Father Pierre Rahi, a shepherd who refused to leave Southern Lebanon, was killed in Israeli strike.
![Georgia appeals court blocks abuse suit against Atlanta Archdiocese, cites statute of limitations #Catholic A dozen alleged abuse victims suffered a defeat at a Georgia appeals court this week when their lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Atlanta was dismissed on the grounds that the alleged abuse did not fall under an extended statute of limitations. The case turned on whether or not the archdiocese had covered up the alleged clergy sexual abuse, which if true could have “tolled” the time limit for filing abuse claims. “Tolling” occurs when a statute of limitations is extended beyond a normal window, allowing alleged victims to file abuse claims years after they normally would have been barred from doing so. In the Atlanta case, a dozen alleged victims had filed numerous suits against the Archdiocese of Atlanta and numerous churches, claiming that Fathers John Edwards and Jorge Cristancho had abused them over multiple decades from the 1960s to the early 2000s. A lower court had dismissed the cases. The Georgia Court of Appeals on March 9 upheld the dismissal, arguing that the statute of limitations for the filings had expired and that the archdiocese had not committed any malfeasance that could have extended the filing window. The plaintiffs “failed to point to any evidence that the [the archdioceseʼs] actions concealed the Plaintiffs’ claims and prevented or hindered them from filing their lawsuits,” the ruling held. The alleged victims failed to prove that they “ever requested information from the [archdiocese] about their knowledge and involvement in the abuse, or that the [archdiocese] refused” to provide it. The three-judge panel acknowledged that it was “certainly mindful of the grievous circumstances involving heinous conduct which led to the filing of these cases.”Edwards and Cristancho are both listed by the archdiocese as “credibly accused” of sexual abuse. Edwards died in 1997; Cristancho was laicized in 2003. Statutes of limitations have been a key component of disputes in the U.S. Church for years, with lawmakers in recent years advocating and often passing bills retroactively extending the window for filing abuse claims. In 2023 Maryland passed the state Child Victims Act, which abolished a 20-year statute of limitations for civil child abuse suits. The Maryland Supreme Court ruled in 2025 that the law did not violate the state constitution.Numerous states such as New York, North Carolina, New Jersey, Colorado and others have enacted similar laws allowing for abuse victims to seek restitution for alleged incidents that occurred in decades past. Such legal arrangements are not limited to the United States. In January the Spanish Bishops’ Conference and the national government agreed to a compensation plan for abuse victims that will allow victims to file for restitution even if the alleged abuse falls outside of the standard statute of limitations.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/georgia-appeals-court-blocks-abuse-suit-against-atlanta-archdiocese-cites-statute-of-limitations-catholic-a-dozen-alleged-abuse-victims-suffered-a-defeat-at-a-georgia-appeals-court-this-week-when-th.jpg "Georgia appeals court blocks abuse suit against Atlanta Archdiocese, cites statute of limitations #Catholic A dozen alleged abuse victims suffered a defeat at a Georgia appeals court this week when their lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Atlanta was dismissed on the grounds that the alleged abuse did not fall under an extended statute of limitations. The case turned on whether or not the archdiocese had covered up the alleged clergy sexual abuse, which if true could have “tolled” the time limit for filing abuse claims. “Tolling” occurs when a statute of limitations is extended beyond a normal window, allowing alleged victims to file abuse claims years after they normally would have been barred from doing so. In the Atlanta case, a dozen alleged victims had filed numerous suits against the Archdiocese of Atlanta and numerous churches, claiming that Fathers John Edwards and Jorge Cristancho had abused them over multiple decades from the 1960s to the early 2000s. A lower court had dismissed the cases. The Georgia Court of Appeals on March 9 upheld the dismissal, arguing that the statute of limitations for the filings had expired and that the archdiocese had not committed any malfeasance that could have extended the filing window. The plaintiffs “failed to point to any evidence that the [the archdioceseʼs] actions concealed the Plaintiffs’ claims and prevented or hindered them from filing their lawsuits,” the ruling held. The alleged victims failed to prove that they “ever requested information from the [archdiocese] about their knowledge and involvement in the abuse, or that the [archdiocese] refused” to provide it. The three-judge panel acknowledged that it was “certainly mindful of the grievous circumstances involving heinous conduct which led to the filing of these cases.”Edwards and Cristancho are both listed by the archdiocese as “credibly accused” of sexual abuse. Edwards died in 1997; Cristancho was laicized in 2003. Statutes of limitations have been a key component of disputes in the U.S. Church for years, with lawmakers in recent years advocating and often passing bills retroactively extending the window for filing abuse claims. In 2023 Maryland passed the state Child Victims Act, which abolished a 20-year statute of limitations for civil child abuse suits. The Maryland Supreme Court ruled in 2025 that the law did not violate the state constitution.Numerous states such as New York, North Carolina, New Jersey, Colorado and others have enacted similar laws allowing for abuse victims to seek restitution for alleged incidents that occurred in decades past. Such legal arrangements are not limited to the United States. In January the Spanish Bishops’ Conference and the national government agreed to a compensation plan for abuse victims that will allow victims to file for restitution even if the alleged abuse falls outside of the standard statute of limitations.")
The statute of limitations could not be extended due to a lack of evidence of fraud by the archdiocese, the court said.
Regina Lynch, executive president of ACN, said she fears for the Christian presence in the Middle East amid rising tensions and violence.
Massimo Di Fusco, taken from Ferrara, Italy NGC 2403 is a spiral galaxy in Camelopardalis that bears a strong resemblance to a nearby galaxy — the Triangulum, or M33. Both are rich with bright regions of vigorous star formation. NGC 2403 (also cataloged as Caldwell 7) lies about 8 million light-years away in the M81Continue reading “A Triangulum lookalike”
The post A Triangulum lookalike appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
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A brain-new image from Webb! What looks like a brain (complete with what appear as left and right hemispheres) is actually a dying star blowing off a shell of gas, and within that shell, a cloud of various gases.
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BRUSSELS — As all eyes around the globe remained fixed on the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict, leaders gathered for an important summit in a clear display that Europe remained under its persistent delusion that anyone cares what it thinks.
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If you missed celebrating International Women’s Day yesterday, it’s not too late to solemnly observe it in a variety of meaningful ways.
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Famous sanctuary of the temple of Ramses II, Abu Simbel, Egypt. The Great Temple at Abu Simbel, which took about twenty years to build, was completed around year 24 of the reign of Ramesses the Great (which corresponds to 1265 BC). It was dedicated to the gods Amun, Ra-Horakhty, and Ptah, as well as to the deified Ramesses himself. It is generally considered the grandest and most beautiful of the temples commissioned during the reign of Ramesses II, and one of the most beautiful in Egypt. In the sanctuary are rock cut sculptures of four seated figures: Ra-Horakhty, the deified king Ramesses, and the gods Amun Ra and Ptah, the main divinities in that period. It is believed that the axis of the temple was positioned by the ancient Egyptian architects in such a way that on October 22 and February 22 (allegedly the king’s birthday and coronation day, respectively), the rays of the sun would penetrate the sanctuary and illuminate the sculptures on the back wall, except for the statue of Ptah, a god connected with the realm of the dead, who always remained in the dark. People gather at Abu Simbel on these days to witness this.
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The Practice of the Presence of God** #Catholic – 
By Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection
**Recommended by Pope Leo XIV**
“Twice in recent weeks, Pope Leo XIV has brought up a book that essentially spells out his spiritual MO. When asked in a Dec. 2 in-flight press conference about what was on his mind during the conclave, Leo credited a book he had read “many years ago” that highlighted “a type of prayer and spirituality where one simply gives his life to the Lord and allows the Lord to lead.”
The book, The Practice of the Presence of God, is only about 100 pages (depending on the edition), but it seems to pack a spiritual punch. It was first published in 1692, the year after the author — simply known as Brother Lawrence, a lay Carmelite brother in France — died at the age of 77.”
A Pope Leo book club? Count me in
BISHOP KEVIN J. SWEENEY
The quote above is from an article written by Carol Zimmerman and published in the National Catholic Reporter on Dec. 19, 2026. I don’t recall the first time that I heard or read that Pope Leo had “recommended” The Practice of the Presence of God,” but it was sometime after Dec. 2, 2025, when, in what was described as, “his first major press conference as pope … Leo, almost seven months into his pontificate, told journalists that if there were one book to help people understand who he is, not written by St. Augustine, it would be The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence, a 17th-century Carmelite friar…” In press conference, Pope Leo says US has ‘another way’ besides attacking Venezuela | National Catholic Reporter
I do remember smiling and being pleasantly surprised that Pope Leo was recommending a book that I remembered well. I did not remember whether or not I had read the book, nor, if I had read some of it, what it said. I had two (or three) very distinct memories of The Practice of the Presence of God.
First, I remembered that Msgr. John Antoncic (a wonderful priest of the Diocese of Brooklyn, may he Rest in Peace) had given a talk to seminarians during my time in the major seminary in Huntington, Long Island (sometime between the fall of 1992 and the spring of 1997). Msgr. Antoncic would have been a priest 25 or more years when he spoke to the seminarians, and he recalled his time in the seminary, in the mid-1960’s, and how he “sat under a tree and read a book called The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection. My second clear memory was that I remembered the name of the author. My third memory was that, at some point during my time in the seminary, I had a copy of the book. I believe it had a blue cover with the words of the title and author (and a sketch of a tree?) in yellow or gold.
I remember very little of what Msgr. Antoncic said, but between his mentioning it and having had the copy of the book on my bookshelf for many years (I presume it is in a box somewhere at this point), there was something about that book! So, when I heard Pope Leo’s recommendation, I immediately thought that I should order it on Amazon, which I did not get around to doing. So, I was very happy when someone gave me a (new, updated) copy of it for Christmas. I (finally) read The Practice of the Presence of God in January, while on retreat. Given Pope Leo’s recommendation, you really don’t need my recommendation, but, as you can probably tell by now, I would certainly encourage you to read The Practice of the Presence of God, whether you had never previously read (or heard of) it – or, if it has been a long time since you read it, or heard of it.
I was glad that I came across the article by Carol Zimmerman, as she shares a similar experience of having some memory of the book that came back to her after the pope’s recommendation:
“While editing our coverage of the plane press conference, I thought,”Wait, I know this book,” remembering it because my mom had also been a fan. Later, I pulled out her 1972 edition of The Practice of the Presence of God, with its 60-cent price printed on the cover, from a bookshelf’s pared-down collection of my parents’ religious books from their years of living with us.”
If you click on the link to her article (above), you will see a nice picture of her parents’ “pared down” bookshelf with her Mom’s 1972 edition. In her article, you can also find some helpful biographical information on Brother Lawrence, as well as summaries of the author’s interviews with two Carmelite historians and their thoughts on how the book has remained popular over these more than 300 years, and the book’s relevance for our lives today.
Here is a link to the new/updated (November 2024) version of the book that I received as a Christmas gift, described by Amazon as “The most faithful version of Brother Lawrence’s classic text.”
I am writing this column on the weekend of March 7/8, the Third Sunday of Lent, when we hear and reflect on the Gospel account of Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan Woman (at the well) – Jn. 4: 5-52, when we hear Jesus say: “… If you knew the gift of God and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him and he would have given you living water…”
In the last paragraph of an excellent Preface in this version of The Practice of the Presence of God, Joseph Clampitt offers this reflection on the life and lessons of Brother Lawrence:
“Three hundred years later, his message is still one our world needs to hear. We have been seduced into chasing one high after another: just a few more minutes scrolling social media, one more episode in a binge-watching session, one more shallow Christian book. We drink from wells that don’t satisfy – that were never designed to satisfy! – and wonder when our thirst will be quenched. Only when we drink deeply of Jesus Christ will we find the stream of living water. Brother Lawrence drank constantly from that stream. He was not a peddler of theoretical ideas about God. He only wrote about what he himself had experienced. As you read his words, may his depth of experience become yours as well.” (pg. 4)
I hope and pray, dear Reader, that you may find the time, during this Season of Lent or in the near future, to read the words of Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection, as recorded in The Practice of the Presence of God.
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– By Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection **Recommended by Pope Leo XIV** “Twice in recent weeks, Pope Leo XIV has brought up a book that essentially spells out his spiritual MO. When asked in a Dec. 2 in-flight press conference about what was on his mind during the conclave, Leo credited a book he had read “many years ago” that highlighted “a type of prayer and spirituality where one simply gives his life to the Lord and allows the Lord to lead.” The book, The Practice of the Presence of God, is only about 100 pages (depending on the edition), but it seems to
Absolve, we beseech Thee, O Lord,
the soul of Thy servant N…,
from every bond of sin,
that being raised in the glory of the resurrection,
he may be refreshed among the Saints and Elect.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
A reading from the Book of Daniel
3:25, 34-43
Azariah stood up in the fire and prayed aloud:
“For your name’s sake, O Lord, do not deliver us up forever,
or make void your covenant.
Do not take away your mercy from us,
for the sake of Abraham, your beloved,
Isaac your servant, and Israel your holy one,
To whom you promised to multiply their offspring
like the stars of heaven,
or the sand on the shore of the sea.
For we are reduced, O Lord, beyond any other nation,
brought low everywhere in the world this day
because of our sins.
We have in our day no prince, prophet, or leader,
no burnt offering, sacrifice, oblation, or incense,
no place to offer first fruits, to find favor with you.
But with contrite heart and humble spirit
let us be received;
As though it were burnt offerings of rams and bullocks,
or thousands of fat lambs,
So let our sacrifice be in your presence today
as we follow you unreservedly;
for those who trust in you cannot be put to shame.
And now we follow you with our whole heart,
we fear you and we pray to you.
Do not let us be put to shame,
but deal with us in your kindness and great mercy.
Deliver us by your wonders,
and bring glory to your name, O Lord.”
From the Gospel according to Matthew
18:21-35
Peter approached Jesus and asked him,
“Lord, if my brother sins against me,
how often must I forgive him?
As many as seven times?”
Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.
That is why the Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king
who decided to settle accounts with his servants.
When he began the accounting,
a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount.
Since he had no way of paying it back,
his master ordered him to be sold,
along with his wife, his children, and all his property,
in payment of the debt.
At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said,
‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’
Moved with compassion the master of that servant
let him go and forgave him the loan.
When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants
who owed him a much smaller amount.
He seized him and started to choke him, demanding,
‘Pay back what you owe.’
Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him,
‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’
But he refused.
Instead, he had him put in prison
until he paid back the debt.
Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened,
they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master
and reported the whole affair.
His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant!
I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to.
Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant,
as I had pity on you?’
Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers
until he should pay back the whole debt.
So will my heavenly Father do to you,
unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart.”
“Forgiveness! Christ taught us to forgive. Many times, and in various ways He spoke of forgiveness. When Peter asked him how many times he would have forgiven his neighbour, “As many as seven times?”, Jesus replied that he should forgive “seventy times seven” (Mt 18:21f). This means, in practice, always: in fact, the number “seventy times seven” is symbolic, and means, rather than a specific quantity, an incalculable, infinite quantity. Responding to the question of how one should pray, Christ uttered those magnificent words addressed to the Father: “Our Father who art in heaven”; and among the requests that make up this prayer, the last one speaks of forgiveness: “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those” who are guilty towards us, who “trespass against us”. Finally, Christ himself confirmed the truth of these words on the Cross when, turning to the Father, he pleaded: “Forgive them!”, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Lk 23:34). (Saint John Paul II – General audience, 21 October 1981)
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Responding to a woman writing to the Vatican magazine Piazza San Pietro, Pope Leo decried violence against women and emphasized that educating young people in respect is the key to preventing it.
Can AI be a tool for virtue? Catholics grapple with Anthropic’s claim of virtuous AI #Catholic – 
ROME (OSV News) — In a room full of Dominican friars and Catholic philosophy professors, a priest and AI researcher read aloud excerpts pertaining to ethics from the guiding “constitution” of one of Silicon Valley’s most prominent artificial intelligence companies, drawing laughter from the audience of Thomists.
The moment came on March 6 when Father Jean Gové, coordinator of the European AI Research Group within the Vatican’s Dicastery for Culture and Education, cited passages from Anthropic’s internal guidelines. The company says it aims for its AI model, Claude, to be a “good, wise, and virtuous agent,” without wanting to define those “ethically loaded terms,” and expresses hope that the AI model might one day possess an understanding of ethics that could surpass human ethical understanding.
“I appreciate the laughter,” Father Gové told the conference. “This is a text coming from one of the leading AI companies, frontier companies in the world. … This is the company that … is doing the most comparatively when it comes to ethics, safety, and governance when it comes to AI. This is where we are. This is the state of play.”
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Father Gové spoke at the two-day academic conference “Artificial Intelligence: A Tool for Virtue?”, held March 5–6 at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, known as the Angelicum, in Rome. He said theologians, philosophers, academics and the Church are now being invited to engage with companies that hold ideas like these when grappling with the many issues raised by AI.
The conference comes as Catholic institutions are actively engaged with AI ethics. The Vatican issued a document on the technology in 2025, “Antiqua et Nova,” and Pope Leo XIV has made AI a focus since the first days of his pontificate.
Organized by the university’s Thomistic Institute Project for Science and Religion, the conference brought centuries of Dominican engagement with Aristotelian virtue ethics to bear on examining whether AI systems can be designed and used in ways that help people grow in virtue.
The answer, by most accounts, was a cautious and qualified no, though not without nuance.
Virtue requires more than good output
Dominican Father Alejandro Crosthwaite, a professor of social sciences at the Angelicum, argued that genuine virtue requires faculties no AI system possesses.
“Virtue is not correct output,” he said. “It is right reason embodied in a self-determining agent.”
A large language model, he continued, predicts tokens based on statistical patterns. It does not deliberate, does not possess will and does not apprehend the good as something it is ordered toward.
Father Crosthwaite emphasized that AI “is never a moral subject” and that “virtue ultimately belongs to persons.”
“Simulation is epistemic imitation,” he said. “Virtue is ontological possession. This is not a criticism of the technology. It’s simply a clarification of metaphysical categories.”
The more pressing question, he argued, is not whether AI can become virtuous, but what kind of persons AI helps form.
“If AI replaces prudential judgment, prudence weakens in the human person,” he said. “The ultimate question is not whether the machines become wise. It is whether we do.”
A safer tool, if not a virtuous one
Father Gové, who also serves as the Holy See’s representative to the Council of Europe on AI matters, acknowledged that Anthropic’s guidelines, which decline to commit to any specific ethical framework, leave Claude with “no definitions of what is the good,” with “no hierarchy of goods,” and “no end to which good actions are ordered toward.”
Thomistic virtue ethics would not recognize Claude as truly virtuous, he said. But Father Gové stopped short of dismissing Anthropic’s efforts.
“Does this make Claude a tool for virtue? Not exactly,” he said. “I hope it makes Claude a safer tool. So that’s already something, right?” He also argued that AI ethics require “a triadic relationship between tool, virtue, and regulation, policy, governance,” describing the current state of AI governance legislation as a barren desert.
The risk of replacing teachers and friends with AI
Dr. Angela Knobel, a philosophy professor at the University of Dallas and author of “Aquinas and the Infused Moral Virtues,” warned that algorithms can work against virtuous habit formation.
“AI chatbots are doing what video games and TikTok and other things are designed to do,” she said. “They design it to make you want more of the same.”
Knobel pointed to how algorithmic design in social platforms like TikTok track user behavior, saying, “TikTok is programmed to notice not just what you click on, but also what you pause on and don’t click on. And so, if you see the porn that it shows you and you don’t click on it, but you pause on it, it starts showing you more porn until you do click on it, which is, Aristotle tells us, a very good way to encourage you to do what you don’t want to do, right?”
“This is not to say that technology, including AI, can’t be used in helpful ways,” she said. “It’s just to say that it takes effort to make sure you use it in a non-detrimental way.”
She was especially concerned about AI’s potential to displace the irreplaceable role of human teachers and mentors in moral formation. Growing morally and intellectually, she said, is inherently uncomfortable, and “that is not something most of us can or even want to do on our own.”
“You teach someone to write by making them write, by trying to help them see the ways in which what they wrote falls short, and then asking them to do it again,” she said. “Computers are not very good at doing this.”
AI, she concluded, is “closer to an opiate — the kind of thing that requires extreme caution in its use.”
“I think we have to exercise extreme caution to ensure that we do not let it take the place of our teachers and friends, because if we do, and to the extent that we do, we will certainly allow it to make us worse,” she said.
The danger of disconnection
Dominican Sister Catherine Droste, a theology professor at the Angelicum, warned of what she called “the zombie effect” with people absorbed in devices, oblivious to those around them.
“AI has upped the ante,” she said. “At least with Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, et cetera, even though people were using technology, there was still something of a connection related to human beings, which we’ve lost.”
Still, Sister Catherine allowed that AI could be used prudently in certain contexts. “Before you’re using AI, there has to be prudence,” she said. “But that doesn’t mean you cannot use AI prudently in the sense that it can … give some information that can help you to be truly prudent.”
Courtney Mares is Vatican Editor for OSV News. Follow her on X @catholicourtney.
– ROME (OSV News) — In a room full of Dominican friars and Catholic philosophy professors, a priest and AI researcher read aloud excerpts pertaining to ethics from the guiding “constitution” of one of Silicon Valley’s most prominent artificial intelligence companies, drawing laughter from the audience of Thomists. The moment came on March 6 when Father Jean Gové, coordinator of the European AI Research Group within the Vatican’s Dicastery for Culture and Education, cited passages from Anthropic’s internal guidelines. The company says it aims for its AI model, Claude, to be a “good, wise, and virtuous agent,” without wanting to define
A March NBC poll found that American voters hold Pope Leo XIV in highest esteem among other public personalities.
Wild and tame, loose and lyrical: over centuries, the English have elevated garden design to an art form.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/TAL-brick-manor-estate-gardens-GARDENSOFENGLAND0426-ab241ee9e74d48ea8677d9f9f49b9fc2.jpg)
Church leaders and Muslim clerics shared Ramadan fast-breaking meals across six Pakistani dioceses this year as the overlap of Lent and Ramadan inspired joint prayers for peace.
Members of the Iranian women’s soccer team appeared to call for help as their bus pulled away from an Australian stadium on Sunday night.
The post Iranian Women’s Soccer Team Appears to Cry for Help with Subtle Hand Gesture appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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On Friday, Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Kelly Loeffler announced a new policy that would ban foreign nationals and non-citizens from loans through the agency.
The post SBA Announces New Policy Banning Foreign Nationals and Non-Citizens from Loans and ‘Prioritize American Citizens’ appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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A DAVID VS.
The post Private Citizen’s Election Complaint Advances Despite Missouri SOS’s Attempt to Circumvent Federal Law appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
Read MoreLooking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column. March 8: Spiral galaxy NGC 2541 The Galilean moon Callisto disappears behind Jupiter in an occultation early this morning. The catch is that the event is only visible from the western half of the U.S., but observers farther east can still watchContinue reading “The Sky Today on Monday, March 9: Callisto’s disappearing act”
The post The Sky Today on Monday, March 9: Callisto’s disappearing act appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
Read More“Blessed be God in His Angels and in His Saints”
O Holy St. Anthony, gentlest of Saints, your love for God and Charity for His creatures, made you worthy, when on earth, to possess miraculous powers. Encouraged by this thought, I implore you to obtain for me (request). O gentle and loving St. Anthony, whose heart was ever full of human sympathy, whisper my petition into the ears of the sweet Infant Jesus, who loved to be folded in your arms; and the gratitude of my heart will ever be yours. …
A reading from the Second Book of Kings
2 Kings 5:1-15ab
Naaman, the army commander of the king of Aram,
was highly esteemed and respected by his master,
for through him the LORD had brought victory to Aram.
But valiant as he was, the man was a leper.
Now the Arameans had captured in a raid on the land of Israel
a little girl, who became the servant of Naaman’s wife.
"If only my master would present himself to the prophet in Samaria,"
she said to her mistress, "he would cure him of his leprosy."
Naaman went and told his lord
just what the slave girl from the land of Israel had said.
"Go," said the king of Aram.
"I will send along a letter to the king of Israel."
So Naaman set out, taking along ten silver talents,
six thousand gold pieces, and ten festal garments.
To the king of Israel he brought the letter, which read:
"With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you,
that you may cure him of his leprosy."
When he read the letter,
the king of Israel tore his garments and exclaimed:
"Am I a god with power over life and death,
that this man should send someone to me to be cured of leprosy?
Take note! You can see he is only looking for a quarrel with me!"
When Elisha, the man of God,
heard that the king of Israel had torn his garments,
he sent word to the king:
"Why have you torn your garments?
Let him come to me and find out
that there is a prophet in Israel."
Naaman came with his horses and chariots
and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house.
The prophet sent him the message:
"Go and wash seven times in the Jordan,
and your flesh will heal, and you will be clean."
But Naaman went away angry, saying,
"I thought that he would surely come out and stand there
to invoke the LORD his God,
and would move his hand over the spot,
and thus cure the leprosy.
Are not the rivers of Damascus, the Abana and the Pharpar,
better than all the waters of Israel?
Could I not wash in them and be cleansed?"
With this, he turned about in anger and left.
But his servants came up and reasoned with him.
"My father," they said,
"if the prophet had told you to do something extraordinary,
would you not have done it?
All the more now, since he said to you,
‘Wash and be clean,’ should you do as he said."
So Naaman went down and plunged into the Jordan seven times
at the word of the man of God.
His flesh became again like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
He returned with his whole retinue to the man of God.
On his arrival he stood before him and said,
"Now I know that there is no God in all the earth,
except in Israel."
From the Gospel according to Luke
4:24-30
Jesus said to the people in the synagogue at Nazareth:
“Amen, I say to you,
no prophet is accepted in his own native place.
Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel
in the days of Elijah
when the sky was closed for three and a half years
and a severe famine spread over the entire land.
It was to none of these that Elijah was sent,
but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon.
Again, there were many lepers in Israel
during the time of Elisha the prophet;
yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.”
When the people in the synagogue heard this,
they were all filled with fury.
They rose up, drove him out of the town,
and led him to the brow of the hill
on which their town had been built,
to hurl him down headlong.
But he passed through the midst of them and went away.
After Jesus, when he was about 30 years old, had left Nazareth and had already been travelling about preaching and working miracles of healing elsewhere, he once returned to his birthplace and started teaching in the synagogue. His fellow citizens “were astonished” by his wisdom, and knowing him as “the son of Mary”, as the carpenter who had lived in their midst, instead of welcoming him with faith were shocked and took offence (cf. Mk 6:2-3). This reaction is understandable because familiarity at the human level makes it difficult to go beyond this in order to be open to the divine dimension. That this son of a carpenter was the Son of God was hard for them to believe. Jesus actually takes as an example the experience of the prophets of Israel, who in their own homeland were an object of contempt, and identifies himself with them. Due to this spiritual closure Jesus “could do no mighty work there [Nazareth], except that he laid his hands upon a few sick people and healed them” (Mk 6:5). In fact Christ’s miracles are not a display of power but signs of the love of God that is brought into being wherever it encounters reciprocated human faith.(Benedict XVI – Angelus, 8 July 2012)
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HOUSTON, TX — Out of a job after his primary defeat, Dan Crenshaw has officially joined up with the crew of the infamous "Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything."
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NEW YORK CITY — Mayor Zohran Mamdani has strongly condemned New Yorkers for making Muslims throw improvised explosive devices at them.
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Abbey church and bell tower of the former Benedictine monastery Lorch Abbey in Lorch, Germany.
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The pontiff encouraged a Rome parish facing poverty and social challenges to show its closeness to those wounded and searching for hope.
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![Pope Leo XIV warns of wider Middle East conflict #Catholic Pope Leo XIV on Sunday appealed for peace as violence and fear continue to spread in Iran and across the Middle East, praying in particular for Lebanon and warning that the conflict could widen.Speaking after the Angelus on March 8, the pope said “deeply disturbing news continues to arrive from Iran and the entire Middle East.”“In addition to the episodes of violence and devastation as well as the widespread climate of hatred and fear, there is also the concern that the conflict will spread and that other countries in the region, including beloved Lebanon, may again sink back into instability,” he said.“We lift up our humble prayer to the Lord, so that the thunderous sound of bombs may cease, weapons may fall silent, and a space for dialogue may open up in which the voice of the people can be heard,” the pope said. He added that he was entrusting that intention to the Virgin Mary, “that she may intercede for those who suffer because of war and lead hearts along the paths of reconciliation and hope.”Before the Marian prayer in St. Peter’s Square, Leo reflected on the day’s Gospel and said that “since the first centuries of the Church’s history, the dialogue between Jesus and the Samaritan woman, the healing of the man born blind and the resurrection of Lazarus illuminate the path of those who, at Easter, will receive Baptism and begin a new life.”“These great Gospel passages, which we read beginning this Sunday, are intended for the catechumens to help them on their journey to become Christians,” he said. “At the same time, these passages are heard once again by the entire community of believers to help them to be more authentic and joyful Christians.”Referring to Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman, the pope said: “Indeed, Jesus is the response to our thirst. As he suggested to the Samaritan woman, the encounter with him stirs in the depths of each person ‘a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.’”“How many people in the entire world are searching even today for this spiritual spring!” he said.Quoting the diary of Etty Hillesum, a Dutch Jewish writer who died in Auschwitz during World War II, Leo said: “‘Sometimes I am there too. But more often stones and grit block the well, and God is buried beneath. Then he must be dug out again.’”“Dear friends, there is no energy better spent than that dedicated to freeing our heart,” the pope said. “For this reason, Lent is a gift: we are starting the third week and now we are able to intensify the journey!”He went on to reflect on the disciples’ reaction in the Gospel: “His disciples came [and] they were astonished that he was speaking with a woman.” The Master, he said, had to prompt them: “‘Do you not say, “Four months more, then comes the harvest”? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting.’”“The Lord still says to his Church: ‘Lift up your eyes and recognize God’s surprises!’” Leo said. “In the fields, four months prior to the harvest, one sees practically nothing. But there, where we see nothing, grace is already at work and its fruits are ready to be gathered.”“The harvest is great: perhaps the workers are few because they are distracted by other activities,” he continued. “Jesus, on the other hand, is attentive. According to custom, he ought to have simply ignored that Samaritan woman; instead, Jesus speaks with her, listens to her, and shows her respect — without a hidden agenda and without disdain.”“How many people seek in the Church this same sensitivity, this availability!” the pope said.“And how beautiful it is when we lose track of time in order to give attention to the person we are encountering, as we see in this passage,” he added. “Jesus was so spiritually nourished by God’s desire to reach people on the deepest levels that he even forgot to eat.”Leo said that “the Samaritan woman becomes the first of many female evangelizers.” Because of her testimony, “many from her village of despised and rejected people came to meet Jesus, and also in them faith bubbled forth like pure water.”The pope also marked International Women’s Day, observed March 8, saying: “We renew our commitment, which for us Christians is based on the Gospel, to recognize the equal dignity of man and woman.”“Unfortunately many women, from childhood onwards, are still discriminated against and suffer various forms of violence,” he said. “In a special way, I offer to them my solidarity and my prayers.”This article was originally published by ACI Stampa, CNA’s Italian-language news partner, and has been translated and adapted by EWTN News.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/pope-leo-xiv-warns-of-wider-middle-east-conflict-catholic-pope-leo-xiv-on-sunday-appealed-for-peace-as-violence-and-fear-continue-to-spread-in-iran-and-across-the-middle-east-praying-in-particular-f-scaled.jpg "Pope Leo XIV warns of wider Middle East conflict #Catholic Pope Leo XIV on Sunday appealed for peace as violence and fear continue to spread in Iran and across the Middle East, praying in particular for Lebanon and warning that the conflict could widen.Speaking after the Angelus on March 8, the pope said “deeply disturbing news continues to arrive from Iran and the entire Middle East.”“In addition to the episodes of violence and devastation as well as the widespread climate of hatred and fear, there is also the concern that the conflict will spread and that other countries in the region, including beloved Lebanon, may again sink back into instability,” he said.“We lift up our humble prayer to the Lord, so that the thunderous sound of bombs may cease, weapons may fall silent, and a space for dialogue may open up in which the voice of the people can be heard,” the pope said. He added that he was entrusting that intention to the Virgin Mary, “that she may intercede for those who suffer because of war and lead hearts along the paths of reconciliation and hope.”Before the Marian prayer in St. Peter’s Square, Leo reflected on the day’s Gospel and said that “since the first centuries of the Church’s history, the dialogue between Jesus and the Samaritan woman, the healing of the man born blind and the resurrection of Lazarus illuminate the path of those who, at Easter, will receive Baptism and begin a new life.”“These great Gospel passages, which we read beginning this Sunday, are intended for the catechumens to help them on their journey to become Christians,” he said. “At the same time, these passages are heard once again by the entire community of believers to help them to be more authentic and joyful Christians.”Referring to Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman, the pope said: “Indeed, Jesus is the response to our thirst. As he suggested to the Samaritan woman, the encounter with him stirs in the depths of each person ‘a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.’”“How many people in the entire world are searching even today for this spiritual spring!” he said.Quoting the diary of Etty Hillesum, a Dutch Jewish writer who died in Auschwitz during World War II, Leo said: “‘Sometimes I am there too. But more often stones and grit block the well, and God is buried beneath. Then he must be dug out again.’”“Dear friends, there is no energy better spent than that dedicated to freeing our heart,” the pope said. “For this reason, Lent is a gift: we are starting the third week and now we are able to intensify the journey!”He went on to reflect on the disciples’ reaction in the Gospel: “His disciples came [and] they were astonished that he was speaking with a woman.” The Master, he said, had to prompt them: “‘Do you not say, “Four months more, then comes the harvest”? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting.’”“The Lord still says to his Church: ‘Lift up your eyes and recognize God’s surprises!’” Leo said. “In the fields, four months prior to the harvest, one sees practically nothing. But there, where we see nothing, grace is already at work and its fruits are ready to be gathered.”“The harvest is great: perhaps the workers are few because they are distracted by other activities,” he continued. “Jesus, on the other hand, is attentive. According to custom, he ought to have simply ignored that Samaritan woman; instead, Jesus speaks with her, listens to her, and shows her respect — without a hidden agenda and without disdain.”“How many people seek in the Church this same sensitivity, this availability!” the pope said.“And how beautiful it is when we lose track of time in order to give attention to the person we are encountering, as we see in this passage,” he added. “Jesus was so spiritually nourished by God’s desire to reach people on the deepest levels that he even forgot to eat.”Leo said that “the Samaritan woman becomes the first of many female evangelizers.” Because of her testimony, “many from her village of despised and rejected people came to meet Jesus, and also in them faith bubbled forth like pure water.”The pope also marked International Women’s Day, observed March 8, saying: “We renew our commitment, which for us Christians is based on the Gospel, to recognize the equal dignity of man and woman.”“Unfortunately many women, from childhood onwards, are still discriminated against and suffer various forms of violence,” he said. “In a special way, I offer to them my solidarity and my prayers.”This article was originally published by ACI Stampa, CNA’s Italian-language news partner, and has been translated and adapted by EWTN News.")
At his Sunday Angelus, the pope voiced alarm over violence and fear spreading from Iran across the region.
No ‘Abracadabra’ can make this trouble disappear.
The post David Copperfield Ends 25-Year Vegas Residency Over His Presence in the ‘Epstein Files – Documents Show FBI Probed His ‘Predilection for Minors’ appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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Technological innovation doesn’t always yield good results.
The post Brutal Numbers: Schools Spent $30 Billion on Laptops… and They Seem to Have Made Kids Dumber appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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Sister Zita Rema of the Salesian Sisters of Mary Immaculate has spent decades of tireless service to the poor, the displaced, and the forgotten.
This is a Gateway Hispanic article.
The post Brazilian healer John of God, promoted by Oprah Winfrey as an inspiring figure of spiritual miracles, sentenced to 118 years in prison for sexual rapes appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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When their 13-year-old son entered the minor seminary, his parents had no idea that one day the whole family would meet Pope Leo XIV, an encounter that was a special blessing for them all.
Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column. March 7: Venus meets Saturn Daylight saving time begins this morning at 2 A.M. local time. For regions that observe DST, clocks will “spring forward” from 2 A.M. standard time to 3 A.M. daylight time, meaning the Sun will rise and setContinue reading “The Sky Today on Sunday, March 8: Spiral galaxy NGC 2541”
The post The Sky Today on Sunday, March 8: Spiral galaxy NGC 2541 appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
Read MoreA reading from the Book of Exodus
17:3-7
In those days, in their thirst for water,
the people grumbled against Moses,
saying, “Why did you ever make us leave Egypt?
Was it just to have us die here of thirst
with our children and our livestock?”
So Moses cried out to the LORD,
“What shall I do with this people?
a little more and they will stone me!”
The LORD answered Moses,
“Go over there in front of the people,
along with some of the elders of Israel,
holding in your hand, as you go,
the staff with which you struck the river.
I will be standing there in front of you on the rock in Horeb.
Strike the rock, and the water will flow from it
for the people to drink.”
This Moses did, in the presence of the elders of Israel.
The place was called Massah and Meribah,
because the Israelites quarreled there
and tested the LORD, saying,
“Is the LORD in our midst or not?”
A reading from the Letter to the Romans
5:1-2, 5-8
Brothers and sisters:
Since we have been justified by faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have gained access by faith
to this grace in which we stand,
and we boast in hope of the glory of God.
And hope does not disappoint,
because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
For Christ, while we were still helpless,
died at the appointed time for the ungodly.
Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person,
though perhaps for a good person one might even find courage to die.
But God proves his love for us
in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.
From the Gospel according to John
4:5-42
Jesus came to a town of Samaria called Sychar,
near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.
Jacob’s well was there.
Jesus, tired from his journey, sat down there at the well.
It was about noon.
A woman of Samaria came to draw water.
Jesus said to her,
“Give me a drink.”
His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.
The Samaritan woman said to him,
“How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?”
—For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.—
Jesus answered and said to her,
“If you knew the gift of God
and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink, ‘
you would have asked him
and he would have given you living water.”
The woman said to him,
“Sir, you do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep;
where then can you get this living water?
Are you greater than our father Jacob,
who gave us this cistern and drank from it himself
with his children and his flocks?”
Jesus answered and said to her,
“Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again;
but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst;
the water I shall give will become in him
a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
The woman said to him,
“Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty
or have to keep coming here to draw water.”
Jesus said to her,
“Go call your husband and come back.”
The woman answered and said to him,
“I do not have a husband.”
Jesus answered her,
“You are right in saying, ‘I do not have a husband.’
For you have had five husbands,
and the one you have now is not your husband.
What you have said is true.”
The woman said to him,
“Sir, I can see that you are a prophet.
Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain;
but you people say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.”
Jesus said to her,
“Believe me, woman, the hour is coming
when you will worship the Father
neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.
You people worship what you do not understand;
we worship what we understand,
because salvation is from the Jews.
But the hour is coming, and is now here,
when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth;
and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him.
God is Spirit, and those who worship him
must worship in Spirit and truth.”
The woman said to him,
“I know that the Messiah is coming, the one called the Christ;
when he comes, he will tell us everything.”
Jesus said to her,
“I am he, the one speaking with you.”
At that moment his disciples returned,
and were amazed that he was talking with a woman,
but still no one said, “What are you looking for?”
or “Why are you talking with her?”
The woman left her water jar
and went into the town and said to the people,
“Come see a man who told me everything I have done.
Could he possibly be the Christ?”
They went out of the town and came to him.
Meanwhile, the disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat.”
But he said to them,
“I have food to eat of which you do not know.”
So the disciples said to one another,
“Could someone have brought him something to eat?”
Jesus said to them,
“My food is to do the will of the one who sent me
and to finish his work.
Do you not say, ‘In four months the harvest will be here’?
I tell you, look up and see the fields ripe for the harvest.
The reaper is already receiving payment
and gathering crops for eternal life,
so that the sower and reaper can rejoice together.
For here the saying is verified that ‘One sows and another reaps.’
I sent you to reap what you have not worked for;
others have done the work,
and you are sharing the fruits of their work.”
Many of the Samaritans of that town began to believe in him
because of the word of the woman who testified,
“He told me everything I have done.”
When the Samaritans came to him,
they invited him to stay with them;
and he stayed there two days.
Many more began to believe in him because of his word,
and they said to the woman,
“We no longer believe because of your word;
for we have heard for ourselves,
and we know that this is truly the savior of the world.”
In the encounter with the Samaritan woman the symbol of water stands out in the foreground, alluding clearly to the sacrament of Baptism, the source of new life for faith in God’s Grace. This Gospel, in fact, (…) is part of the ancient journey of the catechumen’s preparation for Christian Initiation, which took place at the great Easter Vigil. “Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him”, Jesus said, “will never thirst; the water that I shall give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (Jn 4:14). This water represents the Holy Spirit, the “gift” par excellence that Jesus came to bring on the part of God the Father. Whoever is reborn by water and by the Holy Spirit, that is, in Baptism, enters into a real relationship with God, a filial relationship, and can worship him “in spirit and in truth” (Jn 4:23, 24), as Jesus went on to reveal to the Samaritan woman. Thanks to the meeting with Jesus Christ and to the gift of the Holy Spirit, the human being’s faith attains fulfilment, as a response to the fullness of God’s revelation. Each one of us can identify himself with the Samaritan woman: Jesus is waiting for us, especially in this Season of Lent, to speak to our hearts, to my heart. Let us pause a moment in silence, in our room or in a church or in a separate place. Let us listen to his voice which tells us “If you knew the gift of God…”. (Benedict XVI – Angelus, 27 March 2011)
Read MoreO good Jesus, I accept willingly this sickness [or trial] which it has pleased you to lay upon me. I confide all my pains to your Sacred Heart, and beg you to unite them with your bitter sufferings, and thus perfect them by making them your own.
Since I cannot render you the praise due to you because of the multitude of my sorrows and afflictions, I ask you to praise God the Father for all I suffer, with the same tribute of praise you offered him when your agony on the Cross was at its …
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Bishop Mark Seitz said nearly 20 lawsuits against the diocese led him to file for Chapter 11 reorganization.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN — The United States State Department issued an evacuation order for the U.S. embassy located in downtown Minneapolis on Friday, citing concerns over the safety of American citizens in the area.
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NEW YORK, NY — After months of mounting concern over her apparent change in viewpoints on geopolitical matters, popular commentator and podcaster Megyn Kelly reportedly went back to normal after eating a Snickers.
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Skiing in the Dolomites. The Lagazuoi, Torri del Falzarego, Col dei Bos, Tofana de Rozes and Cinque Torri
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A group of high school seniors and their teacher chaperones spoke with EWTN News about being stuck in the Middle East during the beginning of hostilities there last week.
Although abortion has been legal in the country since 1978, by a large majority vote in the legislature the small European nation has inserted the “freedom to abort” in the constitution.
![University of Dallas panel explores American exceptionalism through a Catholic lens #Catholic In a standing-room-only event, college students lined the walls of a large room at the University of Dallas to hear three Catholic academics and an apologist reflect on what makes America exceptional in a celebration marking the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.Liam Ritter, a junior and the founder of the university’s Young Americans for Freedom chapter, which hosted the discussion, told EWTN News that the March 4 panel of speakers served as the capstone of three days of celebrations at the university.The panel was comprised of University President Jonathan Sanford; Trent Horn, staff apologist with Catholic Answers; Burt Folsom, distinguished fellow at Hillsdale College and economic historian; and Susan Hanssen, associate professor of history at the University of Dallas.‘We have a population of people who know what is at stake’In response to Ritter’s question, “Why [is it] that our political regime has been so stable for so long,” Hanssen recalled America’s first immigrants. “I think the first thing that makes America exceptional, and its political regime exceptional, is the fact that America was first populated by people who fled the rise of the modern nation state and totalitarianism … and so we have a population of people who know what is at stake in political liberty," she said.“Theyʼve seen what happened to their ancestors,” she continued. “They remember the stories. And America has been blessed in its political constitution with the regime of liberty, which has made possible the flourishing of subsidiary communities and societies.”Hanssen said we should not take for granted today that we still “have a free people." “We need to listen to our latest immigrants … those who have fled Venezuela, those who have fled Iran, like my uncle, a Persian Jew, who refuses to call himself Iranian because he associates modern Iran with the regime of the Ayatollah.”‘Get married, have children, raise them well’Sanford said that though we are a nation of immigrants, “there won’t be enough to pull in to make up for” the continuing demographic decline.“Get married, have children, raise them well,” he said to chuckles from a receptive audience, which was mostly composed of college students.He encouraged the students not to focus on “one big step,” but rather, to take smaller steps: “Get up early. Pray. Exercise. Go through the day in an ordered fashion, give Caesar what is Caesarʼs, and God what is God’s.”“Do the little things thousands and thousands of times,” he said.“In order to exercise liberty properly,” he continued, one has to ask, "How should I live my life?” and then rely on the institutions that “help you do that.”He called the family the “foundational institution” of America. “Recover the family,” he said.In addition, “we need to see those institutions that mediate the virtues — schools, universities — that embrace fully the idea of what [the virtues] are.”Horn also encouraged students to focus on family relationships, telling them “get off the phones and the internet. They’re killing all of us. They’re rewiring our brains.”
Trent Horn (left), an apologist at Catholic Answers, and University of Dallas President Jonathan Sanford participate in a panel on American exceptionalism at the University of Dallas on March 4, 2026. | Credit: Courtesy of University of Dallas Young Americans for Freedom Chapter
Of people currently in their 20s in America, "one in three will never have children,” he lamented, implying too much technology use is partly to blame.The Catholic Answers apologist pointed out, however, that though the Second Industrial Revolution “broke the family” by encouraging workers to move away from their homes and families to pursue careers, the internet “post-Covid,” in the age of “Zoom and telecommuting … might be good” because many people no longer have to choose between a job and staying near their extended families.“Maybe tech can help build up family networks,” he said.‘The greatest outpouring of economic development’ in historyRitter told EWTN news that he chose speakers who could address “the wonderful things the U.S. has contributed” to the world because “a lot of young people don’t have appropriate gratitude for the country.”Ritter asked Folsom, a historian who focuses on economics and industrial affairs, about what the professor believes the U.S. has contributed to world economics and world innovations.Folsom said that the generation after the Civil War, from 1865 to 1905, was responsible for “the greatest outpouring of economic development … in world history” and “gave us the rise of an America that became a world power” by World War I.He listed inventions that facilitated the rapid development of industry and infrastructure in the country during the Second Industrial Revolution, including the typewriter, the telephone, adding machines, the light bulb, electricity, factory-produced cars, and recording devices for music and movies, among other innovations.Through the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, “the founders gave us the freedom” to develop these technologies, he said. “We had amazing infrastructure that allowed people to produce, and not have government get in their way.”The professor said the post-Civil War period could be eclipsed in the present day “because with artificial intelligence, this generation may yet be able to come up with more.”‘A responsibility for this political regime of freedom’At the conclusion of the panel discussion, Hanssen called the feeling in the room “electric, it’s teeming with patriotism. This isn’t a normal college campus.”Referring to Sanford’s earlier admonition to ”get married and have kids,” she said: “I agree, be fruitful and multiply … Preach the Gospel, and baptize in the name of Jesus, but also, go into politics!” she exclaimed.She encouraged the students to develop “the ability to love something so much that you would die for it: God, family, country.”“Recognize what is at stake. We have a responsibility for this political regime of freedom, to the immigrants who come here … to our children… to preserve the rule of law.”She concluded to loud applause: “So family; yes! Faith; yes, but to the barricades, ladies and gentlemen!"](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/university-of-dallas-panel-explores-american-exceptionalism-through-a-catholic-lens-catholic-in-a-standing-room-only-event-college-students-lined-the-walls-of-a-large-room-at-the-university-of-dalla.jpg)
The speakers encouraged the college students to get married, have children, stay off the internet (unless it enables them to telework and stay near their extended families), and be political.
![Sister of slain bishop reflects on traveling exhibit honoring the 19 Algerian martyrs – #Catholic – Anne-Marie Gustavson’s voice was joyful when she recounted her recent visit to New York to speak on a panel about the 19 Algerian martyrs, one of whom was her brother, Bishop Pierre Claverie, OP.“I was absolutely amazed by everything,” she said of New York Encounter — held in February at the Metropolitan Pavilion in New York City’s Chelsea neighborhood — where her brother was featured in an exhibit alongside his fellow 18 martyrs of the so-called “Black Decade” of Algeria from 1992–2002. The Algerian-born French citizen living in New Jersey exclaimed: “I had no idea this existed at all, this New York Encounter!”Gustavson participated in a panel discussion alongside Father Thomas Georgeon, the postulator for the 19 martyrs of Algeria’s cause; Georgetown University professor Paul Heck; and Bishop Steven Raica of Birmingham, Alabama, who moderated the discussion.She said the exhibit was “absolutely beautiful” and marveled at its being scheduled to travel to England and Paris.Indeed, according to Georgeon, the exhibit will travel to many more cities, including Chicago and Nashville, Tennessee, in the U.S. as well as Lourdes, France, and Milan, Rome, and “at least 10 other cities in Italy.” Prior to the New York Encounter, the exhibit was first presented at the Rimini Meeting, the Italian equivalent of the encounter, in August 2025. “The success in Rimini was phenomenal: 15,000 people visited the exhibition in five days,” Georgeon said.“That their reputation of holiness is growing, growing, and growing — that’s clear,” Georgeon said.“Nineteen consecrated men and women, eight different religious congregations; seven women and 12 men who had answered God’s call to devote themselves to him and were called twice to give their lives to the end for the love of Christ and their neighbor,” he said. “The profiles of the 19 martyrs show astonishing variety against the background of the dynamism of a local Church, discerned by events and in a state of resistance to the prevailing violence.”Claverie and his 18 companions were beatified by Pope Francis on Dec. 8, 2018, in Oran, Algeria, marking the first instance of a Catholic beatification taking place in a Muslim-majority country. Claverie served as bishop of Oran from 1981 until his Aug. 1, 1996, martyrdom.The best known of Claverie’s companions are the seven monks of Tibhirine, who were kidnapped from their Trappist priory in March 1996. They were kept as a bartering chip to procure the release of several imprisoned members of the Armed Islamic Group of Algeria and were killed in May 1996. Their story was dramatized in the 2010 French film “Of Gods and Men,” which won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival.In her interview with EWTN News, Gustavson described her brother as having “a balanced personality,” saying he shared their mother’s vivaciousness and was often “very joyful and teasing people.” At the same time, she said, “he also had my father’s intelligence and a more sober and thoughtful kind of temperament.”“He never doubted his faith,” she said. “Once faith came upon him, he never doubted after that, and his path led him back to Algeria.” Gustavson and her brother were born in Algeria, and their family’s history there had stretched back for five generations. During Algeria’s war of independence from France in the 1960s, the family left Algeria for France. Claverie’s faith journey famously began when he joined a scout troop run by the Order of Preachers, also known as the Dominicans, the order he would eventually enter.Gustavson emphasized the importance to her brother of remaining in Algeria. He was dedicated to helping Algerians to realize their dreams of democracy and peace in wake of the civil war in the 1990s that killed thousands of people. She recounted how he had begun to speak up as bishop of Oran about the suffering of the Algerian people, who were caught between a “a very repressive government and a rebellion based on an extreme form of Islam that had infiltrated the country.”The question for Catholics became, “Do we stay or do we go?” she said.“For us, for the family, at that point, my mom had passed away in ’92,” she recalled. “So for my father, and for us, my husband and I, and our daughters, we knew that something might happen.”“But none of us had the thought of telling him, ‘OK, Pierre, just stop. Just go to France, go wherever.’ No, because he was on the path he wanted to be on,” she said. “And we knew also that he was a great help to the people, the Muslims around him.”The last time Gustavson spoke with her brother was over the phone, a little over a day before he was killed. She said she could hear that “his voice was really not the way that it usually was,” and it had been several months since the monks at Tibhirine had disappeared. “The next day, a friend of ours gave me the call in the evening saying that Pierre had been killed along with [his driver] Mohamed.”“When my brother was killed… so there was a six-hour difference with Algeria. And at the time when he was killed, I was in our bedroom, and I was rearranging some things on the shelves. And I had a picture of my brother at the top of that shelf, and it fell. And I picked it up; it wasn’t broken. And at that point, I said, ‘Oh my God.’ It was such a relief to think that it didn’t break.”“In the years that followed, for me, it became a symbol of the fact that Pierre’s spirit goes on,” she said. “And the proof is now, today, after 30 years, his spirit is still alive.”In the coming month, Georgeon and her brother’s biographer, Father Jean-Jacques Pérennès, OP, will join a delegation including Cardinal Jean-Paul Vesco of Algiers in visiting Pope Leo XIV ahead of his April trip to Algeria. Georgeon said he has seen “great joy, pride, and a desire for brotherhood being expressed” in the Algerian press and on social media.Georgeon said there is nothing specific he expects regarding the cause of the 19 martyrs but said it “will be an opportunity to take stock of the cause and the spread of the reputation for holiness of these men and women throughout the world.”For her part, Gustavson revealed excitedly that she will send a copy of her brother’s biography with them to give Pope Leo and that she has written a message to him inside, saying: “To Pope Leo XIV, from Anne-Marie Gustavson-Claverie. My brother Pierre used to say, ‘I need the truth of others.’ I will be praying for you as you search for that truth among the Algerian people he loved.”Gustavson will visit the country in August on the 30th anniversary of her brother’s martyrdom.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/sister-of-slain-bishop-reflects-on-traveling-exhibit-honoring-the-19-algerian-martyrs-catholic-anne-marie-gustavsons-voice-was-joyful-when-she-recounted-her-recent-visit-to-new-york-to-s-scaled.jpg "Sister of slain bishop reflects on traveling exhibit honoring the 19 Algerian martyrs – #Catholic – Anne-Marie Gustavson’s voice was joyful when she recounted her recent visit to New York to speak on a panel about the 19 Algerian martyrs, one of whom was her brother, Bishop Pierre Claverie, OP.“I was absolutely amazed by everything,” she said of New York Encounter — held in February at the Metropolitan Pavilion in New York City’s Chelsea neighborhood — where her brother was featured in an exhibit alongside his fellow 18 martyrs of the so-called “Black Decade” of Algeria from 1992–2002. The Algerian-born French citizen living in New Jersey exclaimed: “I had no idea this existed at all, this New York Encounter!”Gustavson participated in a panel discussion alongside Father Thomas Georgeon, the postulator for the 19 martyrs of Algeria’s cause; Georgetown University professor Paul Heck; and Bishop Steven Raica of Birmingham, Alabama, who moderated the discussion.She said the exhibit was “absolutely beautiful” and marveled at its being scheduled to travel to England and Paris.Indeed, according to Georgeon, the exhibit will travel to many more cities, including Chicago and Nashville, Tennessee, in the U.S. as well as Lourdes, France, and Milan, Rome, and “at least 10 other cities in Italy.” Prior to the New York Encounter, the exhibit was first presented at the Rimini Meeting, the Italian equivalent of the encounter, in August 2025. “The success in Rimini was phenomenal: 15,000 people visited the exhibition in five days,” Georgeon said.“That their reputation of holiness is growing, growing, and growing — that’s clear,” Georgeon said.“Nineteen consecrated men and women, eight different religious congregations; seven women and 12 men who had answered God’s call to devote themselves to him and were called twice to give their lives to the end for the love of Christ and their neighbor,” he said. “The profiles of the 19 martyrs show astonishing variety against the background of the dynamism of a local Church, discerned by events and in a state of resistance to the prevailing violence.”Claverie and his 18 companions were beatified by Pope Francis on Dec. 8, 2018, in Oran, Algeria, marking the first instance of a Catholic beatification taking place in a Muslim-majority country. Claverie served as bishop of Oran from 1981 until his Aug. 1, 1996, martyrdom.The best known of Claverie’s companions are the seven monks of Tibhirine, who were kidnapped from their Trappist priory in March 1996. They were kept as a bartering chip to procure the release of several imprisoned members of the Armed Islamic Group of Algeria and were killed in May 1996. Their story was dramatized in the 2010 French film “Of Gods and Men,” which won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival.In her interview with EWTN News, Gustavson described her brother as having “a balanced personality,” saying he shared their mother’s vivaciousness and was often “very joyful and teasing people.” At the same time, she said, “he also had my father’s intelligence and a more sober and thoughtful kind of temperament.”“He never doubted his faith,” she said. “Once faith came upon him, he never doubted after that, and his path led him back to Algeria.” Gustavson and her brother were born in Algeria, and their family’s history there had stretched back for five generations. During Algeria’s war of independence from France in the 1960s, the family left Algeria for France. Claverie’s faith journey famously began when he joined a scout troop run by the Order of Preachers, also known as the Dominicans, the order he would eventually enter.Gustavson emphasized the importance to her brother of remaining in Algeria. He was dedicated to helping Algerians to realize their dreams of democracy and peace in wake of the civil war in the 1990s that killed thousands of people. She recounted how he had begun to speak up as bishop of Oran about the suffering of the Algerian people, who were caught between a “a very repressive government and a rebellion based on an extreme form of Islam that had infiltrated the country.”The question for Catholics became, “Do we stay or do we go?” she said.“For us, for the family, at that point, my mom had passed away in ’92,” she recalled. “So for my father, and for us, my husband and I, and our daughters, we knew that something might happen.”“But none of us had the thought of telling him, ‘OK, Pierre, just stop. Just go to France, go wherever.’ No, because he was on the path he wanted to be on,” she said. “And we knew also that he was a great help to the people, the Muslims around him.”The last time Gustavson spoke with her brother was over the phone, a little over a day before he was killed. She said she could hear that “his voice was really not the way that it usually was,” and it had been several months since the monks at Tibhirine had disappeared. “The next day, a friend of ours gave me the call in the evening saying that Pierre had been killed along with [his driver] Mohamed.”“When my brother was killed… so there was a six-hour difference with Algeria. And at the time when he was killed, I was in our bedroom, and I was rearranging some things on the shelves. And I had a picture of my brother at the top of that shelf, and it fell. And I picked it up; it wasn’t broken. And at that point, I said, ‘Oh my God.’ It was such a relief to think that it didn’t break.”“In the years that followed, for me, it became a symbol of the fact that Pierre’s spirit goes on,” she said. “And the proof is now, today, after 30 years, his spirit is still alive.”In the coming month, Georgeon and her brother’s biographer, Father Jean-Jacques Pérennès, OP, will join a delegation including Cardinal Jean-Paul Vesco of Algiers in visiting Pope Leo XIV ahead of his April trip to Algeria. Georgeon said he has seen “great joy, pride, and a desire for brotherhood being expressed” in the Algerian press and on social media.Georgeon said there is nothing specific he expects regarding the cause of the 19 martyrs but said it “will be an opportunity to take stock of the cause and the spread of the reputation for holiness of these men and women throughout the world.”For her part, Gustavson revealed excitedly that she will send a copy of her brother’s biography with them to give Pope Leo and that she has written a message to him inside, saying: “To Pope Leo XIV, from Anne-Marie Gustavson-Claverie. My brother Pierre used to say, ‘I need the truth of others.’ I will be praying for you as you search for that truth among the Algerian people he loved.”Gustavson will visit the country in August on the 30th anniversary of her brother’s martyrdom.")
An exhibit honoring the 19 Algerian martyrs is making stops at major cities around the globe. The postulator for the martyrs’ cause and the sister of one of them tells EWTN News what they stood for.
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