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Immigrants, converts, and students reflect on Pope Leo’s visit to Istanbul cathedral
Fri, 28 Nov 2025 10:05:00 -0500

ACI MENA, Nov 28, 2025 / 10:05 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV began the second day of his apostolic journey to Turkey at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Istanbul, a vital spiritual home for a diverse Catholic community largely made up of immigrants from across the world. The cathedral — long a customary stop for pontiffs visiting Turkey — welcomed the Holy Father with profound emotion and vibrant hope.

At the entrance, Pope Leo was received by Father Nicola Masedu, a Sardinian priest who has served in Turkey for more than 15 years and lived a life marked by mission across the Middle East. He first moved to Lebanon at the age of seventeen, later to Iran — where he was briefly arrested — then to the Holy Land, and finally to Istanbul.

In an interview with ACI MENA, CNA’s Arabic-language news partner, Masedu recalled that the first pope he met was Pope Paul VI, whom he greeted at the Beirut airport during a brief stopover on the pontiff’s way to India. He later met St. John Paul II in Castel Gandolfo after being forced to leave Iran, and Pope Benedict XVI in Bethlehem in 2008.

Masedu also welcomed Pope Leo holding the same crucifix he once presented to Pope Francis. He explained that the crucifix originally belonged to the Sisters of Charity at the Austrian Hospital, who gifted it to the parish when they were clearing out some of their rooms. “That crucifix has a history of prayer and protection,” he said, adding a personal memory: “It was a point of reference for Kamila, our little parrot, who — whenever she was frightened — would fly into my office and take refuge near it.”

Masedu also shared with ACI MENA the symbolic gift the community prepared for Pope Leo: a silver chalice crafted by an Armenian artist, engraved with the six apostles who brought Christianity to this land.

From this deeply symbolic offering, the priest reflected on the ancient Christian roots of Turkey, reflecting on the fact that this land once stood at the heart of the early Church. He emphasized the spirit of ecumenical unity that binds the different Churches together in their effort, as he said, “to remain close to one another.”

He spoke candidly about the challenges facing his community, especially immigrants who struggle with financial hardship, residency permits, and at times, discrimination. Still, the parish works tirelessly to accompany them both spiritually and materially, offering education, social support, medical assistance when necessary, as well as retreats and psychological accompaniment.

Reflecting on the difference between Christian life in Lebanon and Turkey, Masedu noted that in Lebanon he felt “at home,” surrounded by visible Christian symbols, whereas in Turkey churches remain largely hidden from view, with St. Anthony’s Basilica on İstiklal Street being a notable exception. He concluded by expressing his hope that Pope Leo’s visit will strengthen the Christian community, encouraging them to persevere and continue working for peace.

Exiled for his faith

Among the parishioners present this morning was Suhail, a 36-year-old Iranian who arrived in Turkey seven years ago after converting to Christianity. Forced to leave Iran because of his faith, he now works closely with a community of Catholic Iranians who have also sought refuge in Turkey.

Suhail confirmed that practicing Christianity in Turkey is “immeasurably safer” than in Iran, where he was previously arrested. Yet, mindful of the danger facing Christians still in his home country, he chose not to share details about the persecution there, so as not to put anyone at further risk.

Instead, he spoke with gratitude about the religious freedom he has found in Istanbul, and about the dignity of being able to live and worship openly: “I can pray, I can attend Mass, and I can grow in my faith. For this, I am thankful,” he said.

Suhail has been helping in the cathedral for months in preparation for the papal visit, and he described the opportunity to welcome Pope Leo as “a blessing beyond words.”

An African voice

Also sharing his joy was Philip Tata, originally from Cameroon and now serving as president of the youth group at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit.

Having lived in Gabon before moving to Turkey four years ago, Tata spoke about the remarkable diversity that shapes the parish community. He explained that Mass is celebrated in English, Turkish, and French, reflecting the presence of a large African community, many of whom come from French-speaking countries.

Tata recalled how Pope Francis previously met with refugees in this very church, and he believes Pope Leo is continuing on the same pastoral path, placing special emphasis on migrants, displaced people, and those living on the margins. Pope Leo explicitly mentioned refugees and immigrants in his message this morning, a moment that deeply moved the congregation.

Reflecting on the Catholic youth in Turkey, he said that many young people hope to leave, not because of religious persecution, but because of the limited economic opportunities and scarcity of jobs, which push them to search for a more stable future elsewhere. Still, he expressed hope that the papal visit might inspire renewed support and encouragement for the younger generation.

Lebanese voices singing for the Pope in Istanbul

Among the faithful gathered in the cathedral were also Lebanese Catholics who now live in Turkey and will not be in Lebanon when the pope visits their homeland on Sunday. Yet, providentially, they encountered him here, in what has become their second home, and even had the chance to sing for him as part of the choir.

Sleiman Saikali, who has lived in Turkey for 30 years is traveling to İznik to sing for the pope during the historic commemoration of the Council of Nicaea. He shared his deep joy at welcoming Pope Leo in a place that symbolizes both his roots and his present life. He said he has been preparing for months, not only by training his voice, but also spiritually through prayer.

He spoke passionately about the mission behind this papal journey, insisting that each country carries a distinct vocation. He recalled being present at the visits of Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis to Turkey. “Benedict was a man of extraordinary theological depth, and his visit with Patriarch Bartholomew was an unforgettable ecumenical moment. Francis was like a positive revolution, he returned the Church to the poor and the simple, to justice and humility.”

Looking to Pope Leo, he expressed profound hope: “In him I see a blend of Benedict, Francis, and John Paul II. Since John Paul, God has given the Church popes who walk with the signs of the times, and this is God’s work, not ours.” For Christians in Turkey, he said, papal visits are vital. “As a very small minority, we carry the beauty of keeping the faith, but the danger of isolation is real. We must not isolate ourselves.”

Also part of the choir is Lili El-Helou, a Lebanese student who came to Turkey two years ago. She never imagined she would one day sing before the pope, yet today she stood among those performing at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit. She will also chant the Kyrie Eleison in the Maronite melody, on Saturday at the Arena.

Lili described how her spiritual life has deepened since moving to Istanbul, portraying the parish as active, united, and vibrant, despite the small number of Catholics. She said she feels at peace living her faith in Istanbul. However, she noted that the situation can be “more difficult” in other cities such as İzmir, where religious sisters sometimes hesitate to appear in their habits due not to legal restrictions, but to reactions, comments, and intrusive stares.

A Chaldean presence

The atmosphere in the cathedral Friday was lifted by a multilingual choir, whose voices filled the church with hymns in different languages including Syriac, a reminder of the ancient Christian heritage rooted in this land.

Among them was Sister Sandra, a Chaldean nun from the Nuns of the Sacred Heart, who described the opportunity to sing in Syriac — the language spoken by Jesus and preserved by the Eastern Churches — as “a profound grace and a moment of great beauty.”

She asked all believers to pray for Turkey, the pope, and the Christian community in Turkey, expressing hope that the visit will strengthen unity and peace.

Council of Nicaea: 1,700 years of Christian unity amid division
Fri, 28 Nov 2025 10:00:00 -0500

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 28, 2025 / 10:00 am (CNA).

In the summer of A.D. 325, more than 300 bishops gathered in Nicaea — located in modern-day northern Turkey — to promulgate a common Christian creed, settle Christological disputes that arose from the Arian heresy, and promote unity in the Church.

The first ecumenical council, known as the Council of Nicaea, is still accepted as authoritative by the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and many Protestant denominations. The common beliefs still offer a strong element of unity in an otherwise fractured Christianity 1,700 years later.

During the council, the bishops established the initial formulation of the Nicene Creed, which is the profession of faith still recited at the Catholic Mass, Orthodox liturgies, and some Protestant services. It also rejected heretical Arian claims that Christ was a created being who lacked an eternal divine nature and rather confirmed that the Son is eternally begotten of the Father.

The council was called by Emperor Constantine — a convert to Christianity — less than 15 years after the empire halted the persecution of Christians and granted them the freedom to worship. It came just 20 years after the reign of Emperor Diocletian, who brutally persecuted Christians for their rejection of paganism.

“That council represents a fundamental stage in the development of the creed shared by all the Churches and ecclesial communities,” Pope Leo XIV said two weeks ago, acknowledging the 1,700th anniversary.

“While we are on the path towards the reestablishment of full communion among all Christians, we recognize that this unity can only be unity in faith,” the pontiff said.

The Arian heresy

The primary purpose of the council was to settle a major question about Christ’s divine nature and address Arianism, which was a heresy promoted by the priest Arius asserting that Jesus Christ was a created being and not eternal.

“Arius began to preach something that was scandalous to many Christian believers and [which] seemed incompatible to the Christian faith as witnessed to in Scripture and transmitted through the tradition of the Church,” Dominican Father Dominic Legge, the director of the Thomistic Institute and professor of theology, told CNA.

Arius wrote in “Thalia” that he believed the Father “made the Son” and “produced him as a son for himself by begetting him.” He wrote that “the Son was not always [in existence], for he was not [in existence] before his generation.” He asserted that Christ was not eternal but “came into existence by the Father’s will.” Arius contested that Christ “is not true God” but was rather “made God by participation.”

Legge said that Arius understood that “there’s an infinite gap between God and creatures,” but where he was mistaken was that “he thought that the Son was on the ‘creature’ side of that gap” and “not equal in divinity to God.”

“Therefore, he considered him to be the highest creature,” Legge added. “The first creature, but nonetheless a creature.”

Legge said that at Nicaea there was “a consensus of bishops with very different approaches to the mystery of God and they could see that Arius had to be wrong and so they condemned him and they affirmed that the Son is ‘God from God, true God from true God.’”

The language adopted at Nicaea expressly contradicted Arius, affirming Christ is “true God from true God, begotten not made, of one substance with the Father.” It condemned Arius’ view as heresy. The vote was nearly unanimous with more than 300 bishops voting in favor of this text and only two siding with Arius.

St. Athanasius, one of the most outspoken opponents of Arianism at the council and in its aftermath, wrote in his First Discourse Against the Arians in the mid-fourth century that “the Scriptures declare the Son’s eternity.”

Athanasius notes, for example, the Gospel of St. John states that “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” He also cites Chapter 8 of the same Gospel in which Christ declares “before Abraham was, I am,” invoking the divine name used by God to indicate his eternity when appearing to Moses as the burning bush.

“The Lord himself says, ‘I am the Truth,’ not ‘I became the Truth,’ but always, ‘I am — I am the Shepherd — I am the Light‘ — and again, ‘Call me not, Lord and Master? And you call me well, for so I am,‘” Athanasius wrote. “Who, hearing such language from God, and the Wisdom, and Word of the Father, speaking of himself, will any longer hesitate about the truth, and not immediately believe that in the phrase ‘I am,‘ is signified that the Son is eternal and without beginning?”

Legge noted that Athanasius also warned that Arius’ position “threatened the central truth of Christianity that God became man for our salvation.”

Unifying the Church in the fourth century

Prior to the Council of Nicaea, bishops in the Church held many synods and councils to settle disputes that arose within Christianity.

This includes the Council of Jerusalem, which was an apostolic council detailed in Acts 15, and many local councils that did not represent the entire Church. Regional councils “have a kind of binding authority — but they’re not global,” according to Thomas Clemmons, a professor of Church history at The Catholic University of America.

When the Roman Empire halted its Christian persecution and Emperor Constantine converted to the faith, this allowed “the opportunity to have a more broad, ecumenical council,” Clemmons told CNA. Constantine embraced Christianity more than a decade before the council, though he was not actually baptized until moments before his death in A.D. 337.

Constantine saw a need for “a certain sense of unity,” he said, at a time with theological disputes, debates about the date of Easter, conflicts about episcopal jurisdictions, and canon law questions.

“His role was to unify and to have [those] other issues worked out,” Clemmons said.

The pursuit of unity helped produce the Nicene Creed, which Clemmons said “helps to clarify what more familiar scriptural language doesn’t.”

Neither the council nor the creed was universally adopted immediately. Clemmons noted that it was more quickly adopted in the East but took longer in the West. There were several attempts to overturn the council, but Clemmons said “it’s later tradition that will affirm it.”

“I don’t know if the significance of it was understood [at the time],” he said.

The dispute between Arians and defenders of Nicaea were tense for the next half century, with some emperors backing the creed and others backing Arianism. Ultimately, Clemmons said, the creed “convinces people over many decades but without the imperial enforcement you would expect.”

It was not until 380 when Emperor Theodosius declared that Nicene Christianity was the official religion of the Roman Empire. One year later, at the First Council of Constantinople, the Church reaffirmed the Council of Nicaea and updated the Nicene Creed by adding text about the Holy Spirit and the Church.

Common misconceptions

There are some prominent misconceptions about the Council of Nicaea that are prevalent in modern society.

Clemmons said the assertion that the Council of Nicaea established the biblical canon “is probably the most obvious” misconception. This subject was not debated at Nicaea and the council did not promulgate any teachings on this matter.

Another misconception, he noted, is the notion that the council established the Church and the papacy. Episcopal offices, including that of the pope (the bishop of Rome), were already in place and operating long before Nicaea, although the council did resolve some jurisdictional disputes.

Other misconceptions, according to Clemmons, is an asserted “novelty” of the process and the teachings. He noted that bishops often gathered in local councils and that the teachings defined at Nicaea were simply “the confirmation of the faith of the early Church.”

This article was first published on June 5, 2025, and has been updated.

Pope Leo XIV marks Nicaea anniversary, urges Christians to overcome divisions
Fri, 28 Nov 2025 08:05:00 -0500

Iznik, Turkey, Nov 28, 2025 / 08:05 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV commemorated the 1700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea on Friday in the Turkish city historically known as the birthplace of the Nicene Creed, calling Christians to overcome “the scandal of divisions” and to renew their commitment to unity.

The pope spoke during an ecumenical prayer service held at the archaeological site of the ancient Basilica of Saint Neophytos on the shore of Lake Iznik, southeast of Istanbul. The gathering marked one of the most symbolic moments of his apostolic visit to Turkey, which has focused heavily on ecumenical and interreligious outreach.

“We are all invited to overcome the scandal of divisions,” he said, urging Christians to nurture “the desire for unity for which the Lord Jesus prayed and gave his life.”

Pope Leo and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, considered first among equals among Eastern Orthodox bishops, were welcomed by two senior Orthodox bishops before proceeding to a platform beside the submerged ruins of the basilica. The two leaders stood before icons of Christ and of the council and lit candles together.

Iznik, formerly Nicaea, is located about 130 kilometers southeast of Istanbul. The remains of an early Christian basilica dedicated to Saint Neophytos, a young martyr killed in 303 during the persecutions of Diocletian, were first identified in 2014 after aerial photographs revealed the outline of a submerged church. The basilica collapsed during an earthquake in 740, and its ruins are now visible from the lakeshore.

In his homily, Leo said the anniversary was “a precious opportunity to ask ourselves who Jesus Christ is in the lives of men and women today, and who he is for each one of us personally.” He cautioned against reducing Christ to “a kind of charismatic leader or superman,” recalling Arius’ denial of Christ’s divinity and the council’s defense of the full humanity and full divinity of Jesus.

“If God did not become man, how can mortal creatures participate in his immortal life?” the pope asked, emphasizing what was at stake in the fourth-century debate.

Leo said the Nicene confession of faith remains a foundation for unity among Christians worldwide. Quoting the creed, he underlined the proclamation of Christ as “consubstantial with the Father,” describing it as “a profound bond already uniting all Christians.” Citing St. Augustine, he added: “Although we Christians are many, in the one Christ we are one.”

A reconciled Christianity, he continued, can “bear credible witness to the Gospel” and offer “a proclamation of hope for all.”

The pope also extended his appeal for fraternity beyond the Christian world, insisting that authentic recognition of God as Father requires honoring all people as brothers and sisters. He warned against using religion “to justify war, violence, or any form of fundamentalism or fanaticism,” and called instead for “fraternal encounter, dialogue, and cooperation.”

Pope Leo’s schedule in Turkey includes a series of ecumenical events, among them the signing of a joint declaration with Patriarch Bartholomew I on Nov. 29 at the Patriarchal Palace. His trip also carries an interreligious dimension. Earlier on Friday he met the Chief Rabbi of Turkey, discussing the visit as a sign of peace and support for all religious communities. On Saturday, Nov. 29, he will visit the Sultan Ahmed Mosque.

Pro-life, Christian health insurance company launches in Texas  
Fri, 28 Nov 2025 07:00:00 -0500

CNA Staff, Nov 28, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Two Texas pro-lifers are launching a health care plan that embraces Catholic life ethics, creating an ethical option for Christians.

Health insurance companies often cover things that are in tension with Catholic Church teaching or a Christian pro-life ethic, such as abortion, contraceptives, or assisted suicide.

Daniel Cruz and Bob Hogan founded the FortressPlan by Presidio Healthcare because they wanted a pro-life, Christian alternative.

“FortressPlan,” which launched in November, does not cover any health care offerings that go against Catholic teaching.

While making a start in Texas, the co-founders hope to expand across the U.S.

Hogan, co-founder of Presidio and an alum of Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio, said that health care sharing ministries “are largely unregulated and are not legally required to pay families’ medical bills,” which can “cause tremendous financial stress for families.”

As a more realistic alternative, he and Cruz “set out to create a real insurance company,” Hogan said in a statement shared with CNA.

Cruz spoke with CNA about the Catholic values behind the FortressPlan.

CNA: What makes Presidio Healthcare’s FortressPlan unique among insurance options in the U.S.?

Daniel Cruz: The FortressPlan stands out as the only health insurance plan that aligns with the culture of life. Unlike other insurers, it does not cover abortifacients, contraception, transgender treatments or surgeries, euthanasia, in vitro fertilization, or similar practices.

What makes the Fortress Plan pro-life and Christian? What inspired you to align the plan with the “Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services”?

Presidio Healthcare Insurance Company is the first health insurer in the United States to be filed as a Catholic entity. Designed to respect the dignity of every person, the FortressPlan aligns with the “Ethical and Religious Directives [ERDs] for Catholic Health Care Services.”

The ERDs represent a formally recognized expression of Catholic moral doctrine, protected under federal conscience and religious-freedom laws, which allows us to operate in the private market with an authentically Catholic health plan. A major element of our mission is to promote life-affirming physicians and services, and the ERDs serve as a concrete guide to help us accomplish that aim.

What inspired you to launch the pro-life Christian health insurance option, the FortressPlan? What challenges have you faced in launching it?

I was approached by a former client to estimate the cost of an abortion for their health plan. This request ignited a passion to apply my skills as an actuary in a different direction.

After discovering that no insurance companies were entirely pro-life or that sharing ministries fell short of offering true financial protection for families, I decided to establish the first pro-life Christian insurance company.

What are your future goals for the FortressPlan and this movement toward pro-life, Christian insurance? How do you hope it will impact people?

Our future objectives include expanding nationwide and entering both the ACA [Affordable Care Act] and employer markets, building a well-recognized brand that represents Christian health care.

Filipino archbishop asks Catholics to attend protests against government corruption
Fri, 28 Nov 2025 05:53:00 -0500

CNA Staff, Nov 28, 2025 / 05:53 am (CNA).

Here is a roundup of Catholic world news from the past week that you might have missed.

Filipino archbishop asks Catholics to attend protests against government corruption

Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, the outgoing president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, has invited Filipinos across the country to attend rallies this weekend in Manila to protest government corruption. The protest comes on the heels of the Trillion Peso March held on Sept. 21, which drew hundreds of thousands.

Thousands of Filipinos are expected to participate in the march Sunday, according to Herald Malaysia Online. The protests come amid a growing political crisis and rising public anger over scandals and abuses of government funds.

Priest and security guard attacked in Trinidad

A priest and a security guard at St. Benedict’s Roman Catholic Church in La Romaine, Trinidad, were the victims of an attack and robbery on Monday, Trinidad Express reported.

Five attackers cut the electricity, bound the security guard, entered the rectory, woke and tied up the priest Father Derek Anton, and stole various electronics and cash.

The crime is being investigated and the Archdiocese of Port of Spain has confirmed it. “At this time we ask you all for your prayers [for the victims] and for all victims of crime,” the archdiocese said in its statement.

Mozambique archbishop pleads for humanitarian support to aid displaced people

Archbishop Inacio Saure of Namula, Mozambique, has issued an urgent plea for humanitarian aid for more than 30,000 people who have been displaced in the Alua district of Memba.

Saure, who is also president of the Episcopal Conference of Mozambique told Vatican News that the people have fled their homes “are currently sheltering in the administrative post of Alua” due to recent terrorist incursions in Nampula province. The archbishop said he has instructed Caritas in Nampula to respond to the crisis.

Catholic Church rallies in Thailand to assist victims of historic flooding

Historic flooding in southern Thailand has impacted over two million people, causing death and destruction and stranding many tourists. According to Vatican News, in response to the disaster Bishop Paul Trairong Multree of the Diocese of Surat Thani called a meeting Tuesday of Church-led relief groups.

“Our relief team will get working tomorrow morning immediately with [the Catholic Office for Emergency Relief and Refugees], bringing drinking water and essentials to the people affected,” Trairong reportedly told LiCAS News, adding that supplies are expected to arrive from Bangkok and other dioceses.

Tensions between Pakistanis and Afghans may erupt into new war, says Karachi priest

Escalating tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have created fear that a new war may be on the horizon, according to Father Mario Angelo Rodrigues, a priest of the Archdiocese of Karachi and rector of St. Patrick’s Catholic High School in Karachi.

He told Fides that resentments and fears have built in the wake of the influx of Afghani refugees and recent terrorist attacks.

“To re-establish a climate of mutual trust and embark on a path to peace, the Pakistani government should accept the situation and grant residency to Afghan refugees who are living peacefully and have no links to terrorism, in the spirit of an open and pluralistic society,” the priest said.

He also noted that “the government in Kabul should cooperate in combating terrorism, our common enemy. As Pakistani Christians, we support paths of acceptance and brotherhood so that we can live in true peace within our society and with our neighbors."

Nun who fights human trafficking reacts to new UN report on femicide

In the wake of a new UN report highlighting the high numbers of women killed by men and new forms of violence being caused by tech developments, Sister Abby Avelino, the international coordinator of Talitha Kum, an international group that fights human trafficking, told Vatican News that, “Digital violence is increasingly widespread, and the online world is now a major site of exploitation.”

The UN report shows that more than 38% of women are estimated to have experienced online violence, while 85% have witnessed abuse directed at other women on digital platforms.

Pope Leo shares ‘secret of Christian charity’ with Little Sisters of the Poor
Fri, 28 Nov 2025 03:00:00 -0500

Istanbul, Turkey, Nov 28, 2025 / 03:00 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV visited the Nursing Home of the Little Sisters of the Poor in Istanbul on Friday, telling the community that Christian charity begins not with doing, but with being, i.e., living a real communion with those one serves.

“The secret of Christian charity is that before being for others, we must first be with others in a communion based on fraternity,” he said during the encounter on Nov. 28, the second day of his apostolic trip to Turkey, where he is marking the 1700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea.

A papal stop at a charitable institution has become customary during international journeys, and Pope Leo chose to spend time with the elderly as a sign of closeness to those often marginalized in modern societies.

Founded in France in 1839 by St. Jeanne Jugan, the Little Sisters of the Poor serve elderly people in need around the world, including in Turkey, where they welcome residents of different religious backgrounds. The pope was greeted at the residence by the mother superior, former superior, and provincial leader before proceeding to the chapel to meet residents, staff, and benefactors.

Reflecting on the congregation’s name, the pope told the Sisters that their mission mirrors the life of Christ himself. “The Lord has called you not only to assist or help the poor, but has also called you to be their ‘sisters.’ You are to be like Jesus, whom the Father sent to us not only to help and serve us, but also to be our brother.”

Turning to the residents, he warned that the word “elderly” risks losing its meaning in cultures driven by efficiency and materialism. Such attitudes, he said, lead societies to forget the dignity and value of older persons. Scripture and tradition, by contrast, present the elderly as bearers of memory and wisdom.

“As Pope Francis loved to repeat – the elderly are the wisdom of a people, a treasure for their grandchildren, families and society as a whole,” he said.

Pope Leo concluded by thanking the community for its patient, prayerful witness and prayed that the Lord would strengthen all who live and serve in the home.

Pope Leo reminds Turkish Catholic minority of the ‘logic of littleness’
Fri, 28 Nov 2025 01:55:00 -0500

Istanbul, Turkey, Nov 28, 2025 / 01:55 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV encouraged Turkey’s small Catholic community Friday to rediscover what he called the Gospel’s “logic of littleness,” urging them not to be discouraged by their tiny numbers but to recognize in them the strength of authentic Christian witness.

The pope addressed bishops, priests, religious, pastoral workers, and laypeople at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Istanbul on his second day in the country. Catholics in Turkey make up roughly 0.05% of the nation’s 85 million people.

Calling Turkey a “holy land” where the Old and New Testaments meet, the pope recalled the deep Christian roots of the region: Abraham’s journey through Harran, the early Christian communities in Antioch and Ephesus, and the long and influential history of Byzantine Christianity. He noted in particular that the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, currently led by Patriarch Bartholomew I, remains “a point of reference” both for its Greek faithful and for other Orthodox Churches.

The pope warned Christians not to treat this heritage merely as a memory of past greatness. Instead, he urged them to adopt “an evangelical vision” that sees their present reality through the Holy Spirit’s light.

“When we look with God’s eyes, we discover that he has chosen the way of littleness,” he said, pointing to the mustard seed, the little ones praised by Jesus, and the quiet growth of the kingdom of God. The Church’s true strength, he explained, “does not lie in her resources or structures,” nor in numbers or influence, but in remaining gathered around Christ and sent by the Holy Spirit.

Quoting Jesus’ words, “Do not be afraid, little flock,” the pope encouraged Christians in Turkey to cultivate hope. He pointed to the growing number of young people approaching the Catholic Church as a sign of promise and asked communities to continue welcoming and accompanying them.

He urged particular dedication to ecumenical and interreligious dialogue, the transmission of the faith to local communities, and pastoral service to refugees and migrants—many of whom are among the most vulnerable people in the country. The pope also noted that many Catholics in Turkey come from abroad, a reality that calls for a deeper process of inculturation so that the language and culture of the country become “more and more your own.”

The pope highlighted Turkey’s unique role in the history of the Church, recalling that the first eight ecumenical councils were held on its soil. Marking the 1700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea, he said the council continues to pose three questions to Christians today: What is the essence of the faith? Who is Jesus for us? And how should doctrine be expressed in ways that speak to contemporary culture?

He warned against what he described as a “new Arianism,” a version of the heresy that divided Christianity in its early centuries, that reduces Jesus to a moral teacher or heroic figure while denying his divinity and lordship over history.

Before concluding, the pope invoked the memory of St. John XXIII, who served in Turkey and wrote affectionately of its people. Reflecting on the saint’s image of Bosporus fishermen laboring through the night, he encouraged Turkish Catholics to persevere in the same spirit: working faithfully, joyfully, and courageously “in the Lord’s boat.”

The Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, where the meeting took place, was built in 1846 and houses relics of early popes, including St. Linus. A statue of Pope Benedict XV stands in its courtyard, erected in gratitude for his efforts to help victims of the 1915–1918 war. The inscription honors him as a “benefactor of peoples, without distinction of nationality or religion.”

Watch Pope Leo XIV's full homily here.

LIVE UPDATES: Pope Leo XIV visits Istanbul's 'Blue Mosque'
Fri, 28 Nov 2025 00:12:00 -0500

CNA Staff, Nov 28, 2025 / 00:12 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV started the third day of his apostolic journey to Turkey and Lebanon with a visit to Istanbul's "Blue Mosque," before starting a series of ecumenical meetings.

Watch LIVE the major events of Pope Leo’s apostolic journey Nov. 27 to Dec. 2 at youtube.com/@ewtnnews and follow our live updates of his historic visit:

Vatican's 2025 Christmas tree installed in St. Peter's Square
Thu, 27 Nov 2025 14:30:00 -0500

Vatican City, Nov 27, 2025 / 14:30 pm (CNA).

A towering Christmas tree now stands in the center of St. Peter’s Square, after the spruce arrived at the Vatican on Thursday morning.

The 88-foot-tall spruce tree from Italy’s Bolzano province was erected next to the ancient Egyptian obelisk which stands in the middle of the 17th century Baroque square designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

This year, the northern Italian municipalities of Lagundo and Ultimo gifted the Christmas tree to the Vatican. The tree was harvested in the alpine valley of Ultimo.

In an Oct. 20 interview published on the Vatican State website, Bishop Ivo Muser of the Diocese of Bolzano-Bressanone said the tree reaffirms the local church’s “spiritual and emotional bond” with the pope.

“It is a way of saying: ‘We are with you, Pope Leo; we wish to pray with you and share the joy of Christmas with you,” he said.

“The tree thus becomes an ‘ambassador’ of our territory, our culture, and our faith — a way of bringing a small piece of our local Church into the heart of the universal Church,” he added.

The Vatican’s large-scale nativity display — donated by the Italian Diocese of Nocera Inferiore-Sarno — is currently under construction behind covered fencing in St. Peter’s Square.

The highly-awaited 2025 nativity scene will honor St. Alphonus Maria de Liguori, whose remains lay in the southern Italian diocese. In Italy, St. Alponsus is famous for composing the famous Italian Christmas carol “Tu scendi dalle stelle” (“From starry skies descending”).

Bishop Giuseppe Giudice of the Diocese of Nocera Inferiore-Sarno said the nativity project for the Vatican, which involved a “long period of preparation,” will also showcase local Neapolitan Christmas traditions.

“I am happy to say that everyone working on the project is from our wonderful region, and the Nativity scene will be rich in elements typical of our local Agro nocerino-sarnese area,” he said in an Oct. 24 interview published by Vatican City State.

The Vatican will hold a special ceremony on Dec. 7 at 6:30 pm local time to present the Christmas tree and nativity scene to the public. The display will be open to the public until mid-January 2026.

U.S. lawmakers introduce bill to protect medical residents from coercive abortion training
Thu, 27 Nov 2025 13:35:00 -0500

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 27, 2025 / 13:35 pm (CNA).

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

U.S. legislators introduce bill to protect medical residents from coercive abortion training

U.S. legislators have introduced a bill to protect the conscience rights of medical students and residents who often feel pressured or even coerced into participating in abortions during their training.

U.S. Senator John Cornyn, R-Texas, Senator James Lankford, R-Oklahoma, and others introduced the Conscience Protections for Medical Residents Act, designed to “ensure medical students and residents are never pressured or coerced into abortion training that violates their moral or religious beliefs,” according to a press release.

The bill would establish federal protections for students, making abortion training an “opt-in” rather than “opt-out” system as “residents often fear that opting out could affect evaluations, recommendations, or future career opportunities,” according to the press release.

“The first rule of medicine is to do no harm, yet for many aspiring doctors, coerced abortion training not only contradicts that oath but also violates their moral and religious beliefs,” Cornyn said in a statement.

“By allowing medical residents to opt-in rather than opt-out of abortion training, this legislation would protect health care professionals’ convictions and give them the freedom to practice medicine without fear of retaliation.”

Investigative videos find late term abortions performed in Canada without serious medical reason

After a pregnant pro-life woman went undercover in abortion clinics across Canada, she discovered that late-term abortionists are easily accessible, even in cases where the woman isn’t having medical issues, according to recently released videos.

Alissa Golob, co-founder of RightNow, went undercover when she was five months pregnant in 2023, obtaining videos in Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver and elsewhere that have been released to the public over the past two weeks.

The videos show abortionists saying that women don’t need to prove that they are having serious medical issues in order to have a late-term abortion.

“Canadians are often told that late-term abortions never happen in Canada and if they do, they are for extreme medical reasons, such as the life of the mother,” Golob said in a Nov. 19 statement.

“Yet, as you will see in these videos, I was told numerous times that attaining a late-term abortion in Canada is relatively easy, it is legal, and that I did not need a reason, medical or otherwise, regarding myself or my pregnancy,” Golob continued.

RightNow is calling on the Canadian government in a petition to protect unborn children by restricting late-term abortions after five months of pregnancy.

North Dakota reinstates law protecting unborn babies

North Dakota’s Supreme Court reinstated a state law protecting unborn children in nearly all cases.

In 2023, North Dakota made it a felony for abortionists to take the lives of unborn children except in cases of rape or incest and medical emergencies. After a lower court ruled that the law was unconstitutional, the law was put on pause.

On Nov. 21, the state’s supreme court reversed the lower court’s ruling. A 3-2 majority of justices voted to uphold the lower court’s ruling, but the state’s constitution requires a minimum of four justices to declare a state law unconstitutional.

U.S. senator calls on government to prevent taxpayer-funded abortions in 2026 funding

U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) this week urged his Republican colleagues on the Senate Appropriations Committee to ensure that the funding for the fiscal year 2026 does not fund abortions.

In a Nov. 24 letter, Cornyn asked the senators “to hold the line against any Democratic efforts to subvert the Hyde amendment,” an amendment that prevents federal taxpayer dollars from directly funding abortions.

Cornyn noted that the recent One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) defunded organizations that fund abortion, which he said “showed that even in the wake of the historic Dobbs decision, our fight is not over.”

“Democrats shut down the government for 43 days in an unsuccessful attempt to undue the work Republicans accomplished in OBBBA, including the progress we made to stop forced taxpayer funding of abortion,” Cornyn said. “Now is not the time to give an inch on our pro-life values.”

Was Squanto Catholic? What we know about this hero of the first Thanksgiving
Thu, 27 Nov 2025 11:00:00 -0500

St. Louis, Missouri, Nov 27, 2025 / 11:00 am (CNA).

In 1621, lacking both the skills and the resources necessary to survive in the harsh territory of New England, European pilgrims encountered a miracle: a Native American who not only spoke English but who also used his skills and knowledge to help them adapt to their environment and survive the brutal winter.

This was Squanto, a man who occupies a special place in the hearts of many people who celebrate Thanksgiving because of his willingness and ability to help the newcomers to his land.

Squanto’s full name was Tisquantum, and he was a member of the Patuxet tribe, which lived in and around modern-day Plymouth, Massachusetts. He was probably born around 1585 in the area that is now Boston.

Little is known about Tisquantum’s early life, but what is known is that he was abducted from his homeland as a slave by an Englishman, Thomas Hunt, in 1614. He ended up in Malaga, Spain, where a group of Franciscans bought him in order to free him. It is apparently from these Franciscans that he received baptism and became Catholic, though it is not clear to what extent he was catechized and practiced his new faith.

Damien Costello, a Catholic historian and theologian, told CNA that the historical record portrays “a very skillful agent” in Tisquantum who was able to change his situation and engage with European culture. He was able to find employment as a translator in England and later convinced a wealthy financier to fund an expedition back to his homeland.

When Tisquantum finally made it back to where his tribe lived in present-day Massachusetts, his life took a tragic turn. He discovered that his entire tribe, while he was in Europe, had been wiped out by disease — he was the sole survivor.

The Pilgrims arrived in New England in 1620. They were far from the first Europeans to set foot on those shores — this was many years after Jesuit missionaries had started missionary activity in the area but hadn’t settled. When the Pilgrims arrived in what had once been Patuxet territory, the empty land made a good place to settle. Tisquantum, no doubt mourning the loss of his people, was nevertheless able to deftly reinvent himself as an intermediary between the Pilgrims and Native leaders.

In March 1621, the chief of the Wampanoag confederation, Massasoit, went to meet with the Pilgrims and brought Tisquantum along to translate. After negotiations fell apart, Tisquantum stayed with the Pilgrims and helped to facilitate what we now know as the first Thanksgiving — a meal between the Pilgrims and the Natives of the area. Tisquantum died the next year, in 1622.

So, was Tisquantum a Catholic? Costello says it is likely he was baptized and thus, theologically, he was indeed a Catholic. Native American culture was very spiritual, and Costello said he doesn’t think it unlikely that Tisquantum saw his baptism as a positive spiritual experience.

“Catholicism was a crucial ingredient in Squanto’s resiliency, the regenerative principle that gave spiritual power to sustain the disjunction of being a global citizen in a world forever turned upside down,” Costello later wrote in an article for U.S. Catholic.

As to whether Tisquantum continued to practice his Catholic faith for the rest of his life, there’s little evidence to say for sure. In a very real sense, God only knows.

This story was adapted from an episode of Catholic News Agency’s award-winning storytelling podcast, CNA Newsroom, and first published on Nov. 24, 2022. You can listen to that episode here.

Homeless mother given 'key' to new apartment by Pope Leo XIV 
Thu, 27 Nov 2025 10:50:00 -0500

CNA Staff, Nov 27, 2025 / 10:50 am (CNA).

At 35 weeks pregnant Nadia Howlader became homeless, living on the streets of Sydney, Australia, but all of that changed when she was given a key to a new apartment by Pope Leo XIV on Nov. 16 on the ninth World Day of the Poor.

Continuing a tradition begun by Pope Francis last year to combat homelessness and bring hope to vulnerable families during the 2025 Jubilee year of Hope in 13 countries, Pope Leo blessed 13 keys — one of which symbolized the key to Howlader’s new apartment in a Sydney suburb, faciliated by the St. Vincent de Paul Society of Australia.

Howlader, and her daughter Alisha, traveled to Rome with members of the society for an audience with the pope where she received the blessed key from Pope Leo and thanked him for the generous gift.

The “13 Houses” campaign was inspired by the St. Vincent de Paul Society’s patron, St. Vincent de Paul, and his decision in 1643 to use an endowment from French King Louis XIII to build 13 small houses near the Vincentian headquarters in Paris to care for abandoned children.

The 13 countries included in the project this year are Syria, Australia, Brazil, Cambodia, the Central African Republic, Chile, Costa Rica, Italy, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine.

“The St. Vincent de Paul Society is probably the largest homeless prevention organization in Australia,” said Graham West of the St. Vincent de Paul Society in an interview with Sydney’s 10 News. Through the work of the case workers and working with our housing team we’ve now been able to find a house for Nadia to live in.”

Since 2018, the “13 Houses” campaign has helped over 10,000 people in 70 countries.

Pies and a baseball bat: The gifts Pope Leo XIV received on the papal flight to Turkey 
Thu, 27 Nov 2025 09:25:00 -0500

Rome Newsroom, Nov 27, 2025 / 09:25 am (CNA).

Aboard the papal plane on Thanksgiving Day, Pope Leo XIV kicked off his first international trip — a visit to Turkey — with distinctly American gifts: a baseball bat and pumpkin pie.

“To the Americans here, Happy Thanksgiving!” Leo said as he greeted about 80 journalists aboard the chartered ITA Airways flight to Ankara on Thursday morning. “It’s a wonderful day to celebrate.”

Two American journalists traveling with the pope gave him pumpkin pies. “It’s not Thanksgiving if there’s not enough to share,” Crux correspondent Elise Ann Allen told the pope as she handed him the second pie.

“I’ll definitely share some,” Leo responded. The pope had plenty to share as NBC News correspondent Claudio Lavanga also gave him a pecan pie.

Leo, a longtime Chicago White Sox fan, also received a baseball bat once owned by Nellie Fox, the White Sox legend who played for the team from 1950 to 1963, when Leo, then Robert Prevost, was a small child.

Smiling, the pope joked, “How did it get through security?”

As a collective gift from the Vatican press corps, the pope received a Byzantine-style icon of Our Lady of Guadalupe made by Spanish iconographer Débora Martínez, a missionary in Cyprus.

The icon, presented by Mexican journalist Valentina Alazraki, who has logged more than 170 papal trips, was crafted using classical techniques of Eastern iconography. It depicts the Virgin of Guadalupe in Byzantine style, symbolically linking Latin America’s Marian tradition with the iconography of the Christian East.

At the start of the nearly three-hour flight, the pope continued a practice of his predecessor Pope Francis of walking down the aisle to greet each journalist.

Among them was Elias Turk, a journalist from Lebanon who is the Vatican editor for ACI MENA and EWTN News. Turk briefly shared a personal story with the pope, recounting how he lived through part of the 2024 escalation between Hezbollah and Israel and was trapped in Lebanon during the fighting.

“I told him that I lived … a traumatizing experience with my nephews during the war. We had to run and hide inside a house after being in a garden. We heard fighter jets passing in the skies and then powerful explosions,” he explained. The pope listened closely.

Turk, who is godfather to his nephews, asked the pope to bless two rosaries for the children, a three-year-old and a one-and-a-half-year-old, so they could pray for peace. He also carried a third rosary for a two-year-old Polish girl who has been repeatedly hospitalized.

In a light moment with another journalist, Pope Leo said he had already completed his daily Wordle game before takeoff, adding that he solved Thursday’s puzzle in three tries.

According to the pope’s brother, Leo plays Wordle every day and his favorite Thanksgiving dish is stuffing.

During his first apostolic trip, taking place Nov. 27–Dec. 2, Leo will visit Turkey and Lebanon.

Pope Leo denounces ‘might is right’ in address to Turkish authorities
Thu, 27 Nov 2025 08:25:00 -0500

Vatican City, Nov 27, 2025 / 08:25 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV opened his first international trip on Thursday with a sweeping call for unity, renewed dialogue, and a rejection of the global drift toward division and violence.

Speaking in Turkey’s capital of Ankara on Nov. 27 during his formal welcome by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the pope said he hoped Turkey could be “a source of stability and rapprochement between peoples” and serve the cause of a “just and lasting peace.” He described the country as “inextricably linked to the origins of Christianity” and a land that invites a fraternity “that recognizes and appreciates differences.”

Launching a six-day trip that will also take him to Lebanon, the pope said the region’s peoples can help remind the world that peace, human dignity, and fraternity “are the only sure foundations for our common future.”

The massive Presidential Palace where he spoke has become a symbol of Turkey’s contemporary political authority since Erdoğan inaugurated it in 2014. Bombed during the failed 2016 coup attempt, it remains the seat from which Erdoğan has shaped the country’s domestic and international posture. Before his meeting with Erdoğan, the pope paid his respects at the tomb of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder and first president of the Turkish Republic.

In his remarks welcoming Leo, Erdoğan praised the cultural openness and interreligious harmony of Turkish society and his country's commitment to peace and humanitarian assistance, citing its welcome to refugees from Syria's long civil war.

In his speech, the pope rejected the mentality of “might is right,” urging a renewed “culture of encounter” to counter what he described as a growing “globalization of indifference.” Justice and mercy, he said, must guide political and social life. He also warned that artificial intelligence risks entrenching existing inequalities because it “simply reproduces our own preferences,” and appealed for cooperation to “repair the damage already done to the unity of our human family.”

Recalling his predecessor’s description of today’s conflicts as “a third world war fought piecemeal,” Pope Leo cautioned: “We must not give in to this! The future of humanity is at stake.” He said the Vatican seeks to work with all nations committed to the integral development of each person.

Calling Turkey a “crossroads of sensibilities,” the pope emphasized that the country’s social vitality depends on plurality. “Uniformity would be an impoverishment,” he said, warning that communities today risk becoming “polarized and torn by extreme positions.” Reflecting on the journey’s emblem — a bridge spanning the Dardanelles — he said it symbolizes not only a link between Asia and Europe but also a deeper call to unity: “It connects Turkey to itself.”

Pope Leo recalled Saint John XXIII, remembered locally as the “Turkish Pope” because he spent nearly a decade as a Vatican diplomat in Turkey before becoming pontiff and worked to ensure Catholics were not marginalized in the early decades of the republic. Echoing the saint’s teaching, Leo dismissed isolationism as “a false logic.” He also highlighted the contributions of women to society and international life and underscored the importance of the family, where “without the ‘other’ there is no ‘I’.”

Turning to the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, the primary impetus for his visit, which will include ecumenical meetings and worship with Eastern Orthodox leaders, the pope said the historic 4th-century gathering still speaks of encounter and sustained dialogue.

Turkey has played roles in several regional conflicts in recent years, including involvement in the Syrian war and support for Azerbaijan in its conflict with Armenia. At the same time, Ankara has taken part in diplomatic efforts, including mediating between Russia and Ukraine and influencing ceasefire discussions involving Hamas.

Pope Leo was scheduled to continue on by air to Istanbul following the speech, and had no further public events planned for Thursday.

Pope Leo XIV appoints 2 new archbishops for western Canada dioceses
Thu, 27 Nov 2025 07:00:00 -0500

Edmonton, Canada, Nov 27, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV has appointed Bishop Stephen A. Hero of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, as the eighth archbishop of Edmonton, succeeding Archbishop Richard Smith, who became archbishop of Vancouver in May.

The announcement came just days after the Nov. 17 announcement of Father Susai Jesu, OMI, as the new archbishop of Keewatin-Le Pas in northern Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

In a letter to the clergy and faithful of Edmonton, Hero said he was “humbled and grateful for the trust placed in me to take up this new mission in the Church and to serve in a community that is already close to my heart.” He will be installed on Jan. 23 , 2026, at St. Joseph’s Basilica in Edmonton.

Hero, 56, is a native of Lachine, Quebec, and moved to Edmonton at age 10. He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Edmonton in 2000 after studies at the Seminary of Christ the King in Mission, British Columbia, and at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. He later obtained a licentiate in liturgical theology from Sant’Anselmo.

He served as an assistant pastor in Edmonton parishes, as vocations director, and then joined the formation team at St. Joseph Seminary in Edmonton. He became vice rector in 2010 and rector in 2012, teaching spirituality, liturgy, and sacraments at Newman Theological College. Pope Francis appointed him bishop of Prince Albert in 2021.

In his message to the Diocese of Prince Albert, he expressed sadness at leaving, thanking parishioners, clergy, and religious and, referencing the North Saskatchewan River, noted the “river that flows from Edmonton to Prince Albert” as a reminder of their shared connection and “the same grace of God that gives us life.” He becomes diocesan administrator of Prince Albert until his installation in Edmonton.

His episcopal motto, “Deus Solus” (“God Alone”), comes from Psalm 86:10 and reflects his conviction that God must remain at the center of Christian life. His updated coat of arms will incorporate the heraldic insignia of an archbishop, including the archiepiscopal cross and 10 tassels on each side. A black field signifies the finiteness of creation; a gold saltire cross marks Christ’s saving death and resurrection; turtledoves evoke St. Joseph and his Temple offering; and 12 stars represent Our Lady and the hope of eternal glory.

Father Paul Kavanagh, administrator of the Archdiocese of Edmonton, welcomed the appointment on behalf of clergy, religious, and faithful, calling the new archbishop “a gift from God” and assuring him of prayers and support as he returns home.

‘A humbing experience’

Jesu’s episcopal ordination will take place at the end of January at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Cathedral in The Pas, Manitoba.

Jesu said the words of Mary’s Magnificat came to his mind on hearing of his appointment. “It is a humbling experience to receive God’s calling to serve as a bishop,” he said, adding that his heart was “filled with gratitude and joy.”

Born in 1971 in Pushpavanam, Tamil Nadu, India, he entered the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate and was ordained to the priesthood in 2000. He later earned degrees in psychology and counseling, and came to Canada in 2007 at the invitation of the Oblates.

He first served for several years in the northern communities of Pelican Narrows and Sandy Bay in the Archdiocese of Keewatin-Le Pas, learning the Cree language and forming lasting friendships. He subsequently ministered for many years in Edmonton, becoming widely known for his work at Sacred Heart Church of the First Peoples and, more recently, for his ministry at Lac Ste. Anne, Enoch, Alexis Reserve, Paul Band First Nation, and Alexander First Nation.

Archbishop Murray Chatlain of Winnipeg, who has served as apostolic administrator since 2024, welcomed the news, noting that Jesu “served here for seven years and knows our communities well.” Kavanagh also praised his pastoral gifts and his close accompaniment of Indigenous, Metis, and Inuit peoples.

The Archdiocese of Keewatin-Le Pas is home to Metis, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dene, and non-Indigenous peoples across 280,000 square miles. Jesu said he hopes to serve its communities “with faith and love,” continuing the Oblate charism of evangelizing the poor and accompanying those most in need.

This story was first published by The B.C. Catholic and has been adapted by CNA. It is reprinted here with permission.

Pope Leo’s prayer intention for December: for Christians in areas of war or conflict
Thu, 27 Nov 2025 06:28:00 -0500

ACI Prensa Staff, Nov 27, 2025 / 06:28 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV’s prayer intention for December is for Christians living amidst war or conflict, especially in the Middle East:

“Let us pray that Christians living in areas of war or conflict, especially in the Middle East, might be seeds of peace, reconciliation, and hope,” the Holy Father said in a video released Nov. 25 by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network.

Father Cristóbal Fones, international director of the Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network, emphasized that Leo XIV's request "is a gesture of closeness and hope: a way of saying to the Christians of Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and so many other countries that they are not forgotten, that the universal Church walks with them; but also to remind us all that faith grows even in the midst of trials, and that seeds of reconciliation and peace can be born from wounded communities."

Below is the prayer that Pope Leo XIV encourages us to pray this December:

God of peace,
who through the blood of Your Son
has reconciled the world to Yourself,
today we pray for Christians
living amidst wars and violence.

Even surrounded by pain, may they
never cease to feel the gentle kindness of your presence
and the prayers of their brothers and sisters in faith.

For only through You, and strengthened by fraternal bonds,
can they become the seeds of reconciliation,
builders of hope in ways both small and great,
capable of forgiving and moving forward,
of bridging divides,
and of seeking justice with mercy.

Lord Jesus, who called blessed
those who work for peace,
make us Your instruments of peace
even where harmony seems impossible.

Holy Spirit,
source of hope in the darkest times,
sustain the faith of those who suffer and strengthen their hope.
Do not let us fall into indifference,
and make us builders of unity, like Jesus.

Amen.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Lebanese students prepare for Pope Leo XIV’s historic visit with heartfelt letters
Thu, 27 Nov 2025 06:00:00 -0500

ACI MENA, Nov 27, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

The arrival of Pope Leo XIV to Lebanon is approaching quickly, and preparations are underway at every level — state institutions, municipalities, parishes, and countless volunteers are working to ensure the country is ready for this historic moment.

It’s not only leaders and officials who are preparing. In the School of the Apostles (“Collège des Apôtres”) in Jounieh, children are also getting ready in their own way, eager to welcome the Holy Father and to take part in an event they will remember for the rest of their lives.

Preparing hearts and minds for the papal visit

Father Maroun Moubarak, the superior of the School of the Apostles, explained that for his students, the visit represents a defining moment — one they will carry with them forever. It is a milestone not every generation is granted: Previous ones experienced such occasions only during the visits of Pope Benedict XVI and Pope John Paul II.

Moubarak emphasized that the visit also reveals the deep compassion the Vatican and the pope hold for Lebanon. He stressed that the attention Pope Leo is giving to the country means a great deal to the students.

“It stands as a call for young Christians to remain steadfast, to deepen their faith, and to live it each day. They await the visit with joy and anticipation,” he told ACI MENA, CNA’s Arabic-language news partner.

The priest also explained how the school is preparing students for the visit, noting that a structured plan has been developed to guide them both spiritually and intellectually.

The program includes internal communication materials that introduce the meaning of the visit and the role of the papacy. Students are also learning about the official logo of the visit and its symbols. Daily Masses are being celebrated with special intentions for the success of the visit, and workshops and research projects on the Vatican and previous papal trips are being created and displayed across the school campus, fostering a shared spirit of unity and anticipation.

Letters to the pope

One of the initiatives the school undertook in preparation of the papal visit was inviting students to write letters to the pope — an activity designed to help them feel personally involved in the visit.

The children were given complete freedom to express whatever they wished to say or ask, and the results were remarkably diverse: Each student had a unique perspective, tone, and style. The letters were written in English, Arabic, and French — the languages taught at the school — and they revealed a wide range of thoughts and hopes. Many shared a common request: that the pope pray for Lebanon’s financial recovery. It is a plea that reflects the severity of the economic crisis and how deeply even the youngest feel its impact.

Among the students is Makarios Osta, in Grade 8, who chose to share a clear wishlist. He wrote:

“First, please pray that Lebanon gets leaders who truly love their country.

“Second, please pray that our parents smile again when they talk about the future.

“Third, please pray that Christians in Lebanon don’t feel small or tired anymore. We want to be proud, strong, and free to dream.”

Another student, Cassandra Katerji, focused her letter on promises. She wrote:

“We don’t want to grow up in despair. We promise to be the generation that rebuilds Lebanon, not only its buildings, but its faith, its hope, its moral strength.

“Lebanon is a country of many religions and voices. Sometimes those voices clash. But we, the youth, promise to speak only the language of peace.

“Sometimes Lebanon feels like a land of fading lights. But we, the youth, refuse to let the flame die. We promise to keep the light of Christ burning, in our schools, our homes, our conversations, even on social media.”

Classmate Rita Tahtouh added a striking and thoughtful message, writing: “We are like the cedars of God, we do not fear the storms; what we fear is becoming wood burned in political deals.”

Chris Abi Hanna, on the other hand, shared a lighter and more playful note. He wrote: “I hope you enjoy the Land of the Cedars and the saints. I know your schedule will be super busy, but I really hope you’ll find a little time to taste our food, some kibbeh and tabbouleh, with a view of our beautiful mountains. Just one warning, Your Holiness: After that meal, every other Vatican lunch will feel a little boring.”

Beyond the visit

Looking beyond the visit, Moubarak emphasized that the school’s mission does not end when the pope leaves Lebanon.

“We aim to encourage our students to continue following the pope’s teachings, his travels, and his messages, understanding that the Church is alive, present, and close to people’s daily struggles, not something distant or purely ceremonial,” he said.

He explained that students will listen attentively to the pope’s address to young people during the gathering in Bkerke and then translate his words into concrete commitments through workshops and reflection.

He noted that the Vatican, particularly through the Dicastery for Culture and Education, plays a crucial role in forming the human person in all dimensions, not only spiritually but also intellectually, morally, and socially. This formation, he said, enables young people to take their place in society and contribute to its growth. In Lebanon, he added, families sacrifice greatly to educate their children; education is considered their most valuable treasure, and continued support, both spiritual and material, is essential.

Pope Leo XIV to focus on Christian unity, relations with Islam in Turkey and Lebanon
Thu, 27 Nov 2025 04:57:00 -0500

Vatican City, Nov 27, 2025 / 04:57 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV arrived in Turkey Thursday on his first international apostolic journey. The wide-ranging trip — spanning historic ecumenical encounters, deeply symbolic gestures of prayer, and pastoral visits to Christian communities under pressure — is expected to highlight the pope’s priorities of unity, peace, and encouragement across a region marked by both ancient faith and present suffering.

During his flight from Rome, the pope told reporters that he hoped his trip would be an occasion to "proclaim how important peace is throughout the world, and to invite all people to come together, to search for greater unity, greater harmony, and to look for the ways that all men and women can truly be brothers and sisters."

He also wished American reporters in particular a Happy Thanksgiving.

The papal plane arrived in Turkey’s capital, Ankara, around 12:30 pm local time. Upon arrival, the pope was scheduled to visit the Atatürk Mausoleum, built in honor of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder and first president of the Turkish Republic. He will then travel to the Presidential Palace for a meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and an address to authorities, civil society representatives, and the diplomatic corps. The pope will not remain overnight in Ankara but will continue by air to Istanbul the same day.

Ecumenically focused visit

The visit to Turkey centers on the 1,700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea. The pope will participate in an ecumenical prayer service in Iznik, the site of the historic council that articulated Christian teaching on the nature of Christ and affirmed the Nicene Creed. The council also issued disciplinary norms and established a common date for Easter.

During his stay, the pope will take part in several ceremonies and is expected to sign a joint declaration with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople. He will also visit Istanbul’s Sultan Ahmed Mosque.

A notable omission from the pope’s itinerary is Hagia Sophia, the Byzantine church-turned-mosque that the Turkish government designated a museum open to all faiths in the 20th century. Pope Francis visited the monument in 2014, on the last papal visit to Turkey, but said he was “deeply pained” when the government turned it back into a mosque six years later. Patriarch Bartholomew also protested the change.

Pope Leo’s visit carries particular significance for Turkey’s small Christian community, which looks to the pope for support and encouragement. The motto for the visit is “One Lord, one faith, one baptism.” The Catholic community has witnessed several attacks in past decades, such as the killing of Father Andrea Santoro in Trabzon in 2006 and the assassination of the Apostolic Vicar of Anatolia, Bishop Luigi Padovese, in 2010. In 2024, two people attacked Santa Maria Church in Istanbul’s Sariyer district during Holy Mass, leading to the death of one person attending the service. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the last attack.

Christians have also been facing, like the rest of the population, the economic consequences of severe inflation in the Turkish lira, the national currency, in recent years. They have likewise endured the devastating effects of the earthquake that shook southern Turkey in February 2023.

A message of peace for Lebanon

After Turkey, the pope will travel to Lebanon. Speaking to journalists last month, he said he would have there “the opportunity to proclaim once again the message of peace in the Middle East, in a country that has suffered so much.”

Leo’s itinerary in Lebanon highlights both the nation’s deep Christian roots and its recent trauma. The pope will visit the tomb of St. Charbel, a revered Maronite saint, in Annaya, meet with young people outside the Maronite Patriarchate in Bkerke, and spend time in silent prayer at the site of the 2020 Beirut port explosion, which killed more than 236 people and injured over 7,000, according to Human Rights Watch.

Lebanon’s Christian community has endured years of hardship — from the 2019 economic collapse to the 2020 blast, as well as ongoing clashes between Israel and Hezbollah since October 2023. Though weakened by emigration and crisis, Christians remain central to the nation’s political and social life: the president, army commander, and central bank governor must all be Maronite Catholics, and Parliament is evenly divided between Christians and Muslims.

Many Lebanese Christians have left the country in search of stability and economic opportunity. For those who remain, the pope’s presence is widely seen as a sign of hope, particularly during the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope.

Pope Leo XIV appoints new archbishop of Krakow, Poland
Wed, 26 Nov 2025 19:30:00 -0500

Rome Newsroom, Nov 26, 2025 / 19:30 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV has appointed Cardinal Grzegorz Ryś, until now the archbishop of Łódź, as the new archbishop of Krakow, the archdiocese in Poland that was formerly led by Pope St. John Paul II.

The cardinal succeeds Archbishop Marek Jędraszewski, 76, whose resignation has been accepted by the Holy Father, as reported by the Vatican Press Office on Nov. 26.

Ryś was born on Feb. 9, 1964, in Krakow and is 61 years old. He will lead the archdiocese where Karol Wojtyła, who would later become Pope St. John Paul II, served as a priest, auxiliary bishop, and archbishop from 1946 to 1978, the year he was elected Successor of St. Peter.

Who is the new archbishop of Krakow in Poland?

Ryś studied at the major seminary in Krakow and was ordained a priest on May 22, 1988. He worked on and received a doctorate in theology from the Pontifical Theological Academy of Krakow (1989-1994).

He has held, among others, the following positions: parochial vicar of Saints Margaret and Catherine in Kęty (1988-1989); professor of Church history at the Pontifical Theological Academy in Krakow which would later become the John Paul II Pontifical University (1994-2011); rector of the major seminary (2007-2011); and president of the Conference of Rectors of Major Seminaries in Poland (2010-2011).

He was appointed auxiliary bishop of Krakow on July 16, 2011, and received episcopal consecration on Sept. 28 that year. On Sept. 14, 2017, he was appointed archbishop of Łódź.

Pope Francis created him a cardinal at the consistory of Sept. 30, 2023.

Within the Polish Bishops Conference, he presides over the Council for Religious Dialogue and the Committee for Dialogue with Judaism, according to a statement from the Polish episcopate. He is also a member of the Council for Ecumenism, the Council for Culture and the Protection of Cultural Heritage, and the Council for the Family.

At the Vatican, he is a member of the Dicastery for Bishops and the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.

His episcopal motto is: Virtus in infirmitate (Strength in weakness).

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Pope Leo praises ‘wonderful adventure’ of parenthood despite hardships
Wed, 26 Nov 2025 18:04:00 -0500

Rome Newsroom, Nov 26, 2025 / 18:04 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV praised “the wonderful adventure” of becoming parents that many families are choosing to embark on today, even in a time marked by economic and social difficulties.

The pontiff dedicated part of Wednesday’s general audience to “trusting in the God of life,” and promoting humanity “in all its expressions,” above all in the “wonderful adventure of motherhood and fatherhood.”

“In your families, may you never lack the courage to make decisions about motherhood and fatherhood. Do not be afraid to welcome and defend every child conceived. Proclaim and serve the Gospel of life. God is the lover of life. Therefore, always protect it with care and love,” he said in his greetings to the Polish-speaking pilgrims present in St. Peter's Square.

Pope Leo XIV acknowledged, however, that this vocation is developing today in a challenging context “in which families struggle to bear the burden of daily life.”

Thus, he lamented that many families “are often held back in their plans and dreams” by these pressures, which can discourage couples from starting a family or expanding the one they already have.

For the pontiff, family life also means committing to “an economy based on solidarity, striving for a common good equally enjoyed by all, respecting and caring for creation, offering comfort through listening, presence, and concrete and selfless help.”

The Holy Father continued with his catechesis on “the Pasch of Christ,” which “ illuminates the mystery of life and allows us to look at it with hope,” although he acknowledged that this “is not always easy or obvious.”

“Many lives, in every part of the world, appear laborious, painful, filled with problems and obstacles to be overcome,” he observed. However, he affirmed that human beings receive life as “a gift.”

The pope then pointed to “the questions of all ages” that have marked the history of human thought: “Who are we? Where do we come from? Where are we going? What is the ultimate meaning of this journey?”

For the pontiff, “living” evokes “a hope” that acts as a “deep-seated drive” that “keeps us walking in difficulty, that prevents us from giving up in the fatigue of the journey, that makes us certain that the pilgrimage of existence will lead us home.”

Society’s ‘sickness’: a lack of confidence in life

During his reflections, the pope noted there is “a widespread sickness in the world”: a lack of confidence in life.

This lack of confidence, he explained, takes the form of silent resignation, as if life were no longer perceived as a gift received, but as an unknown or even a “threat” against which it is advisable to protect oneself “so as not to end up disappointed.”

In this context, the pope affirmed that the "value of living and of generating life" becomes an "urgent call" today, especially because — he noted, quoting the Book of Wisdom — God is the quintessential "lover of life" (Wisdom 11:26).

The pope emphasized that "God’s logic" remains “faithful to his plan of love and life; he does not tire of supporting humanity even when, following in Cain’s footsteps, it obeys the blind instinct of violence in war, discrimination, racism, and the many forms of slavery.”

The pope pointed to the resurrection of Jesus Christ as “the strength that supports us in this challenge even when the darkness of evil obscures the heart and the mind.”

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Report details persecution of Turkish Christians ahead of Pope Leo XIV's visit
Wed, 26 Nov 2025 16:15:00 -0500

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 26, 2025 / 16:15 pm (CNA).

A Christian advocacy group’s report details “legal, institutional, and social hostility” toward Turkish Christians as Pope Leo XIV begins his six-day visit to Turkey and Lebanon Thursday.

The report from The European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ), titled “The Persecution of Christians in Turkey,” explores government interference against clergy and Christian entities, restrictions on foreign Christians who visit the country, and widespread social animosity toward the faithful, which sometimes includes direct violence.

“Communities that were once integral to the cultural, religious, and historical fabric of Anatolia have been reduced to a fragile remnant,” the authors state.

“Their disappearance is not the product of a single event but the cumulative result of restrictive legislation, administrative obstruction, property confiscations, denial of legal personality, and — more recently — arbitrary expulsions of clergy, missionaries, and converts,” they add.

Modern-day Turkey, which was governed by Christians prior to the Ottoman Empire invasions in late Middle Ages, is still home to about 257,000 Christians. In 1915, Christians still accounted for about 20% of the Turkish population, but the number has dwindled over the past century and they now account for less than 0.3% of the population.

Persecution of Christians

The report says hostility toward Christians is kept alive through environmental factors, such as Turkey’s refusal to recognize its past by continuing to deny the genocide of Armenians and other Christians during World War I.

At that time, about 1.5 million Armenians and 500,000 other Christians were forcibly deported or massacred, and Turkey’s criminalization of “insulting the Turkish nation” and “insulting Turkishness” is often enforced to quell speech about the historical events, according to the report.

It notes that politicians and state-run media frequently scapegoat Christians for societal issues and depict them as an external and internal threat, with one example being President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan referring to survivors of the genocide as “terrorists escaped from the sword” and another being the state-run Yeni Akit allegedly editing Wikipedia to smear Christians, Jews, and other groups.

In some cases, this hostility yields violence, including a 2024 terrorist attack on a Catholic church that killed one person, and other acts of violence and vandalism.

The report notes that Turkey signed the Treaty of Lausanne after the Armenian genocide, which granted people who believe some non-majority faiths full legal recognition and property rights.

Yet, a narrow interpretation of the treaty ensures “a national narrative that presents Sunni Islam as the primary marker of Turkish identity,” the report says. The treaty also fails to recognize all Christians, only giving a specific reference to Greek Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic Christians, and Jews, but not Catholics or Protestants, according to the report.

It states that Sunni Islam is often tied to Turkish identity in public education and the process to be exempt from compulsory Islamic education is burdensome for Christians not covered under the treaty.

No church holds legal personality as a religious institution, which means patriarchates, dioceses, and churches cannot “own property in their own name, initiate legal proceedings, employ staff, open bank accounts, or formally interact with public authorities,” the report states.

The government also interferes with religious leadership, prohibiting non-Turkish citizens from being elected as Ecumenical Patriarch, sitting on the Holy Synod, or participating in patriarchal elections in the Greek Orthodox Church. The government also regulates elections for leadership in the Armenian Apostolic Church.

Turkey shut down the Greek Orthodox Halki Seminary in 1971 and — despite promises to let it reopen — keeps it shut down, according to the report.

The report also says Turkey imposes legal constraints and administrative obstruction on Christian “community foundations,” which operate churches, schools, hospitals, and charitable institutions.

This includes blocking board elections and failing to enforce court orders. One of the more egregious violations is imposing “mazbut” trusteeship, which ends Christian institutions' legal recognition and grants control to the government, which essentially confiscates property, the report said.

“These practices reveal a structural system designed to undermine the autonomy, continuity, and survival of Christian communities in Turkey,” the report states.

According to the report, foreign Protestant pastors are often expelled from seminaries. More broadly, it states that foreign missionaries and converts are often targeted as “national security” threats and frequently expelled from Turkey.

The authors encouraged Turkey to grant full legal recognition to all churches, halt interference in Christian organizations, protect places of worship, end arbitrary expulsions, and return property that has been confiscated.

9 historic religious sites Pope Leo XIV will visit in Turkey, Lebanon
Wed, 26 Nov 2025 15:15:00 -0500

Vatican City, Nov 26, 2025 / 15:15 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV’s upcoming apostolic journey to Turkey and Lebanon holds both spiritual and historical significance for the Catholic Church and its relations with the Orthodox Church as well as with Islam.

From Nov. 27 — Dec. 2, Pope Leo will visit these historic sites in the first international apostolic journey of his pontificate:

1. Cathedral of the Holy Spirit (Istanbul, Turkey)

The Roman Catholic cathedral was built and officially opened in 1846 and is the seat of the apsotolic vicar of Istanbul. Also known as the St. Esprit Cathedral, this minor basilica contains several relics of saints, including those of the first two popes St. Peter and St. Linus.

In 1884, Pope Leo XIV donated a relic of St. John Chrysostom, the patron saint of the Apostolic Vicariate of Constantinople, to the cathedral. Since 1967, four popes have visited the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, including St. Paul VI, St. John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis.

A statue of Pope Benedict XV was erected inside the cathedral’s courtyard in 1919 in recognition of his dedication to Turkish WWI victims and Armenian Christians killed in the former Ottoman Empire between 1915 and 1916.

2. Archaeological excavations of the ancient Basilica of St. Neophytus (İznik, Turkey)

This ancient basilica, located around 81 miles southeast of Istanbul, is believed to have been built in 380 atop the site of the first Christian ecumenical council, the Council of Nicaea, convened by Emperor Constantine I in 325. The council reaffirmed the Church’s belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and led to the formulation of the Nicene Creed.

The ancient church was built on the site where 16-year-old martyr St. Neophytus was killed for his faith and his refusal to offer sacrifices to pagan gods. Recent site excavations have uncovered graves of people believed to be early Christian martyrs.

3. The Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Istanbul, Turkey)

One of Istanbul's most important mosques which was built between 1609–1617 on part of the site of the Great Palace of Constantinople, the imperial residence of Christian Emperor Constantine I and the eastern Roman emperors until 1204.

Two popes have visited the mosque, also known as the “Blue Mosque,” during official apostolic journeys to the country. Benedict XIV visited the mosque in 2006 and Pope Francis visited the religious site in 2012.

4. Patriarchal Church of St. George (Istanbul, Turkey)

The Eastern Orthodox church was built in 1720 and houses the relics of some of the most venerated saints of ancient Constantinople, including St. Euphemia of Chalcedon.

Since 2004, the patriarchal church has housed the relics of St. Andrew the Apostle, who is venerated for bringing the Christian faith to Byzantium, modern-day Istanbul. The relics of St Gregory the Theologian and St. John Chrysostom can also be found at the church.

5. St. Gregory Lusavorich Orthodox Armenian Church (Istanbul, Turkey)

This Orthodox church, also known as the Patriarchal Church of the Holy Mother of God, is the oldest cathedral of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Turkey.

The Armenian church was originally built in 1391, shortly before the Ottoman Empire, led by Sultan Mehmed II, conquered Constantinople in 1453. It was named after Greek Christian St. Gregory the Illuminator, who is revered as the founder of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

Pope Leo will be the first pope to visit the church which has served as a site of religious worship for generations of Armenian families who have lived in Istanbul for more than 600 years.

6. Patriarchal Church of St. George (Istanbul, Turkey)

Converted from a convent into a church at the beginning of the 17th century, the Greek Orthodox basilica has been rebuilt and reconstructed several times throughout its 425-year history.

The church is the seat and principal cathedral of Patriarch Bartholomew I, the head of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and spiritual leader of the world’s approximately 300 million Eastern Orthodox Christians.

7. Monastery of Saint Maroun (Annaya, Lebanon)

The Lebanese Maronite monastery built in 1828 and became a site of pilgrimage for Christian faithful seeking the spiritual counsel of St. Charbel Makhlouf, who lived in the Annaya monastery and the nearby Sts. Peter and Paul hermitage from 1853 until his death in 1898.

After the 1965 beatification of Charbel Makhlouf, the Lebanese Maronite Order built a new church near the monastery and consecrated it in 1974 in honor of the holy monk and priest canonized by Pope Paul VI in 1977. It has since been visited by Christian and non-Christian pilgrims inspired by St. Charbel’s holy life.

8. Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon (Harissa, Lebanon)

Built in 1904 to mark the 50th anniversary of the proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception by Pope Pius IX, the shrine was inaugurated on the first Sunday of May in 1908, which has since become the annual feast of Our Lady of Lebanon.

Thousands of Christian and Muslim pilgrims come annually to pray at the shrine, which features an 8.5-meter tall bronze statue of Mary standing on a 21-meter high stone pedestal tower with a spiral staircase, entrusted to the care of the Congregation of Lebanese Missionaries.

In 1993, a new basilica was built next to the shrine. John Paul II was the first pope to visit Our Lady of Lebanon in 1997, followed by Benedict XVI in 2012.

9. The Maronite Patriarchate of Antioch (Bkerké, Lebanon)

The head of the Maronite Patriarchate has resided in Bkerké since 1830. Between the 15th–19th centuries, the head of the Maronite Catholic Church resided in the Qannubin Monastery in Lebanon’s Qadisha Valley.

The Maronite Patriarchate in Bkerké was built on the site of a monastery constructed in 1703 by an influential member of the noble Khattar al-Khazen family. By 1779, the monastery was used by the Maronite Church and eventually used as the winter residence of the Maronite Patriarch in 1830.

The Maronite Church — named after the ascetic St. Maroun who lived in Antioch and died in 410 — has always been in full communion with the Apostolic See. The current Maronite patriarch is Cardinal Béchara Boutros Raï, O.M.M.

Catholic leaders in South Africa decry escalating school attacks, urge action
Wed, 26 Nov 2025 14:43:00 -0500

ACI Africa, Nov 26, 2025 / 14:43 pm (CNA).

The National Catholic Board of Education (NCBE) and the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference (SACBC) Justice and Peace Commission have issued a joint statement condemning the rising wave of violence affecting schools across South Africa, describing the trend as a "national moral failure” that demands urgent and coordinated intervention.

In a statement shared on Tuesday with ACI Africa, CNA's news partner in Africa, the leadership of the NCBE and SACBC expressed concern over the continuous insecurity in the South African nation, noting that despite several media reports of rape, killings and assaults, national leaders are still reluctant to act, making it a "new normal."

“Acts of violence in and around schools make headlines for a few days, politicians express shock, and then the country moves on, until the next tragedy,” the Catholic leaders said.

They expressed concern that violent clashes that circulate briefly on social media fade from public memory without systemic action. “This normalization of violence is a national moral failure,” they said.

Their statement follows the recent killing of the principal and an administrative assistant at Inxiweni Primary School in Thembisa. The Catholic leaders said that the particular incident is not an isolated tragedy but part of a “growing and deeply disturbing national pattern, and the most recent national statistics reveal the scale of the crisis.”

In their statement, the Catholic leaders reviewed the national statistics of school violence in the first quarter of 2024, saying that South Africa recorded 12 murders and 74 rape cases on school premises.

In the second quarter, 13 murders and 106 rape cases were recorded and “over 11,000 burglaries were reported in schools in the past year.”

In their statement, the leaders emphasized the increasing violence in the nation, saying that in the Western Cape region, schools recorded 454 incidents of assault, many involving weapons.

“These figures, shocking as they are, capture only a portion of the lived reality,” they said.

Quoting from Pope Francis' Oct. 3, 2020 encyclical letter Fratelli Tutti, they reminded the people of God in South Africa that “every act of violence committed against a human being is a wound in humanity’s flesh.” They emphasized the implementation of a well-funded, coordinated national strategy that can break the cycle of violence escalating in schools.

The leaders further advised the country’s education sector to ensure sufficient funding for essential safety infrastructure, such as adequate fencing and security personnel in the South African schools.

The NCBE and SACBC leadership called on the people of God in South Africa to urgently address the issue of escalated violence in schools, saying, “Every learner deserves safety, every teacher deserves protection, and every school must be a sanctuary of peace and learning.”

The leaders further expressed concern that school spaces meant for learning, safety, and growth have become battlegrounds: “Teachers are traumatized, learners live in fear, and communities are left with shattered trust,” they said.

“We urge the government, law enforcement, civil society, faith communities, and all South Africans to act with urgency," they continued. "The lives of our children — and the soul of our nation — depend on it."

This article was originally published by ACI Africa, CNA's news partner in Africa, and has been adapted for CNA.

Catholic Charities gives Thanksgiving meals, winter coats to people in need
Wed, 26 Nov 2025 12:30:00 -0500

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 26, 2025 / 12:30 pm (CNA).

Catholic Charities D.C. in the Archdiocese of Washington teamed up with a metropolitan utility company this week to offer a Thanksgiving meal and winter supplies to low-income families and people experiencing homelessness.

The Nov. 25 dinner, held at Pepco Co.’s Edison Place Gallery, was provided through the St. Maria’s Meal Program. Numerous Catholic Charities affiliates in other parts of the country — including New York, Boston, and Cleveland — held similar events to provide food or resources to the needy during the Thanksgiving season.

More than 300 guests came to the Washington, D.C. dinner, which included turkey and gravy, mashed potatoes, stuffing, collard greens, cranberry sauce, dinner rolls, and sweet potato pie. Guests were also offered winter coats, hats, socks, and toiletry kits.

“Lord, please remind all of us here that we are all children of God and all have unique value, potential to soar, and immeasurable worth and dignity in your eyes — the only eyes that matter,” Jim Malloy, president and CEO of Catholic Charities D.C., said in a prayer before the dinner.

“Help us to live out your Gospel, and as you told us in John 9, to do the works of your Father while it is day,” he prayed.

The annual Thanksgiving dinner has been held for about 12 years. According to the most recent numbers from the federal government, the homelessness rate in the country is at an all-time high.

Marie Maroun, a spokesperson for Catholic Charities D.C. and one of the 60 volunteers at the dinner, told CNA the event ensures a Thanksgiving meal for those experiencing homelessness or food insecurity, and “provides them with the dignity and respect that they definitely deserve.”

Catholic Charities D.C. also provides food through food pantries and offers hot meals to those in need on Wednesdays.

Eugene Brown, one of the guests, told CNA the meal was “excellent,” and said the regular meals are “helping in keeping our heads above water.”

“God will bless the needy and not the greedy,” said Brown, who is Catholic.

Malloy told CNA that providing hot meals helps “remind ourselves what’s important and who’s important.” He thanked the volunteers, including many of the high school students, who he said “find something very fundamental about their faith here.”

“This is faith in action for them,” he said.

Malloy said that when some in society treat those in need as though they are “expendable,” events like this “refute that.”

“They’re created in the image of God,” he said. “They count.”

The most recent homelessness report from the Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) was published in December 2024 and the next annual report is expected in December 2025.

In the 2024 report, HUD estimated that nearly 772,000 people were experiencing homelessness at the beginning of that year. The rate of homelessness increased by about 18% — representing 118,376 more people — in January 2024 when compared to January 2023.

The 2024 report showed the highest number of people experiencing homelessness since HUD began collecting the data in 2007.

Although more recent national numbers are not available, a report from the Washington D.C. Department of Human Services found a 9% decrease in the city’s homelessness from January 2024 to January 2025. However, it found there was only a 1% decrease in the city’s broader metropolitan area, with some nearby Virginia and Maryland counties seeing an uptick.

President Donald Trump ordered removal of homeless encampments in Washington, D.C. in August 2025 and deployed National Guard troops to clear public spaces.

Vatican City: How the world's smallest state is governed
Wed, 26 Nov 2025 11:15:00 -0500

Vatican City, Nov 26, 2025 / 11:15 am (CNA).

The Vatican, the smallest state in the world, possesses a unique and complex legal, administrative, and spiritual structure designed to guarantee the independence of the pope and allow the Church to act freely throughout the world.

Bishop Juan Ignacio Arrieta, secretary of the Dicastery for Legislative Texts, in an interview with the Spanish-language edition of EWTN News, detailed how this tiny nation is governed, how its institutions operate, and what role the Holy See plays in the world.

A unique governance structure

Arrieta explained that the Dicastery for Legislative Texts — where he has served for 18 years — is one of the departments that collaborates directly with the pope in the governance of the Church.

“The dicasteries are the ministries of the Holy See; they are like the departments that serve the pope … and this one is dedicated to the preparation of laws, to the oversight of the laws of the entire Church,” he said.

Unlike traditional states, these norms govern worldwide. “They apply to all five continents. They are not like the laws of Spain, Argentina, or Mexico. These are laws that must be created for the entire Church, with its different cultures,” he noted.

This legislation covers everything from the administration of parishes to issues such as canon law offenses and declarations of a marriage annulment: “The Church functions like a society… and that society has its specific laws.”

The reason for the existence of the Vatican City State

Although many confuse the Holy See with Vatican City State, Arrieta clarified that they are distinct entities. The Holy See is the spiritual and governing authority of the universal Church; the Vatican City State, on the other hand, exists to protect its independence. “It is a tiny state — only half a square kilometer (.19 sq. mi.) — that was created to protect the pope's independence from all temporal power,” he explained.

That territory was created after the Lateran Treaties of 1929, by which the Kingdom of Italy recognized the independence, sovereignty, and borders of what would become Vatican City. Arrieta noted that Italy “also ceded to the Holy See certain places, buildings, and palaces in Rome that are the property of the Holy See and are extraterritorial,” such as the St. Mary Major Basilica and the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran.

A surprising fact: “The only actual citizen is the pope,” he explained, while the rest have temporary residence or work permits.

What happens when someone commits a crime?

Even though it is small, the Vatican functions like any other state, with courts and prisons. Arrieta gave a common example: “What happens if someone goes to the supermarket inside the Vatican, takes a bottle of cognac, puts it in his pocket, and walks out?... It's a civil crime in the Vatican... the gendarmes catch the person and take him to court.”

Criminal proceedings can take place in Vatican territory or in the country of origin, according to international agreements. The secretary of the dicastery noted that even with the assassination attempt on St. John Paul II, which occurred in Vatican territory, “the Vatican asked Italy to prosecute [the accused].”

A state with a bank, radio station, train, and supermarket

Daily life within the Vatican has peculiarities that surprise visitors.

Regarding the network of services, Arrieta explained about the Vatican Bank: “It's not properly speaking a bank ... it helps the Holy See to be able to move money and assist the missions.”

On Vatican Radio, he said: “It broadcasts in very many languages ... even on shortwave to reach very distant places.”

The pope receives thousands of letters that are processed through the Vatican’s postal service. “If you send a letter to the pope, it’s possible that someone will read it … and respond kindly on the pope’s behalf.”

There is a supermarket and a shopping center in the Vatican that are mainly open for employees and residents.

There is also the famous Vatican train and train station that was initially built to receive foreign dignitaries. Today, part of its facilities function as a shop and in the summer, a tourist train runs from Vatican Station to Castel Gandolfo.

The Swiss Guard and the defense of the pope

The origin of the corps that protects the Holy Father dates back to the year 1506. They famously defended the papacy during the Sack of Rome in 1527, when "over a hundred [Swiss soldiers] died defending the pontiff. Since then, the Swiss Guard has maintained this tradition of loyalty.

The universality of the Church

Arrieta said that the most striking thing about the Vatican is not its power or history, but its transcendent spiritual life: “The most impressive thing here is how one experiences the universality of the Church. How one appreciates that in people of very different origins, of very different cultural backgrounds, we live the same faith and believe in the same things.”

This constant contact with a diverse group of people in the Vatican “is experiencing the universality of the Church. We are all trying to love Jesus, the Lord, more, and to live the same things and to spread the same faith,” he added.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Central Europe Catholics crucial for peace in Europe, U.S. ambassador says
Wed, 26 Nov 2025 10:15:00 -0500

Rome, Italy, Nov 26, 2025 / 10:15 am (CNA).

Catholics in Central Europe — especially in Slovakia, Czechia, Poland, and Hungary — play a vital role in fostering reconciliation and peace on the continent, the U.S. ambassador to the Holy See told CNA following a special Mass celebrated in Rome on Monday.

The Mass on Nov. 25, presided over by Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Vatican’s Secretary for Relations with States, marked the 25th anniversary of the Basic Agreement between the Holy See and Slovakia, which was signed on Nov. 24, 2000. The accord governs various aspects of the Catholic Church’s life and legal status in the Slovak Republic.

Faithful voices in a wounded region

“The region of Central Europe and Slovakia is of critical importance to the entire continent,” Ambassador Brian Burch told CNA after the liturgy. “In particular, the Catholic peoples in those lands have a rich history that plays a vital role in the reconciliation that is necessary to bring about peace.”

The ambassador said he joins the people of the region in prayer “that the conflict [in Ukraine, east of Slovakia] may soon end and that the voices of faith and strength will prevail.”

A saintly witness remembered

The Mass was held at the Church of Gesù e Maria (Jesus and Mary) in Rome, which houses the tomb of Alojz Chmeľ, a Slovak Discalced Augustinian declared a Servant of God. Chmeľ died in Rome as a seminarian after battling cancer and was remembered by Gallagher as a young man marked by “patient study, assiduous prayer, and docility of the spirit.”

“A nation’s history,” the archbishop said, “can become an act of faithfulness.”

He emphasized that the communion expressed in the Slovak–Vatican agreement is “not merely a juridical act.” Rather, it is rooted in a centuries-old Christian heritage stretching back to the ninth century, when Sts. Cyril and Methodius brought the Gospel, the liturgy, and a written language to the Slavic peoples of Great Moravia.

Peace through justice and dialogue

“Since then,” Gallagher said, “a spiritual spring has passed through the centuries, as faith and the Gospel establish civilization and dialogue between the Church and the nation.”

Agreements founded on justice, mutual respect, and shared responsibility, he added, are “signs of peace, instruments of dignity, seeds of future good.”

Juraj Priputen, Slovakia’s ambassador to the Holy See, also addressed the significance of the anniversary. “Even if the world around us changes,” he said, “the values we cherish must remain.”

‘An encounter with Jesus’: Artist behind living wall memorial for unborn shares mission
Wed, 26 Nov 2025 09:00:00 -0500

CNA Staff, Nov 26, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA).

Amid the sounds of Arkansas’ waterfalls, women who have had abortions will someday be able to find healing at a “living wall” memorial covered in flora and fauna, where the names of unborn children will be inscribed on the hexagonal stone floor thanks to local artist Lakey Goff, who submitted the living wall design, which was selected for Arkansas’ monument for the unborn.

The memorial will be on state property, but funding must come from the people. Now Goff and other Arkansians are fundraising for the living wall.

On Saturday morning, participants gathered at sunrise at Two Rivers Park in Little Rock to kick off the first annual Living Wall 5K — a race to fundraise for the memorial.

Several groups, both local and national — including LIFE Runners, Caring Hearts Pregnancy Center, and Arkansas Right to Life — showed up to kick off the first annual 5K.

Fundraising began in May 2024 and has reached nearly $30,000; but the living wall’s proposed budget, as of 2025, is estimated to be $1 million.

November has been set aside as a month to remember the unborn in a proclamation signed by Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

Goff shared with CNA that her inspiration for the wall comes from her faith in Jesus. She hopes it will be a place of healing for women who have had abortions.

CNA: What inspired the design and the Bible message accompanying it? Why a living wall?

Lakey Goff: The monument itself is alive with plants, photosynthesis, and oxygen: There’ll be birds that live in it; there are the sound of seven different waterfalls that I’ve recorded from around Arkansas coming off the top of this wall in an audio loop. That is the sound of Jesus’ voice — the sound of many waters.

Then, underneath, you’ll see on there are pavers where women have begun to name their babies that were aborted, to put dates when they were aborted and even Scriptures. It’s a way to be healed and set free and say this happened, where they’re no longer locked up in guilt and shame; and so the babies’ names will be underneath our feet in these hexagonal pavers.

I believe this monument is from the heart of God, the heart of the Father, as he wants to heal our land from the bloodshed in our nation, starting in the state of Arkansas to lead the way.

Why is this monument important?

We don’t want to forget what happened during the 50 years of bloodshed, of innocent babies’ bloodshed in our state. It is an act of repentance, and it is saying, “This will not happen again.” We’re saying, “I’m sorry, God, and we want to honor you and honor life.”

This is the very first living wall monument to the unborn in our nation — and so that’s why it’s taking a little while, because it’s never been done before.

What inspired you to send in a design after the 2023 bill passed?

I’ve always been an artist, but I was not in any way involved, at least in my adult years, with the pro-life movement or in the political realm.

I said, “Lord, is there anything that you want to do for this monument?” And I immediately received a blueprint from the Holy Spirit of the details about this living wall.

I received clearly that the Lord wanted to heal women and families who had abortions and who were held captive by guilt and shame. And he gave me Isaiah 61: He wants to give us double honor for shame; he wants to set the captives free.

What do you hope people will take away from experiencing it?

It will be an actual place for women, children, families to come and be healed. It’s a place for repentance. It’s a place of life, vitality. There’s nothing dead about Jesus — he’s the risen King.

Even in the process, women, children, families have already started to be healed. I believe what they will take away from it is an encounter with Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and his healing: He came for the lost, not the righteous.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Pope Leo centralizes oversight of St. Peter’s and St. Mary Major basilicas
Wed, 26 Nov 2025 08:00:00 -0500

Vatican City, Nov 26, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV has issued a new decree revising the financial and administrative norms governing the basilicas of St. Peter and St. Mary Major, bringing both institutions under the ordinary oversight of the Vatican’s Council for the Economy, in the latest act of fine-tuning of economic reforms undertaken by his predecessor Pope Francis.

The pope writes that the Holy See’s economic and financial reform requires “periodic reevaluation and redefinition” of the applicable regulatory framework.

The letter motu proprio, dated Sept. 29, 2025, was promulgated this month when it was posted in the San Damaso Courtyard of the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace. It has not previously been reported by the media.

The decree abrogates two earlier such decrees concerning the Fabric of St. Peter’s and the Chapter of St. Mary Major. Under the updated provisions, both the Fabbrica — which oversees the care, maintenance, and artistic patrimony of St. Peter’s Basilica — and the Chapter of St. Mary Major are now subject to the same forms of oversight established for other entities listed under the statutes of the Council for the Economy and in Praedicate Evangelium, the 2022 apostolic constitution that reorganized the Roman Curia.

To ensure what Pope Leo calls an “immediate and structured transition,” the Secretariat for the Economy will coordinate implementation along with a consultative group to help resolve questions or issues that might arise. The law will eventually be published in the Acta Apostolicae Sedis, the official gazette of the Holy See.

In October, Pope Leo XIV issued the decree Coniuncta Cura, a major financial reform that ended the Vatican Bank’s exclusive role in managing Holy See investments and allowed APSA and other accredited intermediaries to handle funds when advantageous. The change, which reverses a 2022 centralization under Pope Francis, aims to diversify management, improve returns, and strengthen the Holy See’s long-term financial sustainability amid rising operational costs.

How the man who became Pope John XXIII helped shape Vatican-Turkey relations
Wed, 26 Nov 2025 07:00:00 -0500

ACI MENA, Nov 26, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV’s journey to Turkey and Lebanon carries significant historical and diplomatic symbolism. His decision to make the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk his first stop immediately recalls the legacy of his predecessor, St. John XXIII, who became a cultural and spiritual bridge between East and West, very much like Istanbul (formerly called Constantinople), the city he arrived in 90 years ago.

In January 1935, only weeks after being appointed apostolic delegate to both Turkey and Greece, Archbishop Angelo Roncalli — the future St. John XXIII — arrived at Istanbul’s Haydar Pasha train station from Bulgaria. He began his mission in a country that at the time had no formal diplomatic relations with the Vatican.

Immediately after his arrival, he began assessing the situation of the Catholic churches and communities across the country — Jesuits, Capuchins, Maronites, Melkites, Syriacs, and others. In an unprecedented gesture, he later met with the ecumenical patriarch.

Roncalli also played an important humanitarian role in relation to other minority groups, particularly helping Jewish refugees from Poland flee their homeland during World War II.

He carried out his mission in Turkey for 10 years, during which he lived through the final years of Atatürk’s life. With rare diplomatic instinct, he understood the political and social transformation underway in modern Turkey. He respected the nation’s secular laws, including the law banning religious clothing outside places of worship, and made sure to abide by them.

The future pope faced significant challenges at first, since relations between the Turkish authorities and the Catholic Church were strained prior to his arrival. Yet he quickly and skillfully built bridges of trust with the young republic, earning the respect of its officials. He developed friendly relations with many Turkish figures, among them the diplomat Numan Menemencioğlu, who later became foreign minister.

Roncalli was also the first bishop to use the Turkish language in the celebration of the Mass, reading a passage from the Gospel in Turkish during the 1935 Christmas liturgy. He believed ignoring the local language would be a sign of disrespect toward the people.

When Pope Pius XII died in 1958, Turkish newspapers highlighted Roncalli as one of the leading candidates to succeed him and followed the conclave closely. Upon his election as Pope John XXIII, Turkey was among the first countries to congratulate him, acknowledging the positive impact he had left behind.

In 1959, Turkish President Celâl Bayar visited the Vatican and met the pope, who expressed his longing for Istanbul and the Bosphorus. He praised Turkish Catholics as faithful citizens. During that visit, the two sides agreed to establish formal diplomatic relations, which officially began the following year and paved the way for future papal trips to Istanbul, with the sole exception of John Paul I, whose papacy lasted only 33 days.

When Pope Benedict XVI visited Istanbul in 2006, a statue of St. John XXIII was unveiled. Originally installed in the courtyard of the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, whose entrance today is adorned with an image of the saintly pope, the statue was later moved to the courtyard of St. Anthony of Padua Church.

Beneath the statue is an inscription reading: “Pope John XXIII, a Friend of the Turkish People.” The inscription reflects his many expressions of affection toward them, including his well-known phrase: “I love the Turkish people.” The Turkish public returned this affection, famously giving him the nickname “the Turkish Pope.”

This story was first published by ACI MENA, CNA’s Arabic-language news partner, and has been translated for and adapted by CNA.

Caritas Ukraine leads efforts to reintegrate children taken by Russia in war
Wed, 26 Nov 2025 06:00:00 -0500

CNA Staff, Nov 26, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

On Friday at the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV met with U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota, and a delegation of Ukrainian mothers, wives, and teenagers forcibly taken to Russia during the war. The group discussed the ongoing efforts being made to secure the return of civilians to Ukraine, particularly children.

At the forefront of the work of repatriation and recovery of Ukrainian children swept up in the country’s war with Russia is Caritas Ukraine, which has prioritized the reintegration of these children, according to Liliia Chulitska, an information expert with Caritas Ukraine.

Caritas Ukraine is made up of cooperating organizations and operates as part of the international network Caritas Internationalis, the social ministry of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. It has been implementing humanitarian, social, and recovery programs throughout Ukraine for over 30 years, with a primary focus on humanitarian assistance in more than 15 regions of Ukraine.

Chulitska explained that when it comes to the repatriation of Ukrainian children, Caritas Ukraine cooperates with Ukraine’s Ombudsman’s Office once children are returned to Ukraine and, as a service provider, assesses the children’s needs and provides direct assistance.

Bring Kids Back UA Task Force said it has recorded more than 19,000 cases of unlawful deportations and forced transfers of Ukrainian children. The children’s welfare organization, Save the Children, reported the same number, while a report from the Yale School of Public Health in September said the number of children could be as high as 35,000.

A U.N.-backed investigation in 2023 accused Russia of war crimes for its forced transfers and deportation of Ukrainian children in areas it controlled, but Russia has denied committing these crimes.

The plight of Ukrainian children

There are various circumstances by which Ukrainian children have ended up in Russia or in Russia-controlled territory separated from their families and communities.

The Yale report identified “more than 8,400 children who have been systematically relocated to at least 57 facilities — including 13 facilities in Belarus and 43 facilities in Russia and Russia-occupied territory.” The report further accuses Russia of targeting “vulnerable groups of children for deportation, including orphans, children with disabilities, children from low-income families, and children with parents in the military.”

A joint report by the Regional Center for Human Rights, the Ukrainian Child Rights Network, and the Voices of Children Charitable Foundation, with the support of Partnership Fund for a Resilient Ukraine, claims that the Russian Federation “has consistently implemented a policy of eradicating the Ukrainian identity of children from the occupied territories.”

The report further states that “deportations, forcible transfer, separation from parents, transfer to Russian families, imposition of citizenship, political indoctrination, Russification, and militarization are the tools used to compel Ukrainian children to become enemies of their own nation.”

Russia has denied these allegations and justified the transfer of children as “humanitarian evacuations for the children’s safety.” The Russian government has also denied accusations of war crimes, even as the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and his commissioner for children’s rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, in 2023.

When they arrive home

Last month, U.S. First Lady Melania Trump announced that after ongoing conversations with Putin about repatriating Ukrainian children caught up in the war, “some have been returned to their families with more to be reunited soon.”

While locating and returning a Ukrainian child generally requires a highly coordinated effort on the part of many parties, after a child returns the main work Caritas Ukraine focuses on is the adaptation and psychological recovery of the child, according to Chulitska. “This is the task of our case managers and psychologists,” she said.

A project specialist meets the child and their accompanying person at the border and they travel together to Kyiv, where a meeting is held at the Child Protection Center with representatives of the Coordination Center for the Development of Family Education and Child Care.

A case manager then draws up a needs assessment report, and a psychologist conducts a consultation. A plan is then developed for the entire support period to meet the child’s basic needs and resolve any legal issues through documentation. If necessary, children undergo a medical examination.

After that, the child goes to his or her place of residence and is provided with basic necessities. To catch up on the child’s education, tutors are hired if necessary.

Chulitska said the team of specialists maintains constant contact with the family, provides guidance on social issues, and offers psychological support. Monitoring visits are conducted regularly.

This period lasts from three to six months in accordance with international standards, and after the support period ends, the local child welfare service continues to monitor the family to ensure they receive support as needed.

According to a Bring Kids Back white paper issued in October 2024: “Effective reintegration requires the close collaboration of many state institutions, child protection organizations, and international actors. A central element is coordination.”

As of Nov. 21, according to Bring Kids Back, 1,835 сhildren have “returned from deportation, forced transfers, or temporarily occupied territories.”

Caritas Ukraine said it has provided assistance to some of these children and that it has also assisted at least 11 children since the war broke out who are victims of human trafficking.

Caritas operates through an extensive network of more than 49 local organizations and over 300 active parish assistance centers. The network’s strategic goals are to “promote the restoration of people’s dignified lives, facilitate the integration of victims into communities, strengthen the social protection system, and contribute to the development of a peaceful and just society.”

Slovenia rejects euthanasia law in referendum, freezes issue for at least a year
Wed, 26 Nov 2025 05:00:00 -0500

EWTN News, Nov 26, 2025 / 05:00 am (CNA).

Slovenian voters have rejected a proposed euthanasia law in a Nov. 23 referendum, blocking legislation that would have allowed terminally ill patients to end their lives. The bill, passed by the Slovenian Parliament four months earlier, was opposed by 53.43% of voters, preventing it from taking effect.

Under Slovenian law, Sunday’s vote freezes the matter for at least 12 months, after which Parliament may consider a new version of the bill.

A year earlier, a nonbinding referendum indicated public openness to regulated euthanasia, prompting the governing coalition to draft and pass the legislation in July 2025. But opposition quickly mobilized. The Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) and other conservative groups denounced the proposal as undermining human dignity and devaluing the lives of the most vulnerable.

The Slovenian Bishops’ Conference also publicly opposed the legislation. Citing Article 17 of the Slovenian Constitution — which states that “human life is inviolable” — the bishops urged lawmakers to strengthen systemic medical, human, and spiritual support for those in need. They called for greater investment in palliative care and related services rather than pursuing policies that permit the direct termination of life.

A coalition of civil and conservative organizations, led by Aleš Primc of the Voice for the Children and the Family party, launched a citizens’ initiative that gathered more than 40,000 signatures — enough to force a binding referendum on the divisive issue.

The rejected bill would have allowed mentally competent patients with no chance of recovery — or those suffering unbearable pain — to access assisted euthanasia. It required patients to self-administer the life-ending medication, contingent on approval by two doctors and a legally mandated waiting period to ensure the decision was voluntary and sustained.

Bishops, civil society welcome result

The metropolitan archbishop of Ljubljana, Archbishop Stanislav Zore, OFM, welcomed the outcome with gratitude, saying he sees “God at work in our time.” He thanked organizers and citizens who publicly defended the value of human life and praised medical and legal professionals for voicing their concerns clearly.

The archbishop stressed, however, that this was not a moment for celebration but for gratitude and renewed resolve. He urged believers to remain guided by conscience, resist pressures to seek “easy and comfortable paths,” and remain open to discerning “good from evil.”

Debate across Europe

Across Europe, end-of-life legislation varies widely. Belgium, Spain, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands permit euthanasia performed by a physician, while Germany, Italy, and Austria allow only assisted suicide under specific legal conditions.

The Slovenian result comes amid growing debate across Europe over euthanasia and assisted suicide, with Catholic leaders frequently raising concerns about vulnerable populations, conscientious objection for medical professionals, and the erosion of care-based alternatives.

Activist Nicaraguan priest: The Ortega dictatorship ‘can’t take away our faith’
Tue, 25 Nov 2025 18:01:00 -0500

ACI Prensa Staff, Nov 25, 2025 / 18:01 pm (CNA).

Nils de Jesús Hernández, 56, has lived in the United States for 36 years, far from his native Nicaragua. Forced to leave the country in 1988 in the midst of the civil war, he serves a parish in Iowa where he ministers to the Hispanic community and speaks out for the Nicaraguan people.

Hernández, known as the “vandal priest” for having led a student strike and supporting the 2018 protests in Nicaragua, is now the parish priest at Queen of Peace Church in Waterloo, Iowa, in the Archdiocese of Dubuque.

“Vandal priest” was the defamatory, derisive label the dictatorship gave to him for his role in the protests, but the title has now turned into a sort of badge of honor.

The pain of leaving Nicaragua

After being declared a target of the government at the age of 19 when he was a candidate for the priesthood, Hernández said in an interview with “EWTN Noticias,” the Spanish-language broadcast edition of EWTN News, that leaving the country “meant that I was never going to return to Nicaragua. Leaving my parents, my family, everything that was familiar to me: my language, my culture, my food, everything; that is, everything that is one’s own ... that was the cruelest thing I was experiencing.”

The priest said he inherited his fighting spirit from his mother, who also helped with the student protests at the time.

“In the 1980s, I was also fighting against those [the Sandinistas] who promised us that everything was going to be fine, and everything turned into a dictatorship, a government that was repressing the Nicaraguan people,” Hernández told “EWTN Noticias.”

The priest traveled to Guatemala, then on to Tijuana, Mexico, and continuing to San Diego. He spent six years in Los Angeles before being sent to Iowa.

Having already obtained U.S. citizenship, he was ordained a priest in 2004 for the Archdiocese of Dubuque, and now in his parish he serves Mexicans, Guatemalans, Venezuelans, Chileans, Hondurans, and, of course, members of the Nicaraguan diaspora.

“I have organized marches here against laws that are very aggressive against immigrants under this administration of President Donald Trump,” the priest said. “This has also been my battleground here to continue denouncing the dictatorship of [Nicaraguan Vice President Rosario] Murillo and [President] Daniel Ortega,” he added.

The persecution against the Catholic Church in Nicaragua

“I believe that the persecution against the Church in Nicaragua is becoming much more aggressive, with confiscations [of Church property] that they have carried out and continue to carry out,” the priest lamented.

According to Hernández, the dictatorship wants to “eradicate the Church.”

“But I always say the following: They will steal all the buildings, they can close all the churches they want to close … but they cannot take away the faith from the hearts of every Nicaraguan, because wherever there is a Nicaraguan in Nicaragua, even though they are being repressed and oppressed, there is the Catholic faith, because all of us Nicaraguans are devoted to Mary and we trust in the will of God.”

“We also have great faith that the Lord will prevail and will be victorious, because the Lord triumphed on the cross and overcame death with his resurrection,” he said.

“We will be returning to Nicaragua triumphantly, because we will indeed return to Nicaragua, because this dictatorship will not last forever. They’re old and they’re not going to continue [in power] for all eternity,” he predicted.

Silence of the Church in Nicaragua and reality in Venezuela

“The silence in Nicaragua is due to the repression that exists. The people are silent,” Hernández pointed out. “But that doesn’t mean the people are content. The silence reflects the discontent of the people, because when the drums sound, Nicaragua will roar. That’s a very Nicaraguan saying,” he explained.

“The Nicaraguan people, when they muster the courage, overthrow any dictatorship. This silence is a preparatory silence for what could happen at any moment in Nicaragua,” the exiled priest continued.

“If Nicolás Maduro falls [in Venezuela], the Nicaraguan and Cuban dictatorships will also fall. So the silence on the part of the Church is out of prudence, but here in the United States there are voices that are trying to make people aware that the repression in Nicaragua is not good. We have Bishop [Silvio] Báez, who is a prophetic and very strong voice: He continues to speak very consistently about all the deception that this dictatorship is engaging in,” Hernández told EWTN.

Pope Leo XIV, Nicaragua, and the award to Bishop Silvio Báez

The priest also referred to the meetings that Pope Leo XIV has held with the bishops of Nicaragua, first with bishops Silvio Báez, Carlos Enrique Herrera, and Isidoro Mora; and later with Rolando Álvarez, all of whom are in exile.

In his opinion, these meetings “are a slap in the face to the dictatorship. That’s what grieves them the most, that the Holy Father is saying, ‘Catholic Nicaragua, persecuted Church, your mother is with you. The Holy Father loves you and you are not alone.’”

“That is a very powerful message that the Holy Father is giving to the Nicaraguan people and also to the Church, and that is the most wonderful thing that we must understand. Nicaraguan people, you’ve got to have a lot of courage, because this is not going to continue forever. Once again, these old men are going to die,” he emphasized.

Hernández also shared that it was he who nominated Báez for the 2025 Pacem in Terris Award for peace and freedom — which has also been awarded to Martin Luther King Jr. and St. Teresa of Calcutta and which was presented to him in July of this year in Davenport — to recognize “the role that the prelate has played in the struggle in Nicaragua and from exile” at St. Agatha Parish in Miami.

“My dream for the Nicaraguan Church is that we continue praying for the unity of all the opposition, so that there may be authentic and genuine unity, that they set aside all their political agendas, and that we all unite to fight to overthrow the dictatorship,” he said.

The priest finally emphasized that for him it is “a great source of pride to be the ‘vandal priest,’ because I continue to denounce this criminal dictatorship for crimes against humanity, because they will not escape God’s justice. They will escape human justice, but not God’s justice.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Texas attorney general sues state housing agency for alleged religious discrimination
Tue, 25 Nov 2025 17:31:00 -0500

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 25, 2025 / 17:31 pm (CNA).

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued his own state’s housing agency for rules that allegedly restrict Christian and other religious organizations from receiving public funds to serve homeless and low-income people. The lawsuit alleges that rules established by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) only allow organizations to receive federal and state funds for homeless and low-income housing programs if they agree those programs will be entirely secular and will not include any religious activities.

According to the lawsuit, those rules violate religious liberty protections in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and in Article 1, Sec. 6-7 of the Texas Constitution because they put restrictions on religious entities for participation in public programs in which secular entities can freely participate.

“State agencies have no authority to force Christians and other religious organizations to censor their beliefs just to serve their communities,” Paxton said in a Nov. 24 news release.

“Constitutionally protected religious liberty must be upheld in Texas and across the country,” he added. “These TDHCA’s provisions within certain programs, which deter funding from going towards churches and religious organizations, must be struck down.”

The lawsuit challenges TDHCA rules for two programs.

It states the homelessness program prohibits funds from being used for “sectarian or explicitly religious activities such as worship, religious instruction, or proselytization.” It similarly states the Bootstrap Loan Program blocks funding that supports “any explicitly religious activities such as worship, religious instruction, or proselytizing” and requires recipients to enshrine the prohibition in its official policies.

The lawsuit argues that the government must maintain neutrality on religious matters, adding: “It cannot exclude religious organizations from public benefits because of their faith, nor may it condition participation on theological choices about worship, instruction, or proselytization.”

Paxton is asking the district court of Travis County to issue an injunction that blocks TDHCA from enforcing those rules, which he argues are discrimination against religious entities.

TDHCA did not respond to a request for comment from CNA.

Less than two weeks ago, Paxton sued the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board over similar concerns. The lawsuit argues that three university work-study programs exclude religious organizations and students receiving religious instruction.

In a Nov. 14 statement, he said: “These anti-Christian laws targeting religious students must be completely wiped off the books.”

Paxton is on the opposite side of another lawsuit related to religious freedom that began in February 2024. In that lawsuit, the attorney general is trying to shut down Annunciation House, a Catholic nonprofit that provides assistance to migrants.

The attorney general accused Annunciation House of “alien harboring,” which it denies. The nonprofit argues it has never violated state law and that its charitable activities are rooted in its religious mission.

Prince Albert II blocks bill expanding abortion law in defense of Monaco’s Catholic identity
Tue, 25 Nov 2025 17:01:00 -0500

ACI Prensa Staff, Nov 25, 2025 / 17:01 pm (CNA).

Prince Albert II of Monaco has announced that he will not sign into law a bill that aims to relax the conditions for accessing abortion in the European microstate.

The monarch confirmed his rejection of the new bill — passed by the National Council by a margin of 19-2 last May — during an interview given to the Monaco-Matin newspaper on Nov. 18 on the occasion of the holiday celebrating the principality’s nationhood.

The legislative proposal aimed to authorize abortion up to 12 weeks of pregnancy and up to 16 weeks in cases of rape, and to lower the minimum age for waiving parental consent from 18 to 15 years old.

While he said he understands “the sensitivity of this issue,” the monarch pointed out that the current legal framework “respects our identity and the place that the Catholic religion occupies in our country, while simultaneously guaranteeing safe and more humane support.”

Consequently, Monaco will maintain its current abortion legislation. Although the practice was decriminalized in 2019, it remains formally illegal and is only permitted in three exceptional circumstances established by the 2009 law: rape, a life-threatening risk to the mother, and severe fetal malformations.

The principality’s constitution recognizes the Catholic religion as the state religion, and currently more than 90% of the population identifies as Catholic.

Furthermore, the constitution stipulates that executive power is exercised jointly by the prince and the Parliament, meaning the monarch must sign bills into law for them to take effect.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Archdiocese of Chicago kept ‘known serial predators’ in ministry for years, lawsuits say
Tue, 25 Nov 2025 16:31:00 -0500

CNA Staff, Nov 25, 2025 / 16:31 pm (CNA).

Multiple lawsuits allege that the Archdiocese of Chicago kept two priests in active ministry in spite of years of “mounting complaints” of child sexual abuse leveled against them.

The suits, filed by the Chicago-based law firm Gould, Grieco, & Hensley, allege that archdiocesan officials allowed Father Daniel Holihan and Father John Curran to continue ministry “even after Church officials were aware of their history abusing children.”

The suits were filed on behalf of students from two archdiocesan schools, Quigley Preparatory Seminary and St. Christina Catholic School. Holihan is alleged to have abused a male student at the now-closed preparatory seminary during the 1980s, while Curran allegedly abused two students at St. Christina around the same time.

The law firm claims the archdiocese had been warned about both Holihan and Curran as early as the 1960s. The alleged abuse victims said they were unaware of the archdiocese’s alleged prior knowledge until recently, when “previously concealed internal documents became accessible.”

The law firm alleged that the archdiocese “relied on a pattern of relocating clergy with known problems rather than addressing the underlying misconduct.”

“For decades, the archdiocese relied on secrecy and reassignment instead of transparency and accountability,” attorney Mike Grieco said in a press release. “That structure is what allowed priests like Holihan and Curran to stay in ministry for years, putting children in harm’s way.”

The Chicago Archdiocese did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the lawsuits.

As part of its investigations into clergy abuse, the Illinois attorney general’s office described Holihan as “one of the more notorious abusers in archdiocesan history.”

“The archdiocese knew what Holihan was doing to children years before it removed him from the pastorate — but during that time, it did nothing to stop him, taking him at his word that he could turn over a new leaf of his own accord,” the prosecutor’s office said.

The attorney general’s office also identified Curran as an alleged abuser. Holihan died in 2016, while Curran died in 2000.

Both Curran and Holihan are on the archdiocese’s list of priests with “substantiated” allegations of abuse leveled against them, and both are listed as having served at eight different locations in the archdiocese. Holihan was removed from public ministry in 2002 and laicized in 2010, while Curran was removed from public ministry in 1994.

Archbishop says Nigeria could be ‘saddest nation in the world,’ reflects on better days
Tue, 25 Nov 2025 16:01:00 -0500

ACI Africa, Nov 25, 2025 / 16:01 pm (CNA).

Archbishop Ignatius Ayau Kaigama of Nigeria’s Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja has reminisced about the days when the West African country was ranked the happiest place on earth and expressed sorrow that the situation is no longer the same today.

In fact, according to the Abuja archbishop, the saddest people on earth today might be in Nigeria, owing to poor governance, insecurity, and corruption.

“Today, certainly, we should be the saddest nation in the world, considering all that has happened since the kidnapping of young, innocent Chibok girls,” Kaigama said in his homily on Sunday, Nov. 23, at St. Luke’s Parish, Kubwa.

“We seem to be so traumatized by how badly we are treated that we hardly ask tough questions,” he added.

The archbishop observed that Nigerians are afraid to condemn crime in their country because of the protests by those supporting terrorism — including their chiefs, associations, and youths.

Kaigama descried the “injustice happening in Nigeria,” despite the West African country being said to be the “most religious” nation on earth, with different denominations and a high number of worshippers.

“Is our religiosity only about filling up mosques and churches with numbers or indeed allowing ourselves to be led by the Spirit of God to act justly, to love one another tenderly, and to walk in humble fellowship with our God?” he asked, calling for “national introspection, confession, and perhaps, social dialysis.”

In his reflection at Mass during which he conferred the sacrament of confirmation on 500 candidates, Kaigama called on the people of God in Nigeria to remain authentic to God through not only worship but also action.

He warned against treating God casually, urging Nigerians to demonstrate God’s presence in all aspects of their lives.

“We seem to approach God in a schizophrenic manner. We bow, kneel, clap, and call his name so loudly, while elegantly dressed on days of worship, but go on behaving as if he does not exist in our homes and places of work outside of our places of worship,” the archbishop said on the solemnity of Christ the King.

“For some today, God is treated as if he is a policeman … who is approached only when there is trouble or crisis,” he added.

Kaigama said a lot has been going astray in Nigeria since the country’s independence in 1960.

“Since 1960 to date, we have allowed tribal and religious sentiments to rule our politics and even the distribution of power and wealth of the nation,” he said.

“Sacred cows have been bred that some people from certain ethnic or religious groups are untouchables,” he added.

Kaigama decried favoritism, noting that the government only punishes those without a voice in society while leaving those in power to walk free.

The archbishop said justice and punishment should be served to all Nigerians regardless of their position or their social status, saying: “Being a leader does not mean you are beyond prosecution. Whether it is in the churches and mosques, the judiciary, the National Assembly, the presidency, or within the security agencies, the highest bidder seems to be the most respected. The law catches only the feeble.”

The archbishop condemned the Nigerian government for ignorance in calling corrupt people to book. “Agencies set up to prosecute corruption are said to end up trapped in the complex webs of corruption that you can hardly recognize them,’’ he said.

He went on to express concern that major beneficiaries of the country’s exploitative system are “awarded” and encouraged Nigerians to identify corrupt leaders in society and to hold them accountable for their actions without fear.

This story was first published by ACI Africa, CNA's news partner in Africa, and has been adapted by CNA.

‘Say thank you to someone’ this Thanksgiving, Pope Leo XIV says
Tue, 25 Nov 2025 15:31:00 -0500

Castel Gandolfo, Italy, Nov 25, 2025 / 15:31 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday suggested that people “say thank you to someone” this Thanksgiving and he addressed concerns about violence in Lebanon ahead of his trip there later this week.

Speaking two days before Thanksgiving, the first U.S.-born pope celebrated what he called “this beautiful feast that we have in the United States, which unites all people, people of different faiths, people who perhaps do not have the gift of faith.”

The pope urged all people, not just Americans, to take the occasion “to recognize that we all have received so many gifts, first and foremost, the gift of life, the gift of faith, the gift of unity … and to give thanks to God for the many gifts we’ve been given.”

Pope Leo answered questions from reporters as he left for Rome after a daylong stay at the papal villa of Castel Gandolfo.

Leo is set to begin his first international trip as pope Nov. 27, a six-day visit to Turkey and Lebanon. The foreign trip is the fulfillment of a promise made by Pope Francis to visit Lebanon, a Muslim-majority country. Regional instability and internal crises have battered the small country where about a third of the population is Christian.

Reporters asked Leo if violence in Lebanon is a concern.

“It’s always a concern,” the pope said. “Again, I would invite all people to look for ways, to abandon the use of arms as a way of solving problems, and to come together, to respect one another, to sit down together at the table, to dialogue and to work together for solutions for the problems that affect us.”

Regarding a message for Israel, the pope said he likewise encourages all people “to look for peace, to look for justice, because oftentimes violence occurs as a result of injustices. And I think we have to work together, look for greater unity, respect for all people and all religions.”

Bishops lead Stations of the Cross at Colorado ICE center, urges dignity for migrants
Tue, 25 Nov 2025 13:48:00 -0500

CNA Staff, Nov 25, 2025 / 13:48 pm (CNA).

Hundreds of Catholics gathered in front of the Denver Contract Detention Facility — an ICE detention facility in Aurora, Colorado — on Nov. 22 for Stations of the Cross led by Archbishop Samuel Aquila and Auxiliary Bishop Jorge Rodriguez of the Archdiocese of Denver.

Sponsored by the Committee for Pastoral Care for Migrants, individuals from over 36 local parishes gathered for a peaceful procession and to stand in solidarity with undocumented immigrants who are being impacted by the mass deportations taking place across the United States.

“I want to thank all of you for coming today as we have prayed and walked the Stations of the Cross. They are reminders to us of God’s love for all people and for the immigrant, for the stranger, for those who are sick and suffering, and for all those who are in need of our prayer,” Aquila said according to a statement in the Denver Catholic.

Aquila reminded the faithful in attendance that “we must remember the dignity of every human being. That dignity is not bestowed by any government. That dignity comes from God and God alone.”

The archbishop also called out both political parties for having “failed horribly when it comes to immigration. They have treated immigrants as pawns for their own elections, for their own desires, and they have failed every immigrant. Both political parties.”

Earlier this month, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) overwhelmingly voted to adopt a statement that opposes the indiscriminate mass deportation of immigrants who lack legal status and urged the government to uphold the dignity of migrants.

The bishops approved their special message on immigration at the 2025 Fall Plenary Assembly on Nov. 12 in Baltimore. The motion passed with support from more than 95% of the American bishops who voted. It received 216 votes in favor, just five against, and only three abstentions.

“We oppose the indiscriminate mass deportation of people,” the message emphasized.

“We pray for an end to dehumanizing rhetoric and violence, whether directed at immigrants or at law enforcement,” it added. “We pray that the Lord may guide the leaders of our nation, and we are grateful for past and present opportunities to dialogue with public and elected officials.”

On Sunday Aquila also touched on the “Dignity Act,” a bipartisan immigration reform bill that would give undocumented immigrants a way to obtain legal status.

“They may not have come with documents, but they have been living here peacefully for 10, 20, 30 years. Many of us know them, and they need a path to citizenship,” he said.

He added: “The only ones who can mess that up are the political parties and the people of Congress, as they add their special preferences to the bill. If they just did not touch the bill the way it is today, it would be fine. But our system is broken, and it is because we put political parties before the dignity of the human being.”

“And so I encourage you, my sisters and brothers, and I thank you for being here today to give witness to the dignity of the human person and to the goodness of every human being from the moment of their conception through natural death,” Aquila concluded. “Let us continue to work for the immigrant and to proclaim Jesus Christ, no matter what the cost. May the Lord bless all of you and thank you for your witness.”

Fact check: Did Pope Leo host a rave last week in Slovakia?
Tue, 25 Nov 2025 13:18:00 -0500

CNA Staff, Nov 25, 2025 / 13:18 pm (CNA).

Social media lit up last week with claims that Pope Leo XIV “threw a rave” outside St. Elisabeth Cathedral in Košice, Slovakia. The viral stories included images of laser lights, electronic dance music, and a priest serving as DJ. But what really happened? Here’s what you need to know.

What was the event?

An outdoor electronic music event in front of the city’s iconic 14th-century cathedral was organized by the Archdiocese of Košice to celebrate the Jubilee of Young People and the 75th birthday of Archbishop Bernard Bober. It took place on Nov. 8 and included a Mass celebrated by Bober, who is also the president of the Slovakian Episcopal Conference, with the apostolic nuncio to the country, Archbishop Nicola Girasoli.

Who was there?

The main performer was Father Guilherme Peixoto, 51, a Portuguese priest and electronic music DJ, who led attendees in a mix of electronic and spiritual music. Peixoto also performed at the 2023 World Youth Day in Lisbon. “Electronic music is a privileged way to build a better world,” Peixoto has said.

Catholic leaders in Košice also attended the event.

Did the pope attend or host the rave?

Contrary to sensational headlines, Pope Leo XIV did not throw or personally attend a rave. Instead, the pope appeared on large LED screens via a prerecorded video message, greeting the young people and offering his apostolic blessing: “Dear young people, with joy, I greet you, as you gather before the splendid cathedral of Košice, which is a beating heart of faith and hope. Coming from different nations, yet united by the same faith, your presence is a tangible sign of the fraternity and peace that is instilled in our hearts by friendship with Christ.”

What really happened?

The DJ set blended techno music with fragments of the pope’s message and performed an unreleased track, “Dear Young People,” which included phrases spoken by Leo in his address. Lasers and lights lit up the cathedral, and the crowd — largely composed of young people — danced in celebration. According to press coverage at the time, the event aimed to connect faith with youth culture by “promoting inclusion, tolerance, and respect on the dance floor.”

The pope’s video message included a final “amen,” which was woven into the musical performance. While the Vatican supported the event, it was local clergy and the DJ priest who were hands-on organizers and hosts.

CNA finds: Claims that “the pope hosted or threw a rave” exaggerate the reality. The Vatican supported the event, the pope gave a prerecorded blessing, but the actual rave was organized and performed by Peixoto and the diocese in Košice. The pope did not attend in person nor DJ, but his message to young people and blessing were central to the celebration.

Nigerian priest: Those responsible for killing Christians, Muslims should be held accountable
Tue, 25 Nov 2025 11:30:00 -0500

Rome Newsroom, Nov 25, 2025 / 11:30 am (CNA).

Nigerian priest Father Mathias Ashinnoitian Adugba says more must be done to hold people accountable for the deaths of Christians and Muslims in the country.

Amid increasing media reports of religious persecution and violence in Africa’s most populous nation, Adugba told EWTN News reporter Valentina Di Donato that the “roots” of the multilayered conflict must first be exposed before justice for victims can be achieved.

“We need to ask who are those [people] sponsoring this problem because this is not a natural disaster. This is a human disaster,” he said in the exclusive interview.

“Whether it is the Muslims that are killed or the Christians that are killed it is enough for all of us to unitedly say, ‘Enough is enough,’” he said.

Last week, Pope Leo XIV told journalists gathered outside his Castel Gandolfo residence that “Christians and Muslims have been slaughtered” in Nigeria as a result of a conflict driven and further complicated by terrorism and economic factors.

“I think it’s very important to seek a way for the government, with all peoples, to promote authentic religious freedom,” the pontiff told journalists on Nov. 18.

According to Adugba, the country’s political volatility has left many Nigerians feeling helpless and disillusioned as they continue to frequently hear news of violent attacks, abductions, and murders in the country’s north.

“We need to hold our leaders accountable. We need to hold our institutions [and] our systems accountable,” he told EWTN News. “We need a judiciary that will hold somebody accountable for murdering another person.”

“If we cannot hold these institutions accountable or hold these individuals who commit these crimes accountable it becomes a problem,” he continued.

“Sometimes we hear that somebody has been arrested, and before you know it, he has been set free. Why? Because the sponsors are the problem,” he said.

Recalling when he lived at a seminary in Jos, the capital city of Nigeria’s north-central Plateau state, Adugba said he and his peers witnessed great bloodshed while training for the Catholic priesthood.

“I remember that, as seminarians, we literally saw people being burnt alive,” Adugba told Di Donato.

“This persecution has emboldened our faith. It has made us stronger,” he said after recalling a funeral he attended of a seminarian who was burned to death in a rectory in Kaduna state.

“Going back to the early Christians, persecution has always emboldened faith because you see somebody giving all, giving his all, and dying,” he told EWTN News.

“The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church and so we take that really seriously,” he said.

Giving people hope is greatest challenge, custos of Holy Land says in U.S. visit
Tue, 25 Nov 2025 09:00:00 -0500

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 25, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA).

The custos of the Holy Land said in an interview with EWTN News that the “greatest challenge” is to be a source of hope amid perpetual devastation due to conflict.

“The greatest challenge is to always be able to give people hope. One can have food, one can have a home, one can have medicine, one can have the best schools, but to live, we all need hope. And this hope always arises when you see, when you feel the presence of God through the presence of the Church beside you,” Father Franceso Ielpo told EWTN News’ Matthew Bunson in a two-part interview that began airing Nov. 24 on “EWTN News Nightly.”

Ielpo has served as custos of the Holy Land since his appointment by Pope Leo XIV in June, when he succeeded Father Francesdo Patton. It is Ielpo’s first visit to the United States as custos, a Latin term for “guardian” associated with the Franciscan order’s special responsibility to oversee and care for holy sites in the Holy Land.

Ielpo explained this challenge confronts the Christian community not only in Israel and Palestine but also in Lebanon and Syria. Custodians in these countries, he said, are faced with having “to grow and continue to live in a context of tension, in a context of perpetual conflict.” The Custody of the Holy Land is made up of 325 friars from over 40 countries.

Ielpo said the latest conflict in Israel “has had very serious consequences” for “all communities in the Holy Land,” particularly in the employment sphere due to a lack of pilgrims to the region, which depends on religious tourism to generate income. He further emphasized the “tension of uncertainty about the future, especially for one’s children.”

“The custody continues first and foremost to support and sustain the salaries of all our employees, of all our Christians, and also seeks to continue the educational work that is the schools,” Ielpo said. “We currently have 18 schools with about 10,000 students, both Christian and Muslim. Even for families who can no longer pay for school, we continue to guarantee education because we are convinced that the future is built in the classroom.”

The work of the custody is not limited to the Christian community alone, he said, noting that 90% of the student population attending the Franciscan school in Jericho are Muslim. “They understand and appreciate that the service we offer is for everyone and is of high quality,” he said. At Magnificat, a music school that just celebrated its 30th anniversary, students and teachers are Christian, Muslim, and Jewish, he added.

“The thing that gives me the most hope is that God’s timing is not our timing, that history is carried forward despite all its contradictions by someone else,” he said. Even amid conflict, he continued, “hope always arises from the fact that God is the true protagonist of history, even in storms, even when it seems that he is on the boat and sleeping.”

Concretely, the custos emphasized the need for pilgrims to return, not only for economic reasons, but to demonstrate to residents of the Holy Land that they are “seen, recognized, wanted, loved.”

“The invitation is to return to the Holy Land,” he said. “The shrines are safe — come back, visit, and don’t just visit the shrines. Always ask to meet the communities, even if only for a prayer together … even if only for a greeting, because it is good for everyone.”

Pope to give 2025 Ratzinger Prize to conductor Riccardo Muti at Christmas concert
Tue, 25 Nov 2025 08:00:00 -0500

Vatican City, Nov 25, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV will present the 2025 Ratzinger Prize to the renowned Italian conductor Riccardo Muti, one of the most influential and respected figures in international music, during a concert in the pope’s honor on Dec. 12.

The Joseph Ratzinger-Benedict XVI Vatican Foundation announced that the prize will be awarded to Muti at a Christmas concert directed by the Italian conductor in the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican, in the presence of the pope.

Recognized for the expressive depth with which he interprets musical scores, Muti was also admired by Benedict XVI, who, beyond his profound theological erudition, was a great lover and connoisseur of classical music. The German pontiff was an ardent admirer of Muti’s talent, to which he attributed exceptional spiritual and cultural value.

The maestro reciprocated this esteem with repeated expressions of affection, even after Benedict XVI resigned from the papacy in February 2013, when he moved to the “Mater Ecclesiae” Monastery for a life of prayer and seclusion.

Upon learning of the award, Muti expressed his emotion with these words: “I have always followed and deeply admired Pope Benedict XVI, whose thoughts, reflections, and meditations have been and will continue to be a source of [spiritual] nourishment for men and women of goodwill.”

The presentation of the 2025 Ratzinger Prize will not only celebrate the maestro’s artistic achievements but will also be a tribute to the relationship of mutual admiration and profound respect he had for Benedict.

The concert will include the “Mass for the Coronation of Charles X,“ composed by Luigi Cherubini in 1885, performed by the Luigi Cherubini Youth Orchestra and the Guidi Chigi Saracini Choir of the Cathedral of Siena.

Muti, born in 1941 in Naples, began his musical career as a pianist and choirmaster, eventually becoming one of the world’s most renowned conductors.

He has conducted some of the foremost orchestras, such as the New York Philharmonic, the Vienna Philharmonic, and the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, where he has left an indelible mark thanks to his commitment to the faithful interpretation of classical music. Throughout his career, he has received numerous international awards, solidifying his reputation as a master of the symphonic and operatic repertoire.

The Ratzinger Prize, established in 2011, is awarded annually upon the recommendation of the foundation’s scientific committee and with the approval of the pope, recognizing outstanding figures in Christian-inspired culture and art. Previous recipients include theologians, biblical scholars, philosophers, jurists, and artists from various continents and religious denominations.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

New World Liberty Congress president analyzes ‘silence’ of Church in Nicaragua
Tue, 25 Nov 2025 07:00:00 -0500

ACI Prensa Staff, Nov 25, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Former Nicaraguan political prisoner Félix Maradiaga was recently elected president of the World Liberty Congress (WLC). In an interview with “EWTN Noticias,” the Spanish-language broadcast edition of EWTN News, he analyzed the “silence” of the Catholic Church in Nicaragua, which is under persecution by the dictatorship of President Daniel Ortega.

Maradiaga, who is also president of the Foundation for the Freedom of Nicaragua and holds a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard University, now leads a global organization — the WLC — that promotes democracy, human rights, and freedom, especially in the more than 60 countries under authoritarian regimes, seeking to coordinate opposition movements and defending religious freedom as an essential part of its agenda.

In Nicaragua, he warned, “there is silence because the dictatorship is very good at achieving censorship. There is transnational repression, which is the perverse methodology of dictatorships to not only censor, silence, and murder within their borders, but to do so outside their borders as well.”

“We saw, for example, the recent assassination of retired Nicaraguan Army Major Roberto Samcam in Costa Rica, the threats against priests who are in exile, that if they speak out, if they express their opinions, then there will be consequences for their brothers in the faith inside Nicaragua. And that has generated a climate of censorship where those in exile cannot speak because they put their own families at risk,” Maradiaga charged.

Martha Patricia Molina, author of the report “Nicaragua: A Persecuted Church,” which in its latest edition from August of this year denounced the prohibition of more than 16,500 processions in the country, said something similar to EWTN News at the time.

Catholic priests “are prohibited from making any complaints, and if by chance any aggression is exposed in the media, then the [dictatorship] simply denies it,” the author explained.

Furthermore, “the laypeople are terrified that members of the Citizens’ Power Council and the paramilitaries, which are organizations affiliated with the dictatorship, will harm them if they decide to speak out,” which is compounded by the fact that there are no independent media outlets in Nicaragua.

Duty of the laity and ‘dilemma’ of the Church in Nicaragua

“And now I speak as a Catholic: The responsibility of committed laypeople is to speak for our brother priests who cannot speak. What has happened in Nicaragua is a terrible censorship,” Maradiaga lamented in the interview with EWTN News.

“And finally, the Church faces a dilemma. It has to continue exercising its pastoral role within Nicaragua, a pastoral role that involves preaching the Gospel of Christ to all people. And that is what puts the Catholic Church in a dilemma,” he added.

However, Maradiaga highlighted as signs of hope that Pope Leo XIV recently met with Bishop Rolando Álvarez, who is in exile in Rome. “We believe that with the new papacy of His Holiness, Nicaraguan Catholics, the persecuted Nicaraguan Church will receive attention,” he emphasized.

Before being deported by the regime, Álvarez was detained for 17 months, first under house arrest and then in prison, charged with treason.

How does the Ortega dictatorship remain in power?

According to Maradiaga, “Daniel Ortega’s dictatorial regime has taken advantage of a world that is completely distracted and overwhelmed by a series of crises. I always say that these crises unfortunately allow dictatorships to advance more quickly.”

“Ortega has turned Nicaragua into a giant prison, he has established a system of extrajudicial killings, he continues to haul off people to prison, he has practically closed all the independent universities in the country, he doesn’t allow freedom of the press, he has forced more than 15% of the population into exile, but he does this because he has Iran, China, and Russia behind him, and therefore the democratic change in Nicaragua must be part of an international agenda for the restoration of democracy,” he explained.

“I firmly believe that striking a blow against Nicolás Maduro’s dictatorship in Venezuela, getting rid of Nicolás Maduro’s dictatorship in Venezuela, will have a direct impact on Ortega’s dictatorship,” added Maradiaga, referring to the increasingly tougher measures the Trump administration has been taking against the Maduro regime.

U.S. cracking down on illegal migration through Nicaragua

On Nov. 17, U.S. State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said the United States government had decided to “revoke visas for individuals in Nicaragua identified as knowingly facilitating illegal immigration,” such as “owners, executives, and senior officials of transportation companies, travel agencies, and tour operators.”

“In recent years, Ortega opened a gateway for migrants. Initially for migrants from Cuba and Venezuela, but at a certain point, Ortega opened a gateway for migration from countries in Africa and Asia,” Arturo McFields, Nicaragua’s former ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS), told ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner.

“Conviasa flights began departing from Havana: Venezuela provided the Conviasa airline, Cuba provided the migrants, and Ortega provided the springboard to begin the migratory route to the United States,” he stated.

“And in these cases, all those migrants received tickets to go to Managua. And from Managua, they began a journey to the United States. This was something that enriched the regime,” McFields charged from exile.

He thus concluded: “Many migrants saw arriving in Nicaragua as a door of hope, when in reality they were subjected to all kinds of abuses and a brutal business that Ortega was running with an iron fist and with an entire structure in which he offered transportation from the airport, lodging, and a series of logistical arrangements until taking the person to the border with Honduras: It was a complete human trafficking industry.”

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Vatican defends monogamy against polygamy, polyamory
Tue, 25 Nov 2025 06:00:00 -0500

Vatican City, Nov 25, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

A new Vatican document defends marriage as a monogamous relationship amid the growing popularity of polyamory and addresses the pastoral challenges caused by conversion to Catholicism of people in polygamous situations.

“One Flesh: In Praise of Monogamy” was published in Italian by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith on Nov. 25.

“Polygamy, adultery, or polyamory are based on the illusion that the intensity of the relationship can be found in the succession of partners,” the Vatican says.

To illustrate this metaphorically, the text cites the myth of Don Juan, an unbridled seducer whose womanizing leads him to hell, which demonstrates that “multiplying partners in a supposed total union means fragmenting the meaning of marital love.”

The text also draws on the writing of poets Walt Whitman, Pablo Neruda, Rabindranath Tagore, and Emily Dickinson, as well as philosophers such as the Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard.

The document, signed by Pope Leo XIV, does not address the indissolubility of marriage or the purpose of procreation but focuses on the unitive aspect of marriage: “A communion of love and life shared by both spouses, a communion that is not oriented solely toward procreation but also toward the integral good of both.”

The text originated from a request made during the Synod on Synodality for African bishops to prepare a statement on polygamy. African bishops themselves asked the Holy See for guidance on the issue, the doctrine dicastery said earlier this month.

In the Nov. 25 document, the dicastery says it also wanted to provide a deeper reflection on monogamy in the face of growing “public forms of nonmonogamous unions — sometimes called ‘polyamory’” — in the West.

The Vatican’s doctrinal note emphasizes that “properly understood, monogamy is not simply the opposite of polygamy.”

Drawing from the teachings of St. John Paul II, the Vatican affirms that “only monogamy guarantees that sexuality develops within a framework of recognizing the other as a subject with whom one shares one’s life entirely, a subject who is an end in himself and never a means to one’s own needs. Sexual union, which involves the whole person, can treat the other as a person, that is, as a co-subject of love and not an object of use, only if it develops within the framework of a unique and exclusive belonging.”

“Those who give themselves fully and completely to the other can only be two,” the text states, after noting that in nonmonogamous relationships everyone “would be treated as means and not as persons.”

Sexuality: Total and open to life

The text makes it clear that placing sexuality within the framework of a love that “unites spouses in a single friendship” does not imply a “devaluation of sexual pleasure.” Rather, “by orienting it toward self-giving, it is not only enriched but also enhanced.”

Thus, “sexuality is no longer the release of an immediate need but a personal choice that expresses the totality of the person.”

The Vatican criticizes contemporary culture that reduces sexuality to consumption: “Various problems have arisen from an excessive and uncontrolled pursuit of sex, or from the simple denial of its procreative purpose.”

Therefore, the Vatican defends openness to life in sexual union as a form of expression of “conjugal charity” without requiring that every act explicitly have that purpose.

On an anthropological level, the document insists that “the defense of monogamy is also a defense of the dignity of women,” since “the unity of marriage implies, therefore, a free choice on the part of the woman, who has the right to demand exclusive reciprocity.”

The document also addresses sexual violence, which it says proliferates on social media, and invites Catholics to provide education on “faithful and monogamous love.”

“Education in monogamy is not a moral restriction but rather an initiation into the grandeur of a love that transcends immediacy,” it says.

Theological foundations and spiritual tradition

The text offers a broad overview of the Christian tradition that has upheld and reflected upon marital unity. It quotes popes and Church fathers, including St. John Chrysostom, who saw in marital unity an antidote to “unbridled sexual abandon, without love or fidelity.”

Citing the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the text also considers the challenges for those who, desiring to convert to the Catholic faith, must navigate complex family situations. In addition to Africa, the document cites Asia, specifically India, where “monogamy has generally been the norm and has been considered an ideal in married life,” but polygamous relationships have also been present.

Africa’s Catholic bishops issued a document earlier this year with six pastoral guidelines for how to welcome people in polygamous situations into the Church, both while upholding Church teaching on marriage and not leaving women and children vulnerable to abandonment and poverty.

At the Aug. 4 assembly of the Symposium of Episcopal Conference of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) in Kigali, Rwanda, Archbishop Andrew Nkea Fuanya of Cameroon’s Bamenda Catholic Archdiocese clarified that during the deliberations at the Synod on Synodality, “polygamy was not brought up as an African concept to be approved. It was brought up as a challenge to Christian marriage in Africa.”

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA. Hannah Brockhaus contributed to this report.

Hundreds of Nigerian students remain captive; Cameroon archbishop warns of church closures
Mon, 24 Nov 2025 17:41:00 -0500

ACI Prensa Staff, Nov 24, 2025 / 17:41 pm (CNA).

The Catholic Church is facing a new wave of violence in Africa: In Nigeria, 265 students from a Catholic school remain captive after being kidnapped last week while an archbishop in Cameroon is threatening to close parishes if a kidnapped priest is not released.

In Nigeria, Bishop Bulus Dauwa Yohanna of Kontagora told Fides: “The kidnappers are almost certainly criminals seeking illicit gain by demanding a ransom.”

An official statement from the diocese, published on Nov. 23, reported that 50 minors managed to escape and reunite with their families after fleeing between Friday and Saturday following the attack. These developments were confirmed through visits and phone calls with their relatives, the statement said.

However, of the 315 people initially captured, “265 remain in the hands of the kidnappers, of whom 239 are children, 14 are high school students, and 12 are members of the school staff,” the diocesan statement specified.

The institution serves 430 primary school students (377 boarders and 53 day students) and 199 secondary school students, figures that, according to the diocese, “are important in helping the public understand the scale of the incident and the extensive efforts underway to account for every missing child and staff member.”

Cameroon archbishop demands release of kidnapped priest

The archbishop of Bamenda, Andrew Nkea Fuanya, announced that “if Father John is not released before Nov. 26, the churches in the deanery will be closed” as a measure to pressure for the release of parish priest John Berinyuy Tatah, who was kidnapped on Nov. 15 by armed men in northeastern Cameroon along with his vicar.

The faithful were informed of the possible closures in an official message read on Sunday, Nov. 23, in all parishes, the Vatican news agency Fides reported.

Nkea explained that if the priest remains in the hands of his captors by that date, the parishes, schools, and Catholic institutions of the Ndop deanery will be closed. “Priests will be evacuated for their safety, and the Blessed Sacrament will be removed from the churches.”

Furthermore, he warned that if the priest continues to be held captive on Nov. 28, the archbishop, the clergy, and lay faithful will march to the village of Baba I, where he is believed to be held, “and will either bring him back home or remain there until he is released,” Fides reported.

The prelate denounced the frequent kidnappings of priests and pastoral workers, stating that the perpetrators “have put us against the wall, and all of this must end immediately,” noting that many laypeople have also suffered torture, violence, and extortion.

According to Fides, the kidnapping was carried out by armed separatists who have proclaimed the so-called “Republic of Ambazonia” in the English-speaking northeast and southeast regions of the country. The rest of Cameroon is French-speaking.

Bishop Barron: ‘The persecution is real and we must react’

The situation in Nigeria has caused international outrage. The bishop of Winona-Rochester in Minnesota, Robert Barron, recently referred to the wave of attacks against Catholic communities, noting that what has happened is part of “an ongoing and long-standing persecution.”

“Over the last 10 years, I think 100,000 Christians have been murdered, tens of thousands of churches burned, [and there has been a] huge displacement of the Christian population,” he said on X.

After explaining that in the middle parts of the country the attacks on Christians may be motivated by a mixture of religious, tribal, or economic reasons, Barron said he did not want the appeal to mixed motives as an excuse for inaction.

“Are the motives of the persecutors mixed? Sure, I’ll grant you that. There are economic or tribal elements, of course. But my overall point is: Who cares? What matters here is that our brother and sister Christians are being brutally mistreated.”

Barron also appealed to the international Christian community: “Our connections in Christ to one another are deeper than our national identity.” Christians must pray, speak out, raise awareness, and ask our representatives to act, he said.

The bishop also emphasized that Nigeria today is “a flourishing Church” in vocations and vitality. “Am I surprised that that Church especially is undergoing a very vicious persecution? No. The more successful a Church becomes, the more on fire with Christ it becomes, the more it attracts the attention of the enemy.”

Call for calm and prayer

The Diocese of Kontagora assured that it is “fully committed to the safe rescue of those still in captivity” and reported that it continues to work with the police, authorities, and families.

It also asked the faithful to remain calm, continue praying, and support the ongoing efforts.

Meanwhile, in Cameroon, Nkea once again called on the authorities to stop the abuses against the population and demanded that the priest and all kidnapping victims be returned home as soon as possible.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

3 German bishops oppose school guide on ‘diversity of sexual identities’
Mon, 24 Nov 2025 16:08:00 -0500

EWTN News, Nov 24, 2025 / 16:08 pm (CNA).

Three German bishops have publicly distanced themselves from the German Bishops’ Conference’s new document on “diversity of sexual identities” for schools, further escalating the dispute over how Catholic education should address gender identity.

At the center of the controversy is the 48-page text “Geschaffen, erlöst und geliebt: Sichtbarkeit und Anerkennung der Vielfalt sexueller Identitäten in der Schule” (“Created, Redeemed, and Loved: Visibility and Recognition of the Diversity of Sexual Identities in the School”).

Published on Oct. 30 by the bishops’ conference’s Commission for Education and Schools, the document is intended to serve as an orientation aid for Catholic and other schools in Germany. Due to internal discussions last summer, the orientation text was initially withheld and revised.

Based on the premise that “the diversity of sexual identities is a fact,” the text urges schools to foster an environment free of discrimination for students, staff, and parents who identify as queer. The document calls on students to respect the self-identification and self-designation of classmates who identify as queer and to support initiatives that highlight their situation.

The English word “queer” is frequently used by some German organizations, including certain dioceses, as an umbrella term for people who identify as LGBT.

In his foreword, commission chair Bishop Heinrich Timmerevers of Dresden-Meissen stresses that the text does not claim to offer a full moral-theological evaluation. Rather, it is intended to provide school-pastoral and pedagogical guidelines rooted in contemporary human sciences.

Teachers are encouraged to use language that reflects “the diversity of sexual identities.” In religion classes, teachers should present disputed questions of sexual morality as such, allowing students to form their own judgments.

Bishop Stefan Oster of Passau issued the most detailed response. In an online commentary, he acknowledged concerns about vulnerable young people but said he “fully” distanced himself from the document’s presuppositions and its theological, philosophical, pedagogical, and developmental psychological approach.

Although the booklet is published under the name “The German Bishops,” Oster insists that it does not speak for him and warns that it promotes an anthropology that effectively desacralizes the Christian understanding of the human person.

Since then, Regensburg’s bishop, Rudolf Voderholzer, has aligned himself explicitly with Oster’s critique. His diocese republished the Passau text as a “critical analysis” of the central theses, and Voderholzer accused the bishops’ conference leadership of pushing the paper through almost unchanged despite requests for revisions in the Standing Council. The Regensburg response spoke of an “agenda” being pursued “in our name.”

The Standing Council is the German Bishops’ Conference’s governing body where all 27 diocesan bishops meet five to six times per year to handle ongoing business and coordinate between the less-frequent plenary assemblies.

The third critical response came from Cologne. The archdiocese, led by Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki, released a statement rejecting all forms of discrimination in Catholic schools. Regarding the theological and anthropological assessment of “Geschaffen, erlöst und geliebt,” however, the archdiocese said it “aligns itself” with Oster’s commentary.

Other voices have contributed to the mixed reception. Thomas Maria Renz, the Rottenburg auxiliary bishop and vice chair of the school commission, welcomed the effort to protect vulnerable youth. However, he warned against a “naive” endorsement of every form of adolescent self-description during development. He called for a stronger focus on broader educational goals.

For now, the document remains officially in force as an orientation aid of the bishops’ conference. However, the open opposition of three diocesan bishops has turned it into a key issue in the broader struggle over the Church’s reform efforts in Germany, particularly with regard to sexuality and anthropology.

Pope Leo XIV: Hope does not mean having all the answers but trusting in God
Mon, 24 Nov 2025 15:38:00 -0500

ACI Prensa Staff, Nov 24, 2025 / 15:38 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV stated that hope “does not mean having all the answers, but rather it calls us to put our trust in God.”

The pontiff made his remarks during an audience granted Nov. 24 at the Vatican to faithful from Latvia, who traveled to the Eternal City to commemorate the centenary of the first official Latvian pilgrimage to Rome.

After greeting Prime Minister Evika Siliņa, with whom he had met privately earlier, the Holy Father thanked the pilgrims for keeping the tradition alive and following in the footsteps “of your forebears in the faith.”

He then recalled that Rome “has always been a home for all Christians, since it is here that the great apostles Peter and Paul gave the supreme witness to the Gospel by becoming martyrs for the faith.”

The Holy Father also recalled Pope Francis’ visit to the country in 2018, on the occasion of the centenary of the nation’s independence, where he spoke “of the difficulties your country experienced in the past.”

“While the current conflict in your region may evoke memories of those turbulent times,” Leo said, “it is important for all of us to turn to God and to be strengthened by God’s grace when faced with such tribulation.”

Recalling Francis’ words, Leo emphasized the “vital role the Christian faith played in your country’s history.” He expressed gratitude for the bond between Latvia and the Holy See, whose relations have grown closer in recent years.

The Holy Father also affirmed that it is necessary to unite with hope “the virtue of faith in order to keep our eyes on the present and see the many ways that God is blessing us here and now.”

In this regard, he explained that a pilgrimage “has an important role in our life of faith for it gives us the time and space to encounter God more deeply.”

“It takes us away from the routine and noise of everyday life,” he added, “and offers the space and silence to hear God’s voice more clearly.”

Finally, he encouraged them to share what they experienced in Rome when they return home, because, he affirmed, “a pilgrimage does not end but its seeds should take root in your daily discipleship and bear fruit in your lives.”

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Newman Guide adds Catholic elementary, secondary, graduate school sections
Mon, 24 Nov 2025 15:08:00 -0500

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 24, 2025 / 15:08 pm (CNA).

The 2025-2026 Newman Guide will be available in December to help parents and students find reliable Catholic elementary, secondary, college, international, and graduate education programs.

The Cardinal Newman Society, which publishes a yearly guide on the most faithfully Catholic schools in the U.S., will release its new edition as both an e-book and a digest-sized print book.

The Newman Guide has recommended colleges for Catholic families for 20 years, but the 2025-2026 edition is the first that will recommend elementary schools, secondary schools, colleges, and graduate programs. The new guide follows the recent announcements of St. John Henry Newman becoming a doctor of the Church and a patron saint of Catholic education.

The guide gives families a path to a faithful Catholic education, which is growing more relevant, according to the Cardinal Newman Society, which reported a 55% decline in enrollment at Catholic schools in the last 50 years. Recognizing that Catholic education is the Church’s most effective means of evangelization and Catholic formation, the society says it continues to respond with tools, including the Newman Guide.

“With so many Catholic colleges compromising their mission, the Newman Guide served as a trusted resource to identify schools committed to forming students intellectually and spiritually in line with Church teachings,” said Dominic Kalpakgian, a student who started attending a Newman Guide-recommended college in 2024.

“The guide’s endorsement carried significant weight with my parents, who trusted the Newman Guide schools to uphold the values and principles they had instilled in me,” Kalpakgian said.

“The Newman Guide was instrumental in helping my family locate a faithfully Catholic grade school when we were moving across the country,” said Molly Metzgar, a mother, teacher, and Cardinal Newman Society employee. “While subsequently teaching at my child’s school, I helped successfully navigate the Newman Guide application process.”

The guide reaches more than 75,000 families online each year and now plans to expand numbers with the additional print version. Since starting to approve schools beyond just colleges, 28 elementary schools and 55 graduate programs have become Newman Guide-recommended.

“Out of our 160+ graduates, those who attended Newman Guide colleges are the ones still practicing their faith,” said Derek Tremblay, the headmaster of Mount Royal Academy.

How to become Newman Guide recommended

Since 2007, the Cardinal Newman Society has recognized Catholic colleges in the Newman Guide that have strong policies and standards and uphold Catholic identity within academics, athletics, faculty hiring, and campus life.

The key elements in faithful Catholic education, according to the society, is looking for salvation of souls, Catholic community, prayer, Scripture and sacrament, integral formation, and Christian worldview.

To be recognized in the Newman Guide, “a Catholic school must be committed to strong Catholic identity and model the ‘Principles of Catholic Identity in Education,’ use the Catholic ‘Curriculum Standards’ in whole or part, and align their school policies with standards promoted by the society which are derived from Church teaching.”

Catholic schools must have a curriculum that provides for the integral formation of the whole person and helps students know and understand objective reality, including transcendent truth.

The Newman Guide policy standards are derived from guidance from Church councils, popes, Vatican congregations, bishops conferences, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and other Church documents.

As Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Turkey nears, anticipation grows among local communities
Mon, 24 Nov 2025 11:05:00 -0500

ACI MENA, Nov 24, 2025 / 11:05 am (CNA).

With the countdown underway for Pope Leo XIV’s first official journey outside Italy, excitement is building across Turkey’s Christian and wider faith communities. Ahead of the historic visit, EWTN News spoke with several individuals who shared their hopes, expectations, and reflections on what the pope’s presence could mean for the country.

Linda Tito, a 67-year-old Levantine from Izmir, is eagerly awaiting the visit. “I am happy to go to Istanbul to see the pope, because his visit is a sign of unity and hope for us Christians in Turkey. It is wonderful that he can also see us, know that we exist and that we love him. Meeting him in person is for me a gesture of faith and an opportunity to feel fully part of the universal Church.”

Bedri Diril, 40, a member of Istanbul’s Chaldean community, shared his opinion on the significance and importance of Pope Leo XIV’s visit in ecumenical terms.

“Popes’ visits to Turkey always carry a significance beyond their symbolic meaning. Therefore, Pope Leo XIV’s visit is also of great importance to Christians living in these lands. Anatolia holds a very special and sacred place in the history of Christianity. Although Christians are a minority in these lands, they have continued to bear witness to their faith in Christ for centuries,” he said.

Diril said he thinks Pope Leo’s visit will give “moral support and courage” to the minority communities living in Turkey. “On an ecumenical level, strengthening the pope’s ties with the ecumenical patriarchate will be an extremely positive step for the Christian world, and I believe this step will bear fruit in the future,” he said, adding: “Certain disagreements and differences of opinion between the Catholic and Orthodox churches, which stem from the past, will show significant progress towards unity in the near future thanks to such visits and dialogues. The most important element that will develop between the churches will undoubtedly be love. With this love, it will be possible to achieve the unity of the one church in Christ Jesus, as in the first centuries, which all true believers long for.”

Teodora Hacuni, 57, is one of the women from the small Greek community in Izmir. She believes this papal visit will be memorable.

“It is truly significant that His Holiness Pope Leo XIV is making his first official overseas visit to Turkey in the 1,700th year of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea. Church unity is only possible if we accept each other as brothers and sisters,” she said. “The message of unity that His Holiness the Pope and His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew will deliver here should be a guiding light for us Christians. Both churches are taking sincere steps in this direction, and granting the use of the Santa Maria Church in Izmir to Orthodox Christians is one of them. I am grateful to our Catholic brothers for these generous attribution.”

Meanwhile, the small town of Iznik is also buzzing with excitement, particularly one of its residents. Mesude Künen, a ceramic artist for 33 years who works with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, has spent two months completing a miniature depicting the historic sites and ramparts of Iznik. She said to multiple Turkish media stations she was very excited about the visit.

“The pope will soon be visiting our city of İznik. I have been working on a special project for him to highlight the historical sites and city walls of İznik. I would like to present him with this important work. I had already created a miniature version of this work, but it was purchased by a famous collector.”

This story was first published by ACI MENA, CNA's Arabic-language news partner, and has been translated for and adapted by CNA.

16,000 teens attend Mass together to conclude NCYC
Mon, 24 Nov 2025 10:35:00 -0500

Indianapolis, Indiana, Nov 24, 2025 / 10:35 am (CNA).

The 2025 National Catholic Youth Conferences (NCYC) concluded with a nighttime Mass drawing around 16,000 teenagers.

After three days of prayer, community, sacraments, and a conversation with Pope Leo XIV, young Catholics packed into Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis to end the conference with Mass on Nov. 22. Archbishop Nelson Pérez told CNA it was “beautiful” to celebrate the Mass alongside 25 of his brother bishops and more than 240 priests.

“It’s the Church in its splendor,” Pérez said. “Tonight, we experienced the Church in its splendor.”

The final Mass was celebrated on the Saturday before the solemnity of Christ the King. In his homily, Pérez said: “When I think about a king, I think about palaces and big thrones and power and authority.”

“But when Jesus talks about king it’s … different,” Pérez said. “His throne is a cross. His crown is not made of gold and gems. It’s made of thorns. He doesn’t wear fancy, beautiful, priceless rings on his hands. He has nails.”

The “very mystery of the life and the death of Christ, the King, and all of our lives is actually a dying and a rising — dying to sin, dying to the parts of our humanity that might be warped and wounded, and rising to new life to renewal of our soul.”

Then “that process goes over and over over and over and over again until we die in Christ for the last time and then rise with him,” Pérez said. “How blessed, how filled with hope we are.”

Pérez reminds teens: ‘Christ loves you just as you are’

Pérez concluded his homily by tying his message back to what Pope Leo told the teens in his digital encounter with them on Nov. 21. Pérez told the teenagers Pope Leo spoke with them because he loves them.

Pope Leo has “gathered with youth all over the place, especially this summer, [during] the Jubilee of Youth,” Pérez said. The pope’s “message is profound, powerful, and simple at the same time: ‘Christ loves you just as you are.’”

Pérez reminded the crowd to listen to what the pope said to them. “Think of your closest friends. If they were hurting, you would walk with them, listen, and stay close,” the pope said. “Our relation with Jesus is similar. He knows when life feels heavy, even when we do not feel his presence, our faith tells us he is there.”

“To entrust our struggles to Jesus, we have to spend time in prayer … We can speak honestly about what’s in our hearts,” Pérez said, quoting the pope. “That is why daily moments of silence are so important, whether through adoration, reading Scripture, or simply talking to him.”

“‘Little by little, we learn to hear his voice, both from within and through the people he sends us. As you grow closer to Jesus,’ he said to us, ‘Do not fear what he may ask of you. If he challenges you to make changes in your life, it’s always because he wants to give you greater joy and freedom. God is never outdone in generosity.’”

“The pope’s digital visit was what made this NCYC epic, really epic and different from any other,” Pérez told CNA. The success was from “the excitement of our youth to welcome the Holy Father” and Pope Leo’s “generosity and willingness” to speak with them.

Being a part of the conference and seeing so many young Catholics at Mass together made Pérez feel “hopeful,” he said. “In a world and a country that’s so divided right now and violent at times, after this, I’m just so full of hope. It’s almost like we’re going to be OK.”

“It’s incredible to see the young Church alive,” Pérez said. “It’s such a beautiful, beautiful gathering.”