026, with details from Caritas Nepal and Catholic Relief Services.
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UPDATE: Nepal, China warn of second flood as Church launches relief efforts #Catholic Authorities are warning of a second flood after Wednesday’s devastating deluge on the Nepal-China border, which left more than 1,500 people missing, many presumed dead.Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said a lake at the flood site was rising and at risk of bursting, raising the prospect of another deadly disaster.China’s Minister of Water Resources said the lake had formed inside Nepal and was already overflowing. A further 3 million cubic meters could flow in over three days, the ministry said, raising the risk of a breach during that window to a high level. Rain is forecast across the coming days.Catholic relief agencies immediately responded to the unfolding disaster, linking their efforts to the urgent needs created by the floods. Caritas Nepal said it had mobilized teams and begun operating community kitchens in areas where people lost their homes, while also distributing immediate relief supplies. Some Catholics who had been working in tourist areas remain unaccounted for, the agency said.Catholic Relief Services launched an emergency appeal, saying it was coordinating with Caritas Nepal and local partners to assess urgent needs and support affected communities.Caritas Australia launched an urgent flood appeal, confirming teams are on the ground assessing the scale of the disaster and the needs it has created.The needs will most likely include emergency shelter, clean water and sanitation, food, and immediate and long-term recovery, the aid agency noted.The apostolic administrator of Nepal told Fides news agency on Thursday this was “the worst disaster in the country’s history.”“It was terrible. A flood coming from the mountains, and directed violently towards the valley, overwhelmed everything: people, homes, bridges, structures. Villages, markets, and roads were swept away. It is a serious wound for the nation,” Father Silas Krishna Bogati said.“We have about 25 Catholic families in the disaster area; they appear to be safe, but we are very worried about them,” he said. “We entrust them to God, we pray for their safety, and we will do everything we can to help them.”Bogati noted that Nepalese, as well as foreigners and tourists, were in the area at the time of the disaster.At least 392 people have been killed, 389 of them in Nepal and three in Tibet, according to Nepali authorities and Chinese state media. More than 900 remain unaccounted for in Nepal and more than 550 in Tibet; 466 people have been rescued.Pope Leo sent his condolences and offered prayers for the victims on Thursday, expressing solidarity with those affected by the floods. In an Aug. 27 telegram sent on behalf of Leo, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin said the pope was “saddened to learn of the loss of life and devastation” caused by the floods.“Commending the souls of the deceased to the clemency of the Almighty, His Holiness sends heartfelt sympathies to the bereaved, with the assurance of his spiritual closeness to those affected by this tragedy,” the telegram said.This story was updated on Aug. 28, 2026, with details from Caritas Nepal and Catholic Relief Services.

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Caritas Nepal has begun distributing relief and operating community kitchens as authorities warn of a second flood following the deadliest natural disaster in Nepal’s recorded history.

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Gospel and Word of the Day – 28 August 2026 – A reading from the First Letter of St. Paul to Corinthians 1:17-25 Brothers and sisters: Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the Gospel, and not with the wisdom of human eloquence, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its meaning. The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the learning of the learned I will set aside. Where is the wise one? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made the wisdom of the world foolish? For since in the wisdom of God the world did not come to know God through wisdom, it was the will of God through the foolishness of the proclamation to save those who have faith. For Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.From the Gospel according to Matthew 25:1-13 Jesus told his disciples this parable: ?The Kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.  Five of them were foolish and five were wise.  The foolish ones, when taking their lamps, brought no oil with them, but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps.  Since the bridegroom was long delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight, there was a cry, ?Behold, the bridegroom!  Come out to meet him!?  Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps.  The foolish ones said to the wise, ?Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.?  But the wise ones replied, ?No, for there may not be enough for us and you. Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.?  While they went off to buy it, the bridegroom came and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him.  Then the door was locked. Afterwards the other virgins came and said, ?Lord, Lord, open the door for us!?  But he said in reply, ?Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.?  Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.?Today?s Gospel is a famous parable that speaks of ten maidens invited to a wedding feast, a symbol of the Kingdom of Heaven and of eternal life (Mt 25:1-13). It is a happy image with which, however, Jesus teaches a truth that calls us into question. In fact five of those 10 maidens were admitted to the feast because when the bridegroom arrived they had brought the oil to light their lamps, whereas the other five were left outside because they had been foolish enough not to bring any. What is represented by this ?oil?, the indispensable prerequisite for being admitted to the nuptial banquet? St Augustine (cf. Discourses 93, 4), and other ancient authors interpreted it as a symbol of love that one cannot purchase but receives as a gift, preserves within one and uses in works. True wisdom is making the most of mortal life in order to do works of mercy, for after death this will no longer be possible. When we are reawoken for the Last Judgement, it will be made on the basis of the love we have shown in our earthly life (cf. Mt 25:31-46). And this love is a gift of Christ, poured out in us by the Holy Spirit. Those who believe in God-Love bear within them invincible hope, like a lamp to light them on their way through the night beyond death to arrive at the great feast of life. (Pope Benedict XVI, Angelus, 6 November 2011)

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A reading from the First Letter of St. Paul to Corinthians
1:17-25

Brothers and sisters:
Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the Gospel,
and not with the wisdom of human eloquence,
so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its meaning.

The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing,
but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
For it is written:
I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the learning of the learned I will set aside.
Where is the wise one?
Where is the scribe?
Where is the debater of this age?
Has not God made the wisdom of the world foolish?
For since in the wisdom of God
the world did not come to know God through wisdom,
it was the will of God through the foolishness of the proclamation
to save those who have faith.
For Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom,
but we proclaim Christ crucified,
a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,
but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike,
Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom,
and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

From the Gospel according to Matthew
25:1-13

Jesus told his disciples this parable:
?The Kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins
who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 
Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 
The foolish ones, when taking their lamps,
brought no oil with them,
but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps. 
Since the bridegroom was long delayed,
they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
At midnight, there was a cry,
?Behold, the bridegroom!  Come out to meet him!? 
Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. 
The foolish ones said to the wise,
?Give us some of your oil,
for our lamps are going out.? 
But the wise ones replied,
?No, for there may not be enough for us and you.
Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.? 
While they went off to buy it,
the bridegroom came
and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him. 
Then the door was locked.
Afterwards the other virgins came and said,
?Lord, Lord, open the door for us!? 
But he said in reply,
?Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.? 
Therefore, stay awake,
for you know neither the day nor the hour.?

Today?s Gospel is a famous parable that speaks of ten maidens invited to a wedding feast, a symbol of the Kingdom of Heaven and of eternal life (Mt 25:1-13). It is a happy image with which, however, Jesus teaches a truth that calls us into question. In fact five of those 10 maidens were admitted to the feast because when the bridegroom arrived they had brought the oil to light their lamps, whereas the other five were left outside because they had been foolish enough not to bring any. What is represented by this ?oil?, the indispensable prerequisite for being admitted to the nuptial banquet?

St Augustine (cf. Discourses 93, 4), and other ancient authors interpreted it as a symbol of love that one cannot purchase but receives as a gift, preserves within one and uses in works. True wisdom is making the most of mortal life in order to do works of mercy, for after death this will no longer be possible. When we are reawoken for the Last Judgement, it will be made on the basis of the love we have shown in our earthly life (cf. Mt 25:31-46). And this love is a gift of Christ, poured out in us by the Holy Spirit. Those who believe in God-Love bear within them invincible hope, like a lamp to light them on their way through the night beyond death to arrive at the great feast of life. (Pope Benedict XVI, Angelus, 6 November 2011)

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AI at Catholic colleges: Institutions map policies guided by Magnifica Humanitas – #Catholic – Newman Guide institutions are shaping their classroom approach to rapidly evolving artificial intelligence through Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, emphasizing human dignity and guarding against the technology’s potential to weaken authentic learning.Five Catholic colleges and universities told EWTN News they are crafting classroom AI policies in light of the pope’s encyclical, as the University of Chicago moves — as first reported by the student newspaper The Chicago Maroon — to make social sciences classes fully analog this fall.Belmont Abbey College“The Chicago response in their core classes resonates strongly with where our thoughts are going, although theyʼre a bit ahead of us in formulating a general policy,” David Williams, dean of arts and sciences and professor of theology at Belmont Abbey College in Belmont, North Carolina, told EWTN News.“Discussions on the pedagogical response to AI have been ongoing for some time now, with new impetus as we absorb Pope Leoʼs encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas,” Williams said. “There’s a significant contingent among the faculty who prefer the all-analog approach, at least in our core curriculum classes, and are teaching accordingly as a matter of individual choice.”According to Williams, a faculty-led committee is expected to deliver a report to the university’s president and provost by the end of the fall 2026 semester.“I wouldnʼt be surprised at all to see a recommendation similar to Chicagoʼs for all our core curriculum courses; the core here is a substantial part of the overall degree program, so that would be more than 40% of a graduateʼs coursework,” he said.Ave Maria UniversityDaniel Davy, dean of faculty and associate professor of history at Ave Maria University in southwest Florida, told EWTN News that Pope Leo’s “concern for preserving genuine human formation, rather than outsourcing it to a machine, is at the heart of AMUʼs approach to teaching and learning” but noted that the university does not have plans to institute a university-wide AI ban.“AMU approaches AI with what Pope Leo XIV calls in the encyclical a spirit of ‘prudence, rigorous evaluation and even, at times, a slower pace’ (par. 106), rather than either uncritical adoption or blanket prohibition,” Davy said in an email.“AMU does not have a university-wide AI ban comparable to the University of Chicagoʼs Social Sciences Core policy; academic policy here is set at the course and department level, since pedagogical needs vary by discipline,” he continued, noting that the university’s academic honor code bans use of generative AI in any part of the writing process and in all freshmen- and sophomore-level courses.“We are far less concerned with whether a student turns in a perfectly polished paper than with how the student grows through the act of trying to communicate an idea,” Davy said. “This is where generative AI poses its deepest danger, because it offloads the process of thinking onto a machine that cannot, in fact, think. Outsourcing that struggle diminishes a studentʼs own capacity to encounter truth more deeply in each discipline, and through that truth, ultimately, Christ, to whom every field of knowledge points.”University of Mary“Here at Mary, one of our charisms is Friendship with Truth,” David Echelbarger, vice president for academic affairs at the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota, told EWTN News in an email. “Because we are made in the image of a Triune God who is himself a communion of Persons,” he said, “we are not made to arrive at the truth alone. We come to it through dialogue and conversation with other people.” “One concern with AI, then, is that it turns learning into an isolated, impersonal endeavor,” he said. “To counter that, many of our professors are incorporating into their courses activities that require hard and rigorous thinking together.”Additionally, he said, all faculty members have been asked to place an AI policy on each of their assignments, clarifying the degree to which the technology is permitted for each individual assignment, “which is meant to help students understand when the use of AI is a hindrance to their intellectual formation and when it is a helpful learning tool.”Benedictine CollegeMariele Courtois, assistant professor of theology and director of the Center for Technology and Human Dignity at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, told EWTN News that the college’s “Academic Misconduct” statement was recently updated “to clearly state that AI cannot be used ‘in place of a student’s own effort,’ in order to respect the learning process and the special connection between students and their academic work, which should reveal the students’ own personalities and convictions.”“While some classes, especially in the STEM fields, may utilize or learn about AI — including its function, risks, dangers, and potential promises — many professors choose to make their classes AI-free both in the lecture hall and for homework, especially in Theology and the humanities,” Courtois said in an email. “Benedictine College respects the prudential judgment of professors to make the pedagogical choices that are best suited to their particular class goals and the aims of their respective disciplines.”Courtois noted the college’s Center for Technology and Human Dignity was recently founded “to help guide discussions about rising biomedical and digital technologies in light of Catholic moral teaching.”In addition, she said, the theme of the college’s annual Symposium on Transforming Culture on Sept. 4–5 will be “The Church in an Algorithmic Age” and “will bring together intellectuals and students from many fields and business sectors to discuss the ethical questions and social implications for transformative technologies such as AI.”University of St. Thomas“With Pope Leo XIV, UST is alive both to the ways in which AI can serve the human and the ways in which the human can be made to serve the work of His hands,” Thomas Harmon, professor of theology and director of the University of St. Thomas’ honors program special projects, told EWTN News in an email.Harmon said the university, located in Houston, does not have a blanket ban on artificial intelligence but noted that many core courses prohibit screens and emphasize developing students’ own skills rather than relying on AI. “We regard AI as an important and potentially very useful technology that needs to be utilized in ways that serve rather than replace human excellence, which requires training, formation, practice, and guidance by faculty mentors who themselves have already cultivated the habits we want our students to develop,” he said.“Since it is so new, the ways in which it can be responsibly integrated into an excellent liberal education are not all clear yet, but we are confident that we will be able to integrate this new technology analogously to the ways in which we have integrated other useful technologies like books, pencils, white boards, and computers,” Harmon said.
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AI at Catholic colleges: Institutions map policies guided by Magnifica Humanitas – #Catholic – Newman Guide institutions are shaping their classroom approach to rapidly evolving artificial intelligence through Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, emphasizing human dignity and guarding against the technology’s potential to weaken authentic learning.Five Catholic colleges and universities told EWTN News they are crafting classroom AI policies in light of the pope’s encyclical, as the University of Chicago moves — as first reported by the student newspaper The Chicago Maroon — to make social sciences classes fully analog this fall.Belmont Abbey College“The Chicago response in their core classes resonates strongly with where our thoughts are going, although theyʼre a bit ahead of us in formulating a general policy,” David Williams, dean of arts and sciences and professor of theology at Belmont Abbey College in Belmont, North Carolina, told EWTN News.“Discussions on the pedagogical response to AI have been ongoing for some time now, with new impetus as we absorb Pope Leoʼs encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas,” Williams said. “There’s a significant contingent among the faculty who prefer the all-analog approach, at least in our core curriculum classes, and are teaching accordingly as a matter of individual choice.”According to Williams, a faculty-led committee is expected to deliver a report to the university’s president and provost by the end of the fall 2026 semester.“I wouldnʼt be surprised at all to see a recommendation similar to Chicagoʼs for all our core curriculum courses; the core here is a substantial part of the overall degree program, so that would be more than 40% of a graduateʼs coursework,” he said.Ave Maria UniversityDaniel Davy, dean of faculty and associate professor of history at Ave Maria University in southwest Florida, told EWTN News that Pope Leo’s “concern for preserving genuine human formation, rather than outsourcing it to a machine, is at the heart of AMUʼs approach to teaching and learning” but noted that the university does not have plans to institute a university-wide AI ban.“AMU approaches AI with what Pope Leo XIV calls in the encyclical a spirit of ‘prudence, rigorous evaluation and even, at times, a slower pace’ (par. 106), rather than either uncritical adoption or blanket prohibition,” Davy said in an email.“AMU does not have a university-wide AI ban comparable to the University of Chicagoʼs Social Sciences Core policy; academic policy here is set at the course and department level, since pedagogical needs vary by discipline,” he continued, noting that the university’s academic honor code bans use of generative AI in any part of the writing process and in all freshmen- and sophomore-level courses.“We are far less concerned with whether a student turns in a perfectly polished paper than with how the student grows through the act of trying to communicate an idea,” Davy said. “This is where generative AI poses its deepest danger, because it offloads the process of thinking onto a machine that cannot, in fact, think. Outsourcing that struggle diminishes a studentʼs own capacity to encounter truth more deeply in each discipline, and through that truth, ultimately, Christ, to whom every field of knowledge points.”University of Mary“Here at Mary, one of our charisms is Friendship with Truth,” David Echelbarger, vice president for academic affairs at the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota, told EWTN News in an email. “Because we are made in the image of a Triune God who is himself a communion of Persons,” he said, “we are not made to arrive at the truth alone. We come to it through dialogue and conversation with other people.” “One concern with AI, then, is that it turns learning into an isolated, impersonal endeavor,” he said. “To counter that, many of our professors are incorporating into their courses activities that require hard and rigorous thinking together.”Additionally, he said, all faculty members have been asked to place an AI policy on each of their assignments, clarifying the degree to which the technology is permitted for each individual assignment, “which is meant to help students understand when the use of AI is a hindrance to their intellectual formation and when it is a helpful learning tool.”Benedictine CollegeMariele Courtois, assistant professor of theology and director of the Center for Technology and Human Dignity at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, told EWTN News that the college’s “Academic Misconduct” statement was recently updated “to clearly state that AI cannot be used ‘in place of a student’s own effort,’ in order to respect the learning process and the special connection between students and their academic work, which should reveal the students’ own personalities and convictions.”“While some classes, especially in the STEM fields, may utilize or learn about AI — including its function, risks, dangers, and potential promises — many professors choose to make their classes AI-free both in the lecture hall and for homework, especially in Theology and the humanities,” Courtois said in an email. “Benedictine College respects the prudential judgment of professors to make the pedagogical choices that are best suited to their particular class goals and the aims of their respective disciplines.”Courtois noted the college’s Center for Technology and Human Dignity was recently founded “to help guide discussions about rising biomedical and digital technologies in light of Catholic moral teaching.”In addition, she said, the theme of the college’s annual Symposium on Transforming Culture on Sept. 4–5 will be “The Church in an Algorithmic Age” and “will bring together intellectuals and students from many fields and business sectors to discuss the ethical questions and social implications for transformative technologies such as AI.”University of St. Thomas“With Pope Leo XIV, UST is alive both to the ways in which AI can serve the human and the ways in which the human can be made to serve the work of His hands,” Thomas Harmon, professor of theology and director of the University of St. Thomas’ honors program special projects, told EWTN News in an email.Harmon said the university, located in Houston, does not have a blanket ban on artificial intelligence but noted that many core courses prohibit screens and emphasize developing students’ own skills rather than relying on AI. “We regard AI as an important and potentially very useful technology that needs to be utilized in ways that serve rather than replace human excellence, which requires training, formation, practice, and guidance by faculty mentors who themselves have already cultivated the habits we want our students to develop,” he said.“Since it is so new, the ways in which it can be responsibly integrated into an excellent liberal education are not all clear yet, but we are confident that we will be able to integrate this new technology analogously to the ways in which we have integrated other useful technologies like books, pencils, white boards, and computers,” Harmon said.

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Will Catholic colleges follow the University of Chicago as it shifts its social sciences classes to fully analog instruction this fall? At least one says it may.

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New FDA nominee has a ‘pro-life heart,’ top advocate for life says – #Catholic – Marjorie Dannenfelser, head of a major pro-life advocacy group, said President Donald Trump’s new nominee for U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner, Dr. Heidi Overton, is “the right person for the job.”“Iʼm very impressed with her credentials and her pro-life heart,” Dannenfelser said in an Aug. 26 interview with “EWTN Pro-Life Weekly” anchor Abigail Galván. “She, behind the scenes, was working very hard to make sure that the FDA was moving in the right direction on a new study to base further action on.”The position became vacant after Dr. Marty Makary was fired and is currently filled by acting commissioner Kyle Diamantas, whom Dannenfelser also described as “a very strong pro-life person.”“We’ve been extremely disappointed from the beginning of the administration with the direction of the FDA and the inaction from the Department of Justice, or the undermining of the pro-life priorities at the Department of Justice,” Dannenfelser said. “What I think is that her naming is an indication of the right direction that … this administration is now taking.”Confirmation hearings will begin as soon as the Senate is back in session. Dannenfelser said she anticipates the hearings “will probably go pretty well.”“Now, it doesnʼt mean that the hard questions shouldnʼt be asked,” she said. “They must be asked, and one of those questions would be the direction of the study: How long it will take? What do you see about preliminary findings come out that the court has ordered to be communicated in early October? And do you support the Department of Justice doing what it can to settle this case and get the drugs immediately out of the mail?”“Because there is a challenge from the state of Louisiana, representing many states, that are saying what we all know: They have basically nullified those state laws,” she continued. “Theyʼve put a burden on states to help women that should never have been in a horrible situation. So while itʼs a question about the Department of Justice, one should not claim that the FDA is the only entity that can do something about fixing this horrific problem that is occurring for children and women in this nation.”Dannenfelser called for a return to the first Trump administration policy on abortion drugs.“Weʼve been battling for quite some time from the beginning of this administration to get these drugs out of the mail, and all weʼre hoping for, and what all any sane voter wants to see, is that on the at least on the Republican side, that we return to the first Trump administration policy on the distribution of these drugs, that only in a Biden administration that put on an emergency cloak around the distribution around the COVID moment,” she said.“Itʼs time to restore the first Trump administration rules — no reason why we shouldnʼt,” she said. “The DOJ can act now and should.”
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New FDA nominee has a ‘pro-life heart,’ top advocate for life says – #Catholic – Marjorie Dannenfelser, head of a major pro-life advocacy group, said President Donald Trump’s new nominee for U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner, Dr. Heidi Overton, is “the right person for the job.”“Iʼm very impressed with her credentials and her pro-life heart,” Dannenfelser said in an Aug. 26 interview with “EWTN Pro-Life Weekly” anchor Abigail Galván. “She, behind the scenes, was working very hard to make sure that the FDA was moving in the right direction on a new study to base further action on.”The position became vacant after Dr. Marty Makary was fired and is currently filled by acting commissioner Kyle Diamantas, whom Dannenfelser also described as “a very strong pro-life person.”“We’ve been extremely disappointed from the beginning of the administration with the direction of the FDA and the inaction from the Department of Justice, or the undermining of the pro-life priorities at the Department of Justice,” Dannenfelser said. “What I think is that her naming is an indication of the right direction that … this administration is now taking.”Confirmation hearings will begin as soon as the Senate is back in session. Dannenfelser said she anticipates the hearings “will probably go pretty well.”“Now, it doesnʼt mean that the hard questions shouldnʼt be asked,” she said. “They must be asked, and one of those questions would be the direction of the study: How long it will take? What do you see about preliminary findings come out that the court has ordered to be communicated in early October? And do you support the Department of Justice doing what it can to settle this case and get the drugs immediately out of the mail?”“Because there is a challenge from the state of Louisiana, representing many states, that are saying what we all know: They have basically nullified those state laws,” she continued. “Theyʼve put a burden on states to help women that should never have been in a horrible situation. So while itʼs a question about the Department of Justice, one should not claim that the FDA is the only entity that can do something about fixing this horrific problem that is occurring for children and women in this nation.”Dannenfelser called for a return to the first Trump administration policy on abortion drugs.“Weʼve been battling for quite some time from the beginning of this administration to get these drugs out of the mail, and all weʼre hoping for, and what all any sane voter wants to see, is that on the at least on the Republican side, that we return to the first Trump administration policy on the distribution of these drugs, that only in a Biden administration that put on an emergency cloak around the distribution around the COVID moment,” she said.“Itʼs time to restore the first Trump administration rules — no reason why we shouldnʼt,” she said. “The DOJ can act now and should.”

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Marjorie Dannenfelser, head of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, explains her support for Dr. Heidi Overton and previews the nominee’s confirmation battle on Capitol Hill.

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