Lebanon’s Christians fear sovereignty will be traded in regional diplomacy – #Catholic – Maronite patriarch Cardinal Bechara Boutros Rai, who met with Pope Leo XIV last week, said the pope’s visit to Lebanon last December, held under the motto “Blessed are the peacemakers,” marked the beginning of a new phase of dialogue for peace. Rai expressed hope that the ongoing negotiations between Lebanon and Israel would lead to a true, just, comprehensive, and lasting peace — but Christians there fear their country’s sovereignty may be at stake. Rai warned in his Sunday homily that Lebanon “must not become the price of any international or regional understanding, nor an arena for settling scores, but rather a message of peace.” He expressed hope that the efforts involving the United States, Lebanon, and Israel would bear fruit and lead to an agreement that removes “the specter of war” from Lebanon.His remarks come as Lebanon finds itself at the center of two parallel diplomatic tracks: a U.S.-Iran agreement and a direct trilateral framework involving Lebanon, Israel, and the United States. In both, Lebanon’s future is at stake and the country’s Christians remain a central part of the national conversation on peace and sovereignty. Lebanon’s Maronite patriarch, Cardinal Bechara Boutros al-Rai, speaks during an interview with AFP at the Maronite Patriarchate in Bkerke, north of Beirut, on Oct. 15, 2025. | Credit: JOSEPH EID/AFP via Getty Images For many Christians in Lebanon, the fear is that their country’s future could once again be treated as part of a broader regional bargain rather than as a sovereign national question. This concern was reflected in a letter sent by Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea to U.S. Vice President JD Vance, in which he urged Washington to separate the Lebanese issue from negotiations with Iran. Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem described the agreement as “a great victory” and “a pivotal point for Lebanon.”Speaking to EWTN News, Lebanese member of Parliament Pierre Bou Assi said that, as the Lebanese Forces leader stated in his letter to the U.S. vice president, their project remains the establishment of a real state in Lebanon. But he said such a state cannot fulfill its role as long as Hezbollah remains armed and continues to drag Lebanon into wars and suffering in service of Iran.“We want to be freed from Hezbollah’s weapons in order to build a state that protects everyone, Christians and Muslims alike,” he said.Bou Assi added that he does not believe the U.S.-Iran understanding will have a direct impact on Hezbollah’s behavior in Lebanon. According to U.S. sources, he said, the talks did not focus specifically on this point but rather on the Strait of Hormuz and a monitoring mechanism for Iran’s peaceful nuclear program. Many in Lebanon stress that including the Lebanese issue in these regional negotiations has allowed Iran to regain leverage over the Lebanese political sphere.Moreover, President Donald Trump’s recent suggestion that Syria could play a role in addressing the issue of Hezbollah has touched a deep nerve among many Lebanese Christians. For them, any talk of Syrian involvement in Lebanon triggers the memory of nearly three decades of Syrian military and political occupation, which only ended in 2005. Lebanon member of Parliament Pierre Bou Assi. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Pierre Bou Assi Bou Assi said that, as a Lebanese and Christian member of Parliament belonging to the largest Lebanese and Christian parliamentary bloc, and despite respect for the United States as a friendly country, “we cannot accept the return of the Syrian army to Lebanon.”“The Lebanese suffered greatly under the occupation of the Assad regime, which lasted for 30 years between 1975 and 2005,” he said. “For this reason, as a sovereignist component that resisted that occupation, we cannot accept the repetition of this bitter and destructive experience.”At the same time, Bou Assi pointed to repeated statements by the Syrian president that Syria has no intention of entering Lebanon again, out of respect for Lebanese sovereignty.He said such positions are in line with the Lebanese Forces’ desire for the best possible relations with Syria, relations based on respect for the sovereignty, stability, and interests of both countries and peoples.Toni Nissi, president of the Committee for the U.N. Security Council Resolutions on Lebanon and secretary-general of the National Council for the Cedar Revolution, echoed similar concerns in a conversation with EWTN News.“For many Lebanese, and certainly for many Lebanese Christians, such remarks inevitably awaken painful memories,” Nissi said.He explained that his generation remembers a period in which Lebanon’s sovereign institutions were overshadowed by external tutelage. For that reason, he said, any suggestion that Syria might once again assume a political or security role inside Lebanon naturally provokes concern. Toni Nissi, president of the Committee for the U.N. Security Council Resolutions on Lebanon and secretary-general of the National Council for the Cedar Revolution. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Toni Nissi Nissi also stressed that diplomacy becomes problematic when nations become objects of negotiation instead of subjects of their own history. “For far too long, Lebanon has been treated as a battlefield where others settle their disputes and as a diplomatic mailbox through which regional powers exchange messages,” he added.There are growing concerns in Lebanon, especially among Christians, that the U.S.-Iran memorandum and the wider diplomacy surrounding it could overshadow the Lebanon-Israel talks promoted by President Joseph Aoun as an effort to return decisions of war, peace, and sovereignty to state institutions.For many Lebanese Christians, those talks carry a deeper meaning. They are not only a diplomatic opening with Israel but also a possible step toward restoring the authority of the Lebanese state after years in which Hezbollah’s weapons and Iran’s influence have shaped the country’s security choices.Lebanese officials have described the move toward direct negotiations with Israel as a historic step through which the state could reclaim responsibility for Lebanon’s foreign and security policy. Yet the government now faces the delicate reality of seeing Iran negotiate with Washington over issues that directly affect Lebanon’s future, raising fears that Beirut could once again be treated as a secondary actor in decisions concerning its own sovereignty.Nonetheless, last week’s signing of the Trilateral Framework Agreement between Lebanon, Israel, and the United States, announced by U.S. Secretary of ‌State Marco Rubio, marked a major milestone, offering a possible path toward placing Lebanon’s sovereignty, security, and state authority back at the center of the diplomatic process.Nissi explained that the framework “establishes a phased mechanism intended to strengthen security, extend the authority of the Lebanese state across its entire territory, and create a practical pathway for implementing long-standing international commitments while reducing the risk of renewed conflict.”“It is neither a final peace treaty nor merely another ceasefire,” Nissi added. “It is a roadmap for restoring state authority through implementation.”For Nissi, the framework also carries a deeper national significance. “Perhaps the greatest opportunity created by this framework is that Lebanon can finally stop being a battlefield for others,” he said. “For decades, Lebanon functioned less as an independent strategic actor than as an arena through which regional powers projected their rivalries.”What these parallel diplomatic tracks will ultimately achieve for Lebanon remains uncertain. For now, the country’s sovereignty continues to be violated from both directions: by Hezbollah’s weapons and decision-making outside the authority of the state and by Israel’s continued occupation of Lebanese territory and military actions inside Lebanon.
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Lebanon’s Christians fear sovereignty will be traded in regional diplomacy – #Catholic – Maronite patriarch Cardinal Bechara Boutros Rai, who met with Pope Leo XIV last week, said the pope’s visit to Lebanon last December, held under the motto “Blessed are the peacemakers,” marked the beginning of a new phase of dialogue for peace. Rai expressed hope that the ongoing negotiations between Lebanon and Israel would lead to a true, just, comprehensive, and lasting peace — but Christians there fear their country’s sovereignty may be at stake. Rai warned in his Sunday homily that Lebanon “must not become the price of any international or regional understanding, nor an arena for settling scores, but rather a message of peace.” He expressed hope that the efforts involving the United States, Lebanon, and Israel would bear fruit and lead to an agreement that removes “the specter of war” from Lebanon.His remarks come as Lebanon finds itself at the center of two parallel diplomatic tracks: a U.S.-Iran agreement and a direct trilateral framework involving Lebanon, Israel, and the United States. In both, Lebanon’s future is at stake and the country’s Christians remain a central part of the national conversation on peace and sovereignty. Lebanon’s Maronite patriarch, Cardinal Bechara Boutros al-Rai, speaks during an interview with AFP at the Maronite Patriarchate in Bkerke, north of Beirut, on Oct. 15, 2025. | Credit: JOSEPH EID/AFP via Getty Images For many Christians in Lebanon, the fear is that their country’s future could once again be treated as part of a broader regional bargain rather than as a sovereign national question. This concern was reflected in a letter sent by Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea to U.S. Vice President JD Vance, in which he urged Washington to separate the Lebanese issue from negotiations with Iran. Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem described the agreement as “a great victory” and “a pivotal point for Lebanon.”Speaking to EWTN News, Lebanese member of Parliament Pierre Bou Assi said that, as the Lebanese Forces leader stated in his letter to the U.S. vice president, their project remains the establishment of a real state in Lebanon. But he said such a state cannot fulfill its role as long as Hezbollah remains armed and continues to drag Lebanon into wars and suffering in service of Iran.“We want to be freed from Hezbollah’s weapons in order to build a state that protects everyone, Christians and Muslims alike,” he said.Bou Assi added that he does not believe the U.S.-Iran understanding will have a direct impact on Hezbollah’s behavior in Lebanon. According to U.S. sources, he said, the talks did not focus specifically on this point but rather on the Strait of Hormuz and a monitoring mechanism for Iran’s peaceful nuclear program. Many in Lebanon stress that including the Lebanese issue in these regional negotiations has allowed Iran to regain leverage over the Lebanese political sphere.Moreover, President Donald Trump’s recent suggestion that Syria could play a role in addressing the issue of Hezbollah has touched a deep nerve among many Lebanese Christians. For them, any talk of Syrian involvement in Lebanon triggers the memory of nearly three decades of Syrian military and political occupation, which only ended in 2005. Lebanon member of Parliament Pierre Bou Assi. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Pierre Bou Assi Bou Assi said that, as a Lebanese and Christian member of Parliament belonging to the largest Lebanese and Christian parliamentary bloc, and despite respect for the United States as a friendly country, “we cannot accept the return of the Syrian army to Lebanon.”“The Lebanese suffered greatly under the occupation of the Assad regime, which lasted for 30 years between 1975 and 2005,” he said. “For this reason, as a sovereignist component that resisted that occupation, we cannot accept the repetition of this bitter and destructive experience.”At the same time, Bou Assi pointed to repeated statements by the Syrian president that Syria has no intention of entering Lebanon again, out of respect for Lebanese sovereignty.He said such positions are in line with the Lebanese Forces’ desire for the best possible relations with Syria, relations based on respect for the sovereignty, stability, and interests of both countries and peoples.Toni Nissi, president of the Committee for the U.N. Security Council Resolutions on Lebanon and secretary-general of the National Council for the Cedar Revolution, echoed similar concerns in a conversation with EWTN News.“For many Lebanese, and certainly for many Lebanese Christians, such remarks inevitably awaken painful memories,” Nissi said.He explained that his generation remembers a period in which Lebanon’s sovereign institutions were overshadowed by external tutelage. For that reason, he said, any suggestion that Syria might once again assume a political or security role inside Lebanon naturally provokes concern. Toni Nissi, president of the Committee for the U.N. Security Council Resolutions on Lebanon and secretary-general of the National Council for the Cedar Revolution. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Toni Nissi Nissi also stressed that diplomacy becomes problematic when nations become objects of negotiation instead of subjects of their own history. “For far too long, Lebanon has been treated as a battlefield where others settle their disputes and as a diplomatic mailbox through which regional powers exchange messages,” he added.There are growing concerns in Lebanon, especially among Christians, that the U.S.-Iran memorandum and the wider diplomacy surrounding it could overshadow the Lebanon-Israel talks promoted by President Joseph Aoun as an effort to return decisions of war, peace, and sovereignty to state institutions.For many Lebanese Christians, those talks carry a deeper meaning. They are not only a diplomatic opening with Israel but also a possible step toward restoring the authority of the Lebanese state after years in which Hezbollah’s weapons and Iran’s influence have shaped the country’s security choices.Lebanese officials have described the move toward direct negotiations with Israel as a historic step through which the state could reclaim responsibility for Lebanon’s foreign and security policy. Yet the government now faces the delicate reality of seeing Iran negotiate with Washington over issues that directly affect Lebanon’s future, raising fears that Beirut could once again be treated as a secondary actor in decisions concerning its own sovereignty.Nonetheless, last week’s signing of the Trilateral Framework Agreement between Lebanon, Israel, and the United States, announced by U.S. Secretary of ‌State Marco Rubio, marked a major milestone, offering a possible path toward placing Lebanon’s sovereignty, security, and state authority back at the center of the diplomatic process.Nissi explained that the framework “establishes a phased mechanism intended to strengthen security, extend the authority of the Lebanese state across its entire territory, and create a practical pathway for implementing long-standing international commitments while reducing the risk of renewed conflict.”“It is neither a final peace treaty nor merely another ceasefire,” Nissi added. “It is a roadmap for restoring state authority through implementation.”For Nissi, the framework also carries a deeper national significance. “Perhaps the greatest opportunity created by this framework is that Lebanon can finally stop being a battlefield for others,” he said. “For decades, Lebanon functioned less as an independent strategic actor than as an arena through which regional powers projected their rivalries.”What these parallel diplomatic tracks will ultimately achieve for Lebanon remains uncertain. For now, the country’s sovereignty continues to be violated from both directions: by Hezbollah’s weapons and decision-making outside the authority of the state and by Israel’s continued occupation of Lebanese territory and military actions inside Lebanon.

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For many Lebanese Christians, the central question remains whether diplomacy will finally restore the Lebanese state as the sole authority over war, peace, and national security.

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The Sky Today on Tuesday, July 7: The Moon, Saturn, and Neptune

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Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.  July 6: Catch the sparkling Coma Star Cluster Last Quarter Moon occurs at 3:29 P.M. EDT.  The Moon then passes 7° north of Saturn at 6 P.M. EDT.  You can catch this pairing before then, visible in the early-morning sky. An hourContinue reading “The Sky Today on Tuesday, July 7: The Moon, Saturn, and Neptune”

The post The Sky Today on Tuesday, July 7: The Moon, Saturn, and Neptune appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

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Netanyahu claims unnamed Lebanese Christian villages sought annexation #Catholic Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said unidentified Lebanese Christian villages asked Israel to annex them.“Christian villages in Lebanon, some of them have actually asked to be annexed to Israel, because we protect them against the Hezbollah, Hezbollah fanatics who want to kill them, and we do the same things with Christians everywhere,” Netanyahu said during an appearance on Fox News’ show “The Sunday Briefing” on July 5.“It’s ridiculous that [Netanyahu] would say such a thing,” said Alberto Fernández, a former U.S. ambassador and contributor to EWTN News on Middle East topics. “It’s something that only makes sense within the context of him trying to look good to his own Israeli audience. Within the context of Lebanon, it’s ridiculous.”Fernández noted Netanyahu’s claims have been repeatedly denied in the Arab and Lebanese press. Lebanese officials have rejected Netanyahu’s claims, including senior members of the Kataeb party, and Hanna al-Amil, the mayor of Rmeich, a Christian village in southern Lebanon, according to several Arab news outlets.“We canʼt forget that itʼs Hezbollah that keeps plunging Lebanon into war with Israel,” he said. “And one thing that Christian villagers do not want is, they may not want to be part of Israel.”They donʼt want to be at war with Israel either, Fernández said.“They want peace. They want to be left alone. They want to be able to live their lives and their villages and farm their land and be left alone,” he said.
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Netanyahu claims unnamed Lebanese Christian villages sought annexation #Catholic Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said unidentified Lebanese Christian villages asked Israel to annex them.“Christian villages in Lebanon, some of them have actually asked to be annexed to Israel, because we protect them against the Hezbollah, Hezbollah fanatics who want to kill them, and we do the same things with Christians everywhere,” Netanyahu said during an appearance on Fox News’ show “The Sunday Briefing” on July 5.“It’s ridiculous that [Netanyahu] would say such a thing,” said Alberto Fernández, a former U.S. ambassador and contributor to EWTN News on Middle East topics. “It’s something that only makes sense within the context of him trying to look good to his own Israeli audience. Within the context of Lebanon, it’s ridiculous.”Fernández noted Netanyahu’s claims have been repeatedly denied in the Arab and Lebanese press. Lebanese officials have rejected Netanyahu’s claims, including senior members of the Kataeb party, and Hanna al-Amil, the mayor of Rmeich, a Christian village in southern Lebanon, according to several Arab news outlets.“We canʼt forget that itʼs Hezbollah that keeps plunging Lebanon into war with Israel,” he said. “And one thing that Christian villagers do not want is, they may not want to be part of Israel.”They donʼt want to be at war with Israel either, Fernández said.“They want peace. They want to be left alone. They want to be able to live their lives and their villages and farm their land and be left alone,” he said.

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Alberto Fernández, a former U.S. ambassador and contributor to EWTN News, said the prime minister’s claim “only makes sense within the context of him trying to look good to his own Israeli audience.”

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Gospel and Word of the Day – 07 July 2026 – A reading from the Book of Hosea 8:4-7, 11-13 Thus says the LORD: They made kings in Israel, but not by my authority; they established princes, but without my approval. With their silver and gold they made idols for themselves, to their own destruction. Cast away your calf, O Samaria! my wrath is kindled against them; How long will they be unable to attain innocence in Israel? The work of an artisan, no god at all, Destined for the flames— such is the calf of Samaria! When they sow the wind,  they shall reap the whirlwind; The stalk of grain that forms no ear can yield no flour; Even if it could, strangers would swallow it. When Ephraim made many altars to expiate sin, his altars became occasions of sin. Though I write for him my many ordinances, they are considered as a stranger’s. Though they offer sacrifice, immolate flesh and eat it, the LORD is not pleased with them. He shall still remember their guilt and punish their sins; they shall return to Egypt.From the Gospel according to Matthew 9:32-38 A demoniac who could not speak was brought to Jesus, and when the demon was driven out the mute man spoke. The crowds were amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.” But the Pharisees said, “He drives out demons by the prince of demons.” Jesus went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, and curing every disease and illness. At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.”Jesus says, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” (v. 2). (…) The Church and the world do not need people who fulfill their religious duties as if the faith were merely an external label. We need laborers who are eager to work in the mission field, loving disciples who bear witness to the Kingdom of God in all places. Perhaps there is no shortage of “intermittent Christians” who occasionally act upon some religious feeling or participate in sporadic events. But there are few who are ready, on a daily basis, to labor in God’s harvest, cultivating the seed of the Gospel in their own hearts in order then to share it in their families, places of work or study, their social contexts and with those in need. To do this, we do not need too many theoretical ideas about pastoral plans. Instead, we need to pray to the Lord of the harvest. Priority must be given, then, to our relationship with the Lord and to cultivating our dialogue with him. In this way, he will make us his laborers and send us into the field of the world to bear witness to his Kingdom. (Pope Leo XIV, Angelus, 6 July 2025)

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A reading from the Book of Hosea
8:4-7, 11-13

Thus says the LORD:
They made kings in Israel, but not by my authority;
they established princes, but without my approval.
With their silver and gold they made
idols for themselves, to their own destruction.
Cast away your calf, O Samaria!
my wrath is kindled against them;
How long will they be unable to attain
innocence in Israel?
The work of an artisan,
no god at all,
Destined for the flames—
such is the calf of Samaria!

When they sow the wind, 
they shall reap the whirlwind;
The stalk of grain that forms no ear
can yield no flour;
Even if it could,
strangers would swallow it.

When Ephraim made many altars to expiate sin,
his altars became occasions of sin.
Though I write for him my many ordinances,
they are considered as a stranger’s.
Though they offer sacrifice,
immolate flesh and eat it,
the LORD is not pleased with them.
He shall still remember their guilt
and punish their sins;
they shall return to Egypt.

From the Gospel according to Matthew
9:32-38

A demoniac who could not speak was brought to Jesus,
and when the demon was driven out the mute man spoke.
The crowds were amazed and said,
“Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.”
But the Pharisees said,
“He drives out demons by the prince of demons.”

Jesus went around to all the towns and villages,
teaching in their synagogues,
proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom,
and curing every disease and illness.
At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them
because they were troubled and abandoned,
like sheep without a shepherd.
Then he said to his disciples,
“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest.”

Jesus says, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” (v. 2). (…) The Church and the world do not need people who fulfill their religious duties as if the faith were merely an external label. We need laborers who are eager to work in the mission field, loving disciples who bear witness to the Kingdom of God in all places. Perhaps there is no shortage of “intermittent Christians” who occasionally act upon some religious feeling or participate in sporadic events. But there are few who are ready, on a daily basis, to labor in God’s harvest, cultivating the seed of the Gospel in their own hearts in order then to share it in their families, places of work or study, their social contexts and with those in need. To do this, we do not need too many theoretical ideas about pastoral plans. Instead, we need to pray to the Lord of the harvest. Priority must be given, then, to our relationship with the Lord and to cultivating our dialogue with him. In this way, he will make us his laborers and send us into the field of the world to bear witness to his Kingdom. (Pope Leo XIV, Angelus, 6 July 2025)

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Various U.S. bishops ‘invite home’ SSPX attendees after excommunications of leadership #Catholic A growing number of Catholic bishops are instructing the faithful to avoid illicit sacraments celebrated by the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) after the traditionalist group’s bishops incurred the penalty of excommunication last week.The Vatican declared July 2 that six prelates involved in the SSPX’s unauthorized July 1 episcopal consecrations incurred automatic excommunication. Despite repeated warnings, SSPX bishops consecrated four new bishops without a pontifical mandate — an act of open disobedience to the authority of the pope that carries automatic excommunication for the six bishops involved.The SSPX is a fraternity of priests known for its celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass and opposition to the reforms of the Second Vatican Council.Various Catholic bishops with SSPX locations in their areas are explicitly forbidding Catholics from attending SSPX services while also urging frequent attendees or SSPX priests to seek spiritual guidance and return to the Catholic Church.Invited ‘home’Archbishop Bernard Hebda of St. Paul and Minneapolis urged SSPX families in his community to stay with the Catholic Church.“In the 10 years that I have led this local Church, I have met many sincere people who worship regularly or occasionally at the chapels of the SSPX within the territory of our archdiocese,” Hebda said. “I have been impressed by the strength of their families and their commitment to traditional Catholic values.”“It is my hope they will not follow the above-mentioned bishops in separating themselves from the successor of Peter, Pope Leo XIV, and from the Church that he humbly leads,” Hebda continued. “Throughout the centuries, our Catholic Church has consistently echoed the teaching of St. Ambrose: Ubi Petrus ibi ecclesia (Where there is Peter, there is the Church).”“At this difficult moment, we are blessed that the same traditional Eucharistic liturgy beloved by those who have worshipped with the SSPX in the past continues to be celebrated in six locations throughout the archdiocese,” Hebda said. “I am confident that those who prefer the Traditional Latin Mass could find a home here."Bishop Terry LaValley of Ogdensburg, New York, noted that in light of the “formal schism,” the disobedience “gravely harms the unity of the Church for which Christ so fervently prayed the night before he died.”LaValley said in a statement that Catholics are “forbidden” to participate in SSPX sacraments, the only exception being “when there is danger of death.” He noted that the schism “is not simply about the celebration of the Mass.”“The SSPX repudiates and denounces the teaching of the Second Vatican Council, in particular, ecumenism, religious liberty, collegiality of the bishops with the pope, and the Church’s understanding of and relationship with Judaism,” LaValley noted.LaValley instructed the faithful to avoid participation with SSPX and invited SSPX priests to remain with the Church.In a similar vein, Bishop Frank Caggiano of Bridgeport, Connecticut, invited anyone who previously worshipped with SSPX to come “home.”“The Holy See has made clear that the clergy of the society are now to be regarded as schismatic,” Caggiano said in a statement. “This means that, from this day forward, the sacraments they celebrate are illicit and, most significantly for the faithful, the confessions they hear and the marriages at which they preside are considered invalid by the Church.”“I know these words are difficult to hear, especially for those among us who have worshipped, whether regularly or on occasion, at liturgies celebrated by priests of the society,” Caggiano said. “Over the years I have come to know some of these families. I have been moved by their love for the beauty of the sacred liturgy, their devotion to our Catholic tradition, and the seriousness with which they seek to raise their children in the faith.”“My heart goes out to them at this painful moment, and I want them to know that they remain very much a part of our diocesan family,” Caggiano said.“I also wish to offer a word of reassurance. This excommunication does not fall upon those who have simply attended these liturgies out of a sincere desire to worship and who have never intended to reject the authority of the Holy Father or the teaching of the Church,” Caggiano said. “What the Church now asks is straightforward: Knowing the situation as it now stands, the faithful of the Catholic Church can no longer take part in the liturgies of the society, for to do so knowingly would be to share in a separation from the successor of Peter.”Caggiano noted that the “vetus ordo,” also known as the Traditional Latin Mass, is still celebrated in his diocese at several parishes throughout the diocese.He emphasized that the diocese also welcomes any SSPX priest who wants to return to full communion “with open arms and great tenderness.”Bishop James Johnston of Kansas City-St. Joseph, Missouri, said he will “be preparing guidance to assist our clergy, lay faithful, and especially any of the lay faithful who have worshipped locally with the SSPX at St. Vincent de Paul Kansas City.”“While it is imperative to not abandon future efforts toward full communion and to fervently pray for such, those who wish to maintain communion with the Catholic Church, including valid reception of the sacraments of matrimony and penance (confession), will no longer find that possible within the SSPX,” Johnston said in the statement.“In this moment, I wish to reassure the members of the SSPX within this diocese of my pastoral concern as a shepherd with a desire to assist you in this time of crisis,” Johnston said.Schism ‘wounds’ the body of ChristBishop Douglas Lucia of Syracuse, New York, emphasized that the announcement “forbids Roman Catholics of good standing to participate in and to receive the sacraments from bishops and priests associated with the Society of St. Pius X.”“[F]ormal adherence to schism is a grave offense against God and carries the penalty of excommunication decreed by the Churchʼs law,” Lucia wrote July 2.“I grieve over the wound that has been inflicted on Christʼs body, the Church, and its effect on the spiritual good of the faithful,” Lucia said. “Although todayʼs action relates to a specific event, I would caution that such wounds occur in the Church, when peopleʼs pain and concerns are ignored and the universal call to holiness is subjugated to personal agenda.”“I regret that the communion and trust that has been built in my seven years as bishop here in Syracuse is now so imperiled, but there cannot be accord when discord has been sown,” Lucia said.Bishop Donald Hying of Madison, Wisconsin, instructed Catholics “to refrain from attending Mass at any SSPX chapels.”“The Catholic faithful should attend Mass at a Catholic church with a Catholic priest where they can receive licit and valid sacraments,” Hying said. Bishop Donald Hying instructed Catholics “to refrain from attending Mass at any SSPX chapels.” | Credit: “EWTN News Nightly”/Screenshot “For many years, the Church has been in dialogue with the leadership of SSPX in the hope that the group would return to full communion with the Catholic Church,” Hying said. “Their continued rejection of papal authority and decision to undertake blatantly schismatic acts have harmed these discussions and wounded the path to unity.”Archbishop Shawn McKnight of Kansas City, Kansas, called the bishopʼs consecrations "a source of profound sorrow for the whole Church because it wounds the visible unity that Christ desires for his body.” He noted that Pope Francis and Pope Benedict XVI took several steps toward communion and acceptance of the society.“Fidelity to sacred tradition is never opposed to fidelity to the successor of Peter,” McKnight said in his letter. “Rather, both are gifts entrusted by Christ to his Church and serve together to safeguard the deposit of faith and promote the salvation of souls.”“The Church’s living tradition is preserved by remaining close to the successor of Peter, by adhering to the apostolic faith handed down through the centuries and safeguarded within the communion of the Church,” McKnight said.
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Various U.S. bishops ‘invite home’ SSPX attendees after excommunications of leadership #Catholic A growing number of Catholic bishops are instructing the faithful to avoid illicit sacraments celebrated by the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) after the traditionalist group’s bishops incurred the penalty of excommunication last week.The Vatican declared July 2 that six prelates involved in the SSPX’s unauthorized July 1 episcopal consecrations incurred automatic excommunication. Despite repeated warnings, SSPX bishops consecrated four new bishops without a pontifical mandate — an act of open disobedience to the authority of the pope that carries automatic excommunication for the six bishops involved.The SSPX is a fraternity of priests known for its celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass and opposition to the reforms of the Second Vatican Council.Various Catholic bishops with SSPX locations in their areas are explicitly forbidding Catholics from attending SSPX services while also urging frequent attendees or SSPX priests to seek spiritual guidance and return to the Catholic Church.Invited ‘home’Archbishop Bernard Hebda of St. Paul and Minneapolis urged SSPX families in his community to stay with the Catholic Church.“In the 10 years that I have led this local Church, I have met many sincere people who worship regularly or occasionally at the chapels of the SSPX within the territory of our archdiocese,” Hebda said. “I have been impressed by the strength of their families and their commitment to traditional Catholic values.”“It is my hope they will not follow the above-mentioned bishops in separating themselves from the successor of Peter, Pope Leo XIV, and from the Church that he humbly leads,” Hebda continued. “Throughout the centuries, our Catholic Church has consistently echoed the teaching of St. Ambrose: Ubi Petrus ibi ecclesia (Where there is Peter, there is the Church).”“At this difficult moment, we are blessed that the same traditional Eucharistic liturgy beloved by those who have worshipped with the SSPX in the past continues to be celebrated in six locations throughout the archdiocese,” Hebda said. “I am confident that those who prefer the Traditional Latin Mass could find a home here."Bishop Terry LaValley of Ogdensburg, New York, noted that in light of the “formal schism,” the disobedience “gravely harms the unity of the Church for which Christ so fervently prayed the night before he died.”LaValley said in a statement that Catholics are “forbidden” to participate in SSPX sacraments, the only exception being “when there is danger of death.” He noted that the schism “is not simply about the celebration of the Mass.”“The SSPX repudiates and denounces the teaching of the Second Vatican Council, in particular, ecumenism, religious liberty, collegiality of the bishops with the pope, and the Church’s understanding of and relationship with Judaism,” LaValley noted.LaValley instructed the faithful to avoid participation with SSPX and invited SSPX priests to remain with the Church.In a similar vein, Bishop Frank Caggiano of Bridgeport, Connecticut, invited anyone who previously worshipped with SSPX to come “home.”“The Holy See has made clear that the clergy of the society are now to be regarded as schismatic,” Caggiano said in a statement. “This means that, from this day forward, the sacraments they celebrate are illicit and, most significantly for the faithful, the confessions they hear and the marriages at which they preside are considered invalid by the Church.”“I know these words are difficult to hear, especially for those among us who have worshipped, whether regularly or on occasion, at liturgies celebrated by priests of the society,” Caggiano said. “Over the years I have come to know some of these families. I have been moved by their love for the beauty of the sacred liturgy, their devotion to our Catholic tradition, and the seriousness with which they seek to raise their children in the faith.”“My heart goes out to them at this painful moment, and I want them to know that they remain very much a part of our diocesan family,” Caggiano said.“I also wish to offer a word of reassurance. This excommunication does not fall upon those who have simply attended these liturgies out of a sincere desire to worship and who have never intended to reject the authority of the Holy Father or the teaching of the Church,” Caggiano said. “What the Church now asks is straightforward: Knowing the situation as it now stands, the faithful of the Catholic Church can no longer take part in the liturgies of the society, for to do so knowingly would be to share in a separation from the successor of Peter.”Caggiano noted that the “vetus ordo,” also known as the Traditional Latin Mass, is still celebrated in his diocese at several parishes throughout the diocese.He emphasized that the diocese also welcomes any SSPX priest who wants to return to full communion “with open arms and great tenderness.”Bishop James Johnston of Kansas City-St. Joseph, Missouri, said he will “be preparing guidance to assist our clergy, lay faithful, and especially any of the lay faithful who have worshipped locally with the SSPX at St. Vincent de Paul Kansas City.”“While it is imperative to not abandon future efforts toward full communion and to fervently pray for such, those who wish to maintain communion with the Catholic Church, including valid reception of the sacraments of matrimony and penance (confession), will no longer find that possible within the SSPX,” Johnston said in the statement.“In this moment, I wish to reassure the members of the SSPX within this diocese of my pastoral concern as a shepherd with a desire to assist you in this time of crisis,” Johnston said.Schism ‘wounds’ the body of ChristBishop Douglas Lucia of Syracuse, New York, emphasized that the announcement “forbids Roman Catholics of good standing to participate in and to receive the sacraments from bishops and priests associated with the Society of St. Pius X.”“[F]ormal adherence to schism is a grave offense against God and carries the penalty of excommunication decreed by the Churchʼs law,” Lucia wrote July 2.“I grieve over the wound that has been inflicted on Christʼs body, the Church, and its effect on the spiritual good of the faithful,” Lucia said. “Although todayʼs action relates to a specific event, I would caution that such wounds occur in the Church, when peopleʼs pain and concerns are ignored and the universal call to holiness is subjugated to personal agenda.”“I regret that the communion and trust that has been built in my seven years as bishop here in Syracuse is now so imperiled, but there cannot be accord when discord has been sown,” Lucia said.Bishop Donald Hying of Madison, Wisconsin, instructed Catholics “to refrain from attending Mass at any SSPX chapels.”“The Catholic faithful should attend Mass at a Catholic church with a Catholic priest where they can receive licit and valid sacraments,” Hying said. Bishop Donald Hying instructed Catholics “to refrain from attending Mass at any SSPX chapels.” | Credit: “EWTN News Nightly”/Screenshot “For many years, the Church has been in dialogue with the leadership of SSPX in the hope that the group would return to full communion with the Catholic Church,” Hying said. “Their continued rejection of papal authority and decision to undertake blatantly schismatic acts have harmed these discussions and wounded the path to unity.”Archbishop Shawn McKnight of Kansas City, Kansas, called the bishopʼs consecrations "a source of profound sorrow for the whole Church because it wounds the visible unity that Christ desires for his body.” He noted that Pope Francis and Pope Benedict XVI took several steps toward communion and acceptance of the society.“Fidelity to sacred tradition is never opposed to fidelity to the successor of Peter,” McKnight said in his letter. “Rather, both are gifts entrusted by Christ to his Church and serve together to safeguard the deposit of faith and promote the salvation of souls.”“The Church’s living tradition is preserved by remaining close to the successor of Peter, by adhering to the apostolic faith handed down through the centuries and safeguarded within the communion of the Church,” McKnight said.

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Catholic bishops with Society of St. Pius X locations in their areas are forbidding Catholics from attending SSPX services and urging attendees and SSPX priests to return to the Catholic Church.

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9 things to know about the SSPX excommunications #Catholic – (OSV News) — On July 1, the Society of St. Pius X, widely known as the SSPX, illicitly consecrated new four bishops without authorization from the Holy See, leading Pope Leo XIV to declare its bishops, clergy and formally affiliated laity to be in schism with the Catholic Church. Here’s a short primer on the SSPX, what happened and why it matters. 1. The SSPX formed in reaction to the Second Vatican Council. Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (1905-1991), a Frenchman who as a bishop had been a key Church leader in French Africa, founded the society of priests in 1970 in Fribourg, Switzerland. Its priests celebrate the sacraments according to the 1962 Roman Missal, which was issued prior to the Second Vatican Council, but which was replaced by revised liturgical texts in 1969. The society has now twice been excommunicated for consecrating bishops without the permission of the Holy See. The society is based in Menzingen, Switzerland, with an international seminary in Écône, Switzerland, where the July 1 consecrations took place. In the United States, about 100 SSPX priests live in 20 houses, or “priories,” and are active around 120 locations, called “missions” or “chapels,” according to its website. Its U.S. headquarters are in Platte City, Missouri, about 30 miles north of Kansas City. According to the SSPX, Archbishop Lefebvre chose St. Pius X, who had served as pope 1903-1914, as the society’s patron because of that pope’s commitment to the integrity of the priesthood. 2. Before the most recent schism, the SSPX had an irregular status with respect to the Catholic Church that first began decades ago. The society appears to have lost its ecclesiastical permission to exist by the competent ecclesiastical authority in 1975. A year later, Archbishop Lefebvre was suspended after ordaining priests against the express will of ecclesiastical authorities. In 1988, St. John Paul II excommunicated Archbishop Lefebvre and four bishops he consecrated that year without papal mandate. Their episcopal ordinations were valid but illicit, or unauthorized. All subsequent acts of orders by those bishops have been affected. Acts of jurisdiction are invalid — such as the witnessing of marriages and absolution of sins. Other sacramental actions are considered valid, though illicit. In its July 2 decree issuing the excommunication, the Holy See explicitly stated that sacraments of penance and marriage proceeded within the society are invalid. 3. The SSPX should not be confused with other “TLM” communities. Many Catholic communities in communion with the Holy See celebrate Mass according to the 1962 Roman Missal, commonly called the traditional Latin Mass. In 2007, Pope Benedict XVI issued “Summorum Pontificum,” which expanded permission to priests to celebrate the preconciliar Mass. In 2021, Pope Francis issued “Traditionis Custodes,” legislation that tightened use of the preconciliar form of the Mass. However, many bishops, including in the United States, have continued to make this form of the Mass available within the new parameters. Priests who are members of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, for example, exclusively celebrate sacraments according to the 1962 missal and are in communion with the Holy See. (The society was formed in 1988 by priests who left the SSPX after Archbishop Lefebvre’s illicit bishop consecrations that year.) FSSP priests are active internationally and minister in 39 U.S. dioceses. Other examples of religious orders dedicated exclusively to celebrating liturgy and sacraments in the form of the Roman rite celebrated prior to Vatican II that have regular status within the Catholic Church are the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest and the Institute of the Good Shepherd. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. 4. SSPX leaders say the society is not in schism, and they believe all sacraments and acts of jurisdiction are valid. However, Archbishop Lefebvre’s contentions with the Catholic Church included his refusal to adopt the post-conciliar reform of the order of the Mass, which the SSPX considers deficient or having “heretical elements.” Archbishop Lefebvre and his followers also questioned, and in some cases publicly rejected, the very orthodoxy of teachings of the Second Vatican Council, especially the Declaration on Religious Freedom, “Dignitatis Humanae.” While some argued that this declaration amounted to a change in doctrine, the Church recognized it as a development of doctrine on the dignity of the human person. In a statement that included a 28-page “Profession of Faith” published June 24, the SSPX said the Catholic Church is facing pressures from within and without “which push her in every possible direction, except — it seems to us — the right one.” Other Catholic teaching the SSPX dismissed in that statement included aspects of ecumenism, postconciliar liturgical reforms, synodality and religious freedom. 5. The Holy See has sought a path to full reconciliation. For decades, Vatican officials have sought ways to fully reintegrate SSPX members into the life of the Catholic Church. Talks between the Holy See and the society began under St. John Paul and continued during the pontificates of Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis. Pope Benedict lifted the excommunications of the four bishops in 2009, opening the way for more regular talks. The Vatican made clear the society at that point was in an irregular canonical state, but not in schism. During the 2015-2016 Year of Mercy, Pope Francis made special provisions to validate the absolution offered by SSPX priests through the sacrament of confession. After the Holy Year ended, he extended that provision “lest anyone ever be deprived of the sacramental sign of reconciliation through the Church’s pardon.” In April 2017, the late pontiff continued pursuing initiatives aimed at a reconciliation with the SSPX by allowing their bishops to ensure the validity of marriages celebrated in their traditionalist communities. St. John Paul’s 1988 apostolic letter “Ecclesia Dei,” issued in response to the illicit consecrations, established a pontifical commission by the same name with the “task of collaborating with the bishops, with the departments of the Roman Curia and with the circles concerned, for the purpose of facilitating full ecclesial communion of priests, seminarians, religious communities or individuals” who were associated with SSPX and “who may wish to remain united to the Successor Peter in the Catholic Church.” In 2019, Pope Francis suppressed the “Ecclesia Dei” commission and moved its responsibilities to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. 6. The Holy See told SSPX leaders not to consecrate new bishops. In February, Father Davide Pagliarani, superior general of the SSPX, announced the society would proceed with the consecration of new bishops July 1, following a breakdown in communication with the Vatican after requests for an audience with Pope Leo went unanswered. Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, offered to continue dialogue with the SSPX on the condition that the society suspend its decision to consecrate new bishops. After the SSPX chose not to accept, Cardinal Fernandez said the consecration of bishops without a papal mandate would be considered “a schismatic act” and would incur excommunication. The Church’s Code of Canon Law defines schism as “the refusal of submission to the Supreme Pontiff or of communion with the members of the Church subject to him” (Canon 751). 7. Pope Leo publicly appealed for the SSPX not to proceed with the consecrations. Pope Leo issued a plea June 30 for the SSPX not to proceed with the consecrations. “I urge you to consider carefully the spiritual good of the faithful, because the schismatic act you are about to undertake would deprive them of the licit and, in some cases, even valid reception of the Sacraments, which they love and seek for their sanctification,” Pope Leo wrote. Father Pagliarani’s response indicated that the society planned to move ahead with the consecrations while insisting the group was “neither schismatic nor hostile to the Church.” After the SSPX moved ahead with the illicit consecrations July 1, the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, or DDF, declared July 2 that the SSPX’s six bishops were excommunicated, and warned clergy and laypeople not to “adhere to the schism” and thereby also incur excommunication. 8. One of the four illicitly consecrated bishops July 1 is from the United States. A native of North Dakota, Bishop Michael Goldade grew up in St. Marys, Kansas, an enclave of the SSPX community. He is the rector of the SSPX St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary in Dillwyn, Virginia. 9. The DDF has issued procedures for those who decide to leave the SSPX to reestablish communion with the Catholic Church. The instructions provide specific actions that must be taken by a priest ordained in the SSPX community or affiliated with the SSPX after his licit ordination. Procedures for laypeople are more nuanced, as their steps to regain communion depend on their level of attachment to the SSPX community and ideas.
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9 things to know about the SSPX excommunications #Catholic – (OSV News) — On July 1, the Society of St. Pius X, widely known as the SSPX, illicitly consecrated new four bishops without authorization from the Holy See, leading Pope Leo XIV to declare its bishops, clergy and formally affiliated laity to be in schism with the Catholic Church. Here’s a short primer on the SSPX, what happened and why it matters. 1. The SSPX formed in reaction to the Second Vatican Council. Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (1905-1991), a Frenchman who as a bishop had been a key Church leader in French Africa, founded the society of priests in 1970 in Fribourg, Switzerland. Its priests celebrate the sacraments according to the 1962 Roman Missal, which was issued prior to the Second Vatican Council, but which was replaced by revised liturgical texts in 1969. The society has now twice been excommunicated for consecrating bishops without the permission of the Holy See. The society is based in Menzingen, Switzerland, with an international seminary in Écône, Switzerland, where the July 1 consecrations took place. In the United States, about 100 SSPX priests live in 20 houses, or “priories,” and are active around 120 locations, called “missions” or “chapels,” according to its website. Its U.S. headquarters are in Platte City, Missouri, about 30 miles north of Kansas City. According to the SSPX, Archbishop Lefebvre chose St. Pius X, who had served as pope 1903-1914, as the society’s patron because of that pope’s commitment to the integrity of the priesthood. 2. Before the most recent schism, the SSPX had an irregular status with respect to the Catholic Church that first began decades ago. The society appears to have lost its ecclesiastical permission to exist by the competent ecclesiastical authority in 1975. A year later, Archbishop Lefebvre was suspended after ordaining priests against the express will of ecclesiastical authorities. In 1988, St. John Paul II excommunicated Archbishop Lefebvre and four bishops he consecrated that year without papal mandate. Their episcopal ordinations were valid but illicit, or unauthorized. All subsequent acts of orders by those bishops have been affected. Acts of jurisdiction are invalid — such as the witnessing of marriages and absolution of sins. Other sacramental actions are considered valid, though illicit. In its July 2 decree issuing the excommunication, the Holy See explicitly stated that sacraments of penance and marriage proceeded within the society are invalid. 3. The SSPX should not be confused with other “TLM” communities. Many Catholic communities in communion with the Holy See celebrate Mass according to the 1962 Roman Missal, commonly called the traditional Latin Mass. In 2007, Pope Benedict XVI issued “Summorum Pontificum,” which expanded permission to priests to celebrate the preconciliar Mass. In 2021, Pope Francis issued “Traditionis Custodes,” legislation that tightened use of the preconciliar form of the Mass. However, many bishops, including in the United States, have continued to make this form of the Mass available within the new parameters. Priests who are members of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, for example, exclusively celebrate sacraments according to the 1962 missal and are in communion with the Holy See. (The society was formed in 1988 by priests who left the SSPX after Archbishop Lefebvre’s illicit bishop consecrations that year.) FSSP priests are active internationally and minister in 39 U.S. dioceses. Other examples of religious orders dedicated exclusively to celebrating liturgy and sacraments in the form of the Roman rite celebrated prior to Vatican II that have regular status within the Catholic Church are the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest and the Institute of the Good Shepherd. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. 4. SSPX leaders say the society is not in schism, and they believe all sacraments and acts of jurisdiction are valid. However, Archbishop Lefebvre’s contentions with the Catholic Church included his refusal to adopt the post-conciliar reform of the order of the Mass, which the SSPX considers deficient or having “heretical elements.” Archbishop Lefebvre and his followers also questioned, and in some cases publicly rejected, the very orthodoxy of teachings of the Second Vatican Council, especially the Declaration on Religious Freedom, “Dignitatis Humanae.” While some argued that this declaration amounted to a change in doctrine, the Church recognized it as a development of doctrine on the dignity of the human person. In a statement that included a 28-page “Profession of Faith” published June 24, the SSPX said the Catholic Church is facing pressures from within and without “which push her in every possible direction, except — it seems to us — the right one.” Other Catholic teaching the SSPX dismissed in that statement included aspects of ecumenism, postconciliar liturgical reforms, synodality and religious freedom. 5. The Holy See has sought a path to full reconciliation. For decades, Vatican officials have sought ways to fully reintegrate SSPX members into the life of the Catholic Church. Talks between the Holy See and the society began under St. John Paul and continued during the pontificates of Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis. Pope Benedict lifted the excommunications of the four bishops in 2009, opening the way for more regular talks. The Vatican made clear the society at that point was in an irregular canonical state, but not in schism. During the 2015-2016 Year of Mercy, Pope Francis made special provisions to validate the absolution offered by SSPX priests through the sacrament of confession. After the Holy Year ended, he extended that provision “lest anyone ever be deprived of the sacramental sign of reconciliation through the Church’s pardon.” In April 2017, the late pontiff continued pursuing initiatives aimed at a reconciliation with the SSPX by allowing their bishops to ensure the validity of marriages celebrated in their traditionalist communities. St. John Paul’s 1988 apostolic letter “Ecclesia Dei,” issued in response to the illicit consecrations, established a pontifical commission by the same name with the “task of collaborating with the bishops, with the departments of the Roman Curia and with the circles concerned, for the purpose of facilitating full ecclesial communion of priests, seminarians, religious communities or individuals” who were associated with SSPX and “who may wish to remain united to the Successor Peter in the Catholic Church.” In 2019, Pope Francis suppressed the “Ecclesia Dei” commission and moved its responsibilities to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. 6. The Holy See told SSPX leaders not to consecrate new bishops. In February, Father Davide Pagliarani, superior general of the SSPX, announced the society would proceed with the consecration of new bishops July 1, following a breakdown in communication with the Vatican after requests for an audience with Pope Leo went unanswered. Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, offered to continue dialogue with the SSPX on the condition that the society suspend its decision to consecrate new bishops. After the SSPX chose not to accept, Cardinal Fernandez said the consecration of bishops without a papal mandate would be considered “a schismatic act” and would incur excommunication. The Church’s Code of Canon Law defines schism as “the refusal of submission to the Supreme Pontiff or of communion with the members of the Church subject to him” (Canon 751). 7. Pope Leo publicly appealed for the SSPX not to proceed with the consecrations. Pope Leo issued a plea June 30 for the SSPX not to proceed with the consecrations. “I urge you to consider carefully the spiritual good of the faithful, because the schismatic act you are about to undertake would deprive them of the licit and, in some cases, even valid reception of the Sacraments, which they love and seek for their sanctification,” Pope Leo wrote. Father Pagliarani’s response indicated that the society planned to move ahead with the consecrations while insisting the group was “neither schismatic nor hostile to the Church.” After the SSPX moved ahead with the illicit consecrations July 1, the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, or DDF, declared July 2 that the SSPX’s six bishops were excommunicated, and warned clergy and laypeople not to “adhere to the schism” and thereby also incur excommunication. 8. One of the four illicitly consecrated bishops July 1 is from the United States. A native of North Dakota, Bishop Michael Goldade grew up in St. Marys, Kansas, an enclave of the SSPX community. He is the rector of the SSPX St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary in Dillwyn, Virginia. 9. The DDF has issued procedures for those who decide to leave the SSPX to reestablish communion with the Catholic Church. The instructions provide specific actions that must be taken by a priest ordained in the SSPX community or affiliated with the SSPX after his licit ordination. Procedures for laypeople are more nuanced, as their steps to regain communion depend on their level of attachment to the SSPX community and ideas.

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9 things to know about the SSPX excommunications #Catholic –

(OSV News) — On July 1, the Society of St. Pius X, widely known as the SSPX, illicitly consecrated new four bishops without authorization from the Holy See, leading Pope Leo XIV to declare its bishops, clergy and formally affiliated laity to be in schism with the Catholic Church. Here’s a short primer on the SSPX, what happened and why it matters.

1. The SSPX formed in reaction to the Second Vatican Council. Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (1905-1991), a Frenchman who as a bishop had been a key Church leader in French Africa, founded the society of priests in 1970 in Fribourg, Switzerland. Its priests celebrate the sacraments according to the 1962 Roman Missal, which was issued prior to the Second Vatican Council, but which was replaced by revised liturgical texts in 1969. The society has now twice been excommunicated for consecrating bishops without the permission of the Holy See.

The society is based in Menzingen, Switzerland, with an international seminary in Écône, Switzerland, where the July 1 consecrations took place. In the United States, about 100 SSPX priests live in 20 houses, or “priories,” and are active around 120 locations, called “missions” or “chapels,” according to its website. Its U.S. headquarters are in Platte City, Missouri, about 30 miles north of Kansas City.

According to the SSPX, Archbishop Lefebvre chose St. Pius X, who had served as pope 1903-1914, as the society’s patron because of that pope’s commitment to the integrity of the priesthood.

2. Before the most recent schism, the SSPX had an irregular status with respect to the Catholic Church that first began decades ago. The society appears to have lost its ecclesiastical permission to exist by the competent ecclesiastical authority in 1975. A year later, Archbishop Lefebvre was suspended after ordaining priests against the express will of ecclesiastical authorities.

In 1988, St. John Paul II excommunicated Archbishop Lefebvre and four bishops he consecrated that year without papal mandate. Their episcopal ordinations were valid but illicit, or unauthorized.

All subsequent acts of orders by those bishops have been affected. Acts of jurisdiction are invalid — such as the witnessing of marriages and absolution of sins. Other sacramental actions are considered valid, though illicit.

In its July 2 decree issuing the excommunication, the Holy See explicitly stated that sacraments of penance and marriage proceeded within the society are invalid.

3. The SSPX should not be confused with other “TLM” communities. Many Catholic communities in communion with the Holy See celebrate Mass according to the 1962 Roman Missal, commonly called the traditional Latin Mass.

In 2007, Pope Benedict XVI issued “Summorum Pontificum,” which expanded permission to priests to celebrate the preconciliar Mass. In 2021, Pope Francis issued “Traditionis Custodes,” legislation that tightened use of the preconciliar form of the Mass. However, many bishops, including in the United States, have continued to make this form of the Mass available within the new parameters.

Priests who are members of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, for example, exclusively celebrate sacraments according to the 1962 missal and are in communion with the Holy See. (The society was formed in 1988 by priests who left the SSPX after Archbishop Lefebvre’s illicit bishop consecrations that year.) FSSP priests are active internationally and minister in 39 U.S. dioceses.

Other examples of religious orders dedicated exclusively to celebrating liturgy and sacraments in the form of the Roman rite celebrated prior to Vatican II that have regular status within the Catholic Church are the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest and the Institute of the Good Shepherd.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

4. SSPX leaders say the society is not in schism, and they believe all sacraments and acts of jurisdiction are valid. However, Archbishop Lefebvre’s contentions with the Catholic Church included his refusal to adopt the post-conciliar reform of the order of the Mass, which the SSPX considers deficient or having “heretical elements.”

Archbishop Lefebvre and his followers also questioned, and in some cases publicly rejected, the very orthodoxy of teachings of the Second Vatican Council, especially the Declaration on Religious Freedom, “Dignitatis Humanae.” While some argued that this declaration amounted to a change in doctrine, the Church recognized it as a development of doctrine on the dignity of the human person.

In a statement that included a 28-page “Profession of Faith” published June 24, the SSPX said the Catholic Church is facing pressures from within and without “which push her in every possible direction, except — it seems to us — the right one.” Other Catholic teaching the SSPX dismissed in that statement included aspects of ecumenism, postconciliar liturgical reforms, synodality and religious freedom.

5. The Holy See has sought a path to full reconciliation. For decades, Vatican officials have sought ways to fully reintegrate SSPX members into the life of the Catholic Church. Talks between the Holy See and the society began under St. John Paul and continued during the pontificates of Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis. Pope Benedict lifted the excommunications of the four bishops in 2009, opening the way for more regular talks. The Vatican made clear the society at that point was in an irregular canonical state, but not in schism.

During the 2015-2016 Year of Mercy, Pope Francis made special provisions to validate the absolution offered by SSPX priests through the sacrament of confession. After the Holy Year ended, he extended that provision “lest anyone ever be deprived of the sacramental sign of reconciliation through the Church’s pardon.”

In April 2017, the late pontiff continued pursuing initiatives aimed at a reconciliation with the SSPX by allowing their bishops to ensure the validity of marriages celebrated in their traditionalist communities.

St. John Paul’s 1988 apostolic letter “Ecclesia Dei,” issued in response to the illicit consecrations, established a pontifical commission by the same name with the “task of collaborating with the bishops, with the departments of the Roman Curia and with the circles concerned, for the purpose of facilitating full ecclesial communion of priests, seminarians, religious communities or individuals” who were associated with SSPX and “who may wish to remain united to the Successor Peter in the Catholic Church.”

In 2019, Pope Francis suppressed the “Ecclesia Dei” commission and moved its responsibilities to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.

6. The Holy See told SSPX leaders not to consecrate new bishops. In February, Father Davide Pagliarani, superior general of the SSPX, announced the society would proceed with the consecration of new bishops July 1, following a breakdown in communication with the Vatican after requests for an audience with Pope Leo went unanswered.

Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, offered to continue dialogue with the SSPX on the condition that the society suspend its decision to consecrate new bishops. After the SSPX chose not to accept, Cardinal Fernandez said the consecration of bishops without a papal mandate would be considered “a schismatic act” and would incur excommunication.

The Church’s Code of Canon Law defines schism as “the refusal of submission to the Supreme Pontiff or of communion with the members of the Church subject to him” (Canon 751).

7. Pope Leo publicly appealed for the SSPX not to proceed with the consecrations. Pope Leo issued a plea June 30 for the SSPX not to proceed with the consecrations. “I urge you to consider carefully the spiritual good of the faithful, because the schismatic act you are about to undertake would deprive them of the licit and, in some cases, even valid reception of the Sacraments, which they love and seek for their sanctification,” Pope Leo wrote. Father Pagliarani’s response indicated that the society planned to move ahead with the consecrations while insisting the group was “neither schismatic nor hostile to the Church.”

After the SSPX moved ahead with the illicit consecrations July 1, the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, or DDF, declared July 2 that the SSPX’s six bishops were excommunicated, and warned clergy and laypeople not to “adhere to the schism” and thereby also incur excommunication.

8. One of the four illicitly consecrated bishops July 1 is from the United States. A native of North Dakota, Bishop Michael Goldade grew up in St. Marys, Kansas, an enclave of the SSPX community. He is the rector of the SSPX St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary in Dillwyn, Virginia.

9. The DDF has issued procedures for those who decide to leave the SSPX to reestablish communion with the Catholic Church. The instructions provide specific actions that must be taken by a priest ordained in the SSPX community or affiliated with the SSPX after his licit ordination. Procedures for laypeople are more nuanced, as their steps to regain communion depend on their level of attachment to the SSPX community and ideas.

– (OSV News) — On July 1, the Society of St. Pius X, widely known as the SSPX, illicitly consecrated new four bishops without authorization from the Holy See, leading Pope Leo XIV to declare its bishops, clergy and formally affiliated laity to be in schism with the Catholic Church. Here’s a short primer on the SSPX, what happened and why it matters. 1. The SSPX formed in reaction to the Second Vatican Council. Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (1905-1991), a Frenchman who as a bishop had been a key Church leader in French Africa, founded the society of priests in 1970 in

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China releases detained Christian pastor Ezra Jin Mingri – #Catholic – China has freed underground Christian pastor Ezra Jin Mingri about two months after President Donald Trump publicly called for his release.Jin, who was arrested by Chinese authorities on Oct. 10, 2025, was reunited with his family in Los Angeles on July 3 ahead of America 250 celebrations.“I am profoundly grateful that Pastor Ezra Jin has been released and reunited with his family,” Rep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, a Catholic, said in a July 5 statement. “I especially thank President Trump for personally raising Pastor Jin’s case with CCP [Chinese Communist Party] General Secretary Xi Jinping and for ensuring that U.S. diplomats remained committed in pressing for his freedom.”Trump said following his visit to China in May that President Xi Jinping was “giving very serious consideration to the pastor,” referring to Jin. Congress had urged Trump to use the U.S.-China summit to advocate for Jin’s release alongside Jimmy Lai, the jailed Catholic media tycoon and democracy advocate. Trump noted China’s president was less likely to release Lai.A statement issued to reporters by the pastor’s family said: “We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy. We thank God for this tremendous miracle. We also thank President Trump and his administration for their tremendous leadership. We hope this is a signal of a positive turn for people of faith in China and relations between our two nations.”Jin was among nearly 30 people arrested by Chinese Communist Party authorities during a sweeping crackdown across nine cities on the underground Zion Church, of which he is the founder.Frances Hui, policy and advocacy manager at the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation, wrote on social media: “Incredible to hear that [Jin] is free, has just arrived in L.A., and is finally reunited with his family.” Hui was among advocates who rallied on behalf of those imprisoned in China ahead of Trump’s visit.Hui described standing beside Jin’s daughter, Grace Jin Drexel, as “a privilege,” noting that she and her husband, Bill Drexel, had advocated for Jin’s release while preparing for the birth of their third child.Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, said in a statement: “Despite months of imprisonment, Pastor Jin stayed true to his faith. Yet again, President Trump has demonstrated his ability to stand up for persecuted Christians worldwide.”Former vice president Mike Pence said in a statement: “President Trump should be commended for securing Ezra Jin’s release by raising the case with Xi Jinping in Beijing this year. Truly treasure in heaven to see this godly man of faith set free.”
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China releases detained Christian pastor Ezra Jin Mingri – #Catholic – China has freed underground Christian pastor Ezra Jin Mingri about two months after President Donald Trump publicly called for his release.Jin, who was arrested by Chinese authorities on Oct. 10, 2025, was reunited with his family in Los Angeles on July 3 ahead of America 250 celebrations.“I am profoundly grateful that Pastor Ezra Jin has been released and reunited with his family,” Rep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, a Catholic, said in a July 5 statement. “I especially thank President Trump for personally raising Pastor Jin’s case with CCP [Chinese Communist Party] General Secretary Xi Jinping and for ensuring that U.S. diplomats remained committed in pressing for his freedom.”Trump said following his visit to China in May that President Xi Jinping was “giving very serious consideration to the pastor,” referring to Jin. Congress had urged Trump to use the U.S.-China summit to advocate for Jin’s release alongside Jimmy Lai, the jailed Catholic media tycoon and democracy advocate. Trump noted China’s president was less likely to release Lai.A statement issued to reporters by the pastor’s family said: “We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy. We thank God for this tremendous miracle. We also thank President Trump and his administration for their tremendous leadership. We hope this is a signal of a positive turn for people of faith in China and relations between our two nations.”Jin was among nearly 30 people arrested by Chinese Communist Party authorities during a sweeping crackdown across nine cities on the underground Zion Church, of which he is the founder.Frances Hui, policy and advocacy manager at the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation, wrote on social media: “Incredible to hear that [Jin] is free, has just arrived in L.A., and is finally reunited with his family.” Hui was among advocates who rallied on behalf of those imprisoned in China ahead of Trump’s visit.Hui described standing beside Jin’s daughter, Grace Jin Drexel, as “a privilege,” noting that she and her husband, Bill Drexel, had advocated for Jin’s release while preparing for the birth of their third child.Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, said in a statement: “Despite months of imprisonment, Pastor Jin stayed true to his faith. Yet again, President Trump has demonstrated his ability to stand up for persecuted Christians worldwide.”Former vice president Mike Pence said in a statement: “President Trump should be commended for securing Ezra Jin’s release by raising the case with Xi Jinping in Beijing this year. Truly treasure in heaven to see this godly man of faith set free.”

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Jin was arrested by Chinese authorities on Oct. 10, 2025.

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U.S. solicitor general urges Supreme Court to stop Colorado’s exclusion of Catholic preschools – #Catholic – A broad coalition including the U.S. solicitor general has lined up behind Colorado Catholic families and two Catholic preschools as the U.S. Supreme Court considers whether Colorado violated the First Amendment by excluding Catholic preschools from its universal preschool program because they operate according to Catholic teaching.The case, St. Mary Catholic Parish v. Roy, challenges Colorado’s requirement that schools participating in its universal preschool program comply with state policies that the Catholic schools say would force them to violate religious beliefs about marriage, sexuality, and employment to receive public funding.The U.S. solicitor general joined more than 20 states and 43 Republican members of Congress urging the high court to rule against Colorado’s “discriminatory exclusion” of the faith-based schools. The solicitor general argued that Colorado’s policy discriminates against religious exercise, imposes unconstitutional conditions on participation in a public benefit, and conflicts with recent precedents.Colorado forces petitioners to choose, the solicitor general wrote. “They can either adhere to their faith, which precludes enrolling families who refuse to adhere to Catholic teachings, and lose the subsidy, or obtain the subsidy but abandon their religious beliefs,” the brief said.Supreme Court to hear caseRepresented by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, St. Mary Catholic Parish in Littleton and St. Bernadette Catholic Parish in Lakewood, part of the Archdiocese of Denver, along with several Catholic families, argue that the state cannot deny otherwise available public benefits simply because the schools remain faithful to their religious mission.The Supreme Court agreed to hear the case this fall after the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Colorado’s policy in September 2025 to exclude Catholic preschools because of their religious beliefs.Broad coalition of support Support for the Catholic families has continued to grow ahead of oral arguments. A total of 29 friend-of-the-court briefs have been filed urging the justices to rule in favor of the schools, including briefs by more than 20 states, religious liberty scholars, education advocates, and a broad coalition of faith groups.Among those filing briefs is the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).  U.S. bishops stated that “if that decision stands, it will provide a roadmap for governments to circumvent this court’s decisions, directly threatening the free exercise rights of religious adherents and organizations.” Dan and Lisa Sheley, Catholic parents of seven whose children attend St. Mary’s, said they were encouraged by the widespread support.“We’re grateful that so many people from across the country are rallying behind our case,” they said in a statement provided by Becket. “Colorado promised preschool for all but then showed Catholic families the door. That’s unfair to parents, unfair to children, and contrary to the spirit of the Constitution’s promise of religious freedom.”Previous religious liberty casesEric Rassbach, vice president and senior counsel at Becket, said in a statement the coalition demonstrates the significance of the case.“Colorado has united a diverse array of Americans around a simple point: It’s wrong to promise preschool support to every family in the state and then yank it away from Catholic families,” Rassbach said. “This broad coalition shows just how egregious and unlawful Colorado’s religious discrimination has become. We’re confident the court will remind Colorado — once again — that the First Amendment protects religious people too.”The case follows a series of Supreme Court decisions strengthening protections for religious schools, including Trinity Lutheran Church v. Comer, Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, and Carson v. Makin, all of which held that states generally may not exclude religious institutions from publicly available benefits because of their religious identity. A decision in St. Mary Catholic Parish v. Roy could further define the constitutional protections afforded to religious schools participating in government education programs.
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U.S. solicitor general urges Supreme Court to stop Colorado’s exclusion of Catholic preschools – #Catholic – A broad coalition including the U.S. solicitor general has lined up behind Colorado Catholic families and two Catholic preschools as the U.S. Supreme Court considers whether Colorado violated the First Amendment by excluding Catholic preschools from its universal preschool program because they operate according to Catholic teaching.The case, St. Mary Catholic Parish v. Roy, challenges Colorado’s requirement that schools participating in its universal preschool program comply with state policies that the Catholic schools say would force them to violate religious beliefs about marriage, sexuality, and employment to receive public funding.The U.S. solicitor general joined more than 20 states and 43 Republican members of Congress urging the high court to rule against Colorado’s “discriminatory exclusion” of the faith-based schools. The solicitor general argued that Colorado’s policy discriminates against religious exercise, imposes unconstitutional conditions on participation in a public benefit, and conflicts with recent precedents.Colorado forces petitioners to choose, the solicitor general wrote. “They can either adhere to their faith, which precludes enrolling families who refuse to adhere to Catholic teachings, and lose the subsidy, or obtain the subsidy but abandon their religious beliefs,” the brief said.Supreme Court to hear caseRepresented by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, St. Mary Catholic Parish in Littleton and St. Bernadette Catholic Parish in Lakewood, part of the Archdiocese of Denver, along with several Catholic families, argue that the state cannot deny otherwise available public benefits simply because the schools remain faithful to their religious mission.The Supreme Court agreed to hear the case this fall after the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Colorado’s policy in September 2025 to exclude Catholic preschools because of their religious beliefs.Broad coalition of support Support for the Catholic families has continued to grow ahead of oral arguments. A total of 29 friend-of-the-court briefs have been filed urging the justices to rule in favor of the schools, including briefs by more than 20 states, religious liberty scholars, education advocates, and a broad coalition of faith groups.Among those filing briefs is the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).  U.S. bishops stated that “if that decision stands, it will provide a roadmap for governments to circumvent this court’s decisions, directly threatening the free exercise rights of religious adherents and organizations.” Dan and Lisa Sheley, Catholic parents of seven whose children attend St. Mary’s, said they were encouraged by the widespread support.“We’re grateful that so many people from across the country are rallying behind our case,” they said in a statement provided by Becket. “Colorado promised preschool for all but then showed Catholic families the door. That’s unfair to parents, unfair to children, and contrary to the spirit of the Constitution’s promise of religious freedom.”Previous religious liberty casesEric Rassbach, vice president and senior counsel at Becket, said in a statement the coalition demonstrates the significance of the case.“Colorado has united a diverse array of Americans around a simple point: It’s wrong to promise preschool support to every family in the state and then yank it away from Catholic families,” Rassbach said. “This broad coalition shows just how egregious and unlawful Colorado’s religious discrimination has become. We’re confident the court will remind Colorado — once again — that the First Amendment protects religious people too.”The case follows a series of Supreme Court decisions strengthening protections for religious schools, including Trinity Lutheran Church v. Comer, Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, and Carson v. Makin, all of which held that states generally may not exclude religious institutions from publicly available benefits because of their religious identity. A decision in St. Mary Catholic Parish v. Roy could further define the constitutional protections afforded to religious schools participating in government education programs.

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The U.S. Supreme Court will consider whether Colorado violated the First Amendment by excluding Catholic preschools from its universal preschool program.

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Pope Leo XIV calls for solidarity, prayers after deadly Venezuela quakes #Catholic – (OSV News) — Pope Leo XIV offered prayers for the victims of devastating twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela as the death toll continues to climb and rescuers race to save people trapped under collapsed buildings. Speaking to pilgrims gathered outside St. Peter’s Square June 28 after praying the Angelus prayer, the pope expressed his solidarity with the people of Venezuela and prayed for the dead and wounded. “Praying to the Lord for the eternal rest of the deceased, I renew my spiritual solidarity with their families, the injured, and all who have been shaken by this tragedy,” he said. “I also wish to express my gratitude and encouragement to those generously working on search and rescue efforts and providing assistance.” The twin earthquakes, which struck the northern Venezuelan state of La Guaira in the evening June 24, measured 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude and were the strongest to hit Venezuela in more than a century. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. According to The Associated Press, Venezuelan government officials reported June 28 that the death toll reached 1,450 and thousands more were injured. Rescuers from around the world have arrived in the country to assist in rescue efforts. The United Nations said more than 2,200 rescuers and 140 search dogs from 27 countries were working to locate trapped survivors. In a statement published June 25, Tom Fletcher, the U.N. under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, said the coming days would “require a massive collective effort to support the Government-led response and help communities.” “Even before these earthquakes, nearly 8 million people in Venezuela were in need of humanitarian support. This disaster risks deepening existing vulnerabilities,” Fletcher said. Hours after the back-to-back earthquakes struck the country, Pope Leo sent an initial emergency donation of 100,000 euros (US5,000) through the Dicastery for the Service of Charity, Vatican News reported. The pope and the College of Cardinals also remembered the people of Venezuela during the two-day consistory at the Vatican. In his concluding address June 27, the pope expressed his closeness and that of the cardinals, and assured “prayers for the victims, their families, and all those suffering the consequences of this tragedy.” “We also entrust to the Lord all those engaged in relief efforts and ask that the international community continue to show solidarity with that beloved nation,” he said. Bishops’ conferences also mobilized relief efforts across Latin America, organizing fundraisers and solidarity campaigns to assist the people of Venezuela. The Peruvian bishops’ conference and Caritas Peru announced June 27 the launch of the “Solidarity with Venezuela” campaign, urging the faithful to make donations “for the purchase of essential food items, hygiene products, medicines, and other vital supplies for the affected families.” “Every contribution, no matter the amount, represents a concrete gesture of fraternity and hope for our Venezuelan brothers and sisters,” Caritas said. “In times of sorrow, solidarity unites people and demonstrates that no one is alone when charity becomes action.” In Colombia, the bishops said they were also coordinating donations with its local Caritas and called on the “Catholic faithful, ecclesial communities, and all people of good will to demonstrate their solidarity through a generous, organized, and timely response that helps to address the needs of those who have been affected by this emergency.” Expressing its “closeness and solidarity” with the people of Venezuela, the Ecuadorian bishops’ conference announced a collection July 5 in parishes across the country. “We ask that this collection be encouraged during liturgical celebrations, in educational spaces, in parish communities, and in various pastoral works, encouraging the faithful and people of good will to collaborate generously, according to their means,” the bishops said in a statement published June 25. “Each contribution will be a concrete sign of closeness to those who today need to feel accompanied and supported,” the statement read. Junno Arocho Esteves is an international correspondent for OSV News. Follow him on X @jae_journalist.
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Pope Leo XIV calls for solidarity, prayers after deadly Venezuela quakes #Catholic – (OSV News) — Pope Leo XIV offered prayers for the victims of devastating twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela as the death toll continues to climb and rescuers race to save people trapped under collapsed buildings. Speaking to pilgrims gathered outside St. Peter’s Square June 28 after praying the Angelus prayer, the pope expressed his solidarity with the people of Venezuela and prayed for the dead and wounded. “Praying to the Lord for the eternal rest of the deceased, I renew my spiritual solidarity with their families, the injured, and all who have been shaken by this tragedy,” he said. “I also wish to express my gratitude and encouragement to those generously working on search and rescue efforts and providing assistance.” The twin earthquakes, which struck the northern Venezuelan state of La Guaira in the evening June 24, measured 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude and were the strongest to hit Venezuela in more than a century. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. According to The Associated Press, Venezuelan government officials reported June 28 that the death toll reached 1,450 and thousands more were injured. Rescuers from around the world have arrived in the country to assist in rescue efforts. The United Nations said more than 2,200 rescuers and 140 search dogs from 27 countries were working to locate trapped survivors. In a statement published June 25, Tom Fletcher, the U.N. under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, said the coming days would “require a massive collective effort to support the Government-led response and help communities.” “Even before these earthquakes, nearly 8 million people in Venezuela were in need of humanitarian support. This disaster risks deepening existing vulnerabilities,” Fletcher said. Hours after the back-to-back earthquakes struck the country, Pope Leo sent an initial emergency donation of 100,000 euros (US$115,000) through the Dicastery for the Service of Charity, Vatican News reported. The pope and the College of Cardinals also remembered the people of Venezuela during the two-day consistory at the Vatican. In his concluding address June 27, the pope expressed his closeness and that of the cardinals, and assured “prayers for the victims, their families, and all those suffering the consequences of this tragedy.” “We also entrust to the Lord all those engaged in relief efforts and ask that the international community continue to show solidarity with that beloved nation,” he said. Bishops’ conferences also mobilized relief efforts across Latin America, organizing fundraisers and solidarity campaigns to assist the people of Venezuela. The Peruvian bishops’ conference and Caritas Peru announced June 27 the launch of the “Solidarity with Venezuela” campaign, urging the faithful to make donations “for the purchase of essential food items, hygiene products, medicines, and other vital supplies for the affected families.” “Every contribution, no matter the amount, represents a concrete gesture of fraternity and hope for our Venezuelan brothers and sisters,” Caritas said. “In times of sorrow, solidarity unites people and demonstrates that no one is alone when charity becomes action.” In Colombia, the bishops said they were also coordinating donations with its local Caritas and called on the “Catholic faithful, ecclesial communities, and all people of good will to demonstrate their solidarity through a generous, organized, and timely response that helps to address the needs of those who have been affected by this emergency.” Expressing its “closeness and solidarity” with the people of Venezuela, the Ecuadorian bishops’ conference announced a collection July 5 in parishes across the country. “We ask that this collection be encouraged during liturgical celebrations, in educational spaces, in parish communities, and in various pastoral works, encouraging the faithful and people of good will to collaborate generously, according to their means,” the bishops said in a statement published June 25. “Each contribution will be a concrete sign of closeness to those who today need to feel accompanied and supported,” the statement read. Junno Arocho Esteves is an international correspondent for OSV News. Follow him on X @jae_journalist.

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Pope Leo XIV calls for solidarity, prayers after deadly Venezuela quakes #Catholic –

(OSV News) — Pope Leo XIV offered prayers for the victims of devastating twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela as the death toll continues to climb and rescuers race to save people trapped under collapsed buildings.

Speaking to pilgrims gathered outside St. Peter’s Square June 28 after praying the Angelus prayer, the pope expressed his solidarity with the people of Venezuela and prayed for the dead and wounded.

“Praying to the Lord for the eternal rest of the deceased, I renew my spiritual solidarity with their families, the injured, and all who have been shaken by this tragedy,” he said. “I also wish to express my gratitude and encouragement to those generously working on search and rescue efforts and providing assistance.”

The twin earthquakes, which struck the northern Venezuelan state of La Guaira in the evening June 24, measured 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude and were the strongest to hit Venezuela in more than a century.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

According to The Associated Press, Venezuelan government officials reported June 28 that the death toll reached 1,450 and thousands more were injured. Rescuers from around the world have arrived in the country to assist in rescue efforts.

The United Nations said more than 2,200 rescuers and 140 search dogs from 27 countries were working to locate trapped survivors. In a statement published June 25, Tom Fletcher, the U.N. under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, said the coming days would “require a massive collective effort to support the Government-led response and help communities.”

“Even before these earthquakes, nearly 8 million people in Venezuela were in need of humanitarian support. This disaster risks deepening existing vulnerabilities,” Fletcher said.

Hours after the back-to-back earthquakes struck the country, Pope Leo sent an initial emergency donation of 100,000 euros (US$115,000) through the Dicastery for the Service of Charity, Vatican News reported.

The pope and the College of Cardinals also remembered the people of Venezuela during the two-day consistory at the Vatican. In his concluding address June 27, the pope expressed his closeness and that of the cardinals, and assured “prayers for the victims, their families, and all those suffering the consequences of this tragedy.”

“We also entrust to the Lord all those engaged in relief efforts and ask that the international community continue to show solidarity with that beloved nation,” he said.

Bishops’ conferences also mobilized relief efforts across Latin America, organizing fundraisers and solidarity campaigns to assist the people of Venezuela.

The Peruvian bishops’ conference and Caritas Peru announced June 27 the launch of the “Solidarity with Venezuela” campaign, urging the faithful to make donations “for the purchase of essential food items, hygiene products, medicines, and other vital supplies for the affected families.”

“Every contribution, no matter the amount, represents a concrete gesture of fraternity and hope for our Venezuelan brothers and sisters,” Caritas said. “In times of sorrow, solidarity unites people and demonstrates that no one is alone when charity becomes action.”

In Colombia, the bishops said they were also coordinating donations with its local Caritas and called on the “Catholic faithful, ecclesial communities, and all people of good will to demonstrate their solidarity through a generous, organized, and timely response that helps to address the needs of those who have been affected by this emergency.”

Expressing its “closeness and solidarity” with the people of Venezuela, the Ecuadorian bishops’ conference announced a collection July 5 in parishes across the country.

“We ask that this collection be encouraged during liturgical celebrations, in educational spaces, in parish communities, and in various pastoral works, encouraging the faithful and people of good will to collaborate generously, according to their means,” the bishops said in a statement published June 25.

“Each contribution will be a concrete sign of closeness to those who today need to feel accompanied and supported,” the statement read.

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

– (OSV News) — Pope Leo XIV offered prayers for the victims of devastating twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela as the death toll continues to climb and rescuers race to save people trapped under collapsed buildings. Speaking to pilgrims gathered outside St. Peter’s Square June 28 after praying the Angelus prayer, the pope expressed his solidarity with the people of Venezuela and prayed for the dead and wounded. “Praying to the Lord for the eternal rest of the deceased, I renew my spiritual solidarity with their families, the injured, and all who have been shaken by this tragedy,” he said. “I

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Catholic Charities Fort Worth expands research-backed anti-poverty program to Illinois – #Catholic – In the heart of one of Chicago’s most challenged neighborhoods, a proven, dignity-centered approach to breaking the cycle of poverty is about to take root.Goodwill Greater Milwaukee & Chicago recently announced a major partnership with Catholic Charities Fort Worth (CCFW) to bring the innovative Padua program to the greater Englewood community in south Chicago.Named after St. Anthony of Padua, patron saint of the poor, the program pairs participants with a team of two dedicated caseworkers for long-term, client-led support, with no arbitrary time limits. The only eligibility requirements for the program are that the client be 18 years old and willing to work.The collaboration marks a significant expansion of the model, which was developed in 2015 by CCFW and validated through a randomized controlled trial by the University of Notre Dame’s Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO).Participants in the study were 25% more likely to achieve full-time employment, earned 46% higher incomes, and were 64% more likely to secure stable housing.Brendan Perry, director of Padua National at Catholic Charities Fort Worth, told EWTN News that the program was in response to the nonprofit “seeing a lot of repeat customers,” which, “in the nonprofit world is not a good thing.” “We weren’t truly creating economic mobility,” Perry recalled of the organization’s earlier efforts. “Padua was our answer to that challenge.”Perry said the program was born from a simple but powerful question: What if?“What if the way we’ve always addressed poverty isn’t the way it has to be?” he explained. “What if we created a program where clients set their own goals, timelines were built around people instead of funders, and we holistically addressed a client’s root issues instead of just the symptoms of their poverty? And what if we could prove it through research and create a model that was replicable?”Unlike many short-term workforce programs, Padua’s two-person case management teams (a case manager and caseworker) provide holistic support in employment, housing, education, and emotional resilience. Clients define their own goals and remain in the program for as long as needed.Perry said that people begin their journey with Padua from many different places and often come from a place of crisis. While Padua “is not a crisis program,” Perry said the program helps clients get to a place of stability.“Once theyʼre there, weʼre gonna be sticking with you for the long haul to get to a point of strength and of prosperity.”One client who has benefited from the Padua program is Lisa, a divorced mother of three who faced single parenthood, housing instability, unemployment, and mental health issues among her children. “When I was in my marriage, there was a lot of breaking up and getting back together,” Lisa said. “There was a lot of moving around, and I believe thatʼs how my son developed separation anxiety, which led to depression, and [he] became highly suicidal.”Lisa’s caseworker helped her find counseling for her son as well as for Lisa, who learned coping skills that helped her better care for her son. “I pour into his life daily by reminding him that you are handsome, you are smart, you are capable, you have a mum and a family that loves you. You are loved, you deserve to be alive. This world needs you,” she said.The Padua program helped her attend culinary school and taught her financial skills like budgeting and saving.Lisa is now employed, has a stable home for her children, and has attended a culinary arts program with dreams of becoming a catering and private chef.She gives credit to her caseworker, Taelor: “I call her my guardian angel because … sheʼs just been so loving and supportive.”Perry added that the partnership with Goodwill reflects a shared commitment to human dignity.“We’re not just expanding the program — we’re ensuring more families have access to the tools they need to build bigger, brighter futures.”Clayton Pryor, chief mission officer for Goodwill Greater Milwaukee & Chicago, emphasized how naturally the program aligns with their existing work.“At Goodwill, we believe lasting change starts with meeting people where they are,” Pryor told EWTN News. “Padua allows us to go deeper with individuals who need more intensive, long-term support. It’s client-led, research-backed, and focused on real stability — not just a job, but a foundation for life.”The Illinois program is scheduled to launch in October out of Goodwill’s new Neighborhood Opportunity Center in Englewood. Pryor said the organization aims to serve 50 clients in the first year, scaling to more than 200 over five years.
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Catholic Charities Fort Worth expands research-backed anti-poverty program to Illinois – #Catholic – In the heart of one of Chicago’s most challenged neighborhoods, a proven, dignity-centered approach to breaking the cycle of poverty is about to take root.Goodwill Greater Milwaukee & Chicago recently announced a major partnership with Catholic Charities Fort Worth (CCFW) to bring the innovative Padua program to the greater Englewood community in south Chicago.Named after St. Anthony of Padua, patron saint of the poor, the program pairs participants with a team of two dedicated caseworkers for long-term, client-led support, with no arbitrary time limits. The only eligibility requirements for the program are that the client be 18 years old and willing to work.The collaboration marks a significant expansion of the model, which was developed in 2015 by CCFW and validated through a randomized controlled trial by the University of Notre Dame’s Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO).Participants in the study were 25% more likely to achieve full-time employment, earned 46% higher incomes, and were 64% more likely to secure stable housing.Brendan Perry, director of Padua National at Catholic Charities Fort Worth, told EWTN News that the program was in response to the nonprofit “seeing a lot of repeat customers,” which, “in the nonprofit world is not a good thing.” “We weren’t truly creating economic mobility,” Perry recalled of the organization’s earlier efforts. “Padua was our answer to that challenge.”Perry said the program was born from a simple but powerful question: What if?“What if the way we’ve always addressed poverty isn’t the way it has to be?” he explained. “What if we created a program where clients set their own goals, timelines were built around people instead of funders, and we holistically addressed a client’s root issues instead of just the symptoms of their poverty? And what if we could prove it through research and create a model that was replicable?”Unlike many short-term workforce programs, Padua’s two-person case management teams (a case manager and caseworker) provide holistic support in employment, housing, education, and emotional resilience. Clients define their own goals and remain in the program for as long as needed.Perry said that people begin their journey with Padua from many different places and often come from a place of crisis. While Padua “is not a crisis program,” Perry said the program helps clients get to a place of stability.“Once theyʼre there, weʼre gonna be sticking with you for the long haul to get to a point of strength and of prosperity.”One client who has benefited from the Padua program is Lisa, a divorced mother of three who faced single parenthood, housing instability, unemployment, and mental health issues among her children. “When I was in my marriage, there was a lot of breaking up and getting back together,” Lisa said. “There was a lot of moving around, and I believe thatʼs how my son developed separation anxiety, which led to depression, and [he] became highly suicidal.”Lisa’s caseworker helped her find counseling for her son as well as for Lisa, who learned coping skills that helped her better care for her son. “I pour into his life daily by reminding him that you are handsome, you are smart, you are capable, you have a mum and a family that loves you. You are loved, you deserve to be alive. This world needs you,” she said.The Padua program helped her attend culinary school and taught her financial skills like budgeting and saving.Lisa is now employed, has a stable home for her children, and has attended a culinary arts program with dreams of becoming a catering and private chef.She gives credit to her caseworker, Taelor: “I call her my guardian angel because … sheʼs just been so loving and supportive.”Perry added that the partnership with Goodwill reflects a shared commitment to human dignity.“We’re not just expanding the program — we’re ensuring more families have access to the tools they need to build bigger, brighter futures.”Clayton Pryor, chief mission officer for Goodwill Greater Milwaukee & Chicago, emphasized how naturally the program aligns with their existing work.“At Goodwill, we believe lasting change starts with meeting people where they are,” Pryor told EWTN News. “Padua allows us to go deeper with individuals who need more intensive, long-term support. It’s client-led, research-backed, and focused on real stability — not just a job, but a foundation for life.”The Illinois program is scheduled to launch in October out of Goodwill’s new Neighborhood Opportunity Center in Englewood. Pryor said the organization aims to serve 50 clients in the first year, scaling to more than 200 over five years.

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Catholic Charities Fort Worth developed the Padua program, which is an anti-poverty program that “meets clients where they are.”

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The Sky Today on Monday, July 6: Catch the sparkling Coma Star Cluster

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Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.  July 5: Capture a view of Saturn’s moons About two hours after sunset, the constellation Coma Berenices is still some 40° above the western horizon. It’s a great time to take in the Coma Star Cluster, also called Melotte 111. Spanning 4°,Continue reading “The Sky Today on Monday, July 6: Catch the sparkling Coma Star Cluster”

The post The Sky Today on Monday, July 6: Catch the sparkling Coma Star Cluster appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

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Pope Leo XIV praises U.S. Eucharistic pilgrims, highlights country’s ‘strong Eucharistic heritage’ #Catholic Pope Leo XIV on July 5 praised Eucharistic pilgrims in the U.S. for walking thousands of miles with Christ as part of a “great legacy of faith” amid the country’s 250th anniversary celebrations. The pilgrimage, which carried the theme “One Nation, Under God,” began in St. Augustine, Florida in May and went as far north as Portland, Maine, before turning south and finishing in Philadelphia.In a video message played at the concluding Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, Leo XIV —  the first pope in Catholic Church history from the United States — said the pilgrimage, which traced a route through the original 13 colonies that rebelled against England in 1776, was “particularly appropriate” to commemorate the country’s 250th anniversary of its founding.The U.S., the pope said, “has been imbued with a sense of faith that recognizes God’s sovereignty even before its formal establishment.” The Holy Father cited a Mass of Thanksgiving held in 1583 in Saint Augustine, Florida, by Spanish explorers. “This historical event, accompanied by many others, attests to the strong, though largely unknown, Eucharistic heritage of the United States of America,” the pope said. “This heritage, far from being forgotten, must continue to serve as a source of both renewal and unity.”That history, the pope told the pilgrims, “has continued to bear fruit by leading new generations of American Catholics to Jesus Christ.” He also cited the examples of U.S. martyrs and U.S.-born saints, including St. Kateri Tekakwitha, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, and St. Katharine Drexel.“The intense apostolic activity of these holy men and women, and others like them, would not have been possible without the strength they drew daily from moments of silent prayer before the tabernacle,” he said. The pope said the Eucharistic pilgrimage helps “carry on this great legacy of faith.” The Eucharist is “an invaluable gift,” he said, one that the Church in the U.S. will use to “find strength to carry on her charitable service to the wider society.” Leo urged the pilgrims to “place your lives under God’s loving providence as you return to your homes.” He also urged them to “cultivate a strong Eucharistic life among your families, friends, and communities.”After the U.S. pilgrimage began on Pentecost in St. Augustine — the site of the 1583 Thanksgiving Mass referenced by Pope Leo XIV — it worked its way up the Eastern Seaboard, stopping at multiple U.S. dioceses and holy sites.The route drew thousands of pilgrims in locations including Williamsburg, Virginia, Baltimore, and Boston. On June 6 the pilgrimage passed through the streets of Washington, D.C.Along the way the pilgrimage gave recognition to uniquely American aspects of Catholicism, such as the Georgia Martyrs, who are scheduled for beatification on Oct. 31.
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Pope Leo XIV praises U.S. Eucharistic pilgrims, highlights country’s ‘strong Eucharistic heritage’ #Catholic Pope Leo XIV on July 5 praised Eucharistic pilgrims in the U.S. for walking thousands of miles with Christ as part of a “great legacy of faith” amid the country’s 250th anniversary celebrations. The pilgrimage, which carried the theme “One Nation, Under God,” began in St. Augustine, Florida in May and went as far north as Portland, Maine, before turning south and finishing in Philadelphia.In a video message played at the concluding Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, Leo XIV —  the first pope in Catholic Church history from the United States — said the pilgrimage, which traced a route through the original 13 colonies that rebelled against England in 1776, was “particularly appropriate” to commemorate the country’s 250th anniversary of its founding.The U.S., the pope said, “has been imbued with a sense of faith that recognizes God’s sovereignty even before its formal establishment.” The Holy Father cited a Mass of Thanksgiving held in 1583 in Saint Augustine, Florida, by Spanish explorers. “This historical event, accompanied by many others, attests to the strong, though largely unknown, Eucharistic heritage of the United States of America,” the pope said. “This heritage, far from being forgotten, must continue to serve as a source of both renewal and unity.”That history, the pope told the pilgrims, “has continued to bear fruit by leading new generations of American Catholics to Jesus Christ.” He also cited the examples of U.S. martyrs and U.S.-born saints, including St. Kateri Tekakwitha, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, and St. Katharine Drexel.“The intense apostolic activity of these holy men and women, and others like them, would not have been possible without the strength they drew daily from moments of silent prayer before the tabernacle,” he said. The pope said the Eucharistic pilgrimage helps “carry on this great legacy of faith.” The Eucharist is “an invaluable gift,” he said, one that the Church in the U.S. will use to “find strength to carry on her charitable service to the wider society.” Leo urged the pilgrims to “place your lives under God’s loving providence as you return to your homes.” He also urged them to “cultivate a strong Eucharistic life among your families, friends, and communities.”After the U.S. pilgrimage began on Pentecost in St. Augustine — the site of the 1583 Thanksgiving Mass referenced by Pope Leo XIV — it worked its way up the Eastern Seaboard, stopping at multiple U.S. dioceses and holy sites.The route drew thousands of pilgrims in locations including Williamsburg, Virginia, Baltimore, and Boston. On June 6 the pilgrimage passed through the streets of Washington, D.C.Along the way the pilgrimage gave recognition to uniquely American aspects of Catholicism, such as the Georgia Martyrs, who are scheduled for beatification on Oct. 31.

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The Holy Father addressed pilgrims at the close of the 2026 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, which concluded in Philadelphia on July 5.

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New TV series spotlights Church’s response to addiction crisis #Catholic – On Saturday, July 11, Shalom World TV, a global Catholic network, will release “Unshackled,” a first-of-its-kind 12-episode TV series aimed at promoting hope and healing for people suffering from various addictions — and those who love and treat them — by showcasing stories of addiction and recovery through video-on-demand. More than a year in production, “Unshackled” gives people with an addiction, addiction specialists, and spiritual leaders a platform to tell their stories. The series also highlights how the Catholic Church has stepped up to respond to the addiction crisis — and how the faithful can get involved. The show was taped last summer at the Shrine of St. Joseph in the Stirling neighborhood of Long Hill Township, N.J., in the Paterson Diocese. The 12 episodes will be released on the streaming platform at https://shalomworld.org for viewers to watch as they wish. In September, the 30-minute episodes will begin airing individually on the TV network. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Keaton Douglas, founder and executive director of the iTHIRST initiative, an acronym for “The Healing Initiative: Recovery, Spirituality and Twelve Steps,” hosted and helped develop the program. She founded iTHIRST in the Paterson Diocese of New Jersey. iTHIRST equips the body of Christ — clergy, religious, and laity — to understand and minister to people who are addicted. It is a ministry of the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity at the Shrine. People can be addicted to many things, including drugs, alcohol, pornography, gambling, sex, or electronic devices. “‘Unshackled’ gives a global reach to stories that offer people who are addicted hope for healing in three critical ways: in mind, body — and also spiritual, which is the particular goal of iTHIRST,” said Douglas of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Sandyston, N.J. “The series shows that the Church has a role to play in the healing of people who are addicted — having unnatural compulsions that keep us from God, others, and ourselves. There are so many resources. We want people to be aware of them,” she said. iTHIRST partners with Seton Hall University to offer this Spiritual Companionship training year-round through the school’s Division of Continuing Education and Professional Studies. More than 1,400 certified iTHIRST Spiritual Companions now minister in 13 nations, including seven African countries, where the program is bringing faith and recovery to traditionally under-resourced communities. One guest on “Unshackled” is James Manieri of New Jersey, who climbed out of a 15-year drug addiction with treatment. Today, he is a nationally certified peer recovery specialist. “I was rescued by prayer and determination. I’m grateful to be alive. Today, I have the opportunity to help rescue people who need to be rescued because I’ve been rescued,” Manieri said. BeaconNJ.org will publish the dates and times when individual episodes of “Unshackled” will air in the fall of 2026 on the ShalomWorld TV network, as they become available.  
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New TV series spotlights Church’s response to addiction crisis #Catholic – On Saturday, July 11, Shalom World TV, a global Catholic network, will release “Unshackled,” a first-of-its-kind 12-episode TV series aimed at promoting hope and healing for people suffering from various addictions — and those who love and treat them — by showcasing stories of addiction and recovery through video-on-demand. More than a year in production, “Unshackled” gives people with an addiction, addiction specialists, and spiritual leaders a platform to tell their stories. The series also highlights how the Catholic Church has stepped up to respond to the addiction crisis — and how the faithful can get involved. The show was taped last summer at the Shrine of St. Joseph in the Stirling neighborhood of Long Hill Township, N.J., in the Paterson Diocese. The 12 episodes will be released on the streaming platform at https://shalomworld.org for viewers to watch as they wish. In September, the 30-minute episodes will begin airing individually on the TV network. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Keaton Douglas, founder and executive director of the iTHIRST initiative, an acronym for “The Healing Initiative: Recovery, Spirituality and Twelve Steps,” hosted and helped develop the program. She founded iTHIRST in the Paterson Diocese of New Jersey. iTHIRST equips the body of Christ — clergy, religious, and laity — to understand and minister to people who are addicted. It is a ministry of the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity at the Shrine. People can be addicted to many things, including drugs, alcohol, pornography, gambling, sex, or electronic devices. “‘Unshackled’ gives a global reach to stories that offer people who are addicted hope for healing in three critical ways: in mind, body — and also spiritual, which is the particular goal of iTHIRST,” said Douglas of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Sandyston, N.J. “The series shows that the Church has a role to play in the healing of people who are addicted — having unnatural compulsions that keep us from God, others, and ourselves. There are so many resources. We want people to be aware of them,” she said. iTHIRST partners with Seton Hall University to offer this Spiritual Companionship training year-round through the school’s Division of Continuing Education and Professional Studies. More than 1,400 certified iTHIRST Spiritual Companions now minister in 13 nations, including seven African countries, where the program is bringing faith and recovery to traditionally under-resourced communities. One guest on “Unshackled” is James Manieri of New Jersey, who climbed out of a 15-year drug addiction with treatment. Today, he is a nationally certified peer recovery specialist. “I was rescued by prayer and determination. I’m grateful to be alive. Today, I have the opportunity to help rescue people who need to be rescued because I’ve been rescued,” Manieri said. BeaconNJ.org will publish the dates and times when individual episodes of “Unshackled” will air in the fall of 2026 on the ShalomWorld TV network, as they become available.  

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New TV series spotlights Church’s response to addiction crisis #Catholic –

On Saturday, July 11, Shalom World TV, a global Catholic network, will release “Unshackled,” a first-of-its-kind 12-episode TV series aimed at promoting hope and healing for people suffering from various addictions — and those who love and treat them — by showcasing stories of addiction and recovery through video-on-demand.

More than a year in production, “Unshackled” gives people with an addiction, addiction specialists, and spiritual leaders a platform to tell their stories. The series also highlights how the Catholic Church has stepped up to respond to the addiction crisis — and how the faithful can get involved. The show was taped last summer at the Shrine of St. Joseph in the Stirling neighborhood of Long Hill Township, N.J., in the Paterson Diocese.

The 12 episodes will be released on the streaming platform at https://shalomworld.org for viewers to watch as they wish. In September, the 30-minute episodes will begin airing individually on the TV network.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

Keaton Douglas, founder and executive director of the iTHIRST initiative, an acronym for “The Healing Initiative: Recovery, Spirituality and Twelve Steps,” hosted and helped develop the program. She founded iTHIRST in the Paterson Diocese of New Jersey.

iTHIRST equips the body of Christ — clergy, religious, and laity — to understand and minister to people who are addicted. It is a ministry of the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity at the Shrine. People can be addicted to many things, including drugs, alcohol, pornography, gambling, sex, or electronic devices.

“‘Unshackled’ gives a global reach to stories that offer people who are addicted hope for healing in three critical ways: in mind, body — and also spiritual, which is the particular goal of iTHIRST,” said Douglas of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Sandyston, N.J. “The series shows that the Church has a role to play in the healing of people who are addicted — having unnatural compulsions that keep us from God, others, and ourselves. There are so many resources. We want people to be aware of them,” she said.

iTHIRST partners with Seton Hall University to offer this Spiritual Companionship training year-round through the school’s Division of Continuing Education and Professional Studies. More than 1,400 certified iTHIRST Spiritual Companions now minister in 13 nations, including seven African countries, where the program is bringing faith and recovery to traditionally under-resourced communities.

One guest on “Unshackled” is James Manieri of New Jersey, who climbed out of a 15-year drug addiction with treatment. Today, he is a nationally certified peer recovery specialist.

“I was rescued by prayer and determination. I’m grateful to be alive. Today, I have the opportunity to help rescue people who need to be rescued because I’ve been rescued,” Manieri said.

BeaconNJ.org will publish the dates and times when individual episodes of “Unshackled” will air in the fall of 2026 on the ShalomWorld TV network, as they become available.

 

– On Saturday, July 11, Shalom World TV, a global Catholic network, will release “Unshackled,” a first-of-its-kind 12-episode TV series aimed at promoting hope and healing for people suffering from various addictions — and those who love and treat them — by showcasing stories of addiction and recovery through video-on-demand. More than a year in production, “Unshackled” gives people with an addiction, addiction specialists, and spiritual leaders a platform to tell their stories. The series also highlights how the Catholic Church has stepped up to respond to the addiction crisis — and how the faithful can get involved. The show was

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Pope Leo XIV dines with U.S. ambassador on Independence Day #Catholic VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV had dinner July 4 at the private residence of U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Brian Burch, the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See said.The dinner took place at the ambassador’s residence on the Janiculum Hill in Rome on the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence.“I am deeply honored to celebrate this special day with a fellow American and the Bishop of Rome,” Burch said.The pope’s visit came after a day trip to Lampedusa, where he addressed migration and prayed for those who have died crossing the Mediterranean. Images of Pope Leo XIV standing on the island’s rocks and looking out over the sea circulated widely after the visit.After returning to the Vatican, the pope went to the ambassador’s residence for the evening meal. Photos released by the embassy showed Pope Leo XIV with Burch and members of his family.Burch, a Catholic and father of nine, is co-founder of CatholicVote, an organization that says its mission is to encourage Catholics in the United States to live their faith in public life through education, advocacy, and civic engagement.Burch presented his credentials to Pope Leo XIV as U.S. ambassador to the Holy See in September 2025.
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Pope Leo XIV dines with U.S. ambassador on Independence Day #Catholic VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV had dinner July 4 at the private residence of U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Brian Burch, the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See said.The dinner took place at the ambassador’s residence on the Janiculum Hill in Rome on the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence.“I am deeply honored to celebrate this special day with a fellow American and the Bishop of Rome,” Burch said.The pope’s visit came after a day trip to Lampedusa, where he addressed migration and prayed for those who have died crossing the Mediterranean. Images of Pope Leo XIV standing on the island’s rocks and looking out over the sea circulated widely after the visit.After returning to the Vatican, the pope went to the ambassador’s residence for the evening meal. Photos released by the embassy showed Pope Leo XIV with Burch and members of his family.Burch, a Catholic and father of nine, is co-founder of CatholicVote, an organization that says its mission is to encourage Catholics in the United States to live their faith in public life through education, advocacy, and civic engagement.Burch presented his credentials to Pope Leo XIV as U.S. ambassador to the Holy See in September 2025.

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The pope visited the private residence of U.S. Ambassador Brian Burch after returning from Lampedusa.

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Pope Leo XIV says Christ is hope amid the scourge of war – #Catholic – VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV on Sunday said Christ remains the Church’s hope amid war, slavery, sin, and the wounds of history, urging Christians to learn from Jesus a “school of freedom” rooted in the cross.Speaking at the July 5 Angelus in a sunny and hot St. Peter’s Square, the pope reflected on the day’s Gospel, Matthew 11:25–30, in which Jesus praises the Father, “Lord of heaven and earth.”“The Son of God made man reveals his love by including all creatures in this act of thanksgiving,” Pope Leo XIV said.The pope said the Gospel reveals God’s preference for the humble and the small.“The simplicity of such a spontaneous and joyful gesture reflects God’s way of acting: he delights in revealing himself ‘to infants,’ while remaining hidden ‘from the wise and the intelligent,’” he said.Those who are “filled” with their own ideas, the pope said, fail to recognize Christ.“Human wisdom thus becomes arrogance, and doctrine degenerates into pride,” he said. “By contrast, God’s true wisdom is revealed in the humility of the Incarnation, and his teaching is addressed above all to those who struggle: ‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens,’ says the Lord.”Pope Leo XIV said going to Jesus “means responding to his love and sharing in his life, even to the cross.”“How can the weight of the cross be ‘easy’ and ‘light’?” the pope asked. “For one reason alone: because the Lord himself carries it with us, never leaving us alone in what burdens us.”The pope said Christ takes upon himself “humanity wounded by evil in order to heal and care for it.”“For this reason, our journey of following Christ is not an asceticism that mortifies,” he continued. “Rather, it is a school of freedom that takes seriously the drama of history and continually sheds light on its meaning, especially in its darkest moments.”“Indeed, only in the cross of Jesus is evil overcome; only in his passion does our mortal weariness find consolation and redemption,” he said.The pope then pointed to Christ as the answer to the world’s deepest suffering.“In slavery, Christ is liberation. Amid the scourge of war, Christ is hope. In the hour of sin, Christ is forgiveness,” Pope Leo XIV said. “This is true wisdom and the path that we wish to walk together, united as disciples in his name.”After the Angelus, the pope recalled the July 2 beatification of Father Francis Xavier Tru’o’ng Bǚu Diêp at the Shrine of Tac Say in Vietnam. The Vietnamese diocesan priest was killed in 1946 in hatred of the faith.“Amid oppression and violence, he defended the rights of the people and did not abandon his parishioners,” the pope said. “May his intercession and prayers strengthen all those who proclaim the Gospel in situations of persecution today.”Pope Leo XIV also greeted pilgrims from Brazil and the Choir of the University of Mérida in Venezuela, and renewed his prayers for the Venezuelan people.“I continue to remember in my prayers the victims of the earthquake and all the Venezuelan people,” he said. “May the Lord sustain them in this time of great hardship.”The Angelus came shortly before the Prefecture of the Papal Household announced that Pope Leo XIV would transfer Sunday afternoon to the Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo for a period of rest until Monday, July 27.During that period, all general, private, and special audiences will be suspended. General audiences will resume Wednesday, Aug. 5.The Prefecture of the Papal Household also said the Sunday Angelus prayers during July will be prayed in Piazza della Libertà in Castel Gandolfo.This story was first published by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
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Pope Leo XIV says Christ is hope amid the scourge of war – #Catholic – VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV on Sunday said Christ remains the Church’s hope amid war, slavery, sin, and the wounds of history, urging Christians to learn from Jesus a “school of freedom” rooted in the cross.Speaking at the July 5 Angelus in a sunny and hot St. Peter’s Square, the pope reflected on the day’s Gospel, Matthew 11:25–30, in which Jesus praises the Father, “Lord of heaven and earth.”“The Son of God made man reveals his love by including all creatures in this act of thanksgiving,” Pope Leo XIV said.The pope said the Gospel reveals God’s preference for the humble and the small.“The simplicity of such a spontaneous and joyful gesture reflects God’s way of acting: he delights in revealing himself ‘to infants,’ while remaining hidden ‘from the wise and the intelligent,’” he said.Those who are “filled” with their own ideas, the pope said, fail to recognize Christ.“Human wisdom thus becomes arrogance, and doctrine degenerates into pride,” he said. “By contrast, God’s true wisdom is revealed in the humility of the Incarnation, and his teaching is addressed above all to those who struggle: ‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens,’ says the Lord.”Pope Leo XIV said going to Jesus “means responding to his love and sharing in his life, even to the cross.”“How can the weight of the cross be ‘easy’ and ‘light’?” the pope asked. “For one reason alone: because the Lord himself carries it with us, never leaving us alone in what burdens us.”The pope said Christ takes upon himself “humanity wounded by evil in order to heal and care for it.”“For this reason, our journey of following Christ is not an asceticism that mortifies,” he continued. “Rather, it is a school of freedom that takes seriously the drama of history and continually sheds light on its meaning, especially in its darkest moments.”“Indeed, only in the cross of Jesus is evil overcome; only in his passion does our mortal weariness find consolation and redemption,” he said.The pope then pointed to Christ as the answer to the world’s deepest suffering.“In slavery, Christ is liberation. Amid the scourge of war, Christ is hope. In the hour of sin, Christ is forgiveness,” Pope Leo XIV said. “This is true wisdom and the path that we wish to walk together, united as disciples in his name.”After the Angelus, the pope recalled the July 2 beatification of Father Francis Xavier Tru’o’ng Bǚu Diêp at the Shrine of Tac Say in Vietnam. The Vietnamese diocesan priest was killed in 1946 in hatred of the faith.“Amid oppression and violence, he defended the rights of the people and did not abandon his parishioners,” the pope said. “May his intercession and prayers strengthen all those who proclaim the Gospel in situations of persecution today.”Pope Leo XIV also greeted pilgrims from Brazil and the Choir of the University of Mérida in Venezuela, and renewed his prayers for the Venezuelan people.“I continue to remember in my prayers the victims of the earthquake and all the Venezuelan people,” he said. “May the Lord sustain them in this time of great hardship.”The Angelus came shortly before the Prefecture of the Papal Household announced that Pope Leo XIV would transfer Sunday afternoon to the Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo for a period of rest until Monday, July 27.During that period, all general, private, and special audiences will be suspended. General audiences will resume Wednesday, Aug. 5.The Prefecture of the Papal Household also said the Sunday Angelus prayers during July will be prayed in Piazza della Libertà in Castel Gandolfo.This story was first published by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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The pontiff prayed the Angelus in St. Peter’s Square before traveling to Castel Gandolfo for three weeks of vacation.

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‘Thanks to John Paul II, my father always kept hope alive,’ Jérôme Lejeune’s daughter says – #Catholic – On June 22, Pope Leo XIV received members of the Lejeune Foundation in an audience marking the centenary of the birth of Jérôme Lejeune, the physician who discovered the cause of Down syndrome. He maintained a close relationship with St. John Paul II, who appointed him the first president of the Pontifical Academy for Life in 1994.Karin Lejeune, his daughter, told ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, that her father’s friendship with the Polish pontiff was key to maintaining hope during the most difficult moments of his life.“It’s important to know that my father went through a real Calvary after the [French] abortion law was passed. He was ostracized by society and, I dare say, by the Church in France; the scientific community, and the entire French ‘political correctness’ establishment,” she said.“They even withdrew research funding for his laboratory. So, it was a truly difficult time. And thanks to that friendship, I believe he held on, that he always kept hope alive,” she added.“These two men shared a common desire to serve the poorest, those whom my father called the most disadvantaged in terms of intellect, namely, children with intellectual disabilities,” Karin noted.The friendship was marked by the assassination attempt on the Holy Father in St. Peterʼs Square on May 13, 1981, just hours after the two men had lunched together at the Vatican.“They spent two hours talking about respect for life, about support precisely for those poor, the disadvantaged. And at the end of those two hours, the pope said: ‘Now I have to go down to St. Peterʼs Square.’ So my parents took a taxi to go to the airport and, when they got off the plane, the taxi driver who was taking them to our house on Galande Street told them: ‘They have murdered the pope, he has died,’” Karin recounted.At home, everyone wept as they waited anxiously, Jérôme Lejeune among them.“We were all crying. My father was pale. We kept watching television for a while, clinging to the faint hope that he would undergo surgery. And at that moment, my father said, ‘I wish it were me,’" Karin recalled of the tragic moment.That same afternoon, her father fell ill after giving a lecture. “We used to tell Dad: ‘That’s actually what empathy is — suffering with … In fact, love and friendship are just that: suffering alongside the person who is suffering.’”‘What I remember most is his gaze’Jérôme Lejeune, a father of five, passed away from cancer in April 1994 at the age of 67. His cause for canonization was opened in 2007, with the diocesan phase concluding in 2012. In January 2024, Pope Francis approved the decree recognizing his heroic virtues and declared him venerable.Karin described her father beyond his persona as a scientist and one of the pioneers of modern genetics, internationally recognized with numerous honorary doctorates: “He was a very tender, very understanding father, and above all, he always looked at us with an extraordinary gaze. And when I picture him today, what I remember most is his look. It was always a kind gaze.”When he was interrupted, she recalled, “he was always available. I never heard him say, ‘Wait, Karin, Iʼm writing a letter.’ No, he would drop everything, push it all aside instantly, whatever he was doing, to be at our disposal.”Together with his Danish-born wife, Birthe, they created a home characterized by its welcoming atmosphere: “At home, the door was always open; you could arrive with 10 friends or come back, I donʼt know, from a lecture or a pilgrimage. We would go home to get something to drink. In fact, we didnʼt go to a bar. The ‘bar’ for all our friends was at 31 Rue Galande in the French capitalʼs Fifth Arrondissement.”This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
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‘Thanks to John Paul II, my father always kept hope alive,’ Jérôme Lejeune’s daughter says – #Catholic – On June 22, Pope Leo XIV received members of the Lejeune Foundation in an audience marking the centenary of the birth of Jérôme Lejeune, the physician who discovered the cause of Down syndrome. He maintained a close relationship with St. John Paul II, who appointed him the first president of the Pontifical Academy for Life in 1994.Karin Lejeune, his daughter, told ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, that her father’s friendship with the Polish pontiff was key to maintaining hope during the most difficult moments of his life.“It’s important to know that my father went through a real Calvary after the [French] abortion law was passed. He was ostracized by society and, I dare say, by the Church in France; the scientific community, and the entire French ‘political correctness’ establishment,” she said.“They even withdrew research funding for his laboratory. So, it was a truly difficult time. And thanks to that friendship, I believe he held on, that he always kept hope alive,” she added.“These two men shared a common desire to serve the poorest, those whom my father called the most disadvantaged in terms of intellect, namely, children with intellectual disabilities,” Karin noted.The friendship was marked by the assassination attempt on the Holy Father in St. Peterʼs Square on May 13, 1981, just hours after the two men had lunched together at the Vatican.“They spent two hours talking about respect for life, about support precisely for those poor, the disadvantaged. And at the end of those two hours, the pope said: ‘Now I have to go down to St. Peterʼs Square.’ So my parents took a taxi to go to the airport and, when they got off the plane, the taxi driver who was taking them to our house on Galande Street told them: ‘They have murdered the pope, he has died,’” Karin recounted.At home, everyone wept as they waited anxiously, Jérôme Lejeune among them.“We were all crying. My father was pale. We kept watching television for a while, clinging to the faint hope that he would undergo surgery. And at that moment, my father said, ‘I wish it were me,’" Karin recalled of the tragic moment.That same afternoon, her father fell ill after giving a lecture. “We used to tell Dad: ‘That’s actually what empathy is — suffering with … In fact, love and friendship are just that: suffering alongside the person who is suffering.’”‘What I remember most is his gaze’Jérôme Lejeune, a father of five, passed away from cancer in April 1994 at the age of 67. His cause for canonization was opened in 2007, with the diocesan phase concluding in 2012. In January 2024, Pope Francis approved the decree recognizing his heroic virtues and declared him venerable.Karin described her father beyond his persona as a scientist and one of the pioneers of modern genetics, internationally recognized with numerous honorary doctorates: “He was a very tender, very understanding father, and above all, he always looked at us with an extraordinary gaze. And when I picture him today, what I remember most is his look. It was always a kind gaze.”When he was interrupted, she recalled, “he was always available. I never heard him say, ‘Wait, Karin, Iʼm writing a letter.’ No, he would drop everything, push it all aside instantly, whatever he was doing, to be at our disposal.”Together with his Danish-born wife, Birthe, they created a home characterized by its welcoming atmosphere: “At home, the door was always open; you could arrive with 10 friends or come back, I donʼt know, from a lecture or a pilgrimage. We would go home to get something to drink. In fact, we didnʼt go to a bar. The ‘bar’ for all our friends was at 31 Rue Galande in the French capitalʼs Fifth Arrondissement.”This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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Lejeune and John Paul II were united in friendship and in defending the right to life, especially of those with intellectual disabilities.

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Gospel and Word of the Day – 05 July 2026 – A reading from the Book of Isaiah Zechariah 9:9-10 Thus says the LORD: Rejoice heartily, O daughter Zion, shout for joy, O daughter Jerusalem! See, your king shall come to you; a just savior is he, meek, and riding on an ass, on a colt, the foal of an ass. He shall banish the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem; the warrior’s bow shall be banished, and he shall proclaim peace to the nations. His dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.   A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans 8:9, 11-13 Brothers and sisters: You are not in the flesh; on the contrary, you are in the spirit, if only the Spirit of God dwells in you.  Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.  If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also, through his Spirit that dwells in you. Consequently, brothers and sisters, we are not debtors to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.  For if you live according to the flesh, you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.From the Gospel according to Matthew 11:25-30 At that time Jesus exclaimed:  "I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to little ones. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father.  No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him." "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."Jesus (…) invites us to take his yoke upon us and to learn from him who is "gentle and lowly in heart" (Mt 11: 29). Taking the Lord’s yoke upon us means first of all: learning from him. It means always being ready to go to his school. From him we must learn gentleness and meekness: the humility of God who shows himself in his being a man. St Gregory of Nazianzus once asked himself why God wanted to become a man. The most important and for me the most moving part of his answer is: "God wanted to realize what obedience means to us and he wanted to measure everything on the basis of his own suffering, on the invention of his love for us. In this way, he himself can directly know what it is that we feel – what is asked of us, what indulgence we deserve – calculating our weakness on the basis of his suffering" (Orationes 30; Theological Talk IV, 6). At times we would like to say to Jesus: Lord, your yoke is far from light. Indeed, it is tremendously heavy in this world. But then looking at the One who bore everything – who tried out on himself obedience, weakness, suffering, all the darkness -, then these complaints of ours fade. His yoke is that of loving with him. And the more we love him and with him become loving people, the lighter becomes his seemingly burdensome yoke. (Pope Benedict XVI, Homily, 5 April 2007)

unitedyam

A reading from the Book of Isaiah Zechariah
9:9-10

Thus says the LORD:
Rejoice heartily, O daughter Zion,
shout for joy, O daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king shall come to you;
a just savior is he,
meek, and riding on an ass,
on a colt, the foal of an ass.
He shall banish the chariot from Ephraim,
and the horse from Jerusalem;
the warrior’s bow shall be banished,
and he shall proclaim peace to the nations.
His dominion shall be from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.

 

A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans
8:9, 11-13

Brothers and sisters:
You are not in the flesh;
on the contrary, you are in the spirit,
if only the Spirit of God dwells in you. 
Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 
If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,
the one who raised Christ from the dead
will give life to your mortal bodies also,
through his Spirit that dwells in you.
Consequently, brothers and sisters,
we are not debtors to the flesh,
to live according to the flesh. 
For if you live according to the flesh, you will die,
but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body,
you will live.

From the Gospel according to Matthew
11:25-30

At that time Jesus exclaimed: 
"I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to little ones.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father. 
No one knows the Son except the Father,
and no one knows the Father except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him."

"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for yourselves. 
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."

Jesus (…) invites us to take his yoke upon us and to learn from him who is "gentle and lowly in heart" (Mt 11: 29). Taking the Lord’s yoke upon us means first of all: learning from him. It means always being ready to go to his school. From him we must learn gentleness and meekness: the humility of God who shows himself in his being a man.

St Gregory of Nazianzus once asked himself why God wanted to become a man. The most important and for me the most moving part of his answer is: "God wanted to realize what obedience means to us and he wanted to measure everything on the basis of his own suffering, on the invention of his love for us. In this way, he himself can directly know what it is that we feel – what is asked of us, what indulgence we deserve – calculating our weakness on the basis of his suffering" (Orationes 30; Theological Talk IV, 6).

At times we would like to say to Jesus: Lord, your yoke is far from light. Indeed, it is tremendously heavy in this world. But then looking at the One who bore everything – who tried out on himself obedience, weakness, suffering, all the darkness -, then these complaints of ours fade. His yoke is that of loving with him. And the more we love him and with him become loving people, the lighter becomes his seemingly burdensome yoke.

(Pope Benedict XVI, Homily, 5 April 2007)

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Catholic historians reflect on the Church’s role as America marks 250 years #Catholic As the United States prepares to celebrate the 250th anniversary of its founding, two Catholic historians say the nationʼs story cannot be fully understood without recognizing the role Catholics have played in shaping American life.In a July 3 “EWTN News in Depth” interview with Catherine Hadro, Kathleen Sprows Cummings of the University of Notre Dame and Christopher Shannon of Christendom College reflected on the complex history of Catholicism in the United States. Cummings, director of Notre Dameʼs Global Catholic Research Initiative, said it is difficult for many Americans today to imagine the level of hostility Catholics once faced.“It’s hard to imagine today the extent to which Catholics were seen as not welcome in the United States,” she said. Nineteenth-century Catholic immigrants, particularly those arriving from Ireland, Italy, and Eastern Europe, were often viewed with suspicion because they were poor, came from “undesirable” countries, and were believed to be “loyal to the pope.”“Anti-Catholicism in the 19th century often meant anti-papist,” Cummings explained, noting that many Americans feared the pope harbored “imperial designs on the United States.”Despite that prejudice, Catholics gradually demonstrated their loyalty to the nation through military service, civic life, and public leadership, she said.Shannon, author of “American Pilgrimage: A Historical Journey Through Catholic Life in a New World,” said Catholics ultimately proved themselves to be deeply patriotic, though often “on their own terms.”“Catholics seem just so darn American now,” he said.The conversation also highlighted the witness of American saints, including St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, and St. John Neumann, whose lives demonstrated, Cummings said, the harmony between “patriotism and sanctity.”The historians also discussed Catholic political leaders from Al Smith to President John F. Kennedy, the challenges of living an authentically Catholic public life, and what the election of Pope Leo XIV, the first U.S.-born pope, means for American Catholics.Calling the moment “truly astonishing,” Cummings said an American pope “would have been a travesty at home and an absurdity in Rome” for much of U.S. history. Yet she emphasized that Catholics should remember Pope Leo “views the world not primarily through an American filter, but through a Catholic lens.”
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Catholic historians reflect on the Church’s role as America marks 250 years #Catholic As the United States prepares to celebrate the 250th anniversary of its founding, two Catholic historians say the nationʼs story cannot be fully understood without recognizing the role Catholics have played in shaping American life.In a July 3 “EWTN News in Depth” interview with Catherine Hadro, Kathleen Sprows Cummings of the University of Notre Dame and Christopher Shannon of Christendom College reflected on the complex history of Catholicism in the United States. Cummings, director of Notre Dameʼs Global Catholic Research Initiative, said it is difficult for many Americans today to imagine the level of hostility Catholics once faced.“It’s hard to imagine today the extent to which Catholics were seen as not welcome in the United States,” she said. Nineteenth-century Catholic immigrants, particularly those arriving from Ireland, Italy, and Eastern Europe, were often viewed with suspicion because they were poor, came from “undesirable” countries, and were believed to be “loyal to the pope.”“Anti-Catholicism in the 19th century often meant anti-papist,” Cummings explained, noting that many Americans feared the pope harbored “imperial designs on the United States.”Despite that prejudice, Catholics gradually demonstrated their loyalty to the nation through military service, civic life, and public leadership, she said.Shannon, author of “American Pilgrimage: A Historical Journey Through Catholic Life in a New World,” said Catholics ultimately proved themselves to be deeply patriotic, though often “on their own terms.”“Catholics seem just so darn American now,” he said.The conversation also highlighted the witness of American saints, including St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, and St. John Neumann, whose lives demonstrated, Cummings said, the harmony between “patriotism and sanctity.”The historians also discussed Catholic political leaders from Al Smith to President John F. Kennedy, the challenges of living an authentically Catholic public life, and what the election of Pope Leo XIV, the first U.S.-born pope, means for American Catholics.Calling the moment “truly astonishing,” Cummings said an American pope “would have been a travesty at home and an absurdity in Rome” for much of U.S. history. Yet she emphasized that Catholics should remember Pope Leo “views the world not primarily through an American filter, but through a Catholic lens.”

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Dr. Kathleen Sprows Cummings of the University of Notre Dame and Dr. Christopher Shannon of Christendom College reflected on the complex history of Catholicism in the United States.

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Perpetual Eucharistic pilgrims reflect on ‘being with Christ 24/7’ as pilgrimage nears end #Catholic When John Paul Flynn, a rising junior at The Catholic University of America, decided to do mission work, he did not realize he would be doing it with Christ himself.Since May 24, Flynn has been part of a nine-person team taking the Blessed Sacrament across 18 dioceses as part of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, which will finish in Philadelphia on Sunday in celebration of the country’s 250th anniversary celebrations. Pope Leo XIV will deliver a video message prior to the closing Mass in the  Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul. Perpetual pilgrim John Paul Flynn. Photo credit: Simple Heart Photography in partnership with the National Eucharistic Congress. The 2026 pilgrimage is under the patronage of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, the first United States citizen to be canonized. During Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Pavia on June 20th, he venerated a relic of the heart of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini brought from Codogno. The pope’s veneration of St. Frances’ relic occurred the same week that Flynn and his fellow perpetual pilgrims accompanied the Eucharist to a private retreat at the Mother Cabrini National Shrine in Manhattan, where the saint is buried.The procession crossed the Delaware River in homage to the route George Washington took during his iconic crossing there in 1776.Another highlight for Flynn was when the monstrance was lifted high in front of the Washington Monument. “I knew I wanted to do mission work. I saw an application, prayed about it, and applied to be a part of the team,” Flynn, a social media coordinator and photographer, told EWTN News. “I knew I wanted to use my talents for Christ. This is a special opportunity to be with Christ 24/7.”In this case, “24/7” means taking the Tabernacle by van in between pilgrimage stops and accompanying the Eucharist down city streets, country roads, even into retirement homes, and encountering people of “diverse communities,” he said. When Flynn and the team recently walked through Boston, including down the Freedom Trail, they were joined by some 3,000 fellow believers, the biggest showing on the pilgrimage yet.Pilgrim Raymond Martinez, II, a fourth-year seminarian at Conception Seminary College in Conception, Missouri, said the processions and the timing around the nation’s milestone made him reflect on the history of the Church in America, and how far Catholics had come from, being excluded from public office to being able to worship freely like they did this summer. Perpetual pilgrim Raymond Martinez. Photo credit: Simple Heart Photography in partnership with the National Eucharistic Congress. The closing events in Philadelphia on Independence Day weekend will draw pilgrims to two shrines that speak to the legacy of the Church in America: the tomb of St. Katharine Drexel, the first native-born United States citizen to be canonized, and the shrine of Saint John Neumann, the first canonized American bishop.Martinez and Flynn both said they encountered the occasional heckler as well as commuters annoyed by street closures, but overall, the reception in the processions was positive and conducive to evangelization. "If youʼve pulled off all these logistics, there must be divine help,“ they recalled an atheist telling them in Georgia.While Flynn managed social media, Martinez was tasked with missionary work from handing out prayer cards, t-shirts and food to homeless people watching from the sidelines to answering questions from curious bystanders who had never seen the Eucharist.Flynn and Martinez said that the response they received from non-Catholics — as well as those estranged from the Church — was worth the long days, many in extreme heat. One bystander told pilgrims he was Catholic but had never actually attended Mass. Another they encountered on a boardwalk explained he had been away from the Church for years but felt inspired to return.The pilgrimage will continue next year, with the goal of visiting all fifty states. The next National Eucharistic Congress will take place in 2029 and is still collecting prayer intentions from across the country and Holy Hour pledges as part of its goal of offering 250,000 Holy Hours in honor of the anniversary year.
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Perpetual Eucharistic pilgrims reflect on ‘being with Christ 24/7’ as pilgrimage nears end #Catholic When John Paul Flynn, a rising junior at The Catholic University of America, decided to do mission work, he did not realize he would be doing it with Christ himself.Since May 24, Flynn has been part of a nine-person team taking the Blessed Sacrament across 18 dioceses as part of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, which will finish in Philadelphia on Sunday in celebration of the country’s 250th anniversary celebrations. Pope Leo XIV will deliver a video message prior to the closing Mass in the  Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul. Perpetual pilgrim John Paul Flynn. Photo credit: Simple Heart Photography in partnership with the National Eucharistic Congress. The 2026 pilgrimage is under the patronage of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, the first United States citizen to be canonized. During Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Pavia on June 20th, he venerated a relic of the heart of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini brought from Codogno. The pope’s veneration of St. Frances’ relic occurred the same week that Flynn and his fellow perpetual pilgrims accompanied the Eucharist to a private retreat at the Mother Cabrini National Shrine in Manhattan, where the saint is buried.The procession crossed the Delaware River in homage to the route George Washington took during his iconic crossing there in 1776.Another highlight for Flynn was when the monstrance was lifted high in front of the Washington Monument. “I knew I wanted to do mission work. I saw an application, prayed about it, and applied to be a part of the team,” Flynn, a social media coordinator and photographer, told EWTN News. “I knew I wanted to use my talents for Christ. This is a special opportunity to be with Christ 24/7.”In this case, “24/7” means taking the Tabernacle by van in between pilgrimage stops and accompanying the Eucharist down city streets, country roads, even into retirement homes, and encountering people of “diverse communities,” he said. When Flynn and the team recently walked through Boston, including down the Freedom Trail, they were joined by some 3,000 fellow believers, the biggest showing on the pilgrimage yet.Pilgrim Raymond Martinez, II, a fourth-year seminarian at Conception Seminary College in Conception, Missouri, said the processions and the timing around the nation’s milestone made him reflect on the history of the Church in America, and how far Catholics had come from, being excluded from public office to being able to worship freely like they did this summer. Perpetual pilgrim Raymond Martinez. Photo credit: Simple Heart Photography in partnership with the National Eucharistic Congress. The closing events in Philadelphia on Independence Day weekend will draw pilgrims to two shrines that speak to the legacy of the Church in America: the tomb of St. Katharine Drexel, the first native-born United States citizen to be canonized, and the shrine of Saint John Neumann, the first canonized American bishop.Martinez and Flynn both said they encountered the occasional heckler as well as commuters annoyed by street closures, but overall, the reception in the processions was positive and conducive to evangelization. "If youʼve pulled off all these logistics, there must be divine help,“ they recalled an atheist telling them in Georgia.While Flynn managed social media, Martinez was tasked with missionary work from handing out prayer cards, t-shirts and food to homeless people watching from the sidelines to answering questions from curious bystanders who had never seen the Eucharist.Flynn and Martinez said that the response they received from non-Catholics — as well as those estranged from the Church — was worth the long days, many in extreme heat. One bystander told pilgrims he was Catholic but had never actually attended Mass. Another they encountered on a boardwalk explained he had been away from the Church for years but felt inspired to return.The pilgrimage will continue next year, with the goal of visiting all fifty states. The next National Eucharistic Congress will take place in 2029 and is still collecting prayer intentions from across the country and Holy Hour pledges as part of its goal of offering 250,000 Holy Hours in honor of the anniversary year.

unitedyam

A nine-person team has taken the Blessed Sacrament across 18 dioceses as part of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, which will come to an end in Philadelphia on July 5.

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Full text: Letter of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV on the 250th Anniversary of the Founding of the United States of America #Catholic – I extend my heartfelt congratulations to all Americans on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. This semiquincentennial marks that defining moment in the history of the United States of America, July 4, 1776, that gave enduring voice to the ideals of liberty, equality, the pursuit of happiness, justice and democratic self-government. For two and a half centuries, generations of Americans have worked together to carry these principles forward — through sacrifice, service, innovation and civic participation. This anniversary stands as an invitation not only to celebrate the nation’s remarkable journey, but also to reflect upon the responsibilities that the sons and daughters of this country bear to one another, and to the generations who will inherit the nation that is being shaped today.  Among the most cherished of these principles is religious freedom — the right of every person to worship according to conscience and to practice their faith openly, without coercion or fear. In marking this anniversary, it is important to recognize that freedom of religion has long been central to the American promise, protecting both individual dignity and the peaceful coexistence of a diverse people. This same freedom has permitted the Catholic Church to take root and flourish within the United States, to the advantage not only of her own members, but of the entire nation. As faithful sons and daughters of the Church, Catholics are called to imbue every dimension of their existence with the charity of Christ (cf. 2 Cor 5:14), living out the Gospel in the circumstances of daily life. Such a way of living has given rise to the many benefits that the Church has provided over the years to the development of this nation. In particular, I bring to mind her service in areas of education, the preferential care of the poor, healthcare and basic social services, to name a few. In the Encyclical “Sapientiae Christianae,” my predecessor Pope Leo XIII wrote that “no better citizen is there… than the Christian who is mindful of his duty” (no. 7). In fact, faith — far from standing in opposition to the responsibilities of citizenship — lends new vigor to the pursuit of justice, peace and the common good, bringing to perfection every natural gift bestowed by the Creator. Saint Paul himself encouraged the early Christians to pray for those in positions of authority in order to live a peaceful life in accord with the will of God (cf. 1 Tim 2:2). In this regard, it is in the faithful fulfilment of duty — to God and country — that Catholics are called to continue to serve the nation, as leaven for the growth of a civilization of love (cf. Mt 13:33).  Also among the principles that have guided the development of this country is the God-given dignity of every human life, each person being endowed with an inherent worth that calls for reverence, protection and care. In this spirit, a full understanding of this dignity leads to recognizing the importance of safeguarding human life from its beginning at conception until natural death, and of building a society in which the vulnerable, the suffering and the forgotten are always met with compassion, solidarity and love.  Defending human life also includes welcoming, protecting and assisting immigrants, whose hopes, sacrifices and contribution have formed part of the history of this country from its very beginning. In every generation, those who have arrived seeking freedom, opportunity and a place to belong have helped to shape the nation’s character. To receive them with compassion and generosity is not only an act of charity, but also a recognition of the dignity that belongs to every human person.  In my recent Encyclical Letter, “Magnifica Humanitas,” I wrote about working together for the common good. “Building a world in which everyone can flourish requires shared responsibility and courage. No one can single-handedly bear the weight of the challenges the world is facing” (no. 13). We need one another, and we need to work together in unity to confront the challenges that the world is facing today.  May this milestone renew the shared commitment to the promise of freedom, justice, opportunity and democracy. May Americans honor the courage and vision of those who came before them by strengthening their communities, respecting their differences and working together toward a more perfect union.  Congratulations on this extraordinary national anniversary. May the spirit of 1776 continue to inspire hope and unity as the United States of America moves into the future. In assuring all of you of my prayers in your renewed efforts to strengthen the nation in the principles that guided its Founding Fathers, I entrust you to the intercession of the Immaculate Conception, patroness of this country, that she will continue to watch over America and protect all who dwell therein. From the Vatican, June 25, 2026
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Full text: Letter of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV on the 250th Anniversary of the Founding of the United States of America #Catholic – I extend my heartfelt congratulations to all Americans on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. This semiquincentennial marks that defining moment in the history of the United States of America, July 4, 1776, that gave enduring voice to the ideals of liberty, equality, the pursuit of happiness, justice and democratic self-government. For two and a half centuries, generations of Americans have worked together to carry these principles forward — through sacrifice, service, innovation and civic participation. This anniversary stands as an invitation not only to celebrate the nation’s remarkable journey, but also to reflect upon the responsibilities that the sons and daughters of this country bear to one another, and to the generations who will inherit the nation that is being shaped today.  Among the most cherished of these principles is religious freedom — the right of every person to worship according to conscience and to practice their faith openly, without coercion or fear. In marking this anniversary, it is important to recognize that freedom of religion has long been central to the American promise, protecting both individual dignity and the peaceful coexistence of a diverse people. This same freedom has permitted the Catholic Church to take root and flourish within the United States, to the advantage not only of her own members, but of the entire nation. As faithful sons and daughters of the Church, Catholics are called to imbue every dimension of their existence with the charity of Christ (cf. 2 Cor 5:14), living out the Gospel in the circumstances of daily life. Such a way of living has given rise to the many benefits that the Church has provided over the years to the development of this nation. In particular, I bring to mind her service in areas of education, the preferential care of the poor, healthcare and basic social services, to name a few. In the Encyclical “Sapientiae Christianae,” my predecessor Pope Leo XIII wrote that “no better citizen is there… than the Christian who is mindful of his duty” (no. 7). In fact, faith — far from standing in opposition to the responsibilities of citizenship — lends new vigor to the pursuit of justice, peace and the common good, bringing to perfection every natural gift bestowed by the Creator. Saint Paul himself encouraged the early Christians to pray for those in positions of authority in order to live a peaceful life in accord with the will of God (cf. 1 Tim 2:2). In this regard, it is in the faithful fulfilment of duty — to God and country — that Catholics are called to continue to serve the nation, as leaven for the growth of a civilization of love (cf. Mt 13:33).  Also among the principles that have guided the development of this country is the God-given dignity of every human life, each person being endowed with an inherent worth that calls for reverence, protection and care. In this spirit, a full understanding of this dignity leads to recognizing the importance of safeguarding human life from its beginning at conception until natural death, and of building a society in which the vulnerable, the suffering and the forgotten are always met with compassion, solidarity and love.  Defending human life also includes welcoming, protecting and assisting immigrants, whose hopes, sacrifices and contribution have formed part of the history of this country from its very beginning. In every generation, those who have arrived seeking freedom, opportunity and a place to belong have helped to shape the nation’s character. To receive them with compassion and generosity is not only an act of charity, but also a recognition of the dignity that belongs to every human person.  In my recent Encyclical Letter, “Magnifica Humanitas,” I wrote about working together for the common good. “Building a world in which everyone can flourish requires shared responsibility and courage. No one can single-handedly bear the weight of the challenges the world is facing” (no. 13). We need one another, and we need to work together in unity to confront the challenges that the world is facing today.  May this milestone renew the shared commitment to the promise of freedom, justice, opportunity and democracy. May Americans honor the courage and vision of those who came before them by strengthening their communities, respecting their differences and working together toward a more perfect union.  Congratulations on this extraordinary national anniversary. May the spirit of 1776 continue to inspire hope and unity as the United States of America moves into the future. In assuring all of you of my prayers in your renewed efforts to strengthen the nation in the principles that guided its Founding Fathers, I entrust you to the intercession of the Immaculate Conception, patroness of this country, that she will continue to watch over America and protect all who dwell therein. From the Vatican, June 25, 2026

unitedyam

Full text: Letter of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV on the 250th Anniversary of the Founding of the United States of America #Catholic –

I extend my heartfelt congratulations to all Americans on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. This semiquincentennial marks that defining moment in the history of the United States of America, July 4, 1776, that gave enduring voice to the ideals of liberty, equality, the pursuit of happiness, justice and democratic self-government.

For two and a half centuries, generations of Americans have worked together to carry these principles forward — through sacrifice, service, innovation and civic participation. This anniversary stands as an invitation not only to celebrate the nation’s remarkable journey, but also to reflect upon the responsibilities that the sons and daughters of this country bear to one another, and to the generations who will inherit the nation that is being shaped today. 

Among the most cherished of these principles is religious freedom — the right of every person to worship according to conscience and to practice their faith openly, without coercion or fear. In marking this anniversary, it is important to recognize that freedom of religion has long been central to the American promise, protecting both individual dignity and the peaceful coexistence of a diverse people.

This same freedom has permitted the Catholic Church to take root and flourish within the United States, to the advantage not only of her own members, but of the entire nation. As faithful sons and daughters of the Church, Catholics are called to imbue every dimension of their existence with the charity of Christ (cf. 2 Cor 5:14), living out the Gospel in the circumstances of daily life. Such a way of living has given rise to the many benefits that the Church has provided over the years to the development of this nation. In particular, I bring to mind her service in areas of education, the preferential care of the poor, healthcare and basic social services, to name a few.

In the Encyclical “Sapientiae Christianae,” my predecessor Pope Leo XIII wrote that “no better citizen is there… than the Christian who is mindful of his duty” (no. 7). In fact, faith — far from standing in opposition to the responsibilities of citizenship — lends new vigor to the pursuit of justice, peace and the common good, bringing to perfection every natural gift bestowed by the Creator. Saint Paul himself encouraged the early Christians to pray for those in positions of authority in order to live a peaceful life in accord with the will of God (cf. 1 Tim 2:2). In this regard, it is in the faithful fulfilment of duty — to God and country — that Catholics are called to continue to serve the nation, as leaven for the growth of a civilization of love (cf. Mt 13:33). 

Also among the principles that have guided the development of this country is the God-given dignity of every human life, each person being endowed with an inherent worth that calls for reverence, protection and care. In this spirit, a full understanding of this dignity leads to recognizing the importance of safeguarding human life from its beginning at conception until natural death, and of building a society in which the vulnerable, the suffering and the forgotten are always met with compassion, solidarity and love. 

Defending human life also includes welcoming, protecting and assisting immigrants, whose hopes, sacrifices and contribution have formed part of the history of this country from its very beginning. In every generation, those who have arrived seeking freedom, opportunity and a place to belong have helped to shape the nation’s character. To receive them with compassion and generosity is not only an act of charity, but also a recognition of the dignity that belongs to every human person. 

In my recent Encyclical Letter, “Magnifica Humanitas,” I wrote about working together for the common good. “Building a world in which everyone can flourish requires shared responsibility and courage. No one can single-handedly bear the weight of the challenges the world is facing” (no. 13). We need one another, and we need to work together in unity to confront the challenges that the world is facing today. 

May this milestone renew the shared commitment to the promise of freedom, justice, opportunity and democracy. May Americans honor the courage and vision of those who came before them by strengthening their communities, respecting their differences and working together toward a more perfect union. 

Congratulations on this extraordinary national anniversary. May the spirit of 1776 continue to inspire hope and unity as the United States of America moves into the future. In assuring all of you of my prayers in your renewed efforts to strengthen the nation in the principles that guided its Founding Fathers, I entrust you to the intercession of the Immaculate Conception, patroness of this country, that she will continue to watch over America and protect all who dwell therein.

From the Vatican, June 25, 2026

– I extend my heartfelt congratulations to all Americans on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. This semiquincentennial marks that defining moment in the history of the United States of America, July 4, 1776, that gave enduring voice to the ideals of liberty, equality, the pursuit of happiness, justice and democratic self-government. For two and a half centuries, generations of Americans have worked together to carry these principles forward — through sacrifice, service, innovation and civic participation. This anniversary stands as an invitation not only to celebrate the nation’s remarkable journey, but also

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Full text: Pope Leo’s acceptance address for the 2026 Liberty Medal #Catholic – PHILADELPHIA (OSV News) — The following is the address of Pope Leo XIV upon his acceptance of the Liberty Medal of the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia as delivered over livestream from the Vatican on July 3, 2026: Thank you very much. Dear friends, I am honored to accept the Liberty Medal of the National Constitution Center in this year that marks the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America with the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. On the eve of this momentous occasion, I offer a warm greeting to all those assembled at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. As a son of this great country, founded by courageous men and women who dreamed of liberty and of a better life for themselves and for their children, I join you in asking God’s blessings upon America’s future, that the lofty ideals enshrined at the beginning of the Declaration of Independence may continue to guide the flourishing of the nation in unity, justice and peace. From our youth, most of us have admired the eloquence of those words, their resounding appeal to the law of nature and to nature’s God as the basis of their assertion that all men and women are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, including the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. While couched in the language of the Enlightenment, that claim is ultimately grounded in an understanding of the human person inspired by the great biblical vision of man and woman being created in the divine image. It is indeed here that we discover the basis of human dignity; dignity which precedes the establishment of any state, and whose custody constitutes its very purpose. In these past 250 years, for so many peoples throughout the world, it was the firm resolve to achieve the noble vision of the nation’s founders that made America a byword for freedom, as the country opened its doors to successive waves of immigrants, enabling them and their children to play their part in shaping the future of the nation. It was this same love of freedom that inspired the United States, in the darkest hours of the last century, at the time of the two world wars, to look beyond itself and, at great sacrifice, to champion the cause of freedom beyond its own borders. As every American knows, however, the path to building a society that would embody those high ideals of liberty and justice for all was not always easy and, in many respects, is still a work in progress. Indeed, the effort to realize this vision is one that must be taken up anew in each generation and in the face of ever new challenges. Today, as we look to the future, this historic anniversary presents us with the opportunity to reflect once again on the nation’s founding principles in the hope that America will remain ever true to the dream that has earned it the title of “land of the free and home of the brave.” First right enshrined by the nation’s founders was the right to life, for no one who is deprived of life can enjoy liberty or pursue happiness. A country’s vitality is deeply tied to the value it affords to human life in every form and condition, acknowledging the dignity endowed upon every human person by virtue of their very existence. The inherent worth of every human life has led the noble hearts of generations to praise the marvelous works of the Creator (cf. Ps 139:14) and stand in reverence before so precious a gift. Indeed, it is precisely this reverence that we must continue to cultivate — one that sways the hearts of individuals and inspires laws that recognize and safeguard the gift from the moment of conception to natural death. Reverence, too, will aid us in discovering that we are guardians and stewards of those entrusted to our care. In this regard, the moral greatness of a nation is manifested, above all, in its capacity to support, protect and cherish the lives of all, especially the most vulnerable and those whose worth is questioned. Following the right to life, liberty was and is preeminent among the principles revered by the men and women who have sought within this nation’s borders a new beginning, often equating it with previously undreamed-of hope. Though frequently understood as the ability to act as one would like, authentic freedom runs much deeper. It is founded upon the human person’s capacity to know the truth and adhere to what is good, even at great cost — a sacrifice well known to many who have labored to shape this country. The desire for truth and freedom, as well as the very pursuit of happiness, continues to inspire people of all generations to ask fundamental questions regarding the meaning of life, our ultimate purpose, and indeed about God. And it is proper for magnanimous hearts to endeavor to answer these questions with sincerity. These answers inevitably determine the direction which we seek to give to our lives, and America has long championed the religious freedom necessary to follow responsibly the dictates of conscience in this regard, free from fear and coercion, as enshrined in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. It is this freedom that holds sacred the inner sphere of the person, where convictions are formed and where conscience can guide the decisions made in the intimacy of the human heart. This same freedom also ensures the right of every person to worship according to one’s own belief, and of individuals, communities and associations to give public expression to their faith. In fact, religious freedom gave rise to the American tradition of allowing for interfaith dialogue and interreligious cooperation in promoting the public good and enriching the debates on the great moral and ethical issues that have faced the nation and shaped the course of its history. It is my hope that this tradition will continue to bear fruit in a public discourse marked by moderation, respect for the views of others, and an ongoing effort to find common ground in promoting the cause of peace and reconciliation, at home and abroad. The forbearers of this country, men and women of diverse backgrounds, religions and languages, were able to find that common ground and the strength necessary to pursue a better future. The principles that inspired America’s founders, rooted as they are in the truth of the human person, brought them together in a single cause, a common dream. Unity lent strength to that dream, giving rise, under God, to the United States of America. “E pluribus unum” — “Out of many, one.” In order for a nation to flourish, it must be truly united; united not by goals bound to momentary endeavors, but by ideals that do not fade with the passing of time. May the principles we have reflected upon today — a shared human dignity, equality and the rights laid out in the Declaration of Independence — ever be a source of such unity and a guiding light for the present moment and for the years to come. In accepting this award, I therefore pray that this, the 250th anniversary of the founding of this great nation, may be the occasion of a solemn recommitment to these ideals that have made America a country that values peace and prosperity, a country characterized by generosity and nobility of heart. I commend all of you, as well as the future of the nation, to the One who is himself the source of true freedom and lasting peace, the One whose very name is Peace. May God bless America!
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Full text: Pope Leo’s acceptance address for the 2026 Liberty Medal #Catholic – PHILADELPHIA (OSV News) — The following is the address of Pope Leo XIV upon his acceptance of the Liberty Medal of the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia as delivered over livestream from the Vatican on July 3, 2026: Thank you very much. Dear friends, I am honored to accept the Liberty Medal of the National Constitution Center in this year that marks the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America with the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. On the eve of this momentous occasion, I offer a warm greeting to all those assembled at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. As a son of this great country, founded by courageous men and women who dreamed of liberty and of a better life for themselves and for their children, I join you in asking God’s blessings upon America’s future, that the lofty ideals enshrined at the beginning of the Declaration of Independence may continue to guide the flourishing of the nation in unity, justice and peace. From our youth, most of us have admired the eloquence of those words, their resounding appeal to the law of nature and to nature’s God as the basis of their assertion that all men and women are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, including the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. While couched in the language of the Enlightenment, that claim is ultimately grounded in an understanding of the human person inspired by the great biblical vision of man and woman being created in the divine image. It is indeed here that we discover the basis of human dignity; dignity which precedes the establishment of any state, and whose custody constitutes its very purpose. In these past 250 years, for so many peoples throughout the world, it was the firm resolve to achieve the noble vision of the nation’s founders that made America a byword for freedom, as the country opened its doors to successive waves of immigrants, enabling them and their children to play their part in shaping the future of the nation. It was this same love of freedom that inspired the United States, in the darkest hours of the last century, at the time of the two world wars, to look beyond itself and, at great sacrifice, to champion the cause of freedom beyond its own borders. As every American knows, however, the path to building a society that would embody those high ideals of liberty and justice for all was not always easy and, in many respects, is still a work in progress. Indeed, the effort to realize this vision is one that must be taken up anew in each generation and in the face of ever new challenges. Today, as we look to the future, this historic anniversary presents us with the opportunity to reflect once again on the nation’s founding principles in the hope that America will remain ever true to the dream that has earned it the title of “land of the free and home of the brave.” First right enshrined by the nation’s founders was the right to life, for no one who is deprived of life can enjoy liberty or pursue happiness. A country’s vitality is deeply tied to the value it affords to human life in every form and condition, acknowledging the dignity endowed upon every human person by virtue of their very existence. The inherent worth of every human life has led the noble hearts of generations to praise the marvelous works of the Creator (cf. Ps 139:14) and stand in reverence before so precious a gift. Indeed, it is precisely this reverence that we must continue to cultivate — one that sways the hearts of individuals and inspires laws that recognize and safeguard the gift from the moment of conception to natural death. Reverence, too, will aid us in discovering that we are guardians and stewards of those entrusted to our care. In this regard, the moral greatness of a nation is manifested, above all, in its capacity to support, protect and cherish the lives of all, especially the most vulnerable and those whose worth is questioned. Following the right to life, liberty was and is preeminent among the principles revered by the men and women who have sought within this nation’s borders a new beginning, often equating it with previously undreamed-of hope. Though frequently understood as the ability to act as one would like, authentic freedom runs much deeper. It is founded upon the human person’s capacity to know the truth and adhere to what is good, even at great cost — a sacrifice well known to many who have labored to shape this country. The desire for truth and freedom, as well as the very pursuit of happiness, continues to inspire people of all generations to ask fundamental questions regarding the meaning of life, our ultimate purpose, and indeed about God. And it is proper for magnanimous hearts to endeavor to answer these questions with sincerity. These answers inevitably determine the direction which we seek to give to our lives, and America has long championed the religious freedom necessary to follow responsibly the dictates of conscience in this regard, free from fear and coercion, as enshrined in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. It is this freedom that holds sacred the inner sphere of the person, where convictions are formed and where conscience can guide the decisions made in the intimacy of the human heart. This same freedom also ensures the right of every person to worship according to one’s own belief, and of individuals, communities and associations to give public expression to their faith. In fact, religious freedom gave rise to the American tradition of allowing for interfaith dialogue and interreligious cooperation in promoting the public good and enriching the debates on the great moral and ethical issues that have faced the nation and shaped the course of its history. It is my hope that this tradition will continue to bear fruit in a public discourse marked by moderation, respect for the views of others, and an ongoing effort to find common ground in promoting the cause of peace and reconciliation, at home and abroad. The forbearers of this country, men and women of diverse backgrounds, religions and languages, were able to find that common ground and the strength necessary to pursue a better future. The principles that inspired America’s founders, rooted as they are in the truth of the human person, brought them together in a single cause, a common dream. Unity lent strength to that dream, giving rise, under God, to the United States of America. “E pluribus unum” — “Out of many, one.” In order for a nation to flourish, it must be truly united; united not by goals bound to momentary endeavors, but by ideals that do not fade with the passing of time. May the principles we have reflected upon today — a shared human dignity, equality and the rights laid out in the Declaration of Independence — ever be a source of such unity and a guiding light for the present moment and for the years to come. In accepting this award, I therefore pray that this, the 250th anniversary of the founding of this great nation, may be the occasion of a solemn recommitment to these ideals that have made America a country that values peace and prosperity, a country characterized by generosity and nobility of heart. I commend all of you, as well as the future of the nation, to the One who is himself the source of true freedom and lasting peace, the One whose very name is Peace. May God bless America!

unitedyam

Full text: Pope Leo’s acceptance address for the 2026 Liberty Medal #Catholic –

PHILADELPHIA (OSV News) — The following is the address of Pope Leo XIV upon his acceptance of the Liberty Medal of the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia as delivered over livestream from the Vatican on July 3, 2026:

Thank you very much. Dear friends,

I am honored to accept the Liberty Medal of the National Constitution Center in this year that marks the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America with the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. On the eve of this momentous occasion, I offer a warm greeting to all those assembled at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.

As a son of this great country, founded by courageous men and women who dreamed of liberty and of a better life for themselves and for their children, I join you in asking God’s blessings upon America’s future, that the lofty ideals enshrined at the beginning of the Declaration of Independence may continue to guide the flourishing of the nation in unity, justice and peace.

From our youth, most of us have admired the eloquence of those words, their resounding appeal to the law of nature and to nature’s God as the basis of their assertion that all men and women are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, including the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. While couched in the language of the Enlightenment, that claim is ultimately grounded in an understanding of the human person inspired by the great biblical vision of man and woman being created in the divine image. It is indeed here that we discover the basis of human dignity; dignity which precedes the establishment of any state, and whose custody constitutes its very purpose.

In these past 250 years, for so many peoples throughout the world, it was the firm resolve to achieve the noble vision of the nation’s founders that made America a byword for freedom, as the country opened its doors to successive waves of immigrants, enabling them and their children to play their part in shaping the future of the nation. It was this same love of freedom that inspired the United States, in the darkest hours of the last century, at the time of the two world wars, to look beyond itself and, at great sacrifice, to champion the cause of freedom beyond its own borders.

As every American knows, however, the path to building a society that would embody those high ideals of liberty and justice for all was not always easy and, in many respects, is still a work in progress. Indeed, the effort to realize this vision is one that must be taken up anew in each generation and in the face of ever new challenges. Today, as we look to the future, this historic anniversary presents us with the opportunity to reflect once again on the nation’s founding principles in the hope that America will remain ever true to the dream that has earned it the title of “land of the free and home of the brave.”

First right enshrined by the nation’s founders was the right to life, for no one who is deprived of life can enjoy liberty or pursue happiness. A country’s vitality is deeply tied to the value it affords to human life in every form and condition, acknowledging the dignity endowed upon every human person by virtue of their very existence. The inherent worth of every human life has led the noble hearts of generations to praise the marvelous works of the Creator (cf. Ps 139:14) and stand in reverence before so precious a gift. Indeed, it is precisely this reverence that we must continue to cultivate — one that sways the hearts of individuals and inspires laws that recognize and safeguard the gift from the moment of conception to natural death. Reverence, too, will aid us in discovering that we are guardians and stewards of those entrusted to our care. In this regard, the moral greatness of a nation is manifested, above all, in its capacity to support, protect and cherish the lives of all, especially the most vulnerable and those whose worth is questioned.

Following the right to life, liberty was and is preeminent among the principles revered by the men and women who have sought within this nation’s borders a new beginning, often equating it with previously undreamed-of hope. Though frequently understood as the ability to act as one would like, authentic freedom runs much deeper. It is founded upon the human person’s capacity to know the truth and adhere to what is good, even at great cost — a sacrifice well known to many who have labored to shape this country. The desire for truth and freedom, as well as the very pursuit of happiness, continues to inspire people of all generations to ask fundamental questions regarding the meaning of life, our ultimate purpose, and indeed about God. And it is proper for magnanimous hearts to endeavor to answer these questions with sincerity. These answers inevitably determine the direction which we seek to give to our lives, and America has long championed the religious freedom necessary to follow responsibly the dictates of conscience in this regard, free from fear and coercion, as enshrined in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

It is this freedom that holds sacred the inner sphere of the person, where convictions are formed and where conscience can guide the decisions made in the intimacy of the human heart. This same freedom also ensures the right of every person to worship according to one’s own belief, and of individuals, communities and associations to give public expression to their faith. In fact, religious freedom gave rise to the American tradition of allowing for interfaith dialogue and interreligious cooperation in promoting the public good and enriching the debates on the great moral and ethical issues that have faced the nation and shaped the course of its history. It is my hope that this tradition will continue to bear fruit in a public discourse marked by moderation, respect for the views of others, and an ongoing effort to find common ground in promoting the cause of peace and reconciliation, at home and abroad.

The forbearers of this country, men and women of diverse backgrounds, religions and languages, were able to find that common ground and the strength necessary to pursue a better future. The principles that inspired America’s founders, rooted as they are in the truth of the human person, brought them together in a single cause, a common dream. Unity lent strength to that dream, giving rise, under God, to the United States of America. “E pluribus unum” — “Out of many, one.” In order for a nation to flourish, it must be truly united; united not by goals bound to momentary endeavors, but by ideals that do not fade with the passing of time. May the principles we have reflected upon today — a shared human dignity, equality and the rights laid out in the Declaration of Independence — ever be a source of such unity and a guiding light for the present moment and for the years to come.

In accepting this award, I therefore pray that this, the 250th anniversary of the founding of this great nation, may be the occasion of a solemn recommitment to these ideals that have made America a country that values peace and prosperity, a country characterized by generosity and nobility of heart. I commend all of you, as well as the future of the nation, to the One who is himself the source of true freedom and lasting peace, the One whose very name is Peace.

May God bless America!

– PHILADELPHIA (OSV News) — The following is the address of Pope Leo XIV upon his acceptance of the Liberty Medal of the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia as delivered over livestream from the Vatican on July 3, 2026: Thank you very much. Dear friends, I am honored to accept the Liberty Medal of the National Constitution Center in this year that marks the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America with the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. On the eve of this momentous occasion, I offer a warm greeting to all

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Pope Leo invites Americans to cultivate ‘moral greatness’ as he accepts Liberty Medal #Catholic – PHILADELPHIA (OSV News) — Religious liberty “holds sacred the inner sphere of the person where convictions are formed and where conscience can guide the decisions made in the intimacy of the human heart,” said Pope Leo XIV, as he accepted a major civic award for upholding freedom of belief on the eve of the nation’s 250th anniversary. The first U.S.-born pope shared his thoughts — which centered religious liberty within a vision of God-given human dignity, and which called the nation back to shared founding ideals — during a July 3 acceptance address for the Liberty Medal, bestowed by the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. Established in 1988 to mark the bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution, and hosted by the center since 2006, the Liberty Medal honors both individuals and organizations “who strive to secure the blessings of liberty to people around the globe.” The July 3 ceremony took place at the center, a private nonprofit that promotes constitutional education and civic debate, with Pope Leo speaking via livestream from the Vatican. He received a standing ovation from attendees, among them numerous faith and civic leaders. The medal itself had been presented to the pope in person at the Vatican on April 30 by Vince Stango, the center’s interim president and CEO, center officials and Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez of Philadelphia, who spoke at the Philadelphia event. Video of the April presentation aired at the July 3 ceremony immediately ahead of the pope’s live remarks. Pope Leo is only the second religious leader to receive the Liberty Medal, preceded by 2015 recipient the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet. “This honor is a fitting recognition of the Holy Father’s long-standing dedication to advancing liberty for all people throughout the world, particularly the gift of religious freedom,” said Archbishop Pérez during the event at the center. Speaking to those at the ceremony, Pope Leo wore both the medal and his pectoral cross, with an exhibit version of the medal, blessed by the pope in April during the in-person presentation, displayed on the stage ahead of its installation in one of the center’s galleries. Describing himself as “a son of this great country,” Pope Leo asked in his July 3 address that he joined them in asking “God’s blessings upon America’s future, that the lofty ideals enshrined at the beginning of the Declaration of Independence may continue to guide the flourishing of the nation in unity, justice and peace. “From our youth, most of us have admired the eloquence of those words, their resounding appeal to the law of nature and to nature’s God as the basis of their assertion that all men and women are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, including the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” the pope said. Noting that while that phrasing was “couched in the language of the Enlightenment,” the claim “is ultimately grounded in an understanding of the human person inspired by the great biblical vision of man and woman being created in the divine image,” said Pope Leo. Such God-given human dignity, he said, “precedes the establishment of any state, and whose custody constitutes its very purpose.” “As every American knows, however, the path to building a society that would embody those high ideals of liberty and justice for all was not always easy and, in many respects, is still a work in progress,” he said. “Indeed, the effort to realize this vision is one that must be taken up anew in each generation and in the face of ever new challenges.” The nation’s 250th anniversary, he continued, offers “the opportunity to reflect once again on the nation’s founding principles in the hope that America will remain ever true to the dream that has earned it the title of ‘land of the free and home of the brave.’” The pope enumerated the rights “enshrined by the nation’s founders,” noting that the first was “the right to life” itself. “A country’s vitality is deeply tied to the value it affords to human life in every form and condition, acknowledging the dignity endowed upon every human person by virtue of their very existence,” he said. He stressed that “we must continue to cultivate” such “reverence” for life “from the moment of conception to natural death.” Pope Leo noted that “the moral greatness of a nation is manifested, above all, in its capacity to support, protect and cherish the lives of all, especially the most vulnerable and those whose worth is questioned.” Along with the right to life, said the pope, “liberty was and is preeminent among the principles revered by the men and women who have sought within this nation’s borders a new beginning, often equating it with previously undreamed-of hope.” He clarified that “authentic freedom runs much deeper” than “the ability to act as one would like.” Rather, said Pope Leo, true liberty “is founded upon the human person’s capacity to know the truth and adhere to what is good, even at great cost — a sacrifice well known to many who have labored to shape this country.” He observed that “America has long championed the religious freedom necessary to follow responsibly the dictates of conscience … free from fear and coercion.” That freedom “holds sacred the inner sphere of the person where convictions are formed and where conscience can guide the decisions made in the intimacy of the human heart,” he said. In addition, Pope Leo said, “this same freedom also ensures the right of every person to worship according to one’s own belief, and of individuals, communities and associations to give public expression to their faith.” Religious freedom allows for “interfaith dialogue and interreligious cooperation” toward the “public good” while “enriching the debates on the great moral and ethical issues that have faced the nation and shaped the course of its history” — all part of “the American tradition,” Pope Leo said. He added, “It is my hope that this tradition will continue to bear fruit in a public discourse marked by moderation, respect for the views of others, and an ongoing effort to find common ground in promoting the cause of peace and reconciliation, at home and abroad.” America’s founders, “men and women of diverse backgrounds, religions and languages, were able to find that common ground and the strength necessary to pursue a better future,” said the pope. He said such principles, “rooted” in “the truth of the human person,” united the nation’s forebears “in a single cause, a common dream.” “Unity lent strength to that dream, giving rise, under God, to the United States of America,” said Pope Leo. He quoted the nation’s motto, “E pluribus unum,” Latin for “Out of many, one.” The pope highlighted that a nation “must be truly united” in order to flourish — and that such unity cannot be found in “goals bound to momentary endeavors,” but instead “ideals that do not fade with the passing of time.” “May the principles we have reflected upon today — a shared human dignity, equality and the rights laid out in the Declaration of Independence — ever be a source of such unity and a guiding light for the present moment and for the years to come,” Pope Leo said. He prayed that the nation’s 250th anniversary would be “the occasion of a solemn recommitment to these ideals that have made America a country that values peace and prosperity, a country characterized by generosity and nobility of heart.” Concluding his address, Pope Leo said, “I commend all of you, as well as the future of the nation, to the One who is himself the source of true freedom and lasting peace, the One whose very name is Peace. May God bless America!” – – – Gina Christian is a multimedia reporter for OSV News. Follow her on X @GinaJesseReina.
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Pope Leo invites Americans to cultivate ‘moral greatness’ as he accepts Liberty Medal #Catholic – PHILADELPHIA (OSV News) — Religious liberty “holds sacred the inner sphere of the person where convictions are formed and where conscience can guide the decisions made in the intimacy of the human heart,” said Pope Leo XIV, as he accepted a major civic award for upholding freedom of belief on the eve of the nation’s 250th anniversary. The first U.S.-born pope shared his thoughts — which centered religious liberty within a vision of God-given human dignity, and which called the nation back to shared founding ideals — during a July 3 acceptance address for the Liberty Medal, bestowed by the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. Established in 1988 to mark the bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution, and hosted by the center since 2006, the Liberty Medal honors both individuals and organizations “who strive to secure the blessings of liberty to people around the globe.” The July 3 ceremony took place at the center, a private nonprofit that promotes constitutional education and civic debate, with Pope Leo speaking via livestream from the Vatican. He received a standing ovation from attendees, among them numerous faith and civic leaders. The medal itself had been presented to the pope in person at the Vatican on April 30 by Vince Stango, the center’s interim president and CEO, center officials and Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez of Philadelphia, who spoke at the Philadelphia event. Video of the April presentation aired at the July 3 ceremony immediately ahead of the pope’s live remarks. Pope Leo is only the second religious leader to receive the Liberty Medal, preceded by 2015 recipient the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet. “This honor is a fitting recognition of the Holy Father’s long-standing dedication to advancing liberty for all people throughout the world, particularly the gift of religious freedom,” said Archbishop Pérez during the event at the center. Speaking to those at the ceremony, Pope Leo wore both the medal and his pectoral cross, with an exhibit version of the medal, blessed by the pope in April during the in-person presentation, displayed on the stage ahead of its installation in one of the center’s galleries. Describing himself as “a son of this great country,” Pope Leo asked in his July 3 address that he joined them in asking “God’s blessings upon America’s future, that the lofty ideals enshrined at the beginning of the Declaration of Independence may continue to guide the flourishing of the nation in unity, justice and peace. “From our youth, most of us have admired the eloquence of those words, their resounding appeal to the law of nature and to nature’s God as the basis of their assertion that all men and women are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, including the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” the pope said. Noting that while that phrasing was “couched in the language of the Enlightenment,” the claim “is ultimately grounded in an understanding of the human person inspired by the great biblical vision of man and woman being created in the divine image,” said Pope Leo. Such God-given human dignity, he said, “precedes the establishment of any state, and whose custody constitutes its very purpose.” “As every American knows, however, the path to building a society that would embody those high ideals of liberty and justice for all was not always easy and, in many respects, is still a work in progress,” he said. “Indeed, the effort to realize this vision is one that must be taken up anew in each generation and in the face of ever new challenges.” The nation’s 250th anniversary, he continued, offers “the opportunity to reflect once again on the nation’s founding principles in the hope that America will remain ever true to the dream that has earned it the title of ‘land of the free and home of the brave.’” The pope enumerated the rights “enshrined by the nation’s founders,” noting that the first was “the right to life” itself. “A country’s vitality is deeply tied to the value it affords to human life in every form and condition, acknowledging the dignity endowed upon every human person by virtue of their very existence,” he said. He stressed that “we must continue to cultivate” such “reverence” for life “from the moment of conception to natural death.” Pope Leo noted that “the moral greatness of a nation is manifested, above all, in its capacity to support, protect and cherish the lives of all, especially the most vulnerable and those whose worth is questioned.” Along with the right to life, said the pope, “liberty was and is preeminent among the principles revered by the men and women who have sought within this nation’s borders a new beginning, often equating it with previously undreamed-of hope.” He clarified that “authentic freedom runs much deeper” than “the ability to act as one would like.” Rather, said Pope Leo, true liberty “is founded upon the human person’s capacity to know the truth and adhere to what is good, even at great cost — a sacrifice well known to many who have labored to shape this country.” He observed that “America has long championed the religious freedom necessary to follow responsibly the dictates of conscience … free from fear and coercion.” That freedom “holds sacred the inner sphere of the person where convictions are formed and where conscience can guide the decisions made in the intimacy of the human heart,” he said. In addition, Pope Leo said, “this same freedom also ensures the right of every person to worship according to one’s own belief, and of individuals, communities and associations to give public expression to their faith.” Religious freedom allows for “interfaith dialogue and interreligious cooperation” toward the “public good” while “enriching the debates on the great moral and ethical issues that have faced the nation and shaped the course of its history” — all part of “the American tradition,” Pope Leo said. He added, “It is my hope that this tradition will continue to bear fruit in a public discourse marked by moderation, respect for the views of others, and an ongoing effort to find common ground in promoting the cause of peace and reconciliation, at home and abroad.” America’s founders, “men and women of diverse backgrounds, religions and languages, were able to find that common ground and the strength necessary to pursue a better future,” said the pope. He said such principles, “rooted” in “the truth of the human person,” united the nation’s forebears “in a single cause, a common dream.” “Unity lent strength to that dream, giving rise, under God, to the United States of America,” said Pope Leo. He quoted the nation’s motto, “E pluribus unum,” Latin for “Out of many, one.” The pope highlighted that a nation “must be truly united” in order to flourish — and that such unity cannot be found in “goals bound to momentary endeavors,” but instead “ideals that do not fade with the passing of time.” “May the principles we have reflected upon today — a shared human dignity, equality and the rights laid out in the Declaration of Independence — ever be a source of such unity and a guiding light for the present moment and for the years to come,” Pope Leo said. He prayed that the nation’s 250th anniversary would be “the occasion of a solemn recommitment to these ideals that have made America a country that values peace and prosperity, a country characterized by generosity and nobility of heart.” Concluding his address, Pope Leo said, “I commend all of you, as well as the future of the nation, to the One who is himself the source of true freedom and lasting peace, the One whose very name is Peace. May God bless America!” – – – Gina Christian is a multimedia reporter for OSV News. Follow her on X @GinaJesseReina.

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Pope Leo invites Americans to cultivate ‘moral greatness’ as he accepts Liberty Medal #Catholic –

PHILADELPHIA (OSV News) — Religious liberty “holds sacred the inner sphere of the person where convictions are formed and where conscience can guide the decisions made in the intimacy of the human heart,” said Pope Leo XIV, as he accepted a major civic award for upholding freedom of belief on the eve of the nation’s 250th anniversary.

The first U.S.-born pope shared his thoughts — which centered religious liberty within a vision of God-given human dignity, and which called the nation back to shared founding ideals — during a July 3 acceptance address for the Liberty Medal, bestowed by the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.

Established in 1988 to mark the bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution, and hosted by the center since 2006, the Liberty Medal honors both individuals and organizations “who strive to secure the blessings of liberty to people around the globe.”

The July 3 ceremony took place at the center, a private nonprofit that promotes constitutional education and civic debate, with Pope Leo speaking via livestream from the Vatican. He received a standing ovation from attendees, among them numerous faith and civic leaders.

The medal itself had been presented to the pope in person at the Vatican on April 30 by Vince Stango, the center’s interim president and CEO, center officials and Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez of Philadelphia, who spoke at the Philadelphia event. Video of the April presentation aired at the July 3 ceremony immediately ahead of the pope’s live remarks.

Pope Leo is only the second religious leader to receive the Liberty Medal, preceded by 2015 recipient the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet.

“This honor is a fitting recognition of the Holy Father’s long-standing dedication to advancing liberty for all people throughout the world, particularly the gift of religious freedom,” said Archbishop Pérez during the event at the center.

Speaking to those at the ceremony, Pope Leo wore both the medal and his pectoral cross, with an exhibit version of the medal, blessed by the pope in April during the in-person presentation, displayed on the stage ahead of its installation in one of the center’s galleries.

Describing himself as “a son of this great country,” Pope Leo asked in his July 3 address that he joined them in asking “God’s blessings upon America’s future, that the lofty ideals enshrined at the beginning of the Declaration of Independence may continue to guide the flourishing of the nation in unity, justice and peace.

“From our youth, most of us have admired the eloquence of those words, their resounding appeal to the law of nature and to nature’s God as the basis of their assertion that all men and women are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, including the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” the pope said.

Noting that while that phrasing was “couched in the language of the Enlightenment,” the claim “is ultimately grounded in an understanding of the human person inspired by the great biblical vision of man and woman being created in the divine image,” said Pope Leo.

Such God-given human dignity, he said, “precedes the establishment of any state, and whose custody constitutes its very purpose.”

“As every American knows, however, the path to building a society that would embody those high ideals of liberty and justice for all was not always easy and, in many respects, is still a work in progress,” he said. “Indeed, the effort to realize this vision is one that must be taken up anew in each generation and in the face of ever new challenges.”

The nation’s 250th anniversary, he continued, offers “the opportunity to reflect once again on the nation’s founding principles in the hope that America will remain ever true to the dream that has earned it the title of ‘land of the free and home of the brave.’”

The pope enumerated the rights “enshrined by the nation’s founders,” noting that the first was “the right to life” itself.

“A country’s vitality is deeply tied to the value it affords to human life in every form and condition, acknowledging the dignity endowed upon every human person by virtue of their very existence,” he said.

He stressed that “we must continue to cultivate” such “reverence” for life “from the moment of conception to natural death.”

Pope Leo noted that “the moral greatness of a nation is manifested, above all, in its capacity to support, protect and cherish the lives of all, especially the most vulnerable and those whose worth is questioned.”

Along with the right to life, said the pope, “liberty was and is preeminent among the principles revered by the men and women who have sought within this nation’s borders a new beginning, often equating it with previously undreamed-of hope.”

He clarified that “authentic freedom runs much deeper” than “the ability to act as one would like.”

Rather, said Pope Leo, true liberty “is founded upon the human person’s capacity to know the truth and adhere to what is good, even at great cost — a sacrifice well known to many who have labored to shape this country.”

He observed that “America has long championed the religious freedom necessary to follow responsibly the dictates of conscience … free from fear and coercion.”

That freedom “holds sacred the inner sphere of the person where convictions are formed and where conscience can guide the decisions made in the intimacy of the human heart,” he said.

In addition, Pope Leo said, “this same freedom also ensures the right of every person to worship according to one’s own belief, and of individuals, communities and associations to give public expression to their faith.”

Religious freedom allows for “interfaith dialogue and interreligious cooperation” toward the “public good” while “enriching the debates on the great moral and ethical issues that have faced the nation and shaped the course of its history” — all part of “the American tradition,” Pope Leo said.

He added, “It is my hope that this tradition will continue to bear fruit in a public discourse marked by moderation, respect for the views of others, and an ongoing effort to find common ground in promoting the cause of peace and reconciliation, at home and abroad.”

America’s founders, “men and women of diverse backgrounds, religions and languages, were able to find that common ground and the strength necessary to pursue a better future,” said the pope. He said such principles, “rooted” in “the truth of the human person,” united the nation’s forebears “in a single cause, a common dream.”

“Unity lent strength to that dream, giving rise, under God, to the United States of America,” said Pope Leo.

He quoted the nation’s motto, “E pluribus unum,” Latin for “Out of many, one.”

The pope highlighted that a nation “must be truly united” in order to flourish — and that such unity cannot be found in “goals bound to momentary endeavors,” but instead “ideals that do not fade with the passing of time.”

“May the principles we have reflected upon today — a shared human dignity, equality and the rights laid out in the Declaration of Independence — ever be a source of such unity and a guiding light for the present moment and for the years to come,” Pope Leo said.

He prayed that the nation’s 250th anniversary would be “the occasion of a solemn recommitment to these ideals that have made America a country that values peace and prosperity, a country characterized by generosity and nobility of heart.”

Concluding his address, Pope Leo said, “I commend all of you, as well as the future of the nation, to the One who is himself the source of true freedom and lasting peace, the One whose very name is Peace. May God bless America!”

– – –
Gina Christian is a multimedia reporter for OSV News. Follow her on X @GinaJesseReina.

– PHILADELPHIA (OSV News) — Religious liberty “holds sacred the inner sphere of the person where convictions are formed and where conscience can guide the decisions made in the intimacy of the human heart,” said Pope Leo XIV, as he accepted a major civic award for upholding freedom of belief on the eve of the nation’s 250th anniversary. The first U.S.-born pope shared his thoughts — which centered religious liberty within a vision of God-given human dignity, and which called the nation back to shared founding ideals — during a July 3 acceptance address for the Liberty Medal, bestowed by the

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July 4, 1054: The Crab Nebula supernova explodes

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On July 4, 1054, a supernova explosion occurred, marking the death of a star thought to be nine to 11 times more massive than our Sun. This event was observed and recorded around the ancient world, including by Japanese, Korean, and Arab astronomers. Anasazi Native American artists may have drawn a pictograph symbolizing the eventContinue reading “July 4, 1054: The Crab Nebula supernova explodes”

The post July 4, 1054: The Crab Nebula supernova explodes appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

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12 Catholic Americans who helped shape the United States – #Catholic – As the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary this Fourth of July, Americans are reflecting on the men and women whose courage, leadership, and vision helped shape the nationʼs history. While Catholics were not always welcomed with open arms in the new America, many Catholics went on to play an indispensable role in building the country, demonstrating that love of God and love of country can go hand in hand.Here are 12 Catholic Americans whose lives and legacies have left a lasting mark on the United States. 1. Archbishop John Carroll (1735–1815)John Carroll became the first Catholic bishop — and later the first archbishop — in the United States following the American Revolution. He organized the American Catholic Church by establishing dioceses and later went on to found Georgetown College — now Georgetown University.Carroll believed religious freedom was essential to the new republic and worked closely with the nationʼs founders to ensure Catholics could flourish in America. His leadership laid the institutional foundation for the Catholic Church in the United States.2. Charles Carroll of Carrollton (1737–1832)As the only Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence, Charles Carroll of Carrollton, the cousin of Archbishop John Carroll, occupies a unique place in American history. At a time when Catholics faced legal restrictions and widespread suspicion in the American colonies, Carroll became one of Marylandʼs leading statesmen and a vocal advocate for independence.He remained a devoted Catholic throughout his life, demonstrating that one could be both faithfully Catholic and deeply patriotic. His public service — including helping ratify the Constitution and serving as one of Marylandʼs first U.S. senators — helped pave the way for greater religious liberty and acceptance of Catholics in American public life.3. St. Junípero Serra (1713–1784)A Spanish Franciscan missionary, Junípero Serra arrived in present-day California in 1769 and founded the first of what would become 21 Spanish missions stretching along the California coast. These missions became centers of evangelization, agriculture, education, and community life, playing a significant role in the early development of what would later become the state of California.While his legacy has been the subject of debate due to the broader Spanish colonial system and its effects on Indigenous communities, many historians acknowledge that Serra often advocated for better treatment of Indigenous peoples within that system and sought to protect them from abuses by colonial authorities.  4. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (1774–1821)Elizabeth Ann Seton became the first American-born saint after converting to Catholicism in 1805. Widowed at a young age, she founded the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph, the first congregation of religious sisters established in the United States. She also opened the nationʼs first free Catholic school in Maryland.Her faith inspired a lifelong commitment to educating children and serving the poor. The school system and religious communities she established became the foundation of Catholic education in America.5. Commodore John Barry (1745–1803)Irish immigrant John Barry came to the American colonies as a young man and became one of the most accomplished naval commanders of the Revolutionary War. He is often remembered as the “Father of the American Navy.” Barry commanded several important naval victories and later helped build the young nationʼs naval forces.Barry remained a faithful Catholic throughout his military career, quietly living his faith while serving his adopted country. His example demonstrated that Catholic immigrants could become indispensable leaders in the defense and development of the United States.6. Archbishop John Ireland (1838–1918)Archbishop John Ireland led the Archdiocese of St. Paul and became one of the most influential Catholic leaders in late 19th-century America. He championed public education, welcomed immigrants, encouraged civic participation, and promoted the idea that Catholics could be fully American while remaining faithful to the Church.The development of education was one of Ireland’s defining characteristics. In 1885 he founded the University of St. Thomas, the preparatory school now known as St. Thomas Academy, and the St. Paul Seminary. He also played an important role in establishing The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.7. Daniel Rudd (1854–1933)Born into slavery in Kentucky, Daniel Rudd became one of the most influential Black Catholic journalists in American history. He founded the American Catholic Tribune, the first national Black Catholic newspaper, and organized the first National Black Catholic Congress in 1889.Rudd believed the Catholic Church had a unique role to play in promoting racial equality and justice. His writing and advocacy encouraged both Black Catholics and Church leaders to work toward greater inclusion, helping lay the groundwork for future conversations on civil rights within American Catholicism.8. Venerable Rose Hawthorne Lathrop (1851–1926)The daughter of famed author Nathaniel Hawthorne, Rose Hawthorne converted to Catholicism after experiencing the loss of her son, Francis, to diphtheria. Devoting herself to work for the Church, she established St. Rose’s Free Home for Incurable Cancer, in honor of St. Rose of Lima, in New York in 1898. In 1900, she became a nun — taking the name Mother Mary Alphonsa — and founded the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne, a religious community dedicated to caring for poor cancer patients who had nowhere else to turn.Inspired by Christʼs compassion for the suffering, Hawthorne pioneered a ministry that anticipated many aspects of modern hospice care. Her work transformed end-of-life care for countless Americans while witnessing to the dignity of every human person. Her cause for canonization was opened in 2003 and she was declared venerable by Pope Francis in 2024.9. St. Frances Xavier Cabrini (1850–1917)Born in Italy, Frances Xavier Cabrini came to the United States in 1889 after Pope Leo XIII encouraged her to serve the growing population of Italian immigrants rather than travel to China as she had originally hoped. As the founder of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, she established dozens of schools, orphanages, and hospitals across the country, providing education, healthcare, and spiritual support to thousands of immigrants facing poverty and discrimination.Canonized in 1946 as the first U.S. citizen to become a saint, Cabrini remains one of the most beloved figures in American Catholic history. Her unwavering faith and tireless service helped countless newcomers build new lives in America while preserving their dignity.10. Venerable Augustus Tolton (1854–1897)Born into slavery in Missouri, Augustus Tolton escaped with his family during the Civil War and later became the first publicly recognized Black Catholic priest in the United States. After facing repeated rejection from American seminaries because of his race, he was ordained in Rome before returning to minister in Illinois.Toltonʼs unwavering faith in the face of racism made him a symbol of perseverance and hope for generations of American Catholics. His cause for canonization was opened by the Archdiocese of Chicago in 2011 and in 2019 Pope Francis declared him venerable.11. Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen (1895–1979)Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen became one of Americaʼs first religious media personalities through his radio broadcasts and Emmy Award-winning television program “Life Is Worth Living.” His engaging style brought Catholic teaching into millions of American homes during the 1950s.Sheenʼs ability to explain the faith with clarity and humor made Catholicism more accessible to both Catholics and non-Catholics. He helped shape religious broadcasting in America and remains one of the countryʼs most influential evangelists. Sheen will be beatified on Sept. 24 at The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis.12. Servant of God Dorothy Day (1897–1980)Dorothy Day was a journalist, convert to Catholicism, and co-founder of the Catholic Worker Movement during the Great Depression. Through houses of hospitality, newspapers, and community kitchens, she encouraged Catholics to serve the poor while promoting peace, human dignity, and social justice.Grounded in the Gospel and Catholic social teaching, Day challenged both the Church and society to care for the marginalized. Her influence continues to shape Catholic charitable work, social activism, and discussions about faith in public life. Her cause for canonization opened in 2000.
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12 Catholic Americans who helped shape the United States – #Catholic – As the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary this Fourth of July, Americans are reflecting on the men and women whose courage, leadership, and vision helped shape the nationʼs history. While Catholics were not always welcomed with open arms in the new America, many Catholics went on to play an indispensable role in building the country, demonstrating that love of God and love of country can go hand in hand.Here are 12 Catholic Americans whose lives and legacies have left a lasting mark on the United States. 1. Archbishop John Carroll (1735–1815)John Carroll became the first Catholic bishop — and later the first archbishop — in the United States following the American Revolution. He organized the American Catholic Church by establishing dioceses and later went on to found Georgetown College — now Georgetown University.Carroll believed religious freedom was essential to the new republic and worked closely with the nationʼs founders to ensure Catholics could flourish in America. His leadership laid the institutional foundation for the Catholic Church in the United States.2. Charles Carroll of Carrollton (1737–1832)As the only Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence, Charles Carroll of Carrollton, the cousin of Archbishop John Carroll, occupies a unique place in American history. At a time when Catholics faced legal restrictions and widespread suspicion in the American colonies, Carroll became one of Marylandʼs leading statesmen and a vocal advocate for independence.He remained a devoted Catholic throughout his life, demonstrating that one could be both faithfully Catholic and deeply patriotic. His public service — including helping ratify the Constitution and serving as one of Marylandʼs first U.S. senators — helped pave the way for greater religious liberty and acceptance of Catholics in American public life.3. St. Junípero Serra (1713–1784)A Spanish Franciscan missionary, Junípero Serra arrived in present-day California in 1769 and founded the first of what would become 21 Spanish missions stretching along the California coast. These missions became centers of evangelization, agriculture, education, and community life, playing a significant role in the early development of what would later become the state of California.While his legacy has been the subject of debate due to the broader Spanish colonial system and its effects on Indigenous communities, many historians acknowledge that Serra often advocated for better treatment of Indigenous peoples within that system and sought to protect them from abuses by colonial authorities.  4. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (1774–1821)Elizabeth Ann Seton became the first American-born saint after converting to Catholicism in 1805. Widowed at a young age, she founded the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph, the first congregation of religious sisters established in the United States. She also opened the nationʼs first free Catholic school in Maryland.Her faith inspired a lifelong commitment to educating children and serving the poor. The school system and religious communities she established became the foundation of Catholic education in America.5. Commodore John Barry (1745–1803)Irish immigrant John Barry came to the American colonies as a young man and became one of the most accomplished naval commanders of the Revolutionary War. He is often remembered as the “Father of the American Navy.” Barry commanded several important naval victories and later helped build the young nationʼs naval forces.Barry remained a faithful Catholic throughout his military career, quietly living his faith while serving his adopted country. His example demonstrated that Catholic immigrants could become indispensable leaders in the defense and development of the United States.6. Archbishop John Ireland (1838–1918)Archbishop John Ireland led the Archdiocese of St. Paul and became one of the most influential Catholic leaders in late 19th-century America. He championed public education, welcomed immigrants, encouraged civic participation, and promoted the idea that Catholics could be fully American while remaining faithful to the Church.The development of education was one of Ireland’s defining characteristics. In 1885 he founded the University of St. Thomas, the preparatory school now known as St. Thomas Academy, and the St. Paul Seminary. He also played an important role in establishing The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.7. Daniel Rudd (1854–1933)Born into slavery in Kentucky, Daniel Rudd became one of the most influential Black Catholic journalists in American history. He founded the American Catholic Tribune, the first national Black Catholic newspaper, and organized the first National Black Catholic Congress in 1889.Rudd believed the Catholic Church had a unique role to play in promoting racial equality and justice. His writing and advocacy encouraged both Black Catholics and Church leaders to work toward greater inclusion, helping lay the groundwork for future conversations on civil rights within American Catholicism.8. Venerable Rose Hawthorne Lathrop (1851–1926)The daughter of famed author Nathaniel Hawthorne, Rose Hawthorne converted to Catholicism after experiencing the loss of her son, Francis, to diphtheria. Devoting herself to work for the Church, she established St. Rose’s Free Home for Incurable Cancer, in honor of St. Rose of Lima, in New York in 1898. In 1900, she became a nun — taking the name Mother Mary Alphonsa — and founded the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne, a religious community dedicated to caring for poor cancer patients who had nowhere else to turn.Inspired by Christʼs compassion for the suffering, Hawthorne pioneered a ministry that anticipated many aspects of modern hospice care. Her work transformed end-of-life care for countless Americans while witnessing to the dignity of every human person. Her cause for canonization was opened in 2003 and she was declared venerable by Pope Francis in 2024.9. St. Frances Xavier Cabrini (1850–1917)Born in Italy, Frances Xavier Cabrini came to the United States in 1889 after Pope Leo XIII encouraged her to serve the growing population of Italian immigrants rather than travel to China as she had originally hoped. As the founder of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, she established dozens of schools, orphanages, and hospitals across the country, providing education, healthcare, and spiritual support to thousands of immigrants facing poverty and discrimination.Canonized in 1946 as the first U.S. citizen to become a saint, Cabrini remains one of the most beloved figures in American Catholic history. Her unwavering faith and tireless service helped countless newcomers build new lives in America while preserving their dignity.10. Venerable Augustus Tolton (1854–1897)Born into slavery in Missouri, Augustus Tolton escaped with his family during the Civil War and later became the first publicly recognized Black Catholic priest in the United States. After facing repeated rejection from American seminaries because of his race, he was ordained in Rome before returning to minister in Illinois.Toltonʼs unwavering faith in the face of racism made him a symbol of perseverance and hope for generations of American Catholics. His cause for canonization was opened by the Archdiocese of Chicago in 2011 and in 2019 Pope Francis declared him venerable.11. Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen (1895–1979)Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen became one of Americaʼs first religious media personalities through his radio broadcasts and Emmy Award-winning television program “Life Is Worth Living.” His engaging style brought Catholic teaching into millions of American homes during the 1950s.Sheenʼs ability to explain the faith with clarity and humor made Catholicism more accessible to both Catholics and non-Catholics. He helped shape religious broadcasting in America and remains one of the countryʼs most influential evangelists. Sheen will be beatified on Sept. 24 at The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis.12. Servant of God Dorothy Day (1897–1980)Dorothy Day was a journalist, convert to Catholicism, and co-founder of the Catholic Worker Movement during the Great Depression. Through houses of hospitality, newspapers, and community kitchens, she encouraged Catholics to serve the poor while promoting peace, human dignity, and social justice.Grounded in the Gospel and Catholic social teaching, Day challenged both the Church and society to care for the marginalized. Her influence continues to shape Catholic charitable work, social activism, and discussions about faith in public life. Her cause for canonization opened in 2000.

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Here are 12 Catholic Americans whose lives and legacies have left a lasting mark on the United States.

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He ran across the U.S. to support pregnant women; now he’s off to be a monk - #Catholic - “The loneliness was one of the hardest parts,” said Jared Plasberg, a 23-year-old who ran across the country from February to June to raise money for pregnant women in crisis.The trek took 114 days, about four months, and spanned thousands of miles. The whole time, Plasberg pushed an 80-pound stroller. It held his supplies but symbolized something more: a reference to mothers who need support. By the end of the 3,000 miles — beginning in San Diego on Feb. 19 and ending in St. Augustine, Florida, on June 13 — Plasberg raised $20,000 for a local pregnancy help center. “Every day required making many decisions: where to sleep, where to find food, how to navigate the route, and how to stay safe,” Plasberg said. “There were many days when I felt discouraged, exhausted, or overwhelmed.”“Throughout the journey, I often thought about how many mothers face challenges and sacrifices that are far greater than anything I was experiencing on the road,” he said.Plasberg donated the money to Front Royal Pregnancy Center, a group local to the college he graduated from, Christendom College in Virginia.“The run became a way for me to raise awareness and support for a ministry that walks alongside and supports these mothers,” he said. Jared Plasberg runs past the Dry Gallinas Canyon near the Black Range Mountains in New Mexico on his way from California to Florida on March 20, 2026. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Jared Plasberg The run was also a spiritual journey for Plasberg; it gave him time to think about his calling to become a monk. He is currently discerning a vocation to the Carthusian order, a contemplative order of monks founded by St. Bruno in 1084.“The run continually reminded me that I depend on him [God] for everything,” Plasberg said.He took inspiration from the Camino de Santiago, a famous pilgrimage in Spain and France. Many people journey along the Camino, whether walking or biking, Catholic or not. The most famous Camino path runs from France to Spain. Plasberg’s run was from San Diego to Florida, but it was a prayerful pilgrimage of its own.“I carried many intentions throughout the journey,” Plasberg said. “I prayed for mothers facing unexpected pregnancies, for the unborn, for the supporters and staff of the Front Royal Pregnancy Center, for my family and friends, and for all the people who entrusted me with their intentions along the way.”When he was a college student, Plasberg would pray the rosary outside abortion clinics on Saturdays with other students.“The pro-life cause is something dear to my heart because every human life has inherent dignity and worth,” he said.“During my years in college, I often pondered the saying of Pope Benedict XVI: ‘The world offers you comfort. But you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness,’” Plasberg said. “Also, St. Pier Giorgio Frassatiʼs phrase ‘Verso lʼalto’ inspired me to pursue true greatness.”“Verso lʼalto,” meaning “to the heights,” is an Italian phrase coined by Frassati, who loved mountain climbing, which carries a deeper spiritual meaning.  Jared Plasberg points to the heavens at the end of his run across the country in the Atlantic Ocean on June 12, 2026. The phrase “to the heights” inspires 23-year-old Plasberg; it’s a phrase that not only refers to the summit of a mountain but also to the heights of heaven. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Jared Plasberg “As the journey continued, I also found myself praying more for the people I encountered every day,” Plasberg explained. The stroller was “a conversation starter.” “People would stop and ask what I was doing, and those conversations often led to opportunities to share the mission of the pregnancy center,” he said. “The stroller became my constant companion,” says 23-year-old Jared Plasberg. The stroller sits on the Dauphin Island bridge in Alabama on May 23, 2026. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Jared Plasberg “I prayed for the drivers passing by, store clerks, families, hosts, priests, fellow travelers, and strangers I would never meet again,” he said.Carried by God“The run taught me gratitude for my family, appreciation for the kindness of strangers, and a deeper awareness of God’s providence,” Plasberg said. “It taught me that strength is not the absence of weakness but the willingness to keep moving forward despite it.”Though Plasberg generally stayed in motels, he sometimes stayed with families along the road.“One of the greatest gifts of the journey was meeting people whose lives reflected extraordinary generosity and faith,” he said. “I stayed with families who welcomed a complete stranger into their homes, fed me, prayed with me, and treated me like family.” Jared Plasberg met many people along the road, including the Guenther family in Del Rio, Texas, in April 2026. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Jared Plasberg “I met widows who showed remarkable hospitality despite carrying their own crosses,” Plasberg said. “I met religious communities, priests, cyclists crossing the country, and countless ordinary people who quietly lived lives of virtue.”“Maybe the greatest lesson I learned from [my] journey is that we are not meant to carry our lives by ourselves,” he said. “Rather, we are meant to let ourselves be carried by God, and sometimes it takes 3,000 miles to learn that.”Discerning monastic life: ‘I was brought to tears’His next journey is to France, where he plans to join a Carthusian monastery.“In many ways, this journey became a preparation for that discernment,” Plasberg said.Along his run, he met a hermitess — a woman continuing an old practice in a modern world. A priest connected Plasberg with her after a Mass he attended in New Mexico.“I spent about an hour speaking with Amma Chiara, but that hour left a profound impression on me,” Plasberg said. “She radiated joy, peace, and holiness in a way that immediately drew my attention to God.”Plasberg had a unique connection to Chiara — she had walked across the United States.“She shared her own story with me and explained that, before becoming a religious sister, she had actually walked across the United States herself about 30 years earlier.”“Even now, months later, I still think about that encounter,” he said. “Her example showed me that a life completely dedicated to God is not restricted or empty but deeply joyful and fulfilling.”“Without many of the distractions of ordinary life, I became more aware of both my weaknesses and my need for God,” he said.Plasberg has another connection to the hermitess — the order he might join involves living like a hermit.The Carthusians “are one of the most secluded and prayer-focused religious orders in the Church,” he explained.“Their vocation combines elements of both the solitary life of a hermit and the communal life of a monk,” Plasberg said. “Most of the day is spent in silence, prayer, spiritual reading, and work within an individual hermitage, while the monks also come together for certain liturgical prayers and community observances.” A monk from Santo Domingo de Silos Monastery in Spain. | Credit: Abbey of Santo Domingo de Silos “Unlike many religious communities, their lives are largely hidden from the world,” Plasberg explained. “Each monk lives in a small hermitage with a garden and spends much of his day alone with God.”The monks don’t see themselves as retreating from the world; rather they pray for everyone who needs prayers and are brothers and fathers to one another. “The silence and solitude are not meant as an escape from the world but as a way of dedicating oneself entirely to prayer for the Church and the salvation of souls,” Plasberg said.After spending time at the monastery of the Grand Chartreuse in discernment, the monks welcomed Plasberg to be a postulant, the first formal stage in joining a religious order. He will go there after he obtains a long-stay French visa.The run was formative for his discernment, he said.“In some ways, this run across America became part of that discernment. Spending nearly four months alone on the road gave me plenty of opportunities for silence, prayer, and reflection,” Plasberg said. “It exposed many of my weaknesses, attachments, and limitations, but it also helped me experience more deeply my dependence on God. I think I realized the importance of humility, gratitude, and trust as a result of this journey.” Jared Plasberg runs along a road in the Arizona desert near the Yuma Proving Grounds in February 2026. “Many roads had little or no shoulder, so I often had to push the stroller through grass, mud, gravel, and ditches while traffic rushed past,” said Plasberg, who pushed a stroller across the country to fundraise for women in need. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Jared Plasberg “While I still have discernment ahead of me, the journey confirmed my attraction to a contemplative vocation and my desire to give my life completely to God,” Plasberg said.“Perhaps the most important lesson was learning that holiness is not something we achieve through our own strength,” he said. “Rather, it comes from allowing God to work through our weakness. Holiness starts with allowing God to love us as we are in this present moment, even in our brokenness.
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He ran across the U.S. to support pregnant women; now he’s off to be a monk – #Catholic – “The loneliness was one of the hardest parts,” said Jared Plasberg, a 23-year-old who ran across the country from February to June to raise money for pregnant women in crisis.The trek took 114 days, about four months, and spanned thousands of miles. The whole time, Plasberg pushed an 80-pound stroller. It held his supplies but symbolized something more: a reference to mothers who need support. By the end of the 3,000 miles — beginning in San Diego on Feb. 19 and ending in St. Augustine, Florida, on June 13 — Plasberg raised $20,000 for a local pregnancy help center. “Every day required making many decisions: where to sleep, where to find food, how to navigate the route, and how to stay safe,” Plasberg said. “There were many days when I felt discouraged, exhausted, or overwhelmed.”“Throughout the journey, I often thought about how many mothers face challenges and sacrifices that are far greater than anything I was experiencing on the road,” he said.Plasberg donated the money to Front Royal Pregnancy Center, a group local to the college he graduated from, Christendom College in Virginia.“The run became a way for me to raise awareness and support for a ministry that walks alongside and supports these mothers,” he said. Jared Plasberg runs past the Dry Gallinas Canyon near the Black Range Mountains in New Mexico on his way from California to Florida on March 20, 2026. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Jared Plasberg The run was also a spiritual journey for Plasberg; it gave him time to think about his calling to become a monk. He is currently discerning a vocation to the Carthusian order, a contemplative order of monks founded by St. Bruno in 1084.“The run continually reminded me that I depend on him [God] for everything,” Plasberg said.He took inspiration from the Camino de Santiago, a famous pilgrimage in Spain and France. Many people journey along the Camino, whether walking or biking, Catholic or not. The most famous Camino path runs from France to Spain. Plasberg’s run was from San Diego to Florida, but it was a prayerful pilgrimage of its own.“I carried many intentions throughout the journey,” Plasberg said. “I prayed for mothers facing unexpected pregnancies, for the unborn, for the supporters and staff of the Front Royal Pregnancy Center, for my family and friends, and for all the people who entrusted me with their intentions along the way.”When he was a college student, Plasberg would pray the rosary outside abortion clinics on Saturdays with other students.“The pro-life cause is something dear to my heart because every human life has inherent dignity and worth,” he said.“During my years in college, I often pondered the saying of Pope Benedict XVI: ‘The world offers you comfort. But you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness,’” Plasberg said. “Also, St. Pier Giorgio Frassatiʼs phrase ‘Verso lʼalto’ inspired me to pursue true greatness.”“Verso lʼalto,” meaning “to the heights,” is an Italian phrase coined by Frassati, who loved mountain climbing, which carries a deeper spiritual meaning.  Jared Plasberg points to the heavens at the end of his run across the country in the Atlantic Ocean on June 12, 2026. The phrase “to the heights” inspires 23-year-old Plasberg; it’s a phrase that not only refers to the summit of a mountain but also to the heights of heaven. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Jared Plasberg “As the journey continued, I also found myself praying more for the people I encountered every day,” Plasberg explained. The stroller was “a conversation starter.” “People would stop and ask what I was doing, and those conversations often led to opportunities to share the mission of the pregnancy center,” he said. “The stroller became my constant companion,” says 23-year-old Jared Plasberg. The stroller sits on the Dauphin Island bridge in Alabama on May 23, 2026. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Jared Plasberg “I prayed for the drivers passing by, store clerks, families, hosts, priests, fellow travelers, and strangers I would never meet again,” he said.Carried by God“The run taught me gratitude for my family, appreciation for the kindness of strangers, and a deeper awareness of God’s providence,” Plasberg said. “It taught me that strength is not the absence of weakness but the willingness to keep moving forward despite it.”Though Plasberg generally stayed in motels, he sometimes stayed with families along the road.“One of the greatest gifts of the journey was meeting people whose lives reflected extraordinary generosity and faith,” he said. “I stayed with families who welcomed a complete stranger into their homes, fed me, prayed with me, and treated me like family.” Jared Plasberg met many people along the road, including the Guenther family in Del Rio, Texas, in April 2026. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Jared Plasberg “I met widows who showed remarkable hospitality despite carrying their own crosses,” Plasberg said. “I met religious communities, priests, cyclists crossing the country, and countless ordinary people who quietly lived lives of virtue.”“Maybe the greatest lesson I learned from [my] journey is that we are not meant to carry our lives by ourselves,” he said. “Rather, we are meant to let ourselves be carried by God, and sometimes it takes 3,000 miles to learn that.”Discerning monastic life: ‘I was brought to tears’His next journey is to France, where he plans to join a Carthusian monastery.“In many ways, this journey became a preparation for that discernment,” Plasberg said.Along his run, he met a hermitess — a woman continuing an old practice in a modern world. A priest connected Plasberg with her after a Mass he attended in New Mexico.“I spent about an hour speaking with Amma Chiara, but that hour left a profound impression on me,” Plasberg said. “She radiated joy, peace, and holiness in a way that immediately drew my attention to God.”Plasberg had a unique connection to Chiara — she had walked across the United States.“She shared her own story with me and explained that, before becoming a religious sister, she had actually walked across the United States herself about 30 years earlier.”“Even now, months later, I still think about that encounter,” he said. “Her example showed me that a life completely dedicated to God is not restricted or empty but deeply joyful and fulfilling.”“Without many of the distractions of ordinary life, I became more aware of both my weaknesses and my need for God,” he said.Plasberg has another connection to the hermitess — the order he might join involves living like a hermit.The Carthusians “are one of the most secluded and prayer-focused religious orders in the Church,” he explained.“Their vocation combines elements of both the solitary life of a hermit and the communal life of a monk,” Plasberg said. “Most of the day is spent in silence, prayer, spiritual reading, and work within an individual hermitage, while the monks also come together for certain liturgical prayers and community observances.” A monk from Santo Domingo de Silos Monastery in Spain. | Credit: Abbey of Santo Domingo de Silos “Unlike many religious communities, their lives are largely hidden from the world,” Plasberg explained. “Each monk lives in a small hermitage with a garden and spends much of his day alone with God.”The monks don’t see themselves as retreating from the world; rather they pray for everyone who needs prayers and are brothers and fathers to one another. “The silence and solitude are not meant as an escape from the world but as a way of dedicating oneself entirely to prayer for the Church and the salvation of souls,” Plasberg said.After spending time at the monastery of the Grand Chartreuse in discernment, the monks welcomed Plasberg to be a postulant, the first formal stage in joining a religious order. He will go there after he obtains a long-stay French visa.The run was formative for his discernment, he said.“In some ways, this run across America became part of that discernment. Spending nearly four months alone on the road gave me plenty of opportunities for silence, prayer, and reflection,” Plasberg said. “It exposed many of my weaknesses, attachments, and limitations, but it also helped me experience more deeply my dependence on God. I think I realized the importance of humility, gratitude, and trust as a result of this journey.” Jared Plasberg runs along a road in the Arizona desert near the Yuma Proving Grounds in February 2026. “Many roads had little or no shoulder, so I often had to push the stroller through grass, mud, gravel, and ditches while traffic rushed past,” said Plasberg, who pushed a stroller across the country to fundraise for women in need. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Jared Plasberg “While I still have discernment ahead of me, the journey confirmed my attraction to a contemplative vocation and my desire to give my life completely to God,” Plasberg said.“Perhaps the most important lesson was learning that holiness is not something we achieve through our own strength,” he said. “Rather, it comes from allowing God to work through our weakness. Holiness starts with allowing God to love us as we are in this present moment, even in our brokenness.

unitedyam

Before he enters a monastery, a 23-year-old ran across the country to raise money for his local pregnancy help center and to pray for women, babies, and the people he met along the way.

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The Eucharist in America: 5 centuries of faith that shaped a nation – #Catholic – Before America became a nation, before its founding documents were written, and before its first flag was raised, the holy sacrifice of the Mass was already being celebrated on these shores.For centuries, the history of Catholicism in America has been written in the shadow of hardship, sacrifice, and perseverance. At the center of that story has always been the Eucharist — the real presence of Christ — which sustained missionaries, settlers, soldiers, immigrants, and pioneers long before Catholicism became a visible part of American life.As hundreds of thousands of Catholics gather for Eucharistic pilgrimages, congresses, and parish revivals across the United States to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary, they are participating in something that stretches back nearly 500 years. The National Eucharistic Revival may be new, but America’s devotion to the Blessed Sacrament is as old as the Church’s presence on this continent.The first Masses on American soilSome of the first recorded celebrations of the Mass in what is now the United States took place nearly 500 years ago. These marked the beginning of a Eucharistic presence that would shape the nationʼs Catholic history.During the Narváez expedition in 1528 and the Coronado expedition in 1540–1542, Spanish missionaries carried the Eucharist into Florida and the American Southwest. In 1565, when Spanish settlers led by Pedro Menéndez de Avilés founded St. Augustine, Florida, Mass and the Eucharist quickly became the center of the new colony’s religious life.More than two centuries later, St. Junípero Serra would continue that tradition as he established California’s mission system. Serra often traveled hundreds of miles on foot between missions, carrying the Blessed Sacrament to isolated Catholic communities. Every new mission he founded placed the altar and the celebration of the Eucharist at the center of its life.For missionaries such as the Franciscans, and later the Jesuits, the Eucharist was the heart of their missionary work. Wherever they established a mission, they first erected an altar, making the celebration of the Mass the center of community life.Hidden altars in Colonial AmericaElsewhere in Britain’s American colonies, however, Catholics often practiced their faith in secret.Anti-Catholic laws frequently prohibited the public celebration of Mass. Priests risked arrest, and Catholic families gathered quietly in manor houses, private homes, and secluded chapels.One of the many examples of the hardship Catholics endured in early America occurred in the colonial state of Massachusetts. In 1647 and again in 1700, Massachusetts passed laws prohibiting Catholics from settling in the colony, and any priest who entered could be sentenced to death as “an enemy of the true Christian religion.”At this time, the Eucharist became a symbol not only of faith but also of perseverance. Families sometimes traveled miles through forests to attend clandestine Masses offered by missionary priests.Freedom after the RevolutionThe American Revolution marked a turning point.Over time, legal restrictions eased, allowing practices that had once been forbidden to emerge into public life. In 1788, Boston celebrated its first public Mass, marking a cautious yet significant milestone in establishing a Catholic presence in the region.Leading that new beginning was Father John Carroll, who in 1789 became the first bishop of the United States. Under his leadership, parishes, schools, and charitable institutions spread across the new nation, each centered on the celebration of the Eucharist.The Eucharist on the American frontierAs religious freedom expanded beyond the original colonies, the frontier presented entirely new challenges. Nowhere was this more evident than in Texas.Following Texas' independence from Mexico, the withdrawal of Mexican diocesan priests left the new republic with only one active Catholic parish north of the Nueces River — San Fernando Church in San Antonio.In 1838, Pope Gregory XVI authorized Archbishop Antoine Blanc of New Orleans to send missionaries to Texas, appointing Father John Timon as prefect of Texas to oversee their work. Many of these French Vincentian and Oblate missionaries became known as “saddlebag priests” for the hundreds of miles they traveled across the frontier to minister to scattered Catholic communities.As more settlers pushed westward, priests often rode hundreds of miles carrying the Blessed Sacrament in small pyxes to isolated Catholic families.Among the most remarkable was Jesuit missionary Father Pierre-Jean De Smet, who traveled tens of thousands of miles across the Rocky Mountains and Great Plains. Carrying the Eucharist with him, De Smet celebrated Mass among Native American tribes and remote frontier settlements, bringing the sacraments to places few other priests had ever reached.In the Southwest, Archbishop Jean Baptiste Lamy traveled throughout the vast Diocese of Santa Fe, where Catholics sometimes waited months for a priest to arrive. When he finally came, entire villages gathered to celebrate Mass, receive Communion, and adore the Blessed Sacrament.A Church steps into public viewBy the late 19th century, Catholicism had become one of America’s largest religious communities, and Eucharistic devotion increasingly moved into the public square.That growth reached a dramatic high point in 1926, when Chicago hosted the International Eucharistic Congress.More than 1 million Catholics participated in outdoor liturgies, Eucharistic processions, Holy Hours, and public acts of adoration. Newspapers described it as one of the largest religious gatherings in American history. Pilgrims traveled from across the world, transforming Chicago into the center of global Catholic life for several days.For many American Catholics, the congress symbolized something remarkable: A Church that had once worshipped in secret now publicly proclaimed its faith in the Real Presence before the world.A new Eucharistic RevivalOne hundred years after the Chicago Congress, American Catholics are once again gathering around the Blessed Sacrament.The National Eucharistic Revival was launched by the U.S. bishops in 2022. Amid recent decades of declining Mass attendance and surveys indicating weakened belief in the Real Presence among many Catholics, the revival seeks to renew belief in Christ’s real presence through parish formation, Eucharistic processions, perpetual adoration, and missionary outreach.The 2026 pilgrimage began in St. Augustine, Florida, near where the first Mass was celebrated. The route continued up the Eastern Seaboard and will conclude over the Fourth of July weekend in Philadelphia.While today’s pilgrims travel highways instead of frontier trails, their journey echoes generations of Catholics who carried the Eucharist across the U.S.The circumstances have changed dramatically over five centuries, yet beneath those outward changes lies an unbroken thread stretching across nearly five centuries. The same Eucharist celebrated by missionaries in St. Augustine, carried across the Great Plains, hidden in colonial homes, and proclaimed before millions in Chicago is the Eucharist that gathers Catholics today. The history of Catholicism in America is not simply the story of how the Church grew — it is the story of how the Eucharist sustained that growth, generation after generation.
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The Eucharist in America: 5 centuries of faith that shaped a nation – #Catholic – Before America became a nation, before its founding documents were written, and before its first flag was raised, the holy sacrifice of the Mass was already being celebrated on these shores.For centuries, the history of Catholicism in America has been written in the shadow of hardship, sacrifice, and perseverance. At the center of that story has always been the Eucharist — the real presence of Christ — which sustained missionaries, settlers, soldiers, immigrants, and pioneers long before Catholicism became a visible part of American life.As hundreds of thousands of Catholics gather for Eucharistic pilgrimages, congresses, and parish revivals across the United States to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary, they are participating in something that stretches back nearly 500 years. The National Eucharistic Revival may be new, but America’s devotion to the Blessed Sacrament is as old as the Church’s presence on this continent.The first Masses on American soilSome of the first recorded celebrations of the Mass in what is now the United States took place nearly 500 years ago. These marked the beginning of a Eucharistic presence that would shape the nationʼs Catholic history.During the Narváez expedition in 1528 and the Coronado expedition in 1540–1542, Spanish missionaries carried the Eucharist into Florida and the American Southwest. In 1565, when Spanish settlers led by Pedro Menéndez de Avilés founded St. Augustine, Florida, Mass and the Eucharist quickly became the center of the new colony’s religious life.More than two centuries later, St. Junípero Serra would continue that tradition as he established California’s mission system. Serra often traveled hundreds of miles on foot between missions, carrying the Blessed Sacrament to isolated Catholic communities. Every new mission he founded placed the altar and the celebration of the Eucharist at the center of its life.For missionaries such as the Franciscans, and later the Jesuits, the Eucharist was the heart of their missionary work. Wherever they established a mission, they first erected an altar, making the celebration of the Mass the center of community life.Hidden altars in Colonial AmericaElsewhere in Britain’s American colonies, however, Catholics often practiced their faith in secret.Anti-Catholic laws frequently prohibited the public celebration of Mass. Priests risked arrest, and Catholic families gathered quietly in manor houses, private homes, and secluded chapels.One of the many examples of the hardship Catholics endured in early America occurred in the colonial state of Massachusetts. In 1647 and again in 1700, Massachusetts passed laws prohibiting Catholics from settling in the colony, and any priest who entered could be sentenced to death as “an enemy of the true Christian religion.”At this time, the Eucharist became a symbol not only of faith but also of perseverance. Families sometimes traveled miles through forests to attend clandestine Masses offered by missionary priests.Freedom after the RevolutionThe American Revolution marked a turning point.Over time, legal restrictions eased, allowing practices that had once been forbidden to emerge into public life. In 1788, Boston celebrated its first public Mass, marking a cautious yet significant milestone in establishing a Catholic presence in the region.Leading that new beginning was Father John Carroll, who in 1789 became the first bishop of the United States. Under his leadership, parishes, schools, and charitable institutions spread across the new nation, each centered on the celebration of the Eucharist.The Eucharist on the American frontierAs religious freedom expanded beyond the original colonies, the frontier presented entirely new challenges. Nowhere was this more evident than in Texas.Following Texas' independence from Mexico, the withdrawal of Mexican diocesan priests left the new republic with only one active Catholic parish north of the Nueces River — San Fernando Church in San Antonio.In 1838, Pope Gregory XVI authorized Archbishop Antoine Blanc of New Orleans to send missionaries to Texas, appointing Father John Timon as prefect of Texas to oversee their work. Many of these French Vincentian and Oblate missionaries became known as “saddlebag priests” for the hundreds of miles they traveled across the frontier to minister to scattered Catholic communities.As more settlers pushed westward, priests often rode hundreds of miles carrying the Blessed Sacrament in small pyxes to isolated Catholic families.Among the most remarkable was Jesuit missionary Father Pierre-Jean De Smet, who traveled tens of thousands of miles across the Rocky Mountains and Great Plains. Carrying the Eucharist with him, De Smet celebrated Mass among Native American tribes and remote frontier settlements, bringing the sacraments to places few other priests had ever reached.In the Southwest, Archbishop Jean Baptiste Lamy traveled throughout the vast Diocese of Santa Fe, where Catholics sometimes waited months for a priest to arrive. When he finally came, entire villages gathered to celebrate Mass, receive Communion, and adore the Blessed Sacrament.A Church steps into public viewBy the late 19th century, Catholicism had become one of America’s largest religious communities, and Eucharistic devotion increasingly moved into the public square.That growth reached a dramatic high point in 1926, when Chicago hosted the International Eucharistic Congress.More than 1 million Catholics participated in outdoor liturgies, Eucharistic processions, Holy Hours, and public acts of adoration. Newspapers described it as one of the largest religious gatherings in American history. Pilgrims traveled from across the world, transforming Chicago into the center of global Catholic life for several days.For many American Catholics, the congress symbolized something remarkable: A Church that had once worshipped in secret now publicly proclaimed its faith in the Real Presence before the world.A new Eucharistic RevivalOne hundred years after the Chicago Congress, American Catholics are once again gathering around the Blessed Sacrament.The National Eucharistic Revival was launched by the U.S. bishops in 2022. Amid recent decades of declining Mass attendance and surveys indicating weakened belief in the Real Presence among many Catholics, the revival seeks to renew belief in Christ’s real presence through parish formation, Eucharistic processions, perpetual adoration, and missionary outreach.The 2026 pilgrimage began in St. Augustine, Florida, near where the first Mass was celebrated. The route continued up the Eastern Seaboard and will conclude over the Fourth of July weekend in Philadelphia.While today’s pilgrims travel highways instead of frontier trails, their journey echoes generations of Catholics who carried the Eucharist across the U.S.The circumstances have changed dramatically over five centuries, yet beneath those outward changes lies an unbroken thread stretching across nearly five centuries. The same Eucharist celebrated by missionaries in St. Augustine, carried across the Great Plains, hidden in colonial homes, and proclaimed before millions in Chicago is the Eucharist that gathers Catholics today. The history of Catholicism in America is not simply the story of how the Church grew — it is the story of how the Eucharist sustained that growth, generation after generation.

unitedyam

From the first Masses in the New World to today’s Eucharistic Revival, here’s how the Real Presence shaped nearly five centuries of Catholic life in America.

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Pope Leo XIV: Migrants lost at sea are victims of choices made and unmade – #Catholic – Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass Saturday on the island of Lampedusa, warning that migrants who have died crossing the Mediterranean are “victims both of decisions that were made and of decisions that were not made.”In his homily at the Arena sports field July 4, the pope cited the Gospel parable of the Good Samaritan, saying residents of Lampedusa had seen “thousands of human beings fallen into the hands of robbers who have taken everything from them, beat them brutally and walked away, leaving them half-dead.”“The sea has claimed the lives of others — those who did not manage to reach their hoped-for destination,” he said. “Yet we feel their presence, which challenges us no less than that of those who have landed in need of attention and aid.”The pope arrived at the sports field in a Fiat Nuova Campagnola convertible, the same vehicle Pope Francis used during his July 8, 2013, visit to Lampedusa. The crowd greeted him with songs, waving arms, and yellow-and-white caps against the backdrop of the island’s sea and sky.Before the liturgy, Lampedusa’s mayor presented the pope with a model of the island’s lighthouse. Pope Leo recalled Pope Francis’ closeness to the people of Lampedusa and said he had come not primarily to give speeches but to celebrate the Eucharist, the supreme sign of Christ’s presence.The pope’s homily repeatedly returned to the theme of love — a love made concrete in compassion, hospitality, and the willingness to draw near to those in need.“The Gospel resounds where peoples meet, people welcome one another, their lives intertwine and different cultures engage in dialogue,” he said. “It falls silent, however, when each person makes him or herself an island, avoiding contact and cutting off exchange.”Citing the parable of the Good Samaritan, the pope said the encounter with those stripped of everything calls Christians “to be close to them.”“This is the heart of the Gospel parable: we become neighbors by acting as neighbors,” he said.Pope Leo thanked the people of Lampedusa for what he called the “miracle of compassion,” including the volunteers, organizations in Forum Lampedusa Solidale, civil authorities, the Coast Guard, local administrations, deacons, priests, religious sisters, doctors, psychologists, educators, security forces, and all those who serve migrants on the island.“I greet the migrants who are here,” he added. “They themselves have not only received solidarity but have often shown it on their journey, as the poor helping the poorest.”But the pope also warned against indifference, corruption, fear, prejudice, and policies that fail to respond to the scale of the crisis.“Indifference to the common good and corruption in their countries of origin; a global economic system that generates poverty and exclusion; fear that fuels prejudice and contempt; the belief that such problems do not concern us; the criminal calculations of those who profit from the suffering of others; the slow and difficult transition from mere emergency management to the development of comprehensive and shared policies — all are present-day echoes of the haste to ‘pass by’ in the Gospel narrative,” he said.Pope Leo also said religious belonging must never be used to exclude or discriminate.“It is time to recognize and affirm that religious affiliation must never become a reason for discrimination, as if faith had boundaries rather than being a universal call to salvation,” he said. “There is no love of God without love of neighbor, and there is no neighbor if I do not draw near.”From Lampedusa, which lies between Sicily and North Africa and has become a symbol of the migration crisis in the Mediterranean, the pope turned his attention to Europe.“From this far-flung corner of Europe on the Mediterranean Sea, one can more clearly perceive the momentous challenge that the phenomenon of migration poses to European societies,” he said.Europe, he continued, has “a unique potential” and therefore “a corresponding responsibility” to address migration in a comprehensive way — integrating immediate relief into “a long-term strategic plan capable of receiving, protecting, supporting and integrating migrants,” while also assisting developing countries so that “no one is forced to emigrate.”The pope said the task belongs not only to public institutions but also to civil society and the Church.Speaking directly to the people of Lampedusa, he also noted that tourism on the island can risk creating an “invisible wall” between vacationers and migrants who have survived shipwrecks.“Have the courage to think differently,” he said, urging residents to help visitors become “more humane” through contact with the island’s charity and history.“There is authentic rest when the meaning of life is rediscovered, and true well-being when the economy is just and fraternal,” the pope said. “In such an economy, care for creation and social friendship come together in a synthesis that humanity is seeking today.”At the close of his homily, Pope Leo referred to the image of Our Lady of Safe Harbor, patroness of Lampedusa, placed near the altar.“In God we all have a safe haven, and every Christian community is called to be a reflection of it on earth,” he said. He ended with the traditional local greeting: “O’scià!”Before the Mass, the pope visited the cemetery of Lampedusa, where he placed flowers on the graves of migrants, pausing especially at the graves of children. The moment was marked by silence and strong wind.He then went to the Porta d’Europa, the “Gateway to Europe” monument, where he briefly met a migrant family. A child gave him a soccer ball and read him a note.“Dear pope, I am super excited to meet you. Ten years ago my story began here in Lampedusa. I was alone and had lost everything, especially my mother,” the child wrote.The child said he had stopped crying only after someone gave him a ball made of paper.“From that day, the ball has remained in my heart, and I have never stopped playing,” he wrote. “Now I hope that this ball I am giving you can reach another child and make him happy, just like me.”The pope then moved toward the sea to pray alone. The wind swept away his white zucchetto, which fell into the water as he prayed near the sea.Before heading to the Arena sports field, Pope Leo visited Molo Favaloro, where he blessed a plaque dedicating the dock to Pope Francis. There he greeted migrants accompanied by the Red Cross, as well as religious sisters who are among the first to welcome migrants arriving on the island.The visit came a day after the U.S.-born Pope Leo, accepting the Liberty Medal awarded by the National Constitutional Center in Philadelphia, recalled how his native land had opened its doors to waves of immigrants, allowing them and their children to help build the nation’s future. The pope has been critical of Trump administration’s policies on immigration and the coincidence of his visit to Lampedusa with America’s 250th anniversary has been widely noted there.This story was first published in two parts by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.Sources used: ACI Stampa Mass report and official English homily text .
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Pope Leo XIV: Migrants lost at sea are victims of choices made and unmade – #Catholic – Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass Saturday on the island of Lampedusa, warning that migrants who have died crossing the Mediterranean are “victims both of decisions that were made and of decisions that were not made.”In his homily at the Arena sports field July 4, the pope cited the Gospel parable of the Good Samaritan, saying residents of Lampedusa had seen “thousands of human beings fallen into the hands of robbers who have taken everything from them, beat them brutally and walked away, leaving them half-dead.”“The sea has claimed the lives of others — those who did not manage to reach their hoped-for destination,” he said. “Yet we feel their presence, which challenges us no less than that of those who have landed in need of attention and aid.”The pope arrived at the sports field in a Fiat Nuova Campagnola convertible, the same vehicle Pope Francis used during his July 8, 2013, visit to Lampedusa. The crowd greeted him with songs, waving arms, and yellow-and-white caps against the backdrop of the island’s sea and sky.Before the liturgy, Lampedusa’s mayor presented the pope with a model of the island’s lighthouse. Pope Leo recalled Pope Francis’ closeness to the people of Lampedusa and said he had come not primarily to give speeches but to celebrate the Eucharist, the supreme sign of Christ’s presence.The pope’s homily repeatedly returned to the theme of love — a love made concrete in compassion, hospitality, and the willingness to draw near to those in need.“The Gospel resounds where peoples meet, people welcome one another, their lives intertwine and different cultures engage in dialogue,” he said. “It falls silent, however, when each person makes him or herself an island, avoiding contact and cutting off exchange.”Citing the parable of the Good Samaritan, the pope said the encounter with those stripped of everything calls Christians “to be close to them.”“This is the heart of the Gospel parable: we become neighbors by acting as neighbors,” he said.Pope Leo thanked the people of Lampedusa for what he called the “miracle of compassion,” including the volunteers, organizations in Forum Lampedusa Solidale, civil authorities, the Coast Guard, local administrations, deacons, priests, religious sisters, doctors, psychologists, educators, security forces, and all those who serve migrants on the island.“I greet the migrants who are here,” he added. “They themselves have not only received solidarity but have often shown it on their journey, as the poor helping the poorest.”But the pope also warned against indifference, corruption, fear, prejudice, and policies that fail to respond to the scale of the crisis.“Indifference to the common good and corruption in their countries of origin; a global economic system that generates poverty and exclusion; fear that fuels prejudice and contempt; the belief that such problems do not concern us; the criminal calculations of those who profit from the suffering of others; the slow and difficult transition from mere emergency management to the development of comprehensive and shared policies — all are present-day echoes of the haste to ‘pass by’ in the Gospel narrative,” he said.Pope Leo also said religious belonging must never be used to exclude or discriminate.“It is time to recognize and affirm that religious affiliation must never become a reason for discrimination, as if faith had boundaries rather than being a universal call to salvation,” he said. “There is no love of God without love of neighbor, and there is no neighbor if I do not draw near.”From Lampedusa, which lies between Sicily and North Africa and has become a symbol of the migration crisis in the Mediterranean, the pope turned his attention to Europe.“From this far-flung corner of Europe on the Mediterranean Sea, one can more clearly perceive the momentous challenge that the phenomenon of migration poses to European societies,” he said.Europe, he continued, has “a unique potential” and therefore “a corresponding responsibility” to address migration in a comprehensive way — integrating immediate relief into “a long-term strategic plan capable of receiving, protecting, supporting and integrating migrants,” while also assisting developing countries so that “no one is forced to emigrate.”The pope said the task belongs not only to public institutions but also to civil society and the Church.Speaking directly to the people of Lampedusa, he also noted that tourism on the island can risk creating an “invisible wall” between vacationers and migrants who have survived shipwrecks.“Have the courage to think differently,” he said, urging residents to help visitors become “more humane” through contact with the island’s charity and history.“There is authentic rest when the meaning of life is rediscovered, and true well-being when the economy is just and fraternal,” the pope said. “In such an economy, care for creation and social friendship come together in a synthesis that humanity is seeking today.”At the close of his homily, Pope Leo referred to the image of Our Lady of Safe Harbor, patroness of Lampedusa, placed near the altar.“In God we all have a safe haven, and every Christian community is called to be a reflection of it on earth,” he said. He ended with the traditional local greeting: “O’scià!”Before the Mass, the pope visited the cemetery of Lampedusa, where he placed flowers on the graves of migrants, pausing especially at the graves of children. The moment was marked by silence and strong wind.He then went to the Porta d’Europa, the “Gateway to Europe” monument, where he briefly met a migrant family. A child gave him a soccer ball and read him a note.“Dear pope, I am super excited to meet you. Ten years ago my story began here in Lampedusa. I was alone and had lost everything, especially my mother,” the child wrote.The child said he had stopped crying only after someone gave him a ball made of paper.“From that day, the ball has remained in my heart, and I have never stopped playing,” he wrote. “Now I hope that this ball I am giving you can reach another child and make him happy, just like me.”The pope then moved toward the sea to pray alone. The wind swept away his white zucchetto, which fell into the water as he prayed near the sea.Before heading to the Arena sports field, Pope Leo visited Molo Favaloro, where he blessed a plaque dedicating the dock to Pope Francis. There he greeted migrants accompanied by the Red Cross, as well as religious sisters who are among the first to welcome migrants arriving on the island.The visit came a day after the U.S.-born Pope Leo, accepting the Liberty Medal awarded by the National Constitutional Center in Philadelphia, recalled how his native land had opened its doors to waves of immigrants, allowing them and their children to help build the nation’s future. The pope has been critical of Trump administration’s policies on immigration and the coincidence of his visit to Lampedusa with America’s 250th anniversary has been widely noted there.This story was first published in two parts by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.Sources used: ACI Stampa Mass report and official English homily text .

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Celebrating Mass on the Mediterranean island of Lampedusa, Pope Leo XIV urged Europe to respond to migration with long-term policies rooted in human dignity.

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Picture of the day Genex Tower in Belgrade, Serbia, an iconic example of Yugoslav brutalism, framed with abandoned car park. Today is 35 years since both Slovenia and Croatia declared their independence from Yugoslavia, and started the breakup of Yugoslavia. #ImageOfTheDay

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Picture of the day
Genex Tower in Belgrade, Serbia, an iconic example of Yugoslav brutalism, framed with abandoned car park. Today is 35 years since both Slovenia and Croatia declared their independence from Yugoslavia, and started the breakup of Yugoslavia.
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Gospel and Word of the Day – 04 July 2026 – A reading from the Book of Amos 9:11-15 Thus says the LORD: On that day I will raise up the fallen hut of David; I will wall up its breaches, raise up its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old, That they may conquer what is left of Edom and all the nations that shall bear my name, say I, the LORD, who will do this. Yes, days are coming, says the LORD, When the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the vintager, him who sows the seed; The juice of grapes shall drip down the mountains, and all the hills shall run with it. I will bring about the restoration of my people Israel; they shall rebuild and inhabit their ruined cities, Plant vineyards and drink the wine, set out gardens and eat the fruits. I will plant them upon their own ground; never again shall they be plucked From the land I have given them, say I, the LORD, your God.From the Gospel according to Matthew 9:14-17 The disciples of John approached Jesus and said, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast much, but your disciples do not fast?” Jesus answered them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. No one patches an old cloak with a piece of unshrunken cloth, for its fullness pulls away from the cloak and the tear gets worse. People do not put new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined. Rather, they pour new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.” The Christian is fundamentally joyful. For this reason, at the end of the Gospel, when they bring the wine, when he speaks of wine, it makes me think of the wedding at Cana – and for this reason Jesus works His miracle – this is why Our Lady, when she realized that there was no more wine… but if there is no wine there is no party … imagining that the wedding feast might therefore end with the drinking of tea or juice: it would not do … it is a feast, and Our Lady asks for the miracle. Such is the Christian life. The Christian life has this joyfulness of spirit, a joyfulness of heart. (…) “This is the second Christian attitude: to recognize Jesus as the whole, the center, the totality. But we will always be tempted to cast this newness of the Gospel, this new wine, into old attitudes … It is sin, we are all sinners. Only recognise it: ‘This is a sin.’ Do not say this goes with this. No! The old wineskins cannot hold the new wine. This is the novelty of the Gospel. Jesus is the bridegroom, the bridegroom who weds the Church, the groom who loves the Church, who gives his life for the Church. Jesus is the one who makes this wedding feast! Jesus asks us the joy of festivity, the joy of being Christians. He also asks of us the all: it’s all Him. If we have something that is not of Him, repent, ask for forgiveness and move on. May the Lord give us, to all of us, the grace always to have this joy, as if we were attending a wedding. And also have this faithfulness to the only bridegroom, who is the Lord.” (Pope Francis, Santa Marta, 6 September 2013)

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A reading from the Book of Amos
9:11-15

Thus says the LORD:
On that day I will raise up
the fallen hut of David;
I will wall up its breaches,
raise up its ruins,
and rebuild it as in the days of old,
That they may conquer what is left of Edom
and all the nations that shall bear my name,
say I, the LORD, who will do this.
Yes, days are coming,
says the LORD,
When the plowman shall overtake the reaper,
and the vintager, him who sows the seed;
The juice of grapes shall drip down the mountains,
and all the hills shall run with it.
I will bring about the restoration of my people Israel;
they shall rebuild and inhabit their ruined cities,
Plant vineyards and drink the wine,
set out gardens and eat the fruits.
I will plant them upon their own ground;
never again shall they be plucked
From the land I have given them,
say I, the LORD, your God.

From the Gospel according to Matthew
9:14-17

The disciples of John approached Jesus and said,
“Why do we and the Pharisees fast much,
but your disciples do not fast?”
Jesus answered them, “Can the wedding guests mourn
as long as the bridegroom is with them?
The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them,
and then they will fast.
No one patches an old cloak with a piece of unshrunken cloth,
for its fullness pulls away from the cloak and the tear gets worse.
People do not put new wine into old wineskins.
Otherwise the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined.
Rather, they pour new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.” 

The Christian is fundamentally joyful. For this reason, at the end of the Gospel, when they bring the wine, when he speaks of wine, it makes me think of the wedding at Cana – and for this reason Jesus works His miracle – this is why Our Lady, when she realized that there was no more wine… but if there is no wine there is no party … imagining that the wedding feast might therefore end with the drinking of tea or juice: it would not do … it is a feast, and Our Lady asks for the miracle. Such is the Christian life. The Christian life has this joyfulness of spirit, a joyfulness of heart. (…) “This is the second Christian attitude: to recognize Jesus as the whole, the center, the totality. But we will always be tempted to cast this newness of the Gospel, this new wine, into old attitudes … It is sin, we are all sinners. Only recognise it: ‘This is a sin.’ Do not say this goes with this. No! The old wineskins cannot hold the new wine. This is the novelty of the Gospel. Jesus is the bridegroom, the bridegroom who weds the Church, the groom who loves the Church, who gives his life for the Church. Jesus is the one who makes this wedding feast! Jesus asks us the joy of festivity, the joy of being Christians. He also asks of us the all: it’s all Him. If we have something that is not of Him, repent, ask for forgiveness and move on. May the Lord give us, to all of us, the grace always to have this joy, as if we were attending a wedding. And also have this faithfulness to the only bridegroom, who is the Lord.” (Pope Francis, Santa Marta, 6 September 2013)

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SSPX rejects Vatican’s excommunication, calls it ‘objectively’ unjust and invalid #Catholic The Society of St. Pius X (SSPX), whose members are known as “Lefebvrians,” rejected the recent excommunications decreed by the Vatican after consecrating four bishops without papal authorization on July 1 and asserted that the sanctions imposed are “objectively unjust and invalid.”In a letter addressed to Pope Leo XIV, released on July 3, Father Davide Pagliarani, superior general of the SSPX, justified the episcopal consecrations that prompted the Vatican’s decree declaring the group to be in schism as “an extreme measure to save souls, amid the doctrinal and moral confusion in which the Church finds itself.”“We in no way intend to replace the Church, and our sole purpose is to remain faithful to her,” wrote Pagliarani, who leads the group founded in 1970 by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, who died in 1991.The group founded by Lefebvre aims to preserve the traditional liturgy as it existed prior to the reforms implemented after the Second Vatican Council while maintaining its opposition to aspects of the council’s teachings on ecumenism, religious freedom, and collegiality.Lefebvre was excommunicated in 1988 after ordaining, without the permission of Pope John Paul II, four bishops: Alfonso de Galarreta of Spain, Bernard Fellay of Switzerland, Richard Williamson of England, and Bernard Tissier de Mallerais of France.Amid attempts to build bridges of dialogue with the SSPX, Pope Benedict XVI lifted the excommunications in 2009 against the four bishops consecrated by Lefebvre.Tissier de Mallerais and Williamson died in 2024 and 2025, respectively. Galarreta and Fellay, on the other hand, participated in the recent consecration of four new bishops on July 1, for which they were excommunicated once again.‘We had asked for bread’Using as the central theme of his argument the passage from the Gospel according to St. Luke (11:11–13), in which Jesus reminds his disciples that “if you, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him,” Pagliarani asserted that “we had asked for bread — that is, a little understanding in the face of a sincere case of conscience, a gesture of fatherly compassion.”“Unfortunately, we have received a stone,” he continued, noting that, instead of “fish” — that is, “the possibility of temporarily obtaining the necessary means to continue forming good priests … unfortunately, we have received a snake.”“We had asked for an egg, promising to return it as soon as possible,” he added. He affirmed that “the holy tradition we preserve in our souls belongs to the Church, our Mother” but “unfortunately, we have received a scorpion.”The superior of the SSPX assured Leo XIV that the society does not accept the Vatican’s sanctions “in a spirit of bitterness or rebellion” but rather feel encouraged “to love the holy Church even more and to attend to her needs more than ever with all our strength.”“We are certain that one day you yourself or one of your successors will wish to embrace the program of St. Pius X: ‘To restore all things in Christ,’” he said, noting that “on that day, the Holy Father will discover, with great joy and deep consolation, authentically Catholic souls — souls whose bond with the Church was never founded on the shifting sands of ambiguous dialogue but on the rock of Peter’s faith.”‘Turn back!’: Leo XIV’s plea the SSPX ignoredIn his letter, Pagliarani makes no mention of the Catholic Church’s repeated calls for dialogue, which date back to the pontificate of St. John Paul II with the creation of the Ecclesia Dei Commission and which reached one of their highest points in Benedict XVI’s decision to lift the excommunications of the four bishops consecrated by Lefebvre.Pope Francis also reached out to the SSPX with decisions such as allowing sacramental confessions with its priests to be valid and lawful during the Jubilee of Mercy in 2016 — a decision he later extended beyond that year.Pagliarani also did not address Pope Leo XIV’s direct plea to the Society of St. Pius X, asking the group not to commit “a schismatic act.”“In this spirit, and filled with Christian affection, I implore and ask you with all my heart: Turn back!” the Holy Father wrote to them on June 30.“I urge you to carefully consider the spiritual good of the faithful, because the schismatic act you would carry out would deprive them of the lawful — and in some cases, even valid — reception of the sacraments that they love and seek for their own sanctification,” the pope stated.This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
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SSPX rejects Vatican’s excommunication, calls it ‘objectively’ unjust and invalid #Catholic The Society of St. Pius X (SSPX), whose members are known as “Lefebvrians,” rejected the recent excommunications decreed by the Vatican after consecrating four bishops without papal authorization on July 1 and asserted that the sanctions imposed are “objectively unjust and invalid.”In a letter addressed to Pope Leo XIV, released on July 3, Father Davide Pagliarani, superior general of the SSPX, justified the episcopal consecrations that prompted the Vatican’s decree declaring the group to be in schism as “an extreme measure to save souls, amid the doctrinal and moral confusion in which the Church finds itself.”“We in no way intend to replace the Church, and our sole purpose is to remain faithful to her,” wrote Pagliarani, who leads the group founded in 1970 by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, who died in 1991.The group founded by Lefebvre aims to preserve the traditional liturgy as it existed prior to the reforms implemented after the Second Vatican Council while maintaining its opposition to aspects of the council’s teachings on ecumenism, religious freedom, and collegiality.Lefebvre was excommunicated in 1988 after ordaining, without the permission of Pope John Paul II, four bishops: Alfonso de Galarreta of Spain, Bernard Fellay of Switzerland, Richard Williamson of England, and Bernard Tissier de Mallerais of France.Amid attempts to build bridges of dialogue with the SSPX, Pope Benedict XVI lifted the excommunications in 2009 against the four bishops consecrated by Lefebvre.Tissier de Mallerais and Williamson died in 2024 and 2025, respectively. Galarreta and Fellay, on the other hand, participated in the recent consecration of four new bishops on July 1, for which they were excommunicated once again.‘We had asked for bread’Using as the central theme of his argument the passage from the Gospel according to St. Luke (11:11–13), in which Jesus reminds his disciples that “if you, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him,” Pagliarani asserted that “we had asked for bread — that is, a little understanding in the face of a sincere case of conscience, a gesture of fatherly compassion.”“Unfortunately, we have received a stone,” he continued, noting that, instead of “fish” — that is, “the possibility of temporarily obtaining the necessary means to continue forming good priests … unfortunately, we have received a snake.”“We had asked for an egg, promising to return it as soon as possible,” he added. He affirmed that “the holy tradition we preserve in our souls belongs to the Church, our Mother” but “unfortunately, we have received a scorpion.”The superior of the SSPX assured Leo XIV that the society does not accept the Vatican’s sanctions “in a spirit of bitterness or rebellion” but rather feel encouraged “to love the holy Church even more and to attend to her needs more than ever with all our strength.”“We are certain that one day you yourself or one of your successors will wish to embrace the program of St. Pius X: ‘To restore all things in Christ,’” he said, noting that “on that day, the Holy Father will discover, with great joy and deep consolation, authentically Catholic souls — souls whose bond with the Church was never founded on the shifting sands of ambiguous dialogue but on the rock of Peter’s faith.”‘Turn back!’: Leo XIV’s plea the SSPX ignoredIn his letter, Pagliarani makes no mention of the Catholic Church’s repeated calls for dialogue, which date back to the pontificate of St. John Paul II with the creation of the Ecclesia Dei Commission and which reached one of their highest points in Benedict XVI’s decision to lift the excommunications of the four bishops consecrated by Lefebvre.Pope Francis also reached out to the SSPX with decisions such as allowing sacramental confessions with its priests to be valid and lawful during the Jubilee of Mercy in 2016 — a decision he later extended beyond that year.Pagliarani also did not address Pope Leo XIV’s direct plea to the Society of St. Pius X, asking the group not to commit “a schismatic act.”“In this spirit, and filled with Christian affection, I implore and ask you with all my heart: Turn back!” the Holy Father wrote to them on June 30.“I urge you to carefully consider the spiritual good of the faithful, because the schismatic act you would carry out would deprive them of the lawful — and in some cases, even valid — reception of the sacraments that they love and seek for their own sanctification,” the pope stated.This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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In a letter addressed to Pope Leo XIV, released on July 3, Father Davide Pagliarani, superior general of the SSPX, justified the episcopal consecrations that prompted the Vatican’s decree.

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Pope Leo XIV accepts Constitution Center’s 2026 Liberty Medal: ‘I am honored’ #Catholic PHILADELPHIA — Pope Leo XIV said he was “honored” to accept the 2026 Liberty Medal from the National Constitution Center (NCC) in livestreamed remarks delivered for the ceremony in Philadelphia on July 3.“I am honored to accept the Liberty Medal of the National Constitution Center in this year that marks the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America with the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776,” the Holy Father said.Leo was born in Chicago but earned a bachelor’s degree at Villanova University in the Philadelphia suburbs. The NCC presented the award to the pontiff in person at the Vatican on April 30, ahead of the ceremony.In his remarks, Leo thanked those gathered in Philadelphia for the occasion. The NCC building overlooks the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, where the country’s founders developed and adopted the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.“As a son of this great country, founded by courageous men and women who dreamed of liberty and of a better life for themselves and for their children, I join you in asking God’s blessings upon America’s future, that the lofty ideals enshrined at the beginning of the Declaration of Independence may continue to guide the flourishing of the nation in unity, justice, and peace,” Leo said.“From our youth, most of us have admired the eloquence of those words, with their resounding appeal to the law of nature and to nature’s God as the basis of their assertion that all men and women are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, including the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” he said.The pontiff said that although the text employed “the language of the Enlightenment,” the claim is “ultimately grounded in an understanding of the human person inspired by the great biblical vision of man and woman being created in the divine image.”“It is indeed here that we discover the basis of human dignity; dignity which precedes the establishment of any state and whose custody constitutes its very purpose,” Leo said. Pope Leo XIV watches the livestreamed ceremony between the Vatican and the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia on July 3, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media Respecting the right to life “in every form and condition,” he said, is directly tied to the nation’s vitality. He said society must cultivate a reverence for life that “sways the hearts of individuals and inspires laws that recognize and safeguard this gift from the moment of conception to natural death.”The right to liberty, the pontiff said, is much deeper than simply doing what one wants. It is “founded upon the human person’s capacity to know the truth and adhere to what is good, even at great cost — a sacrifice well known to many who have labored to shape this country,” he said.“The desire for truth and freedom, as well as the very pursuit of happiness, continues to inspire people of all generations to ask fundamental questions regarding the meaning of life, our ultimate purpose, and indeed about God, and it is proper for magnanimous hearts to endeavor to answer these questions with sincerity,” Leo said.The Holy Father said that religious freedom, to be “free from fear and coercion, as enshrined in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution,” is needed to answer those questions.“It is my hope that this tradition will continue to bear fruit in a public discourse marked by moderation, respect for the views of others, and an ongoing effort to find common ground in promoting the cause of peace and reconciliation, at home and abroad,” he added.The pope said he is praying that the 250th anniversary of the United States “may be the occasion of a solemn recommitment to these ideals that have made America a country that values peace and prosperity, a country characterized by generosity and nobility of heart.”Archbishop Perez, Gov. Shapiro speakThe ceremony was attended by a few hundred guests and included other speakers, such as Philadelphia Archbishop Nelson J. Perez, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, state Attorney General Dave Sunday, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, and local Christian, Muslim, and Jewish religious leaders.Perez said throughout Leo’s life — as priest, bishop, cardinal, and pope — he has defended the “inherent dignity of all people and building pathways to peace,” including a defense of religious freedom.“True freedom stems from defending dignity and the value of every human being,” he said.Perez told EWTN News following the event that the pope’s words “bring us back to our origins” as Americans regarding the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.“It was wonderful to hear him once again bring us back to center, that we all were created in a very image and likeness of God,” the archbishop said. “Our human dignity and our rights flow from that. They flow from being created in Godʼs image and likeness and from there flows our freedom and the heart that seeks God.”“Itʼs a wonderful day for Philadelphia,” Perez said. “Itʼs a wonderful day for the country. Itʼs a wonderful day for the world.”Shapiro congratulated the pope on receiving the award and thanked the Holy Father, on behalf of Pennsylvania, “for using your voice, your power, to advance religious liberty for all people.”The ceremony included the ringing of a replica of the Liberty Bell just outside the building. It was rung by Sunday, the attorney general, who recalled the words of Benjamin Franklin when the Founding Father was asked what form of government they had created after the constitutional convention: “A republic, if you can keep it.”“Our Constitution is the rock upon which we will build in the next 250 years,” Sunday said.
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Pope Leo XIV accepts Constitution Center’s 2026 Liberty Medal: ‘I am honored’ #Catholic PHILADELPHIA — Pope Leo XIV said he was “honored” to accept the 2026 Liberty Medal from the National Constitution Center (NCC) in livestreamed remarks delivered for the ceremony in Philadelphia on July 3.“I am honored to accept the Liberty Medal of the National Constitution Center in this year that marks the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America with the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776,” the Holy Father said.Leo was born in Chicago but earned a bachelor’s degree at Villanova University in the Philadelphia suburbs. The NCC presented the award to the pontiff in person at the Vatican on April 30, ahead of the ceremony.In his remarks, Leo thanked those gathered in Philadelphia for the occasion. The NCC building overlooks the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, where the country’s founders developed and adopted the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.“As a son of this great country, founded by courageous men and women who dreamed of liberty and of a better life for themselves and for their children, I join you in asking God’s blessings upon America’s future, that the lofty ideals enshrined at the beginning of the Declaration of Independence may continue to guide the flourishing of the nation in unity, justice, and peace,” Leo said.“From our youth, most of us have admired the eloquence of those words, with their resounding appeal to the law of nature and to nature’s God as the basis of their assertion that all men and women are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, including the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” he said.The pontiff said that although the text employed “the language of the Enlightenment,” the claim is “ultimately grounded in an understanding of the human person inspired by the great biblical vision of man and woman being created in the divine image.”“It is indeed here that we discover the basis of human dignity; dignity which precedes the establishment of any state and whose custody constitutes its very purpose,” Leo said. Pope Leo XIV watches the livestreamed ceremony between the Vatican and the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia on July 3, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media Respecting the right to life “in every form and condition,” he said, is directly tied to the nation’s vitality. He said society must cultivate a reverence for life that “sways the hearts of individuals and inspires laws that recognize and safeguard this gift from the moment of conception to natural death.”The right to liberty, the pontiff said, is much deeper than simply doing what one wants. It is “founded upon the human person’s capacity to know the truth and adhere to what is good, even at great cost — a sacrifice well known to many who have labored to shape this country,” he said.“The desire for truth and freedom, as well as the very pursuit of happiness, continues to inspire people of all generations to ask fundamental questions regarding the meaning of life, our ultimate purpose, and indeed about God, and it is proper for magnanimous hearts to endeavor to answer these questions with sincerity,” Leo said.The Holy Father said that religious freedom, to be “free from fear and coercion, as enshrined in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution,” is needed to answer those questions.“It is my hope that this tradition will continue to bear fruit in a public discourse marked by moderation, respect for the views of others, and an ongoing effort to find common ground in promoting the cause of peace and reconciliation, at home and abroad,” he added.The pope said he is praying that the 250th anniversary of the United States “may be the occasion of a solemn recommitment to these ideals that have made America a country that values peace and prosperity, a country characterized by generosity and nobility of heart.”Archbishop Perez, Gov. Shapiro speakThe ceremony was attended by a few hundred guests and included other speakers, such as Philadelphia Archbishop Nelson J. Perez, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, state Attorney General Dave Sunday, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, and local Christian, Muslim, and Jewish religious leaders.Perez said throughout Leo’s life — as priest, bishop, cardinal, and pope — he has defended the “inherent dignity of all people and building pathways to peace,” including a defense of religious freedom.“True freedom stems from defending dignity and the value of every human being,” he said.Perez told EWTN News following the event that the pope’s words “bring us back to our origins” as Americans regarding the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.“It was wonderful to hear him once again bring us back to center, that we all were created in a very image and likeness of God,” the archbishop said. “Our human dignity and our rights flow from that. They flow from being created in Godʼs image and likeness and from there flows our freedom and the heart that seeks God.”“Itʼs a wonderful day for Philadelphia,” Perez said. “Itʼs a wonderful day for the country. Itʼs a wonderful day for the world.”Shapiro congratulated the pope on receiving the award and thanked the Holy Father, on behalf of Pennsylvania, “for using your voice, your power, to advance religious liberty for all people.”The ceremony included the ringing of a replica of the Liberty Bell just outside the building. It was rung by Sunday, the attorney general, who recalled the words of Benjamin Franklin when the Founding Father was asked what form of government they had created after the constitutional convention: “A republic, if you can keep it.”“Our Constitution is the rock upon which we will build in the next 250 years,” Sunday said.

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The pope delivered livestreamed remarks, praising the values enshrined in the Declaration of Independence: the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

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Pope Leo XIV congratulates the U.S. on its 250th anniversary – #Catholic – Pope Leo XIV celebrated the contributions of Catholics and immigrants to the United States in an open letter to Americans for the country’s 250th anniversary.The letter, dated June 25 and released by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops on Friday, also highlighted the principles of religious freedom and the right to life.Unknown block type “cdn77.asset”, specify a component for it in the `components.types` optionLeo, the first U.S.-born pope, wrote that the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, “gave enduring voice to the ideals of liberty, equality, the pursuit of happiness, justice, and democratic self-government.”The pope called religious freedom “among the most cherished of these principles,” writing that it is “central to the American promise, protecting both individual dignity and the peaceful coexistence of a diverse people.” That freedom has allowed the Catholic Church to flourish in the U.S., serving the nation in many fields including “education, the preferential care for the poor, healthcare, and basic social services,” Leo wroteThe pope also underscored the importance for the country’s history of the “God-given dignity of every human life.” Recognizing that dignity means “safeguarding human life from its beginning at conception until natural death” and caring for the “vulnerable, the suffering, and the forgotten,” he wrote.It also means “welcoming, protecting, and assisting immigrants,” who “have helped to shape the nation’s character,” Leo wrote.The pope’s letter to Americans closed with an invocation of the “Immaculate Conception, patroness of this country, that she will continue to watch over America and protect all who dwell therein.”
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Pope Leo XIV congratulates the U.S. on its 250th anniversary – #Catholic – Pope Leo XIV celebrated the contributions of Catholics and immigrants to the United States in an open letter to Americans for the country’s 250th anniversary.The letter, dated June 25 and released by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops on Friday, also highlighted the principles of religious freedom and the right to life.Unknown block type “cdn77.asset”, specify a component for it in the `components.types` optionLeo, the first U.S.-born pope, wrote that the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, “gave enduring voice to the ideals of liberty, equality, the pursuit of happiness, justice, and democratic self-government.”The pope called religious freedom “among the most cherished of these principles,” writing that it is “central to the American promise, protecting both individual dignity and the peaceful coexistence of a diverse people.” That freedom has allowed the Catholic Church to flourish in the U.S., serving the nation in many fields including “education, the preferential care for the poor, healthcare, and basic social services,” Leo wroteThe pope also underscored the importance for the country’s history of the “God-given dignity of every human life.” Recognizing that dignity means “safeguarding human life from its beginning at conception until natural death” and caring for the “vulnerable, the suffering, and the forgotten,” he wrote.It also means “welcoming, protecting, and assisting immigrants,” who “have helped to shape the nation’s character,” Leo wrote.The pope’s letter to Americans closed with an invocation of the “Immaculate Conception, patroness of this country, that she will continue to watch over America and protect all who dwell therein.”

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The pontiff’s letter stressed religious freedom, the right to life, and the contributions of Catholics and immigrants to American history.

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EWTN News explains: As a Catholic, can you attend an SSPX Mass? – #Catholic – The Vatican this week issued a decree declaring that the bishops involved in the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X’s illicit consecrations have incurred automatic excommunication and that the group is in schism with the Church.The illicit ordinations occurred in Écône, Switzerland, on July 1 after Pope Leo XIV had urged the group to “turn back” and refrain from carrying out the unauthorized rite.The SSPX is a controversial fraternity of priests known for their strict traditional celebration of the Latin Mass and opposition to the reforms of the Second Vatican Council.The group for years has enjoyed a canonically irregular status within the Church, and the faithful have generally been permitted to attend Masses held by SSPX priests. Yet the declaration of schism has raised questions about whether or not Catholics can still attend those liturgies without incurring canonical penalties.The Vatican recognizes that the faithful may be able to attend an SSPX Mass without suffering excommunication, so long as there is no “formal adherence” to the SSPX.Formal adherence was described in an important 1996 explanatory note from the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, on the “Excommunication for Schism Incurred by Members of Bishop Marcel Lefebvre’s Movement,” which was cited in the new decree’s own explanatory note. It described two key components: an internal one of freely and consciously sharing the substance of the schism and an external one of making outward expression of that choice, such as the exclusive participation in SSPX Masses.Notably, in the 1996 note, Vatican officials recognized “that occasional participation in liturgical acts or activities of the Lefebvrian movement — without adopting the movement’s attitude of doctrinal and disciplinary disunity — is not sufficient to constitute formal adherence to the movement.”It added that in pastoral practice, it is necessary “to take into account the person’s intention and how that inner disposition is translated into action,” and such situations should “be judged on a case-by-case basis by the competent authorities.”The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith on July 2 sent a letter to bishops worldwide outlining the means by which clergy and faithful who have taken part in the schism with the Church can return to full communion with the faith.The letter stipulated that penalties for lay faithful who belong to SSPX “cannot be presumed automatically, but must be assessed case by case.”The dicastery said that “imputably” in the matter “requires full awareness and deliberate consent.”Some cases in which laypeople are not considered “imputable,” the dicastery said, include those who have attended SSPX Masses “only for liturgical or spiritual reasons,” along with those who “do not reject the magisterium or the authority of the Roman pontiff.”‘Strongly discouraged’ for risk of schism, scandalNevertheless, the new decree’s explanatory note strongly admonishes the faithful “to remain firmly united with the Roman pontiff, with the bishops in communion with him, and with the entire Church … and to refrain from participating in the celebrations and activities organized by the aforementioned Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius X.”Ronald Bolster, an associate professor of theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville and dean of the theology school there, said it would be “inappropriate and strongly discouraged to participate in the liturgies and activities” of the SSPX.To do so, he argued, “would imply support for their schismatic act.”“Participation could also be a cause of scandal, causing others to consider that such participation is appropriate, and more broadly, suggest that the laws of the Church and the authority of the vicar of Christ can be dismissed or disregarded without consequence,” he said.William Newton, a theology professor and the chair of Franciscan University’s theology department, also argued that Catholics who attend SSPX Masses “collaborate” in the schism, though he noted that there are degrees of responsibility associated with it.“Certainly, the culpability for this collaboration can vary as with any sin, because of ignorance or lack of freedom of will,” he said.“However, the schismatic character of the SSPX has been confirmed by the Church, so ignorance, while still possible, cannot be assumed,” he added.He noted that there are “alternative valid Masses available to the faithful,” which he said “makes the choice to attend an SSPX Mass that much more likely to be willful collaboration with schism.”The faithful “should not attend a Mass of the SSPX,” he argued.Bolster described the schism event as a “most unfortunate situation.”He urged Catholics to “join Pope Leo in praying that the concerns which have motivated this division can be addressed without further loss of unity. “Cardinal Gerhard Müller, prefect emeritus of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, was last month even firmer in saying Catholics should not attend SSPX Masses. In his exclusive interview with EWTN News just days before the illicit consecrations, the cardinal was asked what faithful drawn to SSPX Masses should do if a schism follows. Müller said forcefully that they “shouldn’t go, and cannot participate in the Masses of schismatic priests and bishops.”
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EWTN News explains: As a Catholic, can you attend an SSPX Mass? – #Catholic – The Vatican this week issued a decree declaring that the bishops involved in the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X’s illicit consecrations have incurred automatic excommunication and that the group is in schism with the Church.The illicit ordinations occurred in Écône, Switzerland, on July 1 after Pope Leo XIV had urged the group to “turn back” and refrain from carrying out the unauthorized rite.The SSPX is a controversial fraternity of priests known for their strict traditional celebration of the Latin Mass and opposition to the reforms of the Second Vatican Council.The group for years has enjoyed a canonically irregular status within the Church, and the faithful have generally been permitted to attend Masses held by SSPX priests. Yet the declaration of schism has raised questions about whether or not Catholics can still attend those liturgies without incurring canonical penalties.The Vatican recognizes that the faithful may be able to attend an SSPX Mass without suffering excommunication, so long as there is no “formal adherence” to the SSPX.Formal adherence was described in an important 1996 explanatory note from the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, on the “Excommunication for Schism Incurred by Members of Bishop Marcel Lefebvre’s Movement,” which was cited in the new decree’s own explanatory note. It described two key components: an internal one of freely and consciously sharing the substance of the schism and an external one of making outward expression of that choice, such as the exclusive participation in SSPX Masses.Notably, in the 1996 note, Vatican officials recognized “that occasional participation in liturgical acts or activities of the Lefebvrian movement — without adopting the movement’s attitude of doctrinal and disciplinary disunity — is not sufficient to constitute formal adherence to the movement.”It added that in pastoral practice, it is necessary “to take into account the person’s intention and how that inner disposition is translated into action,” and such situations should “be judged on a case-by-case basis by the competent authorities.”The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith on July 2 sent a letter to bishops worldwide outlining the means by which clergy and faithful who have taken part in the schism with the Church can return to full communion with the faith.The letter stipulated that penalties for lay faithful who belong to SSPX “cannot be presumed automatically, but must be assessed case by case.”The dicastery said that “imputably” in the matter “requires full awareness and deliberate consent.”Some cases in which laypeople are not considered “imputable,” the dicastery said, include those who have attended SSPX Masses “only for liturgical or spiritual reasons,” along with those who “do not reject the magisterium or the authority of the Roman pontiff.”‘Strongly discouraged’ for risk of schism, scandalNevertheless, the new decree’s explanatory note strongly admonishes the faithful “to remain firmly united with the Roman pontiff, with the bishops in communion with him, and with the entire Church … and to refrain from participating in the celebrations and activities organized by the aforementioned Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius X.”Ronald Bolster, an associate professor of theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville and dean of the theology school there, said it would be “inappropriate and strongly discouraged to participate in the liturgies and activities” of the SSPX.To do so, he argued, “would imply support for their schismatic act.”“Participation could also be a cause of scandal, causing others to consider that such participation is appropriate, and more broadly, suggest that the laws of the Church and the authority of the vicar of Christ can be dismissed or disregarded without consequence,” he said.William Newton, a theology professor and the chair of Franciscan University’s theology department, also argued that Catholics who attend SSPX Masses “collaborate” in the schism, though he noted that there are degrees of responsibility associated with it.“Certainly, the culpability for this collaboration can vary as with any sin, because of ignorance or lack of freedom of will,” he said.“However, the schismatic character of the SSPX has been confirmed by the Church, so ignorance, while still possible, cannot be assumed,” he added.He noted that there are “alternative valid Masses available to the faithful,” which he said “makes the choice to attend an SSPX Mass that much more likely to be willful collaboration with schism.”The faithful “should not attend a Mass of the SSPX,” he argued.Bolster described the schism event as a “most unfortunate situation.”He urged Catholics to “join Pope Leo in praying that the concerns which have motivated this division can be addressed without further loss of unity. “Cardinal Gerhard Müller, prefect emeritus of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, was last month even firmer in saying Catholics should not attend SSPX Masses. In his exclusive interview with EWTN News just days before the illicit consecrations, the cardinal was asked what faithful drawn to SSPX Masses should do if a schism follows. Müller said forcefully that they “shouldn’t go, and cannot participate in the Masses of schismatic priests and bishops.”

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The traditionalist group has been declared in schism with the Catholic Church after an illicit “ordination” of bishops.

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Bishop celebrates Mass at joyful Lake Hopatcong parish #Catholic - On June 28, Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish in the Lake Hopatcong neighborhood of Jefferson Township, N.J., welcomed Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney, who celebrated the parish’s Family Mass during the pastoral visit in the church. Father Sean McDonnell, pastor of Star of the Sea, concelebrated the liturgy. Children participating in Star of the Sea’s Children’s Liturgy of the Word (CLOW), from grades kindergarten to third grade, were dismissed from the Mass to hear the God’s word proclaimed at their level by trained adults and enjoy faith-based activities such as coloring. The children returned to Mass during the presentation of gifts. CLOW occurs at Star of the Sea several times throughout the year. BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI [See image gallery at beaconnj.org] Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
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Bishop celebrates Mass at joyful Lake Hopatcong parish #Catholic – On June 28, Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish in the Lake Hopatcong neighborhood of Jefferson Township, N.J., welcomed Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney, who celebrated the parish’s Family Mass during the pastoral visit in the church. Father Sean McDonnell, pastor of Star of the Sea, concelebrated the liturgy. Children participating in Star of the Sea’s Children’s Liturgy of the Word (CLOW), from grades kindergarten to third grade, were dismissed from the Mass to hear the God’s word proclaimed at their level by trained adults and enjoy faith-based activities such as coloring. The children returned to Mass during the presentation of gifts. CLOW occurs at Star of the Sea several times throughout the year. BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI [See image gallery at beaconnj.org] Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

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Bishop celebrates Mass at joyful Lake Hopatcong parish #Catholic –

On June 28, Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish in the Lake Hopatcong neighborhood of Jefferson Township, N.J., welcomed Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney, who celebrated the parish’s Family Mass during the pastoral visit in the church. Father Sean McDonnell, pastor of Star of the Sea, concelebrated the liturgy. Children participating in Star of the Sea’s Children’s Liturgy of the Word (CLOW), from grades kindergarten to third grade, were dismissed from the Mass to hear the God’s word proclaimed at their level by trained adults and enjoy faith-based activities such as coloring. The children returned to Mass during the presentation of gifts. CLOW occurs at Star of the Sea several times throughout the year.

BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

– On June 28, Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish in the Lake Hopatcong neighborhood of Jefferson Township, N.J., welcomed Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney, who celebrated the parish’s Family Mass during the pastoral visit in the church. Father Sean McDonnell, pastor of Star of the Sea, concelebrated the liturgy. Children participating in Star of the Sea’s Children’s Liturgy of the Word (CLOW), from grades kindergarten to third grade, were dismissed from the Mass to hear the God’s word proclaimed at their level by trained adults and enjoy faith-based activities such as coloring. The children returned to Mass during the presentation

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July 3, 2004:  The death of Andriyan Nikolayev

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Space Race pioneer Andriyan Grigoryevich Nikolayev died July 3, 2004, in Cheboksary, Russia. Even among the first group of Soviet cosmonauts selected, he was considered elite, a member of the “Vanguard Six” chosen for the Vostok missions. His career included piloting Vostok 3 in August 1962, which became the first instance of two crewed spacecraftContinue reading “July 3, 2004:  The death of Andriyan Nikolayev”

The post July 3, 2004:  The death of Andriyan Nikolayev appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

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The Sky This Week from July 3 to 10: Mars and Uranus meet

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Friday, July 3Although the Moon is still bright, there’s a short window after darkness falls and before moonrise to sneak in some deep-sky viewing. Let’s get a jump on tomorrow’s celebration of U.S. Independence Day with a look at the Fireworks Galaxy (NGC 6946) in Cygnus, which has reached  an altitude of more than 40°Continue reading “The Sky This Week from July 3 to 10: Mars and Uranus meet”

The post The Sky This Week from July 3 to 10: Mars and Uranus meet appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

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Nicaraguan dictatorship detains Bishop Abelardo Mata again #Catholic Nicaraguan police detained Bishop Emeritus Abelardo Mata again on June 30, just one day after his initial detention and subsequent release on June 29. The 80-year-old prelate is reportedly now under house arrest.Mata, bishop emeritus of Estelí, was arrested at a clinic where he had gone for a checkup for his pacemaker. This occurred the day after he celebrated a Mass in which he prayed for the persecuted Church in Nicaragua, an act that may have provoked the ire of the dictatorship of President Daniel Ortega and his wife and vice president, Rosario Murillo.Following the new detention, the bishop is reportedly under house arrest at his home in the town of Tisma, according to the Nicaraguan newspaper La Prensa.In addition to the bishop, Father Francisco Morales, pastor of Calvary’s Cross Church in Estelí, where Mata celebrated Mass on June 28, and Deacon Wilfred Arauz Rodríguez were also detained. Both were released but remain subject to conditions.“Bishop Mata holds no administrative responsibilities within the Diocese of Estelí but continues to assist that diocese with its pastoral needs. He thus went to celebrate Mass last Sunday at the request of the parish priest. However, the Sandinista dictatorship has forbidden him from being in the department of Estelí,” ​​Martha Patricia Molina explained on July 2 to ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. She is the author of the report “Nicaragua: A Persecuted Church,” which documents thousands of attacks by the dictatorship against Catholics since 2018.Molina further highlighted that “the Diocese of Estelí has ​​always been a target of repression by the Sandinista dictatorship due to the hatred the dictatorial couple harbors toward Bishop Rolando José Álvarez, the apostolic administrator. Although Álvarez is not voicing opinions, the dictatorship views him as a constant focus of their attention.”Álvarez, apostolic administrator of Estelí since 2021, following Mata’s resignation, currently lives in Rome after being exiled in January 2024 while serving a 26-year prison sentence. The prelate was a consistent critic of the Ortega-Murillo dictatorship.Even though Álvarez is living in exile, Pope Francis confirmed him in his position as bishop of Matagalpa and apostolic administrator of Estelí.Molina also told ACI Prensa that the situation in Estelí “is being aggravated because Mata has been critical of the arbitrary actions committed by the Sandinista dictatorship. Currently, we only learn of 10% of the attacks committed against the Catholic Church because the rest go unreported due to the fear and caution priests and laypeople have about speaking out in the news media or on social media.”The researcher noted that the number of reports could reach “400 a day” if Catholics were able to speak freely in public.The ‘dire’ situation in EstelíMolina noted that the dictatorship is now persecuting the Church in a different way: “They had stopped abducting priests, but now they have gone back to it; furthermore, there are cases of priests having to report to police stations to give statements, and also there’s the constant monitoring and harassment of priests across the countryʼs various dioceses by the police.”The researcher pointed out that the Diocese of Estelí, “the one most persecuted by the Ortega-Murillo dictatorship after Matagalpa,” is currently forced to “operate without [its bishop] and with only 42% of its clergy. This makes pastoral work difficult and places a heavier workload on the active priests.”These priests must also take on “the duties of those who are in exile due to persecution, those who have passed away, or those who, for one reason or another, are not exercising their ministry in Nicaragua,” she pointed out.“The situation is worsening because the Sandinista dictatorship has banned diaconal and priestly ordinations in that diocese,” she emphasized. Ordinations are also forbidden in Matagalpa, Jinotega, and Siuna. None of the four dioceses has its bishop present, as they have all been exiled from Nicaragua.The need to be vigilant“We have to remain vigilant regarding Bishop Mata because his health is fragile and requires professional care. What worries me is that the last individuals who have been under surveillance by the dictatorship or the police have ended up in worse condition or even dead,” Arturo McFields, Nicaragua’s former ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS), told ACI Prensa on July 2.A recent example of this situation is the case of Brooklyn Rivera, an Indigenous leader and political prisoner whom the Ortega-Murillo dictatorship held incommunicado for over 970 days. He passed away in late May at the age of 73, following several statements from the regime regarding his critical health condition.“If the dictatorship’s actions are not strongly denounced, the regime would not hesitate to bring about the death of Bishop Mata, as they harbor deep resentment toward this man of God because of his courage and clarity for many years,” McFields emphasized.An exiled Nicaraguan priest who prefers to remain anonymous to avoid reprisals told ACI Prensa that the situation involving Mata “is sad, but it can also be viewed as a sign of the fear the dictatorship has of an elderly bishop, an 80-year-old (with health issues) because his presence as a shepherd strengthens the lives of the faithful,” ensuring that “the faith remains alive.”The priest emphasized that he continues to prepare “our hearts for a future in which we can rebuild the Church in Nicaragua not only socially but also through faith because spiritual and pastoral reconstruction work must also be done.”Call for releaseFélix Maradiaga, president of the Freedom for Nicaragua Foundation, issued “an urgent call to the international community, human rights organizations, the world’s democracies, and all people of goodwill to remain vigilant, demand the immediate release of Bishop Juan Abelardo Mata and all arbitrarily detained members of the clergy, and firmly condemn this new escalation of repression.”“Nicaragua cannot normalize a dictatorship imprisoning priests, silencing pulpits, and persecuting the faith. The moral voice of the Church has historically stood with the Nicaraguan people during their most difficult times, and that is precisely why the regime seeks to intimidate it,” Maradiaga told ACI Prensa.This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
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Nicaraguan dictatorship detains Bishop Abelardo Mata again #Catholic Nicaraguan police detained Bishop Emeritus Abelardo Mata again on June 30, just one day after his initial detention and subsequent release on June 29. The 80-year-old prelate is reportedly now under house arrest.Mata, bishop emeritus of Estelí, was arrested at a clinic where he had gone for a checkup for his pacemaker. This occurred the day after he celebrated a Mass in which he prayed for the persecuted Church in Nicaragua, an act that may have provoked the ire of the dictatorship of President Daniel Ortega and his wife and vice president, Rosario Murillo.Following the new detention, the bishop is reportedly under house arrest at his home in the town of Tisma, according to the Nicaraguan newspaper La Prensa.In addition to the bishop, Father Francisco Morales, pastor of Calvary’s Cross Church in Estelí, where Mata celebrated Mass on June 28, and Deacon Wilfred Arauz Rodríguez were also detained. Both were released but remain subject to conditions.“Bishop Mata holds no administrative responsibilities within the Diocese of Estelí but continues to assist that diocese with its pastoral needs. He thus went to celebrate Mass last Sunday at the request of the parish priest. However, the Sandinista dictatorship has forbidden him from being in the department of Estelí,” ​​Martha Patricia Molina explained on July 2 to ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. She is the author of the report “Nicaragua: A Persecuted Church,” which documents thousands of attacks by the dictatorship against Catholics since 2018.Molina further highlighted that “the Diocese of Estelí has ​​always been a target of repression by the Sandinista dictatorship due to the hatred the dictatorial couple harbors toward Bishop Rolando José Álvarez, the apostolic administrator. Although Álvarez is not voicing opinions, the dictatorship views him as a constant focus of their attention.”Álvarez, apostolic administrator of Estelí since 2021, following Mata’s resignation, currently lives in Rome after being exiled in January 2024 while serving a 26-year prison sentence. The prelate was a consistent critic of the Ortega-Murillo dictatorship.Even though Álvarez is living in exile, Pope Francis confirmed him in his position as bishop of Matagalpa and apostolic administrator of Estelí.Molina also told ACI Prensa that the situation in Estelí “is being aggravated because Mata has been critical of the arbitrary actions committed by the Sandinista dictatorship. Currently, we only learn of 10% of the attacks committed against the Catholic Church because the rest go unreported due to the fear and caution priests and laypeople have about speaking out in the news media or on social media.”The researcher noted that the number of reports could reach “400 a day” if Catholics were able to speak freely in public.The ‘dire’ situation in EstelíMolina noted that the dictatorship is now persecuting the Church in a different way: “They had stopped abducting priests, but now they have gone back to it; furthermore, there are cases of priests having to report to police stations to give statements, and also there’s the constant monitoring and harassment of priests across the countryʼs various dioceses by the police.”The researcher pointed out that the Diocese of Estelí, “the one most persecuted by the Ortega-Murillo dictatorship after Matagalpa,” is currently forced to “operate without [its bishop] and with only 42% of its clergy. This makes pastoral work difficult and places a heavier workload on the active priests.”These priests must also take on “the duties of those who are in exile due to persecution, those who have passed away, or those who, for one reason or another, are not exercising their ministry in Nicaragua,” she pointed out.“The situation is worsening because the Sandinista dictatorship has banned diaconal and priestly ordinations in that diocese,” she emphasized. Ordinations are also forbidden in Matagalpa, Jinotega, and Siuna. None of the four dioceses has its bishop present, as they have all been exiled from Nicaragua.The need to be vigilant“We have to remain vigilant regarding Bishop Mata because his health is fragile and requires professional care. What worries me is that the last individuals who have been under surveillance by the dictatorship or the police have ended up in worse condition or even dead,” Arturo McFields, Nicaragua’s former ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS), told ACI Prensa on July 2.A recent example of this situation is the case of Brooklyn Rivera, an Indigenous leader and political prisoner whom the Ortega-Murillo dictatorship held incommunicado for over 970 days. He passed away in late May at the age of 73, following several statements from the regime regarding his critical health condition.“If the dictatorship’s actions are not strongly denounced, the regime would not hesitate to bring about the death of Bishop Mata, as they harbor deep resentment toward this man of God because of his courage and clarity for many years,” McFields emphasized.An exiled Nicaraguan priest who prefers to remain anonymous to avoid reprisals told ACI Prensa that the situation involving Mata “is sad, but it can also be viewed as a sign of the fear the dictatorship has of an elderly bishop, an 80-year-old (with health issues) because his presence as a shepherd strengthens the lives of the faithful,” ensuring that “the faith remains alive.”The priest emphasized that he continues to prepare “our hearts for a future in which we can rebuild the Church in Nicaragua not only socially but also through faith because spiritual and pastoral reconstruction work must also be done.”Call for releaseFélix Maradiaga, president of the Freedom for Nicaragua Foundation, issued “an urgent call to the international community, human rights organizations, the world’s democracies, and all people of goodwill to remain vigilant, demand the immediate release of Bishop Juan Abelardo Mata and all arbitrarily detained members of the clergy, and firmly condemn this new escalation of repression.”“Nicaragua cannot normalize a dictatorship imprisoning priests, silencing pulpits, and persecuting the faith. The moral voice of the Church has historically stood with the Nicaraguan people during their most difficult times, and that is precisely why the regime seeks to intimidate it,” Maradiaga told ACI Prensa.This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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Mata was detained on June 29, released the same day, and as of June 30 reportedly is under house arrest. At a June 28 Mass he asked for prayers for the persecuted Church, triggering retaliation.

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Gospel and Word of the Day – 03 July 2026 – A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians 2:19-22 Brothers and sisters: You are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone. Through him the whole structure is held together and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord; in him you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.From the Gospel according to John 20:24-29 Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples said to him, "We have seen the Lord." But Thomas said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe." Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, "Peace be with you." Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe." Thomas answered and said to him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.""Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in his side, I will not believe" (Jn 20: 25). Basically, from these words emerges the conviction that Jesus can now be recognized by his wounds rather than by his face. Thomas holds that the signs that confirm Jesus’ identity are now above all his wounds, in which he reveals to us how much he loved us. In this the Apostle is not mistaken. (…) Jesus reappeared among his disciples eight days later and this time Thomas was present. Jesus summons him:  "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing" (Jn 20: 27). Thomas reacts with the most splendid profession of faith in the whole of the New Testament:  "My Lord and my God!" (Jn 20: 28). St Augustine comments on this:  Thomas "saw and touched the man, and acknowledged the God whom he neither saw nor touched; but by the means of what he saw and touched, he now put far away from him every doubt, and believed the other" (In ev. Jo. 121, 5). The Evangelist continues with Jesus’ last words to Thomas:  "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe" (Jn 20: 29). This sentence can also be put into the present:  "Blessed are those who do not see and yet believe". In any case, here Jesus spells out a fundamental principle for Christians who will come after Thomas, hence, for all of us. (Pope Benedict XVI, General Audience, 27 September 2006)

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A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians
2:19-22

Brothers and sisters:
You are no longer strangers and sojourners,
but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones
and members of the household of God,
built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets,
with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone.
Through him the whole structure is held together
and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord;
in him you also are being built together
into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

From the Gospel according to John
20:24-29

Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve,
was not with them when Jesus came.
So the other disciples said to him, "We have seen the Lord."
But Thomas said to them,
"Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands
and put my finger into the nailmarks
and put my hand into his side, I will not believe."
Now a week later his disciples were again inside
and Thomas was with them.
Jesus came, although the doors were locked,
and stood in their midst and said, "Peace be with you."
Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands,
and bring your hand and put it into my side,
and do not be unbelieving, but believe."
Thomas answered and said to him, "My Lord and my God!"
Jesus said to him, "Have you come to believe because you have seen me?
Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed."

"Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in his side, I will not believe" (Jn 20: 25). Basically, from these words emerges the conviction that Jesus can now be recognized by his wounds rather than by his face. Thomas holds that the signs that confirm Jesus’ identity are now above all his wounds, in which he reveals to us how much he loved us. In this the Apostle is not mistaken. (…) Jesus reappeared among his disciples eight days later and this time Thomas was present. Jesus summons him:  "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing" (Jn 20: 27). Thomas reacts with the most splendid profession of faith in the whole of the New Testament:  "My Lord and my God!" (Jn 20: 28). St Augustine comments on this:  Thomas "saw and touched the man, and acknowledged the God whom he neither saw nor touched; but by the means of what he saw and touched, he now put far away from him every doubt, and believed the other" (In ev. Jo. 121, 5). The Evangelist continues with Jesus’ last words to Thomas:  "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe" (Jn 20: 29). This sentence can also be put into the present:  "Blessed are those who do not see and yet believe". In any case, here Jesus spells out a fundamental principle for Christians who will come after Thomas, hence, for all of us.

(Pope Benedict XVI, General Audience, 27 September 2006)

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Wyoming Catholic College student wins Presidential 1776 Award #Catholic Incoming Wyoming Catholic College student Miriam Washut took home a 0,000 scholarship after winning first place in the first-ever Presidential 1776 Awards, a nationwide civics competition.Washut, who is the daughter of Wyoming Catholic College President Kyle Washut, emerged triumphant from among 20 finalists and over 8,000 students from all 50 states and territories who entered the competition.Washut, along with the second and third place winners, met with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office July 1 alongside U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon.TweetMcMahon said the award “recognizes students who have demonstrated a deep understanding of America’s founding principles and enthusiasm for learning America’s story. What better way to celebrate 250 years of this great nation than by honoring those who will carry us into the next 250!”University of Mary launches graduate school of theology in ArizonaThe University of Mary has announced it will open a graduate school of theology in Phoenix in the fall.The satellite graduate school will offer a four-year master of divinity degree and a 36-credit master of arts in theology, taught in person at the Arizona Center, located across from St. Mary’s Basilica and the diocesan pastoral center, the university announced on June 30. The university described the move as a further development of its “long-standing partnership with the Diocese of Phoenix and Nazareth Seminary,” and an expansion of its Arizona mission. “What originally started as undergraduate formation for the seminarians of the diocese has blossomed into an academic program that now includes master’s-level work,” said Eric Westby, associate professor of theology at the university. “This formation will help students know their faith more deeply and be equipped to pass it on in a variety of settings,” he added. Benedictine College to open Independence Hall-themed library  Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, will hold a soft-launch opening of its new library, built to resemble Independence Hall in Philadelphia, on July 4. Benedictine Collegeʼs new library is designed to simultaneously honor the Catholic intellectual tradition and the principles of American liberty. | Credit: Courtesy of Benedictine College The interior of the new library includes an exact replica of Independence Hall’s historic Assembly Room, where America’s Declaration of Independence was debated and signed. The Assembly Room will be open to the public from 9 a.m. to noon, the college said in a press release. Visitors to the library, which is in the final stages of construction, will also be able to view a replica of the Liberty Bell. Visitors will also have the opportunity to view a collection of historic documents through an exhibit titled “Celebrating the American Experiment.”“Thirty-nine documents trace the story of the American founding and its origins in centuries of Western political thought,” the exhibit page states. “Among them are works by Aristotle, Cicero, John Locke, and Algernon Sidney, as well as the Declaration of Independence, the Federalist Papers, and a rare 1788 printing of the Constitution of the United States, one of only five known copies in existence.”DeSantis blocks funding for security improvements at Catholic schoolsRepublican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has vetoed a bill that would have allocated million in state funding for security improvements at Catholic schools in Miami-Dade County. The veto came after the Florida Legislature passed the bill on May 29.The Archdiocese of Miami expressed its disappointment with the veto and thanked lawmakers for their efforts to pass legislation to protect its more than 37,000 students. “Security enhancements are not a luxury; they are an essential component of providing safe environments where students can learn and thrive,” the Archdiocese of Miami said in a June 29 statement. The archdiocese noted that it does not receive any funding to offset security costs, despite other privately-run public charter schools in the state receiving government aid.
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Wyoming Catholic College student wins Presidential 1776 Award #Catholic Incoming Wyoming Catholic College student Miriam Washut took home a $150,000 scholarship after winning first place in the first-ever Presidential 1776 Awards, a nationwide civics competition.Washut, who is the daughter of Wyoming Catholic College President Kyle Washut, emerged triumphant from among 20 finalists and over 8,000 students from all 50 states and territories who entered the competition.Washut, along with the second and third place winners, met with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office July 1 alongside U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon.TweetMcMahon said the award “recognizes students who have demonstrated a deep understanding of America’s founding principles and enthusiasm for learning America’s story. What better way to celebrate 250 years of this great nation than by honoring those who will carry us into the next 250!”University of Mary launches graduate school of theology in ArizonaThe University of Mary has announced it will open a graduate school of theology in Phoenix in the fall.The satellite graduate school will offer a four-year master of divinity degree and a 36-credit master of arts in theology, taught in person at the Arizona Center, located across from St. Mary’s Basilica and the diocesan pastoral center, the university announced on June 30. The university described the move as a further development of its “long-standing partnership with the Diocese of Phoenix and Nazareth Seminary,” and an expansion of its Arizona mission. “What originally started as undergraduate formation for the seminarians of the diocese has blossomed into an academic program that now includes master’s-level work,” said Eric Westby, associate professor of theology at the university. “This formation will help students know their faith more deeply and be equipped to pass it on in a variety of settings,” he added. Benedictine College to open Independence Hall-themed library  Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, will hold a soft-launch opening of its new library, built to resemble Independence Hall in Philadelphia, on July 4. Benedictine Collegeʼs new library is designed to simultaneously honor the Catholic intellectual tradition and the principles of American liberty. | Credit: Courtesy of Benedictine College The interior of the new library includes an exact replica of Independence Hall’s historic Assembly Room, where America’s Declaration of Independence was debated and signed. The Assembly Room will be open to the public from 9 a.m. to noon, the college said in a press release. Visitors to the library, which is in the final stages of construction, will also be able to view a replica of the Liberty Bell. Visitors will also have the opportunity to view a collection of historic documents through an exhibit titled “Celebrating the American Experiment.”“Thirty-nine documents trace the story of the American founding and its origins in centuries of Western political thought,” the exhibit page states. “Among them are works by Aristotle, Cicero, John Locke, and Algernon Sidney, as well as the Declaration of Independence, the Federalist Papers, and a rare 1788 printing of the Constitution of the United States, one of only five known copies in existence.”DeSantis blocks funding for security improvements at Catholic schoolsRepublican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has vetoed a bill that would have allocated $15 million in state funding for security improvements at Catholic schools in Miami-Dade County. The veto came after the Florida Legislature passed the bill on May 29.The Archdiocese of Miami expressed its disappointment with the veto and thanked lawmakers for their efforts to pass legislation to protect its more than 37,000 students. “Security enhancements are not a luxury; they are an essential component of providing safe environments where students can learn and thrive,” the Archdiocese of Miami said in a June 29 statement. The archdiocese noted that it does not receive any funding to offset security costs, despite other privately-run public charter schools in the state receiving government aid.

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A Wyoming Catholic College student wins a White House civics competition, Benedictine College shows off its new library, and more in this week’s roundup of Catholic education news in the U.S.

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Filipino bishop decries government corruption as ‘grave sin’ – #Catholic – Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo of Kidapawan, Philippines, spoke out against government corruption during a June 28 rally at the People Power Monument in Manila.“We cannot remain silent while funds meant for the poor are being stolen. We cannot remain silent while the people’s treasury is being turned into the personal wealth of a few. We cannot remain silent while corruption continues to destroy the future of our children,” Bagaforo said at the White Ribbon March on Sunday, according to Licas News. The chairman of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines’ Commission on Interreligious Dialogue further condemned corruption as “a grave sin of theft and betrayal of the people.” Bagaforo’s remarks come in the wake of a corruption scandal last year involving infrastructure projects worth an estimated billion.Catholic anti-trafficking leaders  meet in ThailandThe sixth international Talitha Kum Leadership Training Course conference drew 30 Catholic anti-trafficking leaders from 23 countries to the Sam Phran District in Thailand this past week.During the seven-day conference, Talitha Kum Thailand delivered a presentation on education as a form of protection against human trafficking, according to a Licas News report on Monday. Sister Marie-Agnes Suwanna Buasap, SPC, who was present at the first training course in Rome, announced a K–12 curriculum and textbook series called “Don’t Touch Me” aimed at raising vigilance among students and teachers to prevent trafficking cases. “Preventing human trafficking begins in the classroom, from the heart of the teacher, and from the community of love and safety that the school provides,” said Archbishop Francis Xavier Vira Arpondratana, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Thailand.Australian bishops call on Catholics to pray for work on the seaThe Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference has called on Catholics to pray for mariners ahead of Sea Sunday on July 12.“Sea Sunday is a time when we reflect on the lives and the work of all the seafarers of our world,” Father Tony Cox, SSC, the national director of Stella Maris Australia, said in a press release Wednesday. Cox described mariners as living on the margins of society, recalling how they were unable to set foot on dry land for over a year and a half during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, he said, they must face the war-torn Strait of Hormuz.“One visiting seafarer said to me: ‘People do not see us and because of our invisibility they think we are not human. They do not see what we do and forget that we too have needs,’” Cox said.Cambodia school takes name of Buddhist and Catholic leadersA Buddhist primary school for monks in southern Cambodia has adopted the names of Buddhist and Catholic religious leaders in a display of unity between the faith communities.The “Chomroen Olivier” school was inaugurated June 25 and combines the names of Venerable Nget Chomroeun, the Buddhist abbot of Ang Montrey Pagoda, and Bishop Olivier Schmitthaeusler, MEP, apostolic vicar of Phnom Penh, according to a report from Fides News Agency. Schmitthaeusler hailed the school as "a beautiful, concrete, and living sign of collaboration between the pagoda and the Catholic Church.”Maronite, Armenian Catholic leaders meet with Pope Leo Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Bechara Boutros Al-Rai and Armenian Catholic Patriarch Raphael Bedros XXI Minassian shared updates about the faithful in their respective countries with Pope Leo XIV during a meeting Tuesday.Al-Rai told Leo a new phase of dialogue for peace began after the pope’s trip to Cedar, and they emphasized the need for continued dialogue and national unity at a fragile moment for Lebanon, ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News, reported. Minassian and Leo discussed the witness of the Eastern Catholic Churches and the current state of the Armenian Catholic Church.Irish government proposes abortion leave after removing reflection periodThe Republic of Ireland’s government is considering proposals to provide paid leave for women who lose a baby before 23 weeks, including those who have an abortion.The news comes after the Irish government voted to remove the three-day wait period for pregnant women considering an abortion of their unborn baby. Eilís Mulroy of the Pro-life Campaign said that the government had its priorities in the wrong order. “After the way they voted recently to abolish the three-day reflection period prior to an abortion, senior members of government like Micheál Martin and Simon Harris are now, in effect, saying to women: ‘We recognize the grief and trauma you might experience after an abortion, so we believe youʼre entitled to five days' leave. However, we voted to abolish the three-day reflection period before an abortion despite the fact that it could potentially safeguard you from finding yourself in that awful situation in the first place,’” he said, adding: “The position these politicians are adopting makes absolutely no sense.”Priest who developed video evangelization program named bishop of Arundel and BrightonFather Stephen Wang has been appointed as the new Bishop of Arundel and Brighton, England, replacing Archbishop Richard Moth, who was recently appointed as the archbishop of Westminster.Wang described the appointment as “a huge surprise,” adding: “I’m grateful to Pope Leo for calling me and putting his trust in me, and to Archbishop Moth for his care for the diocese over these years.” The bishop-elect has spent the last five years as rector of the Venerable English College, one of two English and Welsh seminaries in Rome, training men for the priesthood. Wang, whose appointment has been widely welcomed, is renowned for having developed “Sycamore,” a video-based Catholic evangelization program that explores the Catholic faith through short films and guided discussion. Designed to make the faith more accessible, “Sycamore” is now widely used by Catholic parishes, schools, and university chaplaincies across the world.German bishops welcome apostolic nuncio from KenyaMembers of the German Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC) have welcomed the former apostolic nuncio to Kenya, Archbishop Hubertus van Megen, pledging their collaboration in the Vatican diplomat’s new apostolic mission.“We are delighted by your arrival in our country and wish you God’s abundant blessings for your new task,” GCBC Vice President Bishop Michael Gerber of the Diocese of Fulda said, according to a report from ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, on Tuesday. Pope Leo XIV transferred van Megen, who served as the apostolic nuncio in Kenya for seven years, on April 9 to Germany after Archbishop Nikola Eterović resigned upon reaching the canonical age limit.
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Filipino bishop decries government corruption as ‘grave sin’ – #Catholic – Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo of Kidapawan, Philippines, spoke out against government corruption during a June 28 rally at the People Power Monument in Manila.“We cannot remain silent while funds meant for the poor are being stolen. We cannot remain silent while the people’s treasury is being turned into the personal wealth of a few. We cannot remain silent while corruption continues to destroy the future of our children,” Bagaforo said at the White Ribbon March on Sunday, according to Licas News. The chairman of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines’ Commission on Interreligious Dialogue further condemned corruption as “a grave sin of theft and betrayal of the people.” Bagaforo’s remarks come in the wake of a corruption scandal last year involving infrastructure projects worth an estimated $2 billion.Catholic anti-trafficking leaders  meet in ThailandThe sixth international Talitha Kum Leadership Training Course conference drew 30 Catholic anti-trafficking leaders from 23 countries to the Sam Phran District in Thailand this past week.During the seven-day conference, Talitha Kum Thailand delivered a presentation on education as a form of protection against human trafficking, according to a Licas News report on Monday. Sister Marie-Agnes Suwanna Buasap, SPC, who was present at the first training course in Rome, announced a K–12 curriculum and textbook series called “Don’t Touch Me” aimed at raising vigilance among students and teachers to prevent trafficking cases. “Preventing human trafficking begins in the classroom, from the heart of the teacher, and from the community of love and safety that the school provides,” said Archbishop Francis Xavier Vira Arpondratana, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Thailand.Australian bishops call on Catholics to pray for work on the seaThe Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference has called on Catholics to pray for mariners ahead of Sea Sunday on July 12.“Sea Sunday is a time when we reflect on the lives and the work of all the seafarers of our world,” Father Tony Cox, SSC, the national director of Stella Maris Australia, said in a press release Wednesday. Cox described mariners as living on the margins of society, recalling how they were unable to set foot on dry land for over a year and a half during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, he said, they must face the war-torn Strait of Hormuz.“One visiting seafarer said to me: ‘People do not see us and because of our invisibility they think we are not human. They do not see what we do and forget that we too have needs,’” Cox said.Cambodia school takes name of Buddhist and Catholic leadersA Buddhist primary school for monks in southern Cambodia has adopted the names of Buddhist and Catholic religious leaders in a display of unity between the faith communities.The “Chomroen Olivier” school was inaugurated June 25 and combines the names of Venerable Nget Chomroeun, the Buddhist abbot of Ang Montrey Pagoda, and Bishop Olivier Schmitthaeusler, MEP, apostolic vicar of Phnom Penh, according to a report from Fides News Agency. Schmitthaeusler hailed the school as "a beautiful, concrete, and living sign of collaboration between the pagoda and the Catholic Church.”Maronite, Armenian Catholic leaders meet with Pope Leo Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Bechara Boutros Al-Rai and Armenian Catholic Patriarch Raphael Bedros XXI Minassian shared updates about the faithful in their respective countries with Pope Leo XIV during a meeting Tuesday.Al-Rai told Leo a new phase of dialogue for peace began after the pope’s trip to Cedar, and they emphasized the need for continued dialogue and national unity at a fragile moment for Lebanon, ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News, reported. Minassian and Leo discussed the witness of the Eastern Catholic Churches and the current state of the Armenian Catholic Church.Irish government proposes abortion leave after removing reflection periodThe Republic of Ireland’s government is considering proposals to provide paid leave for women who lose a baby before 23 weeks, including those who have an abortion.The news comes after the Irish government voted to remove the three-day wait period for pregnant women considering an abortion of their unborn baby. Eilís Mulroy of the Pro-life Campaign said that the government had its priorities in the wrong order. “After the way they voted recently to abolish the three-day reflection period prior to an abortion, senior members of government like Micheál Martin and Simon Harris are now, in effect, saying to women: ‘We recognize the grief and trauma you might experience after an abortion, so we believe youʼre entitled to five days' leave. However, we voted to abolish the three-day reflection period before an abortion despite the fact that it could potentially safeguard you from finding yourself in that awful situation in the first place,’” he said, adding: “The position these politicians are adopting makes absolutely no sense.”Priest who developed video evangelization program named bishop of Arundel and BrightonFather Stephen Wang has been appointed as the new Bishop of Arundel and Brighton, England, replacing Archbishop Richard Moth, who was recently appointed as the archbishop of Westminster.Wang described the appointment as “a huge surprise,” adding: “I’m grateful to Pope Leo for calling me and putting his trust in me, and to Archbishop Moth for his care for the diocese over these years.” The bishop-elect has spent the last five years as rector of the Venerable English College, one of two English and Welsh seminaries in Rome, training men for the priesthood. Wang, whose appointment has been widely welcomed, is renowned for having developed “Sycamore,” a video-based Catholic evangelization program that explores the Catholic faith through short films and guided discussion. Designed to make the faith more accessible, “Sycamore” is now widely used by Catholic parishes, schools, and university chaplaincies across the world.German bishops welcome apostolic nuncio from KenyaMembers of the German Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC) have welcomed the former apostolic nuncio to Kenya, Archbishop Hubertus van Megen, pledging their collaboration in the Vatican diplomat’s new apostolic mission.“We are delighted by your arrival in our country and wish you God’s abundant blessings for your new task,” GCBC Vice President Bishop Michael Gerber of the Diocese of Fulda said, according to a report from ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, on Tuesday. Pope Leo XIV transferred van Megen, who served as the apostolic nuncio in Kenya for seven years, on April 9 to Germany after Archbishop Nikola Eterović resigned upon reaching the canonical age limit.

unitedyam

Filipino bishop calls out government corruption, anti-trafficking leaders meet in Thailand, Australian bishops call for prayers for sea mariners, and more in this week’s Catholic world news roundup.

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