As beatification nears, new book explains why Fulton Sheen was ‘America’s Apostle’
With the beatification of Archbishop Fulton Sheen approaching, a new book on the life and legacy of the evangelist and television and radio show host explains why he was “America’s Apostle.”
Allan Smith, founder and director of the Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Mission Society of Canada, published the book “America’s Apostle” on Sept. 15, just ahead of the archbishop’s beatification on Sept. 24.
“I think … the title is a perfect one — ‘Americaʼs Apostle,’ because he really was an apostle to the American people in the great tradition of apostles,” Vice President and Editorial Director of EWTN News Matthew Bunson told “EWTN News Nightly” anchor Veronica Dudo on Sept. 22.
The book was published through EWTN Publishing and Sophia Institute Press.
“[Sheen] was a brilliant communicator; he had immense gifts on television, radio, as a writer, as a poet,” Bunson said. “But all of that was geared toward proclaiming Jesus Christ in exactly the same way that a good apostle should.”
Sheen began his media career as a priest, hosting an hourlong radio show called “The Catholic Hour” in 1930 until he was consecrated an auxiliary bishop in New York in 1951 and transitioned to television, hosting “Life Is Worth Living.” At its peak, Sheen’s radio show was reaching about 4 million people weekly, and his television show was reaching about 30 million people.
“Like a good apostle, he used all the means of communications at his disposal,” Bunson said. “I just mentioned television, radio, you name it. He wanted to use it. So itʼs perfectly appropriate, I think, for him to be called ‘Americaʼs Apostle.’”
Sheen also reserved one hour every day for prayer in front of the Blessed Sacrament, beginning this when he was ordained in 1919 until he died in 1979. He was found dead at the age of 84 in his chapel in front of the Blessed Sacrament.
Bunson explained that Sheen “made a promise on the day of his ordination” that he would do a Holy Hour in front of the Blessed Sacrament. He also noted Sheen wrote in his autobiography, “Treasure in Clay,” that he prepared for his homilies, his books, and his speeches in front of the Eucharist.
“He made the Blessed Sacrament his way of not just preparing, but making himself holy and worthy of the people he was talking to,” Bunson said. “Because thatʼs how seriously he took what he was saying.”
“So as a communicator, it wasnʼt just communicating about himself,” he said. “He was always proclaiming a person, and that was Jesus Christ. And he did that by developing and fostering his love for the Eucharist. And he did it in the Holy Hour.”
“Fulton Sheen, pray for us,” Bunson concluded.
Archbishop of Panama asks victims for forgiveness: ‘We cannot remain silent in the face of abuse’
The archbishop of Panama, José Domingo Ulloa Mendieta, stated that “we cannot remain silent in the face of abuse” during his presentation of the report “Assessment of Institutional Responses (AIR) in cases of sexual abuse of minors and vulnerable persons” within the Archdiocese of Panama between 2001 and 2025.
The report by the Transparency Commission (TC), a pilot project and the first from an interdisciplinary group of independent experts on addressing and preventing abuse within ecclesial settings, was presented on Sept. 22 at the Santa María La Antigua University auditorium in Panama City.
Speaking during the presentation, Ulloa emphasized: “It has already been said here, and we know it: Our Panamanian culture often prefers to remain silent, but in the face of abuse, we cannot remain silent.”
“We want to listen; we want to take every complaint seriously, with respect, and confidentiality, protecting the individuals involved and acting in accordance with established procedures,” he added.
The prelate explained that the archdiocese he leads “remains committed to reporting relevant allegations to the competent civil authorities in accordance with current legislation” and acknowledged the need to ask what can be done better to move forward in the prevention of abuse.
“A culture of protection is not built solely through written rules; it is built when every priest, religious, pastoral worker, collaborator, and member of our communities understands that protecting minors and vulnerable persons is an ongoing, shared responsibility,” the archbishop emphasized.
Asking forgiveness of the victims
The prelate also addressed “in a special way victims and survivors. We are deeply pained by the suffering you have endured.”
“It pains us to know that those who should have found a place of welcome, care, and trust within the Church experienced situations that caused them such deep wounds,” he continued.
Ulloa emphasized that “wherever members of our Church caused harm, and wherever our institutional response fell short of what the victims needed and had a right to expect, we ask for forgiveness in the name of the Church.”
The archbishop also noted that “over this 25-year period, and I wish to highlight this especially for the media, more than 18 priests have been removed from priestly ministry due to situations involving the Sixth Commandment, offenses against property, or other issues they have experienced.”
The Transparency Commission
According to its website, the Transparency Commission (TC) was established to conduct comprehensive investigations “in a holistic, professional, independent, and rigorous manner regarding cases of abuse of minors and vulnerable persons within the Church.” It is funded by the University of Notre Dame Law School in Indiana and Villanueva University in Madrid.
“This group of experts focuses its work on places where crises related to ecclesial abuse have not yet occurred or have not come to light,” notes the TC website.
The report indicates that in cases of sexual abuse, the AIR “must place victims at the center of the analysis, since the way the institution protects their rights, addresses their needs, and fosters their reparation constitutes the primary criterion for evaluating the quality of the response provided.”
The Transparency Commission is composed of 17 individuals coordinated by Father Jordi Pujol, a lawyer who holds a doctorate in moral theology and is also a professor of law and communication ethics at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome.
Its members include Father Thomas Berg, a professor and researcher at the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame; Yago de la Cierva, a professor of preventive and crisis communication at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross; and Irma Patricia Espinosa, a psychiatrist, member of the National Council for the Protection of Minors of the Mexican Bishops’ Conference, academic director and founding partner of the Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Training for the Protection of Minors (CEPROME) Latin America, and a member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors since 2022.
Also serving on the Transparency Commission are María Inés Franck, professor of canon law at the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina and a member of the Pastoral Council for the Protection of Minors of the Argentine Bishops’ Conference; Monsignor John Paul Kimes, professor of canon law at the University of Notre Dame Law School; and Father Daniel Portillo, dean of the psychology department at Lumen Gentium Catholic University in Mexico. He is the director and a founding member of CEPROME Latin America.
The Panama Report
The request for the report goes back to October 2025, when the archbishop of Panama requested an assessment of institutional response from the TC “on his own initiative, without a court order or a request from the Holy See.”
The commission stated that it accepted the assignment subject to three conditions: full access to information, total independence in the investigation, and a commitment to publish the findings. The archdiocese did not intervene in the compilation of the report and only saw it days before its presentation.
The TC states that it operated with financial independence: Its members received no remuneration from the archdiocese, and costs were covered by Notre Dame Law School and the Villanueva University Foundation. The archdiocese only covered transportation and accommodation and provided workspace.
The commission reported that, during the period under review, the archdiocese received 37 complaints of which it analyzed 24, while the remaining 13 were excluded from the analysis “because they referred to events that occurred outside the archdioceseʼs territory or the time frame examined, or because they did not involve abuse against minors or vulnerable persons.”
The report reveals that case management improved thanks to two initiatives by the archdiocese: the approval of guidelines in 2015 and the creation in 2024 of the Pastoral Care and Prevention Office and the Listening Office.
The report, currently available only in Spanish, identifies five areas requiring improvement: listening to and accompanying victims; recordkeeping; prevention; justice for victims; and reparation.
“Making reparation requires acknowledging the harm, accepting personal and institutional responsibility, and addressing the physical, psychological, moral, spiritual, and social needs of each victim,” the commission emphasizes.
The pilot project
In a FAQ section about the report, the TC explains that this work is a pilot project because “it is the first time that a comprehensive methodology has been applied that can be replicated in other dioceses or ecclesial organizations.”
“This first project has allowed us to test a methodology and a work system, based on professional listening, research in archives, conducting interviews with various audiences of interest, and media analysis and the sociocultural context of the country,” it adds.
The Transparency Commission further specifies that the working methodology aims to “place victims at the center, protecting their rights, and guarantee due process for the accused,” applying a clear standard of prudence to avoid “revictimizing a victim or blaming an innocent person.”
The Transparency Commission also noted that “the Vatican has been kept informed of the workʼs progress at all times; both the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors and the Pontifical Commission for Latin America are aware of the TC’s work. Furthermore, some members of the commission work or have worked with both the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors and the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.”
The TC concludes by noting that anyone who has suffered abuse within the Church may, at any time, turn to the Archdiocese of Panama’s Listening Office and file a report with the public prosecutorʼs office.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
Planned Parenthood miscoding claim prompts watchdog’s call for federal inquiry
Do No Harm — a nonprofit that says it works to keep identity politics out of medical education — asked the Health and Human Services inspector general to investigate Planned Parenthood over alleged miscoding tied to youth cross‑sex hormone prescriptions.
The group, which also campaigns against diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives it argues inject gender ideology into clinical practice, says in a Sept. 22 letter that Planned Parenthood and its affiliates may be coding visits in ways that make youth hormone prescriptions appear routine. According to the letter, such coding could obscure what the group calls “sex‑rejecting” services and allow private and public insurers to cover treatments that might otherwise be excluded.
Do No Harm further cites what it describes as “significant, often irreversible” risks associated with these treatments and says available evidence on their safety or effectiveness for addressing gender dysphoria is “low to very low quality.” The letter also notes the procedures’ “lucrative” nature, asserting they can create long‑term patients.
Because health insurance providers, including government-sponsored ones such as Medicare, Medicaid, and TRICARE, reimburse for “medically necessary” treatments only, the group alleges that Planned Parenthood miscodes the procedures in order to get illegally reimbursed.
The letter says some Planned Parenthood affiliates as well as the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) have publicly discussed using such strategic coding practices.
According to the letter, a professional data broker Do No Harm hired to examine Planned Parenthood’s coding practices between 2015 and 2025 found “a subset of approximately 800 patients from across the country for whom Planned Parenthood affiliates wrote between 1,100 and 1,200 prescriptions seemingly related to gender dysphoria while potentially failing to use the correct diagnosis codes for the associated office visit.”
Because of the limitations “inherent in a private actor’s attempt to root out another private actor’s wrongdoing without any of the government’s tools,” Do No Harm asked HHS to investigate Planned Parenthood’s coding practices for office visits as well as to “determine whether and to what extent” those office visits result in pharmacies filling prescriptions for cross-sex hormones, which are then submitted to the federal government for reimbursement.
Two large U.S. health systems, New York University Langone Hospitals and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, agreed Sept. 18 to end pediatric gender-affirming medical interventions for minors and pay financial penalties to resolve Justice Department investigations. NYU Langone will pay $8.5 million and UPMC will pay $950,000.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January ending federal support for gender transition-related care for minors and, in a March joint address to Congress, called for federal legislation “permanently banning and criminalizing sex changes on children.”
These developments come just a month after HHS’ August report, “Wolves in White Coats: How Doctors and Hospitals Pushed and Profited from the Fraud of ‘Gender Medicine.’”
The report outlines HHS’ findings and recommendations about the transgender medicine industry and refers to the DOJ and the HHS inspector general’s office clinics and hospitals identified in the report for investigation for possible violations of federal law.
Planned Parenthood did not respond to a request for comment.
Allentown Diocese begins annual blood drive on feast of St. Januarius amid nationwide shortage
The Diocese of Allentown, Pennsylvania, began its third annual blood drive on Sept. 19, the feast of St. Januarius, the martyred fourth-century bishop whose blood at times miraculously liquefies.
The diocese has partnered once again with the Miller-Keystone Blood Center, which during the 2025 campaign collected 821 units of blood — 40% more than the previous year, according to a diocesan press release. Sixty-three parishes and schools throughout the diocese participated in the blood drive last year.
“Blood cannot be manufactured or replaced,” Allentown Bishop Alfred A. Schlert said in the release. “It can only come from individuals willing to give of themselves for others.”
The Miller-Keystone Blood Center said that because of a national shortage of donated blood, most centers around the country are operating with only a one- or two-day inventory.
“Blood is perishable, and there is no substitute,” said Monika Kotlarska-Gross, director of donor relations at Miller-Keystone. “The only source is the volunteer blood donor.”
Someone in the U.S. is transfused about every two seconds, according to the Red Cross, which said in July that an emergency shortage it had declared the month before had escalated to a national blood supply crisis, the second in the Red Cross’ history (the first was in 2022).
Summer is “trauma season,” according to the Red Cross, with more wrecks and outdoor injuries, and a single trauma patient can use dozens of units. The shortage comes as school blood drives disappear in the summertime. The Red Cross also blamed heat, air quality, and foodborne illness for keeping donors at home.
A diocesan spokesman told EWTN News the campaign can “become a straightforward model other dioceses around the country could adopt.”
Donors who give under their parish’s sponsor code will receive a St. Januarius medallion blessed by the bishop, he said.
The blood drive will end on Dec. 16, one of the dates St. Januarius’ blood is venerated for its miraculous liquefaction. According to the Diocese of Naples, Italy, the saint’s blood liquefied this year on Sept. 19 at 10:04 a.m.
St. Januarius, patron of blood banks
St. Januarius, the patron saint of blood banks and those who’ve suffered heart attacks, was the bishop of Benevento in the early 300s. Tradition holds that he hid Christians during the persecution of Roman Emperor Diocletian and was eventually caught and executed.
After his death, a woman named Eusebia is said to have saved some of his blood in two flasks, and since at least 1389, his dried blood has often miraculously liquefied and then solidified again, especially on his feast day and sometimes before popes and other holy people.
His blood is kept in Naples, nicknamed the “City of Blood,” which observes an annual feast and procession in his honor.
Brazilian president’s criticism of Catholic Church sparks response
The bishop of Piracicaba (São Paulo state), Brazil, Devair Araújo da Fonseca, criticized President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva following his remarks implying the Church needs to end celibacy and ordain women if it wants to grow. Da Silva is running for reelection as the Workers’ Party candidate.
During a Sept. 16 meeting at the Planalto Palace (president’s office) in the capital, Brasília, with Americans and Brazilians from the Evangelical Front for the Rule of Law, Da Silva said he had “the opportunity to speak to Pope Francis” about these topics.
“As long as the Catholic Church doesn’t end celibacy and allow women to be priests, to be bishops — allow women to speak, you know? — we’re going to see the Catholic Church face difficulties,” he said. In Da Silva’s view, the fact that a woman can “be whatever she wants” is what “has caused the evangelical church to grow so much in Brazil.”
Catholics currently make up about 57% of the population, down from about 90% in 1970.
On Sept. 19, Araújo da Fonseca posted a video on his social media channels featuring a homily he had delivered the previous night in Santa Bárbara dʼOeste (São Paulo state), in which he responded to the president.
“We are seeing politicians trying to tell the Church what it should do. They even try to speak about priestly celibacy, when they ought to be looking after the country. And they are doing a very poor job of it,” he said.
The bishop of Piracicaba emphasized the need to “be attentive” at the time of the election, the first round of which will take place on Oct. 4, with a runoff, if necessary, scheduled for Oct. 25.
“Let us not have a short memory, for the future depends on the choices we make in the present. And if we, as Christians, turn a blind eye to this, we will pay the price,” he said.
Araújo da Fonseca addressed those who “were thinking of staying home on Election Day and not voting because it isn’t worth it.” He urged them to vote as “an act of sacrifice and penance.”
“But make your choice. Remember that we all bear the consequences. Do not choose those who wish to destroy our freedom. Do not make choices for which we will later have to pay the price,” he added.
The bishop of Formosa (Goiás state), Adair José Guimarães, also commented on Da Silva’s statements. He said he was not surprised by them, “because usually leaders, when they are ignorant, want to meddle in everything. They think they have a monopoly on the truth about everything.”
Guimarães stated that “the Catholic Church is not something just anyone can understand,” as “it is an institution of divine right, over 2,000 years old, with its incredibly rich tradition, its magisterium, and sacred Scripture.”
In the view of the bishop of Formosa, “the nation’s leader needs to take good care of the nation” rather than “meddle in Church affairs.”
He recalled an incident in 2005 when Lula, “in his first term,” said: “I am a Catholic, Apostolic and Roman.” At the time, the then-archbishop of Rio de Janeiro, Cardinal Eusébio Oscar Scheid, was asked about the Workers' Party leaderʼs statement and remarked: “Look, he says he is a Roman Apostolic Catholic, but my take is this: He is chaotic, apostate, and romantic.”
“So, I share that same view held by our late cardinal regarding the matter. I need say no more than that,” Guimarães said.
This story was first published by ACI Digital, the Portuguese-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
LIVE UPDATES: Beatification of Fulton Sheen
Ahead of his beatification, here’s a look back at Fulton Sheen’s time in Rome
Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen is set to become the first U.S.-born bishop to be beatified on Sept. 24 in St. Louis. Known for his innovative Catholic media ministry, Sheen spent several years after his ordination studying philosophy and theology in Europe — first in Leuven, Belgium, then in Paris and Rome.
His time in Rome would produce some of the most significant events in Sheen’s life, including the completion of his doctorate, being consecrated a bishop, and attending the Second Vatican Council.
Here are some of Sheen’s most important moments in the Eternal City:
Completing his doctorate at the Angelicum
Then-Father Sheen earned a doctorate in theology at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas — “the Angelicum,” as it’s known — in Rome after studying there from 1923-1924. That year, the Angelicum was located on the Via San Vitale before moving to its present location at the Church of Sts. Dominic and Sixtus in 1932.
In 1923, Pope Pius XI published his encyclical Studiorum Decem, praising the Angelicum’s work in promoting the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas, whose 600th canonization anniversary was also celebrated that year.
Meeting with Pope Pius XI
In 1935, Pius XI summoned Sheen to Rome for a private audience at the height of Sheen’s fame from his NBC radio show “The Catholic Hour.” The pope had made him a monsignor the previous year.
During their meeting, the pope, alarmed by the rise of Soviet communism, asked Sheen to study the works of Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin and to use that study to warn Americans of the dangers of communism.
Sheen would respond to the pope’s request by regularly explaining the dangers of communism throughout his public ministry.
Episcopal consecration
On May 28, 1951, Pope Pius XII appointed Sheen auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of New York, assisting its archbishop, Cardinal Francis Spellman. He received his episcopal consecration at the Basilica of Sts. John and Paul on June 11, 1951.
Sheen later became the bishop of Rochester, New York, in 1966 and the titular archbishop of Newport, Wales, in 1969.
National director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith
In 1950, the Vatican nominated Sheen as the national director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith. He would serve in this position for 16 years.
As national director, he was occasionally required to visit Rome, where he met privately with Popes Pius XII, John XXIII, and Paul VI, as well as other officials in the Roman Curia.
On May 21, 1961, John XXIII invited Sheen, as national director, to consecrate 14 new missionary bishops with him in St. Peter’s Basilica.
Second Vatican Council
Sheen attended all four sessions of the Second Vatican Council, which lasted from 1962–1965.
Father Joseph Ratzinger, a theological expert at the council who later became Pope Benedict XVI, met Sheen in 1965. In July 2012, as pope, he fondly recalled the days he spent working with Sheen and others in the Italian countryside, drafting the council’s decree on the Church’s missionary activity, Ad Gentes.
“There was Fulton Sheen who would fascinate us in the evenings with his talks,” Benedict said, remembering some of those present during a week that was, for him, “spiritual enrichment, a great gift.”
Shortly before that, Benedict recognized the heroic virtue of Sheen and declared him “venerable” in a decree on June 28, 2012.
Padre Pio: 13 facts about St. Pio of Pietrelcina to know and share
One of the most popular Catholic saints of the 20th century, St. Pio of Pietrelcina, commonly known as Padre Pio, was a Capuchin Franciscan friar, priest, and mystic. His tomb can be found in the Sanctuary of St. Mary Our Lady of Grace in San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy.
Padre Pio is known for his deep wisdom about prayer and peace, his stigmata, miraculous reports of his bilocation, being physically attacked by the devil, and mastering the spiritual life.
As the Church celebrates his feast day on Sept. 23, here’s a look at 13 facts about St. Pio’s life and faith.
1. Padre Pio was only 5 years old when he expressed a strong desire to serve God.
Born Francesco Forgione on May 25, 1887, in Pietrelcina, Italy, he served as an altar boy at his local parish. At the early age of 5, he consecrated himself to Jesus. By the age of 10, his family looked to see how he could become a Capuchin friar.
2. Padre Pio was only 15 when he entered the Capuchin Friars Minor as a novice.
Being a young teenager, Francesco was given the name Pio or Pius when he entered as a novice. He professed his solemn vows three years later. No stranger to suffering amid frail health throughout much of his studies, he was ordained a priest in 1910. He ascended the Gargano mountains to the rural friary outside of San Giovanni Rotondo in 1916. He remained there for more than 50 years, until his death on Sept. 23, 1968.
3. St. Pio received the visible wounds of Christ known as the stigmata, just like St. Francis of Assisi.
On Sept. 20, 1918, Padre Pio received the stigmata while praying in a church. The wounds remained visible on his body for the rest of his life. The wounds were on his hands, feet, and side, corresponding to the wounds suffered by Jesus during his crucifixion.
4. The blood from his stigmata smelled of floral perfume.
Referred to as the “odor of sanctity,” the blood that came from Padre Pio’s wounds is said to have smelled like perfume or as having a floral aroma. The trait has also been exhibited by other saints who manifested stigmata markings.
5. Padre Pio heard confessions 12 to 15 hours a day.
While listening to confessions, the saint would smell flowers as sins were confessed. Some penitents waited two weeks just to visit him in the confessional. Padre Pio could also read the hearts of penitents, reminding them of sins that were forgotten or omitted.
The saint once said: “Confession is the soul’s bath. You must go at least once a week. I do not want souls to stay away from confession more than a week. Even a clean and unoccupied room gathers dust; return after a week, and you will see that it needs dusting again!”
6. Padre Pio suffered attacks from the devil on a consistent basis.
From a young age, Padre Pio was blessed with heavenly visions, but he also experienced spiritual warfare, including attacks of the devil.
In a book written by Father Gabriele Amorth on Padre Pio, the famous exorcist of Rome said: “The great and constant struggle in the life of the saint was against the enemies of God and souls, those demons who sought to capture his soul.”
Amorth continued: “The devil appeared to him under many different forms: as a big black cat, wild and threatening, or as a repulsive animal, in the clear intention to frighten him; under the appearance of naked and provocative young girls who danced obscene dances, obviously to test the chastity of the young priest. However, the worst was when the devil took on the appearance of his spiritual director, or posed as Jesus, the Virgin Mary, or St. Francis.”
7. He had the gift of bilocation, meaning that he could be in more than one place at a time.
Multiple eyewitness accounts attest to the ability of Padre Pio to be in multiple places at once. Fellow friars remember seeing him in prayer outside when they knew he was still in his room. Some accounts come from others who claim to have seen him on different continents all over the world.
As to how Padre Pio experienced such feats, the closest he ever came to an explanation of bilocation was to say that it occurred “by an extension of his personality.”
8. A sighting of a “flying friar” kept war planes from bombing Padre Pio’s town during World War II.
Among the most remarkable of the documented cases of bilocation was Padre Pio’s appearance in the air over San Giovanni Rotondo during World War II. While southern Italy remained in Nazi hands, American bombers were given the job of attacking the city of San Giovanni Rotondo. However, when they appeared over the city and prepared to unload their munitions, a brown-robed friar appeared before their aircraft. All attempts to release the bombs failed. In this way, Padre Pio kept his promise to the citizens that their town would be spared. Later on, when an American airbase was established at Foggia a few miles away, one of the pilots of the incident visited the friary and found, to his surprise, the friar he had seen in the air that day over San Giovanni.
9. Before dying at the age of 81, all his wounds healed without scars, just as he had foretold they would 50 years prior.
A doctor examining the saint’s body who was present when he was dying observed that the wounds of the stigmata were completely healed, without any trace or scar. Padre Pio’s body was placed in a coffin in the church of the monastery to allow pilgrims to visit and pray.
10. Pilgrims can visit the rooms in which Padre Pio lived.
All the cells where Padre Pio lived in Italy have been outfitted with vintage furnishings to make them look exactly like they were in the early 20th century. Each site also boasts a small museum with relics and artifacts from his life.
11. Many miracles have been attributed to Padre Pio.
Several miracles have been attributed to the saint’s intercession, including the story of Gemma di Giorgio, a little girl who visited Padre Pio. Born blind without pupils in either eye, she miraculously regained her sight after visiting him. One truly miraculous factor about her healing was that, although she could see, she still lacked pupils. Another miracle was chronicled on EWTN.
12. He established a hospital.
Living a life of suffering, made difficult by physical pain and sickness, Padre Pio was able to build a hospital with the help of generous sponsors. Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, which means “Home for the Relief of the Suffering,” was inaugurated on May 5, 1956. The hospital sits atop a hill overlooking San Giovanni Rotondo. Starting with only about 250 beds and just enough equipment, the hospital is now known for its state-of-the-art facilities and services.
13. Even before his death on Sept. 23, 1968, Padre Pio reportedly spent his last moments in prayer.
Beatified in 1999, St. Padre Pio was canonized on June 16, 2002, by the late St. John Paul II. He is known among Catholics as St. Pio of Pietrelcina. More than 500,000 attended his canonization. He celebrated Mass the day before his death.
This story was first published by the National Catholic Register, the sister partner of EWTN News, and has been adapted and updated by EWTN News.
Sri Lanka jails 15 for up to 260 years over Easter Sunday church bombings
Sri Lanka’s High Court has sentenced 15 men to prison terms of 200 to 260 years for their roles in the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings. The convictions are the first directly tied to the attacks on three churches and three hotels that killed 279 people.
A three-judge bench in Colombo delivered the verdict Sept. 22 after a nearly five-year trial involving 23,270 charges, LiCAS.news reported. Fourteen defendants were convicted on all counts, including murder, conspiracy to commit terrorism, and possession of firearms and explosives under the Prevention of Terrorism Act. Nine were acquitted, while a 15th was convicted on some counts. The court also ordered the confiscation of the convicts’ property.
According to the sentencing list published by Sri Lanka Mirror, one defendant received 260 years, four received 240 years, five received 220 years, and five received 200 years. Prosecutors identified Mohamed Naufar, an Islamist preacher, as the ringleader who supported the suicide bombers, and he received 220 years.
The dead included 45 foreign nationals, among them five U.S. citizens, according to the U.S. Justice Department.
Father Jude Krishantha Fernando, director of mass communications for the Archdiocese of Colombo, welcomed the ruling but said those convicted “represented only one part of the case,” Newswire reported. He also called for scrutiny of whether intelligence and security officials had enough information to prevent the attacks.
“Finally, we have justice,” Fernando told Agence France-Presse. “It has taken a long time to get to this point.”
Church presses for a full accounting
For years, the Church has pressed to identify those who ordered the attacks. Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith of Colombo called the 2020 release of several suspects “sad and unfortunate,” and Pope Francis urged Sri Lankan authorities in 2022 to clarify “definitively who was responsible.”
In February 2026, police arrested former intelligence chief Suresh Sallay, and the archdiocese asked that the investigation proceed “unhindered from any quarters.” Sallay denies the allegations.
In July, former police chief Pujith Jayasundara and former defense secretary Hemasiri Fernando were sentenced to death for failing to act on intelligence warnings. In August, Ranjith said the Church “cannot support capital punishment because it violates human dignity,” Radio Veritas Asia reported.
In 2025, the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints added the 167 Catholics killed in the bombings to its list of “Witnesses of Faith.”
Pope calls for protection of migrant minors: It is everyone’s responsibility
Pope Leo XIV appealed on Wednesday to “everyone’s sense of responsibility” to protect migrant and refugee minors, stressing that children and teenagers are the most vulnerable and often endure “unspeakable suffering.”
“Children and teenagers are the most vulnerable,” he said at the end of his weekly general audience, recalling that the World Day of Migrants and Refugees will be celebrated on Sunday, Sept. 27.
Following his catechesis in St. Peter’s Square, the pontiff noted that many minors endure “unspeakable suffering: violence, torture, exploitation, traumatic conditions, and it is not uncommon for them to lose their lives along migration routes.”
In light of this reality, he called for ensuring the protection and support of young migrants.
“I appeal to everyone’s sense of responsibility: Let us all feel a sense of involvement in the lives of these young people, who must always be protected and supported,” Leo XIV urged.
The Church celebrates the World Day of Migrants and Refugees each year to raise awareness about the situation of displaced persons and to promote initiatives of welcome, integration, and accompaniment, with particular attention to those in the most vulnerable circumstances.
In his message for this year’s World Day of Migrants and Refugees, titled “Even Just One of These Children,” Pope Leo XIV insisted that “public and private institutions are obliged to place the protection and dignity of every migrant child and adolescent at the center” of their efforts.
Progress is not opposed to Christian faith
In his catechesis, the pope challenged the “prejudice” that portrays scientific and technological progress as being opposed to the Christian faith and warned of the “tragedy of atheistic humanism” described by French Jesuit Cardinal Henri de Lubac.
“In post-Christian humanisms, the human being and God are mistakenly presented as rivals: In order to assert his knowledge, his freedom, and his progress, man would have to emancipate himself from God. Ultimately, however, by denying the relationship with God, one also loses the possibility of affirming the transcendent value of the human person,” the pontiff said in St. Peter’s Square.
According to Leo, this interpretation “has brought about a change in the way contemporary man views the world, compared with previous ages,” opening the door to a “prejudice” that prevails especially in that part of Western culture that has lost its reference to Christian revelation.
As part of his reflections on the Second Vatican Council’s pastoral constitution Gaudium et Spes, the Holy Father invited the faithful to ask: “What is the value of human activity in the world, and therefore of technical, social, and scientific progress?”
“Created in the image and likeness of God, the human being is the agent of progress. With freedom and intelligence, he increases his knowledge, thereby advancing society as a whole,” he explained.
Pope Leo XIV also said: “Humanity — and with it work, progress, and the autonomy of created realities — is not absorbed or nullified by the encounter with God but rather taken up in its entirety, continuing to be, in Christ, free and active: Indeed, it is in him that it finds full truth and freedom.”
Addressing the pilgrims gathered in the square, the pope said: “Christians, like everyone else, are involved in building the city of man, striving towards the end of all things and the encounter with God, and reminding those with whom they share the adventure of progress, science, and life of this ultimate purpose.”
He added, however, that earthly progress must be clearly distinguished from the development of Christ’s kingdom.
“Finally, let us recall that in order to become authentic human progress — that is, progress for the whole person and for all people — technical and scientific progress must be inspired and guided by charity. Only in this way can it always be placed in the service of human dignity and promote the living conditions of all, especially the most disadvantaged,” the pope concluded.
This story was first published in two parts by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.