National Eucharistic Pilgrimage brings Christ through rainy streets of historic Baltimore #Catholic BALTIMORE, Maryland — About 300 Catholics gathered at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Wednesday, June 10, for Mass and a Eucharistic procession through downtown Baltimore as the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage’s St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Route continued through the nation’s first Catholic diocese. The congregation participates in Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary during the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage in Baltimore, Maryland, June 10, 2026. | Credit: Jeffrey Bruno/EWTN News A member of the congregation kneels in prayer during Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary during the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage in Baltimore, Maryland, June 10, 2026. | Credit: Jeffrey Bruno/EWTN News Following the morning Mass, pilgrims processed several blocks in the rain from the basilica to Baltimore’s Washington Monument, one of the city’s most recognizable civic landmarks, praying and singing as they accompanied the Blessed Sacrament through the city’s historic streets. The Blessed Sacrament is carried beneath a canopy near Baltimore’s Washington Monument during the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage in Baltimore, Maryland, June 10, 2026. |.Credit: Jeffrey Bruno/EWTN News The Baltimore stop is part of the 2026 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, which is traveling under the theme “One Nation Under God” as the United States prepares to mark the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Monsignor Jay OʼConnor delivers the homily during Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary during the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage in Baltimore, Maryland, June 10, 2026. | Credit: Jeffrey Bruno/EWTN News In his homily, Monsignor Jay O’Connor reflected on the meaning of pilgrimage and the public witness of carrying the Eucharist through cities, towns, highways and waterways across the country. “This National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, which is of Jesus through the streets and the highways and the plains and the waterways of our country, brings the blessing of the Real Presence of Jesus into the heart and soul of our fellow citizens and our country,” he said.The basilica, completed in 1821, is the first cathedral constructed in the United States. It was built under the leadership of Bishop John Carroll, the first bishop of the United States, making the Baltimore stop a significant moment for a pilgrimage moving through many of the original 13 colonies during the nation’s semiquincentennial year. Members of the Knights of Columbus participate in a Eucharistic procession at Washington Monument Place in Baltimore, Maryland, June 10, 2026. | Credit: Jeffrey Bruno/EWTN News O’Connor said pilgrimage is not meant to be easy, citing St. John Paul II’s teaching that God uses the challenges of the journey to form his people.“Through the challenges of the journey, God forms us into the people he calls us to be — a community of missionary disciples,” he said.The celebrant also recalled a previous Eucharistic procession in Baltimore, when a man came out of his home and asked what was happening as the procession passed through his neighborhood.“One pilgrim responded, ‘Jesus is walking through your neighborhood,’” he said. “The man asked, ‘Can I join you?’ And he was invited to walk the rest of the way with the pilgrims. That’s what a pilgrimage is.”For the perpetual pilgrims accompanying the Eucharist along the Cabrini route, the journey has included long days of travel, prayer, public witness and constant movement.“It’s been very busy,” said John Paul Flynn, one of the perpetual pilgrims. “But it’s through that busyness, I think, that you start to lean more into it and lean more into the graces that are there.”He said the experience of traveling with the Blessed Sacrament has been unlike anything else.“Getting to be with Jesus all the time is a really unique experience,” he said, noting that the pilgrims even have adoration in the van as they travel.The pilgrimage was scheduled to continue through Maryland with stops in Severna Park and Annapolis before crossing the Chesapeake Bay by boat to Kent Island and the Diocese of Wilmington. Members of the Knights of Columbus depart the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary before a Eucharistic procession in Baltimore, Maryland, June 10, 2026. | Credit: Jeffrey Bruno/EWTN News The Cabrini route is named for St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, the Italian-born missionary sister who became the first U.S. citizen to be canonized a saint. Cabrini dedicated her life to serving immigrants, orphans, the sick and the poor, founding schools, hospitals and orphanages across the United States and beyond. The route began over Memorial Day weekend in St. Augustine, Florida, and is traveling north along the Eastern Seaboard before concluding in Philadelphia over Independence Day weekend.
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National Eucharistic Pilgrimage brings Christ through rainy streets of historic Baltimore #Catholic BALTIMORE, Maryland — About 300 Catholics gathered at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Wednesday, June 10, for Mass and a Eucharistic procession through downtown Baltimore as the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage’s St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Route continued through the nation’s first Catholic diocese. The congregation participates in Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary during the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage in Baltimore, Maryland, June 10, 2026. | Credit: Jeffrey Bruno/EWTN News A member of the congregation kneels in prayer during Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary during the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage in Baltimore, Maryland, June 10, 2026. | Credit: Jeffrey Bruno/EWTN News Following the morning Mass, pilgrims processed several blocks in the rain from the basilica to Baltimore’s Washington Monument, one of the city’s most recognizable civic landmarks, praying and singing as they accompanied the Blessed Sacrament through the city’s historic streets. The Blessed Sacrament is carried beneath a canopy near Baltimore’s Washington Monument during the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage in Baltimore, Maryland, June 10, 2026. |.Credit: Jeffrey Bruno/EWTN News The Baltimore stop is part of the 2026 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, which is traveling under the theme “One Nation Under God” as the United States prepares to mark the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Monsignor Jay OʼConnor delivers the homily during Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary during the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage in Baltimore, Maryland, June 10, 2026. | Credit: Jeffrey Bruno/EWTN News In his homily, Monsignor Jay O’Connor reflected on the meaning of pilgrimage and the public witness of carrying the Eucharist through cities, towns, highways and waterways across the country. “This National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, which is of Jesus through the streets and the highways and the plains and the waterways of our country, brings the blessing of the Real Presence of Jesus into the heart and soul of our fellow citizens and our country,” he said.The basilica, completed in 1821, is the first cathedral constructed in the United States. It was built under the leadership of Bishop John Carroll, the first bishop of the United States, making the Baltimore stop a significant moment for a pilgrimage moving through many of the original 13 colonies during the nation’s semiquincentennial year. Members of the Knights of Columbus participate in a Eucharistic procession at Washington Monument Place in Baltimore, Maryland, June 10, 2026. | Credit: Jeffrey Bruno/EWTN News O’Connor said pilgrimage is not meant to be easy, citing St. John Paul II’s teaching that God uses the challenges of the journey to form his people.“Through the challenges of the journey, God forms us into the people he calls us to be — a community of missionary disciples,” he said.The celebrant also recalled a previous Eucharistic procession in Baltimore, when a man came out of his home and asked what was happening as the procession passed through his neighborhood.“One pilgrim responded, ‘Jesus is walking through your neighborhood,’” he said. “The man asked, ‘Can I join you?’ And he was invited to walk the rest of the way with the pilgrims. That’s what a pilgrimage is.”For the perpetual pilgrims accompanying the Eucharist along the Cabrini route, the journey has included long days of travel, prayer, public witness and constant movement.“It’s been very busy,” said John Paul Flynn, one of the perpetual pilgrims. “But it’s through that busyness, I think, that you start to lean more into it and lean more into the graces that are there.”He said the experience of traveling with the Blessed Sacrament has been unlike anything else.“Getting to be with Jesus all the time is a really unique experience,” he said, noting that the pilgrims even have adoration in the van as they travel.The pilgrimage was scheduled to continue through Maryland with stops in Severna Park and Annapolis before crossing the Chesapeake Bay by boat to Kent Island and the Diocese of Wilmington. Members of the Knights of Columbus depart the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary before a Eucharistic procession in Baltimore, Maryland, June 10, 2026. | Credit: Jeffrey Bruno/EWTN News The Cabrini route is named for St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, the Italian-born missionary sister who became the first U.S. citizen to be canonized a saint. Cabrini dedicated her life to serving immigrants, orphans, the sick and the poor, founding schools, hospitals and orphanages across the United States and beyond. The route began over Memorial Day weekend in St. Augustine, Florida, and is traveling north along the Eastern Seaboard before concluding in Philadelphia over Independence Day weekend.

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Thousands gathered at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary on June 10 for Mass and a Eucharistic procession through downtown Baltimore.

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Pope Leo XIV prayed with this young man’s rosary in Barcelona — and gave it back #Catholic Sergi, a young Catalan man, was surprised by an encounter with Pope Leo XIV in Spain on June 10 he will never forget.During the pope’s visit to the Shrine of Our Lady of Montserrat, an abbey northwest of Barcelona, Sergi handed Leo his rosary. The pontiff slipped it into his pocket before using it minutes later to pray.Unexpectedly, the story did not end there — after the event, Sergi managed to recover his prized sacramental, now prayed with by the pope.Sergi (who asked that his last name not be shared) told EWTN News he had not planned to go to the shrine on the day of the papal visit. He is from Terrassa, a city between Barcelona and Montserrat.The invitation to go to the popeʼs prayer came unexpectedly through a volunteer with the Missionaries of Charity, connected to his youth group, who encouraged both him and his girlfriend, María, to join the gathering. The night before, they attended the pope’s event at the Olympic Stadium in Barcelona and returned so tired that they almost decided not to go again.However, they felt they could not miss the chance to see Pope Leo during his visit to their homeland, and in order to attend they both had to take the day off from work. They never imagined what would happen or the gift they would receive.Sergi, María, and their friend secured a spot in the atrium of the basilica, and when the pope arrived, Sergi managed to get very close to the mini-popemobile as it passed by. At that moment he took out his rosary, hoping it would be blessed.“I just wanted him to bless it, that’s all, but he asked me, ‘Is it for me?’ And I’m not going to say no, so of course I said yes, and he kept it,” the young man said.Indeed, in a video recorded by EWTN News, the pope can be seen taking the rosary and putting it in his pocket. A few minutes later, to the young couple’s total surprise, they saw the pope praying with Sergi’s rosary in his hands.“When we saw it on the screen, we realized it was the same one he was using to pray!” Sergi said. Pope Leo XIV prays with a simple, wooden rosary during a prayer at the Abbey of Our Lady of Montserrat, northwest of Barcelona, Spain, on June 10, 2026. The rosary belongs to Sergi, a young Catalan man who gave it to the pope to be blessed. | Credit: Vatican Media. But the story did not end there. María had the idea of trying to get the rosary back, and when the event ended, they tried. However, the pope was already in the official car, and the security caravan would not allow anyone to approach.“We tried to tell him, but he just passed us by,” Sergi told EWTN News.At that moment, the run of his life began. Montserrat, as its name suggests, is set on a mountain range, so he had to run downhill.“I ran the whole way down until I said, ‘Well, let the pope keep it,’ and I gave up, but my girlfriend told me, ‘Keep trying.’”So Sergi started running again, sprinting and shouting to the pope to give it back. Knowing the caravan could not stop, he took an extreme measure: asking the pope to throw it to him.“At that moment I wasn’t thinking — I just knew I wanted to get the rosary back, knowing the pope had prayed with it. I was overwhelmed with excitement by the moment and the situation.”The pope granted his request, tossing the rosary from the car window as he drove by. Then, with the help of a police officer, Sergi recovered his rosary, now prayed with by the pope.“We went without expecting anything, and we came back with the greatest gift we could have received,” the young man said, still moved by the experience.This story was first published by ACI Prensa, EWTN News' Spanish sister service. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
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Pope Leo XIV prayed with this young man’s rosary in Barcelona — and gave it back #Catholic Sergi, a young Catalan man, was surprised by an encounter with Pope Leo XIV in Spain on June 10 he will never forget.During the pope’s visit to the Shrine of Our Lady of Montserrat, an abbey northwest of Barcelona, Sergi handed Leo his rosary. The pontiff slipped it into his pocket before using it minutes later to pray.Unexpectedly, the story did not end there — after the event, Sergi managed to recover his prized sacramental, now prayed with by the pope.Sergi (who asked that his last name not be shared) told EWTN News he had not planned to go to the shrine on the day of the papal visit. He is from Terrassa, a city between Barcelona and Montserrat.The invitation to go to the popeʼs prayer came unexpectedly through a volunteer with the Missionaries of Charity, connected to his youth group, who encouraged both him and his girlfriend, María, to join the gathering. The night before, they attended the pope’s event at the Olympic Stadium in Barcelona and returned so tired that they almost decided not to go again.However, they felt they could not miss the chance to see Pope Leo during his visit to their homeland, and in order to attend they both had to take the day off from work. They never imagined what would happen or the gift they would receive.Sergi, María, and their friend secured a spot in the atrium of the basilica, and when the pope arrived, Sergi managed to get very close to the mini-popemobile as it passed by. At that moment he took out his rosary, hoping it would be blessed.“I just wanted him to bless it, that’s all, but he asked me, ‘Is it for me?’ And I’m not going to say no, so of course I said yes, and he kept it,” the young man said.Indeed, in a video recorded by EWTN News, the pope can be seen taking the rosary and putting it in his pocket. A few minutes later, to the young couple’s total surprise, they saw the pope praying with Sergi’s rosary in his hands.“When we saw it on the screen, we realized it was the same one he was using to pray!” Sergi said. Pope Leo XIV prays with a simple, wooden rosary during a prayer at the Abbey of Our Lady of Montserrat, northwest of Barcelona, Spain, on June 10, 2026. The rosary belongs to Sergi, a young Catalan man who gave it to the pope to be blessed. | Credit: Vatican Media. But the story did not end there. María had the idea of trying to get the rosary back, and when the event ended, they tried. However, the pope was already in the official car, and the security caravan would not allow anyone to approach.“We tried to tell him, but he just passed us by,” Sergi told EWTN News.At that moment, the run of his life began. Montserrat, as its name suggests, is set on a mountain range, so he had to run downhill.“I ran the whole way down until I said, ‘Well, let the pope keep it,’ and I gave up, but my girlfriend told me, ‘Keep trying.’”So Sergi started running again, sprinting and shouting to the pope to give it back. Knowing the caravan could not stop, he took an extreme measure: asking the pope to throw it to him.“At that moment I wasn’t thinking — I just knew I wanted to get the rosary back, knowing the pope had prayed with it. I was overwhelmed with excitement by the moment and the situation.”The pope granted his request, tossing the rosary from the car window as he drove by. Then, with the help of a police officer, Sergi recovered his rosary, now prayed with by the pope.“We went without expecting anything, and we came back with the greatest gift we could have received,” the young man said, still moved by the experience.This story was first published by ACI Prensa, EWTN News' Spanish sister service. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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“We went without expecting anything, and we came back with the greatest gift we could have received,” Sergi told EWTN News.

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Train Ride to NASA Kennedy for Artemis III Booster Segments – A train transports eight booster motor segments for the SLS (Space Launch System rocket) that will power NASA’s Artemis III mission from Northrop Grumman’s Railyard Shipping Facility in Corinne, Utah, June 2, to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

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A train transports eight booster motor segments for the SLS (Space Launch System rocket) that will power NASA’s Artemis III mission from Northrop Grumman’s Railyard Shipping Facility in Corinne, Utah, June 2, to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

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Picture of the day Statue of Yaksha (in the Ramakien, broad class of nature-spirits, usually benevolent, but sometimes mischievous or capricious, connected with water, fertility, trees, the forest, treasure and wilderness) supporting the base of one of the Two Golden Chedi of Wat Phra Kaew, Bangkok, Thailand. #ImageOfTheDay

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Picture of the day
Statue of Yaksha (in the Ramakien, broad class of nature-spirits, usually benevolent, but sometimes mischievous or capricious, connected with water, fertility, trees, the forest, treasure and wilderness) supporting the base of one of the Two Golden Chedi of Wat Phra Kaew, Bangkok, Thailand.
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California Republican Governor Candidate Steve Hilton Open to Having Spencer Pratt Work on His Campaign, Maybe Even in His Administration (VIDEO) – Now that Republican California governor candidate Steve Hilton is going to appear on the ballot, he is being asked about the possibility of working with Spencer Pratt, an idea which he says he is completely open to, especially on issues like homelessness. The post California Republican Governor Candidate Steve Hilton Open to Having Spencer Pratt Work on His Campaign, Maybe Even in His Administration (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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California Republican Governor Candidate Steve Hilton Open to Having Spencer Pratt Work on His Campaign, Maybe Even in His Administration (VIDEO) – Now that Republican California governor candidate Steve Hilton is going to appear on the ballot, he is being asked about the possibility of working with Spencer Pratt, an idea which he says he is completely open to, especially on issues like homelessness. The post California Republican Governor Candidate Steve Hilton Open to Having Spencer Pratt Work on His Campaign, Maybe Even in His Administration (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Now that Republican California governor candidate Steve Hilton is going to appear on the ballot, he is being asked about the possibility of working with Spencer Pratt, an idea which he says he is completely open to, especially on issues like homelessness.

The post California Republican Governor Candidate Steve Hilton Open to Having Spencer Pratt Work on His Campaign, Maybe Even in His Administration (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani Announces Multi-Million ‘Investment’ in Gender Affirming Care, Weeks After Claiming City is in ‘Historic’ Budget Crisis (VIDEO) – Back in April, New York City’s new Democratic Socialist (communist) Mayor Zohran Mamdani declared that the city was in the midst of an ‘historic’ budget crisis. The post NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani Announces Multi-Million ‘Investment’ in Gender Affirming Care, Weeks After Claiming City is in ‘Historic’ Budget Crisis (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani Announces Multi-Million ‘Investment’ in Gender Affirming Care, Weeks After Claiming City is in ‘Historic’ Budget Crisis (VIDEO) – Back in April, New York City’s new Democratic Socialist (communist) Mayor Zohran Mamdani declared that the city was in the midst of an ‘historic’ budget crisis. The post NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani Announces Multi-Million ‘Investment’ in Gender Affirming Care, Weeks After Claiming City is in ‘Historic’ Budget Crisis (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Back in April, New York City’s new Democratic Socialist (communist) Mayor Zohran Mamdani declared that the city was in the midst of an ‘historic’ budget crisis.

The post NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani Announces Multi-Million ‘Investment’ in Gender Affirming Care, Weeks After Claiming City is in ‘Historic’ Budget Crisis (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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American Diplomat Is Found Dead in Myanmar Hotel – Woman From Thailand Is in Custody – Southeast Asian country of Myanmar has been rocked by the death of an American diplomat in its largest city of Yangon. The post American Diplomat Is Found Dead in Myanmar Hotel – Woman From Thailand Is in Custody appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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American Diplomat Is Found Dead in Myanmar Hotel – Woman From Thailand Is in Custody – Southeast Asian country of Myanmar has been rocked by the death of an American diplomat in its largest city of Yangon. The post American Diplomat Is Found Dead in Myanmar Hotel – Woman From Thailand Is in Custody appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Modern skyscraper illuminated at dusk, featuring commercial signage and surrounded by urban architecture in a vibrant cityscape.

Modern skyscraper illuminated at dusk, featuring commercial signage and surrounded by urban architecture in a vibrant cityscape.

Southeast Asian country of Myanmar has been rocked by the death of an American diplomat in its largest city of Yangon.

The post American Diplomat Is Found Dead in Myanmar Hotel – Woman From Thailand Is in Custody appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Gospel and Word of the Day – 11 June 2026 – A reading from the Book of the Acts of the Apostles 11:21b-26; 13:1-3 In those days a great number who believed turned to the Lord. The news about them reached the ears of the Church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to go to Antioch. When he arrived and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced and encouraged them all to remain faithful to the Lord in firmness of heart, for he was a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and faith. And a large number of people was added to the Lord. Then he went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he had found him he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the Church and taught a large number of people, and it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians. Now there were in the Church at Antioch prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Symeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who was a close friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then, completing their fasting and prayer, they laid hands on them and sent them off.From the Gospel according to Matthew 10:7-13 As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give. Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts; no sack for the journey, or a second tunic, or sandals, or walking stick. The laborer deserves his keep. Whatever town or village you enter, look for a worthy person in it, and stay there until you leave. As you enter a house, wish it peace. If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; if not, let your peace return to you.“Preach as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand’” (Mt 10:7). It is the same proclamation with which Jesus began his preaching: the kingdom of God, that is, his lordship of love, has come near; it comes in our midst. And this is not just one piece of news among others, no, but the fundamental reality of life: the closeness of God, the closeness of Jesus. Indeed, if the God of heaven is close, we are not alone on earth, and even in difficulty, we do not lose faith. Here is the first thing to say to people: God is not far away, but rather he is a Father. God is not distant, he is a Father, he knows you and he loves you; he wants to take you by the hand, even when you travel on steep and rugged paths, even when you fall and struggle to get up again and get back on track. He, the Lord, is there with you. (…) To proclaim that God is near — but how can we do this? In the Gospel, Jesus advises not to say many words, but rather to perform many deeds of love and hope in the name of the Lord. Not saying many words, but performing deeds! “Heal the sick”, says the Lord, “raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without pay, give without pay” (Mt 10:8). Here is the heart of proclamation: freely given witness, service. (Pope Francis, Angelus, 18 June 2023)

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A reading from the Book of the Acts of the Apostles
11:21b-26; 13:1-3

In those days a great number who believed turned to the Lord.
The news about them reached the ears of the Church in Jerusalem,
and they sent Barnabas to go to Antioch.
When he arrived and saw the grace of God,
he rejoiced and encouraged them all
to remain faithful to the Lord in firmness of heart,
for he was a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and faith.
And a large number of people was added to the Lord.
Then he went to Tarsus to look for Saul,
and when he had found him he brought him to Antioch.
For a whole year they met with the Church
and taught a large number of people,
and it was in Antioch that the disciples
were first called Christians.

Now there were in the Church at Antioch prophets and teachers:
Barnabas, Symeon who was called Niger,
Lucius of Cyrene,
Manaen who was a close friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said,
“Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul
for the work to which I have called them.”
Then, completing their fasting and prayer,
they laid hands on them and sent them off.

From the Gospel according to Matthew
10:7-13

As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give. Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts; no sack for the journey, or a second tunic, or sandals, or walking stick. The laborer deserves his keep. Whatever town or village you enter, look for a worthy person in it, and stay there until you leave. As you enter a house, wish it peace. If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; if not, let your peace return to you.

“Preach as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand’” (Mt 10:7). It is the same proclamation with which Jesus began his preaching: the kingdom of God, that is, his lordship of love, has come near; it comes in our midst. And this is not just one piece of news among others, no, but the fundamental reality of life: the closeness of God, the closeness of Jesus.

Indeed, if the God of heaven is close, we are not alone on earth, and even in difficulty, we do not lose faith. Here is the first thing to say to people: God is not far away, but rather he is a Father. God is not distant, he is a Father, he knows you and he loves you; he wants to take you by the hand, even when you travel on steep and rugged paths, even when you fall and struggle to get up again and get back on track. He, the Lord, is there with you. (…)

To proclaim that God is near — but how can we do this? In the Gospel, Jesus advises not to say many words, but rather to perform many deeds of love and hope in the name of the Lord. Not saying many words, but performing deeds! “Heal the sick”, says the Lord, “raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without pay, give without pay” (Mt 10:8). Here is the heart of proclamation: freely given witness, service. (Pope Francis, Angelus, 18 June 2023)

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Proud day as 98 Morris Catholic graduates receive diplomas #Catholic - Ninety-eight proud Morris Catholic High School graduates in Denville, N.J., received diplomas on June 4 during a commencement in the school’s gym. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney helped distribute the diplomas during the ceremony, which included a Mass. Bishop Sweeney presided over the Mass. Concelebrating were several priests, including Father Paul Manning, vicar for evangelization and education of the Paterson Diocese, N.J.; Father Peter Clarke, the school’s president; and Father Carmen Buono, a retired diocesan priest who serves as a part-time chaplain at Morris Catholic. Many students, faculty, and staff participated graduation events that day. Morris Catholic’s valedictorian was Jack Smitreski, while its salutatorian was Oliva Lopes. The Class of 2026 earned a total of $20,541,477 in scholarships and financial aid. Afterward, the high school posted on social media, “What a beautiful day to celebrate Morris Catholic’s graduation. The graduates of the Class of 2026 have amazing futures ahead of them. We are beyond proud.” BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI [See image gallery at beaconnj.org]   Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
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Proud day as 98 Morris Catholic graduates receive diplomas #Catholic – Ninety-eight proud Morris Catholic High School graduates in Denville, N.J., received diplomas on June 4 during a commencement in the school’s gym. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney helped distribute the diplomas during the ceremony, which included a Mass. Bishop Sweeney presided over the Mass. Concelebrating were several priests, including Father Paul Manning, vicar for evangelization and education of the Paterson Diocese, N.J.; Father Peter Clarke, the school’s president; and Father Carmen Buono, a retired diocesan priest who serves as a part-time chaplain at Morris Catholic. Many students, faculty, and staff participated graduation events that day. Morris Catholic’s valedictorian was Jack Smitreski, while its salutatorian was Oliva Lopes. The Class of 2026 earned a total of $20,541,477 in scholarships and financial aid. Afterward, the high school posted on social media, “What a beautiful day to celebrate Morris Catholic’s graduation. The graduates of the Class of 2026 have amazing futures ahead of them. We are beyond proud.” BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI [See image gallery at beaconnj.org]   Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

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Proud day as 98 Morris Catholic graduates receive diplomas #Catholic –

Ninety-eight proud Morris Catholic High School graduates in Denville, N.J., received diplomas on June 4 during a commencement in the school’s gym. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney helped distribute the diplomas during the ceremony, which included a Mass.

Bishop Sweeney presided over the Mass. Concelebrating were several priests, including Father Paul Manning, vicar for evangelization and education of the Paterson Diocese, N.J.; Father Peter Clarke, the school’s president; and Father Carmen Buono, a retired diocesan priest who serves as a part-time chaplain at Morris Catholic.

Many students, faculty, and staff participated graduation events that day.

Morris Catholic’s valedictorian was Jack Smitreski, while its salutatorian was Oliva Lopes. The Class of 2026 earned a total of $20,541,477 in scholarships and financial aid.

Afterward, the high school posted on social media, “What a beautiful day to celebrate Morris Catholic’s graduation. The graduates of the Class of 2026 have amazing futures ahead of them. We are beyond proud.”

BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
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– Ninety-eight proud Morris Catholic High School graduates in Denville, N.J., received diplomas on June 4 during a commencement in the school’s gym. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney helped distribute the diplomas during the ceremony, which included a Mass. Bishop Sweeney presided over the Mass. Concelebrating were several priests, including Father Paul Manning, vicar for evangelization and education of the Paterson Diocese, N.J.; Father Peter Clarke, the school’s president; and Father Carmen Buono, a retired diocesan priest who serves as a part-time chaplain at Morris Catholic. Many students, faculty, and staff participated graduation events that day. Morris Catholic’s valedictorian was Jack Smitreski,

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In Washington, National Eucharistic Pilgrimage includes national blessing, downtown procession #Catholic – WASHINGTON (OSV News) — While flashy events are planned in the U.S. capital for the Independence Day weekend, a prayerful commemoration of the United States’ 250th anniversary unfolded June 5-6 as the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage came to Washington to renew and deepen faith in Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. The pilgrimage included a special blessing of America near the Washington Monument on the evening of June 5, a Eucharistic procession through downtown Washington the next day, followed by a Vigil Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception for the solemnity of Corpus Christi. “Today we walk with Jesus Christ our Redeemer, our Savior. We walk with him in the streets of our nation’s capital,” Father Charles Trullols, the director of the Catholic Information Center, said in his homily during a June 6 Mass outside the center before leading its fourth annual Eucharistic procession through the city. This year’s procession was held in conjunction with the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage’s arrival in Washington. An estimated crowd of 1,000 people attended the Mass and then prayerfully processed through the city, following Father Trullols and other priests who held the Eucharist aloft in a monstrance beneath a canopy, passing the city’s office buildings, public squares and landmarks, including within sight of the White House. Hundreds of people knelt reverently on the sidewalk and on closed-off sections of streets. The 2026 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage — with the theme “One Nation Under God” — began May 24 in St. Augustine, Florida, and will wind through most of the 13 original colonies, traveling about 2,200 miles before arriving in Philadelphia July 4 to commemorate with prayer and Eucharistic devotion the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The pilgrimage’s St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Route is placed under the patronage of the religious sister and Italian immigrant who in 1946 became the first U.S. citizen to be canonized. In his homily at the Mass, Father Trullols said the phrase “one nation under God” should be more than a patriotic slogan. “A nation remains ‘under God’ only if its people place God first,” said Father Trullols, a priest of the Prelature of Opus Dei. The priest said that ways Catholics can put God first include through daily prayer, attending Mass, receiving the sacrament of confession, caring for the poor, remaining faithful in marriage and pursuing holiness in everyday life. “Today’s procession is not a parade,” he said, emphasizing that it would offer a public witness to the Catholic belief in the real presence of Jesus Christ’s body, blood, soul and divinity in the Eucharist. Father Trullols said early Christians understood that the Eucharist is not just a symbol — it is Jesus, the Bread of Life who transforms people’s lives. He noted how Mother Cabrini worked tirelessly to minister to poor immigrants, drawing her strength from praying before the Eucharist in the tabernacle, and he also pointed out how Venerable Fulton J. Sheen, who evangelized millions through his radio shows and TV programs, prayed before the Eucharist in a daily Holy Hour, no matter how busy he was. Noting the importance of such Eucharistic devotion, Father Trullols said, “There is where saints are made.” The evening before, Father Trullols had received the Blessed Sacrament at the Basilica of St. Mary in Alexandria, Virginia. Then he joined the nine young adult “perpetual pilgrims” accompanying the Eucharist in the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, as their Ford Transit Van crossed the Arlington Memorial Bridge to Washington. A press statement from the pilgrimage’s organizers noted that bridge, “long recognized as a symbol of national unity and reconciliation between North and South, serves as a fitting gateway for bringing Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, into the heart of the nation’s capital.” Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. After the pilgrimage vehicle arrived on the National Mall on the evening of June 5, Father Trullols led a Eucharistic procession toward the grounds near the base of the Washington Monument, and he offered a symbolic blessing for the nation within sight of that illuminated monument and the U.S. Capitol in the distance. Later that day, the perpetual pilgrims visited the St. John Paul II National Shrine in northeast Washington before attending Mass at the adjacent basilica, where Bishop-elect designate Gary R. Studniewski was principal celebrant and homilist. By instituting the Eucharist, Jesus “wanted for us to know, to see and to even feel that He is still among us not just a symbol, not just half a locket with the promise we will get the other half when we get to heaven, but his real body and blood right here,” said Bishop-elect designated Studniewski, whose episcopal ordination as an auxiliary bishop of Washington is scheduled for July 7. “And we do more than just see and touch his body and blood: We take Jesus into ourselves as food for our perilous journey,” the bishop-elect said. Speaking at the shrine prior to that Mass, perpetual pilgrim John Paul Flynn said, “accompanying Jesus is a one-of-a-kind experience, a really beautiful experience.” “We are having Jesus in the very center of our nation’s capital,” said Flynn, a native of the Washington area and a student at The Catholic University of America. “We are bringing Jesus to where all the decisions are made.” Saying he was blessed to “travel with Jesus every single day,” Flynn called it very special to “see Jesus walking our streets, walking the same steps I have walked.” Mark Zimmermann is editor of the Catholic Standard, the news outlet of the Archdiocese of Washington. Richard Szczepanowski, the Catholic Standard’s managing editor, contributed to this story. This story was originally published by the Catholic Standard and distributed through a partnership with OSV News.  
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In Washington, National Eucharistic Pilgrimage includes national blessing, downtown procession #Catholic – WASHINGTON (OSV News) — While flashy events are planned in the U.S. capital for the Independence Day weekend, a prayerful commemoration of the United States’ 250th anniversary unfolded June 5-6 as the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage came to Washington to renew and deepen faith in Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. The pilgrimage included a special blessing of America near the Washington Monument on the evening of June 5, a Eucharistic procession through downtown Washington the next day, followed by a Vigil Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception for the solemnity of Corpus Christi. “Today we walk with Jesus Christ our Redeemer, our Savior. We walk with him in the streets of our nation’s capital,” Father Charles Trullols, the director of the Catholic Information Center, said in his homily during a June 6 Mass outside the center before leading its fourth annual Eucharistic procession through the city. This year’s procession was held in conjunction with the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage’s arrival in Washington. An estimated crowd of 1,000 people attended the Mass and then prayerfully processed through the city, following Father Trullols and other priests who held the Eucharist aloft in a monstrance beneath a canopy, passing the city’s office buildings, public squares and landmarks, including within sight of the White House. Hundreds of people knelt reverently on the sidewalk and on closed-off sections of streets. The 2026 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage — with the theme “One Nation Under God” — began May 24 in St. Augustine, Florida, and will wind through most of the 13 original colonies, traveling about 2,200 miles before arriving in Philadelphia July 4 to commemorate with prayer and Eucharistic devotion the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The pilgrimage’s St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Route is placed under the patronage of the religious sister and Italian immigrant who in 1946 became the first U.S. citizen to be canonized. In his homily at the Mass, Father Trullols said the phrase “one nation under God” should be more than a patriotic slogan. “A nation remains ‘under God’ only if its people place God first,” said Father Trullols, a priest of the Prelature of Opus Dei. The priest said that ways Catholics can put God first include through daily prayer, attending Mass, receiving the sacrament of confession, caring for the poor, remaining faithful in marriage and pursuing holiness in everyday life. “Today’s procession is not a parade,” he said, emphasizing that it would offer a public witness to the Catholic belief in the real presence of Jesus Christ’s body, blood, soul and divinity in the Eucharist. Father Trullols said early Christians understood that the Eucharist is not just a symbol — it is Jesus, the Bread of Life who transforms people’s lives. He noted how Mother Cabrini worked tirelessly to minister to poor immigrants, drawing her strength from praying before the Eucharist in the tabernacle, and he also pointed out how Venerable Fulton J. Sheen, who evangelized millions through his radio shows and TV programs, prayed before the Eucharist in a daily Holy Hour, no matter how busy he was. Noting the importance of such Eucharistic devotion, Father Trullols said, “There is where saints are made.” The evening before, Father Trullols had received the Blessed Sacrament at the Basilica of St. Mary in Alexandria, Virginia. Then he joined the nine young adult “perpetual pilgrims” accompanying the Eucharist in the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, as their Ford Transit Van crossed the Arlington Memorial Bridge to Washington. A press statement from the pilgrimage’s organizers noted that bridge, “long recognized as a symbol of national unity and reconciliation between North and South, serves as a fitting gateway for bringing Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, into the heart of the nation’s capital.” Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. After the pilgrimage vehicle arrived on the National Mall on the evening of June 5, Father Trullols led a Eucharistic procession toward the grounds near the base of the Washington Monument, and he offered a symbolic blessing for the nation within sight of that illuminated monument and the U.S. Capitol in the distance. Later that day, the perpetual pilgrims visited the St. John Paul II National Shrine in northeast Washington before attending Mass at the adjacent basilica, where Bishop-elect designate Gary R. Studniewski was principal celebrant and homilist. By instituting the Eucharist, Jesus “wanted for us to know, to see and to even feel that He is still among us not just a symbol, not just half a locket with the promise we will get the other half when we get to heaven, but his real body and blood right here,” said Bishop-elect designated Studniewski, whose episcopal ordination as an auxiliary bishop of Washington is scheduled for July 7. “And we do more than just see and touch his body and blood: We take Jesus into ourselves as food for our perilous journey,” the bishop-elect said. Speaking at the shrine prior to that Mass, perpetual pilgrim John Paul Flynn said, “accompanying Jesus is a one-of-a-kind experience, a really beautiful experience.” “We are having Jesus in the very center of our nation’s capital,” said Flynn, a native of the Washington area and a student at The Catholic University of America. “We are bringing Jesus to where all the decisions are made.” Saying he was blessed to “travel with Jesus every single day,” Flynn called it very special to “see Jesus walking our streets, walking the same steps I have walked.” Mark Zimmermann is editor of the Catholic Standard, the news outlet of the Archdiocese of Washington. Richard Szczepanowski, the Catholic Standard’s managing editor, contributed to this story. This story was originally published by the Catholic Standard and distributed through a partnership with OSV News.  

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In Washington, National Eucharistic Pilgrimage includes national blessing, downtown procession #Catholic –

WASHINGTON (OSV News) — While flashy events are planned in the U.S. capital for the Independence Day weekend, a prayerful commemoration of the United States’ 250th anniversary unfolded June 5-6 as the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage came to Washington to renew and deepen faith in Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.

The pilgrimage included a special blessing of America near the Washington Monument on the evening of June 5, a Eucharistic procession through downtown Washington the next day, followed by a Vigil Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception for the solemnity of Corpus Christi.

“Today we walk with Jesus Christ our Redeemer, our Savior. We walk with him in the streets of our nation’s capital,” Father Charles Trullols, the director of the Catholic Information Center, said in his homily during a June 6 Mass outside the center before leading its fourth annual Eucharistic procession through the city.

This year’s procession was held in conjunction with the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage’s arrival in Washington. An estimated crowd of 1,000 people attended the Mass and then prayerfully processed through the city, following Father Trullols and other priests who held the Eucharist aloft in a monstrance beneath a canopy, passing the city’s office buildings, public squares and landmarks, including within sight of the White House. Hundreds of people knelt reverently on the sidewalk and on closed-off sections of streets.

The 2026 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage — with the theme “One Nation Under God” — began May 24 in St. Augustine, Florida, and will wind through most of the 13 original colonies, traveling about 2,200 miles before arriving in Philadelphia July 4 to commemorate with prayer and Eucharistic devotion the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

The pilgrimage’s St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Route is placed under the patronage of the religious sister and Italian immigrant who in 1946 became the first U.S. citizen to be canonized.

In his homily at the Mass, Father Trullols said the phrase “one nation under God” should be more than a patriotic slogan.

“A nation remains ‘under God’ only if its people place God first,” said Father Trullols, a priest of the Prelature of Opus Dei.

The priest said that ways Catholics can put God first include through daily prayer, attending Mass, receiving the sacrament of confession, caring for the poor, remaining faithful in marriage and pursuing holiness in everyday life.

“Today’s procession is not a parade,” he said, emphasizing that it would offer a public witness to the Catholic belief in the real presence of Jesus Christ’s body, blood, soul and divinity in the Eucharist.

Father Trullols said early Christians understood that the Eucharist is not just a symbol — it is Jesus, the Bread of Life who transforms people’s lives. He noted how Mother Cabrini worked tirelessly to minister to poor immigrants, drawing her strength from praying before the Eucharist in the tabernacle, and he also pointed out how Venerable Fulton J. Sheen, who evangelized millions through his radio shows and TV programs, prayed before the Eucharist in a daily Holy Hour, no matter how busy he was.

Noting the importance of such Eucharistic devotion, Father Trullols said, “There is where saints are made.”

The evening before, Father Trullols had received the Blessed Sacrament at the Basilica of St. Mary in Alexandria, Virginia. Then he joined the nine young adult “perpetual pilgrims” accompanying the Eucharist in the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, as their Ford Transit Van crossed the Arlington Memorial Bridge to Washington.

A press statement from the pilgrimage’s organizers noted that bridge, “long recognized as a symbol of national unity and reconciliation between North and South, serves as a fitting gateway for bringing Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, into the heart of the nation’s capital.”

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

After the pilgrimage vehicle arrived on the National Mall on the evening of June 5, Father Trullols led a Eucharistic procession toward the grounds near the base of the Washington Monument, and he offered a symbolic blessing for the nation within sight of that illuminated monument and the U.S. Capitol in the distance.

Later that day, the perpetual pilgrims visited the St. John Paul II National Shrine in northeast Washington before attending Mass at the adjacent basilica, where Bishop-elect designate Gary R. Studniewski was principal celebrant and homilist.

By instituting the Eucharist, Jesus “wanted for us to know, to see and to even feel that He is still among us not just a symbol, not just half a locket with the promise we will get the other half when we get to heaven, but his real body and blood right here,” said Bishop-elect designated Studniewski, whose episcopal ordination as an auxiliary bishop of Washington is scheduled for July 7.

“And we do more than just see and touch his body and blood: We take Jesus into ourselves as food for our perilous journey,” the bishop-elect said.

Speaking at the shrine prior to that Mass, perpetual pilgrim John Paul Flynn said, “accompanying Jesus is a one-of-a-kind experience, a really beautiful experience.”

“We are having Jesus in the very center of our nation’s capital,” said Flynn, a native of the Washington area and a student at The Catholic University of America. “We are bringing Jesus to where all the decisions are made.”

Saying he was blessed to “travel with Jesus every single day,” Flynn called it very special to “see Jesus walking our streets, walking the same steps I have walked.”

Mark Zimmermann is editor of the Catholic Standard, the news outlet of the Archdiocese of Washington. Richard Szczepanowski, the Catholic Standard’s managing editor, contributed to this story. This story was originally published by the Catholic Standard and distributed through a partnership with OSV News.

 

– WASHINGTON (OSV News) — While flashy events are planned in the U.S. capital for the Independence Day weekend, a prayerful commemoration of the United States’ 250th anniversary unfolded June 5-6 as the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage came to Washington to renew and deepen faith in Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. The pilgrimage included a special blessing of America near the Washington Monument on the evening of June 5, a Eucharistic procession through downtown Washington the next day, followed by a Vigil Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception for the solemnity of Corpus Christi. “Today we

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Life Hack: Wife Texting You Too Much? Reply ‘Unsubscribe’ And She’s Legally Required To Stop #BabylonBee – Unsubscribing from spam texts is well known, but did you know you can also unsubscribe from your wife? All you have to do is text back "UNSUBSCRIBE" and she’s legally required to stop.
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Life Hack: Wife Texting You Too Much? Reply ‘Unsubscribe’ And She’s Legally Required To Stop #BabylonBee – Unsubscribing from spam texts is well known, but did you know you can also unsubscribe from your wife? All you have to do is text back "UNSUBSCRIBE" and she’s legally required to stop.

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Unsubscribing from spam texts is well known, but did you know you can also unsubscribe from your wife? All you have to do is text back "UNSUBSCRIBE" and she’s legally required to stop.

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Pope Leo XIV: Fragility in old age can teach our efficiency-obsessed world – #Catholic – Pope Leo XIV has called for greater respect for the elderly, affirming that their fragility still has much to teach humanity today.In a letter sent via the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, to the participants of the June 10 symposium in Rome titled “A Bridge Toward Heaven,” the pontiff expressed his hope that their efforts would encourage “renewed attitudes of respect, gratitude, and esteem toward the elderly.”Leo also criticized the modern tendency to equate strength with mere displays of power. “The society we live in is dominated by the logic of performance and competition, whereby strength is conceived as a display of power and tends to degenerate into abuse,” the message said.The pope also praised the witness of the elderly in their physical weakness with age and described them as offering profound lessons for the younger generation, who might not yet recognize their value.“The elderly, in the serene acceptance of the limitations linked to the passing of the years, without hiding them or being ashamed of them, can be teachers of life, capable of showing everyone — and especially young people — that the value of an existence is not measured by the yardstick of efficiency or self-sufficiency but by the capacity to love and to let oneself be loved, to give and to receive,” the message said.
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Pope Leo XIV: Fragility in old age can teach our efficiency-obsessed world – #Catholic – Pope Leo XIV has called for greater respect for the elderly, affirming that their fragility still has much to teach humanity today.In a letter sent via the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, to the participants of the June 10 symposium in Rome titled “A Bridge Toward Heaven,” the pontiff expressed his hope that their efforts would encourage “renewed attitudes of respect, gratitude, and esteem toward the elderly.”Leo also criticized the modern tendency to equate strength with mere displays of power. “The society we live in is dominated by the logic of performance and competition, whereby strength is conceived as a display of power and tends to degenerate into abuse,” the message said.The pope also praised the witness of the elderly in their physical weakness with age and described them as offering profound lessons for the younger generation, who might not yet recognize their value.“The elderly, in the serene acceptance of the limitations linked to the passing of the years, without hiding them or being ashamed of them, can be teachers of life, capable of showing everyone — and especially young people — that the value of an existence is not measured by the yardstick of efficiency or self-sufficiency but by the capacity to love and to let oneself be loved, to give and to receive,” the message said.

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The pontiff, who is traveling in Spain, sent a letter to be read at a Vatican symposium on the elderly.

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Refusing to inherit hatred and war: Teenagers launch peace initiative at the Vatican – #Catholic – Amid worsening armed conflicts in countries such as Ukraine, Nigeria, and those in the Middle East, a group of teenagers recently came to Rome to launch a new peace initiative, Project Oxygen.From May 31 to June 5, 40 teenagers from war-torn regions worldwide, including Ukraine, Nigeria, and the Middle East, participated in peace-building workshops on diplomacy and political engagement in conflict-affected areas. Through Project Oxygen, they aim to shift current narratives about conflict toward a future of creativity and compassion.Their activities included visits to Vatican dicasteries and the Italian Parliament, conferences on artificial intelligence, and a Wednesday general audience with Pope Leo XIV.One of the participants, Olena from Ukraine, expressed her conviction that her young generation can make a difference by uniting around shared values in a divided world.“We can make a change altogether and understand what things and circumstances unite us, and by that go to peace altogether,” Olena told EWTN News.Kathleen Hessert, founder of Project Oxygen and CEO of Sports Media Challenge, added: “The people in charge have not been able to come up with the solutions to peace. So we need to look somewhere else. And [by] their creativity and their imagination, these kids can bring a vibrancy, a creativity, and a dedication to peace.”
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Refusing to inherit hatred and war: Teenagers launch peace initiative at the Vatican – #Catholic – Amid worsening armed conflicts in countries such as Ukraine, Nigeria, and those in the Middle East, a group of teenagers recently came to Rome to launch a new peace initiative, Project Oxygen.From May 31 to June 5, 40 teenagers from war-torn regions worldwide, including Ukraine, Nigeria, and the Middle East, participated in peace-building workshops on diplomacy and political engagement in conflict-affected areas. Through Project Oxygen, they aim to shift current narratives about conflict toward a future of creativity and compassion.Their activities included visits to Vatican dicasteries and the Italian Parliament, conferences on artificial intelligence, and a Wednesday general audience with Pope Leo XIV.One of the participants, Olena from Ukraine, expressed her conviction that her young generation can make a difference by uniting around shared values in a divided world.“We can make a change altogether and understand what things and circumstances unite us, and by that go to peace altogether,” Olena told EWTN News.Kathleen Hessert, founder of Project Oxygen and CEO of Sports Media Challenge, added: “The people in charge have not been able to come up with the solutions to peace. So we need to look somewhere else. And [by] their creativity and their imagination, these kids can bring a vibrancy, a creativity, and a dedication to peace.”

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Forty teenagers from war-torn countries recently took part in the Project Oxygen Teen Peace Summit.

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Pope Leo entrusts his pontificate to Our Lady of Montserrat: May she ‘guide us to Jesus’ – #Catholic – MONTSERRAT, Spain — The rugged silhouette of the Montserrat mountain range was one of the first symbols of Catalonia that Pope Leo XIV saw from above as his plane brought him to Barcelona from Madrid on June 9.The following day, the pope traveled by car to the mountainous area of Montserrat — whose name in Catalan means “serrated mountain” — home to a Benedictine abbey, which rises to a height of over 4,000 feet on the west side of the Llobregat River.Before arriving, however, the pontiff made a brief detour during the approximate 25-mile journey from Barcelona to stop at Brians 1 Penitentiary Center — a place steeped in suffering, where the lives of inmates find some comfort thanks to the prison chaplain, Father Jesús Bel, coordinator of prison ministry for the Diocese of Sant Feliu de Llobregat and a Mercedarian priest who has spent 40 years accompanying those deprived of their freedom.As he did during his trip to Equatorial Guinea, the pope embraced the suffering carried by prisoners.There, he heard directly from two inmates, Montserrat and Josefina, about the importance of having an anchor such as faith in Christ when life shows its harshest face. Their testimony moved the pope.“Here in prison I am not alone — Jesus gives me strength, he gives me life. I feel him within me; otherwise, I don’t know how I could have endured this,” Josefina told him.After her words, a heavy silence fell. Then, Leo offered a reflection that resonated among those present: “The mistakes of a person’s life do not determine who they are.”God loves you as you areThe pontiff invoked St. Augustine to underscore that the past does not chain the future, adding: “God loves you just as you are, but he dreams of you being even better! The Lord allows us all to start anew, for being human and being Christian does not mean never making mistakes, but rather growing in the ability to convert, repent, make amends, and, above all, to reconcile and forgive.”The encounter — though barely 20 minutes — set the tone for the rest of the day: the mercy of God embracing even the darkest hearts.The ascent to MontserratAfter visiting the prison, the pontiff headed to the Abbey of Montserrat, nestled among towering rock formations that resemble sculpted figures of animals or objects. The monastery radiates peace both inside and outside its ancient walls.In 1025, Abbot Oliba, then superior of the monastery of Ripoll, founded a smaller monastery on the mountain of Montserrat at a site where a small hermitage dedicated to the Virgin already stood.According to tradition, the first image of the Virgin — known in Catalan as “La Mare de Déu de Montserrat” — was discovered in the year 880 by children tending a flock in a cave after seeing a light on the mountain.When the bishop learned of the discovery, he sought to move the small statue to Manresa but was unable to do so because it became too heavy — a sign, he believed, that the Virgin wished to remain there. He then ordered a sanctuary to be built on the spot.At the foot of Montserrat, after praying the rosary, the pope lifted up his prayer: “Let us ask her to help us clothe ourselves only with the armor of God.”“Let us also consider how the Virgin holds the globe in her right hand, a sign of her maternal care, for the whole world finds a place in her heart. She invites us to recognize one another as brothers and sisters, so that no one is excluded and that communion is stronger than every division,” he added.The image of Mary currently venerated is a 12th-century Romanesque wooden sculpture, just over 3 feet tall, depicting the Blessed Virgin Mary with the Child Jesus.Except for the faces and hands, the statue is covered in gold, while the Virgin’s dark complexion has earned her the popular nickname “La Moreneta." In 2023, Pope Francis offered a Golden Rose to this venerated image.Among those who entrusted themselves to her was St. Ignatius of Loyola, in one of the most profound conversions in Christian tradition: “After a night spent in prayer before the Virgin, [he] laid aside his knightly arms — a moment that marked the beginning of a new life in the service of Jesus Christ,” Pope Leo XIV recalled.For centuries, faithful from all walks of life have passed through this sanctuary, praying the rosary bead by bead, because Mary, “Mare de Déu,” as the pope said, “is fundamental in the life of every Christian.”“I am happy to come to the feet of La Moreneta to entrust to her, with full confidence in her maternal intercession, my Petrine ministry and the mission of the Church in a world that cries out for justice and peace,” the pope said.“I invite you today to accept Mary’s invitation: ‘Do whatever he tells you' (Jn 2:5). These words spoken at Cana in Galilee contain a true guide for Christian living, because Mary leads us to Christ and teaches us to listen to his voice, obey his word, and allow him to transform us,” he added.The pontiff also made clear the message God brought to the world when he became man: “Jesus shows us the path of mercy, reconciliation, truth, and gentleness. At the same time, he exposes the violence that can lurk in our words and attitudes: criticism that humiliates, condemnation that destroys, and aggression that divides.”That hidden violence, he continued, “can often disguise itself as a kind of armor, which we use to protect our wounds, our fears, and the suffering caused by injustice.”Over the centuries, Montserrat has grown as living things do — with scars and memory. It has not always been a place of peace. It was plundered, destroyed, abandoned. Yet it always rose again, as if the mountain itself sustained it.Leo XIV concluded by asking that “Mary, Mother of the Church, always guide us to Jesus. I invite you to honor her with these words that you know so well: To the Catalans, you will always be the Princess; to the Spanish people and to the whole world, all our love; say to us: You are my treasure, I am your mother, do not be afraid.”In the abbey cloister, hundreds of people waited eagerly for the pope. Among them was Miguel, a kind-eyed boy who wrote a letter hoping to hand it to the pontiff himself.“He wanted to write it in Italian, even though the pope — as we know — speaks Spanish perfectly,” said his father, also named Miguel. In the letter, he asks nothing for himself or his family. “I would like him to bless all of Ukraine,” said the 9-year-old, an avid reader who currently keeps the greatest of all books on his nightstand. “I’m reading the Bible. I love everything about it,” he said.‘Catalonia without La Moreneta would be nothing’Also waiting for the pope were two nuns from the Congregation of the Little Sisters of the Poor, Sister Ángeles Piqué, from a small town in Lleida, and Sister Doraliza, originally from Cajamarca, Peru. “We need the pope to bring us Christ’s message: unity, fraternity, and to come to the Virgin as our point of reference," Sister Doralizia said.She gave voice to the widespread devotion to the Virgin of Montserrat in this region of Spain. “Catalonia without La Moreneta would be nothing,” she said.“Our Lady of Montserrat is a very special grace. This is her sanctuary, and all her children come here to ask for her protection and to be sheltered under her mantle,” Piqué added.This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
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Pope Leo entrusts his pontificate to Our Lady of Montserrat: May she ‘guide us to Jesus’ – #Catholic – MONTSERRAT, Spain — The rugged silhouette of the Montserrat mountain range was one of the first symbols of Catalonia that Pope Leo XIV saw from above as his plane brought him to Barcelona from Madrid on June 9.The following day, the pope traveled by car to the mountainous area of Montserrat — whose name in Catalan means “serrated mountain” — home to a Benedictine abbey, which rises to a height of over 4,000 feet on the west side of the Llobregat River.Before arriving, however, the pontiff made a brief detour during the approximate 25-mile journey from Barcelona to stop at Brians 1 Penitentiary Center — a place steeped in suffering, where the lives of inmates find some comfort thanks to the prison chaplain, Father Jesús Bel, coordinator of prison ministry for the Diocese of Sant Feliu de Llobregat and a Mercedarian priest who has spent 40 years accompanying those deprived of their freedom.As he did during his trip to Equatorial Guinea, the pope embraced the suffering carried by prisoners.There, he heard directly from two inmates, Montserrat and Josefina, about the importance of having an anchor such as faith in Christ when life shows its harshest face. Their testimony moved the pope.“Here in prison I am not alone — Jesus gives me strength, he gives me life. I feel him within me; otherwise, I don’t know how I could have endured this,” Josefina told him.After her words, a heavy silence fell. Then, Leo offered a reflection that resonated among those present: “The mistakes of a person’s life do not determine who they are.”God loves you as you areThe pontiff invoked St. Augustine to underscore that the past does not chain the future, adding: “God loves you just as you are, but he dreams of you being even better! The Lord allows us all to start anew, for being human and being Christian does not mean never making mistakes, but rather growing in the ability to convert, repent, make amends, and, above all, to reconcile and forgive.”The encounter — though barely 20 minutes — set the tone for the rest of the day: the mercy of God embracing even the darkest hearts.The ascent to MontserratAfter visiting the prison, the pontiff headed to the Abbey of Montserrat, nestled among towering rock formations that resemble sculpted figures of animals or objects. The monastery radiates peace both inside and outside its ancient walls.In 1025, Abbot Oliba, then superior of the monastery of Ripoll, founded a smaller monastery on the mountain of Montserrat at a site where a small hermitage dedicated to the Virgin already stood.According to tradition, the first image of the Virgin — known in Catalan as “La Mare de Déu de Montserrat” — was discovered in the year 880 by children tending a flock in a cave after seeing a light on the mountain.When the bishop learned of the discovery, he sought to move the small statue to Manresa but was unable to do so because it became too heavy — a sign, he believed, that the Virgin wished to remain there. He then ordered a sanctuary to be built on the spot.At the foot of Montserrat, after praying the rosary, the pope lifted up his prayer: “Let us ask her to help us clothe ourselves only with the armor of God.”“Let us also consider how the Virgin holds the globe in her right hand, a sign of her maternal care, for the whole world finds a place in her heart. She invites us to recognize one another as brothers and sisters, so that no one is excluded and that communion is stronger than every division,” he added.The image of Mary currently venerated is a 12th-century Romanesque wooden sculpture, just over 3 feet tall, depicting the Blessed Virgin Mary with the Child Jesus.Except for the faces and hands, the statue is covered in gold, while the Virgin’s dark complexion has earned her the popular nickname “La Moreneta." In 2023, Pope Francis offered a Golden Rose to this venerated image.Among those who entrusted themselves to her was St. Ignatius of Loyola, in one of the most profound conversions in Christian tradition: “After a night spent in prayer before the Virgin, [he] laid aside his knightly arms — a moment that marked the beginning of a new life in the service of Jesus Christ,” Pope Leo XIV recalled.For centuries, faithful from all walks of life have passed through this sanctuary, praying the rosary bead by bead, because Mary, “Mare de Déu,” as the pope said, “is fundamental in the life of every Christian.”“I am happy to come to the feet of La Moreneta to entrust to her, with full confidence in her maternal intercession, my Petrine ministry and the mission of the Church in a world that cries out for justice and peace,” the pope said.“I invite you today to accept Mary’s invitation: ‘Do whatever he tells you' (Jn 2:5). These words spoken at Cana in Galilee contain a true guide for Christian living, because Mary leads us to Christ and teaches us to listen to his voice, obey his word, and allow him to transform us,” he added.The pontiff also made clear the message God brought to the world when he became man: “Jesus shows us the path of mercy, reconciliation, truth, and gentleness. At the same time, he exposes the violence that can lurk in our words and attitudes: criticism that humiliates, condemnation that destroys, and aggression that divides.”That hidden violence, he continued, “can often disguise itself as a kind of armor, which we use to protect our wounds, our fears, and the suffering caused by injustice.”Over the centuries, Montserrat has grown as living things do — with scars and memory. It has not always been a place of peace. It was plundered, destroyed, abandoned. Yet it always rose again, as if the mountain itself sustained it.Leo XIV concluded by asking that “Mary, Mother of the Church, always guide us to Jesus. I invite you to honor her with these words that you know so well: To the Catalans, you will always be the Princess; to the Spanish people and to the whole world, all our love; say to us: You are my treasure, I am your mother, do not be afraid.”In the abbey cloister, hundreds of people waited eagerly for the pope. Among them was Miguel, a kind-eyed boy who wrote a letter hoping to hand it to the pontiff himself.“He wanted to write it in Italian, even though the pope — as we know — speaks Spanish perfectly,” said his father, also named Miguel. In the letter, he asks nothing for himself or his family. “I would like him to bless all of Ukraine,” said the 9-year-old, an avid reader who currently keeps the greatest of all books on his nightstand. “I’m reading the Bible. I love everything about it,” he said.‘Catalonia without La Moreneta would be nothing’Also waiting for the pope were two nuns from the Congregation of the Little Sisters of the Poor, Sister Ángeles Piqué, from a small town in Lleida, and Sister Doraliza, originally from Cajamarca, Peru. “We need the pope to bring us Christ’s message: unity, fraternity, and to come to the Virgin as our point of reference," Sister Doralizia said.She gave voice to the widespread devotion to the Virgin of Montserrat in this region of Spain. “Catalonia without La Moreneta would be nothing,” she said.“Our Lady of Montserrat is a very special grace. This is her sanctuary, and all her children come here to ask for her protection and to be sheltered under her mantle,” Piqué added.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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After visiting a prison, Pope Leo headed to the Abbey of Montserrat northwest of Barcelona and nestled among towering rock formations that resemble sculpted figures of animals or objects.

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June 10, 1927: The birth of Eugene Parker

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Eugene Parker, pioneer of theoretical solar and plasma astrophysics, was born June 10, 1927. Parker revolutionized the field of heliophysics, notably by first proposing the existence of the solar wind — a stream of charged particles ejected from the Sun — in 1958. His theory was confirmed by Mariner II in 1962. Among many otherContinue reading “June 10, 1927: The birth of Eugene Parker”

The post June 10, 1927: The birth of Eugene Parker appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

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Pope Leo XIV honors Our Lady of Almudena with Golden Rose, reflects on Spain’s Christian heritage #Catholic For more than a thousand years, generations of Catholics in Madrid have turned to Our Lady of Almudena in times of celebration, hardship, and prayer. On June 8, that enduring devotion received one of the Church’s highest marks of recognition when Pope Leo XIV bestowed a Golden Rose upon the historic statue.“As a symbol of the pope’s filial love for the Virgin Mary, I will place a Golden Rose at her feet,” Leo said during a ceremony at Madrid’s Cathedral of Santa María la Real de la Almudena.The papal honor — one of the highest distinctions a pope can bestow upon a Marian image or shrine — recognizes the deep devotion generations of Spanish Catholics have shown to the Blessed Virgin under the title of Almudena.The exact origin of the gifting of a Golden Rose is unknown, although it is considered one of the oldest papal traditions. The earliest reliable record dates to 1096, when Pope Urban II sent one to Fulcone d’Angers. Hidden in the citadel wallAddressing the faithful gathered in the cathedral, Leo reflected on the image’s unique place in Madrid’s history.“For centuries, countless generations of Madrileños have venerated this image of the Blessed Virgin Mary holding her divine Son in her arms and presenting him to us,” the pope said.According to long-standing tradition, the devotion dates to the early centuries of Christianity in Spain. When Muslim forces conquered much of the Iberian Peninsula in A.D. 712, Christians in Madrid reportedly concealed the statue within the city’s defensive walls to protect it from destruction. The image remained hidden for centuries as Christian kingdoms gradually sought to reclaim territories across the peninsula during the Reconquista.The wall that fell In 1083, after King Alfonso VI of Castile recaptured Madrid, Christians searched for the long-lost statue. Tradition holds that after days of prayer, a section of the city wall suddenly collapsed, revealing the image preserved within. Witnesses reported seeing lights near the site, and the statue was discovered largely intact despite centuries of concealment.Recalling the story, Leo noted that “during challenging periods for the Christian community, the statue of the Virgin Mary was hidden in a niche of the citadel wall for protection. It remained concealed for some time, until parts of the wall collapsed and it was miraculously discovered intact.”The title “Almudena” derives from the Arabic word “al-mudayna,” meaning “citadel” or “fortress,” a reference to the location where the image was found.A message for today In his homily, the pope used the collapse of the wall as a spiritual lesson for modern society.“It was thanks to a collapsed wall that the Mother was reunited with her people,” Leo said. “This event is providential, because it points to the path that Jesus, through his most holy mother, invites us to follow.”Leo connected that image to challenges facing the modern world, observing that “there are still many walls that do not protect but rather divide, separate, and isolate.”The ceremony also highlighted the popeʼs connection to Spain, a nation whose Catholic heritage has profoundly shaped the history of the Church. By honoring one of Spain’s most beloved Marian images, the pontiff underscored the enduring importance of popular Marian devotion and the Christian roots that continue to influence Spanish culture.Renewing faith and hope Beyond its historical significance, the story of Our Lady of Almudena continues to resonate with Catholics today. The devotion recalls themes of perseverance, hope, and trust in God’s providence, themes Pope Leo himself highlighted as he encouraged the faithful to remain steadfast in faith, charity, and hope.Calling the devotion a source of hope, Leo described it as “a sign of the Christian roots that characterize you and give you life, but also of the great hope which continues to motivate you to move forward.”He concluded by encouraging Catholics to remain steadfast in faith, charity, and hope, asking that the intercession of Our Lady of Almudena strengthen believers in their love for Christ and help them “form bonds and restore the universal language of communion, fraternal love, and harmony.”
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Pope Leo XIV honors Our Lady of Almudena with Golden Rose, reflects on Spain’s Christian heritage #Catholic For more than a thousand years, generations of Catholics in Madrid have turned to Our Lady of Almudena in times of celebration, hardship, and prayer. On June 8, that enduring devotion received one of the Church’s highest marks of recognition when Pope Leo XIV bestowed a Golden Rose upon the historic statue.“As a symbol of the pope’s filial love for the Virgin Mary, I will place a Golden Rose at her feet,” Leo said during a ceremony at Madrid’s Cathedral of Santa María la Real de la Almudena.The papal honor — one of the highest distinctions a pope can bestow upon a Marian image or shrine — recognizes the deep devotion generations of Spanish Catholics have shown to the Blessed Virgin under the title of Almudena.The exact origin of the gifting of a Golden Rose is unknown, although it is considered one of the oldest papal traditions. The earliest reliable record dates to 1096, when Pope Urban II sent one to Fulcone d’Angers. Hidden in the citadel wallAddressing the faithful gathered in the cathedral, Leo reflected on the image’s unique place in Madrid’s history.“For centuries, countless generations of Madrileños have venerated this image of the Blessed Virgin Mary holding her divine Son in her arms and presenting him to us,” the pope said.According to long-standing tradition, the devotion dates to the early centuries of Christianity in Spain. When Muslim forces conquered much of the Iberian Peninsula in A.D. 712, Christians in Madrid reportedly concealed the statue within the city’s defensive walls to protect it from destruction. The image remained hidden for centuries as Christian kingdoms gradually sought to reclaim territories across the peninsula during the Reconquista.The wall that fell In 1083, after King Alfonso VI of Castile recaptured Madrid, Christians searched for the long-lost statue. Tradition holds that after days of prayer, a section of the city wall suddenly collapsed, revealing the image preserved within. Witnesses reported seeing lights near the site, and the statue was discovered largely intact despite centuries of concealment.Recalling the story, Leo noted that “during challenging periods for the Christian community, the statue of the Virgin Mary was hidden in a niche of the citadel wall for protection. It remained concealed for some time, until parts of the wall collapsed and it was miraculously discovered intact.”The title “Almudena” derives from the Arabic word “al-mudayna,” meaning “citadel” or “fortress,” a reference to the location where the image was found.A message for today In his homily, the pope used the collapse of the wall as a spiritual lesson for modern society.“It was thanks to a collapsed wall that the Mother was reunited with her people,” Leo said. “This event is providential, because it points to the path that Jesus, through his most holy mother, invites us to follow.”Leo connected that image to challenges facing the modern world, observing that “there are still many walls that do not protect but rather divide, separate, and isolate.”The ceremony also highlighted the popeʼs connection to Spain, a nation whose Catholic heritage has profoundly shaped the history of the Church. By honoring one of Spain’s most beloved Marian images, the pontiff underscored the enduring importance of popular Marian devotion and the Christian roots that continue to influence Spanish culture.Renewing faith and hope Beyond its historical significance, the story of Our Lady of Almudena continues to resonate with Catholics today. The devotion recalls themes of perseverance, hope, and trust in God’s providence, themes Pope Leo himself highlighted as he encouraged the faithful to remain steadfast in faith, charity, and hope.Calling the devotion a source of hope, Leo described it as “a sign of the Christian roots that characterize you and give you life, but also of the great hope which continues to motivate you to move forward.”He concluded by encouraging Catholics to remain steadfast in faith, charity, and hope, asking that the intercession of Our Lady of Almudena strengthen believers in their love for Christ and help them “form bonds and restore the universal language of communion, fraternal love, and harmony.”

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The origin of the gifting of a golden rose is unknown, but it is considered one of the oldest papal traditions dating back to 1096.

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13,000 gather at Knock in Ireland for largest Catholic rally since papal visit #Catholic In the largest gathering of Catholics in Ireland since Pope Francis’ visit in 2018, the annual All Ireland Rosary brought over 13,000 people to Knock Shrine on June 6 in a joint prayer for peace. Speaking to EWTN News after the rally, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland Eamon Martin said: “It was a very special joy for me to preside at the Eucharist in Knock at the rosary rally. I felt a tremendous sense of joy and hope among the people who were gathered there. And it was especially gratifying to see many young people, including the childrenʼs rosary group, who made a very important and beautiful contribution to the day.”The archbishop added: “I really felt that Knock was alive, and it makes me realize that our Blessed Mother continues to speak into the troubled world in which we live, with many new problems and new challenges. From the point of view of Ireland, itʼs very important for us to have a gathering like this, to affirm the very many people who have remained strong and steadfast in their faith and who need this kind of gathering in order to give them encouragement and a strong sense of mission.”Martin said the word “mission” stayed with him after leaving the rally. “Thatʼs a word that I went home with in my head,“ he said. ”There is a wonderful mission involved in the rosary rally. Itʼs about gathering people but also about sending them back into their homes, parishes, and communities, to continue to make the beautiful graces of our Blessed Mother well known, to continue to pray for peace.” Thousands gather at Knock Shrine in Knock, Ireland, for the All Ireland Rosary Rally on June 6, 2026. | Credit Dáithi Quinn Turning to the practical ways in which people can make a difference in their local parishes, Martin said: “I personally would invite people to restore the practice of the First Saturday devotions. This would be in fulfillment of our Blessed Motherʼs own wish, but it would also provide a new and further structure for parishes to gather, to pray the rosary, to have adoration, to have the sacrament of reconciliation available.”Martin also expressed hope that other countries might be inspired by the example of the All Ireland Rosary Rally.In his sermon during the Mass at the shrine on the day of the rally, the archbishop encouraged the congregation of thousands to pray often, in union with Mary, for the protection of humanity in this technological age.Echoing the words of Pope Leo XIV in his recent encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, he said: “Artificial Intelligence is already shaping human life in homes, workplaces, and communities; in hospitals, public services, and economies. AI can do remarkable and helpful things. It can even mimic human behavior and voices, but it cannot love, suffer, forgive, pray, or hope as humans can, nor can it be truly ‘wise.’ AI does not have a conscience.”Together with Bishop Donal McKeown and Bishop John Buckley, Martin led the renewal of the consecration of Ireland to the Immaculate Heart of Mary at the culmination of the rosary procession.Speaking to EWTN News, Christine O’Hara, a secondary schoolteacher in Cork, Ireland, said: “The rosary rally was a very blessed and grace-filled day, and thereʼs a number of things that weʼre really hoping people will take away from the event. The first being that people will feel inspired to pray the rosary every day.”O’Hara, who runs a childrenʼs rosary group and two First Saturday communities, added: “Our Lady said in Fátima, pray the rosary every day to obtain peace in the world and an end to the war. Itʼs the desire of Archbishop Eamon Martin that the renewal of the First Saturday devotion would happen in this country. Weʼre really hoping and praying that one of the fruits, and Iʼm sure there will be many fruits from this rosary rally, but weʼre really hoping and praying that people will feel inspired to start the First Saturday devotion in their parish.”OʼHara also said she hopes more people will be inspired to start childrenʼs rosary groups as well as rosary groups for adults in their parishes. The huge crowd also heard from an inspiring panel of international speakers. Bishop Oliver Doeme spoke to the crowds about the power of the rosary in strengthening the faith and courage of the people of his diocese in Nigeria who live in daily fear of murder at the hands of Boko Haram terrorists.Nikki Kingsley shared her remarkable conversion journey from the Muslim faith in her native Pakistan to being received into the Catholic faith. Her moving and inspiring story focused on the power of the rosary and her devotion to Our Lady.Other speakers included Father Chris Alar, the provincial superior of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception, who talked of the importance of Marian devotion, and Sister Ângela de Fátima, vice postulator for the cause of the three Fátima children.
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13,000 gather at Knock in Ireland for largest Catholic rally since papal visit #Catholic In the largest gathering of Catholics in Ireland since Pope Francis’ visit in 2018, the annual All Ireland Rosary brought over 13,000 people to Knock Shrine on June 6 in a joint prayer for peace. Speaking to EWTN News after the rally, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland Eamon Martin said: “It was a very special joy for me to preside at the Eucharist in Knock at the rosary rally. I felt a tremendous sense of joy and hope among the people who were gathered there. And it was especially gratifying to see many young people, including the childrenʼs rosary group, who made a very important and beautiful contribution to the day.”The archbishop added: “I really felt that Knock was alive, and it makes me realize that our Blessed Mother continues to speak into the troubled world in which we live, with many new problems and new challenges. From the point of view of Ireland, itʼs very important for us to have a gathering like this, to affirm the very many people who have remained strong and steadfast in their faith and who need this kind of gathering in order to give them encouragement and a strong sense of mission.”Martin said the word “mission” stayed with him after leaving the rally. “Thatʼs a word that I went home with in my head,“ he said. ”There is a wonderful mission involved in the rosary rally. Itʼs about gathering people but also about sending them back into their homes, parishes, and communities, to continue to make the beautiful graces of our Blessed Mother well known, to continue to pray for peace.” Thousands gather at Knock Shrine in Knock, Ireland, for the All Ireland Rosary Rally on June 6, 2026. | Credit Dáithi Quinn Turning to the practical ways in which people can make a difference in their local parishes, Martin said: “I personally would invite people to restore the practice of the First Saturday devotions. This would be in fulfillment of our Blessed Motherʼs own wish, but it would also provide a new and further structure for parishes to gather, to pray the rosary, to have adoration, to have the sacrament of reconciliation available.”Martin also expressed hope that other countries might be inspired by the example of the All Ireland Rosary Rally.In his sermon during the Mass at the shrine on the day of the rally, the archbishop encouraged the congregation of thousands to pray often, in union with Mary, for the protection of humanity in this technological age.Echoing the words of Pope Leo XIV in his recent encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, he said: “Artificial Intelligence is already shaping human life in homes, workplaces, and communities; in hospitals, public services, and economies. AI can do remarkable and helpful things. It can even mimic human behavior and voices, but it cannot love, suffer, forgive, pray, or hope as humans can, nor can it be truly ‘wise.’ AI does not have a conscience.”Together with Bishop Donal McKeown and Bishop John Buckley, Martin led the renewal of the consecration of Ireland to the Immaculate Heart of Mary at the culmination of the rosary procession.Speaking to EWTN News, Christine O’Hara, a secondary schoolteacher in Cork, Ireland, said: “The rosary rally was a very blessed and grace-filled day, and thereʼs a number of things that weʼre really hoping people will take away from the event. The first being that people will feel inspired to pray the rosary every day.”O’Hara, who runs a childrenʼs rosary group and two First Saturday communities, added: “Our Lady said in Fátima, pray the rosary every day to obtain peace in the world and an end to the war. Itʼs the desire of Archbishop Eamon Martin that the renewal of the First Saturday devotion would happen in this country. Weʼre really hoping and praying that one of the fruits, and Iʼm sure there will be many fruits from this rosary rally, but weʼre really hoping and praying that people will feel inspired to start the First Saturday devotion in their parish.”OʼHara also said she hopes more people will be inspired to start childrenʼs rosary groups as well as rosary groups for adults in their parishes. The huge crowd also heard from an inspiring panel of international speakers. Bishop Oliver Doeme spoke to the crowds about the power of the rosary in strengthening the faith and courage of the people of his diocese in Nigeria who live in daily fear of murder at the hands of Boko Haram terrorists.Nikki Kingsley shared her remarkable conversion journey from the Muslim faith in her native Pakistan to being received into the Catholic faith. Her moving and inspiring story focused on the power of the rosary and her devotion to Our Lady.Other speakers included Father Chris Alar, the provincial superior of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception, who talked of the importance of Marian devotion, and Sister Ângela de Fátima, vice postulator for the cause of the three Fátima children.

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Busloads of people from across Ireland converged on Knock on Saturday for the 41st All Ireland Rosary, with crowds exceeding last year’s attendance.

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Artemis III Crew Announced – NASA announced the Artemis III crew on Tuesday, June 9, 2026. NASA astronaut Andre Douglas, mission specialist; ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Luca Parmitano, pilot; NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik, commander; and NASA astronaut Frank Rubio, mission specialist, will demonstrate the Orion spacecraft’s rendezvous and docking capabilities with test versions from one, or both, American commercial human landing systems in development by Blue Origin and SpaceX.
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Artemis III Crew Announced – NASA announced the Artemis III crew on Tuesday, June 9, 2026. NASA astronaut Andre Douglas, mission specialist; ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Luca Parmitano, pilot; NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik, commander; and NASA astronaut Frank Rubio, mission specialist, will demonstrate the Orion spacecraft’s rendezvous and docking capabilities with test versions from one, or both, American commercial human landing systems in development by Blue Origin and SpaceX.

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NASA announced the Artemis III crew on Tuesday, June 9, 2026. NASA astronaut Andre Douglas, mission specialist; ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Luca Parmitano, pilot; NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik, commander; and NASA astronaut Frank Rubio, mission specialist, will demonstrate the Orion spacecraft’s rendezvous and docking capabilities with test versions from one, or both, American commercial human landing systems in development by Blue Origin and SpaceX.

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Greg Gutfeld Roasts Democrats for Supporting Graham Platner: ‘He Comes Off as Genuine as a California Election’ (VIDEO) – Well, it’s official. The post Greg Gutfeld Roasts Democrats for Supporting Graham Platner: ‘He Comes Off as Genuine as a California Election’ (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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Greg Gutfeld Roasts Democrats for Supporting Graham Platner: ‘He Comes Off as Genuine as a California Election’ (VIDEO) – Well, it’s official. The post Greg Gutfeld Roasts Democrats for Supporting Graham Platner: ‘He Comes Off as Genuine as a California Election’ (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Well, it’s official.

The post Greg Gutfeld Roasts Democrats for Supporting Graham Platner: ‘He Comes Off as Genuine as a California Election’ (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Socialist Los Angeles Mayor Candidate Nithya Raman Thanks ‘Voters’ in Twitter/X Message and the Replies Are Absolutely BRUTAL! – Nithya Raman, the Democratic Socialist (communist) running for mayor of Los Angeles, who somehow gained enough votes to bump Spencer Pratt off the ballot once Democrats had a chance to count ballots for days and days, recently tweeted a message of thanks to voters. The post Socialist Los Angeles Mayor Candidate Nithya Raman Thanks ‘Voters’ in Twitter/X Message and the Replies Are Absolutely BRUTAL! appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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Socialist Los Angeles Mayor Candidate Nithya Raman Thanks ‘Voters’ in Twitter/X Message and the Replies Are Absolutely BRUTAL! – Nithya Raman, the Democratic Socialist (communist) running for mayor of Los Angeles, who somehow gained enough votes to bump Spencer Pratt off the ballot once Democrats had a chance to count ballots for days and days, recently tweeted a message of thanks to voters. The post Socialist Los Angeles Mayor Candidate Nithya Raman Thanks ‘Voters’ in Twitter/X Message and the Replies Are Absolutely BRUTAL! appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Woman in a blue blazer speaking outdoors at a community event with people engaging at tables in the background.

Woman in a blue blazer speaking outdoors at a community event with people engaging at tables in the background.

Nithya Raman, the Democratic Socialist (communist) running for mayor of Los Angeles, who somehow gained enough votes to bump Spencer Pratt off the ballot once Democrats had a chance to count ballots for days and days, recently tweeted a message of thanks to voters.

The post Socialist Los Angeles Mayor Candidate Nithya Raman Thanks ‘Voters’ in Twitter/X Message and the Replies Are Absolutely BRUTAL! appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Graham ‘Nazi Tattoo’ Platner Wins Maine’s Democrat Senate Primary – Will Face Off Against Susan Collins – They actually did it. The post Graham ‘Nazi Tattoo’ Platner Wins Maine’s Democrat Senate Primary – Will Face Off Against Susan Collins appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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Graham ‘Nazi Tattoo’ Platner Wins Maine’s Democrat Senate Primary – Will Face Off Against Susan Collins – They actually did it. The post Graham ‘Nazi Tattoo’ Platner Wins Maine’s Democrat Senate Primary – Will Face Off Against Susan Collins appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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They actually did it.

The post Graham ‘Nazi Tattoo’ Platner Wins Maine’s Democrat Senate Primary – Will Face Off Against Susan Collins appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Gospel and Word of the Day – 10 June 2026 – A reading from the First Book of Kings 18:20-39 Ahab sent to all the children of Israel and had the prophets assemble on Mount Carmel. Elijah appealed to all the people and said, "How long will you straddle the issue? If the LORD is God, follow him; if Baal, follow him." The people, however, did not answer him. So Elijah said to the people, "I am the only surviving prophet of the LORD, and there are four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal. Give us two young bulls. Let them choose one, cut it into pieces, and place it on the wood, but start no fire. I shall prepare the other and place it on the wood, but shall start no fire. You shall call on your gods, and I will call on the LORD. The God who answers with fire is God." All the people answered, "Agreed!" Elijah then said to the prophets of Baal, "Choose one young bull and prepare it first, for there are more of you. Call upon your gods, but do not start the fire." Taking the young bull that was turned over to them, they prepared it and called on Baal from morning to noon, saying, "Answer us, Baal!" But there was no sound, and no one answering. And they hopped around the altar they had prepared. When it was noon, Elijah taunted them: "Call louder, for he is a god and may be meditating, or may have retired, or may be on a journey. Perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened." They called out louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until blood gushed over them. Noon passed and they remained in a prophetic state until the time for offering sacrifice. But there was not a sound; no one answered, and no one was listening. Then Elijah said to all the people, "Come here to me." When the people had done so, he repaired the altar of the LORD that had been destroyed. He took twelve stones, for the number of tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the LORD had said, "Your name shall be Israel." He built an altar in honor of the LORD with the stones, and made a trench around the altar large enough for two measures of grain. When he had arranged the wood, he cut up the young bull and laid it on the wood. "Fill four jars with water," he said, "and pour it over the burnt offering and over the wood." "Do it again," he said, and they did it again. "Do it a third time," he said, and they did it a third time. The water flowed around the altar, and the trench was filled with the water. At the time for offering sacrifice, the prophet Elijah came forward and said, "LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things by your command. Answer me, LORD! Answer me, that this people may know that you, LORD, are God and that you have brought them back to their senses." The LORD’s fire came down and consumed the burnt offering, wood, stones, and dust, and it lapped up the water in the trench. Seeing this, all the people fell prostrate and said, "The LORD is God! The LORD is God!"From the Gospel according to Matthew 5:17-19 Jesus said to his disciples: "Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven."Jesus makes us understand that religious rules are necessary, they are good, but they are only the beginning: to fulfil them, it is necessary to go beyond the letter and live their meaning. The commandments that God gave us should not be locked up in the airless vaults of formal observance; otherwise, we are limited to an exterior, detached religiosity, servants of “God the master” rather than children of “God the Father”. Jesus wants this: not to have the idea of serving a God who is master, but Father; and this is why it is necessary to go beyond the letter. Brothers and sisters, this problem was present not only in Jesus’ time; it is there today too. At times, for example, we hear some say, “Father, I have not killed, I have not stolen, I have not harmed anyone…”, as if to say, “I am fine”. This is formal observance, which is satisfied with the bare minimum, whereas Jesus invites us to aspire to the maximum possible. That is: God does not reason with calculations and tables; he loves us as one who is enamoured: not to the minimum, but to the maximum! He does not say, “I love you up to a certain point”. No, true love is never up to a certain point, and is never satisfied; love always goes beyond, it cannot do otherwise. The Lord showed us this by giving his life on the cross and forgiving his murderers (cf. Lk 23:34). And he entrusted to us the commandment most dear to him: that we love one another like he  loved us (cf. Jn 15:12). This is the love that gives fulfilment to the Law, to faith, to true life! (Pope Francis, Angelus, 12 February 2023)

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A reading from the First Book of Kings
18:20-39

Ahab sent to all the children of Israel
and had the prophets assemble on Mount Carmel.

Elijah appealed to all the people and said,
"How long will you straddle the issue?
If the LORD is God, follow him; if Baal, follow him."
The people, however, did not answer him.
So Elijah said to the people,
"I am the only surviving prophet of the LORD,
and there are four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal.
Give us two young bulls.
Let them choose one, cut it into pieces, and place it on the wood,
but start no fire.
I shall prepare the other and place it on the wood,
but shall start no fire.
You shall call on your gods, and I will call on the LORD.
The God who answers with fire is God."
All the people answered, "Agreed!"

Elijah then said to the prophets of Baal,
"Choose one young bull and prepare it first,
for there are more of you.
Call upon your gods, but do not start the fire."
Taking the young bull that was turned over to them, they prepared it
and called on Baal from morning to noon, saying,
"Answer us, Baal!"
But there was no sound, and no one answering.
And they hopped around the altar they had prepared.
When it was noon, Elijah taunted them:
"Call louder, for he is a god and may be meditating,
or may have retired, or may be on a journey.
Perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened."
They called out louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears,
as was their custom, until blood gushed over them.
Noon passed and they remained in a prophetic state
until the time for offering sacrifice.
But there was not a sound;
no one answered, and no one was listening.

Then Elijah said to all the people, "Come here to me."
When the people had done so, he repaired the altar of the LORD
that had been destroyed.
He took twelve stones, for the number of tribes of the sons of Jacob,
to whom the LORD had said, "Your name shall be Israel."
He built an altar in honor of the LORD with the stones,
and made a trench around the altar
large enough for two measures of grain.
When he had arranged the wood,
he cut up the young bull and laid it on the wood.
"Fill four jars with water," he said,
"and pour it over the burnt offering and over the wood."
"Do it again," he said, and they did it again.
"Do it a third time," he said,
and they did it a third time.
The water flowed around the altar,
and the trench was filled with the water.

At the time for offering sacrifice,
the prophet Elijah came forward and said,
"LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel,
let it be known this day that you are God in Israel
and that I am your servant
and have done all these things by your command.
Answer me, LORD!
Answer me, that this people may know that you, LORD, are God
and that you have brought them back to their senses."
The LORD’s fire came down
and consumed the burnt offering, wood, stones, and dust,
and it lapped up the water in the trench.
Seeing this, all the people fell prostrate and said,
"The LORD is God! The LORD is God!"

From the Gospel according to Matthew
5:17-19

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

Jesus makes us understand that religious rules are necessary, they are good, but they are only the beginning: to fulfil them, it is necessary to go beyond the letter and live their meaning. The commandments that God gave us should not be locked up in the airless vaults of formal observance; otherwise, we are limited to an exterior, detached religiosity, servants of “God the master” rather than children of “God the Father”. Jesus wants this: not to have the idea of serving a God who is master, but Father; and this is why it is necessary to go beyond the letter.

Brothers and sisters, this problem was present not only in Jesus’ time; it is there today too. At times, for example, we hear some say, “Father, I have not killed, I have not stolen, I have not harmed anyone…”, as if to say, “I am fine”. This is formal observance, which is satisfied with the bare minimum, whereas Jesus invites us to aspire to the maximum possible. That is: God does not reason with calculations and tables; he loves us as one who is enamoured: not to the minimum, but to the maximum! He does not say, “I love you up to a certain point”. No, true love is never up to a certain point, and is never satisfied; love always goes beyond, it cannot do otherwise. The Lord showed us this by giving his life on the cross and forgiving his murderers (cf. Lk 23:34). And he entrusted to us the commandment most dear to him: that we love one another like he  loved us (cf. Jn 15:12). This is the love that gives fulfilment to the Law, to faith, to true life! (Pope Francis, Angelus, 12 February 2023)

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NASA fails to reestablish contact, decommissions MAVEN

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NASA has ended its attempts to reconnect with the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft and begun decommissioning the orbiter, closing the book on a mission that spent over a decade studying how Mars lost its atmosphere. At a June 3 media conference, NASA officials announced that an anomaly review board — which wasContinue reading “NASA fails to reestablish contact, decommissions MAVEN”

The post NASA fails to reestablish contact, decommissions MAVEN appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

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Playskool Introduces ‘My First Hobo Camp’ For California Children #BabylonBee – U.S. — Toy manufacturer Playskool unveiled its latest educational playset this week called "My First Hobo Camp", with the toy designed to help California children develop the practical life skills they would need for adulthood in the Golden State.
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Playskool Introduces ‘My First Hobo Camp’ For California Children #BabylonBee – U.S. — Toy manufacturer Playskool unveiled its latest educational playset this week called "My First Hobo Camp", with the toy designed to help California children develop the practical life skills they would need for adulthood in the Golden State.

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U.S. — Toy manufacturer Playskool unveiled its latest educational playset this week called "My First Hobo Camp", with the toy designed to help California children develop the practical life skills they would need for adulthood in the Golden State.

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DePaul Catholic honors 129 graduates under sunny commencement skies #Catholic - On June 2, DePaul Catholic High School in Wayne, N.J., handed out diplomas to 129 graduates during commencement outside on the athletic field. The graduation followed a baccalaureate Mass in the school gym. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney celebrated the Mass with several priests of the Paterson Diocese, N.J., and later helped distribute the diplomas at the outdoor ceremony. Administration, staff, and faculty members also participated. Highlighting the achievements of the class, the valedictorian was Cassandra Jourdan, and the salutatorian was Jaidyn Watson. The Class of 2026 earned $57,131,505 in scholarships/financial aid. BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI [See image gallery at beaconnj.org]  
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DePaul Catholic honors 129 graduates under sunny commencement skies #Catholic – On June 2, DePaul Catholic High School in Wayne, N.J., handed out diplomas to 129 graduates during commencement outside on the athletic field. The graduation followed a baccalaureate Mass in the school gym. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney celebrated the Mass with several priests of the Paterson Diocese, N.J., and later helped distribute the diplomas at the outdoor ceremony. Administration, staff, and faculty members also participated. Highlighting the achievements of the class, the valedictorian was Cassandra Jourdan, and the salutatorian was Jaidyn Watson. The Class of 2026 earned $57,131,505 in scholarships/financial aid. BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI [See image gallery at beaconnj.org]  

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DePaul Catholic honors 129 graduates under sunny commencement skies #Catholic –

On June 2, DePaul Catholic High School in Wayne, N.J., handed out diplomas to 129 graduates during commencement outside on the athletic field. The graduation followed a baccalaureate Mass in the school gym.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney celebrated the Mass with several priests of the Paterson Diocese, N.J., and later helped distribute the diplomas at the outdoor ceremony. Administration, staff, and faculty members also participated.

Highlighting the achievements of the class, the valedictorian was Cassandra Jourdan, and the salutatorian was Jaidyn Watson. The Class of 2026 earned $57,131,505 in scholarships/financial aid.

BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI

– On June 2, DePaul Catholic High School in Wayne, N.J., handed out diplomas to 129 graduates during commencement outside on the athletic field. The graduation followed a baccalaureate Mass in the school gym. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney celebrated the Mass with several priests of the Paterson Diocese, N.J., and later helped distribute the diplomas at the outdoor ceremony. Administration, staff, and faculty members also participated. Highlighting the achievements of the class, the valedictorian was Cassandra Jourdan, and the salutatorian was Jaidyn Watson. The Class of 2026 earned $57,131,505 in scholarships/financial aid. BEACON

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Pope Leo XIV in Barcelona calls Catholics to be martyrs of unity #Catholic BARCELONA, Spain — Pope Leo XIV dedicated Tuesday morning to thanking the thousands of volunteers who helped organize his apostolic journey to Spain before heading to Barcelona to touch the ancient traces of the country’s deeply rooted Christian faith.At the Cathedral of the Holy Cross and St. Eulalia, whose construction began at the end of the 13th century on the site of early Christian and Romanesque churches and which became, a century later, one of the most important jewels of European Gothic architecture, the pope prayed Midday Prayer with about 500 faithful.Hundreds more waited outside the cathedral to show their affection, many waving Vatican flags.The crowd erupted with excitement at his arrival. The pontiff was accompanied by Cardinal Juan José Omella, archbishop of Barcelona, who gestured with his hands to indicate to the people waiting outside that the pope had to leave. The plane carrying Leo XIV had landed in the Catalan capital 40 minutes late.During the ceremony, the pope sat in the oldest chair — the cathedra, or bishop’s seat — in the city that is still in use, dating at least to the cathedral’s consecration in 1058, according to recent research.In his homily, Leo XIV called Catholics to be builders of communion.“Dear brothers and sisters: it is in this spirit that we too, in a world torn apart by wars and divisions, in a society that is increasingly fragmented and individualistic, wish to be ‘martyrs’ — that is, witnesses and prophets of unity, of welcome, of harmony and of peace, even at the cost of sacrifice and renunciation,” the pope said.It was the first time during the trip that Leo XIV pronounced several phrases in Catalan, the language proper to Catalonia, co-official with Spanish and the main language of the regional administration.A symbol of Catalan cultural identity, the language to be used by the pontiff during the events scheduled in Barcelona had become the subject of public debate in Catalonia in recent days.The controversy intensified after it emerged that the blessing of the Tower of Jesus Christ at the Sagrada Familia — one of the central moments of the visit — would be conducted mainly in Spanish.In the Congress of Deputies, where the pope delivered an unprecedented address Monday, Junts per Catalunya lawmaker Miriam Nogueras asked him to speak Catalan.“It is important for each of us not to allow anything to destroy the unity in which God has established us and toward whose fullness he leads us day by day,” the pontiff said, alternating Catalan and Spanish in the homily.Leo XIV cited two addresses by his predecessor, Pope Francis, who never visited Spain but often expressed affection for the country.On the occasion of the inauguration of the Tower of the Virgin Mary at the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia on Dec. 8, 2021, Francis sent a message recalling that the Church “is the fruit of an act of love that precedes her and comes from God. Above all, she grows by allowing herself to be loved by him, united, with a humble and grateful heart, because only those who allow themselves to be loved by God can build, together with others, the works of love.”One year later, the Argentine pope told seminarians of the Archdiocese of Barcelona during a pilgrimage to Rome: “Never cease to savor and remember this love of predilection which pours and will pour itself abundantly into your heart.”Leo XIV structured his homily around the image of the Catholic Church as both beloved bride and body, with all believers as members of a single organism.The Spirit, he said, “impels us, as parts of a single living structure, not only to give ourselves unreservedly wherever Providence calls us, but to do so according to God’s designs, in obedience and trust.”Just as in a body, he continued, “so too among us there are members who are stronger and others who are weaker; some are visible, performing functions that are evident to the outside world, while others are hidden, working from within — in some cases without ceasing and carrying out vital functions without anyone taking notice.”The pope said there are many possible images to “illustrate the variety and importance of the roles and missions we find among ourselves,” but the message is always the same.“In the richness of the gifts we have received, we are strong because we are united, and we are united because we are animated by the same Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, who is the Spirit of communion for the salvation of all,” he said.Upon arriving, Leo XIV was received by Omella. After the greeting, the cardinal led him to the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament for a brief moment of personal prayer.On his way to the altar, the pope passed by the baptismal font, built in 1433. It was in that baptistery that the first six Indigenous people brought from the Americas by Christopher Columbus received the sacrament of entrance into the Church, as a plaque in the chapel recalls.All of this forms part of the cathedral’s history, which inherits a tradition of worship in this part of Barcelona dating back to the fourth century.Leo XIV’s final act inside the cathedral was to descend to the crypt, where the tomb of the Roman martyr St. Eulalia, co-patroness of Barcelona, is located.Before her martyrdom, the young saint was said to have tended geese. For this reason, 13 geese are kept today in the cathedral cloister in her honor, recalling both her 13 tortures and the age at which she died for the Lord.The pontiff also spoke of “so many other martyrs” and called the faithful to respond with “our ‘yes,’ ready if necessary to die to ourselves, to lose ourselves in order to find ourselves again, to renounce the superfluous in order to build upon what is essential and lasts forever.”“This is what the crucified One teaches us,” the pope said. “This is what the Apostle Paul and the examples of the saints invite us to do.”The pope ended his homily by invoking Mary in Catalan: “Santa Maria de la Mercè, pregueu per nosaltres” — “Our Lady of Mercy, pray for us.”This story was first published by ACI Prensa, EWTN News’ Spanish-language sister service. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
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Pope Leo XIV in Barcelona calls Catholics to be martyrs of unity #Catholic BARCELONA, Spain — Pope Leo XIV dedicated Tuesday morning to thanking the thousands of volunteers who helped organize his apostolic journey to Spain before heading to Barcelona to touch the ancient traces of the country’s deeply rooted Christian faith.At the Cathedral of the Holy Cross and St. Eulalia, whose construction began at the end of the 13th century on the site of early Christian and Romanesque churches and which became, a century later, one of the most important jewels of European Gothic architecture, the pope prayed Midday Prayer with about 500 faithful.Hundreds more waited outside the cathedral to show their affection, many waving Vatican flags.The crowd erupted with excitement at his arrival. The pontiff was accompanied by Cardinal Juan José Omella, archbishop of Barcelona, who gestured with his hands to indicate to the people waiting outside that the pope had to leave. The plane carrying Leo XIV had landed in the Catalan capital 40 minutes late.During the ceremony, the pope sat in the oldest chair — the cathedra, or bishop’s seat — in the city that is still in use, dating at least to the cathedral’s consecration in 1058, according to recent research.In his homily, Leo XIV called Catholics to be builders of communion.“Dear brothers and sisters: it is in this spirit that we too, in a world torn apart by wars and divisions, in a society that is increasingly fragmented and individualistic, wish to be ‘martyrs’ — that is, witnesses and prophets of unity, of welcome, of harmony and of peace, even at the cost of sacrifice and renunciation,” the pope said.It was the first time during the trip that Leo XIV pronounced several phrases in Catalan, the language proper to Catalonia, co-official with Spanish and the main language of the regional administration.A symbol of Catalan cultural identity, the language to be used by the pontiff during the events scheduled in Barcelona had become the subject of public debate in Catalonia in recent days.The controversy intensified after it emerged that the blessing of the Tower of Jesus Christ at the Sagrada Familia — one of the central moments of the visit — would be conducted mainly in Spanish.In the Congress of Deputies, where the pope delivered an unprecedented address Monday, Junts per Catalunya lawmaker Miriam Nogueras asked him to speak Catalan.“It is important for each of us not to allow anything to destroy the unity in which God has established us and toward whose fullness he leads us day by day,” the pontiff said, alternating Catalan and Spanish in the homily.Leo XIV cited two addresses by his predecessor, Pope Francis, who never visited Spain but often expressed affection for the country.On the occasion of the inauguration of the Tower of the Virgin Mary at the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia on Dec. 8, 2021, Francis sent a message recalling that the Church “is the fruit of an act of love that precedes her and comes from God. Above all, she grows by allowing herself to be loved by him, united, with a humble and grateful heart, because only those who allow themselves to be loved by God can build, together with others, the works of love.”One year later, the Argentine pope told seminarians of the Archdiocese of Barcelona during a pilgrimage to Rome: “Never cease to savor and remember this love of predilection which pours and will pour itself abundantly into your heart.”Leo XIV structured his homily around the image of the Catholic Church as both beloved bride and body, with all believers as members of a single organism.The Spirit, he said, “impels us, as parts of a single living structure, not only to give ourselves unreservedly wherever Providence calls us, but to do so according to God’s designs, in obedience and trust.”Just as in a body, he continued, “so too among us there are members who are stronger and others who are weaker; some are visible, performing functions that are evident to the outside world, while others are hidden, working from within — in some cases without ceasing and carrying out vital functions without anyone taking notice.”The pope said there are many possible images to “illustrate the variety and importance of the roles and missions we find among ourselves,” but the message is always the same.“In the richness of the gifts we have received, we are strong because we are united, and we are united because we are animated by the same Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, who is the Spirit of communion for the salvation of all,” he said.Upon arriving, Leo XIV was received by Omella. After the greeting, the cardinal led him to the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament for a brief moment of personal prayer.On his way to the altar, the pope passed by the baptismal font, built in 1433. It was in that baptistery that the first six Indigenous people brought from the Americas by Christopher Columbus received the sacrament of entrance into the Church, as a plaque in the chapel recalls.All of this forms part of the cathedral’s history, which inherits a tradition of worship in this part of Barcelona dating back to the fourth century.Leo XIV’s final act inside the cathedral was to descend to the crypt, where the tomb of the Roman martyr St. Eulalia, co-patroness of Barcelona, is located.Before her martyrdom, the young saint was said to have tended geese. For this reason, 13 geese are kept today in the cathedral cloister in her honor, recalling both her 13 tortures and the age at which she died for the Lord.The pontiff also spoke of “so many other martyrs” and called the faithful to respond with “our ‘yes,’ ready if necessary to die to ourselves, to lose ourselves in order to find ourselves again, to renounce the superfluous in order to build upon what is essential and lasts forever.”“This is what the crucified One teaches us,” the pope said. “This is what the Apostle Paul and the examples of the saints invite us to do.”The pope ended his homily by invoking Mary in Catalan: “Santa Maria de la Mercè, pregueu per nosaltres” — “Our Lady of Mercy, pray for us.”This story was first published by ACI Prensa, EWTN News’ Spanish-language sister service. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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After an exuberant welcome in the Catalan capital, the pope prayed Midday Prayer in Barcelona’s cathedral and urged the faithful to be “witnesses and prophets of unity.”

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Monsignor Vaccari cites rising humanitarian strain as Middle East violence intensifies #Catholic Monsignor Peter Vaccari reported rising humanitarian needs during a recent Middle East visit, describing disrupted daily life as conflicts intensified.Vaccari, president of Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA), a papal agency that delivers humanitarian aid, described the realities facing those living amid ongoing regional tensions in an interview with “EWTN News Nightly” anchor Veronica Dudo, an excerpt of which was broadcast on June 8. Vaccari said about a visit to Jerusalem: “The day began with the sound of large sirens. Loud sirens going off, letting us know that rockets, drones, and missiles were on their way.” The situation, he said, dramatically altered the day’s plans for residents and aid workers alike.Despite the challenges, Vaccari continued his journey throughout the region, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a visible Church presence among suffering communities.CNEWA maintains offices throughout the Middle East, including in Jerusalem, Amman, and Beirut. According to Vaccari, the organization’s local presence enables it to respond quickly to changing circumstances and coordinate assistance directly with Church leaders on the ground.“The work that we do is on the ground,” Vaccari said, noting that local staff and Church partners remain deeply connected to the communities they serve.Much of CNEWA’s work focuses on humanitarian relief in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, and Lebanon. The organization provides assistance ranging from food and clean water to medicine, medical equipment, and emergency relief for families displaced by conflict.Beyond material aid, CNEWA has increasingly emphasized psychosocial and emotional support programs. Vaccari said such healing initiatives have become especially important as communities continue to endure the trauma associated with war and displacement.“To whatever extent we can work to try to provide clean water, medicine, food, medical relief, medical equipment, weʼre trying to do that,” he said. “Psychosocial healing, which as you can well imagine under the circumstances right now, is [also] a very needed entity.”Founded by Pope Pius XI in 1926, CNEWA works on behalf of the Holy See to support Eastern Catholic Churches and provide humanitarian assistance throughout the Middle East, Northeast Africa, India, and Eastern Europe. The organization partners closely with local bishops, religious communities, and lay leaders to deliver aid where it is most needed.“We work with the local Church,” Vaccari said. “We’re working with local bishops, lay leadership, consecrated religious, and the nuncios.”The organization’s work is funded largely through donations from Catholics and other benefactors around the world.“Never, in a typical mission, do we work alone,” Vaccari said. He expressed gratitude for local partners and donors whose support makes the organization’s humanitarian and pastoral outreach possible.
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Monsignor Vaccari cites rising humanitarian strain as Middle East violence intensifies #Catholic Monsignor Peter Vaccari reported rising humanitarian needs during a recent Middle East visit, describing disrupted daily life as conflicts intensified.Vaccari, president of Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA), a papal agency that delivers humanitarian aid, described the realities facing those living amid ongoing regional tensions in an interview with “EWTN News Nightly” anchor Veronica Dudo, an excerpt of which was broadcast on June 8. Vaccari said about a visit to Jerusalem: “The day began with the sound of large sirens. Loud sirens going off, letting us know that rockets, drones, and missiles were on their way.” The situation, he said, dramatically altered the day’s plans for residents and aid workers alike.Despite the challenges, Vaccari continued his journey throughout the region, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a visible Church presence among suffering communities.CNEWA maintains offices throughout the Middle East, including in Jerusalem, Amman, and Beirut. According to Vaccari, the organization’s local presence enables it to respond quickly to changing circumstances and coordinate assistance directly with Church leaders on the ground.“The work that we do is on the ground,” Vaccari said, noting that local staff and Church partners remain deeply connected to the communities they serve.Much of CNEWA’s work focuses on humanitarian relief in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, and Lebanon. The organization provides assistance ranging from food and clean water to medicine, medical equipment, and emergency relief for families displaced by conflict.Beyond material aid, CNEWA has increasingly emphasized psychosocial and emotional support programs. Vaccari said such healing initiatives have become especially important as communities continue to endure the trauma associated with war and displacement.“To whatever extent we can work to try to provide clean water, medicine, food, medical relief, medical equipment, weʼre trying to do that,” he said. “Psychosocial healing, which as you can well imagine under the circumstances right now, is [also] a very needed entity.”Founded by Pope Pius XI in 1926, CNEWA works on behalf of the Holy See to support Eastern Catholic Churches and provide humanitarian assistance throughout the Middle East, Northeast Africa, India, and Eastern Europe. The organization partners closely with local bishops, religious communities, and lay leaders to deliver aid where it is most needed.“We work with the local Church,” Vaccari said. “We’re working with local bishops, lay leadership, consecrated religious, and the nuncios.”The organization’s work is funded largely through donations from Catholics and other benefactors around the world.“Never, in a typical mission, do we work alone,” Vaccari said. He expressed gratitude for local partners and donors whose support makes the organization’s humanitarian and pastoral outreach possible.

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Monsignor Peter Vaccari, president of Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA), a papal agency that delivers humanitarian aid, described situation in Jerusalem.

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Pope Leo XIV builds on teachings of prior pontiffs with apology for slavery, Church’s role – #Catholic – Pope Leo XIV built on teachings laid out by his predecessors when he apologized for the Catholic Church’s role in slavery in his May 15 encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, but the Holy Father also critiqued papal bulls issued in the late Middle Ages on the subject.“It is impossible not to feel deep sorrow when contemplating the immense suffering and humiliation endured by so many in stark contrast to their immeasurable dignity as persons infinitely loved by the Lord,” Leo XIV wrote of the institution of slavery.“For this, in the name of the Church, I sincerely ask for pardon,” he wrote.The Holy Father explained that in antiquity and the Middle Ages, Catholic individuals and some ecclesiastical institutions participated in slavery. Though the Church never taught doctrinally that slavery was morally good or neutral, he wrote about popes who “intervened several times in order to regulate and legitimize forms of subjugation” at the request of political leaders.Leo XIV wrote that “a formal, absolute, and universal condemnation of slavery” was not issued until Pope Leo XIII’s 1888 encyclical on the abolition of slavery. Leo XIV added that “we [cannot] deny or diminish” the Church’s delay in its denouncement.“In the development of her doctrine, the Church has gradually come to a deeper awareness of the gravity of these issues,” Leo XIV wrote.Church’s role in slaveryIn a footnote in the encyclical, Leo XIV cited four papal bulls from the 1400s as his examples for when the Holy See sought to “regulate and legitimize” subjugation: Pope Eugenius IV’s Sicut Dudum and Etsi Suscepti, and Pope Nicholas V’s Dum Diversas and Romanus Pontifex.“Political and, at times, even economic needs overcame the demands of the Gospel,” the footnote reads. “The need for evangelization was frequently compromised or at least misunderstood with regard to the needs of worldly powers, thus relativizing the problematic incompatibility of slavery with the Christian conscience.”Nicholas V’s bulls, for example, authorized the Portuguese to impose slavery on specific non-Christians, particularly Muslims and pagans, related to specific conflicts. Eugenius IV condemned the enslavement of converts to Christianity without condemning the institution of slavery as a whole.Tom Nash, a staff apologist for Catholic Answers, told EWTN News that St. John Paul II apologized for Christian participation in slavery as well and many popes condemned slavery (including when it was ongoing) but did not critique specific papal bulls on the subject in the way Leo XIV does.Although Leo XIV’s comments on slavery are substantial, the topic only takes up a few paragraphs of the encyclical, which mostly deals with the Church’s social doctrine in the modern world and technological developments such as artificial intelligence.Nash emphasized that the faithful should not interpret these paragraphs as a change in Church doctrine, however, because in spite of Catholic participation in slavery, “the Church has never definitively taught that chattel slavery was morally just.”Although Leo XIV cited Sicut Dudum as an example, one of Eugenius IV’s main priorities was to “oppose the mistreatment of all African natives,” according to Nash. He quoted the bull: “They have deprived the natives of the property, or turned it to their own use, and have subjected some of the inhabitants of said islands to perpetual slavery, sold them to other persons, and committed other various illicit and evil deeds against them.”The bull did not sanction slavery but instead excommunicated anyone who enslaved Christians or those seeking baptism. The punishment could only be lifted if the person freed the slaves and returned their property.Nicholas V’s bulls were different because they explicitly authorized enslavement in certain cases, but Nash said the directives on slavery in Dum Diversas “are not an attempt to teach definitively,” are not pronouncements on doctrinal matters, and they “are certainly up for questioning and criticism.”“They are prudential judgments and don’t even attempt to invoke the specific doctrinal criteria of a definitive teaching, let alone an ‘ex cathedra’ pronouncement,” Nash added. “And thus the Church’s teaching on infallibility is not [in] play and therefore not in doubt.”One condition for infallible doctrinal pronouncements is that they must apply to all people at all times. The bulls from Nicholas V apply only “in a particular geographical situation in a particular time in history,” he said, and emphasized that “we cannot treat every papal statement as if it’s an infallible declaration.”Papal condemnations of slaveryAlthough Leo XIII delivered one of the strongest condemnations of slavery in the late 1800s, Nash noted Pope Paul III’s papal bull Sublimis Deus in 1537 strongly rebuked enslavement of Indigenous Americans more than three centuries earlier.The 16th-century pontiff blamed Satan for chattel slavery and for the mindset that Indigenous Americans “should be treated as dumb brutes created for our service.” He urged evangelization of the people and said they should not be enslaved or deprived of liberty or property.Paul III’s bull expressly stated that this prohibition on enslavement of the Indigenous Americans applies regardless of anything that has been issued before, effectively superseding Nicholas V’s papal bulls from a century earlier.Other popes in between Paul III and Leo XIII issued similar antislavery statements, with Pope Gregory XIV issuing an apostolic brief in 1591 demanding an end to the enslavement of people in the Philippines and Pope Urban VIII writing the 1639 papal bull Commissum Nobis, which condemned the enslavement of South Americans.In the early 1800s, Pope Pius VII wrote to government leaders to urge the abolition of the slave trade and Pope Gregory XVI in 1839 issued the papal brief In Supremo Apostolatus, which was the first to condemn the slave trade in its entirety.Nash noted that Christian opposition to slavery, however, is rooted in the teachings of Jesus Christ, who “reaffirms the inherent dignity of every human person in a Roman-Empire milieu that had chattel slavery as a societal institution.”“He did so in giving the doctrinal command, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’ (Mt 22:39),” he said. “Indeed, ‘neighbor’ includes everyone (see Gn 1:26-27), including the heretical Samaritans and other despised persons (Lk 10:25-36). Similarly, ‘the least of these my brethren’ unmistakably includes chattel slaves within a Roman-Empire milieu (Mt 25:40, 45).”St. Paul wrote about slavery several times. In Ephesians 6, he told slaves to “obey your human masters” and for masters to “stop bullying,” adding that both have the same Master in heaven, before whom “there is no partiality.” In 1 Corinthians 7, he told slaves to “make the most of it” if they gain freedom but not to be concerned about it because “the slave called in the Lord is a freed person in the Lord, just as the free person who has been called is a slave of Christ.”In contrast to norms of the time, Paul wrote about the equal human dignity of slave and master in Galatians 3, saying “there is neither slave nor free person” because “you are all one in Christ Jesus.” In the Epistle to Philemon, Paul writes to St. Philemon on behalf of the runaway slave, St. Onesimus, asking Philemon to receive him “no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a brother.”At least one pope — St. Callistus I, who reigned from A.D. 218 until he was martyred in A.D. 222 — was a former slave. Nash noted that although slavery existed in the Roman Empire and within Europe under Christendom, the practice was reduced significantly when Christianity replaced paganism.
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Pope Leo XIV builds on teachings of prior pontiffs with apology for slavery, Church’s role – #Catholic – Pope Leo XIV built on teachings laid out by his predecessors when he apologized for the Catholic Church’s role in slavery in his May 15 encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, but the Holy Father also critiqued papal bulls issued in the late Middle Ages on the subject.“It is impossible not to feel deep sorrow when contemplating the immense suffering and humiliation endured by so many in stark contrast to their immeasurable dignity as persons infinitely loved by the Lord,” Leo XIV wrote of the institution of slavery.“For this, in the name of the Church, I sincerely ask for pardon,” he wrote.The Holy Father explained that in antiquity and the Middle Ages, Catholic individuals and some ecclesiastical institutions participated in slavery. Though the Church never taught doctrinally that slavery was morally good or neutral, he wrote about popes who “intervened several times in order to regulate and legitimize forms of subjugation” at the request of political leaders.Leo XIV wrote that “a formal, absolute, and universal condemnation of slavery” was not issued until Pope Leo XIII’s 1888 encyclical on the abolition of slavery. Leo XIV added that “we [cannot] deny or diminish” the Church’s delay in its denouncement.“In the development of her doctrine, the Church has gradually come to a deeper awareness of the gravity of these issues,” Leo XIV wrote.Church’s role in slaveryIn a footnote in the encyclical, Leo XIV cited four papal bulls from the 1400s as his examples for when the Holy See sought to “regulate and legitimize” subjugation: Pope Eugenius IV’s Sicut Dudum and Etsi Suscepti, and Pope Nicholas V’s Dum Diversas and Romanus Pontifex.“Political and, at times, even economic needs overcame the demands of the Gospel,” the footnote reads. “The need for evangelization was frequently compromised or at least misunderstood with regard to the needs of worldly powers, thus relativizing the problematic incompatibility of slavery with the Christian conscience.”Nicholas V’s bulls, for example, authorized the Portuguese to impose slavery on specific non-Christians, particularly Muslims and pagans, related to specific conflicts. Eugenius IV condemned the enslavement of converts to Christianity without condemning the institution of slavery as a whole.Tom Nash, a staff apologist for Catholic Answers, told EWTN News that St. John Paul II apologized for Christian participation in slavery as well and many popes condemned slavery (including when it was ongoing) but did not critique specific papal bulls on the subject in the way Leo XIV does.Although Leo XIV’s comments on slavery are substantial, the topic only takes up a few paragraphs of the encyclical, which mostly deals with the Church’s social doctrine in the modern world and technological developments such as artificial intelligence.Nash emphasized that the faithful should not interpret these paragraphs as a change in Church doctrine, however, because in spite of Catholic participation in slavery, “the Church has never definitively taught that chattel slavery was morally just.”Although Leo XIV cited Sicut Dudum as an example, one of Eugenius IV’s main priorities was to “oppose the mistreatment of all African natives,” according to Nash. He quoted the bull: “They have deprived the natives of the property, or turned it to their own use, and have subjected some of the inhabitants of said islands to perpetual slavery, sold them to other persons, and committed other various illicit and evil deeds against them.”The bull did not sanction slavery but instead excommunicated anyone who enslaved Christians or those seeking baptism. The punishment could only be lifted if the person freed the slaves and returned their property.Nicholas V’s bulls were different because they explicitly authorized enslavement in certain cases, but Nash said the directives on slavery in Dum Diversas “are not an attempt to teach definitively,” are not pronouncements on doctrinal matters, and they “are certainly up for questioning and criticism.”“They are prudential judgments and don’t even attempt to invoke the specific doctrinal criteria of a definitive teaching, let alone an ‘ex cathedra’ pronouncement,” Nash added. “And thus the Church’s teaching on infallibility is not [in] play and therefore not in doubt.”One condition for infallible doctrinal pronouncements is that they must apply to all people at all times. The bulls from Nicholas V apply only “in a particular geographical situation in a particular time in history,” he said, and emphasized that “we cannot treat every papal statement as if it’s an infallible declaration.”Papal condemnations of slaveryAlthough Leo XIII delivered one of the strongest condemnations of slavery in the late 1800s, Nash noted Pope Paul III’s papal bull Sublimis Deus in 1537 strongly rebuked enslavement of Indigenous Americans more than three centuries earlier.The 16th-century pontiff blamed Satan for chattel slavery and for the mindset that Indigenous Americans “should be treated as dumb brutes created for our service.” He urged evangelization of the people and said they should not be enslaved or deprived of liberty or property.Paul III’s bull expressly stated that this prohibition on enslavement of the Indigenous Americans applies regardless of anything that has been issued before, effectively superseding Nicholas V’s papal bulls from a century earlier.Other popes in between Paul III and Leo XIII issued similar antislavery statements, with Pope Gregory XIV issuing an apostolic brief in 1591 demanding an end to the enslavement of people in the Philippines and Pope Urban VIII writing the 1639 papal bull Commissum Nobis, which condemned the enslavement of South Americans.In the early 1800s, Pope Pius VII wrote to government leaders to urge the abolition of the slave trade and Pope Gregory XVI in 1839 issued the papal brief In Supremo Apostolatus, which was the first to condemn the slave trade in its entirety.Nash noted that Christian opposition to slavery, however, is rooted in the teachings of Jesus Christ, who “reaffirms the inherent dignity of every human person in a Roman-Empire milieu that had chattel slavery as a societal institution.”“He did so in giving the doctrinal command, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’ (Mt 22:39),” he said. “Indeed, ‘neighbor’ includes everyone (see Gn 1:26-27), including the heretical Samaritans and other despised persons (Lk 10:25-36). Similarly, ‘the least of these my brethren’ unmistakably includes chattel slaves within a Roman-Empire milieu (Mt 25:40, 45).”St. Paul wrote about slavery several times. In Ephesians 6, he told slaves to “obey your human masters” and for masters to “stop bullying,” adding that both have the same Master in heaven, before whom “there is no partiality.” In 1 Corinthians 7, he told slaves to “make the most of it” if they gain freedom but not to be concerned about it because “the slave called in the Lord is a freed person in the Lord, just as the free person who has been called is a slave of Christ.”In contrast to norms of the time, Paul wrote about the equal human dignity of slave and master in Galatians 3, saying “there is neither slave nor free person” because “you are all one in Christ Jesus.” In the Epistle to Philemon, Paul writes to St. Philemon on behalf of the runaway slave, St. Onesimus, asking Philemon to receive him “no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a brother.”At least one pope — St. Callistus I, who reigned from A.D. 218 until he was martyred in A.D. 222 — was a former slave. Nash noted that although slavery existed in the Roman Empire and within Europe under Christendom, the practice was reduced significantly when Christianity replaced paganism.

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The Holy Father explained that, in antiquity and the Middle Ages, Catholic individuals and some ecclesiastical institutions participated in slavery as he apologized for the Catholic Church’s role.

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Meet Jules Rimet: The devout Catholic who helped create the FIFA World Cup – #Catholic – As the world prepares for the spectacle of the 2026 FIFA World Cup — the first World Cup jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico — billions of fans will once again gather around a game that transcends language, politics, and borders. Yet few realize that the tournament’s origins are intertwined with the Catholic faith.The FIFA World Cup is one of the most-watched sporting events with roughly 5 billion people tuning in to the tournament that brings together soccer’s best athletes from around the world.This year’s men’s tournament will take place from June 11 to July 19 and will be held in all three host countries. The last time the U.S. hosted a World Cup was in 1994, while Mexico has hosted the event in 1970 and 1986, and this will mark the first time Canada will host the prestigious soccer tournament. The 2026 FIFA World Cup is the 23rd edition of the quadrennial international menʼs soccer tournament.Long before the World Cup became the globe’s most-watched sporting event, its founder, Jules Rimet, was shaped by a vision deeply influenced by his faith and a belief in the dignity and unity of humanity.Rimet was born on Oct. 14, 1873, in the village of Theuley in France to a devout Catholic family. He was known to have a heart for the poor and was inspired by Catholic social teaching.In 1891, Pope Leo XIII issued the encyclical Rerum Novarum, which addressed the harsh conditions, poverty, and labor exploitation brought on by the Industrial Revolution. This encyclical inspired Rimet to help create an organization that provided social and medical aid to the poor. He was 17 years old.The Catholic Frenchman also had a love for sports and believed it could unite people from all different races and social classes. At 24 years old he started a sports club called Red Star, which was open to anyone regardless of social class. He also included soccer in the club despite the sport being looked down upon as being only for Englishmen and the lower class.In 1904, Rimet helped establish the Fédération Internationale de Football Association — International Federation of Association Football, or FIFA. After serving in World War I, he returned to FIFA and became its president in 1921.Nine years later, the first World Cup was held in Uruguay. He viewed the World Cup as an opportunity to bring nations who may be at war together, promote universal fraternity and solidarity among all people, and prevent future global conflicts. He also worked hard to professionalize soccer so that working-class athletes could earn a living doing what they loved.Rimet served as the president of FIFA for 33 years. From 1930 to 1970, the championship trophy was named the Jules Rimet Trophy.He died in 1956 and was nominated for the Nobel Peace prize due to his part in creating the World Cup tournament.In the book “A History of Football in 100 Objects,” Rimet’s grandson, Yves, remembered his grandfather as a “humanist and idealist who believed that sport could unite the world. Unlike many others in his time, he realized that, to be truly democratic, to truly engage the masses, international sport must be professional.”
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Meet Jules Rimet: The devout Catholic who helped create the FIFA World Cup – #Catholic – As the world prepares for the spectacle of the 2026 FIFA World Cup — the first World Cup jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico — billions of fans will once again gather around a game that transcends language, politics, and borders. Yet few realize that the tournament’s origins are intertwined with the Catholic faith.The FIFA World Cup is one of the most-watched sporting events with roughly 5 billion people tuning in to the tournament that brings together soccer’s best athletes from around the world.This year’s men’s tournament will take place from June 11 to July 19 and will be held in all three host countries. The last time the U.S. hosted a World Cup was in 1994, while Mexico has hosted the event in 1970 and 1986, and this will mark the first time Canada will host the prestigious soccer tournament. The 2026 FIFA World Cup is the 23rd edition of the quadrennial international menʼs soccer tournament.Long before the World Cup became the globe’s most-watched sporting event, its founder, Jules Rimet, was shaped by a vision deeply influenced by his faith and a belief in the dignity and unity of humanity.Rimet was born on Oct. 14, 1873, in the village of Theuley in France to a devout Catholic family. He was known to have a heart for the poor and was inspired by Catholic social teaching.In 1891, Pope Leo XIII issued the encyclical Rerum Novarum, which addressed the harsh conditions, poverty, and labor exploitation brought on by the Industrial Revolution. This encyclical inspired Rimet to help create an organization that provided social and medical aid to the poor. He was 17 years old.The Catholic Frenchman also had a love for sports and believed it could unite people from all different races and social classes. At 24 years old he started a sports club called Red Star, which was open to anyone regardless of social class. He also included soccer in the club despite the sport being looked down upon as being only for Englishmen and the lower class.In 1904, Rimet helped establish the Fédération Internationale de Football Association — International Federation of Association Football, or FIFA. After serving in World War I, he returned to FIFA and became its president in 1921.Nine years later, the first World Cup was held in Uruguay. He viewed the World Cup as an opportunity to bring nations who may be at war together, promote universal fraternity and solidarity among all people, and prevent future global conflicts. He also worked hard to professionalize soccer so that working-class athletes could earn a living doing what they loved.Rimet served as the president of FIFA for 33 years. From 1930 to 1970, the championship trophy was named the Jules Rimet Trophy.He died in 1956 and was nominated for the Nobel Peace prize due to his part in creating the World Cup tournament.In the book “A History of Football in 100 Objects,” Rimet’s grandson, Yves, remembered his grandfather as a “humanist and idealist who believed that sport could unite the world. Unlike many others in his time, he realized that, to be truly democratic, to truly engage the masses, international sport must be professional.”

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Catholic Frenchman Jules Rimet served as the president of FIFA for 33 years.

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Supersonic! – NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft completed its first supersonic flight Friday, June 5, 2026, marking the first time the aircraft exceeded the speed of sound in support of NASA’s Quesst mission. The milestone represents a major step in flight testing as the aircraft expands into the supersonic portion of its flight envelope.

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NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft completed its first supersonic flight Friday, June 5, 2026, marking the first time the aircraft exceeded the speed of sound in support of NASA’s Quesst mission. The milestone represents a major step in flight testing as the aircraft expands into the supersonic portion of its flight envelope.

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Pope Leo scores goal for the Gospel at soccer stadium - #Catholic - Before a packed Santiago Bernabéu stadium and a crowd fully swept up in the moment, a figure dressed in white made his entrance. Yet it was neither Mbappé nor Cristiano Ronaldo nor any other Real Madrid soccer team legend but Leo XIV.It was a particularly significant moment for the pope at the arena where the team he loves — though, as pontiff, he’s for everyone — has achieved its greatest sporting feats. No match was being played, but the faithful of the Archdiocese of Madrid, together with the suffragan dioceses of Alcalá de Henares and Getafe, welcomed Leo with a euphoria comparable to that of a decisive goal in a World Cup final. Pope Leo blessing a child at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium in Madrid, June 8, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibañez/EWTN News “For a soccer player, scoring a goal in this stadium is a moment that leaves a bit of a mark on your life. Today, the Church in Madrid has scored a spectacular goal for all time," the pope said before beginning his address.The event brought together representatives from parishes, movements, and consecrated life, as well as priests and pastoral workers, with a special presence from parish pastoral councils. Young people performed a short play for the pope modeled after a soccer match, and David Bustamante, a famous Spanish singer, also performed. There were also deeply moving personal testimonies, such as that of a 33-year-old man who shared with the gathering that he had been baptized last year and is now preparing to get married. The event brought together representatives from parishes, movements, and consecrated life, as well as priests and pastoral workers, with a special presence from parish pastoral councils. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News When he addressed the priests, consecrated persons, and bishops of Madrid, the pope told them: “Your joy will be contagious if, moving from being just a fleeting emotion, it becomes a stable way of being, a deep sentiment that renews individuals, groups, and the diocesan community.”“Baptism truly changes one’s life ... thereʼs no need to fear the fact that it never produces uniformity,” the pontiff stated during his second to last gathering in the Spainʼs capital city, prior to beginning the second leg of his journey, which will take him to Barcelona on Tuesday, June 9.To illustrate this idea, he referenced the New Testament as an antidote to uniformity, thanks to the “testimony of the variety of its voices.” He also drew attention to the episode of the Tower of Babel, where, according to the biblical account, people in a "totalitarian and merely human project ended up unable to understand their neighbor.”In contrast to this, and in line with the proposals in his recent encyclical Magnifica humanitas, he presented the figure of Nehemiah who involved the entire community in rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. “Seeking and following him is the condition for proclaiming him,” said the Pope about the task of evangelization. | Credit: Vatican Media The pope used this gathering with some of the faithful of the diocesan community in the Madrid region to outline the keys to effective evangelization in the twenty-first century. He emphasized the importance of “not scattering or shutting ourselves away in the group or environment where we already feel secure among people who always sing the same tune.”“To reach the heart of the city, we must cultivate the awareness that truth is symphonic and always transcends us, and cultivate the desire to encounter the Risen One, who always goes ahead of us, preceding us and perhaps already present where we have not yet sought him,” he noted.Therefore, he continued, “seeking and following him is the condition for proclaiming him; otherwise, there is no evangelization, and today we can understand this better than in the past.”Quoting St. Teresa of Avila, he said, “‘Let nothing trouble you, let nothing frighten you!’ Together, as a diocesan Church, you can offer the Gospel witness that unleashes the best strengths of a humanity bombarded by images and words, yet hungry for justice and thirsty for truth,” he added.He also highlighted the special relationship between the Church and the city, which, as he explained, takes shape “among flesh-and-blood people, in workplaces and close relationships, but also within the different communities, associations, and neighborhood organizations,” and which gains even greater significance “amidst the change of epochs we are currently experiencing.”“When we reduce ecclesial life to a routine where everyone remains locked within their own habits and roles, what we lack is the Spirit,” he stated.His words seemed to resonate in the testimony of Sister María San José of the Congregation of the Daughters of Holy Mary of the Heart of Jesus. She is an educated, independent woman with two careers and two masterʼs degrees who left a comfortable life at Santander Bank to consecrate herself to religious life, demonstrating how God’s call reaches into every walk of life.“I realized that there was something more that fulfilled me — beyond everything I had and everything I had built — and that was this consecrated life, this total dedication to the Lord,” she explained to EWTN News while on her way to the gathering.“God knows the hearts of his people individually. He knows them as only he can — that is, in love and, therefore, in freedom,” the pope said, underscoring that God is “infinite mercy and wants everyone to be saved.” “He desires this to the point of becoming flesh and taking upon himself all the sin, evil, and negativity of the world,” he emphasized.Among those present at Bernabéu stadium was Father Antonio Sánchez, a priest of the Diocese of Getafe ordained last October. He shared with ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, the deep emotion he felt participating along with the pope in the Corpus Christi procession following the Mass celebrated in the Plaza de Cibeles on Sunday, June 7. Father Antonio Sánchez at Bernabéu Stadium on June 8, 2026. | Credit: Courtesy of Father Antonio Sánchez. It was, in his words, “a privilege to be selected without any merit; all they said was that the priests of the ecclesiastical province should be at the procession,” he explained.“With an attitude of adoration, seeing the pope who was a great witness, because being close to the procession during such a unique moment was truly special. We were on the same [ground] level as the pope, and seeing him in the procession, adoring and focused on Christ ... it was a moment of realization: amidst all the commotion, we were focused on Christ, to whom we have consecrated our lives,” he told ACI Prensa shortly before the pontiff entered the stadium where he was welcomed with tremendous enthusiasm. Prior to this gathering, the pope visited Santa María la Real de la Almudena Cathedral, which became the setting for one of his most touching moments in Madrid.The Holy Father placed the Golden Rose at the feet of the image of the Virgin of Almudena as a symbol of his filial love, a gesture reflecting the pope’s deep Marian devotion. This marks the fourth Spanish image of the Virgin to receive this gift; the other three are the Virgin of Hope Macarena, the Virgin of La Cabeza and the Virgin of Montserrat. Pope Leo XIV at the Almudena Cathedral on June 8, 2026. Credit: Vatican Media This pontifical distinction is a recognition of the popular piety and Marian devotion of Madrid. It has ancient roots and symbolizes the papal blessing.The tradition dates back to Pope Leo IX, who established it in 1049. Over the centuries, it has been bestowed upon monasteries, shrines, sovereigns, and prominent figures in recognition of their commitment to the faith and the common good. In the past, the Golden Rose was also awarded to queens, including Isabella the Catholic Monarch, who was the first queen to receive it in 1493, granted by Innocent VIII.In the solemn act, Pope Leo climbed the steps leading to the base of the image to lay the floral offering and pray. His most notable previous visit to the Almudena Cathedral took place on the occasion of the 2002 canonization of Alonso de Orozco, an Augustinian who died in Madrid, in the convent that occupied the site of the current Senate building. The saint’s remains now rest in the chapel of the Contemplative Augustinian Nuns’ convent on La Granja street.This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
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Pope Leo scores goal for the Gospel at soccer stadium – #Catholic – Before a packed Santiago Bernabéu stadium and a crowd fully swept up in the moment, a figure dressed in white made his entrance. Yet it was neither Mbappé nor Cristiano Ronaldo nor any other Real Madrid soccer team legend but Leo XIV.It was a particularly significant moment for the pope at the arena where the team he loves — though, as pontiff, he’s for everyone — has achieved its greatest sporting feats. No match was being played, but the faithful of the Archdiocese of Madrid, together with the suffragan dioceses of Alcalá de Henares and Getafe, welcomed Leo with a euphoria comparable to that of a decisive goal in a World Cup final. Pope Leo blessing a child at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium in Madrid, June 8, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibañez/EWTN News “For a soccer player, scoring a goal in this stadium is a moment that leaves a bit of a mark on your life. Today, the Church in Madrid has scored a spectacular goal for all time," the pope said before beginning his address.The event brought together representatives from parishes, movements, and consecrated life, as well as priests and pastoral workers, with a special presence from parish pastoral councils. Young people performed a short play for the pope modeled after a soccer match, and David Bustamante, a famous Spanish singer, also performed. There were also deeply moving personal testimonies, such as that of a 33-year-old man who shared with the gathering that he had been baptized last year and is now preparing to get married. The event brought together representatives from parishes, movements, and consecrated life, as well as priests and pastoral workers, with a special presence from parish pastoral councils. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News When he addressed the priests, consecrated persons, and bishops of Madrid, the pope told them: “Your joy will be contagious if, moving from being just a fleeting emotion, it becomes a stable way of being, a deep sentiment that renews individuals, groups, and the diocesan community.”“Baptism truly changes one’s life … thereʼs no need to fear the fact that it never produces uniformity,” the pontiff stated during his second to last gathering in the Spainʼs capital city, prior to beginning the second leg of his journey, which will take him to Barcelona on Tuesday, June 9.To illustrate this idea, he referenced the New Testament as an antidote to uniformity, thanks to the “testimony of the variety of its voices.” He also drew attention to the episode of the Tower of Babel, where, according to the biblical account, people in a "totalitarian and merely human project ended up unable to understand their neighbor.”In contrast to this, and in line with the proposals in his recent encyclical Magnifica humanitas, he presented the figure of Nehemiah who involved the entire community in rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. “Seeking and following him is the condition for proclaiming him,” said the Pope about the task of evangelization. | Credit: Vatican Media The pope used this gathering with some of the faithful of the diocesan community in the Madrid region to outline the keys to effective evangelization in the twenty-first century. He emphasized the importance of “not scattering or shutting ourselves away in the group or environment where we already feel secure among people who always sing the same tune.”“To reach the heart of the city, we must cultivate the awareness that truth is symphonic and always transcends us, and cultivate the desire to encounter the Risen One, who always goes ahead of us, preceding us and perhaps already present where we have not yet sought him,” he noted.Therefore, he continued, “seeking and following him is the condition for proclaiming him; otherwise, there is no evangelization, and today we can understand this better than in the past.”Quoting St. Teresa of Avila, he said, “‘Let nothing trouble you, let nothing frighten you!’ Together, as a diocesan Church, you can offer the Gospel witness that unleashes the best strengths of a humanity bombarded by images and words, yet hungry for justice and thirsty for truth,” he added.He also highlighted the special relationship between the Church and the city, which, as he explained, takes shape “among flesh-and-blood people, in workplaces and close relationships, but also within the different communities, associations, and neighborhood organizations,” and which gains even greater significance “amidst the change of epochs we are currently experiencing.”“When we reduce ecclesial life to a routine where everyone remains locked within their own habits and roles, what we lack is the Spirit,” he stated.His words seemed to resonate in the testimony of Sister María San José of the Congregation of the Daughters of Holy Mary of the Heart of Jesus. She is an educated, independent woman with two careers and two masterʼs degrees who left a comfortable life at Santander Bank to consecrate herself to religious life, demonstrating how God’s call reaches into every walk of life.“I realized that there was something more that fulfilled me — beyond everything I had and everything I had built — and that was this consecrated life, this total dedication to the Lord,” she explained to EWTN News while on her way to the gathering.“God knows the hearts of his people individually. He knows them as only he can — that is, in love and, therefore, in freedom,” the pope said, underscoring that God is “infinite mercy and wants everyone to be saved.” “He desires this to the point of becoming flesh and taking upon himself all the sin, evil, and negativity of the world,” he emphasized.Among those present at Bernabéu stadium was Father Antonio Sánchez, a priest of the Diocese of Getafe ordained last October. He shared with ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, the deep emotion he felt participating along with the pope in the Corpus Christi procession following the Mass celebrated in the Plaza de Cibeles on Sunday, June 7. Father Antonio Sánchez at Bernabéu Stadium on June 8, 2026. | Credit: Courtesy of Father Antonio Sánchez. It was, in his words, “a privilege to be selected without any merit; all they said was that the priests of the ecclesiastical province should be at the procession,” he explained.“With an attitude of adoration, seeing the pope who was a great witness, because being close to the procession during such a unique moment was truly special. We were on the same [ground] level as the pope, and seeing him in the procession, adoring and focused on Christ … it was a moment of realization: amidst all the commotion, we were focused on Christ, to whom we have consecrated our lives,” he told ACI Prensa shortly before the pontiff entered the stadium where he was welcomed with tremendous enthusiasm. Prior to this gathering, the pope visited Santa María la Real de la Almudena Cathedral, which became the setting for one of his most touching moments in Madrid.The Holy Father placed the Golden Rose at the feet of the image of the Virgin of Almudena as a symbol of his filial love, a gesture reflecting the pope’s deep Marian devotion. This marks the fourth Spanish image of the Virgin to receive this gift; the other three are the Virgin of Hope Macarena, the Virgin of La Cabeza and the Virgin of Montserrat. Pope Leo XIV at the Almudena Cathedral on June 8, 2026. Credit: Vatican Media This pontifical distinction is a recognition of the popular piety and Marian devotion of Madrid. It has ancient roots and symbolizes the papal blessing.The tradition dates back to Pope Leo IX, who established it in 1049. Over the centuries, it has been bestowed upon monasteries, shrines, sovereigns, and prominent figures in recognition of their commitment to the faith and the common good. In the past, the Golden Rose was also awarded to queens, including Isabella the Catholic Monarch, who was the first queen to receive it in 1493, granted by Innocent VIII.In the solemn act, Pope Leo climbed the steps leading to the base of the image to lay the floral offering and pray. His most notable previous visit to the Almudena Cathedral took place on the occasion of the 2002 canonization of Alonso de Orozco, an Augustinian who died in Madrid, in the convent that occupied the site of the current Senate building. The saint’s remains now rest in the chapel of the Contemplative Augustinian Nuns’ convent on La Granja street.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 faithful of the Archdiocese of Madrid, together with the dioceses of Alcalá de Henares and Getafe, welcomed Leo with a euphoria comparable to that of a decisive goal in a World Cup final.

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Magnitude 6.1 Earthquake Strikes Northwest Cuba – Shaking Felt in Florida, Mexico – Buildings Shake in Miami (VIDEO) – A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck northwest Cuba on Monday afternoon at 2 pm ET. The post Magnitude 6.1 Earthquake Strikes Northwest Cuba – Shaking Felt in Florida, Mexico – Buildings Shake in Miami (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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Magnitude 6.1 Earthquake Strikes Northwest Cuba – Shaking Felt in Florida, Mexico – Buildings Shake in Miami (VIDEO) – A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck northwest Cuba on Monday afternoon at 2 pm ET. The post Magnitude 6.1 Earthquake Strikes Northwest Cuba – Shaking Felt in Florida, Mexico – Buildings Shake in Miami (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Map showing earthquake shake intensity in the Gulf of America, indicating shaking felt over 450 miles away from the epicenter near Cuba.

Map showing earthquake shake intensity in the Gulf of America, indicating shaking felt over 450 miles away from the epicenter near Cuba.

A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck northwest Cuba on Monday afternoon at 2 pm ET.

The post Magnitude 6.1 Earthquake Strikes Northwest Cuba – Shaking Felt in Florida, Mexico – Buildings Shake in Miami (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Disgraced ‘Crypto Bro’ Sam Bankman-Fried Formally Asks for Trump Pardon, Two Years After Conviction for ‘Historical Financial Fraud’ – SBF wants a pardon, too. The post Disgraced ‘Crypto Bro’ Sam Bankman-Fried Formally Asks for Trump Pardon, Two Years After Conviction for ‘Historical Financial Fraud’ appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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Disgraced ‘Crypto Bro’ Sam Bankman-Fried Formally Asks for Trump Pardon, Two Years After Conviction for ‘Historical Financial Fraud’ – SBF wants a pardon, too. The post Disgraced ‘Crypto Bro’ Sam Bankman-Fried Formally Asks for Trump Pardon, Two Years After Conviction for ‘Historical Financial Fraud’ appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Close-up of a young man with curly hair, looking thoughtfully, against a blurred background, showcasing an expressive facial moment.

Close-up of a young man with curly hair, looking thoughtfully, against a blurred background, showcasing an expressive facial moment.

SBF wants a pardon, too.

The post Disgraced ‘Crypto Bro’ Sam Bankman-Fried Formally Asks for Trump Pardon, Two Years After Conviction for ‘Historical Financial Fraud’ appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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MIC DROP: Rep. James Comer Torches Democrat Teresa Leger Fernández for Deflecting on Fraud — “And You Talk About the Pardons… The Last President Who We Investigated Pardoned His Whole Family” – House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer delivered a devastating rebuke to Democrat Rep. The post MIC DROP: Rep. James Comer Torches Democrat Teresa Leger Fernández for Deflecting on Fraud — “And You Talk About the Pardons… The Last President Who We Investigated Pardoned His Whole Family” appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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MIC DROP: Rep. James Comer Torches Democrat Teresa Leger Fernández for Deflecting on Fraud — “And You Talk About the Pardons… The Last President Who We Investigated Pardoned His Whole Family” – House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer delivered a devastating rebuke to Democrat Rep. The post MIC DROP: Rep. James Comer Torches Democrat Teresa Leger Fernández for Deflecting on Fraud — “And You Talk About the Pardons… The Last President Who We Investigated Pardoned His Whole Family” appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Congressional hearing featuring a heated discussion between two representatives, one expressing frustration and the other engaging calmly, highlighting political tensions.

Congressional hearing featuring a heated discussion between two representatives, one expressing frustration and the other engaging calmly, highlighting political tensions.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer delivered a devastating rebuke to Democrat Rep.

The post MIC DROP: Rep. James Comer Torches Democrat Teresa Leger Fernández for Deflecting on Fraud — “And You Talk About the Pardons… The Last President Who We Investigated Pardoned His Whole Family” appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Gospel and Word of the Day – 09 June 2026 – A reading from the First Book of Kings 17:7-16 The brook near where Elijah was hiding ran dry, because no rain had fallen in the land. So the LORD said to Elijah: “Move on to Zarephath of Sidon and stay there. I have designated a widow there to provide for you.” He left and went to Zarephath. As he arrived at the entrance of the city, a widow was gathering sticks there; he called out to her, “Please bring me a small cupful of water to drink.” She left to get it, and he called out after her, “Please bring along a bit of bread.” She answered, “As the LORD, your God, lives, I have nothing baked; there is only a handful of flour in my jar and a little oil in my jug. Just now I was collecting a couple of sticks, to go in and prepare something for myself and my son; when we have eaten it, we shall die.” Elijah said to her, “Do not be afraid. Go and do as you propose. But first make me a little cake and bring it to me. Then you can prepare something for yourself and your son. For the LORD, the God of Israel, says, ‘The jar of flour shall not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry, until the day when the LORD sends rain upon the earth.’” She left and did as Elijah had said. She was able to eat for a year, and Elijah and her son as well; the jar of flour did not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry, as the LORD had foretold through Elijah.From the Gospel according to Matthew 5:13-16 Jesus said to his disciples: “You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.”“You are the salt of the earth… You are the light of the world” (Mt 5:13-14). Indeed, it is genuine joy that gives flavor to life and brings to light something that was not there before. This joy springs from a way of life, a way of inhabiting the earth and of living together that must be desired and chosen. It is the life that shines in Jesus, the new flavor of his words and deeds. After encountering Jesus in his poverty of spirit, his meekness and simplicity of heart, his hunger and thirst for justice, which unlocks mercy and peace as powers of transformation and reconciliation, those who would distance themselves from all this seem bland and dull. (…) Indeed, it is painful to lose flavor and give up joy; yet it is possible to have this wound in one’s heart. Jesus seems to warn those who listen to him not to give up joy. Salt that has lost its flavor, he says, “is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot” (Mt 5:13). How many people — perhaps we ourselves — feel like they are worthless or broken. It is as if their light has been hidden. Jesus, however, proclaims a God who will never throw us away, a Father who cares for our names and our uniqueness. (Pope Leo XIV, Angelus, 8 February 2026)

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A reading from the First Book of Kings
17:7-16

The brook near where Elijah was hiding ran dry,
because no rain had fallen in the land.
So the LORD said to Elijah:
“Move on to Zarephath of Sidon and stay there.
I have designated a widow there to provide for you.”
He left and went to Zarephath.
As he arrived at the entrance of the city,
a widow was gathering sticks there; he called out to her,
“Please bring me a small cupful of water to drink.”
She left to get it, and he called out after her,
“Please bring along a bit of bread.”
She answered, “As the LORD, your God, lives,
I have nothing baked;
there is only a handful of flour in my jar
and a little oil in my jug.
Just now I was collecting a couple of sticks,
to go in and prepare something for myself and my son;
when we have eaten it, we shall die.”
Elijah said to her, “Do not be afraid.
Go and do as you propose.
But first make me a little cake and bring it to me.
Then you can prepare something for yourself and your son.
For the LORD, the God of Israel, says,
‘The jar of flour shall not go empty,
nor the jug of oil run dry,
until the day when the LORD sends rain upon the earth.’”
She left and did as Elijah had said.
She was able to eat for a year, and Elijah and her son as well;
the jar of flour did not go empty,
nor the jug of oil run dry,
as the LORD had foretold through Elijah.

From the Gospel according to Matthew
5:13-16

Jesus said to his disciples:
“You are the salt of the earth.
But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned?
It is no longer good for anything
but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
You are the light of the world.
A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden.
Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket;
it is set on a lampstand,
where it gives light to all in the house.
Just so, your light must shine before others,
that they may see your good deeds
and glorify your heavenly Father.”

“You are the salt of the earth… You are the light of the world” (Mt 5:13-14). Indeed, it is genuine joy that gives flavor to life and brings to light something that was not there before. This joy springs from a way of life, a way of inhabiting the earth and of living together that must be desired and chosen. It is the life that shines in Jesus, the new flavor of his words and deeds. After encountering Jesus in his poverty of spirit, his meekness and simplicity of heart, his hunger and thirst for justice, which unlocks mercy and peace as powers of transformation and reconciliation, those who would distance themselves from all this seem bland and dull. (…)

Indeed, it is painful to lose flavor and give up joy; yet it is possible to have this wound in one’s heart. Jesus seems to warn those who listen to him not to give up joy. Salt that has lost its flavor, he says, “is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot” (Mt 5:13). How many people — perhaps we ourselves — feel like they are worthless or broken. It is as if their light has been hidden. Jesus, however, proclaims a God who will never throw us away, a Father who cares for our names and our uniqueness. (Pope Leo XIV, Angelus, 8 February 2026)

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Golf Invitational funds give disadvantaged students ‘swing’ at learning #Catholic - More than 130 supporters of the Tri-County Scholarship Fund (TCSF) gathered at Morris County Golf Club in Morristown, N.J., on June 1 for the organization’s 34th Annual Golf Invitational. The event raised $200,000 to provide scholarships for financially disadvantaged students seeking access to a quality, values-based education. Under sunny skies, the event welcomed 116 golfers, along with participants in pickleball and Mahjong, for a day of fellowship, friendly competition, and philanthropy. Trustees, sponsors, and friends of the organization came together to support Tri-County’s mission to expand educational opportunities for children and families throughout Morris, Passaic, and Sussex counties. The funds enable recipients to attend accredited K-12 independent schools that best meet their educational needs. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney of the Paterson Diocese, N.J., joined fellow golfers in support of Tri-County’s mission. He has been a TCSF board member since 2020. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. A highlight of the event was hearing from Christopher, a graduating senior at DePaul Catholic High School in Wayne, N.J., and a Tri-County scholarship recipient. He will attend Seton Hall University in South Orange, N.J., this fall to study business and finance. Reflecting on his educational journey from Paterson public schools to St. Gerard Majella School in Paterson, N.J., and DePaul, Christopher credited Tri-County with helping make those opportunities possible. “I am eternally grateful to my mom, my teachers, and all the donors of Tri-County for believing in me,” Christopher told attendees. “You gave me the chance to become the best version of myself,” he said. Prudence Pigott, TCSF president, said, “The Golf Invitational is one of our favorite days of the year because it brings together so many members of the Tri-County family.” “Whether they joined us on the golf course, pickleball courts, or around the Mahjong tables, our supporters came together to invest in students and strengthen our community,” said Pigott. She especially thanked Bank of America and PricewaterhouseCoopers, whose longstanding leadership as Tournament Sponsors helped make the Golf Invitational possible. The TCSF celebrates its 45th Anniversary in 2026 under the theme, “Freedom Through Education.” The late Bishop Frank J. Rodimer of Paterson co-founded Tri-County in 1981 with corporate executive Edward L. Hennessy, Jr. Since then, the organization has awarded more than 39,000 scholarships, helping students access safe, quality, values-based educational environments that empower them to reach their full potential. TCSF provided 1,000 scholarships during the upcoming 2026-2027 school year, helping continue its mission of breaking the cycle of poverty through education. Mike Mund is the office manager and scholarship fund administrator for the Tri-County Scholarship Fund. BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI [See image gallery at beaconnj.org]  
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Golf Invitational funds give disadvantaged students ‘swing’ at learning #Catholic – More than 130 supporters of the Tri-County Scholarship Fund (TCSF) gathered at Morris County Golf Club in Morristown, N.J., on June 1 for the organization’s 34th Annual Golf Invitational. The event raised $200,000 to provide scholarships for financially disadvantaged students seeking access to a quality, values-based education. Under sunny skies, the event welcomed 116 golfers, along with participants in pickleball and Mahjong, for a day of fellowship, friendly competition, and philanthropy. Trustees, sponsors, and friends of the organization came together to support Tri-County’s mission to expand educational opportunities for children and families throughout Morris, Passaic, and Sussex counties. The funds enable recipients to attend accredited K-12 independent schools that best meet their educational needs. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney of the Paterson Diocese, N.J., joined fellow golfers in support of Tri-County’s mission. He has been a TCSF board member since 2020. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. A highlight of the event was hearing from Christopher, a graduating senior at DePaul Catholic High School in Wayne, N.J., and a Tri-County scholarship recipient. He will attend Seton Hall University in South Orange, N.J., this fall to study business and finance. Reflecting on his educational journey from Paterson public schools to St. Gerard Majella School in Paterson, N.J., and DePaul, Christopher credited Tri-County with helping make those opportunities possible. “I am eternally grateful to my mom, my teachers, and all the donors of Tri-County for believing in me,” Christopher told attendees. “You gave me the chance to become the best version of myself,” he said. Prudence Pigott, TCSF president, said, “The Golf Invitational is one of our favorite days of the year because it brings together so many members of the Tri-County family.” “Whether they joined us on the golf course, pickleball courts, or around the Mahjong tables, our supporters came together to invest in students and strengthen our community,” said Pigott. She especially thanked Bank of America and PricewaterhouseCoopers, whose longstanding leadership as Tournament Sponsors helped make the Golf Invitational possible. The TCSF celebrates its 45th Anniversary in 2026 under the theme, “Freedom Through Education.” The late Bishop Frank J. Rodimer of Paterson co-founded Tri-County in 1981 with corporate executive Edward L. Hennessy, Jr. Since then, the organization has awarded more than 39,000 scholarships, helping students access safe, quality, values-based educational environments that empower them to reach their full potential. TCSF provided 1,000 scholarships during the upcoming 2026-2027 school year, helping continue its mission of breaking the cycle of poverty through education. Mike Mund is the office manager and scholarship fund administrator for the Tri-County Scholarship Fund. BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI [See image gallery at beaconnj.org]  

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Golf Invitational funds give disadvantaged students ‘swing’ at learning #Catholic –

More than 130 supporters of the Tri-County Scholarship Fund (TCSF) gathered at Morris County Golf Club in Morristown, N.J., on June 1 for the organization’s 34th Annual Golf Invitational. The event raised $200,000 to provide scholarships for financially disadvantaged students seeking access to a quality, values-based education.

Under sunny skies, the event welcomed 116 golfers, along with participants in pickleball and Mahjong, for a day of fellowship, friendly competition, and philanthropy. Trustees, sponsors, and friends of the organization came together to support Tri-County’s mission to expand educational opportunities for children and families throughout Morris, Passaic, and Sussex counties. The funds enable recipients to attend accredited K-12 independent schools that best meet their educational needs.

Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney of the Paterson Diocese, N.J., joined fellow golfers in support of Tri-County’s mission. He has been a TCSF board member since 2020.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

A highlight of the event was hearing from Christopher, a graduating senior at DePaul Catholic High School in Wayne, N.J., and a Tri-County scholarship recipient. He will attend Seton Hall University in South Orange, N.J., this fall to study business and finance.

Reflecting on his educational journey from Paterson public schools to St. Gerard Majella School in Paterson, N.J., and DePaul, Christopher credited Tri-County with helping make those opportunities possible.

“I am eternally grateful to my mom, my teachers, and all the donors of Tri-County for believing in me,” Christopher told attendees. “You gave me the chance to become the best version of myself,” he said.

Prudence Pigott, TCSF president, said, “The Golf Invitational is one of our favorite days of the year because it brings together so many members of the Tri-County family.”

“Whether they joined us on the golf course, pickleball courts, or around the Mahjong tables, our supporters came together to invest in students and strengthen our community,” said Pigott. She especially thanked Bank of America and PricewaterhouseCoopers, whose longstanding leadership as Tournament Sponsors helped make the Golf Invitational possible.

The TCSF celebrates its 45th Anniversary in 2026 under the theme, “Freedom Through Education.” The late Bishop Frank J. Rodimer of Paterson co-founded Tri-County in 1981 with corporate executive Edward L. Hennessy, Jr.

Since then, the organization has awarded more than 39,000 scholarships, helping students access safe, quality, values-based educational environments that empower them to reach their full potential. TCSF provided 1,000 scholarships during the upcoming 2026-2027 school year, helping continue its mission of breaking the cycle of poverty through education.
Mike Mund is the office manager and scholarship fund administrator for the Tri-County Scholarship Fund.

BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI

– More than 130 supporters of the Tri-County Scholarship Fund (TCSF) gathered at Morris County Golf Club in Morristown, N.J., on June 1 for the organization’s 34th Annual Golf Invitational. The event raised $200,000 to provide scholarships for financially disadvantaged students seeking access to a quality, values-based education. Under sunny skies, the event welcomed 116 golfers, along with participants in pickleball and Mahjong, for a day of fellowship, friendly competition, and philanthropy. Trustees, sponsors, and friends of the organization came together to support Tri-County’s mission to expand educational opportunities for children and families throughout Morris, Passaic, and Sussex counties. The funds

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An invitation to ‘Walk with Jesus’ as One Nation, Under God #Catholic – Dear Readers, BISHOP KEVIN J. SWEENEY In place of a column this week, I would like to invite you to join me and the Church of our Diocese of Paterson as we welcome the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage on Sunday and Monday, June 14 and 15. I hope that you are already aware of the Pilgrimage, but for more information and details, please go to our Diocesan Website.  I hope and pray that many of you will be able to join us “in-person” for the pilgrimage and I ask that each of you would join us in prayer in the coming days, as we will be so richly blessed, after celebrating the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus on Friday, June 12 and having two new priests ordained for our diocese on Saturday, June 13, we will then have the unique opportunity to “welcome” our Lord in the Eucharistic Pilgrimage, in Passaic on Sunday, June 14, in the afternoon (at 3:30 p.m.) and then walk with Him in prayerful procession for the Rosary and Mass (at 5 p.m.) at Boverini Stadium in Passaic, N.J. On the afternoon and evening of Monday, June 15, we will have a Eucharistic Procession (at 5:30 p.m.) and Closing Mass (7 p.m.) at our Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson. I encourage you to watch two brief videos, the first on the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage. And then an invitation to participate as our diocese welcomes the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage:  I look forward to seeing you at the Pilgrimage, and I hope that we will all be united in prayer, as a diocese, and as “One Nation, Under God.” St. John the Baptist and Frances Xavier Cabrini, pray for us. Sincerely in Christ, Most Reverend Kevin J. Sweeney, D.D. Bishop of Paterson    
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An invitation to ‘Walk with Jesus’ as One Nation, Under God #Catholic – Dear Readers, BISHOP KEVIN J. SWEENEY In place of a column this week, I would like to invite you to join me and the Church of our Diocese of Paterson as we welcome the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage on Sunday and Monday, June 14 and 15. I hope that you are already aware of the Pilgrimage, but for more information and details, please go to our Diocesan Website.  I hope and pray that many of you will be able to join us “in-person” for the pilgrimage and I ask that each of you would join us in prayer in the coming days, as we will be so richly blessed, after celebrating the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus on Friday, June 12 and having two new priests ordained for our diocese on Saturday, June 13, we will then have the unique opportunity to “welcome” our Lord in the Eucharistic Pilgrimage, in Passaic on Sunday, June 14, in the afternoon (at 3:30 p.m.) and then walk with Him in prayerful procession for the Rosary and Mass (at 5 p.m.) at Boverini Stadium in Passaic, N.J. On the afternoon and evening of Monday, June 15, we will have a Eucharistic Procession (at 5:30 p.m.) and Closing Mass (7 p.m.) at our Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson. I encourage you to watch two brief videos, the first on the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage. And then an invitation to participate as our diocese welcomes the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage:  I look forward to seeing you at the Pilgrimage, and I hope that we will all be united in prayer, as a diocese, and as “One Nation, Under God.” St. John the Baptist and Frances Xavier Cabrini, pray for us. Sincerely in Christ, Most Reverend Kevin J. Sweeney, D.D. Bishop of Paterson    

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An invitation to ‘Walk with Jesus’ as One Nation, Under God #Catholic –

Dear Readers,

BISHOP KEVIN J. SWEENEY

In place of a column this week, I would like to invite you to join me and the Church of our Diocese of Paterson as we welcome the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage on Sunday and Monday, June 14 and 15. I hope that you are already aware of the Pilgrimage, but for more information and details, please go to our Diocesan Website. 

I hope and pray that many of you will be able to join us “in-person” for the pilgrimage and I ask that each of you would join us in prayer in the coming days, as we will be so richly blessed, after celebrating the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus on Friday, June 12 and having two new priests ordained for our diocese on Saturday, June 13, we will then have the unique opportunity to “welcome” our Lord in the Eucharistic Pilgrimage, in Passaic on Sunday, June 14, in the afternoon (at 3:30 p.m.) and then walk with Him in prayerful procession for the Rosary and Mass (at 5 p.m.) at Boverini Stadium in Passaic, N.J. On the afternoon and evening of Monday, June 15, we will have a Eucharistic Procession (at 5:30 p.m.) and Closing Mass (7 p.m.) at our Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson.

I encourage you to watch two brief videos, the first on the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage. And then an invitation to participate as our diocese welcomes the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage: 

I look forward to seeing you at the Pilgrimage, and I hope that we will all be united in prayer, as a diocese, and as “One Nation, Under God.” St. John the Baptist and Frances Xavier Cabrini, pray for us.

Sincerely in Christ,

Most Reverend Kevin J. Sweeney, D.D.
Bishop of Paterson

 

 

– Dear Readers, BISHOP KEVIN J. SWEENEY In place of a column this week, I would like to invite you to join me and the Church of our Diocese of Paterson as we welcome the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage on Sunday and Monday, June 14 and 15. I hope that you are already aware of the Pilgrimage, but for more information and details, please go to our Diocesan Website.  I hope and pray that many of you will be able to join us “in-person” for the pilgrimage and I ask that each of you would join us in prayer in the coming

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Why does one side of the Moon have a lot of craters, while the other does not?

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Why does one side of the Moon have a lot of craters, while the other side does not? Stephen LogesBrooksville, Florida When the first photos of the Moon’s farside were obtained, people usually expressed the difference between the back and the front in terms of “more craters on the back.” It might be better toContinue reading “Why does one side of the Moon have a lot of craters, while the other does not?”

The post Why does one side of the Moon have a lot of craters, while the other does not? appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

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Pope Leo XIV tells Spain’s parliament every human life must be protected #Catholic MADRID — Pope Leo XIV made history Monday by becoming the first pope to address Spain’s Congress of Deputies, delivering a forceful appeal to the country’s political class to defend human dignity and protect life “from conception to its natural end.”The June 8 address, given before about 700 guests amid tight security, drew a standing ovation that lasted nearly seven minutes, with shouts of “Long live the pope!” echoing through the chamber.In his speech, Pope Leo warned lawmakers not to subordinate human dignity to “shifting social consensus or the whims of the majority at any given moment,” insisting that “every truly just society is built upon the recognition of the inviolable dignity of the human person.”“In this sense, if life ceases to be recognized as a fundamental value, what future can our societies have?” the pope asked. “Can a community that casts into the shadows the unborn child, the elderly, the sick, those who suffer in silence, or those who depend entirely on the care of others be called fully just?”“The defense of human life is neither a partisan issue nor a confessional interest: it is a goal of civilization,” he said.The pope’s remarks came as Spain’s socialist-led government has been advancing efforts to enshrine abortion protections in the country’s Constitution. Such a reform would require broad parliamentary consensus, including support from the center-right People’s Party.“Every human life must be recognized and safeguarded from conception to its natural end, in every circumstance of its existence,” Pope Leo said. “When this certainty is obscured, the most vulnerable are the first victims, and the law loses its deepest meaning: to serve and protect every person.”“For this reason,” he added, “the moral greatness of a nation is manifested, above all, in its capacity to accompany, protect and love those lives that are most fragile.”The pope also defended the family as “the primary human reality and the natural foundation of the community,” saying that “where the family is upheld, the spiritual and social stability of nations is also strengthened.”“The family will always be the first school of humanity, where one learns, before anywhere else, the basic grammar of living together: welcoming life, caring for others, forgiving, serving and belonging,” he said.Pope Leo drew on Spain’s intellectual and Catholic heritage, citing Cervantes, St. Teresa of Ávila, Miguel de Unamuno and the School of Salamanca, especially the 16th-century Dominican friar Francisco de Vitoria.From that tradition, he said, Spain helped shape “a legal and moral consciousness capable of remembering that authority always entails responsibility and that every human being must be recognized as a subject of rights and duties.”The pope said that legacy remains alive whenever lawmakers ask “how to ensure that what is possible is just, that what is legal is truly humane, and that the will of the majority safeguards those goods that belong to all and respects that which no majority can legitimately violate.”He also cited his recent encyclical “Magnifica Humanitas,” published May 25, saying that in an age of artificial intelligence, biotechnology and rapid technological change, political discernment must focus on “the place of the human person in our decision making.”The pope devoted part of his address to migrants and refugees, a major theme of his trip to Spain, which will conclude with visits to Tenerife and Las Palmas in the Canary Islands, a key entry point to Europe for migrants.“The situation of migrants and refugees calls for a response that focuses on people, addresses the root causes that force them to leave, and goes beyond the mere management of migration flows,” he said.He called for “safe and legal pathways, a respectful welcome and real opportunities for integration,” while also promoting “the right to remain in one’s own land,” so that no one is forced to leave home because of war, insecurity, poverty or the effects of the climate crisis.Pope Leo also warned that many migrants remain “prey to traffickers and smugglers who take advantage of their desperation,” calling for stronger prevention, rescue and assistance efforts.“No nation can face a challenge of this magnitude on its own,” he said.Turning to global conflict, Pope Leo said the world is undergoing “a profound spiritual and cultural crisis” marked by violence, polarization and mistrust.“Every war constitutes, ultimately, a painful defeat of the capacity to negotiate and also of that common human consciousness that recognizes bonds of justice among nations,” he said.“Weapons may impose a temporary silence; but they can never build a genuine and lasting peace,” the pope said, warning that “in various parts of the world — and in Europe as well — rearmament is once again being presented as an almost inevitable response to the fragility of the international situation.”The pope also warned against the use of artificial intelligence in warfare, saying new technologies in the military sphere require “rigorous ethical oversight, so that decisions regarding life and death are never left to automated systems nor removed from the moral responsibility of the human person.”Addressing Spain’s polarized political climate, the pope urged lawmakers to resist contempt for political opponents.“Political pluralism should not degenerate into the constant disparagement of one’s adversary,” he said. “In a mature society, even conflict can become a path to peace, when differences are softened by listening and directed toward recognizing the needs, aspirations and capabilities of all.”“Firmness does not require contempt; disagreement does not entail humiliation,” he added.Only two left-wing parties, Podemos and the BNG, which together account for six lawmakers out of more than 600 parliamentarians, chose not to attend the pope’s address.Pope Leo also made a strong appeal for religious freedom, calling freedom of thought, conscience and religion “a fundamental right that protects the most intimate sphere of the person.”“The freedom upon which the contemporary state is built, if it is authentic, recognizes the religious dimension of the human person, respects it and protects it legally,” he said. Authentic freedom, the pope added, “ensures that faith is not a reason for which a person has to forfeit his or her contribution to society.”“Faith does not seek to impose itself through privileges or coercion; yet neither can it be silenced as if it were irrelevant to public life,” he said.The pope also defended the sacramental seal of confession, saying it “holds special importance for the Catholic Church” and forms part of the broader sphere of religious freedom.“To protect it legally, as is done in a similar way in some professions, means preserving a sacred space of inner freedom, where the believer can open his or her soul to God without fear of external pressures,” Pope Leo said.The remarks came shortly after French bishops criticized a June 1 proposal in France’s National Assembly that they said could have endangered the seal of confession. The proposal was later withdrawn.Near the end of his address, the pope invited Spanish lawmakers to “lift your gaze to the world around you,” not to escape reality, but to remember that every public decision “affects real people, especially those who have less power to make their voices heard.”“A law does not attain its true greatness merely by having been formally enacted,” he said. “It attains it when, in addition to being valid in form, it can stand before the dignity of the person and pass that test without shame.”The pope concluded with a blessing for Spain, praying that the nation “never lose sight of its roots nor the courage to look to the future.”“May Spain continue to be a land of encounter, of culture, of solidarity and of hope,” he said. “And may its public life always know how to unite the firmness of convictions with the nobility of dialogue and the greatness of service.”This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
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Pope Leo XIV tells Spain’s parliament every human life must be protected #Catholic MADRID — Pope Leo XIV made history Monday by becoming the first pope to address Spain’s Congress of Deputies, delivering a forceful appeal to the country’s political class to defend human dignity and protect life “from conception to its natural end.”The June 8 address, given before about 700 guests amid tight security, drew a standing ovation that lasted nearly seven minutes, with shouts of “Long live the pope!” echoing through the chamber.In his speech, Pope Leo warned lawmakers not to subordinate human dignity to “shifting social consensus or the whims of the majority at any given moment,” insisting that “every truly just society is built upon the recognition of the inviolable dignity of the human person.”“In this sense, if life ceases to be recognized as a fundamental value, what future can our societies have?” the pope asked. “Can a community that casts into the shadows the unborn child, the elderly, the sick, those who suffer in silence, or those who depend entirely on the care of others be called fully just?”“The defense of human life is neither a partisan issue nor a confessional interest: it is a goal of civilization,” he said.The pope’s remarks came as Spain’s socialist-led government has been advancing efforts to enshrine abortion protections in the country’s Constitution. Such a reform would require broad parliamentary consensus, including support from the center-right People’s Party.“Every human life must be recognized and safeguarded from conception to its natural end, in every circumstance of its existence,” Pope Leo said. “When this certainty is obscured, the most vulnerable are the first victims, and the law loses its deepest meaning: to serve and protect every person.”“For this reason,” he added, “the moral greatness of a nation is manifested, above all, in its capacity to accompany, protect and love those lives that are most fragile.”The pope also defended the family as “the primary human reality and the natural foundation of the community,” saying that “where the family is upheld, the spiritual and social stability of nations is also strengthened.”“The family will always be the first school of humanity, where one learns, before anywhere else, the basic grammar of living together: welcoming life, caring for others, forgiving, serving and belonging,” he said.Pope Leo drew on Spain’s intellectual and Catholic heritage, citing Cervantes, St. Teresa of Ávila, Miguel de Unamuno and the School of Salamanca, especially the 16th-century Dominican friar Francisco de Vitoria.From that tradition, he said, Spain helped shape “a legal and moral consciousness capable of remembering that authority always entails responsibility and that every human being must be recognized as a subject of rights and duties.”The pope said that legacy remains alive whenever lawmakers ask “how to ensure that what is possible is just, that what is legal is truly humane, and that the will of the majority safeguards those goods that belong to all and respects that which no majority can legitimately violate.”He also cited his recent encyclical “Magnifica Humanitas,” published May 25, saying that in an age of artificial intelligence, biotechnology and rapid technological change, political discernment must focus on “the place of the human person in our decision making.”The pope devoted part of his address to migrants and refugees, a major theme of his trip to Spain, which will conclude with visits to Tenerife and Las Palmas in the Canary Islands, a key entry point to Europe for migrants.“The situation of migrants and refugees calls for a response that focuses on people, addresses the root causes that force them to leave, and goes beyond the mere management of migration flows,” he said.He called for “safe and legal pathways, a respectful welcome and real opportunities for integration,” while also promoting “the right to remain in one’s own land,” so that no one is forced to leave home because of war, insecurity, poverty or the effects of the climate crisis.Pope Leo also warned that many migrants remain “prey to traffickers and smugglers who take advantage of their desperation,” calling for stronger prevention, rescue and assistance efforts.“No nation can face a challenge of this magnitude on its own,” he said.Turning to global conflict, Pope Leo said the world is undergoing “a profound spiritual and cultural crisis” marked by violence, polarization and mistrust.“Every war constitutes, ultimately, a painful defeat of the capacity to negotiate and also of that common human consciousness that recognizes bonds of justice among nations,” he said.“Weapons may impose a temporary silence; but they can never build a genuine and lasting peace,” the pope said, warning that “in various parts of the world — and in Europe as well — rearmament is once again being presented as an almost inevitable response to the fragility of the international situation.”The pope also warned against the use of artificial intelligence in warfare, saying new technologies in the military sphere require “rigorous ethical oversight, so that decisions regarding life and death are never left to automated systems nor removed from the moral responsibility of the human person.”Addressing Spain’s polarized political climate, the pope urged lawmakers to resist contempt for political opponents.“Political pluralism should not degenerate into the constant disparagement of one’s adversary,” he said. “In a mature society, even conflict can become a path to peace, when differences are softened by listening and directed toward recognizing the needs, aspirations and capabilities of all.”“Firmness does not require contempt; disagreement does not entail humiliation,” he added.Only two left-wing parties, Podemos and the BNG, which together account for six lawmakers out of more than 600 parliamentarians, chose not to attend the pope’s address.Pope Leo also made a strong appeal for religious freedom, calling freedom of thought, conscience and religion “a fundamental right that protects the most intimate sphere of the person.”“The freedom upon which the contemporary state is built, if it is authentic, recognizes the religious dimension of the human person, respects it and protects it legally,” he said. Authentic freedom, the pope added, “ensures that faith is not a reason for which a person has to forfeit his or her contribution to society.”“Faith does not seek to impose itself through privileges or coercion; yet neither can it be silenced as if it were irrelevant to public life,” he said.The pope also defended the sacramental seal of confession, saying it “holds special importance for the Catholic Church” and forms part of the broader sphere of religious freedom.“To protect it legally, as is done in a similar way in some professions, means preserving a sacred space of inner freedom, where the believer can open his or her soul to God without fear of external pressures,” Pope Leo said.The remarks came shortly after French bishops criticized a June 1 proposal in France’s National Assembly that they said could have endangered the seal of confession. The proposal was later withdrawn.Near the end of his address, the pope invited Spanish lawmakers to “lift your gaze to the world around you,” not to escape reality, but to remember that every public decision “affects real people, especially those who have less power to make their voices heard.”“A law does not attain its true greatness merely by having been formally enacted,” he said. “It attains it when, in addition to being valid in form, it can stand before the dignity of the person and pass that test without shame.”The pope concluded with a blessing for Spain, praying that the nation “never lose sight of its roots nor the courage to look to the future.”“May Spain continue to be a land of encounter, of culture, of solidarity and of hope,” he said. “And may its public life always know how to unite the firmness of convictions with the nobility of dialogue and the greatness of service.”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 pontiff warned against subordinating human dignity to shifting majorities and called for stronger protections for life, migrants, families, peace and religious freedom.

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A quarter of Irish Gen Z will have no children, new report says #Catholic One in 4 members of Ireland’s Gen Z demographic are expected to be childless by age 45, according to a new report from Dublin’s Iona Institute, which promotes marriage, freedom of conscience, and religion in society. Gen Z generally refers to people born between 1997 and 2012.Drawing on cohort-level data from the Human Fertility Database (HFD), as well as using demographic modeling, the instituteʼs "Choice or Circumstance? Rising Childlessness in Ireland" report, released in May, charts a huge increase in the number of Irish women who are childless.Among those born in the late 1950s, only 30.9% were childless by age 30, rising to 63.6% for those born in the early 1990s. This trend suggests 25% of women born in the late 1990s will be childless when they reach age 45.Breda OʼBrien of the Iona Institute told EWTN News that “a huge question is whether this will be by choice or circumstance.""Much will be unplanned and forced by circumstance, such as the cost of living," she said. "It’s worrying and weʼre sliding into it without too much discussion. Before the 1930s, we had similar rates of childlessness in Ireland, but that was because of extreme poverty, late marriage, and low marriage rates. Weʼre supposed to be in an era where women have every possible choice.”She continued: “The choice to have children, which is fundamental, is being taken away from young women. Itʼs being painted as a kind of freedom. I donʼt think young women themselves consider it to be a type of freedom, and I think a lot of them are worried about it."According to Central Statistics Office data, the average man’s age at marriage is now nearing 38 and the average womanʼs age is almost 36. A 2022 Amarach Research poll for Iona showed that 85% of people want to have at least two children and only 2% expressed a wish for no children. Births in Ireland have fallen by almost 18% in the last decade, according to Central Statistics Office.With clear indications that the longer a person delays having children, the less likely he or she will have any, O’Brien said “itʼs part of the whole growth of individualism and this idea for kids, from the time theyʼre tiny, [that] you get your education, you travel, you have your career in order, you have fun, you donʼt tie yourself down, and then sometimes in your 30s, you think about settling down. But a lot of women in their mid-30s realize that it is increasingly difficult to conceive.”She added: “The fertility industry is booming, which does show us that people are willing to go to extraordinary lengths to have children, but the life script theyʼve been presented with is actually working against their best interests. Nature has no knowledge of this life script that young people are being presented with.”“The longer you leave it, the more chances there are of miscarriage, of complications in labor, and of medical intervention during birth, if you get that far. So itʼs not consequence-free,” she said.O’Brien told EWTN News that there needs to be debate about why this is happening as a society. "It is a phenomenon we should discuss far more widely if our aim is to help people achieve their eventual life goals. I think among people of faith, they are still prioritizing children and family, and marriage. The Catholic Church needs to support those young families in every way possible.”She pointed out that having fewer children “has very significant social and economic consequences because of the effects of an aging population and growing loneliness.”The report highlights a series of demographic issues related to childlessness and to Ireland’s already-aging population. Lower fertility rates, combined with rising childlessness, mean that the ratio of working-age adults to elderly dependents is set to worsen. Fewer births today mean fewer workers in 20 to 30 years.O’Brien said: “In Ireland, thereʼs still a degree of respect for older people, but one of the awful possible consequences is that younger people will start to resent older people.” The Iona report highlights the situation where a smaller working-age population will be asked to support a larger elderly population, putting pension sustainability, healthcare, and long-term care provision under growing financial pressure.The instituteʼs findings also highlight the effect on housing and household-formation patterns. A rise in the proportion of adults who never have children increases demand for smaller dwellings and single-person households. Additionally, in recent decades, inward migration to Ireland has been an effective and economically rational response in periods of strong demand. However, it is not a response to childlessness.O’Brien pointed to other countries and the demographic shifts they are facing with an increasing aging population. “Other countries are further along the road than we are. South Korea, or even Japan, where theyʼre repurposing childcare facilities for eldercare facilities, moving from baby formula to fortified drinks from the elderly, and from producing diapers for children, to producing incontinence products for the elderly — this is not a good road that weʼre on,” she said.
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A quarter of Irish Gen Z will have no children, new report says #Catholic One in 4 members of Ireland’s Gen Z demographic are expected to be childless by age 45, according to a new report from Dublin’s Iona Institute, which promotes marriage, freedom of conscience, and religion in society. Gen Z generally refers to people born between 1997 and 2012.Drawing on cohort-level data from the Human Fertility Database (HFD), as well as using demographic modeling, the instituteʼs "Choice or Circumstance? Rising Childlessness in Ireland" report, released in May, charts a huge increase in the number of Irish women who are childless.Among those born in the late 1950s, only 30.9% were childless by age 30, rising to 63.6% for those born in the early 1990s. This trend suggests 25% of women born in the late 1990s will be childless when they reach age 45.Breda OʼBrien of the Iona Institute told EWTN News that “a huge question is whether this will be by choice or circumstance.""Much will be unplanned and forced by circumstance, such as the cost of living," she said. "It’s worrying and weʼre sliding into it without too much discussion. Before the 1930s, we had similar rates of childlessness in Ireland, but that was because of extreme poverty, late marriage, and low marriage rates. Weʼre supposed to be in an era where women have every possible choice.”She continued: “The choice to have children, which is fundamental, is being taken away from young women. Itʼs being painted as a kind of freedom. I donʼt think young women themselves consider it to be a type of freedom, and I think a lot of them are worried about it."According to Central Statistics Office data, the average man’s age at marriage is now nearing 38 and the average womanʼs age is almost 36. A 2022 Amarach Research poll for Iona showed that 85% of people want to have at least two children and only 2% expressed a wish for no children. Births in Ireland have fallen by almost 18% in the last decade, according to Central Statistics Office.With clear indications that the longer a person delays having children, the less likely he or she will have any, O’Brien said “itʼs part of the whole growth of individualism and this idea for kids, from the time theyʼre tiny, [that] you get your education, you travel, you have your career in order, you have fun, you donʼt tie yourself down, and then sometimes in your 30s, you think about settling down. But a lot of women in their mid-30s realize that it is increasingly difficult to conceive.”She added: “The fertility industry is booming, which does show us that people are willing to go to extraordinary lengths to have children, but the life script theyʼve been presented with is actually working against their best interests. Nature has no knowledge of this life script that young people are being presented with.”“The longer you leave it, the more chances there are of miscarriage, of complications in labor, and of medical intervention during birth, if you get that far. So itʼs not consequence-free,” she said.O’Brien told EWTN News that there needs to be debate about why this is happening as a society. "It is a phenomenon we should discuss far more widely if our aim is to help people achieve their eventual life goals. I think among people of faith, they are still prioritizing children and family, and marriage. The Catholic Church needs to support those young families in every way possible.”She pointed out that having fewer children “has very significant social and economic consequences because of the effects of an aging population and growing loneliness.”The report highlights a series of demographic issues related to childlessness and to Ireland’s already-aging population. Lower fertility rates, combined with rising childlessness, mean that the ratio of working-age adults to elderly dependents is set to worsen. Fewer births today mean fewer workers in 20 to 30 years.O’Brien said: “In Ireland, thereʼs still a degree of respect for older people, but one of the awful possible consequences is that younger people will start to resent older people.” The Iona report highlights the situation where a smaller working-age population will be asked to support a larger elderly population, putting pension sustainability, healthcare, and long-term care provision under growing financial pressure.The instituteʼs findings also highlight the effect on housing and household-formation patterns. A rise in the proportion of adults who never have children increases demand for smaller dwellings and single-person households. Additionally, in recent decades, inward migration to Ireland has been an effective and economically rational response in periods of strong demand. However, it is not a response to childlessness.O’Brien pointed to other countries and the demographic shifts they are facing with an increasing aging population. “Other countries are further along the road than we are. South Korea, or even Japan, where theyʼre repurposing childcare facilities for eldercare facilities, moving from baby formula to fortified drinks from the elderly, and from producing diapers for children, to producing incontinence products for the elderly — this is not a good road that weʼre on,” she said.

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While current trends show that 1 in 4 young women today will remain childless, Iona Institute’s Breda O’Brien said the huge question is “whether this will be by choice or circumstance.”

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Gospel and Word of the Day – 08 June 2026 – A reading from the First Book of Kings 17:1-6 Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab: “As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, during these years there shall be no dew or rain except at my word.” The LORD then said to Elijah: “Leave here, go east and hide in the Wadi Cherith, east of the Jordan. You shall drink of the stream, and I have commanded ravens to feed you there.” So he left and did as the LORD had commanded. He went and remained by the Wadi Cherith, east of the Jordan. Ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the stream.From the Gospel according to Matthew 5:1-12 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him.  He began to teach them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”On the mountain, Christ gives his disciples the new law, no longer written on stone. It is a law that renews our lives and makes them good, even when the world seems to have failed us and is full of misery. Only God can truly call the poor and afflicted blessed (cf. vv. 3-4), because he is the highest good who gives himself to all with infinite love. Only God can satisfy those who seek peace and justice (cf. vv. 6.9), because he is the just judge of the world and the author of eternal peace. Only in God do the meek, the merciful and the pure of heart find joy (vv. 5.7-8), because he is the fulfilment of their expectations. In persecution, God is the source of redemption; in falsehood, he is the anchor of truth. Therefore, Jesus proclaims: “Rejoice and be glad!” (v. 12). These Beatitudes remain a paradox only for those who believe that God is other than how Christ reveals him. Those who expect the arrogant to always rule the earth are surprised by the Lord’s words. Those who are accustomed to thinking that happiness belongs to the rich may believe that Jesus is deluded. However, the delusion lies precisely in the lack of faith in Christ. He is the poor man who shares his life with everyone, the meek man who perseveres in suffering, the peacemaker persecuted to death on the cross. In this way, Jesus illuminates the meaning of history. It is no longer written by conquerors, but rather by God, who is able to accomplish it by saving the oppressed. (Pope Leo XIV, Angelus, 1st February 2026)

unitedyam

A reading from the First Book of Kings
17:1-6

Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab:
“As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve,
during these years there shall be no dew or rain except at my word.”
The LORD then said to Elijah:
“Leave here, go east
and hide in the Wadi Cherith, east of the Jordan.
You shall drink of the stream,
and I have commanded ravens to feed you there.”
So he left and did as the LORD had commanded.
He went and remained by the Wadi Cherith, east of the Jordan.
Ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning,
and bread and meat in the evening,
and he drank from the stream.

From the Gospel according to Matthew
5:1-12

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain,
and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. 
He began to teach them, saying:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you
and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.
Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward will be great in heaven.
Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

On the mountain, Christ gives his disciples the new law, no longer written on stone. It is a law that renews our lives and makes them good, even when the world seems to have failed us and is full of misery. Only God can truly call the poor and afflicted blessed (cf. vv. 3-4), because he is the highest good who gives himself to all with infinite love. Only God can satisfy those who seek peace and justice (cf. vv. 6.9), because he is the just judge of the world and the author of eternal peace. Only in God do the meek, the merciful and the pure of heart find joy (vv. 5.7-8), because he is the fulfilment of their expectations. In persecution, God is the source of redemption; in falsehood, he is the anchor of truth. Therefore, Jesus proclaims: “Rejoice and be glad!” (v. 12).

These Beatitudes remain a paradox only for those who believe that God is other than how Christ reveals him. Those who expect the arrogant to always rule the earth are surprised by the Lord’s words. Those who are accustomed to thinking that happiness belongs to the rich may believe that Jesus is deluded. However, the delusion lies precisely in the lack of faith in Christ. He is the poor man who shares his life with everyone, the meek man who perseveres in suffering, the peacemaker persecuted to death on the cross. In this way, Jesus illuminates the meaning of history. It is no longer written by conquerors, but rather by God, who is able to accomplish it by saving the oppressed. (Pope Leo XIV, Angelus, 1st February 2026)

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Over 1,000 people process with Jesus Christ in the Eucharist through Washington, D.C. – #Catholic – More than 1,000 people processed through the streets of downtown Washington, D.C. on Saturday morning as the third annual National Eucharistic Pilgrimage made its way through the nation’s capital.“Today we are going to bring Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament to the streets of Washington, D.C.,” Father Charles Trullols, director of the Catholic Information Center, said in a homily during the June 6 morning Mass before the procession began.The procession offers “public witness to our faith,” Trullols said, displaying “the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, body, blood, soul, and divinity” to each person the procession passes by. Dozens of onlookers stopped to watch the procession, with many taking photos and videos.The route began outside the Catholic Information Centerʼs K Street headquarters and walked past Lafayette Square, which faces the White House. It also passed Farragut Square, McPherson Square, and the Veterans Affairs building. The Blessed Sacrament is elevated in a monstrance during a Eucharistic procession in Washington, D.C., just outside of the White House, June 6, 2026. Approximately 1,000 pilgrims processed through downtown Washington carrying the Blessed Sacrament. | Credit: Jeff Bruno / EWTN News Children who had recently received their First Holy Communion laid flower petals on the ground and the procession was led by cross and candle bearers, followed by religious sisters, the Blessed Sacrament in a monstrance, the priests, the choir, and the rest of the pilgrims.“I think it’s just a great opportunity to be a witness for Christ to a city that is so lost and while we were out there I was praying that someone who was out there would see it and come back to the Lord and find peace in the Lord and Christ,” Katie, from Jacksonville, Florida, told EWTN News.“It’s just a beautiful witness out here today and Iʼm so grateful this was available especially to those who need it,” she said. Religious sisters pray during a Eucharistic procession in Washington, D.C., June 6, 2026. Approximately 1,000 pilgrims processed through downtown Washington carrying the Blessed Sacrament. | Credit: Jeff Bruno / EWTN News John, from Maryland, highlighted the significance of processing with the Eucharist in the nation’s capital less than one month before the country celebrates the Fourth of July.“I think it’s very cool that this being the 250th anniversary of America we can do something like this,” he said. “It shows the freedom of religion in this country, and that it’s a great country to be in.”The procession was one stop in the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, a project of the National Eucharistic Congress that is bringing processions to dioceses across the country. This year’s route focuses mostly on visiting the original 13 colonies of the United States to honor the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Pilgrims follow the Blessed Sacrament during a Eucharistic procession in Washington, D.C., June 6, 2026. Approximately 1,000 pilgrims processed through downtown Washington carrying the Blessed Sacrament. | Credit: Jeff Bruno / EWTN News Trullols noted in his homily that the pilgrimage theme is “one nation under God,” which he said is “not merely a patriotic slogan,” but an invitation to place our lives, our families, and communities under Christ.A nation under God “does not sustain itself automatically,” Trullols said. Rather, it can only be sustained “if its people choose to place God first.”The Catholic Information Center has held a Eucharistic procession in downtown Washington for four straight years, initially independent of the broader pilgrimage. Trullos told EWTN News that the pilgrimage reached out to the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., which then reached out to the center to partner this year on the procession.“This procession is an expression in our capital for the love of our country and the desire to pray for our people and our nation,” Trullos said.He estimated the attendance was around 1,300 people, noting it’s growing “much bigger” every year they host it. Acolytes stand by during a Eucharistic procession in Washington, D.C., June 6, 2026. Approximately 1,000 pilgrims processed through downtown Washington carrying the Blessed Sacrament. | Credit: Jeff Bruno / EWTN News There are nine perpetual pilgrims traveling with the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage for the entire journey, which began in St. Augustine, Florida, less than two weeks ago and will conclude in Philadelphia on the Fourth of July weekend.Mary Carmen Zakrajsek, a perpetual pilgrim originally from Carmel, Indiana, said in a news conference after the procession that bringing the Eucharist into the streets has captivated people who encounter it: “Jesus walked this earth and he’s walking it again. He has not abandoned us.”Zakrajsek called the pilgrimage a “unifying moment” and echoed the language in the Declaration of Independence that rights are endowed by our creator.“Our moral authority does not come from the State,” she said. “It comes from God.”
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Over 1,000 people process with Jesus Christ in the Eucharist through Washington, D.C. – #Catholic – More than 1,000 people processed through the streets of downtown Washington, D.C. on Saturday morning as the third annual National Eucharistic Pilgrimage made its way through the nation’s capital.“Today we are going to bring Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament to the streets of Washington, D.C.,” Father Charles Trullols, director of the Catholic Information Center, said in a homily during the June 6 morning Mass before the procession began.The procession offers “public witness to our faith,” Trullols said, displaying “the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, body, blood, soul, and divinity” to each person the procession passes by. Dozens of onlookers stopped to watch the procession, with many taking photos and videos.The route began outside the Catholic Information Centerʼs K Street headquarters and walked past Lafayette Square, which faces the White House. It also passed Farragut Square, McPherson Square, and the Veterans Affairs building. The Blessed Sacrament is elevated in a monstrance during a Eucharistic procession in Washington, D.C., just outside of the White House, June 6, 2026. Approximately 1,000 pilgrims processed through downtown Washington carrying the Blessed Sacrament. | Credit: Jeff Bruno / EWTN News Children who had recently received their First Holy Communion laid flower petals on the ground and the procession was led by cross and candle bearers, followed by religious sisters, the Blessed Sacrament in a monstrance, the priests, the choir, and the rest of the pilgrims.“I think it’s just a great opportunity to be a witness for Christ to a city that is so lost and while we were out there I was praying that someone who was out there would see it and come back to the Lord and find peace in the Lord and Christ,” Katie, from Jacksonville, Florida, told EWTN News.“It’s just a beautiful witness out here today and Iʼm so grateful this was available especially to those who need it,” she said. Religious sisters pray during a Eucharistic procession in Washington, D.C., June 6, 2026. Approximately 1,000 pilgrims processed through downtown Washington carrying the Blessed Sacrament. | Credit: Jeff Bruno / EWTN News John, from Maryland, highlighted the significance of processing with the Eucharist in the nation’s capital less than one month before the country celebrates the Fourth of July.“I think it’s very cool that this being the 250th anniversary of America we can do something like this,” he said. “It shows the freedom of religion in this country, and that it’s a great country to be in.”The procession was one stop in the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, a project of the National Eucharistic Congress that is bringing processions to dioceses across the country. This year’s route focuses mostly on visiting the original 13 colonies of the United States to honor the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Pilgrims follow the Blessed Sacrament during a Eucharistic procession in Washington, D.C., June 6, 2026. Approximately 1,000 pilgrims processed through downtown Washington carrying the Blessed Sacrament. | Credit: Jeff Bruno / EWTN News Trullols noted in his homily that the pilgrimage theme is “one nation under God,” which he said is “not merely a patriotic slogan,” but an invitation to place our lives, our families, and communities under Christ.A nation under God “does not sustain itself automatically,” Trullols said. Rather, it can only be sustained “if its people choose to place God first.”The Catholic Information Center has held a Eucharistic procession in downtown Washington for four straight years, initially independent of the broader pilgrimage. Trullos told EWTN News that the pilgrimage reached out to the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., which then reached out to the center to partner this year on the procession.“This procession is an expression in our capital for the love of our country and the desire to pray for our people and our nation,” Trullos said.He estimated the attendance was around 1,300 people, noting it’s growing “much bigger” every year they host it. Acolytes stand by during a Eucharistic procession in Washington, D.C., June 6, 2026. Approximately 1,000 pilgrims processed through downtown Washington carrying the Blessed Sacrament. | Credit: Jeff Bruno / EWTN News There are nine perpetual pilgrims traveling with the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage for the entire journey, which began in St. Augustine, Florida, less than two weeks ago and will conclude in Philadelphia on the Fourth of July weekend.Mary Carmen Zakrajsek, a perpetual pilgrim originally from Carmel, Indiana, said in a news conference after the procession that bringing the Eucharist into the streets has captivated people who encounter it: “Jesus walked this earth and he’s walking it again. He has not abandoned us.”Zakrajsek called the pilgrimage a “unifying moment” and echoed the language in the Declaration of Independence that rights are endowed by our creator.“Our moral authority does not come from the State,” she said. “It comes from God.”

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Many hundreds of Catholics joined the Eucharistic procession in D.C., which is part of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage traveling the country.

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Antonio Banderas tells Pope Leo XIV: ‘I am a victim of God’s spell’ – #Catholic – MADRID — This cityʼs Movistar Arena became a kind of modern “Court of the Gentiles” on Sunday, where faith and contemporary art met to explore the mystery of the human person under the guidance of Pope Leo XIV.The gathering brought together leading figures from Spanish culture with an international profile, including actor Antonio Banderas. Sports were represented by legendary badminton player Carolina Marín, a three-time world champion, while academia was represented by José María Coello de Portugal, vice rector for planning, coordination, and institutional relations at the Complutense University of Madrid.Representatives of labor unions and employers’ organizations also presented the pope with their concerns and challenges, with the aim of working together to build a society oriented toward the common good and capable of overcoming fragmentation and polarization.Their presence was itself a sign that encounter remains possible even in a divided society.The historic meeting reflected the theme of the first papal trip to Spain in 15 years — “Lift up your gaze” — and Pope Leo XIV’s call to weave networks among different social actors, showing that beyond legitimate differences there is a firm desire to build strong, cross-sector alliances to face the challenges of the future.One of the highlights of the event was Banderas’ address, in which he recited a text on the bond between faith and culture.“I confess that I am a victim of God’s spell,” the actor said, looking directly at the pope.Banderas, who the previous day had directed the cast of the musical “Godspell” in a special performance during a prayer vigil with young people in Madrid’s Plaza de Lima, also evoked the popular piety of his native Málaga and the Holy Week processions that marked his childhood.In his remarks, Banderas stressed art’s ability to raise deep questions.“In a world that at times is overly simplified, art helps us recover the depth and the soul that is trying to be stolen by artificial intelligence,” he said.Earlier, Cardinal José Cobo, archbishop of Madrid, presented Pope Leo XIV as a reference point in the fight against extremism. Along those lines, the pope made clear that the Church has stood, from its earliest days, on the side of culture and art, fostering the encounter of different sensibilities in a shared search for transcendence.The Church’s “longing” to remain in dialogue with the contemporary world“The Church, conscious both of her successes and her failures throughout history, longs to remain in dialogue with the contemporary world,” Pope Leo said.In his address, the pope invited the world today not to dismiss the Church’s “centuries-old experience,” which he said has always “proposed paths for a dignified life and the common good.” In that context, he recalled St. Paul VI, who before the United Nations noted that, whatever one’s opinion of the Roman Pontiff, his mission is well known.Pope Leo also cited his encyclical “Magnifica humanitas,” published May 25, 2025, to return to a central question: “What does it mean to be truly human?”To that question, he offered a clear answer: “The Church shares with humility, but also with firmness, what she has discovered through the experience of faith: that Jesus Christ responds to the great questions about human life and its fullness, already in this world and unto its fulfillment in eternity.”To face these questions, the pope proposed a form of social dialogue that he compared to the art of weaving networks, based on “encounter, listening, dialogue, and respect.” The approach is not new to his visit to Spain. It was already present in his episcopal coat of arms and has been confirmed since his election as Roman Pontiff — a word meaning “bridge builder” — as one who builds a bridge first with God and then with people, societies, and cultures.In concrete terms, he explained that “weaving networks” means that “the university does not live with its back turned to the world of work or renounce the truth; that business activity does not see the employee as just another factor in the equation of its interests; that art does not have only the elites as its goal; that sport is not reduced to spectacle or turned into mere business; that technological progress takes into account the elderly, the poor, and those who have no voice.”In that context, the pope — a mathematician by training — recalled with admiration the great classics of Spanish literature, citing Lope de Vega, St. Teresa of Ávila, St. John of the Cross, and Calderón de la Barca. He also recalled the serenity of the prose of St. Thomas Aquinas, from whom the Church has inherited the beautiful hymns of Corpus Christi, the solemnity celebrated Sunday.For the pope, weaving networks also means “serving in a disinterested way,” as men and women moved by faith have done throughout the centuries by founding hospitals, schools, and charitable initiatives. He therefore invited participants to ask honestly whether Europe could have forged its identity “without the spiritual imprint that has marked its history.”“This is not a provocation, but an invitation to consider whether eternity, which broke into time and space through the incarnation of Jesus Christ, can once again be reconciled with everyday life,” he said. “Is it really possible to believe that Europe — which we love so much — would be itself without the imprint of faith? Why fear that eternity might permeate daily life?”Finally, the pope said Christ restores the common good to its central place as an arbiter that “calms the greed of some and nourishes the hope of others, while desiring to save them all.”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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Antonio Banderas tells Pope Leo XIV: ‘I am a victim of God’s spell’ – #Catholic – MADRID — This cityʼs Movistar Arena became a kind of modern “Court of the Gentiles” on Sunday, where faith and contemporary art met to explore the mystery of the human person under the guidance of Pope Leo XIV.The gathering brought together leading figures from Spanish culture with an international profile, including actor Antonio Banderas. Sports were represented by legendary badminton player Carolina Marín, a three-time world champion, while academia was represented by José María Coello de Portugal, vice rector for planning, coordination, and institutional relations at the Complutense University of Madrid.Representatives of labor unions and employers’ organizations also presented the pope with their concerns and challenges, with the aim of working together to build a society oriented toward the common good and capable of overcoming fragmentation and polarization.Their presence was itself a sign that encounter remains possible even in a divided society.The historic meeting reflected the theme of the first papal trip to Spain in 15 years — “Lift up your gaze” — and Pope Leo XIV’s call to weave networks among different social actors, showing that beyond legitimate differences there is a firm desire to build strong, cross-sector alliances to face the challenges of the future.One of the highlights of the event was Banderas’ address, in which he recited a text on the bond between faith and culture.“I confess that I am a victim of God’s spell,” the actor said, looking directly at the pope.Banderas, who the previous day had directed the cast of the musical “Godspell” in a special performance during a prayer vigil with young people in Madrid’s Plaza de Lima, also evoked the popular piety of his native Málaga and the Holy Week processions that marked his childhood.In his remarks, Banderas stressed art’s ability to raise deep questions.“In a world that at times is overly simplified, art helps us recover the depth and the soul that is trying to be stolen by artificial intelligence,” he said.Earlier, Cardinal José Cobo, archbishop of Madrid, presented Pope Leo XIV as a reference point in the fight against extremism. Along those lines, the pope made clear that the Church has stood, from its earliest days, on the side of culture and art, fostering the encounter of different sensibilities in a shared search for transcendence.The Church’s “longing” to remain in dialogue with the contemporary world“The Church, conscious both of her successes and her failures throughout history, longs to remain in dialogue with the contemporary world,” Pope Leo said.In his address, the pope invited the world today not to dismiss the Church’s “centuries-old experience,” which he said has always “proposed paths for a dignified life and the common good.” In that context, he recalled St. Paul VI, who before the United Nations noted that, whatever one’s opinion of the Roman Pontiff, his mission is well known.Pope Leo also cited his encyclical “Magnifica humanitas,” published May 25, 2025, to return to a central question: “What does it mean to be truly human?”To that question, he offered a clear answer: “The Church shares with humility, but also with firmness, what she has discovered through the experience of faith: that Jesus Christ responds to the great questions about human life and its fullness, already in this world and unto its fulfillment in eternity.”To face these questions, the pope proposed a form of social dialogue that he compared to the art of weaving networks, based on “encounter, listening, dialogue, and respect.” The approach is not new to his visit to Spain. It was already present in his episcopal coat of arms and has been confirmed since his election as Roman Pontiff — a word meaning “bridge builder” — as one who builds a bridge first with God and then with people, societies, and cultures.In concrete terms, he explained that “weaving networks” means that “the university does not live with its back turned to the world of work or renounce the truth; that business activity does not see the employee as just another factor in the equation of its interests; that art does not have only the elites as its goal; that sport is not reduced to spectacle or turned into mere business; that technological progress takes into account the elderly, the poor, and those who have no voice.”In that context, the pope — a mathematician by training — recalled with admiration the great classics of Spanish literature, citing Lope de Vega, St. Teresa of Ávila, St. John of the Cross, and Calderón de la Barca. He also recalled the serenity of the prose of St. Thomas Aquinas, from whom the Church has inherited the beautiful hymns of Corpus Christi, the solemnity celebrated Sunday.For the pope, weaving networks also means “serving in a disinterested way,” as men and women moved by faith have done throughout the centuries by founding hospitals, schools, and charitable initiatives. He therefore invited participants to ask honestly whether Europe could have forged its identity “without the spiritual imprint that has marked its history.”“This is not a provocation, but an invitation to consider whether eternity, which broke into time and space through the incarnation of Jesus Christ, can once again be reconciled with everyday life,” he said. “Is it really possible to believe that Europe — which we love so much — would be itself without the imprint of faith? Why fear that eternity might permeate daily life?”Finally, the pope said Christ restores the common good to its central place as an arbiter that “calms the greed of some and nourishes the hope of others, while desiring to save them all.”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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Actor joins Pope Leo XIV at Madrid gathering on culture, art, economics, and sports during the pope’s apostolic visit to Spain.

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