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Female Jaguar in Mato Grosso, Brazil
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As an ordinary priest, prior general of the Augustinans and the bishop of Chiclayo, Pope Leo XIV traveled extensively in Spain, gaining firsthand knowledge of the country and its people.
Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column. June 4: Jupiter passes south of Pollux Now that the Red Planet is rising roughly an hour before the Sun, let’s check in on Mars in the predawn sky. The nearby world now has time to climb well above the horizon, leadingContinue reading “The Sky Today on Friday, June 5: Check in on Mars”
The post The Sky Today on Friday, June 5: Check in on Mars appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
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Now that Scott Pelley has been fired by 60 Minutes and CBS News, MSNOW star Rachel Maddow wants him to join her network.
The post Rachel Maddow Wants Fired ’60 Minutes’ Journo Scott Pelley to Join MSNOW Because of Course She Does (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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SAN DIEGO, CA — According to breaking news reports, John Bolton agreed to plead guilty to one count of illegally retaining classified national security information in exchange for only serving five years confined to a walrus exhibit at Sea World.
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SAN ANTONIO, TX — Sources confirmed that local 40-year-old Marcus Harper officially entered the developmental stage of adulthood characterized by an intense, borderline-religious obsession with researching electrolytes.
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A host on the liberal Daily Show recently mocked support for Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt, ultimately asking “How did this country get so stupid?” Supporting Pratt is stupid?
The post Liberal Daily Show Mocks Support for Spencer Pratt in LA: ‘How Did This Country Get So Stupid?’ (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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Graham Platner, the scandal plagued Democratic Socialist (communist) running for a U.S.
The post Watch Democrat Senators Squirm When Asked About Graham Platner of Maine (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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Guidelines urge districts to “immediately and expressly adopt a parental notice and opt-out policy,” which provides prominent and regular notice that will reach all parents.
A reading from the Second Letter of St. Paul to Timothy
3:10-17
You have followed my teaching, way of life,
purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions,
and sufferings, such as happened to me
in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra,
persecutions that I endured.
Yet from all these things the Lord delivered me.
In fact, all who want to live religiously in Christ Jesus
will be persecuted.
But wicked people and charlatans will go from bad to worse,
deceivers and deceived.
But you, remain faithful to what you have learned and believed,
because you know from whom you learned it,
and that from infancy you have known the sacred Scriptures,
which are capable of giving you wisdom for salvation
through faith in Christ Jesus.
All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching,
for refutation, for correction,
and for training in righteousness,
so that one who belongs to God may be competent,
equipped for every good work.
From the Gospel according to Mark
12:35-37
As Jesus was teaching in the temple area he said,
“How do the scribes claim that the Christ is the son of David?
David himself, inspired by the Holy Spirit, said:
The Lord said to my lord,
‘Sit at my right hand
until I place your enemies under your feet.’
David himself calls him ‘lord’;
so how is he his son?”
The great crowd heard this with delight.
It is painful to recall that in this very moment, there are many Christians in various parts of the world who are suffering from persecution, and we must hope and pray that their trials will soon end. They are many: today’s martyrs outnumber the martyrs of the first centuries. Let us express our closeness to these brothers and sisters. We are a single body and these Christians are the bleeding limbs of the body of Christ who is the Church. (…) If God grants us the grace to be more like the Crucified Christ and joined to his Passion, then exclusion and persecution are the manifestation of new life. This life is the same as the life of Christ who was “despised and rejected” for us men and women and for our salvation” (cf. Is 53:3; Acts 8:30-35). Welcoming his Spirit can lead us to have so much love in our heart as to offer our life for the world without making compromises with its deceit and accepting its rejection.
Compromises with the world are dangerous: Christians are always tempted to make compromises with the world, with the spirit of the world. This — rejecting compromises and journeying on the way of Jesus Christ — is the life of the Kingdom of Heaven, the greatest joy and true happiness. And, in persecutions there is always the presence of Jesus who accompanies us, the presence of Jesus who comforts us and the strength of the Holy Spirit that helps us to go forward. Let us not be discouraged when a life that is faithful to the Gospel draws persecution from people. There is the Holy Spirit who sustains us in this journey. (Pope Francis, General Audience, 29 April 2020)
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The bishops urged that “judgments over life and death, the gravest of human challenges, must remain bound to our living consciences.”
During its 61st close flyby of Jupiter on May 12, 2024, NASA’s Juno spacecraft captured this color-enhanced view of the giant planet’s northern hemisphere.
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Ordained in 1950, Father Bruno Kant served the Diocese of Fulda in Germany for decades. After retiring from active ministry, he remained a confidant, pastor, and spiritual guide for many parishioners.
The October gathering follows a pastoral letter by Bishop Antonio Suetta on charity, Christian witness, and the proclamation of the Gospel to Muslims living in the diocese.
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Great Pond and Turkish Bath pavilion, Catherine Park, Pushkin town, Saint Petersburg, Russia
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This week, US Customs and Border Protection interdicted a boat carrying 240 Haitian migrants making their way to the United States.
The post US Customs and Border Protection Interdicts Boat Carrying 240 Haitian Migrants En Route to US (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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In a letter to House Democrats, Department of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Secretary Steven Vaden slammed the ‘apologists for leftist organizations and the welfare complex’ for propping up a failing system, full of rampant fraud at the expense of American taxpayers.
The post USDA Deputy Secretary Vaden Hits Back at Dems for Defending the ‘Welfare Complex’ Amid Rampant Fraud Against American Taxpayers appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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The net-zero crowd wants the United States and Europe to transition to all-electric vehicles by 2035.
The post Short-Sighted Climate Goals: It Is Impossible to Expand Electrical Grids to Support EV Conversion appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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NEW YORK, NY — After the firing of longtime contributor Scott Pelley due to ongoing conflicts with producers, the long-running CBS News program 60 Minutes began its search for a new pompous blowhard.
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SACRAMENTO — California officials announced on Wednesday that they had finally finished counting the votes and Ronald Reagan had officially won the 1966 governor’s race.
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Crepuscular rays over parc de Noisiel (park of Noisiel) at sunrise. Taken from above the gardens of Champs-sur-Marne castle, Seine-et-Marne, France
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During the Diocese of Litoměřice’s Year of Reconciliation, Archbishop Stanislav Přibyl led a pilgrimage and Mass honoring hundreds killed in Czechoslovakia in 1945.
Encíclica: Las opiniones del Papa León sobre la teoría de la guerra justa y la histórica disculpa de la Iglesia por la esclavitud #Catholic – 
CIUDAD DEL VATICANO (CNS) — En su primera encíclica, el Papa León XIV aprovechó una amplia reflexión sobre la inteligencia artificial para cuestionar si el marco de la guerra justa de la Iglesia Católica, vigente desde hace siglos, sigue siendo válido en la guerra moderna, y para pedir perdón por el papel de la Iglesia en la esclavitud.
La encíclica del Santo Padre, titulada “Magnifica Humanitas” (“Magnífica Humanidad”), se centra principalmente en el desarrollo ético de la inteligencia artificial y los peligros que plantean las armas autónomas, el poder tecnológico concentrado y la erosión de la dignidad humana. Pero en el documento, el Papa León también hace varias intervenciones más amplias sobre la guerra, la violencia y la injusticia histórica.
Al abordar estos temas, cuestionó la enseñanza católica sobre la teoría de la guerra justa en la guerra moderna y abordó la esclavitud de una manera sin precedentes.
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La teoría de la guerra justa, desarrollada en gran medida a través de los escritos de San Agustín y Santo Tomás de Aquino, ha sido aceptada durante siglos dentro de la doctrina católica para determinar si la guerra podría justificarse moralmente bajo condiciones estrictas. Establece que una nación debe hacer todo lo posible por evitar la violencia, considerando el costo humano, una causa justa y el esfuerzo por entablar negociaciones diplomáticas. Recientemente ha sido invocada por la administración Trump para justificar el conflicto en curso en el Medio Oriente.
Pero el Papa León escribió que la teoría se ha vuelto cada vez más inadecuada en una era marcada por el armamento avanzado y la inteligencia artificial y “ahora está desactualizada” (el pontífice usó la palabra “outdated” en inglés, que también se puede traducir como “desfasada”. Cabe mencionar que el párrafo en cuestión de la versión en español de la encíclica explica esto de la siguiente manera: “Hoy más que nunca es importante reiterar la superación de la teoría de la ‘guerra justa’, invocada con demasiada frecuencia para justificar cualquier guerra, sin perjuicio del derecho a la legítima defensa, entendida en el sentido más estricto”).
“La humanidad cuenta con instrumentos mucho más eficaces y capaces de promover la vida humana para afrontar los conflictos, como el diálogo, la diplomacia y el perdón”, escribió el Papa León. “El recurso a la fuerza, a la violencia y a las armas testimonia una pobreza relacional que siempre tiene consecuencias desastrosas para las poblaciones civiles”.
El pontífice también introdujo criterios adicionales que, según él, deben tenerse en cuenta antes de recurrir a la guerra, entre ellos garantizar una cadena de responsabilidad clara cuando se utilizan tecnologías automatizadas en combate, establecer un “tiempo del juicio moral” en una era en la que la inteligencia artificial puede acelerar las decisiones militares y salvaguardar a los civiles.
En otra parte de la encíclica, el Papa León abordó la participación de la Iglesia Católica en el “flagelo de la esclavitud” en términos más amplios que muchos de sus predecesores. Los papas anteriores se han disculpado por casos más específicos, como la participación cristiana en el comercio transatlántico de esclavos, pero el Papa León pareció enmarcar la responsabilidad de la Iglesia en términos más institucionales.
“Es inevitable sentir un profundo dolor al considerar el enorme sufrimiento y humillación que la esclavitud ha significado para tantas personas, en contraste con la dignidad sin límites de cada una de ellas, amadas infinitamente por el Señor”, escribió. “Por eso, en nombre de la Iglesia, pido sinceramente perdón”.
Los comentarios del Papa llamaron inmediatamente la atención porque ambos temas –la teoría de la guerra justa y la responsabilidad institucional por la esclavitud– representan enfoques novedosos. Anna Rowlands, profesora de teología política y doctrina social católica en Durham University en Inglaterra, habló con Catholic News Service sobre la importancia de las declaraciones del Papa y cómo encajan dentro de los temas más amplios de “Magnifica Humanitas”.
Esta entrevista ha sido editada para mayor claridad y brevedad:
CNS: Hablando del hecho de que esta primera encíclica aborda muchos de los temas que ha planteado a lo largo de su papado, algo que realmente nos llamó la atención fue su teoría de la guerra justa y cómo dijo que estaba desactualizada (según la traducción en inglés de la encíclica). Me gustaría conocer su opinión al respecto. Si está desactualizada, ¿habrá una nueva teoría que la reemplace? ¿Ve elementos de eso a lo largo de esta encíclica
Rowlands: Bueno, en realidad, el Papa León se suma a una conversación que lleva tiempo desarrollándose a través de encíclicas recientes y documentos eclesiásticos más amplios sobre cómo mantenemos exactamente el dinamismo del compromiso de la Iglesia con la paz como el único y verdadero objetivo final a la vista. Así que la tradición de la guerra justa se desarrolló, obviamente, desde la Iglesia primitiva, desde los primeros siglos –incluida la contribución muy significativa de Agustín a ella, la contribución de Santo Tomás de Aquino– y luego, en la era moderna, esa tradición se desarrolló para tratar de averiguar cómo mantener la paz en el mundo y fomentar la idea de que se podían construir comunidades humanas sostenibles, estables y comprometidas con la justicia.
Así que la pregunta es: ¿en qué medida la teoría de la guerra justa –que es una teoría, una forma de pensar colectivamente sobre cómo alcanzar esos fines– sirve como marco, como una especie de arquitectura moral para pensar en el mundo en el que vivimos hoy?
Y en los últimos papados –no solo el del Papa León en este momento, sino en los últimos papados– ha habido un intento de reevaluar la utilidad de esa teoría para el mundo moderno. Sin rechazar la teoría de plano, la valoración ha sido: a veces puede ser demasiado fácil invocar la teoría de la guerra justa en el mundo en el que vivimos ahora, demasiado rápido para justificar la violencia, la intervención y la fuerza, en lugar de hacer una pausa y tomar distancia de ella.
Así que la pregunta es: ¿puede la teoría de la guerra justa utilizarse a veces para justificar la violencia donde tal vez queramos ver paz? No es que la Iglesia haya rechazado esa tradición –y vimos al Papa León hacerlo muy recientemente–; él se basó en la tradición de la guerra justa en relación con Irán y el conflicto allí, para decir que debemos recordar que esto no cumple con los criterios de la teoría de la guerra justa. Eso es lo que muchos de los obispos estadounidenses –los obispos de EE.UU.– también están diciendo. Así que seguimos basándonos en eso. Se puede ver su utilidad e importancia ahí.
Pero lo que hace la encíclica es decir que no confiemos solo en eso y que debemos continuar este discernimiento permanente sobre el desempeño moral de la teoría de la guerra justa. ¿En qué medida nos ayuda a alcanzar los verdaderos fines, que son una paz justa para todos dentro de un orden global y también dentro de las naciones? Y así, en este momento, la encíclica nos insta a decir que no se puede utilizar la teoría de la guerra justa como un medio legítimo para precipitarse hacia la agresión y la violencia; y que necesitamos encontrar algo así como una teoría de la guerra justa plus para alcanzar verdaderamente los fines de la paz justa. Recuerden, ese es el enfoque. No es solo una consideración de libro de texto que nos permita legitimar la dominación.
Y lo que es realmente importante aquí es que él está evaluando la teoría de la guerra justa en una era tecnológica. Porque todo en este documento analiza lo que significa vivir en un tiempo, una era, un momento en el que la tecnología –estamos aquí sentados con micrófonos, ahora tú estás frente a una computadora portátil– está totalmente presente en esta conversación.
¿Cómo afecta eso a la guerra Y él deja muy claro que conduce a la despersonalización, conduce a una aceleración, a una rapidez en las decisiones. Y parece significar que tenemos una comprensión mucho menos tangible de lo que realmente implica cualquier uso de la violencia –incluso si fuera en defensa propia, legítima– y de cómo se crean intervalos de reflexión, verdadera transparencia y rendición de cuentas. Así que, si leen la sección del documento que sigue a su crítica de la teoría de la guerra justa, él establece algunas condiciones –las llama criterios de juicio– que nos ayudan a considerar qué haríamos ahora dado el contexto de la guerra moderna en el que nos encontramos. Así que quiere que evaluemos moralmente tanto la práctica como la teoría, casi mirando más allá de ellas hacia un marco que las abarca pero que nos lleva más allá. Y nos ofrece nuevos criterios para una era de guerra altamente impulsada por la tecnología.
CNS: Otra cosa que nos pareció muy interesante fue –creo que este fue uno de los raros momentos en los que lo vimos pedir perdón por la tolerancia de larga data de la Iglesia hacia la esclavitud. ¿Podrías hablarme un poco qué pensaste de eso y si crees que era el momento adecuado? ¿Crees que realmente tendrá un impacto?
Rowlands: Sí. Cuando leí por primera vez esos párrafos del documento, me impactaron mucho. Y me impactaron por dos razones desde dos perspectivas diferentes. Una es que las disculpas que la Iglesia ha ofrecido a los esclavos en el pasado –desde la época de Juan Pablo II en adelante, incluidas las del Papa Francisco– han sido, en general, expresiones del más profundo dolor y arrepentimiento por la participación de cristianos individuales en la legitimación de lo que siempre es la propiedad ilegítima y la subyugación de otro ser humano. Lo que hace este texto es llevarnos un poco más allá hacia el debate sobre la Iglesia y el lenguaje de la Iglesia, no solo sobre los cristianos individuales.
Así que hay un sentido mucho mayor de responsabilidad colectiva por lo que se hace en nombre de la Iglesia. Hay un cambio en el marco lingüístico aquí que, en mi opinión, tiene que ver con llevar el tema de la esclavitud y el legado de la esclavitud a un espacio colectivo de rendición de cuentas, responsabilidad y discernimiento.
Esto enlaza con la segunda parte que más me llamó la atención, que es que no se trata solo de un momento repentino de pedir perdón por la esclavitud; sino que se da en el contexto de pensar en la esclavitud contemporánea hoy y en el hecho de que, en una era tecnológica donde existen nuevas formas de subyugación y esclavitud, la Dra. (Leocadie) Lushombo habló hoy en su intervención sobre esas nuevas formas de esclavitud en la era digital: las industrias extractivas, la minería, la trata de personas, etc. Básicamente nos está diciendo: no queremos encontrarnos dentro de 100 años en otro momento de la historia en el que, una vez más, tengamos que pedir perdón por no haber abordado la esclavitud de nuestra propia era hoy. Así que está diciendo que, si voy a hablar con autoridad –habiendo comprendido ahora la urgencia del asunto–, también debo enfrentarme al pasado histórico.
– CIUDAD DEL VATICANO (CNS) — En su primera encíclica, el Papa León XIV aprovechó una amplia reflexión sobre la inteligencia artificial para cuestionar si el marco de la guerra justa de la Iglesia Católica, vigente desde hace siglos, sigue siendo válido en la guerra moderna, y para pedir perdón por el papel de la Iglesia en la esclavitud. La encíclica del Santo Padre, titulada “Magnifica Humanitas” (“Magnífica Humanidad”), se centra principalmente en el desarrollo ético de la inteligencia artificial y los peligros que plantean las armas autónomas, el poder tecnológico concentrado y la erosión de la dignidad humana. Pero en
The president of the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon emphasized that peace must remain a national priority, particularly in Cameroon’s conflict-ridden regions.
Ambiente seguro, causas de canonización y el Sagrado Corazón en la agenda de la reunión de los obispos de EEUU #Catholic – 
(OSV News) – La agenda de los obispos católicos de Estados Unidos para su reunión anual de primavera incluye temas como protocolos de entorno seguro, causas de canonización, el sínodo sobre la sinodalidad y la consagración de los Estados Unidos al Sagrado Corazón de Jesús.
La Conferencia de Obispos Católicos de los Estados Unidos se reunirá del 10 al 12 de junio para una asamblea plenaria de primavera en Orlando, Florida.
Las sesiones públicas de la reunión, que tendrán lugar el 10 y 11 de junio, se transmitirán en vivo a través del sitio web de la USCCB (como se le conoce a la conferencia episcopal, por sus siglas en inglés) en usccb.org, según un comunicado de prensa emitido el 18 de mayo por la conferencia.
El arzobispo Paul S. Coakley, de Oklahoma City, abrirá las sesiones públicas con su primer discurso como presidente de la USCCB, tras haber sido elegido durante la reunión anual de otoño de la conferencia en noviembre de 2025.
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También se dirigirá a los obispos el arzobispo Gabriele G. Caccia, quien fue nombrado nuncio papal en los Estados Unidos en marzo, tras haber servido anteriormente como observador permanente de la Santa Sede ante las Naciones Unidas. El arzobispo Caccia sucedió al cardenal Christophe Pierre, quien cumplió 80 años en enero y había ocupado el cargo desde 2016.
La USCCB señaló en su comunicado que la agenda de la asamblea de junio “aún no se ha finalizado y está sujeta a cambios”, pero afirmó que se espera que se voten varios puntos de acción.
Entre esos puntos se encuentra una revisión del “Estatuto para la Protección de Niños y Jóvenes” de la USCCB (“Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People”), adoptada en 2002 a raíz de la aparición de varios escándalos de abusos por parte del clero. Conocido comúnmente como el Estatuto de Dallas (o la Carta de Dallas), el documento establece un conjunto exhaustivo de procedimientos para abordar las denuncias de abuso sexual de menores por parte del clero católico, e incluye directrices para la reconciliación, la sanación, la rendición de cuentas y la prevención del abuso.
Sin especificar la revisión propuesta, la USCCB indicó en su comunicado que el punto del orden del día se refiere a “elementos de la Carta que los obispos han determinado que necesitan mejoras o un mayor desarrollo”.
La revisión “se alinearía con la intención original de la Carta de salvaguardar a los menores”, al tiempo que reafirma el “compromiso continuo” de la USCCB con la prevención del abuso y el establecimiento de mecanismos para responder a las denuncias, señaló el comunicado.
La USCCB señaló que su Comité para la Protección de Niños y Jóvenes, presidido por el obispo Barry C. Knestout de Richmond, Virginia, busca “equilibrar su atención y sensibilidad hacia las víctimas sobrevivientes, con una conciencia del debido proceso, los derechos de los acusados” y “los aspectos pertinentes” del derecho canónico y otros documentos clave sobre el manejo de las denuncias de abuso por parte del clero.
El comunicado de prensa citó en particular “Vox Estis Lux Mundi” (“Sois la luz del mundo”), el motu proprio del Papa Francisco que establece los procedimientos jurídicos a nivel mundial sobre cómo debe actuar la Iglesia ante los casos de abuso sexual por parte del clero, incluidos los incidentes que involucran a adultos vulnerables y los procedimientos para investigar a los obispos.
Además, los obispos considerarán las posibles revisiones de los estatutos a la luz del Vademécum de junio de 2022 del Dicasterio para la Doctrina de la Fe del Vaticano, o guía para obispos, sobre los procedimientos para manejar los casos de abuso por parte del clero.
También figuran en la agenda las consultas episcopales para dos causas de canonización: la de monseñor Joseph Francis Buh, un sacerdote misionero esloveno del siglo XIX que prestó su ministerio al pueblo ojibwe del norte de Minnesota; y la de John Rick Miller, un empresario estadounidense del siglo XX que fundó For the Love of God Worldwide, una asociación privada de fieles que promueve la consagración a Dios a través del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús y el Inmaculado Corazón de María.
Las consultas forman parte del proceso establecido por la Iglesia para las evaluaciones de santidad. Si se obtiene la aprobación de la Santa Sede tras las consultas, el obispo diocesano puede convocar un tribunal diocesano para examinar más a fondo la vida del candidato.
El Comité de Culto Divino de la USCCB completará los puntos de acción de la agenda, presentando fragmentos de dos textos para su consideración: una nueva edición del Leccionario para la Misa, que proporciona las lecturas de las Escrituras y el salmo para la liturgia de cada día; y el Suplemento del Misal Romano-Liturgia de las Horas de 2025.
En la reunión de noviembre de la USCCB, el obispo Steven J. Lopes, presidente del Comité de Culto Divino, anunció que el Vaticano había aprobado una nueva edición de la Liturgia de las Horas, la antigua oración litúrgica diaria de la Iglesia que combina las Escrituras, los textos sagrados y los himnos para el culto en diversas horas.
La asamblea de primavera también incluirá actualizaciones sobre una serie de temas adicionales, dijo la USCCB en su comunicado.
Los obispos debatirán sobre la implementación y la evaluación del Sínodo sobre la sinodalidad, así como sobre las opiniones recabadas en los diálogos celebrados en noviembre en torno a “Formando la conciencia para ser ciudadanos files”, el documento doctrinal de la USCCB sobre la responsabilidad política de los católicos.
Además, analizarán el 25.º aniversario de la implementación de “Ex Corde Ecclesia”, la constitución apostólica de San Juan Pablo II sobre las universidades católicas.
Las discusiones también examinarán la pastoral carcelaria católica; la participación de la USCCB en la Novena Intercontinental Guadalupana en honor al 500.º aniversario de las apariciones marianas en lo que hoy es la Ciudad de México; y la Jornada Mundial de la Juventud 2027, que tendrá lugar en Seúl, Corea del Sur.
Gina Christian es reportera multimedia de OSV News. Sígala en X en @GinaJesseReina.
– (OSV News) – La agenda de los obispos católicos de Estados Unidos para su reunión anual de primavera incluye temas como protocolos de entorno seguro, causas de canonización, el sínodo sobre la sinodalidad y la consagración de los Estados Unidos al Sagrado Corazón de Jesús. La Conferencia de Obispos Católicos de los Estados Unidos se reunirá del 10 al 12 de junio para una asamblea plenaria de primavera en Orlando, Florida. Las sesiones públicas de la reunión, que tendrán lugar el 10 y 11 de junio, se transmitirán en vivo a través del sitio web de la USCCB (como se
![Joyful Bishop confirms 59 youth at Passaic Polish parish #Catholic - A spirit of joy filled the Shrine of St. John Paul II/Holy Rosary Parish in Passaic, N.J., on May 31 as Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney celebrated Mass and confirmed 59 parish youth.
The Mass was concelebrated by Father A. Stefan Las, pastor of Holy Rosary, which serves a Polish Catholic community, along with Father Michal Dykalski, the parish’s parochial vicar.
Both Father Las and Father Dykalski used social media to congratulate the youth.
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On behalf of the youth, the priests posted a prayer on social media: “May the Holy Spirit, whose gifts you have received today, guide you throughout your life, strengthen you in your faith, fill you with courage and wisdom, and help you discover the beauty of everyday life with the Lord God. May his light show you the right path and his grace support you in making good decisions and realizing your dreams.”
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/joyful-bishop-confirms-59-youth-at-passaic-polish-parish-catholic-a-spirit-of-joy-filled-the-shrine-of-st-john-paul-ii-holy-rosary-parish-in-passaic-n-j-on-may-31-as-bishop-kevin-j-sweeney-cel.jpg)
Joyful Bishop confirms 59 youth at Passaic Polish parish #Catholic – 
A spirit of joy filled the Shrine of St. John Paul II/Holy Rosary Parish in Passaic, N.J., on May 31 as Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney celebrated Mass and confirmed 59 parish youth.
The Mass was concelebrated by Father A. Stefan Las, pastor of Holy Rosary, which serves a Polish Catholic community, along with Father Michal Dykalski, the parish’s parochial vicar.
Both Father Las and Father Dykalski used social media to congratulate the youth.
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On behalf of the youth, the priests posted a prayer on social media: “May the Holy Spirit, whose gifts you have received today, guide you throughout your life, strengthen you in your faith, fill you with courage and wisdom, and help you discover the beauty of everyday life with the Lord God. May his light show you the right path and his grace support you in making good decisions and realizing your dreams.”
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
– A spirit of joy filled the Shrine of St. John Paul II/Holy Rosary Parish in Passaic, N.J., on May 31 as Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney celebrated Mass and confirmed 59 parish youth. The Mass was concelebrated by Father A. Stefan Las, pastor of Holy Rosary, which serves a Polish Catholic community, along with Father Michal Dykalski, the parish’s parochial vicar. Both Father Las and Father Dykalski used social media to congratulate the youth. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. On behalf of the youth, the priests posted a prayer on social media: “May the Holy Spirit, whose gifts
The gathering will function as “a space for mutual listening, discernment, and shared exploration of certain issue,” Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re said.
Beyond The Beacon podcast 113: Bishop Kevin Sweeney shares opportunities to grow in faith #Catholic – 
Learn about some “opportunities” to grow in faith individually and through community in the Diocese of Paterson and beyond. Ways to get involved include the Corpus Christi Food Drive, Consecration to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, and priesthood ordination.
Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney and Communications Director/Beacon Editor Jai Agnish also discuss Pope Leo’s new encyclical on artificial intelligence, “Magnifica Humanitas,” and the upcoming U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops June plenary assembly in Orlando, Fla.
Listen to the episode here, or on any major podcast platform, or watch it on Bishop Sweeney’s YouTube channel.
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
– Learn about some “opportunities” to grow in faith individually and through community in the Diocese of Paterson and beyond. Ways to get involved include the Corpus Christi Food Drive, Consecration to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, and priesthood ordination. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney and Communications Director/Beacon Editor Jai Agnish also discuss Pope Leo’s new encyclical on artificial intelligence, “Magnifica Humanitas,” and the upcoming U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops June plenary assembly in Orlando, Fla. Listen to the episode here, or on any major podcast platform, or watch it on Bishop Sweeney’s YouTube channel. Click here to
While Christians are being slaughtered and kidnapped on a daily basis in Nigeria, Christians are also being massacred in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The post Islamic State Killing Christians Across Congo: More Than 1,100 Dead and No End in Sight appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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The cause of death for the missing scientist who was discovered dead in a New Mexico forest has been reportedly revealed, but it is simply raising more questions.
The post Cause of Death for Missing Scientist and Nuclear Lab Employee Reportedly Revealed appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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On June 3, a federal grand jury in the Middle District of Alabama returned a superseding indictment against the Southern Poverty Law Center, a second, expanded set of charges building on an original April 21 indictment, alleging that $4.1 million in tax-exempt funds paid informants inside extremist organizations who then recruited new members and purchased materials for cross burnings and Ku Klux Klan robes and hoods.
The post New DOJ Indictment Alleges Southern Poverty Law Center Funds Went to Hoods and Cross Burnings appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
Read MoreA reading from the Book of Deuteronomy
8:2-3, 14b-16a
Moses said to the people:
"Remember how for forty years now the LORD, your God,
has directed all your journeying in the desert,
so as to test you by affliction
and find out whether or not it was your intention
to keep his commandments.
He therefore let you be afflicted with hunger,
and then fed you with manna,
a food unknown to you and your fathers,
in order to show you that not by bread alone does one live,
but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of the LORD.
"Do not forget the LORD, your God,
who brought you out of the land of Egypt,
that place of slavery;
who guided you through the vast and terrible desert
with its saraph serpents and scorpions,
its parched and waterless ground;
who brought forth water for you from the flinty rock
and fed you in the desert with manna,
a food unknown to your fathers."
A reading from the First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians
10:16-17
Brothers and sisters:
The cup of blessing that we bless,
is it not a participation in the blood of Christ?
The bread that we break,
is it not a participation in the body of Christ?
Because the loaf of bread is one,
we, though many, are one body,
for we all partake of the one loaf.
From the Gospel according to John
6:51-58
Jesus said to the Jewish crowds:
"I am the living bread that came down from heaven;
whoever eats this bread will live forever;
and the bread that I will give
is my flesh for the life of the world."
The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying,
"How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"
Jesus said to them,
"Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood,
you do not have life within you.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
has eternal life,
and I will raise him on the last day.
For my flesh is true food,
and my blood is true drink.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
remains in me and I in him.
Just as the living Father sent me
and I have life because of the Father,
so also the one who feeds on me
will have life because of me.
This is the bread that came down from heaven.
Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died,
whoever eats this bread will live forever."
Christ is God’s answer to our human hunger, because his Body is the bread of eternal life: Take this and eat of it, all of you! Jesus’ invitation reflects our daily experience: in order to remain alive, we need to nourish ourselves with life, drawing it from plants and animals. Yet eating something dead reminds us that we too, no matter how much we eat, will one day die. On the other hand, when we partake of Jesus, the living and true Bread, we live for him. By offering himself completely, the crucified and risen Lord delivers himself into our hands, and we realize that we were made to partake of God. Our hungry nature bears the mark of a need that is satisfied by the grace of the Eucharist. As Saint Augustine writes, Christ is truly bread that restores and does not run short; bread that can be eaten but not exhausted. The Eucharist, in fact, is the true, real, and substantial presence of the Saviour (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1413), who transforms bread into himself in order to transform us into himself. Living and life-giving, the Corpus Domini makes us, the Church herself, the Body of the Lord. (Pope Leo XIV, Homily, 22 June 2025)
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Safe environment, sainthood causes and Sacred Heart on agenda for US bishops’ meeting #Catholic – 
(OSV News) — The nation’s Catholic bishops have a full agenda for their annual spring meeting, with topics including safe environment protocols, sainthood causes, the Synod on Synodality and the consecration of the U.S. to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops will gather June 10-12 for a spring plenary assembly in Orlando, Florida.
The public sessions of the meeting, which will take place June 10 and 11, will be livestreamed through the USCCB’s website at usccb.org, according to a May 18 press release issued by the conference.
Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City will open the public sessions with his first address as USCCB president, having been elected during the conference’s annual fall meeting in November 2025.
Also addressing the bishops will be Archbishop Gabriele G. Caccia, who was appointed as papal nuncio to the U.S. in March, having previously served as the Holy See’s permanent observer to the United Nations. Archbishop Caccia succeeded Cardinal Christophe Pierre, who turned 80 in January and had served in the post since 2016.
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The USCCB noted in its release that the agenda for the June assembly “has not yet been finalized and is subject to change,” but stated that votes are expected on several action items.
Among those items are a revision to the USCCB’s “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People,” adopted in 2002 as a number of clerical abuse scandals emerged. Commonly called the Dallas Charter, the document lays out a comprehensive set of procedures for addressing allegations of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy, and includes guidelines for reconciliation, healing, accountability and prevention of abuse.
Without specifying the proposed revision, the USCCB said in its release that the agenda item regards “elements of the Charter that the bishops have determined are in need of improvement or further development.”
The revision would “align with the Charter’s original intention of safeguarding minors,” while affirming the USCCB’s “continued commitment” to preventing abuse and providing mechanisms to respond to allegations, said the release.
The USCCB said its Committee for the Protection of Children and Young People — which is chaired by Bishop Barry C. Knestout of Richmond, Virginia — seeks “to balance its care of and sensitivity to victim-survivors, with an awareness of due-process, the rights of the accused,” and “pertinent aspects” of canon law and other key documents on handling clergy abuse allegations.
The press release cited in particular “Vox Estis Lux Mundi” (“You are the light of the world”), Pope Francis’ motu proprio outlining global legal procedures for how the church should deal with clergy sexual abuse, including incidents involving vulnerable adults and procedures for investigating bishops.
In addition, the bishops will consider the potential charter revisions in light of the Vatican Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith’s June 2022 Vademecum, or guidebook for bishops, on procedures for handling clergy abuse cases.
Also on the agenda are episcopal consultations for two canonization causes: that of Msgr. Joseph Francis Buh, a 19th-century Slovenian missionary priest who ministered to the Ojibwe people of northern Minnesota; and John Rick Miller, a 20th-century American businessman who founded For the Love of God Worldwide, a private association of the faithful promoting consecration to God through the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
The consultations are part of the Church’s established process for sainthood evaluations. If approval of the Holy See is obtained following the consultations, the diocesan bishop can convene a diocesan tribunal to examine more fully the life of the candidate.
The USCCB Committee on Divine Worship will round out the agenda’s action items, presenting portions from two texts for consideration: a new edition of the Lectionary for Mass, which provides the Scripture readings and psalm for each day’s liturgy; and the 2025 Roman Missal-Liturgy of the Hours Supplement.
At the USCCB’s November meeting, Bishop Steven J. Lopes, chair of the Committee on Divine Worship, announced that the Vatican had approved a new edition of the Liturgy of the Hours, the Church’s ancient daily liturgical prayer that blends Scripture, sacred texts and hymns for worship at various hours.
The spring assembly will also include updates on a number of additional issues, said the USCCB in its release.
The bishops will discuss the implementation and evaluation of the Synod on Synodality, as well as feedback from their November dialogues on “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship,” the USCCB’s teaching document on the political responsibility of Catholics.
In addition, they will explore the 25th anniversary of the implementation of “Ex Corde Ecclesia,” St. John Paul II’s apostolic constitution on Catholic universities.
Discussions will also examine Catholic prison ministry; the USCCB’s involvement with the Intercontinental Guadalupan Novena honoring the 500th anniversary of the Marian apparitions in what is now Mexico City; and World Youth Day 2027, which will take place in Seoul, South Korea.
Gina Christian is a multimedia reporter for OSV News. Follow her on X @GinaJesseReina.
– (OSV News) — The nation’s Catholic bishops have a full agenda for their annual spring meeting, with topics including safe environment protocols, sainthood causes, the Synod on Synodality and the consecration of the U.S. to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops will gather June 10-12 for a spring plenary assembly in Orlando, Florida. The public sessions of the meeting, which will take place June 10 and 11, will be livestreamed through the USCCB’s website at usccb.org, according to a May 18 press release issued by the conference. Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City will
Rosary service brings ‘prayerful, peaceful presence’ to NJ immigrant detention facility #Catholic – 
NEWARK, N.J. (OSV News) — In response to rising tensions at the Delaney Hall immigrant detention facility in Newark, the Archdiocese of Newark held a prayer service about half a mile from its entrance.
Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin attended the May 31 service, which included a bilingual rosary and testimony from a family whose loved one has been detained inside the facility for the past two months.
“As we saw the violence escalate at Delaney Hall since Memorial Day, the archdiocese wanted to have a prayerful, peaceful presence there,” Father Timothy Graff, archdiocesan secretary of parish mission and vitality, told Jersey Catholic, the news site of the Archdiocese of Newark.
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He was among those participating in the service, along with Father Alex Gaitan, immigration ministry coordinator, and Father Anthony Palombo, priest secretary to the cardinal.
Representatives from various parish migration teams also attended the service, along with members of Pax Christi, an organization dedicated to promoting peace and justice. Family members of detainees and protesters were also present; many of them joined in the prayer service.
Cardinal Tobin addressed all those gathered “with great humility,” acknowledging those who “give such a clear witness to the dignity of our brothers and sisters and the injustices that are being done to them.”
He encouraged people to “move forward in hope” and to follow the example of Christ.
“The greatness of Jesus is that terrible injustice and violence were done to him, yet he refused to pass it on, saying ‘The injustice will die with me,’” the cardinal said. “That is the example I want to follow, and I hope you do, too, so that we don’t multiply the injustices in our anger and frustration, and, yes, even despair.”
During the rosary, participants prayed for detainees and their families, for peace, and for those who work at the facility, that they might recognize the humanity of those held there.
Delaney Hall, a privately run, 1,000-bed facility, opened in May 2025. It is the largest immigrant detention facility on the East Coast and is operated by the GEO Group under contract for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Anti-ICE protests outside the facility have taken place since May 22 over alleged mistreatment of detainees, poor conditions and bad food, while Geo Group has denied the allegations of poor conditions. A smaller group of pro-ICE demonstrators has also gathered.
A local NBC affiliate reported that Newark Mayor Ras Baraka ordered a 9 p.m.-6 a.m. curfew late Saturday night, May 30, “following back-to-back nights of clashes” between anti-ICE protesters and New Jersey State Police, recently assigned to the facility by Gov. Mikie Sherrill. Multiple people were arrested over the May 30-31 weekend for breaching the curfew.
While saying she wants to protect the community from a “surge” by ICE agents into the community, Sherrill in a statement issued early May 31 called out “masked individuals” outside Delaney Hall for attacking the barrier in the protected protest area and “aggressive and dangerous actions against Newark and New Jersey State Police, including throwing projectiles, utilizing the barriers as weapons, and lighting tires on fire in the street.
Father Gaitan and volunteers from the Newark archdiocesan immigration ministry visit the facility regularly to administer sacraments, lead prayer services, and offer hope to those cut off from their families and the outside world.
In an interview after the rosary with Radio Jornalera NJ, Cardinal Tobin encouraged detainees and their families to have hope.
“Human dignity is not a concession granted by any government; it is the will of God, who created us according to his own image and nature,” he said. “And for that reason, no government can take away our dignity. Remain strong and hold your heads high, because you are daughters and sons of God, and you do not walk alone.”
John Touhey is managing editor and Shania Mosquera is digital media specialist at Jersey Catholic, the news site of the Archdiocese of Newark. This story was originally published by Jersey Catholic and distributed through a partnership with OSV News.
– NEWARK, N.J. (OSV News) — In response to rising tensions at the Delaney Hall immigrant detention facility in Newark, the Archdiocese of Newark held a prayer service about half a mile from its entrance. Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin attended the May 31 service, which included a bilingual rosary and testimony from a family whose loved one has been detained inside the facility for the past two months. “As we saw the violence escalate at Delaney Hall since Memorial Day, the archdiocese wanted to have a prayerful, peaceful presence there,” Father Timothy Graff, archdiocesan secretary of parish mission and vitality, told
Cyprus might be known for its sun-soaked beaches, but it’s also an outdoor adventurer’s paradise.
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The Florida bishops had petitioned the state Legislature for the funding, though a broader statewide measure failed to pass.
Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday addressed presidents and senior administrators from Catholic institutions belonging to the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities.
![Children reminded of Jesus’ love for them in Eucharist #Catholic - On May 31, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney encouraged first communicants from the Paterson Diocese, N.J., and their families to remember Jesus’ love as they received the Eucharist during the annual Catechesis. The event at Resurrection Parish in Randolph, N.J., gathered first communicants for an afternoon of catechesis, adoration, and celebration.
Dressed as they were on the day of their First Holy Communion, the participating children represented their home parishes. The goal for the day was to remind them that receiving Jesus in the Eucharist is a special gift and an essential part of their lives.
Bishop Sweeney engaged the children with catechesis on the Eucharist, conducting the session in a question-and-answer format. Most were second-graders, and they responded with thoughtful questions, which generated a meaningful dialogue.
During his homily, Bishop Sweeney asked, “What do you remember about your first Holy Communion?” The children answered, “receiving the body and blood of Jesus,” “being proud of myself,” “my reading,” and “pictures.”
Bishop Sweeney then reminded the children that at every Mass, Jesus says, “This is my body. This is my blood. Do this in memory of me,” as at the Last Supper.
He explained, “Why is it important to remember? To honor him because he died for us. He wants us to remember his love.” Bishop Sweeney incorporated the children’s earlier answers, making his message personal.
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
Additionally, in his homily, Bishop Sweeney urged the first communicants to say “please, thank you, and I love you” when praying to God.
The event also included the recitation of the Litany of St. Carlo Acutis, the first millennial saint, as well as a Scripture reading, exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, Eucharistic procession, Benediction, Eucharistic blessing, and the Divine Praises. Many attendees experienced a deeper love for the Eucharist.
The diocesan Office Catechesis and Faith Formation and the Office of Worship coordinated the Eucharistic Catechesis. Father Yojaneider Garcia Ramirez, director of the Office of Catechesis and Faith Formation and pastor of Resurrection Parish, was among the priests who participated. Diocesan seminarians also assisted.
Bishop Sweeney gave each child a rosary to aid meditation on Jesus’ life and relationship with him, as well as a prayer card for each first communicant.
The event ended with a reception, during which the bishop posed for pictures with each first communicant and their families.
During the Eucharistic Catechesis, Bishop Sweeney took a moment to thank all those who helped prepare the children to receive their first Holy Communion, especially their parents.
In his introduction, Bishop Sweeney told the children, “We give thanks for the great gift of Jesus you received in First Holy Communion. Hopefully, you will be receiving Jesus every Sunday.”
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/children-reminded-of-jesus-love-for-them-in-eucharist-catholic-on-may-31-bishop-kevin-j-sweeney-encouraged-first-communicants-from-the-paterson-diocese-n-j-and-their-families-to-remem.jpg)
Children reminded of Jesus’ love for them in Eucharist #Catholic – 
On May 31, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney encouraged first communicants from the Paterson Diocese, N.J., and their families to remember Jesus’ love as they received the Eucharist during the annual Catechesis. The event at Resurrection Parish in Randolph, N.J., gathered first communicants for an afternoon of catechesis, adoration, and celebration.
Dressed as they were on the day of their First Holy Communion, the participating children represented their home parishes. The goal for the day was to remind them that receiving Jesus in the Eucharist is a special gift and an essential part of their lives.
Bishop Sweeney engaged the children with catechesis on the Eucharist, conducting the session in a question-and-answer format. Most were second-graders, and they responded with thoughtful questions, which generated a meaningful dialogue.
During his homily, Bishop Sweeney asked, “What do you remember about your first Holy Communion?” The children answered, “receiving the body and blood of Jesus,” “being proud of myself,” “my reading,” and “pictures.”
Bishop Sweeney then reminded the children that at every Mass, Jesus says, “This is my body. This is my blood. Do this in memory of me,” as at the Last Supper.
He explained, “Why is it important to remember? To honor him because he died for us. He wants us to remember his love.” Bishop Sweeney incorporated the children’s earlier answers, making his message personal.
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
Additionally, in his homily, Bishop Sweeney urged the first communicants to say “please, thank you, and I love you” when praying to God.
The event also included the recitation of the Litany of St. Carlo Acutis, the first millennial saint, as well as a Scripture reading, exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, Eucharistic procession, Benediction, Eucharistic blessing, and the Divine Praises. Many attendees experienced a deeper love for the Eucharist.
The diocesan Office Catechesis and Faith Formation and the Office of Worship coordinated the Eucharistic Catechesis. Father Yojaneider Garcia Ramirez, director of the Office of Catechesis and Faith Formation and pastor of Resurrection Parish, was among the priests who participated. Diocesan seminarians also assisted.
Bishop Sweeney gave each child a rosary to aid meditation on Jesus’ life and relationship with him, as well as a prayer card for each first communicant.
The event ended with a reception, during which the bishop posed for pictures with each first communicant and their families.
During the Eucharistic Catechesis, Bishop Sweeney took a moment to thank all those who helped prepare the children to receive their first Holy Communion, especially their parents.
In his introduction, Bishop Sweeney told the children, “We give thanks for the great gift of Jesus you received in First Holy Communion. Hopefully, you will be receiving Jesus every Sunday.”
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
– On May 31, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney encouraged first communicants from the Paterson Diocese, N.J., and their families to remember Jesus’ love as they received the Eucharist during the annual Catechesis. The event at Resurrection Parish in Randolph, N.J., gathered first communicants for an afternoon of catechesis, adoration, and celebration. Dressed as they were on the day of their First Holy Communion, the participating children represented their home parishes. The goal for the day was to remind them that receiving Jesus in the Eucharist is a special gift and an essential part of their lives. Bishop Sweeney engaged the children
The brainchild of George Ellery Hale, the 200-inch Hale Telescope was dedicated June 3, 1948, at Palomar Observatory in California. In promoting and fundraising for the project, Hale had a firm science agenda for the scope, but also wrote more fancifully of “the lure of the uncharted seas of space”; though he died in 1938,Continue reading “June 3, 1948: Hale Telescope dedicated”
The post June 3, 1948: Hale Telescope dedicated appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
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BURBANK, CA — In an effort to win back disgruntled fans, Disney executives announced a brand-new Star Wars film trilogy centered entirely around Jar Jar Binks, one of the most popular characters in the franchise.
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It’s Primary Election Day in California, and, as expected, a ton of people are still voting Democrat. The Babylon Bee hit the streets to find out why.
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Hyacinth macaw couple with a Pink Ipê tree in the background in Mato Grosso, Brazil
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Coakley spoke at a virtual panel held by Georgetown University’s Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life that explored what the encyclical is asking.
![Pope’s AI warnings come as Americans grapple with data center expansions – #Catholic – Pope Leo XIV issued stark warnings against building “a new Tower of Babel” when developing artificial intelligence (AI) in his recently released encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, at a time when many people are growing concerned with the impact of the new technology and the rapid data center expansion that supports it.His encyclical, the title of which means "magnificent humanity,” pleads for AI development that safeguards Earth’s natural resources, preserves the dignity of work, builds up human solidarity, and does not concentrate power in the hands of a few but rather ensures all people benefit from the innovation.As American companies move fast to expand AI data centers — with over 4,000 operating and thousands more under construction — projects face local protests and critics cite environmental concerns, noise pollution, lack of long-term employment, and broader skepticism of AI’s impact on society.Although a March Gallup poll of 1,000 Americans found 71% oppose local AI data centers and only 27% support them, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum promoted data center expansion on Fox Business on May 26, citing productivity benefits across many sectors of the economy.The protests, he claimed, are “foreign-directed propaganda” campaigns from nations competing with the United States. He dismissed Leo’s guidance while laughing and said: "I didnʼt know that tech editorializing was part of the role of being pope.”Yet AI skepticism is quite prominent among the American public. A June 2025 Pew survey of 5,000 people found 50% are more concerned than excited about AI, 38% are equally excited and concerned, and just 10% are more excited than concerned. An NBC poll of 1,000 people in March found that 57% believe the risks of AI outweigh the benefits and 34% said the opposite.David Cloutier, a Notre Dame theology professor and academic director of the Business Ethics and Society Program, told EWTN News: “I think the resistance to data centers is rooted in a larger suspicion of the technology itself.”“They are a really tempting symbolic target,” he said, adding that data centers “symbolize a future that is all computer and machine and no people.”“I think people experience the arrival of this technology as something that they did not ask for and seems overwhelming to them,” Cloutier added.Dignity of work and power concentrationData centers often receive significant state and local tax incentives. At least 28 states offer tax incentives specific to data centers: Each waives certain sales tax, 14 offer energy subsidies, and 11 provide property tax reductions, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.In a small number of states with significant data center growth — such as Texas and Virginia — data centers are receiving more than $1 billion annually in tax incentives. Apart from temporary construction jobs, smaller data centers often employ fewer than 150 permanent workers, while larger ones may employ a few hundred.Father Philip Larrey, a philosophy professor at Boston College, told EWTN News “it doesn’t make sense to me” to offer those incentives because “you don’t need many people to actually run these things.”“What advantage is there for the local people to have a data center in their city?” he questioned. “Probably none.”Cloutier noted the difference between incentives given to data centers and to factories, saying “the factory can only work if workers come to the factory,” but “data centers don’t employ people like factories do.”“The question is a question about power and who controls these very important entities and whether they share the wealth that is generated by these entities,” he said, pointing to Leo’s concern about the centralization of power and dignity of work.In the encyclical, Leo contrasted the Tower of Babel with the Book of Nehemiah, which details the construction of new walls for Jerusalem. The Holy Father said AI development should mirror the priorities outlined in that text: “Safeguarding humanity and the common good.”Cloutier encouraged local government officials to question “Who’s truly being benefited by these developments?” and “Is this really benefiting my local community?” when considering projects.“Listen to the community and ask questions of the company in ways that attempt to make the project more like Nehemiah building the wall,” he said.The backlash to data centers also fuels concerns about AI replacing people in the workforce, with Cloutier noting “they’re enormous but empty of people.”As the technology improves, Larrey expressed concern about the long-term impact on the labor force, saying it will be hard to convince a company to hire a person if it can achieve “the same result from an AI that you get from a human being and they cost almost nothing.” Yet, he urged employers to consider the human impact and encouraged employees to incorporate AI into their work if it can help prevent replacement.“Just because you can replace a person with AI doesn’t mean that you should,” he said.Judith McGill, marketing and content specialist for DataBank — a data center developer — and a practicing Catholic, told EWTN News that she believes critics' objections about employment are misleading, because although the centers themselves do not employ “a lot of people,” the services benefit “all of the employees of our customers” who use AI.She said governments would not offer incentives if investments were not “a net economic benefit to those communities.” Despite incentives, she said: “We pay taxes and, in fact, contribute to schools and roads.”For example, McGill said DataBank aligns itself with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) guidelines for multinational enterprises, which prioritizes issues like labor rights and the environment.“Our focus is on those organizations which are building technical skills for students entering the workforce and for teachers,” she said.Environment and resourcesIn his encyclical, Leo warned of a “tendency to overlook the environmental impact” of AI and the “enormous amounts of energy and water” needed for data centers, which puts “heavy demands on natural resources” and influences carbon dioxide emissions.A report from the Electric Power Research Institute found 4%-5% of national energy is consumed by data centers, but that will rise to somewhere between 9% and 17% by 2030, mostly because of AI. It could exceed 20% in seven states and be somewhere between 39% and 57% in Virginia. Many data centers use water to cool machines.Cloutier said environmental concerns are “a very important point that is very easy to miss,” adding that “the amount of computer work that has to go on in order for the AI company to answer [a] question is very, very large.”“The environmental impact is downstream from the way we use that technology,” he said, noting that if AI progresses to be “completely embedded in our lives,” it will exacerbate the concerns.Larrey said water and energy are two concerns people have as data centers continue to be built: “They need huge data centers in order to run the servers that give us these large AI models that are only going to get larger and larger as time goes on.”Larrey said innovation can ease concerns and cited OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s investments in small nuclear reactors that could increase opportunities to employ clean energy. He referenced Nobel-Prize winning AlphaFold as well, developed by DeepMind, which significantly reduced the time and energy needed for AI protein structure prediction.“You need massive data centers in order to keep up with the competition,” he said. “Now the companies have to come up with a way of making these more efficient and using less electricity. … It’s becoming a real problem for the companies because people are protesting, actually in the street.”McGill, speaking for DataBank, said Leo’s environmental concerns and broader concerns are “well taken” and even though data center developers are not religious organizations, it “doesn’t absolve us from behaving responsibly.”She said DataBank is experimenting with hydrogenated vegetable oil for power. The company also designs the data centers with a closed-loop water cooling system, which means the water is continuously recycled through the system rather than consuming additional water.McGill added that “data centers pay for their power.” She acknowledged power consumption as a "legitimate concern” but criticized the narrative of the data center industry as “one big scary monster,” making them “the scapegoat” for higher consumption and rate hikes. She noted that inflation and foreign policy in the Middle East have a major effect on energy costs.“What we are doing toward responsible behavior, toward human beings, and toward the environment is absolutely in line with the pope’s encyclical,” she said.Amid growing protests and guidelines coming down from the Vatican, McGill said a parishioner at the parish she attends asked her how a Catholic could work for a data center company, but she said this incorrectly “implied there was a disconnection.”“My conscience is clear,” she said. “This is an industry that is not just avoiding doing bad things but actively seeking out ways to do the right thing.”](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/popes-ai-warnings-come-as-americans-grapple-with-data-center-expansions-catholic-pope-leo-xiv-issued-stark-warnings-against-building-a-new-tower-of-babel-when-developin.jpg "Pope’s AI warnings come as Americans grapple with data center expansions – #Catholic – Pope Leo XIV issued stark warnings against building “a new Tower of Babel” when developing artificial intelligence (AI) in his recently released encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, at a time when many people are growing concerned with the impact of the new technology and the rapid data center expansion that supports it.His encyclical, the title of which means \"magnificent humanity,” pleads for AI development that safeguards Earth’s natural resources, preserves the dignity of work, builds up human solidarity, and does not concentrate power in the hands of a few but rather ensures all people benefit from the innovation.As American companies move fast to expand AI data centers — with over 4,000 operating and thousands more under construction — projects face local protests and critics cite environmental concerns, noise pollution, lack of long-term employment, and broader skepticism of AI’s impact on society.Although a March Gallup poll of 1,000 Americans found 71% oppose local AI data centers and only 27% support them, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum promoted data center expansion on Fox Business on May 26, citing productivity benefits across many sectors of the economy.The protests, he claimed, are “foreign-directed propaganda” campaigns from nations competing with the United States. He dismissed Leo’s guidance while laughing and said: \"I didnʼt know that tech editorializing was part of the role of being pope.”Yet AI skepticism is quite prominent among the American public. A June 2025 Pew survey of 5,000 people found 50% are more concerned than excited about AI, 38% are equally excited and concerned, and just 10% are more excited than concerned. An NBC poll of 1,000 people in March found that 57% believe the risks of AI outweigh the benefits and 34% said the opposite.David Cloutier, a Notre Dame theology professor and academic director of the Business Ethics and Society Program, told EWTN News: “I think the resistance to data centers is rooted in a larger suspicion of the technology itself.”“They are a really tempting symbolic target,” he said, adding that data centers “symbolize a future that is all computer and machine and no people.”“I think people experience the arrival of this technology as something that they did not ask for and seems overwhelming to them,” Cloutier added.Dignity of work and power concentrationData centers often receive significant state and local tax incentives. At least 28 states offer tax incentives specific to data centers: Each waives certain sales tax, 14 offer energy subsidies, and 11 provide property tax reductions, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.In a small number of states with significant data center growth — such as Texas and Virginia — data centers are receiving more than $1 billion annually in tax incentives. Apart from temporary construction jobs, smaller data centers often employ fewer than 150 permanent workers, while larger ones may employ a few hundred.Father Philip Larrey, a philosophy professor at Boston College, told EWTN News “it doesn’t make sense to me” to offer those incentives because “you don’t need many people to actually run these things.”“What advantage is there for the local people to have a data center in their city?” he questioned. “Probably none.”Cloutier noted the difference between incentives given to data centers and to factories, saying “the factory can only work if workers come to the factory,” but “data centers don’t employ people like factories do.”“The question is a question about power and who controls these very important entities and whether they share the wealth that is generated by these entities,” he said, pointing to Leo’s concern about the centralization of power and dignity of work.In the encyclical, Leo contrasted the Tower of Babel with the Book of Nehemiah, which details the construction of new walls for Jerusalem. The Holy Father said AI development should mirror the priorities outlined in that text: “Safeguarding humanity and the common good.”Cloutier encouraged local government officials to question “Who’s truly being benefited by these developments?” and “Is this really benefiting my local community?” when considering projects.“Listen to the community and ask questions of the company in ways that attempt to make the project more like Nehemiah building the wall,” he said.The backlash to data centers also fuels concerns about AI replacing people in the workforce, with Cloutier noting “they’re enormous but empty of people.”As the technology improves, Larrey expressed concern about the long-term impact on the labor force, saying it will be hard to convince a company to hire a person if it can achieve “the same result from an AI that you get from a human being and they cost almost nothing.” Yet, he urged employers to consider the human impact and encouraged employees to incorporate AI into their work if it can help prevent replacement.“Just because you can replace a person with AI doesn’t mean that you should,” he said.Judith McGill, marketing and content specialist for DataBank — a data center developer — and a practicing Catholic, told EWTN News that she believes critics' objections about employment are misleading, because although the centers themselves do not employ “a lot of people,” the services benefit “all of the employees of our customers” who use AI.She said governments would not offer incentives if investments were not “a net economic benefit to those communities.” Despite incentives, she said: “We pay taxes and, in fact, contribute to schools and roads.”For example, McGill said DataBank aligns itself with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) guidelines for multinational enterprises, which prioritizes issues like labor rights and the environment.“Our focus is on those organizations which are building technical skills for students entering the workforce and for teachers,” she said.Environment and resourcesIn his encyclical, Leo warned of a “tendency to overlook the environmental impact” of AI and the “enormous amounts of energy and water” needed for data centers, which puts “heavy demands on natural resources” and influences carbon dioxide emissions.A report from the Electric Power Research Institute found 4%-5% of national energy is consumed by data centers, but that will rise to somewhere between 9% and 17% by 2030, mostly because of AI. It could exceed 20% in seven states and be somewhere between 39% and 57% in Virginia. Many data centers use water to cool machines.Cloutier said environmental concerns are “a very important point that is very easy to miss,” adding that “the amount of computer work that has to go on in order for the AI company to answer [a] question is very, very large.”“The environmental impact is downstream from the way we use that technology,” he said, noting that if AI progresses to be “completely embedded in our lives,” it will exacerbate the concerns.Larrey said water and energy are two concerns people have as data centers continue to be built: “They need huge data centers in order to run the servers that give us these large AI models that are only going to get larger and larger as time goes on.”Larrey said innovation can ease concerns and cited OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s investments in small nuclear reactors that could increase opportunities to employ clean energy. He referenced Nobel-Prize winning AlphaFold as well, developed by DeepMind, which significantly reduced the time and energy needed for AI protein structure prediction.“You need massive data centers in order to keep up with the competition,” he said. “Now the companies have to come up with a way of making these more efficient and using less electricity. … It’s becoming a real problem for the companies because people are protesting, actually in the street.”McGill, speaking for DataBank, said Leo’s environmental concerns and broader concerns are “well taken” and even though data center developers are not religious organizations, it “doesn’t absolve us from behaving responsibly.”She said DataBank is experimenting with hydrogenated vegetable oil for power. The company also designs the data centers with a closed-loop water cooling system, which means the water is continuously recycled through the system rather than consuming additional water.McGill added that “data centers pay for their power.” She acknowledged power consumption as a \"legitimate concern” but criticized the narrative of the data center industry as “one big scary monster,” making them “the scapegoat” for higher consumption and rate hikes. She noted that inflation and foreign policy in the Middle East have a major effect on energy costs.“What we are doing toward responsible behavior, toward human beings, and toward the environment is absolutely in line with the pope’s encyclical,” she said.Amid growing protests and guidelines coming down from the Vatican, McGill said a parishioner at the parish she attends asked her how a Catholic could work for a data center company, but she said this incorrectly “implied there was a disconnection.”“My conscience is clear,” she said. “This is an industry that is not just avoiding doing bad things but actively seeking out ways to do the right thing.”")
Catholic scholars echo Leo’s focus on the dignity of work, the environment, and avoiding power concentration as one data center spokesperson says her work is consistent with Leo’s vision.
A French children’s rights group has filed formal observations with the U.N. Human Rights Council ahead of November reviews of Greece and Ireland.
A reading from the Second Letter of St. Paul to Timothy
1:1-3, 6-12
Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God
for the promise of life in Christ Jesus,
to Timothy, my dear child:
grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father
and Christ Jesus our Lord.
I am grateful to God,
whom I worship with a clear conscience as my ancestors did,
as I remember you constantly in my prayers, night and day.
For this reason, I remind you to stir into flame
the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands.
For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice
but rather of power and love and self-control.
So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord,
nor of me, a prisoner for his sake;
but bear your share of hardship for the Gospel
with the strength that comes from God.
He saved us and called us to a holy life,
not according to our works
but according to his own design
and the grace bestowed on us in Christ Jesus before time began,
but now made manifest
through the appearance of our savior Christ Jesus,
who destroyed death and brought life and immortality
to light through the Gospel,
for which I was appointed preacher and Apostle and teacher.
On this account I am suffering these things;
but I am not ashamed,
for I know him in whom I have believed
and am confident that he is able to guard
what has been entrusted to me until that day.
From the Gospel according to Mark
12:18-27
Some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection,
came to Jesus and put this question to him, saying,
"Teacher, Moses wrote for us,
If someone’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no child,
his brother must take the wife
and raise up descendants for his brother.
Now there were seven brothers.
The first married a woman and died, leaving no descendants.
So the second brother married her and died, leaving no descendants,
and the third likewise.
And the seven left no descendants.
Last of all the woman also died.
At the resurrection when they arise whose wife will she be?
For all seven had been married to her."
Jesus said to them, "Are you not misled
because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God?
When they rise from the dead,
they neither marry nor are given in marriage,
but they are like the angels in heaven.
As for the dead being raised,
have you not read in the Book of Moses,
in the passage about the bush, how God told him,
I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac,
and the God of Jacob?
He is not God of the dead but of the living.
You are greatly misled."
Here, Christ encounters men who consider themselves expert and authoritative interpreters of the Scriptures. To these men – that is, to the Sadducees – Jesus replies that a mere literal knowledge of Scripture is not enough. In fact, Scripture is above all a means of knowing the power of the living God, who reveals Himself in it, just as he revealed Himself to Moses in the burning bush. In this revelation, He called himself “the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and of Jacob” – that is, of those who had been the forefathers of Moses in the faith that springs from the revelation of the living God. All of them have long since died; yet Christ completes the reference to them with His affirmation that God “is not the God of the dead, but of the living”. This key statement, in which Christ interprets the words addressed to Moses from the burning bush, can only be understood if one acknowledges the reality of a life that death does not bring to an end. Moses’ forefathers in the faith, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, are living persons for God, even though, by human standards, they must be counted among the dead. To read Scripture correctly, and in particular the aforementioned words of God, means to know and accept by faith the power of the Giver of life, who is not bound by the law of death, which reigns supreme in the earthly history of mankind. (Saint John Paul II, General Audience, 18 November 1981)
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DHS Chief Markwayne Mullin on Tuesday testified before the Senate on his department’s 2027 budget.
The post DHS Chief Markwayne Mullin Crushes Democrat Senator Chris Murphy’s Lies (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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Democrat Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) — the same guy The Gateway Pundit previously reported on for flying to El Salvador last year for a humiliating photo op, where he was caught sipping margaritas with a MS-13 gang member and deported criminal (Bukele’s team even posted the evidence and dubbed it “Margaritagate”) — tried to lecture Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday about Cuba’s status as a state sponsor of terrorism.
The post Rubio Claps Back Hard With Facts After Senator Chris Van Hollen — The Guy Who Grabs Margs With MS-13 Gang Member — Says “There Is No Evidence That Cuba Is Engaged In State-Sponsored Terrorism” appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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